Building Absolute Strength to complement Sustained Strength
Generally speaking, adept kettlebell adherents have incredible amounts of sustained strength. My own weird area of expertise lies in the creation of absolute strength. As it turns out, my experience at building absolute strength has value for kettlebell adepts. The ability to build absolute strength is one of four unique disciplines I bring to the kettlebell party. My other areas of expertise relate to muscle-building/fat-shedding nutrition, the use of monitoring tools during K-bell sessions and the application of periodization tactics to kettlebell training. The first step in acquiring absolute strength is grasping that the tactics used to increase absolute strength differ substantially from the tactics used for building sustained strength.
Jim Ski's sustained strength is off the charts, particularly for a guy on the wrong side of 50. As a testament to his substantial sustained strength, a few weeks back the 52 year old performed no less than 800 'swings' using a 54 pound bell - this Herculean demonstration of stamina and grit took 49 minutes. The man is a human locomotive. The chink in his proverbial athletic armor lies in a lack of pure power, the kind of power needed to muscle-up a big bell for a single rep. Ski needed an infusion of absolute strength for a very specific purpose: he is heading for Minnesota in June for his Level II Certification and needs to be able to press the 80 pound kettlebell overhead one time - something he has never been able to do. Jim agreed he needed my help - but was naturally cautious: he wanted a strategy that complimented his Turkish Get-Up and Clean and Press ladder training strategy, as described in Pavel's Enter the Kettlebell! He used my approach on what would have been his heavy C&P Ladder Day.
My idea was to devise a power-infusing method AND lean-out his blurred physique. He was a few biscuits shy of weighing 230 pounds when we started working together in February. I devised a dietary approach that whittled his bodyweight down from 226 to 206, while simultaneously adding muscle mass needed to power up poundage. He is on his way to a 194 pound bodyweight in June. My dietary approach for K-bell trainers will be covered in a future article: suffice to say that the dietary dilemma is not how to lose body weight - anyone can do that by slashing calories - the nutritional Rubik's Cube is how to lose body fat while actually adding muscle. The solution lies in riding the razor's edge between anabolism and catabolism; a subtle, demanding, disciplined undertaking.
World class marathon runners have a maximum vertical leap (a primal test of explosive power) of 12 to 18 inches - they cannot leap high however they can leap their maximal height a thousand consecutive times. A 350 pound, world class Olympic weightlifter can leap upward 40 inches - yet they "gas out" after three or four consecutive reps exerting maximum power. The contrast between these two athletic archetypes is the very definition of aerobic ability versus anaerobic power.
I hatched a strange strategy for building Ski's absolute strength. I ripped a page from the training log of ancient strength superstar Ken Fantano. At his power peak, Kenny stood 5-11 and weighed a rock solid 360 pounds. (Check out his photo in my chapter on him in my book, The Purposeful Primitive.) Ken could bench press 625 for a dead-stop double; he could incline press a pair of 200 pound dumbbells for 6 paused reps. No bench shirts, thank you very much. Kenny was no one-note Johnny, having squatted 953 for an ass-on-heels double. Anyway, I was one of his training partners and he related to me his barbell pressing strategy that I expropriated and modified for kettlebell use. To quote the ever insightful Fantano...
"If the goal is to increase your incline dumbbell pressing power, I use a 'four work set' strategy. Warm up and then perform four work sets. I purposefully pause between all my reps - no bouncing or rebounding at the bottom turn-around to create momentum - I want to push every rep from a complete dead-stop. If my current best was say, 115 for 6 reps in the paused incline dumbbell press and my immediate goal was to press a pair of 120 pound dumbbells for six reps, then I would use the following strategy: after warming up thoroughly I would perform the following four work sets...
set # 1, 100 x 6
set # 2, 105 x 6
set # 3, 110 x 6
set # 4, 115 x 6
Let's assume I make these workout poundage and rep goals - that is I complete six paused reps in each of the four sets, ending with 115 x 6. Now most trainees would think, 'Great! I made 115 x 6 so in the next training session I can move up to a pair of 120s on my top set.' WRONG! You'll never make it! Instead, the following training session you do this...
Set # 1, 105 x 6
set # 2, 110 x 6
set # 3, 115 x 6
set # 4, 115 x 6
If you make everything in this session, the following workout you go...
set # 1, 110 x 6
set # 2, 115 x 6
set # 3, 115 x 6
set # 4, 115 x 6
NOW you are ready! The following week you are allowed to attack the 120s for six paused reps. In order to do that; you need first to make three sets of six paused reps; then and only then are you "allowed" to move the next higher poundage increment.
I expropriated Ken's strength wisdom and applied it to kettlebells. Our first goal was for Ski to make three sets of three reps with the 70 pound kettlebell. The training template was as follows: warm-up with a 44 pound kettlebell for 6-8 reps in the one-arm press, jump to 60 for a single rep (don't waste strength pressing this preliminary poundage a bunch of times) - now it's time to get down to business of building absolute strength...
Set # 1, 70x3
set # 2, 70x3
Set # 3, 70x3
Here we pick up his e-mail correspondence...
Marty,
This morning I performed heavy presses. Felt pretty strong; got the following...
set # 1, 70x3
set # 2, 70x2
set # 3, 70x2
Made 3 reps @ 70 lbs. (32kg) with the right hand on the first set. Only got 1 with the left arm - but then got 2 reps with the right arm using the 70 in two subsequent sets. It was a bit strange - the 70 lb. bell seemed to feel lighter with each subsequent set.
My follow-up e-mail reply...
On Apr 8, 2009, at 7:45 AM, Marty Gallagher wrote:
I think alternating between hands is a mistake. Doing ANY left hand sets with 70 during the strong arm work is DETRIMENTAL. You are zapping your available right arm strength - if you must work the weak arm, wait until the strong arm work is completely done. Then and only then do whatever "weak arm" work you feel necessary - by alternating hands, you undoubtedly lost a rep or two off sets 2&3 handling the 70. Think of it this way: your body has a finite amount of strength going into a workout. At the June RK certification, they're not going to be testing your left arm strength - the test is a single rep with the right arm. Let's sculpt our training to reflect that reality...Approach these sessions as if it was 80-pound certification day - warm-up as you intend to warm-up and lift as if you were competing. Will you do alternate presses with the 70 the day of the certification? No, of course not; so let's not do this now.
Jim wrote back....
Yes, I was alternating hands. I will ensure the strong side is worked completely before working the left arm.
The following Monday after ditching the alternating strategy Jim hit his mark...
Marty,
Made three sets of three with the 70.
Our new goal was three sets of FOUR reps in the right hand press. He took another press session three days later and made another quantum leap forward...
Marty,
I performed 3 sets of 4 reps with my right hand using the 70lb kettlebell. Per our conversation I did the strong arm completely before switching to my left arm presses.
Needless to say, I was ecstatic. Seven days and two sessions later he wrote to me with the following amazing result...
Marty,
You provided the inspiration. I pressed the 80 pound kettlebell this morning for 1 solid rep with the right arm; and this was towards the end of the resistance workout after I did ladders with the 62 pound bell almost failure. In other words I was fatigued and still pressed the 80. Ten weeks until the RKC II certification.
Since Ski keeps moving his absolute strength upward at this rocket-ride rate using the "expropriated Fantano" approach, we will now raise our sights: I want him to hunt bigger game in June, I want him to press THE BEAST, all 106 pounds of dead lead, this at age 52 and while weighing 194 pounds...now that would be one hell of a goal! His head is spinning; we'll keep you apprised of his progress.
Interested in becoming a phone-train client of Marty's?
Contact him directly at www.mgso@embarqmail.com
Generally speaking, adept kettlebell adherents have incredible amounts of sustained strength. My own weird area of expertise lies in the creation of absolute strength. As it turns out, my experience at building absolute strength has value for kettlebell adepts. The ability to build absolute strength is one of four unique disciplines I bring to the kettlebell party. My other areas of expertise relate to muscle-building/fat-shedding nutrition, the use of monitoring tools during K-bell sessions and the application of periodization tactics to kettlebell training. The first step in acquiring absolute strength is grasping that the tactics used to increase absolute strength differ substantially from the tactics used for building sustained strength.
Jim Ski's sustained strength is off the charts, particularly for a guy on the wrong side of 50. As a testament to his substantial sustained strength, a few weeks back the 52 year old performed no less than 800 'swings' using a 54 pound bell - this Herculean demonstration of stamina and grit took 49 minutes. The man is a human locomotive. The chink in his proverbial athletic armor lies in a lack of pure power, the kind of power needed to muscle-up a big bell for a single rep. Ski needed an infusion of absolute strength for a very specific purpose: he is heading for Minnesota in June for his Level II Certification and needs to be able to press the 80 pound kettlebell overhead one time - something he has never been able to do. Jim agreed he needed my help - but was naturally cautious: he wanted a strategy that complimented his Turkish Get-Up and Clean and Press ladder training strategy, as described in Pavel's Enter the Kettlebell! He used my approach on what would have been his heavy C&P Ladder Day.
My idea was to devise a power-infusing method AND lean-out his blurred physique. He was a few biscuits shy of weighing 230 pounds when we started working together in February. I devised a dietary approach that whittled his bodyweight down from 226 to 206, while simultaneously adding muscle mass needed to power up poundage. He is on his way to a 194 pound bodyweight in June. My dietary approach for K-bell trainers will be covered in a future article: suffice to say that the dietary dilemma is not how to lose body weight - anyone can do that by slashing calories - the nutritional Rubik's Cube is how to lose body fat while actually adding muscle. The solution lies in riding the razor's edge between anabolism and catabolism; a subtle, demanding, disciplined undertaking.
World class marathon runners have a maximum vertical leap (a primal test of explosive power) of 12 to 18 inches - they cannot leap high however they can leap their maximal height a thousand consecutive times. A 350 pound, world class Olympic weightlifter can leap upward 40 inches - yet they "gas out" after three or four consecutive reps exerting maximum power. The contrast between these two athletic archetypes is the very definition of aerobic ability versus anaerobic power.
I hatched a strange strategy for building Ski's absolute strength. I ripped a page from the training log of ancient strength superstar Ken Fantano. At his power peak, Kenny stood 5-11 and weighed a rock solid 360 pounds. (Check out his photo in my chapter on him in my book, The Purposeful Primitive.) Ken could bench press 625 for a dead-stop double; he could incline press a pair of 200 pound dumbbells for 6 paused reps. No bench shirts, thank you very much. Kenny was no one-note Johnny, having squatted 953 for an ass-on-heels double. Anyway, I was one of his training partners and he related to me his barbell pressing strategy that I expropriated and modified for kettlebell use. To quote the ever insightful Fantano...
"If the goal is to increase your incline dumbbell pressing power, I use a 'four work set' strategy. Warm up and then perform four work sets. I purposefully pause between all my reps - no bouncing or rebounding at the bottom turn-around to create momentum - I want to push every rep from a complete dead-stop. If my current best was say, 115 for 6 reps in the paused incline dumbbell press and my immediate goal was to press a pair of 120 pound dumbbells for six reps, then I would use the following strategy: after warming up thoroughly I would perform the following four work sets...
set # 1, 100 x 6
set # 2, 105 x 6
set # 3, 110 x 6
set # 4, 115 x 6
Let's assume I make these workout poundage and rep goals - that is I complete six paused reps in each of the four sets, ending with 115 x 6. Now most trainees would think, 'Great! I made 115 x 6 so in the next training session I can move up to a pair of 120s on my top set.' WRONG! You'll never make it! Instead, the following training session you do this...
Set # 1, 105 x 6
set # 2, 110 x 6
set # 3, 115 x 6
set # 4, 115 x 6
If you make everything in this session, the following workout you go...
set # 1, 110 x 6
set # 2, 115 x 6
set # 3, 115 x 6
set # 4, 115 x 6
NOW you are ready! The following week you are allowed to attack the 120s for six paused reps. In order to do that; you need first to make three sets of six paused reps; then and only then are you "allowed" to move the next higher poundage increment.
I expropriated Ken's strength wisdom and applied it to kettlebells. Our first goal was for Ski to make three sets of three reps with the 70 pound kettlebell. The training template was as follows: warm-up with a 44 pound kettlebell for 6-8 reps in the one-arm press, jump to 60 for a single rep (don't waste strength pressing this preliminary poundage a bunch of times) - now it's time to get down to business of building absolute strength...
Set # 1, 70x3
set # 2, 70x3
Set # 3, 70x3
Here we pick up his e-mail correspondence...
Marty,
This morning I performed heavy presses. Felt pretty strong; got the following...
set # 1, 70x3
set # 2, 70x2
set # 3, 70x2
Made 3 reps @ 70 lbs. (32kg) with the right hand on the first set. Only got 1 with the left arm - but then got 2 reps with the right arm using the 70 in two subsequent sets. It was a bit strange - the 70 lb. bell seemed to feel lighter with each subsequent set.
My follow-up e-mail reply...
On Apr 8, 2009, at 7:45 AM, Marty Gallagher wrote:
I think alternating between hands is a mistake. Doing ANY left hand sets with 70 during the strong arm work is DETRIMENTAL. You are zapping your available right arm strength - if you must work the weak arm, wait until the strong arm work is completely done. Then and only then do whatever "weak arm" work you feel necessary - by alternating hands, you undoubtedly lost a rep or two off sets 2&3 handling the 70. Think of it this way: your body has a finite amount of strength going into a workout. At the June RK certification, they're not going to be testing your left arm strength - the test is a single rep with the right arm. Let's sculpt our training to reflect that reality...Approach these sessions as if it was 80-pound certification day - warm-up as you intend to warm-up and lift as if you were competing. Will you do alternate presses with the 70 the day of the certification? No, of course not; so let's not do this now.
Jim wrote back....
Yes, I was alternating hands. I will ensure the strong side is worked completely before working the left arm.
The following Monday after ditching the alternating strategy Jim hit his mark...
Marty,
Made three sets of three with the 70.
Our new goal was three sets of FOUR reps in the right hand press. He took another press session three days later and made another quantum leap forward...
Marty,
I performed 3 sets of 4 reps with my right hand using the 70lb kettlebell. Per our conversation I did the strong arm completely before switching to my left arm presses.
Needless to say, I was ecstatic. Seven days and two sessions later he wrote to me with the following amazing result...
Marty,
You provided the inspiration. I pressed the 80 pound kettlebell this morning for 1 solid rep with the right arm; and this was towards the end of the resistance workout after I did ladders with the 62 pound bell almost failure. In other words I was fatigued and still pressed the 80. Ten weeks until the RKC II certification.
Since Ski keeps moving his absolute strength upward at this rocket-ride rate using the "expropriated Fantano" approach, we will now raise our sights: I want him to hunt bigger game in June, I want him to press THE BEAST, all 106 pounds of dead lead, this at age 52 and while weighing 194 pounds...now that would be one hell of a goal! His head is spinning; we'll keep you apprised of his progress.
Interested in becoming a phone-train client of Marty's?
Contact him directly at www.mgso@embarqmail.com
