Here’s my review of the program:
I just finished (November 11) the KB ABF program as laid out Dan John’s ABF book. I took before and after pictures, and will discuss my results, approach, and impressions.
The ABF program approach:
I ran the program as written (get both books; they’re cheap and give all the details), including progressions and the number of training days per week. I did add push ups to the ABC days and pull ups to the clean/press days. A typical ABF training day would be:
Warm up:
Original Strength for 10:00
Walking for 10:00
15 KB goblet squats
75 KB swings (variety of weights and types)
ABF training work.
ABC days: I always did these as an EMOM, with push ups immediately after the ABC. I would usually do 5 push ups after each ABC. I followed the ABC progression numbers as outlined in the book.
A typical ABC day might be:
20:00 EMOM of:
1 ABC w/22kg KBs + 5 push ups
Clean/press days: I usually did these as 2-3-5 with matching with strict ring pull ups. I would take about 2:30 for each round. I would sometimes add on a set of 10 with lighter bells.
A typical day might be:
6 rounds of:
2—3-5 clean and presses, matched with ring pull ups.
After the prescribed ABF work on my training days:
Ab wheel: 2 x 10
Farmer’s carry: there a back
20:00 walk
On non-ABF days, I would always still do the Original Strength work and walk during the same time I would have trained (7 am). I averaged 13K+ steps per day over the 8 weeks.
Testing Days (weeks 7 and 8)
I completed the 30 ABC’s on week 7 with 24 kg KBs and 100 push ups (done as sets of 5 sprinkled throughout) in 30 min.
I completed the 100 clean/presses on week 8 with 24 kg KBs and 100 pull ups in 27 minutes.
Note that I trained with 22 kg KBs, and tested with 24’s.
Other activities: I pretty much just rested on my off days, doing no more than walking and Original Strength mobility work. On Saturdays, I would do a “fun” day at my gym of sled work, farmer’s carries, sand bag lunges, and rowing. This was with a group with friends, and we’d always hit the coffee spot after. No additional barbell or strength training was added.
Nutrition:
I didn’t really change much, but usually did intermittent fasting on my non-training days. My supplements were whey protein and creatine, which I had already been taking. On training days, I would do ABF work in the mornings before work and eat immediately after. Before workouts, I’d have coffee and a couple spoonfuls of honey. On non-ABF days, I’d walk, do Original Strength, and fast until noon.
Results and impressions:
I have a pretty long and consistent training background. Recently, I’d been into Crossfit but have done everything from 531, calisthenics, and a variety of sports and training programs. I’ve been training pretty consistently most of my life. I came into this at 173.6 lbs the morning I started (I’m 5’9” and 52 years old). I ended at about 2 pounds lighter, but weight loss was not a main priority.
Despite being pretty fit, I wanted to lean up and do a more focused training program with kettlebells. I had done Simple and Sinister about 5 years ago, and really like Pavel and Dan John’s approaches. Even though this was just 8 weeks long, I saw pretty good results. I am visually leaner (I think, at least) and got stronger with the bells. I felt good the entire time instead of feeling beat down, and I also felt more relaxed in general.
I really appreciate Dan John’s training approach and coaching. It’s easy to write it off as being “too easy” when you compare it to something like Crossfit or long, near-daily training programs, but the results and well-being speak for themselves. To see improvements while simultaneously training less days, and while not crushing myself is tremendous.
