Lift No Faster Than You Can Talk: An Excerpt from S&S 2.0

We are proud to officially present Kettlebell Simple & Sinister: Revised and Updated Edition, or simply S&S 2.0. Time is a man’s best friend if he makes good use of it and a man’s worst enemy if he lets it run him. Most people who live by the clock are miserable sorts of critters. But […]

55-Seconds to Kettlebell Snatch Test Success

The (dreaded) snatch test. Five minutes (of suck) that many StrongFirst instructors consider the most stressful in their certifying or recertifying process. But you can set yourself up for success with an excellent preparation program, provided you dial in your technique first and understand some common pitfalls that derail potentially successful attempts. In this article, […]

How I Became a World Record Holder

Training for a world record requires grit. Many may approach the challenge preparation by continually pushing for more “burn.” But there is another effective, sustainable, and arguably superior way. Training to avoid (or at least delay) the unfavourable internal conditions that lead to failure or reduced performance. And it doesn’t just work to break records. […]

Two Swing Cues to Unlock your Power, Posture, and Athleticism

There is a big difference between swinging a kettlebell around and executing a powerful kettlebell swing. The first is common with kettlebell beginners who often start by mimicking what they think they are supposed to do. But learning where and how to focus their efforts, and what that power feels like, well, it leads to […]

The Key to Efficient Strength—Give and Take

Regardless of their sport, high-level athletes have an astonishing ‘gift’ of making the most complex moves look easy. How? With years of practice. Learning how to balance and coordinate internal forces to deliver, or access, the power, strength, agility, and quickness they need at the exact right moment for ultimate performance. And that comes from […]

How to Become a Barbell Instructor With Kettlebells

Strength is a skill…and you’ve decided that it’s time to add SFL skills to your toolbox. But you have limited barbell experience and zero access to a coach. Plus, you don’t really want to train wrong. Can you even get ready to attend an instructor certification? This article shows that you can, with two pre-requisites: […]

From the Battlefield to Back Injury to Beast Tamer: Ollie Quinn’s Kettlebell Journey

Have you ever seen one of the “Army Strong” commercials? Well in the UK, there’s no stronger or more capable military unit than the Royal Marines (even though they’d be quick to point out that technically they’re part of the British Royal Navy, not the Army.) Entry into this elite commando group requires making it […]

Podcast Episode #23: Brett Jones

 StrongFirst Podcast Episode #23 Summary Brett Jones, Director of Education for StrongFirst, joins the show a second time to talk about his use of Indian clubs, nail bending, and powerlifting. Brett talks to your host Craig Marker about his current training to achieve the sinister goal. Show Notes 01:35 – Brett talks about his […]

The Bottoms-Up Experiment

Want to forge an iron grip that lasts (which can be one of the quickest ways to improve your deadlift, pull-ups, and snatches)? Improve your press and squat groove? Challenge your midsection? Train pesky and often cranky shoulder stabilizers? Then bottoms-up work could be the movement prescription that your training program needs. The kettlebell is […]

My Journey to the Beast: Pressing a 48kg Kettlebell

How do you go from pressing 28kg to 48kg? At under 80kg bodyweight? With a technique-solidifying, base-building, high-volume press plan followed by a strategic peaking effort. But to develop a successful strength program, you need to understand programming fundamentals and your individual training parameters. Here’s how Myren Fu, StrongFirst Certified Team Leader and StrongFirst Elite, […]