In this installment we will look at some ways to structure a training day.
The first thing i am going to assume is that you have:
-A few kettlebell weights
-Non-adjustable kettlebells, so that means increments are in denominations of 4kg.
We will look at strength training and endurance training separately.
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For strength
Ladders
This is a simple progression to allow you to build up your reps with a fixed weight.
Select a weight that you can do for at least 5 reps. Better still, maybe around 8 reps or so. Anything heavier than that is too heavy to make progress in this manner, except for the very beginning stages.
Basically the idea is to:
-do one rep more than your previous set, building up to a max (or near max)
-dropping the reps to one and
-repeat the whole process.
Eg:
1,2,3,4,5
1,2,3,4,5
1,2,3,4,5
1,2,3,4,5
1,2,3,4,5
Each series sets is called a ladder, each set in a ladder is called a rung.
You can build up to any number of reps and/or sets. If you go to your RM in a ladder, it can look like this:
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
1,2,3,4,5,6
1,2,3,4,5
1,2,3,4
1,2,3
1,2
1
You can start each ladder with a different number:
1,2,3,4,5
2,3,4,5,6
3,4,5,6,7
4,5,6,7,8
You can increase the number of reps in any multiples:
2,4,6,8,10
2,4,6,8,10
or
5,10,15,20
5,10,15,20
And many other variations.
The beauty of ladders are:
-you can do many total reps without maxing out every set
-you can vary the difficulty every set, which is a cycle within a cycle
-you can build up to really big numbers from a small number without burning out
-you can make a weight that feels heavy in the beginning to feel light in the end
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Weight ladders
This is assuming you have at least three different weights. Eg: 16kg, 24kg, 32kg
16x3, 24x3, 32x3
16x3, 24x3, 32x3
16x3, 24x3, 32x3
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Rep and weight ladder combined
This is assuming you have at least three different weights. Eg: 16kg, 24kg, 32kg
16x1, 24x1, 32x1
16x2, 24x2, 32x3
16x3, 24x3, 32x3
You can play around any of these variables in ladders:
-weight
-number of reps
-number of sets
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Endurance training
As has been mentioned previously, the priorities are (not counting technique):
-volume
-duration
-tempo
-weight
We shall look at a simple way to progress from one priority to the next seamlessly: Density Cycle.
In simple terms, the goal of Density Cycle is to do more work in a shorter amount of time.
You can:
-keep the work constant and reduce the time
-increase the work and keep the time constant
-or combine both
Say you have a goal of 100 jerks. This is a sample progression
10 sets of 10
9 sets of 11
8 sets of 13
7 sets of 15
6 sets of 17
5 sets of 20
4 sets of 25
3 sets of 34
2 sets of 50
1 set of 100
Ok, the last two workouts maybe too big a jump. You can break it down to:
2 sets of 50
60 + 40
70 + 30
80 + 20
90 + 10
1 set of 100
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There are many more ways to wave the load from set to set but i have not been able to figure out how nor am i qualified to design one.
For more stuff on waving the load, you can refer to Pavel's Beyond Bodybuilding or other literature.
That's all folks for the series of articles on Kettlebell Lifting Program Design.
I hope that you have learned something that you can apply to your training program. Please do not hesitate to ask me if you have any questions.
Stay healthy.
