EDT with Kettlebells, Barbells & Bodyweight...

I did not get to train till this afternoon and decided to do some Escalating Density Training and get in as many reps as possible in 15 minutes time.

My training look like this today:

PR One - 10 Minutes:
Incline Bench Press - 135lbs - 35 reps
Snatch Pull & Press - 24kg bell - 35 reps

3 Minute Rest

PR Two - 5 Minutes:
Pull Ups - 40 reps
Dips - 40 reps

A Day @ The Circus...

Today felt like a day at the circus as I trained with the 40lb Xvest, Clubells and the 12lb "Shot". I got alot of strange looks at the gym and one guy even asked someone at the front desk why I was wearing body armor. Good stuff!

I put on the 40lb Xvest first. I have to remember to keep my Xvest training short because the 40lb weight really adds a lot more resistance than it seems and because it sits on your chest it restricts your ribcage/breathing a bit. You can really feel the difference when you take it off. I weighed 160 this morning so the 40 extra lbs is 25% of my body weight.

My Xvest training looked like this:

Pull Ups - 40lb vest- 50 reps
Incline Push Ups- 40lb vest - 25 reps
Push Ups - 40lb vest - 25 reps

Then I did some clubbell training:

Lunge Step Pendulum - 15lb club - 50 reps
Mills - 15lb club - 50 reps
Crucifix - (2) 5lb clubs - 50 reps

I finished with some "Shot" training:

High Toss Lunge - 12lb "shot" - 50 reps

Viking Warrior Conditioning - 20 Sets of 8 & Clubbell Training

I did timed snatches with the 16kg bell today. I did sets of 8 with each arm with approximately 15 second rest between hand switch. I did 30 sets of 8 in 14 minutes and 45 seconds.

Snatch - 16kg bell - 20 sets of 8 - 160 reps

The I did some clubbell training:

Arm Cast - 15lb club - 50 reps
Barbarian - 15 lb Club - 50 reps
Shield Cast - 15lb club - 50 reps
Crucifix - (2) 5lb clubs - 50 reps
Swipes - (2) 5lb clubs - 50 reps

I finished with:

Gladiator - 3 reps of 30 seconds each side with the club
Get Up Sit Up - 15lb club - 25 reps

5x5....

My training looked like this today:

KB Incline Press - 32kg bells - 25 reps
Two Hand Curl - 32kg bell - 25 reps
Upright Row - 32kg bell - 25 reps
One Arm Jerk - 32kg bell - 25 reps
Triple Crush - 20kg bell - 25 reps
Figure 8/Hold - 20kg bell - 50 reps

Felt good to train again! I plan on doing some MV02 and clubbell training tomorrow.

Back At It Tomorrow...

I will be home early tomorrow morning and am looking forward to getting back to training. I did not watch what I ate (but did not go crazy) this week and may continue to eat carbs for a week or so as I get back into training. It all depends how I feel.

Push Ups...

I am in Las Vegas on vacation with the family and it is 102 degrees. I had not trained since Saturdays as the "gym" here is beyond pathetic.

I did 150 push ups this morning just to keep my mind fresh. I do not plan on training again until Friday.

I will say that I saw Le Reve and thought it was one of the best displays of what the human body is able to do when properly trained! Good Stuff! Check out the video on the above link.

Bells: Kettle & Club...

My kettlebell training looked like this:

Figure 8/Hold - 24kg bell - 50 reps
Snatch Pull & Press - 24kg bell - 50 reps
Floor Press - 32kg bells - 50 reps

The I did some clubbell training with the 15lb club:


Arm Cast - 50 reps
Barbarian Squat - 50 reps
Shield Cast - 50 reps
Mills - 50 reps

I finished with:

Gladiator - 3 reps of 30 seconds each side with the club

Get Up Sit Up - 15lb club - 25 reps (this was hard at the end of my training because of the weight being 25 inches from my hands - my lats and tris were smoked and shaking as I tried to hold my hands strait though the whole exercise)

Day Off...

I am taking another day off today. I will train again tomorrow before the family heads to Las Vegas for 5 days. I have not figured out what I am going to do for training next week.

Triples...

My training looked like this today:

Goblet Squats - 40kg - 3x3 - 9 reps
One Arm Rows - 48kg bell - 3x3 each arm
Double Deadlifts - 40kg bells - 3x3 - 9 reps
One Arm Incline Press - 36kg bell - 3x3 - 9 reps
Upright Row - 40kg bell - 3x3 - 9 reps
Pullovers - 36kg bell - 3x3 - 9 reps

Clubbell Training - "360"...

After yesterday I felt a but better about my coordination with the 15lb clubbell so after work I decided to put myself through a circuit.

My training looked like this:

• One Arm Swipes - 60 reps
• Lunge Step Pendulum - 60 reps
• Arm Cast - 60 reps
• Barbarian - 60 reps
• Shield Cast - 60 reps
• Mills - 60 reps

My favorite exercises are the Shield Casts and the Mills as they really incorporate the whole upper body while there is alot of movement going on. It is challenging to start and stop the movement on a dime while keeping your body in proper alignment and using your core as a base as you complete the movements. This training could not be a better compliment to my kettlebell training and shot training.

Got the Clubbell!

I got my 15lb clubbell and Rif was right...it is a lot heavier than I could imagine. Feels like the 24kg bell the first time I picked it up and tried to snatch it. I played around with it for a while and tried:

• Arm Cast
• Shoulder Cast
• The Barbarian
• Gama Cast
• Pendulum
• Swings

I also spent some time trying to so some Mills. This was by far the hardest exercise I tried and felt very uncoordinated. This is going to take some time with the bell to get my coordination down. My forearms, wrists and hands felt the torque even after 10 -15 minutes of work. I will keep it up and hopefully I make some progress!

"300" - From All Angles...

My training looked like this:

Swings - 24kg bell - 175 reps
Figure 8/Hold - 24kg bell - 50 reps
Slingshot - 24kg bell - 50 reps
Snatch Pull & Press - 24kg bell - 25 reps

What Benefits Can You Expect from Clubbell® Training?

From http://www.clubbell.tv/:

"Yes, you see the obvious development of the arms, shoulders, upper back and chest of Clubbell® training enthusiasts. However, the most misunderstood difference between Circular Strength Training® and conventional weight-lifting is that the Clubbell® is specifically designed to connect the superior force production of torque to one's core. The Clubbell® is truly a mere extension of the body. Every exercise in the CST repertoire is a core activation exercise, which is why you see such incredibly powerful abs, obliques and strong lower backs of Clubbell® users. Furthermore, all exercises are full bodily intensive: creating incredibly powerful glutes, hams, quads and calves from the leg drive".

I am excited to get my clubbell tomorrow and will provide feedback after I have spent some time playing around with it.

Attached is a link to some sample exercises:

http://www.rmaxinternational.com/images/barbarictool.pdf

Day Off Tomorrow...

I need a day of rest and with a busy work day...tomorrow fits the bill. Next Saturday I am headed to Las Vegas with the family. I need to figure out my training schedule. I could probably use a few days off in a row but will figure something out. Maybe I will take my 15lb clubbell? Not a bad idea other than paying for the extra weight.

From All Angles...

My training looked like this:

Figure 8/Hold - 24kg bell - 50 reps
Snatch Pull & Press - 24kg bell - 50 reps

(Grab a kettlebell and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes turned out about 45 degrees. Place the kettlebell on the floor between your feet. Stand up and lift the weight to chest height. Grab the sides of the handle and push the kettlebell straight overhead. Lower it to your chest and assume the original grip before returning to start.)

Pull Ups - 50 reps
Push Ups - 50 reps

"Shot" Training....

Today I threw around the 12lb "Shot" for a bit. My legs are fried from the 100 swings with the 48kg bell yesterday. I find the "shot" a great way to get the blood flowing as an active rest and to mix up my training. It is a nice change of pace from the kettlebells in the same vain as I think the clubbell will be. Check it out by following the link at the top of my blog to the tactical athlete.

I did 2 sets of 10 reps of the following:

Slingshots (both direction)
Deck Squats
Squats with Hot Potato
Lunges with Hot Potato
Lunges with Figure 8 into High Toss
Hot Potato
Russian Twist
Get Up Sit Up
Low Toss
High Toss
Knee Ups
Gladiator

"325"...Good Times!

My training looked like this today:


10 x 10: Two handed swings (48 kg bell) - 100 reps

10 x 10: Chin-ups (body weight) - 100 reps

10 x 10: Explosive KB push ups - 100 reps

• (this requires you to do a push up with one hand on the bell and one on the floor – then explode so that the other hand lands on the bell in the push up position for the next rep)

I finished with:

Handstand Push Ups - 5x5 - 25 reps

I am fried after this one!!

Viking Warrior Conditioning - MVo2 - Snatches: 30 sets of 8 & Misc...

I did timed snatches with the 16kg bell today. I did sets of 8 with each arm with approximately 15 second rest between hand switch. I did 30 sets of 8 in 14 minutes and 45 seconds.

Snatch - 16kg bell - 30 sets of 8 -240 reps

Then I finished with:

Hanging Leg Raises - 30 reps
Figure 8/Hold - 16kg bell - 30 reps

Waiting on my Clubbell!

I have been wanting to incorporate something new into my training and decided to give the clubbell a try. I ordered it today from http://www.clubbell-exercise-training.com/ and am trying to get more info on them. Below is a great post from Rif with a link to a great article that links the same physics responsible for kettlebells tremendous success in helping achieve athletic progress to clubbells. Thanks Rif!


Got this from Rif's Blog:

"While perusing Scott Sonnons RMax site for info about my soon to be delivered clubbells I found this very interesting article on the physics of circular or pendulum swings and how increasing the speed of a circular motion dramatically increases the torque,force AND the work involved. If one substitutes 'kettlebell' for 'clubbell' in the article you end up with the same thing I have been saying for a long time: increasing the speed of the swing or snatch via compensatory acceleration dramatically(exponentially) increases the forces involved in the movement.This is the essence of the RKC Hardstyle methods.Now the clubbell is much longer than the kb but the same physics should apply.Those who scoffed at Kenneth Jays force plate data need to read this carefully. Can't wait for the clubbells to come, they should be very fun"

Escalating Density Training (EDT)...

I feel a bit better this morning as I stopped taking the antibiotics yesterday. It was probably worth being a bit sick since my tooth feels good. Now I need to get back on track diet and training wise. I have been mixing in carbs to a greater degree this week since I have been feeling weak and I plan to continue that for a few more days until I am back to 100%.

My training look like this today:

PR One - 10 Minutes:
Goblet Squats - 32kg bell - 50 reps
Deadlift - 48kg bell - 50 reps

3 Minute Rest

PR Two - 5 Minutes
Incline KB Press - 32kg bells - 35 reps
One Arm Rows - 32kg bell - 25 reps each arm

I finished with:

Iron Cross - 20kg bells - 25 reps

19,448lbs lifted.

Swings & Push Ups....

I am still beat from the antibiotics but got something done this morning. Not as much as I wanted to but at least I got the blood flowing.

My training looked like this:

Swings - 24kg bell - 150 reps
Push Ups - 50 reps

No Training & The Downside of Antibiotics!

I am wiped from the antibiotics to clear up my infected molar in front of the wisdom tooth. Crazy that medicine to make you better makes you feel like crap but that is a topic for another day. I am done with the medicine on Wednesday and may have to put off training until then. Hopefully I feel better tomorrow. Oh well - I have not taken multiple days in a row off in a long while. My body probably needs it.

When I feel better I plan on starting up with a 500 swing workout (20x25) just because. I got to talking about swings with my wife Fabiana and realized that swings are the first exercises you learn when starting kettlebell training and then the longer you have been training the less you do them. I have been obviously concentrating on snatches over the last 9 months (35,000 of them!) but plan on working swings in as well to keep my training simple.

Training Later Today - Maybe...

I got back from the Cape late last night and will try to train later today after work. I need to get my wisdom teeth out soon (at 40!) and am dealing with the pain of them pushing on my my back molars. I may just end up taking another day off and starting again tomorrow.

Viking Warrior Conditioning - MVo2 - Snatches: 25 sets of 8 & Push Ups...

I did timed snatches with the 16kg bell today. I did sets of 8 with each arm with approximately 15 second rest between hand switch. I did 25 sets of 8 in 12 minutes and 45 seconds.

Snatch - 16kg bell - 25 sets of 8 -200 reps

Then I finished with:

Push Ups - 100 reps

I am taking tomorrow off from training as I need a day off AND have a possible root canal/pulled tooth today. I have major tooth pain that has been going on for about a week. I hate the dentist and put it off as long as I could.

Triples & Swings...

My training looked like this today:

Smith Machine Incline Press - 245lbs - 3x3 - 9 reps
Goblet Squats - 32kg - 3x3 - 9 reps
One Arm Rows - 48kg bell - 3x3 each arm
Double Deadlifts - 40kg bells - 3x3 - 9 reps
One Arm Incline Press - 32kg bell - 3x3 - 9 reps
Upright Row - 40kg bell - 3x3 - 9 reps
Pullovers - 36kg bell - 3x3 - 9 reps

I finished with:

Swings - 24kg bell - 100 reps

Snatch Challenge Update - I just crossed 35,000!

At the end of October 2008 I decided to start snatching more and counting my snatches on a daily basis. I found a website that makes my job easier in a effort to reach 50,000 snatches. It is - http://www.personaltrainingmanager.com/sc.asp According to the website: "We have added Snatch Challenge to the menu. This is a temporary add-on feature supporting a current 50,000 snatch challenge. The feature will display a list of all participants complete with their total number of snatches and total number of points. In addition, you will be able to view details for each daily entry (what date, how many snatches, which kettlebell and notes)."

As of today my snatch total is 35,038. I hope to break 50,000 by the end of the year.

Training & Diet Reference Materials...

I often get asked about different training methods I use and where one might find good information on my diet or different diets available. So I decided to put together a list.

Training Books:

Muscle Logic - Trainers and Olympic athletes agree that Escalating Density Training (EDT) really works. Now everyone who works out can learn how to benefit from this superbly effective, time-efficient system. (http://www.amazon.com/Muscle-Logic-Escalating-Density-Training/dp/1594860831)

Enter The Kettlebell - “Pavel’s Kettlebell Training System—The Shortcut To Extreme Strength and Elite Conditioning. Guaranteed.” (http://www.dragondoor.com/b33.html?affid={subid})

Viking Warrior Conditioning - The Scientific Approach to Forging a Heart of Elastic Steel: An Application of The Theory Behind Proper VO2max Training - (http://www.dragondoor.com/b39.html?affid={subid})

Diet Books:

Men's Health TNT Diet - The Explosive New Plan to Blast Fat, Build Muscle, and Get Healthy in 12 Weeks (http://www.amazon.com/Mens-Health-TNT-Diet-Explosive/dp/1594869766/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238100855&sr=1-1)

Better Than Steroids - The meat of the book is the eating plans. I have reviewed the top four eating plans for guaranteed success. They come with detailed instructions on how they work, when they work best, and how to design one for yourself. From leaning up to bulking up, these are the eating plans that work. They teach you how to use the most powerful drug out there, food, to your advantage. I say it all the time, "Anyone can exercise, but only the ones who know HOW to eat make improvements!" (http://www.amazon.com/Better-Than-Steroids-Warren-Willey/dp/1425103391/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238100970&sr=1-1)

Viking warrior Conditioning - Vo2max - 15 Sets of 8, Rotational Floor Press & Other Stuff...

My legs were fried from yesterdays EDT training so I only did 15 sets of MVo2 and the did some other training.

I did timed snatches with the 16kg bell today. I did sets of 8 with each arm with approximately 15 second rest between hand switch. Then I did some rotational floor presses that I got from Greg Mihovich's DVD "Iron Beast Conditioning". You can check out his products at http://www.theundergroundgym.com/

My training looked like this:

Snatch - 16kg bell - 15 sets of 8 - 120 reps
Rotational Floor Press - 24kg bells - 25 reps each arm
Upright Rows - 32kg bell - 25 reps
Hanging Leg Raises - 25 reps

Escalating Density Training (EDT) - Legs...

My training looked like this today:

PR One - 10 Minutes

Goblet Squat - 24kg bell - 68 reps - 3590lbs
KB Deadlift - 48kg bell - 68 reps - 7181lbs

3 Minute Rest

PR Two - 5 Minutes

Dragon Walks - 20 steps each leg - 6600lbs
One Leg DL - 24kg bell - 20 reps each leg - 2112lbs

15 minutes of work - 216 reps - 19,482lbs lifted!

Last week I did 256 reps and lifted 23,839 lbs in 25 minutes of work time which translates into 10.2 reps per minute and 954 lbs lifted per minute. This week I did 216 reps and lifted 19,482 lbs in 15 minutes of work time which is 14.4 reps per minute and 1299 lbs lifted per minute.

The increase from last week was: 41% increase in reps per minute and 36% increase in lbs lifted per minute. This is THE definition of EDT. More work.....less time!

Core...

I did some flexibility and core work.

My training looked like this:

Hanging Leg Raises - 25 reps
Figure 8/Hold - 16kg bell - 50 reps
Hand 2 Hand Clean - 16kg bell - 50 reps
Punch Matrix - 25 reps
Hot Potato - 16kg bell - 25 reps

Attached is a link to a video on the Punch Matrix:

http://www.artofstrength.com/videos/minute-of-strength-2006-videos/full-punch-matrix.aspx

Viking Warrior Conditioning - Vo2max - 20 Sets of 8 & Farmers Walks...

I did not get to train till this afternoon and was beat from work today (drove 220 miles with 5 appointments)so I kept it brief but intense.

I did timed snatches with the 16kg bell today. I did sets of 8 with each arm with approximately 15 second rest between hand switch. I did 20 sets of 8 in 9 minutes and 45 seconds.

Snatch - 16kg bell - 20 sets of 8 - 160 reps

Then I did:

Farmers Walks - 40kg bells - 8 sets @ 150 feet each

Viking warrior Conditioning - Vo2max - 40 Sets of 8 & Swings...

I did VWC today for the first time since June, 21st - 6 weeks. It was tough for the first time out in a while.

I did timed snatches with the 16kg bell today. I did sets of 8 with each arm with approximately 15 second rest between hand switch. I did 40 sets of 8 in 19 minutes and 45 seconds.

Snatch - 16kg bell - 40 sets of 8 - 320 reps

Then I did:

Swings - 24kg bell - 9 sets of 20 - 180 reps

500 reps total!

"300"...

I added weight to most exercises today and did 300 reps. I also decided to go through the whole circuit in order three times. I finished in 55 minutes and will try to reduce the training time as much as possible in the next month or so.

My training looked like this:

Pull Ups - 165lb body weight plus 16kg bell - 30 reps - 6000lbs
Snatch - 24kg bell - 30 reps - 1584lbs
Double Deadlift - 32kg bells - 30 reps - 4224lbs
Incline KB Press - 32kg bells - 30 reps - 4224lbs
Shrugs - 40kg bells - 30 reps - 5280lbs
Floor Press - 32kg bells - 30 reps - 4224lbs
Triple Crush - 20kg bell - 30 reps - 1320lbs
One Leg Deadlift - 28kg bell - 30 reps - 1848lbs
One Arm Row - 48kg bell - 30 reps - 3168lbs
Calf Raise - 40kg bells - 30 reps - 5280lbs

37,152 lbs lifted.

I started my carb load yesterday afternoon and had 16oz of non-fat chocolate milk after training todat. I feel great!