Cold Dark Simple & Sinister

Too much going on today for me to train in the morning. Had to take my son Miles and his upright bass to school so it could be tuned. Also, he had practice for the Chamber Strings performance at a high school across town from his middle school, which meant I had to leave work early to pick him up and transport him.

While we has at practice I walked around the grounds, well really around the extensive parking lot of Riverside High School. I walked 1.67 miles in 38:27 which was a slow 2.61 mph. That's rather surprising considering how cold it felt walking into the strong wind. Usually when I feel cold I walk faster.

After Miles and I got home I set about getting my kettlebell training on. By this time it was dark and colder. I know, I know, 40°F with a windchill of 31° still isn't all that cold. But remember I've been living in South Carolina for nearly 15 years now and before that was had been living in other southern states for 14 years.

Warm Up Circuit 3 circuits 5 reps each

• Prying Squat
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo (each direction)
• Flying Dog (5 reps per side)

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 5x1x25# (Actually 1 rep per side then a short break before next set.)

I banged out my swings in 8 or 9 minutes. My goal is to do them in 5 minutes. My get ups were pretty shaky today. I'm not sure why. Maybe it was because they came at the end of the day and after a vigorous walk. Soldiers have to be ready to fight after long hikes or runs. I should certainly be able to do this brief, simple workout after a walk!

My hamstrings and glutes are fried. I went to the pharmacy to pick up an Rx after I completed my training and I could barely stand at the counter! Right now it seems as if I can feel all the muscles in back from the base of my skull to the base of my spine. I'm constantly amazed at how thoroughly these two exercises seem to recruit almost every part of my body. And once again I've walked more than 8K steps.