Doc Rob squats and a Snatch PR tie.

Former training partner and newly minted Pro Strongman Rob Muelenberg paid Stones gym a suprise visit this mornig and pr's were had by all! Rob is squatted a very strong and deep 500 for a set of five with NO belt. The picture does not do his bottom position justice as he was ass to the grass with each one; my camera is just too slow!

He also has not squatted in a month.He was jsut keeping up with Nick who did 480 for 2 wiht no wraps and 500 for 4x2 no problem! I expect Nick to squat 625-635 in his next meet in December.

Snatch

26x5/5/5/5x2

36x5/5/5/5x2

44x5/5

53x6/6

x7/7

x8/8 =42 reps/round

five rounds= 210 reps ( ties old pr)

11,130 pounds!

these went great although it took me forever to warmup. I slept poorly (stupid cats!) and woke up pretty stiff, plus it is definitely getting cooler- fall is here.Went pretty fast and for the forth rounds sets of 8/8 I put the next set of 6/6 right behind it- no problem!

Much better 210 than the first time, had no appreciable loss of speed or power throughout. much better conditioning.excellent. Did the 210 last time on Aug 5 so just about 8 weeks ago. I thought it was a all time pr or I would have done another set. oh well.plenty more where that came from.

Halos

26x8/8

36x8/8x2

will weigh later when I have had enough fluids. SO good to see Rob and he says he will be coming by more often. Its always good to have serious lifters around whe you are training.

datsit staying loose.

Rectified.

Rehydrated well yesterday and made sure I had enough fiber and things are back to normal.

bw 162
bf 9.3%

5:30 am

20 minutes Rifga: focus on IT bands and calf.

Lots o snatches tomorrow early. I am thinking about 180 reps or so in a 6,7,8 ladder

High pull ladders.

Good thing I dont finish the way I start the workouts or I would never do another one again. Reality is back in full bloom and even though I started early today it mattered not: stiff and sore and slow to warmup. Its getting cool again and for the first time in my life I am missing the heat; a sure sign I am in decent shape. the fitter I am the better my heat tolerance.

High Pull Ladders
36x5/5/5/5x2
44x5/5/5/5

53x10/10
x12/12
x14/14
x16/16
x18/18
x20/10
x10/10( 200 reps in 11 minutes!) not bad and I wasnt watching the clock particularly.
x10/10
x12/12
x14/14
x16/16= 304 reps in about 17 minutes.
16,112 pounds!

this went very well. paced for the rest time instead of sitting and once I got warmed up( 100 reps or so!) I was very explosive. solid work and back on the way up, slowly. I will peak this volume at 400 reps, do the ROP ladder twice through.

Snatch holds
36x45 sec x2
44x45 sec x 2

this was tough for some reason after saturdays great session. shoulder abit tight.always feels better afterwards though

Rack walks
36#x 2oo feet left, 200 feet right arm 3 times 1200 feet.

not as easy as I had hope although knee was ok

One leg standing holds
One foot toe raises with 12 and 8 kb kb, sets of five done slowly.

these are defintely helping with full extension of my left knee and strength in the gastroc to hold it in full extension.will do these 3 x /week.

bw 161.6
bf 10.4% ( dehydrated,will rectify)

datsit, staying loose.

Woo Hoo 9.2

recent all time low, 9.2% bodyfat. Just a couple of scoops of haagen daz away from breaking 9%which is one of my goals. Would like to live between 8 and 9.5% instead of the 9.5- 11% I do now. No worries it is coming. Bodyweight is 161.8 lbs.

Pretty sore in the rear delts and lats from yesterdays pullup workout. Thought they had gotten a bit deconditioned.

5:30 am 20 minutes Rifga stretching. THose calf raises seemed to help yesterday as the left leg straightened out much easier so will keep them in.

Team World Gym at the 1991 Ironman Powerlifting Meet. What a great crew.My first real power meet and I squatted 534, benched 341 and pulled 440. The start of a great run.

The party's over.

AH, now I remember. Work, not enough sleep, fatigue. Real life, lol. Those two workouts on friday and saturday caught up to me and six clients in a row and I was tired going in. But this is the real stuff that builds the foundations from which peaks are made so I just dug in and suffered. I beleive that suffering is underrated as a training device. Definitely builds character as well as humilty.

Aleexev one said no one can be a true champion that hasnt been injured, as it is not the achieving of the win that counts, but the coming back from the loss to winagain that counts. I agree although I don't think that's limited to athletic competition at all.

I feel that everyday when I have to re learn how to walk or some stupid thing like that that 99% of us do unconciously. I just wish I didnt have to learn it so often.

Two Hand Low Swings
24 kgx15 reps x9 sets
135 reps
7155 pounds of work

these were very strong and felt like nothing( which they are) but the low siwng works perfectly as my normal arcs are so freaking long( those long arms and femurs. I can really be efficient and target the hips and the legs and the arms are perfectly straight. no biceps or shoulder issues with these and if I keep them low I hold a great arch as well, so no back issues either. Still have to keep my guard up with them for awhile. these bells can bite of that there is no doubt.

This is a good day although I can see the top range I predicted( 150) to go up pretty quicky as my conditions improves again.

Superestted with Tactical Pullups ( all paused)
5,7,9
5,7,8
4,6,6
4,4,4= 60 reps

now THIS is where I really felt the fatigue, as well as the decontioning. I've done less upper body stuff these last few weeks than anything.

Farmers Walks
2 20 kgs
200 ft laps x 4 sets

this was hard too as I was just beat. left calf was very tight as well. punched lefty.

One foot calf raise
bwx5
18#x5x2
bwx5

wanted to try these for the full extension position. I think soleus is tight and gastroc( I know ) is weak. Been doing the one foot stands for extension in the flat footed position and I think a few,low reps sets of these at the end might help a lot.The nerve innervation to the calf is bad and the inner head of the gastroc doesnt like to fire.

post workout the knee feels a bit straighter already.cool. at least it doenst hurt more.


RIFGA; 10 minutes

Heavy Bag
2 and half songs. calf is tight, ned to stretch

bw 161
bf 10.1%

Barefoot

I am really suprised by my body's reaction to training barefoot for the first time. I thought that the wrestling shoes I wore gave me little or no support but how wrong I was. The activation of the feet and the lower legs was dramatic! My rooting was instantly improved and my lower leg got way more of a workout; not to mention my quads!

This was a real suprise, that my quads would be more activated. My adductors too are more worked than normal, which does make sense but I was suprised it was my quads. I have a long way to go to get my feet even close to 'strong', but I will glady take 'better' any time.

I feel good from the last two days workout and stretched out this morning

10 min Rifga on hardwood floor( interesting feedback)
5 minute standing on left foot.
5 minutes overhead decompress hangs.

bw 160.4
bf 9.5% this is hanging around awhile. perhaps a shift?

Great self myofascial release article on T Nation

this is a great article with tons of graphic and video. I am getting a tennis ball tomorrow.

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1259323

Riding the wave.

Felt suprisingly good this morning for having lots of snatches a day early. decided to do some hi pulls and wave the weight and the reps.

High Pulls
36x5/5/5/5x2
44x5/5/5/5

round one
44x8/8/8/8 = 32 reps/1408#
53x6/6/6/6=24 reps/1272#
62x4/4/4/4= 16 reps/922#
round two
44x10/10/10/10= 40 reps/1760
53x8/8/8/8=32 reps/1696
62x6/6/6/6=24 reps/1488

round three
44x/10/10/10/10= 40/1760
53x8/8/8/8=32/1696
62x6/6/6/6=24/1488

totals=
44/ 4928
53/4664
62/3898

total pounds=13490
total reps 264
not bad at all. started to feel tired on the last round and I backed off. was thinking about 300 but discretion and all of that.lets not get greedy. Another barefoot session and i swear I can feel a big difference already. SO much more rooting,much more easily.much better leg contractions too,which makes sense.

snatch holds
36x60 sec
44x60 sec
53x60 sec

suprinsgly easy.

Halos
26x8/8
36x5/5x2

my shoulder was a little jacked up from yesterday but the snatch holds and the halos dropped it right back in where it is supposed to be.

bw 159.8!! havent broken 160 in a long time
bf 9.7% there it is!


back to my normal schedule on monday: two hand swings.

datsit,stay loose.

Naked Warrior

Yes I definitely remembering this peaking thing. Feeling ready to train, feeling strong, recovering quickly,taking big jumps and almost no warmups needed/. Wow, has it really been that long? Seems like I havent felt this in eons.

Was supposed to snatch tomorrow but I have so much energy I needed to workout today.Decided I have to start training barefoot to take my foot strength and stability to the next level. First time ever.I started out this path with an olympic boot with a heel and knee wraps. Went to wrestling shoes and no wraps and now the shoes are gone. Naked Warrior.I like it.

One of my favorite things about running was being way back in the arroyos of Santa Fe feeling like an animal myself with just shorts and shoes totally immersed in nature.

My feet are the weakest link in my chain now and its time to get em strong.

I knew it would be a good one. And it was.

Snatch
36x5/5x2

53x5/5x12 sets
x5/5/5/5
x5/5/3/3= 156 reps /8268/ 82 % of goal( 53x200 =10,600 # = 100%)

set out to train slowly as it was a day early and I did snatch on wednesday. too much enthusiasm always seems to get me hurt but- it wasnt snail paced either. I did 100 reps in about 17 minutes and really felt I could do back to back sets no problem which is NEVER the case with me. the last set was combined as I wanted to get the whole thing done under 30 minutes. Miscounted and should have done the last set combined for 160 total as well. no worries.

One foot stands: 30 -60 second holds working for full rooting and TOTAL knee lockout.Weight on medial arch. Don't need no stinking bosu the ground is unsteady enough for my left leg!~The key focus now is getting full extension in the knee, as well as more stability and strength at the same time. ten minutes

Sumo squat stretches: five minutes focused on opening hips, creating space and sinking down. have to be careful here as I get lower the already tight hammie and claf tighten more. have to go very slowly.

Bw 161.2
bf11%

no worries just dehydrated.Groove felt very solid today, all this work on my swings is starting to really pay off.

dats it, hi pulls tomorrow! barefoot worked great.

Akinori Nakayama

Akinori Nakayama. This is the guy who's responsible for getting me into gymnastics and down this physical journey I've been on for almost 35 years.Saw him lead the 1972 Japanese Team to Olympic Gold and my life has not been the same since.Turns out we share the same birthday.

The top picture, of his parallel bar swing illustrates why I love this guy. EVERYTHING was taken to the max, perfect form, perfect exectution and mechanics. His routines, by today's standards, were very elementary but done with such physical elegance and perfection you could only watch, spellbound, by the strength and artistry he displayed.

He also was the one who introduced me to the concept of Zen and the code of the Samurai, Bushido. Great stuff for a fourteen year old.

Lean and Mean

or maybe just cranky,lol. It's been so long since I peaked phsyically I've forgotten what it feels like. Woke up this morning with the metabolism still blasting on full.Havent seen my oblique insertions in a long long time. Ate up pretty well and it seems to just have made things hotter.Plus an actual workout helped.

I remember when I was cycling and I had yet to do a hundred mile ride. Everything up to 100 was tough. Then, we rode to Pescadero and back from Palo Alto and the total was 110 or 115 miles total. After that everything up to 100 miles was EASY. A mental and physical barrier was broken. Doing all that physical work this weekend and REALLY only having one meal( as opposed to the LONG one meal I have at home) pushed me over the edge and really burned some fat. How long it will last I dont know but it sure feels good now.

The next step off a peak

is always down. You either step back or you fall off. I chose to step back this time, for a change. Getting older has its advantages sometimes. Man I need this workout too as even though I worked my butt off this weekend it is NOT the same thing as training and I was starting to feel weird.

Standing and walking for twelve hours a day for four days is not my knees favorite thing but the old guy held on til monday, whereupon it said NO. So tons of stretching, massage and vibration tried to get it to unravel but I knew I just needed a workout. It pushes the reset button on my body.

Snatch Ladder
26x5/5/5/5x2
36x5/5/5/5x2

44x5/5
x6/6
x7/7
x8/8
x9/9
x10/10 :90 reps/3960#
53x5/5: 10 reps/ 530 #

total:100 reps /4490

Man these always feel rough when I havent trained it awhile.I had so many years of isolation training and with these creaky joints all the parts dont want to work toghether til they get nice and warm.

two hand swings
53x10x6 sets: 60 reps/3180 #

supersetted with Tactical pullups
6x5: 30 reps

finally warmed up and did these in true superset fashion back to back. my lungs were finally opening up. The swings were real easy just moving the parts. the pullups felt great.

one kb rack walk
36# x100 feetx6 laps: 600 feet continuous alternating arm rack side.

I knew that these would really help my gait spasticity as they always did. stopped just short as the achilles tendon and ankle were starting to say hi. Wore my tactical boots for the cert but thinking next time my usual wrestling shoes. I flatter heel. any kind of heels tightens up my already way too tight soleus even more.this is what is causing my knee pain and ankle instability. Be gone in no more than two or three days.

bw 161.4
bf 9.5% YEAH BABY!

nothing like one meal a day and walking and working your ass off for twelve hours or so to get the bf down.light too.

Oh yeah, lots of rifga stretching this am with hip opening squats now in the mix, both wide and close stance.

datsit, stayin loose

200 High pulls in ten minutes

I learned Friday that I needed to design and lead a ten minute workout on Saturday. I led a ten minute burner on Friday of alternating two hand swings and turkish getups( which I realized ten minutes before I had to do it!).

I hate getups as I can only do them on one side because of my right shoulder and they always aggravate my back but hey, I was on being tested too. No problem but I had to think about what I wanted to do for my own workout design the next day.

Chowing down in my hotel room that night( reuben sandwich, personal pizza and some carrot cake-yummm) I realized I had to make the workout my own, not a variation of maxwells or cotters or bretts. I decided to do what I usually do for simple volume; ascending ladders with the high pull. Then I realized that the ENter the Kettlebell Right of Passage was 200 snatches in ten minutes and this would be a great way to approximate that.

So the ladder was
10/10
12/12
14/14
16/16
18/18
20/20
10/10= 200

We paired up and went in an I go you go fashion, a true ladder. I used a Russian red 24 kg and blew through the 200 reps in ten minutes, a first. The first real test I've done lately. And survived it handily!

Those who used a 12 kg moved 5200 lbs, a 16 kg,7200 lbs , a 24 10,600 pounds and Omar and Mr Cotter who paired up with a two pood moved 14,400 pounds. AN elegant demonstration of the power of one simple bell and a lot of reps. My training had paid off for this. I definitely peaked for this weekend.

But I also learned how bad my hip, knee and ankle flexibility really is and that it is time to start working again on stretching out my squat. Not squatting but squat stretching. This left ankle will loosen up. I will give it no choice.I will seriously add this to my rifga routine.

back to real training tomorrow.

datsit.

A Goal achieved

As soon as I knew there was such a thing as a Senior Kettlebell Instructor Corp I knew I wanted to be among them. That dream was reached this weekend as Pavel named me as the newest Senior RKC Instructor. I lead a twelve person team all weekend through the certification process, designed and lead two tough workouts and got the full team leader experience. It was surreal to be with teaching and consulting with Pavel, Steve Maxwell, Steve Cotter, Brett Jones and Andrea DuCane.

My team was an amazing collection of great athletes and incredible regular people who just loved kbs and want to teach others how to do them. My assistants Doug and Sarah were just perfect as was pretty much the whole weekend. I just wish I had done the crucible with Steve Maxwell at the end as it would have been a perfect ending to my new appointment. I will do this at the next one to make up for it.

It was nonstop all weekend and my knee held up surprisingly well. My new gait technique served me well also.I only ate one meal a day and had tons of energy as well. It also brough my bodyfat to 9.3 % just now at the end of the day at 163.8lbs. I am so psyched I can't beleive it!

Mark Reifkind
SR RKC

RKC April 2005

In and Out

Always tentative about the last workouts before a competition or a physical challenge. Want to do enough to maintain condition and stay in the groove but not challenge myself or dip into reserves at all. This worked very well. Hot today too which was great. No fan, tons of sweat.

High Pulls
36x5/5/5/5/5/5

44x10/10x10 sets 200 reps/8800 pounds.

This was great.Fast and loose and I warmed up quickly. Had very good speed for a change and the groove was solid.

snatch holds

16kg x 1 minute 2 times each arm

really wanted to go on which is why I stopped.


Rifga stretch 10 minutes

bw 162.6
bf 10.4 %

Will be at the RKC this weekend. Back on Monday.

Scott Wilson

My training partner for five years and my World Gym partner for eight. I learned so much about real training and discipline from Scott it's unbeleivable. Great great guy.


http://www.schwarzenegger.it/mro/wilson.html

Rif

San Jose Open 1987 3rd place

about freakin time

bw 162.8
bf 9.7%

that took forever to get down. the stir fry's the key. mucho vegetables.

Sweat bath.

Wow. Havent had such good energy in a long time. Not being in constant pain does that I guess.
Also been enjoying walking a bit as every step doesnt hurt now. Lots of static stretching (rifga!:)) and my body is changing; getting smaller and leaner and compacting. I almost have all the joints open but there still is so far to go.

But I can tell I am in shape as I dont sit between sets now and trained today( 85 deg Plus) with no fan and just dug the sweat. I missed that the most these last five injured years. No squatting or dl volume and NO cardio means little sweat and sweat cleanses and heals.

When I dont mind the heat I know I am getting there. reminds me so much of my running, cycling days. especially the cycling,which is more muscular.

Two Hand swings
36x10
53x10

62x10x10 =100 reps = 6200 lbs

Superesetted with Tactical Pullups
4,5,6,7,8=30
3,4,5,6,7= 25
3,4,5,4,4= 20
75 total reps these were strong! I supersetted the last five sets with Farmers walks

Farmers Walks
2/36'sx200 feet 5 times= 1000 feet.

This was great as my knee didnt "adjust" badly even once the whole trip!

Heavy Bag/Southpaw

3 songs

Seems I am a lefty! this felt right for so many reasons. One, my strong right leg is now lead leg, using the left as the straight punch lets me push off my left toes to rotate TOWARDS the right, which is EXACTLY the counter -to- my -scoliosis rotation I need to train!Same with the left hook to the liver which seems to be one of the most dangerous punches their is!

Plus, being a lefty throws off righties . worked on lots of straight punches, jabs and combos as well as left and right hooks by themselves and tried to actually move my feet as I did this.Great sweat.

Rifga stretching 10 minutes on floor. left hammie got tight this am. oh yeah, stretched out ten minutes at 5 am. this so helps.

workout time = 80 minutes

bw 163.4
bf 10.9% started eating early yesterday and didnt stop much! LOL!all good stuff but a lot!


Actually going to start PLANNING an early feeding day on Sundays as I crave breakfast, my favorite meal of the day. I will eat early and fast the second part of the day. Just on Sunday. this is probably a good deviation.We'll see if I can stop, however!

datsit, getting ready for the RKC!

Mikey

125# and 145#, owner Steve Cotter.

In and Out

The longer you are "out" of balance, from either pain syndromes, length tension imbalances or orthopedic restrictions, the more it starts to see normal. It may be out of a normative "balance" but it is your balance and there it is.

I have always said give me a pain that I know over a new pain anyday. New pains in new and different places scare me much more than the same old knee, SI, rotator stuff. That being said I wonder what actually removing the restrictions does to the old "norm" now that its closer to plumb? New and different "noise" from muscles that havent been "awake" and firing in a very long time? I wonder.

As my left leg tracks more correctly and my knee bends better I am using my right leg in a different way than usual and my hallucis longis is talking to me. Actually I think the calcaneous is just not sitting right. I have to track it down and I think its the soleous/peroneals more than the hallucis itself. problem is seemingly NEVER where the pain is.

Dogens pool.

Peaking

If I didnt know better I'd say I am actually peaking. I am going to teach at the RKC this coming weekend and have been working to get in the best shape possible for the cert. Symptoms of peaking: usually heavy weights and loads feel light, energy is high, recovery is fast,previous tough workouts are done with decidely less effort, and you finish workouts feel strong and ready to do more! Of course figuring out the proper gait mechanics and having significantly less knee pain is also in that mix.

Snatch
26x5/5/5/5x2
36x5/5x2
44x5/5


53x6/6x15 sets 180 reps/9540 pounds

This was very strong and easy. made some tape grips and the large blister I have held up great! movements were strong and powerful.quick pace as well, only three of us rotating.

Ribbons/Halos
a great new move shown to me by Ken Black. Basically combines a chooping motion into a halo.I really like it. 5 sets of 15 with the 26/

Band pushdowns 100 reps/red band

bw 161.4
bf 10.4% (there ya go)

datsit,staying loose.

elite runners and mileage

http://www.powerrunning.com/Training/An%20Interesting%20Analysis%20of%20Some%20Elites.htm

Ken and Joe lift the Rif Stones

Got thechance to spend some time with Ken Black and Joe Sarti this afternoon and before they left they put the heaviest of the Rifs stones, the 125ler , on their shoulders. Nice to be young and buck strong.Ken put it up like it was 10 pounds and Joe had no problem at all. I took the picture, lol!

great guys both.

Guardians

Magnus, my Old English Bastard sword, keeps watch over Stones Gym along with the trophy from my favorite contest, the old Central Cal in San Luis Obispo where I did my first triple bodyweight squat. Next to that is one of the Rifstonians, weighing in about 125 and is fun to lift.

Also the first sign for Girya, The Art of Strength the first name of my Palo Alto studio which I opened in January 2003. Should've tradmarked that. Even though I'm Jewish I have Mary keeping watch over the place as well. Couldnt hurt.

The Zone

These are the days I live for and the reason I train. They come much fewer and farther between these days. In fact, I can't remember having one recently; the workouts are more a grind than anything.Of course, trying to train but NOT push too hard is oxymoronic, especially the moron part. It's like having one foot on the gas and the other on the brake.

And of course it comes on the heel of a shitty day. Good workouts never seem to come when I am ready for them, rested and focused and with expectations of strength power and good wind.They arrive on their own damn schedule when they damn well feel like it and if you dont like it so what? Nice to know they still care enough to come visit even once in awhile.

Been obsessing with powerlifting again and how I miss being that strong. Hell, I miss TRAINING to be that strong. Wanting to. Of course I am in the least amount of pain I have been in fifteen years and moving better everyday. Of course I feel the urge to fuck with it. Surviving the two hand swings didnt help and thinking about heavy squats always gets me going. THis will have to do as I like walking much better than even squatting.

And I think I might even taught my left leg how to walk correctly again! This could be the best physical news I've had in eons. Onto the workout:

KBHigh Pulls:
36x10/10/5/5
36x5/5/5/5
44x5/5/3/3
53x5/5

62x5/5/3/3x10 sets 160 reps, 9920 pounds
53x10/10/5/5
x9/9/4/4
x8/8/3/3
x7/7/3/3
x6/6/3/3=116reps,6148 pounds

276 reps 16,068 pounds!! Nice workload and good total number.


These just felt great. smooth and steady although not explosive until after the fifth set. The main thing was my energy was great; hardly sat down between sets at all and only took less than a minute between sets, which is rare for me. I had only counted on doing the 160 heavy ones but I had plenty left. No fan on today either and it was fine.LOTS of sweat.

Snatch holds
44 x 45 secs each arm 4 rounds.

These were very solid. ON right arm I sqqueezed the crap out of my right pec as I held the weight overhead. The more I released the pec tendon the more my shoulder dropped into the socket. This is a great technique.

Farmers walks with (2) 36's
200 foot laps 5 times 1000 feet.

This was a great time to practice the new gait technqiue and it held up great!started light on purpose with the 36's so as not to overload a new technque too much.1000 feet was it today as form was starting to begin to go. time to stop. BUT it worked very very well and its only been a few days. This is what I've been waiting for. Its been working its way down my leg for years and its time to go all the way out! I learn slowly but I dont quit and eventually figure it out.
My leg was so twisted, no wonder it hurt so much and wouldnt bend!

Heavy Bag
4 songs.

this feels really good to do, really natural. I am not getting tired at all and it feels like it is loosening up my arms.

RIFGA
ten minutes on the floor.Flexibility is really coming along and things are staying stretched out more. I have more energy at the finish than I did coming in. that hasnt happened in awhile. was in the gym for 1.5 hours and it was great. wasnt dying to get finished.


bw 161.6
bf 10.6

datsit staying loose.

125 Lb two hand swing

Venice Beach 2005 Not a bad position but my new technique keeps the arms straight and the bell is lower.

Two hand swing survival

I think I'm cool.really stretched out after the workout and again this am. awoke with no unusual back tightness and went right to Girya for 20 minutes of mat work. doing tons of thumb work lately and its taking its toll on my biceps and shoulders. that kills me more than hard training!

I just have to really go slowly on ramping up the loads in te 2 hand swing so I can adapt properly. I've been staring at the 96 lb monster at Girya and thinking" I can two hand swing that no problem". One step at a time.

I am walking MUCH better after analysing that gait analysis article and really grokking the correct leg rotations and positions during each phase of the gait cycle. Of course I was doing it backwards much of the time and externally rotating the femur and the tibia during foot contact.

Doing the opposite made and immediate difference in both my knee pain on contact and stability in the mid and full support phase.THIS is the info I needed. ALso confirmed I was correct in my assumption that the posterior tibialis was problematic in this and it was; locked short it was restricting my tib from internally rotating inthe swing phase and making me hit in external rotation.

still have work to do re patterning my gait as well as flexibility and bodywork to relieve more tensions but at least now I know which direction to go in. AMazing as well, when my postural positions are correct so much of the muscle tension dissapears with NO bodywork or foam rollers.
The low swing. yea.

Double knee bend

great post on crossfit about the double knee bend and athletics


http://www.coachesinfo.com/category/strength_and_conditioning/366/

The Power Squat of Swings.

Hopefully I didnt just screw myself. I could not face doing lots of cleans today as they work my arms more than anything and my arms are tired. Been doing TON of bodywork lately and they are shot. And I have been itching to put some form of squat back into the mix even though I should be satisfied with what I have.I so miss being a powerlifter.But my squat pattern needs way more flexibility, stability and mobility work before I ever load it so I decided to do some two handed swings, the power squat of kettlebell swings.

I have had back issues from these in the past which I why I dropped them from the mix, finally.Flexion is the problem as well as loading my back and hips bilaterally.But I have been demoing these lots at work and though I might be ready to tolerate them. Man I hope so.It's such a basic power drill. Much like a good power squat.real simple so you can go real hard.Hard is good.

Tracy does all low swings, where the bell comes up between the crotch and the navel and its a serious efficient stroke. SO much hips and legs and the back stays nicely in extension. LOTS of sitting back though, like the power squat. Like the second pull of the olympic snatch or clean, which creates more watts of power than ANY OTHER MOVEMENT KNOWN. Amazing. So I decided to use that technique. whole lots less pull on my shoulders as well. we'll see if its too much hips for my back.

Also, with the low swing I can fully lock my elbows which is hard to do as the bell swings higher.I have really long arms and small feet( base) I always want to pull the bell into a vertical arc except for this style. this may work. it sure is mainly hips and legs.

Two hand swings
36x10x2
44x15

53x15x9 sets 135 reps 7155 pounds.

Supersetted with tactical pullups( long pauses in bottom)
5,6,7,8
4,5,6,7
3,4,5,6= 66 reps

suprsingly strong today. I way hung out inthe stretch hang position,which I have been rushing lately, to get more reps. A big mistake. work the stretch.

Waiters Walks
26# kbx 4 lap sets x3= 1200 feet
no rest between arms

Heavy Bag

3 songs( ala Bill Fox style)

this works great. Bag is hung properly and I'm on plywood. this was fun actuallygot a rythym and lo and behold I actually started moving my feet towards the end. wrapped my hands today and wore bag gloves. cannot afford to mess up my hands or wrists!

bw 163.4
bf 10.4%!!

LOL, As my weight goes up my bodyfat goes down. hilarious.

datsit , here's hoping I dont lock up :))

gait mechanics

this is a GREAT analysis of gait mechanics and I really need to study this in depth. I didnt realize how critical and detailed the movement of the foot/ ankle was to proper gait. duh, of course but who knew?
I immediately got pain relief in one stance support by rotating my femur internally on footstrike instead of whtever the hell else I was doing!WHen you have bad joints natural movements arent natural anymore and pain cycles can cause a really bad downward spiral of motor patterns.

Have pain, change the pattern, pattern is not good, have pain and repeat, ad infinitum.Knowing exactly where the bones ar esuppsoed to go during each movement really helps me do it correctly when the knee acts up or the bones move out of position.

I also go how the foot turns from a 'mobile adaptor' for the ground to a rigid source of force generation during the contact phase to the full support phase. this is critical when the knee is painful if loaded inproperly.I am very excited about this information.


9 am RIFGA stretching 20 min
Bosu ball two foot stands/stretching ankles.


http://www.drpribut.com/sports/spgait.html

Hard style.

I've been trying to decide lately what direction I want my training to go in, in regards my snatch training. If I go towards the Rite of Passage ten minute challenge, or a USSST, I need to really focus on upping the rep count, on a per set basis as well as a total volume level. Since this will be strength endurance training I need to lower my explosiveness and focus on a controlled force output preparing me to go ten minutes.

Trouble is I just dont like training this red fiber way. I guess I really am a white fiber type at heart.That's what I so loved about WSB training. Low reps per set really let you( and FORCE you) to go all out each rep.Volume is moderate as you can't do that many reps when you are going 100% force on each rep and I have to get past that ,lol. I mean with WSB squat training we only did 8-10 sets of 2 in the squat. and single on max effort day.

The only way I like going low intensity is when it is low enough to disassociate and cruise. cant do that with a KB!And even if you can I dont really like it.

Did five only in the snatch today and really focused on compensatory acceleration on each rep. No holding back or trying to find the most efficient ( shortest) stroke. If anything I sat much deeper than usual trying to get more of a pendulum swing, and more momentum going. Felt great!

I might be able to go back to the JB snatch/press technique with this, which is even a MORE powerful jump.

Snatch 9 am
26x10/10x2
36x5/5x2
44x5/5

53x5/5 x15 sets = 150 reps/7950 pounds.

High Pulls
53x10/10x3 sets 60 reps/ 3150 pounds.

this was very good, took about 10 sets to get really explosive( hey its early and I'm old!) but when it did they were flying. much more natural too.


halos
26x12/12 x3 sets

bw 160.6 !!!
bf 11.2%!!!

man this is weird! I am eating cleaner than ever! Of course it is early in the day and I've had less than half the water I usually have on weekdays when I weigh in but this is strange.I feel good so I will continue and screw the scale. I like being closer to 160 though, that's good.

datsit staying loose.