12/30/16
Kettlebell Workout
Double 55’s
3 Rounds of this Complex
5 x Swings
5 x Snatches
5 x Front Squats
Got started on this and got a text that a family member was coming by the house. Wasn’t much but ended up getting some movement in and got my body doing something other than putting furniture together and moving stuff around for baby number 2’s nursery
12/31/16
Kettlebell Conditioning (Home)
EMOM for 10 minutes
10 x 55# KB Swings
10 x Push Ups
Plank for the remaining time
Harder than I was giving this credit for. Towards the end I was getting probably 10-15 second planks to where the first 6 minutes I was getting 30 second planks. Room to improve but got a decent workout!
1/1/17
Advanced 5/3/1
Squat Day (5x5)
Squats: 265 - 4x5, 1x12
2A) KB Snatch: 50 - 5x10 (each arm)
2B) Split Squats: BW - 5x10 (each leg)
2C) Leg Raise: BW - 5x10
Rainy, cold day with nothing much open here in town I figured it was a good day to go to the gym. Squats moved well. Had a goal of 12 on the 5th set and got it pretty easy and kept form the whole way through. Fun little circuit at the end and had a little extra energy since I had a big Sunday Dinner!
1/3/17
Advanced 5/3/1
Overhead Press Day (5x5)
1A) Oh Press: 160 - 4x5, 1x8
1B) Pull Ups: BW - 5x10
2A) Bench Press: 225 - 5x5
2B) Ab Wheel: 5x10
Reset my Training Max on all lifts (except Squats) 3 cycles back and going to rebuild over the next few months. Anyhoo… on to today’s work…
Presses felt pretty good today. I can tell during my deload week I didn’t do a lot of upper body work because I was feeling a major pump in my shoulders and upper back on overhead presses. On the 5th set I took it for a “safe” AMRAP and after the 8th rep I lost the groove from feeling the “burn / pump!” Happy with 8 reps after 4x5 as well as my 5x10 on Pull Ups. Wasn’t in the mood for weighted pull up work today or a giant set during bench press since I had already gotten 50 reps on pull ups. Pretty solid day and just need to get back into the swing of things now that the holiday season is over!
1/5/17
Advanced 5/3/1 (with a bit of auto-regulation)
Deadlift Day (Whatever x 3)
Deadlift: 390 - 5x3
Squats: 235 - 3x8
Back Extensions: 25 - 3x10
Going a bit off the reservation with my deadlift sessions. Instead of doing 5’s-3’s-1’s on their given weeks I’m going to use 3’s-2’s-1’s using the same percentages as the advanced template. I am planning on doing however many sets I feel is good for the day but shooting for a minimum of 3 sets. Sort of taking the idea from the 75/85 Template from Beyond. In my head this makes sense because the kettlebell work I’ve been doing is giving me plenty of deadlift assistance volume to where I don’t need to hammer the deadlift as much. Plus hopefully this will cut down on time in the gym on this day since I still lift on my lunch break. So hard to explain what’s in my brain!!! As far as the workout itself, this was a solid day. Cut the sets at 5 since I wanted to move on to Squats and hopefully hit 1 assistance movement before having to leave.
1/6/17
Advanced 5/3/1
Bench Press Day (5x5)
1A) Bench Press: 225 - 4x5, 1x10
1B) DB Row: 90 - 5x10
2A) Dips: 4x5, 1x10
2B) Pull Ups: 4x5, 1x10
Bench Press moved well but was pretty happy with being able to do dips. I have always stayed away from dips since they have always bugged my shoulders in the past. Today I took my time with setup and only did sets of 5 to get a feel for them. Encouraged by the set of 10 on dips and pull ups for a 5th set. Hopefully I can start making dips a thing moving forward.
Dope log man! I like the simplicity but variation you have.
I’ve thought about getting a KB to have at my house. I live in the Denver metro area and when it snows I get stuck lol.
Any beginner tips you have for using them or implementing them if I can get to the gym or for conditioning? I’ve only done swings with KBs. I’ve tried the clean and press with them, but I don’t know how you get it to not bang into your forearm. Any tips appreciated man!
Thanks @isdatnutty
I like keeping it pretty simple so that way I can keep on track and not wonder around the gym wondering what I need to do next.
One thing I love about kettlebells is that it gives you lots of room to get creative instead of swinging a bell for 100+ total reps. For conditioning I really like Swings and Push Ups. Sometimes I will either do EMOM or I will go for a set number (usually 200 total Swings / 100 total Push Ups). The getting up and down off the floor adds a little extra movement to aid in conditioning. You can’t go wrong with bodyweight movements and Swings when it comes to conditioning at home or at the gym.
Other movements I enjoy for conditioning are the KB Snatch and KB Clean & Jerk (Long Cycle for the KB sport guys). I prefer Jerks over Strict Press with KBs because with Jerks you are using your whole body which is what we want when it comes to conditioning. Also the Barbell Clean and Strict Press is more important to me than a KB Clean & Press for strength purposes.
To keep the bell from banging against your forearm, it’s important to learn how to let the bell sort of go slide around your arm and not flop over the top, especially in the Snatch. The Clean is probably my worst movement when it domes to this but it’s still the same concept. Look up videos by Steve Cotter. I think he has some good tips to keep this from happening. A video will make more sense than trying to explain it here.
As far as purchasing a bell (or bells) I feel like a 55 (most come in 24kg/53#) is a good medium sized bell if you feel you have proper swing mechanics. My wife has a 35# bell that I will use to warm up for Clean & Jerks as well as Goblet Squats on mobility days or to solve some technical issues with the Snatch. I own a 35, 2-55’s and an 80 and I can get a really good conditioning workout with those bells.
I know this got long and hopefully this helps you out a little bit. Once you get past the basics of KBs, check out @BCFlynn log. I’ve been getting a lot of kettlebell inspiration from him lately and what he’s been doing.
1/7/17
Kettlebell Conditioning Workout
EMOM - 10 minutes
5 x 55# KB Snatch (Left)
5 x 55# KB Snatch (Right)
5 x Push Ups
Wasn’t much in the mood to do Swings so went with Snatches for today. Definitely made this more interesting and had me breathing a little harder than normal. Pretty solid conditioning day at home.
Had a free afternoon so I’ve spent some time catching up on a few logs. You’ve gotten some hosannas already, but let me add one more to the list. Great progress and keep it rolling, and congratulations on the upcoming addition to your family!
Thanks @ActivitiesGuy
After reading up your log it’s been giving me the itch to want to go for a run myself (too cold for me atm). It’s cool to see it’s possible to run 5-10 miles and still maintain a 500+ deadlift. Keep killing it on your end!!
1/9/17
Advanced 5/3/1
Squat Day (5x3)
Squats: 295 - 4x5, 1x8
2A) KB Swings: 80 - 5x10
2B) Split Squats: BW - 5x10 (each)
2C) Leg Raise: BW - 5x10
Had 10 reps easy on Squats today but had a bit of a technical error on the 8th rep. I got a little lazy and didn’t take a breath or brace again so I was sort of like a deflated balloon in the hole. Threw me on my toes but somehow was able to adjust at the bottom and stand up with the weight. Other than nearly missing a rep with 295, it was a pretty good day!
1/10/17
Advanced 5/3/1
Overhead Press Day (5x3)
1A) Oh Press: 180 - 5x3
1B) Weighted Pull Ups: 45 - 5x3
2A) Bench Press: 225 - 3x5
2B) Pull Ups: BW - 5x8
Overhead Presses were moving very well but wasn’t much in the mood to take the 5th set for extra reps today. Good to get back to weighted pull ups. Haven’t made these as big of a priority as I did in previous cycles but they make my bodyweight pull up work feel so much better afterwards. Good session today while operating on very little sleep due to watching the college football championship game!
1/12/17
Deadlift Day
Front Squat: 255 - 5x3
Deficit Deadlift: 445 - 2x2, 1x3 (brain fart here)
KB Swing: 80 - 1x50
Been struggling a bit with motivation for deadlift days lately so I figured I would kind of change things around. Started with Front Squats just because I just felt like doing Front Squats first!! These moved well with no issues and got through these pretty quick. I debated on RDL’s after but figured lets take the 445 I was going to do for doubles today and do them at a deficit. Had planned on 3 doubles conventional anyway so it was nice to do this from a deficit. Did 3 reps on the 3rd set because for a brief moment I forgot I was doing doubles. Swung my KB for a single set of 50 to finish. Sort of helped my brain to kind of change things around for once!
An 80lb swing for 50 reps is pretty serious, must have really pumped up your forearms!
Its funny because reps 1 thru 35 my forearms were holding up VERY well and thought I could possibly get to 75. Sadly, as soon as I thought that, reps 36-50 my forearms were burning pretty good. I was trying to relax them as best I could at the top but I was done after 50. Also a SICK glute pump bro!!! (That was my attempt at humor!!)
1/13/17
Advanced 5/3/1
Bench Press Day (5x3)
1A) Bench Press: 255 - 5x3
1B) Pull Ups: BW - 5x5
2A) Dips: BW - 5x10 (volume PR)
2B) Pull Ups: BW - 5x5
Bench moved pretty well today but was most excited about dips. Again 5x10 bodyweight dips probably isn’t a big deal for most people but for me I was very happy with this. Shoulders, wrist and elbows felt great the whole time with no pain. Didn’t expect dips to be in the repertoire until last week so getting 50 dips and 50 total pull ups in a workout is satisfying for a former fat guy!
1/14/17
80# Weight Vest Walk: 2 miles
Nice cool morning for a walk with the vest. Did enough kettlebells at the gym this week so didn’t see the need to do any today.
1/16/17
Advanced 5/3/1
Squat Day (5x1)
Squat: 335x1, 375x1 (PR), 405xMiss
2a) Walking DB Lunge: 45 - 3x10 (each)
2b) DB Goblet Squat: 45 - 3x10
Leg Raise: 3x10
Never thought I would say that missing a rep felt better than setting a new PR. After 335 went up so smooth I figured I might as well set a 10 pound PR and go for 375. Went up with no issues at all. The idea of 405 crept into my mind but wasn’t so confident I should attempt it. A part of me was saying, you set your PR now move on. The other side said, 375 felt like butter, lets go for the big 405. Reluctantly put 405 and figured at worst I will just walk out with it since I’ve never had that much weight on my back. Surprisingly it felt pretty good on my back. Went down, got out of the hole okay but couldn’t lock it out. Fought it for a while and finally just gave into it and let it fall on the safety racks. Overall pleased with how it felt and this is definitely in sight. Just need to be more confident in what I’m going to do next time. Lunges and Goblet Squats for volume since I was ready to get away from the squat rack at this point. Good day today even though I failed a rep on Squats for the first time in a long time!
1/17/17
Advanced 5/3/1
Overhead Press Day (5x1)
1A) Oh Press: 200 - 5x1
1B) Weighted Pull Ups: 50 - 5x3
2A) Bench Press: 225 - 3x5
2B) KB Snatch: 50 - 5x10 (each arm)
Presses moved well as did the Pull Ups. Had no plans working up any heavier than 200 even though it was flying each set. Decided on KB Snatch as a second pull movement to go along with Bench Press since it offered a little conditioning / cardio to the workout. Not much to report today. Got decent work done and felt pretty good leaving the gym!