Practice not train.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

datsit

BW 160
BF 9%
water60.5%

Very cool :one arm box deadlifts with multiple kbs

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

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

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

A different kind of blog.

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

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

Sets and Reps.

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

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

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

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

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

these felt great, really got a solid overhead position.

Gama Casts to flag
15lbsx 20 reps x 4 sets

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

datsit, staying strong and loose.

Pre training prep.

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

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

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

Mainline Kettlebells .Com

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

Snatches and casts.

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

Snatch
16kgx8/8x2
20 kgx5/5

24kgx7/7x10 sets
140 reps
7420 lbs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

datsit , staying loose.

How to squat more weight.

573 @ 190 lbs and 40. 1997 APF Masters Nationals

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Strong is good.

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

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

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

28 kgx3/3x2 sets

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

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

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

Rockits
2 10# bells
3sets of 50 reps

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

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

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

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

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

rack walks 16 kg
1000 feet hand switch every 200 feet

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

datsit, staying loose.

More good research on interval training vs continuous work

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

What a great gift.

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

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

Tough is good.

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

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


Kettlebell training will make you tough. Period.

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

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

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

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

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


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

datsit, getting strong again.

The glock torture test.

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

How to wrap the bands on the kb for speed swings.

As per your request David.You should really dig these. Talk about rate of force development training! I am close to being able to tolerate two hand swings again and when I can bands are next. Can't wait.

swings with bands

Mike Castro accomodates resistance with jumpstretch bands and a Bulldog.This is gret for the power squat and deadlift and for anyone who wants to get faster, stronger or more explosive.

Max Vo2

Man I was dreading today. Havent done max vo2 snatches in about 4 weeks and did not have a good idea how my wind would be.Tracy is training early on mondays now so Joe and I will trade sets on Wednesdays.Today is the first time we trained this together. Max vo2 is bad but doing it solo is way worse.Was pleasantly surprised at how well it went and we did 35 sets each of 7 reps with the 16kg. I was ahead of the clock for all the sets doing 7 reps in probably 13.5 seconds. Leaves room for that eighth rep when I start feeling particularly masochistic.

Snatches
16kgx7 reps x 35 sets
245 reps
8820 pounds.

A good starting back point. Felt like 40 sets would have been no problem and 45 still under 85% effort for today. not bad.The other work I have been doing has been keeping my cardio and my lactate threshold capacity pretty strong.HR at the end was 180 on the last set where I did 8 reps. really tried to focus on the same heel drive feeling I have been getting on the push presses to the hip snap in the snatch and it worked great. I could feel the bell take off when I did this and the rep was that much faster.Very good groove today.

CB arm cast
one ten pound bell 3x10 each arm
two ten pound bells 3x10( last set no choke)
one fifteen pound bell 3x8 each arm( last set no choke)

I freaking love this exercise. Just like a standing db crossbench pullover,lol!Tri are already feeling alive again.the second fifteen pound bell will make this even better. I can see 20's already.not the twenty fives though,lol.

Shield casts
one ten pound bell 3x10 each arm( no choke last set)

Two CB rockits
1x40
1x40
1x50 reps

great quad and glute work a very strong move for me but tons of lactate production potential for the legs.A very fluid, moving level of tension.I dont ski but I bet skiers would love this.

Shoulder press thrusters.
3x8 with tens.

Just playing around with these and already like them . I think I will plug them into the push press cycles. This looks like a good way to cycle these moves.
3 weeks of push press cycle weights 16,20 24 kg each week
2 weeks of 2 clubbell pushpress
3 weeks of jerks cycle weights 16 20, 24 kg each week
2 weeks of 1 clubbell pushpress
then repeat


bw 158.4
bf 8.3%
water 60.5%

I can really feel the hypertophy effect from all this push pressing, jerks and clubbell work on my upper body. Havent really had one for two years. it used to be the dominant part of my body and I really had work to get the hips to work instead of the arms. Now it seems the upper body is ready for some training of its own. very cool.it will be even more interesting when I can do double overhead work again. I know that is coming soon.Just as being able to do bilateral lower body work again. Healing is a good thing. two hands swings with bands attached are coming soon too.
Now THAT will be a blast.

datsit gotta do some z and get on the floor before dinner.

On Static Stretching

Excellent article in Pavels latest newsletter by Gray Cook on the benefits of static stretching.After hearing Bretts presentation of Gray Cooks work at the Level 2 Cert I'll read everything he writes.I have beleived there is a definitite place for static stretching all along( my rifga poses) and have had great results in my own rehab using static stretching as a corrective exercise for length tension relationship imbalances.A lot of what I present on my DVD is right in line with what Gray writes about in this article. The stretching has to be individualized and selective but it does have it's place in helping balance out the tensions in the body ,reducing pain and restoring proper motor patterns. Read the article here.

Great post by David Whitley

Ed Coan knows what is useful and what is not and made his powerlifting totally his own.859 485 859 at 198 and 20 something years old.

David has an excellent blog post today on how to really accomplish what you set your sites on.

Absorb what is useful.

Things you should know.

I can't believe how many people who are "into" strength are not intimately familiar with Louie Simmon's writings and research. THings you should know is a great article.