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. 

The Greatest Single Kettlebell Program

 Did the title hook you to click?  

My experience with running the The Giant is over.  Using double 55 lb./25 kg kettlebells, I completed all 5 programs of 4 weeks apiece. What I loved about it, was set the clock from 20-30 minutes and do cleans and presses.  No timed rest periods, just auto-regulate and do the work. On days that, I didn't have it, all I had to do was get through the 30 minutes.

The issue, I have, is it is a minimalist approach.  Do one exercise for 20 weeks.  I like variety.  What I loved about the Rite of Passage program, is it also involves swings, snatches and 2 variety days.  As if the author is saying, "I know you're not going to do the program as written, so here are 2 days to do other work."

I freely admit that I was doing pullups, dips, chest presses and running on off days from The Giant.  So what now? 

Well, I combined the things I liked about both of the programs above combined them and added an exercise.

1. Use a single kettlebell

I like changing up between singles and doubles.  ROP is a single kettlebell program and The Giant can be done using a single bell.

2. Set the clock for 30 minutes and do clean and press on each side

I'll pass on doing 5 ladders, 75 repetitions per side and taking over an hour to complete heavy day.  Sweet spot for me is between 25 and 50 repetitions. 

3. ADD A SQUAT

Here is where I am traveling off the reservation.  My biggest complaint with both programs is the lack of squatting.  You can do them on variety days with the ROP, but it's never stated in the program.  I'm also a fan of single kettlebell squats in the rack.  One of the most UNDERRATED exercises. You need to stay tight so the bell doesn't fall out of the rack and it works the side abdominal wall as well.  This is not to be confused with a goblet squat, which you hold with both hands.  

It looks like this.  Medium day is sets of 2.  Clean and Press, Clean and Press, lower bell back to rack, squat 2 times, switch hands and repeat.

4. Swings and Snatches after completing 30 minutes.

I always loved this addition to the ROP for conditioning.  Using a dice roll, from 2-12, calculate the number of minutes to do ballistics.  On medium days, one hand swings, heavy days two hand swings, light days, snatches.  Depending how you feel effort level should be 75-100%.

Perform this program 3 days a week for 4 weeks. On off days, yoga, walk, do a 2-3 mile run, some pullups and dips. Walk on all off days.  I don't see walking as a workout.  I look at it as movement for your heart and to burn calories. 

Putting it all together, it looks like this, I'm using a 61.6 lb./28 kg bell for everything except snatches.  For snatches a 55 lb./25 kg bell.

BELL SIZE 5-6 REP MAX.  

SUNDAY MEDIUM DAY

30 minutes

Sets of 2 Clean and Press/Squat left, then a set of 2 Clean and Press/Squat right

One hand swings

Roll a pair of dice or go to RANDOM.ORG and press the button for a dice roll.  Take sum of roll and do sets of 10 left then 10 right of one hand swings as many sets as possible.  For example, dice roll is 10.  For 10 minutes, do sets of one hand swings, rest as necessary.  No rest between left and right hand.  Park bell once 20 swings are completed.

MONDAY/WEDNESDAY/FRIDAY/SATURDAY VARIETY OR REST DAY

Walk, do some YouTube yoga for 30-45 minutes, go to gym and do a light workout or run. Walk EVERYDAY, but at LEAST one day week, do nothing more than walk. 

TUESDAY HEAVY DAY

30 minutes

Sets of 3 Clean and Press/Squat left then a set of 3 Clean and Press/Squat right

Two hand swings

Same instructions as above with the dice roll.  I like doing a set of 10 ever 30 seconds.  So 15 seconds swings, 15 seconds rest. 

THURSDAY EASY DAY

30 minutes

Sets of 1 Clean and Press/Squat left, then a set of 1 Clean and Press/Squat right

One arm snatches

Same instructions as above with the dice roll.  Snatch left, snatch right, park bell. I like either doing a set of 5L, 5R and rest to the top of each minute. Or, a set of 10L, 10R, then rest a minute. Make sure to use impeccable form and take care of your hands to avoid blisters.

Do this for 4 weeks and test clean and press rep max. If the rep max is 7/8, try it using a 3, 4, 5 rep scheme.  If 9/10, do 4, 5, 6 rep scheme.

Happy New Year!

Enter the Kettlebell vs The Giant

 I wanted to right a comparison of Enter the Kettlebell's Rite of Passage vs. The Giant.  Having had experience running both programs, I will tell you the good, the bad, and the ugly of both.  How they are alike and how they are different.  

First, let's state the obvious:  Both are kettlebell programs in which you do the clean and press for 3 days a week. Both use auto-regulation for rest periods.  Both can be done with one kettlebell. The Rite of Passage and The Giant 2.0 both use a ladders repetition scheme. You will get strong doing either, guaranteed.  Both wave the reps schemes weekly; easy, medium, hard.

Now let's state the differences.

Goals:

The Rite of Passage (ROP) goal is twofold: 

1. To press half of your bodyweight with a kettlebell on each side.

2. Be able to snatch the 24 kg for men 200 times in 10 minutes. 

The Giant is a 5 program set running 20 weeks where you start with either your 5 or 10 rep max and run through 4 or 5 of the sub-programs and advance the repetition scheme of each sub-program. Ideally each week, perform one more set than the previous week.

Number of kettlebells used during workout:

ROP is a single kettlebell clean and press. program, but you may use a heavier kettlebell for your swings or snatches.

The Giant is a single OR double kettlebell clean and press. 

Time:

ROP is to be run until you reach 1/2 bodyweight press and achieve 200 snatches.  The time of each workout is as long as necessary to finish your 5 ladders of cleans and presses and the number of minutes for the dice roll for snatches and swings.

The Giant is a 20 week program.  Each workout is 20-30 minutes long.  

Rep Scheme:

ROP 3 days, Easy, Medium, Heavy, 5 ladders of (1,2,3), (1,2,3,4), (1,2,3,4,5) 310 total reps per week.

The Giant 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, and 3.0 Reps run from 1-9.  Straight sets.  Meaning, as many sets of 1 or 9 in the 20-30 minutes you set.  The Giant 2.0, ladders run 3-8 reps.

Rest Days:

ROP recommends 2 full rest days and 2 "variety days" where you can practice other movements.  Squats, snatches, getups.  Basically Pavel is saying, "I know you're not going to rest like I'm telling you so have at it two other days."

The Giant recommends take 4 days off, recover and enjoy life.  If you must, 3 x 3 schemes on off days.  Or walk, yoga, just take it easy.

Extras:

ROP recommends doing pullups in between sets of ladders.  I don't have a pullup bar at home so I do one arm rows. Plus snatches and swings.  Number of minutes by rolling 2 dice.  I like the latter part.  The former is tough when doing pullups.  Especially when doing pullups in the 4th and 5th ladder.

The Giant, did I mention all you do is clean and press?  Just clean and press.

My take: Both are awesome programs. I've run both for over 20 weeks now or in the past.  I love the finisher of doing swings and snatches of the ROP.  It is truly a strength and conditioning program that covers a lot of bases.  The variety days are great for doing some squats, 5 x 5 will do, and practicing snatching.  I don't believe snatching once a week at 50-60% capacity is going to get you to pass the snatch test. 

It's a younger man's program if you have your sights set on the goals.  At 52, I'm not getting to 200 with a 24 kg bell.  I don't have the cardiovascular capacity.  That doesn't mean you can't run the program for 3 months, just it's not likely to happen.  I've also accepted the 1/2 body press is out of reach.  I have push pressed the 40 kg for reps, but never strict pressed.  

My all time best at 185-190 lb.

Clean and press 36 kg for ladders of (1,2,3) on each side.  160-165 snatches with a 25 kg bell in 10 minutes.  I have passed the 5 minute test of a 100 reps with a 25 kg bell.

Most people max out on this program with the 32 kg bell. Performing 75 reps of clean and press on each side with a 32 is no joke, and after running it for a little bit, I've found myself getting nicked up, injury-wise.  Best recommendation 3 months and switch.  You'll love the results, but for the mature kettlebeller, the chance of injury is increases as you progress.  

One last thing, the heavy day workouts are LONG, as in hitting it hard for 60-75 minutes.  25 sets each side + hard swings.

The Giant 

This program is a real winner.  Here's what I love about it.  Set the clock for 20-30 minutes, do the work.  If you're having a bad day and the bells feel heavy, just by showing up and doing 4-6 sets, you've finished your workout.  With the ROP, it's not done until the ladders are done.  It is recommended that you run it with doubles for best results.  You can even use mismatched bells (I don't)  You can run it with a single bell. 

I remember first starting it and using double 55's.  My rep max was 6.  Now in the 1.2 program where the heavy day is 9, I just blow right past 6 reps. I did 4 sets of 9 in 16 minutes and a set of 4 in 20 minutes.  By the time I finished 1.0, 10 reps clean and press with 55's. was no problem.  

The good news is, you get REALLY good at the clean and press. If you're using the right doubles weight, it's great for conditioning and with the correct diet, you'll trim down while packing on some muscle.  Bad news, is there is no variety. You can run other programs alongside it, but you'll stall, progression-wise as you get into weeks 9-20.

Right now, my off-days for 1.2 are 45 minutes of yoga and a 3 mile walk.  I'm not going to stray from this.  

I am looking forward to testing my rep max with double 32's when I'm done.

Conclusion:

You can't go wrong with either.  If you have the time to invest, are not high mileage, like variety and want to become a stud with a single kettlebell, than the ROP is for you.  If you want a minimalist, just do this for 60-90 minutes per week with time to recover and also use doubles, than go with The Giant. 

 

The Giant 1.1 and Thoughts on 75 Hard

Well it took me 6 weeks, but the Giant 1.1 program is in the books.  I did use the double 55's, but adjustments had to be made.  First, the timer.  I set it for 20 minutes instead of 30.  Secondly, I did not chase sets.  If I only did 5 sets, good enough. Third, I went on vacation for 8 days and did not have access to kettlebells.  I finally played my autoregulation card.  There is some real magic in 5 sets of 6-8.  It was hard and yes, I'm going to run 1.2.  The 9 rep days aren't going to be pretty, but I ran it with 45's so I know what I'm getting into.  Just going to go by feel, because 6 months from now, am I really going to care if I only got 45 reps vs 54?  The program was a success and didn't get injured.

Just after my last post, I finished the Ballistic Beatdown program.  One of my LEAST favorite from the More Kettlebell Muscle/Kettlebell Hard book. I dislike doing long sets of high pulls.  They are a grip killer and doing 10, followed by 10 double snatches is just not safe.  Especially for people who have just started using double kettlebells.  Days 2 and 3 are not fun in weeks 5 and 6.  Don't recommend.  

I will say the benefit of Ballistic Beatdown is the conditioning aspect, but I think there are better routes to take.  I was in Florida and running 5-6 miles at a clip.  Flat land and warm, but not hot weather.  Got 3 rounds of golf in and hit the ball great.  A good way to finish the season.

75 Hard is a program designed by Andy Frisella.  It's not a physical transformation challenge.  It's a "ironman" for the brain.  I have not finished it.  I have run it for 9 days twice and failed.  I chose to fail. When you fail, back to day 1.  Cue up the Price is Right, loss music....wha whu whu wa WAHHHHHHHH.

Here are the rules:

For 75 days,

1. Progress photo once a day.  

2. No alcohol

3. Follow a diet.  NO junk food or cheat meals

4. Two workouts per day, one MUST be outdoors 45 minutes each

5. Read 10 pages of a self development book

6. Drink one gallon of water a day.

No compromises, no excuses.

Sounds easy?  Let's evaluate:

Progress photo

I can't believe people fail on this.  Wake up, hit the head, wash your hands, grab your phone, shoot.  No one needs to see it.  We all look our age 1st thing. Laugh, delete.  Why do this?  So you can measure progress, but more importantly, it's about the details.  Simple tasks matter.

No alcohol

This one can be tough for a lot of people.  I have failed because I went to my friend's new restaurant and bar and had a couple of beers.  A great habit to be in, and your workouts are incredible.  I did drink alcohol down in Florida because I was on vacation.  It's a choice. Is having that beer going to help you attain your goals?  No.  Pretty black and white.  After 14 days, this gets easy.  My suggestion would be start by designating 1 day a week to drink for about 3-4 weeks.  No alcohol on the other 6 days to get out of the habit.

Diet

This is the hardest one for everyone.  You can pick ANY diet you want.  This could be as simple as eating 3 square meals a day.  No junk food.  I have read blogs and opinions from "nutritionists" that  says it can cause an unhealthy relationship with food.  I call HORSE MANURE.  Eat healthy, what's unhealthy about eating clean and not drinking?  I picked one meal a day twice a week, which is basically fasting for 22-23 hours.  Again, is eating potato chips helping me reach my goals?  Eat, just make sure it's good food.

Two Workouts, 45 minutes each

This one can be a challenge especially with the weather getting cold and unpredictable up here in the northeast.  First the good news, I have an 18 month old golden retriever who is the apple of my eye and she needs exercise.  A 3 mile walk is a win/win.  Indoors, piece of cake I have kettlebells and after the Giant, can do some ab work, farmer carries and 5 x 5 squats and rows.  

Why outdoors?  Conditions aren't always perfect in life.  These workouts also can't be run back to back.  Two workouts is a little extreme.  I would say if you need to recover.  yoga for one session and a walk for another.  Last week, I hit tennis balls to my dog, (I live in the center of a cul-de-sac) and did some kettlebell swings, squats and carries in my driveway for 45 minutes. Be creative.

Read 10 pages of a self improvement book

A great habit to practice instead of scrolling your phone over morning coffee.  I work for a habit change company, so I'm reading Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg to improve my craft.  

Habits = Motivation + Ability + Prompt.  What people don't realize is motivation AKA willpower is finite.  Ability and prompt aren't  To be successful at making good habits, focus on your ability and what prompts you.

Drink a gallon of water a day.

Ok, this is extreme.  Especially for women.  128 oz. is a LOT of water.  Yes you will be hydrated.  But if you're drinking 3 quarts which should be your minimum and are peeing clear, that should be good enough.  Substituting water for PM coffee or wine/beer is the theory behind it.  Here is the issue:  The outdoor workout.  There is nothing worse than trudging home the last 15 minutes when your bladder is about to explode, OR drinking it all at night and waking up every 2 hours.  Drink as much as you can early and be strategic about your outdoor workout.  This is the worst step of the program, and when I do it, I drink the gallon. 

I think this is genius if you understand the psychology behind it.  It can be extreme.  It is NOT a check the tasks off.  The tasks should be done with INTENT.  Everyone compromises with themselves in life.  This program teaches you not to compromise, to be your best even on days you don't feel it. It teaches you in business or life that conditions aren't always going to be perfect, but you do the right thing anyway.  Sandy Koufax one time said he only had his best pitching stuff 20% of the time.  But look at his numbers, he performed without it.  

I'm 0 for 2 so far.  However I have lost about 6 lb-7 lb. from vacation and did power through a 39 hour fast Monday vs. fasting twice.  

Even if you're not running 75 Hard, and ran this below, it's a really good blueprint for health and discipline. 

1. Eat a healthy diet

2. No/limited alcohol 1 day a week limit 3 units

3. Drink 3 quarts of water

4. Read a chapter, self improvement, non-fiction, Bible.  

5. One workout one walk

6. Take a photo once a week. 

Don't count the days. Just win today.  

For the most of this blog, I DO NOT provide progress reports.  I don't write about it unless I finish it.  I really don't like when people post on forums, and blogs how after 30 days how they're life has changed, yet fail 3 days later and never complete the program. 

No one wants to see progress photos of a soon to be 53 year old man with bed head anyway.  

Happy Thanksgiving

The Giant 2.0

 Yesterday in my journey of doing Geoff Neupert's The Giant, kettlebell program,  I finished the 2.0 workout.  What makes this different than the other 4 workouts is that it uses ladders vs. straight sets.  I believe this is the best next progression after 1.0.  Why?  In 1.0, the heavy day is the 6 rep day.  For 20-30 minutes, you're performing continuous reps of 6.  If you do the 1.1 workout, 6 is the light day and 8 is the heavy day!  That might be too much progression.  Kind of like a $3.5 trillion spending bill. No, that would be the 1.2 program.

The 2.0 program uses ladders ranging from 3-8.  Meaning, first set, do a set of 4. Rest, next set of 6, rest set of 8. Start ladder over.  What I like about ladders is instead of balling out and starting with a set of 8, which might feel awful, you kind of ease into it. Set of 4, loosen up a little, set of 6, warmed up, set of 8.  It's kind of like pitching.  You don't go into a game without warming up.  The first couple of rungs help you get the movement pattern down for the money set.

I ran this program with double 55 lb./25kg kettlebells.  4 weeks, 1st 3 were for 30 minutes, last week was 20.  My best was 75 reps on a medium day, which was a personal record.  The magic in this program is in the high rep sets, 7's and 8's.  They also take a LOT out of you.  I never went to failure, but hit a wall on heavy day in week 3.  Now if I did the program as written and rested, maybe the results might have been even better.  

I am still running a couple of days a week on treadmill or outdoors.  3-5 miles, just for meditative purposes.  Also gone to the gym to do some pullups and rows.  Last Sunday, after an easy day deload week 20 minute session, I decided to do a snatch test for 5 minutes.  Being over 50, as a "master" (insert joke), I can use the 45 lb. bell.  

Chalked up, set the clock and started.  There are many different ways to get to 100.  20 reps sets descending to 15, 10 and 5.  I'm not a fan of long sets.  I find them to be grip fryers and cause shoulder fatigue.  When the grip starts going, you're more apt to have a bad rep, a pinch and a blood blister.  Sets of 10 are okay.  Just boring.  A few years ago, I did this with a 35 and did 200 in 9 minutes.  It was still pretty miserable.  

Personally I like, 8, 8 and then 6 sets of 7,7.  The grip stays fresher. The sets don't seem that long.  If you can do 5 reps, everyone can do an extra 2. And my shoulders feel better.  There are some drawbacks to this.  First, you have to keep a decent pace.  Hand switches waste time. Second, the counting aspect.  This isn't a problem for me.  My brother teases me, that I know my exact golf score in my head or how many points I scored when I played basketball.  But it works for me.  

The key is NOT PUTTING  THE BELL DOWN.  If you put the bell down, fatigue takes over, it's hard to get going again, and you'll put it down again.  Ever notice when running how hard it is to start running again when you stop? Or doing a task you dread at work, get going on it and stop?  Same thing.  Anyway, I did the 100 at a nice easy pace in 4:50 and did 4 more for 104 total.  I might train with a 55 again.  I haven't done 100 with a 55 in about 5 years.  

What's next? I'm kind of in a no-man's land. Going on vacation in 20 days.  I can squeeze 3 weeks of The Giant 1.1 in.  Then take a week off as a de-load. And finish week 4 by doing a full 30 minutes.  Or I could finish Ballistic Beatdown.  I have 3 weeks left. I'm not a fan of it.  I HATE high pulls.  Especially before snatches. Finishing it would be more of a matter of pride than enjoyment  I'm leaning toward the former.

The Giant 1.0 = Results

I decided after finishing Lucky 13 to start The Giant 1.0 program by Geoff Neupert. When I purchased The Giant, for a whole $19, I would test my clean and press and work with my 10 repetition max as recommended in the book.  Started with 55's and only did 6.  I decided to begin with 45's.  After a week or 2 of pressing into triple digits on 1.0, I quit the program and went to Giant 3.0, which is a lower rep program using 5 RM max.  I used 55's and that helped me raise my rep max to a whopping 7. I ran 1.2 which is all reps with 45's.  I sincerely believe doing all those reps with 45's really helped me, because my press became a lot more efficient. The more vertical the path, the shorter the length to locking out. 

While doing Lucky 13, I did some intermittent lifting with 55's.  5 sets of 2-4 reps for a couple of weeks. I decided at this point to just run 1.0 with the 55's and see what happens.  No rep max test.  Suck it up candy ass.  Well the results are in.  First week, 167 total reps in 90 minutes to 185 total reps in the 3rd week.  My only setback was in week 2, I wasn't able to add a set on the heavy day.  I did more reps as I did a quick 2 at the end to finish. 10 x 6 + 1 x 2 for 62.  Completely my fault. I was running Ballistic Beatdown from More Kettlebell Muscle, on 3 of the off days for fat loss/cardio purposes. Heavy day was the day before and the workout was 180 reps of Double Swings, High Pulls, Double Snatches, Squats and Jerks.  Shoulders were tired.  Learned my lesson and shelved it.  Instead went to Planet Fitness and did some light pulldowns, rows and a run on off days. 

I have finished week 4 by deloading down to 20 minutes from 30, and doing an easy 6-8 sets.  

What I've noticed:

• My conditioning is off the charts.  Between running 1.2, then the complexes tuned my engine up.  I'm running 5 miles no sweat once a week and did a 3 mile treadmill run in under 25 minutes. I haven't done that since my 30's.
• The light days were harder sometimes than the heavy days.  At first, I thought it was mental or anti-climatic, but then, duh, more sets = lower rest periods.  11 sets in 30 minutes is a lot less than 15 total sets.
• I'm hungry, all the time.  Weight went to 190. I'm going on a golf vacation Thursday to my buddy's house in Asheville, NC. The plan is to clean up the diet after.
• The Giant 1.0 did not help my golf game.  I've become a complete mental basketcase.  Need to find my relaxed Zen.  Bad swing thoughts = bad results.  Is it really too much to just be a 13-15 handicap?  My irons and putting are good enough.  Erratic off the tee and inconsistent with the fairway woods.  I shot 41 this summer with a triple on a par 3 because I hit a 9 iron into the shit and lost a ball.  Didn't hit anything other than 6 iron off the tee that 9 in Naples. Go figure.

Saturday I decided to test my rep max with the double 55's/25kg bells.  I'm not a fan of tests anymore, or road races.  But I decided to just do it.  I banged out 10 and absolutely had 1 in the tank.  Here's the proof.  

.

•  Two weeks ago I tried to clean and press double 32 kg/70 lb. bells and failed.  Not even close.   This past Saturday, 30 minutes after the test above, I tried twice, got a LOT closer but failed. I had not done cleans in a long time with the 70's.  They weren't crisp and I needed to zip up and get tighter.  Sunday comes, I'm vacuuming in the basement, I walked over, did a set of 4 double cleans just to get warmed up and used to the movement, focusing on getting tight. 10 minutes later:                   

      

             

    It was a GRIND, by no means a thing of beauty but it went up.  First time in at least 4, probably            closer to 5 years, since I did it.

What's next on tap?  Well I have 3 choices.  

• Finish Ballistic Beatdown, (3 1/2 more weeks of workouts, and get the eating under control) 
• Run Giant 1.1.  Probably the 3rd choice.  6 rep days are the light days instead of the heavy days
• Run Giant 2.0. Reps are ladder style.  There are some hairy rep counts, but not 30 minutes of doing straight 8 rep sets. 

I'm going to have to run 1.1 and take ALL rest days, so I'd like the diet to be under control.  Also, the weather is gorgeous here, and I still want to get some runs in.  Ballistic Beatdown is a bitch, I should probably finish it and wave the load of pressing.  

Lucky 13, More Kettlebells Muscle

So the plan of doing bodyweight exercises for 30 days lasted a whole 4 days.  My left shoulder could not take it.   Pushups, pullups, dips were irritating my clavicle.  Pressing overhead doesn't cause issues but anything lateral makes it squawk.  I wasn't ready to go back to The Giant yet, so I decided to go to my old standby: More Kettlebell Muscle by Geoff Neupert. Purchase here.

When I finish a program in the book, I write down whether I did it as a complex or chain, and the date I finished.  I've finished 15 of them.  There is one I can't complete because my grip can't handle it,  I need another 35 lb. bell.  I selected Lucky 13 and decided to do it as a chain.  All these programs last 6-9 weeks, 3 workouts per week. For some of these programs, the workouts are under 10 minutes for the first 3-4 weeks.  48 hours rest between workouts.  I decided to combine 2 weeks into one and complete it in 3 weeks.

What makes Lucky 13 different from other programs is the inclusion of the reverse lunge.  Although you do a lunge in the getup, it's not programmed in most kettlebell workouts.  Why? It is a balance issue, can cause knee issues and one needs practice to perfect them.  Too bad, because they are a PHENOMENAL exercise with good form while holding 2 bells in the rack.  And they are great for conditioning.  I remember including them in an Escalated Density program I was doing with the double snatch.  15 minutes of work never took so long.  I prefer them over the goblet squat, which in my opinion is a nice beginner movement to pry the hips open but that's where it belongs, or as a warmup.

I haven't done complexes or chains in awhile, so the first 5 or 6 workouts were getting my locomotive engine back into metabolic conditioning.  Although I've been doing a lot of running and hiking, there is HUGE difference than doing 90 second kettlebells sets.  The medium day and the easy day were both, nice easy workouts.  The reverse lunge in medium day helped me get used to doing the movement again.  Had a couple of bad reps, but was able to find the groove.  No lunges on easy day.  Then we get to day 3, heavy day.  I was using two 45 lb. kettlebells. 

Heavy day includes lunges and squats.  30 reps of total exercise per round. 3 rounds in week 1, 5 rounds, weeks, 3 and 5, 6 rounds week 6.  The work : rest ratio shrinks from 1:2 weeks 1-3 to 1:1.5 weeks 4-6.  When I was done the 1st week of heavy day, I was so happy there were only 3 rounds.  I was a puddle of sweat huffing and puffing.  As my conditioning for chains came back I handled the 4 and 5 rounds weeks 1-3.  Uncomfortably with legs starting to shake.  

Week 5 heavy day was particularly brutal.  I was trash for 30 minutes.  First, the breath starts to increase, then the shoulders start to tire from pressing and holding the bells in the rack for so long, finally the panic sets in as the foundation, AKA legs start to shake.  I didn't have a 6th round in me and was questioning, how I would conclude this.  

Welp, I kind of cheated.  The good news was I got all the reps in, and the time it took to do the workout was less than I had estimated. Here's what I did: 

Number of seconds per round + rest period.  So 84 seconds to complete the chain of one of the 6 rounds.  Rest 126 seconds which is 1.5 x 84.  Add 84 + 126 gives you the time between starting a new round which is 210 seconds.  Multiply that for 5 complete rounds and you get 1,050 seconds.  Add 84 more seconds for the 6th round gets you to 1134 seconds or 17:54 for total time.

Each round contains 5 sequences.  So 6 rounds x 5 sequences is 30 total sequences.  Now take 1134 seconds and divide by 30.  Equals 37.8 seconds.  So instead of doing 5 sequences at once and resting for 2 minutes and 6 seconds, I did a sequence, rested until 37 seconds passed and did the sequence again.  30 times.  So it was, Sequence, rest to 37 seconds, sequence, rest to 1:14 seconds, sequence rest to 1:51 until I  finished the 30 sequences.  

Think of it as rest:pause/interval training vs. doing 5 at once and resting.  Heartrate stays up, form doesn't breakdown because fatigue isn't setting in, finished  all the reps done in less time, didn't stiffen up from resting 2 minutes.  The only thing that didn't happen was lactic acid setting in from the fatigue.  I finished in 17:32. I did need to pay attention not to lose count.

Results were positive, while doing this program, I hiked in Acadia National Park up in Bar Harbor, ME with my wife for our 25th anniversary and rucked up three 1200 foot summits which according to AllTrails were deemed "DIFFICULT" with no problem.  I also did a mountain goat run at home which has eluded me for couple of years due to the steepness of one of the hills about 2 miles out and was able to complete the run.  Heartrate has been around 52.  Weight around 186, blood pressure in check. 

In order to keep up with strength goals for starting The Giant again, I've been following this "grease the groove" pressing program using double 55's.  I like calling it "intermittent workouts."  Every 30 minutes to an hour do a set until you do 5 sets.  My only issues is sitting down, I have to get up and walk around to loosen up before doing the set.  I was feeling cocky on Saturday and tried a clean and press with double 70's.  Not even close, those days might be done. 

On tap is one more program of complexes. It's probably going to be "Ballistic Beatdown."  With reps of 10, it looks like it might be a grip killer.  I'll run it as a complex.