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Kettlebell Kettlebell Burn Extreme Review

Conor

Conor

Level 6 Valued Member
Certified Instructor
Hi all,

I just wrapped up a month with @Geoff Neupert ’s KB Burn Extreme program and thought I’d share my experience and results for anyone else considering doing it. As with everything, YMMV.

Why should you care: Let's start with the top-line results
Weight loss: 17.5 pounds (199.5 -> 182)
Measurement highlights:
2.75” off my waist (39 -> 36.25)
2” off my thighs (24.5 -> 22.5)
2” off my chest (44.5 -> 42.5)
.75” off my neck

Why I did it: I went into the program based on the appeal of what seems to be a “program maximum” design over a short period. It draws on some aspects of Tim Ferris’ Slow Carb Diet and other 4-Hour Body learnings which I have used before and enjoyed. But the minimum effective dose idea there has diminishing returns when you’ve been swinging KB for years now. And it was definitely that.

Overall Thoughts: This program sucks in all the right ways. It’s very intense, both the diet and the programming, but you definitely get out of it what you put in. The hardest part for me was definitely the last couple of weeks, I completely agree with Geoff when he says you can’t do this for more than 4 weeks. The increasing intensity of the workouts combined with reduced calories just takes it out of you by the end.

Incorporating everything: I was all in on the program. That included the diet, the workouts, and the active recovery; including the cold showers and baths. I firmly believe in the power of cold water, but the ice baths were a new endeavor for me. Something which I look forward to keeping in the rotation as much as possible.

Finding your weaknesses: This program will find them, whatever they are. My weak link for a few years has been my lower back, and while I rarely have issues these days, the accumulated volume by the end definitely caught up with me. It’s both a lot of swings and cleans combined with some heavy weight overhead. That all combined to make me need to take a little focus on good warmups, good form, and now to switch to something else for a bit to give it a break.

Summary: It sucks, and it takes a lot out of you. But the results stand for themselves. It has had the desired results and then some. We’ll see how I feel after a week of deloading, recovery, and rest, but I don’t feel like I lost any strength over the program. I'm looking forward to retesting my 1RM MP with the 40kg. Because now that’s a 50% body weight bell :) I’m going to be careful to keep things in check and not undo the weight loss, and I’m planning to probably run it (or the BB/BW/KB Hybrid extreme version) in the fall before I start my SFG I prep.

Power to you, and thanks again for the great program, Geoff.
 
The cool thing about Burn Extreme is that it can be used to bulk and build strength as well if you eat around the idea of getting your calories and macros in.

I will probably run it again next spring, but Hybrid format with the barbell and body weight format. I really liked the results last time.
 
Throwing an update on this thread. After reading it I decided to finally bite the bullet and just do the program since it’s been on my list. I did not get as great of results as @Conor, but I also didn’t go as extreme.

I didn’t miss any practices and pushed myself, but I didn’t stick well to the diet. I DID abstain from alcohol and I only ate two meals a day with no snacks other than protein shakes around my practice times, but I only reduced my carb intake and didn’t cycle it as in the plan.

My starting weight (average of first 3 days) was 185.2 and ending weight is 175.7 (average of last 3 days). I lost over an inch off my waist, and feel my upper body is much more defined.

Unlike Conor’s experience, I feel like I could totally continue with this schedule and continue to reap the benefits. My strength at least maintained while I lost the weight, but I feel like it improved (I never did a final test). Double 24’s we’re about a 5 rm for presses at the start but I was banging out sets if 4 at the end and I think I could have hit 7-8 reps for an increase in max strength.

Definitely a good program and I’m glad I did it. I have never done double kettlebells or snatches for more than learning before so it had a small learning curve but overall it was a great program even for someone not versed in these things.
 
Geoffs stuff is all gold. I was about to run “kettlebell muscle” again but I’ve bought “MKM” and it’s got to be the shoulder smoker for starting today.
 
@BJJ Shawn thanks for sharing your experience too. I definitely wondered about the balance between caloric restriction and strength building. I’d imagine that if I had been less aggressive on the caloric restriction that may have felt up for continuing it afterwards. That sound pretty similar to how @Andi-in-BKK describes running it too.

It’s definitely on my list for another run in the fall, though I’m leaning towards the Hybrid version with barbell and body weight
 
@Conor or anyone else that has completed this. I am not trying to compete on reps, I understand it’s individual, but I’m just trying to gauge if the work I’m doing is in the realm of where I should be or if I’m under-working and should push a little more. Seeing people talk about doing over 100 reps in the same timeframe (yes, I know they aren’t also doing the squats, but still) makes me think maybe I’m not pushing hard enough. I’m used to programs with exact sets and reps laid out, not auto regulation for time.

My first heavy day I did 12 sets of 3 for 36 reps, and by week 3 I finished the heavy day with 16 sets of 3 in the 25 minutes. Snatches started with 200 reps and ended around 250 per session, and swings started around 250 and ended around 350 by the end. Are these numbers similar to what you were doing or was I taking too much rest?
 
BJJ Shawn said:
@Conor or anyone else that has completed this. I am not trying to compete on reps, I understand it’s individual, but I’m just trying to gauge if the work I’m doing is in the realm of where I should be or if I’m under-working and should push a little more. Seeing people talk about doing over 100 reps in the same timeframe (yes, I know they aren’t also doing the squats, but still) makes me think maybe I’m not pushing hard enough. I’m used to programs with exact sets and reps laid out, not auto regulation for time.

My first heavy day I did 12 sets of 3 for 36 reps, and by week 3 I finished the heavy day with 16 sets of 3 in the 25 minutes. Snatches started with 200 reps and ended around 250 per session, and swings started around 250 and ended around 350 by the end. Are these numbers similar to what you were doing or was I taking too much rest?
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@BJJ Shawn Honestly I think that’s more reps than I did for much of the program. I did the press and squat days with 2X28kg bells and I think I went from 7 sets to 9 sets from week 1 to week 3. They were heavy enough for me that doing more wasn’t going to be a good idea.

The auto regulation was tricky for me too, I am also much more used to proscribed reps and sets with a variable time component, rather than fixed time and variable sets. Especially from a pacing perspective as I would often start a little too aggressive and have to slow down for the second half of the practice. What I did towards the end that helped was to assign myself target rest periods so I was doing reps against the clock. That kept me more consistent and made for better overall practices.
 
I don’t do snatches, push press or jerks does that limit me on benefiting running burn extreme?

Thanks,
 
Day 4 of Burn Extreme here.

To sum up my experience so far: oof.

Sticking 100% to the plan - exercising daily is a grind for this 50yo (as in, recovery), but had my first cold bath yesterday, and bought a bag of ice for todays effort!
 
Well I've nearly completed the entire program, just two sessions left. I hit every session, stuck to the diet 95%, and the recovery measures including cold showers. With the diet I probably went a little lower carb and a bit higher fat, 16/8 hr intermittent fasts, and 24 hr rather than 36 hr fasts on rest days. I didn't really go too crazy on cheat days, mainly just one meal and dessert. I also added a fair bit of low intensity cycling as well, maybe 6-8 hr's weekly. Weight selection was dbl 24k's which was probably a bit too heavy for the grinds, but I wasn't going to buy 22k's. My main goal at the start was to go from 202 lbs at 6'3" to around 190 lbs at the finish which seemed reasonable given the programs merits.
What happened: Week one I went from 202 lbs to 197 lbs, I said wow this is kinda crazy.
Week two 197 lbs
Week three 197 lbs
Week four, you guessed it, 197 lbs
Sets and reps increased consistently throughout the program, with the greatest improvement in my front squat. At the start I felt like I was going to explode coming up. But now my reps are smooth and strong till the end of the practice. I guess the main thing is that although I didn't lose as much weight as I hoped, I did lean out considerably. My love handles are nearly gone, my stomach is pretty flat, and my pants fit a little bit loose, whereas they were getting pretty darn snug when I started. No six pack abs, but I feel that takes next level dietary dedication. I guess it turned out to be more recomposition, swapping muscle for fat. Lesson learned- weight loss isn't always the best metric.
Going forward I'll keep with most of the dietary measures following a primal style of eating as it's worked well in the past for me, and I really do feel much better. Dbl front squats are my new love to hate 'em, definitely keeping those in regular practice. And surprisingly the cold showers. They kinda suck when you're in it, but I found myself looking forward to them mid practice, and WOW you certainly feel great after. For a good portion of the day too! I'd definitely run the program again but probably in the dead of winter when there's not much else to do, as it does take quite a bit out of you, and doesn't leave much (any) room for other athletic pursuits. All said 4 outta five stars, would definitely recommend. Thanks @Geoff Neupert for a great program, and some valuable lessons.
Cheers
Scot
 
@One T,

Thanks for reporting back in. Great work.

It would be interesting to see how you'd do:
  • Without 6-8 hours a week of cycling, which is quite a lot, actually, and taps into your recovery ability
  • Without the extra fat, and the allotted carbs
  • With that 36-hour fast
Those may appear to be "little" things, but like that saying goes, "It's the little foxes that spoil the vine."

If you run again in the winter, follow it to the letter. That may be the difference between 4 and 5 stars. ;-)
 
One T said:
Well I've nearly completed the entire program, just two sessions left. I hit every session, stuck to the diet 95%, and the recovery measures including cold showers. With the diet I probably went a little lower carb and a bit higher fat, 16/8 hr intermittent fasts, and 24 hr rather than 36 hr fasts on rest days. I didn't really go too crazy on cheat days, mainly just one meal and dessert. I also added a fair bit of low intensity cycling as well, maybe 6-8 hr's weekly. Weight selection was dbl 24k's which was probably a bit too heavy for the grinds, but I wasn't going to buy 22k's. My main goal at the start was to go from 202 lbs at 6'3" to around 190 lbs at the finish which seemed reasonable given the programs merits.
What happened: Week one I went from 202 lbs to 197 lbs, I said wow this is kinda crazy.
Week two 197 lbs
Week three 197 lbs
Week four, you guessed it, 197 lbs
Sets and reps increased consistently throughout the program, with the greatest improvement in my front squat. At the start I felt like I was going to explode coming up. But now my reps are smooth and strong till the end of the practice. I guess the main thing is that although I didn't lose as much weight as I hoped, I did lean out considerably. My love handles are nearly gone, my stomach is pretty flat, and my pants fit a little bit loose, whereas they were getting pretty darn snug when I started. No six pack abs, but I feel that takes next level dietary dedication. I guess it turned out to be more recomposition, swapping muscle for fat. Lesson learned- weight loss isn't always the best metric.
Going forward I'll keep with most of the dietary measures following a primal style of eating as it's worked well in the past for me, and I really do feel much better. Dbl front squats are my new love to hate 'em, definitely keeping those in regular practice. And surprisingly the cold showers. They kinda suck when you're in it, but I found myself looking forward to them mid practice, and WOW you certainly feel great after. For a good portion of the day too! I'd definitely run the program again but probably in the dead of winter when there's not much else to do, as it does take quite a bit out of you, and doesn't leave much (any) room for other athletic pursuits. All said 4 outta five stars, would definitely recommend. Thanks @Geoff Neupert for a great program, and some valuable lessons.
Cheers
Scot
Click to expand...
Sounds like it worked very well!
 
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