Simple and sinister Quotes from Pavel that make you stronger
Pavel Tsatsoulin is one hardcore Russian who helps people to get stronger in a simple way. Afer writing, traveling and teaching far and wide on the art of kettlebell his latest book is "Simple & Sinister". This book boils down this incredibly easy tool for strength in fitness down to its very essence. It was a revelation for my warm ups and to build better general strength as a base for my
-
The unique nature of kettlebell lifts provides a powerful training effect with a relatively light weight
-
You can replace an entire gym with a couple of kettlebells
-
The kettlebell swing has been known to improve the deadlift of elite powerlifters
-
The kettlebell swing has been known to improve the running times of high-level long distance runners
-
It is vain to do with more what can be done with less - Razor Occam
-
Simple and sinister is not a program to maximize any one attribute or performance in a particular event.
-
There are only two moving parts in Simple and Sinister, the swing and the
get-up -
The Turkish get-up is the ultimate slow lift; the kettlebell swing is the ultimate quick lift
-
The
get-up is an old-time strongman stunt that is the king of "functional training". -
Once you have conquered the get-up you will be the master of your body, not its guest.
-
Your simple and sinister workout is 100 swings total and five get-ups per arm.
-
A workout should give you more than it takes out of you
-
Women, Pick up that kettlebell and you should have no problem a better man than most men
-
No choice. More work.
-
Train barefoot or wear shoes with a flat, thin sole and room for the toes to spread.
-
Respect every kettlebell, even the lightest one
-
Always use perfect form picking up and setting down a kettlebell
-
The body will always sacrifice quality for quantity - Gray Cook
-
Kettlebell high-rep ballistics
are the closest you can get to fighting without throwing a punch. -
The top of the swing is a plank.
-
If your technique is correct, the kettlebell will form an extension of your arms
-
In the swing, the arms work on the negative, the hips on the positive
-
Be explosive. But do not confuse speed with panic
-
A hard style swing demands maximally explosive individual reps - not maximum speed.
-
Rest when the dirt is in the air. The farther you throw it, the more rest you get
-
Do not abuse chalk - a little is good; a lot may make the skin tear.
-
Heavy weight is instructive - Gray Cook
-
Simple and Sinister is not a circuit. Do all sets of swings before you moving on to get-ups.
-
A single get up rep on one side lasts about 30 seconds
-
You do not have a weak and a strong arm- but a strong and a stronger one
-
Do not rush; explore the movements
-
The talk test is solid. I do not want to rob the next set of intensity by starting out of breath
-
The kettlebell swing is inefficient, which is why it is a great fat burner - Dan John
-
Stop your sets before your reps slow down - Alfonso Duran
-
It does not matter if you can do 1.000 punches if none of them can knock out our little sister
-
Finish each kettlebell swing with a powerful glute cramp and abdominal brace
-
Get an idea of when you slow down and train to push the "slow down" rep point higher and higher
-
Ballistic events are funny: you will never be at your best when you are trying your hardest
-
Almost universally experienced fighters hit their hardest at 80% of effort
-
Fifty percent of very strong is strong. Fifty percent of weak is irrelevant.
-
When you own your breath, nobody can steal your peace - Anonymous
-
General endurance is the basis for development of special endurance
-
What is endurance except for continued strength?
-
Out with a workout, in with a recharge
-
Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler - Albert Einstein
-
Easy training is far better than no training
-
A Ruskie might not use death as an excuse
-
I'm not as good as I once was, but I am as good once as I ever was
-
Don't try to out-tough professional tough guys
If you want to read more about Pavel's work refer to my review of Deadlift Dynamite which he coauthored with Andy Bolton. You will also find further information on other programs on this blog and I hope you enjoyed the read. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Conclusion
Simple and sinister is a solid program to run for people who want to train strength and endurance in a fast and efficient way. In my opinion, the prerequisites are that you are not overweight and have some flexibility in the hip. The movements are more accessible to beginners than the barbell squat, deadlift and bench press as you can start with less load. Therefore it is excellent to introduce women to strength training, ease teenagers in the world of strength or progress beginner men into the world of strength.
The progression on the Turkish get up is especially appealing as it is a satisfying and easy goal to achieve to lift more and more weight over your head while only using one arm.
More experienced strength athletes will find that reading Pavel's book will help them to understand breathing and bracing on a deeper level. The kettlebell can become a less complex tool for warm ups for heavy squats and deadlifts as you only not one piece of equipment instead of a plethora of the same.
Further reading
- Can kettlebells build muscle?
- Can kettlebell swings hurt my back?
- Can kettlebell swings replace cardio?
- Can kettlebell swings replace deadlifts?
- Can kettlebell swings replace squats?
- How many kettlebell swings?
- How many times will you kettlebell to see remarkable results
- How the simple kettlebell works for your well being
- How to kettlebell swing to get amazingly strong
- When the killer kettlebell gets results and high performance
- Where do kettlebell swings target?
- Where to buy kettlebell sets?
- Which kettlebell should a woman start with?
- Which kettlebell weight should I buy?
- Why is kettlebell training so effective?
- Will kettlebells get you ripped?
- Will kettlebell swings burn fat?