Simple Methods. Complex Strength.
Learn from the legends of the Iron Game. Build lasting health and antifragile strength through youth-restoring calisthenics, kettlebells, dumbbells, and barbells.
Start with our FREE Hard Style Dumbbell Swing Tutorial—video + PDF guide.
Instruction from Pavel Macek, StrongFirst Certified Master Instructor. Meet your instructor
Russian Lion’s SIMPLEXSTRONG Lessons: How to Choose Starting Weight, Reps, and How to Increase the Weight
FAQs and SIMPLEXSTRONG answers from one of the strongest athletes who ever lived, legendary wrestler and strongman George Hackenschmidt (1877 – 1968), also called “Russian Lion”.
Here are some excellent tips from his book The Way to Live (1908).
Yes, more that 100 years ago.
When to Begin to Practice with Heavier Weights?
In This Year, I will Start to… Scratch it, I Will Continue to…
My New Year’s resolution: Keep doing what I am doing.
Better.
The plan is simplex:
Do my breathing & joint-mobility exercises every morning.
Enjoy good Pu-Erh tea with my wife and our cats before the work.
Do my swings and get-ups. Sinister – coming soon. Sooner or later.
Kettlebells in the Movies: “Ivan the Poweful”
“Ivan the Poweful” is a film telling an outstanding life story of Ivan Firtsak who was born in June, 1899 in a Ukrainian village Bilky, Irshava district in Zakarpattia Oblast.
At the age of 18 he became a performer with a Czechoslovak circus and traveled to 64 countries of the world, astonishing everybody with his victories. He was a weightlifting champion of Czechoslovakia, a bodybuilding champion of Europe.
How to Keep your SFG Skills Sharp
I am currently practicing Simple & Sinister, i.e. Get-Up and Swing.
I have divided the remaining skills into 2 groups:
Grinds: Military Press, Front Squat, Windmill, Bent Press
Ballistic: Snatch, Clean, Push Press, Jerk
Two Hands Anyhow
Two Hands Anyhow, a magnificent feat of strength, usually performed with a barbell and a kettlebell (like the legendary Arthur Saxon’s world record of 203 kg), two kettlebells, two dumbbells (Thomas Inch used to show this variation with his Inch Challenge dumbell), or 4 kettlebells (Hermann Goerner’s incredible 195 kg).
Thomas Inch, Secrets of Strength: A Dumbbell Get-up
Lying down and rising with dumb-bell. Hold the bell overhead, right hand. Bend both knees, place left hand on the floor a little to the rear, extend the left leg forward and sit down. Now extend right leg, bending left arm until you are resting on the elbow. Lean slowly backwards to prone position.


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