Session 11 

Deadlift was 2 sets of 5 at 205

6 pullups and 4 chinups at bodyweight

Military press was 2 sets of 5 reps at 95

30 snatches with 40 lb kettlebell

5 ab rolls

Session 12

Deadlift was 2 sets of 5 reps at 225

Military press at 115 sets of 5 reps 2 times

Pullups 3, 3 and 4

20 snatches at 40 lbs

5 ab rolls

Session 13

Deadlift 185 with 5 reps two times

Military press was 65 with 5 reps twice

Chin ups for 2 sets of 5 reps

Snatches 35 lbs kb for 30 reps

5 ab roll outs

Session 14

Deadlift singles 135, 185, 225, 245, 275 and 295

Military press single 45,65,85,115, 125 and 135

Kettlebell snatches with 60 lbs for 20 reps

Weighted Pullup singles 35,30,25,20, 15 and 10

5 reps with ab roller

Session 15

Deadlift 135 x 10

Military Press 65 x 10

BW Pull ups for 5 reps

30 snatches with 35 lb kb

5 reps on ab roller

Train with purpose,

Sandy Sommer RKC

The program is designed to go for 40 workout sessions using 5 exercises with very little if any variation. I am doing deadlifts, military press, Pullups/chinups , kettlebell snatches and the ab roller.  Since the volume and intensity are limited, you could do this workout every day if logistically possible.

I did 6 sessions this past week so I have 10 total under my belt now.

Session 5

Dead lift 195 x 5, 195x 5

Military press 115 x 5 x 2

Pullups 10 reps bodyweight

24 kg KB snatches 20 reps

Ab roller for 5

Session 6

Dead lift 135 x5 , 185 x 3, 225 x 1, 245 x 1

Military press 95 x 5 x 2

Pull ups 35 x 1 x 4, Bw x 6

Ab roller 5

Session 7

Dead lift 135 x5 x 2

Military press 65 x 5 x 2

Pull ups 10

Ab roller 5

Unfortunately I lost my sheets for the last workouts but since the whole idea is to work based on ‘feel’ I’m not too concerned about. In fact, on Facebook, Dan John was quoted as saying ” Forget about % of 1 rep max. I beg you.”

Train with purpose,

Sandy Sommer RKC

Just like you, I have a fair amount going on in my life. I don’t ever have any issue getting my workout in since it remains a priority but I wanted to give Dan John’s Easy Strength plan a shot for a number of  reasons.  The main one being that I have a lot going on right now and I wanted to save time and get the best results possible.

Mr. John is a very well regarded strength and conditioning expert and I don’t think I’ve ever read or seen anything that we writes about that isn’t incredibly simple and elegant.  Remember simple is always better than complicated. Never ever forget Occam’s Razor.

What I’m going to be doing for my next 40 sessions is based off Easy Strength and is really worth checking out.

I will chronicle each week as I finish. Everyone I’ve talked to that has done this has gotten almost astounding results. I will be maintaining great eating of real food. I figure I will easily be compliant 80%.

I warm up each session with overhead squats, Turkish Get ups and foam roller work and some Kelly Sterrett drills.

Week 1

Session 1

Dead lift 185 x 5, 225 x 5

Military press 65 x 5, 85 x 5

Pullups 10 reps

KB snatches 20 reps

Ab roller for 5

Session 2

Dead lift 135 x5 x 2

Military press 65 x 5 x 2

Pull ups 10

Ab roller 5

Session 3

Dead lift 135 x5 x 2

Military press 65 x 5 x 2

Pull ups 10

Ab roller 5

Session 4

Dead lift 145 x 5 x 2

Military press 70 x 5 x 2

Chin ups 10

Ab roller 5

Dial in your eating habits, keep your training simple and I can guarantee results!

Train with purpose,

Sandy Sommer RKC

You may realize by now that I really enjoy food. The eating of it as well as the making. Particularly I like fire and meat so grilling and smoking and barbecue are things I’m passionate about.

Each year my buddy Bill Case has a big summer bash.  The Tom Larson Blues Band is always ripping it and we have a great time. My annual contribution is some brisket Texas style.  Now this take a long time but if you’ve ever had beef brisket cooked long and slow with some hardwood,  the right rub and some tender loving care then you know what I mean.

So today is the party. I started the beef yesterday at  around 730 PM and just pulled it off my PK grill. I slow cooked it for close to 13 hours and it’s in the final crutch stage, wrapped in foil then again in some old towels and in a cooler to further tenderize it and keep it at temp until this afternoon. Now when I slice it up today I promise that I will get the first taste.

So other than making you jealous, why am I telling you this?

Because like life and like strength, getting this bad boy from refrigerator to barbecue to table is a process. And it can’t be hurried. The foundation is the first thing. I find a decent brisket flat with some nice fat cap on it.  I rub it with my secret rub and let it dry marinade for at least 6 hours.   The fire is the next thing. Got to have the right temperature. Too hot and you end up with dried out meat that is way too tough. It’s got to be just right and that means less than 250 degrees. If you hurry it then it will be unpalatable. It’s got to be just right. And there aren’t any shortcuts.

Now if you try to hurry your strength program you will end up going nowhere and the same thing with life. There are natural rhythms and tides that need to be honored. You just can’t go too fast.  You need to be patient and you need to be consistent. I think Mark Reifkind said that consistency trumps intensity. What he meant is that you have to honor life. You can’t compress getting strong into a few sessions. It is a process and it requires effort and desire but it can’t be done all at once.

Train with purpose,

Sandy Sommer RKC

First, let me say that consistency trumps intensity almost always.  How so? Well, just like building wealth, getting in shape is a process and it can’t be done quickly. It’s best done by an unfailing devotion to your plan.

So what should that plan be? Well it depends on your goals. I find that 99.9% of the population want to look better and be healthier.  So for the time being let’s go for that.

My first question for you would be “what are you eating and putting in your body?” Ditch the processed carbs. Ditch the caffeine. Ditch the nicotine. Sugar? Fugetaboutit! Eat real food and don’t eat anything that is enriched with crap.

Get plenty of sleep. If your health is important to you then what you eat and how you recover is huge. Two reasons you don’t lose weight is you eat “Low fat” shit and sleep 6 hours a day. I can almost guarantee you are carrying extra weight if these two hold true.

But I digress.

Here’s a 4 week program for beginners. First off, be sure  to learn how to do a kettlebell swing properly. Properly means that you learn from a certified RKC. Sorry all you crossfitters out there but the american swing ain’t for beginners and isn’t much better for advanced users.  Don’t try to learn it from YouTube or even Tracy Reikind’s excellent swing video. Hands on instruction is the only way I’ve found that it is learned safely. I’ve only had one person come to me for training who was self taught and swinging well.

Learn the swing, the Get up and the goblet squat. Once these are being done well then you are ready to proceed.

Train 3 says a week. Start with 5 minutes of TGU. In almost all cases this should be a bodyweight exercise at first. Next alternate swings and squats. Add training volume each session. Quality beats quantity. Still, try to do more work each session. You should shoot for sets of 5-10 swings and 5-10 squats. Work for 30 minutes and track your improvement.

What should you expect? Well you will start to notice a markedly better body. You will feel better. You will certainly have more energy.

Train with purpose,

Sandy Sommer RKC

If you want to perform your best, then his website should be bookmarked in your browser. What does perform your best mean? Well to me what it means is that you get optimal performance from your mind and body….pain free.

Pain is not the same thing is discomfort associated with effort. If you can’t tell the difference that would be the first thing you need to discover for yourself before going on further.

I’ve titled this post “10 Minute Squat Test” since that is one of the baselines KStar uses to check out our mobility. When I discovered  MobilityWod I was able to do 3:50 in the test. Not awful but not great. In less than 90 days, I can easily do the full 10 minutes.  Please click the link above to find out how to safely do this test.

One thing that Starrett mentions in the episode is that there is very little back or hip disease in countries in the Third World. Moving there won’t ensure that your cranky hip problem will go away but I really can’t urge  you strongly enough to get to MobilityWOD and find out how the information available on the site will help you in the sport of life.

To get the most out of the material shared you will need some tools. 3 lacrosse balls, a Rumble roller, a Grid and some bands.

Please take the squat test. Report your results in the comments. Retest every month or so.

Train with purpose,

Sandy Sommer RKC

PS use the search function on KStar’s site to find info on your balky bits.

Logan Christopher RKC is a good guy and certainly one of the strongest and fittest men I know. In fact, I even consulted with him to improve my own snatch speed. What we discussed at that time in no way resembles the nonsense he is putting out into the marketplace these days. He does himself, and the truth, dishonor though with his most recent marketing piece.

Logan is known and trusted in the strength world. So trusted in fact, that at least two senior level RKCs sent out emails on his behalf, sharing his most recent “accomplishment.” The problem is that what he said he did and what he actually did, were not congruent.

Logan claimed that he did the Secret Service Snatch test with the 24 kg kettlebell and was able to do 301 repetitions within the 10 minute limit of said test. Problem is they were incomplete reps.

And I am not talking simply semantics here. Just as barbell squat has a prescription to it and  that is “below parallel, the kettlebell snatch rep is described as completed with a locked elbow and a pause at the top.

As I mentioned, at least two top RKCs sent out an announcement regarding this “feat” and their mistake was not viewing the video before they shared it with their following. They both sent out emails of apology stating that they had failed to do their due diligence prior to sharing. They  both “manned up” and said something like that would never occur on their watch again.

Logan on the other hand sent out an email that excuses his lack of movement integrity by saying . “I understand the snatch better than most people out there. I understand that form must be compromised to go this fast. Others do not understand this. But I don’t teach the snatch the way I show it in the
video except to people that are capable of going this fast, which is few and far between. (Actually the majority of the form is the same its just the lockout in question.)”

Seriously? That’s exactly like saying if you are sprinter, “hey I can’t go full speed for 40 yards so let’s go 30 and still say I ran a 4.1 forty.” Even more puzzling is that any sprinter knows that the better your form, the faster you go. Logan says the exact opposite.  I can promise you that a good kettlebell snatch is faster than a bad one. Assuming that the snatch is actually completed. In his case, he shortens the stroke and wants to still call it a snatch. You can’t have it both ways my friend. Sorry.

Still, Logan is a fit, amazingly fit in fact, athlete. So why would he approach the project without integrity? Only he can answer that.

Please share your thoughts.

Train with purpose,

Sandy Sommer RKC

The kettlebell is one great fitness tool but like any tool, it can be misused or down right abused.

So why have they bothered to share their nonsense? Well they have correctly identified the kettlebell as a true fat burner but one that will get you stronger and stronger and thus help you burn even more calories as your body becomes a metabolic furnace.

Here is a video that shows you what a good Russian Kettlebell swing should look like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEdUt9qiI-4

I’ve shot it in profile so you easily can see the hip hinge in action. There is little knee bend, my butt shoots back as if to punch. I drive my hips forward after the descent. It is crisp, business like and effective. Breath in as the kettlebell passes your hips on the descent. There is a sharp exhale as you reach the apex and as your shorten the distance from your hips to shoulders. Feel the core tighten as if about to be punched. Your spine should never round but be either extended or neutral. Notice how open my chest remains. Your arms are simply along for the ride. You ARE NOT using your arms to raise the bell. Your hips are the engineer and the arms are the railroad tracks.

Train With Purpose,

Sandy Sommer RKC

I’m “Type A” kind of person and getting me to sit still long enough to work on my flexibility has been tough. I’ve been doing self body work for years but never religiously. This morning I just completed my 5th session in five days and I can tell you with no hesitation that I feel tons better.

OK so I’m 49. I wish I knew what I know now at 20. About all things “Strength and Conditioning.” I am stronger now then when in my twenties and I am more mobile too. Not as fast however.

I’ve known for a long time that I should be taking care of my flexibility, I’ve just elected not to do it. Most of my flexibility at this point comes from the eccentric component of kettlebell practice.

But I wanted more. I want to be “game ready” at all times and I want to be able to move freely as well as be strong. As the cold weather has set in I could feel it a bit more than years past and I didn’t like it. So I am choosing to do something about it. Like I said, I’ve done it now for just 5 days in a row. Although I believe that to be a PR, it’s certainly not habitual yet.

I’ve used Pavel’s book Beyond Stretching as my main source of joint mobility work and I’ve elected to use the Grid as my foam roller. I’ve had this book and this foam roller for a long time. And I’ve used them both. I’ve been better about joint work in the past than using my foam roller but I think using both daily is going to be huge for me.

So what am I doing?

I begin each day with joint mobility. I feel better instantly. I use the foam roller post workout. I don’t know if the way I implement the two will work best for you or not. I suggest you use trial and error to find what best suits you.

And please don’t dismiss me if you are 20. You will thank me later. Start doing this stuff now and you will save your body.

One note on foam rolling….It hurts like the dickens when you first start to use it. It won’t hurt at all points on your body but you will be tender at certain spots and those are the areas  you should give special attention to. Also, most foam rollers are of sub-par material and break down quickly. I use the Grid as it is virtually indestructible.

Also the joint work will not be easy either. Practice it and you will really see a difference in range of motion. Just don’t get frustrated at first.

Train with purpose,

Sandy Sommer RKC

PS Please post in comment area any questions or concerns.

Our focus remains on building leg strength. A good deadlift starts with a good squat. And the definition of a good squat is that safety and performance are inextricably linked.

Most beginner to intermediate weight lifters have a stronger back then legs on a relative basis. So what we see hips that come up too fast. So fast in fact that the load (weights) lags behind so much that you move around the weight instead of having everything arrive together. The legs shouldn’t get straightened out too soon.

So how do we execute a proper goblet squat?

1. Get the kettlebell safely into position using a swing. Kettlebell should be just below your neck and held with both hands.
2. Follow the same directions as for the ultra-deep paused body-weight squat
3. Sink into the hole. Keep your trunk upright with shoulders back.
4. Pause. Keep knees over ankles and feet as much as you can.
5. Keep your tailbone beneath shoulders through the lift.
6. Perform 5 sets of 10 with a 44 pound kettlebell before moving to the next phase.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQX8Fi3-WKE

Train with purpose,

Sandy Sommer RKC