Kettlebell Programing

[u/kidFunkadelic]

I have seen a couple of programs for kettlebell training, but they aren't really programs as far as I can tell. One was just progressing with swings and the other was progressing with just clean and press. Does anyone know of full programs using kettlebells?

[u/jinah24]

Honestly most kettlebell programs look like that, one or two main lifts with a set way of progressing them, and the “full program” part is just running a few of those together across the week. If you want to put one together yourself I’d pick one grind (clean and press or press), one ballistic (swings or snatches) and a squat, then progress each one separately by adding a set every week until you hit a target total and move up a bell when you get there. For example 5 sets of 5 a side on the press, add a set a week up to 10x5, then go up a bell and drop back to 5 sets.

[u/kidFunkadelic → u/jinah24]

Great advice, I appreciate your response.

One question, do you know why the programs are that way? I have seen a ran a lot of strength/hypertrophy programs, and none of them are so sparse. Is it something to do with the purpose of kettlebell training that is different from strength and or hypertrophy training?

[u/jinah24 → u/kidFunkadelic]

A lot of it comes down to the equipment. Kettlebells come in fixed jumps (usually 4kg, so going from a 16 to a 20 is a 25% jump) and you can’t just add 5 lbs like you would on a barbell. So instead of adding weight every week, most kettlebell programs progress by adding reps, sets or rounds on a few lifts until you’ve earned the next bell. That works best with a small number of lifts you can put a lot of volume into, which is why they end up looking so sparse. The amount of volume you need to progress takes a large amount of time.

The other part is what the lifts are. Swings, cleans, snatches and the clean and press are full body, so one movement is hitting your legs, hips, back, grip and shoulders at the same time and getting your heart rate up too. A lot of kettlebell programs are going for strength and conditioning together (being strong and being able to keep going), so you get more out of doing a couple of those well than splitting things into a bunch of isolation exercises. The ballistics are also pretty technical, so doing fewer lifts more often helps with the skill side of it.

You can definitely build muscle with them, especially with double bells and higher volume, but if hypertrophy is the main goal a lot of people pair kettlebells with their regular lifting instead of replacing it.

[u/kidFunkadelic → u/jinah24]

That makes a lot of sense, thank you for the information, man!