Kettlebell Workouts with Master Geoff Neupert

  This 5 LEVEL Kettlebell Programming Pyramid is pretty cut and dry - Until it’s NOT. The navigation key is understanding PROGRESSION. And admittedly, that can be tricky. For example, Isaac emailed me the other day with the following comment and great questions: “You're on the money re: the Giant, I'm a BJJ practitioner and have been on the protocol for a month and the gains have been obvious not just to me but to my gym mates… I also recently got KSK - do you have any recommendations as to how I should cycle between the 2 protocols? Also, wondering why these 2 are level 3 programs instead of 4 based on the chart you shared?” So, before I answer his questions directly, I want to break this down so you can easily “surf” this pyramid, understanding what exercises and programs will work the best for you based upon your current situation. Here’s the principles for the safest, most effective (re: Fastest Results) way to “learn” or build out our training/workouts: [+]  Technique/ Sk...

Most people think that the LEVEL 4 double KB training is built off the Swing, just like the single KB exercises. That’s not the case. Why not? LEVERAGE. With single KB work you can rely on a deep hinge and rely on your posterior chain. With double KB work, you need a wider base of support, which means you need to stay more upright. And that means you need more of your quads (the muscles on the front of your legs) to lift the load. So they need to be stronger. That’s why we use the Double KB Front Squat. Let’s call it the “DFSQ” for short. A lot of people skip the DFSQ and go straight to the Clean + Press. This can work for some. But learning how to perform a proper DFSQ… … fine tuning it… And then spending some time working it, makes your C+P almost instantly stronger for two simple reasons: 1️.The DFSQ teaches you how to stay tight And it’s something very few can learn without the DFSQ. 2️.The DFSQ makes your whole body stronger Which is its own benefit. In fact, there are (at least) ...

  Let’s talk about something really unpopular today: LEVEL 4 Kettlebell workout woes. I can’t tell you how many emails and forum posts I’ve read over the last few months from guys who’ve hurt themselves doing double KB training. Why does this keep happening? 3 Simple Reasons: First, no one has ever come right out and told them this: 1️⃣  Double KB training plays by different “rules” than single KB training. Yes, the techniques are similar. But they are not the SAME. For example: Single KB technique is based on the “hinge,” like you find in the Swing. Double KB technique is NOT. It’s based on something else. There’s more room for error with single KB technique. For example, you can lean sideways on a single KB Press. You can't do that on a double KB Press. So, they mistakenly assume, through no fault of their own, that the technique is the same. And second, 2️⃣  Most people are taught that their single KB technique has to “look” a certain way. For example: The set up for t...

  After you worked your way through LEVELS 1,2 and 3, you may be up for a bigger challenge. Enter LEVEL 4: Double Kettlebell Training. "I have written for well over the last decade about the benefits of double kettlebell training. In fact, it’s kind of what I’m “known” for. (My first book, Kettlebell Muscle, published in 2010, was about building muscle with nothing but a pair of kettlebells. Rumor has it might be republished later this year…) And if I had to boil down all the emails and articles I’ve ever written, it would come down to just two words: FASTER RESULTS. I’ll explain why that’s true in a moment. First, HOWEVER… There’s a BIG CAVEAT here: The assumption is that you are ready to use the double are as follows: 1️⃣ Physically healthy - no current ongoing “issues,” like a bum shoulder, bad back, trick knee, or anything of the like I especially recommend you have no asymmetries - like one shoulder you can put over your head, and the other that doesn’t quite get there. This ...

There are several “brutal” kettlebell workouts that stand out in my head. 1️⃣ The first time I swung a 32kg - 20 reps, the now “American” Swing - where the kettlebell finishes up over your head This felt like I’d been punched in the stomach and my lungs had been turned inside out and yanked out of my body. It was similar to wrestling practice. 2️⃣ Training for the old RKC Snatch Test (74 reps non-stop with a 24kg) - worked up to multiple sets of 15+15 (15 reps each hand, no rest) using a 32kg These workouts made my heart pound in my ears. 3️⃣ That time when I Clean + Jerked a pair of 32s for 20 reps, non-stop, on a bet from an old friend I had to lie on the floor and couldn’t catch my breath for about 8 minutes. I continued sweating for hours after. What do these three workouts have in common? They all are examples of power-endurance workouts. And all three are examples of something you have to train toward. LEVEL 3 workouts and programs train you for the following: 1️⃣ Produce more p...

  In the last video, I covered Level 1 kettlebell training the Swing, Turkish Get Up, and the Goblet Squat. Today, I'm going to dive into Level 2. This level focuses on the Clean, Military Press, Snatch, Push Press, and Jerk. Typically, I split up this level into 2A and 2B. LEVEL 2A includes the Clean, Military Press, and Snatch, while LEVEL 2B includes Push Press and Jerk. The Clean is a crucial exercise because it gets the KB into the "rack," the spot where your chest and shoulder meet. This position is the starting point and ending point for other exercises like the Military Press, and it works your arm(s) and upper back muscles for that "power look." The Military Press is another valuable exercise that works your upper body muscles, shoulders, chest, triceps, biceps, and even your upper back. Additionally, it's a powerful abdominal builder and requires your legs and hips to contract isometrically. The Snatch is the Tsar (King) of Kettlebell Lifts and is ...

When my clients and I first started kettlebell training in 2002, we all had bruises on the back of our wrists and shoulders. (From the bells slamming on them.) It frustrated me because as a nationally qualified Olympic lifter and former college strength coach, I couldn't figure out how to stop it. This in spite of studying "The Russian Kettlebell Challenge" book and VHS tape. (Remember those?) Plus, I had other issues I couldn't reconcile: 1️⃣  I couldn't perform the 2-Hand Swing without lower back discomfort. 2️⃣  In my personal training business, we were using an overly-complicated, physical therapy-based training model. And it took forever to get the results we wanted. It even started costing us clients. And I was frustrated. That "Skinny Russian Dude," Pavel Tsatsouline, could get "Grandma Betty" safely swinging a kettlebell in about 10 minutes. So, in 2005, I plunked down the $1500 to attend the Russian Kettlebell Challenge Certification c...

“Different workouts, different training plans, have different effects and outcomes on your body. Some are better than others. And some are better for you at certain times than others, based upon: 1️⃣  What you have going on in your life currently / stress levels 2️⃣  Your training history 3️⃣  Your current abilities (injured vs. healthy)” To that end, Bruno, one of my best customers, asked in an email, “...And I love your e-mails Monday Motivation and the others of things you think on Sundays and share with us… In one of them, you talked about The Pyramid of Kettlebells Level 1 to 5 !!! I would love to learn more about it !!! Maybe a BOOK !?! Maybe more e-mails !?! More on every Level, more examples of programs of every Level ! How to progress from one Level to another...!” So, at the very least, I decided to share with all of you the pyramid I came up with a couple of years ago, called, “The 5 Levels of Kettlebell Training.” I designed it to: 1️⃣  Provide a clear pa...