…the Beast was tamed. It was a culmination of seven years of perseverance, failures, adaptations, and triumphs.
My journey to taming the Beast began in April 2017, just after my first StrongFirst kettlebell course in Mexico City. StrongFirst Certified Senior Instructor Yoana Teran led the course, and I knew from the moment I walked in that my life was about to change. After diving into StrongFirst’s forum, I stumbled upon something that instantly captivated me: The Beast Tamer Challenge. A 48kg kettlebell for a strict press, pistol squat, and strict weighted pullup? I had never even seen a 48kg kettlebell before, let alone thought of lifting it! But I decided right then and there that I was going to make taming the Beast my goal.
That moment marked the start of my real journey. I was motivated to follow a smarter path. Yoana gave me a simple training template for pressing, which I adapted to all three lifts. The plan was based on finding a 5RM, and it looked something like this:
- Week 1: 2/2 twice a week
- Week 2: 3/3 twice a week
- Week 3: 4/4 twice a week
- Week 4: 5/5 twice a week
- Week 5: TEST
However, after making some progress—pressing 40kg, pistol squatting 36kg, and doing weighted pullups at 28kg—I hit another wall. My body started to feel stiff, and my recovery wasn’t what it used to be. Younger Me kept trying to push through, even when I was mentally and physically exhausted, but I finally decided to take a step back, rest, and reassess.
In 2019, I made my very first attempt at taming the Beast with StrongFirst Certified Master Instructor Karen Smith. The lifts themselves were challenging, but I had not trained with commands before. In my training sessions, I would clean and press the kettlebell right away. So when I stepped in and cleaned the Beast, I had to wait for the signal and fight my instinct to press. I got very nervous and tried both attempts on the press without success.
After my failed attempt, I decided to change my strategy. I knew I had to train specifically for the challenge, incorporating pauses for commands after the clean, on the hanging position of the pullup, and at the finish of the pistol squat. I also realized that I was continuing to mix training programs, and I was performing exercises that were causing me serious setbacks, impeding my progress. So, I began to focus on what really mattered:
- Getting rid of anything not related to my goal.
- Stop mixing different training methods.
- Consistently following a long term plan.
- Avoiding fatigue at all cost, always keeping reps in the bank.
- Respecting rest periods, both during sessions and in between training days.
In 2020, I was again faced with obstacles. The COVID pandemic had hit, and it was difficult to adapt. But one good thing came out of it. I had more time to focus on a single training method: Plan StrongTM. I began reworking my training with new insights. By the end of the year, my pullup had increased to 40kg, and my pistol was solid at 48kg, although my press remained stuck at 44kg.
In 2021, I was ready to attempt the Beast Tamer challenge again at the SFG Level I Certification with Master Fabio Zonin. This time, I succeeded with the press and the pistol, but the pullup eluded me. Success was so close, yet so far. After this failure, I realized that my pullup training needed a complete overhaul. I needed to start from scratch.
Guided by Masters Fabio and Brett, I applied one of Pavel’s experimental plans.
It was a six-week step cycle that used a 5-6RM weight. It started with doubles, progressed to triples, then jumped to fives.
I tested my 5-6RM very strictly and always obeyed the StrongFirst Stop Signs. I was patient and consistent. I repeated the same plan four times and trusted the process. As a result, my tactical pullup 5RM increased from 20kg to 32kg and my 1RM from 40kg to—finally!—48kg. And my back got wider and stronger.
THIS IS THE BEST PULLUP PLAN I’VE EVER DONE.
Then came the moment I had been waiting for—the final opportunity to tame the Beast in front of the very people who had been there from the beginning and who had seen me fail before—Masters Karen and Fabio and Senior Yoana.
I walked in with confidence, ready to prove myself. The pullup was first, and after years of setbacks, I finally succeeded. Next came the pistol, followed by the press, and with that, the Beast was tamed. It was a culmination of seven years of perseverance, failures, adaptations, and triumphs.
This achievement wouldn’t have been possible without the guidance and support of many people: Yoana Teran, who introduced me to StrongFirst; Fabio Zonin, who helped me program my training; Karen Smith, who judged my Beast Tamer attempts; my fellow colleagues and training partners; and my loved ones, who were always there for me.
Taming the Beast was more than a physical challenge—it was the result of a relentless pursuit of strength, discipline, and wisdom. Whatever your goal, mental focus and perseverance are the keys to achieving it. When things get very complicated, the mind can start to falter. Don’t let that happen! Keep the goal the goal, and remember: we are StrongFirst, not Strong… second!