Do Kettlebells “work the legs”?
And do you need more leg work apart from your kettlebell workouts?
👉 Learn more about ‘Kettlebell STRONG!’ here.
https://cart.chasingstrength.com/strong3 (Opens in a new window)
👉 Learn more about ‘THE GIANT’ here.
https://salutis.kartra.com/page/oWP219 (Opens in a new window)
👉 Learn more about “KSK” here. https://cart.chasingstrength.com/ksk2 (Opens in a new window)
I got an email from Isaac I thought I’d share with you, in which he asks:
"I've been working with KSK and Giant to great effect, but I can't help but think that I'm neglecting the legs: are there any recommendations that you would have for incorporating work for the lower half of the body?"
I think this is a common question for many who are used to “direct” leg work coming from a CrossFit, Powerlifting, or Bodybuilding background into the Kettlebell Community.
And it’s certainly one of the most common questions I get from customers of ‘THE GIANT.’
So, here’s what I told Isaac:
“Your posterior chain - (lower back), glutes, hamstrings, calves, and bottoms of your feet are all working during Cleans and Snatches.
Furthermore, your quads are working too as you bend your knees and straighten them, especially your "teardrop" muscle - the vastus medialis, which is a medial / frontal plane knee stabilizer, and critically important for protecting the knee from injury.
You may be concerned that you're not working your legs through a "large enough" range of motion, so you could always add in some Goblet Squats as part of your warm up. Or you could add in 2-3 sets of 3-5 reps of the Double Front Squat after KSK or 'THE GIANT.' But don't do so to the detriment of your main lifts.”
And I think that advice will work well for you too, unless you want something with more focus and more structure, and really want to hammer your legs.
If that’s the case, then build your kettlebell workout program around the double kettlebell front squat. Lots of them.
Use them every workout. And do them first before anything else.
If you can work your way up to 10 sets of 6 with a pair of 32kg kettlebells, your legs will get “enough work.”
A lot of guys have used the “Strong!” program successfully for this.
I’ll leave links for these programs in the description below in case you want to check them out.
Stay Strong,
Geoff
P.S. If you want to see what Isaac’s been up to with ‘THE GIANT’ or what “KSK” is hit the links below.
👉 Learn more about ‘Kettlebell STRONG!’ here. https://cart.chasingstrength.com/strong3 (Opens in a new window)
👉 Learn more about ‘THE GIANT’ here.
https://salutis.kartra.com/page/oWP219 (Opens in a new window)
👉 Learn more about “KSK” here. https://cart.chasingstrength.com/ksk2 (Opens in a new window)
