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Kettlebell Kettlebell STRONG (Neupert)

Wrapped up Week 6 of Phase 1 and heading into Week 7. I can feel the 24's getting lighter now. I had a rep max of 5, and I could start to tell now that on those days with higher reps I have more gas in the tank to press more if I wanted to. Overall, been enjoying this program.

Looking at running The Short Course after Phase 1 and then getting into something from MKM. But I was reading the thread on King-Sized Killer and there were talks of running KSK and Giant together and that just piqued my interest. I'll have to see how my body feels and what I'm looking for after Strong.
 
Week 4 Phase 3 is over!

Greetings from the Bahamas!! I got married on Saturday and we're on our honeymoon in the Bahamas.

I lifted on Sunday because our flight boarded at 5:20 a.m.

I was pleased to see that our resort has KBs!! However, the heaviest KBs they have is a pair of 40 lbs bells. (I am using 24k bells for Strong.)

To make up for the lighter weight, I decided to do the required lifts 10x10 rather than the rep scheme I use for the 24k bells. I kept the required rest periods the same as Geoff lays out for Phase 3.

I'll tell you the sets of 10 hit differently than the reps proscribed by GN for Phase 3.

I did my lifts outside. It was beautiful!
20221026_155617.jpg
I have also been Scuba diving everyday.

I am proud of me for getting my lifts done.

One more week of Strong!
 
Week 4 Phase 3 is over!

Greetings from the Bahamas!! I got married on Saturday and we're on our honeymoon in the Bahamas.

I lifted on Sunday because our flight boarded at 5:20 a.m.

I was pleased to see that our resort has KBs!! However, the heaviest KBs they have is a pair of 40 lbs bells. (I am using 24k bells for Strong.)

To make up for the lighter weight, I decided to do the required lifts 10x10 rather than the rep scheme I use for the 24k bells. I kept the required rest periods the same as Geoff lays out for Phase 3.

I'll tell you the sets of 10 hit differently than the reps proscribed by GN for Phase 3.

I did my lifts outside. It was beautiful!
View attachment 19504
I have also been Scuba diving everyday.

I am proud of me for getting my lifts done.

One more week of Strong!
Congratulations!

Well done on strong as well!

Enjoy the Bahamas, looks beautiful.
 
I’m amazed at what months of focusing on a single lift has done. Having a break from Strong because of some elbow tendinitis and now doing dbl squats . Im squatting 2x20kg’s for reps reasonably easy ( last session 54 reps ). I tried to do 2x20 in April and got humbled, upper body struggled. Amazing how much stronger my upper body is, I don’t buckle at all, even towards the end of the reps.

Keen to come back to finish phase 2, but am definitely enjoying dbl rack squats.

Regular squatting is good for you. And so is lots of C&P. Definite WTF effect!
 
I’m amazed at what months of focusing on a single lift has done. Having a break from Strong because of some elbow tendinitis and now doing dbl squats . Im squatting 2x20kg’s for reps reasonably easy ( last session 54 reps ). I tried to do 2x20 in April and got humbled, upper body struggled. Amazing how much stronger my upper body is, I don’t buckle at all, even towards the end of the reps.

Keen to come back to finish phase 2, but am definitely enjoying dbl rack squats.

Regular squatting is good for you. And so is lots of C&P. Definite WTF effect!
Sounds like an excellent pivot to an alternative movement to allow your elbow tendinitis to recover.

I love the report of how you have become stronger!
 
The longer I run Strong the more I start to think it is the One Ring of programs.

I want to get stronger?! Run phase 1 and 2.
I want to get fit or more endurance?! Run phase 3.
I want a more balanced approach?! Have you tried either every other day or 4 per week alternating the One and Strong? Or have you tried Strong Clean+Press and use the same Strong rep scheme for Front Squats 4 per week or every other day? Have you tried running it and doing a set of heavy DL or Back Squats (Singles or Doubles @80-85%) before each of the One lifts?

The combinations for just running Strong are endless. It is every home programmers dream. Been using it for 2 years and it's the best.
 
The longer I run Strong the more I start to think it is the One Ring of programs.

I want to get stronger?! Run phase 1 and 2.
I want to get fit or more endurance?! Run phase 3.
I want a more balanced approach?! Have you tried either every other day or 4 per week alternating the One and Strong? Or have you tried Strong Clean+Press and use the same Strong rep scheme for Front Squats 4 per week or every other day? Have you tried running it and doing a set of heavy DL or Back Squats (Singles or Doubles @80-85%) before each of the One lifts?

The combinations for just running Strong are endless. It is every home programmers dream. Been using it for 2 years and it's the best.
I also feel the same about The Giant. Both are super flexible programs that can be altered slightly (exercise selection, frequency, duration) to keep them sustainable to run (probably) forever with no ill effects except boredom.
 
As this is my first time running Strong, I've enjoyed this program. As I embark on Week 8 of Phase 1, life threw a curve ball and I somehow I tweaked my back. Then next week I'm leaving for a weekend trip. So I'll have to figure out how to get the last week in. Thinking if I'm feeling 100% by Friday I'll run it Friday-Sunday-Tuesday or Saturday-Monday-Wednesday.
 
Kettlebell Strong! is complete!!! Whoo hoo!

My Review: I think the key to successfully completing all 3 phases of Strong is selecting the correct bells and being disciplined about the rest periods.

TLDR: I chose the correct bells, I was disciplined about the rest periods between sets, I completed all 3 Phases of Strong! and I got stronger.

Selecting the Correct Bells: I began Strong on April 18th using 2x24 bells. When I tested the bells before beginning the program, I was able to strongly C&P the 24k bells for 5 reps. (I might have been able to squeeze out another rep or two but my form would have suffered.) As I worked through Phase 1, some days felt relatively easy. I worried that I might be under-belled and maybe I should switch to a pair of 28k bells. I decided to trust Geoff Neupert's guideline for selecting the correct bells and stayed the course. I am very glad that I did. As I progressed through Phase 2 into Phase 3, the lifts got much more challenging. During Strong! the lifts on the heavy days were challenging but never impossible.

The Rest Periods: As I progressed through the phases of Strong, I was mindful of my goal of completing all 3 phases of the program. I anticipated the rigor of Phase 3 and was very disciplined about the rest periods during Phases 1 and 2. I never allowed myself more than 2 minutes between sets on heavy days. As the number of sets increased, I worked to reduce the rest periods. I was able to successfully complete the 4x10 and 5x10 sets On the Minute. Then in Phase 3, I able to successfully reduce the rest periods over the 5 weeks. I know that if I would have belled-up to 2x28k bells when I thought I was under-belled, I would not have been able to be so disciplined about my rest periods in Phases 1 and 2. I certainly do not think that I would have been able to successfully complete Phase 3 with 2x28k bells.

Results: Strong! made me stronger. For the completion of Phase1 test, I got 10 Reps with 2x24k bells and 2 Reps 2x28k bells. At the completion of Phase 2 test, I was feeling confident about my ability to C&P the 24k bells. I decided to test the 28k bells. I got 5 Reps with 2x28k bells and 1 Rep with 2x32k bells. I am very pleased with the strength I gained.

I did not lose fat. This past 29 weeks have been a time of great change in my life. I got married, had a honeymoon, sold my house, bought a house, moved homes, had a vacation, had a two-week long cold (not COVID), and traveled for work 3 times. I was inconsistent at best with my diet. (With a bunch of celebration thrown in.) During this time period I felt like I never had my diet dialed in for more than a few days at a time. I am ok with this because I was able to complete Strong! during this period of change.

I am very happy that I was able to complete Strong! during this time with all of this change in my life. (Without exaggeration, at times, it felt like Strong! was the only stable thing in my life.) I can rationalize anything. (It is my super power). In the past, I would have used any one of these events to justify pausing my workout routine. I would rationalize the pauses by saying it would be better to continue in the program when I was able to devote 100% of my attention to the program. In the past, these pauses would stretch to months and then I would eventually abandon the program. I would get discouraged with myself, then the pause would extend to years before I would get the motivation to resume training again.

The Strong First Forum and my weekly posts in this thread have helped me stay motivated to continue the program on days where I was actively trying to talk myself in to skipping my lifts for the day because "I was so busy." I am grateful for all of your support and motivation.

The wonderful thing about Strong! is that it is scalable. On days where I had limited time or lacked motivation, I skipped every other part of my training session and only did the lifts that GN prescribed for that day's Strong session. When I traveled, I was able to continue the program. On my honeymoon, the heaviest KBs the resort had were a pair of 40 lbs bells. (I increased my reps from 6x10 to 10x10 to account for the lighter weight.) I brought my KBs with me on vacation. When I traveled for work, the hotels did not have KBs, but they had dumb bells. I was able to do the required lifts with a pair of 45lbs dumb bells.

What is next? On Monday I start Neupert's Ballistic Beatdown from Kettlebell Hard with a pair of 16k bells. (I tested my Double Snatch with 2x16k bells for 20 reps. ) I plan to dial in my diet and lose some fat. I am starting with the intermediate rest periods.

After Ballistic Beatdown, I am going to give The Giant a go with a pair of 2x28k bells. I plan to start with Phase 3. I am really excited about giving The Giant a go to see why everybody raves about the program so much.

Next year around this time, I plan to do Strong! with a pair of 32k bells.

Thanks again for the support and fellowship in this thread, it was very important to my successfully completing Strong!
 
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Kettlebell Strong! is complete!!! Whoo hoo!

My Review: I think the key to successfully completing all 3 phased of Strong is selecting the correct bells and being disciplined about the rest periods.

TLDR: I chose the correct bells, I was disciplined about the rest periods between sets, I completed all 3 Phases of Strong! and I got stronger.

Selecting the Correct Bells: I began Strong on April 18th using 2x24 bells. When I tested the bells before beginning the program, I was able to strongly C&P the 24k bells for 5 reps. (I might have been able to squeeze out another rep or two but my form would have suffered.) As I worked through Phase 1, some days felt relatively easy. I worried that I might be under-belled and maybe I should switch to a pair of 28k bells. I decided to trust Geoff Neupert's guideline for selecting the correct bells and stayed the course. I am very glad that I did. As I progressed through Phase 2 into Phase 3, the lifts got much more challenging. During Strong! the lifts on the heavy days were challenging but never impossible.

The Rest Periods: As I progressed through the phases of Strong, I was mindful of my goal of completing all 3 phases of the program. I anticipated the rigor of Phase 3 and was very disciplined about the rest periods during Phases 1 and 2. I never allowed myself more than 2 minutes between sets on heavy days. As the number of sets increased, I worked to reduce the rest periods. I was able to successfully complete the 4x10 and 5x10 sets On the Minute. Then in Phase 3, I able to successfully reduce the rest periods over the 5 weeks. I know that if I would have belled-up to 2x28k bells when I thought I was under-belled, I would not have been able to be so disciplined about my rest periods in Phases 1 and 2. I certainly do not think that I would have been able to successfully complete Phase 3 with 2x28k bells.

Results: Strong! made me stronger. For the completion of Phase1 test, I got 10 Reps with 2x24k bells and 2 Reps 2x28k bells. At the completion of Phase 2 test, I was feeling confident about my ability to C&P the 24k bells. I decided to test the 28k bells. I got 5 Reps with 2x28k bells and 1 Rep with 2x32k bells. I am very pleased with the strength I gained.

I did not lose fat. This past 29 weeks have been a time of great change in my life. I got married, had a honeymoon, sold my house, bought a house, moved homes, had a vacation, had a two-week long cold (not COVID), and traveled for work 3 times. I was inconsistent at best with my diet. (With a bunch of celebration thrown in.) During this time period I felt like I never had my diet dialed in for more than a few days at a time. I am ok with this because I was able to complete Strong! during this period of change.

I am very happy that I was able to complete Strong! during this time with all of this change in my life. (Without exaggeration, at times, it felt like Strong! was the only stable thing in my life.) I can rationalize anything. (It is my super power). In the past, I would have used any one of these events to justify pausing my workout routine. I would rationalize the pauses by saying it would be better to continue in the program when I was able to devote 100% of my attention to the program. In the past, these pauses would stretch to months and then I would eventually abandon the program. I would get discouraged with myself, then the pause would extend to years before I would get the motivation to resume training again.

The Strong First Forum and my weekly posts in this thread have helped me stay motivated to continue the program on days where I was actively trying to talk myself in to skipping my lifts for the day because "I was so busy." I am grateful for all of your support and motivation.

The wonderful thing about Strong! is that it is scalable. On days where I had limited time or lacked motivation, I skipped every other part of my training session and only did the lifts that GN prescribed for that day's Strong session. When I traveled, I was able to continue the program. On my honeymoon, the heaviest KBs the resort had were a pair of 40 lbs bells. (I increased my reps from 6x10 to 10x10 to account for the lighter weight.) I brought my KBs with me on vacation. When I traveled for work, the hotels did not have KBs, but they had dumb bells. I was able to do the required lifts with a pair of 45lbs dumb bells.

What is next? On Monday I start Neupert's Ballistic Beatdown from Kettlebell Hard with a pair of 16k bells. (I tested my Double Snatch with 2x16k bells for 20 reps. ) I plan to dial in my diet and lose some fat. I am starting with the intermediate rest periods.

After Ballistic Beatdown, I am going to give The Giant a go with a pair of 2x28k bells. I plan to start with Phase 3. I am really excited about giving The Giant a go to see why everybody raves about the program so much.

Next year around this time, I plan to do Strong! with a pair of 32k bells.

Thanks again for the support and fellowship in this thread, it was very important to my successfully completing Strong!
Awesome work mate!
 
@blad51 run 1.0, 2.0, 1.1 and 1.2 consecutively for a full Giant experience. You can drop 2.0 if you need to shorten, but it is a great program and 1.1/1.2 are a#@ kicking mass builders.
 
@blad51 run 1.0, 2.0, 1.1 and 1.2 consecutively for a full Giant experience. You can drop 2.0 if you need to shorten, but it is a great program and 1.1/1.2 are a#@ kicking mass builders.
Excellent! I knew there was an alternative way to do the different phases of The Giant.

Would you still recommend doing the phases in that order if I were to begin The Giant with Phase 3?
 
Embarked on Workout 23 of Strong (Phase 1). I was dealing with a tweaked/sore back for a few days so had to adjust my last week's schedule to make sure I was good to go. The progression of this program is amazing, I'm looking forward to testing on Wednesday.
 
Kettlebell Strong! is complete!!! Whoo hoo!

My Review: I think the key to successfully completing all 3 phases of Strong is selecting the correct bells and being disciplined about the rest periods.

TLDR: I chose the correct bells, I was disciplined about the rest periods between sets, I completed all 3 Phases of Strong! and I got stronger.

Selecting the Correct Bells: I began Strong on April 18th using 2x24 bells. When I tested the bells before beginning the program, I was able to strongly C&P the 24k bells for 5 reps. (I might have been able to squeeze out another rep or two but my form would have suffered.) As I worked through Phase 1, some days felt relatively easy. I worried that I might be under-belled and maybe I should switch to a pair of 28k bells. I decided to trust Geoff Neupert's guideline for selecting the correct bells and stayed the course. I am very glad that I did. As I progressed through Phase 2 into Phase 3, the lifts got much more challenging. During Strong! the lifts on the heavy days were challenging but never impossible.

The Rest Periods: As I progressed through the phases of Strong, I was mindful of my goal of completing all 3 phases of the program. I anticipated the rigor of Phase 3 and was very disciplined about the rest periods during Phases 1 and 2. I never allowed myself more than 2 minutes between sets on heavy days. As the number of sets increased, I worked to reduce the rest periods. I was able to successfully complete the 4x10 and 5x10 sets On the Minute. Then in Phase 3, I able to successfully reduce the rest periods over the 5 weeks. I know that if I would have belled-up to 2x28k bells when I thought I was under-belled, I would not have been able to be so disciplined about my rest periods in Phases 1 and 2. I certainly do not think that I would have been able to successfully complete Phase 3 with 2x28k bells.

Results: Strong! made me stronger. For the completion of Phase1 test, I got 10 Reps with 2x24k bells and 2 Reps 2x28k bells. At the completion of Phase 2 test, I was feeling confident about my ability to C&P the 24k bells. I decided to test the 28k bells. I got 5 Reps with 2x28k bells and 1 Rep with 2x32k bells. I am very pleased with the strength I gained.

I did not lose fat. This past 29 weeks have been a time of great change in my life. I got married, had a honeymoon, sold my house, bought a house, moved homes, had a vacation, had a two-week long cold (not COVID), and traveled for work 3 times. I was inconsistent at best with my diet. (With a bunch of celebration thrown in.) During this time period I felt like I never had my diet dialed in for more than a few days at a time. I am ok with this because I was able to complete Strong! during this period of change.

I am very happy that I was able to complete Strong! during this time with all of this change in my life. (Without exaggeration, at times, it felt like Strong! was the only stable thing in my life.) I can rationalize anything. (It is my super power). In the past, I would have used any one of these events to justify pausing my workout routine. I would rationalize the pauses by saying it would be better to continue in the program when I was able to devote 100% of my attention to the program. In the past, these pauses would stretch to months and then I would eventually abandon the program. I would get discouraged with myself, then the pause would extend to years before I would get the motivation to resume training again.

The Strong First Forum and my weekly posts in this thread have helped me stay motivated to continue the program on days where I was actively trying to talk myself in to skipping my lifts for the day because "I was so busy." I am grateful for all of your support and motivation.

The wonderful thing about Strong! is that it is scalable. On days where I had limited time or lacked motivation, I skipped every other part of my training session and only did the lifts that GN prescribed for that day's Strong session. When I traveled, I was able to continue the program. On my honeymoon, the heaviest KBs the resort had were a pair of 40 lbs bells. (I increased my reps from 6x10 to 10x10 to account for the lighter weight.) I brought my KBs with me on vacation. When I traveled for work, the hotels did not have KBs, but they had dumb bells. I was able to do the required lifts with a pair of 45lbs dumb bells.

What is next? On Monday I start Neupert's Ballistic Beatdown from Kettlebell Hard with a pair of 16k bells. (I tested my Double Snatch with 2x16k bells for 20 reps. ) I plan to dial in my diet and lose some fat. I am starting with the intermediate rest periods.

After Ballistic Beatdown, I am going to give The Giant a go with a pair of 2x28k bells. I plan to start with Phase 3. I am really excited about giving The Giant a go to see why everybody raves about the program so much.

Next year around this time, I plan to do Strong! with a pair of 32k bells.

Thanks again for the support and fellowship in this thread, it was very important to my successfully completing Strong!

Embarked on Workout 23 of Strong (Phase 1). I was dealing with a tweaked/sore back for a few days so had to adjust my last week's schedule to make sure I was good to go. The progression of this program is amazing, I'm looking forward to testing on Wednesday.
Good luck with the test! Looking forward to hearing how you did.
 
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