guardian7
Level 6 Valued Member
A yearlong cycle of STRONG, GIANT, and KSK training blocks (probably in that order) + plus one other lower body program (squat or deadlift) that you would like to work on would probably set you up for life!
Kettlebell "Giant 1.0"
- Thread starter John Grahill
- Start date
A yearlong cycle of STRONG, GIANT, and KSK training blocks (probably in that order) + plus one other lower body program (squat or deadlift) that you would like to work on would probably set you up for life!
Bkb
Level 6 Valued Member
No way you did 33 sets of 5 with a 10 rm… it’s nearly impossible. It’s probably your 15+ rm if you really did 165 reps.
Yes by the sounds of it, you’ll need to increase to (at least) the next bell size.
Erik W
Level 6 Valued Member
Your total reps for that session are 33 sets * 5 reps per set = 165.
If you can't clean and press the next heavier weight for 10 reps, then I would stick with this weight, if I were you.
The beauty of autoregulation is that some folks will get a lot of sets and some won't. In either case, the individual is still training to their ability and benefiting.
I'm not sure what you mean by "is each set a rep?" Can you clarify? Generally, a rep would be one clean and press, going up and back down. A set is how many reps you do (generally) before you set the bells down and let go of them.
Cearball
Level 6 Valued Member
Looking back at my Giant journey I think I would of benefited going a bit easier on myself.
Focused on the feeling of good solid reps instead of wondering if I'm going to eek out the set near the end of my time.
Bkb
Level 6 Valued Member
Finished 1.0 and took 1 week off (rest/recovery)Started 1.1 today. Wow. Only managed 11 sets of 6. In 1.0 that was my first week total. I’m guessing it’s just a bit of rust and weaker conditioning after a week off.
That said, I can already tell/assume that the sets of 7 and 8 are going to be brutal. If I had to guess, I’d probably get 8-10 sets on both days to come… this has me wondering, will my 1.1 overall reps be less than what I achieved in 1.0? Is this to be expected now that the sets are getting longer? Anyone who’s done a cycle or two of the Giant series, please chime in!
I always wondered why some people did 2.0 first to get “used to” the bigger sets….I’m already debating scrapping 1.1 and doing 2.0 first.
That said, I can already tell/assume that the sets of 7 and 8 are going to be brutal. If I had to guess, I’d probably get 8-10 sets on both days to come… this has me wondering, will my 1.1 overall reps be less than what I achieved in 1.0? Is this to be expected now that the sets are getting longer? Anyone who’s done a cycle or two of the Giant series, please chime in!
I always wondered why some people did 2.0 first to get “used to” the bigger sets….I’m already debating scrapping 1.1 and doing 2.0 first.
Hrungnir
Level 7 Valued Member
Yes, I ran 2.0 in between 1.0 and 1.1 and my weekly reps still fell off a cliff.
1.0 week 4 total reps: 342
1.1 week 1 total reps: 273, week 4: 302
1.2 week 1 total reps: 259, week 3: 276
I would bet the delta would be much more pronounced without 2.0, 1.2 was absolutely brutal to me.
1.0 week 4 total reps: 342
1.1 week 1 total reps: 273, week 4: 302
1.2 week 1 total reps: 259, week 3: 276
I would bet the delta would be much more pronounced without 2.0, 1.2 was absolutely brutal to me.
Bkb
Level 6 Valued Member
Thanks for your feedback….
Thinking out loud here- wouldn’t less reps/volume translate to less muscle gain/adaptation? In other words, wouldn’t someone see better results from doing 1.0 3 times versus doing 1.0, 1.1 and 1.2?
I am still wrapping my head around all this… when I woke up this morning I (ignorantly) expected this 1.1 run to start and end higher than 1.0…
No not really. More isn't better, it's just more.
Maybe. Typically, you don't need a week off after a 4-week cycle. Typically.
Usually, but not always, the week off comes after 8, 12, or 16 weeks, if you're using 4-week blocks.
This is normal. It's because your Relative Intensity - the number of reps as a percentage of your RM - increases. That means your effort level increases, which requires more energy per set. This in turn means you require more rest between sets.
Yup, now you know. ;-)
Please keep us updated with your results.
Hrungnir
Level 7 Valued Member
I think I gained more hypertrophy in 1.1 and 1.2 than any of the others. I have definitely been way more drained from less total reps, the CNS fatigue is real right now lol
Bkb
Level 6 Valued Member
@Geoff Neupert Thanks for the response!
Rest week was precautionary… a bit to rehab/rest my elbow and hip (both old injuries that didn’t want/don’t want to go away without a fight!)
Rest week was precautionary… a bit to rehab/rest my elbow and hip (both old injuries that didn’t want/don’t want to go away without a fight!)
Gypsyplumber
Level 7 Valued Member
I ran the Giant 3.0 with a 32kg and used a 36kg on the Friday “light days”. It was a little more tiring on the core as I ran it where I would do left side, right side then park the bells. It’s less overall load but it’s more time under tension and there’s a hand to hand swing involved. I really enjoyed it and it was a nice change of pace from doubles. Others have ran it where they do one side then park the bells and the next set is the opposite side. I liked doing both sides as one set.
Gypsyplumber
Level 7 Valued Member
Yes
Also when I run my heavy days (wed) I normally get less over all reps in than my Friday light days.
Skroll
Level 3 Valued Member
Sounds like you just planned my next year for me! I'm in phase 1 week 3 of Strong with double 24s. I'm super excited to see what happens.
MarkSch
Level 6 Valued Member
My thanks to everyone discussing the rep dropoff in versions of the Giant.
I had the same issue - less reps, much more perceived effort after finishing Giant 1.1 . I am running the Giant program with 2x24KG snatches. I fell a lot better now. Even before reading this, though, this cycle has been one of my favorite ever.
I had the same issue - less reps, much more perceived effort after finishing Giant 1.1 . I am running the Giant program with 2x24KG snatches. I fell a lot better now. Even before reading this, though, this cycle has been one of my favorite ever.
Gypsyplumber
Level 7 Valued Member
What I found too, when I first started the Giant I was “rep chasing” with other members. I’d see somebody banged out 100+ reps and I thought I was doing it wrong because I was gassed at 80 total reps. Then I got up to the 112 range with double 24s and thought I might blow a gasket the last set. Then moving up in bell size I decided to focus way more on quality and explosiveness and not just beating the reps. I enjoy the program and feel better like this. When I ran 3.0 with double 32s I was lucky to bang out 30 total reps but still made gains.
Lol last time I ran Giant the heavy day was usually more around 5-6 sets, the light day generally by the end of the month I could get 10-12+ sets. I don't think I ever got 80 reps in the 30 min time frame.
Hrungnir
Level 7 Valued Member
Finished up my first run! I’m going to be running it again. Happy with the results, definitely saw some hypertrophy but most of all I enjoy the program. The thirty minutes is short enough I can always squeeze it in and C&P has become my favorite lift. Thanks again Geoff!! I can’t think of a more impactful $20 investment
