Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Been Busy.........like everyone else!


I love this poster of Steve Prefontaine. He really was one of the greatest athletes to ever live!!!


Sometimes when you are juggling so many things at one time, many of the things we enjoy doing (like blogging)get put on hold. Been a busy couple of weeks. Work schedule has definitely picked up and my responsibilities seem to keep growing(which isn't always a bad thing.) I took last week off from training as I felt awful all week. Maybe a low grade infection or virus. I've been battling something that is for sure and it hasn't been fun. My response to exercise has been very poor which tells me their is some underlying health issue that needs to be addressed. Maybe it's increased stress or a nutritional deficiency? I'm not sure, but I plan on finding out. Overall this week I feel much better, thank God. This week is a very LIGHT week of training to help me slowly come back. I need to listen to my body, especially on those days when I see 8 + clients per day.

On Friday I am off to Phoenix to take a NMT (Neuromuscular Therapy) course for three days on all the muscles of the pelvis and torso. Should be fantastic!

Training Today:

Multi Directional Lunges (5 different angles)w/barbell
2 sets x 10/10 (2 per angle)

Pull Ups
10/8

TGU w/20kg

2 sets x 2/2

Single Clean and Press w/20kg
2 sets x 5/5

That's it for now. Off to Phoenix to learn!

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Love this Quote

Today's Training

Double KB Front Squats (20kgs)
5 reps x 5 sets

See Saw Press (24kgs)
5/5 x

Pull Ups (16kg)
8,8 = 16 reps



"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

I took this from Geoff Neupert's Blog. It is one of my favorite all time quotes. So much so that we put it in the front of our book "The Revolution Kettlebell Fat Loss Program."

Monday, August 13, 2007

Change......is a good thing!




With the coming of our new baby I have come to realize that change is an important part of life. Their are different seasons of life and with each season comes new opportunities, new perspectives to learn, and new challenges. I also always think of the scripture passage from the book of Ecclesiastes where King Solomon talks about how their is a time for everything; a time to laugh...a time to cry...a time to work and a time to relax..... and I'm sure most of you have read it or heard it. The following poem I found in John Maxwell's the Difference Maker and it's called:


Will I Master Change, or Will Change Master Me?
by Dick Biggs Life's turning points are as sure as the tide Just a matter of when, so why not decide? To Embrace these transitions always to grow 'Tis folly to ignore what you already know. Make a vow to adapt to the crises of life There's no reason to suffer more stress or strife. Quite often change becomes a blessing in time while making you wiser in pursuit of your prime. No change is impossible, no one is exempt You can step out in faith or shrug with contempt. Life comes in cycles, no two are the same To claim nothing's new is a naive game. Some change is impractical, some things must endure You need worthwhile values, so profound and pure. Plus a noble purpose to guide you each day and give life meaning as you forge your way. But most things do change, it's a natural law You can believe this is truth or stand there in awe. It may be uncomfortable, it may cause pain- Won't a regretful heart be a greater strain? With every change, there's an outcome to bear So accept the challenge, for life's seldom fair. Be willing to risk and you're bound to find More courage and strength from a positive mind. Be bold, be daring, be receptive to change For most things are better when you rearrange. Get out of the rut, seek a new vitality Move beyond the old to a fresh reality. Ah, life has turning points, they won't disappear Rise up to greet them and conquer your fear. The choice is simple, it's as clear as can be: Will I master change or will change master me?

I love that poem and read it often. Good stuff!

TRAINAING

Yesterday at home:
KB Military Press w/24kg
3/3 x 10 sets

Snatches w/24kg
5/5 x 10 sets = 100 reps

Overhead sqats w/24kg
3/3 x 3 sets

Saturday Track Workout:
Warm Up
20 yards x 3
30 yards x 3
40 yards x 2
60 yards x 1

Suicides w/ 5 cones (with cones placed every 10 yards)
5 sets

Thursday

Double KB Military Press (2 x 24kgs)
5 x 5 sets

Weighted Pull Ups w/24kg
5,4,3,2,2

Snatches w/24kg
10/10 x 1 set

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Motivated by Excellence! Bulldog Snatch Video

Well, what can I say. I am motivated by watching excellence in others and recently the postings by Rif about Kenneth Jay and his snatch numbers with beast have opened my mind to what is possible. Kenneth is on another level.......well.......another planet. His strength and power levels are unreal and I know there are many other KB practitioners that will raise their KB numbers and loads after Kenneth has raised the bar for all of us. Let's be honest. Anyone that can snatch the BEAST (106 pounds) consecutively for 25 reps (one arm) + 24 reps (the other arm) is a mutant. He did those numbers and that got me listening. That guy knows what he is doing and his training is simplistically focused on strength and power.

I have not been snatching heavy KB's for a while, especially since my lumbar disc herniation last year. Back is feeling a ton better and has been for a while but I wanted to test my snatch numbers with the 40kg Bulldog. My previous snatch record at the June RKC in 2006 was 15 reps on my right and 10 reps on my left. Well today I got 16 reps on my right (woo hoooo) and only 6 on my left (booooo). There is definitely a huge weakness on my left side but either way I am excited that I was able to snatch it for some reps. It proves my theory that you do not have to lift heavy in order to be able to lift heavy. If you get good at snatching the 24kg you will have the base conditioning to able to lift a heavier bell. Our good friend and Muay thai instructor Roger Lewis was nice enough to film it for me.

BULLDOG SNATCH VIDEO

Yes I know......the left arm is LAUGHABLE. The first rep I barely even got up overhead. I have lots of work to do on the left side fore sure!

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Answer from legendary sprint coach Charlie Francis!


When I was 26 (I'm 33 now) I submitted a question about sprinting to Charlie Francis, possibly the best sprint coach to ever live. Well funny thing is I was an Tom Furman's site and saw a collection of Q and A's with Charlie Francis that he has posted. I was shocked to find my question and his answer in there. It only took 7 years for me to get the answer. Here is my question that I gave him and the following is his answer. But you know what? I am still pumped to have this answer because it does answer some questions for me as I head off to the track to sprint right after I post this! God bless Charlie Francis!



Sprinting, Rapid Improvements, and Those Wacky East Germans

Q: I'm a 26 year old 100m sprinter who's been sprinting on and off since my junior year in high school. In the college program I attended my times were worse than in high school and I attribute it to the buffoon type of aerobic training my coach insisted I do. Well, years have passed and since having read your material I sprinted my PR of 10.72 (electronic- previous best was 11.00) with very poor strength levels. My goal is to get down to 10.4 this upcoming track season. Is this level of rapid improvement possible in one year? 10.72 felt like I was floating; it was the easiest race I've run. Have you ever seen anyone drop their 100m time by 4/10's of seconds?

A: That's a lot of time to drop all at once, especially as you've already dropped 3/10's in the last year! I'd suggest that you put some of the time planning on hold and concentrate on getting the best training program in place that you can. Relax and let the results come to you.

Your comment about your 10.72 race illustrates what I mean. The best races always feel easy! Don't put pressure on yourself. I'm not sure what sort of aerobic training you did before, but I've always had a significant aerobic component in my running programs (about 35% anaerobic, 65% aerobic). These runs act as an "active recovery," enhancing blood flow and increasing capillary density (the enhanced microscopic network slows down the flow of blood past the cells, allowing more time for complete nutrient transfer).

The other poorly understood, but even more important benefit, is the increased ability of the body to generate more heat around the muscle motor neurons. Increased heat around the neurons lowers electrical resistance, allowing more current to pass. This permits more muscle fiber to act as fast twitch fiber!

The East Germans understood the role of additional heat when an extensive review of world record performances revealed how often the record setter was at the early stages of a cold and running a fever when the record was set. (Later into the cold, the adverse effects outweigh the benefits, of course.) This led the East Germans to experiment with de-natured viruses to generate a slight fever immediately prior to a world record attempt!

The warning here is that these "tempo" runs must not interfere in any way with the quality of the high-speed runs. This means that aerobic interval runs must not exceed 75% of your best possible speed. If your best time for the 200 meters is 21 seconds, then your interval 200 meter runs must be slower than 28 seconds! Additionally, your last interval must be as fast as your first. If you have any problem doing that, you're going too fast!