There was a intriguing research study I ran across about a decade ago that supported what I was noticing with my athletes back in the late 90s and with my post-rehab clients since then.
In 2015, Dr. Brad Schoenfeld and his colleagues discovered that “Low Load” (LL) training of 3 sets of 25-35 reps produced comparable muscle thickness as “High Load” (HL) training of 3 sets of 8-12 reps.
So that’s the first and very painful way -
[1] Do 3 sets of 25-35 reps per exercise - approaching failure.
Incidentally, I tested this out back around 2010-11 with Double Clean + Presses with a pair of 16s for a training cycle.
It was very intense . (I personally HATE high reps - LOL.)
Yet, I noticed significant growth, until I didn’t, which took about 3 weeks.
Then it plateaued and I started to fatten up - probably because I’m not “wired” for that style of training and my cortisol levels increased dramatically.
But if you trend toward endurance or appreciate that style of training, it might work really well for you.
Incidentally, Dr. Schoenfeld reported a 16% increase in upper body muscular endurance using the LL protocol.
The second method is equally tough, but decidedly less monotonous.
(I have a hard time counting past 5, let alone to 35!)
[2] Kettlebell Complexes.
In case you haven’t heard of these, they're actually pretty powerful at building muscle when you get the programming right .
In fact, I even authored a book on it -
(Sorry, it’s no longer in print.)
So, in case you don’t know what a complex is, or need a refresher…
A Complex is a series of compound (multi-joint) exercises completed sequentially with the same weight - in this case a kettlebell - and without rest. All the reps for one exercise are finished before moving on to the next exercise in the sequence.
Here’s an sample :
Swing x 5, immediately followed by…
Clean x 5, followed immediately by…
Press x 5, then take a rest.
It’s written :
Swing x 5
Clean x 5
Press x 5
A kettlebell complex in this case is a complex done using a kettlebell. Or better yet - two kettlebells. (My favorite!)
Let’s not mix this with a “Chain,” or what the IG’ers call a “Flow” - which is more info similar .
A Chain (I refuse to call it a “Flow”): A series of compound exercises done sequentially with the same kettlebell in which each exercise is performed once before the sequence is started again. Each time the sequence is executed is considered one repetition.
So it looks like this:
Swing x 1, immediately followed by…
Clean x 1, immediately followed by…
Press x 1, then return to the Swing until the prescribed reps are done. (For example, 5x through = 5 reps.)
It’s written like this:
(Swing + Clean + Press) x 5
I first found out about complexes as a greenhorn college strength & conditioning coach in 1997 at Rutgers University.
Someone had left a Muscle & Fitness magazine on my desk and I skimmed it during one of my breaks between teams. In it, I found an article by Romanian Strength Coach Emeritus, Istvan “Steve” Javorek on barbell complexes.
They were very close to the warm ups I was introduced to as an Olympic Weightlifter back in 1995, but I’d never used them for anything past the warm up.
This opened a whole new world to me and I immediately gave a shot to Javorek Barbell Complex #1 with several of the guys on the wrestling team. They of course immediately loved them.
And I’ve been using them in some way shape or form, whether with dumbbells or kettlebells with my clients, or kettlebells and barbells with myself.
But just how well do complexes function for building muscle?
Well, it depends on the complex and how it’s put together.
The complexes inside Kettlebell Muscle have yielded up to a pound a week over a the 12-week cycle.
Again, the “secret” is how you combine them , including the exercises.
Recall from our last video that 3 of the best muscle-building kettlebell exercises are:
1- The Double Military Press
2- The Double Push Press
3- The Double Front Squat
So, if you make your own complex, make sure you add at least one or more of those.
Final tip about complexes:
If you’ve never done them, make sure you:
[a] Are familiar with your KB exercises that you include - don’t “learn on the fly”
[b] Be conscious of the fatigue - it accumulates quickly if you use higher reps per set
[c] Start cautiously and use a break-in period - either lower reps per exercise or longer rests between complexes - or both.
If you want to skip the “trial and error” of designing your own KB complexes, feel free to check out Kettlebell HARD!, which uses the same approach as Kettlebell Muscle.
What you’ll learn is that not only will these KB complexes build muscle with your “lighter” kettlebells, they’ll also boost your conditioning levels and shed some body fat in the process.