Most people when exercising with any load (kettlebell, dumbell etc) have their whole training philosophy backwards. Let me explain. When you do a squat, it is the downward phase that is most important. Here your muscles are working hard to lengthen under tension. They are not only stronger during this phase but also gain strength and size quicker too!The same applies to any movement, you will gain far more benefits duringthe lengthening part of the muscle phase (eccentric) than the shorteningpart of the exercise phase (concentric). Now think about your own training.
Are you always trying to pushmore and more weight over head and then just let the weight quickly fall back to your shoulder? If so you are missing out. If you want to make much quicker gains both in strength and muscle tone here’s what to do. Lets take the squat as an example: Count to 3 as you lower down in to the squat position and then drive up through your heels in 1. So that’s 3 down and 1 up. Use the same principle for all your pressing exercises etc.
Remember slowly lengthen quickly shorten. A word of warning. It is the lengthening phase that causes the post muscle soreness so make sure you stretch after your session. Even take a cold shower, if you dare!
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Ah…..What!?? Greg, the real benefit of ketttlebells comes from using them in a ballistic fashion, and that means fast only. If your GOALS include hypertrophy, then yes, do some eccentric loading as you stated. Rep speed is then determined with GOALS in mind. Some of us don’t want to gain size. Want to be big and functionally strong? Then Use heavy barbell exercises as your foundation and let the kettlebell do its thing. If all anyone cared about was size and strength why even look at a kettlebell? Bodybuilders and powerlifters do not need them, period.
Well said Eric. Your are right in saying that the beauty of kettlebells lies in the ballistic movements. In fact they teach you to eccentrically decelerate the bell without too much conscious thought. This is one reason why they are so effective. However, when it comes to the grind exercises beginners tend to ignore the eccentric phase (eg. not pulling a press down with the lats) and so miss out on a large portion of the exercise. As for hypertrophy, I agree, you should look elsewhere. Just nice to know that while you are doing your kettlebell workouts you are maximizing benefits from every movement.
Well said, Greg. We are in 100% agreement!