S&S/ROP Hybrid Kettlebell Program; Six Week Assessment

Pavel doing one-hand swings from S&S

After this last competition, I began an Easy Strength version of the Rite of Passage. I train kettlebell swings, presses, and loaded carries. Fit into the rest periods are the correctives needed for my gaps, such as patterning, grinding, and doing the swing pattern, relearning tightness with a push-up plank. I even found room to practice the Siu Lim Tao form from Wing Chun Kung Fu, alternating it with the drills from the book Taking It to the Street. So far, I finish all this around 30 minutes. A nice change from the near hour-long training sessions I had been doing.

It was two days of Simple and Sinister by the book, then two days where the Clean & Press following the Rite of Passage’s ladder scheme replaced the Get-Ups. A great variation that succeeded in pushing strength up, except it is a focused bus bench program since the intensity is not sustainable. At my age I am Quadrant III (see Easy Strength or Intervention) so I need to ease back the intensity, staying on the park bench for a while with the new program.

Speaking of Intervention, I went through it answering the 10 questions, and then applying the five principles to construct a program. Following the advice of the book and Scott Iardella this is the first program I have ever written for myself so this will be an interesting six weeks until the next assessment. I recommend the book highly, now to see what the S&S/ROP hybrid did as far as body composition.

Body Composition (inches)

Body Part                      Before                  After                   -/+

Neck                               14.12                 14.12               0

Shoulders             43.75                   43.25            -.50

Chest                      37.25            37.50                 +.25

Waist                             32.25                  32         -.25

Biceps                    12.43                 12.37             -0.06

Forearms                   10.87             11.00          +0.13

Thighs                         21.81                 21.25      -.56

Calves                          13.81                   13.75         -.06

Weight                  151.6lbs          153.4          +1.8lbs

Body Fat %                15.3%                14.8%         -.50%

Lean Body Mass    128.4lbs            130.7           +2.3lbs

Well I expected to be fatter with the excess calories I had been eating but my body put them to use apparently. Less fat, more lean body mass mostly in the chest and forearms. Strength is up, body fat is in acceptable levels and lean body mass is up. Not complaining at all.