In keeping with the slight changes I introduced in my training protocol over the past couple of days I chose to focus today's session mainly on the kettlebells. I did:
Kettlebells / 16kg / 5 minutes work / 2 minutes rest
One Arm Jerk: 30/30
Snatch: 35/35
Push Press: 30/30
Flowfit (level 1): One set of 5 minutes
The fact that I did the kettlebell work fresh made the sets significantly easier. Because of difficulties with the kettlebell work on Tuesday I also chose to drop the rep per minute rate slightly. I again realized that it is not about the reps (initially) but about finishing the set. I have been rushing too much lately to make the AKC recommended rep ranges in order to finish the fitness protocol with the 16kg bell. In doing this my efforts have become counter-productive. I will not stop pushing myself but I believe that the discoveries I made during the last couple of days will allow me to approach the whole process in a smarter way.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
2009/03/27 - Day 21: Down-scaling
The global economy is in disarray and even the really big corporate players are down-scaling and reconsidering the way forward. My training "economy" has gone through a similar process over the course of the last couple of days. My own thinking and the help of my bail-out consultant, Howie Brewer, brought me to the conclusion that I'm trying to do too much at the same time. Today's session looked a bit different as a result. I did:
Forward Pressure (level 1): 5 rounds with 2 minutes rest
Flowfit: (level 1): 1 round of 11 minutes
L-Sit (bent legs): 7 x 6 second holds
I dropped down from 8 rounds of FP to just 5. I also decided that I would rather keep moving with Flowfit rather than doing shorter multiple sets. For this reason I dropped back to FF level 1 and did a continuous 11 minute set. I probably went about 10 times through the flow in this time. In stead of feeling wasted after Flowfit I actually feel invigorated. I could have probably gone on for another 5 minutes or so and I really enjoyed getting into the flow of things. I will probably stick to Flowfit for a while, even in my next cycle, but for now I will stick to level 1 and keep moving until I have really nailed a 14 minute or longer set. Tomorrow will be exclusively devoted to the bells. Hopefully that will allow me to get the kettlebell sets under control again.
Forward Pressure (level 1): 5 rounds with 2 minutes rest
Flowfit: (level 1): 1 round of 11 minutes
L-Sit (bent legs): 7 x 6 second holds
I dropped down from 8 rounds of FP to just 5. I also decided that I would rather keep moving with Flowfit rather than doing shorter multiple sets. For this reason I dropped back to FF level 1 and did a continuous 11 minute set. I probably went about 10 times through the flow in this time. In stead of feeling wasted after Flowfit I actually feel invigorated. I could have probably gone on for another 5 minutes or so and I really enjoyed getting into the flow of things. I will probably stick to Flowfit for a while, even in my next cycle, but for now I will stick to level 1 and keep moving until I have really nailed a 14 minute or longer set. Tomorrow will be exclusively devoted to the bells. Hopefully that will allow me to get the kettlebell sets under control again.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
2009/03/26 - Day 20: Low intensity work
My session today consisted of:
Kettlebell specific joint mobility
Kettlebell specific compensatory yoga
Some Spider monkey practice
That's it!
Kettlebell specific joint mobility
Kettlebell specific compensatory yoga
Some Spider monkey practice
That's it!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
2009/03/26 - Musings on training
I became obese when I was about six years old. Nobody really knows why. Maybe genetics, unhealthy eating habits, or whatever. I became lean for the first time again when I was about 17 when I took up the practice of Chinese martial arts. I stuck with this for about 6 years and then the cycle of laziness and unhealthy habits (as well as the world of work) took over again.
The first time I made a concerted effort to regain some of my fitness and health came after my divorce in 2001. I started off with Ashtanga Yoga and then ventured back into Chinese Kung Fu. My Kung Fu journey lasted about 2 years and then due to unforeseen circumstances shifted towards the exploration of Russian martial arts. I stuck with this for about two years when laziness and the culture of work above play once again took over.
In In late 2007 I decided to change my physical well-being for the better which resulted in me taking up training with kettlebells - the hard-style or RKC way. I made some impressive gains until I fell down a flight of stairs. This put me back significantly and I had to take a break for about two months. Shortly after taking up the bells again I discovered the GS (Girevoy Sport) method of kettlebell training for general fitness and work capacity. I grabbed this "new" approach with both hands and possibly with a foot or two as well. In 2008 I became a certified kettlebell teacher with Steve Cotter, a real kettlebell guru, who has managed to blend the best of GS with the RKC approach. Since the seminar I have been training with the "Iron Balls" pretty consistently.
More recently I have discovered the work of Scott Sonnon, father of CST (Circular Strength Training) and the guy who brought joint mobility back into public awareness. Since then I have also discovered Scott's 4x7 approach to training. This basically entails training specific attributes in 28 day cycles which include enough "rest" time and some very intense training. Via the teachings of Scott and some of his faculty members I also rediscovered the value of body weight only training.
I guess this brings me to the point of this post. I am a certified Kettlebell teacher and yet it feels to me as if I want to explore the full movement potential of my body beyond the confines of any external weights. My training over the past two years or so brought me to a point where body and mind have begun to communicate in such a way that I have had to ask myself what it is that I really am training towards.
The simple answer at this point in time is to develop my full movement potential. Kettlebells (as I've been using them) is great for developing endurance and work capacity. Yet it seems as if the use of the bells develop some very specific attributes (mainly related to kettlebell sport). Many of the proponents of kettlebell sport methods claim that the bells will develop fitness and health qualities that can transfer easily to any physical activity. From my experience I tend to disagree with this claim. Kettlebells are exceptionally useful when it comes to getting fit, but they are NOT the ultimate tool that will allow a person to discover everything they are capable of. I guess this leaves me somewhat confused regarding the goals of my training. Living in South Africa makes competitive Kettlebell sport seem like a goal far too distant to reach for. Partially as a result of this I've had to decide what it is that I'm training for (goals are so important).
Upon thinking about this I realized that what I really want is the freedom to use my body in as many ways as is possible. This includes building max strength, developing endurance and building the ability to be free to move in any way I wish to. This would naturally entail some changes in my training protocol - which I have yet to figure out.
Please do stay tuned in for my evolving thoughts in this regard.
The first time I made a concerted effort to regain some of my fitness and health came after my divorce in 2001. I started off with Ashtanga Yoga and then ventured back into Chinese Kung Fu. My Kung Fu journey lasted about 2 years and then due to unforeseen circumstances shifted towards the exploration of Russian martial arts. I stuck with this for about two years when laziness and the culture of work above play once again took over.
In In late 2007 I decided to change my physical well-being for the better which resulted in me taking up training with kettlebells - the hard-style or RKC way. I made some impressive gains until I fell down a flight of stairs. This put me back significantly and I had to take a break for about two months. Shortly after taking up the bells again I discovered the GS (Girevoy Sport) method of kettlebell training for general fitness and work capacity. I grabbed this "new" approach with both hands and possibly with a foot or two as well. In 2008 I became a certified kettlebell teacher with Steve Cotter, a real kettlebell guru, who has managed to blend the best of GS with the RKC approach. Since the seminar I have been training with the "Iron Balls" pretty consistently.
More recently I have discovered the work of Scott Sonnon, father of CST (Circular Strength Training) and the guy who brought joint mobility back into public awareness. Since then I have also discovered Scott's 4x7 approach to training. This basically entails training specific attributes in 28 day cycles which include enough "rest" time and some very intense training. Via the teachings of Scott and some of his faculty members I also rediscovered the value of body weight only training.
I guess this brings me to the point of this post. I am a certified Kettlebell teacher and yet it feels to me as if I want to explore the full movement potential of my body beyond the confines of any external weights. My training over the past two years or so brought me to a point where body and mind have begun to communicate in such a way that I have had to ask myself what it is that I really am training towards.
The simple answer at this point in time is to develop my full movement potential. Kettlebells (as I've been using them) is great for developing endurance and work capacity. Yet it seems as if the use of the bells develop some very specific attributes (mainly related to kettlebell sport). Many of the proponents of kettlebell sport methods claim that the bells will develop fitness and health qualities that can transfer easily to any physical activity. From my experience I tend to disagree with this claim. Kettlebells are exceptionally useful when it comes to getting fit, but they are NOT the ultimate tool that will allow a person to discover everything they are capable of. I guess this leaves me somewhat confused regarding the goals of my training. Living in South Africa makes competitive Kettlebell sport seem like a goal far too distant to reach for. Partially as a result of this I've had to decide what it is that I'm training for (goals are so important).
Upon thinking about this I realized that what I really want is the freedom to use my body in as many ways as is possible. This includes building max strength, developing endurance and building the ability to be free to move in any way I wish to. This would naturally entail some changes in my training protocol - which I have yet to figure out.
Please do stay tuned in for my evolving thoughts in this regard.
2009/03/25 - Day 19: No intensity Intuflow
Just a slow round of Intuflow today. It was a great session with some nice depth in all the motions and postures.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
2009/03/24 - Day 18: High Intensity
I started today with some "pleasant" DOMS in my triceps. I'm not sure if it is because of the increased volume of Forward Pressure yesterday or whether it was the 10 sets of L-Sits yesterday. Anyway I was dreading today's session a bit and, as it turned out, I had good reason to. Here is the result:
Flowfit (level 2): 3 x 4 minute rounds / 1 minute rest
After this I took my customary 15 minute rest and then did:
Kettlebells: 16 kg
OAJ: (5 minutes work / 2 minutes rest): 39/36
Snatch: (2 minutes work): 16/15
The plan with the kettlebells was to do my usual 3 sets of 5 minutes each but I knew I was in trouble already in the first minute of the jerk set. My wind was absolutely fine but my arms were simply gone. I managed to finish the jerk set but when it came to snatches I decided to call it a day after the second minute. It felt as if I was either flirting with injury or simply getting very close to burning out any endurance left in my arms. I'll have to wait for my next high intensity day to see if there is any improvement. If not I might have to rethink my approach to training a bit.
Flowfit (level 2): 3 x 4 minute rounds / 1 minute rest
After this I took my customary 15 minute rest and then did:
Kettlebells: 16 kg
OAJ: (5 minutes work / 2 minutes rest): 39/36
Snatch: (2 minutes work): 16/15
The plan with the kettlebells was to do my usual 3 sets of 5 minutes each but I knew I was in trouble already in the first minute of the jerk set. My wind was absolutely fine but my arms were simply gone. I managed to finish the jerk set but when it came to snatches I decided to call it a day after the second minute. It felt as if I was either flirting with injury or simply getting very close to burning out any endurance left in my arms. I'll have to wait for my next high intensity day to see if there is any improvement. If not I might have to rethink my approach to training a bit.
Monday, March 23, 2009
2009/03/23 - Day 17: Moderate intensity
A short and simple session today:
Forward Pressure: 8 rounds / 2 minutes rest between rounds
Sit Up / Butterfly combos: 3 x 5
L-Sit: 10 x 6 second holds
Forward Pressure: 8 rounds / 2 minutes rest between rounds
Sit Up / Butterfly combos: 3 x 5
L-Sit: 10 x 6 second holds
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