swing, snatch, squat: how this one iron tool can change your fitness
Imagine this: you’re in the midst of training consistently with years of training under your belt. You look forward to those hours when you get to tune out the world and tune into yourself, movement, strength, and the pursuit of health. Then it all stops, and you’re left at home wondering where your next training session will be. The gyms are closed, you’re down to the basic bodyweight movements, but that just doesn’t cut it for you. You want more, because you crave the feel of iron and the weights that you have so often turned to. Then, browsing the internet in search of any tool that can help satisfy this hunger you remember, you find this heavy round & handled implement you’ve seen others use so many times but never really explored yourself. You order the last of what’s left, which happens to only be three different weights and impatiently wait for them to arrive. In comes the kettlebell, the tool that most of you know about but have never tried.
Adam wearing the Reign Short Sleeve and 7" Mako Tech Shorts
This was me two years ago, all the gyms were closed, and I needed to appease the need to move weight. It’s what I had done for the last 10 years and had become part of me. Just like eating, breathing, and sleeping is for most. I had seen the tool before but never experienced the implementation myself. Boy was I in for a humbling experience. I had a ton of experience with regular weights. I loved them so much that I got my degree in Exercise Science with a focus on Health and Human Performance, and after that spent some time in Strength & Conditioning for Olympic Sports and Football. From there I took my passion to the bigger weights, working on the pure feat of strength in powerlifting for a few years. This led me to another path on the fitness road: Men’s Physique - the world of training solely for aesthetics. I had seen and experienced a lot that the fitness world had to give but had yet to experience this round iron tool, the kettlebell.
Adam wearing the Reign Short Sleeve and 7" Mako Tech Shorts
I started with the basic movements: squat, lunge, hinge, and press. Then slowly progressed up to more calculated moves: the snatch, clean, and variations of those and single and double kettlebell swings. This training was fun! More fun than I had ever had training, to be honest. I had them in my living room, and it was like having sweets in the house, you go by them and just had to get a taste. Not only were they fun but they were beyond humbling. I had squatted 450, deadlifted 500, I knew what heavy weights felt like, but this was different. How could a 28kg or 36kg weight make me work so hard? I kept on grinding, trying new movements, new variations, different mixes of weights and my strength, mobility, athleticism, and body slowly started to change…for the better. I was in love. The game of lifting had changed all because of one implement. I had to share this with the world, and quickly found a community of addicts just like me.
Adam wearing the Reign Short Sleeve and 7" Mako Tech Shorts
Movement is medicine. When you find something that you not only enjoy, but makes you want to share it with the world, that’s special. I have always been fascinated with the body, its processes, and the way you can transform how you look, feel, and move just through exercise. This makes me even more excited to get up and train. I’ve had that feeling before through other types of training but never more so than I have since I started training with the kettlebell. The translation of strength and functionality of it for almost any sport or activity is impressive and will always be part of my training. So here we are, constantly coming up with new combos of lifts and variations of movements with no turning back in sight. Still growing, changing, evolving, learning, and having fun. That’s what life is about right?
4 Week Kettlebell Program
Week 1
DAY 1
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DAY 2
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DAY 3
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Week 2
DAY 1: COMPLEX
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DAY 2: FULL BODY
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DAY 3: FULL BODY
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Week 3
DAY 1: FULL BODY
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DAY 2
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DAY 3
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Exercise: |
Sets: |
Reps: |
RIS: |
Notes: |
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Double Front Rack Squat |
4 |
8 |
60 |
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Dead Stop Swing |
4 |
8-10 |
60 |
Perform a swing, park the bell back in the starting position and perform another, that is one rep |
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A1: Single Leg/Single Arm Bridge Press |
4 |
6 |
20 sec before A2 |
Opposite arm/opposite leg, in bridge position perform floor press, then switch sides, this is one set |
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A2: B-Stance RDL to Row |
4 |
8-10 |
60 sec before A1 again |
Each side is one set, stance should be shoulder width heel to toe, with just toes of non-leading leg on ground |
WEEK 4
DAY 1
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Exercise: |
Sets: |
Reps: |
RIS: |
Notes: |
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Front Rack/Overhead Reverse Lunge |
4 |
8-10 |
60 |
Front rack position on one side, overhead on other perform lunge, reps are for each side |
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Pullover to Press (on bench or floor) |
4 |
6-8 |
60 |
Over under grip on kb, perform pullover then remove one hand and perform single arm press |
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See-Saw Row |
4 |
8-10 |
45-60 |
Bent over in wide stance with kb’s between legs, alternating rowing until all reps are performed for both arms |
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Front Rack/Suitcase Marches |
4 |
12 |
45 |
Core tight, perform marches for total amount of reps |
DAY 2
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Exercise: |
Sets: |
Reps: |
RIS: |
Notes: |
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A1: Swing to Squat Swing |
4 |
8 |
20 before A2 |
Perform swing then another while dropping into bottom position of squat, that is one rep |
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A2: Banded Pushup |
4 |
8-12 |
60 before A1 again |
With band around back and in hands perform pushup |
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Clean to Reverse Lunge |
3 |
10 |
60 |
Reps are for each side |
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B1: Kneeling Ext Rotate See-Saw Press |
3 |
8-10 |
20 sec before A2 |
In kneeling position holding KB’s in front rack externally rotate, press, then internally rotate on both sides, this is one rep |
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B2: Bent Over Row |
3 |
8-10 |
60 sec before A1 again |
DAY 3
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Exercise: |
Sets: |
Reps: |
RIS: |
Notes: |
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Double Front Rack Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat |
5 |
8 |
60 |
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Kneeling/Lateral Stance Hip Ext to Press |
4 |
6-8 |
60 |
One leg kneeling the other leg straight out laterally with glute resting on heel, perform a hip extension then with both hands holding kb (thumbs around horns) press overhead, that is one rep, perform on both sides |
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Single KB Row to Clean to B-Stance Squat |
4 |
6-8 |
60 |
Perform all exercises in order is one rep, squat is performed heel to toe at a shoulder width stance, alternate leading legs each set and allowing the leading leg to perform 70% of the work, while on the toes of the other leg |
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Double Handed Single KB Clean to Upright Row |
4 |
6-8 |
45-60 |
Perform double handed clean from ground then lower to waist and back up into an upright row, that is one rep |