Cool Afternoon Kettlebell Practice

Last day of the month. Got started with my training just before 1PM. It was mostly cloudy, with a breeze blowing. Couldn't have been more than 80°F. Felt really nice. Set out my equipment and started warming up.

Warm Up Giant Sets

1. Assisted Squats 3x5
2. Hip Bridge(Raise) 3x5 
3. Kettlebell Halo 3x5 per direction 25lbs.
4. Bird Dog 3x5

Simple and Sinister

1. Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 10x10x44lbs
2. Turkish Get Ups 5x1x35lbs / side

Cool Down

1. 90/90 Stretch 60 seconds per side
2. Shin Box Switch 1 minute
3. QL Straddle - 90 seconds total

Even with the cooler than normal temps I still managed to work up a good sweat. I love how such a simple, brief routine can get me sweating and get my heart rate up. The last 10 minutes of this 21 minute session had my heart rate between 70% and 80% of maximum. Good stuff.

Anyway, warm up was good. No knee problems on squats. Had a light sweat going Hips felt good. I made an extra effort to really open my hips, get full extension on the hip bridges. Total warm up time 13:13 minutes.

Back to kettlebell practice, focused on "crushing the walnut" with my ass cheeks and really flexing and engaging my whole body at the top of the swing when the bell was floating. Tight abs, tight quads, tight glutes, tight everything, full hip extension. Get ups felt super light and easy. Really tempted to start upping the weight but I'll wait until next week. This week, first week with full 5 sets per side, I'll just focus on form, form, form. Total kettlbell time 21:12 minutes.

I shortened my cool down as someone asked me to teach them how to do kettlebell swings. But I still did the all the moves, just for shorter time each. Total cool down 5 minutes.

Sorta Sweat Angel

I had to do some work in the middle of the night Thursday night/Friday morning. I couldn't start my part until after 0030. Consequently I got way less than 6 hours of sleep. Therefore, I did not train yesterday.

Got more sleep last night, just over 6 hours. Still not the 7 hours that is my goal, but I needed to get my body moving.

Warm Up Giant Sets

1. Assisted Squats 3x5
2. Hip Bridge(Raise) 3x5 
3. Kettlebell Halo 3x5 per direction 25lbs.
4. Bird Dog 3x5

Simple and Sinister

1. Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 10x10x44lbs
2. Turkish Get Ups 5x1x35lbs / side

Cool Down

1. 90/90 Stretch 90 seconds per side
2. Shin Box Switch 1 minute
3. QL Straddle - 90 seconds total

Warm up was good. I actually forgot to do bird dogs during my first giant set so I tacked on an extra set of 5 bird dogs after the last giant set. I upped the weight on the halo to 25 lbs. from 20 lbs. All else was the same. Knee felt better during squats today. This video of @barbie_crossfit (AKA Virginie Rousseau) coaching her mom's squat helped. Didn't rush my warm up and it took 14:30 minutes.

Today I also upped the sets of swings to the full 10 sets that are required by Simple and Sinister. Did the full five sets of get ups that are required, too. Didn't change any weights. Felt good. Got me sweating enough and tired enough to get me to stay on my back a minute once I was done and  leave a "sorta sweat angel" where you can read some of the letters from my shirt outlined in sweat on the concrete and even on my exercise mat. Total kettlebell practice time 21:00 minutes.

I think the 90/90 stretches and shin box switches are helping w/ my hips already. QL straddle is still a big challenge.  Just got to keep working on it. Cool down time was 6:03 minutes.

Sweating Out Frustration

I was experiencing so much frustration on the job that I couldn't wait until the even to train. I had to get my kettlebell practice in at lunch time so that I could have some hope of actually doing something productive this afternoon. Thankfully my job is good enough so that I can work from home, as I was doing today, so that I could just walk out into my carport and get my exercise on.

Warm Up Giant Sets

1. Assisted Squats 3x5
2. Hip Bridge(Raise) 3x5 
3. Kettlebell Halo 3x5 per direction 20lbs.
4. Bird Dog 3x5

4/5ths Simple and Sinister

1. Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 8x10x44lbs
2. Turkish Get Ups 4x1x35lbs / side

Cool Down

1. 90/90 Stretch 90 seconds per side
2. Shin Box Switch 1 minute
3. QL Straddle - 90 seconds total

The weather was pretty good today, 83°F but feels like 88°F and with a good breeze. Warm up felt good. Nothing new. Took my time again, really tried to sit in the squat as low as I can w/o pinging my knee, but still working to open my hips. Also really worked to lift hips and stretch out the hip flexors. Warm up time was 15:30.

Swings felt easy. About ready to go up to 24kg, but I'll put in my full week of 10 sets next week before I do. Guess I'll have to bite the bullet and order a 28kg and a 32kg soon. Wonder if I should skip the 28 and just order a pair of 32s? Or be conservative and order a pair of 28s? Get ups feel easy w/ the 16kg. Again, I'll wait until I've got a full week at the recommended set/rep combination. Total kettlebell time 17:00.

Cooled down with the same brief routine. When I have my right leg forward my left hip, the troublesome one, really limits my position. All I can do is keep working it. And again my hamstrings are really tight and also my groin muscles. I just hope daily practice of will cause an improvement in all these areas.

Rainy Night Simple and Sinister Practice

Man I cannot tell you how good this daily training is making me feel. My hip was hurting a bit today.

I almost skipped today's session. But the rest of me feels so good! Out I went just as it started raining. Of course it was humid enough to practically swim through the air, but it was a gentle rain not blowing into the carport making things slippery.

Warm Up Giant Sets

1. Assisted Squats 3x5
2. Hip Bridge(Raise) 3x5 
3. Kettlebell Halo 3x5 per direction 20lbs.
4. Bird Dog 3x5

4/5ths Simple and Sinister

1. Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 8x10x44lbs
2. Turkish Get Ups 4x1x35lbs / side

Cool Down

1. 90/90 Stretch 90 seconds per side
2. Shin Box Switch 1 minute
3. QL Straddle - 2 minutes total

So another session done. I'm taking things slow. I could do ten sets of swings now, but I'll wait until Saturday before ramping up again. I don't know why I am so surprised this routine makes me feel so good, that's exactly what it is supposed to do. It is designed to increase strength, stability, and mobility with minimum effort. 

My warm up was a little longer today. I took it slow, I got twinges in my right knee the first couple fo sets of squats but it was fine the third set. Total warm up time was 15:17 which was 2.5 minutes longer than yesterday.

Swings were solid and powerful. Looking at the chart of my heart rate the last few sessions I'm getting in better shape as my average heart rate was lower today, than any of the last three sessions. Total kettlebell time was 17:11.

Then on to the cool down. You may have noticed that I have an extra exercise in my warm up and cool down. The bird dogs are in the warm up because I have low back and glute issues from an old injury. The shin box switches are complimentary to the 90/90 stretch and I also have hip issues so the extra mobility work is good. Cool down time was 6:02.

Often I Feel I Should Do More

I didn't take time to write up my practice session yesterday. It was a good session and even though I increased my sets of swings by 1 to 8 sets I still felt like I should do more. Well, I'm skipping ahead a bit.

I got started late as I cooked dinner after getting home around 1830 last night. Then I took my son to his driving lesson at a local driving school. Got to get that car insurance discount! So I began my warm up at 2035.

Warm Up Giant Sets

1. Assisted Squats 3x5
2. Hip Bridge(Raise) 3x5 
3. Kettlebell Halo 3x5 per direction 20lbs.
4. Bird Dog 3x5

4/5ths Simple and Sinister

1. Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 8x10x44lbs
2. Turkish Get Ups 4x1x35lbs / side

Cool Down

1. 90/90 Stretch 90 seconds per side
2. Shin box switch 1 minute
3. QL Straddle - 2 minutes total, couldn't hold either direction long

I skimmed through Simple and Sinister again the night before. I wanted to re-read the section on daily training. Picked up a lot more. For example that I was doing the hip bridge and halo out of order. Yesterday I put them in the correct order. I also decided to start doing a bit of a cool down with the recommended two stretches.

I didn't really time the QL Straddle. I'm really tight in that position. The limiting factor is tight hamstrings. I'll have to work on that. But my total cool down time was 6 minutes so I'll guess I did 90 seconds total each way.

Warm up time was 12:46, kettlbell time was 17:10. As I alluded to earlier, I get a few weeks into S&S and I want to start adding other exercises like loaded carries or presses or the like. I feel like I should be doing more! I'm going to hold myself back and just focus on daily Simple and Sinister until I achieve the Simple Goal, for which I'm going to need to order some more kettlebells. Simple goal is one hand swings and getups with a 32kg bell. Largest I have right now is 24kg and I'm not even doing one hand swings yet this go around. I'll be patient, just put in work and let the "program minimum" do its work.

Cool But Sweaty Kettlebell Practice

This is my third day of 7 sets of swings and 4 sets of getups. I think I'll bump up my swing sets to 8 tomorrow. Working from home today so I decided to practice around lunch time instead of after work. It was really cool, 71F, but I still managed to work up a sweat.

Warm Up Giant Sets

1. Assisted Squats 3x5
2. Kettlebell Halo 3x5 per direction 20lbs.
3. Hip Bridge(Raise) 3x5 
4. Bird Dog 3x5

4/5ths Simple and Sinister

1. Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 7x10x44lbs
2. Turkish Get Ups 4x1x35lbs / side

I'm using very little assistance on the squats. But occasionally I get a twinge right down the front middle of my right knee. I think this is as I mentioned the patelar tendon. But by the third giant set of warm ups it felt fine. It is amazing how the kettlebell halo seems to work all the muscles of the shoulder girdle. Warm up time was 12:16.

Swings felt solid. I will go up to 8 sets tomorrow. I feel like I'm getting my strength back on get ups, but I'll wait until I'm doing the full 5 sets before I start increasing the weight. I'm thinking ahead, like I'm figuring out when I'll switch over to one hand swings, what weight I'll use, etc. But I'm just going to focus on what I need to do today and this week. I'll let next week take care of next week. Total kettlebell time was 16:07.

Also, I'm a little sore but not nearly as sore as one would think I should be after training 9 out of the last 10 days. I didn't get a full 7 hours of sleep last night, but close I got 6.75 hours worth. Decided that was good enough but I really need to shoot for at least 7.

Another Day Another Kettlebell Practice Session

It was a really lovely day for outdoor training. Lower than normal humidity, a slight breeze, and only low to mid 80s F. Before I started my session I swept the driveway and repotted a big plant. So I spent about an hour outside even before I started.

Warm Up Giant Sets

1. Assisted Squats 3x5
2. Kettlebell Halo 3x5 per direction 20lbs.
3. Hip Bridge(Raise) 3x5 
4. Bird Dog 3x5

4/5ths Simple and Sinister

1. Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 7x10x44lbs
2. Turkish Get Ups 4x1x35lbs / side

Warm up was good. My right patelar tendon was feeling a little painful or tender last night and this morning. But after the movement from yard work and the warm up sets it felt fine. Total warm up time was 12:24. 

Kettlebell practice was good. I'm concentrating on hinging at the last moment and really loading up my hamstrings and glutes. And this is really doing it, my posterior chain is pretty darn sore. Great tip from Pavel Macek in this video..."pretend there are two buttons on either side of your waist that activate your hinge,  only hinge when you arms touch the buttons". My entire core (front, sides and back) is sore too, I assume from hard plank at the top of the swings and the many positions and rotations during get ups. Total time 16:02.

More Sets

I took yesterday off. I got less than six hours of sleep the night before. I'm trying to follow the advice and example of Kelly and Juliet Starrett, founders of Mobility WOD, by not training on days when I get less than 7 hours of sleep. Less than six is a definite no-go.

Warm Up Giant Sets

1. Assisted Squats 3x5
2. Kettlebell Halo 3x5 per direction 20lbs.
3. Hip Bridge(Raise) 3x5
4. Bird Dog 3x5

4/5ths Simple and Sinister

1. Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 7x10x44lbs
2. Turkish Get Ups 4x1x35lbs / side

I got more than 7 but less than 8 hours of sleep last night. But for some reason I was feeling kinda' crappy today. Don't know what it was. Almost led me to skip a second day. But I thought about it and figured it might make me feel better to train. So I went outside with the intent to at least do my warm up and then make a decision.

I did my warm up and felt better. It took 13:25 today. So I proceeded w/ my kettlbell practice. I upped sets of swings from 5 to 7 and get ups from 3 per side to 4 per side. I felt so much better once I was done. Kettlebell practice took 16:26 today.

I also got the pleasure of watching the younger of my sons working on his clean & jerks and deadlifts while I was working with the kettlebells. He's go pretty good form on his cleans, at least to my untrained eye. He was also able to do triples on his deadlift with 275 pounds and 295 pounds. Good job Miles!

Sixth Day in a Row

I didn't write this up on Thursday 20 September 2018 when I actually did the work. Had to get cleaned up and then drive to Charlotte for The Black Guy Who Tips LIVE! But I did do my kettlebell practice first.

Warm Up Giant Sets

1. Assisted Squats 3x5
2. Kettlebell Halo 3x5 per direction 20lbs.
3. Hip Bridge(Raise) 3x5
4. Bird Dog 3x5

Half Simple and Sinister

1. Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 5x10x44lbs
2. Turkish Get Ups 3x1x35lbs / side

Nothing much to say. It was a hot, sweaty practice session in the early afternoon. Warm up took 11:38. Kettlebell practice time was 12:14.

Kettlebell Practice Makes Me Feel Great

So yesterday evening my hip was hurting. But this morning I woke up feeling great. Hip wasn't hurting. Body felt good, not really sore just well worked. Just good overall.

Warm Up Giant Sets

1. Assisted Squats 3x5
2. Kettlebell Halo 3x5 per direction 20lbs.
3. Hip Bridge(Raise) 3x5
4. Bird Dog 3x5

Half Simple and Sinister

1. Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 5x10x44lbs
2. Turkish Get Ups 3x1x35lbs / side

Today I was eager to get outside and do my kettlebell practice. Even though I worked from home today, it was a frustrating day "at work." I needed to train to lower my stress levels. The fresh air, sunshine and kettlebell induced sweat did the trick. Once I was done, my mental state matched my physical state. 

This was my fifth day of training in a row. I'm working up to the Simple and Sinister requirement of 100 swings and 10 total get ups a day, but I wonder if my current number of sets is my minimum effective dose? Warm up time 12:21. Kettlebell time 12:02.

Four Days in a Row

I didn't post my workout yesterday. I did get it done though. I didn't have to talk myself into it like I did the day before.

Warm Up Giant Sets

1. Assisted Squats 3x5
2. Kettlebell Halo 3x5 per direction 20lbs.
3. Hip Bridge(Raise) 3x5
4. Bird Dog 3x5

Half Simple and Sinister

1. Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 5x10x44lbs
2. Turkish Get Ups 3x1x35lbs / side

When I got done I was pretty sweaty but felt good overall. This was my fourth day of kettlebell practice in a row. Looking forward to increasing swing sets to 7 and get up sets to 4 on Saturday. After I showered my hip was hurting but not too bad. Warm up time was 12:00. Kettlebell practice time was 12:05. Nice to get a full body workout done in under 30 minutes.

Humid Evening Kettlebell Practice

Same simple routine. Getting myself back in the groove of daily training. Swings and getups. I kinda didn't want to practice today. But after taking my son back to his school for a lacrosse meeting and lazing around the house a bit I put on my workout gear and went outside. I told myself just put on the clothes, go outside and do your warm up. See how you feel.  If you don't feel it after the warm up at least you'll have done something.

Warm Up Giant Sets

1. Assisted Squats 3x5
2. Kettlebell Halo 3x5 per direction 20lbs.
3. Hip Bridge(Raise) 3x5
4. Bird Dog 3x5

Half Simple and Sinister

1. Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 5x10x44lbs
2. Turkish Get Ups 3x1x35lbs / side

After the warmup I felt fine and motivated to continue so I did. Everything felt good. By the time I finished I was quite sweaty.  Getting up from lying flat on your back while hold a weight overhead can get your heart rate up. Even without the weight it will do the trick. Now do it after doing explosive kettlebell swings! SWEAT! Warm up time was 13:53. Kettlebell practice was 12:06.

Easy Half Simple and Sinister

My back feels much better than yesterday. My hip feels worse! I would really like my body to just feel good you know?

Warm Up Giant Sets

1. Assisted Squats 3x5
2. Kettlebell Halo 3x5 per direction 20lbs.
3. Hip Bridge(Raise) 3x5
4. Bird Dog 3x5

Half Simple and Sinister

1. Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 5x10x44lbs
2. Turkish Get Ups 3x1x35lbs / side

Same routine as yesterday. Taking it easy and getting in the groove.  Warm up took 11:39. Main part of the workout took 12:00. Felt really good. I'm not sore to speak of. Wonder how I'll feel tomorrow. I plan to do the same abbreviated workout tomorrow, too.

Perpetual Restarter

I haven't trained since I went to a funeral in Mississippi last month. I should not have jumped into the 300 Swings a day challenge, even with the ramp up week, after such a long hiatus from training.

Yesterday I did a short and simple workout.

Warm Up Giant Set

1. Assisted Squats 3x5
2. Kettlebell Halo 3x5 per direction
3. Hip Bridge(Raise) 3x5
4. Bird Dog 3x5

Half Simple and Sinister

1. Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 5x10x44lbs
2. Turkish Get Ups 3x1x35lbs / side

My back was hurting yesterday. I felt that some exercise would help. Actually made me feel worse yesterday evening but better today. Warm up took 10:24, main part of workout took 12:03. Enough to get me sweaty on a coolish but humid day.