Slowly but Surely

I was just plain scared to swing a KB with my single right arm and I felt I needed something besides 2 hand swings so I started going to the gym. It's pretty fun for your 5 year old to ask when we can go to the gym because he likes the kids care.
I'm doing the workout that helped me gain 12lbs in 6 weeks in 2008. It was given to me by Dr. William Kraemer from Advocare Science and Medical Board. He's well known in the sports medicine world. The workout is nonlinear periodization. It hits all body parts at every workout with varying intensity and technique. Feels much safer with 2 hands on a bar. Going light for now but gaining strength. When I say light, I mean the bar.
Mon/Wed/Fri Kraemer Workout (takes around 30 min)
Tue/Thur 15:15 Swings. I'm up to 40 sets or 20 min.
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For the new year, consider how you define your self worth and if you need an adjustment.
Physical achievements? Money? Fancy car?............or Faith, Family and what you can do for
those around you?

I'm back!

Sorry no blogging for a while. I've been maintaining what I could since my surgery. Ended up with a 4 hour surgery. Torn rotator cuff and labrum.

I smoked the rehab and made a lot of the other patients mad but it was there own undoing. I used perfect technique as instructed by the therapist. I didn't overdo it and I used Advocare Post Workout Recovery every day after rehab.

I tried going back to KBs a few times but the shoulder could not take it at all. I've been doing bodyweight exercises and running. Finally did some swings in the last couple of weeks with a 26lb and then yesterday did clean and press. I have never been so excited to press a 26lb KB.

I ran 7 miles in just over an hour tonight. Back in the groove now. Lost some muscle mass but not a lot. Practiced good diet and Advocare nutrition the whole time so I'm not that far behind.

Heading into the holidays, it's this 2 months that most people throw caution to the wind. Don't do it. Enjoy good food but don't be stupid. Call me if you need encouragement!

Going Under the Knife

Headed to the surgery center this morning for a subacromial decompression on my shoulder. 1st time under anesthesia in my life. Wish me luck.

Happy 4th

Lots of progress on my swing since the CKFMS. Anyone who has trained with me in the past that wants me to take a look at your swing, give me a call.

Nothing but swings and snatches for me with some Viking Push Press. I'm working around my shoulder until I get the doc to read the MRI. I think it has caused some tendonitis down to my elbow. Still crankin though. Thanks to everyone who's asked.

I've been on the road a lot, alternating V02 snatches with days of complexes. My favorite complex is very easy.

10 strict deadlifts

10 swings

5 Viking Push Presses each arm or 5 doubles

10 strict pushups

take about a minute rest and repeat until the sweat pools.

Use this complex to practice each rep. You can follow with a bunch of rounds of swings.

I encourage you to watch the video below and concentrate on the hip hinge. Don't let your shins go forward on the back swing. Keep them verticle.

Remember the V02 is 15 seconds of snatches then rest 15. Alternate hands.

MRI, Quick Train at Crossfit and Marty's Article

Got the MRI on my neck this morning. Not fun but like anything else, should be worth it to get a clear diagnosis and fix the pain. I could have opted for the open MRI but they said it was not as accurate so I zoned out and prayed a lot for 30 minutes and made it through.
Great quick train at Crossfit Everstrong last night. Initially it was just Paul and Me getting together to work on swings and then before it was over we had 7 people swinging iron around. Should be some sore hammies today.
If you get a chance check out Marty's site. There is a link on my side banner. I completely agree about the fat food mania and estrogen issues in America. It amazes me how people belly up to the trough and then go to the doctor to get meds for their high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, back problems, etc, etc. Of course even more disturbing is the whole pharmaceutical (sp) industry selling you a pill that treats the symptom not the cause. Would you rather have a pill for $500 that you take one time and cure the problem or one that costs $1 that you take every day for the rest of your life. Did you know that 80% of the food consumed at McDonalds is consumed by 20% of the customers? I digress. Check out Paul Zane Pilzer's Perfect Storm.
I don't really buy into the whole thing about soy products. I was told by Dr. William Kraemer, who is a world reknown scientist that he fed a rat 1/2 it's body weight for 6 months before estrogen showed up. I doubt switching your cow milk for soy milk will hurt you. I have always been a proponent of moderation with consistency.
Ya'll have a great weekend and practice your swings.

Swing - The Center of the Kettlebell Universe

Since the CK-FMS I have been working on my swing technique. It all starts with the dead lift groove. I had too much knee bend and not enough hip hinge. I've been working on keeping the back straight and the knees from moving forward on the dead lift then quickly moving to the swing and just recreating the groove but faster with more snap. I think part of the problem was working out facing a mirror. Trying so hard to watch form that I was keeping my head up and not letting the lower back release for the hinge. I started letting my eyes drift down with the kettlebell and even straight down during the hike then back up all the way. Amazing. My hamstrings are waiving the white flag. If you are feeling the swing in your quads you need to work on form. Get parallel to the mirror and don't let your knees/shins move forward during the backswing. They might pop out a little on the hip snap but it should be minimal. Make sure you don't 'chicken neck'. This means keep your head/neck neutral to your spine. Head and spine should stay in line with very little or no angle. Snap the hips, lift the knees. On the way down punch your but back and hinge at the waist. Go back to the deadlift. Practice every rep and don't do more than about 10 reps per set. Enjoy.

Here's how not to swing:

Here's a decent swing and a work in progress. Notice the difference in the knee movement and more hinge. Also look at where I'm looking at the bottom of the swing.

CK-FMS and Taking a Break

Went to the Certified Kettlebell Functional Movement Screen seminar a couple weeks ago. Lots of info and got to hang out with Jennifer Bryan, RKC and Laurel Blackburn, RKC. Great to get to know them better. The class was filled with info that I can hopefully use to make people move and feel better. I already helped one friend improve shoulder mobility by 2 inches with about 45 minutes of training/drills. I also made my mother inlaw cuss at me by putting her in the Bretzel 2.0.

Upon return I have worked on my deadlift groove and swing groove along with some stretching and that's about it. Everyone needs a break. Two weeks shouldn't hurt anyone's training. Trying to eat right. Got down to about 188lbs one day this week. Reworked my yard, including digging up old grass and laying 3 pallets of centipede sod in one afternoon. Been fishing a few times and had a weekend of kicking back at Gantt Lake. Yes, taking a break, ha ha.

Getting geared up for Advocare Success School in 2 weeks. Hopefully get to hang out with Andy Andrews and see Drew Brees but more importantly get to visit with good Christian friends and learn more about nutrition and creating a plan B for the future.

We've recently hit the Ruby level in Advocare so this is starting to become a reality that it could replace one of our incomes and create some time freedom in the future. Some people thing we are crazy running all over the place selling vitamins but in 10 years when they are still working and we are playing we will see who is crazy.

I continue to follow my four "F" plan.

Faith, Family, Finance and Fitness in that order. If it doesn't fit in the plan, it's not a priority right now. If you ask me about the latest episode of dancing with the stars or some other show I don't know the name of and I look at you funny, it's because just doesn't warrant my time.

Everyone keep praying about the oil spill and what positive can come from it. We'll find something. ........J

Bursitis - Patience

That's what the doc said. Got some celebrex and some patches. Not a lot of improvement yet but he said no restrictions on workouts. I'm working around the upper arm pain so that restricts my handstands and presses. No bad pain with snatches and swings. I'm doing some rehab type work with the rotator to try and get the blood moving in the general area of the bursitis.
VWC progess: 22 sets of 36:36 last week. I hit 80 sets of 8 with 16kg before I moved on. I have been alternating 15:15, 36:36 with swings 2 days per week. I replace snatch day with a test about once a month and have hit the 100 in around 4:30 the last 2 months. Conditioning is good.
My other 2 days per week I am working through the 9 progressions of the 6 exercises in Convict Conditioning. Having to hold back on moving up too quick in some areas but being challenged in others. It really stinks to have so much pain in the headstand. Patience.
Weight is steady around 190. I got as low as 185 and sneak up to 193 or so after eating bad (pizza yesterday). I still try to eat more good than bad meals and have not missed a day of Max E in 3 years unless doing a cleanse.
I have resolved to chase better health/conditioning/strength instead of bigger/faster/stronger.
...
Looking forward to the CKFMS class next month. Can't wait to show people how to feel better every day.

O.K., I give, I'm going to the Ortho Surgeon.....

Just can't shake this problem with my tricep/shoulder. Hoping nothing to do with rotator cuff. I've always been able to work through pain but this won't go away and has gotten worse since January. Can't press with right arm, can barely stand to do handstands, can't do get ups with that arm down because the compression is like a knife hitting me between the tricep and shoulder. OK, I give in. Snatches and swings have very little pain so that's been the bulk of my work for 3 months. Can't complain because they are great and my 5 min snatch test was done in 4:30 a couple of weeks ago, but when you almost scream just rolling over in bed it's time to do something.
Lots of travel and bad eating but lots of water and good supplements so I'm maintaining my bodyweight around 190.
Loving the Convict Conditioning bodyweight program. I'm starting at the bottom like Coach Wade says and hopefully will be able to progress nicely by the time my arm is fixed. Until then I will work around it.
Still working the V02 snatches 2-3 times a week. I'm alternating days of Convict Conditioning with 15:15 or 36:36. I've hit 80 sets of 8 on the short one and 20 sets of 15 reps on the 36 before my grips lets go.
Blah, blah......
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I'm doing a Kettlebell Basics class at Crossfit Everstrong on Saturday at 12:30. Fellow RKC David Dunham will be there as well.

Are You Too Busy to Workout?

Friday was a back down day after we did the snatch test earlier in the week. I hit 100 snatches in 4:30. Respectable. Friday was 40 sets of 8 snatches. Friday night I drove to Jackson, MS for some Advocare business. Sarah was supposed to volunteer at a 5k the next morning so at 11:30 pm, Trey and I said we would run the 5k at 8am the next morning. Got up, ready to go, Trey says "Sarah found something to do at 9am so she's sleeping in." We ran it anyway. 24:10. Trey did 23:05 I think. We both got 3rd place in our age groups.
Coach's meeting then product training Saturday. Showed Trey some KBs before Church Sunday morning. Drove home after mixer that evening.
I bailed on Shane this morning so I came home at lunch and cranked out 80 sets of 8. Felt really good. Worked on form. I'm trying a little more corkscrew on the descent rather than the straight hardstyle flip. It's a work in progress.
Gotta get Shane to 80 sets so we can start the 36:36 protocol.
Just got my CKFMS DVDs so lots to learn before May.
Now who says they're too busy to workout? Give me 20 swings and shut your pie hole!

Accountability = Results

There is nothing like accountability to motivate you. I know there might be a few exceptional folks out there that beg to differ but for the most part you can't do it by yourself. When I say it, I mean take it to the next level. I have been able to successfully "maintain" my fitness level alone and I'm pretty motivated but give me a goal or someone to train to a goal and I take it to the next level.
Find a workout partner that you know will be waiting at the gym or banging on the door of your garage at 5am. Find someone that will call you every day and ask you if you ate any oreos and expect the same in return.
Emily wanted a challenge for the new year. I challenged her to 1000 swings in a workout. She got on facebook and layed out the challenge and it was accepted by Lydia and Yvonne. They all did it in 3 weeks. Em's best time was 32 minutes with a 30lb kb. She triggered her metabolism to jump up a notch and now she's below her pre-pregnancy weight and ripped.
Angela challenged herself to get ready for the next HKC then the RKC. She just reported in that she's lost enough inches to get in jeans (down almost 7 sizes since January) she thought would never see her hips again and she's only getting started.
The key is to find an accountability partner and start small but consistently add intensity. The biggest mistake with diet or exercise is to go too extreme too quickly and it makes you too sore or too hungry so you can't persist.
Persist without exception. Call me and I will be your accountability.

Make the Right Choices

So in the last 7 days I have been from Pensacola to Philadelphia and back then to Tampa and for 4 days and back. I have managed a few workouts. Joint mobility almost every day. Pushups when I have nothing else. One of the great things about the RKC is that you can call a fellow comrade while in their town and they are usually willing to hook up for a workout. The other good thing is nobody wants to be outdone so you always push each other a step further than if you were working out alone. Thanks Faizel Enu in Tampa for a great workout.
Eating on the road is not as easy but it's always nice to test your willpower. You don't have to get the worst thing on the menu. A good lean piece of meat with some veggies and water or tea instead of booze, sweat tea or diet drinks is really not that hard. I don't feel so bad eating the occasional dessert when everyone else at the table is having beer or wine x3 or 4.
New job, different travel schedule. Maybe I'm coming to a town near you!

VWC

Good progress last week even with an overnight stay in a hotel with a workout.
Hit 40 sets Friday. Plan to ratchet back today with 20 then move on.
Ran a 5k in 23:40. Looking forward to McGuires this Saturday.

Making Progress

Wow, hard to believe it's been a month since I posted. I'm hitting the Viking Warrior Challenge workout consistently and have been mostly doing swings and snatches due to a shoulder/tricep issue. For all things in life: A few simple disciplines practiced daily.

Working on my 5k time. Want to scare the 20 min mark this spring.

Jayson and I were seeing who could look the meanest....

Keeping it Simple

Been really busy lately. All I can say is busy means less snacking
and more focus on workouts. I always get more efficient when I'm busy and working out is no exception. If you only have 30 minutes to work out, you better make the most of it.
Since we started doing the 1000 swing challenge(Em did this in 32 min with a 30lb kb) the article was published with the study showing 15 second interval kettlebell snatches could burn 20 calories a minute or 800 calories in 40 minutes. There is speculation that the swing equals the snatch in exertion. I personally like both so I alternate days. Heavy snatches/light swings/light snatches/heavy swings.
I hit the scale at 199 last week then traveled for about 8 days and weighed 188 on the same scale. settling back in at about 190.
SI joint is giving me trouble so, rather than keep making it worse, I've not run in about 3 weeks. I think the impact and the long distance was the cause. Hopefully back by McGuires 5k.
I'm working on leaning out a little for spring. Anyone care to join me?

1000 swings

Em and Ashley did 350 swings today. Adding 75 per workout 3x per week to hit 1000 in a workout by January 21st. Anyone who wants to participate can follow closer on facebook. Do a search for pensacolakettlebells.com
February the plan is to go for best time on the 1k swings.
Em and Ashley both pressed the 35 today for a PRs.