A lot of guys over 40 who start using kettlebells don’t really care about muscle - but they definitely should.
Especially if they want to “lose weight,” “get back in shape,” or dare I even say it, “build tone.”
Why?
Muscle here is your body’s “metabolic machinery.”
It uses up extra calories both at rest and at work.
And the more muscle you have on your body, the more calories you expend at rest, and the more you expend while you work - Swing, Press, Snatch a kettlebell.
And those two things are critically important for fat loss.
And they're also important for boosting strength.
The more muscle you have on your body, the greater strength potential you have.
With that foundation set, I got this comment over one of my IG posts the other day - the answer to which I thought you’d find insightful.
Good question.
When discussing muscle growth, we need to think in terms of “whole-body” vs. “local.”
“Systemic” is the impact a load or stimulus has on the body as a whole.
“Localized” is the impact a load or stimulus has on a region - like the shoulders / shoulder girdle.
The Kettlebell Clean + Press is categorized as a “multi-joint lift” - which is made up of two or more multi-joint movements - exercises that use multiple joints.
Contrast a “compound exercise” with an single-joint exercise - like a biceps curl - which only uses (in theory) one joint.
This is important to know because the energy demand and the stimulus for change in your nervous system is more intense using a multi-joint exercise when compared to an “isolation exercise” .
However…
The demand on the muscle tissue is usually the inverse -
There’s more demand on muscle tissue in isolation exercises compared to compound exercises.
In fact, you could say it’s a continuum that looks like this:
Compound Lift → Compound Exercise → Isolation Exercise
Greater CNS demand / stimulus → Lesser CNS demand / stimulus
Less muscle tissue demand → Higher muscle tissue demand
This shows why bodybuilders are usually more massive than powerlifters but powerlifters are stronger .
Bodybuilders focus on making their muscles as large as possible.
Powerlifters concentrate on making their muscles - with relation to the Squat, Bench Press, and Deadlift - as powerful as possible.
Now, with that as our foundation, let’s get back to our question:
The advantages of the Clean + Press over the Strict Press are as follows:
1- Greater systemic stress (compound lift vs. compound exercise), and therefore greater nervous system activation for adaptation.
2- Less localized upper body tiredness , so usually, but not always, you can get more Presses in a set of Clean + Press vs. a set of Presses.
3- Use “ground reaction force” or “force wave” from the Clean to boost power output in the Press. This too often decreases upper body fatigue and raises the number of Presses you can do.
4- Improved conditioning outcome from alternating between Cleans and Presses.
5- Train the posterior chain (hips, hamstrings, erectors, calves).
… To name but 5 .
Does that imply you should never do “just” Presses?
No, not at all.
Here’s the benefits of Presses over the Clean + Press:
1- If you’re concentrating on increasing your Press Max, then do repeat Presses.
2- If you want to “just” focus on pure localized muscle building, then do “just” Presses.
3- If you’re learning how to Press, you need to concentrate on your technique - sets of unbroken Presses are the way to do.
… To name but three .
Personally?
At this stage in my life, I’m all about saving time , so I prefer Clean + Press vs. the Press.
If you don’t want to choose, here’s another option that some may consider the ideal middle ground :
Clean THEN Press.
Do all you Cleans FIRST, and then, without dropping your bells , do your set of Presses.
(This is called a complex.)
This still gives you a systemic response , but you also get a targeted effect too.
The only downside is you’ve accumulated fatigue by doing your Cleans first, so your Presses may suffer.
Which is best for you?
Clean + Press, “just” Presses, or Cleans THEN Presses?
It all hinges on your specific goals.
For most guys our age - probably 90% - are best served by “just” Clean + Presses.
Stay Strong,
Geoff Neupert.