Interesting back off effects

History:
Plateaued at ~215#'s with a recent jump to 218/220
Training hard using Kettlebell Burn and ITF Tae Kwon Do
Diet: Warrior Diet


Symptoms:
the 24kg suddenly felt heavy. I mean really heavy. 
A 24kg bell is the low end of my working weight, so for it to feel heavy was odd.


Sleep:
So-so till last week. Then whammo, 5am wake ups (hour before alarm clock) or worse a 2am wake up and not being able to go back to bed.

Course of action:
First and foremost, I did a food log for a week and discovered that I have been chronically under-eating. Which is odd, because you would think that would be very hard, but the Warrior Diet conditions you to eat light during the day. After a while, with out realizing it, I had cut my calories Waaaay back.

So step 1.
Eat more quality nutrients (range fed beef, chicken, organic  fruits and veggies)

Step 2.
No training. I did do some yard work, which got me sweaty, but light compared to heavy bell work.

Results:
Sleep is still an issue (5am roll call, but no 2am BS)
My weight has dropped to 216 while eating more!

I feel better over all. Monday will be TKD and I wont start lifting again till Tuesday.

up at 2am - Insomnia

Definitely time for a layoff...no matter how good I feel at lunch time I am not slinging today...I think I am in burnout mode....

Tae Kwon Do

Did some good defense knife blocks, lots of punching and kicking. A little jump 'n roll 'n crescent kicks with stepping side kick and elbow strikes...

all in all, a good session.

KBB Week 10 (B)

20kg Contralateral Single leg deadlift Ladder (3 rungs) repeated 8x
Time: 14.5min

28kg C&P 5reps Left and then 28kg Front Squat 5reps Left
28kg C&P 5reps Right and then 28kg Front Squat 5reps Right
Repeat 4x in 15min

20kg 1h swing 30:30
10min

Sunday

Took my bell to my pistol training class.

24kg 1H Swings 20:10
5 mins
Clean
Overhead Walk
repeated twice.

Good day.

Phase 3 Week 9 (A)

28Kg Snatch ladder, 3rungs
7 sets (each side) in 13.5min
PR bump using 28kg.
72 snatches total

28kg Alternating TGU
9 per side total in 15min
(18 total)

20kg 1H Swing 20:10
5min
Aiming for 10min.

KBB Phase 3, week 9 (B)

16kg Contralateral Single leg deadlift Ladder (3 rungs) repeated 6x
Time: 15min

28kg C&P 5reps Left
28kg Front Squat 5reps Left

28kg C&P 5reps right
28kg Front Squat 5reps Right
too heavy for today - Switch to 24kg
24kg C&P 5reps right, 24kg Front Squat 5reps Right
24kg C&P 5reps left, 24kg Front Squat 5reps Left
did this for 4 sets + the first set in 15min

20kg 1h swing 20:10
8m30sec

Phase 3, week 9 (A)

24Kg Snatch ladder, 3rungs
7 sets (each side) in 13min

24kg Alternating TGU 10/side
in 15min

20kg 1H Swing 20:10
3min then had to drop to
16kg 1h swing 20:10
2:30min

Aiming for 10min.

Snatches this AM

All I had was me 28kg with me at the hotel so I tried working a few 2H-swings, 1H swings,  followed up by a few snatches.

I am REALLY surprised how hard a 28kg snatch is compared to a 24kg!

Only did a few sets of 5 before tweaking my left lat. I am supposed to start KBB phase 3 this week with a bell that I can do 5RM Snatches with. I think that might be the 28kg!

KBB week 8 (b)

On travel w/ 1 bell, so in the hotel i did:
28kg C&P 3reps each side for 12 sets (last set was assisted by other arm.)

Rest 3m

28kg Getup Situp, 5reps each side (4 sets)
28kg Reverse Lunge, 8 reps each side (3 sets)
Repeat for 15min
rest 3m


Phase 3 starts next week and I cannot freaking wait for the change in moves (snatches, etc!)

Koski's Strength and Conditioning

I will be at Koski's Strength and Conditioning Studio today from 5-7 for his grand opeing celebration.
Swing on by and say howdy!

 Email from Suzanne:

In celebration of  our fabulous, new fitness studio, Bob and Suzanne are hosting a Client Appreciation Open House this Friday night July 16, from 5 to 7 pm at 181 Central Park Square, next door to Origami. Come enjoy appetizers, win door prizes and check out our new space!!Hope to see you

Tae Kwon Do!

My school is finally back up and running. It felt great to be hitting things again.

Pretty mild day all in all. The school has picked up some young'ins so we were hitting basics today.
I need to convince my barbie-princess-fairy-butterfly daughter to take TKD with me!

Happy Happy Joy Joy....

A small skirmish in my battle against my bodyfat.

Weight: 216  -No, that's not the news.

Belly measurement: 37.5" - Yes, that's the news. I have dropped an inch off of my waist!

W00t!

KBB week 8 (b)

 (1) 32kg Assisted Press (3reps each side) then back to 28kg C&P 3reps each side for 9 more sets

Rest 3m

28kg Getup Situp, 5reps each side (4 sets)
28kg Reverse Lunge, 8 reps each side (3 sets)
Repeat for 15min
rest 3m


16kg 1h Swings 30:30 Protocol**
10min

** Today should have been a no swing day, but since my conditioning has been lackluster up till now, I added it back in. Maybe I will take Fri off.

KBB Week 7 (A)

Strength
24kg TGU 3reps Left, then 3 reps Right.
4 sets + 1 rep at the very end on each side to finish up the time...
15min total
Rest 3 Min

Metabolic Pairings:
40kg Goblet Squat for 11 reps        PR!
32kg Staggered Stance Row 11l/10R       PR!
Rest 60 sec
Repeat 4x (appx 12min)

To wiped from the 11rep sets to do swings...even w/ the 16kg I was in shit form...ergo, no swings!

AFAA Update

As you recall, during fathers day weekend I had to take the AFAA Personal Trainer cert so I can continue teaching kettlebells @ the Y.

Well, On tuesday I got my Card! W00t!

Next up.....RKC baby...

Update to my Geoff Neuport Email on KBB

So my intrepid webslingers, when we last left this thread I had sent an email to Geoff noting how my swings w/ a 16kilo (my baby weight) was crisper at the end of his KBB workout.

[Read the previous blog post to catch up...]

My theory was that by the end, you can't muscle the bell through with shitty form, which was what I was trying to do with a heavy bell. He advised me it was ok to go low.

You know what? It worked swimmingly!

Got a reply yesterday from G when I told him about it.

Excellent, Sean!

And you are correct in your guess.

Look forward to hearing about more of your progress.

Nice guy. I like that he takes the time to respond to the little people.

I'm 6'5" /215#, so Geoff must be huge if I am a little person.

Cheers!

Email to class 003 about lead toxicity and dieting

Ok, so I keep forgetting to relay this info.

But first, good job last night. Except for [redacted] who now has an unexcused absence on her permanent record.

Two things, one toxins, and one about dieting.

First and foremost, a report came out several months ago about high lead and/or cadmium levels on an undisclosed brand of Chinese made kettlebells. Which brand? No one is saying (fear of lawsuits, eh?). The problem, with the exception of perhaps two brands, all KB's are made in China!

So follow simple lead safety guidelines: When you are done handling, well, really any metal, wash your hands. The primary route for this type of lead poisoning is through ingestion, not touching. Wash your hands after class!

Now I have no idea if the bells we use are bad. Truthfully, I have used this brand for years and have not see any signs of lead toxicity. Be prudent. Wash your hands. I would apply this to all metal contact (including dumbbells, barbells plates, etc..)



Second.

I just read Dan John's 'Never Let Go'  book and he had an interesting piece of advice on dieting.His recommendation?

Go hardcore for one month.

For one month follow whatever plan you are on to a tee.
You see, one strict month is manageable for most of us.
Its easier to resist the donuts or candy machine for one month, than it is to resist them when you are on the forever diet plan that most of us employ.

I personally have taken this advice to heart and I am telling you it makes your will power so much stronger.

I know I know, you guys are thinking, but Sean, you are like a freaking manly man adonis, you dont need to diet!  (I hope your laughing now...)

Well, sadly, I do. I am really struggling with "the last 20 pounds". And truthfully I have been for nearly a year. There is some mystical magical barrier that my body throws up when I hit this weight. Its evil. So I have been super strict, following my diet plan and things are starting to happen.

Best of all, the results are spurring me on. I am going to try 1 more month of strictness. After that, I may switch to a muscle building plan, or maybe just a maintenance plan, and then I will come back to my diet.



Finally, here is one of my fav quotes:

“We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.” -Jim Rohn

Where were you a year ago? What if you had been disciplined one year ago, where would you be? Where do you want to be in one year? 


Have a good weekend , see you Tuesday, when we watch [redacted] perform a bulgarian split squat snatch windmill triple lindsey for the class to make penance for missing Thursday.

-Sean

Snatch Drill

Had a few minutes befor emy PM Kettlebell Burn class, so I did 100 24kg Snatches.

10L/10R no time constraint, rest as needed.
repeat till I hit 100

The goal was just to get used to the volume.

CAMO BELLS!

KBB Week 7 B

28kg C&P 3reps each side
repeated for 9 sets.
Rest 3m
28kg Getup Situp, 5reps each side (4 sets)
28kg Reverse Lunge, 8 reps each side (4 sets)
Repeat for 15min
rest 5m (longer so I can recharge for swings)

16kg 1h Swings 30:30 Protocol
goal: 10min
Reality: 10min!

Email from Geoff

My edited email to Geoff Neupert

Howdy Geoff,

Right now I just finished week 6 of KBB. Here's my question, how do I pick the right size bell for the swings.

By the end of the Strength & Metabolic Pairings, I find I have little left in the tank for swings. I am consistently failing at 5min or less on the finishers.

Should I drop to a 20kg or 16kg? (edit: I was using a 24 in phase 1)

I also sent him a copy of my latest training log. His reply:

You're an animal!

 Ok, I may have edited that last part... ;o)

Why don't you alternate between bell sizes? Use what you're normally using on one session, then drop to a lighter bell the next session and repeat the sequence? For the lighter bell, use the size that you think will allow you to complete the Finishers. Err on the side of caution, so go as light as you think necessary. If there's any doubt, then it's probably too heavy.

I dropped to a 16kilo today and what was interesting was that prior to this session,  I always felt that I had much better swing form with a heavy weight. I know they say your 8kg swing should look exactly like your 24kg swing, but I always felt I got more ham activation using a heavier bell.

With this program tho, after getting smoked doing the first two parts of the routine, the swing finishers with a 16kilo actually felt crisper, with WAY more ham activation than I have felt in a long time!

WEIRD!


I can only think that when your toasted, doing those last sets of swing forces you to rely ONLY on good technique, where as when you are fresh, you can muscle through it. By using a heavy bell in my previous attempts, all I noticed was crap form because I was too fried to swing properly.

All in all, it was a great session. I hope to sleep like the dead tonight. I'm toast!

KBB Week 7 (A)

Strength
24kg TGU 3reps Left, then 3 reps Right.
4 sets
Rest 3 Min

Metabolic Pairings:
40kg Goblet Squat for 10 reps
32kg Staggered Stance Row 10l/10R
Rest 60 sec
Repeat 4x (appx 12min)

rest 5+ min...
Actually felt nauseous. Holding off on swings for a while. No need to puke.

KBB Week 6 (B)

28kg C&P 3reps each side
repeated for 10 sets.
Still had 2m left so I dropped to 24kg for 1 more on each side.
(11 sets, so 66 reps total)
Rest 3m

28kg Getup Situp, 5reps each side (4 sets)
28kg Reverse Lunge, 8 reps each side (3 sets)
Repeat for 15min
rest 5m (longer so I can recahrge for swings)

24kg 1h Swings 20:10 Protocol
goal: 10min
Reality: 5min

Sigh...I need to work on swings on my off days...

KBB Week 6 (A)

Strength
24kg TGU 3reps Left, then 3 reps Right.
Lost track of sets but I did it for 15min
Rest 3 Min

Metabolic Pairings:
40kg Goblet Squat for 9 reps
32kg Staggered Stance Row 9l/9R
Rest 60 sec

40kg Goblet Squat for 9 reps
32kg Staggered Stance Row 9l/9R
Rest 120 sec (2x as long as I was supposed to, but I was gassed)

40kg Goblet Squat for 9 reps
32kg Staggered Stance Row 9l/9R
Rest 60 sec

40kg Goblet Squat for 9 reps
32kg Staggered Stance Row 9l/9R
Goal 15min, made it 14min.

rest 3 min...

Finisher:
24kg 1H Swing L 20:10
24kg 1H Swing R 20:10
CRAPPY FORM!

So stopped. Too tired.