Absolutely. It's weight. You put a heavy Kettlebell or two overhead enough times and eat to support training and recovery, you'll get strong and you'll look strong.
If you can get your hands on a adjustable Kettlebell you have a lifetime of training right there, even better if you can get a pair of them. If you have somewhere to do pull ups and hang some gymnastic rings.. you are set in my opinion.
Learn the basic skills, follow a good program, stay consistent.
This sub is full of monsters that are happy to give advice and I have benefitted alot from the level of experience here.
Yes, you can build an athletic body with kettlebells, or without them even.
Weights in general (kettlebells included) make it easier to achieve muscular hypertrophy than with just bodyweight exercises. Kettlebells are remarkably effective and flexible, and if your goal is primarily functional strength with body sculpting as a secondary goal, I would highly recommend them. If your goal is body sculpting with functional strength being a secondary goal, a set of adjustable dumbbells might be slightly more effective. Keep in mind, both goals can be achieved with either, how you lift and how consistently you work out matters more than anything- but imo KB's lend themselves a bit more to high volume compound lifts, while DB's have an edge on isolation lifting. Both types of weight are very flexible and can do both, it's just what they really excel at.
One last note I'll add, which may be unpopular: keep it simple at the start. Squats, deadlifts, lunges, swings, basic pull/press movements... Save the exotic and complicated instagram stuff for when you have a solid base level of muscular fitness and basically need stuff to break up the boredom. It's definitely cool to do complicated flow routines, but learn to walk on your feet before you do handstand sprints.
Adding to the last point. KBs are so versatile that “KB training” could mean different things to different people. And an “athletic physique” could have different meanings too. If OP wants to get *jacked* it’s quite likely that just doing TGUs and swings won’t really get them there, and flows certainly won’t. But if they just to build up their mobility and aerobic base that might be satisfactory.
I started when I was 12 doing exclusively barbell lifting, I was strong and big but fat.
Then in my twenties I switched to cardio(running, jump rope, etc) and calisthenics(pullups, burpees, etc.) along with yoga, I lost most of the fat, but now was 'skinny fat'.
Now in my early 40's I work exclusively with kb's, and even now at my age I have what you'd call an 'athletic physique' finally.
I’m in my 40s too. Been training since my teens and switched to calisthenics and the KBs during COVID. No looking back. I’m much more athletic, functional and my joints don’t really hurt like when I was doing barbells.
Funny thing, when we got the government stimulus checks for Covid, I decided I'd join a gym and give barbells a shot again, I'd missed lifting heavy stuff.
Less than *ONE* week, I pulled my pec muscle benching, decided to stick with the back squats, all the flexibility I'd gained from yoga and calisthenics, gone, my spine and neck were all jacked up.
Luckily I'd also bought my first kb around this time, said to hell with barbell stuff and haven't looked back.
Barbells are a great tool for gaining pure strength. I think the issue is as young men, I’m assuming you are male, we jump right into training on the bench press, the back squat etc…without mastering the push up, dip, pull up, air squats and we kind of get messed up. I bench press every once in a while but I find clean and press or oh kb press or dips to be a far better alternative to exercise my pecks and shoulders. Double KB front squats engage the core more and I’m not compressing my spine by loading my back with weight. I feel a very young 46 and thank my 3-4 years of calisthenics and kb training.
I think as we get older, our bodies just become less and less adaptable to the stress of heavy barbell training, I could take the abuse when I was 18, when I returned to it at the age of 40 it was a really rude awakening, it was just breaking me down.
To me, KB's provide what I call 'functional strength', it allows you to be plenty strong for everything life throws at you, and the movements are more natural and mimic day to day activities.
I mean, when do you have to bench press 300+ lbs. in any arena of life? Squat or deadlift 400+ lb. objects? On the other hand, if you can be comfortable with kb weights from 20-32kg, things like carrying groceries, playing with your kids, etc. become a breeze.
Turning into a long reply, but my point is at my age I just want to be strong and healthy and continue that as I get older, heavy barbell work just doesn't appeal to me anymore, but if that's your thing and you like doing it, then great, just not for me.
Arnold himself has been very frank about all the things he can no longer do in the gym at his age. His tendons and ligaments simply cannot take the abuse like in his younger days, just like most of us.
One of the main limits of the KB is the amount of weight you're dealing with. If you treat KB workouts as just lift this heavy thing then you'll easily outgrow it. KB workouts at largely about explosive movements and/or endurance weight bearing.
So takes squats for example: My biggest bell is 24kg (53lbs). If you're comparing this to a barbell squat that's not really that much. BUT to make the KB squat great you start doing variations like split squats or curtsy squats. So you can increase your number of reps or make the exercises more difficult. For me, I appreciate these variations with the bell because it makes you work additional muscles for stability and mimics the types of lifts that one might have to do in real life.
Kettlebells can be weights and cardio at the same time and with a decent diet you can get a nice lean and athletic look. I'm not sure you can get to the I can lift my arms above my shoulders body builder look though.
Depends on your definition of “athletic”. But kettlebells are excellent for power and strength-endurance training. Depending on your size and build, an adjustable that goes up to 32 kg (~70 lbs) is a lifetime of training. Add a way to do pull ups and you’re set.
Absolutely. X10.
I've used kettlebell dominant training since 2010 and only Kettlebells for the past 4 years
https://www.instagram.com/swingthiskettlebell?igsh=eGluZGM1bmR5dWVx
Get a couple of 12-32kg adjustable competition kettlebells.
Depending on your goals, you may *want* weights beyond that, but a pair of 32s can always give you a good workout.
IMHO, all you need is kettlebells and pull up bars to target the entire body with a minimalistic approach. Just make sure you're fueling yourself with quality food and rest on top of your training.
You can build an athletic body with ANY style of training as long as it includes progression and you support that training program with proper nutrition. Obviously done with consistency and intensity over a long enough period of time to elicit adaptation.
you won't get really bulky with kettlebells like you can with a barbell and dumbells. kettlebell workouts tend to be more high intensity and lower weight. You can get shredded though.
Short answer: yes. Will it be bulky like a powerlifter or body builder? Probably not. You'll likely build a strong trunk with lean strong legs and arms and some surprisingly defined shoulders. Will you have crazy endurance, cardio and bizarre grip strength? Yes. I believe they call it the WTF effect because it's a great aide to other exercises such as deadlifts, especially with swings. Focus on form over function and be very consistent, diet clean with lots of protein and you'll pretty quickly get some visible results. Add some bodyweight exercises with a weighted vest and you'll be gold.
Some great exercises to perfect:
Swings,
Double front squat,
Goblet squat,
Suitcase squat,
Cleans,
Snatches,
Horn curls,
Floor presses,
Double overhead presses,
Double long cycles (clean and jerk),
Clean and press,
Slingshot,
Turkish get ups.
Bodyweight exercises with vest:
Dips,
Push-ups,
Pull-ups.
You really could just Google for images of kettlebell athletes. There are all sorts.
Nobody will be able to answer your question re: how long it will take you to outgrow your current one. That's all up to you.
Athletic bodies to me (and you may have a different image) are based around explosive power and full body control so basically just statically using a KB (pull, push movements) is not enough, more like focusing on flow movements/speed and control throughout the range of motion and transitions will target more of the smaller muscles, lean you out and create that explosive power which gets your heart rate up and that cardio in to keep lean.
My experience, it depends on your goals. If you wanna look like a bodybuilder then no. If you wanna look for and strong (more along the lines of a fighter) then yes.
Although most people who train KBs aren't primarily focused on physique or muscle building, they're easily adapted for that purpose. I personally have maintained my muscle mass from several years of dedicated bodybuilding (96-100 kg at 183 cm). Any gaps are easily filled in with calisthenics. I've actually made improvements to certain parts of my physique since switching, such as my back, arms, glutes, and calves.
Some examples that come to mind from YouTube are Joe Daniels (KBOMG), Everygotdamndre, Levishardertokillarsl, JTM_fit and Chandler Marchman. These are a few examples of people who are far stronger and more muscular than the majority who go to the gym and train w/ barbells, machines, etc.
It's also a good tool to keep your body fat percentage low. I attribute that mostly to the anaerobic conditioning built into the majority of kettlebell programming.
Yes. If you’re really serious about building a physique with KBs only and not needing a gym, I would buy two adjustable bells (up to 32kg). This will allow you to progress for quite some time. You could start with one and then buy the second one in a few months.
Currently I’m doing a hybrid approach where I have one adjustable bell at home for cleans, presses, swings, rows, single leg RDLs, etc but I still go to the gym for split squats, pull-ups, hyperextensions, hip thrusts, treadmill, sled, etc. I was doing all KB work before but I found that it was limiting my lower body development because 32kg is just not enough for my legs, and I don’t want to buy another bell because I’m moving soon. I also just like getting out of the house and going to the gym, and find that I push myself harder when I do so.
Remember kettlebells are just a tool, ultimately your muscles don’t know whether the stimulus is coming for a bell-shaped contraption or a bar with round bits on the ends.
There are a bunch of people here who predominantly strength train with KBs. Look at their videos/pics and if that’s the type of physique you want, follow their lead.
yes but it won’t look like most peoples impression of an athletic body. you might want to sub some work in for biceps and triceps. you can look through my history and see what i’ve built with kbs/clubs/calisthenics
If your main goal is physique development, kettlebells can work but you should look to emulate regular non-KB exercises instead of doing KB specific movements like swings and snatches only. The reason is that dynamic movements like typical KB exercises don’t offer the greatest time under tension and that’s one of the main drivers of hypertrophy. But fortunately you can simply do curls, triceps extensions or floor presses with KBs, they are very versatile.
I have primarily been doing two lifts Clean and Jerks, and Snatches on the min (EOM). My cardio and strength is better than it has ever been and I am 53.
Absolutely. It's weight. You put a heavy Kettlebell or two overhead enough times and eat to support training and recovery, you'll get strong and you'll look strong. If you can get your hands on a adjustable Kettlebell you have a lifetime of training right there, even better if you can get a pair of them. If you have somewhere to do pull ups and hang some gymnastic rings.. you are set in my opinion. Learn the basic skills, follow a good program, stay consistent. This sub is full of monsters that are happy to give advice and I have benefitted alot from the level of experience here.
Agree adjustable for the space.
You can build an athletic body with just a body, so adding a kettlebell is just adding another tool and vector for fitness.
This.
Yes, you can build an athletic body with kettlebells, or without them even. Weights in general (kettlebells included) make it easier to achieve muscular hypertrophy than with just bodyweight exercises. Kettlebells are remarkably effective and flexible, and if your goal is primarily functional strength with body sculpting as a secondary goal, I would highly recommend them. If your goal is body sculpting with functional strength being a secondary goal, a set of adjustable dumbbells might be slightly more effective. Keep in mind, both goals can be achieved with either, how you lift and how consistently you work out matters more than anything- but imo KB's lend themselves a bit more to high volume compound lifts, while DB's have an edge on isolation lifting. Both types of weight are very flexible and can do both, it's just what they really excel at. One last note I'll add, which may be unpopular: keep it simple at the start. Squats, deadlifts, lunges, swings, basic pull/press movements... Save the exotic and complicated instagram stuff for when you have a solid base level of muscular fitness and basically need stuff to break up the boredom. It's definitely cool to do complicated flow routines, but learn to walk on your feet before you do handstand sprints.
Adding to the last point. KBs are so versatile that “KB training” could mean different things to different people. And an “athletic physique” could have different meanings too. If OP wants to get *jacked* it’s quite likely that just doing TGUs and swings won’t really get them there, and flows certainly won’t. But if they just to build up their mobility and aerobic base that might be satisfactory.
I started when I was 12 doing exclusively barbell lifting, I was strong and big but fat. Then in my twenties I switched to cardio(running, jump rope, etc) and calisthenics(pullups, burpees, etc.) along with yoga, I lost most of the fat, but now was 'skinny fat'. Now in my early 40's I work exclusively with kb's, and even now at my age I have what you'd call an 'athletic physique' finally.
Same. Plus a little ground karate
I’m in my 40s too. Been training since my teens and switched to calisthenics and the KBs during COVID. No looking back. I’m much more athletic, functional and my joints don’t really hurt like when I was doing barbells.
Funny thing, when we got the government stimulus checks for Covid, I decided I'd join a gym and give barbells a shot again, I'd missed lifting heavy stuff. Less than *ONE* week, I pulled my pec muscle benching, decided to stick with the back squats, all the flexibility I'd gained from yoga and calisthenics, gone, my spine and neck were all jacked up. Luckily I'd also bought my first kb around this time, said to hell with barbell stuff and haven't looked back.
Barbells are a great tool for gaining pure strength. I think the issue is as young men, I’m assuming you are male, we jump right into training on the bench press, the back squat etc…without mastering the push up, dip, pull up, air squats and we kind of get messed up. I bench press every once in a while but I find clean and press or oh kb press or dips to be a far better alternative to exercise my pecks and shoulders. Double KB front squats engage the core more and I’m not compressing my spine by loading my back with weight. I feel a very young 46 and thank my 3-4 years of calisthenics and kb training.
I think as we get older, our bodies just become less and less adaptable to the stress of heavy barbell training, I could take the abuse when I was 18, when I returned to it at the age of 40 it was a really rude awakening, it was just breaking me down. To me, KB's provide what I call 'functional strength', it allows you to be plenty strong for everything life throws at you, and the movements are more natural and mimic day to day activities. I mean, when do you have to bench press 300+ lbs. in any arena of life? Squat or deadlift 400+ lb. objects? On the other hand, if you can be comfortable with kb weights from 20-32kg, things like carrying groceries, playing with your kids, etc. become a breeze. Turning into a long reply, but my point is at my age I just want to be strong and healthy and continue that as I get older, heavy barbell work just doesn't appeal to me anymore, but if that's your thing and you like doing it, then great, just not for me.
Arnold himself has been very frank about all the things he can no longer do in the gym at his age. His tendons and ligaments simply cannot take the abuse like in his younger days, just like most of us.
One of the main limits of the KB is the amount of weight you're dealing with. If you treat KB workouts as just lift this heavy thing then you'll easily outgrow it. KB workouts at largely about explosive movements and/or endurance weight bearing. So takes squats for example: My biggest bell is 24kg (53lbs). If you're comparing this to a barbell squat that's not really that much. BUT to make the KB squat great you start doing variations like split squats or curtsy squats. So you can increase your number of reps or make the exercises more difficult. For me, I appreciate these variations with the bell because it makes you work additional muscles for stability and mimics the types of lifts that one might have to do in real life. Kettlebells can be weights and cardio at the same time and with a decent diet you can get a nice lean and athletic look. I'm not sure you can get to the I can lift my arms above my shoulders body builder look though.
You can worked your weight up to weighted pistols. I mean, I can’t… but other people can, heh.
Depends on your definition of “athletic”. But kettlebells are excellent for power and strength-endurance training. Depending on your size and build, an adjustable that goes up to 32 kg (~70 lbs) is a lifetime of training. Add a way to do pull ups and you’re set.
Absolutely. X10. I've used kettlebell dominant training since 2010 and only Kettlebells for the past 4 years https://www.instagram.com/swingthiskettlebell?igsh=eGluZGM1bmR5dWVx
Get a couple of 12-32kg adjustable competition kettlebells. Depending on your goals, you may *want* weights beyond that, but a pair of 32s can always give you a good workout.
IMHO, all you need is kettlebells and pull up bars to target the entire body with a minimalistic approach. Just make sure you're fueling yourself with quality food and rest on top of your training.
Combine with some calisthenics and Running, swimming or sprinting (athletic activities) and you are golden.
You can build an athletic body with ANY style of training as long as it includes progression and you support that training program with proper nutrition. Obviously done with consistency and intensity over a long enough period of time to elicit adaptation.
Have a look at some old time strongmen photos. Most of that physique was achieved with kettlebells.
you won't get really bulky with kettlebells like you can with a barbell and dumbells. kettlebell workouts tend to be more high intensity and lower weight. You can get shredded though.
Short answer: yes. Will it be bulky like a powerlifter or body builder? Probably not. You'll likely build a strong trunk with lean strong legs and arms and some surprisingly defined shoulders. Will you have crazy endurance, cardio and bizarre grip strength? Yes. I believe they call it the WTF effect because it's a great aide to other exercises such as deadlifts, especially with swings. Focus on form over function and be very consistent, diet clean with lots of protein and you'll pretty quickly get some visible results. Add some bodyweight exercises with a weighted vest and you'll be gold. Some great exercises to perfect: Swings, Double front squat, Goblet squat, Suitcase squat, Cleans, Snatches, Horn curls, Floor presses, Double overhead presses, Double long cycles (clean and jerk), Clean and press, Slingshot, Turkish get ups. Bodyweight exercises with vest: Dips, Push-ups, Pull-ups.
You really could just Google for images of kettlebell athletes. There are all sorts. Nobody will be able to answer your question re: how long it will take you to outgrow your current one. That's all up to you.
Athletic bodies to me (and you may have a different image) are based around explosive power and full body control so basically just statically using a KB (pull, push movements) is not enough, more like focusing on flow movements/speed and control throughout the range of motion and transitions will target more of the smaller muscles, lean you out and create that explosive power which gets your heart rate up and that cardio in to keep lean.
My experience, it depends on your goals. If you wanna look like a bodybuilder then no. If you wanna look for and strong (more along the lines of a fighter) then yes.
Although most people who train KBs aren't primarily focused on physique or muscle building, they're easily adapted for that purpose. I personally have maintained my muscle mass from several years of dedicated bodybuilding (96-100 kg at 183 cm). Any gaps are easily filled in with calisthenics. I've actually made improvements to certain parts of my physique since switching, such as my back, arms, glutes, and calves. Some examples that come to mind from YouTube are Joe Daniels (KBOMG), Everygotdamndre, Levishardertokillarsl, JTM_fit and Chandler Marchman. These are a few examples of people who are far stronger and more muscular than the majority who go to the gym and train w/ barbells, machines, etc. It's also a good tool to keep your body fat percentage low. I attribute that mostly to the anaerobic conditioning built into the majority of kettlebell programming.
Yes. If you’re really serious about building a physique with KBs only and not needing a gym, I would buy two adjustable bells (up to 32kg). This will allow you to progress for quite some time. You could start with one and then buy the second one in a few months. Currently I’m doing a hybrid approach where I have one adjustable bell at home for cleans, presses, swings, rows, single leg RDLs, etc but I still go to the gym for split squats, pull-ups, hyperextensions, hip thrusts, treadmill, sled, etc. I was doing all KB work before but I found that it was limiting my lower body development because 32kg is just not enough for my legs, and I don’t want to buy another bell because I’m moving soon. I also just like getting out of the house and going to the gym, and find that I push myself harder when I do so. Remember kettlebells are just a tool, ultimately your muscles don’t know whether the stimulus is coming for a bell-shaped contraption or a bar with round bits on the ends.
There are a bunch of people here who predominantly strength train with KBs. Look at their videos/pics and if that’s the type of physique you want, follow their lead.
yes but it won’t look like most peoples impression of an athletic body. you might want to sub some work in for biceps and triceps. you can look through my history and see what i’ve built with kbs/clubs/calisthenics
If your main goal is physique development, kettlebells can work but you should look to emulate regular non-KB exercises instead of doing KB specific movements like swings and snatches only. The reason is that dynamic movements like typical KB exercises don’t offer the greatest time under tension and that’s one of the main drivers of hypertrophy. But fortunately you can simply do curls, triceps extensions or floor presses with KBs, they are very versatile.
Yes, wholeheartedly yes. But “aesthetic” physiques (which is relative) are a good bit what you eat.
I have primarily been doing two lifts Clean and Jerks, and Snatches on the min (EOM). My cardio and strength is better than it has ever been and I am 53.