Training with Kettlebells and Barbells

Today, I am going to give you everything you need to make the best kettlebell and barbell program ever for your training! It can be confusing trying to mix these 2 methods, but after reading this, you’ll have all of my tips, tricks and hacks to marry them together like peanut butter and jelly!

My only request for you is that you sit back, enjoy and soak in every word you're about to read! The principles behind training like this are simple, but only by understanding the basics will you truly succeed in this endeavor.

Just in case you stumbled across this article and you don’t know me, what’s up? I’m Vinnie!

Former chubby McChubster kid, ex-powerlifter, a walking injury and that guy who loves to order cheeseburgers with ketchup only! I’m a short and stocky gentleman with long luscious locks who has a passion for helping others (like you!).

Quick story, I’ve had a lot of injuries in my life. (Like, a lot!) Dislocated shoulder, twisted ankles, clicking knees, popping shoulders, tight traps, tight hips, slight scoliosis, and blinder than a star-nosed mole! (Honestly, click HERE to see what I mean!)

Through all of that, I found kettlebells. They are a great way to still build strength and muscle while losing fat! (But that’s mainly through nutrition! You can apply for one-on-one nutrition coaching with me if you’re interested!) On that same note, barbells are amazing for that too! But I couldn’t take anymore of the aches and pains that were coming along from the heavy loads of barbells!

So I quit powerlifting and began more kettlebell training! This was great for awhile and I got pretty good at it (if I say so myself) but I was missing the barbell. More specifically, deadlifts.

Deadlifts are my favorite exercise ever!

So I found a way to mix my barbell training with kettlebells! It was a minimalist approach to increasing my deadlift 1 RM while fitting “everything else” in with kettlebells. In fact, if you’re interested in picking up the exact program, you can find that HERE!! 100% free! My gift to you! Stand Out Deadlift

This is when I realized that these pieces of equipment had a place together in the training world, and not many people were talking about it! So I went searching for answers and that brings you up to speed for the next section!

Again, please don’t skip around on this article and read it all! Don’t make me go all Thanos on you over here! (That’s right, I’m a nerd too!) Enjoy!

Tools for the Job

If you are here, I am going to guess you already have an interest in both kettlebells and barbells. In fact, you have probably already used both in your training. Now you are just looking for a way to combine the best of both worlds!

Yes?

Yes!

I had this same exact question and I went searching for answers from someone I very much respect. Coach Dan John! He was doing a Q&A on The Pat Flynn Show and I submitted a questions asking, "What is the best way to combine both kettlebells and barbells?" His answer stuck with me ever since...

Dan John made me realize that I shouldn't look at either of them as "best" but as "tools for the job"! Both pieces of equipment have their pros and cons. Not to mention, they are both extremely efficient at building strength!

A barbell is an excellent tool if you want to get better at bench pressing! A kettlebell, not so much.

If you want to work on your Turkish Get-Ups, a kettlebell will do! Can you do it with a barbell, sure! But why use an axe to cut down a tree when you have a chainsaw, right?

It's a matter of using the right tool for the job ahead! It's one of those "both/and" situations where you can use it all to your advantage. Binary thinking like "this or that" has no place in the world of combining kettlebells and barbells.

As you continue reading this, start thinking about what you prefer to do with kettlebells and what you prefer to do with barbells. Maybe kettlebell military press feels better on your shoulders than barbell military press. Boom! One way that the kettlebell may be a better tool for YOU!

It's all about individualizing things where you can and choosing wisely, but more on that later! ;)

Essential Movements Patterns in a Program

While everyone will rant and rave that "My program is best because X!" or "You need a program for you based on Y!", they all have the same underlying principles, and that is what I am going to explain to you.

There are 5 essential movement patterns that every exercise program needs:

• Push

• Pull

• Squat

• Hinge

• Loaded Carry

• Lunge (Bonus)

Push

Think push-ups, presses, extending, etc.

Pull

Think pull-ups, rows, flexing, etc.

Squat

Enough said. Squat.

Hinge

Think deadlifts, RDL's, rack pulls, etc.

Loaded Carry

Think farmer's carries, suitcase carry, sandbag walks, etc.

Lunge

Bonus one because not mentioned but a great movement if you can do it. (Knees can be mean for some people) Probably considered a push more than anything but a move that translates well to sports-specific training and overall leg development!

Okay, that's great and all, but how do I program this in a workout?

I'm glad you asked!

How to Structure Your Training Program

This is another place with a lot of variability. You need to change things up for whatever feel best on your body! However, here is the method I use for most training programs.

Power --> Main Movements --> Accessory --> Finisher

You want to start with powerful, ballistic moves when you're fresh! No, don't use them as a warm-up, but use them to warm-up your CNS (Central Nervous System).

This is a great way to maximize strength gains and achieve better power output on your lifts because the more power you can produce, the stronger you will be!

When thinking about power moves, remember explosive! Kettlebell swings, jump squats, kettlebell snatches, broad jumps, etc. Notice how none of these moves are something you can do without full intent.

You can't do a jump squat without thinking about jumping as high as possible. You can't do a kettlebell snatch without thinking about spear-heading the bell to get it overhead.

These are movements that you need to move quickly on, which is the whole point of power.

Moving on to main movements. These are the meat and potatas (puh-tay-tuhs; how my strength and conditioning professor used to say it) of your program.

This area will include the exercise that you want and/or need to be stronger in.

Military press, bench press, squat, chin-ups, deadlift, etc. That is what you will have in this area of your workout.

After being prepped by your power move, you should be able to hop right in, bang out a couple warm-up sets and get rolling to your working sets fairly quickly.

Again, these exercises are done with intent, but the only difference is, you aren't trying to rush through the movement. You want to own the movement.

Nice and controlled all throughout is the name of the game here!

Following that, you'll probably hit some accessory movements. Think about those exercises that aren't for a specific muscle group but hit a couple all at once.

For example, renegade rows will hit you core, back, biceps, rear delts, glutes, adductors and probably more. A lot of bang for your buck for one exercise, right?

Those are the types of accessories you want to look for with kettlebells. You're not going to sit down on a bench and curl the damn things. That would be pointless and a complete misuse of the equipment. (Don't get me wrong, you can still curl kettlebells, but you and I both know that it wasn't structured to optimize big guns!)

Finally, a finisher! This can either be something to loosen you up after a hard workout or something to leave you beat and crawling to the door for the day! (Ideally you don't want to do that, but it doesn't hurt to do every once in awhile ;) Rage workout, anyone?)

The finisher is really up to you, but it can be something as fun and exciting as an on-the-fly kettlebell complex flow for 15 minutes or just some light kettlebell swings. Depends on the individual and the goal, so do what works best for YOU!

How to Individualize Your Program

Okay, so you understand the basic movement patterns and set-up, but how do you actually make a program for yourself now?

I'll show you! :)

The main thing to remember is you should have a goal. If you want to have a bigger squat, then squats should be your priority. No questions asked.

Otherwise, there are more general approaches you can take to keep yourself from burning out, getting injured and feeling like crap.

I like to mimic Bret Contreras's style of periodization.

Month 1: Well-Rounded - a little bit of everything

Month 2: Squat & Chin-Up Focus

Month 3: Hip Thrust & Bench Press Focus

Month 4: Deadlift & Military Press Focus

Month 5: Single-Leg & Dumbbell (Kettlebell in our case) Focus

By focusing on something monthly, you are setting yourself up to give joints and movement patterns a break from being overloaded. Bret talks in his book, Glute Lab, about how it is relatively easy to retain strength.

So even when you are changing things up month-to-month, you are making incredible progress in the long run by short-term specializing. This is how you get good at many things.

Think of it like math. Before you can multiply and divide, you need to learn to add and subtract. With lifting, you have to learn efficiency in the simple movement pattern before you can move on to bigger weights where it will get more complex and you need to have more things in check.

Don't jump the gun too soon on strength and really dial things in with a slow build-up. Your joints will thank you and this is something you can use all year around! You don't need to get strong in 2 months, let alone in one year! Trust the process and carry on!

Again, making this program really comes down to the movements that feel good for you. There is a lot of "it depends" and this is a good thing! Anyone who goes all The Mandelorian on you and says, "This is the way." (while cool) has a dogmatic approach to fitness and should be avoided at all costs! (Unless they are actually a Mandelorian. Then join them and save Baby Yoda!)

For who and for what? This is something to ask yourself before making a program. Which tool will you use for what goal?

When do I Switch Things Up?

This is a classic questions asked far too often. If you read the last section (which you should have you skimmer!), then you know the answer.

Switch things up monthly.

When changing things, it doesn't mean a drastic 180 where you scratch everything and go all gung-ho! You need to take a "same but different" approach here.

The movement patterns stay the same, but the exercises change.

For example, maybe for your hinge one month you did deadlifts. Now, for your hinge movement next month, you can do hip thrusts to give you low back a break and to build up the hamstrings and glutes more for the next time you revisit your deadlift specialization.

Don't overthink this.

Cycle through your different focuses monthly, change the main moves, find a groove, rinse and repeat! There you go!

You could always do a full on barbell focus for a bit and a complete kettlebell focus, but this just brings you back to using the same movement patterns. As long as you have those, the rest doesn't matter too much.

You can train with whatever variety you want, it just has to work for you and your goals!

Do you Have any Examples?

Do I have any examples? Psh! You think I'd bring you all this way not to give you an idea/example program to follow for a month?! Don't be absurd!

Of course I have something for you!

My KB + BB 1.0 program is available HERE! Free for you just for being here! I guess you could call us friends now, eh? :)

Pick it up and give it a whirl!

It includes one month of structured programming made using the same principles and methods described above! You can use this as a template for your own future iterations too! Just make sure you use the same but different approach I explained before!

Just in case that link didn't work before, here is the KB + BB 1.0 Free Program again HERE!

Any questions, let me know! More than happy to help! Connect with me via email at thecheeseburgereffect@gmail.com anytime! (Seriously, email me whenever. I am always happy to help however I can!)

Now What?

Now what? What do you mean? Go workout!

Make sure you snag your free copy of KB + BB 1.0 and let me know what you think! Super excited for you to try out this program and see the magic of combining kettlebells and barbells!

If for whatever crazy reason, you still aren't into kettlebells and barbells, I have another gift for you! And it also comes in the form of free workouts! My 101 Metabolic Workouts E-Book! 101 workouts you can do in 15 minutes or less with minimal to no equipment! There is stuff in there for everyone! Kettlebell workouts, cardio circuits, metabolic finishers and strength workouts! Check it out and get your copy HERE!

Since we're friends now, want to add me on Social Media? :) You can find me @vinnieg_cb on Instagram and Twitter! This is where I post some of my best content developed just for people like you! Exercise tutorials, nutrition tips, random thoughts, sometimes a picture of my dog, Apollo! The possibilities are endless!

So what do you say, want to be friends? :)

Click HERE for IG and HERE for Twitter!

I also have a Podcast rolling right now! The Cheeseburger Effect Podcast! Great for listening in on your morning commute, while cleaning your studio apartment or even working out! Giving you more tips, tricks and hacks to take your fitness to the next level!

Other than that, I am taking on clients for my one-on-one online coaching program! Fair warning, it isn't for everyone. But if you are looking to create a lean and mean (but nice too) body, this is worth looking into! I tailor all of my programs specifically for my clients giving them exactly what they need to reach their goals and achieve the body they have always wanted. If you want to take your fitness and nutrition to the next level, apply for coaching in the "Online Coaching" tab or apply by clicking HERE!

I answer all consult requests personally (like every other email) and will discuss options and plans available for your needs. I promise to give you my all and everything I've got to make your dreams a reality. I may not be able to snap by fingers with an Infinity Gauntlet and make it happen, but I will do my damn best to get close to that!

Apply HERE today! I hope to hear from you soon! (Speaking of an Infinity Gauntlet though, if I could snap my fingers with it and make on thing happen for you, what would it be? Email me at thecheeseburgereffect@gmail.com with what you need and I'll get back to you ASAP! ;))

Thanks so much again for reading! It seriously means the world to me and I hope you found some value in this article! If you did, please leave a comment or share it with your friends. That would mean a ton to me and help get this information out to people everywhere so they can benefit just as much as you!

Take care and please, please, please don't forget your free copy of KB + BB 1.0! You're going to love it! Thanks and see you next time!

-Vinnie