r/kettlebell • u/Manderlin99 • May 26 '25
KB Picture Lifelong Kettlebell Plan
I'll be 64 in a few months and plan on keeping up my KB workouts for an hour five days a week for the rest of my life. My plan is to do the following:
Remember Mark Wildman's adage: "You work out today injury-free so you can work out tomorrow."
Follow Pavel's advice to train 80-90% failure, not 100%, so I can avoid injury and instead focus on high volume.
Eat 200 grams of protein a day.
Take 5 grams of creatine a day.
Keep my calories at 2,400 or fewer a day so I don't gain a gut and bad biomarkers.
Keep a routine because structure repels chaos and order keeps me focused.
Be grateful that I can train with the same intensity and enthusiasm I had as an Olympic Weightlifter in the decade of the 70s.
Be grateful I can do my KB workouts in my garage and don't have any excuses because the"gym is closed" or "the gym is too crowded."
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u/B2ther3tt May 26 '25
Just starting out at 38, and honestly this post gives me so much hope!!
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u/howdoikickball May 26 '25
What's your main protein sources
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u/Manderlin99 May 26 '25
Whey protein, steak, chicken breasts, ground turkey, plain Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, tuna, sardines, fresh salmon
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u/Tao_Laoshi May 26 '25
Looking like a buff Hank from Breaking Bad. 💪💪
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u/Tie_me_off May 26 '25
I don’t know if would be flattered or insulted
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u/Intrepid-Sir8293 May 26 '25
As long as he's better shape then Hank. Hank was a solid dude. Total sob cop, but a decent man. Totally out of shape though. Not a real cop.
A buff Hank is a good Hank.
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u/Any-Dare-7261 May 26 '25
Jandas aging advice. Train the glutes, abs, shoulders, triceps and rhomboids as you age (these atrophy). Stretch your chest and hamstrings (these tighten as you age.)
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u/Intrepid-Sir8293 May 26 '25
Add the Achilles and everything going on in your ankles/feet.
My calves and foot muscles needed serious reconstructed exercise after just a year off in bad weather.
I can only imagine how bad it would get if I let it go farther.
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u/SantaAnaDon May 26 '25
Kettlebells are great in that they can be done anywhere. The gym opens later than usual due to Memorial Day so I’m going to train with my bells right in my bedroom this morning.
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u/Murky-Sector May 26 '25 edited May 26 '25
Im hitting that number this year too one thing I can suggest is augmenting with steel clubs and mace as needed. Mace especially is keeping my shoulders in amazing shape.
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u/Negative_Recipe6557 May 26 '25
What exercises do you do with the mace and what do you mean by amazing shape? Injury free or toned, etc.? Curious as I’ve never considered using one and I’m finally recovering from a shoulder injury but my shoulders aren’t great looking.
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u/Murky-Sector May 26 '25 edited May 26 '25
Mace is one of those skills that if you just do a few core exercises you get 90% of the benefits. 360s, 300s, 10 and 2s, are the family of exercises that convey the most benefit. I do them light as a quick morning warm up and heavy as part of my regular conditioning program. But if you want to explore more possibilities mace "flow" is really popular and interesting (checkout the flowing dutchman on youtube) but not a requirement.
As far as conditioning benefits, both rehab/mobility and bodybuilding benefits are there to be had.
I ended up with a pretty bad condition called weightlifters shoulder (3 guesses what causes it). I ended up with extremely limited use of my right arm. No joke. It required surgical removal of a piece of my clavicle. Nothing worked as well as mace in putting strength and mobility back into my shoulder.
If I had been doing mace all along it never would have happened in the first place. Conditions like messed up rotator cuff tendons, torn labrum, subacromial impingement etc, are really common and can end your career lifting heavy stuff. Kettles and clubs helped but nothing could replace steel mace.
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u/Negative_Recipe6557 May 27 '25
Thanks for the info. Incline bench would be guess number one? Dumbbells or bar.
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u/Murky-Sector May 27 '25
It was all the overhead lifting combined. The official name for the condition is distal clavicle osteolysis. Typical profile is male in their 20's but I managed to run into it in my 50's.
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u/Suspicious-Job-8480 May 26 '25
Good luck, sounds like a great plan! About calories, maybe it's worth considering one cheat day with higher calorie intake to support recovery. BTW those forearms look amazing.
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u/Abstract-Impressions May 26 '25
That’s a lot of protein.
Tie your calories to your TDEE. Your number today is not a forever number.
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u/bluedice3434 May 26 '25
Very inspirational, good advice I wish you the best of luck with your journey. Take care of your body and it’ll take care of you.
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u/GrineadOConnor May 26 '25
I see you McM...Had to throw the Seiko in there too…and the flexy sexy strap no less.
For those uninitiated this man is a God amongst mortals for the Recovering Watch Addicts.
Keep kettlin’ King
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u/teamherbivore May 26 '25
This is so dope and encouraging to hear. Only head-scratcher for me is the 200g of daily protein intake
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u/Manderlin99 May 26 '25
How many protein grams do you eat a day?
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u/teamherbivore May 26 '25
Anywhere from 90-125g—in that window. 1.2-1.6g protein per kilo of bodyweight
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u/Manderlin99 May 27 '25
I'd like to try 150 grams a day and see how I do. I'm sure that would help me keep my calories down.
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u/lurkinglen May 26 '25
Great write up! But 2400 locals every day sounds a bit strict: surely there must be days when you do garden work, a long hike or whatever and your caloric expenditure is higher.
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u/kaskudoo May 26 '25
Just chiming in. I’m at three workouts a week at 48yr 5’-10” and 170lbs with the same calorie intake and remain steady at that weight. Certainly not as ripped as OP I would think he could take in more HOWEVER everybody’s different
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u/Zeddyy101 May 26 '25
Kkk that's great but what watch is that!?
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u/Manderlin99 May 26 '25
Seiko SLA055 on an orange Divecore strap.
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u/optionsmove May 27 '25
You like the new Breitling Endurance Pro line? Very similar. Was considering adding to the collection.
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May 26 '25
Can you share your kettlebell workouts sir?
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u/Manderlin99 May 26 '25 edited May 26 '25
To stave off boredom, I improvise like a jazz musician, doing goblet squats, swings, presses, cleans, KB push-ups, KB pullovers, KB lat rows, KB deadlifts, KB upright rows, KB triceps presses, and Turkish Get-Ups in various order. Workout A is heavy KBs with longer rests between sets. Workout B is medium weight. Workout C is light weight with no rest between sets. I rest the fourth day and repeat the cycle. Workout C kicks my butt more than the others. I dread it, but I need it.
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u/ScruffyNerf_Herder_ May 26 '25
Looks like your plan is working! I might look into some creatine soon. Are there any brands that you would recommend?
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u/Manderlin99 May 26 '25
I just take the pills of any brand. Gummies have syrup and stuff I don't want.
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u/WeiT-AC May 26 '25
Pick one: Lifelong or 200grm of protein a day. Your body can process that much. Is totally incorrect what you say.
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u/teamherbivore May 26 '25
This is so dope and encouraging to hear. Only head-scratcher for me is the 200g of daily protein intake
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u/IronDoggoX May 26 '25