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Shield and Sword Program V2

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344 views8 pages

Shield and Sword Program V2

Uploaded by

Pat
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Shield and Sword

Combining Bodybuilding and Kettlebell Training


Shield & Sword V2
Introduction:
The purpose of this program is to combine bodybuilding hypertrophy training
with kettlebell conditioning to produce a balanced program that supports
development of muscle mass (that is the shield part) and workhorse
conditioning (that is the sword part). These two methods complement each
other, and will develop a physique that is both imposing and functional. There
are many bodybuilders who can barely move and kettlebell practitioners who
look like they barely train. This program gives you the best of both approaches
while avoiding the shortcomings inherent in either method.

Weekly Breakdown:

Day Workout
Monday Upper Bodybuilding 1
Circuit Workout:
Tuesday Hinge, Upper, Lower
Wednesday Body Weight Bodybuilding
Circuit Workout:
Thursday Hinge, Upper, Lower
Friday Upper Bodybuilding 2
Circuit Workout:
Saturday Hinge, Upper, Hinge, Lower
Circuit Workout:
Sunday Hinge, Lower, Upper, Hinge
General Guidelines:
Bodybuilding Days
Intention:
Muscle building is the focus on this day. Intensity and focus should
be high. Rest long enough to complete sets with maximal effort and
avoid being limited by conditioning.
Progressing Your Lifts:
Track your reps. Once you can achieve 50 reps total across the 5 sets on
the main movements (the first super set), add weight. Also track the
weight you are using on the accessory super sets and add weight when
you can achieve 60 reps across 4 sets.
Advanced Strategy:
One advanced strategy I use for the main lifts is to make sure I always
achieve 50 total reps, even if I need more than 5 sets. For example, if I
completed 45 total reps after 5 sets, I would complete as many
additional sets as needed to get to 50 total reps. The goal is then to
reduce the number of sets it takes to achieve 50 reps. Once you can
complete 50 reps across 5 sets, increase the weight in the next session.
General Guidelines:
Circuit Days:
Intention:
Increase conditioning, burn calories, improve technique.
Progressing your lifts:
On these days, calorie burn and low rest is more important than weight
used on the movements. I wear a Whoop band to track my workouts
and strive to burn over 600 calories per session. I suggest using some
type of device to monitor these workouts. The movement rotation of
the circuit allows you to work on your form and be very intentional
with each movement while also pushing your conditioning to new
levels. Use a weight that is challenging, but you should always have reps
in the tank. Even in the last few rounds, you should not be approaching
failure. This will help you focus on building technique along with
conditioning. Only progress weights when a given load truly feels easy.
Advanced Strategy:
Variation is of critical importance on the circuit day. You should develop
enough movement variety to rarely complete the same circuit workout.
In one of the sections below, I will give examples of movements to use
for the circuit workouts. High variation on these workouts will help
you avoid overuse injuries.
Upper Bodybuilding Days:

Upper Bodybuilding - Template Upper Bodybuilding - Example

Upper Bodybuilding Day 1: Upper Bodybuilding Day 1:


● Horizontal Press SuperSet with ● BB Bench ssw/ Wide Overhand
Vertical Pull (5 sets of 8-12 reps) Pulldowns (5 x 8-12)
● Biceps, Triceps, Shoulders SuperSet ● EZ Bar Curls, V-Bar Pushdowns,
(4 sets of 8-15 reps) Cable Upright Rows ( 4 x 8-15)

Upper Bodybuilding Day 2: Upper Bodybuilding Day 2:


● Incline Press SuperSet with ● Incline Machine Bench ssw/
Horizontal Pull (5 sets 8-12 reps) Underhand Cable Rows (5 x 8-12)
● Biceps, Triceps, Shoulders SuperSet ● Cable Curls, Dips, Lateral Raises ( 4
(4 sets of 8-15 reps) x 8-15)

Body Weight Bodybuilding Day: Body Weight Bodybuilding Day:


● Horizontal Press SuperSet with ● Dips ssw/ Pullups (5 x 8-12)
Vertical Pull (5 sets of 8-12 reps) ● BB Curls, Band Pushdowns, KB
● Biceps, Triceps, Shoulders SuperSet Upright Rows ( 4 x 8-15)
(4 sets of 8-15 reps)
Circuit Days:
Circuit days revolve around 3 movements. Workouts are a combination of a hinge, an
upper movement, and a lower movement. I will complete as many rounds of the
circuit as I can in 1 hour. You can adjust the time for your conditioning and ability.
Working up to one hour should be the goal. I will give some examples of movements
that fall into each category and an example workout.

Movement Examples:
I suggest making your own table like this with exercises you can utilize at your
gym/home and rotate through those movements in the circuits. Variation is going to
be your ally on the circuit days.
Hinge Upper Lower

Two Hand (2H) Swings (10) Single Arm (SA) Thruster Split Squats

2H Swings (12) Mace 360’s (short) Wedge Split Squats

One Hand Swings x 10 each Mace 360’s (medium) Suitcase Lunges

Stiff Leg Deadlifts Mace 360’s (long) Rack Lunges

B-Stance Outside DL Club Mills Single KB Wedge Lunge

B-Stance Inside DL SA Clean/Press KB Front Squats

Straight Bar DL Double Clean/Press BB Front Squats

Trap Bar DL Double Thruster Goblet Squats on Wedge


Circuit Days: Continued

Example - 3 Movement Circuit Workout:


Hinge: 2H Swings x 10 reps
Upper: Mace 360’s x 20/20 (20 each direction)
Lower: Barbell Front Squats x 10 reps
Doing the circuit outlined above would constitute one “round.” My goal is to complete at
least 10 rounds in an hour. It is very helpful to vary these circuits and not complete the
same combination of movements very often. This variation will help you recover and will
help prevent overtraining. Rest as needed between rounds to maintain form.

Example - 4 Movement Circuit Workout:


Hinge: 2H Swings x 10 reps
Upper: Double Kettlebell Clean and Press x 5
Hinge: Trap Bar Deadlifts x 10
Lower: Barbell Front Squats x 10 reps
When doing a 4 movement circuit, two of the movement types will be repeated. One of the
days involves two hinges and the other involves two lower movements. I suggest varying
these movements as much as possible. I will usually use a kettlebell hinge and a bar deadlift.
On the lower days, I will use one squat and one lunge variation.
Rest Days:
This program does not include any scheduled rest days. My philosophy for this is simple.
Life will give you rest days. I miss days when I am very busy, sick, injured, or other life
events get in the way. These usually amount to 2-3 missed training days per month. Since I
do not plan rest days, when these days occur, I am not mad about it. My general philosophy
is that life will give you days off from the program, so there is no need to include them at
regular intervals.

The other aspect of my perspective on rest is training frequency. It is common for people to
train 4 days per week. Given the 52 weeks in a year, that amounts to 208 training days and
157 rest days. If I miss 3 days per month, I will miss a total of about 36 days per year (that is
still more than a month of rest days in a year!). That comes to 329 training days and 36 rest
days. Over the course of a year, I will have over 100 more days with a training stimulus than
someone who trains 4 days a week. You can think about this as 3 more months of training
compared to someone only training 4 days per week. This training frequency can be
adapted to fairly quickly and it will help natural athletes make greater gains since it provides
more training stimulus.

If you choose not to train 7 days per week, I would suggest adjusting this program to
include 2 bodybuilding days, and 2 circuit days. Keep in mind, if you are modifying this
from 7 days down to 4, then you are not running this program anymore. You are running a
much lower frequency version. Hopefully, the paragraph above explains why I think
training 7 days a week is superior to 4. Keep in mind, I am not a trainer or a coach. I am just
a guy who used this program to get into the best shape of my life.

Final Disclaimer:
I am not a trainer, nor a coach. I am just a guy who uses this program. I have been injured
while using this program. If you choose to use it, you might get injured as well. This is an
inherent risk in any exercise program. I simply put this program out since people ask what I
am doing. If you choose to use this program, you do so at your own risk. I hope the risk
proves to be well worth it for you, as it has for me.

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