Colt's Enter the Kettlebell log

[Colt McCoy]

After several months off, I’m getting back on the horse. Last year I did a couple of cycles of what was essentially a kettlebell routine with back squats and heavy barbell cleans & presses thrown in. Prior to that I had done several 5x5 cycles. At the end of last year I was working with a 1.5 pood (53 lb.) bell. Late last year I took a break after a cycle, but I never got myself motivated to get back to it except for running sporadically and occasionally playing around with my KBs. I’m getting back on the horse now with new 6-month goals: 200 Snatches in 10 minutes with the 1.5 pood KB and 5 Overhead Presses with each hand with the 2 pood (70 lb.) KB. I may also add a goal of closing my 250 lb. Gripper too, but I’ll start with the kettlebell goals first. I really have no idea how realistic these goals are. They might be way too hard or way too easy in that time frame.

I’ll start doing what’s pretty close to Pavel’s Enter the Kettlebell plan.

<u>Monday (Light Day)</u>
- Snatches
- Clean &amp; Press

<u>Tuesday (Variety Day)</u>
- Overhead Squats
- Front Squats
- Turkish Get-Ups
- Halos

<u>Wednesday (Medium Day)</u>
– Swings
- Clean &amp; Press

<u>Thursday (Variety Day)</u>
- Overhead Squats
- Front Squats
- Turkish Get-Ups
- Halos

<u>Saturday (Heavy Day)</u>
– Swings
- Clean &amp; Press

Snatches and swings are done EDT style. The ETK program calls for rolling two dice to see how long I snatch each day, so 2-12 minutes, ldo. On light days and medium days I do the time period, but at a less than maximum effort so fewer reps.

The Clean &amp; Presses are done Ladder style up to five ladders with up to five rungs each.

I’m going to start back with the 1 pood (35 lb.) bell since it has been awhile, but I expect to move back up to a heavier bell pretty quickly.

[Rootabager]

While on this program is this the only lifting you do?

[Colt McCoy]

[ QUOTE ]
While on this program is this the only lifting you do?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes.

[mike0292]

Having done this program before...

I assume you're doing the overhead squats and front squats with a kettlebell? I found doing the EKC program that I didn't hit my legs hard at all. Swings and snatches work your whole body to a certain degree, but you're legs won't get hit nearly as hard as heavy barbell squats. I know I started hitting the gym on my variety day and started squatting some towards the end of my time in EKC.

Goals are very ambitious, I know Pavel lists those as requirements to becoming "a man among men". I personally found snatches excruciatingly hard. I could see myself C&amp;Ping a 2 pood KB if I worked at it for a few months, but snatching 200 times in 7 minutes is hard, especially on your callussed palms. But good luck, I enjoyed this program.

[secretprankster]

Good luck. I worked solely with kettlebells from this past August to February and liked the results and especially the increase in cardiovascular strength. Semi-agree that it's hard to come close to deads/squats with KBs for leg strength, but it's a forearm killer (as I'm sure you know).

[Colt McCoy]

[ QUOTE ]
I assume you're doing the overhead squats and front squats with a kettlebell?

[/ QUOTE ]
I use two kettlebells for the squats.

[ QUOTE ]
I found doing the EKC program that I didn't hit my legs hard at all. Swings and snatches work your whole body to a certain degree, but you're legs won't get hit nearly as hard as heavy barbell squats. I know I started hitting the gym on my variety day and started squatting some towards the end of my time in EKC.

[/ QUOTE ]
That's why I've added the squat variations on the variety day. But, as you said, swings and snatches are hard, and take a pretty stiff toll on your body. I'm surprised you weren't feeling the effects of overtraining if you were doing a tough squat routine on those days along with the ETK stuff. Another thing I've found is that if you do more a squat-style swing, rather than the Russian style that's more back, your legs do get quite a bit of work.

[Big Poppa Smurf]

WTF is a pood?

edit: Thanks Wikipedia!

[ QUOTE ]
Pood (&amp;#1087;&amp;#1091;&amp;#1076; in Russian) or pud is a unit of mass equal to 40 funt (&amp;#1092;&amp;#1091;&amp;#1085;&amp;#1090;, Russian pound).

[/ QUOTE ], which is ~36 lbs.

[Colt McCoy]

I've been pretty lazy. I didn't get started until last week so I'm still using the 35 lb. bell even though I can still max out my C&amp;P ladders at five at that weight, which surprised me. I've just decided I'm going to work with that weight until I try my first snatch test in mid August. I have added deads into the program though and did 3x3x225.