“Strong enough for a man, but made for a woman.” Too bad that marketing slogan is already taken. It perfectly describes Lauren Brooks’ new kettlebell DVD:
This is Lauren’s first DVD. We give it an unqualified “MUST BUY” rating for any budding kettle-belle. It features a solid instructional section covering 15 primary kettlebell drills. The instruction is crisp, to the point, and easy to follow. You’ll also find a nice joint mobility section for warm up & cool down. Finally, there are 2 follow-along workouts which efficiently combine both strength & cardio.
Details
Ultimate Body Sculpt and Conditioning with Kettlebells is a single 80 minute DVD. At $40, it is an excellent value for women who want to learn about kettlebell training.
What we liked
Mainstream women are often turned off or intimidated by most of the existing, basic kettlebell DVDs on the market. That is often due to marketing verbiage such as “evil Russian, hardcore, and brutal” which appeals to certain manly men and biker chicks.
Lauren has managed to cast kettlebell training in a more accessible, mainstream manner. The graphic design, production, and instruction are instantly appealing to modern women. That’s not to say it is watered down, soft, or girly. Rather, we’d describe the overall theme as Girl Power!
Brooks herself lends an important flavor to the success of this DVD. She is in incredible shape, with abs popping out all over the place. But, there are lots of women like that in mainstream fitness DVDs. Often those women are too bubbly to take seriously. I think most women will think of Lauren as just one of the girls. Someone you could comfortably dish with on a park bench while watching over the kids. Women will obviously see her ripped body, but won’t be intimidated.
Lauren will be particularly inspiring for new moms. She had a baby before the filming of this DVD and used kettlebells throughout the pregnancy. That credibility will resonate with new and old moms alike!
Production value is very good with multiple camera angles, a nice outdoor set, and an easy to navigate menu system. The workouts will be challenging for newcomers, but not as intimidating as other work-along DVDs on the market. I think that fact will empower more women to keep going with kettlebells. The drills are structured in timed sets (with a convenient timer bar to keep track of progress) with plenty of 1 minute rest periods.
What could have been better
It is hard to find something not to like here. The content is spot on, and that’s the most important part of any beginner kettlebell DVD. Nitpicky, but we would have preferred the DVD to be in a hi-def or at least widescreen format.
Summary
The Ultimate Body Sculpt and Conditioning with Kettlebells DVD (wow, that’s a mouthful!) is perfect for women who want to learn about kettlebell training. Don’t think twice, buy it today.