I train with kettlebells. Three times a week, I set aside thirty minutes, plus (never minus) a couple of minutes for warming up, for a training session with a couple of my kettlebells. Sometimes I will focus on progressive loading hoping to trigger hypertrophy. Sometimes I will focus on deconstructing movements to further refine my technique. Whatever it is I intend to do during my training sessions, I will do my damndest to ensure I lift them up and set them down for thirty minutes at least three times in a week. This is a non-negotiable standard I hold myself accountable to.
Recently I read an article written by a StrongFirst Elite Instructor titled Double Kettlebell Swiss Army Knife Hybrid Program. First off, what a mouthful that title is! Anyhow, I was intrigued by what I read. The article described a program that is very similar to one I use often in my own training sessions. I appreciate the perspective the article is written in, too. During my military service, I often found myself performing the Physical Training Lead role for my squadron. Learning how the program may be implemented from an instructor’s perspective helps me learn the concepts in two flavors.
My regular program is, well, regular. It’s not full of fancy movements with even fancier names you’re more likely to encounter on your local smartphone screen while doomscrolling than you are any other time in your life. “Hey man, wanna show me how to do a Grim Reaper?” “That chump over there’s executin’ a flawless Diamond Power Ring!” Simply trying to remember the names of those acrobatics is an exercise in and of itself. Not for me. For ease, I typically train with one or more of the following six movements:
- Swing
- Squat
- Clean
- Press
- Snatch
- Turkish get-up
Most can be performed with either a single or double kettlebell. I perform the movements in the clean-press-squat complex with a single kettlebell, normally 24kg. I perform the two-handed swings with a slightly larger kettlebell, normally 32kg. The program below is what regularly I follow:
| Movement | Weight | Reps | Sets |
| Clean, press, squat | 24kg | 5(l+r) | 6 |
| Two-handed swing | 32kg | 10 | 6 |
Complex is just fancy speak for movements I perform in immediate sequence. In theory, each movement in the complex is a like a syllable in a word. Perform the clean, immediately perform a press, the perform a squat. I make sure not to blend the movements together. I make sure my feet touch every stair going up and going down a staircase. I don’t rush through the sequence just to get to the part where I set the kettlebell down. Each movement is intentional. Once I’ve done the sequence with my left side, I swing-switch and complete it on the right side, swing-switch to the left once more and continue that sequence until I’ve completed the complex five times on both sides. I repeat that whole sequence six times.
The two-handed swings normally come after I’ve completed the complex sets. I’ll start with six sets of ten swings, and will occasionally add an extra set or two for good measure. The whole workout is 240 reps evenly distributed across four different movements. It’s only moderately difficult, and takes me about 25 minutes to complete the entire session.
In the article, they describe the program as using two equal weight kettlebells. Rather than work in the bounds of sets, the complex is performed once every minute on the minute (EMOM) for thirty minutes. Very intrigued at this point. So, one complex comprised of one swing, one clean, one squat, and one press one time per minute for half an hour. Got it. I don’t have two kettlebells of equal weight as prescribed in the program. This means I must performing the movements with different weights, such as a 20kg and a 24kg, rotating which side the heavy bell is on each minute. Seems simple enough. Minimum brain mode, too. The table below is for reference:
| Complex | Weight | Reps | Time |
| Swing, clean, squat, press | 20kg and 24kg | 1 | 30 mins |
First thing’s first. This is a lot of weight! But whatever. Let’s go over the movements. Getting those swings dialed in to where I didn’t feel like I was about to be pulled off balance was my main priority. The cleans felt nice, and felt less chaotic than the swings. Holding the racked bells and pulling down into the squat challenged my balance. Pushing back up out of the squat is tricky with two different weights. Finally executing the double press without using the upward acceleration of the bells out of the squat took a bit of practice. It was tempting to turn the front squat into a squat thrust to power through the last movement, but bringing the bells to a full stop before starting the press is the only way to consider the final movement an actual press.
Since reading the article (where I got this monkey-read-monkey-do thought), I have completed this program six times–only for two weeks or so. Transitioning to this program from my regular no-brain-required program was simple. Instead of one bell in front of me, I now have two. I need to rotate the bells after each set, which takes me somewhere between 10 and 12 seconds. This equates to somewhere between 300 to 360 seconds of really heavy work.
The first session left me craving a recovery day, but at the end of that recovery day, I craved another session. During the second session, I had to dig deep so I could push through the initial soreness, but after things warmed up, I felt great throughout the rest of the session. The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth sessions have been ones where I’ve felt really strong. The physical benefits are also beginning to plant their roots. I feel stronger. I look stronger. This is working.
Modifying how I train with kettlebells has left me feeling stronger than I’ve felt for a long time. Consequently, it has left me feeling more fulfilled and more confident in my kettlebell training routine. This translates into me being more confident in myself as I go through my daily routine. Whether I am sitting on my couch playing on my Nintendo Switch 2 or reading a book on the train ride into work on a rainy morning, I simply feel better. I don’t consider this routine to be a perfect one, but this one is damn near that mark for what I need to accomplish. It’s heavy, and I like it.
Until next time. Chop wood, carry water.