Tuesday 7/14 (AM)
A1. Chest Press 6x110, 6x120, 6x130, 6x140, 6x150, 6x160, 6x170, 6x180, 6x190, 6x200
A2. Lat Pulldown 6x110, 6x120, 6x130, 6x140, 6x150, 6x150, 6x150, 6x150, 6x150, 6x150
Wednesday 7/15 (AM)
A1. Farmer’s Walk 40-ish yards with 2x44-LB Kettlebells
A2. Lat Pulldown 6x150
A3. Chest Press 6x150
Farmers-walked a length (up and back) of the hallway in my apartment building, then into the fitness room to do a set of lats and chest press…rinse and repeat. I think I did 6 or 7 sets.
Wednesday 7/15 (PM)
KB Snatches
24 x (20 seconds on, 20 seconds off) x 44-LB
Switched hands each round…I completed about 7-9 reps in each 20-second interval, so this workout probably totaled around 100 reps with each hand in 16 minutes. Not bad.
Thursday 7/16 (AM)
Bikram Yoga Class (90 Minutes)
Thursday 7/16 (PM)
A1. Chest Press 8x110, 8x110, 8x110, 8x110, 8x110, 8x120, 8x130, 8x140, 8x150, 8x160
A2. Lat Pulldown 8x110, 8x110, 8x110, 8x110, 8x110, 8x110, 8x110, 8x110, 8x110, 8x110
(30 seconds on / 30 seconds off)
Dude first of all you’re a beast lol. I have a friend who’s all about the KB’s and it’s crazy how strong and mobile those things can get you. He’s been on me about getting into them, but I told him it’s just not my focus right now lol.
But I had a question for you. I’m thinking about getting into yoga to help with my mobility for my transition into Oly Lifting. Any tips or words of wisdom you’d give to a beginner? How often would you recommend going?
Friday 7/17 (PM)
KB Snatches
10 x (45 seconds on / 45 seconds off) x 44-LB
Switched hands each time. Got 14-16 reps per round, totaling about 75 per hand, and thus 150 total.
[quote]isdatnutty wrote:
Dude first of all you’re a beast lol. I have a friend who’s all about the KB’s and it’s crazy how strong and mobile those things can get you. He’s been on me about getting into them, but I told him it’s just not my focus right now lol.
But I had a question for you. I’m thinking about getting into yoga to help with my mobility for my transition into Oly Lifting. Any tips or words of wisdom you’d give to a beginner? How often would you recommend going?[/quote]
I’m not sure that “beast” is the word that I would use, but I will gladly accept the compliment. I am a work in progress, as are many of us. I will be more satisfied with my conditioning when I can complete the RKC snatch test (100 snatches x 53-LB kettlebell in 5 minutes). Hoping for that by the end of this year.
Re: yoga, I started a thread on here awhile ago (“Bikram Yoga: My Experience”) because I thought this might be of interest to lifters who need a little extra rehab & recovery, and I’ve probably done more yoga than most people in these parts.
A few thoughts:
- If you decide to give it a try, go to more than one class before you make up your mind. You might really struggle through the first class you go to just because you have no idea what’s going on and feel like you have to keep looking around to see what everyone else is doing.
Many studios will offer an “intro special” to new students (some gimmick like $20 for 2 weeks unlimited, or $30 for a month, etc). If the studio you find offers one of those, buy it, and make sure you go at least 2 or 3 times before you decide whether you like it.
-
You DON’T HAVE TO BE FLEXIBLE TO GET SOMETHING OUT OF YOGA. The clientele you will see at most yoga studios comes in all shapes and sizes. Young, old, skinny, fat, every body type you can imagine. If you’re lucky, the studio you go to will have some eye candy, but there will probably be at least one fat old guy (FWIW, my 59-year-old father has done yoga 2-3 times a week consistently since I introduced my parents to it 3 years ago) and a couple of other oddballs. It’s not all gymnasts and ballet dancers.
-
Related to that: you don’t have to be able to go all the way into every posture the first time. Or ever. I’ve been going for five years now and still can’t get into a few of the poses. Good instructors will help you figure out the right modification, or let you know that it’s OK to sit this one out.
Also, some people may tell you differently, but at every studio I have ever been to, it is acceptable to take a break. If your shoulders/knees/whatever say “No, not today” in a certain posture, go down and take a little break. It’s OK.
- Yoga studios vary widely in their clientele, the type of classes they offer, and the general environment.
I have done mostly Bikram yoga, which is a very specific style: every Bikram class offers the same sequence of 26 postures, done in a room heated to 105 degrees, taking 90 minutes. I happen to really like that kind of structure, but some people find it boring to do the same postures every time. Bikram yoga is, for lack of a better word, a very “static” practice: you get into a posture, hold it for 20-30 seconds or more, then move on.
I have also recently started going to a hot vinyasa/flow class at a different studio, partly because it’s easier for me to get to (much closer to where I live) and partly BC my girlfriend wants to diversify her yoga practice a little bit. This class is a LOT different from Bikram. We’re almost constantly moving from one pose into the next. It’s like a slow-motion dance class.
Both are in a heated room, and both are a workout, and I like both, but they’re very different. So that’s worth understanding. YOGA is more than just one thing. If you go one place and don’t like it…maybe try one other studio before giving up on it entirely.
- Finally, how often to see a benefit? Depends. I try to go to at least one class a week, sometimes as many as 3 or 4 if I’m able, but a minimum of once a week. When I used to go a LOT more frequently, I was “better” at yoga, but I don’t think it really had much additional benefit in terms of strength/conditioning. About twice a week seems like my happy place where I feel like it has some useful mobility/recovery benefit without taking away from my lifting. It also can be a pretty big time commitment, as most classes are 60-90 minutes long…so unless I’m extra-motivated and go to a 6 AM class, most of the time I just go on a Saturday or Sunday morning when I have the whole day to kill.
Saturday 7/18 (AM)
Hot Yoga Class (90 Minutes)
Saturday 7/18 (PM)
KB Snatches
8x10x44
1x50x44
Sunday 7/19 (AM)
Bikram Yoga Class (90 Minutes)
Monday 7/20 (AM)
A1. Chest Press 6x110, 6x120, 6x130, 6x140, 6x150, 6x160, 6x170, 6x180
A2. Lat Pulldown 6x110, 6x110, 6x110, 6x110, 6x120, 6x130, 6x140, 6x150
Monday 7/20 (PM)
KB Snatches 10 x 10 x 53
Did one set every 90 seconds. Trying to start with low-ish volume and gradually build the number of reps I can perform with the 53 pounder. Switched hands every set.
[quote]ActivitiesGuy wrote:
I’m not sure that “beast” is the word that I would use, but I will gladly accept the compliment. I am a work in progress, as are many of us. I will be more satisfied with my conditioning when I can complete the RKC snatch test (100 snatches x 53-LB kettlebell in 5 minutes). Hoping for that by the end of this year.
Re: yoga, I started a thread on here awhile ago (“Bikram Yoga: My Experience”) because I thought this might be of interest to lifters who need a little extra rehab & recovery, and I’ve probably done more yoga than most people in these parts.
A few thoughts:
- If you decide to give it a try, go to more than one class before you make up your mind. You might really struggle through the first class you go to just because you have no idea what’s going on and feel like you have to keep looking around to see what everyone else is doing.
Many studios will offer an “intro special” to new students (some gimmick like $20 for 2 weeks unlimited, or $30 for a month, etc). If the studio you find offers one of those, buy it, and make sure you go at least 2 or 3 times before you decide whether you like it.
-
You DON’T HAVE TO BE FLEXIBLE TO GET SOMETHING OUT OF YOGA. The clientele you will see at most yoga studios comes in all shapes and sizes. Young, old, skinny, fat, every body type you can imagine. If you’re lucky, the studio you go to will have some eye candy, but there will probably be at least one fat old guy (FWIW, my 59-year-old father has done yoga 2-3 times a week consistently since I introduced my parents to it 3 years ago) and a couple of other oddballs. It’s not all gymnasts and ballet dancers.
-
Related to that: you don’t have to be able to go all the way into every posture the first time. Or ever. I’ve been going for five years now and still can’t get into a few of the poses. Good instructors will help you figure out the right modification, or let you know that it’s OK to sit this one out.
Also, some people may tell you differently, but at every studio I have ever been to, it is acceptable to take a break. If your shoulders/knees/whatever say “No, not today” in a certain posture, go down and take a little break. It’s OK.
- Yoga studios vary widely in their clientele, the type of classes they offer, and the general environment.
I have done mostly Bikram yoga, which is a very specific style: every Bikram class offers the same sequence of 26 postures, done in a room heated to 105 degrees, taking 90 minutes. I happen to really like that kind of structure, but some people find it boring to do the same postures every time. Bikram yoga is, for lack of a better word, a very “static” practice: you get into a posture, hold it for 20-30 seconds or more, then move on.
I have also recently started going to a hot vinyasa/flow class at a different studio, partly because it’s easier for me to get to (much closer to where I live) and partly BC my girlfriend wants to diversify her yoga practice a little bit. This class is a LOT different from Bikram. We’re almost constantly moving from one pose into the next. It’s like a slow-motion dance class.
Both are in a heated room, and both are a workout, and I like both, but they’re very different. So that’s worth understanding. YOGA is more than just one thing. If you go one place and don’t like it…maybe try one other studio before giving up on it entirely.
- Finally, how often to see a benefit? Depends. I try to go to at least one class a week, sometimes as many as 3 or 4 if I’m able, but a minimum of once a week. When I used to go a LOT more frequently, I was “better” at yoga, but I don’t think it really had much additional benefit in terms of strength/conditioning. About twice a week seems like my happy place where I feel like it has some useful mobility/recovery benefit without taking away from my lifting. It also can be a pretty big time commitment, as most classes are 60-90 minutes long…so unless I’m extra-motivated and go to a 6 AM class, most of the time I just go on a Saturday or Sunday morning when I have the whole day to kill.[/quote]
Thanks for all the advice man. I found out that hot yoga is covered under the plan I am on for Gold’s Gym. They have a few classes I can attend so I’m going to give it a try this week going twice. I feel like Limber 11 has really loosened up my lower body, but my upper body is still pretty tight. So I’m hoping this will aid in fixing that. Plus I think it will be a great de-stresser. Hopefully some hot women as well haha. Thanks again!
Tuesday 7/21 (AM)
A1. Chest Press 6x110, 6x120, 6x130, 6x140, 6x150, 6x160, 6x170, 6x180
A2. Lat Pulldown 6x110, 6x110, 6x110, 6x110, 6x120, 6x130, 6x140, 6x150
Tuesday 7/21 (PM)
KB Snatches 10 x 10 x 53
Wednesday 7/22 (AM)
KB Snatches 10 x 10 x 44
Wednesday 7/22 (PM)
KB Snatches 10 x 10 x 53
Thursday 7/23 (AM)
KB Snatches 10 x 10 x 44
Thursday 7/23 (PM)
KB Snatches 10 x 10 x 53
Friday 7/24 (AM)
KB Snatch 8x10x44
KB Snatch 1x60x44
Friday 7/24 (PM)
KB Clean-N-Press 20x2x62