starting strength gym
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 13

Thread: COVID, "Quarantine", and Kettlebells

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2018
    Location
    Toronto, ON, CA
    Posts
    733

    Default COVID, "Quarantine", and Kettlebells

    • starting strength seminar april 2024
    • starting strength seminar jume 2024
    • starting strength seminar august 2024
    So I've been on a months long layoff for mostly stupid reasons, and just when I was getting back into it my gym (and all the other ones) were shut down. For a few weeks I kept busy with hundreds of push-ups and pull-ups per week, but that quickly got boring and pissed off my elbows. The heaviest thing I have in my apartment is a 55 lbs kettlebell, so I've decided to dust off my old copy of Pavel Tsatsouline's Russian Kettlebell Challenge. I've dabbled in kettlebells before, but was also doing gymnastics/calisthenics stuff, so I've never stuck with a program. Classic ADD. SS has definitely shown me the value of sticking with a program, so this is my plan for the time being, and my girlfriend is excited to do it with me.

    The program is basically kettlebell clean and press ladders, pull-ups, swings, and snatches. He also builds in optional "variety" days, so I'll do some squats and dips on those days as well. Maybe some other random shit. The main focus is on adding sets and reps to the C&Ps and pull-ups until you can do five ladders with "rungs" of 1,2,3,4,5. Then it's time for a bigger kettlebell and weighted pull-ups. Hopefully the gyms reopen before then, and I'll have the option to keep at this if I'm enjoying it, or go back to the barbell.

    4/17/20
    Heavy Day (his term, but really it just means highest volume)
    KB C&P+PU Ladders 55x3x(1,2,3)
    Swings 55x5mx70

    Notes: Notation for ladders is weight, sets, ladder rungs. So that was one C&P per arm, one pull-up, then two of each, then three of each, with minimal rest. That's one ladder. 3 of them means 18 total reps. Swings are just for conditioning. Roll a pair of dice, and start swinging. On heavy day you push it hard. I was happy as fuck that I rolled 5 minutes, because my conditioning is absolute trash.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Posts
    729

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2018
    Location
    Toronto, ON, CA
    Posts
    733

    Default

    Hahaha I hadn't seen that one. That's exactly what they've been used as for the last two years. One of them is actually propping my balcony door open as I type this. But "in these trying times" they'll be performing double duty.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2018
    Location
    Toronto, ON, CA
    Posts
    733

    Default

    4/20/20
    Light Day
    KB C&P 55x1x4
    Pull-ups BWx6x4
    KB Snatch 55x7mx30

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2018
    Location
    Toronto, ON, CA
    Posts
    733

    Default

    4/22/20
    Medium Day
    KB C&P 55x4x(1,2)
    Curls tri-set
    Swings 55x9m (100)

    4/24/20
    KB C&P+PU Ladders 55x4x(1,2,3)
    Swings 55x6m (88)

    On Wednesday I decided to do some curls instead of pull-ups just to give my elbows a break. I only have light dumbbells so it was all about the pump baby. Despite adding a ladder today (6 more total reps of everything) the presses and pull-ups felt easier than last week. May not be getting a whole lot stronger without access to a barbell, but at least I'm improving at something! Conditioning is definitely getting better too. Swings and snatches are getting far less miserable.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2018
    Location
    Toronto, ON, CA
    Posts
    733

    Default

    4/27/20
    Light Day
    KB C&P 55x1x5
    Pull-ups BWx6,6,6,5,5
    KB Snatch 55x8m (40)

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2018
    Location
    Toronto, ON, CA
    Posts
    733

    Default

    4/29/20
    Medium Day
    KB Press 55x5x(1,2)
    KB Drag Curls
    KB Swings 55x7m (90)

    Made a new rule for myself. If I roll the dice and get 6 minutes or less, I'll clean before every press. If I roll 7 minutes of swings/snatches or more, I'll just do regular presses. Sticking with some sort of curl on Wednesdays instead of pull-ups.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    WV
    Posts
    379

    Default

    I did a quarantine workout with kettlebells and bands for 3 weeks after concerns of a problem at work with covid19. I was away from my family and home gym and stayed in an apartment where I work, no charge Now that I am back home it has worked to preserve strength and build strength in a few areas. Another benefit is that my conditioning has greatly improved. Over the winter there is far less outdoor activity and I tend to slack off on conditioning. By the spring that lack of conditioning is really felt. This was a good jump start and I plan on continuing with a kettlebell workout once a week as my light day. My log is here in the general section. The quarantine logs my give you a few ideas. You will see the meager start and the progression in each workout. Incremental increases in stress are just as important as it is with barbells.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2018
    Location
    Toronto, ON, CA
    Posts
    733

    Default

    Thanks for stopping by Ken! Yeah I've used kettlebells as my primary training tool in years past. Certainly never got close to as strong as I did with a couple of years under the barbell, but it's certainly better than the months of sweet fuck all I've been doing lately. It'll do the trick of keeping me busy until my gym opens back up. Who knows? With all this conditioning I might even have (gasp!) abs for summer.

    5/1/20
    Heavy Day
    KB C&P+PU 55x5x(1,2,3)
    KB Swings 55x4m 56

    5/4/20
    Light Day
    KB Press 55x5x(1,2)
    Pull-ups BWx7,7,6,6,6
    Snatches 55x8m (44)

    This week the goal is to start adding rungs to the press ladders. That means todays light day was last week's medium day, this week's medium day will be last week's heavy day, and this week's heavy day will (hopefully) be 5x(1,2,3,4). Been generally pleased with my pull-up progress too. Not nearly as good at them as I was before my layoff, but adding reps every week. Felt a weird pop and tingle in my wrist on my last snatch of the day. No pain, but my wrist gave out and I almost dropped the kettlebell. Seems to be fine now, but worth noting.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jun 2018
    Location
    Toronto, ON, CA
    Posts
    733

    Default

    starting strength coach development program
    5/7/20
    Medium Day
    KB Press 55x5x(1,2,3)
    Assorted band pull aparts

    I'm scrapping the clean before every press. I'm far more interested in improving the press and my pull-ups, and cleaning before every press seems to just be wasting energy I'd rather put towards presses and pull-ups. Sure it adds more conditioning, but that's not my priority. Besides, that's what the swings and snatches are for. That being said, I ran out of time to swing yesterday. If I'd realized that was going to happen, I would have cleaned!

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •