Soju and Tuba Press
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Day 1 · 20 kg
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StrongFirst · Joey Yang
An 18-workout step/wave hybrid cycle for building one-arm kettlebell military press strength. Volume waves from 4 lifts up to 14, drops to 6, builds to 16, drops to 6, and finishes at 18 — all at one fixed bell weight.
- →Select a kettlebell about 4kg lighter than your one-arm military press 1RM — the load stays fixed for the whole 18-workout cycle.
- →Clean once at the start of each set, then press every rep in that set without re-cleaning between reps.
- →Rest 2–5 minutes between sets. This is a strength cycle, not conditioning — take the full recovery every set.
- →Set your working kettlebell weight when you enroll — every session's press sets are written to show that exact number.
- →Cycle complete → retest your 1RM. Reported results run about one kettlebell size per cycle.
Joey Yang's Soju and Tuba Press is a step-loading wave cycle for the one-arm kettlebell military press — the same idea powerlifters use with wave-loaded squat cycles, adapted to a single-joint-heavy overhead lift. Instead of climbing straight up in volume, it waves up, drops back, waves up higher, drops back, then finishes at the highest volume of the whole cycle. That undulation is what lets you handle a genuinely heavy fixed weight for 18 sessions without burning out your shoulders.
Pick your kettlebell before Day 1: about 4kg lighter than your true one-arm press 1RM. That weight never changes for all 18 workouts — everything you're doing is building work capacity and technical efficiency at a fixed, heavy load rather than adding weight session to session.
The set-and-rep scheme moves like this across the 18 workouts (3 sessions/week, Monday/Wednesday/Friday):
- •Workouts 1-3 ease you in: 4, then 3, then 2 total lifts per arm — short, exploring how the fixed weight feels.
- •Workouts 4-6 start the first wave up: 4, 6, then 6 lifts/arm.
- •Workouts 7-9 build the wave further: 6, 9, then 12 lifts/arm — workout 9 is the first real volume peak.
- •Workouts 10-12 pull back slightly then rebuild: 10, 8, then 12 lifts/arm.
- •Workouts 13-15 push into the biggest wave yet: 9, 12, then 15 lifts/arm.
- •Workouts 16-18 dip once more before the finish: 6, 8, then 18 lifts/arm on the final day — the highest single-session volume of the entire cycle.
Technique rule that matters more than the numbers: clean the kettlebell into the rack position once at the start of a set, then press every rep in that set from the rack without re-cleaning between reps. Re-cleaning between every rep turns this into a different (easier) exercise and stops training the specific strength the program is built around. Rest 2-5 minutes between sets — full recovery every time, because this is a strength cycle, not a conditioning piece.
How to run it well:
- 1.Trust the wave. Workouts where the volume drops (10-12, 16-18) are recovery built into the program, not a sign you should push harder to "make up for it" — the next wave depends on you being fresh going in.
- 2.If your press form breaks down (excessive lean, leg drive creeping in) before you hit the prescribed reps, that's a sign the 4kg gap to your 1RM was too small — you can drop to the next kettlebell size down without restarting the wave pattern.
- 3.Alternate arms evenly across the week — the schedule assumes both arms get the same total volume, so don't favor your stronger side.
- 4.Expect the last few workouts (16-18) to be the hardest test of the cycle, not the easiest — 18 lifts per arm at a near-1RM weight is a genuine grinder even though the wave "dipped" beforehand.
- 5.Retest your one-arm military press 1RM once the cycle is done. Reported results from people running this program are typically about one kettlebell size (4kg/8lb) of progress per full cycle.