With our house in shambles in the midst of a re-model...we have no bathroom.
No, really.
OK, we have a second toilet in the basement powder room...But that's it.
So, since we returned from Texas we have made nightly trips to my parents in North Prairie, 20-30 minutes away, to take showers.
This has taken a toll on the training schedule, but we have managed to get some pretty good sessions in.
Every year it seems I start over...in a good way. More technical work, lower load and so on. It just seems right and I have never lost any noticeable amount of strength.
I have decided in 2008 I want to "go the whole ten minutes" with one hand switch, first with the 16kg, then slowly move to the 24kg.
So last night, in my parents living room, was the second time I completed a 6 minute set, changing hands at 3 minutes. The load was my 16kg Pro-Grade bell (Christmas present to myself).
At a pace of 12 RPM I completed 72 reps.
This is where a
Gymboss Timer really comes in handy.
I set the timer for 5 seconds which equates to 12 RPM. The timer beeps every five seconds and I complete a rep and hold the bell overhead until the timer sounds again.
You're probably thinking, "But, with only 16kg that should be a piece of cake." Guess again.
It's tougher than it sounds.
After that set I did two more 2 minute sets, switching hands at the 1 minute mark.
Finished it up with a set of 25 R/L One Hand Swings.
All and all not a bad session (in light of being in my parents living room), hit my goal of six minutes. Upping the time will be rough and seems to be as much mental as it does physical.
Next stop: 7 minutes @ 12 RPM. That's a total of 84 reps, not record breaking and I know I could pound out plenty more if I upped the pace. I trying to take the way of the tortoise, slow and steady.
It'll be interesting.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Back From TX.
What a trip!
No snow, a little rain and temperatures in, at least the 50's (some in the 60's and one in the 70's) was a welcomed change.
It was great to workout outside. There was a park 2 blocks from my mother-in-laws. We "played" there on almost a daily basis.
Push Ups
"Box" jumps
Bodyweight Rows
Burpees (150 for time on one day)
We even went for a run on a couple of the days, until Kori wiped out, tripping on a raised slab of sidewalk. That pretty much put an end to the running.
Now it's time to get serious again.
Even with all the activity I managed to weigh in at a whopping 176 (heavy for me), up 8lbs.
So, what to do?
Easy!
It's time to get to work!
Lots of Deadlifts and variations. Squats, too. I have stop OLY lifting for now, our platform is in the garage, and today's high is 18. Nuf said.
Lots of Snatches, I would like to get to point where I can go 10 minutes with one hand switch, with the 16kg first then the 24kg. Like most things this will be a large increase in work capacity, but also a good deal of work on technique. This is one "event" I won't be able to muscle my way through.
I think I would like to work on Jerks, too. I haven't done many in the past, but it looks like it would be "fun". And I know we will be doing some at the RKC Level II, so I might as well get acquainted with them.
I also want to keep up with doing CrossFit's MetCon stuff, it's fun, it's tough and it's a real challenge because since switching to mainly KB training, many of the moves I haven't trained in a long time.
In '08 I plan on making a much bigger commitment to flexibility. I was doing really well for the better part of the year, mobility work every morning, RIS after training, but then I got lazy.
Guess what happened. Hip flexor issues. I need to stay on this muscle group, keep them loose and stay open. Of course, my hips getting tight led to an unhappy right shoulder. But, everything seems to be good now.
Things will kick off tonight with some snatch practice and then a workout from Brad Nelson, just some burpees and swings. If you know Brad, this will be a lot harder than it looks on paper.
That's all I got.
BJ
No snow, a little rain and temperatures in, at least the 50's (some in the 60's and one in the 70's) was a welcomed change.
It was great to workout outside. There was a park 2 blocks from my mother-in-laws. We "played" there on almost a daily basis.
Push Ups
"Box" jumps
Bodyweight Rows
Burpees (150 for time on one day)
We even went for a run on a couple of the days, until Kori wiped out, tripping on a raised slab of sidewalk. That pretty much put an end to the running.
Now it's time to get serious again.
Even with all the activity I managed to weigh in at a whopping 176 (heavy for me), up 8lbs.
So, what to do?
Easy!
It's time to get to work!
Lots of Deadlifts and variations. Squats, too. I have stop OLY lifting for now, our platform is in the garage, and today's high is 18. Nuf said.
Lots of Snatches, I would like to get to point where I can go 10 minutes with one hand switch, with the 16kg first then the 24kg. Like most things this will be a large increase in work capacity, but also a good deal of work on technique. This is one "event" I won't be able to muscle my way through.
I think I would like to work on Jerks, too. I haven't done many in the past, but it looks like it would be "fun". And I know we will be doing some at the RKC Level II, so I might as well get acquainted with them.
I also want to keep up with doing CrossFit's MetCon stuff, it's fun, it's tough and it's a real challenge because since switching to mainly KB training, many of the moves I haven't trained in a long time.
In '08 I plan on making a much bigger commitment to flexibility. I was doing really well for the better part of the year, mobility work every morning, RIS after training, but then I got lazy.
Guess what happened. Hip flexor issues. I need to stay on this muscle group, keep them loose and stay open. Of course, my hips getting tight led to an unhappy right shoulder. But, everything seems to be good now.
Things will kick off tonight with some snatch practice and then a workout from Brad Nelson, just some burpees and swings. If you know Brad, this will be a lot harder than it looks on paper.
That's all I got.
BJ
Friday, December 21, 2007
Off to TX
It's 4:29 AM.....off to Texas. I'm going to try to get at least one entry while there. Hopefully some pcitures.
75 degrees here I come.
BJ
75 degrees here I come.
BJ
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Bodyweight only.
Because of Holiday Travel we are going to be "forced" to use only body weight resistance exercises until December 29th.
Some people would go nuts with the thought of this. The thoughts of atrophy, strength loss and decreasing snatch numbers would plague their minds.
Personally, I like high rep bodyweight (BW) workouts. They are a good change of pace and if all goes well I may even drop a couple of pounds. It will be nice to train outside if we choose as well.
We will be in Plano for a week. I plan to go for a couple good runs, lots of stretching and then the BW workouts.
Push up and squat variations will be the foundation and if I can a tree that will hold me, lots of pull ups.
I have a pair of PVC paralettes that I can break down so I will still be able to practice my Planche progressions, and maybe some L-sit practice.
All-in-all it will be a good little rest from the heavier weight and higher intensity stuff I have been doing as of late. Just a little rest and recovery.
I have ordered some grass fed Bison to be delivered to my mother-in-law's for some good grilling. I'll post a link to the site later. The quality is fantastic and they ship it frozen to your door in 2 days. Also, organic free range chicken's and turkeys are available. Yum.
If you have never had Bison, you don't know what your missing!
http://northstarbison.com/ check it out, the New York Strips Rock!!!!
Some people would go nuts with the thought of this. The thoughts of atrophy, strength loss and decreasing snatch numbers would plague their minds.
Personally, I like high rep bodyweight (BW) workouts. They are a good change of pace and if all goes well I may even drop a couple of pounds. It will be nice to train outside if we choose as well.
We will be in Plano for a week. I plan to go for a couple good runs, lots of stretching and then the BW workouts.
Push up and squat variations will be the foundation and if I can a tree that will hold me, lots of pull ups.
I have a pair of PVC paralettes that I can break down so I will still be able to practice my Planche progressions, and maybe some L-sit practice.
All-in-all it will be a good little rest from the heavier weight and higher intensity stuff I have been doing as of late. Just a little rest and recovery.
I have ordered some grass fed Bison to be delivered to my mother-in-law's for some good grilling. I'll post a link to the site later. The quality is fantastic and they ship it frozen to your door in 2 days. Also, organic free range chicken's and turkeys are available. Yum.
If you have never had Bison, you don't know what your missing!
http://northstarbison.com/ check it out, the New York Strips Rock!!!!
Monday, December 17, 2007
Sunday
Sunday was interesting.
See our kitchen sink had been clogged since Thursday. My Dad and I replaced everything under the sink and snaked the hell out of the pipes. We ran the snake all the way to the clean out to make sure it was clear, or so we thought.
We closed everything up turned on the water, and the sink filled up like we had done nothing.
This was Saturday.
Sunday, in come the big guns.
Armed with the Milwaukee Tools Sawzall, my dad cut the old galvanized piped right where it came through the floor. The plan was to install a rubber boot, new PVC and clean out and boot it back the existing plumbing just above where this pipe would join with the "main".
The Sawzall made quick work of the pipe.
Upon removing the whole section of the pipe, we got the Mag light and inspected the pipe where it came through the floor only to see it caked solid with "stuff".
It seems, even though the snake cam down to the clean out, we were merely pushing through the sludge. As we pulled it back the sludge whole closed, much like the android in Terminator II.
Anyway, my dad has this great idea. Obviously we need to clean the grime out of the section of pipe we are not replacing.
Armed with a wire coat hanger and the business end of the shop vac my dad starts to "clean' out the pipes. You can see where this is going.
So, it appears to be working really well, think of a Play-Doh Fun Factory, thats what was like. The sludge came out solid, as though someone was pressing the lever on the Fun Factory.
Then it happened.
To call it a shit storm, would be an understatement. The whole thing just let go. the rest of the sludge splattered. My dad got it the worst, I was just hit with a little shrapnel. But man, did it stink.
After that, everything went smooth.
Watched the DVR version of the Packer manhandle the Rams (the DVR version just means I FFwd through all replays and commercials. It only takes an hour to watch then.)
Then a workout.
I did CrossFit's "Angie"
Beat my last time by 11 minutes. But damn those pull ups kill me. Everything else flies by.
Got practice the kip, I can get 5-6 good reps and then it falls apart.
That's it. Just countin' down the days to vacation in TX. Leaving Friday, direct flight via MidWest Airlines. It's a regional carrier based in Milwaukee. If you ever have the chance, spend the extra money. "Two across" leather seating and hot chocolate chip cookies, MMMMMM.
There's a saying in Milwaukee, "If MidWest doesn't fly there, it not worth going."
'Til Later,
BJ
See our kitchen sink had been clogged since Thursday. My Dad and I replaced everything under the sink and snaked the hell out of the pipes. We ran the snake all the way to the clean out to make sure it was clear, or so we thought.
We closed everything up turned on the water, and the sink filled up like we had done nothing.
This was Saturday.
Sunday, in come the big guns.
Armed with the Milwaukee Tools Sawzall, my dad cut the old galvanized piped right where it came through the floor. The plan was to install a rubber boot, new PVC and clean out and boot it back the existing plumbing just above where this pipe would join with the "main".
The Sawzall made quick work of the pipe.
Upon removing the whole section of the pipe, we got the Mag light and inspected the pipe where it came through the floor only to see it caked solid with "stuff".
It seems, even though the snake cam down to the clean out, we were merely pushing through the sludge. As we pulled it back the sludge whole closed, much like the android in Terminator II.
Anyway, my dad has this great idea. Obviously we need to clean the grime out of the section of pipe we are not replacing.
Armed with a wire coat hanger and the business end of the shop vac my dad starts to "clean' out the pipes. You can see where this is going.
So, it appears to be working really well, think of a Play-Doh Fun Factory, thats what was like. The sludge came out solid, as though someone was pressing the lever on the Fun Factory.
Then it happened.
To call it a shit storm, would be an understatement. The whole thing just let go. the rest of the sludge splattered. My dad got it the worst, I was just hit with a little shrapnel. But man, did it stink.
After that, everything went smooth.
Watched the DVR version of the Packer manhandle the Rams (the DVR version just means I FFwd through all replays and commercials. It only takes an hour to watch then.)
Then a workout.
I did CrossFit's "Angie"
Beat my last time by 11 minutes. But damn those pull ups kill me. Everything else flies by.
Got practice the kip, I can get 5-6 good reps and then it falls apart.
That's it. Just countin' down the days to vacation in TX. Leaving Friday, direct flight via MidWest Airlines. It's a regional carrier based in Milwaukee. If you ever have the chance, spend the extra money. "Two across" leather seating and hot chocolate chip cookies, MMMMMM.
There's a saying in Milwaukee, "If MidWest doesn't fly there, it not worth going."
'Til Later,
BJ
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Squats.
Haven't done them in quite a while.
I have recently started reading "Starting Strength" by Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore. All I can say is -- AWESOME BOOK!!
No matter how advanced you think you are there is something everyone can take away from this book. The exercises are broken down piece by piece into simple easily explained snippets. Rippetoe has the same ability as Pavel to take a seemingly simple move (like a squat), break it down and show just how many things needs to happen in order in order to perform the exercise. And, do it all in an easily "readable" and "understandable" fashion.
Anyway.
Squats.
I've never done "low bar" squats. Coming from more of a Weightlifting background it was all "high bar" with my Addistars on.
I'm someone who'll always try something new, so I figured, "What the hell!" It turns the CF WOD was back squats in the following rep scheme.
5, 3, 3, 3, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1
Probably not the best idea to test a 1RM on a an exercise I have never bothered to "groove", but I never said I was full of good ideas.
I would never do this with a client, but I have been known to be a little reckless with my own body.
135x5, 155x3, 175x3, 205x3, 225x1, 245x1, 265x1 3 sets
I didn't feel comfortable adding after 265. My legs had plenty of gas left in the tank, but I didn't trust myself with the new bar position.
The "low bar" was...different. Not better, not worse, just different.
It's solid, the bar stays in place even though it may feel like it's going to slide down your back. As long as you cue yourself to keep the back in extension (both lumber and thoracic) and keep the elbows high, the bar stays pinned in place.
This position noticeably allows you to load the hamstrings, a lot. This will be my new squat "style" for now. I'd like to see if I can get my squat back up to the 500 mark, along with my deadlift. The way the "low bar" squat bring my hamstrings into the lift, I don't see why it wouldn't be possible.
On another note:
I'm really laying the pressure on my good friend Steve Wittemann to start a blog. There are times I'm surprised his head doesn't explode...there is that much info in there.
Steve is a former Strength and Conditioning Coach and Head Athletic Trainer at Marquette University High School, and has been an ATC and in the trenches for over 15 years.
He also took over 30 minutes of his Half Ironman time with the help of Kettlebells.
Stay tuned.
BJ
I have recently started reading "Starting Strength" by Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore. All I can say is -- AWESOME BOOK!!
No matter how advanced you think you are there is something everyone can take away from this book. The exercises are broken down piece by piece into simple easily explained snippets. Rippetoe has the same ability as Pavel to take a seemingly simple move (like a squat), break it down and show just how many things needs to happen in order in order to perform the exercise. And, do it all in an easily "readable" and "understandable" fashion.
Anyway.
Squats.
I've never done "low bar" squats. Coming from more of a Weightlifting background it was all "high bar" with my Addistars on.
I'm someone who'll always try something new, so I figured, "What the hell!" It turns the CF WOD was back squats in the following rep scheme.
5, 3, 3, 3, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1
Probably not the best idea to test a 1RM on a an exercise I have never bothered to "groove", but I never said I was full of good ideas.
I would never do this with a client, but I have been known to be a little reckless with my own body.
135x5, 155x3, 175x3, 205x3, 225x1, 245x1, 265x1 3 sets
I didn't feel comfortable adding after 265. My legs had plenty of gas left in the tank, but I didn't trust myself with the new bar position.
The "low bar" was...different. Not better, not worse, just different.
It's solid, the bar stays in place even though it may feel like it's going to slide down your back. As long as you cue yourself to keep the back in extension (both lumber and thoracic) and keep the elbows high, the bar stays pinned in place.
This position noticeably allows you to load the hamstrings, a lot. This will be my new squat "style" for now. I'd like to see if I can get my squat back up to the 500 mark, along with my deadlift. The way the "low bar" squat bring my hamstrings into the lift, I don't see why it wouldn't be possible.
On another note:
I'm really laying the pressure on my good friend Steve Wittemann to start a blog. There are times I'm surprised his head doesn't explode...there is that much info in there.
Steve is a former Strength and Conditioning Coach and Head Athletic Trainer at Marquette University High School, and has been an ATC and in the trenches for over 15 years.
He also took over 30 minutes of his Half Ironman time with the help of Kettlebells.
Stay tuned.
BJ
New 3 Column Layout.
Even with my lack of HTML I was able to upload a 3 column layout. Not Bad.
Now Back to Training!!
Now Back to Training!!
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