StrongFirst

By Pavel Tsatsouline, Chairman

Next year is the thirtieth anniversary of the classic film Back to the Future. What makes this anniversary special is 2015 is the destination of one of Doc and Marty McFly’s time travels.

Sure, there are plenty of good reasons to travel from 1985 to 2015, but if Marty was looking for an edge to help him get strong, he should have stayed in 1985. The surprising truth is, the 1980s’ strength training methods were decidedly superior to today’s methods.

Compare the weightlifting and powerlifting records now and then. Even if the lifting sports are not your cup of tea, you should pay attention, as they are the canary in the mine of strength. Knowledge gained in WL and PL trickles down to every strength seeker, regardless of what he or she is training for.

The graph below compares the world records in the total of the snatch and the C&J in the days when Back to the Future hit the big screen and today. The black dotted line represents today’s records. The solid line—appropriately red, as five out of ten records belonged to the Soviets—indicates the records set between 1983 and 1988 (and one in 1991).

Why are there two sets of records?—Because the weightlifting federation changed the weight classes twice since the early nineties to erase the legacy of the “juicers”… The sport’s establishment likes blaming the difference between the records of yesterday and today on drugs.

In the past, present, and the future many athletes did, do, and will use every edge available to them, legal or not. An unfortunate situation out of sync with the true Olympic spirit, but a fact. But just because the anti-doping authorities have learned to catch users of the drugs of the last century, it does not mean that they catch all the tricks of this century. The cheaters and the testers are in constant arms race to beat each other. In summary, this history revision is nothing but sour grapes.

But this blog is not about sports ethics. It is about superior training. And the numbers state that the Soviet weightlifting system still rules. Bob Hoffman or York Barbell, the sponsor and promoter of American weightlifting, put it simply: “If you want to beat the Russians, you must train like the Russians.”

You might ask: why don’t the Russians use the system that brought glory to their mentors to beat or at least match their records?—They ought to. Not long before their deaths both Arkady Vorobyev and Vasily Alexeev, legendary champions and coaches, deeply disappointed in the state of weightlifting today, called for bringing back the System.

Onto powerlifting.

Because there is a multitude of federations with widely inconsistent rules, a comparison is very hard to make. In the squat and the bench press, where supportive equipment adds hundreds of pounds to one’s lift it is impossible. In the deadlift it is doable.

Take a look at the All Time Historic Deadlift Record table compiled from all federation. Some of the recent record pulls were done with advantages not available to lifters in the 1980s: 48-hour weigh-ins, whippier longer bars, better supportive equipment, deadlift only meets. Even still, in six out of the twelve weight classes the records have not budged since the 1980s and the 1990s! There can be no argument—at least for the lighter lifters the methods have not improved since Marty McFly got into Doc’s time machine.

Most of the 1980s records were set using another timeless training system, this time American. It was born in the seventies through experimentation of powerlifting pioneers, perfected in the eighties by the next generation of champions, and later refined and systematized by Marty Gallagher who had been there since the beginning. Marty McFly should have just picked up the phone and called his namesake…

Bigger guys’ pulls have gone up—but not because of a better training system. Some of the gains are due to the factors mentioned above. Some can be attributed to radical technique innovations by Bolton, Konstantinov, and Magnusson. And as for Yuri Fedorenko, he is a student of Boris Sheyko who adapted the Soviet Olympic weightlifting methodology to powerlifting….

Ironic as it may be, I will wrap up this piece extolling the virtues of the Soviet training system with a quote from uncompromising anti-communist William F. Buckley, Jr.: “A conservative is someone who stands athwart history, yelling Stop…”

If you choose to be strong, go forward to the past.

LEARN TO APPLY THE SOVIET METHOD TO GENERAL TRAINING

by Jason Martin and Jason Marshall, Senior SFG

I am new to the kettlebell and the StrongFirst community, but I am all in.

90 days ago I entered a local contest in Lubbock Texas, the Bodyworks 90-day challenge. It is a competition to see who can have the greatest physical transformation in 90 days. While I was an athlete throughout my early 20’s, marriage, a series of metabolic changes, a bachelor’s and two master’s degrees, a desk job, 3 children, and maladaptive stress eating eventually took a toll on me. These little things added up to BIG things.

At 38 years of age I stood 6’4” 329 lbs, and I had been sedentary for a decade and a half.

Though I had entered a short term contest, I was looking for sustainable health changes. I have 3 boys; 16, 9, and 6 years old. My 16-year-old had long surpassed my physical capabilities and it was getting difficult to keep up with my younger boys. I was losing once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to actively engage in their lives, not to mention opportunities for intimacy with my wife (an extra 100lbs and short windedness can get in the way of much).

I needed a better diet, but I also needed an exercise program that I could do in less than 30 minutes a day that would yield maximum results.

My physical therapist friends all warned that injury would be what would take me out and that I needed both cardio and weight training for the best results. I was beginning to think the magic 30-minute exercise program might not exist. Enter… the Kettlebell.

A friend of mine trains under Jason Marshall, Senior SFG, and he told me about the kettlebell and the StrongFirst organization. It sounded a little too good to be true, but I decided to read Pavel’s book Simple and Sinister. I read it in one sitting and walked away willing to follow the path of Simple and Sinister… for a while. My buddy helped me onto the path!

(Sections in italics by Jason Marshall)

Jason expected to spend whatever time it took to gain the necessary mobility and strength to just perform the warmup detailed in Simple and Sinister, which happened to be right at a month prior to the start of his contest. His main concern was the lack of baseline strength and hip mobility to perform a goblet squat. He started by practicing each day with assisted squats while gripping onto a door frame, increasing depth and reps each day he made an attempt.

He noticed right off that he used his back during the bridge and made a concerted effort by practicing hip hinges (up to 1,000 per week) in order to efficiently use his hips during the bridge. He practiced “naked” swings and halos intermittently. This practice occurred every night until he made it through the S&S warmup with weight one time through.

I started the 90 days able to do the warm-ups and practice 2 hand swings and get-ups with 16kg. I made great gains in my first month of working out: I lost 35 lbs. I moved to double 20kg exercises after reading a book about advanced double kettlebell training.

This was admittedly Jason’s biggest beginner mistake, and the point where he reached out to me.

I had the wrong assumption that more/faster was better! After a month I had plateaued, I was stressed out from over exercising and in great need of recovery (which the book author warns about continually). In frustration, I sought out Jason Marshall to help with the challenges I was facing… the biggest of which was me!

It took the next 3 weeks recovering and undoing what I had done in ignorance. Over the course of these weeks Jason redirected my goals to Simple and Sinister and a good diet.

I started practicing 20-30 minutes a day working on proper form and making increases in weight and in the reduction of rest times.
I started reading all the blogs and articles on StrongFirst and realized how typical my ignorance-born errors were.
I stopped focusing on the competition and focused instead on making progress in my training.
StrongFirst became my philosophy.
I practiced S&S hard style, and Jason added some cardio cycles to help increase weight loss.
He also introduced waviness to my workouts with a cycle of light, medium and heavy workouts.
Additionally, he continually stressed proper recovery, especially sleep.

The main emphasis was to make sure Jason’s diet was really dialed-in. After receiving a detailed weekly food, sleep and training journal, we were ready to discuss where to make changes. Jason also made a stop by my training studio to have his form critiqued. As a former collegiate athlete, he was a very quick study and internalized the cues very well.

The addition of a cardio session coupled with S&S came when it was apparent that he needed some added volume, but not a lot of stress in terms of heavy loads. The circuit was a basic six-station setup:

1. Kettlebell Clean
2. Goblet Squat
3. Kettlebell Rows
4. Push Up
5. Plank
6. Jump Rope

Three rounds of the circuit were completed each day and we waved the training load with the work- to-rest ratios. Light Day – 1:2, Medium Day – 2:2, Heavy Day – 2:1. The reciprocal training load was used for his swings and getups, a la Simple and Sinister. For example, on the Heavy day for S&S, Jason would do his light (1:2) work-to-rest ratio for the above circuit.

He finished each session with a light walk to cool down. All of this was done first thing in the morning immediately after waking up and consuming a scoop of protein powder and water. He took another easy walk each evening. Jason was very diligent about getting 8-plus hours of sleep each night, which he was over 90% compliant with.

I humbled myself and submitted to those who know better. I sought to not get greedy with gains and in compliance I made small adjustments to weight and rest periods and made sure there was plenty left in the tank after my practice sessions. I continued to eat right, hydrate well, get plenty of sleep, and take my rest days. Well, the little things began to add up after a while… even a relatively short while!

Jason Martin – Before

Jason Martin – After

After 90 days I had accomplished the Simple goals for S&S and began practicing ‘Enter the Kettlebell’, my strength having increased 100%! Additionally, I had lost 73lbs. in 90 days, 60 lbs. of which came off in the first and last month when I was following the prescribed program of Pavel’s S&S and Jason Marshall. I have also had several WTH moments along the way. When wrestling with my 16-year-old, I picked him up over my head (6’1” 175) and threw him across the room onto the couch. He jumped up as shocked as I was and exclaimed:

“You’re not the same person you used to be!”

A week later I played full-court basketball at full-speed for 2 hours straight! I couldn’t believe what great cardiovascular shape I was in, and how strong I had become.

Since the completion of the contest and the final edit of this article, Jason has lost an additional 15-20 pounds and added significant amounts of muscle mass. He has begun Rite of Passage from Enter the Kettlebell and has graduated to a 28kg bell for his presses. He has also achieved 4 consecutive pull-ups, a lifetime best. He is now doing pull-ups between all his clean and press sets.

I cannot begin to make an accounting for all the ways my life has been positively affected by becoming StrongFirst.

I intend to continue the little things while progressing and solidifying my gains over time. Rite of Passage in Enter the Kettlebell is my next goal, and then on to Return of the Kettlebell. I have decided to seek the SFG Certification as a longer-range goal once I complete the path set forth by those who have gone before me.

It was simple… but not easy! I owe much gratitude to my trainer Jason Marshall, Pavel Tsatsouline, Geoff Neupert, Dan John, and all of the StrongFirst community (particularly my buddy Clint Conner who first reached out to me and continues to throw iron with me).

Jason’s ace in the hole, in my opinion, was compliance and consistency. He began this contest as a motivator to shed some unwanted pounds, but he quickly realized he’d started a new journey and lifestyle. One he was willing and able to live with. One he found challenging. And one he truly enjoyed. I take no credit for his success and accomplishment other than being lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to have witnessed such an amazing transformation.

I look forward to seeing “SFG” after his name in the future!

Jason Marshall is the owner of a performance training studio in Lubbock, Texas called Lone Star Kettlebell. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Sport Science from Texas Tech University in 2001. He is currently a Senior Instructor in Pavel Tsatsouline’s StrongFirst organization and is also a Certified Kettlebell Functional Movement Specialist (CK-FMS) under the training of Gray Cook and Brett Jones. He also holds a Certified Personal Trainer designation from the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Jason trains athletes and students of strength from all walks of life. He’s worked with several collegiate athletes who have taken their careers to the next level as well as many youth athletes and martial artists looking to explore their talents in various sports. He also works with many different populations ranging from fat loss to improvement in movement quality for a better life. Jason has been involved with competitive athletics via many sports since his childhood. He is still competitive as a drug-free, unequipped powerlifter, with competition bests in the 181 lb weight class of; 463 – Squat, 314 – Bench, and 606 – Deadlift. Jason can be contacted by email for coaching and consultation via email at jason@lonestarkettlebell.com.

S&S: IT REALLY IS THAT GOOD.

By Sergey Rudnev, IKSFA President, 5-Time GS World Champion

Flexibility is one of the five main physical qualities. High level of special flexibility enables freedom, quickness, and economy of movement. Although this article is dedicated to developing flexibility specifically for GS, I believe it will benefit anyone who trains with kettlebells for any reasons.

Exercise #1: Kettlebell(s) rack carry

This exercise improves hip extension and thoracic flexion, promotes elasticity of the quads, traps, and rhomboids, teaches you to breathe under load.

Clean one or two kettlebells heavier than the one(s) you jerk in training or competition. Now walk but do not limit yourself to going forward. Go back and forth, left and right… Lean to the left and then to the right… Do partial squats and shallow lunges… Turn around the vertical axis… Try to lower your elbows all the way to the pelvic ridge.

Do this exercise in the end of your jerk or C&J training session. Do one set. Start with 1min and build up to 5min.

Exercise #2: Kettlebell(s) overhead carry

This exercise develops special flexibility of the thoracic spine and shoulders and teaches you to breathe correctly while supporting kettlebells overhead.

As with the rack carry, do not limit yourself to walking but make the same additional movements. Use lighter kettlebells though—lighter than your competition size. Do your best to point your elbows forward and your thumbs back (see the photo at the very beginning of the article).

Do overhead carries after the main part of a jerk or snatch training session. Do one sets of 30-90sec.

Exercise #3: Elbow circles

Do it for 20-30sec to prepare the elbows for special flexibility exercises.

Exercise #4: Elbow extension

20-40sec per arm.

Exercise #5: Elbow extension

20-40sec per arm. Use gym equipment or furniture as a prop.

Exercise #6: Shoulder circles

Do it for 20-30sec keeping your arms straight to prepare the shoulders for special flexibility exercises.

Exercises #7, 8: Reach back

Do each exercise for 20-30sec per arm to improve your shoulder flexion and extension.

Exercise #9: A regression of exercise #8

Use a belt or a stick if you cannot interlock your fingers behind your back.

Exercise #10: Pushdown

40-60sec for the shoulders and the thoracic spine. Use gym equipment or furniture.

Exercise #11: Extension with a partner

Do 2-4 sets of 10-20sec with 5-10sec of rest between sets.

Exercise #12: Extension with a partner

From 30sec to infinity—as long as your grip holds. Use gymnastic rings or a pullup bar.

Exercise #13: External shoulder rotation

20-40sec per arm.

Exercise #14: External shoulder rotation

Do for 20-40sec per arm. Do not flex the elbow of the stretched arm more than ninety degrees.

Exercise #15: Hip extension from seiza

Sit on your heels and perform 20-40 reps maximally extending your hips and back. This exercise will prepare you for more intense hip and spine extension stretches.

Exercise #16: Hip flexor and knee extensor stretch

Push your pelvis forward as much as you can and bring your heel as close to your glute as possible. 60-90sec per side.

To make the stretch easier use a belt. To make it harder elevate the knee of the stretched leg above the foot of the support leg.

Exercise #17: Lay back

This exercise improves hip extension and stretches the quads. Do 2-4 sets of 15-20sec resting for 5-10sec between sets. Use a belt if necessary.

Exercise #18: Hip and quad stretch

60-90sec per side. Very carefully lie back and make sure your knees are ready for this stretch. The propped up version is easier.

Exercise #19: Hip and quad stretch

A more challenging bilateral version of the last stretch. The same instructions apply.

Exercise #20: Spine extension

Do for 1-3min to improve your spine extension.

Exercise #21: Thoracic flexion

Do for 1-5min.

Exercise #22: Rhomboid and lower trap stretch

Interlock your hands and relax for 1-3min. Focus the stretch on the mid and upper back; not the lower back. Not for the flexion intolerant.

Exercise #23: Bridge

Do 2-4 sets if 10-30sec with 5-10sec rest intervals between them. A full body extension exercise.

Exercise #24: Hanging bridge

Another stretch for upper back extension and shoulder flexion. Do 30-90sec.

In summary, exercises #1 and 2 are the top two special stretches for a girevik. However, they compress the spine, which is why the rest of the exercises are unloaded.

If you need to improve your flexibility, perform the complex of exercises selected from #3-24 in each training session during the general warm-up and in the very end after cardio. Following are two sample complexes of stretches:

If you have no problems with flexibility it is enough to perform a stretch complex once or twice a week.

The above exercises will improve your performance in kettlebell lifting and reduce the odds of injury in training, competition, and everyday life. Moreover, once you get into the habit of performing them, you will start enjoying them.

By Mark Reifkind, Master SFG

Strength is a choice.

Not always an easy one, because it usually requires doing something difficult that one can’t do easily; but that is precisely the point. Strength, by definition, requires the use of force. Sometimes that is an external force, and sometimes it’s experienced internally.

In reality, it always starts internally. It starts with the mind.

“What the mind can conceive, the body can achieve.”
—Napoleon Hill (paraphrased)

Strength, or force, is the ability to move something, or by extrapolation, create a change. I always told my sons that the most important thing in life is the ability to make yourself do that which you know you needed, to but didn’t want to — because if you could do that, you could accomplish anything. I still believe this.

Rarely are those things easy, but the more often one attempts and accomplishes them, the “easier” they get.

You see, your inner strength, your will, is just like the body — just like the muscles. If it is used frequently and appropriately, it gets stronger. If it rarely taken out and exercised, it dissipates and grows weak.

Weak never feels good; Strong ALWAYS feels good. But getting to Strong isn’t always fun, and many can’t seem to make that leap. But it’s crucial because one is either getting stronger or getting weaker. There is no standing still.

It can look like standing still or maintaining because one is going backwards slowly, but it is still in the wrong direction. Even when the body is tapped-out and the weight will not move, or when it can no longer run the distance it once could, a body can still get stronger in one way or another. One can still make the mind stronger, and through that — the body.

We are always training.

“The body is the servant of the mind. It obeys the operations of the mind, whether they be deliberately chosen or automatically expressed…The will to do springs from the knowledge that we can do. Doubt and fear and the great enemies of knowledge, and he who encourages them, who does not slay them, thwarts himself at every step. He who has conquered doubt and fear has conquered failure.” —James Allen, “As a Man Thinketh”

We are always influencing the body in one way or another whether we are aware of it or not. How we eat, sleep, stand, and train — or not — creates an effect on our system and determines whether we are getting stronger or weaker, better or worse, going forward or backward.

The more we are aware of this principle (scientifically, S.A.I.D.: Adaptations to Imposed Demands), the more we can control what we get from our training and our lifestyle.

If we go to the gym and train hard but don’t let ourselves rest to adapt to the workloads, and don’t feed ourselves properly to help recovery and adaptation through nutrition and never contemplate the goals of our training and our methods, then, invariably we don’t progress. …At least not in the right direction.

Everything affects our progress, but especially our strength of mind — as that is truly the determinate of all the other good or bad decisions we will make in accordance with our training. The hardest part is always just getting to our practice, and doing the best we can that day, especially when we are tired or “life” gets in the way.

Knowing that, and training the mind as well as the body, can make one’s progress exponentially better than just approaching it as a purely physical effort.

All serious athletes know this — that the mind is the great limiter, and they all work diligently to focus and concentrate better. They learn how to harness the power of the mind instead of letting it control them. The most important thing is looking at, and honestly assessing, one’s weaknesses. Only if one knows where the weak links are, can one attack them and make them stronger. We are always only as strong as the weakest link in the chain, and strengthening our weakest link always brings the fastest results.

Unfortunately, many are loathe to seek or acknowledge their weak points, and choose instead to enjoy working their strengths. True strength of body or mind can never come from that, in my opinion, as sooner or later, all will bump up against the weak link. It just happens later to the more talented. But it does happen.

Within the SFG, ours is an internal focus. Our focus is on Deep Skill and Mastery, through consistent and devoted practice. In our practice we are always searching for and working on our weak links, to shore them up, and better-strengthen the entire system.

Strength is a skill, and it is a mental skill as well as a physical one. We need to practice being strong in all aspects of our lives, not just the few hours a week we are in practice and training. All our life can be a practice, with all of it devoted to making one stronger and better.

It’s not that hard, really, but it’s not for everyone. Many would prefer to be unconscious about most aspects of their “lifestyle” and how it affects their training. Those are the ones that are usually complaining how little progress they have made.

Through the body to the mind.

After 41 years of training and practice, I have come to understand that one can change the mind by approaching it through the body, or vice versa. Hard training and confronting the true limits of one’s physical being has a profound effect on one’s thoughts, feelings, and emotions. But focusing the mind on what one wants the body to achieve can transform it quickly as well. When both parts of oneself are optimized, then progress is usually exponential.

Using little things throughout the day to strengthen one’s resolve or will can add up quickly in the gym when it’s time to lift something you have never lifted before and all systems are telling you to back off and play it safe. In maximal efforts of either strength or endurance, the smallest hesitation can result in failure. Keeping your purpose clear and your mind tight is critical.

Pundits call athletes who can’t do this “chokers.” Training the mind in small but deliberate ways throughout the day carries over to the gym way more than most would imagine…as well as to the rest of your life.

The little things include things like getting to the gym on time, getting your meals ready so you eat the right things that you know you need, doing the small stuff like correctives and mobility and stretching that aren’t much fun but are crucial to keeping the machine going, or just keeping the goal and the purpose in your mind’s eye on a regular basis. Doing what you say you would do when you really don’t want to. Being strong of character, as well as physique. Keeping one’s eye on the prize.

And the prize is greater strength. Greater strength of body yes, but also of mind, of will, of spirit. I’ve never met a strong man or woman with a weak mind, and I don’t believe I ever will.

Bernarr McFadden, a physical culturist and health food enthusiast of the early 20th Century grew up as a weak and sickly child and transformed himself into a vibrant and strong man. He wrote that “weakness is a crime.” It very well may be, against oneself and the culture.

I like to say that “strong fixes almost everything” and I believe it. Practice strength in all its forms, and grow older with pride.

Mark Reifkind,
Master SFG Instructor GiryaStrength.com

JOIN OUR BROTHERHOOD OF STRENGTH.
SFG: KETTLEBELL
SFL: BARBELL
SFB: BODYWEIGHT

By Pavel Tsatsouline, Chairman

Did you suddenly decide to compete in the October 4 TSC and realize that your deadlift is not where it needs to be?

All is not lost. If you have decent technique and you have been faithful about building your base with sets of five, the following plan set to start this Saturday will give you more than a fighting chance of a PR.

The plan is built around heavy singles and this is why it is not for everyone. Soviet experiments showed that intermediate lifters have the most to gain from near-max lifts. Beginners tend to get hurt with such heavy weights and the advanced burn out.

For the purposes of our plan, your max pull needs to be 1¼-1¾ times your bodyweight if you are a lady and 2-2½ times if you are a gent. If you are weaker or stronger than these numbers, you need a different program.

The plan is built around a progressively heavier single each Saturday—four Saturdays before the TSC:

1. 85% 1RM
2. 88%
3. 91%
4. 94%
5. TSC: Max

Work up to the listed single using low reps and large weight jumps. For example:

50% x 4
60% x 3
70% x 2
75% x 1 (optional)
80% x 1
85% x 1
91% x 1

After the heavy single rest for a few minutes, take 5% of your 1RM off the bar, and do one hard back-off set. All the reps must be done from a dead stop. Grind—but stop before your form gets compromised. Never let your lower back go into flexion!

StrongFirst’s standard operating procedure of terminating a set as soon as the reps start slowing down does not apply to this program. You must grind these deads to prepare yourself to fight through the sticking point on the TSC day. Not to be abused over a long term, this combination of a heavy single and a hard back-off set of 6-10 reps is a very powerful short-term tactic.

There is no back-off set on week four, after the 94% single. With the back-off sets your plan looks like this:

1. 85% x 1, 80% x RM
2. 88% x 1, 83% x RM
3. 91% x 1, 86% x RM
4. 94% x 1
5. TSC: Max

If you are an explosive puller, add a speed day on Tuesdays, e.g., 65% for 10-15 singles. If you are a grinder, do no more pulls than listed.

Power to your pulls!

9/1/14: LAST DAY TO SAVE $200 ON THE OCTOBER SFL

THE FALL 2014 TACTICAL STRENGTH CHALLENGE

Event Date: October 4, 2014 | Event Cost: $25

Register BEFORE September 15^th to get your FREE TSC T-shirt when you arrive.

By Jeremy Frisch SFG

Each summer as the weather gets hot and the training gets brutal, I find it important for myself and my athletes to get outside the “four walls” of the gym, away from the high-intensity pounding of sprinting, jumping, throwing and heavy lifting. We all know the importance of training hard and heavy, but if my short 10 years of coaching experience have taught me anything:

If you want to stay healthy and continue to make progress, for every hard day in the gym an easy day outside the gym should follow.

Now that does not mean that the easy day should consist of sitting poolside drinking margaritas, but the training session should have a different set of goals than strength and power development.

Typically, those goals for hard-training ladies and gents are low-intensity conditioning, mobility, movement skill practice, and overall recovery.

Now first let’s make everyone aware that the word “easy” is a relative term here. I am simply referring to the training session being markedly different from exercises with a higher intensity with the potential to cause significant CNS fatigue. Things like plyometrics, sprinting, and of course heavy strength training. But I wouldn’t classify these recovery sessions as easy — just a different focus, particularly more a cardiovascular and “movement”-based focus.

Enter the kettlebell

I love when certain training elements fit together nicely. The kettlebell, because of its versatility, works with just about everything. You can use heavy kettlebell swings for power development, goblet squats for technique, and kettlebell front squats for hypertrophy. In the case of a recovery/low intensity conditioning training session: a combination of kettlebell work and tempo running.

Tempo running is basically sprinting at about 75%. It’s not a jog, and not an all-out sprint. You know, it’s somewhere in-between. Like a stride where the athlete can coast, stay relaxed, and focus on correct running mechanics.

Far too many human beings have fallen into the “cardio” trap thinking the long slow distance as the path to physical excellence only to find years later an injured body capable of only moving at one speed.

One day I decided to experiment with a kettlebell prior to my field running session. By luck, I stumbled upon a simple training session that made a huge difference in how my athletes and I moved. It involved the Turkish Getup, 1 Arm Kettlebell Snatch and tempo runs.

The simple but effective combination was used twice per week and looked like this:

1 TGU: at the top position perform 5 Kettlebell Snatches then return to the ground.
Repeat on the other side.
A short rest of fast and loose.
Tempo run of 200 yards (down and back the length of a football field). During the Tempo run, the focus should be on tall running posture, relaxed hands and face, and long deliberate strides — focus on sprinting technique.
Rest a few minutes
Repeat 4-6 rounds

Following the get-ups and snatches, our athletes reported an immediate smoothness and rhythm to their running strides. Such seemingly-unrelated results are what Pavel and Dan John refer to in Easy Strength as the “what the hell effect”. Hips felt loose and arms moved effortlessly. I felt that I was running faster and with much less effort, like I was bounding down the field.

Perhaps most importantly, the training session did not deplete the energy reserves required for the following day’s heavy lifting. If anything, the circulatory effect of the movements seemed to allow for a faster recovery time.

My theory is that the TGU makes everything more efficient. It is a highly-coordinated movement consisting of dynamic balance, movement adequacy, synchronization of movement and spacial awareness. It drives total body mobility using the arms and legs in a coordinated sequence and stability through the trunk and shoulders to hold it all together. In my mind, it’s the ultimate activity to turn everything on and prepare the body to move. Running, therefore — which should be a completely natural movement — gets enhanced dramatically in the process. For those with less than optimal running form, practicing and perfecting the get-up prior to running and sprinting may provide great benefit.

The kettlebell snatch is just the icing on the top. The explosive hip snap on each rep more than likely potentiates the musculature of the lower body during the hip extension action of each running stride. The hips are primed and activated. I believe it may be very similar to Verkhoshansky’s experiment with heavy squats followed by light explosive squat jumps. Also consider the nature of the snatch — which consists of pushing the feet forcefully through the ground, alternating flexion and extension of the legs and hips, as well as the punch-through with the arm overhead: It is a total body movement similar to sprinting. My experiment next summer will be to do heavy low rep swings and snatches prior to training acceleration and top end speed work on the track. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see positive results.

Training athletes for sports requires more than “just” strength. Often times the best player on the field is the one who can move the most efficiently. This movement efficiency is a unique blend of strength, mobility and coordination. My job is to find that unique blend and constantly search for new ways to improve it. And here again, the kettlebell with its incredible versatility proves itself king.

1. John, Dan, and Pavel Tsatsouline. Easy Strength: How to Get a Lot Stronger than Your Competition – and Dominate in Your Sport. New York, NY: Dragon Door Publications, 2011. Print.

2. Francis, Charlie, and Paul Patterson. The Charlie Francis Training System. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: TBLI Publications, 1992. Print.

3. Kurz, Thomas. Science of Sports Training: How to Plan and Control Training for Peak Performance. Island Pond, VT: Stadion, 2001. Print.

4. Verkhoshansky, Yuri Vitalievitch., and Mel Cunningham. Siff.Supertraining. Rome, Italy: Verkhoshansky, 2009. Print.

SPEND AN ENTIRE DAY LEARNING STRONGFIRST KETTLEBELL TRAINING

By Jim Hatcher, SFG

Editor’s Note:

If you have heard anything about the SFG Certification, you have heard that it is a grueling, difficult, and demanding 3 days. There is nothing gratuitous about the intensity of this challenge, however. By expecting such a high level of both mental and physical strength from our certified instructors, we ensure that only those committed to such high standards for themselves and for their profession will be able to boast the SFG credential.

The SFG is the gold standard — the toughest kettlebell certification to earn.

…Which makes the following account from Jim Hatcher, SFG all the more impressive. Jim is the oldest person ever to earn the title of SFG, at the age of 72. That’s right — not only did he endure the same three long days, but he also passed the requirements of the certification that tests the mettle of athletes in their 20s and 30s, a great number of whom still fall just short of the requirements, despite months and months of preparation.

Naturally, we asked Jim to write a little something about how he came to commit, prepare, and pass this challenge. We hope your takeaway is this:

You bet, the SFG Certification is challenging.
And it is also absolutely achievable.

So how did a 72-year-old guy decide to attend a Level I SFG Certification and — perhaps more importantly — prepare for the rigor of those three pretty intense days?

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT A TRAINER SO THIS SHOULD NOT BE READ AS ADVICE, SIMPLY AS A REPORT OF HOW I PREPARED.

April 2013.

I had been training with kettlebells for a couple of years, and felt pretty competent with the basic six skills. (I was sure wrong about that, though I think I share that lesson with everyone who has attended the SFG Certification.)

I was ready to commit to the next step. Not needing the SFG as a credential to train others but looking for a goal to train for, I sent an email to StrongFirst. Essentially, I asked if is it ok to sign up for the Certification if your goal is not actually “certification”, but simply just to complete the requirements as a personal goal. The answer was “yes,” and that was just the motivation that I needed.

When the combined Level I and Level II Certifications at “The Dome” were announced for April 2014, the goal assumed a real timeframe and I needed a plan.

The plan worked! And here are its main elements:

1. At the very beginning, I made a commitment to myself that I would be successful. This was critical for me, otherwise I would not have been able to push thru the nagging little injuries, the ups and downs of training and the unforeseen that can create self-doubt and frustration.

2. The basic outline for my preparation was one of the protocols followed by many as they prepare for SFG Level I.

3. I trained “instinctively.” Meaning, I modified the days that I trained based upon how I was feeling. I learned very early that I could not handle the volume of three days in a row; even two contributed to what I call cumulative fatigue. Cumulative fatigue meant an unusually long recovery time that I could not afford. I finally found a sort of equilibrium point where I was adhering to the order of the protocol, but on my own schedule.

4. In January, I took the one-day SFG Course with SFG Team Leader Joe Sansalone as a sort of self-test to determine how my skills had improved. This was a very valuable experience that allowed me to clearly identify my strengths and weaknesses. It became necessary to focus a little more directly on some specific skills.

5. As I gained more confidence in the tested skills and the strength tests, I increased my one arm and two arm swings, and I increased the weight used (above my snatch test bell) as much as I could handle. This was my strategy for increasing my endurance and to strengthen my forearms and grip. This turned out to have been one of the most important parts of my training. I also did a lot of walking and climbing stairs.

6. The last four months I had a training partner Keith Ciucci, who was going to do the Level II cert at the same time. This was invaluable. That “second set of eyes” is very important in keeping your training focused on the skills.

7. In the final analysis, I had a plan, but not so rigid that I was over-trained. I was very goal-driven, but listened to my body and was not afraid to take a few days off when I felt that I needed it.

On Sunday I passed all of the tests except the TGU, and that was due to fatigue and loss of focus on my part. Subsequently I submitted by video and that was approved.

So there you have it. The SFG Certification was one of the highlights of my life. It was physically and mentally demanding and an immensely rewarding experience. The support and encouragement of the StrongFirst family and the camaraderie of my fellow candidates before, during, and after the cert has been an intangible that I would never have anticipated. I have met and become friends with so many truly inspirational people. Quite a gift at this stage of my life.

Proud to be StrongFirst!

Jim Hatcher is a 72-year-old retired businessman and educator who set out to prove to himself that he could meet the requirements for certification as an SFG Level 1 Kettlebell Instructor. A self described “gym rat” he prepared mentally and physically for 12 months to achieve this personal goal.

YOUR TURN. REGISTER TODAY AND BEGIN PREPARING FOR YOUR SFG.

By S. H. Mathews

Pavel Tsatsouline’s Simple and Sinister program is a reworking of his second program minimum — the swing and the get up. The program minimum from Enter the Kettlebell left readers with room for interpretation of goals, workloads, etc. It was minimalistic in terms of movement, but had not yet reached the level of irreducible complexity. If perfection is found when there is nothing more to take away, then Simple and Sinister is much closer to it than the program minimum from ETK. Swings and getups. Clear numbers, clear goals, a crystal-clear progression. Nothing to take away, but plenty of room to add other work to meet one’s goals.

Simple and Sinister is designed to augment an athlete’s primary training. It is designed to add strength and conditioning to the training regime of a martial artist, tactical operator, powerlifter, or other athlete. What about athletes who compete in Kettlebell sport? Is Simple and Sinister a good fit for GS athletes?

A distinction is often made between hardstyle Kettlebell lifting and sport style lifting. This distinction is often amplified by those who have no strong grasp of either style. Yes, they are different approaches to lifting kettlebells, but they are not contradictory or mutually exclusive. In hardstyle lifting, the athlete applies maximum or near maximum force to complete each lift. In sport style lifting, the athlete applies just enough force to complete the rep, saving his energy for the next rep. And the next. And the one after that, for up to 10 minutes. There are differences in technique as well, in accordance with the different goals of the two styles of lifting. There is not a good style and a bad one, or safe and unsafe, or strong and weak. Just as a hardstyle karateka can benefit from practicing Judo, or a powerlifter may supplement his slow-grind deadlifts with explosive power cleans, sport style lifters can benefit from hardstyle training. Depending on their goals, hardstyle lifters may find that sport-style lifting is beneficial for them as well.

The question to ask about any assistance program is whether it will provide physiological qualities that are necessary and useful for one’s primary sport. What does a competitive girevik need? If I had to reduce it to a minimum, I’d say cardiovascular endurance, an explosive lower body, and a stable upper body.

Cleans, jerks, and snatches are powered by the legs and caught by the arms in the rack or overhead. The legs and hips are the prime movers. A strong core links the lower body to the arms for the pulls of the clean and snatch, and for the launch of the jerk. When the weight has been launched by the legs, it is caught by the arms in the lockout position. Explosive legs, stable shoulders, strong core. Lungs and heart that can handle the workload. Add grip endurance, and you have most of the physical qualities a competitive girevik needs.

What can Simple and Sinister give you? The staple movement is the heavy one arm swing. I won’t give the program away here, but it calls for a high volume of one arm swings in a short period of time, and encourages men to work up to a heavy Kettlebell — 48k is the master plan.

Hardstyle one arm swings build strong legs and hips that can extend explosively time and time again, just like the girevik needs for jerks, snatches, and cleans. Done in sufficient numbers, they build grip endurance. Simple and Sinister swings are harder and faster than anything most competitive Kettlebell athletes will do on the platform. They make the legs stronger and faster. They carry over well to the more measured pace of competition lifting. They are to the girevik what sprinting is to the middle distance runner. When I’m doing S&S swings my heart rate regularly exceeds 186 beats per minute, and I’ll hit triple digit swing reps in under 5 minutes with a 32k bell. It makes long cycle with a pair of 24k bells seem almost easy. Almost.

The other movement in Simple and Sinister is the get-up. Again, the plan tells the athlete to go heavy and get strong, and to compress rest periods. The get-up restores tired shoulders and builds strength and stability overhead — just where the competitive girevik needs it. Snatches, jerks, and long cycle all require solid, stable lockouts. Many competitions are now electronically scored, so a solid, motionless lockout from the bells to the ground is more important than ever. If they wobble around, the lift just does not count. Weak, inflexible shoulders lead to premature fatigue, inefficient technique, and lost reps. The get-up builds upper body stability, particularly through the shoulder girdle, which every lifter needs on the platform.

Explosive lower body power, flexible upper body stability, a grip that won’t let go, and a heart and lungs that keep driving. These are things the competitive Kettlebell athlete needs, and Simple and Sinister delivers. I’ve found it to be a great addition to my Kettlebell sport training. Typically, I’ll do a 5-7 minute set of long cycle clean and jerks with 2x24k, rest for less than five minutes, then the Simple and Sinister program with a 32k. All the benefits of both hardstyle and sport style lifting, in under 25 minutes a day.

While Simple and Sinister can be a great addition to a competitive girevik’s arsenal, it should not be the only accessory work done. Practicing the competitive lifts builds the qualities needed for domination on the platform, and Simple and Sinister reinforces these qualities, but most top gireviks find that they still need some steady-state cardio —running, rowing, biking, skiing — whatever floats your boat. Twenty to twenty-five minutes seems to be the sweet spot — enough cardio to power you through a 10 minute set on the platform, but not so much that you compromise strength and power gains.

I recommend alternating steady state cardio and Simple and Sinister days after sport-specific training, or incorporating steady-state cardio at least two days a week.

S. H. Mathews is a competitive Kettlebell lifter and martial artist. He holds the rank of Candidate for Master of Sport from USA Kettlebell Lifting. When not lifting kettlebells he teaches for several colleges, universities, and seminaries.

START THE PROGRAM

By Andrea U-Shi Chang, Senior SFG, TSC Coordinator

The Spring Tactical Strength Challenge had over 350 competitors.

Most had a lot of experience with the kettlebell, barbell, and bodyweight exercises, but some had never pulled a barbell deadlift prior to a few weeks before the TSC. Some had never performed a pull-up (novice division women test a flex-arm hang).

Some folks decided not to snatch, but to do the other events… no matter… they showed up, they PARTICIPATED… They had a great time, and moved some weight.

One novice woman pulled 225lbs., snatched a 12kg kettlebell 98 times, and hung for 3.35 seconds. She had JUST learned the straight bar deadlift a few short weeks before the Challenge and after being encouraged to participate with us, loved every single minute of this team-building event.

The StrongFirst Tactical Strength Challenge is WHAT WE TRAIN FOR… Every single thing we do as SFGs is all about helping our students, and ourselves, to get STRONGER in all kinds of ways… Some of us have been training in cycles for the TSC ever since the last one. So the bigger question really is: how do we encourage OTHERS to participate? How do we BUILD our community? …Invite them!

This is how we went about it at Kettlebility. The goal was greater participation from our membership. We have a lot of group classes, from beginner levels to elite training levels, small groups and personal training. We talked about the TSC at every class, with every student/client, and we showed them how everything we teach translates into one of the TSC events.

We already snatch – so we programmed a ramp up for the TSC for our classes. We already work on pull-ups – so we helped our folks work on their pulls – Pavel’s Fighter Pull-Up protocol is the framework we use for our programming.

Additionally, we explained how it was really about PARTICIPATION – a great opportunity to support our fellow students, our friends, OUR community. To have a great time, AND to get numbers on the board, no matter what the level of ability.

Six weeks before the TSC we put together a special class – specific to prepare for the TSC. We would teach them dead lift technique and prep their other movements – and ANYONE who was from our studio and who signed up for the TSC could come to this class as our gift to them, OUR community, for FREE…and, as a business owner, I calculated the cost of the event, and the classes and expensed it. :)

Note to facility owners: after our 6 weeks of free classes leading up to the TSC concluded, we added our Tactical Strength class to our regular schedule as a specialty class at a very low additional monthly fee to our membership. We had a good amount of folks decide to take us up on the new offering – they now train straight bar movements (dead lift, zercher squat, press, bench, etc.) once a week with a Kettlebility instructor. It was a nice way to monetize an additional offering for the studio, and to add value to our programs for our members.

_________________________________

THIS is how we programmed it for our students and group classes:

The Kettlebility studio specializes in Russian kettlebell training. Sure, we have a few battling ropes, TRX, straight bars, bumper plates, rings, pull up bars, Indian clubs, medicine balls…and literally hundreds of kettlebells. So, we program kettlebells and all that other stuff, including bodyweight movements GPP style.

So how to add in straight bar work without overloading our students? Once a week, we meet to train the deadlift at our special class – we teach them basic deadlift technique (tension, wedging, grip, addressing the bar, etc.) with a narrow sumo stance (usually the safest for newbies) and then we figured out their one rep max.

From there we used programming learned at the StrongFirst Lifter Certification (which has an excellent programming section) – we used a simple yet very effective program cycle that Pavel had written where we added 5lbs a week for very nice gains over the 6 week period. Reps stayed low, Some of our experienced lifters were able to make gains with this cycle, training the lift several times a week, but we typically only expect our students to do straight bar work once a week, with us, in addition to our group kettlebell classes.

In addition:

Because most of our lifters were beginners, we had them reset with each rep – so for example, our sets of 5, were 5 singles – we used the reset each time to work on the skill of wedging, and the set up.
Additionally, we made sure to get a long rest between sets, 5-10 minutes minimum.

Even though we used this only once a week, we made great progress with our groups. We basically added somewhere between 3-5% each week (which came out to be around 5lbs). People felt strong, and because our students already understood appropriate tension and hard style principals, the basic dead lift form was relatively easy for them.

TSC exemplifies the epitome of general physical preparation (GPP); it REALLY is what we are already training. You have to be fit enough to snatch and strong enough to endure it, coordinated and strong enough to pull your bodyweight, and to have a decent measure of absolute strength to perform a max weight dead lift.

We built our team for the last TSC, and we are building our next team for this October… JOIN US! Build your team for October! This year we want to see YOU and your students with us at the October TSC Event…let’s DOUBLE our numbers and make the October TSC the largest one to date!

_________________________________

Register for the TSC before September 15^th and get your FREE TSC T-shirt when you arrive on October 4^th to compete.

Learn more and register for the TSC here >>> www.strongfirst.com/tactical-strength-challenge <<<

Event Date: October 4, 2014 | Event Cost: $25

Are you are ready to host a Tactical Strength Challenge? If you are ready, willing, and able, to host an event, send an email to us here: TSC@strongfirst.com. Not only will we help you get set up as a host, but we will send you details on how to market your event locally, how to create great group classes and programming for your facility, and how to make sure your location has the highest rate of participation.

If you are a stand-alone SFG instructor who teaches out of a home studio, or at a larger facility, you can still participate with your clients. Find a host facility near you where you can register yourself and your students. If there are none in a reasonable distance, consider hosting a mini-TSC yourself! It is all about participating and getting some numbers on the board!

Questions about creating community in your area? Reach out… Invite your area Cross-fit boxes and other personal training and group class facilities in person – make the call. They will be happy you did. When you explain that this is about participation, community, strength and potentially showing off a high level of GPP, they will step up – and it also helps you get YOUR facility on the map.

Learn more and register for the TSC here >>> www.strongfirst.com/tactical-strength-challenge <<<

FALL 2014

TACTICAL STRENGTH CHALLENGE

BY STRONGFIRST

SPONSORED BY 5.11 TACTICAL

By Eric Frohardt, SFG, CEO

From Pavel:

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am honored to introduce you to StrongFirst’s new CEO.

Eric Frohardt is a former US Navy SEAL, a decorated combat veteran with multiple tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. I met him years ago at a kettlebell cert I was teaching to his unit. He has been a strong advocate of our training system ever since, using it to prepare himself physically for combat deployments and outdoor sports. He has kept his teaching skills sharp as well and last year was an assistant instructor at an SFG cert.

After retiring from the Navy four years ago Eric built several successful businesses in security consulting and the firearms industry. With his businesses running smoothly, Eric was ready for another challenge and applied for the StrongFirst CEO position.

A number of remarkable candidates applied for the job—and I chose Eric. His character exemplifies “Strength Has a Greater Purpose”. He has exceptional leadership and mission planning skills, rare intelligence and drive.

Power to us!

It was a busy day. I was out of the house by 0600 and working by 0630. Things had been crazy lately, and I needed to catch up. Working through lunch allowed me to clear the deck of old emails and voicemails and move on to more productive work. At 4:00pm I left Denver for Vail. My wife was up there with the kids still and would need a ride home the next day.

On my way up, I realized I hadn’t yet ‘worked out’ that day. Being opportunistic, I had the idea to find a high altitude rest stop on I-70 and grab a quick ‘PT’ session. Thankfully, I kept a 24kg kettlebell in the vehicle. Approaching Vail pass, I realized this was my best option. Vail pass sits at just above 10,600’. A great place for some kettlebell practice!

I exited I-70 and drove to the rest stop. With a kettlebell at the ready, the WORLD is my gym!

The view of my ‘gym’ for that particular training session

As I prepared to ‘practice’, it occurred to me just how cool this was. I was getting ready to do some kettlebell cleans and presses along with one arm swings at altitude! I also started to reflect. What draws me to StrongFirst over other training methods? What evidence do I have to back up these methods?

This rest stop was an inspiring place to grab a quick workout. It’s especially inspiring this time of year as I get prepared for high altitude, back-country bow hunting! I swing kettlebells to be better at other things…not to be good at swinging kettlebells. “Strength has a greater purpose!”

Here is a view of ‘my gym’ taken from one of last year’s adventures. High altitude, back-country bow hunting. Kettlebell practice, along with hiking, got me more than well enough prepared.

What is it that draws me to StrongFirst? First and foremost, it’s both hard-core and safe. I’ve never seen anything that is both this intense and this safe at the same time. There are MANY other ‘hard-core’ training options out there. I’ve tried most of them…and have the injuries to prove it. Now, I treat a ‘workout’ like a practice session and leave that practice session feeling stronger and moving better than when I started…usually.

What evidence do I have that it works? Well, I used StrongFirst methods to prepare me for multiple deployments, rock and mountain climbing trips and various other ‘adventures.’ Now, I use StrongFirst methods just to get ready for hunting season, ski season, other hobbies and just living life! Regardless of what you do…or where you are, you gotta be StrongFirst!

Just one of many adventures…in 2008 I used the kettlebell to prepare me for climbing Mt. McKinley / Denali. I was SHOCKED at how well it prepared me.

Back to the workout…I mean the ‘practice session.’ I did a few deadlifts, goblet squats and halos just to warm up. I noticed the ‘warmup’ had me breathing pretty heavily. Breathing behind the shield, under load, at this altitude was already interesting. After the warmup I did a few sets of kettlebell clean and presses, my favorite upper body exercise. Obvious benefits are shoulder and upper body strength. Hidden benefit is overall core strength. Try picking something heavy up, putting it overhead and tell me it doesn’t engage your ‘core’ more than half-crunches on a bosu-ball. It was interesting to be this winded doing clean and presses…until I remembered I was above 10,000 ft. My watch wasn’t correctly calibrated…but it was close. No wonder I was slightly winded by clean and presses. Would have done some turkish get-ups, but they are typically not much fun on asphalt parking lots…

After my presses were done, I switched to 1 arm swings. Ever since Simple and Sinister this has become a favorite ballistic exercise of mine. I planned on doing 10 right / 10 left on the minute, every minute for 8 minutes (using the 24 kg bell). Last week, I had worked up to 7 minutes before noticing my form was ‘slipping.’ That’s 140 reps. Hoped to get 160 this week. I want to hit 200 reps in 10 minutes before switching to the 32. But, this practice session occurred at 10,000 feet, after a busy work day and while fasting close to 24 hours. Needless to say, my form started to suffer at the 7th minute. I decided to call it. I’d only hit 140 reps. Oh well, quality over quantity. Practice…not a workout.

I’m by no means a physical specimen. I spent nearly 12 years in the Navy surrounded by people that were, so I know one when I see one. Many StrongFirst instructors and practitioners can easily surpass these numbers. The numbers are not the point.

Later that night, I walked from dinner to my in-laws’ house on the slopes. Dinner was at a place in Vail above 8,100 feet. The house I’d be staying at is about a half mile away and a few hundred feet in elevation above. I noticed that I moved better up the mountain, even after training / practice. I was glad I didn’t go to failure. I really did feel better after the practice session than before it. Just more evidence!

Fast forward 1 week… I had a very different experience. I had spent the day cleaning up the yard and garage as well as catching up on other chores at home. At roughly 3:00 pm I realized I needed to put together another quick ‘practice session’ before dinner or whatever else my wife had planned that evening. It also just happened to be Pavel’s birthday. I felt Pavel’s birthday warranted a slightly more difficult workout. Ignoring Pavel’s advice and what I’d learned on the top of Vail pass (and many other times before), I put together a slightly more difficult ‘practice session.’ After finishing up 100 snatches, 100 1 arm swings and 100 2 arm swings I realized I’d probably gone a little too far. Later that night, I could barely carry my 2 year old. My arms were SMOKED and my legs and back just ached. There are times you can ‘go deep into the well.’ I do enjoy a difficult session as most of you do as well. But, it’s important to build up to that session and make it the exception…not the norm. Needless to say, I didn’t leave that particular session feeling stronger than when I started.

Kettlebells standing by to quickly turn my ‘office’ into my ‘gym’!

There are, of course, many different aspects that draw me to StrongFirst. I also have plenty more stories of how StrongFirst and the kettlebell prepared me for my numerous adventures…all without gaining weight and without becoming a gym rat. In the coming months, I’ll be sharing a few of those experiences as well as sharing my vision for StrongFirst here on the blog. Needless to say, the organization is off to a great start. I’m humbled and honored to be a part of it.

To Strength for a greater purpose!

Eric Frohardt, CEO
StrongFirst

Eric is a former Navy SEAL. After being medically retired at the beginning of 2010, he relocated to Denver. He has been involved in numerous start-ups since then. With these businesses under control, he decided he wanted another challenge and recently accepted the role as CEO of StrongFirst.

By Sergey Rudnev, IKSFA President, 5-Time GS World Champion

The one-legged squat or “pistol” demands coordination, strength, and flexibility and has many positive effects. Every one of the muscles and joints of the legs is involved, and so are the lower back and muscles stabilizers throughout the body.

Later in the article I will show real pistol fanatics who already can do 20 consecutive reps per leg how to build up to 100. But first, a beginner progression for those who cannot do a pistol yet.
Your prerequisites before you start:

1. Totally healthy hip, knee, foot, and ankle joints and lower back.
2. The ability to do 100 consecutive deep bodyweight squats.

Pistol technique

It is the easiest to practice pistols on hard surface wearing weightlifting shoes; harder barefoot, especially in the sand.

Start standing on one straight leg, the other leg above the ground in front of you, straight or slightly bent. Your foot should be about an inch off the floor. Your body is straight and your arms are down.

Smoothly lower yourself into a full one-legged squat until your hamstring touches your calf. The foot of the working leg should be solidly planted. The torso is leaning forward. Stretch your arms forward to maintain balance. Keep your airborne leg straight and make sure it does not touch the ground.

Stand up using the power of the loaded leg keeping the free leg straight and off the floor. It is absolutely counter-indicated to drop into the squat and rebound using the elastic properties of your muscles and connective tissues rather than your strength! This could lead to serious knee injuries. So control the descent keeping the loaded leg under tension. You may relax it briefly only when you are standing up between reps.

There are several ways to build up to a pistol:

Box Pistol

Start with a box or platform that puts your knee at ninety degrees of flexion when you are sitting on it:

Progressively reduce the box height:

Finally do the rocking pistol off the floor:

Gymnastic Rings or TRX Assisted Pistol

The longer are the straps, the less you can help yourself with your arms.

Rubber Band Assisted Pistol

I consider this the safest method, as the amount of assistance you receive from the band(s) increases as you descend into the squat and reaches its peak on the very bottom. This maximally reduces the risk of injuries.

The amount of assistance is regulated by the band’s or bands’ strength, length, height of attachment. Holding on with one arm is harder than with two.

Pulley Assisted Pistol

The more weight you place on the stack, the more help you get. As with bands, you may use two pulleys (easier) or one (harder).

Stationary Support Assisted Pistol

Progress from holding on to a stationary object or objects with both hands to holding with one hand, and then to holding on to a wall.

The next step is the standard pistol.

Pistol Training for Limited Flexibility

Oftentimes a lack of flexibility, especially in the ankle, is the limiting factor in achieving a pistol. An effective corrective exercise is relaxing in the bottom position of a one-legged calf raise, with or without extra weight.

Until you have built up sufficient ankle flexibility you may practice your pistols with your heel elevated on a board or small barbell plate.

Inadequate flexibility of the lower back and hamstrings prevents one from holding the free leg straight in front. Various forward bends, with and without weight can be recommended as correctives.

If you have plenty of strength but are lacking in flexibility, do your one-legged squats standing on a box. Start with a box tall enough to allow your free leg to go straight down without touching the floor. Progressively reduce the box height.

Weighted Pistol

The next step is a pistol with added weight. Do not attempt it until you are able to do 20+20 reps in a minute.

The simplest, and the easiest when it comes to balance, way to load the pistol is by holding a light weight in front of you: two light dumbbells or a kettlebell.

As the weight gets heavier, bend your arms and hold it closer to your body and lower.

A kettlebell or a pair of kettlebells may be racked.

A weighted pistol may be done by itself or in complex with some other exercise(s), e.g. the deck pistol with a front raise:

A heavier weight is better to hold on your back (a barbell) or on your trapezius (a kettlebell). The down side of this method is it makes it difficult to keep the free leg straight and to prevent it from touching the ground.

The most challenging, when it comes to flexibility and coordination, type of a pistol is the overhead pistol.

From 20+20 to 100+100 Pistols

I went through this program together with three of my students. We started in January
2013 and finished in May. Note that the pistol was not our main event but just an addition to our kettlebell training.

We included pistols into our training sessions three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Mondays were “control sessions” made up of one long set that was gradually approaching our goal.

Monday #	Training Session
1.	(5+5)х10=100
2.	30+30=60
3.	(7+7)х10=140
4.	35+35=70
5.	(10+10)х10=200
6.	40+40=80
7.	(13+13)х8=208
8.	45+45=90
9.	(17+17)х6=204
10.	50+50=100 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs4h_mrr88I
11.	(20+20)х5=200 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-Di1Rvd_-c
12.	55+55=110
13.	(25+25)х4=200
14.	65+65=130
15.	(34+34)х3=204
16.	75+75=150
17.	100+100 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urVu8AM8fJY

One of us completed the 17-week plan in 19 weeks, the rest in 20. The delays were explained by injuries, work, family… I must stress that none of us got injured performing pistols.

Although all of us made the planned Monday sessions on the first attempt, it might happen that you do not. In that case just take a step back and continue. E.g., if you did not make the numbers on session #10, next Monday go back to session #9 and keep going.

Wednesday and Friday sessions were secondary. Usually we included pistols into a circuit:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=693286794054609&set=vb.100001198838353&type=2&theater

Note that the technique of a high rep pistol differs from that of a classic pistol. The free leg may be bent and it may move somewhat to the side rather than strictly forward. Breathing deserves special attention. When you are doing 100+100 pistols, you are no longer performing a strength exercise but an endurance one. For instance, my set lasted 13min 50sec. Any cyclical aerobic work creates a demand for a lot of oxygen. Hence breathing must be uninterrupted, smooth, and rhythmical. I recommend the following:

• Inhale-exhale on descent;
• Inhale-exhale on ascent;
• If needed, one or more extra breathing cycles standing between reps.

I will be glad my “From 20+20 to 100+100” plan helps some people. If you give it a shot, I wish you luck!

By Andrea U-Shi Chang, Senior SFG, TSC Coordinator

The Spring Tactical Strength Challenge had over 350 competitors.

Some folks decided not to snatch, but to do the other events… no matter… they showed up, they PARTICIPATED… They had a great time, and moved some weight.

Note to facility owners: after our 6 weeks of free classes leading up to the TSC concluded, we added our Tactical Strength class to our regular schedule as a specialty class at a very low additional monthly fee to our membership. We had a good amount of folks decide to take us up on the new offering – they now train straight bar movements (dead lift, zercher squat, press, bench, etc.) once a week with a Kettlebility instructor. It was a nice way to monetize an additional offering for the studio, and to add value to our programs for our members.

_________________________________

THIS is how we programmed it for our students and group classes:

In addition:

Because most of our lifters were beginners, we had them reset with each rep – so for example, our sets of 5, were 5 singles – we used the reset each time to work on the skill of wedging, and the set up.
Additionally, we made sure to get a long rest between sets, 5-10 minutes minimum.

_________________________________

Register for the TSC before September 15^th and get your FREE TSC T-shirt when you arrive on October 4^th to compete.

Learn more and register for the TSC here >>> www.strongfirst.com/tactical-strength-challenge <<<

Event Date: October 4, 2014 | Event Cost: $25

Learn more and register for the TSC here >>> www.strongfirst.com/tactical-strength-challenge <<<

FALL 2014

TACTICAL STRENGTH CHALLENGE

BY STRONGFIRST

SPONSORED BY 5.11 TACTICAL

For years, kettlebell instructor Missy Beaver has been placing a set of swings between sets of everything else. She has had great success with her students who range from professional athletes and fighters to celebrities. All have seen impressive improvements in performance and body composition.

Missy Beaver

Or consider Master SFG Dan John’s hit workout that calls for alternating very low rep sets of “grinds” and high, up to 50, rep sets of light swings. Among its many benefits is training one’s ability to quickly recover from many brief alactacid efforts aerobically—a very valuable asset for fighters and team sports athletes.

This “Swing Sandwich” has also built a reputation for rapidly improving one’s body composition. It builds the muscles targeted by the exercises done between swings and burns fat at the same time. The hypertrophy seems to be the result of a hormone spike promoted by the swings. Some Russian sports scientists such as Prof. Victor Selouyanov advocate sandwiching sets of full body exercises like squats between sets of upper body muscle building exercises to benefit from this spike. Kettlebell swings appear to have the same effect.

If strength is important to you, do not train this way exclusively. There is no way of avoiding multiple heavy low rep sets with plenty of rest between them. Keep up this type of pure strength work once or twice a week and add “swing sandwiches” on two or three more days.

On your heavy days press a 75-85% 1RM bell for many sets of 1-5 reps and a plenty of rest. Total 25-75 reps per arm. Ladders are strongly recommended. In other words, it is the heavy day from the Rite of Passage from Enter the Kettlebell!

On your swing sandwich days press a lighter, 60-70% 1RM, kettlebell for sets of 4-6 reps, totaling 25-50 reps per arm. Keep the rest periods down to a minimum. It is up to you to select the swing loading parameters: one- versus two-arm, weight, reps, rest periods.

Some options for your weekly military press and swing schedule:

	1	2	3
Monday	Sw. Sand.	Heavy MP	Heavy MP
Tuesday		Sw. Sand.	Sw. Sand.
Wednesday	Heavy MP, Sw.
Thursday		Sw. Sand.	Medium MP
Friday	Sw. Sand.		Sw. Sand.
Saturday		Sw. Sand.
Sunday

Option #1 is the least effective—but most efficient. Note that on Wednesday you have a swing session following the presses. As an option, feel free to add an additional swing workout on Saturday.

Option #2 adds an extra swing sandwich day for those prioritizing muscle building. You may swing after your presses on Monday.

Option #3 is the preferred one for most experienced gireviks. On the medium press day do what you did on the heavy day but reduce the volume by not climbing your ladders as high—the ROP medium day. Feel free to add an additional swing workout on Saturday and perhaps another one on Wednesday.

Enjoy your sandwich!

Hinano Cafe, Venice Beach

Need to get better at swings?

receive a ton of instruction at a one-day sfg course

By Daniel Hanscom, SFG

Granville Mayers, SFG II

As the saying goes…

“To press a lot you must press a lot”.

The Problem

It takes a lot of reps to build up to a respectable press. The challenge is that pressing is strong medicine and it can be pretty easy to fatigue your system. When that happens, instead of making daily gains, you can actually move in the opposite direction — and that simply will not do.

The question is, therefore:

How can I put in the high reps required to develop strength (aka: skill) in the press without overloading the nervous system?

The answer… American-style Chinese food.

Just hear me out.

Have you ever noticed how hard it is to feel full when eating American-style Chinese food? You can keep eating, seemingly forever, and still have room for more. Eventually, though, it catches up to you, and you’re done. …For the moment.

But just wait 20 minutes and you’re ready to eat again.

The Solution

What if we could use the same principle to increase our press volume? Taking forever to get “full” and then, after a little break, being ready to start up again. Using Rung-A-Day programming, you can.

This approach helped me to raise my double military press using 70% of my bodyweight from a 2 rep max (RM) to a 5 RM in 10 days. Without breaking a sweat or burning out, I had 198 reps in a 10 day period shattering a long-standing plateau in record time. We accomplish this by combining two tools from Pavel’s arsenal… Grease The Groove (GTG) and ladders.

Unless you are new to Pavel’s work, you will be familiar with GTG (and if this is indeed new to you then do yourself a favor and read The Naked Warrior). GTG is an amazing approach for getting a lot of work in while avoiding fatigue. I won’t go into the subtleties in this article, but let’s just review the key points:

Grease the Groove

1) Lift heavy. I have found that my 1-3 RM was a great fit. Just remember… perfect form only!
2) Lift often. Pepper your lifting throughout the day, every day. No days off here, comrade…
3) Stay fresh. Manage fatigue. Keep reps fast so that you can keep yourself from wearing down.
4) Never, EVER, EVER fail the lift or set. Failure is the enemy. Don’t flirt with the enemy.

All of these elements will be in place during Rung-A-Day. Now let’s whip up the secret sauce by combining the principles of GTG with ladders.

Ladders

Ladders are a rep strategy used to get a lot of reps in. As Pavel discussed in Enter The Kettlebell, they are very effective for getting all of that work done while controlling fatigue. When performing ladders, you work your way from a single rep to your largest set adding a rep with each set. After that ladder is complete, you start again at 1. For example: for a 4 rung ladder I will do a set of 1, rest, set of 2, rest, set of 3, rest, set of 4. This gives me 1,2,3,4 = 10 reps in a pretty easy fashion. Ladders can have any number of reps, or rungs, depending on the goal.

Rung-A-Day

Rung-A-Day takes a different twist on ladders, though. Rather than working your way up the rungs in the course of a lifting session, you actually designate a number of reps for a particular day. In this way you work your way up from very small sets (singles) to large sets over the course of days. You stay fresh, your body has time to adapt to the increasing load, waviness is built in, and you get plenty of reps in to practice your press (as well as your clean and rack).

Your body has to get strong… It simply has no choice.

The plan gives rapid gains for pressing, so I’ve only ever used it as a short-term program for a two-week block or sometimes even less, depending on the goal. I’ve found it to be great to drive aggressive pressing goals, for a deload period or for a break, for both body and mind, from a current training approach.

Choose bells that are your 1-3 RM but be sure you can press them with perfect technique. Never fail a rep and never fail to complete a set either. Junk reps will count as failure.

How to do it

Start with a 1-rung ladder. Practice often throughout the day doing one or more single reps anytime you are well-recovered. Keep all of the GTG principles in place.

Once you can do 10 sets of your current “top rung” (or largest set) in a given day, you can add a rung to your ladder and start again with sets of 1 the next day. If you are not able to complete the 10 sets with your top rung on the assigned day, you repeat the current sized ladder moving up through the rungs one day at a time until you get another shot at getting your 10 and moving up.

For example

Mon: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 = 12 (More than 10 reps on top rung so add a rung for a total of 2) Tues: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 = 18
Wed: 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2 = 16 (8 sets. Fewer than 10 sets means stay on the 2 rung ladder)
Thurs: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 = 21
Fri: 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2 = 26 (More than 10 sets so add a rung for a total of 3)
Sat: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 = 16
Sun: 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2 = 34
Mon: 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 = 30 (10 sets so add a rung for a total of 4)

Keep repeating ladders and adding rungs until you build to 10 sets of 5. At this point, you are well prepared to bump up to the next kettlebell size and the wheels keep on turning. Keep in mind we are staying fresh through GTG principles. You are not trying to max out every day. Listen to your body, and if you need to back off for a while DO IT. Maximize reps while minimizing fatigue.

I have found this plan very useful for rapidly putting in a lot of reps, dialing-in technique and improving skill with the press. Initial testing is also showing good response with squats and with chin-ups as well, but that is a discussion for another time. In the meantime, if you are looking for rapid gains in the pressing department, just remember… American-style Chinese food.

page2image26752

Daniel Hanscom (SFG) lives with his wife, Tara, in Grand Falls, New Brunswick, Canada. He holds a Doctorate in Natural Medicine specializing in acupuncture. Daniel performs acupuncture by day in their clinic and also teaches kettlebell technique with Tara in their training facility, HBI Kettlebell Club. He is a self-professed nerd, number cruncher and research addict who is happiest when analyzing and calculating data trends for the improvement of strength and health. Daniel can be reached at daniel@hbikettlebellclub.com.

Need some help with technique?

GET A FULL DAY OF INSTRUCTION AT A STRONGFIRST KETTLEBELL COURSE

By Russ Moon, SFG

Congratulations! You have separated yourself from the pack and joined the Alpha-Predator of the Strength and Development field. Your preparation, hard work, fighting spirit and willingness to set aside your ego and accept coaching brought you across the finish line. I would like to share 5 suggestions on how to retain the massive momentum you have built for yourself. These suggestions are based on trying, failing, learning and overcoming.

1. Your Practice — Take what you have learned, revisit the fundamentals with a narrow focus and attention to detail to dig deeper until you can take apart and assemble the Swing and TGU with your eyes closed. Grip, stance, posture, tension, breathing — go back and learn something in each area that you did not know and implement it into your practice. You will be safer as you move towards developing more strength. Do not make the mistake of thinking “this is boring”, “I already know this”, “I am not comfortable doing this over and over”. It is not about your comfort, it is about getting stronger. When the strength gains start rolling in I promise you it will become much more interesting. A mere 5% technique gain in 4 fundamental components on one movement is going to add up to a huge gain downstream, guaranteed.

Every time I revisit these 2 movements (Swing/TGU) and go deeper I become stronger and a better teacher.

— Which swing? All of them, they are listed in the SFG Manual. Each one has a unique lesson to teach.

2. SFG Instructor Manual – A goldmine of bulletproof information that will make you stronger, carry it with you, teach from it. You will be forced to learn the fundamentals more deeply while delivering results to your students that will keep them coming back. The programming and specialized workouts for each exercise alone are priceless. Try each of those specialized workouts and see how they affect you. I will purposely glance at it once or twice when I am teaching. If the students even see the Manual or see me glance at it for even 5 seconds their intensity level automatically goes up. It will make your students more willing to submit to your coaching. They pick up on the fact that you are teaching material which is an amalgamation of the world elite brought right to them by you, their trusted StrongFirst teacher. You have your own Hammer of Thor, use it.

3. Ask Questions and Act upon the Response — No one expects you to know it all and be perfect, you are expected to continuously move forward in your practice. You don’t have to understand the coaching for it to work for you. After you put the time in your understanding will grow. Make sure you circle back to your mentor and let them know 1. You followed their instructions. 2. What your improvement was. It is good manners to say thank you.

Stay in contact with your team, your Assistant Instructors and Team Leader. The lone wolf does not survive; you belong to the strongest pack in the world. Leverage that to your advantage.

4. Read the StrongFirst Blog — the content is fantastic; you will be fed fundamentally sound advice that will turbocharge your progress. You will stay narrowly focused on the techniques, topics and knowledge that really matter.

5. Patience — skill practice takes time and repetition, while it may feel “slow” you will actually improve quickly. Why? You are focusing your attention on the 20% that delivers the 80% of the results.

If you actually implement 1 of these 5 points you are going to develop faster. If you choose to work as smart as you work hard and implement all 5… “Power to You!”

How has the SFG impacted you and your life?

Tell us. Tell everyone. #STRONGFIRST

By Derek Miller, SFG II

So, I want to deadlift. I want a strong deadlift. I want a really strong deadlift.

Oh, you too? I don’t need to inform you of the benefits of adding barbell work into your programming. Whether it’s the front squat, deadlift, bench press, military press or other great staples in a barbell diet, you’re probably aware of their effect on your overall strength development. I would explain, but that’s not what this article is about. I want to give some suggestions on how to stay healthy while gaining strength in your barbell lifts. I’ll start by reminding you of the inherent “corrective” aspect of the single kettlebell lifts. From here forward, I will simply refer to this “corrective” aspect as balance or balancing.

Single kettlebell exercises will make you strong. They will also make you durable. They do this by balancing the left and right sides of the body in strength, mobility and coordination, to say the least. If you believe what Gray Cook tells us with his Functional Movement Screen (I do), then you understand that balanced strength and mobility makes us more resilient to injuries. It is easy to forget this awesome benefit of the kettlebell when we get eager to set a PR in one of the barbell lifts.

As barbells start to take up more and more of your strength practice, you may realize that they don’t always promote balance left to right. Let us hope this realization doesn’t come from actualization of an injury. A barbell lends itself to heavier poundage and thus more strength gains. It may not, though, give your core everything it needs to stay healthy. I’ve suggested a few exercises that can act as accessories to your powerlifts. Accessory exercises help build muscle, stop strength leaks and add training volume without undesired stress to the nervous system.

The particular exercises I’ve suggested promote balance among the left and right sides of the body. Cook also tells us that the core should be trained in a symmetrical, split and single-leg stance. Think deadlift, lunge, and single-leg deadlift.

A few days after learning this, I decided to test myself. My findings were alarming! I could barely perform a single-leg deadlift(hip hinge) on my right leg. This was with ZERO weight. A wooden dowel told me the truth about my deadlift. At the time, I was pulling 2.5xBW. I was asking for an injury.

After a few weeks and a lot of tedious work, I balanced my hip hinge right to left in both strength and movement quality. I dodged that bullet. Subsequently, my competition deadlift became easier. My MAX went up in the following weeks; thus, breaking a plateau.

The more balanced you are, the more resilient you become. The more resilient you become, the more you can train. The more you can train, the stronger you grow.

After re-reading some of Pavel’s literature and studying the FMS more deeply, I experimented with several different exercises. Here is what I have found to help myself and my students stay healthier and grow stronger:

Suitcase DL
Single-Leg DL (1&2 KBs)
Barbell and KB racked lunges
TGU
Farmer’s and Bottoms-Up carries (both 1KB)
Single KB bench press

These exercises give you a chance to assess your tension techniques one side at a time. They allow you to find strength leaks more easily. They promote balance of your strength, mobility, stability, and coordination. They make you stronger.

Now, don’t get carried away and try to set a record for the heaviest Suitcase DL or replace all your squats with lunges. After all, these exercises and other variety exercises are simply grease for the bigger machine. Treat them as dessert or appetizer, but NOT as your main meal. How you program them is up to you, and I would be creative. I make it a point to always warm up for a heavy deadlift session with a couple sets of Single-Leg deadlift. Perhaps, use the KB bench as one of your bench training days. What I have recently done is to group a few of the exercises together and call it a session.

Yet another option, you may choose to finish your practice with one of these lifts. If you’re a sumo lifter, try finishing your session with barbell lunges for a few sets. Your glutes will thank you after they stop hating you. If you’re a more intuitive student, you can practice them freely until you feel balanced and maintain from there. I’ve included sample program ideas from times past. I’ve included the weights for my balancing exercises simply to give an example of how easy these exercises can be.

A week from my book:

#1)

2KB S.L.D.L – 3x3reps each leg – 20kg to 32kg – Under 20% of DL MAX
Sumo DL – 5X5
Weighted Chins – 3×5
Barbell Lunge – 3×8 each leg – 95 to 135lbs – Under 25% of Squat MAX
Single KB swings or snatches – 80-120 reps total
Farmer’s Carry – 100yards each arm – 40kg

#2)

Bench – 3,3,3,5,5,5
Bent Row – 3 to 5 x 5reps
TGU – Weight ladder – 1 rep each to top weight
B.U. Carry – 50 yards total each hand – 24 to 32kg depending on feel

#3)

Back Squat – 5,3,2 – 5,5,5
Suitcase DL – 5×2 each – 135 to 205lbs – Under 30% of DL MAX

#4)

Barbell Push Press – 3 to 5 x 3reps
KB bench press – 5 x 8-10
Weighted Pull-ups – 3 x 5
Plank Variations

A week from a student’s book:

#1)

S.L.D.L – 3×5 – Light to medium weights
Deadlift – work up to top set of 3-5
Weighted Pull-ups – 5×5

#2)

Top of the minute for 5-8 rounds:
Bench – 5@50-75%
Barbell Front Squat – 3@ 40-75%
Snatch – 6 each arm
TGU Situp – 2 each – 20-36kg
BU Carry – 20yds each hand

#3)

Deadlift – work up to 75% of top set from #1 session
Suitcase DL – 3×3 – Light to medium weights
Plank Variations

#4)

Top of minute for 5-8 rounds:
KB bench – 5 each
2KB Racked Lunge – 5 each leg
2H Swing – 10
Farmer’s Carry – 20yds each hand
Toe Thrust – 30sec

I think where balancing exercises get a bad name is when they are used as a lift and not an exercise. In other words, when you major in minors, you don’t get very strong. The approach I use is to concentrate on these exercises when needed. Then, when you have achieved balance, maintain them as warm-ups, back-offs or on a variety day. If you are unfamiliar with these exercises, Gray Cook, Brett Jones, Pavel and Dan John have all written about them. Read some literature, dial in your technique, and be STRONG!

There is a video where you can learn many of these basics…

STRONGFIRST: FOUNDATION OF STRENGTH

By Pavel Tsatsouline, Chairman and Geoff Neupert, SFG II

A student of Geoff’s, Stacy Clemson, SFG II

At StrongFirst we never focused on fat loss — and got it anyway as a side effect of our strength and power focused training. We used to call it “the what the hell effect” until Geoff Neupert, SFG II and the author of excellent book Kettlebell Strong, came across a study by Izumiya et al. (2008). From the study’s title: “Fast… fiber growth reduces fat mass and improves metabolic parameters…”

Neupert, an accomplished Olympic lifter himself, pointed out how lean weightlifters are—all without the dishonor of aerobics. Indeed, the Soviet national team had a standard of 6-7% body fat for everyone but heavyweights—and David Rigert, one of the greatest weightlifters of all time, had 4% body fat at a bodyweight of 200-220. He called it “dry, fighting weight”.

“Dry, fighting weight” of David Rigert

What is extraordinary about the Japanese study is ”… a reduction in accumulated white adipose tissue and improvements in metabolic parameters independent of physical activity or changes in the level of food intake.” (the emphasis is mine—P.T.)

Neupert, who would become our resident fat loss expert, has commented, “So you don’t have to rely on things like EPOC, otherwise known as “the Afterburn Effect”, and you don’t have to rely on getting your heart rate up to burn off calories. And without changing your diet—or going on a diet! How cool is this?!”

(Of course, eating clean will get you ripped faster. Here is Rigert’s typical breakfast: two raw eggs, two steaks with no side dishes, 200g (almost half a pound) of sour cream, a cup of coffee, and mineral water.)

More great news: you do not have to wait until you have built as much muscle as a Russian weightlifter. The researchers concluded that, ”The results from the current study indicate that modest increases in type 2B skeletal muscle mass can have a profound systemic effect on whole-body metabolism and adipose tissue.” (the emphasis is mine—P.T.)

So how do we hammer our fast fibers?—There are only three ways. Heavy, explosive, or a combination of both.

All of the training plans by StrongFirst’s most experienced instructors fall into the above categories. Geoff has kindly agreed to publish one of his.

A Simple Strength Program

By Geoff Neupert, CSCS, SFG II

One of the best ways to increase overall body strength is to spend some time with the Clean + Press and the Front Squat. You can either use a single kettlebell or a pair of kettlebells. My preference is always a pair of kettlebells for the intermediate kettlebell user because of the greater systemic strength effect. That means there is more demand placed on the body to get stronger, so it does.

Here’s how the program is laid out:

A1. Clean + Press

A2. Front Squat

Use your 5RM on the Press.
Set a timer for 30 minutes.
You will alternate between sets of A1 and A2: Perform a set of C+P’s, then rest. Then perform a set of FSQ’s, then rest. Then repeat until time expires.
Perform as many sets as possible while remaining as fresh as possible.
Refuse to “grind”—keep your rep speed the same. If it slows down, rest more between sets.

Week 1:

Day 1: Ladders. 1, 2, 3

Day 2: Sets of 1

Day 3: Sets of 2

Week 2:

Day 1: Ladders. 1, 2, 3

Day 2: Sets of 1

Day 3: Sets of 3

Week 3:

Day 1: Ladders. 1, 2, 3, 4

Day 2: Sets of 2

Day 3: Sets of 3

Week 4:

Day 1: Ladders. 1, 2, 3, 4, (5)

Day 2: Sets of 2

Day 3: Alternate between sets of 3 and 4 if possible.

Week 5:

Day 1: Perform 3×3.

Day 2: Perform a new RM with the same kettlebell(s) you used for the previous 4 weeks. Or you may go up to a heavier kettlebell(s) and perform a new RM.

Some Notes:

You may be tempted to rush between reps and turn this into some kind of MetCon. Don’t. Remember to stay fresh.
A simple method to “stay fresh” is to use “Fast & Loose” drills between sets.
Week 4, Day 3, you’ll see “Alternate between sets of 3 and 4 if possible.” Use wisdom here. If you can’t alternate, don’t force it. Drop back down to 3 reps.
Week 5, Day 1, you’ll see “Ladders. 1, 2, 3, 4, (5).” That means if you feel like you can do a set, or sets of 5, then do so. If you don’t think you can, then don’t.
You may be wondering how many sets you should do per workout. I don’t know. I prefer to use “autoregulation,” meaning, we all have different training backgrounds and work capacities. What is easy for one may be hard for another, so all I do is specify the reps for you.
What should you do on your “off” days? Not much. Restoration work primarily. Easy stretching, mobility work, yoga, or my favorite, Original Strength. Just keep it light and easy. And certainly no MetCon.

Enjoy!

May you reach your “dry, fighting weight” without the dishonor of dieting and aerobics!

# # #

GET LEAN BY GETTING STRONG with KETTLEBELL STRONG

By Dr. B Ramana, SFG

If you are around on online forums, social media and fitness blogs, you may have heard this: “Yeah, who doesn’t need a heavier press, huh?”

Many of you are worried about not being able to press your snatch bell with confidence. How then will you sustain sessions with double bells?

Listen, there are many, many things one can say and do to help fix your weakness. I will attempt to cover as many as I can before I fall asleep.

Fix Your Restrictions

In many, if not most, cases the press weakness is secondary to a poor shoulder position/stability that itself may be secondary to:

a) Tight neck

b) Tight T-spine

c) Poor shoulder complex mechanics for any reason, including tight lats and pecs.

So, you need a good diagnostic assessment*, therapy to fix pain or tightness, and continued strength training. In short, you need a good coach.

Fix Your Press Pattern

You should be pressing the bell the correct way: forearms vertical, elbows down, wrists neutral and a solid upright plank in place. Most newbies tend to press the bell in a forward plane. This is simply not happening! The bell is pressed up and back, and at the top, you lockout while moving the chest forward. Doing bottoms-up presses and get ups will help you get this. You can also play around with Waiter’s (open palm on bell belly) presses.*

Fix Your Weakness

When you do a full press session, amounting to say 100 reps in 45 minutes with a snatch bell, you will realize where your press is likely weak. Typically, it is:

*Motor control (you must be able to continue maintaining your press form even as you are getting tired— fatigue management)

*Weak trunk musculature (? obliques)— you are typically unable to plank strongly as the bell locks out. Pull your kneecaps up harder, son!

*Weak glutes

*Weak triceps

*Poor conditioning

All these weak areas may be addressed by doing more swings and getups. Simple and Sinister, anybody?

Ha.

What Else?

If all the above don’t really apply to you much, and you still need to get stronger at the press, then specific press programs will help you greatly.

Basic: “to press a lot, you have to press a lot!”

My basic methodology for someone who doesn’t need much help in pressing mechanics is two-fold:

Get them to press more, at least 3 times a week. And cycle the volume, density or intensity.
Get them used to a heavier bell, so that the press bell feels easier. This kind of neural overloading for short bursts of time can help you break a weight barrier, of course within limits! For many people, neural drive recruitment will do good things to their lifts.

Here are some specific techniques using the bell you cannot press OR your regular bell (play around):

1. Take the bell you cannot press, put it up overhead anyway you can (snatch, push press, jerk press with assistance). Lockout hard. With full tension, bring the bell down an inch. Press it back. Bring it down 2 inches. Lock it out again. 3 inches, 4 inches, and done.

Change sides. Do this a few times. Don’t attempt to press that same bell now. Let it be for now. Another day, another week or month. Be patient.

2. Take an insanely heavy bell, clean and squat. That’s just it. Just cleaning and squatting that bell will make you stronger at the base, where it counts.

3. Take your regular press bell and press while standing on the opposite leg. It teaches your body to get more juice out of the legs.

4. Put up the heavy bell and teach your body to stabilize with it. There are many ways you can do this:

*Hold for time

*Quarter squat and walk 2 steps sideways, back and forward.

*Practice T-spine extension — drive your chest forward so that the arm is behind the ear. Feel strong.

*Do a lunge or two.

*Rotate your body on either side, a few times, breathing all the time.

*Windmill, but be careful. Better to start with lighter weights if you haven’t already done so. Maybe just touch your bent elbow to the knee, rather than try to get all the way down with a heavy bell.

5. Do overhead walks for time with a lighter bell and build on it. This builds shoulder endurance (especially for the rotator cuff muscles). Typically, go to a park and walk for 50 to 100 meters. At your cert, I will see you do it at the grad workout, heheh. Get to work!

6. Press in half kneeling stance, on the side of your front leg.

7. Variety: press bottoms-up, two bells in two hands, two bells in one hand, one bell bottoms-up stacked on the other (go very, very light, and don’t get a fractured toe!). However, remember, these are only for your play day, when you don’t have serious training.

8. Unconventional PL approach: get very strong by doing a powerlifting cycle on the bench, DL, squat and military press. There are hundreds of templates.

Master SFG Reifkind wrote a highly-regarded article on using the Westside template to get a heavier press.

9. Bodyweight/isometric approach: Read Aleks Salkin’s post on pressing heavier with handstand work.

10. Build mass: for some people, simply putting more mass may be the need of the hour. Men, who are in the wrong autumns of their lives, don’t blink if you need to be doing some high volume complex that hits your arms, shoulder and upper back. There are many templates available, including several by Geoff Neupert, SFG II.

What to do when you have a shoulder injury and still want to retain pressing strength?

Get medically cleared. This means you are not looking at surgery, and you just need to wait it out and rehab.
Do specific shoulder rehab, as appropriate.
Use bottoms-up presses. One of my students who had bicipital tendinosis and shoulder pain and stiffness and was unable to get even a single 16 kg press did bottoms-up presses with the 12 kg on an Easy Strength template, and banged out easy 16 kg presses in a month!
Stick to get ups.
Use the landmine press. Use a barbell and stick one end in the corner of the walls, and press in half-kneel and other positions. Great fun for people who are otherwise written off overhead loading.
Use bands for presses.
Get your lower body and trunk get really strong in the meanwhile with the usual stuff (squats, DL, etcetera).
Backward crawl. It really is a great triceps builder.

There’s a lot in there for you to assimilate and implement.

This was, by no means, the be-all-and-end-all press article. It just encapsulates my thoughts and strategies for the most part, much of it learned from the SFG Masters and Pavel.

As always, focus on technique, and stay tight!

*Some people are not best suited to an overhead press.

**Note that the press groove in a barbell military press and a bench press are different from a kettlebell military press.

Dr. B. Ramana, variously known as Ram or Rambodoc, is a senior laparoscopic and bariatric surgeon. He is India’s first SFG instructor (soon to be SFL as well) and teaches at India’s only Hardstyle strength gym ‘Soul Of Strength’ in Kolkata. He works with a wide range of students including bent, 80 year old people and young studettes who can Get Up with bells ordinary men cannot even lift. He strongly believes in the power of strength training as a rehab tool.

By Nathan M., SFB

I was introduced to StrongFirst through my employer 5.11 Tactical. I will admit I was a bit stoked the night I was seated next to Pavel for dinner at the first meeting, as it offered the chance at casual conversation. I remembered Pavel from all the magazine coverage over the years advertising his strength programs for the military and athletes, and with having had personal paths in both realms, I relished the opportunity to chat.

The first things that struck me was how genuine, considerate and down to earth Pavel is, which is incredibly important for teachers/instructors of any discipline (shooting, running, etc.). He inquired about my current training goals and showed a real interest in helping me by dinner’s end, although that was not why he was there. We also discussed some political issues around at the time and I immediately realized how staunchly patriotic this “Crazy Russian” is about America (bonus points to a potential long-lasting friendship). Pavel and I parted ways that night with the invitation to reconnect in the near future at one of StrongFirst’s upcoming courses.

In regards to “my training,” I have had a mixed bag of experiences at different levels from being an Olympic hopeful for Tae Kwon Do in 1992 (the year it was temporarily cancelled from the program, unfortunately) to Marine Corps PT, heavy lifting programs, combative programs, and most recently as of May 2012, ultra-marathon running… in a weighted military-style plate carrier. Yes, I just said that. I have now completed two ultras (one 62 miles and the other 100 miles) running with an additional 23lbs. of weight. I have also done a 108lb. ruck march in 20 hours covering 32.5 miles within the past year as well. I do these to support veteran charities through the Never Quit Mission www.neverquitmission.org

In the world of ultra-marathon training, you can ask 10 people how to train for one and you will get 10 different answers; and when you throw in the running with weight variable, there are no answers, but only questions, like “why?” I know this because I have been very fortunate through one of my colleagues to connect with some of the world’s most experienced ultra-runners who have run in the Badwater 135, one of the toughest events around.

In talking with the veteran Badwater runners early on, not one of them really ever mentioned “strength training,” which I found ironic for a race that required you to keep on your legs for 135 miles…with hills! I am sure some form of resistance training has played a role in each of their running careers, but it didn’t come through in discussion. I knew that I would have to explore this area more, but was afraid of the strength training I knew, because I didn’t want to increase muscle size and impact my running negatively. (I am one of those guys who gains lean muscle mass pretty easily. I know, woe is me, right? Now that half of you hate me already we can continue on…)

The rock solid date to attend a StrongFirst cert came about 6 weeks before I was to participate in an event called “Carry the Load” (where I did the 108lb. ruck). It was StrongFirst’s SFB Bodyweight Instructor Certification. I really didn’t know what to expect of the certification, but having shifted a lot of my training over the years to more bodyweight exercises due to a lack of accessibility to traditional gym equipment, I was glad for the opportunity to learn, and also to get some real training time with Pavel.

The morning I arrived at the host gym in Tucson, Pavel was all smiles, as I noticed he was throughout the day with everyone… and patient, and was very accommodating in introducing me to some of his instructors and students, which made me feel very welcomed.

Over the course of the next two days I saw feats of “real strength” from male and female, both young and, well… older. I’m 39, so I tread lightly here. From one-handed pushups, strict pull-ups, flags, one-legged squats, handstand pushups, and sometimes combinations of the aforementioned, it was just astounding! The truly amazing thing however was from the people who were not able to do these things the morning of Day 1, but doing them by Day 2. The secret? Years of dedication, research, and “taking it to the lab” on StrongFirst’s behalf, to be able to articulate and translate proven principles of strength techniques within two days!

StrongFirst’s approach to teaching strength principles breaks it down Barney-style to even rocks like myself, and links technique to technique upon a building block system interspersed with practical examples and exercises along the way. You literally “FEEL YOURSELF GETTING STRONGER DURING THE COURSE.” Mind blowing.

Two areas of particular interest to me were “Hollowing out,” and “the Dominanta.” Hollowing out is the engagement of your core muscles and muscles of your glutes and is taught as a foundational part of all techniques. This really grabbed my attention as it was one of the first times I ever really felt my hips pull underneath me properly, something I had been working on since attending a running form clinic, but just kept missing it. The Dominanta is less tangible however, but can be learned, and is more of a mental exercise in the recruitment of all of your muscles into one primary focus of strength, but once you have it, you have it; but equally if you lose it during a feat of strength, well… good luck.

I would say though that one of the most profound lessons I took away from the cert was not necessarily a core part of the curriculum, however it could fall under the “programing” section taught, and reflected true, straight to penetrate, no BS “wisdom” when Pavel said to me in a one-on-one conversation, “Nate, stop making every workout like you are training for selection.” (Military special operations selection.) Boom! The hammer had been dropped. Like most, I was under the impression of 100% maximal effort every workout, and not approaching my workouts in a more pragmatic manner of “percentages of intensity,” allowing for enough mental and physical recovery time while building up to a defined event of maximal exertion. (This is also a good approach in helping to prevent injury.)

Upon departing the StrongFirst Bodyweight Cert I could not wait to sit down and program out my workouts, incorporating the principles learned (which also extend to weighted strength feats) for the next weeks building up to the Carry the Load event. During those weeks of training with StrongFirst principles, and in my training today preparing to establish a world record, I have become a believer, because I have seen and felt the effects personally. Although not everything fits just perfectly into my training regime due to the need for high mileage and just time on my feet for the conditioning aspect to acclimate my body to run 20+ hours, I am constantly reminded of Professor Leonid Matveev’s words, “Strength is the foundation for the development of the rest of physical qualities,” as shared in StrongFirst’s teachings, and their ethos of “Be what you choose to be, but be strong first!”

CHECK OUT THE SFB CERTIFICATION SCHEDULE HERE

By Aleks Salkin, SFG II, SFB

Wailing. Gnashing of teeth. Rending of clothing and sitting in sack cloth and ashes.

Nothing about the SFG certification weekend, it seems, causes as much internal drama, strife, worry, fear, and nervousness (not to mention all 5 stages of grief) as the oft-maligned and inexplicably feared snatch test.

Well, knock it off. And for goodness sake, pull yourself together. It’s only 5 minutes, and your cert weekend is nearly 24 hours in total. You can do this — and make it easier on yourself. I’ll show you how.

Betsy Collie, Senior SFG, snatching with ease

Master SFG David Whitley said something to me at the SFG II in Italy recently that probably serves as the ultimate summary of what this article strives to be: “I’m all about making hard stuff easier.” And why not? When hard stuff is easier, are you not stronger? Is that not the point of this cert — indeed, this whole system?

Tempting as it may seem to simply snatch a whole lot, there are a lot better and less-exhausting options to go from chump to champ in your snatching. You will have to snatch, yes, but it doesn’t have to become a part-time job. In fact, it shouldn’t. If you are preparing for the SFG weekend you have a lot more important stuff to focus on.

This program is one that can fit into your current training without interrupting or bogging it down unnecessarily.

Before we get into the program itself, let’s first go over the preliminaries.

1) You must be able to lock your hand out overhead safely. This means elbow locked and bicep near the ear while standing at attention. “Chicken-necking” is forbidden, as it’s dangerous and will do nothing to help your performance. Also, because chicken makes you weak.

Proper lockout — bicep by the ear, shoulder packed, and everything stacked one on top of the other.

Chicken-necking, plus unpacked shoulder and bent elbow. Not. Even. Once.

2) You should be familiar with the SFG Big Six as a whole — swings, get ups, clean, military press, and front squat in addition to the snatch. All of these moves build one upon the other, so the better and more familiar you are with them as a whole, the better off you’ll be in preparing for your snatch test. They all bring something helpful to the table, from building monster hip drive with the swing, learning to tame the arc with the clean, building powerful, never-say-die legs with the front squat, and getting familiar and confident with overhead strength and stability in the Turkish Get Up and military press, all of the Big Six play a big role. Don’t neglect them.

Once you’ve got these in place, you’re ready to go into the specifics. It’s mercifully simple, just not especially easy.

1. Get stronger

I’d be remiss if I didn’t include this one first. It really is that simple — the stronger you are in your snatches, the easier it all becomes. Think about it: Ladies, what is 16kg if you can snatch 20kg or 24kg per arm for several reps? And gentlemen, what is 24kg if you can snatch 32 or even 40kg on either arm? 24kg is child’s play. Even very fatigued you’ll have little issue putting it up over your head repeatedly. All too often I meet or talk with an SFG candidate who rhapsodizes about how often he or she snatches with his or her snatch test weight or less and how “killer” it is or some such silliness, but when I bring up the suggestion “Why not try snatching with a weight a size or two above your snatch weight?” Well, you know the routine. Wailing, gnashing of teeth, frenzied crying to the heavens, and other assorted histrionics. Be not afraid of snatching heavier for fewer reps. Remember: It’s ALWAYS easier to do less if you can already do more.

2. Make sure your technique is dialed-in

The quickest way I know of to do this (if you’re already snatching) is pretty basic.

a) Keep your eyes forward. NOT down. A lot of people like to look down for some reason. Stop it. Stop it right now.

b) Make sure the kettlebell travels down the midline of your body, not off to the side. When you’re snatching lighter it doesn’t matter as much, but the moment it gets heavy, this will become much harder — and not productively so. When you’re in the hinge-to-hip-pop segment of your snatch, imagine there’s a line between your groin and your chest. Make the kettlebell travel through that line. By the time it’s in its final stage (the “float”) it’ll go to its proper place above your head, and far, far easier, too.

Left: standard one-arm swing. Right: swing aimed a bit closer to midline.
An almost imperceptible difference visually, but physically noticeable. Try this next time you snatch and you’ll find the kettlebell floats significantly easier.

c) Keep your face relaxed and impassive. Too many people get these grimaces and stressed-out looks on themselves from the outset, and it sets the mood (a bad one) for the rest of the set. This is just a personal observation and not critical for your snatching per se, but from my experience, it’s made my snatching easier and smoother.

3. Double breathing

THIS is the cue that, in my correct opinion, will do more for your snatch work capacity than anything else, and I owe David Whitley big-time for it. Back in 2012 I was assisting Master SFG Jon Engum for the flexibility portion of the first-ever Flexible Steel workshop, and David Whitley taught on day one about how to make various kettlebell lifts easier and stronger, much of it by mastering and improving on the basics (imagine that). When it came to snatches, he introduced double breathing and my mind essentially blew right out of every side of my head right then and there.

“The snatch takes twice as much time as the swing, right? So why not breathe twice as much?”

I’m paraphrasing, but the sentiment was the same, and the impact was deep and immediate. This might be the only thing that rivals simply snatching heavier in making your snatch test a piece of cake. It’s that important.

How do you do it? Simple: on the backswing you sniff in. On the hip pop, you breathe out. Old hat. Now, as the kettlebell is making its final ascent into the lockout, you simply sniff in and breathe out again, but faster. The beauty behind the effectiveness of this technique is that it allows you to catch your breath a little bit and maintain the hardstyle nature of the snatch so it doesn’t degenerate into sloppy breathing or unintentional anatomical breathing as you get fatigued. As Master Whitley has said “The suck levels are the same, but you can manage it better.”

Just how effective is this technique? With this technique alone I went from being able to do 20 snatches in a row per arm with a 24kg bell — with a several-minute break between arms — to being able to do 30 per arm before setting it down. 3 times the work capacity because of one technique. Yes, it’s that good. This video will show you the rhythm and cadence needed to make it work properly. Take some time to get the technique on this down, but be warned: once you breathe twice in the snatch, you’ll never go back. click to tweet

4. Programming

In the spirit of StrongFirst, the program is mercifully simple and relatively open-ended. Looking back at Pavel’s landmark work Enter The Kettlebell, you’ll notice that he has you snatching only one day of the week — your light day. The other days you’re expected to swing.

If you’re training for your SFG cert (or re-cert) and not just general strength training, you may want to train 4 or even 5 days a week. Whichever you choose, you’ll still only have to snatch once a week. Here is how you will program your snatches.

Find the heaviest kettlebell that will allow for what Master SFG Fabio Zonin calls the “technical rep max”, i.e. the rep max you can achieve while maintaining picture-perfect technique. A weight that will net you 5-7 reps is what you should be shooting for. This will be your working weight for the next few weeks. You will be using a template that I picked up off of my coach, mentor, and friend Scott Stevens, SFG II.

2 minutes: snatch on the minute
1 minute: rest
2 minutes: snatch on the minute

It’s very easy to fill in that extra minute when the time comes, and it takes the mental pressure off a bit throughout the program.

With your 5-7 technical rep max bell, you will do your on-the-minute snatches thusly on your snatch day. You will snatch on both hands before setting it down according to the 2 on, 1 off, 2 on template. Be sure to do fast and loose each time you set the bell down.

Week 1: 3/3
Week 2: 4/4
Week 3: 5/5
Week 4: 4/4
Week 5: 5/5
Week 6: 6/6
Week 7: 5/5
Week 8: 6/6
Week 9: 7/7
Week 10: 6/6
Week 11: 7/7
Week 12: 8/8
Week 13: REST

For me personally, I found that once I could do 7/7 using the above format, I was far beyond ready. Doing 56 snatches with 32 kg in 5 minutes was more than enough to prep me to bang out the easiest snatch test of my life. No stress, and no sweat (literally). Within minutes the only place that was still feeling it was my pumped-up forearms.

For your other days, swing. Heavy and often. Again, I would not use any kettlebell under your snatch test weight. Between 10-20 reps is good for single bell work, and 5-10 is good for doubles. These swing days may look like this:

Monday: Double swing (snatch test weight or one size above): 5 on the minute for 10 minutes
Tuesday: One-arm swing (a size or two above snatch test weight): 10 on the minute for 20 minutes
Wednesday: off
Thursday: Double swing (snatch test weight or one size above): 5 on the minute for 15 minutes
Friday: Snatch day
Saturday/Sunday: off

As the weeks go by, you’ll strive to put a few more reps on in each session until you’re doing 20 per minute with 1 bell and 10 per minute with two. Then go up a bell size and start over.

Naturally, you’ll still be practicing your pullups/flexed arm hangs, cleans, presses, squats, and Get Ups according to whatever program you’re following as well as any necessary correctives/restorative exercise, which means the above program should fit into anything else that you’re doing.

There you have it. A simple and — dare I say it — borderline EASY way of taking your snatching from chump to champ. Give it a shot, let me know what you think, and once you’ve done it, drop me a line. I’d love to hear about it.

Aleks Salkin is a Level 2 StrongFirst-certified kettlebell instructor (SFG II), StrongFirst-certified bodyweight Instructor (SFB), and an Original Strength Certified Coach. He grew up scrawny, unathletic, weak, and goofy until he was exposed to kettlebells and the teachings and methodology of Pavel in his early 20s. He is currently based out of Jerusalem, Israel and spends his time teaching clients both in person and online as well as spreading the word of StrongFirst and calisthenics. He regularly writes about strength and health both on his website and as a guest author on other websites. Find him online at http://www.alekssalkin.com and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/alekssalkintraining

STRONGFIST GEAR HELPS WITH YOUR SNATCH TEST, TOO.*
*PROVEN BY #SCIENCE