Pavel Tsatsouline Kettlebell Strength Training Weight Lifting Workouts Exercise and Flexibility Questions & Answers.

regarding the spacing hypothesis? where did it come from, what is it etc. Simon 

I saw your conversation about pulling the working shoulder down into the socket. I agree that this is very impoortant to protect the shoulder. After reading Naked Warrior, I had the idea of a drill that addresses this as well as some of the other concepts in the book. Hang from a bar with your body straight and then make your body as short as possible. Consciously pull every joint closed (elbows, shoulders, hips, knees). I visualize pulling all of my upper body muscles and abdominals downward and all lower body muscles and glutes upward. For the lower body, it helped me to hold a dumbbell between my feet to emphasize the joint separation before closing the knee and hip joints. Brad 

I've been alternating sets of deadlifts (Romanian deadlifts actually, on 5" blocks) and hack squats (behind the back dealifts, not on blocks) recently, in the hope of getting some well rounded leg development. Is this a good plan? I've been doing various set structures: usually 2-3 sets, and then varying the reps from triples up to 5 or 6. Also a question about form on hack squats: how do I best go about pulling my hips forward without rounding my back or coming forward onto my toes? I have difficulty getting past my hamstrings without doing either of the previous. Is it a form issue, or should I be using lighter weights? Probably I could better complement the deadlifts with front squats (and avoid the form dilemma of hacks), but I seem to get bothersome knee tendonitis when I front squat, so I'd like to avoid it. Thanks. 

since John said to ask... 

To Pavel (and anyone else who has or hasn't seen me), With pistols, do you find that women have problems due to their center of gravity being in their hips, behind feet? I'm working them, but one of my colleagues suggested that with my LONG LEGS (and you've seen me), a full pistol might elude me. I've been trying rolling ones to a bench about 19.25 inches high with a 15 or 20 lb dumbell, okay. I've also tried some with holding a JS band in front, seems to help some. Holding a DB or KB as you are pictured in NW (upper arms tucked and braced on upper body) is easier than trying to hold further in front (my upper body doesn't seem to hold the weight WAY out in front well). So, knowing how long my legs are, do you think pistols are something that will help my powerlifting? Is it reasonable to expect that I will be able to get full down on the deck? (You told me not to worry about splits in Oct). Is it cheating too much to use the JS band to provide some front counterbalance if a KB/DB is too heavy? I appreciate any and all replies! Thanks everyone! Teresa Merrick, M.A. Bellevue, NE 

Yesterday I did 26 jerks and 43+43 snatches using 1-pood kettlebells, both pretty significant PR's for me (both by about 20% or so). I've been listening to Rob training with the 24's even though he's more than strong enough to train and compete with the 32's, and also remembering that someone - was it Alex? - didn't even own a 32 but competed with them. So far, I'm very pleased with the way this is going. I've got plenty of strength for my chosen competition size of 24 kg, but I seem to also have lots of issues, most of which I don't understand, with doing higher than an "athletic" number of reps, so I think I'm going to keep going with 1-poods for a while, knock down the whatever barriers I can along the road to 10 continuous minutes each of snatching and jerking, and only practice the competition lifts with my competition weight once in a while. My 43+43 snatches took a bit over 5 minutes and my wife said I was going at about 18 per minute, so 90+90 is where I'm pointing myself. It would certainly be more macho to say I was regularly training with the 24's or even the 32's, but I'm hoping this approach bears more fruit in the long run. -S-  

In MM you wrote that your #1 choice for biceps work is the wide-grip BP. I think I understand why from Jack's posting. I guess you're saying that the bicep's role as a stabilizer increases with the width of the bench press grip (at least to the max legal powerlifter's grip width). Jack's comments seem to be consistent with a paper entitled RECRUITMENT PATTERNS IN THE BENCH PRESS by A.J. Lee and D.G.E. Robertson, Ph.D. School of Human Kinetics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. http://www.health.uottawa.ca/biomech/lab/docs/isb17_al.pdf The authors say that although the biceps are antagonistic to the motion of the bench press, their recruitment pattern would suggest they play an important role in the transition of phase from lowering to raising probably in terms of elbow stabilization. (This article did not specify grip width.) I'd like to point some doubters to studies supporting your assertion that the wide-grip BP is a great choice for biceps development - better, in fact, than all the rest. Are there any studies you're aware of, or at least any references you can point me to? In any event, I would like to know why - in terms of biomechanics and/or kinesiology - your first choice for a biceps exercise is the wide-grip bench press.  

Hi everyone I have been trying the seated groin stretches from (Relax into Stretch) using each of the methods in the book. Each time I start I am at about 80 degrees between the legs and can get it up to 100, maybe 110 but no further. This was exactly the same as in my younger days too using ordinary stretching. The feeling of slight pain/stretch is actually on the inside of my knees and in my hip joinys themselves. The actual muscle feels not too bad. When I bring my legs back in its momentarily difficult to get up and my hips and knees are sore for a short while afterwards. I have heard that some people cant these stretches due to hip restriction rather than inflexibility and I was wondering if I may be one of those? And wht other advice people could give me please? (My hips pop now and again usually when I get up from sitting - dont think this is stretching realted as it started before I started seriously stretching again). Also my cardio and muscular endurance is low even though my strength gains are getting pretty good. I tried running but seem to fatigue from 3 times a week and the original easy distance just gets harder and harder. Can anyone advise please (its not a great distance either so it seems to be anything I do!) ? Many thanks and take care all Rich 

Too Pavel, and the rest of the party who my care to take part in this I have a request which is somewhat controvercial, you see I intend on competing in the up coming TSC in August in the spec opps division, but there is one major problem with this. I have a long standing wrist injury steming from a decade of competing in and training for the ring, also reocurring elbow problems for the same reasons. Anyway as a result of this I am unable to do certain exercises, one of which is the over hand pull-up with any significant weight. However I have found that, strangly enough supinated chins and one arm pull-ups do not effect my wrist (although the OAP's sometimes effect the elbows). You no what's coming next, and I no your reply Pavel, chin-ups are not as functional as pull-ups, pull-ups are harder they are in the rules and that's it end of story. Fair enough, if that is how you feel then I have no objections and am greatful for your reply. But I haven't finished trying to convince you yet. I realise they are eaisier so I am more than willing to accept a fitting handycap of your discretion, for example I will use two 2 poods instead of 1 2 pood, that's 64kg added, I would be pulling 200% bw for reps, and I'll use a thumbless grip if you like, I also promise to be competitive in terms of reps dispite pulling double the weight So to all Party members who read this I would ask you to give your vote, just out of interest, on if you think I should be allowed to compete with chins instead of pull-ups under the above handycap. Pavel I realise the buck stops with you, so consider that I would love greatly to compete in the TSC, but if not could you please give tips to help the wrist and elbows. Slan mo chara (that's "catch ya letter friends" in Irish) Pol 

I actually came to this site to try to find a way to contact Pavel, and not only do I find a forum, but he posts here! I'm sure he is a busy guy. I will try to keep the gushing to a minimum. But: Gushing: Relax into stretch is the best fitness book I've ever owned. I've never been so entertained reading a book like this. Sometimes I read it just for amusement. I've called my friends to read it to them and they pretty much think I'm nuts. Music: I don't know what the chances are that there are any classical guitarists, or at least musicians of any kind reading here. I've incorporated some of the "relax into stretch" techniques as part of my practice. I'm not sure it helps directly with my playing, but I think I've avoided some of the pain I could get from long practice. I say "I'm not sure," because...how do you know when you don't have something? So, I THINK I don't have pain... Also, I actually applied the technique to individual fingers of the left and right hand for flexibility, and again, I don't know how much this is helping my playing, but it must be doing something right? I also have back problems sometimes when I play, and I know that the back stretches have helped for sure. Running: I am also a distance runner. I've done two half marathons and I'm training for my first marathon. What do people find the best stretches for runners? I don't think I'm getting the most out of the "shin and instep" stretch. After one or two times of flexing the muscles, I don't feel like I have anywhere else to go. Is there way to get more of a stretch from this? General stretching questions - The souped up toe touch: I feel like I'm getting a good back stretch now, but my knees are still very bent. If I straighten them, I feel the stretch in the back of my knee, which means I am stretching the ligaments, which is a no-no, correct? Thanks!  

can anyone please help me, im just starting out in no holds barred fighting and am looking at getting my body in the best possible condition. I have four of Pavels books, 'relax into stretch, bullet proof abs, super joints and power to the people'. and i have also read tens and tens of other books on strength and fitness. what i would like to know is what would work best for me, is there any other books anyone can recommend? what ideas should i work with... i am 70kg at the moment, 16 years old, and im looking at putting on 23kg. i need to stay flexible and dont want big soft muscles. i would need good muscle endurance and fitness, i also want to have hard muscles as pavel demonstrates in power to the people. how would i go about this... ? use the section on building mass, then do the weights program to help your muscles contract harder. would i be able to maintain that weight doing that ? also are calisthenics any good? any information would be greatly appreciated!!! thank you . reply here or add me on msn or email me: philmarciniak@hotmail.com or icq 107871379 

I am very impressed with "(The Naked Warrior)" workout and the strenght without size approach to fitness. I have substituted pistols and one armed push ups for my weight training program. I am also a runner. Your emphasis on focus has helped my running. I usually run 6 to 10 miles 5 times a week and am in training for a marathon next October. Any suggestions on using your training methods to help me with my marathon training? Thanks 

I need to train push ups for maximum reps. I've tried all kinds of methods, but I hit this "mental wall" at a pathetic 40 or 45 reps. After reading Pavel's book, (The Naked Warrior), I can see that I'm probably not holding the proper tension while training for max reps, I have always trained to exhaustion, and I'm probably not maintaining proper breath compression while performing reps (because I get winded). I have even discussed this "mental block" issue with a British Special Boat Service(SBS) soldier, and he suggested, basically, a GTG practice of what he called "muscle memory press ups", where every spare chance you get, drop down and knock out a preselected number, then gradually increase that number. Well, that didn't work, either. I felt stronger while doing push ups, but still could not get past "The Wall". I've kind of got the idea to not train to exhaustion, but any suggestions would be greatly, greatly, appreciated. Thanks 

Could you explain what you say in NW a little more? It seems you're saying, at the bottom of page 83 ("don't fight the side expansion") that it's important to resist your abdomen expanding to the front but less important to resist it expanding to the sides, or maybe one shouldn't resist that at all. I just try to stay tight and assume that I'm not expanding in any direction - my obliques also tighten when I tighten my front abs - am I doing anything wrong? Thanks in advance. -S- 

I am training a group of Tae Kwon Do athletes for the upcoming OPEN qualifier for 2004 ATHENS Olympics. I devised a seven week S&C program based on bodyweight training. While using bodyweight training is not my first choice, it was the best I could do in the situation. I have made an hybrid program drawing from a few different authors. The books I used of Pavel's were PTP, NW, BPA, RIS and SJ. I have also referenced Bompa's PERIODIZATION TRAINING FOR SPORTS, Staley's SCIENCE OF MARTIAL ARTS TRAINING and HIGH POWERED PLYOMETRICS by Radcliffe and Farentinos. A little note here: After four sessions - EVERYONE was doing full PISTOLS! This was my only strength exercise. I used the HTT's along with the 3-5 method. Why only pistols for strength? Why not PullUp's, HSPU's or OAP's? Olympic TKD'rs only use their legs. I didn't want any unnecessary training. For core strength work, I used the FCT. My smallest girl - 100 lbs. in one week was using bar+25! These were the only exercises I used to develop MxS. For the first week, a sample day looked like this Warm-up (Active flexibility not static or ballistic) Technical (1st round: most kicks, least rest - last round: least kicks, most rest) 3, 3 minute rounds of bag work Strength Pistols (started w/ box pistols proceeded to full pistols - had them practice on their own, as well - never fatigued, never to failure) Conditioning Sprint work - same % protocol with the technical training just translated to sprints Core FCT's NOTE: Bear in mind there is no punches or blocks in Olympic TKD. If you look at their kicks, ther is almost zero bending and twisting of the core -the hips and shoulders stay aligned relative to each other. They use their core for stabilization - so I though FCT's! With it being a new skill, I just had everyone add weight until they found a weight that was sufficiently heavy. 3-5 sets, 3-5 reps, 3-5 minutes rest Stretching Partner PNF (Front kick stretch 4 hammies, side kick stetch for groin and back kick stretch for hip flexors) Floor routine including CR stretching along with contrast breathing - stuff taken form RIS and SJ. I would much prefer to train explosiveness via BB, DB or KB's. Once again, I have to use bodyweight which obviously leads me to plyometrics. I have never used anything other than depth jumps with my Boxers and am at a bit of a loss for which plyos to use. It is not that books don't give enough drills - my God, there are so many. My instincts tell me to stay away from using them to develop Power Endurance. I would rather have them use their drills to develop power endurance and I want to eliminate redundancy of training. Hopefully the power they develop in plyos with be displayed in their technical work Some additional info: Progressions in plyos as i understand it will be: sets, reps, dbl leg 2 sngl leg, low depth to high depth I am training starting and reactive power. I am using rule of thirds: Strength week has two sessions of MxS, one session of P. Power week has two sessions of P, one session of MxS. For a power microcycle, two weeks of P one week of MxS. For a strength microcycle, two weeks of MxS one week of P. I am not combining MxS exercises with P exercises. I do not want to send disparate info to the athletes or their CNS's although many protocols call for this. I am trying my best to keep this as simple as possible while maintaining its effectiveness. I am looking for the minimal effective catalyst. My main concern is this: How much is enough to teach the body to recruit fibers as fast as it can? My instincts tells me to use lower reps and higher sets. So, how many reps and sets should I aim for? Some additional questions: Which plyos to use? How many different plyos in one sessions? Which plyos to transition to? Can I do explosive FCT's w/ minimal weight or is this a waste of time in developing power. I don't have MB's nor need MB training since the abs are used only for stabilization. Should I lay off the isometric stretching when developing power? If so, just use waiting out the tension and contrast breathing minus the iso's? I realize this is a lot of info and even more questions, but all help is greatly appreciated. Would love to write an article about the program. Power to you, comrades! Frankie Faires (next time I post, I want to talk about CE!)  

I am a 50 year old male. I have been lifting very consistently for about a year and a half, in addition to running for cardio. I began (Power to the People) for the strength training about five months ago, doing deadlifts, side presses, bench press, as well as pull-ups and ab routines. For Christmas, I received a 24kg kettlebell. Since then, I have been alternating PTP three days a week with KB.’s the other three. It has worked well, because I enjoy both so much. On my last deadlift cycle, I hit a new maximum and felt great at the time, however, later in the day I developed a stiffness in my back, bi-lateral to my lower thoracic region and somewhat more pronounced on the left. I’ve noticed this previously near the top of a cycle, but it usually went away in a day. This time, it did not. On the next two beginning cycle deadlift workouts, it didn’t seem right, so I have not done any deadlifts since Friday the 13th. This stiffness is somewhat like DOMS. It does not pinch or have sharp pain. It is more pronounced when awakening and when I’ve sat for a while. It seems fine when I’m active. It is also much better now, but not gone entirely. I’d like to know when I should return to doing deadlifts and how to determine what weight I should start my cycle with (i.e. PTP normal would be reduce 55 pounds from previous max. to begin a target 12 week workout cycle to a new 5 pound increased max.). Your thoughts would be appreciated. Don 

That's my basic question. I'm getting ready to get into shape. I'm your basic coach potato that wants to start the process of desissyfication. Also were should I begin? I've tryed getting in shape before. Mostly friends and reliatives that play sports regularly keep giveing me programs ment for someone that has been eating healthy and working out everyday of there life. I found Dragon Door and this seems geared to a guy like me. Thank you for your time. -Rusty  

Gentlemen, I am a long-time DD customer and a competitive GS athlete, so it is on those grounds I ask these two questions. 1. I have heard some rumblings that DD is thinking of not coming to the nationals in May. Is this true? 2. Why does it seem that DD is reluctant to get involved in the sport? ie - why won't DD sponsor a GS competition in the cities or anywhere else for that matter? Thanks in advance for your replies, Jim Robertson  

As I've mentioned before on this forum, I've been doing most of my GS training with a 1-pood while completing a deadlift cycle. I weigh about 69 kilos or about 151 lbs. The DL cycle finished about a week ago with a new PR about which I'm very happy. A few day ago I did 50 snatches each side with the 1-pood and somewhere along the way I got up to 26 jerks with a pair of 1-poods. My previous GS bests, done at the 2003 PKC, were 14 jerks and 25 snatches. Yesterday I did sets of 3, 10, and 11 jerks with a pair of 1.5 poods, and today I did sets of 7, 13, 15, and 20 snatches with a 1.5. The last sets of both of those are about 75% of my best numbers. I am content that my training with a lighter weight did not cost me anything in terms of what I can deliver at the upcoming competition in Providence, where my goal is simply to post better numbers than I did last year in Philly. Whether or not my training with a lighter kettlebell has caused me to be further from my ultimate GS potential than I otherwise might be is an interesting question - debate away if you like, but it's of no concern to me right now. I just wanted to supply this data point for anyone else giving consideration to training for higher reps with a lighter weight for GS. I believe it's a sound strategy that, while it may have its limits, has not yet reached its limits for me. If my performance in Providence is lousy, you can say you told me so. -S- 

I started using the PTP program about 6 weeks ago, and the results for me have been phenomenal. I have been lifting quite a while, so I have been pleasantly suprised at the gains I have made - 50 lbs on DL and 35 lbs on BP. My question is this: How do you incorporate cardio training with the PTP program? I'm in the military, so I have to do a regular fitness test, which includes a two-mile run. Please let me know how you have integrated the two, and if you also have any tips for incorporating bodyweight exercises as well (specifically push-ups since they are a part of the fitness test as well). Thanks for your help. 

here we go. Although i am out of training for the time being, training for GS obviously requires strength as well as strength endurance. my questions is this. on top of the needed training in GS (snatch, c&j's both LC and SC) is it wise to practice the squat? a simple question i know but i have been thinking about delving into teh Smolov routine when im better, i also want to start to GS training so I can represent Australia at the worlds. I cant leave my country out and you americans need my australian charm to get all teh eastern european girls (birds if you have meet me). I know that when practicing Jerks as well as snatches you need to be as 'loose' as possible in order to acheive better numbers, this can be seen in almost any footage of the russian champs and world champs. second question: would squatting be preferred (sp?) over the deadlift? The way i see it, the answer would be yes, due largley to teh carry over that the squat appears to have. i believe that the squat would help produce better results in GS comp, this is from observations of oly lifting. (if my previous questions and thougts have been read correctly i understand that better numbers will be produced by staying relaxed, something that oly lifters cant afford). there we go im sure that i already know the answer i just want to have all the facts an intense super cycle of squats with minimal GS training then switched to maximal GS training would work wonders in my honest opinion. that being said i think heavy over head pressing for reps would also help. everyone feel free to chim in but remember these are my thoughts and questions i am not telling people what they should and should not due, so please dont misunderstand what i am asking/saying. i have never competed but I plan on doing so with in the next year. I know that specificity is the key to GS numbers but i feel that a full body move would make one a better Girevik. Lets gas them (another saying i am known for). Again i cant stress enough that these are questions and i give my reasons for asking them. Simon