Training Log 9/19/15

Last night after the usual chaos that occurs once the kids get back from school followed up by some car problems my wife, I was able to get to the gym to on my sport kettlebell technique. The one thing I’m learning since my current style with the bells is modeled after the RKC is that I have to do the exact opposite of what I think I should do. So I am trying to just do as I’m told.

We worked for about an hour on the Long Cycle Clean & Jerk. Starting with 1 minute cycles and working up the weight to 3 minute cycles with appropriate rest in between. The amount of volume is going to give me the opportunity to work on the subtleties of the sport as well as build some endurance.

This morning I followed up with a short but effective workout to help improve my strength endurance and to maintain some power. I also put some focus on improving the grip as that is going to be instrumental If I plan on being effective.

3 Rounds

1. Back Squat X 20 @ 135lbs
2. Jump Squat X 5 (loaded w/ 10lbs)
3. Single Arm Swing for 1 Minute (two sets with the left hand (non-dominant) 1 with the right)

There was zero rest in between exercises, followed by 3 minutes rest at the end of the round.

I took the 45lb plates off the bar and finished the workout with  2 set of 1 minute plate pinch grips which pretty much finished the grip off but my hands feel pretty good .

How Often Should I Exercise? Some Advice for Longevity

“How often should I exercise?” is one of those questions I wish I had a dime for every time I’ve been asked. Here are some other questions that fall into the same category. “Should I be lifting weights?”, “Should I add in some cardio?”, “What about yoga?” and “Do those DVDs work?”.

Just recently I read an article that about the regions around the world with the longest life span and their similarities with each other. Two things were apparent with regards to their fitness routines. The people in these regions did not belong to or go to gyms and also they hand greater hand strength than the average person in other areas. How do these people with greater than average life expectancy and no physical fitness routine have better than average hand strength, a good indicator of overall strength?

The Nine Longevity Hot-spots 

The answer lies in the lifestyles of the people in these areas. The majority of the areas would be considered rural or at least separated from the conveniences of the rest of the world. Walking is a way of life and not a form of exercise and most likely daily chores are being performed as a means of supporting themselves such as agriculture, fishing, and gathering. When you spend most of your day walking, digging, chopping and carrying objects from one place to another the end result is that you are going to be pretty fit and pretty strong. All this and an excellent diet to boot leads to this extended life expectancy.

Here in our country, we have gyms on every corner, modern medicine, a cure-all for every ill. specialized care programs for the elderly and yet we live shorter, less productive, less enjoyable lives. We elect to invite a number of stresses into our lives that impact our health such as long commutes, long hours at work, constant communication with others through wireless devices, horrible dietary choices and dietary guidance but decline to invite in the positive stress, eustress, of physical activity.

If we are physically capable of lifting your butt off the couch, standing on two feet and walking to your car to drive ourselves to a local chain restaurant while the items in the “crisper” drawer of the refrigerator rot away, we are capable of engaging in some form of exercise.

So here is the special formula, we need to do engage in some type of activity every day, we need to make the right nutritional choices every day, we need to get out of your comfort zone to gain some strength and endurance so we are not winded after walking from the back of the parking lot to the store entrance.

There is a process here that takes a lifetime, it’s not meant to be fixed in 21 days, 6 months or any other time period you may have been lead to believe. Those people living those long healthy lives also tended to be happier than average, Small changes over time lead to big results, you deserve to be happy too!

Sunday Morning Training: Asymmetrical Workout

We all have a dominant side of the body and one that is less often used. Your dominant side will be the side that you normally use for daily chores, writing, lifting grocery bags, opening and closing doors and lots of things you do without even realizing it. If you are right handed, try brushing your teeth with your left hand!

Now while the dominant side may be stronger, it may also be less flexible and more susceptible to injury. To balance out these discrepancies you can perform a number of corrective exercises, incorporate unilateral lifts to your workout (using one leg, or one arm depending on what movement is being used) or using asymmetrical lifts.

In an asymmetrical lift you'll be receiving assistance from both side of the body but the load will be offset causing the non dominant side in the lift to self correct in order to maintain form.

I own a single kettle bell weighing 24kg (54lbs) and I have mentioned before a single kettle bell can accomplish a wide variety of tasks. Today I used it to do the following workout.

5 Rounds:

10 Single Arm Suitcase Dead Lifts (10 right,  10 left)
5 Front Rack Squats (5 right, 5 left)
10 Push Ups (to balance out the core) 
5 Single arm Swings (5 right, 5 left)  

I moved quickly between the movements in the set and took 1-2 minutes after to recover. Give it a shot. If you don't own a kettle bell you can use a dumbbell or other suitable tool you can control with one hand.

Recovery Workout 9/4/2015

I have on the “shelf” for about the past 1½  weeks due to a virus that was causing me fatigue, accompanied with fever, headaches and body aches. While your body is in a state of distress when you are sick it is always recommended that you avoid intense physical activity. You want to have all of your body’s resources going into your recovery.

I was feeling well enough this morning to get moving again and perform a quick routine. My kettle bell was the tool of choice and I did a short but effective workout.

I started out by placing the kettle bell deeper back that normal in the deadlift start position. Reaching back and grabbing the handle, then holding the position for about 10 seconds making adjustments to my posture was corrective and needed since I spend a good amount of time this past week either sitting or lying down. I did this about 3-4 times

I performed 3 sets of 10 deadlifts with the kettle bell. I then checked in with the swing by performing 10 sets of 1. The set of 1 allowed me to ensure that the hike and initial drive was powerful and 10 sets was enough to make any corrections i felt were needed. I then did some conditioning work doing 5 sets of 12 swings with 30 seconds rest in between. keeping each swing powerful this was much more taxing than I anticipated.

I procrastinated but I got moving and am happy I did, hopefully I can find some rhythm and flow in the upcoming week.

Details:

Deadlift Postural Hold: 3-4 sets 10 seconds each

Kettle Bell Deadlift: 3 sets of 10 @ 24kg(54lbs)

Kettle Bell Swing: 10 sets of 1 (10-15 seconds rest) @ 24kg(54lbs)

Kettle Bell Swing: 5 sets of 12 (30 seconds rest) @ 24kg(54lbs)

8 Reasons You Gained Weight This Summer. (And What You Can Do About It!)

September marks back to school season and summer is coming to an end. With that, it brings a time of change with everyone getting back into a routine again.

September is also statistically the second busiest month of the year in the fitness industry because people are looking to lose the weight that is gained in the summer. Even though you might not realize it yet, you are more likely to gain weight during the summer, even if you feel like you're outdoors and more active. These are the typical reasons for weight gain:

1. You went on vacation. That all inclusive cruise or resort gave you the green light to dig into the buffet table. Hey you wanted to enjoy yourself.

2. Being the social creatures we are, invitations to BBQs happen every weekend. What’s another hot dog among friends

3. That street fair, carnival or county fair you went to was serving fried dough and meat on a stick and that's what you ate.

4. Take me out to the Ball Game, buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks. I’ll also have one of your over priced alcoholic beverages. You are more likely to consume alcohol at events, graduations, BBQs or having a few after work.

5. You’re more likely to eat out, skip meals and fall into bad habits with disrupted routines.

6. Because your schedules and routines were disturbed it was harder for you to fit your exercise in.

7. Your metabolism slows during the summer time. During the colder months your body needs to work harder to stay warm.

8. The heat of the summer was an excuse not to be outside and be active..

You can’t go back and change those choice you made over the summer so there is no use getting upset or beating yourself up over it. What you can do is start to make better choices starting today. I usually recommend picking one thing that you can change and do that one thing 100% for at least one week maybe more. Once it becomes a habit you can then pick another area you would like to make some changes in.  Creating solid habits is what will drive your success, inconsistency is the enemy.

Let’s start now because before you know it the next big wave of temptation will be here, the holiday season. Are your choices going to bring you closer to your goals or further away from them?

Team Continuity: Be A Team Player!

What was the last great team you were part of? Maybe it's been a while, maybe you’re on one now and maybe you never have. The team idea has been severely diluted in the last decade or so, some people older than me may say it’s been going on longer than that. I’m pointing to the constant promotion of self in the media, through sponsorship, social media, video games, sports apparel, the list could grow much longer.

I enjoy watching college and amateur athletes,  you tend to see more of the team concept being practiced in this area. I visited Notre Dame over the summer and if you can't get a sense of team when you walk into the game day locker room of Notre Dame Stadium you should probably stop reading this right now.

At the High School level this team concept should come before any one player, it’s how team win games. now maybe once in a blue moon a team is blessed with such a talent that his or her abilities drive the team's success but it’s rare and the sports where this is applicable are few. In baseball you have to bat 9 guys and one guy can’t play every position on the field. In football there are even more 11 guys on the field all with important roles for contributing to success.

I was taken back a little when I attended my son’s football practice yesterday afternoon. I sat up on the bleachers and watched as 25 committed guys stood in the heat, during their last days of summer vacation with helmets strapped on listening to their coach strategize for this weeks opponent. Of to the side was one player, with his helmet off, sunglasses on and chatting it up with an ex player from last year.

My first thought was, “where the hell did he get the sunglasses?”,”did he have a special pocket in his practice jersey?”. My second thought was how was the coach letting this happen doesn’t he realize that this type of behavior is poison to a team at this level?

This was a player who had a good amount of success last year, I guess he felt he had the right to take this day lightly. I wondered if any of the new unproven players would be given the same treatment, probably not.

If you’re a coach please do not allow individuals to become the focus of your team. If you’re a teammate that sees this happening, don’t let it fly. But more importantly, if you are that person with the natural abilities to excel in what you do, take responsibility for your talent and make your team as strong as it can be.