Designing Your Own Kettlebell Program
Toshner said that a solid way for a beginner to design an anti-glycolytic (AGT)kettlebell program is to simply invert the set and rep scheme you’d usually employ to reach a certain total volume. So for example, instead of doing five sets of 20 reps, switch that around to 20 sets of five reps. Doing this reduces lactic acid buildup, avoids the power drop-off typically seen in higher rep sets, and builds strength endurance effectively.
“This kind of training also increases motor unit recruitment,” Jones added. “Let’s say it initially took you 1,000 motor units to perform a movement. As you repeat it over time with low-rep sets, your body will become more efficient, and eventually you might only need 500 units. Then you have 500 in reserve for when you’re going long in the mountains.”
TrainingPeaks makes it easy to design your own kettlebell program with the Strength Builder tool. Find your exercise in our library of 1,000+ exercises, add it to your training, and see it all in one place alongside your running, cycling, or climbing workouts.
Work Backward from Current Capacity
In both individual and team sports, it’s common practice for strength coaches to measure athletes’ 1RM in multiple exercises during the preseason. They then use this to evaluate training and nervous system load and adjust programming as needed when they reassess these marks during the competitive calendar.
Toshner pursues a similar kind of rolling PR system when training his mountain athletes, but with three kettlebell swings, three medicine ball slams, and three squat or box jumps. Here’s how this session looks and informs the other two weekly workouts if you’re training three times a week:
Session One: Repeat the pattern described above until you reach a stop sign, which could be form deteriorating, power dropping off, or breathing pattern becoming misaligned with the movement (e.g. huffing and puffing during a set)
Session Two: Do 80 percent of the volume achieved in session one
Session Three: Do 60 percent of the volume achieved in session one
Sample Kettlebell Strength Training Program for Mountain Sports
Here’s how a program might look when combined with climbing, hiking, skiing, or whatever other mountain sports you like to do in a seven-day program:
Monday
Three swings, three medicine ball slams, three squat jumps + one minute rest
Repeat until you:Lose quickness or your form changes
Feel a “burn,” indicating glycolysis
Cannot maintain one breath per rep or pass a talk test (being able to speak without feeling shortness of breath) before the next set
Reach 60 minutes
Tuesday
Repeat until you:Lose quickness or your form changes
Feel a “burn,” indicating glycolysis
Cannot maintain one breath per rep or pass a talk test (being able to speak without feeling shortness of breath) before the next set
Reach 60 minutes
Tuesday
Load a backpack or rucking vest with 20 percent of your body weight
Choose a box that’s 3/4 length of your sitting knee height
Perform step-ups at 60-70 percent max HR, maintaining one breath per step for 30 to 45 minutes
Change the weight or box height to maintain the target HR range
Add core work, such as hollow rocking, ab wheel rollouts, dragon flags, or front levers to finish
Wednesday
Choose a box that’s 3/4 length of your sitting knee height
Perform step-ups at 60-70 percent max HR, maintaining one breath per step for 30 to 45 minutes
Change the weight or box height to maintain the target HR range
Add core work, such as hollow rocking, ab wheel rollouts, dragon flags, or front levers to finish
Wednesday
Do your sport
OR
OR
Do strength exercises like pull-ups, one-arm push-ups, and pistol squats
You can also add in some core exercises such as hollow rocking, ab wheel rollouts, dragon flags, or front levers
Thursday
You can also add in some core exercises such as hollow rocking, ab wheel rollouts, dragon flags, or front levers
Thursday
Repeat Monday’s workout, but with only 60 to 80 percent of its total duration
Friday
Friday
Yoga
OR
OR
Stability kettlebell movements, such as get-ups, windmills, and knee stability drills
Use a kettlebell that’s 15 percent of your bodyweight and perform these exercises without setting the bell down for 45 to 60 minutes
Move slowly to maintain an HR of 65 to 75 percent max
Do farmer’s carries if your heart rate gets beyond that range
Switch sides or exercises if you’re feeling the burn
Saturday
Use a kettlebell that’s 15 percent of your bodyweight and perform these exercises without setting the bell down for 45 to 60 minutes
Move slowly to maintain an HR of 65 to 75 percent max
Do farmer’s carries if your heart rate gets beyond that range
Switch sides or exercises if you’re feeling the burn
Saturday
Step-ups (same metrics as Tuesday)
Go for up to 60 minutes
AND
Go for up to 60 minutes
AND
Do your sport
Sunday
Sunday
Active rest day
CONCLUSION
The theory is that each time you repeat session one, your capacity will have increased. For example, if you managed 30 minutes initially, this might increase to 35 minutes in week two and 40 in week three.
The number of reps will remain capped at five, but the amount of sets should increase, indicating physiological adaptations, like an uptick in mitochondrial activity, increased motor unit recruitment, and elevated cardiovascular efficiency. If the numbers keep trending up, it’s a sign that you’re also staying strong longer, which comes in handy during a multiday hike or nailing run after run on the ski hill.
There’s the possibility of almost infinite variation in the kind of training sessions Jones and Toshner do themselves and prescribe for mountain athletes. The keys to nailing the basics are to break down your total workload into more sets of less reps, keep your movements explosive and technique solid, and end the workout if quality or speed decline or your heart rate stays above the low zone three range.
References
Busse, M., & Kwast, S. (2015, December). Force, power and physiological load during kettlebell swings. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305279809_Force_power_and_physiological_load_during_kettlebell_swings
Jones, B. Iron Cardio. Retrieved from https://appliedstrength.com/iron-cardio/
Kingstone, M. (2018, Febrauary 28). Understanding Why “Less Is More” with Anti-Glycolytic Training. Retrieved from https://www.strongfirst.com/understanding-why-less-is-more-with-anti-glycolytic-training/
Luiz Vancini, R., et al. (2019, March 27). Kettlebell Exercise as an Alternative to Improve Aerobic Power and Muscle Strength. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6458586/
Schnettler, C., et al. (2010, January). Kettlebells: Twice the Results in Half the Time? Retrieved from https://www.acefitness.org/getfit/studies/Kettlebells012010.pdf
Tsatsouline, P. (2023, December 12). How to Navigate the Strong Endurance Universe. Retrieved from https://www.strongfirst.com/how-to-navigate-the-strong-endurance-universe/
The number of reps will remain capped at five, but the amount of sets should increase, indicating physiological adaptations, like an uptick in mitochondrial activity, increased motor unit recruitment, and elevated cardiovascular efficiency. If the numbers keep trending up, it’s a sign that you’re also staying strong longer, which comes in handy during a multiday hike or nailing run after run on the ski hill.
There’s the possibility of almost infinite variation in the kind of training sessions Jones and Toshner do themselves and prescribe for mountain athletes. The keys to nailing the basics are to break down your total workload into more sets of less reps, keep your movements explosive and technique solid, and end the workout if quality or speed decline or your heart rate stays above the low zone three range.
References
Busse, M., & Kwast, S. (2015, December). Force, power and physiological load during kettlebell swings. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305279809_Force_power_and_physiological_load_during_kettlebell_swings
Jones, B. Iron Cardio. Retrieved from https://appliedstrength.com/iron-cardio/
Kingstone, M. (2018, Febrauary 28). Understanding Why “Less Is More” with Anti-Glycolytic Training. Retrieved from https://www.strongfirst.com/understanding-why-less-is-more-with-anti-glycolytic-training/
Luiz Vancini, R., et al. (2019, March 27). Kettlebell Exercise as an Alternative to Improve Aerobic Power and Muscle Strength. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6458586/
Schnettler, C., et al. (2010, January). Kettlebells: Twice the Results in Half the Time? Retrieved from https://www.acefitness.org/getfit/studies/Kettlebells012010.pdf
Tsatsouline, P. (2023, December 12). How to Navigate the Strong Endurance Universe. Retrieved from https://www.strongfirst.com/how-to-navigate-the-strong-endurance-universe/
