12/21/16 Wednesday December 21, 2016 (45lb KB aerobics 15 mins)

Training from Deadwood, South Dakota

6:30am - belly breathing, Primal Move practice, lacrosse ball release, hamstring work  - 30 minutes

7:00am- Training session - 45lb KB aerobics

At Deadwood Rec Center

3x:
35lb armbar + TGU + windmill, 1/1
DB 25lb batwings, x 3
25lb halos, 5/5
35lb BU PR, 3/3

15 minutes
45lb CL 3, PR 3, FSQ 3, SN 3, set down switch hands

got in 5 full sets

45lb 2H SW, 20

Band wrist extensions, 10 x 2 sets per hand

7:45am - Complete

Notes - Writing this on Thursday evening.  Solid training session in my birthplace, Deadwood South Dakota, where I am visiting family this week.  Training at the Deadwood Rec Center.  Heaviest bell is 45 lbs (about a 20kg bell) so you do what you can!! This was fun anyway.  Been doing a lot of walking, swimming, basketball as well.  Really fun week.

12/19/16 Monday December 19, 2016 (32kg complex)

7:00am - belly breathing, Primal Move practice, lacrosse ball release, hamstring work  - 35 minutes

7:35am - 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
Crooked Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

7:50am- Training session - 32kg complex

2x:
20kg TGU + windmill, 1/1
48kg DL, 5
12kg TK halo, 5/5
DB 12kg batwings, x 3

4x:
32kg 2H SW, 10
32kg FSQ, 5/5
32kg 2H SW, 10
32kg C&P, 2/2

32kg 2H SW, 10

Band wrist extensions, 10 x 2 sets per hand
6lb sledgehammer hammer rotations, 10/10
6lb sledgehammer finger walks, 1/1, x 2

8:30am - Complete

9:00am - Chriro

Notes - Great training session right before heading to South Dakota with my kids and girlfriend to visit family this week.  Will have some bells in SD, up to 20kg.  Will be a back off for a few days.  Great to be able to press the 32kg today, really strong, focusing on a good clean, and active negative.  Continue to be encouraged at the progress back.  Don't seem to have lost any pressing strength and working on improving the groove. Got a quick chiro visit in as well.

12/17/16 Saturday December 17, 2016 (28kg C&P, 28kg 2H SW)

2:50pm - belly breathing, Primal Move practice, lacrosse ball release, hamstring work  - 30 minutes

3:05pm - 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
Crooked Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

3:20pm- Training session - 28kg C&P, 28kg 2H SW

2x:
16kg armbar + TGU + windmill, 1/1
24kg GSq, 5
12kg TK halo, 8/8

2x:
16kg BU PR, 2/2
DB 12kg batwings, x 3
24kg PR, 5/5

4x:
28kg C&P, 2/2
28kg 2H SW, 20

Band wrist extensions, 10 x 2 sets per hand
6lb sledgehammer hammer rotations, 10/10
6lb sledgehammer finger walks, 1/1, x 2

4:00pm - Complete

Notes - Excellent and quick training session in the afternoon on Saturday.  Pressing is back, and it feels pretty damn good.  Extreme focus on an excellent clean -  EVERY TIME - as well as an active negative back into the rack.  On the R side it feels like an absolute spring is being loaded and the bell just shoots up into lockout.  It's coming around on the L as well, the good thing is I can feel the lat working more effectively now, and the trap and shoulder is staying down and not shrugging.  This could be a big a ha moment for me.

12/16/16 Friday December 16, 2016 (training with Kevin)

5:45am - Primal move - 10 minutes

6:10am - Training with Kevin

7:30am - Finish

Notes - Good training session today.  We warmed up with some arm bars.  Practiced some segmental rolling, which has been helping to open up my shoulders, focusing on slowing down the movement.   Did some tall kneeling halos with the 12kg, focusing on bring the bell low to the mid stomach area, and not shrugging the shoulders.  Key for me.  We tried some "bat wings" with 12kg bells, which focuses on the lower traps / rhomboids in the back, an area of weakness I have.  I think balancing things out and improving strength in that area will really help the shoulders sit down, open up, etc.  Priming those muscles also helps a lot for pressing.  We then did some bottoms up presses with the 16kg, felt very good.  Went back and forth with bat wings, bottom up presses, then hanging from the bar.  Did some goblet squats with the 24kg, focusing on the same technique, not shrugging the shoulders but instead really firing the rhomboids.  Eventually, went to practice pressing the 24kg and did various sets of 2, 3, and 5 reps on the military press.  Was really delighted at how good things felt.  We focused on an improved clean on the L side, getting the bell vertical on the clean, and really pressing off the lat shelf.  Not letting the bell come too far on top of my arm / into the chest on the clean.  We focused heavily on an active negative and really pulling the bell from lockout into the rack for the next press.  This was huge for me, a real lightbulb moment, as there was a clean realization that an improved active negative can act as a spring-load for the next press - I have not been doing this as well as I can.  I think focusing on this at lighter weights is going to help my press groove and strength with heavier bells.  We finished the session by doing 8 minutes of 32kg 2H SW, with the first 4 minutes 10 reps on the minute, and then for the last 4 minutes, 10 reps every 30 seconds.  That was tough!  Felt great.

12/15/16 Thursday December 15, 2016 (24kg TGU, kickstand DL)

6:45am - belly breathing, Primal Move practice, lacrosse ball release, hamstring work  - 30 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)
Arm bar 16kg, 1+1
Crooked Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

Break

8:30am- Training session - 24kg TGU, kickstand DL

2x:
24kg TGU to kneeling, 1/1
24kg kickstand DL, 5

Band wrist extensions, 10 x 2 sets per hand
6lb sledgehammer hammer rotations, 10/10
6lb sledgehammer finger walks, 1/1, x 2

8:45am - Complete

Notes - Nice, looking forward to training with Kevin tomorrow.

12/14/16 Wednesday December 14, 2016 (2H SW ladder)

6:25am - belly breathing, Primal Move practice, lacrosse ball release, hamstring work  - 30 minutes

6:55am - 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
Crooked Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

7:10am- Training session - 2H SW ladder

3x:
24kg TGU to windmill, 1/1
24kg SLDL, 3/3
16kg overhead walks, 1/1

3x:
28kg 2H SW, 10
40kg 2H SW, 10
36kg 2H SW, 10
32kg 2H SW, 10

120 swings

Band wrist extensions, 10 x 2 sets per hand
6lb sledgehammer hammer rotations, 10/10
6lb sledgehammer finger walks, 1/1, x 2

7:45am - Complete

Notes - Very good training session.  Things have really come around and I am ready to take the training wheels back off again.  Doing some rolling has really been helping for the shoulders as well.

12/13/16 Tuesday December 13, 2016 (24kg TGU, GSq)

6:45am - belly breathing, Primal Move practice, lacrosse ball release, hamstring work  - 15 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)
Arm bar 16kg, 1+1
Crooked Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

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

2x:
24kg TGU to kneeling, 1/1
24kg GSq, 5

Band wrist extensions, 10 x 2 sets per hand
6lb sledgehammer hammer rotations, 10/10
6lb sledgehammer finger walks, 1/1, x 2

7:30am - Complete

Notes - Feeling solid, good.