Cavemantraining Endurance Challenge—A kettlebell challenge to improve cardiovascular and muscular endurance

Test and increase your cardiovascular and muscular endurance over a period of 27 days. A summary of the challenge:

Set a sub-max benchmark for all three exercises
Start the 3-day cycle and increase reps by 1 each time
End the cycle and perform max reps

Quick navigation links:

The kettlebell exercises
The kettlebell challenge
How to participate and post
Frequently Asked Questions
Learn how to perform these exercises
Flexibility and mobility work videos
Get your kettlebell t-shirt
Cadence Counter (goes to another page)

The Kettlebell Exercises

This kettlebell challenge builds upon 3 incredible exercises, namely the:

CrossFit burpee
Clean and jerk
Turkish Get-up

CrossFit burpees are performed at a cadence of 3, 4, or 5 seconds. Clean and jerks are to be performed continuously and Turkish get-ups are performed at your own pace. You can rest between each set but you can’t set the kettlebell down during the set.

The cadence for burpees is advanced 3 seconds, intermediate 4 seconds, and beginner 5 seconds.

The Kettlebell Challenge

Day 1 and 2 are to set a benchmark, and the remaining we cycle through days 1, 2, and 3 while increasing the set plus one repetition. The whole program is laid out for you below and the video can be seen at the top of this page or here on YouTube.

Day 1
Sub-max CrossFit burpees
Sub-max clean and jerk on one side
Sub-max TGU on the other side

Day 2
CrossFit burpees (same as day 1)
Sub-max clean and jerk on one side
Sub-max TGU on the other side

Day 3
Flexibility and mobility work

Day 1 and 2 are to set the benchmark.

Day 4, 5, and 6 is a cycle that is repeated for the rest of the program. Day 4 is day 1 of the cycle, day 5 is day 2 of the cycle, and day 6 is day 3 of the cycle. Note that the video mention MAX for all days but it only applies to day 26 and 27 where you go to the max.

Cycle 1

Day 4
CrossFit burpees
Clean and jerk on one side
TGU on the other side
Increase your reps by 1

Day 5
CrossFit burpees (same as the previous day)
Clean and jerk on one side
TGU on the other side
Increase your reps by 1

Day 6
Flexibility and mobility work

Cycle 2

Day 7
CrossFit burpees
Clean and jerk on one side
TGU on the other side
Increase your reps by 1

Day 8
CrossFit burpees (same as the previous day)
Clean and jerk on one side
TGU on the other side
Increase your reps by 1

Day 9
Flexibility and mobility work

Cycle 3

Day 10
CrossFit burpees
Clean and jerk on one side
TGU on the other side
Increase your reps by 1

Day 11
CrossFit burpees (same as the previous day)
Clean and jerk on one side
TGU on the other side
Increase your reps by 1

Day 12
Flexibility and mobility work

Cycle 4

Day 13
CrossFit burpees
Clean and jerk on one side
TGU on the other side
Increase your reps by 1

Day 14
CrossFit burpees (same as the previous day)
Clean and jerk on one side
TGU on the other side
Increase your reps by 1

Day 15
Flexibility and mobility work

Cycle 5

Day 16
CrossFit burpees
Clean and jerk on one side
TGU on the other side
Increase your reps by 1

Day 17
CrossFit burpees (same as the previous day)
Clean and jerk on one side
TGU on the other side
Increase your reps by 1

Day 18
Flexibility and mobility work

Cycle 6

Day 19
CrossFit burpees
Clean and jerk on one side
TGU on the other side
Increase your reps by 1

Day 20
CrossFit burpees (same as the previous day)
Clean and jerk on one side
TGU on the other side
Increase your reps by 1

Day 21
Flexibility and mobility work

Cycle 7

Day 22
CrossFit burpees
Clean and jerk on one side
TGU on the other side
Increase your reps by 1

Day 23
CrossFit burpees (same as the previous day)
Clean and jerk on one side
TGU on the other side
Increase your reps by 1

Day 24
Flexibility and mobility work

Final Cycle

Day 25
Rest day

Day 26
Max CrossFit burpees
Max clean and jerk on one side
Max TGU on the other side
Increase your reps by at least 1 but as many as possible

Day 27
CrossFit burpees (same as the previous day)
Max clean and jerk on one side
Max TGU on the other side
Increase your reps by at least 1 but as many as possible

Another way to summarize it is as follows.
Day 1 + 2 set your benchmark.
4 + 5 you increase both the clean and jerk plus TGU on one side.
Day 4 you increase the burpees by 1.
Day 5 same burpees as day 4.
Continue the pattern without the benchmark.

FAQ

Q. Can I participate if I do not want to do burpees?
A. You will be missing out but yes you can

Q. Can I rest between exercises?
A. Yes you can

Q. How long can I rest?
A. As long as you want

Q. Can I rest during the exercise/set?
A. When it comes to the burpee there is a cadence to maintain and the clean and jerk needs to be continuous but for the TGU you can rest as long as you don’t put the weight down

Q. Can I put the weight down and resume?
A. The set ends when you put the weight down

Q. Do I need to use a particular kettlebell weight?
A. Any weight that suits you and allows you to stay safe

Q. Should I go to failure on my very first 2 days?
A. It’s not recommended to go to failure but to sub max so that you can increase by 1 rep on every subsequent go

Q. What does it mean to increase reps by 1?
A. If you did 50 reps of clean and jerk on day 1 then on day 4 you should do 51 reps (1 more)

Q. Should I continue if I fail one of the days?
A. You should continue and not waste what you started

Q. If I fail should I mark my results as such?
A. You should mark your results with an F at the end

Q. Do I have to pay anything to participate?
A. No, you can join for free but we do have some courses/videos that will increase your understanding and efficiency of the exercises

Q. What if I can’t complete a day?
A. Where there is a will there is a way; you can use the mobility and flexibility day to do what needs to be done and/or do everything in one day to catch up

How to participate and post?

Tag your posts with @Cavemantraining
Hashtag your posts with #cavemantraining #endurancechallenge

The groups to post are:

Part of the content you would post:

Day 1
Burpees: [number of burpees] at [seconds] seconds cadence
Clean and jerk (left):
TGU (right):
@Cavemantraining #cavemantraining #endurancechallenge
Including your kettlebell weight is optional

Day 2
Burpees:
Clean and jerk (right):
TGU (left):
@Cavemantraining #cavemantraining #endurancechallenge

Day 3
Completed my mobility and flexibility work.
@Cavemantraining #cavemantraining #endurancechallenge

Day 4
Burpees: Success
Clean and jerk: Success
TGU: Success
@Cavemantraining #cavemantraining #endurancechallenge

Day 5
Burpees: Success
Clean and jerk: Success
TGU: Success
@Cavemantraining #cavemantraining #endurancechallenge

Day 6
Completed my mobility and flexibility work.
@Cavemantraining #cavemantraining #endurancechallenge

And so on. Feel free to include a video or photo with your post.

Your final results should be as following.

Day 26
Max burpees:
Max clean and jerk (left): [total number of reps] with [kettlebell weight] Max TGU (right): [total number of reps] with [kettlebell weight] @Cavemantraining #cavemantraining #endurancechallenge

Day 27
Max burpees: [total number of reps] at [cadence] Max clean and jerk (right): [total number of reps] with [kettlebell weight] Max TGU (left): [total number of reps] with [kettlebell weight] @Cavemantraining #cavemantraining #endurancechallenge

Learn how to perform these exercises

Kettlebell Exercise Encyclopedia
Kettlebell Sport For Beginners (clean and jerk)
This coupon EUPZF9NB entitles you to a 70% discount on the course when you participate in the challenge, use it at checkout.
Master The Burpee
Master The Get-up

And many other kettlebell training products can be found in our online shop here www.cavemantraining.com/shop. If you’re looking for free knowledge, then check out our Master Kettlebell Grips and Master Kettlebell Racking ebook which will show you the quality of our products.

Flexibility and mobility work videos

The video(s) for the mobility and flexibility work can be unlocked below with a simple like or share.

Kettlebell T-shirt

Of course, you should get and strut an awesome kettlebell t-shirt if you’re participating in a kettlebell challenge.

Share the Knowledge

Cavemantraining Endurance Challenge—A kettlebell challenge to improve cardiovascular and muscular endurance

The Kettlebell Exercises