Building Strength: Kettlebells and Barbells
There is no easier way to add a dynamic and ballistic training exercises to a routine than with the kettlebell. They are safe, effective, and checks all the boxes of adding athleticism to any routine. Just simply replacing dumbbells with kettlebells will drastically change any program due to the difference in weight distribution between the kettlebell and dumbbell. When kettlebells are used correctly, they promote strength and stability throughout the whole body.
I have been a barbell and dumbbell guy my whole life. Like most people, I tooled around with kettlebells at gyms doing everything incorrectly (“Hey! I watched a YouTube video, I’m good.”) But few years back, I feel completely in love with kettlebells. This put me on a quest to “figure these things out”. I hired a StrongFirst trainer in my area and went to work. I practiced day in and day out for over a year to become proficient in the kettlebell movements and took the grueling (it is no joke) 3 day examination to become StrongFirst certified. Since then I have never looked back. All I did was work with kettlebells but I started to miss the barbell and wanted to start blending the two worlds together.
I have never been a big fan of kettlebell complexes. There is nothing wrong with them, but they are not for me. I am a firm believer in mastering the basics and hammering those into the ground. The basics are purposeful and effective, the way I like to lift. My main goal was not to substitute one for the other but find a way to use them complimentary. I also did not want to burn out one day and not be able to work the next. I wanted to find a way to synergistically blend the two to make a comprehensive and progressive program that added both pure strength and overall conditioning.
THE LIFTS
The first task is to break down what lifts are important in every category. I had three: barbell, kettlebell and bodyweight. These were the lifts that gave me the most bang for the buck without having to sit in the gym for hours on end every day. I was not bodybuilding, I wanted to become “harder to kill”. They broke down as follows:
· Barbell: Deadlift, Squat, Bench, Military Press
· Kettlebell: Press, Goblet/Front Squat, Swing/Single Arm Swing, Clean/Snatch, Turkish Getup
· Bodyweight: Pullups, Hanging Leg Raises
These lifts can vary from person to person, but like I said, this is personal to me and I still like the classics. Once I had the lifts, I had to figure out the volume.
THE VOLUME
Training is about consistency and muscle growth is about continuing to put the muscle under stress. I made sure to hit every type of lift every week in order to continue to grow and stress the muscles without blowing the system out of the water. There are “several ways to skin a cat”. Most would agree that it is extremely taxing on the system to go heavy all day, every day. Training heavy is great, and vital to promote strength, but training heavy all the time can cause regression in training and even injury. I prefer to cycle with heavy and light training days with certain percentages of my max. This allows for ample recovery but a continual gain in strength due to a consistency in training. The chart below is a breakdown of my month-long cycle.
*H = Heavy Day *L = Light Day
The following is the weight and rep scheme:
Barbell (Heavy) 80% of 1 REP Max:
· Week 1–4 x 5
· Week 2–4 x 6
· Week 3–5 x 5
· Week 4–5 x 6
Barbell (Light) 75% of 1 REP Max:
· Week 1–3 x 10
· Week 2–3 x 12
· Week 3–4 x 10
· Week 4–4 x 12
Kettlebell
· Turkish — 3 x 1 as a warm-up only
· Swing — 5 x 10
· Goblet (same as barbell in rep and percentage)
· Clean and Front Squat — Ladder 1 to 5 reps for two sets
· Single Swing — 30 secs on, 30 seconds off for 10 minutes alternating sides every minute
· Clean and Press — Ladder 1 to 5 reps for two sets
· Snatch — 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off for 10 minutes alternating sides every minute
For pull-ups I followed the Russian Pullup Program that Pavel outlined in The Fighters Pullup.
The exercises can be changed depending on individual goals but the main concept remains, use exercise that complement each other. If heavy barbell front squats are part of the programming, goblet or double kettlebell front squats might not be the best choice for an accessory exercise. If increased kettlebell work and competency is the goal, all other exercises should enhance kettlebell proficiency.
I like to alter between light and heavy days. Once again, this is personal preference, but I have found that it prevents burnout and allows consistency. Lifting heavy is fine as long as there is adequate rest, but this is generally limited to extremely well-conditioned athletes. Do not lift heavy the same muscle back to back, for example, Monday and Tuesday. There needs to be adequate rest so the central nervous system and musculature can once again handle heavy loads. Everyone is different so listen to the body, it will make itself very clear on where it stands.
The rep scheme and weight can vary, once again depending on the goal, but remember as the weight goes up the reps should go down. There should always be a feeling of one or two reps “in the bank”. This allows for consistency in technique which can help with decreasing the chance of injury.
There is room for everything and no one training method is superior to the other. When barbells and kettlebells are used in conjunction with each other huge strides in progress can be made in strength, mobility, and conditioning. Just remember these simple rules or steps:
- What is the goal?
a. Strength, Power, General Fitness, Increase in Lift Proficiency
2. What are the main lifts to build upon?
a. Barbell Lifts, Kettlebell Lifts, Body Weight
3. What are the complementary lifts?
a. Press, Pull, Hip Dominant, Knee Dominant
4. What is the rep range?
This style of programming is valid for any type of goal. It can be used through various micro and macro programming for every predetermined amount of time. I love kettlebells and I will never give them up. Implementing them into a traditional training program has removed repetition from my routine, provided ample rest for growth, and allowed progression in both strength and proficiency in every lift throughout the month. The combination of kettlebell and barbells in a comprehensive training program will be sure to help #buildyourathlete.
Below is my own personal scratch sheet. (At least it makes sense to me…)
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