Kettlebell or dumbell all have use.

March 22nd.

Warmup: Indian clubs, battling ropes, and light kettlebell joint mobility.
100 reps of 40lbs 1 arm,dumbbell,split snatch.
100 reps of 24kg standing kettelbell press.
2 mile run latter in day

I thought I would use dumbbell snatch for a change. Each rep was a full floor to overhead movement. Used the Olympic style dumbbell, so it was a fast and smooth movement. The down side is that if I was using 50lbs or more I could not decelerate the weight as it dropped so I usually have my pit with the wood chips and just drop the weight so as not to over stress back and shoulders trying to control recovery.

March 21th
Warmup: 50 10lb wall balls, stretch bands.
6 rounds No rest!
10- 225lb dead lift
10 burpees
Rest 10 min.
40- 20 kg thrusters L/R
40- pull-ups

March 20th.
30 bike ride with bike club. Nice day for early spring but low participation for a great day. Some work ahead to get into bike riding form.

March 19th.
Warm up: indian clubs, stretch bands,
16kg kettlebell , push jerk, swings, cleans.
2-16kg kettlebell, push jerk.
10 sets of 5 pullups


March 18th.
16 mile bike ride in morning
Kettlebell bootcamp class seminar for new members
March 17th.
Today’s training:
Warmup: Indian clubs, light kettlebell H2H and SHOT drills.
4-3 min sets of Kettlebell snatch 14 reps per min.
4 sets of kettlebell cleans at 15 reps per min.
4 sets of push jerk at 18 reps per min.
Dumbbell heavy rowing set of 10 reps

A good SWAT or GS session.

March 14thrd.


Today’s training:
Warmup; Indian clubs

SWAT Gear Shuttle(jeff Martone’s WOD)

3 rnds for Time: 18:40 only did one round as things got too sloppy.



10x burpee + 50 yrd farmer carry @ (2) 32kg + 10 burpee + 50 yrd farmer carry the 32kg back to start.(use 70#dumbells instead of kettlebells. )


10x burpee+ 50 yrd rack hold carry (2) 24kg + 10 burpee + rack hold carry the 53’s back to start.


10x burpee + Overhead carry (2) 16kg kb’s 50 yrds+ 10x burpee+ OH carry the 16’s back to start

Note: This WOD was designed to simulate a long SWAT call-up retrieving gear back and forth going down range. 3 rnds = 180 burpees & 900 yrds of carry (almost a click!).

second session: 5 x 25 reps with 21-16kg. kettlebells push jerk with 2 min rest between sets.

Stopped after doing one round, not from fatigue but the form on all the kettlebell walking holds I have to practice a little to maintain technique which is the hardest part. I will get the three rounds at some time, as this is a great GS prep session as well as a tactical session.

a review of Kettlebell lifts and form.

March 8th.


Today’s training

10 Reps Towards KB Perfection(Jeff Martone’s Tactical Athletic blog)

Prescribed weight – whatever you need to perform perfect reps. Perform 10 reps each arm for all one-arm exercises. My weights ranged for 40kg on the floor press to 16kg on the TGU to get good form. No rest between sets.


10 One-arm Floor Presses R/L
10 Arm-Bar Stretches R/L
10 Double Floor Presses
10 Turkish Get Ups R/L
10 Military Press R/L
10 Push-Presses R/L
10 Russian Swings-GS
10 Power Swings
10 American Swings
10 Swing Releases
10 One-Arm Swings R/L
10 Half Rotations Switches
10 H2H Switches
10 KB Dead Cleans R/L
10 KB (Swing) Cleans R/L
10 Bottoms-up Cleans R/L
10 Double KB Cleans
10 Thrusters
10 Snatches R/L

Jeff has a great WOD in this session as it covers all of the major moves and make for a great review like myself who sometimes forgets to use some of the basic moves like the Turkish get up. I really do suck at the Turkish get-up and do it so infrequently I think because I only did it during workshops or certifications. I guess it’s time to bring it back into my routine every so often.

the kettlebell press has to be part of the program.

March 7th.


Today’s training:


1st bike ride of the season. Took MT bike as the roads are filled with sand and crap from the winter. The DPW will have some extra work as the winter has not been kind to roads. Anyway it was a great 18 mile ride keeping spin rate high.


Warn up Indian clubs……love them things


35 pullups ( haft ass kipping)


Long cycle: 20 kg for 2-5 min sets 6 reps per min.

Kettlebell press is not in the GS program except for some unofficial meets that have the chair press. I found out recently that the GS press was eliminated in 1973 in Europe which incidentally a year after the Olympic committee eliminated the standing press from the Olympic lifting 3 lift competition. I was there for the last OL competition in the USA 1972 that had the press, which was difficult to judge with the body wip and extreme hyperextension that resembles a “standing bench press” . No doupt the GS press had a similar problems of keeping the strictness of the press as a strength lift as opposed to a ballistic lift of the jerk.

When I first got into training with kettlebells, I noticed that the champs in the GS were not that muscular considering the lifting volume of the training. Then I remembered the body mass of the Olympic lifters before the press was eliminated and after. Lifters who used the press as part of their three lift were required to perform more absolute strength modalities, where it was changed to a 2 lift ballistic movement which reduces good old hypertrophy especially the upper body. More on this subject later.

better kettlebell rack

March 6th.


Today’s training:


~2 mile run on the roads. Faster than I wanted but the legs just wanted to go.


Back to the gym at Fair Oaks-somewhat zapped from the run.


Warn up Indian clubs……love them things


35 pullups ( haft ass kipping)


Long cycle: 20 kg for 2-5 min sets 6 reps per min.


Push jerk: 50 reps AFAP

Skills set: worked on cleans and rack placement to form better activation of the erector spinae which will not hyperextend that well. Will I get it? Not completely as my back is a mess from powerlifting. without a efficent racking of the kettlebell, long heavy sets will suck.

Don't close my parks!

March 4th.

this is one of the better views of one of the parks I trail run(when the snow is gone) It takes about 45 mins from the road to get to this ledge, but its worth it.

Today’s training:

~2 mile run in the park. Another good run and starting to get my ultra stride back making it fun again.
Back to the gym at Fair Oaks: now world famous
Warn up Joint mobility and Indian clubs
Power dead hang cleans  with barbell. Concentrate on speed and force transfer from feet


Push jerks: up the rack of kettlebells from 12 to 32kg. sets of 10 each arm with the power cleans. Over 120 reps
Heavy dumbbell cleans; 4 sets . from the hang but no swing


36kg swings to cool down.

Later in the day worked on Log press…….yes I have a lifting log for strongman sets. Just over a 100 lbs to work on the technique, but later I want to get to clean 300 sometime this year but pressing it will not happen no doubt. It one of my many toys I have fun with.


My wife wants me to get rid of my beat up kegs. I rarely use them and they are an eye sore. I have two almost brand new so I can shead some junk.


Our state governor has decided to close some(26) state parks to save money and take care of budget short fall as the state spends money like a drunken bum. These parks are a source of low cost family recreation for those can least afford other more expensive forms of entrainment. Nothing like improving the quality of life in our state, governor, so it no wonder there is a net loss in state population . Did you do this to piss people off so everyone feels the pain, when he cuts education and transportation, so no one feels left out? Well our governor who is under pressure to resign for a number of illegal actions will be gone soon, but his fallout last for a long time.

I have used two of the state parks set for closure, for the last 25 years, as part of my training programs, so I see the use in all the seasons by hikers, bikers, picnicking, and swimming, or just plain nature walking. It is the various hiking trails, which are some of the best on the east coast where I use for my trail running. Is that going to change my usage? Hell no! I will jump the fence or whatever obstacle the state puts up and do what I always do, run the trails and dodge the snakes.

There is nothing like the primal act of running the hiking trails, which is a combination of running, climbing and walking to recover so you can spend several hours in very intense exercise. Most people think of trail running, they think cross country running. Cross country may have dirt paths or trails but they don’t have the obstacles like rocks or very steep inclines that require the use of hands to pull yourself up and catch rocks and trees to decelerate on the way down. It not uncommon to have to traverse a rapid icy steam or a muddy swamp, if it’s on the map. Then depending on the time of year, there is the bugs, snakes, and even bears. All this can be a fun experience and not some fanatical arranged training session.

excuses not welcome

March 3nd

Todays training:

Morning:

Kettlebell class

Later in the morning.

Warm-up: Indian Clubs, joint mobility

20 min on c2 rower

Skills work on GS cleans and snatch. Time to fine tune as the training is increased.

I was talking to someone I was training who was on vacation for a week. The lament was that there was no exercise the past week and there was some guilt. I have heard hundreds of excuses for not continuing one exercise program as though I would be angry or upset, but I learned long ago that I can only show you the way to get well, and It is up to the individual to maintain the effort by fitting it in your life style.

The best way to maintain an exercise program is to ask yourself each time you train, “what am I doing this for?”if you don’t have a good answer based on a pre conceived mental model, then you will not continue training, and get results. There has to be an emotional connection and plan to what you do or it just temporary activity.

This young lady is doing something to get her picture taken, but I like to know what she is trying to accomplish. I hope she does not have implants or they will rupture.....What!  I am only looking after her safety.

too many kettlebells so little time to use them all

Mach 2nd


Todays training:


Morning:


2 mile run in park. Warm and had a great run. Must be the change in weather.


Later in the morning.


Warm-up: Indian Clubs, joint mobility


50 reps pushups, jumping pull-ups, leg ups, and squats


5 rounds no time, 2 kettlbells……… can be set down after the 9 reps each set.


1 rep standing press (28kg, last set 32kg just 4 reps).


3 reps push press


5 reps push jerk


Good strength session but ran out of ATP on the last set.

I was looking at my inventory of kettlebells, which is more than gyms have, and will start to get rid of some of my old non competition bells. I was told a few years ago by Steve Cotter that I would be getting rid the completion bells weather I was competing in GS or not. They are just more ergonomically efficient for all types of training instead of the fat handle style. 85 percent of all kettlebells sold are non competition style you see people using, however most train with the kettlebell in exercise that they could just as well use a dumbbell or barbells. One example would be a kettlebell bent rowing, that has no advantage over using a dumbbell, besides you can have more weight selection from 5-200 lbs.

Spring is on its way.

March 1st

Todays training:
Morning: short run
Warm-up: Indian Clubs, jump rope,
Battling Ropes: 1 min sets
50/50 reps kettlebell snatch


5 rounds
3 reps 85% deadlift
2 reps L sits pullup and hold.
50 reps 2-kettlebell long cycle.

Well to my mind the winter is over when it reaches March 1st although it still has 2 feet of snow laying around from the last “global warming” snow storm. It will be gone soon and there may even be some more snow, but the air is warmer and days are longer so it time to ramp up the training program into “spring training”

My dog is leading me to my gym" it time to make the donuts" .