Kettlebell Question - Goblet Squat & Barbell Squat

[ashleysonn]

Hi there,

At my gym you must meet a strength standard of being able to safely/with excellent form goblet squat the 24kg kb for 2 sets of 10 before you are allowed to move on to learning the barbell squat.

I have exceeded this standard a while ago but am a bit of a kettlebell addict so I've stuck with kb squats, goblet and front. I love both and am not "bored"...just curious as to what you experienced coaches/users thoughts would be on this.

If you are capable of moving on to the barbell squat, and it's available, etc., should you?
For me the goal is continue getting stronger/stay resilient as I age. (40 year old female here.)

I appreciate your insights.

Thank you!

 

[North Coast Miller]

Barbell backsquat is a great tool for building a lot of size and strength if loaded heavy, good for strength endurance if used with moderate loads. I might not make it a feature part of your strategy, but I would definitely consider including it in the mix.

Not mandatory for good overall fitness but is a potent tool.

 

[Anna C]

If you are capable of moving on to the barbell squat, and it's available, etc., should you?
For me the goal is continue getting stronger/stay resilient as I age. (40 year old female here.)

Sure, if it interests you and you have a coach to work with. It would make the most sense as part of a barbell program (mostly replacing your kettlebell training, for a while) which would likely include bench press and/or overhead press, and deadlift, but doesn't have to be done that way.

Basically if you want to progess your strength, the barbell is the best way to do it.

Not mandatory for good overall fitness but is a potent tool.

Well said and I agree. A potent tool.

If I had it to do over again, I might have included some barbell training including squat earlier in my strength training. I did about 3 years of kettlebell-focused training, with only deadlift as far as barbell, before moving to barbell-focused training about 2 years ago. Currently I'm back to kettlebell and bodyweight strength and I find that the barbell focus has served me well in terms of what the weight, volume, and skill I can apply back to kettlebell and everything else. The squat helped me build a strong back, core, hips, and legs. It also helped drive up my deadlift 1RM + 55 lb.

It will tend to put a little more meat on your frame. Women are generally a little too too wary of this IMO, but I realize it's still a valid concern to some degree, and everyone has to decide for themselves what they're comfortable with.

 

[North Coast Miller]

Honestly it is difficult to articulate how awesome the barbell squat is, esp when you first expose yourself to it. If too much hypertrophy is an issue, just increase reps and decrease the load, or make sure to not eat more in response to your training.

It still is a serious metabolic kick that makes your whole body respond better to whatever else you are doing.

It is the one thing I really miss and have the most trouble mimicking when I train at home with all portable gear.

 

[Gregor Samsa]

+1 for barbell squats. They are a cheat code to life.

 

[Tjerr]

If too much hypertrophy is an issue, just increase reps and decrease the load

As a woman, you'll probably need to do about [x] times the training of a men to create about the same muscle mass. You don't have the same amount of testosteron or produce the same amount of growth hormone. Longer sets produce more stimulating reps for the muscle mass. Lower reps do less and stimulate the central nervous system more. Always have a rep or 2 left in the tank, nothing to worry about.

On topic, the Back Squat is a great tool, try it out sometimes and maybe do a cycle with it for a couple of weeks. I alternate every couple of weeks. Due the heavy weights Back squats are more taxing on the body and I like to switch back, after a peak to kettlebell front squats.

Try out Rippentoe's starting strength format, 3 x 5 back squats, 3 times per week, increase with the smallest amount each session for about 3/4 weeks. I let my trainees do this a lot, and after a recent post I think @Anna C does the same.

 

[North Coast Miller]

As a woman, you'll probably need to do about [x] times the training of a men to create about the same muscle mass. You don't have the same amount of testosteron or produce the same amount of growth hormone. Longer sets produce more stimulating reps for the muscle mass. Lower reps do less and stimulate the central nervous system more.

Percentage wise, women tend to experience similar hypertrophy to men with similar training. Most differences are absolute - simply due to relative differences in size. Although women tend to respond better to more volume as it generates larger increases in GH.

In my experience, you don't get much hypertrophy in the legs at lower loading no matter how many sets/reps you do as they are so resistant to fatigue and somewhat slow twitch dominant to begin with - on top of that women have higher % slow twitch throughout. What constitutes "lower loading" would be < 70%RM

In any event, unintended or accidental hypertrophy is probably the last thing anyone should be worrying about - you'll see it coming a mile away.

 

[MikeTheBear]

Another +1 for barbell squats.

 

[guardian7]

I took the SF barbell seminar and it changed my mind especially after talking with the instructor. I thought double KB front squats would be enough. He said that yeah KB are great and all you need but if you really want to get as strong as possible efficiently then the barbell is your tool. However, make sure you have good instruction. There is a big learning curve.

Another option would be to barbell deadlift and do doublekettlebell front squats. This increases the convenience in a gym where the squat rack is often occupied and the double front squat with KB can remain challenging for just about anyone for a long time. Also, great for core strength.

Being a novice with the barbell is also a lot of fun. The progress you can make is a great feeling. You may be pleasantly suprised with the results.

 

[Antti]

It is rare one really should do anything specific when it comes to health oriented exercise. Decent amounts of exercise, yes, but the exact modality doesn't really matter.

If I wanted to get stronger and more resilient, yes, I would squat with a barbell.

I think the barbell is a superior tool for the squat compared to the kettlebell. Just because of the loading possible. Whether one does back, front, zercher, whatever squat is inconsequential, they all can be loaded heavy enough. For athletes and specific goals it gets more specific, but even they are served by variety.

 

[Steve Freides]

The remaining 16 messages in this thread can now be found in a new thread in Training -> Other.

-S-