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Kettlebell Hello/S&S

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azsixshooter

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My name is Steve. I'm in Pinckney, MI and work as a CNC Machinist.

I started the S&S program on 2/8/16, roughly 12 weeks ago this weekend. I worked up from a 16KG to a 24KG bell and today for the first time I did my 100 swings in 5 mins and my 10 TGU's in less than 10 mins.

I have been doing the S&S program mostly 6 days a week and I run about 3 miles of trails/hills on Monday and hike 5 miles of trails/hills on Wednesdays. On Fridays I usually tack a sandbag smoker routine on the end of my S&S workout for a little variety and some extra burn.

I'm feeling really good on the S&S program. Of course I have seen a lot of other KB programs that catch my eye and I have done some practicing of double swings, cleans, front squats, clean and jerks, push presses and snatches but mostly I am trying to avoid injury and "shiny-new-program-itis".

I had been doing more alternating hand swings and one hand swings but I slightly tweaked my back one day so I backed off and went back to only doing 2 hand swings for awhile. That worked well and now I'm back to working in some one hand sets and high pulls as much as I can.
One day I did my first 4 sets with double 24KGs but I cut the reps from 10 to 5. I don't know if that is a good idea or a bad one so I will probably not do that too much, just wanted to try something different for a minute.

I feel like I am ready to get a 32KG bell and start working that in, but at the same time I am still getting a pretty sweet workout with the 24KG bell. I can probably continue with the 24KG for awhile and focus on owning the movements and getting one hand swings down solid. For instance, I was thinking my new goal could be 100 high pulls, 50 per arm, in 5 minutes. And as far as the TGU's go I feel like I could really benefit from having a SFG instructor review my form and give me some pointers. I don't feel like my form is terrible, but it seems like with that movement there is always room for improvement and I think a qualified coach would probably spot plenty of things I could be doing better.

I really like the idea of working out with double kettlebells a lot. When I ordered my 24KG bell it arrived all scratched up & I got a second one for free so I got really lucky there! That's why I happen to have 2 24KGs. The next bell I buy will be a 32KG.

I am committed to at least sticking with S&S until I meet the Simple goals with a 32KG bell. After that I'm not sure if I will try to start focusing more on a double kettlebell program, switch to doing the RoP or just continuing on towards the Sinister goals. I was thinking about trying to go out for my Level 1 certification next year so that will play an important role I think in what path I eventually decide to pursue.

I'm very happy to have discovered kettlebells and so far the Simple and Sinister program is working awesome for me. I'm a single dad and I often have to work 60 hour weeks. Many nights I get 3 hours of sleep between work and getting my beautiful little daughter off to school. So the S&S program has really, really fit in well with my already packed schedule.

Usually I do 5 minutes of OS resets before I do my 3 warmup sets and I have a 1lb set of Indian Clubs that I swing for active recovery between sets and sometimes after my workout.

I originally found out about Pavel about 13 years ago when I was doing the Power To The People program at home with some weights and a bench I had. That was great and I learned so much about building strength from that book. I am so thankful to Pavel for all the knowledge he so generously shares. I might not be fully competent yet of appreciating his contributions as much as they deserve to be appreciated, but I do realize that his teachings are absolutely monumental and for that I am thankful beyond words.

I'm excited to be on this journey and I hope to continue to learn more and more about using kettlebells. I love feeling stronger all the time and still having plenty of gas in the tank for work, playtime with my daughter and all the other things I enjoy.

I just wanted to introduce myself and say thanks to everyone in this community. I have been enjoying reading through the threads and there is a ton of helpful information here because of all of you sharing.

God bless you,
Steve
 
Welcome @azsixshooter
I agree, there is more info here on this forum then anywhere else I visit, and nowhere else has more credible info. S&S is an awesome program that you can fit into any busy schedule. Good luck with your 32 goal. once you reach it, if you are looking to switch it up a bit, ROP is a great program as well. involves a little more time than S&S but very worth it.
keep the updates coming.
Matt
 
Hi Steve,

We share a similar story, as I also started with PTTP in 2002 (actually Pavel's writings in MM mags in the very late 90's), then transitioned to KBs later.

I feel like I am ready to get a 32KG bell and start working that in, but at the same time I am still getting a pretty sweet workout with the 24KG bell. I can probably continue with the 24KG for awhile and focus on owning the movements and getting one hand swings down solid. For instance, I was thinking my new goal could be 100 high pulls, 50 per arm, in 5 minutes. And as far as the TGU's go I feel like I could really benefit from having a SFG instructor review my form and give me some pointers. I don't feel like my form is terrible, but it seems like with that movement there is always room for improvement and I think a qualified coach would probably spot plenty of things I could be doing better.

While you contemplate your 32kg purchase, you could add 3-10 sec pauses at each position in the TGU with the 24kg. This has helped me to dial in form. I'd always recommend a check with an SFG; you can't go wrong getting better. Mastery of the movements is the key to continued development, and there is always room for improvement. I'm constantly surprised by some insight into a given KB movement that allows me to progress.

Jon
 
Jon, I know this thread is old now but I wanted to update here. I did end up buying an hour of instruction from an SFG level 1 instructor. WOW! He was awesome and totally exceeded all of my expectations. I told him I was just wanting to focus on the basics. I thought I was doing okay, but felt like I can always have room to improve. I'm so glad I did that, he helped me immensely and showed me so many cool things. He was a great guy and it was a lot of fun learning from him. After the 1 hr session at a park we met at I sat in my truck and jotted down notes for 30 mins while everything was fresh in my head. He helped me with goblet squats, halos, slingshots, swings and TGUs. He showed me so much stuff and I was getting much better with my technique until I hurt my back doing something non-kb related about a month ago. But I am so glad I bought an hour of time from him. I think that before I buy another kb I will go for another hour of training with that guy. I know it would benefit me a lot.
 
Smart move getting a coach, mastery of technique will help you with bigger kettlebells.

I tell everyone that is interested in starting kettlebells to get a SFG coach, it will shorten the learning curve drastically and save on injuries.
 
Good to hear that the results from meeting with an SFG was very productive. Good luck with moving forward to the Simple goal.
 
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