I’m 42, I’m an ER doctor, a husband, a father of three little boys ages 6, 4 and 2. I was reasonably fit in my 20s and 30s. I was primarily a runner, but I also regularly did bodyweight exercises including push-ups, pull-ups, hanging leg lifts, and squats. I also lifted aimlessly at the gym. I probably spent most of my exercise time trail running, which I still love.
Thus starts a recent review of Pavel’s book Kettlebell Simple & Sinister on StrongFirst forum, an expanded version of the one the reader had left on Amazon.
Two years ago, I joined the local CrossFit box. This was very positive in some ways, particularly because I started doing regular barbell lifting and also started using kettlebells. I made some nice gains. However, I frequently felt burnt out from going balls to the wall every day, and I always seemed to have a nagging injury. A year or so ago I decided I that I had had enough, and I outfitted my home gym…
…For a couple of months I aimlessly did kettlebell workouts I found online but ultimately realized I needed some direction and focus. More than that, I needed to learn some fundamentals. Then I discovered Pavel and Kettlebell Simple & Sinister.
I initially put off starting it because it sounded mind numbingly boring, but ultimately, I committed to it. I’m so glad that I did. Rather than find it boring I realized that I enjoyed its “monastic simplicity.” Starting in January and for six months afterwards I did S&S four or five days a week, at home and at the rec park across from the hospital, and ran long easy distance one or two days a week. I started with a 24kg kettlebell and achieved Timeless Simple with the 32kg bell in early June…
What can I say about this experience? I can confidently say that I am stronger and more mobile than I’ve ever been. (I should add that I do the mobility complex first thing almost every morning. That has helped tremendously. Mobility was something I ignored for 40 years to my detriment, and I realized, when I started CrossFit, that I was incredibly stiff.) Moreover, the strength that I have gained is functional strength. I can easily carry both of my older boys up and down the stairs on a whim. I feel like my body is properly knit together. I have steadily been making gains without injuring myself. I currently have no nagging injuries. For all of this I’m grateful. I’m playing the long game: my goal is to be strong and mobile for decades to come, especially because I want to be able to keep up with my boys for the next 20 years.
I also look great—my wife says my traps, back, forearms, glutes and calves look noticeably bigger. I think I look “old man strong,” as we would have said as a kid, like a dad who does manual labor and can actually lift things—and that’s a good thing… |
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