Hi guys and girls after a little advice
So I’ve been using tactical barbell for around 8 months and I’ve loved it, I previously used a linear progression before hand. I’m after a new adventure, away from barbells for a while and investing some money on some very minimalistic equipment.
I only really care greatly about the press (OHP/MP), Pull Ups & Deadlifts, although I have alternated clusters in the past
My 5 rep maximums currently @ 82.5kg BW
OHP 65kg x 5 reps
WPU BW + 25kg for 5 reps
Conventional Deadlift 175kg for 5 reps
Zercher Squats 120kg for 3 reps
DB Bench 42kg each for 4 reps**
** chosen this rather then BB Bench cause either my form sucks or my shoulders do
Anyway: I’ve been looking around here for a while and a few programs I like the look of but torn on direction including ROP, best ever workout, simple & sinister and Q&D but some of them lack certain movements I believe
Can someone recommend a book/plan to look towards and also a selection of kettlebell weights that I should probably be looking at investing in
Thank you guys and girls
All the best
It will be very difficult to recommend weights without you having the opportunity to actually use kettlebells. Learning HOW to use a kettlebell is simple, but it is not easy for everyone. Without just trying to pimp coaching, see if you can find an instructor in your area who can give you a session showing you how to do the basics + you'll get to handle some kettlebells and see where you're at.
You will likely be best off using a 16kg or 20kg to learn technique. Once you are semi-competent, you will likely be using a single or double 28kg or 32kg for most of your cleaning, squatting, and pressing exercises. Single or Double 32s might be too much starting out, as you are both learning the technical aspects of the lifts as well as getting used to the relative awkwardness of the kettlebell compared to a barbell. You are likely to be able to use a 24kg for a lot of your snatch work, and for higher-rep cleans and presses.
Singles are going to be the easiest to learn initially as you can practice a "cheat clean" before the press. This not only helps you learn the technique of cleaning, it works NOW so you can still press. I have used it to get clients clean and pressing in about 5 minutes. Take a look at
@Louka83 teaching it:
If you are absolutely unable to find a place to handle bells, you can either buy quite a few bells (16 and/or 20 to learn technique, 24 and 28 to train with; double them up if you want doubles) or you can look at buying an adjustable kettlebell. I have adjustable bell from Bells of Steel that goes from 12kg to 32kg and they are pretty good - fairly solid, changing weights isn't that bad, but not exactly convenient. The pro of an adjustable is you can find the right weight for you right now as you learn technique, and not also worry about having one or more $200+ purchase in the future. The con is I think over time they are less durable - bolts get stripped or threads get damaged. If you hit a sale, you can get one for ~$250 or a pair for $500 though, which is a LOT of potential options. Of course, if you have the space and the money to just dive in, you can decide singles or doubles and then start purchasing... the 16-24-32 would be the "basic set," but I find the 20 and 28 to be important "steps" for most people.
IF you can only buy 2, I would suggest a 24kg would be an easy bell to use to learn how to cheat clean and press, and then you'd likely be able to step into the 28kg fairly quickly. You would very likely be able to use 32kg with a bit of practice , as you likely have the strength to use it now for low rep sets, just not the skill. I would save that purchase for later, just know it is coming.
Once you decide if you are going to train with singles, doubles, or both, you can start looking at program options based on your goals. I do NOT think Simple and Sinister sounds like it fits your goals, so would steer you away from that. I would suggest looking at Tim Almond's
article; it would be fairly easy to add deadlifts to this. This is largely designed as a single kettlebell program, but it also works for doubles. Again, the good news is this is a 3 day plan, can be made into a 2 day plan fairly easily, and as there is very little lower body work (which makes me sad!) it will minimally effect your run training.
If you do not have or want to use an instructor in your area, a couple great resources are
@Geoff Neupert 's
Online Courses like the Big 6 (single kettlebell instructional videos) and Strong! (double kettlebell instructional videos) and
@Brett Jones Iron Cardio videos. Brett's video is quite possible the simplest and most beginner-friendly introduction into the single kettlebell clean, squat, and press I have found. He has a
program e-book as well (same name, separate purchase).
