Swings.

LOL, there is a definite difference between doing heavy, high volume swings on Saturday morning, the first thing of my day, and doing them after being up since 3 am and working my full client load. No worries, it will just take a little adaptation.Of course today was 32 kg day and my 400 rep PR was in no danger at all.70% sounded like a good number and even it was a optimistic goal. Since I know now to step back rather than falling off after a peak this didnt smart so much.

5 am Z drill and floor rifga: 20 min
pre workout warmup
clubbell swings, pendulums, arm casts. with 10's

1 pm
One arm swings
16kgx10/10x2
24kgx5/5

32kgx10/10x12 sets
240 reps
17,280 lbs

not a bad workload.have to be careful here though, after stretching people, loading weights and carrying bells all morning I have to take the time to open up the forearms before heavy swing loading.tight forearms always end up in my biceps and shoulders so I have to go slowly with this new schedule.

One arm swipes
10lbs x10/10
15lbsx10/10x 5 sets

these were solid, Cant wait to get the 25s

Circular casts
15lbs x15/15x 4 sets

datsit. a short one today, rack walks will have to wait for another time.

Music to squat by

Spent the morning starting the new Stones gym reorganization and found this song on an old training tape mix I had. Never failed to get me going.Never saw the video before.

Reinventing the wheel.

One of the things that frustrates me to no end as a trainer and confuses me as well is why clients and trainers do not study the basic history of the sport or area they are trying to improve.I had a trainer ask me the other day about basic bodybuilding program design and what would be a good approach?

The first thing I would do is point them in the direction of the great of the past such as Arnold, Mike Mentzer and Tom Platz. Why reinvent the wheel?The principles and methods of these greats serve as a perfect template, especially for a beginner, as to how to get started creating a body that develops in the same way. Of course they nuances and details will be different, but all one has to do, really, is go back and study how the greats themselves started out and begin there. There are no secrets, it's all written down for everyone to learn from.This is especially important if one is a trainer. These methods should be studied in great detail.

Even with the answers right in front of you there still is no shortcut and the dues must be paid in sweat and tears but the answers to the test are there for all to see. But it must be studied,analyzed and individualized for oneself.

The same goes for powerlifting. The routines of Ed Coan, Kirk Karwoski, Louie Simmons and a multitude of others are easily accessible and transferable to the average power student. Yet choosing a method and then sticking with it through not just one, but many cycles seems very difficult for many.If you look at Coans book, for example, you will see how he did basically the same exact routine and cycled the same exact way for 20 plus years. Only the numbers basically changed. Upward and upward.This, of course is the goal but more difficult to do than to write down. One must have an ultimate patience to really achieve anything in the iron sports and this is a very hard concept for many,especially if one has training A.D.D.But that must be overcome if real progress is to be made.Emotional discipline is as important as physical discipline when one has real long term goals and numbers to be achieved.

Looking deeper at Coans methods one see's just one or two top sets for each week done once a week. That's not much work, in one sense,especially if one is used to doing crazy amounts of volume or exercises. And what pressure! Knowing in advance, what one needs to do every week for a cycle of 12-16 weeks. And you get just TWO chances to make your weight and reps for that week. But that's exactly the type of pressure you get at the contest. Just three attempts and if you only get your opener you're stuck with a very light weight and a bad total.So it builds the type of mental discipline truly needed to succeed at power meets.

Of course there are many different approaches,many ways to skin that cat, but none of them will work if the components are subbed out for the skills "you like".

I read a post on a forum from someone extolling the virtues of a specific routine that built their squat. One of the first replies was from someone who said it looked good, and he was going to try it with his deadlift and by switching around the recommended assistance exercises! Why even bother doing that routine? As soon as you sub out the basic template it is no longer the right formula!Once you find what works for you it can be used over and over many times. Arnold used basically the same training program for years with minor variations depending on which part of the competition cycle he was in.

Training routines and program designs are very much like a gourmet recipe, yes you can switch out the ingredients or the cooking methods but don't expect the finished meal to taste the same.

So, know your iron history and the methods and principles upon which your sport or discipline stands upon. Choose basic and time tested routines and recipes to use and stick with them! Before you start switching out the ingredients really see what the original formula brings you in terms of progress.Study how the greats of the past did it and find that which feels similar and familiar to you and then FOLLOW IT before redesigning it.There are no shortcuts to great strength or muscle size.

Test day and letting go.

Stones Gym

I purposely have not tested myself, with either kettlebells or barbells, in about two years. I decided that it is in the heat of the competitive moment, when I am working towards a number or weight goal ignoring fatigue,that I tend to hurt myself and I have had enough of that.At least that has been the case. So I have focused on increasing my work loads and work capacity and have not taken the SSST in either five or ten minutes version or really pushed myself into any real fatigued states.
But the max Vo2 work has given my a lot of confidence in my snatch form and work capacity so I thought it relatively safe to give it a try.I have already snatched twice this week but Saturday is always meet day so today it was.I decided that 80 reps was a decent starting point and should be no trouble so 80 was the goal.
I decided to do groups of 5/5/6 reps per arm with a 15 sec rest bout each minute.I didn't know how low the 16 reps would take me but I thought no more than 45 sec.Turned out be be 4o so I got even more rest.

warmup:

10 mins Z and rifga

16kgx5/5/5x3

20kgx3/3

24kgx3/3x2

pretty cold morning for Cali so I took my time and warmed up slowly.

Five Min SSST with 24 kg
5/5/6x 5 rounds
80 reps in 5 min.
4240 lbs

This was fine although I realized on the last set I should do the 6 rep on the first hand instead of the last,lol. 6/6/6 will give me 90 reps and that will be the next goal.Each rep was done fast and explosively with a solid lockout at the top . With only 5's to do I didn't have to pace at all.As expected this felt just like the MaxVo2 training;only the last 5 sets of a 50 set workout,lol.
The real good news is that I removed the stigma of pushing myself a bit now and gained a ton of confidence in my shoulder and back's ability to run a little hotter than 80% effort.
On to the next test.

2 Clubbell Swipes.
Last time I did these I knew I could do 100 reps, so I figured I would stay on the testing track and give this a whirl.I really have a feel for this exercise and have no fear for my shoulder back or knee so I really wanted to push it a bit.

2 10lb CBs x 100 continuous reps, no choke /PR
5 total minutes

This went great. Very steady pace for the first 70(old PR was 60) and then picked up the pace considerably once I realized that I would make 100 no problem. Strong sprint the last ten. I have always done well with negative split racing and this is no exception.The kbs not so much but the cbs for sure.
I have good leverage here and by just squatting down a bit more I get tons more ballistic force going.Sonnon's Trial by Fire challenge involves 130 swipes, 130 mills EACH ARM! and 130 Hammer swings. I just wanted to nail 100 reps but I might have been able to eek out another 30.Time to alternate the 15's into the mix now and build up to 100 with those.

One arm CB Mills
1 10 lb x50/50 PR

This was tough.Sonnon's Trial by Fire has them doing 130 of these with each arm with the 25's. Thats serious and I have a long ways to go but its another very good move for me and my shoulders love it.50 was just about it for me.These were continuous although I think you can rest the bell in the shoulder park position before continuing and the still count the reps.
I also only took five minutes between the swipes and the mills as well.I will stay with the 10's for the most part till I can do 100 each arm back to back.A little work with the 15 for low reps will make the 10's much easier.

The letting go.
My good friend Doc Rob Muelenberg came to Stones gym today to pick up most of the last of my powerlifting equipment that I have left there.I gave him my 20 year old original glute ham raise, competition bench press,Ivanko 250kg calibrated competition weight set, Crain squat racks,Simons Reverse hyper,safety squat bar, 70# fat olympic, trap bar,dip bar and a bunch of heavy db's.
Nick is only training the barbell squat now and I just don't need to have this stuff collecting dust anymore. So all I need is the power cage and one moveable bench.I also kept 2 texas power bars, an old york olympic bar, 400 lbs of machined york 45 lb plates and 4 45 lb york bumper plates.I would rather make more platfoms whereI can do more kbs and cbs than have these unused items as museum pieces only.I always loved this stuff as it was the last remaining equipment from the World Gym power room . I had so many great training sessions there; the original power dungeon as well as such fond memories of all the great strength athletes that I got to train with and who passed though it. They all left a piece of themselves forever embedded in the steel and iron.
So I was happy to give to someone like Doc Rob who I knew would use and cherish it and appreciate it's history as much as me.
Rob, in total WSB conjugate fashion, jumped in a power meet last month and squatted 925 and just missed 1020 despite not having power squatting in 8 months; just training his strongman panopoly of different exericses.All heavy and all hard.And still Drug free.
I will miss having those bits of my past around a little but letting go of them really just makes me see how much more room there is for the things I am really doing now; kettlebells, the clubs and my bodyweight drills. And how little I need to really have what I want.

Another one bites the dust.

Another 50 sets of max VO2 snatches that is. This is the forth time I've waved through this cycle of 35-50 sets and this was the strongest by far, with the last 15 sets done with 8 rep per work bout.15 seconds is about the perfect amount of time for a work set for me. I can go all out but still recover from it quickly.I love going all out; nothing gets me out of my head and into the present moment like having to put my entire body and soul into a physical effort. Just freakin love it.
Someone once asked me how I could spend 5-6 hours a day 5-6 days a week doing gymnastics; wasnt that just too much work?And I told him straight away that I had never considered one minute of the time I had spent in the gym work.I always felt,right from the start, that I was Damn LUCKY to be able to spend that much time doing something I loved so much. School was work, gymnastics was play. Very serious and engaging play, but play.Kettlebells so remind me of that and it's been a long time since I could safely push myself like I did today and walk away feeling not only fine but good.It certainly helps that it is only the 16 kg,but I finally got my ego out of the way and stopped thinking I could only use the 24kg and up.Lots to be learned with light weights I have found.
And the virtual force created from moving fast is a good substitute for moving heavy.Think Sprinter.

Max Vo2 Snatch 15:15
16kg
35 sets of7=245 reps
15 sets of 8=120 reps
total =365 reps
13,140 pounds
25 minutes

Very very happy with this effort. No warmup just go which is very rare for me indeed.Snatch form felt solid and overhead right position was very solid too.I could even lean into it a bit.BUT I was definitely slow the first 30 sets or so and I was 3 or 4 seconds into the next 15 when I stood up. I went on time though even though I got less rest.I really worked the pause overhead for the first sets but knew 8 reps per 15 sec would mean a more aggressive pushoff to make the time and I found I could pick up the pace no problem.
Heartate was almost 190 for the last 5 sets and I was double breathing all the reps. worked great and definitely had more oxygen to work with.Form has been very consistent for a long time now. what a relief and a difference.

Clubbell Barbarian Flags
15lbs x20x6 sets
need the 25 for this badly. too many reps to get fatigue. love this move.

One CB shield cast
10lbsx10 each armx 2 sets
15lbs x8 each armx 2 sets
this was easily the strongest this has been with the 15's. last 2 sets had no choke and were no problem> I thnk I will be able to do this with the 25 right away.

Two Hand Mill
15lbs x10 each side x 4 sets

This was a practice session just trying to get the components and the correct mechanics for this move down. this was the first time I put it into a workout to be trained. Hard to keep the short side arm locked through the bottom. Have to rewatch the dvd on this one again.
Played with the Hammer swing earlier today and that is also going to be a winner for me. That will go well with the 25lber too.I always feel looser in the shoulder elbows and upper body musculature after I finish my kb workouts with clubs. No matter how many reps I seem to do it is very relaxing to me.

Lots of Z drills with clients today as well as standing karate stretches and rifga floor work thoughout the day. feels good and knee extension is the best it has been in long time.

BW 159.8
BF 8.7%
Water 60.5%

datsit,staying loose.

Snatches swipes and mills.

the clubbell work is really coming along and I am finally getting the hang of both the swipes and the mills. It really has a unique full body rythym and is much more rythymic and less explosive than my kb practice. A perfect compliment I think.I still can't believe my shoulder not only can do these rotational behind the back movements but is actually thriving on them! Crazy. I remember the first time I saw a clubbell 3 years ago in Santa Monica and couldnt even imagine I could ever use them! It would have torn my shoulder off! Its come a very long way.
Dropping the pressing in lieu of more swipes and mills is a good tradeoff.

Snatching felt good too, the 20 kg is really the perfect snatch weight for me. Not so light I can go as fast as I want and not have to think about it but heavy enough to challenge me in the higher rep range which I hate and suck at unless unbelievably motivated.

Snatch
16kgx10/10x2
20kgx
20/20
15/15
15/15
13/13
10/10/5/5
10/10
176 reps
7440 lbs.

This was good. I made sure to get a solid overhead lockout and pause between each rep but otherwise went fast. Alternated with Joe so no extra rest. Wind was decent but havent done more than 10- reps at a time in a long time so I got a solid forearm pump.my base just keeps getting wider on swings and snatches.will workup to 200 rep snatch sessions with both the 24 and the 20 kg.

2 clubbell swipes
10's x 60 reps
15'sx20
x15
95 total reps

these were great. I really found a rythym with the 10's and can see 100 reps here in time no problem.doing the 15's after was a bit tough as my grip was seriously getting fatigued now from this work and the snatches.used almost NO choke on the 15's and none on the 10 's sets.it actually saves the grip if you can use no choke and use the knob as a backstop for the heel of the hand.

One club mills
10lb x4 sets of 20/20

these were also the best I have done with these. No choke on these as well.100 reps per arm is the gold standard I read,( with the 25!) so I will start working towards that with the 10s.

was supposed to rack walk today but just didnt have it. the extra hi rep cb work seems to be edging it out. have to work on that.

BW 160.8
BF10.4%b
water 58.6%

datsit, staying loose.

Progressive Flexibility.

While I have realized that the combination of Rifga stretches and Z drills is better than either of them alone, I still have way more lower body tension than I would like. When one major joint only bends half the required amount this is going to be the case but the more open that leg/knee is the less total tension I retain and the better everything feels.

I have known that I have to "get on the floor" and do my prone cobras and down dogs and straddle and pike stretches to keep the hammies and calves open.I also use the sumo and stick squats to open up the hips and my knees but then it came to me that I haven't done with the stretching what I did with the kbs and the Z drills; take it to the next level by taking things to the standing position and treating my stretching and stance work progressively as I do my kb and CB training.

I have been getting on the floor but I havent been really paying attention to how deep my stretches are or if they have been really progressing. I have been just been waiting out the tension; which is good, but it could be much better.Maybe it is time to get my splits back.

And I have to start treating the standing squat and lunge positions as just primal pattern work with deeper stances held with less tension.The same respect for the positions as I would have for the move if I could practice them loaded.

The basic 'karate' stance positions really stretch out the calves feet and opposite side hip flexor and rectus femoris.it also shows me when my shoulders and hips are squared up, or not.

The rectus can really mess with the knee and the back if its tight. It's a knee extensor and hip flexor so it's gotta have it's full length; the standing karate type lunge stretch gets it all. Especially if I work it deep.But I have to work them more consistently and progressively.Also the wide stance deep horse stance. Just cause I can't squat heavy anymore doesnt mean I shouldn't work the position where it's weak; in its flexibility.Especially with the knee forward. That will open up the ankle more as well.

The only thing harder than figuring out what to do is really remembering to do it consistently.

Swings and Swipes.

Just me and Jonathan again so it was a faster paced one arm swing day than when Nick slows us down with all that heavy squatting :)) .Didnt get much good sleep last night so I didnt know how good my endurance would be; normally the 28kg bell gets 12 rep sets but I dropped it to 10's today to make sure.Once I warmed up though I felt great.

One arm swings
16kgx8/8x3
24kgx5/5

28kgx10/10x16 sets
x10/10/10/10
340 reps
21,420 lbs

this was just right workload.Especially happy with the last set where I did them back to back just to get it over with ;)teshnik felt good the whole time.very snappy and powerful. PR is 400 so this is 80%.

One arm swipes
10lbx20 each arm
15lbx25 each arm
15lbx30 each arm
10lbx30 each arm

these were great!can't wait to get the 25 lber!SO much of this is all about the grip, go figure.definetly figuring it out on the fly.

Two hand circular casts
15lbx25 each direction
x30 each direction.

love it.very fluid stuff and the shoulders love it.

Clean to flag
15lbx20 x 4 sets

this is new but I like it already.I might have to get a 45 lb cb as well for some of these two hand moves!

Datsit, staying loose

25 Lb Clubbell Swipes

This is turning out to be one of my favorite moves, it works the shoulder in a rotary way that is very interesting.I have a long way to go to master this one.

For SSGT Glass: The CB Mill

Pretty lifts.

One of my favorite things about powerlifting is that it matters not a whit what you looked like ,physically,when you did it.I went to powerlifting directly from bodybuilding where the ONLY thing that mattered is what you looked like.How much you trained or lifted to achieve that look didnt count at all and was basically irrelevant. As long as it worked for you you could use zero weight and zero intensity and it didnt matter.Virtual muscle, as Pavel would say.

When I went to my first national level powerlifting meet in 1990 to help coach one of the lifters from my gym I was unimpressed at first at the level of "muscle" these guys had.Lots of what I considered back then "little" guys and regular looking guys.Certainly no bodybuilding type freaks.

Unimpressed until I saw what actual numbers they were doing in meet conditions.And that being strong and looking strong were many times not actually connected at all. Man that changed me forever and threw me headlong into powerlifting. After suffering through the no real competition of the male beauty show that is bodybuilding I really needed something athletic. Where it mattered what you could do, not what you looked like. Power ifting, was and is, perfect for that.

And that goes for how each powerlift looks as well.Some of the ugliest powerlifts I have ever seen have been for world records! Head down,knees in, ass out bent over good morning looking squats, elbows out benches or benches with way too close or wide( you thought) grip and virtual stiff leg , round back deadlifts.

One of the most important lessons I took from Mr Simmons was that when one fails to complete a lift; be it squat bench or dead, its not the LIFT that fails but a muscle group instead.Your back or abs werent strong enough to maintain position or get you through the sticking point during your squat, your triceps arent strong enough to stay under the bar in the bench or your abs or hammies arent strong enough to keep your hips in you pull.

Louie said you had to analyze WHAT gives out during a max lift then focus on strengthening THAT and voila, your lift should get better. Until ANOTHER weak point appears and that has to get the same treatment as well.
It could be a muscle group. It could also be your starting strength, or rate of force development,or ability to maintain total tension,all requiring a different solution. The point is to really analyze where you fail in the lift and then bring that up.An unwavering devotion to where you are weak is the only way to get stronger. Because we are always just as strong as our weakest link.Everyone likes to train their strengths, cause its 'fun'. Training your weakness is what makes you better.
And you have to find out where YOU are strongest.If you dont know where you have the best leverage it will be hard to maximize that position. ANd sometimes that position ain't exactly "pretty". as long as its( relatively) safe( I mean how safe can trying to ever increase the maximal load you can move be?) go with it.Seek out, analyze and attack your weak links, wherever they may be or wherever you find them and keep getting better!

The one thing to never ask

before a workout: ' Do I feel like training'? Because mostly the answer will be no and then what do you do?Especially for me after I've trained six or seven people in a row.The desire to dive right back into the gym and give myself a solid ass kicking just really isnt there.I truly love being able to train first thing in the morning . When I "retire",lol, I will train myself first and then my clients.
Today was especially hard to get restarted after a ten minute power nap but,like usual, it turned out to be a stellar workout. Sometimes you just can't trust how you feel.Especially when you are not moving.!-2 pm has never been a good time for me to train. I always started gymnastics practice at 2 pm and I remember always wanting to take a nap at that time after classes all morning. Oh well, this is when it fits so:

Max Vo2
16kgx35 sets of 7 reps per 15 sec
10 sets of 8 reps per 15 sec
325 reps
11,700 pounds.

this was suprisingly easy! I took my heart rate at set 20 and it was only in the mid 150s so I decided to step it up to 8 reps per set.HR at the end of the 45 sets was 185.This was fine as well.I will do 50 sets next week and then restart with 8 rep sets the week after.I am ready for it now.

Barbarian( two hand cast to flag)
15lbs x10 reps x 6 sets

These are great but it's too light. Just ordered a 25 lb CB for my two handed work and the presses.great move though. My elbows are finally locking out fully again.

One arm barbarian
10kbs x8 x 4

Shield cast
2 sets of 10 each arm with 10 lbs
2 sets of 8 each arm with 15 lbs( first time with this weight!)

Mill
3 sets fo 10 each arm with 10s
Finally figuring out this move correctly.

datsit. staying loose.

BW 159.8
BF 8.9%
Water 60.2%

Another day at the office.

I knew this was going to be tough.I knew it when I decided to do the extra 80 or so reps saturday and remembered that Monday was now 24 kg snatch day.As well as right when I started to warmup and realized I was flat as a board. Oh well, tough is good.Just have to modulate the effort and not get tweaked.Very glad to see Joe walk in.It would have been very ugly solo today.Dedicated training partners are harder to find than anything and Joe's been perfect of late.As expected, he is picking up the barbell power squat like crazy fast.he is just freaky strong. period.

Snatch
16kgx5/5/5/5x3
24kgx5/5/5/5x5
100 reps
5300 pounds.

Not bad actually although I could feel how flat my hips back and legs were from saturdays effort.I've never really trained snatches in this ssst format but I think it will be very interesting.I didnt do it because I didnt want to tempt myself into testing but I think I now can play with it safely.I not only have to stay far away from heavy weights but high intensity efforts as well.My conditioning though is better than it ever has been and that will make a big difference as well.

CB Swipes
2 10 lbers x 50,30,50

this was very interesting. I really found good groove here and really felt the elastic energy leading the move.I stopped thinking of doing the right technique and just let myself feel it. Much better.The second set I stopped early cause my freakin grip was toast!!! LOL!I relaxed a lot more on the last set. THere is a lot of work to be done figuring out when and how to grip the cb during these long sets.. same as kb but different. I can definitely see 100 plus reps with this soon. Freakin killer tricep work too-the good kind as well- the long head,lol.
Can't imagine doing 100 reps with the 25's though, that's serious shit.

CB Mills
lots of 8-10 reps per arm practice with the 10 lbers

Joe helped a lot with this one as he has solid history as a baseball player and immediately got the motion of this movement.I took my time but it was much better at the end of the practice.We realized my problem with the right arm mill is that I got no external rotation ,lol. well, not none, but not enough.Go figure;no ligaments, no capsule and no stabilization . Who woulda thunk it? But hey, its WAY better than it's been in years. Healing happens, beleive it.
these movements feel very therapeutic and coordinate great with kb work

Rack walk
1600 feet with 16 kg. hand switch every 200 ft.
glad these are back in,they really force me to concentrate on gait mechanics.
Lots of Z drills today with clients and before work. Also, starting back starting with the floor stretches and then going into Z drills. It feels good to get loose BEFORE I start the z too.

datsit

BW 161.2
BF7.7%!
Water61.9%

The higher the water the lower the bf measurement. cool. feel way lean.

How to improve.

Arnold in perhaps the best arm shot ever. He was the King of improvement and proper training planning.

Being an competitive athlete for so long really spoiled me in some senses.Training was always coupled with competitions where progress, or the lack of it, was immediately apparent. One knew pretty regularly if one's training, and the plan behind it, was working or not.There really was no training without a purpose,without a goal and a deadline.This made things much easier in many ways. It's easier to get somewhere if you know where you are going and when you have to be there.

Now that I am retired from competition training is much more difficult in many ways as there is much more of an opportunity to just "float" during workouts and do what feels good that day.Of course, in my book ,this is not training but exercising, as training always has a goal in mind. No matter how small or how far off it's really not training to me if there is no real goal.Deadlines, as in competitions make it even easier as there is nothing like looming competition platforms with witnesses and spectators to get one in the gym and doing what one should be doing.

Powerlifting was by far the most direct of these sports as when one is training for such you usually start from the meet day and work backwards. You also start with what your last personal best was and plan for a small but reasonably improvement to that.

The idea that one is going to make huge gains on a regular basis is quickly quelled by the realities of heavy iron and vagaries of real competitions on someone elses time schedule. So it's shooting for small personal bests after a period of specific training for such.Adding up those small personal bests over a regular period of time and lifters realize huge gains to their totals can be had with steady and serious dedication to small improvements.

So how does one improve?

The most important concept to any and all improvement is the idea of the S.A.I.D principle or Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands.This basic principle simply says you get what you train for; what you Specifically train for.And while there might be some carryover from your squat to your deadlift or from your running to your cycling the bottom line is :specificity rules.

That's why the best cyclist in the world, Lance Armstrong, ran a very mediocre marathon despite legs of steel and an oxygen uptake that is perhaps the highest in the world.So you have to train for what you want. And while you can have it all( perhaps) you cannot have it all similtaneously.Of course ,many are happy being decent at a lot of things but not great in any and that's fine. But many need to really bust their butts just to be mediocre at ONE thing.

Which brings us to the next important concept for improving: Overload. You simply must ask the body to do more than it did the last time or it simply will not get better. Form follows function. Change what the body is capable of doing( function) and it's form will change. And conversely if you are capable of doing 'X' amount of work and regularly do 'X-10' in your workout you will NOT improve but slowly lose ability.

This is the basis of Hans Seyles General Theory of Adaptation which is where S.A.I.D comes from.

Take a ten horsepower body and give it a twelve horsepower load and, after it adapts from the stress of the load, it BECOMES a twelve horsepower body. So the training is a stress,a negative actually, which depletes certain( specific) substances signally the body to restore them, to rebuild them bigger and stronger so the same stress will not deplete the body the next time.

Of course if you give that ten HP body a twenty HP load you just break it.SO the overload has to be appropriate. Just enough stimulates, too much, annihilates or if it's not specific enough of an overload just misses the mark entirely.

So you have a specific overload which is targeting a specific quality one wants to improve.This is intensity. The training stress is a negative which depletes the body from which it must RECOVER from. Repeated overload just tears down the body,even if it's the correct target area that is hit.Too much intensity or too much intensity too often or just too much work in total can just break one down so much they can't get back up. Much less improve capacity from it.So recovery is also a key component to progress.

In fact, it is THE key component to progress because you can only get as good as the load you are capable of handling. Say you want to be a 600 pound squatter. That means you must be capable of handling 70-85% loads in the gym.70% of 600 is 420 lbs.To be able to do regular workouts with 420 to 510 lbs is no joke and puts mucho stress not just on the muscles and tendons but the CNS and the system as a whole.Trying to squat those loads in addition to other sports and activities will be too much for everyone but the most gifted athletes to recover from.

This is is why you don't see top level lifters also competing in other sports or vice versa. Specificity rules and recovery tops everything.And it doesnt matter if the goal is a 5 minute mile instead of a big squat. Or 200 snatches or whatever.The closer one gets to the bodies absolute limits the much tougher the stress is on it.A 600 pound squat is not just 300 pounds harder than 300. It's exponentially harder.Same with a 48 second 400 meters. Not in the same galaxy as 58 seconds, as hard as that may be to many. And the system can only take so much.

This is why taking your recovery seriously is CRITICAL to all who aspire to improvement at any level.The intensity changes as you go up the ladder but the rules apply across the board.

Active recovery methods range from simple rest( WAAAAAY overlooked) to massage( both professional and by yourself),nutrition, water therapy, visualization techniques, meditation,active rest( light training)vibration therapy,stretching,etc.

This is also why so many elite athletes choose to use anabolic and androgenic steroids,perhaps the most efficient recovery agent outs there. And why so many try to find and use legal versions of anabolics(supplements) to accomplish the same results but within legal parameters. You can only get better if you can handle more and heavier workloads. And you can only handle those loads that you can recover from and adapt to.

It may seem that all this only applies to hard training elites but that is not the case. The regular person training for basic improvement in strength, endurance or any other physical quality has to play by the same rules.Whether you are limited in your exercise selection( as I am) or can do it all you must use the same concepts.When I push my swing or snatch workloads up I am doing so because I know if I don't try to do more than I was capable the last time I won't get better.ANd the more I adapt the more I will have to do in the future.
Of course there are diminishing returns but that can only be decided by the trainee themselves. Having done 600 swings with the 24 kg I know I don't want to do more if it means training longer, so I will now try to overload by doing the same work in less time.Over the course of a training cycle of course. I know I am adapting because it wasnt long ago that half that workload would make my legs sore the next day. Now I can do double what I used to and have no soreness the next day. Adaptation. One critical key to progess.

But the real key is KNOWING that whatever you are doing you MUST make yourself do more in some way shape or form in order to create the next level of adaptation. To MAKE yourself what you want to be. What you choose to be.SO that means having a plan of where you are going, knowing what you did last so you can scale the increase appropriately( whether that means more sets,reps, weight or a faster workout) and developing the will to make yourself do it.
That last part is no mean feat and everybit as important as anything else you will train.Because when it all comes down to it, it's that little battle between the weak you and the you that wants to be stronger that is the first overload. Choose wrong and you will get weaker and less; choose correctly and you at least have a chance of being better.

And preparing for those workouts is vital. If you go into the gym not knowing what you did last workout, or what the plan is for this workout there is a very good chance you wont do enough to stimulate a real adaptation or you will overshoot and do too much.One must take lots of variables into consideration during the workout in order to ensure safety as well as overload but if you plan correctly most workouts can be accomplished and get you that closer to your goals.
Assuming you have some.

Don't think, just swing.

Is what I kept telling myself during this one. Today was one arm swings with the 24kg and my previous pr was 500 swings done three weeks ago. I have been feeling strong lately and the number 600 popped into my mind. Didnt make a lot of sense but I thought it actually wouldnt be that hard.I would play it by ear, as usual.

One arm swings
16kgx5/5x3

24 kgx15/15x20 sets
600 swings pr
31,800 lbs!

I alternated sets with jonathan who was doing the same workout.This took 65 minutes and my pace picked up when he went out at 330 swings. My wind was good and swing speed and power stayed pretty consistent til 17 sets when it really took alot to keep bell speed up. I really wanted to just ride the momentum but I worked hard to keep power high.The hardest part was after 300 reps I thought " I have to do this whole thing again?" But then it was " don't think, just swing" and that worked fine.Just swing.

Clubbells
torch press one and two arms
10 and 15 #
4 sets of 6-8 of each

single arm cast to flag
10 and 15 lg bell
3 sets of 5 reps each arm with each weight.

I really love the decompression feeling I get from the CBs. especially the shoulders and elbows .plus, I have triceps again and that is way good.

I am toast.
pretty tight and will do a full z and rifga session later.

datsit.

AMAZING powerlifting video resource.

Check out this index of powerlifting videos. It has some very old, classic lifters doing their thing,including Vince Anello,Mike McDonald,Ed Coan and lots others.

Get up Stand up.

who woulda thunk we weren't designed to sit down for 16 hours a day day in and day out? Sitting not only ruins backs it seems it also keeps us fat .

Interesting article here

*edit*
this also is a good reason to substitute a stability ball for a regular chair. The stability ball,because it is always in motion, requires one to constantly 'fidget" around to stay stable, which might be similar to the 'puttering' they mention in the article.It certainly is much better for your back, abs and balance.

Back to basics:Max Vo2 day

Seems like I havent done this workout in years but it's only been two weeks.Got nailed yesterday with a really bad allergy attack which kicked my ass all day. I used to have bad allergies years ago but havent had any problems at all for 10 + years. Very weird. Nothing worked but the claritan wacked my out enough to make me worry about today. No problems. 35 sets of 7 reps and 5 sets of 8 and form felt great. As did my shoulder.Good times.

Snatch
16 kg
35 sets of 7 reps every 15 sec
5 set sof 8 reps
40 sets
285 reps
10,260 lbs

teshnik was solid with longer than normal overhead holds which soaked up all the 15 seconds of work.Really getting the timing of the descent down now so the bell path is closer but still goes over the top.This will be the everyweek wednesday workout for awhile now with ssst snatch work with either the 20 or 24 kg on mondays. Did it before only the opposite order, should be fine.
Snatch holds
16kg x40 sec x 3 sets

been awhile since I've done these too. time to go back.

Barbarian Cast/flag
10lbsx10 reps each side
15x10 reps each side x4 sets
need to get aheavier cb for these. 25 probably. like the two handed circular work a lot.

Shield casts
10lbs x10 each side x 3 sets
15lbs x6 each side x 2 sets
these were hard. choke to mid club.still appreciably harder the 10s with no choke.

Rack walk
16kgx1200 feet hand switch every 200 feet.
not bad but feeling mondays impact a bit on the fibula. much of my left leg pain comes from the left calf and ankle, not just the joint itself.When joints dont fully bend their normal amount, the tissue surrounding it really locks up and this causes all kinds of issues. Especially when it's cold and you're old,lol.Back to the floor.

BW 160.8
BF 8.8%
Water 60.5%

will adapt.didnt get enough floor time today and it was COLD in the studio for me. Everybody's swinigng so they are warm; I'm just standing there freezing! At a buck sixty there ain't a lot of insulation left :))

datsit.time to eat.

Wow. Lance Karabel gets ready for USAPL American open

840 squat


640 bench


one scary 770 deadlift

The Key to Progress by Dr Squat.

Fred Hatfield. the lightest and oldest man to squat 1000lbs. Hatfield knew discipline and committment to the goal.

Got this quote of Dr Hatfield from Boris Bachman's blog

http://squatrx.blogspot.com/2007/11/words-of-wisdom-from-dr-squat.html

Dr squat says:

"Look, 'routines' are just that! I have written much on the subject. I have probably given the subject more careful thought than most. Here is yet another thought that I should've written at some time... maybe I did... can't remember.In order to achieve ANYTHING in life to the pinnacle of your capabilities, you must 'marry' the thing! Become a 'priest' to it. Live, eat, sleep and breathe it! You MUST NOT succumb to whoredom and meander from one routine to another in the false hope that one of them is gonna 'work'.

It will not! You may get a quick fix from it, but it'll only be because you re-injected some adaptive stress into your routine.Do this instead.

THINK IT OUT!

Now, most lifters cannot do this because they are not educated in the discipline, and because they have never been taught to REALLY think things through! So, the alternative is to find yourself a bonafide guru who HAS, and hang your hat on what that person has to say! So, find one! ONE!"- Dr. Fred Hatfield

Do not fall victim to "random acts of variety' if you have a serious goal, a real goal.You must start at the end( the goal) and work backwards( to where you are now, starting) to see what must be done to achieve the goal.If you can't or won't do what is necessary at least you will know why for real why you didnt achieve your goal, instead of pretending that it wasn't possible for you or that you 'really didnt care' about it.

Don't be afraid to care 100% about something and try 100% to achieve it in case you cannot. It's not failing that counts , its the giving up. One is either getting stronger or weaker each day with EACH act we do. We are either going towards what we say we want or deluding ourselves and going backwards.

Realizing the price to be paid is too high is not deluding oneself or failing as long as one is honest about it.Great things are never accomplished without a high cost.And while they might not be great in the grand scheme of things to others,everyone know what they consider great and whether that quest is worthwhile.

Challenges don't build character, it is said, they reveal it.

Push press

I've decided to turn Mondays back into another snatch day.Even though the push presses are going well from a technical( and a pain level) sense, they just dont get me going the same way snatches do. I have to not only limit the top end weight, but also the top end effort it seems or else my shoulder protests.Yet my left side can do twice the work my right can and lately I havent felt like I get much of a workout on Mondays.
ANd yet snatches,no matter what the weight, and swings always kick my ass. As does rack walks and they are going back in too.
So Mondays will be either the 20 or the 24 kg for longer sets with solid lockouts and only one hand switch. Multiple sets.
Wednesdays will be either max vo2 with the 16 or ssst style with the 20 kg.Adding back in the rack walking for increasing distance and the cb work and it should be a good balance. I really like the cb work but it torches the grip crazy!doing volume anything with heavier clubs is very impressive to me now.I just like throwing those clubs around in circles too and it makes my 3 lb Old English Bastard sword seem like a toothpick!

Push press
16kgx5/5x2
20kg x5/5,6/6,7/7,8/8,9/9,10/10
90 reps
these went very well actually but they just dont move me. I feel like I could press the weights for the same reps at the same speed but know it would wreck me.the snatches are such a big ROM exercise for me its much harder but feels safer.

torch swings
2 10s x10x3 sets
2 15s x8x3 sets
the 15s,even with a modest choke were not easy,especially at the end of the set.

Swipes
2 10sx20,20
2 15sx 14,12

these were MUCH better than last time,where I thought my way through the move too much instead of feeling my way through it like it did today.really have tons of respect for guys who can use 2 25s for high reps sets of these. No joke. Going to keep this move in here after snatches.the combination of the double arm cast and double arm pendulum is very interesting.

Rack walks
16kgx1200 feet, hand switch every 200 feet.
Need this again. Not only forces me to focus on gait mechanics,and overloads them but really works the wind and the arm in a safe way. this is back in..

BW 160.4
BF8.8%
Water 60.7%

Datsit. Z drills later.

Wow, this guy can swing p bars.

what a body line. This is a perfect hollow position.

Think your training is hard?

How would you like to practice this stuff?No one could even conceive some of these moves even being possible when I was doing gymnastics.

The tide is still rising.

This is my favorite part of a cycle; when higher than ever training loads are adapted to and what was hard is now strong and easy.When you finish heavier or harder workouts than you have ever done and have plenty left in the tank.And know that you did overload enough to stimulate more adaptation but haven't paid too much for it.
While I jumped the gun on the push presses I seemed to have timed the swings and snatches well.New swing PR with the 32kg today and was strong the whole time.

One arm swings
16kgx5/5/5/5x3
24kgx5/5x2

32kgx10/10x17 sets
340 reps/ pr
24,480 lbs.

This was great. Groove was solid, power was high,the bell felt light and the workload comfortable.Can't ask for more.

Torch press
10lbsx5/5x2
15lbsx 5/5x2
Double press
2 15 lbsx5/5x3
Arm casts
10lbsx5/5x2
15lbsx5/5z2
cast to flag
10lbs x5/5
15lbsx5/5x3
double cast to flag
10lbsx5
15lbsx5x2
two hand circular casts
15lbs x12/12x3

These are a great finisher to the saturday workout and my shoulders,upper back and triceps are liking it as well.
Very happy with todays workout and can really feel the increased stretching paying off already.

datsit.

Squats

Ray Benemerito. One of the all time best adfpa/usapl lifters . Legit 1900lbs at 181.He knows squat.

I am getting a much better balance now between Z and the corrective exercise/prehab stretches I call Rifga.One thing I've realized of late is that I have been neglecting my squatting. Not loaded squatting, as I have given that up for the near and foreseeable future, but squat stretches/poses.I was doing a lot of sumo squat stretches and really making gains in getting my left knee to flex deeper but when I started doing so much standing Z( and feeling so much better) that my floor work, and with it my squat training, declined considerably.

I get a lot out of holding these varying width squat stances for longer and longer times. Now this is something I dont mind training for timed sets instead of counting reps.I need to work up to five minutes or more in the bottom position.

This is waiting out the tension at it's best and the longer I hold the set the deeper I go, with the stiff knee and hip opening up quite a bit at sets end.It's also a chance to check for pelvic instability/asymmetry as it's very apparent if one hip is higher , or tighter, than the other.when one knee only bends 90 degrees it's VERY easy for your hips to go off.

By keeping my shins vertical( or close) I can really open up the knee joint without stressing it and that's important for recovery work.

This blends well with the doward dog work to open up the hamstrings one leg at a time and the upward facing dog, or prone cobras as I usually call them, for releasing the psoas ,lower abs and external obliques,recentering the spine in extension, getting the elbows to fully lock and the

very important but usually neglected serratus muscles with the arm support posture.

Doing so much standing z work has made the calves and legs much stronger in static poses but also can tighten up my less stable left ankle/knee. Getting back on the squat train is the perfect move right now.

Lots of 32 kg swings to do tomorrow......

Mas Oyama's " This is Karate."

Rannoch's Zen Girya has a great similarity to this classic books cover art.

The Way of the Kettlebell

I love this Japanese caligraphy style kb drawing done by Rannoch Donald RKC, of Scotland. He says he tried to combine the elements of the circle, the figure eight( for the eightfold path) and the infinity sign. I think he did a fantastic job and this drawing captures the simplicty and beauty of the kettlebell much in the same way the actual bell did the first time I saw it.

I think we're going to make some t shirts with this on it. Its the logo for his blog and I think it's the coolest kb logo I've seen yet.

here' s his blog link:

http://simplestrength.blogspot.com/

snatch day

As I wrote the other day, it's always the days I feel like shit that the workout seems to go well. After getting the shoulder calmed down yesterday I slept on it weird and it felt "nervey" during work. Started off with a solid 20 min of Z and floor work, which helped, but never really got it all worked out. Sometimes its the workout that screws things back on correctly and this was one of those days. 20 kg snatch day SSST style rep scheme.

One arm torch swing warmup
10#x10 each side x3 (no choke)
this really helps open up the shoulder and get external rotation going again. need to use this more often just therapeutically.

Snatch
12kgx5/5/5/5
16kgx5/5/5/5x3

20 kg
8/8/8/8 x6 sets
192 reps
8448 lbs

This felt really good and I had a solid lockout as well as pace.Groove was good too and was getting a good layback at the start, keeping the bell in close on descent.Kept having to stop myself from sprinting.The 20 kg is a great weight for me.


Barbarian flag casts
10x10
15#x8/8

Shield casts
10#x8 each side x 4sets

bw 159.6
bf 9%
h20 60.5%

datsit. more z and floor work later.Happy Thanksgiving day to all! I have so much to be thankful for I can't believe it! This has been the best year of many good years and it just looks to be getting even better all the time.We are truly Blessed.As are we all.

Z and Floor work.

Woke up pretty sore with the right shoulder, bicep, forearm and pec minor all pretty tight from those rough jerks and sleeping on it .Got into Girya extra early (5:30) for a full Z drill session before work.
Did:
Neutral spine lengthening front/to sides
with arms front/side,overhead
Lateral and medial tilts
toe pulls
toe circles
ankle circles pointed 3 way
ankle circles pulled 3 way
knee circles closed chain
knee circles open chain
hip pendulums
open chain hip circles 6 position
back half circles
shoulder circles front, back, top,bottom, front ,side
camshaft
elbow circles top
elbow circles bottom
thoracic slides side to side
full thoracic circles
full neck drills circles
wrist and hand circles.

then five minutes of rifga
up dog
down dog alternating legs
calf stretch
kneeling shoulder stretch
sumo squat stretch
stick shoulder extension
stick press and shrugs.

then today just now
30 minutes of the above z drills.


feel much better now.It amazing that prior to doing z I paid almost no attention to my elbows and wrist j as I thought they were the only joints I had left that werent damaged. And they aren't, thank God.But I didn't know they would turn out to be so valuable in loosening up my shoulders. Now when my shoulders are tight its the elbow bottom circles that seem to release the impingment better than anything else. who woulda thunk it?

Practice not train.

is what I should be doing with my jerks and push presses but,as usual, I try to go as fast to the top as I can and this is how I get into trouble. I knew I was screwed when I felt so good all morning. Never a good sign. I have never had a GREAT workout when I felt good coming in. Lots of sleep, lots of rest and low stress the day before and sometimes I just feel weak. Today was like that even though I jerked the 28kg for the first time ever for 3x4/4.
I was just off and I rushed the warmup because I wanted to get to the 28kg asap.ANd I havent been doing enough Z and I can feel it>Part of the problem is I feel so much better than usual from doing it that I am trying to see how I little I need.
Well, it's more than I am doing,lol.
Its amazing how quickly my body re 'winds' itself into old patterns and things get tight fast.Especially as I push the loads. THis is why I have stayed with the 24kg for so long in anything overhead. I can use more weight strongly, but the tensions required and the forces produced just arent good for me.At least in regular doses. Yet. At the top of my strength curve my dominant muscle systems fire much harder than the weaker ones(l knee, r shoulder) and a tension imbalance occurs. I can get it from too much weight or too many reps.
I just didnt put the time in these last few days and my shoulder was tighter as a result.
So I pushed through it today as I do and was pretty tight after todays workout. did a full 30 min Z session just now.I planned to go on the roller but I don't think I need to now although I DO need to get on the floor and stretch. BOth the Z and the rifga individualized stretches are key it seems.
The key is being able to moving through basic but crucial postures and each joint ROMs with no pain and no tension. harder than it sounds. at least for me.But when the joint moves correctly again the muscle relaxes.
SO I was just a bit 'off' as I went into jerks.never pays to be lazy.

Jerks(with OL shoes)
16kgx5/5x3
20kgx5/5
24kgx3/3
28kgx4/4x3 sets
24kgx12/12
x10/10
16kgx19/19
x15/15

Thought I would play with Dr Hatfields "holistic" bodybuilding scheme as I was thinking maybe the jerks would be a good hypertrophy move for me. Uh, no.I need to PRACTICE this move and not beat myself over the head with it as I am wont to do.Don't be greedy.Especially with heavier weights.
I am definitely liking the push press more than the jerk.driving through the heel was tieing into the kb swing hip snap very well.Took the shoes off for the last two sets and felt much better.SHoulder was just tight today.

Two hand swings with monster mini band
24kgx10 no band
24kgx10x2 with mini
32kgx10 no band
32kgx10x2 with mini

These felt good but I'm not sure its worth the risk.The bands are great though and pull you into the groove.

Arm cast into flag
10#x5/5
2 10'sx5x2
1 15 x5
2 15s x5x3

Side swings
10x10/10
15x10/10x3 sets

these are cool too. very good anatagonist for elbows and shoulders for kbs.TONS of triceps work too.

datsit

BW 160
BF 9%
water60.5%

Very cool :one arm box deadlifts with multiple kbs

Man, Dustin Silveri and Robert Budd of Reno RKC got some great pics of a seriously cool multi KB deadlift

check it out here
http://renorkc.blogspot.com/2007/11/another-day-bams.html

I also have to remember to do some multi KB one arm swings. I really like those.

A different kind of blog.

I got this link from my sister as she deals with the reality that her son, my nephew Josh, has just left for 7 months of combat training in the IDF( Israeli Defense Forces)and then 2 plus years of service after that. Josh has volunteered for a combat unit as has the son of the mother who is writing this blog.A very normal combination of pride mixed with fear. The same feelings I have,especially as I imagine if my own son were going into harms way the way Josh is.

http://www.israelisoldiersmother.blogspot.com/

Sets and Reps.

I've been training with sets and reps for so long I really don't enjoy any other way.I really don't like rushing between sets as I want to be fairly recovered so I can give my next set all the intensity it needs.Starting a set with my HR still elevated doesnt feel right to me.This started in gymnastics where there are at least 4-6 guys in a group and you go one at a time.Bodybuilding was more 'I go, you go' with one training partner and while the pace could be very fast or very slow(depending on which part of the cycle you were in) you always got some rest between sets.
Powerlifting WSB style was either very fast(speed work) or you got lots of rest( max effort days).
The overall effect though was/is a solid increase in high intensity work capacity.The ability to do high intensity work,rest a bit and then repeat it. Over and over and over. There are those who feel one has to do continuous work to increase work capacity but I disagree.As far as functional carryover there have been few situations I have encounted that called for continuous work with no rest. Regardless, I have trained so long this way it is was feels the best for me, and now, in my dotage it really doesnt matter anyway. My one consession to this is the max V02 work and I still get 15 sec rest there. As close as I want to go.
So I got my 400 one arm swings today and even towards the ass end of the workout, when I was starting to fatigue, I could still keep the speed of the bell, and the height of the swing where it was on set one. This is my way of increasing work capacity and keeping power output high.

One Arm Swings
16kgx10/10x2
20kgx5/5
24kgx5/5

28kgx12/12 x 17 sets
408 reps pr
25,704 lbs pr.

these were very solid even though it didnt feel as easy at the start as I had hoped. Took a few sets to really get warmed up and in the groove. Then it felt light.Sets 8-12 were the toughest as it seemed like still a long way to go. Pure work. Just sets and reps.I love swings. No where to run, nowhere to hide.
I am going to try some two hand swings with a band on monday and see how they go.Keeping my fingers crossed the back says ok now.

torch press
10x5 each arm
double press
2 10's x 5
one arm torch
15 lbs x5 each arm
double torch
2 15s x5 x4 sets

these felt great, really got a solid overhead position.

Gama Casts to flag
15lbsx 20 reps x 4 sets

alternated long arm/short arm position for each set. Love these. Great shoulder, upperback and tricep work. Need a heavier club though.

datsit, staying strong and loose.

Pre training prep.

Although I did a lot of Z work today I really didnt get MY Z work in;nor enough floor work stretching either.Lots of demonstrating and leading for the clients but by wasnt very focused on my idiosycracies( of course). SO it was a pretty tight Rif after work. It was a very busy week too and the training was great with heavier weights and higher volumes and lots of client work.
But I can feel the difference in body tension.I am actually putting on some muscle again, especially upper body muscle, with the push presses, jerks and clubbell higher tension work.I have to do less bi lateral work as well as my stronger right leg/hip ends up doing too much work compared to unilateral training. No problem,minor adjustment.

SO it was 40 minutes full body z drill routine just now with another 20 minutes of floor work ,concentrating on hamstring and shoulder ROM and release.A good combo as most of the tension is gone.It really takes some serious intent and concentration to unwind these unconcious imbalanced motor patterns that occur over time. No Pain, No Tension. Who wouda thunk it would be my favorite saying now? Of course ,not for lifting heavy things, lol.

Tomorrow is swings with the 28 kg and I will be shooting for 40o reps.The initial plan is sets of 12/12 for 17 sets or so.See how I feel in the morning.Then double torch presses with the 15's for reps. My triceps are still sore from wednesday,lol! This should be fun.

Mainline Kettlebells .Com

RKC Team Leader Will Williams has really upgraded his website Mainline Kettlebells! You have to check out the video on the right hand side it's Will at his most Will!Great to see things are going well for you man.
Heres a video of Will teaching the Turkish getup in classic WW style! Can't wait to work with you at the Danish RKC, it's gonna be a blast!

Snatches and casts.

I was a lot tighter from all the volume of close stance work with the cbs than I thought I would be. Nothing major, just had a tightness in the lateral part of the quadratus that I havent had in awhile.I have to watch my volume of bilateral work whether its two kbs inside the leg or two clubbells it seems.
24 kg day today for snatches and it was feeling light.Very happy to see that I havent messed with my groove for the snatch in a long time. same with the swing. It feels right and my focus is on doing it stronger and with more power for each rep than on trying to find the correct postitions or angle.

Snatch
16kgx8/8x2
20 kgx5/5

24kgx7/7x10 sets
140 reps
7420 lbs

this was an "I go you go" set up with Joe, who was snatching the two pood like it was a 16 kg.It was moving fast, the best he has done and his descent form is so much better of late as well . No hand issues either. He also did 2 singles with the beast weight of 106 in the pullup so he is just about ready for the Challenge in February.At 165 or so byFeb will be the lightest guy to tame the beast.

I held each rep for a solid 2 count before the descent and the overhead position is still improving with no shoulder pain, come to think of it.140 reps is the most I've done in one session in a long time.

2 cb pendulums
10lbs x15 reps
15lbs x4 sets of 15

man I could really feel where the rockets and the torch swings got me on monday: the upper hammies and across the lumbars L2-3 and 3-4. Not bad just such a different loading pattern than unilateral kbs. Its a good part of the hammie though, that hi part where you do reverse hypers and glute ham raises to hit, right under the glutes.the 15's were much easier than expected, good though.

One CB Mill
10lbs x 4 sets of 8 each side
medium choke. havent done this in awhile and it took a bit to get the coordination down.Amazed that I can even do it on my right shoulder. It is a big, full body movement with so much rotations in multiple planes .Haven't been able to do that for ages.

One cb side swings
10lbs x10 each side
15lbs x10 each side x 4 sets
this was way cool and really is such a new ROM for the shoulder and arm. I havent swung anything in the frontal plane perhaps-ever! was never really a baseball player or golfer.

gama casts 4x10 each grip
two handed circular casts 4x10 each side
barbarian casts 4x8

man I dig these cast movements.I can feel my triceps growing daily,lol.I do need to do more kb swings though on these days or get my lazy ass out there walking the kbs again.

datsit , staying loose.

How to squat more weight.

573 @ 190 lbs and 40. 1997 APF Masters Nationals

It seems that the basics are always getting passed over for fancier,more exotic programs.The key to getting stronger in a basic lift is putting more weight on the bar whenever you can.Sounds easy but how do you do it? Way too many programs focus on complicated schedules and assistant exercises. Lets take the squat. How does one build a 225 max squat into a 400 pound max squat?

First off your form has to be right. If the bar is not in the right place on your back, if the hips aren't engaged in the lift,If the back doesnt stay arched, if the knees continue to move forward as you descend or you dont know how to drive up into the bar as you ascend no program is going to help. The mechanics of the movement have to be solid so you can maintain them as the bar gets heavier.

One of the easiest to follow programs that also works great is the basic percentage program from Louie and WSB. This is what I first followed when I converted from bodybuilding training to powerlifting . Tradtional, classic squat programs at the time only had you work up to 1-2 top sets per week. Coming from my 'as many sets and reps as hard as possible til you die' bodybuilding program that I had been on for 8 years this wasnt near enough work! But louies system had 8 work sets! That I could live with. and I did. It brought my hi bar close stance bodybuilding half squat of 405x3 to a legit 540 power squat at 181 in the Ironman competition a year or so later.

One great benefit of this program is that you get to max out every 6 weeks or so so you have realtime, accurate one rep max number to use in your percentage calculations.Its a great mix of intensity and volume and with the very low reps per set you can practice compensatory acceleration on each and every rep. Both dynamic sub maximal work and max effort singles should be considered max effort days. Submax weights should be tried to be moved with maximum speed so that the force approaches max force. Of course this isnt for beginners and your form must be very comfortable to be able to do this safely.

You can do this raw or with gear. I started each cycle with minimal equipment and added it as weights approached the top percentages.You must have a current max weight to base this on. What you did last year at your last contest will not work.A no -pysch, just work up til it gets hard effort in the gym is fine.

Week One 70% 8 sets of 3 1 min /sets

Week two 75% 8 sets of 3 1.5 min/sets

Week three 80% 6 sets of 2 2 min/sets

Week four 85% 4 sets of 2 2 min /sets

Week five 70%x2 75%x2 80%x2 85%x2 90%x2x2

Week six 70%x2 75%x2 80%x2 85%x2 90%x1 101-103%x1 103-105%x1

or if you dont want to max just up the weight 5-10 lbs and repeat the cycle.

Pick two assistance exercises that work your weak links and work them for sets and reps to increase muscle mass.Do it once a week and deadlift for the same percentages and sets/reps on the other day.

If you repeatedly do this cycle 4-6 times a year for a few years you will have seriously increased your one rep max as well as built some serious muscle. The short rest times make up for the low reps by keeping muscle tension high. If you try to move the weight as explosively as possible their is a LOT of tension that gets generated.And as we know, tension is strength.It aint fancy but it sure do work. Of course you can switch things out but I know you can keep repeating this cycle and making gains. Especially if you choose your assistance and special exericses right. The key is perfect form and small but steady every increasing loads.

You can also do this as a box squat cycle as well ( use a real box single max).If you are ready for more tension add chains or bands. Bands increase the tenions exponentially and chains challenge your stability under the weight big time.

Remember there is a big difference between a gym max and a contest max. A contest max, with andrenaline and big psychological arousal can increase the lift 5-15% if you are a good performer under pressure.

Form is everything and you must try to use the lighter weights as serious form work.every rep should be legal depth and perfect form.

Congrats to the Master Instructors and New Senior RKC's!

Great news today from Pavel that both Sr RKCs Brett Jones and Andrea DuCane are being promoted to Master Instructor and will be able to certify groups as RKCs themselves. The RKC and Dragon Door is growing by leaps and bounds it seems and demand for the certification are increasing tremendously. Being the original never hurts.Having a great product helps even more.
In accordance with that Pavel named David Whitley, Geoff Neupert and Jeff O'Connor as new Senior RKC's. I love these guys and couldn't be happier to have them as fellow Senior Instructors. They are all top notch men, instructors, strength athletes and human beings.They have great character, humility,passion and intellect. As well as a great respect for the RKC and what is about.I have enjoyed working with and learning from each of these guys and can't wait to be able to work with them more often.
The RKC School of Strength continues to grow!

Strong is good.

I haven't had anything over the 24 kg over my head in a long time. When I gave up pressing and pullups last year to really focus on getting as much pain free right shoulder ROM back I knew I decided I didnt want to snatch anything heavier than the 24. Didn't fit the risk to benefit profile well.And pressing is very natural for me and I have nothing to prove there.
But after doing 15 and 15 with the 24 last workout I got the 28 kg in my head and decided today was a good day.It is only ten pound more for gods sake( lol, this is the thinking that got me into trouble)but hey let's go and see how it feels.What can I say, I love the feeling of getting stronger and seeing the proof.
Scheduled for a back off mini cycle and supposed to do clubbell push presses for some reps but wanted to do this first.Glad I did.

5 am
20 min Z drills full body
10 min rolling on floor/rifga

Push press
16kgx5/5x2
20kgx3/3
24kgx3/3

28 kgx3/3x2 sets

No problem. could have done 5 reps pretty strongly and another 2 sets no problem but I wanted to be cautious.I can easily see the two pood again.It's more about leg drive than press anyway.Best not to be greedy. This was fun :))Didnt feel heavy at all and the groove was the same. Excellent.

2 Clubbell push press( from shoulder park)
5 sets of 20.
Kind of a mini thruster with a stop between reps.
thought I would like this more but don't much care for the finish angled leverage position.Sure got my legs going though.
2x8/8 with the 15 #

two cb front press with 10#
4x10
these werent bad at all. good shoulder and core work.a pretty natural motion almost like a standing hammer strength leverage press. With all the horizontal clubbell pressing it feels like I am benching standing up!

Rockits
2 10# bells
3sets of 50 reps

wow, these really get the quads and the glutes GOOD with no low back work. never really get up out of the tension as you dont stand all the way up, BUT the bounce kind of releases the tension before the next ballistic drop. cool. I can see 100 rep sets no problem.these stay.

Torch swings 2 0# cbs
1x15
1x12
1x12

man these TORCH the grip,especially with zero choke,The top position is very good though and the shoulder and elbow can just rotate and lock in.Antagonistic to biceps/brachialis tension.

flag press 2 10#
3x10
1 15# cb 1x5 each arm

can't wait til the other 15# bell gets here

rack walks 16 kg
1000 feet hand switch every 200 feet

solo training today so faster than normal pace. pretty easy today.the clubbells are hard, and require lots of tension ,but its not any real weight so it is easier on the body.plus the swings are more rythmic and less ballistic so there is less downward acceleration to deal with. less changes in force than kbs. but still cool.

datsit, staying loose.

More good research on interval training vs continuous work

Another excellent blog post by Chris Highcocks looks at metabolic changes during exercise comparing interval training versus continuous endurance training.

What a great gift.

One of my clients, an avid gun and knife collector, knew I was interested in getting a Kukri blade for my own modest knife and sword collection. Kukris are the knife/short sword used the Gurka's as their battle blade and and are the symbols of the unit.One morning last week he shows up with this for me:

a beautiful Ka Bar version of the Gurkha Kukri! This is one heavy duty machete and has the heft of a clubbell; much heavier than it looks. The recalcitrant leaves in my backyard no longer stand a chance!Christmas came early this year.

Tough is good.

Down cycle this week on the swings to the 24 kg so I wanted to do some volume. Been feeling really good lately, really strong and my recovery is the best it's been in ages.Plus, I am right in the middle of my volume ramp up from the Sept cert peak and high workloads feel easy again.One of the reasons I hate(and always have) peaking is that the week before and a few weeks after you are really knocked back by adrenaline let down and you feel week and tired.
I used to compete so often as much to justify the time I wanted to train as much as to get to my goals,lol.
There was an interesting blog post recently about how western training methods do more harm than good to the average persons body and to a large extent I agree.So much of this damage comes from people who are looking for fitness training using sport as their method and not training for fitness. Too many people use sport as their method of training and this is where so many go wrong.Someone is out of shape and decides to take up: tennis, soccer, jogging, basketball ,etc to 'get back into shape'. Those are all sports which need very specifc training to being able to survive them, and even then the odd are against you.
I have always said: one trains for sport, you don't use sport to train.Usually its the weekend warriors that do nothing all week and then overload every system in their body with the pickup game or hard match.
Casastrophic injuries aside,successful athletes( with smart coaches) train for their sport using gradual and progressive training, cyclical ramp ups and a multitude of modalities for the training itself as well as the prehab and recovery of the bodies. Of course high level sport,whether one trains for it intelligently or not, places HUGE stresses on the body with big risks.One bad move and you're out.
And that's the price of admission and the cost of doing business.If your 'thing' is competition and being an athlete you suck it up and do what it necessary.But for the fitness minded person to take one small piece out of the athletes training puzzle almost never works out well. Especially if they are not built for that sport.
Now that I am an ex competitive athlete I am training for different goals than just increased performance and PR's and general toughing and increased work capacity are at the top of that list.While Joe and Jane weekend warrior are killing themselves with too much not often enough solid fitness training builds a bigger and wider foundational base all the time while occasionally stepping into a peak to asses where the training should go next.
" A back of iron and legs that never quit" is still the goal.
Most people though,imo, need to be tougher.It wasnt many years ago at all that life was infinitely more physical on every level.Just getting through the day made one stronger tougher and more fit than the average present day athlete.And of course it DID grind one up pretty quickly.
So many times being tough means doing LESS rather than more, if that what the body needs.Small systemic increases over time, and total body training done consistently is the ticket.Thats why I love the RKC system so much;it really builds you up more than it tears you down.The kb is so much more forgiving to the structure than the barbell,not only because the loads are lighter.
Running can be a great way to build leg and cardio endurance but its no where near a complete system. All the factors have to be taken into account and the program designed accordingly. Not many people want to think about their fitness training that much and that's where a good trainer comes in. As well as the kb. So much can be done in so few movements.

It used to be I would be able to do a tough workout but would be wrecked for days afterward. Now I can push myself more all the time and bounce right back. The workout has been over for a few hours now and I feel I can go back and do it again. This is good. Tough is good but it takes more than just a lot of work. It takes alot of smart work.


Kettlebell training will make you tough. Period.

Warmup: 15 min Z
One arm swings
16kgx10/10x2

24 kgx15/15 x 14 sets
x 15/15/10/10/5/5
x10/10
500 reps/ PR
26,500 lbs.

wow,that was very strong. the 15th set for 60 reps was solid and I probably should have just done the 80 to finish off the 500 but was being cautious.each rep had good speed and power to the end.excellent.

Torch press
3x 5,6,10 with one 10# cb
3x5,6,10 with one 15# cb
2x15 with two 10#cbs

Armcasts to flag
5x8 with two 10#cb
3x8 with one 15# cb
2x10 with two 10# cb


man these are the pefect finishers to the kbs/ they really open up whatever the kbs make tight.
great workout and already feel good. want to do more cb work tomorrow,really liking the behind the back work.

datsit, getting strong again.

The glock torture test.

Been thinking about finally getting a pistol and am vasilating between the sig sauer p220 and the glock 21. Found this very interesting torture test on the glock.