More Training

Proverbs 3:5-8 ( I love the proverbs. Some of the best passages in the entire Bible)

"5Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;

6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight. ^[a]

7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD and shun evil.

8 This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones."

Last week I felt weaker than usual so didn't hit the training as hard. I'll slowly start to progress into more volume.

Training

Tuesday
TGU w/24 kg 1/1 + 20swings w/ 24kg

200 Rep Challenge w/24kg (see how fast you can complete 200 reps)
10 sets of 20 swings (2 handed)
Time = 7 min 32 sec (PR) Beat my previous PR of 7 min 42 sec

Monday
Bulgarian Split Squats
2x16kgs 6/6 x 3 sets

Clean and Press
Double Clean and Press
24kg 5 x 2 sets

Clean and Press (w. COC Trainer in opposite hand)
32kg 1/1 x 4 sets

Weighted Pull Ups
40kg 2,2,2

Saturday
Yoana and I hiked up Cowles mountain. Highest peak in San Diego.
23 min, 49 sec - Yoana beat me by 20 seconds

Trace Adkins - You're Gonna Miss This

I am NOT a country fan. But this song by Trace Adkins is awesome. How often do we tell ourselves that life will be better when.....we get married.....or when we get that big promotion...........or when you weigh a certain amount...............or when you are old enough to drive a car......or when I get that car and house!

The fact is that life is so fast that we must stop and enjoy every STAGE of life because once it's gone.........IT's GONE!!!

Life is not a dress rehersal! The lyrics in this song are true! Listen to them carefully!

Blessings to all!

Franz

Fall is in the air!

Living in San Diego is awesome. The weather is great year round..........but it does start to cool down a bit in the night and evening and you can start to smell fall in the air. I love it! I miss seeing the trees change colors like it does in Santa Fe, New Mexico where I grew up. As much as I miss the trees and mountains I would not trade the ocean for anything. Living by the ocean it's easy to get spoiled. I guess just seeing the vastness and SIZE of the ocean is just awe inspiring.

Tuesday Training
Bulgarian Split Squats
2 x 16kgs 3 x 10/10

Kneeling Military Press
16kg 3 x 8/8

Weighted Pull Ups
28kg 4,4,4 = 12 reps

Clean and Press w/ Gripper in opposite hand
28kg 4 x 3/3 = 12 reps each arm

Monday Training
Clean and Press
32kg + 5 pound weight taped on - 1 rep right (PR)
32kg + 10 pound weight taped on 1 rep right (PR) 80 lbs C & P - woo hoo

Sunday Training
Swings w/ 24kg = Yoana and I both got 200 swings in 7 minutes and 40 seconds. Blew my previous record out of the water which was a laughable 11 minutes.

Saturday
Pull Ups 12, 10
Hiked Cowles Mountain (the highest peak in San Diego County)

Friday
Did the workout with my KB Class. We performed everything in circuit format for 3 sets
Single Leg DL's 8/8
Kneeling Presses 8/8
Squat Thrusters 5
KB Prone Bridge 4/4
Ribbons 5/5
Swings 32kg x 10
Swings 24kg x 10
Swings 20kg x 10
Run around block

Thursday
Clean and Press
32kg 1/1 x 3 sets

Weighted Pull Ups
32kg 3,3,4
Tuesday
TGU
32kg x 1/1 x 3 sets

Bulgarian Split Squats
16kg x 2 10/10 x 3 sets

Franz's 88 lb. Kettle Bell Snatches

Well, after judging the TSC I was so pumped up I had to try to set a PR in something. My previous best with the BULLDOG was 16 reps on the right arm and 6 reps on the left. My bodyweight 167 pounds.

NEW PR
20 Reps right arm

13 Reps left arm

Man, was that fun! I am definitely a power athlete more than a strength athlete. Pressing the BULLDOG has never happened, Snatching it, YES!!!!!

TSC Results

Another fun and exciting TSC at Revolution. I never get tired of the TSC's because it is so fun to watch people give it their all and set PR's. If you have never been to a TSC or competed in a TSC, you have got to do it!!!!! It's not for sissies that's for sure. And as Mark Rifkeind says, "it's all easy until you start lifting heavy."

Unfortunately we had no women competitors this TSC but the men showed up and represented well.

Mike Baltren BW 224 DL 500 Pull Ups 15 Snatches 116

John Shilling BW 251 DL 500 Pull Ups 6 Snatches 128 (PR in DL)

Alex Wolf BW 231 DL 435 Pull Ups 5 Snatches 125 (PR in snatches)

Murray Birch BW 185 DL 415 Pull Ups 21 Snatches 114 (PR in DL, never did snatches before - yikes. Murray did amazing. Never touches a 24kg KB ever in his life before today)

Os Aponte BW 155 DL 355 Pull Ups 26 Snatches 111 (DL PR - way to go Os!!!!!!)

Mike Pellicio BW 162 DL 406 Pull Ups 17 Snatches 85 (Mike showed up having not trained at all since last TSC- very nice)

Firmen Sowres BW 161 DL 315 Pull Ups 15 Snatches 84 (PR's on everything. Never deadlifted before and never has tested himself like this!

Everyone did awesome! Congratulations to all who competed!

Wednesday Training

I learned some very important things yesterday about my pressing:

1) My pressing technique is better after heavy weighted pull ups for singles or doubles.

Perhaps it is because this facilitated the lats firing more and also gets my grip out of "sleepy ville."

2) Using a gripper (the Trainer from Captain of crush) and crushing it right as I press the KB in the air works. Pavel is right.....so much more power because irradiation.

3) Doing heavy TGU's prior to pressing lights up my core and my pressing ability. I don't do these enough....these felt so good using the new RKC technique

Feel much better now about my pressing. Funny how things can change in one day. Tuesday I'm ready to jump off the Coronado bridge because I feel as weak as a kitten. Wednesday I feel like I am the pressing king of La Jolla.

The overall conclusion is that I have to get better at the "skill" of pressing and whatever other methods or tools are helpful, those I need to use.

Wednesday Training
TGU with 32kg 1/1 x 3 sets

Weighted Pull Ups
24kg 1 rep (warm up)
40kg 2,2,1,1,2,2 - 10 reps = these are coming along nicely

Clean and Press w/ Trainer Gripper in opposite hand
32kg 1/1 x 6 sets = 6 singles per arm

Snatches 2/24kg
10/10 x 2 = 40 reps

32kg snatches

Decided to test myself on the clean and press with the 32kg......and it didn't go to well.

3 reps on the right / 1 rep on the left

Feels as if the Clean and Press ladders with the 28kg have done nothing to build my strength, at least not with the 32kg. Looks I have to keep pressing on as this could take a lot of time. The DAMN press just doesn't come natural to me....sometimes I feel like I'm going backwards...dammit! Frustration is at an all time high....something is just not clicking with my press. I feel as if my lumbar spine in perhaps keeping me from lifting big. I have had my L4-L5 herniated twice (actaully two severe disc bulges). That disc is basically flatened. I'm wondering if my body just doesn't want me to load it and thus is shutting of neurological flow to my muscles. That is the only thing I can think of.

Oh well, I have my PULLS such as snatches and pull ups to keep me going. Even if my clean and press plateaus (which it has for years), I can contine to get stronger with my snatches and weighted pull ups. Let's face it.............

I am a much better PULLER than I am pusher. I will have to earn the press......and looks like it might take me longer than I expected to press that BULLDOG! I will not give up, but I will not beat myself up if I do not get it soon.

Training Today

Clean and Press

32kg 3 reps right / 1 rep left (left side feels pathetically weak)

Strict military press (no clean)

24kg 5/5 x 3 sets

Snatches

32kg 10/10 x 3 sets = 60 snatches - these felt great!!!!

Keeping it simple!

Focusing on the two movements has simplified my training considerably.....and I like that.
The only additional work I am doing is ASLR work and T-spine mobility work which is what came us as priority #1 on my Functional Movement Screen. So in a nutshell, here are my goals:

1) Get my ASLR to at least a score of 2 and fix the asymmetry.
2) Get my T-spine to move better and with better coordination and symmetry to help my achy shoulders.
3) To Press the Bulldog by next June for the RKC II.
4) To Pull up the BEAST to the neck.

Those are my goals. Achievable? Definitely!!! Hard work? For sure!

Training

Thursday August 4
Clean and Press Ladders
28kg 1,2,3 x 5 sets (last 2 sets, rep 3 was difficult)

Weighted Pull Ups
28kg x 4,4,4,3,3,3 = 21 reps

Tuesday
Pick Up basketball game --left me SMOKED!!! Ouch!

Monday
Clean and Press Ladders
28kg 1 rep x 5 sets

Weighted Pull Ups
28kg 3,4,4 = 11 reps

Swings
16kg 25/25 x 2 = 100 reps

Saturday August 30th
24kg Two handed swings 200 reps in 11:07 (brutal). (inspired by reading Doug Nepodal's blog. Although he got 200 done in 8 minutes. On a funny note, Yoana did 200 hardstyle swings with the 24kg yesterday in 7:56 and blew me out the water. But what do you expect- I'm a sprinter- we hate endurance. yikes! YOANA is a MACHINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

After the swings I was so tired. It just shows me how horrible my GPP and conditioning is. I don't like high reps. What a wuss I am, huh? I must start doing more swings to get my conditioning up. Is there any thing more important than swings? According the RKC Swings are the center of the universe! Better include them in a lot more!