Beep! Beep!

I felt like the Road Runner today. I had to take a quick trip to the gym tonight since I had a limited amount of time. (I didn't get to train yesterday. Stupid snow!) My trip might have been quick, but I posted several PRs. What's better than that?

Waiter Plate Press - 25 lbs. - 8 min.
Left - 33, Right 40 = 1825 lbs.
Density PR (228.125 lbs./min.)


Two-Drill Circuit - 12 min.
1. Sumo DL - 48 kg (106 lbs.)
60 reps = 6360 lbs.

2. Dbl KB Swings - 40 kgs (88 lbs.)
150 reps = 13,200 lbs.

Density PR - 19,560 lbs. (1630/min.)

I wish I would have had more time. :( I don't seem to have enough of that lately. I'll just have to train more days this week. Beep! Beep!

Bahaaaahaaaaahaaaa

I don't do 4 am shopping trips on Black Friday. I stay home and move iron instead.

Today -

• 2 Drills
• 25 minutes
• 31,370 lbs. moved

Take THAT black Friday.

Dbl KB Cleans - 32 kg
115 reps = 8050 lbs.

Dbl KB Swings - 40 kg
265 reps = 23,320 lbs.

Volume and Density PR

Quick Trip

Another icy day in Iowa. Luckily this was a scheduled vacation day for faculty at my college. After getting caught up on dishes, emails, and facebook updates this morning, I took a little snooze this afternoon. Let me rephrase that. I took a power nap. (Doesn't that sound more like something a serious athlete would do?)

Driving 20 miles to the gym where my kbs are located didn't seem too inviting, so I ventured down to the high school for some training. It's a quick trip to the school, and I had a quick training session.

2-Drill Circuit - 5 rounds - 10 minutes
Sumo DL - 48 kg (106 lbs.)
50 reps = 5300 lbs.

Dbl KB Cleans - 32 kg (70 lbs.)
75 reps = 5250 lbs.

Presses tested well also, so I did 8 minutes of one arm DB presses with a 30 lb. DB. I did 40 reps total in 8 minutes. Intensity PR

I just need to bring dumbbells back into my training. I've been using KBs exclusively for so long, I kind of forget that they are just a tool, not the only tool.

Just a quick trip, but I feel better for having moved my body in biofeedback-approved ways.

Bring on the Turkey!

Slick Moves

I woke up to a text message that school was two hours late. Overnight the sky let loose with freezing rain and coated every surface with an icy terror. Driving is a dicey prospect in these conditions. Accelerating is not the problem; stopping is. And, as with the first anyweather of a season, people travel with amnesia of the danger. I want a "Stay back 50 feet" sign like you find on road graders.

I managed to make it to work without incident, taught half of my students, and headed out for what was sure to be a phenomenal training session.

I trained yesterday for about 45 minutes, so I wasn't sure what to expect today. I had snuck in a little extra sleep when I realized I didn't have to jump out of bed. In fact, I don't remember any yawns today.

Heavy Ballistics tested the best.

Circuit - 7 Rounds - 25 min. 40 secs

Dbl KB Cleans - 32 kg (70 lbs.)
82 reps = 5740 lbs.

Dbl KB Swings - 40 kg (88 lbs.)
185 reps = 16,280

Pushups / Planks
20 Pushups
5 X 40 secs Planks

Without factoring in the pushups or planks, I moved 22,020 lbs. Anyone know how to figure in the pushups and planks for a volume measurement?

In any case, my training can be described in one word. Slick.

Like the roads.
Like the day.

Any Given Sunday

I guess Sundays are my new best training day. The past three Sundays have brought great training. It's probably because I'm relaxed on Sunday. That means I have a better state in which to train.

Waiter Plate Press - 25 lbs.
79 reps = 1975 lbs.

Dbl KB Swing - 40 kg (88 lbs.)
175 reps = 15,400 lbs.

Those two above combined took me 16 minutes.

After those two drills, I did 30 cards in a deck of cards. My bootcamp friends showed up at the gym and I HAD to train with them. It's been too long!
Diamonds - Clean and Press
Hearts - Swings
Clubs - Rows
Spades - Burpees

I wanted to finish the deck with my friends, but I had to leave. :(

You Speak and I Obey

I'm glad I had the presence of mind to listen to my master - my body. It never steers me wrong. Today, it told me exactly what to do. It was easy to listen and obey because I have a track record of success from doing so. I can't think my way to success. I can only DO.

I went to the gym and tested several movements. Animals tested well as did squat to press. Okay, great. Complex, full body movements. This will be great. Away I went.

Squat to Press - 16 kg
Bear Crawls - 20 yards
Crabwalk - 20 yards
Scorpion - 20 yards
Egg Rolls - 7 Left, 7 Right

After 10 minutes of moving quickly and with quality, my body said, "No ROM for you!!!!" (So now my body is the Soup Nazi? )

Okay. Nuff said.

I'm a little disappointed though because I'll be traveling the rest of the week, and I won't have a chance to train until Saturday. Bummer. I'll use the time to enjoy the break. Talk to you later!

Perfect Sunday

Slept til 7:30 am.
Went to church @ 9:25.
Led the Sunday school kids in singing @ 10:30.
Drank Dunn Bros coffee w/ fresh whipped cream @ 11:00.
Ate pot roast @ 12:30.
Took a nap @ 1:30.
Trained @ 3:30.
Blogged @ 5:30.
Ordered pizza @ 5:30.
Ready to eat and watch some HBO - Boardwalk Empire.
I'll be in bed by 10:00.

I had the best training session for quite awhile. I can tell my state is better than it has been for awhile, too. Do you see a correlation?

Circuit - 6 rounds - 23:00.

Sumo DL - 48 kg (106 lbs.)
92 reps = 9752 lbs.
Density PR

KB Rows - 16 kg (35 lbs.)
Left - 60 reps, Right - 60 reps = 4200 lbs.

Dbl KB Swings - 40 kg (88 lbs.)
180 reps = 15,840 lbs.
Density PR

Total Weight Moved = 29,792 lbs. in 23 minutes.
Density and Volume PR

How did I move 6,000 lbs. more in one minute less time than on Friday? I went through my circuit 5 times on Friday. Today, I went through 6 times. Granted, I did rows instead of presses today.

I got an extra round in because I moved faster. I pulled, rowed, and swang as fast as I could. Then I was very in tune with my feedback to tell me when to start the next drill. I think I've been moving too slowly when working. It's time to pick it up. Seriously.

After my circuit, I did some egg rolls and headstands. My headstands were the best ever. I held one for a minute. I haven't done a headstand for weeks. Go figure!

Soaking It In

Tonight I've had the opportunity to just relax and enjoy a fantastic meal. I don't have any obligations or stressors. It's been so sweet to soak up the peacefulness.

I had a great training session today, which probably helped with the relaxation.

Circuit - 24 min. 30 seconds

One Arm KB Press - 12 kg
Left - 46 reps
Right - 54 reps
100 reps = 2600 lbs.
-Each side tested different. On the right, I took a scissors stance and twisted my torso toward the right. On the left, I kneeled down and twisted toward the left. Look at the result - I had an increase of 14 reps from my session on Tuesday.
Density PR

Sumo DL - 48 kg (106 lbs.)
75 reps = 7950 lbs.

Dbl KB Swings - 40 kg (88 lbs.)
150 reps = 13,200 lbs.
-That's an increase of 25 reps since Tuesday.
Density PR

Total pounds moved = 23,750 lbs.
I moved that in the same amount of time as Tuesday. Tuesday my total volume was 18,400 lbs. To be fair, on Tuesday I did double cleans w/ two 16 kg kbs. Today I did sumo DL w/ two 24 kg bells. But, I did increase my reps in press and swings. I'm very pleased.

Look! A blimp! (Live Strong MDK!!)

Let's Get to Gettin

Today, cleans, waiter presses, and swings tested very good. I set my timer and got to gettin.

Dbl KB Cleans - 16 kgs (70 lbs.)
75 reps = 5250 lbs.

Waiter Plate Press - 25 lbs.
Left - 38 reps: Right - 48 reps = 2150 lbs.
- I took a scissors stance and twisted my torso toward the side I was pressing. That eliminated the twinge I've been experiencing in my back while pressing.
Volume PR

Dbl KB Swings - 20 kgs (88 lbs.)
125 reps = 11,000 lbs.

I've had a tweeky back the past week, so I stopped when the tweek started. That was at 24 minutes 26 seconds. Bummer. This could have been a huge volume day. It was 18,400 lbs.

Gut Check - for the Athlete Creator

"If you're not getting better, you're getting worse."

These words are at the core of everything I do. Every day I make decisions that either result in some part of me getting better or getting worse. (In case you're wondering - Staying the same is the same as getting worse.)

That parenthetical comment is really the heart of my gut check today. I caught myself thinking, "Good, I'm the same." Am I really the same? Can't be, so I need to ask myself some tough questions.

How do I feel?
I have to say that mentally and emotionally, I'm better. Without a doubt. I've had some busy weeks. There were very few nights I was able to be home to relax. Surprisingly, I didn't see signs of my typical anxiety or a feeling of being overwhelmed. That is incredibly significant. Managing my anxiety makes every aspect of my life so much better.

How is my training progressing?
It's hard to assess my training progress since I mainly do circuits of three to six movements. Rarely do I do the same drills in a circuit twice. I've tried doing one drill at a time so that I can gauge my progress easier, but that is so monotonous to me that my brain ends up working against me.

Circuits suit my brain better most days. Every day, after testing for my drills, I test whether they should be individual or in a circuit. It's obvious from my logs what tests best. Not always, but 8 times out of 10.

I'm disappointed in my pressing progress. I can't seem to figure out how to increase the amount of weight I am able to press. It used to be so important to me to press a 20 kg kettlebell. I've actually forgotten why that was so important to me. I think it's time to let that go. I'll press more when my body is ready to press more.

I've pretty much stopped doing snatches. I figured out they were tearing up my delts around T3 on my left side. Snatches rarely test well, so I rarely do them. The pain I've had near my left scapula has disappeared. Not being in pain is definitely a benefit to my life. It was hard to let go of the identity of being a "snatch queen." I was on the USST and SSST boards for awhile. Whoop-dee-flippin-do. That doesn't mean anything to me anymore. Being pain free does.

How is my body comp?
Here is kicker. I just took all my measurements. They are pretty much the same as a month ago. The same = worse. Or does it? Let's examine the evidence.

I have not been able to train as frequently in the past 6-8 weeks because of all of the busyness in my life. Add to that my embarrassingly crappy diet, and I should have gained fat like crazy. SHOULD have, but didn't. Come again?

My body is getting better at burning what's available. I've consumed more processed carbs in the past two months than I did in the previous two years. No lie.

I kept waiting for the scale to move, for my pants to feel tight, for the sky to fall.

It didn't.

What does the evidence prove? It proves that I am better. It proves that if I keep experimenting, I will find what makes me better. It proves that my fear of certain types of food was unfounded.

It frees me. Feeling free from a restrictive diet is definitely better than obsessing over everything I eat. The guilt is gone (most days). I'm still learning about myself and my relationship with food. It's fascinating.

So, there's a glimpse inside my gut. Now that I've purged, I can post my trianing from today. For the record - I rarely train on Sunday, but today was different. Love that!

Circuit - 5 rounds - 19 min. 45 secs

Waiter Plate Press - 25 lbs.
Left - 35 reps
Right - 40 reps
1875 lbs.

BB Sumo DL - 135 lbs.
29 reps
3915 lbs.

Inverted Rows
46 reps

Circuity Goodness

Another day, another circuit. They keep my mind from getting bored during training. If I do one drill for 10 minutes, my state starts getting all whacky. Mixing up the drills every minute makes my brain happy. Happy brain = effective training.

Friday Circuit - 4 Rounds - 28 min. 45 secs

KB Press - 16 kg (35 lbs.)
Left - 12
Right - 14
910 lbs.

Cleans - 28 kg (62 lbs.)
Left - 25
Right - 23
2976 lbs.

1 Arm 1 Leg DL - 24 kg (53 lbs.)
Left - 28
Right - 31
3127 lbs.

1 Arm Swings - 28 kg (62 lbs.)
Left - 80
Right - 80
9920 lbs.

Looking back, I did 4 rounds of essentially 8 drills since every drill was one-handed. It felt good to move around heavier weights again.

Tonight (Saturday) is my last performance in the play. What will I do with myself every night now? I'm sure I'll fill up my time. That is not a problem.

Is That Wrong?

Is it wrong to move over 25,000 lbs. in less than 30 minutes without breaking a sweat. Oh, and I set a PR. What's more; I'm fighting a cold and am extremely run down. Just tell me if it's wrong. Just saying.

Rack Pulls - 275 lbs.
25 reps = 6875 lbs.
Intensity PR

Swings - 36 kg (79 lbs.)
200 reps = 15,800 lbs.

DB Rows - 40 lbs.
40 Left, 40 Right

That's 25,875 lbs. for the day. Probably a volume PR for a long time.

I have dress rehearsal for my play tonight and then performances every night through Saturday. I'm so glad I was able to move some weight around today. I feel ready for the rest of my week.

State Management

This week is another busy one. I'm doing so much better at managing my stress. How? I simply listen to my body.

One short year ago, I'd have been a ball of nerves right now. Tonight, I'm taking it all in stride. One moment at a time. I ask myself questions. Answer. Take action. I keep moving toward better for me at this time.

A relaxed state is better than a panicked state. That I know for sure.

This busyness is my own making.
Only I can live it through it with finesse.
Only I can thrive.
Only I can enjoy my crazy life.

I will train when my body tells me it's time.
I will rest when my body tells me it's time.

It's time.