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Kettlebell EZ Strength with A+A

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Jacobcutt

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Team,

I am going on my third year of kettlebell training. I began with S&S on a 40lb bell. I acquired the 53 and the 72, cycling through S&S. Timeless Simple was achieved. For reference: 31 year old male, 148lbs (+- 2) 5'8", Lieutenant in the US Army.

Over the past eight - nine months, I experienced a new level of consistency after discovering Easy Strength through the Dan John Podcast and all the resources he offers. My workout 3-5 days a week consisted of an easy strength minded workout that evolved into the following:

Swings: 2 handed, sets of 12. 6-9 sets
Goblets: 5@53, 5@72, 5@40lbs. Mobility exercise. Flex the flexors
Clean and Press/Jerk One Hand: 3x3 Each Arm @ 53lbs
Wide Grip, Fat Grip Pullup Negatives: 5, 3, 2
BW Dips: 5 reps x2 sets
Parallel Bar Support Hold Straight Leg Raise (L-Sit Progression): 5 reps x2 sets
Dead Hang Knee Raise: One Set of 20
Turkish Get Up: 2 Each Arm @ 53lbs

The search for training optimization continues, however. The above is good, but it lacks a certain conditioning aspect that is necessary for the Army man who must perform any given moment in various unpredictable ways.

Enter The Snatch.

I have just performed my second Alactic + Aerobic minded snatch session. The aerobic strength combination is, dare I say, just what I have been looking for. I will say it is a formidable challenge, balancing the learning of excellent snatch technique and keeping the hands healthy.

I am currently working with the 40lb bell. I am going to keep the delta 20 principle in mind, allowing variation in time. The first session was 30 minutes EMOM of 5 snatches. The second session was 20 minutes of EMOM 6 snatches. Both these were manageable, heart rate never over 135. I intend on staying with this weight for some time to polish technique and build stronger hands. Eventually, maybe in a couple months, or when it makes sense, I'll move to the 53 pounder.

Weekly Programming
Weekday
Morning:
Army PT (Who knows? could be running hills or doing obstacle courses. Rucking, swimming, ultimate frisbee. All these things happen during this time. Sometimes I do not PT in the early AM. This is Army life.)
Lunch:
Snatches M, W, F
EZ Strength T, TH, SAT
Evening:
Rest and/or Disc Golf

I want to be a high performing generalist. I have learned that, more than anything, consistency is king. Educate yourself through experience and your program will refine itself to suit you.

I'll keep lurking here and picking out nuggets. I'm not sure I am looking for a specific response, just sharing my state and experience. I look forward towards the daily work. Strength training is an anchor in my life: one of the few things I am certain of every day. If you have any questions or comments, I am standing by.

Thanks for tuning in.
 
I am a big fan of alternating strength w/ endurance, which works so well I thought something was better and stopped doing it.
I think your plan will work very well. Let the volume slowly accumulate, add a little weight when ready.
I would look into the work of @Al Ciampa . Very good stuff I think you will like, based on what you posted here
 
Team,

I am going on my third year of kettlebell training. I began with S&S on a 40lb bell. I acquired the 53 and the 72, cycling through S&S. Timeless Simple was achieved. For reference: 31 year old male, 148lbs (+- 2) 5'8", Lieutenant in the US Army.

Over the past eight - nine months, I experienced a new level of consistency after discovering Easy Strength through the Dan John Podcast and all the resources he offers. My workout 3-5 days a week consisted of an easy strength minded workout that evolved into the following:

Swings: 2 handed, sets of 12. 6-9 sets
Goblets: 5@53, 5@72, 5@40lbs. Mobility exercise. Flex the flexors
Clean and Press/Jerk One Hand: 3x3 Each Arm @ 53lbs
Wide Grip, Fat Grip Pullup Negatives: 5, 3, 2
BW Dips: 5 reps x2 sets
Parallel Bar Support Hold Straight Leg Raise (L-Sit Progression): 5 reps x2 sets
Dead Hang Knee Raise: One Set of 20
Turkish Get Up: 2 Each Arm @ 53lbs

The search for training optimization continues, however. The above is good, but it lacks a certain conditioning aspect that is necessary for the Army man who must perform any given moment in various unpredictable ways.

Enter The Snatch.

I have just performed my second Alactic + Aerobic minded snatch session. The aerobic strength combination is, dare I say, just what I have been looking for. I will say it is a formidable challenge, balancing the learning of excellent snatch technique and keeping the hands healthy.

I am currently working with the 40lb bell. I am going to keep the delta 20 principle in mind, allowing variation in time. The first session was 30 minutes EMOM of 5 snatches. The second session was 20 minutes of EMOM 6 snatches. Both these were manageable, heart rate never over 135. I intend on staying with this weight for some time to polish technique and build stronger hands. Eventually, maybe in a couple months, or when it makes sense, I'll move to the 53 pounder.

Weekly Programming
Weekday
Morning:
Army PT (Who knows? could be running hills or doing obstacle courses. Rucking, swimming, ultimate frisbee. All these things happen during this time. Sometimes I do not PT in the early AM. This is Army life.)
Lunch:
Snatches M, W, F
EZ Strength T, TH, SAT
Evening:
Rest and/or Disc Golf

I want to be a high performing generalist. I have learned that, more than anything, consistency is king. Educate yourself through experience and your program will refine itself to suit you.

I'll keep lurking here and picking out nuggets. I'm not sure I am looking for a specific response, just sharing my state and experience. I look forward towards the daily work. Strength training is an anchor in my life: one of the few things I am certain of every day. If you have any questions or comments, I am standing by.

Thanks for tuning in.
I think you can have the best of both worlds on the same days. Dan John programs 50-75 swings as part of Easy Strength so I think if you ditched your swings and knee raises and programed something like the following you should be ok.

Goblets: 5@53, 5@72, 5@40lbs. Mobility exercise. Flex the flexors
Clean and Press/Jerk One Hand: 3x3 Each Arm @ 53lbs
Wide Grip, Fat Grip Pullup Negatives: 5, 3, 2
BW Dips: 5 reps x2 sets
Parallel Bar Support Hold Straight Leg Raise (L-Sit Progression): 5 reps x2 sets
Turkish Get Up: 2 Each Arm @ 53lbs
Swings/Snatch: 5EMOM for 10-16 minutes @ whatever weight you feel is good for you

A few years ago when I was doing PTTP I would finish off each session like this and it worked great for me. I was doing deadlifts, bench press and snatches for 5 reps EMOM for a dice roll. Whatever I rolled was the number of repeats per side. Kept me fresh and daily, low volume snatches really helped me dial in my form.
 
Team,

I am going on my third year of kettlebell training. I began with S&S on a 40lb bell. I acquired the 53 and the 72, cycling through S&S. Timeless Simple was achieved. For reference: 31 year old male, 148lbs (+- 2) 5'8", Lieutenant in the US Army.

Over the past eight - nine months, I experienced a new level of consistency after discovering Easy Strength through the Dan John Podcast and all the resources he offers. My workout 3-5 days a week consisted of an easy strength minded workout that evolved into the following:

Swings: 2 handed, sets of 12. 6-9 sets
Goblets: 5@53, 5@72, 5@40lbs. Mobility exercise. Flex the flexors
Clean and Press/Jerk One Hand: 3x3 Each Arm @ 53lbs
Wide Grip, Fat Grip Pullup Negatives: 5, 3, 2
BW Dips: 5 reps x2 sets
Parallel Bar Support Hold Straight Leg Raise (L-Sit Progression): 5 reps x2 sets
Dead Hang Knee Raise: One Set of 20
Turkish Get Up: 2 Each Arm @ 53lbs

The search for training optimization continues, however. The above is good, but it lacks a certain conditioning aspect that is necessary for the Army man who must perform any given moment in various unpredictable ways.

Enter The Snatch.

I have just performed my second Alactic + Aerobic minded snatch session. The aerobic strength combination is, dare I say, just what I have been looking for. I will say it is a formidable challenge, balancing the learning of excellent snatch technique and keeping the hands healthy.

I am currently working with the 40lb bell. I am going to keep the delta 20 principle in mind, allowing variation in time. The first session was 30 minutes EMOM of 5 snatches. The second session was 20 minutes of EMOM 6 snatches. Both these were manageable, heart rate never over 135. I intend on staying with this weight for some time to polish technique and build stronger hands. Eventually, maybe in a couple months, or when it makes sense, I'll move to the 53 pounder.

Weekly Programming
Weekday
Morning:
Army PT (Who knows? could be running hills or doing obstacle courses. Rucking, swimming, ultimate frisbee. All these things happen during this time. Sometimes I do not PT in the early AM. This is Army life.)
Lunch:
Snatches M, W, F
EZ Strength T, TH, SAT
Evening:
Rest and/or Disc Golf

I want to be a high performing generalist. I have learned that, more than anything, consistency is king. Educate yourself through experience and your program will refine itself to suit you.

I'll keep lurking here and picking out nuggets. I'm not sure I am looking for a specific response, just sharing my state and experience. I look forward towards the daily work. Strength training is an anchor in my life: one of the few things I am certain of every day. If you have any questions or comments, I am standing by.

Thanks for tuning in.
You have some heart beat range to play with on your A+A days, up to 149, maybe 5 beats beyond that if your wheels have been feeling good for the last couple years.
 
I would look into the work of @Al Ciampa . Very good stuff I think you will like, based on what you posted here
Second that... You would love what he has going on at www.bewellandstrong.com.

You have found a lot smarter training methods than most of the military! (I was 11 yrs active duty USAF an 9 yrs ANG myself). Sounds like you are on a great path.
 
I’m running a marathon up three mountains and wanting to train just using a and a principals without steady running. I’m doing 10 second hill sprints with a minute rest and on another day 5 swings Emom with 40kg. Am I mad? Has anyone tried anything similar? Any tips?
 
I would probably mix in some steady state running a la the Maffetone method to get specific efficiency, maybe once a week. Keep it chill though, go by heart rate or try breathing through the nose during that extended practice run. Go for 60 min + like that steady once a week and you will be more than ready.
I
I am a newbie. Someone else may provide more accurate advice.
 
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I’m running a marathon up three mountains and wanting to train just using a and a principals without steady running. I’m doing 10 second hill sprints with a minute rest and on another day 5 swings Emom with 40kg. Am I mad? Has anyone tried anything similar? Any tips?
If you want to perform okay-ish you'll need to do some running. If you want to perform well and drastically reduce the chance of injury you will need to run a lot.

How far is the run you're planning to do and how much elevation?
 
I’m running a marathon up three mountains and wanting to train just using a and a principals without steady running. I’m doing 10 second hill sprints with a minute rest and on another day 5 swings Emom with 40kg. Am I mad? Has anyone tried anything similar? Any tips?
I haven't done mountain running on a non-running programme but have done a 1/2 marathon and a 24km mountain run in boots, webbing and rifle - on no longer than 1.5mile runs whilst doing crossfit. Now Olympic athletes would call my pace not even a warm up (8min mile).

So...yes you can do it with minimal / no run training but two things,

1) Pace yourself according to the time/distance/ terrain AND 2) prepare to be extremely sore and tired the next day ?

With strong first principles AND a tiny bit more running you could make it through in better shape than doing crossfit IMHO, YMMV.
 
I’m running a marathon up three mountains and wanting to train just using a and a principals without steady running. I’m doing 10 second hill sprints with a minute rest and on another day 5 swings Emom with 40kg. Am I mad? Has anyone tried anything similar? Any tips?
As with most things training, Dan John got there first. Google his Litvinov workout.
 
As with most things training, Dan John got there first. Google his Litvinov workout.
He's callin' 'em "lift-n-sprints" now.

Execution is the same: pick up somethin' heavy a few times, sprint a little way. Repeat until you've done 'enough'.
 
Bizarrely I have just done them in the gym yesterday! We are all on the same page here!!! I did squats then prowler sprint trying to stay a+a
 
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