Brett Jones' Prep Program summary
The template says:
"Perform 1-3 circuits of the drills in the order listed. Perform 5-8 reps per set except on swings where you can feel free to increase the reps"
"This is about practicing the drills and perfecting form while increasing conditioning specific to the weekend. Hence, you will be performing the three consecutive days of training [...] I would even suggest that you make Friday, Saturday and Sunday your workout days"
"You will also need to rotate intensity of volume and weight—16 kg for 3 circuits one day and 24kg for 1 circuit the next—Single Kettlebell drills one day and double Kettlebell drills the next etc…"
I kept the three days together, preferably on the weekend, but due to work schedule or health reasons I sometimes had to shift them a bit. One squat day had to be cancelled unexpectedly, so I repeated the whole 3-day-program the following weekend.
I decided to alternate between single and double drills every week. This ensured me a natural waving of the load, as two 12s will always be heavier than one... :) (I couldn't press the 16 back then.) So it was possible to increase the difficulty at every session as compared to the previous one 2 weeks before. I usually changed one variable at a time though:
Single drills progression:
swings:
@12kg, 3 rounds, 40 swings, 5/5 other ex. --> 3 rounds, 30 swings, 8/8 other ex., --> 3 rounds, 40 swings, 8/8 other ex., time factor added: 1min on, 30sec off --> @16kg, 3 rounds, not timed, 40 swings, 5/5 other ex.
presses:
@12kg, 3 rounds, 5/5, 1 hour --> 2 rounds, 8/8 (intensify), 40min --> 3 rounds, 8/8, 45min (a round more but only 5min longer) --> @16kg, push presses, 3 rounds, 5/5, 1 hour
squats:
@12kg, 3 rounds, 5/5, 1hour --> 2 rounds, 8/8 (intensify), 40min --> 3 rounds, 8/8, 50min --> @16kg, 3 rounds, 5/5, 50min
Double drills:
swings:
@2*12kg, 3 rounds, 15 swings, 5 other, 55min --> same but timed, top of the minute, 35min --> 3 rounds, 20 swings, 6 other, 30:30, 35min --> repeat --> 3 rounds, 30 swings, 7 other, 45:45, 51min
presses:
@2*12kg, 2 rounds, 5, 40min --> 3 rounds, 5, 45min (a round more but only 5min longer) --> 3 rounds, 6, 50min --> repeat --> 3 rounds, attempt at 7, 3rd round only 6, then 5, 1 hour
squats:
@2*12kg, 2 rounds, 5, 35min --> 3 rounds, 5, 40min (a round more but only 5min longer) --> workout fell out --> 3 rounds, 6, 50min
I only did timed sets on ballistic days, with squats and presses I didn't rush myself because I didn't want to compromise form or lose reps.
The remaining days of the week I took as 'variety days'. I consider swings to be the very base for all other drills and the main means to increase work kapacity so I did a lot of high volume swing sessions. I also mixed in Tracy-style timed combo sets. I took myself from 1000 swings @12kg in 28min over 1000reps 15:15 @24kg in 50min to 1600 swings in one hour using 12, 16, 20 and 24kg. With combos, I increased total workout time from 30 to 50-60min, set length from 1 to 2-3-4min.
My first attempt at the Grad Workout @2*12kg on Jan 30 was a near-death-experience, the next time on Feb 26 I completed it in 18min as a part of the day's training.
As for the snatches, I was lucky enough to have my snatch numbers in when I decided to go for the Cert last October. On Jan 15 I did 100 snatches @12kg (required 60) and 50 @16kg (required 30). Earlier this week I did 60 rounds of MaxVO2 15:15 9reps/set @12kg (540 snatches in 30min).
I must admit I actually kept avoiding snatching as it butchers my hands every time (big, flat, painful blisters that sit deep underneath the callouses, coming, as it seems, not from friction but from pressure) and I didn't want to lose training time. But now I've developed stamina and a quite strong grip with all those swings, so it's time to work more on my snatch technique.
So I'm thinking of something like this for the next 4 weeks:
1. Go on with BJ Prep as before
2. Work on snatch technique, rotating
a) long sets @12kg
b) MaxVO2 @12kg (shifting from 15:15 to 36:36, eventually upgrade to 16kg when grip issue is solved)
c) shorter sets with heavier weights (16, 20kg)
3. Low-rep work with heavier weights (double 16s, 20, 24)
2 and 3 could be combined on non-BJ days, that is a minimum of 2 days a week, maybe 3.
Then I could see what this brings and would still have 3 weeks to go, time enough to make corrections or eventually return to lighter weights if necessary.
The template says:
"Perform 1-3 circuits of the drills in the order listed. Perform 5-8 reps per set except on swings where you can feel free to increase the reps"
"This is about practicing the drills and perfecting form while increasing conditioning specific to the weekend. Hence, you will be performing the three consecutive days of training [...] I would even suggest that you make Friday, Saturday and Sunday your workout days"
"You will also need to rotate intensity of volume and weight—16 kg for 3 circuits one day and 24kg for 1 circuit the next—Single Kettlebell drills one day and double Kettlebell drills the next etc…"
I kept the three days together, preferably on the weekend, but due to work schedule or health reasons I sometimes had to shift them a bit. One squat day had to be cancelled unexpectedly, so I repeated the whole 3-day-program the following weekend.
Single drills progression:
swings:
@12kg, 3 rounds, 40 swings, 5/5 other ex. --> 3 rounds, 30 swings, 8/8 other ex., --> 3 rounds, 40 swings, 8/8 other ex., time factor added: 1min on, 30sec off --> @16kg, 3 rounds, not timed, 40 swings, 5/5 other ex.
presses:
@12kg, 3 rounds, 5/5, 1 hour --> 2 rounds, 8/8 (intensify), 40min --> 3 rounds, 8/8, 45min (a round more but only 5min longer) --> @16kg, push presses, 3 rounds, 5/5, 1 hour
squats:
@12kg, 3 rounds, 5/5, 1hour --> 2 rounds, 8/8 (intensify), 40min --> 3 rounds, 8/8, 50min --> @16kg, 3 rounds, 5/5, 50min
Double drills:
swings:
@2*12kg, 3 rounds, 15 swings, 5 other, 55min --> same but timed, top of the minute, 35min --> 3 rounds, 20 swings, 6 other, 30:30, 35min --> repeat --> 3 rounds, 30 swings, 7 other, 45:45, 51min
presses:
@2*12kg, 2 rounds, 5, 40min --> 3 rounds, 5, 45min (a round more but only 5min longer) --> 3 rounds, 6, 50min --> repeat --> 3 rounds, attempt at 7, 3rd round only 6, then 5, 1 hour
squats:
@2*12kg, 2 rounds, 5, 35min --> 3 rounds, 5, 40min (a round more but only 5min longer) --> workout fell out --> 3 rounds, 6, 50min
I only did timed sets on ballistic days, with squats and presses I didn't rush myself because I didn't want to compromise form or lose reps.
The remaining days of the week I took as 'variety days'. I consider swings to be the very base for all other drills and the main means to increase work kapacity so I did a lot of high volume swing sessions. I also mixed in Tracy-style timed combo sets. I took myself from 1000 swings @12kg in 28min over 1000reps 15:15 @24kg in 50min to 1600 swings in one hour using 12, 16, 20 and 24kg. With combos, I increased total workout time from 30 to 50-60min, set length from 1 to 2-3-4min.
My first attempt at the Grad Workout @2*12kg on Jan 30 was a near-death-experience, the next time on Feb 26 I completed it in 18min as a part of the day's training.
As for the snatches, I was lucky enough to have my snatch numbers in when I decided to go for the Cert last October. On Jan 15 I did 100 snatches @12kg (required 60) and 50 @16kg (required 30). Earlier this week I did 60 rounds of MaxVO2 15:15 9reps/set @12kg (540 snatches in 30min).
I must admit I actually kept avoiding snatching as it butchers my hands every time (big, flat, painful blisters that sit deep underneath the callouses, coming, as it seems, not from friction but from pressure) and I didn't want to lose training time. But now I've developed stamina and a quite strong grip with all those swings, so it's time to work more on my snatch technique.
So I'm thinking of something like this for the next 4 weeks:
1. Go on with BJ Prep as before
2. Work on snatch technique, rotating
a) long sets @12kg
b) MaxVO2 @12kg (shifting from 15:15 to 36:36, eventually upgrade to 16kg when grip issue is solved)
c) shorter sets with heavier weights (16, 20kg)
3. Low-rep work with heavier weights (double 16s, 20, 24)
2 and 3 could be combined on non-BJ days, that is a minimum of 2 days a week, maybe 3.
Then I could see what this brings and would still have 3 weeks to go, time enough to make corrections or eventually return to lighter weights if necessary.
6 comments:
great post and great work as well. have you tried tracys sock sleeve for your snatching work? it really saves the hands. jsut a thought.
Thank you indeed, Mark,
yes, I tried them once in a while, but the grip felt so insecure (I have small hands, short fingers, I seem to be afraid of letting the handle slip forward enough - with the 16 and its thicker handle it's even worse)... But then, my grip has got a lot better now so maybe I should just get used to wearing them. I'm going to experiment with different width and thickness now. Also with technique, all kinds of arcs, grips, speed, corkscrewing, etc. I really hope with some patience I'll find out what works for me.
Gabi, I agree with Rif. That's some serious work you're doing. I'm not completely sure what the format is going to be in Budapest, but I believe we're going to change the graduation workout to the VO2Max snatch format instead of the walking seesaw presses.
Thank you very much for your support, Dr. Cheng,
I'm so glad I'll have the chance to work with you!
No question, MaxVO2 is going to be an equally noble kind of death, or, to put it in a self-ironic way, there are definitely many ways of skinning an RKC student (in the literal sense of the word in this case) :)
Skinning the cat is exactly right. The first time I did the VO2Max, I wasn't the smartest troop on the field. Instead of paying attention to my skin, I kept on snatching until I noticed that my hands looked like hamburger.
PLEASE follow Rif's advice on the sock sleeve. It may feel a little like you're training with a disadvantage, but believe me when I tell you that the BIGGEST disadvantage in RKC KB training is endagering the skin of your hands.
I'll be arriving in Budapest early on the evening of Monday, May 5th. If you're nearby, I'll be glad to work with you to make sure your form is airtight on all techniques prior to the RKC.
Dr. Cheng, Sir,
what a generous proposal! Hungary is a small land, the positive about this is that actually everything is 'nearby', so I definitely will take advantage of this exceptional opportunity. I can't thank you enough.
The sock sleeves are a must, it is clear to me now. I will start using them regularly right tomorrow and I'll report on the goings.
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