I often get comments about muscle-building on my YouTube videos about how you can never “look like a bodybuilder” by “only” using kettlebells.
Or that most “kettlebell guys” seem like they just do cardio .
( Lean, soft, fragile - what’s that about…?)
What does that even mean - “look like a bodybuilder?”
A small waist, speedos, shaved skin, baby oil and spray tan, strutting on stage like a contest?
Look, the #TRUTH is, you could “look like a bodybuilder” using ANY tool -
Kettlebells… Barbells… Dumbbells… Resistance Bands… Nautilus machines… Cables… Sandbags… Rocks…
And that’s because muscle is built against resistance.
And unfortunately, it’s also the #TRUTH that most guys don’t have the first clue on how to build an effective training routine.
Probably because they’ve been overly swayed by the “Muscle Tabloids” that feature ‘roided out bodybuilders who peddle supplements inside said tabloids.
Article: “How Big Greg Gained 25 Pounds of Solid Mass… In Just 6 Weeks!”
( “Biceps Blitzkrieg” and “Triceps Throwdown” workout plans featured.)
And of course, the “article” turns out to be an “Advertorial” With ‘Big Greg’ giving the following shoutout:
“Thanks ‘MuscleTech’! I put on 25 pounds of solid muscle in the past 6 weeks from using your product!”
(And a stack of Dianabol, Anadrol, and Test, or whatever…)
Look, back in the early 90s when I was getting into bodybuilding, these guys thought a diet of bench presses, biceps curls, crunches, and leg extensions was going to make them “look like Arnold.”
Especially around this time of year - spring and summer.
The “secret” to looking like a bodybuilder is to use the following basic template -
[a] Use heavy, multi-joint compound exercises like Squat, Deadlift, Bench Press, Dips, Pull Ups, Rows, Military Press…
And then -
[b] “Fill in” with isolated exercises like Biceps Curls, Triceps Extensions, Shoulder Raises, Leg Extensions, Leg Curls, Calf Raises, and Abdominal work.
And then -
[c] Eat smartly so you preserve a fairly low body fat instead of looking like the Michelin Man
The #TRUTH is, you could do all those things with a set of kettlebells.
(Except “[c]” - that’s done in the kitchen, obviously.)
The key is recognizing how the body responds to various loading parameters - sets, reps, rest periods, exercise sequencing, exercises per session, etc.
See?
Straightforward.
Again, the problem is, Programs most guys don’t understand how to create their own training plans .
And most “influencers” these days - especially the “over 40” ones are on TRT -
“Mah hormones are low, bruh!”
So, they have an “unfair” advantage (just like Big Greg).
And look, let me just go on record and say the following:
No amount of Swings and Turkish Get Ups are going to make you look like a bodybuilder.
No way.
So, what should you do if you want to look lean, muscular, and strong instead of the offspring of a clothes hanger and a bag of pudding?
Use a variation of Part [a] above -
Use heavy, multi-joint compound kettlebell exercises like Squat, Clean, Snatch, Rows, and Military Press, Push Press, or even Jerk.
Performed for a sufficient volume (reps * sets * load), you’ll develop muscle and gain strength.
For example, Sig Klein, Old Time Performing Strongman, stated that most of the late 19th and early 20th Century European Weightlifters built their impressive strength and physique from high repetition Clean + Presses with a pair of dumbbells.
Kettlebells work even better, thanks to the extra tension placed on the posterior chain from swinging them underneath the body between the legs.
In fact, Sig could Clean + Press a pair of 75lbs dumbbells (150lbs total) for 12 reps -
Weighing only - get this -
155lbs / 70kg!
Heavy, high-ish reps of Clean + Presses pack muscle all across the muscles of your upper body - like a sculptor molding a superhero out of clay.
They also challenge your heart and lungs, enhancing heart and lung function…
So you don’t drop dead like Pa Kent racing Clark down the driveway.
Should you exclusively do kettlebell Clean + Presses? Are they adequate?
And to get rid of any excess body fat?
You don’t have to do hours of cardio like a bodybuilder does as well.
Just remember the little “diddy” -
“Abs are formed in the weight room and revealed in the kitchen.”
So -
[1] Prioritize your protein intake
[2] Cut back on the beer
[3] Don’t eat like a desperate person at an all-you-can-eat feast
It really is that basic.
P.S. No, you won’t look like a competition bodybuilder using these programs.
But you will -
[1] Bulk up - especially in your upper body
[2] Lean out - usually in your midsection
[3] Get tougher all over
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