Rainy Day Kettlebells

It's been raining for two days. I hadn't trained for two days, since my late evening training on Wednesday. That late session took a lot out of me. I just didn't have it in me to hit it last night. I almost talked myself out of training today, but I have a goal. Plus I was listening to Tim Ferriss interview former Navy Seal Jocko Willink. Very inspiring. So, even though a light rain was falling I got down to business.

Warm up walk 0.53 miles in 10:56 for an average of 2.9 mph.

Warm up calisthenic circuits 5 reps per exercise,  (per side or direction if a unilateral type exercise) 12:21 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo  w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x11,12,13,14,15x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x16,17,18,18,18x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x18x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 10x1x25# (per side)

Another step up on Tracy Reifkind's Workout #3. I did 292 reps in 20 minutes. The sets are done EMOM. I took at least 2 maybe 2.5 minutes to get started with the get ups after finishing swings. Despite the cool temperatures it was very humid and I was sweating like crazy. I also seemed to move more slowly through my sets of get ups. Did 5 sets, short break then finished the final five. Total kettlebell time 41:50. My dog, Shadow, sat in the carport and watched my whole workout. He was probably wondering what the crazy human was doing!

Another Late Evening Kettlebell Session

I didn't leave work last night until well after 1900, maybe even after 1930. By the time I got home, changed and began my workout it was 2031. I almost postponed my training. But I remember Tim Ferriss' interview on his podcast with Triple H and how Triple H get's his training in late at night. I decided to get it done. However, I was too tired to write this up last night.

Warm up walk 0.54 miles in 11:24 for an average of 2.8 mph.

Warm up calisthenic circuits 5 reps per exercise,  (per side or direction if a unilateral type exercise) 13:23 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo  w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x11,12,13,14,15x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x16,17,17,17,17x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x17x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 10x1x25# (per side)

I increased my reps just a little bit again last night. After the first 10 sets, which build up to 15 reps per set, I went up to 16 reps on the 11th set and then 17 reps for every set thereafter until I completed a total of 20 sets in 20 minutes. Again, these sets are done EMOM. Total reps of swings was 284.

I probably took about a 2 minute break between the swings and the get ups last night. Then I moved as quickly as I could through 5 straight sets of get ups before taking a brief pause to get a sip of water and to re-chalk my hands. Finished up the final 5 sets. Total time 39:11. That was about a 1.3 minutes longer than my last session, but I'll attribute that to the late hour and the fact that I had fasted all day.

20 Minutes of Kettlebell Swings Plus 10 Sets of Turkish Get Ups

I can't seem to get up early enough to train prior to work. I got home after 1800 hours and was out doing my kettlebell routine by around 1900. It was a cool evening but I still worked up quite a sweat.

Warm up walk 0.54 miles in 11:17 for an average of 2.9 mph.

Warm up calisthenic circuits 5 reps per exercise,  (per side or direction if a unilateral type exercise) 11:50 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo  w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x11,12,13,14,15x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 10x16x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 10x1x25# (per side)

Stepped up my swings to Tracy Reifkind's Workout #3. This routine is 20 minutes long. The goal is to work up through 15 sets to a maximum rep count of 20 reps. Then complete a final 5 sets of 20 reps each. I'm taking it slow to guaranteee success. After the normal ladder up to 15 reps in the first 10 sets, I did 16 reps for each of the final 10 sets. That made for 275 swings in 20 minutes which was 85 more swings than Workout #2 in just an additional 5 minutes.

Once again I took about a 1.5 minute break between swings and get ups. I blasted through 5 straight sets per side on the get ups. Then I took a short break to get a sip of water and re-chalked my hands. After that quick breather I powered through the final 5 sets of get ups per side. Felt good and strong though I was starting to get some slight cramps in my feet and abs after the first 4 sets. Total kettlebell time 37:50 which is less than 5 minutes longer than my last training session.

Sixth Time Doing Tracy Reifkinds Full Kettlbell Workout Two

I was scheduled to train yesterday if I had stuck to my every other day training pattern. However, I had a late night due to some maintenance at work on Thursday. Despite trying to sleep in Friday morning, I really didn't get much sleep. I felt it would be better to take the evening off from working out.

Warm up walk 0.52 miles in 10:42 for an average of 2.9 mph.

Warm up calisthenic circuits 5 reps per exercise,  (per side or direction if a unilateral type exercise) 11:28 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo  w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x11,12,13,14,15x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x15x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 10x1x25# (per side)

This was a good session. I was able to cruise through the kettlebell swings. I'm really tempted to buy a heavier kettlebell. As noted in the title this is my sixth time doing the full Tracy Reifkind Workout #2 since I got back on my exercise routine after a couple of weeks of doing nada after vacation back in July. So now it's time to move back up to Workout #3 which is twenty minutes long and is comprised of 20 sets. The final 5 sets are supposed to be 20 reps each, and remember these routines are done in Every Minute On the Minute (EMOM) fashion.

Once again my break between swings and Turkish Get Ups is about 1.5 minutes. I can't seem to get it down to just 1 minutes. I did 5 sets, a get up to the left and 1 to the right being one set, before taking a breather. Then I right into the final 5 sets. I felt nice and strong. Total kettlebell time 33:01, 2 minutes faster than last time.

Late Evening Kettlebell Session

My son's went to a later than usual Tae Kwon Do class last night. They didn't eat prior to class so my younger son, 13, got to bed later than usual. I gave him a ride to school this morning so I got to work much earlier than usual. Somehow, I managed to leave work much later than usual and didn't get to home until after 1900. I was tempted to skip my training or rather to postpone it until tomorrow but that is not consistent with my goal so I got down to business.

Warm up walk 0.49 miles in 11:01 for an average of 2.7 mph.

Warm up calisthenic circuits 5 reps per exercise,  (per side or direction if a unilateral type exercise) 13:26 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo  w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x11,12,13,14,15x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x15x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 10x1x25# (per side)

I didn't mention that I walked at lunch today, took a 30 minute walk yesterday, walked at lunch Monday and walked Sunday evening. This evening my back felt better than Monday. I'm considering using a heavier bell but I want to get up to 20 reps per set and start doing one hand swings, too. We'll see about the heavier bell. Everything felt good and amazingly I finished my kettlebell work in the exact same amount of times as Monday, 35:05.

Missed Logging My Kettlebell Training on 20150914

I was TIRED on Monday when I finished working out so I didn't log my workout. I intended to log it yesterday or earlier today but I let other things get in the way. Here it is.

Warm up walk 0.51 miles in 10:47 for an average of 2.9 mph.

Warm up calisthenic circuits 5 reps per exercise,  (per side or direction if a unilateral type exercise) 13:32 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo  w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x11,12,13,14,15x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x15x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 10x1x25# (per side)

My lower back felt extra tired during the swings. Not sure why. Was I changing my form? Using bad form? No last impact. Wasn't extra sore in that area the next day nor did I have any major pain. Took about 1.5 minute break before moving on to Turkish Get Ups. I again did 5 straight sets of get ups before taking a very brief break and finishing the remaining 5 sets. Great training session.

Took All Day But Training Is Done

I put on my workout clothes early this morning but procrastinated and didn't train until nearly 1900 hours. How crazy is that. At least I didn't skip today.

Warm up walk 0.51 miles in 10:36 for an average of 2.9 mph.

Warm up calisthenic circuits 5 reps per exercise,  (per side or direction if a unilateral type exercise) 12:32 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo  w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x11,12,13,14,15x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x15x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 10x1x25# (per side)

This is my third time completing Tracy Reifkind's full Workout #2 this go around. I think I'll stick with this number of swings for at least three more training sessions, maybe even six before I step up to workout three which increases from 15 to 20 minutes in length. I felt good with the swings but they did get my heart rate up nicely.

I'm more proud of my performance on the Turkish Get Ups today. For a long time I was doing two straight sets then taking a break. A while I ago I upped that to three straight sets before taking a break. Today I decided to push myself and did five straight sets before a break, then did five more for my total of ten. I think I might have been able to do all ten sets without stopping. I think I'll wait a few sessions before trying that. Total kettlebell time 34:14 which is just over one minute faster than last time.

Damn I Burned My Hamstrings and Glutes

I was too tired last night to write this post so here we go. I had intended to train on Wednesday the 9th but I didn't get a full nights sleep and was too tired to train either Wednesday morning or evening. I was determined to workout yesterday evening and did so.

Warm up walk 0.51 miles in 11:10 for an average of 2.8 mph.

Warm up calisthenic circuits 5 reps per exercise,  (per side or direction if a unilateral type exercise) 12:30 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo  w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x11,12,13,14,15x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x15x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 10x1x25# (per side)

The camera on my HTC One M7 is flaky. All the pictures I took of the chalk record of my routine in the carport were tinted a strange blue and were blurry. So no pick today. I concentrated hard on my swings. Made sure I got my butt back and hamstrings loaded at the bottom of the movement, squeezed my butt hard at the top. After the workout and my shower I had a rather difficult time walking up and down the driveway to roll the trash cans to the curb. My legs and glutes were on FIRE!

Did the full 10 sets of get ups. Took only 1.5 minute break after finishing swings. Total kettlebell time was 35:19. Almost a minute better than my last training session! Today my entire posterior chain, neck down to calves, is sore along with my forearms and even my biceps a bit.

One Day Hiking Next Day Kettlebells

Yesterday afternoon my spouse, my youngest son and I drove up to Devil's Fork State Park on the shores of Lake Jocassee. We took a short 2.5 mile hike along the Bear Cove Trail. While it was a short hike there were a lot of hills to climb and descend. I think one of the climbs was at least a quarter mile long. But about half way through the 2.5 mile loop we had a great view of the lake.

We took our stuff to swim but we got started late in the day. After we got back to our starting point we ate a very late lunch. Once we were done no one was jazzed to swim so we just headed back to Greenville.

Today I slept in again. I've slept in every day of this long weekend. BTW, I was happy with my weight yesterday it had dropped all the way down to 249.4 pounds. This morning I was all the way back up to 253.0 pounds. It's got to be fluctuations in fluid retention. I've just got to keep putting in the work.

Warm up walk 0.59 miles in 11:00 for an average of 3.2 mph.

Warm up calisthenic circuits 5 reps per exercise,  (per side or direction if a unilateral type exercise) 12:17 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo  w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x11,12,13,14,15x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x15x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 10x1x25# (per side)

Did Tracy Reifkind's full Workout #2. I felt good doing those sets every minute on the minute (EMOM). The fifteen reps were just enough. A good challenge but not too much. I'm going to stick with this for at least two more sessions before moving back up to Workout #3. I'll ladder up to the full 20 reps just as I did with the 15 reps the past couple of weeks.

Only took about a 1.5 minute rest after finishing the swings before starting the Turkish Get Ups. I was determined to shave a little time off of these. Still took me 20 minutes but I did manage to shave a bit off. Last time my total kettlebell times was 36:38, today was 36:07 so I did move a little more quickly through the get ups. I don't feel like I'm resting excessively but it sure would be nice to get the time for them down to 15 minutes. IIRC, Simple and Sinister calls for 10x10 swings followed by 10x1 (per side) get ups in 30 minutes with a 1 minute break between swings and get ups.

Nice Weather for an Evening Kettlebell Session

I slept in a bit today. Got up at 0830. Around 0930 I put on my workout clothes. What time did I start working out? Oh about 1727. HA! As it turned out, due to the crazy storm we had last night the weather was pleasant instead of oppressively hot as it usually is this time of day in September in South Carolina. It's only 82°F and feels like 83°F and the humidity is only 54%! There's a slight breeze blowing, too.

Warm up walk 0.54 miles in 10:57 for an average of 3.0 mph.

Warm up calisthenic circuits 5 reps per exercise,  (per side or direction if a unilateral type exercise) 11:46 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo  w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x11,12,13,14,14x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x14x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 10x1x25# (per side)

Warm ups were good. Proud of the 3.0 mph walking speed. Completed my calisthenics a little faster, too. Increased my reps a bit on swings by doing 14 reps on the last two sets of the second group of 5 sets, and then sticking with 14 reps during the final 5 sets. Monday I'll step up to 15 reps and do Tracy Reifkind's full Workout #2. The swings are done one set every minute on the minute so it took 15 minutes to complete them.

I also stepped up on the Turkish Get Ups. I did a full 10 sets per side after taking only about a 1.5 minute break once I completed my swings. So it took me about 20 minutes to do all the get ups. That feels like too long. I am going to try to shave some time off of that. Total kettlebell time 36:38.

Kettlebell Swings and Turkish Get Ups

Walked about 15 minutes at lunch time. Got homeat a decent time and got right down to training.

Warm up walk 0.52 miles in 11:10 for an average of 2.8 mph.

Warm up calisthenic circuits 5 reps per exercise,  (per side or direction if a unilateral type exercise) 12:07 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo  w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x11,12,13,13,13x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x13x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 8x1x25# (per side)

I love this workout. The EMOM swings really work cardiovascular system. Combined with get upss, nearly my whole body gets a thorough workout. Total kettlebell time 35:32.

Kettlebell Training on Schedule

Got up early this morning. Was on a conference call with the team in Hyderabad at 0700 and worked until about lunch time from home. Then I took my lunch break to do my kettlebell training.

Warm up walk 0.52 miles in 10:30 for an average of 3.0 mph.

Warm up calisthenic circuits 5 reps per exercise,  (per side or direction if a unilateral type exercise) 12:00 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo  w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x11,12,12,12,12x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x12x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 8x1x25# (per side)

Felt good. Walked a bit faster than my warmup walk on Saturday. Got my calisthenic warm up done in the same amount of time. Added more reps to my kettlebell swings. Working my way up to the full Tracy Reifkind Workout #2. Did my eight sets of get ups. I've just got to keep putting in the work. I want to crush it when I get to Workout #3 which is 20 minutes long with some sets of 20 reps.