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

well the last day of smolov called for 365 for 10 sets of 3 and I was only able to get 2 sets of 3 and 3 singles. my legs were strong enough, my low back was just too tired. I want to finish the program, I'm thinking about proceeding as normal with week 3 but add a day of rest between day 3 and 4. Your opinions? My back has been sore for over a week. This is a bitch Curt 

well the last day of smolov called for 365 for 10 sets of 3 and I was only able to get 2 sets of 3 and 3 singles. my legs were strong enough, my low back was just too tired. I want to finish the program, I'm thinking about proceeding as normal with week 3 but add a day of rest between day 3 and 4. Your opinions? My back has been sore for over a week. This is a bitch Curt 

I will keep this short because I can go on forever (maybe I will do that in a separate post for those interested). I will let Mike and Juliet report their results; however, the two of them went absolutely NUTS and am really proud of both of them. Hopefully Mike will post some vids later as well - so here it is: Tom SQ = 363 (good) 375 (good) 385.6 (good) did not go for 400 because the judges were nuts with the depth - most lifters going easily 2-3 inches below parallel and getting reds. 386 felt most solid of the 3 lifts. Lesson learned here - I needed to do at least 2 more heavy squats in my warm-ups (only went to 315 because of time) because 363 was a shocker to my left leg in particular. The next two lifts felt much easier. BP = 264.5 (good) 281.5 (reds) 281.5 (reds) Was worried about my shoulder going in - but got reds on 281.5 on second attempt because I did not wait long enough on my chest - I got reds on the third because the bar rolled back in my hand and bent the wrist back (something that has happened to me before two or three times and don't know what the hell is up with that) I have pressed 290 in the gym very smoothly and was really disappointed with my performance here. Old PR was 280 and was expecting to blow that away with at least 292. This was the only disappointment of my meet. DL - 474 (good) 507 (good) 512.6 (good) If I could have done my attempts over again I would have gone right to 518 after the 474 because the 507 and 512 were clean and felt stronger than ever. I did not take the 530 record attempt because the 507 and 512 tapped me pretty good and I would have only had about a 2 minute rest because I was the second to last lifter in the third flight. Instead of risking an injury I declined - I would not have gotten it with such short rest if at all. The biggest thing I can report here is that the DL is feeling like a different lift thanks to all the glute-ham work. I can sit better in the bottom, I can hold an arch better, and my lockouts are strong as hell. I know Mike and Juliet will report the same. When Mike posts the vids you will see the difference. Overall really happy with the exception of the bench and going six for six on SQ and DL were huge for me. The BP I am not as worried about because that will come along once the shoulder gets to 100%. Looking forward to the next one already! Totaled 1163 @ 181 which is an 18# increase in my previous total despite falling apart on the BP. Like I said - I will take it. Thomas Phillips www.ThomasPhillipsFitness.com 

I've heard all the hype about Pavel's Russian strength training methods. And I've started on a program. But I’d like to know how much stronger can I actually/realistically expect to get out of it. What is the limit of % strength gain I can realistically expect & HOW LONG till I see that % of gain? 100% 200%? Can I expect 300% more strength gain after a year or three?  

Actually BJ: I was not seeking "validation". I don't know where the hell you got that from. I'm basically trying to get the FACTS...a realistic view as to what is possible, so that I don't get my hopes up. I set long term goals, but just need to know if its HUMANLY possible to be 300% stronger...and if so, how long COULD it take for any one HUMAN (not specifically me). Anyway....about ME: I am 5'8", 145lbs.....I am a Meso-Ecto Morph. I use free weights for benchpress, deadlifts, and sometimes squats...using the 2-5 rep/2-3 sets routine, altho sometimes I feel like doing more sets. Occasionally I also engage in TaiBo workouts, as well as skip rope. The days I weightlift varies, only becuz I'm not sure how often to workout.  

I'm living in Atlanta, and I was wondering if there was a way to buy them locally (shipping is a killer!). Does everyone just order them? 

My goal is to become a Mutant (as Pavel calls it). Meaning, one of the strength elite. Not for showing off, but for my personal use of strength---sports, emergencies, saving lives, fighting crime, etc, WHATEVER. My current abilities, at 5’8”, and being a Meso-Ecto Morph: Bench 170lbs (max) Deadlift 300lbs (max) Pulldown 90lbs (max) Curls 20lbs (max) Squats 190lbs (max)  

Brett - sent you mail yesterday - did you get it?  

A few weeks back, I took a 2-day seminar with Tim Larkin at his new training center in San Diego. I highly recommend it. He teaches how to use violence in an anti-social environment, where your life or the life of a loved one is at stake. He takes you through targets on the body that disable and how best to strike them, how to use weapons and how to attack someone with a weapon. The training methodology is the slow motion fight with your partner giving appropriate reactions, which they also teach. I have participated for many years in different martial arts and boxing, and I wish they would have taught this approach as an adjunct. Martial arts and boxing are sport -- fighting games played by rules with the goal of winning the game. Anti-social violence is survival. Very worthwhile to look into. After the seminar, I trained with Brett Jones. What a privilege. He took the time to ask me a series of detailed questions about injuries, limitations and experience. He then took me through each of the basic lifts, breaking down my form, picking out things I was doing that were causing me problems, using drills to show me how harmful my bad habits were and how to correct them. We spent a good deal of time on the swing, front squat, military press, snatch, windmill and turkish get-up. Each exercise built into the next. We ended with working on grippers. About a year ago, I injured myself (back) after breaking two toes, changing my gait, starting bjj, etc., and have had a hard time getting back to normal. Brett spotted what I was doing that was triggering the weaknesses from the injury, and showed me how to correct them. Our hour session lasted one and a half hours and his business partner, Sara, who was waiting for him for dinner, sounded none too happy when she called to ask where he was. But his sole focus was on working through all the challenges I had raised and that he had spotted. The guy is just a class act. I bought his DVD's and I recommend them highly. I am a DD consumer and have a library of stuff. His DVD is perfect for starting out in kettlebells or for going back to the basics to make them stronger and to correct all the bad habits that creep in. He breaks down each of the basic exercises movement by movement, points out common errors each step of the way and shows how to fix them. DD should offer his DVD and a kettlebell as a standard intro package for newcomers. I have been fortunate enough to have taken seminars from Mike Mahler, Steve Maxwell, Steve Cotter and Pavel and I've had the chance to train in my business travels with Catherine Imes and Dylan Thomas. I am constantly amazed at how much there is to learn in how to use this dynamic conditioning, and in the uniform high quality of RKC's. Pete Silverman 

My school gym doesn't have a squat rack, so can i deadlift instead of squat? Thanks. 

I've been following PTP style cycling in my bench press and deadlift for a significant amount of time. It's getting to the point where to increase my maximum bench press and or deadlift by 5 lbs every two weeks is unrealistic. I want to start training so that I will make these types of increases every month or even two months but I don't know how to go about doing this. I was wondering if someone could recommend a good book on powerlifting or some other type of book that explains, for example, how to keep making gains in the deadlift after exceeding more than twice a person's bodyweight? 

I've always noticed that my lower back is weakened and is an inch from spraining after dead-lifts. Yesterday, I was doing a low weight dead-lift and something went wrong... finally sprained it. It hurts, but it'll be fine. However, I'd like to know if there's any kind of warm up or stretching I need to do before the deadlift to prevent this in the future. I don't think I've been using bad form, although I'll pay more careful attention to it from now on. I also have relax into a stretch, so anyone would care to point me in the right direction, it'd be great.  

Talking on the phone with Brett yesterday the topic of how hard it can be to peak for the three powerlifts came up. I told him that one of Louie's earliest training templates is one I found very effective for dialing in the lifts. You are after 101% of your last, current pr.Everything else is gravy. After you get your 101% you use that as your nex max and recycle. This is obviously a very general blueprint but it ties in volume and intensity very well( prileping table) as well as increasing overall work capacity. each lift done once per week; Squat ( use compensatory acceleration on each rep) wk 1 8x3 70%45-60 sec/sets 2 8x3 75% 60-75 sec /set 3 6x2 80% 75-90 sec /sets 4 4x2 85% 2 minutes/sets 5 70%x2 75%x2 80%x2 85%x2 90%x2 3-4 minutes/sets 6 deload 70%4x2 one minute/sets 7 COntest, gym test or recycle with 5 lbs more each % assistance exercises for lower back and abs/swing would work great here. bench same structure as squat but I would use a variety of different grips each set;alternating close, medium and comp.assiance work is heavy on triceps extensions and lat and upper back development work. deadlift( comp acceleration here too) wk1 70% 12x1 30 sec 2 75% 8x1 45 sec 3 80% 6x1 60 sec 4 85% 4x1 5 70%x1 75%x1 80%x1 85%x1 90%x1 6 deload, no deadlifts 7 contest, gym test or recycle. assistance exercises for legs lower back abs. swings, santches and cleans here would plug in great.reverse hyper and sled dragging is also nice. another day can be added for more triceps lats and delts as well as other light hypertrophy work as active recovery. THis template served me and many otherss well for many years and was the basis for Louies next level of box squat/speed training. In retrospect though, this simple program garned the best results. gave the best form and produced the least injuries of all the other permutations of WSB. Its brought my training partner from never having squatted 4 years ago to a pr 562 last meet last month and now thoughts of 601 at Nationals July 9.Drug free too. let me know if you have questions. good luck. Rif

http://GiryaStrength.com 

Doing some research for an article...example of Lombard's paradox: when squatting (or recovering from a squat) both hamstrings and rectus femoris contract simultaneously. The paradox: How can a flexor participate in extension and vice versa? How can a contracting muscle "push" a joint? Classic explanation for this has been moment arm lengths as they relate to relative position of attachments. Would the modern explanation be more along the lines of synergistic/stabilizing actions? Example of what I mean: When standing up from a squat the primary action is hip extension (glutes and hams do both hip extension + knee flexion) however, if rectus femoris (hip flexor + knee extension) wasn't involved, the torso would be pulled over backwards by the hip extensors. Similarly at the completion of the recovery, the hip extensors assist rectus femoris (and the vasti) in stabilizing the knee joint in the lock out position...if the extensors weren't involved, rectus femoris' continued action would flex the hip and the torso would topple forwards. Another example...the muscles that extend the thumb also abduct the wrist. Without the ulnar side muscles stabilizing (adducting)the wrist joint, any effort to extend the thumb would only result in wrist abduction. Oversimplified, I know. And no math. But on the right track? Thanks, Randy 

Doing some research for an article...example of Lombard's paradox: when squatting (or recovering from a squat) both hamstrings and rectus femoris contract simultaneously. The paradox: How can a flexor participate in extension and vice versa? How can a contracting muscle "push" a joint? Classic explanation for this has been moment arm lengths as they relate to relative position of attachments. Would the modern explanation be more along the lines of synergistic/stabilizing actions? Example of what I mean: When standing up from a squat the primary action is hip extension (glutes and hams do both hip extension + knee flexion) however, if rectus femoris (hip flexor + knee extension) wasn't involved, the torso would be pulled over backwards by the hip extensors. Similarly at the completion of the recovery, the hip extensors assist rectus femoris (and the vasti) in stabilizing the knee joint in the lock out position...if the extensors weren't involved, rectus femoris' continued action would flex the hip and the torso would topple forwards. Another example...the muscles that extend the thumb also abduct the wrist. Without the ulnar side muscles stabilizing (adducting)the wrist joint, any effort to extend the thumb would only result in wrist abduction. Oversimplified, I know. And no math. But on the right track? Thanks, Randy 

Doing some research for an article...example of Lombard's paradox: when squatting (or recovering from a squat) both hamstrings and rectus femoris contract simultaneously. The paradox: How can a flexor participate in extension and vice versa? How can a contracting muscle "push" a joint? Classic explanation for this has been moment arm lengths as they relate to relative position of attachments. Would the modern explanation be more along the lines of synergistic/stabilizing actions? Example of what I mean: When standing up from a squat the primary action is hip extension (glutes and hams do both hip extension + knee flexion) however, if rectus femoris (hip flexor + knee extension) wasn't involved, the torso would be pulled over backwards by the hip extensors. Similarly at the completion of the recovery, the hip extensors assist rectus femoris (and the vasti) in stabilizing the knee joint in the lock out position...if the extensors weren't involved, rectus femoris' continued action would flex the hip and the torso would topple forwards. Another example...the muscles that extend the thumb also abduct the wrist. Without the ulnar side muscles stabilizing (adducting)the wrist joint, any effort to extend the thumb would only result in wrist abduction. Oversimplified, I know. And no math. But on the right track? Thanks, Randy 

In the (Power to the People) workout, it says exectue the lifts slowly to maximise tension. What sort of tempo should you be aiming for? Chris 

I've done squats with the universal machine for years. Built up to 540lbs. My new gym had the hack squat machine and was doing 340. After reading Pavel's book on deadlifts 3 years ago, I bought a 300 lb weight set. Tried with 115# and my back hurt. Took a year off, did another year of pilates and tried again. My back still hurts. Pavel doesn't show the bottom position in his book so I don't know if I'm doing it right. I can easily palm the floor and can almost get my legs behind my head so flexibility is no problem. My back book shows to tuck under the pelvis at the bottom. My question is how much do I tuck under? My back doctor said to stop doing them and also squats but I really love the exercise and don't have to go to the gym to do them either. I've been hitting the ab bench and have progressed to 1 leg straight suspended okay with perfect technique. I decompress the spine after deads but this doesn't relieve the problem. Maybe even with perfect technique deads aren't for me since I am tall and lean. Should I just stick to pistols instead? 

On the road yesterday so had to work out in a strange gym, but it was a good one. In middle of a big ramp up after a slighly unplanned backoff week, but was able to lay a bunch of training on before i took a week off for the most part. Check out my June Training log for a real life example of delayed training effect and back off weeks. I also did a bunch of band work in the sq and BP th elast week of may. So the band cycle was 2 weeks, and it was hard on my pecs but my squat went wild yesterday after the week off. Scheduled to go up to 495x3 but sometimes you know it is there so you go a bit more: raw squat 225x3x2, 315x3, 405x3, 495x3, 545x3 20lb PR. Was planning on 545 next week but got it in, so next week will go easier in squat and push DL to a big triple off plates or with TKO bar. Interestingly i did two 405x3x2 GTG workouts on either side of my 5 day vacation. You only have to PR once a month to make huge progress, if you hit one almost every month. Cycling, GTG, and back offs work! jmo jack  

I started doing the PTP Cycling/Ladder Hybrid Bench program a few weeks ago. I liked it at first. Even on the first cycle of teh routine I did a set of 5 reps with a weight I don't think I had ever been able to do before. So anyway, I finished the cycle off with a set of 200lbs. I barely, I mean BARELY got it 5x. Its one of those sets where the last rep seems like it takes an eternity to go up. But anyway, I got it all up and I was proud of myself. The next say I tried 205 and only got 3 reps but that was ok. I decided to take two days off and start the ladder phase with sets of 1-2-3. Much to my dismay and confusion when I started back I was weaker! I could barely get past the set of 2 reps before failing! I hadn't eaten as much as I should have in the few days surrounding it so I figured that was it. Since then I made sure to eat enough and took off 10lbs and tried sets of 190. Even with that weight I still have trouble. I could barely do four ladder sets of 1-2-3. Whats the deal? Is this normal? Did I do something wrong? I feel like I'm backtracking and losing ground. 

I started doing the PTP Cycling/Ladder Hybrid Bench program a few weeks ago. I liked it at first. Even on the first cycle of teh routine I did a set of 5 reps with a weight I don't think I had ever been able to do before. So anyway, I finished the cycle off with a set of 200lbs. I barely, I mean BARELY got it 5x. Its one of those sets where the last rep seems like it takes an eternity to go up. But anyway, I got it all up and I was proud of myself. The next say I tried 205 and only got 3 reps but that was ok. I decided to take two days off and start the ladder phase with sets of 1-2-3. Much to my dismay and confusion when I started back I was weaker! I could barely get past the set of 2 reps before failing! I hadn't eaten as much as I should have in the few days surrounding it so I figured that was it. Since then I made sure to eat enough and took off 10lbs and tried sets of 190. Even with that weight I still have trouble. I could barely do four ladder sets of 1-2-3. Whats the deal? Is this normal? Did I do something wrong? I feel like I'm backtracking and losing ground. 

Any plans on making bigger kettlebells than the beast? More and more people are taming it everyday. J/C 

Thanks! Directing this question at you guys since as knowledgeable PTs you would know! Today someone demonstrated the "corkscrew" technique for lowering the KB. He suggested that it would be an ideal way to lower the 48 after a hardstyle upswing to save the grip and get a few more reps. I have never tried this and if this is the way to go to hit more heavy reps I will learn it, but I just want to know if this is a good idea and sound for use on the heavier bells. Thanks!! 

then did the mass-building sets with full range reps? I want to give Power Factor Training another shot. Since I did it the first time I know more about working out and think I know how to milk it properly. The other choice I'm thinking of is do the PFT workouts as prescribed and do some swings, snatches, cleans, presses, pistols, push-ups and pull-ups every morning. Nothing strenuous, just a solid 20-30 minutes of activity using the muscles' full ROMs. 

I like how Pavel did deads in PTP, generating full body tension and pulling himself down to the bar and getting his grip without looking at the bar. On the other hand, seems most powerlifters bend down relaxed looking at the bar, adjust their hands and feet and then tense up, sit down into it and look up and drive. Pavels way feels the strongest for me, the only problem I have with it is I can't ever get my hands evenly spaced. It's not a drastic difference but invaribly one is out farther and I can feel it as I'm coming up. I've done them the other way and it's not bad until the weights get near max and then I feel like my back is rounding because I didn't generate enough tension in the set up. Just splitting hairs I guess, anyone have some tips for a cleaner start on the dead? 

Where does the term kettlebell come from? This question is prompted because of a discussion I had with a Russian student a little while ago. He had not heard of a "kettlebell" before but he knew all the "girya". Thanks for the info! Ben