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Kettlebell Maximorum Master Thread

Ok, so the turn should be sooner is what I’m seeing here? Thumb to collar bone earlier rather than as late as I am, but the final position is ok?
Yeah, and I think that's why your clean overall looks good. You know how when you clean and pull the elbow back? Practice doing that without a bell and making a "finger gun" - pointer finger out, thumb up. You don't want the thumb cocked to either side, but up. Now when you do that with a bell, you don't have your finger gun, but the kettlebell handle should be pretty vertical at that hip position, and the back of your hand shouldn't be canted. Now your hand just punches up from there, and the bell (and your hand) shouldn't have to twist around.

I probably overfocus on the thumb position as for a while I was catching the bells in the rack with the thumbs point out to either side and my palms on my chest. Not terribly comfortable.
 
Just finished Phase 1, and those sets of 6 are no joke.

Speaking of which, I’m not sure this is the best angle but it’s time I get a form check, please. This is my 10th and final set of C&P, I wanted to film the ugliest because if these are passable I should be good when I’m fresher. I seem to be leaning forward a bit, which I didn’t feel while doing them, but I feel rooted when doing them so is that an issue?

Does that make sense? I am far from perfect and am far from the best coach; it might be better to take this to a "Higher Power" like @Brett Jones or @Anna C who are really good coaches.
Thanks @John K !

@BJJ Shawn I think the C&P looks great. I see what others are talking about.... but if you're not having any hand, wrist, or forearm problems I don't think it's anything you particularly NEED to fix. (It's actually the opposite of what a lot of people do with the clean, which is slam the bells into themselves at the top, haha.) Ideally the catch position is directly and softly into the rack. Now that we've put your attention on it you can play with the landing a bit as you practice, but I don't think you have to go down in weight while you do.
 
Hi guys

I've been stalking this thread for a while, but here is my review of a completed Phase 1:
  • 43 years old, 82kgs start, body fat of 11%.
  • Snatching with 24kgs, CP-FSQ with 28's.... have done bigger numbers in the past, but came off of a 8mth 'weird' period with a broken foot + training bodyweight only for the SFB. So couldn't do a 5RM with 32's for CP, like I could last year.
  • 'Strong Legs'-version
  • W1: 318 reps total
  • W2: 346 reps total
  • W3: 446 reps total
  • W4: 402 reps total
  • W5: 539 reps total
  • W6: 606 reps total
  • Total volume increase +91%
  • Body weight: +2kgs, 1.2kgs of which lean body mass. 3000kcal/day (in line with intentions - this is hard to measure precisely, but will keep tracking).
So far: really like the program. Auto-regulation has been a game changer for me.

Cheers!
 
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Just finished Phase 1, and those sets of 6 are no joke.

Speaking of which, I’m not sure this is the best angle but it’s time I get a form check, please. This is my 10th and final set of C&P, I wanted to film the ugliest because if these are passable I should be good when I’m fresher. I seem to be leaning forward a bit, which I didn’t feel while doing them, but I feel rooted when doing them so is that an issue?

They look good to me but I'll make two suggestions: You need a bit more of a pause in the rack. I think your first rep, e.g., wouldn't pass the Beast Tamer standard. You need a noticeable pause, not long, but distinct nonetheless. Second, the standard is that your first or the handle (not sure which) has to be below your chin. I think you meet that but it looks kind of close.

-S-
 
Did W9D3. I was afraid of that one, but I rested a lot between sets, and it went well. Only got 4 sets, but the set of 6 was the best 6 I've done on the program. It really four sets in 26 minutes and I was almost ready for a fifth set when the timer finished. (20 reps, down from a high of 31 on a 3,4 day.)

I've noticed that in phase 2, if I don't get enough sleep, my body corrects the problem. Twice I didn't sleep enough and crashed as soon as the children were in bed the next night.
 
I just wrapped up Phase 1 this week; so I’ll follow @Lehrskov with a summary so far. Snatches @ 24kg, C&P/DFSQ @ 2X28kg

Total NL
Week 1: 232
Week 2: 332
Week 3: 372
Week 4: 384
Week 5: 425
Week 6: 433
Percent change from Wk 1 -> 6: 86.6% increase.

Weight is up ~2kg, with a couple of centimeters off of my belly and hips and some growth just about everywhere else. I was definitely eating a surplus and will dial it back during the next phase, as I’d rather lean out a little than put on much additional mass right now.

I was definitely chasing reps in Week 5 and hurt my right hand twice doing snatches, once with a blister that formed and then popped while doing the next day, and the next round, I tore the skin near a callus. So I did the responsible thing and turned my clock around, hitting almost identical numbers in Week 6, but much more easily and with no more hand damage.

Here's a fun side note, I did a Bench Press 1RM test over the weekend (unrelated) and set a new PR @ 235lb, despite no heavy benching in at least a year. It's nothing amazing, but still a pretty awesome carryover from a lot of overhead pressing.
 
Here's a fun side note, I did a Bench Press 1RM test over the weekend (unrelated) and set a new PR @ 235lb, despite no heavy benching in at least a year. It's nothing amazing, but still a pretty awesome carryover from a lot of overhead pressing.

Nice work @Conor !
I don't know if you noticed, but my W4 numbers actually *dropped*. This was partly due to a new tattoo which prevented me from having the rack-position that week (did Barbell Military presses and assorted other exercises for that 4th session of week 4)... and also me cutting snatch volume in half on the 3rd workout and focusing on power.

It wasn't a plan, but I feel the slow-down really helped me in the following two weeks.

Congrats on the PR. (I'll do my best to not rush to the gym to try and do the same ;-) )
 
W11D1- 31 reps w/36kg

After reading some of the above replies I was curious as to some of my progress aside from reps. With two weeks to go:

Down around 11lbs. Now that was a mid day, post workout check so it’s probably a little more than that. I can without a doubt tell my composition has changed for the better. Legs more muscular, core firmer etc.

But what I’m happiest about is I’m down 2” at the belly button. I’ve adjusted my diet, but it’s far from perfect. This just shows, to me, that it will absolutely burn some fat.

I’m very curious to see what @Geoff Neupert suggests as a follow on to this program. I’ve documented some pictures that unfortunately he’ll have to look at, hopefully he won’t mind sharing what my next step should be.

Keep rocking guys.
 
W11D1- 31 reps w/36kg

After reading some of the above replies I was curious as to some of my progress aside from reps. With two weeks to go:

Down around 11lbs. Now that was a mid day, post workout check so it’s probably a little more than that. I can without a doubt tell my composition has changed for the better. Legs more muscular, core firmer etc.

But what I’m happiest about is I’m down 2” at the belly button. I’ve adjusted my diet, but it’s far from perfect. This just shows, to me, that it will absolutely burn some fat.

I’m very curious to see what @Geoff Neupert suggests as a follow on to this program. I’ve documented some pictures that unfortunately he’ll have to look at, hopefully he won’t mind sharing what my next step should be.

Keep rocking guys.
Outstanding work!

As far as what's next: What's your #1 goal?
 
@Geoff Neupert

I’d say continuing to burn this excess fat from my body. I love how this program is designed to just grind you to pulp, I just wonder if I can last in the long run throwing it into the mix. Using the 36’s has me remembering olden days when I could crush myself and go right back at it again the next day. I’m not sure my shoulders can handle the 36’s week in, week out pressing.
Being said, I now see what you mean by trust the process. The heavy lifting (and tweaking diet even minimally) has leaned me out. I REALLY want to continue this trend.

Like I said, I’ve done my best to document pictures of myself from start to end, and much like @Aziatik I’m seeing awesome results. You’ll see them (unfortunately) in two weeks when I finish.

Clear as mud, right? Geoff I appreciate your programs and advice. Whatever you think will continue this trend, I’m all ears!
 
@Geoff Neupert
I am also interested in your opinion what to do next. I would like to try Kettlebell Muscle and burn extreme. Would you advise against going right into one of these programs or is there no problem? And which would you do first?
Thanks in advance for your time.
 
Finished week 10 day 4 today. Overall numbers down - 34/29/29 - BUT I did two more reps of double clean and press in those big sets, with the 24s, than was my max when I started the program. So that’s progress! I took my time today, stayed fresh, and focused on the cues from the kettlebell STRONG! videos.

10 weeks in, I’m empirically stronger, and injury free. Can’t complain at all.
 
I wrapped up 12 weeks of Maximorium today. I'd like to share my progress and my thoughts

PERFORMANCE

I chose to use 2x28kg for the DCL+P, which I had tested at 7 solid reps and a very shaky, unethical 8 reps. I had chose 32kg for the snatches, which was my 12RM. The bell ended up shredding both of my hands, no matter how I tweaked my form, and inevitably I dropped down to the 28kg. It is my own fault and no fault of the program.

I followed Geoff's instruction (pretty adamantly and comically directed instructed) and did the program as written and add nothing in. He also made a suggestion on weekly PREs however I found that his rep scheme pretty much took care of that. It never became about chasing numbers, but how quickly can I effectively recover from each set. The numbers increased on their own.

My results are as shown:

Week 1
230​
Week 7
344​
Week 2
248​
Week 8
354​
Week 3
278​
Week 9
366​
Week 4
281​
Week 10
372​
Week 5
296​
Week 11
384​
Week 6
322​
Week 12
TEST
DCP 2x28kg 10 reps

More than pleased!

PHYSICAL CHANGES

At Week 1, I weight 202lbs at the end of October. Today, the scale read 209lbs. My diet generally consists of low carb, high protein/fats, and while nothing about that changed, the holidays (Thanksgiving through New Years) made sure I ate a lot more than the usual fist-sized portions. If you know my wife, my Christmas season is almost a full month long. Weight went up, however some of the pants that were deemed too small this fall are fitting perfectly. I still have my movie-theater sized back, and my arms, quads, and gluts are noticeably larger. Geoff will get before and after pics (sorry fellas).

OVERALL

This was a fantastic program. At first, I was skeptical about shoulder wear/tear going alternating days of Press and snatches. With auto-regulation, you control the volume and there is nothing about my body that feels worn down. The variety in the exercises and the changes in the rep schemes kept each day interesting.

Never did I think that would reach 10 reps on the test day and I was pleasantly surprised with how easy that was. This has been a dramatic change in my overall strength that I hadn't seen since ROP or Total Tension Complex. The only thing I would need to do differently is work on my form with the 32kg snatches.

Consider me a very happy test subject @Geoff Neupert
 
I just finished day 4 of week 7, which is the first week in phase 2. I used Geoff's suggestion of supersetting A1 and A2 in this phase, and while the total reps is pretty equivalent to recent weeks I could not believe how much my delts were attacked by holding the bells in the rack for that long. Last phase, the squats felt more like conditioning as the weight is fairly low for my legs, but this week it has been a real test to not drop the bells from the rack near the ends of the sets. Here I am 90 minutes after finishing and my delts are still on fire.
 
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