all posts post new thread

Kettlebell ROP For The "Mature" Athlete

Status
Closed Thread. (Continue Discussion of This Topic by Starting a New Thread.)
SpiderLegs

SpiderLegs

Level 5 Valued Member
I started the ROP about three weeks ago. Spent time over the summer doing S & S, then in September did Pat Flynn's 300 swings a day challenge with a few TGU's thrown in. Not really having a hard time progressing through the ladders at all, using the AOS workbook and finding it a great companion to the ETK book. What I am finding is that I have a hard time recovering from doing the ROP three times a week. I'm almost 49 years old and when I was working out in the gym found my best gains came from doing two workouts a week. I would workout on Mondays and Thursdays. My diet is pretty decent and most nights I get at least 7-8 hours of sleep.

Any thoughts on doing the ROP as a two day a week program instead of a three day a week program?
 
I will let those who have checked that box to comment specifically.

That said, does your schedule/gym access offer the flexibility to work 1:2 continuously to split the difference? As in, M/TH, S/W, S/T, etc.

Just a thought.
 
With kettlebells I have access at home to all the iron I need. When I was doing barbell work in the gym I got strongest with minimal tweaks to my joints from doing a M/TH split. Lifting is not my main focus, but a supplement to long distance hiking up in the mountains on the weekends.
 
SpiderLegs said:
I started the ROP about three weeks ago. Spent time over the summer doing S & S, then in September did Pat Flynn's 300 swings a day challenge with a few TGU's thrown in. Not really having a hard time progressing through the ladders at all, using the AOS workbook and finding it a great companion to the ETK book. What I am finding is that I have a hard time recovering from doing the ROP three times a week. I'm almost 49 years old and when I was working out in the gym found my best gains came from doing two workouts a week. I would workout on Mondays and Thursdays. My diet is pretty decent and most nights I get at least 7-8 hours of sleep.

Any thoughts on doing the ROP as a two day a week program instead of a three day a week program?
Click to expand...

To me the bold statements are contradictory. I can infer that you mean you are able to get the reps, but that you don't feel recovered. However, recovery should be considered part of how you progress. Don't add rungs and ladders on a schedule or because you can get the reps. Add rungs and ladders when you own the level you are on and can recover from it (set a higher bar for recovery if you prioritize another activity, like hiking). Don't be afraid to back cycle or even start over at the beginning of the ROP progression, if you feel burned out.

You can also split your swings and press ladders to different days, especially on heavy day, and especially as the heavy day press volume builds. If you do your swings more in the style of S&S, it will also make recovery easier. I think S&S style swings are a great complement to ROP press ladders.

Hope this helps.
 
@SpiderLegs, I'd do it as designed, maybe with a lighter weight to get used to the volume and the schedule. If I had to spread it out, I'd wait until the end of the program, e.g., once you are on ladders to 5 on heavy day. If you can't recover from your light and medium days when your heavy days only have ladders to 3 or 4, then I'd say the weight's just too heavy for the kind of volume you're doing.

Do you have a recent max test, and which weight were you using?

I also feel, depending on your goals, it can be good to cut down on the swing volume. The ROP is a complete program - you can pass a double-length SFG-I snatch test when you're done. But the press portion, without any swings, is still a great press program IMHO.

And FWIW, I have done the ROP in my late 50's with a 24 kg @ 150 lbs bodyweight and pressed a 32 kg for a single a few days after the last heavy day.

-S-
 
@SpiderLegs Some great advice above. I'm a relative noob, but I've completed the RoP with the 20 kg and I found that I needed to take my time with the ladders. If I pushed to fast as is my tendency, the volume really caught up with me. I needed to wear a HR monitor every once and a while to calibrate. Also, make sure your diet and sleep are locked down. Good Luck!
 
Well I'm using a 45 lb KB for my C & P's and a 24 kg KB for my swings. Again, my diet and sleep are pretty dialed in, but some outside stress due to a long spell of unemployment right now. Doing the ROP to help blow off steam while I'm job hunting. I was trying to keep the rest periods between ladders short (about a minute or so), will see if going to a two minute rest between ladders helps at all.
 
SpiderLegs said:
Well I'm using a 45 lb KB for my C & P's and a 24 kg KB for my swings. Again, my diet and sleep are pretty dialed in, but some outside stress due to a long spell of unemployment right now. Doing the ROP to help blow off steam while I'm job hunting. I was trying to keep the rest periods between ladders short (about a minute or so), will see if going to a two minute rest between ladders helps at all.
Click to expand...

By "rest periods between ladders," do you mean that you are not resting between rungs and only between ladders?

Although I've never strictly timed my rest periods for ROP, I would typically rest approximately a minute for every rep in a rung: 1R/1L, rest 1 min, 2L/2R, rest 2 min, etc. If doing pullups in between press sets, rest periods end up being longer.
 
Yes, I am not resting between rungs. So I'm knocking out 1,2,3 presses and pull-ups then resting a minute or so before I start the next ladder. I will try to slow down this afternoon and see what happens.
 
Read what ETK says about rest periods and adjust according to your goals.

-S-
 
I might have to reread that part as well. I always have little rest between ladders, though a bit more between rungs
 
Status
Closed Thread. (Continue Discussion of This Topic by Starting a New Thread.)
Back
Top Bottom