Nobody ever got big or strong with a kettlebell
It’s finally happened. I posted some hate speech the other day. I’ve gone after Herbal Life. I’ve gone after Hule. And today I’m going after TRX and kettlebells. Surprisingly, the people whose jimmies were rustled by this were the people who exclusively train with a TRX and have no results to speak of.
There was even a person with a TRX in his profile picture. So, I mean, if that’s your defining personality characteristic, it’s quite difficult to argue with you. The funny thing is, we sometimes use TRX for ourselves or our clients if they’re traveling or if they’re training in a pinch.
The right tool for the job
The key is using the right tool for the job. Wild Halian has summarized this perfectly: if I’m sweeping a driveway, I want to use the big wide brush. I don’t want to use a paintbrush. The paintbrush is useful in itself, but not to sweep a driveway with. I picked TRX here, but I’m being harsh. There are a thousand ways to waste your time in the gym.
The barbell’s track record vs the kettlebell’s
If you imagine kettlebell and the barbell were sports coaches and you look at their track record, who has the barbell produced? Every Olympic athlete, every bodybuilder, every powerlifter has built the foundation of their progress with a barbell.
And if you look at Mr. Kettlebell, who’s he produced? A decent chunk of fanatical vegans with shoulder injuries.
Also got this response: “Yes, they have. The TRX brings tremendous value when you know how to use it. Strength isn’t just what you can lift, but it’s what you can resist in different planes.” Sometimes I wake up in the morning and I think, “Ah, if only I could resist things in different planes.”
Progressive overload is what actually drives progress
Regardless of what I say here, the Kettlebell Brigade are still going to be very cross, and they’ll come in with their pitchforks and keyboards. But the point here is not to avoid anything.
You don’t have to pick one over the other. It’s a false equivalence to do that. The reason we recommend barbells is because of the options it gives you.
Your progress is determined by progressive overload, total volume over time, and you can control that most precisely with a barbell. Obviously, there are downsides, too. They’re not very portable. They’re fatiguing. There’s a learning curve compared to machines. But to wrap your identity up in a training modality just because it looks cool or because it’s a bit alternative makes it more of a hobby or a lifestyle choice rather than actually being interested in results.
Confirmation bias and identity
We’re actually interested in getting you into better shape, not changing your religion. The error here is thumbing something in just because you identify with it. It’s the same as vegans or keto or any kind of extreme diet choice doing post-hoc rationalization to try and justify that it’s healthier for them.
They’ve already decided to follow the diet and then they try to match the evidence to it later. It’s just confirmation bias. People look for things which confirm their view because it’s too painful to shatter our own structures of identity to move forward towards truth.
People look for things which confirm their view because it’s too painful to shatter our own structures of identity to move forward towards truth.
Prove me wrong
I’m going to put my money where my mouth is. Please prove me wrong. If you can find a bodybuilder who built his physique using a TRX or an elite powerlifter who got to their total using a kettlebell, then please send them my way.
Not someone who’s done 20 years of barbell lifting and then did a photo shoot with a kettlebell. That doesn’t count. If you’re more interested in getting into better shape than being swept along with all of the timewasting fads, then start by having a look at this playlist.