I haven't read all 124 pages, but a quick question....
Is this thread just for the tribe of pulling and pushing the Big Bar? Or can those of us belonging to the Kult of the Kettlebell play? I can certainly start my own thread...
pat
I haven't read all 124 pages, but a quick question....
Is this thread just for the tribe of pulling and pushing the Big Bar? Or can those of us belonging to the Kult of the Kettlebell play? I can certainly start my own thread...
pat
Originally Posted by UNM1136
Any and all are welcome to post their workout info and styles here.
Cool. Approaching 50. A few years of alcohol abuse, low T, insomnia. Overweight.
2020 sucked, in that we were short handed and I couldn't get a lunch break. My sleep time is necessarily devided. Child care is why I worked nights for the past 20 years. So no matter what time I get off at work I have to get the kids to school, grab some sleep, pick the kids up, fix dinner, then grab a nap and repeat.
2021was my first year having my medical issues dealt with. My sleep apnea is not weight related, it is neurologic. The weight doesn't help though. Endocrinologist supervising HRT. But in order to overcome staffing issues we were on a hiring spree. In 14 months I had 8 for field training, which meant no lunch breaks or paid time in the gym.
I owned a 16k kettlebell. I bought a second and took it to the gym at work. I grabbed this ebook. It was recommended by a co-worker. Dude is an animal: he dropped 30 pounds one year and got cut so he could go as Bane for Holloween. I read the book, and like the scalability.
For the last 30+ years I have worked out without a trainer, or even really without a real plan. So I tend to work out for 6-8 weeks, go too hard, rest too little, and burn out or injure myself. I realized that if I followed my old patterns I was likely not to make any headway, as my conditioning and being 50 pounds overweight would guarantee an injury at worst, and the familiar lack of progress in the least.
I loved the program, and decided it was my 2022 plan. I didn't like the Talk Test, because I can be undisciplined in the gym, and a lot of nonsworn friends will distract me. My wife a few years back dueing the Tabatta craze got me one of these.
In the second week of December I decided to get started. I would start working out and worry about my diet after the holidays. There is just too much pork, tamales, rellenos, and posole on offer to work on diet.
I picked a rediculously long recovery time. I took 12 minutes to warm up, followed by ten 3 minute rounds to do 10 swings each. Laughable. But after three weeks I noted my heart rate monitor was averaging less and less time to normalize. I vowed not to push myself. But I noted less back pain, fewer back spasms, and my hips and legs felt "springier" like when I was doing martial arts 2-3 days a week. I was doing 4-6 workouts a week.
Jan 1 I reduced the time per set by 30 seconds, so the same amount of swings in 25 minutes, and I added one arm swings to the mix, gradually, until I could do 10 sets of swings alternating hands in 25 minutes, and reduced my warmup to 9 minutes. Still laughable, but I was recovering completely. I got more exertion in my hands and forearms, and the HR monitor shot up, and recovered quickly. Most importantly I did not feel sore after my workouts, I felt energized and ready to take on the world. I cleaned up my diet and lost 3 pounds.
Feb 1 I reduced my swings sets to 2 minutes each. I tried to add get ups, but found some instability in my shoulders and upper back. Did not feel good standing up and laying down with my head, shoulder, knees and feet under the bell so I decided to do cleans and presses to build strength and coordination. As the month rolls on I hope to add 1/2 get ups.
This week:
3 minutes warmup.
10x10 two hand swings with 16 kilos in 20 minutes.
1x5 clean and press per side with 16 kilos in 5 minutes. Adding pressing reps to sets regularly as until form goes to hell with the goal of 5x5 per side in 5 minutes, one clean per set per side.
Feeling good, feeling strong. I can see myself building up over time to get stronger. My goal is going as far as I can, no matter how long it takes.
pat
@UNM1136 I've gotten quite a bit of good work in with my kettlebells, especially with my barbell being outside in the freezing cold. I also like that I can toss one in a backpack, hike around a park, and workout on grass.
Things to look at:
A fun challenge: https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/th...out-revisited/
A great resource: https://www.reddit.com/r/kettleballs/wiki/index/
Anything Dan John or Pat Flynn have to say about KBs is worth listening to. Pavel Tsatsouline can be hit or miss: some great stuff, some BS. Mark Wildman makes it overcomplicated, IMO, but Joe Daniels is solid if you're really into it.
I think the Dry Fighting Weight program linked in the wiki above is about all you really need for a very full body program for kettlebells. Squat, press, swing, rows/pullups. Add in some loaded carries for a finisher.
"It was the fuck aroundest of times, it was the find outest of times."- 45dotACP
I will look at those. Right now I am focusing on the 7 yard target and want to see through Simple and Sinister, with some other, specific exercises worked in and out on a monthly basis.
Dan John was one reference I used, and Pavel does have his shtick. When my co-worker recommended Simple and Sinister I checked with a couple of other gym rat friends. One was on bike patrol with me when I was with my last agency, he just retired from Border Patrol, with 18 years in BORTAC. The other was a DOE SWAT guy and both said that their organizations contracted with Pavel every couple of years for instructor certifications, and they were both believers. Particularly the DOE guy, who had back and shoulder injuries and rehabbed them with kettlebells. One of the Master SFG guys is local, and an active firefighter here in town. So I have coaching options when I hit the wall. But his kettlebell gym is not even affordable, let alone cheap, even with the cop discount. Every so often a local radio station offers 50% off a six month membership, and I am watching like a hawk.
I will check out those links, and I was already planning to ruck with the bell when it warms up a little.
But I am super excited. Seven weeks in with some weight loss despite minimal diet changes, reduced aches and pains, regular improvement, despite the low bars. And no DOMS and the exertion I feel in my muscles is not quite exhaustion, and not quite pain, and is genrally gone in a couple of hours. I am really liking the snails pace.
Thanks,
pat
Good on you, Pat!
Because neither of the following are exhaustive, I like running two programs. One is for strength / endurance and the second is used as active recovery. On "exercise" days (Mondays and Thursdays) I do an upper body pull, upper body push, something for the legs, and a bit of cardio. There's value in letting the volume work for you.
Exercise days: Mondays and Thursdays:
Pullups (prone grip, neutral, supine)
Dips (straight bar)
Squats (KB goblet)
Carry (KB suitcase)
Active recovery days: Tuesdays and Fridays:
Simple and Sinister (revised and updated edition).
Thanks for your post. It's nice to see another kettle-bell'er aboard.
Duces
I should be clear: absolutely no insult intended to the Strong First folks, many of whom are absolute monsters.
I think Simple and Sinister is a great way to start. If I could make everyone do just one strength exercise for transfer to everyday life, it would be either a heavy-ish KB swing, or some sort of deadlift/stone lift. The kettlebell is nice in how compact it is, and you get some good metabolic/cardio work in, also.
"It was the fuck aroundest of times, it was the find outest of times."- 45dotACP
Another converted kettlebell guy here…..
M, W, F
- 180 KB Swings (EMOM)
- 120 Push-ups (EMOM)
- 40 KB Plank Drag
- Ab Roll-Out
- Flutter Kicks
- Front Planks
- 45 min. MISS
- Grip Strength
T, T
- 10 Turkish Get-Ups
- 24 Clean & Press (3*8)
- 24 Flor Press (3*8)
- 36 Goblet Press (3*12)
- 36 Goblet Squat (3*12)
- 36 Back Row (3*12)
- 30 Goblet Curl (3*10)
- 30 min. HIIT
- 1.5 miles suitcase carry (when weather permits)
I was a dedicated “bro” split guy for years and took over 3 years off from fitness. Got back into it Nov. 1 of 2021 and am feeling really strong considering it hasn’t been that long and I haven’t touched anything “heavy”. My core strength has improved vastly and I find the workouts fun. I’ll keep tweaking the volume as needed but I’m in a pretty heavy calorie deficit right now (~1500-1600 per day) so I don’t expect much if any strength progress.
Last edited by NPV; 02-02-2022 at 05:57 PM.
It occurred to me just now that a kettlebell workout could be a great option to do together with my wife and daughter. We're all making an effort to improve our fitness this year, but didn't really have a good plan on the strength side of things. (I've got a full power rack setup, but my wife's not really interested in barbell lifts and I would think my daughter is too young.) Would anyone have a suggestion on a good weight for a 10 year old to start with? Would Simple and Sinister still be a good program given my family focus, or would there be another recommendation? Looks like it could take some time to learn proper form for the Turkish get-up, but complex movements obviously have the benefit of working a lot of muscle groups.
My son started asking about kettlebells. So I got him an 18 pound one at Walmart. Read the book and make an informed decision. When I work out at home I use the Gymboss and I will do my set, then he will do his. I spent a month a couple days a week teaching him KB sumo deadlifts, goblet squats, halos, and the swing. I actually like teaching him because it requires me to continually refine what I know, what I don't know, and how I think about it. I am 7 weeks in, have done TGUs before, and am working up to them building strength and coordination. The S&S book actually seems gives good technique building for the TGU without weight and I am cleaning up before I add them in. There are lots of videos online, and I review them frequently. You will like and dislike some as you go. I am enjoying "hard style", and don't have the coordination for "competition style" moves.
As far as bells, I am really not sure. From what I have seen it should be awkward and heavy to move, but not impossible. A little uncomfortable without being too difficult. There are lots of ways to grease the groove, and work parts of movements to build to them, as I am learning. You are going to buy a lot of KBs, but they seem to be super easy to move at used sports equipment places.
But that is just my $0.02, and worth exactly what you paid for it. I have owned a kettlebell for almost a decade, and it has been a great doorstop. I just recently got serious about learning how to use it, and using it.
pat
Reply With Quote