Warm Morning Kettlebell Training

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

Simple and Sinister 

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 3 x 10 x 44 lbs.
• One Hand Kettlebells Swings 2 x 5L, 5R x 44lbs
• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 5 x 10 x 53 lbs.
• Turkish Get Ups 2 x 1 x 35 lbs. per side
• Turkish Get Ups 2 x 1 x 44 lbs. per side
• Turkish Get Ups 1 x 1 x 35 lbs. per side

After not training for 5 days due to some swelling and tendonitis in my right knee I got back to business this morning at 0746. I intended to get started earlier but stayed in bed until around 0630. It is safer for me to be up and moving around for 30-60 minutes to warm up my back before training than to jump right into it.

Anyway, I did my normal Original Strength based warm up then proceeded with Simple and Sinister. I kinda' lost track of my time despite my interval timer and took a little more than the prescribed 1 minute rest between swings and get ups as I had not moved my weights around during the initial 1 minute rest. I felt good once I was done. I really got my heart rate elevated and got very sweaty despite the early morning hour. My max heart rate during kettlebell training was 146 bpm at about 8 minutes into my session. During getups my heart rate w/ around in the 117 bpm range. My kettlebell session took 21:32.

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.

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!

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

300 Swings a Day

I was traveling Wednesday through Saturday last week. I knew I wouldn't have time for a full workout. But I figured I could follow the protocol of 300 Swings a Day. So I did, well almost. Wednesday I got my 300 in at rest stops, fuel stops or food stops. Thursday I started in but only got about 150 reps. Friday my kettlebell was locked away in the valet parked car so no way to do swings. Saturday I got my three hundred in as we drove back to SC from New England. Sunday after sleeping most of the day I got my 300 in by doing three sessions of 5 sets of 20 swings each. Today I did 6 sessions with 50 total reps each.

I've been mixing in one handed and two handed swings. The one handed swings have me sore in new places! If you were keeping up, you'll notice that I did 300 swings 4 of the last 6 days. So, I've got 26 more days to make 30 days of 300 swings! Wish me luck. After that I think I'll go back to Tracy Reifkind's workouts, probably #4. And maybe after I feel like I've mastered her #4 and #5 workouts I'll try 10K Swings in 10 Days.

Posterior Chain Annihilation

Got off schedule. I was really tired over the weekend. Was too tired to post this last night after I got done training.

Warm up walk 0.50 miles in 1:34 f1or an average of 2.6 mph.

Warm up calisthenic circuits 5 reps per exercise,  (per side or direction if a unilateral type exercise) 14:00 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo  w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x11,12,13,14,15x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x16,17,18,19,120x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x20x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 10x1x25# (per side)

Every muscle from my neck to my feet was torched. Even my feet were cramping up which is strange considering I've been training barefoot all summer. 305 swings in 20 minutes. Did the 10 sets of get ups in another 19 minutes. Total time 39:01. Finished up with a little bit of the waiter-rack-farmer walk, weighted carry.

Fast Workout Plus Cook Drill

Yesterday I got home from work around 1815 or 1830. I had promised to take my youngest son to TKD class at 2010. That meant I needed to get changed and get my workout area set up pretty quickly in order to have enough time to train prior taking him to his class. It also meant that I would need to go through my 10 sets of Turkish Get Ups as quickly as possible while maintaining good form. Here is how it went.

Warm up walk 0.51 miles in 10:30 for an average of 2.9 mph.

Warm up calisthenic circuits 5 reps per exercise,  (per side or direction if a unilateral type exercise) 12:23 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo  w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x11,12,13,14,15x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x16,17,18,19,120x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x20x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 10x1x25# (per side)

My left hip has been giving me trouble still. I think it is the hip flexors. Some of it might be transmitted from old low back issues, need to increase flexibility through hamstrings and needing to increase core strength. We'll see. I'm going to work on those issues.

Anyway, once I was nicely warmed up and finished the first few sets of swings my hip felt better. I was able to stick to my planned set rep scheme for swings. I was breathing hard but not excessively so by the end of the 20 minutes. I think it is really time to increase the weight on both swings and get ups.

By the time I finished the swings my time was getting short. I told my son, "We need to leave for your class at 1950 in order to get to your 2010 class. I'm going to keep working out and if I don't finish I'll just stop." As it turned out, I completed my 10 sets of get ups. Also, I only took about 1.5 minutes break between the swings and get ups. Total time was 37 minutes exactly! That was almost 4 minutes less than last time and nearly 3 minutes faster than the time before that! Given sufficient motivation I can move faster.

After dropping my son off for his class I made a brief Wal-Mart run. After getting back to the TKD school I spent about 10 or 15 minutes doing the Loaded Carry Finisher as outlined in The 3 Tips That Will Help You Burn More Fat during Your Workout. Never having done this before I used a really light kettlebell just 15 pounds.

300 Kettlebell Swings in 20 Minutes

Warm up walk 0.49 miles in 10:38 for an average of 2.8 mph.

Warm up calisthenic circuits 5 reps per exercise,  (per side or direction if a unilateral type exercise) 12:27 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo  w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x11,12,13,14,15x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x16,17,18,19,120x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x20x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 10x1x25# (per side)

Beautiful, sunny and cool autumn day. Training done. Did Tracy Reifkind's full Workout #3. Completed 305 swings in 20 minutes. Followed up with my 10 sets of turkish get ups ala Pavel's Simple and Sinister. Total kettlebell time 40:46. Disappointed with that time but I took a long time again between swings and get ups.

Just Enough Dry Ground to Workout

I had just enough dry ground in my carport this afternoon to get my kettlebell training done. It is still cool, windy and cloudy but at least the rain has stopped in our part of SC. The poor folks in Columbia and Charleston are in for more rain. I need to make sure I get my walk in tomorrow. I need to do some flexibility and mobility work later this evening and tomorrow, too.

Warm up walk 0.64 miles in 11:55 for an average of 3.2 mph.

Warm up calisthenic circuits 5 reps per exercise,  (per side or direction if a unilateral type exercise) 11:44 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo  w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x11,12,13,14,15x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x16,17,18,19,19x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x19x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 10x1x25# (per side)

I wasn't too excited about training today. However, after bouncing around in 248 - 252 pound range for a month my weight is creeping up again. I have weighed around 255 for the last few days. I know it's because my eating has been getting out of control. Fast food and unhealthy snacks, maybe a little to much liquor and or beer. I can and will do better!

I bumped up my reps and finished the last 7 sets at 19 reps each. It wasn't too bad. I should be able to do the max reps of 20 in my next attempt at Tracy Reifkind's Workout #3. I took about a 2 maybe even a 2.5 minute break between the swings and get ups. Not sure why I paused so long between exercises. I was huffing and puffing but I think it was mostly just not being focused. BTW, I did this training fasted. Total kettlebell time 38:41.

Repeated Last Kettlebell Workout

It has been raining like crazy over the last week or more. There is even more to come thanks to hurricane Joaquin. Today was the first day that my carport was dry enough for a training session since last Saturday. Well, I'm going to blame my lack of workouts on the rain, any excuse will do right?  This is the peril of working out at home and out of doors and not having a gym membership. I don't mind the heat or the cold, but when things get wet it's a little dangerous as the carport is slippery!

Warm up walk 0.53 miles in 10:56 for an average of 2.9 mph.

Warm up calisthenic circuits 5 reps per exercise,  (per side or direction if a unilateral type exercise) 13:16 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo  w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x11,12,13,14,15x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x16,17,18,18,18x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x18x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 10x1x25# (per side)

I decided to repeat my last session since a week has gone by. Felt pretty good. Started getting tired around the 16th or 17th set of swings. I could feel a little tightness in my lower back. I just focused on my form and made it through.

After a 1.5 minute break I moved on to Turkish Get Ups. Did my first 5 sets per side. Then a brief pause to chalk my hands and get a sip of water. Finished the final 5 sets. Total kettlebell time was 38:33 a good deal faster than last time.

Rainy Day Kettlebells

It's been raining for two days. I hadn't trained for two days, since my late evening training on Wednesday. That late session took a lot out of me. I just didn't have it in me to hit it last night. I almost talked myself out of training today, but I have a goal. Plus I was listening to Tim Ferriss interview former Navy Seal Jocko Willink. Very inspiring. So, even though a light rain was falling I got down to business.

Warm up walk 0.53 miles in 10:56 for an average of 2.9 mph.

Warm up calisthenic circuits 5 reps per exercise,  (per side or direction if a unilateral type exercise) 12:21 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo  w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x11,12,13,14,15x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x16,17,18,18,18x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x18x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 10x1x25# (per side)

Another step up on Tracy Reifkind's Workout #3. I did 292 reps in 20 minutes. The sets are done EMOM. I took at least 2 maybe 2.5 minutes to get started with the get ups after finishing swings. Despite the cool temperatures it was very humid and I was sweating like crazy. I also seemed to move more slowly through my sets of get ups. Did 5 sets, short break then finished the final five. Total kettlebell time 41:50. My dog, Shadow, sat in the carport and watched my whole workout. He was probably wondering what the crazy human was doing!

Another Late Evening Kettlebell Session

I didn't leave work last night until well after 1900, maybe even after 1930. By the time I got home, changed and began my workout it was 2031. I almost postponed my training. But I remember Tim Ferriss' interview on his podcast with Triple H and how Triple H get's his training in late at night. I decided to get it done. However, I was too tired to write this up last night.

Warm up walk 0.54 miles in 11:24 for an average of 2.8 mph.

Warm up calisthenic circuits 5 reps per exercise,  (per side or direction if a unilateral type exercise) 13:23 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo  w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x11,12,13,14,15x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x16,17,17,17,17x35# Two Handed
• Kettlebell Swings 5x17x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 10x1x25# (per side)

I increased my reps just a little bit again last night. After the first 10 sets, which build up to 15 reps per set, I went up to 16 reps on the 11th set and then 17 reps for every set thereafter until I completed a total of 20 sets in 20 minutes. Again, these sets are done EMOM. Total reps of swings was 284.

I probably took about a 2 minute break between the swings and the get ups last night. Then I moved as quickly as I could through 5 straight sets of get ups before taking a brief pause to get a sip of water and to re-chalk my hands. Finished up the final 5 sets. Total time 39:11. That was about a 1.3 minutes longer than my last session, but I'll attribute that to the late hour and the fact that I had fasted all day.

20 Minutes of Kettlebell Swings Plus 10 Sets of Turkish Get Ups

I can't seem to get up early enough to train prior to work. I got home after 1800 hours and was out doing my kettlebell routine by around 1900. It was a cool evening but I still worked up quite a sweat.

Warm up walk 0.54 miles in 11:17 for an average of 2.9 mph.

Warm up calisthenic circuits 5 reps per exercise,  (per side or direction if a unilateral type exercise) 11:50 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo  w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog

The Practice

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

Stepped up my swings to Tracy Reifkind's Workout #3. This routine is 20 minutes long. The goal is to work up through 15 sets to a maximum rep count of 20 reps. Then complete a final 5 sets of 20 reps each. I'm taking it slow to guaranteee success. After the normal ladder up to 15 reps in the first 10 sets, I did 16 reps for each of the final 10 sets. That made for 275 swings in 20 minutes which was 85 more swings than Workout #2 in just an additional 5 minutes.

Once again I took about a 1.5 minute break between swings and get ups. I blasted through 5 straight sets per side on the get ups. Then I took a short break to get a sip of water and re-chalked my hands. After that quick breather I powered through the final 5 sets of get ups per side. Felt good and strong though I was starting to get some slight cramps in my feet and abs after the first 4 sets. Total kettlebell time 37:50 which is less than 5 minutes longer than my last training session.

Sixth Time Doing Tracy Reifkinds Full Kettlbell Workout Two

I was scheduled to train yesterday if I had stuck to my every other day training pattern. However, I had a late night due to some maintenance at work on Thursday. Despite trying to sleep in Friday morning, I really didn't get much sleep. I felt it would be better to take the evening off from working out.

Warm up walk 0.52 miles in 10:42 for an average of 2.9 mph.

Warm up calisthenic circuits 5 reps per exercise,  (per side or direction if a unilateral type exercise) 11:28 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo  w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog

The Practice

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

This was a good session. I was able to cruise through the kettlebell swings. I'm really tempted to buy a heavier kettlebell. As noted in the title this is my sixth time doing the full Tracy Reifkind Workout #2 since I got back on my exercise routine after a couple of weeks of doing nada after vacation back in July. So now it's time to move back up to Workout #3 which is twenty minutes long and is comprised of 20 sets. The final 5 sets are supposed to be 20 reps each, and remember these routines are done in Every Minute On the Minute (EMOM) fashion.

Once again my break between swings and Turkish Get Ups is about 1.5 minutes. I can't seem to get it down to just 1 minutes. I did 5 sets, a get up to the left and 1 to the right being one set, before taking a breather. Then I right into the final 5 sets. I felt nice and strong. Total kettlebell time 33:01, 2 minutes faster than last time.

Late Evening Kettlebell Session

My son's went to a later than usual Tae Kwon Do class last night. They didn't eat prior to class so my younger son, 13, got to bed later than usual. I gave him a ride to school this morning so I got to work much earlier than usual. Somehow, I managed to leave work much later than usual and didn't get to home until after 1900. I was tempted to skip my training or rather to postpone it until tomorrow but that is not consistent with my goal so I got down to business.

Warm up walk 0.49 miles in 11:01 for an average of 2.7 mph.

Warm up calisthenic circuits 5 reps per exercise,  (per side or direction if a unilateral type exercise) 13:26 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo  w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog

The Practice

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

I didn't mention that I walked at lunch today, took a 30 minute walk yesterday, walked at lunch Monday and walked Sunday evening. This evening my back felt better than Monday. I'm considering using a heavier bell but I want to get up to 20 reps per set and start doing one hand swings, too. We'll see about the heavier bell. Everything felt good and amazingly I finished my kettlebell work in the exact same amount of times as Monday, 35:05.

Missed Logging My Kettlebell Training on 20150914

I was TIRED on Monday when I finished working out so I didn't log my workout. I intended to log it yesterday or earlier today but I let other things get in the way. Here it is.

Warm up walk 0.51 miles in 10:47 for an average of 2.9 mph.

Warm up calisthenic circuits 5 reps per exercise,  (per side or direction if a unilateral type exercise) 13:32 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo  w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog

The Practice

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

My lower back felt extra tired during the swings. Not sure why. Was I changing my form? Using bad form? No last impact. Wasn't extra sore in that area the next day nor did I have any major pain. Took about 1.5 minute break before moving on to Turkish Get Ups. I again did 5 straight sets of get ups before taking a very brief break and finishing the remaining 5 sets. Great training session.

Took All Day But Training Is Done

I put on my workout clothes early this morning but procrastinated and didn't train until nearly 1900 hours. How crazy is that. At least I didn't skip today.

Warm up walk 0.51 miles in 10:36 for an average of 2.9 mph.

Warm up calisthenic circuits 5 reps per exercise,  (per side or direction if a unilateral type exercise) 12:32 minutes.

• Prying Goblet Squat w/ 25# kettlebell
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo  w/ 15# kettlebell
• Flying Dog

The Practice

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

This is my third time completing Tracy Reifkind's full Workout #2 this go around. I think I'll stick with this number of swings for at least three more training sessions, maybe even six before I step up to workout three which increases from 15 to 20 minutes in length. I felt good with the swings but they did get my heart rate up nicely.

I'm more proud of my performance on the Turkish Get Ups today. For a long time I was doing two straight sets then taking a break. A while I ago I upped that to three straight sets before taking a break. Today I decided to push myself and did five straight sets before a break, then did five more for my total of ten. I think I might have been able to do all ten sets without stopping. I think I'll wait a few sessions before trying that. Total kettlebell time 34:14 which is just over one minute faster than last time.