Kettlebell Fanmail

[bmag]

The majority of my exercise over the last year has been focused on KB overhead press.

I picked up a barbell today for the first time since 2021. At that time I’d been working specifically on the big 4 power lifts (bench, overhead, squat, DL). Out of all of these, I expected my bench press to suffer - other than a few pushups this year, my pecs have been completely neglected. I’m pleasantly surprised to find that I could put up 205lbs x 3 reps without much fuss. I didn’t attempt my previous 1RM of 225, but I’m confident that a few weeks of barbell training would get me back up there.

My theory is that OHP with the KB builds up anterior delts.

Just wanted to share that with the class: Swinging metal balls over my head has somehow let me retain the hard-earned gains I achieved 3-4 years ago. It’s a great day.

 

[witness1]

@bmag I love hearing stuff like this Thanks for sharing your wins

 

[bmag]

@witness1 Glad to share!

 

[theleapofaith]

@bmag I believe This is called the “what the hell” effect…

 

[bmag]

@theleapofaith I didn’t want to be cliche but I think you’re right! Makes me feel good about deciding to commit with the kettlebells!

 

[beleadnotastray]

@bmag That’s awesome! Do you also do lower body stuff? If yes, how did those fare?

 

[bmag]

@beleadnotastray The comment I feared! I only just warmed up with BB squats and deadlifts, and can tell I will need a few sessions before I start pushing it (parts of the form like elbow positioning for squats felt awkward). For now doing hacksquats and press machine actually seemed comparable to before! I expect I’ll post up some results in a few weeks.

 

[beleadnotastray]

@bmag leg day boiz always coming for you!

That’s fair! I appreciate you sharing your experience!

I selfishly am asking because I no longer have access to a barbell but am hoping I can still have decent leg strength via KBs. The reality is that I’m a washed up cycling track sprinter and hope to see some speed/power return as I return to cycling and strength training without being able to put hundreds of pounds directly on my back.

 

[juancarlos]

@bmag KB press is no different from any other press: it uses the anterior shoulder and your triceps. Depending on how wide you like to bench, which affects how much the pecs are doing, the overlap ranges from medium to lots.