Workout #1-5/31/10

Happy Memorial Day! Holidays are NOT a reason to avoid a workout. If anything, its a chance to get an even better workout. Yes, I too have a family and we do the pool and cookout thing too but who starts this at 8 or 9 in the morning? Best thing to do...get your workout in first thing in the morning while everyone is enjoying their non-school, non-work morning. You'll feel better!

here's what I did today:

2 hand swings (warmup): 24kg x 12 reps per min for 6 minutes (72 swings)

Rack bench press (10 holes up/ about a 6 inch lockout)- 225x3, 315x3, 405x3, 435x1, 475x1, 500x1, 510x1, 385x10 (75%)
(in between sets I did 5 sets of 8 neck extensions)

Sumo Deadlift-205x3, 215x3, 225x3, 235x3, 245x3
(in between sets I did 5 sets of 10 reps cable triceps extensions)

SSB squats- 205x3, 210x3, 215x3, 220x3
(in between sets I did 5 sets of 8 reps ez bar preacher curls)

Strong workout today. I was off my PR by 15 pounds on my rack bench press. This PR was accheived when I weighed 230 pounds though. I now weigh 215. Also, since I am now hitting heavier weighs on my main bench, deadlift and squat days, I am scaling the reps down to 3 on my lighter days. Still taking the intensity up (weight) but lowering the volume (reps x sets) somewhat. These days are basically to train my nervous system and focus on speed and technique. Will see in about 8 weeks if this technique worked or not. Right now I feel strong and have no real pains to speak of. Plus my numbers are going up on the bench and deadlift so I quess its working!

Workout #5-5/29/10

here's what I did today:

2 hand swings (warmup)- 24k x 11 a min on min for 6 min (66 reps)

SSB Squat- 65x5, 155x5, 245x5,5
(in between sets I did 5 sets of 10 reps neck extension)

Bench press- 185x5, 195x5, 205x5, 215x5, 225x5
(in between sets I did barbell curls for 5 sets of 8 reps)

Speed deficit deadlifts- 225+30 lbs of chain x 1 rep x 3 sets, 225+40 lbs of chain x 1 rep x 3 sets, 225+50 lbs of chain x 1 x 3 sets (all 45 sec breaks)

Q of the week: Should weightrooms be banned from prisons?

In recent years many states have banned weightrooms from being placed in prisons. Some of the reasons for this are:

1. Inmates may use size and strength gained from weightlifting as a weapon against guards, other inmates, or the public upon their release.

2. Guards feel intimidated by massive inmates.

3. People do not want tax dollars being used to provide gymnasiums, and new weight rooms for felons

4. Weightlifting equipment could be used as a weapon against guards or other inmates

5. Weightlifting equipment could be used as a tool to escape (bars as battering rams)

6. Inmates might be injured while lifting weights. These injuries cost taxpayers dollars.

7. Inmates come out as "super criminals".

On the other hand, the use of a weightroom for prisoners have many benefits including: teaching discipline, record keeping and goal setting, fills time, reduces boredom, burns off tension, improves self esteem and self worth. A weightroom can also be used as a disciplinary tool (restriciting usage as punsihment).

Some of the greatest powerlifters in history have come out of prisons including Don Blue and Joe Bradley. Both were world record holders.

And don't think for a second that inmates aren't lifting just because there are no weightrooms. This is evident in "Coach" Paul Wade's book Convict Conditioning which shares the programs inmates use when no weightrooms are available. Trust me, these dudes do some serious "weight training" without any weights at all.

Should weightrooms be banned from prisons?

Workout #4- 5/28/10

Very rarely do this, but I took yesterday off. I am really trying to listen to my body and yesterday it screamed to me "GIVE ME A BREAK TODAY!!!" I hit it pretty hard on Wednesday so I took a day off. No pain, just I could tell I should take a day off (hard to explain why). Anyway, it payed off as I had a great workout today.

Here's what I did:

TGU- 16x 2 each arm. Started with this then repeated between every exercise

KB snatch- 16kg x 8 each arm every min. on the min. for 10 min. (160 in 9:45)

Light Military Press ladders- 28kg x 4 ladders with 2 rungs each (total- 12 reps each arm)

Weighted Neutral grip pullups- BW+25 lbs x 5 sets of 3 reps

Situps- BW x 25 reps

I then finished up with some pistol squat work. Still can't do it without a box or holding on to something but my range of motion is there and its getting better. I will do these at some point!

Question of the Week: Ladies, what female celebrity's body do you most admire and why?

This one is for the ladies only...

What female celebrity's body do you most admire and why?

(and guys, I'll know right away based on your answer whether you are not a female...)

Workouts #2 & #3- 5/26/10

Probably a bit overkill...in the last 24 hours I hit 2 pretty intense workouts. the first one was last night. As a personal trainer, sometimes I am subjected to only being able to workout between clients or during cancellations. I usually set up my own "workout appointments" for myself but yesterday was a busy day. My only chance to workout was between my 7:30 pm and 9:15 pm appointments. So I got a good 1 hr workout in at 7:30 pm last night. Today, I am also pretty busu but my first appointment wasn't until 9:30 am so I workout out at 8 am (UHHHHGGGGG!!!!). Not a morning workout guy but today was great.

Here's what I did:

Day 2

TGU- 16k x 1 each side, 24k x 1 ea side, 32k x 1 ea side, 16k x 1 ea side

Snatch- 32k x 3 ea side for 4 sets, 2 ea side for 6 sets (done min on min for 10 min- 48 reps)

KB military press ladders- 28kg for 3 ladders 4 rungs, 1 ladder 2 rungs (33 reps ea arm)

Neutral grip pullups- BW x 11, 8, 6 (25 reps)

Situps- BW x 5 sets of 11 reps

Day 3

Rack deadlift (plates 4 inches off ground)- 135x3, 225x3, 315x3, 405x1, 435x1, (added belt) 460x1, 480x1, 500x1, 375x3(no belt)
(in between I did 5 sets of 15 reps neck flexion)

Box pistol squat (1 in deeper than last week)- 5 sets of 5 reps each leg
(in between I did 3 sets of 11 reps of 45 degree back extension)

Dips- 5 lbs. x 8, 8 lbs. x 8, 10 lbs. x 8, 12 lbs. x 8
(in bewteen sets I did 3 sets of 10 reps leg curls)

Workout #1- 5/24/10

Wow I felt good today! My right shoulder has been feeling a little off for the past 2 weeks but I have continued to do some joint mobility work, TGU's, and tubing work to keep it healthy and it is definitely working. I was a tad bit leary about doing max effort work for my bench but the 2 Board bench work felt great today and I hit a new raw max! No shoulder pain whatsoever (my left one has some history too).

Also, squats feel awesome. I am squatting 2x a week right now with very moderate weight. I feel my form improving big time. I am spreading my feet more on the ascent, getting great depth, and my low back feels strong as bull!

Here's what i did today:

2 hand swings (warmup)- 20kg x 15 a min on min for 5 min (75 reps in 5 min)

2 board bench press- 45x20, 225x3, 275x3, 315x3, 335x1, 355x1, 370x1, 375x1 (new raw PR!) 285x6 (75% of max)
(in between sets I did 5 sets of 12 neck extensions)

Deadlift- 200x5, 210x5, 220x5, 230x5, 240x5
(in between sets I did 5 sets of 10 cable triceps extensions)

SSB Squat- 200x5, 205x5, 210x5, 215x5, 220x5
(in between sets I did 5 sets of 8 barbell curls)

Workout #5-5/21/10

Here's what I did today:

2 hand swing (warmup)-20kg x 16 a min on min for 5 min (80 in 5 min)

SSB squat- 245x5,5,5
(in between sets I did 5 sets of 15 reps neck extension)

Bench press-180x5, 190x5, 200x5, 210x5, 220x5
(in bewteen sets I did 5 sets of 8 reps barbell curl)

Speed deadlift (w/ 35 lb plates)- 225+20 lbs of chain x 1 rep x 3 sets, 225+30 lbs of chain x 1 rep x 3 sets, 225+40 lbs of chain x 1 x 3 reps (all 45 sec. breaks)

What do you listen to when you workout?

A quick search on Google will provide you with numerous research studies showing music's positive influence on exercise performance. Upbeat music tends to improve exercise performance.

This being said, everyone's musical taste is different. When I was a teenager I used to workout at a YMCA. The old man who ran the Nautilus room (yes, I said Nautilus room) cranked up the music to "pump" eveyone up for their workouts. Problem was, the music he cranked was all classical music and he absolutely refused to change the channel. To this day (he is still there) he only plays the classical channel (I quess someone listens to it). It's always been the same, EVERY SINGLE gym I've worked in or worked out in has an issue with music. When I was with the Rangers baseball team, the Dominican players all wanted to listen to Latino "Rappa" while the American players all wanted rock, rap, and country. Fights almost broke out over this.

Me...I love my classic metal. Kiss, Motorhead, Pantera, Anthrax...I love it. Now get this, I spent almost 6 months training for the RKC listening to nothing but Johnny Cash. I must have listened to his Live at Fulsom Prison album 300 hundred times while swinging the KBs around. I don't know why this cranked me up to workout so hard but it did. Whatever it was, it worked.

What do you listen to when you workout?

Workout #4- 5/21/10

Reps keep going up on the Snatch work! I know, I know, I am only using a 16 k on this day but I do feel my endurance is getting better. I am now up to 140 reps in under 10 min. Not great by any standards but decent for me. I have done more but this was under the pressure of training for RKC. I plan to hit 200 reps with the 16k in about 1 month then i will move on to working on getting 200 with the 20 k. Also, the pullups and TGU's have done wonders for my shoulders and elbows.

Here's what I did today:

TGUs- 16 kg x 5 straight on each side

Snatch- 16 kg x 7 each side min. on min. for 10 min. (140 reps in 9:30)

Light Military press ladders- 28 kg x 3 ladders with 2 rungs

Neutral grip pullups- 5 sets of 5 reps (25 total reps)

Incline situps- 4 sets of 11 reps, 1 set of 10 reps (54 reps total)

Workout #3- 5/19/10

Strong day today. Deadlift work is definitely moving in the right direction. I deadlifted out of the rack at 1 hole up (plates are about 6 inches off the floor). Each hole down I move the bar I can expect about a 40 pound decrease in my deadlift. I've been using a belt on all my 1 reps sets and I am not affraid to use straps when the weight gets heavy. The reason I use straps is because generally I don't want my grip to be an issue when doing rack work. You are always going to use more weight in the rack than you can do off the floor so the purpose of rack work (in my opinion) is CNS overload work, not grip work. Different schools of though on this but grip has never been an issue for me especially now with all the kettlebell work I do. I also use straps because I have had hip issues in the past from constantly using an over/ under grip. The straps just save me from alot of problems.

Here's what I did today:

2 hand swings- 20 kg x 15 reps min on min for 5 min (75 reps in 5 min)

Rack deadlift (1 hole up)- 225x3, 315x3, 405x2, 455x1, 495x1, 525x1, 550x1, 415x3 (no straps or belt)
(in between sets I did 5 sets of 20 reps of neck flexion)

Box pistol squats (first time working these. Goal is to do a full pistol)- 5 reps each leg for 4 sets holding a 10 pound plate)
(in between sets I did 3 sets of 11 reps of 45 degree back extensions)

Weighted dips- 4 sets of 8 reps
(in between sets I did 3 sets of 10 leg curls)

The pistol squats are definitely technique oriented. I will continue to lower the box each week as I can until I can do it without a box. I will update my progress.

Workout #2- 5/18/10

I was kind of rushed today but I got all the main stuff in. Here's what I did today:

Turkish Getups- 24 kg x 3 each hand

KB Snatch- 32kg x 3 reps each hand for 3 sets, 2 reps each hand for 7 sets (all done at the top of the minute. 46 reps in under 10 min.)

Military press ladders- 28 kg x 3 ladders with 4 rungs (30 reps each arm)

Neutral grip pullups- BW x 10, 8, 6 (24 reps)

I then fiished with some KB arm bars and bent arm bars to work my shoulder strength and flexibility.

Workout #1- 5/17/10

Here's what I did today:

2 hand swings (warmup)- 20kg x 14 reps a min. on min. for 5 min. (70 reps in 5 min)

Floor Press- 225x3, 275x3, 315x1, 330x1, 340x1, 345x1,
260(75% of max)x6
(in between sets I did 5 sets of 20 reps neck extension)

Sumo Deadlift- 195x5, 205x5, 215x5, 225x5, 235x5
(in between sets I did 5 sets of 10 reps triceps extension)

SSB squat- 195x5, 200x5, 205x5, 210x5, 215x5
(in between sets I did 5 sets of 8 reps barbell curls)

Had my 6 yr. old son in with me today (for a bit). He did 4 sets of 10 reps bench press with the 15 lb. bar. (was doing it on his own with a good spot from Dad of course).

My RKC Journey Pt.4

Read parts 1-3:
Part 1- http://irongpj.blogspot.com/2010/04/my-rkc-journey-pt-1.html
Part 2- http://irongpj.blogspot.com/2010/04/my-rkc-journey-pt-2.html
Part 3- http://irongpj.blogspot.com/2010/05/my-rkc-journey-pt-3.html

My hamstring was now totally healed and I was back on track. I still had about 7 weeks to train. Fortunately, I hadn't fallen that far behind in my aerobic conditioning. In addition to all the kettlebell exercises I was able to do, I was also using the rower like crazy (became a big fan of the Concept 2 rower!). I was doing the RKC lifts with the exception of the swing. Of course the swing is the MAIN lift (pretty much all the exercises you learn at the RKC start of with a "swing" type movement execpt for the Turkish Get Up). So now my goal was to get my swings back up to par. I decided I needed to really get serious. Sandy had corrected my form and the hammy was totally healed so my decision was made...swings 5 days a week! Sounds crazy but alot of people do it and due to the nature of the movement it definitely can be done without over training. My Tuesdays and Thursdays had been dedicated to benching and deadlifting. Not anymore. These were now SWING days. I abandoned the deadlift altogether (first time I've done this in probably 15 years), still benched a bit, but the rest of these 2 workouts were dedicated to high rep swings. On Tuesdays I did high rep, 2 handed swings with a 24 kg kettlebell and on Thursdays I did 2 kettlebell swings or 1 handed swings. This definitely got me caught up within about 3 weeks.

I was feeling great. I was hitting my 3 main workouts hard. Swinging an extra 2 days a week. I was now hitting 100 snatches in around 4:25 minutes. My resting heart rate was in the low 50's. 4 weeks left and I was pretty much exactly where I thought I should be. Then, just to make things more interesting, ROAD BLOCK #2 occurs.

It was a Sunday afternoon and my wife and I took my son to a birthday party at the bowling alley. We got to the party and I told my wife I needed to run and get some lifting chalk at a store down the street. She wasn't crazy about me leaving the party just to get chalk but it was my only chance on this particular day and it was only about 1/2 mile away. She told me not to be long. I drive down down the street and come to a red light. The light turns green. I needed to make a left turn. I looked before making the turn, no cars in sight. I made the turn and BAM! An SUV slams into the side of my car. It all felt like it occured in slow motion. I remember bracing for the crash. The crash comes. My whole body slowly jerks to the right then violently slams to the left. My elbow slammed hard into the door. My head hit the windshield (but fortunately didn't break it). When all the movement stops, I reach up and wipe my head. No blood. I look at the kid's car (he was 16 years old), front end of his car was totally smashed, air bag deployed, but he was moving. He got out of the car. Thank God. I get out too and look over my car. The whole left side of my car was smashed. Now, I'm standing in the middle of a busy intersection looking at my car that had just been smashed. After counting my blessings that the kid was not hurt and I wasn't hurt, what do you think the first thing I do is? Call my wife? Call the police? No. I went to my trunk, got a kettlebell out and did a few swings on the side of the road to see if anything hurt! My neck was a bit sore, my elbow twinged, but I was still able to swing! Again, Thank God!!! I'm sure the people driving by must have thought I was totally delerious from the crash but they didn't know I was in training for RKC weekend! Next, I called my wife. Needless to say she was not too happy but was glad I was okay. You'd think I'd be freaking out that my car just got smashed but the thing most on my mind was "is this gonna effect my training for RKC???". The cops came and wrote up a report. No tickets were issued. The tow trucks came and so did my wife. We headed back to the party. I pretended like nothing happened but I was definitely "out of it". I was most thankful that my 6 year old boy was not in the car with me.

Later that night it hits me. I start feeling pain in my left elbow that got slammed into the door. I couldn't bend it. Of course I complained to my wife about it. She thought that I should have gone to the hospital immediately after the accident just to get checked on since the crash was pretty severe. I told her I didn't need to. Now she was making me. I'll now admit it, in addition to not being able to bend my left arm, I was also dizzy.

I got to the emergency room at about 8 pm that night. Had x-rays done on my elbow. They also checked my eyes for concussion. That seemed okay. I guess I was just shaken up. But the elbow? Well, there was obviously some strained soft tissue, but in addition to this they also found arthritis and bones spurs. Now come on... I've been powerlifting for 22 years...of course I have bone spurs and arthritis but why did it hurt so much now? They gave me some pain killers and sent me on my way.

I wake the next morning and felt like I'd been hit by a truck (which in this case I had been). Elbow hurt like absolute HELL! I literally had to use my right hand to forcefully straighten my left arm out. There was no way I didn't break something. I called the hospital and spoke to the practitioner that worked with me. He said there was definitely no break but I could get a second opinion. I believed him.

Since nothing was broken I went to the gym. I had to go anyway...I had clients to train. But more importantly, I ONLY had 4 weeks left...I HAD to get my workout in. It was snatch-work day. There was no way I could do snatches with the left arm but my right arm worked. So I did all my snatches with just my right arm (I think I did like 160 some snatches with a 24 k with just my right arm....I couldn't do that now if I tried but I was determined to do my planned workout even if it meant doing it with one arm). I was able to do swings (once my arm was straightened out it felt fine...I just couldn't bend it again...fortunately your arms should be straight anyway when you swing), cleans with my right arm, rack squats on the right side, and again, Turkish Getups were okay too (I had to lift the KB into position with my right arm but was okay after this).

I worked out basically one armed for 2 weeks before I could use my left arm again. Even when I could straighten it out on its own I kind of took it easy. For the last 2 weeks before RKC I was able to snatch with my left arm while using a neoprene brace. I wasn't sure if I could use the brace during the Snatch Test though. I figured if they didn't allow me to then I would just grin and bear it. I did get some help in the pain department from one of my clients who was a doctor. He prescribed me some very good anti inflammatories that did the trick. With about a week to go I was actually feeling okay.

Part 5- RKC WEEKEND ARRIVES!!!

Workout #4 & #5- 5/14/10

What a great week of workouts! I felt awesome! Day 4 was my kettlebell and pullup day. I decided I am going to set of goal of trying to pass the SSST (Secret Service Snatch Test). This involves being able to snatch a 24 k kettlebell 200 times in 10 min. Best I've ever done was 160 in 10 min. So, my first goal will be to do it with a 16 k. Never done this. After I hit this I will work on doing it with a 20 k. The strength part is not an issue. Its my cardiovascular and muscular endurance. I'll build up the endurance with a lighter weight and gradually go up. I am in no rush to get this. I will take my time and gradually build my endurance.

As for day 5, I am still tweaking my workouts on this day. I am not doing a max effort lift for squats because I didn't see the point (I have no "current" desire to compete in the squat) yet I do want to continue to build my leg strength. So, I will make this a heavier squat day just not do the max lift. Also, I think doing a max effort squat and deadlift workout in the same week (2 days apart nonetheless) would just be too much. I have also changed up my speed deadlift work. I will now be doing these with 35 pound plates instead of the standard 45 pound plates. This makes the bar closer to the ground and helps with your initial pull (my weakest part of the deadlift). I will still be using chains and/or bands on this.

Heres what I did:

Day 4

Turkish getups- 24 k x 3 each arm
KB Snatch- 16 k x 6 each arm for 10 minutes on the minute (120 reps in 10 min)
Clean and press ladders (light day)- 28 k for 3 ladders of 2 rungs each (9 total reps)
Neutral grip pullup- BW x 9, 7, 6
Situps- BW x 11, 11, 11, 10, 10 (53 total reps)
KB windmills- 16 k x 4 each side x 3 sets

Day 5

2 hand swings- 20 k x 15 reps a min. on the min. for 5 min (75 reps in 5 min)

SSB Squats- 225 x 5 reps x 4 sets
(in between sets I did 5 sets of 8 reps of neck extensions)

Bench press- 175x5, 185x5, 195x5, 205x5, 215x5
(in bewteen sets I did 5 sets of 8 reps of barbell curls)

Speed deadlift (w/ 35 pound plates)- 225+ 10 lb of chain x 1 x 3 sets, 225+20 lb of chain x 1 x 3 sets, 225+30 lb of chain x 1 x 3 sets (only 45 sec. breaks)

Question of the week: Living to 100...Healthy Living or Good Genes?

When I was a child, my grandmother had a friend that was well over 80 years old. She smoked like crazy...at least 2 packs a day. She had been smoking like this since she was in her teens. Then one day at around 86 years old she said "I quit". Cigarettes had gotten just too expensive so she quit cold turkey. About a year later she died. Until the day she died she kept a beautiful garden in her backyard chocked full of tomatoes, grapevines, figs (all the stuff old Greek ladies grow). This definitely kept her active but her smoking???....uhgggg!

Then there's Jack Lalanne. My hero. Father of fitness. America's original fitness trainer. At 95 years old, Jack is still working out and touring the country spreading the word about healthy living. He claims he's never had a drop of alcohol or caffiene, lives a vegetarian lifestyle (eats some fish), and hasn't missed a workout in over 60 years. I think it's safe to say that good ole' Jack has another 10-15 years left with us.

So what do you think is the key to living to 100...healthy living or just the luck of having good genes?

Workout #3- 5/12/10

Awesome workout today! I absolutely cannot believe how strong my back feels. I am 2weeks back into deadlifting after a 3 month layoff from it (due to a strained hamstring). I haven't deadlifted at all but have been doing swings like crazy (1 hand swings, 2 hand swings, 2 KB swings). Today I maxed on the Rack Deadlift (2 holes up) and came within 5 pounds of the most I had ever done (and this was 4 weeks prior to my last competition in 2008!!!). I really think I could have beaten it today but I am trying to be PATIENT (something I'm not too good at but I am learning...the hard way I may add).

Here's what I did today:

2 hand swing- 20k x 14 x 5 sets (70 reps in 5 min...slowly moving back up)

Rack deadlift (2 holes up/ bar at kneecap)- 225x3, 315x3, 405x3, 455x1, 495x1, 545x1 (added belt on this), 585x1, 445x3 (no belt)
(in between sets I did 5 sets of 12 neck flexions with plate on forehead)

Leg press- 3 sets of 8 reps
(in between sets I did 45 degree back extensions- BWx 11, 10, 10)

Cambered bar bench press- 185x8, 190x8, 195x8
(in between sets I did leg curls for 3 sets of 10)

Workout took exactly 1 hour.

Workout #2- 5/11/10

Days 2 and 4 are my "Fun with Kettlebells " days. These are my days to work on my conditioning, do some snatch work, pullups, core specific work, and try new stuff. Eventually, I'm gonna start doing some Pistol Squats. I've always been impressed with people that can do these. I don't care if you can squat 1000 pounds, a pistol squat is a whole different ball game!

Here's what I did today:

Turkish get ups- 20 k x 3 each side (took around 8 minutes...nice and slow!)

Snatches- 32k x 3 each side x 2 sets, then 2 each side for 8 sets (done min on the min for 10 min/ 44 total reps)

KB Military press ladders- 28 k x 3 ladders with 4 rungs each (30 reps each arm)

Neutral grip pullups- BW x 8, 6, 5 (can you tell I hadn't done theses in a while?)

KB Windmills- 16 k x 3 each side x 3 sets

Situps- 2 sets of 11 reps, 3 sets of 10 reps (52 total reps)

Whole workout took 55 minutes.

Workout #1- 5/10/10

I made one slight change in my routine. I was doing a max effort day for each of my 3 lifts each week. Since I really have no plans to compete in the squat any time soon, I've altered my routine so that I am now doing a max effort day for my bench and deadlift but not for my squat. So, 2 days a week (M & F) I will be doing rep work on the squat. I plan do do mostly 5 sets of 5 reps on both these days. I may eventually make one of these days heavier but for now it will be 5x5. On Wed. I will do leg press.

The first exercise I did today was a "Foam Press". This is a max effort lift for the bench press. I take one of those foam rollers (the kind people roll on for IT band stretching), put it under my shirt and bring the bar down to it. It's like a board press but it has some give (unlike a 2x4 in. board).

Here's what I did today:

2 hand kettlebell swings (warmup)- 20kg x 13 a min on the min for 5 minutes (65 reps in 5 min.)

Foam Press- 225x3, 315x3, 365x2, 380x1, 395x1, 400xmiss, 300 (75% of max)x8
(in between sets I did neck extensions for 5 sets of 10 reps)

Sumo Deadlift- 190x5, 200x5, 210x5, 220x5, 230x5
(in between sets I did cable triceps extension 5 sets of 10 reps)

Squat- 190x5, 195x5, 200x5, 205x5, 210x5
(in between I did barbell curls for 5 sets of 8 reps)

Workout #5- 5/7/10

Here's what I did today;

2 hand swings (warmup)- 20 kg x 12 a min. on the min. for 5 min (60 reps total)

Rack squat (14 holes up/ about a 1/4 squat)- 225x3, 315x3, 365x3, 405x3, 455x3, 505x3
(in between sets I did neck extensions for 5 sets of 12 reps)

Bench press- 170x5 (about 50% of current raw max), 180x5, 190x5, 200x5, 210x5
(in between sets I did EZ bar curls for 5 sets of 8 reps)

Speed Deadlift (45 sec. breaks)- 225 x 1x 3 sets, 225+10 lbs of chain x 1 x 3 sets, 225+20 lbs of chain x 1 x 3 sets

Good week. Slowly feel my strength coming back!

Question of the week: What sport has the fittest athletes?

What sport has the fittest athletes?

In my opinion, Olympic wrestlers are by far the fittest athletes. These athletes are animals! Run a marathon? No problem. Bench 2x their bodyweight? No problem. They are the total package in my opinion. Strength, endurance, and flexibility.

What do you think?

Workout #4- 5/6/10

Here's what I did today:

Turkish Get Up- 16k x 4 each side

Snatch- 16k x 5 each side for 10 min on the min (100 reps in 10 min)

KB Military Press- 32k x 3 ladders with 3 rungs each (18 total reps)

Tactical Pullup ladders- BW x 3 ladders with 3 rungs each

Sit ups- 5 sets of 10

Leg curls- 5 sets of 10 reps

Workout #3- 5/5/10

Those of you who are familiar with the Westside Barbell Club template may notice that I am doing kind of a "hybrid" version of it. I altered it in such a way that my version is basically a 3 day a week template (Westside uses a 4 day a week template). This way it allows me to be able to do some kettlebell-dedicated work 2 days a week. I definitely do not want to get away from the Kbells because of what they have done for me (improved cardio, stronger back, stronger shoulders, and my joint mobility....you should see the depth in my squats!) but I love getting back to the heavy weights again. Basically, the method to my mayhem is this: each week I do a max effort lift, a dynamic effort lift, and a repetiton effort lift for each of my 3 lifts. While I am resting in between sets, I'll do a single joint exercise that hits either my weak muscles or show muscles (gotta work the guns!). Each workout has only taken about an hour and I feel my strength surging back already.

Here's what I did today:

2 handed swings (as a warmup)- 20 kg x 11 a min/ on min. (55 swings in 5 min)

Rack deadlift 3 holes up (just above knees)- 225x3, 315x3, 405x3, 495x2, 585x1, 605x1, 625x1 (30 lbs under max)
(in between sets I did neck extensions for 5 sets of 15 reps)

Squat (first time doing barbell squats in about 4 months...felt good!)- 185x5, 190x5, 195x5, 200x5, 205x5
(in between sets I did neck flexion with plate on forehead for 5 sets of 15 reps)

Dips- BW (body weight) x 15, 15, 11
(in between sets I did 45 degree back extensions for 3 sets of 10 reps)

Higher rep kettlebell work tommorrow!

My RKC Journey Pt. 3

I'm a personal trainer. Been one for 17 years. I have a degree in Physical Education, a few certifications, read tons of journals, and attend seminars, clinics, and workshops regularly. This being said, I by no means consider myself a "fitness expert" (most who do usually aren't). I know alot about the fitness world and about strength and conditioning in general but I definitely do not know it all. This was the whole reason I went to another trainer to help me learn about the world of kettlebells. What I didn't realize was "how much" there was to learn. It can't possibly all be learned in 2 or 3 one hour sessions...just can't. See, I learned a ton from Sandy Sommer the first 3 times we met. I learned proper body alignment, technique, how to hold the bell, how to "root" your feet, etc., but let's be honest, you can only learn so much in 3 hours of instruction.

SO, here I was about 3 months into training for my RKC certification (it is now around mid February)) and I start getting this weird, "crampy", twitching sensation in my hamstrings. Not just while exercising, but while I was walking, standing, sitting, or even lying in bed. What do I do about it? Exactly what I tell my clients NOT to do...I ignored it. It was Monday. I put on my workout gear, cranked up some Motorhead on my ipod and went to town with my swing focused routine. I did like 300+ swings with a 32 kg (70 lb) kettlebell. Hamstrings felt "weird" but I still felt great at the end of the workout. The next day, Tuesday, I did my normal powerlifting routine. A maxout deadlift was on the agenda. I did my normal warmup: 135x5, 225x3, 315x1. Hammy? A bit "crampy" but so far so good. I go up to 405...good. 435...good. 455..."POP"!!! Sounded like someone slammed a book on the ground. I snapped my left hamstring. Immediatley started turning purple. Man did this suck! The worst part about this was that 455 was not suppose to be anywhere near my max. I was shooting to get around 500. But not today. Here I was about 10 weeks away from attempting to earn one of the most demanding fitness certifications one can get (RKC) and I blow my hamstring DEADLIFTING of all things (most RKC's would probably tell you I had no business attempting a max deadlift this close to RKC weekend).

My first thought was "There is no way I'm gonna be able to do RKC weekend!" I had been dedicating myself for 3 months now to get ready for this major fitness related event and now I can barely walk.

I woke up the next morning and at least it didn't hurt worse (felt about the same). Of course I was loaded on ibuprofin, Icy Hot, and had been icing it like crazy. For the hell of it I decided to see if I could do a squat (again, not smart). Somehow I was able to do that with no pain. So what do I do? I decided to go ahead and do my workout for the day. Swings were definitely out of the question for quite a while but I could still press, light squat, and maybe even do Turkish Get Ups. I went through my press-focused routine without much trouble. Instead of swings I used the rower to work my conditioning (this didn't hurt either). Instead of cleaning the bells to get in position for the press, I put the bells on a high bench and just kind of lifted them up into position. I squatted with just one 16 k and did some mobility work. This workout went totally fine and didn't cause any additional pain. I avoided anything that effected my hamstring. My feeling was that if I can at least maintain my conditioning level then in a few weeks this will heal and MAYBE I could pull this off. But what about the dreaded RKC Snatch test? Well, I even figured out a way to train for this without effecting my hamstring. A while back I came across a video on youtube of a guy doing snatches while seated. Thought it looked goofy and wondered why anyone would even bother. Well, turns out this would be my saving grace. So the next workout I tried the seated snatch and discovered I could continue snatching in this fashion while my hamstring healed. I was still training my cardiovascular endurance in the same manner as if I were doing the standing version. My shoulders were receiving the same attention. I even felt I was getting my hips into the movement somewhat. It simply took the strain off my hammy. This was great! Huge confidence booster. I even made a video of it that I placed on youtube (check it out- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnnzqGuf5Uo). I did these for about 4 weeks before I felt confident enough to go back to the standing version.

After the hammy healed I decided to meet with Sandy to figure out why this happened. Turns out my swing form was off. I had been so focused on "hinging" at the hips, that I wasn't bending my knees at all. By doing this I turned the exercise into sort of a ballistic stiff legged deadlift (OUCH!). This of course lead to tendinitis (which I ignored), which lead to a strained hamstring. He helped me get my form back on track during our session and I was back in business!

-to be continued

Workout #2- 5/4/10

Day 2 and 4 will be "extra" workout days for me. These will be the days that I focus on kettlebell work, lagging muscle groups, rehab/prehab, and cardio. Again, alot of this stuff I hadn't done in a few months (since I was training for RKC) so i started very slow. I am a firm believer in GRADUAL progression. I'd rather start back super slow and build myself back up than start too quick and get hurt.

Here's what I did:

Turkish Get Up- 16 k x 3 each side (in about 6.5 minutes)

Windmills- 16 k x 10 each side

Kettlebell snatch- 32 k x 2 each side a min./on the min. for 10 min. (40 reps total)

Tactical pullup ladders (thumbless grip)- 3 ladders with 3 rungs each (total of 18 reps)

Situps- 5 sets of 10 reps

leg curls- 5 sets of 10 reps

Not too hard, not super easy. the snatches felt really good. I will gradually build up the reps on this. Felt good not having the pressure of RKC weekend looming!

I'm back!! Workout

It's my first day back working out since RKC weekend. I started a new workout revolving around the Big 3 (bench, squat, deadlift). Since I haven't benched in nearly 2 weeks and haven't barbell deadlifted in over 2 months (since my hammy strain) I kind of tested myself today and didn't go crazy. I'll explain my methodology in a later post.

2 hand swings (warmup)- 20 kg x 10 reps a min/ on min. (50 reps in 5 min)

1 board bench press- 45x20, 225x3, 275x3, 295x2, 315x1, 325x1, 335x1, 340x1 (40 lbs under my best)
(in between bench sets I did neck extensions-5 sets of 20 reps light weight)

Deadlift- 185x5, 195x5, 205x5, 215x5, 225x5
(in between sets I did cable triceps extensions-5 sets of 10 reps light weight)

Angled leg press- 3 sets of 8 reps
(in between sets I did barbell curls- 4 sets of 8 reps)

felt good to handle some weight again (if you call this weight!)