2009/08/11 - Staying with it

I don't want to talk too soon but I seem to be gradually getting back on track with my training. I'm being very conservative and even though I'm itching to up the volume I'm deliberately taking things one slow step at a time. Today I warmed up with body weight squats and some 24kg swings. My session involved the following:

OAJ (24kg): 3 minutes @ 8rpm

Snatch (24kg): 2 minutes @ 12rpm

I cooled down with more swings and squats and a bit of light stretching. More tomorrow!

2009/08/10 - Moving on

After my session on Friday I immediately went outside to start the braai (barbecue) and unfortunately managed to catch a bit of a cold..nothing serious, just some tightness in the nose and throat and a bit of difficulty catching my breath at times. I decided not to let the minor annoyance put me off and went ahead with my session for today. Here is the result:

I warmed up with some body-weight squats and 24 kg swings. This was followed by:

OAJ (24kg): 3 minutes @ 8 rpm

Snatch (24kg): 2 minutes @ 12 rpm

I finished off with some more 24kg swings and body-weight squats.

For now I'm keeping things as simple as possible because I think I tried to do too much during my previous outing. The plan for now is as follows (and thanks to Cate Imes for some ideas):

* Learn how to be explosive in the lifts without generating too much tension
* Master the absolute basics of the Jerk and Snatch
* Focus on proper alignment and technique rather than reps
* Keep moving!!!

Hopefully there will be more tomorrow.

2009/08/08 - Swinging Saturday

After my re-entry yesterday I wanted to keep the momentum going. I played around some more with the 24kg bells today. Coming Monday I hope to get into a proper 5 day per week schedule. Here is today's session:

Warm up: 24kg swings: 2 x 10/10

OAJ (24kg): 2 minutes @ 10 rpm

Snatch (24kg): 2 minutes @ 12 rpm

OAJ (24kg): 2 minutes @ 10 rpm

Cool down: 24kg swings: 1 x 10/10

After playing with the bells Warren and I went outside and finished off a great day with about 30 minutes worth of one-on-one Soccer. Naturally he beat me 12-10. Oh well, there is always tomorrow.

2009/08/07 - Moving again

I've been tracking my buddy Howie Brewer's inspiring progress with the bells over the past few weeks and months. Today I finally allowed the inspiration to penetrate the sense of inertia that I've been enveloped in for a while. After having not done any type of training since early June I took off slowly just to get a sense of where I'm at. Here's the result:

OAJ (24kg): 2 minutes @ 8rpm

OAJ (24kg): 2 minutes @ 8 rpm

Snatch (24kg): 2 minutes @ 11 rpm

My strength didn't seem to suffer much as a result of the period of inactivity but my endurance needs serious work. I was quite happy to notice that I recovered pretty fast from a breathing point of view though; it is more the muscular endurance that will need some serious attention.

2009/06/08 - Going crazy

No, not me in white coats crazy...just more stagecrazy. I will be a rockstar yet! I'm still in cruising mode with my fitness training but I have to admit that I'm starting to miss the bells. I'm still very much in a process of redefining my life and making some decisions about what I want to do with my career. In the meantime Stagecrazy is a great companion for getting me out of my head and getting my heart racing in only 12 minutes. I'm doing the program 3 times a week (for now) and will probably start a more focused program fairly soon...if only it wasn't so bloody cold here!

2009/06/03 - Cruising

Just cruising along at the moment. I just did another stagecrazy session today. Maybe one of these days I'll start upping the pace a bit but for now this is enough for me.

2009/06/01 - Stagecrazy (again)

I seem to be cruising along with my training at the moment. For a change I have no specific goals and am just going with the flow. I am doing stagecrazy right now because it is quick (and nasty) and will ensure that I stay pretty well conditioned while dealing with some other...stuff...that I need to look at. I am looking at some career issues and more personal decisions right now so I'm glad to have something quick and effective for keeping the body moving.