by Jason Marshall, StrongFirst Deadlift Team Captain

There are many ways to train for a deadlift only event. You can find some great preparatory cycles and training methods in many of Pavel’s books, the best being Power to the People Professional and Deadlift Dynamite, co-authored with deadlift king, Andy Bolton. Marty Gallagher’s Purposeful Primitive has also proven an invaluable resource in my own, as well as many other lifters’ training.

The following are a couple of different approaches to training cycles used by the StrongFirst Deadlift Team’s members:

Francisco Marentez (l) & Derek Miller (r) – IPA Strength Spectacular 2013

Derek Miller’s Deadlift Cycle

Week 1
Front Squat (FSQ)—2×5 (2 set of 5 reps) @ 305 (75%)
Sumo Deadlift—5 @ 315, 405, 495, 525 (79%), 465 (70%)
Bent Row—5 @ 205, 255, 255
Two Hand Kettlebell Swing—5×10 @ 40kg

Back Squat (BSQ)—5 @135, 225, 315, 365(65%), 315
Conventional Deadlift (Cv DL)—5 @ 225, 315, 405, 455 (70%)

Week 2

FSQ—5, 5, 3 @ 305
Sumo—5 @ 315, 405, 495, 545 (82%), 465
Bent Row—3×5 @ 205, 255, 265
Left out the swings because I ran out of time

BSQ—5 @ 135, 225, 315, 365, 405(73%), 365
Cv DL—5 @ 225, 315, 405, 475 (72%)
Barbell Lunge—10 each leg @ 115, 115, 115
Kettlebell Snatch—10 each @ 24kg, 24kg

Week 3

FSQ—5 @ 305
Sumo DL—5 @ 225, 315; 3 @ 405, 455, 495, 560, 560; 5 @ 465
Bent Row—5 @ 225, 225, 265
Two Hand Kettlebell Swing—4×10 @ 48kg

BS—5 @ 135, 225, 315, 365, 405; 3 @ 455(82%)
Cv DL—5 @ 225, 315, 405, 455 (70%)
Chins—3×10 @ bw
Kettlebell Snatch—10 each @ 24, 28kg

Week 4

FSQ—5 @ 135, 225, 275; 3, 3, 3 @ 315 (78%)
Sumo DL—5 @ 225, 315; 3 @ 405, 455, 495, 545, 575 (87%), 575, 465@5
Bent Row—5 @ 205, 245, 275
Double Kettlebell Swing—5×10 @ 24kg

BSQ—5 @ 135, 225, 275, 315, 365, 405; 3, 3 @ 455
Chins—3×10

Barbell Lunge—3×10 @ 135
Kettlebell Snatch—2×10 @ 32kg

Week 5

FSQ—5 @ 135, 225, 275, 315 (78%)
Sumo DL—5 @ 315, 405; 3 @ 455, 495; 2 @ 555, 600, 600, 600 (90%)
Bent Row—5 @ 225, 245, 295
Double Kettlebell Swing—5×10 @ 24kg

BSQ—5 @ 135, 225, 275, 315; 3 @ 365, 405, 455; 1 @ 475, 495 (89%)
Barbell Lunge—10 @ 115, 115, 115
Kettlebell Snatch—2×10 @ 32kg; 5 @ 40kg

Week 6

Sumo DL—5 @135; 3 @ 225, 315, 405, 495; 1 @ 615, 615, 615(93%)

Week 7
Meet—Pulled 660 at 255 bodyweight on 3rd attempt.

Aris DeMarco – 417.5 @ 137

Aris DeMarco’s Deadlift Training

Deadlifts only for 7 weeks. Reason—-food choices at home limited recovery, so I decided to specialize.

Pull twice weekly, once working on power off the floor; once training lockout (my main weakness).

I went almost entirely by feel. Too many variables (uneven and/or wet floor, no chalk, etc.) to put together a meaningful percentage-based cycle.

Sample Week:
Session 1: Beltless speed pull doubles in 2-3 progressive waves of 3-4 sets (e.g. 215×2, 245×2, 275×2; 235×2, 265×2, 295×2, 315×2). Many sets were videotaped; the goal was to deadlift the heaviest weight possible in 1 second.

Session 2: Either ramp up to a top deadlift set of 3-5 with a belt, or a heavy double-paused single (pause just off the floor, pull to knee, pause again, explode to lockout). Double-paused top single was often followed by a set of 5-10 in the beltless RDL.

Best training sets: 335×2 speed pull, 360×4 belted deadlift, 365×1 double-paused belted deadlift, 300×5 beltless RDL. Took 8 days off and pulled 412.5 weighing 137, raw and wrap-less, i.e. belt only. 17lb PR, first triple bodyweight deadlift, first place 148lb class, unofficial IPA state record.

I would strongly encourage all of you, even if you haven’t quite attained your qualifying poundage for the StrongFirst Deadlift Team, to pick up one of the previously mentioned books, find an experienced powerlifter, and get access to a barbell and set of plates so you can start pulling. You’ll never know what you’ll unleash until you try.

Also, the following SFL instructors, all experienced competitive lifters, are available for paid distance consultations for deadlift meet preparation and training cycle design:

• Jeremy Layport
• Jason Marshall
• Phil Scarito
• Ellen Stein
• Fabio Zonin

Jason Marshall, SFG Team Leader is the owner of Lone Star Kettlebell in Lubbock, TX. Contact him at jason@lonestarkettlebell.com

Do not miss your opportunity to learn the barbell lifts at the StrongFirst Barbell Instructor Certification on Oct 18-20, 2013 in Virginia Beach, VA.

by Jason Marshall, StrongFirst Deadlift Team Captain

On June 22-23, 2013, the StrongFirst Deadlift Team competed at the IPA Strength Spectacular at the mecca of strength training, York Barbell Club in York, PA.

The lightweights lifted on Saturday followed by the heavyweights on Sunday.

Aris DeMarco – 417.5 @ 137

Lisa Burke – 315 @ 148

Saturday saw some strong pulls from the team, with Aris DeMarco lifting 412.5 lbs. at 137 lbs. Lisa Burke set an IPA World Record in her age group and weight class, pulling a PR and an impressive 315 at 148.

Ashleigh Kast – 260 @ 132

Joyce Sabin – 260 @ 132

Ashleigh Kast and Joyce Sabin also put a great show on, both pulling 260 in the 132 class.

Josh Halbert – 515 @ 181

Josh Halbert made an impressive third attempt after missing his second to pull 515 in the 181 class.

Julia Famiglietti competed in the full meet as a raw lifter and put in a first place showing with a 325 lbs deadlift and a 665 total in the 132 class.

Ellen Stein – 390 @ 132

Ellen Stein, who was the acting Team Captain, put on an outstanding performance, setting IPA World Records in all full power events for age group and weight class. She squatted 360, benched 180, and pulled a massive 390 at 132 pounds bodyweight raw.

Francisco Marentez (l) & Derek Miller (r) – IPA Strength Spectacular 2013

On Sunday, Derek Miller put up a great number at 255 lbs bodyweight, with a smooth and easy 660 pull. Francisco (Cisco) Marentez also hit a respectable 595 at 289 without a belt.

Ric Garcia – 375 @ 144

On the West Coast, Ric Garcia competed in his first meet at the annual APF Patriot Games in Buellton, CA on May 25. He went three for three at 143.8 lbs bodyweight with a strong 375 lbs pull.

Are you ready to step up to the platform with our team? To qualify, ladies are required to post a 2x bodyweight deadlift and gentlemen a 2.5x bodyweight pull.

The next meet we are competing in is NASA Texas Regionals, Dallas, TX, November 16-17, 2013.

Contact me at jason@lonestarkettlebell.com to apply to join the team for this meet or to get on the informational e-mail list for future meets. Also, please read my article, “How to Prepare for a Deadlift Competition.”

If your application is accepted and you compete with the team, you will receive a 50% scholarship for the StrongFirst Lifter certification (transferable). If you win your class, you will receive a full scholarship (transferable as well).

Power to you!

Jason Marshall, SFG Team Leader is the owner of Lone Star Kettlebell in Lubbock, TX. Contact him at
jason@lonestarkettlebell.com

Do not miss your opportunity to learn the barbell lifts at the StrongFirst Barbell Instructor Certification on Oct 18-20, 2013 in Virginia Beach, VA.

By Pavel Tsatsouline, Chairman

A “complex” of different kettlebell exercises strung together in an intelligent manner delivers many benefits: muscle hypertrophy, fat loss, etc. Today’s blog is about another benefit of complexes—accelerated skill development.

David Whitley, Master SFG calls the clean “a swing that ends up in the rack.” At SFG certs we sometimes put the class through the following simple complex to drive this point home: alternating single reps of cleans and swings. The complex more often than not defeats the typical mistake of yanking on the bell with the arm while allowing the lower body to take it easy. Sandwiching swings between cleans keeps reminding the student to get his hips in gear.

One can apply the same concept to the snatch—a swing that ends up overhead. Or the high pull—the swing that ends up at the head level. Consider the following complex Jeff Martone designed a decade ago: a clean, a swing, a high pull, a snatch. One rep of each. In addition to reminding the student to drive with the hips, it teaches the concept of “taming the arc.” When an object accelerates in orbit, the centrifugal force pulls it away from the center. Biblical David took advantage of this force when he slayed Goliath with his sling.

You need to bring the bell in closer—“tame the arc,” as Rob Lawrence put it. This is done by shrugging the shoulder back, not up—like starting a lawn mower. The above complex does a very fine job of driving this point home. To drive it in even deeper, I would start with another swing, a low one:

1. Swing (groin level)
2. Clean
3. Swing (chest level)
4. High pull
5. Snatch

Complexes with two bells, for those who are ready for them, become a game changer for internalizing the essential tension techniques. The primary driver is the double kettlebell front squat.

The weight distribution in this squat is very different from that in the barbell front squats. Dan John, Master SFG has pointed out that while in the barbell FSQ the weight is “stacked” nicely on the bone structure, a pair kettlebells “choke you like an anaconda.” In a correctly done kettlebell FSQ the spinal erectors have very little leverage to stabilize the spine and the job gets handed to the midsection—the diaphragm along with the obliques, abs, etc.

So when a student starts squatting with a pair of kettlebells, he quickly starts doing what we have been telling him all along: pulling up his kneecaps, cramping his glutes, bracing his abs for a punch. While a single bell, even a heavy one, does not have any effect, two even moderately sized bells—a pair of 24s for an average size man, a pair of 16s for an average size lady—get the job done.

When we have the class revisit double cleans, presses, and swings right after, the improvement is startling. The students’ technique becomes crisp like a black belt’s kata. To reinforce the new skill we build complexes around double front squats. These complexes include some or all of the following: cleans, presses, swings. The SFG Grad Workout designed by Dan John, Master SFG is a perfect example of a simple, yet sophisticated double kettlebell complex. Come to the SFG cert and experience it for yourself, side by side with your brothers and sisters in iron.

By Jerry Trubman, SFG, SFB, SFL

The subject of this blog came from a conversation with a friend about how ‘everything we need to know we learn from the iron’… although I’m certain I wasn’t the first to come up with that. We were talking about how the things we learn in our strength journey translate into real life. This can be interpreted many ways but it showed up again in a class I took recently; the instructor said something that really stuck in my mind, “The way we do anything is the way we do everything.” Pretty good stuff…

There is a reoccurring theme I’ve observed in my career but I believe Rif said it best, “The first step is getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.”

This is where the rubber meets the road. Personally, some of the greatest things that have happened over the course of my life came as a result of some level of discomfort… a sort of tension if you will. And conversely, some of the most depressing times of my life came from feeling stagnant (think of the movie Groundhog Day) where a certain level of comfort produced complacency, and I’m not alone. Many stories have been written about elite level athletes who began their journey because of suffering some extreme personal blows, then channeled that pain into something extraordinary. It’s almost like that tension was necessary to create their excellence. After all, a piano is just a wooden box filled with wires and hammers. It isn’t until you tighten down those wires very tight and strike them with the hammers that the beauty of music comes through.

Tension is what makes us grow. Without it we end up sad and soft. We’ve unfortunately seen this in a certain generation of young people. It’s likely you know how it is to deal with a young “adult” who has obviously been spoiled his/her entire life. It’s almost like they didn’t get wired right at the factory. This obviously comes from an upbringing where the road was always swept clean for them. We need stumbling blocks, and sometimes we even need to fall flat on our faces to learn the things necessary to be better. When a five year old acts five, it can be kind of cute for a little while. When a 26 year old (especially male) does it, it’s pathetic.

Sometimes our students, when starting a new healthy eating or exercise program, quickly begin experiencing tension from co-workers or even friends/family. Or perhaps some of us are taking on something bold outside the gym and find ourselves surrounded by naysayers. Instead of being discouraged and feeling like the world is trying to hold us back, instead recognize and appreciate that tension as a force necessary to move forward. These types of comments are clearly coming from weak people (mentally and physically) who, instead of gathering the courage to make changes in their own lives, decide to marginalize someone else’s efforts. When my studio was first getting off the ground I was terrified (heck, there are days when I’m still terrified), there was a saying that I came across that became a little mantra for when my fear was getting the best of me:

Better one day as a lion than a thousand as a sheep.

It’s an old saying from 1930’s Fascist Italy. It doesn’t have a very positive connotation from that perspective but the saying actually traces back to the book of Psalms in the Old Testament (84:10 if you’re interested in reading the original meaning). I think about that saying frequently when making choices and decisions in my business that go against the grain. And since much of our program is so anti-conventional wisdom, the saying pops up often. If you’re reading this, chances are pretty good you’re a lion in your own right… and I am grateful and humbled to be considered a part of this community of lions.

And so the journey continues…

Jerry Trubman, SFG, SFB, SFL

Jerry is a personal trainer, clinician, and group fitness instructor. His training focus is on joint mobility, kettlebell, and barbell training. He owns The Protocol Strength & Conditioning in Tucson, AZ and Vail Boot Camp in Vail, AZ. His blog, “The Healthy Addiction” has thousands of readers across the country. You can subscribe to his newsletter at www.theprotocolsc.com

by Elisa Vinante, SFG II

Since I was a child I always wanted to be strong. I’ve always been attracted by anything that was a manifestation of strength and power, but I’ve never had a particular susceptibility to competition. On the contrary, those who know me deeply know that, by the nature of my character, the platform, the stage, have always created in me a particular sense of inhibition and embarrassment. So how did it come to my mind the idea of participating in a National Powerlifting Trophy?

What I was looking for, as well as the courage to overcome my timid nature, was the comparison. For over a year I’ve been training alone, creating my own workout programs, and all I have to understand if what I am doing is right are my sensations. Yes, of course, I periodically run 1RM tests, but lifting more than the previous month, not knowing if the lift is valid within the regulatory parameters, does not really mean that I have improved. The technical improvement sometimes also requires the renunciation of the hardly earned 1RM, it means having the knowledge that you need to work on a slow but steady improvement that will give its results in the future, but in an ascending manner.

The awareness of how necessary is the comparison has found its way into my mind after I attended the FIPL (Italian Powerlifting Federation) Instructor Certification Course organized by AIF (Italian Academy of Strength). For FIPL the platform is the king to fully understand the obtained results, to make the comparison constructive and educational. Thanks to StrongFirst, I learned how to become stronger. I learned over the years, thanks to the ongoing close work with Fabio Zonin and the StrongFirst community, and the teachings of Pavel and all the leaders, how to increase strength and power with the use of kettlebells and barbells. This is a winning and indispensable combination for me. The curriculum with FIPL-AIF gave me the way to welcome a new challenge. I was aware that this would have revolutionized the way I train and the technical execution of my lifts, but it was a necessary process if I wanted to get closer to the world of powerlifting, a sport that is aimed at the competition.

When you choose an execution modality for the squat, the bench press, and the deadlift, you must, first of all, choose your goal. What I had done up to that time had made me stronger, but wasn’t appropriate for the technical diversity of the powerlifting competitions, especially in anticipation of aiming to one day compete with the equipment and typical feature of equipped powerlifting. My new goal was becoming stronger in the powerlifts according to the parameters of an equipped competition. I had found the appropriate school for my new goal, I just had to commit and work hard. So the next day from the first weekend of the FIPL-AIF course, where the theme of the study was the squat, I went to the gym, I unloaded all the weights from the barbell, and restarted with the empty bar. Down, squatting, in isometric hold for five seconds to listen to the load, the feet and the body’s position, to look for the angle at which the movement had a meaning for my new challenge.

While the FIPL-AIF Instructor’s Course was progressing, I also found myself forced to revise, for my new goals, the performing technique for the bench press and the deadlift. The latter, for example, that I always performed in the conventional style, does not really suit my physical characteristics, which is why I’m now currently projecting myself towards the sumo style. Of course, this was always in the view of “I want to lift more weight on the platform”, while for general physical preparation the conventional style remains, in my opinion, the choice number one.

I knew I was able to do quite well what I was doing at the time, but I also wanted to learn a different style of what I knew, in order to improve both as a trainer and as an athlete, in anticipation of the SFL StrongFirst Barbell Certification that I was going to attend at the end of May. It has been one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in my training curriculum. What I previously learned from FIPL-AIF was in many respects incremented and completed, and everything perfectly matched with the canons of the school of Pavel.

And so since February I completely went back into questioning. I wanted to be stronger, and I wanted to do it constructively, by adding the new notions to what I already knew. I wanted to put more kgs on the bar, and I wanted to continue my training with kettlebells. I wanted to run my lifts according to the rules of powerlifting. What is the best way to confront yourself, and to understand the rules of a new game? Play the game. Take what you know and put it to the judgment of the platform in a competition.

When I put on paper my first preparation, in early February, I had not yet developed the idea of competing, but I definitely wanted to better myself, and enrich my knowledge with new notions.

So I wrote my first program on four days a week: two workouts of squats, two of deadlift, and four of bench press, one of which inclined. The fifth day was devoted to pullups and kettlebell military presses. It may seem an exorbitant and exaggerated program to someone. In fact it is perhaps impossible for an advanced athlete, but for me, since I saw myself as a beginner, it was great. I needed to practice. Each lift was trained once a week with a light load and medium volume, but with stops along the critical point: 5″ at the chest before pressing in the bench press; 5″ in the bottom of the squat before coming up; 5″ wedging at the bottom of the deadlift before lifting the barbell.

In the second workout of every lift I applied the concept of MAV (Best Fast Lift, a kind of a technical maximal of the day), which in my case was a self-taught MAV because no one actually was seeing the correctness of my lifts. I performed 5/6 sets of 3 reps with increasing weight, then proceed with singles, in order to find the best load that I could manage that day, the one that I felt I owned, that gave me the feeling of domination and control, beyond which I would not have been equally defiant on the weight. At that point I stayed on the same weight for 5-6 more singles, always in complete control of the lift, because if I felt different I would have quit. Very often at the third/fourth single the game ended.

The third workout for the bench, in addition to the inclined, provided a little technical work with a light barbell. I found the bench press to be extremely difficult for me at that time, since I had to change my grip to a much wider one, with 81 cm of distance between my pinky fingers. Really a lot compared to my usual grip, which is why I found it necessary to practice a little more.

After six weeks I turned to almost zero volume and intensity for seven days, in which I only did a mild practice of the lifts, a necessary de-load before starting with a new program.

 The following program was developed over nine weeks, although in the fifth week there was a sharp drop in volume and intensity, as a de-load. The squat and the bench were performed three times every week, while the deadlift only once a week. In the squat, in which I felt much more confident and where with lifting shoes and belt I felt I had found the right groove, I applied at first Smolov’s program, followed by Shatov’s. In the bench however, which I still felt I didn’t really own, I continued with a workout with the MAV method, a workout with the 5″ stop, and a workout that I called “technical” with a light load, and significant volume. The deadlift was instead trained with singles in a wave manner. I used to climb with progressive heavier singles up to a weight where the lift was still clean (peak 1). Then I would start again with a light weight, climbing using different weights compared to first wave, in order to reach a maximum weight that was slightly lower than the one used in peak 1 (peak 2). Then I would perform 4-5 sets of singles with the weight reached in peak 2.

My training sessions of pull ups and kettlebell military presses continued in perfect StrongFirst style, and were trained with the principle of improving strength and not as accessory lifts. There is no need to talk here on how I trained them because they go off the topic of my experience in the world of powerlifting. But I can assure that many of the techniques used for training the deadlift do work well also with the pull ups, as well as many programs for the bench, revised, have a sense for the kettlebell Military Press.

Moreover, in all these months that I devoted myself to this new experience, kettlebell TGU, snatch, and swing have always been present in my programming, all done with low volume, but with heavy kettlebells. I also cyclically inserted, among accessory lifts, kettlebell Push Presses and kettlebell Jerks with medium-light bells.

In mid-May, while my training proceeded at full speed, and I was really thinking to participate in the Italian Raw Powerlifting National Trophy, I had a little accident: I tore my left calf. It was a month before the competition and I could not walk. I forced myself to a week off. Of course I continued with my bench training. The second week after the accident I started again to train the squat and the deadlift with very light loads and the help of an elastic bandage wrapped around my calf. At the end of that week, however, I decided that I would participate in the competition. After all what I wanted was the comparison, to understand how a competition worked, what it would mean to participate not only as a spectator, as it had already happened, but as an athlete.

The last ten days of training before the de-load that preceded the competition was recommended to me by coach Giovanni D’Alessandro of the powerlifting team of Rome, who also gave me the opportunity to compete, by including me in his team. The great merit of Giovanni, who still writes all of his programs on paper, with which he has an almost mystical relationship, is that of making me rest, by giving me a program that included significant recovery for me at that time, providential. Very often, when caught in the euphoria of a test, we forget that recovery is one of most important variables, as much as is training. And the clinical eye of a coach also serves this. In addition from Giovanni, I learned all the rules of the platform and from his team of athletes I’ve learned what it means to train and compete as a team. The team is, for who wants to grow in the sport, as the family for a child. Over the years I have learned to know myself, to feel the weight, to be the trainer of myself. But in ourselves there’s never enough lucidity and self-criticism to overcome the limitations that sometimes, seen through the eyes of others, are only steps.

 Every wonderful experience in which we achieve important objectives that we couldn’t imagine we could reach reminds us of the people that in our journey have made us what we are. And I can’t forget anyone of my teachers: Fabio Zonin who first took me by the hand and showed me the way, seeing something in me that I still couldn’t see. Much of what I know and I am, I owe to him. Fabio is one of the leaders of the StrongFirst community, that has always been my school of origin and belonging. StrongFirst has made a great contribution to my growth, not only professional but also personal because, as Pavel says, “Strength has a greater purpose”. I also thank the teachers of FIPL-AIF for teaching me the meaning of powerlifting. Last, but not least, I thank coach Giovanni D’Alessandro who is introducing me to another new wonderful experience in equipped powerlifting. And believe me: it is for all these people who have built what I am that my silver is worth gold.

Elisa (YellowThorTweety)

Do you need to train with a barbell? Take Pavel’s Bar Exam.

by Pavel Tsatsouline, Chairman

Master SFG Dr. Michael Hartle’s gym.

Do you need to train with a barbell?

Unlike the kettlebell, which belongs in the training arsenal of every man and woman, champion and beginner alike, the bar is not for everyone.

You must train with the barbell if:

1. Your sport demands very high levels of absolute strength.

In some events sky is the limit. If your sport is what Russians call a “speed-strength” sport, you need the bar. You are a thrower, a jumper, a sprinter. You need the bar because kettlebells and your body are just not heavy enough.

Laura Nepodal, SFG recently pulled a PR deadlift—325 pounds without a belt—
following a training plan from an earlier StrongFirst blog that combined deadlifts and kettlebell swings.

Strength matters in every sport, but in some, like boxing or distance running, reaching some point of diminishing returns is enough. Beyond that level competitive excellence has to come from other qualities and extra strength is not an asset or even a liability.

You just need to be stronger than your competitors. I told this old joke in Easy Strength which explains just how strong one needs to be. Two Russians were attacked by a bear and started running. One of them is yelling, “Why are we doing this?! You can’t outrun a bear!” The other Russian speeds up even more, “I don’t need to outrun the bear. I just need to outrun you.”

An MMA fighter does not need to be stronger than a powerlifter, just stronger than other fighters. Because he does not have to maximize his absolute strength development, he can make do with kettlebells and bodyweight.

Note that I did not say that he should not train with a barbell—just that he can do without it.

2. You need to maximize your muscle mass.

You are a football player. Or, you simply choose to be as large as a tank.

Other modalities can build a lot of muscle—but none as much as the trusted barbell. You are not going to add 30 pounds in six weeks lifting kettlebells and you do not stand a chance with bodyweight.

So hit some heavy fives in barbell squats and deads; eat and sleep like a teenager; and you will have to replace your wardrobe in a couple of months.

3. You love the adrenaline rush of heavy lifting.

Primal rage.

Tunnel vision in which nothing else exists or matters—only your opponent, cold hard steel.

An uncompromising one-time effort.

The victory of standing up with a bending bar.

If you have not experienced this thrill, you do not know what you are missing.

My father.

Do not miss StrongFirst’s barbell cert on October 18-20, 2013 in Virginia Beach, VA.

By Pavel Tsatsouline, Chairman

At every barbell and bodyweight cert I get the same question. “If StrongFirst is a principle-based school of strength, why does it teach different approaches to programming for different modalities?”

A fair question. I will limit the discussion to the “grinds” and leave the quick lifts out, as they do play by a different set of rules.

The fundamental programming principles (continuity of the training process, waviness of loads, and specialized variety) will remain the same, regardless of the modality. The same low reps and high tension will be employed and muscle failure will be avoided. What will change are the progression tactics.

Two variables impose the need for change: weight adjustability and equipment availability.

When it comes to precise load adjustment, the barbell rules. There is a very exact 1RM and the coach can program something like 88.5% of that number. Or he can choose to add a small amount of weight as a means of progression.

The bodyweight is the least cooperative in the weight adjustability department. You weigh what you weigh.

The kettlebell is in between. The weight is adjustable, but only in large increments. It is a 33% jump from 24kg to 32kg and a 25% jump from 16kg to 20kg, and so on.

When it comes to availability, the tables turn. Bodyweight rules. As George Samuelson, SFG II has put it, bodyweight training is “strength for everyday carry.” Like a gun. A police officer will leave his “barbell” of a shotgun in his cruiser and bring his “bodyweight” Glock to his beat.

The barbell is not easily accessible throughout the day—unless you work at a gym or own one.

The kettlebell is in the middle again. You could keep one under your desk and shut your office door here and there. A rare apartment is big enough for a barbell but even a small studio can handle a couple of kettlebells.

How does this affect programming?

There are different ways of progressively overloading the body. Add weight, add reps, reduce the rest periods, etc. However, when absolute strength is the goal, the choices are narrowed. Adding reps beyond five or increasing the density are off the table, as these types of progression build mass and endurance and not a lot of strength. 

Two strategies remain:

1. Increase the intensity. To remind you, in strength training “intensity” does not refer to a subjective effort. It is an objective measure of the weight or the resistance, e.g. % of your 1RM.

1. Increase the volume while maintaining high intensity and limiting the reps per set to five and fewer. “Volume” is the total number of reps done in a workout, a week, etc.

Both strategies must be used over a long haul but, as you are about to see, the barbell is more biased towards the first and the kettlebell towards the second. Bodyweight is somewhere in between.

The barbell makes it easy to up the intensity. Just plug in your numbers into a proven powerlifting cycle template (the SFL barbell cert manual offers more than thirty choices), and you are in business.

The barbell frowns upon the second strategy because exercises like deadlifts and back squats take a lot out of the body and demand extra recovery. The second strategy can work if one lifts several times a day and practices sophisticated recovery techniques, the way elite Russian lifters do, but impractical for most people with real jobs.

Bodyweight demands creativity in resistance adjustment: shifting more weight to one limb, elevating the feet, manipulating the range of motion, etc. You cannot adjust the resistance with barbell precision, hence cycling is out and specialized variety is in as a means of increasing intensity. Volume is easily added, as the exercises are a lot less systemically draining than the powerlifts. Besides, your bodyweight is always handy for a strength training session, which enables you to make dramatic strength gains on the “Grease the Groove” protocol. In summary, bodyweight strength training employs a balanced combination of both strategies.

The kettlebell is a special case. You can add weight—but what would it take to make a 10 to 33% leap of faith between sizes?

What seems like a problem at a first glance is a blessing in disguise. The kettlebell forces one to increase quality volume and to pay special attention to tension techniques.

Russian specialists like Robert Roman established that a “functional base” of high volume is needed to reach high strength levels. As Bill Starr has put it, the broader is the foundation of volume, the higher you can build your pyramid of strength.

The ladder is the best way to put up crazy volume while maintaining a high quality of each rep. The “Right of Passage” kettlebell military press program calls for building up to 75 reps on the heavy day: (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) x 5. Once you dominate the 24kg bell in that manner, you are ready to press the 32—if you remember your tension skills and your head is in the right place. It takes patience to build up one’s press from 24kg to 26 to 28 to 30 to 32. It takes courage to go straight from 24 to 32.

Once you take a step back and look at the big picture, it becomes apparent that you must be tactically flexible to accommodate to the opportunities and limitations of each implement—while firmly abiding by the fundamental, unshakable training principles.

# # #

By Jon Engum, StrongFirst Master Instructor

Pavel’s StrongFirst Bodyweight Instructor Certification is coming to New York City on December 7-8^th 2013.  Now, if you are like me you may be thinking what is the big deal about Bodyweight Certifications?  I mean really…I have grown up in a traditional martial arts school and have been doing bodyweight work my whole life…what is the point of going somewhere to learn how to do pushups and pull-ups, etc.?

Oh but how wrong I was!  I stand corrected.  What I found was that the SFB is not your typical calisthenics course where eeking out more shaking reps than the last time was the end all-be all goal to self-improvement. No, what is delivered is a system of knowledge that allows the user to get a powerlifting type of strength practice anywhere, anytime, with little or no gear…as the description says on the StrongFirst webpage, “ In Case Civilization is Temporary™ .”

Case in point, I travel all the time teaching workshops and certifications so it is not always easy to stick to a strict Kettlebell pressing program. Hard to travel fast and light with a kettlebell J.  Therefore, the solution for me during one particular busy section of the year was to do handstand pushups. I simply did Pavel’s Rite of Passage from Enter the Kettlebell.

The Rite of Passage Program in case you are not familiar with it is a sure fire way to systematically work your way up to a strict military press using a Kettlebell around half of your bodyweight.  The student practices pressing a bell using ladders starting with 3 ladders of 3  (1-2-3) (  1-2-3) (1-2-3) and gradually over time works himself up to 5 ladders of 5.

Well what I did was substitute handstand pushups for the kettlebell presses and followed the same program. What David Whitley laughingly calls “Enter the Handstand Pushups”.  The whole time I did this…about six weeks, I never touched a Kettlebell and in the back of my mind, I was concerned that I would lose the starting strength of my Kettlebell press.

The reason for this fear is when you think of a handstand pushup…you are really only going through the top two thirds of the motion compared to a Kettlebell press, because you are only able to lower yourself to the top of your head during the handstand pushup.  Where the kettlbell press starts from the rack and travels all the way to lockout, the concentric phase of the handstand pushup starts at the top of your head and goes to lock out…a much shorter or partial movement. I thought I was really going to have to spend some time with a Kettlebell to makeup for lost ground.

When I finished the six weeks and was finally able to test the press I grabbed a 44k and accidentally pressed it 8 times…best before was only 4 hard reps.  Therefore, in a little over six weeks I doubled my Kettlebell Press without touching a Kettlebell.

Let me make one thing very clear…I was not just practicing a loose mamby pamby, flailing all over the place, handstand,  I was practicing the SFB handstand pushup using every tension technique in the curriculum, practicing super stiffness and all of the “magic” power generating irradiation techniques to plug up in any power leakages in my body.  You have all had a taste of these during your SFG Level I but the Bodyweight Cert takes the principals and amplifies them beyond belief.  When you apply the knowledge that you will gain at the SFB Bodyweight Instructor Cert your kettlebell lifts will get stronger, way stronger …guaranteed.

Therefore, to recap, the core bodyweight moves are just the vehicle that we are using to teach the system and the system is were the gold is hidden.

So why take the SFB?

Here are my top reasons:

1. To get real world usable strength…the freaky in between strength that is so important in everyday life. Strength that fills the gaps and patches up the chinks in your armor…”strength for everyday carry.”

2. To learn how to systematically reverse engineer the bodyweight powerlifts – the one arm, one leg pushup, the pistol, the tactical pull-up, the handstand pushup, the hanging leg raise, the front lever and much more.  Master these power moves but more importantly learn how to help your students achieve these seemingly superhuman moves in the safest, most effective manner possible.  In addition, please, do not be afraid if you are currently unable to do any of these moves. You will learn how to eliminate the guesswork and trial and error to fast track both your progress and your student’s progress. Once you know the system, you will be able to complete your strength test within the six-month period.

3. Learn how to seamlessly combine the Kettlebell and bodyweight training for the best possible results.

4.   Lastly challenge yourself to become a PERFECT STRONGFIRST INSTRUCTOR!  What does that mean?  When I was  coming up through the ranks in my Martial Arts study, my Grandmaster told us to become a PERFECT Master one must be well  versed in three martial arts…my system is Korean, so Taekwondo for punching and kicking, Hapkido for throws, takedowns and locks, and Kumdo ( Korea form of Fencing ) for weapons training . Only then do you have the complete system, the whole story.

So from my point of view the Perfect StrongFirst Instructor has the SFG – Kettlebells, The SFB Bodyweight, and the SFL Barbell Cert. “One Mind…Any Weapon”   Perfection is a journey not a destination so I invite you to take up the challenge with me …I promise you will not regret one single step of the journey.

 # # #

Jon Engum is a 7^th Dan Kukkiwon Certified Taekwondo Grandmaster and in addition holds Master rank in Hapkido and Kumdo.  He is the author of Flexible Steel and is a StrongFirst Master Instructor who teaches Workshops and Certifications throughout the world.  Join him for the SFB Bodyweight Instructor Cert in New York City or Seoul, Republic of Korea.

By Pavel Tsatsouline, Chairman, StrongFirst 

It was 2002, the RKC kettlebell cert barely a year old. I was training many military and law enforcement operators and was looking for ways to help them focus on exercises that would help them most in their duty. So I designed a Tactical Strength Challenge competition.

There were two divisions. In the elite “Special Operations” division the events were the tactical pull-up, the pistol, and the snatch (one hand switch), all done with a 32kg kettlebell. The more democratic “Ready to Defend” division, named after a decades old Soviet program for getting the youth in shape for military service, employed a 24kg kettlebell.

Thirteen athletes competed in the first Tactical Strength Challenge on October 12, 2002 in Philadelphia. TSC was not restricted to gun-carrying professionals, and Brett Jones decisively won the Special Operations division. The scoring was done according to the system my father put together in the 1960s for his soldiers. For each event the competitor received the number of points that matched his placement, e.g. three points for being third in kettlebell snatches. If two or more competitors tied for the same place, they received the same number of points. In the end each competitor’s points for all three events were added up and the competitor with the fewest points won.

Early on TSC was supported and promoted by my company and by my partner in RKC, but very soon it got off our radar. I was busy teaching and writing, my business partner had his own hands full, and pretty soon TSC was on its own. Volunteers like Steve Freides ran the website, scheduled events around the world, refereed, changed the rules when they deemed it necessary.

A true grass-roots movement, TSC has survived with zero corporate support for a decade. This is a testament to its resilience—very suitable for a warriors’ sport. StrongFirst is about to put its muscle behind the event and making it even more intense and competitive.

Today the TSC events are:

• A three-attempt powerlifting deadlift
• Pull-ups for max reps (palms forward, no kipping, neck must touch the bar)
• Kettlebell snatches for max reps in a 5:00 time period (unlimited hand switches)

The Red Army knew what types of strength matter to a soldier. It never bothered with pushups or sit-ups. The military recruits’ physical included two strength tests: the isometric deadlift and the grip dynamometer. The TSC events are unmatched for building and testing both.

The deadlift is the greatest predictor of overall strength and the most natural movement you can imagine. Deadlift-built hip, back, and leg strength is directly applicable to carrying a heavy kit, a wounded comrade, taking a shock of a parachute canopy opening, etc. Why the DL and not the SQ?—Because an operator does not need chafing thighs.

The weighted pull-up is indispensable for negotiating obstacles.

The kettlebell snatch builds many types of endurance, bulletproofs hamstrings for explosive sprints and sudden stops, conditions the back and traps to put up with body armor, and builds fearsome grip.

The Tactical Strength Challenge is a truly democratic event. While larger competitors may have an advantage in the deadlift, lighter athletes have an advantage in pull-ups, and the kettlebell snatch challenges everyone equally.

Centuries ago great Russian military leader Alexander Suvorov (he never lost a single battle and won 63) said, “Hard in training, easy in combat!” Combat will never be easy but lives are saved with focused training.

Accept the Tactical Strength Challenge!

By Pavel Tsatsouline, Chairman 

No matter what your goals are—strength, mass, conditioning, or cuts—kettlebell complexes deliver.  This is why they are so frequently featured in training plans by our best program designers like Master SFGs Geoff Neupert and Dan John.

I built the following complex to give you “a-ha” moments in total body linkage and tension.  And build some serious muscle mass in the process.

You will be doing four exercises with a pair of kettlebells back to back:

Clean + Press + Squat + Renegade Row

The first three drills are standard in the SFG I curriculum.  Here is how to do the fourth.

Assume the top of the pushup position on top of a pair of large kettlebells, at least 70-pounders (Get rid of the plastic or rubber bases, if you kettlebells have them).  Tense your whole body.  Press down hard into the kettlebell with your left.  At the same time row with your right.  Strict and slow.  Do not allow your body to sag, twist, or pike.  You have only one rep per set to do; do it right!

If you are unable to row a 32kg bell, work one arm at a time.  Rest one arm on a heavy bell or some stationary object and row the lighter one.  Yes, this will slow down the complex, but it is a small price to pay for not making a face plant or breaking your wrist after losing balance on a small base of support.

Here is the plan.  On Monday grab a pair of kettlebells you can strictly press 6-8 times after one clean, and pyramid the press while keeping the reps in the rest of the drills at one.  Starting with a single, add a rep to your press every set until you can no longer go up without compromizing form.  Then work back down to one.  Your sets might look like this:

1 clean + 1 press + 1 squat + 1 renegade row per arm
1 clean + 2 presses + 1 squat + 1 renegade row per arm
1 clean + 3 presses + 1 squat + 1 renegade row per arm
1 clean + 4 presses + 1 squat + 1 renegade row per arm
1 clean + 5 presses + 1 squat + 1 renegade row per arm
1 clean + 4 presses + 1 squat + 1 renegade row per arm
1 clean + 3 presses + 1 squat + 1 renegade row per arm
1 clean + 2 presses + 1 squat + 1 renegade row per arm
1 clean + 1 press  + 1 squat + 1 renegade row per arm

This is just an example; you might go up as high as six or hit the wall at four.

Why does the Total Tension kettlebell complex employ a pyramid instead of the vaunted ladder?—For a change of pace and because we are trying to induce a lot of fatigue to stimulate hypertrophy.

The rest periods between sets are up to you.  Short, long, or anything in between—you will get stronger no matter what, although for different reasons.

Pop out 100 snappy swings in sets of 10-20, and you are done for the day.  Go home and eat like a man and sleep like a boy.

On Wednesday repeat the procedure—this time pyramiding the front squat.  You might end up doing:

1 clean + 1 press + 1 squat   + 1 renegade row per arm
1 clean + 1 press + 2 squats + 1 renegade row per arm
1 clean + 1 press + 3 squats + 1 renegade row per arm
1 clean + 1 press + 4 squats + 1 renegade row per arm
1 clean + 1 press + 5 squats + 1 renegade row per arm
1 clean + 1 press + 6 squats + 1 renegade row per arm
1 clean + 1 press + 5 squats + 1 renegade row per arm
1 clean + 1 press + 4 squats + 1 renegade row per arm
1 clean + 1 press + 3 squats + 1 renegade row per arm
1 clean + 1 press + 2 squats + 1 renegade row per arm
1 clean + 1 press + 1 squat   + 1 renegade row per arm

Again, this is just an example.  Climb as high as you can without contortions.

Wrap up with a 5min snatch test.

Train Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, alternating press and squat pyramids:

Monday—press pyramid
Wednesday—squat pyramid
Friday—press pyramid

Monday—squat pyramid
Wednesday—press pyramid
Friday—squat pyramid

The Total Tension ketlebell complex is a so-called “step cycle”.  You will be staying with the same reps for three workouts to “solidify” your gains.  In the above example of the girevik making it to five reps in the first press workout, he will stay at five for two more workouts, or two weeks total:

Monday—5
Friday—5
Wednesday of next week—5

Then in press workout number four push as high as you can—probably to 6 or 7 reps.  And stabilize for three workouts/two weeks once again:

Monday—7
Friday—7
Wednesday of next week—7

Then comes the third and final phase.  You might end up doing:

Monday—8
Friday—8
Wednesday of next week—8

This is it.  Six weeks from now there be noticeably more meat on your bones and you will possess a much deeper understanding of linkage and tension.  Unload with a week of fun, easy training, and you are ready for a pure strength program such as (1, 2, 3) ladders and new PRs.

 # # #

View SFG I kettlebell instructor cert schedule—learn the skills of strengh in Australia, Canada, Croatia, Israel, Italy, South Africa, South Korea, and the US. 

by Mark Toomey, CEO

“It’s always funny until someone gets hurt. Then it’s just hilarious.”
-Bill Hicks

The problem is there are not many times when an injury in your own facility elicits laughter. Most times, the emotions run along the lines of shock, a sense of helplessness/panic/fear, followed by the overwhelming thought of, “What’s this going to do to my insurance?”

Like any unpleasant experience, we too often place the need for a written contingency plan on the back burner, but like that unwatched pot, sometimes events boil over.

Are you prepared?

Many of us spend countless hours and dollars preparing our classes, one-on-one sessions, and special events for content, working tirelessly to make sure our customers receive the very best experience. In addition to the material, what steps have you taken in case one of those folks with whom you’re working injures himself, or worse, has a catastrophic event like a heart attack? How you prepare the very basics of an emergency action plan not only protects you and the person involved in any emergency; it also reflects upon you with those people left watching as the emergency unfolds.

The Facility:

• Too many times, an event has packed too many people into a room that just can’t handle the numbers. A small room with a large group swinging kettlebells is like a smoking area near the dynamite storage room; maybe there’s an explosion today, maybe next week or next year, but you know it’s coming. If you own the facility, you need to be aware of occupancy limits, as well as a business and communication plan if you experience exponential growth for one or many of your classes. It only takes one time for something to happen to change your life forever.
• If you’re traveling to do an event, make sure to visit the facility prior to the event to confirm that everything the manager/owner told you was accurate. This sounds cynical, but many times, a facility owner will tell you what you want to hear, or worse, won’t tell you much if you don’t ask the right questions.
• Does the facility you’re using have an adequate way of letting emergency responders enter and exit with a gurney and other equipment? Is there an area where an injured person can be taken and treated with privacy, away from the eyes of everyone else in the class? Here’s a simple example: You may have the city-mandated wheelchair lift at the front door that allows handicapped people access to your place, but is the lift big enough for two EMTs, a wheeled stretcher (carrying someone) and assorted oxygen tanks? Will the responders to an emergency have to figure out how to navigate a tight set of stairs to get someone out to an ambulance?
• Are the emergency exits blocked with unused equipment or broken machines that probably should have been trashed instead of being used as clothing racks? The time spent “clearing a path” is precious to the person who needs to get to a hospital quickly.
• Does the facility have adequate ventilation? Sure, we like to think that all our students or clients need to toughen up, but not using the AC in a facility during hot weather is not the ideal way to do so.
• Finally, know and respect the facility’s limitations.

Tools of the Trade:

• Check your first aid kit weekly, daily is even better. When was the last time you checked your basic first aid kit? This may sound strange, but people feel entitled to grab a Band-Aid, gauze, Tylenol, alcohol wipes, or anything else they may need as they use your facility. How many times have you really needed a band aid or tape and gone to the first aid kit, only to find a rusted lance, two sticks of gum, a band aid wrapper, and a pack of two Bayer Aspirin tablets that expired during the Nixon administration… and the obligatory empty roll of tape?
• An AED costs money, but it saves lives. Those that have taken a recent CPR course may have had instruction on the use of an AED. For what it might cost you for four hours’ time with your attorney, buy one. It’s just as important as the reverse-hyper machine you’ve always wanted. If you’re renting a facility, ask where their AED is located before you get there. If they say they don’t have one, re-consider using the facility.
• Have a clean, sealed blanket and a pillow ready in a closet or on a shelf. You may need to elevate someone’s head or feet. Yes, a foam roller or a striking pad may do in a pinch; however a few clean pillows or pads kept in a closet may be a little nicer and a touch more comfortable for someone in discomfort. Do you have something to cover the fallen student with until help arrives? Yes, a sweatshirt might do in a pinch, but for a few bucks, you can put a clean, sealed emergency blanket on the same shelf as those two pillows or pads.
• Have clean, non-expired hot and cold packs ready. Do you have a supply of chemically-activated hot or cold packs ready? “I thought I saw those in the first aid kit.” Nope, just the two sticks of gum and Nixon’s Bayer. Once a year buy hot and cold packs and when you bring them in, throw last year’s away. If you’re using another’s place, bring them with you. It’s your reputation on the line.
• Keep aids available for injured people. What aids are available for an injured person? Do you have a set of adjustable crutches or a wheelchair? Injured people don’t always leave in an ambulance. Don’t make them limp out to the parking lot or a waiting car. Have some type of aid available to them. If you have the room, get a used wheelchair from a thrift store.
• Post basic first aid signs where people can see and follow them. Is there a basic first aid sign on your wall or the wall of your rented facility? Here’s a hint: if there’s a sign on the wall, someone gave the safety of the facility’s visitors some thought. It’s a promising sign. More importantly, in those cases when you’re not watching everyone, such as you had to run outside to get something from your car or had to take a call and leave the floor, is there some basic instruction that others can follow before you come back or a first responder arrives? I know the fascination with Uncle Rhabdo and the desire for people to train ‘til they puke, but a sign in the restroom (please tell me there is a restroom available) notifying your students of the signs of rhabdomyolysis is not a bad idea. If you’re renting a place that doesn’t have them, well, it’s another indication you may be in the wrong place.
• In very basic terms, it’s your responsibility to know the facility in which you train or teach people so that you never say, “But I thought…” or “I didn’t know that…”

The Plan

There’s a great line that says the best battle plan falls apart when the first shot is fired. No, that’s not an excuse to avoid drawing up a plan of attack; it’s a reminder that in the fog of battle, or in the elevated emotional state of an emergency, a well thought out plan can mean the difference between an unpleasant experience and a catastrophic event. Spend a few moments and create your own battle plan for emergencies.

• Everyone has a role in daily safety maintenance tasks. Many of us are in facilities where we may work alone frequently or from time to time. Things can be a little easier when we have an extra set of hands or two when we’re dealing with an emergency, but alone or in a team, you’re going to have to get the job done when something happens. Having a repeatable, consistent plan for dealing with emergencies may be the best defense you can have after the ambulance leaves and the lawyers arrive.
  • If you have a team of people working with you, assign each person a weekly responsibility. Earlier, I mentioned the need to check on a first aid kit on at least a weekly basis. That’s an example of a maintenance task, something that is done as a matter of course on an hourly, daily, or weekly basis. These tasks also include checking for safety violations in the facility, blocked exits, equipment in need of repair or replacement, restroom cleanliness (listed as the number one reason people leave a gym in search of a new facility), or cleaning debris up from the facility or the parking lot. The last two jobs are probably the least glamorous, but they are the ones that pay the highest dividends in customer retention and safety. Having broken glass or asphalt chunks in a parking lot makes it unsafe and in many states constitutes an attractive nuisance. Filthy restrooms are great breeding grounds for all kinds of nasty stuff, and let’s be honest, if a toilet area is dirty, what are the chances people are going to wash up before they return to the floor and grab a piece of equipment.
  • If you’re a sole proprietor, you have a choice to either come in an hour early each day and do the maintenance tasks yourself, or hire a cleaning service to do the least attractive parts while you do the more important ones. Like brushing ones teeth, maintenance tasks should become habits to avoid long-term problems.

Now that you have the non-crisis plan in place, what about the disaster plan?

• Let’s look at the multiple-person facility first. Everyone should know his role in case of an emergency. Each person who works in your facility should know what his role is during a medical emergency or after an injury, and should be familiar with the roles of others. Ideally, each person should be able to handle multiple roles. So, what are the roles?
  • First, you need a director. This is the person who gives instruction to everyone involved in aiding during the emergency. The director tells whomever he or she is working with to get the first aid kit, support for the head or feet, call 9-1-1 or the injured person’s emergency contact, while the director stays with the injured person to observe their behavior or condition. Every one cannot be the director, there has to be a chain of command, and assigning these roles before the emergency occurs saves time as it eliminates arguing and second-guessing when time is at a premium. You may assign a director position on a rotating basis or simply tell everyone what the chain of command looks like when they start work.
• What do you do if you train people alone? In that case, you’re going to be the director and support staff all in one. If you work alone, keep a cell phone on you at all times. Turn the phone to silent so you’re not tempted to take incoming calls, but you have it ready so that if you need to call 9-1-1, you may do so without leaving the injured person’s side.
  • Working alone doesn’t mean you can’t use others in an emergency. If you train group classes, make sure the people in your class know where the emergency supplies are kept (a centralized cabinet for the first aid kit, blanket, AED and other items mentioned above is best) so that if you need their help in providing aid, they can find your supplies quickly.
• Have a script ready. If someone faints, do you know what questions to ask when he or she regains consciousness? Do you know what medications that person is on? If not, ask him, so if he loses consciousness again, you can provide this information to the first responders when they arrive.
• In case something happens, get the details recorded as soon as possible. Regardless of whether you’re alone or part of a team, prepare and keep handy an incident form to fill it out as soon as practical. Details get lost, and memories get fuzzy after the adrenaline rush subsides, so it’s important to get as much information as possible down in writing as quickly as possible. Your insurance company will love you for this, and many times will require a copy of it when you or an injured party submits a claim. If you are visiting or renting a facility, your travel kit should include blank incident report forms just in case.
• Know the facility as if it were your own. If you’re using a facility outside of your own, the roles described above are the same. If you work as part of a team, define whom the director will be, who will call 9-1-1, who will be responsible for bringing supplies. If you’re working alone, completely familiarize yourself with the facility before the event begins so if necessary, you can direct people to help you and the injured person. Most importantly know the street address by heart, especially if someone has driven you there. The responders will need the facility address, not its name.
• Everyone fills out a liability waiver and contact information sheet – NO EXCEPTIONS! As a matter of course, almost all of us have new clients or members sign releases and provide emergency contact information. If you are using another’s facility, these forms become even more important. Being a stranger or an outsider places even more responsibility upon you to be prepared and professional. If the injured person is from out of town like you, being able to reach their contact in a timely manner is not only the kindest thing to do, it also gives that contact the impression that you are prepared and in charge. Prepared, in-charge people tend to get sued less.

Knowing you have an emergency plan and its required supportive activities in place is a lot like having a coin in your pocket. You may not need it, but you’re always aware you have it.

That awareness may make a difference in someone’s life.

Mark Toomey is the CEO of StrongFirst.

By Pavel Tsatsouline, Chairman

If strength and conditioning are equally important to you, the following weekly kettlebell training template will serve you well.

Focus on strength twice a week and on conditioning twice a week. Train your endurance the day after strength:

Monday—strength
Tuesday—conditioning
Wednesday—off
Thursday—strength
Friday—conditioning
Saturday—off
Sunday—off

On Mondays and Thursdays do presses, front squats, weighted pullups, weighted pistols, and other low rep grinds. Heavy low rep quick lifts, e.g. double kettlebell swings, snatches, or jerks belong here as well. In this context “heavy” means heavier than 10RM.

On Mondays and Thursdays wait until your heart rate returns to normal before hitting your next set. Because power loves rest. For very heavy or hard sets use Marty Gallagher’s guideline and take another minute after your pulse has normalized.

Heavy ab work belongs on the strength days as well: ¼ get-ups with a big kettlebell, hanging leg raises, hard style sit-ups, etc.

Tuesdays and Fridays are all about high rep ballistics: swings, snatches, cleans, jerks. “High rep” in the context of the StrongFirst training system means 10-20. The conditioning effect will come from keeping your rest intervals brief. Drive your heart rate up and keep it there.

A sample week might look like this:

Monday

• Kettlebell clean and press, weighted tactical pullup and pistol—3 x (1, 2, 3).

Do all exercises in a slow circuit.

Tuesday

• One-arm swing—5×10 per arm.
• One-arm jerk—5×10 per arm.

Finish all swings before starting jerks.

Thursday

• Double kettlebell military press, weighted parallel grip pullup, double kettlebell front squat—3×5.

Do all exercises in a slow circuit.

Friday

• USSS 10min snatch test.

And another sample week, with a different slant, not to be followed literally, but to drive the point home:

Monday

• Dead stop double snatch—3 x (1, 2).
• Double C&J—3 x (2, 3).
• Double jerk—2 x (5, 10).
• Double front squat to push press (“long” push press)—3×5.

Tuesday

• Double snatch—5, 20, 10, 15.
• Double C&J—3 x (10, 15).

Thursday

• Dead stop double swing—3 x (2, 5).
• Double C&P—3 x (2, 5).
• Alternate sets of double front squats and double military presses—4×5 each.

Friday

• Double jerk—2 x (10, 15, 20).
• Double clean—2 x (10, 15, 20).

Finally, a week featuring all three key modalities: kettlebells, bodyweight, and barbell:

Monday

• Zercher squat, kettlebell military press, weighted tactical pullup and pistol—2 x (2, 3, 5).

Do all exercises in a slow circuit.

Tuesday

• 20min of free style practice with one light kettlebell without setting it down. E.g. 2 goblet squats to 10 two-handed swings to 5 jerks per arm to 1 arm bar per arm to 5 windmills per arm to 10 snatches per arm to 3 overhead squats per side to 5 Sots presses per side to 10 two-handed swings to 5 bent press singles per arm… Keep moving, stay crisp, spread the fatigue all over.

Thursday

• Bench press—3×3.
• Deadlift—5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
• Close grip bench press—2×5.

Friday

• Same as Tuesday, but 10min with a slightly heavier kettlebell.

You get the idea.

I have used the 2+2 template many times over the years myself and prescribed it to others—athletes, operators, and regular folks. It always worked very well and allowed plenty of flexibility to suit individual circumstances.

Power and conditioning to you!

# # #

From Pushing to the Front, 1911 by Orison Swett Marden

Over the door of every profession, every occupation, every calling, the world has a standing advertisement: “Wanted–A Man”.

Wanted, a man who will not lose his individuality in a crowd, a man who has the courage of his convictions, who is not afraid to say “No”, though all the world say “Yes”.

Wanted, a man who is larger than his calling, who considers it a low estimate of his occupation to value it merely as a means of getting a living. Wanted, a man who sees self-development, education and culture, discipline and drill, character and manhood, in his occupation.

Wanted, a man of courage who is not a coward in any part of his nature.

Wanted, a man who is symmetrical, and not one-sided in his development, who has not sent all the energies of his being into one narrow specialty and allowed all the other branches of his life to wither and die.

Wanted, a man who is broad, who does not take half views of things; a man who mixes common sense with his theories, who does not let a college education spoil him for practical, every-day life; a man who prefers substance to show, and one who regards his good name as a priceless treasure.

Wanted, a man “who, no stunted ascetic, is full of life and fire, but whose passions are trained to heed a strong will, the servant of a tender conscience; who has learned to love all beauty, whether of nature or of art, to hate all vileness, and to respect others as himself”.

The world wants a man who is educated all over; whose nerves are brought to their acutest sensibility; whose brain is cultured, keen, incisive, broad; whose hands are deft; whose eyes are alert, sensitive, microscopic; whose heart is tender, magnanimous, true.

The whole world is looking for such a man. Although there are millions out of employment, yet it is almost impossible to find just the right man in almost any department of life, and yet everywhere we see advertisement: “Wanted–A Man”.

It is a sad sight to see thousands of students graduated every year from our grand institutions whose object is to make stalwart, independent, self-supporting men, turned out into the world saplings instead of stalwart oaks, “memory-glands” instead of brainy men, helpless instead of self-supporting, sickly instead of robust, weak instead of strong, leaning instead of erect. “So many promising youths, and never a finished man!”

The character sympathizes with and unconsciously takes on the nature of the body. A peevish, snarling, ailing man can not develop the vigor and strength of character which is possible to a healthy, robust, cheerful man. There is an inherent love in the human mind for wholeness, a demand that man shall come up to the highest standard; and there is an inherent protest or contempt for preventable deficiency. Nature, too, demands that a man be ever at the top of his condition.

The first requisite of all education and discipline should be man-timber. Tough timber must come from well grown, sturdy trees. Such wood can be turned into a mast,, can be fashioned into a piano or an exquisite carving. But it must become timber first. Time and patience develop the sapling into the tree. So through discipline, education, experience, the sapling child is developed into hardy mental, moral, physical man-timber.

If the youth should start out with the fixed determination that every statement he makes shall be the exact truth; that every promise he makes shall be redeemed to the letter; that every appointment shall be kept with the strictest faithfulness and with full regard for other men’s time; if he should hold his reputation as a priceless treasure, feel that the eyes of the world are upon him, that he must not deviate a hair’s breadth from the truth and right; if he should take such a stand at the outset, he would … come to have almost unlimited credit and the confidence of everybody who knows him.

What are palaces and equipages; what though a man could cover a continent with his title-deeds, or an ocean with his commerce; compared with conscious rectitude, with a face that never turns pale at the accuser’s voice, with a bosom that never throbs with fear of exposure, with a heart that might be turned inside out and disclose no stain of dishonor? To have done no man a wrong; … to walk and live, unseduced, within arm’s length of what is not your own, with nothing between your desire and its gratification but the invisible law of rectitude–this is to be a man.

# # #

By Pavel Tsatsouline, Chairman

Understanding the difference between lifts, feats, and exercises will simplify your life and make it easier to reach your goals.

A “lift” is something a lot of people compete in.  The barbell squat, bench press, and deadlift.  The snatch and jerk, kettlebell and barbell.  The pull-up.

A lift is a goal.  One makes a plan to improve it and uses all means available—practice of the lift proper plus various assistance exercises.  And the plan revolves around the competition schedule.  One has to perform on a given date, against other competitors and in front of spectators.  Otherwise it is not a lift.

A “feat” is also a challenging goal.  But for one reason or another, feats are not contested. Sometimes they are too tough to find many competitors, such as the one-arm chin.  Others could be pointless and goofy, such as juggling oranges and texting while riding a unicycle.  Or an event is competitive, yet it has not gained enough steam among the public, such as speed rope climbing.

Is closing a heavy-duty gripper a feat or a lift?  There are grip competitions, but they are far in between.  I once had a conversation about Iron Mind’s #3 gripper with Louie Simmons.  I was pleased to have closed it with a parallel set.  Louie was not impressed.  People would have been closing it left and right, he argued, if more folks were doing it.  He had a point there.

We have no doubt Dr. Michael Hartle, Master SFG is world-class strong, as he broke an American bench press record—a highly contested event.  If he boasted the biggest barbell military press in America, he would have certainly been strong, having accomplished such a “feat,” but we would have had no way of knowing if it was world-class.  Strict heavy military presses are not fashionable these days, so there are not enough people to compare one’s performance to.  Statistically insignificant.  Had Doc owned the biggest overhead press in the nation in 1960, when it was “the” test of strength, then it would have been a “world-class lift.”

Whereas a “lift” and a “feat” represent the end, an exercise is only the means.  Many powerlifters do machine rows to improve the stability in the bench press and make themselves more linked up in the deadlift.  They walk over to the machine, load it up with whatever plates are handy, get pumped up without bothering to count reps, and go home.  It would never occur to them to go heavy or psych up for these.  Because the phrase “How many wheels can you row on the Hammer, bro?” is not something you will ever hear.  Should you decide to pronounce the row a feat and pursue your 1RM, you will undoubtedly win the [totally uncontested] title of the King of the Row.  Reminds me of the Russian joke about an outlaw named “Unbeatable Boris.”  He was not unbeatable because no one could beat him, but because no one bothered…

Still, the King of the Row is in a much better place than your typical guy or gal at the gym.  The latter just does random stuff, slightly motivated by a vague goal of “getting in shape.”  As they say, if you do not know where you are going, any road will get you there.  And apple and pear also happen to be shapes…

If you got all excited by the title of this article, I hate to bring you back to reality…

But I’m going to do so anyway…

You see, there is no ‘right way to get strong.’

Sure, there are many things you should avoid at all costs when it comes to building strength with a barbell – but there is no perfect system.

Most of the time I use a cycling approach in my training. Other great lifters (Eddy Coan being one) have also used this method.

You start moderately light and build up the weights each week as the cycle progresses. There’s more to it than that – but you get the idea. It works for me, it worked for Eddy, and it’ll work for you too.

But is cycling the only way to get strong?

Nope.

Sheiko works, and if you enjoy a ton of volume and moderate intensity, it’s probably the program for you.

Westside works as well – if you like endless variety… you could do worse.

With all that said, there are times when it pays to do something different.

The most obvious time is when what you used to do is no longer working and you need something different to help you overcome a plateau.

One method to use in such a scenario is extreme specialization. The most ‘hard-core’ example of extreme specialization is what the Bulgarian Weightlifters did under the great coach Abadjiev. They got so specialized that the advanced lifters did only five exercises:

The Clean and Jerk
The Snatch
The Power Snatch
The Power Clean
The Front Squat

Before you rush off to copy this program, understand that the system BROKE more lifters than it made… but they didn’t care because it produced a phenomenal amount of Olympic and World Weightlifting medals from a poor Eastern European country with a population similar in size to London.

Mind-blowing.

Extreme Specialization For The Real World…

Anyway – let’s get back to reality.

Unless you’re prepared to give up your life, train multiple times a day, use a boatload of gear, and max out every time you train – the Bulgarian system isn’t for you. By all means read about it and by amazed – but don’t try to copy it.

The question is:

“How can you use extreme specialization in the real world?”

Well, there are many ways and here’s one example…

Pick a lift- the DEADLIFT for instance – that you want to focus on for eight weeks.

Train four times a week.

Three sessions for the lower body and one for the upper body. The upper body session is there to help you maintain upper body strength. If you often overtrain your upper body – the reduction in training frequency may even lead to strength gains.

Sometimes less is more.

On the lower body days squat one day and do a few assistance exercises, but devote the majority of your training time to the deadlift.

Avoid failure.

Have harder days and easier days.

Incorporate cycling, speed work, technique practice, and block pulls (or pin pulls) to get you feeling properly heavy weights in your hands.

Deadlift like that – three times a week, using a variety of methods and avoiding failure, and a much stronger deadlift may very well be yours at the end of eight weeks.

Of course – planning such a program is best left to a professional and as it turns out, I’ve just launched my new 8 week deadlift specialization training program.

It’s the result of my 20 plus years of success in the iron game. If you’d like to rapidly increase your pulling power and aren’t afraid to deadlift three times a week for the next eight weeks – you should check it out here.

By Pavel Tsatsouline, Chairman, StrongFirst

Have you done the Total Tension Complex we posted six weeks ago?
Please post your results if you did.

There are two types of training a strength seeker must do.

First, perform a number of sets with moderate weights and reps, e.g. 5×5.  This builds muscle and “greases the groove.”

Second, develop one’s tension skills—the ability to tense individual muscles and to link them into an unbreakable chain.

The first component, volume, is not greedy for variety.  Many athletes have built world-class strength and muscle mass by sticking to the same battery of basics like the three powerlifts.  (Some variety does not hurt, but not on the day-to-day basis.  Switch your bench press grip or move to an incline bench and you are good for another six weeks.)

The second component, tension, thrives on frequent exercise changes.  Consider the Westside Barbell Club practice of changing to a different variation of the bench press on their “max effort day.”  Consider the wealth of gymnastic tightness exercises, each teaching another subtlety of turning your body into a piece of steel.

Enter the Tension Day, a simple model for implementing tension practice in almost any strength regimen, regardless of one’s goals and preferred training implement.

During the week build what Russian coaches call a “foundation” with multiple sets of five, give or take a rep.  Depending on the exercise and individual circumstances (time available, recovery, other physical demands), the frequency will typically vary between once a week to three times a week.

Saturday is your Tension Day.  Take a close look at the exercises listed below.  What do they have in common?

• Double kettlebell front squat
• Double kettlebell static stomp deadlift
• Heavy kettlebell clean
• Heavy kettlebell ¼ get-up
• Bottom-up kettlebell drills
• Kettlebell renegade row
• One-legged kettlebell press
• Tight rope kettlebell press
• Around-the-body kettlebell pass or “slingshot”
• One-legged single or double kettlebell deadlift

• Power breathing
• Hard style sit-up
• Hollow rock and other hollow position drills
• Muscle control exercises
• Yang plank
• One-arm pushup progressions
• One-arm lock-off
• One-arm hang (extra weight in free hand, the working shoulder packed)
• One-arm handstand (wall-supported)
• Walking on hands

• Zercher squat
• Suitcase deadlift
• Back squat, bench press, and deadlift overloads: lockouts, walkouts, supports.

All these exercises, regardless of the implement, develop tension skills in one way or another.  Some do it the brute force way—through more weight.  Examples are a deadlift rack pull, a clean performed with a kettlebell one cannot yet press, the one-arm lock-off (holding the top position of the one-arm pull-up)…

Others do it through a stabilization challenge: bottom-up kettlebell drills, the one-arm/one-leg pushup, the one-legged kettlebell press…

There are pure feed-forward drills demanding that you generate tension out of nothing, such as gymnastic hollow rocks and the Yang plank…

There are combined feed-forward and feed-back moves like the double kettlebell front squat and the renegade row…

Regardless of the implement or the underlying mechanism, all these drills teach you one thing: to get tight.

1,000-pound deadlifter Andy Bolton has spoken: “The strong guys all have one thing in common—they know how to GET TIGHT.  Without tightness, you cannot have strength.  All the best lifters get tighter than the average lifters.  Simple as that.”

So on Saturday select several exercises from the list—say three—and practice your tension skills.

Pick some drills specific to the lifts you aim to improve, e.g., one-arm lock-offs for weighted pull-ups.

Pick others that are more general in nature, e.g. hard style sit-ups for a powerlifter.  (For a gymnast it would be a drill highly specific to the hollow position extensively found in the sport.  For a lifter it is just a way to get tighter overall.)

Some should get your attention through heavy weights, others through stabilization, etc.

Make sure that at least one exercise is unilateral.

Stay around 110% 1RM for barbell overloads.  Heavier weights are dangerous and less effective.

Do not even think about one-arm handstands until you are strong enough to do several handstand pushups between boxes.  Ditto for one-arm lock-offs and hangs until you can do a strict pull-up with an additional 50% of your bodyweight.

Avoid redundancies.  For instance, there is no point in these pairs: hard style sit-up + hollow rock; Zercher squat + double kettlebell front squat; one-arm handstand + bench press support, etc.

But do not overthink your selections either, because every three weeks you get to change them.

Some examples:

Double kettlebell front squat
Walking on hands sideways along the wall
One-arm hang, the shoulder packed

Barbell back squat walkout
Heavy kettlebell clean
Hard style sit-up

Heavy kettlebell ¼ get-up
Deadlift lockout
Power breathing

Start your Tension Day with whatever warm-up or lack of thereof that you know to be safe and effective for you.  Then perform three moderately hard sets per exercise.  Keep your reps low, 1-3.  Keep isometric contractions in the 5-10sec range.  Rest for several minutes between sets, walking around and doing fast and loose drills.

Finish stronger than when you started.  It is extremely important that you understand that what you do on Saturdays is a practice—not a test!  If you have to psych for whatever you are about to do, you are going too far.

You are aiming to feel strong and tight—not crushed.  An optimally heavy weight maximizes muscle tension.  An ego-driven poundage makes muscles quiver and shut down.  Even your mother does not care what your heaviest deadlift lockout is; so do not go there.

Back-off sets, “finishers,” and “smokers” do not belong on your Tension Day.  Wrap up with an extensive, 30-45min, stretching and relaxation practice that includes hanging on a pull-up bar.  Dr. Franco Columbu has warned: “Compression is the worst enemy of a strength athlete.”  Enjoy working both extremes of your muscles’ ability—tension and relaxation—and you shall find strength and health.

# # #

Do not forget:  October 31 is the last day to save $400 on the February, 2014 Level I SFG Kettlebell Instructor Certification in sunny La Jolla, California!

Register HERE.

by Lauren Brooks, SFG Team Leader

Over the last few months I have performed some lifts that I previously didn’t think could be done by a gal my size. After exchanging some emails with Pavel, he has asked me to write about how I made this happen. I was very honest with him and told him that I didn’t train for it or even try very hard. In fact, the path I took was quite boring. Then I remembered I’m writing for a population that likes “boring” programs. Not boring in our eyes, but it would be as boring as it comes for the mainstream fitness buff.

I discovered that strength can work in very mysterious ways. Living with toxic stress and/or poisonous people can weigh you down in all aspects of life. There’s only so much one body and mind can take. I’ve found for both my students and me, stress takes your strength away and makes all lifts feel heavy. You find yourself training harder during the times you are stressed and risk getting weaker or injured in the process. Letting go of the energy vampires and truly owning the path you take in life is much easier said than done. If everyone could take charge of their own life, we’d have a lot of powerful happy people. Personally I’ve released some very heavy things from my life over the last year. I will admit, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. On the flip side, once I got through the thick of it and began to have clarity, it allowed me to conquer almost anything that came my way.

Back to physical strength: I currently weigh between 112 and 114 pounds. In the last several months, with minimal training, I achieved a 62 pound Get Up, 13 Ring Pull-ups, 140 pound Single Leg Dead Lifts and a Ring Pull-up with 53 pounds hanging from my feet. So how did this happen? Paradoxically, I trained less and left each session feeling energized without fatigue. Below is a sample program that I’ve intuitively used over the past several months.

Sample week 1 & 2

Monday

A.
Get Up 20kg 1/1
Light 1 Arm Swings 16kg 6/6
High Plank with shoulder taps
2 sets

B.
Pull-ups* on straight bar 6 reps
Body weight stationary lunges
Roll-outs on wheel 6-8 reps

*Each set is a different type of pull-up
Mixed grip – Set 2, Ring Pull-ups – Set 3.

Wednesday

A.
Turkish Get Up 24kg 1/1
1 Arm Swings 20kg 6/6
Walk around for 30 seconds

2 Sets

B.
Double Single Leg Deadlift 24kg’s 5/5
Clean and Press 16kg 3/3
Thoracic mobility plank 3 breaths per side

Repeat for 4 sets

Friday

Turkish Get Up 24kg 1/1
Weighted Pull-up 8kg 3
1 set

Tabata drills with ropes – 4 minutes

Sample Week 3 & 4

Tuesday

A.
Half Get Up to High Bridge 20kg 3/3
1 Arm Swings 20kg 8/8
High Plank with shoulder taps* 6/6

2 sets

*High plank with shoulder taps – Start in a push up position with your arms shoulder width apart and legs a bit wider (swing stance length).  Squeeze your glutes, imagine bringing your pelvis to your rib cage and make sure your lats are activated by pulling your shoulders in to the sockets.  Without rotating your hips tap your shoulder with one arm and then switch back and forth.  Hold each tap for 2-3 seconds.

B.
Weighted Pull-ups* on straight bar 2-3 reps
Body weight stationary lunges
Roll-outs on wheel 6-8 reps

*Each set is a different type of pull-up starting with a light bell on your foot and working towards heavier sets towards the end.

Mixed grip – Set 2, Ring Pull-ups – Set 3.

Thursday

Get up 24kg 1/1
1 Arm Swing 24kg 5/5

3 sets

Friday

A.
Turkish Get Up 24kg 1/1
1 Arm Swings 20kg 6/6
Walk around for 30 seconds

2 Sets

B.
Double Single Leg Deadlift Set1: 24kg’s 5/5 Set 2: 28kg 4/4, Set 3: 28kg’s 3/3
Clean and Press Set 1: 16kg 3/3, Set 2:18kg 2/2, Set 3: 20kg 1/1
Thoracic mobility plank 3 breaths per side

3 sets total

Sample week 5 – 2 practice training session from previous weeks without over doing it.

If feeling strong – test week

Get up test with next bell size up, preferably if there is a spotter near.
Saturday
Max rep pull-up test

Sample week 6 – 2 practice training session from previous weeks without over doing it.

Weighted pull-up test week

If feeling strong work progressively test your weighted pull-up on this workout with your preferred grip.
Weighted pull-up 4 reps reps
Rest
Heavier Weighted pull-up 3 reps
Rest
Even Heavier weighted pull-ups 2 reps
Rest
Heavier weighted pull-ups 1 rep
Rest
Max test weighted pull-up 1 rep

Enjoy and let us know how you do!

 Lauren Brooks is the owner of On The Edge Fitness and is the creator of highly acclaimed kettlebell fitness DVD’s. Lauren earned her B.S. in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Fitness, Nutrition, and Health from San Diego State University in 2002.  She went on to become kettlebell certified under Pavel Tstasouline in 2005 and currently holds certifications as an SFG Team Leader, StrongFirst Barbell Lifting, ACE Fitness Trainer, Clinical Nutritionist, Functional Movement Specialist, TRX and Battling Ropes.  Lauren has also been selected to be one of the few female Nike SPARQ performance coaches. Lauren is a published Author for the book called “Kettlebells For Women: Workouts For Your Strong, Sculpted & Sexy Body”. Lauren makes sure to emphasize Nutrition, Lifestyle, Training, and a positive mental attitude. She offers private training, rehabilitation and movement specialized programs, group training, Kettlebell Certification preparation, online nutrition, online workout programs as well as live workshops worldwide. Lauren is a proud mother of 2 little girls. Drawing on her own experience and research, she inspires others to stay fit and strong even after going through her own pregnancies and surgeries. Lauren has had the privilege of helping and inspiring thousands of people from all walks of life achieve their fitness and health dreams.  For more information, visit her website OnTheEdgeFitness.com and blog at kbellqueen.blogspot.com.

# # #

Learn even more about the fundamentals of strength by attending one of our upcoming Bodyweight Certifications. You can register HERE for the certification being held in Italy, November 30th-December 1st, and HERE for the certification in New York, December 7th and 8th.

By Mark Toomey, CEO of StrongFirst, Inc. and Senior SFG

Small reminders surround us each day of the men and women who, in the words of Winston Churchill, offered their blood, sweat, toil and tears in places forgotten by many; places with names like Bataan, Leyte, Chosin, Khe Sanh. Some of the places are still fresh in our minds, places like Bosnia, Fallujah, Shahi-Kot, Zormat and Tora Bora. These spots, known by some, but experienced by fewer are crucibles, where men and women faced the heat of the forge and became part of the iron circle that surrounds us in its quiet, solemn presence.

I felt this circle the very first time in a tiny San Anselmo, CA church. The parish was very small and inside the church, you could smell years of incense held within the deep red carpet, touch the worn wood surfaces of the pews and railings. There was peace to be found inside, if only you took the time to be still and allow yourself the luxury of stillness and quiet. The peaceful robe covering the iron circle found within.

“I have something for your boy.” An old man touched my arm at the end of Mass one Sunday. He held out a patch, a crimson background with the number 7 emblazed in gold, the insignia of the 7th Marine Regiment. “He wants to be a Marine, huh?” he smiled. My oldest son’s most priced possession was an olive drab jacket with a Devil Dog patch on the sleeve, his pronouncement to the world that he had already made up his mind at nine-years-old where his path would lay; he wore it every Sunday. The man handing the patch to me, and then on to my son was Seamus, at one time a young man who fought his way through hell on earth at the Frozen Chosin Reservoir. Seamus was one of the “lucky” survivors, the “Frozen Chosen.” He had lost a great deal of his hearing there due to the artillery, but he told me later it wasn’t enough to drown out the sounds of what he lived through; the sounds of his friends, his brothers as they died, calling for their wives, their mothers, their God. We stitched that patch on Pierce’s jacket in silence, knowing the great price that was paid for a small piece of cloth.

Seamus sat three rows behind us and to the left, protecting our flank.

Directly behind us sat Frank and Marjorie. Frank, a retired camping supply salesman, and Marjorie, a former elementary school principal. Passing them on the street, they looked to be an older couple straight from a Norman Rockwell painting. Very few knew that Frank piloted B-26 bombers, first in the closing days of WWII and then recalled again, initially to train new pilots and then to fly missions in the skies over Korea. Frank saw some of the young men he trained die, some even within his own crew when the plane he commanded took hits from anti-aircraft artillery. I’m sure there were some things he shared with Marjorie, but there were many more memories he kept locked away, too painful and too grisly for someone who hadn’t lived through those moments or terror and loss. Frank was our rear guard.

Bob sat to our right, protecting our other flank. Bob was part of a tank crew that was hit by a German 88 on D Day +3. Bob was the only survivor. What must it have been like to lose in an instant the friends you had trained with, lived with, grown with. Worse, in the chaos of the largest invasion in world history, what must it have been like to not have a chance to say good-bye, to grieve the loss of those friends and brothers. The war moved on and Bob had to as well…in very short order.

Leading the front was Al. Al was an unassuming man, maybe five foot, six inches. He welcomed people as they entered the church each morning, wearing a crisp white shirt, black bow tie and hopsack blazer. Al had been the costumer for the San Francisco Opera and appeared every bit the sartorial expert, a thick head of white hair and a smile that felt as sincere and warm as it looked. To most, Al was a dandy, someone who belonged in an opera company. Few knew Al was a Merchant Marine, a man tasked with the most dangerous of duties; sailing supplies to Pacific Theater troops past the web of Japanese submarines and dive bombers. Bob told me that Al was considered one of the toughest bare-knuckle boxers on the San Francisco waterfront during the war and that as gentile as he might appear, very few ever bested him. Perhaps the kindness in Al’s eyes was the product of his knowledge that life was fragile and brief, as witnessed by the number of friends he lost, but would never forget.

Sitting in Mass, I was comforted by knowing that this circle of iron surrounded my family, that these men were there and that their courage, forged within that crucible not only protected my wife and sons, but served as an example that true bravery is measured over an entire lifetime. The courage to walk through chaos, and then to return home to those for whom that walk had been taken.

Today we remember Veterans, the men and women who stood up and said, “I’ll go” when remaining silent or taking a knee would have been so much easier. There’s a parade in Carson City. The streets will be lined with countless Franks, Als, Bobs and more than a few men like Seamus. If you attend one of these parades, take a moment to walk up to that man or woman wearing a Veteran’s cap or vest, look them in the eye and take their hand. Grasp it firmly when you say “thank you” and feel the iron forged within them.

God bless each Veteran and eternal peace to those to whom we will never be able to say thank you.

Have a strong Veterans Day.

By Pavel Tsatsouline, Chairman, StrongFirst

Back in the late nineties I had the pleasure of strength coaching a seventy-some year-old gentleman named Milton.  He had a sparkle in his eye reminiscent of a young boy ready to kick the world’s butt.  Milton approached his deadlifts fiercely, ripping 225 off the platform like a bag of groceries the first time I showed him the lift.  Guilty of stereotyping, I asked him if he played golf.  The young man in an older man’s body gave me a disdainful look and told me that he would take it up when he got old—at ninety or later.

This happened fifteen years ago.  Today golf seems like a hardcore sport.  I had a startling revelation—most of the favorite activities of today’s ten, twenty, and thirty-year-olds can be engaged in by folks in nursing homes.  In a New Yorker cartoon a boy is playing with his phone and his mother suggests that he go play outside.  The latter gives her an amused look: “What is this, 1962?”

Our pear shaped kids are the reverse of my student Milton—old men and women in young people’s bodies.  They bring the timidity of the old age into the age when one is supposed to drink life out of a fire hose.  Fighting, loving, climbing trees, lifting kettlebells, throwing knives, making model rockets, running and doing pullups before dawn getting ready to join the Marines.  Dreaming of Future, Unlimited…  Scratch all that in favor of Grand Theft Auto.

Twenty and thirty year olds are equally lame.  They walk around like zombies, glazed eyes glued to their prized phones.  They cross streets with a nursing home shuffle, infuriating drivers trying to take a turn.  They have zero situational awareness and fall prey to any crime or accident.  Not long ago newspapers published a still shot from the security camera that had caught a contract murder in New York City.  The image shows the victim in the last seconds of his life, the killer a couple of steps behind him, ready to pull the trigger.  What is the man about to die doing?—Walking and fooling around with his phone.  What was the last image imprinted on his retina before his status got permanently updated?  A photo of somebody’s lunch or a string of semi-coherent LOLs and OMGs?

Go live.  There is no app for that.

By Dan John, Master SFG, and Mike Warren Brown, SFG I

Mike’s voice is in italics. Mike has been in the strength and conditioning for over a decade splitting time between coaching on the field and in the weightroom. Mike feels he was lucky to have an internship with Dan as he had to pass the rigorous test of actually “showing up.”

One of the things I like to tell the SFG participants on Day Three is simply this: “It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish.” The hard travel to the facility, the rough nights in a strange hotel, 12-hour days and ruined hands are just part of the past now. Now, it is time to finish this.

My approach to prepping participants is straight forward and simple: Follow the Rite of Passage. But, as we reviewed our last successful SFG, my group here that meets with me up to five to seven times a week began noting the small, but important additions that really put them over the top. Mike Brown’s extensive notes provided the “black and white” of our journey and it was my job to flesh out the thinking behind this approach. Many roads might get you there, but this is our road.

Principles of Training for the SFG Kettlebell Certification 

1. This is a peaking program. There is an expectation at the end to pass the SFG.
2. The broader the base, the higher the peak. Both in terms of time and density of training, a lot of work needs to be done.
3. Don’t try to add more; let it flow (“Start with the end in mind.” Steve Covey)  It’s not where you start; it is where you finish.
4. This road has been walked before….use the Rite of Passage as the primary tool.
5.The SFG is a three-day intensive, technical practice. During the months of preparation focus on preparing the body, mind, and spirit not just the nuances of every technical movement.

I arrived at the first day of the cert with an abundance of energy. I had put in seven weeks of focused training and knew that I had built up enough physical and emotional momentum to drive me through the weekend. My mind was at ease because I trusted my training, my thoughts were clear because I had a checklist of what I needed to do to overcome each test. I didn’t feel a sense of nervous apprehension but rather a joyful urge to strain and learn.

I have had the great honor for the past few years to welcome a number of Interns into my gym, training halls and home. I do ask one thing: I want you to become SFG certified. As we don’t always have a perfect schedule in terms of sports schedules and certification weekends, we have had to really trust the process of accumulating the qualities needed to pass the SFG, the “quick” process of intensifying the training for the weekend and the ability to transform that base of training into a ready athlete and student.

As I review the plan, I am reminded of the dozen or so trainees that have marched through this strategy and I have learned from each one. A couple of issues stand out:

• The snatch test is the bugaboo. It sits out there in the minds of every applicant. For men who weigh between 132 and around 180 or so, the bell’s weight is an issue. For bigger men, the pull-up becomes an issue. The same issue arises on the women’s side, too.
• There are six kettlebell movements learned during the weekend. I feel that if the candidate passes the strength tests and has any kind of good attitude, then it is MY fault if they fail on the technical aspects of the six moves.
• There is going to be a lot of swings. There is going to be some hard workouts. You must be in good enough shape to complete the workouts and stay mentally focused during the teaching sessions.
• The written test can’t be crammed. You must take a few months to know the basics of the six moves, the standards and the reasons behind everything.

So, let’s start with “the end in mind.” Let’s start with the “Peak Week.” I suggest that for any event you have on your horizon, count back the weeks and plan well. If you are getting married in June, use those popular monthly and weekly checklists to plan all those details. Taking care of something early almost always trumps tardiness.

Week 7: Peak Week
All the work has been done, the arrow has been released so let it fly.

Saturday-Light Program Minimum
Original Strength rolling and correctives to warmup.
100 swings (2 hands)  5 x 20
10 getups (1/1×5) 

Sunday-Program Minimum
1/1×5 Get ups. Vary the load up from water glass to snatch bell.
100 Swings (any set and rep scheme)

Monday and Tuesday- Rest/ Recovery
Go to the gym. Correctives and foam rolling just to keep mentally prepared.

Wednesday- Program Minimum
100 Swings – 10×10 wave the load but complete a few heavy (48kg) sets.
1/1×5 Get ups- keep the loads light and focus on smooth transitions

Thursday- Rest

Friday- SFG day 1.
A quick point: If you have read my work, you will note that I generally don’t believe in peaking. Actually, I believe that most people throw away success in the week or two leading up to an event by NOT trusting the program. We add a little here, we do something stupid there and, before you know it, there goes the chance to excel.

Points of Emphasis this week:

1. Hand care: this is the week we can NOT have tears and rips. The swing load is light, so do whatever things you need to do on a daily basis to address hand issues.
2. Begin using Sugar Free Orange Flavored Metamucil every evening.  Under the stress of the weekend, digestion and elimination issues become increasingly important. Chuckle away at this advice but you won’t be if you ignore it.
3. Don’t get cute on your diet. Don’t experiment with new foods or eat at the vendor with a discounted price on “Day Old Sushi.” More than one candidate has failed over poor food choices.
4. If you are flying in, drink a lot of water and spend some time moving around when you land. Be sure to have two alarms to wake up and bring eyeshades and ear plugs if you get lucky enough to room on the same floor as a high school basketball team.
5. It’s time to let the arrow fly. Don’t add anything. Don’t get a deep tissue massage or spend twelve hours in a sauna, if you don’t usually do it. Trust the process. You can NOT get better in 48 hours.
6. Stick with your plan. If you have decided to do the snatch test with the 20-20-15-15-10-10-5-5 and hear that your partner is doing 10-10, rest, repeat…well, good for your partner. Stick with your plan. That plan, the one you have been doing for a few months is pretty good. Even if it isn’t.

Now, let’s talk about little details that will make the weekend easier:

• Wake up earlier during this last week. Mike would wake up and do just one pull-up upon rising to practice getting set to go.
• Build a checklist: chalk, tape, band aids, first aid stuff, cash, TOWEL, protein shaker and protein, several pens, food, snacks, water bottle, extra shirt (trust us on this one), coffee drinks in a can. Anything that will make you a little more comfortable. This list and checking it will make your mind a bit more at ease. Set this up on Wednesday or Thursday.
• Some recovery stuff as you approach the weekend. Hot tubbing might be fine if you usually do it, but remind yourself as you tub to be looking forward to the training.
• Have this posted on the front of your brain: “Trust the process.” Trust your training, trust your approach, trust all the work you have done. When something challenges you…and it will…trust the process.

You have to let go of the bowstring to let the arrow fly.

The lead up week in detail:

Saturday-Light Program Minimum
Original Strength rolling and correctives to warmup.
100 swings (2 hands)  5 x 20
10 getups (1/1×5)

Sunday-Program Minimum
1/1×5 Get ups. Vary the load up from water glass to snatch bell.
100 Swings (any set and rep scheme)

We approached the last weekend before the SFG as a time to let all the work of the past six weeks “settle” for our group. Saturday and Sunday were opportunities to come into the gym, do two of the most important movements and get a sense of easing off. It was a time to focus on easing up. That’s an easy thing to talk about, but most people try to gear up more and more. You must ease off and let the performance happen.

Monday and Tuesday-Rest/ Recovery
Go to the gym. Correctives and foam rolling just to keep mentally prepared.
These were basically two “off” days. These two days insured complete recovery from the training of the past months. We are looking ahead to the three-day weekend, certainly, but we are also attempting to begin to ramp up, too.

Wednesday-Program Minimum
100 Swings – 10×10 wave the load but complete a few heavy (48kg) sets.
1/1×5 Get ups- keep the loads light and focus on smooth transitions

This is the last “heavy” day. The “hay is in the barn” and now we are ramping up the students for the weekend.

Thursday-Rest
The SFG is three days, so we added an additional rest day. This is from Coach Ralph Maughan’s “Two Day Lag Rule” and we decided to toss in an additional “off” day to allow the load of work from Friday and Saturday not to be encumbered by any exhaustion for Thursday. It also gives the traveling person a free day, so you can apply this idea no matter what your situation is for the cert.

Friday
Show up. Don’t Quit. Ask Questions.

Back to the Future

So, this was the last week. I agree with the great Tommy Kono that it is best to be a touch undertrained than overtrained at all. If you just look at the last week, you might get the impression that we don’t train very hard. That is not true.

The key to thriving, not just surviving, the SFG is to train for a few years and have all your qualities at a high level. I strive to teach a lot of things from the O lifts and Powerlifts to the KB moves and planks throughout the year. Our general approach to training is “Easy Strength” where we pick movements we wish to improve and do them.

The simplicity and logic of that statement frightens me as it is the truest thing I can write. So, I expect all my students to be in solid general shape throughout the year.  If you can remember this little axiom, it might save you:

“Always try to be three to six weeks from top condition.” Again, this is the Tommy Kono approach. The key is to always be within striking distance of peak condition. Now, this is vague and obviously students of Marty Gallagher use 12 week cycles and some sports need more time to peak, but the concept is to maintain and retain good solid condition most of the time. When it is time to “go for it,” like prepping for the SFG, we are not that far off.

So, lift. Train. Practice. Learn new things. When you get the email that the SFG is coming around, realize that now is the time to raise the bar.

Six Week Training/One Peak Week Program Overview
5 days per week. Monday through Friday, rest and recover on weekend.
6 full training weeks with 1 peaking (transformation week)

Weeks 1-6
Monday RoP Light
Tuesday Variety 1
Wednesday RoP Medium
Thursday Variety 2
Friday RoP Heavy

Week 7
Saturday Program Minimum
Sunday Program Minimum
Monday/Tuesday Rest or correctives
Wednesday Heavy Program Minimum
Thursday off (create checklist for the weekend)
Friday SFG day 1

Weeks 1-3
Monday-Test Day Week 1.
Easy press/pull-up and snatch other two weeks. 5x (2 rungs lower than heavy day)
(Today, before doing the ROP, we tested the Pull-up, Snatch Test and Press Bell Size Test)

Max Strict Pull-Up
Snatch Test As many as possible in 5 minutes with the 24kg.
Dan recommends 20L/20R 15/15 10/10 5/5 trying not to put the bell down.
Clean and Press test. Find a bell you can clean and press (clean between each press) for about 8. This will be your training weight for presses.
Then:
3x (1,2,3) Clean and Press + Pull-ups

Tuesday- Grad Workout Day
Double Bells. 2 clean/1 Press/3 Front Squat. Shake out tension repeat
Week 1-20 minutes
Week 2-25
Week 3-30
If you have enough equipment alternate between 16kgs, 20kgs, 24kgs, and 28kgs.
Actual grad workout will be double 24s

Wednesday- Medium Press/pullup and Swings
5x (1 rung lower than heavy day)

Thursday
Week 1: 2 sets of 100 snatches using any bell (really light 12kg, for example)
Week 2: 1 set of 100. Try to use a heavier bell (20 or 24kg)
Week 3. 3 sets of 100
Then:
Eagles
8 Double Front Squats + Farmers Walk repeated eight times without putting the bells down. (Here is the goal: 8×8 with 24kgs)

Friday- Heavy Presses/ Pullups and Swings
Goal is 5x (1-5)

Reassess after first three-week block

Weeks 4-6
Monday – Easy Snatches (snatch bell) Easy presses and pulls
Week 4: Roll dice for snatches. Press and Pull (1,2,3) x5
Week 5:
-5 minutes snatches at 50-60% effort. (This is an assessment. I had the goal of 60 and easily made 80. I knew after this that I would pass the snatch test.)
-Get ups and pull-ups. 1/1×5 varying the load on GU. (1,2,3)x5 on pullups. (We felt we needed a refresh day so getups were subbed for presses.)
Week 6: 5 minute snatch 50-60%. Presses and pull-ups

Tuesday
Week 4: 500 Swings and Pull-ups
10 Swings 1 Pull-up
15 Swings 2 Pull-ups
25 Swings 3 Pull-ups
50 Swings
Five Rounds

Week 5: Swings and Grad workout.
10
15
25
50
Three rounds
Then:
6 Rounds Grad Workout

Week 6: 500 Swings. Go heavy on 10, 15, and 25

Wednesday-Medium Press/ Pull-up and Swings
5 ladders one rung lower than heavy day.

Thursday-Snatch only
Week 4:
2×100 (20/20 15/15 10/10 5/5 as fast as possible)
Light! x 100
Light! x 100 (10-16kg, I mostly used the 12kg)
Time these two sets. Then:
20/20 20/20 15/15 15/15 10/10 10/10 5/5 5/5. Use 20 Kg through the tens, then switch to 28kg or 32kg for fives. This portion is not timed. Take breaks and practice fast and loose.

Week 5:
Repeat week 4.

Week 6:
Light! x 100 (10 kg)
Lightish x 100 (20 kg)
Light! x 100 (12 kg)
Record time on sets then:
20/20 20/20 5/5 5/5. Use the 16kg on the 20s and the 28kg on the 5s. This must be completed under five minutes. (Shoot for close to four minutes)

Friday- Heavy Press and Pullups/ Swings to limit
Goal is Five ladders of Five rungs.
Week 4:
Wave the load each ladder. Example 20kg, 24kg, 28kg, 20kg, 28kg
Light, medium, heavy, medium, judgment call on last set.

Week 5:
Heavy weight on all ladders.

Week 6: Wave the load on each ladder

Week 7: Peak Week! See above.

This is the exact program we followed. There is nothing new or revolutionary; just five days a week of hard focused training. The magic is in assessing and course corrections. Treat each training session as an opportunity to assess.

You may ask why we used such light weights on the Thursday snatch day? Well the snatch test requires only 100 reps. By practicing those reps with a light bell, we are able to come up with the answer to the question: What is the issue? Is it a technique issue? Lungs? Pacing? For example, during the final weeks if you are able to make 100 reps with the 20 kg in just under 4 minutes you know that you have a full minute buffer for that extra 4 kilos. This builds confidence and momentum without taxing the system.

The Rite of Passage calls for snatches at 50% effort on Monday. During the first week test, I managed 80 hard reps in five minutes. By week five my goal was 60 reps in five minutes at 50% effort. To my surprise I did 80 reps and it was laughably easy. The assessment we made that day was that I was more than ready for the snatch test without ever going to the limit in training.

The key here is to build momentum both physically and mentally. We take an easy strength approach to building up snatch performance. A problem I see often is people try to train to their limit each and every snatch practice. You would not do this with your deadlift so don’t do it with your snatches. Build confidence and smash your rep barrier on test day.

Two issues arise whenever I see or hear about preparation for the snatch test. First, this (the snatch test) isn’t a problem for a lot of people and I need to make that clear: for the men and women who show up with a “big engine” and years in the weightroom, they tend to blow the test apart. They shrug, look over at me and seem to say: “What’s the big deal?” For many of them, the pull-up test might be the issue or something else. There is always something else.

The snatch test can make a person have a “speed barrier.” In throwing, there comes a time where you believe you gave it your all and the implement goes a certain distance. How do improve when you already gave it your all?

We use a drill called the Soviet Drill to attack the speed barrier. It is this built in problem that John Powell said best: “I can’t keep pushing my 100% up. So, I just prod my 80% a bit higher.” In throwing, we ask: “how easy can you throw 80% of your best?” I often put a garbage can out in the sector and let the athlete try to “sink one” at 80% of their best. Oddly, soon they are tossing beyond their best. The “speed barrier” has been shot down!

In the snatch test, it breaks my heart to hear people come up to me on Day One of the cert and say: “My best is 81 reps in five minutes. I hope your coaching can get me to 100.” Yes, I’m a miracle worker, but give me something to work with here! In our method, I am asking you to discover whether or not your issue is lungs or guns. Do you see the Thin Veil into the Next Life doing 100 reps with a half-weight bell? We need to work your system. If the set is easy as can be, we have a “guns” issue and that means more presses and more swings. The answer is always easy; the application is not.

Another example of using assessment and using course corrections came during my press training. I was building up volume with the 28kg. I did 65 reps the first hard day and 70 the next week so naturally I decided to move up to the 32kg for week three. I managed between 10 and 15 reps during the next three press days (light, medium, and heavy). I would have been just fine with this If I had been taking a longer term approach to building my press volume. The problem was that the SFG weekend demands the ability to handle a ton of volume. We decided that it would be wise to drop back down the lighter and bell and focus on the volume and density. This course correction was made with the goal of passing the certification in the forefront.

So, there is not good or bad decision here, but Mike was focused on passing the SFG, so he humbled himself and took care of the goal. Focus on what you want. Trust me, I want you to pass the SFG so choose wisely throughout the whole process.

This reminds me of something Dick Notmeyer used to tell me how he dealt with people who would go to camps or listen to other coaches: “That is fine what they taught you. That is great. But, in my gym, we do it this way.”

So, this is how we do things in MY gym. We change things when our assessment tells us it is not working. We openly adapt and adopt anything that comes along. When Mike or Parker or Marc or Alice or Geoff or Adrian trail away from the goal, I can step up and repoint to where I think the goal should be here. And, in full candor, they often point me back in the right direction.

So, in your gym, in your situation, you might not be able to follow this program as outlined. Others have done very well at the SFG doing all kinds of other things. Here is the key: assess it. Test it. Test yourself. Then, at the end, let the arrow fly.