Kettlebell Exercises for Chest

[Michael]

I know not everyone likes kettlebells or this kind of stuff but for those that may.

[Deleted]

Michael let me tell you mate I use to love training with kettlebells years ago BUT my body was absolutely destroyed from them ! I was doing get ups with a 40 kg bell which was good for me and my windmill was decent too but I ended up with sciatica and in the end my whole body was just bust up . But when it was good it was good my punching and kick power went through the roof I tested myself on a deadlift and I think I did about 300lbs which I was happy with considering I had never done any barbell or dumbbell training prior to that .

[Deleted]

   

This pic was taken in my kettlebell days and even though I was much lighter I'd say around 175 lbs or a bit higher .

[Michael]

I don't have any problems with KBs. They actually are a part of why my back feels so good. I'll say some things that may or not have helped You in the past.

First of, doing 40kg with the getup is very good. The biggest bell I've had in the past was a 32kg which I did getup with. Now I have two 16kg, two 20 kg, one 24kg, and one 28kg.

I think some of the things people go wrong with kettlebells is to much volume, going to heavy, not taking days for recovery, and form. I like to use different tools like DBs, bands, bodyweight, etc... But it's good to get ideas from guys that just do KBs. Ideas like letting the weight come organically.

Intensity is a factor in Your volume and the amount of days You use them. The first time I used kettlebells in the 90's they didn't work out for me. I had to many injuries from work and I was hard headed. I do remember that I would push through exercises even though I was hurt and they were hurting me. One exercise you mentioned was the windmill. I do not do the windmill now because that was an exercise that would aggravate my sciatica. I payed for some instruction on some KB exercise like the swing, snatch, etc...

[Deleted]

I'm jealous mate, i wish i could train with kettlebells and not get injured because i would still be using them now .

It was about 10 years ago when I got into kettlebells and i trained with them for about 5 years and at one point it was all I did and I literally would watch hours upon hours of instructional videos to perfect my technique and swing , i absolutely loved them . As for volume i was never a fan of high volume with kettlebell training i always preferred low rep complexes and a favourite of mine was the "Armour building complex" which was
2 double cleans
1 double press
3 double front squats for any where between 5 or 10 rounds and with plenty of rest inbetween sets .

In the latter part of my kettlebell training I cut out the get ups, windmills in a hope that it would ease my pain and allow me to continue training with them but it didn't work and i went back to calisthenics and self resistance.

I actually miss training with them but i don't miss the pain . I think swinging a piece of iron between your legs and straight up in the air is no way good for the spine and seems un natural to me .

It seems like the kettlebell crowd constantly preach perfect technique because they know the risks that come with training with kettlebells !

[Dave Reslo]

Got to think if kettlebells were good for training the chest Pavel wouldn't have been pushing "just a hint of pecs".

[Michael]

Yeah, Baz everyone is different. You know this, there is no end all be all training style that fits everyone. They make KBs sound like the magic pill, nothing is. It's all in what You like and will do consistently. One thing most get wrong with the swing is dropping the bell below the knees. It's honestly not supposed to be a back exercise. It's more of a hamstring and glute exercise that gives You lower back endurance.

Dave, I like Pavel's ideas. But , coming from a bodybuilding training background I have built up my chest. KBs can be good to build the chest if that's what one wants to use. www.youtube.com/c/GoEliteSC/search?query=kettlebell%20chest

[Deuce Gunner]

Oct 23, 2020 17:16:35 GMT Dave Reslo said:

Got to think if kettlebells were good for training the chest Pavel wouldn't have been pushing "just a hint of pecs".

Maybe because that's how his body looked when they took the photos for the book? He actually did mention a floor pullover exercise for the chest and said the kb could be used for some basic bodybuilding exercises for the chest and biceps that would produce greater overload than barbells or dumbbells in his book, but the Russian texts he was translating at that time he put that book together probably emphasized posterior chain conditioning as that was judged to be more useful for military tasks.

[Deleted]

To be honest you can definitely build a nice looking chest with kettlebells, just doing floor presses will take care of that .

Yes Michael different strokes for different folks i agree and to be honest I've heard of plenty people like yourself that have cured back pain and corrected there scoliosis but then again i have also heard the complete opposite . But if they are working for you then i would encourage to keep training with them mate !

[Michael]

In Pavel's book, "Beyond Bodybuilding" there's a similar exercise. You would have to use a lighter weight. The KB would be picked up from the floor while squeezing Your palms in on the KB. He said to extend the set You could press it like in this video. You would not be using the handle, it's all just pushing in on the KB with Your palms.