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Kettlebell Kettlebell STRONG (Neupert)

In my experience, I only really have one valid rep max test in me on a given day. Even with ten minutes or more in between, any others are not going to be a valid result.

I have tested with a bell up from my working bell to see where I stand with it, but not on the same day as rep max tests with other weights.
Me too! That's why I say if you're training with 24s then test the 24s to see your progress or lack of. Great point Steve!
 
In my experience, I only really have one valid rep max test in me on a given day. Even with ten minutes or more in between, any others are not going to be a valid result.

I have tested with a bell up from my working bell to see where I stand with it, but not on the same day as rep max tests with other weights.
Thanks. I had been thinking about a sub-max set with the training weight before the RM test with the next weight, but it's not an idea I was married to. I'll stick with the RM with the training weight. That is, after all, the way the program is designed.
 
Well, give it a shot!

I found that when I tried to "rush" through phase 1, it didn't really help me reduce the rest periods in phase 2 and led me to injury.

But, we are all different and you may make great gains doing it!
Well … Although recovery during the workout between sets is alright, I’ve come to realise that I cannot do this on consecutive days. I wasn’t following Mon, Wed, Fri as suggested (i.e. alternate days). Since I started sets of 3, I‘ve been resting a day in between. Makes me increasingly lean towards the slow path in Phase 2. Any experience of folks running KB Strong Phase 2 the long version? 16 weeks is a long time but I’d rather gradually build up to it safely.
 
Well … Although recovery during the workout between sets is alright, I’ve come to realise that I cannot do this on consecutive days. I wasn’t following Mon, Wed, Fri as suggested (i.e. alternate days). Since I started sets of 3, I‘ve been resting a day in between. Makes me increasingly lean towards the slow path in Phase 2. Any experience of folks running KB Strong Phase 2 the long version? 16 weeks is a long time but I’d rather gradually build up to it safely.
Yes, I’m working the slow and steady of phase 2. This is the middle of week 9.
Thus far I’ve remained injury free and am recovering adequately working 3 times per week.
Ps, these bells don’t feel like toys yet.
 
Yes, I’m working the slow and steady of phase 2. This is the middle of week 9.
Thus far I’ve remained injury free and am recovering adequately working 3 times per week.
Ps, these bells don’t feel like toys yet.
Haha .. I'm sure they will feel like toys soon. I'm running it with double 28s, and when i did 6x3 yesterday, I kept wondering how I would be able to get through 10x6. In my head I couldn't imagine doing 10x6. And thats why I decided I would go for the slow and steady version.
 
Maybe you have already thought about it, but he also suggests that you might consider doing the fast version twice a week if you feel recovery is a problem.
 
Haha .. I'm sure they will feel like toys soon. I'm running it with double 28s, and when i did 6x3 yesterday, I kept wondering how I would be able to get through 10x6. In my head I couldn't imagine doing 10x6. And thats why I decided I would go for the slow and steady version.
LOL! I'm running double 62's (28kg) as well and I, like you, wonder how I'm gonna make it to 10x6. I'm just gonna keep hammering and when I reach a point where I can't, I'll repeat that week as long as necessary until I can go on.

It might be today LOL. 9x5 coming up in a few minutes.
 
Maybe you have already thought about it, but he also suggests that you might consider doing the fast version twice a week if you feel recovery is a problem.
Yes indeed. The trick then is to be sure that I don't do some other intense workouts on other days. But I rather let the growth happen organically.
 
mvikred, 9x5 done. I added 30 seconds to my clock today. I had been doing sets on a 3 minute clock. The previous session my rep speed slowed slightly in one of the latter sets. I don't know if it was fatigue or if my mind wasn't focused on the set. Either way, I did todays sets on a 3:30 clock.

Although early in phase 1 I added a few things here and there but by the time I got to sets of three I haven't wanted or needed to add anything to STRONG.
 
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mvikred, 9x5 done. I added 30 seconds to my clock today. I had been doing sets on a 3 minute clock. The previous session my rep speed slowed slightly in one of the latter sets. I don't know if it was fatigue or if my mind wasn't focused on the set. Either way, I did todays sets on a 3:30 clock.

Although early in phase 1 I added a few things here and there but by the time I got to sets of three I haven't wanted or needed to add anything to STRONG.
Wow. Now it make sense when I read Geoff writing to work on conditioning and reduce rest time, starting at 120 sec :eek:
 
I found a post about clean and press breathing pattern in the Giant 1.0 thread: Kettlebell - "Giant 1.0", and I wanted to try it out.

Until now, I've
  • inhaled before the first clean
  • held my breath while starting the press
  • exhaled through the sticking point
  • inhaled during the lockout
  • exhaled during the negative
  • inhaled during the clean
  • and repeated
Generally, though, I liked the new breathing pattern.

I liked the breath in while in the rack and before the clean. It made the clean feel stronger and safer than breathing in during the clean.

I wasn't as sure about the breath between the clean and the press. I tried with and without that breath. I know that holding the breath from before the clean helps to keep tension from the snap of the clean. On the other hand, taking the breath between the clean and the press felt different, but I'm not sure if it helped me. I'm not sure which I like better.

What are your thoughts?
 
I found a post about clean and press breathing pattern in the Giant 1.0 thread: Kettlebell - "Giant 1.0", and I wanted to try it out.

Until now, I've
  • inhaled before the first clean
  • held my breath while starting the press
  • exhaled through the sticking point
  • inhaled during the lockout
  • exhaled during the negative
  • inhaled during the clean
  • and repeated
Generally, though, I liked the new breathing pattern.

I liked the breath in while in the rack and before the clean. It made the clean feel stronger and safer than breathing in during the clean.

I wasn't as sure about the breath between the clean and the press. I tried with and without that breath. I know that holding the breath from before the clean helps to keep tension from the snap of the clean. On the other hand, taking the breath between the clean and the press felt different, but I'm not sure if it helped me. I'm not sure which I like better.

What are your thoughts?
From my experience - when taking the breath between the clean and the press I feel slightly weaker in a pressing phase, however I recover much faster between sets of 4... Sets of 3 made no difference in recovery and breath hold allowed me to keep constant tension, but increase in reps forced me to change my breathing pattern.

It's also mentally refresing - there is much clearer distinction for my CNS between the Clean and the Press portion od the lift.
 
Haha .. I'm sure they will feel like toys soon. I'm running it with double 28s, and when i did 6x3 yesterday, I kept wondering how I would be able to get through 10x6. In my head I couldn't imagine doing 10x6. And thats why I decided I would go for the slow and steady version.

It was phase 3... 10x6 with 1 min rest that was really challenging. Finished phase 3 yesterday and cutting down the rest to 1 min was really killer. Was totally wiped after.
 
I posted this on another thread, but thought it would be good to post here as well. Any feedback would be much appreciated.

This is me doing 4th set out of 8x3 with double 28kg KBs.

 
I posted this on another thread, but thought it would be good to post here as well. Any feedback would be much appreciated.

This is me doing 4th set out of 8x3 with double 28kg KBs.

The biggest thing I notice is that you're not fixating the bells overhead.

Pause and fixate the bell in the lockout position. Show off those bells overhead. As much as possible, you want to be able to support the bells in the lockout with your structure and alignment, without having to use a lot of muscle power to fight to keep them locked out. Treat the lockout as a brief "rest" within each rep.

You don't have to stand there all day with the bells overhead, but there should be a clear pause and fixation. Part of the benefit of the exercise is holding that zipped up overhead position, just like part of the benefit is in all the double cleans and holding the bells zipped up in the rack.
 
The biggest thing I notice is that you're not fixating the bells overhead.

Pause and fixate the bell in the lockout position. Show off those bells overhead. As much as possible, you want to be able to support the bells in the lockout with your structure and alignment, without having to use a lot of muscle power to fight to keep them locked out. Treat the lockout as a brief "rest" within each rep.

You don't have to stand there all day with the bells overhead, but there should be a clear pause and fixation. Part of the benefit of the exercise is holding that zipped up overhead position, just like part of the benefit is in all the double cleans and holding the bells zipped up in the rack.
Didn’t notice that until your reply but you are right. Let me try to work on that next training session. I typically bring them down as soon as I feel the lockout, mostly as a way to conserve the energy but I can maybe spend a second at the top to ‘show off’ as you rightly said it :) Thanks !!!!
 
Didn’t notice that until your reply but you are right. Let me try to work on that next training session. I typically bring them down as soon as I feel the lockout, mostly as a way to conserve the energy but I can maybe spend a second at the top to ‘show off’ as you rightly said it :) Thanks !!!!
A pause in the lockout always feels longer when you're under the bells than it actually is ;-)

I try to consciously exaggerate the pause on at least the first and last reps of a set. The first to set the tempo, and the last to celebrate completing the set. If it feels exaggerated while I'm doing it, it's probably still relatively brief in reality.
 
To lock out properly, your biceps should be near your ear, which creates a feeling of the bells behind behind your head. They won't be all the way behind your head, but they should not be in front of you when they are all the way overhead.
 
I will have to take a bit of a break because I'm unwell and will take a few days before I get back to any kind of normalcy. So my question is .. do I go back a few days and start over? or resume the program? I am currently done with Day 19, so should I resume with Day 20 or should I go to Day 18 and then progress?
 
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