Dang near perfect

This is about perfection from my era of gymnastics. Check out the bottom position of his TRIPLE back somersault. Crazy knees

3 days of Bikrams and some decent snatch numbers

It's been a long time since I made it to three yoga classes in a week much less three days in a row, but that's what happen starting Monday. And it went great. I've seen to crossed a line in my practice that I can now train it without creating too much tweaking in my knee or back. I try to look at it as active recovery and not loading as the resistance actually doesnt change; although one could say it does as you create more tension in each posture or push the depth or both.the workload certainly varies.
Sunday at 8 was detox and I sweated well and was suprisingly 'there' mentally with good concentration and breath. Monday at 12 noon was VERY strong with a great teacher who really paced us well and gave solid cues. Teachers can eitther pull you along or stop you in there tracks with their cueing, rythym ( or lack thereof) and knowledge of the dialogue and the real anatomy that they are talking about.Monday at 12 was TOUGH and it was all I could do to get through the 90 minutes and not tear my ears off listening to the teacher really throw us off any possibility of getting a groove , taking each pose WAY too long, and, on top of it, not giving us near enough time in savasana( the dead body pose) which is so important for blood recirculation.
Bugs the crap outa me. BUT I made it through three straight days with each day feeling more like my body was finally getting the essence of each of the postures, relative to how I should do them.
Of course I got to train each time with my beautiful Yogini wife Tracy kicking butt right next to me :)) It gets old hearing the teacher compliment almost each one of her poses every time.LOL, just kidding,I'm so proud :))

And today was snatch day, some volume with the 24 kg and I was determined to get at least 150 reps as the last few weeks totals have been so paltry. I am advancing well on my 50,000 snatch reps( I believe I have 43,00 plus) and I need every rep I can. Plus if I ever plan on doing a ten minute test again I've got to get the total volume up to at least 200 reps per session. I beleive I need 250-300 to do 200 reps in ten minutes and thats a ways off .
But today things felt solid and it was great to train in the almost re modeled Girya. It has a WAY more serious look and feel and the giant KB art isnt even up yet!Black blue grey and steel are the colors and its shaping up fast.

Snatch
16 kgx5/5x2
20 kgx5/5

24 kg x5/5x14 sets
x5/5/5/5x1 set
150 reps
8100 lbs

a very nice workload and the sets were easy with 30 sec or so between sets.Tracy was doing very solid press workout for 5/5 with the 14 kg and we went 'I go you go' so my pace was decently fast. Hate that. I miss the heavy singles with 10 minutes between sets of my powerlifting days, lol.

handstands superset with 2 clubbell swipes
handstands were worked against the wall for the start then free held emphasizing getting my hollow position back in my thorax. All those years of arching hard in power squats and benches have locked my ribs with a huge arch. it will take time to re open up my hollow position for handstands and hs pushups.

Clubbell swipes
2 sets of 20 with 10 lbs then 3 sets of 15 with the 15's.
I liked this combination and can't wait til my 20's get here! only have an hour for the workout so with my need for warmup I could use another 20 minutes or so. soon.

datsit.

Snatch Vo2; 20 kg sets for the first time.

One more week of training in the garage gym without Tracy as Girya gets redone but I knew I had to actually DO a max vo2 workout or watch my decent level of conditioning with the eights slide down a slippery slope. Now Nick has been used to Saturdays being our heavy snatch day and he doesnt ever DO max vo2 work but too bad so sad; today we were going to push it a bit. At least for him
My right elbow flexors are still a bit sore from getting tweaked on the 36 kg press so I didnt want to do too much volume so I thought doing perhaps I would do some sets with the 20 kg and that would end Nicks torture a bit earlier than if I used the 16kg the whole time. It worked out really well and I now know I will be including 20 kg mvo2 work in the future. My training partner told me she had thought the same thing; that it was time I started working with the 20kg occasionally too. Great minds think alike :))

Snatch vo2 15:15
12kgx5/5x2 ( it was COLD today)
16 kg x5/5x2

20kg x 6 x20 sets/ 120 reps 5280 lbs
16 kg x8 x20 sets/ 160 reps 5760 lbs
300 reps
11,040 lbs total

This went very well. As I thought might be the case, going to the 16 kg,even for 8's after working with the 20 would make it fly up and it did. Takes me forever to warmup and today the garage was particularly cold as well. If I wasnt concerned aobut pushing my arm too much I would have done another ten sets easy. very happy.
Both Nick and I will be training Max Vo2 at Tracy's class at Girya now on Saturday mornings, this will be great. Nick will get his ass kicked but that's perfect, actually,lol.

Two handed clubbell swipes
6 sets of 10 each side.

waiting patiently for my new 20 lb clubbells to arrive and didnt bring the 15's home from girya so it was two handed reps. not a bad variation at all.

datsit.

Balancing Tension and Relaxation.

Or, put another way, strength and movement. I pressed my brand new 36 kg today, on both sides, after 100 snatches with the 24 kg and not a whole lot of sleep. But the question is, as is said so often, is just because you can doesnt mean you should.
I've been very excited about regaining my pressing ability again, or should I say ,some pressing ability, and what happens when some lost function of mine comes back online again after a long absence is that I tend to go too hard, too often too fast.
Almost did that today as I slightly tweaked my right forearm, for no damn good reason, after I finished the press.I did the same thing on the other side, two weeks ago( right before the HSV) seminar cleaning the 40 kg.
My problem is, as it is for many people, including injured ex athletes, is that you don't where the line is until you have crossed it. and many times that means making the lift easily but having applied too much tension into the movement and coming up tweaked.
I have known for quite awhile that too much tension in my already too strong wrist flexors, elbow flexors and shoulder flexors ends up with restricted ROM in my shoulders and pain in my right one.
I have to carefully balance out the tension(strength) work I do with a greater amount of relaxation work for the same areas. I tend to do well with this until I start feeling good, and healthy( yes you read that right) and STOP doing enough of the boring stretching/corrective exericse pre/rehab work that GOT me back to function in the first place.Yes, I am human after all :))
For the last couple years I had so much problems associated with ANY tension in my torso and arm flexors that I cut out ANY pressing and or tension exercises. Worked well and now I can press again, it seems, but not too much and not too heavy.
The next step off of a peak is always down and today was a peak that started in August at the San Diego cert when I realized I could bottoms up press and ended today with a solid press of the 36 kg. I weight about 157 so that's not a bad ratio and the thing motored up.
BUT, with my right arm it got a little bit out of the groove and, like the seasoned competitor that I am, I ignored it , righted things and just "made it work".ANd tweaked myself a bit in the process. Nothing that a bunch of massage, stick work, stretching, Z drills, yoga, more stretching won't fix quickly but I got the message.
Just like I CAN snatch the 28 and 32 kg bells, I will not any longer because the risk is not worth the reward and when the going gets tough I just ignore my body signals and get it done. Great for young competitors but not for old guys who need basic function more than new pr's.
That being said I will continue to press, I just need to back off again and recycle. I also want to focus more on the handstands and hs presses as well.
I know I CAN press the Bulldog, I just don't know if the pieces will hold together after I do. There's plenty of time for that.
Maybe.
Tracy was killing her presses with the 14 kg and it's amazing how much progress she has made with the strict version of this lift in such a short time. I love training with her :))

Snatch
16 kg x5/5 x2
20 kgx5/5
24 kg x 5/5 x9 sets
x10/10x 1 set
110 reps
5830 lbs

these went really well.I am getting used to training at Girya now and these felt really strong ane effortless. I wanted to do more but I know I was going to press the 36 so I wanted to save something for it. Cardio was solid too.

KB Military press
24 kg x1/1
28 kgx1/1
32 kgx1/1
36kgx1/1 PR!! All time.

these went very well and i was happy I warmed up with the snatches so well. it made a difference.

Clubbell torch swings

2 10 lb cbs x 10
2 15 lb cbs x10 x 3 sets

these definitely helped my tweaky right elbow into full extension.

Handstands

4 sets 20 second. very strong.

datsit

Volume snatches and bikrams

Nick was back today so I didnt get to train snatch vo2 with Tracy, and I really missed it. SO I compensated by doing some basic volume work with sets of 16 reps and maximal acceleration and not a too long rest period. We went "I go, you" and I did sets of 8 reps per arm , 16 per set and it was too easy. Amazing that last week I did the same work in half the time, lol. Then I find out that Tracy did 30 sets of 8 and 32 sets of 7 in snatch vo2 with the SIXTEEN KILO ( same weight as me ) and I really felt weeny. Back to training with the swing queen at Girya next week and more serious volume.
BUT , the workout was decent, volume wise, and technique and power wise, so I can't complain. The sixteen is a freakin light weight for me after all. It better be.

Snatches
16 kg
15 sets of 8/8
4 sets of 8/8/8/8
1 sets of 8/8
320 snatches
11,520 lbs

not bad.

Bikrams
A couple hours later I did a Bikrams class and had a very solid practice.Yoga training has been going really well lately and I was actually looking forward to the class; even after 300 plus snatches.My body felt relatively balanced and relatively flexible and my mind stayed relatively calm throughout the ninety minutes. Tracy's practice is rocking these days and having her energy by my side always helps. It really is cool to see/feel it down so right right next to you. She could easily be a teacher. And a great one. She knows her practice from the inside out.I think she will teach some day. But for now her practice just really inspires mine with it's strength, grace, ease and beauty.Take a picture.
My left leg lockout in standing forward head to knee continues to improve and that's great. cardio is pretty solid now too and I need to keep this momentum going.It's so nice to finish a practice and NOT worry that my lower back is going to tweak at any moment or my knee is going to lockout up at any moment. Yoga as recovery. This is what I want it to be. And to have that ease after a hard kb workout is twice as satsifying.

datsit.

Restoring lost physical function

This is the name of my dvd that was shot a few years ago at the Level 2 RKC and what has been the primary focus on my existance since a serious back injury in 2000 really brought to my attention just how asymmetrical and out of balance I had become after 26 years of competitive training and competitions.
I completely credit Pavel Tsatsouline , the KB and his methodology of training ,called the RKC ,with helping me to start my journey back to physical balance ( by using an asymmetrical tool no less,lol) and strength and health.
That started in 2001 when I got my first kettlebell and has continued to reach new levels of physical mobility, flexibilty, strength and the ability to do again movements I thought might be lost forever. Especially the ability to train with tension and train some strenght moves again.
And not paying a serious pain price for days afterward. That part is REAL important.
I could always DO the workout, I would just lose all kinds of function and be in serious pain for days after, that's all,lol.
This recovery reached a new high today as I did double kb presses for the first time in EONS; and did them strongly and with good shoulder mobility. And NO teres pain.
Then I went on to train my free handstands and knew without a doubt that I would not only regain( have) my ability to do the best skill I ever had, that I would also be able to do straight arm straight leg handstand presses but freestanding handstand pushups as well.Today was a test; the ability to press both bells similtaneously would really show me if my torso mobility had improved enough to handle bilateral pressing again.
I have been pleased as punch to be able to do single arm kb military presses again but knew I wouldnt have a chance at HS pushups until I could do double presses. This need to constantly and consistently improve is exactly what got me hurt in the first place but it is who I am, even if the improvement is some variation of some silly rehab movement that I am embarassed to think about.So I HAVE to go more slowly than I want.
But my extremely lessened time required on both the foam roller and the thumper tell me things are going in the right direction for sure. Many ways to the same goal.
Crucial to this,imo, is to work on all aspects of your goals at the same time, spending the most on your weaknesses. This is what turns them into strengths.For so long flexibility( or lack thereof) was my weakest attribute and what I have focused most on, as well as trying to removing excess tension in the skeletal muscles by various myofascial release methods, stretching and yoga. It is working.Has worked. Will continue to work until I am as square, plump and neutral as I need to be and then I will maintain that. Have to.Hurts too much if I don't.Big motivator there.
All this was after 24 kg snatches and getting to train with the KB Swing queen was great again. SO SO cool to have my love as my training partner I can't tell you. She is tough as nails and cuts me no slack. Nor herself.
She also has dived into her weakness as she is training tension skills for the first time and has honored me by allowing her to coach her.Progress is undoubtable.
We are completely revamping Girya as HKC Central and for Tracy's and Jordan's class needs and everything is very exciting.I am training there for the first time ever and it's great.The studio will become the KB dojo I've always wanted :))

Next will being able to train my squat again. Hey,miracles happen, I know this to be true.

Snatch
warmup:
16 kgx5/5x2
20 kgx4/4

worksets:
24 kg x 5/5
x 6/6
x 7/7 x 3 rounds
x5/5 x2 rounds
128 reps
13,568 lbs

Man this felt heavy for the first few sets, still not used to training the heavier bells mid week but it was fine after the first few sets. was going to do more reps but hands were a but hot( lost my file!) and wanted to get onto the double presses and see if they would work! Not a bad snatch number for me at all.Form felt very solid.

Double KB press( one clean per set)
12 kgx3
16kx3
20kgx3
24kgx3!! very easy. very.
20 kg x5

this was so exciting,especially that they were so strong. I am going to cycle three presses( just like WSB max effort days): 1) single kb military press, 2) double kb military press 3) and bottoms up press.
I will also add in Handstand pushups when the time is right. I am also going to start doing pushups again, another thing I was very very good at and havent been able to do safely for years.This will probably be an assistance exercise for awhile.

handstands
( against wall) 2 sets of 20 seconds
free standings
LOTs( tracy was taking pictures, LOTS OF handstands)

these went well and I can really see from the pictures JUST how tight my shoulders and shoulder girdle still is and how much work I still have to do re; throacic mobility BUT it's a start. A great great start and I am very happy :))

Doubling up.

Not only made it through my Bikrams practice yesterday after a pretty tough snatch Vo2 workout but had a stellar practice to boot. Attitude made all the difference( as well as my back cooperating!) and finally getting some momentum back in my training cycle. It's amazing to me how much difference it can make missing or making a few workouts in a row!

I didnt know how well my arms would work in the first part of the series after all those snatches, swipes and handstands but they held up pretty well.

The key improvement for me of late in Bikrams is in my weakest and least favorite movement the standing forward head to knee(standing on my left leg).

Since my left knee doesnt full extend or bend it's been a real struggle trying to figure out what to do and how to progress( or regress) the posture since the cueing states that " the posture doesnt start until the standing leg is LOCKED".

or as Bikram says "Lock the damn knee, lock the damn knee, lock the damn knee".

Okay, well what if it doesnt lock?

I've tried it allkinds of different ways and I finally decided to eat some humble pie and go all the way back to the most basic of basic positions, locking myknee as best as I can with full weight over the whole foot with my right leg taking as much weight as necessary to lock out the left leg.

Now this sums up just how weak the left knee and the muscles are with the leg locked but that's where it is, and ,suprisingly, I have made progress with this technique.When I first started I needed the entire right foot on the floor to lock out the left knee. Yesterday I was down to just the big and second toe and the left leg was locking out pretty well. Soon I will be able to hold the knee locked with my right leg off the floor a bit.

Now, considering I can do the entire pose pretty well on my right leg this is not that much fun to do but the right thing to do.It just sucks being the only one in class in this most beginning of beginning positions.But I am finally making progress in the pose, don't dread it like I have, and it doesnt hurt my back or lock up my left hamstring. Good stuff overall.

Getting through a class now doesn't feel like such an exercise in survival but another workout, where I can moderate the intensity of what I am doing by how I feel going in and it doesnt require three days of recovery and tons of specialized stretching to recover from it.

Hell, I feel like I could practice again today if I wanted.I'm not going to but I could, and that's the key.Progress is going in the right direction ,and as anyone who knows me knows, trendline is what is important to me.

One is either getting stronger or weaker, there is no standing still.All that matters is direction even though I also realize that sometimes going backwards IS going forwards. A Zen koan for sure, but in general the above statement is true.

It also always helps to be practicing every time with such an amazing Yogini as my wife is. I get better just being next to her as she goes effortlessly and strongly at the same time through her practice. She has such a high standard for her practice that she is way tough on herself if she doesn't hit everything perfectly everytime but as I said, I get stronger and better just seeing how things are supposed to be done right next to me and feeling her energy.

I never thought I would love yoga, much less Bikrams , as much as I do but I have come to really enjoy it in ways I never imagined, EVEN the group class element.Maybe it's just me getting older but the group energy and the admonitions of the teachers really help pull so much out of me than I can myself these days. Any port in a storm, eh?