Monday!

I got up and did DBK1 again this morning. Good stuff.
Yesterday was Taekwondo. Fun and a good workout.
Saturday was the first day back for the kids with the ski team. I got 31 runs in. Yes, they are short runs, but it was fun. Since we were there early, there weren't many in the terrain park, so I went down that several times, including over the big rollers. I even got a tiny bit of air. I took a few runs down the slalom course when no kids were in line. I'm planning on participating in the Iowa Games later this month, so I figured I should practice a bit. There's no way I'll be competitive, but even participating will be a big thing for me. It's possible there won't be many people in my age group, so who knows! Haha! One good bit of practice was that one turn got really icy, so I had to not wipe out. I managed to hold on each time, but I'm sure it wasn't pretty. It was a chilly day, but with little wind and a bright sun, it was great! So enjoyable. It's days like that that help me get through winter with a smile rather than grudgingly.

DBK2

Good morning!

The next kettlebell workout is done. Another good one, setting the groundwork for cleans and Turkish get ups. I think I'm going to need to do some extra stretching or foam rolling today. I felt a couple little twinges in my right hip/very low back afterwards. I have to admit, given my past history, anything like that makes me nervous.

Tonight is taekwondo class. I'm excited to go back. I hope having done this morning's workout won't be too much! I'm making sure to eat plenty today to account for the extra activity.

Second day back

Today was the first full-fledged kettlebell workout in the Daily Burn DBK program. It's called DBK1, I guess. According to the schedule I'll be doing this one a total of seven times. There are 6 full kettlebell workouts that are alternated, also some yoga and mobility programs are mixed in, so a total of 3 kettlebell workouts are on the plan per week.

The workout was well done. It included some mobility/warm-up then continued to the meat of the program, which was several moves repeated for four times so that the moves that were single-sided were done twice on each side. The moves were done for time, so if you can't quite keep up with their pace, that is fine. I could tell the moves are prep work for proper form in the bread-and-butter kettlebell moves, which I assume we are building up to in later sessions. I'm very happy they do it this way. Even though I am experienced with kettlebells, it's great for me to review the basics and I'd question the program that starts right in without training proper movement. Although these were basic moves, that doesn't mean it was an easy workout. I ended up with plenty of sweat and I'm sure I'll be sore tomorrow. Of course, the nice thing about working with weights is that if it doesn't feel challenging, just increase the weight. I used a 12kg kettlebell, lighter than I used to use for most things, but for where I am now, it was perfect. I assume that by round #7 of DBK1, I'll be using a 16kg or 20kg kettlebell. After the kettlebell section, we hit the yoga mat for yoga-style stretching.

I thought the cueing was good. The instructor (Cody Storey) had plenty to say on form and why we do it this way, etc. I think that's extra important in a video workout because nobody is there to point out when you are doing it wrong.

Low on time

I was in a bit of a rush today, so I skipped the warm up. I got done in a good amount of time with what remained, even with my son bugging me!

Phase1B - 3
Anti-rotation static hold - 2x30s/side, used band, tighter this time
Elevated plank - (feet on bench, forearms down) 10x10s on, 3s rest
Elevated side plank - (feet on bench, forearm down, arm and leg up) 10x5s on, 3s rest, L then R
Dumbbell single leg RDL - 2x12/legx20kg
Dumbbell alternating OH press - non working hand held up w/weight - 2x12/arm x15#
OH squat - 2x12x20# BB
Cable kneeling pulldown - 12x60#, 12x65#

Saturday, I was joined by a few people for kettlebells. I taught the swing and all did well. Getting a strong hip snap comes with time. It was more of an instruction than a workout. Even my son did well learning the move. He had done it before but tended to round his back and look down. My daughter came down toward the end and did some swings with good form from the start! Having the light KBs for them is nice.

A little closer to the Fever

 I still don't like high-rep squats, but today I did a few more... a little closer to the prescribed Kettlebell Fever! I did knock down the squat weight a bit, but instead I added some of the finisher at the end.

Warmup
Alt 10 halos / 10 touch the wall drill x2

Part 1
Alt 10 touch the wall drill / 5 goblet squats 10kg x3
Part 2
Alt touch the wall / goblet squats 18# 1-> 10 (should have been 20!?!)
Part 3
Alt towel swing 16kg / plank, swings: 10,15,20,10 planks: 1@20s

Finisher
Goblet squat 2x5 16kg

Kettlebell Fever

I was looking around for a kettlebell routine to do and realized I had a few resources already available. So, I pulled out Kettlebell Fever today. It's a 12-workout program. I modified today and probably will continue to, since I don't like high-rep squats. Today, I also didn't leave myself enough time to do the whole program, since I was looking for programs first!

Warmup
Alt 10 halos / 10 touch the wall drill x2

Part 1
Alt 10 touch the wall drill / 5 goblet squats 12kg x3

Part 2
Alt touch the wall / goblet squats 10kg 1-> 8 (should have been 20!?! I shortened.)

Part 3
Alt towel swing 16kg / plank, swings: 10,15,20,10 planks: 1
Asked the kids to push me around on the last plank :)

I skipped the finisher of 20 goblet squats.

It looks like the next workout is the same. I'll think of something to throw in to sub for the load of goblet squats. I'll keep a lot of them, but I'm also squatting on my lifting days and don't need to overdo it.

Strengthening the shoulder

More TGU work today!

TGUs:
LRLRLR 12kg
LR 16kg
LR 10kg 23seconds at each of 12 positions on each side

Then I went outside and ran a mile.

TGUs

Not a very exciting workout today. It was tough for me but doesn't look like much.

mobility
TGU LR 12kg
TGU LR 16kg
TGU LR 10kg 22sec hold at each station (12 stations)

My new favorite TGU variant

This morning, I started off with 5 sun salutations. After my workshop on sun salutations a couple weeks ago, I feel much more comfortable with going about them without any guide. So, I did three different variations this morning. I still have to refer to a paper to remember what to do. I'm going to work on memorizing the flow. Reading a paper takes me out of the zone. I'm thinking this is a nice warm up to a workout!

After the sun salutations, I went on kettlebells:

2xTGU LR 12kg
TGU LR 20sec per position 10kg
2H swing 4x20rep done at 30/30 20kg
foam roll

The 20sec per position TGU was awesome. It was a very hard move. It caused me to keep a strong focus on my form. In case you are wondering, this turns a TGU into a 4minute move! After that, I knew I didn't have a whole lot left in me. I was hoping for more than 4 sets of swings, but my body told me it was enough. Phew!

Short but sweet KB workout

Yesterday I lifted. I was dropping back on two of the moves, now I'll drop back on the third! I'm going to stick with this a while, even though I don't know if it is working well for me, yet.

Squat - 5x45#, 5x60#, 3x70#, 3x5x80#
Bench Press - 5x45#, 4x60#, 3x75#, 4x90#, 3x90#
Deadlift - 5x135#, 3x147#, 5x150# (oops, I made the 2nd weight thinking I was heading toward 160#, not 150#!)


Now, for today, a quick KB workout. The TGU portion really worked my shoulders. Great stuff.

Mobility complex
TGU - LR slow, LR 10sec at each position - 12kg
Swings 8 rounds of 30sec on/30sec off
2H 2x20 - 20kg
1H 2x (2x5R5L) - 16kg
1H 2x (5R5L3R3L2R2L) - 16kg
2H 2x20 - 20kg

A quick KB workout

I was re-reading parts of my HKC manual today, so there wasn't much time left for my workout. I did get a good sweat in, though. Here it is! (I'm not doing goblet squats, since my lifting program has me back squatting every time right now.)

Foam roll
2x (LR TGU 12kg)
2H swings ladder - 5-10-15-20  20kg
1H swings ladder - 2L2R - 4L4R - 6L6R - 8L8R - 10L10R  16kg
2H swings ladder - 5-10-15-20  20kg

More lifting!

Sunday was this kettlebell workout:
3x LR TGU 12kg
2x (20 2H swings 20kg)
2x (2x 5L5R 1H swings 16kg)
5x 2L2R 1H swings 16kg
10x LR 1H swings 16kg
2x (20 2H swings 20kg)

Then today was this workout:
Foam rolling
Squat - 2x5x45#, 5x55#, 2x5x65#, 3x75#, 3x5x87#
Bench Press - 5x45#, 5x65#, 3x75#, 3x5x87#
Deadlift - 5x135#, 5x160#

And this morning, I found a trigger point in my back. I'm thinking of going to a masseuse to see if more can be found...

That's about it for now!

Swollen finger

This morning I got in a short but sweet kettlebell workout.
I did:
4 arm bars each side 10kg
2L2R TGU 10kg
LR TGU 12kg
LR TGU 16kg - this felt really solid!
2H swing 4x20 20kg

Unfortunately the swings plus carrying around a bucket full of soil today made my sore finger swell up. It has been slightly tender since I hurt it a week and a half ago. I guess I should sub something for my dead lifts tomorrow!

Healing knee

The knee is healing well, except that I tore the scab a bit trying to do a Turkish Get Up this morning.

This morning I did this:
2H swing - 10x20kg
jump-up chin-up + negative
10s RKC plank
chin-up (regular)
2H swing - 5x20x20kg
alternated with:
push-up - 2x10
goblet squat - 2x5x16kg
then:
1H swing - 20x20kg alternating, 6R6L4R4Lx20kg

Yesterday I ran 3.24 miles. This time I stayed upright. I used my Merrell Pace Gloves and managed to stay upright. I ran to a 170bpm Podrunner podcast. That seems to be a comfortable cadence in these shoes.

May 14, I did this:
Bench Press - 10x45#, 5x75#, 3x85#, 3x95#
Chin up - 1, 1, 1/2 + negative, negative
Goblet Squat - 4x3x16kg

My grip!

I wasn't expecting to challenge my grip that much today, but I did! Swining the 20kg kettlebell really works it. Overall, it was a good, tough workout considering I dilly dallied too much beforehand.

Foam roll
TGU 2xRL 12kg
2H Swing   20   20   20   20   20   20   20   20
           20kg 20kg 20kg 20kg 20kg 16kg 16kg 16kg
Gob Squat  3    2    1    1    1    1    1    1
           12kg -->
  

A new HKC!

I've been delaying this post, because I wanted to do a full writeup of the HKC class that I attended recently. I'm not sure I'm going to get around to something that is as thorough as I'd like, so I'm just going to cover it briefly for now.

I arrived in Chicago on Friday afternoon and attended a two hour seminar with Dan John. It was a very interesting seminar, talking about many training and programming issues and including little mini-workouts as demonstrations throughout.

The next day was the HKC led by Master RKC Dan John. We started off with the "strength test", which is admittedly wimpy for the women. We only needed to do a 15 second flexed arm hang. The guys had to do 5 pull-ups/chin-ups. Then, we spent something like 2-3 hours on the swing, about an hour on the goblet squat, and maybe two hours on the Turkish Get-Up (TGU). All along, there were mini-workouts, where we would try out the prep work and correctives we were learning about and also showed examples of how to put together moves to form an effective workout. We paired up with different attendees each time, which ended up being great. There were several RKCs there to point out things and answer questions. The last couple hours were spent practicing teaching each other the moves and being tested for competence in the moves.

In the end, I passed. I was sore for three days afterward. None of the mini-workouts were that intense by themselves, but over the course of a full day, they added up.

All in all, the weekend was wonderful and I learned a ton! I enjoyed meeting Dan John and spending time with some friends!

Catching up again!

Several workouts to report!
I've been working on kettlebell form, since my HKC instructor certification is only two weeks away!
I think I'm ready. People are surprised when I tell them I'm going to an all-day class to learn to teach three moves. Ha! I've only heard good things from those who have been through it, though.

I sent several form check videos to friends, including one RKC, and got some excellent advice. I've already made some great strides with my goblet squats and will work some more on TGUs over the next two weeks.

April 6:
Foam Rolling
DL - 3x135#, 3x165#, 5x170#, 5x175#
RDL - 4x10x135#
Hanging Knee Raise - 4x10

April 9:
Foam rolling
Goblet Squat - 4x12kg, 4x16kg, 3x16kg
2-hand KB swings - 7x20x16kg

April 10:
Foam rolling
BB Floor Press - 5x45#, 3x65#, 2x85#, 5x90#, 5x95#
Diamond Push-up (subbed for dips)- 4x10
Inverted row, palms up, knees bent - 4x10

April 12:
Squats. I was focusing on form, so I didn't have time for some of the accessory work. I do think I made some progress, though, so it was worth it.
BB Squat - 5x45#, 4x65#, 3x75#, 2x5x85#
BB Rev. Lunge - 2x10x45#
Hanging Knee Raise - 2x10

April 13:
12 to 1 ladder of 2-handed swings, goblet squats, and push-ups.
16kg for the swings, for the goblet squats: 20# for the first 2 sets, 12kg for the next 4 sets, 16kg for the last 6. Making lots of progress on the squats!

Today:
2.7 mile run in VFFs. Warm (55F) but very foggy and wet! Left calf is very tight.

Working on KB stuff

I took a part of my workout from a friend today. I started off with TGUs that were broken down into the positions. 3x each position, but 3 windmills and waiter walks.  It was a lot of time under the weight, so I kept the waiter walks short.  Also, I could only do it with the 20# kettlebell. Tough! My right shoulder is feeling a bit wonky, so I feel like these will be really good for it.
Then, I wanted to work on my kettlebell swings, particularly the one-handed swings. The 1H swings are improving. My grip is getting better as well as my hip snap.  Woot!!

16kg - 2H - 20, 20
12kg - 1H - 10R10L, 5R5L5R5L, 5R5L5R5L, 5R5L5R5L, 5x(2R2L)
16kg - 1H - 5R5L5R5L, 5R5L5R5L, 5x(2R2L)
16kg - 2H - 20, 20, 20

I've identified my next home gym purchase: fractional plates.

Done deloading

Last week was a deload week, so I didn't have much to post.

Yesterday, I did my grip-killing workout. Then, today, I made the mistake of doing a kettlebell swing workout. Yikes. Forearms are not happy. I had to switch to the lighter kettlebell just to finish.

Yesterday:
mobility and foam rolling
Barbell deadlift - 4x135#, 3x145#, 7x155#, 2x7x160# (misloaded the last set; thought I was putting on 165#, but forgot a 5# plate. Doh! Didn't notice the imbalance at all.)
Romanian deadlift - 5x7x135#
Hanging knee raise - 5x8

Today:
Lots of 2-handed and 1-handed swings thanks to Tracy Reifkind.

Forearms on fire!

Great workout today. I made it up. My fore arms are burning! The getups were feeling great with the 12kg. In the past, I've been challenged with the 20# bell.

I used the Tivo a lot today. I have it set to record me, then I can watch my form while I rest. I love it!

My daughter was with me during the workout. She wants a kettlebell now, one that is her size. She can lift the 20# bell, but not swing it. I might just get her one!

Foam rolling
Halos 5 per side 12kg
TGUs 20# 2R2L - 12kg RL - 2R2L - 2R2L
Pushups 6-8-6-6-7
Goblet squats - 16kg 5x10
2H swings 2x10 - 3x20
1H swings 12kg 2x[5R5L-4R4L-3R3L-2R2L-RLRLRL], 16kg 5R5L
2H swings 16kg 30-20-10