The Quick and the Dead

I’ve been finding myself working with kettlebells more often over the past year. I think the mix between minimalism and complexity initially drew me in. The equipment is simple: a steel sphere with a handle but the utilization of the kettlebell is rich and complex, allowing for years of exploration and mastery. Additionally, I’m drawn to the look and feel of the kettlebell itself. Lined up in rows of various weights they emit a sort of menacing vibe, carrying their attitude from origins in Russian strongman routines and Spetsnaz training camps.

Image obtained from the collection of a friend and mentor Rebecca Romans StrongFirst SFG1, SFG2, SFB located in Albuquerque. Send me a message if you want to try one of her classes!

Indeed the kettlebell has its origins in Russia and was popularized in the United States by trainer Pavel Tsatsouline. I began reading his most recent books and soon became familiar with his organization StrongFirst. While many of us were circuiting the fantastic contraptions of commercial gyms, he began playing a role in the development what we now generally call functional movement with minimal equipment. His training methods soon found home among groups requiring robust physical qualities for their careers such as fighting gyms, firehouses, and military training programs.

https://www.strongfirst.com/

I recently finished Pavel’s latest book titled “The Quick and the Dead” (Q&D). Like his previous books, it contains a hyperbolic title and prescribes a minimalist exercise routine of no more than three movements: the kettlebell swing, kettlebell snatch, and power push-up. Here I've filmed just a quick demonstration of each movement

Kettlebell Snatch

Kettlebell Single Hand Swing

Power Push-up

Why the title? Train with speed and focus on power. Don’t constantly wear yourself out with circuits of thrusters and pull-ups (a couple of CrossFit WODs and HIIT workouts come to mind). Routines such as these teach you to move slowly and can lead to injury and burnout. He believes its best to move as quickly and powerfully as you can for a set, then recover before the next.

Do I agree? As always, it depends on your fitness goals.

Pavel’s three-exercise routine is a power program. When talking about power within fitness, we use a physics definition of force applied to the kettlebell per time (Power=Force/time). When we increase the force required for a movement (heavier kettlebell) or decrease time (complete the movement more quickly), we generate more power.

Power is the essence of Q&D. Full-body power helps prepare us for many of life’s physically demanding situations. Following the ultimatum of this book’s title, we need to be both strong and fast to physically protect ourselves and others. Neglecting either speed or strength creates a serious disadvantage.

So if this is really just a power program, why not keep the status quo and continue a typical weightlifting routine of barbell cleans, jerks, and snatches? Personally, I find his routine so interesting because of its minimalist approach. All you need is a kettlebell, a resistance band, and some open space. Secure your kettlebell with a seatbelt and head to the local park after work. The kettlebell snatch and swing also require less initial technical mastery than similar barbell movements, making it a better option for beginners.

Just a kettlebell and a little room to spare

Now the big question is why anyone should be interested in incorporating this routine into their current exercise program. Why focus on minimalism and power?

First, this could be a great option for someone who wants to incorporate more power into his or her routine but lacks experience in many power-focused and technical barbell lifts such as the clean and jerk or snatch. The kettlebell swing and snatch are great for beginners since the entry barrier is relatively low, but can simultaneously take years to perfect. Additionally, no gym membership, barbells, rubber mats, or expensive bumper plates are required.

Second, this would be a helpful power supplement for endurance athletes who want to create a well-rounded level of fitness. For runners and cyclists with busy schedules, grabbing a kettlebell for 30 minutes 2-3 times a week could be manageable. Additionally, working with a kettlebell could help reduce pain and likelihood of injury in endurance athletes by strengthening stabilizing muscles or correcting imbalances.

Third, Q&D can also provide an effective means for maintaining a long, healthy life. Lifting weights, more generally called resistance training, has many benefits to combat age such as increasing joint health, bone health, and insulin sensitivity. For now, I’d like to focus on one aspect of longevity which requires just a little bit of cell biology to explain. I’ll try to make it painless.

As we get older, we become more susceptible to chronic disease and symptoms of aging as our body’s organs slowly become less efficient at their functions. A large contributor to less efficient organs are less efficient mitochondria. These mitochondria are found within our cells and provide energy for our organs so they can work properly. When the mitochondria don’t perform as well, this affects our body’s organs and we become more susceptible to disease.

Our mitochondria need to constantly repair and regenerate through a process called mitochondrial biogenesis. Just like a piece of machinery, if worn-out components are not replaced, the machine will operate less efficiently. As we become older, mitochondrial biogenesis begins to slow down and our body has trouble keeping up with those repair requests. If we can find ways to stimulate mitochondrial biogenesis, our cells, organs, and body have a better chance of working in top condition even as we age.

Many different forms of exercise stimulate mitochondrial biogenesis, but Q&D provides this stimulus in a way that doesn’t require hours of running or the painful burn of a HIIT workout. For those interested in an explanation, we’ll take a quick look at the three major metabolic pathways that we use during exercise.

Image obtained from McCormick et al., 2010

When our cells generate energy for the body during exercise, there are three major ways in which it happens. The Phosphagen or Creatine Phosphate (CP) pathway is the first one we use and only lasts a few seconds, such as in a 5 second sprint. As the sprint continues to about 30 seconds, we primarily use the glycolytic pathway. Here lactic acid is generated, slowing us down and creating that “burn.” Generally, this is the state where many people begin to feel uncomfortable during exercise. If we continue with a moderate intensity jog, we begin to use energy through the third pathway of mitochondrial respiration.

Mitochondrial biogenesis is largely stimulated at 20 seconds, right before we start feeling the effects of the glycolytic pathway (Viollet, 2018). The Q&D program is designed to work up to those 20 seconds, making our cells healthy and strong without pushing us to the point where we become tired and slow. Instead, we train in the CP pathway where we can feel strong, fast, and enhance our longevity.

Now, I do want to make note that Q&D is not a well-rounded fitness program which is why it should supplement your current program. If you train so that you're always ready for life's physical challenges, I'd recommend that you work on increasing fitness across all three metabolic pathways, not just CP. I'm not sure if "fitness prepper" is an accepted term, but I consider myself one. Additionally, this program won't provide much stimulus for increasing muscle size or muscle endurance although it is interesting to note that power training does have a moderate effect on cardiorespiratory endurance (Kusy et al., 2014).

In general, if you want to increase muscle size, its best to spend more time in the glycolytic pathway with reps of 8-12 and low rest times (Schoenfeld, 2010). You want to “feel the burn.” For increasing muscle endurance, you want to work mainly in the mitochondrial respiration pathway most easily accomplished by jogging, HIIT, or high rep resistance training with light weight (such as high rep calisthenics).

And now for the program itself.

Pavel recommends his Q&D program 2-3 times per week.

Since this is a power workout, make sure you do Q&D at the beginning of your session so you have more energy available.

Choose either snatches or choose single hand swings with power push-ups. Vary the movements throughout the week.

For swings and push-ups

One series equals 20 reps. Complete a series in sets of either 5 reps or 10 reps - your choice. For 5 reps, begin the set every 30 seconds. For a set of 10 reps, begin the set every 60 seconds. When resting between series, rest the remaining minute plus one more minute. For swings, alternate hands at the end of every set. Visually, it looks like this:

Image obtained from Q&D

For Snatches

Follow the same rep scheme as swings/push-ups, except you can rest and additional minute between each series. Pavel also recommends that you keep using the same hand during a series.

Image obtained from Q&D

I’ve been running this program myself for the past few weeks and plan to continue. I work it into my current program twice a week at the beginning of my workout. With the short rep ranges, I enjoy giving each rep as much power as I can, feeling strong and in control of the movement. Eventually I’ll cycle back to more barbell-based movements and plyometrics, but I’ve found Q&D to be a great option for keeping my routine fresh and interesting.

Let me know if you plan on giving Q&D a try! Do you enjoy the kettlebell movements?

Also be sure to leave a comment on a subject you want me to cover for my next post. I’ll search the scientific literature and do my best to bring you the most accurate information!

References

Baker JS, McCormick MC, Robergs RA. Interaction among Skeletal Muscle Metabolic Energy Systems during Intense Exercise. J Nutr Metab. 2010;2010:905612. doi:10.1155/2010/905612

Kusy, K. and Zieliński, J. (2014), Aerobic capacity in speed‐power athletes. Scand J Med Sci Sports, 24: 68-79. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0838.2012.01496.x

Schoenfeld, Brad J. “The Mechanisms of Muscle Hypertrophy and Their Application to Resistance Training.” The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, vol. 24, no. 10, 2010.

Tsatsouline, P. The Quick and the Dead: Total Training for the Advanced Minimalist. StrongFirst, Incorporated, 2019.

Viollet B. The Energy Sensor AMPK: Adaptations to Exercise, Nutritional and Hormonal Signals. 2018 Mar 8. In: Spiegelman B, editor. Hormones, Metabolism and the Benefits of Exercise [Internet]. Chamcham: Springer; 2017. Available from: doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-72790-5_2