January Recap.

Eleven workouts – six ballistic and five grinds. That’s an average of one workout every 2.8 days. I suppose that’s acceptable, a good start, but there’s room for improvement. Checking off the calendar I see several lengthy gaps. There are several reasons: parenting schedule, working too late or snow hampered commutes, fatigue, or Gopher Basketball games. Work sets (excluding warm-ups and finishers) totaled five and a half hours and the total weight lifted was 125,822 pounds.

On the more positive side of things I recorded personal records in 10 work rounds (I have yet to add to the PR page): three in LCCJ, two beast swings, two double C&P’s , and one each in double front squats, TGU’s, and clean and presses. The 10 include seven for volume per minute, five for total volume, and four for rep per minute.

The back, shoulder, and knee seem to be holding up. (Knock on wood.)

I’ll be updating the template for February after I meet with my trainer this weekend.

I’m hoping small steps yield healthy progress for 2011.

January 31, 2011

Ballistic Day

VPP
16kg
11 minutes
22 x 3/3

TGU’s
20kg
7 minutes
3 x 1/1

Swings - Alt
24kg
11 minutes
10 x 20

January 30, 2011

Grind Day

C&P
32kg
9 minutes
5 x 2/2/2/2
20/20

Goblet Squats
20kg
6 minutes
10 x 3

Double C&P
20kg/20kg
12 minutes
9 x 5

Heavy Swings
48kg
10 minutes
7 x 12

January 28, 2011

Ballistic Day

LCCJ
20kg/20kg
10 minutes
2 x (2, 4, 6, 8)
40/40

TGU’s
20kg
12 minutes
6 x 1/1

Swings - Roundabouts
20kg
6:30 minutes
6 x 20

January 24, 2011

Grind Day

C&P
32kg
8 minutes
5 x 3/3

Double Front Squats
20kg/20kg
7 minutes
4 (1, 2, 3)

C&P
20kg/20kg
12 minutes
4 x (2, 3, 5)

Heavy Swings
48kg
5 minutes
5 x 10

My Programming

I am currently using a program that was published in a back issue of Ironmind’s Milo . (ETK + )
The program, written by Pavel, is a comprehensive template geared for dynamic strength, slow strength, and conditioning.

I believe that Pavel once posted a similar program on 2006:

The total kettlebell strength and conditioning package

If strength and conditioning are your equal priorities, the following foolproof template will serve you well. Focus on strength twice a week and on conditioning twice a week. Work your endurance the day after strength. For instance, Mon –strength, Tue –conditioning, Thursday –strength, Friday conditioning. On Mondays and Thursdays do presses, front squats, and other low rep grinds. Heavy low rep quick lifts, e.g. double kettlebell swings or snatches, belong here as well. So does heavy ab work.

Tuesdays and Fridays are all about high rep ballistics: swings, snatches, cleans, jerks. Get-ups, windmills, and other ‘resilience’ drills can be fitted into any day. You may change the exercises but you may keep the template for years if you wish.

The program allows for more techniques than the original Enter program. Actually a lot more. But the basic template can be changed. It is composed of two grind days, two ballistic days and can have two variety days in a week. The micro cycle lasts for two weeks to accommodate a hard, medium, light wave.

On a grind day there are two pressing exercise rounds and a squat exercise round. There is also an optional pull-up round. Ballistic days have a pull and a push press/jerk exercise round. It is important to mention that the program is designed to be a high intensity program so lifts like the dead lift are best relegated to the variety days.

Dice play an important role (pun intended) in the program. The time for each exercise round is determined by a roll of two dice, the actual type of lift is determined by a roll of one dice, and the weights that are used are also determined by a roll of the dice.

I have made a few modifications to the template as written in the article. There were several techniques per each lift. I’ve narrowed it down. For instance for the pressing there were six types of presses. I currently only wish to work on two variations – the one armed clean and press and the two armed clean and press. In the article Pavel had the same chart for the first and the second pressing exercise rounds. I have two separate charts for each because I purposefully want to have heavy singles in one round and doubles in the second. I’ve made similar restrictions in the number of techniques used in the other charts in order to focus on the few techniques I’m interested in. I will probably add more of Pavel’s suggested variations at some future date in order to gain the effect of working on “same, but different” presumably to recruit additional motor units.

Also, after considering Pavel’s 2006 post I’ve added heavy swings to my grind days and TGU’s to my ballistic days.

The last alteration I’ve made is to add a third dice for the determination of time to the two ballistic rounds and the rounds for double C&P’s.

My chart for January looks like this:


Presses -WS#1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
1, Clean and Press, 32, 32, 32, 32, 32, 32
2, Clean and Press, 32, 32, 32, 32, 32, 32
3, Clean and Press, 32, 32, 32, 32, 32, 32
4, Clean and Press, 32, 32, 32, 32, 32, 32
5, Clean and Press, 32, 32, 32, 32, 32, 32
6, Clean and Press, 32, 32, 32, 32, 32, 32

Squats, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
1, Goblet Squat, 16, 20, 20, 24, 24, 28
2, Goblet Squat, 16, 20, 20, 24, 24, 28
3, Double Front Squat, 20/20, 20/20, 20/20, 24/24, 24/24, 28/28
4, Double Front Squat, 20/20, 20/20, 20/20, 24/24, 24/24, 28/28
5, Double Front Squat, 20/20, 20/20, 20/20, 24/24, 24/24, 28/28
6, Double Front Squat, 20/20, 20/20, 20/20, 24/24, 24/24, 28/28

Presses -WS#2, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
1, Double C+P, 20/20, 20/20, 20/20, 20/20, 24/24, 24/24
2, Double C+P, 20/20, 20/20, 20/20, 20/20, 24/24, 24/24
3, Double C+P, 20/20, 20/20, 20/20, 20/20, 24/24, 24/24
4, Double C+P, 20/20, 20/20, 20/20, 20/20, 24/24, 24/24
5, Double C+P, 20/20, 20/20, 20/20, 20/20, 24/24, 24/24
6, Double C+P, 20/20, 20/20, 20/20, 20/20, 24/24, 24/24

PP/Jerks, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
1, VPP, 12/12, 12/12, 12/12, 16/16, 16/16, 16/16
2, OA Jerk, 16, 16, 16, 20, 20, 24
3, LCCJ, 16/16, 20/20, 20/20, 20/20, 20/20, 24/24
4, LCCJ, 16/16, 20/20, 20/20, 20/20, 20/20, 24/24
5, LCCJ, 16/16, 20/20, 20/20, 20/20, 20/20, 24/24
6, LCCJ, 16/16, 20/20, 20/20, 20/20, 20/20, 24/24

Pulls, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
1, Swings - Two handed, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 40
2, Swings - One handed, 16, 20, 20, 20, 24, 24
3, Swings - Roundabout, 16, 20, 20, 20, 24, 24
4, Swings - Alt, 16, 20, 20, 20, 24, 24
5, Double swings, 16/16, 20/20, 20/20, 20/20, 20/20, 24/24
6, Snatch, 16, 16, 16, 16, 16, 16

January 22, 2011

Ballistic Day

LCCJ
20kg/20kg
8 minutes
3 x (2, 4, 6)
36/36

TGU’s
20kg
11 minutes
6 x 1/1

Snatches
16kg
10 minutes
4 x (5, 10)

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.

January 19, 2011

Grind Day

C&P
32kg
7 minutes
5 x 3/3

Double Front Squats
24kg/24kg
9 minutes
4 (1, 2, 3)

The template called for more pressing and some swings, but that’s all the energy that I had. I did start the double cleans and presses, but quickly gave up due to deterioration of technique. Better to call it quits and live to lift another day.

January 17, 2011

Ballistic Day
Heavy

LCCJ
24kg/24kg
7 minutes
4 x (2, 4)
32/32

TGU’s
16kg
10 minutes
10 x 1/1

Swings - Doubles
24kg/24kg
5 minutes
5 x 10

January 10, 2011

Ballistic Day
Heavy?

LCCJ
20kg/20kg
16 minutes
4 x (2, 4, 6)
48/48

TGU’s
16kg
9 minutes
4/4

Swings - Roundabout
24kg
9 minutes
8 x 20

January 9, 2011

Grind Day
Light?

C&P
32kg
8 minutes
6 x 3/3

Goblet Squats
20kg
7 minutes
6 (1, 2, 3)

C&P
24kg/24kg
16 minutes
4 x (2, 3, 5)

Heavy Swings
48kg
9 minutes
6 x 10

1. The whole heavy, medium, light thing is lost on me. Everything is full steam ahead, or rather as much steam as I have. It is going to take a while to learn how to monitor this.

2. I’m not going to report warm-up and cool down exercises for now, just the work sets.

3. Two work sets of Clean and Presses smokes me. I’ve arranged my template to have the heavy sets first, but then the doubles work later. This is kind of like a drop set, but I could never do doubles with my top weight that I’m using for singles.

4. I’m very cautious of my back right now. These are some heavy loads and every time I’ve been too enthusiastic I tweak my back. I’m hoping that the heavy swings and shorter than typical (for me) work sets of cleans and presses help to strengthen that old posterior chain. I am really taking my time to warm up my back with body weight squats and the foam roller.

January 2011

Ballistic Day
Medium

LCCJ
16kg/16kg
10 minutes
3 x (2, 4, 6) + (2, 4)
42/42

TGU’s
16kg
7 minutes
3/3

Swings
20kg
14 minutes
11 x (5, 5, 5 ,5)

January 5, 2011

Grind Day
Medium

C&P
32kg
10 minutes
7 x 3/3

Goblet Squats
24kg
8 minutes
7 (1, 2, 3)

Heavy Swings
48kg
6 minutes
6 x 10

First “Plus” workout.

First workout of the New Year.

It’s been a while since my last workout, and it was evident in that I felt every minute of this one – huffing and a puffing, good sweat, and the shoulders and arms are still shaking.

I need to re-think the warm-ups as they take too long.

Also, I passed on the pull-up work set and the second pressing work set. No sense going over board right off the bat.