Interesting Smoker And A Reminder

After the workout today I tried out a short smoker that I read about in an old article by Rob Lawrence. I was really surprised at the difficulty in keeping to the breathing patterns during the ladders.

The protocol calls for:

Snatch 1/1 - Then 1 Deep Breath (Inhale/Exhale)...The longer the breath, the better.
Snatch 2/2 - 2 Deep Breaths
And so on up to 5/5.

We did 3 ladders of this matching breaths to snatch reps. I actually looked forward to picking up the kettlebell the longer this went on. Definitely worth trying out!

Here's a couple of videos (one I've posted on here before), but they're a good reminder of our many blessings and the power of the human spirit.

***Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the stop button on the music player so you can hear the audio on the videos.

No Excuses!


This one was on an old post by Yoana Snideman, RKC-TL. Truly Inspirational!


We all have so much to be thankful for!

Got Results?

Last Friday, the Crossfit guys who train at the warehouse were fooling around with the tires to see who could jump on top of them...not a standing vertical, but with a few steps. I couldn't resist as I hadn't tried a box jump in a long time (can't remember the last time really). As I was hitting every height, I was amazed at the explosiveness that I was experiencing. It really seemed effortless. So I brought the camera up on Monday and tried it again (hoping I could at least duplicate Friday's attempts). The video speaks for itself, but I'm not sure those who see it will really appreciate the fact that I'm not a jumper, basketball player or train for this sort of thing. My SPP and GPP work goes directly to Kettlebells. In fact, I've been training in mini-cycles with several max-effort days per week in an attempt to increase my absolute strength for about the last six months. Dynamics and explosiveness were the last things I thought about or concentrated on. All I know is that there has been a nice "side effect" from the heavy kettlebell training and the swing and snatch sessions. This is a "side effect" I can take directly into a sport application. I wish I would've tested this at the beginning of the year to see what the difference would be...I know it would be pretty significant, but this is all I have to go on. Bottom line....Kettlebells = Results. I'm lighter, more muscular, have less body fat, more flexible, have greater range of motion (especially shoulders), have more stamina, "feel" stronger and more explosive. This is my testament to the RKC and the Hard Style form of kettlebell training.

A Rant...

It appears that society has turned a blind eye (albeit the constant barrage of publicity that's thrown out there by the media) to the crisis we're experiencing in America. Obesity is the fastest growing disease and the second leading preventable cause of death in our country, second only to tobacco use. I'm not sure if it's a societal epidemic we're dealing with, but it seems people don't want to realize that you have to live with your body for the rest of your life. With advancements in medicine, plastic surgery and the "smoke and mirrors" effects of makeup, hairdos and fashion, we don't have to take good care of ourselves because you can look as good your wallet will let you. Sounds like I'm talking to a kindergartner, but seriously! Look around! Every facet of our lives displays the effects of poor lifestyle choices….most of those choices of which are put up on a pedestal as great escapes from worry and stress; eating out, smoking, drinking, drugs and the list goes on. Obesity affects our coworkers, families, friends, teammates, congregations; really just about every group we're related to or around. So why have we turned a blind eye to it? Is it because we're afraid to hurt some one's feelings? Is it because we like to ignore our problems? Are we afraid of looking good and feeling good? Does the temporary gratification from the previously mentioned vices give us so much pleasure as to sacrifice chronological and quality years from our lives? Granted, I'm not the poster child. So who am I to judge? Do I slip up? Yes. Am I human? Yes. But I refuse to allow myself to fall off a cliff into a sea of bad habits. I realize my one shot at life is within the confines of the body that God gave me. Why not take care of it as best as I can? We pay crazy amounts on insurance for every possession we own including our lives. Why not try to drop some of the bad lifestyle choices, pick up a few good ones and invest in the greatest asset we were blessed with at our consummation…life.

Percentage of the US population classified as obese according to the CDC, as of April 17, 2007.

31.0-34.0%

28.0-30.9%

25.0-27.9%

22.0-24.9%

19.0-21.9%

Random Lifts Video

I found some clips in my video vault that I decided to put together. Just some random lifts on a few "off" days. Even though I rarely (almost never) implement this stuff in my training, it's fun to do every now and again when goofing around and blowing off steam. This is where barbells, dumbbells, machines, cardio equipment, etc., just gets demolished by the kettlebell.....because of it's diverse versatility!

Back to Training

After a week and a half hiatus, I'm back into the swing of things. I started back yesterday like I hadn't missed a beat. I was worried the break would cause more of a delayed start, but I actually felt stronger than before the vacation. We went to the Baltimore/D.C. area and Northern Virginia to visit family and attend my cousin David's wedding. The trip was great, but very hot and humid.

The last month or so, I've concentrated on more basic movements. I'll continue on with the theme for the next few weeks with an emphasis on building more strength.

Yesterday's work:

6/30/08

C&P

24kg - 5/5

32kg - 2x3/3

40kg - 2x2/2

48kg - 3x1 Right (These felt unusually easy and were very clean. Form was as strict as a 24kg)

48kg - 3x1 Left (I failed on the first 2...iso work....managed to get the 3rd fairly strict with a little bit of a push press) The left will just have to catch up, I guess.

40kg - 2x2/2

Pistol Squat - Partials w/ 20" box

16kg - 5/5

24kg - 3/3

32kg - 2/2

40kg - 2/2

48kg - 2/2

Pistol Squat - Full Reps

16kg - 3/3

24kg - 1/1

32kg - 1/1

40kg - Right - 1, Left - Fail (my left is still lagging, but has a 1,000% improvement since the 1st of the year)

40kg - Right - 1

25lb Plate - 3x3/3

Assorted 1-Arm Swings and Snatches for time.

7/1/08

Warm Up w/ Double C&P and Front Squat to get the blood flowing.

Weighted Pull Ups

12kg - 2x5

28kg - 2x1

32kg - 3x1

12kg - 2x5

Superset w/ Lawnmower Rows w/ Double 32kg.