Power Body: Kettlebell Bootcamp with Angie Miller

I started this workout on Monday 11/21/11, the week of Thanksgiving. I even completed this workout on Thanksgiving day while visiting my mom. I just put the dvd and kettlebell in the car and hit the road. I love the fact that even though this video is over 50 minutes, it never feels as if it's over 50 minutes because the workout is broken down into clearly defined sections. Here's the rundown of the run time: Warm Up 4:21 Set 1 4:35 Set 2 5:48 Set 3 8:35 Set 4 3:55 Set 5 8:40 Set 6 4:06 Set 7 3:55 Set 8 3:25 Cool Down 4:20 Total Run Time: 51 min 45 sec Here's the bad and the good. Bad: Volume isn't recorded on a high enough volume. It is difficult to hear her, & she even has a microphone attached to her shirt. I changed computers, and the volume got better. Just be mindful that you will need to keep background noise, i.e. tv, radio, kids to a minimum while working out. Angie clenches her teeth. This stood out the first couple of times I did the dvd, but you get used to it after a while. Bending over to perform the deadlifts. Based on previous kettlebell dvds that I have completed, I keep my back straight and "squat" into my deadlifts. I am not sure about bending over for the deadlifts. Good: Long stretch at the end. Good over the head lengthening ab work. You get a good workout that challenges all major muscle groups. Nice job of verbal encouragement both during & at the end of the sets. The workout is sectioned off well, so you don't feel as if you have been working for almost an hour. Great back of arm exercise. Your form will continue to improve with time. This is an excellent apartment workout. There is little to no jumping (slight pouncing to do a plyometric squat), so this is really saving me a lot of money in gym fees. I am already looking forward to purchasing a heavier kettlebell soon (I use a 20 lb kettlebell at present), so that I can continue to be challenged by the exercises. Surprising: No Turkish getups or snatches I was sore after the first 2 workouts, and I continue to be sore sporadically. I rarely get sore. In the last couple of weeks, I continue to have soreness, especially as a result of deep squats. I put on an old pair of pants today, and they are almost too big. :) The introduction of exercises that are "new" to me even though I have completed more than one other kettlebell dvd, i.e. deep curtsies Closing notes: I agree with another poster, Angie and Chris barely break a sweat. The only sign of sweating is that Angie's hair seems a little droopy at the end of the workout. Thanks to Beth Cholette for the recommendation of this dvd.

I've have wanted to explore kettlebell since having back surgery. I know it is important to develop a strong core to help from repeating any future back problems. I am a fit 51 year old. I'm an avid swimmer and I even teach safe exercise to people over 65 years of age. With that said, safety is always a key requirement for me to any DVD exercise video especially to body's that do ultimately change with age. There were two DVDs on kettlebell that I have tried recently and would like to give a review on both. Angie Miller's "Kettlebell Bootcamp" was the first that I purchased. It was a very good workout that made me sore every time that I did them, but for me there were just too many lunges. After 51 years of stress on the knees, this is an exercise my body is aware to be very cautious of when doing. I did make my own modifications and took what I know from weight training to make my workout feel like I was doing moves safely. I did not feel there was much in the way of proper form and safety cautions given in this DVD. With safety in mind, I would rate this a 3. The second DVD I purchased was Lauren Brooks' "The Ultimate Body Sculpt and Conditioning with Kettlebells". Lauren is a Certified Instructor of Russian Kettlebell and you feel like you are in a private session (no frills to this video). She gives wonderful instruction on what is most important to me proper form and safety. Her DVD is broken up into a 12-minute workout, which can be repeated for a second or third set. Then there is a 40-minute workout. I like Lauren's style and instruction. There are no lunges...just squats. If you want proper form and safety I would recommend this highly. On a scale of 1-5, I would rate this tops.

I recently bought this video and I feel a *little* let down. Although the quality of the production is good and Angie is excellent at what she does and certainly a professional, I thought some aspects of this video's marketing were misleading. That being said, some aspects of the video are quite good. The cons: For one thing, the video is marketed as a good selection for beginners, intermediates, and experts in fitness. This, I feel, is untrue. Angie mentions that beginners should start with a 10lb kettlebell, which I did, although I have been working out for over a year (training for a 10k, doing cardio and some strength training) and I find the video impossible to complete in one session. I can't imagine that a true beginner would find this workout is at all suited to their needs. IF you have a small kettlebell of maybe 5lbs, as a beginner you *might* be able to complete the video in one session. Also, there is a tutorial of about 5 minutes in length which you can use as a warmup, although it is quite difficult all on its own. It covers some basic kettlebell moves that Angie will use in the duration of the video, specific information about form and technique, and general info about kettlebells. The problem? She ONLY covers about seven individual exercises and the video covers many, many more! I always watch the videos I use first before attempting to do them and I was really surprised that the tutorial did not go through, at least once, all of the maneuvers she will use. I'm totally choreography challenged, so I always choose workouts that are slower and more about proper form than about complicated floorwork. To its credit, the video is not choreography heavy and you can certainly stop the video to repeat any parts you don't get, but to my mind, a good video does a better job at least preparing you to do any steps it expects. Another issue I have with the video is that I felt like the sections were not organized well. The beginning of the video has several rather brutally difficult portions, then the end has 3 very easy ones. I felt like a better workout would have alternated these a little bit better to give you a brief reprieve and bring your heart rate down some (which is more like intervals and better for fat burning). The last con I have has nothing to do with the workout itself; rather, it is about Angie's assistant. She smiles and is robotic throughout the WHOLE video which is extremely annoying if you're sensitive to that. She's also about six ft. tall and thin as a rail, which if you're round (like me) is kind of annoying. I think it's refreshing to see someone with a few curves on a video I'm using. The pros: You WILL get results with this video. You will. There is no question here. IF you can complete the video (or work yourself up through completing the separate portions of it) you will get nearly immediate results. I have done it in parts four times and I got results after ONE workout. That's it. ONE. I could not believe the muscle definition. The workout is structured in portioned sections so that you can pick and choose what you can/want to do. I personally mix the harder portions with easier workouts, the easier portions with harder workouts. That's handy. Also, There is an option to just listen to the music of each section and not the cueing, etc, if you don't want to listen to Angie's voice. The music is a good fit. It's a little overpowering in certain sections but not annoying, I did not think. Angie is good at cueing for form. Often she reminds you to squeeze your glutes, bicep by the right ear, back straight, push through the heels, etc. Very important for a beginner! It would be WAY too easy to hurt yourself with a heavy kettlebell if you were not cued well and often as to proper form. HOWEVER, that being said, Angie does NOT do a lot of instruction or cueing for proper basic kettlebell two-armed swing form. I actually viewed several different tutorials on youtube just to make sure I had good form and I was definitely not in good form at first. Angie does say something like "your butt should feel like it's touching a piece of glass behind you" as you squat to do the swing, but for me that was not enough info. I personally used the instructional video that came with my kettlebell. That instructor said to envision yourself about to sit in a chair and --bingo!--I totally understood it. I wish Angie had been more clear. Thanks for bearing with a long review! In short, buy this video if: You want results, you aren't a TOTAL beginner, and you want to get your heart rate WAY up there. Don't buy it if you are a total beginner, or you need lots of tutorial and instruction. Happy kettlebelling!

I am a 39 y/o mother of 2. I am 5'4" about 130lbs. Over the years I have take MANY different types fitness classes and run sometimes. I am in decent shape but never felt "sculpted". Last summer I was taking Angie's cycling classes at my health club. I was in awe of her tiny, yet chisled frame and always wondered what else she did to look like that since cycling is a lot of lower body work. Then one day she mentioned working out w/a kettle bell and another day mentioned "filming again in the fall". This peaked my curiousity so I went home to "google" her and stumbled upon her kettle bell video. I ordered it hoping it wouldn't be a dust collector like all the others I own. If I am at home, I can always find something else to do instead of workout. However, after doing this video Power Body: Kettlebell Bootcamp with Angie Miller (kettle bell) once, I was addicted (I even took it on vacation, that's saying a lot). Hard workout but easy to get through. It is in short segments so when you think you can't do anymore, you get a short break. But the best part was the results. I have always hated my arms. Within a week I started to see definition in my arms, back and shoulders for the 1st time ever! My stomach was getting flat and my hamstrings/butt were getting toned. I was amazed! Many friends asked what I was doing and I recommended this video to all of them. This video has a great combination of exercises to get FULL body results. Angie does a great job explaining, motivating and reminding you of proper form. I HIGHLY recommend this video but do not recommend pushing through the whole video your 1st time through(I was sore for about 4 days). I would suggest 1/2 one day and 1/2 the next until you get used to it because my whole body was screaming. Going to try her newest workout soon. She is GREAT! This is a looong review and could keep going and I NEVER write reviews, that's how much I love it!

I went and looked through lower ratings for this dvd to see what people didn't like about it to incorporate into my review. Someone posted about this being a very lousy workout dvd because they had knee surgery. Well yes. Angie does do some bending of the knees in some of her workouts. However if you do not have any knee issues it shouldn't bother you. It says that this is for all levels. Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. I would not recommend this dvd for a beginner. Meaning if you have never EVER really worked out before. I workout about 2-3 weeks every month and when I would complete a session from this dvd I was breathing heavily and definately ready to be done. O.k. the music. It's reminds me of techno. If you really have a problem with it, turn the volume on your t.v. down and put in some music in a cd player. O.k. Angie and Chris smiling. Yes they smile. And smile. And smile. The first time I did this workout I found myself smiling. Weird but I don't do it anymore. Just that one time. There is a warm up session (about 5 minutes long) and 5 different sets, which are about 10 minutes long, you can choose from. Also there's an option "Music Only" where you can only have the music playing and you don't have to hear what Angie is saying. Angie is considerate. She let's you know when the tempo is going to start (faster pace) and how many more you have to go before you're done. She encourages you. Not as good as Denise Austin (love her) but she does a decent job. I use a 10 lb. kettlebell along with this dvd. I believe Angie is using a 15 lb. bell. Another thing, Chris (she's in the video with Angie standing behind/beside Angie, shows a different way to do a workout if you're having trouble with what Angie is doing, so that's nice too.

Since early Jan 2012, I've purchased and used several DVD's for kettlebell training. My goal was to develop increased muscle tone. This was the first one I tried and I started with a 10 pound bell. My initial fitness level was fair. I had been using an elliptical 2-3x/wk for a few weeks prior using a variety of interval trainings. I was not prepared for the full-body burn this DVD brought and was thrilled immediately about working so many muscle groups in one workout. For the first week, I focused on just being able to get through the DVD. I was incredibly sore for 3 days after the first workout. I tend to overdo a little as I like to be challenged, so I probably pushed a little too hard for the first week. I did the workout a second time on day 3 and after that, I've just had the good muscle stiffness you get after a good workout. As far as form and technique, I hadn't researched kettlebell training much when I started this DVD. I thought the DVD tutorial did a decent job of describing the details needed to do the moves safely. I used a mirror and practiced the techniques without weight before starting the workout. That said, there are moves included in the workout that could cause discomfort or injury to some with weak quads or glutes. There are a LOT of squats and lunges in this DVD. If taken slow and with light weight (don't do all the reps at first), your strength builds quickly. This was the approach I used and at the end of 6weeks, I am comfortable using a 20 pound bell for this workout. I probably wouldn't go heavier than that, and sometimes go back to 15 pound for upper body stuff and continue to get an awesome workout. I was doing this workout 2 days/week and trying other DVD's on 1-2 other days. Now I use this one when I want a good leg workout, so about 1x/week or every other week. I prefer Lauren Brook's series now for technique and strength building (with the cardio benefits). The pace of the DVD is fast without rest breaks for 40 minutes. I definitely got a lot of cardio work from this workout and was shocked at how much strength and tone I developed even after 2 weeks. I love the stretch at the end with the long hip flexor stretches. I plan to review all of the kettlebell DVD's I have purchased so far, so check them out too.

I am new to Kettlebells and not in the best shape. In the past month I have been going to the gym about 4 times a week doing everything from the eliptical to Spin classes. I heard about Kettlebells and wanted to give it a try. I bought the 8 pound Kettlebell from jfit on Amazon (I had debated on what size to get for a long time). I bought this DVD because of the reviews and I have to say I was not dissapointed. The DVD starts out with a tutorial to show you the basic moves that are used - I skipped most of this because it was slow. The workout itself is at a slower pace so I am not sure it really covers my cardio but I can definately feel the burn in my arms after doing the whole thing. I liked that it was slower because I am new to the Kettlebell and I want to really focus on form. Angie uses a 15 pound Kettlebell and says beginners should use a 10 pound bell - at first I thought the 8 pounds was way too easy but as the video progessed I definately felt muscle fatigue with the 8 pounds and think I made a wise choice to start. If I do this on a regular basis, I could definately see myself working up to a 15 pound bell in no time though. The DVD is divided up into 7 circuts and gets progessively harder. I was able to make it through most of the DVD on the first shot - there were a few ab exercises that I could not do and I did the modified versions on the few of the moves to get used to them. All in all, I think this is a great workout. I would say this is definately easy enough for beginners and if you use heavier bells it is probably great for those that are more advanced. Highly recommend.

This Kettlebell workout (and I have done quite a few different ones)is nice because it combines a lot of different types of moves to address many different muscle groups. I was really sore the first week I completed this workout. The other nice thing is that the instructor carefully goes over each move beforehand so you know what you're doing. Some of the moves involve lunging very close to the floor, so it might be hard for people with bad knees. The only thing I STRONGLY dislike about this video is that there is no section which seamlessly runs all of the moves together without all of the explanations in between, or the breaks between sections. Once I completed the workout for a few weeks, I already knew exactly how to do each move and the wait time between moves and sections became extremely boring. Now I can only get through this workout if I continue doing the previous move while she explains the next move because I get SOOOO BORED waiting for the next move and my heart rate goes all the way down. So I would say, if you're at a good level of fitness and already have a background in kettlebells or dance (where you know how to hold your core and balance etc) you might find this video pretty boring.

I'm a senior citizen who goes to the gym regularly and I have recently begun working with weights. This Kettlebell workout video is excellent! I did the complete video once, but had to modify a bit. I worked up quite a sweat and I'm still feeling it after two days. So this is one video I don't think my body can handle without resting several days in between workouts. It was very easy to follow and I give it a thumbs up!

Good for beginners!

This video is a lot higher priced than other fitness videos I have purchased and a lot of the moves can be found online. I do, however, like the way the dvd is broken down into different sets. If you're new to kettlebells or have been working with them for a while, you'll still find this a valuable workout. Angie is easy to follow.

I have heard that working out with kettlebells were tough but worth it. I have to admit I totally agree. I bought two and then searched for a dvd to go with them and picked this one. I loved it. The sessions are really tough but in 5 minute intervals so you always feel like you are making progress. Angie is a great...although like all instructors the perma-smile can be a bit annoying. I would recoomend this workout video to anyone who wants to have a great strength training cardio tough 50 minute workout....and feel it the next day! :) I am very happy with this purchase!!

I was so excited when I finally received my DVD....I used it immediately...I have been doing other kettle bell exercises and was looking forward to a harder cardio and muscle toning workout. The instructions in this video are too late into the specific work out. I have been laid up now for over a week because I injured my lower back doing this workout. There was not enough instruction on how to position the body correctly. Very disappointed....now having to go to physio to correct the issue this instruction created. Will repeat again, that I have been doing core workouts for over a year and treadmill for at least 5 years....in one 60 minute workout...poof my back was sprained..not to mention I have lost over 1.5 pounds of muscle already.