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Kettlebell Workout for a construction worker

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Wes86

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Hey my name is Wes , im new here and wanted to ask for a little help. Here's a little about myself , im an aprentace union carpenter right now ( small and large concrete forms, bridges, not residential framing which I would prefer) I'm 32 , 150 lbs 5'8" and I need help planning a workout.
I used to lift weights but I just moved to a new town and money's tight so I can't afford a gym membership. The things is I wanted to try a different approach this time with bodyweight and kettlebells. All I have right now is some pushup bars, two 40lb dumbbells, an wheel and weighted wrist roller,there's a park I can do pull ups off a soccer goal post and benches for step.ups. I want to invest in a kettle bell the next few weeks. I Workout out in the sun all day with a harness and my nail bags which weigh 20- 30 lbs depending so I'm kinda beat when I get home.
I would like to get my weight up to 160 and basically get stronger in ways that don't require all that equipment( bench presses ,barbells, squat racks).any help or suggestions I'm open for, same if you have questions. Thanks

Ps. Sorry I'm a terrible writer, haha.
 
If money's tight a sandbag is a good option.

Important tip - use good mechanics while you work and view it as part of your training whenever possible. Use good support positions and fire your core and abs anytime your back is being taxed.

Eat more food. Just doing your job, staying hydrated and increasing calories will put 10# on you.

Specific programming is a different conversation based on what exactly you want to accomplish - basic progressive overload and a few movements that hit push, pull, hinge, squat - your job probably eliminate the need for any additional work. I'd keep the workouts short and fairly intense - 25 minutes or so and alternate days with some easy aerobic.
 
Hi Wes!

North Coast Miller said:
Eat more food. Just doing your job, staying hydrated and increasing calories will put 10# on you.
Click to expand...

That, and if you can clean the 40 lb dumbbells to your shoulders for squats and presses, I'd do 2 x 5 of each every other day, working up to 5 x 5 over a month or two. Add push-ups and/or pull-ups, 5 sets of a challenging but do-able rep range, emphasizing full body tension and full range of motion.

Just my idea... I'm sure you'll get a lot of good options and inputs.
 
Hey Wes, this is not a post addressing your question. I've been in construction my whole life, in the beginning I dug the money, tan, physical work etc...

Now I hate everything about it, I became trapped in it when I had 3 kids and a wife to support, it was never my intention to be a lifer..

Right now things are good with the economy but when it goes the other way (and it will) you'll be one of the people without a chair when the music stops.

Framing in the sun all day leaves you dehydrated and exhausted, it's very hard to train after. I used to get up really early, fill a mug with hot water from the sink with instant coffee and go to the gym before work. It sucked.. The only way to make it work is sock as much money away as possible and hope down time doesn't eat it all up. Most of my friends are retired or close to it, not me. There are much better ways to go.

Sorry to be a Downer but that's reality, if you want a happier, less painful life, GET OUT!!! While your young.. take your knowledge and build yourself a house, it's value has already maximized. Night school, whatever it takes..

Geez.. just re-read what I've said and I'm tempted to delete.. nah.. Please feel free to ignore
 
@Brett S I worked in trades in the Oil and Gas Industry. I still work a a Millwright in manufacturing. I agree with your thoughts.

I would work 7/12’s and 5-6/10’s at a minimum, and still train for 1.5-2.5hrs 5-6days a week. I thought I was a hard gainer until I got laid off for 4 months. When I got recalled to work people were asking me if I was on steroids.

Progress will be much slower and you have to be very careful not to get injured. I make my living on my knees, back, and shoulders my family depends on the money I earn. I cannot get injured above all else.
 
Bret S. said:
Hey Wes, this is not a post addressing your question. I've been in construction my whole life, in the beginning I dug the money, tan, physical work etc...

Now I hate everything about it, I became trapped in it when I had 3 kids and a wife to support, it was never my intention to be a lifer..

Right now things are good with the economy but when it goes the other way (and it will) you'll be one of the people without a chair when the music stops.

Framing in the sun all day leaves you dehydrated and exhausted, it's very hard to train after. I used to get up really early, fill a mug with hot water from the sink with instant coffee and go to the gym before work. It sucked.. The only way to make it work is sock as much money away as possible and hope down time doesn't eat it all up. Most of my friends are retired or close to it, not me. There are much better ways to go.

Sorry to be a Downer but that's reality, if you want a happier, less painful life, GET OUT!!! While your young.. take your knowledge and build yourself a house, it's value has already maximized. Night school, whatever it takes..

Geez.. just re-read what I've said and I'm tempted to delete.. nah.. Please feel free to ignore
Click to expand...


I'm in very similar position to you due to getting into printing. Tons of OT and rotating schedules make it tough to commit to anything but the job and family. As the technology kept changing and jobs began to dry up or the margins just got smaller I managed to shift into more hightech printing and the service side of it, but I'm still trapped by the industry and my skills - I make too much to re-enter at the bottom of another skill, even with a 4 yr degree I'd be making a lot less and have student loans to repay, not to mention I have flexible hours and a healthy amount of vacation accrued.

I'm still considering "retiring" to do some personal training on the side and expand my knife and tool sharpening business to where it actually pays my bills instead of just whipping up some mad money.

One thing I find very scary - my wife works with the homeless and there is no shortage of people with higher education taking up spaces in our nation's homeless shelters. The economy isn't what it was 20-30 years ago and a building trade under your belt (esp as a journeyman) is one of the steadier jobs you can have now.



OP is going for a union apprenticeship- if its anything like the one my cousin is in as a union pipefitter, the job is still up and down but he's looking at retiring at 60 with a (gasp!) pension.
 
North Coast Miller said:
Eat more food. Just doing your job, staying hydrated and increasing calories will put 10# on you.
Click to expand...
+1 to this
Geoff Chafe said:
you have to be very careful not to get injured.
Click to expand...
and this.

My personal experience is with road construction, so more shoveling and less hammering, but I suppose it was still pretty similar. Prioritize lots of good food and lots of sleep (the sleep thing is what gets most folk in the industry). When I say "good food," I'm mostly talking about protein and fat, preferably in the form of meat (but I'm biased that way ;)).

My rule with myself was that I would only train if I got home before 6 pm. Otherwise, by the time I trained, showered, and ate, I would be going to bed to late and not getting enough sleep. As you can imagine, this meant that I mostly trained on the weekends. And you know what? I was still strong and well conditioned. I was (and you are) fortunate enough that the job that derailed training was an excellent physical stimulus in and of itself. I'm sure you know a few guys who are hobbling around the job site, but in my experience, the only reasons for construction workers to be anything less than incredibly fit were substance abuse (I'm including alcohol, tobacco, and hard drugs), poor diet, and injuries. Two of those three things are 100% in you control, and the third is something that you can at least guard against, as @North Coast Miller stated.

My advice is pretty similar to what @hammor said. Don't feel like you have to use equipment just because you have it (I've fallen into that trap). Get a 24 kilo kettlebell and Simple & Sinister. Do a few sessions a week (don't be afraid to do short sessions), when you have the time and energy. The swings and TGU's will teach you how to move well at work, and will protect you from injury through that movement training as well as strengthening key parts of your body. There are other means of accomplishing the same goal, but S&S seems to be something that you can just plug into life as needed, any time, any place.
 
Hey thanks for the reply everyone. As far as books go I'm going to get the Simple and sinister book and naked warrior or enter the kettle bell, since I'm still new to the kettle bell, I've used one for 2 weeks once and thought it was great and fun.
Diet is not as great as I'd like because I just started working again after a 8 month layoff because I broke my leg. I'll also be buying a kettle bell with in the next few weeks.
Goals, my legs are definitely a weak point size and strength wise so I need to improve that. I'd like to strengthen my core and make it rock solid and if really like to just be overall solid and strong , not benchpress strong but real life strong. Most importantly I want it to be fun.
I don't plan on staying in construction forever, I'd like to get a city job or one with the water district and I'm planning on starting my own buisness as well( pool cleaning /maintenance/repair). So I hope this all works out.
 
Since you are doing manual labour for a living, longevity and joint health is imperative. Combining calisthenics with kettlebell grinds suchs as the Turkish get-up will serve you well in that regard.

I'd strongly advise you include som bridging in your program, for the sake of your back and the presumed less than optimal ergonomics that sometimes comes along with your work. In my experience, learning how to bridge is the most efficient way to relieve pain and tension in the lower back, whilst being far cheaper than chiropractors.
 
If you can snatch the 40lb dumbbell you could run something similar to S&S but with snatches for 5 reps instead of 10. As time goes on and your body gets a little more conditioned you can add reps or minutes to keep progress moving. I like @Anna C's recommendation of squats and presses. Dan John's body armour program of 3 cleans , a press and 2 aquats for as many good reps as possible would fit here as well. Start with 15 minutes and slowly add time as you see fit.
 
@Wes86
I would like to add my welcome. You have found a good place here. There are a lot of talented, thoughtful, and well meaning people that contribute to this community. You have been given some good advice thus far.
The only things I would offer in addition would be to consider looking at various joint health and stretching protocols. Pavels excellent Relax Into Stretch, and Super Joints are great resources, as is John Engum's Flexible Steel.

Also some form of easy steady state locomotive cardio work.

You might also think about keeping a training log here. It is a helpful and fun way to track your progress and get some good input from like minded individuals

Again welcome.
 
Hi,

My dad's done residental carpentry his whole life. He has kept all of his fingers and is hearty heart and hale through carefully attending to actions, strength, form, and stretching- as a lifestyle. He works out 1-2 hours weekdays (after work), and hikes 3-6 hours each weekend.

Many bad knees, bad backs, etc in the industry; he has avoided this by committing to a fitness and strength lifestyle. Choice of tools, too. E.g. as I recall, he doesn't have a full belt of nails 8-9 hours daily. Design the work way for health.

He commented to me the other month that most of his injuries were at the gym- pushing too hard, mostly.

And yeah, he didn't want his boy to grow up banging nails- pushed me to go to college, so now I bang a keyboard. So it goes.

Just a few seed thoughts.
 
Welcome! I have nothing much to add other than work the "opposite" of what gets worked all day. So if you are hunched hammering a lot, do something that opens you up like deadlift, kettlebell snatch, rows/pull-ups, etc.

I'll always recommend S&S: goblet squats, one-arm swings, get-ups. If you keep it moderate weight (say 24kg for men) but high frequency (4-6 days a week), it should check all the boxes and feel restorative rather than draining. The swing as hinge/pull helps anyone "open up" (whether sitting at a desk all day, sitting in a car all day, or heads-down on the job site all day), and the squats and get-ups move your hips and shoulders in all the right directions. And a long walk or two is always good for the mind, body, and soul.
 
Thank you all for the great responses. As far as work goes the majority of these union carpentry jobs are all concrete which I have to admit I really don't like , i prefer the residential/commercial carpentry( framing ) so when i do find something better ill be jumping on it.
I'm going to order the S&S book and buy a kettle bell within the next 2 to 3 weeks and ill be making a training log here.
I definitely need to strengthen my legs and I really like working my core. If someone where bump into me I want them to feel like they bumped into a wall ,haha I don't think I'm heavy enough for that. Also thinking about taking up some kind of martial arts in the next few months, it all depends on what they have in the area so I'll do some research on that.
 
Welcome to Strongfirst!

I too have a very physically demanding job. I work as a pipe fitter at a shipyard. It involves picking heavy stuff up from the ground, carrying etc. Some days are great workouts on their own!

Simple and Sinister conpliments this job rather than take away my energy from it. I have worked up to a 70# 'bell. Get ups help with core, shoulders (strength & safety, which is a huge issue) , Swings take care of your grip, core, lungs and posterior chain(the workingman' s muscles, real life strong muscles). Goblet squats keep your feet, knees healthy agile and strong. You can walk up stairs easier.

I second learning how to bridge as well as keeping a some what healthy lifestyle. It's OK to eat a large hamburger, cut down on smoking if you do it, thats what i mean.

Later on, find a pullup bar and hang from it, it's good for the spine.

Be safe.
 
I second S&S. When you're feeling good and rested 4-6 days a week. But, what I found for myself (I work in the railroad industry so work is a workout) scale it back to 3 days a week or every other day.
 
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