Workout of The Week 22
Train like a Madman
“The real drug is to train like a madman, really like a madman.”
Aleksandr “The Russian Bear” Karelin
We have multitudes of means to assess and manage training volume and I think sometimes those metrics get in the way of producing the best results. Not always, but sometimes. Training like a madman doesn’t mean the training has to be stupid, but the intent should be vicious. Nobody epitomized relentless work ethic like 3x olympic, 9x world, and 12x European champion Aleksandr Karelin.
Soviet training methods used highly diverse training to create freak athletes. Body weight exercises, running on uneven surfaces or snow, calisthenics, kettlebells, partner work outs, and traditional barbell or dumbbell exercises were all included in a typical athletes regime. On rest days they would play other sports like basketball, jog, swim, or do light calisthenics.
Training was literally a lifetime practice. Maybe you don’t want to be an olympic greco-roman wrestler or world class athlete, but you still want to train hard and make good gains. You can probably train harder than you actually are, not only that, you could diversify your training to make yourself more physically robust. Today’s session is about just that. I’m going to lay out a kettlebell and calisthenic routine below. Feel free to sprinkle it in on off days. Go lighter for more recovery or add tools like sandbags and weight vests to spice up the body weight movements. Don’t be afraid of the work.
“The work is the gift” - Zach Even Esh
Training
Warmup
800m Jog with nasal breathing only. In through the nose and out through the nose. Easy pace.
Movement Flow 3 Rounds No Rest
Bodyweight Squat + Frog x 5
Squat Jumps (Full range) x 5
Alligators x 5/e
Pushup + Upward Dog (wassup dog) x 5
Inchworm + Pushup x 5
Activation
Double Leg Bounds 5 x 5 with 30 sec rest between sets
Clapping Push-up 5 x 5 with 30 sec rest between sets
Training
8 Rounds Every Minute on The Minute
As heavy as possible:
Double Kettlebell (DKB) Clean x 3
DKB Front Rack Squat x 2
DKB Thruster x 1
Armor Building
KB Goblet Squat x 5
KB Swing x 10
Pushup x 15
5 Rounds For Time. Use as heavy bells as possible. IF you’re able to, do the push-ups off the KB handles for greater range of motion.
Core Finisher
Kettlebell Carries 5 x 40 yards with 1 min rest b/t sets
Train Hard. Comment any questions below.