Kettle Bells

[The Fat Guy]

Is it like a farmers carry? KB hanging down at the sides and walking hither and yon?

[Doc P]

Originally Posted by The Fat Guy

Is it like a farmers carry? KB hanging down at the sides and walking hither and yon?

I believe it is essentially a one handed farmer's carry. Theory is your non-weighted side has to counter balance with core strength. I have not worked them in, but plan to.

[usmc_3m]

And be sure to devote equal time and effort to both hither, and yon.

[jw]

I got back to the kettlebells in the fall. It seems after a divorce, I have a lot more time to do what I want.

I've been rotating between dynamic and grinding work.

Grind days are a quick warm up with some light Russian swings. I want to work in some get-ups.

For the grind days I subscribe to Dan John's push/pull/squat/hinge/carry.

I do super sets, 5 sets, every 2 minutes. I'll pair up straight leg deadlift and strict press, take a break and then do front rack squat and a row. As I'm doing this inside, I'll do a heavy static hold or just walk back and forth in the house for time. Rep scheme is 5-10 per set depending on how I'm feeling/weight selected. Total time for lift is roughly 30 minutes. I want to throw in walking for 30 min on the treadmill

Dynamic days I'll start with light swings again and then move into a snatch progression. I'm chasing Pavel's elusive SS test. Right now I do a 5 min. EMOM, 5 min off, and another 5 min EMOM. Sets are between 6 and 10. the 55lb kicks my ass. It's a love/hate relationship. The 10/10 sets destroy me. It only gives me about 10 seconds to catch my breath. 8's hurt, but 6's are about ::30 on/::30 off. I am starting to follow this with some type of HIIT on my airdyne. doing a ::10/::20 or ::20/::40 work/rest program.

If I'm not feeling the snatches I do a Russian swing progression.

I try and get 3-4 days in a week and just get some walking in on the other days.

I have about an hour a day I can get something in, so this works out well for me. For a while I was doing the snatches and then the traditional lifts back to back but that was just wrecking me. It felt awesome but was not sustainable, as I just wanted to sleep after that.

If you want to have some fun, wear a hr monitor while doing kb snatches.

[poison]

Why do suitcase carries when you can press it overhead and walk around that way?

[jw]

I like waiter walks but I wouldn't do those inside. I like the farmer carries due to weight. I also like to do one farmer with one waiter.

[usmc_3m]

Ok, so I have been working at something new the past few weeks. I wanted to wait a bit before I posted to see how it was working for me.

Short Version:
I have been doing a strength/power program that combines barbell deadlifts and kettlebells. I haven't done barbell deadlifts in years, so I had no clue what my max and working sets should be. But since I have been (relatively) consistent with by KB work, primarily swings, I assumed I was not starting from total zero. I am very pleased with the progress I have made in just a few short weeks with this plan. Detailed plan is provided below.

Basic warmup/pre-hab work – every workout.
Goblet squats – just a few and hold at the bottom and actively open the hips.
Slow, easy deadlifts with kettlebells – 24k, 40k, 48k – number of reps varies between 5-12, based on how I am feeling that day. These are true “grease the groove” type movements. Focus on form, breathing, etc. and they are really an extension of the warm up.

Then, on to the barbell deadlifts.
First Week – I did the following workout twice. Yes, this is very light and easy. As I said, it has been years since I have done any deadlifts.
135lb for 2 sets of 6-10 reps
205lbs for 2 sets of 3 reps
Kettlebell Swings
Two-hand swings: 24k for 15 reps – 2 sets; 40k for 10 reps
One-hand swings: 24k 10L/R x 2 sets

Second Week – I did the following workout twice:
135lb for 1 set of 5 reps
205lbs for 1 set of 3 reps
245lbs for 1 set of 3 reps
245lbs for 1 rep
205lbs for 3 reps
Kettlebell Swings
Two-hand swings: 24k for 20 reps; 24k for 15 reps; 40k for 10 reps
One-hand swings: 24k 10L/R

Third Week – first day:
155lb for 1 set of 5 reps
245lbs for 2 set of 3 reps
155lbs for 1 set of 3 reps
Kettlebell Swings
Two-hand swings: 24k for 20 reps; 40k for 10 reps; 48k for 10 reps
One-hand swings: 24k 10L/R

One the second day of the third week, I did the following. I was looking for some approximation of a 1RM.
135lb for 1 set of 8 reps
155lb for 1 set of 5 reps
245lbs for 1 set of 3 reps – was feeling pretty good right here, so I loaded up for a 1RM attempt
325 for 1 rep (this was where I guestimated my 1RM would be)
225lbs for 1 set of 3 reps
Kettlebell Swings
Two-hand swings: 24k for 20 reps; 40k for 10 reps; 48k for 10 reps
One-hand swings: 24k 10L/R

The 325 for 1 rep felt solid. I likely could have pulled some more, but I wanted to be “smart”. I am happy with that number for now. 325 is a bit more than 1.5x bodywieight for me, which is acceptable for a deadlift, considering how long it has been since I have done them. I believe the addition of the KB swings to this program has provided three major benefits: 1) they really help dialing in the form on the deadlift; swings and deadlifts are both hip-hinges. 2) the combination of the “grinds” on the deadlift and the ballistics on the swing provides a nice balance and makes for a pseudo type of superset. 3) Swings as active recovery. I have experienced very little soreness over these three weeks. Yes, I warm up, cool down and stretch, cold showers, etc. But I also believe the swings as an active recovery mechanism of the same muscle groups played a big part in that also.

I am going to stay with this program for a while using 325 as 1RM to program the next 6 weeks or so. I will absolutely keep the KBs as part of this work. I should also point out that by the 3rd week, the swings with the 40/48kg started feeling significantly easier.