The
4-Hour
Body
THE PERFECT
POSTERIOR
(OR LOSING 100+ POUNDS)
This chapter will teach both men and women
how to build a superhuman posterior chain,
which includes all the muscles from the base of
your skull to your Achilles tendons.
In the process, it will also teach women how
to build the perfect ass and lose dramatic amounts
of fat.
For maximum strength and sex appeal in minimal
time, the posterior chain is where you should
focus.
The Bet
“We have a bet going.”
Tracy Reifkind walked into work that evening
expecting a normal shift. But six of her female coworkers
had reached critical mass and created a
betting pool. Each had put in $100, and the $600
would go to whoever lost the highest percentage
bodyfat in 12 weeks. Tracy was lucky number
seven, upping the ante to $700.
I am my own
experiment. I am my
own work of art.
—Madonna
Backs are to lifters
what biceps are to
bodybuilders.
—Randall J. Strossen PhD,
editor of MILO magazine
3
It was good timing.
Tracy had been a chubby kid when kids weren’t chubby. She’d continued
to gain throughout life and ended up weighing 245 pounds at age 41.
She had resigned herself to a dismal fate: she would never be able to enjoy
certain basics, like wearing a tank top. That was just the hand she’d been
dealt.
But her weight was creating health problems. She’d become a gourmet
cook with the dream of visiting Italy, and that trip—almost within reach—
was now jeopardized by her obesity. She was experiencing gastrointestinal
problems that made it impossible to travel.
“Everything wrong with me had to do with the fact that I was fat. Every
day, I felt like I was dodging a bullet. I didn’t want to go to the doctor because
I didn’t want to fi nd out I was prediabetic or that I had heart disease.
I just liked eating and wasn’t ready to stop. I, of course, knew what I had to
do. But that bet, that event, gave me the reason and the timing.”
Tracy responded well to challenges. She was somehow confi dent that
she would win. The real question was: how?
The answer came, most unexpectedly, from strong men.
Michelle Obama’s Arms
Tracy was dumbstruck as she looked at the fi tting room mirror in San Jose.
She pulled up the new pair of jeans and turned around. Then she turned
around again. No matter how many times she spun,
the image didn’t compute.
“What? That’s me?!” She saw arms she’d never
seen before. She also had her tank top.
Tracy Reifkind had lost more than 100 pounds
(45 pounds of fat in the fi rst 12 weeks) and won her
bet. But the numbers alone don’t do her physique
justice: this mom of two from a two- income family
looked 10 years younger at 129.6 pounds.
The secret wasn’t marathon aerobics sessions,
nor was it severe caloric restriction. It was the Russian
kettlebell swing, twice a week for an average of 15–20
minutes. Her peak session length was 35 minutes.
She was introduced to kettlebells by her husband,
4
Mark Reifkind, a former national team coach
in powerlifting who also competed against
Kurt Thomas in Olympic gymnastics.
“Every woman wants Michelle Obama’s
arms. The truth is that you can have them, and
a new body, in four weeks. The two- handed
swing is the jewel. If you could only do one
movement for the rest of your life, do the
kettlebell swing.”
I agree with Tracy 100%, though the
path that led me to the swing was quite different.
In 1999, I made thrice- weekly pilgrimages
from Princeton to Philadelphia where I trained at a gym called Maxercise.
For the 45- minute workout that justifi ed the trip, I was commuting
more than two hours. Steve Maxwell, the
owner of Maxercise, was a six- time Pan-
American gold medalist in Brazilian jiujitsu
(two world championships came later)
and held a master’s degree in exercise science.
His clients ranged from the FBI and
Secret Service to the Phillies and the Dodgers.
His singular focus was on measurable
results. If something didn’t work, it didn’t
last long with Maxwell.
I fi rst met kettlebells on a frigid winter
evening in Maxercise’s second- fl oor torture
chamber. They were generally reserved for
fi ghters and aspiring strong men. Most of
the high- velocity kettlebell movements like
“the snatch,”1 considered standard for training programs, didn’t combine
well with my injured shoulders. I abandoned kettlebells after two sessions.
It wasn’t until six years later that I realized how simple kettlebells could
be. One move: the swing.
Body by design: Tracy removed the curves she didn’t want and
added the curves she did. Notice the kettlebells, which look like
cannonballs with handles, lined up against the wall.
1. Even better, kettlebells are weighed in Russian “poods.”
5
From Jiu- Jitsu to New Zealand: The Kettlebell Swing
Long before I met Tracy, I met “The Kiwi” in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
In early 2006, he happened to be taking a private Spanish lesson in the
same café where I was fi nishing the manuscript for The 4-Hour Workweek,
and we quickly became close friends. He had competed in elite- level rugby
in New Zealand but was equally proud, I soon learned, of applying his BSE
in exercise physiology to perfecting the female posterior.
He told me the story over a bottle of Catena Malbec. His obsession
started when he saw a professional samba dancer in Brazil balance
tequila shots on top of each butt cheek in a dance club. Lamenting the lack
of similar scenes in his own country, he set off on a mission to isolate the
best exercises for creating buttocks worthy of tequila shots.
By 2000, he had refi ned his approach to a science. In four weeks, he
took his then- girlfriend, an ethnic Chinese with a surfboardlike profi le, to
being voted one of the top 10 sexiest girls out of 39,000 students at the
University of Auckland. Total time: four weeks. Other female students
constantly asked her how she’d lifted her glutes so high up her hamstrings.
If The Kiwi could have answered for her, he would have said, “Add reps
and weights to the swings.”
In 2005, my interest in kettlebells reinvigorated, I returned to the
United States from Argentina and purchased one 53- pound kettlebell.
I did nothing more than one set of 75 swings one hour after a light,
protein- rich breakfast, twice a week on Mondays and Fridays. In the beginning,
I couldn’t complete 75 consecutive repetitions, so I did multiple sets
with 60 seconds between until I totaled 75.
Total swing time for the entire week was 10–20 minutes. I wasn’t
trying to balance tequila shots on my butt cheeks. I wanted
abs. In six weeks, I was at my lowest bodyfat percentage since
1999.
My weekly training schedule was so light as to be laughable
by conventional standards. I also took 10– 20- minute ice baths
(two bags of ice bought at a gas station) on Mondays, Wednesdays,
and Fridays.
2005: Swing minimalism.
6
DAY 1 (MONDAY)
• High- rep kettlebell (53 pounds) swings to at least 75 reps (ultimately,
I got to 150+ reps in a single set)
• Slow myotatic crunch (next chapter) with max weight x 10–15
slow reps
DAY 2 (WEDNESDAY)
I alternated these two exercises for a total of 3 sets × 5 reps for each. I took
two minutes between all sets and therefore had at least four minutes between
the same exercise (e.g., dumbbell [DB] press, wait two minutes, row,
wait two minutes, DB press, etc.):
• Iso- lateral dumbbell incline bench press
• “Yates” bent rows with EZ bar ( palms- up grip and bent at the waist
about 20–30 degrees)
Then:
• Reverse “drag” curls using a thick bar twice the diameter of a
standard Olympic bar (I put plates on metal piping I bought from
Home Depot, secured with $5 pinch clamps): 2 sets of 6 reps, three
minutes’ rest between sets
DAY 3 (FRIDAY)
• High- rep kettlebell (53 pounds) swings to 75- rep minimum
• Slow myotatic crunch (next chapter) with max weight x 12–15 reps
• Every other week: single- arm kettlebell swings to 25 minimum
reps each side
I should add that I was negligent, often adding one to three additional
rest days between sessions. It didn’t matter. The training volume needed
for head- turning changes was lower than even I thought possible.
Though I added in a few extras for other reasons, the king of exercises—
the two- arm kettlebell swing—is all you need for dramatic changes. Here
are a few guidelines (more later):
• Stand with your feet 6–12 inches outside of shoulder width on
either side, each foot pointed outward about 30 degrees. If toes
7
pointed straight ahead were 12:00 on a clock face, your left foot
would point at 10:00 or 11:00, and your right would point at 1:00
or 2:00.
• Keep your shoulders pulled back (retracted) and down to avoid
rounding your back.
• The lowering movement (backswing) is a sitting- back- on-a-chair
movement, not a squatting- down movement.
• Do not let your shoulders go in front of your knees at any point.
• Imagine pinching a penny between your butt cheeks when you pop
your hips forward. This should be a forceful pop, and it should be
impossible to contract your ass more. If your dog’s head gets in the
way, it should be lights out for Fido.
The Minimal Effective Dose—
How to Lose 3% Bodyfat in One Hour a Month
Fleur B. didn’t have as much weight to lose as Tracy.
Fleur was, like many people, simply unable to
lose those last few pounds of extra fat, no matter
how hard she tried. She’d hit the wall.
Running a few miles three times per week had
no effect: “For the amount of exercise I do, the results
should be much better.” She was, however,
against crash dieting and wanted to keep the curves
she loved.
How to cross the last mile of fat- loss?
Fleur was a major breadoholic by culture (European)
and a workaholic by training (journalist).
I purposefully set the expectation that it would be
diffi cult and that she would need to commit to exercising
militant self- control for the fi rst two weeks
until her cravings disappeared. This way, she would
be doubly encouraged when it didn’t prove hard
after the fi rst 72 hours. Setting the expectation that
things will be easy results in disappointment and
quitting at the smallest hiccup. If you prepare yourself
for massive challenges and no such challenges
Michelle Obama’s arms: Tracy, 100+ pounds lighter,
showing perfect form on the downswing of the kettlebell
swing.
8
crop up, it will be a pleasant surprise. This encourages you to be even more
aggressive with changes.
Remember: body recomposition depends more on behavioral modifi -
cation (reread “From Photos to Fear” if needed) than on memorizing the
right list of instructions.
I proposed a four- week test focusing on the swing and minuscule dietary
changes, which Fleur agreed to:
1. She switched her breakfast to a high- protein meal (at least 30%
protein) Ã la the Slow- Carb Diet. Her favorite: spinach, black
beans, and egg whites ( one- third of a carton of Eggology liquid egg
whites) with cayenne pepper fl akes.
2. Three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday), she performed
a simple sequence of three exercises prior to breakfast, all of which
are illustrated in the next few pages:
One set: 20 two- legged glute activation raises from the fl oor
One set: 15 fl ying dogs, one set each side
One set: 50 kettlebell swings (For you: start with a weight that allows
you to do 20 perfect repetitions but no more than 30. In
other words, start with a weight, no less than 20 pounds, that
you can “grow into.”)
That’s it. Total prescribed exercise: about 5 minutes per session × 3 sessions
= 15 minutes per week. One hour over the course of a month.
Fleur’s before- and- after measurements were separated by fi ve weeks
because she was traveling. Even if we increase the estimated exercise time
to 75 minutes total, the results are impressive.
BEFORE AND AFTER
Total weight: 139 lbs. p 136 lbs.
Bodyfat %: 21.1% (29.33 lbs.) p 18% (24.48 lbs.—almost 1 pound
of fat lost per week)
Thigh fat thickness: 10.4 mm p 10.2 mm
Tricep fat thickness: 9.7 mm p 7.7 mm
Waist fat thickness: 7.0 mm p 4.1 mm
9
Once you achieve the proper height (the last picture), each rep is alternating between
the last two photos.
5. 6.
1. 2.
3. 4.
THE KETTLEBELL SWING
10
LEARNING THE SWING
The easiest way to learn the swing is based on a method developed by Zar Horton:
1. Touch- and- Go Deadlifts from Point A
(Three Sets of Five Reps)
Stand with the kettlebell directly between the middle of your feet. Bend down and do deadlifts
(head up, eyes straight ahead), fi rst slowly, then in a “touch- and- go” fashion, picking up
the kettlebell explosively as soon as it touches the ground. It is critical that you touch the same
spot on the ground every time. This spot between your insteps is point A.
I strongly suggest doing this facing a wall with your toes about six inches from the wall.
This will force you to keep your head up and use the proper deadlift motion: hinging at the
hip and sitting back, instead of squatting down. Keep any bending at the ankle minimal or
nonexistent.
2. Touch- and- Go Deadlifts from Point B
(Three Sets of Five Reps)
Repeat the above touch- and- go deadlift, but use point B: place the kettlebell on the fl oor between
your feet but this time further back, with the front of the kettlebell aligned just behind
your heels. You must return the kettlebell to exactly this spot every time:
Now when you come up and explosively pop your hips forward (think “violent hips”),
the angled rise of the kettlebell will give it a pendulum- like swing.
3. Swings from Point C (start with sets of 10)
Now place the kettlebell back at point A and follow the pictures of Marie on the previous
page. Pick the kettlebell up off the fl oor, start a small swing by fi rst “sitting back” with the hips
and then popping forward, and make the movement larger while maintaining your balance.
The entire time, focus on getting the kettlebell back to point C, which is in the air behind
the hamstrings (back of legs) and tucked right up under the buttocks, as seen in picture 5.
That’s it: you are doing the two- handed kettlebell swing.
A
B
11
Fleur’s resulting numbers demonstrate the difference between scale
weight—a blunt instrument that tells you little—and bodyfat percentage
or tape measure. Do not neglect to include at least one of the latter two in
your measurement tool kit.
The 75 minutes of exercise had a number of important effects on
Fleur’s physique that went beyond fat- loss and ass building.
Most important, it fi xed her kyphosis (from the Greek kyphos, meaning
“hump”), a postural problem common to millions of computer users.
From desk work and muscular imbalance, she had a shoulders- forward,
concave- chest slouch before beginning the program. Five weeks later, she
Two- legged glute activation raises. Pull the toes up as you drive off of your heels.
Flying dog with right arm and left leg extension. Alternate with left arm and
right leg.
stood and walked with shoulders back, which created the perception of
both a smaller rib cage and larger breasts. Good posture is hot.
Here is Fleur’s fi rst e-mail to me, edited for length:
Hey,
I’m doing well . . . much better than I could have imagined. . . .
There are [a] few things I’ve noticed about the diet that I think you’ll
be very interested to learn.
Firstly, I can’t imagine why you say it’s not supposed to be fun? I’m
loving it! . . . There’s tons of ways you can make the same foods taste totally
different each meal just by adding a different herb or spice.
I’m eating so much better. My diet was not great before, mostly because
I just wasn’t making the time, and I was too lazy.
Eating the way you suggest has changed my hunger even; I never get
that strange cramp- hunger feeling that sugar and “bad” carbs create. It’s
maybe also because I’m eating more, and more regularly. Just eating breakfast
early in the morning instead of coffee and toast or a pastry at 11am has
made a huge difference.
I’m thinking about fueling my body, not restricting it.
I ate really well all last week and then assigned Sunday as my “free day.”
I ate pancakes and an omelet at the IHOP (very healthy). Then I felt like
crap. All the cheese made me want to throw up. [Tim: Cheese was one of
Fleur’s domino foods before the program.]
But I literally had to force myself to eat some chocolate later on in the
day, just because I’d told myself I could. I then realized that I hadn’t even
thought once about chocolate all week, hadn’t once craved for it. Then
I bought a croissant (just because I could), took one bite and threw it away.
Sunday night I had a beer and couldn’t fi nish that either (very unlike me).
I found myself desperate to go to sleep so I could wake up Monday morning
and go back to feeling healthy again.
Is this normal?! . . .
One thing I did really want on Sunday though was fruit. That’s ok right?
As much of any type that I want? [Answer: On binge day and on binge day
only, yes. Nothing is forbidden.]
In general, so far, I’m not missing or craving anything I’m not supposed
to have. . . . I have noticed I have more energy, and it’s real energy, not just
an hour hit from a double cappuccino and a snack- bar that then turns into
a slump. I’m not really drinking coffee much either, just lots of water and
green tea.
I know it’s only been a week, but I feel fantastic. Thank you!
New behaviors aren’t that hard once you start them.
Critical (M)Ass: The Kiwi’s Complete
A/B Workout
For those who want a more extended ass program, here is The Kiwi’s complete
sequence.
He advocates three to four circuits of these exercises, in the order provided.
I believe the MED is two circuits and will deliver 80–90% of the
benefi ts for most women and men. Men can use these sequences to develop
stronger hip drive, which translates to better performance in almost
all sports and power lifts.
If you try this but start to miss workouts or postpone them, revert to
the basic swings twice per week, as I do, which will still guarantee faster
progress than most exercise programs.
To mimic The Kiwi, perform A on Monday and B on Friday, and glute
activation raises (seen earlier) are performed before each.
Workout A
All exercises, except for kettlebell swings, are performed for 10 repetitions
using a 13- Repetition Max2 (RM) weight.
1. Heavy dumbbell front squat to press (ass to heels)—squeeze glutes
at bottom for one second before rising
2. One- arm, one- leg DB row
3. Walking lunges with sprinter knee raise
4. Wide- grip push- ups3
5. Two- arm kettlebell swings × 20–25
Repeat sequence 2–4 times.
2. This means you are doing 10 reps with a weight that would allow you to complete 13 but not 14 reps.
Approximate is fi ne, but you shouldn’t have more than 3 or so reps left in the tank when you fi nish the set.
3. Men can use any hand position. Wide- grip is recommended for women who want to avoid tricep (back
of the upper arm) growth. If you can’t do ten push- ups on the fl oor, they can be performed with the hands on
a low bench, or—if still impossible—against a table or wall.
Workout B
1. One- leg Romanian Deadlift (RDL)4 (10–12 reps each side)
2. Chin- up ( four- second negative lowering portion only) × 10 or
until you cannot control descent5
3. One- leg hamstring curls on a Swiss ball—6–12 reps each leg
4. Plank for abs (and gluteus medius on sides) p Progression: start
with 30 seconds front, 30 seconds each side, working up to 90 seconds
maximum
5. Reverse hyper × 15–25
Repeat sequence 2–4 times.
