Getting Stronger

I almost skipped training today. Waited until late in the afternoon. I got it done.

Movement Prep Giant Sets

1. Assisted Squats 3x5
2. Hip Bridge(Raise) 3x5 
3. Kettlebell Halo 3x5 per direction 35lbs.

Plank 30 secs, 15 secs, 15 secs

8/10 Simple and Sinister

• One Hand Swings 4x10x16kg
• One Hand Swings 4x10x20kg
• Get Ups 4x1x16kg
• Get Ups 4x1x20kg

Cool Down Stretching Super Sets

• 90/90 Stretch 3x30 seconds per side
• QL Straddle Stretch 3x30 seconds per side

I was stiff today. Movement prep was challenging especially squats. But I was warm and loose afterwards. Planks are not getting easier. Prep and planks took 13:00.

The heavier sets of swings and get ups are getting easier. I feel stronger. My shirts are feeling tighter around the arms, shoulders and chest even though I'm not specifically targeting those areas. Sunday is test day, 80 swings in 4 minutes or less followed by 1 minute rest and then 8 get ups in 8 minutes or less. Total time 26:35. Next cycle is 10 sets each, I'll also shave some rest time off for each set.

Normal cool down. Felt good. Was walking better afterwards. Felt really good overall. Cool down took 8:17.

Summer Sweat Angels

Third day in a row of training. I've got to go to bed earlier and get up earlier so I can train and get to
work earlier. I did get up at 0627 and did my normal 5 minutes of mobility and an additional 5 minutes of walking. However, I didn't get outside to start training until 0827. I should have gotten out there at 0727.

Warmed up with an 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 - 40 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Simple and Sinister

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 8 x 10 x 44 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups L, R, L, R, L, R, L, R x 1 x 44 lbs

Warm up was pretty much as normal except I did some extra rocking targeting shoulder health. I didn't do any extra calisthenics. Warm up took 13:36.

Did normal S&S. Swings were fine. I got wobbly on the last get up with my left hand. I had to reposition myself twice to make it through the rep. I don't recall being unstable with my right hand. I also manage to get through the get ups in 8 minutes, which is the prescribed 1 minute per rep. 

I chose not to do any loaded carries because I swam last night and my core was pretty twitchy last night. Also, I had to get myself ready for a meeting at 1000. Total kettlebell time 17 minutes. Also, I got in over 10K steps yesterday.

Added a Couple of Sets Each of Swings and Get Ups

Looked back over my training log and I've done seven sessions at sixty percent of the sets prescribed in Simple and Sinister. Decided to go up to eighty percent today. It's lovely outside, 78°F w/ only 49% humidity, sunny and a nice breeze. Did a little meditation then got started.

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/ arms then legs
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

McGill Big Three

• Bird Dog
• Rolling Plank
• Curl Up

1 Arm Bar per side, 1 minute each w/ 25 lbs.

Simple and Sinister

• One Hand Kettlebell Swings L, R, L, R, L, R, L, R x 10 x 35 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups L, R, L, R, L, R, L, R x 1 x 25 lbs

I added Dr. Stuart McGill's Big 3 exercises for the core to my performance prep. Was reintroduced to

them during Scott Iardella's interview with Brian Carroll, a champion powerlifter for 20 years who came back from a terrible back injury. I recognize the need to make sure I'm doing some direct core work, it's been a weakness of mine for decades. Can only get better from here! Total prep time 20:30.

Got a good sweat going with swings, a little short of breath and heart rate up. Felt good. Good form. Really tried to dial in every aspect of get ups with particular attention to shoulder position. I want to use the get up to make sure this exercise improves my shoulders. Total kettlebell time 15:55.

I also spent some time last night doing as much of the Gold Medal Bodies Hip Flexibility Sequence as I could. It's going to be a long work in progress to get to where the coach in the video is, if I ever get there considering my hip problems. Only got 6320 steps yesterday, averaged only 5492 over the last 28 days so I set my goal back down to 6500 and I'll work up again.

Train Barefoot Train Outdoors

I love training outdoors. Even when it is cold or hot, even when the pollen is awful like today.
Strengthen your feet! Train barefoot! Stay alert! Don't drop a weight on your bare feet or you'll be sorry for sure.


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/ arms then legs
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

1 Arm Bar per side, 1 minute each w/ 25 lbs.

Simple and Sinister

• One Hand Kettlebell Swings R, L, R, L, R, L x 10 x 35 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups R, L, R, L, R, L x 1 x 25 lbs

Did my normal performance preparation. Felt good. I think my favorites in my Original Strength routine are rolling and crawling. Probably means I should focus more on rocking and head nods, hahaha! Total warm up time 19:17.

I actually got a little winded on the kettlebell swings even though I was only doing 10 reps every minute on the minute (EMOM) with a light weight. Wonder what's up with that? But I maintained good form and power nonetheless. Get ups were solid. Felt strong. The 25 is feeling light but in deference to my right shoulder I'll take my time and get in more sessions before going up in weight. Total kettlebell time 12:26.

Another Short and Light Kettlebell Practice

Got started a little late considering it is weekday. Left hip didn't feel to bad this morning. I think the pain yesterday was due to all the walking I did on Saturday cutting grass combined with the training. Maybe I should skip training if I am going to cut grass? Worth an experiment.

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/ arms then legs
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

1 Arm Bar per side, 1 minute each w/ 25 lbs.

Simple and Sinister

• One Hand Kettlebell Swings R, L, R, L, R, L x 10 x 35 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups R, L, R, L, R, L x 1 x 25 lbs

Nice warm morning. Normal performance preparation which took 18:18. Nicely loose and warm with a light sweat by the time I finished. Went on to shortened Simple and Sinister. Not pushing too hard as I just want to get back in the groove. Felt good. Swings got my breath going pretty good. Wish my respiratory system wasn't so clogged due all the pollen. Moved a little faster today on get ups but still focused on good positions and movement. Total kettlebell time 12:42. My right shoulder feels a little more sore post training than I would like. Think I'll do a little self-care for it tonight.

Hard Time Getting Back into Routine

Wonderful spring day for outdoor training. Having a hard time getting back into my routine. Ten days since my last training session. Got to do better.

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/ arms then legs
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

1 Arm Bar per side, 1 minute each w/ 25 lbs.

Simple and Sinister

• One Hand Kettlebell Swings R, L, R, L, R, L, x 10 x 35 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups R, L, R, L, R, L x 1 x 25 lbs L, R

Normal prep. Did a short, light kettlebell practice. Hip hurts a little bit. Need to do more flexibility and mobility for my hips and in general. Right shoulder felt okay today so maybe the extra time off was a good thing. Prep time 18:46 and kettlebell time 11:52.

Forgot to Post My 20160328 Training

Light and short Simple and Sinister practice.

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/ arms then legs
• Rocking - 20 reps
• Crawling - 3 minutes

Wide Leg Founder 1

1 Arm Bar per side, 1 minute each w/ 25 lbs.

Simple and Sinister

• One Hand Kettlebell Swings L, R, L, R, L, R x 10 x 35 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups L, R x 1 x 35 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups L, R, L, R x 1 x 25 lbs L, R

Normal performance preparation. Cut down S&S by about half and lowered the weight again. My right should felt not so good when posting on my right arm with the 35 lb kettlebell during get ups. Dropped the weight down to 25lbs. Felt ok with that. Training was good overall. Prep time 19:58, kettlebell time 11:42.

Warm Morning Simple and Sinister

I took Sunday off. After four straight days of training I just wasn't feeling it. Took yesterday off as I got only 6.25 hours of sleep. Got 8.5 hours of sleep last night. And even though I got up later than planned, though still early, I got in my training before heading to the office. I plan on volunteering on the sideline  for Eastside High's boy's lacrosse scrimmage against Clover High tonight so there was no other time for me 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/ 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/ 25 lbs.

Simple and Sinister

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

I had intended to include some direct ab work in today's performance prep but since I was short on time I didn't do it. Prep was good. Nothing new or special. Total prep time 18:21.

Kettlebell practice was good. My right shoulder is still a little bit tweaked from Saturday's training session. I felt it a little on swings, focused on keeping my shoulders packed and retracted. Could feel it a little more on the get ups. But overall it was fine. Total kettlebell town 20:43. Total steps yesterday 7113, 6614 on Sunday, and 10993 on Saturday. Check out the sweat angel, produced even though the temperature was only in the mid 50s Fahrenheit!

35F Sweat Angel

Got up late again despite having gone to bed early. Worked from home. Didn't take lunch until late in the afternoon and therefore had late kettlebell session. And even after all that it was only 35F at 1547. Not sure if you can see it, but even as cold as it was I left a bit of a "sweat angel" on the floor starting with the round blotch right next to the kettlebell.

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/ 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/ 20 lbs.

Simple and Sinister

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 2 x 10 x 35 lbs
• One Hand Kettlebell Swings 6 x 10 x 35 lbs L, R, L, R, L, R
• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 2 x 10 x 35 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 1 x 1 x 25 lbs per side
• Turkish Get Ups 3 x 1 x 35 lbs per side
• Turkish Get Ups 1 x 1 x 25 lbs per side

Nothing out of the ordinary during performance preparation. Neither my left hip nor my right shoulder bothered me today unlike yesterday. It is still no fun crawling on the concrete. My yard is still covered in snow and crawling through that would be even less fun. With some thick work gloves on the cold concrete still had my hands aching with the cold, but I did it all. My right shoulder is feeling more stable doing the arm bar with the 20 lb. kettlebell. Total prep time 17:34.

I increased the sets of one hand swings from 4 to 6. Felt pretty good. I'll be patient and stay at this level for another 6 days. I also increased sets of get ups at 35 lbs from 2 to 3. This was a little bit harder. I could feel my triceps working fairly hard to keep my arms locked out straight. Total kettlebell time 21:01. I only had 4611 steps yesterday, not many more today.

Cold Afternoon Simple and Sinister

I got up late. Kinda' lazed around for a while. Then did some chores until time for the Pittsburgh Steelers vs Miami Dolphins NFL playoff game. Hooray! Steelers won. Once it was over I headed outside in the cold to get in my daily 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/ 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/ 20 lbs.

Simple and Sinister

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 4 x 10 x 35 lbs
• One Hand Kettlebell Swings 4 x 10 x 35 lbs L, R, L, R
• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 2 x 10 x 35 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 2 x 1 x 25 lbs per side
• Turkish Get Ups 2 x 1 x 35 lbs per side
• Turkish Get Ups 1 x 1 x 25 lbs per side

When I was rolling my left hip, the problem one, was giving me hurting almost locking up when initiating rolls with my legs. I almost called it quits. But I persevered and it felt better after rocking and crawling. Then my right shoulder pinged me a bit and I almost decided to quit again.  However I finished my performance prep and my shoulder didn't complain during the arm bars. Total prep time 19:42.

So, I decided to try swings and make a set by set decision on whether to proceed or not. Made through all sets of swings with no complaints. I decided to take the get ups set by set, too. They actually felt good. I'm ready to switch another two sets of swings to one hand and go up on weight for another set of get ups. Total kettlebell time 20:50. Only 6654 steps yesterday. Sure to be even fewer steps today. Look how my glasses fogged up in the cold!

Another Cool Damp Kettlebell Session

I got up early this morning, 0600, thanks to the silent buzzing alarm of my Fitbit Charge HR. More important than the alarm was the decision to get up when the alarm went off rather than stay in bed. Another factor is that I stopped watching TV around 2200 and was in bed reading listening to chill music before 2230. I got about 7.3 hours of sleep.

I did some chores, made coffee and read a lot this morning. We were also having a new mattress and box spring delivered so I didn't get started with my training until 1000. It was still cool and damp after another night of rain. Thankfully the carport was mostly dry and I don't have to work today. I'll have to move more quickly and get started sooner tomorrow.


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.

Simple and Sinister

• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 4 x 10 x 35 lbs
• One Hand Kettlebell Swings 4 x 10 x 35 lbs L, R, L, R
• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 2 x 10 x 35 lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 2 x 1 x 25 lbs per side
• Turkish Get Ups 2 x 1 x 35 lbs per side
• Turkish Get Ups 1 x 1 x 25 lbs per side

Same routine as yesterday. The Original Strength reset really makes me feel good. I think the combination of the kettlebell halo, arm bar and get ups are making right shoulder better. At least from the standpoint of it is getting easier to hold the 20 lb kettlebell in the arm bar already. Total prep time 17:30.

The swings and get ups were the same as yesterday. I think I'll keep things just as they are at least through Saturday at which point I'll decide whether to do more sets of one arm swings and whether to do a couple more heavier sets of get ups.  Total kettlebell time 20:50.

I only got in 6356 steps yesterday. It was rainy and I went to a party at a friend's house yesterday afternoon. Not excuses per se, just the facts. BTW, this makes thirteen straight days of S&S.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Not much to say. It was HOT! On the last two sets of swings I 10 reps without switching hands in the middle of the set. My right shoulder was a little wobbly on a couple of get ups. My left wrist still hurts. Warm up time 14:21. Kettlebell time 18:10. I am seeing a good training effect with regard to my heart rate. Even though I'm working faster, with a heavier weight I'm spending more time in the lower fat burning zone of heart rate than the higher cardio zone. Plus my resting heart rate has been trending down.

Even so look how sweaty less than 20 minutes of kettlebell training left me!

Hot Morning 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 1 x 10 x 44 lbs.
• One Hand Kettlebells Swings 2 x 5L, 5R x 44lbs
• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 1 x 10 x 53 lbs.
• One Hand Kettlebells Swings 6 x 5L, 5R x 53lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 5 x 1 x 44 lbs. per side

Warm up took 14 minutes. It was already a hot morning over 80°F by 0818 when I started training. I decided to do more of my swings w/ the 53 lb kettlebell. Previously I had been doing 50% of the swings with 44 lbs and 50% with 53 lbs. Today I did 70% of my swings with 53 lbs. I also did all of my get ups with 44 lbs. Strong on! The kettlebell practice took 18 minutes so I was moving fast despite the heat. Also, because it was so hot I did my kettlebell practice shirtless and got a little more sun than I would ordinarily. I always train barefoot or at most in my Vibram FiveFingers.

Tai Chi and Kettlebells

Yesterday was an active recovery day. Before work I did an Original Strength reset and a Founder. I felt good, but on my way to the office started feeling light headed and a bad headache. Think my BP was up. Went home and slept. Woke up feeling better and went to a 1.5 hour evening Yang style Tai Chi class.

Today feeling pretty good. Got up and did my normal kettlebell routine.

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 1 x 10 x 44 lbs.
• One Hand Kettlebells Swings 4 x 5L, 5R x 44lbs
• Two Hand Kettlebell Swings 1 x 10 x 53 lbs.
• One Hand Kettlebells Swings 4 x 5L, 5R x 53lbs
• Turkish Get Ups 1 x 1 x 35 lbs. per side
• Turkish Get Ups 4 x 1 x 44 lbs. per side

Warm up 17:05. Kettlebells 20:09. It was warm this morning. I was slow on my get ups after the quicker sets of swings. I'm getting stronger though.

This evening another Tai Chi class, this time Chen style only an hour.