Lack of recovery between kettlebell workouts could be what’s stalling your progress …

For years, I worked out at the same gym every day at the same time. I saw the same folks there day after day … and unfortunately, progress the vast majority of them made over time was, put nicely, less than spectacular.

Why?

I’m convinced a big factor was lack of recovery between workouts.

Even if you’re already aware of the basic info I’m about to cover, bear with me, because it’s important and it’s worth reviewing:

When you lift weights of any kind – kettlebells, dumbbells, barbells, whatever – you’re essentially tearing your muscles down. You need to give them time to recover and build themselves back up (about 48 hours) before hitting the same muscle group again.

Now, there are some exceptions to this:  Light body weight training, like Push Ups, Sit Ups, Squats, etc. can probably be done most days – depending on your fitness level. So can things like high rep and relatively low intensity kettlebell training.

But – in general – the rule is 48 hours of rest before hitting the same muscle group again.

What you wouldn’t want to do, as an example, is hit your shoulders two days in a row with a bunch of heavy kettlebell pressing exercises. Less than 48 hours is too just little – and it’ll eventually lead to overtraining and stalled kettlebell progress.

There are a couple of different solutions to this problem:

1. You could train your entire body in one session and give yourself a day of complete rest before you hit it again.  This is the best solution for the majority of folks who are trying to lose fat, build a lean muscle, and improve their conditioning levels.  The main workout in the Kettlebell Basics Swing Manual would be a perfect example of this.

2. If you really want to train every day, you could split your body parts up – for a good example of what a workout like this would look like, check out this post: Kettlebells For Building Muscle

So it’s pretty simple, really:  Give yourself adequate recovery and continue to progress! Don’t train the same muscle groups two days in a row.  Incorporate this simple training tip into your programming today – it could be the key missing element in what’s holding you back from making progress in your kettlebell workouts.

Forest

P.S. Are you signed up for my weekly kettlebell newsletter yet? Do so today and you’ll get 1) my ‘Kettlebell Rx’ training video AND 2) my Beginner’s Guide to Kettlebell Training – both FREE as a thank you for signing up!  Just drop your name and best email into the box at the upper right hand corner of the page to sign up now.