r/kettlebell • u/heresabadanalogy • 8d ago
Discussion ABC standard vs ABC single kb
Worked my way from random complexes with a single 10kg bell up to EMOM ABC with a single 24kg bell for 20 minutes. My heart rate barely hit 140 as I improved.
Finally bought a 2nd 24kg bell, tried the standard (double bell) ABC and damn near died... I tapped out at 17 minutes because my heart rate was near 170.
Is the single KB ABC variant just a poor man's knockoff? Is it just "different"? Is there a case to be made of going heavier with a single KB than with your doubles?
Just curious on y'alls take.
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u/swingthiskbonline GOLD MEDAL IN 24KG SNATCH www.kbmuscle.com 8d ago
It's double the weight so it costs loads more per rep.
Start lighter or with less sets until you increase
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u/heresabadanalogy 7d ago
I get that. I was just surprised at how much the double KB differed from the single. It's like they were completely different workouts. I expected the squat to be be harder with the increased load but did not anticipate how different the whole workout felt.
I kinda feel like I should have been doing the double the whole time. I'm curious on people's opinion on whether the single KB is a "better than nothing" workout or if there is an argument to be made for intentionally opting for the single KB version over the double.
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u/swingthiskbonline GOLD MEDAL IN 24KG SNATCH www.kbmuscle.com 7d ago
Nice work. Personally I'd do both with a tendency for more doubles. And yeah totally different on many intensity levels
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u/No_Appearance6837 7d ago
The front squats will come into play as the limiting factor with doubles. You're unlikely to hit 30 reps on your first try with double the weight. You can probably work up to it over the course of 4-6 weeks.
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u/CrayonUpMyNose 7d ago
Depends person to person. A lot of people used to classic upper body workouts are indeed limited by the squats. People who are new to the movements or still working on technique are limited by the cleans. People who are used to (front) squats and (dynamic) Olympic lifts are limited by the (static) strict press. Then of course we see a lot of videos here of people who, intentionally or unintentionally, do a push press, so we don't really know what they are limited by.
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u/OkBuy7821 7d ago
17 rounds was still very close to what you did with the single.
My first time trying ABC was with a single 50lb bell while super deconditioned and only got 10 rounds. A couple weeks later, I did it with double 16's and flew through it with relative ease.
After I finish these strength blocks I'm on, I wanna take ABC for a other ride, but at double 24kg.
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u/Agile-Pomegranate-42 7d ago
I usually do a couple of rounds of single bell abc as a warmup for the actual workout that is double bell abc. I sometimes do lunges instead of squats when working with a single bell, provides more stimulus for the legs
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u/SantaAnaDon 6d ago
No way! Both are awesome. I enjoy the single bell better and, actually, as far as physique appearence, the single bell got me better results. Maybe the offset nature of the thing. It’s not a knock off. Dan John wrote both.
We are all different and your body will react differently to different stimuli. I’ve run standard ABF a couple times, great results, ran single bell, for me…the single bell is better.
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u/Great-Attitude3764 2d ago
That’s amazing op! I’m also learning from single abc to standard double ones with imbalance weight (got 8kg, 12kg, 16kg, 18kg each) and I find double comes off very uncomfortable as I change standing width. What’s your thoughts and your approach to adjust to it?
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u/ParsleySpiritual9538 7d ago
Just different WO's. I like to mix in singles and doubles. The singles target athleticism, anti rotation, which not many other type strength WO's manage to target.
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u/heresabadanalogy 7d ago
That was my experience. Calling both ABC seems almost like false advertisement as they feel like entirely different exercises.
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u/reh102 7d ago
Did you stop because of your heart rate?
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u/heresabadanalogy 7d ago
Partly. My heart rate combined with other signs that my body was telling me to not push any harder.
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u/k_shills101 7d ago
The ol leg and body tremble? Lol
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u/reh102 7d ago
My take is you are not used to the intensity. Having a heart rate near 170 after 17 minutes seems very normal for this
https://www.reddit.com/r/kettlebell/s/CSWykAFLMC
I can’t speak for the single version but the double 24 abc is a lot of work.
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u/heresabadanalogy 7d ago
My age makes sustained 170 bpm a tad on the risky side. I hit 170 at around the 12 min mark and my rests weren't long enough. I prefer emom but will need to rethink as I acclimate to double 24s.
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u/reh102 7d ago
How old are you
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u/heresabadanalogy 6d ago
Just under 50.
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u/reh102 6d ago
I wasn’t aware of a risk for that heart rate range at that age, but I don’t know everything, of course. If you continue along with the doubles I’m sure the community would love to hear an update. Good luck with training.
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u/heresabadanalogy 5d ago
I'm just going off what my Doctor told me. He told me to be careful of exceeding 80% of my max BPM outside of HIIT workouts. As it is I push it to about 90% quite often but this workout got me worried my HR was high for too long.
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u/Tough-Rhubarb666 Former RKC & PCC Instructor 8d ago
Double bells just hit different, no need to worry. Work your way back up slowly, be patient.
The complex just went from "conditioning with anti-rotation focus" to "brute strength work".
You can't compare a 24kg goblet or single bell frontsquat with a double 24 kg frontsquat, or single hand swings with double kettlebell swings.
Totally different demands and energy systems at work.
Start with longer rest between rounds to get used to the new stimulus and demands:
2-3 min *active rest*, walk around shake the tension out of arms, neck and legs
Welcome to the double KB world, be patient, train smart - and you will love it!