Kettlebell Training Around Injuries and Other Hot Takes (As well as cold)

 This year I've had 2 cortisone shots in my right foot and two in my left shoulder.  The shoulder needs the cap replaced as I don't have cartilage left in it and the foot is Morton's Neuroma that is sheer irritation.  My wife and I hiked Mt Wachusett with our dog and the whole descent, my ring toe was burning.  I can run a little, 2 miles on a treadmill, but don't want to irritate it.  At the end of July, we went on a cruise to Bermuda, and I did run every day at the gym.  Because I can only get shots 3 x a year, so I try to space them out 5-6 months until I need them.  I need to be realistic and limited to what I can and cannot do.

For the past 2 months, I've been doing kettlebell complex programs.  Geoff Neupert's The Wolf as a chain and currently, The Long Haul.  As stated in previous posts I can finish the reps with the rest periods based on the total time.  However, instead of doing one exercise after another as you would in a complex, I put the bells down and do the next exercise with as little rest as possible.  Why?  First, as you age, your ability to increase your maximum heart rate is lessened and second, I don't want to get injured because I'm fatigued.  Sure, I lose the production of lactic acid buildup and the production of HGH, but I get the benefits of doing the reps, fresh and get a heck of a workout in the same amount of time.

Looks like this:

Medium Day of The Long Haul, Week 4: Double 45 lb. bells

Double Snatch x 30 seconds

Press x 30 seconds

Front Squat x 30 seconds

Double Swing x 30 seconds

3 rounds  Work:Rest ratio, 1:1.5

2 minutes of work, 3 minutes rest between rounds, Total workout is 12 minutes, or 720 seconds

Total exercises completed is 12.  (4 exercises a round x 3 rounds) 720/12 = 60.  Start the next exercise at the top of the minute.

Snatch:30 rest to top of minute, Press: 30 rest, repeat until all 12 exercises are completed.  Finish in 11:30 vs. 12 minutes

I am all in these days on 15–30-minute workouts, hit it and quit it.  Light, quick and don't get hurt.  I have double 55's and 70's that are collecting dust in my basement.  At this point the goal is maintenance with cardiovascular health.  No one builds muscle in their 50's unless they are on steroids.  

I hate the concept of "minimalism" in kettlebells.  Doing getups and one hand swings day after day or doing nothing but clean and presses is too boring for me.  That doesn't mean you won't get really good at each, you will, it's just boring, and too much volume.

My comrade Tommy Rambo and I were playing golf at his course in Connecticut, and he was telling me he was doing "80 cleans and presses in 30 minutes with his 24 kg bells).  Three times a week. Really good for 53?"  I said, "what's the point of that amount of volume?"  The joints have only so many reps, why not play the long game?  He has since taken the month off and still looks jacked. He's a Marine, and fun to play golf with.  Structured, flask of Dewar's one cigar on front 9, one on back. whistling his way to a 15 handicap. That being said anything over 50 reps for grinds is too much.  25-50 is the sweet spot, 40 is better.  

I have eliminated a LOT of exercises from my repertoire, I don't want to hear Rice Krispie's in my shoulder and want to keep my right shoulder as healthy as possible. 

1. High volume snatches.  

2. One hand swings

3. Heavy presses

4. Jerks.  Not good bouncing on the ball of my foot for my neuroma. 

5. Heavy Front Squats

There is a lot of value in these movements, just not for me anymore.  Here are some movements that are just dumb stupid circus tricks.

1. Heavy Turkish Getups. I raise my hand guilty as charged.   I used to do them.  As George W. Bush said, "when I was young and stupid, I was young and stupid."  Here's proof from 2013.  The get down was always the hardest part for me. I used to do 5 a side switching hands every rep.  I was mentally exhausted when I was done.  The last time I have done a TGU over 55 lb. was on a bet this past March.  Someone told me I couldn't do one on each side with a 32 kg at my gym.  I did 2 in a a row on each side and collected on a free bottle of Johnnie Walker Black.  Hadn't done a TGU 6 months prior to it or done one that heavy since.

Dan John has railed against heavy getups for a LONG time.  I was fortunate enough to be a guest of Dan's at the Perform Better conference last month.  A great guy who is extremely generous with his time.  His coaching discussion and workshop were incredible.

I am of the opinion that unless you are a mutant, save your money on buying heavy kettlebells.  I sold my two 88 lb. kettlebells in the midst of the pandemic for more money than I paid for them.  Stick to 32kg/70lb. and under.  No reason at all to go heavier. 

2. Windmills. Some please tell me why you need them?  Want a strong core? Ab wheel

3. Bent Press Silly old time circus trick. Either you can press the weight or not. The number of people who care I can count on one hand.

4. Bottoms-up loaded carries. I like my teeth the way they are.

5. Rotational ballistics.  Turn and do swings or cleans.  Huh?  Nope.  There is an instructor I USED to follow who does these.  I'll leave him nameless to protect the idiocy.  

Other thoughts from the DragonDoor/StrongFirst universe

1. Simple is great, Sinister is stupid. One hand swings, with a 48 kg are ugly.

2. You will reach a limit to your strength.  Not everyone will reach the Rite of Passage. At 188 lb., I maxed out at 36 kg/79 lb. bell.  Never came close on the 40kg/88 lb. bell.  I could push press it.

3. Press>Jerk>Push Press.  Push presses will not help your press.  Too much leakage of strength.

4. You will reach your limit for snatching.  160 in 10 minutes for me with a 55 lb. bell. You get to a certain age, see above where the cardiovascular engine only has so much horsepower.  Grip, shoulder fatigue, hamstring comfort, breathing.  100 in 5 minutes? In the old days, sure.  Minutes 6-10 are a different animal.

5. Why would anyone do Girevoy Sport?  Other than the pretty colored kettlebells?

6. The individuals that blindly follow the Simple and Sinister workout for more than 3 months are completely missing the boat on what makes kettlebells fun.  I've never laid down and thought, "can't wait to do Turkish Getups today!"  I like them, just never looked forward to them.

7. Not following a program and freestyling it, can be the most emancipating fun workouts to do. Make up your own.

8. The protocols with numbers QD45, are silly. It's not a nuclear program. Silly marketing schtick.  I still burst out laughing anytime I see the old StrongFirst photos of guys dressed up in paramilitary gear.

9. If I was to choose a program for 12 weeks, it would be the Rite of Passage. The dread of heavy day still reigns in the back of my head. But it works. REALLY REALLY works. Unfortunately, once you get to the 32kg/70 lb. lots of people, including me start to get nicked up.  150 presses are A LOT. 

10. Why is it always the BJJ guys who have programming ADD? Can I do this? and this? while doing my BJJ 4 days a week?                                           

Kettlebell Stacking and Updates

Injury update, all is well.  No pain in my left shoulder, right shoulder has been a little cranky.  That's my throwing shoulder, so I know for sure that will probably need cap replacement eventually as well. They both crack. Foot has held up fine.  I have not done any running whatsoever, nor plan to.  Only issue was when I decided to walk the beach and it was really sore the next day.  800 mg of Advil and ice alleviated it. I don't even know if I can hike.  The bride wanted to book a few days in Bar Harbor, ME and hike Acadia again, but I would hate to be shut down on day 1.  My podiatrist told me only 3 cortisone shots a year, so it's been less than 3 months need to keep it healthy for another couple of months.

Kettlebell update: Yes, I still use them a couple of times a week.  I had this grand illusion of doing 10,000 swings in 10 days.  Did the first 3 days no problem, actually did 500 on day 3 with a 32kg/70 lb.  Day 4, I had the "you're going to get hurt if this continues.." hunch and stopped.  

Let's discuss what I CAN'T do.  Jerks, I believe it assisted in causing the neuroma in the ball of my foot.  Snatches, I don't need to hear my shoulders go rice krispies on the downswing. Turkish Getups.  Surprisingly, presses do not bother them.  At the gym, no more pullups or dips. I've been doing machines, light sets of 10 and the StairMaster with no hands and the seated bike.  The bike routines are the longest 30 minutes of my life.  Still doing Yoga With Kassandra once or twice a week.  Good can opener for the hips and hamstrings.

It took until this week, but I found what works with kettlebells without the wear and tear.  An oldie but a goodie....STACKING.  Using a 45 lb. bell. 30 seconds each exercise

Two hand swing x :30 seconds (about 19-20 reps)

Rest :30

Goblet Squat x :30 seconds(about 9 or 10 reps)

Two hand swing x :30

Rest :30

Slingshot :30 seconds (around the body pass)

Goblet Squat x :30

Two hand swing x :30

Rest :30

Clean and Press L x :30 (6 reps)

Clean and Press R x :30

Slingshot x :30

Goblet Squat x :30

Two Hand Swing x :30

Rest :30

One Arm Row L x :30 (16-17 reps)

One Arm Row R x :30 

Clean and Press L x :30

Clean and Press R x :30

Slingshot x :30

Goblet Squat x :30

Two Hand Swing x :30

Rest 90 seconds, repeat 2 more times.

A tremendous MetCon of 36 minutes.  It felt good to open up the throttle.  You can do this for reps or lower the time of each exercise and go heavier.  

I've been traveling a lot for work.  Twice to Chicago already.  Again, in a month, then Toronto and NYC late may and early June.  The great dilemma is fly or drive to Toronto. I've surprisingly had some decent equipment in the hotels that I've stayed.  Also did 10 days in Florida and went to a couple of different Planet Fitness franchises.  I like working out in different gyms.  The funny part was I ran into a couple I used to see in my hometown gym 15 years ago, 1600 miles away.  

Been fasting once or twice a week depending on the length.  40 hours twice in the last month and 21+ twice this week.  Whenever I travel, I usually do it.  Coming home from 88 degree Florida, into 37 degree windy Boston, I figured, I'm going to be miserable anyway, might as well be REAL miserable.  

This is 53

Setting:  Honey Dew Doughnut Shop.  Me: Sitting with a medium cup of black coffee and stuffing my face with a butternut doughnut as well as dew drop stick, wallowing in my misery.

Visit to the orthopedist yesterday to have him look at my achy, but not debilitating left shoulder, after I got it X-rayed in December.  Prognosis: "If I just looked at this X-ray and didn't test your range of motion, I would be suggesting to you that we need to schedule joint replacement surgery."  No cartilage left in the ball of the joint, bone on bone movement, arthritis and spurring.  He told me we can do nothing until it's intolerable, shoot it with cortisone, but once that starts, you're getting one step closer to surgery.  I said, shoot it to kill the inflammation.  He said, once you have cortisone, you can't have the surgery for 3 months.  I laughed, said, "it doesn't matter, I just got a shot in my foot last week."  What's 14 weeks instead of 13?

Pretty frustrating.  I had originally had a slight separation 25 years ago that healed after a shot.  Horizontal movements, "band pull-aparts," "pec dec," swinging a golf club sometimes hurt it.  I'm sure all the kettlebell lifting and pressing wore it done a bit.  I never hurt it doing kettlebells, vertical pressing does not bother it, but alas, wear and tear.  It was a good run.  

What now?  First, I can't do ANYTHING.  No yoga because of my shoulder AND my foot.  Walking is limited.  I did 3.5 miles with my dog and my new insoles and I could feel the Morton's Neuroma later on. So, need to limit that.  Need to keep the weight off it.  Lifting, sure, leg extensions and leg curls, some ab work.  I'm basically going to take the rest of the month off and let the inflammation go away.  Throw in the $1200 I just spent this week at the optometrist for new scleral lenses with the comment, "there's toxicity on your corneas."  Have my colonoscopy next month, let's see how many polyps they find, and I'm a PHYSICAL WRECK. 

Hopefully, in March I can do swings and squats with kettlebells and light machine weights at the gym.  I've decided to get the surgery done in the fall after golf season and summer are over.  October is usually a slow month in my industry so that would be a good time.  6 week recovery, as good as new. I've started brushing my teeth and shaving with my right hand in preparation.  I look terrible with a beard. 

Need to lock the diet down and cut the calories.  

The Calm Before The Storm

That's right!  We are getting a BLIZZARD here in the lovely Commonwealth of Massachusetts starting off at 11 PM Friday night.  Who is going to need a workout after shoveling the deck, the path to the fire hydrant and mailbox?  Ran my snowblower 2 weeks ago when we had a foot, topped of the tank this afternoon and it fired right up!  The greater Milford region, according to Accuweather which has a residential station around the corner from my house is forecasting.....DRUM ROLL....27.1 inches. Wind gusts Saturday to 46 mph and Saturday night 66 mph.  Good times, stocked up on a 12 pack of Perpetual IPA and a handle of John Barr scotch. 2 more years of this and I'll be in FL My brother mentioned that it will be a low of 35 in Beautiful Sunny Naples FL on Saturday.  He has never turned on the heat.  It's a source of pride, not let's face facts, he's a skinflint.  Not me, if I'm cold, I turn up the heat.  

The foot is taken care of.  I received a cortisone shot in the top of my foot near ring and middle toe.  I let out a nice Ric Flair like WOOOOOOOOO when the podiatrist stuck it right in the middle of the sore spot.  Not the first time I've enjoyed being poked.  Coming Up (like a flower), a week from today, is the shoulder. Just a black and blue bruise on my foot and a little numbness in my ring toe, which is normal.  Have to wear inserts for my high arches from now on.

Took 4 days completely off.  Because of the shot, I couldn't do yoga and any one legged stuff, or jerks because of pushing up on my toes. Decided to keep my feet flat and do The Giant 2.0.  First workout of 3,4,5 was great. 5 rounds, 60 reps. Yesterday, did the 3,5,7 ladder.  Got to the 4th ladder and my back started getting balky near but not on my SI joint.  Quit at 53 reps.  Woke up this morning, still tight, decided to do day 25 of the 2019 Yoga with Time 30 day challenge.  43 minutes later I felt good.  With an empty nest, I'm going to need it to do shoveling. 

My plan as of right now is to go out 3 times. In the morning after coffee. Around 4 PM and then Sunday AM.  Playing couples cribbage in the afternoon and watching the NFL games.  Go Bengals and 49ers. As a Patriots fan, I was glad to see the Bucs lose in spite of the fact that my siblings have season tickets to Tampa Bay. I sent them the I Love LA video by Randy Newman.  Great tune.

Bills should have fired their defensive coordinator and special teams coach right after the game.  Why not squib kick it and make them return it and burn off clock?  Why are the safeties so deep on 1st and 10 with 8 seconds left?  They were on their 30.  One of the best games I've ever seen and one of the best weekends of football. I'm satisfied with the Patriots season.  They finished the season in kind of a dud, but they played well and improved from last year.

Good day to empty the drawer of my opinions.  You may agree with them or not.  That's fine, I like debate and what people think. Been a strange 2022 so far.

1. I'm ambivalent in regard to COVID.  If you want to get a vaccine and boosters, terrific, that's your prerogative.  If you don't, that's great too.  But we should not be segregating people and showing proof.  If you don't have to show an ID to vote, why should you break HIPAA laws and show vaccine status?  For the record, I did get the JnJ last May.  I was forced to by my mother who wouldn't allow me to visit her if I didn't.  Complete go through the motions.  Yes, Mommy still does tell her soon to be 53 year old eldest son what to do sometimes. There will NOT be any booster shots.  She is aware of this and currently we are agreeing to disagree as the bride and I are going down to visit in March. My pal Darren told me last June when I was down, I'm always welcome to stay at his place.  MRNA does not work against Omicron. No more big pharma juice for me.

2. Finally the stock market went up today.  Been getting treated like a baby treats a diaper. I have gotten hammered this year, but all my holdings are quality.  Fed printed too much money, Brandon shut the Keystone Pipeline down. When gas is more expensive, logistics become more expensive which leads to higher prices with a weak dollar.  Rates are going to have to go up, and this will kill the real estate market.  Commercial Real Estate is going to crash due to remote work.  Why pay for office space?  When leases expire, it's going to get REALLY UGLY.

3. More people voted, dead or alive in the 2020 election than ever in the history of the United States.  The only voting laws we need are: Show your ID at the poll, and absentee ballots. None of this mail-in stuff. 

4. Why are we so worried about Ukraine's sovereignty but not our own at the Southern border? 

5. Winter sports are awful to watch.  The NBA is garbage.  Nothing but a 3 point shooting contest, everything you've ever been taught on how to play basketball is thrown out the window.  Celtics need to trade Jayson Tatum yesterday.  Guy is more interested in All Star teams than banners.  A complete stat padder.  And don't get me started on hockey.  I saw the puck better in 1979 on a snowy UHF TV-38.  They pan so far away from the action.  I can't see the numbers, the helmets hide the players' faces.  It looks like the Ice Capades with sticks.  We SHOULD NOT be sending a team to China as well.

6. I got the Disney Plus channel after Thanksgiving.  The Beatles Get Back movie was PHENOMENAL.  I watched all 8 hours twice.  The second time to study it. I didn't see a band that hated each other.  They got along great.  Paul McCartney ate, slept and drank songwriting.  Watching him figure out the riff of Get Back the song in 5 minutes was amazing.  Also, figuring out lyrics.  At first it was an immigrant protest song, talking about Pakistanis getting back to where they once belong but it changed.  Ringo was the glue of the band and dependable.  John had full on ADHD but was supportive and brought a couple of songs to the table.  George had a bunch of songs just percolating and stood up for his opinions well.  It inspired me to start playing the piano again. Since the New Years, I've taken the Beatles easy piano book that my wife has an been playing 20-30 minutes a day.  So far, I've aced We Can Work It Out and Nowhere Man.  Here's proof.

I'm currently working on I've Just Seen A Face and Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da which is difficult trying to keep the reggae groove with the left hand.  It's fun and keeps the mind sharp.  

7.  I finally made the break. I'm completely off social media.  Deleted my 14 year old, 1300 + contact LinkedIn account in December. Don't need it, going to use SalesIntel to develop my network.  The virtue signaling, good bye messages, and pronouns got to be too much.  I wanted to use Bro, Bruh, Brah, but it wouldn't be good for my career. If you're SO sad to leave your company, then why are you leaving?   It's basically the want-ads for those looking for a job.  I have a great headhunter and a better network.  Quit Twitter in 2020, Fakebook in 2010, never been on Instagram. (Imagine a narcissistic 52 year old taking pictures of himself.)  Never going to happen. 

8. Here's a great hack.  Pretend it's 1985 once every week or 2.  Do not turn on your phone or your computer.  Just TV.  Or take an information fast.  Read books, lots of them.  Your brain will thank you.  

9.  Speaking of books it is amazing how relevant Atlas Shrugged! is today.  

10. My role has changed at my company. I'm going to be doing a lot of traveling, especially to the Midwest.  Chicago, at least three times in 4 months. New York twice and Dallas.  Going to be craziness. 

11. Metabolic syndrome is the greatest risk from a health standpoint that the US has today.  Gaps in care, high BMI, high H1C, large belly circumference, low HDL and hypertension are wreaking havoc on health.  Type 2 diabetes is an ugly disease that must be reversed.  It is an ugly way to go.  

12. Congratulations to the greatest Red Sox player of all time making the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.  David Ortiz!  Everyone swear it is Ted Williams, but the Splendid Splinter hit .200 in his only World Series appearance with 0 HR and 1 RBI.  Never knocked in 100 RBI after 1950.  I made friends with Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy at a golf tournament last September, he told me to look at Williams' OPS.  They're ridiculous statistics.  However, Papi ended the 82 years of losing to the Yankees, has 3 rings and hit .688 in 2013 World Series.  It would have been .700 had Carlos Beltran not reached into the bullpen and caught a sacrifice fly.  My ballot:

Ortiz, Clemens, Bonds, Schilling, Kent, Sheffield, Ramirez, Visquel and A-Rod.  Bagwell, Ivan Rodriguez and Mike Piazza were rumored to be on the bean.  Put them all in and Pete Rose.  

Adjusting Into Middle Age...Yoga anyone?

 Greetings from the injury couch.  

I need to stay off my foot until Monday when I see the podiatrist.  A case of Morton's Neuroma with a side dish of bursitis in the top of my middle and ring toes on my right foot.  I originally injured the foot jumping rope 10 or 11 years ago.  Since then, a little numbness once in a while, but it reared its ugly head in November from running.  I've stopped running and noticed it was getting better the last 2 weeks.  Yesterday, for some reason it was sorer than usual and I popped 800 mg of Advil that my son had from getting his wisdom teeth out.  When I got up to go to bed last night after watching TV and sitting for couple of hours, I couldn't put ANY weight on it.  It was throbbing.  Today it is about 75% but I made the appointment.  Add that to the arthritis/spacing/spurs in my left shoulder and you would think that I'm a physical wreck.  Hopefully I'll get cortisone shots for both and we'll evaluate.

Working around the shoulder has been easy enough.  I stopped doing pull-ups and strict presses.  Running a kettlebell chain program called Herky Jerky. It is keeping the conditioning up.  More importantly, I've been doing daily yoga for over a month.  Every day, except today, of course Yoga With Tim on YouTube has a 30 day challenge.  I'm doing the 2019 one and have completed 24 days. The best part is when he has the Orange County Yoga bunnies as his students.  

I can honestly say when I'm doing it, I count the minutes until it's over. BUT!!!! it works wonders.  My back feels bulletproof,  my shoulders, hips and hamstrings are completely loosened up.  I can do a crow pose for 2 seconds and my balance is significantly better.  It is exhausting and really a challenge.  Something I will definitely stick with.

My son was home from college where he started lifting.  19 years old, 6'2" and a long, lean 195 lb. While home on semester break he joined a gym with barbells.  Full of testosterone, he's making GAINZZZ all over the place and was chugging 2 protein shakes a day.  To be young and know what I know now.

Went as a guest his last day home before he went back.  I haven't lifted barbells in 5 years, so decided to peck around and see what felt good.  First the ugly: Threw 135 on the bench laid down did 3 sets of 5.  Form good, weight felt light, but both shoulders were like Rice Krispies. Especially my GOOD one!  Then squat rack.  Did a warm up set and my shoulder ACHED from reaching back and trying to grip the bar on my back.  Did a couple of sets of 225 for 5 after they stretched out.  But I figured with the yoga I wouldn't have had the issue of gripping the bar on my back

Now the good.  I did a standing military press for 3 at 115 lb. and just missed 135. As in if I wanted to shake and grind I might have gotten it, but what would be the point?  Then we went to the deadlift.  I ended up ripping 275 off the floor, no problem perfect form.  I had 315, easy but was too lazy to switch out the plates. 

I'm going to join that gym in the summer.  Monday and Tuesday I had soreness in places I didn't know existed.  

Add running and jumping rope to the "No More, You Can't Do" list.  I'm so glad that I didn't do 75 Hard, I would have had to quit today and start over 1/2 way through.