Absorbing or Catching?—What the Kettlebell Reverse Half Snatch Can Teach You
One of the lessons I learned over 22 years ago at my kettlebell certification with Pavel was that there is a huge difference between catching a water balloon and absorbing the incoming water balloon....
View ArticleClimbing Out of Adversity
In September of 2023 our gym, Axistence Athletics, hosted an All-Terrain Conditioning™ seminar taught by StrongFirst Certified Master Instructor Derek Toshner and StrongFirst Certified Team Leader...
View ArticleJust Swing a Kettlebell: Undertaking the “Simple” February Swing Challenge
My Background I’m a 55-year-old male (schoolteacher by day) who weighs 177 pounds and stands just over 5’9”. The focus of my forties, honestly, was CrossFit. This included eight years of WODs, Metcons,...
View ArticleA Call to Arms—The Case for Direct Arm Training
Over the past few decades there has been a curious trend that has slowly but surely seeped its way into the hearts and minds of an alarming number of iron rats, both professional and recreational...
View ArticleAchieving a Three Times Bodyweight Deadlift with Both Stances
“We grow old and the young look at us and never see that once we made a kingdom ring for love.”—Uhtred of Bebbanburg Turning fifty is a milestone in most people’s lives. A time to reflect on five...
View ArticleNovocaine Training Part II: The Decision-Making Process
Background In part one, the concept of Novocaine Training and some of the specifics of exercise selection and session details were explained. The concept is to include enough variation to avoid...
View ArticleTriple Gear Military Press Protocol—An Experimental Case-Study
Introduction In 2023, Pavel published an article on the StrongFirst blog raising the question “Will You Gain More Strength by Varying Your Lifting Speed?” and afterwards published another article with...
View ArticleStrong Endurance™ for Dutch Women’s Eight Rowing Selection “Project 2020”...
Background From 2017 to 2019, I was fortunate to support the Dutch “Project 2020” women’s eight rowing selection as a strength and conditioning coach. My task was to create and perform the day-to-day...
View ArticleIntroducing Super Sinister
In addition to being the school of strength, StrongFirst has created a culture built on pushing one’s limits, both physically and mentally. In 2013 Pavel published Kettlebell Simple & Sinister, in...
View ArticleA Strong Plan for Shift Workers
Based just outside Belfast, I’m a busy husband, dad to two boys, and a 20-year shift lab worker (and still counting—until my lottery numbers come up). Shifts can put a lot of demands on an individual’s...
View ArticleThe “No-Plan” Plan
I’m about to make a potentially heretical and controversial statement. Ready? Here we go—You don’t need a goal. And what’s more…you don’t need a plan. Let’s all take a moment to catch our collective...
View ArticleHow I trained for Super Sinister
In my previous article, “Introducing Super Sinister,” I introduced a new challenge for Sinister athletes. Classic Sinister requires you to perform 10 one-arm swings (48kg for men/32kg for women) every...
View ArticleThe Kur for your Kettlebell Swing and Clean
It has been stated that the swing is the center of the kettlebell universe, and it is a well-known fact that the kettlebell deadlift is the foundation of the swing. Every StrongFirst student begins...
View ArticleConquering the One-Arm Pushup at Any Age
Five years ago, I earned my SFB (StrongFirst Bodyweight) Certification under StrongFirst Certified Master Instructor Karen Smith. The SFB StrongFirst Bodyweight Instructor Certification prepares you to...
View ArticlePavel Tsatsouline on the Huberman Lab Podcast: Build Strength, Endurance, and...
Would you like to learn more about a specific topic? Post your follow-up questions in this thread. Pavel will answer select questions in upcoming StrongFirst newsletters. (If you are not subscribed to...
View ArticleSeven Powerful Lessons from Becoming a Beast Tamer
Please understand I grew up a very skinny kid. My dad used to tease me and call me spaghetti arms. I hated to eat and spent countless nights negotiating how many more bites I had to eat before I could...
View ArticleBig Goals in Hard Times: Dealing with the “Periodization of Life”
Life can be complicated. That’s no secret. And if you’re not a professional athlete, your strength and conditioning training will have to make certain compromises. So, how can you achieve your training...
View ArticleThe Iron Marathon
I have always wanted to run a marathon but never wanted to commit to the traditional training required. I love strength training and believe there is much one can achieve by using it intelligently. As...
View ArticleThe 3-5 Method Revisited
“Could you outline a simple and effective barbell strength training template?” Enter the 3 to 5 Method. I codified it a quarter of a century ago in response to the same question from an instructor at a...
View ArticleSimplifying Multi-lift Programming
It is impossible to train every desired skill to a high level at the same time, especially if you have a day job. Few competitive powerlifters can snatch or clean and jerk. Weightlifters aren’t...
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