HKC Palo Alto February 6 2010

Between RKC's and HKC's, 2010 is already filling up fast and I am proud to announce that our second HKC will be held at Girya, Russian Kettlebells Palo Alto, Ca February 6, 2010. Jordan Vezina will be offering a workshop on February 7th ,details to follow. Jordan is one of the best talents I have seen in the kettlebell community so don't miss this opportunity to train with him.Start honing in on your quest for the RKC right after the HKC!

you can sign up here:

http://www.dragondoor.com/hkc/hkc039.html#hkcrequirements

Why I'm glad I don't do gymnastics anymore

who would want to have to do this stuff in competition?Insane.

A video montage of the HKC Palo Alto

Thanks Jordan for the great camera work as well as all your hard work teaching yesterday.

HKC Palo Alto Team Rif

It's in the books. The first California HKC at GiryaStrength. What a day.

Destination :HKC Palo Alto, Ca

Just in time to celebrate the inaugural HKC Palo Alto,Ca our new logo and store front sign. Notice the HKC logo to the right? Rockin'!

Plus, check out the start of our new website changes:

http://giryastrength.com/index.html

One man, one bell, one task.

I've always said that the true hallmark of a dedicated athlete is their ability to get their training done regardless of the circumstances.This is especially true when it comes to training alone. For so many years my litmus test for training partners was squat workouts. If you weren't prepared to be there on time, ready to go with a solid attitude and a plan for the day I wouldn't let you train with me. I would rather train alone. I would rather not count on anyone showing up and make those weight ,intensity and safety adjustments, than counting on you and being bailed on.
And that happened very frequently when it came to leg day,lol.SO many start well and fade fast as soon as it gets really tough.
So I learned how to train alone.
But I havent in a long time although I know in the back of my head , and in the depths of my heart that I can. I just don't want to anymore,lol. Unless I have to.
Like today.Tracy was up with our grandchild and I was on my own on heavy snatch day.
I did 140 reps in sets of 14 last week and knew I needed to step it up a notch. I also knew that I have been relying heavily on her energy and inspiration for awhile now and havent' done anything all that tough myself in many moons.
Plus, I have the HKC this weekend and DON'T want to tweak myself when I don't have the time to heal up and still be at top shape for this most important weekend. I've been on a roll though, of late and really NEED to keep that momentum going. Feeling strong feels so good. But I know I can get hurt sleeping so I don't take my current level of 'restoration' for granted,at all.
I just had to get and stay focused and get and keep on task.Just like the old days.
One rep at a time. One set at a time. Stay in my body and stay in sequence. Don't do anything stupid; let it swing.
So I did.

Snatch
16kgx5/5x2
20 kgx4/4

24 kgx7/7x 12 sets
168 reps
8904 lbs

This went great. I had some serious music turned on at first,like the old days, to spur me on and get things rolling but then decided to turn it off and just focus focus focus. I just didnt want anything to tweak at all as I pushed into my total reps with the 24kg than I've done in one sets in eons.My groove felt fine I just had to stay present and balanced. Went great. I can see 20 rep sets in my future soon as well as starting to build up my one arm max reps.Not today though.
Still have to get and stay at a 200 rep per workout minimum average first.
first things first.
But it's way more fun training with my wife. There, I said it, the "F" word.
Hey, I'm old now, I need all the help I can get.
But I found out, for real, that I can indeed still train alone. train hard alone. set new pr's( recent at least) alone, when I don't want to for real and certainly don't have to.
Although I do.
Some people will get that and some won't.
One who does is my wife Tracy who was out there in our cold garage, at the crack of dawn,alone getting it done with 20 minute swing work sets because there was no other time to do it today and it has to be done.


Clubbell arm cast /shield cast
10 lbx7/7/7/7
15 lb x7/7/7/7
20 lbx5/5/5/5

These went great! didnt want to risk swipes today as the back has been a bit tight of late and I think it's do to the bilateral swipes. Back to single arm swipes and mills for awhile as well as these arm casts. I just want them to build the arms up anyway :))
ran out of time
Datsit.
HKC weekend here we come!

Muscle Beach indeed.

This is why gymnasts look like they do. Just getting on and off the apparatus is more training than most do in their entire workout.Check out the first ring routine in the video below.Crazy crazy crazy strength!
Lower to L cross
Drop to perfect front lever
straight body pullout to BACK ROLL TO HANDSTAND( reverse muscle up)!!!!TALK ABOUT SHOULDERS AND PRESSING STRENGTH!

Oh yeah, the flying rings,lol! think that tooks some guts?
Gymnastics rocks.

thanks to Mark Davis for putting the video up on his facebook page.He's the mutant doing the quad dismount at the end of the video!

Snatch Vo2, getting close.

The momentum continues to grow and I hit my goal numbers yesterday in Tracy's Max class, although I did have to suffer the indignity of watching both her and Meg continue on to 70 plus sets with the same 16 kg I was using. But slow steady progress is my mantra, and I did what I set out to do so I have to be satisfied.

Snatch Vo2 8 am
15:15 protocol
16 kg bell

20 sets of 7
31 sets of 8
388 reps
13,968 lbs

Things started out great but I had trouble finding 'todays groove'. I always start out the groove with the one that worked best the last workout but, as they say in yoga, "do the best with the body that shows up today". Many times 'today's body' is not last workouts body,nor is the groove.Things were working great on my left side, but my right side QL area was not liking the position in the bottom of the snatch and it took my awhile to figure out how to fix it without stopping.
I opted for a more upright position, using quads more, than my traditional more GS stiff legged style and the back tension abated. I did have to miss a 15 sec interval though to stretch it out but I punished myself by doing one more set than planned.
If I hate anything about max vo2 work it's that once it starts there is no time to adjust anything
without messing up the workout and that bugs my ocd self to no end. most of the time that means I can't even switchout bells when my sweat monster shows up and I start dripping on the bell. Hard enough to accelerate when the hands are dry. wet bells and fast reps are not a good combo.Today I needed a few seconds to open up my back and it killed me to stop but I made up for it.
I thought my cardio would be a limiter but not today. I could have done more sets, a good sign.
Tracy did 42 sets of 8s and 70 total sets, all with the 16 kg!!! Crazy strong. Crazy good. I know EXACTLY how hard that is.
I wonder how many other women can do this workout? I wonder if there are any other women AT ALL doing Max vo2 training on a regular OR irregular basis? Just sayin'.
And if not, why not?
But I am getting there and can finally see 50 sets of 8 again as well as 80 total sets. Slow and steady.

Clubbells Swipes
(2) 10 lb x 15
15 lb x15
20 lb x 10 x 3 sets
15 x 30 reps

Nice! three sets of 10 was much easier than the pyramid up to tens last week. and the 30 rep downset was solid as well. although the grip was cooked at the end,lol.

12 noon Bikrams

wasnt planning on going today but when Tracy got back from teaching I thought,'what the hell?" why not, I feel good. SO I went and suffered through a beginner teachers droing and slowmotion class. I had NO expectations for a good class and that helped. He didnt dissapoint but I got what I wanted out of it, more conditioning and a solid stretch out. Oh yeah, and I didnt hurt myself,lol.
Tracy and I are already planning on getting back to double Bikrams very soon on sundays.
Another class this morning( I'm writing this sunday).I'm on a good roll.

datsit

Back in the day.

Gymnastics, the early years US Vs USSR 1961

50 K snatches in sight.

me awhile ago. I am close again

I was suprised, as I usually am when workouts go well, at how strong I felt today snatching.I've known for awhile that in order to get my workout total up to where it needs to be( 200 reps minimum per session) but I havent felt like I could handle anymore than sets of 5/5 with the 24 kg and keep the power and acceleration of each rep where I want it to be, as well as not tear up my hands .20 sets of 10 is not fun so I decided to bump the reps up to 7/7 and see how many total sets I could get.
Amazingly everything felt great although it still takes me forever to warmup my heart and lungs. Nothing different than 20 years ago when I was bike racing but with only an hour to get the whole workout in I was behind the eight ball. ANd going 'I go, you go' style with Tracy there I really didnt have time to whine about wanting more rest time.SO nice when you get out of the conditioning dolrums and your consistency and intensity start to pay off . Gliding into strength and fitness flow instead of survival mode is so much nicer than hanging on with will and heart.It's nice to lift heavy weights or do high intensity workouts and feel like they are easy. You know they are not cause just a few weeks ago a lot less kicked your butt but the contrast feels great.
Being able to up the reps told me my form and groove are coming along as well. Nice. I know I need to get to sets of 10 on each side so I can do my alltime goal of 200 in ten minutes in SSST someday.I like to always be training for something even if it's years off. It helps keep me motivated and focused. I'm just so spoiled now only doing sets of 7-8 in the max training. I HATE hi reps.
SO why do I have a ten minute set as my alltime kb goal? lol,well it seemed like the right thing at the time. perhaps because it's one of the few hi intensity things I can see myself doing and not wrecking my restoration of my body.But it's got to be done slowly and correctly.ANd lets not forget it IS my weak point.Give me a one rep max anyday.
ANd now, at almost 44,000 snatches in the calculator I can actually SEE getting my 50k done. Then I do need to tackle the SSST. Still have lots more to do to build the base back but I can see it too.
I also do need to add in some days when I take my one arm rep count up to the max again. We used to do this on max effort days back in my wsb days. instead of a bunch of progressive singles up until we missed on a lift, we would do 1-3 very high rep sets until failure in an exercise. max effort is max effort.
I'm still very proud of one of my best hi rep efforts; 33 close grip pushups to a power bar in the bottom of a power rack with a 100 lb plate on my back .Once my conditioning gets back up a little more I'll start adding that in every 3-5th week.I want to be able to do 30/30 with the 24 kg no problem. pass my old snatch test,lol.

Snatch
16kgx5/5x2
20kgx4/4

24kgx7/7x10 sets
140 reps
7420 lbs

Handstands
Free style after kicking up against a wall.
8 sets of 15 seconds each

Wow, this was the first time in eons I felt like myself upside down again! My hand and finger strength is starting to back, as well as the proprioception. I was able to shift around in the HS without feeling I was going to fall out at any time.Torso is squaring up as well and throacic mobility is coming back. tucking the hips really helps create the hollow position in the chest as well. This helps shoulder ROM> GO figure.Arched back, arched chest.Or the reverse.
Handstand pushups are soon.

Clubbell Arm casts
10 lb x5/5
15lbx5/5
20lbx5/5x3 sets

these rock adn the 20's worked my triceps hard. really love this move. so good for arm size too :))
and, oh yeah, training at the new Girya is AWESOME. I love it there for my training now. SO much more hardcore.The HKC is just a week away and I am PSYCHED for it!
datsit

Tough Crowd.

Tracy and I are, as she always says, a tough crowd. What she means is that we have high standards for certain things and are hard to please. This is especially true for things that involve athletics and those who claim high standards.I, we, know what we know and aren't going to pretend otherwise. Sorry.
This is very true for Bikrams yoga, and although I am a total beginner( less than a year and half practice) one of the things that really drew me( draws me) to it is that there is a "dialogue" that spells out, completely and specifically not only what the exact sequence of postures are, but exactly how long each one is to be held, how they should be gotten into, out of and the rest periods between postures.A routine. Each class is supposed to be exactly the same, the difference being what YOU bring to it each day. Works great for those with OCD,lol.And people who like to measure themselves against very specific standards. It's nice to know exactly what's expected of you in the workout.
When they tell you a pose is going to be one minute, and they want you to basically pass out as you cross the finish line( metaphorically) but CONSISTENTLY have you in those postures for numerous varieties of time( rarely the exact minute) it gets frustrating. You know( it's in the book) that each pose should be a specific length of time and you when they won't take the class there it can drive you nuts.
Tracy has been doing a real practice for three solid years and counts very well in her poses; she knows when a 60 second pose is 90 seconds. And since she is actually doing the postures to their full expression (as opposed to me, who is, well just trying to survive and get CLOSE to the full expression) it ain't nice when you are sprinting and they constantly move the finish line.
But when they overdo the first 2/3's of the class because they are, well, just talking to much, adding way too much into the 'dialogue' instead of just giving the cues perfectly and pulling us into the postures, helping us build a rythym, they are stealing from the last 1/3 of the class and that ticks me off.And she aint happy either.
We are also supposed to get a 'savasana'( corpse pose) between each of the last 1/3 postures but that gets skipped fast when they are running behind( next class is waiting...) and they have to 'makeup' for it.
which they never do and didn't today. They went 12 minutes over the 90 minute class with a jumble of work intervals none of which we knew were coming. Add in being pretty gassed from yesterdays double workout and I wasnt a happy camper.Being stuck in that sauna when you are dying is, as you might guess, no fun at all.So I especially wasnt happy as they shorted us in corpse poses big time. 12 minutes doesnt sound like much, but after 90 minutes in a crowded sauna working yourself cardiovascularly and muscular to your limit, it can feel like an eternity.

Now corpse pose looks to be just resting, and it is. BUT it is crucial to the way Bikrams system works; because after you constrict the blood,and the organs,with the static poses you are supposed to relax completely and really let the blood perfuse back into the area you just trained. Skip this and the whole system breaks down. Like doing Hardstyle KB work aerobically.Just aint the same thing.If you can't breathe at all its way hard to go hard. You have to gear down.
Like I said, tough crowd.But I have high expectations from fitness professionals in all walks.Especially Master Instructors.
I didnt even stay a second for the final savasana.Couldnt do it.
So got up after the final breathing work and got out of there. not a great yoga mindset but hey, can't you just stick with the dialgoue ? And, as a professional: FINISH THE CLASS ON TIME? I know I wouldnt be let into class if I came 10 minutes late; respect my time and energy as well.
Do it right. Be a pro.
Just say the dialogue and when it's time for savasana be quiet and let us quiet our minds.I dont want a lecture about being able to quiet the mind. Let us hear the silence.
Please.
It really makes me appreciate the great instructors that ARE there. They do it right and it's so obvious.
OK, rant over,calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean....lol.

I need a nap :))

If I can't outlift you I will outlast you.

The picture on my new business card.

That is one of my favorite sayings, and pretty much my motto. I've never had a lot of talent in the athletic department, excellent for an excellent eye for movement and a LOT of desire to be able to move as best I can , if that counts as athletic talent.

As a gymnast I had to do the movement 1000 times wrong to do it right once, but I didnt care. If I did it right once, I figured, I could do it again right. I just couldnt stop trying.

Another of my favorite sayings: the only way you won't get it is if you quit.

I don't have a lot of quit in me.Probably be smarter if I had more but hey what can I say?lol.

I am closing in pretty quickly on my 50,00 snatches and max vo2 days really help pump the numbers up and this makes me pretty proud.

As of now only one person, Richard Christopher has actually accounted for 50,000 snatches on the snatch manager board

http://www.personaltrainingmanager.com/sc.asp

and I will be the second. I'm sure lots of people who started this have done 50,000 snatches in their training, but they haven't counted them, and in this race, they don't count. Mine will. Gotta have a goal to keep showing up, no matter how far off it is nor how seemingly unattainable.It doesnt even really matter, because as soon as one goal is accomplished a new one has to be decided upon anyway. After 50,000 snatches, 100,00.

So, win, lose or draw, next day it's back in the gym. What else you gonna do? It's a practice after all.A path.My path anyway.

I am fully committed to training only at Girya after 11 years in my garage gym. It's time. I'm tired of my garage and Girya is fully being converted to a KB dojo, set up for classes, groups, HKC's AND one one ones. Way different than the "studio" it's been for 8 years. Hey, everybody used kbs from the start but a studio is not a dojo. This is better and the perfect time for the change.It's also way cool and different to train with Tracy and her students.So much good energy, I haven't felt that in years,except in yoga. Which, ironically for me, is now one of it's perks. Who'da thunk it? Me needing group energy for training.

But hey, any port in a storm

Felt good, slept well, got up early, stretched and mentally prepared to have my hat handed to me by my wife but what'cha gonna do,lol?

Snatch vo2

16kgx 30 sets of 7

20 sets of 8 in the 15:15 protocol

50 sets

370 reps

13,320 lbs

Not bad at all, HR was 190 at the end but having Tracy meg and nick getting it done alongside really made it easier. Quitting was not an option.

And watching Tracy do THIRTY FOUR sets of EIGHT with the SIXTEEN KILO after numerous sets of 7 and doing 60 sets total just showed me how far I have fallen from my 80 sets of 8. After teaching a half hour swing class.Check it out here.

BUT I will be back. Cause I just won't quit. I'm slow but I'm stubborn.

Clubbell swipes

10 lbs x 20

15 lbs x15x2

20 lbs x 8,9,10 PR

15x20

ouch, these were perfect. I love being able to do them again: The perfect compliment to my kb work, just the thing to open up my tight elbow flexors.

dats it for now, yoga in an hour and a half. Double time.

New Schedule

Mondays

two hand swings and Clubbell Casts

Wednesdays

Heavy snatch and Handstands

Saturday

Snatch Vo2 and Clubbell swipes

Bikrams( 1.5 hours after max)

Completely suprisingly I had one of my strongest classes ever.Felt really strong, mentally in control and my breath was very very calm. Even after I had to help carry the guy that fainted due to heat stroke out for the paramedics to get.Made me miss my strong side on standing bow,lol. He is ok, but they got to let people who say they want out of the heat out of the studio without arguing. It's crazy. Let them cool off and come back. Tomorrow's always another practice. What's the hurry?

Hope to get another class in tomorrow as well. HKC cert is 95% full and life is good.

datsit

Dang near perfect

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

3 days of Bikrams and some decent snatch numbers

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

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

Snatch
16 kgx5/5x2
20 kgx5/5

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

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

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

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

datsit.

Snatch Vo2; 20 kg sets for the first time.

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

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

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

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

Two handed clubbell swipes
6 sets of 10 each side.

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

datsit.

Balancing Tension and Relaxation.

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

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

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

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

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

Clubbell torch swings

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

these definitely helped my tweaky right elbow into full extension.

Handstands

4 sets 20 second. very strong.

datsit

Volume snatches and bikrams

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

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

not bad.

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

datsit.

Restoring lost physical function

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Doubling up.

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

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

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

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

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

Okay, well what if it doesnt lock?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Warrior's Way.

I've never been a soldier or been to battle but I've been a warrior for most of my life. At least by my definition. To me a warrior is one who takes up the call and goes to battle, regardless of who or what the enemy is.Or the challenge. One who is undaunted by the challenge they have ahead of them and pushes on despite great pain, fear,mistakes, setbacks or whatever else is in their path to their stated goal or mission.

I broke my knee in my junior year of high school and was back competing at the start of senior year. I destroyed my shoulder in college , then learned to run and ran a marathon six months later.I'm not that special but I am a warrior. I will find a way. I'm not afraid of pain or effort.

And sometimes the warrior chooses the mission and sometimes the mission chooses them. Doesnt matter, the warrior goes forth and does their best, and the outcome is the outcome.Not being attatched to the outcome is classic Zen buddhist philosophy.

Samurai warriors studied Zen Buddhism and did Zen meditation to lose their egos and to learn how to be totally in the moment.The last thing a Samurai wanted in the heat of battle was to try to save their own life or to be concerned for the future. That , in their mind, would guarantee defeat and most certain death. Only if they were 'already dead' in their minds, could they give themselves totally to the moment and do whatever was necessary to defeat their opponent. Any hesitation would give their opponent a huge advantage.

To be able to give oneself totally to the moment, no matter how painful or uncomfortable it is is crucial, again in my opinion, to be able to succeed in the gym, or in life for that matter.

To me most people fall into two categories, workers and pleasure seekers. Workers just want to know what it is that is required of them to meet their goals and they will push on,towards that goal. They may, and most probably will, fail, perhaps again and again, gets pushed down or over but they get back up and try again. Pleasure seekers really want their goal too but when it gets tough or too hard, or too boring they cave, fold like melted cheese sandwhiches and inevitably try to find a way around the obstacle, instead of going through it, as they should. I'm a worker, I know no other way.

As Bikram says, the right way is the Hard Way; and if you can you Must. I agree.

Not that it doesnt suck but it doesnt matter. Find a way. You gotta do the work. that bell ain't gonna swing itself.

And usually that way involves letting the pain happen, not trying to get away, accepting it,not reveling in it like a masochist but letting it happen and waiting; waiting for it to transform, as it will, as it must, as it does; into something better, something greater, something stronger.Making you stronger in the process. Into more of who you really are.

So what does that have to do with my training this morning,lol?

Well I really, really, really didnt want to do max vo2 this morning. My schedule is completely screwed. BOth training partners are gone, the stability and regularity I crave is gone.Everything's different. I have to drive down to Girya and train too early, I have to try and keep up with the Swing Queen and not be too embarassed, Saturday is no longer heavy and slow day. Boo hoo hoo.Cry me a river Rif.

But I did it and it was fine. I let Tracy drag me kicking, but not screaming to the gym and used her and Meg as inspiration to get my head out of my ass and do the work. To let it hurt and just go through it, and NOT try to 'sneak up on the bar" as the Big Chief Jim McGoldrick used to say about my deadlift style. GO through, not around.

Snatch Vo2

15:15

16 kg

30 sets of 7

20 sets of 8

370 reps

13,320 lbs

I was only going to do 15 sets of 8's as it was early and i was tired and waah waah waah, and then I realized both Tracy and Meg were using the 16 kg, same as me,were doing SIXTY sets and planned on doing 10 sets of 8 at the end.Shit. I had to man up.And it was fine.Not expecting it to be easy makes it easier. weird.

Biceps were tight from the 180 snatches heavy on wednesday and it took awhile to fine the best groove but that's the deal. Deal with it and get it done.

Two clubbell swipes

10 lbs x 20

15 lbs x 20, 15,13, 12,12

these were good and just the ticket for stretching out my tight elbow flexors. I love this move and have done 300 continous reps with the 10's and 150 continuous with the 15's. havent been able to tolerate it for awhile because of my back but I think that's done.

Pressed on wedneday and want to give that a break.

Handstands( against wall)

5 sets of 20 seconds( really working to open up shoulders

Shoulder stretch on chin bar as superset.

these got much easier with each set.Determined to get these back strong again. still need way more shoulder flexibility but it's coming.

datsit. going to double up today and do a bikrams class with my love in one hour.More opportunity to man up.

More Ventura,Handstands, Bikrams and snatches.

Jordan did a great job capturing the essence of the day in Ventura.TOns and tons of great work on the bodyweight drills themselves as well as the corrective exercises and 'fixes' for each of the movements.With the beach and the great waves in the background just 400 feet or so from the training and a perfect day weather wise you really couldnt ask for more if you wanted to master the principles and concepts of high tension training with bodyweight.
And with about 12 toplevel instructors the teacher student ratio was insane.There is so much information that really needs to be mastered about how important bodyweight training is, and how much of a foundation it is to become truly strong with resistance work that it really can't be overstated. If one can't use their own bodyweight strongly why would they need more resistance?
ANd it was great, as I wrote earlier to be able to bounce back into my handstands, and, more importantly, NOT get tweaked by doing so!I was fine Sunday and Monday and to me it was a clear sign for go ahead for getting back into handstand training. I also checked on my video date that I posted and it was almost a year to date earlier!crazy.
When I first started taking Bikrams just about a year and half ago I decided that one of the reasons was to help me recover my gymnastics body and some of the flexibilities and movements that I used to have.I now feel like this is finally starting to happen. I can get through a Bikrams class walking normally (well for me,lol)the next day and with almost no residual problems. THis has NOT been the case for many moons and getting through the ninety minutes in the heat was not as hard as trying to unravel myself for the next three days.Now it seems I have the progessions pretty well dialed in for my knee and back and shoulder and I can really just focus on the training and getting stronger. this is great.and I can really see how it opens me up much like my gymnastics stretching did, although I still have much more stretching work to do. Like get back my splits.not to mention much more shoulder mobility for my handstands.
and this has inspired me to work on getting back my hs pushup and straight arm,straight leg handstand press. I used to be the Master of the straight arm press and I can possibly be again. Just have to get back on that road.I think I am ready.

Yoga yesterday was great and a perfect first workout back after my undesired layoff.snatching today went well and no problem after yoga
Decided to switch max vo2 days to saturday with Tracy at Girya and make Wednesdays heavy snatch day.its good to be a bit warmed up for 24 kg snatches.

Snatch
16 kg x5/5 x3
20 kg x 8/8x5
24 kgx5/5 x9
x10/10
80 reps with 20 kg/3520
100 reps with 24 kg/5300
total reps = 180
total weight=8820

nice! 80 reps with the 20 and 100 with the 24 with a decent set of 20/20 at the end. had much more just wanted to make sure everything was in the right place. rest between sets about 45 sec or so.

Handstands
5 sets of 15-20 sec
these went very well. against the wall although most were free held. stillhave to open up my right shoulder more. abit twisted. more bretzels.lol.

Clean and press
24 kg xx1/1
x2/2
x3/3nice and light.
elbow was a bit tweaked after the last press workout. handstands fixed that although I still wanted to be careful.

datsit

Ventura Hardstyle Worksop with Pavel; short debrief.

Just got back from a great weekend out in the sun and surf at Pavel's Hardstyle Ventura workshop. Almost all the boys were there with Senior Instructors David Whitley, Will Williams, Doug Nepodal, and Team Leaders Doctor Mark Cheng, Mark Toomey,Jeremy Layport as well as RKC prodigal son Michael Castrogiovanni,and Paul Daniels.
We had about 35 students and so much was covered in the 7 hours it was hard to beleive. Pistols, pullups, pushups, hanging leg raises, headstands, handstands , handstand presses ALL kinds of related drill,corrective exercises and assistance work was demonstrated and learned.
I got called into service to teach the handstand segment and was extremely happy to find out I can still do a handstand; the last time I tried being almost a year ago as shown in the video below.In fact it went so well I have been completely inspired to start training my handstand again.
I also realized that I need to develop my own version of a bodyweight exercise/movement seminar based on my gymnastics background and the exercises and drills that I know from years of training and coaching gymnastics.I think my shoulders and back are finally ready to handle a bit more of upside down work. My handstand was my favorite and best skill when I was a gymnast. I never missed a handstand in my seven years of competing and I'm very proud of that.
It was so much fun to teach people who have never done a handstand the joy of inverted strength, and so nice to see that my restoring lost function work is still progressing.
mo later.

Snatch Vo2, the worm turns.

Fun at the Danish RKC 2008.
Tracy and I are going to Ventura for Pavel's hardstyle bodyweight and kb training on the beach
this weekend. Lots of handstands and pullups and crazy training! Can't wait.It will be THIS much fun.

The good stuff continues. Getting in shape feels SO much better than feeling weak and tired.After last weeks 45 sets of 7 and 5 sets of 8 I knew I had to do 10 sets this workout and I knew yesterday that not only would I do it, but that it would be strong. And it was. This is nice.I can see being able to work up to 50 sets of 8 again fairly soon and be able to bump the total number of sets up to 60 and beyond as well soon as well.
I worked a lot on snatch technique today; trying to make the stroke as short as possible but still being as explosive and fast as I could. I really focused on keeping the arm locked to the body on the ascent, and pulling back hard and fast with the upper back to initiate both back and hip extension.A lot like my old DL technique, actually. Throwing the bell down hard on the descent helps speed things up a bit too.
Heartate stayed low until I hit the 8's and even then it only got to the 170's. This is a sign that I am in adaptation mode and that's what I've been waiting for. It's so much easier to concentrate when you can breathe but that's precisely the point of max vo2 training: operating at the top level while you can't breathe, cause you're at max heartrate. Situation awareness indeed.


Snatch Vo2
16 kg
15:15
39 sets of 7
11 sets of 8
361 reps
12,996 lbs

KB Military press
20 kg x1/1
24kgx1/1
28 kg x1/1
32 kgx1/1


these went really well. I know they are only singles but I put a lot into a single,lol. Really, I do. When you truly are using total body tension techniques there are a lot of 'reps' in a single. everything has to be tight, everything has to stay tight, in sequence.this ain't easy. and tensing all those big muscles gets things tired quick. I need a 36 kg. Still not quite ready for the 40 kg but the 36 would be a perfect challenge right now. Have to place an order, lol.


The real good news is that I have been able to press for the last month weekly without jacking up my shoulder, volume ( or lack thereof) notwithstanding.Just like in a power meet you only have to do it once. being strong at fives is NOT the same as being strong for one. I don't understand why more guys who are truly interested in absolute strength don't understand this.Oh well, I do.

One arm clubbell arm casts
10 lbs x 10/10/10 10
15 lbs x10/10 x 3 sets
these felt great. Need 20 lb'ers as well.lol. Gotta spend some money I see.Very happy with condition and mental focus of late. 'bout time.


datsit.

Hardstyle Baby!

video of the first ever HKC

If you're tough enough- La Saun's got it figured out

La Saun has worked with Tracy, actually done the workouts and got the results. This post says it all:
http://lasauntaylor.blogspot.com/2009/10/tracy-reifkinds-swing-workouts.html

Snatch work and clubs

Another way cool Maltese. Lats for days . Note the seriously hyperextended elbows. Gymnastis is SO good for the joints,lol.

Not the hardest training today but enough. Whenever I demo bent presses and level 2 skills my back and left shoulder always get more tired than usual( the right shoulder can't externally rotate enough for bent presses) and I was feeling it a bit today. Discretion is the better part of... and all that. So just sets of 5 today with Nick at a good I go you go pace.

Snatch

16 kg x5/5x 2

20 kgx 5/5 x2

24 kg x5/5 x11 sets

x10/10 x 1 set

130 reps

6890 lbs

these felt fine except for some weak noises from the lumbar spine and sacrum reminding me that I did what I did yesterday and to be smart. I wanted 150 reps at least but hey, I want a lot of things I can't have, lol. Make haste slowly.

two hand clubbells

two hand arm cast

two hand barbarian

two hand shield cast/barbarian

one arm clean and arm cast

all with the 25 lber for sets of 5-8 reps. Very solid with the one arms, perhaps the most solid ever. All that pressing is paying off.

Yoga tomorrow!

datsit.

Bent Press Perfection

I am working with more people every week getting them ready for the Level 2 cert in San Jose in February 2010 and inevitably it's the Bent Press that has them stuck. Here is the BEST tutorial ( as well as demonstation) of bent press perfection by our own SR RKC David Whitley, The IronTamer hisself in the "Shed of Strength"
Shades of Paul Anderson

HKC Girya Strength

Coming to Girya Kettlebell Training Studio in December, '2009.
Get your Kettlebell certification before the first of the year fitness craze!

Registration is now open for HKC certifications on December 5 and December 12 at Girya in Palo Alto Ca. Entries are limited to 12 candidates only for the most hands on kettlebell cert you will find!

Go here to register: http://www.dragondoor.com/hkc/hkc_workshops.html or contact me at

rifstonian@yahoo.com

more to come.....

The rythym of training.

It was bound to happen. If I got my routine settled back into place, got some sleep and more food and kept trying to progress my training whenever I could I was bound to feel better. To feel strong again. To feel like I was not just hanging on for dear life and 'surviving' my training but actually getting better.
Tracy's class on Saturday with those killer high intensity 20 rep snatch sets with the 24 kg just pushed everything into place and today I stepped back into the realm of 8 rep sets in my snatch vo2 again, and it wasn't that hard. Thank God. Bout time.Even my press workout seemed so much stronger than expected.
From consistency comes intensity.And I've found from students to clients to even Elite Instructors most people have the hardest time not with any one high intensity workout or workload but stringing together workout after workout after workout.
I always tell people when they are bragging about their current program design:"don't tell me how many workouts a week you have scheduled, tell me how many you miss in the next six months."
Not traveling is SO important. I think it truly is impossible, at least it is for me, to train hard and make any real progress if one is constantly changing their day to day routine. The body thrives on regularity and routine. Just ask any elite athlete. The answer is always the same. One can survive a serious travel schedule but I don't know anybody that thrives on it.
If one is serious about making progress you have to do what needs to be done, not what one wants to do.Simple, but not easy eh?

Snatch Vo2
15:15 16 kg
45 sets of 7
5 sets of 8
355 reps
12780 lbs

This was strong from the get and I was finishing the set with 3 seconds left for at least 20 plus sets. then it settled into 2 seconds left.The biggest problem, as usual, was my overactive sweat glands and trying to keep the bell from getting wet. My HR for most of the workout as in the low 160's and didnt jump up to the 170's until the last 15 sets. I wanted to include some 8's but when I hit 45 sets so strongly I knew I should do the last 5 sets of 8. no problem. The fact that it was as humid as it has been in eons( raining humid lol) helped a lot. It's very hard for me to go fast when I am cold or it's really dry. so the environment helped alot. I'll take it.
Hopefully this will hold and I will try to do 10 sets of 8 at the end next week and increase the loads again. when I can do 50 sets of 8 I will increase total sets. we'll see :))

KB Mil Press
20 kg x2/2
24 kgx1/1
28 kgx1/1
32 kg x1/1/1/1 ( this is a recent best. recleaned each rep.NO problem. Can't wait to get my 36 kg!
28 kgx1/1
24 kg x3/3


presses feel awesome and for some reason seem to really work at the end of snatch speed day. Who knows why? Maybe it takes that much for me to warmup. don't care. it's working.

datsit

Bikram Yoga Master Class

After the morning's beatdown I was not sure what to expect in our 2 hour Master class at our Bikram studio;especially after the dissapointing experience we had at the last one. But I went in with an open mind and a body that wasn't too beat up, yet.
I've been feeling much stronger lately and it feels right to push myself a bit.And I knew this would be a push, I just didn't know how much or how far.
I had never been to a posture clinic/class and didn't know how much actual regular practice we would be doing versus corrective technical stuff. All I knew was that I only had to survive two hours. Just a half hour more than a normal class. That's nothing. Had to be.
I could tell right away after meeting Master Instructor Michael Harris from Yoga College of India, Bend Oregon, that he had something special. There was a calmness and confidence that was immediate aparrent to me. He opened with the ideas of intuition and starting each practice fresh, raking the ground clean and planting new seeds.I like both those ideas and I was ready to see what the training was going to be like.
When we started class and he had us do about ten million pranayama's and then hold half moon for what seemed forever I knew his calm exterior belied a serious ,serious yoga guy. Pain and suffering were part of the process, and testing limits was right there to. He would just torture us in the most loving kind way,lol.
Calm assertive as the Dog Whisperer would say.
And when I asked a posture question about which position to focus on improving first in my arms overhead position for half moon; should I concentrate more on locking my elbows and getting my arms fully overhead before trying to increase sideways depth he shut me up by making me get my arms overhead as he instructed( straight out to the sides) then lock my elbows and pull my head into position instead of my trying to get my arms back I knew he knew. He knew of what he spoke,as Tracy would say.
Like any good Zen Master he focused not on the words but the action. I shut up.
BUT, he also confirmed my belief ,via another's question, that the locked leg in standing forward head to knee is NOT about the strongest way to stand on one leg but FOR the back strengthening series!
When the knee locks the glute is taken out of the equation and the load is more on the hammies and back. This is not the safest position for the back, as they say, but is done for a much different reason.I just wish they all would know that. Hey, at least I got my answer and can feel good about going about getting my knee locked in a different way.
Using my intuition, as Michael said. I like that.
The class went very slow, then very fast and things were good except standing series went for almost 1.5 hours and I was gassing. But I never sat out a pose,although I took a knee more than a few times as he was doing corrections on others or answering questions.
He had a perfect sense of rythym and timing and never let us wait too long to get back to the practice, lest we cool off, even in the 105 degree heat. Really solid work, I learned a lot.
The guy is the real deal, I could tell. It's so cool to be in the presence of people like that,especially since their are so many poseurs out there. You know this guy has a serious serious personal practice.
That's why he can know of what he speaks, because he has found out the hard way. The right way. The only way.

Early morning training at Girya

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Grace;you gotta be there when it shows up.

Who woulda thunk it? Had the strongest Bikrams practice I've had in many, many moons. My client cancelled so I could go with Tracy to the 12 noon class which is my second favorite time next to 8 am. I really didnt think I would be strong today but things started out good and got even better. Everything felt solid and this was the first time in recent memory, perhaps ever, that I did not cut short any pose at all, and, if fact, sprinted through the finish line.Now it is true that the instructor did not hold the poses long, and in fact shorted them a bit but today it wouldnt have mattered.
I always love to say that they key thing to training is, arcane periodization cycles aside, is showing up, day after day, doing your best and waiting for the gods to smile on you AND being smart enough to jump on it when you are feeling strong and ready to push it.Today was one of those days, as usual, when you would least expect it.
The fact that I hardly drank any water for the first hour spoke volumes as well.Usually I am drinking pretty regularly and as much as I can at regular intervals but today felt no need to drink.I felt calm, strong and in the moment.This experience, being in the flow, in the moment is what I lived for for most of my athletic life. There is almost nothing like it.The calmness, the ease, the perfection of the moment, no matter how good or bad it is.It still feels strong.
And strong feels good. Haven't felt strong in quite some time but I've kept showing up and waiting for it,hoping for it, praying for it.And then it appears. How cool.Havent felt in the stream in so long but there it was, like I had never left. So easy, so calm.So strong.
And tomorrow is a big day. Heavy snatches with Tracy at her class in the early AM and then a Master Class for yoga at noon. this will be fun. I'm ready.

datsit.

Bikram bodybuilding and Snatch Vo2, tues and wed training

We are actually getting back to some semblance of a training schedule now and I made tuesday Bikrams 12 noon class as planned. And, as I expected I got my ass kicked. It was nice when I was fresh but I wasn't on tuesday and it was a struggle. That was fine and I pushed through the best I could but it was one LONG hour on my feet through the standing series and the room seemed hotter and more humid than on Sunday. It was just me, I'm sure, as Tracy had no problems with it.
It struck me though, just how much tension is involved in doing the 26 postures. Well, if one is doing them correctly, as instructed. Hey for me just locking my elbows out completely overhead in half moon is crazy hard on the triceps and delts and makes lats and serratus stretch like crazy; which, of course, is just another form of contraction and hence, tension. Tension tension everywhere.Just like bodybuilding, lol.
I definitely saw a difference in muscle tone ; a decrease, over the two weeks I didn't practice more than once a week. Locking everything out,especially all the shoulder holds really ,really really works the crap out of the upper body,lol!Awkward series got me and I had to drop my arms for a bit. Just a bit but I was hurtin'.I really focus on using my lats to hold my shoulders in place during those postures and they were just tired from saturday and sunday.no worries, I just accepted that was the limit that day but it weren't no fun.
Not really supposed to be. Especially with Bikrams favorite phrase as the tag line: " the right way is the hard way". Perfect. I was going the right way then.
No tweaks though and pretty fast recovery for today which was snatch vo2 which I also havent done in weeks,lol. RIGHT into the deep end of the pool. this was gonna hurt.
Of course Tracy was doing her workout with me using the 16 kg for sets of 6 as her easy max day so I had no choice but to man up. It really showed me how much attitude effects my strength and endurance. sleep or wine notwithstanding.

Snatch vo2
16 kg
15:15
49 sets of 7
1 set of 8
351 reps
12,636 lbs/25 minutes
505 lbs per minute/lol

this went well and my form took over. I focused as much on 'standing up with my whole body' rather than concentrating on using my hips or back or pulling the bell in. Stand up with everything was my manta.I also got the images of WSB style power goodmornings where I visualized my back as the lead extensor in the whole extensor chain. First arch it up, which open up the hips which give the knees the right leverage to finish extension. And, standing up with everything. A jump if you will.Worked well.
Tracy commented that even though I was doing sevens I was going at an 8 rep pace which is true, I always try to snatch as fast as I can that day, even if I have a second or two left over in the 15 sec. I know it's not VWC correct but neither is doing this only once a week,which I have now for 3 years!Some days that acceleration is good, somedays not so good.the key is that it's the best I can muster than workout.

KB Military press
20 kg x3/3
24 kgx2/2
28 kgx1/1
32 kg x1/1
40 clean loaded clean and mentally press

this went so well! the 32 felt light and grooved perfectly. and the 40 kg loaded clean, well I haven't cleaned that in years so I was really happy. I will keep the load high and the volume though on these. I have to remember than I am remembering how to press, not training the press.
I could feel how being so light now will be tough on the Bulldog press.It's more than half my bodyweight!How cool will that be when I press it.
My lats got worked over well in all these clean and presses too. Can't wait to pullup again, too.
Day off tomorrow.

datsit.

Like riding a bike- up a steep hill.

That's what my Bikrams instructor told me this morning as we walked into class and I said I hoped I remembered how to do the class, it felt like it had been so long since I practiced. "Ah", he said, "you'll remember,it's just like riding a bike, up a steep hill".
And that is so true.
Actually it wasn't that bad at all,even though Tracy and I forced ourselves to the 8 am class.I think it's better to take the beating before you are fully concious and can really feel how hard it is. Plus, it wakes you right up.The heat actually felt good too, as the fall weather is setting in and my blood is still thin from all the outside summer certs and lots of great zinfandel :))
My engine runs hot all the time and doing Bikrams in the summer is a lot like adding insult to injury.In the winter it's a great respite from the cold( I know I like in Cali and it's not really "cold". But I also went to school in Iowa so I do know cold and 30 degrees is still cold to me no matter what the summer was like.
Anyway, as usual I was stronger from the layoff and for a change my conditioning felt alright as well.Being ready for some heat helped too.
I AM tight as crap though and that was apparent right from the gate. Pranayama went well but as soon as I got, or should I say "tried" to get my arms overhead for half moon and back bend series I could really see how much overhead and thoracic flexibility I had lost.It felt good to really reach tall and open up the rectus and obliques and lats.Still my arms didnt want to lock out and my shoulders felt super tight.
Ditto on the forward bend and it was interesting to do poses with my feet THAT close together( heels and toes touching). That rarely happens in real life but what a big stretch it is.
Lower back felt a bit fragile as I haven't done much flexion like that lately so I took it easy.
Still that HUGE sweat after the first series was a welcome relief,like diving in a pool. A heated pool but a pool nonetheless.
The standing series always kicks my ass and today was no exception.When you can't get your knee to fully lock out with NO weight on it trying to keep it as locked out as possible while similtaneously pull the other leg up and bend over completely is quite the trick.I have to focus on so many things that aren't working every second of the pose that's it's very hard to know exactly what to concentrate on most.
One of the contradictions in Bikrams is their constant admonishments to push "beyond your flexibility" and to take each pose to it's fullest expression regardless of your current level of flexibilty and mastery as well as to do each component perfectly and not move beyond that one stage until it is mastered!Well which one Sir?
The dialogue speaks to the students as if eveyone can do the pose correctly and the main goal is taking it further and further into the 'fullest' expression.
And I'm still trying to stand on my left leg and keep my knee locked out enough to grab my right foot while bent over and not shift to much to the left to center myself,lol. Lots of fun.
So I focus on what I think is the most important element that day and, as usual ,my breath and meditating through the 90 minutes.
I want to work at 80 % of my physical ability and as close to 100% of my mental ability that day.The mind leads the body and the breath leads the mind.I can only push as hard as I can maintain my breathing and today was solid.I didnt get ahead of myself physically or mentally.
Things were tight though and I gave up after six tries to get my left knee to bend enough to get into standing bow pulling pose.I went into my own variation for the remaining 30 seconds and did get it for the second set. But That hasn't happened in awhile.
Right now I am set for two solid days of yoga( sunday and tuesday, with an optional third on Fridays.Friday means 4:30 pm and I loathe that.We'll see. Two good days will be fine.I need recovery as much as anything and I can really tell since the layoff that yoga, although it stretches me out, creates as much tension in the body from the static poses as lots of traditional lifting can.at least for me.especially all that one legged stuff on my bad side.Got to make sure I balance it out with as much relaxation stuff.
tomorrow perhaps a couple hi rep clubbell sets.

datsit.
,

Snatches and swings.

Back to basics, and how humbling it is. I haven't trained swings for volume in eons and it was very apparent this morning. Now, granted I am just getting back into volume type training but I was surprised at how much they hit different things than just the snatches I have been doing.
Now I will have to cut snatch volume back, at least at first, to accomodate doing more swings but I think that's fine for now. I have had a year straight of almost all snatches and my 50,000 reps are going to get there so I can change course a little now.
Had to train very early this am to accomdate Nick and it was COLD too, so I took it very slow to get started. I also took my passive warmup Russian Style 10 min HOT bath to get things less stiff. I always know winter is upon me when I start taking baths before my workouts again.

Snatches
12 kgx8/8
16 kg x 8/8x2 32 reps 512 lbs
16kgx5/5/5/5 x2 20 reps 720
20 kgx 5/5 10 reps 440
20 kgx5/5/3/3 16 reps 704
20 kgx5/5/5/5x3 60 reps 2640
24 kg x 5/5 10 reps x 3 30 reps 1590
106 reps total
4206 lbs


pretty weak but it's a start. need more sleep and food.

one arm swings
20 kg x 10/10 x 3 60 reps 2640
24 kg x 8/8 x 3 48 reps 2544

these felt good. did them barefoot as opposed to wearing my OL boot as I do on snatches. what can I say, I'm weird, biomechanically,lol. at least.flat foot feels much better for my swings and the heel works better for the snatch.considering my still too tight right shoulder I'm not suprised. hey it works. Plus I really felt my glutes much better and I think my back can now handle more glute work. we'll see.
back to yoga tomorrow too. now THAT should be fun.
it's been awhile.I can already feel my hammies getting tight so I'm off to do some floor work

datsit.