The 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight
Strength Challenge
By Aleks “The Hebrew Hammer” Salkin
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Disclaimer!
You must get your physicians approval before beginning this or any exercise program. These
recommendations are not medical guidelines but are for educational purposes only. You must consult
your physician prior to starting this program or if you have any medical condition or injury that
contraindicates physical activity.
See your physician before starting any exercise or nutritional program. If you are taking any
medications, you must talk to your physician before starting any exercise program, including The
Crawling Challenge. If you experience any lightheadedness, dizziness, or shortness of breath while
exercising, stop the movement and consult a physician.
It is strongly recommended that you have a complete physical examination if you are sedentary, if you
have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes, if you are overweight, or if you are over 30 years
old. Please discuss all nutritional changes with your physician or a registered dietician. If your physician
recommends that you NOT use The Crawling Challenge workouts, please follow your doctor’s orders.
All forms of exercise pose some inherent risks. The editors and publishers advise readers to take full
responsibility for their safety and know their limits. Before practicing the exercises in this program, be
sure that your equipment is well maintained, and do not take risks beyond your level of experience,
aptitude, training, and fitness. The exercises and dietary programs in this program are not intended as a
substitute for any exercise routine, treatment, or dietary regimen that may have been prescribed by
your physician.
Don’t lift heavy weights if you are alone, inexperienced, injured, or fatigued. Don’t perform any exercise
without proper instruction. Always perform a warm up before all forms of training.
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What if I told you…
…that everything you thought you knew about strength was all wrong?
That’d sure be something, wouldn’t it?
Well, that’s NOT what I’m going to tell you, because chances are you know at least a few tidbits about
strength training in general and kettlebell & bodyweight training in particular that are absolutely right.
What I will tell you, though, is that there’s a seriously important missing link in your strength training
and your overall physical development - one that needs to be addressed and fixed with the hurryupness
in order to get you off of your long-standing training plateaus and back onto the wide-open highway of
mad gains.
How the mighty have fallen
It’s NOT more pushups
It’s NOT more pullups
And it’s sure as hell NOT more burpees!
But it IS something that will help you unlock, unleash, and untether the strength already inside you
waiting to get out while simultaneously building truckloads of real-world, no BS strength, stamina, and
resilience in as little as 9 minutes a day.
I’ll tell you all about it in a second.
…Unless, of course, you just want to skip the fascinating and insightful details and just get right to the
program. In that case, jump to page 20.
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Otherwise, let’s take a 30,000 foot view at the nature of building legendary levels of strength that echo
throughout eternity…literally.
The ancients were some tough mofos.
They lived in a harsh, unforgiving world filled with war, famine, pestilence, and lots of other not-nice
stuff.
With that said, hard living and rough times also produced some the strongest people the world has ever
seen.
Case in point:
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The ancient Greeks had tendon insertions (i.e. the place where your tendons insert into your
bones) that were 2-3 x thicker than those of modern man!
And because the strength of your tendons and ligaments is one of the most important (and
undertrained) elements of life-long strength and brute power, having bigger, thicker tendons is
a huge advantage for getting strong.
Fun fact: some ancient Greek actually looked like this, since someone had to pose for this sculpture.
An impressive physique in every way but one, lol.
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•
The average Viking could out-perform any modern Olympic athlete. Years ago, a multidisciplinary study that spanned exercise physiologists, engineers, and historians set out to see
just how strong and fit the Vikings were.
Turns out, the amount of strength and endurance needed just to row even one replica of their
ancient battleships was more than any top-level athlete could muster today - and that’s not
even including their insane training and covering long distances on foot while wearing full battle
gear.
The Vikings would have demolished your school’s crew team and then stolen their girlfriends
•
Footprints of Aboriginal hunters chasing down prey were discovered in Australia and
anthropologists estimate based on the distance of the footprints from one stride to the next
that this group of men must have been running a whopping 23 miles per hour! In wet mud!
To put that in perspective, the fastest man in recorded history, Usain Bolt, has topped out at
27.8 miles per hour while wearing the highest quality running shoes money can buy and while
running on a specially designed track for exactly his event.
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So what gives?
Why were the ancients so much stronger, faster, and more powerful than us?
-
It wasn’t because they had better nutrition, as quality (and safe) food was far harder to come
by.
-
It wasn’t because their parents put them on the right Little League team with the right coaches.
-
And it sure as hell wasn’t because they had access to state-of-the-art equipment and other
modern training comforts.
No, back in the olden days, these guys had no choice but to MOVE - day in and day out.
For as rugged and harsh as life was back then, the strength that constant daily movement brought to
them was such that it simply can’t be replicated
And of all the movements they did - from those done through farming, planting, building, destroying,
exploring, conquering, and more - one type of movement stands head and shoulders above all others as
absolutely crucial for mankind’s utter and complete domination of the world:
The gait pattern!
The gait pattern is your walking pattern, and it is so unique and so ubiquitous to human existence that
neglecting its training and development in favor of other movements (no matter how great they may be)
is tantamount to building a sleek, high-powered sports car and then leaving out the power steering
column.
Much like the entire existence of cars is built around being able to go from point A to point B with ease,
reliability, and performance, so, too, is the existence of human beings centered around their ability to
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move from one place to another on foot - whether it’s fast or slow; on a plain or over a mountain; and
basically everything in between.
What good is a sports car when you can barely control the steering wheel?
And similarly, what good is your strength if it only works while you’re sitting or standing in place?
About as useful as that Knight Templar in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade being immortal ONLY as
long as he remains a hermit in the hidden monastery.
Oh, you chose to neglect training your gait pattern?
Fortunately, there’s an obvious solution to your heretofore unknown problem:
Train your damn gait!
And that’s not limited to just going for walks every now and then (although I highly recommend it, as
walking is positively associated with just about every major health biomarker there is). You can train
your gait pattern not just for healthy and athletic movement, but for SERIOUS STRENGTH GAINS as
well.
And I’m not just talking about ‘strength gains’ that only show up in your gait pattern, either.
I’m talking about strength gains that carry over directly into your favorite traditional kettlebell and
bodyweight exercises. This is one of the reasons why gait pattern movements (as well as other
foundational movements like rolling, rocking, etc.) find their way into the workouts in my popular ebook
99 Bodyweight and Kettlebell Workouts.
I’ll give you some specific examples of how students of mine as well as various other folks just like you
made major improvements in exercises like
•
the military press
•
one-arm pushup
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•
pullups
•
squats
And more, just from some of the gait pattern movements I’ll be showing you in this ebook.
With that said, let’s take a look at the movements you’ll be training:
The Core 4 of No BS, Real-World Strength
There are a number of epic, weakness-crushing, strength-forging gait pattern movements out there. For
now, we’re gonna cover what I like to call the Core 4: Crawling, Dead Bugs, Marching, and Carrying.
The first 3 can be done with just your bodyweight only - meaning even if you find yourself with NO
equipment, you can continue to forge real-world, no BS strength, stamina, and physical resilience
anywhere – and the final one, carrying, can be done with your favorite kettlebells or even odd objects.
Let’s take a look:
Crawling
Crawling is the base of your gait pattern.
Long before we can walk on two legs, as babies we first learn to crawl. This ability to crawl does more
than just allow us to get from point A to point B; it is fundamental in building up the head-to-toe
strength and coordination necessary to be able to traverse the world on two legs.
In fact, if all I did was put crawling into this program, you’d still make radical gains.
Crawling is merciful on your body and merciless on your weakness. It’s simple as hell, too.
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Simply step forward with the OPPOSITE limbs - left arm/right leg, right arm/left leg. Repeat until strong.
If you’re strong and coordinated enough, you can crawl with your knees off the ground. However, most
people - both raw beginners and even those who are already good with kettlebell and bodyweight
exercises - are better off beginning by crawling on the hands and knees.
Important: whether you’re crawling on the hands and feet or hands and knees, you MUST crawl
contralaterally - meaning using the opposite sides.
An easy way to learn this is to tap the opposite knee with the opposite hand BEFORE you take a step
(see the pictures below). Not only does this drastically shorten the learning curve, but as we teach in the
Original Strength system, the simple act of touching the opposite limbs together gets the two
hemispheres of the brain communicating together better, so you can move and even think more
efficiently.
Just remember: tap, step. Tap, step. And stay relaxed! You got this!
“And what about the carryover into real-world strength?”
Here are a few comments I’ve gotten on my now-famous 30 Day Crawling Challenge:
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Another coupla examples for ya:
•
When I started crawling many moons ago, I put off squatting entirely and just spent two months
crawling. When I picked back up my double 24 kg (53 lb) kettlebells, I was shocked to find I had
taken my best effort from a paltry 10 reps to a whopping 20 REPS - all thanks to crawling a few
minutes a day.
•
Kettlebell instructor Karen Rossler used loads and loads of backward crawling to prepare her for
her StrongFirst Level 2 certification due to a tricky shoulder that gave her problems when she
pressed regularly. After a few weeks of training, she managed to knock out an easy 20 kg (44 lb)
one-arm military press despite ZERO pressing!
There are some more crawling-related testimonials at the end of this ebook, but for now I think you get
the idea.
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Deadbugs
Deadbugs are an oft-overlooked movement that works wonders at solidifying and amplifying the power
of your gait pattern - namely by honing in on your under-trained core stability through synchronized
movements of your arms and legs.
While most of us think that we should be training our core with traditional core exercises, as Tim
Anderson - founder of Original Strength - has pointed out, “traditional core exercises can only make
your core STRONGER” - whereas Original Strength resets like dead bugs, crawling, and more are the
catalyst to make your core STRONG to begin with.
Despite how easy they look on screen, dead bugs can be pretty tough even for advanced lifters, since
they place a heavy demand on your undertrained core stabilizers, like your transverse abdominis, pelvic
floor, multifidus, etc.
The solution: shorten the levers by bending your knees:
Similar to the crawling demonstration above, touching the opposite limbs can help make learning the
dead bug much, much easier.
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The “What the Hell” effect is equally impressive for deadbugs. In one of my online challenges, Dawn of
the Deadbug, many people discovered that dead bugs were just what the doctor ordered for unlocking
previously untouchable (and untrained) abilities, like one-arm pushups:
One of my Inner Circle members, Frances Moylan - aka “The Iron Lady of Oz” - worked her way up to 5
sets of 5 double kettlebell front squats with two 24 kg (53 lb) kettlebells at a bodyweight of 56 kg (123
lbs) thanks to a program I wrote that had her doing a set of deadbugs before every set of front squats!
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Marching
Marching brings the gait pattern where it’s true and full power can be expressed: on two feet.
It also adds in another element of athletic might that few (if any) traditional strength movements do:
spinal rotation.
Because spinal rotation is generally something you want to AVOID with most traditional strength moves,
the majority of people straight up don’t train it at all, giving them loads of strength, but no way to
“steer” it. Marching fixes this by teaching you to be fast, light on your feet, and getting every muscle in
your body moving in unison.
Some of the muscles this movement works include:
•
Calves
•
Quads
•
Hips
•
Glutes
•
Muscles of the waist
•
Shoulders and arms
And of course, your heart and lungs will be chugging like a locomotive racing up a hill.
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So powerful is marching that powerlifting legend Louie Simmons now has ALL of his lifters do it, saying
loaded marching made him even stronger than powerlifting!
Carrying
Finally we arrive at carrying – one of the simplest yet most effective ways of using your kettlebells (or
really ANY weighted implement) that you’re not currently doing.
I have long made it a point to get my students – both young and old – carrying bells right from the
outset, and the difference in their strength, stamina, resilience, and raw power is undeniable.
And you don’t have to be a raw beginner to get the benefits of carrying, either.
World-renowned strength coach, Olympic lifter, and American record holder in the weight pentathalon
Dan John has told the tale of a young stud of an athlete that once came under his charge. This guy was
anything but an amateur: he not only had impressive numbers in all of the powerlifts (including a
deadlift in the low 500 lb range) but was also highly skilled at the Olympic lifts, the barbell snatch and
the clean and jerk.
He came to Dan looking for help breaking some plateaus, and was promptly told to carry heavy weights
2-3 times per week.
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3 weeks later, his deadlift had shot up to just shy of 600 lbs!
And that’s after somewhere between just 6-9 workouts.
Keep in mind, too, that that was the result of someone who was already near the pinnacle of his
strength. You stand to gain even more from it.
“Oh hell yeah, let’s gets started!” you might be saying to yourself.
Well, slow your role there, buckaroo. You’ve got the tools, but now it’s time to learn the rules.
And step 1 is by UNLEARNING a few things so you can make the most of the Big 3.
Break the rules, break your PRs
“Break the rules. Not the law, but the rules. It is impossible to be a maverick or a true original if you’re
too well behaved and don’t want to break the rules.”
-
Arnold Schwarzenegger on his 6 Rules of Success
If you’ve been involved in any way, shape, or form with traditional bodyweight or kettlebell strength
training for a while, you’ve probably gotten on a first-name basis with at least some of the rules of
strength training. For example:
•
Low reps (3-5) and high sets (5-10)
•
Rest 3-5 minutes between sets
•
Use lots of feed forward tension (i.e. generate extra tension to accelerate your strength gains)
•
Limit yourself to a select few exercises
The list could go on, but you get the picture.
Truth be told, these are not bad rules; all of them are essential for building strength (note: they are not
the end-all-be-all, but that’s another topic for a different ebook) and all of them will serve you well for
successfully training the specific bodyweight and kettlebell exercises you know and love.
The problem?
While these work well for those traditional kettlebell and bodyweight exercises, they work BEST when
they’re built on top of a foundation of solid, effortless, and authentic human movement.
If you move poorly, no amount of “voodoo” programming tricks or fancy-schmancy “mobility hacks” will
save you. You have to get back in touch with your movement roots. Plain and simple. To do that, you’ll
need a slightly different playbook:
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Move the way you were made - NOT the way you’ve decayed
#1: RELAX
Unlike the constant focus on feed-forward tension in the world of traditional strength training, with
crawling, dead bugs, and marching you’re going to be focusing on the exact opposite: relaxation.
The reason why is simple:
Feed forward tension is crucial for building strength in conventional movements (including carries!), no
doubt about it. But too much tension in your body can be detrimental. What’s more, if you can’t move
WITHOUT high tension, you’re setting yourself up for a frustratingly unathletic body at best, and a whole
heap of aches, stiffness, and perpetual discomfort at worst.
The old time strongmen and weightlifters instinctively understood this, which is why they put as much
of a premium on relaxation and restorative exercise as they did lifting heavy, tearing cards, bending
bars, and so on. Quoth the muscle control mastermind Maxick:
“Relaxation is just as important as contraction, for unless a muscle be supple enough to lie soft when
relaxed, real control is out of the question” (emphasis mine).
Above: muscle control maestro Max Sick (aka “Maxick”). He was capable of insane feats like letting
someone jump onto his stomach from a 7 foot ladder and one-arm pressing his 185 lb business partner,
Tromp Van Diggelen, overhead 16 times while holding a glass of beer in the other hand and not spilling a
drop. If he says relaxation is crucial for strength, I’d take his word for it.
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So while you need feed forward tension in your favorite kettlebell & bodyweight exercises (including
loaded carries!), in the Big 3 gait pattern moves you’ll be learning, you want a completely different kind
of tension: reflexive tension.
Reflexive tension - or “reflexive stability” as it’s more commonly known - is your body’s ability to
anticipate and respond to movement as it’s happening and before it happens. To do this, you have to
let your body relax and do its thing in response to the movement stimuli you provide.
Real-life examples of reflexive stability in action would include:
•
Slipping on an icy driveway and either a) catching yourself by instinctively putting your body in
the right position to avoid falling, or b) falling, but landing in a way that avoids injury.
•
Seeing an incoming punch or kick and instinctively reacting by either blocking and countering OR
evading the strike all together
This level of skill is not just reserved for the ring or the occasional spill; it’s a skill that has a tremendous
carryover into your strength, stamina, endurance, and all-around movability as well. And as you’ll see in
the next few pages, the carryover to your kettlebell and bodyweight abilities can be pretty mind
blowing.
Part and parcel with relaxing your body and letting it stabilize itself reflexively is…
#2: Make it easy
As much as you may love a heavy set of squats, a tough set of pullups, or a lung-scorching set of heavy
swings - you know, exercise that really takes it out of you - you want to sublimate that urge for at least a
little while when doing the movements we’ll be covering in this program.
Why?
Because even though each of the Big 3 Gait Pattern moves we’ll be covering can be progressed to be
made very challenging, as with anything at the beginning you’ll want to start easy to get the hang of it.
What’s more, you want to make sure that you choose variations that are easy enough to allow you to
stay RELAXED while doing them! If you start off too tough, you’ll fall right back into what you already
know - that is, high-tension, which will lead to stiff, robotic, and unnatural movement (not to mention
will make developing your reflexive stability much, much harder).
And what do you do when it starts getting a little too easy?
Simple: trade up to a harder variation, just like you would with kettlebells and bodyweight.
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#3: Time > sets x reps
While you can technically do something similar to “sets and reps” with the movements in this challenge,
at least initially you want to lean more into the practice side of things - NOT the super rigid set and rep
schemes you’re used to with other programs. That means you’ll be given a brief amount of time to do
each movement, and you’ll spend that time PRACTICING the movement with no attention whatsoever
paid to reps (or steps, in the cases of at least two of the movements).
Not only will this allow you to create a better mind/muscle connection, but it takes the stress off in
terms of performance, since you’re not trying to hit any pre-determined number; you’re just practicing.
Get it? Got it? Good!
You are now ready to crush weakness and forge epic new levels of strength, Grasshopper.
Let the gains begin!
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The 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight
Strength Challenge
You’ve got the tools, you’ve got the know-how, now it’s time to put these two together into a fullyloaded challenge that you can put to good use - either as a stand-alone program OR as a finisher to your
current program.
Just like the movements themselves, this challenge will be mercifully simple. Here’s the eagle’s eye view
of it:
The 4 Commandments of this Challenge
1. Thou shalt do these movements every day.
Naturally you can take a day or two off if you’d like, but if you decide to go full-bore 7 days a
week, you won’t have to worry about “overtraining” as these movements are gentle on the
body and nervous system and are not likely to wear you out.
2. Thou shalt accumulate a total of 3 minutes of work for each movement
In other words start a timer, perform a movement, pause the timer when you need a break, restart the timer when you’re ready to go again, and repeat until you’ve accumulated a total of 3
minutes. Then move onto the next movement and repeat the above process.
3. Thou shalt vary the order of the placement of the movements from workout to workout.
This will allow you to take advantage of what is known as “fatigue cycling” - a favorite of the
underground Soviet bodybuilders of the late 80s and early 90s. Basically, you rearrange the
order of the movements you’re practicing so that what you did while you were fatigued last
time you’re now doing fresh, and what you did fresh last time you’re now doing under some
fatigue. Even without a change in sets and reps, you’ll find yourself making quantum leaps in
your strength in short order.
4. Thou shalt RELAX.
Seriously, don’t go so hard that you start getting excessively tense in these movements. Find
the easiest version for you, get used to doing them as relaxed as possible, and as you get
stronger and more confident with them, trade up to more difficult variations.
And that’s it! Without further ado, let’s get started:
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Day 1
Movement
Time
Crawling
Accumulate 3 minutes
Dead bugs
Accumulate 3 minutes
Carry (1 KB)
Accumulate 3 minutes
NOTE: write down the number of breaks you took to complete each movement. Try to keep that same
number of breaks for each movement in the next workout.
Day 2
Movement
Time
Marching
Accumulate 3 minutes
Crawling
Accumulate 3 minutes
Carry (2 KB)
Accumulate 3 minutes
Day 3
Movement
Time
Dead bugs
Accumulate 3 minutes
Marching
Accumulate 3 minutes
Carry (1 KB)
Accumulate 3 minutes
Day 4
Today we’re re-starting the 3-day cycle. This time, aim to take 1 fewer break in each movement.
Movement
Time
Crawling
Accumulate 3 minutes
Dead bugs
Accumulate 3 minutes
Carry (2 KB)
Accumulate 3 minutes
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Day 5
Movement
Time
Marching
Accumulate 3 minutes
Crawling
Accumulate 3 minutes
Carry (1 KB)
Accumulate 3 minutes
Day 6
Movement
Time
Dead bugs
Accumulate 3 minutes
Marching
Accumulate 3 minutes
Carry (2 KB)
Accumulate 3 minutes
Day 7 - OFF
Day 8 - we’re re-starting the cycle once more. Strive for 1 fewer break in each movement if you can.
Movement
Time
Crawling
Accumulate 3 minutes
Dead bugs
Accumulate 3 minutes
Carry (1 KB)
Accumulate 3 minutes
NOTE: write down the number of breaks you took to complete each movement. Try to keep that same
number of breaks for each movement in the next workout.
Day 9
Movement
Time
Marching
Accumulate 3 minutes
Crawling
Accumulate 3 minutes
Carry (2 KB)
Accumulate 3 minutes
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Day 10
Movement
Time
Dead bugs
Accumulate 3 minutes
Marching
Accumulate 3 minutes
Carry (1 KB)
Accumulate 3 minutes
Day 11 - We’re once again re-starting the cycle. Aim to take 1 fewer break in each movement.
Movement
Time
Crawling
Accumulate 3 minutes
Dead bugs
Accumulate 3 minutes
Carry (2 KB)
Accumulate 3 minutes
Day 12
Movement
Time
Marching
Accumulate 3 minutes
Crawling
Accumulate 3 minutes
Carry (1 KB)
Accumulate 3 minutes
Day 13
Movement
Time
Dead bugs
Accumulate 3 minutes
Marching
Accumulate 3 minutes
Carry (2 KB)
Accumulate 3 minutes
Day 14 - OFF
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From here, you can either keep going for as many weeks/months as you’d like.
In fact, as you start getting the hang of things, you might decide to start adding in new and more
interesting ways of keeping the movements more challenging and more productive, such as:
•
Slow the movements down
•
Go forward, backward, and sideways (for crawling and marching)
•
Drag weight behind you (crawling, marching, and carries) or add a very light amount of weight in
your hands (dead bugs)
•
Do each movement in a back-to-back circuit, going from crawling to deadbugs to marching and
back, resting as little as possible but as much as necessary to preserve quality movement.
The list could go on and on, but you get the picture.
Final notes
Before you get started, write down a few notes about your general movement:
•
How you feel first thing in the morning
•
Any aches, stiffness, or discomfort you notice
•
How your movement is generally - from basic stuff like toe touches, deep squats, etc. to your
performance on your favorite bodyweight and kettlebell movements
And as the challenge wears on, take note on any changes you may feel. You may start to notice that
certain movements feel better, easier, and…well, stronger!
And when that happens, be sure to drop me a line and let me know all about it. I’d love to hear how you
did.
Have fun and happy training!
Aleks “The Hebrew Hammer” Salkin
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Shatter the shackles holding you back - Escape from the physical plateau you’ve
been stuck on - Ascend to new and exciting heights of bold, unyielding strength,
stamina, and resilience with my…
99 Bodyweight & Kettlebell Workouts!
If you’ve been working out long enough - that is, a few months or more - you already know how tough it
can be to keep the “Gain Train” rolling into station on a regular basis.
The first few weeks or even months seem almost like a fire hose of progress, with eye-popping and jawdropping new levels of real-world strength, never-say-die conditioning, and bulletproof resilience
stacking up workout after workout.
And then one day the gains start to dry up.
The deluge of improvements that used to gush forth like Old Faithful have slowed to the level of a mere
trickle, if even that - and suddenly those workouts that once delivered noticeable gains day in and day
out have instead become like a well run dry.
What the hell happened?
Hate to break it to ya, pardner, but your body got wise to your schemes, figured out “hey, why adapt?
These workouts ain’t killing me,” and put the kibosh on your breakneck progress.
Don’t feel bad; it happens to everyone.
But as the wise and mighty Bruce Lee once said, “there are no limits; there are plateaus, and you must
not stay there, you must go beyond them.”
And to go beyond them, you must get OFF the path that got you stuck and ON a path to keep you
moving boldly forward to newer and greater heights.
So how do you find the right path forward?
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You’ve gotta mix things up a bit!
Doing the same thing in the same way over and over is a sure-fire way of getting stuck on the proverbial
hamster wheel in your training. But having a bountiful bevvy of top-notch, professionally designed, no
BS kettlebell, bodyweight, and movement-based workouts is one of the #1 ways I know to kick-start
stalled progress, reinvigorate your gains, and reignite your passion for training.
That’s why I put 99 of my BEST workouts all in one place!
In my ebook 99 Bodyweight & Kettlebell Workouts you will get:
•
99 of my best, top-shelf, no-BS kettlebell, bodyweight, and movement workouts that I’ve
written over the last few years
•
A wide array of workouts - everything from pure strength, to muscle-building, to conditioning,
and more.
•
Workouts varying from beginner, intermediate, and advanced
•
Single and double kettlebell workouts
•
Bodyweight only workouts for when you have absolutely NO equipment
•
Movement-oriented workouts centered around the Original Strength resets to get you back in
touch with your natural, authentic human movement patterns
•
3 never-before-seen, can’t-read-anywhere-else articles:
•
o
7 Calisthenics Exercises You Should NEVER Do
o
3 Kettlebell Myths That Won’t Die
o
#1 ‘Dangerous’ Exercise for Bulletproof Knees
And much, much more
And at 138 jam-packed pages, I can tell you for sure: I’ve held nothing back!
Cost for this ebook is just $38; a steal given just how much of my (proverbial) blood, sweat, and tears
went into ‘hand crafting’ each of these workouts based around my experiences with my students over
the last 10 years.
However!
To celebrate your downloading the 9-Minute Strength Challenge and joining my daily email list, for a
brief stitch in time I’m making it available for a cool $9.
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Click here to snag your copy => https://www.alekssalkin.com/product/99kbbw/
I look forward to helping you crush weakness.
Have fun and happy training!
Aleks “The Hebrew Hammer” Salkin
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Praise for Aleks “The Hebrew Hammer” Salkin’s online coaching,
workshops, and programs:
“I attended the Salkin Body Weight Workshop not really knowing what to expect. I had never done any
formal body weight training before, but absolutely loved the idea of it. I have always seen bodyweight /
calisthenics as an incredible display of strength, coordination and dedication / focus.
I learned so, so much! From the very ground up, I learned how to perform the hollow correctly, and how
this carries in to most practices in bodyweight. My core strength since the workshop has improved out of
sight doing this one simple (but not easy) exercise. My squat and deadlift have improved from this carry
over of core strength.
I was able to achieve
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a 1-arm pushup
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the back bridge from standing to standing
•
almost achieved a handstand pushup (still working on this one)
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L-sit, a pull-up, and the L-sit pull-up,
and learned the progressions in the front and back levers.
The thing I loved the most was learning how to progress myself, (and my clients) through all the
exercises.
Bodyweight training is absolutely for everyone when you know how to safely and sensibly move through
the progressions. I have applied so much of what I learned into my everyday practice and have loved
passing on the knowledge I gained to my clients. We are starting a body weight strength class in our
gym which I am so excited about.
Whether you are an athlete, coach, powerlifter, cardio bunny, kettlebell master, or have never done any
kind of training before, I highly recommend Aleks’s workshop.
His clear explanation and impressive demonstration of every movement creates a safe and fun
environment where you will be blown away by what knowledge and practical application you gain. This
workshop will not disappoint. I can’t wait to do the next one! Thank you Aleks.”
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Sally Priest, Brisbane, Australia
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“I attended Aleks’s bodyweight strength workshop in February of 2016 in Bratislava, Slovakia. I knew
Aleks from a previous Original Strength workshop and I wasn’t new to bodyweight training. Even though
I was able to do one-arm pushups, pistols, and pullups prior to this workshop, the way Aleks approached
the learning process was new to me.
One of the two best things about this workshop was basics coverage. I got a better understanding of
body positioning to move stronger and safer.
I attended the workshop with one shoulder hurting from a lot of pullups in an overstressed hollow
position. Since the workshop I was able to gain more control over my shoulder positioning and lose the
pain.
Also, I use the drills and progressions with my students with great success.
The other great thing – and really a ‘what-the-hell’ experience – was my own progress with the bridge
during just 15 minutes of Aleks’s instructions. Thoracic mobility was always my weak spot and the
bridge was one of those “maybe one day” exercises. Well, not anymore!
I highly recommend this, or really ANY, workshop under Aleks’s supervision. He is a great teacher and the
stuff he teaches is rock solid. It very well could be a game changer for you!
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Jozef Vanko, Bratislava, Slovakia
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“Back in 2018 my training was on a slow burn. I had started to get tendinitis in my elbows and my
stubborn self had set a goal to achieve something few people ever have: a pullup with an extra 36 kg of
weight strapped to me (in my case, a full 60% of my bodyweight).
Things were looking grim, as not only would the weight not budge, but every time I did weighted pullups,
my elbows would scream at me, forcing me to stick to bodyweight-only pullups.
I reached out to Aleks to ask if he'd be willing to take me on as a student, and shortly after things started
to change dramatically.
He did a full-on deep dive into my training history, pinpointed my weaknesses and the gaps in my
development, and using his knowledge of a variety of modalities and old-school training principles and
practices, crafted together a program that not only smoothed out all of my rough spots, but ultimately
got me to a downright EASY 36 kg pullup with NO elbow pain! Best of all, he is encouraging, witty, and
makes the process of training for such daunting goals exciting rather than borderline clinical. Highly
recommended!"
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Frances Moylan, “The Iron Lady of Oz”, Perth, Australia
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“With Aleks’s help I reached my goals – one-arm pushups and pistol squats – faster than expected and
can do several solid sets now. This amazed me big time.
I am a tall guy (1.94 meters/6’3”) and physics really plays against me especially with those unilateral
moves…I could not figure out how to get around it.
However, thanks to Aleks’s know-how I was able to master those challenging moves!”
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Marc Braun, Germany
When I started working with Aleks I expected some occasional training tips cause I thought I had it all
figured out with exercises, programming etc…plus, I don't train kettlebells so I was mainly searching for
ways to improve my BW training.
But very soon I realised that Aleks has an outstanding knowledge of physical fitness which does not rely
upon one "tool" or the other. From Aleks I learnt not only how to vary my BW training but also how to
structure and get most out of each training session.
Thanks to Aleks now I am able to perform physical feats (e.g. assisted one arm chins) that I could not
imagine to be able to achieve at 38 years old. Only by sticking to his recommendations I could achieve
this feat of strength.
Also, Aleks helped me putting together workouts that are customised to my Krav Maga practice which
was enhanced by these kick ass workouts he put together for me. Aleks is a very patient, passionate,
professional trainer who always understands the client individually and helps reaching his/her personal
goals. I highly recommend Aleks for everyone in search of improving his/her physical fitness and lifestyle
in general!
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Giovanni P., Munich, Germany
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"I was embarking upon my StrongFirst SFG2 re-certification and needed to start training. I sought out
Aleks on Instagram and contacted him to see if he would be willing to help me out. My first impression
was very positive. He was prompt in his response and was helpful right off the bat.
In the past, I was overtrained and injured by the time I got to certification weekend. I needed a new
approach to my training. Aleks offered a way to achieve my goals. A simple program to follow to avoid
burning myself out. He took into consideration how I live my life day to day, i.e. very active and a lot of
use to my upper body. No other coaches have ever taken my every day activity into consideration when
programming a training plan. I needed quick and effective sessions and to be able to do everything I
needed to do in 3 sessions per week. Aleks was able to offer me just that, in a balanced, smart way.
Following Aleks’ templates, I passed my SFG2 re-certification with far more ease than any other
certification. I was even given high praise by my Master instructor and teammates. If you’re looking for a
coach to help you train smarter, not harder, Aleks is the guy! I highly recommend him to help you reach
your goals.”
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Shannon McNutt, Minnesota
“Hey Aleks!
Just wanted to touch base and let you know I passed my recert with flying colors! First time I’ve ever
shown up 100% ready to pass at the event. Feels good. So THANK YOU for all your help with the
programming!!!” – Holea, Minnesota
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The Bodyweight Mastery Course
“In one word I would rate the Bodyweight Master Online Course - PHENOMENAL!
As a fellow strength coach, martial artist, and Original Strength instructor I know I am in good hands
when I buy a program from Aleks. He has laid out a program that if anyone really puts in the work is
going to get really strong.
The 7 day course covers the major calisthenic strength moves but in far more detail.
The progressions help with every sticking point I have seen as a coach and are explained with such
intelligent steps to break your strength plateau. Details I have never seen in any other book and even at
2 day workshops on bodyweight training are here.
IT IS THAT GOOD!!
Each module has enough to keep you busy for a long time if you are a serious student of strength. Within
minutes of reading and watching the videos that were linked I learned new ways to improve my form
and technique which increases my strength!
In the past week I have felt my core get stronger, pull ups get easier and LESS PAIN in my shoulders
during pressing movements! This is in just days and I have not even gotten into the full details of each
progression. I am going to be using this for a lifetime of not only training myself but also my clients who
are interested in body weight training. “
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Mike Moran, Tuscon, AZ
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The 300 Bodyweight Protocol
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With 300 I have seen my general conditioning improve and overall my
joints have been feeling stronger and more stable. I saw gains in my bridging and
handstands with only practicing them every other week or so on my off day, I even
did my first handstand pushups while still doing the program!
After completing the program I was able to military press my 53lb KB twice on my left side and
three times on my right, going into 300 I was only barely able to press once on my left and twice
on my right!
Thanks,
Yunus Koch
I have been following Aleks for some years now but what really changed my perspective was
the first version of the Bodyweight 300 Challange. For the first time in my life I did high
reps.
It revolutionized my training. I went through it 2 times and it really built a better base for my
future endeavors. As I am a desk worker I suffer from bad ab activation and hip stability and
had a stiff left hip flexor. This really changed with this program. Through talks with Aleks I
discovered his method of switching between low rep programs to medium and high rep
ones and I now use it too
After BW 300 I tried to build my own low rep program and I could see the fruit of my labor
in the BW 300. I started out with 10 dips and in the end I could do 15. I always had problems
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increasing reps beforehand, but not this time. When I got to Crawlidays 2 I immediately
noticed how my hips and abs where noticeably stronger and I could crawl more effortlessly.
As I finished my own plan Aleks offered a new higher rep program and I decided to do
Gainsgiving. In addition I also got the Experimental OS Program. After 6 weeks I not only
got a personalized OS warm up but also gained a 25% rep increase in most exercises I used
for Gainsgiving. As the bonus material suggested I went for another round with harder
exercises and got the same increase in numbers again.
Following the now trusted concept of doing a lower rep program as a follow up I designed
my own plan again. This time I decided to run too as I wanted to supply the lesson learned
by Aleks: don’t limit your physical efforts too much. Luckily Aleks sold Gaitrix at the time,
which I wanted to use to improve my gait pattern for running.
At this point I was doing Gaitrix in the morning, push ups throughout the day and either
strength training or running in the evening. Without the enhanced endurance and recovery
abilities that BW 300 and Gainsgiving gave me this would not have been possible. Gaitrix
itself was awesome too as it didn’t take too much energy to do but improved my hip
stability nevertheless.
Now I really feel real world strong! Right now I am doing the new version of BW 300 in
combination with Hanguary. As I haven’t finished BW 300 I can only say that I am now able
to do chin ups in the double digit numbers which I firmly believe is a result of Hanguary. I
am doing the 3rd round of this 14 day program and it feels amazing.
My key takeaways from this one year of applying Aleks concepts or doing Aleks programs
are:
- a balanced approach to strength and endurance is better for results the blindly going for
max strength only
- Aleks writes better programs than I do
- the results motivated me to take care of my nutrition too, so as a consequence i lost 5kg
and my belly circumference decreased from 95cm to 90,5
Alex Brandt, Germany
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“Get Up Domination!” A 21-day Guide to Take You From ‘Chump’ to
‘Champ’ in the World’s Most Epic Strength Feat
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“Hanguary” The 14-Day Challenge to Reclaim Your Primal Strength, Forge a Vice
Grip, and Restore Your Natural Resilience
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The Experimental OS Protocol: a 3-Week Program to Smash
Weakness, Build Resilience, and Forge an Anti-Fragile Physique
“All in all, over the past 3 weeks I’ve noticed that I’m sleeping more soundly, I feel more alert/mentally
sharper, my strength is improving and the issue with tingling in my fingers from the cervical nerve
irritation has decreased by 50%”
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Eileen
“Loaded crawls and cross crawls were the key for my pistols! ...I like the playful and experimental
nature of these resets. Reminds me that the basic "big 5" resets, performed in the "standard" way, are
just scratching the surface... That the real power is to become attuned to your body's unique responses
and do what works for you...”
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Amy
“Hi I have had a hard time activating my transverse abdominal muscles. I went through a lot of physical
therapy trying to help it. The therapy was slightly helpful but I could never really make progress. The
resets I have been doing have really helped with that where nothing else I tried made much difference.
I’m sure more insights will come.”
- Cynthia Croissant
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“Wanted to give a mini update: I'm physical therapist who has packed full shoulder flexion and thoracic
rotation with right more limited then left. Also consistent 1-3 (on a scale of 10) left shoulder pain for a
year. Following paused bird dogs dramatic decrease in left shoulder pain and a feeling that I "own" my
left shoulder. Decided to try paused standing cross crawls and had nearly symmetrical thoracic rotation.
I'll continue to test these resets against SFMA patterns and will be curious of the results.”
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Andrew, 1 day into the protocol
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The 30-Day Crawlidays Challenge
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Dawn of the Deadbug
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The Exodus Protocol: a 4-Week Challenge to Break the Chains
of Weakness With 4 Fundamental Primal Movements
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2X Your Pushups In 2-Weeks
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Kick SASS! A 28-Day Journey Into ‘The Final Frontier’ of
Calisthenics: Straight-Arm Scapular Strength
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Kettlebell & Bodyweight Super 6: a 6-week program utilizing
the conjugate programming method
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The Inner Circle (my monthly training newsletter)
Aleks...I just wanted to give a shout out and thank you for the excellent IC routines. I completed a 50
mile trail race yesterday and feel that the routines over the past few months have really helped,
particularly the single-leg work, squats, lunges and in-between workouts.
My footing was rock-solid, I never turned an ankle (something that frequently happens), and when I had
to make a sudden adjustment to avoid an obstacle, it was smooth, easy and stable.
Strength and mobility really do go hand-in-hand!
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Mike Meagher
Aleks,
I wanted to take a moment to say what a great resource this is that you've presented to us in the Inner
Circle.
I'm a 43 year old former Marine who works full time and is going to school as well as being a father to
two kids. I'm a busy man. But I've read many of your articles and watched the tutorials you've made with
great appreciation for the sensible, no BS approach you take.
After 20 years of military service, I've taken a similar position to how operational planning was
conducted in my previous life. It was often referred to as BLUF, Bottom Line Up Front. The resource
you've given us in the Inner Circle is just that.
Demonstrating the ability for us to achieve results without a bunch of extraneous crap. Your
programming is both solid in my pursuit of strength and looking better, while also addressing some of
the daily aches I endure after a lifetime of taking a pounding on the joints day in and day out.
The Inner Circle is an outstanding resource for straightforward direction on strength and health without
the need for web surfing or sifting through the quagmire of fitness "what's hot and what's not".
Now I just have to get over my self-consciousness of people looking at me funny when I'm crawling.
Looking forward to the next installment of your Inner Circle. Keep up the great work!
Cheers,
Stephen
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