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Kettlebell "Giant 1.0"

Geoff Neupert said:
@jhpowers -

I think Mark's is a great strategy.

One I typically recommend is the following:

Week 1: Easy/Moderate
Week 2: Moderate/Hard
Week 3: Hard/Very Hard/Max Effort
Week 4: De-load.
Week 5-8: (Another GIANT) - Repeat Cycle.
Week 9: Re-Test RM

There are many variations. But I think this is a good one that works for many.

Hope that helps.
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I really like this, thanks for posting! I was trying to figure out what to do after the first 4 weeks...would you say, stay within the same "version" of the Giant for the two cycles? i.e. do 1.0 back to back, then retest, or go ahead and do 1.0, then 1.1 and retest?
 
patterner said:
I really like this, thanks for posting! I was trying to figure out what to do after the first 4 weeks...would you say, stay within the same "version" of the Giant for the two cycles? i.e. do 1.0 back to back, then retest, or go ahead and do 1.0, then 1.1 and retest?
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Since giant is based off a bell or pair of bells you can press for a solid 10 reps, take note 1.0 only has you go up to 6.. 1.1 goes up to 8.

So with that being said and not giving out too much info, when you can do 80% of your rep max for multiple sets, you'll eventually get to a level where the total volume can reach 5-6 times the volume of your rep max..

It won't be surprising if you end up with a conservative 15 as your new rep max
 
I finished week 3 of 3.0 today and took the "go for it on week 3" thing to heart. Week 1 was 110 reps, week 2 was 127; and week 3 was..... , pushing REALLY hard, about 180 (though I count by HR peaks on the graph afterwards, and on the singles today, my HR was going between about 150 and 155...my max is 165...., so I couldn't quite count; and I lost track of the clock; definitely not anti-glycolytic; but apparently that's ok every once in awhile). That was....brutal. But I'm definitely stronger and fitter than I was 3.5 weeks ago. I'm ready for a "deload" for sure. Anxious to see what a RM test will look like late next week (got 5, 3-weeks ago, maybe could have done 6,, but didn't try), and which version of these programs to run next. Figure I'll do 1.0 if I can get 8. 2.0 if I can do 9 or 10. We'll see. Still really feels like the best $20 I've ever spent, by far.
 
Reardon55 said:
I finished week 3 of 3.0 today and took the "go for it on week 3" thing to heart. Week 1 was 110 reps, week 2 was 127; and week 3 was..... , pushing REALLY hard, about 180 (though I count by HR peaks on the graph afterwards, and on the singles today, my HR was going between about 150 and 155...my max is 165...., so I couldn't quite count; and I lost track of the clock; definitely not anti-glycolytic; but apparently that's ok every once in awhile). That was....brutal. But I'm definitely stronger and fitter than I was 3.5 weeks ago. I'm ready for a "deload" for sure. Anxious to see what a RM test will look like late next week (got 5, 3-weeks ago, maybe could have done 6,, but didn't try), and which version of these programs to run next. Figure I'll do 1.0 if I can get 8. 2.0 if I can do 9 or 10. We'll see. Still really feels like the best $20 I've ever spent, by far.
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EXCELLENT work!

Have you noticed any body composition changes to go along with the increased work capacity?
 
Geoff Neupert said:
EXCELLENT work!

Have you noticed any body composition changes to go along with the increased work capacity?
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Maybe a little. Theres a vain that’s popped out in my left shoulder that ive never seen before, and i wore a “large” shirt yesterday (im now taking hand me downs from my significantly larger than me 15 year old son) that was pretty tight, but that I wouldn’t have tried 6-months ago....., though i didnt leave the house, so it might not count?....

i also have been on a post-Christmas “binge” of complete alcohol, and near complete sweets and snack food abstinence (though did a “zoom happy hour” with my far flung college roommates yesterday so that train is temporarily derailed) which helps too.
 
Reardon55 said:
i also have been on a post-Christmas “binge” of complete alcohol, and near complete sweets and snack food abstinence (though did a “zoom happy hour” with my far flung college roommates yesterday so that train is temporarily derailed) which helps too.
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I know about this "post holiday" thing too! Doing the same thing .... Nice work though and some great gains!
 
First timer here . . . thanks for discussion here. It's very helpful!

I purchased the program a couple weeks ago and just started week 2 of Giant 1.0. Looking at these posts is great motivation, but wonder if I'm not sand-bagging a little bit, and would appreciate some feedback.

I have a pair of 16kgs and 24s. I wasn't able to cleanly do a set of 10 with the dbl 24s, so I started the program with the 16s, figuring I'll repeat the program once I can get a pair of 24s cleanly.

First week - 20 minute sessions, I was able to do these EMOTM, resulting in completing all the prescribed reps without any trouble.

Second week - 25 minute session. I adjusted the time to 65 seconds per round and was able to get 120 reps in session 1 with no trouble at all.

Wondering if I should just finish with the 16s, or bump up to the 24s, knowing that I don't have them cleanly for a 10RM. These posts got me thinking I'm not pressing enough weight and pressing too frequently.

Thanks in advance!
 
I had the same issue when I started "Strong" a few months ago. I progressed so quickly, as I hadn't trained overhead in so long, that I jumped to next weight after just a few sessions (though the percentage was closer to 10% than the 50% jump you're faced with.....).

In a post elsewhere, Mr. Neupert indicated that 1.0 works with an 8RM. If your 24's are an 8RM, I'd jump to them. Maybe stick to 20m though....

If the 24's are in the 5-7 range, I'd jump straight to 3.0 and stick with it for at least a full cycle and then re-evaluate.
 
I did Week 4, Day 1 of 3.0 yesterday and decidedly failed in my attempt to make it a "deload" (after 2-sets....."I think I can beat what I did last week!"). Had a hard time sleeping because my shoulders got so tight, so I think I'm going to REALLY deload for rest of week 4 (like by, on Wednesday, using less weight AND taking longer rests AND doing 20 minutes instead of 30; and maybe skipping Friday altogether).

That said, I did 36-doubles yesterday (going about every 50s, which was decidedly NOT anti-glycolytic.....see graph; my max HR is about 165, so by the end, I wasn't even dropping below 90%; I was managing my rest by "can my weak shoulder press this weight twice?", not by the breath test) for 72-reps total. That's a darned-near doubling of my work capacity from week 1 (though there's possibly some sand-bagging in there), and a 20% increase over what I considered an all-out effort just last Monday!! At this rate, I'll be "world champion" in about 8-months....... (i'm sure there's a plateau, hopefully not a cliff, coming; but this is still a lot of fun for now)

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Stuart Elliott said:
I bought The Giant yesterday , do you guys
start with one bell or 2?
I did a few cycles of strong about few years ago, but been doing mostly A&A work and Bent pressing since.
I plan to jump straight into 1.0.
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Geoff sold me on the idea that double KB work is a game changer. Except for rows, swing, getup, and snatch, and skills training for pressing the beast, I don't see the point of single KB training once one has got a base skill down for those who have general physical training goals. Double clean and press and front squat are my core lifts now I build around. You can do the giant with uneven bells as I do. It is also just so much more efficient in terms of time with the heavier load but not needing to switch.
 
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