And Friday Makes Three

Three great training sessions this week. Celebrate good times, come on!

Double KB Snatches - 16 kg bells - 8 x 3
-No extra swings between reps. :)

Double KB Viking Push Presses - 12 kg bells - 8 x 10
-They felt great. I could have done more, but I ran out of time. :(

I'm going to enjoy my extra hour of sleep on Saturday night and get ready for next week's training.

Let the good times roll!

Black Eye Wednesday

No, I didn't injure myself. It is the two week anniversary of my run-in with the jerk, however, and I am finally black eye free! Today's training was solid.

Double KB Jerks - 16 kg bells (70 lbs. total) - 7 x 7
-I did lots of Z drills between sets. I was jacked today.

Double KB Cleans - 20 kg bells (88 lbs. total) - 5 x 8
-Good times. I feel so powerful when I throw 88 lbs. of cast iron around.

Goblet Squats - 24 kg bell (53 lbs.) - 5 x 8
-These still put some strain on my low back, but I'm NOT whining. Just observing.

I'm happy to be moving forward. I feel as if I'm making progress now after a few stalled out weeks.

That's More Like It

I finally felt like I had a strong training session. It's been a few weeks. I feel like all I've done is whine the past few weeks about my back and my eye. Pity party is O-V-E-R.

Two drills today. Two killer sessions.

Double KB Snatches - 16 kg bells (35 lbs. each) - 8 x 3
-For the first three sets, I did any extra swing between reps. Then, for the last 5 sets, I did the three reps without an extra swing.
-I felt so great when I finished. Then I stepped back and reflected on what I had just done. I snatched 70 pounds of cast iron 24 times. I can't even believe that this is me doing these things. Holy crap! I snatched 70 pounds of kettlebell. Blows my mind. So someone tell me why I can't do a pullup. Seriously.

Viking Push Presses - 12 kg bells (26 lbs. each) - 10 x 10
-If I were a marine, I would shout hoo rah. Good times.

I hope today is a sign of what's to come with my other training sessions this week. Now, I just need to avoid the H1N1.

Friday's Training

I did a quick training session on Thursday before leaving for Des Moines.

Double KB Jerks - 16 kg - 8 x 6
Double KB Cleans - 20 kg - 5 x 7
Goblet Squats - 24 kg - 5 x 7

I didn't have time to mess around. I got in, I got out.

The eye is almost back to normal, thank goodness. Off to do a little shopping and then heading back home.

Training Like a Viking

It was more double kb drills today. Lovin those bad boys!

Double Snatches - two 16 kgs (35 lb each) - 8 x 3
-These were tough! I had to put a swing between each rep to get enough hip snap. My low back is still a little stiff from the spasms I had 10 days ago, but the training seems to be helping. It feels a whole lot better after I've trained.
RPE - 9

Viking Push Presses - two 12 kgs (26 lb each) - 10 x 8
-These were strong. I finally feel like a Viking!
RPE - 7

In case you're wondering, my eyes came through unscathed this Wednesday. My battle wound is almost gone. I am painfully aware now just how close those bells come to your head when practicing jerks and Viking Push presses. Be careful!

Climbing Back Up on that Horse

When a horse throws you, you have to climb right back up on him. That's what I did today with double kettlebell jerks. Only today, I used two 16 kg kettlebells (35 lbs. each). Word.

Double KB Jerks - 16 kg - 7 x 7
-After the first set, these went fabulous. I was a bit gun shy on the first set. (Wonder why!)

Double KB Cleans - two 20 kg bells (44 lbs. each) - 5 reps
30 secs rest
Goblet Squats - 24 kg bell (53 lbs.) - 5 reps
30 secs rest
5 Rounds
-The squats were a bit of a struggle today with the back spasms, but I did them with excellent form.
-The cleans are just plain heavy, but sooooo much fun. I LOVE throwing around that much weight (88 lbs).

Last week was a bear. So far, this week is starting off great. Let's keep that momentum going!

Keeping Life Interesting

The result of talking while doing jerks. I'm back to training in solitude. If I don't talk to you while training, don't take it personally. :)

"Back" in Black

Light, light, light.

First I did some 24 kg swings.

Then I attempted some pullups. I needed a little nudge. Grrrrr!!

Double Jerks -12 kg bells (26 lbs each) - 5 x 10
-On the third set, I brushed my brow with a kb. It didn't hurt; it just startled me a bit. I did two more sets and realized I had a little robin's egg ballooning out the side of my head. Now I've got a stinkin black eye. Seriously. I've been training with kbs for over three years and this is the first time I've hit myself.

I am too blonde for words!

Still Not "Back"

I haven't done any heavy training yet this week. I want to make sure my back is ready.

Tonight I did a light session of swings and squats and then taught my introductory class. The light work felt good. Tomorrow I'm hoping to revisit Block A - double kb work (jerks, cleans, snatches, viking push presses). Ooooo I'm chomping at the bit to get after those bad boys!!

Quick Update

I did not train on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Why? I tweaked my back Friday while STANDING UP. ???????? My muscles went into immediate spasms and have been a knotted mess all weekend. Actually, I feel pretty good now. (It's 9:40 pm Sunday.) I can run up and down the stairs. It's the sitting down and standing up that are the problem.

I'll probably hold off with heavy training until Tuesday. I refuse to be set back. I'm making fantastic gains. My goals await me!

8-8-8

Three drills today. Three 8 RPE ratings (Rate of Perceived Exertion). It was a great day for me in the gym.

Open Palm Plate TGU - 35 lb. plate - 5 x 2 L, R
-These aren't hard on any part of my body except my wrists and "knotty spot" in my back. I needed lots of Z between sets to get my wrists to recover.

1 Arm, 1 Leg Deadlift - 28 kg (62 lb) - 5 x 4 L, R
-On the left, I have fantastic balance and control. On my right leg, I resemble a pitiful tightrope walker. My big toe won't plant. Once I find a foot position that is stable, I'm good.

Bent Press - 28 kg - 8 x 1 L, R
-Okay, who put "24 kg" on my 28 kg bell? Seriously? On Friday I struggled to get 4 w/ the 28 kg bell. Today, 8 went smashingly well. I blew myself away. Crazy!

After my training, I ate a big bone-in ribeye and green beans. I'm still hungry. What to eat? Sprouted almonds anyone?

I Love It When I'm Right

As I predicted yesterday, I am NOT sore from my training. At 8:00 pm last night, I practiced my Z Health drills - R Phase and my Zcription.

Now I'm off to introduce kettlebell training to 10 more people in NW Iowa. They will surely "Enjoy the Pain!"

Let's See How It Goes

Today's training consisted of the drills that made me uber sore last week. I have a feeling that I won't be sore this time.

Goblet Squats - 28 kg (62 lbs) - 5 x 6
-I did these a$$ to grass. Getting stronger! Last week I did 24 kg goblet squats.

Ring Pullup Negatives - 5 x 4
-Nothing extraordinary to report on these.

Open Palm Plate Presses - 25 lb. plate - 4 ladders to 4
-1, 2, 3, 4 L, R four times
-I wanted to do five, but my left wrist was screaming. Next time!!

It has been just downright cruddy weather in NW Iowa for the past 6 days. It's rainy and cold. Yuck!!! I NEED some sunshine! Seriously!

Hello Lats

Nice to feel yah. It's been a long time. (Sing to the tune of the Conway Twitty song "Hello Darlin.")

Holy Moly! I am still sore from Wednesday's training. In particular, the pullup negatives. My lats hurt so bad it is hard to pull up my pants, let alone my body! ;)

As a result, I was only able to complete part of my training. It was a challenge to get this done.

1 Arm, 1 Leg Deadlifts - 28 kg (62 lbs) - 5 x 4
RPE - 7

Bent Press - 28 kg - 8 x 1 L, R
-I did half of these with a 24 kg bell. Why? Well, my first attempt on my dominant side (right) failed. My lats were shaking. So I did four with the 24 kg bell and then switched to the 28 kg. I gotta say, the 24 kg (53 lb) felt rather light, so that is definitely a good sign.
RPE - 8

I spent about 20 minutes doing R-Phase Z Health drills and my Zscription. Through all of this heavy training, my knot in my back has been kept under control, and my feet have felt great. I had a few arch cramps on Tuesday, but now they feel fantastic.

I have a whole lot of nothing to do tonight. Yippee!! Time to unwind.

Another Great Beatdown

Thanks Brad! I'm feeling every muscle today. Here's what Brad served up for me yesterday.

Mini-circuit:
Goblet Squats - 24 kg (53 lb) - 10 reps
Ring Pullup Negatives - 4 reps
5 times through
-I remember when I couldn't even do one goblet squat with the 24 kg. Now I'm cranking out 10 at a time.
-The negs were definitely a challenge. By the fourth rep I was shaking. I'm still shaking today.
RPE - 9

Waiter Plate Press - 25 lb. plate - 5 x 4
-Brad actually had 5 x 3 on my menu, but I did 4 instead. Three wasn't challenging enough.
RPE - 7

After that I held the last session of my September beginners class. I had 10 gals in that class ranging from age 20 to 60. I was so pleased with their progress. Watching them swing really was a thing of beauty. I can see all of their potential to increase their strength and endurance. I hope they continue down the path they started on. Ladies - I'm here if you need a little kick in the rear or if you have questions.

Then I went to beat up my boot camp boys for one last time this month. They did the evil deck of cards - swings, snatches, clean and press, and goblet squats. They did the entire deck. Even Scott was all benny (code word for "sweaty" since Sweaty Ben sweats buckets.) They had to move around to find drive spots on the floor so they wouldn't slip. Yeah, that's sweaty. Thanks for all the laughs over the past several months. Once our schedules settle down, we'll get back after it. Don't you dare quit your kb training or I'll have to hunt you down and make you "assume the position" or do "sugar snatches." Jerks! Those are great too!!

Okay, I better grade something. (I'm an English prof by day.) Hope it is sunny wherever you are. It's gloomy and rainy here in Iowa.