The truth about why the “Ex-Spurts” are WRONG about Kettlebells Growing Muscle

I just replied to an email the other day about it from a reader.

“At 70 kgs weight and 85 grams of protein a day, can I increase muscle mass and boost my strength using kettlebells? How would I feel improvement in my muscle mass and strength?

“Will KB workouts alone be adequate to increase muscle mass and strength? There are some very conflicting insights on it on online forums.”

First, here’s what I explained to this gentleman -

“Yes you can develop strength, but muscle will be more difficult . The current recommendation for increasing muscle is 1.6g/kg here of bodyweight. How would you feel improvement? You wouldn't. You'd measure it objectively through your training log, a tape measure, and body composition measurements.

Yes. Resistance develops muscle and strength, regardless of the device. The key is knowing how to organize your program to do so. Many, if not most people don't know how to do this - especially with kettlebells, so they say "kettlebells don't build muscle" or "you can't get strong using kettlebells" or "kettlebells are an endurance / conditioning tool.””

Second, before we get to the “not knowing how plan ” part we have to consider the fact that there are many different explanations for muscle growth.

At the very least, we have the following:

Mechanical Tension and Mechanotransduction: Mechanical signals from resistance exercise are main stimuli for hypertrophy. These signals activate mechanotransduction pathways, which convert mechanical stress into cellular responses, promoting protein synthesis and muscle growth (Wackerhage et al., 2019; Bamman, Roberts and Adams, 2018; West et al., 2010).

mTORC1 Signaling: mTORC1 is a pivotal regulator of muscle protein synthesis and ribosomal biogenesis, facilitating the growth of muscle fibers. It is activated by mechanical overload and nutrient availability, particularly amino acids (Wackerhage et al., 2019; Roberts et al., 2023; Schiaffino et al., 2020).

Ribosomal Biogenesis: The surge in ribosome production enhances the muscle's ability to create proteins, supporting hypertrophy (Roberts et al., 2023; Bamman, Roberts and Adams, 2018).

Hormonal and Growth Factor Influence: While systemic hormones like growth hormone and testosterone have restricted direct impact post-exercise, local growth factors such as IGF-1 play a role in muscle adaptation and growth (West et al., 2010; Schiaffino et al., 2020).

Metabolic Stress: Metabolic stress from resistance exercise, such as that triggered by blood flow restriction, can also promote hypertrophy, although the exact metabolites involved are not well characterized (Wackerhage et al., 2019; Schoenfeld, 2010).

Third, the kettlebell, unlike the barbell or a dumbbell, possesses at least one unique property:

The offset handle.

The fact that the kettlebell balances on the back of your wrist or rotates inside your palm and around your hand, landing on the back of your wrist…

And that requires your muscles and joints to work harder , increasing the tension both on your joints and muscles. Which, according to at least some of the aforementioned “hypertrophy mechanisms,” creates muscle growth.

Plus, the fact that you can swing the kettlebell through your legs and quickly stretch the muscles of your posterior chain (called “fast eccentrics”) and engage your abdominal musculature making it harder to breathe…

Also triggers a few more of those “hypertrophy mechanisms” depending on how you program your workouts.

Which actually gets us to “how to program your kettlebell workouts for muscle growth.”

I’ve found there are a few simple , but reliable ways:

1- Program off a 5RM using the double lifts , like the Clean + Press and Front Squat.

2- Program off a 10RM, also using some of the double lifts , like the Clean + Press or Clean + Push Press.

3- Using Double Kettlebell Complexes and Chains like these.

Again, at the end of the day, it’s not that challenging to build muscle using kettlebells. You just have to be

A - Willing to do the work.

B - Be thoughtful about the work you’re doing.

Stay Strong,

Geoff Neupert.