I like the consistency continued in here. Any physique changes from all the pulls? If you ever do move to Michigan your gonna need a ski for that bike !
[quote]barbedwired wrote:
I like the consistency continued in here. Any physique changes from all the pulls? If you ever do move to Michigan your gonna need a ski for that bike ![/quote]
Dude! Thanks for dropping in.
Re: physique, definitely. My upper back looks and feels “monstrous” - and my shoulders are getting quite rounded and broad. I think there’s a rock-solid 175 pounds or so lurking inside my 205-pound frame; just need to keep that muscle and lean out (don’t we all?). But I do really like my plan for the New Year w/the mix of KB’s and pump work, and I expect good results by next summer if I stick to the plan. Which now includes a heavier kettlebell. furo, the game is on.
If I ever do move to Michigan, I’ll quit biking except for the summer months, lol. I’m hardy but not THAT hardy. Riding a bike in any weather under 40 degrees F is NOT a pleasant experience.
Ah awesome stuff! :). I like the idea of being a functional badass survivalist :). I’m excited to follow your progress. I train with my fiance too and she likes the 88lber for deadlifts, so that could be an option for your gf. All the best man!
[quote]furo wrote:
I train with my fiance too and she likes the 88lber for deadlifts, so that could be an option for your gf. All the best man! [/quote]
Kind of thinking this myself.
I think at first she just had no reference point at all for what was “heavy” so she thought even deadlifting a 45-pound bell would be heavy for her, but I think she’s already figured out that swinging the 20/25 and deadlifting the 35/45 for good reps are well within her capabilities. I’m sure she could work up to DL’ing an 88 (probably faster than she expects, really). I think she’s still kind of in “Won’t this make me bulky?” mode but slowly moving out of that as she feels stronger and leaner from the swings and other stuff she does with me.
Does your fiance do similar stuff to you? I.E. a similar KB workout just scaled to her weights? If you tell me that she does swings with your 28 kg, I will revoke my own man card until I purchase a heavier bell.
Lol I know exactly what you mean, I think your gf will really surprise herself with how strong she is. It took a long time to persuade my fiance to try to lift the 40kg once and now she does 3x15 deadlifts and that’s without training consistently. She can swing the 28kg for 20 reps two handed, which is over half her bodyweight. She doesn’t train consistently but I think she is very strong.
Catching up on a few days of workouts…this is all while at “home” with my GF, shuttling back and forth between our various family events. We brought the 45 and 25 pound bells, and we’re also taking advantage and getting some yoga classes in at our hometown studio, which is actually where we met a little over a year ago.
Anyways…
Sun 12/21
A1. KB Swings 20x45
A2. DB Curls 12x15’s (my GF’s sister has a few light DB’s)
A3. One Arm Swings 10x25
Ten rounds.
Mon 12/22
AM - Bikram Yoga Class (90 Minutes) with my GF
PM - Bench Press Workout with my Dad
Tue 12/23
AM - 100 KB Clean-N-Press (30 Min) while my GF went for a run
PM - 200 KB Swings and 30 KB Clean-N-Press - with my GF
Wed 12/24
Bikram Yoga Class (90 Minutes) with my GF and mom
Also, I will log my workouts here until just after the New Year and then start a new log when I formally begin my “pull-ups, swings, and pump work” program.
Merry Christmas training partner, looking forward to the new log and a new year of progress :).
[quote]furo wrote:
Merry Christmas training partner, looking forward to the new log and a new year of progress :).[/quote]
Indeed! Best to you and your fiance this holiday season! I’ll toss up the new log in early January, and of course I’ll keep checking in with yours as well. Enjoy what remains of 2014!
Re KB weight–when I first started doing swings for conditioning work, I used a 50 lber. Why? Because that was the heaviest bell in the gym. After using it for a period of time, I approached the gym owner and convinced him to buy a 60# and a 70#, and worked my way up to doing my workout with the 70.
But after using the 70 for a time, I sensed that my workouts were not as productive as they had been with the lighter bells. The difference is in the nature of the movement–I can swing the 50 explosively, whereas the 70 is too heavy for me to swing in anything but a ‘deliberate’ fashion (ie, more of a hoist than an explosion). Because of this, I’ve reverted to using the 50. (Sorry, gym owner guy.) On each swing, I try to accelerate the bell as fast as I can with an explosive hip thrust. The bell ends up moving fast enough to where I have to actively decelerate it (ie, brake) at the top of the swing. I cannot swing the 70 in like manner.
In short, IMO explosive swings are more productive in a ‘condition-y’ sense. So consider carving out some space in your workout for a lighter bell.
Thanks, EyeDentist.
I certainly don’t plan to abandon the 45er. I agree that the explosive nature of the movement is important - I just want to have a heavier bell for the option of light/heavy contrast and a little heavier loading for certain movements.
Speaking of which…
Thursday 12/25
Kettlebell Workout (25 Minutes)
Early workout on Christmas Day with my GF. Assorted movements - deadlifts, goblet squats, swings, cleans and presses. I’m sure there were at least 200 swings in there along with a few dozen of the other movements.
Friday 12/26
Bikram Yoga Class (90 Minutes)
Saturday 12/27
Kettlebell Workout (25 Minutes)
A1. KB Swings 20x45
A2. KB Clean-N-Press 5x45 (each hand)
Ten rounds.
Regarding EyeDentist’s post I completely agree that it is important to swing explosively but it is definitely possible to do that with heavier kettlebells - you just have to keep your focus on the explosion and keep your reps lower than you think you need to. If you can do 10 reps just do 5, and keep them powerful. You’ll be great man :).
Sunday 12/28
Bikram Yoga Class (90 Minutes)
Have you looked into the kettleclamp? It’s a handle that fastens to any sized db and essentially turns it into a kettlebell. Been thinking about getting one as I’ve really taken to swings lately but my gym doesn’t go above an 80-something. Honestly, I could probably just swing a 120+ db and get the same effect, but there’s something cool about the kb handle. Also, someone wrote an article here about using the handles on the hexagon plates and doing swings and such with those, but holding more than one 45 at a time seems unlikely.
Monday 12/29 (AM)
Kettlebell And Pump Workout (26 Minutes)
A1. KB Clean-N-Press 3x45 (each hand)
A2. Lat Pulldown 8x150
Thirteen rounds.
Some good comments above re: KB stuff that I want to address in more detail when I have time.
Monday 12/29 (PM)
A1. KB Swings 20x45
A2. Lat Pulldown 8x150
Ten rounds.
Tuesday 12/30 (AM)
Bikram Yoga Class
Tuesday 12/30 (PM)
A1. KB Swings 20x45
A2. DB Shoulder Raises 10x20’s
A3. Lat Pulldown 8x110, 120, 130, 140, 150
Ten rounds. Ramped the weights up for lats across the sets.
Wednesday 12/31 (AM)
A1. KB Clean-N-Press 3x45 (each hand)
A2. Lat Pulldown 8x110, 120, 130, 140, 150
A3. Chest Press 8x110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200
Ten rounds. Ramped the weights up for lats and chest press across the sets.
Also of note, I found a good deal on a 28 kg (62-pound) kettlebell with free shipping. Should arrive late this week or early next week. I will start work both the 45 and 62 for a while, and then eventually acquire an 88-pounder whenever I can find a good deal or a place to buy locally. Will start a new log on Monday, January 5 to coincide with full implementation of my newly-inspired “Pull-Ups, Kettlebells, and Yoga” program.
The “other” KB thoughts:
I think I gave EyeDentist’s post short shrift a few days ago. It was a really excellent post and I wholeheartedly agree that I don’t want to turn my swings into a “hoist” but want to make sure that I keep the reps crisp and explosive. I’ll keep tabs on that and, as I said, make sure that I continue doing work with the 45 pound 'bell even once I get my heavier ones.
I envision some workouts like the following (somewhat ripped off Dan John’s 10000 Swing program):
Clean and Press 1x62 (each hand)
Swings 10x45
Clean and Press 2x62 (each hand)
Swings 15x45
Clean and Press 3x62 (each hand)
Swings 20x45
And somewhat similar cluster sets of this nature.
I also might do some workouts that include swings with the 45, swings with the 62, and pump work. Or one-armed swings with the 45 and two-armed swings with the 62. We’ll see. I am excited for it to arrive.
Also, re: the KettleClamp…it’s a decent idea, WhiteFlash, but I just like having “real” kettlebell(s) and feel like they’ll be well worth the investment in the long run (between my place and my GF’s, we now have 20, 25, 35, 45, with a 62 on the way and eventually planning to purchase an 88 later this year once I can save up a few bucks for it). Same with truly solid dumbbells…I have loadable dumbbell handles and an assortment of small plates (10’s, 5’s, 2.5’s) so I could make a dumbbell of any weight from about 10 to 60 pounds, but frankly I much prefer the feel of solid cast-iron dumbbells to the plate-loaded handles (hence my Craigslist purchases over the years of assorted DB’s as well).
Thu 1/1 (AM)
Bikram Yoga Class (90 Minutes)
Thu 1/1 (PM)
Exercise Bike (30 Minutes)
Fri 1/2
Kettlebell and Pump Work (30 Minutes)
A1. KB Clean-N-Press 3x45 (each hand)
A2. Lat Pulldowns 8x150
A3. Chest Press 10x110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200
Ten rounds.
Sat 1/3
Kettlebell and Pump Work (30 Minutes)
A1. KB Swings 20x45
A2. Lat Pulldown 8x150
A3. Chest Press 10x110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200
Ten rounds.
62-pound kettlebell scheduled for delivery on Monday, very excited to step up my kettlebell game. I’ll work both the 45 and 62 for awhile and then maybe get an 88 pounder. Gotta earn that first, IMO.