Last week I posted an introductory kettlebell training plan.  Before we move on to the next phase here is an important review…

Because Ethical Responsibility; let me remind everyone that this is a general post to a general audience and may not apply to you specifically. If only you knew someone who could help you navigate the awesome responsibility of internet usage? Take responsibility for yourself, is, I guess, the point you should take away…

Safety Pro Tip: It’s your fault. If you hurt yourself it means you did too much, too soon, or too sloppy.

I will be sharing my current workout plan with you next, but first we’re looking at a transition period. If you’re familiar with kettlebell training or have a history of strength training you might start transitioning within a week or so, but otherwise you should plan on staying on the introductory plan for a few weeks before you add the transitional movements, then a few more weeks before moving on to the next phase.

Assuming you’ve picked the right weight, you should find that it gives you a comfortably moderate challenge for the beginner program.

Here’s your transitional program:

Start practicing your kettlebell cleans, presses, and snatches. The keyword here is: Practice. NOT workout.

Practice means that as part of your warm-up or cool-down on either your swing day or get-up day you will try a few cleans with each arm and/or a few presses and/or a few snatches. This is not done to failure. It shouldn’t even be done to a comfortable stop. The point is that you try a few and focus entirely on form so that when these movements become part of your regular training in the next phase, you’ll know you can progress safely.

Start with practicing the clean. When that’s comfortable and smooth, you can start practicing the press. When you know you can own that weight overhead, you can start practicing the snatch.
When you know you can safely do multiple snatches, it’s time to take the kettlebell that you can safely do five to eight clean and presses (that’s a clean in between each press) and move on to the next phase

Comrades, I couldn’t find good concise videos for these moves, so here is a longer video that really breaks down the whole series of moves, complete with breakdowns and safety rules and as much Russian deadpan humour as you can handle by recognized master of the kettlebell, Pavel Tsatsouline.

Interested in knowing more about online training with Nathan Walton so you can experience the benefits of kettlebell training?  Click these links to learn more about how it works and coaching fees.