Formosa Fitness

This is a new DVD put out by My Mad Methods magazine. The idea was to make a DVD aimed at the BJJ/MMA and kettlebell markets.

Trainer Joey Alvarado starts off by saying this is an advanced workout. You need to have good knowledge of basic kettlebells moves before trying this stuff. This is a welcome change since a lot of DVDs are aimed at the beginner market. It's nice to see something a bit more advanced.

He introduces a bunch of new moves with the kettlebell based on basic BJJ/MMA principles like getting up off the floor, applying triangles and armbars, using a combat stance instead of a square stance for kettlebell moves, etc. You can get the flavor of what he's doing here:

As you can see, the moves are MMA-ish so you can clearly see the relationship but not overly complex. He stripped the moves down to basics in order to use them for fitness and I think that was a wise move. Some of these videos IMO try to make stuff too complex. And this clip above is actually more complex than anything on the DVD. He didn't put any flow like this on the disk, which is kind of interesting.

The DVD starts with an intro to the moves and I think there about 15 or so. I didn't count them. For an advanced DVD he surprisingly advices not to use a heavier kettlebell and after seeing the moves, you'll understand why. Moves like the combat clean can only be done with a lighter bell because of the whipping motion on the technique. I wouldn't want to try that with a 24kg.

After the moves are introduced, he gives beginner, intermediate, and advanced workouts based on rounds. Beginner rounds are 3:00, intermediate are 4:00, and advanced mirrors the UFC's 5:00 rounds. Each round is a circuit for that time with a break in between rounds. Alvarado takes the new moves and alternates them with traditional kettlebell moves. So in the circuits, he'll do one of his moves and then a traditional technique, then a new one, etc. I liked this format because it makes the workout less gimicky. But then looking at the clip above, I'm wondering why at least one flow all based on his moves wasn't out on the DVD.

My only complaint about the DVD was that the workouts are buried under the exercise section on the DVD menu. So you have to scroll through all the techniques just to get to the workouts and that's kind of annoying. Making those a separate selection of the menu next time would be a better idea.  

This DVD is a solid buy for someone looking to expand their kettlebell workout options. It's a nice blend of new and old techniques that would challenge most anyone.

You can pick it up here: http://combatkettlebellsystems.com/