Back to Kettlebell Training

Yes! Back to my kettlebell training. It felt good. A little shaky to begin with but good. It was cold outside, 43°F, but not frigid like it's been the last few days. It was also cloudly but the fresh air was nice. Started out as normal with warmups.

Warm Up Circuit 3 circuits 5 reps each

• Prying Squat
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo (each direction)
• Flying Dog (5 reps per side)

After the that on to the real training. I concentrated on good form and didn't try to rush. I just want to get back into the groove. I didn't lower my training weights though which is good.  The kettlebell training took about 37 minutes. I also did my ab work.

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 5x1x25# (Actually 1 rep per side then a short break before next set.)

6 Minute Abs 

• Myotatic Crunch 1x10
• Cat Vomit Exercise 1x10

After the above I went on a walk. I don't have a good record of my walk because my phone exhausted it's battery after about 25 minutes. I didn't have a full charge when I left. Also, I though my portable rapid charger was fully charged but it was exhausted, too. Oh well. I walked about 35-40 minutes. I was going kinda slow so I'll guess I covered about 1.7 miles if I go with the 40 minute estimate.

Two Consecutive Days Walking

So, 20 days ago I aggravated my old back injury.  It took about 10 days for it to calm down but towards the end of that time I caught a bad cold. I've still not completely gotten rid of that cold. I'm still blowing my knows occasionally but regularly and coughing up some phlegm very occasionally. Not sure what else to do about that.

Yesterday, despite the frigid cold and wind chill I got back out and walked. I covered 1.53 miles in 34 minutes. Got back out there today, it was still cold but not as bad as yesterday. Covered 1.52 miles in 32 minutes. On both days I also did micro sets of pushups, 3 reps, each time I returned to my cubicle from meetings, the restroom, etc.

Tweaked My Back Yesterday

I tweaked my back yesterday. Should have iced it immediately but I went to the Furman University women's basketball game instead. Paying for it now. Icing now. Hopefully I'll be able to get back in the groove of training tomorrow. :-(

Kettlebell Training on a Cool Cloudy Day

Got up late, like 0930. After bumming around for a couple of hours I got outside and did my kettlebell training. It was partly cloudy and kinda cool with a breeze. Not as cold as last night, but cool.

Warm Up Circuit 3 circuits 5 reps each

• Prying Squat
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo (each direction)
• Flying Dog (5 reps per side)

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 5x1x25# (per side)

Good workout. My back is a little sore though. Got to make sure I maintain focus and tight form on all reps. I need to take some extra time and practice 1-arm swings with a light weight.

Including the warm-up circuits, I finished in 32 minutes. Only took 6.5 minutes for swings and about 10 to 11 minutes for the get ups.

No time for a walk as we went to the Furman women's basketball game. Here's a sidewalk chalk record of my training this past week.

Bright Moon Cold Wind Workout

I almost skipped training with kettlebells today, but I had already skipped yesterday. I will not miss two days in a row. I did at least walk yesterday, which I didn't do today.

I got outside about 1815. It is 38°F and the wind chill is making it feel like 29°F. But I also thought about a couple of winter "street workout" videos I had watched recently. The second one ends with words on the screen "What will it take to make you miss a workout?"

The moon is about 3/4 full and shining light a spotlight in a clear sky. The stars were glittering like jewels. I put on a Frankie Knuckles mix on my Beats Pill and got down to training.

Warm Up Circuit 3 circuits 5 reps each

• Prying Squat
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo (each direction)
• Flying Dog (5 reps per side)

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 5x1x25# (Actually 1 rep per side then a short break before next set.)

Total time for the above 36 minutes. I got my swings down from about 9 minutes to about 7 minutes. Shaved the time for my getups from nearly 20 minutes to about 13 minutes. The goal is 5 sets of swings in 5 minutes, a 1 minute break and then finish the getups in another 10 minutes.

6 Minute Abs 

• Myotatic Crunch 1x10
• Cat Vomit Exercise 1x10

I did better on my crunches tonight than last time. For some reason my timer has been freezing for 30 or more seconds when it gets in between 3 and 4 minutes. Makes it hard to keep track of the 10 second hold for the CVEs but I do my best.

I'm so glad I didn't skip my training. I feel very good now. Got that exhausted, well worked feeling in my whole posterior chain while standing under a hot shower. Nothing like it.

Worst Set of Crunches

I couldn't arrange my schedule yesterday to get my kettlebell training in. I was a bit too tired in the morning after being alerted from my work's monitoring system about a down service at 0230. Didn't have enough time after work as my youngest son had a concert. I did get my walk in during lunch though, 1.71 miles in 36:33.

Today I also got my walk in today. The GPS wasn't tracking well despite clear, sunny skies. It was about 1.6 miles in 30:11. Pretty darn fast. It was cool but nice out. After being out late last night and suffering from a little sleep deprivation I didn't get up early enough today to exercise in the morning, but I did get my training on this evening.

Warm Up Circuit 3 circuits 5 reps each

• Prying Squat
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo (each direction)
• Flying Dog (5 reps per side)

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 5x1x25# (Actually 1 rep per side then a short break before next set.)

6 Minute Abs 

• Myotatic Crunch 1x10
• Cat Vomit Exercise 1x10

My back felt a little "fragile" during my swings. I braced my abs as hard as I could tried to "crack a walnut" with my glutes. That stabilized my back pretty good. I generated good power. I can't seem to get my 50 swings done in less than about 9 minutes though. That's disappointing.

I was a little wobbly again with the getups. I focused hard and tried to get in the groove. When holding the bell with my left arm my arm was wavering a bit. I did get a couple in that felt solid and strong on both sides. It is very important to focus and move with precision on the getups.

And now to the abs. I guess my abs were just too exhausted from the swings and the getups. I could only get in 2 or 3 crunches without pausing for a few seconds. I did them very slowly, 4 seconds down, 4 seconds up and tried to hold 4 seconds at the top. The CVEs were good. I think I'm getting better at really pulling my abs in .

I felt very good, highly energized when I was done. I had an incredible sense of well being. It was like my whole body was primed and ready to go. I will do my best to get up early tomorrow to do my kettlebell training before work. Oh, I've got over 8K steps in so far today, too.

Cold Dark Simple & Sinister

Too much going on today for me to train in the morning. Had to take my son Miles and his upright bass to school so it could be tuned. Also, he had practice for the Chamber Strings performance at a high school across town from his middle school, which meant I had to leave work early to pick him up and transport him.

While we has at practice I walked around the grounds, well really around the extensive parking lot of Riverside High School. I walked 1.67 miles in 38:27 which was a slow 2.61 mph. That's rather surprising considering how cold it felt walking into the strong wind. Usually when I feel cold I walk faster.

After Miles and I got home I set about getting my kettlebell training on. By this time it was dark and colder. I know, I know, 40°F with a windchill of 31° still isn't all that cold. But remember I've been living in South Carolina for nearly 15 years now and before that was had been living in other southern states for 14 years.

Warm Up Circuit 3 circuits 5 reps each

• Prying Squat
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo (each direction)
• Flying Dog (5 reps per side)

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 5x1x25# (Actually 1 rep per side then a short break before next set.)

I banged out my swings in 8 or 9 minutes. My goal is to do them in 5 minutes. My get ups were pretty shaky today. I'm not sure why. Maybe it was because they came at the end of the day and after a vigorous walk. Soldiers have to be ready to fight after long hikes or runs. I should certainly be able to do this brief, simple workout after a walk!

My hamstrings and glutes are fried. I went to the pharmacy to pick up an Rx after I completed my training and I could barely stand at the counter! Right now it seems as if I can feel all the muscles in back from the base of my skull to the base of my spine. I'm constantly amazed at how thoroughly these two exercises seem to recruit almost every part of my body. And once again I've walked more than 8K steps.

Sunny Afternoon Simple & Sinister

Got up late this morning. Didn't start my training session until about 1240 or so. Once I got started I had a great session. It was sunny and 56°F. It feels so good to be out in the sun during the last week of January!

Warm Up Circuit 3 circuits 5 reps each

• Prying Squat
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo (each direction)
• Flying Dog (5 reps per side)

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 5x1x25# (Actually 1 rep per side then a short break before next set.)

6 Minute Abs 

• Myotatic Crunch 1x10
• Cat Vomit Exercise 1x10

I'm getting better with the prying squats. Got deep and moved side to side a bit. Nice warm up overall. My swings felt nice and powerful. I got a little distracted during my getups showing my son Miles how to do them. Finished up with abs. Man those crunches were HARD after 8 straight days of kettlebell swings and getups!

I decided to workout today because the weather was so nice. Weather is supposed to be good for the rest of the week, but you never know. Since my gym is my driveway and carport I've got to take advantage of all the good weather days.

Repeating That Training Routine Is Boring Isn't It

Well, I didn't walk yesterday. It was cold and raining. Plus I was so busy with work I didn't even walk around inside the office building for 20 or 30 minutes as I thought I might. Oh well. At least I did my kettlebell training.

One other thing I forgot to mention in yesterday's post is how thoroughly worked and exhausted my entire posterior chain was. As I was standing in the shower after my session I felt the muscles from the soles of my feet, to my calves and all the way up my legs through my glutes and on up my back to the base of my neck nearly quivering with that feeling you get after working hard. What a great feeling.

So, on to the topic that the title of this post stated. Isn't doing the same training routine over and over again boring? Not really. Even in the short time I've been doing this routine I've seen improvements. I find positioning errors to correct. Plus I have a goal in mind, 50 kettlebell swings in 5 minutes and 10 total get ups in 10 minutes. Another thing to consider, is effectiveness or novelty more important? I'll take effectiveness.

Warm Up Circuit 3 circuits 5 reps each

• Prying Squat
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo (each direction)
• Flying Dog (5 reps per side)

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 5x1x25# (Actually 1 rep per side then a short break before next set.)

The warm up circuit really makes me feel energized and ready to go. Inevitable when I start the circuit I feel stiff and cold even though I've usually been awake and moving around for an hour or two before I start working out. But after this warm up, I really do feel warm, loose and flexible.

I felt very strong with my swings today. I tried to make sure I was actually pulling the kettlebell down, accelerating it to the bottom position while letting my arms float to the top powering the rise with my hips. I upped the weight for the getups from 20# to 25#. I let my left arm get a little loose on the 2nd set while holding the kettlebell, not good. Got to stay FOCUSED! It's easy to get injured even with such a light weight.

After the kettlebell training I went for a walk. My initial thought was to walk for just 30 minutes as it was cool and cloudy. But as I walked the clouds blew off and the sun beamed through. I ended up walking 2.4 miles in 53:23. I was kinda' slow, only 2.69 mph, but it was an enjoyable walk.

The last couple of days, I've thought I would take an entire day off from training but I just feel so good when I'm done. This must be about the perfect dose of exercise to get the endorphins flowing but not so much as to overtax my ability to recover. I must admit though that my thighs, from front to back, are perpetually sore as is my shoulder girdle to some  extent. Today was my 8th day in a row training. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Chilly Rainy Simple and Sinister

Got my walk in during the middle of the afternoon yesterday. Covered 1.51 miles in 33:01. It was cool and cloudy. I missed the bright sunshine from the previous few days.

Last night I thought about skipping my training session this morning. I was feeling a bit sore and achy, particularly in my hips. Plus the forecast was for rain and I've been training outside. If it rains hard the floor of our carport gets too slick and I would hate to drop a heavy kettlebell inside.

I woke up this morning just before 0500. Got up at 0530 and put on my training clothes as per usual. As it turned out there was a cold drizzle falling from the sky. The carport floor was still dry and I didn't feel achy. So training was ON!

Warm Up Circuit 3 circuits 5 reps each

• Prying Squat
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo (each direction)
• Flying Dog (5 reps per side)

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 5x1x20# (Actually 1 rep per side then a short break before next set.)

6 Minute Abs 

• Myotatic Crunch 1x10
• Cat Vomit Exercise 1x10

Once again, I got wobbly in the third set set of getups. I think I strained my right external obliques a little. Got to keep focused. I'll give them some special attention with the foam roller tonight. Perhaps the temperature and the dampness had some effect, too. 

This was my seventh day of training in a row. I need to revisit the Simple and Sinister book to check the optimum number of days to train per week. I'll likely take tomorrow off. I'll probably walk around inside our office building today as it is raining and cold outside.

A Blue Heron and Ducks Flying at Sunrise

Let me start with my walk from yesterday. I walked about 10 minutes while my lunch was cooking on The Chuck Truck. After I ate I walked about 1.12 in 23 minutes. For some reason my phone would not get a GPS lock despite the clear, sunny skies.

Before bed I did some stretching and foam rolling. The stretching is very humbling. I used to be very flexible but right now I'm so tight it's not even funny. My stretching was the Bretzel 1.0 and 2.0 and straddle stretches.

This morning I got up at 0533. I think I got outside to train about 0715. While I was warming up and the sun was rising for the second morning in a row a Great Blue Heron took off from the pond behind my house and flew overhead. A little later a pair of ducks flew over. It was colder than during yesterday's training session, I think it was about 35°F versus about 45°F. Anyway, I got down to the same Simple & Sinister routine but did not do 6 Minute Abs.

Warm Up Circuit 3 circuits 5 reps each

• Prying Squat
• Lying Hip Extension
• Halo (each direction)
• Flying Dog (5 reps per side)

The Practice

• Kettlebell Swings 5x10x35# Two Handed
• Turkish Get Ups 5x1x20# (Actually 1 rep per side then a short break before next set.)

This was my sixth straight day doing this kettlebell workout. The forecast for the next two days is for rain. I wonder how I'm going to get my workout in. I may be able to do this indoors, we'll see, there is not a lot of free space in our house.

Anyway, I feel great. It really helps me start my day off on the proper note. I can feel myself getting stronger and slightly more flexible. I also think I'm generating more power in each swing. My getups are getting smoother. This is a practice, a plan to improve day to day. I'll be walking at lunchtime later today.