Are You Going to the Basketball Game

Went to bed around 2230. Got up around 0730 after a mediocre night's sleep. Was awake or restless a total of 58 minutes, so only got 7.75 hours sleep. But somehow I didn't start working out until 1039.
What the heck was I doing for three hours? I didn't do any chores. I just read a bit.


Performance Preparation

Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 4 reps left and right first leading w/ legs then arms
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1
1 Set of 5 reps Kettlebell Halo w/ 25 lbs.

1 Arm Bar per side, 1 minute each w/ 20 lbs.
1 Superset of 5 reps Push-ups & Australian Pull-ups

Simple and Sinister

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 10 x 10 x 35 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 25 lbs per side

It was much colder today than yesterday. Once again since I have trained eleven days in a row,  I again decided to just do my performance prep and then decide whether to do my kettlebell practice or not. I also decided to add in one superset of push ups and Australian pull ups to get in a little direct upper body work. All of that took 21:01.

And I felt good. Therefore on to kettlebells. I was in my 7th or 8th set of swings when my spouse came outside and asked me if I was still going to the Furman Univ. men's basketball game which tipped off at noon. I said yes, but it was after 1100 and the game was to tip off at 1200.

I finished my swings in normal fashion but pretty much raced through the get ups. I believe I still used good form, I just moved quickly and took minimal rest. I only took 6:25 to do the get ups. Total kettlebell practice time 17:25.

And yes, we made it to the game on time. Furman beat The Citadel 83 - 68. Go Paladins! And I got in 9042 steps yesterday.

Got Up Late and Late Kettlebell Practice

I woke up around 0350 this morning. Had been having a disturbing dream. Went to the bathroom. Tried to read myself to sleep without waking up the spouse. Wasn't falling asleep. Went to another room and read for an hour before falling asleep. Got up after 0900 and got over 8 hours of sleep in total.

After reading, watching television and doing chores around the house I finally got outside and began my kettlebell practice around 1500. It was sunny but cooler than the last few days.


Performance Preparation

Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 5 reps left and right leading w/ arms then legs
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1
1 Set of 5 reps Kettlebell Halo w/ 25 lbs.

1 Arm Bar per side, 1 minute each w/ 15 lbs.

Simple and Sinister

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 10 x 10 x 35 lbs 
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 25 lbs per side

Performance prep went well. I was really only intending to do the Original Strength Reset and the other preparatory movements. I was going to leave it at that, just to get loosened up. But I felt good once I was done with that, so I went on and started my kettlebell practice. The movement prep took 19:09.

The kettlebell swings felt good. Again, my lower back is adjusting nicely to the full ten sets of swings that are called for. I can do the swings in about 15 seconds, then I rest 45 seconds. Following this pattern, the swings take 10 minutes. I've not yet tried to reduce the rest time. Eventually the goal is to do 100 swings within 5 minutes.

I felt strong during the get ups. Form was good as well. I want to increase the weight but I also need to be patient. I want to make sure I own the weights, sets and reps I'm currently doing before moving up. I also want to make sure I don't aggravate any old injuries or cause new ones. Total kettlebell practice time was 21:06. This was my tenth straight training session and nineteenth in twenty days. I got in 9385 steps yesterday.

Are You Going to Workout Today

Are you going to work out today? That's the question my wife asked me this morning. I was wavering a little bit, but she has noticed that I've been working out almost daily since 12/11/2016. Yesterday I wondered if I needed a day off. I had gotten 7.5 hours of sleep so that wasn't a reason not to train. I ate plenty yesterday so that wasn't a reason not to train either. So, after that question and as the sun blazed down bright, I decided to at least do my performance preparation and make a decision from there.

Performance Preparation

Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 5 reps left and right leading w/ arms then legs
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1
1 set of 5 reps Kettlebell Halo w/ 25 lbs.

1 Arm Bar per side, 1 minute each w/ 15 lbs.

Simple and Sinister

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 10 x 10 x 35 lbs 
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 25 lbs per side

Did my normal prep. Felt nicely warmed up, loose and ready to go. The arm bars are starting to feel really light. I think I'll bump it up to 20 lbs. next week. Performance prep took 18:50.

Moved on to my kettlebell practice. Swings felt good. Lower back a little less tired during the final few sets. Get ups went well. Shoulders felt good. Doing better with "windshield wiping" my legs. Looking forward to moving back up to the 35 pounder for get ups. And instead of going up on weight for swings I think I'll start doing one hand swings with this same weight. Total time 20:54.

 I weighed myself on Tuesday. I had scheduled myself to weigh in on Sundays. I missed this past Sunday because it was Christmas day and I got distracted. Weighed in on Tuesday, late in the evening after eating all day and the big eating of the holiday. My weight was up 4.4 lbs from the previous week's weigh in. That was quite disappointing. But I knew some potential reasons, a big one being water retention.

My rule is to weigh in just once a week, but I that gain nagged me. The next day I was down about 2 pounds, today another 2 pounds. This really points to water retention and the time of day. I usually weigh in early in the morning and while still fasted. My goal is to be down 3 pounds from my initial weight on 12/11/2016. We'll see if I make that on Sunday.

Oh, and yesterday I got in 8537 steps which just surpassed my current daily target of 8.5K. I also listened to a very good podcast while training today. It was an interview of the guys from Mind Pump on the Total Human Optimization podcast by Onnit. After a crazy dive into "Are we living in the Matrix" they talked about things like feeling comfortable in your skin, training for health and longevity, manipulation of consumers by advertisers in the fitness industry, etc. Good stuff all around.

A Lovely Day for Kettlebell Practice

I turned off the TV before 2230 last night! Yay! I first woke up around 0515 but went back to sleep until about 0615. Got up at 0630 and made the coffee. Then read, put away dishes, washed a few dishes, cleaned counters and stove top, swept the kitchen. Finally got changed for working out and went outside and meditated. I also had to sweep oak leaves up again! Finally at 0947 I got started with my practice. When I go back to work next week I need to get up earlier and get started more quickly.

Performance Preparation

Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 5 reps left and right leading w/ arms then legs
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1
1 set of 5 reps Kettlebell Halo w/ 25 lbs.

1 Arm Bar per side, 1 minute each w/ 15 lbs.

Simple and Sinister

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 10 x 10 x 35 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 25 lbs per side

The original strength reset felt really good. My reset is nowhere near as advanced as this flow, but gets the job done and is the basis of the flow. I started my crawling in a shaded area of grass and it was cold and wet w/ dew. Changed my normal path to get in a sun dried patch of grass. Then on to the founder, halo and arm bars. Total perf prep time 19:43.

Swings are swings. My low back is still getting a little tired towards the last two or three sets of swings. I wonder if I should take a day off? I resumed my pursuit of Simple and Sinister with nine straight days of training. I've done my kettlebell practice eight days in a row since my last day off. So not as many days as I began with but I'm also doing more sets. I'll see how I feel in the morning.

Get ups felt good. The carport was dry so no slipping. I think the good positions and transitions that I've been trying to emulate from StrongFirst videos is getting grooved in. Total kettlebell time 20:30. I only got in 4872 steps yesterday. Need to set my timer to get up and walk for 5 minutes after every 25 minutes.

Back Home and Training as Usual

We got home after 7pm last night. I ate what I could find in the house. Stayed up and watched football until around 1130. Got up this morning around 8. Took it slow. Read for a time. Washed some dishes. Emptied the dishwasher. Finally went outside and meditated. Then got down to training.

Performance Preparation

Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 4 reps left and right first leading w/ legs then arms
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1
1 set of 5 reps Kettlebell Halo w/ 25 lbs.

1 Arm Bar per side, 1 minute each w/ 15 lbs.

Simple and Sinister

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 10 x 10 x 35 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 25 lbs per side

I was feeling a little reluctant to train. I think it was likely because I didn't eat very much yesterday. After my performance prep I felt more like training. Sometimes you just have to get started. Perf prep took 19:44.

Once again I could feel myself getting tired in the last 2 or 3 sets of swings. I focused really hard on my form to make sure I didn't do anything to hurt myself. Continued to work with power. Get ups felt good. It rained last night, so the carport was a little slick. I felt my feet slip a little a couple of times but didn't wobble too much, didn't hurt myself. Total kettlebell time 21:04.

Hooray! I got my replacement Fitbit Charge HR yesterday! I'll be getting back into the groove of getting in 8500+ steps a day. Now for lunch: salmon, kale, sweet potato & almonds.

Cool Misty Training Day

Yesterday evening I was feeling sore. Woke up this morning after 0800 and felt good. My muscles were not sore. No aching back, hip or shoulder. A good night's sleep of at least 8 hours and a healthy amount of food yesterday evening led to the sense of well being. I was ready to train.

Performance Preparation

Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 4 reps left and right first leading w/ legs then arms
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1
1 set of 5 reps Kettlebell Halo w/ 25 lbs.

1 Arm Bar per side, 1 minute each w/ 15 lbs.

Simple and Sinister

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 10 x 10 x 35 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 25 lbs per side

It is a cool, cloudy and misty day but I still trained outside. Everything about performance prep was normal. Crawled a big circle in my father-in-law's backyard. After my performance prep I felt good enough to step up to 10 sets of swings and 5 sets of get ups as planned. A little tired the last few sets of swings but I maintained good form.

On to the get ups. These felt good. My shoulder position and stability is improving. Most notably in my troublesome right shoulder. Now that I'm up to the full number of sets I'm looking forward to increasing the weight. Despite a temperature in the mid fifties Fahrenheit I was sweating nicely, but not heavily once I complete the get ups. I feel energized and refreshed.

Woke Up Pain Free

I woke up this morning and sat up on the edge of my bed for a few minutes. I noticed something funny...NOTHING HURT! No aches! No pains! I didn't know what to think. On the one hand I was very thankful. On the other I wondered what kind of life is it when it's more unusual to wake up pain free than in pain? I believe it's the result of the exercises I've been doing faithfully 14 of the last 15 days.

I got up at 0630 to do some holiday baking. After baking two cakes and opening Christmas presents I went outside to meditate and get in my training session. Before I could start training I had to sweep up leaves and acorns again.

Performance Preparation

Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 4 reps left and right first leading w/ legs then arms
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1
1 set of 5 reps Kettlebell Halo w/ 25 lbs.

1 Arm Bar per side, 1 minute each w/ 15 lbs.

Simple and Sinister

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 7 x 10 x 35 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 4 x 1 x 25 lbs per side

The entire routine felt good. Performance prep loosened me up nicely. I was primed and ready to work. BTW, crawling can be a work out all on it's own. It really works my entire scapular region, total shoulder work. Plus it really engages the core. Good stuff all over. Total prep time today 18:21.

Did my normal kettlebell practice, two hand swings and get ups. Both movements were pretty easy. I think I'm dialing my form in on both movements. They both felt good. Total kettlebell time was 15:42.

I'm writing this many hours later, a couple of hours drive away from home at my brother-in-law's house. At the moment, after a HUGE dinner, I'm feeling tired and sore. Haven't felt sore like this in a about a week. I brought my kettlebells with me so I can train tomorrow, but I'll just see how I feel in the morning and decide then to train or not. If I do train, I'll have to decide whether I'll stick to plan and go up to 10 sets of swings and 5 sets of get ups or stay with my current 7 and 4 an extra day.

Keeping It Simple

Another day, another training session. A little cooler today and cloudy but still pleasant enough. I was happy to be training outside.

Performance Preparation

Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 4 reps left and right first leading w/ legs then arms
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1
1 set of 5 reps Kettlebell Halo w/ 25 lbs.

1 Arm Bar per side, 1 minute each w/ 15 lbs.

Simple and Sinister

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 7 x 10 x 35 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 4 x 1 x 25 lbs per side

I listened to a great interview of Gary Schofield before I started my kettlebell practice. That's where I got the idea of reframing warm ups as performance preparation. That's what it really is. I do all of those things to prepare me to perform swings and get ups at a high level. Total perf prep time 21:01. That seems like a lot for a 16 minute kettlebell session, but the OS resets are also general prep for the day and for overall wellness.

The seven sets of swings with the 35 lb kettlebell are really getting easy. However, I'm going to take one more day at this level unlike what I said yesterday about going to 10 sets tomorrow. My plan was to do 7 days at 5 sets of swings and 3 sets of get ups, followed by 7 days of 7 sets of swings and 4 sets of get ups. Reason being I had one day off in the last two weeks. On Monday I'll go to the 10 sets of swings and 5 sets of get ups.

Get ups felt good. I'm really working hard on getting my hands and shoulders positioned properly. I want to make sure get ups are helping my shoulders, particularly my troublesome right shoulder, rather than hurting them. Felt really good when I was done.

Twelth Day of Simple and Sinister

Another nice day for outdoor training. Sunny and warm. I came across an article, The Everyday Athlete’s Guide To Designing Your Own Home Workout, yesterday. It vindicated my choice of exercises with this quote from the author

“If I had to pick a handful of exercises / movements that everyone should do every day, forever, and nothing else, to promote longevity and make a healthier planet Earth, they would be:
Getting up and down from the floor
Rolling on the floor
Crawling on the floor
Get ups
Swings

That's what I'm trying to do every day with this routine

Warm Up Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 5 reps left and right first leading w/ legs then arms
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 4 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

1 Arm Bar per side, 1 minute each w/ 15 lbs.
1 set of 5 reps Kettlebell Halo w/ 25 lbs.

Simple and Sinister

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 7 x 10 x 35 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 4 x 1 x 25 lbs per side

Nothing special to report. Warm up was a lot longer than normal, took 20:44. I did extra rolling and crawling. Really focused on some nuances of form on my get ups thanks to this video by Martine Kerr. Total kettlebell time 16:22. 

I love how I feel after this routine. It leaves me energized and wanting more. The key is to not do more but to adhere to the programmed minimum effective dose. I am looking forward to stepping up to the full 10 sets of swings and 5 sets of get ups on Sunday. After a week or two at full sets, I'll start upping the weight.

Eleven Training Sessions in Twelve Days

Another warm day another session of Simple and Sinister.

Warm Up Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 4 reps left and right first leading w/ legs then arms
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

1 Arm Bar per side, 1 minute each w/ 15 lbs.
1 set of Kettlebell Halo w/ 25 lbs.

Simple and Sinister

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 7 x 10 x 35 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 4 x 1 x 25 lbs per side

I asked a question in the StrongFirst Practice group on Facebook about when I should do the arm bar. Was advised to do it as part of my warm up so I moved it. Warm up took 18:13.

Same as usual on the swings and get ups. Felt good and energized when I was done. Daily practice is great! Time was 16:18.

One Day Off and Back to Kettlebell Practice

I took yesterday off. I'm on call this week and got paged 5 times yesterday between 0000 and 0500. Not much sleep and I've decided to follow in Kelly and Juliette Starret's footsteps and only train if I've gotten 7 or more hours of sleep. Also, I was feeling a little more sore than normal after nine straight days of training.

I got paged again just before 0500 this morning. Was back in bed by 0600 and slept until after 0900. I was in bed before 2200 last night. Since I got more sleep this go around I decided to train. Today is a lovely, sunny and warm day. Perfect for a midday session since I got up so late. 

Warm Up Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 4 reps left and right first leading w/ legs then arms
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

Simple and Sinister

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 7 x 10 x 35 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 4 x 1 x 25 lbs per side

1 Arm Bar per side, 1 minute each.

I was not exhausted. Far from it. I felt energized and refreshed. Just decided to take the picture on the ground with my kettlebells.

The Original Strength reset makes me feel good. Crawling works so many parts of the body. I can feel muscles in my scapula working. I can feel my abs working and more! Good stuff. Warm up took 15:06.

I think my form might be slightly off on the swings as I was feeling it a bit in my low back. Not pain, just muscle fatigue. I need to tighten that up because I shouldn't feel it there. Got to keep my abs tight, hinge at the hips and keep my chest high and open.

Get ups felt good. Good alignment. Paid particular attention to keeping my arms vertical. Also paid attention to making sure my hand, knee and foot are all aligned when in the hinged kneeling position with hand on the ground. Decided to keep the timer running while I did a set of arm bars. Hope this will help even more with shoulder stability. Total kettlebell time 19:14.

65F Yesterday 45F Today

Yesterday was warm and wet. When I woke up it was 65°F. Yet, I didn't get around to training until after dark. Got up this morning and it was 45°F and windy but I got my kettlebell practice in before leaving for the office.

Warm Up Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 4 reps left and right first leading w/ legs then arms
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

Simple and Sinister

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 7 x 10 x 35 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 4 x 1 x 25 lbs per side

Ninth straight day of training. I woke up feeling pretty good, not all stiff and achy. Warm up, which took 17:16, made me feel even better even though it was cold and blustery. My lower back was a little achy during swings but I feel fine now. I'm gonna chalk that up to the cold, damp weather. Didn't bother me at all during get ups. Kettlebell time was 15:59. Once again I did one arm bar per side for one minute each with a light, 15 pound, kettlebell. If I keep doing this I should probably let my timer keep on running and include that in my total kettlebell time.

Simple and Sinister in the Dark

It rained off and on yesterday and today. I usually train in the carport but it was too wet and slick all day. For some reason my driveway dries out more quickly than the carport. I think the latter is "sealed". Also, though I got dressed in my workout clothes I didn't start until after dark.

Warm Up Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 4 reps left and right first leading w/ legs then arms
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

Simple and Sinister

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 7 x 10 x 35 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 4 x 1 x 25 lbs per side

When I started my warm up a light mist or drizzle began to fall. Just as I was ending my warm up it started to rain more heavily. So, I gathered my mat and kettlebells and headed inside. I really prefer training outside, but didn't feel like training in the dark and rain. I did the founder inside. Total warm up time 13:00.

I added two sets to the swings and one set to the get ups as planned. Kept the same weights. Focused on form and quality movement. This is my eighth straight day of training. Before my session I felt stiff and achy. Afterwards I felt much better. Total time 16:00. Oh, I followed this up with a light arm bar to each side.

Simple and Sinister Followed by Yard Work

I didn't get up early today. Slept in then took it slow. Didn't start my training until 1211. It was cold but not as cold as yesterday. It was mid thirties instead of mid twenties. A much more comfortable temperature for training outdoors.

Warm Up Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 4 reps right and left first leading w/ legs then arms
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

Simple and Sinister

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 5 x 10 x 35 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 3 x 1 x 25 lbs per side

Nothing materially different. Took about a minute longer than yesterday with the warm up, 14:30. Kettlebell practice was the same. But I got a cramp in my left leg during the second set of get ups. Had to pause and shake it out. Really focused on form. Hinging before reaching for the kettlebell to begin swings. While swinging letting the kettlebell fall and only hinging when my arms were contacting my body and then getting out of the way. Also focused on some get up techniques as outlined by Coach Vaughn. Felt good. Time was 13:32. I also did an arm bar per side after my practice was done.

I spent a couple of hours raking up leaves and acorns after my training. I also scooped up what I raked together and filled the yard waste bin plus one large bag. I'm quite worn out now but it needed to be done. I've little idea what my steps were for yesterday as my fitbit came apart. I was over 7700 when it fell apart. No idea where I am today as far as step count. 

I Thought It Was Cold Yesterday

I thought it was cold yesterday! Think again! Twenty-seven degrees Fahrenheit while I doing my kettlebell practice outdoors! What's your excuse for not exercising today?

Warm Up Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 4 reps left and right first leading w/ arms then legs
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

Simple and Sinister

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 5 x 10 x 35 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 3 x 1 x 25 lbs per side

I actually started by sweeping leaves out of my carport so I could exercise without slipping on them. After that my fingers and toes were cold. I put on a pair of work gloves and got started with my warm up. Nothing different. Felt good even though I was cold. The warm up took 13:10.

On to the kettlebell practice. Again nothing different. Got interrupted a little bit when my spouse left for work so my timer showed a longer period for the training. Everything felt good despite the cold. I was glad to get done though! Time was 12:32, forty seconds longer than yesterday. Probably all due to that slight interruption. This is my sixth session in row! Let's see how long I can keep this up. I got in 8866 steps yesterday. Fewest since last Friday but still over my current daily goal of 8500.

Thirty-eight Degrees Fahrenheit Short Simple and Sinister

It was cold this morning! Well, for South Carolina it was a cold 38°F this morning when I went outside to get my kettlebell practice on. At least is was sunny!

Warm Up Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 3 reps left and right first leading w/ legs then arms
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

Simple and Sinister

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 5 x 10 x 35 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 3 x 1 x 25 lbs per side

Crawling in dew dampened grass is not my favorite thing, even less so when it is COLD! Did it anyway. Warm up took 15:04.

Kettlebell swings feel pretty easy at this weight. Feel confident with my plan to increase the sets to 7 next week. Getups also feel pretty easy. Still I'm going to add just one more set next week and not increase the weight. Total time 11:52. 

I walked 10,423 steps yesterday. I also got in 12 floors! Also, my hip has been bothering me a lot less!

Two Kettlebell Practice Sessions One Post

I didn't take time to post yesterday. Here is my training session from 20161213.

Warm Up Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 3 reps left and right first leading w/ legs then arms
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

Simple and Sinister

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 5 x 10 x 35 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 3 x 1 x 25 lbs per side

I was sore and my muscles were stiff the night before. This session left me feeling refreshed and energized. My movements were free and easy. Warm up took 15:22, kettlebell practice was 11:52. I ended the day with 10944 steps.

Today's session was the same.

Warm Up Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 3 reps left and right first leading w/ arms then legs
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

Simple and Sinister

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 5 x 10 x 35 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 3 x 1 x 25 lbs per side

Was quite tired by the time I got home last night. Felt good most of the day until late afternoon. Then I had a TWO HOUR meeting started at 1600. That really made me stiff. I also slept poorly last night. Woke up at about 0400, went to restroom, got back in bed and then tossed and turned w/ little sleep until 0625 when I gave up. 

Given that poor sleep, I probably should have skipped my practice but soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen often have to perform physically on little sleep so I proceeded with my training. Again, I felt great once I was done. Warm up 16:30, kettlebell practice 12:39. I ended yesterday w/ 9016 steps.

Second Day of Cloudy Chilly Short Simple and Sinister

Got up at 0630. However, I was moving slow and didn't start my kettlebell practice until well after 0800, actually I didn't start until 0844! Got to do better tomorrow.

Warm Up Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 3 reps left and right first leading w/ legs then arms
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 2 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

Simple and Sinister

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 5 x 10 x 35 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 3 x 1 x 25 lbs per side

My warm up, OS Reset and the founder, took 13:27. Kettlebell practice took 11:54. That's about 30 minutes. Felt good. Didn't rush either swings or get ups. Nice steady pace w/ plenty of rest. A little sore from yesterday but not bad.

Finished up with 9274 steps yesterday which is 774 over my current goal of 8500. I didn't take a long walk. Just swept up leaves in the driveway, walked around the house doing chores and in the evening walked 5 minutes after every 25 minutes for several hours. 

My weight has crept from a low of 255 on 09/06/2016 to today's 260.8. Not enough movement. Too many sweets. Too much alcohol. My goal is to lose 3 pounds by the end of December. My big weight release goal is to average 1 pound released per week over the next year. If I succeed I'll be down to 205 by the end of 2017, which is the what I weighed as an undersized football linebacker my senior year of high school.

Chilly Cloudy Short Simple and Sinister

I did make the appointment with the orthopedist. The neck of my left femur is just thicker than average. This limits the clearance for proper movement. The result is a callus in the socket and inflammation of the tissues around the joint. Nothing to be done other than a hip replacement when I'm ready for it.

I haven't done much exercise. I did do Original Strength resets for a couple of days after we got back to SC from celebrating Thanksgiving with family in Tallahassee, FL.  I must admit I was a bit depressed by the result of my orthopedic appointment. But all I can do is resume exercise, realize that I have some limitations and that my hip is just going to hurt. That being said, I got off my butt and worked out again today after a couple of weeks of not much as I said.

Warm Up Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 3 reps left and right first leading w/ legs then arms
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 2 minutes

Simple and Sinister

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 5 x 10 x 35 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 3 x 1 x 25 lbs per side

These are the weights I was using couple of years ago. Want to make sure I don't over do it. Thus the light weights and approximately half the sets that Simple and Sinister calls for.  I'm going to work on doing this short routine every day this week and then see where I am and how I feel.

At the moment I feel a little bit of a "pull" in my right obliques. Felt it on the last get up. Hope it's just a minor tweak and that I haven't derailed myself before really getting started. I also found this article, Solid: In-Between Simple and Sinister, to be quite inspirational and educational. I also topped 10K steps for the first time since October.

Hips Don't Lie

So, I did an abbreviated Simple and Sinister three weeks ago and nada since.  My left hip has been giving my lots of trouble. I finally made an appointment to see an orthopedist on 11/30/2016.

Well, I didn't do any exercise other than walking until Native Americans' Day, otherwise known as Thanksgiving. That day, Friday and today I did an Original Strength reset and a couple of "naked" getups per side.

Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 4 reps left and right first leading w/ legs then arms
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

"Naked" Turkish Get Ups 2 per side

I need to remember to re-incorporate the "Wide Leg Founder" into this simple routine. I'm just trying to get a little mobility, stability and flexibility going until I get a good diagnosis and recommendation for the doctor on Wednesday.

And I'm Back

What happened? I don't even know. I know I tweaked my back a little and took a few days off...and here we are months later. OK. Let's see what we can do between now and the end of the year.

Warm Up Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 3 reps left and right first leading w/ legs then arms
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 2 minutes

Simple and Sinister

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 5 x 10 x 35 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 3 x 1 x 25 lbs per side

Cut sets of both swings and get ups. I cut the weight. Just want to get in a groove without making myself too sore. With just the little bit of exercise above I can feel a little soreness. Crazy.

More DevOps and Cloud Computing Resources

A couple of years ago I made a list of devops related books and another of podcasts and video channels. I would like to add more to these lists.

Books

• Effective DevOps: Building a Culture of Collaboration, Affinity, and Tooling at Scale
• Infrastructure as Code: Managing Servers in the Cloud
• Site Reliability Engineering: How Google Runs Production Systems
• Architecting for Scale: High Availability for Your Growing Applications
• Lean Enterprise: How High Performance Organizations Innovate at Scale
• Thinking in Systems: A Primer
• Why Managing Sucks and How to Fix It: A Results-Only Guide to Taking Control of Work, Not People
• Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It: The Results-Only Revolution
• The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right
• Personal Kanban: Mapping Work | Navigating Life
• Driving Technical Change
• The Practice of Cloud System Administration: Designing and Operating Large Distributed Systems, Volume 2

I haven't come across that many more podcasts on this stuff. I have widely varying interests, so I listen to podcasts about economics, politics, fitness, science, skepticism, atheism, humanism and more. However, I did add a couple more devops/cloud related podcasts.

Podcasts

• The Goat Farm # Very irregular talks about devops in the enterprise
• Engineers & Coffee
• Devops Chats

I must also say that a couple of podcasts I listed before have really fallen off on producing regularly: DevOps Mastery and Ops All The Things. They started out great but where are they now? The same goes for The Ship Show. DevOps Cafe still puts out the occasional episode.

Video Channels

• Chef
• GitHub
• Docker
• Google Cloud Platform
• AWS
• Hashicorp
• CoreOS

OK. That's enough for now. I'll be back, hopefully not after a two year hiatus, with even more devops, container and cloud computing love!

Two Weeks Off

So, my last training session was on 23 July 2016. We went on vacation that week and I didn't take a kettlebell with me. Neither of the two places we stayed had kettlebells or well equipped gyms. The only exercise I did on vacation was swimming and walking in the ocean and walking on the beach and around Wilmington, NC.

This past week I just didn't get back in the training groove. It was hard enough to get back into the work groove! Oh, while on vacation my hip was hurting from standing and fighting the waves in the ocean while watching over my little cousins. The tides were strong so an adult need to stay out with them and keep them from getting swept too far down the beach. That same hip was hurting terribly yesterday and I knew it was because I hadn't been doing my normal exercises, particularly the Original Strength resets. Got back on it today with a light session.

Warm Up Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 4 reps left and right first leading w/ arms then legs
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

Simple and Sinister

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 10 x 10 x 44 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 35 lbs per side

Finisher

Farmer Carry with 20kg (44lb) kettlebells - From backdoor to end of driveway and back w/o stopping one time.

I feel really good after training. The warmup took 15:29. Was sweating lightly and felt limber. Decided to do a light kettlebell session to get back in the swing, pun intended, of things. I did however use the 16kg (35lb) bell for get ups. The 12kg (25lb) bell just felt ridiculously light when I carried it over to my exercise mat. Moved well. Could feel some muscles fatiguing that attach in the glute area to the spine in the latter sets of swings but it wasn't terrible. Finished Simple & Sinister and the farmer carry in 18:10.

Ripped a Callus

So, I've developed a callus in a weird spot on my left middle finger from doing kettlebell training. Today despite the liberal use of chalk I ripped it. At least it didn't bleed.

Warm Up Original Strength Reset
Cross Crawl - 20 per side
Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
Head Nods - 20 reps
Rolling - 4 reps left and right first leading w/ arms then legs
Rocking - 20 reps
Crawling - 3 minutes
Wide Leg Founder 1

Simple and Sinister
Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 10 x 10 x 53 lbs
Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 44, 44, 53, 53, 44 lbs per side

I didn't start my training until 1800 hours! I don't know why I goofed around so much. I moved quickly through my warm up as I thought it was going to rain and chase me inside again. Warm up took 1308.

I was supposed to do my heavy session yesterday but I slept less than 7 hours so I had to wait until today. Swings were pretty easy. I need to pay attention to my form as I felt like I was involving my low back too much. I reduced the rest between sets of swings from 30 seconds to 25 seconds. Closing in on that 1:1 work to rest ratio as it takes about 15 seconds to do a set of 10 swings.

Get ups felt good. I upped the weight to 53 lbs for the 3rd and 4th sets then dropped back down to the 44 for the final set. I could have done the final set with 53 but didn't want to over do it. Total kettlebell time was 16:56 which was 8 seconds slower than last time. I was breathing super hard when I finished, and sweating like a pig. I laid out on the floor for a couple of minutes but then I was back to feeling great and smiling!

After Work Medium Simple and Sinister

Warm Up Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 4 reps left and right first leading w/ legs then arms
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

Simple and Sinister 

• One Hand Kettlebell Swings 10 x 10 x 44 lbs 
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 35 lbs per side

It was hot out here in the carport. I didn't train this morning as I had an early appointment to get my Toyota Sequoia serviced. Furthermore I didn't get up early enough to train prior to the appointment. But I am determined to really get solid on my Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday training schedule. So, hot or not, I trained.

Warm up was as usual. Nothing special. I did concentrate on really stretching out my hips when I was rolling leading with the legs. Took 17:09 today.

The one hand swings really challenge me to stay square. I think my spinal erectors work extra hard to keep me from rotating. It is quite challenging. The get ups with the 35 are pretty easy. Maybe I should try some get ups with the 53 on my heavy day, 44 on my medium day and 35 on my light day. I think I'll give that 53 a try on a couple of sets of get ups on Friday, my next heavy day. Total kettlebell time 16:48, which was just 7 seconds faster than my last medium day and was 5 seconds faster than yesterday's light session.

Hot Light Simple and Sinister

It was hot this morning. Very humid and well above 80°F even before 0800 this morning when I started.

Warm Up Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 4 reps left and right first leading w/ arms then legs
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

Simple and Sinister 

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 10 x 10 x 44 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 25 lbs per side

Warm up took 15:20. I crawled a much longer distance in my normal three minutes. I might start upping that towards four minutes. I had a good sweat going by the time I was done with my warm up.

Today was a light weight kettlebell workout. Went pretty fast. I did everything with good form. Feel good. Took 16:53 which was about a minute and a quarter faster than my last light session. 

My resting pulse was 70 this morning! I've been getting a lot of sleep the last few weeks and I didn't have a beer or any alcoholic beverage last night. I also didn't train yesterday. I won't have an adult beverage tonight. It will be interesting to see what my pulse is in the morning.

Chased Inside by the Rain

I didn't take time to post my training results from yesterday. I didn't start my session until late in the afternoon. Almost as soon as I got started a thunderstorm started up and chased me inside for my first indoor training session in many months. And it was almost as hot inside, even using a fan inside like I did outside.

Warm Up Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 4 reps left and right first leading w/ arms then legs
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

Simple and Sinister 

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 10 x 10 x 53 lbs 
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 44 lbs per side

I did all of my warm up outside except for crawling and the founder. By that time it was raining too hard so I had to stop and take the equipment I needed indoors to finish my training. So the total measured time of my warm up was 16:13 but it was probably spread over 25 minutes realistically. 

Nice kettlebell work. Focused on good form. But for some reason my low back started getting tired during last 4 sets of swings. Arm holding the kettlebell was occasionally wobbly on getups. Was able to stabilize. Total kettlebell time 17:13, just a little slower than the previous day's.  My hips, glutes and hamstrings were quite sore during the evening. My back muscles felt well worked.

Medium Weight Kettlebell Practice

Warm Up Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 4 reps left and right first leading w/ arms then legs
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

Simple and Sinister 

• One Hand Kettlebell Swings 10 x 10 x 44 lbs 
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 35 lbs per side

I didn't get started until late in the morning, 1025. Original strength stuff was good. Crawling was tough as usual, hot sweaty work. However, once I was done I was warmed up, loose and ready to go. Warm ups took 16:59.

Used medium weights for my kettlbell training today. Also, reduced rest between sets of swings from 35 to 30 seconds. Paring down to 15 seconds rest eventually. It's still stuff to keep square and stable with one hand swings even using the 44 instead of the 53. Tried to remember to hinge my hips at the last second on the down swing.

Get ups with the 35 are pretty easy. Concentrated on good form, keeping the extended leg down, windshield wiping the down leg, hinging at the hip, keeping shoulders packed, wrist straight, arm straight. My hips, glutes and hamstrings are sore for real. Total kettlebell time 16:55.

Fast Light Simple and Sinister

Warm Up Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 4 reps left and right first leading w/ arms then legs
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

Simple and Sinister 

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 10 x 10 x 44 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 25 lbs per side

Nice warm up. Concentrated on the stretch of my hips while rolling. It was hot. Crawling had me sweating profusely. Warm up took 16:40.

Today was a light day in the Heavy-Light-Medium mini cycle. Felt good even though it was hot out. Not much to say. I think this approach will allow me to get in more training days without injury and without overtraining. Kettlebells took 18:09 today. Almost 40 seconds faster than last time.

Another Training Day

Warm Up Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 4 reps left and right first leading w/ legs then arms
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

Simple and Sinister 

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 10 x 10 x 53 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 44 lbs per side

Normal warmup, it took 15:44. This was a heavy day for kettlebell training. Felt good. Took 18:45 over a minute more than yesterday. I may have done an extra set of getups but I can't be sure. I need to go back to marking my sets on the ground with chalk. Then had to hurry off to a dermatology appointment.

Medium Simple and Sinister on a Cool July Morning

Warm Up Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 4 reps left and right first leading w/ arms then legs
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

Simple and Sinister 

• One Hand Kettlebell Swings 10 x 10 x 44 lbs 
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 35 lbs per side

Normal warm up which took 15:39. Did my current medium kettlebell routine, one arm swings with the 44 and get ups with the 35. Odd numbered sets (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) were done with the left hand, even numbered sets (2, 4, 6, 8, 10) with the right hand. It is a challenge to stay square as the sets go on. I think about 7 or 8 I could feel my spinal erectors getting tired but not hurting per say. Get ups were pretty easy. Kettlebell time was 17:30, which was just 10 seconds slower than Sunday. It was a nice morning, overcast and between 70°F and 75°F.

Very Light Simple and Sinister

Warm Up Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 4 reps left and right first leading w/ legs then arms
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

Simple and Sinister 

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 10 x 10 x 44 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 25 lbs per side

It is a warm 93°F and feels like 93°F which feels a little cooler than yesterday's 97°F heat index.. Normal warm up. I know I keep saying it but crawling is work! The warm up took 15:14.

Decided to follow a heavy -> light -> medium type cycle with my training. I did heavy, for me, yesterday. Today I did light. I really concentrated on form. I also tried to accelerate the bell down on swings. It all felt good. Ketttlebell time was 17:20. Tomorrow is a day off from kettlebells, it will be a day of Original Strength and Tai Chi. Tuesday I'll go with a medium, for me, session which will be one hand swings with the 44 and get ups with the 35.

Fasted Kettlebell Practice

Warm Up Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 4 reps left and right first leading w/ arms then legs
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

Simple and Sinister 

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 10 x 10 x 53 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 44 lbs per side

I didn't start training until mid-afternoon. I hadn't eaten anything. Only had black coffee and water. It was hot, 92°F but felt like 97°F due to 41% humidity. I felt like I was a little slow but as it turned out I wasn't too bad.

Normal warm up. It was quite hot while I was crawling in the yard. I was sweating profusely. I'm still amazed how much the core is engaged during crawling. Warm up took 14:36.

I did what I'm going to call my "heavy" workout for a few weeks. Felt good. Nothing special to report. It took 18:12. I was very hot and super sweaty by the time I finished.

Light Kettlebell Practice

Warm Up Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 4 reps left and right first leading w/ arms then legs
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

Simple and Sinister 

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 10 x 10 x 44 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 44 lbs per side

Normal OS reset warm up plus the founder which took 17:23. I decided to go with a lighter kettlebell session. Accomplished this by doing two hand swings with the 44 lb kettlebell. Could have made it really light by using a lighter bell for get ups, too. I'll think about this a little more before my next set of training sessions. Kettlebell practice took 18:19. 

Really focused on not hingeing the hips until the last possible second on the downswing. Also squeezed glutes and abs hard at the top. On getups I focused on keeping my extended leg on the ground during the roll up. I did this by pushing through the heel. Noticed the last couple of sets as fatigue set in my leg was wiggling up a little. Anyway, practice, practice, practice!

Hot Morning Kettlebell Practice

Warm Up Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 4 reps left and right first leading w/ legs then arms
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 4 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

Simple and Sinister 

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 10 x 10 x 53 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 44 lbs per side

Repeated same training as yesterday. The warm up took 18:02. While I was doing swings I screwed up my timer and had to reset after about three sets. What I should have done was just start over again a but I kinda' waited out my timer which of course let my heart rate fall. Kettlebell practice took about 19:24. It was really hot, over 80 degrees Fahrenheit before 0900.

July 4th Simple and Sinister

Warm Up Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 4 reps left and right first leading w/ legs then arms
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

Simple and Sinister 

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 10 x 10 x 53 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 44 lbs per side

I didn't train yesterday. Just didn't feel like it. Now I'll train three days in a row, take one off and then train three more. Normal warm up. I think I'll revisit Pressing Reset and maybe start using some more advanced versions of rolling, rocking and crawling. Warm up took 17:00.

I decided to do 10 sets of two hand swings with the 53 lb. bell today instead of my previous combination of two and one hand swings. Stuck with the same reps, sets and weight for the get ups. I didn't make it through get ups quite as quickly as last time.  It's hot out here but it feels good to exercise and sweat outside.

Late Evening Kettlebell Practice

Slept in a little this morning. Then attended my son's final performances at the SCGAH summer Discovery Program. The loaded his stuff, came home and packed him up again to go to the beach with some friends. After that my wife and I had a very nice lunch at the Yard House. We then came home and took a long nap!

I didn't train yesterday as I only slept about 6.25 hours the night before. Made myself a promise train only if I get at least 7 hours of sleep the night before a planned training session. So, I was determined to get my practice on tonight.

Warm Up Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 4 reps left and right first leading w/ legs then arms
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 2.5 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

Simple and Sinister 

• One Hand Kettlebell Swings 10 x 10 x 44 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 44 lbs per side

Warm up took 14:31. Felt good. Nice to get moving after a couple of sedentary days. I did the swings one handed, doing all 10 reps of a set with one hand then using the other hand for the next set. I decided to stay with 44 lbs as I just didn't feel all that strong tonight. Despite not feeling that strong I didn't use a lighter weight for get ups, stuck with the 44. Took me 17:34 to complete my kettlebell practice. Not as fast as last session but good considering the late hour, started the kettlebell section at 2146.

Midday Kettlebell Practice

I slept poorly last night. Woke up around 0330 and had to go to the toilet. Couldn't go back to sleep. Read for an hour then just as I was starting to fall asleep I got paged for an "emergency" at work. Grrr...Was up until about 0600 before I went back to bed. Slept for another 2.5 hours so I got in 7+ hours total. Trying to stick to a deal with myself that I'll only train kettlebells or do other intense exercise if I get at least 7 hours of sleep the night before. My heart rate was slightly elevated to 80 this morning, too.

Warm Up Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 4 reps left and right first leading w/ legs then arms
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 2.5 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

Simple and Sinister 

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 1 x 10 x 44 lbs
• One Hand Kettlebell Swings 1 x 5L, 5R x 44 lbs
• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 1 x 10 x 53 lbs
• One Hand Kettlebell Swings 1 x 5L, 5R x 53 lbs
• One Hand Kettlebell Swings 4 x 10L, 10R x 53 lbs
• One Hand Kettlebell Swings 2 x 5L, 5R x 53 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 44 lbs per side

My warm up felt good. Left me feeling mobile, warm and ready to go. I should probably start working goblet squats back into the warm up routine in the near future. Total warm up time was 17:08.

Changed up the set and rep scheme just a little bit compared to yesterday. Only did 1 set of two hand swings with the 53 lb kettlebell and followed that with one set switching hands half way through. I wanted to get my percentage of one hand swings back up to 80. Other than that the routine was the same. Got to focus on staying square on the one hand swings. On get ups I let myself plop back down to the kneeling position a couple of times. Got to stay focused and control that descent. Total kettlebell time was 17:21! Blazing fast!

By the way, the temperature was 91°F and felt like only 92°F because of the relatively low 35% humidity. Worked up a good sweat despite having a fan outside with me in the carport where I train.

I Felt Like Batman

I loved reading comic books as a kid. One of my all time favorites is Batman. This is because he didn't have super powers, he trained hard and used his brain and developed gadgets and tools to be a hero. For some reason when training today I felt like Batman!

Warm Up Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 4 reps left and right first leading w/ arms then legs
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 2.5 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

Simple and Sinister 

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 1 x 10 x 44 lbs
• One Hand Kettlebell Swings 1 x 5L, 5R x 44 lbs
• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 2 x 10 x 53 lbs
• One Hand Kettlebell Swings 4 x 10L, 10R x 53 lbs
• One Hand Kettlebell Swings 2 x 5L, 5R x 53 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 44 lbs per side

I changed things up a bit. Only 20% of swings at 44lbs, upped to 80% at 53 lbs. Also, did four of the sets at 53 lbs w/o switching hands in the middle of the set. Overall good training session. Warm up took 14:59. Kettlebell session took 18:02, just 6 seconds longer than last time.

BTW, it was 74F and 91% humidity this morning. I think I'm getting stronger with get ups. I was tempted to try the 53 for a set or two, but decided to wait until at least next week. I'll reward myself with that attempt if I do all 5 kettlebell practice sessions this week.

I didn't train at all yesterday as I slept poorly the night before and woke up with an elevated heart rate. Oh, and since you can't out train a bad diet, especially once you pass 50 years of age, here is a picture of today's lunch.

Three Straight Days of Simple and Sinister

Warm Up Original Strength Reset

• Cross Crawl - 20 per side
• Crocodile Breathing - 2 minutes
• Head Nods - 20 reps
• Rolling - 4 reps left and right first leading w/ legs then arms
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 2 minutes

Simple and Sinister 

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 1 x 10 x 44 lbs.
• One Hand Kettlebell Swings 10L,  10R x 44lbs
• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 1 x 10 x 53 lbs.
• One Hand Kettlebell Swings 2 x 5L, 5R x 53lbs
• One Hand Kettlebell Swings 10L, 10R x 53lbs
• One Hand Kettlebell Swings 2 x 5L, 5R x 53lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 44 lbs. per side

I forgot to do the Founder at the end of my warm up. Warm up took just 11:51. Still got an adequate warm up. Only crawled for two minutes today. The original strength reset really makes me feel good. It still surprises me how much crawling engages and works the core.

I changed up my kettlebell swings just a little bit. On set 2 I did 10 straight reps with my left hand followed on set 3 with 10 straight reps with my right hand. Moved up to 53 lbs on set 4 as normal and used two hands. Switched hands after 5 reps on sets 5 & 6. Again 10 straight with left and right on sets 7 and 8. Back to switching hands after 5 reps on sets 9 and 10.

Get ups were good. I'm feeling more and more confident, stronger and stronger with the 44 lb. bell. I'm trying to be a little conservative about adding weight, but I'm chomping at the bit to use the 53 lb bell for all my swings and to start incorporating it into my get ups. I finished my kettlebell work in 17:56 which was 44 seconds slower than yesterday. 

My goal is to train with kettlebells on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I want to be certified as both RKC Level 1 and SFG Level 1. Both of those certs are done over Friday through Sunday. A number of articles I've read about training for those certs advocate the Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday training pattern. Let's see if I can get all five days of kettlebell training next week.