Pavel Tsatsouline Kettlebell Workout Plan

[Melchior Dow]

PavelTsatsouline swung into prominence on the rounded handle of the kettlebell back in 2001, with the release of his training manual "The Russian Kettlebell Challenge." But today, this now-common iron ball only forms part of his prolific body of work.

Modern strength coaches point to his popularization of various high-tension techniques, programs using ascending rep ladders, movements like the RKC plank, and "greasing the groove" by practicing difficult movements throughout the day. Powerlifters can thank (or curse) him for the Smolov squat cycle and other Iron Curtain training relics he helped bring to light.

Collectively, these ideas constitute "hard-style" training, a remarkably cohesive and adaptable approach that "reverse engineers what strong people do naturally," as powerlifter and strength coach Louie Simmons has said of Tsatsouline. All of his work emphasizes simple programming, maximal tension, and "practicing" difficult movements rather than "working out."

Along the way, Tsatsouline also started the Russian Kettlebell Challenge (RKC), a teaching certification renowned for its meticulous technique and grueling physical examinations. But in 2012, he and a number of RKC insiders split away to form StrongFirst, a "school of strength" that offers barbell and bodyweight courses and certifications in addition to kettlebells. But lest anyone think that he has "taken a hard right toward 1RM strength," as he wrote in a blog post, Tsatsouline has returned to the kettlebell workout in his new book "Kettlebell: Simple and Sinister."

"Kettlebell: Simple & Sinister" is perhaps Tsatsouline's most bare-bones program yet, but also his meanest. It comprises only two movements (plus a brief warm-up routine) to be repeated daily, with rest days only as necessary, until several universal strength benchmarks are met. It doesn't offer any breaks or customizations for bodyweight or age, but rather simply declares, in the book's final words: "Repeat until strong."

Simplicity is nothing new to followers of Tsatsouline's work. He's written three other books based on programs with only two movements: "Power to the People," "The Naked Warrior," and "Enter the Kettlebell." But in these, he still allowed for the slightest bit of customization: a biceps curl here, some low-rep ab training there, a bit of modular program-weaving when it didn't seem to hurt anything. No more.

In Russia, the kettlebell traditionally has been a training tool for tough people. When I started teaching kettlebells to Americans, I saw the same pattern; my early students were military operators, fighters, and other hard men.

What pleased and surprised me over the years is how this hardcore tool went on to appeal to people from all walks of life. My teaching goals used to be narrow: Make the tough even tougher. Today they are broader: Enable regular folks to join the tough. Finally become the man or woman you used to want to be.

The Russian kettlebell has a lot to offer to a bodybuilder. In my book "Return of the Kettlebell," I explained the science behind using repetition kettlebell quick lifts for hypertrophy. In a nutshell, fast eccentrics physically "tear" up the muscles; a metabolic upheaval from extremely demanding full-body quick lifts "tears" them up chemically with free radicals.

The results are extraordinary, even at the elite level. Powerlifting world champion Brad Gillingham quickly added meat to his back, hams, and glutes just from a few sets of hard style swings with an 88-pound kettlebell. Amuse yourself: This is exactly 10 percent of his 881-pound deadlift.

I taught powerlifter Donnie Thompson how to train with kettlebells for power. In just three months Donnie packed 26 pounds of muscle on his already overwhelmingly muscular frame. In nine months kettlebells added 65 pounds to his deadlift and 100 pounds to his bench press. Today Thompson owns the highest powerlifting total in history: 3,000 pounds.

My "Deadlift Dynamite" co-author Andy Bolton, the man who cracked the historic 1,000-pound deadlift barrier, swears by kettlebells. But note that stimulating hypertrophy with kettlebells demands a very particular "hard-style" technique and specific programming. Refer to "Return of the Kettlebell" (once you have dialed in kettlebell fundamentals).

Nothing gets lost on the professional and serious amateur level. Everything gets lost in the mass market. It does not bother me. People who buy pink kettlebells and similar nonsense live in a parallel universe I have no interest in. They are flakes drifting from one "build muscle fast" and "lose fat tomorrow" scheme to the next. They will never achieve their goals, and I have no intention of wasting my time motivating them. I preach to the choir.

I am not saying that serious kettlebell training is elitist. Not at all. The price of admission is a strong spirit and attention to detail. At a recent StrongFirst kettlebell cert, one of the students was an extremely motivated young man with cerebral palsy.

StrongFirst is a school of strength. We teach men and women how to quickly and safely reach high levels of strength without interfering with their duty, job, or sport. Our instructor team includes national champions, national team coaches, former special operators, elite martial artists, national team doctors, performing strongmen, and other high-end strength professionals.

The written test is the easiest part of the cert. StrongFirst subjects its instructor candidates to a "martial arts belt test." The student has to demonstrate perfect exercise technique, have his or her spirit tested in grueling workouts, pass strength tests, and demonstrate teaching skills. Walking the walk is the only way to earn the StrongFirst instructor designation.

Not surprisingly, our kettlebell cert is extremely demanding mentally and physically and requires extensive preparation. In spite of the high caliber of the individual it attracts, typically 30 percent of the students fail.

I am proud to be a subject matter expert to elite U.S. military and law enforcement special operations units. Here is an example of what operators say about StrongFirst methods: "And suddenly the Hindu Kush was easy."

Thus GPP is about developing all fitness components with means carefully selected to have the widest possible carryover. Consider two familiar exercises: the leg extension and the barbell squat. The former makes you better at one thing only: the leg extension. This makes it a poor choice for GPP. The barbell back squat, on the other hand, makes you jump higher, run faster, hit harder, etc.

Thus the squat is a good GPP exercise and the leg extension is not. GPP is what "functional training" was supposed to be but failed, confused and distracted by what Mark Reifkind, Master SFG, calls "random acts of variety."

"Kettlebell: Simple & Sinister" will teach you how to build a rock-solid general base for your specialized training in bodybuilding, powerlifting, etc. Nothing does it better than the kettlebell. Consider the hard-style kettlebell swing. Which other exercise can increase both a professional powerlifter's strength and an elite marathoner's endurance?

Note that there is a world of difference between swinging a kettlebell and performing a proper hard-style swing. The devil is in the details. And this is where "Kettlebell: Simple & Sinister" comes in. I have written it in the tradition of "The Naked Warrior," with a laser focus and obsessive attention to detail.

It is all about focus. Your body's adaptation reserves are limited, and so is your training time. A comparison to a family budget invites itself. You could go on a memorable vacation, buy a couch, or waste your dollars on gadgets, apps, and cappuccinos.

Minimalist programs like "Power to the People!" or "Kettlebell: Simple & Sinister" enable lifters to achieve real and measurable progress. Do not confuse "minimalistic" with "beginner." A great many elite power athletes strength train with a limited number of exercises. Coach Barry Ross put 17-year-old Allyson Felix on the "Power to the People!" regimen of deadlifts and bench presses, and she ran a world-record 200-meter sprint.

Ronen Katz, a StrongFirst instructor and 6th Dan in Kyokushin karate, told me a parable. A villager asked a wise man how to find water. "Dig down 10 meters," was the answer. A few days later the villager returned complaining that he had done as told and found no water. The wise man came over to take a look: the villager had dug 10 holes, each 1 meter deep.

I have been using kettlebells (KBs) in my exercise program since 2000. At that time, I was a trainer at a local gym, and my boss went to a seminar by this guy named Pavel Tsatsouline. The owner was always looking to add new things to his kitbag. He bought KBs from 10 lbs to 100 lbs. He showed me the things he learned at his weekend clinic. We applied these tools immediately to our clients and ourselves. I used kettlebell swings as a staple to prepare me for the Army. I still love using kettlebells today.

On some of the kettlebell sub-reddits, I heard people talking about this 10,000 swing challenge. Now this sounded interesting. 5 times the volume of S&S plus Dan John, the author, had other exercises being done in between sets.

I took the program recommendations initially and did the first 10 workouts in the 10/15/25/50 with the 24kg/53lb bell. Instead of doing the 1,2,3 rep strength moves in between, I substituted bodyweight or kettlebell movements to keep it simple. After a few workouts, I just added in the same rep scheme for one movement in between every set. For example, 10 swings, then 3 handstand push-ups, then 15 swings, then 3 handstand push-ups, etc. I rotated through various push, pull, and squat movements like weighted box step-ups, weighted pull-ups, toes-to-bar, sandbag front squats, etc. for every workout thereafter.

I am devising a new program today that will take the lessons learned from Simple & Sinister, the 10k challenge, and the last 20 years into account. I am going for something very simple. It will involve kettlebell swings and TGUs as staples. I will post the template and results when I am done.

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