Levi Markwardt, Trainer

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Spirit Lake, IA
Levi Markwardt, Trainer

IKMF Judge & MSWC. KB & BW focused training. IG: & linktr.ee/levishtktraining

11/22/2025

I've shared this before but every week is like groundhogs day... or week 🤔

"Is kettlebells all you do?"
"What's your split look like off camera?"
"How much you deadlift?"
"What do you do for chest?"
"What's your stack look like?"

Friends, what you see me do is what i do. I wish i had the time, ability & recovery to do more training off camera. As a business owner, elected county official, husband, father (i should've put those first 🤦‍♂️) & aging, aching man, these half hour sessions are more than enough.

What's the difference? My challenge to you is to patiently match the consistency & intention while eating the food necessary to support the goals you have.

What about cold plunge? Red light therapy? Hyperbarics? Body scans? New training equip? Wearables?

I don't know, they arent for me. My KBs are enough. Programming matters. The tool matters but its also how you use it. That new leg press or chest machine isn't going to change your life.

What about supplements? Maybe. But I reccomend you learn to prepare your meals at home first.

What about TRT? Ask your Dr. I'm not against it & will likely start when necessary. I'll let you know when i do. Until then I'll keep doing what I'm doing

Train smart, eat well, be consistent, embrace patience & see what happens 🤷‍♂️ do that for 10+ years and you won't be disappointed.

It's not always about what you can add or all the fancy gadgets, equipment & fitness marketing hacks. There are no shortcuts without consequence.

11/01/2025

upgrdes incoming! Website updates. More services. Training at home with will be "easier" than ever 💪

Big thanks to 🙏

10/02/2025

19 yrs ago today (10.2.06) was my Day 1. As Ive shared countless times, my Dad had passed earlier that yr (5.30.06) at the age of 50 from pancreatic cancer. I was medically obese & a bad weekend or two from 300lb.

Im grateful to have been introduced to & his communication at that time in my life. His methods changed everything for me & got my eating habits on the right path

Later, introduced me to hardstyle training & that ignited a fire in me i didnt know existed. Making the switch to leads us to today. Training to compete & stepping onto a platform has opened my eyes to a world (including business) i didnt know existed. Thank you 🙏

Existing in illness to thriving in life. I could have never imagined this life Im blessed to live 19 yrs ago. I think about my Dad everyday. I miss him terribly. But I dont live this life w/o his passing. He gave me everything with his passing. That's what good Dad's do - set their children up for success.

The last 19 yrs have been a whirlwind of trials & adaptation. Sometimes I kill it. Sometimes its "WTF are you even doing right now?" But what I do know is I have a relationship with .markwardt that I wouldnt trade for anything. Its developed through this process. And all I need to say is, thank you Dad, for everything ❤️.

09/02/2025

Lets talk - paced in linked vid
min 1) every 4"
min 2) 3 every 12"
min 3) 5 every 20"
min 4) 8 or 7 every 30"
min 5) 15 for time - x5 rounds

375 in 24'40" r1'20" + 25 in 1' to = 400 in 27'
https://youtu.be/w6k9p5ArD0A

I get a lot of questions regarding how I do my burpees - hands on KBs, feet on a box, no jump. I've answered before but here goes, again 😉

Sport KBs are 11in off the floor & allow my hands/wrists to be in a more advantageous position vs floor. When you do the amount of reps I do (both burpees & KBs in hands/on arms), limiting unnecessary wear & tear helps. I kick my feet up to a box to mitigate any pushup advantage by having my feet at least the same height as hands (similar to the floor). The higher my feet above hands the more "intense" each pushup. Don't read into this - 11in KB & 14in box (this vid) is negligible

Also, keeping my body off the floor is MUCH easier on my knees because it lessens the ROM of each rep. In Nov '24 I tore Rt Med meniscus. In May '25 I tore Lt Lat meniscus. In Aug '25 I re-aggravated Lt Lat. Each time requiring a cortisone shot. And I cannot tell you how many prolozone shots in that same time period. Its also why I only stand vs jump. It's why I haven't lunged or squatted in forever. It's why I don't run/jog. I'd rather do this form of burpee than no forms of burpee. This kind of session becomes my "running"

They are "easier" in that less ROM allows me to move faster. I do reps for time intervals (AMRAP), set numbers, specific numbers "for time" (last 25 here as example) & paced (this session). Moving faster is good for my "cardio" & allows me to get more pushups

There is always someone who says, "that's not a burpee!" Fine. But Burpees are my GPP, not my event. I'm not going to compete in burpees. But I will continue to reap the benefits of my version

Also, when done well, they flat out work. Bells & Burpees... who knew 🤷‍♂️

08/20/2025

Rant

Ive come a LONG ways in my pursuit of wellness. Its been a massive under taking & i really needed to forget a lot of what i thought i knew concerning both training & nutrition. Im forever grateful for this process. As always, for the re-education, for the intro to KBs & for the submersion & life altering path of TRAINING with KBs

I honestly dont know my BF%. Until last Mon, its probably been a dozen yrs since tested with calipers. My best guess was 12-13% but wouldnt be too surprised at 15%. That's just based on my lived experience. 100% guess. Slide 3 is AI app which again, who knows & likely not. Used for comparison

As a retired wrestler, weight always mattered. It does in GS too. As a former turd, weight matters. I mean, it shouldnt any more, but it does. Ive used the same scale from my known high of 288lb (left july '06) to 206lb (right today). Ive used it for online KB comps & to cut for in person comps with great consistency

My Doc wanted my to try the Styku scan. Its a fasted scan & claims accuracy 1-2% of DEXA. Sounds legit. So i was shocked to see 216 (i weighed 210 on my scale Fri). I went back to my gym & weighed 210 🤷. Also a shock, 20.8% BF. So i looked into DEXA, the "gold standard". If you really want to know your BF, MRI seems to be the only worthy test. But $$. DEXA seems to do a great job with mass population but not individuals. Muscle mass, bone density & hydration levels can throw it off higher. I read from 4-10% 🤔

What's my point? A few years ago this would have crushed me. All this hard training & food sacrifice for what? This?! Thank God Im mentally healthy enough to just land on pi**ed. Not great but better

A better solution? A quality scale with consistent weigh-in time. + a mirror. Ask yourself honest questions: How do i feel? Do i need to lose BF? Am i happy with my aesthetic? Change what needs changing. Adjust when needed. My weight & BF are what they are. 206 or 216. 12% or 21%. this is my aesthetic & performance at 47. More info isnt always beneficial

08/02/2025

posted a vid on useless exercises last wk (YT). He included the KB &

My friend did a reaction vid & included some of my work 🙏 this generated comments - both positive & negative. Some related to me (steroids 🥴) & some to KBs in general. The irony of the steroid comment on a vid featuring Dr Mike & not referring to Dr Mike is hilarious. No shade Dr Mike 👊💪

Im not arguing for the swing or getup in this post. I think both movements are overrated. Especially when compared to their marketing (& i like the getup). KB marketing is the WORST. I feel its because of the marketing & cult behavior generated that KBs arent taken seiously by other training communities. It also seems they always default to (swings/getups) vs (the sport of KB lifting) which has standards & benchmarks. Exercising with KBs is not the same as training to compete with KBs. I mean, duh, right? 🤔

Whether youre exercising with HS methods or training (GS) there can be a huge ROI with KBs - just like the other methods. The argument you cant gain size & strength with bells is absurd. At 47, im ok with trading elite & absolute for the additional & that training with KBs has provided me. Forever team

Lean Lens is an AI bodyfat app that is kind of fun to play with but I have no idea if its even kinda accurate. I assume i walk around approx 12% at 95kg. Results = KB training efforts while maintaining a consistent diet. No BBing, PLing, or enhanced sups 💯

I may not be close to stage ready or even "strong", but Id welcome the 🥜 gallery to do some sets 😆

07/27/2025

9 participants in house at one time is largest group yet!

7 LC
28 (14+14) HSn
10 Burpees
- 13 rounds
7 LC
8 Burpees
- 1 round

600 total reps (600 is Officer Ledesma's badge number & 7/28/10 was his EOW).

first few sets were rough until back loosened up. early session for me to have 64kg OH 😳

im very humbled & blessed (& exhausted) to have this many members (4 have already completed) to show up & nearly die in honor & celebration of my friend.

we went a day early due to workout length & work schedules. i guess not everyone owns a gym 🤷‍♂️

Remember, all are welcome at tomorrow to participate! Non-members as well. Its a celebration of life so dont forget to have fun! Also, if you participate remotely, dont forget to take a pic so i can share 🫶

https://youtu.be/9aIpj1kr2tU

Address

1808 Jackson Avenue
Spirit Lake, IA
51360

Telephone

(712) 336-4040

Website

http://www.levishardertokilltraining.com/

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