Saturday, October 20, 2007

One arm swings and a surprise.


Swings are the base. No where to run, no where to hide; just pure work. I should have known to be wary, I felt great this morning. Slept well, no real pain or body issues,plenty ofmental prep time but man that 32 kg kicked my ass! Of course yesterdays 30 minute clubbell workout probably didnt help as my hips and glutes felt worked much earlier in the session than normal but I hit a solid new pr and am on my way to 300 one arm swings with the 32kg.

One arm swings
16 kg x5/5/5/5x2
24kgx5/5/5/5

32 kgx
6/6/6/6
7/7/7/7
8/8/8/8
9/9/9/9
10/10/10/10
11/11/11/11( pr)
6/6/6/6
6/6/6/6
252 swings pr
18,144 lbs

niiice. but man I was sucking wind for the 9's 10 and 11 rep sets. hips were pumped and just wanted to shut down. was really concentrating on hip snap and leg drive for each rep and it make it much harder.Just the point though.This is the third week up in this cycle so I will take a down week next week with the 28 kg and some lower rep sets.
Short cycle One kb JERKS
This was a surprise. My right shoulder ROM and flexibility has been coming along so nicely, thanks to the Z work, and the push presses have felt so good, that I was wondering if I could now do jerks with my right arm.The left arm jerks have felt great and they are definitely easier than the push presses.
I was pleasantly surprised when I attempted the first warmup sets and it was no problem!LOL! This is great news.I was just happy when I could do the push press and not suffer knee or back issues but this is way cool. I have always loved the olympic lifts and with my gymnastics background the motions were never that hard for me. But my close grip overhead work wouldn't cooperate during my powerlifting years although I could barbell power snatch 70-75 kg pretty much anytime with no specific training.The wide grip was way easier.
And when I discovered the kb in 2001 the first thing I realized was one of the main differences between a db or a barbell was that the offset weight and unique handle allowed me to put weight overhead again for the first time in years with my right shoulder.
I would argue with those that think the design of the kb is primarily suited to high repetition movements. I have found that it is singularly unique for developing shoulder flexibility, mobility and stability.It's just easier to hold a kb overhead than any other free weight implement.

One kb Jerks
16kgx10/10 x5 sets 1 min per arm
16kgc20 reps ( right arm only) 1 min 15 sec

These felt great. Mainly working on technique; keeping the upper arm against the body on the dip. driving back or the jump and letting the leg/hip drive push the bell off my torso, and jumping down under the weight to lockout. TONS more work to do but this felt the best ever. very excited.Right overhead position most solid.

datsit, full body Z session in a few hours.

13 comments:

Aaron Friday said...

Congrats on the PR! That's awesome work with the swings. Incredible that you had some juice left for the presses, too. I'm going to go back and read how you built up to that.

Tom Furman said...

If you learn to relax in the rack, find your hip crest and pronate your palm to centralize the load of the KB. It is therapeutic, oddly enough. Switching to one arm LCCJ over a few workouts to 5/5 or 6/6 for 5 to 12 minute sets. Then the biggy is to do 5 and 5 minutes. This is a thorough exercise (LCCJ).Grip with just your index finger and thumb.

Mark Reifkind said...

Tom,
I can get a very comfortable rack position with one arm. I have long arms and can get my elbow pretty close to my hip fairly naturally. A little work will make that much better.All the rack walking I've done has really helped that.
I did 4 min each arm last week and it wasnt that hard( after 200 32 kg swings too).
The hard part will be doing it with the 24 kg,lol.
I wouldnt describe it as therpeutic though, more boring than that,lol.
I have a lot of experience with long periods of boring exercise( ultras, cycling, swimming) so I know how to 'click' in.
I am just really excited I can drop into the jerk with the right arm and still maintain the overhead and lumbar spine positions correctly now.

Mark Reifkind said...

aaron,
thanks man it's been a slow steady ride up for the presses and now the jerks.The overhead snatch holds, stick presses and slides and now the Z have really brought things along.
SOunds like Tracy and Fawn are having a blast!
What are you going to have her shoot tomorrow? I bet she is a crack shot.

Unknown said...

Rif, Congrats on your progress. You have no limitations. At least none that you can't overcome... You are still my Yoda!

Mark Reifkind said...

thanks tim, I just refuse to quit.I may be slow but I'm getting there.hope things are well with you.

Joe Sarti said...

Whats up stud! Cannot wait to our do more Jerks on Wed. I have been a testament to your points

Mark Reifkind said...

joe, I was really suprised to see the right arm work today. next stop, two arm jerks. see you monday.how'd the snatch workout go today?

Aaron Friday said...

Mark, she only wants to shoot one gun, because she wants to "get it right." We had a safety lesson today that made this point abundantly clear to me. Nonetheless, she will start out with a Firestorm .22, followed by the Sig 226 9mm and, I hope, be willing to fire a revolver in .38 special and .357 magnum.

Fawn will be there, and she will shoot anything, so that should serve as an invitation. 125-grain .357 magnum is my ultimate goal, provided everything up to that point is done safely. I have no doubt that it will.

Mark Reifkind said...

aaron,

once she sees she is good at it she will try the other pistols I bet.especially if fawn is...
she's just A BIT competitive,lol.

Sean Schniederjan RKC said...

rif, really solid work with the 32kg swings. do you have a time frame in mind for the 300?

Mark Reifkind said...

sean,

thanks man. At this point in my training 'career' I try to be intuitive and cautious as to pr's and heavy loads.I usually go up each week in volume til I get a sense I should back off and recycle.
I just start the workout with a basic goal number in mind based on the last weeks workout and see how i feel. If I'm good I push it if not I back off.

albina N muro said...

I will be posting some new stuff as soooo much has changed in my life since my last post. buy kettlebells

More press mistakes from today

 1) Gotta engage the rhomboids when setting the low rack position.Lock in 2) Elbows up is crucial 3) 'Straight  up' on the unracking...