all posts post new thread

Kettlebell Leg Hypertrophy

Status
Closed Thread. (Continue Discussion of This Topic by Starting a New Thread.)

dmaxashman

Level 5 Valued Member
I dropped the ball on training for about a year and transferred about 10lbs of muscle from my legs to fat on my stomach. I have a 24kg and 28kg bell (I'm 160lbs). I hate having skinny legs.

What KB workout will get my leg muscles to grow back? Or do I just need a barbell for deadlifts and squats?

Thanks!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Gaz
Any amount of squatting will do good for the whole body, but add meat to the legs as well. Mostly doubles are recommended, and even though you have mismatched weights, it should still be fine.

Maybe 4 rounds of ladders up to 3 to 5, switching the bells each round so you have even sets of the heavier weight on wither side. 2-3 times a week, go for a few weeks and see how that feels, and if you want to switch up your programming.

Might as well add come clean and presses into that too, and then you've got the base that many doubles strength/hypertrophy programs build on.
 
The squat is the premier leg exercise. The swing works the hams and glutes well. Many are happy with the results those two kettlebell exercises bring.

The kettlebell will take you some way with leg hypertrophy, but if you're serious about it, there's no way around needing a bigger load and getting under a barbell.
 
When you have less weight to work with (i.e. no barbell), then doing single leg work is a good alternative. For hypertrophy, you might prefer more stable movements like lunges or pistols/skaters with arm assistance. The Bulgarian split squat is a great movement used by bodybuilders. If you can do 10 reps with both of those bells racked, you will have strong legs. (Slightly elevating your front foot allows your rear knee to descend further, making for ROM. Rear lunges from a step are another variation on the theme.)

Also, current winds in hypertrophy research suggest that doing lots of sets is the fastest way to build muscle.
 
so for lower body hypertrophy Kettlebells have done a great job of building my Butt and hamstrings. I have been doing more Double Front Squat recently and they feel like my legs (as well a most other things). but I will say that the people I know with the biggest wheels are power lifters and bodybuilders, that back squat a lot.
 
Hello,

YouTube channel 'calisthenicmovement' recently published a video about that. They propose "giant set", going from the hardest variation one can perform, to the easiest one. Each exercise is done until fatigue, and there is [almost] no rest between sets.

Regarding the legs, the go for pistol > cossack, etc..

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
If you are really, really serious about adding size and strength to your legs, you'll probably have to use a barbbell. (You can really stay busy your whole life when it comes to using kettlebells and bodyweight for the upper body).

But if you want "strong enough"/"big enough" legs you can def use kettlebells/bodyweight.
Double kettlebell front squats are great for the anterior muscles, double front swings great for the posterior muscles. Rear foot elevated split squats are another often overlooked exercise that you can load really heavy with kettlebells. You can also shift the emphasisis of the exercise. Takinf a bigger step forward will tax the glutes/hams more. Taking a closer step, i.e. lowering the "free" knee just behind the "working" heel will tax the quads more.
 
Last edited:
- ladders of double kettlebell front squats
- barbell front squats/back squats

Get ready to be sore, eat a lot, and gain overall weight.
 
Double KB front squats would get my vote; they'll torch your abs too. You should get away with using mismatched bells as long as you stay tight and switch the kettlebells between hands for each set.

I experienced some leg hypertrophy from regular (3-5 times per week) intense stair sprints (138 step spiral staircase) if you have access to somewhere you can do that. I used to do it on my commute to work.

That said, if using a barbell is an option for you, it's probably the simplest method (although it is by no means the only way) to increase lean mass in the lower body.
 
I must say I'm surprised by all the votes for double KB front squats. I'll preface what follows by saying that probably all of you are more advanced trainees than me, and I have never trained anyone besides myself, so it's likely my confusion is largely due to relative lack of expertise and strength.

My legs are a lot stronger than my upper body. (I can do 10 pistols but my 5RM press is 1/4 of my bodyweight.) When I do DKBFS, my core, front and back, gives out long before my legs really start to burn. So, like, it's a great total-body movement, but for leg hypertrophy specifically, it seems too limited by other capacities to make it my go-to recommendation. Maybe a good program would be starting with DKBFS and then following up with single leg work?
 
I must say I'm surprised by all the votes for double KB front squats. I'll preface what follows by saying that probably all of you are more advanced trainees than me, and I have never trained anyone besides myself, so it's likely my confusion is largely due to relative lack of expertise and strength.

My legs are a lot stronger than my upper body. (I can do 10 pistols but my 5RM press is 1/4 of my bodyweight.) When I do DKBFS, my core, front and back, gives out long before my legs really start to burn. So, like, it's a great total-body movement, but for leg hypertrophy specifically, it seems too limited by other capacities to make it my go-to recommendation. Maybe a good program would be starting with DKBFS and then following up with single leg work?
Dialing in a good rack position is a must for heavy kettlebell squats. That is not so easy and requires a lot of experience. But, it is doable and once you get the rack position in place you will be able to go heavy on kettlebell squats and really put some weight on your legs.
That being said, I would probably choose barbell squats for muscle mass.
 
Thank you for the great responses. One question, do ladders work like this, 1 rep, break, 2 reps, break... 6 reps, break, 5 reps, break, 4 reps, break...

Im going to try this with db kb front squats, reverse lunges, BSS, step ups, one leg romanian deadlifts, and no weight pistols. Ill try those out and see how they feel. 24kg and 28kg is pretty heavy for me so we'll see if i can hold that
 
I believe what you're describing is a 'pyramid' due the the shape of it going up, then down. Laddered are just the up(tho less often just the down) portion of it, 1,b,2,b,3,b,4,b(...).

I've been doing 2,3,5 ladders lately after reading something by Dan John talking about them. Each cluster is 10 reps.
 
Status
Closed Thread. (Continue Discussion of This Topic by Starting a New Thread.)
Back
Top Bottom