Wednesday's Training

I'm doing my new Z Health religiously. I'm doing my biofeedback religiously. I am making progress toward finding answers while simultaneously learning about my physical self. Crazy good stuff going on in NW Iowa.

Double Clean, Squat. Push Press- 12 kg bells - 3 / min.
-15 minutes
-I kept checking my ROM. At set 8, my hips got jacked. At the 15 minute mark, my ROM was horrible. Time to stop.

Snatches - 16 kg - 10 x 6 L, R
Rest 30 seconds between sets.
-This took me 7:56 to do. I didn't rest 30 seconds between sets, though. At first I rested 15 seconds and then increased to 20 and finally 25 between the last couple sets. I know it's not a race, but I want a baseline for next time. I also wanted to get my HR up.

Monday's Training

Mini Circuit #1 - 5 Rounds
Mountain Climbers - 60 reps
Swings - 24 kg - 20 reps
Rest 20 seconds
RPE - 5

Mini Circuit #2 - 5 Rounds
Burpees - 12 reps
High Pulls - 12 L, R
Rest 20 seconds
RPE - 5

TGU - 16 kg - 5 x 3 L, R
RPE - 7

My hips were jacked through the entire workout, especially the first circuit. I kept testing my ROM and found that each round actually improved. Before I did the TGUs I did my Zscription. The last set of TGUs was probably my best. That seemed strange.

Today's Training

Shoveling through 4 foot drifts for 1 hour.

Snatches - 16 kg - 10 x 6 L, R - 30 secs rest b/n sets

That should have burned off my pumpkin pie!

More veggies today - romaine lettuce, cauliflower, carrots. I'm getting back to regular eating. December 24 & 25 consisted of my mother trying to force something else into my mouth every 15 minutes. Gotta love my mom!

White Christmas Work Out

We've received about 5 inches of snow so far in NW Iowa with 10-12 inches more predicted by Saturday. Love it! Only because I don't have to travel in it. I wish everyone could be at their holiday destinations safely.

Mini Circuit #1 - 5 Rounds
Mountain Climbers - 60 reps
Swings - 24 kg (53 lbs.) - 20 reps
20 seconds rest
RPE - 5 (Good warm up.)

Mini Circuit #2 - 5 Rounds
Burpees - 12 reps
High Pulls - 12 kgs - 12 L, R
20 seconds rest
RPE - 6

TGUs - 12 kg - 5 x 4 L, R
RPE - 7

I dubbed the TGUs the "Turkey Get Ups" in honor of the wild turkey my brother shot on his land and brought home for lunch today. Yummy! Oh, and my mom made lima bean/broccoli bake. My dad and I LOVE that.

I did my biofeedback testing before each drill and during to make sure it was okay w/ my body to keep going. I got the best response from the TGUs, even though that last rep jacked my hips. I'd test and felt great.

I also did my new Z for my hips. This is the first time I've really felt movement in the hip joint, way up in the heart of the joint.

My coffee is done brewing. I'm going to grab a cup, hit the shower, and then walk down the block to my parents house for the first of my Christmas gatherings. Merry Christmas everyone! Thank you for the gift of your friendship and support!

Education

I am thankful for all the opportunities I have to learn about myself. That is the best education. Today I had one of those opportunities with my trainer and a great teacher - Brad Nelson.

"What do you want to work on today?" Brad casually asked when I walked in today.

Well, let me see. I would like to work on NOT putting the food that keeps me overweight (like cheese and crackers) in my pie hole. I would like to work on eliminating negative thoughts about myself. I would like to do a pullup and a pistol and, while we're at it, I would like to press the 24 kg bell five times please.

"Why do you want to lose more weight?"
"Why do you eat those things when they keep you from hitting your goal weight?"
"Why do you want to do a pullup and a pistol and big press?"

Seriously, you're going to make me think? Just fix me!

First, Brad did "fix me." He watched me squat. I tested it with biofeedback. I did some Z drills for my hips and tested again. It is better, and now I have an arsenal of Z drills I can work on for my hips, wrists, and feet.

I also have a whole new way of approaching my training. It's pretty exciting for a cerebral person like me. I actually like to think about my training. I'm going to get that chance every time I train. If you've been following Adam Glass lately, you know exactly what I'll be doing. You can check his website and see what he's doing with biofeedback here: http://www.adamtglass.blogspot.com/

[BTW- I can't wait for Grip n Rip (http://www.bradrants.com/gripnrip.php). Brad and Adam will be teaching participants about this type of training and listening to your body. It's going to be transforming.]

After working on squats, we moved to pullups. That work was good as well. This is when the real education happened. Brad started asking me the questions. I still don't have the answers to most of them, but I know when I find the answer, I will change my thoughts and behaviors. I need to unlock the gates to the walls standing between me and my potential.

In the process, I will learn even more about myself. It's tough work, but worth it.

At the end of our session, Brad did my body composition. I'm down nearly 3% bodyfat since June, but I weigh virtually the same. What a fantastic surprise that was. I only have 2% to go to meet my goal. I learned that the scale isn't everything. During these past few months I've been building new muscle and eliminating fat. My training worked. Plain and simple.

Get busy living - which means get busy learning!

Monday Training

Got it done by 10:30 am and at home. What is wrong with me? :)

Double Clean, Squat, Press - two 12 kg kbs - 3/ min. for 15 min.
-These were better today than on Friday and that's all I have to say about them.
-Well, except that my hips are killing me again. Oh, and that I'm hoping my training with Brad tomorrow will give me some direction for improving my glute fire on the squats.
RPE - 8

Snatches - 12 kg - 12 x 11 L, R
30 seconds rest between sets
-This was a good heart pumper again. I feel like my conditioning is improving again since being sick.
RPE - 7

I'm hitting the road for St. Paul before I get caught in a blizzard. The weather forecast keeps changing. I'm through listening to it. I'm just going.

Friday Training

Snatches - 12 kg - 12x 11 L, R
Rest 30 seconds between sets
RPE - 7

Double Clean, Squat, Press - 5 x 1, 2, 3 (ladder)
RPE - 7

I decided to do a ladder for the clean, squat, press sequence. I know I didn't do the number of reps I was supposed to. However, these were good reps. Every rep was focused. I think it's more important to do each rep perfectly at this point than to crank out a lot of reps that are less than perfect.

I'm happy tonight. I'm on Christmas break from the college. Two and a half weeks without papers to grade. Ahhhhhh!!

Don't Faint - I Trained

It's only been a week since my last training session. Sheesh!

Mini-Circuit #1 - 4 Rounds
Mountain Climbers - 60
Swings - 24 kg - 20 reps
Rest 20 seconds
RPE - 6

Mini-Circuit #2 - 4 Rounds
Burpees - 12
High Pulls - 12 kg - 12 L, R
Rest 20 seconds
RPE - 6

TGUs - 16 kg - 5 x 2 L, R
RPE - 6

I was scheduled to do heavier loads than this, but obviously, I wasn't going to be able to do that after being sick so long. The mini-circuits went quite well. When I got to the TGUs, I had to eliminate a rep from each set. (I was supposed to do 5 x 3.) I was pretty drained, but I made myself keep going and only allowed myself a minute of rest between sets.

It felt great to be back at it. I don't think I lost too terribly much strength. Now I need the strength to finish grading papers and essay exams. I only have 1.5 days to complete it all and submit final grades. The joys of being a writing professor. :)

No Training in Site

I'm hoping that I'll be well soon, at least well enough to do a little training tomorrow or Wednesday. I'm not sick, sick, but I'm not able to eat much yet. Every time I eat, I feel nauseous and get a stomach ache.

I keep the fluids coming. I've also been able to drink an Advocare shake in the morning, so I'm getting some protein. I did eat two meals on Sunday, but I was miserable last night and all day today.

This better be done tomorrow. I'm sick of it.

On the positive side, I haven't been eating any of the Christmas goodies that invade work and family gatherings. Gotta find the bright spot. Happy Monday!

I Spoke Too Soon

I was having a great snow day yesterday. My training went great; the kids were home; I got to relax. Then about 3:30 I started feeling a bit queasy. No biggie; I'll just sit for awhile. At 5:00 Barf Fest 2009 got underway.

I haven't had the stomach flu for years, literally. I made up for it yesterday. Every 15 minutes for four hours I was talking to the toilet. TMI, I know! Unfortunately, the barfing was the easy part of my ordeal.

If you check out my previous few posts, you'll see that I am having trouble with my squats. They are pretty sticky in one particular spot. My new round of training has me doing TGUs and double squats on alternating days, so my hips, butt, inner thighs are all getting a pretty good workout. In fact, they are quite sore. Because of this, last night I wasn't able to get any sleep. I could not find a location or position where the soreness was alleviated. That sucked eggs!

This morning I iced my hips and butt and did a bunch of Z Health, so it's better, but it's really ticking me off that THAT is what kept me from sleeping.

So there is another chapter in the saga of my life. Never a dull moment in my life, no-sir-ee Bob. I'm rehydrating today and hoping to grade the papers I was going to grade yesterday. Sigh!

Snow Day, Good Day

Iowa is snowed under, so no work, no school for the kids. What is there to do? My kettlebell training of course! I avoid training at home because I have a hard time staying focused. Today, however, my mind and body were totally into the home training. I feel GRRRRREAAAATT!!!

Double Clean to Squat to Double Press - 12 kg bells
3 reps / minute for 18 minutes
-My squats were less sticky today. My hips are feeling the loaded stretch from the deep squat, though! Good stuff!
RPE - 7

Snatches - 12 kg - 12 x 10 L, R
20 seconds rest between sets
-20 seconds goes fast. I had to slow down so that it took me about 45 seconds to do the snatches. The 35-40 second pace would have killed me! Okay, not killed me, but left me panting on the floor, for sure. :P
RPE - 8

Now I'm going to have a couple eggs and some broccoli. Then I have some research papers I need to grade. No rest, no rest. Get busy living........

Good Day Monday

My training got cranked up a notch. I was out there and lovin it! (Thinly veiled Seinfeld reference.)

Mini Circuit #1 - 4 Rounds
Mountain Climbers - 60 reps
Swings - 24 kg (53 lbs) - 20 reps
Rest 20 seconds
-Great warm up. My blood was pumping after this circuit, especially since I was not allowed to rest between drills, just between rounds.
RPE - 6

Mini Circuit #2 - 4 Rounds
Burpees - 12 reps
High Pulls - 12 kg (26 lbs) - 12 L, R
Rest 20 seconds
-Another heart pumping circuit.
RPE - 7

TGUs - 16 kg (35 lbs) - 5 x 3 L, R
-No balance issues today. 30 getups that were solid.
RPE - 7

Don't you just love it when you finish up training and feel better than when you started? That's how I felt today. I felt amazing. Powerful. Good day Monday!

Friday, December 4

Here's a quick post on today's training.

Snatches - 12 kg - 10 L, R - rest 30 seconds
10 Rounds
RPE - 6

Double Clean to Squat to Push Press - two 12 kg bells
3 reps at the top of the minute for 18 minutes
RPE - 7

The squats are still sticky. Two weeks until I see Brad and can get a Z-scription. I need it, BAD!!

Or, should I say B-RAD?!?

Training - December 2

Mini-Circuit 1
A: Mountain Climbers - 50 reps
B: Swings - 24 kg (53 lbs) - 15 reps
4 Rounds
-I was supposed to rest 20 seconds between each drill, but I just went right through without resting. This took me about 5 minutes and was a good warmup.
RPE - 5

Mini-Circuit 2
A: Burpees - 10 reps
B: High Pulls - 12 kg - 10 L, R
4 Rounds
-As above, I was supposed to rest 20 seconds between drills. Instead I did the burpees and high pulls without resting. Then I rested 20 seconds between rounds.
RPE - 5

TGUs - 16 kg - 4 x 3 L, R
-I finished up with 24 getups. It was actually a bit awkward to use a kettlebell. I have been doing TGUs with a 35 lb. plate and holding it like a waiter holds a tray of food. It took me two sets to get my balance with the kb. After that, I was golden.
RPE - 7

So far, I'm liking the new cycle of training.