On The Fly

The day started out with me having a lot of energy and feeling great, but as it drew closer to my workout I felt myself feeling- not drained of energy- but rather the feeling where I've been working hard lately and my body simply needed a break.  So I modified my workout a bit and kept it short and sweet.  That's the beauty of great program design.  It can be done on the fly if need be.  Don't even ask where I got that pic. LOL!


Workout 121008:
6 Min. OALC @ 32kg and 6rpm
Ok well something happened in the second half of my set.  My right arm worked perfectly and I actually felt very strong during the 3 minutes it was supporting the 32.  Then it was my left arm's turn.  Usually I'm quite strong in my left even compared to my right.  I had a callous tear on Monday that effected me during this workout.  Saturdays Snatches (which I don't practice at all ever since taking up Long Cycle) created a blood blister on my left hand that tore open during my Long Cycle set on Monday.  So while I practiced this set with the 32 I had some mental issues movitating myself with the low energy I was feeling that all I could think about was the darn callous and not letting the bell touch it.  Needless to say I had to set the bell down during the 5th minute and walk away for about 10 seconds before realizing that I was acting like a kettlebell baby and needed to warrior up to finish my set.  So despite my 10 second boo boo hand pity party I finished my entire
6 minutes and went 10 seconds longer to make up for it.  My reps per minute on the last 2 minutes dropped to 5 and then 4 respectfully.  Now the only reason for that was my hand issue.  The strength is there because I've done it before.  All I need to do now is heal up and I'm back in business.  I think the next workout or 2 I may have to just do some jerks so that I don't aggrivate my cut anymore.

Then: 3 sets
1 Min. Jerks @ 2 20kg and 12rpm
This went VERY well and made up for my embarrassing Long Cycle set from before.

Then:
100x JS
Guerrilla Sprints

Dat Tis It!

AKC Coach Andrew Durniat Trains 20 Reps Per Minute In Snatch

This is a great display of overall strength.  Awesome job Andrew!!!

This vid is also really cool cause I'm in it too.  Check out the good looking bald guy in the front row wearing a black shirt. LOL! :)

Quads

Today I decided to do 4 sets of 4 minutes a piece. I did 2 One Arm Long Cycle sets and 2 One Arm Jerk Sets. It worked and I had to force myself to do this workout as yesterday's left my lower back inflammed a bit more than I like to feel. It's still not in the injured spine sense, but simply muscular. That I can deal with. Also my neck has been tight all day causing me some headaches which I NEVER get. So needless to say today I had to dig deep. I did and I overcame.

Workout 120908:
4 Min. OALC @ 24kg and 8rpm x 2 sets

Then:
4 Min. OAJ @ 24kg and 12rpm x 2 sets

Then:
100x JS @ 45#
15 Min. Run

Dat Tis It!

Every Workout

The title of this post symbolizes mindset. Mindset is everything with kettlebell lifting and practice. If you do not choose to do it you will not. If you choose to be weak one day you will be. If you choose to push through that weakness, no matter what that might mean, you will. Choices control our lives. Every choice we make has a consequence. Some might be good and some might be bad, but regardless it is up to us depending on what choices we make. That's life and kettlebell lifting is part of life- at least it is in my life. When we choose to wake up each day to begin what can either be a great day or a not so great day it is up to us what attitude to take. Sometimes the only thing we control in our lives are our attitudes. That can definitely make a huge difference in our dealings with others.

Without getting too philosophical I wanted to make simple mention of those thoughts. Within each workout lies the option of continuing on and giving up. The body can be very weak when placed under stress. The mind must be tougher to persevere. It is those who continue on despite discomfort, depleted energy, and muscle fatigue that truly experience the greatest results.

During my own workouts I must take them one at a time. When I am performing a timed set of kettlebell lifts I must focus on each and every rep. That means I cannot think about the next minute of reps or what I have already done, but I must think about the very next rep that I'm about to do and do it perfectly. With each workout I cannot look beyond the one I am about to perform. I cannot dwell on past workouts, but focus on everything I am doing at hand. What works best for me is during a set I decide what my pace will be and then every 30 seconds I focus on completing the number of reps I need. For example if I decide I want to perform 10 reps per minute of Long Cycle I need 5 reps every 30 seconds no matter what to finish my set properly. So I think about not getting 10 reps done, but rather just 5. I think about the next 5 after the first are completed. Then the next minute of course starts my 5 and 5 all over again. This goes on until my set finishes.

Every workout is the same way. I must mentally get through each workout and not worry about the next one or past ones. Each workout poses its own challenges that must and always will be overcome. It matters not how I feel or how I don't. I have to get through them all one at a time. One workout at a time. One set at a time. One minute at a time. One rep at a time. This is the only way I will survive and become successful. One rep at a time into the big picture of every workout. Then and only then will my goal eventually become reality.


Workout 120808:
2 Min. LC @ 2 24kg and 6rpm

Then:
3 Min. LC @ 2 20kg and 8rpm

Then:
6 Min. OAJ @ 24kg and 10rpm

Then:
100x JS @ 45#
20 Min. Run

Intergalactic Interdenominational Kettlebell Challenge

This weekend I had a change of pace for my workout.  Saturday was a special kettlebell challenge event called Intergalactic Interdenominational Kettlebell Challenge.  This was set up by Catherine Imes, Master of Sport, for all who desired to participate worldwide.  Essentially everyone would complete the challenge on the same day and same time, if they could, relative to their time zone.  The goal was to get the most gireviks tossin their bells around as we could all over the world.  I always want to be a part of a great thing so naturally I was on board with this idea.  I also wanted to do it to see how I would do and feel during and afterward.  The results were very good and I felt great.  Below I have listed the details of the event as prescribed.

Kettlebell Event (Not a Traditional G..S. Competition)

10 minute snatch set (SSST) -- Unlimited hand switches, set the bell down what ever you like, drop to the shoulder, whatever.
Immediately followed by:
10 minute One Arm Long Cycle (Clean and Jerk) set (UJT -- Unlimited hand switches, set the bell down whatever you like, etc.
No rest between events.
Use whatever bell you like, with the following guidelines:

Elite Men: 32 kg Elite Women: 20 kg

Men: 24 kgWomen: 16 kg

Beginner Men: 16 or 20 kg  Beginner Women: 8 or 12 kg

This was a whole lot of fun.  I stuck with the Beginner since I didn't quite know what to expect and I am all about progressing these days.  I didn't want to do anything to jeopardize that and potentially injure myself when I am on a great track.  Also I very rarely do Snatches so I didn't know what was gonna happen there.

120608- Intergalactic Interdenominational Kettlebell Challenge
Workout:
10 Min. Snatch @ 16kg and 15rpm
I did not stop at all and did not set the bell down.  I did, however, decide to switch hands each time.


Then:
10 Min. One Arm Long Cycle @ 20kg and 10rpm
Again I did not stop at all and did not set the bell down.  I did, however, decide to switch hands each time.

No callouses- THANK GOD- were torn and afterward I felt very strong.  I want to perform this for fun in about a month again with the next size bells to see what happens. 

This Is One Of The Most Inspirational and Motivational Videos

Quick Smoothie Recipes

A couple of my clients recently asked me what are some good smoothie recipes so here are a few of my favs.

Simple Wake Up Smoothie:
1. 1 Cup of Water
2. 1/2 cup of Pineapple
3. 2 Small stalks of Parsely


Simple Chocolate Smoothie:
1. 1 Cup of Water
2. 1/2 cup of Pineapple
3. 2 Tblsp of 100% Organic Dark Chocolate Powder (Whole Foods carries this in the fruit/nut section.)
The chocolate will have no sugars and provide great antioxidants as well as very good fat.

Yummy Tummy Smoothie:
1. Half of a banana
2. Half of an orange or 4 Strawberries
3. 1 Cup of Water

Super Detox Breakfast Smoothie:
1. 1.5-2 cups of water(do not add juice due to the sugar or milk due to the calories)
2. 2 Stalks of Parsley
3. 1/2 stalk of Kale or Chard
4. A very, very small handful of Baby Spinach
5. 1/2 of a Grapefruit or Orange(due to the sugars be sure to not put more than advised, but this makes the shake taste great!)
6. 2-3 Small Strawberries

With this one be sure to blend very, very well for about 1 minute to make everything into fine pieces. This drink will keep your blood sugar low in the morning which in turn keeps insulin levels low. When insulin is high- like right after eating sugary or high glycemic index carbs- you store fat. We want it low so you lose fat.

It will also assist in detoxing your body of all harmful chemicals, toxins, and fecal matter that is clogged within you intestinal folds. You will feel much, much better in as little as a week. I have been drinking this shake(or a similar version of it) for a few months now and feel great!


Enjoy!