Monday's work schedule has changed and I now have 7 clients in a row, which is a lot for this old man.Especially with a wake up call at 4 am( although my own inner alarm prefers 3 am for some reason). But one needs to make hay when the sun shines and so it goes. This means I have to hit the gym asap when I arrive home from the commute before my get up and go gets up and goes!
This is even more fun when the monday workkout is sheer work incarnate in the form of SWINGS!
Now although my wife is the swing Queen I am NOT the swing King and these kick my ass on a regular basis.Made sure to eat a bit during the day( almonds and metrx protein powder drink with milk and OJ) to have some fuel in the tank when I hit the platform
My weight has settled in at 155 which feels just fine( my old cycling race weight) and I am getting back to the warrior diet. It just feels better to me, and, as the Hungarian RKC team said,"eating just makes you hungry". SO true imo, of course in my recent experience NOT eating just makes me skinny. Too skinny and that's no good either.
As the good Jewish Buddhist I am I know the middle path is the best way so I am working towards it.
I decided to not punish myself as much as usual and let myself switch over to two hand swings after my one arms were dead to ( artificially, I know) pump up my swing volume.Hey, gotta start back somewhere.I am just excited as all getup to see that I can handle some two hand swings as well.
One arm swings
16 kg x 10/10x2
24 kg x10/10
32 kg x10/10 x10 sets
200 reps
14,400 lbs
Two hand swings
32 kg
20 reps x5 sets
100 reps
7200 lbs
total swings = 300
total pounds= 21,600
not a bad day. My love came into the gym to hold my hand as she kicked my ass into working each rep as hard as possible. Very hard to slack when she is watching me swing.especially after the 1400 rep workout I witnessed the other day. It was bad enough to struggle through my 20 rep swing sets with the 32 realizing she had done 16o continuous AFTER 600 reps with the lighter weights previously.Just inconceivable to me, really.
BUt she provides a great example of what is possible so I keep reaching.
The good news is that the 32 kg felt pretty light in my hands and on my hips, I was just beat tired but the strength was there.Good news. Hands held up very well and it definitely works for me to take a bigger "bite" into the grip in these instead of trying to maintain a upper hand hook grip. That always tears up the calluses.
I tried a few sets of H2H transfers with the 32 kg as I really wanted 400 reps but adandoned it as the calluses did start to heat up. Another day.
Snatch Holds
16 kg xone minute x 3 sets
I made sure to get these done and upped the time from last weeks paltry 30 seconds to a full minute. Will stay with this weight til I can get three sets of 2 minutes each arm. Overhead right arm position is getting much better. Bikrams is helping for sure and these are helping bikrams as well
Two hand Casts
15 lb CB x 10/10 x 2 sets
One arm casts
15 lbs x 10/10 x2 sets
two hand casts
25 lb cb x 10/10 x 2 sets
this went great and it seems the two handed warmup does wonders for alleviting any elbow issues when I switch to the one arms. more good stuff.
Cable pushdowns
25, 25
hell I just like big triceps, what can I say. They finally don't hurt my shoulders.
bw 155
bf 7.3%
water 61.8%
datsit.yoga tomorrow.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
The first step in the process
of getting back my strength.
Got through a tough Bikrams session on Thursday when my concentration just wasnt up to par. That's a tougher ninety minutes than on the days when my body doesn't want to participate.But I always leave feeling better than when I come in and it doesn't hurt at all that I get to spend that ninety minutes sweating and working with my love, Tracy. We figured out that she has done more than 500 plus 90 min Bikram classes in the last 3 years. Dats a lot of yoga.You can tell by her practice as well.
On to today.Today is the first day of some serious training that has been waiting for the right time to proceed.Both intensity and volume.Need to get strong again and this is the first workout in this new journy.It's amazing, as I've written,just how little backing off it takes for my hips and legs and lungs to loose strength and condition.I was scared of trying a ten or even five minute snatch test as I knew I just wasn't able to push the training volume intensity ( and yes, most importantly, concentration) to where it would have produced the results I wanted. And yes, I am still very aware of my potential to hurt myself when I start looking up at the peaks, or over the edges of cliffs and feeling I can fly.So it will be a slow process, as it always is for me but now that I have a free calender for many months I can refocus on a different challenge.
SSST Snatch training
16 kg x 5/5/5/5x2
20kgx3/3/3/3
24 kg x5/5/5/5
10 sets
200 reps
10,600 lbs
yes! this worked out great and no hand issues at all! The speed of each rep was very fast( after my slow ass warmup, as usual,lol) and the power got better each set till the end. Felt very strong both physically and mentally. I ate up a bit yesterday and that helped as well. Needed a bit more fuel in the tank than have had lately.
Bottoms up cleans
20 kg x 5/5
24kg x5/5
28 kg x5/5
32 kgx3/3
These went great and I think I can safely add them back in the mix.I stopped doing them as they were overloading my elbow flexors which was exacerbating my shoulder issues but I have got that fixed. All those external rotation postures in yoga have really sealed that deal as well.The 32 for 3's was easy and I could have done 5's> Got to make haste slowly though. Got to be smarter than before.
Bikrams tomorrow and I think I will postone the double class til next week.Not sure I am quite ready yet and we have a long time to do it.
datsit.
Got through a tough Bikrams session on Thursday when my concentration just wasnt up to par. That's a tougher ninety minutes than on the days when my body doesn't want to participate.But I always leave feeling better than when I come in and it doesn't hurt at all that I get to spend that ninety minutes sweating and working with my love, Tracy. We figured out that she has done more than 500 plus 90 min Bikram classes in the last 3 years. Dats a lot of yoga.You can tell by her practice as well.
On to today.Today is the first day of some serious training that has been waiting for the right time to proceed.Both intensity and volume.Need to get strong again and this is the first workout in this new journy.It's amazing, as I've written,just how little backing off it takes for my hips and legs and lungs to loose strength and condition.I was scared of trying a ten or even five minute snatch test as I knew I just wasn't able to push the training volume intensity ( and yes, most importantly, concentration) to where it would have produced the results I wanted. And yes, I am still very aware of my potential to hurt myself when I start looking up at the peaks, or over the edges of cliffs and feeling I can fly.So it will be a slow process, as it always is for me but now that I have a free calender for many months I can refocus on a different challenge.
SSST Snatch training
16 kg x 5/5/5/5x2
20kgx3/3/3/3
24 kg x5/5/5/5
10 sets
200 reps
10,600 lbs
yes! this worked out great and no hand issues at all! The speed of each rep was very fast( after my slow ass warmup, as usual,lol) and the power got better each set till the end. Felt very strong both physically and mentally. I ate up a bit yesterday and that helped as well. Needed a bit more fuel in the tank than have had lately.
Bottoms up cleans
20 kg x 5/5
24kg x5/5
28 kg x5/5
32 kgx3/3
These went great and I think I can safely add them back in the mix.I stopped doing them as they were overloading my elbow flexors which was exacerbating my shoulder issues but I have got that fixed. All those external rotation postures in yoga have really sealed that deal as well.The 32 for 3's was easy and I could have done 5's> Got to make haste slowly though. Got to be smarter than before.
Bikrams tomorrow and I think I will postone the double class til next week.Not sure I am quite ready yet and we have a long time to do it.
datsit.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Warming up
I have always been the slowest guy in the world to warmup. By that I mean getting all systems to go so that I could really step on the pedal when I needed to. We always stretched out for 45 minutes before we started our 5 hour gymnastics practice and I needed every minute.Most of the time we bounced tramp for another 15-20 minutes if we could.
You couldnt just walk in the gym and start throwing yourself around like that. Things had to be ready; muscles, tendons. ligaments, cardio system, the mind , etc.
When I ran it was the same thing. I was a negative split racer. That means I always ran the second half of the race faster than the first half.Always.I was warming up the first half.
Same thing when I cycled only it was worse because cycling is much more anaerobic and that system really takes me awhile to start humming.The problem with warming up with cycling is that the races are so long you can really cut into your overall work capacity and be one hurting unit at the end of the race.
Powerlifting was bad too and I needed multiple small jumps to really get things going.Of course kettlebells are about the same but with one distinction: if I take too much time off or slack on work loads the comeback workouts are torture! If I can keep the momentum going and build off of that nice wave it seems I can jump into workouts much quicker than the aforementioned activities.
Of course this week coming back from the back off with kbs is not so much fun/ today was no exception it being the first Max Vo2 day back. Oh joy.
I had done the 16 kg for 40 sets of 8 on Saturday so I decided ( I ain't that smart) to do the 20 kg for some lower reps(6's). Then redecided to do 7's. Just to see if I could. Well, it was ugly. I just be tired and will have to rebuild back up slowly, as usual.
Man I can stay off upper body for a long time and still be relatively strong but my hips and legs just fall off the map asap. Groovy.getting those big areas back up when they decondition hurts so good :))
Snatch Vo2 15:15
16 kg x5/5x3
20 kg x 7x 15 sets
20 kg x6x15 sets
30 sets 195 reps
3960 lbs
man I gassed early and that damn thing felt heavy trying to go fast. just didnt feel strong or fast and the 6's at the end weren't that much easier than the 7's ,lol. Oh well, this is one of those character building days.Since I failed I had to punish myself.
Transfer swings
20 kg x20 x 10 sets
200 reps
8800 lbs
this just shows how LONG it takes me to 'warmup'. I started to feel GOOD with some kind of groove and open lungs after the first 100 reps!I felt like I had some legs and hips again! It didnt matter it was only 20 kg bell my hips had lost some size and strength and it took a bunch to bring them alive again.
Endurance falls off so much faster than strength for me.not my natural strong suit.
Two Handed Overhead casts
15 lbs cb x 30/30
25/25
20/20
these went well. much easier on the elbow.wnat to stay aways from the presses and barbarians, messing up my overhead yoga postures with too much pec and front delt tension.the rotational stuff is ok
AND I still have to get rack walks back in. they work even though they suck.
datsit.
You couldnt just walk in the gym and start throwing yourself around like that. Things had to be ready; muscles, tendons. ligaments, cardio system, the mind , etc.
When I ran it was the same thing. I was a negative split racer. That means I always ran the second half of the race faster than the first half.Always.I was warming up the first half.
Same thing when I cycled only it was worse because cycling is much more anaerobic and that system really takes me awhile to start humming.The problem with warming up with cycling is that the races are so long you can really cut into your overall work capacity and be one hurting unit at the end of the race.
Powerlifting was bad too and I needed multiple small jumps to really get things going.Of course kettlebells are about the same but with one distinction: if I take too much time off or slack on work loads the comeback workouts are torture! If I can keep the momentum going and build off of that nice wave it seems I can jump into workouts much quicker than the aforementioned activities.
Of course this week coming back from the back off with kbs is not so much fun/ today was no exception it being the first Max Vo2 day back. Oh joy.
I had done the 16 kg for 40 sets of 8 on Saturday so I decided ( I ain't that smart) to do the 20 kg for some lower reps(6's). Then redecided to do 7's. Just to see if I could. Well, it was ugly. I just be tired and will have to rebuild back up slowly, as usual.
Man I can stay off upper body for a long time and still be relatively strong but my hips and legs just fall off the map asap. Groovy.getting those big areas back up when they decondition hurts so good :))
Snatch Vo2 15:15
16 kg x5/5x3
20 kg x 7x 15 sets
20 kg x6x15 sets
30 sets 195 reps
3960 lbs
man I gassed early and that damn thing felt heavy trying to go fast. just didnt feel strong or fast and the 6's at the end weren't that much easier than the 7's ,lol. Oh well, this is one of those character building days.Since I failed I had to punish myself.
Transfer swings
20 kg x20 x 10 sets
200 reps
8800 lbs
this just shows how LONG it takes me to 'warmup'. I started to feel GOOD with some kind of groove and open lungs after the first 100 reps!I felt like I had some legs and hips again! It didnt matter it was only 20 kg bell my hips had lost some size and strength and it took a bunch to bring them alive again.
Endurance falls off so much faster than strength for me.not my natural strong suit.
Two Handed Overhead casts
15 lbs cb x 30/30
25/25
20/20
these went well. much easier on the elbow.wnat to stay aways from the presses and barbarians, messing up my overhead yoga postures with too much pec and front delt tension.the rotational stuff is ok
AND I still have to get rack walks back in. they work even though they suck.
datsit.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Saturday's Snatch Vo2 at the Cert and Mondays two hand swings
I lead the workout on saturday during the max Vo2 workout we gave the candidates and got a pretty decent little session in
snatch vo2 15:15
16 kg
40 sets of 8 reps
320 reps
this was pretty easy for me considering I hadnt gone through two days of millions of swings and getups already. The candidates probably didnt enjoy it as much as I did. :))
After every RKC cert it really bugs me that I cannot seem to tolerate two handed swings. They are such an incredibly powerful movement with such incredible training possibilities that it always irks me that I cannot do them. In the past I had such asymmetries in legs hips and back that they would always throw my back out.Now it seems that the close grip with the requesite internal rotation tweaks my shoulders. Can't win for losing.
So of course I had to try them again today. Was too tired for heavy one arm swings but I wanted to use some decent. I adapted some positions for my orangutang length arms and stretched out with external rotation stretches after each set. We'll see tomorrow:
Two handed swings
16 kg x10x2
24kg x10
Weight ladders
24kg x10
28 kg x10
32 kg x10
repeat each series 10 times
300 reps
100 24 kg= 5300 lbs
100 28 kg = 6300 lbs
100 32 kg = 7200 lbs
18,800 lbs
most rest periods were 30-45 sec long until last 5 sets then 20 seconds long. Not a bad workout after such a tough weekend.we'll see how things pan out tomorrow. feel ok now.Yoga will help I am sure.
Snatch Holds
16kg x30 sec x 5 sets each arm
had to bring these back.
Shield casts
15 lb CB x10/10 x5 sets
the two handed versionis definitely easier on the elbow. need this at least as a warmup before one arm work.
man thats a lot of typing :))
datsit.
snatch vo2 15:15
16 kg
40 sets of 8 reps
320 reps
this was pretty easy for me considering I hadnt gone through two days of millions of swings and getups already. The candidates probably didnt enjoy it as much as I did. :))
After every RKC cert it really bugs me that I cannot seem to tolerate two handed swings. They are such an incredibly powerful movement with such incredible training possibilities that it always irks me that I cannot do them. In the past I had such asymmetries in legs hips and back that they would always throw my back out.Now it seems that the close grip with the requesite internal rotation tweaks my shoulders. Can't win for losing.
So of course I had to try them again today. Was too tired for heavy one arm swings but I wanted to use some decent. I adapted some positions for my orangutang length arms and stretched out with external rotation stretches after each set. We'll see tomorrow:
Two handed swings
16 kg x10x2
24kg x10
Weight ladders
24kg x10
28 kg x10
32 kg x10
repeat each series 10 times
300 reps
100 24 kg= 5300 lbs
100 28 kg = 6300 lbs
100 32 kg = 7200 lbs
18,800 lbs
most rest periods were 30-45 sec long until last 5 sets then 20 seconds long. Not a bad workout after such a tough weekend.we'll see how things pan out tomorrow. feel ok now.Yoga will help I am sure.
Snatch Holds
16kg x30 sec x 5 sets each arm
had to bring these back.
Shield casts
15 lb CB x10/10 x5 sets
the two handed versionis definitely easier on the elbow. need this at least as a warmup before one arm work.
man thats a lot of typing :))
datsit.
Team Rif September 2008
Team Rif September 2008 RKC
What an another amazing weekend this RKC was. I am never ceased to be blown away by the transformations that occur in the short two days from Friday morning at 9 am when the candidates take their snatch test to Sunday morning at technique testing. Semingly the same people that on Friday were slow and shaky and lacking confidence in their techniques , their strength and their positions have been morphed into serious Hardstyle RKCs with sharp crisp techniques, precise biomechanics and with more power than they ever have had in their life! Unreal. And of course after having done seven or eight million reps or more of each of the six drills for two solid days while defying all training and all of physiologies logic by getting better minute by minute, even as they fatigued tremendously.
It's like after a certain amount of work their minds just gave up, gave in and succumbed to the neurological groove we had been implanting with more swings,snatches and getups than they ever could imagine doing and the body just took over. And it did it right. Very right.
I saw this actually happen right before lunch on saturday during Sr Instructor Geoff Nuperts snatch training.
By now they had done SO many snatches and swings that the idea of even MORE snatches( of course right before even more snatches with my Max Vo2 workout) ,while logically inconceivable was not only doable but being done.On auto pilot.Unconcious competence. The body at work.If the mind can get out of the way.
All passed with the exception of two who will pass as soon as they get home to their own bells and send the video in.
Well done RKC's! It was a pleasure to work with you and hope to see you all again soon.
Plus SO Much thanks to my amazing assistants Zachariah Salazar and Betsy Collie.They both helped me out tremendously and are excellent instructors, kettlebell athletes and people.I will work with them anyday.
A training life.
I love being home. I love the simplicity, the routine and stability that my life has had for so many years. A life that revolved around training, and, for so many years, competing. A life that revolved around recovery so that progress could be made, and measured. The numbers of competition and training brought an absoluteness to life that few other things could provide. One could know exactly where they were at any moment.And learn how to deal with exactly where they were as well.Or not. But the numbers didnt lie. They were what they were and it was up to you to do something with them.
Or not.
But it was your choice.Everyone had a chance to get what they wanted.If they wanted to work hard enough.
And to work hard enough you had to have regularity in your life. In your rest, in your food, in your training, in the life of your mind.So that you could recover and reach further to see what you were capable of. Really capable of.
And now the line is different. Somewhere else. Inside.The numbers will come and go and the top ones; the real very top ones I used to live for don't matter as much anymore. Or at all anymore. Because the numbers that really count are the number of missed sessions more than the number of snatches in one workout or the weight of the bell in that workout. Or no numbers.
How well I can concentrate in my yoga workout, or my kb session.Or how far my hamstring flexibility or external rotation in my right shoulder is progressing. Little things that are huge things in the real grand scheme of things.
And they also require recovery and regularity and stability and inner peace as well.So that the new edges, the new lines that still hover over an abyss of some sort or another still challenge.The new goal is stability and continuity and progress that happens on it's own.
So now my travels are over for many months and although it's been a great time teaching so much and meeting so many people it is time,well past time actually, to settle in and down again . To pull all the pieces together and get the rythym going. The rythym of training and recovery. Of stress and relaxation. Of loading and unloading.Of tapping into the primal patterns that are going on all the time if I can listen deeply enough. And going with them, not against them.
Working 7 days a week every other week for months doesnt make this happen.
It had it's purpose and I made my sacrifice to the gods of work. Now it's time to go back to a much less stressful work pattern so I can soak up more stress in the gym(s).
Double yoga sessions anybody?
Or not.
But it was your choice.Everyone had a chance to get what they wanted.If they wanted to work hard enough.
And to work hard enough you had to have regularity in your life. In your rest, in your food, in your training, in the life of your mind.So that you could recover and reach further to see what you were capable of. Really capable of.
And now the line is different. Somewhere else. Inside.The numbers will come and go and the top ones; the real very top ones I used to live for don't matter as much anymore. Or at all anymore. Because the numbers that really count are the number of missed sessions more than the number of snatches in one workout or the weight of the bell in that workout. Or no numbers.
How well I can concentrate in my yoga workout, or my kb session.Or how far my hamstring flexibility or external rotation in my right shoulder is progressing. Little things that are huge things in the real grand scheme of things.
And they also require recovery and regularity and stability and inner peace as well.So that the new edges, the new lines that still hover over an abyss of some sort or another still challenge.The new goal is stability and continuity and progress that happens on it's own.
So now my travels are over for many months and although it's been a great time teaching so much and meeting so many people it is time,well past time actually, to settle in and down again . To pull all the pieces together and get the rythym going. The rythym of training and recovery. Of stress and relaxation. Of loading and unloading.Of tapping into the primal patterns that are going on all the time if I can listen deeply enough. And going with them, not against them.
Working 7 days a week every other week for months doesnt make this happen.
It had it's purpose and I made my sacrifice to the gods of work. Now it's time to go back to a much less stressful work pattern so I can soak up more stress in the gym(s).
Double yoga sessions anybody?
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Off to the cert!
I get to do one of my favorite things in the world today; go to Minnesota and spend the weekend teaching RKC Candidates how to use the best training tool in the world properly. And even better, Tracy is not only coming with me, as she usually does, but will be an Assistant Instructor as well, which means we can work together all weekend. She will be assisting Team Leader Doug Nepodal but we will be on the field all day together and that will be great fun!
There is NOTHING like an RKC weekend, it always amazes me how a rag tage group of wanna-be RKC's can start off Fridays SO rough and end up so polished and impressive just a scant three days later.
Not only do they come together as individuals but they jell as a team as well.It never ceases to amaze me and I don't expect this cert to be any different. This will be the last cert of the year for me( the RKC season,lol) and it's been the busiest travel year of my life! I've traveled more in the last six months that I usually do in six years and I am looking forward to a break in travel so we can get a serious training rythym going again.
Hope to post but we will see how busy things get.
datsit
There is NOTHING like an RKC weekend, it always amazes me how a rag tage group of wanna-be RKC's can start off Fridays SO rough and end up so polished and impressive just a scant three days later.
Not only do they come together as individuals but they jell as a team as well.It never ceases to amaze me and I don't expect this cert to be any different. This will be the last cert of the year for me( the RKC season,lol) and it's been the busiest travel year of my life! I've traveled more in the last six months that I usually do in six years and I am looking forward to a break in travel so we can get a serious training rythym going again.
Hope to post but we will see how busy things get.
datsit
Monday, September 15, 2008
More sets not reps.
Man I hate doing reps. And by that I really mean anything over 5. I mean I'm not as bad as Brett Jones who considers anything over 3 cardio but if I had my 'druthers I would be doing low reps all the time.But ' that ain't my bag anymore, baby' and I have to get used to it. But I dont have to do them all at one time and I decided today that I didn't have to do both arms at once either, lol.
I do that all the time with snatch vo2 but never really considered it for swings. Knowing I should do at least ten reps per arm today since I was only using the 24 kg I realized I didnt have to do both arms at the same time and I could still get the job done.
SO it was ten reps per arm, put the bell down and rest about 30 seconds before switching to the other arm. Swing VO2, if you will. I wasnt strict on the rest but I felt good today and was moving quickly after the warmup.
I just much prefer going all out for short periods of time,before doing it again. Give me a million sets just not 20 reps,lol.
One arm Swings
16 kg x5/5x3
24 kg x 10 reps per arm
35 sets
350 reps
18,550 lbs
two hand sheild casts
15 lb clubbell x
15/15
17/17
20/20
20/20
still a short workout and need to add another exercise in but just not ready yet. I have to remember all the extra work and days of training I am doing with the yoga and not get freaked out with the lower volume of kb training.
datsit.
I do that all the time with snatch vo2 but never really considered it for swings. Knowing I should do at least ten reps per arm today since I was only using the 24 kg I realized I didnt have to do both arms at the same time and I could still get the job done.
SO it was ten reps per arm, put the bell down and rest about 30 seconds before switching to the other arm. Swing VO2, if you will. I wasnt strict on the rest but I felt good today and was moving quickly after the warmup.
I just much prefer going all out for short periods of time,before doing it again. Give me a million sets just not 20 reps,lol.
One arm Swings
16 kg x5/5x3
24 kg x 10 reps per arm
35 sets
350 reps
18,550 lbs
two hand sheild casts
15 lb clubbell x
15/15
17/17
20/20
20/20
still a short workout and need to add another exercise in but just not ready yet. I have to remember all the extra work and days of training I am doing with the yoga and not get freaked out with the lower volume of kb training.
datsit.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Just the body.
I really accelerated my journey to real rehab for my knee, back and shoulder when I decided last year to try to "get back my gymnastics body". What I meant by that was restoring the range of motions,flexiblities,center of balances, stance, gait and basic posture(s) that I had before I blew out any of my joints. I didn't know if it was possible at all, and, if I was, what level I could return to and if so what the actual effect would be on my rom's and my pain.
I just had a gut feeling that the path I had been on was right,and that this new one was also the correct direction. My rifga stretches and close stance stretching work really put me on the right path, and then Z made things accelerate even greater with the most basic of joint mobility there is.
Then I found Mr Bikrams yoga and things have just done a quantuum leap forward again. And it became very obvious that one of the things this yoga and my old gymnastics practice have in common is that it is just you and your body. No other tools, or appliances or distractions. Just you and how you can or cannot move. Naked Warrior indeed. And of course it makes sense that if you cannot handle your own body weight; your own inherent resistance, if you will, you really don't need to add additional loads.
Of course, it's so much fun but that's another story.
It doesnt get more minimal than just one kettlebell unless there are no other tools at all. Like the most basic gymnastics and the most basic yoga.Going against your own internal resistance, which is as apt a metaphor for the struggles of life if there ever was one.
The combination of the most minimalist of weight resistance tools and the naked warrior approach of yoga is an amazing combination for me. Yoga and gymnastics are also so similar in the desire to obtain total and complete control of all parts of the body similtaneously. No easy task!
Tracy has informed me that after coming back from the September cert we will be doing double classes on Sundays. 3 hours of yoga, back to back classes with a 30 minute break between.Now this should be a challenge.Had a great class today even though I slept for beans last night. Sleep is for sissies :))It was way tough, strength wise, but my focus and concentration were good and that's what really counts. Didnt't help that the teacher took us way over in time for lots of the toughest poses but oh well. I will aim for tues/thursday and double class on sunday which will mean 4 practices a week with 3 kb sessions.Now this should be interesting,lol.
Tracy has informed me that after coming back from the September cert we will be doing double classes on Sundays. 3 hours of yoga, back to back classes with a 30 minute break between.Now this should be a challenge.Had a great class today even though I slept for beans last night. Sleep is for sissies :))It was way tough, strength wise, but my focus and concentration were good and that's what really counts. Didnt't help that the teacher took us way over in time for lots of the toughest poses but oh well. I will aim for tues/thursday and double class on sunday which will mean 4 practices a week with 3 kb sessions.Now this should be interesting,lol.
I can see now where my yoga practice will be as integral a part of my training as my kb practice.I wondered what would be the compliment for the other days as I healed and now I know. Yoga.
Who'd a thunk it, but in retrospect, the symmetry is perfect.
Handstands are next. Coming soon.Plus Stones gym is undergoing a MAJOR rehaul. Rif the powerlifter is no more and Stones gym is now being reborn for Team Rif Kettlebell adventures and Tracy's soon to be produced dvd series.Pictures soon.
datsit.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Some decent endurance
I decided against testing the ssst today as it really makes no sense for me to risk tweaking something this close to a cert. I'll have enough physical challenges next week. But I did want to see if I could do some higher rep sets; which I havent been able to make myself do for quite awhile.
The extra energy from the San Jose TSC competitors really helped get my head right.I chose the 20 kg bell though as it was time for some crisp and speedy reps.
Snatch
20 kg
5/5
6/6
7/7
8/8
9/9
10/10
10/10/5/5
10/10/6/6
10/10/7/7
10/10
9/9
8/8
7/7
6/6
5/5
276 reps
12,144
Not a bad little workout if I say so myself, although it was slower than normal due to my judging duties. No worries, I just went harder on each rep. One of the TSC competitors made my day when he said " are you trying to win the snatch race today?".Not even close but still nice to hear :))
Mills
10/10
12/12
felt the left elbow talking to me so I switched to
One CB arm cast
15 lb cb x 10/10 x 4 sets
Two hand Sield cast
15 lb cb x10/10 x3
I've decided to use the CB with two hands mostly, at least for awhile. Its a better counterbalance to all the one hand stuff I do with the kbs and my left elbow is starting to get tweaky again from the mills and shield casts.I'm NOT going to injure something for an assistant exercise. This will be the equivilant of my two hand swing and I will start using the 25 lber a lot more as well with this.
Bikrams tomorrow.
Datsit.
The extra energy from the San Jose TSC competitors really helped get my head right.I chose the 20 kg bell though as it was time for some crisp and speedy reps.
Snatch
20 kg
5/5
6/6
7/7
8/8
9/9
10/10
10/10/5/5
10/10/6/6
10/10/7/7
10/10
9/9
8/8
7/7
6/6
5/5
276 reps
12,144
Not a bad little workout if I say so myself, although it was slower than normal due to my judging duties. No worries, I just went harder on each rep. One of the TSC competitors made my day when he said " are you trying to win the snatch race today?".Not even close but still nice to hear :))
Mills
10/10
12/12
felt the left elbow talking to me so I switched to
One CB arm cast
15 lb cb x 10/10 x 4 sets
Two hand Sield cast
15 lb cb x10/10 x3
I've decided to use the CB with two hands mostly, at least for awhile. Its a better counterbalance to all the one hand stuff I do with the kbs and my left elbow is starting to get tweaky again from the mills and shield casts.I'm NOT going to injure something for an assistant exercise. This will be the equivilant of my two hand swing and I will start using the 25 lber a lot more as well with this.
Bikrams tomorrow.
Datsit.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Breathing Bikram
Finally got back to yoga yesterday and was so glad I did. Travel and lost weekends play havoc with yoga more than anything as we have to travel to get there and it's late in the day.When I am short on recovery it just has to take a back seat to real rest.But I was jones'ing for a deep,stretch in the tropic heat and was ready for class. I could feel my shoulders tightening up daily and I really needed to open them, and my chest up.
It's been amazing to me that when I started class I couldn't get my shoulders into half the postures as almost ALL require a significant amount of external rotation,something I just havent had much of in the last 20 years or so,lol.
Attempting to go into poses like eagle, standing head to knee,standing bow, floor bow,half locust camel and rabbit if you don't have enough external rotation you can't even get started in the poses.Perserverence usually pays off in most things but I was very surprised when I could really get my arms to turn out enough to grab my legs.
At first my shoulder would subluxate every time I forced myself into the posture and then try to get out of it.But slowly but surely it would sublux less and less until a couple weeks ago it didnt at all and I realized I had regained lots more shoulder extension and external rotation.And, guess what, my shoulder felt better all day long as well.So much of the problem was overly tight pec minor and major from 30 plus years of pushing pressing and benching, not to mention the full dislocation on rings,lol.Nothing has opened them up better than all these behind the back poses.Crazy, who'd of thunk it.
But yesterday I was determined to breathe throughout the entire class, as I always find myself holding my breath during the hard poses and once I get into any kind of oxygen debt in that heat it screws me up for many more poses if not the rest of the class.
I am always stronger( read more rested) coming back from a layoff but my endurance sucks and I going to make sure I didnt start holding my breath even if it meant my poses weren't as strong. Sure enough keeping my concentration on breathing the entire time make a HUGE difference; not only in my endurance but in the ability to hold the poses as well.
I take the pranayama breathing much more seriously now( the first set of poses in the practice) as I know how important it is for the rest of the class to really open up my lungs prior to the harder postures.
AS with most of the physical activities that hold my interest, the possibilities for going deeper into the skill is much more appealing than random acts of variety. I am just getting started plumbing the depths of this practice.
One more week of disrupted schedule( next weeks Cert) then a nice break where we can build some training momentum and get some more energy bucks in the bank account.I am low on reserves and don't want to get into savings. Time to build up the account for the fall and winter. Bikrams should be great fun this winter when its really cold out. I was thinking of buying a home sauna the last couple years as it's so hard to get really warm lately. This should solve that problem.
datsit.
It's been amazing to me that when I started class I couldn't get my shoulders into half the postures as almost ALL require a significant amount of external rotation,something I just havent had much of in the last 20 years or so,lol.
Attempting to go into poses like eagle, standing head to knee,standing bow, floor bow,half locust camel and rabbit if you don't have enough external rotation you can't even get started in the poses.Perserverence usually pays off in most things but I was very surprised when I could really get my arms to turn out enough to grab my legs.
At first my shoulder would subluxate every time I forced myself into the posture and then try to get out of it.But slowly but surely it would sublux less and less until a couple weeks ago it didnt at all and I realized I had regained lots more shoulder extension and external rotation.And, guess what, my shoulder felt better all day long as well.So much of the problem was overly tight pec minor and major from 30 plus years of pushing pressing and benching, not to mention the full dislocation on rings,lol.Nothing has opened them up better than all these behind the back poses.Crazy, who'd of thunk it.
But yesterday I was determined to breathe throughout the entire class, as I always find myself holding my breath during the hard poses and once I get into any kind of oxygen debt in that heat it screws me up for many more poses if not the rest of the class.
I am always stronger( read more rested) coming back from a layoff but my endurance sucks and I going to make sure I didnt start holding my breath even if it meant my poses weren't as strong. Sure enough keeping my concentration on breathing the entire time make a HUGE difference; not only in my endurance but in the ability to hold the poses as well.
I take the pranayama breathing much more seriously now( the first set of poses in the practice) as I know how important it is for the rest of the class to really open up my lungs prior to the harder postures.
AS with most of the physical activities that hold my interest, the possibilities for going deeper into the skill is much more appealing than random acts of variety. I am just getting started plumbing the depths of this practice.
One more week of disrupted schedule( next weeks Cert) then a nice break where we can build some training momentum and get some more energy bucks in the bank account.I am low on reserves and don't want to get into savings. Time to build up the account for the fall and winter. Bikrams should be great fun this winter when its really cold out. I was thinking of buying a home sauna the last couple years as it's so hard to get really warm lately. This should solve that problem.
datsit.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
36:36 Max vo2 PR
Well ,I finally got the real Pr in the 36:36 version of the snatch vo2 with the 16 kg.As you probably don't recall last month I did a mini pr of 26 sets before quitting and going into my house to get my butt handed to me by Tracy who insisted we go out into the gym and do the last 4 sets and get it done, regardless of the time break.And we did but I never counted those 30 sets as my real pr; just the 26 sets I had done back to back.
So today, with Tracy training with me this time, I got 31 back to back sets of 16 reps in the 36:36 max vo2 protocol. No problem except for excessive sweating which really plays a number on my grip which is hard enough, thank you very much, in this routine as it is! Still not the top end goal of 35 sets that Kenneth set out but that will get done next time.
Used a corkscrew technique on both hands, which really is cheating, (it makes it SO much easier) I don't think my heartrate was high enough, but no matter, I got it done and it was legal, so there,lol.
When you have to snatch to save the grip it really makes you focus on economy of effort, and efficiency as well.That's why I like the 15:15 so much better, it really lets you hang it all out, power and explosiveness wise. It's all good though and this certainly has it's place.
Snatch Vo2 36:36 16 kg
31 sets of 16 reps PR
496 snatches
17856 lbs
One Clubbell Swipes
15 lb club
5 x 10/10
wanted to do these continuous but the sweat hurts the grip here even more than with the kettlebells.Had to stop after each set, towel off, chalk up and restart. Don't like the cold but this sucks.
Two Clubbell swipes
2 15's x 20 reps
Two hand shield cast
15 x10/10
25x8/8x3
These are great, havent done them in quite awhile. Elbow is feeling fine as well. Somewhat thinking about having a go at the ten minute SSST with the 20 kg this Saturday as Jordan and a friend are coming to Stones Gym( aka the Rifstonian Institute) to test their TSC skills.
I am completely not ready for it in any sense of the word but especially mentally but I am still considering it.
I just dont know if I will be in the mood for that particular type of suffering quite that early this Saturday. We'll see.
datsit.Bikrams for sure tomorrow! I will be strong but I will gas,lol.
So today, with Tracy training with me this time, I got 31 back to back sets of 16 reps in the 36:36 max vo2 protocol. No problem except for excessive sweating which really plays a number on my grip which is hard enough, thank you very much, in this routine as it is! Still not the top end goal of 35 sets that Kenneth set out but that will get done next time.
Used a corkscrew technique on both hands, which really is cheating, (it makes it SO much easier) I don't think my heartrate was high enough, but no matter, I got it done and it was legal, so there,lol.
When you have to snatch to save the grip it really makes you focus on economy of effort, and efficiency as well.That's why I like the 15:15 so much better, it really lets you hang it all out, power and explosiveness wise. It's all good though and this certainly has it's place.
Snatch Vo2 36:36 16 kg
31 sets of 16 reps PR
496 snatches
17856 lbs
One Clubbell Swipes
15 lb club
5 x 10/10
wanted to do these continuous but the sweat hurts the grip here even more than with the kettlebells.Had to stop after each set, towel off, chalk up and restart. Don't like the cold but this sucks.
Two Clubbell swipes
2 15's x 20 reps
Two hand shield cast
15 x10/10
25x8/8x3
These are great, havent done them in quite awhile. Elbow is feeling fine as well. Somewhat thinking about having a go at the ten minute SSST with the 20 kg this Saturday as Jordan and a friend are coming to Stones Gym( aka the Rifstonian Institute) to test their TSC skills.
I am completely not ready for it in any sense of the word but especially mentally but I am still considering it.
I just dont know if I will be in the mood for that particular type of suffering quite that early this Saturday. We'll see.
datsit.Bikrams for sure tomorrow! I will be strong but I will gas,lol.
Monday, September 08, 2008
Slow and easy.
The Team Rif Wine Country Workshop was a great success and a good time was had by all! We spent mucho time going over the basics of RKC style swings, snatches and presses as well as basic stretching and foam roller work for injury prevention and reduction of pain. However, I missed my Saturday snatch workout, worked most of the weekend and had to travel( albeit by car this time not plane) so I got little rest.
So of course getting back on the horse today was a little creaky.
Fell back onto my default mutliple sets of five in the snatch to make up for Saturdays miss as well as some transfers to get my legs back in the game.I will do swings proper on Wednesday after some Max vo2 work and then back to snatch work again next saturday.After that just one more travel weekend ( the Sept cert) and then I should be back in my groove with no travel till way after the first of the year.
Snatches
16 kg x5/5x3
20 kg x5/5 x2
24 kg x5/5x10 sets
100 reps
5300 lbs
Man it's amazing how quickly that little weight can feel heavy. I didnt start feeling good til about 80 reps.
transfers
24 kg x20 reps x 5 sets
100 reps
5300 lbs
Mills
15 lb CB
10/10
12/12
14/14
16/16
these went well although have to start out gingerly or else my left elbow starts to ache a bit.
I hate starting over like this but it's smarter than trying to push through when I am tired and not into my body very well. A good start up workout.
datsit.
So of course getting back on the horse today was a little creaky.
Fell back onto my default mutliple sets of five in the snatch to make up for Saturdays miss as well as some transfers to get my legs back in the game.I will do swings proper on Wednesday after some Max vo2 work and then back to snatch work again next saturday.After that just one more travel weekend ( the Sept cert) and then I should be back in my groove with no travel till way after the first of the year.
Snatches
16 kg x5/5x3
20 kg x5/5 x2
24 kg x5/5x10 sets
100 reps
5300 lbs
Man it's amazing how quickly that little weight can feel heavy. I didnt start feeling good til about 80 reps.
transfers
24 kg x20 reps x 5 sets
100 reps
5300 lbs
Mills
15 lb CB
10/10
12/12
14/14
16/16
these went well although have to start out gingerly or else my left elbow starts to ache a bit.
I hate starting over like this but it's smarter than trying to push through when I am tired and not into my body very well. A good start up workout.
datsit.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
80 sets of 7 in the Max Vo2 Snatch
Finally I hit eighty sets in the Snatch Vo2 protocol, although not the prescribed Gold standard 8 reps per set but it was a 20 set PR for me either. Add in being awake since 2 am and no food and it was a decent feat in and of itself.
I decided to do the eighty sets on a whim, which seems to be the way these days, after looking at the 36:36 protocol which was on the menu and really not wanting to tax my grip hard. Don't want to deal with tight biceps tendons getting ready for the workshop this weekend.
So it was either the 20 kg 15:15 or the 16 kg for sevens.Not having slept well and having gone extra heavy of late( plus an extra bikrams session yesterday) I didnt think I would feel fresh enough to go heavier so it was the 16 kg and 7's that was left.
7 reps per 15 sec work bout seem downright easy to me these days, even tired and drained but I knew I had to do some serious damage on the total number scale. Why? I don't know but my inner masochist was talking out again.
Go big or go home, he said.
Plus Tracy was going to be coaching me through the entire session and it's really hard to not push when she's on the platform.Especially when she's just coaching and not training herself.THe pressure was on,lol.
Snatch Vo2
16 kg
15:15
80 sets of 7 reps All time PR
560 reps!
20,160 pounds
It started out easy, as it always does with 7's but it didnt take too long to ramp itself up,especially as I was trying to go as fast and explosively as I could and still feel like I could go the distance. First goal was 80 sets, second goal was all the reps done as explosively as possible.
Left arm modified corkscrew and right arm hardstyle over the top.
I missed counted my hashmarks at 60 sets and thought I had done 70 the realized the mistake and had to do A LOT more sets.Its like moving the finish line in a race after you have already crossed it.But I didnt want to make a mistake I didnt realize till after and not get the 80 sets. The last ten sets were tough, mentally but I also started to really sprint as I saw the end was near.Tracy yelling in my ear didnt hurt either ;))Knowing she knew exactly what this felt like and had done more it helped me push that much faster.
Top heartrate was around 175-180 at the end.
Sweated like a freakin pig and that is becoming a real problem in that I can't keep the bells dry( and I use two different bells!) and that makes the grip a real issue.grip issues translate into shoulder pain for me so I don't risk it.Plus the extra time drying the bells ,re-chalking wip[ing down etc. really eats into recovery time. 15 seconds goes by FAST!
Especially when you can't breathe.
One Arm Clubbell Swipes
15 lb clubells 60 reps switching every ten
40 reps as above.
Datsit. Bikrams yesterday and 560 snatches got me. I'm done.
Tomorrow, though is another yoga day :))
I decided to do the eighty sets on a whim, which seems to be the way these days, after looking at the 36:36 protocol which was on the menu and really not wanting to tax my grip hard. Don't want to deal with tight biceps tendons getting ready for the workshop this weekend.
So it was either the 20 kg 15:15 or the 16 kg for sevens.Not having slept well and having gone extra heavy of late( plus an extra bikrams session yesterday) I didnt think I would feel fresh enough to go heavier so it was the 16 kg and 7's that was left.
7 reps per 15 sec work bout seem downright easy to me these days, even tired and drained but I knew I had to do some serious damage on the total number scale. Why? I don't know but my inner masochist was talking out again.
Go big or go home, he said.
Plus Tracy was going to be coaching me through the entire session and it's really hard to not push when she's on the platform.Especially when she's just coaching and not training herself.THe pressure was on,lol.
Snatch Vo2
16 kg
15:15
80 sets of 7 reps All time PR
560 reps!
20,160 pounds
It started out easy, as it always does with 7's but it didnt take too long to ramp itself up,especially as I was trying to go as fast and explosively as I could and still feel like I could go the distance. First goal was 80 sets, second goal was all the reps done as explosively as possible.
Left arm modified corkscrew and right arm hardstyle over the top.
I missed counted my hashmarks at 60 sets and thought I had done 70 the realized the mistake and had to do A LOT more sets.Its like moving the finish line in a race after you have already crossed it.But I didnt want to make a mistake I didnt realize till after and not get the 80 sets. The last ten sets were tough, mentally but I also started to really sprint as I saw the end was near.Tracy yelling in my ear didnt hurt either ;))Knowing she knew exactly what this felt like and had done more it helped me push that much faster.
Top heartrate was around 175-180 at the end.
Sweated like a freakin pig and that is becoming a real problem in that I can't keep the bells dry( and I use two different bells!) and that makes the grip a real issue.grip issues translate into shoulder pain for me so I don't risk it.Plus the extra time drying the bells ,re-chalking wip[ing down etc. really eats into recovery time. 15 seconds goes by FAST!
Especially when you can't breathe.
One Arm Clubbell Swipes
15 lb clubells 60 reps switching every ten
40 reps as above.
Datsit. Bikrams yesterday and 560 snatches got me. I'm done.
Tomorrow, though is another yoga day :))
Bikrams is Hardstyle.
Now everyone who knows me knows I am a very opiniated guy. Once I decide what I think it right I am pretty much unmovable unless: someone convinces me I am wrong with better facts and information , or, my experience tells me I am wrong. In that case I have NO problem admitting I was wrong and changing my opinion. This was the case with Z health drills and now is the case with Bikrams yoga.
I am now a convert and realize that not only was I wrong about what Bikrams yoga is about( the McYoga thing) but also the benefits of what it could get me. Reading about the history, lineage, philosophy and concepts behind the methods, from Bikram himself went a long way. I just wish the studios imparted this crucial information better in the classes but regardless, I have seen the light here too.
Bikram's is Hardcore, the Real Deal and, yes,like RKC, Hardstyle baby! lol.
What do I mean by that? I mean that like like RKC the focus is Deep Skill , not ADD variety training, the focus in internal not on 'having fun' in class, the focus is perection of movement and the difficulty of the task is not taken into account.
Like Pavel would say if someone says the moves are too hard: 'Tell someone who cares".
In Birkrams own words:
" If some things are too hard for the students, for their weak bodies, then I make it harder! THis is the only way for human beings to break free from their self imposed limitations and begin to understand that there are no limitations .I believed int he strength of the Western people and decided it was simply a matter of teaching discipline through the postures in order to reach them"
Now I have griped inccessantly about the teachers " dialogue" and now I understand that it's not the dialogue that's the problem but the lack of the background information about WHY things are done the way they are that makes it seem like it doesnt make sense.
There is still some basic confusion about kinesology of muscle use but now I'm not sure if that's Bikrams mistake or the instructors.No matter, like Pavel says," do you want to know how to swim or undertand hydrodynamics?"
I be swimming well lately.
More Bikram:
"Ca'nt do a particular posture today? If you persits in trying the right way, a day will come when you can.Don't cheat or change the posture to conform to your individual weaknesses. If you do the real benefit goes out the window. Would you rather suffer for 90 minutes or 90 years? The right way is the hard way( how could I not love this guy?)
Remember: "It's never too late, it's never too bad and you're never too old or too sick to start from scratch once again."
This guy is SO hardcore. I love it.
His attention to concentration, determination, focus, fighting through the pain, the struggle, not giving in, never giving up, faith,patience, perserverence and developing the body from the inside out, always working with mind, body and spirit similtaneously really appeals to me. As you can tell I REALLY liked his book. What a difference the real information makes.
One last thing; Saturday I had to help move some shelves we were giving to my sister in law.Nick and I got the first one in the back of her F 250 truck, I held the base while he jumped in the truck to bring it back into position. The next one I had the lead and when it came time I jumped in the back of the truck as well.
Without a thought, without a care, just on instinct.Both Nick and I stopped on a dime and he said " did you just JUMP into the truck? I had to stop too and realize that just months ago I wouldn't have wanted to climb into the truck without really preparing my back for a possible herniation,lol.
Now I just leaped, after a 200 rep snatch workout and had no problem at all. My old gymnast instinct took over and I just moved. What a miracle. What a blessing.
I had to do it again just to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Or hallucinating.And it was just as easy.
The next day I actually RAN 6-8 steps to get something for Tracy. Ran. Me. Again.
I just looked down at my body and couldnt beleive it.
It wasnt too long ago I was ready to get my knee replaced and settle into real decripitude.
Now I am not giving any one thing, let alone yoga credit for this. I wouldnt have been able to do Bikrams 6 months ago without preparing for it with my own Rifga stretching, the Z drills and, most importantly, TONS of Kettlebell work.
But something has changed in me and I can't wait to see what's next.Yesterday was my fourth day of training in a row and I feel great.Each class gets better and better and my body is slowly molding to what it used to be.A deep transformation, inside and out is taking place and it just keeps getting better.
Who knows what's next? don't know, but between hardstyle kettlebells and my new hardstyle yoga things look very bright indeed.
My original idea to get my pre injury gymnast body back seems to be working.Who knew yoga would be the vehicle to get there?
I am now a convert and realize that not only was I wrong about what Bikrams yoga is about( the McYoga thing) but also the benefits of what it could get me. Reading about the history, lineage, philosophy and concepts behind the methods, from Bikram himself went a long way. I just wish the studios imparted this crucial information better in the classes but regardless, I have seen the light here too.
Bikram's is Hardcore, the Real Deal and, yes,like RKC, Hardstyle baby! lol.
What do I mean by that? I mean that like like RKC the focus is Deep Skill , not ADD variety training, the focus in internal not on 'having fun' in class, the focus is perection of movement and the difficulty of the task is not taken into account.
Like Pavel would say if someone says the moves are too hard: 'Tell someone who cares".
In Birkrams own words:
" If some things are too hard for the students, for their weak bodies, then I make it harder! THis is the only way for human beings to break free from their self imposed limitations and begin to understand that there are no limitations .I believed int he strength of the Western people and decided it was simply a matter of teaching discipline through the postures in order to reach them"
Now I have griped inccessantly about the teachers " dialogue" and now I understand that it's not the dialogue that's the problem but the lack of the background information about WHY things are done the way they are that makes it seem like it doesnt make sense.
There is still some basic confusion about kinesology of muscle use but now I'm not sure if that's Bikrams mistake or the instructors.No matter, like Pavel says," do you want to know how to swim or undertand hydrodynamics?"
I be swimming well lately.
More Bikram:
"Ca'nt do a particular posture today? If you persits in trying the right way, a day will come when you can.Don't cheat or change the posture to conform to your individual weaknesses. If you do the real benefit goes out the window. Would you rather suffer for 90 minutes or 90 years? The right way is the hard way( how could I not love this guy?)
Remember: "It's never too late, it's never too bad and you're never too old or too sick to start from scratch once again."
This guy is SO hardcore. I love it.
His attention to concentration, determination, focus, fighting through the pain, the struggle, not giving in, never giving up, faith,patience, perserverence and developing the body from the inside out, always working with mind, body and spirit similtaneously really appeals to me. As you can tell I REALLY liked his book. What a difference the real information makes.
One last thing; Saturday I had to help move some shelves we were giving to my sister in law.Nick and I got the first one in the back of her F 250 truck, I held the base while he jumped in the truck to bring it back into position. The next one I had the lead and when it came time I jumped in the back of the truck as well.
Without a thought, without a care, just on instinct.Both Nick and I stopped on a dime and he said " did you just JUMP into the truck? I had to stop too and realize that just months ago I wouldn't have wanted to climb into the truck without really preparing my back for a possible herniation,lol.
Now I just leaped, after a 200 rep snatch workout and had no problem at all. My old gymnast instinct took over and I just moved. What a miracle. What a blessing.
I had to do it again just to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Or hallucinating.And it was just as easy.
The next day I actually RAN 6-8 steps to get something for Tracy. Ran. Me. Again.
I just looked down at my body and couldnt beleive it.
It wasnt too long ago I was ready to get my knee replaced and settle into real decripitude.
Now I am not giving any one thing, let alone yoga credit for this. I wouldnt have been able to do Bikrams 6 months ago without preparing for it with my own Rifga stretching, the Z drills and, most importantly, TONS of Kettlebell work.
But something has changed in me and I can't wait to see what's next.Yesterday was my fourth day of training in a row and I feel great.Each class gets better and better and my body is slowly molding to what it used to be.A deep transformation, inside and out is taking place and it just keeps getting better.
Who knows what's next? don't know, but between hardstyle kettlebells and my new hardstyle yoga things look very bright indeed.
My original idea to get my pre injury gymnast body back seems to be working.Who knew yoga would be the vehicle to get there?
Monday, September 01, 2008
A bunch of heavy one arm swings.
Felt pretty good coming into todays workout after a kick ass bikrams class yesterday morning.I actually got a front row spot so I could see the mirror for a change. Helped a lot.I also felt a kind of responsiblity not to suck too much being in the front as well. I think I held my own fairly well :))
Got lots of energy help too as Tracy and Jonathan trained with as well. Tracy was back in swing queen mode doing 1000 SWINGS WITH THE 24 KG in only 50 minutes. That's 54,000 lbs of work in less than an hour.Freaking crazy.
And it was 32 kg week so I really had to do some decent work.Grip held out very well as I cinched it up again and the blister problem virtually disappeared.That sucker is heavy though,no doubt about it.
One Arm swings
16 kg x5/5 x2
24 kgx5/5x2 ( this felt HEAVY in warmup !)
32 kg x8/8x19 sets
304 reps
21,880 pounds
Could have kept going but the hands were starting to heat up and my Golden Rule now is DON'T TEAR!The one time extra workload is not worth the down time or lack of intensity because of grip issues.
Barbarian Press( two handed arm cast into flag press)
15 x10/10
25 x8/8x4 sets
these were great and very strong.Solid upper body work
One Arm CB casts
15x25/25x3 sets
went for de pump! LOL.
datsit. more yoga tomorrow. got to get it in as we'll be in Healdsburg next sunday.
Got lots of energy help too as Tracy and Jonathan trained with as well. Tracy was back in swing queen mode doing 1000 SWINGS WITH THE 24 KG in only 50 minutes. That's 54,000 lbs of work in less than an hour.Freaking crazy.
And it was 32 kg week so I really had to do some decent work.Grip held out very well as I cinched it up again and the blister problem virtually disappeared.That sucker is heavy though,no doubt about it.
One Arm swings
16 kg x5/5 x2
24 kgx5/5x2 ( this felt HEAVY in warmup !)
32 kg x8/8x19 sets
304 reps
21,880 pounds
Could have kept going but the hands were starting to heat up and my Golden Rule now is DON'T TEAR!The one time extra workload is not worth the down time or lack of intensity because of grip issues.
Barbarian Press( two handed arm cast into flag press)
15 x10/10
25 x8/8x4 sets
these were great and very strong.Solid upper body work
One Arm CB casts
15x25/25x3 sets
went for de pump! LOL.
datsit. more yoga tomorrow. got to get it in as we'll be in Healdsburg next sunday.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
I still do gymnastics in my head
all the time.It soothes me and I know that doing the movement mentally teaches the body how to actually do it in real life. This way I can keep my skills up even though I can't move like that anymore :))
And most of the time I do mental gymnastics I do P bars. I don't know why but it's been this way for years. It just flows into and out of my brain when it wants to and most of the time my routine looks something like this:
This to me is the embodiment of perfect mens artistic gymnastics, the way I was taught.Not the most acrobatic movements in the realm of possibility but everything, EVERYTHING, is done to the Nth degree perfect.It SWINGS.This is 2008 Bejing's all around Gold Medalist Nastia Liukin's Dad.So cool.
And most of the time I do mental gymnastics I do P bars. I don't know why but it's been this way for years. It just flows into and out of my brain when it wants to and most of the time my routine looks something like this:
This to me is the embodiment of perfect mens artistic gymnastics, the way I was taught.Not the most acrobatic movements in the realm of possibility but everything, EVERYTHING, is done to the Nth degree perfect.It SWINGS.This is 2008 Bejing's all around Gold Medalist Nastia Liukin's Dad.So cool.
Almost 200 24 kg snatches
I had the best of intentions today- to do at least 200 snatches ( hopefully more) with the 24kg.
Of course I am talking about total volume, sets and reps not all at once :))Just doing 200 total reps would be a solid comeback for me.It'll happen.
I have decided to shelve the 20 kg on Saturdays and try to go a bit heavier more frequently.I get plenty of light , speed work with on mvo2 days. So I hoped my hands were up to it and they were close.I stopped short of 200 as I knew any more and the starting to become hot spots would become real hot spots or worse. 180 isnt too bad.
I also wanted to make sure that although the rep tempo was slower,including a pause at the top, the speed of each rep was as high as I could make it; to maximze power as much as possible even here.Kenneth's article just confirmed with numbers what my intuition had already told me;the more power per rep the more work done, the more calories burned , the more speed is enhanced( and, as Pavel says many neural dis-inhibition takes place) and stronger one gets, with the same weight!
Not to mention the muscle building capability of such training.Which is precisely why I am staying with the 24 for awhile. Don't need excess conditioning at the moment.
Snatch
16 kgx5/5x3
20 kgx5/5x3 ( slow to warmup today. stiff)
24 kg x 6/6
7/7
8/8
9/9
10/10= 80 reps
two rounds of this followed by
5/5/5/5x two rounds ( hands give out)
180 reps
9450 lbs
As I wrote above this went very well and my lungs opened up after the first couple sets.Each set was stronger than the last.
Clubbell Mills
15 lb CB
15/15
20/20
25/25
I'd say short and sweet but it wasnt that short,lol. We took our time today with a three man rotation. Not slow but definitely not fast. Wanted to make sure each set had good power.
datsit. Been sleeping so well. What a difference :))
Of course I am talking about total volume, sets and reps not all at once :))Just doing 200 total reps would be a solid comeback for me.It'll happen.
I have decided to shelve the 20 kg on Saturdays and try to go a bit heavier more frequently.I get plenty of light , speed work with on mvo2 days. So I hoped my hands were up to it and they were close.I stopped short of 200 as I knew any more and the starting to become hot spots would become real hot spots or worse. 180 isnt too bad.
I also wanted to make sure that although the rep tempo was slower,including a pause at the top, the speed of each rep was as high as I could make it; to maximze power as much as possible even here.Kenneth's article just confirmed with numbers what my intuition had already told me;the more power per rep the more work done, the more calories burned , the more speed is enhanced( and, as Pavel says many neural dis-inhibition takes place) and stronger one gets, with the same weight!
Not to mention the muscle building capability of such training.Which is precisely why I am staying with the 24 for awhile. Don't need excess conditioning at the moment.
Snatch
16 kgx5/5x3
20 kgx5/5x3 ( slow to warmup today. stiff)
24 kg x 6/6
7/7
8/8
9/9
10/10= 80 reps
two rounds of this followed by
5/5/5/5x two rounds ( hands give out)
180 reps
9450 lbs
As I wrote above this went very well and my lungs opened up after the first couple sets.Each set was stronger than the last.
Clubbell Mills
15 lb CB
15/15
20/20
25/25
I'd say short and sweet but it wasnt that short,lol. We took our time today with a three man rotation. Not slow but definitely not fast. Wanted to make sure each set had good power.
datsit. Been sleeping so well. What a difference :))
Friday, August 29, 2008
The Dane of Pain talks physics
and snatch speed on his blog.A bit complicated but right on the money. Faster snatches equal more power.Now of course these type of movements have to be balanced out with heavier, slower( by default) movements with complete extensions but the numbers don't lie. Faster equals more power and that's the name of the game for sport and strength.
http://thedaneofpain.blogspot.com/2008/08/lets-talk-physics.html]
Yeah, what he said.
http://thedaneofpain.blogspot.com/2008/08/lets-talk-physics.html]
Yeah, what he said.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
It aint pretty but it's fast.I try the Boost protocol.
Got my first taste of the Boost Max Vo2 protocol this afternoon when I trained it with Tracy, her second session of the week.I got in the deep end as she had to do 6 sets of each of the two diffrent rep schemes and the first one lulled you into a sense of security. The second one let the hammer down, although truth be told it wasnt that bad.
Looking at the video though I can see how I am cutting both hip and shoulder extension quite a bit. will have to work on it but eight reps per fifteen second clip is FAST for a guy with chimpanzee arms like me.I do cleaner snatches on saturdays when the focus is on pause reps and longer sets.this is about speed and power and lungs.I try to throw the weight,up and down.
Next time better camera angle too,lol.
I was very happy with how well I did jumping into the deep end of the pool with this. Speaks well to the strength of the regular max vo2 protocols.
Snatch Vo2
16 kg x 8/8 x 6 sets 45 sec rest/ sets
here's some video
one minute rest
16kg x16/16x6 2 minute rest/set
heres some video of that
284 snatches
10,224 lbs
man that looks like nothing written down but it weren't a lot of fun to do ; although with all that rest I can now push myself to go pretty hard each set pretty safely.Compared to 80 freaking sets of 15 this doesnt seem so bad- yet.
Plus, I have to remember that the Boost is a peaking cycle, not a base volume one. I am a volume addict and get very weird when I see the numbers of total reps drop too low. Like trying to take a marathoner down from 100 miles a week to 50. Watch THAT freak out,lol.Especially now that I have some decent numbers to work with.
Tracy of course was doing 18 reps per 15 sec, a 38 rep per minute pace! Crazy. and with only 10 pounds less than me. I am ashamed,lol. :))
20 kg snatch
20 kg x5/5 x 3 sets
would have done much more but I was so sweaty I couldnt hold the bell at all,lol.nasty.paused the reps for stability. The volume addict was talking.Kill the demons, kill the demons, lol.But the sweat won out.
One CB Sheild Cast
15 lbs 80 reps continous switching every 8
this was solid and its relatively easy to do a lot of continous reps like this.
2 CB Swipes
2 15 lb CBs x 4x 20 reps
havent done these in awhile and want more upper body mass now anyway. Should kb walk but just don't want to. I am getting weaker with age,lol. at least in the will power department.
Its so much easier doing this with Tracy. There is a palpable energy that is created when people are training seriously and it uplifts everything that it touches in that space. I've had the training experience with some serious competitive bodybuilding and powerlifting training partners and let me tell you; it's hard to come by.Most just aren't interested in training as hard as they can.At least not after any length of time.
But its beyond cool to have that now with my wife of 20 years.Especially when it's all I can do to hang on and keep up :))
So we now have a training date on wednesdays for max vo2 work and this will make training oh so much easier and stronger.It's just easier to push myself when she's there, go figure.
OH this too. The more z drills I do during the day the faster I can snatch. No doubt. Just have to make sure it gets done.
datsit.
Looking at the video though I can see how I am cutting both hip and shoulder extension quite a bit. will have to work on it but eight reps per fifteen second clip is FAST for a guy with chimpanzee arms like me.I do cleaner snatches on saturdays when the focus is on pause reps and longer sets.this is about speed and power and lungs.I try to throw the weight,up and down.
Next time better camera angle too,lol.
I was very happy with how well I did jumping into the deep end of the pool with this. Speaks well to the strength of the regular max vo2 protocols.
Snatch Vo2
16 kg x 8/8 x 6 sets 45 sec rest/ sets
here's some video
one minute rest
16kg x16/16x6 2 minute rest/set
heres some video of that
284 snatches
10,224 lbs
man that looks like nothing written down but it weren't a lot of fun to do ; although with all that rest I can now push myself to go pretty hard each set pretty safely.Compared to 80 freaking sets of 15 this doesnt seem so bad- yet.
Plus, I have to remember that the Boost is a peaking cycle, not a base volume one. I am a volume addict and get very weird when I see the numbers of total reps drop too low. Like trying to take a marathoner down from 100 miles a week to 50. Watch THAT freak out,lol.Especially now that I have some decent numbers to work with.
Tracy of course was doing 18 reps per 15 sec, a 38 rep per minute pace! Crazy. and with only 10 pounds less than me. I am ashamed,lol. :))
20 kg snatch
20 kg x5/5 x 3 sets
would have done much more but I was so sweaty I couldnt hold the bell at all,lol.nasty.paused the reps for stability. The volume addict was talking.Kill the demons, kill the demons, lol.But the sweat won out.
One CB Sheild Cast
15 lbs 80 reps continous switching every 8
this was solid and its relatively easy to do a lot of continous reps like this.
2 CB Swipes
2 15 lb CBs x 4x 20 reps
havent done these in awhile and want more upper body mass now anyway. Should kb walk but just don't want to. I am getting weaker with age,lol. at least in the will power department.
Its so much easier doing this with Tracy. There is a palpable energy that is created when people are training seriously and it uplifts everything that it touches in that space. I've had the training experience with some serious competitive bodybuilding and powerlifting training partners and let me tell you; it's hard to come by.Most just aren't interested in training as hard as they can.At least not after any length of time.
But its beyond cool to have that now with my wife of 20 years.Especially when it's all I can do to hang on and keep up :))
So we now have a training date on wednesdays for max vo2 work and this will make training oh so much easier and stronger.It's just easier to push myself when she's there, go figure.
OH this too. The more z drills I do during the day the faster I can snatch. No doubt. Just have to make sure it gets done.
datsit.
Monday, August 25, 2008
400 one arm swings with 24 kg
Finally, some stinkin volume in a swing workout! It's taken forever, it seems, to get back into some kind of rythym but today gave me hope. It helped tons to have Tracy to work with too, and we did all kinds of " I go, you go" swings ( which she did after her boost Max vo2 work,lol).
Swing work , although vital for me, is deadly hard and straight forward and having a kick ass training partner really makes things easier. Same with squat training, or deadlift training, or, hell.,any type of real training where you try to make some kind of progress day in and day out. For years on end.I mean, ask any Olympic hopefull how much time it takes to "get in shape".Good training partners are worth their weight in gold. I just happened to marry mine :))
Busy weekend so not much rest and I was a bit concerned how this would go but I slept well and the month from hell is now officially over. Did not have a weekend off this month and now we get a little break.I hoped it would carry over to today and it did.
One Arm Swings
16 kgx5/5x2
24 kgx10/10 x20 sets
400 reps
21200 lbs
Not bad at all. I definitely got stronger as the workout went on and I 'warmed up" I say that even though I was sweating bullets from the get and had to put my grips on for the last 100 reps as I couldn't keep the bell handle dry at all! Even had to put wrestling shoes on too! Puddles aren't good for a training base,lol.
here's a set
Clubbell Pendulum swing and front press
2 15 lb CBs x 4 x 8
these were tough and unless I press upwards in a semi arc my left shoulder threatened to dislocate and I wasn't in the mood.
heres some vid
Snatch holds
20 kg x one minutes x 2 sets
these have to get back in the rotation. hate em but I gotta do em
datsit.
Swing work , although vital for me, is deadly hard and straight forward and having a kick ass training partner really makes things easier. Same with squat training, or deadlift training, or, hell.,any type of real training where you try to make some kind of progress day in and day out. For years on end.I mean, ask any Olympic hopefull how much time it takes to "get in shape".Good training partners are worth their weight in gold. I just happened to marry mine :))
Busy weekend so not much rest and I was a bit concerned how this would go but I slept well and the month from hell is now officially over. Did not have a weekend off this month and now we get a little break.I hoped it would carry over to today and it did.
One Arm Swings
16 kgx5/5x2
24 kgx10/10 x20 sets
400 reps
21200 lbs
Not bad at all. I definitely got stronger as the workout went on and I 'warmed up" I say that even though I was sweating bullets from the get and had to put my grips on for the last 100 reps as I couldn't keep the bell handle dry at all! Even had to put wrestling shoes on too! Puddles aren't good for a training base,lol.
here's a set
Clubbell Pendulum swing and front press
2 15 lb CBs x 4 x 8
these were tough and unless I press upwards in a semi arc my left shoulder threatened to dislocate and I wasn't in the mood.
heres some vid
Snatch holds
20 kg x one minutes x 2 sets
these have to get back in the rotation. hate em but I gotta do em
datsit.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Pranayama, standing series and breathing
Back to the HOT class this am with yoga training partner and love of my life.We have decided to only go to this studio as the other one is basically too easy for Tracy and I'm only going twice a week so I can step it up a bit too. This stuff is too expensive to take it easy,lol.
During the first series, Pranayama breathing I realized I havent been breathing correctly into the back of my throat; not because I wasn't doing as the instructor asked, but because I couldnt figure it out. Today it dropped in and it made a big difference. A very different 'breath' than the one I had been doing and it will take a lot of practice now to really 'own' it but at least now I can do it.
Today was a 'blind' class as well as I was in the forth row and couldnt see a thing. I operate better this way as long as I don't try to switch back and forth from an internal focus to a mirror focus. Just have to get to class earlier I guess.
I also have to focus more on visualizing the sequence more often so I know exactly what is coming up next and I can prepare for it better. The opening series of standing series really works my legs hard and it's a good thing it's first up after the warmup series, which also works my legs hard,lol
First the three squats of the awkward poses, then the one legged twisting squat of the eagle pose (which I really dig but can't even come close to twisting enough on upper or lower), then the REALLY hard standing head to knee, then the CRAZY tough standing bow!!!Then its on to the one legged balancing stick , then the straddle head to floor, then MORE quads and hammies( these always get my leg to shaking) of the warrior pose followed by the hardest pose for me of all , the split legged forward head to knee.The series finishes off with tree pose which is supposed to turn into toe stand,another one that will never( well maybe never say never) happen. So it's just treee pose. Which is hard enough by this time.
The breathrough in the opening Pranyama breathing also lead to a breathrough in endurance as I really focused the entire class on NOT holding my breath in the toughest poses, no matter how much tension they required. Holding my breath seems to put me into oxygen debt sometimes from which I never recover. By staying focused on making sure to breathe through every part of every pose everything got easier. Go figure. A little bit of O2 goes a long way.
It's a very good thing this series comes right at the start, otherwise I would never get through it.But it really working the strength of my legs, knees ankles and feet in a crazy good way and I am getting so much stronger and my balance so much better I can barely believe it.
10,000 Snatches
I noticed yesterday as I posted my snatch numbers on the snatch manager calculator that I had surpassed 10,000 snatches since I started keeping track of the on this board in late March. Now I am nowhere near the top of the list in points,; but I don't really care about the different points assigned to each kettlebell weight- what really matters to me is how many total snatches I do and when I reach the original goal of the snatch race:50,000 snatches.
Things have certainly changed dramatically in my training since Kenneth introduced the Max vo2 training at the Level 2 cert two Junes ago and this has made all the difference in my training.
Things have certainly changed dramatically in my training since Kenneth introduced the Max vo2 training at the Level 2 cert two Junes ago and this has made all the difference in my training.
Having the permission to go light has allowed me to go heavy again( relative for me) and has completely changed my body and my work capacity.Since I achieved 10,000 snatches in 6 months I should hit my goal of 50,000 in 24 months. AS I said earlier, I don't care if I win any race I just care that I accomplish my goal.
I feel so blessed and lucky that I can even pursue this.As the song says, 'you don't know what you got til it's gone'. I know what I've got cause I lost it and I know the importance of the 'little things' that, in reality, are not little at all.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
180 24 kg Snatches and Tall Kneeling Press
Ah man, it's SO good to sleep. For those that sleep well easily please appreciate it because their is few things as sweet as a good nights sleep.Especially when your monkey minds keeps you awake for days in a row.So I felt good this morning, great ,in fact and was ready to hit the 24 kg for some reps. Mainly I wanted to keep the reps low per side so I could not tear up my hands and still be as explosive as possible on each rep. The combination of fast, explosive reps and high reps is always a hand destroyer for me and I've got to get back in better form now. No time for downtime or less intensity because of torn calluses.
Snatch
16kg x5/5/5/5 x2
20 kg x5/5/5/5x2
24 kg x5/5/5/5x9 sets
180 reps
9450 lbs.
Not a bad effort at all and I had to stop myself from going to an even 200 because I started to feel the beginnings of a beginning of a hot spot on a calluses and realized I didnt need the extra 20 reps. It was a solid effort but I could tell my strength endurance is down. No worries it will come back quickly.
Clubbell Mills
15 lb CB
1x10/10
1x 15/15
1x20/20
I really missed not doing this move and have now figured out how to load it properly so that it doesnt irritate my left elbow. Had to engage the lat and hip more directly to activate the left right rotation and problem solved! Was isolating the arm motion too much.
Split and tall Kneeling presses
split press 16 kg x1/1
tall kneeling press 16 kgx1/1
split press 24 kg x1/1
tall kneeling press 24 kg x1/1
32 kg x 1/1
this was fun. I wanted to replicate my press from the ck-fms cert which SO suprised me.I don't know if it's the tall kneeling position that creates a press motion that doesnt tweak my right shoulder or that my shoulder can press again. Too scared to try to press standing yet, though,lol.
This is fine.
Here the video
Way easy.Will have to try it split style next time.
datsit.
Snatch
16kg x5/5/5/5 x2
20 kg x5/5/5/5x2
24 kg x5/5/5/5x9 sets
180 reps
9450 lbs.
Not a bad effort at all and I had to stop myself from going to an even 200 because I started to feel the beginnings of a beginning of a hot spot on a calluses and realized I didnt need the extra 20 reps. It was a solid effort but I could tell my strength endurance is down. No worries it will come back quickly.
Clubbell Mills
15 lb CB
1x10/10
1x 15/15
1x20/20
I really missed not doing this move and have now figured out how to load it properly so that it doesnt irritate my left elbow. Had to engage the lat and hip more directly to activate the left right rotation and problem solved! Was isolating the arm motion too much.
Split and tall Kneeling presses
split press 16 kg x1/1
tall kneeling press 16 kgx1/1
split press 24 kg x1/1
tall kneeling press 24 kg x1/1
32 kg x 1/1
this was fun. I wanted to replicate my press from the ck-fms cert which SO suprised me.I don't know if it's the tall kneeling position that creates a press motion that doesnt tweak my right shoulder or that my shoulder can press again. Too scared to try to press standing yet, though,lol.
This is fine.
Here the video
Way easy.Will have to try it split style next time.
datsit.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Bikram Pr. back in the saddle.
Got in an extra yoga class today and good thing I did. I finally held that stinkin standing bow on my left leg for the full minute! Bout freakin time! We were at the Los Gatos class which is hot but not oven hot and that helps a lot.It's not like I dont sweat like a pig, I do, but I'm not fighting ridiculously oppressive heat the whole time too. More practice than endurance.Good to have a balance.
I hit some pr's on every series and I felt like I could actually relax into my left leg for the first time ever . I could actually spread the toes on my left foot too, creating a wider base for balance. that might not seem like a big thing- IF you can do it. If you can't it is.
All the external rotation poses went really well and I actually got my hands to touch underneath me in full locust as well.This stuff is helping my shoulders WAY more than I ever thought it would .Such a great, and logical extension and progression of the gymnastics type stretching I have been doing.
Good things too in all the little details and the split leg forward to head is almost normal on the left leg. I never would have thought it possible.
Bikrams is such a great example of a deep skill practice. You dont change the poses, you dont change the order, you dont change the length of time of the postures,you dont change anything. All you can do, all you can focus on is going further into the stretch,deeper into the position than you did before. There is nothing else to focus on. And, the better you get the easier it gets so you HAVE to concentrate on new ways to go deeper into the skill. This is what I was talking about to MC about simplicity of training. Its not that there is not an underlying complexity it's just that it IS underlying, the most basic of all movements.Whether it's the standing bow or the one arm swing.Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Just focus in and see where it brings you.
Actual day off tomorrow then some higher rep snatch sets with the 24 on saturday.
good stuff.
datsit.
I hit some pr's on every series and I felt like I could actually relax into my left leg for the first time ever . I could actually spread the toes on my left foot too, creating a wider base for balance. that might not seem like a big thing- IF you can do it. If you can't it is.
All the external rotation poses went really well and I actually got my hands to touch underneath me in full locust as well.This stuff is helping my shoulders WAY more than I ever thought it would .Such a great, and logical extension and progression of the gymnastics type stretching I have been doing.
Good things too in all the little details and the split leg forward to head is almost normal on the left leg. I never would have thought it possible.
Bikrams is such a great example of a deep skill practice. You dont change the poses, you dont change the order, you dont change the length of time of the postures,you dont change anything. All you can do, all you can focus on is going further into the stretch,deeper into the position than you did before. There is nothing else to focus on. And, the better you get the easier it gets so you HAVE to concentrate on new ways to go deeper into the skill. This is what I was talking about to MC about simplicity of training. Its not that there is not an underlying complexity it's just that it IS underlying, the most basic of all movements.Whether it's the standing bow or the one arm swing.Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Just focus in and see where it brings you.
Actual day off tomorrow then some higher rep snatch sets with the 24 on saturday.
good stuff.
datsit.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Max Vo2 with Tracy
I lucked out today as Tracy decided to do her Max vo2 workout in the afternoon with me. SO much easier doing all those reps in one place with a training partner, especially one as intense and focused as Mrs Rif.I knew she had to do more than 52 sets this workout and that worried me as I havent done 8 rep sets in awhile and hadn't done a serious max vo2 workout with the 16 since my PR of 60 sets July 30th.
It hasnt been the best training since then so I was just a bit worried. Plus, sleep has been poor the last few nights which never make things easier. But as usual, when the environment is poor somethings the gods are kind and today they were.
58 sets of 8 in the 15: 15 protocol no problem.Except for the cascades of sweat that poured off me making my footing suspect, as well as screwing with my grip. Wet kettlebells, when you tryig to snatch as fast as you can and NOT tear calluses is not fun.
I have to replace the rubber mat on the platform with some kind of carpet, that's all there is to it.Tired of doing my snatches on a slip and slide. Plus, it make my feel filthy :))
Snatch Vo2
15:15 16 kg
no warmup
58 sets of 8 reps per cycle
464 reps
16,704 lbs
cardio was decent although sets 50- 58 were tougher. I was late on more than one set and made sure to get all my reps even though I wasnt getting as much rest/sets.right shoulder was just tight and I got zero warmup and not enough time to stretch.I can see where my old bottom was 35 sets now it's at leat 40-45. I can actually see where I will get 80 sets of 8 at some point!
not bad at all. here are the last sets.
One CB Sheild cast
15 lbs x 8/8 x 4 sets
Two CB Pendulums
2 15's x 5 sets of 8
for de pipes brah, de pipes.
datsit. I can feel my strength coming back due to the healing power of my stable routine, regular training, eating and ( sometimes) sleeping.
It hasnt been the best training since then so I was just a bit worried. Plus, sleep has been poor the last few nights which never make things easier. But as usual, when the environment is poor somethings the gods are kind and today they were.
58 sets of 8 in the 15: 15 protocol no problem.Except for the cascades of sweat that poured off me making my footing suspect, as well as screwing with my grip. Wet kettlebells, when you tryig to snatch as fast as you can and NOT tear calluses is not fun.
I have to replace the rubber mat on the platform with some kind of carpet, that's all there is to it.Tired of doing my snatches on a slip and slide. Plus, it make my feel filthy :))
Snatch Vo2
15:15 16 kg
no warmup
58 sets of 8 reps per cycle
464 reps
16,704 lbs
cardio was decent although sets 50- 58 were tougher. I was late on more than one set and made sure to get all my reps even though I wasnt getting as much rest/sets.right shoulder was just tight and I got zero warmup and not enough time to stretch.I can see where my old bottom was 35 sets now it's at leat 40-45. I can actually see where I will get 80 sets of 8 at some point!
not bad at all. here are the last sets.
One CB Sheild cast
15 lbs x 8/8 x 4 sets
Two CB Pendulums
2 15's x 5 sets of 8
for de pipes brah, de pipes.
datsit. I can feel my strength coming back due to the healing power of my stable routine, regular training, eating and ( sometimes) sleeping.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Power mind.
when I was strongAs usual, one never knows when a great workout is going to hit you.I told Tracy as I walked out to the gym today " I feel weak", and I did. Just flat.And I knew I had to fight with the 32 kg today because I havent done it in weeks and I know that's just what I needed to up my strength, and therefore my mass , a bit.But I thought it was going to be hell; getting back the momentum with the heavier bells and struggling to do even low rep sets.
Well,no.
I decided before I picked up the 16 kg for warmups that I needed to refocus and dust off my powerlifters mind set; the one I haven't used for more than three years but one I lived in 24/7 for more than fifteen.
I've been too afraid to use it the last three years as I was, as Gray Cook would say an "overpowered athlete". One whose stabilizers were way behind their ability to create force. I could, and have, easily rip myself apart. Ah, no more of that, thank you. Been there, done that, got the T shirt.So I totally backed off the idea of strength and focused on mobility stability and endurance, my weakest links.
Good idea and it's worked but today I am in a different hole. I need to gain back just a bit more bodyweight and mass so its back to a more 'strengthbased' mindset; at least for a bit. My stabilizers and overall symmetry can handle it. At least I hope so,lol.
Good idea and it's worked but today I am in a different hole. I need to gain back just a bit more bodyweight and mass so its back to a more 'strengthbased' mindset; at least for a bit. My stabilizers and overall symmetry can handle it. At least I hope so,lol.
I still want to obtain my ssst goals but first things first. Low reps, heavier weight and progressively higher sets.
Oh yeah, and more food throughout the day. Back to almonds and protein drinks for breakfast and lunch. Back to Warrior later.
So when I went to grip the bell today I cinched up on that bad boy and linked up like I was getting ready for a big deadlift.Then I loaded the lats and hips and thought about all the super crazy heavy good mornings and deadlifts I have done and how puny 72 pounds was and it should not even be a thought.
And it worked.Just like the old days.Nice.
One arm swings
16 kg x5/5x2
24kgx5/5x2
32 kg x
5/5
7/7
9/9 x 6 rounds
252 reps
18,144 lbs
these went very, very well.Pace was decent although I didnt rush at all. taking a very solid grip made a world of difference instead of trying to use a high in the palm hook grip. that just doesnt work for me with heavier weights.ALways focused mightily on compensatory acceleration and making each rep as fast and explosive as possible.
One CB Arm cast
15 lbs x8/8 x 2 sets
25 lbs x5/5 x 2 sets
WOW that 25 lb CB for sets of 5 in the single arm cast is NO JOKE!!! It took some serious control and I knew it was no joke as soon as I cleaned it. Which was no joke.It got my attention immediately. It was good to push a little extra heavy for a change.
Barbarian Casts
25lb x 8 reps x 6 sets/
this is great work for the lats, triceps,pecs and upper back. as well as shoulder mobility.Should help in the mass department as well.
datsit.time to eat.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Serious.Simple.
I've always been a serious guy. More than one person in my life has said they can't imagine me as a kid because I'm so serious and have been for so long. I guess it's true but it's just the way I am. If I'm going to do something I want to do it right, and if I want to accomplish something I always look at what the best are doing and try to imitate them.
In fact, one of the breakthroughs as I had as a gymnast was when I realized that there was no difference, performance wise, from trying to "learn" a trick and "copying" how the other person did it. I'm not sure that was ( is) the best path to Mastery, but at that point I cared more about repeatable performance than any Zen concept of Mastery.
I picked skills up much faster trying to just 'copy' what they were doing, kinesthetically, than "trying" to coordinate all the different sequences just so.
I had to know, definitively, what those positions were, and what the sequence was, so I could analyze it in my head, but when it was time to try the move I just had to "go".
I needed to "feel" it more than anything.
Once it got locked in the body, rather than the mind, I had a much better chance of being able to repeat it on demand.
So I've alwasy taken a pretty serious approach to any physical, on mental for that matter, endeavor and Bikrams is no exception. If I'm going to do something I want to be as progressive as possible to be the best I can.It's just 37 years of programming and I don't think it's going to change now.
Of course it changed when I was so injured I couldnt move but not really. Because I took as serious approach to my rehab and restoration as I did athletic competition.
Of course it changed when I was so injured I couldnt move but not really. Because I took as serious approach to my rehab and restoration as I did athletic competition.
I just thought of this this am as I 'warmed up' for class by doing z drills and stretching.Everyone else is just lying there waiting and I know if I dont do my ankle and hip circles my overhead work and my balancing single leg work won't be strong. So I gotta do it.
Two times per week seems to be good now as I had another very strong class with the exception of my first standing bow.I have to take some time and actually practive this asana outside the class and work on it.It's just so easy for me to miss my very very small balancing point I have on my left leg and fallout. Which pisses me off to no extent cause I KNOW I can do one minute continuously.
I also have to struggle with either looking in the mirror, as they prescribe, or being internal which I prefer.If I use the mirror it seems I have virtually NO margin for error when I start to lose balance. If I'm internal I have much better reaction time. More reflexive and less reactive to the "image" of myself losing balance. So much to work on :))
I also was taken by the simplicity of the class and the structure and how much that resonates with me and how it has throuhgout my training life.All throughout my training I have striven to make my training as simple as possible and plumb the depths of it as much as possible.It wasn't really a choice, it was what I was driven to do, and still am.There is that calm still place when It happens that brings me back again and again to it's peace and it's strength. The calm in the eye of the storm of life. That "zone" in the middle of the chaos.I loved to be there. Lived to be there.Still do.
But things need to be as simple as possible but no simpler( I think Einstein said that) so there is always that tight rope to walk with training and Bikrams is no exeption. In fact it freakin PUTS you on the tightrope.Great fun.
When I ran I just ran. When I did bodybuilding I picked the most intense moves and killed them( or I should say myself) rather than a smattering of low intensity movements here and there. Same with powerlifting. What's left in the tank after you get everything you can out of heavy squat or deadlift work?Simple, but not easy.Deep is always hard(er) but its the only way. At least that I know or can swear by.
It's the same with Z. I LOVE the freakin simplicity of doing circles with every joint in all the most basic ways they can make a circle and using that as the assessment tool. As much as I enjoyed all the crazy state of the art information that CK FMS gave to me the absolute simplicity and accessiblity of Z to everybody , immediately as a way to get better so appeals to the Zen monk in me.
And last but certainly not least; Enter the Kettlebell, the ultimate minimalists training tool.And the RKC School of Strength -simple as can be, but no simpler.Brilliant.
Simple.Doable.All one has to do is do.
And go figure, that's the hard part.
Tracy said the class today was as hot as always but for some reason it didnt seem as hot as normal.that's good and having made it through a full week of my normal training and work schedule makes me realize even more how vital routine, regularity and calm stability are essential ingredients if one is to make training progress. I don't know how anybody does it anyway. I'm not sure they do.
I also Really focused on breathing continuously through all my toughest poses and I know this made a big difference.When you hit a move that requires a lot of strength the natural( and correct) response is to hold the breath to increase tension, which increases strength( remember tension= tone= strength) I have to give up some of the strength so I don't gass out in that series and the remainder of the class.
Course it couldnt just been a good day:)) I'll take that too.
Course it couldnt just been a good day:)) I'll take that too.
Swings tomorrow and I will be ready.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Snatch workout default: 5x5
Some pain from Monday
I need to up my body mass a bit so I have to get some heavier loads in and that means the 24 kg for me.But my hands are a mess from the max vo2 work on wednesday so that means low reps. Its a good set/rep scheme for me: I love being explosive for only a set of 10 and then taking a decent rest before repeating for as many sets as I can keep the bell speed up, and my hands together :))
I also always use these low rep sets to hold the top position extra long and work on that as well as get some static strength into my rotator cuff. I firmly believe that all the snatch hold work I've done for the last year and a half was mainly responsible for me being able to press the 32 kg last week from the tall kneeling position with no pain. A what the hell effect to be sure.Most excellent.
Snatch
16 kg x 5//5 x2
20 kg x5/5
24 kg x5/5x15 sets
150 reps
7960 pounds
Clubbell swings
2 15 lb Cbs x 20 reps x 5 sets
DId these as my elbows felt the need for the wonderful traction and resistance against an externally rotating torque at the top of the swing. Just really locks the scapula in so easily.The actual swipes are harder on the ankles for me and I dont get as much traction of the elbow and locking in of the shoulders.
Two hand shield cast
15 lb x10/10
25 lb x 8/8 x 4 sets
Havent done this in awhile and it was heavier than expected! Good to get this back in the mix as well. Clubbell work is so solid for tension through a 3D range of motion. hard to get any other way.
Thats it. A real week of training will be complete tomorrow when I make my second Bikrams class this week. Finally.I can feel the energy and strength returning to my body.Sleeping helps too :))
Next week will be even stronger.
datsit.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Bikrams is strength training.
At least for me.I was very happily suprised, when, after my two week layoff from my yoga practice my first day back was seriously strong.Now, conversely, my kb work was weak, go figure.I have definitely noticed when doing back to back yoga days how much weaker I am on day two. Not from an endurance standpoint but from a muscular strength perspective.
I am still at the level where I am fighting for full range of motion in the poses and my own body provides quite a good bit of resistance, making almost everything strength work.So I must rest more after each session as they tend to be higher intensity than volume for me. At least at this stage.
Except for my first standing bow where my left leg was just tired from the warmup and not grooved yet all the poses were solid and I had some prs as well,especially improved was my split leg forward head to knee pose. I couldnt even Start to put weight on the left leg for the first four sessions. today I got all the weight on the leg and halfway down with head to knee. Crazy!
I really could tell as well how tight my external rotation got so quickly. All the rear reaching poses were very hard to get started.But they opened up well and man could I feel how internal and flexed I have been from all the travel and NOT doing yoga.
It felt great to sweat and stretch hard again, although this studio is decidedly less hot that San Jose.This will be my strength day and sundays will be my 'just survive" conditioning day.The third day will be catch as catch can.
Dats it.namaste ya'all.
I am still at the level where I am fighting for full range of motion in the poses and my own body provides quite a good bit of resistance, making almost everything strength work.So I must rest more after each session as they tend to be higher intensity than volume for me. At least at this stage.
Except for my first standing bow where my left leg was just tired from the warmup and not grooved yet all the poses were solid and I had some prs as well,especially improved was my split leg forward head to knee pose. I couldnt even Start to put weight on the left leg for the first four sessions. today I got all the weight on the leg and halfway down with head to knee. Crazy!
I really could tell as well how tight my external rotation got so quickly. All the rear reaching poses were very hard to get started.But they opened up well and man could I feel how internal and flexed I have been from all the travel and NOT doing yoga.
It felt great to sweat and stretch hard again, although this studio is decidedly less hot that San Jose.This will be my strength day and sundays will be my 'just survive" conditioning day.The third day will be catch as catch can.
Dats it.namaste ya'all.
circles on the floor perhaps the best transverse plane movement of all time .
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Bloody Kettlebells
I decided to not do the scheduled 36:36 protocol today and I knew I needed some heavier load,both weight wise and volume wise to get this old body back on track. the 36:36 primarily stresses my grip endurance and I don't need that right now.
Getting volume and intensity ramped back up now is the key.
So I chose the 20 kg for sets of 6 reps and 'lets see how many sets I can get" figuring up to an 85% effort or so.
But man, the 20 kg did not feel light at all today. And I ended up stressing the grip as well coming up with three blisters on two hands. Lovely.
I freaking HATE to miss workouts,lol. Coming back stinks.I tore about the 30th set and ended up fiddling with my grip a bit and almost tweaked my right shoulder. Big Important rule: as MRKC Brett Jones says, " an arm disconnected from the body will be punished". And he is right. I relearned that lesson today at a cheap price and won't forget it soon.
I can't believe how deconditioned I feel in only two weeks of relative slacking.I mean it's not THAT bad but compared to how I was just a few weeks ago it stinks. I know my first Bikram class(tomorrow)
will kick my ass hard.Oh well.
will kick my ass hard.Oh well.
Snatch Vo2 15:15
20 kg
40 sets of 6
240 reps
10,560 lbs
used hardstyle over the top for both arms and it was a slow start. Like I had forgotten how to snatch I started in slow motion. Things picked up after set 15 or but MAN that 15 second went by fast. I tried to use the full 15 second by holding the top position a bit more. but this was more than I had planned for. Dats how it goes. Thank God Tracy was there to kick my ass a bit or I probably would have stopped at 30 sets, lol.
This was one tough workout and really showed me how fast and easy it is to get out of top shape.The reason I was quiet in the workout was because I could barely breathe,lol.
I also used the fan and Tracy asked " are you actually going to use the fan?"I said " hell yes" I just wanted to survive today. Wait til Bikrams gets me ".
Clubbell Mills
15 lb CB
20/20
18/18
15/15
good to do these again but there were tough,mainly cause the sweat was killing my grip,lol.hands were trashed.
Clubbell Barbarian press
25 LB x 20
20x2
15x2
always interesting pressing in the transverse plane.Great for the pecs, triceps and elbow lock.need to up the mass a bit for awhile.
so dats it. Will try to make bikrams r
Monday, August 11, 2008
It's good to be back in the body again.
Man I hate traveling. Just freakin hate it.I love teaching at certs but I sure do hate getting out of my routine. It totally messes up my training and anything that messes with my training and my simple, basic life is tough.I have trained for shit for the last two weeks and I can really feel it. I have just never been one of these "catch as catch can" workout guys. I need regularity, consistency and stability to make progress. Otherwise I feel like I am just going backwards, perhaps slowly,perhaps not so slowly, and it makes me nuts.
Plus I require lots of 'downtime' in the form of active and inactive rehab: stretching, Z drills, yoga, meditation and just rest to really be at my best and being on the road is just not conducive to it.
That being said I am SO glad I went to the CK FMS workshop although my head is still spinning from all the insane data ,exercises and drills. Hell, the SYSTEM itself, that it will take some time to really "grok" it. But this is the real deal for corrective exercise. Of that there is no doubt. Gray Cook is a freakin genius , the Pavel of corretive strategies if you will, and his system is as good at what it does I would bet, as the RKC is as what we do.
But getting back to my home, and my routine feels SO good.
I did do a little swing/snatch workout at the cert yesterday during lunch time and it felt good. I have to learn how to do these little workouts and not stress about them not being " real" training. Just something to get the blood where it needs to be
Sunday's workout
snatches
16 kg
20 kg
24 kg x 5/5 x 5 rounds
these were done as straight sets. A set with the 16, rest, the a set with the 20 then the 24 the start over.Light and fast.Got to train alongside SRKC Jeff O'Conner which was great. The man is just freaking STRONG.
Swings
24 kg one arm swings
5/5 x10 sets
100 reps
short and crisp work
THEN
during the corrective exercise lab we were doing we had to do Tall kneeling presses.SO basically you are kneeling withe the hips in full extension and pressing a kb with one arm
I haven't pressed ANYTHING in a year and a half and brought out a 16 kg so as not to mess my delicate :) right shoulder up.
Long story, short I pressed the 16, the 24 and then the 32 kg EASILY and Team Leader doug Nepodal was my partner and witnessed it. It's no big deal as far as weight except for the fact I ahvent pressed anything in so long, weigh 10 lbs less than I did when I pressed it before AND it didnt hurt at all.ALl those snatches and snatch holds really DID re-build my rotator. way cool.
Today
One arm Swings
16kg x10/10
20kg x10/10
24 kg x10/10 with 36 seconds rest between sets
10 sets
200 reps
24 kg transfers
20 rep sets with 36 sec rest between sets.
this was very cool as I was alternating work sets with Tracy as she did her 36:36 mac Vo2 protocol.I didnt think I would get near as far as I did with 1:.5 work to rest ratio,especially after all those missed workouts but it was no problem.
Clubbell Arm Casts
15 lb clubs x 10/10 + 5/5 sheild casts as well
just trying to time things to Tracy's work to rest ratio. This was just a get back on the horse workout.
Snatch holds
16 kg x 72 sec per arm, 4 sets each.
again more work to her work rest ratio. It was so good to hear Gray validate how solid these and waiters walks are for stabilizing and working the rotator cuff and the shoulder in general.One of these days I will be able to do waiters walks on the right side. Can't wait.FOr now these will have to do.
datsit. REALLY REALLY REALLY need some sleep and some rest.And get back in my routine.
Plus I require lots of 'downtime' in the form of active and inactive rehab: stretching, Z drills, yoga, meditation and just rest to really be at my best and being on the road is just not conducive to it.
That being said I am SO glad I went to the CK FMS workshop although my head is still spinning from all the insane data ,exercises and drills. Hell, the SYSTEM itself, that it will take some time to really "grok" it. But this is the real deal for corrective exercise. Of that there is no doubt. Gray Cook is a freakin genius , the Pavel of corretive strategies if you will, and his system is as good at what it does I would bet, as the RKC is as what we do.
But getting back to my home, and my routine feels SO good.
I did do a little swing/snatch workout at the cert yesterday during lunch time and it felt good. I have to learn how to do these little workouts and not stress about them not being " real" training. Just something to get the blood where it needs to be
Sunday's workout
snatches
16 kg
20 kg
24 kg x 5/5 x 5 rounds
these were done as straight sets. A set with the 16, rest, the a set with the 20 then the 24 the start over.Light and fast.Got to train alongside SRKC Jeff O'Conner which was great. The man is just freaking STRONG.
Swings
24 kg one arm swings
5/5 x10 sets
100 reps
short and crisp work
THEN
during the corrective exercise lab we were doing we had to do Tall kneeling presses.SO basically you are kneeling withe the hips in full extension and pressing a kb with one arm
I haven't pressed ANYTHING in a year and a half and brought out a 16 kg so as not to mess my delicate :) right shoulder up.
Long story, short I pressed the 16, the 24 and then the 32 kg EASILY and Team Leader doug Nepodal was my partner and witnessed it. It's no big deal as far as weight except for the fact I ahvent pressed anything in so long, weigh 10 lbs less than I did when I pressed it before AND it didnt hurt at all.ALl those snatches and snatch holds really DID re-build my rotator. way cool.
Today
One arm Swings
16kg x10/10
20kg x10/10
24 kg x10/10 with 36 seconds rest between sets
10 sets
200 reps
24 kg transfers
20 rep sets with 36 sec rest between sets.
this was very cool as I was alternating work sets with Tracy as she did her 36:36 mac Vo2 protocol.I didnt think I would get near as far as I did with 1:.5 work to rest ratio,especially after all those missed workouts but it was no problem.
Clubbell Arm Casts
15 lb clubs x 10/10 + 5/5 sheild casts as well
just trying to time things to Tracy's work to rest ratio. This was just a get back on the horse workout.
Snatch holds
16 kg x 72 sec per arm, 4 sets each.
again more work to her work rest ratio. It was so good to hear Gray validate how solid these and waiters walks are for stabilizing and working the rotator cuff and the shoulder in general.One of these days I will be able to do waiters walks on the right side. Can't wait.FOr now these will have to do.
datsit. REALLY REALLY REALLY need some sleep and some rest.And get back in my routine.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Snatch practice.
Talking with Zachariah Salazar, one of my assistants and Z health genius.I learned TONS from him this weekend. Totally cool guy as well.
The most frustrating part of teaching at certs for me is the traveling. I am the total homebody and hate leaving my cave,especially since my gym is attatched.I love the stability and simplicity of having everything I need right at my fingertips; it makes hard training and the recovery needed to actual adapt and progress to a new level of fitness possible.It makes progressive training so much easier to do.Your intensity of training is ALWAYS limited by your recovery ability.So the more stable your home life the harder you can train. This has always been a guiding pricniple in my life because, quite simply, my life has revolved around training since I was 14. I'm used to it this way.I like it.
Travel always messes with me badly, although nowhere near as bad as when my knee and back were so jacked up I could barely walk two blocks without needing an hour on the foam roller.
This was much different though when I was a powerlifter:lifting WAY more weight than my body should have and requiring tons of recovery, both active and passive( can you say feet up protein shake in hand?).
Now that my goal is a " back of iron, and legs that never quit" and my focus is on work capacity training and overall resilient endurance travel, and life are WAY easier. But it still messes with me and I still have lessons to learn.
Or, more acurately, to remember.
Now I remember why I don't train on wednesdays; it's called a taper and I still need it.My 60 sets of max vo2 were great but DOMS set in the next day( 24 hours early) and on Thursday night my knee felt like it usual does on Sunday night. It didnt shake out til Saturday but I learned a good lesson.
Sometimes not training is better.Yoga would have been better.Live and learn.
Plus, it totally jacks up my training schedule.Normally I would train on mondays but we got in way late and I was back up at 4am for a full compliment of clients. Come 2 pm there was no juice.Which means I missed saturdays and mondays and have to take off wednesday 'cause I just learned a lesson: taper.
Course the CK FMS will have lots of training, albeit a different type, with bells for me.I guess the next thing for me to adapt to is the 'very short' travel workout. For me, unless it's in a gym with a plan it's not training and its hard for me to get my head into "just go outside and bust out some snatches" between lectures. Not my thing.But I will have to get something together cause it looks like I'm gonna be traveling ,lol.
So just a light, get back on the horse workout. Its said that "eating just makes you hungry" and it looks like "not training makes you lazy". I think that never losing momentum , no matter how small, is the key to long term training progress.Overcoming inertia is a bitch.Time for some snatch practice, low reps and multiple weights
Snatch
16 kg 5x5
20 kg 5x5
24 kg 5x5
300 reps
13,300 lbs
10 rounds of each laddering up in weight. this was suprisingly easy and fun. it should be, only 100 reps with the 24 kg but it still felt right to do.
H2H transfers
20 kg x 25 reps x 4 sets
100 reps
4400 lbs
these were solid. more in the legs and hips. rest periods getting shorter. but still a minute or so.
Swipes
2 15 lb CBs x 15 reps x 4 sets
60 reps
Two hand CB flag press
15 x10/10
25x 8/8x2
alright. Bikrams tomorrow( lol, how much am I going to get my ass kicked tomorow?) then off to the CK FMS. This is gonna be a blast; it seems like the entire Master, Senior, Team Leader, and RKC 2 team are going to be in attendance. Cool shoes.
datsit. gotta eat more.
Monday, August 04, 2008
Master Instructor
It was one long, hot hard weekend at the first ever UCLA RKC certification but as usual how the weekend ended was far different than how it began. Team Rif came together and transformed
itself from the ragtag group of kettlebell neophytes to a smooth strong group of RKCs in short order! It ALWAYS amazes, impresses and suprises me just how much a person can transform in such a short time,ESPECIALLY after spending two exhausting days doing utnold hours of swings, snatches presses, getups and squats! And each minute,their form, their attitude and their heart gets better and better and better.We did not have internet access due to being in the dorms at the University( another story,later) so we couldnt post til now and it O dark 30 and I have to get to work , so a full report has to come later.
BUT, I am very pleased and honored to announce that at the end of the weekend both Kenneth Jay and I were promoted to the rank of Master RKC Instructor .I had no idea this was coming and I couldn't be happier with this incredible honor.I will do my best to live up to the expectations and responsiblities that the rank requires.
More later, Tracy has tons of photos we need to download and organize so there will be lots to see. Who needs sleep?
BUT, I am very pleased and honored to announce that at the end of the weekend both Kenneth Jay and I were promoted to the rank of Master RKC Instructor .I had no idea this was coming and I couldn't be happier with this incredible honor.I will do my best to live up to the expectations and responsiblities that the rank requires.
More later, Tracy has tons of photos we need to download and organize so there will be lots to see. Who needs sleep?
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