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Kettlebell ROP support group

Hello,

@Sean M
Thanks for the info and insight !

How much time did your sessions last ?
Did you notice some improvement in different areas ?

Kind regards,

Pet'

Never managed to complete the ROP despite good intentions. I built up to 5 ladders with 4 rungs each. I was doing pull-up ladders as well (same # of rungs). The hard day lasted ~75-80 minutes. It was hard. The duration of the workouts became incompatible with work, young kids, and the holidays. Easy days (5 ladders with 3 rungs) could be completed in 45 minutes or so.
 
Never managed to complete the ROP despite good intentions. I built up to 5 ladders with 4 rungs each. I was doing pull-up ladders as well (same # of rungs). The hard day lasted ~75-80 minutes. It was hard. The duration of the workouts became incompatible with work, young kids, and the holidays. Easy days (5 ladders with 3 rungs) could be completed in 45 minutes or so.
I've had a similar experience. Worked up to the 36kg bell in the past and my whole Saturdays became Rite of Passage heavy days lol.

I've often thought a program of just light, medium and kinda heavy days would be perfect.
 
@pet' I’ll also be forthcoming in saying I had faster results with the strength program in this article. I unlocked a 32kg press at the end of that program (6 weeks), after 2.5 cycles of RoP from 16kg-24kg over like 9 months.

In my experience, RoP is a blunt-force instrument that works when you have just one KB at a time. Weight is fixed, so volume is the only dial you can adjust (within the effective strength-building intensity of 70-80% inferred from the 5-8RM starting bell).

More bells means intensity can also be modified; when waved with volume it sped up the process for me at least.
 
Hello,

@Sean M & @Adam R Mundorf & @North
I thank you very much for sharing your experience.

I think I'll go with the press programme outlined by Sean.

Indeed, what scares me is the duration of the RoP session. Unfortunately, I can not dedicate that much time to the training.

At the beginning, it sounded very appealing because I am preparing obstacle races, among other things. The article I mentionned looked very "field-oriented" (strength, endurance, conditioning, power) so it seemed it would have get the job done.

In this video (first 8 minutes) Eric says he did only swings and C&P, 3x a week, no more than 40 minutes, with a 24kb bell.


In the article, in the section "Fast Forward: Rite of Passage", he says "Some time passed and I was able to do 5 ladders to 5 with my 24kg bell". Then, it sounds astonishing (even if he is a SEAL at the time).

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
Last week I finished a cycle of ROP ladders with 28kg bell. This time I used 32kg in all singles and later in the cycle on light days even doubles and triples. Last two light days I did 32kg 5x1,2,3 military presses which felt quite qood.

I also shortened the cycle a bit by the end doing 1x1-5 and 4x1-4, 3x1-5 and 2x1-4 and finally 5x1-5 instead of adding only one set of 5 each week.

For pullups(multiple grips) I used 10kg weight (I weigh about 90kg) and did those up to rungs of three. The rungs of fours and fives I did bodyweight only rows on rings as pullups would increase the rest times significally. I didn't do pullups on light days because on those days I trained at home and don't have pullup bar.

About halfway through the cycle I stopped doing swings; I think I should do them some more in next cycle. Up to that point I did few sets of 5-10 reps with 40kg bell in the evening as I trained my clean and presses in the morning.

Yesterday was the test day and I did warm up sets and then did 7 clean and presses left and right hand with the 32kg. That's a lot of progress for me; in last november I got 3 reps left and 4 reps right. I'm really happy about that so I'm ready to start the next cycle with the 32kg bell. ROP really works as promised!



Like you, my goal is to get to 40kg as my working kb. Hope you and i surprise ourselves.

Thank you and I hope you also achieve your goals.

EDIT:
Today I tested neutral grip chinup 1RM and got one clean rep with 30kg weight attached to a dip belt. Satisfied with that as that wasn't even my primary goal.
 
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Thank you Steve and John.

Steve, at the moment the next bell I have at home is 40kg which I didn't even try to press; It's my goal to press It later this year. In the gym the heaviest bell is 32kg.

After this cycle of ROP with the 32kg I think I buy two 2,5kg plates, tape them to the bell and make rep max with that weight.

- Niko
 
I've had a similar experience. Worked up to the 36kg bell in the past and my whole Saturdays became Rite of Passage heavy days lol.

I've often thought a program of just light, medium and kinda heavy days would be perfect.

If you have a chance to attend a one day kb course you get just that, a heavy, light, medium days. The sessions are structured with one block of pressing, one block of swings+goblets and finally one block of presses again. I´ve only been doing it for a few weeks but really like it! Sessions take around 30min three days per week.
 
Hello,

@Sean M & @Adam R Mundorf & @North
I thank you very much for sharing your experience.

I think I'll go with the press programme outlined by Sean.

Indeed, what scares me is the duration of the RoP session. Unfortunately, I can not dedicate that much time to the training.

At the beginning, it sounded very appealing because I am preparing obstacle races, among other things. The article I mentionned looked very "field-oriented" (strength, endurance, conditioning, power) so it seemed it would have get the job done.

In this video (first 8 minutes) Eric says he did only swings and C&P, 3x a week, no more than 40 minutes, with a 24kb bell.


In the article, in the section "Fast Forward: Rite of Passage", he says "Some time passed and I was able to do 5 ladders to 5 with my 24kg bell". Then, it sounds astonishing (even if he is a SEAL at the time).

Kind regards,

Pet'


You know it's funny, the best results I had gotten from doing the ROP were when I dropped "variety days" and just did the presses and pulls on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule. One kettlebell, a pullup bar (which can be a tree limb) and great results! This became needed as the bell weights started getting heavy! I started with a 24 and worked through to 36. No worrying about "I need this or that" to round out this program.

That's when I realized that the program designers at what was RKC now SF know a little more about than I do. Just trust the system , it works! Listen to what Eric said, using a 24 kg bell doing clean and presses and pulls maintained and/or improved his physical fitness while deployed. If it can work for a professional elite military operator then it certainly can work for tbe average Joe! ( In my mind elite unit operators are basically professional athletes for all intents and purposes).

"Pet" thanks for sharing that video.
 
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Just another observation regarding the ROP....more 2 cents....the heavy days are very long, or it is at least the longest session of the week. I scaled back the ballistics on heavy days at one point. Doing clean and presses and pull ups back to back drove my heart rate super high during the 5 rung days. Yes, yes I know it may not be traditional cardio or A+A (which I think is a great program too!) but how much more "conditioning" do you need after you've hammered say 2 to 3 5 rung and 2 to 3 say 4 rung ladders on a heavy day?

Another suggestion is drop pull ups, especially on heavy days. Just a thought.
 
Hello,

I am currently on week 7 of ROP and everything is going perfectly fine. So, as a disclaimer, and because everything is going well, I do not plan to modify the program. Nonetheless, I have a question, regarding the volume and frequency.

In the last week, the total volume of C&P is 155 reps, done in 3 days. I was wondering if the result would be the same, but with the following split:
- 6 days
- roughly 26 reps a day

Thanks !

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
I don't bother with heavy day of the ROP anymore from the pressing perspective. 75 reps each side for a 51 year old man is a recipe for an injury waiting to happen.

Currently messing around with a 55 lb. bell completing light and medium day as stated. Doing pullups on alternate days at the gym. I do a one arm row instead.

For heavy day, I take a 28 kg bell, and do 4 ladders of (1,2,3,4) combination of Clean and Press followed by Squat followed by row, then switching hands. For swings I go all out. Rolled a 4 yesterday, did 120 swings in 4 minutes.

It's a great program, but as you get older you need to tweak it. For those who say, that's not the ROP, tough, I ran it all the up to a 36. Once i got to a 32, and ran for 3 months, I start getting nicked up. I'm 195 lb. middle aged male, not some mutant.
 
@BrianCF, I guess it's one of those things that you can chalk up to individual differences. I did a 40 kg and the pull ups and felt good. The 44 kg was a little much but in my case I think it could have been excess stuff on the "variety days" that did me in! When I did the 40, I did three days a week training and skipped variety days. Was able to do it and feel good!

Everyone's mileage varies I guess.
 
Not sure who posted it but there was an insight that for certain individuals, going up to the tailend of the ROP was more risky than beneficial...

Another option could be to just nudge the tension a bit and the density and find your top end volume and just rinse and repeat ??



just my humble 2 cents
 
Hello,

So all things being equal, does that mean that ROP would deliver well using either H/L/M days or an even split ?

Would an more linear weekly split be more sustainable ?

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
I didn't do it this way but a few years ago Dan John went back through the ROP. He used a 36 but on the medium day I believe he said he used a 32. Sounds like it could be a good idea.
 
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