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Old Forum Ladies and gentlemen who have read S&S, please post a review

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That was my starting weight but now back up to 24kg.  Not trying for 32 just yet but optimistic.

Gary
 
I have found this publication to be one of the best treatments of strength development I have read.  The book never deviates from its intent and the writing and pictures are characteristically engaging, witty and inspiring.

I found this especially useful for the "high milage frame"  (lot of years wrestling and mma).  The book delivers what it promises.  I have never manifested strength to this degree this quickly as is evidenced by my sparring/takedowns and even x-rays of my spine and its improved alignment.  My hips have finally "opened" and my lower back health feels great for the first time in a long time.

 

For selfish and aesthetic gains, my frame has added a lot of quality muscle as well, going from 200 up to 210 with no change in body fat.  This was a pleasing "side effect"

The goals, while seemingly far out at first, become very obtainable if the user remains honest to the program.  I have emphatically recommended this book to my friends and training partners and they also are reaping its benefits.

 

thank you

 

kevin
 
Excellent, Kevin!

Please do me a favor and repost your review on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Kettlebell-Simple-Sinister-Pavel-Tsatsouline-ebook/product-reviews/B00GF2HP9G/ref=cm_cr_dp_see_all_btm?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending
 
Pavel, sir,

Review is posted to Amazon and pending.

Again, thank you and the rest of Strongfirst for a product that truly changed my whole "game"

 

Kevin
 
Just finished it, posted my review. I am ditching my previous routine and going with the one in S&S. My review was from a slightly different viewpoint; as a librarian, I frequently get asked for book recommendations, on all sorts of subjects. I have now read two of Pavel's books and found both to be exceptionally clear and well written. Too many books in this area are not.

And if I, as a noobie can easily follow it, it's a winner. This one goes to the top of my recommendation list.
 
My Review posted a few minutes ago:

S&S is extremely inspiring and it does what it says on the tin, Simple for anyone to follow and see results. from the die hard kettlebell enthusiasts to the novice, as long as you play the game by Pavel's rules it will always challenge you and improve your technical competency. Just like enter the kettlebell no bookshelf should be without this little number.
If this is the first of Pavel's books you have read hopefully it will inspire you to buy his others and combine all of "his" and "others" knowledge into your program as I have and achieve the results you want.

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I just want to add on here to that S&S is a great addition to my bookshelf and my KB program it ties in beautifully with "the right of passage" from enter the kettlebell.
As a Royal Marine Commando I love my phy's and I have never found anything more satisfying than a kettlebell session and I am definitely seeing results in other aspects of my fitness, It is good to have all of this knowledge on hand, its easy to read digest and understand.
All of you at strongfirst your ethos is fantastic and I look forward to attending an SFG lv1 once I have fully recovered from ACL reconstruction.

Thanks guys :)
 
Pavel, I posted this review yesterday:
Even very experienced coaches and athletes will learn from this book,February 15, 2014





Pavel's latest Kettlebell book is extraordinary. Reading it and then starting the program felt like I'd been shown a door into the very core of strength training. This is where a lifetime's worth of dedication to the 'bell is pared down to the essentials and shared with the rest of us.

Buy the book and a couple of Kettlebells. That's less than the cost of 1 month at a gym for a lot of people. Then do the work. And in short time, you'll be the one here posting a glowing review.
I also want to thank you here for this book.  I read about it on the SF page a few weeks ago and started the 100 swings (10R, 10L, altermating) and 10 TGU's the next day.  Not knowing where my thresholds were, I started with the 12Kg bell (took about 3 minutes for each exercise), the next day the 16 (about 3:20 each), then the 20 (although those were also under 4 minutes, I stayed on it for a week to make sure I had the movements right).   I also ordered the book.

The book arrived a few days ago and I went to my 24Kg bell.  For the first time, I needed a break in the swings (after 70) so I took about 30 seconds off.  Didn't time anything.   Yesterday I timed both - got swings in 3:49 and getups in 6:14.  I came back in from the garage and ordered a 32Kg bell.

I started contact sports and working out (mostly pushups and sprinting at age 8 - my dad was a football & track coach).  I went to the Jr Olympics in 8th grade as both a thrower & a hurdler.  I played football and lacrosse through college, and still play lacrosse against men half my age.  I've practiced years of T'ai Chi Ch'uan.  I started CF in 2008, and since then I've been a CF coach, got a CF Football Cert, and have coached S&C along with lacrosse for 8 or 9 years.   I've lived through the injuries that a 44 y.o. 6'2", 230 lb CF'er will suffer and am definitely "over" that affliction.  I thought I was familiar with Kettlebells, but never gave them much time besides "mixing them in".

So I guess I just wanted you to know that when I say that experienced coaches and athletes will benefit from S&S, I really meant it.   I love the simplicity; I love the absolutely essential emphasis that "A workout should give you more than it takes out of you"; and I love that I live in a world where true experts share their knowledge.  Thank you.

Ben
 
Not posted for a while, I just do the work. Every set with 24kg now, I feel I could do far more but have decided that at 58 I need no more health scares so I'm erring on the side of caution.

So I was totally unprepared for what happened today. Got the bike out, oiled the chain and pumped up the tyres, then spanked my oldest son in fine style. We rode briskly on the flats then attacked the hills. I felt strong.

So (once again) I'll bang the drum for just doing the work and leaving every session feeling you could've done more. It works. You're building up steadily - like a savings account - instead of constantly 'going overdrawn'.

Life is good.

Gary
 
Gary, great to hear!  I chose not to go into details in S&S, but when I was researching the reasons for effectiveness of SF empirical conditioning protocols like S&S, I came across very interesting Russian research that was successfully implemented with their national bicycle racing team (for road races with hills).  Brief alactacid efforts followed by aerobic recovery, as opposed to glycolytic smoking.

Please post a review on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Kettlebell-Simple-Sinister-Pavel-Tsatsouline-ebook/product-reviews/B00GF2HP9G/ref=cm_cr_dp_see_all_btm?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending
 
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent program, January 29, 2014


By
GC "Author of The Way of Knockdown" (UK) - See all my reviews













This review is from: Kettlebell - Simple & Sinister (Kindle Edition)
I've loved kettlebells for a few years so a serious health problem last year was a double blow. Near death and goodbye to kettlebell training.

Or so I thought ...

After being given permission by the consultant overseeing my care, I put away the 32's and started S & S with a 7.5kg. I took a large slice of humble pie and followed the program as outlined, not really expecting much but glad to be alive and (at last) able to do something.

The results have been surprising. As I've increased the weight my muscle tone has returned, and as my strength has increased my confidence has grown alongside it. I have never felt tired - as I did when training previously - so five stars from me. S & S does exactly as promised.

Life is good.

Gary Chamberlain
 
Pavel - thanks a bunch for your recent exchanges on this forum. Been a great help. Apologies, I thought I posted a review a while back and didn't but have done so now. As below:

If you new to the kettlebell, an experienced user or somewhere in between, this is the book you need to read. And then do what it says.
It is simply brilliant, genius even. We live in a complex world why make exercise anymore complex than it needs to be.  Can it be possible that just 2 exercises can give you greater strength and mobility gains than you ever thought possible? Yes, is the simple answer.
Simple & Sinister is a stripped down version of one of his earlier books Enter the Kettlebell (ETK). Another highly praised programme, if somewhat difficult to understand for the inexperienced, and similar in tone and humour, Pavel will detail 2 moves that feature in that book. You will only do these 2 moves - the kettlebell swing and the unusually titled The Turkish Get-Up, or as he likes to refer to it more simply, the Get-Up. He then tells you how best to implement them. You will then end up strong and if already strong, you will be stronger. It isn't just a stripped down version of ETK. It's refined, tweaked and carefully sculpted into a masterpiece.

I like to mix and match my activities and sports - I want to be fit to do stuff I enjoy doing but sometimes life can get in the way and something unexpected happens or the pressure of daily living takes its toll in the many ways that it can so often. Exercising then becomes another stressor, something else to think about - do I go for a run, workout, go surfing, play football - and if I don't I'll get out of shape and be back at square one. A dilemma common to anyone who embarks on a fitness pursuit. Like a dieter forever worried about putting the weight back once party time is upon them - when compromised, what gives? Simple & Sinister steps in and takes the pressure off. Even if used as a kind of maintainence programme - to stop the rot - you will realise it is more than that. A lot more.

I'm a reasonably fit 50 year old. No sod that, for a 50 year old guy I'm in pretty good shape thank you very much. I've been relatively fit for most of my life and have a wide knowledge of fitness related stuff to appease my inner geek. I stopped  bodyweight training, at least trimmed it back and stopped running for a while. I'm not new to kettlebells and already knew the swing and get-up but I stopped using kettlebells too recently. A lot has been going on in my life so I scaled it all back and somehow, can't remember how, I coincidently came across Simple & Sinister. It seemed to fit the bill.  It fits the bill alright as I've gained a lot more strength in these 4 weeks since buying the book than I bargained for. Mobility? Massive improvement too. Be warned though of hidden costs - you will need to buy a bigger kettlebell sooner than you think!
The programme works by steadily decreasing the time it takes to complete 100 kettlebell swings and 10 get-ups with a chosen weight on a daily basis or when your life allows. It can be factored in to other strength training days or fitness pursuits. It works. It just does.
I've read it now a few times and I dip into it a lot. It is a simple idea for a strength programme but there are so many gems of information on every page to keep the inquiring mind happy. There is one simple goal and once ticked you will have as much strength as you will need to achieve a solid foundation of strength that will have no limits.  Go further? Then soldier on to reach the sinister goal.
To maintain a good level of strength when time pressured, this is the way to do it. To be as strong as you will ever need to be, this is the way to it too. Something for everyone then? Definately. A must read, must do. A work of brilliance.
 
Finally, Amazon UK have published my review...

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R2R8R5H44CKNWW/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00GF2HP9G
 
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