kettlebell "Fran"

Oct. 30 fri.
Today's training:

Morning: 45min walk/run

Afternoon:
Warm up with work on the heavy bag, Indian clubs, and light swings.
Barbell Deadlift: 5 sets of 5 reps 250lbs to warm up hips.

"Kettlebell Fran"
21,15,9 reps for time
2-20kg kettlebells thrusters( more like a box squat thruster)
pull ups: Did I ever tell you they suck.
7:38 my best time for Fran. I think I will go for 24kg next as I don't think i will be much faster anyway.

When I did my Kettlebell Crossfit cert. with Jeff Martone, we never did this routine. I guess he wanted to be somewhat human.

kettlebell sleep upset

Oct.29Th.
Today's training:
Morning; 15 mile bike ride just to flex the legs.

Night: warm up with heavy bag, Indian Clubs and jump rope

Kettlebell Long cycle: 2-12kg. 3 sets of 2 min.
2-16kg 4 sets of 1min. @ 6reps per min.
2-20kg. 2 sets of 1min. @ 6 reps per min.
1-24kg 2 sets of 5 reps per hand. in 1 min.
1-28kg 1 set of 5 reps per hand in 1 min.

The long cycle is still a long work in progress, especially the clean efficiency. I think the next session I will reduce the volume some and increase the duration.
I was real busy yesterday so I trained late after supper so when I went to bed, my sleep was not sound and got up early and hungry. Lesson learned.

You can steal my signs but not my fitness

Oct.27th.
today's training:
10 mins on the heavy Tai bag. Hard punches and kicks for power.
3 x 500 meter sets on C2 rower.
10 x 30/30 sec intervals on C2
3 sets of 20 reps back squats with 100 lbs.
5 rounds.

Dumbbell split clean 35lbs for 10 reps (not as easy as it looks but a great less use exercise)
jumping pull ups for 10 reps

At night: 12 and 16kg snatches for 1min/1min. at 20 reps per min.



The first session was great with a very good warm up. The "Erin" crossfit session was modified to provide a good but not balls out session. The primary workout was the snatch session in the afternoon.



A fellow fitness trainer I know told me of how other trainers steal the signs that she puts out as advertising and spying on the training to see the attendance and activity level. For the person at the receiving end of this negative activity,when all should promote a positive program to makes people fit and happy, it is a real downer. Yes, there is a lot of competition in the fitness business dollars, as there is just so many potential costumers available in a limited market, such as we have. Our area is a wash with all kinds of fitness programs, from spinning, Zumba,crossfit, globo gyms, martial arts, personal training and Yoga. Each fitness business thinks he or she has the best program, and most go out of their way to degrade or demonizing the other person's programs or competition. My answer to all this, is that if someone is criticizing you, or targeting you, then you are a threat, which makes you the chief completion. You have arrived and making progress. Stay the course on what you believe is the best way to serve you clients and that's all you can do. If you are making your clients happy and successful then they will come back that is all you can do.


Our American society evaluates a product by who has be best verbal execution to explain their product not on facts or real value numbers to base their promotion. We can flap our lips all day that our product is better than the next, but at the end of the day it is factual numbers or real performance is the way to evaluate a products worth. Its when you have perform at a high level and get Measueable results, that is where most fitness business don't make the grade. There are few before and after pictures to show.



Oct. 26th
Today's training:
warm up: Heavy bag, stretch bands, and light Kettlebells.
2-12kg 40 reps push press
2-16kg. 1min. at 12 reps per min for 5 sets
2-20kg 1min. at 10 reps per min for 5 sets
1-24kg. 5 reps per hand for 10 sets and 5 pull ups
Oct 25th.
today's training:
a nice bike ride on a windy day. around 25 miles.

mixed bag on a rainy day.

Oct.24Th.

Today's training:

Warm up: 5000 meters on C2. solid pace.

New circuit: 25 min AMRAP
One leg deadlift: 3 reps each leg with 24kg
kettlebell Long cycle 3 reps each arm with 24kg.
pull up/burpee: 3 reps
10 GHD sit ups:
Barbell rowing: 3 reps with 200#
sand bag front squat: 3 reps with 80 reps.

circuit was done for 25min. I can increase the weights but I had to start somewhere.
The one leg deadlift I have not done in some time but they really work the hamstrings.
I did the rowing a moderate pace as a warm up but that's a long warm up.

Haft snatch can help get more reps

Oct. 23rd.

Today's training: 3 mile walk-run in the morning


warm up with Indian Clubs, stretch bands and light kettlebells.
Kettlebell snatch: 12kg 70/70 in 7 mins.
16kg, 25/25 2 sets
20kg 15/15 4 sets of haft snatch.
3 sets of 10 pullups
2 sets of situps and back extentions on GHD

the art of war

Oct. 22 Thurs.
So you want to be a warrior

Today's training: Rest day.

3 mile walk in the morning.

20 mile bike ride. Great weather 70 deg.

Long ago I had the opportunity to see a Foreign Legion training center when I lived in France. It most austere facility with very basic equipment, with ropes, pull up bars, an obstacle coarse that really just a trail in the woods but with very difficult terrain. It was very primitive by all standards. These professional solders used rocks as resistance and did self defence on plan ground with no padding. Once they got out of basic program, they got to use the best equipment in the business. However, if the perspective solder of the legion checked out how they hard they trained prior to signing on the dotted line, they would had a lot fewer operators.

I was told that training in this rigid environment, using austere equipment has a more realistic physical connection for combat operations then that you would see in a modern gym with all those shinny machines. It must be working as they are the fittest recruits I have ever witnessed at that time.

Up grade the military fitness.

Oct: 21th.



Early outdoor fitness center. Notice no weights or treadmills.

Today's training:
warm up: 10 min. on heavy bag, Indian clubs. stretch bands

Long cycle 2-12kg. kettlebells for 3 min at 8 reps per min. 3-3min sets for 75 reps total
Long cycle 1-16 kg kettlebell for 12 min. switch on the min.
5 sets 5 reps pull ups and 20 sit ups.
Afternoon: a 15 mile bike ride. great weather.
I have seen several blogs articles discussion on the subject of military PT and testing. The consciences of trainers today that the fitness education within the military is somewhat irrelevant or deficient to prepare our military for today's operations. What has happen now in the present battlefield, military personnel are carrying a lot more equipment and age demographics has increased. I have also been told,especially form Marine corps recruits are less fit in general then ever before. Well we in the fitness business know all this as we see it each day. So what do we do?

Don't use officers and senior enlisted that don't have a least fitness trainer education to train recurits. You would not use a truck driver to cut your hair, would you? Next change the general exercises to enhance the work capacity and varied intensity. Then make the PT test more functional using several test routines so the solder will have to be total fit instead of fit to do push up, a short runs or a few sit ups. Lastly the test should be done in full gear and increased load, not in Nike's and jock straps. Even our police and fireman train and test in full gear they will be operating in.

Warfare is constantly changing as the target adopts and the war zone become more difficult. In Afghanistan, most of the country is at high altitude and requires opeators to traverse difficult mountains, with heavy gear, in a low oxygen atmosphere. To operate is such an environment a military will require higher fitness levels just to get to the fight.

Running can be hazardous to your health sometimes

Oct. 19th.

Today's training:

run in morning for three miles.

Second session:

Warm up with Indian clubs and stretch bands.

10 min 16kg snatch at 15 reps per min.

4 times 20kg snatch for 10 reps each hand 80 reps total.

5 sets of 220lbs barbell deadlift for 10 reps

5 sets of hand stand push up for 10 reps.

Over the weekend there were three deaths during the Detroit Marathon. Now that is most unusual even with the large numbers that run marathons. You hear about someone dies at some running race, mostly in the summer months but its still rare. The fact remains that most people who run are fit enough to become mostly "bullet proof" to cardiac problems it they training properly and have the appropriate physical assessment to allow them to participate safely. these three runners ranging in age from 26-60 years old all died of cardiac arrest.

I have run over 60 marathons and never had someone die during the race when I ran back in the 70 and 80's and even ran with people who had previous heart attacks without any more problems. Maybe its changed now and you have people running marathons that have not prepared themselves for the stress of this type of running. Back in the day you did not attempt to run a marathon only after you have scores of races of shorter distances of 5-to 20km under your belt.

Back in the day, I participated in close to a hundred road and track races before attempting a marathon. Also ran 50 miles a week at varied distances and speed during the week. So when I decided to run one, I ran it a 3:05 min first time with just a little leg soreness the next day. Just speculating as I don't know any of the three individuals that passed away doing what they like doing(or maybe not), but proper preparation may have played a part in their ultimate demise.

We are all sorry it happen, but it reminds us that some physical activity is not completely without hazard no matter how well the event is produced. But some kind of study should be lanched to determine if there is a common tread for the three runners demise.

Use the correct tools

Oct 14th.

today's training:
warm up with Indian clubs, jump rope( its really plastic) stretch bands.
100 pull ups
100 ring dips( first time and did them so my toes touches as I was not use to the depth.)
4x10 reps of belt squats off boxes.
50 GHD situps and back extensions


second session: 50 min walk-run.


I like using kettlebells myself for a lot of my training, but I think the general public tries to use kettlebells in all types of creative exercises which will yield marginal results, but would be better served by using the proper exercise tool. I see people deadlifting with kettlebells when they should be using heavy dumbells or a barbell instead. The heavy kettlebell you see in a gym is a 40kg and most people men an woman when instructed in deadlift can lift two times that much in a few sessions. Exercises like Turkish get up and windmill are strongmen type exercises and not really the function of kettlebells unless you are using extra heavy kettlebells like 50 and 60kgs. I routinely deadlift with 300-450 lbs so I don't use kettlebells for that exercise.



The kettlebell is designed to be a strength work capacity tool not an absolute strength tool like a heavy barbell can accomplish. Therefore if you can long cycle 2-32kg kettlebells for reps, then you should be using 200 to 300lbs barbell power cleans for a couple of reps for absolute strength development.

power cleans for pull speed

Oct 5th.

Today's training:

Jump rope, and stretch bands and stick movements.
2 min high pulls with 24kg kettlebells.
21,18,15,12,9,3. reps for time
barbell power cleans
GHD situps
GHD back extentions.
17:44 min. ( the situps suck but you can't like everything)

look at pain don't turn away.

Oct 4th.
Today's training:
warmup: jump rope, indian clubs, and stretch bands and reverse hypers.

2 min of swings with 16kg
5x2min long cycle with 2-16kg kettlebells at 7 reps per min.
20 min long cycle one 20 kg kettlebell. 6 reps per min.
3 sets of 10 ab roller.
hang pull ups to deload back

Great session!

I was reading an article on pain in exercise that can be tolerated more by group interaction then individual. Daaah! when you are working with someone else or in a group exercise session, you really disassociate the pain and therefore you don't feel as much of the truma resulting from the action taking place. That is also why they have big screen TV in Globo gyms are provided to members running on cardio-gerbil equipment so they can disassociate the boardum and discomfort.
However, there will be times when you have to be alone with your demons of pain and discomfort so you have do lean to focues on this so you know if it is fatgue pain or injury inducing pain. when I ran long distance races, even running in a group I always focus on my internal action in regards to heart rate and musle pain to optimize perfromance. Yes, you can ignore pain but it more benificual to focuse on it and most times it goes away in fear.

Crossfit to pre exhust for kettlebell GS

Oct. 2 Friday



WO du jour:
Warm up: some Buddy Lee jump roping but not like he can. You got to appreciate a 35 dollar jump rope.

100 tire slams for a little functional work.

Indian clubs: I did not hit my head today.

50 snatches with the 12kg. kettlebell


Crossfit "Cindy" 5 rounds of 5 pull ups, 10 push ups,15sit ups and 20 air squats.

6 min snatch set with 16kg one hand change@ 16 rep per min.

Crossfit Cindy for 5 more rounds faster.

4 min of 20 kg snatch@ 14 reps per min.

21 mins of good work.



Now the method to my madness today was to pre exhaust my body for the snatch part of the training By using Crossfit Cindy. I pre exhausted somewhat my system so I was fatigued going into the snatch sets. Normally I use the AKC protocol of timed intervals to prepare for the 10 min time lifts, increasing the numbers and time when possible. However, I have old shoulders that hang by a thread so by going with high rep sets to achieve the 10 min work capacity is not in my best interest all the time.

Now the purest in GS will argue that this won't work that well, but I have evidence that it will based on past training for endurance events, that it will. The object of developing work capacity is to fatigue the body before the extremities. In my case, my arms will fatigue long before my body will due to larger arms, chest, inefficient technique and minimal range of motion. Therefore I did the snatches in a fatigued condition that felt like I in a 10 min set instead of a 4 min sets thereby saving my shoulders.

When I was training for 50 and 100 mile road races, I did most of my running on hiking trails with lots of rocks and steep inclines and declines with weighted packs. By training on trails provided me with a large work capacity that I could not get by running a flat roads at a low pulse rate.

kettlebell work capacity

Sept 29
WO du jour:

10 min heavy bag warm up

10,000 lbs dead lift 2-40kg kettlebells 57 reps

7,500 lbs hang cleans: 2-20kg kettlebells 85 reps

5,000lbs push press: 2-16kg kettlebells 71 reps

20 min. total time. 22,500 lbs total poundage.

The objective today is to replicate the three lifts in kettlebells instead of a barbell, which I do faster as I use higher weights and less reps. Also by utilizing kettebells in pairs is to improve handling for GS lifting. This session is for plain old work capacity but kept a steady slow pace to insure form as mine sucks with the twin kettlebells.

Sept 28th Sat.
WO du jour:
10 min. warm up on heavy bag.
12kg. 5 reps, 16kg 5 sets of 5

20kg 2 4min sets
20kg 5 2 min sets

2-16kg long cycle 5 sets of 10 reps

2 55lb dumbells side hang cleans 3 sets of 10

2-20kg kettlebell cleans followed by pull up 20 reps

lots of cardio on the menu kettlebell style.

Sept. 26Th,

WO du jour:
15 min on heavy bag kicks and up arm attacking. Start easy and end up slamming hard in the last 5 min. Great warm up in a functional way.
stretch bands to prepare for snatch
chalk up bells 12,16 and 20 for session
12kg at 70 reps per arm for a total of 140 in less than 10 min.
16 kg at 50 reps per arm for 100 reps in less than 6 min.
20 kg at 5 sets of 10 reps per arm.
24kg swing at for 4o reps with 2 arm shifts.

23 min bike ride after kettlebell session to complete my cardio or medcom session.
just a note; my chalking effect for the kettlebell handles is getting much better. I don't have any loss of hand skin that can be a show stopper for the next few training sessions. it becoming a ritual thing.

Kettlebell nukes?

Sept.25,

In order to make the 70 kg and keep the same physical size and configuration of lower weight kettlebells , you could use the density of depleted uranium.

WO du jour:

Indian club and stretch band warm up.

Long cycle 12kg 2 sets of 10 reps with 3osec. rest.

long cycle 16kg. 10 sets of 10 reps with 30 sec. rest.

push jerk 24kg 10sets of 5 reps.

I have not been blogging as of late due to remodeling my "workout box" which needed a face lift and reorganization. Its not a big place but then again I think I would fill the space regardless of size available. Anyway its looks much better and more organized. (pictures to come)

In regards to my training, its going well but have to adopt to the duel kettlebell lifting since I received my new set of pro kettlebells. Its not that organized in a periodzation or progression for training for timed sets, however, I did a 21 min one arm long cycle set with 16 kg with not too much problem, but its time to go with the twins. For a while it looks like some freelancing until I can master the 2 bells on the long cycle and push jerk.

I saw that picture the "monster bells". Let me say that push jerking 70kg kettlebell has got to feel like compact car on your ribs. All that being said, I think in order to keep the physical size of the pro kettlebell the same size as a 8,16,24kg you would have to increase the density of the base material from iron to lead or more exotic metal like depleted uranium with has 4 times the density of iron. Yes, they even use depleted uranium for counter weights on fork lifts,air planes and bullets, so there is hazard in a minor form if the metal is broken up and ingested in some way. For the mutants that use monster bells, it is not a danger if you make contact with a kettlebell made from DU but you should know what you are handling.

Sept.6th

Sept. 6th.
WO du jour:

warm up: Indian clubs for 5 mins, 100 tire slams, 100 light wall balls, Stretch bands. 10 min on heavy bag.

5 reps per exercise for 5 rounds.
2 16 kg kettlebell "manmakers"
pull ups
dips
110 lbs sumo high pull dead lift
32kg kettlebell one are swing.
get up situp with 2 10 kg kettlebells
rest 30 secs.
total time of 30:23 min.
It was a great session as you never really catch your breath. the hardest was the manmakers which is a push up on the handles, renegade row, high pull-squat clean,to a push press.

Sept 3rd,4,5th

Sept 5th.
WO du jour:
warm up: Indian Clubs, stretch bands, jump rope and 100 tire slams, 100 wall balls.
30 sec kettlebell clean, then 30 sec push press, then hold in rack for 30 sec then shift.
20 mins continuous. (10 min 16kg and 10 min 20kg.
50 GHD situps

Sept 4th.
Rest day: 1 hr. Ruck with my trusty Xvest.

Sept. 3rd.


WO du jour:
Warmup: Indian clubs, stretch bands, 100 tire slams with sledge hammer,
8 min. 12 kg kettlebell snatch at 16 reps per min. one switch
8 min. 16 kg kettlebell snatch at 16 reps per min. one switch
2-4 min 20 kg kettebell snatch at 14 reps per min. one switch
15 mile bike ride.
I was reading the Crossfit journal about the last Crossfit games where they were evaluating what was the harder events of the games. One of them was the hammer event where the athlete had to pound in a stake with a large sledge hammer. That kind of surprised me as crossfit exercises try to maintain the functional movements, but I think a lot of the boxes don't do it enough or they think it not that effective. But if you think about it, swing a hammer, bat, golf club is very frequently found in real life.

.where did summer go?

Sept.1st: where did the summer go????

WO du jour:
go for tonnage.

10000 lbs sumo deadlift
7500lbs power clean dead hang.
5000lbs push press
14:57 that smoked me! or 22,500lbs lifted.

The deadlifts where done 20,30 reps with 200 lbs.
the power cleans were done in sets of 10to 20 with 100 lbs
and the push press were done in sets of 10 as I did pressing yesterday all with barbells.
great session but I think I will use heaver weight and lower the reps.
Aug 31st.
wo du jour:

1hour "ruck" with Xvest but added two lbs. the xvest is easy to add weight when you add little 1 lb weights to the little pockets inside the vest. It fits like a glove, but it does restrict the lower ab a little when breathing get elevated.

afternoon: warm up with Indian clubs and pulleys.

Ladder reps 1-10 using
24kg long cycle
hanging pull ups
did not time just slowly when from one set to the next without stopping. The 24kg was a new a girya so the weight was a little rough at first.

Aug 29th

Aug 29th.


WO du jour:

warm up with Indian clubs, stretch bands, foam roller, light Kettlebells.
C2 rowing: 10 x 30 sec intervals using the Watts mode.


1.2.3.4.5.........9.10.reps of Pull ups, sit ups, air squats and push ups

60 reps of rack reverse deadlifts 225 lbs in 2 sets


1.2.3.4.5..........9.10 reps of the following
barbell power cleans from the floor
ring dips

Power wheel 3 sets

I was reading an article about the concept "toning" as a fitness protocol, by Andre Hefferman, from his blog "Male pattern fitness". The word is really useless in describing any thing when it comes to fitness training. I have a 400 page book on exercise prescriptions I used in school, but there was not one mention of "toning" in the entire book. It just one of the many buzz words the fitness industry uses to peddle nonsense exercise programs.



Fitness double speak:

Toning: means all I want to do in the gym is a pitiful workout, going through the motions in case some one is watching. You also encourage my dumb friends to do the same so they will not look better than me.



Cardio today: that means you will be running on an elliptical or treadmill like some gerbil in a cage, work up some sweat, an think you will strip off fat with another pitiful workout.



In the fat burning range: What did some one put a match to you? you are doing your "cardio" session at a rate that is comfortable enough to fall asleep.



I bulking up: This means's you are eating like a pig to put on fat mass so it looks like you have been training, as long as you wear bulky cloths.



BIs and Tris today: this means you will be doing a lot of upper arm isolation exercise in an effort to build some expose able body part to make everyone think you workout and no one to mess with.



Squats are bad for the knees: No you would rather sit you ass on the leg extension or leg curl machine and develop searing of the knee joint so you can have knee replacement before the age of 40. Besides, squatting with a heavy barbell looks like too much work and all the puking makes me sick to look at.



I use light weights for definition: that means you are to lazy to lift heavy compound exercise weight to get effective interstellar fat loss and develop real muscle.

I use the routines in Muscle and fitness magazine: The material in the various Muscle and fantasy magazines are for selling useless supplement product using a lot of roided out models and routines that look impressive but pro don't use. It cheaper to spend 6 dollars to get your training information then to spend several hundred dollars in trainer or seminar cost by someone who can really help you. But you know best for you and all your friends.

Aug 28 rest day

Aug 28th

The Xvest is easy to wear and does not bounce around.

WO du jour:



5 mile "ruck" with 30 lb Xvest. did a little running but not too much until I get accustomed to the weight. Next week I will add a couple of lbs.