6/11/13 Tuesday June 11, 2013 (TGUs)

6:00am - Original Strength and Primal Move - 30 minutes

6:45am - 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

6:50pm - Training session - Focus on TGUs

Warm up -
Tall kneeling 1H press with 16 kg, 5 L/R;
Windmill 20 kg 2 L/R

16kg, 1 L, 1 R
20kg, 1 L, 1 R
24kg, L/R 3X (alternating singles)

7:20am - Complete

Notes - Good solid session.  Did quite a bit of lacrosse ball release Monday night as the pressing definitely tightens me up, primarily in the traps and lats.  Got in an extra rep with the 24 and it was no problem.  I want to progress to doing 5 alternating singles each side without an issue, then will mix it up by going 2 or 3 reps on one side, then switching to the other side.  The 24 definitely feels "different" though and gets more solid with every session.  I feel like some progress is being made here.

6/10/13 Monday June 10, 2013 (PR, GSq, 1H SW)

5:45am - Original Strength resets and Primal Move - 30 minutes

6:15am - 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

6:30am - Training session - PR with the 24, superset with the GSq with the 24, and then 1H SW with the 28

Warm up -
TGUs 16 kg, 3X+3 (3 each side without putting the bell down)

DB DLs 32 kg, 5, ALT 1H DL, 5 each arm

TK PR with 16kg, 5 L/R

5X:

PR 24 kg 5 L/R (25 total reps)
G Sq 24 kg, 5 (25 total reps)

I then clean and pressed the 28 for a single, L/R, went up no problem.  I then cleaned and attempted to press the 32 for a single, failed both sides.  Interesting.  Cleans felt good going up but didn't have a lot of confidence in pressing the 32.  My pressing strength is down obviously as I have not pressed much in the past two plus months, but it is coming back slowing.  It was good to see the sets of 5 with the 24 go well, and the 28 went up no problem for a single at least.

1H SW 28 kg 5 L/R X 6 (30 reps each arm) (PR with the 28)
1H SW 32 kg 3 L/R
1H SW 32 kg power swings, 5 singles L, 5 singles R

Finisher - a few loaded carries,overhead walks, rack walks putting all of the bells away.

7:20am - Complete

Notes - Well honestly everything felt pretty darn good today.  The fail on pressing the 32 didn't bother me much, I am glad I tested it just to see if I could get a single.  I didn't get a ton of sleep last night, probably just about 5 hours, so I could have been more well rested.  The best part of the session was probably swinging the 28 with one hand and just feeling really confident with it, that was cool.  That led me to try a few with the 32 and those also felt fine.  Didn't want to push past 3 reps but those were fine and I even got a hand transfer in.  It will be sweet in the future to work up to longer sets with the 32 for one hand.

6/7/13 Friday June 7, 2013 (2H SW ladder)

7:30am - Original Strength resets - 10 minutes

Had to hop on a flight back to Seattle from Boise, and then go work for several hours.

4:15pm - Primal Move - 15 minutes

4:30pm - 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

4:45pm - Training session -2H SW

Warm up -
TGU 16 kg roll to elbow, 3+3

TGU 24 kg roll to elbow, 3+3

3X:
2H SW 24 kg, 15
2H SW 28 kg, 15
2H SW 32 kg, 10
2H SW 36 kg, 10

150 reps total, I got these done in 12 minutes, which is definitely a PR in terms of density for me.

5:10pm - Complete

Notes -  Well I supposed to get more work done here, adding in some supersets of GSq with TGUs per some instructions from Kevin, but that is going to have to wait for next week.  I just did not have much time with the kids coming over at 5:15pm and was lucky to get the work in that I did given the odd nature of my schedule on this day.  The 2H SW were extremely strong and I was really pleased with how I was able to just bang out 150 reps in 12 minutes.  I know others can do much more in that time period but this was good for me and this is going in the right direction for certain in terms of the strength gains I am getting from doing so many more swings, and the increase in conditioning by trying to do them in compressed time periods.

6/6/13 Thursday June 6, 2013 (18 holes of golf, and some reflection)

Different day - in Boise on a trip with coworkers

7:15am - Some Original Strength re-sets for about 20 minutes

1:30pm - 18 holes of golf with coworkers (I walked about 5 miles and it was 90 degrees out!!)

Totally awesome day.  It was a serious "WTH" moment as I probably golf about once every 3 years and cannot remember the last time I went out and swung a golf club, it has been that long.  I hit a lot of really good shots, and just flat out did not expect to be able to do that whatsoever.

 It just blows my mind that getting my body to move so much better, release some very old bad muscle and tension patterns in various places in my body (shoulders, pecs, neck, hips, et al), and then adding a load  of strength through kettlebell training, has made such a significant difference in the quality of my life.  I am grateful.  To walk out and enjoy golfing is something I honestly am not sure I have been able to ever really do in my entire life.

I was reflecting on that and it made me think of the much bigger picture of all of the changes in my life that have been going on since late October when Jill told me that she had been unhappy in our marriage and believed that it was over.  It has been quite the time period, the hardest thing I have ever faced in my life, that the only woman I ever loved and have loved for 17 years, almost half of my life, wants to move on and no longer be married.  I have faced this situation head on and have done just about everything I can think of and then some to understand how we got to this place, and seek a way forward, together, to take all of the good in our long relationship and build on that foundation to create something better for both of us.  Instead of rolling up into a ball, I did the opposite - I opened up, completely open, probably for the first time in my life, about a lot of things.  I have been able to show Jill my love and my commitment to her, and respect for all of the time we have invested in each other.  It has not done anything to change her mind or make her want to be with me, but I am ok with that.  There is too much life to be lived, for both of us, to remain in a relationship where one or the other person is not able to fully love their partner, for whatever reason or reasons that might be.  I believe that there are reasons beyond my full comprehension or consciousness that this pain has become part of my life, and that through pain, suffering and difficult times, a person's true character, true self, can emerge and take that challenge and turn it into a deeply positive experience that will lead to better things down the road in life.  I feel like the last 18 months or so since I first met Ross and then shortly thereafter began training with kettlebells has been a time period of forging a strongly physical sense of self, and now, a mental and emotional strength.  I am grateful for my life, I have a lot to live for, and that is exciting to think about.

6/5/13 Wednesday June 5, 2013 (DB CL to SQ complex)

5:15am - Joint mobility, Original Strength, Primal Move drills - 30 minutes

5:45am - 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

6:00am - Training session - Doing a complex, DB CL, DB SQ using 20s, and 24s

Warm up -

GSq, 24kg - 5
DB DLs 32 kg, 5, ALT 1H DL, 5 each arm
TK SS PR with 16kg, 5 L/R

3X:
DB CL, 20s, 5
DB SQ, 20s, 5
DB CL, 24s, 5
DB SQ, 24s, 3

6:20am - Complete

Notes - I was extremely pressed for time due to a trip to Boise with coworkers, so I just blasted through these sets with relatively little rest.  Totally burned me and it felt great.  Good technique on all reps, I did not want to do too much work as this was just a variety day, so I kept the sets of DB SQ with the 24 to just 3 reps.  With little rest between sets the DB 24s to squat are just an extremely taxing movement for me, in a good way.

6/4/13 Tuesday June 4, 2013 (TGUs)

6:00am - Original Strength and Primal Move and lacrosse ball release - 45 minutes

6:45am - 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

7:00pm - Training session - Focus on TGUs

Warm up -
Tall kneeling 1H press with 16 kg, 5 L/R; 20 kg 5 L/R (continue to see progress on PR.  very encouraging)

16kg, 2 L, 2 R
24 kg, L/R 2X (alternating singles)

7:25am - Complete

Notes - Good solid session.  Was extremely tight from doing a pretty tough training session on Monday, incorporating some PR back into the routine.  After finishing these TGUs I felt great.  Reps with the 24 were very, very solid,  Really focused as well on wrapping up around the bell and really getting a crush grip, same thing I have been doing on the PR, and keeping the elbow straight.  I don't see a need yet to move back up to the 28, let's get in some more volume with the 24 and make it "easy" for reps without putting the bell down, and then the 28 comes back in.

6/3/13 Monday June 3, 2013 (PR / GSq, 1H SW with the 24)

5:45am - Original Strength resets and Primal Move - 45 minutes

6:30am - 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

6:45am - Training session - PR with the 24, superset with the G Sq with the 24, and then 1H SW with the 24

Warm up -
TGUs 16 kg, 3X+3 (3 each side without putting the bell down)

DB DLs 32 kg, 5, ALT 1H DL, 5 each arm

TK PR with 16kg, 5 L/R

7X:

PR 24 kg 3 L/R (21 total reps)
G Sq 24 kg, 5 (35 total reps)

1H SW 24 kg 10 L/R X 5 (50 reps each arm)

Finisher - a few loaded carries,overhead walks, rack walks putting all of the bells away.

7:30am - Complete

Notes - This session was prescribed by Kevin and was a great one.  Really loved pressing.  I focused on really crushing the grip and squeezing the hell out of my glutes to create a "seat" for pressing.  Got these techniques from Geoff Neupert's KB Strong and particularly the glute tension is hugely helpful for the PR.  I could have done a lot more volume but this was just fine.  This is probably the most G Sq I have ever done as I really don't do them other than a couple in the warm up most days.  They were feeling good and I was getting deep into the hole for sure (pulling down), and felt a lot of power coming out of the hole.  Lastly felt a lot of power with the SW.  R is a little crisper and more powerful than the left, not a surprise, but the L is coming along.