Furo's Kettlebell Log

Training Training Logs
361

[quote]Captain Needa wrote:

[quote]furo wrote:
10,000 Swing Day 1

Exercises
20kg Swings: 500 Total
Bodyweight Ring Dips: 30 Total
Time: 40:56

Thoughts
This is the first time I’ve followed a set routine in years, definitely a mistake to stray for so long. This session felt the perfect amount of challenging - not impossible, but pretty difficult. I think I’m really going to have to cut the added weight for chins - the swings destroy my grip (in a good way).

In other news, I sold my weight vest and ordered a dip belt (which arrived today). It will be a lot better for weighted dips and chins and that’s all I used the weight vest for. I didn’t like how the weight vest restricted my breathing.[/quote]

Hey Furo - I am curious if you ever used your weighted vest for conditioning? I do trap bar carries and barbell carries both on flat and uphill. But I was thinking a weighted vest for hill climbs, long walking, adding kilos to my barbell carries and also possibly for my wife could be an effective conditioning tool. Any insight you have would be appreciated.

Cheers,
Needa[/quote]

Hey Captain!

I didn’t really use the weight vest for pure conditioning: I used it for push-ups and chin-ups for strength, and I used it a lot when I did a phase of made-up crossfit-style high intensity stuff.

Having said that, I am certain it would be really effective for conditioning in the way you have described. In 2012 when I first got it I was living with a bunch of friends in a 3 storey house and I’d sometimes climb all the stairs with it on and that was incredibly draining. I imagine long walks and hill climbs would be very similar - it really taxes the core/lower back as well as the cardiovascular system and I think it’s just an all-round great exercise. It does restrict your breathing a bit, especially with heavier loads, but if its conditioning you are after that shouldn’t really be a problem (though it was a bit annoying for weighted chins).

I hope that was useful. if you have any other questions don’t hesitate to ask!

362

10,000 Swings Day 2

Exercises
20kg Kettlebell Swings: 500 Total
Bodyweight Chin-Ups: 30 Total
Time: 39:58

As predicted my grip was a limiting factor in this. Hopefully it will adapt quickly and I’ll be able to add weight next time I do chins.

I am absolutely loving having exams out of the way and being able to devote more time to training. Later on today I’ll go for a run or two (I finally got round to getting running shoes yesterday) and maybe in the evening I’ll hit some weighted chins.

363

Day 2 Cont’d

Running
I did two 1.6 mile runs. Not much to comment on, other than it felt good and the new shoes were awesome. I wore a lacrosse pinny that my friend had given me as it was too big for him. I didn’t quite realise how massive it was until I started running…let’s just say a whole lot of innocents saw a whole lot of nipple.

Weighted Chin-Ups
BW: 5
10kg: 3
20kg: 3
28kg: 3 - I wasn’t expecting to get 3 on that, I’m very happy.

Band Face-Pulls
Red Band: 15-15-15

364

[quote]furo wrote:

[quote]Captain Needa wrote:

[quote]furo wrote:
10,000 Swing Day 1

Exercises
20kg Swings: 500 Total
Bodyweight Ring Dips: 30 Total
Time: 40:56

Thoughts
This is the first time I’ve followed a set routine in years, definitely a mistake to stray for so long. This session felt the perfect amount of challenging - not impossible, but pretty difficult. I think I’m really going to have to cut the added weight for chins - the swings destroy my grip (in a good way).

In other news, I sold my weight vest and ordered a dip belt (which arrived today). It will be a lot better for weighted dips and chins and that’s all I used the weight vest for. I didn’t like how the weight vest restricted my breathing.[/quote]

Hey Furo - I am curious if you ever used your weighted vest for conditioning? I do trap bar carries and barbell carries both on flat and uphill. But I was thinking a weighted vest for hill climbs, long walking, adding kilos to my barbell carries and also possibly for my wife could be an effective conditioning tool. Any insight you have would be appreciated.

Cheers,
Needa[/quote]

Hey Captain!

I didn’t really use the weight vest for pure conditioning: I used it for push-ups and chin-ups for strength, and I used it a lot when I did a phase of made-up crossfit-style high intensity stuff.

Having said that, I am certain it would be really effective for conditioning in the way you have described. In 2012 when I first got it I was living with a bunch of friends in a 3 storey house and I’d sometimes climb all the stairs with it on and that was incredibly draining. I imagine long walks and hill climbs would be very similar - it really taxes the core/lower back as well as the cardiovascular system and I think it’s just an all-round great exercise. It does restrict your breathing a bit, especially with heavier loads, but if its conditioning you are after that shouldn’t really be a problem (though it was a bit annoying for weighted chins).

I hope that was useful. if you have any other questions don’t hesitate to ask!
[/quote]

Thanks Furo. Much appreciated. After your feedback I pulled the trigger and ordered a 60lb vest. It was the heaviest that offered free shipping. If my needs ever outgrow this one I figure I can pull some of the weight out and have my wife use it. I am looking forward to climbing the ‘wall of truth’ near my house once it arrives.

Cheers,
Needa

365

[quote]Captain Needa wrote:

[quote]furo wrote:

[quote]Captain Needa wrote:

[quote]furo wrote:
10,000 Swing Day 1

Exercises
20kg Swings: 500 Total
Bodyweight Ring Dips: 30 Total
Time: 40:56

Thoughts
This is the first time I’ve followed a set routine in years, definitely a mistake to stray for so long. This session felt the perfect amount of challenging - not impossible, but pretty difficult. I think I’m really going to have to cut the added weight for chins - the swings destroy my grip (in a good way).

In other news, I sold my weight vest and ordered a dip belt (which arrived today). It will be a lot better for weighted dips and chins and that’s all I used the weight vest for. I didn’t like how the weight vest restricted my breathing.[/quote]

Hey Furo - I am curious if you ever used your weighted vest for conditioning? I do trap bar carries and barbell carries both on flat and uphill. But I was thinking a weighted vest for hill climbs, long walking, adding kilos to my barbell carries and also possibly for my wife could be an effective conditioning tool. Any insight you have would be appreciated.

Cheers,
Needa[/quote]

Hey Captain!

I didn’t really use the weight vest for pure conditioning: I used it for push-ups and chin-ups for strength, and I used it a lot when I did a phase of made-up crossfit-style high intensity stuff.

Having said that, I am certain it would be really effective for conditioning in the way you have described. In 2012 when I first got it I was living with a bunch of friends in a 3 storey house and I’d sometimes climb all the stairs with it on and that was incredibly draining. I imagine long walks and hill climbs would be very similar - it really taxes the core/lower back as well as the cardiovascular system and I think it’s just an all-round great exercise. It does restrict your breathing a bit, especially with heavier loads, but if its conditioning you are after that shouldn’t really be a problem (though it was a bit annoying for weighted chins).

I hope that was useful. if you have any other questions don’t hesitate to ask!
[/quote]

Thanks Furo. Much appreciated. After your feedback I pulled the trigger and ordered a 60lb vest. It was the heaviest that offered free shipping. If my needs ever outgrow this one I figure I can pull some of the weight out and have my wife use it. I am looking forward to climbing the ‘wall of truth’ near my house once it arrives.

Cheers,
Needa
[/quote]

That’s great, I think it will work really well for you and your wife. Mine was 66lb (30kg) and that was plenty heavy enough - I think 60lb will be perfect. Let me know how you get on with it!

366

Log Name Change

I decided to change the name of this log to better reflect what I’m actually doing. I still have the 20-rep goals, but I think the new title is better.

367

LMFAO Perfect.

368

[quote]spar4tee wrote:
LMFAO Perfect.[/quote]

:slight_smile:

369

10,000 Swings Day 3

Exercises
20kg Kettlebell Swings: 500 Total
Bodyweight Pistol Squats: 30 Total
Time: 57:26 - terrible

The last 4 days I’ve been away visiting relatives. I think my performance today was due to a lack of sleep and a lot of travelling (my train got in at 3am this morning).

370

Day 3 Cont’d

Running
1 Mile Run - I plan on easing into my running slowly - I really don’t want to have to deal with an injury.

Thoughts
I spent Sunday and Monday staying with my grandad, and we talked a lot about his experiences in World War 2. It blows my mind what he, and so many others like him, went through at such a young age. He was 19 in 1939 and joined the Royal Artillery. He initially manned anti-aircraft guns before heading out to Burma where he spent most of his time as a driver towing a gun (along with a short stint in the infantry). He described how early on in Burma his gun-team was dive-bombed and he was the sole survivor. He also told me his least favourite role - when they came across dried out riverbeds (which were notorious as ambush sites) he would have to cross alone while his unit waited behind on foot. A really incredible man.

I’ve seen a photo of him on the beach in his late 30s. He wasn’t big by any stretch of the imagination, but he was very lean and clearly athletic. I didn’t really think about the photo at the time, but looking back it strikes me that for all the training I do I am certain I couldn’t match up to him as a soldier and survivor on any level.

It confirms for me that the direction my training is taking is the right one, in terms of my move away from barbells and towards kettlebells and bodyweight. I want a body that would allow me to survive if I was shipped to Burma, and for that I need to get proficient at running, I need to keep getting stronger and I need to shed this excess fat. That’s always been the goal - athleticism and, that much-maligned word, “function”.

Grandad turns 94 tomorrow - what a life.

371

[quote]furo wrote:
Day 3 Cont’d

Running
1 Mile Run - I plan on easing into my running slowly - I really don’t want to have to deal with an injury.

Thoughts
I spent Sunday and Monday staying with my grandad, and we talked a lot about his experiences in World War 2. It blows my mind what he, and so many others like him, went through at such a young age. He was 19 in 1939 and joined the Royal Artillery. He initially manned anti-aircraft guns before heading out to Burma where he spent most of his time as a driver towing a gun (along with a short stint in the infantry). He described how early on in Burma his gun-team was dive-bombed and he was the sole survivor. He also told me his least favourite role - when they came across dried out riverbeds (which were notorious as ambush sites) he would have to cross alone while his unit waited behind on foot. A really incredible man.

I’ve seen a photo of him on the beach in his late 30s. He wasn’t big by any stretch of the imagination, but he was very lean and clearly athletic. I didn’t really think about the photo at the time, but looking back it strikes me that for all the training I do I am certain I couldn’t match up to him as a soldier and survivor on any level.

It confirms for me that the direction my training is taking is the right one, in terms of my move away from barbells and towards kettlebells and bodyweight. I want a body that would allow me to survive if I was shipped to Burma, and for that I need to get proficient at running, I need to keep getting stronger and I need to shed this excess fat. That’s always been the goal - athleticism and, that much-maligned word, “function”.

Grandad turns 94 tomorrow - what a life.

[/quote]
Awesome story of your grandfather! It’s sad that, in just a few more years, there won’t be any of the WWII vets left. People from that generation didn’t complain; they just shut up and did what needed to be done. I wonder if your grandfather ever ran into any of the Chindits over there… another group of hard men. It’s funny that you mention your reaction to seeing your grandfather’s photo; many times on seeing photos of soldiers from that time period, I’ve thought the exact same thing. They just look tough, hard and capable. I’m sure I could out lift almost any of them in the gym but, I’m also sure they could out work me on the battlefield in terms of “real world” strength. I read one biography of a Gordon Highlander who was captured at Singapore and spent almost four years in a Japanese POW camp. He did backbreaking labour from dawn until dusk on the Railway of Death and survived on only a few tablespoons of rice a day. Whenever I think I’ve had a hard day I think of him and tell myself to STFU!

372

It’s hard to wrap your head around, but we all have it inside of us. We’re all creatures of parts. Our strong parts and our weak parts. I think it’s just due to the fact that they’re weaker parts slowly died lol.

373

[quote]CMdad wrote:
Awesome story of your grandfather! It’s sad that, in just a few more years, there won’t be any of the WWII vets left. People from that generation didn’t complain; they just shut up and did what needed to be done. I wonder if your grandfather ever ran into any of the Chindits over there… another group of hard men.[/quote]

Yes it’s really sad, that period is moving from living memory to history. He didn’t mention anything about Chindits, but we didn’t discuss it for long and I’m sure there is a lot I didn’t hear about.

[quote]CMdad wrote:
It’s funny that you mention your reaction to seeing your grandfather’s photo; many times on seeing photos of soldiers from that time period, I’ve thought the exact same thing. They just look tough, hard and capable. I’m sure I could out lift almost any of them in the gym but, I’m also sure they could out work me on the battlefield in terms of “real world” strength.[/quote]

Yes that’s exactly what I mean! He doubtless didn’t have good squat/bench/deadlift numbers lol, but I’m certain that didn’t stop him from being an effective soldier. Real world strength exactly.

[quote]CMdad wrote:
I read one biography of a Gordon Highlander who was captured at Singapore and spent almost four years in a Japanese POW camp. He did backbreaking labour from dawn until dusk on the Railway of Death and survived on only a few tablespoons of rice a day. Whenever I think I’ve had a hard day I think of him and tell myself to STFU![/quote]

That’s an incredible story, it really puts everything into perspective. My grandad kept saying that everyone’s worst fear wasn’t death, but being captured by the Japanese.

374

[quote]spar4tee wrote:
It’s hard to wrap your head around, but we all have it inside of us. We’re all creatures of parts. Our strong parts and our weak parts. I think it’s just due to the fact that they’re weaker parts slowly died lol.[/quote]

I think you’re probably right, but I think I have a lot of weak parts lol. That’s what I’m doing this for.

375

10,000 Swings Day 4

Exercises
20kg Kettlebell Swings: 500 Total
Ring Dips (BW plus 5kg): 30 Total
Time: 38:38

Band Face-Pulls
Red Band: 15-15-15

Bodyweight: 97.3kg (fasted)

A decent session. Improved my time by 2 minutes with an additional 5kg on the ring dips.

376

Day 4 Cont’d

Kettlebell Chest Press
2x20kg: 15-15-15-15-10

Band Pull-Aparts
Red Band: 25-25-25

I was going to call it a night after the first workout but I got a second wind at 11pm. I’m really enjoying pushing myself more.

377

10,000 Swings Day 5

Exercises
20kg Kettlebell Swings: 500 Total
Chin-Ups (BW plus 5kg): 30 Total
Time: 42:56

My time has increased by almost 4 minutes (although I added 5kg to the chins), but at the moment I’m more worried about simply putting in the work than making fast progress. My swings today lacked the “pop” they had on previous days and I’ve developed a blister on my right index finger so it will be good to have a day off tomorrow

378

Much to my surprise I passed my finals. Time to make some progress!

379

[quote]furo wrote:
Much to my surprise I passed my finals. Time to make some progress![/quote]

Good work man, i’m happy for you.

380

[quote]furo wrote:
Much to my surprise I passed my finals. Time to make some progress![/quote]
That’s great, dude. No pressure now. Time to pull out the stops.