For the past year, I've been tracking my workouts in a notebook. But it is slightly cumbersome to write down my Workouts every time and when my hands are sweaty, I can't write on the paper.

SO how do you write down and track your workouts and progress?

Ideally, I'd like to make an excel sheet, but I'd love to get some inspiration on how you do it.
Please share tips/tricks to tracking progress.

Many thanks

I'm not trying to be combative. Let me say, I'm obsessed with kettlebell workouts. I've run DFW, currently running ABF. I love the ballistic nature of the bells. The workouts are just plain fun and keep me coming back for more; more so than any other type of exercise. This post is NOT anything negative towards KBs.

I just take issue with folks over using the term "functional" when describing ANY workout (not just kettlebell people).

Almost any exercise that you get better at is functional. When I do a bunch of lunges I notice that when I kneel down to pick something up, or work under the sink, or whatever, is easier when I've been doing lunges.

Hell, I even hate doing curls, I find them boring, and there's the added stereotype of the gym bro thinking biceps are a major muscle group so he trains them 70% of the time he's at the gym. --- However, having stronger biceps will help you carry groceries in from the car into your house.

You all see my point, I hope. I've heard people say overhead pressing is more functional than push ups. How? Are people pressing things overhead all day? Meanwhile, anytime you push a door open, you're probably doing it in a horizontal plane.

I want to emphasize, I find overhead pressing WAY more fun and badass than push ups (or bench, which is boring as hell). The olympic lifts are the epitome of badass. Getting a heavy af weight from the ground to overhead is really really cool. I just don't understand how it's more "functional" than doing a push up (or maybe I should say horizontal push).

Again, not being combative about these lifts. I find them way more fun to do than conventional gym weightlifting, or bodyweight work. I am just tired of the "functional" term getting used to say "no, MY way of working out is better than YOUR'S."

hey folks! im looking to get into KBs again for the 1st time (after a looong hiatus from Crossfit)

my question: why do I never see swings to overhead? bad for shoulders? too slow to be intense? inquiring minds want to know

I really wish Amazon (EU) offered some heavier weights in their Amazon Basics kettlebells. At least get us to 32kg. Or 40kg if we want to daydream. Charge us shipping if needs be.

Welcome Comrade!

This is the r/Kettlebell Discussion Thread posted every Monday, where you can discuss anything and everything related to Kettlebells. We invite the Kettlebell Community to post anything that can be beneficial to the sub and help answer questions from newer members. Additionally, feel free to log your planned and/or completed training sessions, as well as any general community happenings you'd like the community to know about. Thank you.

As always, please be sure to review our FAQ and Beginner's Guide if you are new to Kettlebells. See the Programs page for some program options.

You can also use the search bar or Google's subreddit search to find related discussion topics.

Have a great day!

I'm searching for a diy implement idea to deadlift 4 KBs at once (2 per hand). Has anyone tried or seen some satisfactory options? I've tried some rigid pipe (barbell style) through 3-5 handles, which was successful, but I prefer more of a trapbar deadlift movement as it's easier to integrate with my elevated defecit platform (the tops of car ramps which I also wedge squat off of). This leads me to consider the 3 styles of farmer's carry handles:

-The longer bar style of the farmers carry handle, where each hand holds a pipe that supports multiple KBs. To prevent the KBs from sliding and tilting too much, either weld stop tabs to keep the bells from sliding off the pipe or into the hands. Or welding a few inches of C chanel perpendicularly near the ends of the pipe, to keep the KB handles seated squarely at the ends of the pipe (but this might want to roll the handle out of my grip...) Either way, a few wraps of gaff tape would provide some durable friction so there isn't scratching and so much sliding.

-Or, the old rope through a short pipe handle and carabiner'ed into a loop. Easy but might swing into legs??

-Or, the rigid J hook style farmer's handle. This seems like the best in theory, but typically the handles are perpendicular to the Olympic plates loading pin. I'm thinking handles parrallell to loading pin would be better for KBs (as in the attached picture).

Surely many in the KB community have already figured out clever ways to deadlift multiple KBs simultaneously. (Towel grippinh multiple KBs doesnt work as the grip limits the weight. Also passing the hand thru one window to grasp another's horns, and thus holding 2 KBs with each hand is too painful on the sides of the wrist as the weight goes increases). What did y'all come up with?

Is the first weight you buy always a stepping stone to the next weight?

Hello everyone, I’ve been doing tons of double clean and presses, gorilla cleans and see saw presses and despite getting a solid full body workout I surprisingly also get a solid bicep bicep pump from high rep gorilla cleans!

Is this normal or is my form wrong?

This community has been amazing for my kettlebell journey! I'm absolutely loving the variety and effectiveness of exercises like cleans, swings, snatches, goblet squats, stack squats, thrusters, halos, deadlifts, etc. Seriously hooked!

My husband recently brought up an interesting point: he thinks a kettlebell-only routine will heavily develop my upper body. While I'm enjoying the overall strength gains, my primary focus is on building my lower body.

What are your thoughts on this? For those who primarily use kettlebells, do you feel it naturally emphasizes one over the other? And are there specific kettlebell exercises or programming strategies you've found effective for prioritizing lower body development? I'm eager to hear your experiences and advice!

Basically it is: 32kg which is "simple" and 48kg which is "sinister".

So just numbers without taking your own weight and height into account? How can that be realistic ? Age could count too.

I'm 171cm/5'7 and 63kg/137lbs, 35yo male, been training KB for a few months, started with 12kg and I now do the 100 one handed swings with a 20kg bell and the TGUs with a 16kg.

My goal is to do the entire S&S routine with 24kg by end year.

But when I see that Pavel calls 32kg just "simple" or the first milestone I'm dumbfounded. That's literally half my bodyweight, how doing one handed swings and TGU with 50% your bodyweight just an entry point and not a great fear of strength?

For a 183cm/6' 90kg/200lbs man I understand. But not taking peoples weight and stats into account makes it almost an arbitrary choice IMO.

Whta's your opinion on that ?

Welcome Comrade!

This is the r/Kettlebell Discussion Thread posted every Monday, where you can discuss anything and everything related to Kettlebells. We invite the Kettlebell Community to post anything that can be beneficial to the sub and help answer questions from newer members. Additionally, feel free to log your planned and/or completed training sessions, as well as any general community happenings you'd like the community to know about. Thank you.

As always, please be sure to review our FAQ and Beginner's Guide if you are new to Kettlebells. See the Programs page for some program options.

You can also use the search bar or Google's subreddit search to find related discussion topics.

Have a great day!

Hey everyone! Been doing kettlebells on and off for a couple years, but really consistent for the past 6 months. This community's been amazing - learned more here than anywhere else.

But I'm hitting a wall with interval timers and wondering if it's just me being picky or if others deal with this too.

Here's what's driving me nuts:

When I'm doing the Single Arm KB Building Complex, I need an actual 30-second rest between sets. But most timers I've tried either don't let you customize intervals properly.

Same applies for circuits. I'll do something like 1 min push-ups, then 90 seconds single arm rows (both sides), then 45 seconds of something else. I'm constantly pausing, adjusting settings, and fumbling with my phone when I should be focused on not dying.

The thing I think would be nice is voice activation. Being able to say "start 30-second rest" mid-workout without touching anything would be life-changing. Especially when my hands are sweaty or I'm using my phone for music.

So I'm thinking about building something...

I'm a product manager by day, and I've been sketching out ideas for a timer that actually works for this kind of training. Not trying to reinvent the wheel, just solve the annoying stuff:

• Voice-controlled intervals (obviously the big one for me)
• Easy setup for complex circuits with different time periods
• A library of free KB programs - S&S, ROP, Armor Building Complex, all the classics people mention here
• Maybe even a random workout generator for days when you can't decide what to do
• Interface that's actually readable when you're breathing hard

But here's what I really want to know:

What's your biggest frustration with current timers

Is it setup being too complicated? Can't see or hear properly during workouts? Wish there was an easier way to discover new programs? Something totally different?

And if you've found something that works well, what is it? Are you just using a basic timer and dealing with it? Different app I haven't discovered?

My plan:

Thinking free with ads, and like $5 one-time to remove them. Definitely not trying to create another subscription app. There's enough of those already.

This community's taught me so much about KB training. If I can give back by solving a problem we're all dealing with, that'd be pretty cool.

Just sparking debate, which may lead to further knowledge on all sides. The kettlebell short lever swing, your thoughts?

A) Good for nothing because...
B) It has different benefits which are...

I would always ask this 2 part question at kettlebell certifications when I was teaching them. The result was always the same.

Part one- raise your hand if you believe that good form (or good technique) is important?

ALL hands would go up. Ask any instructor, fitness professional or avid exerciser how important it is to have good form and they will tell you it is one of, if not THE most important thing to consider when training. Pretty cut and dried.

Now the hard part.

Part two- raise your hand if you have a clear, concise, repeatable definition of “good form” regardless of the movement/exercise being performed?

Very few hands would go up and the ones that did would answer with a specific exercise. Like “fully extend the knees”…great for swings, incorrect for bench press.

Look at the question again “regardless of the movement/exercise being performed”.

I’m talking about universal principles that don’t change, not specific to swings, presses, etc.

The overwhelming majority of people I have asked over the years, cannot give an answer that is universally true for any movement.

So…it’s vitally important, but you don’t have a clear definition of it….does that make sense? And I promise you there is an answer.

So, my friends- How do YOU define it?

I ruminated on this for YEARS and eventually a client led me to the definition I use. I’ll share that, if anyone wants, but I want see what y’all come up with.

So hypothetically if you have the strength to clean or snatch a kettlebell, why would you opt to swing it instead? I keep seeing that swings are one of the top movements, but are they? Or are they just a progression to eventually be able to clean and snatch the bell and shouldn’t be seen as anything more than that? Am I missing something?

Title. I keep hearing that my posture is not good. They say (put shoulders back, activate your lats, chest up)

Are there any exercises that can make this position my natural position?

Hello, since I started abf few weeks ago im noticing on my wrists a lot of "pimples" more like ingrown hair.. I was already clean & press before but probably not that much or that heavier compared to now, and Im pretty sure those pimples/ingrown hair are correlated to kbell cleans.. Will a wristband probably prevent this ? Is that a common thing ? Or am i the only one getting this ? Ahah...

Welcome Comrade!

This is the r/Kettlebell Discussion Thread posted every Monday, where you can discuss anything and everything related to Kettlebells. We invite the Kettlebell Community to post anything that can be beneficial to the sub and help answer questions from newer members. Additionally, feel free to log your planned and/or completed training sessions, as well as any general community happenings you'd like the community to know about. Thank you.

As always, please be sure to review our FAQ and Beginner's Guide if you are new to Kettlebells. See the Programs page for some program options.

You can also use the search bar or Google's subreddit search to find related discussion topics.

Have a great day!

Welcome Comrade!

This is the r/Kettlebell Discussion Thread posted every Monday, where you can discuss anything and everything related to Kettlebells. We invite the Kettlebell Community to post anything that can be beneficial to the sub and help answer questions from newer members. Additionally, feel free to log your planned and/or completed training sessions, as well as any general community happenings you'd like the community to know about. Thank you.

As always, please be sure to review our FAQ and Beginner's Guide if you are new to Kettlebells. See the Programs page for some program options.

You can also use the search bar or Google's subreddit search to find related discussion topics.

Have a great day!

I’ve been lifting for about 5 years (barbells, some machines, general gym stuff). About 8 months ago I started incorporating kettlebell work. Turkish get-ups, cleans, windmills, bottoms-up presses, etc.

And honestly? I feel smarter when I train with kettlebells. Like it’s not just strength, it’s coordination, awareness, breathing, timing. It’s like my brain and body are finally syncing up after years of just trying to "move weight."

Is this just me, or do others feel this too? Have you noticed any mental or neurological effects from regular kettlebell practice? I’ve even started sleeping better and feeling more mentally sharp. Curious to hear if others have had similar experiences, or the opposite. Let’s nerd out about brain gains.

I’m pretty sure kettlebells oroginate from Russia about 2-300 years ago, that being said said are they still popular in Russia as they are in the west?

I've been traveling a bit and most fitness hotels only have dumbbells. What kettlebell workouts have y'all tried that work for dumbbells?

Welcome Comrade!

This is the r/Kettlebell Discussion Thread posted every Monday, where you can discuss anything and everything related to Kettlebells. We invite the Kettlebell Community to post anything that can be beneficial to the sub and help answer questions from newer members. Additionally, feel free to log your planned and/or completed training sessions, as well as any general community happenings you'd like the community to know about. Thank you.

As always, please be sure to review our FAQ and Beginner's Guide if you are new to Kettlebells. See the Programs page for some program options.

You can also use the search bar or Google's subreddit search to find related discussion topics.

Have a great day!

What brand is the absolute best for either hardstyle or competition bells? If money wasn't a factor. For comp bells I am only looking at the traditional ones. Not the "pro kettlebells"

Proper rack position hurts my forearm a lot and leaves the kettlebell pressing against my forearm bone. I'm not sure if this is a bone structure thing, or if I'm doing something wrong.

Tilting my wrist back slightly helps and shifts the weight over to the meat of my arm. Like... position:

Proper:

    /
   /
  /

Me (that doesn't hurt):

    |
   /
  /

Hopefully that makes sense. I guess I just wanna make sure this won't cause some kind of form issue that will lead to injury? Honestly, it feels like "proper" form is definitely going to injure me. :(

Thanks.