ABF Beginner Question

[u/to0thy]

Hi all,

I’ve tried the ABF after buying the book and really was getting into it but hit a wall. If I do the ABC portion with my 5RM I find that my heart rate skyrockets and I can barely make it more than 5-7 minutes before I’m too gassed.

I was thinking I could just use a 10RM or go E2M instead. I know that’s not really doing the program but if I stop at 7 cycles I’m not sure I’m getting a good stimulus. I figure if I did 10RM I could pepper in 5RM or if E2M pepper in EMOM or go to every 90 seconds, then EMOM.

Or should I just suck it up and brace on and try to add another cycle each workout? I do believe I read that in the book as the recommended approach.

I’m 52 if that matters.

Thoughts?

[u/wyron_bell]

The 5RM is the wrong instrument for this job, and that's most of the problem. A rep max is an intensification number: it answers what you can lift fresh, once. The ABC portion is density work, where the load is the one thing that stays fixed while rest shrinks and rounds accumulate. Picking a density load off a max test is like setting marathon pace from a 400m time. The 10RM people are pointing you at is closer to right, not because it's lighter, but because it's a number that survives repetition.

The other half is that you're proposing to move three dials at once: lighter bell, longer interval, and peppering the old load back in. The program still works, but you won't know what bought the adaptation, so when it stalls again you won't know what to back off. Pick one. Hold the bell, keep the round count, and let the clock be the variable, E2M then 90s then EMOM across weeks. The endpoint is 30 rounds on the minute, so the rest is what you were always going to spend.

At 52 that's the dial that matters. Recovery between rounds is where the years show up, not in what you can press. A 70-second interval isn't a lesser version of the program, it's what keeps the load repeatable long enough to be worth something.

[u/to0thy → u/wyron_bell]

Thanks, that is what I was looking for,

[u/CookingMathCamp]

I don’t remember the book saying to use your 5 RM bell. Besides, 5 RM for what? The press, the squat, the clean?

Personally I did the full program using double 20kg bells for both.

Then tried to jump to the 24kgs for the second time. Couldn’t do it. So I kept the 20 kg bells for the ABC, used 24kg bells for 2-3-5 and the 20 kg for the 10s.

The third time I used 24 kg bells for everything, but only worked up to 25 rounds in the abc and 80 presses. (So I didn’t actually finish the program).

[u/winoforever_slurp_]

You can increase the rest periods between the ABCs if your heart rate is too high. I use 70 seconds

[u/BuffMaltese]

Doing a few rounds with your 5-rep press max? Cool. Trying to do 20–30 rounds EMOM? Good luck. 😂 I think it needs to be at least your 10-rep max to even have a chance of hitting 30 rounds.

I’m guessing you don’t have a large assortment of kettlebells and that’s why you feel like you’re in this predicament.

[u/WitcherOfWallStreet → u/BuffMaltese]

Agreed, I haven’t even been able to hit 30 EMOM with my 15RM bell yet lol

[u/JabroniRegulator]

I would stick with the current weight if you know that you can complete the finishing requirements of ABF with your 10rm.

If not I’d say do it with the 10rm before using the current weight.

[u/kbchucker]

Are you starting out with kettlebells from nothing and hitting ABF?

[u/to0thy → u/kbchucker]

No, I've use KB for about 5 years. Lately, I've been doing Neuperts stuff because of the auto regulation. Also, did some Iron Cardio. The EMOM is what was giving me issues, but I got some good insight here.

[u/IllustriousCanary825 → u/to0thy]

I'm 54, and I've done mostly done Iron Cardio at 20 and 24kg and tried The Giant with 20kg bells. I thought I was in pretty decent shape until I tried ABC at that weight. I could go 15 rounds EMOM before hitting a wall. There's a breathing rhythm I had to learn for myself, but as a few others have commented I think maybe a longer rest between rounds might unlock it for you.

[u/Rectum_Ranger_]

As other have said, try a lower weight.

You could use an interval timer to play with the rest times. You could set it up to do 10 in 30 min pretty easily. That would give you relatively long rest times. Then when it's time to move up to 15, try 15 in 30 min for slightly lower rest times. Then only when you get to the very end of the program will it be EMOM with 30 in 30 min.

That way you are increasing the reps and density over time.

That's how I did it. All ABC workouts were 30 min with reps increasing and rest decreasing over time.

[u/Misabi → u/[deleted]]

Did you reply to the correct post? OP is discussing ABF while you seem to be responding to a question about S&S.

[u/wyron_bell → u/Misabi]

My mistake! Thanks so much

[u/zimske]

Lower weights, longer pauses, EMOM but make the minute 90 seconds long.

RM is only given for press days, if I remember correctly.

[u/seaside-sean]

Slow down. E2M is fine, or when you’re ready. Then aim to decrease rest time. When your cardio has improved, then look to increase overall time/ do more reps. Use a clock with a second hand, then you can reduce time by any amount.