E11 k-bells [#00035] EdgeFIT K-bells (BU Military Press, Pull-Ups, Assisted 1 Arm Push-Ups, Swings)

I know I stated in my last post I was only going to hit kettlebell sport workouts from now until the Arnold, but that got scrapped today. After my tough (tough in the fact it didn't feel that great) LC workout yesterday I felt the need to shake things up a little today. Check it...

EdgeFIT K-bells 

Perform 22, 16, & 10 reps of:

-1 Arm Bottoms-Up Military Press @ 12kg/26# (split reps b/w right and left arm)

-Weighted Pull-Ups @ 8kg/18#

-Assisted 1 Arm K-bell Push-Ups (split reps b/w right and left arm)

-2 Arm Side-to-Side Swings @ 53#

*This was a pretty fatiguing workout, but it wasn't that bad, I could go up in weight on each of the exercises. I didn't time the workout today, but still pushed through as quickly as I could. 

Combo Lift

2x 10 reps of:

-Double Snatch-Double Clean-Double Press @ 2x 12kg/2x 26#

*Haven't done a lift like this in a while so I threw it in for fun. It's surprising how difficult these combo lifts become once your in the mixer! Got a little hand tear for my troubles too...which was nice...

Jump Squats

3x 50 reps @ 145#

E11 k-bells [#00028] Kettlebell Sport (LCC&J-8 min PR)

I am still having issues with my groin injury, even after resting yesterday. I contemplated not working out again today, but my LC feels like it is really progressing at the moment and I want to stay on so I did one timed set today...

Kettlebell Sport

LCC&J @ 2x 24kg's

-8 minutes @ 6 rpm (48 reps, a new PR for this time frame and only 2 reps lower than my current 10 minute PR of 50 reps!)

*I felt a little discomfort in the groin early in the set, but as time past it subsided. Felt comfortable again today at this pace and could have definitely gone the whole 10 minutes, but I'm in no rush. I'm happy to progress a little at a time, plus the Arnold is a month away and I am already at my goal. I can relax now and build to a new goal and also make sure I peak at the right time.

Get-Up Sit-Ups

-5/5x 16kg

-5x 2x 12kg

-5/5x 24kg (anchored)

-5/5x 24kg (anchored)

*Strangely this is about the only movement that doesn't bother my groin so I hit it again today, plus after failing to hit reps with the 24 last time I was eager to redeem myself and did even if it was with my feet anchored with 2 k-bells, I got them up so it counts!...

E11 k-bells [#00026] Kettlebell Sport (LCC&J & 1 Arm Jerks)

I have suffering from yet another niggling injury lately, this time its my groin. I think I make have a slight strain from demonstrating too many overhead squats without a warm-up for my clients last week. This has forced me to abstain from hitting LCC&J, but it today I just had to do it. I was starting to get withdrawals!...

Kettlebell Sport

LCC&J @ 2x 24kg's

-7 minutes @ 6 rpm (42 reps, a new PR for this duration of time)

*This set felt really good. I'm settling into the 6 rpm pace nicely now, it feels comfortable and not rushed. I probably could have gone the whole 10 minutes today, but with my injury record I am going to stick to small steps and let my body adapt before I progress on too much. 

Jerk @ 32kg's

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

* I had planned on another set of long cycle, but got a small tear in my left hand so traded it out for a quick jerk set. The 32 is feeling better and better every time I use it...

1 Arm Get-Up Sit-Ups

-5/5x 12kg

-5/5x 16kg

*I hadn't done these for a while so I finished with a couple of sets. I used to use the 24's for these, that wasn't happening today, I need to get back on these!...

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 [#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 [#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 [#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 [#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 [#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 [#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