[quote]spar4tee wrote:
[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.[/quote]
Indeed indeed! Thanks 
After getting the good news I went to the swimming pool and did 26 lengths, but I did them slowly and it was a short pool so I didn’t get much of a workout. It felt like good active recovery though.
Tomorrow I’m going hiking, so I won’t be doing my usual training.
10,000 Swings Day 6
Exercises
20kg Kettlebell Swings: 500 Total
Ring Dips (BW plus 10kg): 30 Total
Time: 41:19
This was quite a good session - I improved on the last session both in time and load. I got a bad headache as soon as I started but working on controlling my breathing helped.
I have skipped my pistol squat session because hiking yesterday really messed with my knees and I want to allow them to fully recover. I think it was a very protracted and steep descent that did it, and the really cold temperatures possibly didn’t help. I’m quite annoyed by how fragile my knees are but I won’t let them hold me back.
Intermittent Fasting
There have been a couple of articles recently which have got me re-thinking intermittent fasting a little. The main points argued against IF seem to be that it leads to uncontrollable binges at mealtimes; it can lead to eating disorders; it will cause you to gain fat and lose muscle and that those who train in a fasted state cannot push themselves as hard as those who don’t.
Now I’m not going to go into detail on my opinions of these articles, because I understand that this forum is a free service provided by Biotest/T-Nation and I’m grateful for that and don’t want to upset anyone.
I will just say that my personal experience (and that is just N=1, I don’t know anyone else who fasts) is that none of those points hold true for me. Admittedly when I first started I did occasionally want to binge, but that soon passed as my body adapted and I haven’t felt that way ever since the first week or two. And anyway, resisting the urge to eat unwisely is something all of us face regardless of our nutrition strategy, and that’s what sets us apart from the average Joe. Any serious nutrition plan requires a little mental strength.
I certainly haven’t lost any muscle or gained any fat while intermittent fasting, in fact I’ve gained a little muscle and lost a little fat. I found IF particularly effective when I cut last summer, and although I lost 1kg a week (which is quite fast) I completely maintained my muscle mass (according to arm and thigh measurements and mirror appearance).
As for training in a fasted state being disadvantageous for training intensity, I have found the reverse to be true. I feel fresh and sharp when I start my sessions and my intensity is no different to how it’s ever been.
I won’t go into my thoughts on the eating disorder point in the articles, because I can’t think of a pleasant way to word them.
10,000 Swings Day 7
Exercises
20kg Kettlebell Swing: 500 Total
Chin-Ups (BW plus 10kg): 30 Total
Time: 33:46
This was a huge improvement in time, as well as an improvement in load. I think I might stick with 10kg next time I do these though because I did come close to failure and I don’t want to rush anything.
I agree whole heartedly with your assessments of IF. My wife uses it regularly and has the same experiences you have laid out. I use it every once in a while, and I also do not feel the need to binge. Since I don’t use it for long periods, I cannot comment on the muscle gain or loss. But I do not have any troubles focusing if I am working in a fasted state or working out in a fasted state.
You have a cool log. I always like seeing other people who are doing kettlebell stuff (I’m on the new S and S program now), and I look forward to following your 10,000 swing challenge.
[quote]booksbikesbeer wrote:
I agree whole heartedly with your assessments of IF. My wife uses it regularly and has the same experiences you have laid out. I use it every once in a while, and I also do not feel the need to binge. Since I don’t use it for long periods, I cannot comment on the muscle gain or loss. But I do not have any troubles focusing if I am working in a fasted state or working out in a fasted state.[/quote]
Thanks! Good to hear I’m not alone in my thoughts haha.
[quote]booksbikesbeer wrote:
You have a cool log. I always like seeing other people who are doing kettlebell stuff (I’m on the new S and S program now), and I look forward to following your 10,000 swing challenge.[/quote]
Ah awesome, what are your thoughts on S&S? How’s it going for you? That’s what I plan on doing after I’m done with the 10,000 swing routine (along with a little extra dip and chin work). Great to have you along
Day 7 Cont’d
Chin-Ups
BW: 10-10-10
My chin-ups are back up to where they were before my training took a dive.
Bodyweight: 98kg
The IF article was ridiculous.
Controlled IF (i.e. where you have set macros to eat during your feeding window) is decent and is not the protocol they were describing so any argument they made in regards to IF as a whole was completely bullshit. They used an example of some of the worst IF protocols to lump all of them together into a sensationalist article.
It’s like a DR saying weightlifting overall is bad just because weightlifting done improperly is indeed dangerous.
[quote]furo wrote:
[quote]booksbikesbeer wrote:
I agree whole heartedly with your assessments of IF. My wife uses it regularly and has the same experiences you have laid out. I use it every once in a while, and I also do not feel the need to binge. Since I don’t use it for long periods, I cannot comment on the muscle gain or loss. But I do not have any troubles focusing if I am working in a fasted state or working out in a fasted state.[/quote]
Thanks! Good to hear I’m not alone in my thoughts haha.
[quote]booksbikesbeer wrote:
You have a cool log. I always like seeing other people who are doing kettlebell stuff (I’m on the new S and S program now), and I look forward to following your 10,000 swing challenge.[/quote]
Ah awesome, what are your thoughts on S&S? How’s it going for you? That’s what I plan on doing after I’m done with the 10,000 swing routine (along with a little extra dip and chin work). Great to have you along
[/quote]
I am enjoying S&S. Been on it just over 4 weeks and I’m using the 32kg bell (haven’t paired it with anything else). I can hit the simple standards for get ups quite easily, but I don’t quite have it on the swings (grip seems to be the biggest factor there).
I like the near daily practice (doing it 5 to 6 days a week). I find it is fun to focus, and almost meditate, on the same moves over and over again.
As far as my body goes, I have seen an increase in density in my shoulders, back, butt, and legs. Butt and legs appear a teeny bit larger, too. But I think my shoulders and upper body has lost a little bit of mass.
I figure I will continue on the program until I hit the simple goals for the swing, then move back to ROP or something like that. I would ultimately like to hit the sinister goals, too. If you can bang out the swings and getups with a 48kg bell you’ve got to be one strong, fit and capable person.
[quote]RATTLEHEAD wrote:
The IF article was ridiculous.
Controlled IF (i.e. where you have set macros to eat during your feeding window) is decent and is not the protocol they were describing so any argument they made in regards to IF as a whole was completely bullshit. They used an example of some of the worst IF protocols to lump all of them together into a sensationalist article.
It’s like a DR saying weightlifting overall is bad just because weightlifting done improperly is indeed dangerous.[/quote]
I’m glad you feel the same way! I really wasn’t a fan of that article. It’s a shame because it’s hard enough to figure out what is good and what isn’t without the spanner in the works of dodgy articles.
[quote]booksbikesbeer wrote:
I am enjoying S&S. Been on it just over 4 weeks and I’m using the 32kg bell (haven’t paired it with anything else). I can hit the simple standards for get ups quite easily, but I don’t quite have it on the swings (grip seems to be the biggest factor there).
I like the near daily practice (doing it 5 to 6 days a week). I find it is fun to focus, and almost meditate, on the same moves over and over again.
As far as my body goes, I have seen an increase in density in my shoulders, back, butt, and legs. Butt and legs appear a teeny bit larger, too. But I think my shoulders and upper body has lost a little bit of mass.
I figure I will continue on the program until I hit the simple goals for the swing, then move back to ROP or something like that. I would ultimately like to hit the sinister goals, too. If you can bang out the swings and getups with a 48kg bell you’ve got to be one strong, fit and capable person.[/quote]
Thanks for the in-depth reply :). It’s funny because over the last two years of experimentation I’ve found myself gravitating to using only basic movements and training with short sessions and a high frequency, so S&S really seems to fit perfectly with that (though I’ve never considered cutting right down to just 2 exercises before).
Yeah I am a little concerned about losing upper body size on it, that’s why I think I’ll probably still do some dips and chins. If you wouldn’t mind I’d really like to hear your findings next time you test your upper body strength after being on S&S for a while. I’ve seen a lot of people on Strongfirst website say that their pressing improved with the TGUs, so I’d be interested to see what you experience. I really wouldn’t want to lose any strength.
I completely agree about the Sinister goals - I don’t think you can achieve them without being strong and well-rounded.
[quote]furo wrote:
[quote]booksbikesbeer wrote:
I am enjoying S&S. Been on it just over 4 weeks and I’m using the 32kg bell (haven’t paired it with anything else). I can hit the simple standards for get ups quite easily, but I don’t quite have it on the swings (grip seems to be the biggest factor there).
I like the near daily practice (doing it 5 to 6 days a week). I find it is fun to focus, and almost meditate, on the same moves over and over again.
As far as my body goes, I have seen an increase in density in my shoulders, back, butt, and legs. Butt and legs appear a teeny bit larger, too. But I think my shoulders and upper body has lost a little bit of mass.
I figure I will continue on the program until I hit the simple goals for the swing, then move back to ROP or something like that. I would ultimately like to hit the sinister goals, too. If you can bang out the swings and getups with a 48kg bell you’ve got to be one strong, fit and capable person.[/quote]
Thanks for the in-depth reply :). It’s funny because over the last two years of experimentation I’ve found myself gravitating to using only basic movements and training with short sessions and a high frequency, so S&S really seems to fit perfectly with that (though I’ve never considered cutting right down to just 2 exercises before).
Yeah I am a little concerned about losing upper body size on it, that’s why I think I’ll probably still do some dips and chins. If you wouldn’t mind I’d really like to hear your findings next time you test your upper body strength after being on S&S for a while. I’ve seen a lot of people on Strongfirst website say that their pressing improved with the TGUs, so I’d be interested to see what you experience. I really wouldn’t want to lose any strength.
I completely agree about the Sinister goals - I don’t think you can achieve them without being strong and well-rounded.
[/quote]
No problem, Furo. I’m happy to share my thoughts. I hope I didn’t come across as too fanboy-ish with my experiences, but I just like minimal programs. They work for me. No matter what I do, it usually ends up consisting to 2 to 4 lifts/movements. Occasionally I’ll practice a couple others in the warmup.
I came to S and S from 2+ months of classic 5 x 5 barbell lifting (deads, zercher squats, overhead press, and weighted chins), and that gave me some small but nice mass gains.
And while I have lost a teeny bit of size on my upper body, I really don’t feel like I’ve lost any strength. I’d have to test some things to be sure. My guess is if I did lose anything, I would get it back (and then some) in just a few sessions. This is usually what happens to me going back and forth between kettlebells and barbells (particularly when I’ve gone from a swing heavy program to a deadlift program).
I have also seen some on Strongfirst who have increased their press with get ups. I really don’t think that is happening with me. I am tall and lanky, and the get up has always been a strong movement of mine. But I have a long way to press the bell, and I just don’t get a ton of carryover from the get up to the press. But maybe I’ll be surprised. I’ll let you know when I test something like that.
Not at all man! Thanks a lot for all the info, it’s really useful. I haven’t spoken to anyone who has tried it before, but it really sounds great and I look forward to starting it. Thank you!
10,000 Swings Day 8
Exercises
20kg Kettlebell Swings: 500 Total
Bodyweight Pistol Squats: 30 Total
Time: 42:40
This session was good - a 15 minute improvement on the last time I did pistol squats (I have no idea what happened last time).
I’m still not really comfortable with my technique for pistols, I seem to squirm quite a lot in the bottom position and it’s generally just awkward. I think once I hit my 20-rep goal I’ll drop them completely, as Turkish get-ups should cover the same movement pattern. I don’t want to quit before that goal though.
I’m going to the gym later today with a friend. I don’t know what I’ll do, I’ll just join in with him. I’ll take tomorrow off as my swings have begun to lose their “pop” again, although I might go for a short run.
Day 8 Cont’d
Testing Maxes
Bench Press: 100kgx3 - I was good for at least 6, but I was saving myself for an attempt at 120kg which failed.
Overhead Press: 70kgx1 - Equalled PR.
Back Squat: 100kgx1 - Yup…
Turkish Get-Up: 32kgx1 - Need to work on technique a lot.
Face-Pulls: 3x20
This session was disheartening but nothing was unexpected. Back squat was disappointing as ever, but I have the excuses of not having done them in ages and having done a lot of pistols not long before.
[quote]furo wrote:
Day 8 Cont’d
Testing Maxes
Bench Press: 100kgx3 - I was good for at least 6, but I was saving myself for an attempt at 120kg which failed.
Overhead Press: 70kgx1 - Equalled PR.
Back Squat: 100kgx1 - Yup…
Turkish Get-Up: 32kgx1 - Need to work on technique a lot.
Face-Pulls: 3x20
This session was disheartening but nothing was unexpected. Back squat was disappointing as ever, but I have the excuses of not having done them in ages and having done a lot of pistols not long before.[/quote]
Your numbers are pretty much identical to mine.
Are you going to work on that squat?
tweet
I often feel like I should, but I’ve dedicated a lot of time to it in the past and ended up with nothing but sore knees. I do get the feeling that I might not be structurally designed for squatting well anyway - I think it’s unusual to be able to get 20 reps reverse lunging 5kg less than your back squat 1rm. So honestly I’m just going to leave it. My training has taken a pretty different direction these days anyway, and I’m happy with how it’s all going.
Running
2 Mile Run - Felt good.
Thoughts
On my run I was thinking about applying a “paleo” approach to exercise selection. Not so much to rule exercises out, but just to make sure I have all my bases covered. I tried to think of the movements paleo-man would do on a basis regular enough to cause a training effect and I came up with 3 main categories:
The only other categories I could think of were swimming and combat but I thought they probably wouldn’t occur frequently enough to cause adaptation so should be given a lower priority.
Anyway, as this pertains to my training I’m pretty happy that I have the main bases covered - walking and running is covered with walking and running; climbing is covered with chin-ups and dips and lifting/carrying is covered with kettlebell movements (although this category would probably benefit from the addition of farmer’s walks).
10,000 Swings Day 9
Exercises
20kg Kettlebell Swings: 500 Total
Ring Dips (BW plus 10kg): 30 Total
Time: 40:40
Bodyweight: 97.5kg (fasted)
I experimented with a set of 10 single arm swings (each arm) with a 20kg kettlebell. I’ve never done these before - I’ve only ever done double handed and hand-to-hand swings - but they are what’s required for Simple and Sinister. They felt really good, I can definitely feel them in my upper back a lot more than other swing variations.
10,000 Swings Day 10
Exercises
20kg Kettlebell Swings: 500 Total
Chin-Ups (BW plus 15kg): 30 Total
Time: 38:48
Bodyweight: 97.4kg (fasted)
This was a pretty standard session. I’m glad I got all 30 reps with the added 15kg, I think I’m good for 20kg next time.