2/13/15 Friday February 13, 2015 (training with Kevin)

I checked my logs and was shocked to see that the last time I trained with Kevin was Friday December 12. Wow that's 2 months!! Time flies.  It has been a really productive two months in a lot of ways.

Today, we did some cool stuff.  Got warmed up at home for 15-20 minutes and started with Kevin at 6:15am.  We caught up for a bit and then started at 6:30am.

Did some new warm-ups in the tall-kneeling position, practicing Windmills.  We used a 12kg and a 16kg.  That was really cool and I am going to like that a lot for thoracic spine mobility.

We then moved from windmills in that position to practicing Bent Presses in the tall kneeling position, again with the 16kg.  That was really cool to practice that.  Setting the bell out and letting it sink into the lat, bringing the off hand elbow all the way to the ground, like a TGU, and "getting under the bell" and not pressing it up.  I think I am really going to like these.

We then did some PR with the 24kg, and then started practicing push presses, first with the 28kg, and then with the 32kg.  I finished with about 20 or so minutes alternating between doubles of DB SL DLs with the 24kgs, something I have not practiced, and then doubles or triples of the 32kg push press.  I liked the lifts a lot and it was cool to practice so many new things today.

We are going to do a 3-week cycle that will have some focus on all of these movements, and also some heavy snatches for low reps, 28kg.  Lot of single bell work after doing doubles for so many weeks.

It is great to have such a good coach.  Thank you Kevin!

2/12/15 Thursday February 12, 2015 (24kg TGUs, SL DLs)

7:00am - FMS drills (belly breathing, soft tissue work, t-spine, 1/2 kneeling) - 15 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
Arm bar 16kg, 1/1
Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

7:30am - Training session - 24kg TGU, 24kg SLDLs

2x;

24kg TGU to the knee, 1/1
24kg SLDL, 3/3

7:40am - Complete

Notes - Good stuff, body felt really good this morning.  Left knee is a little tender, as is the left ankle, noticed this Tuesday morning as well.  I think it is the getups outside on the hard ground, I have not done them outside in months and it is slightly irritating the knee I think.  I'll watch it but should not be a big deal, just keep it mobilized.  

2/11/15 Wednesday February 11, 2015 (S&S 24kg)

7:35am - FMS drills (belly breathing, soft tissue work, t-spine, 1/2 kneeling) - 30 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 12 kg, 1/1
Arm bar 16kg, 1/1
Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

8:20am -Training session - S&S 24kg

24kg TGU, 1/1 to the knee

24kg GSq, 5

24kg 2H SW, 10

24kg 1H SW, 10/10, x 5, 100 swings in 5 minutes

24kg TGU, 1/1, x 5, 10 TGUs in 10 minutes

DB 24kgs farmer carry, 1 minute

8:50am - Complete

Notes - Good day.  This felt easier and better than Monday.  Swings were crisp, getups smooth, overhead position on the getups was very good.  I am pleased.  Had an extremely long day at work yesterday, like 15 hrs, but slept ok and am feeling fine.  Need some good sleep tonight.  

2/10/15 Tuesday February 10, 2015 (24kg TGUs, SL DLs)

6:30am - FMS drills (belly breathing, soft tissue work, t-spine, 1/2 kneeling) - 30 minutes

7:00: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 12 kg, 1/1
Arm bar 16kg, 1/1
Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

7:15am - Training session - 24kg TGU, 24kg SLDLs

2x;

24kg TGU to the knee, 1/1
24kg SLDL, 3/3

7:30am - Complete

Notes - Good stuff here, feeling really great this morning.  Was thinking of doing things with the 16kg but felt so good I just said hey, why not a few reps with the 24kg, just go for it.  Felt great.  More S&S tomorrow, really a very simple week for training.

2/9/15 Monday February 9, 2015 (S&S 24kg)

7:30am - FMS drills (belly breathing, soft tissue work, t-spine, 1/2 kneeling) - 30 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, 1/1
Arm bar 16kg, 1/1
Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

8:15am -Training session - S&S 24kg

24kg TGU, 1/1 to the knee

24kg GSq, 5

24kg 2H SW, 10

24kg 1H SW, 10/10, x 5, 100 swings in 5 minutes

24kg TGU, 1/1, x 5, 10 TGUs in 10 minutes

DB 24kgs farmer carry, 1 minute

8:45am - Complete

Notes - Got this done, it was easy, hadn't done an S&S session in some time.  Did wake up feeling tired.  Worked all day yesterday and am a bit worn down from a lot of intense commitments at work.  This back off week is coming at the right time.  Writing this in the afternoon, I am definitely tight after this session.  I notice that happens sometimes with 1H SW, given the asymmetrical nature, sometimes I tighten up on the R side which has happened.  I also have not been doing any 1H SW for 6 weeks, nor have I done more than 1-2 reps of TGUs in any one session.  So could also be the body just reacting to that movement too. Need to get some good rest tonight, get stretched out etc. 

2/7/15 Saturday February 7, 2015 (pull-ups, push-ups, walk)

Got this work done late Saturday afternoon / evening.  After a seriously heavy week of lifting, I thought about waiting a day and doing it on Sunday, but just decided to bang it out as I felt pretty good and knew it was going to be pretty hard on the lats either day:)

Hanging from bar
Hip mobility

6 pull-ups
5 push-ups (3 regular, 2 lizard for all)
Short walk

6 pull-ups
5 push-ups
Pistol squat - 1/1
Short walk

5 pull-ups
5 push-ups
Short walk

4 pull-ups
5 push-ups
Pistol squat - 1/1
Short walk

3 pull-ups
5 push-ups

Longer walk - 30 minutes

Total pull-ups - 24, up 1 from last week.  25 push-ups, same as last week.  Was very pleased with this as the two sets of 6 went pretty well.  Challenging, for sure, but I cleaned and squatted yesterday at a fairly intense intensity (for me) and the lats were pushed.  Just messing with a couple of pistol squats to see how they feel, not all that great.  The flexed leg usually cramps up, and my lower back feels fatigued - not pain, just definitely noticing all of the heavy squatting has the muscles fatigued and not yet recovered on the weekends.  It's fine, not a big deal.  It's good to know I still have very good mobility in this movement despite all of the squatting and my glutes and quads putting on some size.  I can really get down into the hole in the squat, ass to grass, in a very safe way and it's important to me to be able to maintain this.  This is easily one of the most significant mobility improvements I have been able to make using kettlebells the last several years, and its awesome to be able to move like that.

2/6/15 Friday February 6, 2015 (24kgs complex for time DB CL, DB FSQ - PR)

6:45am - in Spokane, Original Strength (rolling, cross lateral, rocking, neck nods, crawling)

7:15am - 30 minute walk

Back in Seattle

4:35pm - FMS drills (belly breathing, soft tissue work, t-spine, 1/2 kneeling) - 15 minutes

4:50pm - 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
Arm bar 16kg, 1+1
Crooked Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

5:05pm - Training session - DB CL, DB FSQ 24kgs complex, 20 minutes

24kg TGU, 1/1 to the knee

24kg 2H SW, 10

DB CL, DB FSQ, 24kgs complex, 6 DB CL, 6 DB FSQ as many sets as possible, 20 minutes

12 sets

Totals 72 DB CL, 72 DB FSQ (up from 5/5 x 13, 65/65 total last week - PR)

24kg 2H SW, 10, x 2

5:35pm - Complete

Notes - And so ends the 6 week cycle, and talk about leaving it on a high note - another PR.  Just some awesome stuff, this has been an incredibly productive run of training for me.  My technique in some major lifts is better, my grip strength is better, I have put on some real size, forearms, arms, glutes, quads, and I think conditioning even benefited giving the timed nature of this cycle with the AMRAP for 20 minutes (did not let form suffer just for reps though).  Next week is going to be some Simple and Sinister with the 24kg bell, a recovery week, looking forward to it and then working with Kevin to design the next training block.