6/30/14 Monday June 30, 2014 (DB 20kg CL/PR/SQ complex)

7:00am - FMS drills (belly breathing, soft tissue work, t-spine, 1/2 kneeling), some OS resets - 60 minutes

8:00am - Kettlebell warm up

1/2K halos - 8kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)

16kg Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 12 kg, 2+2

8:15am - Training session - 20kg DB CL, PR, FSQ complex

Arm hangs from the balcony

24kg TGU to the knee, 1/1, x 2
16 kg GSq, 5
16kg BU SQ, 1/1,  x 3
16kg BU carry, 1/1, 30 seconds each
16kg BU PR, 1/1

20 minutes:
DB 20kgs CL 2, PR 1, FSQ, 3

Got 14 rounds done.  28 DB CL, 14 DB PR, 42 DB FSQ.

16kg rack walk, 1 minute, 1/1
20kg waiter's walk carries, 1 minute, 1/1

Arm hangs from the balcony

9:00am - Complete

Notes - Great stuff.  I slept in, wanted a little more recovery overnight from yesterday's sprinting / pull ups etc. and that was a good idea.  I did the FMS drills Kevin recommended, belly breathing, quite a bit of soft tissue work with the foam roll and lacrosse ball as I was tight from yesterday's work as expected, t-spine, some 1/2 kneeling drills and then got into some OS resets as well.  I had the time and the mobility work is something I just cannot cut back on too much.  I wish I could just get right into training but I simply need quite a bit of mobility work, has always seemed to be the case since I got into KBs a couple of years ago, and I think it's a reflection of years of neglect due to ignorance and combating my job and everyday life with its stresses and lots of sitting / computer work.  Thank God I have learned quite a bit the last several years and educated myself with a lot of additional reading.  In any event I knew waking up today was not going to be a DB 24kg day for the complex, though in the back of my mind I wanted to go for it.  I didn't.  What's the point.  Instead I focused on various drills, did do some TGUs to the knee with the 24kg, it felt heavy enough lol, and confirmed that today was going to be mainly work with the 20kgs.  I added 5 minutes to the timer and did the complex for 20 minutes instead of 15, so got a little extra volume in a controlled manner with weights that I can more than handle capably.  Felt really good, particularly the presses today interestingly enough. Good overhead mobility, arms very close to the head in lockout, and a very smooth motion with those.  Nice.  Going to do some light drills tomorrow, some 2H deadlifts with heavier bells, some hike/swing/park, maybe a little jump rope, a recovery day.  For Wed I am thinking hit it with the DB 24kgs for a FSQ-focused workout, and see how that goes.  Recovery Thursday, Friday, try the DB 24kgs again assuming Wed goes well, and I recover, and focus that one instead on pressing using the Push Press to take some pressure off the grinding and use the legs a bit more.  I think Wed I will go 15 minutes on DB CL to FSQ, with a rep scheme 2, 3, 5 on the FSQ.  Friday 15 minutes DB CL 2, PPR 3, FSQ 1.  Obviously lots of recovery and other mobility drills come first.

6/29/14 Sunday June 29, 2014 (interval running, pullups, pushups)

Busy all weekend with my kids until late afternoon Sunday.  I was feeling very, very good this weekend, after a good Friday capped off by a deep tissue massage which really got to the root of the joint at the base of my neck / scapula and worked some of the tissue well, things are continuing to move in the right direction.  Keeping up on my mobility work and just trying to be smart about training.  Given that last weekend I was able to run well and do some pullups and pushups, I felt ok doing that again, decided to drop the running time down a bit as I think ideally it will make sense for me to get to something like 1 minute sprints, probably 10 total, for 10 minutes of sprinting, broken up with SL DLs, pullups and pushups during the rest periods.  Again this is back to Pavel's "Road work" template from the SFG site from months ago.  This training style is perfect for me in terms of complimenting what I am trying to do with KBs.  If I can get in some long walking during the week, it's going to be a great combo.

2 min run, 5 SL DLs, pull-ups, push-ups - 5 rounds.  Running harder than last week, a couple of these were very hard sprints.  I think I would do a little better and probably get even more out of this to just drop down to 1 minute intervals and make sure I have full power for every interval.  I was losing gas on these particularly the next couple.  It never turned into a slow jog, but the point is to keep power up and I did not successfully do that across the whole time periods.

Pull ups were 5,4,3,2,2 - Fighter pull up style.  Using rings.  A total of 16 pull ups.  I will add 1 rep next week.

Push-ups were 2, 2,3,4,5 - opposite rep scheme of the pull-ups.  Again I will add 1 rep next week.

20 minutes of running, 25/25 SLDLs, 16 pullups, 16 pushups.

Also lots of hanging by the pull-up rings to stretch out lats, etc.

As I write this Monday morning, I had a feeling at the end of this that recovery for KB work by the next morning was going to be a a challenge, and I would need to adjust KB work accordingly.  I did that, as posted on today's training.

6/27/14 Friday June 27, 2013 (training with Kevin, long walk, TGU, DB 20kg FSQ)

6:00am - Training with Kevin -

It has been a long time, five weeks, since I last worked with Kevin.  Obviously a lot has happened, mostly a lot of rehab work as chronicled in the blog.  We focused our time today on a full FMS screen and then some different breathing and mobility drills, which are designed to help facilitate the rehab.  Definitely the breathing drills were really good, belly breathing being the most obvious, which seemed to automatically open up my shoulders.   There is no doubt breathing is an aspect of this as my scalenes on the R side of my neck have been one of the tightest spots, and these are key in holding up the neck and in breathing.   Also did some 1/2 kneeling movements designed to open up the hips and shoulders, again, these are very useful.  Sounds like I will be doing some pressing out of these positions at some point which will be good.  In any event we got some good ideas and Kevin will be writing me up some movements to work on in the next couple of weeks which should be good.

7:15 - end training, breakfast with Kevin

8:30am - 9:30am - long walk around Greenlake 3 1/2 miles

10:30am - Pain free exercises 30 minutes

11:00am - Kettlebell warm ups

1/2K halos - 8kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)

16kg Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 12 kg, 2+2

11:15am - Training session - 20kg TGU,  DB FSQ

Circuit, 5x:
20kg TGU 1/1
DB 20kg FSQ, 5

Finish - CL and rack hold 20kg, 1/1, walking in place, 5/5 steps

Waiter's walk carry, in place, 5/5 steps, 20kg, 1/1

11:45am - Complete

12:30pm - Deep tissue massage

Notes - Felt great.  Good walk, good KB training, all good movements for me, will keep with these, did things inside my house thus the walking in place which worked fine.  Rack holds and the waiter's walks / farmer carries are good for me right now.   Massage was really good, really worked some spots in the neck and deep in the base of my neck at the scapula area, therapist noted things had improved quite a bit in 2 weeks. I am on track reasonably well.  Need to get great rest the next days over the weekend and start again next week.

6/26/14 Thursday June 26, 2014 (16kg TGU, 24kg 2H SW)

7:45am - Pain Free neck, hip, shoulder exercises, some OS resets - 45 minutes

7:45am - Kettlebell warm up

1/2K halos - 8kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)

16kg Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 12 kg, 2+2

8:00am - Training session - TGUs, 2H SW

16kg TGU to knee, 3/3

24kg 2H SW, 10, x 5 (50 SW)

Arm hangs from the balcony

8:15am - Complete

Notes - Interesting.  Felt pretty good, despite being woken up by my son at 4am and couldn't really get back to sleep.  Felt good warming up, decided to try some 2H SW to see what I thought after TGUs, which felt great.  Damn,  The swings didn't feel all that great. Not terrible, but pulling just a bit on that spot in my scapula, deep at the base of my neck, and R arm.  Still a movement that is not ready to go back in the training work, I guess.  Frustrating, but better to have done the test and know.  Interesting as I had a chiro appt yesterday afternoon, did traction into extension with a head weight for the first time in a long time.  It lit up that spot deep at the base of my neck big time, and into my arm.  Really was interesting as that clearly is the root source of the issues.  Once I finished traction and walked around, an hour later, I actually felt quite good, almost like it is part of testing the body and it realizing things will be fine, and to let go of some of this tension that it is holding.  It's a process I guess.  

6/25/14 Wednesday June 25, 2014 (DB 20kg complex CL / PPR / FSQ)

7:00am - Pain Free neck, hip, shoulder exercises, some OS resets - 60 minutes

8:30am - Kettlebell warm up

1/2K halos - 8kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)

16kg Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 12 kg, 2+2

8:45am - Training session - 20kg DB CL, PR, FSQ complex

20kg TGU 1/1
20kg TK PR, 2/2
20kg GSq, 5
20kg SL DL, 5/5
2H 20kg SW, 10, 10 (first swings in weeks and weeks)
20kg PPR, 3/3

Arm hangs from the balcony

15 minutes:
DB 20kgs CL 3, PPR 3, FSQ, 3

Got 8 rounds done.  24 DB CL, 24 DB PPR, 24 DB FSQ.

20kg waiter's walk carries, 1 minute, 1/1

Arm hangs from the balcony

9:15am - Complete

Notes - Interesting day. Despite going to bed early last night and sleeping pretty well, didn't feel that recovered this morning.  Seriously took me forever to get moving.  Tuesday was another mentally challenging day with work, body work appt. could have taken something out of me too.  Man my recovery is pretty shitty these days.  In any event eventually I got going and had it in my mind to sub out the DB PR for the DB push press in the complex, and change the rep scheme, to give me something a little bit different.  I didn't want a bunch of heavy overhead grinds (yet) at this point in time, and with the leg work I have been doing, felt like the PPR would be a pretty good option to get some weight overhead without overtaxing my upper body too much with a heavy grind set.  Honestly I think this worked out pretty well.  Keep the reps even with DB CL, into PPR, ending with FSQ (always end with the FSQ, a bitch, those bells want to spill on you by that point).  Also I told myself nothing heavier than 20s.  Just keep it simple right now, work on technique, save the 24kgs and up for later when I am really feeling better, recovered etc.  Even did a few 2H swings in the warm up and those felt pretty good.  I may be ready for some low rep 2H SW with the 24kg tomorrow, we'll see how I feel.  

6/24/13 Tuesday June 24, 2013 (warm ups, long walk)

7:00am - Pain Free neck, hip, shoulder exercises - 45 minutes

7:45am - Kettlebell warm up

1/2K halos - 8kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)

16kg Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 12 kg, 2+2

8:00am - Complete

7:00pm - 8:00pm - brisk walk around Greenlake (3 1/2 miles)

Notes - Writing this on Wed evening.  Interesting.  Felt pretty damn shitty waking up Tuesday morning.  Had a mentally stressful day at work, churning through some difficult client challenges.  Was on the run all day Monday it felt like after my training, didn't eat lunch until like 5pm!  What a joke.  I should have suspected I might pay for it Tuesday.  And didn't sleep all that well Monday night. So I dragged in the morning Tuesday big time. I just don't think I have much recovery capacity built up right now, it tells me I have to continue to really monitor my training, keep it to the barest minimum right now.  So I just did some basic movement exercises and KB warm ups in the morning and called it a day.  I actually felt great though in the evening and went for a walk around Greenlake in nice 70 degree weather.  These walks are fantastic.  Walking briskly, stride feels great and powerful.  Most of these walks I take off my shoes and walk barefoot in the grass.  I think it is great.  I am going to do this as much as I can all summer.  Also had an body work appointment in the afternoon which went well.  Dave worked on my neck a lot, scalenes, and also under my armpits, obliques.  Kind of hurt like a bitch at times but body work sometimes does.  Dave was commenting my posture is getting much better, hips and everything else is getting much more in alignment, shoulders are back and less rounded, body is more opened up.  I feel this is the case as well from the movement exercises and the walking.  I need to keep that up. Even though I don't feel 100% by any means I think some good things are occurring underneath the surface.

6/23/14 Monday June 23, 2014 (DB 20kg complex CL / PR / FSQ)

6:00am - Pain Free neck, hip, shoulder exercises, some OS resets - 60 minutes

7:00am - Kettlebell warm up

1/2K halos - 8kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)

16kg Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 12 kg, 2+2

7:15am - Training session - 20kg DB CL, PR, FSQ complex

2x:
20kg TGU 1/1
20kg TK PR, 2/2
20kg GSq, 5

Arm hangs from the balcony

15 minutes:
DB 20kgs CL 2, PR 1, FSQ, 3

Got 11 rounds done.  22 DB CL, 11 DB PR, 33 DB FSQ.

20kg waiter's walk carries, 1 minute, 1/1

Arm hangs from the balcony

7:45am - Complete

Notes - Excellent day.  Good rest over yesterday and last night, felt very good waking up early, ready to get warmed up. I did elect to take an extra long warm up and work on some mobility drills, adding in some OS resets that I had not been doing for several weeks.  Interestingly and somewhat disappointingly, crawling still does not feel good.  Bodyweight on the R arm doesn't feel that great in the crawling position, and I have noticed a little deal with the outside part of my L hand, under my pinkie finger that kind of acts up a little bit when pressure is applied during crawling.   Going to get some acupuncture done again tomorrow and will work some of these areas.  Certainly it is important to note this and continue checking in to make sure I am making progress.  Certainly feels better than it did 2 weeks ago.  Baby crawling is fine, so I am going to drop back to that regression and work it for awhile.  Otherwise, excellent training session. Very pleased with how the cleans and presses felt, honestly the toughest part was the squats as I didn't feel I was getting the squat depth I have been getting the last week.  This is probably a reflection of - squatting a lot.  Hips could be just a bit tight although they do feel good.  In any event I focused on staying very tight, and with pressing really focused on tight glutes, keeping the shoulders down pressing from the lats.  Those felt good.  I definitely need to keep refining that press movement, using good technique and NOT "press with the arms" which is what the body tends to want to do.  Power is coming from the strong base, using the glutes as a seat, and pressing with the big muscles, the lats.  Warming up with a couple of TK PR to get that feeling was a good idea, I like that I thought of it, and I will probably continue to include those in my warm ups on overhead pressing days.  As far as conditioning I think I am doing ok, all the walking has helped.  I wasn't gassed out at all, and got 11 rounds in.  My goal was between 10-12 rounds so that was ok.  The pace certainly slowed down but I was ok with it because I was more concerned about staying with very good technique all the way to the last rep.  Also, balcony hangs - very helpful.  Have to keep doing these - every single day.  Still too light in the armpits, lats and I have to keep stretching those out.  I think that is my body's natural tendency to just tighten up in those spots.

6/21/14 Saturday June 21, 2014 (interval running, pullups, pushups)

Late Saturday afternoon, decided to try some interval running at Greenlake,  It had been 3 weeks since I had run at all.  I was feeling a bit tight in the morning, definitely noticed some effects of the week's work of getting back into the KBs, perhaps a little bit from the yard work Thursday afternoon as well, who knows.  Ultimately got stretched out in the morning while the kids watched a movie, and that helped quite a bit.  By the time the afternoon rolled around and I dropped the kids off after a bunch of activities all day, I was feeling like getting out into the sun and moving a bit, see how it would go.  I elected to go with 3 minute interval runs, stop for some body weight SLDLs, then 3 minutes of running, and then try some low rep pull-ups to see how those felt.  Ultimately I added some short sets of pushups for the last couple of intervals as well, again testing to see how they felt.  Looked like this:

3 min run
5/5 SL DLs
3 min run
3 pull ups
3 min run
5/5 SL DLs
3 min run
3 pull ups
3 min run
5/5 SL DLs
3 min run
2 pull ups
5 push ups
3 min run
5/5 SL DLs
3 min run
2 pull ups
5 push ups

24 minutes of running, 25/25 SLDLs, 10 pullups, 10 pushups.  Definitely tried to keep volume low.  Actually did quite a few bar hangs (technically rings actually as I am using rings not a bar for the pull ups) both before and during the workout, really got the armpits and lats stretched out, that is super key for me.

Honestly this felt great when doing it.  Later in the evening around 9 or 10 I noticed some tightness in the R arm, mainly the forearm, which didn't necessarily shock me.  Got some stretching done, and then as I write this on Sunday evening, really used last night and all day today for recovery and that has gone well.  I have felt pretty darn good today all around.  I probably pushed it just a little bit too much in the latter part of the week and Saturday, but fortunately was listening to the body pretty intently, and stayed far away from doing anything stupid.  I am going to drop the bells down to 20kgs tomorrow for the DB CL/PR/SQ training session, keep it under 15 minutes, just focus on technique, don't get too crazy.  If the 20s don't feel good, I'll drop to 16s.  No need to be a hero.  But I think things continue to go in the right direction.

6/20/14 Friday June 20, 2014 (24kg GSq, RR, SL DL, DB FSq 24kgs)

8:00am - Pain Free neck, hip, shoulder exercises - 60 minutes

9:00am - Kettlebell warm up

1/2K halos - 8kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)

16kg Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 12 kg, 2+2

9:45am - Training session - practice with 24kgs

24kg TGU to knee, 1/1, x 2
24kg GSq, 5
24kg Renegade Row, 3/3 (off hand on box)
24kg GSq, 5
24kg Renegade Row, 3/3 (off hand on box)
24kg SL DL, 5/5

5x:
DB 24kgs FSq, 5

Add in a couple of hangs from a balcony between sets (like a pull up bar hang)

10:15am - Complete

4:15pm - 4:45pm - casual walk at Greenlake (1 1/2 miles)

Notes - Well, I went for it today.  Went to bed too late, wasn't pleased with that, have to get back on the horse which I will.  With that said, slept in, this is my last planned day of vacation, so got plenty of rest.  Body felt pretty good, I had done some yard work for a couple of hrs yesterday afternoon to catch up on not having done any for about 3 weeks while I have been healing.  Wondered how that would affect me, didn't seem to have a huge impact.  Got warmed up, tried some TGUs with the 24kg after experimenting with the 24 yesterday, felt good, decided to go for it - 24kgs for the work load today, let's see what happens.  Reps on the GSq and the SL DL again felt very good.  Rows, not so sure, I did plan on dropping the reps down which I did to sets of 3.  Not sure if it really is the weight, I simply think that particular movement is a little challenging for me on both sides right now as the R scapula area continues to calm down and normalize.  I will continue to lightly test it but this is not one to push right now.  On the other hand, damn, these front squats.  Reps just felt outstanding.  On the cleans, really focused on a good start, use the hips, land the bells softly in the rack.  Zip it all up, big chest, get very tight with the glutes, and get into the hole by pulling into it, do not bounce, stay tight and get into lockout.  I really like the feeling on these of the glute tightness and really using the lats, lower lats, to keep a tight rack, keep the bells close without spilling.  That feeling in those muscles is really, really good and this movement does not seem to be bothering me at all, hopefully on the contrary this practice helps get me stronger.  Great movement, no need to go overhead much right now outside of TGUs and maybe some controlled low rep TK PR.  I may test a complex Monday, the classic 2 DB CL, 1 PR, 3 SQ, just to see how a little bit of cleaning and pressing feels, and mix up just a bit from doing almost all squatting.  Really just depends on how the weekend goes, hoping to get a lot of recovery in and feel very rested on Monday.   This was a big week in other ways as I completed all of the financial information necessary for Jill and I to resume mediation proceedings, which I got to her on Wed.  That was a big weight off my shoulders to have that done, and continue pushing this forward so I can get on the other side of this as soon as possible.

6/19/14 Thursday June 19, 2014 (24kg TGUs, TK PR)

8:15am - Pain Free neck, hip, shoulder exercises - 60 minutes

9:15am - Kettlebell warm up

1/2K halos - 8kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)

16kg Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 12 kg, 2+2

9:30am - Training session - practice with 24kg

24kg TGU to knee, 1/1, x 3

TK PR 24kg, 3/3 x 3

9:45am - Complete

Notes - Feeling pretty good today.  Picked up Jill and the kids at the airport back from their trip to Disneyland pretty late last night, but had the ability to sleep in because I knew the kids would be, which they did.  So had a nice long warm up, body felt good, decided to try a few low rep 24kg TGUs and TK PR to see how they felt.  Actually felt great, including the TK PR.  Really focused on tensing the glutes, pressing with the lats, not the arms.  This is the feeling on the PR that I need to replicate when standing, doing single or double presses.  Really critical for me to get that feeling of tensed glutes and pressing from the lats.  As I continue to experiment during this time period, I am definitely really focused on doing things that feel good and not doing anything that feels "bad."  The TK PR is the way to go for now I think to get some pressing practice in while continuing to recuperate and get completely healthy.  Likewise I think the DB FSQ is another great movement to practice during this time, so I am going to keep working those.  Focus is going to be on low rep, grinds, staying away from ballastics and definitely staying away from anything in general high rep.  Form and technique has to be spot on.

6/18/14 Wednesday June 18, 2014 (20kg GSq, RR, SL DL, DB FSq 20kgs)

7:00am - Pain Free neck, hip, shoulder exercises - 60 minutes

8:15am - Kettlebell warm up

1/2K halos - 8kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)

16kg Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 12 kg, 2+2

8:30am - Training session - practice with 20kgs

20kg TGU to knee, 1/1, x 2
20kg GSq, 5
20kg Renegade Row, 5/5 (off hand on box)
20kg GSq, 5
20kg Renegade Row, 5/5 (off hand on box)
20kg SL DL, 5/5

5x:
DB 20kgs FSq, 5

9:00am - Complete

9:15am - Chiro appt

11:00am - 12:00pm - brisk walk around Greenlake (3 1/2 miles)

Notes - Writing this in the afternoon.  One day at a time.  Went to bed at 11:15 last night, woke up by my alarm at 5:30am and said - wow, I am not tired, this is the first time I have not been tired when that alarm has gone off in forever.  Great sign indeed.  Actually had some more time to rest so I took it.  Had a good warm up, and decided to try the 20kg today and just see how it felt on TGUs.  It felt pretty damn good, same as the 16kg, and so I said what the hell, I using the 20kgs today.  I headed outside and mixed in some different movements to see how the body felt with each one.  The most challenging was rows, which I anticipated, but the challenge was not what I expected.  I felt like the bell hand might react a little bit on the row given the issues with my scap, but actually those felt awesome.  Interesting. The challenge was more so on the hand on the box, which was pretty challenged supporting my body weight, and I actually noticed my scap and R arm more when I had the KB in my left hand.  With that said, no pain, just noted the challenge.  It won't make sense to move up in weight on that exercise for some time, that is clear to me, and that is fine.  In the longer run I need to get those muscles worked by the row stronger, I actually think that movement is important for me.  The G Sq felt quite good, really getting that squatting motion going, squat depth is really outstanding, as did the SL DLs I threw in at the end.  Feet felt more planted to the ground, and I had better extension as I lifted my legs up into the air - very interesting, that is clearly the result of the movement exercises I have been doing.  Got into the sets of DB F SQ with the 20kgs and it was easy and light, absolutely no issues at all.  I think this is going to be the "main feature" exercise of my first cycle coming out of this injury situation.  Something to talk to Kevin about.  I think running a cycle with DB F Sq and maybe a day of single bell too is going to make a lot of sense.  Let's build a house for a foundation and then once I am feeling great otherwise on the upper half, a bunch of squatting is probably going to do wonders for my presses and snatches.  To discuss with Kevin.  Finished things off with a visit to the chiro and then a long walk around Greenlake.  Best day yet, but have to stay patient, no way I am out of the woods here, just have to take it day by day and keep getting a lot of rest and recovery.  Tomorrow I am going to go very light.

6/17/14 Tuesday June 17, 2014 (16kg TGUs, TK PR, long walk)

8:00am - Pain Free neck, hip, shoulder exercises - 45 minutes

8:45am - Kettlebell warm up

1/2K halos - 8kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)

16kg Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 12 kg, 2+2

9:30am - Osteopath appt

11:00am - Acupuncture appt

2:15pm - Training session - practice with 16kgs

5x:
16kg TGU to knee, 1/1, including a press at the top of the lockout

TK PR16kg, 1/1 x 5

2:35pm - Complete

3:15pm - 4:15pm - brisk walk around Greenlake (3 1/2 miles)

Notes - Writing this on Wed afternoon. Lots of different experiences these days. Felt better waking up - good sign.  Better sleep last night, got to bed at 11:15pm - closer to the goal of 11pm.  Slept in a bit, but woke up to give myself sufficient time for a good stretch out and warm up, then went and saw the Osteopath.  Kind of an interesting experience.  Told him the full story including going back to 1999 when I was in college and woke up for a semester exam in December of my senior year, turned my neck and felt a sharp pain in that same spot in my scap.  Total stress response.  I was studying for finals, had the CPA exam looming, graduation, moving to a new city, starting a new job, and got married - all of that stuff happened within a 6 month period. It was insane.  It took my body years, literally, to get back.  With that said I am much more "equipped" now with self awareness and a history of training, reading, lot of people in my life that have positively influenced me.  Honestly a ton of this has occurred in the last 2 years since I first met Ross Meyer in November 2011 and started then training with kettlebells in January 2012.  It's been a great journey, and I am just getting started.  This situation is definitely reminding me to pay very close attention to how my body is feeling, what it is telling me, and to go with it - be more in touch.  There is going to be a lot of lessons learned here, and I am going to be better for it. Anyway, the osteo was intrigued by all that as well as my history of playing a lot of baseball as a kid - lots of catching and pitching.  Frankly I probably have some ingrained stuff in my body from the asymmetrical motions of baseball, that twisting and turning, and in the R scap area there is probably plenty of scar tissue built up from years and years.  So playing softball for the first time this year earlier in the week when this current "injury" occurred is not a surprise - probably triggered some old patterns and my body just seized up and went into flight or fight mode.  Now for sure all the emotional stuff is a huge factor in all of this, as is running myself too hard, not getting quality sleep, running my body down.  So there is a big picture to consider.  Bottom line the osteo turned up pretty much nothing and said, yep, your muscles are a hell of a lot tighter than the average person, this may be some pre disposition on your part and just years of accumulation.  Certainly my job as a CPA is not conducive, which is why the KBs are so great because they get me out of flexion, sitting, all of the terrible shit that happens from that.  He said all of the things I am doing make sense, keep doing them. He also prescribed a muscle relaxer and I have not filled the prescription.  I don't want to mask symptoms.  This shit needs to play itself out naturally and I need to let the body do what it is going to do naturally.  Had my acupuncturist Dave check me out after the osteo and we did some great work there, really got relaxed.  I then took Dave out for lunch, my treat.  He is a good man.  Got a few chinese herbs from him to help the healing process and that I am totally down with.  Got home, felt good enough to do some light work with the 16kg TGUs and presses, wanted to see how those felt.  They felt good, very encouraging.  I like the tall kneeling presses because they really make me use my abs, stay tight, get that good rack position to press from.  This stays in, I think that press in particular is the one to help me on my road back.  Not too heavy, just really nail that technique down.  Although I was "hurt" doing a press, I don't want to be afraid of those per se.  Now with that said, ballistics don't feel like the right thing right now so no swings, cleans for reps, or snatches.  Need to let some things heal up.

6/16/14 Monday June 16, 2014 (DB 16kg FSq, long walk)

9:00am - Chiropractic appt

10:15am - Pain Free neck, hip, shoulder exercises - 45 minutes

11:00am - Kettlebell warm up

1/2K halos - 8kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)

16kg Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 12 kg, 2+2

11:15am - Training session - practice with 16kgs

2x:
16kg TGU to knee, 1/1
16kg GSq, 5

5x:
DB 16kgs FSq, 5

11:45am - Complete

12:15pm - 1:15pm - brisk walk around Greenlake (3 1/2 miles)

Notes - Another interesting day as I write this in the afternoon.  Didn't feel great upon waking up, still not getting quite the smooth sleep I would like, although there are some improvements.  Need to keep working to dial back to an 11pm bedtime, period.  I will keep working towards that.  Scap and right arm didn't feel too good, I suspect it was the lacrosse ball work from yesterday, really got into the armpit, teres minor and major areas, and they are gritty.  I slept in instead of stretching out before picking up Jill and the kids at her house at 7am to drive them to the airport for a vacation to Disneyland.  So not having a stretchout and then getting into a vehicle and sitting was murder, but what do you do.  I had a chiro appt at 9am and boy did that ever come at the right time.  Jason did several adjustments that felt really good, had some immediate relief in my neck, and then also he adjusted my right wrist, elbow, and shoulder, which all felt good too.  After getting home and doing a stretch out, I was feeling pretty good after the light KB warm up so I tried some get ups and goblet squats, those definitely felt good, which is very encouraging.  Just held lockout for awhile with the TGUs, actually my lockout I think might have improved with all of the work that has been done.  Really focused on each aspect of the movement, gripping the bell hard, engaging the armpit and lat.  I had been thinking about trying a few minutes of more KBs if I felt up to it, so I opted for some DB FSQ with the 16s. My theory is that pressing and snatching are out for some time as my body heals up, and light SW didn't feel great last week, but if squatting feels ok, I may just be able to get back in the groove by doing some squats with lighter KBs and see how that goes.  Honestly, the 5 sets felt great, didn't notice any problems at all.  Tried some fast and loose in between each set to shake out any tension.  We'll see how my body reacts over the next 24 hrs.  Did another long walk around Greenlake after, these long walks are awesome.  I also felt good on the walk.  I am far from out of the woods, but some small progress today again it seems.  Have a visit with an osteopath tomorrow, that should be interesting, I have never seen an osteo before.

6/15/14 Sunday June 15, 2014 (long walk)

Well, pretty good weekend.  Getting just a little bit better each day, very slow progress but it's progress.  Spent all day with the kids yesterday, had a great day.  Noticed I could move around a little bit better in the pool at their swimming lessons than a week ago, so that is how I am measuring progress - can I do something a little bit easier, a little less pain free, than the day / week before?  Because if I measure against the "normal" me I am going to get nowhere mentally.  This is a slow process but I am working through it.  Today is Father's Day, woke up with the kids, had a nice breakfast, took them to church as is our custom, and ran into my brother in law, who is married to Jill's sister, and their little boy who is being baptized next weekend.  I am one of the godfathers.  That was a nice surprise.  I had the afternoon to myself so I worked on the lacrosse ball, again trying to work on some of those trigger points in the scapula, teres minor and major, delt, etc. on on the R side.  Then I took a brisk walk around Greenlake, about 3 1/2 miles, got that done in 60 minutes, and then an Epson Salt bath.  Very ironically I am working yesterday evening and now today on the financial aspects of our mediation / divorce, got the community property analysis done and now am working on the budget that will tell me how much I can afford to pay Jill for the next several years.  Pretty brutal to write that but it is what it is.  I would say it really hurts to do this on Father's Day but honestly, I have to do this, this is for me, and for the kids too - I have to get through this and move on with my life.  I know how much I have invested into my kids and what kind of relationship we have, and I am proud of what I have accomplished.  Not to say I won't keep striving to be a better dad, because you can always be better. But today, above all of my previous Father's Day, I feel good about where and how things have gone with the kids for the last year.  So - I am going to give myself a small pat on the back, and then get back to the sordid business at hand of figuring this financial stuff out so I can move forward and remove the black cloud that has been hanging over me for months and months.

6/13/14 Friday June 13, 2014 (warmups, long walk)

7:00am - Pain Free neck, hip, shoulder exercises - 30 minutes

7:30am - Kettlebell warm up

1/2K halos - 8kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)

16kg Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 12 kg, 2+2

7:30am - Complete

8:00am - 9:00am - brisk walk around Greenlake (3 1/2 miles)

10:00am - 11:00am - Pain free exercises - 60 minutes, lacrosse ball work on R upper shoulder, tricep, scapula

Notes - Good sign, good sign.  Feeling better this morning for sure.  One day at a time.  A little bit of that lacrosse ball work, but not too much, made me realize that I likely have some real trigger point issues that are all part of this, particularly the pains in my arm are referring from the neck and scapula area.  Self massage away from the arm hot spots actually was providing some relief.  Walked around Greenlake with my mom, who was up for my daughter's kindergarten graduation, which was really good for both of us and gave us an opportunity to talk about some things and really connect.  That was good for the soul.  In the afternoon I also met my mentor partner at work for coffee and he gave me a lot of positive encouragement and advice, about different ways to move forward positively including with the mediation / divorce matters, having gone through that himself 10 years ago.  I then got a massage from my massage therapist, who strongly feels that I don't have anything major wrong with a joint, muscle tear etc.  I tend to think he is right.  I likely strained a lot of things but also for sure there is a high level stress response going on.  We worked on the scapula, some trigger points in the teres minor and major were also very evident and referring out down the back of the arm and into the forearm, so I think that is the hot spot area explaining the arm (also deep in my armpit too, which is super tight).  So I am encouraged, and will keep moving forward.

6/12/14 Thursday June 12, 2014 (warmups, long walk)

6:45am - Pain Free neck, hip, shoulder exercises - 30 minutes

7:15am - Kettlebell warm up

1/2K halos - 8kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)

16kg Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 12 kg, 2+2

7:30am - Complete

1:45pm - 2:30pm - Pain free exercises - 45 minutes, lacrosse ball work on R upper shoulder, tricep

2:30pm - 3:30pm - brisk walk around Greenlake (3 1/2 miles)

Notes - Another interesting day.  Didn't feel all that great really in the morning.  Had to get to work for a meeting, that was some tough going.  Working more than a couple of hours in a row these days is difficult.  Got home, relaxed a bit, took a walk and felt a bit better. Went to my daughter's graduation from kindergarten which was awesome, so proud of her and she was so proud of herself.  That was a great end to a tougher day.  All of this walking I do believe is very good for me though, I am going to keep it up.

6/11/14 Wednesday June 11, 2014 (warmups, long walk)

7:15am - Pain Free neck, hip, shoulder exercises - 30 minutes

7:45am - break

8:00am - medical dr appt

10:00am - Pain Free neck, hip, shoulder exercises - 60 minutes

11:00am - Kettlebell warm up

1/2K halos - 8kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)

16kg Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 12 kg, 2+2

16kg GSq, 5
16kg TGU to knee, 2/2
2H 16kg SW, 5

11:30am - Complete

12:30pm - 1:30pm - brisk walk around Greenlake (3 1/2 miles)

Notes - Interesting day.  Definitely had some moments of pain, this is tough.  Lots of spasms in the R side and armpit again this morning, interesting stuff, lots of things going on there for sure.  The Pain Free exercises particularly the Supine Groin Stretch are really good for teasing that stuff out, and I just let it happen.  Spent a lot of time this morning doing that exercise.  Saw my med doc this morning just to see if he saw anything, really just process of elimination.  He did some muscle tests, reflex tests, everything checked out very well.  Poked me a bit, noted I had some spasms in the lower neck / upper back (duh), but did not notice any atrophy, no discoloration, bruising or swelling anywhere.  That is all good.  Said to keep resting and if things were not better in two weeks, see him again and he may recommend physical therapy.  In my view I am already doing physical therapy with all of the Pain Free work, walking, very light KBs etc.   I see an osteopath next Tuesday on recommendation of my acupuncturist, and I suspect he will be better versed in seeing if there is something going on with me than my med doc.

As to other things, did some light KB work, tried some goblets today, those felt fine, SW DID NOT.  Felt pulling on the scap area in my R back and by R under arm, the problem spots.  As I suspected swings are out right now for some time, that really sucks but it is what it is.  The long brisks walks I think are doing good things for me.  Right now, arm bars and TGUs actually feel good, I will keep them very light and just focus on each aspect of the movement.  I did get in another walk at Greenlake, beautiful day.  Was really feeling pain at various points during the walk, in that scap area, tricep, elbow, forearm.  This is what happens when I am upright - I just think a lot of shit is moving around and my body freaks out.  Hell I could have a pinched nerve too, I don't know.  But doing the walking I think is a very good thing for my mind and I know for my body, just to keep moving and get some blood flowing to various parts.  I had a nice evening with my kids, felt good actually, and a nice bath after putting them to bed.  Now to exercises and then bed myself.  Here's to another day tomorrow.  My daughter graduates from kindergarten, and that is all that matters tomorrow.  I am very glad I cancelled my trip to LA which had put me in jeopardy of missing her events.  I don't need to worry about that now, I will be there for her.

6/10/14 Tuesday June 10, 2014 (warmups, long walk)

7:15am - Pain Free neck, hip, shoulder exercises - 30 minutes

7:45am - break

9:00am - Pain Free neck, hip, shoulder exercises - 30 minutes

9:30am - Kettlebell warm up

1/2K halos - 8kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)

16kg Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 12 kg, 2+2

16 kg TGU to knee, 1/1, x 3

9:50am - Complete

7:30pm - 8:30pm - brisk walk around Greenlake (3 1/2 miles)

Notes - Another day in the books, just a tad better than the one before.  Felt fatigue in the arms in the morning, that was interesting, a different feeling than before, particularly in the R tricep. This is the result of everything moving around I am sure.  There have been some body compensations going on for a long time and I think this is going to be the painful process of working it out of my system.  It could take some time.  With that said I felt pretty good by the end of the KB warm up and did 3 singles each side to the knee with TGUs, using a 16kg bell.  I am noticing that my arm bars are the best they have ever been - by far.  Overhead position is the most open it has been in possibly well, ever.  So small details that are positive - that's a good thing.

I ended the day with an acupuncture visit with Dave Engstrom in the afternoon, a little work, and then a brisk walk around Greenlake.  I was definitely feeling it in the shoulder, elbow and forearm during the walk.  This has been happening with the upright posture - that is when it is hardest, sitting down or sitting up / standing.  With that said I know moving and getting the blood flowing is a good thing and I will not deprive my body of that movement.  I took an Epson salt bath when I got home with dinner, and that felt great.  Tomorrow is another day to see how this is going.

6/9/14 Monday June 9, 2014 (warmups, long walk)

8:00am - Pain Free neck, hip, shoulder exercises - 60 minutes

9:00am - Kettlebell warm up

1/2K halos - 8kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)

16kg Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 12 kg, 2+2

12 kg TGU roll to elbow, 5/5

9:20am - Complete

11am - noon - brisk walk around Greenlake (3 1/2 miles)

Notes - This was a good day.  I felt just a little bit better in the morning, slept in, which I need.  Felt good enough to do some light TGUs, just roll to elbow, that was very encouraging for me.  Had a chiropractic appt at 10am, told my chiro what was going on, it was very helpful to just talk man to man with someone that I trust.  He checked me out, had some very good adjustments, but in general from a chiro perspective I am checking out, nothing major, just need to reset the wiring.  He tested my right arm, did some various muscle tests, again, nothing major.  Confirms what I have been feeling is that this is a major stress response and I need to take steps to address it, which I am doing I believe.  Given my penchant for wanting to keep moving through this, I took a brisk walk in the grass around Greenlake, felt good actually, didn't even put my headphones in and just listened to the sounds of the morning. It got hot at the end, felt great.  I will try to walk at Greenlake every day for awhile, I think this is therapeutic for me.  I cancelled my work trips to Spokane and LA this week, cancelled my trip to Atlanta for a leadership conference next week that was a big deal for me to be asked to attend.  Doesn't matter - it is not the right time.  I have to focus on my health.  Told my partner what is going on, he is very supportive, having been through divorce himself 10 years ago.  What a club, never thought I would be in this one, but I am / will be soon enough.  Made dinner for my kids, was able to play with them more today, body is just feeling better, if only incrementally.  One foot in front of the other is what is going to get me through this, and I will keep moving.

6/8/14 Sunday June 8, 2014 (Pain Free exercises, long walk)

I talked to Jill today after dropping the kids off at her place and told her all of this shit that was going on and said, enough is enough, call Anne the mediator, let's make an appt, and let's get on with this.  She agreed.  I cried a bit on the way home, because this is very sad for me, I am really still working through this despite 16 months of separation and before that about 4 months from when Jill first told me of her unhappiness.  So going on 20 months and I am still working through all of this. Then I took a walk around Greenlake, came home, took an Epson salt bath, cried some more, felt a lot better, did some of the Pain Free exercises that are helping me, and went to bed.  One day at a time.

6/6/14 Friday June 6, 2014 (Pain Free exercises, KB warm up)

7:45am - Pain Free neck, hip, shoulder exercises - 60 minutes

8:45am - Kettlebell warm up

1/2K halos - 8kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)

16kg Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 12 kg, 2+2 (this is the main thing I ended up doing)

9:00am - Complete

Notes - Writing this on Sunday the 8th.  Epson salt bath the night before, Pain Free exercises after getting back from Spokane was fortunate. Flying and sitting are absolutely brutal right now, just brutal.  Did more Pain Free this morning, body seems to respond to it.  Had an appt with Dave my acupuncturist, body work specialist at 10am this morning.  Most important thing that came out of that was the frank discussion we had at the beginning of the session about some of my musings on how I got here.  Working hard, travel, poor stress management, sleep habits, etc.  He kind of shook me up though because he said "Chris, what are running from?" I had to look at him and I knew exactly what he was talking about.  I have been running away from doing the things I have to do so that Jill can divorce me, which is what she said she wanted nearly a year ago, last July.  The only tangible and concrete thing I have done is get the house refinanced to take her name off of it, which I did in March this year.  I spent some time awhile ago going through some financial stuff that our mediator gave us, but I have not sat down and penciled out a budget and simply presented a number to Jill that says 'this is what I can afford, let's agree and move on'.  I keep finding other things to occupy my time.  I talked to my mom on Friday night and realized this really is the root cause of everything for me, and my body finally just said "enough - it's time to do this" and got my attention in a major way.  So it is time.  

6/5/14 Thursday June 5, 2014 (OS, PM, KB warmup)

6:45am - Original Strength and Primal Move - 30 minutes 

7:15am - Kettlebell warm up

1/2K halos - 8kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)

1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)

16kg Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 12 kg, 2+2 

7:30am - Complete

Notes - I am writing this now on Sunday the 8th.  It has been a tough stretch here for sure.  I will include notes for each on the day.  For this one, I felt pretty bad this morning, and one thing I realized in hindsight is that I had overdone the work on the lacrosse ball - basically too much self-massage, and I think I hurt the tissue in my trap that has been hurting me as a result.  Too much of a good thing.  I realized that I have become too self-reliant on the foam roller and lacrosse ball at times and that I would be much better spent focusing time on movement exercises such as those from Pain Free, by Pete Egoscue.  

http://www.amazon.com/Pain-Free-Revolutionary-Stopping-Chronic/dp/0553379887/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402286942&sr=8-1&keywords=pain+free+pete

Thursday evening I started doing several of the neck, hip and shoulder exercises from this book on recommendation of my acupuncturist, Dave Engstrom.  Dave is a really smart guy.  I started realizing that I had lost bilateral symmetry in various parts my body and had built all of the strength the last several months on a foundation that needed more attention to details.  Principally I think the old injury from years ago falling on my left shoulder a couple of times, which has been strengthened incredibly by KBs, needs focused attention all the time to ensure that I have proper mechanics and posture, ROM etc. in that shoulder.  I believe it has not been the case, in fact in my notes I mentioned for several weeks that my L OH ROM was not what it needed to be.  A chiro adjustment last week seemed to "fix" that I thought but I think what occurred over time is that my R lat/shoulder etc. was burdened by the poor ROM on the L side, probably pulled my R hip and lat around as well, and I suspect put strain on my R bicep, tricep, etc.  Damn it why do I have to realize this stuff in hindsight?  Anyway, on to the next post, more there.

6/4/14 Wednesday June 4, 2014 (OS, PM, KB warmup)

8:00am - Original Strength and Primal Move - 60 minutes (foam roll, lacrosse ball trigger point work)

9:00 am - Kettlebell warm up

1/2K halos - 8kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)

16kg Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 8 kg, 5+5 (this is the main thing I ended up doing)

9:15am - Complete

Notes -  So I woke up and was really, really feeling the effects of the last several days and week.  Very sore, some pain, very stiff.  I had a deep body massage yesterday evening around 6pm, and a lot of shit came out in that session - lots of spasm in the R trap, R scalene and neck tightness, lots of reverberating stuff down the tricep, elbow, bicep, forearm on the R arm  This is tough stuff.  Played in a softball game last night and played first base, making zero throws, basically just restricted myself to doing the bare minimum outside taking my hacks in 5 at bats.  I don't think playing in the game really had much impact on anything at all.  I tried to get moving this morning a little bit but ultimately just felt like doing anything beyond mobility work just would not make sense.  I then had a chiro check in this morning and ultimately my chiro indicated that everything looked good to him from a chiro perspective, no major adjustments needed, no significant tightness in terms of the spine, etc.  The soft tissue challenges he said are just part of the healing process and this was pretty normal.  He recommended epson salts and that I take a long bath with those, same recommendation actually came from my massage therapist yesterday. So I struggled through the day and finally got home and took that bath.  It definitely seemed to help.  While taking that bath I pondered my situation and took some time to truly reflect on the circumstances of the situation and asked and then answered to myself: "So how did I get here - because it's not from playing in a softball game last week - there is something deeper here."  After reflecting on the last several months and thinking about how I have been managing various aspects of my life, it really dawned on me that I need to be accountable to several choices I make.  These choices have negatively impacted my ability to recover from training and just to manage daily life to my maximum capability.  Primarily, I have been in the poor habit for months of not managing my time in the evenings and going to bed very late, really almost never before midnight.  My alarm is set for 5am, I am never able to rise before 6am because I need at least 6 hrs of sleep.  The sleep gets interrupted, its not quality, and then I start my morning behind and do everything all over again - always getting in my training, but always behind.  Things did not used to be this way.  Since Jill and I separated in February 2013, my life has definitely been even more complicated.  Having the kids every other day, half the week and sharing them with Jill is a challenge.  I am thankful for my blessings and Frankie and Liam are the most important two people in my life, don't get me wrong.  With that said, keeping a demanding job at my accounting firm and continuing to slowly progress toward making partner, essentially being a single dad half the week, try to maintain some level of friendships with people as well as other interests, and then trying to focus on my health and strength - it's a lot.  I try to cram a lot of things into every day and frankly I am only successful at most of them, most of the time - but that leaves plenty of times where I am not successful at what I am trying to accomplish.  I realized that the lack of sleep, combined with work travel and a new client, which has been stressful even though I know I am doing a very good job of managing it, still stressful, a bunch of late nights out with friends including during the middle of work weeks, and then adding a couple of things to training - extra heavy farmer carries, during a week when already double pressing, snatching, and pressing, and playing softball - WAS STUPID OF ME.  I should have seen this one coming.  Life really has a way of shaking you up right when you are least expecting it.  My training was absolutely on fire, consistent gains, body composition really improving, strength improving - but it was being set on a foundation and base that was not as resilient as I can be.  That word, resiliency, really means something to me, maybe taking that to another level, "anti fragile" is even better, like Nicolas Tasseb's book.  The goal should be to try and construct a personal identify and personal way of living that is, in a word, anti fragile.  I do a lot of great things that are consistent with that objective, but then I am not perfect and I fail on a number of levels, undermining my good efforts.  Probably one of the greatest gifts to come out of the separation is the self awareness I was able to start cultivating through therapy, and which I continue to try and hone every day in different ways.  I have realized I got away a bit from self awareness of the impact of some of these things I have mentioned and how it has really led to this current situation where my body has basically said - "enough already, if you are not going to stop what you are doing, I will stop it for you." So - this is not about picking up a softball for the first time in a year and that leading to getting hurt.  That is way too simple, and if I stopped at that I would completely miss out on the learning opportunities I have in front of me right now to try and sort out some of my issues and start working on being anti fragile beyond lifting heavy kettlebells only. That is where my sole focus has been, and I need to think beyond that and realize that the KB work is simply one part of the puzzle and actually is the reward for doing other things very well that set a foundation for success in training.  So I start tonight - early to bed, a restful sleep, let the body do what it does and heal itself.  I hope some of this self realization will also help me turn a corner mentally and physically as well.

6/3/14 Tuesday June 3, 2014 (100 2H SW 24kg)

6:45am - Original Strength and Primal Move - 30 minutes

7:15 am - Kettlebell warm up

1/2K halos - 8kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)

16kg Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm
Arm bar 12 kg, 1+1

Break

8:45am -

Arm bar 12 kg, 4+4
24kg GSq, 5
24kg 2H SW, 10 x 10 (100 reps)
24kg GSq, 5

9:00am - Complete

Notes -  Baby steps I suppose.  Yesterday afternoon's body work session was very good, a lot of shit was coming out of the body that is for sure.  Neck is sore, just a lot of stuff coming out of the woodwork here, probably an accmulation of months of hard training, traveling, working, life etc.  So I slept just a tad bit better last night, and felt just a tad bit better this morning but unfortunately I am far from out of the woods.  I felt like trying some light 2H SW just to see how they felt, and a few goblet squats thrown in.  Not bad.  Definitely not good either, but not bad.  It's going to be baby steps this week clearly.  I have a deep body massage this afternoon, will probably hurt like a bitch but also completely needed.  

6/2/14 Monday June 2, 2014 (OS, PM, KB warmup)

7:45am - Original Strength and Primal Move - 75 minutes (tons and tons of time on the lacrosse ball trying to get trigger points released)

9:00 am - Kettlebell warm up

1/2K halos - 8kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)

16kg Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 8 kg, 5+5 (this is the main thing I ended up doing)

9:15am - Complete

Notes -  Well I am not going to lie, I am pissed off and frustrated.  Body is not responding all that great, 3rd day in a row I woke up feeling terrible, just so tight and a little painful in the lower trap, whole R shoulder complex is affected.  It seems I have stirred up an old body pattern from a long time ago that is a real problem for me, and everything is reacting.  I decided just to try and do some releases on the lacrosse ball, which helps, and got some chiro this morning, got several good adjustments including one at the base of my neck on the R side which as an "aha" moment.  I have body work / acupuncture scheduled for this afternoon, and trying to get a deep massage this week. Looks like this is going to turn into a rest week, just trying to get the body right again.  It's tough mentally but I will come out of this and get it figured out.  Worst thing I can do is stress out about it.  Instead, I need to embrace this as part of the process of getting stronger. Sometimes this is how you actually take some steps forward when it seems like you are taking steps back.

5/31/14 Saturday May 31, 2014 (interval running and pull-ups)

Got going Saturday afternoon at Greenlake, first time in some time I have run at Greenlake - maybe almost a month due to scheduling.  That was a lot of fun.  I was struggling however with the L trap tightness which was also affecting my lat, right tricep, bicep etc. - everything has gotten tight and I think it is from playing softball and throwing the softball for the first time in a year, and swinging a bat.  This sucks.  I tried to do a lot of mobility and stretching work and also some yard work just to move around, hopefully get the blood flowing a bit, before I made down to the lake pretty late, 8:00pm, to do some interval work.  I decided to try pull-ups and just see if it had any impact on things, but dropped push-ups as I think these are what brought on the onset of some of this stuff actually when I trained them for a couple of days in OKC when on the road for work.

In any event this is what I did today:

2 min run, SL DLs 5/5, 2 min run, Fighter Program pull-ups starting over (sets with reps 5/4/3/2/1
x 5

Total of 20 minutes running, 25/25 SL DLs, 16 pull-ups

Interesting stuff.  I was hard.  I mean really hard for me, and moving quickly. That was pretty damn cool.  I like this idea of shorter times, 2 minute intervals, and trying to make it as close to a sprint to cover that distance as I can do.  Feels great to run like that.  Pull-ups were strong, I did a lot of bar hangs first to try and stretch out my armpits, lats etc.  Things are tight as hell in there.  I need some serious soft tissue work this week.