E11 k-bells [#00024] EdgeFIT K-bells (triplet: push-ups, ring rows, & cleans)

Yesterday was an unscheduled rest day due to a slight groin strain which seems to have appeared from nowhere! I have a feeling it may be the result of demonstrating overhead squats all day on Thursday without getting a warm-up. Hopefully the pain will subside soon. I wanted to be careful today, but still wanted to hit a decent workout so I decided to throw together a triplet with the kb's...

EdgeFIT K-bells

Perform 5 rounds for time of:

[5x] - Bottoms up K-bell Push-Ups (single bell, vertical)

[10x] - Ring Rows (feet on 24" box, torso parallel with floor)

[15x] - Double K-bell Cleans @ 2x 53# (rest in the rack position, reps must be completed without putting the bells down)

*Unfortunately, I was interrupted at the end of round 3, my completion time was 7:29. I was a little miffed because I was really starting to have to work at this point and things were just getting interesting! Thats cool though, I'm sure I'll have another crack at this one at some point...

E11 k-bells [#00023] Kettlebell Sport-LCC&J (timed sets)

I was pushed for time today so I just hit a couple of LCC&J timed sets...

Kettlebell Sport

LCC&J @ 2x 24kg's

-6 mins @ 6 rpm (36 reps) - This is a new PR for a six minute time duration.

-4 mins @ 7 rpm (28 reps) - Also a new PR for 4 minute time duration.

*I felt a little sluggish going into my workout today, however once I was in it I didn't feel too bad. My jerk felt way better today (didn't feel the knee) and I adopted a slightly wide stance which felt good! Also the bells were going up far straighter today, so all in all a good session...

E11 k-bells [#00022] Rest Day

Nothing really to report today, just taking it easy then it's back on it tomorrow...

E11 k-bells [#00021] LCC&J & 1 Arm Cleans

Today was my first day attempting 6 reps per minute on LCC&J for more than 4 minutes. After hitting 50 reps last week it's time to up the tempo...

Kettlebell Sport 

LCC&J @ 2x 24kg's

-5 minutes @ 6 rpm (30 reps)

-3 minutes @ 7 rpm (21 reps)

*Both sets felt decent. I felt my knee on a couple of jerks but it wasn't bad, I adjusted my stance to make it a little wider and that seemed to help. Also, I was really trying to focus on pressing the bells straight up and not military style today. I have a tendency to go slightly wide, but I felt I did much better on this as the set wore on. 

1 Arm Cleans @ 32kg

-2 minutes @ 4 rpm (8 reps, with 1 hand switch)

*Didn't want to push things with my knee so I tried cleans with the 32 for the first time instead. I only hit 1 minute per hand as my grip was already fatigued and I didn't want to tear my hands, but it's a start.

K-bell Jerk (1 k-bell racked) Box Jumps (12")

-5x @ 15#

-5x @ 12kg

*This wasn't really part of my workout, but I thought I would try it out a little. It's a lot harder than you would think! Kudos to Steve Cotter for hitting 5 of these with a 32kg bell onto a 24" box, thats monstrous explosion! Great movement, it will become part of my regular assistance work regime.... 

E11 k-bells [#00020] CrossFit (GI Jane WOD)

I had planned on hitting the k-bells today, however, I find myself suffering with a bruised back bone sustained in a Saturday night dance-off. I won't go into details, but I will announce that my injuries were not sustained without reward as I was victorious! 

So today I surfed you tube and found a workout that I thought would not affect my back. Here's what I came up with...

CrossFit Workout

GI Jane

-100x Burpee/Pull-Ups

*My completion time was 10:38, which is pretty fast I think as I haven't seen anyone do it faster as yet. I was shooting for sub 10 minutes, but it wasn't to be today. To many this workout may look crazy, but I actually didn't find it that bad! I guess I am a slightly sick individual in the fact that I actually quite like burpees...

E11 k-bells [#00019] 1 Arm Double & 2 Arm Quadruple Jerks

I had planned on taking today off, but after reading Steve Cotter's blog and watching a video of him doing Quadruple Jerks with 4x 16kg k-bells (64kg's/140#), by the way very impressive Steve! I had a rush of testosterone and felt I needed to have a crack at this feat of strength! Here's how it went...

Heavy Kettlebell Jerks

1 Arm Double Jerks

-6x @ 16kg/12kg (28kg/61#) - I hit 3 on the right arm and 3 on the left

-6x @ 24kg/12kg (36kg/79#) - I hit 3 on the right arm and 3 on the left

-3x @ 24kg/16kg (40kg/88#) - I hit 3 singles on my right arm only at this weight

2 Arm Quadruple Jerks

-3x @ 2x 16kg/2x 12kg (56kg/122#)

*I hit 3 fairly clean reps here. Pretty happy with that! Would have liked to attempt 4x 16kg's, but I only have 2 16kg k-bells. I thought about attempting 2x 24kg's/2x 12kg's (72kg/158#), but thought better of it. Not quite there yet, but soon...

If you want to watch these lifts go to my you tube channel, it:

www.youtube.com/user/theedgefc

E11 k-bells [#00018] CrossFit (K-bell Nasty Girls)

Today is my day off specific k-bell training, so I had to decide which CrossFit WOD to attempt. I really wanted to try a workout they call "The Bear" which is:

7 sets in sequence (without setting the bar down) of:

-1x Power Clean

-1x Front Squat

-1x Push-Press

-1x Back Squat

-1x Push-Press

*5 rounds, rest as required between rounds.

-The Rx'd weight for this workout is 95#

I hit 1 round of this, but decide to stop there as my knee was feeling it on the power cleans and squats. Not a happy camper!

So I had to come up with another workout. I quickly remembered a WOD that I saw Jason Khalipa (CrossFit Champ) doing on you tube, it's called "Nasty Girls" and involves air squats, ring muscle-ups, and hang cleans. I thought with a slight modification I could make this work, so here's what I came up with...

CrossFit Workout

K-bell Nasty Girls

3 rounds for time of:

-50x Air Squats

-7x Muscle-Ups

-10x K-bell Snatch @ 24kg's (53#), 5 on the right and 5 on the left.

*My completion time was 17:57. Not an amazingly fast, but I went a little slower on the squats really focusing on punching my hips back and down to keep the pressure off my knee, which worked pretty well. I felt the knee a little, but it was tolerable. The muscle-ups felt fairly good, I managed to hit 3 in a row without dropping off the rings in round 2, so that was pleasing. Probably could have gone with 10 reps per arm on the snatches. Next time...

E11 k-bells [#00017] Rostov Program (day 3) & 1 Arm Jerks

The Rostov Program [Day 3]

LCC&J

-2x 24kg's / 24 reps (8 rpm) / 3:00

-2x 16kg's / 48 reps (12 rpm) / 4:00

*I successfully attained all the allocated reps again today. I feel like I am benefitting from the set with the 24's immensely, if I can get comfortable at this pace 60 reps in 10 minutes at the Arnold shouldn't be a problem. The set with the 16's is a good conditioner, however, the bells feel so light that the movement is effortless for me. I think I would be better served if I could had a set of 20's. Nevertheless, I really like this program and I feel it will be a big contributing factor to the numbers I put up in Columbus.

1 Arm Jerk @ 32kg's

-6 minutes @ 5 rpm (30 reps, with 1 hand switch)

*I made a mistake here and meant to go 6 reps per minute, but regardless this was my first time doing the 1 arm jerks with the 32 for 6 minutes so that's cool...

E11 k-bells [#00016] LCC&J (New PR!)

This post is for yesterday's workout, today is a rest day.

I was pushed for time yesterday, so when it came time to hit my workout I decided to test my metal and shoot for a 10 minute set of LCC&J. I've been feeling pretty good recently and so thought it would be a good opportunity to see how I am progressing. Here's how it went...

Kettlebell Lifting (timed set)

The Workout

LCC&J @ 2x 24kg's

-10 minutes @ 5 rpm (50 reps!) 

*This is a new PR for me, so I was pleased with the performance. My previous best was 45 in the AKC meet in Atlanta, Dec 13th. 

I was happy when I set the k-bells down, but more with the fact that I hit 10 minutes and 50 reps than how the set felt. I didn't feel that smooth today. My jerk felt a little labored due to the fact that my knee is not 100% yet. I felt a little sloppy transitioning from overhead to the clean on a few occasions, but that means there is room for improvement, which is good. 

If you wish, you can check out my set on you tube. Here's the link:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCTzJ76vt8o

E11 k-bells [#00015] CrossFit WOD (MU's, HSPU's, Swings & DU's)

CrossFit

I have just recently begun playing around with ring muscle-ups(MU) and handstand push-ups (HSPU), so I decided it is about time I threw myself into the fire and hit them in a workout, so today was the day. Prior to this workout my PR for MU's was 4 (in my lifetime) and HSPU was 4 (unbroken)...

The Workout

5 rounds for time of:

-2x Muscle-Ups

-4x Handstand Push-Ups

-15x 2 Arm Overhead K-bell Swings @ 53#

-20x Double Unders

*My completion time was 15:10. (not that impressive, but its a start)

I am fairly happy with how this went. I hit all 5 rounds of HSPU's, Swings and DU's unbroken so that felt good. Round 1 & 2 of the MU's were ok, round 3 sucked and cost me a lot of time (poor technique), but round 4 & 5 were unbroken and felt good. It's amazing how technique improves as you fatigue. 

E11 k-bells [#00014] Family Day

Family Day....

A day of rest, depending on what you consider to be rest as today was spent chasing my son and his little friend Luke around Chuck E. Cheese as we celebrated Brayden's 4th birthday. Tiring as it was, we had a blast! 

There are no words to express emotions a parent feels watching the joy in your child's eyes as they celebrate this wondrous day, as they open their birthday gifts and blow out the candles on their cake, its magical nothing compares to it...

My son Brayden, 4 years old.... 

They grow up so fast!

E11 k-bells [#00013] LCC&J & Jerks (timed sets)

I decided to hit some timed sets today. I need to build toward 10 minute sets at 5 rpm in the LCC&J over the next few weeks and then hopefully progress on to 6 rpm pace by the time the Arnold rolls around...

The Workout

LCC&J @ 2x 24kg's

-7 mins @ 5 rpm (35 reps)

-4 mins @ 6 rpm (24 reps)

*The 7 minute set felt really good, I could probably have gone 10 minutes if I had pushed on. I am really settling in to the 5 rpm rate now, I no longer feel rushed especially utilizing the quick transition from jerk to the next clean. Then I take my rest in the rack prior to the next jerk. After doing the Rostov program this pace actually feels kind of slow, its amazing how that works! Everything is relative. Set #2 felt quite good too, I haven't settled into this pace yet, but I'm close.

1 Arm Jerk @ 32kg's

-5 mins @ 6 rpm (15/15 reps with 1 hand switch)

*This was my first time at 6 rpm's with the 32 and it felt comfortable. I am starting to get used to the weight of the 32 now which is also helping my work with the 24's as they are feeling lighter to me all the time. 

No Jump squats today, still trying to be careful with my knee. I didn't feel it at all during todays workout so I thought I would quit while I was ahead.

E11 k-bells [#00012] CrossFit (quad-ghd su's,ghd back ext,shoulder presses,pull-ups)

My left knee was a little tender again today, which I wasn't to happy about after things going so well yesterday, but it's not bad so I think its on the mend. I did the CrossFit main site WOD today, just slightly modified as I couldn't do thrusters with my dodgy knee...

The Workout

3 rounds for time of:

Round 1:

-10x GHD Sit-Ups

-10x GHD Hip & Back Extensions

-30x Shoulder Presses @ 65#

-50x Pull-Ups  

Round 2:

-30x GHD Sit-Ups

-30x GHD Hip & Back Extensions

-20x Shoulder Presses @ 65#

-35x Pull-Ups  

Round 3:

-50x GHD Sit-Ups

-50x GHD Hip & Back Extensions

-10x Shoulder Presses @ 65#

-20x Pull-Ups  

My completion time was: 24:14

*The workout was pretty tough, a lower back roaster, but I quite liked it! I felt strong and moved through it quickly. My pull-ups felt really good today, I busted out over 25 unbroken the first set and hit all 20 unbroken on the final set. I feel like I could possibly get a sub 5:00 minute Fran right now (my PR is 5:24 at present), perhaps I'll have a crack at it next week if my knee feels better...

E11 k-bells [#00011] Rostov Program (D2) & Timed Set (LCC&J)

I decided to combine day 2 of the Rostov Program with a timed set of LCC&J today. This may not be ideal in most cases as the Rostov workouts are demanding enough that you don't really need to do much else, however I am still in the early stages of the program so the sets are still short. Down the line I will use the Rostov protocol as its own entity, but for today I wanted to hit it and then perform my usual timed set to see how I faired while pre-fatigued. Here's how it went...

The Workout

Rostov Program (D2), LCC&J

-2x 24kg's / 20 / 2:30 

-2x 16kg's / 42 / 3:30

*I successfully completed the allocated reps for both sets, but this was far more taxing than day 1. It's going to get rough from here on out! I am noticing my technique improve perhaps surprising during these faster sets. Prior to this I would during my sets I would rest for a few seconds in the rack both following the clean and jerk portion because my rack feels so solid, but this slows me down. Working this way has forced me to only pause following my clean, to set up the jerk, following the jerk I am now dropping the bells and transitioning straight into my next clean, much faster and more efficient...

LCC&J @ 2x 24kg's

-6 minutes @ 5 rpm (30 reps)

*This set was a lot tougher than the last time I hit 6 minutes at this rep rate as I expected, but I was able to keep in together and stay the course. 

Jump Squats

-2x 50 reps @ 2x 16kg's

-1x 50 reps @ 2x 24kg's

*Went a little lighter on these today, just wanted to test out my knee and see how it felt and I had no immediate problems so I was pleased. 

I feel like this was my first real training day in preparation for the Arnold it hasn't been to promising up to this point, but I hope I turned the corner here today. Only time will tell I guess...

E11 k-bells [#00010] Rostov Program (D1)

Tuesday 13th January

This post is for yesterday's workout, didn't get time to get it up until now. I was undecided as to what kind of workout I would hit today, until I found some inspiration from Scott Helsley. Reading his latest blog he revealed a training program he has been experimenting with recently. The Rostov Program. 

This tweaked my interest, it's a little different to the usual k-bell programming as it involves shorter sets and a faster tempo, I like the look of it! Thank you for the info Scott, it came at the perfect time for me. As I prepare for the Arnold, my LCC&J feels strong especially my rack position, but the main obstacle for me right now is keeping my smooth and solid rhythm at a faster tempo. Thus, implementing the Rostov Program into my regime could prove key as I attempt to increase my LCC&J total from 45 to 50+ (10 mins). I am still working with the 24kg bells at present so I shall modify the program from Scott's, where he used 32's, i'll use 24's and where he used 24's, i'll use 16's. 

The Workout

Rostov Program (D1)

-2x 24kg's / 16 reps (8rpm) / 2:00 (successfully completed)

-2x 16kg's / 30 reps (10 rpm) / 2:30 (successfully completed)

*This felt good, comfortable, but not easy. I can see it's going to get rough from here on out, but I think I'm gonna like it! Us k-bell lifter are a sick bunch....

Against my better judgement I went followed the Rostov workout with a CrossFit WOD pretty much knowing it wasn't going to go well and fairly sure I didn't have enough time to do the whole workout. Ah well, you live and learn...

Workout #2

For time:

-15x Power Cleans @ 135#

-30x Ring Dips

-12x Power Cleans @ 135#

-24x Ring Dips

*This was as far as I got before I had to quit so that I would be ready for my next client. My time was 12:12 at this point.

The part I missed was:

-9x Power Cleans @ 135#

-18x Ring Dips

-6x Power Cleans @ 135#

-12x Ring Dips

-3x Power Cleans @ 135#

-6x Ring Dips

*I may actually hit this one again at some point in the next week when I have more time and I'm a little fresher.

E11 k-bells [#00009] Cleans & 1 Arm Jerks

Today's goal was to complete a kettlebell workout without sustaining another injury or aggravating an existing one! I decided against hitting LCC&J today. I thought instead I would work on some cleans and see how my back felt, then I would move on to some 1 arm jerks and see how my knee felt going through the movement at a lighter load....

The Workout

Cleans @ 2x 24kg's

-6 mins @ 6 rpm (36)

-4 mins @ 6 rpm (24)

1 Arm Jerks @ 24kg's

-10 mins @ 7 rpm (35/35 with one hand switch)

1 Arm Jerks @ 32kg's

-6 mins @ 5 rpm (15/15 with one hand switch)

*Mission accomplished! Got through the workout feeling good, so I was happy! Hopefully i'll not be feeling any after affects tomorrow. 

E11 k-bells [#00008] Sunday-Family Day...

I have decided to make Sunday's a day of complete rest. A day spent entirely enjoying my wonderful wife and son. I have played around with different training splits in the past like 5-on, 2-off, 2-on, 1-off, and most recently 3-on, 1-off, but each has its own strengths and weaknesses. 

5-on, 2-off is nice because it fits the work week well and you get the weekends off, but it leads to sub bar sessions due to fatigue following the first 3 days of intense training. The body is not equipped maintain intense training for more than 3 days at a time so the last 2 days are basically you're basically just flogging a dead horse!

2-on, 1-off and 3-on, 1-off are both very effective training splits with regard to training time, intensity and recovery, however they do make for a demanding and awkward schedule in the fact that each week is a different training schedule with regard to work and rest days. I would recommend these splits if your schedule allows, but for me working in a gym all week long Mon-Sat, I found it hard to drag myself to hit a workout on my only off day, plus it can be a strain on family life when you are technically leaving your wife and child to go to work on your day off form work!

And so my new training split for 2009 will be 2-on, 1-off, 3-on, 1-off. This will allow me to maintain the high intensity of my training, allow sufficient recovery time and also fit nicely into my work and family schedule. No more Sunday workouts, I feel good about it, this way everybody wins. 

Therefore I hear-by officially declare Sunday's Family Day! Along with it being a day of worship of course, like I said, everybody wins....

E11 k-bells [#00007] CrossFit 'Chipper' WOD

No kettlebell lifting for me today. I feel I need to rest my back and knee for a little while longer. Surprisingly, I feel no irritation in my knee or back while squatting or performing Olympic lifts @ lighter loads. I discovered this during a thorough warm-up with a dowel rod where I performed numerous reps of movements like back, front, and overhead squats, hang squat-cleans and snatches. And so I decided to hit a variation of a CrossFit WOD I remebered seeing on the CF website. 

The Workout 

Perform for time. 

Note: all weight lifting movements were performed with a 45# barbell.

-25x Back Squats

-25x Front Squats

-25x Overhead Squats

-0.15 mile on Life Fitness Elliptical Trainer @ Level 12

-35x Full Squat Hang Cleans

-0.15 mile on Life Fitness Elliptical Trainer @ Level 12

-35x Snatch

-0.15 mile on Life Fitness Elliptical Trainer @ Level 12

*My completion time was 15:03. 

I used the Elliptical as a substitute for running (lower impact movement) and I chose to go a little lighter with the bar than I would have usually in order to protect my knee. The weight did prove to be too light as I was able to perform each set with the bar unbroken. This is an indication that the load is insufficient, ideally you want to work with a resistance that forces you to take breaks, recover and resume work. This ensures you are working at maximal intensity and increasing your work capacity by teaching your body to sustain work at levels as close to your threshold as possible. For physiological adaptation to occur this is optimal with regard to training intensity. 

This is not to say I found this workout easy, it was still pretty rough. It just meant that I was able to move through it more quickly experiencing less muscular fatigue, but still experienced an extremely intense cardiovascular workout! Where I not injured I would have probably gone with a load of perhaps 95# which would have resulted in a much more comprehensive workout that would be equally taxing for both my cardiovascular and muscular systems. 

E11 k-bells [#00006] CrossFit Pull-Up WOD

Friday 9th January Workout

I decided to hit a CrossFit WOD (workout of the day) today in light of my knee and back issues. I chose to attempt a pretty daunting pull-up workout which turned out to be just as rough as I had anticipated!

The Workout

10 rounds for time of:

-3x weighted pull-ups @ 45#

-5x strict pull-ups

-7x kipping pull-ups

*The goal was also to stay on the bar for each set of 3 different pull-ups (3,5,7) and count the number of times you drop off the bar, which makes this workout brutal!

I completed the workout in 27:37. I had completed the first round unbroken, then generally dropped off the bar between each set of 3,5 & 7 after that. I completed the weighted pull-ups with 45# for sets 1-3, then switched to 35# for sets 4 & 5 and hit the last 5 sets with 25#. The weighted and strict pull-ups felt really awkward after becoming accustomed  to doing kipping pull-ups the majority of the time.  

I wasn't that happy with this initially happy with this time until I checked out the scores put up by other crossfitters on the CF main site. As it turns out most had a hard time with this WOD and in retrospect my time was fairly respectable.

I played around a little after the workout as I had a little time...

I started working on some handstand push-ups against the wall. It was a little difficult at first, but after feeling it out I was able to make the movement more efficient. I performed them in single reps initially and then progressed to 2 reps, finally finishing with a couple of sets pushing out 3 reps unbroken. 

I finished the day off with some handstand practice. My first time attempting handstands since high school! They weren't too pretty at first, but after a lot of failed attempts I was able to begin stabilizing myself enough to hold the handstand for up to 3 seconds. I finished off with two successful 5 second holds, which I was really happy with! Handstand practice sounds easy, but try it for yourself, it's quite difficult and physically taxing.

E11 k-bells [#00005]

Kettlebell Workout

After speaking with one of my clients (who happens to be an orthopedic surgeon) regarding my upper back issue I was advised to refrain from doing any swings or cleans for the remainder of this week. He told me that I just need to avoid movement were I any loading the spine while flexed at the hip (bent over). He told me the injury was nothing major perhaps just a slight tweaked ligament or something, so that was good news. 

Based on this I decided to hit Jerks today and save my LCC&J for next week. The workout started well, but took a nose dive on my second set. I suddenly began feeling a slight twinge in my left knee out of nowhere! I was pissed! I finished the set, but called it a day there. I'm still a long way off the Arnold so I feel it's better to air on the cautious side than to push through things like this right now. 

Not too happy with how things are going right now, but I guess I just need to be patient.

Prior to the workout I decided to shoot for 7 rpm on the jerk, I hit 67 reps in Atlanta so that would be the next natural progression. Also, with me working at 5 rpm on LCC&J I figured the faster pace on the jerk sets would serve me well with regard to conditioning. 

The Workout

Jerk @ 2x 24kg's

-6 mins @ 7 rpm (42 reps), which is a PR for the 6 minute time frame. 

-4 mins @ 7 rpm (28 reps)

An that was that...

E11 k-bells [#00004]

Rest Day...

I have had a slight twinge in the middle of my upper back for the past few days, so I decided to just rest up yesterday and today to let it recover. I plan to pick things back up on Thursday. Then it's back to the grindstone!!

E11 k-bells [#00003]

I am counting today as my first full k-bell workout on the road to the Arnold. And so the journey begins, nothing but hard graft from here on out. starting slowly, but none the less, I'm mad for it...

The Workout

My workout began as usual with a little joint mobility, light cardio and some 2 arm swings. I won't bore you with the details.

LCC&J @ 2x 24kg's

-6 mins @ 5 rpm (30 reps)

-4 mins @ 5 rpm (20 reps)

1 Arm Jerk @ 32kg's 

-6 mins @ 5 rpm (30 with 1 hand switch)

Jump Squats @ 2x 24kg's

-3 sets of 70 reps

E11 k-bells [#00002]

Rest Day...

E11 k-bells [#00001]

This was my first k-bell workout since competing in the AKC Southeast Kettlebell Championships in Atlanta, Dec '08'. This is the first step on the road to competing in the Arnold Sports Festival in March. A short workout today, just easing back into things. 

Warm-Up

-5 mins Joint Mobility

-3 mins on Summit Trainer

-2 Arm OH Swings: 20x @ 16kg, 20x @ 24kg

-2 Arm Swings: 20x 32kg

The Workout

*LCC&J @ 2x 24kg's

-5 mins @ 5 rpm (25 reps) 

-3 mins @ 5 rpm (15 reps)

*Jump Squats @ 2x 24kg's

-3x 50 reps