Snatches, Pull-ups and Pistols

New Program Day 2

Moderate Load Snatch
16/5/5x2
24/5/5x1 warm-up
24/5/5/5/5x1
24/8/8/5/5x5 (26 reps/set )

total of 150 for workload + 10 for warm-up = 160

The highest number in some time for total reps and for reps in a set. Felt good and pushed me a bit on the cardio and my hands survived even with a rip due to a blood blister from the Max VO2.

Pull-ups (weighted)
16kg/5x5

Must really crush the grip and pull my chin up and to the bar. Also, helps to tense the legs by pinching the weight and of course the abs

Pistols
28/2/2x4

Sniff deep into the abs and tense hard, crush the bell, root the floor and stay tense and in control. key points for a good pistol!

great workout, feel fantastic across the board!

Cannot wait till Friday!

Monday workout and Organization Change

All things being equal I felt it best to arrange my program to fit with Rif. It just makes most sense. This way we can push each other and share feedback about the workout during that session.

New Plan
Monday
Jerks
Deadlift
Jandas

Wednesday
Snatch (Max Vo2, and/or heavy loads i.e. 24, 28 or 32)
Weighted Pull-ups
Pistol or Squat (this is if I choose to do a 3 day program or I am feeling it that day).

Friday
PRess (heavy 32 &/or 40)
Swings (1 Arm will depend on Snatch day workout)
Pull-ups (bodyweight if I do the 3 day workout)

Saturday
Pull-ups (bodyweight)
Pistol or Squat

Todays Workout
Jerks (1 kb)
16/5/5
24/5/5
32/5/5
32/6/6
32/7/7
32/5/5

Key points:
*Stay flat footed on first dip (do not go onto my toes)
*Drive up and back pushing off the chest
*Stay in control (not a weight I have to Jerk so takes strong focus to stay in control)

Deadlift
135/3
185/3
225/3
275/2
315/2

387/1x12

Key Points
*Drive through the legs
*Engage the Lats (Ever wonder how important lats are for human movement, very!)
*Big Arch

Jandas
Using 65cm ball and 20kg KB
8x3

Key Points
*Important to counterbalance my erectors and eliminate the hip flexors.

Evolution in action

Evolution

What would life be and the existence of the human race and society be without evolution. Primitive, yes in my opinion and in many ways lucky to be around and thriving like we are particularly in terms of the access and options of 'things' that exist. Are we perfect, no and far from it but we are progressing, we are evolving.

I bring this up as I watch and listen to the various discussions about GS style versus RKC (Hard Style) kettlebell training. As I look at both systems I marvel at their unique aspects and different methodologies toward achieving various end results that each aim toward. Myself I use the RKC system as it fits my goals, needs, wants and desires. However, I am keen to learn more about the GS system because it will benefit me as a student of life, a student of the world of strength, conditioning, training and fitness. In fact I am currently doing the 2 main GS exercises Jerks and Snatches but in a Hard Style format (lower reps, more force production via power, strength, speed, acceleration, rest between sets and multiple hand switches).

I am fortunate to be in such a wonderful field with so much spirited conversation around being the best one can be. I have a number of people whom I have a great deal of respect for on both sides of the equation and those who are more toward the middle. In fact the person whom I am coached by is in my opinion in the top 1% overall, Rif.

My thing that I keep in mind is that both have purpose, both have merit, both work for different reasons and different end results and as we move forward to keep in mind that the Kettlebell is a tool aimed at whatever goal you have set and there is no one way other than the one you choose. People will continue to evolve the tool and find wonderful many uses for it. How exciting is that, for me it is awesome because I will continue to bring the best to my clients and find many wonderful uses for such a dynamic tool

With Respect and Gratitude

Evolve yourself!

MAX VO2

My nemisis it would seem, the MAX VO2 15/15 work to rest Snatches (weight is not my issue). My body loves strength, speed, power and repetitive action but it also love to regenerate its ATP-CP system for max effort. Well, not possible with this program protocol so you do your best. I will say there was a dramatic improvement in muscular force. One due to adaption and two my new techniques.

Here is the breakdown
Warm-up
Windmill 16/5/5x2
Squats 16/5/5x2
Snatch 16/5/5x2

The Workout
16/7 for 20/20 sets each side for 20 minutes.

Total volume 300 (including the 20 warm-up) or a cool 5 tons and 10000 lbs

Note: The low back was visible at round 16 but very slight and I feel no issues other than a real mild muscle ache which believe me is major progress

Heart Rate
156 at 20 minutes
136 at 45 seconds later
120 at 1:10

Fast recovery and fascinating MaxHR response. Give me a bigger load and it will be a different story; add 5 minutes but still using the 16kg and no change. I could feel the consistent beat and load and it would fit right in my Target Heart Rate Zone
My resting pulse is 52 and age of 32 (167.5 is my 85% or high end).

Presses, Squats, Pistols and more

Wow, for the first time in a long time I was able to get in an early morning workout. I used to love starting my day with a workout but with business this is rarely possible.

Presses
32/5/5x5

I chose this weight so I could focus in and hone my techniques. After last weeks big 40kg workout I noticed that my left levator activated and this made for an uncomfortable feeling for a couple of days. So I want to focus on keeping my shoulder in the socket as I pressed, creating space between my ear and shoulder.

Squat (1kb)
32/3/3x3

Pistol
24/3/3x3

I really enjoy squats as well as pistols so today with the weights I had handy (no 40 and only a single 32) I decided to see how it felt and what the effects of doing squats before pistols. I kept the volume low on the squats but I could definitely feel that preparing myself with squats before pistols made a positive impact.

Pull-ups
8x5 (bodyweight)

Running
tempo conditioning runs
1 length of the soccer field repeated for 10 efforts at about 70%
1/2 soccer field for 6 efforts at 80%

Look, let me totally honest...I love to be on my feet and move fast. I prefer to chase a ball or be chased but I love moving. Plus, the smell of fresh cut crash, cleats digging into the ground, legs and arms pumping just is awesome. I know I am best suited for sprint or repeated sprint motions so this type of conditioning will help prepare my body and increase my speed endurance. It is really wonderful to put in use all the strength, power, speed training.

Foam roll, stick in Psoas and Glute Med/Piriformis, ample specific stretching all helped to open my hips.

Snatch, Jerks, Clubbells

Snatch
28/5/5x1
28/7/7x5

80 total reps

Jerks (2 kbs)
28/5x5

25 total reps

Clubbells

one arm torch swing
two bell torch swing 10 lbs
one bell torch swing 15 lbs x 10 reps each arm.
one bell torch press
two bell torch press
one bell torch press 15 lbs x5
two bell flag press
one bell flag press 15 lbs x3 HARD!
two bell front press
one bell front press 15 lbs x3
outside/inside swings
two bell pendulum to flag press 10 lbs
one arm cast
two bell casts
one bell two hand barbarian cast 15 lbs x5
two handed arm cast one bell 15 lbs x5

Yoga

55 minutes of a Level 2-3 Intermediate Yoga Flow class. Got a good sweat and definitely a workout but most important is I feel opened up. Did some mobility work today and will hit the foam roller tonight.

Pull-ups & Deadlifts

Pull-ups
5x2 (body)
16kg/4x6

These felt the strongest in some time. The 2 week waveload progression was perfect.

Deadlift
135
185
225
275
315
365
405

all done for warm-ups.

440/1x5

315/1x8 (30 sec rest)

Best Deadlift day in some time. I can really feel my strength.

Max VO2

The big Snatch day, Maz Vo2 with the 16kg bell for 15sec/15sec intervals. Here is the breakdown

Minutes 1 and 2
5/5 = total of 20

Minutes 3 and 4
6/6 = total of 24

Minutes 5 thru 20
7/7

it was about the 11th minute I felt the low back say hello to me. Simply put my form breaks at the 7/7 mark, when i am more or less sprinting with the bell rather than pacing. Lets just say some bodies are better built for a 15 minute sprint than others.

If this is a test of toughness, then you cannot question me there because I know I am mentally and physically combined more tough than most. I have experienced the kind of pain in competition that would drop most people to their knees and surrender. I am not going to go down without a fight and I will fight my best to the end. So even though I would have liked to drop the reps back down, or stop all together that was not an option. Perseverance is a thing of true beauty or as Longfellow once said "Perseverance is a great element of success. If only knock long enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody."

this is not to say that my back pain is so terrible that it is crippling but it is too say that when you have no real goal or competition and you are training "just to train" you can stop because you are truly not fighting or working toward anything. However, I beg to differ. my biggest competition begins with the sunrise of each day. And everyday I wake to go out and prove to myself, to challenge myself, to challenge others to accomplish great things, to push themselves against their own being. To me competition is not soley about winning and losing against others but the true competition, the true spirit of competition is preparing yourself to achieve greatest, to achieve extraordinary results, to be the best you can be. And, if you do prepare yourself in such a way then everyday you will be challenging others to do the same, especially in my line of business where it is my goal to help people get the best out of their health and fitness!

So today I pushed myself with no one person watching, coaching, yelling, supporting, etc. me, just me against myself, against my thoughts, against my mind and body. I knew and always know what my spirit is about on any given day at any given moment. You cannot keep a good man down or better yet, you cannot keep you strong spirit down!

What did you do today?

Presses and Pull-ups

A quiet Friday on the work front so I took advantage of my time today. Lately I have been reading some excellent books and many of them seem to have the same factor, the Human Spirit and a sense of adventure (all non-fiction). So I have been inspired. One thing I really enjoy is being outdoors. I love taking time during the day to get outside and enjoy the beauty of nature. Surprisingly in a big area like Northern California there is a number of diverse and excellent outdoor experiences and coupled with the weather this makes it possible year round. Therefore I went out for a trekking session which is a combo hike/run. I covered around 4 miles and stopped with Jaz at the Reservoir so she could swim for a short bit and for a little peace, quiet and reflection for myself

Yoga
25 minutes of Power Yoga (intermediate level +)

Kettlebells
Presses
40/3/3x1
40/4/4x1
40/5/5x1

Hard pressing this bell. We are talking over half my body weight in a big ball of cast iron. However, I just focus on the techniques of rooting, creating tension, using the lat and crushing the grip. Nice to ladder (pyramid) up to a set of 5 and an increase in total volume over last week

Pull-ups
8x4 (bodyweight)

kept the volume down. Simply put I am doing a lot of pulling work and therefore getting heaps of elbow flexion work and I am making sure to be aware of this fact considering this week I will increase in my weighted pull-ups, deads, heavy snatch workout and jerk workout. Plus, I have the MAX VO2 snatch session tomorrow.

I sure feel great!

Group Training

Over the past 2+ years I have been spending a good part of my personal training hours working with small groups of up to 12 people. This experience has really helped to grow my business and in the process enabled me to work with more people therefore touching more lives. One of the main premises for me behind group training was to create a way for people who were fiscally trapped to enjoy the benefits of working with a trainer and thus having a support system and education system in place. Let me say that this has been very successful for all parties involved.

Now, over time the training and groups have evolved. I have learned many valuable lessons that have helped me to continue to improve the experience. My biggest group is the fabulous folks at Cisco Systems. I have been working on their campus since 1999 and for the first 6 years my only way of training clients was through one-on-one hour long sessions. However, in the summer of 2005 shortly after obtaining my Kettlebell certification through Pavel and Dragondoor I started small group training. In large part because people have very little knowledge of the kettlebells and the financial aspect.

My groups typically ranged from 3 to 5 people and I had two groups that met on Tuesday and Thursday of every week, one that met at 6:30 -7:15 am and the other from 7:15 to 8 am. This program worked well but the time limitations made it difficult to accomodate certain individuals and in many cases my most ardent of supporters. Because of this there was much inconsistency in the shear number of people who showed up. This was no good for a couple of reasons; one the clients were not on a consistent routine which was affecting there progress and two I had to much financial instability which is already an issue in a profession that is a luxury item for most.

So, sometime last year I opened up the time on Tues/Thurs to a 6:30 to 8 am show when you want and workout out as long as you want type program. My initial findings which are even more confirmed today as new people come in and out (depending if they want to just learn the basics or come for personal training over a period of time) and my regulars are seeing the most progress and consistent efforts ever are that this methodology/approach has really helped eliminate the clients issues and mine. The system is in my mind so well constructed that I am able to implement new folks without skipping a beat all while keeping and maintaining the clientle already in place.

One of the most unique aspects is everyone is on their own program which I personally design and write in their dairies (which they bring each time) and I make changes according to their prior workouts. However, at times we bring everyone or even small contigents of folks together to push and challenge each other and work together at the same time. this changes workout to workout dependent on a number of factors. Injuries are few and far between and results are very high, and things are consistent.

I really compliment all those whom I get the great pleasure of working with, educating, supporting, teaching, coaching, interacting with, and learning from on a daily basis. They have been there to support me and help me to evolve this program, this wonderful system to its level of success today. Moreover, they make getting up early in the morning a great pleasure because they enrich my life and I in turn get to do the same for them (or at least I hope).

Perfect, well that is debately, successful, NO DOUBT about It

Snatches and jerks + clubbells

My back felt tight and tweaked from my poor attempt at a deadlift the other day, tried to stiffleg the darn thing, of course not intentionally. therefore instead of snatching the 40 today I went and did the 24, which is a fantastic bell for me and provides plenty of max acceleration work and force production.

Snatches
16/5/5
20/5/5
24/5/5
24/6/6x2
24/8/8x6

total of 130 reps. Key poitns push back the hips and shoulders at the start of the descent which in turn reduces the centripedal force due to a shorter radius (lever) and this means less hand stress, closer to the body and a faster ascent all while reducing the stress on the back as well. Plus I can use more of my strong suit, my legs with the squatty style snatch. I like the form and the speed.

Jerks (2kb)
16/5
24/5
32/5x3
24/10

Stay flat on the heels on the initial dip and drive those bells of the chest with a strong bump, dip and catch. Love this move, it feels very athletic and natural. For me there always is a learning curve but once I get something I feel I can perfect it and I am on my way.

Clubbell work: my first such experience
rock its
front back swings
one arm side rockits
one arm side swings
front swing to torch( one and two bells)
pendulums ( one and two bells)
inside/outside pendulums (first time I tried these,solid)
flag presses one and two bells
torch press one and two bells
front press one and two bells
back position work
armpit cast( first time for this-not bad at all glad to see those millions of db and machine pullovers I did weren't wasted)
swipes with one and two bells( another first, rough but no problem with basic form,excellent!)

I am not sure exactly what to say. Different in a very good way and enjoyable. Lots of skill and technique involved but a nice compliment to the KBs. As rif said, this needs its own day as my shoulders and forearms were already well worked and there is a heavy amount of grip and shoulder work. Interesting mechanical movement patterns combined with physics and a very interesting conceptual model....things that make you go hmmm.

Great workout, body feels really good plus I had a good yoga workout last night and will do some nice stretch work today.

Deads and Pull-ups

Pull-ups
4x2
12kg/5x2
16kg/3x6

downcycle week and this was a great, strong pull

Deadlifts
After warm-ups

427/1x7

Great pulls today, feeling good

Max VO2

Well, I am at it again with this plan. During the TSC I did 2 rounds, lasting on 30 rounds or 15 minutes before my back felt the tightness. So I was curious today with this new snatch concept (I know, yet another) how it would go.

Snatch 15/15seconds, work/rest
16/5/5x40

For volume sakes this is not much. Ideally I should do 7 or even 8 (all out) reps/15 second interval. However, I want to build slowly and with form. After all slow and steady wins the race. In the prior two experiences I went for 6 and 7 reps and that just did not work. So, the report is my low back feels great. I was aware at around 31 but nothing that stopped me and I could have done the 50 set or 25 minute version. To say the least I am pleased.

Pistols (heavy day)
40kg/1/1x3

By far my strongest performance with this weight! I can see and feel my strength is coming along Strong.

The wisdom of a good program design, with good progression, listening well and consistency.

A Serious Introduction to Nutrition...I NEED Your HELP

This year I have the great pleasure of teaching at San Jose State University. I am currently teachng 2 beginning weight training courses and I have a fairly wide range of things I can teach. The main part of the course is the workout which comprises approximately 40 of the 50 minutes of the class.

Recently I asked the students to answer 2 questions for me
1. What do you want out of this class?
2. Why are you here?

The answers varied but covered much of the same areas in particular I noticed probably 60 out of the 80 students between the classes answered nutrition. So, I decided to give them a 10 day period to come up with a 3 day food journal. I said that this is not a graded assignment on what and how well you eat but a way to learn awareness and create discussion around nutrition.

I have to admit I was DISGUSTED by what I read for the most part and shocked at just how poorly these students treated their bodies. I was curious to know the why's, what's, how's, who's, etc. of these students choices & habits.

The common things learned
* They have no skills to cook and prepare food
* Those in the dorms have no way to cook or prepare food.
* There are few healthy places to purchase food on or around campus
* The campus dining commons prepares foods which encourage poor eating
* Surrounding the campus is many fast food places
* Students have little money and these fast food places provide cheap alternatives
* There are no healthy cheap alternatives available.
* Students do not choose the salads or 'healthier' alternatives at fast food places
* One reason is they are more expensive
* Students have no idea of how many calories foods contain and what they are comprised of
* They are LAZY
* Those who live at home eat the best or those who have fitness goals
* Even after seeing Super Size Me and/or reading Fast Food Nation they still eat poorly

There are others but these stoodout. What amazes me is with all the information available, with all the talk of health, fitness, obesity, disease, etc. these people are still eating and doing things that are increasing risks of the bad kind. I would say that with 80+ students that this would represent a statistically significant number as a reflection on what is happening in the US today.

What is going to happen to these students in 10, 20, 30 years? How many will be classified as obese? How many will be dependent on the Drug companies to manage their cholestoral, blood pressure, diabetes, etc.? What really needs to be done to change this phenomenon that is going on today? Who is responsible? Can we shift or change the cycle?

I tell you that my goal was to create awareness, to teach them things they did not truly know or understand, to give them something moving forward in life, to scare them in some sense to a better and healthier lifestyle. I have taken this opportunity presented to me and reached out to help these students create a healthier lifestyle where they eat better and maintain some sort of workout program after the class. I really value this position I am in and cherish this opportunity. I do believe there is many of the students who are listening.

So, to all my professional friends I ask you if you have any ideas, websites, books, handouts, etc that I can share. San Jose State has invited me back to teach next semester and I want to bring the best from the best to these students

I challenge you all to be leaders with me on this subject and truly make a difference (PS: I think our clientle load is going to be full for years to come)

Presses & Pull-ups

Presses
24/5/5x1
32/3/3x1
40/2/2x5

Decide to do quality reps so i went with doubles and i am very pleased with the technique and strength.

Pull-ups
12, 10, 8, 6, 4 =40

hanging leg raises
5x2

pretty simple but very effective

Snatches and jerks

The continual evolution with the program design. At my suggestion I mentioned to Rif that I wanted to change a couple things with my plan, here is the new plan

Monday
Pullups-Weighted
Deadlifts
Pistol or Swings (most likely swings because I want these in my program. They really help me with my Snatch and are excellent in general, the basis of the snatch and clean)

Wednesday
Snatch Heavy (alternate between 28, 32, and 40) weekly
2kb Clean and Jerks

Friday
Press (Heavy)
Pull-up (bodyweight for reps)

Saturday
Snatch (VO2 max workout or SSST)
Squat (2kb heavy) or Pistol


Todays workout
Snatch
16/5/5
24/5/5x2
32/5/5x5

Bend at the hips at beginning of descent from top position. This keeps the bell close to the body and makes me look more like I am squatting. I feel this technique has a lot of promise for minimizing load on body and hands and maximizing force and acceleration. Hands are sore but no tears.

Clean and Jerk (2kb)
24/5x5

Form work! Learning the groove and move. I decided I wanted to do the long cycle and not just the jerks. Really love the all around work this move provides. I feel this is going to be a great move for my body based on my feel and Rif's feedback.

Good workout. The loads and volume will continue to increase and fluctuate but this is a great step in the right direction. Through this whole process from the TSC to now I am learning so much more about training and program design for making consistent progress and minimizing risk of injury. I am enjoying the mastery aspect. Good one today: 3 methods of training (submax, maximal and repetition loading) all which are in my program design! Sounds smart and effective especially combined with the wave periodized approach.

The RKC System a reflection and obeservation

Over the past few days I have been reading the RKC Level 2 manual that Rif had from this past Junes certification. One I was curous to what level 2 was like; two I wanted to learn new stuff and review old stuff; and three just plan and simple education and information to continue to bring the best to my clients.

I found the manual to have a wealth of information that was well thought out, well reasoned and definitely stuff I can and will implement with my clients. I must say I really appreciation the time and energy Pavel has put in building his RKC system, which is truly a system. The background information and research that has gone into the development of this system makes this a remarkable system for producing a number of exciting effects...for instance Kenneth Jay's research on VO2 performance wit the KB Snatch in my opinion is groundbreaking. I as a masters student in 2003 wanted to do a kettlebell study but it was difficult to get the support necessary and truth be told I did not have the experience or knowledge to do it justice such as Kenneth has in his study.

When you really look at the RKC system and the kettlebell as a whole I really respect the integrity of the system and the clear definition of what defines it as a system, its unique aspects and differences from other systems (primarily the GS, which in no way does Pavel show anything but respect for this system and its application eventhough it is quite different to the RKC version), and the explanation of why and the effects of the RKC system.

Some great points:
Hard style (RKC) chooses power over efficiency and chooses techniques proven to be most effective for max force applications.
Uses the concepts of maximal acceleration in quick lifts (sntach, swing, clean) and max tension in slow lifts (grinds like the press).
Tension = Force therefore getting stronger by contracting muscles harder (Trust me it works like magic that is how I pressed the beast and did my pistol with it as well)
Biomechanical breathing match (intraabdominal pressure is key to having a strong and stable spine while performing big moves).
Kinetic LInking
And: Strength is a Skill.

These are just some of the amazing aspects of the system and its effects on the body using the KB. A number of people have helped Pavel develop this system to its current level and continue to input on its development which in itselfs continues to evolve this system. I feel the RKC system is special and I am a proud supporter, user and promotor of this system because to me it makes sense and definitely for my clients. There are a number of wonderful people whom I have met through the RKC and who continue to expand my mind and capabilities.

Now go out and train! :-)

Morning Workout 1: Yoga

This 20+ minute workout focused on backbends. I downloaded this yoga workout from ITunes specifically yoga download. The workout is called Morning Flow #1 and is a great way to livin up the body and open the hips, shoulders and back. I want to compliment this with a Twist focused workout this week and others. I really enjoyed this workout.

Afternoon with the Rifs'

Feeling sluggish today

Pull-ups
Bw/3x3
10kg/2x1
15kg/2x1
20kg/2x1
30kg/2x1
35kg/2x5 (=77lbs)

Deadlift
warm-ups
135/3x1
185/3x1
225/2x1
275/2x1
315/1x2
365/1x1

405/1x7

not my best by far. Just tired for no apparent reason so I felt sluggish and did not connect all the dots well. Did not feel difficult or heavy just not as 'tight' as I or Rif would like.

Took the press out since I am doing 2kb jerks on Wed and pressing heavy on Friday or Saturday. next week will add in some pistols to see how it all feels put together.

Overall I feel very good!

Snatch, Pistol, Swing

Took a step back today. My body is feeling really good but I can tell all the work I have incurred and today I felt it best to back off.

Snatch
16/5/5x2
24/5/5x2
32/5/5x5

My hands held up and I felt like I had a better position with the bell in my hand using the 32kg....very important and no tears.
In addition, the pendulum motion is smoother due to the hands and an increase in my fluidity. Strong sets and reps today

Pistol
24/5/5x2

Now why only 2 sets. First because i do not feel this is an exercise I have too or want too do high reps in. I feel really strong and consistent and my body feels good. No hip, knee or back issues and that is how I wish to keep things

Swings (1 Arm)
32/10/10x5

Found a really strong groove here especially in sets 3 through 5 and felt no back stress, very pleased!

Yoga

For about 30 minutes today as well. This has been really helping me with my overall ROM and flexibility on the whole and I am moving more freely and that is a GREAT feeling.

Run, Bells and Yoga

Well I have been wanting to get back on my feet and run. At this point I want to focus more on speed and speed endurance training as well as agility. I want to put all this wonderful athletic training I have been doing in the gym into practice on the field and today was my first day.

After my morning clients I took advantage of the field I was training at, put on my cleats and ran the soccer field. I did some tempo runs, agility drills and then my favorite, sprint work.

I could not believe how explosive of I felt and truly am. Better yet I felt my acceleration and how strong I am due to all this training and how powerful I am. WOW! This was an awesome experience and on my first day doing this type of training in a long while


Kettlebells
Press and Pull-up superset

32/5/5x5

and

5x5 for pull-ups


Yoga: 30 minutes of good stretching

Great all around day!

Snatches and jerks + Z

Submax snatch training day with an emphasis on finding my hand position. Rif and I teamed together and I think I have the idea formulated now just need more practice....rest in the hand diagonally and lead the downstroke with my hand at angle thumb goes back first much like I perform the clean.

Snatch
24/5/5
24/6/6
24/7/7
24/8/8
24/9/9
24/10/10
24/9/9
24/8/8

Jerks (2kb)
24/5
24/6
24/8
24/5 could not find my groove
24/8 (with Olympic shoes.. a first)

These are a great exercise and I really enjoy the move. Talk about a good quad workout. A great deal of coordination is necessary but once you get it what a pretty move.

Also Rif introduced me to some Z for my shoulder which was tight from a rough nights rest...felt like pec minor was locked up. It helped for certain but so much to learn and still in the earliest of early stages...interesting to say the least and I can see aspects of the system and its effectiveness, whether it is the end all be all I am uncertain and whether it is the best things for my clients and something they will do on there on only time will tell. All I can say is in my experience as noted in my friend Franz's blog time is precious and you have to sometime find things that work in the shortest and most effective means which is why I choose the KB.

The Kettlebell provides in my eyes an all encompassing tool that addresses Range of motion, strength, cardiovascular, agility, coordination, power, speed, and all this can be accomplished in a short and effective period of time. I am not sure there is a more comprehensive and effective system for people than the KB, especially those with 'limited time' (for whatever reasons) to exercise. Does it replace other systems, well that is debately on many levels. There is so many factors to consider when making decisions with implementation of systems, programs and plans. You cannot do it all unfortunately and become a master and in many cases just effectively do the movements.

Ok, off my high horse. I just have my thoughts and feelings via my experience. I have found many of the systems I have been shown to be amazing and effective however it is about the individual in my mind and finding something that fits that person and something they will do consistently for life.

Yoga

45 minutes of Vinyasa Yoga at home. Feel open throughout the body and free of tension. My hips, sacrum, back, shoulders, neck, calves and hamstrings feel opened and my legs and arms feel like they recieve a strong workout. this workout was especially important due to my bad nights sleep which made me feel tight and a hard workout yesterday that mad me feel tight.

Note, the home practice requires much more discipline and attention to detail than a group class. One, there is no visual aid so you have to listen to the cues and know your poses and two, there is no one to watch over you or force you to complete the workout.

Do Yoga, it is a good for you :-)

Deads, Pull-ups and Presses

Neurological efficieny and effectiveness. The foundation for movement?

Todays workout

Superset of weighted pull-ups and Presses

Pullups
BW/5x1
10k/5x1
20k/3x1
30k/3x2
30k/2x2

Strong first pulls and subsequent reps went well. Must engage the lats more effectively.

Presses
24/5/5x2
28/5/5x5

These felt like butter, just moved nice, fluid, effective and efficient motion. the submax efforts are truly paying high dividends as evident in my 40k press day.

Deadlift
135/3x1
185/3x1
225/4x1
275/2x1
315/2x1

378/1x10 (approx 30+ seconds rest between sets)

Really pulled these like I owned the bar. As Rif stated I had my best pull on my last pull, always a personal goal....finish strong, finish my best. The groove was solid and just need to 'lean back' to finish my pull. I was not finishing my hips well and the reason is due to a compensation I made for shrugging the bar. I overcompensated by not 'pulling my shoulders back' at the top of the move. Once this was situated I felt the groove come together.

Great workout. Nice progressive day and I feel like I could have done more, and that is always a good way to finish a strong, hard workout...like you have some left in the tank.