personal experience

Has anyone worked with these things?

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070529/HEALTH/705290301/1051

"All the stars are doing it,"

Anything that gets your heart rate up and stresses muscle groups will do the same thing. 12 oz. curls with a beer mug don't count.

Save your money (to spend on the Blade) Pete, they look like dumbells re-marketed as "the new thing".

Put on your hiking harness, attach a hook to the ceiling in your garage, and attach your mainsheet blocks to both. Spend your afternoon hoisting yourself up and down. If that doesn't get you in shape for sawing the main, I don't know what will.

Leave the garage door open so the neighbors can watch you doing your bondage workout. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

This brings to mind a great image. When you hoist off the ground, you'll discover that your center of gravity is below mid-point and you flip feet-up head-down, suddenly unhooking and dumping onto your head. Garage door open with neighbors watching, of course! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Fitness is a lot like sailing. Spend more time on the water and you get better at it. There is nothing new here, just a fad.
Go to the gym and do ANYTHING and you will get fitter.
With weights you are better off with good form rather than heavier and if you keep at it without too long for recovery in between sets the heart rate is kept up and cardio gains are made.
Aerobic is a constant so it it anaerobic that makes gain and promotes recovery time.

Hmmm. maybe put the harness hook higher and strap a full milk jug to your feet?

Or just perch your feet on a shelf?

If you are careful, you can spin yourself around while trapezeing and do a handstand. Caution: do not do this while you have crew on board with no sailing experience.

(sploosh!...hmmm, I wonder if if he can figure out how to come back and get me).

Aerobic (under 75% of max heart rate) will burn fat. Anaerobic will promote cardiovascular health but you don't want to stay anaerobic for an extended period of time. You'll use up all the glucose in your liver and be hit with the dreaded bonk.

You can replenish glucose with simple carbs like sugar. You also need to stay hydrated and keep your sodium and electrolytes up. Gatoraid does a good job. I prefer Cytomax as it tastes better. If sodium levels drops, you'll start shedding potasium. That can lead to death.

After heavy exercise don't ever gulp down large amounts of water. That will dilute sodium which will result in low potasium levels.

Check with your doctor before heading straight to anaerobic. To lose fat, just take frequent long walks. To burn away the excess fat and the extra carbs you ingested for dinner the night before jog or cycle at a moderate rate. Don't worry about going anaerobic too much if you are not in reasonably good shape to begin with. Start off easy.

Tom

Kettlebells are a great way to work-out. Most people have never even seen them let alone try to use them. So don't listen to negitive stuff about them. Using them is all about timing and proper tech., then it is just mind over matter.
A great web site is www.dragondoor.com
Email me at mjohnson@kconline.com if you want more info.
Matt J

"bondage workout", "head first into the concrete". <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Actually, I prefer the "Greek God" reference. This forum is nothing if not entertaining! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I've been loosing weight through diet and exercise for over a year now. But I've recently lost my enthusiasm. Just looking for something to get me fire up again.

Seriously, this a sport in Russia and has been around a long time.

Yes, sport. For girls. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

THAT DOES IT!! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> I am compelled to break the international kettlebell gender barrier!

Try...
This girl can rise ~53 lb (24 kg) ball 200+ times

Why? As an endurance competition?

I'm really only compelled to get my spinnaker under control. One arming it for a long downwind leg can be very tiring. On at least one occassion I was absolutely out of breath BEFORE the end of the leg.

Kettlebell sport in Russia means rising fixed weight (16, 24 or 32 kg)kettles (1 or 2) as much time as possible. Yes, it is endurance sport.

IMHO, some elastic is better than kettlebell, may be because I hate dropping kettle on my foot.

There's an idea. Two actually! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

I just need to simulate the one armed spinnaker work.

Start a basic whole body workout program. Working just one area, especially if you are out of shape, is a good way to hurt yourself. You can get one set of muscles strong enough to hurt anouther set. If you use a trainer, tell them, you need a sports program. Don't totally trust any trainer. Most have only very basic training and some can't find their butt with both hands.

After you have been in a basic program, 3 days a week, for 3 months, then you can work harder on any area that hurts after sailing.

Once you get a program that seems to work, go see a Sports Medicine DOCTOR, to see if anything you are doing, may cause long term problems.

This is not a science. Be prepared for strange pains and odd results. Last year, I discovered, that if I had to pull my mainsheet hard at a strange angle, I could pull my shoulder out of joint.

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Gym training will only take you so far. Nothing prepares you for dragging a catamaran up a algee and duck poo covered ramp while wearing a wetsuit, like actually doing it. However, it's the gym training that gives you the strength to stand up and try again, when you fall and bust your butt on the first try.

My wife tells me women will never perform an endless series of painfull, silly looking exercises (think overweight middle aged man hopping on one foot). Only men will do that and only if there is some little blonde yelling, "JUST 2 MORE, JUST 2 MORE"

Nude?

Actually our gym has an algee and duck pooh covered training ramp. It is right beside the soft sand pit and opposite the mud strip.

If you want to think that, you can. I prefer not to have images like that haunting me.

The reality is almost as bad. Imagine a incredibly cute little blond trainer, just retired from world class gymnastics competition at 22. A 45 year old man, 75 lbs overweight, wearing gym shorts and a white tee shirt. She has him stepping up onto a bench with his right foot, throwing his arms up, yelling, I CAN, then stepping down, then stepping up onto a bench with his left foot.............
until his eyes bug out and you think he is having a heart attack. All the time she keeps encouraging him with "just 2 more" and you are thinking, "if she asked me to, I would do it too"

You may want to invest in a bike. It will really take the pounds off if you will put in the miles. You can burn almost 1000 calories on a hard 20 mile ride which can be done in one hour after you get into shape.

Tom

The bike is money you can put into the boat and while your knees might turn to custard, the real danger is the loon in the car changing the channel. Walk away from the screen for 30 minutes and then walk back.

Thomm is right about the bike.
These days you can pick up older road bikes that roll well and have good gear on them quite cheap.
I paid only $60 for mine. Just keep in the lower gears and keep your cadence up to not load your knees up.

Regards,
Phill

If the seat height is set up properly (pain in back of knee - lower the seat, pain in front of knee - raise the seat) and pedaling at a minimum of 80 RPM, you should have no knee problems.

As for loons, they can be found using all forms of transportation. PWCs, powerboaters, clueless sailors, drunk pilots, stoned train engineers.