Mixing kettlebells and barbells

5 Ways To Successfully Mix Kettlebells And Barbells – Part 5

by

5. Block Training.

If you ever watch toddlers play, they’re constantly creating and destroying, creating and destroying. (Yeah, I know, more the boys than the girls…) One of the things they love to do is take those little blocks that have numbers and letters painted on them and stack them as high as they can until they fall over.

After awhile, the little guy gets the hang of it and can build a pretty big structure without it falling down on its own. But more often or not, he’ll knock it down.

Our strength training and our knowledge of it is very similar. Some of us just keep adding things to our training until something breaks – the blocks just fall down.

And others of us seem to have “mastered” the ability to stack our training cycles one on top of the other to make pretty good progress.

One relatively simple way to keep making progress is to use a system developed by the Russians/Soviets (who else?) called “Block Training.”

Block training is a way of organizing your training for optimal progress. A block is a period of time that you specify. Block training allows you to alternately focus on and train specific attributes of your sport or training and keep making progress without stalling on any one of them. Pavel based Return of the Kettlebell, a muscle building program using only kettlebells, on the block system. (If you don’t have RTK, you should get it, even if you don’t want to pack on muscle because it’s an outstanding study in brilliant program design.)

For example, you can alternate blocks focused on strength with blocks focused on power.

You can use it with your barbell and kettlebell training. I suggest using 2-4 week blocks, depending on your training goals. (Me? I like mine shorter. 10-14 days are good. But I’ve had success in the past with 3 week blocks.)

Here’s how you might set up your program if general strength and conditioning is your goal:

Block A: Barbell. Deadlift, Military Press, Wide-stance Powerlifting Squat, Rows. 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps.

Block B: Kettlebell. Get Ups. Swings. Clean and Jerks. Snatches. 3-5 reps of 6-10 reps (or more – except Get Ups – 1-2 reps per set.).

So you could set up a 3 month program the following way:

Weeks 1-2: Block A
Weeks 3-4: Block B
Weeks 5-6: Block A
Weeks 7-8: Block B
Weeks 9-10: Block A
Weeks 11-12: Block B

You can set up your blocks however you’d like. But the point is that you should be working on different components of your goals in your blocks.

In the above example, we’re working on different parts of the Force/Velocity curve.

Remember, Force = Mass * Acceleration, or more commonly written as F = M*a, where the Mass is large or high.

But it can also be written the following way: F = m*A, where the Acceleration is the emphasis.

In the “A Block” we’re concerned about the Mass in the equation. We’re lifting some heavy weights and we’re using the barbell to do it.

In the “B Block,” we’re focusing on the Acceleration in the equation. So we’re lifting moderate weights quickly/explosively using kettlebells.

By using both vehicles, we have a better chance of being able to increase overall force production.

And, let’s not forget that kettlebells help develop that “in between” strength that barbells often neglect. So with this type of training cycle you are both lifting more and getting stronger – fortifying your body from all angles.

So that wraps up our series on mixing barbell and kettlebells. I’ve given you some great ideas on how to combine the two in your training. Now it’s your turn to actually get out there and do it. Drop me a line and let me know about your successes in doing so.

Part 1 – https://chasingstrength.com/5-ways-to-successfully-mix-kettlebells-with-barbells/

Part 2 – https://chasingstrength.com/5-ways-to-successfully-mix-kettlebells-and-barbells-part-2/

Part 3 – https://chasingstrength.com/5-ways-to-successfully-mix-kettlebells-and-barbells-part-3/

Part 4 – https://chasingstrength.com/5-ways-to-successfully-mix-kettlebells-and-barbells-part-3/

“I’m Finished!”

by

At least that’s how you may feel after these types of training sessions.

5 Ways To Successfully Mix Kettlebells And Barbells – Part 3.

3. Finishers

What is a “finisher?”

It’s something you do at the end of your workout/training for a variety of reasons, such as metabolic conditioning, mental toughness, fat loss, general conditioning, or some combination of any of the aforementioned reasons.

My favorite finisher of all time, ever, involved a heavyweight wrestler, a hill, and two 100 pound plates at Rutgers during the summer of ’98.

But some of my other ones involve using kettlebells.

There are many things you can do with kettlebells at the end of your training session. Here are some ideas:

  • Swings for time or sets or reps
  • Snatches for time or sets or reps
  • Get Ups (just as brutal as Swings at the end)
  • High rep Clean and Jerks
  • Complexes or Chains
  • Carries – Farmer’s, rack or overhead

Let’s take a closer look.

  1. Swings for time or sets or reps. Grab a medium kettlebell and decide if you’re going to swing for a certain time period with or without rest – say 10 minutes, swinging every 30 seconds and resting for 30 seconds. Or maybe you’re going to hit 20 reps and then rest for a certain period of time. Or maybe you’re going to hit 20 sets of 10 reps. You get the idea.
  2. Snatches for time or sets for reps. Same thing as the Swings – only easier. Why? Because you get to rest at the top in the lockout position!
  3. Get Ups. Again, any combination of time, reps, sets… These are tough to do, especially for sets of 3 to 5 at the end of a session. They force you to use precise movement with fatigue already in the system. Also a good “systems check” to ensure you didn’t go so hard during your training to throw something out of whack. The good news is, if you did, the GU will usually help fix it.
  4. High Rep Clean and Jerks. One hand or two hand, but not for the “feint of heart.” Best used after a lower body day, as I like pairing finishers opposing the main focus of the training session. These are just brutal on the heart and lungs and the upper body musculature.
  5. Complexes or Chains. Easy enough. String a sequence of exercises together and repeat til done.
  6. Carries. The most under-rated and overlooked finishers ever, in my book. Take a kettlebell or a pair of kettlebells and carry them for distance or time or both. Hold them in your hands by your sides – Farmer’s carry. Hold them on your chest – Rack carries. Hold them locked out at arm’s length overhead – Overhead carries. These are phenomenal for improving conditioning, especially of the “core” musculature and the shoulder stabilizers in the lockout position.

How do you pick which one is right for you?

Don’t worry about it so much. Mix and match and see which one requires the most from your body. That’s probably the one you need more than the others. When that becomes relatively easy, try them all again and once again find the most challenging of them. Again, spend the time there. Repeat the process until you get to where you want to go or no longer have any weak links – or both.

Part 1 – https://chasingstrength.com/5-ways-to-successfully-mix-kettlebells-with-barbells/

Part 2 – https://chasingstrength.com/5-ways-to-successfully-mix-kettlebells-and-barbells-part-2/

5 Ways To Successfully Mix Kettlebells and Barbells, Part 2

by

Ok, here’s the deal – you won’t give up your barbell training but you want to use kettlebells. You’ve got a bunch of the ball-things lying around and you want to incorporate them into your traditional training. I get it. Been there, done that. Still do it. You can too.

The more options you have available, the more likelihood you’ll find a variation that fits your temperament and the more success you will have.

There’s some scientific evidence that unilateral movements have a stronger stimulatory effect on the nervous system – i.e. make you [temporarily] stronger – than bilateral movements. Not only that, but the theory goes that over time you can correct side-to-side imbalances, addressing the “parts of the whole” if you will, and make the bilateral movement stronger.

I want to look at the short-term stimulatory effects of unilateral movements – specifically the kettlebell movements, and show you how to incorporate them into your training for greater gains in strength and muscle.

2. Feeders.

These are called “feeders.”

Yet, unlike “feeders” in other forums, these actually give instead of take. They add to what you already have instead of subtracting from it.

“Off the reservation” fitness guru, Paul Chek, once suggested years ago (c.1998) that you could make stronger gains by structuring your programming the following way – in a way that he felt was more challenging to the CNS –

Unilateral –> Semi-unilateral –> Bilateral Independent –> Bilateral Fixed

Now, I don’t remember his original article, but I remember the spirit, so some of those terms I just made up.

Let’s define:

Unilateral – one limb at a time. Ex: Single arm Press, Single leg Deadlift

Semi-unilateral – primarily one limb, but with opposite limb support. Ex: Lunge, Spiderman Push-up

Bilateral Independent – both limbs working but not conjoined by one object. Ex: Double KB Press

Bilateral Fixed – both limbs working and conjoined by one object. Ex: Barbell Press, Barbell Squat

So here are some examples of how you’d set up your “feeder” program for maximum strength benefits:

Upper Body Push:

A. Single Arm KB Press

B. Double KB Press

C. Barbell Military Press

Upper Body Pull:

A. Single Arm KB Row

B. Double KB Row

C. Barbell Row

Lower Body Hip Dominant:

A. Single Leg KB Deadlift

B. Single Arm Swing

C. Barbell Deadlift

Lower Body Quad Dominant:

A. KB Pistol

B. KB Lunge, arm overhead

C. KB Front Squat

D. Barbell Back Squat

Now those are just examples, designed to follow the “spirit” of feeders. Should you do those programs *exactly*?

I don’t know, so please don’t ask.

You should do the program based on the following:

1. Your goals.

2. Your current limitations.

3. Your current strengths.

4. Your current obligations and time commitments.

So look to set up your mix of barbells/kettlebells as a feeder program.

Just remember, in the short term, your barbell lifts may decrease. The key phrase here is “short term.” But in the long term, after your body adapts, you can expect to be stronger in those lifts.

Give the “feeder” concept a shot and post back your results.

Important Announcement!

Speaking of mixing kettlebells with other things, Pavel is doing a seminar this November on mixing kettlebells, bodyweight resistance, and the TRX. The bad news is that today is the last day to get a discount. If you’re interested in seeing what kind of “evil genius” Pavel really is, then you should go.

I can tell you this for sure, Pavel unleashed a Pull-up progression at the RKC 2 this past July that no one saw coming, but everyone felt and saw improvements in their Pull-up strength. I can guarantee you that this information is only contained in two places – Pavel’s brain and the RKC 2 Manual. But now you can at least access some of Pavel’s brain.

If you want access to Pavel’s brain, click here.

Next time, we’ll discuss “Finishers.”

Part 1 – https://chasingstrength.com/5-ways-to-successfully-mix-kettlebells-with-barbells/