In one of our many online kettlebell communities, the following question was asked, and it gets asked often, so I decided to write an article about it.
“In normal training, I would split it up into upper and lower days. Kettlebells I hit everything pretty much every movement. So how do you split your training? I like to try to train most days, but I don’t want to be hitting the same muscle groups too much to allow recovery.”
Kettlebell Community Member
I’m going to address each part of the question in order.
- Normal Training
- Kettlebell Split
- Kettlebell Full-Body
- How to Split the Training?
- Don’t Hit the Same Muscle Groups
- The Problem
- How Often Can I Train?
- Can I Train With Kettlebells Every Day?
- Kettlebell 4-Day Split Strength Program
- 5-Day Kettlebell Hypertrophy Split For Beginners
Normal Training
Kettlebell training is normal training. A kettlebell is a tool, it’s a piece of iron that one needs to use in the correct way to reach the intended goals. Don’t associate the kettlebell with limited exercises, yes, there are popular exercises like the swing, clean, and snatch but they do not represent 0.01% of what you can do with the kettlebell.
Kettlebell Split
You can train your upper and lower body with a kettlebell just like with any other tool as long as you have the right weight selection. In fact, you can also do the upper-lower body split with what you have like one does in the gym (so-called normal training) and avoid overtraining.
If you have a good weight selection, you can even target body parts instead of just upper and lower. Prometheus Phase II is such a kettlebell training split which can be a 3, 4, or 6-day split. The program comes with everything one needs to understand the exercises, the split, and avoid common mistakes.
Kettlebell Full-Body
“Kettlebells I hit everything pretty much every movement.”
This only comes down to not using the tool the same way and perhaps thinking that the kettlebell is only for the swing, clean, press, snatch, and whatever else is commonly seen or taught by inexperienced trainers.
Again, you don’t need to use the kettlebell any differently than you would other equipment normally used in the gym. You can squat, row, press, curl, deadlift, and everything else plus more than you can do with so-called normal equipment.
Again, it comes down to the weight selection you have available and whether it will be effective in increasing strength. Whether it is effective depends on your current level of strength and for what exercise.
With the kettlebell you can increase exercise variation complexity, for example, a good example of how to make the squat more taxing when you don’t have a good selection of weights is to master the Cossack squat. An example for the deadlift is the stiff-legged deadlift, single-leg deadlift, etc.
For each exercise, one can increase exercise complexity with an exercise variation.
How to Split the Training?
You would split the training in exactly the same way as you would when using any other piece of exercise equipment.
Don’t Hit the Same Muscle Groups
You don’t want to hit the same muscle groups, especially when training heavy, to avoid overtraining and injury. It’s certainly possible to train most days, but you need a smart, good, and well-designed program. You also need to focus on mobility, a lot!
If you have an upper and lower body split and want to train more days then you’re more than likely to hit the same muscle groups. You want to get a better split of 3 or 6 days.
The Problem
In general, the problem is not the kettlebell but the perception and incorrect weight purchase. Most people buy one or two kettlebell weights and think that will handle everything. Yes, it can if you just do full-body cardio which does provide some strength benefits, but not the same as when overloading progressively, i.e. going heavier as your body adapts. Thus, needing a big selection of kettlebell weights.
How Often Can I Train?
Can I Train With Kettlebells Every Day?
Kettlebell 4-Day Split Strength Program
5-Day Kettlebell Hypertrophy Split For Beginners
Discuss This Here
Discuss this article here including any questions you may have.
