Kettlebell Strength, Endurance and Aesthetics

[Shawn]

What program would you guys recommend for strength, endurance and aesthetics? Do you think the combination of KBs and Bodyweight would be possible? Also what would be your to thoughts on this article without the barbells? What would you substitute if you only had KBs and bodyweight? To Every Season: A Simple Way to Structure a Year of Training

 

[Kozushi]

I'm doing S&S and Naked Warrior at the same time, although I admit that I prioritize S&S and that I focus mainly on the one arm one leg pushup in Naked Warrior rather than the pistol.

 

[King Cobra Fit]

I really enjoyed the results I got from the Total Tension Complex. I had good increase in pressing strength, my squat felt great and was the first time I had people comment that I was looking "bigger". I think I paired it with simple and sinister or another swing/snatch protocol.

But really I think the answer is "it depends". What are your goals? What kind of strength are you looking for? endurance for what?
If GPP is your goal, choose a protocol and follow it for a few months then re-evaluate or stay the course. Also, Keep your nutrition on point.

I think the point of the article that you mention was more as an example or suggestion of how to organize your training over the course of the year. Not having or not wanting to use barbells isn't a deal breaker. Again my take on it was that its more of a guide of how to plan your year to avoid over-use type situations.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[ShawnM]

@Shawn- Take a look at ROP. You defiantly get strength and if your nutrition is on point aesthetics should improve as well. The snatches and swings will help with endurance a bit but maybe LSD work on your variety days would really help.

 

[Shawn]

The strength and endurance I need are for a physically demanding job. The aesthenics thing is I just don't want to look like an oldman,Lol. One thing I worry about is I have done my share of pushups in the past. Whenever I stop my chest doesn't look the same. Anyhow, Guys Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Kettlebelephant]

I'm reading all of the 3 Tactical Barbell books (TB 3rd Edition, TB2 Conditioning, Ageless Athlete) right now after just skimming through them in the past.
Even back then I really liked the ideas a lot and now after getting into it in more detail the plans and ideas are fantastic IMO.
The principles are in line with the teachings of StrongFirst.
Without giving away too much of the books if you combine the principles of TB1 and TB2 you come up with plans that boost your max. strength and your endurance. Some of them work more on max strength, some more on endurance, some more on certain kinds of endurance (e.g. a SWAT officer that has to just go all out for 2-5min vs. an infantry soldier who needs to ruck/run for a couple of hours).
The books give you some fixed example plans, but more importantly they lay out principles that you can apply to tailor it to your personal needs, including, e.g in your case, some hypertrophy work.

One of the important aspects is that the books are aimed at people in military or law enforcement and so they use the minimum effective dose to make you stronger and have more endurance, because in those professions your training should leave enough in the tank that you can still perform in your job.
Since you're working in a physically demanding job I think that's important to you aswell.

The books are called Tactical Barbell, but you don't need a barbell for them, if you understood the principles you can apply them to other forms of strength training aswell.

The article you mentioned talks about 12 week blocks. The cycles in TB are 6-12 weeks long, a perfect fit for one or two blocks.

 

[GeoffreyLevens]

The aesthenics thing is I just don't want to look like an oldman,Lol.

Take from an "oldman"...no matter what you do, some day you will start to look like one. HAH! For real though. So to me the only important markers are that I function like all my original "equipment" or close to it, and that nothing hurts.

 

[Shawn]

I'm reading all of the 3 Tactical Barbell books (TB 3rd Edition, TB2 Conditioning, Ageless Athlete) right now after just skimming through them in the past.
Even back then I really liked the ideas a lot and now after getting into it in more detail the plans and ideas are fantastic IMO.
The principles are in line with the teachings of StrongFirst.
Without giving away too much of the books if you combine the principles of TB1 and TB2 you come up with plans that boost your max. strength and your endurance. Some of them work more on max strength, some more on endurance, some more on certain kinds of endurance (e.g. a SWAT officer that has to just go all out for 2-5min vs. an infantry soldier who needs to ruck/run for a couple of hours).
The books give you some fixed example plans, but more importantly they lay out principles that you can apply to tailor it to your personal needs, including, e.g in your case, some hypertrophy work.

One of the important aspects is that the books are aimed at people in military or law enforcement and so they use the minimum effective dose to make you stronger and have more endurance, because in those professions your training should leave enough in the tank that you can still perform in your job.
Since you're working in a physically demanding job I think that's important to you aswell.

The books are called Tactical Barbell, but you don't need a barbell for them, if you understood the principles you can apply them to other forms of strength training aswell.

The article you mentioned talks about 12 week blocks. The cycles in TB are 6-12 weeks long, a perfect fit for one or two blocks.

I bought the first and second book. It will give me something to read, Thanks.

 

[Shawn]

Take from an "oldman"...no matter what you do, some day you will start to look like one. HAH! For real though. So to me the only important markers are that I function like all my original "equipment" or close to it, and that nothing hurts.

Lol, good markers. Approaching 50 in a couple of years got me thinking on how I trained. Plus the 15 or so years I may have to work I want to make my body last.

I think I'm going to use S&S with GTG of one leg work and one arm push up variation work for 6-12 weeks. Than ROP with something of variety days for 6-12 weeks. Not sure what LSD that Shawn M mentioned? After that I'll do a straight Bodyweight program for awhile for a break.

 

[paths92]

Most people here will recommend s&s for gpp. Diet is very important. My wife and I have been eating a plant based vegan diet for the last 2 months and have both noticed much clearer skin among other benefits. I would think that would go a long way towards not looking like an old man

 

[conor78]

+1 on Tactical Barbell and TB conditioning and Total Tension complex. Used the fighter template last year. It's solid.

 

[Jeffro]

LSD stands for Long Slow Distance. I originally read about for running, but have seen people use it for other forms of locomotion too. Get the heart rate up a bit, but not too much and put some miles in. Seems to have different bemefits than getting heart rate up via strength training.

On aesthetics Ive always thought s&s wasn't gonna be the thing, but yesterday I took a form check video during my getups and it was the first time I'd seen my back in a while. Holy crap my back is a rippling sea of muscles from my deltoids to my sacrum. I wanna take my shirt off and walk around backwards! Of course you gotta eat the fat away, but I was amazed at the aesthetics of S&S, the strength and endurance is a given.

 

[Shawn]

LSD stands for Long Slow Distance. I originally read about for running, but have seen people use it for other forms of locomotion too. Get the heart rate up a bit, but not too much and put some miles in. Seems to have different bemefits than getting heart rate up via strength training.

On aesthetics Ive always thought s&s wasn't gonna be the thing, but yesterday I took a form check video during my getups and it was the first time I'd seen my back in a while. Holy crap my back is a rippling sea of muscles from my deltoids to my sacrum. I wanna take my shirt off and walk around backwards! Of course you gotta eat the fat away, but I was amazed at the aesthetics of S&S, the strength and endurance is a given.

Thanks, haven't been on the forum real long but I'm fimilar with most abbreviations.

Yeah I've done S&S in the past and have seen some aesthetics benefits. Because of all the push-ups I've done in the past the way chest would look was my concern. But the mention of one arm Push-ups NW style should feed the bulldog.

 

[Shawn]

Most people here will recommend s&s for gpp. Diet is very important. My wife and I have been eating a plant based vegan diet for the last 2 months and have both noticed much clearer skin among other benefits. I would think that would go a long way towards not looking like an old man

Yeah I agree. I follow the Clarence Bass way of eating so it's pretty close to that.

 

[GeoffreyLevens]

Lol, good markers. Approaching 50 in a couple of years got me thinking on how I trained. Plus the 15 or so years I may have to work I want to make my body last.

Trust me, at some point in the future you won't have to think about it; you will be "told" by your body

Most people here will recommend s&s for gpp. Diet is very important. My wife and I have been eating a plant based vegan diet for the last 2 months and have both noticed much clearer skin among other benefits. I would think that would go a long way towards not looking like an old man

Diet is definitely a major component. Skin wrinkling, color, and tone as well as collagen preservation have a lot to do with micronutrient intake and avoidance of highly processed, chemically enhanced, simulated food-like substances. You don't have to be 100% vegan but closer to it is much better than farther away!

 

[Shawn]

I'm reading all of the 3 Tactical Barbell books (TB 3rd Edition, TB2 Conditioning, Ageless Athlete) right now after just skimming through them in the past.
Even back then I really liked the ideas a lot and now after getting into it in more detail the plans and ideas are fantastic IMO.
The principles are in line with the teachings of StrongFirst.
Without giving away too much of the books if you combine the principles of TB1 and TB2 you come up with plans that boost your max. strength and your endurance. Some of them work more on max strength, some more on endurance, some more on certain kinds of endurance (e.g. a SWAT officer that has to just go all out for 2-5min vs. an infantry soldier who needs to ruck/run for a couple of hours).
The books give you some fixed example plans, but more importantly they lay out principles that you can apply to tailor it to your personal needs, including, e.g in your case, some hypertrophy work.

One of the important aspects is that the books are aimed at people in military or law enforcement and so they use the minimum effective dose to make you stronger and have more endurance, because in those professions your training should leave enough in the tank that you can still perform in your job.
Since you're working in a physically demanding job I think that's important to you aswell.

The books are called Tactical Barbell, but you don't need a barbell for them, if you understood the principles you can apply them to other forms of strength training aswell.

The article you mentioned talks about 12 week blocks. The cycles in TB are 6-12 weeks long, a perfect fit for one or two blocks.

I got these for my Kindle, Thanks for the recommendation. I skimmed through, very interesting. I will read them more throughly. They remind me of Ross Eminent's stuff but without the pylometrics.