Kettlebell Training » Q & A

Any thoughts/advice for scrawny guy.

admin — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 10:45:16 +0000

Greetings Comrades!
I guess to get the best answers I should just be completely honest. I’ll start off with stats/ physical.
98lbs. 5"7. 1-2% body fat. Right Handed. Right arm/ side is significantly larger & stronger than my left. Kinda gross i gotta admit. My left calf is larger than my right. I can touch the tip of my thumb & middle finger around my wrists. I have no pecs, my left chest has no muscle
I can benchpress 120lbs. thats the max i tried. 1 set, 3-5 reps.

Background
I dont work out. I only play sports, just tennis. Im very athletic. Just finished reading the Enter the Kettlebell book by Pavel, starting the minimum tomorrow
Tennis is the only strength/ cardio I do. Gave Insanity a shot for a month, but realized I didnt need it cuz im skinny (am i right to think this?)

Goals

To even out left AND right sides strength-wise, and to be proportionate.Including my calves & chest. Biceps & forearms.
Fit into clothes. I have a very small waist. I wear shorts under my 28inch waist size jeans just to be normal. not have a "flat-ass". I double layer for long sleeve shirts so i dont look thin, though i still do. T-shirts I also wear two to avoid looking scrawny.
Not be self-conscious when I go swimming with friends. aka not look skinny with my shirt off
Have a strong back

I have read Pavel’s Enter the Kettlbell & am starting the RKC Minimum tomorrow. Im excited. I really finally want to be athletically fit. Fast, strong, fit, & healthy. I have a very high metabolism. How many calories should i eat per day? 3000 calories? every three hours right?

I just shared everything about me pretty much. I know, im lighter than many girls. I would like to be heavier. I just dont want to be scrawny. It sucks. I want to be able to do simple manly things, like carry a girl up a flight of stairs. Have an arm wrestle with buddies. Stop being thin, too thin sucks.I want to not just look strong, but be strong. I figure if you are strong you will look the part.

Any thoughts would be great. Even negative feedback would help, right now i just want to improve. My fault i didnt do anything till now. I also posted this in the nutrition forum to maximize advice. If I do the Minimum & so on, will i acheive the results I want?
Since I recover quickly & dont get sore, would it be alright to just skip the day of rest inbetween? I figure if i do that i’ll get results in half the time, or am i just being stupid by not following Pavel’s time-tested advice?

Meal plan to gain strength/mass for very lean.skinny.scrawny guy

admin — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 10:40:35 +0000

Goals

To even out left AND right sides strength-wise, and to be proportionate.Including my calves & chest. Biceps & forearms.
Fit into clothes. I have a very small waist. I wear shorts under my 28inch waist size jeans just to be normal. not have a "flat-ass". I double layer for long sleeve shirts so i dont look thin, though i still do. T-shirts I also wear two to avoid looking scrawny.
Not be self-conscious when I go swimming with friends. aka not look skinny with my shirt off
Have a strong back

Any thoughts would be great. Even negative feedback would help, right now i just want to improve. My fault i didnt do anything till now. I’ll be reposting this in the strength & conditioning forum to maximize the advice i receive. sorry in advance if u re-read it. thanks for reading.

Tendinopathies and thier treatment

admin — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 08:11:46 +0000

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/01/he…me&ref=general

My local RKC instructor has me doing ONLY TGU

admin — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 04:51:44 +0000

Here is the layout plan he has me doing:

10-15 minutes of warm ups. He taught me butt cheek to butt cheek while crouching down if that makes any sense. Halo’s and around the world’s.

Then TGU with no Kettlebell a few reps, then with my 20 pound Kettlebell and doing ladders with my 35 pounder Kettlebell.

Just a few questions. Not sure if I fully understand the concept of ladders. Are you supposed to increase your reps as time goes by or start small and then increase. My local RKC told me I should increase my reps every week. How is this accomplished with doing the ladder system? Please excuse my ignorance. Total newbie here.

I was wondering on how other people do the TGU regarding reps and for how long. He told me to practice. Just keep practicing.

Also what kind of benefits will I obtain from doing only this exercise. Just wanted to hear other people’s benefits from this exercise. Thank you for reading.

Bout time

admin — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 04:21:04 +0000

they nixed the sit up test. Good stuff if you ask me.

Army’s new fitness tests add taste of battlefield – Yahoo! News

High volume DL sessions make me sleepy

admin — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 03:11:24 +0000

I started supplementing my KB workouts with the DL 3-4 months ago, following various progressions.

Over the past 2 months i have been doing higher volume sets, for instance;

7×5 @ 270lbs
3×5 @ 250lbs

Rather than 3×5 increasing load, or what have you..

Anyways, my question is:

Is it normal to feel like you need alot more sleep than normal, after a fairly intense lifting session like i posted above?

(I’ve switched from doing 2 or 3 high volume sets ala "the bear, in favor of one high volume set and one 5x whatever lbs/ per week.)

Usually i’ll need 2 complete rest days. After the higher volume DL day i find it necessary to take a nap after work, and still go to bed early.

Although i don’t feel exhausted, or physically drained – my mind just shuts down as soon as i get home from work and relax …

Is this normal, or a sign that i am overtraining the DL?

Kettlebell swings/ snatches

admin — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:15:57 +0000

I am only doing Kb swing and snatches at present, I not doing anything else.

In the past I did a lot of Bw exercises without any change in fat loss, I built muscle but I was still as fat.

My question is, what sort of time should I be spending when doing snatches or swings? what is the best reps and sets or time I should be swing a Kb around?

All I want to do is just get the fat off my arms and chest and stomach. I look like I have muscle but fat on top of it.

Is my workout any good?

admin — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 22:46:09 +0000

A few weeks ago I decided to start weight training again, then I decided to get a kettlebell, now I am attempting to do both, by modifying my weight training workout (removing the squats, deadlifts) and doing a simple kettlebell routine on alternate days, so it looks like this;

Weight Training Days

Bench Press
Bent-Over Rows
Shoulder Presses
Barbell Curls

Do 4 sets of 8-12 exercises.

Kettlebell Training Days

with a 16kg kettlebell:

20 Squats (really act as a warm up)
20 Deadlifts (really act as a warm up)
20 Double Hand Swings
20 Single Arm Swings on Left
20 Single Arm Swings on Right

(this is like 1 circuit – I do more, although not always repeat exact the same, e.g. today I did the above, then in the 2nd round started with double hand swings, then did single arm switches (30 in total, 15 each side).

So the plan is to do 3 weight training sessions and 3 KB sessions each week, starting Monday, Sunday off.

Admittedly I have only just started, did weight training yesterday and the KB workout today. Early this evening I felt like doing something else so did 50 double hand swings (I wanted to try a slightly different swing movement as I felt I did not have it right earlier, and it was much better on the back).

So the plan is to repeat the weight training tomorrow. The weight training plan was a 3 day a week volume training plan with each day seeing a reduction in weight, then next week start again with 1 extra rep per set. 5 week plan. I may modify this anyway, but I do need structure, that is something I keep lacking.

About me: I am 36, overweight (just under 90kg). Used to do martial arts, got an ankle injury, then a heel injury, so do not run or jump about much anymore!

Goal: lose fat, build some lean muscle, basically get in shape.

Home gym: power rack, bar, dumbbells, EZ-bar, tricep bar, 16kg KB, elliptical, old exercise bike, punch bag (never used now )

Kettlebells on planes?

admin — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 22:35:27 +0000

I found out just a few hours ago that I need to pick up and move from Chicago to Northern Texas for a few works for work; my flight leaves tomorrow at noon. Has anyone had any trouble bringing a kettlebell as a carry-on? I’m flying Southwest, if that matters.

Torn Callus Treatment?

admin — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 22:32:19 +0000

I tore a callus during my snatches on the RoP light day. Didn’t actually feel it or notice it until I put the bell down.

Anyone have any advice towards treatment or best way to help it heal?