By Pavel Tsatsouline, Chairman

Two weeks ago Steve Belanger started a thread on the StrongFirst forum asking the readers to pick their favorite barbell, bodyweight, and kettlebell exercises. For all the limitations and contentiousness of “top lists,” writing them is a useful exercise. Given your goals, training and injury history, equipment availability, etc., my list may not exactly suit your needs, but hopefully it will make you think and write your own.

Rather than pick an arbitrary number of exercises from each modality, I will select the “best” in each of the following categories: hip hinge, squat, press, and upper body pull. (No, there will be no division into “vertical” and “horizontal” pushes and pulls; life is too short for that.)

I will use the following criteria.

First, the exercise has to have a high carryover to a great number of applications. As I explained in Easy Strength, the Russian term “general strength” refers to the strength “to perform any physical work more or less successfully.” (Ozolin)

Second, the exercise must have an impressive safety record.

Third, the exercise must have a steep learning curve. If 70% of his fighters do not get it, Steve Baccari discards the exercise, no matter how effective it is.

There will be some additional considerations as well.

The hip hinge goes first. The contenders are:

• Barbell deadlift
• Barbell good morning
• Barbell clean (power, hang, muscle, etc.)
• Barbell snatch (power, hang, muscle, etc.)
• Kettlebell snatch
• Kettlebell swing

The deadlift rules. I stated that on many occasions and I will not repeat myself.

There is not enough data about an exclusive use of the good morning, apart from Bruce Randall’s experiment. A knee injury prevented this former Mr. Universe from squatting, so he poured his heart into the good morning. He worked up to a 685 single, his back parallel to the ground. When he tested himself in the squat, not surprisingly, he easily squatted as much. Randall then tested his deadlift and stood up with 770—back in the 1950s, with no drugs, and no previous deadlift practice.

Kettlebell snatches, while documented to have a high carryover to a whole lot of unrelated events like the powerlifts and middle distance running, will not win this fight because they demand rare in this day and age shoulder mobility and stability and because they require considerable skill. Barbell cleans and snatches fall into the same category.

The kettlebell swing is a different story. By now there is plenty of scientific and empirical evidence that the swing has an extraordinary list of “what the hell?” effects. It transfers to max deadlifts (even at the world class level), jumps, and so on, and so forth. In addition, it delivers impressive conditioning. And it is safer and easier to learn than the barbell deadlift. “The kettlebell swing is the true power to the people!” assures Rif.

As much as I am partial to the deadlift, the swing wins the hip hinge class.

Recall that both slow and static strength are needed for complete strength development.  Will we be leaving something on the table without a “grind”? — Not if we pick the right squat to complement the hinge…

Pavel and Peter Lakatos teaching kettlebell swings to the Hungarian federal counter-terrorist team.
Photo courtesy TEK

By Pavel Tsatsouline, Chairman

Why do so many men give up on being men once they have reached a certain age? (I could ask women the same question.)

Not my father. A month ago seventy-five year old Vladimir deadlifted 407 pounds at a bodyweight of 193 (no belt, naturally). Another American record.

1,000-pound bencher Scott Mendelson who competed in the same APF meet exclaimed: “That’s your father?! That man is a stud!”

Since he does not barbell squat, Vladimir pulls twice a week, once light and once heavy.  Last several cycles he stood on a 45-pound plate to slightly increase the ROM and strengthen his start.

In addition to deads he does parallel grip pullups, hanging leg raises, fist pushups (vertical fists, elbows against the lats, slow and strict), and kettlebell goblet squats. He swims, runs, and climbs stairs.

I vary the type of a cycle my dad follows. More often than not it is a Marty Gallagher inspired linear cycle. To write such a cycle, pick the target for the last heavy day (1×3, 1×2, 2×2, etc.) and work back 6-12 weeks. Trial and error have taught me that 15-pound jumps are optimal for my dad. He tends to overtrain with 10-pound jumps and 20-pound jumps do not allow him to gain enough momentum.

Vladimir’s Cycle for the 2012 APF Viking Challenge, Solvang, CA

This time I bumped his reps up to eight and ten in the beginning of the cycle. Given my conviction that “anything over five reps is bodybuilding,” why did I do it?

Exactly because it was time for some bodybuilding. My father had grown out of the 181-pound class, so reps gave him an extra nudge up to fill in the 198-pound class faster. His muscularity noticeably improved and he got leaner.

I had many a conversation with Marty on the topic of reps. One of the many priceless lessons the Grandmaster taught me was: higher rep sets do not need to push the limit. If you operate in my dad’s poundage range in any lift, you will realize that 295×8 is hard but not RM for a lifter with a 400-pound max. Write this down: 1-3×8-10 done with an 80-90% effort will build mass without compromising technique and safety.

The back of a seventy-five year old deadlifter. 100% drug free.

Vladimir picked up the barbell less than five years ago and never looked back. Coaching him is a challenge because, like a young man he believes he is, my dad tends to overdo things. Once he did not perform as well as expected in a meet. After a thorough interrogation my old man fessed up that he had climbed 306 floors several days before!

Coaching my father is about holding him back and I would not have it any other way.  Over the years people have asked me why don’t I offer motivation tips. The answer is: I have none. We are all adults here: either you have it, or you don’t.

StrongFirst is not in the babysitting business. We serve the top 1% performers and those who are totally committed to claw their way up to the 1%. Which is why the sports psychology text that we chose to publish, Psych, is the manual on reaching world class performance—not cheerleading drivel to lure the lazy off the couch.

As they used to say in the Rhodesian army: “Be a man among men.” Regardless of your age or circumstances.

By Pavel Tsatsouline, Chairman

Speaks 1,000-pound deadlifter Andy Bolton: “The [Kettlebell] Swing is a great developer of the posterior chain and will teach you how to develop some awesome SNAP in your hips.  For lifters, this makes them a useful assistance movement for the squat and deadlift.”

And if you have never deadlifted a barbell but have been seriously swinging and snatching a kettlebell, you are already ahead in the deadlift game.  Kettlebell pulls have “greased” the hip hinge pattern for the deadlift and strengthened your deadlift muscles.

Brandon Hetzler, SFG II, CK-FMS, has measured the forces generated in the kettlebell swing. In this set of swings with a 53-pound kettlebell the force exceeded 500 pounds.

There are a great many DL styles.  A hip-dominant style such as Andy Bolton’s, rather than quad-dominant style, suits a girevik’s strength.  Learn it from an experienced powerlifter.

Dan Wohleber’s and John Inzer’s styles heavily rely on the hip hinge and are perfect for a girevik.
Photos courtesy Powerlifting USA

Once your technique is passable, it is time to drill it with high frequency practice.  Here is your plan based on an old Westside Barbell DL template.  Use the max estimated by your powerlifting coach (you have no business maxing at this point).

Workout 1: 65% x 1/15 (reps/sets)

Workout 2: 70% x 1/15

Workout 3: 75% x 1/12

Workout 4: 80% x 1/8

Workout 5: 85% x 1/6

Workout 6: Add 10 pounds and start over

Do the above practice/workout three times a week.  Rest for 30-40sec rest between sets.  Stay on the program as long as you are not struggling.  When the poundage in workout five takes 90% of your effort, take 3-4 days off and work up to what Master SFG Dan John calls a “sort of max.”  For example, 50% x 5, 60% x 4, 70% x 3, 80% x 2, 90% x 1, 105% x 1, etc.  Set a PR but keep perfect form and save something for another day.  The deadlift severely punishes those who overextend themselves—and rewards those who treat it as a practice, not a challenge.  Consider the contrast between these two statements by two strength authorities.  Louie Simmons pointed out that heavy deadlifts take a lot more out of you than they give you.  And Dan John observed that building strength with light “grease the groove” type deads is like “stealing.”  Save the killer attitude for competition—when you are ready for it.  Meanwhile, practice.

Start every DL practice with 3 sets of 3 prying light goblet squats and 3 sets of 10 hard style two-handed swings with 30% of your bodyweight (sweet spot for power production, according to research by Brandon Hetzler, SFG II, CK-FMS).

After your deads alternate kettlebell pulls and squats from workout to workout.

For your kettlebell pulls you have multiple choices: swings (one-arm, two-arm, hand-to-hand), dead swings, double swings, double cleans, snatches.  Favor heavier weights and keep the volume in the 100-150 rep range.

On the squat day do goblet squats or double kettlebell front squats. Dan John recommends a squat volume of 15-25 reps.

You are on your own with your upper body work.

Once you have run through this cycle and “sort of maxed,” drop us a line on the StrongFirst forum and we will guide you to the next step.

Double power to you—deadlift and kettlebell!

# # #

By Jason Marshall, SFG Team Leader, StrongFirst Deadlift Team Captain

Eumastas the son of Critobulus lifted me from the ground.
—Inscription found on a 480kg (1058lb) black volcanic stone in Santorin dated to the 6^th Century B.C.

Being that we are called a community of strength, who attends and learns from a school of strength, it only seems right that we would elevate, celebrate, and demonstrate the king of lifts that emulates our quest as a community.  Enter the StrongFirst Deadlift Team.

Years ago, Pavel organized a team of strong men and women in our community to attend an annual pre-designated powerlifting meet and compete as a team in the deadlift.  Over the years, newbies to the powerlifting scene with little to no experience, and mature lifters with decades of platform appearances came together with a common purpose and goal:  to showcase the king of the lifts when it counts… on the platform, in front of the judges.

Ellen Stein, SFG, shown here deadlifting 418 and winning an IPF World Championship.
Ellen competed on Pavel’s DL team in a different meet.

Several years ago, I was recruited to be a part of that special team.  The returns from the experience were more than my deposits.  I learned so much about myself and my ability.  My drive to pursue my strength potential became greater and my hunger more acute.

This is a call to all those who want to be apart of that team… the inaugural StrongFirst Deadlift Team.  This year we will be competing in two meets, one on the West Coast and one on the East Coast:

• May 26, 2013, Buellton, CA, APF-AAPF Patriot Games
• June 22-23, 2013, York, PA, IPA Strength Spectacular

To qualify for the team ladies must pull a double bodyweight; gentlemen 2.5 times their bodyweight in a powerlifting meet sanctioned by any federation or the next Tactical Strength Challenge.  There is no deadline but applications are taken on the first come, first served basis.  Results posted in 2012 are also accepted.  Send me your results and application for review to jason@lonestarkettlebell.com.

There are many ways to train for a deadlift only event.  You can find some great preparatory cycles and training methods in many of Pavel’s books, the best being Power to the People Professional and his most recent, Deadlift Dynamite, co-authored with deadlift king, Andy Bolton.  Marty Gallagher’s Purposeful Primitive has also proven an invaluable resource in my own, as well as many other lifters’ training.

I would strongly encourage all of you, even if you haven’t quite attained your qualifying poundage, to pick up one of the previously mentioned books, find an experienced powerlifter or StrongFirst instructor in your area with some deadlift experience, and get access to a barbell and set of plates so you can start pulling.  You’ll never know what you’ll unleash until you try.

Deadlifting is so primitive, but so useful.  It’s found in everything we do from the moment we learn to walk as well as being the foundation and introductory lift to our kettlebell and barbell courses.  There is only gain in exploring your potential with this wonderful exercise.

I hope to be hearing from a lot of you in the near future!  I know many of you are already there.  It’s just matter of a little commitment and putting in the reps.

Train smart, train safe, but most importantly, train Strong First!

Power to us!

Team captain Jason Marshal, SFG Team Leader has stood up with 600 weighing less than 180.

Jason Marshall, SFG Team Leader, CK-FMS is based in Lubbock, TX.  Contact him at jason@lonestarkettlebell.com.

By Stuart McGill, PhD.

I am often asked for my opinion about the best way to squat, or pull a loaded bar. My answer always is, “It depends on the person.”

We all have a different injury history influencing which tissues may need sparing, different body segment length ratios affecting leverage advantages, different hip socket depths that determine the depth of the squat before the pelvis tucks stressing the lumbar discs, etc. What is best for one person will not be best for their training partner.

Here is a drill I use that will help all lifters set-up their pulls, despite their individual differences. We call it the short-stop squat. If you know American Baseball, you will catch on very quickly.

Begin with the feet apart. Try a few knee bends and adjust the internal/external rotation of the hip, to get perfect knee and ankle hinge tracking. Now look at the turn out of your feet. Remember this angle and start in this position.

Now to start the drill, stand tall and place the hands on the top of the front of the thighs. Make a “V” between the thumbs and the finger. Keeping the arms straight, push the hands down the thighs, only hinging about the hips—do not allow the spine to bend. Stop as the hands reach just above the kneecap and robustly grab around the knee. This is the short stop posture.

Check the position of the knee. If you drew a vertical line down from the knee it will fall between the balls of the feet and the heels. This ensures that the hips are well behind. Play with your balance so you feel the centre of pressure from the ground in the middle of your feet.

Enjoy carrying the weight of your upper body down the arms and onto the thighs. Focus on the curves in your torso – are they the same as when you were standing? If they are you have good form. If they are not, adjust them back to the natural curves.

To lift from this position, many will shrug. You will not. You will perform the “anti-shrug” by compressing the shoulders down into your torso with co-contraction of the pectoral and latissimus dorsi muscles. This stiffens your torso with the normal curves intact.

Now to stand up you must think differently. Do not think about lifting with your back. Instead think about stiffening your back and torso and the rising motion happens by simply pulling your hips forward as you slide your hands up your thighs. Practice this stiffening and movement sequence.

Now it is time to pull. Adopt the short stop position with your hands on your thighs. Grip the ground with your toes and heels. Begin the anti-shrug. Now grab the bar with a double overhand grip. Try and bend the bar with external shoulder rotation. Imagine “gathering” your back adding to the stiffness. Squeeze the bar harder thinking about force in all fingers – just not the first and second. Add some more effort to “spread the floor” through the hips. Now you have torso stiffness approaching optimal and it is time to pull the hips forward. The load will rise from the floor, and you have perfected a form that enables heavy pulls with an injury-resilient body.

# # #

Dr. Stuart M. McGill is a professor of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo (Waterloo, ON, Canada). His advice is often sought by governments, corporations, legal experts and elite athletes and teams from around the world. Difficult back cases are regularly referred to him for consultation.

From Pavel:

I strongly recommend Prof. McGill’s book “Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance” available on his site, www.backfitpro.com.

By Laura Nepodal, SFG

I think I knew I wanted to be strong when I threw a boy for distance for the first time.

It was June of 1997, in a little basement of a little farmhouse in a little farming town, out in the middle of the sprawling fields of Iowa. A handful of ten-year-old boys—plus one girl and her little brother—had infiltrated the sweltering subterranean space to secretly watch the Holyfield vs. Tyson fight. It was to be a battle of immense proportions—who would possibly want to miss that? Yet there was time to kill—inferior mortals were in the ring, delaying the battle between the lords of the boxing world.

And what do ten-year-old boys (and one girl) tend to do when left restless, unsupervised, and with access to glorified violence?—They wage their own epic battle, of course.

Amidst the tussling and screeching that filled the basement, one shrill squeal rang out from the aforementioned little brother as he was helplessly pinned by one of the older boys. So ten-year-old me walked over, picked the boy up off of my little brother, and tossed the said boy across the room. The boy turned to look at me, wide-eyed, and said, “WOW. I was just picked up and thrown by a GIRL!”

You bet your booty you were, buddy.

While we all left with our ears intact that day, I think I left with something equally as valuable: an appreciation of being able to handle myself. An appreciation for being strong. (Although I may have been equally inspired upon hearing my Israeli cousin’s profound statement, “Be strong like cow.”)

Like all things that are worth understanding and integrating into our lives, strength is a multifaceted concept. There is the nearly unfathomable strength that we witness in extraordinary situations—the bravery of a five year-old girl fighting for her life against acute leukemia, and is able to thank God for being her healer as she lies on a table receiving full-body radiation (my sister fought and won that battle, and continues to be one of my very greatest inspirations). More often, we witness strength in its more subtle forms daily—in the quiet displays of willpower and accountability that we consciously instill in our everyday choices when no one is watching.

And, more notably, I feel, is our ability to push past our own inertia. Inertia is grounding, safe, known. To breach that barrier and push past our comforts, to begin the process of surpassing our own expectations of ourselves, is the most difficult step. But you start to find that it was the first step that was the hardest. The potential of —or rather, the fear of— failure, is no longer so insurmountable. You have the momentum of your bravery, of your strength, to carry you forth. And when you hit that inevitable bump on your path that could slow you down, the foundation of strength that you’ve nurtured will help you to maneuver that obstacle – or, you know, totally crush it into oblivion because you’re just THAT strong.

Women, enter the most honest and least prejudiced judge of strength you’ll ever meet—iron. Iron will never lie to you, never coddle you. You will love it, spend a great deal of time with it, and occasionally become angry or frustrated with it. But it will not waver, and it will always hold you accountable. When you clean a kettlebell to the rack position with the intention to press it, or set up to deadlift a loaded barbell off the ground, the iron expects you to push past its inertia. It expects you to be strong. It demands it.

In a society that doesn’t have a history of lauding the physical strength and prowess of women, our collective inertia is substantial. We are told from a young age that girls can’t do push-ups/pull-ups, that full-contact physical activities weren’t meant for us, and that we are generally weaker in relation to men. Standards are set lower for us, and so collectively, our general inclination is to aim low, or to maybe reach that silly, low-slung standard.
Because to go beyond that would be to push through our own inertia, and that’s just freakin’ hard. It takes internal reformation of the way we perceive ourselves; a complete restructuring of the way we view strength in relation to ourselves as individuals; and a strong sense of self in a society that doesn’t tend to celebrate us when we achieve something iron-STRONG.

In other words, it takes a lot of the strength mentioned earlier, a lot of mental toughness (see Master SFG Instructor Mark Reifkind’s impressive blog on this topic, applicable to all), a passion for self-betterment—and maybe a little desire to squish those silly, predetermined limits that we women have allowed ourselves to be yoked into. It is also immensely helpful to have a community of like-minded brothers and sisters in iron to learn from, inspire you, and help you along the way. StrongFirst is that for me, as well as for a plethora of incredibly gifted, talented individuals.

When a woman takes her first conscious step towards being physically capable and more–past her inertia—she immediately expands her limits of possibilities—because really, if you’re going to contradict what society (and yourself, up ’til now) have told you that you’re capable of, what other awesome stuff can you accomplish? Not to mention that being strong will make many other pursuits of the physical variety significantly easier and more enjoyable. Train hard to play hard.

You may not start strong: you may not be able to do that full push-up yet (death to the so-called “girl push-ups”, I hereby decree the demise of that belittling name!), complete a bodyweight pull-up, press a 12kg kettlebell, or deadlift your bodyweight—but oh, barring extraneous, isolated scenarios involving medical maladies, if you put in the time and effort, hone your focus, and apply the StrongFirst concepts to your training, you CAN get there.

As one of my favorite authors, Paulo Coelho, profoundly stated, “In order for us to liberate the energy of our strength, our weakness must first have a chance to reveal itself.” You can only be strong if you know where your weakness lies—so acknowledge your weakness, thank it for showing you the way to the new, improved you, and then surpass it. Do not simply seek to meet the standard set before you; strive to crush it. If only for the thrill of the chase and the inevitable self-betterment, self-empowerment, and all-around increase in physical health and holistic well-being, do not aim for less for yourself! You will look good, feel great, and be strong as hell.

The only thing stopping you from pursuing and achieving this is fear, laziness, or apathy—none of which, in my most humble opinion, should be acceptable qualities that you nurture in yourself.

At StrongFirst, we know what women are capable of. The bar is not set low for men, and it certainly isn’t for women, either. Once you have made the commitment to embrace and pursue your strength, what is the standard you should strive to reach, or for the exceptionally strong or ambitious, to surpass? What makes a woman “strong”?

A strong woman might be able to successfully complete some, if not all, of the following:

• Three bodyweight pull-ups
• 1/3 bodyweight military press
• 1.75 bodyweight barbell deadlift
• 1/2 bodyweight get-up
• 1/2 bodyweight swings for reps

Why strive to be strong as hell? Because being physically strong is incredibly liberating, very healthy, and immensely empowering. When you train smart and train strong, you add longevity to your quality of life, make every other physical task easier, and gain an intense, burning curiosity to discover what you’re capable of. At first, you may look at a weight you deem too heavy and shy away from it. Once you have whetted your appetite
with the taste of success, you will begin to look at that same weight and think to yourself, “I bet I can do that…”. When this happens, and you have attained a strong understanding and mastery over the skills and techniques of strength and safe training that SF teaches, you are well on your way to becoming strong. Nurture that ambitious curiosity. It will also will transfer to other parts of your life.

To some, the above numbers may seem unreasonable or too excessive. I feel they’re an honest representation of what women are capable of, knowing there are many very strong women out there that can surpass these numbers.

Yes, minus the extraneous mutants that are out there, getting strong is hard. It takes intense commitment, time, focus, and a hunger to learn. Many women having a misguided understanding of what training heavy does to the female body (we only have so much testosterone at our disposal, ladies; a huge, Schwarzenegger-type physique is not an option for us without supplemental assistance), and a skewed perspective of what a high-volume, low weight protocol can do for their physique (there is no such thing as a “toned” muscle, or a “long” muscle; your muscles are the length they are based on the skeleton they’re attached to, and a low body fat percentage will give you that sought-after sculpted look, which lifting heavy effectively helps with). Educating ourselves, and nurturing the necessary fortitude it takes to be strong, are the first steps. There are many women out there that have yet to embrace and forge their own strength for fear of failure. Ladies, we must all start somewhere.

So let’s start somewhere.

Firstly, I would very strongly recommend that you seek out a certified StrongFirst instructor to assist you with your technique, and to help enforce the principles of strength that we effectively utilize. There is no substitute for good coaching done face-to-face. If that is not an option for you, that’s okay—the StrongFirst forum is a great way to get some feedback on your training.

Ideally, you will have access to kettlebells and a pull-up bar. If you are a bit more advanced in your training, access to a barbell would be ideal, as well. Pull-up practice, swings, get ups and military presses are a good place to begin, with the addition of barbell deadlifts for those who are a bit more advanced.

Pull-up Practice

If you have a difficult time completing a pull-up, do the following: Install a pull-up bar in the doorway to your living room, bedroom, or another frequented room (mine is in the kitchen). Whenever you walk into that room, jump up to the pull-up bar so that either your neck or chest are touching the bar, and then slowly lower yourself through the negative portion of the rep. Just one rep is enough, as you will be walking into this room more than once a day.

If you are unable to perform this without assistance, have someone push your mid-back with just enough pressure to help you to the top. If you don’t have a training partner, you might find the use of a stretch-band to be helpful. If you do use stretch-bands, be sure to place a foot in and stand on the band, versus kneeling in it; I feel the kneeling position tends to promote lumbar extension, making the ideal hollow position impossible to
achieve. Though stretch-bands have a tendency to offer assistance in the part of the pull-up that isn’t most people’s sticking point, it does enable you to get to the top of the pull-up and work this position. Within a few weeks, you will notice that this is much easier than it was when you started.

Swing

The kettlebell swing is an excellent option for conditioning, as well as for all-around strength. If you are just starting out, depending on your athletic background you may want to use an 8kg or 12kg kettlebell. Eventually, these weights will feel too light for you. At first, keep the reps low—you want each repetition to be explosive, powerful, strong. When you feel your form start to slip, stop. Perform sets of no more than twenty swings; if that feels too easy, then up the weight, if you can do so and maintain proper form. Doing powerful swings, and eventually heavier ones, will condition you, strengthen your grip and abdominals, and give you a strong, shapely posterior. Eventually, doing heavy swings alone will make your barbell deadlift much stronger (my own barbell deadlift 1RM increased by 30 pounds after a three-month hiatus from deadlifts by swinging nothing lighter than a 32kg during my workouts). So remove thyself from the disgrace of frequenting the hamster wheel, and swing a badass ‘bell instead.

Turkish Get-Up

The get-up is a strong way to work the shoulder stabilizers, and effectively targets many muscles groups in one movement. The get up should be performed with no weight at all until proficiency of the movement is achieved, and should be done with careful intention, without the utilization of momentum—this is a grinding movement, requiring strength and focus. Perform 3 sets of 3 repetitions, right and left, with no weight at all to start, or a weight that is moderately difficult when your skill level has deemed the use of a weight to be safe.

Military Press

Military presses are a good counterbalance to your pulling practice—and the practice of both will make the other skill stronger. Use a weight that you can press 3-5 times without turning the movement into a push-press, and perform 2-3 sets in a workout. When you get bitten by the strength bug, you will want to up your weight; as Pavel has been known to say, “To press a lot, you must press a lot”. So press frequently, using a weight that is
moderately difficult.

Barbell Deadlift

If you are a bit more advanced and have access to a barbell, I highly recommend doing deadlifts. Pavel has outlined numerous times the benefits of the deadlift for strength gains, its ability to transfer to many other lifts and everyday activities, and its ability to target so many muscle groups at once. Plus, there’s nothing quite so satisfying as lifting a lot of iron off the ground. Be sure to keep the weight light until you are able to complete the movement correctly—without using your low back, keeping your abdominals and lats connected and engaged, and pulling from the hips. (Many find it useful to envision pushing the feet down into the ground, as though you’re attempting to push the earth way from you.) With the deadlift, as with other grinds, you don’t want to do too many repetitions in a workout. So keep the reps low, and the weight at least moderately challenging, to achieve the greatest benefits of the lift.

This is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, my sisters. We all start somewhere, and I believe this is a good place to start. But of course, this isn’t actually where you start—that first step is yours to take. Before you can press, pull, or manipulate iron past its own inertia, you must conquer your own. It is just the start of an invigorating, glorious, epic journey, that first step. And that’s what strength is—a journey. So surround yourself with those who are stronger, more educated, more advanced, and listen. There is no excuse not to start now, no reason to fear your strength.  Embrace it: the time has come to liberate the energy of your strength.

# # #

Laura Nepodal, SFG is an avid rock climber, deadlifter, and student of strength.  She is also an academic student pursuing her degree in Kinesiology, with the intent of attaining a doctorate in Physical Therapy.  You may reach her by email at lauramnep@gmail.com, or visit her website at www.classicironkettlebells.com.

By Pavel Tsatsouline, Chairman

Several months ago I wrote how a girevik should go about converting the posterior chain strength he or she has built with swings and snatches into a respectable barbell deadlift: Kettlebells and Deadlifts Go Together Like Vodka and Pickles.

Patrick Whitaker wrote on the StrongFirst forum: “I started the program with a max deadlift of 330 lbs.  I tested my “sort of max” today at 375 lbs.  The article says to come here and post my results and find out what to do next.  So, what’s next?”

Well done, Patrick.  Next is a powerlifting style cycle.  Pull three times a week, alternating barbell deadlift and kettlebell swing/snatch workouts:

Monday: Deadlift
Wednesday: Swing and/or Snatch
Friday: Deadlift

Monday: Swing and/or Snatch
Wednesday: Deadlift
Friday: Swing and/or Snatch

On your kettlebell days do 100-200 total reps.  Favor heavy weights, lift them explosively, and do not rush the clock.  Right now your priority is power, rather than conditioning.

Here is your deadlift cycle:

1. 295×5/3 (reps/sets)
2. 305×5/2
3. 315×5
4. 325×5
5. 335×3/2
6. 345×3
7. 355×3
8. 365×2
9. 375×2
10. New “sort of max”

In seven weeks you will very likely be pulling 405×1.  Four wheels are more than most guys at the gym can do.  Real adult weights are just around the corner.

To put together a power cycle such as the one above, work back from the heavy double you plan to pull in 8-12 workouts.  A conservative goal is to double your today’s single.

Go back in 10-pound increments.  The last two workouts are doubles.  The first four or five are fives.  Plus three to four sessions of triples in the middle.

Start with 2-3 sets of 5 and taper down to 1 set.  Start with two triples.  One double is enough.

Here is another sample cycle, this one for a recent “sort of max” of 305:

1. 205×5/3
2. 215×5/2
3. 225×5/2
4. 235×5
5. 245×5
6. 255×3/2
7. 265×3/2
8. 275×3
9. 285×3
10. 295×2
11. 305×2
12. New “sort of max”

Ladies, if your max is below 200, jump 5 pounds a workout.  Here is a sample cycle for a recent “sort of max” of 185:

1. 145×5/3
2. 150×5/2
3. 155×5
4. 160×5
5. 165×3/2
6. 170×3
7. 175×3
8. 180×2
9. 185×2
10.  ”Sort of max”

Learn the intricacies of barbell programming, along with the professional technique in the squat, bench press, deadlift, and military press, at a StrongFirst Lifter cert (SFL).  I am teaching another SFL cert with Dr. Michael Hartle, Master SFG, American Record Holder in the Bench Press, and Head Coach Powerlifting Team USA this July:

Tuscon, AZ, July 12-14

Power to you!

By Pavel Tsatsouline, Chairman, StrongFirst 

It was 2002, the RKC kettlebell cert barely a year old. I was training many military and law enforcement operators and was looking for ways to help them focus on exercises that would help them most in their duty. So I designed a Tactical Strength Challenge competition.

There were two divisions. In the elite “Special Operations” division the events were the tactical pull-up, the pistol, and the snatch (one hand switch), all done with a 32kg kettlebell. The more democratic “Ready to Defend” division, named after a decades old Soviet program for getting the youth in shape for military service, employed a 24kg kettlebell.

Thirteen athletes competed in the first Tactical Strength Challenge on October 12, 2002 in Philadelphia. TSC was not restricted to gun-carrying professionals, and Brett Jones decisively won the Special Operations division. The scoring was done according to the system my father put together in the 1960s for his soldiers. For each event the competitor received the number of points that matched his placement, e.g. three points for being third in kettlebell snatches. If two or more competitors tied for the same place, they received the same number of points. In the end each competitor’s points for all three events were added up and the competitor with the fewest points won.

Early on TSC was supported and promoted by my company and by my partner in RKC, but very soon it got off our radar. I was busy teaching and writing, my business partner had his own hands full, and pretty soon TSC was on its own. Volunteers like Steve Freides ran the website, scheduled events around the world, refereed, changed the rules when they deemed it necessary.

A true grass-roots movement, TSC has survived with zero corporate support for a decade. This is a testament to its resilience—very suitable for a warriors’ sport. StrongFirst is about to put its muscle behind the event and making it even more intense and competitive.

Today the TSC events are:

• A three-attempt powerlifting deadlift
• Pull-ups for max reps (palms forward, no kipping, neck must touch the bar)
• Kettlebell snatches for max reps in a 5:00 time period (unlimited hand switches)

The Red Army knew what types of strength matter to a soldier. It never bothered with pushups or sit-ups. The military recruits’ physical included two strength tests: the isometric deadlift and the grip dynamometer. The TSC events are unmatched for building and testing both.

The deadlift is the greatest predictor of overall strength and the most natural movement you can imagine. Deadlift-built hip, back, and leg strength is directly applicable to carrying a heavy kit, a wounded comrade, taking a shock of a parachute canopy opening, etc. Why the DL and not the SQ?—Because an operator does not need chafing thighs.

The weighted pull-up is indispensable for negotiating obstacles.

The kettlebell snatch builds many types of endurance, bulletproofs hamstrings for explosive sprints and sudden stops, conditions the back and traps to put up with body armor, and builds fearsome grip.

The Tactical Strength Challenge is a truly democratic event. While larger competitors may have an advantage in the deadlift, lighter athletes have an advantage in pull-ups, and the kettlebell snatch challenges everyone equally.

Centuries ago great Russian military leader Alexander Suvorov (he never lost a single battle and won 63) said, “Hard in training, easy in combat!” Combat will never be easy but lives are saved with focused training.

Accept the Tactical Strength Challenge!

By Pavel Tsatsouline, Chairman, StrongFirst

Have you done the Total Tension Complex we posted six weeks ago?
Please post your results if you did.

There are two types of training a strength seeker must do.

First, perform a number of sets with moderate weights and reps, e.g. 5×5.  This builds muscle and “greases the groove.”

Second, develop one’s tension skills—the ability to tense individual muscles and to link them into an unbreakable chain.

The first component, volume, is not greedy for variety.  Many athletes have built world-class strength and muscle mass by sticking to the same battery of basics like the three powerlifts.  (Some variety does not hurt, but not on the day-to-day basis.  Switch your bench press grip or move to an incline bench and you are good for another six weeks.)

The second component, tension, thrives on frequent exercise changes.  Consider the Westside Barbell Club practice of changing to a different variation of the bench press on their “max effort day.”  Consider the wealth of gymnastic tightness exercises, each teaching another subtlety of turning your body into a piece of steel.

Enter the Tension Day, a simple model for implementing tension practice in almost any strength regimen, regardless of one’s goals and preferred training implement.

During the week build what Russian coaches call a “foundation” with multiple sets of five, give or take a rep.  Depending on the exercise and individual circumstances (time available, recovery, other physical demands), the frequency will typically vary between once a week to three times a week.

Saturday is your Tension Day.  Take a close look at the exercises listed below.  What do they have in common?

• Double kettlebell front squat
• Double kettlebell static stomp deadlift
• Heavy kettlebell clean
• Heavy kettlebell ¼ get-up
• Bottom-up kettlebell drills
• Kettlebell renegade row
• One-legged kettlebell press
• Tight rope kettlebell press
• Around-the-body kettlebell pass or “slingshot”
• One-legged single or double kettlebell deadlift

• Power breathing
• Hard style sit-up
• Hollow rock and other hollow position drills
• Muscle control exercises
• Yang plank
• One-arm pushup progressions
• One-arm lock-off
• One-arm hang (extra weight in free hand, the working shoulder packed)
• One-arm handstand (wall-supported)
• Walking on hands

• Zercher squat
• Suitcase deadlift
• Back squat, bench press, and deadlift overloads: lockouts, walkouts, supports.

All these exercises, regardless of the implement, develop tension skills in one way or another.  Some do it the brute force way—through more weight.  Examples are a deadlift rack pull, a clean performed with a kettlebell one cannot yet press, the one-arm lock-off (holding the top position of the one-arm pull-up)…

Others do it through a stabilization challenge: bottom-up kettlebell drills, the one-arm/one-leg pushup, the one-legged kettlebell press…

There are pure feed-forward drills demanding that you generate tension out of nothing, such as gymnastic hollow rocks and the Yang plank…

There are combined feed-forward and feed-back moves like the double kettlebell front squat and the renegade row…

Regardless of the implement or the underlying mechanism, all these drills teach you one thing: to get tight.

1,000-pound deadlifter Andy Bolton has spoken: “The strong guys all have one thing in common—they know how to GET TIGHT.  Without tightness, you cannot have strength.  All the best lifters get tighter than the average lifters.  Simple as that.”

So on Saturday select several exercises from the list—say three—and practice your tension skills.

Pick some drills specific to the lifts you aim to improve, e.g., one-arm lock-offs for weighted pull-ups.

Pick others that are more general in nature, e.g. hard style sit-ups for a powerlifter.  (For a gymnast it would be a drill highly specific to the hollow position extensively found in the sport.  For a lifter it is just a way to get tighter overall.)

Some should get your attention through heavy weights, others through stabilization, etc.

Make sure that at least one exercise is unilateral.

Stay around 110% 1RM for barbell overloads.  Heavier weights are dangerous and less effective.

Do not even think about one-arm handstands until you are strong enough to do several handstand pushups between boxes.  Ditto for one-arm lock-offs and hangs until you can do a strict pull-up with an additional 50% of your bodyweight.

Avoid redundancies.  For instance, there is no point in these pairs: hard style sit-up + hollow rock; Zercher squat + double kettlebell front squat; one-arm handstand + bench press support, etc.

But do not overthink your selections either, because every three weeks you get to change them.

Some examples:

Double kettlebell front squat
Walking on hands sideways along the wall
One-arm hang, the shoulder packed

Barbell back squat walkout
Heavy kettlebell clean
Hard style sit-up

Heavy kettlebell ¼ get-up
Deadlift lockout
Power breathing

Start your Tension Day with whatever warm-up or lack of thereof that you know to be safe and effective for you.  Then perform three moderately hard sets per exercise.  Keep your reps low, 1-3.  Keep isometric contractions in the 5-10sec range.  Rest for several minutes between sets, walking around and doing fast and loose drills.

Finish stronger than when you started.  It is extremely important that you understand that what you do on Saturdays is a practice—not a test!  If you have to psych for whatever you are about to do, you are going too far.

You are aiming to feel strong and tight—not crushed.  An optimally heavy weight maximizes muscle tension.  An ego-driven poundage makes muscles quiver and shut down.  Even your mother does not care what your heaviest deadlift lockout is; so do not go there.

Back-off sets, “finishers,” and “smokers” do not belong on your Tension Day.  Wrap up with an extensive, 30-45min, stretching and relaxation practice that includes hanging on a pull-up bar.  Dr. Franco Columbu has warned: “Compression is the worst enemy of a strength athlete.”  Enjoy working both extremes of your muscles’ ability—tension and relaxation—and you shall find strength and health.

# # #

Do not forget:  October 31 is the last day to save $400 on the February, 2014 Level I SFG Kettlebell Instructor Certification in sunny La Jolla, California!

Register HERE.

By Jason Marshall, Senior SFG and Pavel Tsatsouline, Chairman

 

 
Ladies and gentlemen, this is Jason Marshall.  We had two lifters for the East Coast meet in Philly, Ellen Stein and Lisa Burke.  Both won their divisions.   Ellen pulled 400 at 132 and won the best overall lifter award.   Lisa deadlifted 345 at 148, a meet PR.
 

 
We had five lifters for the West Coast meet in Tucson.

Jeremy Travis competed in Full Power.  He pulled 535 at 194 bodyweight.
 

 
Jeremy Layport competed in his first Full Power comp.  He pulled 573 at 212 bodyweight.  He also won best overall heavyweight male with a 690kg total (551-397-573).   9 for 9 in his first meet!

Rhonda Jones competed in the Push Pull.  She pulled 298 in the 132lb. weight class.

Jackie Luciano, SFG II, SFL had a great meet in Full Power.  She pulled a PR 330 at 140 bodyweight.

I completed in Full Power.  Had a great meet.  Came in second by one hundredth of point by Schwartz formula for best overall lightweight male.  I totaled 627.5kg (463-314-606) at 178 bodyweight, 8 for 9 and all meet PR’s.  My second deadlift attempt was 606 and my right foot slipped causing me to wobble right before lockout and I had to set the bar down.  I wanted to attempt 622 for my third, but stayed conservative and hit 606 solid on the third… a very fast pull.  I also won best lightweight male deadlift.
 

 
Our deadlift team won the 1st place as each of the five had the best deadlift of each weight class.  The meet hosted by SFG Team Leader Danny Sawaya’s Tucson Barbell Club had between 140 and 150 lifters.  A number of other SFGs successfully competed: Erlinda Gomez, Jerry Trubman, Marie Musucara.

I would like to thank you for the opportunity to lead the StrongFirst Deadlift team the last couple of years.
 

 
Thank you, Jason!  Ladies and gentlemen, this is Pavel.

A week later Senior SFG Steve Freides set another New Jersey record 100% raw 357-pound pull at 148 pounds of bodyweight and 59 years old.
 

 
I got to celebrate the Father’s Day with my dad pulling another American record—413 in the 198-pound weight class, 75-79 age group, USPA.  Video linked here.
 

 
I want to thank Jason Marshall, Senior SFG for two years of exceptional leadership as the Captain of the StrongFirst Deadlift Team!

Jason just passed the captain baton to two new captains: Ellen Stein on the East Coast and Ricardo Garcia, SFG II, SFL on the West Coast.  Welcome!

The captains have already selected our next two meets.  Mark your calendars: an AAU meet in San Diego, CA, November 7-8 and an RPS meet on Long Island, NY, November 15.

To qualify for the team ladies must pull 2 times their bodyweight and gentlemen 2.5 times in a powerlifting meet sanctioned by any federation or the October 4 Tactical Strength Challenge.  There is no deadline but applications are taken on the first come, first served basis.  Results posted earlier this year or in 2013 are also accepted.  Send your results and application for review to:

Ellen Stein, SFL, East Coast Captain, W8lifter222@aol.com

Ricardo Garcia, SFG II, SFL, West Coast Captain, fullforcepersonaltraining@gmail.com

We will wrap up with a few words from one of our competitors, Jeremy Layport, Senior SFG:

“This being my fist powerlifting meet, the one thing that really surprised me was the lack of technical set up by the majority of participants.  There was a definite difference between a SFL cert attendees or SF DL Team members and every other lifter at the meet.  I personally watched a beautiful bench set up from Jackie Luciano and then saw another lifter’s alarmingly poor set up and bench.  Watching SF Deadlift Team Captain Jason Marshall set up for and pull his 603lb. deadlift was like watching a skilled surgeon make an incision.  It was slow, precise, and exacting which he made look easy.  The bend over, grip, and rip strategy didn’t win me over to say the least—and it sure didn’t seem to win the meet either.  If I could give any one person a training tip it would be learn how to “Root,” “Wedge,” and apply skilled tension.  Then just practice more…”

By Pavel Tsatsouline, Chairman

 
A few years ago, a strange idea emerged from the clinical world: the insect head.  White coats started telling lifters to lock their heads onto their torsos during hip hinge lifts—deadlifts, swings, cleans, and snatches, barbell and kettlebell.

I urge you not to get bogged down by the science and the pseudo-science of their arguments.  Instead, ask yourself these two questions.
 

1. Is there an epidemic of neck problems from the traditional technique — the head up and the neck in extension — among powerlifters, weightlifters and hard style gireviks?

The answer is: No. 

Sure, some athletes from any sport have neck issues but good luck correlating them to neck extension in hinge lifts.  Some powerlifters have neck problems—mostly from driving the head hard into the bench on the bench press.  Some weightlifters and gireviks tweak their necks—usually by whipping them inappropriately.  But from a simple act of keeping their heads up, the way they have been doing it since they were crawling babies?  I do not think so.

Brett Jones, Master SFG, has pointed out that some folks can have problems when their thoracic extension is limited.  The neck has to compensate to keep the eyes on the horizon and goes into hyperextension.  Indeed.  So what is the answer?—Fixing the lack of mobility with professionally applied corrective exercise.  Medical intervention, if there are medical issues.

The answer is NOT dumbing down the classic technique to accommodate dysfunction.  That would be akin to our government lowering the PT standards for the military and firefighters when fewer recruits are able to pass the existing standards.

Indeed, there may be a particular medical case when the doctor tells the patient that he or she must keep the neck neutral throughout a hip hinge exercise.  If that is your doctor’s order—follow it.  But if this is a prescription for another patient… don’t you understand the risks of taking someone else’s drugs?  Medical Rx for one patient ought to never be confused with the standard operating procedure for healthy people.

Now to the second question:

2. Has the new technique improved the performance of top lifters?

The answer is: For some.  And the technique is far from being new. 

Hugh Cassidy and Franco Columbu used it four decades ago.  A review of championship deadlift techniques reveals a remarkable variety of head positions.  Andy Bolton cracked the mystical 1,000-pound barrier with a neutral neck—he looks at a spot 6-10 feet in front of him at the start of the pull.  Lamar Gant, the first man to pull five times his bodyweight, 661 at 132 pounds of bodyweight, did it with an extremely hyperextended neck.

Moving your body into one position or another is often a trade-off.  Extending the neck helps to activate the posterior chain—while weakening the abs and the quads.  A talented powerlifter, with the help of his coach or just through great body awareness, will eventually figure out the optimal amount of trade-off for himself.  (Only competitive powerlifters should do this.  Recreational lifters and athletes from other sports should follow the Olympic lifting and kettlebell lifting guidelines below.)
 

 
Unlike the slow moving deadlift, quick “pulls” (barbell or kettlebell) tolerate no variety in neck alignment.  There is only one way—head up!

If a champion weightlifter cleans 500 pounds, you know he can easily deadlift a couple of hundred pounds more.  That means his quads and abs are not greatly challenged by the first pull (the deadlift part of the clean or snatch).  So robbing Peter (the posterior chain) to pay Paul (the quads and the abs) would be wasteful as Peter is the one doing most of the work in quick pulls.
 

 
The same applies to a hard style girevik.  He has no trouble breaking the kettlebell off the platform and his spine is not crushed by enormous loads.  His mission is to accelerate the relatively light kettlebell to 10G and it is the job of his posterior chain.  So he needs to maximally reinforce it, and neck extension does exactly that.  Lift your head up—extend, not hyperextend—on the bottom of your pull and your entire back side will immediately light up, vibrating with stored energy like a bow.

 
From Supertraining, a fundamental text on strength:

The position of the head has a powerful effect on overall posture…  As it is well known, in gymnastics a dropping of the head forward initiates the forward somersault, just as the backward throwing of the head initiates the back flip in gymnastics and diving…  It is vital to use a definitive extension of the neck to facilitate powerful contraction of the postural muscles of the trunk during all lifting movements from the ground.  This facilitating action of the head should not be done so as to cause a pronounced hollowing of the back…[but] in such a way as to maintain as closely as possible the neutral spinal disposition, with its three natural curvatures…  Correct positioning of the head will ensure that the back assumes the posture where trunk stabilization is shared between the erector muscles and the spinal ligaments…  Action of the eyes is closely related to the action of the head, so it is essential to facilitate correct…posture by using the eyes to guide the head into the position which is most appropriate for each stage of the given movement.  Generally, the neutral spine position is maintained most easily if the eyes are looking almost directly ahead and fixed on a distant object.

We accept the above as the SFG standard.

The only person I have ever seen manage a perfect hard style swing, powerful and graceful, while keeping his neck close to neutral is Master SFG Brett Jones.  He adds some nuances to the standard recommendation and offers an option for some:  “If you are getting yanked into extension during the eccentric catch of the kettlebell, then it is a bad thing.  If the arms are connected to the body and you choose to hold the extension, it can be a very good thing.  When I try to keep my eyes on the wall in front of me I feel like I am jerked into a bit of cervical extension and it doesn’t feel good.  For me it is much better having a focal point closer to me (4-6 feet in front of me).”  Brett adds that he does have a slight cervical extension, even though he is looking at the floor 4-6 feet in front of him.  He observes that most people who think they are neutral are actually in flexion.
 

 
The Master SFG also warns against hyperextension.  It is easy to get into if you are doing your swings almost stiff-legged.  If your knees are almost straight on the bottom of the swing, your torso is bound to be almost parallel to the ground.  That means looking straight ahead will automatically hyperextend your neck.  Remember that the hard style swing is related to a jump and as such demands some knee flexion—not to the point of squatting, but enough to activate the glutes.
 

In summary:

1. The standard recommendation for swings is to keep your eyes on the horizon, which will place your neck into mild extension on the bottom of the swings—provided you have healthy thoracic extension and you are not stiff-legging your swings.  In the gym the “horizon” can be where the wall and the floor meet if you stand far from the wall, an electric outlet, etc.  Note that the “horizon” is lower than your eye level.

 

2. If your upper back is too immobile to allow you to look straight ahead on the bottom of the swing without hyperextending your neck, see a specialist to correct it before swinging kettlebells.

 

3. If you have the required mobility, are not stiff-legging your swings and your neck is still not comfortable on the bottom of the swing, first make sure that it is your lats and not your traps and neck that absorb the force of the kettlebell backswing.  If your technique is correct, you are healthy, and your neck is still not comfortable, experiment with a lower focal point on the bottom of the swing—typically 5-10 feet in front of you.

 

4. Never whip your neck into extension on the bottom and/or into the protracted “chicken” position on the top of the swing (the “bobble head”).

Heads up and power to your swings, ladies and gentlemen!

By ‘The King of The Deadlift’ Andy Bolton

Kettlebells are a waste of time!

Or so I thought, until I became friends with Pavel.

Like many Powerlifters, I dismissed kettlebells outright, because…

“How can something that *only* weighs 48kg do anything for me?”

Fortunately, I eventually decided to start experimenting with kettlebells, and the results have been pretty damn good.
 

THE HISTORY

When I deadlifted 1,003lbs, and then followed it up a few years later with a pull of 1,008lbs – I was squatting extremely heavy. Way over 500kg. (Feels like the weight of the Earth on your back in case you’re wondering)  ;]

Squatting these kinds of weights built tremendous strength in my entire back, glutes, quads and hammies. Think that helped my deadlift? Of course it did!

In fact, when I pulled 1,003lbs, I only went up to 770lbs in the gym on my competition-style deadlifts.

Think about that for a second. It’s kinda weird.

However, in 2009 things changed.

I called 520kg on the squat at the WPC world powerlifting championships, but one side got loaded as if I’d called 560kg. (40kg heavier than it should have been).

I went down about halfway with the bar, but I didn’t come back up.  (Unsurprising.)  The spotters had to help me.  I then benched 290kg and pulled 440kg.

The next day, my left knee blew up like a balloon. Long story short — I had to have surgery. After surgery, the desire to squat HUGE weights – 500kg+ — had gone. I figured it too risky. And kind of a waste of time because squat records have been bastardized by slack judging. (Compare ALL the guys who’ve squatted over 1200lbs and you’ll see what I mean.)
 

THE QUESTION, AND THE SOLUTION

So now the question became:

How Do I Deadlift BIG Without Squatting Heavy?

Enter the kettlebell swing. The 2-handed version. The foundational exercise for all other kettlebell lifting.

Pavel introduced me to this exercise several years ago. We both instantly realized that my body mechanics on the swing are virtually IDENTICAL to my deadlift mechanics.

The perfect assistance exercise?

Er, yeah!

The great thing about the deadlift and the swing is that the amount of knee bend is significantly less than on a squat. Neither exercise causes my knee any bother.

Right now I’m swinging the 92kg kettlebell for 10 sets of 10 reps, on the minute, every minute.

This has given me 3 huge benefits:

• Good work capacity
• Stronger lower back, glutes and hamstrings
• Better grip

Needless to say – all good things if you’re chasing a bigger deadlift!

While I haven’t pulled over 1,000lbs for quite a while – I’m getting close again. I recently deadlifted 380kg in the gym for a double. And it was fast. No big deal. To be honest – 400kg for a double felt like it was there. I’ve never touched those weights in the gym before.

Things are once again looking good for the 1,000lbs-plus deadlift!
 

SIMPLE PROGRAMS FOR THE BEST RESULTS

I know there are many excellent exercises you can do with a kettlebell, But I have stuck to the 2-hand swing. As an assistance exercise for the deadlift it is AMAZING.

And here’s the thing to remember: You can get VERY GOOD at a small number of things if you practice them regularly and stick to a proven plan. Or, you can do many things and become a ‘Jack of All Trades and a Master of none’

I prefer the first option.
 

MY KETTLEBELL SWING PROGRAM

• Start with 48kg for 5 sets of 10 reps.
• Increase work capacity until I was fit enough to do them ‘on the minute every minute’
• Add a set whenever I could until I was up to 10 sets of 5 reps.
• Then add a rep whenever I could until I hit 10 x 10.
• Increase the ‘bell size and repeat.
• And I’ve done that and worked all the way up to the 92kg kettlebell.

Simple? Yes.

Effective? Very.

If you’re wondering how frequently you should do this workout – here’s your answer:

— Do it at the end of your strength training sessions or on your ‘off’ days.

— Start off doing it once a week, then increase to 2 or 3 times a week on non-consecutive days. Do not worry about burning out. The explosive nature of the swing means that it’s pretty easy to recover from.

Give it a try (starting with a size of kettlebell appropriate to your strength level).

Of course, the swing on its own won’t give you an outstanding deadlift. It’ll build your work capacity. It’ll make your ‘deadlift muscles’ strong. And it’ll give you a vice like grip.

But, sooner or later – you have to do some deadlifts!

In my new book – The Big 3 – I explain exactly how to perform your deadlifts, squats and bench presses correctly.

You’ll also get a simple, yet highly effective program for ramping up your strength very quickly on those 3 lifts. Throw in some 2-hand swings and you have a program that’ll make you truly STRONG.
 
 

Learn more about ‘The Big 3’ in Andy Bolton’s new book

By Stuart McGill, PhD

 
Strength is context specific – to remain immovable, to be resilient to blows and forces, and to lift and handle large loads with low risk of injury require a specific type of strength. The body is stiffened to become unbreakable. The martial arts of the island of Okinawa, Japan have embodied these strength principles to develop the “Iron Body”. They involve muscular stiffening augmented with some breathing and breath holding techniques. We have investigated some of these techniques in the laboratory and in the training room. They enhance strength and injury resilience. Here are some thoughts on Okinawan strength and developing an iron body.
 

Injury resilience

The fundamental tenant of resilience to absorb blows and remain immovable is enhanced through drills to achieve total body stiffness. This arises from muscular contraction with breath holding, or controlled breathing techniques to create a rigid, unforgiving cylinder out of the torso. The spine is compressed with this muscle action while it is postured into a neutral position. This means that the normal curves associated with upright standing are maintained. This is corrective for some people who excessively elevate their rib cage during strengthening efforts. The lungs are filled to about 70% of full volume then the ribcage and abdomen are stiffened preparing them to bear tremendous load without any internal micro‐movement at the spine joints.

One of the best drills to achieve a neutral spine while learning the forceful breathing is one we recently assessed, and published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (Badiuk, Andersen and McGill, 2014), we named it the “Lewit” after Dr. Karel Lewit and his colleague Dr. Pavel Kolar of Prague, Czech Republic. Dr. Lewit has contributed a lifetime of creative assessment and corrective exercise approaches based on postural and breathing mechanics. His inspiration combined with great insight into several strength correctives refined by my good friend Dr. Clayton Skaggs of St. Louis, led to this particular exercise. While the masters of Okanowan karate describe “deep abdominal breathing” together with “muscular locks” which involve mindful focus, the “Lewit” forces this torso/abdominal compression with a neutral spine when practiced with the guidelines we published.

The essence of the “Lewit” is to develop engrams of torso stiffness where the torso cylinder remains compressed without ribcage flair. This technique may be employed in pulses or for situations calling for isometric torso strength over longer durations. When the skills acquired during the “Lewit” are transferred to standing, the visual gaze is locked onto the horizontal.

Very briefly (the interested reader is referred to our journal paper for a complete guide), the individual lays on the floor in a crook/lay position, while they teeter on the sacrum to achieve a neutral spine. Then the exercise really begins at the bottom of low tide breath, where the last remaining air is forced out of the thorax through tightly pursed lips creating a resistance.

Once this ability to create an “iron torso” is mastered, techniques to “root into the earth” are practiced leading to the full deployment of Okinawan strength in daily strength training.
 

“Root” Training

Rooting into the ground begins with skilled development of the “big foot”. The foot is trained to grip the ground using the toes and the heels. This creates the largest base of support possible. “Stomping the foot” to achieve the muscular root is a common practice. A progression would begin with rooting both feet, then continue by standing and rooting with just one foot. These skills are tested by a partner pushing the stiffened and rooted trainee in pulses, and with slower forces to hone the ability to steer the line of drive through the linkage into the rooted feet. Pulses may be applied with a stick – essentially the partner is given full permission to “beat the trainee” looking for a “soft spot”. Any soft spot is indicated by pain. The trainee learns to stiffen the area, eliminating the tissue compliance and pain. The forces applied to challenge the “rooted posture” may be made more complex with the addition of twisting loads applied to the arm, leg and torso.

Other progressions may include learning to wedge the body against immovable objects. Here the body is stiffened to apply isometric force to the object, and well rooted and wedged. Mindful focus is used to conduct a survey throughout the body, auditing for any feeling of weakness or compliance. This is then corrected with more regional stiffness.
 

Putting the principles together to enhance performance and injury resilience

Unfortunately, in my clinical practice consulting on back pain I see far too many patients created by trainers prescribing strength training without sufficient “Okinawan strength”. They mistakenly have clients perform exercises such as deadlifts thinking that preservation of a neutral spine is the primary coaching cue. Those practicing Okinawan strength would begin with:

• Establishing a root to the floor.
• The torso is stiffened with motion only at the hip and knee to allow descent to the bar.
• As the grip is established on the bar the latissimus and torso muscles form an “anti‐shrug” effort adding more torso stiffness.
• The breath is held and the bar is pushed downwards further compressing the torso.
• The stiffened body becomes a wedge under the bar.
• Then instead of “lifting the bar”, mindful thought is directed to “pulling the hips forward and through”.

Of course this would be preceded by hip assessments to establish the safe depth of the squat ‐ whether the client is qualified to pull the bar from the floor or whether they should pull the bar elevated on blocks. It is important not to impinge the hips nor sacrifice the neutral position of the stiffened spine. If you are familiar with the coaching cues of my friend and elite coach Marty Gallagher, coaching superstars in the powerlifting world such as Karwoski and Gillingham, you will be familiar with Okinawan strength principles.

Other athletic endeavors may require the ability to burst out from Okinawan stiffness into a speed task. Speed is only possible with muscle relaxation. Pavel Tsatsouline has promoted these ideas via kettlebell techniques where he hones cyclic stiffness and relaxation. There are several relaxation drills to create speed out of a base of Okinawan strength that enables faster limb motion, and higher strike force.

Many techniques throughout the martial arts have been given traditional explanations and Okinawan techniques are no exception. For example, “pushing the tongue forcefully to the roof of the mouth behind the front teeth” traditionally has been explained as the connection of energies between body meridians. However, modern scientific investigation in our lab has confirmed that this engages the deep flexors of the neck, stiffening the neck and providing an anchor for the trapezius complex to begin the formation of the stiffened tower that will enhance lifting and pulling ability.

There is a downside to some iron body “hardening exercises” from traditional Okinawan techniques of striking and being struck. Some old masters have damaged their hands from years of “strike hardening” that they are substantially disabled. However, those who have developed the skill of muscularly hardening with pristine technique and no joint damage build impressive durable athleticism into their later years. As a testament to good form, Marty Gallagher has just enjoyed his 45th year of pulling 500 pounds from the floor!
 
More in‐depth analysis of creating injury resilience and performance enhancement is contained in my textbook “Ultimate back fitness and performance”. (see www.backfitpro.com)

1. Badiuk, B.W.N., Andersen, J.T., McGill, S.M. (2014) Exercises to activate the deeper abdominal wall muscles: The Lewit. J. Strength Condit. Res., 28(3):856‐60. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3182aac3f3.

2. McGill, S.M. Ultimate back fitness and performance, Fifth edition 2014, Backfitpro Inc., Waterloo, Canada, ISBN 0‐9736018‐0‐4 (www.backfitpro.com)

The author thanks Dr. Craig Liebenson, Los Angeles Sport and Spine, who inspired this article.
 

By Brett Jones, Chief SFG Instructor

 

It is approaching. The event you have been preparing for is drawing near.

Does it approach with the sound of the Jaws theme (da) or the Rocky theme?

I’ll let you think about it for a moment…

You may have put months of training, sweat and focus into this event. And for the purposes of this article we will assume that that event is the April TSC. Pull-ups, deadlifts and snatches – oh my… Will “the plan come together” as they used to say on the A-Team?

Hopefully you began your training plan with the end in mind. Working backwards from a competition date and goals for that day is the best way to lay out the plan. There are many paths you could have been on to get to the event but now the time is here. So how do you arrive on “game day” ready to perform?
 

 
I don’t know who said it (maybe Dan John) but the saying to keep in mind here is:
 

“You cannot win an event in the last week or so of training — but you CAN lose it.” click to tweet

 
In other words, the work has been put in and in the short-term leading up to the event, there is little to be gained but a lot to be lost if you try to “cram” for the event. Let’s boil this down to the last two weeks before the TSC.

In general I am a huge fan of replicating the event day as a training day, in the last few weeks of training, especially. If your TSC is on Saturday at 3 pm I would try to get as close as possible to that timeframe for a main training day on Saturdays. You do not want to be in the routine of an evening exercise session and all of the sudden have to get up at 6 am to compete (or vice versa). Teach your body that it needs to be ready at a certain day and time; don’t just hope that it will rise to the challenge.

The training for this day should basically mimic the event. If you have never had to perform an intense set of snatches after pulling a max deadlift and pull-ups you might be in for a surprise. And competition days are not the days for surprises. This does not mean that every Saturday is a day where you try to max out the three events. It means you should structure your training in the format of the event. If deadlifts are first in the order, then deadlifts are your first lift of that day, etc. This is applying a “grease the groove” type of mentality to your competition. When you have “lived” the competition for the last few Saturdays, you can roll into the event with a calm focus.

Your last heavy or intense sessions should be about 2 weeks prior so that the week before the event is just easy recovery and prep work. April 11 is the day so April 4 should be an easy run through of the event. But March 28 could have been your last intense session. Between the 28th and the 4th is up to you and your knowledge of how you recover. Some people will be able to have some specific work on the events during that week while others need to glide in with easier work. For example, an individual with good recovery might hit the last intense pull-up work on the 30th and a good snatch practice on April 1st but the last heavy deadlift will likely have been pulled on the 28th of March or before. All of this is adjusted to you the individual. If this is your first time peaking for an event, you will learn a great deal and be better able to create your plan for future events.

Snatch Test

To succeed in a competition, a long-term build-up in training is required. Shortly before an event, not much more can be gained – but fatal mistakes can be made. I really like these tips for tapering from 2Peak:

1. Don’t make any experiments just before (or during) an event.
2. Remain calm and collected. Remember that long term training brings results.
3. Don’t try to make good any training deficit shortly before an event.

So it is approaching. Hopefully these tips will help you plan accordingly as you complete your training plan and compete at the TSC.

 
Further Reading:

• TSC a Decade Later
• TSC Rules
• Five Weeks to a Big Deadlift
• TSC – The Plan
• How to Make Your Snatch Test Easier

 
About the Author:
Brett Jones is the Chief Instructor for SFG and a Certified Athletic Trainer and Strength and Conditioning Specialist based in Pittsburgh, PA. Mr. Jones holds a Bachelor of Science in Sports Medicine from High Point University, a Master of Science in Rehabilitative Sciences from Clarion University of Pennsylvania, and is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). With over 20 years of experience, Brett is an Advisory Board member and presenter for Functional Movement Systems. He continues to evolve his approach to training and teaching, and is passionate about improving the quality of education for the fitness industry. He is available for consultations and distance coaching by e-mailing him at appliedstrength@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @BrettEJones.

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By Pavel Tsatsouline, Chairman

The full contact twist.
Photo courtesy Prof. Stuart McGill’s Spine Biomechanics Lab at the University of Waterloo, Canada

By now, proper abdominal training should not be a mystery.  The body of experience and scientific knowledge serve up powerful methods on a platter—yet they get lost in the Internet noise…

Perhaps a fashionable “list article” will catch your attention?  With apologies to Rob Lawrence, who rightfully despises list articles as “snack food for the mind”, here is my list of ab dont’s:
 

1: Chasing the “burn”

The “burn” is just a manifestation of mounting acidity produced when one is in the glycolytic energy pathway, the choice pathway for amateur coaches more interested in “smoking” their victims than in making them strong.  Dr. Fred Hatfield famously quipped, “You like burn?—Light a match.”

High levels of tension are prerequisite for making a muscle stronger and the highest levels of it are available for less than 30sec—before the burn kicks in.
 

2: Not focusing on the contraction

Your muscle can contract in response to the load (feed-back) or to a command from your brain even in the absence of resistance (feed-forward).  Examples of the former are the farmer’s carry and the double kettlebell front squat.  Examples of the latter are, the double kettlebell clean, the hard style sit-up, and power breathing.  For maximal strength development both types of training are a must.

Bodybuilders got the feed-forward ab work figured out.  They focus on the contraction rather than the reps—and have the abs to show for it.  First Mr. Olympia Larry Scott, a master of “mind-muscle connection”, showed me some of his ab contraction techniques.  His attention to detail and understanding of anatomy were impressive and his focus was extraordinary.  Mr. Scott was the exact opposite of the clowns glued to their phones while doing crunches.
 

Pavel’s patented abdominal training device has clocked over 175% of maximal voluntary isometric contraction at Prof. McGill’s lab. In other words, if you purposefully tense your abs as hard as possible, the Ab Pavelizer™ will make them tense almost twice as hard!
Photo courtesy Prof. Stuart McGill’s Spine Biomechanics Lab at the University of Waterloo, Canada

3: Not using enough resistance

Feed-back training demands high external resistance.  It can be a heavy weight or poor leverage.

Examples of the former include the full contact twist and the one-arm farmer carry.  I am not including a weighted sit-up because it is a pain logistically.  Getting a stack of 45s in place and then holding on to them is not something you want to do more than once…  Examples of the latter are the dragon flag and the hanging leg raise.
 

4: Exclusively isometric training

Isometrics are very valuable and the role of planks, L-seats, and heavy lifts demanding a strong brace cannot be underestimated.  However, experience has taught me that people who have not trained their abs dynamically, a stretch followed by a peak contraction, are not fully aware how to engage them 100% statically. (Of course, such training is not for the flexion intolerant.)
 

5: Not making every exercise an abdominal exercise

An expertly performed heavy deadlift is an exercise in both feed-forward and feed-back tension.  Engaging a solid brace before the pull is the former.  Staying tight under a moving load is the latter.

Former Mr. Olympia Dr. Franco Columbu told me that because he hated direct abdominal work all he did for his abs was keeping them tight in all lifts.  He ended up winning the “Best Abs” award and, more importantly, deadlifting over 700 pounds at a bodyweight of around 180.
 

The call to action

There are many exercises to choose from for effective ab training.  The key is to practice both feed-forward and feed-back tension and to say farewell to the “burn”.  All of the StrongFirst curricula—kettlebell, bodyweight, and barbell—are obsessive about building strong abs.  Consider the Total Tension Kettlebell Complex as an example.

You can always keep it Kettlebell Simple & Sinister.  On the given plan the efforts are brief and intense—10 reps per set in the swing and 1 in the get-up.  The get-up has a dynamic spine flexion component that cramps your abbies the way the sit-up never could.  Feed-forward tension is addressed through bracing and power breathing.  Feed-back tension is taken care of once you persevere to reach at least the “simple” goal.  When you wrestle a heavy kettlebell in a single arm exercise, everything in your midsection cannot help lighting up like a Christmas tree.

Power to your abs!
 

The StrongFirst Courses and Certifications are great ways to learn the feed-forward and feed-back methods in this article.

By Danny Sawaya, SFG Team Leader, SFB, SFL

Over the past couple of years my focus in strength has shifted from kettlebell training to the sport of powerlifting. Why?

1. I wanted a competitive outlet in my life. I felt as if I was turning into a chronic exerciser and I wanted a focus. I was an athlete growing up and really missed having that in my life.

2. All the principles I applied in learning kettlebells have transferred over perfectly to powerlifting. The mastering of tension, breath, rooting, and focus all come in to play.

Powerlifting really brought a new meaning to the words “train with purpose.” You can set many PRs in the gym, but the game changes once you step on that platform. Training for powerlifting beat the exerciser out of me and helped me find what I have been missing.

Danny Sawaya, SFG Team Leader, SFL, SFB

The Benefits of Powerlifting Training

In powerlifting, each session has a goal that must be met, less does mean more, and there isn’t much room for the fluff the fitness world promotes. The goal is to become stronger, period. I am forced to train smarter and have more discipline. Train with purpose: those three words really have become the driving force behind each and every one of my training sessions.

Here are a few of the things my training focuses on:

1. Making each rep look like the last one.
2. Making  heavy weight move quickly.
3. Feeling stronger after each training session, not exhausted and destroyed.
4. Shooting for improvement in each session.

Improvement comes in different forms each session, and it isn’t always about lifting more weight. Often, the same weight that felt heavy two weeks ago will suddenly feel like a warm-up set. Those grindy reps that crushed you not long ago become an explosive set that makes the barbell look like a toy.

Since I began to compete in powerlifting, strength has taken on a new meaning.  Over the past few years I have experimented with numerous programs and have seen lifts go up and down. I have experienced the joy of hitting PRs at a meet, and the frustration of putting in tons of work but falling short of every expectation I trained so hard for when I actually got out on the platform.

Taking all the good with the not-so-good,  I will say there is no other sport I would rather compete in. The pursuit of strength makes me hungrier to accomplish greater things, even though it may take months and months of work to see incremental gains. I encourage all who are reading this to consider training for a meet. Over the past few years I have had over twenty clients compete in meets and we have formed a solid team of powerlifters at Tucson Barbell Club.

Tim Almond, SFG II, SFL

Here are a few things I would like to pass along for those thinking about competing in their first powerlifting meet.

1. Don’t Cut Weight

Cutting weight is the biggest rookie mistake I see when people are training for their first meet. There is enough going on with training and peaking for a meet. As you peak, the loads generally increase, and even though volume of training goes down, your body will be ready for the meet to be done and over with the closer to the meet you are.

Adding the stress of eating less and or water cutting has no benefit. You start to focus more on your body weight rather than the weight you lift. If you choose to cut weight, be prepared. As your body weight goes down, your risk of lifting less goes up, especially on the bench press. My own realization after cutting miserably was this: I personally didn’t get involved in lifting weights in order to brag about being the smallest strong guy.

2. Don’t Wait Until You Are “More Competitive”

I hear this from people all the time: “I want to wait until I can squat X or Total X before I register for my first meet.”  The funny thing is, if they wait that long, the meet may never come.

The part of powerlifting that is the most fun is setting your own goals and beating your own personal records. If it is your first meet, it is all a personal record. Waiting to be competitive is just an excuse. The truth is no one cares what you lift — they are all focused on hitting their own personal records, not chasing yours. In other words, you aren’t as important as you think you are — just show up and lift. You will find a great and supportive community at most meets that will cheer you on.

Programming lessons at the SFL Certification in Italy

3. Set Realistic Goals

Setting realistic goals is crucial and it often takes a coach or trusted and experienced training partner to help with this. If you have only benched 250lbs and you set your eight-week peaking cycle to hit 300lbs at your meet, you will have a harsh lesson to learn. If you are newer you will see bigger gains, but I would recommend keeping jumps to 5%. If you are a 400lb squatter a 10% jump would be a squat of 440lbs. Lifters with smaller numbers may be able to get away with the 10% jump easier.

4. Peak Smart, Don’t Miss Lifts

A five- to eight-week gradual peaking program is sufficient for most lifters. Just make sure to taper volume as you get closer to the meet. Doing lots of assistance work and extra volume doesn’t have any place in your final two to three weeks of training. Also, it is crucial that you do not miss lifts leading up to the meet.

Stay away from grindy and ugly looking reps on the peaking cycle. Nothing is worse than grinding out a weight that is less than your opener before the meet. It will get in your head, which is never a good thing. How does this happen? Doing too much volume and training too much, overestimating your percentages, setting unrealistic goals, or pushing too hard too soon.

If you know you are having an awful day and your warm-ups are slow and not getting better, sometimes it is better to lift the next day and be fresh. Less really is more in peaking. For those who normally exercise themselves into an oblivion this may be a challenge, since your workouts will be short and include only one or two lifts.

Thomas Pesce, SFG lifting for the judges at the Italy SFL Certification

5. Practice Commands

Nothing is worse than hitting your all-time PR and turning around to see you were red-lighted because you didn’t wait for the judge to give you the rack command. Each lift has a set of commands you must follow. Your bench press must be paused, so it is best to practice this for a considerable amount of time. Benching 300 at the gym for one rep is different than waiting for a judge to tell you when to press.

At Tucson Barbell Club, we practice commands each session on our peaking cycle. Since we tend to do many singles on our peaking programs, we partner up and make sure the commands are practiced.

Additional Tip: Order your singlet ahead of time and practice in it prior to the meet — it feels different and sometimes throws people off.

6. Be Conservative and Plan Ahead

It makes me cringe to see someone walk up to their opening lift and grind it out as if their life depended on it. This should only happen on your final attempt.  Even worse, is when they miss an opener.

Keep in mind, if you miss the opener you can’t go back down in weight. You have two more attempts to make it, but you pretty much know at this point it is going to be a long flight of lifts. Most coaches will recommend to open with 88-92% of your goal, or in other words, open with a weight you can hit for three or four reps.

Feeling confident with your opener is important and sets you up for more success. Many times at weigh-in you will be asked for your openers, so you should know them for about a week leading up to the meet. You don’t want to be scrambling and putting down any number. Also, have your second and third attempts written out so you have a plan. Plans can change, but it is always good to have one.

Most powerlifting federations will have a conversion chart, but be prepared to put your numbers down in kilos. You may find your attempts may be a few pounds off of what you expect, because the units don’t convert perfectly. Most federations will have their kilogram charts available online with the expected jumps in weight. This is also where having a coach or handler helps a lot.

Elisa Vinante, SFG II, SFL Cert, in her first ever IPF PL meet where she set the women’s Italian record in the squat and bench press.

7. Know the Federation’s Rules

Each federation has its own set of rules and they can vary. It is important to know this ahead of time so you can train appropriately. Some allow only the toes to come in contact with the ground on the bench press, and others require the entire foot to be in contact with the ground at all times. Some allow Velcro belts, others have requirements on belt width. There are lots of little things you should familiarize yourself with prior to the meet – and the sooner the better.

8. Get a Handler

Having someone to help you is important. There is a lot going on during the meet. There are different flights of lifters and knowing when to warm up is important. If you warm up too soon, you run the risk of being cold by the time you’re up to lift. Warm up too late and you are rushing right before you want to hit some big lifts.

Pavel Tsatsouline, Chairman of StrongFirst, coaching his father, Vladimir, at a meet this past Father’s Day where Vladimir set a US record.

Depending on the number of people in my flight, I start my warm up sets while the flight in front of me is starting their second attempts. Having a handler will help you keep an eye on all of that, let you know when your attempt is coming up, as well as telling the scoring table what your next attempts are. Your job should be to lift and then sit back down until you are told to lift again.

9. Bring Snacks and Don’t Get Too Excited

Be prepared for a long day. Many times meets can run over eight hours. Poorly run meets can run twelve or more hours. You could be finished with your squat attempts at 11am and not bench press till 1 or 2pm.

It is important to stay hydrated and nourished throughout your day. Sometimes you can get a meal in, but I am not big on eating meals during the competition. Calorically dense foods that don’t take up much room in the stomach are important. My ritual is to eat  breakfast three+ hours before the meet. In between each of my big lifts, I enjoy one or two Snickers bars. It keeps my energy levels high and doesn’t fill my stomach. (Now is not the time to lecture me on healthy eating choices — it just works.)

Having caffeine throughout the day isn’t a bad idea for some lifters, but beware of the designer pre-workouts that amp you up. Remember, this is a long day. The higher up these pre-workouts bring you, the farther they will bring you crashing down. If a powerlifting meet was a one-hour event that would be one thing, but if you are crashing on pre-workouts after your squat and you need another fix, you are going to have a miserable day. By the time you get to your deadlift you are going to be wiped out.

Another reason I discourage taking these — especially early in the competition — is that they amp you up, when you should already be amped up just by being there. One of the keys to having a good meet — and not just a good lift — is to manage your energy. If you start screaming your head off after hitting a big squat and jump up and down like you won the World Championships you will have wasted key energy you needed for your remaining two lifts and numerous attempts ahead.

I wish you the best in your Journey in strength and hope to see you on the platform soon!

Danny Sawaya is a StrongFirst Team Leader and Owner of Evolution Fitness Systems and Tucson Barbell Club. Danny holds the 100% Raw Open State Record in the Squat in the 181 weight class in Arizona and the NASA National Record for the 181 weight class, SubMasters Division.

The post 10 Essential Tips to Prepare for Your First Powerlifting Meet appeared first on StrongFirst.

By Derek Miller, SFG II

So, I want to deadlift. I want a strong deadlift. I want a really strong deadlift.

Oh, you too? I don’t need to inform you of the benefits of adding barbell work into your programming. Whether it’s the front squat, deadlift, bench press, military press, or other great staples in a barbell diet, you’re probably aware of their effect on your overall strength development. I would explain, but that’s not what this article is about.

I want to give some suggestions on how to stay healthy while gaining strength in your barbell lifts.

You can’t lift big off an unbalanced foundation.

Kettlebell Lifts as Correctives

I’ll start by reminding you of the inherent “corrective” aspect of the single kettlebell lifts. From here forward, I will simply refer to this “corrective” aspect as balance or balancing.

Single kettlebell exercises will make you strong. They will also make you durable. They do this by balancing the left and right sides of the body in strength, mobility and coordination, to say the least. If you believe what Gray Cook tells us with his Functional Movement Screen (I do), then you understand that balanced strength and mobility makes us more resilient to injuries. It is easy to forget this awesome benefit of the kettlebell when we get eager to set a PR in one of the barbell lifts.

As barbells start to take up more and more of your strength practice, you may realize that they don’t always promote balance left to right. Let us hope this realization doesn’t come from actualization of an injury. A barbell lends itself to heavier poundage and thus more strength gains. It may not, though, give your core everything it needs to stay healthy.

Below, I suggest a few exercises that can act as accessories to your powerlifts. Accessory exercises help build muscle, stop strength leaks, and add training volume without undesired stress to the nervous system. The particular exercises I’ve suggested promote balance among the left and right sides of the body.

The Lesson of the Wooden Dowel

Cook also tells us that the core should be trained in a symmetrical, split, and single-leg stance. Think deadlift, lunge, and single-leg deadlift. A few days after learning this, I decided to test myself. My findings were alarming! I could barely perform a single-leg deadlift (hip hinge) on my right leg. This was with zero weight. A wooden dowel told me the truth about my deadlift. At the time, I was pulling 2.5-times bodyweight. I was asking for an injury.

After a few weeks and a lot of tedious work, I balanced my hip hinge right to left in both strength and movement quality. I dodged that bullet. Subsequently, my competition deadlift became easier. My max went up in the following weeks; thus, breaking a plateau.

The more balanced you are, the more resilient you become. The more resilient you become, the more you can train. The more you can train, the stronger you grow.

Start with lunges and single-leg deadlifts to get here.

How I Got Bigger Deadlifts – and Stayed Healthy

After re-reading some of Pavel’s literature and studying the FMS more deeply, I experimented with several different exercises. Here is what I have found to help myself and my students stay healthier and grow stronger:

• Suitcase Deadlift
• Single-Leg Deadlift (1 and 2 kettlebells)
• Barbell and Kettlebell Racked Lunges
• Turkish Get-Up
• Farmer’s and Bottoms-Up Carries (both with one kettlebell)
• Single Kettlebell Bench Press

These exercises give you a chance to assess your tension techniques one side at a time. They allow you to find strength leaks more easily. They promote balance of your strength, mobility, stability, and coordination. They make you stronger.

Now, don’t get carried away and try to set a record for the heaviest suitcase deadlift or replace all your squats with lunges. After all, these exercises and other variety exercises are simply grease for the bigger machine. Treat them as dessert or appetizer, but not as your main meal.

How you program them is up to you, and I would be creative. I make it a point to always warm up for a heavy deadlift session with a couple sets of single-leg deadlifts. Perhaps, use the kettlebell bench as one of your bench training days. What I have recently done is to group a few of the exercises together and call it a session.

Yet another option would be to finish your practice with one of these lifts. If you’re a sumo lifter, try finishing your session with barbell lunges for a few sets. Your glutes will thank you (after they stop hating you). If you’re a more intuitive student, you can practice them freely until you feel balanced and maintain from there.

I’ve included sample program ideas from times past. I’ve included the weights for my balancing exercises simply to give an example of how easy these exercises can be.
A week from my book:

Day 1:

• 2KB S.L.D.L – 3x3reps each leg – 20kg to 32kg – Under 20% of DL MAX
• Sumo DL – 5X5
• Weighted Chins – 3×5
• Barbell Lunge – 3×8 each leg – 95 to 135lbs – Under 25% of Squat MAX
• Single KB swings or snatches – 80-120 reps total
• Farmer’s Carry – 100yards each arm – 40kg

Day 2:

• Bench – 3,3,3,5,5,5
• Bent Row – 3 to 5 x 5reps
• TGU – Weight ladder – 1 rep each to top weight
• B.U. Carry – 50 yards total each hand – 24 to 32kg depending on feel

Day 3:

• Back Squat – 5,3,2 – 5,5,5
• Suitcase DL – 5×2 each – 135 to 205lbs – Under 30% of DL MAX

Day 4:

• Barbell Push Press – 3 to 5 x 3reps
• KB bench press – 5 x 8-10
• Weighted Pull-ups – 3 x 5
• Plank Variations

A week from a student’s book:

Day 1:

• S.L.D.L – 3×5 – Light to medium weights
• Deadlift – work up to top set of 3-5
• Weighted Pull-ups – 5×5

Day 2:

• Top of the minute for 5-8 rounds:
• Bench – 5@50-75%
• Barbell Front Squat – 3@ 40-75%
• Snatch – 6 each arm
• TGU Sit-up – 2 each – 20-36kg
• BU Carry – 20yds each hand

Day 3:

• Deadlift – work up to 75% of top set from #1 session
• Suitcase DL – 3×3 – Light to medium weights
• Plank Variations

Day 4:

• Top of minute for 5-8 rounds:
• KB bench – 5 each
• 2KB Racked Lunge – 5 each leg
• 2H Swing – 10
• Farmer’s Carry – 20yds each hand
• Toe Thrust – 30sec

I think where balancing exercises get a bad name is when they are used as a lift and not an exercise. In other words, when you major in minors, you don’t get very strong.

The approach I use is to concentrate on these exercises when needed. Then, when you have achieved balance, maintain them as warm-ups, back-offs, or on a variety day. If you are unfamiliar with these exercises, Gray Cook, Brett Jones, Pavel, and Dan John have all written about them. Read some literature, dial in your technique, and be STRONG!

The post The Secret to Big Deadlifts: Do the Small Things appeared first on StrongFirst.

By Derek Miller, SFG II

If you know me well, you know that I LOVE strength training. If you’ve ever even had dinner with me, you know I LOVE strength training. But I am not a fan of inefficiency in training. I often scrutinize my training programs, looking for fluff. And in so doing, I will question percentages, frequency, reps, volume, progressions, recovery methods, and other important things (like the phase of the moon).

Laura Chamorro deadlifting

If you have ever written a program for a large group of people, you realize that the recovery methods and capabilities of separate individuals are, in fact, very different. Everything from lifestyle to genetics to priorities and much more have an effect on a person’s recovery. So, you have a choice: write a bajillion individual programs or write “one program to rule them all” (my precious).

Now, let’s pretend you have a student/client/athlete who needs to develop multiple skills (both sport and lifting) at once. If you try to push multiple physical attributes too hard at one time, injury or stagnation will almost definitely occur. This article suggests a way to simplify one small facet of training: the deadlift.

Why a Training Plateau Happens

When plateaus present themselves, in general, I suspect insufficient recovery to be the culprit. Said another way: overtraining or training at too high of an intensity often causes plateaus. My strategy for breaking through such a plateau is:

1. Lower the intensity
2. Lower the volume
3. Increase the frequency
4. Eat more protein

Below is a deadlift program designed around this strategy. If your deadlift MAX is between 1-2 times bodyweight, then this is a great program for you. If you have a physical or tactical job or you are a fighter, this is a great program for you. If you want to develop another skill or lift for while, this is a great program for you.

The Logic Behind the Daily Dose Deadlift Plan

The program is designed around 75% of your one rep max. Training at this level feels easy. It should. Each workout will be 3-5 single reps (3 to 5 sets of 1 rep). Training at such a low volume keeps you fresh for other activities, such as firefighting, MMA, or any other sport — fishing, in my case. The program calls for five days a week of deadlifts.

Training this often does a lot of cool things to your nervous system. Enough cool things that it could be a whole article and probably a book. Long story short, this approach makes your CNS very efficient and adaptive. We want that for strength training.

The Daily Dose Deadlift Plan

As you can see, only six of your 45 sessions are above 75%. That’s only ~13% of the sessions. The good and the bad thing about high frequency programs is that they reinforce your technique, good or bad. So, use good technique. Some suggestions to aid you along the way are:

1. Pull explosively (doesn’t mean sloppy)
2. Maintain your flexibility/mobility
3. Use some specific variety along the way
4. Keep your endurance work to a minimum
5. Eat enough to gain strength

Let me expand on points three and four:

• Specific variety for your deadlift can be a different stance, grip, or lifting from a deficit. Power to the People Professional by Pavel goes into great detail about specialized variety.
• When I say “endurance work,” it might be better to say “overall workload.” If you are doing Viking Warrior Conditioning and training for a marathon, I’m very sorry. I think I got a little less strong just typing that. Where’s my steak? At that point, you are probably already overtraining. I’m not trying to conflict with what I said earlier, but don’t expect great gains in strength, if you are carrying that kind of workload.

A few benefits to this type of programming:

1. Can have your deadlifts done in under fifteen minutes, easy
2. Increase your body’s preparedness
3. Increase your work capacity
4. Gain muscle if fed properly
5. Lose fat if fed properly
6. Build a stronger grip
7. Get to deadlift almost every day
8. WTH effect is amplified. Watch everything else become easier

How to Follow the Daily Dose Deadlift Plan

Follow the percentages and pull 3-5 single reps, five days a week. You can lift any five days as long as they are within a seven-day week. Try for 5 singles, but if you aren’t feeling strong just do 3.

This program gives you the chance to learn about your body’s recovery rhythm. You will notice some sessions will feel easy and others of the same percentage not so easy. Even when everything else in your lifestyle is the same, you will probably notice some slight variation in your perceived exertion day to day. Learn from what your body tells you. You can use it in later programs.

For warm-up reps, do as little as you feel comfortable with. I’d suggest 2-4 single reps. I recommend resting 1-2 minutes between sets during your working sets.

Key points:

1. Warm up – 2-4 light singles
2. 3-5 singles (based on percentages on chart, rest 1-2 min between sets
3. Shoot for 5 training days out of 7

This plan is going to be easy and that’s okay. More than likely, it will take a couple weeks for your body to acclimate to deadlifting so often. Then, your daily dose should somewhat normalize into a rhythm as I hinted at earlier. Finally, let’s say that you miss five days of deadlifts because you get bit by a black mamba. Simply go back about five days from where you left off and start from there. This is easy strength training at its purest. Perhaps, even easier strength training – but it works. Enjoy!

The post Daily Dose Deadlift Plan appeared first on StrongFirst.

By Tim Almond, SFG Team Leader

The Tactical Strength Challenge (TSC) is a huge part of StrongFirst’s future. In Australia, we take it very seriously. It’s bridging gaps between communities that don’t normally associate and welcomes newcomers into our circle of strength. It’s a challenge among friends and total war between rivals.

The TSC means so much to me that I plan my entire year of training around it. I start TSC training for the following year just two weeks after the last competition. And I love the training itself as much as I love competition day.

Therefore, it may come as no surprise that I’m here to share a few training and competition tips from observations I’ve made from my own personal experience. These simple, but effective tips may be beneficial to anyone who competes, but are specifically aimed to those of you who have been struggling to improve your score in one or more of the TSC disciplines.

Identify Your Weakness to Improve Your TSC Numbers

Everyone has a weakest discipline. Whether it’s by a large margin or a smaller one, we all have something that needs work. The hard part is acknowledging where your major effort needs to be applied, and that requires you to be honest with yourself.

For me, it’s the deadlift. I build my year around improving this lift. I still want to improve my pull-ups and snatches, but I don’t actually mind if they stay about the same while my deadlift improves, as the deadlift is ultimately what’s holding my score back.

As you know, the TSC works on a grading system whereby you receive points according to how you placed in each discipline. For example, if you came second in the deadlift, you would get two points. If you were seventh in pull-ups, then you receive seven points, and so on.

You must carefully study these numbers. If any of your numbers are consistently far greater than the others, then odds are you know what your weakness is. Even if you haven’t competed in a TSC before, you can still guess your score by plugging in your approximate numbers to see where you would have scored and calculating your total for each of the disciplines.

Build a Program to Train Your Weakness

Once you have identified your weakest link, you must build your program around it to ensure nothing else will affect its progress. For example: if the pull-ups are your weakest link, then changing pull-ups to the start of your session rather than the middle or end might work well. I actually have two training days per week especially for pull-ups. Due to the volume (200-300 per week) I need, these sessions can take ninety minutes-plus to complete so I program them separately.

In my experience, you are far better off having all three disciplines closer together in scores than having them spread out with two good scores and one poor score. Here are my tips for each discipline:

Deadlift

Know your target to plan your lifts.

Hire a Strength Coach

I was once told that if your write your own programs, then you have a fool for a client. I truly believe you can and should employ coaches to learn from whenever possible. Doing so may be the best investment you ever spend money on.

If you know a certified StrongFirst barbell instructor then that would be my first recommendation. Alternatively you can find one near you by clicking here.

Just a heads up – you won’t always like what you hear from other coaches. Do your homework and choose the trainer you feel is right for you, then do exactly what he or she says. Don’t change this or that because you think you know best. You hired a coach for a reason so listen and learn.

Work the Plan and the Plan Will Work

In TSC competition, you have three chances to pull your best deadlift. Plan to pull your target weight on the second lift. Use the first lift to get a score on the board. I usually pull 90% of the target on my first attempt. Having an attempt in reserve allows you a second crack at your target weight should you have a failed lift.

I have noticed in both training and competition that a max deadlift attempt can and does have quite an impact on both your pull-ups and also your snatch test. So here’s the key – if you successfully pull your target weight on the second attempt, be happy with it and stop there. The difference between saving yourself for the pull-ups/snatches and having that third pull could make all the difference.

Pull-ups

The pull-ups are the weak spot for many.

Bar Thickness

The pull-up event tests your maximum number of pull-ups with strict form. Every single rep needs to count. To achieve this you’ll want to have geared your training accordingly.

By competing on a thick bar, I can crush grip it in a way that my hands are slightly higher on the bar (see below). I squeeze the bar with my thumbs over the top of the bar, palms facing away, nice and high. This takes some getting used to but it results in about one to two inches less distance you will need to pull to get contact between the bar and your throat.

The strategic grip I use to get more pull-ups.

Super Loading

I like to do a few warm up reps with 24kg kettlebell so that when I pull my max set I feel super light. It sounds crazy but when you weigh 105kgs as I do, anything that can make you feel light is definitely a high pay off.

*Use less than 50% of your 1 rep max, 30-40% would be best.

The Snatch Test

The switch is key in the snatch test

Rest and Recover

I know by this point in the competition, it’s all getting a bit exciting and you just want to get it done so you can have your shot of vodka and pickle juice, but you will need to wait at least 45 to sixty minutes before snatching. If you have done more than twenty pull-ups, then I recommend waiting sixty to 75+ minutes as your forearms and overall grip endurance will still be recovering.

Speed Switching

I like to do a concentric (upswing) speed switch as opposed to an eccentric (downswing) switch. When switching while the bell is descending, you have less time to get the gripping hand out of the way, and if you are even one second late and start the upswing while both hands are on the bell, this will be considered a no rep, and we can’t have that!

Speed switching only really works if you can do the snatch test unbroken. If you are parking the bell, then you waste time anyway so it’s not worth the risk.

If you are doing the test unbroken and with a speed switch then 10L, 10R is the best number to stick to as doing more reps only fatigues your grip. You aren’t losing time on switching so there is no benefit in punching out more than ten reps per side.

The concentric speed switch is faster and far safer, in my opinion. See how to perform the concentric speed switch here.

Wrapping Up

Hopefully, there are a few tips in there that will get you those extra couple of pull-ups or snatches you’ve been chasing. For further information or guidance on TSC training please feel free to contact me. I hope you all tactically challenge your strengths!

Tim Almond is a StrongFirst Team Leader from Perth, Australia. He is the owner and head trainer at Box 33, which specializes in strength education and TSC specific programing. Email Tim for more information.

TSC Results – 2015 April: Mens Open 1st place; 2014 October: Mens Elite 2nd place

The post How to Systematically Improve Your TSC Numbers appeared first on StrongFirst.

RECAP

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Fall 2015 TSC saw more participants than ever. Incredible results, and INSPIRING efforts!

So many PRs — among them, a few ladies who achieved their first-ever pull-ups on this day — right next to PRs like Jake Garcia’s, of 10kg weighted pull-ups for 16 reps, for the first time (as well a PR in snatches, quite accurately reported as “5 minutes in hell”).

Many people PRd in all three lifts, including Chad Paulus, Kristen O’Brien, Dennis Koester, Toni Pluess-Hefter, and Mark Albert, just to name a few. Jessica Cenidoza participated for the first time this year, after having five kids – and set a lifetime PR in her deadlift. Hilary Paris also went for it for the first time, just eleven weeks after having a kid. James Sjostrom did not have his best TSC. But since he had sliced off half of his left index finger just two weeks before and still competed, we won’t give him too much grief about it (and we’ll also spare you the gory [though awesome] photo). And in San Clemente, Marilyn Bender Katzmark stole the show with a 250lb deadlift, at the age of 76.

What a great event. The spirit and camaraderie on this day — like Derek Toshner — cannot be beat. Thank you to everyone who participated, especially the hosts, who are listed below.

TOP COMBINED SCORES IN EACH CATEGORY

Now, let us acknowledge the highest combined scores in each of the eight categories. (For full rankings and results, please visit the leaderboard HERE.)

WOMEN’S NOVICE

In first place, Vix Sharp at Hybrid Fitness in Belfast.
146 snatches, 81 second FAH, and 264 DL.

In second place, Mahlako Mahapa at The Yard Athletic in Johannesburg.
134 snatches, 81 second FAH, and 320 DL.

Tied for third place, Paula Smyth at Box 3 in Perth.
143 snatches, 92 second FAH, and 254 DL.

Also in third, Beth Amman at The Phoenix Gym in Salt Lake City.
149 snatches, 69 second FAH, and 285 DL.

WOMEN’S OPEN

In first place, Christine Kuczek at Chicago Primal Gym in IL.
150 snatches, 14 pull-ups, and 295 DL.

In second place, Katy Duncan at Box 33 in Perth.
145 snatches, 13 pull-ups, and 296 DL.

In third place, Karen Searle also at Box 33 in Perth.
129 snatches, 13 pull-ups, and 309 DL.

WOMEN’S ELITE

In first place, Anna Dovi at Iron Mind Performance & Fitness in Dryden NY.
95 snatches, 11 pull-ups, and 355 DL.

Tied for second place, Cori Berg at TNT Performance in Brookfield WI.
112 snatches, 8 pull-ups, and 280 DL.

Also in second place, Kelly Almond at Box 33 in Perth. (Box 33 again!)
142 snatches, 3 pull-ups, and 353 DL.

WOMEN’S MASTERS

In first place, Elizabeth Arndt at Omaha Elite Kettlebell in NE.
150 snatches, 4 pull-ups, and 300 DL.

In second place, Monika Lowe at Fit 2 Recover in Salt Lake City.
141 snatches, 9 pull-ups, and 235 DL.

In third place, Michele Payne at Empowered Strength in Bend, OR.
126 snatches, 5 pull-ups, and 275 DL.

MEN’S NOVICE

In first place, The Flavinator(?) at Box 33 in Perth!
153 snatches, 20 pull-ups, and 485 DL.

In second place, Blake Christenson at VAULT Fitness in Eden Prairie MN.
139 snatches, 18 pull-us, and 475 DL.

Tied for third place, Troy Nielsen also at Omaha Elite Kettlebell.
152 snatches, 17 pull-ups, and 455 DL.

Also in third place, Matt Nichols at Catskill Kettlebells in Delhi NY.
136 snatches, 16 pull-ups, and 485 DL.

MEN’S OPEN

Tied for first place, Aldo Alberico at Crossfit Lugo in Ravenna, Italy.
148 snatches, 22 pull-ups, and 573 DL.

Also in first place, Tim Almond at Box 33!
154 snatches, 31 pull-ups, and 518 DL.

In third place, Jason Marshall at Lone Star Kettlebell in Lubbock TX.
132 snatches, 20 pull-ups, and 610 DL.

MEN’S ELITE

In first place, Derek Toshner also at TNT Performance in Brookfield WI.
134 snatches, 21 pull-ups, and 625 DL.

In second place, Jake Garcia at Hardstyle KBJJ in Corpus Christi TX.
106 snatches, 16 pull-ups, and 573 DL.

In third place, Adam DeMarais also at VAULT Fitness in Eden Prairie.
101 snatches, 14 pull-ups, and 630 DL.

MEN’S MASTERS

Tied for first place, Phil Neumann also at Catskill Kettlebells in Delhi NY.
120 snatches, 13 pull-ups, and 430 DL.

Also in first place, Greg Havlik also at VAULT Fitness in Eden Prairie.
144 snatches, 21 pull-ups, and 365 DL.

And in third place, James Patrick Cummings also at Catskill Kettlebells.
110 snatches, 22 pull-ups and 340 DL.

Congratulations to all of you!

SNAPSHOTS

(just a few random photos from the day)

HealthTracks Performance in Springfield, MO

Catskill Kettlebells

Lois Tatro’s first-ever Tactical Strength Challenge with a 235lb DL and 82 snatches at BeStrong Training in Wichita KS.

The Gainz crew in Vancouver WA

Good advice.

Aleana and Cory Myers

Better. in Gig Harbor WA

Efx in Manchester NH

Derek Toshner (elite division champion)’s daughter Lydia, age 8

JM Custom Fitness in Duluth MN

Jake Garcia, second-place finisher in the Elite division: “Besides all the kettlebell work I do and body weight practice, I am proud to say that I have pulled over 3.25 times my bodyweight with no other assistance lifts or gimmicks just the practice of the DL itself. If I have learned anything about barbell or kettlebell training is that strength is a skill, and that skill must be practiced.”

Kettlebility!

One of the 60 (sixty!) competitors at The Phoenix Gym in Salt Lake City

Maureen Harris at Skill of Strength got PRs in all events, including 15 (perfect) pull-ups.

“I’d like to thank this guy for believing his mamma could do this strength stuff. In 6 months I’ve increased the amount of kettlebell snatches done for 5 minutes from 83 to 103 with a 12 kilo bell. AND I’ve increased my dead lift from 160 pounds to 195!!! Thanks for pushing, believing in and keeping me healthy Eric Grimsley!” —Eric Grimsley’s mom, Va

Brian Wright’s group in Ashburn VA

Kinetic Fitness in Duluth MN

Sara O’Neill at her first TSC, and also PRd her deadlift

PARTICIPATING HOST FACILITIES

Finally, thank you to every one of these facilities for hosting this Fall 2015 Tactical Strength Challenge.

ACTIV Physical Therapy
Armour Building / CrossFit Chatahoochee
Art & Strength
Athletic Leaders
Atlanta Strength and Conditioning-Marietta
Barefoot Fitness / KMG Greystones
BeStrong Training
better., LLC
BKC Gym
Box 33
Breakthrough Strength & Fitness
Buckeye Kettlebells
Catalyst Strength Studio
Catskill Kettlebells
Charleston Kettlebell Club
Chicago Primal Gym
Crossfit Epitome
CrossFit I35
CrossFit Lower Town
CrossFit Lugo
CrossFit RIED
EFX Fitness
Empowered Strength
FIREBELLZ
Fit 2 Recover
FUELHOUSE
Full Force Personal Training
Function 5 Fitness
Functional Training Prague
Gainz Strength Training Gym
HARDSTYLE KBJJ
HealthTracks Performance Training Center
Heaven Hell asd
Heavy Metal Girya
Hybrid fitness
Hybrid Gym
Industrial Strength
Iron Mind Performance & Fitness
Iron Strength Kettlebell Gym
Ironkore performance training systems inc
Junkyard Training Center
KB5 Gym Praha
Kettlebell X Training
KETTLEBILITY
Kinetic Fitness
Lone Star Kettlebell
Los Campeones Gym
Method Training
Mojo Strength
Move Physical Therapy
NJ Kettlebells
Noonan Sport Specialists
North Beach Kettlebell
Omaha Elite Kettlebell
Primitive Strength
Queen City Kettlebell
Reactive Training
SCT – Bittan Academy
Skill of Strength
Sleeping Tiger Fitness
Spencer School of Strength
StrongFirst Israel
Test Fitness
The Lab Strength & Fitness
The Phoenix Gym
The Yard Athletic
TNT Fitness Results – West Bend
TNT Performance
Tysons Playground
VAULT Fitness
Velocity Strength & Fitness
Victory Strength and Fitness
WillPower Strength & Conditioning

TSC GEAR

For extra tees and tanks, be sure to get your orders in in the NEXT THREE DAYS. The store will be closed forever after the 7th.

NEXT UP…

The Spring 2016 TSC will take place on April 23. Fall 2016 on October 1. Mark your calendars!

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU!

The post Fall 2015 TSC Recap appeared first on StrongFirst.