I like kettlebells. They are a fun training tool. Kettlebells were previously used by olde tyme (yes that’s how you spell it) strongmen with handlebar mustaches in the early 1900s and they made a comeback in the early 2000s. People either loved them or hated them. I liked them, and still like them, because they kinda sorta felt like weightlifting but the technique was easier and you didn’t need bumper plates. If you’re one of those people who still hate them, I am not here to convert you. In fact, I will freely admit that dumbbells can be used for all of the kettlebell exercises. Kettlebells just make those exercises more fun.
 
The Basis for the Experiment
 
A while back, I came across a study that claimed kettlebell training transferred skills to weightlifting. A similar study by the same authors of the original study confirmed that kettlebell training improved strength and power. In both studies, participants only trained with kettlebells yet saw significant improvements in strength and power. There were not just newbie gains, as some of the participants had been training for a while. These studies supported the anecdotal “what the hell” effect where people claimed that kettlebell training not only improved conditioning but also increased strength. As much as I enjoy training with kettlebells I was skeptical. How could training with a relatively light load increase strength? I decided to see for myself.
 
The Reason for the Experiment
 
As a masters weightlifter I know that “Life” has a way of getting in the way of training. Perhaps it’s your “crazy time of year” at work. Maybe you’re on an extended trip, whether for business or vacation, and the “fitness room” in your hotel—the one you paid extra for so you could get the “fitness room”— looks like hotel management kicked an employee out of their small office, moved in some dumbbells and a treadmill, and called it good.
 
I have a gym in my basement, which also doubles as the guest bedroom, so when the in-laws come for a week, I can only use my kettlebells. My goal was to see if training with kettlebells fill in the gap during these times when I could not train with barbells and allow me to at least maintain my strength levels. What I am NOT saying is that kettlebells can be a complete substitute for training snatch and C&J with barbells. I’ve been on the Interwebz for some time and I know that someone might obtain a copy of this article, not read the whole thing, and then proclaim that some idiot is saying you can become a weightlifter using only kettlebells. So let me be perfectly clear: WHAT I AM NOT SAYING IS THAT KETTLEBELLS CAN BE A COMPLETE SUBSTITUTE FOR TRAINING SNATCH AND C&J WITH BARBELLS.
 
The Training Plan
 
The studies used several different exercises, but I wanted something simple. If you’re stressed because it’s your “crazy time of year” at work, the last thing you want to do is keep checking your phone (or a piece of paper if you’re old school) to see what exercises you need to do. I thought about using Pavel Tatooine’s Simple and Sinister program, which uses only the swing and the Turkish get-up. However, not everyone knows how to do a Turkish get-up, and if you’re stressed or short on time, the last thing you’ll want to do is learn a new movement. And even if you know how to do a Turkish get-up, if your hotel’s “fitness room” has a mysterious stain on the carpet, and 99 percent of them do, will you really want to law down on the floor?
 
I decided on a program that used only snatches. First, kettlebell snatches are slightly closer to barbell snatches than a swing. Second, for those who do not want to buy kettlebells or do not have access to them, dumbbells work great for one-arm snatches. I’ve noticed that swings using dumbbells are a bit awkward. Even if you’ve never done a one-arm snatch, it’s much easier to learn the movement with dumbbells and you will not have the problem of banging your forearm as the kettlebell flips over. This problem plagues nearly everyone who is new to kettlebell snatches.
 
The program I used came from Geoff Neubert’s book, Kettlebell Express! This particular program was nine weeks long divided into three blocks of three weeks. I used only the first three-week block and simply extended it out an extra week. Here are the specifics of the program:
 
Use a kettlebell that you can snatch seven to eight times maximum per hand. For me, this was a 24 kg kettlebell.
 
Day 1: Perform ladders of 1,2,3,4,5
Day 2: Perform ladders of 1,2,3
Day 3: Perform ladders of 1,2,3,4
 
Set a timer for 29 minutes and perform as many ladders as possible using excellent form in the 20-minute timeframe. Rest as necessary.
 
Although the studies lasted 10 weeks, I opted for only four weeks but trained three times a week rather than twice a week as in the studies.
 
During the first week I managed two rounds—I was definitely out of shape. At the end of the program, I could do three rounds.
 
I did no other work other than some cardio here and there. The study participants were allowed to do cardio if they wanted to, so this was in keeping with the study parameters.
 
Results
 
After four weeks, my lifts stayed the same. I consider this a good result. If doing nothing but kettlebell snatches for four weeks can maintain my lifts, then there should be no danger in getting weaker if someone had to take a few days off from weightlifting because of life or wanted to add some kettlebell snatches as a finisher for conditioning.