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Kettlebell Clarifying the Talk Test

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thefuriousplainsman

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After listening to the Joe Rogan podcast with Pavel I have begun to question my interpretation of the talk test. Before that point I would finish my set and begin walking around while breathing calmly until I was recovered enough to take a full inspiration and then recite the pledge with a normal cadence followed by a full inspiration upon completion. There are no inspirations once recitation begins. Is this correct or am I resting too long and should be taking small breaths at the natural pauses between stanzas in the pledge? Under normal circumstances I would have snuck a breath or two into the pledge whenever or wherever I needed it.
 
Good question.

Megan Kelly had an instagram post where she used "my name is Megan and I like Pizza" for the talk test - and she has attended StrongEndurance and follows a customized plan by Pavel himself.

However, I think she uses it for sets every 30 seconds or EMOM, so there would not be enough time for a long pledge anyway.
 
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IMHO you have to be able to speak a short sentence,

The example above is a good option

My talk test is "I will totally dominate the remaining (insert number) sets"

I must not need to catch my breath before, during or after uttering this sentence"then I know I have passed the talk test
 
I focus on yogic breathing techniques and bring awareness to ATP replenishment of muscles. This is usually a little after my breathing has calmed to normal. Luxurious rests.
 
Don't overthink it.

The point of the talk test is not the talk test itself.

The point is to allow appropriate recovery between sets. Appropriate recovery means long enough to:

--Allow for consistent high power throughout the session.
--Keep the overall level of exertion for the session moderate.
--Allow for sufficient recovery from session to session and over the longer term.

So the length of the sentence you are saying or the number of breaths (or even whether you actually test your recovery by speaking aloud) doesn't matter, except to the extent it guides you to appropriate recovery.

Timeless S&S was taking WAY too much time the other way.
The convenience of being able to complete a session in a specific amount of time is a legitimate parameter to consider (as long as it's not TOO rushed). If you find that resting a little less leads to getting worn down over the course of a session or from day to day, you might have to cut back on frequency or working weight. But it's legit to decide, "I want to get done in X amount of time and that's an important priority to me." It may also be that you are taking more recovery than you actually need and can compress your sessions a bit without compromising anything else.
 
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