7:15am - kids waking up, made breakfast, played a bit
9:15am - Kettlebell warm up ("Standard")
1/2K halos - 8kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K pullover - 12 kg, 5X each leg
1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K pullover - 16 kg, 5X each leg
Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm
Took a work phone call, resumed at 10:30am.
Arm bar 12 kg, 1+1
Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm
Took a work phone call, resumed at 10:30am.
Arm bar 12 kg, 1+1
10:35am - Training session - Focus on 2H SW 48 kg, SL DL with 16 kg
TGU 24kg, 1+1
SL DL 16kg, 5/5
2H SW 24kg, 10
2H SW 48 kg, 10 minutes, 10 on the minute (100 reps)
SL DL 16kg, 5/5
11:00am - Complete
Notes - Well, that was the last training session of 2014. And it ended, appropriately, with me swinging a Beast kettlebell at my house for the first time ever after receiving my Beast a few weeks ago. We had not programmed it into the routine yet and I for some reason fought successfully any urges to play with it. I will say, the power of the Swing is just amazing in general. Walking the thing outside after deadlifting it with two hands, the damn thing is just plain HEAVY. The thought of trying to clean the thing, press it - come on, 1H swing even, really? I feel like I am progressing well and am building some good solid strength but those feats just seem very far away to me. But - I knew I could 2H swing the thing with some power because I had been 2H SW the 44kg I have with good success. Also I have been swinging double 24s with a lot of power also. Well - I was right. After getting warmed up I went for it with max power on the swings and was really pleased with how things went. Man, you can really get rooted into the ground with a weight that heavy, and it feels damn good. I took forward to continuing to train with the Beast and I will be damned if by the end of 2014, I have not progressed to being able to swing it with 1H, as well as get a solid TGU up and down with the Beast. I believe as long as I continue to progress methodically with Kevin's tutelage along the way, and be smart, I can achieve those two goals.
As far as wrapping up 2013, it's worth saying a couple of things briefly.
First, I started logging my training daily at the very end of 2012, and I kept up with it throughout 2013 without missing a beat. This is a tremendous habit, I enjoy it, it is valuable to me, and damn it I wish I had done this much sooner, which I had discovered KBs and the methods of the RKC / StrongFirst so much earlier in my life. But, at 36 years old, I am absolutely without question in the best shape of my life, not just physically, but mentally as well. I have a long way to go like all of us here on planet Earth, but I know very much realize that life is about the journey (journeys really), and not the destination(s).
Second, I have been through a lot personally in 2013, primarily dealing with the emotional loss and grief of the deterioration of my relationship with my wife who moved out of our house in February and has indicated she wants us to divorce. While we have maintained complete amicability and respect for each other, and tried to focus on strong parenting of our two children who are just 6 and 4 years old now, the whole situation obviously is deeply emotionally uprooting and challenging. I am grateful for the couples and individual counseling I sought and and actively participated in, which started in November 2012 and went pretty consistently through August 2013. That time was one of deep self reflection, development of self awareness, and a recognition among many other things about myself that although I have tried damn hard all of my entire childhood and adult life to be perfect - I do not have to be. I do however have a responsibility to be present in the moment, put the best parts of me forward as much as possible, love my two kids to death but parent them responsibly and thoughtfully so that they can start a path toward being two outstanding lights in this world that really has a lot of darkness, if that is what you focus on. I truly believe that life is not a series of random events, things absolutely happen for a reason, and in every person and every interaction and experience in life there is something to be gleaned and learned from, if you can get your mental/spiritual/physical being to be present completely, ready to learn, grow, and mature to be ready for whatever is around the corner for you in life. I want to be able to say I am doing just that in 2014, and beyond.
TGU 24kg, 1+1
SL DL 16kg, 5/5
2H SW 24kg, 10
2H SW 48 kg, 10 minutes, 10 on the minute (100 reps)
SL DL 16kg, 5/5
11:00am - Complete
Notes - Well, that was the last training session of 2014. And it ended, appropriately, with me swinging a Beast kettlebell at my house for the first time ever after receiving my Beast a few weeks ago. We had not programmed it into the routine yet and I for some reason fought successfully any urges to play with it. I will say, the power of the Swing is just amazing in general. Walking the thing outside after deadlifting it with two hands, the damn thing is just plain HEAVY. The thought of trying to clean the thing, press it - come on, 1H swing even, really? I feel like I am progressing well and am building some good solid strength but those feats just seem very far away to me. But - I knew I could 2H swing the thing with some power because I had been 2H SW the 44kg I have with good success. Also I have been swinging double 24s with a lot of power also. Well - I was right. After getting warmed up I went for it with max power on the swings and was really pleased with how things went. Man, you can really get rooted into the ground with a weight that heavy, and it feels damn good. I took forward to continuing to train with the Beast and I will be damned if by the end of 2014, I have not progressed to being able to swing it with 1H, as well as get a solid TGU up and down with the Beast. I believe as long as I continue to progress methodically with Kevin's tutelage along the way, and be smart, I can achieve those two goals.
As far as wrapping up 2013, it's worth saying a couple of things briefly.
First, I started logging my training daily at the very end of 2012, and I kept up with it throughout 2013 without missing a beat. This is a tremendous habit, I enjoy it, it is valuable to me, and damn it I wish I had done this much sooner, which I had discovered KBs and the methods of the RKC / StrongFirst so much earlier in my life. But, at 36 years old, I am absolutely without question in the best shape of my life, not just physically, but mentally as well. I have a long way to go like all of us here on planet Earth, but I know very much realize that life is about the journey (journeys really), and not the destination(s).
Second, I have been through a lot personally in 2013, primarily dealing with the emotional loss and grief of the deterioration of my relationship with my wife who moved out of our house in February and has indicated she wants us to divorce. While we have maintained complete amicability and respect for each other, and tried to focus on strong parenting of our two children who are just 6 and 4 years old now, the whole situation obviously is deeply emotionally uprooting and challenging. I am grateful for the couples and individual counseling I sought and and actively participated in, which started in November 2012 and went pretty consistently through August 2013. That time was one of deep self reflection, development of self awareness, and a recognition among many other things about myself that although I have tried damn hard all of my entire childhood and adult life to be perfect - I do not have to be. I do however have a responsibility to be present in the moment, put the best parts of me forward as much as possible, love my two kids to death but parent them responsibly and thoughtfully so that they can start a path toward being two outstanding lights in this world that really has a lot of darkness, if that is what you focus on. I truly believe that life is not a series of random events, things absolutely happen for a reason, and in every person and every interaction and experience in life there is something to be gleaned and learned from, if you can get your mental/spiritual/physical being to be present completely, ready to learn, grow, and mature to be ready for whatever is around the corner for you in life. I want to be able to say I am doing just that in 2014, and beyond.
