SAGE

HELLFIRE

EMPORIUM

MORBIUS

ARTEMIS

ARSENAL

TWENTYFOUR

ULYSSES

ODIN

The Caveman Programming Protocol

This information explains the basics of programming and that will allow you to program yourself. It explains how you can take any of our workouts and design your program based on the workout or workouts of your choice.

It’s named the Caveman Protocol because it shows how something so complex can be boiled down to something basic and simple. This is meant to be kept basic and easy to implement.

Programming is done to progressively reach a goal, those goals are always one or more of the following:

Increase the weight that you can move for a certain exercise
Increase the power that you can generate for a certain exercise
Increase the duration that you can perform a certain exercise with a certain weight
Increase the range of motion in a certain joint
Increase the mental toughness to resist giving up early
Increase the size of your muscles
Increase the ability to maintain high-intensity effort for longer
Increase the ability to recover quicker after high-intensity effort
Increase the ease of movement

Programming involves:

Weight selection
Working duration
Number of repetitions
Number of rounds
Exercise selection
Rest duration
Progression

The protocol is:

Define your goal(s) and reach them
Define your weaknesses and fix them
Define your strengths and use them
Increase your mental toughness no matter the goal
Leave your ego at the door and prioritize longevity above everything else
Include fun in your goals to remain interested and committed
Include mobility in your training no matter the goals
Form and technique before volume and weight

Tags

cardio, endurance, power, programming, progress, strength

Master The Kettlebell Snatch

Tags

cardio, endurance, kettlebell, power, snatch

Master The Kettlebell Swing

Tags

cardio, endurance, girevoy, hardstyle, kettlebell, power, sportstyle, strength, swing

Kettlebell Sport For Beginners

Tags

girevoy, kettlebell, sport

THE PACEMAKER

XERXES

YADAKA

ASUS

FIERCE

LEGION

Prometheus Phase II

The Pace Maker Protocol

Swing And Burpee Challenge

6-Week Strength Camp

THE BALKANS

ENZO

SAXON

MURDERED BY SNATCH

APOLLO

HELICON

HELIX

ARMUS

HAVOC

DELERIUM

AMADEUS

SAVAGE

Beginners Program

This program is created for the beginner’s workout but the concept can be applied to most workouts. This is a simple and basic program, as you add other programs to your library every time, you will learn a lot more and increase the program’s complexity.

Although this is based on a beginner’s workout and includes basic kettlebell exercises, it does not mean that it’s easy, in fact, under the lesson named Schedule there is an advanced option.

Continue with the first lesson below by clicking on Programming.

MERIDIUM

FIFTY FIFTY

OBSIDIAN

ATHENA

ARMINIUS

TROY

BABYLON

GRIT

WORKOUT 2023

ETERNIUM

DEUS

NAUTILUS

THESSALONIKI

SIGMA

SIGMA is a muscular endurance, aerobic fitness, and core workout performed with a single kettlebell.

Exercises: Clean, Swing, Shoulder Press, Jerk
Number of kettlebells required: One
Overall intensity: Moderate to High
Approx. total working time: 32 to 34 minutes
Overall benefits: Cardio, Core, Muscular Endurance

This workout is performed with one kettlebell and targets your muscular endurance, aerobic fitness, and your body’s ability to burn fat during exercise. There are 5 tasks with 2 of them being active recovery through core work.

Tasks 1 and 3 start with double-arm swings, you’re holding on to the kettlebell with both hands, after your last swing, you let go with one hand and slide the other to the middle and clean the kettlebell with one side. You decide whether on the next round, you do the other side and keep swapping or you stick to the same side for multiple rounds.

On the last task, you can switch at will, meaning that you can switch sides whenever you want but usually, you’ll want to get close to feeling the fatigue on that side, you might even want to aim for doing half of the reps on. one side the other half on the other since one of the goals of this workout is muscular endurance.

Workout

Task 1

5 × double arm swings
3 × clean and press
6 minutes AMRAP

1 minute transition

Task 2

15s plank
15s downward dog
15s runners lunge
15s rest
6 minutes

30 seconds count down

Task 3

5 × double arm swings
5 × clean and jerk
6 minutes AMRAP

1 minute transition

Task 4

10s plank
10s downward dog
10s runners lunge
15s rest
6 minutes

30 seconds count down

Task 5

60 × clean and jerk
FOR TIME

Scoring

Task 1 and 3: Rounds multiplied by the kettlebell weight
Task 5: Number of seconds to complete the task divided by the kettlebell weight

Total scoring: Add everything together and the highest score wins

Tags

amrap, cardio, clean, core, endurance, for time, intense, jerk, long, shoulder press, single kettlebell, swing

HYDRA

A quick cardio and muscular endurance workout

Exercises: Curl, Row, Squat, Turkish Get-Up
Number of kettlebells required: One
Overall intensity: Moderate to High
Approx. total working time: 15 minutes
Overall benefits: Strength, Cardio

A quick cardio and muscular endurance workout with a single kettlebell. The workout calls for 2 Turkish get-ups to be performed unbroken, i.e. the round doesn’t count unless the exercise was performed two times without putting the weight down. So, 2 Turkish get-ups count as 1 round, if you would do 4 without putting the weight down it would be 2 rounds, and so on.

This tempo training improves your aerobic fitness and ability to sustain high-intensity effort for longer. My heart rate was 120 BPM on average and 164 BPM max. In the 30 minutes that included the warm-up, prep work, workout, and cooldown, I burned 356 calories.

Workout

Task 1 Green

2 × standing curls
3 × bent over rows
Switch at will
5 minutes AMRAP

Task 2 Red

Racked squat to overhead
Switch at will
4 minutes AMRAP

Task 3 Orange

2 × Turkish get-up
Switch at will
6 minutes AMRAP

Scoring: Task 1, 2, and 3 equals rounds times kettlebell weight
Weight: Task 1 and 2 the same, and 3 is free choice

Tags

amrap, cardio, curl, row, short, single kettlebell, squat, strength, turkish get-up

LE FLEUR

NEFARIOUS

NEFARIOUS is a single kettlebell workout that’s simple in regards to it having only three exercises but it’s super tough because it’s endurance work. But don’t let that worry you if you’re not there yet, scale the workout.

Exercises: Clean, Jerk, Snatch
Number of kettlebells required: One
Overall intensity: High
Approx. total working time: 30 minutes
Approx. total time with warm-up and rest: 46 minutes
Overall benefits: Cardio, Muscular Endurance

Improve your sprint speed and resistance to fatigue.

This is an intense endurance workout, but remember, everything can be scaled as explained at the start of this book. The clean for this workout is performed with a pendulum, which means that the ankles are involved, this is the opposite of the hip hinge movement which does not involve the ankles. With the pendulum, the idea is to go with the flow and reduce the resistance. In other words, if you would do this with a powerful clean generating maximum power, then you would not last. This is about pacing, enduring, and lasting. There is a whole world out there based on kettlebell sport, i.e. competitive kettlebell lifting, and there is a whole online course that features hours worth of content, hence, the little information that I will provide here does not and can not do the topic justice.

The main thing to understand is that this is not a sprint. There has to be a difference in the way that you move/clean the weight or you won’t last, that difference is explained as simple as possible as being a push with the ankles involved while the hips stay connected to the arm(s) for as long as possible. The clean that most people are used to, is a clean for power, a clean that is performed with maximum speed, this is the opposite.

When I completed this workout these were my heart rate stats:

130 BPM average
172 BPM max
717 calories burned

The color zones that follow refer to the heart rate zones used by heart rate monitors.

Workout

15 minutes clean and jerk (orange zone)
10 minutes of active recovery (blue and green zone)
15 minutes full snatch (red zone)

Scoring
Reps × weight × multiplier and highest score wins

Multiplier
1.1 for clean and jerk
0.9 for clean and push press
1.1 for full snatch
0.9 for half snatch
0.8 for clean and push press

Penalty
Deduct 0.2 from the multiplier if the weight was put down at all
Deduct 0.05 from the multiplier for each switch more than one

Active Recovery
The active recovery is not specified, but you should work on whatever it is that your body lacks and you can use stretches, poses, and mobility work that has been covered in other workouts. The key is to be able to recover while you work on your mobility and flexibility, this means that you do not want to overload or fatigue anything before your last task of 15 minutes snatch.

Tags

advanced, cardio, clean, endurance, intermediate, jerk, long, penalty, snatch, sport

THE ARGONAUT

THE ARGONAUT is a single kettlebell workout based on a combo.

Exercises: Clean, Swing, Row, Crunch, Bridge, Back Extension
Number of kettlebells required: One
Overall intensity: High
Approx. total working time: 32 minutes
Approx. total time with warm-up: 38 minutes
Overall benefits: Cardio, Core

Intervals of high-intensity AMRAPs with core work in between as active recovery. The kettlebell tasks were intense and got the heart rate in the red zone. The time for the intense tasks is reduced as we progress so that full effort can be put in on every task.

The work tasks consist of a combo that’s performed with a single kettlebell and repeated for tasks 1, 3, 5, and 7, but each time it’s repeated the duration of work is shorter. The combo is performed on the same side but you can switch sides whenever you start a new combo/round. Each intense task is broken up with active recovery in the form of core work.

Dead to racking means that you can bring the kettlebell from dead to racking in any way that suits you, i.e. clean it any way you want or think is efficient for this workout, I choose a dead clean. Swing to overhead means that you perform a single-arm swing and then end with the weight overhead, I choose to bring it overhead with a snatch after the swing but you could clean and push press it, etc. After the weight is brought overhead, it’s brought down into a hang and then rowed from a bent-over position, and after the row, you stand up with the weight still in your hand. So, you are basically performing a lift after your row. Then you can put the weight down and your chin needs to go to the ground any way that you want, I chose to perform the down phase of a CrossFit burpee and then back up without jumping or clapping. After this, you repeat the combo for as long as the AMRAP is.

The core work for task 2, back extensions are performed laying with the face facing the ground, pulling the shoulders as far away from the ground as possible, i.e. extending the spine. An upward dog is performed on the hands and feet and then pushing the hips into the ground while the shoulders stay high, squeezing the gluteals so that only the thoracic spine moves (extends). The downward dog is the opposite, you push the hips into the air as high as possible while on the hands and feet and folding at the hips. You move from the upward dog to the ground, flat, and then you push up into the downward dog position.

Task 4, is the crunch, which is performed laying on the floor face up, with knees bent, making sure the lumbar remains flat on the ground, and then crunch (flex) at the thoracic spine which can be cued as lifting the shoulder blades from the ground and then bringing the shoulders toward the hips. The side crunch is performed from the same position but this time laterally flexing the thoracic spine and reaching for your ankles. The bridge is performed from the same position and pushing the hips up and off the ground as high as possible.

Task 6, is the cross crunch, which is performed from the same position as the crunch, but this time you are reaching across with one elbow toward the opposite knee. The leg raise is performed laying flat pushing the lumbar into the ground, tensing, and then raising the straight legs up and then lowering again nice and slow.

Workout

Combo
Dead to racking
Swing to overhead
Row to stand up
Chin to ground

Task 1

5-minute AMRAP

Task 2

5-minute core work
4 × back extensions
4 × upward into downward dog push-ups

Task 3

4.5-minute AMRAP

Task 4

5-minute core work
4 × crunch
4 × side crunch each side
4 × bridge

Task 5

4-minute AMRAP

Task 6

5-minute core work
4 × alternating cross crunch
4 × leg raise
4 × bridge

Task 7

3-minute AMRAP

Scoring equals the total number of rounds times the weight.
Stick to the same weight.

Tags

amrap, cardio, clean, core, crunch, long, row, single kettlebell, swing

SPARTACUS

SPARTACUS is a single kettlebell workout for cardio and strength. The warm-up is included in the workout so you can jump straight into it.

Exercises: Swing, Clean, Shoulder Press, Burpee, Jumping Jack, Snatch
Number of kettlebells required: One
Overall intensity: High
Approx. total working time: 14 to 16 minutes
Overall benefits: Cardio, Strength

This is an intense cardio workout that got my heart rate up to 170 BPM and had me working mostly in the red zone, and it was awesome. It’s a chipper workout where you chip away at the reps to complete. The workout starts with bodyweight exercises so if you wanted this to be really short, you could use the first part as your warm-up.

The second part of the workout is a single-arm swing, clean, and press, that’s one rep, you switch to the other side and perform the same combo, and that’s another rep. Perform 50 of these.

The third part is dead cleans, 50 of them, and switch at will.

The last part of the workout is 50 snatches, you decide whether you do half or full, full is faster and more intense, and you want this to be fast and intense! Switch at will.

Max BPM 170, Average BPM 136, and 190 calories burned.

Workout

2 × jumping jacks
1 × CrossFit burpee
× 20

Single-arm swing
Clean and press
Switch sides
× 50

Dead clean
× 50

Snatch
× 50

FOR TIME

Tags

burpee, cardio, clean, for time, high-intensity, intense, intermediate, jumping jack, short, shoulder press, snatch, strength, swing

MORDAX

MORDAX is a double kettlebell workout for cardio and power.

Average BPM 147
Max BPM 168
48% in the red zone
202 calories burned in the workout
192 calories burned in the warm-up and prep work
Aerobic fitness
Improved the ability to sustain high-intensity effort for longer
Maximum and tempo training

This is a workout for power performed with double kettlebell but can also be scaled to single kettlebell work. Clean the weights with a dead start, if you want it super tough, use a dead clean with a squat movement, if you want it easier, use a pendulum movement, and if you want to sit in between, use a powerful hip hinge movement for the clean. Drop into the squat and come up with speed and explosiveness to make sure those weights are thrust up with most of the force from the legs. Drop the weights into racking, then drop into the backswing and snatch the weights overhead, drop back into the racking position, and perform a hang clean. Then bring the weights back to dead and drop down to the ground for two CrossFit burpees. Repeat the process for as many rounds as possible within 12 minutes.

Workout

Double kettlebell

1 × dead start clean
1 × squat thruster
1 × half snatch
1 × hang clean
2 × CrossFit burpee
12 minutes AMRAP

Scoring is the number of rounds times the weight.
Switching weight is allowed on a new round; keep track of the rounds with what weight

Tags

advanced, amrap, burpee, cardio, clean, combo, double kettlebell, high-intensity, intense, intermediate, short, snatch, thruster

FEROX

FEROX is a hypertrophy and core workout best performed with a good selection of kettlebells of different weights. The main focus is the upper arms and core.

The workout consists of eight 90-second interval tasks

Task 1

Seated hammer curls (double arm)
8 to 12 reps

Task 2

Leg raises
6 to 8 reps

Task 3

Standing side curl (single arm)
8 to 12 reps

Task 4

Side plank
30 to 40 seconds hold per side

Task 5

Standing side curl (other arm)
8 to 12 reps

Task 6

Superman
8 to 12 reps

Task 7

Standing biceps curl (single arm)
8 to 12 reps

Task 8

Standing biceps curl (other arm)
8 to 12 reps

2 to 3 rounds

Finisher
Drop sets
Standing hammer curls (double arm)

Tags

beginner, core, curl, hypertrophy, single kettlebell, slow

KRAVEN

KRAVEN is a cardio and strength workout performed with a single kettlebell. The workout was not programmed as such but you can do it FOR TIME.

Exercises: Deadlift, Curl, Push-Up, Row, Shoulder Press
Number of kettlebells required: One
Overall intensity: Moderate
Approx. total working time: 30 to 35 minutes
Overall benefits: Cardio, Strength

Workout

50 × CrossFit burpees

Hip hinge deadlift
Pull for grip transition
Hammer curl
× 4

3 × triceps push-ups
3 × chest push-ups

Split stance row into standing
Both sides
× 4

Strict press
Both sides
× 4

12 rounds

Tags

beginner, burpee, cardio, curl, deadlift, long, row, shoulder press, single kettlebell, strength

BEAST

OMINOUS

Strength and cardio

Warm-up

2 × squats
4 × jumping jacks
2 × push-ups
4 rounds

Frankenstein kick
Knee to elbow
Arms overhead
30 seconds on each side

3 cycles of the warm-up

Workout

Heavy double kettlebell

Clean
Press
Squat
Row
4 minutes AMRAP

2 minutes rest

4 cycles

Scoring is rounds multiplied by weight

Tags

amrap, cardio, clean, double kettlebell, heavy, row, shoulder press, simple, squat, strength

PENNY

Cardio and strength

Max heart rate: 157 BPM
Average BPM: 120
Zone: Orange
Calories burned in the session: 500+
Improved aerobic fitness and ability to sustain high-intensity effort for longer
Duration: 14 to 20 minutes

Warm-up

5 x jumping jacks
5 x thoracic rotation into a cross knee to elbow
Repeat on the other side
3 rounds

3 x alternating Curtsy lunge into arms overhead
5 x full hip circles
Repeat in the other direction

3 cycles of the warm-up

Workout

Half snatch
x 60

Jerk
x 50

Hang clean
Press
Overhead reverse lunge
x 40

Triceps push-ups
x 30

FOR TIME

Switch sides at will but complete each task before moving on to the next one.

Tags

chipper, clean, for time, jerk, lunge, push-up, short, shoulder press, single kettlebell, snatch

APEX

Power and Strength

Warm-up

Hip hinge into arms overhead and Curtsy lunge (alternating sides)
1 minute

Thoracic rotation into cross knee to elbow
Frankenstein kick
Lateral knee raise
30 seconds on each side

20 seconds of jumping jacks
40 seconds alternating Cossack squats

2 cycles of the whole warm-up

Workout

6 × single arm swings
4 × snatches
1 × TGU
18 minutes AMRAP

Switch sides at will but only after a full round.

Tags

amrap, power, simple, single kettlebell, snatch, strength, swing, turkish get-up

INFINITY

CAVEMANROM Cardio, Mobility, Strength, and Core Work

Workout

Cardio
3 × single-arm swings
3 × jumping jacks
3 × crossfit burpees
6 minutes AMRAP

1 minute to transition

Mobility and Strength Work
Kickout sit-up
Seated curl
Seated press
Ninety-ninety windmill
45 seconds
Repeat on the other side
8 rounds (12 minutes)

30 seconds to transition

Dynamic Stretching and Mobility
Deep squat and alternating shoulder horizontal abduction
Knee extension into standing and arms overhead
6 minutes

30 seconds to transition

Core Work
Slow bicycle crunches
30 seconds
Ribbons
30 seconds
8 rounds (8 minutes)

Tags

burpee, cardio, cavemanrom, core, crunch, curl, jumping jack, mobility, ribbon, shoulder press, single kettlebell, strength, stretching, swing, windmill

Beginner Workout

45 seconds Kettlebell Double Arm Swing
15 seconds rest

45 seconds Kettlebell Goblet Squat
15 seconds rest

45 seconds Kettlebell Strict Press on one side
15 seconds rest

45 seconds Kettlebell Strict Press on the other side
15 seconds rest

45 seconds Kettlebell Split Stance Bent-Over Row on one side
15 seconds rest

Kettlebell Split Stance Bent-Over Row on the other side
15 seconds rest

1 minute of rest or active recovery

REPEAT 4 ROUNDS

Additional info:
MAX reps mean to do as many as possible within the work time.
Work at a moderate to vigorous intensity at a steady pace.

Active recovery for 1 minute consisting of stretching and/or mobility work. If you are just at the start of your journey, you might want to use the full minute for rest. As you get fitter, use this time to work on yourself with stretches. Don’t get too hung up on how, as long as you are stretching the areas worked and working on improving range and mobility then you are doing it right.

Tags

beginner, circuit, generic fitness, row, shoulder press, single kettlebell, squat, swing

Don't know where to start with your kettlebell fitness journey?

SAGE

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HELLFIRE

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EMPORIUM

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MORBIUS

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ARTEMIS

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ARSENAL

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TWENTYFOUR

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ULYSSES

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ODIN

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The Caveman Programming Protocol

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Master The Kettlebell Snatch

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Master The Kettlebell Swing

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Kettlebell Sport For Beginners

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THE PACEMAKER

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XERXES

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YADAKA

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ASUS

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FIERCE

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LEGION

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Prometheus Phase II

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The Pace Maker Protocol

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Swing And Burpee Challenge

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6-Week Strength Camp

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THE BALKANS

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ENZO

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SAXON

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MURDERED BY SNATCH

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APOLLO

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HELICON

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HELIX

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ARMUS

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HAVOC

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DELERIUM

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AMADEUS

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SAVAGE

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Beginners Program

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MERIDIUM

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FIFTY FIFTY

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OBSIDIAN

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ATHENA