kettlebell towel

*This is a guest post by Travis Stoetzel from www.travisstoetzel.com and www.theforgedathlete.com. Travis uses hardcore aggressive methods to build lean muscular physiques in his Omaha, NE gym called The Forged Athlete Gym. His training principles are in line with mine so I thought it would be cool to get this beast of a man to write a guest post for JKC. Thanks for taking the time to write this wicked post Trav – I’m sure my readers will enjoy it.*

I often get asked how to design and program workouts that blend together the uses of sandbags, kettlebells, and bodyweight in with one another.

What often times happens with people when they try to blend these three methods of training together themselves is that they usually end up with some sort of random mixed up circuit that’s simply been thrown together without any rhyme or reason.

That’s totally OK if you’re someone that just wants to train for fun and hobby, but if you’re someone who is after some serious and consistent results, like getting some major increases in strength, power, and conditioning, then I’m about to give you one of my methods I created that has effectively been used to do just that!

I like to call the set up I’m about to go over with you, Triple Threat Tri-sets and I use this set up often, especially when I’m training with kettlebells, sandbags, and bodyweight.

The way I design these workouts is by first, selecting a movement for strength, then power, then another movement for conditioning / volume. It’s critical you do this first in order to have some sort of design because if you don’t have a strategic plan, you’re just winging it and that will not help get you consistent gains over time.

So, here’s how we design a Triple Threat Tri-set…

First, I’ll select which implement of training I’m going to use, which will either be a sandbag, kettlebell, or bodyweight movement. It doesn’t matter which one I choose, but whichever one I do happen to choose, it will then be unavailable for use with the other two movements.

For example, if I choose a heavy sandbag zercher squat for my first strength movement, my next two movements within the tri-set must be a bodyweight and kettlebell movement. You must use all three of the implements in these tri-sets. This is exactly what makes the tri-set so powerful and unique as each movement will come from a different form of training via bodyweight, kettlebell, or sandbag.

Now, for the strength movement, I’ll want to make sure and keep the reps relatively low, like around 2-6, and also make sure to either A) have this movement be fairly heavy or B) very challenging in that it will help target strength more then anything else.

The second movement will focus on POWER. The reps for this movement will stay between 4-10 and remember, the goal for this movement is to target SPEED and EXPLOSIVENESS.

The third and final movement will focus on conditioning – make sure to get in a higher amount of reps and volume. For this movement, you can count reps (15 or more), or choose to do it for a set amount of time like 30-60 secs.

So, now that we know the layout of what our Triple Threat Tri-sets will look like, below I have laid out 3 different sample tri-sets using a different implement in each slot.
 

Tri-set 1

 
A1) HEAVY Sandbag Zercher Squat x 5 (strength focus)
A2) Double Kettlebell Push Press x 5 (explosive focus)
A3) Recline Row on Jungle Gym XT x 45 secs (conditioning focus)
***rest 2 mins and repeat x 5 rounds
 

Tri-set 2

 
A1) Double KB Pistol Squat x 3-5 / leg (strength focus)
A2) Plyo Push Ups x 4-10 (explosive focus)
A3) Sandbag Power Clean x 15 touch and go reps (conditioning focus)
***rest 2 mins and repeat x 5 rounds
 

Tri-set 3

 
A1) Ring Handstand Push Ups x 6 (strength focus)
A2) Sandbag Shouldering x 3-5/ shoulder (explosive focus)
A3) Kettlebell Swing x 20 (conditioning focus)
***rest x 2 mins and repeat x 5 rounds

You could use the layout I have above for a 3-week cycle – I guarantee you’ll see some killer results!

You could easily use the layout above for a Monday, Wednesday and Friday setup. For example, perform tri-set 1 on Monday, tri-set 2 on Wednesday and try-set 3 on Friday. Or, you can take a tri-set to the end of your regular workout to ramp up your calorie burn during and after your workout, thanks to the EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) phenomenon.

Bottom Line – If you want to blend these 3 different types of powerful strength training methods in together with one another, using Triple Threat Tri-sets is one of the best ways to go!

Hopefully now you have some direction and some fresh ideas on how to take your training to the next level!

-Travis

If you’re interested in this form of training, Travis has a great workout ebook called Bags, Bells and Bodyweight.

bags, bells, bodyweight cover

You can check out more of the ebook HERE.

Travis S 1About Travis:

Travis is a highly unconventional strength and conditioning specialist that focuses in on serious athletes and trainees to help them improve their overall performance and physique.

He specializes in training athletes specifically in aggressive sports such as wrestling, MMA, football as well military personnel. Travis uses rugged and unconventional types of training methods that include strongman, kettlebell, ropes, chains, bodyweight, Crossfit, Olympic lifting, sandbags, sleds, and tires to achieve effective results.

He owns a small hardcore gym in Omaha NE, called The Forged Athlete where he helps athletes and serious trainees alike accomplish their performance and physique enhancement goals.

For more information on Travis, go to his personal blog www.travisstoetzel.com and look into all of the other articles, posts, and videos available.

I’m 35 and I started at JKC in November of 2019. I was coming off the win of the Royal St. John’s Regatta in 2019, and our crew was chomping at the bit to be stronger and faster for 2020. The reputation of JKC leached into our group and away we went! Unfortunately the regatta was cancelled due to COVID-19, but I just loved JKC so much I stuck around. JKC is different from other gyms because the level of experience the team has is unparalleled. Jon, Thomas and Craig all mesh well together and mentor me in a way that I know they love what they do and are genuinely excited to guide me towards my goals (and beyond). I really enjoy the atmosphere, the sense of community and all the positive vibes that I experience in every session. There’s never a time I don’t want to go because I’m motivated by the team’s coaching style and I get results.

The people and the training set JKC apart from other gyms or programs I’ve tried in the past. Truly Jon and Thomas meet you where are and help you get to where you want to be. There are no expectations and never any judgement. You can go there having the worst day and you always leave feeling better. Truly JKC has given me a level of strength and confidence I would not have had otherwise ❤️.

I was referred to JKC by my sister-in-law and had heard good things about it from many people in the running community. I also saw Jon’s picture on the wall at lululemon years ago! I really like the personalized training and the variety the guys provide. I started for strength training for running. I love cardio and do tons of it but wasn’t motivated to do much strength work on my own. Jon mixes up my strength work week to week so I don’t get bored but also lets me work in a hard circuit for the last 20 minutes of most sessions to get my cardio fix 

I saw an article in Men’s Journal that quoted Jon in about 2018 while traveling and was impressed that someone in St. John’s made that international magazine.  Jon spoke about an exercise called the Farmer’s Walk and I started working that into my routine at the YMCA. I tore that article out of the magazine and kept it, meaning to make contact, but got busy. Then I had lunch with an old friend Bruce Dyke. I hadn’t seen Bruce for a while and I remarked that he looked super healthy and fit. He told me about his, and his son Cas’, experience at JKC and then I remembered the Men’s Journal article! No coincidences!

The experience is unique on many levels – great people, camaraderie, passion, purpose, and dedication. Jon and Thomas are attentive, precise and understanding.  Their teaching has unlocked a new perspective for me with what our bodies are capable of. I still appreciate the YMCA, wonderful place, but I can’t imagine working out without Jon and Thomas now.

I started training at JKC in 2016 because I’ve always had upper back issues that became aggravated through work. I sought out other training and physio, but experienced little to no results. A client of mine happened to be coming to JKC for a similar issue and highly recommended it. I have had great success and haven’t looked back! I always feel like I’m getting programs tailored to my needs and I’m never bored. I’m 30 weeks pregnant now with my second child and have been able to workout through both pregnancies here at JKC. Even on my least mobile days, I felt safe to workout because my programs were specifically modified for my needs.

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