1/3/14 Friday January 3, 2014 (32 kg TGUs, 24 kg SN 6/6 9 mins)

10:30am - Original Strength and Primal Move - 40 minutes (extra lacrosse ball work on forearms)

11:10am - Kettlebell warm up ("Standard")

1/2K halos - 8kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K pullover - 12 kg, 5X each leg

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

1/2K pullover - 16 kg, 5X each leg
Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 12 kg, 1+1

11:25am - Training session - Focus on 32kg TGUs, SN 24 kg 6/6 9 mins / 108 reps

TGU 16kg, 1+1
TGU 24kg, 1+1
TGU 32 kg, 1+1, 3X (PR)

GSq 32 kg, 10

SN 24 kg for 6/6, on the minute, 9 minutes - 108 reps

12:00pm - Complete

Notes -  This went very well.  I had worked a lot harder on a "day off" yesterday after taking the kids up to Snoqualmie for tubing, where I ended up dragging them up the tubing hill 8 times, which was a lot of work primarily on the forearms (the kids sat in the tube while I dragged them up holding onto a rope).  I hit a PR today with the 32kg for TGUs, getting 3 reps.  My last rep on the L though sucked with my ground leg (L leg) coming totally off the round on the roll to elbow).  On that side for some reason I have trouble rooting that L leg into the ground on the roll to elbow.  On either side on all aspects of the TGU, that seems to be my weakest part and I am not quite sure why.  I held the bell very steady the whole time and was not in danger of dropping the bell or missing the lift, but I was pissed, it was a shitty rep.   Come to think of it I should have lowered the bell and started over and gotten a good final rep out of that side.  I will have to do that next time.  My next and final rep on the R went well.  As far as snatching goes this is the most comfortable and confident I have felt with the 24kg in some time.  No hand issues on all, callous on the R hand middle finger is something I have been taking care of.  I feel better on the snatch, keeping the bell close on the ascent and really pulling it up to lockout with as little wasted movement as possible.  Good stuff for certain, I like where this is going.

1/2/14 Thursday January 2, 2014 (OS/PM, tubing at Snoqualmie)

8:15am - Original Strength and Primal Move - 30 minutes

8:45am - Kettlebell warm up ("Standard")

1/2K halos - 8kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K pullover - 12 kg, 5X each leg

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

1/2K pullover - 16 kg, 5X each leg
Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 12 kg, 1+1

9:00am - Complete

Notes - Took the kids up to Snoqualmie Summit where we did tubing for 90 minutes. Great fun.  However some hard work for me as I dragged them up the mountain 8 times in the tube, so my grip and forearms were pretty toasted.  I am going to have to work the lacrosse ball some to prepare for snatching the 24kg tomorrow.  Not the best timing ever, but I feel fine, and some lacrosse ball work should help.

Wednesday January 1, 2014 (DB 24 kg complex, SN 20 kg 5 mins or 100 reps)

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

7:15am - Kettlebell warm up ("Standard")

1/2K halos - 8kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K pullover - 12 kg, 5X each leg

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

1/2K pullover - 16 kg, 5X each leg
Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 12 kg, 1+1

7:30am - Training session - Focus on DB CL / PR / Sq 24 kgs complex, SN 20 kg for 5 mins / 100 reps

TGU 24kg, 2+2

GSq 24 kg, 10

DB 24 kgs "armor building" complex - CL 2, PR 1, SQ 3 for 15 minutes, AMRAP

Rested for 5 or so minutes, hung out with my daughter, then resumed

Got 11 sets total in 15 minutes - 22 DB CL, 11 DB PR, 33 DB SQ total

SN 20 kg trying to go 10/10 each minute for 5 minutes (100 reps total) without setting the bell down

Ended up going 10/10, 10/10, 10/10 set down with 2:20 left, resumed at 2:00, 10/10, 10/10 finished with 30 seconds to spare.

8:05am - Complete

Notes -  Great stuff.  This was one of my favorite training sessions in a long time.  Yes I love the armor building complex, and yes I love snatching particularly the 20 kg because I can handle it a whole lot better than the 24 kg right now, and it gives more resistance than the 16 kg which I just whip around at this point (well in my rep range of 100-200 snatches - I know obviously if I went higher I would look like a jackass).  The reasons for loving today though are more subtle.  The technique is better.  My cleans are better.  My presses go up easier.  My squats are better.  My snatches are more consistent, I feel smoother.  OK perhaps the weights are not that different than what I have been lifting but the density is increasing - I can get more done, in less time, more efficiently, and it does not leave me as gassed as it used to.  Body is feeling good, I need to keep focusing on mobility, managing stress, really do need to dial in the sleeping much better, eating is very clean, lots of good whole foods.  Body composition is changing as well which is cool.  I am not sure what to attribute that to in terms of any one thing, it is probably a combination of everything coming together, trying to be consistent, not trying every new exercise under the sun but really just trying to get better at a handful of things.  I am excited to train, really motivated which is not new to me per se as I do love training, always have, but this is really starting to feel more and more like practicing a skill or a series of skills, and that is so cool.  

12/31/13 Tuesday December 31, 2013 (SL DLs 16 kg, 2H SW 48kg 10 / 10 mins)

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

7:15am - kids waking up, made breakfast, played a bit

9:15am - Kettlebell warm up ("Standard")

1/2K halos - 8kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K pullover - 12 kg, 5X each leg

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

1/2K pullover - 16 kg, 5X each leg
Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Took a work phone call, resumed at 10:30am.

Arm bar 12 kg, 1+1

10:35am - Training session - Focus on 2H SW 48 kg, SL DL with 16 kg

TGU 24kg, 1+1

SL DL 16kg, 5/5

2H SW 24kg, 10

2H SW 48 kg, 10 minutes, 10 on the minute (100 reps)

SL DL 16kg, 5/5

11:00am - Complete

Notes -  Well, that was the last training session of 2014.  And it ended, appropriately, with me swinging a Beast kettlebell at my house for the first time ever after receiving my Beast a few weeks ago.  We had not programmed it into the routine yet and I for some reason fought successfully any urges to play with it.  I will say, the power of the Swing is just amazing in general.  Walking the thing outside after deadlifting it with two hands, the damn thing is just plain HEAVY.  The thought of trying to clean the thing, press it - come on, 1H swing even, really?  I feel like I am progressing well and am building some good solid strength but those feats just seem very far away to me.  But - I knew I could 2H swing the thing with some power because I had been 2H SW the 44kg I have with good success.  Also I have been swinging double 24s with a lot of power also.  Well - I was right.  After getting warmed up I went for it with max power on the swings and was really pleased with how things went.  Man, you can really get rooted into the ground with a weight that heavy, and it feels damn good.  I took forward to continuing to train with the Beast and I will be damned if by the end of 2014, I have not progressed to being able to swing it with 1H, as well as get a solid TGU up and down with the Beast.  I believe as long as I continue to progress methodically with Kevin's tutelage along the way, and be smart, I can achieve those two goals.

As far as wrapping up 2013, it's worth saying a couple of things briefly.

First, I started logging my training daily at the very end of 2012, and I kept up with it throughout 2013 without missing a beat.  This is a tremendous habit, I enjoy it, it is valuable to me, and damn it I wish I had done this much sooner, which I had discovered KBs and the methods of the RKC / StrongFirst so much earlier in my life.  But, at 36 years old, I am absolutely without question in the best shape of my life, not just physically, but mentally as well.  I have a long way to go like all of us here on planet Earth, but I know very much realize that life is about the journey (journeys really), and not the destination(s).

Second, I have been through a lot personally in 2013, primarily dealing with the emotional loss and grief of the deterioration of my relationship with my wife who moved out of our house in February and has indicated she wants us to divorce.  While we have maintained complete amicability and respect for each other, and tried to focus on strong parenting of our two children who are just 6 and 4 years old now, the whole situation obviously is deeply emotionally uprooting and challenging.  I am grateful for the couples and individual counseling I sought and and actively participated in, which started in November 2012 and went pretty consistently through August 2013.  That time was one of deep self reflection, development of self awareness, and a recognition among many other things about myself that although I have tried damn hard all of my entire childhood and adult life to be perfect - I do not have to be.  I do however have a responsibility to be present in the moment, put the best parts of me forward as much as possible, love my two kids to death but parent them responsibly and thoughtfully so that they can start a path toward being two outstanding lights in this world that really has a lot of darkness, if that is what you focus on.  I truly believe that life is not a series of random events, things absolutely happen for a reason, and in every person and every interaction and experience in life there is something to be gleaned and learned from, if you can get your mental/spiritual/physical being to be present completely, ready to learn, grow, and mature to be ready for whatever is around the corner for you in life.  I want to be able to say I am doing just that in 2014, and beyond.  

12/28/13 Saturday December 28, 2013 (3.5 mile run, pull-ups)

Keeping up with the consistent running at least once a week building on the Seattle half marathon training, I got in a nice 3-4 mile run around Greenlake Saturday afternoon.  Wow this is the best my legs, ankles, arches have felt running in a long, long time but I have been noticing since the race that each week they have been feeling better.  I think it just really took a long time to build up the running volume in the minimalist Vivos I wear for training and running, as well as primarily just dealing with the very long layoff from not running much for two full years (all KBs basically).  But I have to say, I have a stronger foundation now, particularly so much stronger in the glutes, my stride is better, I have more stability throughout my entire structure, and it is a good feeling to get out and run. I am really glad I can do this.

Inspired by a recent blog post by Pavel on the StrongFirst web site, "Strong First Ground Work", which outlined doing aerobic work interspersed with quick short sets of 1-arm / 1-leg pushups or pistols, rinse and repeat, I realized I could get some Pull-Up training done at the lake his way at the two different Pull-Up stations.  I really don't know why I didn't think of this before.  So I realized it at the end of the run but got in a few sets of Pull-Ups, realizing that the really thick bars near the basketball hoops are absolutely terrible for pull-ups, but the rings are GREAT.  I will check out the other Pull-Up station and hopefully those bars are normal and can be used for P/Us and chins.  After talking with Kevin I am going to set it up where I do about 1 mile of aerobic work, then a set of 3-5 pullups, then rinse and repeat for a total of 3-4 miles, 3-4 sets of P/Us.  This should be an excellent compliment to my KB training and keep things fresh enough so that the P/U test at the SFG (5 strict P/Us) is no issue for me.

12/30/13 Monday December 30, 2013 (DB SS PR 24 kgs, 1H SW 32 kgs)

6:50am - Original Strength and Primal Move - 40 minutes (some extra time to work the lacrosse ball on traps, obliques)

7:30am - Kettlebell warm up ("Standard")

1/2K halos - 8kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K pullover - 12 kg, 5X each leg

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

1/2K pullover - 16 kg, 5X each leg
Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 12 kg, 1+1

15 or so minute interruption for kids waking up

8:05am - Training session - Focus on DB SS PR 24 kgs, 1H SW 32 kgs

TGU 20kg, 3+3

DB DL 32kgs, 5 2X

DB SS PR 24 kgs, 15 minutes timed, AMRAP - did 4/4 x 9 sets, total of 36 reps per arm

1H SW 32 kg, 5 minutes, 10/10 on the minute (100 reps)

8:35am - Complete

Notes -  This was a very good training session, now working on some new things for the next several weeks on a new program from Kevin.  I have not done see saw pressing in a long, long time, probably back to early March so at least 9 months.  I will say I am a hell of a lot stronger than I was in March and it was obvious to me today.  I was really rooting into the ground, good glute tension, quads tight and the presses were just going up pretty easily with double 24s.  This is one of my favorite movements and it was great to practice it again.  I could have pushed harder but went by feel on the first set and it felt like 4/4 would be just right to stay away from failure.  Aimed for anywhere between 32 and 40 reps per side and ending with 36 was a good first effort.  After the see saw pressing I took a few minutes of rest and then banged out 5 minutes of 10/10 1H SW with the 32 kg, which was cool.  I was huffing for the last two sets, but was able to maintain good form, kept telling myself to get the bell back on the descent and use my hips, not worrying about how high the bell was going but just keeping things strong and snappy which the swings were.  Good stuff.  I still felt some muscle fatigue and DOMs in my lats, traps, obliques and abs from doing some pull ups on Saturday for the first time in forever, so for this session to go as well as it did was pretty awesome.

12/27/13 Friday December 27, 2013 (training with Kevin - baseline SN test)

Checked my training log and I last trained with Kevin on Wed November 27 - a little over a month.

Before meeting Kevin at 6:30am I slept in, so really didn't get warmed up at all.  That is a little frustrating to me because I have done that several times before training with him and it just takes me too long to warm up, really kind of a waste of time when we could be training some lifts.  I need to get that fixed but I am tired as hell from the holidays and couldn't get it moving this morning.

6:40am - Training session with Kevin.  We did some basic primal move and other mobility work for while and then got into things.  Kevin did tune up my Bretzel with several modifications that I think will be useful - staying tight in the pre-stretch phase, getting the legs at 90/90, supporting the raised leg with a foam roller.  All good tips.

We then did a series of arm bars, then TGUs, goblet squats and then 1H SW with the 16 kg.  Then did TGUs, goblets, and 2H SW with the 24 kg.

We then did some snatches with the 20 kg, then the 24 kg, and then got warmed up for the real event of the day - a baseline 5 minute Snatch test with the 24 kg.  The goal - 100 reps in 5 minutes.

Anti climatic a bit as I got 80 reps.  I actually felt pretty good physically and checking the logs the last time I snatched the 24 kg was Friday December 13 where I got 114 snatches in 12 minutes using a 3/3, 6/6 ladder approach.  I felt pretty shitty about my 80 reps in 5 minutes today until I realized that my pace for 5 minutes 2 weeks ago was 48 reps.  So in that sense maybe today was not so bad.  Clearly I have something to work toward as I have a 20% improvement I need to achieve.  Kevin thought it was a good baseline today so that was encouraging.  I was pretty pissed because the limiting factor was the callous on my R hand under the middle finger, which continues to be my toughest hand issue.  I have been working the pumice stone in the shower but have to keep focused on hand care and really need to clean that callous up completely.  I truly think the damn thing cost me at least 10 reps alone as I was getting pretty worried about tearing it, it was distracting, and on every descent the damn thing was pulling and it hurt.  If I can get that cleaned up it will be nice to see where I can get on my next snatch test.

7:45am - Finish.  OK day, needed to get warmed up, be on time, not waste time with Kevin and also need to get the callous all the way cleaned up.  So, just an ok day but I did come out of this knowing I am not too far off of snatch test requirements for the SFG.  Kevin keeps encouraging me to pick a date and sign up for the cert.  San Diego in late Feb seems quick, the next one is Chicago in April.  I need to make a decision and go for it.