8:00am - belly breathing, Primal Move practice, lacrosse ball release, hamstring work - 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)
Arm bar 16kg, 1+1, x 2
Crooked Arm bar 24g with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1
9:00am- Training session - 24kg Kickstand DLs, 2H SW, TGUs
3x:
24kg kickstand DLs, 8/8
24kg 2H SW, 20
24kg full TGUs, 1/1
9:30am - Complete
10-11am - Acupuncture
Notes - Good day and absolutely making progress here which is very encouraging. Body felt better, did some very targeted hamstring work, and that is improving. Didn't want to push hard on the weights today, it doesn't feel quite right yet, so stuck with the 24kg and just did some kick stand DLs, 2H SW, and TGUs. Nothing seemed to bother anything, which is good. Right elbow I did notice a bit, it felt very good in the TGUs in all aspects of the movement with the except of the final lowering of the bell to the ground. Felt great in lockout. An interesting thing. I was able to see my longtime acupuncturist Dave later in the morning and he did some great releases using needles in my left knee and right ankle which are trigger points for the right elbow. He also did a manual release on the right elbow. Really, really helped. He also did some other work to release the hamstrings a bit, and my shoulders were dropped down into place nicely too, and the thoracic opening up. I have another session with him this Friday. This has really been helpful. I feel like I am headed back in in the right direction. I am going to just stick with the 24kg this week, no pressing yet until I feel really out of the woods on the right elbow. Will probably test some 1H SW, and possibly some cleans and squats, just to see how those feel, again staying light.
Monday, August 15, 2016
Sunday, August 14, 2016
8/12/16 Friday August 12, 2016 (BU work, 24kg KB aerobics)
At my parent's house in Hockinson, WA
5:00pm - belly breathing, Primal Move practice, lacrosse ball release, hamstring work - 15 minutes
5:15pm - Training session - BU work, 24kg KB aerobics
24kg kickstand DL, 8/8
12kg BU CL, 1/1 with walking
16kg BU CL, 1/1 with walking
24kg BU CL, 1/1 with walking
24kg kickstand DL, 8/8
12kg BU PR, 1/1
16kg BU PR, 1/1
24kg BU PR, 1/1
24kg kickstand DL, 8/8
24kg BU FSQ, 1/1
24kg 2H SW, 20
20 mins KB aerobics:
24kg CL 2, PR 2, FSQ 2, SW 2, SN 2, set down, switch hands
24kg 2H SW, 15
6:00pm - Complete
Notes - Writing this late Sunday night after getting back from a long 4 days. Left for camping trip with the kids and Leah on Thursday morning, going to the Olympic Peninsula and staying at Lake Cushman Thursday night. Then drove to my parents house near Battleground WA on Friday. Did KB work Friday evening before dinner. Started feeling shitty pretty much right away that evening. It was hot - 95 degrees - and my right knee was barking, my right elbow was barking hard. I thought "just a 24kg" was going to be fine, but clearly it was not. Biggest thing I noticed throughout the weekend was the relief on the knee from the hamstring work, which is clearly helping a lot, and as far as the elbow goes, this is from a tight right pec and shoulder - not in the elbow. I loosened up that right pec and shoulder on Saturday at the part, elbow immediately started feeling better. Had to do a lot of driving this weekend, a shitload actually, for this trip, so good to get out of the car. Going to re-focus on this hamstring work, and I have two acupuncture sessions this week with my longtime acupuncturist to focus on these matters and really try to kick the recovery into overdrive. Overhead work is out this week until I get the right shoulder and pec under control and get the elbow relieved. Pressing does not feel good as I feel it inside the right elbow, so that is dropped until I can work out this situation. Hamstrings are going to continue to get attacked until I can get those feeling much more symmetrical (R side is the issue from the FMS screen last week).
5:00pm - belly breathing, Primal Move practice, lacrosse ball release, hamstring work - 15 minutes
5:15pm - Training session - BU work, 24kg KB aerobics
24kg kickstand DL, 8/8
12kg BU CL, 1/1 with walking
16kg BU CL, 1/1 with walking
24kg BU CL, 1/1 with walking
24kg kickstand DL, 8/8
12kg BU PR, 1/1
16kg BU PR, 1/1
24kg BU PR, 1/1
24kg kickstand DL, 8/8
12kg BU FSQ, 1/1
16kg BU FSQ, 1/124kg BU FSQ, 1/1
24kg 2H SW, 20
20 mins KB aerobics:
24kg CL 2, PR 2, FSQ 2, SW 2, SN 2, set down, switch hands
24kg 2H SW, 15
6:00pm - Complete
Notes - Writing this late Sunday night after getting back from a long 4 days. Left for camping trip with the kids and Leah on Thursday morning, going to the Olympic Peninsula and staying at Lake Cushman Thursday night. Then drove to my parents house near Battleground WA on Friday. Did KB work Friday evening before dinner. Started feeling shitty pretty much right away that evening. It was hot - 95 degrees - and my right knee was barking, my right elbow was barking hard. I thought "just a 24kg" was going to be fine, but clearly it was not. Biggest thing I noticed throughout the weekend was the relief on the knee from the hamstring work, which is clearly helping a lot, and as far as the elbow goes, this is from a tight right pec and shoulder - not in the elbow. I loosened up that right pec and shoulder on Saturday at the part, elbow immediately started feeling better. Had to do a lot of driving this weekend, a shitload actually, for this trip, so good to get out of the car. Going to re-focus on this hamstring work, and I have two acupuncture sessions this week with my longtime acupuncturist to focus on these matters and really try to kick the recovery into overdrive. Overhead work is out this week until I get the right shoulder and pec under control and get the elbow relieved. Pressing does not feel good as I feel it inside the right elbow, so that is dropped until I can work out this situation. Hamstrings are going to continue to get attacked until I can get those feeling much more symmetrical (R side is the issue from the FMS screen last week).
8/11/16 Thursday August 11, 2016 (24kg TGUs, kickstand DLs)
8:00am - belly breathing, Primal Move practice, lacrosse ball release, hamstring work - 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)
Arm bar 16kg, 1+1, x 2
Crooked Arm bar 24g with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1
9:00am- Training session - 24kg TGUs, 24kg SLDLs
3x:
24kg full TGUs, 1/1
24kg kickstand DL, 8/8
9:20am - Complete
Notes - Felt ok. First time I have touched a kettlebell since Sunday. Trying to focus on getting those hamstrings loosened up.
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)
Arm bar 16kg, 1+1, x 2
Crooked Arm bar 24g with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1
9:00am- Training session - 24kg TGUs, 24kg SLDLs
3x:
24kg full TGUs, 1/1
24kg kickstand DL, 8/8
9:20am - Complete
Notes - Felt ok. First time I have touched a kettlebell since Sunday. Trying to focus on getting those hamstrings loosened up.
8/10/16 Wednesday August 10, 2016 (training with Kevin)
6:15am - Training with Kevin
Did a full movement screen (FMS) which highlighted two things that I knew.
Right pec / shoulder is incredibly tight, and the test for putting hands behind the back was effectively a 1 with the right hand on top of the left hand - fail. Needs major work, This is clearly the reason why the right elbow is sensitive particularly on pressing - it's a shoulder issue. Need to open it up.
Hanging leg raise a 1 on the R side, - fail, and noted asymmetry with the left side. Again I knew this. Needs a ton of attention. Hamstring is crazy tight.
We immediately began working various mobility drills to address these issues. Mainly consisting of rolling out the feet, quads, moving to band drills to introduce more hamstring flexibility, and then load with "kick stand" deadlifts. Going to focus on this for the near term. A ton of heavy load to get ready for SFGII has taken a toll.
7:15am - End.
Did a full movement screen (FMS) which highlighted two things that I knew.
Right pec / shoulder is incredibly tight, and the test for putting hands behind the back was effectively a 1 with the right hand on top of the left hand - fail. Needs major work, This is clearly the reason why the right elbow is sensitive particularly on pressing - it's a shoulder issue. Need to open it up.
Hanging leg raise a 1 on the R side, - fail, and noted asymmetry with the left side. Again I knew this. Needs a ton of attention. Hamstring is crazy tight.
We immediately began working various mobility drills to address these issues. Mainly consisting of rolling out the feet, quads, moving to band drills to introduce more hamstring flexibility, and then load with "kick stand" deadlifts. Going to focus on this for the near term. A ton of heavy load to get ready for SFGII has taken a toll.
7:15am - End.
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
8/9/16 Tuesday August 9, 2016 (Primal Move)
6:30am - belly breathing, Primal Move practice, lacrosse ball release - 45 minutes
Notes - More recovery practice. Felt good waking up. Writing this in the evening, left hip / left low back has been barking. Hamstrings and aductors are really tight.
Notes - More recovery practice. Felt good waking up. Writing this in the evening, left hip / left low back has been barking. Hamstrings and aductors are really tight.
8/8/16 Monday August 8, 2016 (long walk)
Resting this week. Did a 70 minute walk at Greenlake in the morning. Had a Kinetics appt in the afternoon, and my girlfriend bought me an hour in the float tank at Float Seattle. Just trying to do a lot of recovery from the weekend. Got to work on the abductors, left hip, low back.
Sunday, August 7, 2016
8/6 and 7/16 Sat / Sunday August 6 and 7, 2016 (Dallas - SFGII)
This weekend was the culmination of 4 1/2 years of kettlebell training - SFGII in Dallas, TX. I arrived mid day Friday after taking an early morning flight out of Seattle. It's been a struggle of late - hip and outside low back on the L side, inside of the right knee, inner right elbow - all hot spots that have cropped up in the last few weeks. Did the best I could to rest the week leading up to this, got Kinetics, got a massage, got here early etc. All of that was smart. I spent hours in the hotel on Friday mobilizing, and focusing on the Pain Free exercises designed to try and release tight adductor muscles which is the likely source of both the L lower back and inner right knee troubles. All of that prep work definitely helped leading into Saturday.
First thing we did Saturday is weigh in. I was definitely dissapointed to see 218 lbs on the scale. I never weigh myself. That's more than I need to weigh by about 10 lbs, if I am going to justify 218 I would need to be leaner and I would sure as hell need to be pressing the beast. I have gained a lot of size and muscle this year for sure, strongest I have ever been, but I have not watched my diet closely at all and basically just eat when I want (I have maintained quality foods and stayed with my GF / DF / SF diet that I have maintained for over 5 years). This is ok, it's a good realistic view of my weight (I never ever weigh myself so this is part of the issue - don't even have a scale in my house) and tells me where I am at. I can start making adjustments immediately, which I actually did during the weekend. I'd like to see this come in around 208 lbs or so in a few months, that is a good weight for my size and the amount of muscle I have on me.
Saturday we started at 8:00am and finished at 6:00pm. Hell of a long day. Did a ton of stuff, almost too much to even try and summarize here. We started the day with the Strength Test aka pressing 1/2 your bodyweight. I warmed up the press with 3/3 with the 24kg, 2/2 with the 32kg, and then went for the 40kg. Started with the R side, which up until this point I had not successfully pressed in training. Got the 40kg with the L side 3 different times, but not the right yet. I am pleased to say that the 40kg press went up and through the sticking point on the R side, and I got it. It was a good lift. I surprised myself a little bit with that. I then did the L and that went up easier than the R. I had to press a 48kg to pass this test, and I knew in the back of my mind that was unrealistic. I need to get that weight in training, and even before that, I need to get a 44kg. I did grab a 44kg to try, and cleaned on the L, but didn't get a good clean, and set the bell down. We were being pressed for time so I just let it go, knowing that even if I pressed the 44kg, that was not going to pass the test.
Relatively quickly thereafter we did the Snatch test - 5 minutes, 100 reps with the 24kg. We were not messing around, that is for damn sure. I executed the rep scheme I had planned on 15/15 10/10 rest (50 reps), 10/10 rest (70 reps), 10/10 rest (90 reps), 5/5. I got it with under 10 seconds to spare, so it was pretty close, and it was damn hard. However, less than an hour into the day, I had a PR on my press on the right side and I had passed the snatch test, two completely different things, so that was a big positive and got me feeling pretty optimistic. Throughout the morning we practiced and tested the Level 1 lifts - 1H SW, double cleans, double front squats, press, get up with the 32kg. Everything went well, passed all of those lifts without issue, including the TGUs as my lockout can be an issue, but it went well. One point of advice I received on swings is that my feet were too wide apart. I have been having issues with foot placement on various lifts, both too narrow and too wide, so this is something for me to pay attention to.
As far as by body was going, was not noticing the left hip or lower back at all, but my right knee was pretty hot. I will come back to this.
During the afternoon we practiced the Push Press and the Jerk, as well as the Double Snatch. Got a huge tip out of that practice, which was basically that my glutes were not properly engaging. That is a huge problem in various phases of each lift, particularly on catching the bells after getting them overhead. I was not pleased to realize this, after getting some cues and seeing an immediate improvement in both lifts and each lift being easier. I would strongly suspect it is this issue that is cropping up the tight adductors and related things (I pretty much had deduced a glute issue earlier last week which is why Kevin and I trained this, but to see it come up in this setting was frustrating and just pissed me off that I was not doing my body any favors in these lifts). After some early practice on these lifts, I started noticing my left lower back and hip a bit, as well as my right elbow. We did a partner Double Long Cycle workout that was hell on earth, but at least at that point I had been cued up and had improved technique there.
Finished the day, went back to the hotel, iced up my elbows, did some Pain Free stretching for an hour, and then hit dinner with everyone which was a lot of fun. Went back to my hotel at 9:30 and did more mobility and Pain Free work until bed. Told myself that I seriously hoped that Sunday would not be as hard as Saturday. We did a fuckload of work on Saturday.
Woke up on Sunday feeling ok. Definitely sore, but manageable. Right elbow had calmed down a lot. Did some mobility work, some lacrosse ball, and then got to the gym. We started again at 8am. We decided to skip lunch to finish early, so the plan was to finish at 2pm, including all Level II testing completed. We did some very interesting things on Sunday. We practiced the Windmill and Bent Press, with a bunch of progressions for each lift. I found this extremely useful, and I really improved both of those lifts quite a bit from what I had been doing in practice. I have been a little fearful of these lifts, but I don't believe they are my real issue necessarily, and I want to try and intelligently incorporate them into training, including some progressions. Frankly I think both lifts helped up my R knee. I did not notice it at all after all of the work we did. We then did some athletic lifts which included moving swings, split cleans, cleans with lunges, snatches with lunges, etc. All in all that was fine but that's nothing I plan on incorporating into my training right at this moment. In fact I didn't really want to be using the 24kg for them, it might have gone a little bit better if I had been practicing with something lighter.
We then tested all Level 2 skills. Windmill, Brent Press, Double Jerks, Double Push Press, Double Snatch (20kgs). I felt very confident and solid in all lifts. I found out that I had passed all the skill tests, and was awarded my SFGII certificate, with the acknowledgment that at my current weight I would need to press the Beast within 6 months to fully complete all testing.
This was a tremendous weekend, and I will gain a lot of value in my future practice from this experience. I am very proud to have been able to achieve this personal accomplishment, which I intend to cap by pressing that 48kg kettlebell, as I know I am capable of doing it. I watched 2 men and 2 women complete the Beast Tamer and Iron Maiden challenges on Saturday, which was awesome to see in person. It certainly shows you what is possible. I am really grateful to Kevin for helping me get to this point and excited about the future and what it will bring.
First thing we did Saturday is weigh in. I was definitely dissapointed to see 218 lbs on the scale. I never weigh myself. That's more than I need to weigh by about 10 lbs, if I am going to justify 218 I would need to be leaner and I would sure as hell need to be pressing the beast. I have gained a lot of size and muscle this year for sure, strongest I have ever been, but I have not watched my diet closely at all and basically just eat when I want (I have maintained quality foods and stayed with my GF / DF / SF diet that I have maintained for over 5 years). This is ok, it's a good realistic view of my weight (I never ever weigh myself so this is part of the issue - don't even have a scale in my house) and tells me where I am at. I can start making adjustments immediately, which I actually did during the weekend. I'd like to see this come in around 208 lbs or so in a few months, that is a good weight for my size and the amount of muscle I have on me.
Saturday we started at 8:00am and finished at 6:00pm. Hell of a long day. Did a ton of stuff, almost too much to even try and summarize here. We started the day with the Strength Test aka pressing 1/2 your bodyweight. I warmed up the press with 3/3 with the 24kg, 2/2 with the 32kg, and then went for the 40kg. Started with the R side, which up until this point I had not successfully pressed in training. Got the 40kg with the L side 3 different times, but not the right yet. I am pleased to say that the 40kg press went up and through the sticking point on the R side, and I got it. It was a good lift. I surprised myself a little bit with that. I then did the L and that went up easier than the R. I had to press a 48kg to pass this test, and I knew in the back of my mind that was unrealistic. I need to get that weight in training, and even before that, I need to get a 44kg. I did grab a 44kg to try, and cleaned on the L, but didn't get a good clean, and set the bell down. We were being pressed for time so I just let it go, knowing that even if I pressed the 44kg, that was not going to pass the test.
Relatively quickly thereafter we did the Snatch test - 5 minutes, 100 reps with the 24kg. We were not messing around, that is for damn sure. I executed the rep scheme I had planned on 15/15 10/10 rest (50 reps), 10/10 rest (70 reps), 10/10 rest (90 reps), 5/5. I got it with under 10 seconds to spare, so it was pretty close, and it was damn hard. However, less than an hour into the day, I had a PR on my press on the right side and I had passed the snatch test, two completely different things, so that was a big positive and got me feeling pretty optimistic. Throughout the morning we practiced and tested the Level 1 lifts - 1H SW, double cleans, double front squats, press, get up with the 32kg. Everything went well, passed all of those lifts without issue, including the TGUs as my lockout can be an issue, but it went well. One point of advice I received on swings is that my feet were too wide apart. I have been having issues with foot placement on various lifts, both too narrow and too wide, so this is something for me to pay attention to.
As far as by body was going, was not noticing the left hip or lower back at all, but my right knee was pretty hot. I will come back to this.
During the afternoon we practiced the Push Press and the Jerk, as well as the Double Snatch. Got a huge tip out of that practice, which was basically that my glutes were not properly engaging. That is a huge problem in various phases of each lift, particularly on catching the bells after getting them overhead. I was not pleased to realize this, after getting some cues and seeing an immediate improvement in both lifts and each lift being easier. I would strongly suspect it is this issue that is cropping up the tight adductors and related things (I pretty much had deduced a glute issue earlier last week which is why Kevin and I trained this, but to see it come up in this setting was frustrating and just pissed me off that I was not doing my body any favors in these lifts). After some early practice on these lifts, I started noticing my left lower back and hip a bit, as well as my right elbow. We did a partner Double Long Cycle workout that was hell on earth, but at least at that point I had been cued up and had improved technique there.
Finished the day, went back to the hotel, iced up my elbows, did some Pain Free stretching for an hour, and then hit dinner with everyone which was a lot of fun. Went back to my hotel at 9:30 and did more mobility and Pain Free work until bed. Told myself that I seriously hoped that Sunday would not be as hard as Saturday. We did a fuckload of work on Saturday.
Woke up on Sunday feeling ok. Definitely sore, but manageable. Right elbow had calmed down a lot. Did some mobility work, some lacrosse ball, and then got to the gym. We started again at 8am. We decided to skip lunch to finish early, so the plan was to finish at 2pm, including all Level II testing completed. We did some very interesting things on Sunday. We practiced the Windmill and Bent Press, with a bunch of progressions for each lift. I found this extremely useful, and I really improved both of those lifts quite a bit from what I had been doing in practice. I have been a little fearful of these lifts, but I don't believe they are my real issue necessarily, and I want to try and intelligently incorporate them into training, including some progressions. Frankly I think both lifts helped up my R knee. I did not notice it at all after all of the work we did. We then did some athletic lifts which included moving swings, split cleans, cleans with lunges, snatches with lunges, etc. All in all that was fine but that's nothing I plan on incorporating into my training right at this moment. In fact I didn't really want to be using the 24kg for them, it might have gone a little bit better if I had been practicing with something lighter.
We then tested all Level 2 skills. Windmill, Brent Press, Double Jerks, Double Push Press, Double Snatch (20kgs). I felt very confident and solid in all lifts. I found out that I had passed all the skill tests, and was awarded my SFGII certificate, with the acknowledgment that at my current weight I would need to press the Beast within 6 months to fully complete all testing.
This was a tremendous weekend, and I will gain a lot of value in my future practice from this experience. I am very proud to have been able to achieve this personal accomplishment, which I intend to cap by pressing that 48kg kettlebell, as I know I am capable of doing it. I watched 2 men and 2 women complete the Beast Tamer and Iron Maiden challenges on Saturday, which was awesome to see in person. It certainly shows you what is possible. I am really grateful to Kevin for helping me get to this point and excited about the future and what it will bring.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)