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They get you strong AF…

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“The King-Sized Killer” - https://cart.chasingstrength.com/ksk2 *RESEARCH: Strength and Muscle Mass Gains: Strength: Multiple meta-analyses and systematic reviews report no significant difference in strength gains between training to failure and not to failure, provided training volume is similar. In some cases, non-failure training even showed a slight advantage, but the difference is small and likely not meaningful in practice (Grgic et al., 2021; Davies et al., 2016; Vieira et al., 2021; Suchomel et al., 2018; Santanielo et al., 2020; Davies et al., 2016). Muscle Hypertrophy: For muscle growth, both failure and non-failure training produce comparable results when total work (volume) is matched. Some evidence suggests that training closer to failure may slightly enhance hypertrophy, but the effect is modest (Grgic et al., 2021; Vieira et al., 2021; Suchomel et al., 2018; Santanielo et al., 2020; Robinson et al., 2024). Key Findings from Recent Studies: Training Approach Strength Ga...
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How he does 100 Pull Ups - PER DAY! 😮

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“REBUILT AFTER 40” https://go.chasingstrength.com/rebuilt-after-40/ I routinely get emails from guys asking me how they can or whether they should add Pull Ups to their KB workout routines. So I thought we could learn something from the following story. I first started having my son do Pull Ups on the doorway Pull Up bar when he was around 6 or 7. I had him start with multiple sets of 1 rep. His first goal was 5 in a day. His second goal was 10 in a day. His third goal was 20 in a day. And when he was about 8 years old, he did 110 in ONE DAY. But here’s where it gets interesting… Since then, he’s kept up with his daily Pull Up training. Now, at age 14, he routinely does 100 Pull Ups PER DAY. Almost every day. He knows the importance of “waving the loads” - varying the total amount of work from day-to-day and some days he’ll “only” do about 70 or 75. How well does this work? He’s destroying kids his own age and older on the mats. And I can really tell a difference in his strength levels...
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Location: 121 S Tejon St Suite 900, Colorado Springs, CO 80903, USA
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How to avoid / get rid of lower back spasms / tightness / soreness from kettlebells

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“Systematic Core Training For Kettlebells” https://salutis.kartra.com/page/systematic-core-training I got an email from “Jay” (not his real name) the other day. He was on day 2 of ‘THE GIANT’ - which he said he loved - when his lower back seized up. I pasted his email below - “On Day 2, I made it about 10 minutes in before my lower back seized. I'm guessing this was either because of horrible form or not enough recovery from day 1 (probably bad form, but felt great after day 1). I was curious if you recommend working with any belts for better support? I know they're mainly designed for powerlifting, but figured I'd get your opinion before starting back up again.” First off, I never recommend using a weightlifting belt unless you’re a competitive powerlifter or Olympic lifter. (Even when I competed, I didn’t use a belt.) I recommend you “build your own belt.” I’ll tell you how to do that in a moment… Second, I love enthusiasm. I think it’s great to “jump in” when it comes to...
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Variety = OVERWHELMED?

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“Which workout is good for _____ ?” “Can I add _____ ?” “Do I need to do _____ ?” “Dr. Expert says I need to do ____, _____, and _____. What do you think?” “Doing the same 1 or 2 exercises over and over again is boring. But everyone else says they're seeing awesome gains. Should I do ____ too?” Here in America, we love the idea of “choice.” Of course the problem is when you don’t know exactly what you want. Then choice becomes overwhelming and many times you end up paralyzed in making a decision, so you punt until your brain stops hurting. Which in the case of exercise is maybe never, because the trends and advice always seems to either be changing or contradicting itself. That’s why I prefer OUTCOME BASED decision making. 1- What’s my goal? 2- What can get me there the fastest? For men (and women - if you’re a woman reading this) - As we age, we need to: [1] Preserve and build muscle - fast-twitch “power” muscle … Because we lose those as we age. [2] Get stronger … Because we natu...
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Location: Colorado Springs, CO, USA
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How to add X [exercise] to Y [program]...? - WITHOUT burning out

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I think it’s once again time to visit this question as keep receiving A LOT of emails about it… But first, you know who Ip Man was? He was a Wing Chun sensei in China and Bruce Lee’s teacher. Very unassuming looking individual, yet he’d beat you down in a heartbeat. Why are we talking about Ip Man? Well, that’s kinda how a lot of people describe my programs - very unassuming. They look easy on paper, but they “put a hurt” on you. In fact, most customers “warn” others to start easier and lighter than you think you need to. So, that being said, if you use my programs as written, and do them will all your “gusto” - full engagement, not checking email and posting on the ‘Gram between sets… … You, like most others, will be shocked (in a good way) with your results. Ok, that warning shot fired across the bow, here are 5 ways I recommend “adding to” any of my programs: 1- Technique Practice Let’s say you wanted to learn the Double Kettlebell Jerk but still wanted to do your Clean + Presses, e...
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Location: Colorado Springs, CO, USA
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The Kettlebell Snatch - for Shoulder REHAB? - PART 2 (And the tight hip flexor conundrum)

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Your hips are vitally important because they help you create the “hinge” necessary for all modern kettlebell training. The hinge is used in: Swings Cleans Snatches Deadlifts High Pulls … And all variations both single and double. Remember, in KB lifting - “The hips DRIVE, and the arms GUIDE.” So you can see that without proper, healthy, and normal hip function, you’re not really going to be successful with your KB training. And in most cases, faulty hip function creates / causes lower back pain. The glutes don’t work, so the lower back takes the brunt of the work - which it’s not supposed to do. Why do the hips fail to work? Well, it’s obvious - Tight Hip Flexors! (We’ve all known that since about 2002, right?) … Or so the theory goes, anyway. Simply stretch your hip flexors and you will magically unlock your glutes! And Voila! Hey Presto! You’ll be able to use your hips again! YAYYYYYYYYY! If you detect more than a hint of sarcasm here, you are correct. Yes, stretching tight hip flexo...
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Location: Colorado Springs, CO, USA
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The Kettlebell Snatch - for Shoulder REHAB?

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Yeah, I bet that sounds crazy, doesn’t it? Most people think that the kettlebell Snatch can DESTROY shoulders NOT rehab them. And yet - behold this forum post which we’ll put up here on the screen: So to quote Slim Pickens from Blazing Saddles, “What in the Wide Wide World of Sports is going on here?” Well, the Snatch is like a scalpel - a tool. Used correctly in the right hands, it can be used to facilitate healing. Used incorrectly, and in the wrong hands, it can be used to “destroy.” (As in tearing the long head of the biceps tendon, for example.) How exactly does this work? Well, admittedly, I rarely talk about this because it is just so misunderstood. But I have been using the Snatch to rehab shoulders since the late 1990s. The Snatch is basically an accelerated form of the PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation - a rehab system) D2 flexion / extension (D= Diagonal) pattern. Here’s what it looks like: Look at the yellow highlights - “D2 Extension” and “D2 Flexion.” That’s ...
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