New Year's Eve - Active Recovery

With my back tight (as it's been as of late), I decided to make today an active recovery day.

Started out with Intermediate program of Intu-Flow.

Then worked through a short session of the Xtension program with my mini clubbells. I incorporated the Front Swipe for the first time for completeness. That made the entire session include the following:
1) Front Swipe
2) Side Swipe
3) Hammer Swing
4) Split Swipe
5) Alternating Mill
6) Alternating Backstroke

Finished off with Kettlebell Foundations Compensatory Program and some trigger point tennis ball work.

Let me now wish everyone a very Happy New Year. May 2009 bring you health, happiness and bigger kettlebells!!

Impromptu Jerks

I was feeling pretty good this evening and being off from work inspired me to sneak in a quick, exploratory jerk session.

Very short and very sweet...

Jerk:

2 x 16kg - 3 minutes @ 5 rpm

2 x 20kg - 1 minute @ 5 rpm

2 x 24kg - 1 minute @ 5 rpm

I wanted to get a taste of some heavier jerks than I've been practicing. My New Year's Resolution... by the end of 2009 get ranked by WKC with 24kg bells in the biathlon (jerk & snatch).

Tumbleweed, Take 2

I woke up early today even though I'm off from work to try out the suggestions made to me by Coach Adam Steer following yesterday's session.

I started off performing Intu-Flow's Intermediate program.

I then warmed my body up with a selection of FlowFit movements:
Trinity Squat
Quad Squat
Leg Swoop
Tripod Switch
Upward Facing Dog
Spinal Rock

Forgetting to repeat the mid-line Intu-Flow (oops), I then gave Tumbleweed another go.

Being warmed up this way definitely made a bit of a difference for me. I still am very tight and don't expect miracles first time through. But I will continue to practice this way until my body begins to unknot itself. As I'm typing this I can feel the after effects of this session on my lower back and rear pelvis. Hopefully, I didn't over do it(!).

Tumbleweed

I've been taking a bit easier the past few days as I have been waking up to some nasty back spasms. They are actually occurring on the opposite side of my back from where I have/had my injury.

Yesterday I practiced IntuFlow Intermediate only.

This morning, again with IntuFlow Intermediate as well as starting to practice the Tumbleweed Prasara Flow. I have two things working against me right now. (1) Yoga first thing in the morning when your body is tight is not an easy thing to do. (2) Not having a lot of space to work in also makes Prasara, known for its fluid transitions, somewhat difficult to perform.

Being new to this, I focused mostly on the individual postures. I now have a new respect for Sleeping Warrior pose after watching Scott Sonnon explain the counterpoints to the movement. It's not a restful position at all, even though it appears to someone else that you might be sleeping! Plow is difficult for me this early in the morning with all of my current back tightness.

It's a start. I feel good. I'm glad I woke up early to practice this. I may opt for some bodyweight movements tomorrow depending on how my back feels, otherwise it'll be the bells. That's it. Off to work now. Only day in the office this week! =)

Long Cycle Progression

It's been a few days since my last workout and my back has been rather tight the past few days (maybe I overdid it with the Floor Scorpion?), so today I wanted to get things moving again without getting too intense.

So I grabbed my 12kg bell and put together a combination long cycle progression that looked like this...

1-Arm Long Cycle Press: 12kg - 4 minutes @ 8 rpm

1-Arm Long Cycle Push Press: 12kg - 4 minutes @ 10 rpm

1-Arm Long Cycle Jerk: 12kg - 4 minutes @ 10 rpm

12 minutes total time with no rest, this was one continuous set.

I then followed with mini clubbells (the usual):
Side Swipe
Hammer Swing
Split Swipe
Alternating Mill
Backstroke

Finally finished off with compensatory cool down.

Merry Christmas

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas today!

I am about to travel once again to visit some family this afternoon. No training today nor yesterday. I'll make up for it tomorrow.

One very nice present that I received from my wife...














The Big Book of Clubbell Training! This should help compliment my kettlebell work nicely! And I am looking forward to plowing through this in the days to come.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Incremental Improvement

That's the name of the game when it comes to the bells.  Nice and steady upward movement - in time, in pace and in weight.  Creeping improvement.  (Sometime creepy too!)

Today I moved back to the Jerk.  My goal to improve upon my last outing which was a 4-minute set.  Here's how it all went down...

Warmed up with the 6lb medicine ball - big circles and standing twists.

Swing:  12kg - 15/15;  16kg - 12/12;  20kg - 10/10

Jerk:  2 x 16kg - 5 minutes @ 5 rpm - total of 25 Jerks

Cooled down with some yoga, muscular retraining exercises and tennis ball trigger point therapy.

I was happy with today's outcome.  I am experiencing quite a bit of tightness in my back.  Not the injured site, but other parts mostly on the opposite side of the injury.  Like I said before, I'm not sure what it means, if anything, other than possibly balancing things out(?).  I will stay vigilant to be sure I don't develop anything more than tightness this time.

On a positive note, my injury continues to feel improved.  I am now adding back in a few more of the Kettlebell Foundation Compensatory Movements that I avoided earlier.  Today for the first time (ever) I was able to include the Floor Scorpion into my routine(!).  I also added back Camel, Seated Chair and Tripod.  All of these had caused irritation before.  Let's see how I hold up after today.  

I hope to squeeze in a workout session tomorrow and then allow myself some rest on Christmas Day.  Let's see how it goes, shall we?  Jerk 'em up, y'all!

Kettlebells for Sale

If anyone in the NY Metro Area is interested in some Perform Better or Dragon Door kettlebells give me a shout at howie@kettlebellsny.com.

I'm pricing them just below list price before shipping & handling and tax. My Dragon Door 24kg bells are pretty much right out of the box.

I'm asking the following:

(2) 16kg Perform Better - $70 each

(2) 20kg Perform Better - $85 each

(2) 24kg Dragon Door - $125 each

(1) 32kg Perform Better - $125

Since I commute from Rockland County (just north of Northern Jersey) to Stamford, CT just about every day, passing through Westchester, I can drop them off along the way pretty easily.

Winter Wonderland

It's a Winter Wonderland here in NY!

I had a 3-hour commute home from work on Friday, making my way through the treacherous snow and ice. Yesterday was still nasty trying to get around town. And this morning I woke up to more snowfall. And it keeps on falling!
















































My back tightened up a good deal after Friday's

workout session (both jerks and snatches practiced), so I decided that today I would back up a bit in terms of intensity. I reverted back to the tried and true Fitness Protocol - Level 1.

Press: 16kg - 2 minutes @ 12 rpm - 12L/12R

Snatch: 16kg - 2 minutes @ 16 rpm - 16L/16R

Long Cycle Push Press: 16kg - 2 minutes @ 10 rpm - 10L/10R

Then did some work with the Mini Clubbells:
- Side Swipe
- Hammer Swing
- Split Swipe
- Alternating Mill
- Backstroke

Cooled down with some yoga. And there will definitely be some tennis ball trigger point therapy later.

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!!

Double It Up

This morning was the first session in a while that I performed both Jerks and Snatches together.  I have been keeping them isolated from one another as I worked through my back issues, trying to keep my training variables very visible.  Since I am starting to feel some major improvements, I decided to work them both this morning.  Still being conservative, I varied the intensity between the two.

This is what this dark morning's session looked like (we're waiting for the snow to arrive!)...

Jerk:  2 x 16kg - 2 minutes @ 8 rpm 

Snatch:  16kg - 6 minutes @ 12 rpm

Cooled down with some yoga and trigger point massage.

I am happy to report that the Jerk set felt pretty good.  Two minutes is pretty short.  Short is nice!!  The Snatch set was a bit trying.  The last minute on each hand (minute 3 and 6) was all about staying poised and keeping my breathing under control.  

I am so psyched to be able to be at this level now.  By the time March rolls around, I hope to be VERY comfortable working with the 16kg's and hopefully will be doing some work with the 20kg's.  This is a great way to end off the year for me, given with what I have been dealing with since August.  Snatch 'em high everyone!!

Slow and Steady

I knew it!  I told you so!!

Those clubbells definitely work my thoracic mobility in the right way!  I felt things tightening up last night and awoke this morning feeling like someone tightened a belt around my mid back.  Not one to add insult to injury, I knew the perfect way to stretch things back out - Jerks!

Today was a nice, steady progression with the 16kg bells, similar to how I worked up on things with the 12kg.  This is what today looked like...

Swing:  12kg - 15/15;  16kg - 10/10

Jerk:  2 x 16kg - 4 minutes @ 6 rpm - total of 24 Jerks

Cool down with some yoga (I'm getting tired of writing "Kettlebell Foundation Compensatory Movements" every time, so from now on, I'm simply going to refer to it as "yoga") and some tennis ball therapy.

I am continued to be surprised with how well my twisting motion is improving.  The only thing that has really changed is the introduction of the tennis ball therapy in the past two weeks or so.  Everything else is the same.  I haven't even finished reading my Muscular Retraining book!  I should be able to finish it off this week and then will start the exercises within.  But by then, they might even be prehab work and not rehab as they were intended (if things continue to improve as they are).  But even so, I am feeling some soreness on the opposite side of my body in some similar places.  My goal is to try to balance all of this out and make sure I don't start down a similar path with my left side.  Now that the right is improving, let's bring it all up strong and healthy together.  

Jerk 'em up, y'all!!

Holiday Fundraiser

It’s that time of year again, when my family tries to raise money to support the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance. This is our third year fundraising and the third holiday season we are celebrating with Anthony.

As some of you probably, my beautiful son Anthony was born in March of 2006 and was diagnosed with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC). This devastating genetic disorder causes the formation of tumors in vital organs such as the brain, heart, skin, kidneys, eyes and lungs. The tumors can cause serious health problems like heart and lung disease, kidney involvement, skin manifestations, epilepsy, autism, mental retardation, and even death. There is no present cure for TSC. 

Anthony’s third birthday is now approaching. He is walking, but is not able to run, jump, or climb stairs without assistance. Starting to speak, but with a very limited vocabulary, he quickly gets frustrated when not able to communicate his needs. And as Anthony has only now started to feed himself, one can only image how difficult things are for Anthony and his care givers. Despite all this, Anthony works extremely hard each and every day, receiving 8 therapy sessions each week. His sessions include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and special education. Anthony also attends an Infant Development Program three mornings a week at a facility near our home.

A sweet, lovable boy with a great sense of humor, a wonderful personality, and a love for music, Anthony continues to improve and progress forward. Although constantly struggling to control his seizures with various combinations of medicine, Anthony is doing very well and is nothing but a pure joy and a gift from heaven. We continue to be so very proud of him.

If you have the ability to make a donation during these hard economic times, the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance can use your help.  All donations are tax deductible.

If you would like to make a donation and help us reach our targeted goal, please go to Anthony's page and click on "Donate Now".  Thank you!

ttp://ecommunity.tsalliance.org/netcommunity/anthonybrewer2008

Changing It Up A Bit

This morning I decided to change it up a bit with an Intu Flow warm up, followed by an Xtension Clubbell mini session.

I feel some different tightness in various parts of my back and pelvis from the past few days of higher intensity bell work.  Not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing.  It's different.  I'm hoping it's my body re-learning how it should be moving and handling weight.  I hope I'm right.  In the meantime, I just need to do everything I can to help it along.  

Overall, I'm feeling pretty good these days.  I think back to last December when I was starting to prepare for the RKC Cert.  I was in a different kind of pain.  My forearms were shot.  I recall that any type of pressing was terribly painful.  And I was forced to palm press my lighter bells.  This year it's a different story.  Live and learn.  Just keep moving forward.  And have fun!

Anyway, this morning was a blend of Beginner and Intermediate Intu Flow.

Followed up with my mini clubbells performing:

Side Swipe

Hammer Swing

Split Swipe

Alternating Mill

Alternating Back Stroke

It's amazing how even with the mini clubbells these few movements get your warmed up to a light perspiration.  And I'm only performing one small set of each right now.  The Hammer Swing is something I need to take slowly.  If you perform it correctly, it is a GREAT movement to open up the thoracic spine.  Unfortunately, the first time I performed it, I felt like a pretzel for a few days afterward.  The other movements are great for the core and shoulders, which are also in need of some "different" attention right now.  That's it for today!

You Might As Well Face It, You're Addicted To Bells

Even though I am still sore from Saturday's adventures, something inside me was itching to get under the bells, just a bit, today. Figuring if I get moving a bit and then follow up with some compensatory movements, I might be better off.

So I was faithful to myself and kept it short and sweet...

Jerk: 2x16kg - 3 minutes @ 6 rpm - total of 18 Jerks

Push Press: 20kg - 4 minutes @ 8 rpm - I alternated arms each minute with these - total of 32 push presses

Cooled down with a selection of Kettlebell Foundation Compensatory movements.

I was surprised at how well the Jerks felt. Maybe the heavier bells let me drive my elbows into my hips more so than the 12kgs. I thought about going a bit longer but opted to be conservative today.

The 20kg Push Presses actually felt kinda light at that pace.

Gotta go.... that's it for today.

Weekend Fundraiser

This past Saturday. Gold's Gym in Paramus, NJ allowed me to offer three 1-hour kettlebell lifting workshops. Everything we collected is being donated to the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance.

My son Anthony, who will turn 3 at the end of March, was born with Tuberous Sclerosis. Each holiday season since he was born we try to raise money for the Alliance whose goal it is to help fund research for cure as well as help improve the lives of affected families. This year I was able to offer these classes as a way of saying thank you to those generous enough to make donations.

The classes were scheduled one right after another. As I cooled down one session, the next session was on there way in ready to be warmed up. We went over the basics, swing, clean, press, push press, long cycle press/push press, half snatch and snatch.

Between the three sessions we had a total of 23 people attend and in all raised over $600!

For the most part, everyone seemed to enjoy the bells (even when they looked like they were in pain!). If there is a demand for more at that location, I promised to return to continue sharing the fun.

I myself am still recovering from it all. My personal workouts typically only last 30-40 minutes. In this sort of setting, not only was I demonstrating each movement, but also working along with the group as we practiced timed sets with each. Also, being limited in the number of 12kg bells I have, I used the 16kg for the first two sessions and was able to drop down to the 12kg for the last. On a good note, everything has been hurting it seems except for where my back injury was.

Even today my delts are still fried, traps, forearms, abs, obliques, quads, hamstrings, you name it. But it's a good sore. This was definitely a good way to transition back to the 16kg for my own training! That's all that's been happening. Tomorrow, perhaps we test the waters with 16kg Jerks.

I would like to especially thank Art, Mike and Eileen for the great opportunity this weekend. They did a lot to help make this the success that it was. Thank you all!

Baby Steps

Warmed up this morning with some 6lb medicine ball circles and twists.  

Swing:  12kg - 15/15, 16kg - 15/15,  20kg - 10/10

Snatch:  16kg - 4 minutes @ 12 rpm - total 48 snatches

Cooled down with selected KF Compensatory movements.  I was amazing pleased to find my range of motion in the Spinal Twist has increased somewhat without pain(!).  Things might actually be starting to work for me.  This could be exciting...  =)

I could definitely feel the difference Snatching the bigger bell this morning.  I considered switching hands after the 4 minute mark to squeeze out an additional minute per hand, but I decided not to be greedy and go slow.  Slow and steady have been working for me so far, I'm hoping it won't let me down.

On a side note, the AKC Coach's Certification is coming to NYC in June.  I plan to attend.  Although it seems like so far off, it will allow me to keep progressing and hopefully I'll be moving bigger bells and numbers around by then (24kg's maybe??).

Gotta run, early meeting at the office today!  Snatch 'em up y'all!

Recovery Day

Not much doing here this morning except a little Intu-Flow Beginner Routine and a little "tennis ball therapy".

Yesterday's 10 minute Jerk set exhausted me.  My own fault, I didn't eat nearly enough yesterday to compensate.  This morning I awoke to a pretty tight lower back and some sore forearms.  There are still traces of fatigue in my shoulder girdle and I'm sure as the day goes on I'll notice other places as well.

But the best part is that my back does not have me screaming in pain this morning.  It tightened up pretty good across my lower back and particularly at the injured site, which is where the tennis ball therapy came in.  I have only flipped through a few pages of my newest purchase, Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Claire Davies.  On order is the Thera Cane, but in the meantime tennis balls work pretty well at hitting the "knots" in the muscle.  And like I said, I still have to read the book so I might not even be performing this correctly, but however it seems to be helping.

I'm just about finished reading the first half of Muscular Retraining for Pain-Free Living.  It's only in the second half that the exercises are introduced, so that will be starting shortly as well.  But from everything else, so far so good.

Tomorrow I would like to introduce the 16kg back into my regular training.  Stay posted.

Another Milestone Met

I took yesterday off to rest after my 10 minute Snatch set on Saturday. I was pleasantly surprised at how well my back withstood the session. I was a bit tight around the site of the injury as well as my core in general. The most soreness I experienced was in my traps.

I had followed up that session with a few selected Kettlebell Foundation Compensatory movements as well as some initial Trigger Point therapy using a tennis ball. Either one or the combination worked really well at keeping things at bay.

This morning I was intent on hitting the 10 minute mark with the Jerk. I had done 8 minutes at 6 rpms the other day and was confident I could give it a run today. Here's how it looked...

Swing: 12kg - 15/15; 16kg - 12/12; 20kg - 10/10

Jerk: 2 x 12kg - 10 minutes @ 6 rpm - total of 60 jerks(!)

This was a tough set! I think part of the difficulty is performing these first thing in the morning when my body is still not fully warm and flexible. Two minutes in, I was thinking "there's no way I'm getting to 10 today".

But again, I turned my concentration toward my breathing and my alignment. Trying to reach my hips with my elbows between each and every rep.

Into the fourth minute, I was thinking "just two more, get through 6 minutes". At some point the minutes became a blur, I found my hips a bit better which makes it a lot easier. And my breathing settled in. Next thing I know, 9 minutes are passed. One minute to go! Only 6 more reps. And then... I completed the 10th minute!

This is a great feeling to have. What a hurdle it's been. Now it's time to change things up a bit. Similar to my Snatch work, I will now broaden my practice two ways, bump up to the 16kg bell and start with shorter sets, working my way up, and continuing to work with the 12kg, also shorter sets but at an increased pace, again building up.

I didn't have a chance to cooldown as I did on Saturday. I'll get some in later on today. Hopefully, I'll feel alright tomorrow. That's it for now. Jerk 'em up!!

Long Road to 10 Minute Snatch Set

It's been a while coming but today I hit my first milestone - 10 minute set of Snatches with the 12kg!

I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't start Snatching with the 16kg until I was able to last for 10 minutes with the 12kg. And today I did it and feel pretty good afterward as well!

I missed my training sessions the last two days. Thursday I took off to rest and yesterday I slept through the alarm. (If you know me, that happens every now and again.) I saw the chiro yesterday and woke up today with my back a bit sore from it. Nonetheless, I decided it was time to go for 10. Here's what it looked like...

Swing: 12kg - 15/15; 16kg - 10/10; 20kg - 10/10

Snatch: 12kg - 10 minutes @ 14 rpm - total of 140 Snatches

In case you're interested here's the play-by-play on how I performed the set...
I have a large clock in front of me with a sweeping second hand.
On the floor out in front of me I have a digital timer that's on zero.
I chalk up and wait until the second hand of the clock hits the "9" - 15 seconds till we begin the set - at this point I start the digital timer.
I then prepare my stance, position the bell and get ready to begin.
When the second hand hits the "12", I start.
My focus my becomes gets the pace set and synchronized with my breathing. I've got to hit 3 reps before the second hand approaches the "3" on the clock.
As it hits the "3", I hit my 4th rep.
Three more to go before the second hand hits the "6".
And now we repeat for the next half minute.
And so on.
If I zone out and lose track of how far into the set I am, I glance down at the digital timer.
Once my breathing is comfortable, I then focus on my form.
At the top, the bell rested diagonally down across my hand.
To start the downswing, I focus on rotating the bell gently out of my hand to descend.
As it passes through my legs I focus on tightening my 'ok' grip.

Once I hit the 5 minute mark with my left hand I knew I was home free. My breathing was steady and controlled. It's all about pacing yourself.

With the Snatch, there are two avenues that I am now going to pursue. (1) Improve this 10 minute set by increasing my rpms. (2) Start with the 16kg once again and work my way up to longer sets as I did with the 12kg.

I still have a lot of work to do with my back. But at least I am able to move and train again. That makes it a lot more tolerable. Snatch 'em up baby!!

Not Too Bad

Slept a little better last night.  I was able to cut back on the dose a Nyquil a bit which made it easier to get up today than yesterday.  I wanted to keep things moving without overdoing it today.  Therefore I opted to forego the Snatches today and work on my Jerks.

Swing:  12kg - 10/10;  16kg - 10/10

Jerk:  2 x 12kg - 8 minutes at 6 rpm - total of 48 reps

Cooldown consisted of some foam roller work, Kettlebell Foundation Compensatory movements and some impromptu trigger point massage on my quadratus lumborum using a plastic polar bear(!)  in place of a tennis ball.  (Hey, sometimes you gotta make do with what you have on hand.)

I was mentally set to eek out this 8 minute set of Jerks.  Around minute five I was started to have my doubts, but I stayed focused on getting through each individual minute and tried my best to find my hip bones to get in some rest.  Funny thing is, sometime in minute six I thought about going for ten minutes.  I probably could have but didn't want to push it too much today.  My back is hurting a bit today (and yesterday).  

I'm off to Barnes & Noble again today to pick up a book on Trigger Point Therapy.  I'm going to figure this back thing out (eventually).  I've decided to remove the heal insert I have been wearing.  Since I have been wearing it for weeks now and still have not gotten lasting relief and since I don't totally believe that my condition is structural but muscular, I don't want it overcompensating things.  Worse case, I can always put it back in.

So that's it for today.  Hopefully, tomorrow I feel even better than today!  Jerk 'em up y'all!!

I Hate These Workouts

The ones when you're sick and would rather sleep in, but you know you'll feel better if you just muster up the strength and will to push through it.

Yeap, I've come down with the usual, cold and cough.  My two-year-old and I overlapped our colds this time.  He started to improve yesterday while I seemed to worsen.  I am taking the day off from work though.  I'm continuing to use the Neti pot as I had been trying to keep this thing at bay but will also be sampling some Claritin-D today as well.  Hopefully I can keep this thing under control.

Anyway, I still had the fortitude to get up and train a bit.  Here's what it looked like...

Swing:  12kg - 10/10;  16kg - 10/10

Snatch:  12kg - 6 minutes - 18/16/16/18/16/16 - 100 reps total

One-Arm Jerk:  16kg - 4 minutes - 12/6/12/6 - 36 reps total

Annex workout included Seated Russian Twist 12kg, Windmill 12kg, Standing Big Circles 6lb ball, and Standing Russian Twist 6lb ball.

I have been wondering a lot lately about how it feels to Snatch at a 20 rpm pace.  Up until now I have never ventured past 16rpm.  So I started to introduce within the 6 minute set, the first initial minute for each hand at 18 rpm.  It is fast!  At 16 rpm, you still have a moment at top to catch your breath.  At 18rpm, that starts to become non-existent.  I can only imagine what 20 rpm feels like.  At this point in my training 20 rpm for 10 minutes seems like an impossibility. But then again, that's why we train, right?  =)

I then added on the heavier One Arm Jerks.  I wasn't sure going into these how long I wanted to last.  I thought maybe 6 minutes, but after the first rather rapid set, decided to ease back and not push it too hard.    Particularly since my back wasn't too happy that I started to include these again in a prior session.  Which leads me to something interesting about my back...

I have started reading a book title Muscular Retraining for a Pain Free Life.  This book was recommended by Scott Helsley on his blog.  (I'll let you check out the synopsis on Amazon.)  As I was reading it last night, I decided to skim through some of the later chapters to see what was in store for me.  In the chapter on posture and alignment, the author described by current condition to a tee.  Laterally tiled pelvis with accompanying scoliosis.  Only he goes on to say that this sort of condition is typically caused by muscular dysfunction and that this type of scoliosis is in fact reversible as it is the result of the muscle imbalance and not the cause.  If this is true in my condition, I have much more work to do.  My chiropractor has told me the opposite.  I'm not sure which is correct, but I am tending to lean toward the book's view.  Although the initial visits to the chiro produced some immediate improvement, I am again stuck in a place where I have something of a constant ache in my lower right back.  I am gaining some increased mobility when twisting to the right, but this condition has been going on now for over 4 months and I have not ever been totally pain free in the whole time.  

Luckily the second half of this book includes muscular retraining exercises that are supposed to help.  I am going to try to start experimenting with them today.   The author, an occupational therapist out on the west coast, now also provides online consultations.  I am going to attempt to start working the exercises in the book first, but might also have to explore that option especially if I start to see some improvement on my own.  There might be hope for me yet!!  

Enough babbling from me.  That's it and that's all for today!

Quick Post-Thanksgiving Day Workout

I threw in a quick workout today. My plan worked yesterday, where I focused my eating on turkey and not a lot of carbs. So I wasn't too full or feeling sick at the end of the day.

My back held up pretty well from yesterday's session so I decided to throw in a quick session today.

Jerk: 2 x 12kg - 5 minutes @ 6 rpm

Double Clean: 2 x 12kg - 2 minutes @ 10 rpm

That's it and that's all! Just enough to keep things loose.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I hope that everyone reading this entry has a great day and is able to be thankful for something truly wonderful in their life. As difficult as life is, I still wouldn't pass it up. I am extremely thankful for my health and my beautiful family. I am also thankful that I stumbled across the American Kettlebell Club earlier this year which changed the way I look at my lovely kettlebells. I am also thankful for them and the joy (and pain) that they give me.

So before I head over to visit family today, I squeezed in a short workout that looked like this...

Swing: 12kg - 10/10; 16kg - 10/10

Snatch: 12kg - 6 minutes @ 16 rpm - total of 96 reps

Jerk: 2 x 12kg - 3 minutes @ 6 rpm - total of 18 reps

I was very happy with today's session. I dropped back in time on the Snatches so that I could increase my pace from my previous workouts. I could definitely feel the difference but it wasn't anything that was too overwhelming.

I was almost ready to quit after the Snatches, but after reading Scott Helsley's blog post yesterday about improving your rack, I decided to keep the reps low back work on my flexibility a bit.

This worked out rather well. I learned that I am not flexible enough (yet) to reach my elbows to my hips without unlocking my knees. I decided to allow the knee bend for now since the bells are light enough that my legs can handle it. Hopefully, my flexibility will improve so that this won't be an issue when I start moving up to the bigger bells.

I think it's time to get ready to eat now and give thanks. Thanks!

First Session with (Mini) Clubbells

I woke up this morning to happily be in one piece.  I'm sure you'd agree that we all feel happy when awakening this way.  In my case, it was especially nice considering yesterday's workout.  I was afraid that it might have been too intense, but with only a few muscular twinges during the day I was half way expecting not to be unpleasantly surprised.  Of course, after sitting in the car for over 2 hours on my commute home (Thanksgiving traffic started early) my back and legs were a bit tighter than usual as I prepared to end the day.

Rather than push things, I decided (as planned) to explore some more with the 5lb mini clubbells that I got when I ordered my Intu-Flow package.  Included with Intu-Flow was the Xtension DVD which demonstrates a few movements intended for one to utilize the mini clubbells as an extension of one's body while getting into the "flow".

Of the movements covered, I left out the first one, the Front Swipe, as it is too similar to the kettlebell swing, and my intent for using these clubbells is to provide my body with something different from kettlebell movements.  

I did practice the following:  Side Swipe, Hammer Swing, Split Swipe, Alternating Mill and Alternating Back Stroke.  

I was amazed at how heavy these little clubbells feel.  They are definitely a different animal from kettlebells.  I'm sure after a little practice they will become more comfortable.  I do need to practice now in front of a mirror.  Today's session was me watching on my laptop, then practicing on the rug in my living room.

One thing that jumped out at me was how my left shoulder pulled up when performing the Alternating Mill.  My right side stayed packed down as it should without any thought.  But my left shoulder was another story.  Not until I consciously focused on keeping it down did it stay down.  Something for me to focus on.

I also like the Hammer Swing.  It requires A LOT of thoracic mobility which will help me develop my rack.  This will be a good one for direct kettlebell assistance.  

The Side Swipe and Alternating Mills should provide a good amount of cross-body movement which I am looking for to help balance my movement patterns and strengthen my core.  

Before starting all of this, I also held one of the clubbells horizontally with one hand on each end and had it mimic a medicine ball.  I warmed up with a few Big Circles and Standing Russian Twists.

That's it for today.  I hope to squeeze in some bells tomorrow before filling my belly with Turkey.  Tomorrow's goal is to drop back down to a 6 minute Snatch set, increasing the rpm's to 16.  Jerk 'em up y'all!

I Killed It!

My workout that is.  I may be a Dexter fan.  And I might be sad that there are only 3 episodes left this season.  But the only thing I am killing these days are my workouts.

Giving myself two days off and allowing my back to rest up, I was planning all day yesterday on how to ratchet up today's session.  I had decided for sure to increase my Snatch set to 8 minutes.  I also knew that I wanted to start out with a Jerk set, but wasn't sure how long to make it, particularly since I was planning on Snatching right after.

Well, I decided to stick with a 4 minute Jerk set, which I had gotten through in a prior session, and if I felt good I would extend it depending on my form and comfort level.  (These have a way of putting a stretch right into the injured part of my back.  Good or bad, I'm not sure.)  So anyway, this is what it looked like...

Swing:  12kg - 10/10,  16kg - 10/10

Jerk:  2 x 12kg - 6 minutes @ 6 rpm - total of 36 reps

Snatch:  12kg - 8 minutes @ 14 rpm - total of 112 reps

Cooldown consisted of some hip flexor stretches and some Kettlebell Foundation Compensatory Movements.

I was very happy with how the Jerks felt.  I absolutely need to work on my flexibility and need some pointers on my form.  When the set was over my delts were fried.  I think it's a combination of my rack as well as actual jerk technique.  For now I will continue to work it as best as I can.  But when the AKC Coaches' Cert comes to NY, look out!  That's it for today, Jerk 'em up y'all!

Monday Morning Quarterback

Well, I just might have overdone it a bit on Saturday.  Following my workout, I could tell that my back was not overly happy about things.  There was a bit of throbbing going on throughout the remainder of the day.  I had planned to help ease things with some Aleve, but for whatever reason, never did.

I then expected the worst on Sunday (yesterday), but was surprised that I felt as well as I did.  I decided to lay low and stay away from anything metal that had a handle.  This even counted for frying pans.  There was a bit of stretching occurring throughout the day, but not even much of that.

I received an email from Lorna Kleidman, who is an International Master of Sport, residing just south of my in NYC.  We have exchanged a few emails regarding my condition and she suggested I pick up a stability ball and work my core in some movements outside the sagittal plane, which is where all the kettlebell work is done.

Needless to say, one is now on order.  In addition, I decided to make this morning something of an easy, experiment/learning morning.  I started watching Scott Sonnon's Xtension DVD once again which is a mini-clubbell course.  There are a few movements within that specifically work in the lateral dimensions, specifically what I might need. 

I also picked up my 6 lb squishy ball and performed a few medicine ball movements including "Big Circles" and "Standing Russian Twists".  In the seated position I also used both the 12kg and 8kg bell to perform "Seated Russian Twists" - with these I placed the bell down on the floor for each rep rather than make it one continuous motion.

Hopefully, these types of movements will help me once and for all get over this last hump and get me strong again.  I know it is still going to take a while.  I'm continuing to try to be patient...

Some Saturday Snatches

With a bit of an ache in my back today, not sure what instigated it since yesterday was an off day, I was itching to work another set of snatches in this week.

I had been debating with myself on how to proceed after the last session.  I could either keep my pace of 12 rpm and increase the time to 8 minutes, or stick with a 6 minute set and up my pace a bit.

After much thought and deliberation and given that my back wasn't feeling as good as it should, I decided to keep the set length constant and increase my pace.  Of course, after my set I was feeling my oats and decided to finish off with a heavier set of one arm jerks.

This is what it looked like...

Swing:  12kg - 10/10;  16kg - 10/10;  20kg - 5/5

Snatch:  12kg - 6 minutes @ 14 rpm - total of 84 reps

One Arm Jerk:  16kg - 2 minutes @ 16 rpm - total of 32 reps

I then cooled down with a selection of Kettlebell Foundation Compensatory Movements.  And tomorrow I rest.

Jerks & Snatches

My back has been in an 'ok' state for a little while now. I have eased up on some of the lateral movements in the Intu-Flow program as well as the Compensatory Movements and it is making a noticeable difference in the positive direction. I appears that my back issue is dependent not just on my spinal twist but also on hip/pelvis movement as well. I think I will be making a purchase shortly - Gray Cook & Brett Jones' Secrets of the Hip & Knee DVD. Maybe there's something in there that might shed some more light on my condition.

Anyway, since I have been playing around with the 12kg bells again this past week, I decided to return to them now as my working weight. I was happily surprised at how well my back handled not only the heavier bell, but also the one-arm work, such as cleans and push presses. I was afraid the unilateral work would aggravate my back but things are feeling as good as they have been for quite a while now. So this is what today's session looked like...

Swing:
12kg - 10/10
16kg - 10/10
20kg - 5/5

Jerk: 2 x 12kg - 4 minutes @ 6 rpm - total of 24 reps

Snatch: 12kg - 6 minutes @ 12 rpm - total of 72 reps

I felt a bit of tightness in my back following the Jerks, but nothing above a 2 or 3 on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the worst pain, 1 being barely noticeable). So now we wait and see! =)

Monday's Training/Class

After taking the weekend off from training (although I kept busy with home improvements), I had an evening training session with some friends.  Half instructional for them and half training for me.  Here's what it looked like from my perspective...

Warmup with assorted Kettlebell Foundation Joint Mobility.

Swing:  12kg

Clean:  12kg - 4 minutes

(These felt great.  I got into a nice rhythm with my breath synch'd.  Felt like I was running at a good clip without losing my breath.)

Push Press:  12kg - 2 minutes

Long Cycle Push Press:  12kg - 4 minutes

Windmills:  12kg

Snatch:  12kg - 2 minutes

Swing:  12kg - 5/5/4/4/3/3/2/2/1/1

(Descending pyramid)

Swing:  12kg - 5/5 on the minute for 5 minutes

(These took about 30 seconds to complete, so it was close to 30 sec on/30 sec off for 5 minutes)

Cooldown with assorted Kettlebell Foundation Compensatory Movements.

I can't wait to see how my body feels tomorrow.  This workout was a bit more extreme than what I've been working through as of late.  But it felt, oh so good!   I am hopeful.  Good night!

Friday's Kettlebell Class

The "hardcore 4" trained today on our lunch hour together.

We warmed up with some Joint Mobility and then were on to the bells!

Things proceeded in this order:

Swing

Turkish Getup

Clean - 2 minutes

Jerk

Long Cycle (Jerk/Push Press) - 4 minutes

Snatch - 3 minutes

Getup Situps

Cool down consisted of Kettlebell Foundation Compensatory movements.

Recovery Day

I am pleasantly surprised this morning to find that I am in not too bad shape today.  After yesterday's session with the 12kg, I started to feel the impact within a few hours.  It had been quite a while since I've swung the 12kg around and my body immediately noticed the difference from the 8kg.  But this morning, only slight muscular soreness but nothing pronounced.  I was particularly worried since I demonstrated the Hot Potato yesterday and thought for sure the twisting motion would aggravate my back.  I did try to keep the range of motion limited on the right side.  Maybe this is something I should actually started doing more!?!?  If I can start to strengthen that motion without entering the "pain zone", perhaps it will help accelerate my recovery?

As for this morning, I kept it light - Intu-Flow Beginner Program coupled with a hip flexor lunge stretch and some foam rolling on the hips, quads and back.

Everything is feeling pretty good right now, let's hope it stays that way.  We have another kettlebell class scheduled for tomorrow at lunchtime.  I think Turkish Getups are on the menu.  Swing 'em high y'all!!

Kettlebell "Class"

Me and three of my friends and coworkers squeezed in a kettlebell workout today on our lunch hour. The session was a mix of instruction and workout. Before each movement, I reviewed the proper form with everyone and after a few practice reps/sets we moved it to a timed set. Here's what my workout looked like...

Warmed up with some joint mobility.

Swing: 12 kg - 5/5

Clean: 12kg - 4 minutes

Push Press: 12kg - 3 minutes

Snatch: 12kg - 2 minutes

LC Squat: 12kg - 5/5

Hot Potato: 12kg - didn't count

Windmill: 12kg - didn't count

Cooled down with plow, seal walk, tripod, seated twist, rabbit to camel and forward fold.

Intu-Flow with Bells Yet to Come

Woke up and performed some Intu-Flow this morning.  It turned out to be a hodge podge of the Intermediate and Beginner programs along with some of the Kettlebell Foundation Joint Mobility(KFJM)  movements mixed in.

The nice thing about taking my time and working through each of the programs individually is that I am finding that some movements work better for me for certain areas of my body and I can now pick and choose to make a more effective training session.

For example, this morning I started off with the Intermediate Intu-Flow program: neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, arms and hands.  But when it came to my thoracic spine, I selected the Isosceles and Sway from KF JM.  Moving down to the hips, I performed the Intu-Flow movements from both the Beginner and Intermediate program.  For the spine, it was Intu-Flow Beginner with a little bit of Bob and Weave from KFJM.  The rest of the movements were all from Intu-Flow Intermediate.

Today at work we are having a kettlebell session on our lunch hour.  A handful of us took advantage of a free week trial at the fitness facility on site and will be bringing our kettlebells in with us.  I'm not sure what I'll be taking people through just yet, but it should be fun.  I just have to make sure I don't overdo it myself.  More on that later today.  Swing 'em high, y'all!

Snatch!

Warmed up this morning with the Kettlebell Foundation Joint Mobility program.

Swing:  8kg - 15/15

Snatch:  8kg - 8 minutes (48L/48R)

I considered throwing in some more Swings at the end but opted to cool down with the Kettlebell Foundation Compensatory series.  Once again, now we wait to see how the back holds up.

Intu-Flow and some Yoga

Yesterday turned out to be a "do-nothing" day.  I am happy to say that the only effects from the long Jerk set was some muscle soreness and no increased back pain.  I felt it mostly in my upper back muscles with a bit in the delts as well.  It was a nice soreness.

This morning was my first run through Intu-Flow Intermediate without the aid of the DVD.  I also worked through a selection of the Kettlebell Foundation Compensatory movements.  I worked each posture slower than you would if you were using it strictly as a cool down from your kettlebell work, as I can see they do overlap many of the Prasara Yoga flow postures, and that is a short-term goal.  I do notice that I need to keep some of the twisting postures shallower still, as even just a bit of over-exertion causes a bit of a flare up in the back.  I need to remember to slowly shave off the tightness and tension and not be that 20-year old that can throw themselves into extreme movements, feel beaten up and still wake up the next morning for more.

That's it for today.  Tomorrow, we Snatch!

Jerk!

I hadn't originally planned to do much today, but I woke up a bit early (yes, even on a Saturday) and pushed myself a bit harder than planned.  Not too worry though, it was a good push.  This is what this morning's workout looked like...

Swing:  8kg - 10/10

Jerk:  2x8kg - 8 minutes @ 6 rpm (48 total)

Swing:  12kg - 10/10

Swing:  16kg - 10/10

Ab Wheel:  6,  6,  6

Cooled down with a selection from the Kettlebell Foundation Compensatory series.   Have a great weekend everyone!

Recuperation

Muscles tight today, particularly in my injured right lower back and my left hip.  

I performed Intu-Flow Intermediate program followed by a few Compensatory movements to help open things up.  

That's it for today.  Have a great weekend!!

Light Snatches

Those Get Ups the other day really made an impact on my back.  I'm not in a lot of pain, but have a raised level of discomfort than prior.  I was almost going to make this morning a low intensity day with only Kettlebell Foundation Compensatory movements, but a little voice in my head told me to push through even with the lightest set of Snatches.  So this was today's light workout...

Swing:  8kg - 10/10

Snatch:  8kg - 6 minutes (36L/36R)

Cooldown consisted of some foam roller work to the hips and quads followed by the following selection of the Kettlebell Foundation Compensatory movements:

Plow

Neck Roll

Sleeping Warrior

Downward Dog

Locust

Seal Walk

Rabbit 

Camel

Kneeling Side Bend

Tripod

Forward Fold

Shoulder Bridge

Wind Removing

Spinal Twist

Seated Shinbox

Cossack Knee Switch

On a side note, since incurring this back injury, I had continued to eat as if I were still training 5 days a week and put on about 5 lbs.  In the last week with my recent uptick of (light) workout sessions I have made an effort to clean up my eating a bit and have dropped just over a pound in the last 10 days, along with 1/2% of bodyfat (according to my Tanita innerscale).  [It also told me that I have the metabolism of a 21 year old which is sweet of it given that I turn 40 in January.]  As for cleaning up my eating, I honestly haven't done too much.  I've skipped a few bagels on some mornings (probably my biggest downfall), kept away from some (but not all) of the Halloween candy that has been floating around and lastly tried not to go back for seconds (or thirds) during dinner.  So just a little bit of will power and immediate results.  Nice to know this stuff works!  =)

President-Elect Obama, Wow!

For those of us alive today, this is an historic moment in this country's history with the election of our first non-white president.  I think and hope that this is the beginning of a greater acceptance of racial diversity in this country, for the greater good of the country and the world.  

On a more personal level, I decided to work through the Joint Mobility sequence of the Kettlebell Foundations program.  There are 26 movements in the series, working down from head to toe, and out from core to limbs.  Some of the movements are similar to Intu-Flow, some build on Intu-Flow and some are very kettlebell-specific, while all are good!

My back still feels the effects of the Get Ups from yesterday, which is why I am taking it easy today.  In the future I will go back to them but for a time without weight until I can perform them pain-free.  That's all for today.  Congratulations, President Obama.

Election Day Workout

Woke up this morning and felt to be on the path to (slow) recovery.  Because it is Election Day, where we vote for a new president today, I elected to switch up today's workout a bit.

Getup:  8kg - 3/3

(I felt these in my back immediately, so I stopped them early.)

Squat:  8kg - 10,  10,  10

Dip:  8,  8,  8

Pullup:  3,  3,  3

Swing:

8kg - 15/15

8kg - 15/15

12kg - 15/15

Although it might not look like much, I am actually feeling rather good while performing these and making myself stop so that I don't accidentally overdo it.  But that's a good sign, don't you think?!?!

Not Too Bad

The past few days have been pretty good days, I must say.  

I woke up yesterday morning with no adverse consequences from the prior day's Swings.  I decided to bring it down a notch and worked through Intu-Flow Intermediate Program.

This morning was focused on the Kettlebell Foundation Compensatory Program.  Since this was all I was doing today, I took my time working through each of the postures, practicing all except for Floor Scorpion, since one is particularly tough on my back right now.  This took me about a full half hour.

That's it for today then.  Chiro appointment this afternoon and if all goes well, we're back to bodyweight stuff tomorrow.

Increasing Swings

Feeling pretty good today, I decided to kick it up a notch with some Swings.

Swing:
8kg - 20/20
12kg - 15/15
16kg - 10/10

Not wanting to over do it, I stopped there. I felt it almost immediately in my glutes and hamstrings. It's been a while since I've done anything heavier than the 8kg. Now I'll wait and see what tomorrow brings. It's frustrating that I'm still not seeing anything consistent with my back. I guess that the good days are starting to out number the day, so that in itself is positive.

Happy Halloween

It's been a few days since my last post.  Not much happening these days.  I'm trying to continue moving forward although at times it seems like I've moved backward.

Wednesday morning was only Intu-Flow Beginner Program.  Saw chiro Wed afternoon.  Wed evening had some soreness in my back, probably from the adjustment.

Yesterday woke up with back still sore, so I opted to run through a few of the Kettlebell Foundation Compensatory Movements.  

Woke up this morning, back was still a bit sore, but said screw it, I'm going to work through my bodyweight routine regardless.  So this is what this morning looked like...

Pushup:  15,  15,  15

Ab Wheel Rollout:  6,  6,  6

Dip:  6,  6,  6

Pullup:  5,  5,  5

Bodyweight Squat:  10,  10,  10

(These were done as three circuits.  And yes, today I added in the Squats.  Hopefully it won't come back to bite me.)

Cooldown with Intu-Flow Beginner routine.

Today, some of us will be dressing up for the office.  Since I still haven't seen The Dark Knight, I won't be dressing up like the Joker as they did in The Office.  I wasn't inspired by anything this year.  But I do have a last minute consolation costume.  More to come later.

Some Bells

Woke up during the night, about 2:00am, with a cough that wouldn't quit.  The only option for me at the time was Nyquil.  Knowing that I intended to wake up at 5:00, I took a 1 teaspoon dose.  An adult dose is actually 3 tablespoons.  Lucky for me, after a short time, it quelled my cough and still allowed my to jump out of bed at 5:20.

Finally got back to the bells today.  Not a lot, but something.

Swing:  8kg - 10/10

Windmill:  8kg - 5/5

Jerk:  2x8kg - 4 min @ 6 rpm - 24 total

That was it.  Cooled down with Kettlebell Foundation Compensatory Movements (about 12 min).  Now we wait to see how I feel tomorrow morning...

Day by Day

The best laid plans of mice and men, often go awry.  That's sort of how I'm feeling right now.  Although I would have liked to have jumped right into the 4x7 program, I am taking it a bit slower than planned.  But that's ok, because I am still moving forward and have not re-injured and aggravated the back in any way.

I had a good soreness in my body following my bodyweight day on Friday.  But because I was sore I didn't want to hit the bells just yet, as I wanted to give myself enough time to properly recuperate first.  The last thing I want to do is tear myself down at this point.  So Saturday was strictly an IntuFlow day.

Yesterday started out as a busy day and by mid afternoon I had a bit of time to sit down with the Kettlebell Foundation Compensatory Movement DVD and was able to finish reviewing and practicing all of the movements.  So for the time being, I should be able to work through the entire Compensatory program without having to refer back to the DVD.  I also video taped myself while performing a few of the movements just so I could get some visual feedback on my form versus Scott.  And I must say I was rather pleased.  

This morning I had a really difficult time getting out of bed, so I blew it for the bells and ran through IntuFlow Beginner program.  But so far, the back is still on the mend and hasn't gotten any worse.  Today is a chiro appointment and tomorrow morning I must get my butt out of bed to swing the bells.  Until then, swing 'em high!

Bodyweight Day

Today's session looked like this...

A1) Pushup:  15, 15, 15

A2) Ab Wheel Rollout:  5, 5, 5

A3) Dip:  5, 5, 5

A4) Pullup:  5, 5, 5

These were performed in a circuit, each exercise once through for three circuits.

Cooldown consisted of IntuFlow Beginner and a few of the Kettlebell Foundation Compensatory Movements.

So if you've been following along, I added the third circuit today to this routine.  As always now I watch and wait to see how my back handles it.  Hopefully all continues well and tomorrow will be the bells.

First Frost

Leaving the house this morning, to head into the office, I was forced to backtrack and hunt out the ice scraper for my car windshield. This was the first morning that required some elbow grease to clean off the windshield . The thermostat read 31 degrees (F) and there was a nice, thin layer of ice hugging each of my windows.

Luckily, I can say that I am feeling better today than yesterday. A bit of Claritin and a heavy dose of the Neti pot seems to have had a positive effect on this cold that started to hit me Wed evening. Nonetheless, I found it difficult to get out of bed this morning. Sleeping in would have been sooooooo nice.

But I made today my low intensity day. Very low. Warmed up with Intu-Flow Beginner program. I then went through and practiced the first 13 movements (of 22 in total) of Scott Sonnon's Kettlebell Foundation Compensatory Movements.

I am really digging these! They are something of a prelude to his Prasara Yoga program and for someone who practices kettlebells but does not have a lot of yoga experience, these movements will set you on the path. Scott does a fantastic job explaining and demonstrating each movement. Some are easier performed than others, but all feel good to the body. I was amazed at how far I was able to move into the Forward Fold posture given the fact that I haven't been stretching regularly. But by following Scott's directions I got into it deep! And felt great from it.

Tomorrow I have my bodyweight work lined up. Swing 'em high y'all!

Another No Intensity Day

Gosh darn it! My little guy got me sick! This time it took 3 days for the germs to break through my defenses. So I'm kinda achy and congested and wish I could stay in bed all day. But no, unfortunately there's this thing called work, that ceases to pause for any one of us.

So rather than call it a total wash, I worked through Intu-Flow Beginner program. Hopefully I'll be feeling better tomorrow morning and can pick up where I left off.

(Of course, last night was my last physical therapy session (for the time being) and my back is a bit more sore than usual. I also think I have a bit of DOS from my kettlebell work on Tuesday morning. Hey, I'll take it!)