Is S&S really enough? Read mor for context. Im pretty new to this fitness thing

M

mr_loevinger

New member
Anyone who reads this and responds is my hero! Its long, but i feel like it needed context for the questions and concerns i have about S&S.

I am brand new here and also in the fitness world. I have just quit smoking cigarettes (this time for good - i can feel it) I was a two pack a day smoker for at least the last 15 years. I'm 35 and started smoking at age 14. I haven't touched a cigarette in over 2 months now. I contribute my progress to working out since day 1 of quitting the habit.

Anyway, since day 1 of quitting i have been trying to find a good simple routine i can do everyday. Finding a routine that i am satisfied with has proven to be difficult. I don't have time to do a 3 hour workout everyday and i everything i read about different muscle groups and how many sets per muscle group .. blah blah blah.. has been pretty over whelming, as every article i read contradicts the article before (much like trying to get nutrition help off the web). So of coarse, I found myself experimenting over the last few months with lots of different modes using mainly dumbbells, and bodyweight stuff like push ups and pullups. I have read so many contradictory things on feeling the burn, or being super sore for a few days after a workout. The thing is feeling sore and feeling the burn has been a huge factor in not smoking. As long as i am feeling a little swollen after a work out it reminds me that i am making a little progress and i stay motivated not to smoke. After reading S&S 2.0 I really believe its best not to feel torn up days after a work out or even need to feel a burn during the work out other than a small % of the time as Pavel explains. After my first day of Timeless Simple i realize that i can still feel as though i had a great workout without being torn up or sore the next day, and is still enough to remind me that i am making some progress and don't need to smoke anymore.

So i found Simple and Sinister and finished the book in the last 2 days and I am really excited about it for these reasons:
  1. Takes an hour or less using the talk test.
  2. It is incredibly simple (hence the name) and i don't have to remember to do 15 different workouts in a session
  3. It is super fun
  4. I like the idea of not ripping myself apart and being able to do this workout everyday.
  5. It will no doubt improve my stamina, explosiveness and overall strength if i can stick with it and move up in KB sizes.
But i am also wondering if its the right place to start for me (psychologically speaking). Yesterday was my first day doing S&S and i did 10/10 1HS and 1/10 TGU as the book said both with 16kg. I have no doubt that it will improve my strength, but seeing progress on my physique will be a huge encouragement. I feel like the Swings and Get-ups really miss my chest and biceps. So here are my concerns about it:
  1. I feel like my chest and biceps are untouched in this work out
  2. No modifications; so i cant throw in push ups or pull ups so i can feel a work out in my chest and biceps
  3. If my first two concerns are valid then i feel like it won't do much for my physique (I know its a little vein, but of coarse I want to make progress toward looking good, i dont care much about muscle size just want to be strong first -no pun intended - and look good)
  4. I don't want to go through 20 weeks of this and feel like i made no progress on physique. (I have seen some progress in my physique and muscle size in the last 2 months and would hate to be stagnate in these areas, psychologically speaking it is very good for me to feel progress in these areas, although muscle size is not as important to me)
I really want to do things right and i know the book says not to change the program or add anything to it, but i feel like i would be happier if i could throw in some push-ups or pull-ups every other day so i feel like i am making progress on my chest and biceps too.

Can anyone address my concerns with this program and tell me im wrong. Or point me in the direction of a StrongFirst Program that is almost as simple and will also feel like im working on my chest and biceps? Then maybe come back to this program after i have reached my modest size and physique goals. Any advice will help.
 
@mr_loevinger For getting started and building the habit of working out, S&S worked for me. I went 16-20-24 kg (heaviest I could find at the time), with pushups and goblet squats added.

Is it a two-exercise miracle cure-all take-all-comers perfect program?

No, but it's a good and reasonable thing to start on and do for a couple months. Even forgetting the TGU, doing 500 swings a week is a helluva lot better than no exercise at all.

Don't let optimization be a barrier to getting started. Just get started.
 
@mr_loevinger I LOVE S&S. I combined it with intermittent fasting and lost 40 pounds in under year. I play men's league hockey and people noticed that I improved in every aspect of the game. Faster, stronger, harder to battle, better shot, stamina for days, more confidence. I got a lot of compliments on my game and my improved physique.

Throw in a little bit of whatever you feel is missing. You'll find you don't need too much. Throw in some pushups and calf raises here and there. I like doing some curls at the bottom of the goblet squat in the warm up. 3 curls per squat. Quite a few women noticed my shoulders and arms lol. My legs, butt (especially the butt) and back also improved substantially.

Also, I'd like to add that I'm just a couple years older than you. I don't care about body building like in my 20s. I want functional fitness. My goals are: don't be fat, be better on a rink and better in a bed. S&S provides this in a very compact way.
 
@the_journey He'll ya man. Thanks. Kind of what I was thinking. I've never been the body building type. I was the extreme sports sort if guy and I'd like to keep it that way. I like the idea of doing the full program and throwing in whatever is missing. That's a good idea. It seems like the most natural and simple thing to do. Good luck to ya on the rink brother!
 
@mr_loevinger If I were you, I would just add in the push-ups and chin-ups. You won’t break in half, I promise.

You could add sets of 5 with both exercises, 3 days a week, after you do S&S and work your way up from there with a progression for the calisthenics from elsewhere.
 
@dawn16 I like that idea. And i was thinking of doing that. My only reason for not doing that is in the S&S book theres a certain section that says something like "reasons people fail" and adding things on to the program such as push ups is one of those reasons. And he stresses to be patient with it. I super down with the simplicity and how there are only 2 exercises. I do feel like i could make it four though
 
@mr_loevinger Anecdotal, but I use S&S when I am in-season with my sport. I add 3x10 push-ups (usually banded) and 3x5 chin-ups on alternating days. It works wonderfully.
 
@mr_loevinger Adding a few exercises might make you reach s&s goals slower but it’s ok to have other primary goals and put the s&s goals in a second place.

Just don’t get yourself fatigued and do it smart; a few sets of dips/pull ups/push ups two or three times a week probably won’t hold you back, especially when done after the s&s workout.
 
@mr_loevinger Welcome to fitness! If you’re having fun with S&S, don’t overthink it. Just keep doing it until you get bored, then try something different. Experiment with different movements after your S&S sets to fill in the blanks and try new things. Clean + Press, front squat, push-ups, whatever.

The truth is that it doesn’t matter too much what you do. Just be consistent with diet and training over a period of years and you’ll get there. Try different things. Try barbell training, try cycling, try bouldering. Find fitness activities that are so fun you cant wait until the next session. You’re just getting started, no need to get into the weeds on finding the “perfect” program.
 
@jane3322 Super good advice. Your right. I'm super new. Luckily this kettlebell thing is keeping me up at night because I'm so excited to throw them around on the morning. Thanks for your reply!!
 
@mr_loevinger You can absolutely throw in some chins and pushups while doing S&S or any other program you run. Just make sure you're eating enough, sleeping enough, and drinking enough. Oh, and don't do 20 sets of 10 on your chins.

Kill it dude!
 
@mr_loevinger I don't like S&S as a standalone program. No chest or biceps, little to no back and triceps work.

In my opinion, the bread and butter of kettlebell training is clean, press and squat, preferably with doubles. Press can be substituted with push press or jerk.

If I were to add anything to that it'd be snatches, rows/pullups/chinups and bench press/dips/pushups. Swings are cool too, but I prefer them to either be heavy or very high volume.

Dry Fighting Weight is an excellent program that has served lots of people well. DFW Remix adds rows/pullups and swings on non-DFW days. You can easily add some pushups using the same scheme as rows/pullups.

All that being said, I'm okay with S&S if it's used on off-days, as a warmup, or on a different time of day. So, it could be DFW Monday/Wednesday/Friday and S&S the rest of the week; or DFW M/W/F in the evening, and S&S every morning.
 
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