Week 5, Day 4

Got through this morning’s work better than I thought I would. Huge difference to Day 1.

A1 Double Kettlebell Clean & Press, 20kg’s x (1,2,3)
A2 Double Kettlebell Front Squat, 20kg’s x 3

Perform A1 and A2 as a superset, every 6 mins for 5 Rounds.

B Kettlebell Snatch 24kg x 3/3 x 5mins (S)

That’s one set of 3 snatches each hand on the minute for 5 sets total.

Snatch technique felt better, and improved with each rep. Need to remember to lead the bell with the arm and lats.


C One-Arm Kettlebell Military Press 24kg x 4/4 (L)

Week 5, Day 3

Morning Weighted Recharge

Perform as a circuit, meaning one exercise after the other, with little or no rest.

All lifts are performed with a single 16kg kettlebell

Deadlift x 5 > Swings x 5 > Goblet Squat x 5 > One-leg Deadlift x 3/3 > Suitcase Deadlift x 3/3

Rest briefly

RKC Arm Bar > 3 x Floor Presses > 3 x Half-kneeling Press > Turkish Get-up > Bent Press x 1 each side


One-Arm Kettlebell Military Press 24kg x 2/2 (A)

Still sore from Day 1, so not too sure what’s going on there.

Week 5, Day 1

Kicked off a new phase of the project.

A1 Double Kettlebell Clean & Press, 16kg’s x (1,2,3,4) x 5
                                                                                           (1,2,3) x 3
A2 Double Kettlebell Front Squat, 16kg’s x 4 x 8

Perform A1 and A2 as a superset, every 4 mins for 8 Rounds.

To clarify, first five rounds were (1,2,3,4), last three rounds were (1,2,3), and four squats every round.


B Kettlebell Snatch 24kg x 5-5 x 5mins (L)

That’s one set of 5 snatches each hand on the minute for 5 sets total.


Haven’t slept well last couple of days, so no wonder I was struggling today. Lesson learnt.

C One-Arm Kettlebell Military Press 24kg x 3/3 (L)

Week 4, Day 6

Happy Straya Day!

LSD – Walk, 48:25 total @ 140 Avg. HR (S)

Lap 1- 23:53
Lap 2- 24:32

Easy, stress-free walk around the park. Day 5 was rest, and the whole week was easy in preparation for a decent push next week.

Week 4, Day 4

Put in a very easy session today, so should be looking to ramp things up a little from week 5 onwards.

A1 Double Kettlebell Clean & Press, 20kg’s x (1,2)
A2 Double Kettlebell Front Squat, 20kg’s x 2

Perform A1 and A2 as a superset, every 6 mins for 5 Rounds.

B One-hand Swing, 32kg x 18/18 (A)

I’m feeling good about my technique on the swings. I’m confident it’s close to being spot on. Time to build on the gains achieved on the swing by adding a couple of kettlebell ballistic lifts.

Week 4, Day 3

Morning Weighted Recharge

Perform as a circuit, meaning one exercise after the other, with little or no rest.

All lifts are performed with a single 16kg kettlebell

Deadlift x 5 > Swings x 5 > Goblet Squat x 5 > One-leg Deadlift x 3/3 > Suitcase Deadlift x 3/3

Rest briefly

RKC Arm Bar > Floor Press > Half-kneeling Press > Turkish Get-up > Bent Press x 1 each side


One-Hand Swing 32kg x 22/22 (A)

Technique has improved considerably.

Week 4, Day 2

I adjusted my grip so instead of hooking it with the tips of my fingers, I hooked it closer to the base of my fingers. Felt considerably firmer and probably could’ve done 30 reps either hand. Promising.

One-Hand Swings 32kg x 16/16 (S)

Week 4, Day 1

Aimed at a relatively relaxed session but decided to pull the trigger on the swings. Left hand grip is a problem- after a dozen or so reps it’s a struggle, whereas the right hand was probably good for comfortable high-thirties and beyond.

A1 Double Kettlebell Clean & Press, 16kg’s x (1,2,3) x 4
                                                                                           (1,2) x 4
A2 Double Kettlebell Front Squat, 16kg’s x 2 x 8

Perform A1 and A2 as a superset, every 4 mins for 8 Rounds.

To clarify, first four rounds were (1,2,3), and last four rounds were (1,2).


B One-hand Swing, 32kg x 27/27 (L)

Week 3, Day 6

LSD – Walk/Jog, 68:42 total @ 139 Avg. HR (A)

Lap 1- 21:26
Lap 2- 22:54
Lap 3- 24:21

Today any type of locomotion felt difficult to sustain. Possible cause may be a physically tough week or simply inadequate rest. I have also started on a see-food diet, so that may also explain the sluggishness.

Week 3, Day 5

I practiced Double Clean & Jerk technique without any weight- focused on getting proper upper-back extension. Sometimes you have to be sensible and today was too hot to do much else, with high temps of 46 degrees, I was working up a sweat just grooving the technique.

Week 3, Day 4

A1 Double Kettlebell Clean & Press, 20kg’s x (1,2,3) x 1
                                                                                           (1,2) x 4
A2 Double Kettlebell Front Squat, 20kg’s x 2 x 5

Perform A1 and A2 as a superset, every 6 mins for 5 Rounds.

To clarify, first round was (1,2,3), and the remaining four were (1,2).

Squats were doubles every round.


B One-hand Swing, 32kg x 22/22 (L)

Week 3, Day 3

A. One-Arm Kettlebell Military Press 24kg x 2/5

To clarify, that’s 2 reps per hand each for 5 sets.

5 minute rest between sets.

In between sets perform Weighted Morning Recharge, so, after first set, perform Recharge Number One, then after set two, perform Recharge Number two etc.

1.       16kg x 5 Deadlift > Swings > Goblet Squat

2.                 x 3/3 Suitcase Deadlift > One-Leg Deadlift

3.                 x 1/1 Armbar > Turkish Get-Up > Bent Press > Windmill

4.                 x 5/5 Halos > Bottoms Up Walk 30sec/30sec > 5 x Floor Pullovers

B. One-Hand Swing 40kg x 5/5 x 2 (L)

Week 3, Day 2

No grip issues with the 40- must be the glossy finish on my 32. Felt almost too easy.

One-Hand Swings 40kg x 10/10 (S)

Week 3, Day 1

A1 Double Kettlebell Clean & Press, 16kg’s x (1,2,3)
A2 Double Kettlebell Front Squat, 16kg’s x 3

Perform A1 and A2 as a superset, every 4 mins for 8 Rounds.

B One-hand Swing, 32kg x 25/25 (L)

Personal experience with knee pain

I want to give the reader a deeper understanding of how injuries can lead to other problems down the track. Perhaps this may highlight a physical issue the reader may be having and can’t seem to work out its cause or is discounting a previous injury.

The knee pain is, specifically, to do with my left knee. My right knee has been without any problems.

First, a little background. I have sustained a hairline fracture in my right ankle, lateral malleolus; had experienced sprains and torn ligaments, and all had successful medical intervention. The fracture resulted being in a cast for 8 weeks, and the ligaments didn’t require any surgery but received ultrasound- or something along those lines- and massage. All healed perfectly.

My left leg, however, wasn’t as fortunate. Shortly after my ankle had come out of the cast, I received a heavy blow to the medial side of my left knee when a tackle went wrong during a game of rugby league. The impact hit so hard I was sent flying into the air. This injury didn’t receive any medical intervention- not even ice. My left calf muscles were injured also during the impact, but I can’t specify exactly what the injury was. The Vastus Medialis muscle also visibly atrophied over the long term. Range of motion was affected and my knee remained bruised and swollen for a couple of weeks. The injury didn’t fully abate until maybe 3 or so months afterwards.

Main sports I played were rugby league, cricket and lots of BMX. The injury occurred when I was 14 or 15. It hasn’t been the same since.

I had worked a menial job in a warehouse and done a lot delivery driving since. My left knee was constantly aching by my early twenties, without adequate explanation or treatment from several physios.

Since then, I tried powerlifting in my mid-twenties, and achieved only average numbers- slightly more than bodyweight squat is average. Those were what I call Half-Assed Squats- above parallel depth (height?). When I was squatting or deadlifting my left knee would ache, but I kept going. Eventually it no longer hurt on deadlifts, but squats did. I found the most beneficial lift during this time was Suitcase Deadlifts. I still do them with a heavy kettlebell from time to time. I also prescribe this lift to clients if I suspect a weak Vastus Medialis. Things looked promising, but I gave it up when I injured a muscle in my left hips during a wide-stance good morning- possibly one of the smaller muscles under the gluteus maximus. That one received no medical intervention either and took a couple of months for the pain to go away but has nagged at me until recently.

Of note, kettlebell swings and ballistics aren’t as strong on my left side as they are with my right side. When doing it right-handed, my right hips feel firm and don’t tire, my technique is solid and effortless. My left-side is weird- when I do the movements with my left-hand, my left hips feel not so solid and I have to struggle and be conscious of what I’m doing with it during lifting. The right-side I don’t have to think about it, I just do.

Running has been an issue also. Whilst in school I showed promise in middle-distance running, but after the injury to my knee, I couldn’t run, so I gave it up. I don’t run much anymore either. I can, but it’s not necessary. I experience a deep, aching pain in my lower leg, ankle and shins, even with just a couple of minutes of running, so I had to make the decision to abort running. It is for this reason I prefer walking. I can maintain a brisk walk which is just slower than most people jog. It’s amusing when a jogger barely overtakes me, and 5 minutes later I am still close behind them. Anyways, I’m gonna mix up walking with some special adjustments to push cardio fitness beyond “just” running- more on that later in the year.

Now, several years ago I decided to fix my knee. I started doing Goblet Squats, One-leg Deadlifts, Farmer’s Walks, and constantly stretching my calves and hamstrings. Knee pain is now non-existent. My leg strength is down but since strength is a hard won struggle for me, slow and steady increases is best, and it will eventually come, so it’s all good. The greatest benefit came when I decided to perfect my squat. I have long legs, especially femurs, compared to my torso, so I understood it was important enough that it took me several years to perfect my squat technique, to the point where I can drop into an ATG squat and stand up. I also used to experience a lot of crepitate(?) in my left knee and still do- only time I don’t is when I perform Goblet squats and Front squats correctly. I do this by consciously maintaining tension on the descent, increasing tension around my knee, visualizing spreading the floor with my feet, and generally keeping my knee tracking my feet at all times. I have also started stretching and massaging my quads religiously every week. I also go barefoot as often as possible, especially during strength sessions and basically whenever I pick up a kettlebell.

Recently, I had fractured the left big toe. Stung like hell for a week, but I have noticed muscles in my left foot working differently than in my right. I believe this has been affecting my gait and also my lifting. The muscles in my left foot tend to be tighter and ache sooner than my right. It’s another thing to keep in mind as I’m lifting.

I know it’s a bit of a read, but the take home point from all this is that injuries sustained years ago can have lasting effects. To my mind, it’s obvious my glute injury resulted from issues arising from previous injuries to my left knee, not to mention poor form during squats. Perhaps searching into your unique history can reveal present day issues or limitations you may be having. It’s definitely worth a thought.

Let me know if you’ve had a similar experience or breakthrough. Maybe someone else is going through the same and can learn a thing or two.

Week 2, Day 6

LSD – Walk/Jog, 97:00 total @ 140 Avg. HR (L)

It was 25C at the start, and was more like low 30’s by the end. Felt very relaxed by the end of it also. Then several hours later took a 15mins easy swim.

Week 2, Day 5

One-Hand Swings 40kg x 10/10 (S)

I had planned on using the 32kg, but then I thought I’d take a crack at the 40kg. It felt surprisingly easy. I think I’ll work the 40kg in more often in the back half of the project.

Week 2, Day 4

Loosened up with some Deadlifts and Goblet Squats with the 32kg, and Double Military Presses with 12kg’s.

A1 Double Kettlebell Clean & Press, 20kg’s x (1,2,3) x 3
                                                                                           (1,2) x 2
A2 Double Kettlebell Front Squat, 20kg’s x 2 x 5

Perform A1 and A2 as a superset, every 6 mins for 5 Rounds.

To clarify, first three rounds were (1,2,3), and last two rounds were (1,2).
Squats were doubles every round.

B One-hand Swing, 32kg x 16/16 (A)

Last rep on the 3’s were slowing down too much- had to grind them, so switched to ladders of two rungs.

Left-hand grip strength needs improvement.

Week 2, Day 3

Morning Weighted Recharge

Perform as a circuit, meaning one exercise after the other, with little or no rest.

Hulahoops

The rest is performed with a single 16kg kettlebell

Deadlift x 5
Swings x 5
Goblet Squat x 5
RKC Arm Bar > Floor Press > Half-kneeling Press > Turkish Get-up > Bent Press x 1
Halos x 5/5
Para Press x 3/3

One-Hand Swing 32kg x 20/20 (L)

Felt relatively easy.

Week 2, Day 2

It was quite warm today- not used to 40 degree weather. Last session finished 7:30pm and temperature was still hovering up around 40. Gripping the bell was difficult. Almost ripped callouses from just one easy set of swings- insane!

One-Hand Swings 32kg x 10/10 (S)

Week 2, Day 1

A1 Double Kettlebell Clean & Press, 16kg’s x (1,2,3,4) x 3
                                                                                           (1,2,3) x 5
A2 Double Kettlebell Front Squat, 16kg’s x 3 x 8

Perform A1 and A2 as a superset, every 4 mins for 8 Rounds.

To clarify, first three rounds were (1,2,3,4), and last five rounds were (1,2,3).


B One-hand Swing, 32kg x 14/14 (A)

Week 1, Day 6

Start of the weekend is time for easy cardio. I’m trying out what I refer to as “long breathing”, as opposed to “short breathing”. I will detail my thoughts on breathing in the near future, but for now, understand that ‘long breathing’ is conducive to relaxation, and when used with exercise, I believe it is a means for improving cardiovascular efficiency. Hence, it is a part of this project- it is one big experiment trialling a lot of different ideas and thoughts I have on training.

Of note, I am also trialling specific heart-rate zones toward specific adaptations, so I use a heart-rate monitor to gauge my training. I have used heart-rate monitors before, but I never really let it dictate my training- it was more or less a monitor, nothing more. I have also found in the past that good things happen when I average around 140bpm, so I will try to stick with that number for this portion of the project.

Again, I will delve into the specifics more thoroughly at the conclusion of the project, with details on goals, reasoning and conclusions drawn from the results, but for now, I am merely recording my training.

LSD – Walk/Jog, 70:20 total @ 140 Avg. HR (A)

Week 1, Day 5

Did a handful of swings in the morning, followed by a trip to the beach- so nothing too strenuous today.

One-Hand Swings 32kg x 10/10 (S)

Week 1, Day 4

Loosened up with some Deadlifts and Goblet Squats with the 32kg, and Double Military Presses with 12kg’s.

A1 Double Kettlebell Clean & Press, 20kg’s x (1,2,3) x 1
                                                                                            (1,2) x 2
A2 Double Kettlebell Front Squat, 20kg’s x 2 x 3

Perform A1 and A2 as a superset, every 8 mins for 3 Rounds.

To clarify, first round was (1,2,3), second and third rounds were (1,2).

B One-hand Swing, 32kg x 18/18 (L)

Handle was too slippery- my grip was weak. Form had improved though. Starting to power the bell out of the hole nice and strong.

S.M.A.R.T Goals

 

Mark Kirsch pulls an HC-130 Combat King

(U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Joshua J. Garcia/Released)



It’s that time of year when promises to your-self are made that this year will be THE year, of New Year’s resolutions realized, and permanent change. Only there’s a nagging sense at the back of the mind that perhaps it’s not going to be THE year, that this year will be like any other year and that no, nothing lasting will occur. Yes, attempts will be made, projects will be started and plans will be adhered to, but for how long will that initial enthusiasm last? For most people, the ones that actually commit to a plan of some sort, as opposed to those who don’t even bother setting milestones for themselves, that initial momentum will last from several days, to several weeks. The exceptionally determined could even go for a couple of months, and the distant minority that are truly exceptional, land deep in the struggle after the initial enthusiasm wanes and through nothing but dogged persistence, struggle onwards to realize their goals and experience the satisfaction of accomplishing what they had set out to achieve. My question is, as always, what are your goals, and are you the exception?

 

I ask those two questions simply because like anything, you need something to aim at, and it also determines how you will get there. As the saying goes that if you aim at nothing you will hit nothing, so is this true in our lives. Most people do nothing and stay within their comfort zone. And the following question, of one being the exception, I ask because people generally over-expect what they can achieve in the short-term and under-estimate what they can accomplish in the long-term. It seems a clear structure for goal-setting is required. Enter S.M.A.R.T. Goals. There’s gonna be a lot of these around this time of year, so I’ll give you my take. So, what are SMART goals? Let’s review.

 

SMART stands for; Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time.

 

Specific-

What is the goal? How much of what it is you want to achieve and by when?

Increasing your Bench Press 1RM from 100kg to 180kg by 28^thFeb is specific. Upping your bench and looking a stud is admirable, but is not specific.

 

Measurable-

How are you tracking your progress? Will you have milestones? If you are off track, will you be able to adjust your plan?

Can you find a pharmacist with enough drugs to keep your Bench moving?

 

Achievable-

Can anyone actually add 80kg to their 1RM to any lift in 8 weeks? There might be one or two individuals among Earth’s 7 billion population, but let me ask you, are you the exception- that one in a billion?

 

Realistic-

Adding 80kg to someone’s Bench is entirely possible.

 

Timely-

Just not in 8 weeks.

 

I have nothing against peeps upping their Bench. I do have a problem with a common approach to goal-setting. Most people aim for the stars and state a goal and get specific and determine when they want it by and so on, but is it realistic? For most people no. I also don’t like restricting anybody in anyway, unless absolutely necessary. So we’re at a stalemate?

 

My approach is, set some truly amazing goals, ones that you would never truly expect to reach. Ones that make you giddy just thinking that if you actually achieved them you'd be in disbelief. Make them so huge, amazing and unreachable that you probably may never get there. Then set yourself baby-step goals to reach those enormous goals. Want to increase your Bench to 300kg? You scoff. Why not? Start by going to the gym. That’s your first goal. Turn up regularly and consistently, week in and week out. Aim for a 1x bodyweight Bench, and take it from there. Then learn as much as you can. Listen to coaches and lifters with massive Bench numbers. Study those who came before you. Take stock of where you are and every now and then reset your goals.

 

Use the SMART goals to formulate some big dreams and plans, but then step back and set smaller goals to get you there. The big plans I wouldn’t fuss too much over when you reach them, just have them sitting in the background, and focus on the smaller steps. The smaller and more immediate the goal, the more specific you need to be. SMART goals are a good template, but I prefer leaving some blanks. Maybe I’m not decided on what specific is, but I know I want to achieve something by a certain date, or I have a definite plan but I’m not sure if it’s realistic. Leaving a blank removes a lot of pressure. Sometimes one can bite off more than they can chew, and give up. What if one bites of a lot and get pretty close to finishing it? That’s what I aim at.

 

Remember, the world doesn’t hold you back, only you hold yourself back by the perceptions you have of yourself and the world. Aim high, aim long, trust you will get there, and then do something about it.

Week 1, Day 3

Morning Weighted Recharge

Perform as a circuit, meaning one exercise after the other, with little or no rest.

Hulahoops

The rest is performed with a single 16kg kettlebell- recall My Self-Repair Kit?

Deadlift x 5
Swings x 5
Goblet Squat x 5
Suitcase Deadlift x 5
One-leg Deadlift x 5
RKC Arm Bar > Floor Press > Turkish Get-up > Half-kneeling Press > Bent Press x 1
Halos x 5/5
Para Press x 3/3
Bottoms-up Walk x 30sec/30sec
Standing Batwings x 5 holds


One-Hand Swing 32kg x 12/12 (A)

Week 1, Day 2

What a welcome to 2013 it has been. I had approximately 30 mins sleep this morning so I’m limiting myself to more leisurely pursuits today, like sleeping. I'm not making any excuses for myself so I still got a set of easy swings in. This may seem very easy, and it is, but there is method behind the madness I assure you. In case you are wondering, the main action takes place on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Even then, "action" is an exaggeration, but those days are the key to this program. On the easy days, I focus on practicing and refining technique, and rehab or bulletproofing of some sort.

One hand Swing 32kg x 7/7 (S)