Gotta Love Mondays!

Especially when you accomplish a feat of strength. I did my first ever 28 kg bent press today, and it was strong. Today's training reinforced that all the Z Health is paying off. I need those reminders to keep me practicing my Z consistently.

Open Palm Plate TGU - 25 lb - 3 x 3 L, R
-These were so much easier today. I have been doing sets of 2 reps each arm. Today was the first time I did sets of three. By the end of the third rep my wrists were screaming, but I did some Z between sets and I was good to go.

1 Arm 1 Leg Deadlifts - 24 kg (53 lb) - 4 L, R
Bent Press - 28 kg (62 lb) - 1 L, R
5 Rounds
-I was amazed how that 28 kg bell popped right up in my bent presses. I had to use two hands to guide it back to the rack position for safety, but otherwise the presses were strong. I was confident going into each rep. Failure was not an option.

The best part of my training today? The fact that my delt knot did NOT flare up at all. Z Health is wicked good stuff. Don't ask me how it works. Just look at my progress over the past few months and you'll see that it does.

Going Out in Style

Hardstyle, that is! I ended my week with a rewarding training session. I see the progress coming faster now that I've dealt with some of my movement issues.

Squats - 24 kg - 5 x 8
Ring Pullup Negatives - 5 x 3
-My squat strength is exploding. Monday I did 5 x 6. Today, the 5 x 8 was strong. The pistol is in my sights!
-The negatives were strong as well. I could see my form in a mirror, and I'm not sure about it. My shoulder seem high. They're not up to my ears, but they aren't down in the sockets either. I suppose that is because I am descending.
-I did these drills as a mini-circuit. They get me pretty jacked. My hips and wrists feel it the most.

Open Palm Plate Press - 25 lb. plate - 5 x 5
-I kept my shoulder locked in the socket and looked up with only my eyes on each rep. I completed every rep with gusto (Monday I had to abort a few reps).
-Practicing my presses is so much more fun these days!

Workin It

Block B is kicking my butt. I am feeling every muscle in my body. I'm not complaining, though, because I know I'm workin it!

Today Block B included the following:

Waiter TGUs - 25 lb. plate - 5 x 2 L, R
-25 lbs is not a lot of weight for my TGUs; however, holding a plate like a tray is a strain on the wrists. By the second rep, my wrist was screaming at me.
-I did a lot of Z between sets to alleviate the strain.

1 Arm, 1 Leg Deadlifts - 24 kg (53 lb) - 3 L, R
Bent Press - 24 kg - 2 L, R
5 Rounds
-I can definitely tell it's been awhile since I did bent presses. They were a challenge. That's good, though, because I don't want to lose my edge. I can't relax for a second or I'll drop that big kb on my head and pull my arm out of the socket on the way down. Nothing good can come of that!

I must be feeling crazy this week. Yesterday I took the dog for a walk and ended up running barefoot (in my five fingers) for 1.25 miles. Walking just didn't get my heart pumping enough, so I started running. I can't tell you how amazing it feels to run barefoot. I'm surprised I could run that far without my feet killing me. It just goes to show you that our feet were designed perfectly. God knows what he's doing!

Heavy Duty

I'm back to Block B with my training, so it's different drills this week. These drills are heavy hitters!

Squats - 24 kg - 5 x 6
Ring Pullup Negatives - 5 x 2
-I did these as a mini-circuit. Yeeowsie did these hit EVERY muscle. After each round I was shaking. The squats felt incredible, almost easy, yet they worked my entire body hardstyle!!
-I finally got to try out my Elite rings. It took me awhile to get them adjusted, but it was worth it. These rings are much thicker than the ones in my basement, so they will work my grip differently. The only bad thing is that I have to set them up each time I want to use them because I am back to training at the gym every session. (My basement is a plumbing and heating and electrical disaster zone.)

Open Palm Plate Presses - 25 lb. plate - 5 x 5 L, R
-I can tell I haven't been doing open palm work for a few weeks. These were a challenge today, but I look forward to them being a snap in short order!

I have been fighting another challenge this past week. I've been wearing my heart rate monitor to gauge the intensity of my training. Last week I developed a rash right where the monitor rests on my upper abdomen. I'm not sure why the rash showed up after several weeks, but it is annoying as all get out. Of course, I can't wear the monitor now, but I'm hoping that once this rash clears I can use it again. I'll probably have to make sure I take it off immediately following my training to minimize irritation. If it isn't one thing.......

Return of the Kettlebell - or - How I Was Blown Away

To just be blunt, I was blown away today by my progress. I started doing double kb drills a few weeks ago and felt very much out of my element practicing them. I had to find a new stance, a new groove, a new grip, etc. I wondered if double drills were for me. I found my answer today.

First up - double snatches.

Double Snatches - 12 kg - 10 x 4 w/30 seconds rest b/n sets
- To my surpise, the bells flew right up. I didn't feel awkward in the downswing. I even double-checked that I had 12 kg bells. How can it be that what was difficult a week ago was pretty easy today? WTH effect. Return of the Kettlebell.

Double Viking Push Press - 12 x 6 w/30 seconds rest b/n sets
-To my surprise again, these were more comfortable. My heels are staying put better and my elbows are staying in and down. (Hey Adam - don't worry about my womanhood. It's safe!)

I was feeling so strong that I did some more Franz pistol work. I'm getting closer. Next week I'm going to try out my new Elite rings. Bring em on!!

Assume the Position

Ah, my Bootcamp Boys. Another Wednesday, another great sweatfest! They made it through an entire deck of cards doing swings, burpees, clean and press, and rows. Whew! They detest the burpees, so everytime I drew the spade cards for burpees, they would moan and say "We'll assume the position." If you come to my bootcamps, we will now refer to burpees as "assume the position."

My own training brought some challenges and a sense of accomplishment.

Double Jerks - 16 kg - 6 x 5
-These were challenging, but rewarding. It was my first time using the 16 kg bells for jerks.

Mini-Circuit of
Double Cleans - 16 kg - 5 reps
rest 20 seconds
Squats - 20 kg - 5 reps
rest 20 seconds
10 rounds
-I LOVE the double cleans.
-I had a great sense of accomplishment with my squats today. I hiked the 20 kg (44 lb) bell up to the goblet position and it felt so light. Then, when doing the reps, for the first time EVER, I didn't struggle. I have made progress on my squats!! It wasn't long ago that a 16 kg goblet squat was a struggle. Amazing!

I feel as if I've overcome a great obstacle. It really gives me confidence that the pistol is within my reach!

Monday Doubles

I was back to work today. My classes start Wednesday, and wowsie are they full! That is a great sign for the college!!

I was a brave girl today and wore my five fingers to work. No one said anything, but I was either in meetings or working in my office all day, so I'm not surprised. I may just keep wearing them until someone tells me I can't. :)

I had more double kb drills to do for my training session. Here's what I did:

Double snatches -12 kg - 8 x 4 w/ 30 secs rest between sets
-Still getting used to the wider stance on the double snatch, but boy do the doubles make me feel like an animal! Roooaaarrrrrrr!!!

Viking Push Press - 12 kg - 10 x 6 w/ 30 secs rest between sets
-I was supposed to do 10 x 8, but my form started to slip after 6, so I did 10 sets of 6. Those puppies are tough!

I'm still practicing my Z-scription like a trooper. Actually, I love doing my Z. It is a great way to start and end my day and to relieve tension throughout the day. As a bonus, I'm moving better and getting stronger because I'm not moving through pain. Yay me!

Quick Training Post

Here's my training log for today. Have a great weekend!!

Double KB Jerks - 12 kgs - 12 x 8
-My knot tended to flare up around the 7th rep. If it flared, I stopped.
-I did a lot of my new Zscription between sets.

Double KB Cleans - 16 kgs - 8 x 8
-I did more than Brad suggested because they feel so good!

Squats - 20 kg - 8 x 5
-I do these with the cleans as a mini-circuit. They keep getting better!

Pistol Practice- 14 lb. kb
-I followed Franz Snideman's suggestions from his blog. I'd get in the bottom position and switch legs as well as rock a little. I'm finding some comfort in the bottom as well as my balance.

Another Rad T-shirt

I have to show off the shirt Brad Nelson gave me. I had to earn this one!

On another note, my bootcamp had another great workout last night. Those guys cover the floor with sweat. It's awesome!! They are great sports to take a beating from a woman. Ha!

Wednesday Training

I worked on some two-hand kettlebell drills today with great success.

1. Double Snatches - 12 kgs - 5 x 5
-I don't like how I have to spread my legs so far apart to fit the two bells between my legs. It messes with my hip load and snap. I'll have to do more of these to find a new groove.

2. Viking Push Press - 12 kgs - 10 x 6
-Exactly one week ago, I tried to do these with 12 kg bells without success. My heels came off the ground, my hips were slow, etc. When I saw 10 x 6 as my regimen today I thought, "This will be interesting." It was interesting. Interesting how well I did!! I'm very pleased with my first real training session with the viking push press.

I'm working some new Z Health along with the old Z scription. I will be moving like a pro soon - pulling myself up from a dead hang, pressing the 20 kg bell for reps, doing pistols, you know, all that stuff Level II RKCs do. :)

Good Monday

My training was fun today!

Double Jerks - 12 kg bells - 10 x 8
-These keep getting better.

Mini-Circuit - 6 rounds, 20 seconds rest between each drill.
Double Cleans - 16 kg bells - 5 reps
Goblet Squats - 20 kg - 5 reps
-This got my blood pumping. I could have done more cleans, but the squats were just right.

I wanted to kick my own butt a little when I was finished, so I did a little drill Brad likes to throw into the mix. He never named it for me, so I decided to name it today. I call it -

BS 22s

Here's what you do:
1. Grab a medium weight kb. (For me today, I chose 20 kg.)
2. Start out doing 20 Burpees and 2 Swings. (This adds up to 22.)
3. Reduce the number of Burpees by 2 and increase the number of swings by 2 (18 B, 4 S = 22)
4. Continue reducing and increasing by 2 reps until you reach 2 Burpees and 20 Swings.
5. Rest as you need to. (When my HR dropped below 148, I started with the next set.)

BS 22 (Burpees & Swings for 22 reps)

I spent 31 minutes in my target HR zone; my average HR was 113; max HR was 158; burned 335 calories. I was drenched with sweat and felt awesome!

One Rad T-Shirt

Here's one of the great t-shirts I picked up when I was in Woodbury, MN training with Brad Nelson. Sweet!!

The back is Nitrolicious!!

Too Fun!!

Friday's Training

I am back at the lake, but I absolutely had to get in my training today. Good thing it was cloudy so I wasn't tempted to hit the beach!

Here's what I got to do:

TGU w/ 25 lb. plate (waiter style)
5 x 2 L, R
-Not tough; just uncomfortable on my wrists.

Double Jerks - 2 - 12 kg bells - 100 reps
-I did two sets of 10 reps and then 10 sets of 8 reps to get in the 100 reps.
-I even threw in a couple sets of viking push presses!!! I found the groove. That was a relief since I wasn't able to do them on Wednesday when I trained with Brad.

Now I can relax the rest of the weekend. I'll probably go for a run or walk a few times this weekend. I might even swing the 24 kg for awhile. I'll see how I feel.

Happy Friday!!

Back from Oz

Update from my training session with Brad Nelson:

My feet and gait are much improved. Thumbs up. (Vibram Five Fingers are a huge part of this improvement.)
My delt knot is not. Thumbs down.
I am cranking out the jerks. Thumbs up.
I was unable to perform a viking push press with two 12 kg bells. Thumbs down.
I didn't find any shoes for work. Thumbs down.
I did pick up some new t-shirts that I will post pictures of. Thumbs up.
I did get to experience a group beat down at Kinetic Edge. Thumbs up.
I had to drive for 4 hours after enjoying the pain. Thumbs down.

I had a huge "DUH!" moment today when Brad asked me if I've ever injured my back where my knot is. I can't believe it never dawned on me before. I was crushed in a mosh pit at a KISS concert about 20 years ago. (Yes, I was a headbanger!) That injury has always seemed like a sternum injury, but actually, when a person gets squeezed, the ribs move and cause injury to the front and back. DUH! Now that I know what is the root of the issue, I can address it more successfully.

I will have all new Z drills and training/rehab drills starting next week. Stay tuned!

Off to See the Wizard

The wonderful wizard of Z. AKA - Brad Nelson

Let's see how much progress I've made over the summer with fixing my issues. I'll update the blog tomorrow. Now I'm going to order some Elite rings and then head north. I'm stopping in at Dragon Door (this will be my first time!) and doing a little shopping for flexible shoes for work before I head to Woodbury and Kinetic Edge.

Have a great day! I will!!!

Improvising

I am on a mini-vacation, so I didn't have all of the necessary equipment to do my training today. I was supposed to do plate presses with 25 lb and 35 lb plates, but I only had a 12 kg kettlebell, so I did open palm presses with that - 5 x 5 L, R.

I was supposed to do 24 kg one arm, one leg deadlifts. That I could do! 5 x 4 L, R. Those were pretty easy.

Last, I was supposed to do ring pullups and negatives. No rings at the lake house, so I walked the dog to a nearby park and let her run while I figured out how to do some sort of pullup work. The swing set bar was about 4 inches around. There were no monkey bars. Then I eyed the slide. It had a cross bar near the top step. It was about 2 inches in diameter. I tried to do a pullup on it - no go. So I jumped up, held myself and did a slow negative. I did that 3 x 3 before I was toast.

In case I didn't work my body enough, I ended the day by water skiing over a mile. My arms are shaking now. It's been a couple years since I skied last. Still got it! ha

So, it just shows to go yah that it is possible to get in training when you don't have the equipment you need. Improvise! Find a way. I'm glad I did.