Pain Equals Growth

I've been focusing lately on my overall conditioning and have geared my Long Cycle training to provide that for me.  When I was training for well-rounded fitness conditioning was never an issue.  I would blast my body in a variety of high intensity movements and patterns that would keep me in amazing shape.  I always like random workouts and ones with a whole lot of variety.  Before I began training for my goal of Master of Sport every workout was different from the last.  I hadn't performed the same workout in years and years.  That makes it a lot of fun and very exciting to never know what will be coming.  It also opens the door for creativity and spontaneity.  This is also how I train my clients.

Now that I began Long Cycle training I must keep it very consistent and very similar from workout to workout.  Only then will my body adapt to the stress, style, and movements I'm putting it through.  When it adapts, I progress.  When I progress I get one step closer to my goal--- all good things.  I used to look forward to every “Pre- Long Cycle” training workout before due to the variety and constant challenge because of the random exercises and intensity.  I now look forward to every Long Cycle practice session because I can very closely and clearly monitor my continued progress.  I like seeing even incremental changes no matter how small or large.  I enjoy the consistency because each workout will be similar so I know what to expect.  Now don't mistake me here for the workouts being easy.  Trust me when I say they certainly are not.  In fact in many ways they are more challenging than anything I have ever done.

One bell is very manageable, but now that I have been introducing 2 bells it is a whole different animal.  Breathing for me is the issue.  This doesn't have anything to do with my conditioning.  It has everything to do with the weight resting right on my rib cage pressing down everything its got on my precious lungs.  Try having two 20kg (44lbs) or 24kg (53lbs) AKC Pro-Grade Kettlebells blast off your chest and then crash back down with every rep for several minutes on end.  In the beginning of my training I felt like I had been in a severe car accident every day for almost a month.  It can be quite tolling, but that's the name of the game.  I still don’t think the back of my rib cage has ever completely healed. I swear new muscles get effected all the time with this type of training.  One day, after much practice- BUT hopefully sooner than later- I will get my perfect rack position and then it won't be so bad.  Until that day I'll just learn to endure some extra pain and discomfort in order to grow beyond.

Pain is inevitable.  In fact I welcome it.  If I don't have some degree of it then it isn't a good day.  I firmly believe that in order to grow in any way we must go beyond and in order to go beyond we must experience some pain whether that is physical, mental or both.  Pain changes us.  Pain leads us.  Some people call it stress.  Some call it insomnia.  Some call it life frustration.  Some may call it work.  Some call it being burnt out.  Some call it struggle.   Some call it having a pole up the rear!  In the end (no pun intended) it's all pain and how we manage it is how it will affect us.  Personally I am doing my best to manage the pain I have.  I have some personal struggles (ok pain LOL) just like everyone else and then I have my welcomed physical pain.  In my personal training sessions some of my clients call me a sadist.  I agree and then inform them that I'm also a masochist.  The combination just works very well for me in my business and in my life.  :) 

My last few workouts were as follows:

Workout 122708:

6 Min. OALC @ 20kg and 10rpm

4 Min. OALC @ 20kg and 12rpm

2 Min. OALC @ 20kg and 14rpm

Then:

3 Min. Jerks @ 2 20kg

Then: 

100x JS

20 Min. Run 7-9mph

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Birthday Workout 122908:

2 Min. Long Cycle @ 2 24kg and 8rpm

Then:

3 Min. Long Cycle @ 2 20kg and 10rpm for minute 1 and 8rpm for minutes 2 and 3.

Then:

30 Min. Run

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Workout 123008:

1:30 Min. Long Cycle @ 2 20kg and 10rpm

Then Immediately:

6 Min. OALC @ 20kg and 10rpm

Then:

4 Min. OAJ @ 32kg and 8rpm

Then:

20 Min. Run

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Year End Workout 123108:

10 Min. OALC @ 24kg and 10rpm

I switched hands every minute.

Then:

5 Min. Run @ 8rpm and 2% Incline