Structure your training
Structure your training
Blog Article
“Swing HARD!”:
https://salutis.kartra.com/page/SWING-HARD-2“Kettlebell MAXIMORUM”:
https://go.chasingstrength.com/5-lifts-maxim/I've spent 20+ years telling men over 40 to use kettlebells.
Last month I changed my mind.
Not about kettlebells. About the barrier to entry.
After two decades of coaching, I realized the number one problem with kettlebell training for guys our age isn't the exercises. It's the energy it takes to learn them properly.
So here's my new position — and it's simpler than anything I've said before.
WHY I'VE BEEN PUSHING FULL KETTLEBELL TRAINING:
If you've watched this channel for any length of time you know my position: the Double Kettlebell Clean + Press is the go-to exercise for men over 40.
Add in Double Kettlebell Front Squats and a Single Kettlebell Snatch, and there's almost no physical quality you can't train:
✅ Strength — so you're still capable and useful as you get older
✅ Power — so you don't slip, fall, and break your hip
✅ Conditioning — so you can go on adventures with the people you love instead of watching life from a recliner
✅ Muscle — so you actually get more info look like you train and can eat more food because muscle burns calories
✅ Heart health — so you can actually play with your grandkids
That combination works. I stand behind it completely.
THE REALIZATION:
Last month I was sitting around thinking about kettlebells — as you do — and something hit me.
I've spent 20+ years working hard to get men over 40 to use kettlebells for all their benefits.
And I finally identified the number one problem with that approach.
It's energy.
Specifically: the energy it takes to learn new exercises, understand the nuances of kettlebell technique, do the restoration work required to use them correctly, and potentially overhaul a training routine that's already working in other ways.
It's not necessarily hard. But for some men — especially those with bodies that won't fully cooperate yet, or those who genuinely love their barbell or dumbbell work — asking them to go full kettlebell creates more stress than it removes.
And more stress is never the answer.
THE NEW POSITION:
Don't give up your barbell. Don't give up your dumbbells. Keep training with whatever you love.
But invest a few hours over the next week or so and learn one thing:
The Two-Hand Kettlebell Swing.
That's it. Start there. Get comfortable with it. Then — if you want — learn the One-Hand Swing.
If the One-Hand Swing feels awkward? Bag it. The Two-Hand Swing is more than enough.
WHY THE SWING SPECIFICALLY:
Simple reason. One of the most important physical qualities men over 40 need to protect is power — the ability to produce force quickly.
As I covered in a recent video, power fades 2-3x faster than strength after 40. It's the quality that keeps you from slipping, falling, and breaking a hip. It's the quality that lets you move explosively when life demands it.
The problem: most power training methods are high-risk for men over 40.
Box jumps → torn Achilles tendons that roll up the back of your calf like a window shade.
Sprint training → blown knees from planting a foot wrong.
The Two-Hand Kettlebell Swing trains power without those risks. Your feet stay on the ground. The movement is controlled. The hip copyright pattern is safe, teachable, and incredibly transferable.
You get the power adaptation. Without the orthopedic lottery ticket.
THE THREE THINGS TO USE IT FOR:
If the Swing is the only kettlebell exercise you ever learn, use it for these three things:
1 — Power training:Keep your fast-twitch fibers alive. Stay explosive. Don't become a slow, careful version of yourself before you have to.
2 — Conditioning and stamina:The Swing builds cardiovascular capacity in a way that's joint-friendly and time-efficient. 10-20 minutes of well-programmed swings is a genuine conditioning session.
3 — Heart health:The posterior chain demand and cardiovascular response from properly executed swings makes this one of the best heart-healthy exercises available for men over 40 — without the impact stress of running.
HOW TO ADD IT WITHOUT REBUILDING EVERYTHING:
2 to 3 times per week. That's it.
Keep your existing training. Add the Two-Hand Swing on the same days or on separate days — whichever fits your schedule and recovery.
The Swing is the entry point for all other kettlebell exercises. But if you never want to go further — if the Swing is the beginning and the end of your kettlebell journey — that's completely fine. It can be more than enough.
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