Let us not forget

just how close the Level 2 Cert is! Here 's a reminder from last years fun fest. the Dane of Pain introduced the Snatch Vo2 concept and nothing was the same for me.I actually get to participate in his presentation tracing my last years path of snatch training. Can't wait.

heres the fun

Great Bikram class

Wasnt happy that I had to miss thursdays class but todays made up for it.LOTS of progress all the way around on almost every asana although the heat really kicked my ass today. THere were 44 people in the small room and the heat AND the humidity were cranked up. I drank tons of water, almost too much, and got a bit nauseous around the hour mark but came around for a strong finish.
When I ran or cycled I always drank my fill of water and spit out the last sip. That almsot guaranteed I wouldnt get nauseous from drinking too much. A bit hard to spit on the bikram floor but lesson learned. Even when super hot don't drink too much per sip.

Great progress on the
1) squat series much more even left to right
2) eagle pose; Really got my progressions down here.mainly worked on loosening ONE arm up per side. Plus my left leg stand was VERY strong
3) standing head to knee pose: left leg stand was very strong here too AND I got my right leg cupped correctly. one the leftleg extension got the leg totally straight and out. awesome progres!
4) standing bow: GOT LEFT LEG WITH LEFT ARM FOR THE FIRST TIME! YES!right side was into decent extension as well. very pleased here
5)balancing stick pose was much more stable as well
6)straddle head to floor pose was easy as ever and I kept my legs closer
7) warrior poses were much easier too once i realized I had to do what everyone was doing with their overhead arm instead of what was being said to do.
8) front split pose head to knee; really had to bring the stance in to focus on the left leg but it worked great.
9) tree pose. also great after I realized I should just hook the left leg wherever it lands on the right thigh and focus on left leg abduction which is the limiting factor
10)Instructor pissed me off when she said I couldnt use a towel to help double knee to chest post( was slipping mightily) but then told everyone to use it on the rabbit pose. CONSISTENCY please!
1a) also got both legs hooked on floor bow AND camel! things are opening up!

really worked on knee flexion during the seated poses and felt things move well.

all in all an excellent class, heat stroke nothwithstanding!
Another class on tuesday this week before leaving for the cert.Tracy and I got to practice side by side today and thats always great> she is getting SO strong in her positions and has implemented some of the breathing and stretching tips I have given her so her positions are getting even stronger.

datsit.

Snatch holds, light.

Closing in on another cert and with some great workouts behind me today was an easy one on the schedule. Bout time too, I be tired,lol. Actually not, but after a peak it's either step down or fall off and I don't need that lesson again, so it's easy 20 rep sets with the 20 kg in groups of five.
Easy on the hands, easy on the wind and all the way round.I held each rep for a dead stop hold before moving on.Thought of it as lockout work.

Snatch holds
16 kg x5/5/5/5 x2 sets

20 kg x5/5/5/5 x 10 sets
200 reps
8800 pounds

used the corkscrew on both sides and really took care to pause every lockout. This slows every thing down which is precisely what I wanted. My CNS needs a little rest as well.

Arm casts
15 lb CB x10/10x 3 sets

Shield Casts
15 lb CB x8/8 x 3 sets

Nice easy day here too. good upper body, tricep work.

Bikram yoga tomorrow. I missed the session on Thursday and I am really looking forward to going back,despite it being 90+ degrees here currently. I've been studying his book and playing with some of the poses from a practice standpoint. Kind of like we do at the RKC. Focus on practicing the skill, not worrying about training and pushing it before the basics are mastered. I've figured out more individuations for me and I want to play with them tomorrow.Good stuff.

datsit.

Some video from the Danish RKC , Rifs High Pull version Rite of Passage

Ah W2 ROCKS! He sent me this video that he took of my Rite of Passage, Swing Style, workout at the Danish Cert. 200 high pulls in 10 minutes, an up hill ladder. Done in "I go" "you go" style the rep sequence is

10/10
12/12
14/14
16/16
18/18
20/10
10/10

200 reps in Ten Minutes. Great GPP Prep for the Snatch version of this.Thank Will!

A year of Snatch Vo2 Training: All Time PR.

Well, this has a nice symmetry to it; one year,almost to the week, that I learned about using the 16 kg snatch as a tool to seriously increase your true cardio conditioning with Snatch Vo2 training I hit a supra max goal of 55 sets of 8 reps in the 15:15 protocol. My dream goal was to hit 50 sets of 8 which I did in March after 8 months of progressive increases once a week. Since the Level 2 cert is two weeks away and I was asked by Kenneth to provide some input on my max vo2 training this year during his presentation I thought it might be good to end the year with a bang.
I hit a 36:36 protocol pr last week, then a 24 kg volume pr on saturday and had a light day on monday so it was possible I had more in me.I've been sleeping well and my weight is back up so....?
At first I thought I would just do 50 sets again to put my seal on it but then I thought'why not 55 sets?' KJ has spoken of as many as SIXTY SETS for optimal conditioning! When he said that I thought, and told him, he was insane but now I know I could do it. Its amazing what consistent, progression training can accomplish. I've shown myself time after time and I still can't beleive it. The tortoise wins.But it's GOT to be progressive and that means you have to challenge yourself: just a bit, to keep going forward.
Because, really, you are either going forward or backwards. There is no not moving.Some consider moving backwards slowly as good and I can see their point.But if I can I really love to see forward progress.And today was definitely a good sign.
Tracy and I had talked about it last night when I was teasing that maybe I should do it. She said; "of course you can do it? What would stop you?"
I said, " not wanting to suffer that much".
She said " it won't be that hard. just do it."
Yet she was complaining about how much 5:30 Bikrams sucked so I told her if she went to 5:30 class I would do 55 sets. She agreed. I was screwed. Had to do it now. Damn.
BUT, I had great mind, or more precisely no-mind, or mushin,going in. I knew I had committed to doing it, I had no reason not to do it except that it would hurt a lot,it would be a perfect ending to a great training year so there it was. Nothing to think about except going into it 110% committed.And it was right there.
No stalling, no hesitation, no delaying,no surfing the net, just in, change , go. No warmup either.
Jump right in, the pain's just fine.
heres a wikipedia definition of mushin
Of course I was fixed on something. but just one thing.way cool.I love this place, it has just happened so rarely of late. I used to live here.

Snatch Vo2
15:15
16kg
55 sets of 8 reps(miscounted one set on #48 7 reps)
439 snatches
15,804 lbs
27.5 minutes
BW 157.2
max HR 200 easy.

Sets 46-49


here's the last four sets




things started out very casually and I was getting my reps in with a second or so to spare. at least on my right arm, my left arm has been more spastic lately. or maybe the right is just catching up now that if moves so much easier.I got through the first 25 sets pretty well and then it started loading up a bit. I was doing my half and half technique using as fast a corkscrew as possible on left and over the top on right.I know my lockout was short on the right a bit but I was really focusing more on a hard punch out and throwing the weight down as hard as fast as I could or I couldnt make the time limit.
also, concentrated on pushing through the floor hard as I punched out with the opposite leg. seemed keep the bell floating faster too.
Single breath hardstyle technique.
Tracy came in around set 45 and man that made the difference.having her yelling at you definitely just seals the deal.She's tough man and I've seen her push harder than almost every man I've ever seen, and I've seen some prodigies.So there's no quitting aloud.
I was very happy with my wind but even more happy with my bell speed. It stayed up to the end and that means power is way high all the way to the end.excellent.
Next week easy and then Level 2 cert! Can't wait.

oops, almost forgot the rest of the workout!

rack walks
16kg x 1200 feet switching hands every 200 feet.

this was tough after all that snatching but its a decent workload

Two Hand shield cast
15 lb cb x 10/10
25 lb cb x 8/8x4 sets

glad to have these back in the mix consistently. they rock.

Now, datsit.

How I modify Bikrams

As I said in my last post about Bikrams I don't listen to the instructors cues on how to progress the poses. I know enough about my body, it's structural limitations, it's actual needs as well as real exercise science to know what I can and cannot do. And how to do it.

For instance, I start the series off ( half moon to sides and back bend) pretty much as written. I need the abdominal/front panel stretch as well as the obliquel/lateral line stretch so I do the poses as prescribed. What I DON'T do is try to advance the stretches by PUSHING into them, or forcing the position.AS everyone should know a stretch taken to it's end range of motion will elicit a STRETCH REFLEX creating a contraction, NOT a elongation of the muscle.

So I do as Pavel has taught and I know from years of stretching for gymnastics and RELAX INTO THE STRETCH.Not to say I don't try to advance the position but I do not create antagonist contractions in the muscles I am trying to get to release!

So why go to the class if I am not going to follow "instructions"?

First,my wife digs it and I get major points for going. 'Nuff said.

Second , its tough to find a heated room to stretch in and people get weird if you try to stretch in the sauna. The intense heat makes stretching out way easier. And thats my goal, getting stretched out WHERE I need to. Not where I don't. I LOVE to sweat big like that too.Your skin is your largest elimination organ and I believe intense sweating is very healing and healthful.

Third, as with most things that are difficult or uncomfortable to do it's great to have a set time and place, as well as environmental support to force you to: get 'er dun.Going to 'class' accomlishes that. Same as having a set appointment with a trainer or coach makes it easier.

Back to the modifications.

In the 'awkward pose' squat series I do the first one SOP , but totally change the toe squat as I need my ankles more open,not my calf stronger. So, I do it flat footed and focus on the moveing the knee forward to create ankle stretch. Nothing else is changed. I don't for a second buy "the pose doesnt start until the head touches the knee or some such nonsense line like that they are trying to sell.Posture is the begining and end of all movement and the pose starts when you try to get into it.

The teacher says get on my toes. I say ' no'and work my ankle flexibilty AS I do the rest of the movment 99% SOP.She gets upset but too bad so sad.I do think though I have to speak with them prior to class so they leave me alone. They get the message pretty quickly and they dont have a lot of time for personal interaction anyway. They have a script to recite.

For eagle poses I can barely get my shoulders open enough to wrap ONE arm around the elbow so this is a disaster from the start.But it is still working towards opening up my shoulders so it's all good in my book. Plus, it really challenges my entire leg strength and balance for the one legged stand part.But, I have to get into the position my own way. Won't work at all otherwise.

Now ,on the standing head to knee pose I really have some issues. They say if I can't grab the undersides of my foot with both hands I should work on that and just hold the leg at 90 degrees until I can just reach the foot.For me the importance of this pose is how it stretches my very tight left hammy and calf and I CAN get the leg prefectly straight out IF I can get into the pose my own way.THEY say I should hold up the knee which totally forks up my left rectus femoris ALREADY WAY TOO TIGHT! I don't need more strength there I need to extend the leg and open up my hammy. They always admonish me for doing so. I do it anyway. It's my Yoga, as my wife says. Not Bikrams. I'm paying them anyway.I'm still doing the basic pose.

On the standing bow pulling pose I also could get into it if I could get some help, or use a prop, to get my pretty much unbendable left leg into the position.Otherwise I just standin there with the leg up to the rear creating a pretty decent left glute work when what I really need is to get hold of that leg by any means necessary and work on bending the knee more. I'm working on this one.

The other things that drives me totally nuts is their idea that when doing flexion poses,where the goal is to get head or chest totally on the thighs or knees that pushing into it focusing on the BACK is 180 degree opposite of what they should be focusing on; namely getting the abs to fire so the back muscles can release! This is craziness! trying to force a facilitated back to go deeper into an already too tight position just makes it tighter!

Bretts demo on how to increase the standing toe touch by activating the adductors and glutes demonstrates this perfectly. BUt NEVER a cue about the abs when doing forward flexion moves! OR never a word about the feet when doing one foot poses. Nutso.
Plus, excuse me, but you CAN'T inhale when you have your navel pulled to your spine.It has to be pushed out first so the diaphragm can work. Oh you can but you have to breathe through the upper chest,not a good idea especially if you have tight traps. But noone says a word about he diaphragm or letting the waist out before you pull it in DURING EXHALATION not inhalation. This isn't my opinion but the way the body really works.There has been very little emphasis on really breathing through the poses as well. Perhaps they do more in other classes but I haven't heard it yet.
I could go on but you get the general idea. Some of the poses I can follow their lead exactly. Those where my orthopedic restriction and requirements don't preclude me from doing so. I am not being obstinate for no reason. Nor do I not have a beginners mind hat on. I do. It's just that I am open to learning these poses and am willing to be very bad at them for as long as it takes to make some progress.Thats my beginners mind. I have spent my life learning how to do physical things that I didn't know how to do.Mostly by trial and error and the use of my mind and visualization.I know how to go slowly and progress.One of the most important things I have finally learned is to make sure to listen to my instinct. Follow your gut. It is rarely wrong. But things do tend to go wrong when I ignore it.

So I don't anymore.Especially when it comes to exercise and training.

So I will continue to go to class and progress my poses to the desired shapes and positions the best way I know how. by listening very closely to the feedback my body tells me as I attempt new things. Or things I haven't done in many years.

Swing easy.

Took my own advice today and had an easy one. Good thing too because after last wednesday and saturdays pr's , in addition to all the hot yoga I am one tired puppy.
Swings were on the table today but I backed way off and did 20 kg swings mixed with transfers and not many of them at that.
It's ok though cause Wednesday is SNatch Vo2 again and I've got more work coming up

One arm swings
20 kgs
10/10 x 10 sets

alternated with
H2H transfers
20 kg 20 rep sets

400 total reps
17,600 lbs( that adds up quickly!)

2 CB torch Swings
2 15 lb bells
5 sets of 8


datsit.

Corrective Bikrams

Decided to really focus on doing what MY body needed to open up today in yoga and it worked so well. AS usual I ignored the instructor but this time with a vengence.I did not push any of the poses, as instructed , nor follow their lead as to what the intent or the focus of the asana was, but to do what my body told me was right, and tight, and what needed to open.

Some firsts today too: I got both hands back on my ankles on the camel pose, and could hold it; as well as being able to grab my left ankle in the floor bow!This is great progress for me and am very happy about it.Especially after kicking my own ass yesterday with snatches.WOke up PRETTY tight, lol.Everywhere.

Took it much easier on the tree pose and the standing bow, really using the mirror to get as close to neutral alignment before trying to advance anything. I also ignored her admonishments on standing head to knee pose and skipped the "hold the knee up" part( which over works my hip flexors which dont need it) and worked my way into the full pose, which I can do if allowed to get into it my own way, and which REALLY works my tight left hammy.

Also changed some minor things on all the six trillion overhead poses and focused on locking the elbows and only going back overhead as far as I could with locked elbows. MUCH better on the shoulder and levator.
I just wish these instructors hand an INKLING of an idea about what the hell they are talking about. BUt hey it doesnt matter cause I'm not listening anyway.Best class yet and its good to see progress.

Snatch PR Baby! 305 with the 24 kg

It's good to be going in the other direction for a change. The entire weeks training was a step up starting with the strong 32 kg swings, the PR for 36:36 on Wednesday and now today. Having my bodyweight up a bit helped but it was only 157 this am so that wasnt the deal.I was just ready for this as evidenced by the easy 24o pr I had last Saturday. Somedays the peaks last more than a day.
AND, I will say this: the training I do with the Snatch Vo2 with the silly, litle 16 kg has made the MOST impact on my heavier snatch form, as well as power, of anything I have ever done training the kettlebell snatch. Trying to go fast and be powerful in any movement will always bring out the best form. Has to. Can't sprint fast with bad form can you? You can't do anything fast and powerfully with bad form. Can't do it. Same here. Same as with WSB box squat training. Use a lighter weight and try to move it faster. Produce more force with less weight. As well as more power. Plus clean up your form. Good deal all around.

Warmup
Z drills 10 minutes
Rifga and stick drills 10 minutes
doing this warmup really helped a lot.

Snatch
16 kg x5/5/5/5x2
20 kgx5/5

24kg x5/5/5/5 x 14 sets
x5/5/5/5/5x1 set
305 reps PR!
16,165 lbs

This went great! No problems as should be the case with PR attempts you are really ready for.. I used the five rep switch to save my hands as I knew the only thing that would stop me from getting my 300 reps would be torn calluses.It worked perfectly. I also used my half and half technique; with the corkscrew descent on my left arm and a HS over top on my right. Just works is all. No worries :))
Getting my diaphragm stretched out yesterday and this morning before training worked like a charm. It also helped release my tightening right shoulder.I was seriously bound up from bikrams as well as other stuff.I have to start doing my z and stretching PRIOR to bikrams to make sure I am as square and plumb before I start that practice as possible.

I was planning on just 300 but I knew Aaron's PR was 300 so I had to push him a bit. I know he will crush this as soon as he desires but it was great fun for me. Have fun Aaron!
Mo Bikrams tomorrow am


datsit.

Now, getting Bikrams out.

As I've said before, if it werent for Z and my devotion to regular old fashioned static stretching I would never have been able to tolerate the flexion work that is so predominant in Bikram Yoga. SO many postures and motions where the knee is pulled very close to the body, the head is pulled very close to the knees and the back is round. Now there are many other poses where eveerything is in extreme extension. I haven't counted but I bet they are close to equal.BUT if you have any lower back issues, or a tight front panel or anterior chain, flexion moves can mess you up in a heartbeat.Especially if one doesnt know how to distribute the loads off the joints and into musculature.
But I'm still not sure I will be able to tolerate the flexion without my own brand of extension moves. I did tons of straight leg situps these last few practices and I havent done any type of ab work or situp in 5 years or so. This is what began to unwind my overally tight abs and psoas and let my back heal. SO when I tolerated them these last sessions I was impressed with myself. BUT I have also been getting tighter and tighter of late so I decided it was time to get myself back over the ball. Especially when someone told me to stretch out my diaphragm and I realized I havent been back over the ball or hanging from the bar in eons.SO:

1) back bends over stability ball. I use a 75 cm and really spend some time opening up the abs and hip flexors.to the side as well. great stretch for the lateral lines.

2) Hangs from the chin bar.Being short here has its advantage as I can get a full grip on the chin bar and when tight myheels are just an inch off the ground. when my back opens up I can stand flat footed. A great test for my back length.

3) prone cobra/upward facing dog. A classic and perfect for working the tough to reach without destroying your ac joint- serratus.

4) Stick slides and overhead stretch.THis is what will get me back into my handstand. ALmost square enough in the thoracic area to play with it.You can really lean into at the top and get a great diphragm stretch here as well.

datsit.

Bikrams; upping the ante.

Didnt get a chance to make the planned Bikrams Tuesday as my mechanic took alot longer to get my side window repaired than expected so we did it today.3:30 was better than 4:30 class but it was still a very diffrent experience than 8 am yoga, not to mention it was at a different studio with hardwood floors instead of the carpet in the Saratoga studio
Still it was all good but a very different pace and structure to the class. I certainly wasnt ready for holding the first poses for a FULL MINUTE but hey, you do what you can do? Gotta go with the flow.
Half moon, back bend, standing head to knee, floor bow( this JUST about killed me for the minute) were KILLERS for a full one minute. The other studio doesnt hold you near as long.I will adjust but it was a shocker.
THe heat wasnt as bad here but the hardwood floors., although beautiful were really tough on my kneeling poses as I was in kneeling upright position and the kneecap wasnt digging it. A bit extra folded towel fixed the issue but I do like the carpet better. I know: SISSY! LOL..Hey with t saturdays session it will make FIVE workouts this week. Up quite a bit from the three I have been doing.
Tracy, as usual kicks some serious butt and killed all her poses although she said she had a tough day. Couldnt tell. I should have such hard days. BUT I just about got both arms to my ankles in floor bow and I know that will happen next. I take pr's anywhere I can get them,lol.

Saturday is snatch day and I just might use the 24 kg and go for the magic 300 reps . we'll see.Body weight is back up( 159.4! woo hoo) so I should be stronger too.

datsit.

Snatch Vo2 36:36 Pr

I knew this was gonna be a toughie after all those 32 kg one arm swings left my forearms with one serious pump for the last two days,lol. I cinched up on the grip Monday, which made the swings easier but it really worked the crap outa my forearms, which is never good for 36 sec of power snatching. But whatcha gonna do?
Good thing Mrs Rif decided to help me out by training with me;it's one thing to slack off when you're alone,it's a whole 'nother thing when your woman is kicking ass right next to you with a weight that is way to close to yours.She definitely pulled me along to a pr.I even managed to keep bell speed up the entire time, which did NOT happen last time.

Snatch Vo2 36:36
16 kg
22 sets of 16 reps PR by 2 sets
352 snatches
12,672 lbs
25 min
Ending HR = 180+
Here' s some of the last sets


I used the corkscrew on both arms for all sets but stayed with single HS breathing for all sets as well.When I have to do high(er) reps the corkscrew really saves the grip. HR was in the right zone for this effort; it doesnt have to be as high for this one as it does for 15:15

Rack Walks
16 kg
1400 continuous feet switching every 200.
these went fine. hate em but have to do them

One arm CB casts100 continuous reps with 15 lb CB switching hands every ten reps.

these are just easy and fun and a solid way to end the workout.

Datsit! back on track

Sometimes it just looks like it's gonna be too hard.

If it's Monday it's one arm swing workout day and I knew that the 32 kg was on the menu. I just wasn't feeling that hungry for such a man sized meal, but hey, what would putting it off to next week mean? Just that I would be that much weaker and less inclined to want to play with the big dog. So, time to sack up and just do it. I was ready for a beating that suprsingly didn't come. Ah, it's so nice when that happens and gravity is nice for a change.

One Arm swings ladders
16kgx5/5x2
24 kg x5/5

32 kg x
5/5
6/6
7/7
8/8
9/9
10/10 x 3 ladders = 270 reps then
5/5x 3 sets

300 reps
21,600 lbs

Nice! not really close to my PR of 400 but a solid effort, especially considering my training of late.I decided to really cinch up the grip and took the handle deep into the hand. This always makes my grip much stronger but kills the forearms, which for today, with such low reps, was fine.
As usual the rest periods started long and sped up as I warmed up. It was in the eighties in the garage but after that 104 deg Bikram sauna it felt fine.Heat stress is no joke, I could still feel the after effects of being so hot for so long. I rehydrated much better this time than last but know I would never want to do bikram training every day. It would make me too weak.Of course in the winter it might be a different story.

Snatch Holds
16 kg x
60 sec each arm
75 sec each arm
90 sec each arm

these were better but as usual forever in settling in for my right shoulder.Bikrams also kicks my shoulders ass so they were more fatigued than normal today.

Flag press
25 lb CB X 20 reps x 4 sets

no holds just press, stick and repeat. Good pump,lol.

LOTS of Z drill and Rifga floor work to open up today. Datsit.

mo' betta' bikram

Ok, day two of bikram yoga is in the books and this round was much better than the last. Knowing what to expect really made a huge difference; as well as the resolution to NOT listen to the instructor(?)'s admonitions about how to progress and scale each pose. As I humbly told her prior to class, as she was schooling me on the subject, that I had a lot of experience scaling things.
I made each pose work what I needed it to work, according to my own individual flexiblity/mobility/ROM needs, not the agenda of the protocol. Way better and much more satisfying knowing I wasn't doing things that I would have to spend most of the week undoing. I mean, that's why I gave up squatting and deadlifting! This means mainly to the "awkward poses" which are squats done on the toes. Not for me. My left soleus and posterior tib are quite tight enough thank you very much and don't need more "stretching" as she called it. Um, that's a contraction of the calf, not a stretch but hey, it's just a detail right?
I kept my feel flat, advanced the knees and got a good ,real, stretch of the calves, precisely what I needed there.And things felt fine.
The heat was no problem again and I actually felt like it was cooler than last week. Tracy thought just the opposite. There were way more people in the class this time than last but it was fine.
My shoulders felt much better overhead and I found that I was able to actually work each of the poses a bit instead of struggling just to get into them.Especially with the one legged poses on my left leg. Things held up well and I could really feel my flexion poses opening up again. This posture is the most familiar to me as a gymnast where basically 99% of what you do is in flexion.I could easily do flat palmed V sits followed by straight arm,straight leg pike presses to handstand on anything.Course that posture is what set up my back injury but that's another story. COurse those crazy ass weights I was trying to lift all time didn't have anything to do with it either :-)
I also did Z drills before the class, during short breaks in the class and immediately after.I focused on the ankles, hips and neck circles.Definitely helps.
I am going on Tuesday again with Tracy so it is getting even more interesting all the time. Lets see how Max Vo2 goes after bikram's the day before.Regaining my gymnastics body one stretch and one snatch at a time.

24 kg Snatch Pr.

Well that's nice :)) Definitely feeling stronger again it was good to go into the gym with a firm intention on not coming out without a pr.It was just one of those days and I have learned to listen to that gut instinct much more and go with it; in either direction.

Warmups felt light and that is also a good sign and technique dropped immediately into place. I found myself using the modified corkscrew on my left and the classic over the top hardstyle punch through on the right. they dont have to be the same, God knows my right and left shoulders aren't.It worked very well and bell speed and power were high and that's what I wanted.
I'm starting to realize that I will be doing snatch vo2 work at some point with the 24 kg and that is very, very exciting-especially considering where I was last year. Cool.

Snatch
16kgx5/5x2
20 kgx5/5

24 kgx8/8 x15 sets
240 reps Pr
12,720 lbs ( niice)

we went at our regular pace, I do my set, Rex does his, Nikko does a set of squats, rinse and repeat till the sets are done. I would guess it's about 2-3 minutes between sets, which is fine. I rush around enough on Wednesdays. I like the recovery as it allows me to put much more power into each set as well as do more total sets.Varying recovery times is good.

Arm Cast/ shield cast combinations
15 lb CB x 5 mins of arms casts and shields, switching every 5 reps. Did this three times. very therapeutic for the shoulder and great for the arms and rib muscles as well.

datsit! Bikrams tomorrow, can't wait.

Ok I can't count either.

When I went into the garage today to train a client I took a close look at the hash marks on the side of the chalk box and quickly realized that I did not do 40 sets of 8 reps in the Snatch Vo2 yesterday. I did 45 sets! This is my kind of mistake. Yesterdays post and the snatch race manager have been edited for corrections.

ANd the good news is is that it looks like I am in 4th place in the snatch race( according to number of snatches, which is what I am counting) among the men.Lots of people start, but few can hang in.Hopefully I didnt just give my competition more motivation but hey,either way I am in for the long haul.

I will most certainly do 50,000 snatches and more, as I don't plan on stopping once I reach that milestone. 100,000?

Snatch Vo2

Another day at the office for snatch vo 2 day.Have decided that on 15:15 day it's just start with 8's and hang on as long as I can. It's a little confusing when I'm switching protocols every week but I basically know where to cycle; and if I'm a little off, no biggie.

Snatch Vo2
15:15
16 kg
45 sets x8
360 reps
12,960 lbs
ending HR = 190+

All reps were done hardstyle with single breath, over the top punch out technique. I started to run a little slow the last ten sets or so but that just meant I got 10 seconds rest between work bouts instead of 15. My cardio held up suprisingly well. I thought I would only get 35 sets but decided to keep going as I was just starting to warmup,lol!
Still not hot enough for me in Cali these days( damn global warming!) and that makes it easier to do more sets as well.Nice to see my conditioning is hanging in there pretty well.Still a bit sore in the left soleus and rectus femoris from all the Squatting on toes Bikram poses but I am working it out with rifga stretches and Z drills.

ran out of time for the rest of the workout but that's ok. need to get my weight up still and I got the important part in. It's amazing what one can get out of a few minutes and a kettlebell.

Heres a great blog post by Kenneth Jay explaining exactly why it's not steady state vs interval training that's the issue but exercise intensity and the best way to achieve it.
Here

datsit.

A page from the Swing Queen

Got an hour plus late start today and yesterdays Bikram class left me suprisingly sore and also a bit dehydrated. Big surprise there. SO I knew I need some swing volume with the 24 kg but wasn't 'feeling' a multitude of straights sets at the lower reps I want to be using now.So I decided to do some kind of Tracy Style combination sets to let me do a higher volume of work with less perceived exertion.
A change is as good as a rest, as Pavel says the Russians say and so it is with kb swings. Doing 20 reps of one arm swings is WAY harder than 10 reps of one arm swing, five transfers and five two hand swings. the workload ends up the same( or even higher!) but the perceived effort is way down. Just the thing one needs when you are not in the mood to suffer any more than necessary.Of course Tracy uses the technique to do many millions of swings and snatches per workout but that's just what most humans can do. So I did my own little combination sets and it worked out just fine, plus I threw in just a few two hand swings to see whether I could now tolerate those. Hey, if I can survive Bikram Yoga I should be able to handle two handers now.

one arm swing/transfers/two hand swing
24 kg x 5/5/10/5= 25 reps
11 sets 275 reps
14,575

these just got better as I went along and warmed up. the workload was significantly easier to tolerate than just those deadly one arms.Doing just a few two hands was a smart thing to do

Transfer swings
24 kg x 5 x 20
100 reps
5300 lbs

The bell speed was slowing down on the above workload and , just as Tracy does, I switched over to another volume movement and was able to keep going, as well as keep bell speed( and power) up. A key component. When I can't keep the bell moving at a certain speed I don't like to continue the exericse. KB work great for power but trying to do ballistics movements slowly doesn't make sense to me.Grinds be grinds and swings should snap!

Snatch Holds
16 kg x30 /30 sec
24 kg x30/30 sec x 4 sets
these went much better than I had expected and my shoulder position, range of motion and overall stability continues to improve. I suspect Bikrams, which has one with their arms overhead and very close to the ears almost the entire freaking hour and a half with help here as well.

Two Hnd CB Flag Press
25 lb x 6 sets of 10

held each rep for a solid 2 count and flexed hard as hell. Love these.

datsit, gotta eat!

Rif gets Bikramized.

AS most who read my wifes blog know she is a serious devotee of Bikram's yoga and it has done wonders for her on many many levels. She did the 60 day Bikram Challenge right from the start and has gone regularly to class at least three days a week for 2.5 years.It has opened up and developed her shoulders in a way that even suprised her and when she did not get the chance to practice as much as she needed to she really felt the difference;not only in her recovery and shoulder flexibility, but also in her kettlebell practice.It seemed the perfect compliment to her kettlebell work.
Now, up until the last month or so there would have been NO way I could have even considered
stepping into a class. I was afraid that the generalness of the poses would have put my fairly fragile recovery in serious jeopardy. I knew I need ONLY specific stretches for certain muscles/parts and DID NOT need to work the other direction. For instance, for the last three plus years I have stayed away from any type of spinal flexion moves; my fragile lumbar spine would go out at the drop of a hat and there was no wayI was going risk that. I needed spinal extension, not flexion and all my flexiblity practice was based on that.
Halfway through the last year though I made a concious decision to try to regain my "gymnastics body". The idea was to move towards the flexibilities,ranges of motions,bodyweight and abilities I had BEFORE I became injured. I wanted to see if going back to where I was before I destroyed things and started "compensating" like crazy would have a postive effect on me.
Well, to say it did would be a serious understatement.
Just putting my legs close together and working my rifga poses from that posture made the biggest difference in my knee alignment since I started powerlifting. I could feel myself getting back to 'square, plumb and neutral' much faster than I though possible.
Z drills were the next big change agent and being able to know stand on my left leg without my knee subluxating was a gift from God.Now I could start to develop some real static strength on that side which meant I would be able to walk right again.
AS that happened everything else started falling into place as well.
"No pain, no tension", the Z mantra was a revelation for me and not only helped with everyday postures but with my training and flexibility work as well.
So, when Tracy asked if I would join her for her Sunday morning Bikram class I decided to put my pride aside, put on my beginnners mind hat and dive in. Nothing like a little humilation first thing in the morning,lol :))
My recovery has been coming along so well in general that of late I have been realizing that I did need to add some kind of movement or training into my sunday regimine. It used to take me all day saturday and ALL day sunday just to come close to getting all the tweaks out of my twisted frame in hopes of being able to walk, work and train on mondays.
I can remeber quite well when I switched from my normal and usual six day a week gymnastics and running training to the quite pedestrian four days a week of the bodybuilder.Going down to three was a lesson in necessity, even with kettlebells. I just couldnt recover.
But now I see training as so much bigger than just any weight workout. My rifga is training. My Z drills are training. My walking from the car to the gym is training.My life is training.Its so much bigger than how much I squat or how many reps I can snatch in ten minutes. That too, but more as well.I've been thinking I'm ready to add another day back in.
I have been antsy on sundays lately, not able to sit still,looking for something to do; not too hard but something. I had been doing full body z drills but this sounded interesting now. Plus ,I would get to spend the morning watching my beautiful wife do her workout in her very cute yoga clothes.
I didnt really care how badly I did the poses, I just didnt want to hurt myself.

The bottom line: it wasnt that bad. I have pretty good heat tolerance in general and being the skinny thing I am of late it is even better. Plus my conditioning from all the Max vo2 work also helped me out here and although I sweated like a big pig I never got dizzy or worried that I couldnt make it through.
Granted there were many poses that I just couldnt even begin to do with one knee that only bends 90 degrees but I scaled them down and worked right through them. My old gymnast mind starting coming right through and that helped.There were also a few poses that I did really well. I did quite a bit of yoga back in the late seventies when it was just hitting the US and that didnt hurt as well.
At the end of the 90 minutes I had dropped 3.5 pounds of water and felt fine; no injuries no tweaks and a new appreciation for just how talented and athlete my wife is.She CRUSHED the class. Her practice keeps getting better.
Of course the instructors instructions re: anatomy, physiology and such is just pure claptrap and malarky but I kept my beginners hat on, my mouth shut and did my best. I plan on going back each sunday and plan on getting better each time. Who knows where this will lead? I LOVE to sweat and I love to stretch and I love to spend time with my beautiful wife so how can this be bad?

Quick and Dirty

The snatch workout, that is. The 20 kg was on the menu today and I wanted to get some volume but not with too many high rep sets. I need to get my weight back up first before I start worrying about ssst training so I settled on sets of 10/10. A good choice.

Snatch
16 kg x5/5x2
20 kgx10/10x 11 sets
220 reps
9680 lbs

not bad at all. This was a "half and half" workout in terms of technique, and I'm not referring to the breakfast drink. I ended up doing my left side with a corkscrew descent at a somewhat leisurely pace, and using pure Hardstyle technique on the right arm with a sprint style. Don't ask me why; it was just what happened today and I went with it.
Strange though, when I tried to even it up either corkscrewing or HS on both sides it felt wrong so I just went with it. Worked great.

Shield Cast, two hands
15 lb CB x10/10
25 lb CB x 5/5x5 sets

as I said in the title; quick and dirty.

datsit. time to eat. suspending the warrior diet for a while now til I get my weight back up and keep it at 160-162 for awhile.

Just go.

Thats what I told myself today as I pulled my head out of my ass trying to get ready to train.Just one of those days where life gets in the way of your workout and I ended up in the gym with virtually no mental prep for the session, something that really works my last good nerve.I have always taken great care to mentally prepare for my workouts as much as possible.Obviously more so when I was competing, but still even now; planning the workouts means progress. Just going in an doing whatever, willy nilly, never gets one very far.
But when I looked at my blog and saw that my last Snatch Vo2 with the 20 kg( what was on tap today) was 50 sets of 6 I was similtaneously discourage and encouraged at the same time.
Discourage because I knew there was no way that I could match or even think of besting it, and encouraged because I knew that was starting at a peak and I could go back to just 35 sets with my honor and machismo intact.
Course I wasnt too sure how hard 35 sets would be, lol.As it turned out, not bad at all.

From 6 am -12 noon
Z drills: 6 times full body( with each client)
rifga basic stretches

upward dog front panel stretch
downward dog hamstring/calf stretch
chek horse stance
kneeling shoulder stretch
downward dog tradtional yoga style( bilateral)
sumo squat stretch
squat rack stretch with stick

Snatch Vo2 15:15 20 kgs
16kgx5/5/x2 sets
20 kgx 35 sets of 6
210 reps
9240 pounds
ending HR 175

all of these were done with completely basic hardstyle technique :single breath and straight over the top punch through . No time or energy for games today. Just cut to the chase.I was making the reps with 2.5 sec to spare so I held the rep at the top til the cutoff.The snatch holds are helping here too.

Rack Walks
16 kg
1800 feet
switching every 200 feet. not too bad, just loathe doing these until I get started then I get motivated as they are always tough. which is why I hate to get started,lol.Knee and gait mechanics are both holding up very well

single arm casts CB
15 lb x12 x 8 sets alternating non stop each arm. just playing

weight is up to 159 thank God. Eating is back on track


datsit.

Swing time

A great pic of my hero and earliest role model, Japanese Olympic Gold Medalist Akinori Nakayama, perhaps the best example of the modern gymnast of all time. Pure strength, power and grace personified.And the heart of a Samurai.

I really dread swing day cause it's just plain hard work. nothing fancy, nothing distracting; nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Just a lot of very basic, very straightforward work. Oh well, it's the base and if you let the base get weak the building ain't gonna stand for long so it's time to get to work.
Havent swung the 32 in what seems like ages and even though I am a skinny guy these days the weight felt light and moved well, suprisingly enough.Kept the reps low to really build back up a bit but it seems like I am back on track.

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

32 kgx
5/5
6/6
7/7
8/8
9/9
10/10=90 reps
x 2 rounds then
5/5x6 sets
240 reps
17,280 lbs( man those reps with the 32 really add up fast!)

Snatch Holds
20kgx 1 min x 3 sets each arm

this was tough but getting back on track here as well.24kg again very soon.

Flag press
15 lb CB x10/10
25 lb CB x12 x 6 sets

these were good and each rep was dead stop held for at least 1-2 seconds. LOTS of upper body tension here and I am really working to get the elbows to fully lock out and get plenty of tricep work.

BW 156.2 ouch.
BF 10.9%
Water 58.8 dehydrated.

datsit. snatch vo2 on wednesday with the 20 kg, that should be interesting.

Snatch volume pr.

Pr's have been scarce around Stones Gym lately so it was nice to pull one, albeit a small one, out today. Especially in the 24 kg snatch. Was 'scheduled' to use the 20 kg today for ssst rep training but just wasn't in the mood for that particular type of torture. Want to get my weight back up a bit too and I figured heavier would be a bit better.

Snatch
16 kg x5/5/5/5x2
20 kg x5/5x2

24kgx5/5/5/5x10
x5/5
210 reps PR
11,130 pounds


set # five
Used a combination hardstyle breathing and ascent with a bit of corckscrew on the descent for the first 100 reps then went to complete HS descent for the rest of the workout.Starting to feel like I can snatch the 24 as fast as I can the 16! Which is PRECISELY the purpose of doing 'speed' or dynamic effort training with compensatory acceleration.
Practice putting maximum force ont he bar with a lighter weight( more power) and when the actual bell( or bar) weight is heavier you will STILL put maximum force on the bar or bell.

H2H transfers
20 kg x 50
x 50

One arm CB shield cast
20/20 x 3 sets

It doesnt look like much when I write it down but it certainly kicked my butt around today.

Datsit!

Snatch Vo2 36:36

If Hardstyle max vo2 with one breath is training at high altitude this was medium altitude. I used just the one breath, but went with the corkscrew to save my grip, my forearms and hence my shoulders.
Last time I did this(http://rifsblog.blogspot.com/2008/04/snatch-vo2-3636-redux.html)
I only used 15 sets per 36 seconds and it wasnt too bad. Stepped it up a notch this time to 16 reps per work bout and it was no problem. Finished each 36 sec bout with at least 2 seconds to spare. As it was last time the 36 seconds rest seemed very long. that was nice. Heartate at the end was just 170ish, too low.next time will have to do this with HS over the top and see what happens.The corkscrew reduces SO much force on the way down its incredible.We'll take this up to high altitude as well.whatever I can do I can do and will build up from there.
It's not where you are now, but where you are going that really matters to me.

Snatch Vo2 36:36
16 kg
16 reps per 36 sec
18 sets
288 reps
10,368 lbs


Rack Walks
16 kg
1600 feet switching hands every 200 feet.

will start alternating walks with the 16 kg with interval walks with the 20 kg. this is how I started originally with the 16 and built up to continuous walks.I am ready for this now. Didnt go farther than last time but stepped up the pace. finishing heartrate was 150.

Arm casts with 16 lb CB
12/12
14/14
16/16
20 20

these were good.elbow was fine and I love what these do for my shoulder mobility and upper body size.

BW 157.4 double oops
BF 10%
Water 58.8

just dehydrated. gotta eat more.

Datsit :))

Power swings.

After Saturdays killer HS snatch workout( and the realization that my pace per set was at an 8 rep 15:15 mvo2 pace) I thought I might back that up with some 15:15 swing sets as well. With the 24 kg :)) Didnt know how many I could make but I thought it was worth a go.Not in the mood for a high volume slog through 600 swings.Quick and Dirty; hard and fast. I have done 10 reps per 15 sec work bout before but not with the 24 kg,as I recall so it was a total crap shoot.


One Arm Swings
15:15
24 kg
10 reps/arm
25 sets
250 reps 12.5 min
13,250 lbs

This was TOUGH! Still not sleeping for shit and was feeling pretty weak at the start but hey, at least I didnt have to use the 32 kg,lol.Many of the sets the gym boss went off and I still had one rep to do which means lots of the sets had only 10 sec rest. Ouch. Cardio wasn't too bad actually and hands help up well too.Needed some more volume but had enough one arms. Skipped transfers on saturday so this was a perfect time to make em up

H2H transfers 24 kg
20
24
30
20
24
32
150 reps
7950 lbs

total reps = 400
total lbs= 21,200 lbs( not bad)

These went well AFTER I remembered NOT to sit back but to finish my swing flat footed NOT on the heel only.If I do that it activates too much ab/lower back,taxes my grip and my shoulder.It's just not the right mechanics for me and I have to remember it. My swing speed and ease of movement picked up considerably after I stopped sitting so much.With my lumbo pelvic rythym if I hinge forward my hips go back; if I sit back I don't get the proper hip lean. I know, I'm strange. Like that's news :))

Snatch Holds
Had delusions of grandeur; thought I might use the 24 kg for this but after my first warmup for one minute with the 16 kg I came back to earth and reality. The 16 was quite enough load for today for 3 sets of one minute. I have really missed and need this exericse. GREAT corrective drill for me.
16 kg x60 sec x 3 sets /arm

Flag press and hold
15 lb CB x 10/10
25 lb CB x8/8x3 sets
these were great and MUCH harder with a two count freeze at the end of each rep,conciously activating as much total body tension as possible I think this movement will be alright as a high tension move. we'll see but I have a good feeling about it.

BW 158.4 oops
BF 9.1%
Water 60%

thought I felt light and lean.

datsit.

Training for Life.

Me with Pavel and Vadim Kolgonov at the Danish RKC. Thank you so much for everything Pavel.

Since I started training, at age 14, I have always and only trained for competition. Even when I wasn't competing that often, as when I was doing marathon, ultra and triathlon training I was always training with a goal in mind, even if the deadline wasn't that apparent. Since I started in the prehistoric days before the fitness revolution took over and people realized the health benefits to working out, I never conceived of training without a goal in mind. And that goal always included a trip to a competition or a platform or some other form of testing myself and seeing for real if my training concepts, methods and strategies were actually working or whether I needed to 'go back to the drawing board'.

It wasn't until 2002, when I tore my rotator cuff, and in addition to not being able to train the squat or the deadlift I could no longer even bench( the laziest of all exericses!) that I realized that my lifelong strategies and methods were no longer viable. Of course, at the time I had no idea of what I would ( or could) do next as everything I tried hurt more than the last thing and just getting out of a chair was hard. Walking two blocks would cause unbeleivable pain. I was truly at the end of my rope. Thank God for Mike Castrogiovanni and his vision for me getting involved with the RKC. He was the one that told Pavel about me and brought Brett Jones up to my home that fatefull Thanksgiving. As well as pushing me to become RKC and training me for it as well. That was the new begining of this unbelievable recovery that I have been able to make, thanks to Pavel, the kettlebell and the RKC methods. It truly saved my life and my sanity, not to mention the incredible tranformation it has afforded my wife. I will be forever gratefull.

But I also realized something just the other day; all my life, as a competitive athlete, my goals were to become a better competitive athlete. Everything I had was sacrificed on the alter of improvement. My jobs were all taken so they fit into my training schedule, my life revolved around my training, my recovery and my competition schedule.Pain, soreness,poverty were all things that had to be endured to accomplish my goals.

I was training to become better at training.

And even though I knew I couldn no longer go to the Olympics I was still training to achieve the highest level of accomplishment I could. "First you live like a pro, then you get to be a pro" was my mantra.

Even when, at the end, when I was so sore and jacked up from even the smallest workouts I confused that with the "good" soreness one gets from a tough workout.I hadn't accepted that the recovery from my training took eons longer than any supposed benefit I got from the training. Never quit, never surrender was my mindset and limping around for days after a pissant squat or deadlift workout was just more of the price I thought I had to pay to at least keep some semblance of strength as I got older.

SO, when a few days ago I had TONS of things to do for the day, with the heat in the 100's, lots of walking and assembling and carrying and moving and chores to do I realized that not only could I do this stuff after a full day of working, but that it was EASY; that not only could I keep on going( with no food no less and no weakness or hunger) but that the heat didnt bother me, the effort didnt bother me, I could walk as far as I needed to without limping from pain. That I didnt have to get off my feet at 4 pm and spend the next 2 hours trying to 'unwind' myself as I had done for years just to be able to work the next day did I realize that I was now fit for my LIFE, for the first time in years. Many,many, many years.

When I went to Denmark last week and had to walk miles through airports, stand all day for days on end at the cert; not be able to get my 'normal' training and recovery workouts in and was not only OK but thriving I realized that that is the real goal of my training now. Not to be fit for more training or competition but to be fit for life.

I know that if I have to miss workouts it is not only ok, but what my training is supposed to be preparing me FOR. Real world tasks that have to be done. Not just competitive , made up games and tests, as much fun as they are( and they still are for me too), but the real world tests and challenges.To be tough and resilient enough to make it the next 40+ years with vim and vigor and strength and health. " A back of iron and legs that never quit", those are my new goals.

Speaking to my training partner Nick, who, after a bad back injury last year decided that he would continue to train the squat, but not the deadlift or the bench about it said" I still want to train the squat; not to see how much I can lift but to keep myself strong for everyday life. I don't want my training to mess me up so much that I can't do normal things, no matter how much it will let me lift in competition."

Such a smart man for one so young.

Years of training for competition had skewed my point of view and references so much I had lost track of what was really important. Being injured so severely so young of course had a big impact on this but I took it too far. I was always searching for the "flow" state that I found in competition and hard training. It was the place I felt whole again, where I could overcome my injuries and debilitation and soar once more. Now I realize I was just breaking myself down even more and postponing my recovery.
When I was 21 I wrote a novel( never published) called " A question of Balance" about my gymnastics competing and coaching experience and that phrase has always stuck with me. Searching for balance has always been a key metaphor in my life, even when I was decidedly out of balance.Perhaps even more because of that.

Now, at 51, in perhaps the best shape of my life, physically and, more importantly, emotionally and spiritually, I feel like I know what that balance looks like, and feels like. I no longer have to be the biggest, or the strongest or the fastest to feel whole. I am whole.

I am so thankful to be out of pain, and be able to move and experience the joy of using my body physically again, to reclaim what I had in the beginning but never really appreciated. They say you don' really know what you have until you lose it and I can attest to that.And how what's really important is so simple and basic that is overlooked by almost all, all the time. And it's right there for everyone to have.

I won't forget this again.

Shield and Arm casts

for Bob


I start with two handed arm casts, then shield casts, the flag press.

Snatch Sprints.

The Way of the Kettlebell

Rannoch Donald has made this incredibly cool KB graphic available on these t shirts. Check them out here.

I decided a little power and speed rebuilding was in the cards so I went at the 24 kg snatch with pure Hardstyle technique: biomechanical breathing,over the top descent, hike pass through the bottom position and old school punch through with minimal false grip( I've always held the bell as low as possible on the heel of the hand). It was way tougher but my back felt great and the bell speed got better every set. Still takes me awhile to warm up enough to go fast as possible
Snatch

16kgx5/5x3

20 kg x5/5

24kg x 10/10 x 10 sets

200 reps

10,600 lbs

set one: 55 sec

two: 53 sec

three: 50 sec

four: 47 sec

five: 50 sec ( blister came up,slowed me down)

six: 50 sec( tape wasnt righ)

seven :48 sec

eight : 45 sec

nine: 42 sec

ten: 41 sec.

This technique is decidedly harder on the hands but the workload and force output is way higher.Same with the breathing. HR was up too. This day will still be my SSST training day but really need to rebuild the base stuff as well. Perhaps alternating weeks: one week ssst with efficiency techniques for longer sets and the next week like today, shorter sets for power and speed and counting total volume

so it would look like:

1) 24 kg HS

2) 20 kg SSST

3) 24 kg SSST

4) 20 kg HS

5) 24 kg HS

6) 20 kg SSST

7) 24 kg HS( this would also be week one)

have to think this out but it seems good. a 7 week cycle is about right.

2 hand Shield Cast

15 lbs x10/10

25 lbsx 8/8x3

1 CB arm cast

15 lbs x 10/10 x 2

datsit. nice and toasty today, got a great sweat going. I am so ready for summer.

Almost as good as being there, RKCTL Mark Cheng on the Hungarian RKC

What a great write up of his travels to the Hungarian RKC:

http://kettlebellslosangeles.blogspot.com/2008/05/european-rkc-tour-epilogue.html

Snatch Vo2, what a difference a breath makes.

Even though I spoke with Snatch Vo2 creator Kenneth Jay at the Danish RKC and got the of ok to use the super secret( please note tongue in cheek) double breathing technique that David Whitley figured out all on his lonesome,I had some reservations.
One, it was really getting hard to get my heartrate up high enough using it. Using biomechanical match Hardstyle breathing I was regularly getting high 180's and even 190's with 40-50 sets of 8 reps. With double breathing it was tough to get 170's.If I dont train with my HR in the right zone I won't get the adaptation I want so I figured it was time to go back again.I could do less work,relatively, and get more adaptation; not a bad idea. Allows for much longer progress at the least.
Two, I was starting to feel my lower back. There is much less core stabilization with an exhalation through the bottom position as exhalation activates TVA and produces a spine to navel movment! Not exactly the best thing for unstable or previously injured lumbar spines.Since in testing for max reps it will be an invaluable skill for I still have to train it regularly; just not everytime I snatch or with every weight.
Just "training at altitude effect". I just got off the phone with Dave Whitley about this very topic and told him of my plan. He said he could see using the high tension RKC power breathing for endurance work ( max vo2 or ssst training) as one would go to altitude to reduce the oxygen you could get and elicit a better cardiovascular adaptation.
Using the double breathing on the ten minute test would be like racing at sea level after training in Kenyan mountains for months.Still it is a skill that must be practiced too.
Three, the SPEED of the sets done with Hardstyle breathing were much faster than those with double breathing.As well as the power, as evidenced by the HS sets being at least 1 second faster each time. I did have to resort to some double breathing on some of the later sets as I was just gassing and I could see the set slow down a bit;only to pick right up as I held the breath in the bottom.
Makes total sense; a more rigid structure will better allow a faster transfer of force. Exactly why gymnasts work so hard to stay SO TIGHT during all gymnastics tricks.The tighter you are the better the transfer of power.
This also showed me I am not in the shape I was BUT this was the first time EVER I started with eight rep sets so I am very happy with that.

Snatch VO2 15:15
16 kg
40 sets of 8 reps
20 minutes
320 reps
11,520 lbs

wow, this was WAY TOUGH.It didnt help that it was close to 100 degrees in my fanless garage; no excuses.But the high tension breathing immediately made the difference from it's easier cousin well known. I didnt know how many sets I was going to do nor did I know when I stopped. I could barely breathe much less count hash marks but I knew it was enough. I was surprised when I realized I'd done forty. Max heartate at the end of 20 min was over 200!( it was wicked hot too, that helped.)

Overhead snatch holds
16kg x45 sec each arm x 4 sets
need to put these back in the rotation, they served me well and I still have a ways to go with my right shoulder overhead position.

Rack Walks
16 kg 1400 feet switching every 200 ft.
These have to be done but I hate them :))

BW 159.2
BF 8.9%
Water 60.8 %

datsit.

A spiritual life.

" A woman once asked Carlos Castaneda how to achieve a spiritual life. He responded: "When you go home tonite sit in your chair and remember that your child, your husband, everyone you love, and you yourself, are going to die- and that they will die in no particular order,unpredicatably.Remember this every night," Castaneda said," and you'll soon have a spiritual life."

From Judd Biasiotto's article in this months PL USA.

The fact that death is always hunting us is something I never forget and imbues everything I do with all that much more significance.

Stronger or just doing more reps?

It's always an honor and a challenge to train swings with the swing queen. I always love training with my wife. She's just flat out tough. And cool :))
Just a bit of fire in the eyes.

This subject came up last year when Pavel and I got talking about the difference between lifting more weight in a lift like the bench press and actually being stronger in the move.Think about a lifter who just lays down on the bench, takes a medium grip, little or no arch and just plants his feet;doesnt stand UP on them.He will lift a specific number. Then assume this same lifter takes a wide grip, a giant arch, stands up n the feet so the butt is just barely on the bench and lowers the bar as low onto the chest as the rules allow.He could add 20-50 pounds to his lift immediately but is he any stronger? No. He is just lifting more weight with 'efficiency' of technique.
Is it legal? Yes. Ethical? Of course, as long as all the things done are allowed in the rulebook. But has the lifter gotten stronger. No again.
I've been thinking alot about this as I've made my forays into the land of the SSST and timed sets trying to 1) figure out why so many do so many more reps more easily than me and 2) how can I learn these 'tricks'.
So I learned how to corkscrew the weight down, hold the bell with the false grip, learned David Whitley's super secret double breathing technique and voila! My reps went up ALMOST OVERNIGHT! Whereas before I would start to feel fatigue with sets over 15 now I could do sets of twenty on one arm and ssst style sets of 50 with very low heartrates. In fact, using the breathing technique lowered my HR so much in Snatch Vo2 work I was worried I wasn't getting enough work!
But there is always something about going to an RKC to pull one's head out of one's ass and get back to HARDSTYLE! basics, lol.All this focus on reps and reps and longer and longer sets made me forget about the School of Strength that the RKC is and that it is the basis of all endurance as well.
Training should be hard. Competition should be easy.
Plus, after spending some time on the phone yesterday with Randy Hauer, RKCTL one thing he said to me really stood out: " when you get down to it, anything over 3-5 reps and you're not working power, you're working something else."
Exactly. I got so enamored of my new found rep ability I forgot I had to keep my strength and power base up as well. I got a good lesson today with my swings.

SO:

One arm swings
5/5 per arm focus on maximum power and acceleration on each rep. Hardstyle baby!
change weight each set
20 kg x 15 sets
24 kg x15 sets
28 kg x15 sets
150 reps each weight
450 total reps
24,000 pounds( 12 tons!)

rest between sets varied from 15 sec to 30.as quickly as I could mark it down shake it out and get going. Not bad, and as Tracy says it's WAY harder to put it down and have to keep picking it back up, then to just keep going. Which was precisely the point. Hard and fast.
I could really feel my grip giving out at the end too,mainly on the left hand.Trying to be as explosive as possible with as much internal focus( kime) as possible ain't no joke. I miss this sort of stuff and will add it in on swing day as well as ssst snatch training occasionally as well; although I still have to practice the skill(efficiency) of doing the reps with as little effort as possible to get the most reps possible.

It was great to get to train with my wife today. It's always easier and tougher when we are training together. She always pushes herself hard and it's no joke just trying to maintain ,much less keep up the pace. crazy.

2 Clubbell Rockits.
2 15 lbs x20 rep x 7 sets
140 reps

Two arm flag press
15#x10/10
25#x8/8 x4 sets

two hand shield cast
15# x20/20

one arm shield cast
15#x8/8x3 sets

BW 160! finally back to normal.

datsit.

Back to normal.

Ah, I can breathe again, lol. I thrive on stabilityand routine. Needless to say I am not a great traveler. Never have been although I have done my share. As basically a full time athlete for most of my life I always knew that my recovery was the limiting factor in my forward progress toward my competitive goalsI knew that active recovery and sheer 'feet up' rest were the keys to being able to handle heavier and harder training workouts.
It's as much a key factor for me as was any training template or nutritional program. I learned early on from the greats in every sport I trained in that training, eating, sleeping and recovering on a regular schedule, that the body came to depend and rely on, was vital for real progress.
I need to sleep, get up, train, eat, work and rest as much as possible at the same time all the time. Time and energy management are true keys to training success. So many don't understand this key component. Their workout times are not on their "books". I personally couldnt do anything that way, but hey, I'm a bit of a control freak :))
My general tenet was : first you live like a pro; then you get to be a pro.Not the other way around.
My wednesday snatch vo2 workout reset my body clock well and today just got me right back to normal. way cool.So, inspired by my Rite of Passage hi pull workout I used at the Danish RKC it was time to snatch. One day soon I will do all of this in ten minutes.

Snatch
16kg x5/5x3

20 kgx 20/20
x18/18
x16/16
x14/14
x 12/12
x10/10
x10/10

200 reps
8800 lbs

I got some video of my set of 12/12.


this was very easy and even the 20 reps per arm were great. teshnik feels solid as I long as I remember to use my 'stiff leg dl' style and NOT squat it.did too much of that wednesday and as before, my lumbar spine does not like it.no worries.

transfers
24 kg
20
22
24
26
30
122 reps

not bad although my energy was waning just a bit. have to work these up over 200 and up

torch swings with 2 15 lb clubbells
4x8these are great on the elbow/shoulders.


BW 158
BF 8.7%
water 60.9%

lean as I have been in 20 years.

datsit!

Snatch Vo2 PR and Team Rif photos

Team Rif baby!

OK, we were a bit out of it by this point.

ok, here as well. That's top RKC assistant Maurizio Maddaloni on the left. He provided these pictures as well as all the translation duties for my seven Italian RKC candidates who spoke little or no english. They all passed and did a great job teaching.

once more with feeling.

Well, this was a suprise. Didnt get started til late and was amazed I was getting it in at all. But 13 hours of plane rides and NOT training enough all week really started to show me how vunerable my back still is- IF I don't train and keep it strong. Been sleeping perfectly again though and fell back into my normal circadian rhythym like I had never left the states, so that was good. The one arm swing and snatch is the key ingredient to keepin my lower back strong, fit and stable and going too long without enough of them is playing with fire.
Didnt know how many to expect so I just got going and ended up with this

Snatch Vo2
15:15
16 kg
55 sets of 7 PR!!
27.5 minutes
385 reps
13,860 lbs

wow. that was easy and strong. finishing HR was probably 172-175'ish. not high enough but not worries for today.When I got to fifty sets I still felt strong so I figured why not another 5 or so. Kenneth talked about working up to 60 sets or more so there it was.All done very Hardstyle with DW's double breathing.Really focused on sitting back into the hips when I hit bottom and pulling back from the upper back ala the highpull before I punched through.

Rack Walks
12oo feet with 16 kg switching every 200
this was solid too and another vital exercise for keeping my back strong and stable and my legs functional. THis was the most I have walked for cert travel ever and it was no problem,even those 6 flights of stairs down in Frankfurt airport, lol!

Shield cast/ Flag press

3x10/10/10 with 15 lb clubs

this was solid too and I really needed the work in the transverse plane for my shoulders. left elbow feels healed.

More Damien

heres Jacob at last years TSC


This guy is a wicked smart and tough instuctor.

Here's Guarden's blog
http://guarden.wordpress.com/


and it seems I have been spelling his last name wrong. It's Sondergaard. Sorry man

Danish RKC : Finito.

Well although I am typing this at 4 am Copenhagen time I did manage to get some sleep last night after not sleeping for two nights in a row. I mean NO sleep. Ugh.Suprisingly I didnt feel that bad other than laying awake for 7-8 hours in a row waiting for sleep.I havent stepped on a scale but I wouldnt be suprised to see 155 lbs,lol! Can't wait to get home to my beautiful bride( who as always, was the talk of the cert)and my normal routine.
Even though I changed the batteries in my Flip camera just prior to the day they must have been duds because the damn thing crapped out as I taped the grad workout. I did manage to get some vids of Team Rif after they crossed the finish line and some strange video of Doug Nepodal doing some snatches after the cert in his Kilt~!Just abit this side of bizzare but hey, what would you expect,lol.
The day was great, as they tend to be after two very intense days of constant training, teaching learning and practice. Team Rif rose to the occasion and Thomas LaCour( Kenneth Jays boxing coach)won the team technique contest for us with an incredible display of the strenth and finesse.I also had the pleasure of working with and teaching Dr Vadim Kolgonov, Sambo Master of Sport. what an amazing man and athlete.He's someone I won't soon forget.Here's the video of these incredidle new RKCs as they just finished their grad workout( 20 seconds of walking see saw presses, 10 sec rest,then 20 seconds of swings)

Everyone purported themselves with great strength and spirit and pushed themselves from start to finish. As usual,people rose to the occasion and taught as well as they trained! Even my seven Italian members who spoke very little to NO english managed to teach the Danish 'victims' who came out for a kb lesson with sign language, words and phrases they had prepared the night before(!)and just incredidle heart and determination. I am so proud of all of them. Five members who had failed their snatch test the previous days made their numbers!
All passed except one who will make his numbers very soon.
The RKC experience is a VERY special one and manages to touch everyone who goes through it in a unique but unforgettable way.This is true for every cert I get to go to. Unreal.So many report this is one of the most amazing experience of their LIVES! It was for me, no doubt.
This has been an incredible trip for me in so many ways and I will miss the amazing hospitality and warmth of my new danish friends as well as the my new RKC friends.As is usual the case I am sure we will stay in contact. The RKC is more than just a certification but a community; one which goes on long after the course is over.
And now, for your viewing pleasure Doug Nepodal does some 24 kg snatches inhis "utili- kilt"


some more video of my fantastic assistant Jacob Sonnenguard attempting a 32 kg bottoms up tgu! So close! This man is one incredible athlete and amazingly smart trainer.


datsit for me. time to get on a plane and get back home.

Danish RKC Day two

There was no day one entry because Rif was just a 'wee bit' jetlagged and out of his mind.The trip over was uneventful except for the incrediblly long time it took to get here although I do have to say that the flight from chicago to copenhagen was the best trip in an airplane I have ever taken!
I thought i had entered a time warp and went back to a place and time when airlines still considered real service a part of the price of admission. from the beautiful blonde nordic flight attendants (man ,EVERYONE is tall here. I mean everyone and short is six foot!), to the TWO MEALS that were served( real food too, and incredibly good) , free movies and tv in each seat( and I was in economy), and the hot washclothes given out after each meal it seamed that I was in another world.
Unfortunately the 16 hours of travel and no sleep brought me back to reality very quickly but I will say this, if all airlines were run like SAS air travel would no longer be like the bad bus ride it now is on american flights.
Day one was good but tough, my group of 16 was the largest of the cert and 7 of the candidates were Italian with virtually NO english. This, I immediately realized was going to be tough.Not Brett Jones and his full team of Hungarians who didnt speak english tough, but tough enough.
Luckily I was ably assisted by Dr Mark Cheng RCKTL and my Chinese brother,Jacob Sonnengard( henceforth know as Damien, for his sadistic use of the gym boss timer to keep everyone in pain with swings every 15 minutes round the clock),and Maurizio, my able assistant who translated my instructions to the Italian team.
I never ceased to be amazed at the transformations of the RKC canditates from Day one to Day two but this time was the most amazing of all. I thought someone has stolen my team and replaced them with ringers who had overnight become seriously compenent and expert KB athletes who swung, snatched, clean pressed and squatted AMAZINGLY better on day two than day one! The change was nothing short of miraculous.Four candidates who failed their snatch test the first day CRUSHED it the second!And by the end of day two, when one would think these poor people would have NOthing left in the gas tank they kept getting better and better!
This has been a very tough cert with Damien stopping everything every 15 minutes when the gym boss beeped so everyone could do 20 swings no matter what else was going on. FUN! 80 swings an hour from 9 am to 6 pm for two days straight adds up to a LOT of swings, in addition to the thousands of swings snatches, cleans presses and tgus the candidates also had to do.They went through it like the troopers they are; and,like at all RKC certs their form just kept getting better with each passing hour.
Grease the groove to the max eh?
Kenneth Jay put this cert on all by himself and did and AMAZING job all the way around. From the incredible hotel to the perfect training facility to the rock star tour buses that took us everywhere nothing was left to chance. I don't even want to imagine how hard it is to put something like this on.Mad props to Big Kenneth!
Even the weather was perfect and Denmark is incredibly beautiful; spring has sprung the green fields and forests were everywhere. so clean and crisp
It couldnt have been better; unless of course I could sleep but that's another story. nothing like getting up at 10 pm to go to work,lol!

Here's some video of Damien overhead squatting with the 32's while the candidates had a short break



Heres another of RKC candidate Shanti( sorry no last name) doing a tgu with the 32 kg


and last but not least Team Rif going through their five minutes snatch test to determine their Max VO 2 cadence. just a few minutes after this they went through 25 sets of snatch vo2 for their workout.
I was inspired and joined in with the hitting 9 reps
per 15 seconds for the first time ever!
It is,after all, my snatch day.


datsit for now. hopefully I will sleep tonight. slept perfectly on day one and virtually NO sleep last night.heres hoping for more z's than just ankle circles