Progress

It's on. Today was a good day. I did some snatches. I've been doing some here and there over the past few days, but today I decided to do a little more. About 200. Only with the 16kg, but hey, I'll take it. And, they felt good. I completely focused on hip drive and hip hinge. Powering it up with the hips and absorbing it with a good hinge on the way down. Nice and slow with a good 1 sec pause at the top. Man it felt great. I'm getting better everyday. I'm not 100% yet, but I have it in my sights.

Today's routine:

Snatch w/ 16kg
10/10 x 10 sets w/ 15 to 25 sec rest b/w sets (towards the last sets, i really didn't rest much if at all b/w sets)

Swings w/ 24kg
10/10
12/12
14/14
16/16
18/18
20/20
This was pretty tiring. I was fresh as a daisy after the snatches, but dry as a weed after the swings.

Like I said though, it all felt good. Really concentrating on how I lower the bell. Don't want to back track with the elbows.

Anyways, I'm happy. Hope you are too.

Learning

Well, I got my Z-health manual a few days ago. Been practicing the moves. I got hooked when just a few moves seemed to help my elbows. I went from pressing very little weight (16kg) and snatching hardly ever to pressing the 32kg and snatching quite a bit. It feels good mentally, but maybe a little too aggressive physically. So I may tone it down a bit but I can't say I would have done these things if it weren't for the Z-health drills. Maybe I could have, but the reduction in elbow pain since I started the Z-health drills is very noticable.

SO, I got a manual and a dvd. The moves seem real simple, only I can't really do them with any sense of grace or accuracy. So i'm trying to learn the moves to teach my nerves to make my muscles do what they're supposed to do. The funny thing about Z-health is that I am still clueless as to how it works or how it helps get rid of pain. But one phrase keeps running through my head that I heard over and over again at the RKC certs: Do you want to understand hydrodynamics, or do you want to be able to swim? I want to swim (or snatch...).

Well, time to go do some ankle circles.

A Come Back?

Could it be? My elbows feel miraculously better today. Hmmm? I spent most of the day yesterday doing Rif's stick extensions and the Z-health drills Geoff showed me. Today, things feel good. I like that...

Today's workout was pretty good, too. Atleast for me anyways. I went heavy. Heavy getups, heavy windmills and semi heavy swings.

TGU w/ 32kg
2/2 x 4 sets
Windmills with 32kg
3/3 x 5 sets
Dbl swings w/ 2 (24kgs)
10 x 10 sets

Getups felt heavy, windmills felt good. Together they made 9 sets each arm. I snatched up the 32kg before each set, and today i lowered it the "snatch" way. Elbows - I still have them! No pain, no rain. I'll take it. Elbows have felt great all day. I'll take that too. It might be a come back, still too soon to tell. Don't want to rush anything. BUT, it could be... And if so, I would just like to thank God, Rif, Geoff, Franz, Brett and Doug. You guyz rock.

Goodnight everybody.

WowZers!

Interesting day today. I met Geoff Neupert today. Aside from being a really great guy, he introduced me to Z-health. I don't know enough about Z-health to say anything about it other than I need to learn more about it. I'm convinced there is something to it. I walked away from Geoff's studio feeling pretty doggon good! So, before today I was curious, now i'm fascinated. So, i'll be trying to learn more about Z-health.

Also today, I ran across a link to Eugene Sandow's books from the dragondoor forum. I read a couple of his books online, and i've got to say he was a genius. A man before his time, or atleast a man before our time. It's amazing how we have complicated exercise and health. Eugene was perhaps the greatest strongman that ever lived and he knew the secret to strength. Simple focus. That's it. Simple Focus. Put your mind on the muscle. Put your mind in the muscle. Concentrate. The weight doesn't matter, the focus and the tension matter. It was an awesome thng to read his material. It was a humbling thing as well...

Anyway, these two events have been the highlight of my day. To sum it up, I feel enlightened. Z-health is cool, Geoff Neupert is a great guy, and Eugene Sandow was a simple genious.

Oh I worked out too:

TGU w/ 32kg
1/1 x 5 sets
Windmills w/ 32kg
2/2 x 5 sets
DBL swings w/ 2(16kg)
30,30,20,20,20,10,10,10

See ya.

Another Week

Well, training this week was interesting. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were pretty much carbon copies of last week's training. Thursday and Friday, however, were different. Different for two reasons:

1) I didn't feel like doing anything. Nothing. This never happens, I never feel like doing nothing. I must be tired, or toast.
2) I did something anyway and actually had what I would call 2 great workouts. Go figure.

Both Thursday and Friday I didn't want to do what I did last week, and I just felt zapped. But thursday morning a voice in my head (I'm really certain it wasn't my own voice.) said "try presses today, but keep it light." So, I did. I pressed the 16kg. I know, big whoop. But it was a big whoop. It didn't hurt my elbows. It felt good. And, it felt great to focus on total tension and get my lats flaring like Cobras. Oh yes, Cobras.

That made Thursday great. But, I have to give credit to that voice. It wasn't my idea to press. I've been afraid to do it.

Thursday's Show:

A1-Pistols w/ 16kg x 4/4, 4/4, 4/4
A2-MP w/ 16kg x 5/5, 5/5, 5/5
B1-Single Leg DL w/ 2(16kg) x 5/5, 5/5, 5/5
B2-DBL MP w/ 2(16kg) x 5, 5, 5
C1-Windmill w/ 24kg x 3/3, 3/3, 3/3
(I snatched it up into position-bonus...)
C2-Buttoms Up Press w/ 16kg x 5/5, 5/5, 5/5

Again, it all felt great. Yeah for me.

Friday was similar to last Friday, but when i did my TGU's I started from standing and I snatched up the 32kg into position.
No pain, Yeah again for me. Don't know why i tried this, i just did...

Friday's Show:

TGU w/ 32kg
2/2 x 4 sets

Swings w/ 24kg for 10 minutes
30/30
20/20
15/15
10/10
10/10
15/15
5/5
210 total

I wasn't tired (winded) but the burn in the butt and hamstrings was a set stopper...

Anyway, things are looking up and I am feeling good.

See ya.

Contagious

How many of us got started with kettlebells just because we were curious? How many of us saw someone else use them, maybe a friend or colleague, and just had to give them a swing? Lately I've noticed that kettlebells are contagious. People seem to get kettlebell fever much like catching a cold or flu. They get around someone who uses them, they pick them up, then boom! They're addicted.

It's a really neat phenomenon. Just at my fire department kettlebells are spreading from one person to another, from on station to another, from one shift to another. It's an awesome thing to witness. People who never before even cared to exercise are drawn to the small looking ball and handle like a moth to a flame.

It's really quite amazing if you think about it. I've seen people run marathons; even have friends that do. But i've never been drawn to running, especially after running a mile. I have a bicycle because i see other people riding them. Thought i'd give that a try; not really my thing. My point is how many things out there in the exercise world have the same feverish effect as a kettlebell? People seem to stick with it, then spread their kettlebell germs to others. Don't really know why. It's one thing for me to love it and stick with it. I've always exercised since i was 13. It's another thing for people that don't like to walk to the mail box to be suckered in to exercise by swinging a kettlebell. It's pure magic.

If you don't know what i'm talking about, or if you've never picked one up, just try it. But BE CAREFUL; you might catch the kettlebell fever and get in the best shape of your life.

What I've learned so far.

Well, here are some things i've learned over the last few days. For one, deep tissue massage with the thumper, especially on trigger points, really helps my elbow. For two, I can grip anything if my arm is straight; even heavy kettlebells. For three, I can press all day long if my hand is open and flat. And for five, if i use my grip while my elbow bends, it freakin' hurts. But knowing all this, i'm actually having a lot of fun with handstand pushups on blocks and swings.

For the handstand pushups, i put my hands on blocks to allow my head to lower past my hands so it is more military press like. This has gotten cool for me because I weigh almost 170 (lost 8 lbs since elbow pain started) and I can do these easily. Lately i've been practicing total body tension and really trying to use the lats. Different experience upside down; at least for me.

With the swings, i eased in to them at first about 2 weeks ago. I was scared a little because of having to grip the bell, though it is a hook grip it's still a grip. Well, the swings have been causing no pain or problems. So today i did double kb swings with the 32kgs. I wanted to feel like like i could lift heavy again. It worked, they were heavy. Maybe i can put that 8 lbs back on. Anyway, not even the slightest hint of discomfort.

So, Today's workout looked like this:

A1-Double Swings
2(24kgs) x 5,5,5
2(32kgs) x 5,5,5,5,5 - Wow, heavy. Cool, very cool.
2(24kgs) x 10,10,10,10,10 - So light and easy after 32kgs!

A2- HSPU on blocks x 3 for 13 sets = 39 total reps

I did this today because I did a kb workshop this afternoon called Pulls and Presses. So i had the urge to pull and press....
Oh, and the workshop went well.

Yesterday's workout:

TGU w/ 32kg for 5 minutes = 5 per side
Getting the kb to straight arm position hurt today; fine after arm is straight. Elbow no like bending while gripping. With a lighter kb, I can cheat it up better using other arm.

Swings
32kgs x 10 for 10 sets = 100 reps @ 30 sec b/w sets
24kgs x 10/10 for 5 sets = 100 reps @ 15 sec b/w sets
Hand to Hand w/ 16kg x 50 for 5 sets = 150 reps @ 30 sec b/w sets

That's this weeks lesson. Hopefully i'll carry it with me to next week. In September, I hope to ease into snatches. But if the bo's still say no, i just won't go...

Have a good weekend.