The âMOST EFFECTIVEâ Way to Build Muscle with Your Kettlebells?
đ Kettlebell HARD! - https://cart.chasingstrength.com/hard3b
There are many different ways to build muscle.
Recently, weâve been discussing how to build muscle with kettlebells.
And thatâs because most âex-spurtsâ and âgym brosâ think the barbell or machine training is the âbestâ way to build muscle.
But the reality is, the âbest wayâ - the MOST EFFECTIVE way to build muscle isâŚ
And really let this sink in here -
DEPENDENT UPON YOU.
[+] Your training background
[+] Your injury history and the physical limitations you bring to the table
[+] Your current fitness level
[+] Your access to kettlebells or other tools
[+] Your ability to perform any and all kettlebell exercises / lifts safely
[+] Your time you have available to train
And hereâs the most important point of all:
This âMost Effectiveâ will change as you progress through the seasons of your life.
For example, when youâre in your late teens and in college or the military, you can train A LOT.
And usually eat and recover A LOT.
And you can make A LOT of âGAINZâ into your early 20s.
But when more of âlife happensâ -
MarriageâŚ
KidsâŚ
MortgageâŚ
BillsâŚ
OvertimeâŚ
DeskboundâŚ
InjuriesâŚ
You can no longer train in your late 30s and beyond the same way you did when you were in your 20s.
And this is why so many guys over 35, over 45 and beyond are frustrated with their lack of progress when theyâre trying to âget back in shape.â
Theyâre using methods that work for 20-somethings but donât usually work for 40-somethings.
Thatâs why for many, if not most guys over 35, a steady diet of double kettlebell Clean + Presses will pack mounds of muscle across their shoulders, upper back, and arms.
And even whittle away some of their waistlines.
And itâs readily accessible even if they have a history of knee or lower back pain / issues which keeps them from squatting.
For others, they may have the time, energy, the healthy joints, and desire to be more aggressive:
And add Squats and other exercises into their kettlebell training plans.
Or they may just need more of a challenge.
Or they are just âwired for Tuff Stuffâ.
Or maybe theyâre in an âeasier,â less-demanding season of life.
And so they can be âaggressiveâ with their workouts and build â20-somethingâ muscle in short order.
For example, I got an email from Amar, a former athlete and powerlifter.
Itâs a LONG email, so Iâll copy and paste the relevant parts here:
âI found that I do my best with fitness when I follow a program - whether it be a barbell program, a kettlebell program, anything. It was this realization that inspired me to buy your Kettlebell Hard program in May. That "inspiration" was increased by a Dexa scan that I did on May 27th that showed that I had gained 17 pounds of fat and lost 9 pounds of lean body mass since my last Dexa scan in February of 2019.
So I bought your program and went to work with the nice little kettlebell collection I had accumulated during 2020. I started with your "Clean 'em up" program on 6/6 using double 20 kgs. A bout with Covid in early July kept me out for a week and a half, but I kept going mid July. I was using the intermediate protocol, so the 30 minutes were approaching when I would get done with 4 or 5 sets. The only time I got 6 sets was on light day of the final week. Either way, other than the 10 day gap around week 5, I followed your program to a tee and stuck to walking on off days.
I scheduled a Dexa scan for yesterday morning out of curiosity because my body felt different. My wife even commented on how much leaner I looked. When someone who sees you every day notices differences, things must be changing. And guess what? They were. My body weight stayed the same, but I gained 5 pounds of lean muscle mass and lost 5 pounds of fat.
You really can't ask for better feedback upon completing a six week program. I had tried all sorts of things over the years - Crossfit, Orange Theory, powerlifting, bro splits, distance running, you name it. Nothing added 5 pounds of muscle and stripped off 5 pounds of fat in a matter of two months.â
To recap:
In 6-weeks, Amar, a âseasonedâ lifter, added 5 pounds of muscle, and stripped away 5 pounds of fat - according to his DEXA scan.
FIVE. POUNDS. OF. MUSCLE.
And NOTHING he had tried before delivered those kinds of results in that short of a time period.
So, for Amar, using the kettlebell complexes of the âClean âEm Upâ program inside Kettlebell HARD! was the âMost Effectiveâ for him, at that moment in his life.
The bonus of course, was that he got rid of 5 pounds of fat too.
Part of looking âmore muscularâ is not only building muscle, but also stripping off the extra fat you donât need to be carrying.
So, if you have an athletic or active background, have access to pairs of kettlebells, and like challenging workoutsâŚ
Then why not see if you can equal or even better Amarâs results 6 short weeks from now using âClean âEm Upâ inside Kettlebell HARD!?