2 Days in a row!

usually I do not train with weights consecutive days. Experimenting with traing 4 days a week with KB's and weights, but shorter workouts. My sprint workouts will remain the same

A-1 Double KB Floor Press

53's x 5 x 5 sets

A-2 Weighted pull ups

36lb KB x 5 x 5 sets

B-1 Bottoms up Clean

36lb KB 5/5
53lb KB 3/3
70lb KB 3/3
53lb KB 3/3
70lbKB 3/3

Short and sweet. Wow my glutes are fried from those lunges yesterday. I am taking this week off from Snatches and Presses due to the PR's last weekend at the RKC.

Thursday Training

Haven't been training too frequently over the last 5 weeks. I've probably averaged one to two workouts with weight per week and alot more sprinting. My POWER is definitely better, able to snatch and jerk heavier bells and sprint faster, however; my maximal strength is low. Very strange experience. As my bodyweight has gotten lighter my power has increased, but my maximal strength, like heavy presses, deads, pull ups has decreased.

Here is the Question? At this stage in my career does it really matter?Should I be more concerned about my RFD (rate of force development) in power movements like snatches, swings, jerks, swings and of course sprinting? Or Should I still try and get my maximal strength up in the DL, presses, Rows, Lunges, and Pull ups. I feel the answer is a little of both.

thoughts?


Training today:

A-1 Front Lunges 5 x 5 (2 x 20kg)
A-2 Double Snatches 5 x 5 (2 x 20kg)

B-1 100lb. MB Shouldering 3/3 x sets
C-1 Prone Swiss Ball Reverse Push Away (forearms on bench) 6 x 3 sets

That was it.

Phenomenal RKC

This RKC was the best one I have ever attended. It started off with a quick run through of the seven RKC exercises, rather than spending one full day on the swing like it used to be taught. Overall it was a great group of students and an awesome group of assitant instructors.

John Vandenbrink from Revolution also passed the RKC with flying colors. Way to go John. The RKC system continues to evolve, grow and refined. I am proud to be part of the system and associated with a very cool, friendly and positive community. Many of you who are RKC's can relate to the "special"quality there is at the certification. It really brings people to an entirely new and higher level in their lives.

BTW, I hit some new PR's at the RKC.
Snatches w/40kg 15 reps right, 10 reps left
Snatches w/48kg 3 reps right (this was cool - because my bodyweight is at 167. I am getting stronger as I am getting lighter, weird huh?)

TEMPO RUNNING TODAY

Warm up
Track Drills
6 x 150 yards (this felt wonderful, but it was tough)
Must have been 90 degrees on the track - very hot!!!

It's great to back at home and at Revolution!

Off to the RKC on Thursday!

Yoana, John Vandenbrink and myself are off to the RKC tomorow. Yoana and I are going as instructors and John will be certified for the first time. He is ready to pass his test and I will be proud of his achievement.

I'll post the feedback and happenings from the RKC next monday! Take care everyone!

Been practicing with the BEAST

Here are a couple of shots of me jerking the BEAST last week. I am very excited that I even have the stability and strength to get it overhead. This is a HUGE achievement for me.

Why I sprint - by Keats Snideman

This is a poem my brother Keats wrote called "Why I sprint." I thought it was moving and worth sharing. You can replace wherever it says "sprint" with whatever it is you like to do.

Why I sprint….
Why do I sprint?
I sprint because it makes me feel alive…pushing my body to its envelope is invigorating and a rush. I feel and connect with the brevity of life yet feel optimistic that I’m on the right journey.

I sprint because I can…I am fortunate to have a healthy and functioning body while there are so many who do not. I sprint for all the people who cannot and never know for sure when I too may be unable to sprint.

I sprint for fitness… One only has to glance at the beautiful bodies of Olympic level sprinters and realize the beauty of the human body at rest and in blurring motion. The incredible development of the hamstrings, glutes, calves, and quads are hard to deny on such Olympic bodies. And what about the impressive mid-sections on sprinters- truly a thing of beauty!

I sprint to build courage and strength…It is difficult sometimes to ask your body to go all out. Sometimes things flow and everything comes easily. Other times there is adversity and everything feels more difficult.

I sprint to help me overcome the adversity in my life as well as to help others with the adversity in theirs. What other reason is there for living if you aren’t helping others? By sprinting I am helping myself become a stronger person which in turn helps me help others.

I sprint to find efficiency…Sprinting is all about efficiency; to find the quickest and most efficient path between two points. It is difficult to be smooth and relaxed when asking your body to go all out however that is the goal. Extraneous motion does and will occur. The better my technique and the more I relax, the better I sprint. The best runs are the one’s the felt easy, effortless. I strive to achieve this zone of performance but it is not easy.

I sprint to learn to "flow" and let the speed come out; to let it occur rather than force it. Things work better in life when you just let them happen.

I sprint for love…Sprinting makes me realize how much I love life, my boys, my wife, my parents, my sister, my twin brother, and all of my friends. It connects me with deceased loves ones, especially my late Grandmother, Nana.

I sprint to feel free…to let it all out. I sprint for the many who are imprisoned, either physically, emotionally, spiritually or a combination of the three.

I sprint to break free of the claustrophobia of life that sometimes confines me. Sprinting can therefore be seen a drug, an escape, albeit a healthy one.

Lastly, I sprint to just be….What do you love to do and why?...

Keats Alexander Snideman Sunday, June 04, 2006

PR with the Bulldog and the BEAST

Very excited. I was able to to snatch the bulldog yesterday 17 times (12 r / 5 L). After that I was able to Jerk the BEAST overhead, no problem. Prior to that I had never been able to get the BEAST overhead. Never knew I had it in me. WOW!

It feels so good to set PR's!!!

Great Article by Ken Black

Point Rooting

Wedneday Speed at the Track

Speed day again, or should I say, nervous system day. The speed training is so much more taxing on my nervous system than it is on my muscular system. If you want to be fast, you have to train fast, and ideally, with a fresh CNS.

Warm Up: Great weather today!
Track Drills / Form Drills
GPP Bodyweight exercises
Hip Mobility

30 meters x 4
100 meters x 1

Stadium Sprints x 16
Felt Great. right knee is a little sore, don't know why.

Tuesday Training

MB Shouldering

100lb MB 1/1 x 3 sets

Bodyweight Tactical Pull Ups

6/7/8, 6/7/8, 6/7/8

total = 63 reps

Snatch Test

Yesterday I tested soon to be RKC John Vandenbrink on his snatch test. He passed with flying colors and got the 74 reps he needed with the 24kg. After seeing him do his test, since I am also going to the RKC next week I decide to test my numbers as well. Result: no problem!! My requirement for m bodyweight of 170 is to snatc 54 reps.

SNATCH TEST
24kg 30/30

total = 60 reps (it's nice to be able to knock off 60 reps with minimal training. Just goes to show you how important building the base of conditioning is.)

Band Military Presses

3 purples 4 repsx 4 sets

Short and sweet.

Tempo Running on Sunday

Wow, last week was very busy. Can't remember a week so busy and full of deadlines and important projects coming to a close. Very fun but overly stressful week. Lots of clients too and little sleep. Glad it's over. Didn't train too much. Did a little bit of KB work and pull ups every day.

So Yoana and I were painting Revolution all weekend and doing some serious summer cleaning. Man, can our gym get dirty, yikes!!! Sure could have used Ken Black's expertise and help this weekend on making Revolution more space efficient. Ken is a master on that kind of stuff!!!
So during one of the breaks on Sunday we went out to the track and did a great Tempo Workout, and was it needed!!!

Warm up / Hip mobility
Track / sprinting drills

10 x 100 yards sprints (70%) - focusing on hip drive / stiff core / relaxed arms and fingers
(also - run with a completely relaxed face.......

Between runs we did 30 seconds jumping jacks or shuffles, fisted push ups, single leg push ups, twisters and Jumping lunges.

Felt great..... but very winded........Off to sunday night Church service!

Strength Day

NOON

KB Single arm Clean & Jerk

40kg 1/1 x 3 sets

Single Arm Floor Press (these suck!!)

40kg 2/2 x 2 sets (had to use my right hand to assit my left arm)

Double KB Clean and Press (my CNS is smoked from sprinting yesterday, hence the low volume)

24kg's 5 reps x 2 sets

PM

Pull Ups

Bodyweight (using some of Rif's ladders I see on his blog. I haven't used these methods on pull ups)

6/7/8
6/7/8
total = 42 reps. Felt good. I think I will keep this style of pull ups in the program for a while. Would like to get up to doing around 70 to 80 in one workout.

Monday - I feel the need......for SPEED!!!

Speed day - these are starting to feel better. Although when I really hit top speed, after 50 meters my right hamstring is talking to me. I've been backing off the end of each longer sprint once I feel the hamstring. Not sure what is going on. I suspect that my ATLAS (c-1) is totally whacked, causing me to tilt when I run. That tilt is causing a serious torsion in my pelvis, anteriorly rotating my righ illium. That is putting the hamstring under alot of tension. But this is nothing new. My body since I was a child has always been out of balance in the lumbar /pelvic area. Perhaps this is normal for me? Who knows?

SPEED DAY
warm up
track drills
hip mobility drills
multi-directional drills

4 x 30 meters (full recovery)
2 x 60 meters (has to slow down around 55 meters because of right hamstring)

15 x Stadium Sprints (these felt awesome today. This exercise is really turning into one of my favorites. I can see alot of benefits such as faster arm turnover and quicker foot contact)

Great day!

Friday Tempo running

Back at the track.......and I'm loving every second of it. The tempo running really allows me to focus on several technical aspects that I cannot focus on during the speed workouts.

Why do TEMPO RUNNING?

1) It aids recovery of the muscular system from previous workouts.

2)Because Tempo running is done at 70% intenisty or less, it allows you to train without draining the CNS. Speed days smoke the CNS and takes days, sometimes weeks to fully recover. The fact is simple: the faster you sprint, the more CNS involvement. Therefore, tempo days allow you to contnue to train and increase fitness levels.

3) Tempo running allows you to work on specific components of your sprinting mechanics. For example, let's say you are having a difficult time keeping the torso from over-rotating; your CORE is weak. You can focus the tempo session on maintaining more stiffness in the CORE and cognitively think about keeping your torso rigid. Of course, in a competition that is the last thing you want to do, think about your technique while competing. As combat fighting expert Tim Larkin says,

"under stress, we revert to out training."

Precisely my point. Use the tempo days to iron out the kinks in your sprinting style.

4) Increases your fitness leves, GPP, etc.. I have noticed in one month of Tempo running a loss of bodyfat in my legs. It's been over 8 years since my legs were this lean. Woo hooooo!!!

5) The base conditioning builds confidence as an athlete. As you begin to feel more "fit" for sprinting, your confidence booms when you return to the speed workouts. For several reasons tempo running builds character, just like any other form of progressive training.


Warm Up:
Joint Mobility for Hips/ shoulders
Track Drills / Acceleration runs / Multi-directional drills

10 x 100 yards
Push ups, jumping jacks, shuffles, Twisters, plyometric lunges between runs.

Felt great. Love the results!!!!

Change of plans...

Went to the track today to do my TEMPO runs, but the high school football team was using the whole field. So I turned around, went back to the gym, and did a kettlebell workout.
I will perform the tempo running manana!

Double KB Single Leg Deadlift

2 x 32kg 3/3 x2 sets

Double Attack (renegade row + double clean_

2 x 24kg 3/3 x 3 sets

Swings

24kg 10/9/8/7/6/5/4/3/2/1 = this was a joke. Way too easy. Will never do this again. Maybe with a heavier bell.

Double KB Clean and Press

2 x 32kg 1 rep x 3 sets

Short and sweet. Workout was very easy. oh well, next time I will use a heavier bell for swings, or, do sets of 10.