2009/08/31 - A light start to the week

I started this weeks' training on a lighter note. I'll be bringing in the 24kg and perhaps the 32kg bell as the week progresses. Here is the result:

Warm up with swings and squats

16kg OAJ: 6 sets of 15 (alternating sets between right and left hand): Total of 90

16kg Snatch: 4 sets of 15 (alternating sets between R and L hands): Total of 60

The session felt easy and energizing; just what I needed after yet another long day.

2009/08/28 - Last one for the week

I ended my week with a short session with the 24kg bell. This is the session:

Warm up: 32kg swings / squats

24kg OAJ: 5 minutes @ 8rpm

24kg Snatch: 2 minutes @ 12 rpm

32kg Swings: A few short sets as a finisher

It really is quite amazing how much lighter the 24kg bell feels after just a short warm up set of swings with the 32kg. The 32kg bell will definitely see some more action next week. That's all until next week.

2009/08/27 - Just a short Snatch session

The days this week had been pretty long so I decided to take it easy today. I just did:

Warm up: Swings / squats

16kg Snatch: 6 minutes @ 12rpm

Cool down

That's all for today.

2009/08/26 - Jerks

I did exactly the same volume of jerk work today as on Monday but following a different format. My session looked like this:

Warm up: Swings / squats

24kg OAJ: 4 sets of 20 (10L/10R): 80

16kg OA Overhead squats: 5 / 5

Some deep body weight squats

I realized something interesting today. When I first started using the GS lifting methods as opposed to the hard style methods I was WAY too relaxed. Trying to follow someone doing GS lifts on Youtube is not necessarily a great idea. In my case I was trying to mimic their apparently relaxed style resulting in not only a loss of strength but a pretty inefficient lifting technique on my part. Today's jerk sets drilled this point home nicely. My movements were snappy and explosive when necessary and relaxed when not. Now I understand viscerally why GS can make you strong - it is far more explosive than it seems so don't be fooled by how flowing the lifts can look at times.

2009/08/25 - Snatching away

I just did snatches today. Here's the session:

Warm up: Swings / squats

Snatch (24kg): 10 sets of 10 (5 right and 5 left): Total: 100

Overhead squats with a towel

Bit of stretching

I was happy with the snatch form today. The bell flowed smoothly and I worked at a comfortable pace. Now I just need to keep doing this for ten minutes!

2009/08/24 - The Experiment continues

I started my third week since I got back in the saddle today. I'm still experimenting with an approach to GS that will work for me in the long run. From recent contacts via email with people like Paul Tucker, Denis Kanygin, John Buckley and Ken Blackburn it is becoming increasingly clear to me that different people require different approaches to GS. Having said that, the consensus is that there is no escape from long sets. It just seems to me that there are different ways of getting to that particular destination. At the moment my approach is based on building volume via shorter sets and testing longer sets once a week or so. Today I did the following:

Warm up: Swings / squats

OAJ (24kg) 4 sets of 15 and 2 sets of 10: total of 80

Snatch (24kg) 2 sets of 10: total of 20

OA Overhead Squat (16kg): 2 sets of 5

Cool down: Deep body weight squats and stretching

My approach to the sets was to do one set with the right arm, then rest for about 2 minutes, followed by a set with the opposite arm. In this way I found that my technique remained consistent rather than deteriorating due to fatigue. I will work on increasing the volume as the weeks progress. I feel pretty energized after the session - stimulated but not blasted.

2009/08/21 - Interesting

Today I finished my second week of consistent training with the bells after a few months of relative inactivity. My approach to GS is quite different from my previous outing. I have been lucky enough to get exposure to some of the methods used in Russia and Eastern Europe via people like Paul Tucker and Eugene (from GS over 40) as well as some updates from the IKFF. At the moment I'm not training mainly long sets 5 days a week as I did a while ago. I am focusing instead on areas I feel are a bit weak in order to prepare for the rigors of GS. At the moment for me the biggest issue is strength. For the past two weeks I've mainly been doing short sets of one arm jerks and snatches with the 24 kg bell. Today I chose to put in a slightly longer set with a lighter bell. Here's the result:

Warm up: Swings (24kg) / body weight squats

OAJ (16kg): 6 min / 8rpm

Snatch (16kg): 4 min / 12rpm

Swings and stretching to cool down

It was quite an interesting experience. The 16kg bell felt very light and flew up easily in both the jerk and snatch sets. I could have easily gone 8 minutes in the jerks and probably 6 in the snatch set but I chose to take it easy (I might finally have realized that impatience is never a good idea). So what do I take away from this session? Clearly shorter sets have a carry over effect if you use a lighter weight for the longer sets. For me this means that some form of strength work is pretty relevant in GS. There is still a lot of experimentation ahead of me but for now I'm glad to have found training templates other than those offered by the AKC or RKC crowd. I guess the real learning here is that there is no one true way; we have to adjust kettlebell (and other training) to ourselves rather than only adjusting ourselves to a particular regime. BTW. thanks to Ken Blackburn of the IKFF for stating this point so saliently in his recent email to me.