Kettlebell Sport Manifesto

Interesting .....

Kettlebell Sport Manifesto

Good luck Mr. Fedorenko.  I would like to see this an Olympic Sport as well.

The New Year is coming!

I have completed my collection of kettlebells!

It is WAY more than I need at this time, but I just felt lead to help out a friend.  This past year has been a rough one for Dragon Door, and especially the Du Cane's with the loss of two parents, and of course the split.  But I feel confident that DD will rise from it all with a larger more sophisticated team of writers, instructors, products, etc.  I am looking forward to see what lies ahead. I am encouraged by what has been revealed with Al and Danny Kavadlo, and I can hardly wait to see what Jon Bruney and Max Shank (individually) have to share. So this is my way of saying "I'm with you Dragon Door".  This is my vote of confidence.  As a consumer I can only vote with my wallet and I did.

STRONG BY SIXTY

I just turned 50 so I'm looking forwards and backwards.  I've been doing kettlebells etcetera for almost five years now.  One would say I've progressed little.  And they would be right.  Frustrating.  But I've learned some valuable lessons along the way.  Lessons about people, motivation, self-determination, accountability, energy, physiology, recovery, and programing.

Currently, I'm reading a management book about principles and goals.  Essentially the book advocates selecting several meaningful phrases to help remind you to keep the main thing the main thing...so I've been hunting for meaningful verses, saying, stories, and phrases.  One I've been tossing around is "Strong by Sixty" or Strongx60.  The idea is that in 10 years I want to be significantly stronger.  Oftentimes people take the short path, the short cut, looking for that instant gratification.  Good programs are well thought out and followed.  10 years gives me 120 months, or 60 two month cycles, or 40 three month cycles.  Plenty of time to focus.  Build some decent movement patterns and top them off with some decent strength.  Brick by brick.  I'm still coming back from torched adrenals, and these past two weeks a really sore knee (mobility issues in the ankle and hip).  But hey, I've got 120 months to make progress.  In a year I could do three months each of KB muscle, RTK, Power to the People and ETK(+).

I have to admit that one of the things that's drawn me to this thought is an article in DD's Spring edition of Hard Style.  There is an Article by Paul McIlroy on all the thing's he's accomplished following the principles in PTTP.  He's been at it for 10 years.  He's done some amazing stuff.  And I think I can too.......

Today - Light Snatch work
20kg; 5/5
16kg; 10/10
Four rounds
24kg; 5/5 x 5
85/85

The Avengers - Best Line

You’re going to lose. It’s in your nature… You lack conviction.


— Agent Phil Coulson

Some people call it motivation.  I call it energy.  Agent Phil calls it conviction. 

Backfill

OK. Time for an update. It seems with me it's either sink or swim, but mainly sink. Last fall I was doing complexes at the recommendation of my trainer...and then I crashed. We suspected adrenal fatigue. No energy, poor sleep, work like a dog and not lose weight (I was even keeping a food journal averageing <2000 cals a day). So around Christmas we cut waaayy down. Mainly it was a stop and smell the roses program. In January I began to do some light snatch work which was new for me. Usually I ‘m working cleans and presses, but now we switched focus to slowly make progress on stamina. And I was. But then work got in the way. My current prescription for training is more of a tabata knockoff (See what Dan John has to say here, here, here, and here). However, since I haven’t done much in the past two weeks, I decided to just go easy and take one step back into the January program which was kind of a drop set format: 5 snatches right and left with the 20kg, immediately followed by 10/10 with the 16kg for 1 round. Normally I would do seven rounds for 105/105 total, but went with only five rounds today.

Snatch 20kg 5 x 5/5
Snatch 16kg 5 x 10/10
Total 75/75

The get-ups are partials. Mainly just time under tension, doing kalos stenos type circles and pry’s.

Partial TGUs 16kg; 2x1/1x5/5

Then I took the dog for a walk.

I just got a pedometer for grins and giggles. The walk was just shy of a mile. Today’s total so far is 2.58 miles.

I will also put in about 10 minutes of club bell work just to loosen up the shoulder’s.

Light and easy. Easy peezy.

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.”

– Attributed to Ben Franklin, Mark Twain, Albert Einstein and Rita Mae Brown. No one knows for sure.

Regardless…..


Me in 2012:

Fiber

All about the tool?

I saw this kettlebell in Men's Journal. I had to laugh. Everyone is trying to milk the Kettlebell Invasion. It is a contoured kettlebell so you won’t hurt your arm. If your technique is good you won’t hurt your arm either.

But then I thought about tools. The kettlebell is just a tool. The barbell is another tool. There's lots of debate about which tool is best. In my mind it's all about personal preference. Kettlebells aren’t the end all, but they can do things barbells and dumbbells don’t do as well. Maybe a better way to put it is horses for courses. I had a specific reason for choosing kettlebells for my primary tool, but I don’t intend to limit myself to 106 lbs.

I remember when my future ex-wife and I were dating. She bought a Suaro dresser. Lots of parts. She wanted me to put it together. OK, I was trying to be a good guy. I asked her if she had a screwdriver and she said that she did. Then she brought out the green handle which housed different bits. It was a piece of shit and it turned a nice evening into a long ordeal. But that tool was fine for her.

I can remember when I got my first weight set. It was from Sears and it had a cheap hollow bar and plastic covered cement plates - 2.5, 5, 10, and 15 pounders. It was red, white, and blue. I think my dad bought it in 1975. There is no way I would lift with that set now. But it was my first set and it got the job done. Not the job of making me strong, the job of introducing me to lifting.

Now in addition to my kettlebells I have several 'iron pills' and bars. They are not Elko's they’re from Sears, Walmart, and Sports Authority. Far from the top of the line, but they are getting the job done for what I need.

Who knows maybe a contoured kettlebell that some soccer mom buys will set some kid on the right path. Maybe they would be the right tool for the right person in the right time and place.

It’s not for me to judge.

Then again...

Be Your Own Hero

Nate Green is giving away a book on being your own hero. It was an easy read and it's free.

Go get it:

A Crash-Course In Building a Badass Body, Getting Your Shit Together, and Living the Life of Your Dreams

Coming out of the closet.

OK. It’s not what you’re thinking. This post isn’t about my “orientation”. I like women….well, I like some women, and all other alternatives are unacceptable. (Insert picture of a goat here) It’s a testosterone thing. Get over it.

But I digress.

This post is about my body. Currently I am aware of the following weaknesses:
Left shoulder – primarily due to scar tissue;
Right shoulder blade – I have no idea;
Right lower back – originally due to a lifting incident in 9th grade, perhaps also tight IT bands;
Right knee – karate incident, and also movement imbalances;
Right ankle – immobility, sprains, etc; and
Dear Abbies – apparently don’t “fire” properly. I have thoughts on this, but that’s a different post for a different day.

So…body parts, closet – What gives?

I know I’ve only tossed around the 36kg a few times, but something unexpected is happening. When I moved from the 24kg to the 32kg I developed shoulder pain. This happened three times. Then I got smart and purchased a 28kg and bridged the gap. I have been using the 32kg for a couple of months without any shoulder pain, but I leapt to the 36kg without fully “owning” the 32kg. I was going to try some micro progressions, but when I was able to press the 36kg I decided to skip the whole duct taping of 2.5 lb incremental plates.

I’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Hopefully, I’m not speaking (writing) too soon, but I think I know why I haven’t had the shoulder pain I was expecting. I think it’s because I’m sleeping on the couch. Seriously.

Wait a second…coming out of the closet, sleeping on the couch, he admits to being a grumpy old bachelor. What is going on?

You see about three weeks ago one of the shelves in my closet busted. Apparently I have too many T-shirts. (Again it’s a testosterone thing) Shirts and pants flying all over the place - total mayhem. Well, I need the pants for work…and walking the dog. So they couldn’t be lying on the floor. They went on the bed. Same with my t-shirts, and a few DVD’s that I keep in the closet (I told you it’s a testosterone thing). No room on the bed. So I’ve been sleeping on the couch. I actually like the couch. Fixing the closet will only take 20 minutes. I have finally got all the right parts. I just only have so much energy, and did I mention that I like the couch?

The critical piece is that I’m a stomach sleeper. Always have been. However, on the couch I can only sleep on my back or side. And I think that makes all the difference. When I’m on my stomach in bed my shoulder is usually too close to my ear in what is an unhealthy extended position. (Hyper flexion?) The couch limits my options to more healthy choice and, I believe, better shoulder health. So now the question is: If it’s broke do I have to fix it? The closet I mean.

I may try to get in a few more pressing workouts first.

Whine, Women, and Song

Whine


Do you have items in your home that kind of take on a life of their own and start multiplying - toys, shoes, hats, magazines, dvd's, books, cutlery? Well we've had another addition to the KB Krew. The problem is that these additions are heavy and a little spendy.

I may not need it right now, but I'm hoping to soon. The 36kg is 80 pounds of pure badness. I consider it an intermediate bell, meaning it bridges the gap between the 32kg and the 40kg. This past summer I learned to appreciate the intermediate bell when I added a 28kg (and then another 28kg). After taking several runs from the 24kg to the 32kg (a difference of about 18 lbs) and getting hurt every time, I figured there needs to be a better approach.

Some people believe that tons of volume makes you stronger. Well it does if you want to work on strength endurance. But I'm coming to the way of thinking that for max strength efforts incremental loading is better. I've done the loads of volume route and it has it's place, but I think this is some sideways thinking in that my journals are not showing much progress max strength wise (not that that's the end-all), but if I want to make it to the Beast (48kgs), upwards progress is required.

Other people espouse the use of duct tape and small plates. And I’m not throwing that idea out, but…well, it just seems a little clumsy. Besides I can foresee a future where I’ll need the 36kg for other programming.

I also can hear it now. Why do you need all those bells fool? When I look at my log for the past month I’ve used: 12kg, 16kg/16kg, 20kg/20kg, 24kg/24kg, 32kg, and the 48kg. So that means I haven’t used the 10lber (I do when I’m rehabbing – arm bars), the 28kg/28kg (I did in December and will in March), the other 32kg (so what), and the two 40kg bells (who knows). I think that I can confidently say I’m getting good usage out of my set.

So why the whine? Well, it just gets spendy. But I could have worse hobbies.

Women

Who doesn't love strong women? Sure, I'll admit it. I love beautiful women, but there's something special about women who are strong. I think they can bring out the better in men. As a man I could choose to be emasculated by their feats, or I can be inspired and step up and be a better man. I'll choose the later. Thanks Lady's!

The Song

Ever read something and think: I could have written that? Well I could have written this - (http://www.sinewandsteel.com/2011/01/20/why-i-train-alone/), but I'll admit that my version wouldn't have been as poetic. It strikes a cord in me.

Am I as strong as....a girl?

Below is a video of one of the Ice Chamber Kettlebell Girls qualifying for Strongwoman LongCycle with the 28kg (at a body weight of 60kg!!). This is Grevoy Sport (GS) not the RKC Hard Style. There are stylistic differences, but I don't care this is still strong stuff. I'm currently working my cleans and presses with the 28kg. I am going to be the last person to throw stones.

So....why is this interesting to me? Well, although I like the RKC my one beef is that it's a pyramidal instructor system and I'm not interested in being an instructor. So what do I shoot for if I don't want to be an instructor? The only competitive event associated with RKC is the Tactical Strength Challenge.

What I'd wish for is a system of proving proficiency, not just qualifying to be an instructor. Kind of like earning a green belt, then on to the next. GS has just that. Now I don't intend on traveling to New York or San Francisco to compete and qualify for a ranking, nor am I going to peel away from Hard Style. I do like the idea of saying I've (roughly) achieved the equivalent of an S-44 in GS.

Today I guess I'll have to settle for saying I'm as strong as a girl.