You CAN’T use Kettlebells and “look like a Bodybuilder”… Can YOU??

THE GIANT - https://salutis.kartra.com/page/OTU582 (Opens in a new window)
But if you want to add in other exercises like the Front Squat for some extra “Quad Crushing”?
Or Snatch for some extra “Trap Trashing” and “Biceps Blasting?”

I routinely get comments when it comes to muscle-building on my YouTube videos about how you can never “look like a bodybuilder” by “only” using kettlebells.
Or that most “kettlebell guys” look like they “only do cardio.”
(Skinny, soft, weak - I dunno…?)
What does that even mean - “look like a bodybuilder?”
Tiny waist, Speedos, shaved body, baby oil and spray tan prancing around on stage like a beauty pageant?
Look, the #TRUTH is, you could “look like a bodybuilder” using ANY tool -
Kettlebells… Barbells… Dumbbells… Resistance Bands… Nautilus machines… Cables… Sandbags… Rocks…
And that’s because muscle is built against resistance.
And unfortunately, it’s also the #TRUTH is that most guys don’t have the first clue on how to design an intelligent program.
Probably because they’ve been overly influenced by the “Muscle Tabloids” that feature ‘roided out bodybuilders who shill the supplements being sold inside said tabloids.
Article: “How Big Greg Gained 25 Pounds of Solid Mass… In Just 6 Weeks!”
(“Biceps Blitzkrieg” and “Triceps Throwdown” workouts included.)

And of course, the “article” turns out to be an “Advertorial” With ‘Big Greg’ giving the following shoutout:

“Thanks ‘MuscleTech’! I put on 25 pounds of solid muscle in the past 6 weeks from using your product!”
(And a stack of Dianabol, Anadrol, and Test, or whatever…)
Look, back in the early 90s when I was coming up, these guys thought a diet of bench presses, biceps curls, crunches, and leg extensions was going to make them “look like Arnold.”
Especially around this time of year - spring and summer.

The “secret” to looking like a bodybuilder is to use the following basic template -

[a] Use heavy, multi-joint compound exercises like Squat, Deadlift, Bench Press, Dips, Pull Ups, Rows, Military Press…
And then -
[b] “Fill in” with isolated exercises like Biceps Curls, Triceps Extensions, Shoulder Raises, Leg Extensions, Leg Curls, Calf Raises, and Abdominal work.
And then -
[c] Eat intelligently so you maintain a relatively low body fat instead of looking like the Michelin Man
The #TRUTH is, you could do all those things with a set of kettlebells.
(Except “[c]” - that’s done in the kitchen, obviously.)
The key is knowing how the body adapts to various loading parameters - sets, reps, rest periods, exercise sequencing, exercises per session, etc.
See?
Easy.
Again, the problem is, most guys don’t know how to design programs for themselves.
And most “influencers” these days - especially the “over 40” ones are on TRT -
“Mah hormones are low, bruh!”
So, they have an “unfair” advantage (just like Big Greg).
And look, let me just go on record and state the following:
No amount of Swings and Turkish Get Ups are going to make you look like a bodybuilder.
Ever.
So, what should you do if you want to look lean, muscular, and strong instead of the offspring of a clothes hanger and a bag of pudding?
Use a variation of Part [a] above -
Use heavy, multi-joint compound kettlebell exercises like Squat, Clean, Snatch, Rows, and Military Press, Push Press, or even Jerk.
Performed for a high enough volume (reps sets load), you’ll grow muscle and get stronger.
For example, Sig Klein, Old Time Performing Strongman, stated that most of the late 19th and early 20th Century European Weightlifters built their impressive strength and physique from high repetition Clean + Presses with a pair of dumbbells.
Kettlebells work even better, thanks to the extra tension placed on the posterior chain from swinging them underneath the body between the legs.
In fact, Sig could Clean + Press a pair of 75lbs dumbbells (150lbs total) for 12 reps - Weighing only - get this -
155lbs / 70kg!
Heavy, high-ish reps of Clean + Presses pack muscle all across the muscles of your upper body - like a sculptor molding a superhero out of clay.
They also challenge your heart and lungs, improving your heart health…
So you don’t drop dead like Pa Kent racing Clark down the driveway.
Should you “only” do kettlebell Clean + Presses? Are they “enough?”
And to get rid of any excess body fat?
You don’t have to do hours of cardio like a bodybuilder does either.
Just remember the little “diddy” -
“Abs are built in the weight room and revealed in the kitchen.”
So -
[1] Prioritize protein
[2] Cut back on the beer
[3] Don’t eat like a condemned man’s last meal at an all you can eat buffet
It really is that simple.
P.S. No, you won’t look “exactly like a bodybuilder” using these programs.
But you will -
[1] Build muscle - especially in your upper body
[2] Lean out - usually in your waist
[3] Get stronger all over