Me too! My copy is on the way! He should make some sort of commission for that. Lol
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3/13/2026
AXE Training, Week 3. “Double Shot Espresso”
Warm up
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10:00 walk
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3 x 5 prying goblet squats
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3 x 5 KB halos
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3 x 5 bridges
Easy Strength
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Close grip BP: 3 x 5 x 195 lbs
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S/S with Bat wings: 3 x 8 x 35 lb DBs
AXE Training: Double shot espresso:
- 4 hand-to-hand swings every 0:30 for 16 rounds; 36 kg KB
- Rest 2 minutes
- 6 hand-to-hand swings every 0:30 for 12 rounds; 36 kg KB
Walk 20:00
Notes: A bit of an explanation. The idea is to include a “jolt” day every couple of weeks, and get yourself into the glycolytic phase (meaning: keep going even when you’re breathing heavy and tired). So, sets happen faster and without full recover. This is my first time trying this specific protocol that Pavel outlines in his AXE book, so it was a bit of a trial and error scenario. The prescription is to go until you begin to lose your form or explosiveness, but not stop just because you are out of breath. I felt like I could go on too long, but I also felt like the weight was a bit heavy and reps too low. Next time, I think I’ll drop the weight and up the reps and see how that goes.
@Hugo_Fillion @BethB : Wow, that’s really cool! Usually when I write my log I’m thinking “no one’s going to actually read this”, so it’s neat that it inspired you to check out S&S. As you can tell, my training approach is different than most on this site, and S&S really inspires my training philosophy. Let me know if you start running it, and I’m happy to follow along and try to answer any questions should you have them.
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I am considering it but probably not in the near future. My only question so far is how long does the warm up prescribed in the book + the swings and get up take in total approximately?
EDIT: I like simple and minimalistic training concept so I like seeing what can be achieve with it in places like your log. I did a run at easy strength a while back. I liked it.
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It’s a pretty quick session, given it’s supposed to be done near-daily. The entire thing takes about 30-35 minutes.
Warm takes ~10 min:
3 rounds of:
5 prying goblet squats
5/5 halos
5 bridges
The workout takes about 20-25 minutes. It’s not supposed to be rushed, but even still it’s pretty brief:
10 x 10 swings takes about 10-15 minutes.
10 get ups takes about 10 minutes
The only other component is are two stretches at night, which don’t take really any time at all and are easily done while watching TV or chilling.
Some notes: While other work can be added, do it separately from the S&S work. Don’t try to add things as a superset as part of those movements. That’s tough for me, coming from a CF background. But, I do agree with Pavel that doing so fundamentally changes the program. Come to think of that as “practice” and singularly focused. I’ve found that a minimal amount of a Easy Strength lift (like 2 x 5 of a movement like Bench press, rack pulls, OR weighted pull ups) works well. As does adding something like Fighter Pull up program, or just doing some calisthenics at some other point of the day. As with nearly everything, adding walking is a great idea. If possible and if time allows, a walk immediately after is fantastic.
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3/15/2026
AXE Training, Week 4. “Quick and the Dead”
Warm up
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10:00 walk
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3 x 5 prying goblet squats
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Band pass throughs
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Built from Broken daily mobility
Quick and Dead, KB training, 28 kg KB:
- 30 min, done as 5 rounds that last 6 minutes each:
- Each round:
- 1-handed KB swings: 10L/10R
- Band-resisted power pushups: 2 x 10
- The breaks are prescribed; briefly: Swings at 0:00 and 1:00; Push ups at 3:00 and 4:00, then start over.
Fighter pull up progression: 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 (done very strictly)
Notes: I’m at my parents’ place, and brought along a band and a 28 kg KB. They have a pull up bar. Worked out just fine. First time dong this Q&D workout, which is a program by Pavel. Bought the book and it’s great, but have been doing AXE training first. Thought this was a great chance to give it a try.
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My book arrived at my home yesterday, but I am currently out of town. So my husband read it and informed me that he thinks it will work really well for me. Lol. So I might be harassing you after I finish the kettlebell swing challenge in a few weeks. I’m actually pretty excited about the idea of really changing up my training.
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3/16/2026
AXE Training, Week 4. KB jerks.
Warm up
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Built from Broken mobility work
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10:00 walk
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3 x 5 prying goblet squats
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3 x 5 Banded shoulder dislocators
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3 x 5 bridges
AXE training. 20 rounds, go every 1:10:
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5 one-arm jerks; switch sides each round. 28 kg KB
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Total reps = 100 jerks.
Fighter pull ups progression
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10 - 8 - 6 - 4 -4 strict pull ups
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S/S Farmer’s carries, 28 kg KB
15:00 walk
Notes: Still on the road. Didn’t get a great night’s sleep, but still was up to this. The weight is actually a bit too light. I’ll get to 6 reps with this, and move up to 36 kg.
5 Likes
3/17/2026
Week 4, AXE. “Off day”
Morning routine:
Daily mobility work
10:00 walk
Daily weighted mobility work (halos, prying goblet squats, etc…)
30:00 walk
Notes: I had planned on getting in a KB workout today, but was traveling all day yesterday and haven’t slept well a couple nights in a row. This actually lines up to be as good a rest day as any, so I’m taking it. Will focus on steps and getting some good sleep tonight.
@BethB : Glad you got the hard copy of the book! It’s definitely one of those that’s great to leaf through and go back to, so a Kindle version is not quite the same. Reach out if any questions come up. Despite both being KB programs, S&S and the 10K swing challenge are on opposite ends of the spectrum. In S&S, every swing is hard and the sets are no more than 10. You can’t go again until you are fully recovered and ready to swing with the same intensity. As you are finding out, the 10K swing challenge is an endurance slog. Both have their places and have different goals, of course. Good luck!
4 Likes
3/18/2026
AXE Training, Week 4. Hand to hand swings.
Warm up
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Built from Broken mobility work
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3 x 5 prying goblet squats + KB curls
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3 x 5 KB halos
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3 x 5 bridges
AXE training. 30 min EMOM:
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4 hand-to-hand swings; 36 kg KB
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Total reps = 120 swings.
Easy Strength
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Close Grip BP: 3 x 5 x 195 lbs
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S/S with 3 x 6 DB bat wings; 35 lb DBs
Notes: These swings are really tough on the hands. I also find the hand-2-hand somewhat difficult because of the switch, which requires some concentration which (IMO) takes away from the explosive effort. I am going to try 2-handed swings and find the balance in terms of weight and reps to elicit the effort that AXE training requires.
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3/19/2026
AXE Training, Week 4. “off day” - doing a short Iron Cardio.
Warm up
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Built from Broken mobility work
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10:00 walk
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KB get ups: 5 x 1/1; top weight was 28 kg KB on each side
Iron Cardio, 15:00
- 1 clean, 1 press, 1 squat, 2 strict ring pull ups, single 28 kg KB, alternating sides
- Total = 20 rounds
25:00 walk
Notes: I was excited to try this. It’s quite popular in the KB community, though the movements are not anything unique. It’s another A+A approach (aerobic + anti-glycolitic) and the approach is NOT to treat it like a MetCon, but instead do a hard, crisp complex, then rest until you are fully recovered and ready to repeat at the same level. It’s a program by Brent Jones, and can be a stand-alone or, like I’m doing, a compliment to another program.
There are plenty of variations in the book, but the one I did is the basic, original one (although I added pull ups, which are allowed but not necessarily part of the basic approach). You can go for time, a certain number of reps, and should wave the intensity and length. But in all cases, you absolutely cannot turn it into a MetCon where you are out of breath and chasing rep numbers. I like that the mentality aligns with the approach I’m already doing, which makes sense because Brent Jones is from Pavel’s sphere of KB training.
5 Likes
3/20/2026
AXE Training, Week 4. KB jerks.
Warm up
-
Built from Broken mobility work
-
10:00 walk
-
3 x 5 prying goblet squats
-
3 x 5 halos
-
3 x 5 bridges
AXE training. 30 rounds, go every 1:10:
-
5 one-arm jerks; switch sides each round. 28 kg KB
-
Total reps = 150 jerks.
Easy Strength, Weighted Pull Ups
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5 x 5 x BW+25 lbs
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S/S with 7 x 5 power push ups
Notes: This wraps up four weeks of AXE training. I’m going to keep with it, but make some adjustments. I’m moving to snatches and 1-arm swings. I travel this Sunday - Tuesday, so I’ll get back on my usual schedule at the end of next week. The plan (for the next ~4 weeks) is:
AXE training: 2x a week
Iron Cardio: 2x a week
Run/MTB/Hyrox: 1 - 2x a week
3 Likes
3/21/2026
8:30 am, Hyrox
Part 1: 1:00 on/0:30 off x 4:
a) Max reps Wall Ball
b) Max cals ski erg
c) Max distance walking sandbag lunges
d) Max cals rower
Part 2: 2:00 on/1:00 off x 4
a) 250m run + max wall ball throws
b) 250m run + Max cals ski erg
c) 250m run + Max distance walking sandbag lunges
d) 250m run + Max cals rower
Part 3: 3:00 on/1:30 off x 4
a) 10 burpees + 250m run + max wall ball throws
b) 10 burpees + 250m run + Max cals ski erg
c) 10 burpees + 250m run + Max distance walking sandbag lunges
d) 10 burpees + 250m run + Max cals rower
Notes: Pretty good set up on this one. I like the variety of movements and the overall conditioning hit. Did it fasted (I’ve been training fasted in the mornings, after reading Pavel’s thoughts on his training approach), and I had no trouble keeping up a good clip.
3 Likes