Cutting Week 5 Summary
Week 1 Average Weight: 96.3kg
Week 2 Average Weight: 95.2kg
Week 3 Average Weight: 95.0kg
Week 4 Average Weight: 94.7kg
Week 5 Average Weight: 94.7kg
Damnit - no progress this week. Pretty upset about that. Training has no direction too at the moment. Tonne of room for improvement all round.
Nice work on the weight loss. I’ve been following along, just not saying much. Also, one week is just one week. The past 5 weeks have been great progress.
I was going to reply and ask in my thread, but figured it’s better to ask here.
What are your goals/plans for 2015?
Thanks a lot man! Like yourself I’ve come to the conclusion that it is extremely difficult to come up with accurate performance goals.
My only definite goal for 2015 is my bodyweight goal: I want to drop to around 90kg and then maintain that weight for the entire year.
In terms of performance I want to get stronger and fitter but I’m very vague on it all. I think it will help to get on a new routine, because I’m just really bumbling around at the moment. I’m still keen to base my training on kettlebells, but I might start incorporating barbell lifts to give me more focus. Or I might get a 48kg kettlebell to give me something new to work towards.
Cutting Week 5: Easy Day
Warm-Up
Goblet squats and haloes.
Turkish Get-Ups
40kg: 3x1
Two-Handed Swing
40kg: 3x10
I wasn’t originally planning on training today but got home in time to fit a session in. This one took a bit of a Simple and Sinister theme - I really enjoyed the get-ups, they felt quite smooth overall and I felt good for having done them. My hips felt a lot better after doing the two-handed swings, which also happened after doing them for the 365-rep challenge. I wonder if the one-arm swings cause my hips to tighten up a bit because they are firing more unilaterally, and if the two-handed swing might be an antidote to that. Maybe the two-handed swings encourage better muscle activation and joint alignment?
The next 4 weeks of training are going to be difficult - I’ve got a lot of 12 hour shifts this week, then I’m going on a roadtrip across Germany/Czech Republic for 2 weeks and then I’m doing a week of night shifts. My plan is just to make sure I get swings done at least every second day (both one and two-handed) and then fit in additional work (rows, lunges etc) wherever I can. The diet when I’m doing my nights and long shifts will be fine, but when I’m doing the road trip it will be difficult. No idea how to do it really, I’ll just have to wing that one.
[quote]furo wrote:
In terms of performance I want to get stronger and fitter but I’m very vague on it all. [/quote]
We are pretty similar in terms of size and training style, so if you’re seeking a goal to pursue (in the short term) while you “bumble around” - perhaps a friendly challenge of sorts with the kettlebell will motivate us both. My new 62-pounder (28 kg) is being delivered today, and I plan to purchase an 88-pound bell in another month or two once I have been able to stash a bit of cash for it, so what about a time/reps challenge?
You’ve mentioned that you like both strength and conditioning, and I’d rather not make it “who can do the most crappy, rushed reps in a short window of time” so I would think something using the heavier bell might be best. Thus, I propose a friendly challenge to see which of us can clean and press an 88 pound (40 kg) kettlebell for more reps in a 5-minute time window in roughly three months’ time - say, by April 15th or something around there.
Why that challenge?
Using the heavy bell will require good top-end strength, not just conditioning.
The 5-minute time window brings conditioning into play, but doesn’t turn this into a marathon of 100 reps per hand.
I suggest the clean-and-press vs. swings because the press requires a defined “end point” - weight locked out overhead - whereas the swing can be a bit ambiguous.
As I said, I would prefer that we make this a challenge based on good solid reps, not who can throw a light weight around faster with crappy form, and I think the 40 kg clean and press will be heavy enough to keep us from turning it into a pure speed contest.
I’m open to variations on this theme. I also thought of a slightly different version - requiring that we do 1 rep every 30 seconds as long as possible, or 1 rep in the first minute, 2 reps in the second minute, 3 reps in the third minute (until you can no longer complete the prescribed reps in the time window) - so if anything like that appeals more than just a total # of reps in 5 minutes, please feel free to suggest it.
For clarity, when I say “1 rep” I am really thinking of “1 rep with BOTH hands” - i.e. right-hand clean, right-hand press, return to floor, left-hand clean, left-hand press = 1 rep.
What say you?
No hard feelings if you decline or if this doesn’t appeal to you. Just an offer to focus your training on a performance goal that seems to match what I’ve read from you 
That is an awesome idea man! Yes I am definitely keen for this challenge :). I can’t actually press the 40kg at all at the moment so that will require a lot of work, but I think it will be do-able.
One potential further twist to the challenge - as both of us plan on dropping some bodyweight this year we could set a bodyweight limit for the challenge. Say 200lbs?
But yes, unbelievably keen for this!
[quote]furo wrote:
That is an awesome idea man! Yes I am definitely keen for this challenge :). I can’t actually press the 40kg at all at the moment so that will require a lot of work, but I think it will be do-able.
One potential further twist to the challenge - as both of us plan on dropping some bodyweight this year we could set a bodyweight limit for the challenge. Say 200lbs?
But yes, unbelievably keen for this![/quote]
Glad you are on board! I know we might have to refine the parameters a bit…I have clean and pressed a 70-pound bell at my brother’s gym (he’s a member at LA Fitness), but have actually never handled an 88 pounder for anything yet, so for all I know that will be out of reach. Let’s take the month of January to play around a bit and then settle on the final parameters (time, weight, etc) in a few weeks, we can trade some messages and then outline the final set of rules for the challenge!
I also am 100% on board with the bodyweight limit of 200 pounds. Both of us are slightly over that now and have expressed the desire to be under it - that’s why I think such a challenge will work well for us as partners!
Yeah we can tweak it as we go, maybe push-press instead of strict press depending on how hard we find it. Great stuff, I’m excited for this!
Bodyweight: 94.6kg
Felt ill today so had to skip the training.
Felt rough again today, just did light stuff.
Bodyweight: 94.4kg
Hope you feel better soon, chap.
I’ve had another idea for our challenge, should we realize that pressing the 40 kg for multiple reps is outside our range (at least in the next few months). I don’t want this to be “you did 2 reps and I did 1.5, so you win” - ideally, we should both be able to get at least a couple of reps (10? 15?) per hand so conditioning comes into play as well, not just top-end strength.
Thus, perhaps our challenge could be…
Extend time limit to 6 minutes.
First: you must get the 40 kg overhead once with each hand. It must start from the floor and get locked out overhead, however it gets there. Cleaning and then push pressing is fine. (this will be our test of “top end” strength)
After that portion is completed, you will have the remaining time to clean and press the 28 kg bell as many times as possible. The bell must return to the floor each time, so one full rep would be:
Start From Floor
Right-Hand Clean
Right-Hand Press
Lock Out and Hold for 1 second
Return To Floor
Left-Hand Clean
Left-Hand Press
Lock Out and Hold for 1 second
Return To Floor
Will be one complete rep.
Our “score” will be 1 full rep with 40 kg + X full reps with the 28 kg.
Just another idea to kick around. Wait til you’re feeling at full strength, mess around with the 28 and 40 a bit for some pressing, then make your counter-proposal!
Thanks a lot man, I think I will be good tomorrow.
I like your idea for the challenge, there are definitely a few options open to us. I quite like the simplicity of putting the 40kg overhead as many times as possible in a certain time frame.
I can’t thank you enough for the motivation this has given me ActivitiesGuy. I’ve done a lot of thinking today and I’ve come up with a plan that fits in with my life over the next few months.
GPP Phase - 2 weeks (while on holiday)
Weight: 28kg
Outline: high frequency/low volume/low intensity
Exercises: press, row, two-handed swing, goblet squat
Objective: get used to pressing
Volume/Conditioning Phase - 4 weeks - 10,000 swing routine
Weight: 28kg and 40kg
Outline: high frequency, high volume, low intensity
Exercises: press, row, two-handed swing, goblet squat
Objective: increase pressing volume, improve conditioning
Intensity Phase - 6 weeks
Weight: 40kg
Outline: high frequency, low volume, high intensity
Exercises: press, row, one-arm swing, Turkish get-up
Objective: increase pressing strength
[quote]furo wrote:
I quite like the simplicity of putting the 40kg overhead as many times as possible in a certain time frame.
[/quote]
Me, too, I’m just worried that might be biting off a bit much for me to chew! But it seems like a good starting point for us…more thoughts below.
[quote]furo wrote:
I can’t thank you enough for the motivation this has given me ActivitiesGuy. I’ve done a lot of thinking today and I’ve come up with a plan that fits in with my life over the next few months.
[/quote]
Likewise, I have been somewhat fiddling with my kettlebells (and miscellaneous other lifting) for a few months without a goal other than “Get in good shape, sort of” so I think a friendly challenge will have mutual benefits! Plus, this has really inspired me to push the envelope further than just swinging my 45 pounder around.
[quote]furo wrote:
GPP Phase - 2 weeks (while on holiday)
Weight: 28kg
Outline: high frequency/low volume/low intensity
Exercises: press, row, two-handed swing, goblet squat
Objective: get used to pressing
Volume/Conditioning Phase - 4 weeks - 10,000 swing routine
Weight: 28kg and 40kg
Outline: high frequency, high volume, low intensity
Exercises: press, row, two-handed swing, goblet squat
Objective: increase pressing volume, improve conditioning
Intensity Phase - 6 weeks
Weight: 40kg
Outline: high frequency, low volume, high intensity
Exercises: press, row, one-arm swing, Turkish get-up
Objective: increase pressing strength
[/quote]
It seems like you have a really nice plan outlined here. Kudos to you for taking the challenge and building a plan around it. I suggest that we take these next few weeks to mess about with the 28kg (I will purchase a 40kg after my next paycheck) and then settle on the final conditions for the challenge by, say, the end of January (i.e. weight <= 200 pounds, time, rep format). Then we will time our challenge to coincide with the ending date of your program outlined here. I’m willing to shoot and post a video if that’s OK with you, but if you keep your ID hidden, I’m also fine with the honor system!
Yeah I definitely agree that we should play about and see what seems realistic. I’m just going to take my 28kg away on holiday with me so I’ll have no choice but to just play around with it and get some GPP in and see what works. I like the idea of settling on the conditions at the end of January :). Don’t worry about fitting it around my programme - it’s all very flexible, it’s just something I thought would line up well for mid-April as you suggested (maybe I miscalculated dates). Yeah I’m good with videoing the challenge!
Cutting Week 6: Swings and Get-Ups
One-Arm Swings
40kg: 3x10
Turkish Get-Ups
40kg: 3x1
Bodyweight: 94.7kg
This felt like a good session, although my knees were quite clunky while doing the get-ups. Felt good otherwise though.
Cutting Week 6: Whole Body Day
Warm-Up
Hip circles and goblet squats
Two-Handed Swings
28kg: 1x10
40kg: 3x10
One-Arm Swings
28kg: 1x10
40kg: 1x10
Kettlebell Front Squat
48kg: 2x5
These were done with the 20kg in one hand and the 28kg in the other.
Kettlebell Press
28kg: 5x3
Kettlebell Row
28kg: 3x10
Bodyweight: 94.4kg
This was a pretty disappointing session because the swings felt really laboured. I can’t pinpoint it exactly, just everything seemed off. The grip felt especially weak but just in general the weight felt a lot heavier than usual. I can hardly blame it on overtraining lol. The rest of the session felt pretty good though. The unequal squats felt ok, though I think they would be much better with equal weights. I hate to admit it but I actually think 2x20kg would be more than enough weight for me at this stage, and I have a second 20kg which I’ve leant to my brother.
Cutting Week 6 Summary
Week 1 Average Weight: 96.3kg
Week 2 Average Weight: 95.2kg
Week 3 Average Weight: 95.0kg
Week 4 Average Weight: 94.7kg
Week 5 Average Weight: 94.7kg
Week 6 Average Weight: 94.5kg
Obviously this wasn’t a great week in terms of training, but I got enough done to keep things ticking over and the bodyweight is down from last week so I can’t complain.
This will be my last full week of entries for a while because I’m working 3 long shifts then heading away for 2 weeks. The plan is to keep the bodyweight in check simply with sensible food choices and portion sizes, while doing some work with the 28kg kettlebell (presses, rows, goblet squats and two-handed swings), and then to hit it hard when I get back.
New Routine Idea
I know I only just came up with a plan for my challenge with ActivitiesGuy, but I think I’ve got a better one here. I feel I should do something much simpler than what I laid out before, and really focus on what’s required for the challenge. I’ll do the general GPP part on my holiday then when I get back I’ll follow this repeating pattern:
Day 1: Hard Swings, Easy Presses
5x8 One-Arm Swings (40kg)
5x1 Presses (28kg)
Day 2: Moderate Swings, Moderate Presses
5x6 One-Arm Swings (40kg)
5x2 Presses (28kg)
Day 3: Easy Swings, Hard Presses
5x4 One-Arm Swings (40kg)
5x3 Presses (28kg)
I’ll fit in squats and rows on days I feel like doing a little extra, but I won’t be super strict about them.
I think this routine makes a lot more sense because it really simplifies the process and builds on all the principles that gave me great success with Simple and Sinister. It will allow me to really focus on strengthening my press as well as improving my ability with the one-arm swings (while I can reasonably comfortably do one-arm swings with the 40kg I really want to completely own that movement).
This will leave the 10,000 swing routine as something I can utilise right at the end of my cut to drop that last bit of fat.
Hey man, I like the new routine idea. Looking forward to our progress and the eventual challenge!
I’ve just posted my own strategy for the next few weeks on my log…
Extra Session
I wasn’t planning on training today, but then I got the urge to try something out. I warmed up with hip circles and then did tabata two-handed kettlebell swings with the 40kg (20sec on, 10sec off for 4min).
From a conditioning point of view it was pretty perfect - very tiring, but not so bad that I had to stop. From a strength/hypertrophy point of view it felt really good - definitely the most I’ve ever felt a kettlebell session at the time if that makes sense. I got a particularly good pump in my upper back and forearms.
I’ve been thinking a lot about training recently. I think that if I ever decided to really minimise lower body work for injury/enjoyment reasons (EyeDentist style) tabata 40kg swings and 2x20kg front squats would allow me to maintain lower body strength and size, improve fat loss and be very injury friendly. They obviously wouldn’t be ideal for development - not by a long way - but I think they would be an adequate compromise. But I’m nowhere near that stage at the moment.
EDIT: On second thoughts - those tabata sessions really wouldn’t be that much of a step-down strength-wise from what I’m currently doing. I’d have to add in additional core work to make up for the lack of one-arm swings though.
Congratulations on the steady weight loss.
Where are you going for vacation?
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