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

Personally, I found Pavel’s writing style to be engaging as well as entertaining. His instructions are easy to follow. He also lays out the research to back up his claims. As far as the program itself goes, it’s just like the book says: “Simple, not easy.” In my own experience, this holds true. I’ve been running S&S for almost a year now and I am working toward the Timed Simple challenge. This program is a solid foundation for beginners interested in strength/conditioning. The program includes only two main exercises: the hard style kettlebell swing and Turkish get up. There are some warm up exercises as well i.e. goblet squats, hip bridges, and shoulder halos. To move up in weight, you utilize a concept called “step loading” where weight is increased slowly over time to prevent fatigue. This also allows you to “practice” (Pavel makes it very clear this is not a workout) almost daily until you reach the goal of Timeless Simple, which is when you are able to complete 100 swings and 10 Turkish get ups with a 32kg bell (24kg for women). Once you reach this benchmark, the practice volume dials down to 3-4 times a week (should you decide to continue), with a timed challenge on Fridays where you grind through 100 swings in 5 minutes, take a 1 minute break, and then perform 10 Turkish get ups in 10 minutes without sacrificing form for speed. I am by no means an experienced weight trainer, but I found the simplicity to be liberating. There isn’t much to think about - just commit to the practice for around 45 minutes a day and that’s it. Move on with your day. I enjoy the repetitiveness of the program as well - practice becomes very meditative. As for the results, I probably lost some strength gains but I made up for it by gaining some much needed cardiovascular endurance. Prior to S&S, I felt powerful but I would get winded easily. I also leaned out a bit, which my wife appreciates. I almost forgot possibly the best part about this program - you’re not burnt out so badly that you can’t do other physical activities the rest of the day. You put in some hard work but still have gas left in the tank, to paraphrase Pavel. I highly recommend this book.

The book is well written and shows great modifications for the workouts. You can skip to the workout itself, but the other content provides a lot of nuance and context behind the mindset and philosophy of the workout. You can hear Pavel's voice as you read through the book (if you're familiar with him). I have the book and my three kettlebells and have been doing the program for the past two months. My deep squats and hip mobility have improved drastically and my functional strength has improved so much so playing with my 3 year old and 1 year old feels SO much better. Amazing practical and efficient workout that can be done daily! I recommend this to all busy and working dads needing a mindless but effective workout!

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.

I like to know exact instructions on how to do specific exercise. I love understanding why the exercise is part of the training regimen and how it complement other exercises in it. I appreciate simplicity.

It's almost impossible that a book about exercise has all three of these, but this one pulled it off.

The writing is also really sharp and straight to the point. The author's sense of humor works on me. I can't describe it any other way then borderline insulting/mocking. But it never went over the line for me, which is surprising because I've got a sore spot around that area.

I loved this book ❤️ Took a bunch of notes, going through Timeless Simple and went back a few times to earlier chapters to re-read them.

I’m 65 years old and have been physically active my entire adult life, doing dozens of triathlons, running races, swimming events, and hiking in the White Mountains of NH. I had tried strength training at various times but could never stick with it. I always struggled to figure out what to do and would end up with minor tweaks and pulls.

A few years ago I decided to get serious about gaining more strength and came across Pavel’s interview on the Joe Rogan podcast. I immediately bought the book and have never looked back. I look forward to my kettlebell “practice” every day. I liken it to a golfer going to the range to practice their swing or a baseball player hitting in the cages to improve their craft.

In addition to the book, Pavel’s YouTube videos are a great resource, but you still need to buy the book, it has all the details you need to set up the program plus much more. Even though I have read the book cover-to-cover, I find myself going back to it all the time for inspiration or to pick up a few nuggets I missed earlier.

In summary, I have become an ardent believer that strength is non-negotiable for your overall physical and even mental health. This book paved the way for me to get there with a straightforward program, one that I look forward to doing every day. Don’t be fooled by it only being two exercises. These two are enough, believe me, it’s all you need. Read the book and do what Pavel says - it works!