How to Build Muscle (and Strength!) WITHOUT “Heavy-ish” Kettlebells…

👉 Kettlebell HARD! - https://cart.chasingstrength.com/hard3b
There was a fascinating research study I ran across about a decade ago that corroborated what I was seeing with my athletes back in the late 90s and with my post-rehab clients since then.
In 2015, Dr. Brad Schoenfeld and his colleagues discovered that “Low Load” (LL) training of 3 sets of 25-35 reps produced equivalent muscle thickness as “High Load” (HL) training of 3 sets of 81-12 reps.
So that’s the first and very painful way -
[1] Perform 3 sets of 25-35 reps per exercise - approaching failure.
Incidentally, I tested this out back around 2010-11 with Double Clean + Presses with a pair of 16s for a training cycle.
It was very painful. (I personally HATE high reps - LOL.)
Yet, I noticed significant growth, until I didn’t, which took about 3 weeks.
Then it tapered off and I started to fatten up - probably because I’m not “wired” for that style of training and my cortisol levels skyrocketed.
But if you trend toward endurance or enjoy that style of training, it might work really well for you.
Incidentally, Dr. Schoenfeld reported a 16% increase in upper body muscular endurance using the LL protocol.
The second method is equally painful, but decidedly less mind-numbing.
(I have a hard time counting past 5, let alone to 35!)
[2] Kettlebell Complexes.
In case you haven’t heard of these, they're actually pretty exceptional at building muscle when you get the programming correct.
In fact, I even wrote a book on it -
(Sorry, it’s no longer in print.)
So, in case you don’t know what a complex is, or need a refresher…
A Complex is a series of compound (multi-joint) exercises performed sequentially with the same weight - in this case a kettlebell - and without rest. All the reps for one exercise are completed before moving on to the next exercise in the sequence.
Here’s an example:
Swing x 5, followed immediately by…
Clean x 5, followed immediately by…
Press x 5, then rest.
It’s written:
Swing x 5
Clean x 5
Press x 5
A kettlebell complex then is a complex performed using a kettlebell. Or better yet - two kettlebells. (My favorite!)
Let’s not confuse this with a “Chain,” or what the IG’ers call a “Flow” - which is similar.
A Chain (I refuse to call it a “Flow”): A series of compound exercises performed sequentially with the same kettlebell in which each exercise is performed once before the sequence is started again. Each time the sequence is performed is considered one repetition.
So it looks like this:
Swing x 1, followed immediately by…
Clean x 1, followed immediately by…
Press x 1, then start back at the Swing, until you’ve completed the prescribed number of reps. (For example, 5x through = 5 reps.)
It’s written like this:
(Swing + Clean + Press) x 5
I first learned about complexes as a greenhorn college strength & conditioning coach in 1997 at Rutgers University.
Someone had left a Muscle & Fitness magazine on my desk and I perused it during one of my breaks between teams. In it, I found an article by Romanian Strength Coach Emeritus, Istvan “Steve” Javorek on barbell complexes.
They were very similar to the warm ups I was introduced to as an Olympic Weightlifter back in 1995, but I’d never thought of them for anything past the warm up.
This opened a whole new world to me and I immediately tried Javorek Barbell Complex #1 with several of the guys on the wrestling team. They of course immediately loved them.
And I’ve been using them in some way shape or form, either with dumbbells or kettlebells with my clients, or kettlebells and barbells with myself.
But just how well do complexes work for building muscle?
Well, it depends on the complex and how it’s designed.
The complexes inside Kettlebell Muscle have produced up to a pound a week over a the 12-week cycle.
Again, the “secret” is how you put them together, including the exercises.
Recall from our last video that 3 of the best muscle-building kettlebell exercises are:
1- The Double Military Press
2- The Double Push Press
3- The Double Front Squat
So, if you design your own complex, make sure you include at least one or more of those.
Final thought about complexes:
If you’ve never done them, make sure you:
[a] Are familiar with your KB exercises that you include - don’t “learn on the fly”
[b] Be aware of the fatigue - it accumulates quickly if you use higher reps per set
[c] Start slowly and use a break in period - either lower reps per exercise or longer rests between complexes - or both.
If you want to skip the “trial and error” of designing your own KB complexes, feel free to check out Kettlebell HARD!, which uses the same methodology as Kettlebell Muscle.
What you’ll discover is that not only will these KB complexes put muscle on you with your “lighter” kettlebells, they’ll also boost your conditioning levels and strip off some body fat in the process.