TABLE OF CONTENTS
THE STRONGFIRST DIFFERENCE
StrongFirst training and programming is radically different from any other. Here is why:
Because strength is the master quality and we view strength training as a skill practice.
1. Strength is the master quality
StrongFirst is 100% behind Prof. Leonid Matveyev’s categorical statement:
“Strength is the foundation for development of the rest of physical qualities.”
Until one becomes “entry-level strong,” e.g. a half-bodyweight one-arm kettlebell press, a double-bodyweight back squat for men, etc., no priority other than strength can be justified for a healthy athlete.
2. Strength is a skill
To quote Soviet neurophysiologist and biomechanist Nikolay Bernstein:
“Exercise is repetition without repetition.”
We view strength, endurance, and other qualities as skills and approach our training as a practice, not a workout.
“At StrongFirst we emphasize the technical performance over routines, exercises, workouts,” as stated by former Senior Instructor Rob Lawrence. “They are marginal until the technique is perfect.”
3. “Workout” versus “Practice”
The most common term to describe one’s training is a workout.
- “I’m going to work out.”
- “That workout was great.”
Workout conjures up the image of getting tired and sweaty. But what does the term practice make you think of?
If you have been an athlete, it can bring back memories of practices with your team, refining skills, learning a new play. If you are a musician, it might bring back memories of practicing scales.
Practice means purposefully repeating a skill over and over with the intention of getting better and better.
This is how StrongFirst views training. As a practice. As a chance to learn and refine the skills of strength and other qualities through purposeful repetition. Fatigue and sweat may be byproducts of your practice but they are not the goal.
Delete the word workout from your vocabulary and start practicing your way to high levels of
strength and conditioning.
SAFETY 101
Get a medical clearance. See your physician before starting any exercise program.
Always be aware of your surroundings. Find a training area with a non-slippery surface. The area must be clear of objects you might trip over (including kettlebells). There should be no people in a radius where you could injure them.
Train barefoot or wear shoes with a flat, thin sole, and room for the toes to spread. Training barefoot is superior for health and performance reasons. If you must wear shoes, wear Converse Chuck Taylors, Vibram Five Fingers, or similar shoes that have thin soles and do not pinch the toes together.
You have specialized sensory receptors in the bottom of your feet, which make you stronger and improve your balance and coordination. Wearing traditional “athletic” shoes diminishes the ability of these receptors to work properly, and therefore impedes your performance and can increase your risk of injury.
Never contest for space with a kettlebell. Don’t try to save a rep that has gone wrong. Guide the kettlebell to fall harmlessly and move out of the way if necessary. And remember that “quick feet are happy feet.”
Practice all safety measures at all times. Respect every movement, even the easiest one. Always use perfect form picking up and setting down a kettlebell. The set is not over until the bell is safely parked.
Focus on quality, not quantity. Always complete each set under control, stopping before high levels of fatigue occur. Never train to failure. Gray Cook, a premier sports physical therapist, has pointed out that your motor control goes south as you fatigue and “the body will always sacrifice quality.”
In StrongFirst-style training, like in weightlifting and powerlifting, reps are not the end goal. Emphasize speed in your quick lifts and tension in your “grinds” and don’t worry about the reps too much.
Whether your goal is strength or endurance, a professionally performed set is taken not to a complete collapse as the gym bros assure you but is stopped before technique or performance deteriorate.
Observe the following “stop signs”:
Mind the “Stop Signs!”
Stop a set at the first sign of any of following—and preferably before:
✓ Rep speed slows down.
✓ Tempo drops (pauses between reps—if applicable—increase).
✓ Technique changes in any way.
✓ Rate of perceived exertion (RPE) exceeds 8 on the 1-10 scale.
✓ You are gasping for air (irrelevant to strength training; applicable to conditioning).
Adjust your reps and rest periods to make sure that none of the above happens, even on heavy days.
Keep moving once your heart rate is high. Once your heart rate is high or after a hard set, keep moving, e.g. walking, shadow boxing, etc., to help your heart pump the blood. Stop only when your heart rate is halfway down to normal. Consider getting a heart rate monitor.
Spinal position should be set during the exercise (i.e., do not move through extension into flexion during the movement). Unless counter-indicated, back extension type stretches like the Up Dog/Cobra are recommended following training.
Build up the training load gradually using common sense and listen to your body. The “training load” refers not only to the weight, sets, and reps, but also to the mobility and flexibility requirements. Don’t force yourself into positions you are not ready for; develop your range of motion gradually.
Instruction cannot cover all contingencies and there is no substitute for good judgment.
PROGRAMMING TERMS & ABBREVIATIONS
Reps/Sets: If you read “5/7”, it means seven sets of five reps.
I go/you go: Refers to approximately equal periods of work and rest. E.g., you and your training partner take turns lifting the same kettlebell and the kettlebell never rests.
Ladder: It is a series of sets in which reps progressively increase. E.g., (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) or (2, 4, 6). If multiple ladders are prescribed, you always start the next ladder on the bottom. E.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...
Chain: A group of exercises each performed for a single repetition in sequence before starting over at the first exercise. For example: {Swing + Clean + Press + Snatch + Swing + Clean + Press + Snatch = 1 Chain}.
Complex: A group of exercises performed in sequence for a desired number of repetitions. For example: {Clean x 3 + Press x 3 + Squat x 3}. The number of repetitions for each exercise can vary or be laddered within the complex.
Cycles—Linear, Step, and Wave:
- Linear cycles progress with weekly weight or volume increases in a linear fashion. Typically, 2-3% increases per week or for shorter cycles 4-5%.
- Step cycles progress by using the same load for weeks before making a sudden large jump
(10% not being unusual). - Wave cycles progress by taking larger jumps, then backs off and then starts climbing
again—e.g. three steps forward and two steps back.
Fast & Loose drills: They are muscle relaxation and vibration drills used between sets to enhance recovery.
RM: It stands for a “repetition maximum.”—the number of repetitions you can perform with perfect
technique if you go all-out.
The Talk Test: The Talk Test is used in some programs to gauge rest between sets of exercises like Kettlebell Swings. You will rest long enough to be able to speak in short sentences without having to pause to breathe.
PR: It stands for a “personal record.”
Plan Strong: Plan Strong (seminar and programming method) takes the most sophisticated and powerful strength training system ever—the Soviet weightlifting system—and applies this system of programming to kettlebell, barbell, and bodyweight training.
How we specify the number of sets, reps, and the weight or the percentage of load.
In StrongFirst practices and programs we specify the number of reps, sets, and the weight or the percentage of load to use in your training session in the following way:
reps/sets @weight/percentage of load.
Here some examples:
- 5/2 @70% 1RM, means 2 sets of 5 reps with 70% of your 1RM.
- 3/3 @80% 3RM, means 3 sets of 3 reps with 80% of your 3RM.
- 5/5 @70kg, means 5 sets of 5 reps with 70kg.
App Terms
Session Totals: On some of the practices you will see a separate Session Totals section to be used at the end of the session. This will allow you to input the results of the session after it is completed instead of having to input data after every set.
Terms used in the Practice and Program descriptions:
Goal: The focus or result of the training, such as: Strength, Hypertrophy, Body Composition
Level: Skill level required for this training—Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Skills: Which exercises will be used
Equipment: Which tools will be used such as kettlebell, barbell, etc...
Type: How the program is structured—ladder, complex, chain, type of cycle (linear, step, etc....)
Frequency: How many days per week is the program performed
Time Required: How long the sessions will take
Duration: How many days, sessions, or weeks
Scoring/Tracking: What “metrics” will be tracked
Skill Abbreviations
Barbell (BB)
BSQ—Back Squat
BP—Bench Press
BFP—Bridge Floor Press
CDL—Conventional Deadlift
CGBP—Close Grip Bench Press
DL—Deadlift
FSQ—Front Squat
GM—Good Morning
MP—Military Press
PRW—Pendlay Row
SDL—Sumo Deadlift
ZSQ—Zercher Squat
Bodyweight (BW)
DF—Dragon Flag
HSPU—Handstand Pushup
HLR—Hanging Leg Raise
OAOLPU—One-Arm/One-Leg Pushup
OAPU—One-Arm Pushup
PSQ—Pistol
PWR PU—Power Pushup
PU—Pushup
SQ—Squat
SFHB—StrongFirst Hip Bridge
TPUL—Tactical Pullup
CU—Chin-Up
Kettlebell (KB)
D—Double (means two kettlebells)
DCL—Double Kettlebell Clean
DCL&FSQ—Double Kettlebell Clean & Front Squat
DCL&P—Double Kettlebell Clean & Press
DFSQ—Double Kettlebell Front Squat
DJ—Double Kettlebell Jerk
DMP—Double Kettlebell Military Press
DPP—Double Kettlebell Push Press
DSW—Double Kettlebell Swing
J—Jerk
BTP—Kettlebell Bent Press
CL—Kettlebell Clean
CL&FSQ—Kettlebell Clean & Front Squat
CL&P—Kettlebell Clean & Press
Dead SW—Kettlebell Dead Swing
FSQ—Kettlebell Front Squat
GU—Kettlebell Get-Up
GSQ—Kettlebell Goblet Squat
Halo—Kettlebell Halo
H2HSW—Kettlebell Hand-to-Hand Swing
MP—Kettlebell Military Press
KB PSQ—Kettlebell Pistol
KB RR—Kettlebell Renegade Row
SN—Kettlebell Snatch
WM—Kettlebell Windmill
OASW—One-Arm Kettlebell Swing
OLDL—One-Legged Kettlebell Deadlift
PrGSQ—Prying Kettlebell Goblet Squat
PP—Push Press
TASW—Two-Arm Kettlebell Swing