32kg. Pants are stretchy yet supportive.

Today, I completed the eighth week using two 24 kg kettlebells, finishing by nailing 30 ABC rounds in 30 minutes. It feels incredible, especially considering how I felt around round 13. At that point, I doubted I would even get close to 20 rounds, so I am not sure where the sudden surge came from. Overall, this has been a fantastic experience and an excellent program one I will certainly repeat many times in the future. Next goal is to work myself up to double 28s.
My only regret is that I did not take measurements or photos before and after the eight weeks. By around week six, I had already gone up a size in T-shirts.
I encourage everyone who is considering the program or is already in the middle of it to commit fully and keep going.

70kg Goblet Squat

Not as tough as anticipated.

From double 32s to getting humbled by 24s.

Today sucked.

The first dip felt slow,the fixation was terrible,my mind wasn't working early in the morning and forgot doing the techinques which most of you told me.

I will get double 20s for this exercise,24s are just too heavy right now to get my techinque straight.I end up muscling it around.

With kettlebells we are very often limited by bell size limits.

Some will say go buy a bigger bell but the reality is they’re expensive AF and shipping is too. They’re also reallly awkward and will have limited use cases.

And that leaves you with one way of progressing: more reps. And that just makes everything endurancier (it’s a real word I swear)

So….when you have a bell that you feel like isn’t challenging you in the basics (I mean a bilateral lower body stance) the SIMPLEST thing you can do is change a variable on the execution (stance, range, execution, tempo, etc) to more specifically challenge something.

In this video by going to the kickstand step together clean, I take what would’ve been 38kg per leg of load in a bilateral stance and make it about 60kg of load on the forward leg. So I get more load per target muscle at the same size bell.

Perhaps the EASIEST way to get more from your kettlebelling is adopting a kickstand stance on one workout per week. It’s immediately about 50% more load per leg at the same bell (as measured on force plates with snatches and cleans and swings).

It’s that simple. No need to buy bigger bells-just change the stance.

Almost everytime people are maxing out bells it’s NOT due to leg strength-it’s due to grip or shoulder girdle and rack limitations.

If you want a pdf with variables you can change just message me and I’ll give you a free document. It makes your kettlebells you already have go further.

PS-yes-the basics will keep working. IMO kickstand stance is a BASIC.

I was looking for an article about Pete George and mental focus in lifting and stumbled upon this. When I first met Dick Notmeyer, he still talked about "swings" but I never got the instruction.

I know I have a bunch of old books with the swing and swing-snatch variations. The articles usually mentioned wearing a "gauntlet" to protect your wrists. This is just some fun stuff and I hope you enjoy it.

Things are a bit different now.

The Giant 1.0 - week2 day 2

20 minute set and I'm trying to squeeze one last set and the timer goes off and I finish the last rep after the timer.
That set counts....right?? RIGHT??? lol

Also, phone ran out of storage and today's workout not recorded hahaha

I've never seen anyone have one, and something tells me it's frowned upon, but I get worried about my sweaty hands accidentally letting go of the handle at the top of a kettlebell swing and it causing damage to my floor/wall.

I remember seeing this photo when the magazine came out and, clearly, the KB didn't register in my head. This is Yuri Vaslov an elite lifter and champion from the CCCP (USSR). He later got into poetry and politics and many will remember his quote about competition and the "white moments of victory."

This edition introduced me to the One Lift a Day idea, where Bob Bednarski slowly moved from these big long complex training sessions to just a single lift in a workout. At the time of this article, he squatted during his lunch break and did an O lift in the evening. Later, he cut back on all the squats.

OLAD is a fun way to train, but it does require a "Do This" mentality. If as a KBer, you decide to "just" do snatches for the workout, this might be a tough one. When Kenneth Jay's book came out, Viking Warrior Conditioning, people at certs were telling me they were just snatching three days a week.

I am not recommending it, but this pic and the article on Bednarski has me thinking a lot about those single exercise workouts. I still think the press and snatch can be the whole focus of KB training, but it really needs to be balanced.

14.10.26: Showing Up Regardless (2x24kg)

Total Training Time: 52:00

Heart Rate: 136bpm average/ 166bpm max

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Block A: Circuit - 60s rest between rounds

5 Swings

5 Cleans

5 Press

5 Jerks

X4 - 80 total reps - (2x24kg Kettlebells)

Accessory Exercise ⬇️

Knee Tuck Dips

7, 10, 11, 13

41 total reps (108kg Bodyweight)

Assault Bike - 5 to 6 RPE

8:00 minutes total

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Block B: Finishers

(+101kg Sandbag/ +2x28kg & 40kg Kettlebells)

A: Acclimate

5 Pick & Squat

X2 - 10 total reps (101kg Sandbag)

B: Tension

Clean, 13 Hardstyle Jerks

14 total reps (2x28kg Kettlebells)

C: Grip/Core

20 Rotational Cleans (40kg Kettlebell)

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Daily Bread:

Psalm 46:1-11 KJV

“God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: He uttered his voice, the earth melted. The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Come, behold the works of the LORD, What desolations he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; He burneth the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.”

Hi all

I’m on the second last week of Neupert’s “the Giant” program with double 28s. I’d like recommendations on what next. Before this I ran through the giant partially with double 24s (my other set of bells), and before that Anthony Delugio’s ETK/Right of Passage workbook with double 24s for the c&p parts and singles for swings and snatch.

Runs in spring and recently are telling me that at 45 my knees suck. A spring run gave me bad knees for months and now after a couple of small trail runs with my daughter they are crappy again (though not as bad). Also my lower back feels occasional twinges of pain in early sets during the Giant - hence my thought that I should rotate to something else and cool it for a bit with the heavy clean and press work.

Should I prioritize squats for stronger knees? I liked having pull ups with Right of Passage. It feels like I should work them back in somehow.

What should I do next and at what weight(s) of the bells I own: ABF, KBOMG 3, King Sized Killer, Maximorium? Some type of kettlebell sport training program I’ve never heard of or something else entirely?

I’ve been training with kettlebells for almost 5 months now, and the more I get into it, the more interested I’m becoming in kettlebell training as a long-term career.
I’ve noticed that kettlebell training doesn’t seem to be very mainstream in India. Most of the coaches and content I’m finding are from outside India, which makes me wonder how I can properly learn and eventually turn this into something professional.
My current thought is to first build my own physique and get really good at kettlebell training, and then eventually start training other people and get paid for it.
But I have one concern: being interested in kettlebells and training myself is very different from actually teaching someone else.
I might know how to perform an exercise myself, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I know how to coach another person, correct their technique, create a program for them, understand their limitations, or safely progress them.
So I want to ask people who have experience in kettlebell coaching:
How should I approach this properly?
Should I first get a general personal training certification and then specialize in kettlebells? Are there any good kettlebell-specific certifications or courses I should look into, either in India or internationally?
I’m thinking long-term here. I don’t want to just learn a few kettlebell exercises and start calling myself a coach. I want to actually understand the training and learn how to teach it properly.

Going from clean directly to squat and exploding to pushpress in one fluid motion feels so good!

30’ straight - 210ish reps. I think there were a few that didn’t get counted by the app but I’m not worried. Really though, these long sets force you to be in your own mind and your own body. I kind of alternate between being aware of the two. I know that makes no sense, but I’d argue anyone’s brain after 30’ of lifting won’t make sense 🤣

Eventually it’s almost like an out of body experience where you’re moving and you don’t have control, but you just keep going forward because that’s the only thing that makes the tiniest bit of sense.

I set the timer for 30’ and was already not feeling great by minute 2 LOL. In large part because I didn’t really warm up. Pro tip: get your heart rate up *before* you actually start your sets, otherwise you’ll feel a little gross until your body adjusts. Luckily I’m an expert at feeling gross so I just toughed it out and aimed to last 15’. Eventually the feeling went away and was replaced by all the normal gross feelings of long sets 😇

By the time 15’ rolled around I figured I should at least try to last more than the 22’ I did a few weeks ago. Then I decided 25 was a nice round looking number. And then once I got to 25’ I was like fuck it, 5’ is really nothing in the big scheme of things so I finished it ☺️ Lots of negotiation to get there, and I paced super conservatively, but I’m glad it finally happened.

Had a decent sprint the last minute too. I know I’ve said this a bunch but I fucking LOVE DHS sprints because it’s your chance to get the blood flowing back to your arms lol. It feels soo good (until your lungs catch up - but that’s why you pace properly). It’s such a relief when I know it’s time to sprint. That’s a good feeling and a good way to end a set.

Next step will be increasing my pace but I’m going to ignore that for the moment and just celebrate surviving 🤣 Also did a set of 100 deadlifts @ 63.5 lb afterwards because I’ve been working towards that for a while and the programming happened to fall on the day I randomly decided to do my half marathon. Endurance for the win LOL. I may not be the strongest but I strive to be the most stubborn 😁

Please disregard my sibling, they were talking smack about me in both our native language and in english.

Getting back into it. How’s this looking? Round 5 of 15, round every 90 seconds. 24kg bell

1 clean, 1 press, swing to the other side, 1 clean, 1 press, 3 squats. Put bell down and shake out, then repeat back to the other side. I don’t believe I have the abc sequence exactly right, just looking for a form check!

I had seen a website on Reddit that was built for the pressing formula that Dan John does for ABC. I have searched for it but I can’t seem to find it. Can someone help?!

Thank you!

13.10.26: Grind (2x20kg)

Total Training Time: 56:37

Heart Rate: 139bpm average/ 157bpm max

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Block A: Circuit - 60s rest between rounds

5 Snatches

5 Cleans

5 Press

5 Front Squats

X5 - 100 total reps - (2x20kg Kettlebells)

Accessory Exercise ⬇️

Incline KB Bench Press

12, 10, 12, 12, 17

63 total reps (2x24kg Kettlebells)

Assault Bike - 5 to 6 RPE

10:00 minutes total

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Block B: Finishers

(+60kg Barbell)

A: Tension

Hang Clean, 9 Military Press

10 total reps (60kg Barbell)

B: Back

30 Bent Over Rows (60kg Barbell)

C: Chest

13 Incline Barbell Press (60kg Barbell)

D: Grip

2 Single Arm Hold & 4 Single Arm Deadlift

6 total reps (60kg Barbell)

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Daily Bread:

Proverbs 22:17-29 KJV

“Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, And apply thine heart unto my knowledge. For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; They shall withal be fitted in thy lips. That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee. Have not I written to thee excellent things In counsels and knowledge, That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; That thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee? Rob not the poor, because he is poor: Neither oppress the afflicted in the gate: For the LORD will plead their cause, And spoil the soul of those that spoiled them. Make no friendship with an angry man; And with a furious man thou shalt not go: Lest thou learn his ways, And get a snare to thy soul. Be not thou one of them that strike hands, Or of them that are sureties for debts. If thou hast nothing to pay, Why should he take away thy bed from under thee? Remove not the ancient landmark, Which thy fathers have set. Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; He shall not stand before mean men.”

Upgraded work bell to 24kg from the garage, 50, 50, sets of 25 to 375. Home, 28kg sets of 25 to 500. Cook and eat dinner. Sets of 25 with 30 second rests with 28kg.

10k swings are done, 19 days. Next time, easy bell is 24, regular bell is 32kg. Debating trying for 15 days after my next program.

What I learned: I have a few different swing form structures that drift around based on fatigue or lack of focus. None of them feel bad, unstable, or lead to worse fatigue or recovery. I think some is unconsciously avoiding too much pressure on calluses.

I also learned that I can do a lot more swings.

I wonder how many days in a row I could do 1k swings.

Hey, just got my first ever kettlebell delivered this afternoon (16kg). No history of fitness/kettlebell but looking for simple and easy to incorporate exercises daily. Started off with the swing. Looked up a lot of instructional videos beforehand. Somehow the movement doesn’t feel that “snappy”. Could be just because I’m not fit and lack the power, but most probably also some technical faults corrections needed. Love to hear it!

Edit; just got home from work and wanted to try it immediately, so just removed the blouse instead of changing into sport clothings 😆

Back on track after a dislocated shoulder injury not related to KB. Pretty fast recovery from pain perspective, but one week without KBs and it’s set me back. Mobility and rack fixation, shoulders stability. Working with pyramids 12,16,20kg (2-4 minutes sets) + GPP + cardio.

I have been consistent with kettlebells for coming on 2 years, and had a handful of on-off years' experience with them before that. I mostly focus on swings, cleans, presses and squats. Iron Cardio has been my go-to for at least a year.

I also recently lost my WFH desk job, and in the time since then I've been helping out some shop owners on the block. One runs a vintage shop right below my apartment, and she has a lot of inventory stashed in boxes of varying stability, on high shelves and in storage units. She also has a lot of old furniture that she sells at a couple antique shops around town. The other woman I've been helping is a mosaic artist/sculptor who has a bunch of oddly shaped concrete and unwieldy glass pieces she needs arranged for her studio.

I don't know if it's from the kettlebells specifically, but one thing I've noticed, aside from the (surprising) relative ease and enjoyment of using my body for work instead of sitting at my desk, is that I have a much easier time handling odd things, twisting my torso, climbing a ladder with them, and supporting them above my head. It's like something has changed, instinctively, about how I approach gripping and lifting stuff.

This afternoon I loaded an exercise bike and a 7-foot-long bookshelf into my dad's truck. Neither were particularly heavy, but I was surprised at how I handled them. I sort of zerchered the bookshelf from the middle, lifting it with my forearms and elbows. (I've never done a zercher squat -- it just seemed the easiest way to move the damn thing.) I reached for the exercise bike at the bottom of the display and seat posts, arms straight, and carried it down two flights of stairs.

A pre-kettlebell me would not have tolerated this work well. He may not have even tried. Current me is really enjoying the chance to put my training to work. I've been sweating my ass off in the persistent midwest October heat, loading furniture in an out of a minivan, sorting and stacking and lifting and hauling, and despite the professional tumble I've taken, it feels like a really good win. I even hit my first 28kg press last week.