They defeat their own purpose should they be too many too confusing or beyond a

definite. They defeat their own purpose should they be too many, too confusing or beyond a man’s training to accomplish. —George S. Clason, The Richest Man in Babylon , 1926 O

E NTER T HE K ETTLEBELL ! 130 The above schedule for Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday is the classic heavy-light-medium system applied to the primary lifts (for you, the pull and the press). You might ask, “Why bother with easy and moderate workouts—why not go balls-to-the wall every time?” Most complex phenomena are cyclical. Almost a century ago, bedridden accountant Ralph Nelson Elliot spent years analyzing the fluctuations of the stock market. He learned that the downsizing of the market is not a problem but a “constructive correction” that allows the market to reach a new high. The low point of a constructive correction will be followed by “an advanc- ing wave.” This is how every complex system, from Wall Street to your body, operates. Lower val- leys tend to be followed by higher peaks and vice versa. That is why Russian lifters constantly “wave” their training loads. Refer to my book Beyond Bodybuilding if you want to learn more. For now, all you need to know is that the junk pile of iron history is littered with the bones of lifters who tried to prove the law of cycling wrong. On Tuesday and Thursday, instructed Hoffman, “a greater variety of exercises are practiced— those that have been omitted on the real weight lifting days.” Keep the intensity low on the vari- ety days. A variety day allows you to practice—literally practice; have fun rather than get smoked—anything you like. The variety days are perfect for working on what Marty Gallagher called “in-between strength,” the angles and ranges of motion not addressed by traditional pulls and presses. Do get-ups, windmills, and bent presses; juggle kettlebells—challenge yourself with any of the many moves from the DVDs produced by me and my senior instructors. As long as you stay on the ball with the scheduled pulls and presses. And as long as you keep the variety days easy. Not light, just easy. Obviously, you can push the schedule forward as many days as you want. Weightlifting meets are held on Saturdays, which is why Bob Hoffman planned the heavy workout for this day. York Barbell grad Bill Starr had his football players go heavy, light, and medium on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, respectively. Applied to the RKC Rite of Passage program, this works as follows: Monday — “Moderate” Tuesday — “Variety” Wednesday — “More vigorous than Monday” Thursday — “Variety” Friday — Off Saturday — “To limit” Sunday — Off

A S TEP - BY -S TEP G UIDE TO B ECOMING A M AN A MONG M EN 131 Monday — Heavy presses, pulls Tuesday — Off Wednesday — Light presses, pulls Thursday — Variety Friday — Medium presses, pulls Saturday — Variety Sunday — Off Monday — Medium presses, pulls Tuesday — Variety Wednesday — Off Thursday — Heavy presses, pulls Friday — Light presses, pulls Saturday — Off Sunday — Variety Feel free to skip your variety days, but never skip a heavy, light, or medium press/pull day. Push it forward a day if circumstances force you to, but don’t miss it. If you are tired, suck it up. If you