How to run the Kettlebell Simple & Sinister program

Who Is This Program For?

Simple & Sinister is for anyone who wants a strength and conditioning base with minimal equipment and minimal decisions. One kettlebell, two exercises, the same practice every day. It works as a standalone program or as general physical preparation alongside a sport or another lift.

The program focuses on:

• Minimalism: two exercises, one bell per exercise, no variations to manage
• Near-daily practice: short sessions repeated day in, day out
• Power and mobility: explosive hip hinge from the swing, total-body control from the get-up
• Clear standards: named, timed benchmarks (Simple, then Sinister) that tell you exactly where you stand

If you want a practice you can sustain for years rather than a workout you survive for weeks, this is it.

Program Structure

The Daily Practice

Every session is identical:

The Swings: 10×10

100 one-arm swings, performed as 10 sets of 10 reps, switching hands from set to set (5 sets per arm). Every rep should be a crisp, explosive hip hinge with the bell floating to chest level. Park the bell between sets. If your one-arm swing is not ready yet, start with two-hand swings and switch to one-arm as soon as quality allows, since the standards are set with one-arm swings.

The Get-ups: 10×1

10 get-ups performed as single reps, alternating sides, 5 per side. Each rep is slow and deliberate: roll to the elbow, to the hand, to the knee, stand up, then reverse every step back down. Treat each get-up as its own set with rest before the next.

Weekly Schedule

Practice near daily. The book's default is daily training, and 5-6 sessions per week is a sensible floor. If you are fatigued or stressed on a given day, keep the session but reduce the weight on one or both exercises. Once you reach the Timeless Simple standard, frequency can drop to 3-4 sessions per week as the bells get heavier.

Progression: Timeless First, Then Timed

Simple & Sinister progresses in two dimensions: heavier bells, then the clock.

Step 1: Own the Bell (Timeless)

Work without any time pressure. Rest between sets using the talk test: start your next set only when your breathing is calm enough to speak normally. The goal is to "own" the bell, meaning you can complete 10×10 swings and 10 get-ups with perfect technique and full power on almost any day.

Step 2: Bell Up (Step Loading)

When you own a bell, introduce the next one gradually:

The same pattern applies to get-ups, one or two reps at a time. Standard jumps are 8 kg (18 lbs) for men and 4 kg (9 lbs) for women. If you can get in-between bells, you can halve the jumps to 4 kg and 2 kg respectively for a smoother climb.

Step 3: The Timed Standards

Only after the target weight is owned timeless do you attempt the timed test:

• Swings: 10 one-arm swings every 30 seconds, for 100 swings in 5 minutes
• Rest: 1 minute
• Get-ups: 1 get-up every minute on the minute, for 10 get-ups in 10 minutes

The Standards

Simple is the goal of the program. Pavel is explicit that Sinister is not the goal but a challenge for the few who want to chase it.

Get Your Form Right First

Everything below assumes your form is already solid. Finding your working weight, adding weight, chasing reps, all of it only works if you can perform the lift correctly. While your form is not locked in, that is your only job. Make good form the goal of every set, not the weight on the bar. Drilling the movement with an empty bar beats loading plates onto a lift you cannot control yet.

To learn, don't hesitate to search Google and YouTube (there is a lot of good free material) and record yourself from the side to compare against a proper demonstration. In general, good form means a full controlled range of motion, a braced neutral spine, no bouncing or momentum, a consistent setup every rep, and ending the set when technique breaks down rather than grinding sloppy reps.

Finding Your Starting Bell Sizes

Pick your starting bells by strength level, then let the program do the rest:

Start light, but do not stay too light for long. Pavel's guidance is to move to medium bells quickly, because a bell that is too light does not give you enough feedback to learn the movements properly. The get-up bell is typically one size below the swing bell while learning.

Warming Up

The warmup is built into the program: 3 circuits of the following, before every session:

1. Prying goblet squat ×5: hold the bell by the horns, sit into a deep squat, wedge your elbows inside your knees and pry your hips open
2. Hip bridge ×5: lie on your back, knees bent, drive your hips as high as possible and hold for 3 seconds
3. Halo ×5 per direction: hold the bell upside down by the horns and circle it slowly around your head, both directions

After a few months of practice you may trim the halos and bridges, but keep the prying goblet squats. Finish sessions with easy stretching, such as the 90/90 stretch and the QL straddle.

Rest Times

Never rush the timeless practice. Power on every rep matters more than session speed. The clock only enters the picture when you attempt a timed standard.

When You Stall

• Bad day: if you are fatigued, stressed, or under-slept, drop the weight for that session and keep practicing. Showing up matters more than the load.
• Stuck introducing a new bell: slow the step loading down. Hold your current mix of sets for a few more weeks before moving more sets to the heavy bell.
• True plateau: back off a bell size or two and build back up. The rebuilt sets come back stronger.
• Jumps too big: use in-between bell sizes (4 kg jumps for men, 2 kg for women) to smooth the climb.

Program Duration

Simple & Sinister is open-ended. There is no fixed number of weeks; you practice until you own each bell, and the standards define your milestones. Expect the road to Timeless Simple to be measured in months of near-daily practice, with the timed Simple standard following after that. Sinister is a long-term challenge measured in years, not a requirement.

Access the Original Program

If you would like to read the original book:

Kettlebell Simple & Sinister (Revised and Updated) on StrongFirst