Orange Bowl Halftime Simple and Sinister

I did my normal Original Strength restorative reset before leaving the house for the office this morning.

• Cross Crawl 20 reps
• Diaphragmatic Breathing 2 minutes
• Head Nods 20 reps
• Segmented rolls 3 reps each direction led by each limb
• Rocking 20 reps
• Baby Crawl 2 minutes

Came home this afternoon just about 30 minutes before the Orange Bowl started. I took a few minutes just to rest and relax. However, I knew I wanted to get my Simple and Sinister training in. I figured I would either do it during halftime of the Orange Bowl, or after that game and before the Cotton Bowl.

Warm Up 3 circuits 5 reps each exercise

• Deep, assisted squats
• Hip Bridges
• Light Kettlebell Halo
• Bird Dogs

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 10 x 10 x 53#
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 35# (per side)

I started my warm up with about 3 minutes to go in the first half. I didn't miss much as several timeouts and incomplete passes stopped the clock. I got started with the practice right as halftime began. I used the same work to rest ratio 15 secs/ 35 secs as last time for the swings. I was huffing pretty good. This is my third time using this work/rest ratio. I think I'll be sticking here for a few more days.

Took the prescribed one minute rest after the swings and then got right on the get ups. I didn't rush the movements but tried to rest as little as possible between reps. There is a point where the right knee is down on the mat and you rotate the leg, for some reason this hurts a little spot on my knee. I think it's where one of the scars is from arthroscopic surgery a few years ago. It's not major pain just annoying like a pinch. I finished these in about 9:08. Total time for the practice was 17:43 and I was done just in time for the beginning of the second half.

Simple and Sinister Day 20 20151230

Prior to leaving home for the office this morning I did an Original Strength reset. I didn't do any particular exercise or walking while I was at the office. Once I got home from the office I got things set up inside for my Simple and Sinister training as once again it had been raining all day.

Warm Up 3 circuits 5 reps each exercise

• Deep, assisted squats
• Hip Bridges
• Light Kettlebell Halo
• Bird Dogs

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 10 x 10 x 53#
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 35# (per side)

Cool Down

• Cross Crawl 20 reps
• Diaphragmatic Breathing 2 minutes
• Head Nods 20 reps
• Segmented rolls 3 reps each direction led by each limb
• Rocking 20 reps
• Baby Crawl 2 minutes

I was feeling a little tired perhaps like I'm coming down with a cold. At any rate I completed swings in the same amount of time as last session 8:20.  Rested one minute then on to the Turkish Get Ups. These took a little longer than 10 minutes, about 10:20. I chalk it up to the sluggishness I was feeling.  I really had to push myself to get done anywhere close to 10 minutes. Cooled down by pressing reset on my body again.

Simple and Sinister Day 19 20151227

This morning I slept in. A couple of hours after I got up I did the simple Original Strength press reset routine. I also did two unloaded Turkish Get Ups. I'm going to work on completing this simple routine twice a day to improve my mobility, stability and core strength.

• Cross Crawl 20 reps
• Diaphragmatic Breathing 2 minutes
• Head Nods 20 reps
• Segmented rolls 3 reps each direction led by each limb
• Rocking 20 reps
• Baby Crawl 2 minutes

This evening I completed the Simple and Sinister routine indoors as it rained again last night and today after a lovely sunny day yesterday. I much prefer training outdoors in the fresh air. However, it is so warm, currently 66°F, that we've got doors and windows open so it was almost like training outside. The ceiling fan helped stirred up a breeze as if I was outside, too.

Warm Up 3 circuits 5 reps each exercise

• Deep, assisted squats
• Hip Bridges
• Light Kettlebell Halo
• Bird Dogs

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 10 x 10 x 53#
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 35# (per side)

The warm up went pretty well. I did the kettlebell swings a little differently this time. Instead of doing them in EMOM fashion I reduced my rest time. It takes about 15 seconds to do 10 swings which gave me 45 seconds of rest each set. Today I reduced that rest time to 35 seconds. I want to gradually cut that down to where I have equal work and rest, 15 seconds on 15 seconds off. In that fashion I should be able to complete 100 swings in just 5 minutes. After that I'll work in one hand swings until I can do all 100 evenly alternating arms.

I took a little bit longer than one minute of rest between swings and get ups as I was also preparing dinner tonight. I had to take broccoli out of the oven and put salmon in. But after that I motored through the get ups. Total time for the practice was about 18:20.

Training Inspiration from Marco Polo's Hundred Eyes

I didn't train for two days. Is has been raining almost non stop so my last training session was indoors. On Christmas Eve I'm not sure why I didn't train except my left hip was not happy, giving me pain that is. Also, I'm on call this week and my Christmas eve sleep was wrecked by on call duties. That led me to not train on Christmas day.

Today my hips and low back were quite stiff. I knew I needed to train. I even put on my workout gear as soon as I got up. However, I didn't get around to my Simple and Sinister routine until late in the afternoon and only after being inspired by the back story of Hundred Eyes of the NetFlix original series Marco Polo. I know it's not a real story but the thought of the training required to be a master of Wudang Kung Fu, and then to remaster the art after being blinded is inspiring. So outside I went to start my kettlebell practice since it was sunny for the first time in days.

I started with an Original Strength reset and then the normal S&S warm up I do.

• Cross Crawl 20 reps
• Diaphragmatic Breathing 2 minutes
• Head Nods 20 reps
• Segmented rolls 3 reps each direction led by each limb
• Rocking 20 reps
• Baby Crawl 2 minutes

Warm Up 3 circuits 5 reps each exercise

• Deep, assisted, prying squats
• Hip Bridges
• Light Kettlebell Halo
• Bird Dogs

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 10 x 10 x 53#
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 35# (per side)

Normal swings done EMOM. Felt nice and strong. Got the get ups done in about 9.5 minutes. I'm getting used to the 35# bell for the get ups. However ,by the time I was done I was huffing and puffing and sweating quite a bit. Even so, the exercise makes me feel good and I've got energy left in my "bank".

Simple and Sinister Day 17 20151223

I took yesterday off as my hip was hurting more than usual. I did do an Original Strength reset and two unloaded Turkish Get Ups per side after work.

This morning I did that same little session at work. As usual I spent most of the day standing up for work. Once I got home I quickly set up indoors for my Simple and Sinister training since it had been raining for nearly 24 hours. I don't have a garage just a carport and the rain makes the floor slippery.

Warm Up 3 circuits 5 reps each exercise

• Deep, assisted, Prying Squats
• Hip Bridges
• Light Kettlebell Halo
• Bird Dogs

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 10 x 10 x 53#
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 35# (per side)

I cranked right through the routine. Felt good. My swings were powerful and fluid. I do have to queue myself to "try and crush a walnut between my ass cheeks" at the top position from time to time. I did the swings EMOM.

After a one minute break I got rolling on the get up. I had to push myself on these to get close to finishing on time. I actually took 15 seconds longer than the allotted 10 minutes to complete them.

The above is my post workout meal and actually my first meal of the day. Two palms worth of protein, two hands of veggies, one hand of rice ala Precision Nutrition.

10 Sets of 10 Reps of Kettlebell Swings with 24 Kilos

This morning I did an Original Strength reset  and a couple of unloaded turkish get ups before leaving home for the office. See yesterday's post for details. At lunch I did some modified shinbox switches and a couple of unloaded turkish get ups. I followed that with a leisurely walk of 1.11 miles in 30 minutes.

When I got home I kinda' didn't want to do my Simple and Sinister routine. My hip was hurting again after driving home and sitting in traffic. So, step one I put on my workout clothes. Step two I went outside and laid out my exercise mat and kettlebells. Step three I took my time warming up, 20 minutes in fact. Told myself if I wasn't feeling it I would stop after the warm up.

Warm Up 3 circuits 5 reps each exercise

• Deep, assisted, Prying Squats
• Hip Bridges
• Light Kettlebell Halo
• Bird Dogs

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 10 x 10 x 53#
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 35# (per side)

But I did feel good. My hip stopped hurting so much. In fact I felt so good, so strong, that I upped my sets from 7 to 10 the goal. I did 10 kettlebell swings in EMOM fashion with my 24kg Rogue kettlebell. I can finish 10 swings in 15 seconds, ala Tracy Reifkind, leaving me 45 seconds to rest before the next set. It felt good.

I took one minute rest at the end of the swings and then moved on to Turkish Get Ups. I complete 5 reps per side in just under 10 minutes. The practice took just a little more than 20 minutes. I'm glad i trained. I felt better once I was done and I still had "energy in the bank." BTW, my hamstrings are still getting sore!

Simple and Sinister Day 15 20151220

After losing an average of two pounds a week for the first two weeks of December when I weighed in yesterday I had only lost 0.2 pounds. I attribute that slow down to not exercising two days this past week and some unusual eating. We had a Christmas party at work with heavy hors d'oeuvres, beer and wine. Not only did I eat quite a bit, I drank several beers there and once I got home which led to one of the days when I skipped training. I also bought doughnuts for the office and ate 3 myself that day.

Anyway, after getting up late and reading I did some chores. By mid-afternoon I got started with my exercise.

• Cross Crawl 20 reps
• Diaphragmatic Breathing 2 minutes
• Head Nods 20 reps
• Segmented rolls 3 reps each direction led by each limb
• Rocking 20 reps
• Baby Crawl 2 minutes

Warm Up 3 circuits 5 reps each exercise

• Deep, assisted, prying squats
• Hip Bridges
• Light Kettlebell Halo

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 7 x 10 x 53#
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 35# (per side)

Since I didn't get my Original Strength reset in early this morning I started my warm up with it. Then on to Simple and Sinister warm up and practice. The OS reset by itself makes me feel good. The brief S&S routine makes me feel good, too. It's nice to wake up in the morning without pain. These simple exercises are strengthening and stabilizing my core and back, as well as improving my hip flexibility and mobility. 

I think I'll stay with the 7 sets of swings at 53 pounds for another day and then add another set or two. The first goal is ten sets of ten reps. The next goal is to get those ten sets of 10 done in five minutes or less. Once I've got that down I'll work on moving my get up weight to 44 pounds.

Chilly Afternoon Simple and Sinister

I was in a bad mood today. I knew I would feel better if I got outside and did some exercise but I kept procrastinating. I didn't get out there until after 1630 hours. I started with and Original Strength reset. I figured if I didn't feel good once that was completed that I would stop.

• Cross Crawl 20 reps
• Diaphragmatic Breathing 2 minutes
• Head Nods 20 reps
• Segmented rolls 3 reps each direction led by each limb
• Rocking 20 reps
• Baby Crawl 2 minutes

I felt good after the reset so I figured I would go on with the Simple and Sinister warmup. And evaluate again.

Warm Up 3 circuits 5 reps each exercise

• Deep, assisted, prying squats
• Hip Bridges
• Light Kettlebell Halo

I felt well enough after the warm up so I proceed with main sets. Not only that I decided to go with the 53 lb kettlebell on all sets.

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 7 x 10 x 53#
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 35# (per side)

I felt much better mentally, emotionally and physically once I finished. It was one of those days where I just had to get started and then roll on and it turned out to be a good training session. Oh and as for chilly, it was 44°F or so while I was training. Chilly for SC but no where near real cold temperatures but it is all relative is it not? Amazingly enough my hip did not hurt.

Simple and Sinister Day 13 20151218

I didn't do an Original Strength reset yesterday. I didn't train yesterday as we had our office Christmas party and I had a few beers. Kettlebells after beer didn't seem like a good idea. My morning routine got interrupted today by an "emergency" from work so again I didn't press reset. I did get my training on once I got home from the office though.

Warm Up 3 circuits 5 reps each exercise

• Deep, assisted, prying squats
• Hip Bridges
• Light Kettlebell Halo
• Bird Dogs

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 7 x 10 x 35#, 53#, 53#, 53#, 53#, 53#, 35#
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 35# (per side)

It is cold outside, 39°F and feels Like 34°! I first went out in sweatpants w/ shorts underneath and a sweatshirt w/ a short sleeved t-shirt underneath. Before I even got started I came back in and put a long sleeved t-shirt on over the short sleeved one and then put my sweatshirt on over both of them. The wind was still cutting through but it was bearable. Once I got moving it was a little better than bearable.

The warm up went okay. My hip didn't hurt too bad. Maybe because I didn't do any real prying in the bottom of the goblet squat and didn't really rock back and forth to stretch things out so much. I just squatted deep and held it for a five or more seconds.

The swings went by rather quickly. I'm getting a good feel for the 53 pounder. I think I'll add on a set or two tomorrow. The final "drop" set at 35 pounds feels ridiculously light. Getting stronger on the 35 pound get ups, too. I think my form is getting better. That's all for today.

Simple and Sinister Day 12 20151216

Yesterday I had to leave home early so I found an empty conference room and did an Original Strength reset. I didn't have time to do Simple and Sinister as my youngest son had a concert.

• Cross Crawl 20 reps
• Diaphragmatic Breathing 2 minutes
• Head Nods 20 reps
• Segmented rolls 3 reps each direction led by each limb
• Rocking 20 reps
• Baby Crawl 2 minutes

Once again today I pressed reset on my body at the office in an empty conference room. After a late lunch I walked 1.23 miles in 27 minutes. Once I got home I talked myself into working out. My hip was hurting a lot. I know being inactive won't help.

Warm Up 3 circuits 5 reps each exercise

• Deep, assisted, prying squats
• Hip Bridges
• Light Kettlebell Halo

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 7 x 10 x 35#, 53#, 53#, 53#, 53#, 53#, 35#
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 35# (per side)

The warm up just made my hip ache more. I almost didn't go on to main part of the workout. I finally said to myself just do one set of swings, if it feels bad quit. It didn't and I didn't.

Indoor Training for a Change

This morning before leaving home for the office did an Original Strength reset.

• Cross Crawl 20 reps
• Diaphragmatic Breathing 2 minutes
• Head Nods 20 reps
• Segmented rolls 3 reps each direction led by each limb
• Rocking 20 reps
• Baby Crawl 2 minutes

I felt really tired this afternoon. Drank. Some coffee late in the afternoon. Did my traing once I got home. Had to train inside because it had been raining most of the day. I warmed up with another reset then got down to the swings.

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 7 x 10 x 35#, 53#, 53#, 53#, 53#, 53#, 35#
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 35# (per side)

I added two extra sets of swings for a total of 7. I added another set at 53 lbs. and a final drop set of 35 lbs. I still did the sets in EMOM fashion.  I'm going to work up to 10 x 10 x 53# in EMOM fashion. Once I'm solid with that I'll cut down to 15 seconds on 15 seconds off so I can get the 10 sets done in 5 minutes rather than 10.

It'x a lot less comfortable working out inside than outside. I've grown quite accustomed to training outside in both the heat and cold. It's nice to have the fresh air. The heat and stillness of the air inside was quite uncomfortable. I did the getups in about 11 minutes instead of the normal 10. BTW, my glutes and hamstrings are pretty darn sore from the heavier weights. I think daily practice of Simple and Sinister will turn me into a high performance machine.

Simple and Sinister Day 10 20151213

Another beautiful day in SC. Blue skies and warm. Got outside and got training.

Original Strength reset.

• Cross Crawl 20 reps
• Diaphragmatic Breathing 2 minutes
• Head Nods 20 reps
• Segmented rolls 3 reps each direction led by each limb
• Rocking 20 reps
• Baby Crawl 2 minutes

Warm Up 3 circuits 5 reps each exercise

• Deep, assisted, prying squats
• Hip Bridges
• Light Kettlebell Halo
• Bird dogs

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5 x 10 x 35#, 53#, 53#, 53#, 53#
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 35# (per side)

I love the huge old oak at the end of our driveway but it is also my nemesis. I swept up this whole area and more yesterday. Even while I was working leaves were raining down. I warmed up a little faster than yesterday.

The training went well. Getting used to handling the 53lb/24kg bell on the swings. Getting more solid w/ the 35lb/16kg on get ups, too. I finished the practice 30 seconds under the time limit. Simple and Sinister is the bomb! I need to figure out how I'm going to progress. Should I start working on 15 seconds swinging to 15 seconds rest or start adding more sets in my current work to rest ratio of 15 seconds on to 45 seconds reset? The goal is 10 sets of 10 reps in 5 minutes. I think I'll in the StrongFirst Training/Practice group on Facebook. Or maybe I should transition to more one arm swings?

I also did about two hours of yard work today. I swept, raked and bagged leaves.

Simple and Sinister Day 9 20151212

Yesterday morning I did an Original Strength reset and two "shoe" get ups before going to work.

• Cross Crawl 20 reps
• Diaphragmatic Breathing 2 minutes
• Head Nods 20 reps
• Segmented rolls 3 reps each direction led by each limb
• Rocking 20 reps
• Baby Crawl 2 minutes

After lunch I walked a slow 1.16 miles in about 28 minutes. It had been a long hard week at work and my left hip was hurting pretty bad plus I didn't sleep well. Decided not to train.

Today I did my daily OS reset as outlined above. Then I slowly worked my way through the Simple and Sinister warm up. I really took my time and did some extra mobility and stretching for my hip.

Warm Up 3 circuits 5 reps each exercise

• Deep, assisted, prying squats
• Hip Bridges
• Light Kettlebell Halo
• Bird dogs

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5 x 10 x 35#, 53#, 53#, 53#, 53#
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 35# (per side)

I increased the weight on the second set of swings. Using the 24kg/53lb kettlebell for 4 out of 5 sets now. Get ups were solid. Finished the swings and get ups in the prescribed amount of time: 5 minutes for swings, 1 minute break, 10 minutes for get ups. My hip still hurts like crazy, limping a lot. Hamstrings and glutes are pretty sore from the heavier swings.

Simple and Sinister Day 8 20151210

This morning I did an Original Strength reset and two "shoe" get ups before going to work.

• Cross Crawl 20 reps
• Diaphragmatic Breathing 2 minutes
• Head Nods 20 reps
• Segmented rolls 3 reps each direction led by each limb
• Rocking 20 reps
• Baby Crawl 2 minutes

After lunch I walked a slow 1.22 miles in about 26 minutes. After a work, I almost talked myself out of training. But again, I had been listening to the Super Strength Show all day and was too inspired by the episode with Bud Jeffries that was playing as I drove home to skip. After all Simple and Sinister, the warm up and the practice, only takes about 30 minutes.

Warm Up 3 circuits 5 reps each exercise

• Deep, assisted, prying squats
• Hip Bridges
• Light Kettlebell Halo
• Bird dogs

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5 x 10 x 35#, 35#, 53#, 53#, 53#
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 35# (per side)

Felt pretty good after the kettlebell work except for my left hip. So, once again decided to press reset again as a cool down.  Man the guys at OS are really on to something. I felt much better when I was done. Now for dinner, a shower and bed!

Lots of Movement Today

This morning I did an Original Strength reset and two "shoe" get ups before going to work.

• Cross Crawl 20 reps
• Diaphragmatic Breathing 2 minutes
• Head Nods 20 reps
• Segmented rolls 3 reps each direction led by each limb
• Rocking 20 reps
• Baby Crawl 2 minutes

After lunch I walked a bit over a mile. After a work Simple and Sinister as below.

Warm Up 3 circuits 5 reps each exercise

• Deep, assisted, prying squats
• Hip Bridges
• Light Kettlebell Halo
• Bird dogs

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5 x 10 x 35#, 35#, 53#, 53#, 53#
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 35# (per side)

Felt pretty good after the kettlebell work but decided to press reset again as a cool down. Ate my dinner and I'm ready to go to sleep!

Simple and Sinister Day 6 20151208

This morning before leaving for the office I did an Original Strength reset. After work and a little relaxation I got Simple and Sinister around 1915 or so.

Warm Up 3 circuits 5 reps each exercise

• Deep, assisted, prying squats
• Hip Bridges
• Light Kettlebell Halo
• Bird dogs

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5 x 10 x 35#, 35#, 53#, 53#, 53#
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 35# (per side)

I really wasn't feeling like training today. But I had been listening to The Super Strength Show all day so I couldn't skip. Plus this is so much less daily volume than the 300 swings a day I did during November. Once I got started I got into it. Once I finished I felt even better. I think I'll stick w/ my current weight pattern for a couple of more days. I know I need to tighten up my form a bit more on the first rep of each set at 53#, too.

Simple and Sinister Day 5 on Pearl Harbor Day

Worked at home today. Not much movement. I did an Original Strength reset around 1630 or so.

Pressed Reset

• Cross Crawl 20 reps
• Diaphragmatic Breathing 2 minutes
• Head Nods 20 reps
• Segmented rolls 3 reps each direction led by each limb
• Rocking 20 reps
• Baby Crawl 2 minutes

After finishing work and cooking dinner I got started with Simple and Sinister around 1915 or so.

Warm Up 3 circuits 5 reps each exercise

• Deep, assisted, prying squats
• Hip Bridges
• Light Kettlebell Halo
• Bird dogs

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5 x 10 x 35#, 35#, 53#, 53#, 53#
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 35# (per side)

I hadn't eaten much today and I could kinda' feel it. Warm up took around 16 minutes. I stepped up weight on the last set of swings so that makes 3 of 5 sets at 53#. Finished the swings in 5 minutes. Get Ups were slow. Took 30 - 45 seconds more than 10 minutes.

Here's my post workout dinner. Justin Wilson's baked and broiled pork chop, oven baked sweet potato, lima beans.

Simple and Sinister Day 4 - 20151206

It was a beautiful, cool Sunday morning. I got outside around 0930, sat in the sun and read the first 50 pages of Death by Food Pyramid while drinking my last cup of coffee. What a book. It is non-fiction, heavily researched and footnoted but reads like a who-done-it page turner. While I was outside some geese came in for a landing in the pond behind my house.

Eventually I got around to exercising out in the sun beginning with an Original Strength reset.

Pressed Reset

• Cross Crawl 20 reps
• Diaphragmatic Breathing 2 minutes
• Head Nods 20 reps
• Segmented rolls 3 reps each direction led by each limb
• Rocking 20 reps
• Baby Crawl 2 minutes

Then I proceeded to the Simple and Sinister warm up and working sets.

 

Warm Up 3 circuits 5 reps each exercise

• Deep, assisted, prying squats
• Hip Bridges
• Light Kettlebell Halo
• Bird dogs

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5 x 10 x 35#, 35#, 53#, 53#, 35#
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 35# (per side)

I actually did the OS reset outside for the first time. Nice to have enough room to do three rolls in a row. It was also fun to crawl in the grass.  It is quite interesting how good these simple movements make me feel.

The prying squats are kinda' tough on my left hip. I can only hope the hip will get better as I continue to train and lose weight. The bird dogs are my addition to the warm up. I got the idea of using the bird dogs as part of a warm for a kettlebell swing routine from The Four Hour Body.

I stuck with the same weight pattern as yesterday on the swings. After the 53# swings the 35# in the last set felt like a feather! I think I'll step up to 53# on the last set tomorrow. I was much more focused for all 5 sets of swings. No loss of balance, no loose core. I easily finished 50 swings in 5 minutes. After a one minute break I moved on to the get ups.

Yesterday I watched The Hip Hinge Position in the Get-Up on the Strong First youtube channel. I incorporated the correction the instructor detailed in the video. It is definitely better than "flopping" onto my hand when returning to the ground. I just barely finished the get ups in the prescribed ten minutes.

It was so nice and I felt so good that I couldn't resist doing a little more work. I did Dan John's Waiter Walk-Front Rack Walk-Suitcase Walk up and down my driveway (waiter down, front rack up, suitcase down and up) first with my right hand then my left hand. I only used a 25# kettlebell. I followed it up with a farmers carry walk with 44# kettlebells in each hand down and back.

Woke Up Feeling Very Good

I woke up feeling very good this morning. Drank some water and had a couple or three cups of coffee.  During that time I ran the dishwasher, put away some dishes that had been hand washed and hand washed some more dishes. I also washed dried and folded a couple of loads of clothes. Nic eand productive.

Got dressed and did the Original Strength reset I did yesterday. Did a little more laundry and dishes. Then I went outside and did the Simple and Sinister routine.

Warm Up 3 circuits 5 reps each exercise

• Deep, assisted, prying squats
• Hip Bridges
• Light Kettlebell Halo
• Bird dogs

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5 x 10 x 35#, 35#, 53#, 53#, 35#
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 35# (per side)

I did the prying squats assisting myself by grasping the pole of our basketball goal while in the bottom position. I braced my knees inside my thighs and pressed out to increase the stretch. I also subtly shifted positions working on hip and pelvic mobility. All the rest of the warm up was pretty standard stuff.

The kettlebell swings were fairly easy until the first set at 53 pounds. I was not properly braced and positioned on the first swing at 53#. I almost lost my balance with the heavier weight. I guess I had gotten too used to the 35 pounder which I can easily "muscle" now. I immediately focused and tightened up my form and bracing. This made for two good sets at the heavier weight.

I'm getting better at doing Turkish Get Ups with the 35 pounder. Once again I momentarily lost focus in the fourth set, wobbled a bit going from the post to kneeling and had to catch my balance. Overall though I felt better. My arms and shoulders feel pretty smoked on the fifth set though. I completed the session in the prescribed 16 minutes: 5 minutes for swings, 1 minute rest, 10 minutes for get ups.

After a glass of water I stayed outside and swept and raked leaves for an hour. Man it's a beautiful day. Bright and sunny without a cloud in the sky if a little cool for Greenville, SC at 55°F and just breezy enough to feel like 52°F. 

Overall a nice morning and early afternoon. The relatively low volume of daily exercise provided by Simple and Sinister leaves me plenty of gas in the tank to do other things. It also doesn't make me super sore though I can feel how well my muscles worked.

Simple and Sinister Day 2 - 20151204

This morning before leaving for work I pressed reset on my body with the Original Strength program. I also did two "shoe" turkish get ups, unloaded except for balance a shoe on the knuckles of the fist of my upraised arm.

This evening I pressed reset again as a warmup before doing Simple and Sinister.

Pressing Reset consists of

• Cross Crawl 20 reps
• Diaphragmatic Breathing 2 minutes
• Head Nods 20 reps
• Segmented rolls 3 reps each direction led by each limb
• Rocking 20 reps
• Baby Crawl 2 minutes

Simple and Sinister

• Kettlebell Swings 5 x 10 x 35#, 35#, 53#, 35#, 35#
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 35# (per side)

That's it. A lot less volume than 300 swings a day but I'm gong to work on using the 53# kettlebell for all 5 sets. I could feel a big difference between the 35# and the 53#. I'm also still getting used to doing the get ups with the 35#. I'm also going to focus on cleaning up my diet. That is all for today.

300 Kettlebell Swings Daily for 30 Days Done

I haven't posted in just over a month. However, I diligently pursued and completed the challenge of doing 300 kettlebell swings every day for 30 days and finished the 30 days on November 29th. It was tough, especially the first week or so even though I was only using a 16 kg kettlebell. My body got used to it. I generally knocked them out in blocks in 50 or 100. By the end of the month it was a bit of a mental grind more so than a physical one.

I have ordered some heavier kettlebells.  I'm going to start integrating a 24 kg into my swing sets. During the 30 days I progressed from using a 12 kg to the 16 kg for my turkish get ups. Progress all around. Also, though I didn't measure strictly I noticed that my jeans have gotten looser and I have had to pull my belt tighter. I posted a picture on Facebook yesterday and a number of people remarked that I had lost weight! I also feel like my back is stronger and my posture is better.

My plan for the next several weeks is to follow Pavel Tsatsouline's Simple and Sinister program. I know in my last post I said I would go back to doing Tracy Reifkind's workouts but I found that I really liked the daily practice of the 30 day challenge. Now that I've had a couple of days off and time to think S&S is the way to go for me for now.

I also stumbled across the Original Strength program during the last month via the Rdella Strength Training podcast in which Scott Iardella interviewed one of the author's Geoff Neupert. I bought the book Pressing Reset, Original Strength Reloaded. I've started doing a 10 minute reset from the book daily and I can already feel the difference. My hips (I've been having trouble with my left hip) and bum right shoulder feel better and so does my lower back. I highly recommend the resets they only take 10 minutes or so!

I'll be posting more often again, but probably not everyday. Actually I might at least post my daily numbers if not much narrative.

Today

Original Strength 10 minuter reset before leaving the house for the office.

1 Mile walk after lunch.

After work:

• OS Reset
• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# in 5 minutes
• 1 minute break
• Turkish Get Ups 5x1x35# per side in 10 minutes