Moderate Day 4x7

I want to focus on kettlebell lifting for this round of the 4x7. I'm still deciding if I want to use the classic lifts or the long cycle. I'll let you know tomorrow after training:) I've used the 4x7 protocol before, and it's genius. Here is the link to Scott Sonnons blog outlining the basic 4x7: http://www.rmaxinternational.com/flowcoach/?p=224
You can use that basic outline and apply it to any type of training, so have fun:)

My training for today was this:

Pullups w/ varied grip / 8,8,7,6,5

Clean and Press (Double 24kg KBs) / 5x1, / 4x4

Pistol Squat / 5/5 x 3

Prasara Spider Monkey Flow x 3

I'm Back;)

I haven't written in awhile, but I have been training. It's been a sporadic mix of Prasara Yoga, Kettlebell Lifting, and a lot of standing and walking at clinicals.
The kettlebell lifting has been mostly Long Cycle C+J with the 24 and sometimes with my two new 16's.
I have to say, double long cycle is extremely grueling. I enjoy the pressure that the long cycle puts on my body. Everything has to be in sync during the set. The bells have to land in just the right spot every time. If they don't, you start to struggle to keep them in a relaxing place. Every small movement (shuffling, shifting, fidgeting) becomes a physical and mental inconvenience. Breathing becomes essential to survival. Scott Sonnon has demonstrated a technique called "survival breathing". He describes it in his Foundations of Kettlebell Lifting DVD series. I won't go into detail here because its too complicated and would probably just confuse you.
Here's a sample of his work:

BEEN AWHILE

Wow, it has been awhile since I posted on this blog. I started another blog for awhile...you can find it here: http://gymanimusgs.blogspot.com/.

Since my last post on this blog, I got married, started Sonography school, and missed a whole lot of training. Today, I hit the weights again for the first time in 2 weeks. Sometimes these little breaks are needed, to refresh you and remind you of why you train.

32kg:

Jerk: 5/5 x 3

Swing: 12/12, 10/10, 10/10

L-Pullups on Rings: /4 x 3

Pistols: 3/3 x 3

Prasara Yoga: Spider Monkey, from the Series'A' Flows, I ran through it a few times, just learning the sequence and proper flow.

I did Intu-Flow movements between exercises, doing the movements that applied to the joints I felt were being stressed the most.

Here's some eye candy for you:)

Sunday and Monday Training...

I have been training everyday, just not blogging it...kinda busy with some stuff;) Here's my training for Sunday and Monday:

Sunday:
30 x Handstand Pushups
40 x Ring L-Pullups
50 x 24kg Swings
60 x Situps
70 x Pushups
70 x Squats
All done for time...but I forgot to look at the stopwatch when I finished. I think it still might be running...

Monday:
AM - Row 3k, Run 1 Mile
PM - Bouldering at NJ Rock Gym. Samantha completed her project from two weeks ago. She's small, and the problem was really reachy, so she had to figure out ways to make it work for her. She completed it at the end of the night, when she was extremely fatigued. Great job:)
I found a new project to work on...a V5 crimpy, power, pumpy, beautiful problem. I think my fatigue played a huge roll in me not completing it, but next time its getting ticked off the list for sure.

GYM ANIMUS IS OFFICIAL

Gym Animus is now up and running! We are still fine tuning and adding some more content, but the site is up and very functional. Please visit www.gymanimus.com. The blog will soon be only on www.gymanimus.com as well as the daily workouts. Some articles are on their way. As of now, my contact will be email using andy@gymanimus.com. Thanks for checking it out. Drop me email and let me know what you think.

Still Training...

Sunday:
Crossfit's "Fran"- 95lb Thruster and Pullups - 21-15-9 reps of each for time. 12:21

Monday:
Morning: 5k Row: 21:43
Evening:
Row 1000m warm-up
Snatch Grip Deadlift
135/5
225/5
245/5
265/5
275/4
315/4

Pullups
5 x (1,2,3)

Renegade Row
50lbs/3 x 5/5

Back to the BLOG

Haven't posted in awhile, but I've been keeping up with my training. Here's what I did this past week:

MONDAY - Bouldering at NJ Rock Gym. A super-strong bouldering gym that really tests your technical and physical climbing skills.

TUESDAY - Crossfit's "Nate", a new "hero" workout that they posted last week. I was excited to try it because I went out and made rings for myself, and the workout uses rings.
4 ring pullups (I did them L-sit style)
4 ring dips
4 handstand pushups
8 32kg KB Swings
as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes
I got 8 rounds, swinging my 7th rep as the timer went off. The workout originally calls for 2 muscle ups instead of the pullups and dips, but because of the height of my basement ceiling where I have my pullup bar, the rings were hung pretty low, to allow room for the dips. This caused me to start the pullups from a dead hang L-sit position, not allowing the "kip" that I needed for the muscle up, hence the pullups and dips.

WEDNESDAY - Morning- 6500m row, split into two sessions, 2500m before and then 4000m after a PT session.
Afternoon- 3 rounds, 21-15-9 reps of: 225lb deadlift and ring pushups
I did the 45 reps of each in 13:21. Great workout, will definitely do it again.

A Pulling Day

I trained a client in the morning at the YMCA, and I had her on the rowing machine, so...

I rowed 3000m in 14:56.

It wasn't a furious pace by any means and I definitely could have done it faster. I had never really rowed before, and part of my workout was me trying to figure out the correct technique. I think I got it on some strokes and definitely not on others. Great training session though.

At night I went climbing at the gym. It's the first time I've been there in over a year. All the gymnastics-type exercises and the pullups that I do really helped me on the wall. The kettlebells helped me to "relax under tension" and be more movement efficient, like in a long snatch session. I really only got pumped a few times, and I definitely surprised myself with my bouldering skills. I flashed a bunch of V4's, which isn't bad at all for not climbing for a year...

Kettlebell Triathlon and Snatching

On Tuesday I did a nice workout with the 24kg. I couldn't decide which exercise to focus on, so I did them all, triathlon style. All with the 24kg:

Long Cycle C+J/ 6 minutes, hand switch every 5 reps, @ 8 RPM

Rest 2:00

Snatch/ 6 minutes, Hand switch every 10 reps, @ 10 RPM

Rest 2:00

One Arm Jerk/ 6 minutes, hand switch every 5 reps, @ 10 RPM

P-Bar Pushups/ 3 x 10


Cool workout and really fun. The snatches were the hardest part I think. The pace was the "fastest" and the rest was always in the top position, never in the rack, where it's easy to relax. I will probably do this workout again sometime soon.

Yesterday I did some Olympic Lifting with Dustin again. We both did some snatching, trying to work on our technique. I think by the end of yesterday, we have a pretty good base to start from, although I'm sure both of us have a TON of work to do.

Barbell Snatch
20kg/8
30kg/5 x 2
40kg/4 x 2
50kg/1 x 2

Bench Press
225lbs/1
245lbs/1
260lbs/1
270lbs/1

Dynamic Pushup
/8 x 2
Feet On Box/5 x 3

The snatches were awesome. It's a great movement overall, with a nice overhead squat built right in. The hardest part is locking yourself into the overhead squat once you get under the bar. I lost the bar on a few attempts, and dumping it was an awesome feeling...
The bench press was a 1RM attempt for me. Dustin was curious, because he hadn't maxed in awhile. When he was done I got curious because I never bench press...ever.
I don't think a 270 pound max is too bad...
The dynamic pushups were done with two bumper plates stacked on the outside of my hands, in a fairly narrow position. You do a pushup, explode up onto the plates, and then do another pushup. Walk your hands back down into the starting position and do another rep. The "feet up" version was done with our feet raised onto a 12 inch ply-box.

The ADK's

This is the hockey rink where the "Miracle" game took place. The USA versus the USSR, in the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid. The USA hockey team beat the Russians and secured what could have been the biggest victory in the history of hockey.

Here's Samantha, approaching the top of her first ascent for the day. She did great. I was amazed at her charging attitude and ruthless determination. She took some good falls and kept on climbing where most people would have quit.

Here's me stemming between two falls. In the middle, where I am climbing, there was a trickle of water flowing down, splashing off the ice. I came down from the climb soaking wet. Awesome:)

This is our guide, Bill Dodd. I highly recommend him if you ever need a climbing guide in the Adirondaks (www.rockandriver.com). He was extremely knowledgeable and professional, and he's definitely got my vote;)

High Falls Gorge. A mini-Grand Canyon type gorge formed over hundreds of thousands of years. Absolutely beautiful.

This is from the bottom of the 120 meter Olympic Ski Jump. Those guys are CRAZY...flying off a 260 foot tower, going 60mph, flying through the air 100 feet off the deck...

The Caribbean Cowboy. Awesome restaurant, awesome food, recommended to us by Bill, our guide. I think it works because its extremely out of place in the Adirondaks.


A couple other pics from climbing. Overall, an awesome trip. I would do the whole thing over and not change a thing. The Adirondaks are gorgeous, and all the towns cater to the mountain life. I might end up there someday...

Back to Town

Yesterday, I did my first workout since the Adirondaks. I can't say I was extremely impressed, but maybe the long days of climbing and hiking had something to do with my fatigue.

Circuit Style:

P-Bar Pushups x 4
Pullups x 8
Pistols x 5/5
24kg Snatch x 15/15
Rest x 1 minute

Repeat x 5


Later in the day, I went to the S+C facility at ESU to practice our O-Lifting skills. We were both attempting to learn the snatch, so we focused on the assistance lifts for it along with the progressions:

Overhead Squat
20kg bar/8
40kg/5
60kg/4
70kg/3
80kg/2 x 2

Jump Shrug
20kg bar/5 x 2
40kg/5 x 2

High Pull
20kg bar/5 x 2
40kg/4 x 2

The overhead Squats felt great. I really like them. They are a solid, full body exercise. They build "Dad Strength", as Dan John puts it. The kind of strength that your dad has when he pulls an entire engine out from under the hood of a car and carries it over to the front lawn, where it would have taken you and four of your buddies to do the same thing.

To the ICE

I'm off the grid for a while. I'll be heading up to Lake Placid, New York to do some ice climbing with Samantha. No worries, a full photo-journal will be up soon after I get back. Train hard, and don't forget to get outside;)

Snatch Grip Deadlifts Anyone?

Weighted Pullups
24kg/ 3 x 10

P-Bar Pushups
/3 x 10

Snatch Grip Deadlifts off a 4" Platform
225lbs/ 3 x 10

Running
- Fartlek style run, for 18 minutes. One of my fastest...

Just Snatches

Snatch
24kg/ 2 minutes @ 12 RPM, hand switch every minute
/4 minutes @ 12 RPM, hand switch every minute
/4 minutes @ 15 RPM, hand switch every minute
/6 minutes @ 16 RPM, hand switch every 8 reps

That's it. I was running short on time, otherwise I would have liked to add some running at the end. Oh well:)

Long Cycle

One-Arm Long Cycle
24kg/ 2 minutes @ 8 RPM, hand switch every 8 reps
/ 4 minutes @ 10 RPM, hand switch every 8 reps
/ 7 minutes @ 8 RPM, hand switch every 5 reps

Pullups
/ 10, 8, 8, 10

Good Strength Workout

Pistols
BW/ 3,4,5 each leg

P-Bar Pushups
/ 3 x 10

"One Arm" Pullups
/ 3,4,3,3,3 each arm

Snatch-Grip Deadlift off a 4 inch platform
225/ 3 x 4

Swings
24kg/ 30/30 x 3

I added the swings at the end for a bit of conditioning. I really like the snatch grip deadlifts. I feel that I could have done WAY more weight with those, but 225lbs is all I have at my house. Maybe next time I'll have to get those done at the gym before I leave to go home and train. The "one arm" pullups were done with a rope. I grabbed the rope about 18 inches below the bar with one of my hands, and did pullups with the other. The rope was acting as an aid to help me get the pullups done. I tried to put as little emphasis as possible on the "roped" hand.

Fun Workout with My Pup

Long Cycle C+J's
24kg/ 6 minutes @ 8 RPM, switch hands every 5 reps
/4 minutes @ 10 RPM, switch hands every 5 reps
/4 minutes @ 8 RPM, switch hands every 5 reps

Cleans
25.75kg/3 minutes @ 8 RPM x 2

Pullups
/8,9,10

Pushups
/30 x 3

Zercher Squats with the Pup:)
/10 x 3

My dog Lexi, a lab who loves to play all the time, made her way downstairs during my workout. She was jumping on me during the pullups and trying to wrestle me during my pushups, so I decided to include her. I grabbed her and started squatting. She weighs 67 pounds, nd kind of felt like squatting with a sandbag. She loved it:)

Very Cool Conversation

I was out with two friends last night, Samantha and Alaina. We casually stumbled upon the topic of them working out. They started discussing how Samantha "kind of pulled a muscle" while working on the bicep curl machine:/ Since I am on an anti-machine movement, I asked them if they always worked out on the machines when they went to the gym...which they do, except for some yoga classes. Yoga is a great start, as it focuses on your body awareness, breathing, and body control. Good job girls:) We then continued to talk about the machines.
I told them that they could get an even better workout OFF the machines with just their bodyweight and a few household items, to which they BOTH replied: "Really? I would MUCH RATHER use my body than those machines! I just don't know how...that's why I use the machines." I offered to show them both how to do just that, right at their apartment.

It's amazing what their response was. That's the problem with machines...they are too DUMB. They certainly have their place in a rehab setting, I'm not arguing against that, but for a healthy person? There is no reason any normal, healthy person should have to use machines. By healthy I mean any person not in need of any physical therapy, surgery, etc. It's a shame that people enter a gym, get a personal trainer, expecting a good workout, and the trainer puts them on a machine based program. INCOMPETENT, I say! It's easy to put people on machines and not have to correct their technique, show them any technique, or even get their whole body moving at the same time! LAZINESS, I say! Calorie burning? What do you think will burn more calories - curls on a bicep machine (sitting down, supported), or a big compound movement, like a row or pullup variation (you are forced to control your whole body, support yourself)?

Muscle building? Pushups or the pec-deck? Which do you think stimulates more muscle fibers? Good guess. To end this rant, get off the machines, get a knowledgeable and pro-active trainer, and start improving.

Did the Double Thing

MORNING:

P-Bar Pushups
/3 x 10

Snatches
24kg/ 4 minutes @ 12 RPM, switch hands every 6 reps
/ 3 minutes @ 12 RPM, switch hands every 6 reps x 2

Swing
25.75kg/ 10/10, 15/15 x 3
- I rested for 10 breaths after the sets of 10, and 15 breaths after the sets of 15, then continued on to the next set.

Pullups
Lots and lots. I didn't count, I just did a bunch of sets to near failure.

EVENING:

Snatches
24kg/ 4 minutes @ 10 RPM, hand switch every 10 reps
/2 minutes @ 15 RPM, hand switch every 15 reps x 2

Running for 12 minutes @ 1 minute fast run, 30 second walk

I was kind of cut short in my first session because I had to go train a client. Just bad planning on my part. So I came home later and finished up. All I really missed was the running, but I was feeling good, so I added in the extra sets of snatches. The P-Bar pushups were throughout the day, today and yesterday. All in all, I probably totaled about 18 sets. I really want to get better at those...

Some Squats

I took this down to Muscle Inc. in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania (www.muscleinc-gym.com). It's one of the gyms that I work at, and they've got some fantastic equipment there for me to play around on. It's always a nice change to get out of the basement during the winter sessions.

Front Squat
185/3 x 3

Back Squat
225/3 x 3
255/3 x 2

Weighted Pullups
25lbs/5
50lbs/5 x 5

Then, some running on the treadmill for 10 minutes...

Short One...

Long Cycle C+J's
24kg/ 7 minutes @ 8 RPM
29kg/ 3 minutes @ 8 RPM x 2

Short Cycle Jerks
29kg/ 2 minutes @ 8 RPM x 2

= 8088 pounds

That's it. I didn't eat a lot today and didn't get much sleep last night, so I backed off and took it relatively easy today. As an athlete, you've got to know when it's time to take it down a notch. If you are extremely tired or fatigued, there is no problem with reducing the volume of your workout, or even taking a day off. doing this makes for a good athlete who knows his body. Don't get that "all or nothing" mentality and run yourself into the ground. Doing so will FORCE you to take time off due to sickness, injury, or over-training.

Bent Presses and Snatches

I was reading an article on the Gym Jones website about their training and why they do what they do. A lot of those guys are climbers who have reached some high levels in the sport (no pun intended). When you climb, you need a very high strength-to-weight ratio, otherwise, you just suck. Mark Twight, who owns Gym Jones, talked about exercise pairing. He was talking about blending weight-training and bodyweight-training...always pair a heavy weightlifting exercise with a bodyweight exercise. So, when deadlifting, you could superset the deadlifts with pullups (bodyweight only). This would train you to use your bodyweight even if you do end up gaining a few pounds from deadlifting heavy. I guess I always kind of trained like that anyway without really "thinking" about it. I am also a climber, so being able to move my bodyweight around effectively is pretty important. I always try to blend gymnastics-type training with weight-training. On that note...

My workout for today:

P-bar pushups/lower into L-sit hold
/3 x 5

- After the pushups, I slowly lowered my legs under me and in front of me, then I held the L-sit until "failure"

Bent Press
32kg/2/2 x 3

Snatches
24kg/ 3 minutes at 10rpm, switch hands every 5 reps
/3 minutes at 12 rpm, switch hands every 7 reps
/3 minutes at 20rpm, switch hands every 10 reps

Pullups
/8 x 4

Followed this up with a nice cold water douse out in the snow, and a cup of chamomile tea:)

Good One Today

Long Cycle C+J
24kg/ 7 minutes, at 9 rpm, alternating hands every 5 reps = 63 reps

Pullups
/ 4,5,6,5,6,4,5,6,7

Long Cycle C+J
24kg/ 5 minutes, at 8 rpm, alternating hands every 5 reps = 40 reps

Swing
24kg/ 20/20 x 2

Snatch
16kg/ 25/25 x 2

Overall a really good workout. The 7 minutes of C+J was pushing it a little. I think I will slow it down to 8rpm when I go for 8 minutes. I can also see how the fatigue would build up in your arms when you don't switch hands every 5 reps. Down the road, I'd like to switch hands only halfway through the set...that's pretty DOWN THE ROAD though:)
Also, it's been awhile since I trained with the 16kg. It is surprisingly light, now that I have been only using the 24kg and the 32kg. I got the feeling I could snatch it all day long. That's a very good thing;)

New Link

There is a new link that I added over there -> in the links list, titled "Gym Animus Courage Corner". This is a daily workout blog that I will post for you. There will be a workout posted most days of the week for you to try. Let me know how you do and what you think. Enjoy:)

Very Happy About This One

This was one of those workouts you remember for awhile. I recalled from the first Russian Kettlebell Challenge, Steve Maxwell did a workout that involved doing snatches with the 24kg for 20-15-10-5 reps, with both the right and left arms. I believe his time was 7:36. Today I did this:

Pullups
/10, 9, 8, 8, 7

C+J's
24kg/ 6 minutes, at 9 RPM, switch hands every 5 reps = 56 reps total

Snatch
24kg/ 20-15-10-5 right/left in 7:09!!!

Hanging Leg Raises
3x3

I am extremely happy about the snatches. I didn't really have a specific time goal in mind. My goal was to complete the sets fairly comfortably, and without putting the bell down. In fact, I didn't look at the clock until I put the bell down at the end. I'd say I was using about 85-90% of full effort while doing the snatches. I was amazed to see that time on the clock. Steve Maxwell is an unofficial mentor of mine. I love Steve's workout design, his life attitude, and his never ending pursuit of fitness. To beat his time is huge for me. The RKC came out about 7 or 8 years ago, and I'm sure that Steve has beaten his time since then, but when I first read that workout, I remember thinking: "Man, that is nuts! That is a fast time for that workout. That guy must be in great condition!". When I started lifting kettlebells about three years ago, I could barely snatch the 24kg. It was SO heavy. To accomplish that workout today is amazing. Just more proof of what you can do when you are consistent, dedicated, and smart. I still love the C+J's...I'll probably keep those up for awhile...

To the First Man to Reach the Top of the World

About a week ago, when I was still in Washington D.C., I was walking around the city at around 8:30 at night, and on one of those electronic news banners came this:
"Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to summit Mount Everest, died today at the age of 88"
This makes me think of the quote from Braveheart: "Every man dies, not every man really lives". On May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary, along with his sherpa and guide, Tenzing Norgay, became the first team of climbers to reach the summit of the 29,029 foot tall Mount Everest. These two amazing gentlemen paved the way for thousands of climbers in the decades after their first ascent. To this day, Mount Everest remains the highest point on earth. Here's to Sir Edmund Hillary and his inspiring accomplishment.

Quick Saturday Work...

I'm on my way to a graduation party (Congrats Ashley), so I grabbed this quick training session before I left:

Long Cycle C+J's
24kg @ 8 RPM, hand switch every 5 reps
/ 5 minutes
90 second rest
/ 4 minutes

Running
/ 2 miles @ 3 minutes running, 1 minute walking

The C+J's are absolutely awesome. I encourage anyone to learn them and implement them. I have a video posted below about the correct technique for this strength endurance exercise. I guarantee that 90% of the population could benefit from using this exercise on a regular basis. Enjoy:)

STRENGTH Training

Haven't trained for strength specifically in awhile, so...

Handstand Pushup
/5x5

Hack Squat
32kg/5 x 4

Weighted Pullup
24kg/3 x 3

Snatch
32kg/5/5 x 4

Hanging Leg Raise
/3 x 3

Kettlebell Bench Press
24kg/6 x 4

Followed this with a contrast shower and eggplant rollitini, MMMM...;)

P.S. - CHRIS DALY...send me your email at joojoo2885@yahoo.com. I never got your contact info before you left for Saint Diego...I hope you are enjoying the So Cal life, staying in tip-top condition;)

Here's to the PRE..

Steve Prefontaine was a good runner, in case you didn't know;)

More RUNNING

Snatch
24kg
/15/15 x 2

Swing
32kg
/15/15 x 3

Running
4 x 400m speed intervals

The intervals were pretty cool. I didn't fully recover between the repeats, which was good. I was more and more fatigued going into the next round. I feel like that type of running really helps you push through that pain barrier, when everything burns and you pray for rest...instead you take another stride, then one more, and another, and so on, until you reach the end of wherever you are trying to go.
Eventually you realize that the pain isn't that bad, that once you relax you could probably hold this pace for much longer. When I used to run 50-60 miles a week, making improvements wasn't necessarily about making myself better physically, because I had really good physical endurance. The problem came for me mentally. As soon as the run got uncomfortably hard, I would almost go into a panic, like something would happen if I continued to feel this pain. All mental. Once I could convince myself to relax and just keep putting one foot in front of the other, the rest was easy...

Love Those C+J's

I did a short warm-up with the 32kg, doing 2 sets of 5 cleans on each side. I held the rack for awhile on each rep, trying to find a comfy position. After that:

24kg C+J's (8 RPM pace, switch hands every 5 reps)
/ 4 minutes
/ 4 minutes
/ 3 minutes
/ 3 minutes

I rested about 90 seconds between each set.

Pullups
/ 8, 9, 10, 10, 8, 8

Hanging Leg Raise
/4 x 3

Good stuff:) I really like the feeling of those Clean and Jerks...

Trying To Start RUNNING

The KB's keep me in pretty good shape. I have a really good work capacity, and I feel like I am reasonably strong. So far though, I've made strength a primary goal, with endurance a close second. While there is good carryover for me when hiking or participating in some other endurance-type activity, I just can't seem to keep in "running" shape while just doing KB's/bodyweight training. I took my dog for a walk today, and at the end of our walk, you have to climb a hill to get back to my house. The hill is about a quarter mile long with about an 8% grade. We ran up the hill at a pretty good pace (about 2:00 from bottom to top), and when we finished, I was DYING. It felt like my lungs were bleeding. So, after I recovered, I went and did this:

Turkish Get-Up
32kg/8 minutes = 16 reps total, switched hands every rep

Running
3 minutes running, 1 minute walking/ 12 minutes

Last Day in D.C.

Unfortunately, today is my last day in Washington D.C.. Fortunately, the trip was extremely productive, both physically and mentally. I got in some great workouts, lots of time with Vinay, and beautiful weather. We also made some great progress with the official Gym Animus website...it will be here soon:)
To end the trip, I walked around Georgetown today for a few hours. It was a pleasant walk, with nice river views, good looking people, and a solid cup of Starbucks coffee:) In addition to my walk, my training for the day looked like this:

Handstand Pushups
/5x3
/8x3

All with the 24kg...

One Arm Long Cycle
2x 4 min sets at 8 RPM

Swing
2x 30/arm
2x 25/arm

Pushup
BW/ 35 x 3

A Little Bit of GS-Style Training

I saw this on the American Kettlebell Club Blog. It's the one arm long cycle clean and jerk. I used the 24kg. Coach Scott Sonnon has an excellent tutorial on how to do the Long Cycle C+J. Here it is:

I did a three minute set at an 8 RPM pace, switching hands every 5 reps. I actually liked doing it so much that after a brief rest, I repeated two more three minute sets. Each three minute set was about spot on, totaling between 24 and 26 reps. After that, I did this:

With the 24kg:
Clean + Press + Front Squat Combo x 1,2,3,4,5 per arm, as little rest as possible

Swing x 10,20,30 with brief rests between sets

Snatch x 5,10,15 per arm with brief rests between sets

All followed by a four minute set of long cycle clean and jerk. I totaled 42 reps in the 4 minutes. Awesome workout, those C+J's.

Summer in January

Yesterday, January 9, Washington D.C. was 72 degrees and sunny. Not one to pass up beautiful weather, I had to take the KBs outside for some fun. Vinay and I took them up to the rooftop patio of his apartment building. We spent over 3 hours out in the sun, topping up our tans and having some fun. Here are some of the pictures we got.

Nice One In D.C.

I'm down in Washington D.C. for a few days, visiting Vinay, working on Gym Animus, and being a tourist (call it what it is, right?). While Vinay was at work today, I did this at his apartment, after walking around for about 4 hours seeing the sights:)

All weighted exercises done with two 24kg kettlebells:

See- Saw Press
/5 each x 3

Pull Up
/8 x 4

Front Squat
/5 x 4

Hanging Leg Raise
/3 x 3

Pushups on kettlebell handles
/20 x 3

The "Official" Gym Animus

I've been getting a lot of questions lately about my training services and the Gym Animus website. I'd like to answer a few of those questions so that when I direct people to this blog, they have some sort of reference pertaining to their questions.

What kind of training do I offer?
- I offer group or private training. I train people out of their homes, their gyms, or online. If I can't meet you physically, I can write a solid program for you, based on your goals, experience, and exercise/equipment availability. The idea behind Gym Animus is that your body WANTS to move a certain way, and it was BUILT to execute certain tasks. Your body is ONE PIECE, and thats the way I will train it. Everything you do on one "part" of your body affects another "part" of your body, so we do not separate your body into parts. I am not a bodybuilding trainer. Bodybuilding is its own sport in which I am not experienced. However, if you want to look better, perform better (in sport and/or in life), and feel better, than I just might be the trainer for you. Your training will be fun, exciting, and it will have definitive goals. You will not be disappointed.

What are your prices?
- The prices vary depending on what you are looking for. I write 1,2 and 3 month programs. I am available for private training and group training. I offer 1,3,6, and 10 session packages. For now, if you are interested, email me and let me know what you are looking for and I can send you the full price list.

If you don't divide my body into "parts" then how DO you train it?
- Samples of my training can be found in the videos that are posted in the "November" archives on this blog. Other samples can be found in the daily workouts that I post here. I understand that not everyone is up to performing these workouts as written. that's perfectly OK, as there are many many progressions and modifications to each of these exercises. The modifications will be made according to your level of fitness.

What are your qualifications?
- I am a graduate of East Stroudsburg University, with a backelor's degree in Exercise Science. I am a NESTA certified personal trainer. I have about four years of individual and group training experience. I have worked with the elderly, teenagers, athletes, CEO's, mothers, fathers, mentally and physically handicapped people. Every one of my clients has been a great experience for me. I take away as much from them as they do from me. I have also had the experience of training myself in multiple sports, from triathlons to rock climbing to kettlebell lifting.

How do I contact you?
- Right now, send me and email at joojoo2885@yahoo.com. That email address will most likely change once Gym Animus is up and running, but for now, the yahoo address will suffice. You can also comment on my blog posts with any questions or comments that you have.

Thanks for your interest in Gym Animus:)

Workout From Yesterday

I spent New Year's in Washington D.C., which was great, but I got behind on my workouts. Then, while wrestling with my younger and larger brother (by about 50 lbs), I had some kind of dislocation/subluxation happen to my shoulder...OUCH:) So, needless to say, my training was somewhat limited yesterday, although not by much. I trained with my brother which is always a pleasure:)

My Workout:
P-Bar Pushup (like a bodyweight dip, with your body in a parallel position, knees tucked)
/5x5

Weighted Pullup
40lbs/4x4

TGU
24kg/10 each side, alternating every 2 reps

Pistol
BW/3/3x3
12kg/3/3x2

Double Swing
2x24kg/8x4

Dan's Workout:
Military Press
16kg/3/3x3

Snatch
16kg/5+5 at the top of every minute/8 minutes

Thanks:)

While everyone awaits the unveailing of the official Gym Animus website, I would like to say thank you to my friend, Vinay, who is building the website for me in his spare time. He is working endless hours to build the site, on top of his already busy life. He certainly has a lifetime "membership" to Gym Animus and all of its benefits.


Vinay is one of those racing snakes who moves like a man possessed across the country. He is an extremely fast runner, with an average 5k time that could easily provide him with a salary.
However, Vinay wasn't always a great athlete. He joined track in his freshmen year of high school, just for something to do. Well, he turned out to be a horrible runner. The coach put him in the 2-mile race, which was where all the "bad" runners went. Vinay wasn't very good at that either. Apparently, that pissed him off a little bit. During the summer between 9th and 10th grade, Vinay ran like a beast, logging an average of 10 miles per day, six days per week. He came back in the fall and joined the cross country team. Vinay started winning races, and not only marginal wins either. He regularly recorded sub-15:00 5k's, beating his opponents by more than 2 minutes sometimes. This was all at the tender, ripe age of 16 years old. The kid is a phenom.
Unfortunately, Vinay has given up competitive running since then, putting his physical energies into weightlifting and bodybuilding. He isn't at a loss in that arena either. Just the other day, at 140 pounds, Vinay put up 250 for 4 on the bench press. He can crank out a solid 25 pullups without breathing heavy, and he's got a front lever that scares people at his gym. He only weighs 140, but looks like he's approaching 175. He's also got a chest that, as Pavel says, you could stand a glass on. Vinay lives and works in Washington D.C.. He works for Lockheed Martin, writing computer programs for the construction of nuclear submarines. WOW. Keep it up Vinay, you are an inspiration to all of us.

ETK Heavy Day

C+P
28kg/ (1,2,3) x 4

Alternated With:

Weighted Pullup
40lbs/ )1,2,3) x 4

Swing
24kg/ 6 minutes at 100% = 156 swings

Running/ 3 minutes on, 1 minute off x 3

I was still feeling a little sick today, and I definitely wasn't recovering as fast as I would have liked (or usually do). The running felt a little tougher than usual. I think due to my lack of "recovery".

ETK Medium Day

So, I wasn't feeling well yesterday, or today really...and that's why my training got pushed back a day. Some kind of runny nose, allergy, can't breath type thing. Oh well.

C+P
28kg/ (1,2,3) x 4 each

Alternated With:

Weighted Pullups
40lbs/ (1,2,3) x 4

Swing 24kg
8 minutes at 70-80% = 198 swings

The swings felt like crap. I had a goal of 230-245 swings, but not being able to breath kind of hindered that...:) Next time.

TACTICAL STRENGTH TRAINING

So, with respect to the Tactical Strength Challenge (www.tacticalstrengthchallenge.com), established by the wonderful people over at Dragondoor, I will formulate a workout schedule that attacks all the necessary components of “tactical strength”. These components are listed as: the ability to pick up heavy things (ammo boxes, heavy equipment, bodies), to pull oneself up and over obstacles with gear (guns, body armor, belt kit, etc.), and the ability to carry out general fighting tasks with a good measure of cardio-respiratory and strength endurance. These issues will be addressed by the deadlift, the weighted pullup, and the one arm kettlebell snatch. The deadlift develops full body strength and resilience. The deadlift will develop your body from top to bottom. The weighted pullup will help you handle your own bodyweight and then some, in a tactical situation. Make sure the pull-ups are done from a dead hang, Adam’s apple to the bar fashion. No kipping, bent elbow, half-assed pullups. The one arm kettlebell snatch will take care of your heart, lungs, and your muscular endurance. It will allow you to perform difficult tasks for the long haul and help you develop the resilience to take punishment and return the favor when necessary.
Men or women can do this workout, as it is adjustable to your own ability level. Training will take place five days per week, on the days of your choice. Here’s what it looks like:
Day 1 and 3
Deadlift – 5,4,3,2,1 (increase the weight by 10 pounds each set)
Weighted Pullup – ladders to limit (for example: 1,2,3,4,5,4 then back to 1,2,3,4,3, then back to 1,2,3,3, etc., all the way to only 1 rep)
Snatch – 70-80% of max in 4-8 minutes (For example: you can do 100 reps in 5 minutes at 100% effort. You would only do 70-80 reps in 5 minutes, taking breaks as needed).
Day 2 and 4
Kettlebell Military Press – 3 sets of 5 reps each side (7-8RM weight)
Hanging Leg Raise – 3 sets of 5
Heavy Kettlebell Swing – 70-80% of max in 2-4 minutes
Day 5
Turkish Getup – 3 sets of 3 reps each side
Man-Makers
Light Kettlebell Snatches x 10 each
Pushups x 25
¼ mile jog
Repeat x 8
A few points to note:
- The deadlifts will start in the first week will start with the top single 20 pounds
below your max. Increase the starting weight five pounds per workout and
calculate your other sets accordingly.
- The pullups are done with or without weight. If you can only do a couple pull
ups, get help from a partner to get at least 5. Start with one pullup, rest, two
pull-ups, rest, three, etc., until you cannot top the reps from the last set. Then
start back at one rep and continue until you cannot top one rep.
- The TSC tests the snatches with a 24kg kettlebell for most men and a 16kg for
women. So, if you use these weights for your Days 1 and 3 weight, use the
32kg or 24kg for your heavy swings and the 16kg or 12kg for your light
snatches.
- You can make the Military presses heavier as you see fit, just remember that it is
not one of your immediate goals.
- For the Man Makers on Day 5, take it easy with the jog. This day is for
conditioning, and the jogs are used as recovery.
- Every fourth week, reduce all the volume for the week by half, and use the 5th
day as a test day for the deadlift, pullup and snatch. The deadlift is done as a
1RM attempt. The pullups are done for max reps (use 10kg of weight if you
want). The snatches are tested for max reps in 5 minutes (shoot for 100-120),
using a 24kg, 16kg, or if you’re a mutant, a 32kg kettlebell. You can rest when
you want and switch hands when you want.
- I suppose you could use this to train for the TSC if you wanted, but you can also
use this program to develop some solid strength and conditioning, even if you
don’t plan on competing.
- You can re-calculate all of your workout weights and percentages after the test
day. For the deadlifts, test your new max and start in week five with the top
single 20 pounds below your new max.
- You can skip the 5th day if you want, but don’t skip the other days.
- As always, adjust the weights and volumes to your abilities. Enjoy and stay
safe. Feel free to contact me with any questions you have.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day. Stay safe and be happy:) Today is a day for family and friends, food and drink, fires and Christmas carols, and maybe some training:) Enjoy:)

ETK Light Day

Double Military Press
2x24kg/ (1,2,3) x 4

Alternated With:

Weighted Pullups
40lbs/ (1,2,3) x 4

Snatches (24kg)
7 minutes at 50% = 85 snatches

My brother worked out with me...His workout looked like this:

Clean and Press
16kg/ (1,2,3) x 4 each

Alternated With:

One Arm Row
16kg/ (1,2,3) x 4 each

Snatches (12kg)
7 minutes at 50% = 80 snatches

It was good to work out with my brother. We did this a couple hours before Christmas Eve dinner at my aunt's. He was a champ. Despite the "holiday", he was into working out and we both had a lot of fun. We followed this workout up with Christmas Eve dinner...seven different kinds of fish and about a half dozen different pasta dishes, along with horse doovers (hors d'ourves (sp?)) and tons of dessert.

The Holidays?

I love Christmas time. So many cookies;) That said, I am trying to find a balance between eating like garbage and trying to maintain a somewhat normal "diet". The problem is, there are so many good foods around, 90% of which are composed of some sugar and lard mixture (MMMMM...So! Good!). These foods don't lend themselves very well to athletic performance. The other day, I ate a half dozen cookies about an hour before I worked out. Half an hour later I passed out on the couch for two hours. Good thing I had energy to work out;)
Things like this would really bother me if I did them all the time. However, I know that the whole thing (cookies and such) only lasts about 2-3 weeks, at the most. After that, it's back to normal. If you think about it, on average, I experience 3 Christmas "events" leading up to Christmas Day. So, 3 events where I eat whatever I want. Then, add in Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. So far, a total of 5 "events". Throw in New Years, and probably another 5 "random events" that I kind of let myself go. So only 10 actual times that I "slip up". These 10 times have a minimal effect on my performance because 9 out of 10 will occur AFTER I've trained for the day. Oh well. I'm still improving and training, so I'm not worried.
Oh yea...did I mention how good I look? ;)

Big Day with the Basics

Clean and Press
28kg/ (1,2,3,4) x 3

Alternated with:

Weighted Pullup
40lbs/ (1,2,3,4) x 3

Swing
24kg/ 4 minutes ALL OUT = 138 reps

I added another rung to my ladders. I'll add another next week, and then I'll start to increase the number of ladders. The swings were pretty hard. I definitely could not have kept it up for much longer than 4 minutes at that pace. I did 50, then rested, 50 then rested, etc.

Fewer Things, Better...ETK Meduim Day

This idea of fewer things better is pretty neat. Less choice equals an involuntary focal point. In this case, presses and pulls.

One Arm Clean and Press (with a kettlebell)
28kg/ (1,2,3) x 3 each

Weighted Pullup
40lbs/ (1,2,3) x 3

Swing
24kg/ 6 minutes at 70-80% = 175 swings

Variety Day

Went to the gym with my friend Ryan in the afternoon. He trained "back" I trained deadlifts.

Deadlift
225lbs/4
245lbs/3
275lbs/5
285lbs/4
295lbs/3
305lbs/2
315lbs/2

Pullups
BW/8 x4

Hanging Leg Raises
4x4

Evening Session:

P-Bar Pushups
5x5

Running/2 minutes on, 1 minute off(walk) x 18 minutes

The deadlifts went well. The last time I deadlifted was about three weeks ago I think. The 315 went up surprisingly easy. I could have made 4 reps. Ryan was training some different stuff than me, but we did deadlifts and pullups together.

WOW

Check out this post by Geoff Neupert, on his blog, about the meaning of strength. It's about real strength, in every area of our lives, not just in the gym. Carry it with you wherever you go and you will surely be a force to be reckoned with. Enjoy:)

http://chasingstrength.blogspot.com/

ETK Light Day

Double Military Press
24s/ (1,2,3) x 3

Alternated with:

Weighted Pullup
40lbs/ (1,2,3) x 3

Snatch
24kg/ 6 minutes @ 50-60% = 67 total reps

I really like this setup so far. Simple:) I did the snatches for 20 at a time, rested awhile, and then did 20 more, etc.

ETK "Heavy Day"

One Arm Clean and Press Ladders
28kg/ (1,2,3) x 3

Alternated With

Weighted Pull Ups
40lb/ (1,2,3) x 3

Swings
24kg/ 4 minutes = 130 swings

That's it. Just as prescribed I surprised myself with the swings. I did 70 in the first set, which I think was a mistake, because that caused me to rest a little longer than I should have. I did feel pretty good though once I picked the bell back up and started going again. I probably could have topped 150 in the 4 minutes if I had an "idea" of my pacing, but I haven't done swings like this in awhile. Next time, it will be 50 swings, 10 second rest, repeat. We'll see where that goes.

Snow Day Training

It figures. I thought yesterday was my last day of school...ever. A snow day decided to postpone that until today. Oh well. I spent the day plowing and shoveling snow...multiple times, because it snowed ALL day. In addition to that, here's what I did:

Pull Ups/ 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 4

P-Bar Push Ups /4x4

Running/ 2 min on 1 min off x 16 minutes

A short workout. I want to slowly start adding some running to my schedule. For now, I will increase the total time I run, up to 25 minutes. Then I will increase the speed, and start back at 16 minutes. Finally, I will keep the speed and reduce rest "off" periods.

Something To Think About

In Enter the Kettlebell, Pavel talks about a Russian man going to get coffee somewhere. There are two ways his scenario can go: "we have coffee" or, most likely, "we don't have coffee". Think about it. If he wanted coffee, he only had two possibilities to deal with. Less choice made his decision easier. If they had coffee, he would drink it. It doesn't matter to him what kind of bean it was or what flavor it was. Now, look at America. People are stressed because they don't know what flavor coffee to get or what size or what level of caffeine they want...
The coffee is of course a figure of speech. When we are left with less choice we are more likely to take what we can get and make the best of it. This goes for all areas of life. Don't get me wrong, this country is wonderful, as is the fact that we have choices. I certainly would not have it any other way. However, sometimes too much choice can bite you in the ass. You spend more time choosing than you spend doing, and you don't ever get anywhere. Apply this to the gym: "Do I work my front delts today, or my lower pec? Inside of my thigh or my lower abs?"...#@&*! What?! I have a better idea: Press, or Pull, or Squat...then let your body figure out where it wants to put the load. Use your body as a unit, and stick to the basics. I can think of at least a dozen "perfect pairs" of exercises that would work your entire body and make you a mutant. People go into a gym and see a plethora of machines and pulleys and plates and yadda yadda..."What the hell do I do?" Is the typical response. Learn to move your body the way that it was meant to move, with the movement patterns that are most natural. Here's some ideas:

Deadlift and Side Press
Snatch and Military Press
Turkish Get-Up and Pullup
Overhead Squat and Bench Press
Front Squat and One Arm Pushup
Swing and Handstand Pushup
Snatch and Bent Press
Swing and Bent Press
Swing and Turkish Get-Up
Deadlift and Turkish Get-Up
Clean and Press and Swing
Snatch and Clean and Jerk
Pistol and One Arm Pushup
Weighted Pullup and Clean and Press

Back to Work

I am actually still a little sore from the 100 reps...My shoulder was feeling the effects of it, so I took it fairly light today with the "pressing". After four days off I was itching to train, so here goes:

Pull Ups/ 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2

Turkish Get-ups
32kg/ 8 minutes alternating

24kg/
Swing x 50
Hindu Squat x 10
Swing x 40
Hindu Squat x 20
Swing x 30
Hindu Squat x 30
Swing x 20
Hindu Squat x 40
Swing x 10
Hindu Squat x 50

The Squats were the hardest part. I need more leg endurance. I like to be able to go long and hard on my feet. I was thinking about adding a bit of running to my week. We'll see...

BE STRONG, LONG...The 100 Rep Challenge

So I've really been dreading working out. Maybe because I've been attempting to follow a preset routine. Well apparently, I don't like that. I started to try to find excuses that I couldn't work out. I was really bored with my training. I needed a challenge: The 100 Rep Challenge, from Dan John.
I chose to do a nice complex from Pavel that involved my favorite toys: my two 24kg Kettlebells.

Double Snatch, lower the bells to chest, Military Press back up, lower again, Front Squat. That was one rep. Now do it 100 times:)
I started the challenge at 4:28 in the afternoon and finished it at 6:14. 106 minutes of intense exercise. about one rep per minute, average. 1-20 were done in clusters of four or five reps. From then on, I did them in twos and threes. Every rep after 70 felt like an all out max attempt. I will hurt, and my training will probably suffer for awhile. I love it;)

Thought I should write this...

I just wanted to write a short disclaimer about the previous videos:
These are in no way meant to be instructional videos. I do explain various parts of the exercises, but I am not "teaching" them. If you do not already know how to do these exercises, please consult a professional so you do not injure yourself or perform them incorrectly (therefore negating the benefit of these wonderful exercises). The videos are meant as more of a routine DEMONSTRATION and not as an instructional aid. With that said, please enjoy them and send me feedback, as I am open to any questions/comments. Thanks.

A Nice Off Day Routine...Enjoy:)

Force Recon Video Demo: Enjoy:)

I figured this would be a cool way to track the workout for myself and also add another "dimension" to my blog. Enjoy the video, I'm sure there will be more.
I followed the workout with a cold water douse and some steak. All the editing was done by my brother, Dan.

My Life Goals

I was searching through my wallet, and I found a list I had made awhile ago of all the goals I have for my life. They are all physical accomplishments, and in no way complete my life aspirations, but they are still important. Some are similar, some are radically different. My heart condition kept me from doing a lot of physical things as a young lad, so now I am an activity junkie. These are the goals in no order:

1) Climb V-double digit
Bouldering...the best:) I'm about 3 grades away from completing this.
2) 1000 snatches non-stop, with the 16kg kettlebell
I've gotten 300 without even training for it. I feel that if i paid particular attention, I'm about two months away from completing this goal.
3) 200 or more snatches in the SSST. An all-out, 10 minute snatch session with the 24kg kettlebell. "The right to call myself a man."
4) 3 times bodyweight deadlift. As it stands now, thats 495 pounds. 5 wheels... I can get 315 for 2, pretty consistently, and I don't train for it.
5) Thru hike the Appalachian Trail. 5 months of wilderness:) 2200 miles on foot.
6) Thru hike the Pacific Crest Trail. The rocky mountain version of the AT. 2300 miles on foot.
7) Swim across th San Francisco Bay. Dean Karnazes did it, so why can't I?
8) Run an Ultramarathon. A 100 mile ultra. Again, training...and then I can do it:) Officially or unofficially, with witnesses.
9) Complete an Ironman Triathlon. Officially or unofficially, meaning my own race route, with witnesses.
10) A 40 day fast. I don't know if this is allowed to be a goal. It's not recommended unless you are under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to do it. I guess just proof to myself that I can do all things through Christ. What we are in the flesh (and our "flesh" needs are only a fraction of our complete being). Then again, do I really need proof? If that's my calling...
11) Surf Mavericks or other "big-wave" spot. The ocean has the ultimate power, especially when the wave you are riding is over 40 feet tall and holds the volume of water equivalent to 100 Olympic-sized swimming pools:)
12) Summit K2. One of the most dangerous peaks in the world. The second highest to Everest. You have a 1 in 6 chance of dying while climbing it...Russian Roulette much? I like those odds.

That's my list. Who knows if I will complete them all. Mostly they are to prove to people that ANYONE can do ANYTHING that you want. With the right heart, mind, and spirit, you can accomplish anything. What are your goals?

Favorite Things

Here's a list of my favorite things, in no particular order. Some pertain to health and fitness, others don't:)

The Bible
This is self explanatory. Without faith, we are nothing. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength:)
Walking Liberty Moccasins
I'm waiting for my pair. They are custom made moccasins for the woods, the streets, etc. Good stuff. www.walkinglibertymocs.com.
My Bow and Arrow
It's an old compound bow from the 70's. No sights, nothing fancy. Just the bow with some arrows. It's got a 75# draw weight...can you say "shoot through a brick wall"?
Kettlebells
The most versatile fitness tool I have encountered. Portable, fun, purposeful.
The Woods
I love the wilderness. Put me in the middle of the woods, anywhere in the world and I could die happy. The wilderness provides everything we need for life, and nothing we don't. Simple, sustainable, real.
Military Weapons
I am not a huge fan of death and destruction, but that stuff is cool. There is something about shooting guns, etc. that makes you feel powerful. Maybe it's because you have the power to take life? However, with great power comes great responsibility. Stay safe, but have fun:)
Special Forces
I don't think these need an explanation. Supreme intelligence, ultimate physical capacity, quiet confidence.
Dan John articles
Simple, to the point. The guy is a genius. www.danjohn.org
Pavel Tsatsouline books
Low-tech, high concept. www.powerbypavel.com
There are some more, but I have to go shower. We are going to dinner!

Force Recon Day 2

I did this with my brother. He used different weights and some different exercises, but he did it like a beast! I am very impressed with his work ethic during this workout. This is the metabolic conditioning part of the Force Recon. It is extremely challenging.

10 Minute C+J's
32kg/45

L-Sit Hold
5x15 second hold

Pull ups
50 total
every 10 alternated with

Front Squat
32kg/10x5

Snatch/Hindu Squat
24kg/12
20 HS
/12
20 HS
/10/10
20 HS
/10/10
20 HS

This was extremely tough during the last set. Since I was doing it with my brother, I pushed as much as I could. The second to last set of snatches I felt like puking, but he was watching me, cheering me on. He will never see me quit, even if it means throwing up. I finished the last set of snatches and hindu squats as fast as I could, and then tried to walk around holding down my puke:/ I spent the next ten minutes over a garbage can...
Dan did the whole workout with some substitutions:

10 Minute C+Js
12kg/100 total

Hanging Leg Raises
/5x2
Plank Hold
/25 seconds x3

One Arm Dumbbell Rows
35lbs/5/5 x 5

alternated with

Front Squat
12kg/10 x 5

Snatches
12kg/12/12 x 6

alternated with

Hindu Squats
/15 x 6

BEAST:)

Force Recon Day 1

Figured I'd try this for a few weeks. I normally have trouble sticking to a routine. It goes along with Dan John's statement that we don't have enough mental RAM to coach ourselves. Every time I try to set a routine for myself, it ends up turning into a completely different routine about three days in. So, despite all the great ideas I have for myself, they never work the way I want, because the plan always changes. You'll never make improvements unless you stick with something long enough to see a difference, and that takes mental tenacity. When you choose your plan yourself, there is always a way YOU can make it better...while never actually progressing with anything. As a trainer, exercise science student, and athlete, I am obsessed with the latest research, freshest ideas, old ideas, etc. So, every time I read about it, I want to try it. Well, I read everyday, so...:)
When I was in high school and I wrestled, working out was easy. All you did was what coach told you to do. Well, now I'm making it easy and doing what Pavel Tsatsouline told me to do:)

Weighted Pullups
35lb/5
25lb/5x4

Alternated with

Double Clean and Press
2x24kg/5x5

Front Squat
2x24kg/5x5

Snatch
32kg/6/6x5

Alternated with

Hanging Leg Raise
/2x5

That's it. Cold water douse in 35 degree weather, and then milk, cream and peanut butter blended. The snatches were hard in the first 2 sets, but got easier as the sets progressed. I haven't worked with the 32kg in awhile, and I think I needed a couple "refresher" sets. Otherwise, good workout. Took me about 50 minutes.

Quick Conditioning Workout

Life happens and sometimes you need to be quick with your workouts. Between school, the dog's appointment, work and my meeting with Mom for lunch, I had about 20 minutes to workout. Here's what I did:

With the 24kg Kettlebell-

H2H Swing x 20
Pushups x 15
Hindu Squat x 20
X 8 rounds, NO REST

It took me about 14 minutes to complete and I was pretty gassed at the end. My posterior is actually sore from yesterday's dead lifts, so the swings took more out of me than they normally would have. That's it...the dog awaits:)

Back to Training

I took a couple days off of training/eating...I was fasting, but that's a story for another blog:) So, after 4 days I am back. I decided to take this one to Muscle Inc. in Stroudsburg, PA because I wanted to go heavy with the dead lifts.

Deadlift
225/5
265/5
275/5 x 2
285/5
265/5

Barbell Side Press
55/5/5 x 2
60/5/5
55/5/5

Weighted Pullups
25lbs/6
/8
/6
/5
/4
/5
/6
BW/6
/6

Hanging Leg Raises
3x3

Thats it...

Power and Strength Endurance

I'm going to start the "Fighter Pull-up Program" from Pavel. The program is to increase my pull ups from about 12 total to hopefully over 20. It's a month long program, starting today...we'll see, 25 could be a nice Christmas present to myself:)

Pull Ups
/12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2

Used the 24's for this:

Double Snatch into a Military Press into a Front Squat
1 rep every minute for 30 minutes

I liked this:) Not as "cardio" as I would have liked, but I can appreciate the work capacity that I have at this point. If I can do 30 reps in 30 minutes, I should switch to doubles next time. I followed this up with a cold water douse in the first 10 inches of snow this season, and a nice ribeye steak with asparagus, mmmm:)

Philosophy of Living

I thought I should write a post about my philosophy of training/living for anyone who is interested. I'll start off by saying that a lot of what I do is within the "physical" realm of life, i.e. in the flesh. However, there is also a spiritual component to what I do. I will try to touch on both of those as effectively as I can, without confusing anyone.
I don't do a formal warm up when I workout. Most of the time I train, I am actually going into it quite cold, especially now that it's the cold and damp season (November). I do this because my training philosophy revolves around survival and performance. I am not a competitive athlete (at the moment) , but if the need ever arises to use my physical abilities at a moments notice, I want to be able to perform at full capacity without having to say "hold on about 10-15 minutes while I warm up". This "method" isn't something I invented, as soldiers do it in the military. Think about it: You are lying low in a foxhole somewhere in the sandbox and all of a sudden you come under heavy fire. You need to get the hell outta there. No one is going wait for you to perform your joint mobility and your static stretching after jogging in place for five minutes so you avoid "pulling a hammie". When I started moving toward the practice of not warming up, I gradually reduced my warm up time over a period of about a month.

My training revolves around full body movements that don't "isolate" any one part. Why? When is the last time you went to perform anything in real life that involved isolating your biceps? Even when you perform curls, your traps, abs, shoulder, chest, and a plethora of other muscles are involved. So, who's really isolating. Your body is ONE piece made up of many parts that WORK TOGETHER to complete ANY task. Treat it that way. Squats, deadlifts, pullups, presses, pushups, get-ups, leg raises, etc.....

My eating is low-carb. I eat a lot of saturated fat and a lot of meat. A lot of RED meat. I can hear it already: "But you will get high cholesterol and clogged arteries! You'll get fat by eating all that fat!". Bull. Calories make you fat, not saturated fat. A majority of my calories come from saturated animal fat. I get my arteries and heart checked frequently, because I have a heart condition. They are clear. My blood pressure is 116/80, and my resting heart rate is in the 50's. I have a cholesterol level well under the 200 mark ( which is a BS number to begin with), and my triglycerides are just fine. My body is fat adapted. I can use my own body fat for energy as effectively as any high carb eater can use his glycogen stores. And, you know what? I don't need to sip Gatorade every half hour to replenish my "energy stores". Also, I eat very light during the day, and I eat a huge meal at night. That's because I can. I don't suffer highs and lows during the day, and I'm always primed and ready to go. I don't feel sluggish after a big lunch and I can enjoy the benefits of a daily detox. At night, when it's time to relax and get ready to sleep, I enjoy my big meal with my family. It's a social event as well as a relaxing end to the day.. All the work is done and now I can be calm. I've gone up to three days without eating. I felt fine. This was mostly for spiritual reasons, but also to prove to myself that I wasn't physically limited by food.
I don't need to eat during the day, so I don't. There are physiological benefits to this as well. If you want to know more feel free to ask.
With all of this "taboo" practice, you'd think I'd be fat, out of shape. Nope. I weigh 165 pound on average, I carry between 5 and 8% body fat year round, and I have multiple physical accomplishments to brag about.
I am pressed for time right now, so I will have to save the "spiritual" side of this for another time. Please feel free to ask me any questions about anything I've stated above. Enjoy:)

Mid-day Strength Endurance

With the 24kg:

Clean + MP + Front Squat combo/ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 reps per arm

Snatch/5/5, 10/10, 15/15

H2H Swing/10, 20, 30

TGU + Windmill combo/1, 2, 1, 2

Did the whole sequence as I couyld, with as little rest as possible between exercises.

Finished with:

Calf Raises/12/12x3

Pull Up ladder
2, 3, 4, 5
2, 3, 4, 4
2, 3, 3
2, 3
2, 2
2
= 46 total

I followed the workout up with a cold water douse, and then some chicken with cheese melted on top and a couple slices of bacon. This workout was in the middle of the day to accommodate for my class and work schedule today. Hence, the eating during the day. Normally, I would have done the workout in the evening hours, after a semi-fast during the day, and then finished up with a big dinner. It was a good session though, because I used the 24kg all the way through. Last time I did the snatches with the 16kg. It took me about the same amount of time to complete as last time (around 20 minutes) so I guess all the conditioning work is paying off:)

Max VO2

Pull Ups
10x3

Alternated with

Push Ups
35x3

Snatch
16kg/15sec on, 15sec off x40

1-25: 7/7
26-40: 6/6

Hanging Leg Raises
3x3

With My BROTHER!

Dan doesn't normally work out, nor does he ever have the desire to. However, I need a case study for a school project, and he is it! He readily agreed to having me train him for at least a month, 3-4 days per week. He's a good athlete, but he needs to get in better shape. He does a lot of sitting around because he records bands, and plays in his own. While he is GREAT at what he does, that is not exactly the best lifestyle for physical fitness. Hopefully these workouts will become exciting for him and he'll want to continue to train even after the case study is done. This was our first workout. We did it together, but we each did different exercises. It was a weight circuit, with 1 minute breaks between each circuit.

Here's what I did:

HSPU x 6
Shifty Pull up x6
Pistol x 4 each
Deadlift 225lb x 6
TGU 24kg x 2 each

1 Minute break, then repeat x 5

Here's what Dan did:

Push up x 10
Bent Over Row 16kg x 5 each
Front Squat 16 kg x 8
TGU 25lb x 2 each
Swing 16kg x 15

1 Minute break, repeat x 5


Dan was hurting by the last round, but he finished it like a champ. I was extremely proud. He will definitely be in great shape after the month, doing something like this 3-4 days per week. I know that my rest periods went longer than a minute on a few of the sets because Dan was asking me questions on technique and such, and because I am his trainer, I need to deliver, even if it means sacrificing my workout time. No big deal, I don't mind at all:)

Cool Strength-Endurance Workout

Tried this and really liked it:

One arm Push UP
3/3x3

"Shifty" Pull Ups
5x5

Double Clean and Press with 24s
One rep Every 30 seconds for 30 minutes = 60 reps total

Hanging Leg Raise Hold
3x 20 seconds

Hindu Squats
x100

I really liked this workout. I wasn't sure hoe hard the C+P's would be toward the end, but I made it through the whole thing. I wasn't easy, but I think next time I will try for doubles instead of just one rep every 30 seconds. Judging by the way I felt with the singles, I probably wouldn't make the whole thirty minutes doing doubles, but that gives me something to shoot for:)
Followed it up with a cold water douse and a protein shake from BSN.

Max VO2 Workout

Tried this again and felt much better this time:

Snatch 15:15 protocol
16kg
7/7 x20
6/6 x 20

40 sets total

Push ups
35x3

Pull Ups
8x2
6x1
5x1
4x1

31 total


Followed up with a cold water douse and a Syntha-6 protein shake from BSN. I also had NO-Xplode about 45 minutes prior to my workout. I could definitely feel the energy during and after my training. I love that stuff! I felt really "in the zone," as cliche' as that sounds. Good stuff. The gym I work at got a box of free samples from BSN so I grabbed a few goodies. The protein shakes and the NO-Xplode were among them. I will definitely be buying a bucket of the NO-X very soon. I felt very pumped, but I was able to keep going at it with a lot of intensity. Good job BSN:)

Good Strength - Endurance Workout

I did this on my "strength" day of the week. I decided to make it more challenging by turning it into a quick strength - endurance session. Check it out:

Handstand Push Up/5

24kg Weighted Pull Up/3

24kg Hack Squat/5

225lb Dead Lift/5

Hanging Leg Raise/3

X 5

I did the whole series straight through with no rest. After the whole series was complete, I rested for 90-120 seconds, and then did it four more times, for a total of five. The series took me about 3 minutes to complete each time through. The whole workout was done in under 25 minutes. Chased it with a nice cold water douse in 37 degree weather and a low - carb protein shake from BSN. Good stuff:)

Ladder Workout for Conditioning

I did this ladder workout that was done at the RKC last year I think. I weigh 160 pounds, so I should have used the 16kg, but I've done that already and I felt like I could use the 24kg, so I did for most of it. All of the exercises were done back to back, with as little rest as possible between them.

Clean + Press + Front Squat combo
24kg/1, 2, 3, 4, 5 each side

Snatch
16kg/ 5, 10, 15 each side

H2H Swing
24kg/ 10, 20, 30

TGU + Windmill combo
24kg/ 1, 2, 1, 2 each side

I love this workout. It took me about 20 minutes to complete it. Ideally, I'd like to get my time down to 15 minutes or so. I didn't use a timer, I just based it on the number and length of the songs that played on the stereo while I was training. This is a great workout that hits everything with all the basic RKC exercises. I love it. Next time I'll try to use the 24kg for the snatches, or at least part of them. Feeling better about this conditioning stuff:)

Some Training...

Tried a morning workout about an hour after breakfast today...not so good.

Plank Push ups
5x5

Reverse Push ups
8x5

Pistols
25lbs/3x2
BW/3x1

Bent Press
24kg/3x3 l,r


Max VO2 Snatches, 15:15 protocol
16kg/7 l,r x20

Thats it, I was gassed. Very disappointing. I think the morning workout has to be GRADUAL. Or maybe I'm just out of shape...haha we'll see.

CONDITIONING IS BETTER

Here's what I did:

Snatch - 24kg
5/5 at top of minute for 10 minutes
10 right at top,
10 left at top/ 6 minutes

Push ups
34x3

Swiss Ball Sit-Ups
25x3

Pull Up Ladder
1 - 6
1- 4
1-3
1-3
DONE

Followed with a cold water douse and some meatballs:) I was feeling better than I have been while doing the high rep snatches. I've been transitioning to a low-carb diet over the past few weeks...and I feel it. I think that if I were eating normally, my aerobic system would be a little bit better, and I could probably get in some better workouts. Not that the food would have a direct affect on my aerobic system, but I would be better "prepared" to exercise with some full carb stores. This is what happens though. I'll give it another week or two of consistent low-carb eating before I start to feel somewhat normal. This "pain" is worth it though, because I know that once I become fat adapted, my performance will skyrocket, my leanness will increase, and I won't feel like my life revolves around food. I know this because I lived the low-carb for about 10 months last year, and man was it awesome! I can't wait.

Good Strength Workout

HSPU
5x5

KB Front Squat
2x24kg/5x3

Shifty Pull Up
5x5

Deadlift off 3 inch Platform
225lbs/5x3

SLOW Hanging Leg Raise
2x3

Followed up with a big glass of milk and some cheese slices...after a good cold water douse:)
I've decided that the only strength movements that I will focus on using an external weight will be the Deadlift or Snatch Grip Deadlift and the KB Military press or C+P. The rest will be bodyweight movements and their variations. My reasoning is that I believe these two moves present a great carryover into the daily activities that one participates in. Also, they are two of my favorite exercises. I would love to incorporate the Overhead Squat, but I do not have access to Olympic platforms and bumper plates on a regular basis. Although, when I do get access I will surely do the Overhead Squat, as it is a FANTASTIC exercise. For now, the Deadlifts and the Presses serve my needs. I love to be strong with my body, and this is the only way that I can do so without getting too heavy. I like to maintain SOME climbing fitness when I lack climbing time, so...
Also, I will focus more on conditioning, adding an additional session to my week. I think this will help reduce my body fat and overall weight, as well as provide for the "heart of a racehorse" that I SOOOO desire.

VO2 Max Workout

I tried this for the first time:

Snatch
16kg, 15 seconds on, 15 seconds off for 40 sets

Minutes 1 - 10
7/7

Minutes 11 - 20
6/6

Push ups

32x3

SLOW Hanging Leg Raises

2x2

Thats it:)

More Conditioning

Snatch
24kg/5/5 at top of minute x 9
1 minute rest x 3
1 minute rest x 2

Pull ups
9x3

Push ups
32x3

Kind of disappointing...I think, actually, I know that I need to work more on my conditioning. My strength has always been easy to improve on, but my conditioning...I guess thats why I tend to really look forward to STRENGTH training, but not so much when it comes to high rep or aerobic stuff. I think that I will try to add another day, or at least another session of aerobic/high rep work during the week. When I do pay attention to training my endurance, it really skyrockets. Only when I TRY though. Strength is a different story. It seems that no matter what I do my strength in a skill will increase with minimal training. I have a goal of at least 200 snatches in the SSST. As it stands right now, all out balls to the wall, I am probably at around 120-125 range. I'll set a tentative goal of 200 by my 23rd birthday on February 28. That gives me about 4 months to train for it. Let's do it:)

SOLID Strength Workout

Double C+P
24kg/5x2
/4x3

Hack Squat
32kg/3x3

Shifty Pull ups
5x5

Snatch Grip Deadlift
195lbs/5x3
/4x2

Hanging Leg Raise
3x3

Despite not making the full sets of five in the Deadlift and the C+P, I still felt extremely solid during this entire workout. I've been trying a new style of eating. I do a semi-fast/under eat during the day and then have one large meal at night. I've been doing this for a few days now, and today was the first time I really felt good during my workout. I worked out at about 2:00 in the afternoon, and I had been awake since 6:00am. I followed the workout up with a cold water douse and a glass of milk and about 2 ounces of macedamia nuts (mmmmm:)).

Good Strength Workout

Parallel Bar Push ups- 5x5

alternated with:

"Shifty" Pull ups with feet parallel to ground- 5x5

Snatch Grip Deadlift- 195lbs/4x4

Front Squat- 2x24kg/5x5

TGU- 32kg/2x2

This felt like a really productive session. The P-Bar push ups were not as hard as I thought. I leaned as far forward as I could, so that my back was parallel to the ground. My knees were bent, but my back was flat. Overall I think that it was a pretty solid movement. The "Shifty" Pull ups are when you do a pull up, but to one side or the other. When you get your chin over the bar, you then hold the lockout while shifting your weight to the other side, and then lowering. I added the extended legs for a little bit of extra work all around. The snatch grip deadlift is easily becoming one of my favorite exercises. After only a few weeks of regularly performing this, I can already see the improvement in my strength and overall body mass. While gaining size is not one of my goals, a few extra pounds won't hurt my climbing too much. Plus, there is nothing like the look of a solid deadlifter...traps coming from your ears, forearms like a t-rex, spinal erectors that look like two pythons shooting up either side of your spine...:)

I followed all of this with a contrast shower, rather than a douse, simply because I was in a rush, and the douse typically adds about 5-7 minutes to my routine. Although not as beneficial from my point of view, the shower still felt good and aided with the recovery. I slammed a protein shake afterward- 2 scoops vanilla whey, 1 tbsp PB, 3 tsp of heavy cream, 1 cup of milk, blend and enjoy the goodness:)

Going for More Conditioning...

Snatch
24kg/5/5 at top of minute
8 minutes
1 min rest
5 minutes
1 min rest
4 minutes

Push up
30x3

Pull up
8x3

I'm always amazed at the impact that fatigue has on my numbers. Normally I can crank out a good 16 dead hang pull ups. At the end of this workout though, 3 sets of 8 was all I was able to do. The last set was rough...I ended up resting in order to get the last two reps. When I rest during a pull up set, I mimic what I would do while climbing and hang from one arm while I shake the other out, and then I switch.
I followed all of this up with a cold water douse and two cheeseburgers, no bun.
Good Stuff:)

Back to the Blog...

It's been awhile for this blog thing... but, such is life:)
Here's my training for 10/15:

Strength Day

Pistols: BW/4/4x4

Hand Stand Pushup: BW/5/5x5

Renegade Row: 24kg/4/4x4

Snatch-Grip DL off a 3-inch platform: 195lb/5x5

Hanging Leg Raise: BW/3x2

Followed all this with an outdoor cold water douse and some meatloaf:)
The dousing is getting more and more mental, as it is getting colder each day. I started when it was about 90 degrees outside and today when I doused it was 42 degrees. Once I am actually dousing it is not bad at all, its the anticipation. When I stand there watching the 5-gallon bucket fill with cold water, I check the thermometer...:) Once all is said and done, I am reminded why I douse in the first place. There is almost nothing that compares to the rejuvenation and clarity you feel after an effective session.