Viking Warrior Conditioning

by Kenneth Jay

Based on painstaking, original research on subjects ranging from untrained folks to members of the Danish Olympic team, Viking Warrior Conditioning is a foolproof blueprint for achieving Olympian conditioning in record time while simultaneously improving one's body composition dramatically. Master RKC, Kenneth Jay, the warrior sage equally at ease with a heavy kettlebell and with a force plate, shows you the way. Pavel Tsatsouline, author of Enter the Kettlebell! Kenneth Jay has produced what may be the most eye-opening work on VO2max training available today. Jay begins by taking the reader through the fundamental scientific principles of top-level conditioning. His down-to-earth writing takes the abstractions of calculations and puts them into the tangibles of training. Continuing with a step-by-step description of his Viking Warrior Conditioning regimes, Jay walks the reader through the fine details of his method. His progression of kettlebell training regimens is designed to take you from weekend wanna-be to victorious Viking. Educational, entertaining, enlightening, and inspirational, Viking Warrior Conditioning is sure to be a well read and re-read part of any elite coach, trainer, athlete, or warrior's library! Mark Cheng, L.Ac., Ph.D., RKC Team Leader, Contributing Black Belt Magazine "If you want to understand the why and the how of kettlebell training for conditioning then this is the book! This is the guide to using the kettlebell for optimal VO2max conditioning. Kenneth Jay's protocols have benefited me and my clients greatly." Brett Jones, Master RKC, CSCS, CK-FMS "A great book by one of the best young minds in fitness. Against a bleak backdrop of fraudulant fitness product hucksters and in this era of No Brain - No Pain personal trainers, the Pain Dane does indeed have a brain a big one and this book is as welcome as a cool breeze ripping through a room full of stale cigar smoke." Marty Gallagher, author of The Purposeful Primitive

124 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2010

Reviews

[surfurbian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The exercise circuits are solid. The benefits of high intensity exercise relative to calories burned are also well outline and solid information. The workout is unique in that it offers development of strength, endurance, and power in a single workout while engaging the entire body (and especially the core) in a single composite movement.

There is also a bit of misinformation that kettlebell circuits are the only way to achieve a thickening of the heart wall. This adaptation is common among endurance athletes such as long distance runners, cyclists, rowers, etc.

There is a privileging of high intensity low volume work to the point of dismissing the value of low intensity high volume work. Both have their place in a balanced workout regimen.

[Georgi Atsev · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is nice and I really enjoyed the scientific data. The workout is proving pretty hard and I am failing the suggested progress curve, but I will keep trying. If even half of the science is correct (and I suspect so), it should bring a huge benefit to my heart.

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drives me nuts when people drop ratings on books for "too much fluff", when 100% of that "fluff" is scientific data, examples, and reasoning. It's like they want a book to tell them to do something without explaining why. A perfect reflection of our political climate today...

Ugh. Well, about THE BOOK:
This is really well-done, and well-researched. I'll be performing my cMVO2 Test tomorrow (as of this writing) and then beginning the protocols as early as 48hrs later. From what I've read here, and researched further, this is the perfect complement to my training for OCR, and so it will be intermixed with my running, calisthenics, weightlifting, and parkour.

The Dane of Pain details how *true* cardiovascular training differs from what we've been sold & told, and he backs it all up with medical research. I recommend this book to everyone!

Seriously!

I dropped a star off an otherwise solid book for typos and organization. That's more the fault of the editor(s) and publishing house, but it's not worth complaining about.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have rated the book higher, but there is a lot of fluff. Basically, it's a workout protocol disguised as a book. The protocol is a good one and I'll be trying it starting today, but it could be described in about 20 pages.

[John Sharp]

Do you want a heart, lungs, and constitution of steel? Then this is the book for you! Only a man will do these routines. Gott Dammit, they are tough.

[Ike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not much of a read, and the bulk of the program can be easily found online, but I found the reasoning behind the protocols convincing enough and backed with evidence.

[Craig Pierce-slocum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book on effectively developing/increasing VO2max.