Kettlebell training is arguably one of the best methods for power training, available to men and women over the age of 40.
20 years ago, I used to say “Kettlebells are made for everybody. But not everybody is made for kettlebells.”
Back then that quote was people’s attitude and patience towards learning the skill of using kettlebell training, and acquiring all the amazing benefits from doing so.
Now, when referring to our crowd of over 40, 50 and 60, what I mean is some guys and girls bodies cannot handle kettlebell power training – swings, snatches, cleans, jerks – the kettlebell ballistics.
And that is for two major reasons:
#1 – They have low levels of maximum strength
Unfortunately, power is built from and best expressed from being strong. That is why I started my website “Chasing Strength” way back in 2006.
And that is why I’ve been focused on helping people get stronger for the last 33 years.
About 15 years ago, I learned that the Father of Periodization, Soviet sports scientist Dr. L. Matveyev stated that “strength is the mother of qualities.”
It is the quality that gives birth to all others: Power, speed, flexibility, endurance, etc., etc.
Without adequate strength levels, you cannot move or at least cannot move well.
20 years ago, I heard it said that the number one reason men and women ended up in nursing homes was due to a loss of mobility. Well, if you really sit down and think about it, the ability to move comes from strength.
If you lose your strength, you lose your ability to move. And when you stop moving, you lose even more strength.
#2 – They have poor joint health
In other words, they can’t move their joints through their natural and intended ranges of motion due to lack of movement.
15, 20, 25+ years of driving a desk, chained to a computer, negatively affects your posture.
Your head falls forward, your shoulders slump, and round, and your hips, either tuck underneath you or fall out the back of your body so you look like Donald Duck.
As a result, the muscles on the front, your body get short and tight. Your abdominals go soft and become weak. And the muscles on the backside of your body become lengthened and neurologically inhibited – meaning your body can’t access them.
So, excessive muscle tightness and excessive muscle lengthening both destroy the way you’re designed to move.
Both restrict the ranges of motion and function of your joints. As a result, they restrict the function of your muscles.
And as a result, you cannot produce maximum strength well. And when you try to, more often than not, you will end up with an injury.
Every day you don’t fix your joint issues – restricted range of motion, tightness, soreness, stiffness, even pain – you are one day closer to some kind of injury if you are training for maximum strength and power.
So, if you’re struggling to see the results you want from your kettlebell training, it might be because you’re doing things in the wrong order.
Assuming your nutrition / refueling is on point, spend some time making sure all your joints move correctly through their full range of motion, discomfort, and pain-free.
If they don’t, spend some time fixing that!
If you choose not to, you may one day injure those joints.
Then you may have to cross off your list one or two of your favorite exercises that you can no longer do. You’ll chalk it up to “getting older”
But the hard truth that no one wants to admit is that doesn’t come down to “getting older” –
It comes down to not knowing or applying the correct knowledge.
There is no shame in admitting “weakness.”
Find those weaknesses, and fix them.
That way, you can enjoy the rest of your life without limitations.
This is what I designed for myself to restore lost joint range of motion and keep my joints healthy.
In the meantime, work on building your maximum strength where you can – in the joints that are fully operational.
Then or simultaneously, if you already have decent levels of maximum strength, work on your power training.
What are decent – or at least baseline – levels of maximum strength?
- Men: You can do five sets of 10 reps with 24kg in the Goblet Squat.
- Women: You can do five sets of 10 reps with 16kg in the Goblet Squat.
- Men: You can do 10 sets of five on the Single Kettlebell Press – each arm – with a 20kg.
- Women: You can do 10 sets of five on the Single Kettlebell Press – each arm – with a 10kg.
- Men: You can do a minimum of five sets of one rep per side on the Turkish Get Up with the 20kg.
- Women: You can do a minimum of five sets of one rep per side on the Turkish Get Up with the 10kg.
I think those are pretty solid basic standards.
For double kettlebell work?
- Men: Entry level is the Double Kettlebell Front Squat using 2x16kg for 10 sets of 5.
- Women: Entry level is the Double Kettlebell Front Squat using 2x10kg for 10 sets of 5.
- Men: Entry level is the Double Kettlebell Military Press using 2x16kg for 10 sets of 5.
- Women: Entry level is the Double Kettlebell Military Press using 2x10kg for 10 sets of 5.
For Power Training?
Consider working up to 10 sets of 10 reps on the 2-Hand Swing with a 24kg – for a total of 100 reps.
Then do that same 100 reps in 10 minutes or less.
Then work up to 100 reps five sets of 10 per side using the 24kg with the 1-Hand Swing.
Again, then do those 100 reps in 10 minutes or less.
These are all really good starting points for you to hit – or minimum baselines to achieve if you prefer – so that you can remain resilient as you age.
These programs will help you get there.
Plus, you’ll notice that your body fat will naturally drop, as long as you’re not eating like a moron, and your conditioning and your VO2 max “automagically” improve.
Hope you found this useful. I recommend you print this out and use it as a guide to keep you focused and on track to reaching your goals.
Stay Strong,
Geoff