Rehab - Slingshots/DARC Swings....

My shoulder feels great..... now the pain is in my trap/lat and my tri. I did some very light (12kg & 16kg) slingshots and DARC swings today to loosen up my muscles and get the blood flowing. I also did some stretching of my back & lats by hanging from a pull up bar. I obviously jumped of the peak last week when I felt very strong. I am going to keep my head going forward and not get too crazy in terms of weight and intensity. If you know me that is easier said than done!

A Few Days Rest....

I am hoping that a few days rest will be what the DR. ordered in terms of my shoulder/tri pain. This happened last year in my left arm and it was a pinched nerve. I probably did the same thing. The pain went away after some time away from training.

I have been trying to stretch and apply heat. If and when I resume training I am going to do my best to stay injury free. I need to realize that when I feel REAL STRONG that I could be pushing myself too hard. Also I need to realize that I am 38 years old and not 18 anymore. It is a fine line between progress and injury!

EDT - Upper Body

Today I trained EDT upper body. I kept it short again.

Session One: (15 minutes)

Military KB Presses - 24kg bells - 60 reps
Renegade Rows - 24kg bells - 40 reps

Session Two: (5 minutes)

Alt KB Chest Press (Static Hold at Top) - 24kg bells - 20reps
Double KB Rows - 24kg bells - 20 reps

I plan on taking the next two days OFF from training to rest. I think my shoulder is getting burnt out from the dips, presses. push ups, superplanks,etc. Not to mention the heavy volume of snatches I have been doing lately. Friday will be a light kettlebell circuit with Saturday my planned return to heavy training.

I love EDT but may get away from it for a few weeks to focus more on heavy training without concern for volume. I think I have been trying to do both (heavy weight and high volume) at the same time and have been pushing myself too hard.

Windmills - Two Hands Anyhow - 2 Mile Run

I decided to easy back a bit on my intensity as I am probably over training (even with two days a week off). I was going to run with the 40lb xvest today but will make that a thing to do down the road.

I decided to do some drills for my core and some two hand anyhows just for fun. I tweaked my right shoulder yesterday (probably from the 32kg snatches) and want to make sure I don't take a step back towards injury. I am glad I did not try sets of snatches with the 40kg bell which I almost did because I felt so strong. My arm would probably be in a sling right now.

Very short training today. More a workout for my mind than anything else.

Windmills - 28kg - 3 sets of 5 each side - 30 reps total
Two Hand Anyhows - 16kg bells - 5 reps each side - 10 total reps

In the afternoon I went for a short (2 mile) run. I have not run more than 5 miles at once since I ran the Boston Marathon in 1998. It felt good for a change of pace but I can not believe I made it 26.2 miles! I was bored after the first step. Hopefully the shoulder feels better tomorrow.

EDT - Legs

In an effort to mix things up and do exercises that I do not usually do I started my training today with barbell squats & deadlifts. I love KB's but this addiction has taken me away from other methods of training.

My first PR looked like this: (15 Minutes)

Barbell Squats - 225lbs - 6 sets of 5 - 30 reps
Barbell Deadlifts - 185lbs - 6 sets of 5 - 30 reps

I also decided to do some KB hack squats.I have never really done them before so I am sure I will feel it in my hamstrings tomorrow. I alternated the hack squats with heavy (32kg) snatches. These felt light today and almost floated up! Nothing feels better than throwing around heavy weight. I had to keep myself from doing too much today because I felt so strong. Kinda funny since I have been in the No Carb phase of my Anabolic Diet for 3 days. I actually feel stronger. Whatever?!!

Second PR: (10 Minutes)

Snatches - 32kg bell - 7 sets of 3 - 21 reps each arm - 42 total reps
KB Hack Squats - 16kg bell - 6 sets of 5 - 30 reps

Bodyweight 158lbs

'500"

In an effort to increase my cardio/fat burning and stamina I decided to do a 500 rep training session. I did not time it as time was not my main concern. I wanted each rep to be quality.

I kept my breaks at about 30 seconds unless noted.

The workout looked like this:

Snatches - 12kg - one set - 100 reps
C & P's - 16kg - 5 sets of 5 each arm- no rest - 50 reps
Cleans - 16kg - 5 sets of 5 each arm - no rest- 50 reps
Pull ups - 5 sets of 10 - 50 reps
Push ups - 2 sets of 25 - 50 reps
Dips - 5 sets of 10 - 50 reps
Overhead Lunges - 5 sets of 5 each arm - 50 reps
Hanging Leg Raises - 5 sets of 10 - 50 reps
Darc Swings - one set - 50 reps

500 total reps!

Valery Fedorenko 1992 Footage -188 Snatches

2nd part of March 22, 1992 Competition Valery completes 188 snatches to break the All-time 80kg Men's World Record of 318 reps. Valery is now Head Coach of American Kettlebell Club and can be reached at www.AmericanKettlebellClub.com

Anabolic Diet....again!

It was a month ago.(Feb. 21st actually) when I decided to switch from the Anabolic Diet to a more balanced 40-40-20 (C/P/F) low glycemic/high carb (for me) diet to give it a try. Although my strength has increased I have decided to switch back. I was 9.7% body fat last night at a body weight of 161 lbs but feel a bit sluggish lately. I actually feel better on my "No Carb" days.

It will be interesting to see if the lack of carbs Monday thru Friday negatively effects my strength. I have never felt it has but now I have a gauge with my recent PR's. I plan on testing my strength on my PR's in a few weeks on a Friday after 5 full days of depletion. Results to follow.

EDT - Upper Body

I did an EDT upper body training session today. I was going to start with heavy (32kg) Long Cycle C & P's but after the first rep my callus on my right hand tore so I changed things up a bit. I ended up doing the following:

First Session: (15 minutes)

Iron Cross - 16kg bells - 70 reps total
Renegade Rows - 24kg bells - 45 reps total

I rested 3 minutes then did

Second Session: (10 minutes)

Chin ups (chest to bar) - 60 reps total
Close Grip Kettlebell Push ups on a 16kg bell - 60 reps total

Two Handed Swings & Double Snatches

I have not done two handed swings in a while and did not make it to the gym this morning so I decided to keep my training brief and basic this afternoon.

I did 10 sets of 20 Two Handed Swings with the 24kg bell (200 reps)

then I felt pretty good and wanted to test my strength after the swings so I did:

2 sets of 3 Double Snatches with the 32kg bells (6 not so easy reps)

My hands are like ground beef now. All the snatching lately beat them up and the double snatches were the final straw. But that being said if you have never tried double snatches give them a try. It is an awesome feeling to double snatch two 32kg bells especially at a bodyweight of 160 lbs!

In addition to the upcoming RKC in June I am considering going to Cincinnati, Ohio for the American Kettlebell Club Certification . Knowledge is power and I am all for learning from people with more experience than me. If I do go I will publish my thoughts and feedback here for everyone to read.

10 Minutes Snatches 16kg Bell & Xvest Training

After a day off yesterday to recover from my "300" experience I felt motivated to snatch again. I was thinking about how tough the 1000 rep challenge would be with the 16kg bell and wanted to gage my readiness. I decided to do 10 minutes of snatches nonstop with the 16kg bell. I made it the full time with 233 reps completed. It was a sense of accomplishment but put the SSST in perspective. I have allot of work to do to get the same numbers with the 24kg bell. I also have a long way to go to be able to complete 1000 reps with the 16kg bell in under an hour without setting down the bell. Oh well, goals are set for eventual achievement!

After my snatches I felt compelled to do some Xvest Training. I did the following in a circuit with the 40lb Xvest:

3 sets of 8 Dive Bomber Push ups/Pikes
3 sets of 8 Neutral Grip Pull ups
3 sets of 8 Dips

then I finished with a superset of the following (no rest between each exercise):

Get Up Sit-Ups 2 sets of 5 each arm
Superplanks 2 sets of 5

Training for June 2007 RKC

Now that I have completed the GS Event I am training for the June 2007 RKC. To get certified I believe I have to do 58 snatches with the 24kg bell with one hand switch. I just did 70 reps on Saturday so I should be fine but I want to keep moving in the right direction. A great quote from Mark Reifkind's Blog - Strength is a Choice - is "you are either getting stronger or weaker, there is no maintenance". This is so true. That is why it is great to have an event to train towards. My goal is 85 snatch reps with the 24kg bells which would be a 20% increase over my current PR of 70. A challenge but certainly attainable with the correct training.

I plan on switching up my training to incorporate some sets of snatches with one arm before I start training the other. Lorraine Patten, RKC has a great article on Dragon Door entitled - Navigating Girevoy Sport Training - in which she stated that one must train for strength and volume. This is my focus for the next few months as I head toward RKC status

Linnavuori Courage Corner

This is a video taken from a Finish Kettlebell Website - http://marksgs.wordpress.com/ - that shows how intense kettlebell training can be. Very cool video!

"300"

Today I decided to try the workout inspired by the movie 300. I have seen it posted in a few places but took it off the site of the trainer who actually trained the actors for the movie. (http://www.gymjones.com/knowledge.php?id=35)

I did the following

25x Pull-up +
50x Deadlift @ 135# +
50x Push-up +
50x Box Jump @ 24” box +
50x Floor Wiper @ 135# (one-count) +
50x KB Clean and Press @ 36# (KB must touch floor between reps) +
25x Pull-up

300 reps total

The deadlifts and box jumps (actually bench jumps at my gym) were the most difficult for me because I do not do much barbell deadlifts and my legs were fried then I started the box jumps. My heart was racing the whole time. I finished in about 17 minutes but realize that my form was not perfect on every reps. I will try to do it again in a week or two but will try to have every rep be just like the one before.

I finished with:
3 sets of 8 Hanging Leg Raises
3 sets of 8 Ab Wheel Pikes
4 sets of Farmers Walks - 150 feet each - 32kg bells

GS EVENT - 70 Snatch Reps - New PR!

I drove out to Great Barrington, MA (120 miles one way) this morning after 9 inches of snow last night for the Cross World GS Event. My goal was 80 total reps after completing 58 reps at my first event in September 2006. I ended up getting 70 reps (35 each arm) with the 24kg bells. Not my goal but I was happy considering it is 20% better than last time, the first time I have ever used the competition kettlebells and a new PR snatching with only one hand swich. Hopefully I can get another 20% increase next time!

TV Newscast on Cross World GS Event in Great Barrington, MA on March 17th

Copy and paste the link below to view the Albany, NY TV Newscast on the upcoming Cross World GS Event in Great Barrington, Massachusetts!

http://wnyt.com/x12456.xml

EDT - Upper Body

I condensed the time again on my EDT training session to 15 & 10 minutes repectively.

Session one (15 minutes) was:

Long Cycle C & P - 24kg bells - 40 reps total
Triple Crush - 20kg bell - 40 reps total

then session two (10 minutes):

Nuetral Grip Pull-ups - 75 reps - Bodyweight
Dips - 75 reps - Bodyweight

One of the hardest workouts EVER!

EDT - Legs

Today I did the same Leg EDT workout as last week but increased the intensity. My goal was to do the same amount of reps in less time. The first PR was 15 minutes instead of 20 and the second was 10 minutes instead of 15.

My first 15 minutes session was:

4 sets of 8 (40 reps) Front Squats - 24kg bells
4 sets of 10 each arm (80 reps) Snatch - 24kg bell

Then I rested 5 minutes and finished with:

4 sets of 15 (60 reps) Double Swings - 24kg bells
4 sets of 8 each side (64 total reps)Overhead Squats - 20kg bell

I finished the training with the same amount of reps in 10 minutes less training time! 25 minutes total time training instead of 35 minutes. It was a killer but I think I can do better next time.

I plan on doing a EDT - Upper Body training session tomorrow and then resting on Thursday & Friday in preparation for my GS Event on Saturday!

Video - Kettlebell Snatch and Pullup Couplet

This video is a dude doing a kettlebell workout coupled with pullups (borrowed from Brian Carson's Blog - http://workout-routines.blogspot.com). More proof that lack of equipment is no excuse.

The buzzwords are train hard and intense. You can get a good workout with anything - stones, sandbags, your body - just by following the tenets of hard work and intensity.

Swings

I decided to take a break from snatches and presses and get back to some swings today.

I did the following:

10 sets of 10 two handed swings (100 reps) - 32kg bell
5 sets of 10 two handed swings (50 reps) - 40kg bell
3 sets of 10 two handed swings (30 reps) - 48kg bell

I finished with:

4 farmers walks - 150 feet each - 32kg bells

Snatches, Hanging Leg Raises & Pikes

Today I decided to do some snatches and progress to heavier kettlebells as I went. I started with the 24kg bells and went up from there. My sets looked like this:

5 sets of 10 each arm (100 total reps) - 24kg bell
3 sets of 3 each arm (18 total reps) - 32 kg bell
3 sets of 1 each arm (6 total reps) - 40kg bell
5 sets of 5 double snatches (25 total reps) - 24 kg bells

The I moved to:

3 sets of 10 Hanging Leg Raises - (30 total reps)
3 sets of 10 Pikes (Hanging Leg Raise to the point where your feet touch your hands) - 30 total reps

EDT - Upper Body

For a change of pace I decided to do some military presses today instead of cleaning the bells before each press. I did an EDT upper body training session. The first session was 20 minutes and consisted of:

Military Presses - 10 sets of 10 for 100 reps - 24kg bells
Bottoms Up Curl - 10 sets of 5 for 50 reps each arm - 16kg bell

then I rested for 5 minutes and finished with 15 minutes of the following:

Pull -Ups - 9 sets of 8 for 72 reps - Bodyweight
Dips - 9 sets of 8 for 72 reps - Bodyweight

The volume of upper body work today really pumped me up. The dips and pullups got to be killers near the end of the 15 minutes. I love EDT because it is like snatching for 10 minutes. The only thing stopping you from doing more reps if you have time left....is you!

Intro to Kettlebell Class - Core Training

Yesterday I did an into to kettlebell training class at a local high school for a friend who is a teacher there. It was nice to show some of the kids something new that I think will help them round out their training for the various sports they play. There were kids from football, lacrosse, basketball and wrestling in attendance. They seemed to really enjoy the different effect that the minimal kettlebell lifting they experienced had on them. They said they thought it would be a big hit with the different teams going forward as an additional training modality. I was thinking that I wish I had kettlebells when I was in high school. It is like having a secret weapon that might give you an edge against other teams during the actual games.

Today I decided to focus on some core work. I have been doing a lot of high volume snatches and clean & presses and do not want to neglect my core work.

My training consisted of:

4 sets of 5 Windmills - 24kg bell - (20 reps each side)
4 sets of 5 Superplanks - Bodyweight - (20 reps)
2 sets of 5 Get Up Sit-Ups - 20kg bells - (10 reps each side)
2 sets of 5 Get Up Sit-Ups - 16kg bells - (10 reps each side)
4 sets of 5 Hanging Pikes - (20 reps)

EDT Legs - 10 Minutes

I was very sore yesterday from my upper body EDT Training. More sore than I have been in years. EDT is great but I have to try to not overtrain. I decided to keep my training VERY short today.

I did a 10 minute PR of:
Double Swings - 24kg -30 reps
Overhead Squats - 16kg - 30 reps each side

As I finished the leg training I planned on doing some windmills & TGUs but the fire alarm went off at the Gold's Gym where I keep my bells. It was 5:30am and everyone had to evacuate the building. It was only 5 degrees at the time with about a 20mph wind. We would have to stand outside until the fire department cleared us to go back into the building. Needless to say someone was trying to tell me to go home and be done with my training for the day!

EDT - Upper Body

Today I did an EDT upper body training session. The first session was 20 minutes and consisted of:

Long Cycle Clean & Presses - 8 sets of 5 for 40 reps - 24kg bells
Triple Crush - 8 sets of 5 for 40 reps - 20kg bell

then I rested for 5 minutes and finished with 15 minutes of the following:

Close Grip Chin-Ups - 13 sets of 5 for 65 reps - Bodyweight
Dips - 13 sets of 5 for 65 reps - Bodyweight

Circuit Training & Hanging Leg Raises

I decided to do some circuit training today to keep my cardio in check. I did Anthony Diluglio's "Providence" DVD but tried not to rest at all between exercises. There are 14 exercises in the DVD and I did a set of 8 hanging leg raises in between each exercise as an active rest. The 112 reps of hanging leg raises obviously work your core and abs but are also great for grip strength which should carry over into my snatch numbers. At the end I finished with 2 sets of farmers walks at about 100 feet each with both 32kg bells.

High Volume Snatches & 40lb Xvest training

Today I did a high volume snatch workout with the 24kg bell. I did 200 snatches varying the reps from sets of 10 to sets of 5 and back to sets of 10.

After the snatches I decided to do some Xvest training with the 40lb vest. I did the following:

5 sets of 5 Nuetral Grip Pullups
5 sets of 5 Close Grip Kettlebell Pushups
5 sets of 5 Prisoner Squats

And I finished with 5 sets of 5 (each arm) snatches with the 16kg bell (50 reps)


I was spent but happy with my snatch workout 200 - 24kg bell snatches and 50- 16kg bell snatches with the 40lb vest!

Long Cycle Clean & Presses / Pullups

Today I decided to do my C & Ps the long cycle method. This means you do not put the bells on the ground at all but actually swing them each rep into the clean position. Great for cardio and leg strength.

I did:

5 sets of 8 Long Cycle Double C & Ps - 24kg bells (40 reps)
and superseted them with
5 sets of 8 bodyweight pullups (40 reps)

I finished with a single C & P on each side with the 40kg bell

Then I did another superset of:

3 sets of 8 Iron Cross - 16kg bells (24 reps)
and
3 sets of 8 Hanging Leg Raises (24 reps)