all posts post new thread

Kettlebell Powerlifting oriented Kettlebell Program designed by ChatGPT

Kayodoubleu

Level 2 Valued Member
Hi all. I will finally get my powerrack next year and i want to start with powerlifting. So i asked ChatGPT to generate me a training program with Kettlebells which will help me start with powerlifting. Here are the results.

Help me to generate a powerlifting focused program. I will get a Power Rack and a Barbell next year and i want to start powerlifting. Help me generate a program with my equipment which will give me the best start next year when i finally get my equipment. The program should give me a head start in powerlifting so that i only need to learn the correct form for the new exercices. So in short i want a perfect training program with my current equipment which will give me a head strat in powerlifting next year.


Certainly! To give you a head start in powerlifting, it's important to focus on developing strength in the key muscle groups involved in the squat, bench press, and deadlift. Your current equipment (kettlebells, pull-up bar, and ab wheel) will be used to create a program that targets these muscle groups, enhancing your overall strength and conditioning.
Here's a 3-day per week training program to help you prepare for powerlifting:
Day 1 - Lower Body Focus

  1. Warm-up (5 minutes): Light jogging or dynamic stretching
  2. Double kettlebell front squat (4 sets x 8-10 reps)
  3. Kettlebell Bulgarian split squat (4 sets x 8-10 reps per leg)
  4. Kettlebell single-leg Romanian deadlift (4 sets x 8-10 reps per leg)
  5. Kettlebell swing (4 sets x 20 reps)
  6. Bodyweight calf raises (4 sets x 15-20 reps)
  7. Cool down (5 minutes): Stretching, focusing on quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves
Day 2 - Upper Body Focus
  1. Warm-up (5 minutes): Light jogging or dynamic stretching
  2. Pull-ups or negative pull-ups (4 sets x maximum reps)
  3. Kettlebell single-arm press (4 sets x 8-10 reps per side)
  4. Kettlebell bent-over row (4 sets x 8-10 reps per side)
  5. Kettlebell single-arm floor press (4 sets x 8-10 reps per side)
  6. Push-ups (4 sets x maximum reps)
  7. Cool down (5 minutes): Stretching, focusing on chest, shoulders, and back muscles
Day 3 - Full Body & Core Focus
  1. Warm-up (5 minutes): Light jogging or dynamic stretching
  2. Kettlebell Turkish get-up (4 sets x 5 reps per side)
  3. Kettlebell goblet squat (4 sets x 12 reps)
  4. Kettlebell single-arm clean (4 sets x 8 reps per side)
  5. Ab wheel rollouts (4 sets x 10-12 reps)
  6. Plank (3 sets x 60-90 seconds)
  7. Hanging leg raises or knee raises (3 sets x maximum reps)
  8. Cool down (5 minutes): Stretching, focusing on core, hips, and lower back muscles
Progression: Increase the kettlebell weights, reps, or sets as you get stronger. Maintain good form throughout all exercises. When you transition to a powerlifting program with your new equipment, you'll have built a solid foundation of strength and mobility.
When you acquire your power rack and barbell, you can transition to a powerlifting-specific program focusing on the three main lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. A popular beginner powerlifting program is the 5x5 StrongLifts program, which focuses on these core lifts and their variations.
Remember to consult with a healthcare professional or certified personal trainer before starting any new exercise program, especially if you have any pre-existing conditions or concerns.



What do you guys think? Could this even work? It is interesting for sure.
 
I don't have comments about the specific program.

My main issue with asking ChatGPT about this type of thing is that for every program that actually works there are hundreds that look good on paper but are garbage. I know because I write the crappy ones that look good on paper.

ChatGPT is designed to give you responses that resemble its training set and look good on paper. There are some subjects where the intersection of things that look good on paper and things that actually work is tight, but I don't think program design is one of them. The reason is that the training set for ChatGPT is probably full of garbage programs written by people who have no idea what they're doing. Garbge in, garbage out.
 
I don't have comments about the specific program.

My main issue with asking ChatGPT about this type of thing is that for every program that actually works there are hundreds that look good on paper but are garbage. I know because I write the crappy ones that look good on paper.

ChatGPT is designed to give you responses that resemble its training set and look good on paper. There are some subjects where the intersection of things that look good on paper and things that actually work is tight, but I don't think program design is one of them. The reason is that the training set for ChatGPT is probably full of garbage programs written by people who have no idea what they're doing. Garbge in, garbage out.
Yeah. It is funny to see how extremly different this "program" looks like in comparison to every program from the known Kettlebell Instrucors. So this should be the first red flag i think. It think i would have bought into it if he would generate me a Program with 3 lifts or so in a pavelesque fashion. But this program above just does looks too different.
 
The set/rep schemes look more like bodybuilding sets than powerlifting. And as noted above, the number of exercises per day is pretty inconsistent with training for power or strength. If you want a powerlifting prep KB, maybe try Fabio Zonin’s Built Strong Minimalist, and add heavy swings on your off days for the deadlift.

Or…hire a coach to build you a program.
 
looks like a generic program--dont see where this will prep anyone for real PLing.you are better off joining a gym that has free weights and actually do the PLs.
 
Eh, this program looks a lot more similar to a bodybuilding program. A good powerlifting program should have higher weights, lower reps and a lot more specificity for the three power lifts. Could look at something like 5/3/1, I know a lot of people who have had really good results with that and kb/bodyweight assistance work.
 
What do you guys think? Could this even work? It is interesting for sure.

Specific criticism:

I think the idea of upper/lower/full is flawed.

I think the volume of similar exercises on each of the three days is too much, necessitating lighter (read: lighter than ideal, all other things being equal) weights.

Instead, focus on a few, well-chosen movements and vary the volume and the load across the training days. The newest article on our site, Enter the Kettlebell+ for the Army Combat Fitness Test | StrongFirst, provides an excellent example of starting with a proven template then adapting it to specific needs.

-S-
 
Specific criticism:

I think the idea of upper/lower/full is flawed.

Do you think so in general or only in the context of this specific program? If you think it's flawed in general, how come? I've seen such a split work wonders both personally and with clients.
 
Hi all. I will finally get my powerrack next year and i want to start with powerlifting. So i asked ChatGPT to generate me a training program with Kettlebells which will help me start with powerlifting. Here are the results.

Help me to generate a powerlifting focused program. I will get a Power Rack and a Barbell next year and i want to start powerlifting. Help me generate a program with my equipment which will give me the best start next year when i finally get my equipment. The program should give me a head start in powerlifting so that i only need to learn the correct form for the new exercices. So in short i want a perfect training program with my current equipment which will give me a head strat in powerlifting next year.


Certainly! To give you a head start in powerlifting, it's important to focus on developing strength in the key muscle groups involved in the squat, bench press, and deadlift. Your current equipment (kettlebells, pull-up bar, and ab wheel) will be used to create a program that targets these muscle groups, enhancing your overall strength and conditioning.
Here's a 3-day per week training program to help you prepare for powerlifting:
Day 1 - Lower Body Focus

  1. Warm-up (5 minutes): Light jogging or dynamic stretching
  2. Double kettlebell front squat (4 sets x 8-10 reps)
  3. Kettlebell Bulgarian split squat (4 sets x 8-10 reps per leg)
  4. Kettlebell single-leg Romanian deadlift (4 sets x 8-10 reps per leg)
  5. Kettlebell swing (4 sets x 20 reps)
  6. Bodyweight calf raises (4 sets x 15-20 reps)
  7. Cool down (5 minutes): Stretching, focusing on quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves
Day 2 - Upper Body Focus
  1. Warm-up (5 minutes): Light jogging or dynamic stretching
  2. Pull-ups or negative pull-ups (4 sets x maximum reps)
  3. Kettlebell single-arm press (4 sets x 8-10 reps per side)
  4. Kettlebell bent-over row (4 sets x 8-10 reps per side)
  5. Kettlebell single-arm floor press (4 sets x 8-10 reps per side)
  6. Push-ups (4 sets x maximum reps)
  7. Cool down (5 minutes): Stretching, focusing on chest, shoulders, and back muscles
Day 3 - Full Body & Core Focus
  1. Warm-up (5 minutes): Light jogging or dynamic stretching
  2. Kettlebell Turkish get-up (4 sets x 5 reps per side)
  3. Kettlebell goblet squat (4 sets x 12 reps)
  4. Kettlebell single-arm clean (4 sets x 8 reps per side)
  5. Ab wheel rollouts (4 sets x 10-12 reps)
  6. Plank (3 sets x 60-90 seconds)
  7. Hanging leg raises or knee raises (3 sets x maximum reps)
  8. Cool down (5 minutes): Stretching, focusing on core, hips, and lower back muscles
Progression: Increase the kettlebell weights, reps, or sets as you get stronger. Maintain good form throughout all exercises. When you transition to a powerlifting program with your new equipment, you'll have built a solid foundation of strength and mobility.
When you acquire your power rack and barbell, you can transition to a powerlifting-specific program focusing on the three main lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. A popular beginner powerlifting program is the 5x5 StrongLifts program, which focuses on these core lifts and their variations.
Remember to consult with a healthcare professional or certified personal trainer before starting any new exercise program, especially if you have any pre-existing conditions or concerns.



What do you guys think? Could this even work? It is interesting for sure.
It's like an inexperienced teenager has scoured the internet and performed some statistical analysis to construct a programme.
 
Hi all. I will finally get my powerrack next year and i want to start with powerlifting. So i asked ChatGPT to generate me a training program with Kettlebells which will help me start with powerlifting. Here are the results.

Help me to generate a powerlifting focused program. I will get a Power Rack and a Barbell next year and i want to start powerlifting. Help me generate a program with my equipment which will give me the best start next year when i finally get my equipment. The program should give me a head start in powerlifting so that i only need to learn the correct form for the new exercices. So in short i want a perfect training program with my current equipment which will give me a head strat in powerlifting next year.


Certainly! To give you a head start in powerlifting, it's important to focus on developing strength in the key muscle groups involved in the squat, bench press, and deadlift. Your current equipment (kettlebells, pull-up bar, and ab wheel) will be used to create a program that targets these muscle groups, enhancing your overall strength and conditioning.
Here's a 3-day per week training program to help you prepare for powerlifting:
Day 1 - Lower Body Focus

  1. Warm-up (5 minutes): Light jogging or dynamic stretching
  2. Double kettlebell front squat (4 sets x 8-10 reps)
  3. Kettlebell Bulgarian split squat (4 sets x 8-10 reps per leg)
  4. Kettlebell single-leg Romanian deadlift (4 sets x 8-10 reps per leg)
  5. Kettlebell swing (4 sets x 20 reps)
  6. Bodyweight calf raises (4 sets x 15-20 reps)
  7. Cool down (5 minutes): Stretching, focusing on quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves
Day 2 - Upper Body Focus
  1. Warm-up (5 minutes): Light jogging or dynamic stretching
  2. Pull-ups or negative pull-ups (4 sets x maximum reps)
  3. Kettlebell single-arm press (4 sets x 8-10 reps per side)
  4. Kettlebell bent-over row (4 sets x 8-10 reps per side)
  5. Kettlebell single-arm floor press (4 sets x 8-10 reps per side)
  6. Push-ups (4 sets x maximum reps)
  7. Cool down (5 minutes): Stretching, focusing on chest, shoulders, and back muscles
Day 3 - Full Body & Core Focus
  1. Warm-up (5 minutes): Light jogging or dynamic stretching
  2. Kettlebell Turkish get-up (4 sets x 5 reps per side)
  3. Kettlebell goblet squat (4 sets x 12 reps)
  4. Kettlebell single-arm clean (4 sets x 8 reps per side)
  5. Ab wheel rollouts (4 sets x 10-12 reps)
  6. Plank (3 sets x 60-90 seconds)
  7. Hanging leg raises or knee raises (3 sets x maximum reps)
  8. Cool down (5 minutes): Stretching, focusing on core, hips, and lower back muscles
Progression: Increase the kettlebell weights, reps, or sets as you get stronger. Maintain good form throughout all exercises. When you transition to a powerlifting program with your new equipment, you'll have built a solid foundation of strength and mobility.
When you acquire your power rack and barbell, you can transition to a powerlifting-specific program focusing on the three main lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. A popular beginner powerlifting program is the 5x5 StrongLifts program, which focuses on these core lifts and their variations.
Remember to consult with a healthcare professional or certified personal trainer before starting any new exercise program, especially if you have any pre-existing conditions or concerns.



What do you guys think? Could this even work? It is interesting for sure.
Chat GPT is trying to kick your a#@ lol that day one is a LOT of work.
 
Do you think so in general or only in the context of this specific program? If you think it's flawed in general, how come? I've seen such a split work wonders both personally and with clients.

A good question, @Antti. It's above my pay grade to have a truly well-informed opinion on this, but it's an approach I'm not a fan of in general. That doesn't mean it can't work, and you say you've seen it work and I understand that. At StrongFirst, our approach tends to, "an inch wide and a mile deep." We find value in using fewer movements than some others, and in loading those movement perhaps heavier and for lower rep counts than some others do. The StrongFirst approach has worked for me and all the people I've trained. I can't say the split we're discussing is wrong for everyone and at all times, only that it's flawed from my perspective and isn't something I would recommend or teach. If it works for you and yours, I think that's great.


TL;DR

I can make a comparison with my music teaching. (Apologies to non-musicians if you get lost in the weeds here.) By way of background, I grew up a jazz guitarist and went to college through a doctoral degree as a classical musician.

With my music students, I teach classical and I teach jazz because I've found that if one can do both of those, everything else can be understood - call it "carryover" to use an exercise term, and call my approach "minimalist" if you like. That means, if a student contacts me and says, "I want you to teach me to play bluegrass guitar," I explain my approach and if they still just want to have someone work with them on bluegrass guitar, I don't accept them as a student.

That's not to say I won't help any of my students with whatever they want to learn to play - I've spent the last few lessons with a high school electric bass student on a Radiohead song they like, but it's in a broader context of applying the principles we've learned to this particular kind of music. We're playing from a piano-vocal score, reading the lowest notes of the left hand of the piano part up an octave because that how you get the same pitches as what the bass player is playing on the recording. And we spend some time playing along with the recording, too, but it's because my student has learned to read music, can figure out how to play in a different octave than written, can hear when they're not playing the right notes, etc.

IOW, I like to think of my approach to teaching music as "an inch wide and a mile deep," too. I explain to my students that my goal is to provide them with the tools so that, a few years down the road, they don't need me. They can apply what I've taught them to almost anything.

And so it would be with my approach to a kettlebell program as prep for powerlifting. Learning and applying StrongFirst's principles and practices to a few things, and applying those things at a high level of skill is what I consider to be the best preparation for future as a powerlifter given the parameters of the original question here.

-S-
 
Absolutely agree with the caution about relying on ChatGPT for anything fact based. ChatGPT is essentially autocorrect on steroids. Autocorrect makes an assumption about what the word you're starting to type based on a statistical analysis that's told it what the most probable word is that you're trying to type. Sometimes it's right, sometimes it's not right. Oversimplifying, GPT scours the existing internet and chooses words, phrases, concepts based on a statistical analysis of the existing content. It DOES NOT assess the accuracy or truth of the information it analyzes. So if 80% of the content it analyzes says men with hair are much sexier than bald men, that's what GPT will tell you. Clearly garbage in, garbage out. But GPT presents its statistical analysis of information to you as a matter of fact (and with authority) and it doesn't give enough ability to interrogate or challenge its pronouncements. It should NOT be relied on for facts.
 
A good question, @Antti. It's above my pay grade to have a truly well-informed opinion on this, but it's an approach I'm not a fan of in general. That doesn't mean it can't work, and you say you've seen it work and I understand that. At StrongFirst, our approach tends to, "an inch wide and a mile deep." We find value in using fewer movements than some others, and in loading those movement perhaps heavier and for lower rep counts than some others do. The StrongFirst approach has worked for me and all the people I've trained. I can't say the split we're discussing is wrong for everyone and at all times, only that it's flawed from my perspective and isn't something I would recommend or teach. If it works for you and yours, I think that's great.


TL;DR

I can make a comparison with my music teaching. (Apologies to non-musicians if you get lost in the weeds here.) By way of background, I grew up a jazz guitarist and went to college through a doctoral degree as a classical musician.

With my music students, I teach classical and I teach jazz because I've found that if one can do both of those, everything else can be understood - call it "carryover" to use an exercise term, and call my approach "minimalist" if you like. That means, if a student contacts me and says, "I want you to teach me to play bluegrass guitar," I explain my approach and if they still just want to have someone work with them on bluegrass guitar, I don't accept them as a student.

That's not to say I won't help any of my students with whatever they want to learn to play - I've spent the last few lessons with a high school electric bass student on a Radiohead song they like, but it's in a broader context of applying the principles we've learned to this particular kind of music. We're playing from a piano-vocal score, reading the lowest notes of the left hand of the piano part up an octave because that how you get the same pitches as what the bass player is playing on the recording. And we spend some time playing along with the recording, too, but it's because my student has learned to read music, can figure out how to play in a different octave than written, can hear when they're not playing the right notes, etc.

IOW, I like to think of my approach to teaching music as "an inch wide and a mile deep," too. I explain to my students that my goal is to provide them with the tools so that, a few years down the road, they don't need me. They can apply what I've taught them to almost anything.

And so it would be with my approach to a kettlebell program as prep for powerlifting. Learning and applying StrongFirst's principles and practices to a few things, and applying those things at a high level of skill is what I consider to be the best preparation for future as a powerlifter given the parameters of the original question here.

-S-

I see.

I still think the lower/upper/whole split can work with less exercises and heavy loads.

Something like bench on Monday, deadlift on Wednesday, bench and deadlift on Saturday, fills the criteria for me.
 
Something like bench on Monday, deadlift on Wednesday, bench and deadlift on Saturday, fills the criteria for me.
I wouldn't call that an upper/lower split, though. At least for me, a PL bench is almost a full body lift, lots of glutes and legs happening. I think what you've described is a far cry from what the computer-generated program offered.

-S-
 
If all you have at the moment are kettlebells and you don't want to join a gym while you are waiting to get your power rack, this is not terrible. Here's what I would add:

More overhead presses. In my experience, when I increase my overhead press I also increase my bench press even when I don't train the bench press.

More swings and possibly add some snatches. Add in some double swings. You should have a training session where you're doing very heavy swings.

Jump squats, assuming you have healthy knees.

Or, you may want to consider running Pavel's Enter the Kettlebell program and do the squats and single-leg exercises on the variety days.

It's like an inexperienced teenager has scoured the internet and performed some statistical analysis to construct a programme.

Yes, yes it does. AI still has a ways to go before it gets really good.
 
Programming depends on your current level, experience, physical characteristics, injury history, and goals.

This is like asking a doctor to give you a prescription without giving them any information about your symptoms.

A good use of chatgpt might be to help summarize different principles or concepts or ask what factors you should consider when designing a program based on specific goals. Than search existing programs or hire a coach to design a program.

Check out 'prompt engineering" there are ways to get better responses by using much more detailed prompts.
 
I started toying with chat GPT today. I'm liking it best for two things.

1. Gathering and distilling information, such as asking the AI to explain or list something.

2. Going hunting for new ideas, new ways of looking at things. Training Chat GPT to make strength programs gave me a couple of simple ideas that have helped me a lot. Or asking it for advice about something, and hunting for "gems" of advice rather than blindly following all of it. It's always a simple thing that I somehow didn't realize.

I think you could take some ideas from the program. Definitely not the entire thing as written. Maybe you realize that floor presses are a good idea and throw them in, ect. Asking the bot to modify it to your liking might make it solid, though.
 
Back
Top Bottom