Old Forum Rite Of Passage

[StrengthIsLife1989]

I'm sure this has been beaten to death. I have been training with kettle bells for a couple of years now and have put off the rite of passage program in favor of fancier programs (I know terrible) I am going to start ROP this coming Monday. One simple question. Do I use a different bell for the different days in terms of clean and press. I can clean and press the 32kg bell for 8 reps. Should I use a heavier bell for the program or should I use a 24kg bell on light day a 28kg bell on medium and the 32kg bell for heavy days? Or use the 32kg bell for the whole program? I do apologize if this has been asked before but I am new to the forum. Thanks everyone!

 

[Pistol Pete]

Hello Jeff.  You use the same weight until you are able to complete 5 ladders of 5 reps with that weight.  Then you move up to a heavier bell.  The light, medium, and heavy days do not relate to the weight, but the number of reps  you do for each day.  I do not have the book in front of me, but I believe on medium days you complete 1 less rep per ladder.  On easy days you complete 2 less reps per ladder.

 

[Steve Freides]

Jeff, if you don't have the book, get the book - this and many other of your questions are answered there.

-S-

 

[StrengthIsLife1989]

Hmm I have the book and perused it before posting the question lol

 

[Mike Lindner]

Jeff - In ETK check out page 134.

Hope it helps and stick with it! That program never stops delivering a hefty dose of STRONG

 

[guacadoggie]

Use the kb that you can consecutively press 5-8 times for all of your practices. Being that you can already do 8, you'll probably advance to the 40 sooner than if you could only do 5. Only on your variety days should you practice loaded cleans with a heavier bell. Good luck.

 

[Steve Freides]

IMHO, doing the ROP with a 5RM weight is asking for problems completing the program.  It all depends, of course, on how quickly your strength improves while in the midst of the program, but I prefer 8-10 RM as guidance for the Rite of Passage.

JMO, YMMV.

-S-

 

[ali]

On the subject of RoP - can I chime in with a question please? I did the program a couple of years ago with a 16kb as a total newbie (probably with poor form too!) and would like to repeat with a 24 but only after I get to the simple standard. I did it originally with a pull up in the ladder progression with c&p. I did get to 5 sets of 5 over a 12 week timeframe but no way could I do 5x5 pull ups. I worked to 3 sets with as I remember a lot of rest between sets and could probably discount a lot of the latter pull ups anyway as they were pretty poor. The 5 sets of ladders took me a fair amount of time too with those rest periods. Although a long way off for me now I'm thinking there is no way I'd manage 5 by 5 ladders with a pull and a 24kg - is it necessary to do pull ups on the programme? I subbed in one arm rows when my pulling failed because that is a LOT of pull ups. cheers again

 

[Steve Freides]

Alistair, the pullups are optional - that means you don't have to do them.  They do increase the amount of work you're doing, and if it's too much for you, do fewer or don't do them at all.

Mix them in however you please, e.g., you could do 1 press each side, 1 pullup, 2 presses each side, 2 pullups, and then finish with presses and no more pullups until the next ladder.

If you intended to revisit the ROP with a heavier weight, you may wish to do a "preparatory cycle" with your old weight first, e.g., go through the program with 16 kg but compress it to take 4-6 weeks instead of 12.  Rest a week, then do the full program with the heavier weight.

-S-

 

[ali]

Thanks Steve, a long way off  still but that seems a good plan after the simple goal. Thank you.