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

I've never been a member of a commercial gym or fitness club but I have read about some of ya'll's horror stories about "gym weenie" and the antics that take place in typical bodybuilding facilities across the country. Well, now I've seen it for myself. My sweet little wifey has recently joined a gym with part of the membership being that I can tag along for free as her "guest" anytime I want. Well, I've done this a few times and have noticed that all the stuff yall say is true. This place is loaded with machines, treadmills, spinning and pilates classes. On the good side, they do have tons of free weights, nice squat racks, and even allow you to do deadlifts. Unfortunately, 80% of the guys I saw the other day were either doing arms on the various machines or chest, with the cable crossovers. They have a frickin different machine for different parts of your arms! A whole machine dedicated to working the inner head of the triceps. Fortunately, the squat rack wasn't being used, so I go over and start squatting. I threw on a few wheels and cranked out a couple sets of three, then moved the weight up for a few more sets of three before finishing off with a heavy single. Then, this big "swolled" guy walks up to me and says, "when you're done, just leave on 225, so I can warm up with it." Well, I do just that, then I go watch my woman finish up her workout.....then I look over at the squat rack and see that guy who was "warming up" with 225, I see him add a "10" on each side and proceed to do five, shaking under the bar, straining to get up, half squats. He outweighed me my 50 pounds! All in all, since being an occasional visitor to the gym, it seems like most of the guys/gals are wasting their time with their methods. Even the "personal trainers" look weak! One of them even started looking at me strangely when I was squatting barefooted with all that weight on the bar, causing the bar to "bend" in the middle, like I was damaging their equipment. One of these days I'm going to take my COC #2 and 3 over there and see what some of the guys can do. I'm slowly convincing my woman to try the party methods, but she can't get past the whole "personal trainer" idea. "If they're a trainer, they must know what they're doing" mentality. She tends to believe them over me, even though I could lift way beyond what the average trainer can. Thank you 

According to PTP, one should reset after each rep. However, I've never seen anyone use this technique while deadlifting. Everyone I see just goes rep after rep, without reseting. Which is the proper way to do it? What are the pros and cons of each way? Also, if you reset between reps, as prescribed by PTP, how much of a break should one include in between those reps? I find that when doing really heavy weight I need atleast 15-30 seconds between reps to get my full focus back and minimize the risk of doing something stupid and injuring myself. Is this okay though, or would it be to my benefit to move through the reps as quick as possible? 

Comrades, I have the most peculiar "tightness" in my lower back, doesnt seem to go away with flexibility training of any kind... could it be "scar tissue" that ART was designed to break up? Is there a way to know for sure so I don't get shafted into buying a treatment I dont need? 

Comrades, I have the most peculiar "tightness" in my lower back, doesnt seem to go away with flexibility training of any kind... could it be "scar tissue" that ART was designed to break up? Is there a way to know for sure so I don't get shafted into buying a treatment I dont need? 

Hi Guys Well I've been working on the #3 for nearly a year now and am still about sixtenth/eigth of an inch off. Working with the #4 has really helped my first half of the movement and I can now close the #4 half way on a good day. I have also recently got the IMTUG #5 & 6 which I am using for my pinky and ring fingers and this has helped massively. Using these has highlighted my pinky finger and ring finger on my overall stronger hand are weaker than the same fingers on my weaker hand??? Has anyone else had any experience with the IMTUG's? Pavel, Brett how are you getting on with the #3? I'm getting there, but in the meantime the functional hand strength and even would you believe, more muscular hands I have obtained, (increased half an inch on my fist measurement) are great. This has helped me with all of my training and increased the impact of my punch Keep Gripping Sam 

Comrades, especially MD's & PT's, I have a very good friend who is 56, and has been training with kettlebells for about 18 months. He uses very good form. He can snatch a 1.5 pood for a few reps, but can "cruise" with the 1 pood. Earlier this week, he was on his second set of snatches with his right arm, early in his workout when, on the pull upward, he heard a sound like "canvas tearing", felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, and after that could not raise his right arm. I've had a torn RC in the past and he has classic symptoms of at least a partial tear. He has not had any pain or other signs leading up to this type injury. When going thru my own shoulder woes (much better now), I read that due to the poor blood supply at the humeral attachment end of the superspinatus tendon, that the tendon is more subject to tear as one grows older. My question is "Is there an age when, due to the RC tendon aging, that snatches are no longer recommended? I'm currently working out with 2 poods for 4 sets of 10 snatches. I'm 44, and I don't want to rip my shoulders either. Can someone shed some light on this please? If you want to email me privately, feel free to email me at allen_non@yahoo.com Thanks Comrades! 

Hello, Is it common for a newbie to kettlebells to experience tightness/soreness in the lower back after doing swings? I learned the form from an RKC, and I'm pretty sure I do them right. I spoke to a physician, and fortunately nothing's wrong with my back. Guess my question is, is the tightness just a sign that my lower back needed the strengthening, or what? Thanks! 

Can the PTP Bear method and occasional cardio work (2-3 times a week) work together? I've been avoiding cardio lately to focus solely on the PTP Bear routine. As a result, I get very winded, especially during deadlifts. After a few sets of heavy deadlift work I feel like I just ran a sprint. It's holding me back from reaching my full potential at deadlift. I always feel like I have a few more sets in me, as far as strength goes, but my conditioning (or lack thereof) makes me have to cut it short. I want to incorporate some sprints into my routine a few times a week, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea to mix them with the PTP Bear method. Another possibility might be to take a week off from PTP and focus solely on cardio development, but I'm concerned about losing my momentum in PTP. Any advice would be appreciated. 

Thanks to the party I got a pr (bw + 20 pounds, got bw + 50 pounds deadlift, bw + 10-15 pounds dip btw) today in the squat BUT fell through on the last one. Wierd really, I felt great during the first ones but then it just said no and I had to drop the weight. Is this the time to go back around two weeks on my cycle(my current cycles are a month long) or should I push for one more week? Perhaps do some strength stretching for the rest of the cycle and start fresh next month? Also is it common for the elite to drop weights during training? I feel kinda embarassed since there was A LOT of people there, I'm talking 3-4 people in line for EVERYTHING. =) But I only saw two who lifted some decent weights, strange huh? thanks for your help //Rikard 

Just wondering how long one could GTG with deadlifts before needing to back off. I'll give you a quick what, where, when, how, etc. so you know where I'm coming from. I'm 10 weeks out of shoulder surgery and have about 6 more to go before I can really get back into it. I'm planning on doing a Bear or EDT cycle for about 6 weeks to gain back the muscle I've lost sitting on my ass waiting to heal. After that I plan on buying a barbell set and leaving a loaded bar in the house so I can GTG on deadlifts. I plan on doing from 1 to 10 singles throughout the day 5-6 days/week. Figured I would do a few in the morning, afternoon, evening, basically whenever I'm around the house. My main focus is BJJ and I will be doing that 3-4 days/week and KBs for extra cardio and conditioning. The deadlift will be my primary strength move and due to the nature of training for BJJ I know I won't be able to really "workout" per say on the DL due to the risk of overtraining, hence my plan to GTG. Basically what I'm saying is given all this, how should I cycle it? Since I'm never going to be doing a lot of work on it at one time or going near failure I reckon I can go longer than the standard 3 weeks hard, 1 week back off scheme. I was going to keep it simple and add 5lbs a week. My previous best DL is 385 at a bodyweight of 165 and I am 29. I was planning to start modestly, say 275-300 depending on how much strength I've lost during the layoff. My short term goal will be to hit my old max of 385 and then quickly get to 405. Long term would be to get it up to 500. But definitely without affecting my BJJ practice. Thanks in advance.  

First let me exuse for any gramatical errors, - I'm 17 and english is only one out of my 4 languages :) I have a couple of pavel's products (RIS, SJ, F&L, PTP, NW)and have made great gains, - I'm stronger and more flexible than any of my peers! Thanks comrade Pavel! There is however one thing that bothers me. I'll try to explain the "problem" as good as I can. I can do full, 180 degrees, front splits, yet I can't pull my knee to my chest with a bent leg keeping my hips squared. It feels as if there is some kind of 'bone' in the way. With straight legs there are no problems. I can easily get my leg to my chest with a straight leg, but when it's bent, it seems impossible. This keeps me from doing many stretches that I'd like to do, but never can becuase of my "problem". I.e Cossacks I can't go low because the hip pain in the the bent leg (the 'bone' is located where you would usually feel a hip flexor stretch), the same goes for the kneeling hip flexor stretch. Crawling lizard I'd love to do, but also can't because i can't keep my hips squared, and the front leg insist on on rolling out to make room for the 'bone' It also interfers with my martial arts practise. I can barely do, say, a horse stance and get my hips horizintal becuase of the pain/jamming 'bone' in the hips. Do any of you know what this actually IS, and more importantly, how I can get i to go away? Thanks for all replies or input. 

I just wanted to let you guys know that our team won the USPF California state powerlifting team title.Two of our team members were Pavel and Brett Jones won both won their classes in the deadlift only divisions.They were the only guys in the meet that wore no belt and no deadlift suit.Congrats to Pavel and Brett great job. 

Pavel says for strength (but not bulk) to do a set, then wait 3-4 minutes, and do another set with 10% less weight. Would adding additional sets with 3-4 minute rest periods (and probably decreasing weight) give additional strength-building benefits, or is 2 sets the limit? Or would a final set or two on a Smith machine (or other plate-loaded machine) help, as the stabilizer muscles (which the Smith machine takes the load off of) are probably the first thing you burn out? 

3x3 Program For Size or Strength Goals I am a big fan of programs that focus on doing a few things very well. Complicated programs are rarely built to last and few trainees benefit from them. One of my favorite programs is the 3x3 program. Why 3x3? The 3x3 program allows you to focus on heavy weights and low reps. You do three sets of three reps at each session with varying intensities. The volume is fairly low so high frequency is a viable option. The 3x3 program is also great for size and strength goals or just sheer strength goals. It all depends on what exercises you pick and how the workout weeks are structured. The 3x3 protocol is also a great prelude to the 5x5 program. Why? The 3x3 program will get you very strong and the stronger you are the more effective the 5x5 program will be. 10 Benefits of the 3x3 Protocol 1. Calls for heavy loads which leads to serious increases in strength 2. Low volume and low reps allow greater focus 3. CNS will be stimulated and you will feel strong and powerful after each workout 4. Can be used for pure strength or strength and size. 5. Can be done frequently (3-5 times per week) 6. Does not take long if you focus on compound exercises 7. Easier to execute perfect form on low rep and low set workouts 8. Can be used to increase speed and explosive power as well 9. Is safe as the more reps you do the more likely you are to do one rep wrong. 10. Great for building dense hard muscles that are as strong as the look. Lets talk about how to use the 3x3 program for strength and size or just strength alone. If you want to pack on some size with the 3x3 program, jack up the calories and focus on exercises that provide the most return for your efforts. The usual suspects include: Deadlifts, Squats, Bent-over Rows, Military Presses, Bench Presses, and Weighed Pull-ups. Workout four times per week. Two upper body days and two lower body days. For a strength focus, apply a higher frequency and focus on Deadlifts, Military Presses, and Weighted Pull-ups. Do three to five workouts per week. If three workouts, do one heavy workouts, one medium workout, and one light workout. If five workouts per week, do one heavy workout, two medium workouts, and two light workouts. For example, 90% of your three rep max on one day, 80% of your three rep max on two days, and 70% of your three rep max on two days. Here are two sample 3x3 programs. The strength focus workout will build hard dense muscles without adding bulk and the strength and size workout will get you bigger and stronger rather than just bigger. Click on the link to read the rest:

http://www.mikemahler.com/newsletter/93.html 

I'm going TDY to San Diego for two weeks in May I'm staioned in Las Vegas and will be riding my motorcycle down there. I'm going to bring one 70 pounder and use that for trip there. Does anybody know of a gym or place where some KB enthusiasts can be found? Thanks in advance. SSgt Davis