Improve Leg Power and Size with Russian Kettlebells
Posted Sep 07 2008 7:58pm
Shopping for jeans today was a much for difficult and exhausting process than I had first imagined. Apparently men no longer have glute or thigh muscles anymore and we are all supposed to be scrawny and built like little girls. I had to try on 20 pairs of jeans to find two that fit! This is not an exaggeration, and I am not over weight. I stand 6 feet tall and weigh 210 lbs plus I train all the time and yet I am too thick for modern men's wear! The scary part is, my legs are several inches smaller in diameter than when I was a hefty powerlifter. I am glad the fashion trend was baggy back in those days!
Anyways, despite what the gay community that rules fashion dictates says, I think muscular legs and asses are cool! I want even more muscle on my lower body and so should you men too! As for women, it is up to you. I prefer some muscle and shape on a woman but I understand that many women want don't want to add any muscle at all.
Well, if you want to learn how to pack muscle on those legs and build some power with kettlebells then keep reading.
First off, I have used barbells to train my legs for years and find barbell squats and deadlifts extremely effective for increasing leg power and mass. That being said, you can do just fine with Russian Kettlebells too. As a general rule, for power keep the reps under 5 and the rest between sets fairly high, for size use higher reps and minimize rest periods. Here are a few of my favourite leg drills with a kettlebell:
Pistol Squats (see picture above). Unilateral leg work (one leg at a time) is great for improving knee health and making a light exercise become extremely hard. Pistol squats are very humbling and once you try them you will see instant improvements in leg power.
Rack Squats. Clean on or two kettlebells to your shoulder(s). Gain your balance then squat up and down just like a barbell front squat.
Goblet Squat. Grab the kettlebell with both hands by the horns, hold it at your shoulders and squat up and down
Swings. Swing the kettlebell between your legs then snap the hips forward and send the kettlebell swinging in front of you. Let it swing back between your legs and repeat.
Kettlebell Deadlifts. Put a kettlebell on each side of you. Crouch down and pick it up, stand up straight, bring them back down, repeat.
Kettlebell romanian deadlifts. Hold a kettlebell in each hand, stick your butt out and keep your spine neutral. Push your butt as far back as possible, then bring it back until you stand straight again.
Kettlebell lunges. Hold the kettlebells are your side or in the rack postition. Start lunging!
Kettlebell side lunges. Hold one kettebell by the horn with both hands, take a lunge step to one side, come back, then the other side and return. This will really work the hips and butt.
Those are just a few and trust me there are a lot more so you don't need to go to the gym to train your legs. If you have some kettlebells just start squating, lunging and deadlifting and you will be fine. Really work to explode with the weight and don't be afraid to jump with the kettlebells once you have your form and base strength established.
Anyways, despite what the gay community that rules fashion dictates says, I think muscular legs and asses are cool! I want even more muscle on my lower body and so should you men too! As for women, it is up to you. I prefer some muscle and shape on a woman but I understand that many women want don't want to add any muscle at all.
Well, if you want to learn how to pack muscle on those legs and build some power with kettlebells then keep reading.
First off, I have used barbells to train my legs for years and find barbell squats and deadlifts extremely effective for increasing leg power and mass. That being said, you can do just fine with Russian Kettlebells too. As a general rule, for power keep the reps under 5 and the rest between sets fairly high, for size use higher reps and minimize rest periods. Here are a few of my favourite leg drills with a kettlebell:
Those are just a few and trust me there are a lot more so you don't need to go to the gym to train your legs. If you have some kettlebells just start squating, lunging and deadlifting and you will be fine. Really work to explode with the weight and don't be afraid to jump with the kettlebells once you have your form and base strength established.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufOXiHMAK1I