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Kettlebell My experience with "Victorious"

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Adachi

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I've been pressing for more than a month almost daily. I've been waving the load and I have worked my way up to a peak day; I guess.

I was Previously able to press the 32kg bell for reps (old max ~12 strict reps at 32KG) but I've taken the last several weeks to concentrate on increasing my pressing strength.
My new PR is 40 kg. Next, The Beast.
One day I pressed the 40 kg for five singles on each arm. And after that, I've been backing off.

This was shortly before the victorious kettlebell press course was released.

I will say (almost regrettably) that I may have done better if I had the benefit of the Victorious Kettlebell Pressing Course about 6 weeks ago.

Drills:
I took a few moments to touch on all the drills and cues that are offered in the course. A few details in my practice stand out. One, my body stiffness from heel to head has a lot of room for improvement. Especially my legs. The instruction in the course didn't immediately solve all my problems for me, but there are a few things I'll be looking for running more often. Especially the G-L-A-G sequence. the tension i got after using the G.L.A.G. was a huge upgrade. The drills in seated and kneeling positions were enlightening but, they pale in comparison to the raised amount of total body tension i was getting. I think of it more like my Halo's now. I try to plank through the press as much as I can.

Execution:
As far as cues in the press, I actually have a lot of exploration to do in 1 respect. Ulnar deviation and the bottoms-up press. I thought I found the best path. And, then I felt unsure again. Then I thought I found it, then I found a better one. As far as the bottoms-up press is concerned it showed that my groove and my crush grip are in for some improvement. The hip shift and pressing away till the sticking point are interesting portions of the movement that I didn't have the vocabulary to describe. I look forward to being able to more purposefully employ total body tension as I press the heavy bell away and through the sticking point; rather than desperately leaning back to try to get the bell in the air.

Programming:
The included programs are elucidating to me. I've been pressing almost daily; about 5x per week. For the intensity and volume, I've been taking on it has yielded results; but it wasn't without cost.

My left shoulder is now nagging at me during a strict press. In light of reading through the programs that are provided, I'll be taking a deload in weight and frequency from here on out. I'll be moving from pressing 5x per week to 3x per week. I already ran the pedal to the metal cycle and went from ~12 32kg press max to be able to strict press 5 grinding singles with the 40kg instead of push presses.

I'm thinking of moving to push press and jerks in my regular practice in order to move weight overhead at a lower intensity with the lower weights of 24kg and 32kg for a while to give my shoulder a break. I have a suspicion that moving through that range at a lower intensity will help with recovery since it's dull pain. But, part of me says I should take it all the way down to overhead work 2x per week. or lay off it entirely for a week. and now that I'm thinking about it - floor press is just as available to me for the purpose of giving my deadlift practice a counterpoint throughout the week. More to come on that.

Overall:
I've read PttP S&S and Q&D, but I'm still a neophyte in weightlifting. One could fill a library or two with all the stuff I don't know about technique and execution. The course provided me with approximately 100% new and useful information. I'll definitely be going back to these drills periodically as I take another run at improving my overhead press.

P.s.

I want to comment here that the sheer density of the program as packaged and presented caused me to buy into the Bodyweight + Barbell + Kettlebell Fundamentals pack. I wanted more of that quality information for future endeavors. The drills and cues are clearly and succinctly presented and demonstrated. And, they yielded improvement immediately; even with my sore left shoulder.

Kudos to Fabio. The script was well condensed, the presentation was sharp, and the demonstrations were clear, and immediately followed in my garage.
Thanks to StrongFirst for supplying me with yet another set of tools that I'll be able to employ to continue seeking healthy progress into perpetuity.
 
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Thank you for this incredible write up. I love how humble you are. Pressing 32x12 and 40x1 is incredibly impressive. That would be a lifetime goal of mine.

You've convinced me to buy the program too!
Let us know what you think :)
 
My favorite supplement drill from the program so far has been the iso holds in rack. I did it with a pair of 28s instead of singles, but just 30sec at the end of my normal pressing/squatting program was enough to absolutely smoke my core, butt, and shoulders, the amount of tension required is intense.

That and pinch pressing two kettlebells in one hand. I tried that with a 14 and an 18 and it went up, but 6 and 28 stalled out at the sticking point.
 
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