Kettlebell Simple & Sinister: Revised and Updated (2nd Edition)

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Still, I blame myself for being dogmatic in my approach, and buying into it all. If I found this subreddit a year or two ago, I would have brushed off the Wiki, and stayed spinning my wheels and making painfully slow progress, because I really did buy into the above stuff.

Even when I got a head cold, it’s such a simple little exercise, I still have the motivation to do it. It’s just not the same as when you’re trying to will yourself out of bed to go for a jog when you’re feeling a bit down, and it’s raining outside. Frankly, I was rarely ever able to overcome that hurdle. But now, with S&S, I’m in such a groove that a bit of man flu does not stop me from getting in a few swings in my living room, and I always feel better afterwards. Too often, however, we psych ourselves up for our conditioning much in the same way we would for a heavy lift. Rousing our nervous system can be great for a maximal effort deadlift - it focuses attention and forces someone to push hard.But doing the same on your conditioning will end up working against you. Try it and let us know how the Anti-Rotation Assisted OAPU works in your training. It may be the missing link between the elevated push-up and the floor push-up. My last 5k race time in Feb 2020 was 23:34, and my times had been consistent for quite a while. I had thought my race times would start improving with all that training I mentioned above, but was admittedly not pushing myself like a competitive athlete. I could easily go two or three days without putting on the running shoes. Pavel’s latest work Kettlebell Simple & Sinister meets [the need for programming] head on covering not only the theory behind kettlebell training, but narrowing the programming down for you to two simple exercises and progressions, that require only a couple of kettlebells. The coolest part to me though, was that it features Pavel’s latest coaching cues and teaching drills. I’m always fascinated to witness great coaches in action and how they actually teach. Without attending a live workshop or hiring Pavel personally, this book is the closest thing to learning all the nuances that separate a master coach from the masses. Great investment for coaches and practitioners alike.Experience and science agree that kettlebell training develops a wide range of attributes: strength and power, various types of endurance, muscle hypertrophy, fat loss, health, and more. The kettlebell swing has been known to improve the deadlift of elite powerlifters—and the running times of high-level long distance runners. This is what gireviks call “the What the Hell Effect.” The kettlebell defies the laws of specificity. Prior to my time at MFF, I would say that I definitely fell into the camp of being a little cranky (actually, pissed) when I couldn’t get a good workout in. This is especially a challenge when crunched for time because you’re in tech for a show OR for the denizens of this city in general. The original program minimum (from The Russian Kettlebell Challenge) called for bent presses and snatches and is a fantastic program for people who have the mobility for it. Unfortunately, it was discovered that our modern population’s tendency to sit down a lot and to become restricted and stiff with poor shoulder and hip mobility was a significant limiter on the number of people who were able to successfully do the program.

Disclaimer: This is a review of the Simple and Sinister book and fitness plan based on my own experiences of implementing the workouts. It is not intended to replace the advice of certified fitness instructors. Nor will it be a good substitute for reading the book yourself. Kettlebell Simple and Sinister, by Pavel Tsatsouline A gentle suggestion: you do not have to start with 10 minutes of each. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good! Now what happens if you rest less, and start your next set while you are still huffing and puffing? Presumably, the mitochondria growing machinery comes to a halt or at least slows down. The endurance you are developing will be more glycolytic in nature and your body composition will be improving through different physiological mechanisms. Applying the Science to Your Training This training regime is based on what Pavel Tsatsouline used as a former Soviet Special Forces physical training instructor. He’s known as a Subject Matter Expert to US Marine Corps, the Secret Service and Navy SEALs.After establishing your starting weight, you will make a “leap of faith”. Jumping from your lighter bell to your heavier one. I think in the last year there was much clarification regarding simple and sinister. Practice perfect form, explosiveness with swings, smoothness in get ups, attentiveness to breathing and let the process happen. Patiently. Consistently. Faithfully. Now I can practice with all the accumulated experience and knowledge by the many tinkerer (and myself) here on the board. It is constantly developing. This is a very nice thing. I gave up on simple and sinister because despite being pretty regular on the program from 2017-2020, I was not making the progress I felt like I was 'supposed to be making'(and if 3 years seems like a long time to be on S&S, I agree). Aside from practicing martial arts 15 years ago, I was a 100% beginner; not just to kettlebells, but to any kind of regimented strength training. I bought into the "minimalism" thing completely, probably due to laziness, and probably because I was sold on it really well; reading S&S was a really fun experience, the book and program seemed cool and I beleived it was all I would need.

Train daily. If you’re fatigued or stressed reduce the weight in one or both exercises. Warm Up (3 Sets of 5)

Conclusion

When you want serious gains and workouts that give you strength, you should go to an expert. That’s what Pavel Tsatsouline can give you in his book Kettlebell Simple and Sinister. He’s the real tough deal. The 1st part of the book covers kettlebell history, rules for training, benefits of the exercises, complete technical aspects of the exercises, and the new program minimum. Thus the squat is a good GPP exercise and the leg extension is not. GPP is what "functional training" was supposed to be but failed, confused and distracted by what Mark Reifkind, Master SFG, calls "random acts of variety." One of the big things for me was to NEVER underestimate the value of the fundamentals and simple programming ( such as the Simple and Sinister program minimum).

What would I tell members of my Special Operation Brotherhood? What I have told them for years: buy this, do it and just grind it out and it will keep you alive. What would I tell anyone who wants to get fit, resilient, and better prepared for life’s challenges? Invest in this book, do the program, and experience a glimpse of what hard work and focused application can do for you. If you see this as just a book on just a few exercises and a simple program you may already know about, then don’t get the bookbecause you’ll probably fail to recognize the details that can truly elevate your training (remember, the difference is the details).First, I really did follow the program to a tee. If I had been exercising only three days per week, I am certain I would not have maintained or improved upon my level of fitness. I’ve trained 5, 6, 7 seven days per week without fail for the entirety of these seven months. It’s just a decision you have to make. Am I going make the time to do this, or not? To be honest, I have not practiced it that way DURING the swing, but I do use the slow, controlled breathing as a recovery method and it works fantastic. But, there is so much more perspective and insight in the book than just covering a few exercises, although the extensive detail on them is outstanding.