Fasted Training Session

I started a twenty-four hour fast, ala Eat Stop Eat, after breakfast this morning.  By the time I started my training session I was about 11 hours into my fast. Other than that everything was normal. Not too hot and humid but quite still and both warmer and more humid than the last few days.

Warm Up Walk 0.57 miles in 13:18 for average speed of 2.5 mph.

Calisthenic Circuits 14:10 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo (each direction) w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog (5 reps per side)

The Practice

I upped my reps on the kettlebell swings. 20 sets EMOM. Nine more reps than last session, 284 total. I managed to keep my rest time between the swings and the get ups to 1.5 minutes. Getting closer to the goal of 1 minute. I did 8 sets of get ups, an increase of 1 set. Total kettlebell time 36:23.

Despite the fasting my energy was good once I got going. However, my stomach started rumbling around set 15 or so of the swings. But it subsided as I continued. Energy remained high through the get ups.

An Amazingly Cool Workout

No picture of my dashboard thermometer today. However I can say that it is 83°F and feels like 81°F. The humidity is only 30%! After such a hot, humid couple of weeks with high temperatures in the mid to upper 90s w/ humidity over 50% and often over 70% this is a pleasant change. So, I made sure I took advantage of it and got my training done.

Warm Up Walk 0.60 miles in 12:19 for average speed of 2.9 mph.

Calisthenic Circuits 14:00 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo (each direction) w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog (5 reps per side)

The Practice

I've really got to work on the pictures of the chalk records of my training. Not doing a good job lately.

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x11,12,13,14,15x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 10x16x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 7x1x25# (per side)

Today's training is 20 minutes of kettlebell swings performing a set Every Minute On the Minute (EMOM). You can see the numbers above. I did 16 reps on each of the last 10 sets which was as I planned after Friday's training. This felt good, not extremely difficult. Next time on the third group of 5 sets I'll do 16, 17, 17, 17 and 17. Then I'll stay at 17 reps for the final 5 sets.

Once again I took about 2.5 minutes to get myself started on the Turkish Get Ups. Part of it was cueing up some workout music. I will cue my workout music before I get started. The reason I didn't have workout music during the swings is because I was following along with Tracy Reifkind's Workout #3, watching and listening to her via YouTube. 

Once I got started at about the 22 minute mark, I cranked out my my seven sets in about 13 minutes. Total kettlebell time 35 minutes which was an improvement of 2 minutes and I actually did a little more work since I did 10 more reps of swings, 275 total. Feeling good right now!

Another HOT HUMID Workout

Damn it was hot this afternoon when I started working out!

Right before I snapped the above picture the gauge read 100°F. And my truck was parked in the shade! Anyway I got home and got down to it. Thankfully before I got finished, clouds rolled in and the wind began to blow. Felt better but I was still so sweaty you could read the outline of words on my shirt  in the sweat stain I left where I had been supine on the concrete floor as I did getups. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Warm Up Walk 0.64 miles in 13:00 for average speed of 2.9 mph.

Calisthenic Circuits 14:00 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo (each direction) w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog (5 reps per side)

The Practice

Dang another hardly readable picture. Guess I need darker chalk and/or brighter light.

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x11,12,13,14,15x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 10x15x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 7x1x25# (per side)

I stepped up to Tracy's Workout #3 just as I had planned. However, I didn't do the maximum prescribed reps. I did do the full 20 minutes, but stuck at 15 reps for the last 10 sets (10 minutes). I keep trying to get my break between the swings and turkish get ups down to 1 minute but it always seems to creep up to between 1.5 and 3 minutes. Today was no exception.

Anyway, I was quite wobbly on the very first rep. My wife was sitting outside in the carport where I train drinking a glass of wine. She said something to me and I tried to respond. I think that broke my concentration. I also got a little loose on the last set. I had to correct and pack the arm holding the kettlebell back into my shoulder socket.

Oh, I forgot. my hands were so slippery with sweat during the swings that I had to keep toweling them off and toweling off the kettlebell handle. Even so, on one rep I lost my grip with my left hand as I was swing the bell up. I just turned it into sort of a one hand swing then re-gripped with both hands and finished the set. Total kettlebell time 37 minutes.

My Hamstrings Are Fried

Yesterday my only exercise was a walk during the heat of the day, lunch time. I walked 1.54 miles in 37:14 for an average speed of 2.5 mph. Not very fast but considering how hot it was, I think it was good. Especially since I had to go back into the office. I did change into a t-shirt before walking. I also had a towel with me so I dried off before changing back into my polo shirt.

Today was my normal kettlebell swings and turkish get ups routine. I left work late again. Really didn't want to exercise. Listened to most of an episode of Half Size Me on the way home which was enough to get me changed into my workout gear. Out the door I went to get warmed up and I continued listening to the podcast.

Between the time I left work and the time I spent warming up I probably listened to about 1.5 episodes of Half Size Me. In the beginning of the second episode Heather talked about a woman who was a substitute leader for the Body Pump class Heather attends. This woman was appeared to be a cancer survivor but she never talked about it. She was full of enthusiasm and vigorously led the sessions. A few weeks later the woman was dead.

Little did Heather know but the woman was undergoing chemo therapy during the same time frame when she was leading classes! Unfortunately she had a very aggressive form of cancer which she had only been diagnosed with a year before and it ultimately took her life quickly. That fired me up pretty good!

Warm Up Walk 0.66 miles in 17:06 for average speed of 2.3 mph.

Calisthenic Circuits 14:13 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo (each direction) w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog (5 reps per side)

Dang that's a bad picture. Here's today's training record.

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x11,12,13,14,15x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x15x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 6x1x25# (per side)

I'm going to go up to 20 minutes (Tracy Reifkind's Workout #3) on my next training day. Even though I was soaking wet with sweat after 15 minutes of kettlebell swings it was relatively easy. But I'm not going to jump to 20 reps either. I'll ease my way back up to 20 reps a set.

Stuck with 6 sets of get ups. I might ease one more set in there next time if the 20 minutes of swings EMOM isn't too taxing. We'll see. I think my shoulders are getting more stable and stronger as a result of this exercise, although I feel like I could use some ice on my right shoulder right now.

Oh yeah, my hamstrings are on FIRE! I had no idea how torched they were until I sat down for dinner. Then within a couple of minutes my glutes started aching. These are two sure signs that I'm using some good form on my kettlebell swings which is a hip hinge, rather than a squat, and really loads the hamstrings and glutes. Total kettlebell time 30 minutes. I took way too long of a break in between swings and getups though. I've got to get that break time down.

Hot, Humid Workout

I left work at a more reasonable time. Got home and didn't stretch out to rest or otherwise procrastinate. I just changed into workout clothes and got busy even though it was 97°F according to my trucks thermometer when I left work.

Warm Up Walk 0.55 miles in 13:36 for average speed of 2.4 mph.

Calisthenic Circuits 15 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo (each direction) w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog (5 reps per side)

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x11,12,13,14,15x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x15x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 6x1x25# (per side)

I stepped up from to Tracy Reifkind's Workout #2. I think I'll do it at least one more time before I go to Workout #3 again. The swings were great. I can really feel my hamstrings which is a sure sign of good form. I thought I might vary the reps in the final group of 5 sets, but I stuck with 15 for each set. Felt pretty good, not as challenging as I thought it would be.

I took minimal rest, about 1.5 to 2 minutes - was shooting for 1 minute, and then moved on to Get Ups. Was a little shaky the first set but got solid thereafter. I think I had my grip wrong the first set. Increased from 5 to 6 sets without much trouble. However it took me 13 or 14 minutes to do those six sets. I would really like to shave that down. Total kettlebell time 30 minutes.

Fell Off My Program But Got Back On

The last couple of weeks have been very difficult. I've been working 10+ hour days. I had been getting home late, eating dinner and basically vegging out and going to sleep. I had gotten my weight as low as 249. Put a couple of pounds back on over the last 10 days. Got to work again today with my kettlebells.

Warm Up Walk 0.53 miles in 11:50 for average speed of 2.7 mph.

Calisthenic Circuits 15 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo (each direction) w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog (5 reps per side)

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 15x10x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 5x1x25# (per side)

Since I hadn't worked out in about 10 days I decided to scale back to Tracy Reifkind's Workout #1. I also decided to revert back to my simplest warm up routine. I had limited time but wanted to get in a good training session and also ease my body back into the routine.

The swings were pretty easy only doing 10 reps per set EMOM but I can still feel them hours later. I also reduced the sets of Turkish Get Ups back to 5. I plan to train again on Monday. Since this was relatively easy, I'll do Workout #2 in which 1 rep is added in each of the 2nd group of 5 sets topping out at 15 reps. Then sticking at 15 reps for the third group of 5 sets. I might even add a set or two of getups as well.

Find Inspiration Where You Can

I wasn't feeling like doing my training today. It was a rough day at work. Plenty of disappointments. On top of that all bad news with the crazy stuff at the pool party in Texas and the young man who committed suicide after being wrongly imprisoned for 3 years WITHOUT a trial. I was just feeling down. Came home and stretched out on the bed and listened to episode 174 of Half Size Me. That was enough to get me up and out of the door.

When that finished, as I was warming up I listened to The Super Strength Show interview with Robby Robinson. Robinson was one of my bodybuilding heroes back in the day. His interview got me totally pumped up for the meat of my training. I did things a little different today. I shortened my walk and spent some time practicing with my jump rope.

Warm Up Walk 0.27 miles in 6:26 minutes for average speed of 2.5 mph.

Jumped Rope 7:17 minutes, really bad. I need a lot of practice.

FMS Corrective Exercises and Calisthenic Circuits 34:02 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo (each direction) w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog (5 reps per side)

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x11, 12, 13, 14, 15x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x16, 17, 18, 19, 20x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x20x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 8x1x25# (per side)

I had a good session overall. Did all the reps as prescribed in Tracy Reifkind's Workout #3. Tried opening my hands a bit at the top of the swing, when I remembered, to give my grip and forearms a bit of rest. Focused on getting my hips back and keeping my shins vertical. I really think my cardio fitness is increasing.

I added a set of get ups as planned. Felt strong and fluid doing them after the first set which was a little wobbly. I'm tempted to increase the weight, but I'm gonna hold off until I'm at 10 sets up of getups.

Total kettlebell time 41:55 which was quite a bit slower than the last workout. I didn't rest extra long between swings and getups. Surely the extra set of getups didn't take an extra 4 minutes. I don't know where I lost the time. Started doing some extra rolling of my hip flexors but my calves and feet started cramping up so I called it a day.

Walk for Lunch and Evening FMS Exercises

I took a walk at lunchtime. I covered 1.41 miles in 32:48 for an average speed of just 2.6 mph. Much slower than my 3.1 mph walk on Saturday evening with Laura.

This evening I did my FMS corrective exercises. I got them done in 12:48. Once again I did some extra rolling of my hip flexors after I was done with the FMS prescribed stuff. Nearly at 10K steps at the time of this writing with 9889. I'm sure I'll get the 10K before I go to bed.

Grip Failing Before the Rest of Me

Had a really good training session today. Started out by doing some yard work first. My wife was cutting bushes so I took our yard waste can over to the side of the house where she was working and filled it up with cut branches. It was somewhere in the mid 80s degrees Fahrenheit. It took about 30 minutes so I was nice and sweaty when I finished.

I started not to take a warm up walk since I had just done the yard work. But I went on took the walk. Then I proceeded with my normal warm up.

Warm Up Walk 0.69 miles in 16:41 minutes.

FMS Corrective Exercises 16:43 and Calisthenic Circuits 14:26 minutes. Total 31:09.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo (each direction) w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog (5 reps per side)

The Practice

So, the swings. I'm getting better cardiovascular fitness. The part of me that gives out first seems to be my grip. I could feel some grip fatigue after the 10th set, the set of 15 reps. By the time I finished the 15th set my grip was really about fried. But I kept going.

I think around the 17th set I paused my timer and Tracy Reifkind's video of Workout #3 and took a few extra seconds to breathe and shake my arms. Then I pressed on. I completed my final five sets at 20 reps each.

I did seven sets of Turkish Get Ups as planned. Not nearly as wobbly. At least one time my outstretched leg came up off the floor. Also, my half raised leg has a tendency to sort of collapse inward as I'm in the rolling up phase. I need to correct that. I think my hand and arm position is getting better, more solid. I finished my kettlebell work in 38:09. Three minutes better than my previous training session. I did 305 reps, which is two more than the prior session as well.

And just so you'll know that I wasn't kidding about how wet my shirt today I was wearing a shirt from the Furman Sports Medicine Center that apparently has painted on letters. After I collapsed on the ground at the end of my workout this is what I saw when I got up. You can see the mirror image of most of the words that are on the back of the shirt to the right: Discipline, Attitude, Backbone. That's some sweat for ya! BTW, I'm at 8225 steps for the day. I don't know if I'll reach 10K or not before bedtime, but I think I've put in plenty of work today.

Late Evening Walk

The day about got away from me. Looked up and it was 2030 and I hadn't been for a walk yet. Got out and got it done! Laura went with me, too, which is great because her pace is generally faster than mine and it was tonight. We walked 2.01 miles in 38:39 for an average of 3.1 mph.

Once we got home I did the corrective exercises as prescribed after the Functional Movement Screen which I did a few weeks ago. Those took about 20 minutes. Did some extra rolling of my hip flexors and calves when I was done w/ the FMS related exercises. I'm at 11K+ steps for the day.

Commitment and Consistency

My wife and oldest son went to visit Duke today and still weren't home by the time I got home. My daughter was at work. I took my youngest son to an end of school party at a nearby skating rink. I'm free! I have the house and time to myself. What did I do? Why I got my workout on of course!

Warm Up Walk 0.66 miles in 15:40 minutes.

FMS Corrective Exercises and Calisthenic Circuits 29:49 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo (each direction) w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog (5 reps per side)

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x11, 12, 13, 14, 15x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x16, 17, 18, 19, 20x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x20, 20, 18, 20, 20x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 7x1x25# (per side)

Everything was good and going according to plan with my swings until the 17th set. I could feel my grip getting tired. Then on the 18th set my grip gave out at about 14 reps. I set the bell down for a couple of seconds then hoisted it back up and got in 4 more reps for a total of 18 w/in the allotted 30 seconds. I regrouped and imagined I was Bud Jeffries doing hundreds of swings non-stop and got a full 20 reps on the 19th set. Something threw me off between sets 19 and 20 and I ended up taking longer than a 30 second rest. Got in a full 20 on the final set.

I took about a three minute rest between swings and get ups. I think I'm gripping and positioning the bell better. My hips are more flexible, making the sweep of the extended leg easier. Did all seven sets and wasn't too wobbly. Finished the kettlebell routine in 41 minutes. Big improvement over last time when I went for 48 minutes. I even got in 4 more reps of swings clocking in at 303. BTW, this is Tracy Reifkind's Workout #3.

When I was done, my shirt was so wet it might have come out of a washing machine! But it was stinky and dusty! 

Recovery Day

Nothing special today. Walked 2.33 miles in 51 minutes for an average of 2.7 mph. Once I returned from my walk I did the corrective exercises recommended as a result of the Functional Movement Screen. That took about 14 minutes. I did a little extra release of my hip flexors, calves, ankles and feet. That's it.

Thanks to Tim Ferriss Triple H and HalfSizeMe Heather

Sunday we went on a long, long (for me) hike in the mountains. It was fun but it took a lot out of me and made me very sore in the feet and calves, and to a lesser extent in my low back and hip flexors. This hike was in lieu of my scheduled kettlebell training. I was too sore for kettlebells on Monday but did do some exercise.

I'm on call this week and wouldn't you know it, in the wee hours of Tuesday morning I was paged and up for 2 or 3 hours. I slept in after that, but not enough. I went into the office in the afternoon and worked later than normal. When I got home around 1900 hours I changed into my workout clothes and stretched out on my bed for a few minutes listening to an inspirational weight loss oriented podcast, Half Size Me, by Heather Robertson. I fell asleep for about 20 minutes listening to it.

I woke up feeling somewhat more refreshed but kinda' not wanting to train. I rewound the episode of Half Size Me to the point where I fell asleep and started listening again. I also thought about an interview with Triple H, of WWE fame, by Tim Ferriss in which Triple H talked about how he never missed a day of training even when traveling and currently trains at 2200 hours after a full day's work as an executive for WWE. I decided to at least go for a walk and before I knew it I was feeling even better and got down to my kettlebell training.

Warm Up Walk 0.60 miles in 14:05 for average speed of 2.5 mph.

FMS Corrective Exercises and Calisthenic Circuits 30:13 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo (each direction) w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog (5 reps per side)

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x11, 12, 13, 14, 15x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x16, 17, 18, 19, 19x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x19x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 7x1x25# (per side)

So, my kettlebell training took 48:37 minutes. That's 10 minutes longer than last time. I did 299 reps of swings with the same weight as opposed to 292, and one more set of get ups. All as planned. However, I think I took a much longer break between swings and get ups, on the order of 4 or 5 minutes versus 2.5. I think I'll chalk that up to residual tiredness from the on call work and the long weekend hike.

Overall it was a good training session. I focused more on getting the hip hinge better and could absolutely feel more of a good ache in my hamstrings and glutes when I finished. The higher volume or reps, still every minute on the minute, combined with the additional 5 minutes required for the 4th group of 5 sets really had my heart racing, lungs pumping and sweat pouring.

I occasionally got a little wobbly on the turkish get ups. I think that was due to the accumulated fatigue and the fact that I'm really trying to focus on proper hand, arm and shoulder position on the hand/arm holding the kettlebell. Getting better every time! Also, I ended the day w/ 9246 steps.

Too Sore for Kettlebell Training

Yesterday's hike left me too sore today for kettlebell training. My feet and calves are SORE! My back and hip flexors a little less so. I decided to take it easy today.

I did my FMS corrective exercises. Took me about 23 minutes. I also did extra rolling of my calves and hip flexors. I used some PVC pipe (was reminded about using PVC pipe for fascia release by a video about releasing the rectus femoris muscles) I picked up at home depot instead of a traditional foam roller. The foam roller I have isn't really strong enough to support my weight and deforms when I'm really getting into it.

Once I was all warmed up and stretched out I went for a short walk. Just 25 minutes and about 1.1 miles. Legs still sore but they'll be better tomorrow. Glad I got it in.

Raven Cliff Falls Hike

We decided to go on a family hike last week and picked Sunday, yesterday. We drove up to Caesar's Head to hike to Raven Cliff Falls. There are a couple of ways to go. We did the shorter route about 10 years ago when my youngest son was a toddler and I carried him a good portion of the hike in one of those baby carrier backpacks.

Anyway this time decided to go the longer route. The wife and I let the kids (22, 16 and 12) go on ahead at their pace and we went at ours. We just asked them to wait for us at the first forking of the trail so we could really decide which way to go, short or long. They waited, not too long, and we decided to go long.

Well, I thought they were going to wait for us again at the next fork, but they didn't. My wife and I ended up going on the fork the kids had not taken and descended a good ways into the valley to the Suspension Bridge over the falls. It was quite a climb back out for us as we have not been doing any hiking. We eventually got back to together at the fork where we had chosen different paths and then headed back to the car.

Round trip was over 8 miles, nearly 9, and it took us about 4.5 hours. By the way, every site I visit has different mileage numbers for the hike! That 4.5 hours was with stopping to take pictures, stopping for a snack and just looking at the beautiful scenery and wildlife.

I walked 26,987 steps or 10.01 miles yesterday! Walking trails, up and down the sides of mountains, is a lot different than walking in the neighborhood. But I should add that without the walking I've been doing and the kettlebell training I would not have been able to hike 8 or 9 miles! I also wear Vibram Five Fingers almost all of the time including yesterday when I wore my Speed XCs. The muscles in my feet and calves were ACHING today. But it was well worth it.