StrongFirst

The school of strength, led by Pavel Tsatsouline. Barbell, Kettlebell, Bodyweight. StrongFirst.

[StrongFirst @BeStrongFirst]

New National Deadlift Record. No Belt. StrongFirst Programming.

At the Meet of the Americas 2026 in Mexico City, Carlos del Real broke the Mexican National Deadlift Record in the Men's Open 82.5kg Tested category.

The international competition brought together more than 100 athletes from six countries: the USA, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Argentina. The event was organized by the Mexican Powerlifting League (LMP), affiliated with the International Powerlifting League (IPL).

The previous record stood at 255kg. Carlos pulled 257.5kg - smoothly and without a lifting belt.

Behind this achievement were more than two years of systematic strength training under Charlie Guendulain, StrongFirst Certified Team Leader. And the programming? Built on StrongFirst principles. Charlie started coaching Carlos in March 2024, using a progression of training methods:

— Linear programming to establish a solid foundation and progressively build strength.
— Step Cycling to refine technique and overcome plateaus.
— Built Strong to address weak links.
— Plan Strong™ for the final preparation leading to the record-breaking lift.

The final training phase included two months of preparation and one month of competition-focused programming using Plan Strong™.

But heavy deadlifts were only part of the equation.
Kettlebell swings and snatches remained part of Carlos's training throughout the entire process.
Starting with 20kg and 32kg kettlebells, he gradually progressed to 40, 44, 48, and even 56kg, developing tremendous grip and trunk strength.

Dragon flags, planks, Zercher squats, and kettlebell front squats also played an important role in building the strength needed to support his deadlift.
One principle guided the entire process: never increase the weight at the expense of technique.

Charlie's biggest takeaway? - "Work your midsection."
Strong trunk strength, intelligent programming, technical precision, and consistent practice. No shortcuts. No unnecessary rush.

Congratulations to Carlos del Real on his outstanding achievement, and to Charlie Guendulain for the coaching and programming behind it.

➡️ Want to learn how to apply StrongFirst programming principles to your own strength training?
Explore Plan Strong™ and Built Strong and discover how to build strength with a systematic approach.

Click here for more information: https://t.co/QeaVzXiqxm

Strength has a greater purpose!

[StrongFirst @BeStrongFirst]

The Hanging Leg Raise is more than an ab exercise. Done to the StrongFirst standard, it is a powerful exercise for building abdominal and lat strength and one of the best assistance exercises for your pullup.

But more importantly, it is a lesson in the skill of strength.
The standard is simple. Meeting it is not.
From a dead hang on a high bar:
— Arms remain straight at all times.
— Eyes stay forward; the head does not tilt back.
— Raise the legs under control, without momentum.
— Keep the legs straight or nearly straight.
— Bring the shins or feet all the way to the bar.
No swinging. No kicking.

StrongFirst strength training is not only about kettlebells or barbells. It is about mastering the universal principles that make you stronger and learning how to apply them to any strength skill, including bodyweight exercises.

That is exactly what we teach at the SFB StrongFirst Bodyweight Instructor Certification. You will not simply leave with a catalog of bodyweight exercises. You will learn how to look at a strength feat, reverse-engineer it, understand what it demands, and know how to train for it.

Learn the principles, master the skills and build strength anywhere. Join the SFB StrongFirst Bodyweight Instructor Certification. For more information, click the link: https://t.co/JAvNP46qHW

#strongfirst #bestrongfirst

Photo: StrongFirst Czechia

[StrongFirst @BeStrongFirst]

Want more power, a stronger trunk, and a grip that won’t quit? Swing heavy with one arm.

A heavy one-arm kettlebell swing is much more than a heavier version of the two-arm swing.

1. Build serious hip power. A heavy bell demands an explosive hip drive. Your glutes, hamstrings, and entire posterior chain have to produce force - fast.

2. Challenge your anti-rotation strength. With the load on one side, your body has to resist being pulled, twisted, and shifted out of position. Your trunk works hard to keep you square and stable.

3. Build a stronger grip and connection. A heavy one-arm swing challenges your grip while teaching you to connect the working arm to the rest of the body through a packed shoulder and strong torso.
But remember: heavy only works when your technique can handle it.

Own the swing. Respect the weight. Then earn the right to go heavier.

>>> Want to improve your one-arm swing? In today’s StrongFirst newsletter, you’ll find a simple training tip to help you improve your technique. Make sure you check it out.
And if you’re not subscribed to the StrongFirst newsletter yet, sign up now so you don’t miss more practical training tips, valuable information, and proven methods to help you get stronger.

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#strongfirst #bestrongfirst

Photo: StrongFirst Italy

[StrongFirst @BeStrongFirst]

25 years ago, the first kettlebell cert developed by Pavel Tsatsouline did a lot more than put the kettlebell on the world map. It shook up the complacent trainer education industry. Instead of spewing sciency trivia useless in the trenches and coddling the students with multiple choice questions, this disruptive school taught lifting skills with military precision—and rigorously tested them. Unheard of until then, the candidates had to test their spirit in grueling workouts, pass strength tests, and demonstrate their teaching ability. While at it, they bonded through a shared challenge and often became friends for life.

Since then, while others were attempting to catch up and imitate what Pavel and his team had done, we kept advancing. Polishing the chrome of our lifting and teaching skills. Perfecting our programming with the best of Eastern European and Western sports science. Doubling down on our commitment to George Hackenschmidt’s maxim: “Strength cannot be divorced from health.”

Are you ready to take on our legendary kettlebell instructor certification? Start your journey here: https://t.co/Y8ciC9GUmA

Power to you!

#strongfirst #bestrongfirst #hardstylekettlebell #pavel

[StrongFirst @BeStrongFirst]

[ARTICLE] Right Where We Need to Be: How Three Kettlebells and a Bedroom Corner Created a State Champion Wrestler

The physical preparation for wrestling can be complicated by factors like too many tools in a weight room, too little time, and a low level of understanding of program design for performance–especially in such a physically nuanced sport.

Many get lost (myself as well), but when the weight room closes, getting a ride to the gym is not an option, and freezing weather makes outdoor sessions an impossibility, the end is actually the beginning: three kettlebells and a corner of a bedroom are the only tools needed. The result of this past year? A three-times-failed underdog turned state champion wrestler—in arguably the toughest state to achieve such a herculean feat in the entire country—in large part to those three kettlebells, minimal space, and a few essential StrongFirst principles.

➡️ Read the full article by Alcides Aleman,
StrongFirst Certified SFG I and SFB Instructor:
https://t.co/1gcWtQKeEu

#strongfirst #bestrongfirst

[StrongFirst @BeStrongFirst]

Be StrongFirst.

https://t.co/f0U4Wul5g5

#strongfirst #bestrongfirst #hardstylekettlebell #kettlebell

[StrongFirst @BeStrongFirst]

The swing, the get-up, and the goblet squat are the three most beneficial exercises anyone could do—period. Some might need to add other moves, but they must be planted on the foundation of these three whales.

The swing fills the hips with power and the back with vigor. The get-up makes the shoulders resilient and the abs bulletproof. The goblet squat unlocks the hips and puts a spring into one’s step. Muscles appear in all the right places while the fat beats a retreat.

When done correctly, these exercises are exceptionally safe. They are beyond safe—they are “antifragile,” to borrow a word from Nassim Taleb. The Program Minimum plus goblet squats is true health training. I can run out of fingers on both hands listing the various health benefits of swings alone.

“Customization” is just a euphemism for “differentiation” in the business world. The only “customization” you need is the size of the bell.

You are the nail; I rend you the hammer.

– Pavel

The “hammer”— Kettlebell Simple & Sinister® - the World’s #1 kettlebell program for beginners and beyond >>> https://t.co/B7aphBIU8c

🟠 Special Offer: 25% off until Thursday, September 17

#strongfirst #bestrongfirst #kettlebell

[StrongFirst @BeStrongFirst]

Why practice the Hand-to-Hand Swing?

The H2H swing looks simple: release the kettlebell with one hand and catch it with the other. But the switch tells the truth about your swing.

If the bell travels too low, too late, or off to one side, your receiving hand has to chase it. When the hips launch the kettlebell cleanly, it arrives at the same place every time and the exchange becomes almost effortless.

A good switch doesn’t start with fast hands. It starts with a powerful hip drive and a predictable float. At the top, let the hands meet and make a smooth exchange.

Don’t toss the bell sideways, lift it with your arm, or reach after it. The kettlebell should stay on the same path as if no switch had happened.

Start with a moderate weight and practice just a few clean switches at a time. Don’t focus on catching faster. Make the bell easier to catch by improving its trajectory.

Want to master the Swing and Get-Up? Take the Simple & Sinister® Online Course.
💥 Last call: 25% OFF through September 17 only.
For more information, click here: https://t.co/ILN1O07XCf

Take the power!

#strongfirst #bestrongfirst #simpleandsinister

Photo: StrongFirst France

[StrongFirst @BeStrongFirst]

#september11 #neverforget #bestrong #bestrongfirst

[StrongFirst @BeStrongFirst]

[ARTICLE] Though I don’t remember the exact date, late March or early April of this year marked the 18th anniversary of the first time I shook handles with a kettlebell.

Having struggled with navigating the wide and confusing world of fitness as a teenager and early twenty-something, my first tango with the bell wasn’t merely a revelation, but a breath of freshly gasped air.

You mean I *didn’t* need to cobble together bits and pieces of workouts from Men’s Health and various and sundry bodybuilding magazines to effectively train every nook, cranny, crevice, and corner of my Soft Machine (author William S. Burroughs’s pithy nickname for the human body)? And I could actually get strong, powerful, and conditioned instead of just generically fit?

I was in!

Even better was that I didn’t need to make a costly investment in a huge collection of weights with incremental weight increases; one single kettlebell could do it all.

➡️ Read the full article by By Aleks Salkin,
StrongFirst Certified Elite Instructor:
https://t.co/XvIvc9mztV

#strongfirst #bestrongfirst

[StrongFirst @BeStrongFirst]

Are you ready to become a StrongFirst Instructor?
SFG is StrongFirst’s flagship kettlebell certification - built on 20 years of experience, continuous refinement, and uncompromising standards.

Master the six foundational kettlebell skills. Learn powerful programming. Develop the ability to teach students at every level. And join a worldwide community of StrongFirst instructors.

This is not just another certification. It’s where you earn the right to call yourself a StrongFirst Instructor.
Find an SFG Certification near you and start preparing today.

More information: https://t.co/6VX4srPwWx

Power to you!

Video: StrongFirst France

[StrongFirst @BeStrongFirst]

[ARTICLE + PROGRAM] No one program does it all—but this one comes close.

This program is an intermediate program that requires the trainee to have mastered the following double kettlebell movements and be able to perform them competently in one continuous complex: swing, clean, squat, and press. In addition to mastery of those movements, the trainee must have the conditioning or work capacity to be able to perform a complex of those movements every minute on the minute (OTM) for thirty minutes with two kettlebells that are 16kg or heavier. This is heavy enough to allow him or her to regress one to two kettlebell sizes for programming heavy, medium, and light days.

➡️ Read the full article by Andy Feltovich,
StrongFirst Certified Elite Instructor:

https://t.co/BqyUx3dpcK

[StrongFirst @BeStrongFirst]

[ARTICLE] The 2–3–5 Strength Formula

“If all you did was clean and press, you could be awesome… Clean and press really is a one-stop shop to awesomeness.” You already know that from Part I of the article—if you missed it, make sure to read it.

How do you improve your press? Sig Klein gives away the secrets:

There are three more very important factors in improving this lift. They are:

Practice.
Practice.
More Practice.

➡️ Read the full article by StrongFirst Certified Master Instructor Pavel Macek:

https://t.co/IJtDZAg03C

[StrongFirst @BeStrongFirst]

Almost everyone has lifted dumbbells. Very few have learned the art of dumbbell lifting. - explains StrongFirst Certified Master Instructor Pavel Macek.

Stop treating dumbbells like bodybuilding accessories. Don’t kettlebell a dumbbell. Learn the time-tested methods that have made dumbbells one of the greatest strength tools ever devised.

🟠 Reminder >>> online course: Enter the Dumbbell!
Limited-time offer: 25% OFF through August 8. Get yours here: 
https://t.co/ZGCVkEtIZn 

Learn timeless strength principles and apply them to dumbbells - simple and effective.

[StrongFirst @BeStrongFirst]

Don’t miss this — online course: Enter the Dumbbell!
Learn timeless strength principles and apply them to dumbbells— simple and effective.

Limited-time offer: 25% OFF through August 8. Click here: https://t.co/mXxx1Sjtfo

One mind, any weapon. Learn the principles, lift the bells, and get stronger—period.

[StrongFirst @BeStrongFirst]

In strength training, the get-up is a legendary lift—a complex sequence of fundamental movement patterns and the ultimate “midsection exercise.” But it is also a diagnostic and developmental tool that exposes deficits in mobility, stability, strength, and coordination across the entire kinetic chain.

When loaded heavily, the get-up becomes a strategic interaction with gravity. The athlete must continuously wedge herself between the load and the ground, anticipate transitions, and maintain optimal joint alignment to access force efficiently. Any loss of position is immediately punished by increased energy cost or loss of control.

➡️ Read the full article by StrongFirst Certified Master Instructor Andżelika Stefańska-Kowalik:

https://t.co/KoGBF27ck9

[StrongFirst @BeStrongFirst]

[ARTICLE] The Kettlebell Mile is the product of a two-decade long search for a way to simultaneously train strength and aerobic capacity. It seems so obvious now, but the best ideas are seen as such only in retrospect. I had much learning and tinkering to do first but finally, the science and my experience (and that of others) converged around this simple idea. What follows is a brief description of that process.

➡️ Read the full article by Mike Prevost:
https://t.co/aYxTyI6UvZ

[StrongFirst @BeStrongFirst]

“Strength is a decidedly individual pursuit. You may have a coach and training partners, but when it comes down to it, it is between you and the iron. Do not be afraid to be alone with the iron.” — Pavel

[StrongFirst @BeStrongFirst]

Wishing America a strong birthday!
[ARTICLE] The American founding was, at its core, an act of extraordinary strength. Not just the physical fortitude of the soldiers at Valley Forge, who drilled barefoot in the snow. Not just their strength of will, which enabled them to defeat a professional army. Something deeper…

➡️ Read the full article by By Eric Frohardt, Former StrongFirst CEO and SFG I
https://t.co/Afc3EboAQG

[StrongFirst @BeStrongFirst]

[ARTICLE] National birthdays, centennials, and holidays are opportunities for quiet, thoughtful, and serious reflection. For those of you interested in the many complex domestic and international forces that shaped US Army physical culture over the last 250 years, this is a brief glimpse through the looking glass at a relevant story few have heard.

➡️ Read the full article by By Ed Thomas
Ed.D.:
https://t.co/r9GCAudRMn