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

I've had problems over the past year with my L4/L5 and Sacroiliac Joint on my right side. Right now I'm in the 3rd week of a stagnant convalescense/flair up (sp?)and a lot of pain. My Chiropractor suggested that exercises like kb front squats, sots presses, etc cause impingement there. Being down in the hole puts a lot of pressure on my ligaments and this tends to pull the SI out of alignment. He wasn't criticising the exercise per se, just for me doing it as my flexibility may have contributed to some laxity there. He suggested that I do my squats with knees together. This certainly makes the exercise more challenging when racking the bells on the chest and then going into a rock bottom squat with my knees in front. Pistols also keep my adductors firing and help keep the SI joint in place. So, I am wondering if any of the brains on this forum happen to have any recomendations (besides rest, etc.) as to rehabing this imbalance so that I can get back to doing the normal squat, etc? Too, has anyone else experienced any similar problems...I know that many people work on opening the hips when down in a squat because they are too tight with the adductors and hip flexors... just need some ideas. Thanks in advance. Yours in decrepitude, John 

Seriously, I'm a little ignorant on this issue here. Is this an "informal" team set up by comrades from this forum and/or workshops? Do you guys enter specific meets? If there are people in my area or near me and there are competitions I would love to tug on some weights. I won't be competing in Olympic lifting until sometime next spring or summer, maybe even later and I need some competition! Thanks for any info. Dano 

One of my roomates has a book titled Sports Supplement Review 4th Issue. I don't know if you remember this book but you were interviewed for training advice. Anyway, my question is inregards to some of the advice you gave. On page 214 you were giving advice about bodybuilding mesocycles where you stated that the trainee would be performing 20 rep breathing squats for 2 months. I have not purchased your Beyond Bodubuilding but I do have a lot of your other work. Do you suggest this exercise to someone over the bear style workout? I was shocked when I read your suggestion because it seemed so out of character for you. In PTP you suggest 5 reps max but high sets for the bear routine. Hopefully you can understand my confusion. Maybe you have pros and cons for both...I am simply curious. Is 20 rep breathing squats one of those few high rep "animals" that you think works? (I personally think Paul Anderson was proof enough) I myself have done the 20 rep breathing squat routine with the stretch marks to prove it. Later on you recommend reps in the 8+ range. Once again this contradicts some of your other work but then again I have not read (Beyond Bodybuilding) so I don't know if it is endorsed there. I didn't see anything about training to failure but I remember I reached failure on the 20 rep squat program. (this is if you do the program as described; find a weight you can squat 10 times and do it 20 times) Any clarification would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, Justin 

1) When I come to the top of my pullups I always find myself almost high enough but far away from the bar. I dont know if this is a reaction to not wanting to break my nose or hit the top of my head on the bar (which I have done) but it really it hard for me to get into the bar. When I do so, I hit my throat too hard or just get to the chin. 2) I still cannot decide what to do with my legs which flail a little. When I use a KB it starts to swing and I have to wait at the bottom for it to stop swinging in a pattern that screws up my "groove" The lat activation tips from BB help but this aspect I am still missing. Any coaching points appreciated. Thank you 

I received my 24kg KB about one month ago and have been using on and off for a few weeks. I've been training via freeweights for over 20 years...mainly powerlifting. Currently, I am using the KB on my off days from the free weights and seem to be progressing quite rapidly. I am experienced with power cleans, deadlifts, etc...so my technique on these moves is very solid. I cannot believe the cardio workout I get using this little sucker! The swings alone really tap me. However, I am concerned than the 24kg may be a little too light for me. I am of decent strength (500 bench, 650 deadlift, 800 PR squatt) and I need to know if I should be using a heavier bell. While the training taps my cardio....the 24kg really is not very challenging for me to handle. I can do sets of 12 for the one arm bottoms-up press and the cleans are very easy. Don't get me wrong, I get a good workout but I need to know if they should be more challenging. Could also use some advise on how best to integrate the KB with my regular free weight training. My main goal is to loose fat while gaining funtional strength. Great forum!  

I have planned to do the smolov squat program, but I have a couple of questions concering the program. 1. Should I use the high tensions techniques when I'm doing the squats as described in PTP, like f. ex flexing the muscles as much as possible and doing the squats slowly. 2. what should i do if i reach failiure during a set? I thought pavel didn't believe in training close to failiure. 3. How much percent weight of 1RM and how many sets/reps should i use when warming up for the working sets of squats? 

I've recently being using the crossfit WODS as it seems this is the program of choice for people in my line of work (LEO). My problem came when doing high rep deadlifts as part of a WOD. I injured my back! so to the chiropractors I went. He scoulded me for doing high reps and said exercises like the deadlift are safer trained low reps for strength. Has anyone else had this type of problem?Lesson learnt. When I'm better I will stick to 3 to 5 reps PTP style, and high rep KB ballistics, never got hurt doing that and I'm sure I can get as fit as if I was doing the WOD. 

I bridge usually 2 to 3 times a day for a few minutes at a time, but i have not seen it in any of the parties articles. Is there a neck exercise i am missing?  

IMO, a essential tool in building well-rounded athletes. KBs will get you much of the way there too, but heavy Oly lifts are unique in their stimulus. Matt

http://www.elitefts.com/documents/olympic_lift.htm 

A little update for those of you who cared ;0. A brief synopsis of mine ailments: About 6 weeks ago I was training (kata) and I felt a pinch in my lower back. The next day I was bent over in pain. Went to the chiropractor and got some painful adjustments that helped only temporarily. By the end of November, things really hadn't progressed, I couldn't teach my students as I couldn't stand for very long, until my wife, Kristann, was able to figure out the proper course of accupuncture treatment (chungmo/daimo). The next day was amazing; the blockage and 'thickness' I felt in the region was about 90% less than the day before. I had no pain, but my range of motion in forward bends and side kicks was still decreases (before I could barely lift my foot 15" of the ground and afterwards my range increased to about 4'). So I gave my body some more rest, just training my forms slowly and smoothly to try and keep range of motion. Last week being a wash for certain reasons, I was able to get an MRI done on this Tuesday. So I just got back from visting the orthopedic doctor after he took a look at my MRI for my lower back: He said that it was in better condition than 90% of the people my age (39) and that my impingement and pain was do to general age. He suggested that I work on core exercises and take up yoga. Other than that he was not very specific or helpful. So I proceded to my chiropractor with my slides and showed them to him. He was in agreement with the ortho. but was much more helpful with how to procede. AS I had mentioned previously, I had been warned away from front squats as they might be causing problems with the SI joint. What the MRI showed was that I did have some bulging of the disk at L5 but the cause was from my curvature being too low on the spine and puting pressure there and on the sacrum. So for treatment he suggested doing cobra pose, but making sure that the tail was tucked first. This would over time reset the curve and make it higher up. As a side note, I had got Steve cotter's new video from Shihan a couple weeks ago and was frightened and impressed (Steve you are a genetic freak :)) but what set off an alarm for me and my technique, was watching Steve squat kbs from a profile shot. He kept his tail tucked through the whole motion. I realized that after I come out of the hole on the way up that my lower back will hollow (when my thighs are about horizontal) and then tuck again as I continue upwards. This the chiropractor didn't like when I demonstrated for him and may be a cause for the symptoms I had. As to the original cause for the lowering of the spinal curve, I don't know but at least I now have an idea of how to procede. So thanks to all of you who had suggestions and comments (the sacrowedge is a great device). Have a happy and safe holiday season and New Year. Cheers, John 

I’m just amazed at how up arms everyone gets about the whole CrossFit thing. You guys don't get that the RKC program and the CrossFit program have more in common than any other two systems out there. Like PB&J, that's what I've always said. I think the fact that I straddle both communities gives me the vantage point to not get too jingoistic about either one. I know people here tag me as a CrossFit guy, but I’ve got my own special blend. As does Mike Rutherford, Mike Burgener, Dan John, Tom Corrigan, or Mark Twight. Everyone does it a little differently. CrossFit is not the Workout Of The Day. CrossFit is not Greg Glassman. CrossFit is “constantly varied, functional movement, at high intensity.” That’s all. Mix that up however you like. I’ve never done a high intensity WOD more than twice a week ever. I’ve never pushed it really hard on more than one WOD every two weeks. That’s the way I do it. That’s my style. I don’t claim anything about what kind of athlete it produces. I do it ‘cause it’s fun. Seriously, go to a CrossFit Certification and tell me it’s not fun - You can’t. It’s like a celebration of fitness. I am always proud of Pavel and Steve Maxwell. These are guys that I am really honored to know. On the flip-side, Greg Glassman says stupid shit all the time. He’s kind of an asshole, at least on the internet (he’s always been cool in person). But I still think CrossFit is hella fun. C’mon y’all, give “Fran” a try and tell me you’re not as stoked as the first time you snatched a kettlebell. Look, I’m not CrossFit enough to really be CrossFit, and I’m not Kettlebell enough to be Dragon Door. I’ve had this same conversation over at CrossFit in reverse order, where I’m defending kettlebell training and the “party methods”, Comrade. Can’t we all just get along? This reminds me of the Wake Forest Clinic post where they were like, “Why can’t the Powerlifters and the Olympic Weightlifters get along?” Or like when I ran track “Why can’t the distance runners and the sprinters get along?” The kinds of things you guys are talking about, the constant injuries and such, I’ve just never actually seen with my own eyes. I didn’t get to hang out for more than a couple of months at CrossFit North, but I didn’t see any injuries there either. I’ve personally CrossFitted clients from zero. These were not top athletes looking for a new challenge. And you know what, they loved it. And you know what, they had fun. And you know what, none of them got hurt. None of my clients have ever puked. All of the things you guys are saying you don’t like about CrossFit, I don’t actually do any of that. It’s not my style. It didn’t look like that at CrossFit North either, when I was going there. Anyhow, like I said, I do it ‘cause it’s fun. I do the WOD about twice a week. Push it really hard once every two weeks. Feel great. Most fun I’ve ever had working out. I’m just amazed at how positional you guys all are. It’s like five years old: “I like chocolate ice cream so vanilla ice cream is stupid!” C’mon kids, they make the first grade desks that small so you can’t sit in them at 50 years old. I'm just having fun here guys. I'm not really attached to any of it. Like I said, I say the same thing in reverse over on the CrossFit message board. In fact I have a template in Word, and I just reverse all the names. I actually agree with just about everything Jack said in his first post. But whole thread goes totally downhill from there. 

This is what I learned at the Combat Applications Specialist Cert. Similarities: Randomize the training: "Overall load(sets,reps,proximity to failure,rest between sets,the number and order of exercises,the degree of recovery from the last PT session,,etc.) must vary so that some days you barely leave.... and others you would love to do more but can't- the plan forbids."(Galenchik) Sounds a little like Crossfit? There is no relationship between the intensity and the volume.(Galenchik)There is an erroneous belief in the coaching community that volume and intensity are inversly related, that is when volume goes up the intensity goes down and vice versa. While this may be true for perhaps half of the training sessions,other combinations serve their purposes. In shock sessions high volume is combined with high intensity to shock the body into improvement and build mental toughness............ The bottom line: Randomize the intensity to volume relationship. Sounds again like a little Crossfit? Train against the clock and keep your heart rate up.(Galenchik) Compressed rest periods are an aspect of intenity. More Crossfit? At least some of the time train in the state of incomplete recovery.This is tactical specificity."One of the characteristics of SF training is performance of exercises in the context of systemic and local under-restoration....." (Barchukov,Physical Preparation of Special Opertaion Forces' Personnel) Please tell me again how these two communities differ. Jason C. Brown RKC/CAS CF  

(I'm very sorry about dredging this up, but I slept on this for 2 nights and felt I had to say this. Yes, I'm very much a beginner in both Crossfit, PTP and RKC.) I've tried and enjoy both Crossfit and RKC stuff. Pavel's approach to strength & flexibility is something that Crossfit doesn't seem to offer at all (and his techniques are extremely effective). The RKC approach to conditioning looks at lot like the Crossfit stuff at times. I find it ironic that some of the slams against Crossfit workouts seem endorsed in some Party materials. The _Russian Kettlebell Challenge_ p.23: "My U.S. Navy SEAL friend John Faas puked with German puncuality every time I put him through the snatch ordeal when we were getting him ready for the frogmen." The next two quotes are actually from Steve Maxwell but appear in the RKC book. The _Russian Kettlebell Challenge_ p120: "The workout is under 15.00 and I attempt to lessen the time every workout." The _Russian Kettlebell Challenge_ p123: "I always strive to reduce the time to do my snatches." Fall 2005 _Hard-Style_ p12: "Performing sets before recovery makes a girevik more economical in his effors, concluded Palvenev. Interestingly enough, in the end of the study the technique of the race the clock group was evaluated as superior to that of the control group"  

OK...so maybe I'm thick and didn't get this at the cert, but I swear I've learned something new from watching Jeff Martone's 2 hand swing form (from his new DVD). Or maybe I'm misinterpreting what I'm seeing. Jeff appears to actively stop or cut short the swing at its apex and actively pull the kettlebell down all the way from the top position to bottom position. Since the cert, I have been letting the kettlebell "float" to the apex as high as momentum takes it and allowing it to drop via gravity, following it down and adding a little drive as it nears the bottom (the "hike pass") between the legs. So I've been doing (and teaching) a "passive" drop from the top, following the bell down and then actively guiding at the bottom as the bell passes between the legs. However, copying what I think I'm seeing in Jeff's video, squeezing the handle at the top (so the ball doesn't flop up)and actively pulling the kettlebell all the way down seems to add not only more control but further engages the hip flexors, abs and hammies. The back seems to stay more "locked in" as well. The groove seems much cleaner, too. Comments? Thanks, Randy  

I saw this talked about on another site. A guy who has trained with the russians and other pullers from the east say that the main difference he sees is that they are more focused on heavy lifting then actuall pulling. American pullers rely more on practice or table time. In his opinion the reason the russians and others are getting very dominant is because they are just flat out stronger then the americans. What do you guys think? Almost every video I see of them they are using minimal equipment and using heavy loads in a partial curl or doing cable/rope type work for sidepressure. Lets hear your opinions guys!