Upcoming World Kettlebell Club Fitness Trainer Certifications

Between now and the end of the year, I will be teaching two more WKC Kettlebell Trainer certification courses. This course is the prerequisite for anyone that wishes to attend the Coaching Certification with Valery Fedorenko.

The two venues are:


Saturday, November 13th @ Rhode Island Fitness & Martial Arts, Smithfield, RI


Saturday, December 4th @ The Claude Robillard Sports Center, Montreal, Canada


This course covers the single kettlebell foundational lifts - swing, clean, press, push press, jerk, snatch and half snatch. We also review the long cycle variations as well as the bottoms up variations. Everyone who attends will also receive a copy of the WKC's Fitness Protocol, which will also be reviewed and discussed in the course.

If anyone is interested in attending either of these dates or if you are interested in hosting a course yourself, please let me know.

Lifting Update

It's been a little while since my last update. Things are still moving forward and I'm loving it.

For the most part I am now concentrating on the Olympic lifts. I'm training them Mon-Wed-Fri. Weekdays in between I have not been doing much aside from recuperating. Weekends are spent running around with the kids, although I have recently picked up a 50' rope and have been playing a bit with it in the backyard ala Battling Ropes.

My OL training has been consisting of Cleans, from both the power position and from the floor, snatch pulls, jerks (from the rack) and back squats. I'm becoming technically more comfortable with these movements and have slowly been increasing the weight used.

I have been laying off the kettlebells during this time as my body is still getting used to the barbell work, but I hope to start introducing some lighter, longer sets again next week on my in-between days.

That's about it. Tonight I'll be visiting the Institute for Heavy Training. I'm looking forward to hitting it hard and getting the necessary refinements from my coach. Let's rock!

Bells: Bars & Kettles

Nice short session today. My knees and ankles are on the mend, so I didn't want to do anything too extreme today. But just enough to keep progressing forward.

Warmup: empty bar, the usual

Snatch: 65/3, 85/3, 105/2, 115/2

Back Squat: 115/5, 135/5

Kettlebell Long Cycle: 2 x 16kg - 5 minutes @ 6 rpm

Band work for the rotators

Snatches felt good, they are landing overhead nicely, without too much of a squat. I threw in the back squats to see how my knees would feel tomorrow. My delts and rotators have been fried as of late, so looking to balance them out with some band work. No pressing for them today.

Long Cycle felt good. Not too intense today, but a good start. I need 60 reps to make Rank III. I am going to try to start working these in regularly and hopefully hit rank soon, then move up to the 20's for the November competition in NJ.

Mini Milestone

Olympic lifting today, not too much as my left knee and ankle are still hurting from last week. I guess I overstretched them with the pause squats. So today, I made sure not to perform any deep squatting.

Warmup - empty bar

Cleans: 65/3, 85/3, 100/2, 115/2, 135/2, 155/1, 170/1

Push Press behind the neck: 65/5, 90/5, 110/5, 135/5


The last set of cleans marked my first bodyweight set. Yay!

Friday Lifting

Here's what went down this past Friday. It was a relatively quick session (as I had my sports massage scheduled directly following), but I have been feeling the effects all weekend, particularly in my ankles and knees.

Warmup: empty barbell (see prior workouts, same)

Clean & Jerk: 65/3, 85/3, 115/1, 135/3

(for the first three sets of C&J, I cleaned the bar, then performed a front squat, pausing for 5 sec at the bottom, then came up, performed the jerk, holding that position also for 5 sec before lowering the bar)

Seated Snatch Hold: 65/1

Snatch Balance: 65/4, 65/1

(it was here that I first felt some soreness in my left ankle, so I didn't push it)

Pistols: 5/5

That was it for the day.

USAW Coach

As I returned from today's workout I received an email from USA Weightlifting informing me that I am now officially one of their Sports Performance Coaches! Hurray!!

OK, enough celebrating, now let's get down to business. I was out of commission last week as the family and I went away on vacation. No real training there except for running after the kids.

Once I returned, I had a few short kettlebell sessions to get things moving again. The first was a 12 minute Clean & Press set with a 16kg bell for 10 rpm. The next was an 8 minute snatch set with a 20kg bell at 14 rpm. Both of these sets were with multiple hand switches.

Today was the first day back at the gym for some Olympic lifting.

Warmup - my now-standard empty bar warmup

Snatch: 65/5, 85/3, 105/3, 115/1

Press: 65/5, 85/5, 105/5

Front Squat: 95/2, 115/2, 155/1, 175/1

Handstand Pushup: 1 set of 5

Kettlebell Swing: 16kg - 4 minutes (switched hands as needed)

That's it and that's all!

And Some Jerks

It's Friday! Time to wrap it up for a successful week of lifting...

Warmup - empty bar (same as previous days)

Seated Snatch Hold - empty bar - held overhead about 5-10 seconds, focusing on feeling the weight in between my scapulas

Jerk (from rack) - 45/5, 65/3, 75/2, 95/1, 115/1,1,1,1,1 (five singles), 135/1

Snatch Pull - 65/5, 95/5, 95/5

Pistols - 5/5, 5/5

Handstand Pushups - 5, 4, 2 (maybe made it down about half way on these)

That's it for the week!

Some Cleans

Back to the Olympic lifts today. Began with the same warmup as Monday. Then onto a few sets of lifts...

Clean: 65/3, 95/3, 115/2, 135/2

Press Drop Snatch: 45/3, 45/3


That was it for today. Back was feeling a bit tight for the Drop Snatch so I kept it with the press so that I could ease into it. Those cleans really work you, don't they? =)

The Day After USAW

What a great weekend this was attending the USA Weightlifting Level 1 Coach's Certification. Our instructor was top notch. I learned lots and am now eager to start putting it into action. I put together this week's training schedule already for a Mon-Wed-Fri routine. Check out today's...


Warmup - all lifts 10 reps with the empty Olympic bar:
Clean from the knees
Clean
Snatch from the knees
Press behind the neck
Back Squat
Back Squat with Press behind the neck
Good Morning
Good Morning with Press behind the neck

Onto the workout:

Snatch: 65/3, 75/3, 85/3, 95/3

Press Behind the Neck: 65/5, 85/5, 95/3

Front Squat: 95/2, 115/1, 135/1, 155/1

Pistols: 5/5, 5/5

Raised Pike Pushup: 5, 5, 5


This was a GOOD workout. If persperation is any gauge, it was just as intense as one of my kettlebell workouts. Good stuff!

Easy Day before USAW Certification Weekend

I made sure today was an easy day as this weekend I will be attending the USA Weightlifting Sports Performance Coaching Certification. It will be two full days of Olympic weightlifting. So today's was meant to just keep the blood pumping.

Jump Rope: 5 rounds of 2 min on / 1 min off

Kettlebell Snatch: 24kg - 3 min @ 14 rpm, rest, 2 min @ 14 rpm

That's it and that's all.

Some of this and some of that

Mostly Olympic lifts today, with a bit of fun at the end...

Power Clean: 45/5, 65/3, 95/3, 115/1, 135/1

Power Snatch: 45/2, 65/3, 95/2, 115/NL

Power Jerk: 65/5, 85/5, 105/3

Front Squat: 95/5, 115/5, 135/5

Pistols (bodyweight): 5L/5R, 3L/3R

KB Swing: 24kg - 30/30

I'm tired.... =)

Biathlon Bells

Trained the bells today. I can see that my endurance has dropped a bit since I have started focusing on the Olympic lifts. It's ok, nothing that I couldn't pick back up with some focused bell training when the time comes. So I'll consider today's session a maintenance session.

Kettlebell Jerk: 2 x 24kg
4 minutes @ 8 rpm
1 minute @ 10 rpm
1 minute @ 12 rpm

Kettlebell Snatch: 24kg
3 minutes @ 14 rpm
2 minutes @ 16 rpm

That's it and that's all!

Jerks and Snatches and Jerks and Snatches

Today was the first time I've really tried to integrate both the Olympic lifts and my kettlebell lifts into one session. Needless to say, each was a bit shorter than I would have trained if it were only one or the other.

With the Olympic lifts, up till now the power cleans and power snatches have all been from above the knee. Today I started going below the knee on some of the reps.

Here's the play by play...

Power Clean: 45/5, 65/3, 95/5, 115/1, 115/1

Power Snatch: 45/5, 65/5, 80/3

Overhead Squat: 65/5, 75/2, 75/5

KB Jerk: 2 x 24kg - 3 minutes @ 8 rpm

KB Snatch: 24kg - 2 minutes @ 18 rpm

That's it and that's enough!

Learning the Olympic Lifts

Less than two weeks until I attend the USAW Level 1 Certification, so I'm trying to get some time under the bar these days. I'm training with a standard set of olympic weights, so there is no dropping or bouncing of the weights after my reps.

After Friday's session, I awoke on Saturday morning with some real good muscle soreness all around my rib cage and back. It was intense! So today's session was on par with Friday's. Still focusing on just getting comfortable. After the certification, I'll get serious. =)

So today consisted of... (lbs/reps)

Power Clean: 45/5, 65/5, 95/3, 115/1

Power Snatch: 45/5, 65/3, 95/1, 95/1, 95/1

Push Press: 65/5, 95/5

Power Jerk: 95/1

Front Squat: 95/5, 115/5


I had intended to include some kettlebell snatches at the end of this, but my wrists and elbows were feeling the effects of the barbell, so I chose to leave it be. All in all, things are starting to feel ok.

Happy First Birthday, Alexandra

Today I want to wish my little princess, Alexandra, a happy first birthday! One year old today and already you have developed such an amazing little personality. We are very blessed to have you with us.

In about ten (?) or twelve years from now, I suspect you will be curious enough to want to see what you dad had to say about things back when you were a baby. So I imagine you will be googling me and hopefully this blog post will surface. If so, here's a little something to see. When you do watch this yourself, I can only hope that you are more dainty with your eating habits.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LITTLE GIRL! MOMMY, DADDY AND BROTHER ALL LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!!

Eye Opener

Back to the gym today after a two day layoff. I played with the barbell and the kettlebells today.

I have to admit, I thought my wrists were in pretty good shape from training with the kettlebells, but after a few 'light' sets of the Olympic lifts with a barbell, my wrists were shot! I also need to start keeping better notes when I'm training these lifts. There's more activity now and I can't wait until the end to jot it all down like I can do with the kettlebells.

So what did today consist of?

Olympic Lifts
Power Clean - 45/5, 65/5, 95/5 (lbs/reps)

Power Snatch - 45/5, 65/3, 95/2

Push Press - 95/5, 65/5

Power Jerk - 65/5

Overhead Squat - 65/5, 65/5

Kettlebells
Long Cycle: 2 x 16kg - 6 minutes @ 6 rpm


I'm really looking forward to the USAW weekend. Right now, I'm training based on what I've read and what I've watched in video. I solid weekend of instruction will be a good thing. Only two weeks away.

Hook Grip 1 and Hook Grip 2

Today I started working in some Olympic lifting in conjunction with my kettlebells. I'm practicing with the bar at the moment as I let me body learn some new movement patterns. I have some flexibility issues with my wrists as well as the overhead snatch position, but I'm confident these will come quickly.

I like the way both the Olympic lifts have one hook grip while the kettlebells have another. And they are opposite of one another. To hold the barbell, the first and second finger overlap the thumb. To hold the kettlebell, the thumb overlaps the first finger. Cool stuff, no?

So this was today...

Front Squat: 5 5 5

Power Clean: 5 5

Overhead Squat: 5 5 5

Pressing Snatch Balance: 5 5 5

Power Snatch: 5 5

Kettlebell Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes @ 12 rpm


Formal instruction on the Olympic lifts will be coming in three weeks. Until then I will be doing my best to get comfortable with moving a barbell again. I think I'm going to like this.

Happy Friday!

It's a beautiful Friday afternoon and training in a place where you can see the daylight and feel the air blowing is awesome! (I'm getting spoiled, ain't I?) Today I warmed up with some light barbell squatting - nothing serious, just an empty bar and then hit some bells.

Warmup: Empty Bar - Front Squat & Overhead Squat - 3 sets of 5 reps for each lift

Snatch: 24kg - 5 minutes @ 12 rpm

One Arm Jerk: 32kg - 4 minutes @ 10 rpm

That's it and that's all.

Training alongside the Fighters

So I've now begun to train my kettlebells in the local MMA. It's quite a change from the parking garage! First of all, there is actually air circulating and light to see. That alone is a big improvement. Today while I trained, there was a boxer working out next to me and a crew of jiu jitsu practitioners working on the mat. Having other dedicated individuals around you while training is definitely a great motivator. In a sense, it also makes me feel somewhat primitive, just pumping out reps while they engage in higher order activities. But we all do what we do, right? =)

So here's today's session...

Jerk: 2 x 24kg - 5 minutes @ 8 rpm

Jump Rope: 5 rounds of 2 minutes on / 1 minute off

Snatch: 24kg - 4 minutes @ 12 rpm

Even taking the jump rope 'break' didn't help much with the fatigue from the jerks. The first few snatches in particular were shaky. They firmed up but two minutes per side was it for today. All in all, a good training day!

Mix It Up Monday

I've decided to mix things up a bit. You know, keep it fresh. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not going to be straying far. I've built up a nice foundation with my lifting and am not looking to have it all go down the drain for the sake of variety. Here's today's fun...

Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes @ 12 rpm

One Arm Jerk: 24kg - 6 minutes @ 12 rpm

Swing: 24kg - 25/25

Snatches felt good. I need to concentrate on not overdoing it with these. With the heat and humidity, my hands have been taking a bit of a beating. The heavier OAJs following were tough. After they were over, I looked at the bells again knowing that I wanted to swing and I got a sick feeling in my stomach. So I rested a bit more, then did what I could.

Jerks

Not too much happening lately.

On Wednesday I did some snatching and treadmill running.
Yesterday was a day off.

Today was training in a potential new location. A MMA gym opened up recently near the office so I hopped over there to train. Much better than the parking garage!! I'm going to try it out for a month, so we'll see how it works out.

Jerk: 2 x 24kg
5 minutes @ 7 rpm
1 minute @ 10 rpm
1 minute @ 10 rpm

Swing: 24kg - 25/25


Jerks went well although for some reason they felt heavy. The one minute sets were icing on the cake. I just wanted to squeeze in a few more sets are a quicker pace. I had intended to go 30/30 in the swings, but couldn't manage it today.

(My) Snatches Suck

Still struggling with grip issues. Maybe it's the high humidity that I've been training in, I'm not really sure. But I will be focusing a lot more on swings to try to help bring this aspect of my lifting up.

Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes @ 12 rpm

One Arm Jerk: 32kg - 15/15

Swing: 28kg - 30/30

That's all for today.

Swings Suck

Had a good weekend. This made today's session not-so-good.

Jerk: 2 x 24kg - 5 minutes @ 7 rpm

Swing: 24kg - 30/30, 30/30


Jerks were pretty tough today. It was hot and the air was super heavy. Snatching would have been brutal. So I swung. This is the first time I've attempted two sets. They were brutal, but I got them done. How do I reward myself? Use the 28kg for the next session!

Weekly Update

I'm getting bad at keeping this up to date...

Tuesday:

Jerk: 2 x 24kg - 5 minutes @ 7 rpm

Snatch: 24kg - 4 minutes @ 12 rpm


Thursday:

Jerk: 2 x 24kg - 5 minutes @ 7 rpm

Snatch: 20kg - 5 minutes @ 14 rpm


Friday:

Snatch: 24kg - 5 minutes @ 12 rpm

One Arm Jerk: 24kg - 3 minutes @ 12 rpm

Jump Rope: 4 rounds of 2-1/2 min on / 1 min off


It's been a very busy week at work, so I am glad that I got in as much training as I did. On top of it, the heat and humidity have been off the charts. Not a pleasant environment to train in for any extended period of time. Hopefully, one of these weeks, things will let up a bit. In the meantime, keep moving as best as possible.

Monday!

My second attempt at Split Day Training was a success!

AM
Snatch: 20kg - 8 minutes @ 12 rpm

PM
Jerk: 2 x 24kg - 5 minutes @ 7 rpm

Swing: 24kg - 30/30

Jump Rope: 5 rounds of 2 min on / 1 min off

Feels good to be getting good sets of both jerk and snatch in again!

Split Routine

Sorry, have been a bit negligent in keeping up with my posting. I'm not going to try to catch up with what's past but start fresh with today.

Today I experimented with a split routine. It worked well and am going to try to keep it up. Not sure how easy that will be. It went like this...

AM
Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes @ 12 rpm

PM
Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 5 minutes @ 8 rpm

Swing: 24kg - 30/30

Jump Rope: 5 rounds of 2 min on / 1 min off

Since this was my first day I went easy on myself. The super heat and humidity was also a factor. It's really brutal training when it's this hot and damp. But we must try, mustn't we?!!

Catch Up

Haven't posted in a little while, but have been busy training. Let's see if I can catch you up...

Thursday, June 24th
Jerk: 2 x 24kg - 5 minutes @ 8 rpm
Jump Rope: 5 rounds, 2 min on/1 min off
Snatch: 24kg - 2 minutes @ 12 rpm

Friday, June 25th
Snatch: 20kg - 8 minutes @ 12 rpm
Jerk: 2 x 24kg - 4 minutes @ 6 rpm
One Arm Jerk: 24kg - 4 minutes @ 12 rpm

Monday, June 28th
Snatch: 20kg - 8 minutes @ 12 rpm
Jerk: 2 x 24kg - 3 minutes @ 6 rpm
One Arm Jerk: 32kg - 8/8

Tuesday, June 29th
Snatch: 20kg - 8 minutes @ 12 rpm
One Arm Jerk: 28kg - 6 minutes @ 6 rpm
Treadmill: 20 minutes, 1.5 miles

Whew! That's about it. All caught up now!!

Snatchcentricity

Today's training was focused on snatches. Thus it was a snatch-centric day. My snatches have been lagging my jerks and I need to start devoting some more time to them. Here's how I attacked the snatch today...

Snatch: 20kg - 8 minutes @ 12 rpm

One Arm Jerk: 32kg - 4 minutes (2 mph) @ 6 rpm (12/12)

Swing: 20kg - 30/30

This might not look like much, but completing this in a relatively short time frame, I was exhausted - in a good way!

The Jerk Express

Hop on the Jerk Express! Jerks are coming along amazing! I just wish I could say the same for my snatches!!

Friday was a tough session. Probably a result of cumulative fatigue over the course of the week.

Jerk: 2 x 24kg - 5 minutes @ 7 rpm

Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes @ 12 rpm

Swing: 20kg - 30/30


Today I was able to pick it up even more...

Jerk: 2 x 24kg - 5 minutes @ 8 rpm

Jump Rope: 5 rounds of 2 min on / 1 min off

Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes @ 12 rpm


Tomorrow I attack the snatch.

Yesterday's Jerk Set

2 x 24kg - 5 minutes @ 7 reps per minute

Faster

After yesterday's performance with the 24kg bells, I felt like I still had a little bit left in me at the end of my jerk set. So today I thought I would pick up the pace just a little bit.

Jerk: 2 x 24kg - 5 minutes @ 7 rpm

Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes @ 12 rpm

Swing: 28kg - 10/10, 10/10

This jerk set was tough enough! This is where I'll stay for a while. It's a nice combination of muscular and cardiorespiratory fatigue. Snatches are feeling much better as of late. I plan to stay here as well just a bit longer before pushing further.

Movin' On Up

Time to move up to the 24kgs for my jerks. I'm keeping the snatches where they are until those numbers get higher. But boy, what a difference 8kg can make!

Jerk: 2 x 24kg - 5 minutes @ 6 rpm

Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes @ 12 rpm

Swing: 28kg - 15/15

Snatches felt best yet. It's a good feeling!

Hit My Jerk Target

I did it. I pushed through and did it.


Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 10 minutes @ 8 rpm

Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes @ 12 rpm


Well alright! Now I can enjoy the weekend!!

An Easy Day

Went easy today...

Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 5 minutes @ 8rpm

Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes @ 12 rom

Swing: 28kg - 10/10

That's it and that's all.

Assistance Work for the Mind

Today was my first day back to training this week. I wanted to start off with a long 8 minute jerk set today. I was successful, but not completely happy.

Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 8 minutes @ 8 rpm

Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes @ 12 rpm

Jump Rope: 5 rounds of 2 min on / 1 min off

Swing: 28kg - 10/10

The reason I'm not completely happy is because at the end of the eighth minute I could have physically cranked out a ninth minute, but mentally I wasn't prepared for it, so I ended the set where I had originally planned. I am happy because at my current body weight I need 63 jerks to make Rank II, and now I've exceeded that number with more still in the tank. But when you get that close to an even greater result and don't go for it, it can be a bit of a downer. That's ok. I'll be hitting 10 minutes at this pace very soon. Very soon!

Internal Dialog

Me @ 6am: "No training today, you need the day off."
Me @ 7am: "OK, maybe just some assistance work today. Nothing too strenuous, just get moving."
Me @ 8am: "C'mon, let's hit it hard! 8 minute jerk set, let's do it!!"
Me @ 10am: "If I hit the jerks hard, I won't be able to hit my snatches hard. And I want those snatches!"
Me @ 11am: "Maybe I should just rest today..."

Here's what happened come noon...

Snatch: 20kg - 8 minutes @ 12 rpm

One Arm Jerk: 28kg - 20/20

Swing: 28kg - 15/15

This week seemed to wear me down. It was a good week. Trained four days in a row. Now I can rest!

An Easy Day

Today turned out to be an "easy" day, even though it really didn't feel so easy.

Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 5 minutes @ 10 rpm

Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes @ 12 rpm

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

Jump Rope: 5 rounds of 2 min on / 45 sec off

More tomorrow!

Good Day

Shortened my jerk set today as I was a bit stiff from yesterday's session. But still keeping things moving.

Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 5 minutes, 54 reps

Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes @ 12 rpm

Treadmill: 10 minutes, 0.8 miles

Things are progressing well!

After the Holiday Weekend

After three days off from training I wanted to ease back into things. Funny how things happen...

Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 6 minutes @ 10 rpm

Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes @ 12 rpm

Jump Rope: 5 rounds of 2 minutes on / 1 minute off

As I hit my fifth minute in jerks, I was feeling good enough to add on the next minute at the same pace. I had to take about a 10 minute rest in between sets, but was able to hit my 6 minutes for snatches. Following the jump rope, I was wrung out like a wet towel.

Leading up to Memorial Day Weekend

Very good training week!

Tuesday
Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 5 minutes
Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes
Treadmill: 20 minutes

Thursday
Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 8 minutes
Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes

Friday
Jerk: 2 x 24kg - 5 minutes
Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes

Went a bit heavier with my Friday jerks. Five minute set felt good! Snatches are coming along nicely. I'm lovin' it!!

Slow Moving Monday

After a busy weekend with the family and a slow moving Monday morning in the office, getting to training felt like a slow, uphill battle. But once I got myself into that "place", things started moving considerably well.

Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 7 minutes

Jump Rope: 5 rounds of 2 min on / 1 min off

Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes

That's it! Look out Tuesday, I'm coming for ya!!

Steady Progress

Limited training this week, but still progressing forward.

Wednesday
Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 6 minutes
Jump Rope: 5 rounds of 2 min on / 1 min off
Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes

Friday
Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 8 minutes
Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes

Well alright! Looking forward to next week's training already!

PRs as Far as the Eye Can See

Given my current training methodology, as long as I continue to progress in reps and bell size, I can expect personal records (PRs) to be made on a regular basis. The key for me is to not rush things and to stay healthy without injury. Today was a good example of the benefits that I'm seeing from my steady, consistent training.

Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 6 minutes, 58 reps

Jump Rope: 5 rounds of 2 min on / 1 min off

Snatch: 20kg - 5 minutes

Swing: 24kg

I've been training my jerks in 5 minute sets for a while now, usually hitting 50 reps in that time. Today I decided to stretch it out a bit longer and made 58 reps. This felt good!

Staying After Class

I taught a kettlebell class in the park this morning. In the class I mix a lot of things up. Today we did some timed sets of cleans and push presses. We also did lots of swings, two-handed and one-hand are straight sets, and ascending and descending pyramids. We also did some squats, lunges and deadlifts, figure eights and figure eights a to hold.

After class and after I loaded all of the students kettlebells into my trunk, I busted out my bells and some sets of my own...

Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes @ 14 rpm

One Arm Jerk: 15/15

Not a lot but after an hour of teaching, it was just right!

The End of a Short Week

No training since Monday, until today. Blame work. Here's my first training since the beginning of the week...

Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 5 minutes

Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes

One Arm Jerk: 24kg - 15/15

That's it for today. Tomorrow morning I teach bells, so maybe I'll throw in a set or two for myself.

A 10 Minute Set and Some Other Training

Sporadic training over last week and this week looks to be the same. But out of the chaos came one super set. Here's the last few training sessions...

Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 5 minutes
Snatch: 20kg - 4 minutes

Wednesday, 5 May 2010
Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 10 minutes

Monday, 10 May 2010
Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 5 minutes
Jump Rope - 5 rounds of 2 min on / 2 min off
Snatch: 20kg - 5 minutes
Swings: 24kg

Hopefully, after this week training will get back to some nice steady consistency.

A Good Week

Here we are at the end of what turned out to be a good week for training.

Here's the past few days...

Tuesday
Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 5 minutes
Jump Rope: 5 rounds of 2 min of / 1 min off
Snatch: 20kg - 4 minutes

Wednesday
Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 7 minutes
Snatch: 20kg - 5 minutes
Swing: 24kg

Thursday
Treadmill: 20 minutes

Friday
Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 5 minutes
Snatch: 20kg - 5 minutes
Treadmill: 20 minutes

I love it when my training is consistent!

Keep It Moving

Two sessions in the last three days. I took Sunday off totally. Saturday was a single snatch set. Most important is that I am seeing a nice bit of consistency in my training these days.

Saturday

Snatch: 16kg - 10 minutes @ 16 rpm

Monday (today)

Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 5 minutes
Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes

That's it for today. Not a lot. But one doesn't need a lot to see the benefits of consistent training!

The End to a Good Week

Yesterday turned out to be a rest day. So that means I had to go into today's session, and kick it in the pants. And kick in the pants, I did.

Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 5 minutes

Jump Rope: 5 rounds of 2 min on / 1 min off

Snatch: 20kg - 5 minutes

I was able to increase the pace within my jerk to 12 rpm which is a PR. That coupled with the ever improving snatches have made this week a success!

Time Flies

Is Wednesday almost over already? And it's been two days since my last post. Training is going well. I like the effect consistency has on my performance.

Here are the last two days of training...

Tuesday
Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 5 minutes
Jump Rope: 5 rounds of 2 min on / 1 min off
Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes

Wednesday
Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 5 minutes
Snatch: 20kg - 4 minutes
Treadmill: 20 minutes

Pace is increasing and numbers are going up. That's what I like to see!

Continuing On

It's been a while since I've updated this training blog of mine. With jury duty now behind me, I have gotten back onto my regular training schedule again.

Last week consisted of a few days of training. Didn't try to push things, just get the body moving with some regularity again. Yesterday, while hanging outside in my backyard with my son, I brought out the 8kg bell and started playing around with some basic kettlebell juggling. After the first few minutes I started to get the hang of it. Pretty cool, except my back seemed to protest when I woke up this morning.

Even still, I decided to push things a bit today and was happy with the outcome.

Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 6 minutes

Snatch: 20kg - 5 minutes

Treadmill cool down: 1.5 miles

Everything felt good today. Looking to keep things moving forward!

Split Routine

Today was another full day of jury duty. In order to squeeze my training in, I broke up my sets into an AM and a PM session.

AM: Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes - 78 reps in total

PM: Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 5 minutes @ 9 rpm


This worked out well. On days when I'm home, I am going to try to make this a more usual method of training.

A Few Days of Training

It's been a busy week so far! I've gotten in a few workouts but haven't had a chance to post them. Here's the quick and dirty...

Saturday, April 3rd

Snatch: 20kg - 4 minutes @ 12 rpm

Monday, April 5th

Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 5 minutes, 42 reps

Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes @ 12 rpm

Treadmill: 20 minutes

Wednesday, April 7th

Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 5 minutes, 44 reps

Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes @ 14 rpm

Treadmill: 20 minutes


That's it so far!!

And Away We Go

OK, we're getting back on a roll now. Today was a short, simple session.

Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 5 minutes @ 8 rpm

Snatch: 20kg - 4 minutes @ 12 rpm

Treadmill: 20 minutes - walk/light run, 2:3 ratio

I kept my snatch set short today as I am still recalibrating my catch on these and want to stay fresh until I get things to click. Right hand felt improved today, but not left. I imagine this will take a few more sessions before I'm comfortable with it.

OK, Shall We Get Started?

Easing back into things after a week off from suffering with a nasty sinus infection. Still not 100% but feeling well enough to start moving again. I am lucky that I made it through the entire winter with just one mild cold until this. Oh well.

So, today's plan was to ease back in without pushing too hard. Everything felt pretty good although I still need to work out the kinks in my snatches. Here's the low down...

Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 5 minutes @ 8 rpm

Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes @ 12 rpm

Treadmill: 10 minutes - light walk

Cool, cool!

Keeping Moving

Got good and sick over the weekend with a nasty cold and cough. I took yesterday off and was intent on just moving today. So nothing too great going on here now.

Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 3 minutes @ 8 rpm

Snatch: 20kg - 4 minutes @ 16 rpm

Treadmill: 15 minutes - walking

Tomorrow I plan to slow down my snatches. I have about four things in my head that I'm trying to focus on and today's pace was too fast to keep track of them all. Otherwise, all went well considering how I'm feeling.

Goal Attained

Even though I've come down with a bit of a cold, I took advantage of my rest day yesterday to hit my goal in the Jerk. Today was another good day. I like seeing these. Positive progress on a consistent basis is great for the moral and one's enthusiasm. Here's today's session...

Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 5 minutes @ 10 rpm

One Arm Jerk: 28kg - 15/15

Swing: 20kg - 20/20

Treadmill: 20 minutes - walk/light run

Now that I've hit my goal of 50 jerks in 5 minutes, I will be shooting for 60 jerks in 5 minutes (12 rpm). I will also get back to snatching next week as my hand should be fully healed come Monday. Time to enjoy the weekend!

Inching Upward

Good training session today! I think I made a wise decision to stick to 5-minute jerk sets until I am able to hit 50 reps in that time. It is keeping me focused on my technique and conditioning to continue to make steady progress. And I am just about there now. No snatching today, nor for the rest of this week, as I need to let me hand heal up well.

Here's today's session...

Jerk: 2 x 20kg -

5 minutes @ 8/10/8/10/10 (46 reps total)

2 minutes @ 10 rpm

One Arm Jerk: 28kg - 8 / 8

Swing: 20kg - 20 / 20

Treadmill: 20 minutes - intervals of walk/light run, 7 min/13min

That's it. Tomorrow is a rest day. Looking forward to hitting it again on Friday.

Back from the AKC Coach's Certification

What a great weekend! Coming from someone who has been training alone as of late, in a cold, dark parking garage, being among a group of others who share my passion for lifting the bells and also in the presence of some of the best lifters in the country makes for a great time!

We did a lot of work this weekend. I estimated that I personally lifted approximately 22 tons on the first day and another 16 tons on the second day of the certification. I received some good technical refinements that I will now be putting into practice.

I took yesterday off to rest my weary body, but still felt a bit of the effects today. I also lost some skin on my left palm toward the end of the second day. I wasn't sure if my hand was up to snatching today. I did a bit, but stopped early. I'll be doing some teaching tomorrow, so my hand will have another 48 hours to continue to heal before I attempt any more snatches.

Here's today's session...

Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 5 minutes @ 8 rpm

Snatch: 20kg - 1 min left/2 min right @ 14 rpm

Swing: 20kg - 15/15, 20/20

Jump Rope: 5 min on / 2 min off / 3 min on / 1 min off / 2 min on

That's it for today. By Thursday I should be back to 100%!

Let's Taper

Tapering today and making tomorrow a rest day before my weekend at the American Kettlebell Club's Coach's Certification weekend.

No bells today.

Treadmill: 20 minutes - walk/light run, 1:1 ratio (same pacing as two days prior)

Joint Mobility & Stretching

That's it. Feeling good. Feeling strong. And looking forward to a FUN weekend!

Climbing Back

Yeeeaahhh... feeling good and climbing back up to where I want to be. I was surprised to find my quads a bit sore today from the treadmill work. Well, not really too surprised. It's been a while since I've done anything close to running. But that wasn't a factor in today's session. I decided to skip snatches today, just to give my hands a day off. But up for it in other ways. Here's the scoop...

Jerk: 2 x 20kg -
5 minutes - 8/10/8/10/8 (44 total reps)
short rest
1 minute @ 10 rpm
short rest
1 minute @ 12 rpm

One Arm Jerk: 28kg - 10/10

Swing: 28kg - 12/12

Jump Rope: 5 min on / 2 min off / 3 min on / 1 min off / 3 min on

All felt good! I'm undecided on what to do, if anything for the rest of the week. I want to rest up a bit because this weekend I will be attending the AKC Coach's Certification. Two full days of kettlebell lifting with some of the best lifters in this country. Giddy up!!

It Wasn't a Fluke

Today's session was an experiment of sorts. Thinking about yesterday's outing, I came to think that I might have been spending too much time resting in the overhead position with my jerks. That could have been a major factor for my fatigued shoulders during my snatch set. So today, I wanted to give it another go, trying to rest more in the rack. Here's the result...

Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 5 minutes @ 8 rpm

Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes @ 14 rpm

Swing: 28kg - 10 / 10

Treadmill: 20 minutes, walk/light run, 1:1 ratio

So the jerk set was a bit more difficult than yesterday. Mostly because yesterday's session came off the weekend of rest. But the snatch set was MUCH better fatigue-wise. My cardio was taxed more today than yesterday, but my pace was up from yesterday as well. Good call, I say! I'm liking what I'm seeing!

Nice Jerk Set

So I've returned to training jerks and snatches in the same session. My goal today was to start stretching out my jerk sets again. To do that, I decided to slow down my pace today to see how a five minute set felt. Here's the skinny...

Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 5 minutes @ 8 rpm

Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes @ 14/12/12 - 14/12/12

Swing: 28kg - 10 / 10

Jump Rope: 5 rounds of 2 minutes on / 30 seconds off

The jerk set felt REALLY GOOD! I could have stretched it to six minutes, but that wasn't the plan. I'm going to build this back up nice and steady.

Now the snatches were another story. I forgot how fatigued my shoulders get following my jerk set. And with only a few minutes rest in between, these can get pretty ugly. They felt ugly today. I think I'm going to have an easier time building up my jerks now and will need to pay extra attention to my snatches.

Swings felt really good today too! Last week they just felt off. Today, nice and smooth and comfortable. I'll take it when I can get it! That's it for today!

Giddy Up

Personal revelation: If I want to get good at performing long, timed sets of kettlebell lefts, then I need to practice long, timed sets of kettlebell lifts.

This might not be true for everyone, but it is for me. After a few months of experimentation, I learned a few things:
(1) My body has a hard time recovering from high volume work
(2) My back has a hard time recovering from high volume work
(3) I can perform multiple sets of a lift for a high number of total reps, but that does not translate well for me to performing one long, high rep set

I will admit maybe I have not given the "volume" approach enough time to "sink in". But I have been experimenting with it for the last few months and I can honestly say that in that time, I am not happy with the results. Like I said, others my have achieved better results with this method. But I have not. With that, I will be devoted the majority of my training once again to longer, timed sets.

So here was today's session...

Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 4 minutes @ 8 rpm

Snatch: 20kg - 4 minutes @ 14 rpm

Swing: 28kg - 5/5/5/5

Jump Rope: 3 min on / 1 min off / 2 min on / 2 min off / 3 min on / 1 min off / 2 min on

Cooled down with some light stretching. That's it for today. My short term goal is to get back to where I was in October. Hit some rank numbers and then move up to the 24kg bells once and for all!

Finally Moving Again

The past two weeks have been terrible in terms of me trying to get in my normal workout. Hopefully the worst is over and I can get back onto something steady again. Today's session was meant to be relatively easy. Just a means to get the body moving again.

Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 3 minutes @ 10 rpm, 1 min rest, 1 minute @ 10 rpm

Snatch: 20kg - 4 minutes @ 16 rpm - changed hands each minute

Swing: 20kg - 15 / 15

L-Sit - Tuck: 20 second hold, 40 second rest for 3 rounds

Bodyweight Dips: 3 sets of 5

I decided today not to wet my shirt for my jerks. I did notice that not doing this fatigues my delts a lot faster. I suppose its because they get recruited more as I try to keep my elbows from sliding off my hips. That's it and that's all!

Hats Off to the Ladies

After a long week, without getting any training in, except for snow shoveling, I was able to squeeze in a short session today. I decided to single bell it today, 20kg. And work through a few lifts that are atypical from my usual session.

One Arm Jerk: 20kg - 4 minutes @ 16 rpm

Rest 2 minutes

Cleans: 20kg - 4 minutes @ 16 rpm

Rest 2 minutes

One Arm Long Cycle: 20kg - 4 minutes @ 10 rpm


Now, I like to think that I'm in pretty good shape. At least relative to most of the folks around me. But this workout was tough! I don't think I'm in as good shape as I could be. I think I might have to work this type of training for a little while.

And now when I look at the ladies who are training for sport, using the 20kg bell, and going for 10 minute sets, I am absolutely humbled. My hat is off to all of you. I can't wait to see the results from the competition being held at The Arnold next weekend. Ladies, do your best and make me feel small! =)

Fun Mon Day

Good, fun session today.

Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes @ 14 rpm

One Arm Jerk: 28kg - 12/12

Swings: 20kg - 20/20

Jump Rope: 5 min on / 2 min off / 2 min on / 2 min off / 3 min on

L-Sit - Tuck: 3 rounds of 20 sec on / 40 sec off

Weighted Dips: 25lbs - 3 sets of 5

Today was the first time hitting a 5 minute set of jump rope. Yeah! And adding some weight to my dips felt good too. Very nice session, indeed!

Friday Yay!

I was tired today. I was a bit sore today. But I got my butt moving nonetheless. Once I got going, things went rather well...

Jerk: 2 x 20kg -
4 minutes: 8 / 10/ 10 / 8
short rest
1 minute @ 12 rpm
1 minute rest
1 minute @ 12 rpm

Swings: 20kg - 15/15

Jump Rope: 4 min on / 2 min off / 2 min on / 2 min off / 4 min on

Bodyweight Pistols: 3 sets of 3/3

Bodyweight Pullups: 3 sets of 3/3


That's it. Have a great weekend!

Returning to Basics

Today was Snatch Day. Today I finally lugged my 20kg bell into work with me. Through the underground garage, put one elevator, through the building lobby, up another elevator and into my office on the fifth floor. As you'd expect the handle stayed nice and warm today. Hurray!

Unfortunately, the cold weather and its effect on my sessions has taken its toll. Here's what happened today...

Snatch: 20kg - 7 minutes @ 14 rpm

Swings: 20kg - 15/15, 15/15, 15/15

Cool down with Z-Health R-Phase.

The time away from long sets has definitely had a negative effect on my grip. I was shooting for an 8 minute set but decided to change hands at the 3-1/2 minute mark. My grip was shot and I did not want to risk tearing my hands. I then decided to finish off with a few swing sets. Maybe because my hands were fatigued, but even these didn't feel as comfortable as I remember. I definitely don't do enough swings. So it's time for me to return to basics. Time to move ahead.

I'm Sending Sexy Back

Good session today. Good but not very sexy. I've come to realize that real fitness training is not sexy. It is hard and it is monotonous. But that's what it takes. Granted, when you look at my training, it is does not consist of hours and hours of training. But it is rather boring compared to other sexy workouts. Nonetheless, it is effective and I wouldn't recommend anything other than this to others.

So with today's volume work of jerks, I'm sending sexy back...

Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 9, 7, 5, 7, 9, 11 (1 minute rest between each set)

Jump Rope: 2-1/2 min on / 90 sec off for 4 rounds

L-Sit - Tuck: 20 sec hold / 40 sec rest for 3 rounds

Bodyweight Dips: 3 sets of 5 reps

That's it for today.

Dang It!

Is it Spring yet??? I just checked the calendar... five more weeks. The cold is really affecting my snatch workouts.

I had intended to hit 8 minutes today, but again had to stop early because of the cold. I had brought my bell inside last night to keep it warm and today while in the back of my car, I enclosed it within the styrofoam packing material that it ships in. I thought the styrofoam would provide some insulation. I was wrong. My last recourse is that from now on I have to lug it into my office on the days I intend to snatch. At least until it gets warmer outside.

Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes @ 14 rpm

One Arm Long Cycle: 20kg - 3 minutes @ 10 rpm

Bodyweight Pullups: 3 sets of 5

Single Leg Squats (aka Pistols): 3 sets of 3/3

That's it for the week. Enjoy the weekend!!

The Usual Jerks

Nothing too exciting to talk about today. It was a simple, but good, session.

Jerk: 2 x 20kg - 5 minutes @ 8 rpm

Jump Rope: 3 min on / 2 min off / 2 min on / 1 min off for 2 rounds (giving me a total of 10 minutes jumping time)

L-Sit - Tuck: 15 sec on / 45 sec off for 4 rounds

Bodyweight Dips: 3 sets of 5

That's it.

Mini Clubbells & Snatches

With all the hullaballoo these days about Indian Clubs, I thought it might be a nice addition to warm up a bit with my Mini Clubbells. I have no experience with Indian Clubs, so I can't compare the two. But I had always intended to use the (mini) Clubbells to complement by Kettlebell work, it just never materialized until now, mostly because of my back issues.

Anyway, here's today's session...

Mini Clubbells (5lbs): Xtension program for warm up - this includes front swipes, side swipes, hammer swings, alternating mills, alternating backstroke and split swipe

Snatch: 20kg - 6 minutes @ 14 rpm

Jump Rope: 2 min on / 1 min off for 5 rounds

L-Sit - Tuck: 15 second hold / 45 second rest for 4 rounds

Bodyweight Dips: 3 sets of 5

Bodyweight Pistols: 3 sets of 5/5

That's it for today. I would have/could have gone longer in the snatch but my hands were frozen. I meant to bring my bell inside last night, but forgot. Friday will be an 8 minute set for sure.

Some Jerks and Some Other Fun Stuff

Jerks were on the schedule for today. I am moving up to the 20kg bells now for a bit. Here's the skinny....


Jerk: 2 x 20kg -
3 minutes @ 8 rpm
1 minute @ 10 rpm followed by one minute rest - 3 rounds of this

Swing: 20kg - 15/15

Jump Rope: 2-1/2 minute on / 90 seconds off for 4 rounds

L-Sit - Tuck: 15 second holds on the minute for 4 rounds

Bodyweight Dips: 5 reps for 3 sets

Bodyweight Pistols: 2/2, 3/3, 3/3

That's it and that was enough.

I was hoping to work a longer set of jerks but because I was wearing my Under Armour, long sleeve shirt under my t-shirt, it was next to impossible to keep my elbows from sliding out of the rack. So I decided to compensate for the extra sets after the longer set. Added an extra set of L-Sits today as well since the 15 second sets are starting to get easy. I'll work up to 5 sets of these before increasing my hold time. Through in the Dips and Pistols for added fun!