Wednesday 10:15-11:00
Kettle Bell
Instructor Paul Katami
- The instructor even had his own workout DVD – Who knew?
My biggest mistake was heading straight to the kettle bells BEFORE I found my spot in the room. I was pretty much as far from the instructor (with a blocked view) as I could be. As Paul began class I immediately liked him. His voice was comforting. His body was amazing. He smiled and seemed truly happy to see us. I didn’t feel the same. I was nervous and felt intense pressure to be able to keep up with a room of incredibly fit and well dressed women.
Within the first few minutes we began squats and lunges and it seemed like we kept squatting and lunging until almost the very end. Paul demonstrated every move and gave clear directions about how to hold and move the kettle bell. Once the sweat began to drip it never stopped. Except for the two short water breaks (I gulped down water like a camel in the Sahara) we were in constant motion. When I glanced at the clock and only ten minutes had passed I knew I was in for it.
As class progressed the longer sequences of coordinated movements began. Thank god there is no video to review so I will never really know, but from my perspective I think I did decently. I only seemed to have a couple missteps like front lunging instead of back lunging or left hand instead of right hand. I learned that if I listened to Paul’s voice that his directions could guide me to near perfection. This was incredibly helpful from the location of the room I was in. I stopped watching people and focused on his voice. This seemed to keep me in step. Paul walked around and assisted with form and gave constant motivation and support. Yes! It mattered when he seemed to look at me and said, “good”. At several points in the workout he also offered variations for making the exercises more challenging. I stuck to the basic moves but i’m sure others appreciated this. Towards the end of the session we grabbed floor mats and even got in some ab work. Overall, it was an incredibly satisfying yet butt kicking workout.
The movement of the kettle bell was not difficult or tricky. There was a good natural flow between the arm and leg movements. My hands were so sweaty at points that I did need to wipe them with a towel to get a better grip on the handle but that was the only equipment issue I faced. I was satisfied with the 5 lb. weight. It was challenging yet not impossible.As class ended, I really felt like I had accomplished something! I was strong and proud of myself. I credit Paul for his verbal directions, sequences and constant checking on participants for this.
I cannot remember a single song that was played. I know there was music but I must have been so focused on not looking a fool and surviving the 45 minutes that I don’t even know if I heard it. My body is still a bit sore two days after the class. Not a near death or buy epsom salt sore but the kind of sore that makes me feel like I had really done something good for myself and my body.
I enjoyed this class so much that I actually considered becoming a member so that I could repeat the experience. I went online and looked at the class schedule to see how many kettle bell classes they had each week. THIS says a lot! I’m actually still debating a return trip and possible membership based solely on my kettle bell class experience. Paul teaches the class twice a week. I’m considering joining for summer when I will be able to take them both and get every penny’s worth.
Mariah Holcombe says