Kettlebell Simple & Sinister: Revised and Updated Edition (2nd Edition)

Simple & Sinister, the book, is well written and presents the material in a clear, concise and lively manner. As a 20-year veteran of the marital arts, I am someone used to breaking down movements to their finest points and understand the true power in any movement is in the details and cues. I am often frustrated by the typical exercise books that show the start and end position and say, do this. By contrast, Pavel's teaching style refreshing. His text is both spartan and comprehensive, and goes into enough detail to allow the reader to really understand the techniques. Simple & Sinister, the workout, just plain works. The program is short and refreshing but is densely packed with hard work. I found I could squeeze it in different parts of the day and not miss a beat. Once you get into it, you can motor through it in less than 25 minutes, day-in, day-out. I also found that it did not spike my appetite like more aggressive programs often do, so my weight stayed where I wanted it to be without feeling hungry or having to worrying about my consumption. My personal experience: I am a 40-year-old desk jocky who has been doing various forms of resistance training for the past 10 years or so with limited results, and kettlebells for about a six months previous to Simple and Sinister. I did Simple & Sinister for 8 weeks. I started with a 20kg for all movements and met the standard of 5 min for the swings and 10 minute for the Get-ups, but could only perform a couple of sets with the 24kg. By the end of the 8 weeks, the 24kg seemed like a toy, and I was mixing in a healthy amount of Swings and Get-ups with the 32kg, well on my way to the "Simple" goal (all 32kg, 100 swings/min, 10 Get-up/10min). I put on some muscle, especially my back, and felt a lot more solid through the mid-section, especially when I started working with the 32kg. To me and others who like variety, it is a great training plan that helped my plug some gaps in my tension and strength and was a nice break from more aggressive training programs. One of the benefits of this plan for variety junkies is that you can not screw this up or mask lack of progress in variety, because there is none, the results just come. I plan to revisit this training program from time to time for 8-12 week training blocks to continue to make progress My wife is 6 months in on the program. She started swinging the 8kg and is now is using the 16kg, get-ups went from 4kg to 12kg. She is a mom, career woman, runner, martial artist and this is the first strength program that she has been able to plug into, stick with in a very long time. The convenience of such and effective workout in your living room has got her hooked.

**Progress review/update 2/18/14** The reviews on Simple & Sinister seemed too good to be true, but I bought it on a whim. It ended up entirely changing my training routine. It may be too early to post a review, but I have been following this routine exactly as prescribed for about a week and I love it. I thought I'd share my experience from a novice's perspective, and if I find in a few months that I am unsatisfied with the routine (or that I still love it) I will follow-up my review. Since most of the reviews are on the information and quality of the book (I'd still give it five stars-- the writing is motivating and informative), I am going to focus on the routine's prescribed itself. I'm not your typical kettlebell/crossfit nut who asks for punishment-- I'm an out of shape guy who wants (and needs) to lose fat and get stronger. Like every other dissatisfied-with-their-bodied American, I bought a kettlebell last year but didn't really know what to do with it. I got Enter the Kettlebell like recommended, and was even more confused. So the $50 bell that was supposed to solve my fitness woes sat in the closet, and I kept paying my $25/month gym fee. I went in yesterday to cancel my membership-- I now have a fitness plan to last me a long time. The premise behind Simple and Sinister is, well, simple. While I don't want to spoil what is in the book, it is so simple and easy to understand that it isn't going to be a secret for long. Some books on fitness tell you to "do this-- but you could also do this, this, or this", but Simple and Sinister has just two options: Simple (what I'm on), and Sinister (for the experienced kettlebeller). Here is the layout for the simple routine. I won't share with you how many times a week to do the program or any of the other programming tips. You have to buy the book for that. The simple routine starts with a warmup set that is repeated three times: 1x5 Goblet Squats 1x5 Halo's 1x5 Supine Bridges After that, the workout is: 10x10 KB swings 1x5 turkish get ups, each side That is it. While similar to the Program Minimum of ETK, this program focuses more on strength rather than time. Each rep is controlled and powerful. When I started on the routine, I was worried by 35lb KB would be insufficient (I am a 240lb guy, after all). Did I ever get a wakeup call. The first day I had to lay in a pile of sweat after the sets. I woke up and everything hurt. But I kept coming back, and it kept getting easier. A few things I noticed after only about a week: 1. My chronic shoulder pain has all but diminished. I had heard that turkish get ups were great for shoulder stability, but even after watching dozens of youtube videos I never got them right. Pavel's tips and shoe trick got me to learn it within a day. 2. I've dropped five pounds (I'm also dieting, which helps) 3. My posture is better, and despite working out harder than I had been I feel pretty good sitting at my work desk all day. 4. My legs are tighter and stronger feeling than they were a week ago. I had been doing a 3x5 powerlifting program before this and my legs got huge. I like the idea of fitting in normal jeans again. 5. My grip is much stronger. The first few days I struggled to not drop the kettlebell on my face, and now I am finding I want more of a challenge. The beauty of the simple program is that it can be scalable for a long time. Once my 16kg bell feels too easy, I am buying a 24kg bell. Then, a 32kg bell. If I can do the program with a 48kg beast, I'll be the baddest dude on the block. So I have years of programming that I can do in my living room for about a total of 3 hours per week. No gym memberships, and the only cost will be a collection of kettlebells that will last forever. I look forward to continuing the program. I hope my wordy review convinces another lost beginner to just go ahead and buy the book, grab a kettlebell, and start. It's the solution to your New Years Resolution! **UPDATE 2/18/14** After nearly three months using the program, I purchased a 24kg kettlebell a week ago and have been continuing to progress. I started eating *clean* in January and have lost nearly 18lbs (from 247 to 229lbs) and 5 inches on my waist line (from 44 inches to 39, still got a gut). I'm down to doing the program 2-3 times a week, and I swim/go to a crossfit style workout class 3 other days a week. The Simple and Sinister routine has done wonders for strengthening my weaknesses like my hips, abs, and shoulder girdles. I hadn't touched a barbell in a few months, but I deadlifted a new personal record of 295lbs on Saturday. Still have a lot to work on, but the fact that I continue to lose weight without sacrificing the very little strength I have is a good sign! Still 5/5 stars for the program and the book, thanks Pavel.

Awesome. It works - almost too easily - to build a rock solid foundation for health or any athletic endeavor. It should be taught in schools... Plenty of detail to not only get you started with the exercises but to greatly improve your performance by drip-feeding 'tips' as you progress. Qualified (RKC or SFG) instruction at first would be well worth the money. If you have a weakness or injury this will strengthen it, making it ideal for rehabilitating back and shoulder injuries and bomb-proofing the entire body - seriously it is that good. As such it IS the preparatory programme for kettlebell training, indeed lifting in general, and is the only one you would ever need if your goal is to be simply strong, lean and healthy in 30 minutes a day, two-seven days a week. The programme lays down two challenges, adapted for men and women, which is a great idea for motivational goal setting in both the short and long-term. Achieving 'Simple' will place you above most 'gym-goers' and 'Sinister' would earn you great respect amongst the fittest and strongest anywhere. Invaluable - buy it, buy a kettlebell set and get seriously, functionally strong, fit and healthy - in your own home.

I am kettle bell enthusiast.. I have a rod in my left hand.. Which forced me to think about functional exercises.. I was using Indian clubs.. Then I came across Kettlebell..thru Steve Cutter learnt some basics.. But real transformation came when thought of embracing KB in day today life.. Pavel with his no nonsense attitude n minimalist zen like approach made that possible.. I never wanted big chest n biceps.. Wanted to carry my kids to third floor.swings n getup always fascinated me...to convince me grinds after ballestics was tough..keeping it less n still challenging was real gem..never liked jogging or walking like a retired pensioner man.. Always believed there is place for being strong n able to chase a guy for 100-200 m.. Pavel somehow brings those things in this books.. Thanks for giving us that conviction.. KB is for real not a passing fad

Talvez o melhor programa de treino minimalista do século !

Finding a program that is simple enough mentally that I don't have to plan or think about my workout is key for the rest of my life. This routine, once the movements are learned properly, allows you to step in the gym and build strength and endurance without using much mental energy deciding on weight progressions and programming. Extremely effective training program for anyone who wants to be in shape and doesn't need sport specific training.

J'ai acheté le Kindle de la première édition en Décembre 2017. Je me suis entraîné presque exclusivement avec S&S depuis, passant du kettlebell de 16kg à celui de 40kg. Résultats plus que conformes aux promesses du livre : une très bonne condition physique générale, une meilleure posture au quotidien, des gains musculaires. À lire et à bien relire pour en extraire toute la "substantifique moelle" : la simplicité de S&S renferme une grande richesse. Découvrir StrongFirst et le travail de Pavel Tsatsouline a été un grand tournant dans mon approche du mouvement et du sport en général. La nouvelle édition est encore plus claire et je vais me la procurer en format physique pour pouvoir profiter du confort de la traduction : ce livre mérite clairement sa place dans votre bibliothèque.