December 20, 2019

Strength Training, Kettlebells, And Ditching the “One More Rep” Mentality – Pavel Tsatsouline on The Joe Rogan Experience #1399

Key Takeaways

• Strength training advice:
  • “The optimal number of repetitions are one-third to two-thirds of your maximum” – Pavel Tsatsouline
    • So, if you’re able to max out with 10 reps at a certain weight, you should only be training with 3-6 reps
  • The duration of a set should be 30-60 seconds
  • Train 5-10 sets of a specific exercise on heavy days, and 1-3 sets on light days
    • Pavel recommends a 5-10 minute rest between sets
  • In general, only max out your lifts a handful of times per year
  • Pushing yourself to do one more rep when you hit your limit is great for you mentally, but not physically
  • “Kettlebell swings are the most beneficial exercise anybody can do”  – Pavel Tsatsouline 
• Machines aren’t necessarily bad, but they should only be used for two reasons: 
  • If you’re injured 
  • If you need to focus on a specific muscle
• “Strength cannot be divorced from health” – Pavel Tsatsouline 

Intro

• Pavel Tsatsouline (@BeStrongFirst) is the Chairman of StrongFirst, Inc. He’s widely credited with introducing the now ubiquitous kettlebell to the United States.
  • In the 1980s, Pavel was a physical training instructor for Spetnaz, the elite Soviet special-forces units. Pavel is now a subject matter expert to the US Marine Corps, the US Secret Service, and the US Navy SEALs.
• Host – Joe Rogan (@joerogan)

Books Mentioned

• The Strongest Shall Survive: Strength Training for Football by Bill Starr
  • Pavel says it’s one of the best strength training books he’s read
• Kettlebell Simple & Sinister: Revised and Updated by Pavel Tsatsouline 
  • If you’re looking to learn about kettlebell workouts, Pavel recommends you start with his book. Once you have the basics down, then move on to Pavel’s next book – The Quick and the Dead: Total Training for the Advanced Minimalist.

Strength Training Strategies Explained

• Progressive Overload:
  • Each week, slowly add a few pounds to your lifts
• Step Loading (Constant Weight Training):
  • Lift the same weights for a longer period of time. Then, after a few weeks, jump up to a heavier weight.
  • (This is the best way to train for beginners)
• Wave Cycling:
  • Start with a moderately challenging load. Keep going heavier and heavier each week. Then, perform at your competition, and afterward, reset back to the original load plus a few pounds.
• Variable Loading:
  • Some days, you perform your typical workout. On other days, you jump up in weight by 20%. Essentially, the weight you use goes up and down – it varies.

Lifting Advice

• “The optimal number of repetitions are one-third to two-thirds of your maximum” – Pavel Tsatsouline 
  • So, if you’re able to max out with 10 reps at a certain weight, you should only be training with 3-6 reps
    • Why this formula? – If the reps are too low you won’t get stronger and if the reps are too high, you might get hurt, or you’ll compromise on technique and have bad form.
    • “This particular method is purely empirical. It worked for decades, it still does and that’s one of the ways you can get strong.”
• For both strength and endurance training: “You’re going to find that your gains are much more stable if you take some time off, which is important for anybody”  – Pavel Tsatsouline 
  • “It’s possible to build muscle fast, but it’s not necessarily very quality muscle. So yes, take your time.”

Forget the One More Rep Mentality

• Pavel is against the “one more rep” mentality, as is Joe 
  • Pushing yourself to do one more rep when you hit your limit is great for you mentally, but not physically
  • “It’s okay to push your body to the max, but you must do it periodically for a short period of time, and not too often. That’s very important.” – Pavel Tsatsouline 
• If you’re constantly pushing yourself to the limit, you’ll likely destroy your body
  • Ronnie Coleman, an American bodybuilder who was known for pushing incredible weight, now has serious back problems and has to walk with crutches in his fifties
    • Hard work does matter, but you must also work smart
• Top powerlifters max lift only twice a year
  • “Meanwhile they train hard to push themselves to do everything right, but they do not try to squeeze out one extra rep” – Pavel Tsatsouline 
  • Keeping your max lifts to a minimum will help your performance and longevity as a lifter 

Gym Machines: Good or Bad?

• Machines aren’t necessarily bad, but they should only be used for two reasons: 
  • If you’re injured 
  • If you need to focus on a specific muscle
    • “But your typical person going to the gym has no business doing that” – Pavel Tsatsouline 

Bodyweight vs. Barbells vs. Kettlebells

• Bodyweight workouts
  • Pros:
    • They require minimal equipment
  • Cons:
    • Bodyweight exercises require a decent amount of coaching to do properly
    • You can’t train your lower-back effectively
• Barbell workouts
  • Pros:
    • Great for heavy lifting 
    • A must if you’re looking to maximize your muscle mass
  • Cons:
    • There’s a steep learning curve associated with barbell exercises
    • Barbell exercises aren’t easy to master
    • The barbell isn’t forgiving, and it’s easy to get injured if you do a barbell exercise incorrectly
• Kettlebell workouts
  • Pros: 
    • Kettlebells move freely and adjust to your anatomy
    • Using a kettlebell is a great way to work out your shoulders
    • It’s effective time-wise – with the right kettlebell workout, you can easily exercise your whole body
      • “Kettlebell swings are the most beneficial exercise anybody can do”  – Pavel Tsatsouline 
        • You’re training power, fast fiber muscles, and getting your cardio all from one exercise
    • Kettlebell swings have a large carry-over effect
      • Just doing kettlebell swings can actually improve your performance with other exercises
  • Cons:
    • None mentioned

Sets & Rest Periods

• The duration of a set should be 30-60 seconds
• Train 5-10 sets of a specific exercise on heavy days, and 1-3 sets on light days
  • For rowers and bodybuilding, Pavel recommends a 5-10 minute rest between sets (you can do different exercises during the rest period, just don’t do the same exercise for 5-10 minutes)

How to Build Endurance

• The best way to develop your cardio endurance is through steady-state exercise (i.e., running or biking))
  • However, you want to avoid pushing your heart to the max while running – you should be able to run and have a conversation with a running partner at the same time
• You can also train your cardio endurance with interval training
  • Pavel recommends first becoming experienced with steady-state exercise before performing interval training because, “It’s very demanding on the body, and it’s too easy to have problems with the heart if you start using it prematurely” 
• “Running right below that aerobic threshold is the primary training method for endurance training” – Pavel Tsatsouline 
  • How do you know when you’re over the threshold? – If you can’t talk while running, you’re running too hard

Nutrition & Sleep

• When it comes to nutrition, there’s still a lot we don’t know 
  • One thing we know is that fasting is universally beneficial
  • Also, lay off the sugar
• Pavel follows the Warrior Diet – he eats only meal, usually consisting of just a large dinner (steak and vegetables)
• Pavel tries to get 9 hours of sleep every night

Additional Lifting Advice

• You have to train type two muscle fibers to stay active, you do that by lifting heavy or fast
• Squatting Advice:
  • “Go down below parallel but not to the point where you’re sitting on your calves and come up just a little above parallel” – Pavel Tsatsouline 
• Push-up Advice:
  • Go down and almost brush the floor with your chest, come up about halfway then repeat
  • “The speed is very slow so there’s no momentum at all” – Pavel Tsatsouline 
• Pavel mainly does just three exercises: Kettlebell swings, dips, and push-ups
• If you’re injured, find ways to still workout without aggravating the point of injury

Additional Notes

• Pavel likes the fact that CrossFit gets people motivated to work out and that it’s created a community around exercise
• “I just think that society at large just needs more regular tough guys” – Pavel Tsatsouline 
• In Russia, if you happened to step over a barbell, you would get beaten up and kicked out of the gym
  • “Don’t ever step over a barbell; that’s the most disrespectful thing you can do”  – Pavel Tsatsouline 
• “Strength cannot be divorced from health” – Pavel Tsatsouline 

Joe Rogan Experience : fitness, gym, kettlebell, lifting, push-ups, squatting, strength training
Notes By Alex Wiec