Friday, December 21, 2007

RKC Snatch Test

After my successful attempts with the 40kg (below), I decided to follow in my wife's footsteps and complete the RKC Snatch test. Now I know watching my snatch is no where near as exciting as watching Yoana snatch 9 months pregnant, but what the heck. At least I will have it on my blog to look back upon to see how my technique has progressed. For my bodyweight of 168, I had to complete 56 total reps with the 24kg KB. No problem as I was able to do 30 and 30 on each side. Rarely do I do high rep snatches but every now and then it's nice to test yourself and see where you are. My 5 + years of using KB's allows me to pass the RKC snatch test without training for it. Most RKC's I know have ZERO problem passing this test at any time they desire. It's challenging , no doubt, but doable!

If you have't seend Yoana passing the RKC snatch test with both the 12kg and 16kg, go to her blog and watch her videos, very impressive!!!

www.yoanasblog.blogspot.com

Thursday, December 20, 2007

TGU with 40kg

Today I wanted to test out our new camera and decided to have Yoana film me doing a TGU with the 40kg. I was pumped that I was able to get two sets of one on each arm (although the video only shows me doing one rep on each arm). I rarely do TGU's; only while teaching clients how to do them. And even then If I do them I show the exercise with a 8kg or 12kg. Just goes to show how you are able to maintain strength and even increase strength from doing snatches and presses with KB's. Excellent carry over! My training is usually very basic with presses, snatches, weighted pull ups, KB Squats and Lunge. Next I want to try the BEAST. I will post the video when I attempt it. Should be fun!

Monday, December 17, 2007

The Importance of Habits................Choosing the Narrow Path


The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

-Robert Frost



With Christmas approaching and parties happening in full force, it reminds me of how important habits are. I mean come on, how many of us associate the holidays with sugar, candy, cookies, egg nog, and other fat promoting foods? I know I do. This has been the first time in my life that I have really taken a critical analysis of my behavioral habits and how they are related to foods. Like many of you know I have cut out sugar from my diet for the last 10 weeks. I never thought I could do it..........but I was wrong. I can do and have done it! Health is much improved.....energy levels are phenomenal!

So my brilliant insight for the end of 2007 is this........habits will form you character, dictate the level of success you attain and 100% send you in a very specific and intentional direction. In other words, every habit you make is taking you down a specific path, whether it be a good one or a bad one. Because we are made in the image of God, we have the free will to create good and the free will to create bad. We truly can make the invisible become visible. The challenge is when the invisible we are creating is destructive to our health. That means that we are completely and fully responsible for our success or failure in any endeavor. We are accountable for our actions..........enough said!

So at the age of 34 I have finally learned that the labels we put on ourselves (the scripts we think we have to play out) can be changed for the better. It's amazing how gaining success in an area that we once thought was impossible to change can foster new changes in other areas of life. It's kind of like a giant snowball that starts rolling down the hill; the faster it gets rolling and the more momentum it has it picks up more snow and gets bigger, bigger and bigger. Well, that is what life like. The question is, what do you want the snowball to be made of?

Training:

Not much. I have been doing handstand push ups against the wall and pistols daily. Body is feeling good though. I hopefully will be able to run some track meets this month and next month. Of course that will be influenced heavily by when the baby is born!!!!

Monday, December 10, 2007

Pistols, Hanstand Push ups, and One Arm Push Ups





(These pictures are from our trip to the big island of Hawaii back in June. I can't wait to back next year. At the Four Season's Resorts they have a trademark service by the pool: Evian water spritzes to the face. Maybe Pavel would call this "metro-sexual." In my book, de-stressing is very MANLY!. What do you think?)

Over the weekend I assisted at Pavel's Tactical Strength Seminar in LA for LE and Military personnel only! Great seminar and it was great to re-visit many of the drills that Pavel went over in the naked warrior. It got me thinking about how powerful bodyweight exercises are and what a great skill it is to be able to do rock bottom pistols, handstand push ups and explosive pull ups. The great thing about teaching these powerful BW movements is that they perhaps serve as the best assessment of muscular strength in the body. Try a rock bottom pistol with both legs and you will immediately learn which leg is stronger, which hip and ankle are tighter and which joints lack coordination. Same with the one arm push up. Now I must admit that I am but awful at one arm push ups.....geez...those suckers are difficult. Like anything else, one arm push ups are a skill and I know if I really dedicated myself I could get good at them. I would rather work on Pistols and handstand push ups..........they just feel better to me!

Whether you're a bodyweight exercise type of guy or not, there is no doubting the effectiveness of these methods. Get good at pistols, handstand push ups, one arm push ups and pull ups and you will be one strong dude..........or dudete!

It was great to assist with RKC's Paul Daniels, Dr. Mark Cheng and the petite package of power Sara Cheatham. The military and law enforcement attendees were all awesome.

TRAINING

I got my wife's cold two weeks ago and that pretty much did in my training. Time to get back to some type of training this week. Think I'll work on some bodyweight stuff this week and let my sinuses heal. Damn sinus infections.....don't like them at all!

Blessings to all! Hope everyone has a great Christmas Season!