6/30/15 Tuesday June 30, 2015 (16kg TK PR, 24kg 2H SW HSP, push-ups)

6:00am - FMS and other warm up drills  - 30 minutes

6:30am - 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 16kg, 1+1, x 2

Crooked Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

6:45am- Training session - 16kg TK PR, 24kg 2H SW HSP, push-ups

5x:
16kg TK PR, 6/6
24kg 2H SW, 10
push-ups, 6

7:15am - Complete

8:30-9:30pm - Walk at Greenlake

Notes - Good day today.  Got up early and got this done, felt good doing it.  Encouraging and we'll see how I feel tomorrow and the next day after pressing for the first time in awhile, even if only using a 16kg.  A nice walk at the end of the day too at Greenlake. 

6/29/15 Monday June 29, 2015 (48kg DL, 28kg 2H SW HSP)

7:00am - FMS and other warm up drills, (belly breathing, form roll, wall drops with 8k bell, breathing), lots of hip stretching, glute activation  - 65 minutes

8:05am - 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 16kg, 1+1, x 2

Crooked Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

8:20am- Training session - 48kg DL, 20kg BU FSQ / BU PR, 28kg 2H SW HSP

2x:
SL glute bridges, 8/8
48kg DL, 8

Set of doubles of BU PR or BU FSQ with the 20kg before each swing set

3x:
SW 3, park, SW 3, park, SW 3, park
SW 4, park, SW 4, park, SW 4, park, SW 4, park,
SW 5, park, SW 5, park, SW 5, park, SW 5, park, SW 5, park

Total reps -
2+2 20kg BU FSQ, 4+4 20kg BU PR
50+50+50 2H SW with 28kg

9:00am - Complete

4-5pm - Kinetics rehab session

Notes - Solid work today other than it took for absolutely ever to get warmed up.  Dealing with the impact of being out of town and a lack of sleep last week, it is taking several days to try and get back into the groove and feeling ready to train fully.  With all of that said this was one of the more productive sessions in some time, feeling very good with the technique on the DLs, I could really feel my feet pushing into the floor, quick hips, these were good and much better than what I was doing with Kevin on Friday so good improvement.  Swings were strong, working on getting a good float on every rep, liked how this went.  Good volume too to get 150 swings in with the 28kg.  Tracking along nicely.  Good session with Kinetics in the afternoon, just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other and trying to get better every day.  

6/27/15 Saturday June 27, 2015 (pull-ups, push-ups, DB 24kg carries)

Writing this late Saturday night.  What a great day.  Got down to Greenlake in the early afternoon with my kids after taking them to swimming lessons.  We have not trained together in awhile and it was very nice to have them with me.  We went pretty fast.

Hanging from rings

7 pull-ups (rings)
5 push-ups

7 pull-ups
5 push-ups

6 pull-ups
5 push-ups

5 pull-ups
5 push-ups

4 pull-ups

5 push-ups

Total pull-ups - 29.  This was up a number of pull-ups - I guess I got a bit carried away but just felt ready to do this.  They were not easy reps at the end of the last couple of sets, but I was not completely at failure.  I came close.  It was probably a bit of a push but the reps were really strong.  I will stay at this level for at least a week.  I have a feeling I may be doing quite a few pull-ups the week of July 6 while on the road if I don't have access to KBs, so no need to really push these two hard right now, just get good volume in with strong reps.  Noticing my grip is continuing to improve, this has been a very good thing the last couple of months just focusing on it a bit.  Nice.  Push-ups were strong as well.

Hanging from rings

DB 24kg carry, did 3-4 carries, each was probably up to 1 minute. I did not time them.  Just followed my daughter's instructions as to when to pick them up, where to walk, and when to put them down:)

Good stuff!

6/26/15 Friday June 26, 2015 (training with Kevin, Kinetics)

6:30am - Trained with Kevin today.  Did some mobility work, practiced some crawling, hip bridges with a stretch.  Did some tall kneeling practice, deadlifts with the 40kg and 48kg, then practiced pressing with a 12kg and a 16kg out of the tall kneeling position.  Then worked on some 2H SW with the 24kg in a hike/swing/park fashion, 3-4 reps for each set.  I need to remember to work on that float at the top of each swing, not try to rush that part of the movement.  All in all this was solid, feeling good.  Felt like I barely did much this week for training, but that's ok.  It feels right at this time.

8:00am - Kinetics session.  This was good.  Getting some positive feedback about the tone of my muscles, glutes, hams, etc. and the improved range of motion in various things we are working on.  Moving forward.  I believe I am solidly on a path to get to a point of setting an improved foundation for my KB practice, and that is exciting.

6/23 - 6/25 Tues - Thurs June 23 - 25, 2015 (Phoenix for work)

Quick summary on my time in Phoenix, where I had 3 days of training for work.

Tues/Wed/Thursday mornings I got in some good mobility work each morning.  Basically focused mainly on Original Strength resets, also with a few other movements for opening up the hips and glutes.

On Tuesday evening I got in a 45 minute walk.  It was 110 degrees.  Holy shit.  Sun was pretty low already though at that point and it actually felt pretty good.

Wed morning after mobility work I went to the gym and got in a quick 20-25 minute training session focused on pull-ups and push-ups of different varieties, in superset fashion.  Did 6 sets of pull-ups, in the following fashion, superset with the push-up varieties

6 pull-ups
1 leg push-ups, 10/10

6 chin-ups
lizard push-ups, 3/3

5 chin-ups
10 push-ups

4 pull-ups
1 leg push-ups, 5/5

3 chin-ups
lizard push-ups, 3/3

2 chin-ups
lizard push-ups, 3/3

The chin-ups were unbelievably hard.  I hung from a squat rack with a very low bar, which essentially forced me to put my legs at a 90 degree angle straight out as my butt was close to the floor at the bottom portion of each pull-up.  I was pulling from an extremely disadvantaged position and it required tremendous ab strength.  They were freaking AWESOME and I probably do need to mix it up every once in awhile.  I mostly do ring pull-ups with the hands in neutral, which are great, but my body responds pretty well to chin-ups.  I don't do as well with pull-ups, that's always kind of been the case.  Push-ups felt great and given that I was taking little rest, I broke a bit of a sweat here.  Felt good.

Going to be great getting back to the bells, at least for a week (I have to go to NJ the week of July 6 and will be surprised if I have access to any bells that week).  Training with Kevin tomorrow, I am excited.  Body seems to have done ok with all of this travel, lack of sleep, etc.  Encouraging.

6/22/15 Monday June 22, 2015 (Jump rope, GF Method, 32kg 2H SW HSP, superset with push-ups)

8:00am - FMS and other warm up drills, (belly breathing, form roll, wall drops with 8k bell, breathing) - 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 16kg, 1+1, x 2

Crooked Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

9:00am- Training session - superset jump rope w Ground Force Method, 16kg BU FSQ / BU PR, superset 32kg 2H SW HSP w push-ups

3x:
Jump rope, 1 minute
Primal move - crawling, into a crab, into bridges with t-spine reach, 3 mins

3x:
16kg BU FSQ, 3+3
16kg BU PR, 3+3
32kg 2H SW + Park x 3-4-5
Push-ups x 2-3-5 reps

3x:
SW 3, park, SW 3, park, SW 3, park, 2 push-ups
SW 3, park, SW 3, park, SW 3, park, SW 3, park, 3 push-ups
SW 3, park, SW 3, park, SW 3, park, SW 3, park, SW 3, park, 5 push-ups

Total reps -
9+9 16kg BU FSQ, 9+9 BU PR
36+36+36=118 2H SW with 32kg
30 push-ups

9:45am - Complete

11:30-12:30pm - Kinetics rehab session

Afternoon travel to Phoenix

Notes - Good training day.  Jumped again up to the 32kg to see how it would go.  Felt like the 28kg from Friday - great sign.  Very strong swings.  Had a good session at Kinetics, then had to travel to Phoenix for work.  Definitely tight in the right pec and shoulder, this is not new, going to focus on some mobility work and body weight work while here in Phoenix.  Not worried about this, it's a combo of going up in weight again, and then traveling sucks. I am very encouraged with how good my low back is feeling.  That is a great sign.  Just need to work out the travel stuff that just can play havoc with the body.  All in all, really happy to be able to do a few BU presses today, that was nice, felt very good, and also swing a heavier weight.  Progress.

6/20/15 Saturday June 20, 2015 (in Portland - pull-ups, shoulder taps, DB 16kg carries)

Writing this late Sunday night.  I was in Portland this weekend to be a godfather at the baptism for the daughter of my good friend.  It was a great weekend.  On Saturday I went to a park with my younger brother Pat and trained him for about 90 minutes or so, showing him a bunch of stuff.  It was really fun to be able to teach him some things and impart some of the knowledge I have learned over the last several years.  I am an SFG after all!  Also got my own training in.

Hanging from rings

7 pull-ups (rings)
3/3 Shoulder taps

6 pull-ups
3/3 Shoulder taps

5 pull-ups
3/3 Shoulder taps

4 pull-ups

3/3 Shoulder taps

3 pull-ups

3/3 Shoulder taps

Total pull-ups - 24, up from 23 last week.  Very strong.

Hanging from rings

Indian Club practice

DB 16kg carry, did two very long carries, each was probably up to 3-5 minutes, I did not time them.

Sunday evening, went for a long 1-hour brisk walk around Greenlake to try and shake out the cobwebs of all the driving this weekend.  Felt great as my back was a little irritated with all the driving, sleeping in a different bed, etc.  Going to do a little mobility and hit the sack.

6/19/15 Friday June 19, 2015 (Jump rope, GF Method, 28kg 2H SW HSP, superset with push-ups)

6:30am - FMS and other warm up drills, (belly breathing, form roll, wall drops with 8k bell,  breathing) - 40 minutes

7:10am - 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 16kg, 1+1, x 2

Crooked Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

7:25am- Training session - superset jump rope w Ground Force Method, 16kg BU FSQ, superset 28kg 2H SW HSP w push-ups

3x:
Jump rope, 1 minute
Primal move - crawling, into a crab, into bridges with t-spine reach, 3 mins

3x:
16kg BU FSQ, 3+3
28kg 2H SW + Park x 3-4-5
Push-ups x 2-3-5 reps

3x:
SW 3, park, SW 3, park, SW 3, park, 2 push-ups
SW 3, park, SW 3, park, SW 3, park, SW 3, park, 3 push-ups
SW 3, park, SW 3, park, SW 3, park, SW 3, park, SW 3, park, 5 push-ups

end with 16kg BU FSQ, 3+3

Total reps -
12+12 16kg BU FSQ
36+36+36=118 2H SW with 28kg
30 push-ups

7:55am - Complete

8:00-9:00am - Kinetics rehab session

Notes - Moved back up to the 28kg bell today from 24kg, and it felt a lot better than Monday.  That was good.  Strong all around, was moving pretty quick with little rest as I wanted to make my appt at Kinetic on time.  Rehab was good time.  Feeling positive going into this weekend.  Things have been rolling.  I have to drive to Portland for the weekend, so lots of driving, which is not great, but will be sure to get in some good walks while I am there, and a bit of body weight work.  

6/18/15 Thursday June 18, 2015 (KB warmup, walk, IC practice)

6:50am - FMS drills (belly breathing, some Kinetics rehab work) - 40 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 16kg, 1+1, x 2

Crooked Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

7:45am - Complete

9:30-10:00pm - Brisk walk around Greenlake, including hanging from pull-up rings

11:55pm - Indian Club practice, 5 mins

Notes -   Wow very interesting last couple of days.  Tightness in my R neck, scalenes, lat has dramatically decreased.  Low back has felt great.  Had a weird soreness in my L forearm and wrist the last few days.  These changes I think are from some of the ART work that Michael at Kinetics has done the last couple of sessions, particularly yesterday.  I think the various rehab work etc. is honestly bringing out some stuff with my L shoulder, which is the shoulder I took two hard falls on years ago and I know creates some asymmetries that I have to work through.  This whole time working through rehab I have felt that the overhead KB work particularly double jerks may have put just a bit too much load on my L shoulder, and other body parts compensated for it (because m L shoulder never bothered me, never noticed an issue at all).  Some of the rehab work and other positions, the L shoulder feels weaker than I would like, and certainly when rolling it on the foam roll and doing other things, it "clicks" at times.  I think all of this is good of course, bringing some of this stuff up to the surface.  I'd like to talk to Kevin about doing some light shoulder stability work for the shoulders again, in the overhead position, to start trying to build that up again.  Getups may be the answer.  

6/17/15 Wednesday June 17, 2015 (Jump rope, GF Method, 24kg 2H SW HSP, superset with push-ups)

6:10am - FMS and other warm up drills, Kinetics rehab (belly breathing, form roll, wall drops with 8k bell, scales 3/3, side planks, breathing, wall v slides) - 50 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 16kg, 1+1, x 2

Crooked Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

7:15am- Training session - superset jump rope w Ground Force Method, 16kg BU FSQ, superset 24kg 2H SW HSP w push-ups

3x:
Jump rope, 1 minute
Primal move - crawling, into a crab, into bridges with t-spine reach, 3 mins

3x:
16kg BU FSQ, 3+3
24kg 2H SW + Park x 3-4-5
Push-ups x 2-3-5 reps

3x:
SW 3, park, SW 3, park, SW 3, park, 2 push-ups
SW 3, park, SW 3, park, SW 3, park, SW 3, park, 3 push-ups
SW 3, park, SW 3, park, SW 3, park, SW 3, park, SW 3, park, 5 push-ups

end with 16kg BU FSQ, 3+3

Total reps -
12+12 16kg BU FSQ
36+36+36=118 2H SW with 24kg
30 push-ups

7:45am - Complete

4:30pm - Kinetics rehab session

Late evening  - Indian Clubs, 5 minutes

Notes - Outstanding day.  This training went extremely, extremely well and better yet I felt great all day.  Dropping to the 24kg was a good idea, now I think I can build on this and try the 28kg on Friday.  Loved getting in some BU FSQ practice and just started light with the 16kg.  Getting better at jumping rope again, smoother, crawling, and the bridges.  It's all good stuff.  Also had a good rehab session at Kinetics in the afternoon and moving forward there.  Progress, just have to stay focused and take it one step at a time.  

6/16/15 Tuesday June 16, 2015 (KB warmup, long walk, IC practice)

6:50am - FMS drills (belly breathing, soft tissue work) - 40 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 16kg, 1+1, x 2

Crooked Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

7:45am - Complete

7:50-8:50pm - Long brisk walk around Greenlake, including hanging from pull-up rings

11:30pm - Indian Club practice, 5 mins

Notes -   Good day. I was tight as hell in the morning and had to do a lot of lacrosse ball work.  That's mostly all I was able to get in with some basic KB warmups.  Started feeling better in the afternoon and actually worked at a standing desk for the afternoon and really liked it.  This is something I may actually get seriously into thinking about some more.  Walk around the lake was really good in the evening as well.

6/15/15 Monday June 15, 2015 (Jump rope, GF Method, 28kg 2H SW HSP, superset with push-ups)

8:00am - FMS and other warm up drills, Kinetics rehab (belly breathing, form roll, wall drops with 8k bell, scales 3/3, side planks, breathing, wall v slides) - 75 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 16kg, 1+1, x 2

Crooked Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

9:25am- Training session - superset jump rope w Ground Force Method, superset 28kg 2H SW HSP w push-ups

3x:
Jump rope, 1 minute
Primal move - crawling, into a crab, into bridges with t-spine reach, 3 mins

3x:
28kg 2H SW + Park x 3-4-5
Push-ups x 2-3-5 reps

3x:
SW 3, park, SW 3, park, SW 3, park, 2 push-ups
SW 3, park, SW 3, park, SW 3, park, SW 3, park, 3 push-ups
SW 3, park, SW 3, park, SW 3, park, SW 3, park, SW 3, park, 5 push-ups

Total reps - 36+36+36=118 2H SW with 28kg
30 push-ups

10:00am - Complete

5:30pm - Kinetics rehab session

Late evening  - Indian Clubs, 5 minutes

Notes - Solid day.  Feeling pretty good though I did get some discomfort in my L oblique a few hrs after this session, and it got worked a bit in the rehab session as well through working on my lats.  Thinking about this, did 24kg 2H SW for 108 reps on Friday, definitely did a few things this weekend, and today did 28kg 2H SW for 118 reps.  Maybe doesn't seem like a big jump per se but perhaps for the level of training I have been doing, this was a decent jump.  Going to cycle back down to the 24kg for Wednesday's swing session and re-evaluate.  This all felt good but I need to pay a lot of attention to how I respond to the training stimulus these days, and this seems like the right thing to do.  All around though, some good things happening and I just need to keep at this.  I am little shocked honestly at how strong I feel lately despite not really doing a ton of work in my mind.  And my body comp seems pretty good too.  I think the walking consistently is really helping things.

6/13/15 Saturday June 13, 2015 (pull-ups, shoulder taps/lizard pu's, DB 24kg carries)

Writing this late Sunday night.  Got down to the lake on Saturday afternoon after dropping the kids off. Absolutely stunning day, so beautiful here in Seattle lately.  Was feeling great.  Had been running around with the kids including an hour in the pool which was fun.

Hanging from rings

6 pull-ups (rings)
3/3 Shoulder taps

6 pull-ups
3/3 Shoulder taps

5 pull-ups
3/3 Shoulder taps

4 pull-ups
2/2 Lizard push-ups

3 pull-ups
2/2 Lizard push-ups

Total pull-ups - 23, up from 22 last week.  Very strong.

Hanging from rings

DB 24kg carries, walking until start to feel failure, turn around and go back to the starting point, 3 total sets.  Probably about 2 minutes under tension for each set.

This all went very well.  Wanted to throw in some carries because those are not in the regular rotation for training right now, and I really like doing these.  Even though I have not been lifting heavy lately, I had been focusing on carries and have really noticed an improvement in my grip strength.  It's definitely been improving the last 5-6 weeks and I like this.  It's one of those things that you look to when there is a down period - like I have had working through this back stuff - there is always something you can work on and improve regardless of the situation.  Just focus on what you CAN do, not what you can't.  So that's been good.

Finished this off with a 45-minute barefoot walk around the lake.  Been walking a lot lately, and that is helping me.  Good mental break, good for the legs, glutes, basic conditioning, I even think it may help a bit in keeping me lean which is much appreciated in with the sun out and lots of opportunities to go shirtless and enjoy some sunshine:)

6/12/15 Friday June 12, 2015 (Jump rope, GF Method, 24kg 2H SW HSP, superset with push-ups)

8:00am - FMS and other warm up drills, Kinetics rehab (belly breathing, form roll, wall drops with 8k bell, scales 3/3, side planks, breathing, wall v slides) - 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 16kg, 1+1, x 2

Crooked Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

9:15am- Training session - superset jump rope w Ground Force Method, superset 24kg 2H SW HSP w push-ups

3x:
Jump rope, 1 minute
Primal move - crawling, into a crab, into bridges with t-spine reach, 3 mins

3x:
24kg 2H SW + Park x 3-4-5
Push-ups x 2-3-5 reps

I screwed up what Kevin outlined for the swings.  This is what I did

SW 3, park, SW 3, park, SW 3, park, 2 push-ups
SW 3, park, SW 3, park, SW 3, park, 3 push-ups
SW 3, park, SW 3, park, SW 3, park, 5 push-ups

SW 4, park, SW 4, park, SW 4, park, 2 push-ups
SW 4, park, SW 4, park, SW 4, park, 3 push-ups
SW 4, park, SW 4, park, SW 4, park, 5 push-ups

SW 5, park, SW 5, park, SW 5, park, 2 push-ups
SW 5, park, SW 5, park, SW 5, park, 3 push-ups

SW 5, park, SW 5, park, SW 5, park, 5 push-ups

Total reps - 27+36+45=108 2H SW with 24kg
30 push-ups

9:50am - Complete

Late evening  - Indian Clubs, 5 minutes

Notes - Great day, just awesome.  Best I have felt after a training session in literally weeks, and this was the hardest I have trained in weeks.  Getting the right muscles warmed up and firing aka glutes, quads, hamstrings is paying off big time as is the rehab, etc. etc.  These swings felt great, all day was feeling very "put together" and a nice feeling in the low back too because it was not overworked and was being supported appropriately by the glutes, etc.  The corrections Kevin made to my swing on Wed to get deeper into the hinge in the set-up and really load up the glutes, get tight, make a big chest etc. are just key.  Getting a good set-up is so important for each lift.  I had lost that feeling admittedly I realize now and I appreciate it again and can get to that right set-up now.  This is really good and something to build from.  Also, Bridges in the warm up with the t-spine reach are huge.  That is a critical movement for me and one I am really focused on.  The crawling and everything in this training session was spot on.  And there was definitely a conditioning effect.   This was not easy.  I am looking forward to building on this from here for several weeks.  

6/11/15 Thursday June 11, 2015 (KB warmup, long walk, IC practice)

6:50am - FMS drills (belly breathing, soft tissue work, t-spine, 1/2 kneeling), rehab correctives (Kinetics drills, wall drops, scales) - 40 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 16kg, 1+1, x 2

Crooked Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

7:45am - Complete

8:30-9:30pm - Long brisk walk around Greenlake, including hanging from pull-up rings

11:30pm - Indian Club practice, 5 mins

Notes -   Really good day, feeling solid.  Low back improving.  Lots of rehab work, mobility.  Getting in a nice walk in the evening was a bonus.  

6/10/15 Wednesday June 10, 2015 (training with Kevin, Kinetics)

6:30-7:00am - Belly breathing, t-spine, halos 8kg / 12kg, arm bars 16kg

7:10am - Training with Kevin

Very good training day.  We did some correctives including wall slides with an 8kg bell overhead to load that corrective a bit.  Did some one legged glute bridges, again, extremely good, started to really fire by glutes in a good way.  Did some Primal Movement stuff, and then got into bodyweight.  Lots of crawling, into crab walks, into bridges.  These were excellent movements, and I am excited to work some of this into my training for the next few weeks.  Finished with 24kg swings, a very good exercise of doing 3 reps, parking and resetting , 3 reps, parking and resetting.  I got a "new" feeling in the glutes and hamstrings with a couple of adjustments by Kevin to get more of a hip hinge and really load up before the first swing.  I really noticed a difference and this was a key, I can remember that feeling and I am going to keep that with me for future practice.  I was too upright before.

8:10am - Complete

4:30 - 5:30pm - Kinetics rehab

Good session.  Dr. Mike was very surprised at some of the improvement my body was demonstrating today.  I am encouraged.  Moving forward.

6/9/15 Tuesday June 9, 2015 (KB warmup, long walk, IC practice)

7:10am - FMS drills (belly breathing, soft tissue work, t-spine, 1/2 kneeling), rehab correctives (wall drops, scales) - 20 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 16kg, 1+1, x 2

Crooked Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

7:45am - Complete

8:30-9:30pm - Long brisk walk around Greenlake, including hanging from pull-up rings

11:30pm - Indian Club practice, 5 mins

Notes -   Much better day today.  The rehab work at Kinetics yesterday afternoon seemed to relieve a lot of what I was feeling in the low back from over the weekend.  I was tight in the shoulders and lats today, mainly on the R side.  Not totally sure how floor presses are sitting with me.  I seem to tighten up after doing these.  I may need to figure something out to balance out that movement so the pecs don't tighten up so much.  Got a nice brisk walk done in the evening for an hour, that felt extremely good which also included some hanging from pull-up rings to stretch out my lats, shoulders, etc.  Finished off the day with a small bit of Indian Club practice.  Time to train with Kevin tomorrow and see where we go from here. 

6/8/15 Monday June 8, 2015 (48kg DL, 20kg FL PR, 24kg 2H SW)

7:00am - FMS and other warm up drills, Kinetics rehab (belly breathing, form roll, wall drops 15/15, scales 3/3, side blanks, breathing, wall v slides) - 70 minutes (not moving well)

8:10am - 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 16kg, 1+1, x 2

Crooked Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

8:25am- Training session - 48kg DL, 20kg FL PR, 24kg 2H SW

4x:
48kg DL, 8
20kg Floor PR, 8/8 (only did 3 rounds of these)
(40 DLs, 30/30 presses)

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

8:45am - Complete

4:30pm - Kinetics rehab appt

Late evening  - Indian Clubs, 5 minutes

Notes - Didn't have it at all today.  Body did not feel good.  Extremely run down.  Low back was acting up again, could have been from the running with the kids at the lake Saturday, or just the combination of everything over the weekend, but it feels like two steps back again.  Man this is frustrating.  Had another rehab appt at Kinetics in the afternoon which was helpful, and got in a 30 minute walk at the lake as well.  I got in an hour walk yesterday evening at dusk.  The walks are good, and are definitely helpful and good to get that low-load, cardio for the heart.  That and pull-ups are damn near the only things that seem to be ok these days (alright a bit of an exaggeration but seriously I sure seem stuck in a rut).  Time to hit reboot and start it over tomorrow.

6/7/15 Saturday June 7, 2015 (pull-ups, shoulder taps, involuntary jogging)

Writing this late Saturday night.  Have had my kids all weekend and we did a bunch of activities all morning and then went to the lake in the afternoon.  Started the time with the kids at the lake by getting in some pull-ups and shoulder taps - dropped push-ups since I did those in my training session yesterday.  Honestly - felt really great.  Pull-ups were flat out easy, just so easy.  Nice to have that feeling.  I have not been training heavy lately (obviously) and am probably feeling fresh in certain ways as a result.

Hanging from rings

6 pull-ups (rings)
3/3 Shoulder taps

5 pull-ups
3/3 Shoulder taps

5 pull-ups
3/3 Shoulder taps

4 pull-ups
3/3 Shoulder taps

3 pull-ups
3/3 Shoulder taps

Total pull-ups - 22, up from 21 last week.  Very strong.  Just going to slowly build back up 1 rep a week increases.

Hanging from rings

We did some bike riding practice and they wanted me to jog along as they rode their bikes, again this week.  Agin I didn't want to do it, due to this low back rehab I am working through, but  I wanted them to have fun so I played along.  Probably ended up running a mile and a half or so, more than last week and at a faster pace because those two were moving pretty quickly:)  This week, no tightness in the calf and no knee things cropping up, so that's good.   I cleaned up my yard late this evening and started to notice the L glute area, so I worked the lacrosse ball and foam roller pretty hard on my quads, both front, side and back, and definitely there was some junk in the L side quad, so that was good to try and work on.

Big BBQ I am hosting for our Gonzaga "Dinner Club" friends and their kids on Sunday.  Yard is all cleaned up, we just need to buy burgers and dogs.  It's going to be nice to have all of these people over.  It has been a long time since I hosted these friends, in fact its been years, since before Jill moved out in February 2013.  Probably 3 summers ago.  I think it's a another step for me in the process of moving on and I am glad I am doing this.

6/5/15 Friday June 5, 2015 (DB 16kg SLDL/FCs, 24kg 2H SW/1 leg PUs)

6:30am - FMS and other warm up drills (belly breathing, form roll, wall drops 15/15, scales 3/3, correctives from Kinetics) - 35 minutes

7:05am - 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 16kg, 1+1, x 2

Crooked Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

7:20am- Training session - DB 16kg SLDLs/farmer carries, 24kg 2H SW/1 leg push-ups

2x:
DB 16kg SL DLs, 8
DB 16kg FC, 4 mins (added a minute from last week)

5x (up from 4x Monday):
24kg 2H SW, 10
1 leg push-ups, 5/5 (switching legs)

(50 SW, 50 p/u)

7:50am - Complete

Notes -  Good day.  Writing this very late on Friday night, thinking about it, best my body has felt in weeks after a KB training day.  I am starting to feel more and more back to normal and be able to handle more load, which is great news.  I had my 3rd rehab session this week with Kinetics after this morning training session, which is going very well.  All in all, this was a good week, lots of progress being made I feel.  Looking forward to beautiful weather this weekend, doing some body weight work at the lake, mowing and cleaning up my yard, and hosting a big BBQ for friends on Sunday.

6/4/15 Thursday June 4, 2015 (KB warmup, Kinetics sports rehab, IC practice)

6:30am - FMS drills (belly breathing, soft tissue work, t-spine, 1/2 kneeling), rehab correctives (wall drops, scales, Kinetics correctives) - 45 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 16kg, 1+1, x 2

Crooked Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

7:30am - Indian Club practice

7:40am - Complete

4:30pm - Deep Tissue Massage

Notes -   Good day here.  Feeling good although I was tight on my R shoulder, lat, neck.  Could be anything, but possibly floor presses have a bit to do with it.  Got a deep tissue massage in the late afternoon, that was great.

6/3/15 Wednesday June 3, 2015 (48kg DL, 20kg FL PR, 24kg 2H SW)

7:45am - FMS and other warm up drills, Kinetics rehab (belly breathing, form roll, wall drops 15/15, scales 3/3, side blanks, breathing, wall v slides) - 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 16kg, 1+1, x 2

Crooked Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

9:00am- Training session - 48kg DL, 20kg FL PR, 24kg 2H SW

5x (up from 4x on Friday):
48kg DL, 8
20kg Floor PR, 8/8
(40 DLs, 40/40 presses)

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

Indian Clubs, 5 minutes

9:30am - Complete

Notes -  Lots of rehab work, took a hell of a lot of time to get through and I was pretty tired this morning.  Probably a shade run down, I did sleep well though.  Actual training was pretty good, I did feel things a bit in the low back during warmups actually, I think a few of the new movements for rehab probably just need time to settle in, particularly the side planks are quite challenging and do really engage the spots that have been the trouble of discomfort.  Felt good during the training with KBs.  Floor presses are interesting, definitely hitting way different muscles than what I am used to, so feeling it big time in the traps. DLs and SWs were good, so that's encouraging.  Have my 2nd visit at Kinetics this afternoon, we'll see how that goes.  Also I got a pretty long walk in at Greenlake last night, which was good.  Trying to get in as much walking as I can.

6/2/15 Tuesday June 2, 2015 (KB warmup, Kinetics sports rehab, IC practice)

6:30am - FMS drills (belly breathing, soft tissue work, t-spine, 1/2 kneeling), rehab correctives (wall drops, scales) - 45 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 16kg, 1+1, x 2

Crooked Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

7:30am - Indian Club practice

7:40am - Complete

10:00am - 11:45am - Kinetics Sports Rehab

Notes -   Feeling very good today.  Good movement practice this morning, things are absolutely improving.  I went to Kinetics Sports Rehab for a consultation and movement practice session which I found very helpful.  Met Dr. Michael Smith, good guy, he did an SFMA screen and some other movement tests and basically highlighted something that I should have known.  Overhead position is a challenge, very little thoracic extension, and that double overhead jerks put my body in the most challenging position for my current mobility limitations, causing me to let me ribs spill, pelvis to tilt, glutes to shut down, pressure put on the low back.  I learned several new movements today, Glute Med Side Planks to fire the glutes properly, Transverse Abdominus Brace (belly breathing practice), and V-Slides on the wall.  All of these are going to help reprogram some things.  Also Dr. Smith is going to work with Kevin, my coach to communicate all of this and we'll get the KB practice lined up with what I am doing with this rehab.  Going to take a focused run at this for 3x a week for 3 weeks. I see some real positives and will be taking advantage of this time to set a better foundation for the future.

6/1/15 Monday June 1, 2015 (DB 16kg SLDL/FCs, 24kg 2H SW/1 leg PUs)

7:40am - FMS and other warm up drills (belly breathing, form roll, wall drops 15/15, scales 3/3) - 35 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 16kg, 1+1, x 2

Crooked Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

8:30am- Training session - DB 16kg SLDLs/farmer carries, 24kg 2H SW/1 leg push-ups

2x:
DB 16kg SL DLs, 8
DB 16kg FC, 3 mins

4x:
24kg 2H SW, 10
1 leg push-ups, 5/5 (switching legs)

8;55am - Complete

Notes -  OK, this was good.  Good night's sleep, well, I slept right through my alarm.  I need it.  Have slept a bit more the last several days, definitely body is needing it and then some.  Still have a lack of discipline around when I go to bed (too late).  It's pathetic as I keep writing that yet cannot (have not) consistently improved it.  No excuses.  In any event, was watching to see if the oblique issue from yesterday would pop up, it seemed ok.  Main thing actually was that my left knee was very sore and tender, probably the running etc.  I actually foam rolled my quad a bunch which was a huge relief.  Seemed like the issue was in the quad.  By the time I got to training, this was pretty much alleviated.  I liked all of this training.  Doing the SLDLs is very good for me, I need this movement to fire up my glutes.  I feel like part of my issues is due to "sleepy glutes" or basically just not getting the right muscles to fire up.  These help.  The farmer carries were good, really focused on Kevin's tips of firing the triceps hard and pushing the shoulders down.  The longer carry time was good too. I was feeling pretty good so decided to go ahead with the swings and see how they felt.  Actually, they felt good.  Kevin's suggestion to drop to a lower rep range I think was spot on.  That, and I think doing the SLDLs in particular fired up my glutes and therefore when doing the swings, I was able to really focus and feel the glutes on extension, and not the low back or obliques (at least not nearly as much), which is what I wanted.  I think with a higher rep range there can be a tendency to lose power and/or technique.  Single leg push-ups, also a good movement, I feel this gets my anterior change going a bit, felt the abs kick in, but also anterior chain as well.  As I write this in the afternoon, no major discomfort, at least things certainly don't seem worse.  I feel it in the glutes and also surprisingly way more in the traps and upper back than I anticipated, which is probably from doing the farmers in the manner I did them.  Going to work on correctives this evening and also get some Indian Club practice in.