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

Pavel, I have only recently discovered your many programs and articles. I am a baseball pitcher and I am desperately trying to gain velocity and power. I have recently purchased (Loaded Stretching) and found it to be very informative. I do believe; however, that I should probably do something first to develop a base of strength/power. Since I can only do one of your programs at a time - which do you recommend. KB's, Naked Warrior, etc. Exclude "(Fast & Loose)" as I am fascinated by the relax/tension concept and will be ordering the DVD tomorrow. Thanks. 

Pavel, I have only recently discovered your many programs and articles. I am a baseball pitcher and I am desperately trying to gain velocity and power. I have recently purchased (Loaded Stretching) and found it to be very informative. I do believe; however, that I should probably do something first to develop a base of strength/power. Since I can only do one of your programs at a time - which do you recommend. KB's, Naked Warrior, etc. Exclude "(Fast & Loose)" as I am fascinated by the relax/tension concept and will be ordering the DVD tomorrow. Thanks. 

Pavel, I have only recently discovered your many programs and articles. I am a baseball pitcher and I am desperately trying to gain velocity and power. I have recently purchased (Loaded Stretching) and found it to be very informative. I do believe; however, that I should probably do something first to develop a base of strength/power. Since I can only do one of your programs at a time - which do you recommend. KB's, Naked Warrior, etc. Exclude "(Fast & Loose)" as I am fascinated by the relax/tension concept and will be ordering the DVD tomorrow. Thanks. 

First off -- thanks for delivering such fantastic tools to the public! From your books to your seminars and videos to the kettlebells themselves, you have truly given the US fitness community alot to chew on, and made intelligent training possible for those of us who are starting at the drawing board. Your work has influenced my thoughts on training more than any other coach or trainer, and I really appreciate it. More than anything else, thank you for reminding Americans that it isn't about LOOKING fit and functional, but actually BEING fit and functional. I have asked this question of the forum and gotten some very good responses, but I would like to hear directly from you how the Soviet Show troops to which you refer organized their workouts. I understand the Bear program outlined in PTP and have experienced some gains with it, but I am under the impression from BB that the Soviet Trooper workout may be more involved. What I'd like to know is what kind of split would this kind of workout be based around, given the huge volume of work? How did these trops actually arrange their routines? In fact, having searched the forum for answers to these questions and seeing how many times other people have made similar queries, I suspect a great many Comrades would like to know as much about this routine as they can, so any information you are willing to offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again for all of the tools you have offered us, and in anticipation of continuing Russian Evil. Grey Fox 

I have a problem doing an overhand pull-up all the way to my chest. I can do it fine to the neck but doing it to the chest seems impossible. Is this ok?  

Hey, Was reading about Pavel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavel_Tsatsouline and it says about master of sports certification from the former Soviet government. I dont been to be nosey, but what what sort of qualification is that, or what subject, Like what would be the equivalent in say UK or american terms. I was thinking degree in kinesiology or sports science or something. Thanks Daryl 

Hi everyone. This is my situation: I have been training kickboxing and Muay Thai for a couple of years now and this fall i was going to switch to MMA. But sadly i can't afford to train any ma at all right now, being a poor student and all. So this semester I'm planning on focusing on increasing my strength levels, since that is imo my weak point. So I would like some advice on what to do. I've been doing pttp theses last two weeks, but i need to at least maintain my conditioning levels while increasing my max strength. So, how do I do that in an effective way? Increasing max strength and at least maintain anaerobic (and aerobic i guess) conditioning? 

I'm sorry to flood the forum with my questions the last couple days, all stemming from one session last Saturday. I did 5 ladders of 5 rungs with my 70lbs KB on Saturday, quite easily. However, I won't have the cash for an 88 for probably a couple months (the van needs tires and the boys need bunk beds). So should I cook my C&P using some of Pavel's tips from "(The Russian Kettlebell Challenge)"? Should I work up to even bigger ladders, say 5 ladders of 8 rungs, etc.? I've also thought about switching to barbell side press. I'd love some ideas here. Thanks. 

Hi all, hoping that you can clarify something for me.. I've often been critisized for leaning forward a bit too much while squatting, and have been trying to correct this problem with little success. However, lately I've become more convinced that this is a squatting style thats suited for my body type. I'm 1.90m tall, lanky with long legs and a relatively short torso. If I'm not mistaken, squatting correctly requires one to a. sit back and down b. keep your knees from drifting over your toes, wouldnt that imply that a person with my proportions would be required to lean forward more in order to keep the barbell over my center of gravity (ie my heels)? Also, wouldnt it be also true that the farther I sit back, the bigger the lean? I've already switched to a pretty wide stance and have the barbell higher up on my traps; the forward lean is less pronounced, but still there. Please note that I have no problems maintaining a tight arch in my back, its just I lean forward from my hips. Any help please? Thanks in advance 

Hello Com Pavel and all other comrades! At the moment I'm in Zhengzhou in Henan province in China training about 7 hours a day wushu, pretty exhausting, at the moment I can't think of much strength training, but sometimes we even do pistols :-) Now to my question: In the past I asked you how to keep the kicking leg straight while doing leg swings and your advise worked really well. In wushu its very very important to keep everything straight while kicking, as I come from a TKD backround I have really a hard time to keep my upper body upright and especially my supporting leg straight, are there any drills that can help me with this problem? I try to keep it as straight as possible but it always bends...:-( Another question: I'm sure you know that in China bouncing is the favourite way of stretching and they seem to have success with it. Now that I've read all your books I'm a little bit afraid of this method and it also builds no strenghth as opposed to isometrics. I'm trying to do forced relaxation 2 -3 times a week when I'm not too exhausted but still, is bouncing any good or what should I do to avoid injuries? Thank you so much for reading, I'm sure you can help me! Greetings from Zhengzhou! yang PS: If anyone wants to see some pictures of my school and the whole trip to China, click here www.flickr.com/photos/wushu :-)  

about a year ago i started having low back pain. for a while it got REALLY bad. i've been working with KB's and most of pavel 's other materiels for a while now and my back was felling MUCH better. almost normal, although i had some tightness. so i have been working on pistols for a while, but my lower back has been holding me back. check the link for a video clip of me trying a negetive from the beggining of this week. anyway, i was all warmed up today and i went for it, felt really great and really strong all the way down, felt good to come back up, but then somethign happened. i had a really bad blow out around L4 or L5, feels like i really strained all the multifidus / soft tissue. any suggestions?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAjnlPR9E6Q 

Hi all, Pavel thankyou for your reply and time. Here is my Tactical Periodization plan, slightly different from the original post and with goals as requested. Also just seeing what other people use for their Tactical Periodization plans ? KB Snatches KB Presses (Side Press / Mil Press) Swap after a couple months with BB Deadlift BB Push Press Pullups Training Goals Deadlift 200KG+ Snatch / Press 48KG Kettlebell. Desired outcomes from these goals Strong back, shoulders & grip. Strength to push, pull, lift, drag, throw, crush etc. Thanks for your time, Cheerio 

Hi all, Pavel thankyou for your reply and time. Here is my Tactical Periodization plan, slightly different from the original post and with goals as requested. Also just seeing what other people use for their Tactical Periodization plans ? KB Snatches KB Presses (Side Press / Mil Press) Swap after a couple months with BB Deadlift BB Push Press Pullups Training Goals Deadlift 200KG+ Snatch / Press 48KG Kettlebell. Desired outcomes from these goals Strong back, shoulders & grip. Strength to push, pull, lift, drag, throw, crush etc. Thanks for your time, Cheerio 

What's the purpose of the back off set in the routine? If done correctly is the bent press a better alternative to the side press? 

What would peoples suggestions for the best template for Strength and conditioning for an LEO, ETK ROP with interval training or circuits on the variety days or the template Pavel laid out in his previous blog, thanks. 

Can anyone give me a specific explanation why heavy weight training doesn't make you slow, because I know it won't? Some total noobs say to me that I'm gonna slow down if I deadlift, which is pooptalk, etc. 

Comrades, We do Hack Squats and Hindu Squats on the toes. Why is it dangerous to do them on the toes with one leg. I understand that it is not the same as a pistol, but for quad developement, is it a valid exercise. (Note: I few years ago I worked up to 30 on each leg with no ill affects. I stopped after reading the forum.Thought about them today while doing Hack Squats.) Thanks, Carl 

Comrades, We do Hack Squats and Hindu Squats on the toes. Why is it dangerous to do them on the toes with one leg. I understand that it is not the same as a pistol, but for quad developement, is it a valid exercise. (Note: I few years ago I worked up to 30 on each leg with no ill affects. I stopped after reading the forum.Thought about them today while doing Hack Squats.) Thanks, Carl 

The AWG combat PFT consists of three events done in BDU's, boots, body armor and helmet. The three events are: 1)4-mile run, 2)6 ft. wall climb, 3)carry a 165lb. dummy for 50 meters. My primary concern is running for 4 miles with an additional 30-35lbs. on my body and not wrecking my knees, or anything else for that matter. Any and all training suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you and God bless The Party.  

So, as I told in another post, I got sore knees from trying the roadkill splits, haven't done those in a long time, and now I concentrate in serious strengthening only, for I know that sore knee joints/ligaments/whatever take frustatingly long time to heal, and I'd like to know what alternatives I could do that won't stress the knees? For example, someone recommended me the Frog stretch, but I don't know how to do them and I'd like to see pictures also, thank you. I've almost mastered the pistols, and I'll include one-legged deadlifts in my training after I finally get the 2-pood kettlebell. Pavel, this is a great forum! ;) 

Hi Comrades, Man great forum with nice helpfull people-cool!=) i had some problem with login in-so I was only able to read through the forum for 1 week and I read lots of interesting things. I have a copy of PTP and also Beyond BB for 2 weeks now. To be honest:I like this books best-not cause everyone is saying it-but there is a BIG difference instead to other books-it is the simplification of periodisation and cycling. Why I am so happy about this? I am training for about 7 years now.The suxcess:failure rate have been:30:70-not really great-but i never wanted to give up. Because after 2 years when i started training my progress stalled,i began to read literature about it-for 7 years-i have it ALL:Darden,Siff,McStuard,scripts from universities;Zatjorski,Mentzer-all. Through this flow on information-paralysis analysis was the consequence-however,I always tried to work things out right-but it seldom happened. I know too much I don´t have to know-but I know too less i have to know. Sure after 7 years I got heavier about 40 pounds-but also some fat-and my strength gains have never been the best. I did fancy programms and tried to periodize-but i was overloaded with information:should i do a conjugate approach,wave or linear-if yes-how long-should i mix strength qualities up-or train them seperately-and if yes how to wave intensity and volume????? i have also been on t-nation-the guys are great-but there are much "short term programms" "23 weeks for loading guns" "3 months for a robocop chest" and so on. But what am i supposed to do AFTER this programms-where is the long time perspective? This is what i missed most in books,posts and articles. this is why I like the contents of Pavel books. My question to you comrades: After messing around so long,I am sick of trying things out,messing around with a calculator in the weight room for evaluating my weights for the session... I want IT SIMPLE and EFFECTIVE. My goal is mass and strength-so I am not a typical BB and not a typical Powerlifter-be strong as you look-as pavel stated is the best way for me. Now i am thinking about 2 options to realize that: 1.the bear-cycled with PTP 2.free style period.of beyond BB ( I am not interested in the 3-5programms pavel has written,DeLorme etc.-sure they look great,but I want sth.for the long term perspective and not again a 4 week approach) 1. BEAR: would be more attractive to me,cause its more simple-as mentioned before I need no fancy programms any more-I had them for YEARS!-the simpler the better. But i have some problems reagarding the 10 commandments of free style period. from BBB and the bear from PTP-the recommondations are different: Bear: -Always 4-6 reps-no variation like in the 10 commandments (1-3 /4-7/8-12/12+) -No deload -No extrem variation in the intensity ,volume and poundage and the proximity to muscle failure. You always rep out,till your form suffers,then you stop. The only variation at the bear is the cycling of the load of the first money set(ptp cycling:wave etc.)-which surely also determinates the weight of the bear set-cause its always 80% of it. And this are no extreme jumps in weight like the 10 comm. recommend. -The volume could be MUCH higher then the 150reps -which is recommondated for a split routine in the 10 commandments but sure will be more on a whole body 3x per week for the bear. -The load for the bear is quite low.For sarcomer hypertr.a load of min.70%is the general recommondation. If you take 80% of your 10RPM(which is the starting weight of the cycle for the first money set) you work with 60% of your 1rpm.that’s approx.the weight for a 20RPM! That’s really light.Sure it gets heavier through the cycle but max.to 70%. How can we fix that? Or should I simply do the bear-switch the exercises-do PTP-switch exercises-do bear again etc.-Will be smooth and simple. Regarding the 10 commentments I also have questions: -there are no rest periods for recommondation -how can I incorporate the principles in a 3xwhole body per week-they sound like for a split. -How ecaxtly should I vary the intensity,volume and proximity to muscle failure each workout? There fex.is no clear percentage of the 1rpm you have to work with. It would be more evident to say “Vary your loads and reps-but stay in the 70%-90%of 1rpm”-I don´t think that a load of 50% will do the trick. And a similar recommondation for waving volume.That all sounds too blury to me. -Are the 10commandments for a “life long” progress or is it necessary to include max strength phases and other stuff?-I hope not,cause otherwise the rules will make no sense and it will be again more complicated. Sorry comrades its really a long post but these questions are following me for years. I will really appreciate if any of the old bears take some time to help me! As mentioned-i need to fancy Sheiko programm with percentages and calculating the total load volume-I want a simple cylce to do over and over again-even if the gains are suboptimal compared to other programms-but they should be visible and steady. Power to you and hopefully to me=) Yours truly, heman  

Pavel, in light of your suggestion on light and heavy swings on different days, could you recommend a weekly schedule for me also taking account your suggestion to throw in some heavy ab, JM and calf work?