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Kettlebell KB Pressing Plans Based on Different RM

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Bauer

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What are your go-to plans for a specific RM-bell?

I guess we could further distinguish plans by whether they focus more on strength, hypertrophy of both.

BellPlanNotesVolume
2-4 kg less than 1RMSoju and Tuba
(Joey Yang & Mark Limbaga)
18 sessions, low volumelow
5-8 RMROP (Pavel)from ETK, 13+ weeks, ladders,
high volume during later weeks
(75 reps on heavy days)
low to high
3-5 RMROP 2.0 (Pavel)KB 201 course, increasingly dense ladders,
long rest, long sessions,
18-50 reps per session
medium to high (weekly)
8-12RMSF 930 Plan (Pavel)6 weeks , PlanStrong, press + pullps
close to failure, long rests
intense
6-8RM5 Week, Whole Body Single Kettlebell Program (Pavel)Goblet squats, swings, press + pullupsmedium
10 RMThe Giant 1.0, 1.1, 1.2 (Geoff Neupert)3x 20-30 minutesautoregulated
5 RMThe Giant 3.0 (Geoff Neupert)3x 20-30 minutesautoregulated
Tough 4-5 RMSTRONG! (Geoff Neupert)double bells, 18-36 weekslow to high
5 RMDry Fighting Weight (Geoff Neupert)5 weeks, ladders of C&P + Front Squats, strength and fat lossautoregulated
7-10 TRM + 1-3 TRMVictorious 1 (Fabio Zonin)8 weeks PlanStrong/BuiltStrongmedium
4 bells from 1TRM to 15 TRMVictorious 2 (Fabio Zonin)8 weeks PlanStrong/BuiltStrongmedium+
8-10 TRMSimple Strength for Difficult Times
(Fabio Zonin)
ladders, 8 weeks + Squat + Pullmedium to high
3 bells from 2TRM to 16 TRMSimple Strength for Difficult Times Pt. 2
(Fabio Zonin)
ladders, 8 weeks + Squat + Pullmedium to high
75-80% of 1RMGet Stronger with One Kettlebell(John Spezzano)8 weeks, wavy, PlanStrong, only 10-32 reps per sessionlow to moderate
1-3 TRMRung-a-day (Daniel Hanscom)GTG + "ladders" over daysmore medium, autoregulated
8RMMy 6-Month Plan for Pressing the Beast
(Tim Almond)
ladders + increasing sets and rungs,
+ pullups, 30-60 reps per session
medium to high
60%1RM +
max effort variations
A Program to Train for the Half-Bodyweight Kettlebell Press
(Mark Reifkind)
Conjugate method (Westside Barbell)intense
3 bells at 65%, 75, and 85% 1RMHIRT for Hypertrophy (Craig Marker)Presses inbetween glycolytic power repeatsmoderate
3 bells at 75%, 85%, 90% 1RMScience Based Plan (Craig Marker)PlanStrong style, 6 weekslow
3 bells at 75%, 85%, 90% 1RMWaves of Strength (Craig Marker)PlanStrong style, 4 weeksultra low
flexible, mostly medium40-Days with KBs (Dan John)Even Easier Strength, ladders, 15-25 reps per sessionlow to medium


The following article is difficult to categorize and features several PlanStrong plans: The Big Bell Theory: Plans for Pressing Bigger Kettlebells | StrongFirst

Some more plans/books by Pavel:
  • The Red Zone (50 reps per session in 2 bouts)
  • Swing Sandwich (ROP version) - 75-85% 1RM bell + 60-70% 1RM bell
  • The Powertrain: App Version, die rolled variability, density, short sessions
  • ROTK - ladders, density, 5-15RM double bells, block training
  • ETK+: die rolled variability, ladders, 3-6 weights (doule bells), focus on medium heavy bells
  • RKC: Easy Strength style principles for varied KB training
Some more by Fabio Zonin:
  • 1TRM EV PS: Applicable to presses. 75%, 85%, 90%, and 95% of 1TRM, lower to moderate volume, escalating volume
  • 5TRM Back Squat: Applicable to presses. 90% and 105-110% of 5TRM, lower to moderate volume

Of course, there are many other plans, products and programs, but I will leave it at that for now. I also ommitted complexes etc. like Total Tension Complex or Strength Aerobics (Iron Cardio).

What are your favourites? Do you have other suggestions?
 
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This chart is amazing, thank you! I'm going to have to check out some of these programs and see if i can do them bodyweight. I've done ROP as a bodyweight program and I'm going to try Simple Strength For Difficult Times with bodyweight movements.
 
This chart is amazing, thank you! I'm going to have to check out some of these programs and see if i can do them bodyweight. I've done ROP as a bodyweight program and I'm going to try Simple Strength For Difficult Times with bodyweight movements.
How did ROP develop as a BW program?
 
I've done the program linked below a couple of times with single and double KB C&Ps. It's based on a 5TRM (Technical Rep Max) and uses two different bell sizes, a main working weight (90% 5TRM) and an overload weight (105-110% 5TRM). Although it's billed as a squat plan, the article says it's based on a Plan Strong press program. So I just adapted it back to the press:

5TRM Program

There's another article with a similar plan based on a 1TRM. It has a little more waviness in the volume from week to week and uses three different bell sizes, a main working weight (75% 1TRM +/-5%), and two overload bells (85-90% 1TRM and 95-100% 1TRM). The article says you can approximate the percentages somewhat with bell sizes, and it gives the example of a 36kg 1TRM, where you could use 28kg as the main bell, 32kg as the first overload bell, and 36kg for the second overload bell:

1TRM Program

Both programs use 2, 3, 5 ladders, have medium, low, and high volume days, and incorporate singles with the overload bell(s) on the low volume days. I really enjoyed this format in the 5TRM program (I haven't tried the 1TRM program). Even though the volume escalated over the course of the program, the perceived level of effort stayed about the same throughout. By the end, it didn't feel any easier, but I was doing a higher volume, and after the deload in the last week, I felt really strong.

I didn't really test beforehand to get an accurate 5TRM and didn't do any apples to apples pre and post test. I was coming off a training layoff and starting to build my pressing strength back up, and here's how I progressed:

--DFW with double 20s (underbelled). @Bauer, I don't think DFW is on the chart above (Dry Fighting Weight). It uses a 5RM.

--5TRM program with double 24s (with 28 as my overload bell). At the end, I didn't test with double 24s, but I tested my RM with double 28s and got 6.

--The Giant 1.0 with double 24s (which is supposed to use a 10RM, although I didn't test it).

--5TRM program with a single 28 (with 32kg as my overload bell). At the end of that, I tested my single 28RM and got 12L/10R, holding each rep locked out overhead for a count of three, and stopping when the last rep slowed down. During the actual program, I had some 5 rep sets where I had to grind the last rep, but on test day of the deload week, the bell all of a sudden felt a lot lighter.

Now it's on to a homebrewed double C&P + FSQ program with double 28s that I'm calling Dry Fighting Strong.
 
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How did ROP develop as a BW program?
After the insane results I got from using it on kettlebells I wanted to apply it to calisthenics, so I had to develop it myself. Basically I do a pull, a push and a leg exercise (3-5rm) in two phases.

Phase 1 - can fit everything into one workout

M/W/F (heavy / light / medium)

weighted row 3x1,2,3
weighted push-up 3x1,2,3
weighted lunge left leg 3x1,2,3
weighted lunge right leg 3x1,2,3

Finish the workout with 10-20 minutes of swings.

I go through it as a circuit and build up until I'm doing 5x1,2,3. Everything usually develops at the same speed.

Phase 2 - getting into too much volume to do full-body workouts. I drop the light and medium days and do every day as a heavy day. I drop down to 3 ladders and start working in sets of 4 until I've accomplished 3x1,2,3,4. Then I build up to 5x1,2,3,4. Then I drop down to 3x1,2,3,4 and start working in sets of 5 until I've accomplished 3x1,2,3,4,5. Then I build up to 5x1,2,3,4,5. At this point I'm done the cycle and am usually ready for much more difficult exercises.

Day 1 - Monday

weighted row
weighted push-up

swings and burpees or swings and DB thrusters or swings and skipping for 10-20 minutes

Day 2 - Wednesday

weighted lunge left leg
weighted lunge right leg

swings (or skipping) paired with Original Strength rocks and crawls with knees off the ground for 10-20 minutes

Day 3 - Friday

repeat Monday

It has worked out really, really well for me. I've tried upper body on Monday and Thursday and lower body on Tuesday and Friday, but then I'm only doing the four exercises and can't fit in the Original Strength work.
 
Good job @Bauer
I'd be interested if folks see any of the above as natural progressions on each other.
For example, the results of Victorious I meant by RMs plugged beautifully into Victorious II.
(albeit that I won't be starting that until I finish this block of LCCJ :) )
 
OK, I cannot edit my original post. I am not happy with the "focus" column. I wanted to replace it with a "volume" columne. As this is StrongFirst they are all focused on strength. They might also focus on hypertrophy when they are done with higher RM bells, more density, or more volume (for example the long-term plans like ROP and STRONG that build to 60-75 reps per session).

Anyway, here are some short notes on other plans.

Some more plans by Pavel:
  • The Red Zone (50 reps per session in 2 bouts)
  • Swing Sandwich (ROP version) - 75-85% 1RM bell + 60-70% 1RM bell
  • The Powertrain (App Version, die rolled variability, density)
  • ROTK - ladders, density, 5-15RM double bells
  • ETK+ (die rolled variability) - ladders, 3-6 weights (doule bells), focus on medium heavy bells
Craig Marker plans (usually with 3 bells from 65 or 75% to 92% of 1RM)
 
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OK, I cannot edit my original post. I am not happy with the "focus" column. I wanted to replace it with a "volume" columne. As this is StrongFirst they are all focused on strength. They might also focus on hypertrophy when they are done with higher RM bells, more density, or more volume (for example the long-term plans like ROP and STRONG that build to 60-75 reps per session).

Any, here are some short notes on other plans.

Some more plans by Pavel:
  • The Red Zone (50 reps per session in 2 bouts)
  • Swing Sandwich (ROP version) - 75-85% 1RM bell + 60-70% 1RM bell
  • The Powertrain (App Version, die rolled variability, density)
  • ROTK - ladders, density, 5-15RM double bells
  • ETK+ (die rolled variability) - ladders, 3-6 weights (doule bells), focus on medium heavy bells
Crag Marker plans (usually with 3 bells from 65 or 75% to 92% of 1RM)
@Steve Freides might be able to edit for you?

Great list btw. Thank you!
 
Now it's on to a homebrewed double C&P + FSQ program with double 28s that I'm calling Dry Fighting Strong.

@Steve W. , I would love to hear more about this if you're willing to share. Sounds like it might be similar to what I'm trying to do ("Strong!" type volume progression but with both C&P and FSQ) but I haven't figured out the best approach yet, so I'm curious how you're approaching it.

Thanks,
Matt
 
@Steve W. , I would love to hear more about this if you're willing to share. Sounds like it might be similar to what I'm trying to do ("Strong!" type volume progression but with both C&P and FSQ) but I haven't figured out the best approach yet, so I'm curious how you're approaching it.

Thanks,
Matt
It's an experiment, so I'm figuring it out as I go along, but here's what I'm doing/planning:

I am using a fixed volume for each session, not autoregulation by time. The main reason is that I do a lot training during short breaks throughout the day in my office at work, so a solid timed block doesn't really work. This way, I can just get my sets in wherever I can fit them.

I am training 3 days/week. For now, I am using the same reps per set all three days, and varying the number of sets. Day 1 is lower volume, day 2 is higher volume, and day 3 is in between.

I am doing each set as a chain/complex (C&Ps then FSQ, without putting the bells down). However, on the lower volume day, I am doing it as a straight complex (cleans, MPs, FSQ).

I am starting with sets of 2, and have completed weeks 1 and 2. Week 1 was 6x2/10x2/8x2. Week 2 was 8x2/12x2/10x2.

Week 3 will start sets of 3. I will do either 5x3/8x3/6x3 or 6x3/10x3/8x3, depending on how I feel on the first day. If I do the lower volume option, I will follow up with the higher volume option the next week and that will become week 4 and push the following weeks back by one.

Week 4 will start sets of 4: 5x4/8x4/6x4.

Week 5 will drop back to sets of 3: 8x3/12x3/10x3

Week 6 will go back up to sets of 4: 6x4/10x4/8x4

Week 7 and 8 are sets of 5: 4x5/6x5/5x5 then 5x5/8x5/6x5

And that's about as far as I've planned (and the plan is tentative). As the reps go up, I may split the drills into separate sets instead of doing them as complexes, depending on how it goes. Starting with sets of 2, it just seemed silly to put the bells down and wait between the presses and squats, but that may change with higher reps.
 
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