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Kettlebell basic kettlebell/bodyweight routine

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epistrophy

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So this is the routine I’ve been following for the past couple of months. It seems to be going okay, but I thought I’d post here to see if anyone had any suggestions on how I could improve it. It’s a mix of kettlebell stuff and bodyweight exercises. It's basically built around having a workout that’s good for general strength and conditioning and that I can do at home. I’m 30 years old, 70kg, 185cm if that’s important.

At the moment it looks like this:

workout A:
-2x15 two hand swings with 16kg bell (warmup)
-3 sets of pushups, adding 1 rep to the total number of reps each workout (so last time it was 15,15,15, next time it’ll be 16,15,15, then 16,16,15, etc.)
-3 sets of presses with 16kg kettlebell, adding 1 rep each time as for pushups (did 13,13,12 at last workout)
tabata two hand swings with 16kg kettlebell

workout B:
-2x15 two hand swings with 16kg bell (warmup)
-3 sets of chinups, adding 1 rep each time as for pushups (did 10,9,9 at last workout)
-tabata two hand swings with 16kg kettlebell

I do one day on, one day off, so the whole cycle lasts four days.

And yes, I only have a 16kg kettlebell at the moment. A heavier one is definitely on my list of things I need to buy, I’m not sure whether to get a 20kg or just go straight for a 24kg though.

Any thoughts? Anything important that I’m missing or that I need to change?
 
I'd add lunges, goblets, skater squats, SLDL, Bulgarian split squats or similar for the lower body, but that's just my 2 cents.:)
 
Cool, thanks for the suggestions. Is there one or two of those that would be most effective for me to add into my routine? I can always add more later but I guess it makes sense to learn one or two at a time since I'm not very familiar with most of those exercises.

Should I get a 20kg kettlebell next or go straight for a 24kg?
 
@masa is correct... add some lower body stuff as he suggested.
I would add some LSD running, because I have more of an endurance sport focus. But that's just me...

Right now I'm thinking more about strength and conditioning than endurance. Thanks though.
 
Start transitioning to 1 handed swings. They activate a lot of core anti-rotational muscles that are hard to hit with other exercises, and they prevent your belly and side gut muscles hanging out (not that you're fat at your weight and height, of course, but we've got to think of the future here too). You can keep the 2 handed swings as a "warmup" if you like to develop powerful big pulling movements.
Get the 24kg bell. If you are doing over 10 presses with the 16kg you can do a bunch with the 24kg no problem. You might never need to get a heavier bell, but you would certainly be able to move up heavier.

You might consider doing clean and press movements. The clean is pretty light as an exercise in an of itself unless done with two kettelbells or a heavy weight, but as a combination with the press, it's a healthy full-body exercise. It can be dangerous though, so you'd need someone to teach it to you.
 
@epistrophy If your KB work is focused primarily on swings and presses then you'll get a lot more out of a 24kg bell, especially as your presses are in a fairly high-rep range. Once you start pressing heavier bells, the exercise does become a lot more technical so seeking guidance either in the form of reading material (Enter the Kettlebell! by Pavel) or instruction from an SFG is recommended.

If you can video your training, there are a number of instructors on the forum who are usually happy to provide feedback and advice on how to improve your form.

For a little variety, I'd recommend throwing in floor-presses and some kind of KB row as well, so you can work the stabilising muscles in those movements in a different way from pull-ups and push-ups, but it's not essential (although it makes for a nice change if you're the kind of person who gets bored with the same training routine), and as @masa said, it would definitely be a good idea to throw in a couple of choice lower body movements.
 
Cool, thanks for the suggestions. Is there one or two of those that would be most effective for me to add into my routine? I can always add more later but I guess it makes sense to learn one or two at a time since I'm not very familiar with most of those exercises.

Should I get a 20kg kettlebell next or go straight for a 24kg?
I concur with my colleagues here. Go for the 24.
Additionally if you are only going to pick one lower body exercise... go with the goblet squat. It teaches one how to squat properly, and it has wonderful mobility properties..
 
Is there one or two of those that would be most effective for me to add into my routine?
Try what is best for you. You can also start doing box pistols, then skaters and progress from there to full pistol squat and when that's too easy, then loaded pistol. But goblets are good as @offwidth suggested. For mobility and all.
 
And of course, there is nothing wrong with the Simple and Sinister program as a base for kettlebell work - you can always do other things in addition to it of course like bodyweight (as I'm doing).
 
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Okay, so I'll get a 24kg kettlebell, add some more lower body exercises starting with goblet squats, and start doing some one handed swings. I've been meaning to add in some turkish getups too, maybe I'll do those next.

Thanks for all the suggestions, much appreciated.
 
Lots of us here are getting a huge kick out of the S&S program. It's very interesting and I find it quite fun, and it has a lot of really nifty "what the heck" benefits that you won't expect.
 
Lots of us here are getting a huge kick out of the S&S program. It's very interesting and I find it quite fun, and it has a lot of really nifty "what the heck" benefits that you won't expect.
You're right. I started S&S after a long break and man it feels good to be back. It's a real Swiss army knife. A lot of functions in a tight package.
 
You're right. I started S&S after a long break and man it feels good to be back. It's a real Swiss army knife. A lot of functions in a tight package.
To me it feels like I'm playing a sport, and I get a similar charge out of it as playing a sport - it engages the mind and the emotions in addition to the body.

I've found it a little hard to get this kind of fun out of solo training in the past.
 
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