Mark Wildman makes clients earn each kettlebell step. Here's how to turn that into a progression ladder you can assign.
Kettlebell lifts are skills, not just loads - and most clients get handed the finished movement long before they can control it. Mark Wildman's answer is a strict ladder: break the skill into ordered steps, give each a standard, and let the client earn the next variation. This breakdown covers his progression logic in our own words, adds our take for programming unconventional-implement training remotely, and turns it into a reusable ladder you can build once and assign per client.
By Markus Evers · September 2026 · a Coachway video breakdown
the short version
Wildman treats a kettlebell lift as a skill you progress up a ladder: break it into ordered steps, set a clear rep and quality standard for each, and only advance - reps first, then load, then a harder variation - once the client has genuinely earned it. The one thing a coach should do about it: stop handing clients the finished movement, and instead assign the step they can own today with an explicit standard for what unlocks the next one, so kettlebell work becomes a staircase they climb rather than a lift they get hurt attempting.
Mark Wildman - The Kettlebell Snatch Press Progression
Source: Mark Wildman on YouTube - "The Kettlebell Snatch Press Progression". Watch on YouTube. We embed the public video and summarise it in our own words; the video, title and channel belong to Mark Wildman, and nothing here implies his endorsement of Coachway.
Who is Mark Wildman, and why coaches watch
Mark Wildman is a strength coach best known for teaching kettlebell, club and mace training as structured, methodical progressions rather than the freeform "just swing it" content that fills the space. His channel is essentially a library of skill ladders - long, detailed walkthroughs of how to build a movement step by step - which is why coaches keep coming back to it even when their own clients aren't chasing hardstyle feats. For a coach the value isn't the specific kettlebell lift; it's the progression discipline underneath it: a repeatable way to take any skill-heavy movement and turn it into an ordered path a client can actually follow. That discipline is the lens this page is written for.
What Wildman actually argues (our summary)
This is our summary of the ideas in the video, in our own words - not a transcript. Watch the original for his exact drills, standards and demonstrations.
- 1
Treat the lift as a skill ladder. An advanced kettlebell movement is broken into ordered sub-steps, each simpler than the last, so the client always has a version they can perform well right now.
- 2
Each step has a standard to clear. You don't advance by feel or by the calendar - there's a defined rep count and quality bar the client hits before the next step is unlocked.
- 3
Reps and quality before load. Competence and volume at the current bell come first; heavier weight or a harder variation comes after, never both in the same jump.
- 4
Regress the moment form breaks. If the standard slips, you drop back a rung rather than pushing through - the ladder works in both directions, protecting the joints on skill-heavy lifts.
- 5
The method transfers beyond the bell. The same earn-the-next-step logic applies to clubs, maces and really any coordination-heavy movement - it's a programming pattern, not a single exercise.
Coachway's take
We love this as a programming pattern, because the earn-the-next-step ladder is exactly what most online coaching of skill lifts is missing. Coaches are comfortable progressing a barbell by adding plates, then treat a kettlebell snatch or a mace 360 the same way - and it doesn't work, because the limiter is coordination, not force. Wildman's standard-before-you-advance rule is the fix, and it applies far beyond kettlebells: any lift where technique gates progress deserves a ladder, not a load chart.
Where we'd add nuance for a coaching business: this shines online only if you can actually see the standard being met. You're not in the room, so the ladder has to be paired with video check-ins - the client films the step, you confirm the standard is genuinely cleared before you unlock the next rung. Without that, "advance when it's clean" quietly becomes "advance whenever," and the whole safety mechanism collapses. The ladder and the form check are a package.
The honest limiter is client fit. Kettlebell and club work is fantastic for a home-based client with minimal equipment and the patience to drill a skill, and a poor fit for someone who just wants to get strong and lean with the least fuss and would be better served by simpler dumbbell or machine work. Match the tool to the person - the method is excellent, but it isn't for every client, and pretending otherwise turns a great progression into a frustrating one.
So our version of his approach is: for any skill-heavy movement you program, define the rungs and the standard to advance each one, assign the client the step they can own now, and only unlock the next after a video confirms the standard - progressing reps and quality before load, and regressing without ego the moment the pattern breaks.
Build the ladder once, assign the client the rung they've earned
A skill ladder only works if you can store the steps, show the client the right one, and check the standard remotely. Coachway's workout builder lets you save each rung of a kettlebell or club progression with its own demo video and rep standard, so you assign the client the step they've earned rather than the finished movement, and swap them up a rung when they're ready. Pair it with video check-ins: the client films the step, you confirm the standard is genuinely clean before you unlock the next one, and the whole progression stays as safe as it is on paper.
For related progression thinking, the companion breakdowns on Hampton Liu's calisthenics progressions and Brian Alsruhe's conditioning use the same earn-it, structure-it discipline with different tools.
The skill-progression ladder (build one for any skill lift)
A template you can copy to turn any skill-heavy movement - kettlebell, club, mace or a hard bodyweight skill - into an ordered ladder a client climbs. Fill in the rungs for your movement; the rules on the right are the earn-it logic that keeps it safe. The standards are your coaching call, not numbers from the video.
Skill-progression ladder
| Rung | Set it up | Advance when... |
|---|---|---|
| Break it down | List the ordered steps to the full movement | Each step is genuinely simpler than the next |
| Set the standard | A rep count + quality bar per step | The client hits it clean on video |
| Reps first | Own the volume at the current bell | Target reps met with control, not grind |
| Then load / variation | Add weight OR step up - never both | One change at a time, re-earn the standard |
| Regress on breakdown | Drop a rung if form slips | Standard returns before climbing again |
How to use it: write the rungs for your chosen movement, set a clear standard for each, and only unlock the next rung after a video confirms it's clean. Progress reps and quality before load, change one thing at a time, and regress without ego the moment the pattern breaks.
SKILL-PROGRESSION LADDER (via Coachway) - turn any skill-heavy lift (kettlebell / club / mace / hard bodyweight skill) into an ordered ladder - BREAK IT DOWN -> list the ordered steps to the full movement | advance when: each step is genuinely simpler than the next - SET THE STANDARD -> a rep count + quality bar per step | advance when: the client hits it clean on video - REPS FIRST -> own the volume at the current bell | advance when: target reps met with control, not grind - THEN LOAD/VARIATION -> add weight OR step up, never both | advance when: one change at a time, re-earn the standard - REGRESS ON BREAKDOWN -> drop a rung if form slips | advance when: the standard returns before climbing again HOW TO USE: Write the rungs for your movement, set a clear standard for each, and only unlock the next rung after a video check-in confirms it's clean. Progress reps and quality before load, change one thing at a time, and regress without ego the moment the pattern breaks. Standards are your coaching call, not figures from the video.
Programming kettlebell skills - FAQ
How should a coach program kettlebell skills for a client?
Treat the skill as a ladder, not a single exercise. Wildman's whole approach is to break an advanced kettlebell movement into ordered steps, give each step a clear standard the client must hit before moving on, and only then progress - first earning the reps at a given load, then the next harder variation. For a coach that means you never hand a client the finished movement on day one; you assign the step they can own now and define exactly what unlocks the next one, so progress is a staircase they climb rather than a lift they either can or can't do.
Is it reps or load you progress first with kettlebells?
Reps and quality first, load second - and that order matters more with a kettlebell than a barbell because the lifts are skill- and coordination-heavy. The sequence Wildman models is to build competence and volume at a given bell before reaching for a heavier one: the client demonstrates control across the target reps, then you either add load or step up to the next variation, not both at once. Jumping load before the pattern is owned is where technique breaks down and shoulders and backs get cranky, so the reps-then-load rule is a safety mechanism as much as a progression one.
Are kettlebells worth programming for online clients?
For the right client, yes - a single adjustable or well-chosen kettlebell covers strength, conditioning and skill in a small home space, which is exactly the setup a lot of online clients have. The catch is that kettlebell lifts are more technical than dumbbell work, so they only pay off if you coach them as progressions with video check-ins rather than just writing 'kettlebell swings 3x10' and hoping. Used well they're one of the most space- and time-efficient tools you can give a home-based client; used carelessly they're a quick route to a tweaked back.
How is this different from just picking a heavier kettlebell each week?
Linear load-chasing is the barbell-brain mistake applied to a skill lift. With kettlebells the limiting factor is usually coordination and positional strength, not raw force, so adding weight before the pattern is clean just entrenches a worse version of the movement. Wildman's ladder progresses along several dimensions - reps, then load, then a more demanding variation - so the client is always working at the edge of their competence rather than their ego. The bell gets heavier eventually; it's just not the first or only lever you pull.
More training breakdowns
- · Hampton Liu on calisthenics progressions - the same earn-the-next-step logic for bodyweight skills.
- · Brian Alsruhe on giant-set conditioning - structured work with loaded implements.
- · The full library: fitness creator coaching breakdowns.
Keep building skill progressions
all guidesHampton Liu on Calisthenics Progressions: Bodyweight Ladders for Coaches
Hampton Liu's progression-based calisthenics, broken down for coaches: how his shame-free pushup ladder works, and how to build a bodyweight progression system you can assign and track across a roster.
Read the guideExercise Progression and Regression for Coaches (2026)
Progression is the smallest change that keeps a client adapting; regression is the respectful step back that keeps them training. The nine progression variables, pattern ladders for six movements, and the decision rules for when to move.
Read the guidePersonal Trainer Programming: A Coach's Framework (2026)
Personal trainer programming is the deliberate arrangement of six variables - specificity, overload, volume, intensity, frequency and progression - into a plan that drives one chosen adaptation. The framework behind good program design, run for clients you coach remotely.
Read the guideFree tools for this: Macro Calculator · One-Rep-Max Calculator · Warm-Up Set Calculator
Assign the rung they've earned, not the finished lift
Skill ladders only work online if you can store each step and check the standard remotely. Coachway lets you save every rung of a progression with its own demo and rep standard, assign the client the step they're ready for, and confirm it's clean by video before you unlock the next. Start your 14-day free trial and build your first skill progression from one screen.
