A great nights sleep. Weight: 178 1/4 lb. Up there but not worried as I had a large lunch at an Indian restaurant yesterday .. the food had a huge salt content.
Z-Health R-Phase
Power Wheel:
BW x 1 x 10 On knees roll-out, hold 0:05, roll back
16kg x 1 x 15l/20r MP
16kg x 1 x 5/5 Snatch
Power Wheel:
BW x 3 x 1 30 yard crawl and back
Four others in our little office have expressed interest in KB training. One has already ordered bells and wanted to start training ASAP. As a result at around 2pm, I had an impromptu outside training session with three other co-workers.
24kg x 1 x 4l/8r MP
32kg x 3 x 1 C&MP right side (PR)
We were all testing our MP strength. One co-worker who had his 1st session today was able to press the 24kg for a double on his right. My other co-worker, who plays cricket that I have been training for the last month, went from zero MPs with a 16kg a few weeks ago to 5 reps today on his left side .. he was very psyched!
I decided to test my MP progress and did 4 MP on the left with the 24kg for a PR .. a very pleasant surprise as I don't train presses in favor of LCCJ. Just for hell of it, I decided one good PR deserves another so I cleaned the 32kg on the right and up it went. I was so freaked out by it, I put it down rested and C&P-ed it again. One more time with all the witnesses and I was completely stunned.
32kg x 2 x 18 Two-hand swing 0:30/0:30
24kg x 8 x 18 Two-hand swing 0:30/0:30
24kg x 1 x 5/5 snatch
32kg x 4 x 1/1 LCCJ
What was supposed to be a light day turned out heavier than expected. I intend to take the weekend off to rest up for my Cert.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
RKC Cert Prep Work
With my weight at around 176 1/2 lb, I'm not going to sweat it if I come in over 80kg for my RKC Cert weigh in. On Friday I self-tested the snatch and passed in the next weight class as well (52 reps). Tomorrow or Saturday, I will test again and go for 56 reps which is the required unlimited Master weight category. This will put my mind at ease and the next I test my snatch will be June 6, the 1st day of the Cert.
Here is a quick summary of RKC Prep Work:
Friday 5/23:
24kg x 1 x 24l/28r RKC snatch test, 52 reps = pass (80.1kg to 90kg)
Tuesday 5/27:
32kg x 10 x 10 2-hand swing 0:15 work, 0:15 rest (afternoon)
5 min rest
32kg x 10 x 10 2-hand swing 0:15 work, 0:15 rest (afternoon)
32kg x 10 x 10 2-hand swing 0:15 work, 0:15 rest (evening)
5 min rest
32kg x 10 x 10 2-hand swing 0:15 work, 0:15 rest (evening)
Total reps: 400
Dead-lifts (lbs) per Rif's consultation (Weight x Sets x Reps):
190 x 10 x 1 (75% 1RM)
200 x 8 x 1 (80% 1RM)
215 x 6 x 1 (85% 1RM)
225 x 2 x 1 (90% 1RM)
These are all singles with a 30 second rest between each. Though this is not directly related to KB training, dead lifts have become a very important part of my training. The set structure above recommended by Rif, is a departure from my previous PtP linear cycling. Instead, I will be cutting back to two times weekly with one heavy day and one lighter assistance drill based day. This will work better with the addition of three days separate days of KB focused training giving me two rest days per week.
Wednesday 5/28:
24kg x 5 x 10l/10r/10l/10r one-hand swings with 1 minute rest between sets
5 min rest
24kg x 10 x 10 DARC swings
Total reps: 300
Thursday 5/29:
Brett Jones Cert Prep Workout #1 with double 24s, except for the MP and snatches I used two 16s, and LCCJs instead of getups
5 min rest
Brett Jones Cert Prep Workout #2 with one 24kg, with LCCJs instead of getups
5 min rest
Brett Jones Cert Prep Workout #3 with one 24s, with LCCJs instead of getups
All sets 0:30 work, 0:30 rest. I was pretty toast after workout #1 and realized I would have to drop back to a single 24kg for #2 and #3.
Here is a quick summary of RKC Prep Work:
Friday 5/23:
24kg x 1 x 24l/28r RKC snatch test, 52 reps = pass (80.1kg to 90kg)
Tuesday 5/27:
32kg x 10 x 10 2-hand swing 0:15 work, 0:15 rest (afternoon)
5 min rest
32kg x 10 x 10 2-hand swing 0:15 work, 0:15 rest (afternoon)
32kg x 10 x 10 2-hand swing 0:15 work, 0:15 rest (evening)
5 min rest
32kg x 10 x 10 2-hand swing 0:15 work, 0:15 rest (evening)
Total reps: 400
Dead-lifts (lbs) per Rif's consultation (Weight x Sets x Reps):
190 x 10 x 1 (75% 1RM)
200 x 8 x 1 (80% 1RM)
215 x 6 x 1 (85% 1RM)
225 x 2 x 1 (90% 1RM)
These are all singles with a 30 second rest between each. Though this is not directly related to KB training, dead lifts have become a very important part of my training. The set structure above recommended by Rif, is a departure from my previous PtP linear cycling. Instead, I will be cutting back to two times weekly with one heavy day and one lighter assistance drill based day. This will work better with the addition of three days separate days of KB focused training giving me two rest days per week.
Wednesday 5/28:
24kg x 5 x 10l/10r/10l/10r one-hand swings with 1 minute rest between sets
5 min rest
24kg x 10 x 10 DARC swings
Total reps: 300
Thursday 5/29:
Brett Jones Cert Prep Workout #1 with double 24s, except for the MP and snatches I used two 16s, and LCCJs instead of getups
5 min rest
Brett Jones Cert Prep Workout #2 with one 24kg, with LCCJs instead of getups
5 min rest
Brett Jones Cert Prep Workout #3 with one 24s, with LCCJs instead of getups
All sets 0:30 work, 0:30 rest. I was pretty toast after workout #1 and realized I would have to drop back to a single 24kg for #2 and #3.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
The AKC Fitness Cert
Saturday May 24, 2008
Any excuse to get 35 people, passionate about throwing around handled cannonballs, together for a training is good enough for me. Such was the great time I had on Saturday for the AKC Fitness Cert.
The photo at the top on the left is of none other than our own Howie Brewer of Howz Training, soul brother, kindred spirit in blogging, training. Following is the extraordinary Valery Federenko, Former World Champion and Master of Kettlebell Lifting Sport, and last is Mike Stefano, Firefighter and Head AKC Lifting and Fitness Coach. In attendance were a significant number of RKCs interested in evaluating or furthering their work with the AKC methodology. In particular, I met and was extremely impressed with RKCs Joe Buckley, Greg Landess, Christopher Lombardo and others whose names I can't recall.
It would be silly and disservice to try and repeat the excellent write up of the event as posted on Howie's blog here. Howie also has follow up posts where he describes his progress in following the steps towards the top Level 20 of the AKC Fitness Protocol using a 12kg bell. Don't be fooled by the lighter bell, this protocol is a real smoker!
I also paid and stayed for the Sunday training as well. Unfortunately, Coach Scott Sonnon, of the Clubbell fame, had to cancel at the last minute due to a contagious staff infection. In his place, his top student and CST trainer, Bao Tran, filled in admirably. In all honesty although Coach Sonnon's program had an original approach to joint mobility, recovery and recharge specific to Kettlebell lifting, I was much more interested in learning about his use of Mini-clubbells and their role in his patented CST (Circular Stength Training) but it was not to be.
At this point in time, I am going to put further work with the AKC methodology on hold for the foreseeable future and completely focus on the next six months to a year on furthering to hone the RKC hard-style technique. The issue here being that I am only now beginning to appreciate how effective the RKC methods work (as evidenced by how pleased I am with my continued progress with it). For those who might doubt it, the AKC lifting methodology IS extremely powerful but alas too difficult for me to integrate with RKC at this point. For a recent balanced discussion of the relative merits of the two schools see the dragondoor forum post here.
Any excuse to get 35 people, passionate about throwing around handled cannonballs, together for a training is good enough for me. Such was the great time I had on Saturday for the AKC Fitness Cert.
The photo at the top on the left is of none other than our own Howie Brewer of Howz Training, soul brother, kindred spirit in blogging, training. Following is the extraordinary Valery Federenko, Former World Champion and Master of Kettlebell Lifting Sport, and last is Mike Stefano, Firefighter and Head AKC Lifting and Fitness Coach. In attendance were a significant number of RKCs interested in evaluating or furthering their work with the AKC methodology. In particular, I met and was extremely impressed with RKCs Joe Buckley, Greg Landess, Christopher Lombardo and others whose names I can't recall.
It would be silly and disservice to try and repeat the excellent write up of the event as posted on Howie's blog here. Howie also has follow up posts where he describes his progress in following the steps towards the top Level 20 of the AKC Fitness Protocol using a 12kg bell. Don't be fooled by the lighter bell, this protocol is a real smoker!
I also paid and stayed for the Sunday training as well. Unfortunately, Coach Scott Sonnon, of the Clubbell fame, had to cancel at the last minute due to a contagious staff infection. In his place, his top student and CST trainer, Bao Tran, filled in admirably. In all honesty although Coach Sonnon's program had an original approach to joint mobility, recovery and recharge specific to Kettlebell lifting, I was much more interested in learning about his use of Mini-clubbells and their role in his patented CST (Circular Stength Training) but it was not to be.
At this point in time, I am going to put further work with the AKC methodology on hold for the foreseeable future and completely focus on the next six months to a year on furthering to hone the RKC hard-style technique. The issue here being that I am only now beginning to appreciate how effective the RKC methods work (as evidenced by how pleased I am with my continued progress with it). For those who might doubt it, the AKC lifting methodology IS extremely powerful but alas too difficult for me to integrate with RKC at this point. For a recent balanced discussion of the relative merits of the two schools see the dragondoor forum post here.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
just pull-ups and swings
A good nights sleep. Weight: 175 1/4 lbs, BF%:14.9. I ate what seemed like an enormous amount of food yesterday and only gained a 1/4 lb gain in weight.
Z-Health: R-Phase
Neutral grip pull-ups:
BW x 1 x 8 (PR)
The weighted pull-ups are already helping my BW ones .. new BW 8RM PR.
After lunch my cricket playing co-worker and I alternated swing sets, he with the 16kg and I with the 32kg:
32kg x 20 x 10 Two-hand swings
Total: 200 reps
This was his 4th time with swings and he made a huge leap today with great form and only needing additional rest after the 13th set. He was so psyched about his progress, he wants me to come and give a demo to his cricket team.
In the evening I did some more pull-ups:
Neutral grip pull-ups:
BW x 1 x (6,5,4,4,3,3,4,1,6)
Total: 36
Thanks to a stirring post on DD by David Whitley, Senior RKC, aka IronTamer, encouraging RKCs not to miss the incredible chance to train with many of the top RKCs at the 1st ever CK-FMS Cert in August, I was able to take advantage of a last minute cancellation in next months June RKC Cert in Mn and registered for it and then also registered for the CK-FMS (and getting the last day discount for it). Of course the CK-FMS requires that I have to pass the RKC Cert in June, however I feel very confident after this last month of progress on all fronts, In particular I have already passed a basement self-testing of the snatch test for my age and weight. I will re-test this two more times before the Cert to stay sharp and that will be it for 24kg snatches. I will also run through the Brett Jones' Preparing-for-the-RKC circuits that Gabi did prior to her Cert. Needless to say I can hardly contain myself I'm so excited!!
I'm off to NYC tomorrow morning for the AKC Fitness Cert and quite excited to share this experience with my training bro, Howie Brewer. As a result, I'll probably be OTG until Monday when I hope to give a report of all activities.
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato, broccoli and cauliflower
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
1 banana
Morning Snack:
1 small bowl of boiled egg white, pan-fried salmon cauliflower and broccoli
1/2 apple
Lunch:
1 bowl of pan-fried garlic shrimp, cauliflower and broccoli
1 tangerine
1st Afternoon Snack:
1 Whey protein shake
4 oz of Kefir
2nd Afternoon Snack:
1 small bowl of boiled egg white with steamed cauliflower and broccoli
1 small helping of cottage cheese
1/2 apple
Dinner (out):
1 large helping of Sichuan spicey fish fillets with veggies
1 large helping of 4 season green beans
1 small helping of spicy sliced beef
1/4 bowl of white rice
1 large helping of Sichuan chicken with dried chilis
2 small scoops of ice cream
Z-Health: R-Phase
Neutral grip pull-ups:
BW x 1 x 8 (PR)
The weighted pull-ups are already helping my BW ones .. new BW 8RM PR.
After lunch my cricket playing co-worker and I alternated swing sets, he with the 16kg and I with the 32kg:
32kg x 20 x 10 Two-hand swings
Total: 200 reps
This was his 4th time with swings and he made a huge leap today with great form and only needing additional rest after the 13th set. He was so psyched about his progress, he wants me to come and give a demo to his cricket team.
In the evening I did some more pull-ups:
Neutral grip pull-ups:
BW x 1 x (6,5,4,4,3,3,4,1,6)
Total: 36
Thanks to a stirring post on DD by David Whitley, Senior RKC, aka IronTamer, encouraging RKCs not to miss the incredible chance to train with many of the top RKCs at the 1st ever CK-FMS Cert in August, I was able to take advantage of a last minute cancellation in next months June RKC Cert in Mn and registered for it and then also registered for the CK-FMS (and getting the last day discount for it). Of course the CK-FMS requires that I have to pass the RKC Cert in June, however I feel very confident after this last month of progress on all fronts, In particular I have already passed a basement self-testing of the snatch test for my age and weight. I will re-test this two more times before the Cert to stay sharp and that will be it for 24kg snatches. I will also run through the Brett Jones' Preparing-for-the-RKC circuits that Gabi did prior to her Cert. Needless to say I can hardly contain myself I'm so excited!!
I'm off to NYC tomorrow morning for the AKC Fitness Cert and quite excited to share this experience with my training bro, Howie Brewer. As a result, I'll probably be OTG until Monday when I hope to give a report of all activities.
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato, broccoli and cauliflower
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
1 banana
Morning Snack:
1 small bowl of boiled egg white, pan-fried salmon cauliflower and broccoli
1/2 apple
Lunch:
1 bowl of pan-fried garlic shrimp, cauliflower and broccoli
1 tangerine
1st Afternoon Snack:
1 Whey protein shake
4 oz of Kefir
2nd Afternoon Snack:
1 small bowl of boiled egg white with steamed cauliflower and broccoli
1 small helping of cottage cheese
1/2 apple
Dinner (out):
1 large helping of Sichuan spicey fish fillets with veggies
1 large helping of 4 season green beans
1 small helping of spicy sliced beef
1/4 bowl of white rice
1 large helping of Sichuan chicken with dried chilis
2 small scoops of ice cream
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
some double 24s LCCJ work
To bed 10pm up at 6am for an passable nights rest. Weight: 175 lb. BF%: 14.9. First the BF% dropped below 15.
My supervisor, who just lost 40 lbs, and I alternated swings with the 16kg:
16kg x 10 x 10 Two hand swings
He normally does 45 minutes of cross trainer and some of the cybex weight machine. Although he is down to 155 lbs from a high of 195 and looks trim, his BF% is over 20. Fortunately he is open to putting on a little muscle and he did very well today with his swings.
Before supper I did some LCCJ with double 24's and it went well:
Z-Health R-Phase
Double 24kg LCCJ:
1 x 10 (PR)
1 x (1,2,3,4,3,2,1)
2 x (1,2,3,4,5,4,3,2,1)
Total: 76 reps
The set of 10 was a nice increase of the 6 I had once done a few months ago. Last time I was using the technique demonstrated in Steve Cotters Ency of KB Lifts. I have since switched to hard-style LCCJ as taught by Brett Jones in his DVD on KB Basics for Trainers. Even though this was doubles, this workout is easier than the timed one-arm 24kg LCCJ as I rested enough between each rung of the ladders to guarantee I could complete the next rung. Also my double clean technique has improved which in turn leaves more energy for the jerk.
Qigong: Bear and Tiger Frolic
After being well rested after a huge dinner I did pull-ups:
Neutral grip figher pull-ups:
(BW + 12kg) x 4 x (2,1)
BW x 1 x (6,5,4,3,2)
The rest between rungs was very leisurely somewhere between 1 and 1.5 minutes. I'm more interested in the volume to build muscle endurance than I am in hypertrophy.
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato, broccoli and cauliflower
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
1 banana
1st Morning Snack:
1/2 Apple
1 small bowl with boiled egg white, pan-fried salmon and brussel sprouts
2nd Morning Snack:
1/2 tangerine
1 small bowl with boiled egg white, pan-fried salmon and brussel sprouts
Lunch:
1 bowl of pan-fried salmon, sichuan shrimp and veggies
1 bowl of boiled egg white, pan-fried salmon, brussel sprouts and sweet potato
1 apple
1st Afternoon Snack:
1/2 banana
1 small bowl of boiled egg white, brussel sprouts
2nd Afternoon Snack:
1/2 tangerine
1 small bowl of cottage and sweet potato
Dinner:
1 bowl of pan-fried salmon, broccoli, cauliflower with sweet potato
1 small bowl of garlic shrimp with broccoli, cauliflowe
2 small scoops of ice cream
1 small piece of pie
4 small handfuls of roasted almonds
1 tangerine
Today I was starved all day. I had to have two decent sized snacks after breakfast and lunch. My dinner was huge but fortunately satisfying. In all I ate very sensibly.
My supervisor, who just lost 40 lbs, and I alternated swings with the 16kg:
16kg x 10 x 10 Two hand swings
He normally does 45 minutes of cross trainer and some of the cybex weight machine. Although he is down to 155 lbs from a high of 195 and looks trim, his BF% is over 20. Fortunately he is open to putting on a little muscle and he did very well today with his swings.
Before supper I did some LCCJ with double 24's and it went well:
Z-Health R-Phase
Double 24kg LCCJ:
1 x 10 (PR)
1 x (1,2,3,4,3,2,1)
2 x (1,2,3,4,5,4,3,2,1)
Total: 76 reps
The set of 10 was a nice increase of the 6 I had once done a few months ago. Last time I was using the technique demonstrated in Steve Cotters Ency of KB Lifts. I have since switched to hard-style LCCJ as taught by Brett Jones in his DVD on KB Basics for Trainers. Even though this was doubles, this workout is easier than the timed one-arm 24kg LCCJ as I rested enough between each rung of the ladders to guarantee I could complete the next rung. Also my double clean technique has improved which in turn leaves more energy for the jerk.
Qigong: Bear and Tiger Frolic
After being well rested after a huge dinner I did pull-ups:
Neutral grip figher pull-ups:
(BW + 12kg) x 4 x (2,1)
BW x 1 x (6,5,4,3,2)
The rest between rungs was very leisurely somewhere between 1 and 1.5 minutes. I'm more interested in the volume to build muscle endurance than I am in hypertrophy.
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato, broccoli and cauliflower
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
1 banana
1st Morning Snack:
1/2 Apple
1 small bowl with boiled egg white, pan-fried salmon and brussel sprouts
2nd Morning Snack:
1/2 tangerine
1 small bowl with boiled egg white, pan-fried salmon and brussel sprouts
Lunch:
1 bowl of pan-fried salmon, sichuan shrimp and veggies
1 bowl of boiled egg white, pan-fried salmon, brussel sprouts and sweet potato
1 apple
1st Afternoon Snack:
1/2 banana
1 small bowl of boiled egg white, brussel sprouts
2nd Afternoon Snack:
1/2 tangerine
1 small bowl of cottage and sweet potato
Dinner:
1 bowl of pan-fried salmon, broccoli, cauliflower with sweet potato
1 small bowl of garlic shrimp with broccoli, cauliflowe
2 small scoops of ice cream
1 small piece of pie
4 small handfuls of roasted almonds
1 tangerine
Today I was starved all day. I had to have two decent sized snacks after breakfast and lunch. My dinner was huge but fortunately satisfying. In all I ate very sensibly.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
more 24kg one-arm LCCJ timed sets
A repeating pattern of waking up around 4am and getting back to sleep after going to the bathroom. Went to bed around 11pm I got up at 6:30am and felt rested. Weight: 175 lbs. BF%: 15.0.
Z-Health: R-Phase Dynamic Joint Mobility
24kg 8 x 5/5 One-arm LCCJ @1 set/min, KB never set down
5 min rest
24kg 2 x 5/5 One-arm LCCJ @1 set/min, KB never set down
10 min rest
24kg 2 x 6/6 One-arm LCCJ @1 set/min, KB never set down
Total: 124 reps
The 1st set was a complete killer. I did make an improvement with it by going an extra set at the 10 reps/set pace for 80 reps in under 8 mins compared to needing almost 9 mins for the 80 reps previously. The last set of 5 with my left side took immense concentration leaving just enough energy to finish the last 5 on my right. I still have 2 more sets to make it to 100 reps in 10 mins. As with last time I did a long timed set of LCCJ, I finished the remainder of the 10 minute goal in a second set and then did another 2 sets a the 12reps/set faster pace.
That's it for today and considering that I trained three days in a row its plenty. I have recently discovered that shorter sessions (even more than one a day sometimes) are much easier on me than longer ones.
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with brussel sprouts
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
4 dates
1st Morning Snack:
4 oz Kefir
1 Whey protein shake
2nd Morning Snack:
1 small bowl of boiled egg white, brussel sprouts and pan-fried salmon
1/2 apple
Lunch (out):
1.5 pieces of beef satay with peanut sauce
1 helping of curry chicken with veggies and fresh mango
Afternoon Snack:
1 small helping of pan-fried salmon, brussel sprouts, cottage cheese
1/2 apple
Dinner:
1 bowl of pan-fried salmon, steamed broccoli and cauliflower with sweet potato
1 small piece of pie
1 small scoop of ice cream
1.5 small handfuls of roasted almonds
I purchased the Precision Nutrition 2, package today and now have access to their forum. Although, I haven't gotten the cook book or DVDs yet, I did read the free summary pdf and am applying the principles. In particular, at every feeding I make a meal containing protein, veggies and fruit. High efficient carbs (bread, rice, potato and pasta) are only eaten after workouts. Not surprisingly, my BF% is starting to slowly drop.
Z-Health: R-Phase Dynamic Joint Mobility
24kg 8 x 5/5 One-arm LCCJ @1 set/min, KB never set down
5 min rest
24kg 2 x 5/5 One-arm LCCJ @1 set/min, KB never set down
10 min rest
24kg 2 x 6/6 One-arm LCCJ @1 set/min, KB never set down
Total: 124 reps
The 1st set was a complete killer. I did make an improvement with it by going an extra set at the 10 reps/set pace for 80 reps in under 8 mins compared to needing almost 9 mins for the 80 reps previously. The last set of 5 with my left side took immense concentration leaving just enough energy to finish the last 5 on my right. I still have 2 more sets to make it to 100 reps in 10 mins. As with last time I did a long timed set of LCCJ, I finished the remainder of the 10 minute goal in a second set and then did another 2 sets a the 12reps/set faster pace.
That's it for today and considering that I trained three days in a row its plenty. I have recently discovered that shorter sessions (even more than one a day sometimes) are much easier on me than longer ones.
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with brussel sprouts
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
4 dates
1st Morning Snack:
4 oz Kefir
1 Whey protein shake
2nd Morning Snack:
1 small bowl of boiled egg white, brussel sprouts and pan-fried salmon
1/2 apple
Lunch (out):
1.5 pieces of beef satay with peanut sauce
1 helping of curry chicken with veggies and fresh mango
Afternoon Snack:
1 small helping of pan-fried salmon, brussel sprouts, cottage cheese
1/2 apple
Dinner:
1 bowl of pan-fried salmon, steamed broccoli and cauliflower with sweet potato
1 small piece of pie
1 small scoop of ice cream
1.5 small handfuls of roasted almonds
I purchased the Precision Nutrition 2, package today and now have access to their forum. Although, I haven't gotten the cook book or DVDs yet, I did read the free summary pdf and am applying the principles. In particular, at every feeding I make a meal containing protein, veggies and fruit. High efficient carbs (bread, rice, potato and pasta) are only eaten after workouts. Not surprisingly, my BF% is starting to slowly drop.
Monday, May 19, 2008
sumo dead lift video for evaluation
Yesterday's max VO2 snatch had a delayed effect on me and by 9pm I was in bed sound asleep. I woke up at 3am got up and read for awhile, went back to bed around 4:30 and got up at 6:15. Weight: 176 1/4 lbs. BF%: 15.6.
Qigong: Bear and Tiger Frolic
Z-Health: R-Phase
After lunch I did alternating two-hand swing sets with my co-worker. His form is improving daily with the 16kg. I used to the 32kg:
32kg x 1 x (5,10,15,20,25,20,15,10,5) two-hand swing
32kg x 1 x (5,10,15,20,17,8) two-hand swing
Total reps: 200
The last set was targeted at 25 reps but I had to break it up into 17 and 8. All swings were eye-level and very forceful. Inspired by Colin's continuing progress with the LCCJ, I finished the session with a few sets of low rep LCCJ:
32kg x 3 x 1/1/1/1 LCCJ
32kg x 2 x 2/2 LCCJ
32kg x 1 x 3/3 LCCJ
My left side jerk is getting very solid with this heavier weight. Only a few weeks ago, a single wasn't guaranteed. I love doing KB outdoors .. a great simple session.
I am extremely psyched to post that I have retained Coach Rif, (Mark Reifkind, Senior RKC, also a very experienced former power-lifter competitor and head coach), to evaluate my dead-lift form and provide any and all assistance work towards improving this amazing lift. To that end, here 's a video of me doing a few 190 lb reps of sumo dead-lift. Of course everyone is invited to provide feedback.
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green beans
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
Morning Snack:
1 bowl of pan-fried salmon, sichuan shrimp and veggies
1 hard boiled egg no yolk
1/2 apple
Lunch:
1 bowl of pan-fried salmon, sichuan shrimp and veggies
1 small helping of steamed snow pea pods
1 apple
Afternoon Snack PWO:
4 oz Kefir
1 small helping of pan-fried salmon, veggies, mapo doufu, brown rice and sweet potato
1 hard boiled egg with 1/4 yolk
Dinner:
1 bowl of pan-fried salmon, brown rice with sweet potato
1 bowl of Chinese steamed broccoli
3 small handfuls of roasted almonds
1 piece of pie
2 small scoops of ice cream
I was starved even after the large dinner. A few hours later I was okay.
Qigong: Bear and Tiger Frolic
Z-Health: R-Phase
After lunch I did alternating two-hand swing sets with my co-worker. His form is improving daily with the 16kg. I used to the 32kg:
32kg x 1 x (5,10,15,20,25,20,15,10,5) two-hand swing
32kg x 1 x (5,10,15,20,17,8) two-hand swing
Total reps: 200
The last set was targeted at 25 reps but I had to break it up into 17 and 8. All swings were eye-level and very forceful. Inspired by Colin's continuing progress with the LCCJ, I finished the session with a few sets of low rep LCCJ:
32kg x 3 x 1/1/1/1 LCCJ
32kg x 2 x 2/2 LCCJ
32kg x 1 x 3/3 LCCJ
My left side jerk is getting very solid with this heavier weight. Only a few weeks ago, a single wasn't guaranteed. I love doing KB outdoors .. a great simple session.
I am extremely psyched to post that I have retained Coach Rif, (Mark Reifkind, Senior RKC, also a very experienced former power-lifter competitor and head coach), to evaluate my dead-lift form and provide any and all assistance work towards improving this amazing lift. To that end, here 's a video of me doing a few 190 lb reps of sumo dead-lift. Of course everyone is invited to provide feedback.
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Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green beans
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
Morning Snack:
1 bowl of pan-fried salmon, sichuan shrimp and veggies
1 hard boiled egg no yolk
1/2 apple
Lunch:
1 bowl of pan-fried salmon, sichuan shrimp and veggies
1 small helping of steamed snow pea pods
1 apple
Afternoon Snack PWO:
4 oz Kefir
1 small helping of pan-fried salmon, veggies, mapo doufu, brown rice and sweet potato
1 hard boiled egg with 1/4 yolk
Dinner:
1 bowl of pan-fried salmon, brown rice with sweet potato
1 bowl of Chinese steamed broccoli
3 small handfuls of roasted almonds
1 piece of pie
2 small scoops of ice cream
I was starved even after the large dinner. A few hours later I was okay.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
progress with Max VO2 16kg snatch
Another good nights sleep. Weight: 176 1/2 lbs. A little lower back soreness from driving 6 hours to my sisters and back.
Z-Health: R-Phase
Qigong: Bear and Tiger Frolic
Sumo DL 10 Day Linear PTTP Cycle: (lbs)
Cycle 2: Day 10: 215 x 1 x 5, 195 x 1 x 5
The 215 pulls were again 18 on the Perceived Exertion scale (very taxing). The 195's were about an 12 ... I was working but lots left in the tank. This completes my 2nd cycle of PTTP. I increased my 5RM 10lbs and I'm very happy with this progress. I'm going to hold off testing my 1RM until at least another 2 cycles of PTTP .. its working, its conservative and it leaves me with lots of energy for my KB training.
Just before dinner I decided to test my Max VO2 16kg snatch. The last time I did 27 sets after two 5 minute timed sets of 24kg one-arm LCCJ. This time I was completely rested and the results were much better than expected:
Max VO2 Snatch 16kg 15:15 7reps/set
60 sets (PR)
Total: 420 reps in 30 mins
This is a very solid number and I will next test by bumping the pace to 8reps/set. I did use the Gulf wax on the 16kg bell to test its effectiveness with heavy volume snatching. Also during the 15 seconds rest I applied some on my hands. Unfortunately, although my problem left hand did not tear or blister, two small existing callouses got really sore. In contrast, when using the Rif hand taping protocol, I have had NO issues at all so I am going back to it.
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Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green beans
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
Morning Snack:
4 oz Kefir
1 Whey protein shake
1 small handful of roasted almonds
Lunch:
1 bowl of pan-fried salmon, sichuan shrimp and veggies
1 tangerine
1 small handful of roasted almonds
1 tangerine
Afternoon Snack:
1 small helping of pan-fried salmon, sichuan shrimp and veggies
1 tangerine
1 small helping of cottage cheese and steamed veggies
1/2 tangerine
Dinner:
1 bowl of pan-fried salmon, shrimp and veggies, brown rice with sweet potato
2 small scoops of ice cream
Evening snack:
1 small helping of pan-fried salmon
1 small handful of roasted almonds
Z-Health: R-Phase
Qigong: Bear and Tiger Frolic
Sumo DL 10 Day Linear PTTP Cycle: (lbs)
Cycle 2: Day 10: 215 x 1 x 5, 195 x 1 x 5
The 215 pulls were again 18 on the Perceived Exertion scale (very taxing). The 195's were about an 12 ... I was working but lots left in the tank. This completes my 2nd cycle of PTTP. I increased my 5RM 10lbs and I'm very happy with this progress. I'm going to hold off testing my 1RM until at least another 2 cycles of PTTP .. its working, its conservative and it leaves me with lots of energy for my KB training.
Just before dinner I decided to test my Max VO2 16kg snatch. The last time I did 27 sets after two 5 minute timed sets of 24kg one-arm LCCJ. This time I was completely rested and the results were much better than expected:
Max VO2 Snatch 16kg 15:15 7reps/set
60 sets (PR)
Total: 420 reps in 30 mins
This is a very solid number and I will next test by bumping the pace to 8reps/set. I did use the Gulf wax on the 16kg bell to test its effectiveness with heavy volume snatching. Also during the 15 seconds rest I applied some on my hands. Unfortunately, although my problem left hand did not tear or blister, two small existing callouses got really sore. In contrast, when using the Rif hand taping protocol, I have had NO issues at all so I am going back to it.
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Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green beans
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
Morning Snack:
4 oz Kefir
1 Whey protein shake
1 small handful of roasted almonds
Lunch:
1 bowl of pan-fried salmon, sichuan shrimp and veggies
1 tangerine
1 small handful of roasted almonds
1 tangerine
Afternoon Snack:
1 small helping of pan-fried salmon, sichuan shrimp and veggies
1 tangerine
1 small helping of cottage cheese and steamed veggies
1/2 tangerine
Dinner:
1 bowl of pan-fried salmon, shrimp and veggies, brown rice with sweet potato
2 small scoops of ice cream
Evening snack:
1 small helping of pan-fried salmon
1 small handful of roasted almonds
100 one-arm LCCJ in 10 minutes still out of reach
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Another decent nights sleep. Weight: 176 1/4 lbs.
Sumo DL 10 Day Linear PTTP Cycle: (lbs)
Cycle 2: Day 9: 210 x 1 x 5, 190 x 1 x 5
The 210 pulls were 18 on the Perceived Exertion scale as published by mc_kb. I had to really work to get those 5 reps. The 190's were about an 12. Working but lots left in the tank. Since the 210s were very tough, I decided to dispense with the off the block pulls today.
24kg x 7 x 5l/5r one-arm LCCJ 10/min, bell never put down
Total: 70 reps in just under 7 minutes
The higher pace combined with the exertion on the pulls forced me to stop early. I was going for 100 in 10 minutes buts its now clear I will only achieve this fully rested and after some more training at this much faster pace.
After a 10 minute rest, I decided to complete the 10 minutes and then crank up the reps/min for a short set:
24kg x 3 x 5l/5r one-arm LCCJ 10/min, bell never put down
24kg x 2 x 6l/6r one-arm LCCJ 12/min, bell never put down
That's it for today. A short but very demanding training session.
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Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
1 banana
Morning Snack:
3 small handfuls of roasted almonds
1 banana
Lunch (out):
1 large cornbeef sandwich
Afternoon Snack:
2 pieces of dark chocolate
Dinner (out):
3 pieces of bagettes
3 pieces of hard cheese
1 glass of champaign
1 large helping of grilled shrimp, grilled chicken with veggies and pasta with leaks
10 small cookies
1/4 medium Frostie
Another decent nights sleep. Weight: 176 1/4 lbs.
Sumo DL 10 Day Linear PTTP Cycle: (lbs)
Cycle 2: Day 9: 210 x 1 x 5, 190 x 1 x 5
The 210 pulls were 18 on the Perceived Exertion scale as published by mc_kb. I had to really work to get those 5 reps. The 190's were about an 12. Working but lots left in the tank. Since the 210s were very tough, I decided to dispense with the off the block pulls today.
24kg x 7 x 5l/5r one-arm LCCJ 10/min, bell never put down
Total: 70 reps in just under 7 minutes
The higher pace combined with the exertion on the pulls forced me to stop early. I was going for 100 in 10 minutes buts its now clear I will only achieve this fully rested and after some more training at this much faster pace.
After a 10 minute rest, I decided to complete the 10 minutes and then crank up the reps/min for a short set:
24kg x 3 x 5l/5r one-arm LCCJ 10/min, bell never put down
24kg x 2 x 6l/6r one-arm LCCJ 12/min, bell never put down
That's it for today. A short but very demanding training session.
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Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
1 banana
Morning Snack:
3 small handfuls of roasted almonds
1 banana
Lunch (out):
1 large cornbeef sandwich
Afternoon Snack:
2 pieces of dark chocolate
Dinner (out):
3 pieces of bagettes
3 pieces of hard cheese
1 glass of champaign
1 large helping of grilled shrimp, grilled chicken with veggies and pasta with leaks
10 small cookies
1/4 medium Frostie
Just Z today
Friday, May 16, 2008
A decent nights sleep. Weight: 176 lbs. Todays a complete rest day.
Z-Health R-Phase
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Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
Morning Snack:
1 small helping of cottage cheese and steamed veggies
1/2 tangerine
Lunch:
1 bowl of pan-fried salmon, sichuan shrimp and veggies
1 apple
Afternoon Snack:
4 oz Kefir
1 small helping of cottage cheese and steamed veggies
1/2 tangerine
Dinner:
1 bowl of pan-fried salmon, shrimp and veggies, brown rice with sweet potato
1 piece of pie
2 small scoops of ice cream
A decent nights sleep. Weight: 176 lbs. Todays a complete rest day.
Z-Health R-Phase
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Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
Morning Snack:
1 small helping of cottage cheese and steamed veggies
1/2 tangerine
Lunch:
1 bowl of pan-fried salmon, sichuan shrimp and veggies
1 apple
Afternoon Snack:
4 oz Kefir
1 small helping of cottage cheese and steamed veggies
1/2 tangerine
Dinner:
1 bowl of pan-fried salmon, shrimp and veggies, brown rice with sweet potato
1 piece of pie
2 small scoops of ice cream
Friday, May 16, 2008
boys and their toys
Thursday May 16, 2008
To bed around 10:45pm. Woke up 3:30am with a sore right elbow again. After a few elbow circles it was fine. I stayed in bed until 6:45am dozing on and off. Weight: 175 7/8 lbs. Hovering around around target weight.
Sumo DL 10 Day Linear PTTP Cycle: (lbs)
Cycle 2: Day 8: 205 x 1 x 5, 185 x 1 x 5
Sumo DL off 6" blocks:
185 x 5 x 1
The 205 pulls were difficult. I will be very happy if I can complete the last two days of this cycle.
On then did some Power Wheel rollouts (for picture see 1st photo):
Power Wheel
1 x 5 On knees roll out, hold 5 secs and roll back
My Omron HBF-306 Fat Loss Monitor arrived today. I was pleased to see my body fat percentage is 15.2% which according to Wikopedia article here , it puts me in the Fit category (14-17) but not the Athlete category (6-13) . My body mass index was 25.6 (a weighted ratio of weight to the square of height). If I was sedentary with a high body fat index (> 25%) and the same body mass index, I would need to go on a diet. However the relatively low body fat index indicates I'm carrying a good amount of muscle. I'm very comfortable with this weight and body fat percentage so I will continue to maintain what I'm already doing for diet and nutrition.
With all the extensor work I'm doing for my elbows, I decided to ease into some pony clamp pinch and COC grip work. In the 1st photo above, there are two COC (Captain of Crunch) grip trainers, a pony-clamp pinch grip trainer, a pony-clamp palm grip trainer, old canister of empty Lemon Christmas cookies filled with 4 lbs of coins, old batteries and stones. I used to be able to do COC#1 singles with both hands but I will have to build back up again. Today I used the COC trainer:
COC Trainer 2 x 10/10
Later in the afternoon I did swings with my co-worker:
24kg x 2 x (5,10,15,20,25,20,15,10,5) asc/desc two-hand swing ladders
Total: 250 reps
Later in the evening was weighted pull ups:
BW+12kg x 3 x (2,1) = 9 reps
BW x 1 x 6
It was amusing when I almost did a muscle up for my first BW pull up after resting for 5 minutes after the weighted ones. The 2nd photos above show my low tech but highly effective method for hanging bells or plates using a $10 piece of very thick nylon cord.
I finished the evening session with heavy swings testing today's DD post about Gulf Wax (see 1st photo) , a household paraffin wax used for canning. I coated the handles of both my 2 poods and it did make a big difference. Next week I test again with heavy volume 24kg snatches.
Double 32kg x 1 x 10 swing
32kg x 1 x 20 Two-hand swing
32kg x 10 x 10 Two-hand swings @ 1 set/min
32kg x 2 x 10 Two-hand swings @ 1 set/min
Total training volume: 28950 lbs
This was probably my heaviest training volume to date.
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Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with green beans
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
Morning Snack:
4 oz Kefir
1 Whey protein shake
1 small helping of pan-fried salmon, Sichuan shrimp, map-po doufu and green beans
1/2 tangerine
Lunch:
1 small helping of Green gram curry
1 small bowl of pan-fried salmon, Sichuan shrimp, map-po doufu and green beans
1 tangerine
4 dates
Afternoon snack:
1 small helping of brown rice with sweet potato and green beans
1 banana
2 small handfuls of roasted peanuts
Dinner:
1 bowl of Sichuan shrimp with veggies, dou-fu, pan-fried shrimp, brown rice with sweet potato
2 small handfuls of roasted almonds
2 small scoops of ice cream
At first this looks like a lot, but due to the todays heavy training volume, its actually reasonable.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
achieving my RKC snatch numbers
To bed around 11pm and again woke up with a sore right elbow around 3am. I was able to get back to sleep until 6:30am. Weight: 176 lbs. Back on target.
I hadn't snatched the 24kg in quite a while so I decided to go for it and test my RKC snatch numbers:
Double 32kg x 1 x 5 warm-up swings
24kg x 1 x 20l/28r RKC snatch test protocol (PR!)
Reps: 48
BINGO! That's the magic number for my weight (80kg) and age (54). This came much quicker than I expected .. time to register for an RKC Cert! A full day of rest and the recent 24kg one-arm LCCJ timed sets must have played a big part in this nice gain.
I decided to continue with snatches:
Snatch:
24kg x 4 x 5/5, 1 x 6/6 @ 1 set/min
5 minute rest
24kg x 6 x 10 1 set/min alternating hands
5 minute rest
24kg x 4 x 10 1 set/min alternating hands
Total snatch reps: 200
The sets of 10 each arm alternating on the minute as suggested a few weeks ago by Aaron were not as difficult as I thought they would. Its a great feeling to continue moving forward and still have fun!
I plan on continuing with the LCCJ timed sets 3 times a week. I will only test 24kg snatching once per week to keep it sharp and intend on improving it to create some headroom for the eventual real test. I thought I would try a some LCCJ with the 32kg:
32kg x 1 x 4l LCCJ (PR)
32kg x 1 x 2r LCCJ
The four with the left were a big surprise as I previously could only do singles. It was so demanding I had very little in the tank for my much stronger right side and had to settle for two.
Double 24kg x 1 x 1 snatch (PR)
This is a very scary lift for me and I had never succeeded with it before. I missed on my 1st two tries and then couldn't duplicate it after getting a single. It was ugly as hell but still a double snatch. Not ready to GTG these yet but at least the ice is now broken.
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Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
Morning Snack:
4 oz of Kefir
Whey protein shake
Lunch (out):
2 small plates of assorted Chinese buffet entries mostly meat and veggies
1 orange
1 bowl of icecream
Afternoon snacks:
1 very small helping of pan-fried salmon, steamed green beans
1/2 tangerine
Dinner:
1/2 glass of red wine
1 bowl of Sichuan shrimp with veggies, ma-po doufu, pan-fried shrimp, brown rice and sweet potato
1 small scoop of ice cream
Evening snack:
10 green beans
2 oz pan-fried salmon
1/2 tangerine
1 small handful of roasted almonds
My snacks have moved closer the Precision Nutrition guidelines which suggest some protein, veggies and fruits with every snack in lieu of breads, pastas, potato, and rice. I showed great restraint at the Chinese buffet today by focusing on meats, seafood and veggies in small to moderate portions.
I hadn't snatched the 24kg in quite a while so I decided to go for it and test my RKC snatch numbers:
Double 32kg x 1 x 5 warm-up swings
24kg x 1 x 20l/28r RKC snatch test protocol (PR!)
Reps: 48
BINGO! That's the magic number for my weight (80kg) and age (54). This came much quicker than I expected .. time to register for an RKC Cert! A full day of rest and the recent 24kg one-arm LCCJ timed sets must have played a big part in this nice gain.
I decided to continue with snatches:
Snatch:
24kg x 4 x 5/5, 1 x 6/6 @ 1 set/min
5 minute rest
24kg x 6 x 10 1 set/min alternating hands
5 minute rest
24kg x 4 x 10 1 set/min alternating hands
Total snatch reps: 200
The sets of 10 each arm alternating on the minute as suggested a few weeks ago by Aaron were not as difficult as I thought they would. Its a great feeling to continue moving forward and still have fun!
I plan on continuing with the LCCJ timed sets 3 times a week. I will only test 24kg snatching once per week to keep it sharp and intend on improving it to create some headroom for the eventual real test. I thought I would try a some LCCJ with the 32kg:
32kg x 1 x 4l LCCJ (PR)
32kg x 1 x 2r LCCJ
The four with the left were a big surprise as I previously could only do singles. It was so demanding I had very little in the tank for my much stronger right side and had to settle for two.
Double 24kg x 1 x 1 snatch (PR)
This is a very scary lift for me and I had never succeeded with it before. I missed on my 1st two tries and then couldn't duplicate it after getting a single. It was ugly as hell but still a double snatch. Not ready to GTG these yet but at least the ice is now broken.
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Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
Morning Snack:
4 oz of Kefir
Whey protein shake
Lunch (out):
2 small plates of assorted Chinese buffet entries mostly meat and veggies
1 orange
1 bowl of icecream
Afternoon snacks:
1 very small helping of pan-fried salmon, steamed green beans
1/2 tangerine
Dinner:
1/2 glass of red wine
1 bowl of Sichuan shrimp with veggies, ma-po doufu, pan-fried shrimp, brown rice and sweet potato
1 small scoop of ice cream
Evening snack:
10 green beans
2 oz pan-fried salmon
1/2 tangerine
1 small handful of roasted almonds
My snacks have moved closer the Precision Nutrition guidelines which suggest some protein, veggies and fruits with every snack in lieu of breads, pastas, potato, and rice. I showed great restraint at the Chinese buffet today by focusing on meats, seafood and veggies in small to moderate portions.
Colin of the UK wins our LCCJ race. Congratulations Colin!
Tuesday May 13, 2008:
Too much blogging last night, went to bed 1am got up a 4am with my right elbow sore. Did some Z circles and was able to get back to sleep and got up at 7:30 with my elbow feeling fine. I never used to be able to get back to sleep after getting up but I think this is due to the ZMA. Weight: 176.5 lbs. Up a 1/2 .. nothing to worry about.
First, my sincerest congratulations to Colin of the UK for first reaching 100 24kg one arm LCCJ in 10 minutes .. for those of you who don't think this is too tough I urge you to give it a shot! It has really humbled me so far. In another day's rest or so I will try another attempt to close in on it.
Qigong: Bear and Tiger Frolic
Day 4
While waiting at Gold's gym for Z-consult, I tried testing my TSC-approved tactical pronated pull-ups:
BW x 1 x 5
Glad to see a PR here as I have only trained neutral grip. The drop off from 7RM to 5RM from neutral to tactical is expected and well within reason.
I actually did these at work and it really energized me. At around 3pm I had my second Z-consult with 4th-Level Z-Trainer Luis Hernandez and we really worked R-Phase in greater detail. Luis BTW, who walks the talk, is 5'6", 155 lbs of sculpted muscle and does MMA .. I'm very glad I'm his client and his not opponent! I told him about my recent foray into Qigong and he said it is an excellent complement to the Z-drills. As we got deeper into the movements, I have learned today that with years of practicing perfect reps I will gain the ability to isolate and open any vertebrae or joint in my body. We again worked a lot of C6 isolation from various neck drills. He also tuned my elbow circles movements. I also finally learned how to isolate the inner toe pull.
Z-Health R-Phase
After dinner I re-read some of ETK and realized EVERYTHING regarding creating a safe optimal training program is all in there. When the elbows finally heal I want to return to ROP (Right of Passage) to work up to 200 SSST 24kg snatches in 10 mins and a bulldog press with each arm.
With the AKC Fitness Cert coming I re-watched some youtube videos and just cannot get my mind around the type of strength that GS freaks like Marty Farrel,RKC,AKC, possess (155 lb weight class and jerks double 32s in the 60+ reps in 10 mins). That seems absurdly strong for that weight. It took me almost 8 months to just clean those buggers and when I tried to jerk them they just stayed embedded in both my shoulders.
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Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
Morning Snack:
2 small handfuls of roasted peanuts
Lunch:
1 small helping of Green gram curry
1 small bowl of pan-fried salmon, brown rice and sweet potato
1 tangerine
4 dates
Dinner:
1 bowl of Sichuan shrimp with veggies, dou-fu, pan-fried shrimp, brown rice with sweet potato
1 small piece of pie
2 small scoops of ice cream
Too much blogging last night, went to bed 1am got up a 4am with my right elbow sore. Did some Z circles and was able to get back to sleep and got up at 7:30 with my elbow feeling fine. I never used to be able to get back to sleep after getting up but I think this is due to the ZMA. Weight: 176.5 lbs. Up a 1/2 .. nothing to worry about.
First, my sincerest congratulations to Colin of the UK for first reaching 100 24kg one arm LCCJ in 10 minutes .. for those of you who don't think this is too tough I urge you to give it a shot! It has really humbled me so far. In another day's rest or so I will try another attempt to close in on it.
Qigong: Bear and Tiger Frolic
Day 4
While waiting at Gold's gym for Z-consult, I tried testing my TSC-approved tactical pronated pull-ups:
BW x 1 x 5
Glad to see a PR here as I have only trained neutral grip. The drop off from 7RM to 5RM from neutral to tactical is expected and well within reason.
I actually did these at work and it really energized me. At around 3pm I had my second Z-consult with 4th-Level Z-Trainer Luis Hernandez and we really worked R-Phase in greater detail. Luis BTW, who walks the talk, is 5'6", 155 lbs of sculpted muscle and does MMA .. I'm very glad I'm his client and his not opponent! I told him about my recent foray into Qigong and he said it is an excellent complement to the Z-drills. As we got deeper into the movements, I have learned today that with years of practicing perfect reps I will gain the ability to isolate and open any vertebrae or joint in my body. We again worked a lot of C6 isolation from various neck drills. He also tuned my elbow circles movements. I also finally learned how to isolate the inner toe pull.
Z-Health R-Phase
After dinner I re-read some of ETK and realized EVERYTHING regarding creating a safe optimal training program is all in there. When the elbows finally heal I want to return to ROP (Right of Passage) to work up to 200 SSST 24kg snatches in 10 mins and a bulldog press with each arm.
With the AKC Fitness Cert coming I re-watched some youtube videos and just cannot get my mind around the type of strength that GS freaks like Marty Farrel,RKC,AKC, possess (155 lb weight class and jerks double 32s in the 60+ reps in 10 mins). That seems absurdly strong for that weight. It took me almost 8 months to just clean those buggers and when I tried to jerk them they just stayed embedded in both my shoulders.
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
Morning Snack:
2 small handfuls of roasted peanuts
Lunch:
1 small helping of Green gram curry
1 small bowl of pan-fried salmon, brown rice and sweet potato
1 tangerine
4 dates
Dinner:
1 bowl of Sichuan shrimp with veggies, dou-fu, pan-fried shrimp, brown rice with sweet potato
1 small piece of pie
2 small scoops of ice cream
Monday, May 12, 2008
another lead change in the informal 24kg one arm LCCJ race
I woke around 4am and couldn't go back to sleep. I think doing the Bear and Tiger Power Qigong before bed was a mistake .. yep! Weight: 176 lb. Great, two days in a row but I did wake up hungry as a bear! My elbows felt very good and my upper back pulled muscle is now very mild. When it acts up, the tennis ball against the wall works wonders.
Qigong: Bear and Tiger Frolic
Day 3
This works better in the morning. On the DVD, John suggests to truly evaluate the effectiveness of these movements, one should practice them for 100 days. At this point I have already received some definite positive changes and will continue at least for a few more weeks and re-evaluate.
I have been quite fascinated by the majority of the Bear and Tiger Frolic movements. Once I was able to correctly synchronize my breathing with the movements, most of the jerkiness was eliminated. This morning I decided to combine a very deep bear stance with Z-Health R-Phase elbow circles and the result was very positive. The bear stance is basically a dual lateral lunge position with the hips in as if just finishing a KB swing hip snap. Also the back is straight. By deep, I mean, the lunged legs and torso are in the same plane and the thighs are parallel to the ground. This is very difficult to hold for extended periods of time.
Sumo DL 10 Day Linear PTTP Cycle: (lbs)
Cycle 2: Day 7: 200 x 1 x 5, 180 x 1 x 5
Sumo DL off 6" blocks:
180 x 4 x 1
With the 200 its starting to get more challenging and weight moves slower off the ground. The 180 regular sumos and block sumos were much easier. I believe I will just make it through day 10 with a 215 x 1 x 5 by a hair.
I demonstrated the LCCJ to one of co-workers. I introduced him to KBs back in August and he is progressing nicely. After showing him how to tame the arc on his cleans and one-hand swing transfers, he made very nice progress on the 24kg Jerk with both right and left .. not surprising as he is a solid 200 lb at 6'1", fairly strong and a quick study.
24kg 2 x 5/5 LCCJ
24kg 1 x 3l/7r MP
Three MPs with the 24kg on the left is a new PR. I would attribute this to the new timed LCCJ sets I have been doing recently.
Looks like I am headed to NYC in two weeks to join my brother in iron-ball-with-handle crime, Howie Brewer, for the AKC Fitness Cert. I knew World Champion Valery Federenko was going to head the training, but last night when I learned that Coach Scott Sonnon was going to be there as well, it got much more interesting. Coach Sonnon may be a little over the top for some folks, but if you check out some of his youtube videos its clear this guy not only is a world class champion and athlete but he looks and trains like it as well. Of course this is not replace the eventual RKC Cert I will attend but I couldn't pass up the chance of some relatively local training action. The good news is I hear that DD may hold a 2009 Cert in the greater NYC area.
Colin of the UK and I have nice little informal competition going to see who can first make it to 100 one-arm LCCJ with the 24kg in 10 minutes with no putting the bell down. After relinquishing the lead to Colin's posting today of 70 in 8 mins, I have re-taken the lead with this late night set:
24kg x 8 x 5/5 LCCJ @ 8:55 (PR)
Total reps: 80
The last 10 reps were pure torture .. legs and shoulders were blasted. This and my deads this morning were all I had time for. None the less I feel it was a total body workout. At this point my pace is decent so I should first hit the sub goal of making it to 10 mins with 88 to 90 reps. Given I was rested and how spent I was after this, the 100 in 10 mins seems doable but no longer as short a project as I had originally thought.
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
Morning Snack:
4 oz of Kefir
1/4 sweet potato
Lunch:
3 large leftover huge garlic shrimp
1 large helping of stir fried chinese greens
1 tangerine
4 dates
Aftenoon snacks:
10 small handfuls of roasted peanuts
Dinner:
1 bowl of Sichuan shrimp with veggies
1 bowl of ma-po dou fu with brown rice and sweet potato
2 small bowls of ice cream
I had a terrible craving for roasted peanuts which I subsequently gorged myself. Then I had a huge dinner to top it off.
Qigong: Bear and Tiger Frolic
Day 3
This works better in the morning. On the DVD, John suggests to truly evaluate the effectiveness of these movements, one should practice them for 100 days. At this point I have already received some definite positive changes and will continue at least for a few more weeks and re-evaluate.
I have been quite fascinated by the majority of the Bear and Tiger Frolic movements. Once I was able to correctly synchronize my breathing with the movements, most of the jerkiness was eliminated. This morning I decided to combine a very deep bear stance with Z-Health R-Phase elbow circles and the result was very positive. The bear stance is basically a dual lateral lunge position with the hips in as if just finishing a KB swing hip snap. Also the back is straight. By deep, I mean, the lunged legs and torso are in the same plane and the thighs are parallel to the ground. This is very difficult to hold for extended periods of time.
Sumo DL 10 Day Linear PTTP Cycle: (lbs)
Cycle 2: Day 7: 200 x 1 x 5, 180 x 1 x 5
Sumo DL off 6" blocks:
180 x 4 x 1
With the 200 its starting to get more challenging and weight moves slower off the ground. The 180 regular sumos and block sumos were much easier. I believe I will just make it through day 10 with a 215 x 1 x 5 by a hair.
I demonstrated the LCCJ to one of co-workers. I introduced him to KBs back in August and he is progressing nicely. After showing him how to tame the arc on his cleans and one-hand swing transfers, he made very nice progress on the 24kg Jerk with both right and left .. not surprising as he is a solid 200 lb at 6'1", fairly strong and a quick study.
24kg 2 x 5/5 LCCJ
24kg 1 x 3l/7r MP
Three MPs with the 24kg on the left is a new PR. I would attribute this to the new timed LCCJ sets I have been doing recently.
Looks like I am headed to NYC in two weeks to join my brother in iron-ball-with-handle crime, Howie Brewer, for the AKC Fitness Cert. I knew World Champion Valery Federenko was going to head the training, but last night when I learned that Coach Scott Sonnon was going to be there as well, it got much more interesting. Coach Sonnon may be a little over the top for some folks, but if you check out some of his youtube videos its clear this guy not only is a world class champion and athlete but he looks and trains like it as well. Of course this is not replace the eventual RKC Cert I will attend but I couldn't pass up the chance of some relatively local training action. The good news is I hear that DD may hold a 2009 Cert in the greater NYC area.
Colin of the UK and I have nice little informal competition going to see who can first make it to 100 one-arm LCCJ with the 24kg in 10 minutes with no putting the bell down. After relinquishing the lead to Colin's posting today of 70 in 8 mins, I have re-taken the lead with this late night set:
24kg x 8 x 5/5 LCCJ @ 8:55 (PR)
Total reps: 80
The last 10 reps were pure torture .. legs and shoulders were blasted. This and my deads this morning were all I had time for. None the less I feel it was a total body workout. At this point my pace is decent so I should first hit the sub goal of making it to 10 mins with 88 to 90 reps. Given I was rested and how spent I was after this, the 100 in 10 mins seems doable but no longer as short a project as I had originally thought.
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
Morning Snack:
4 oz of Kefir
1/4 sweet potato
Lunch:
3 large leftover huge garlic shrimp
1 large helping of stir fried chinese greens
1 tangerine
4 dates
Aftenoon snacks:
10 small handfuls of roasted peanuts
Dinner:
1 bowl of Sichuan shrimp with veggies
1 bowl of ma-po dou fu with brown rice and sweet potato
2 small bowls of ice cream
I had a terrible craving for roasted peanuts which I subsequently gorged myself. Then I had a huge dinner to top it off.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
some deads and one-arm LCCJs
A decent nine hours of sleep. Weight: 176 lbs. Nice .. will try to hold this. Elbows felt great, cutting back the extensor work helped.
Sumo DL 10 Day Linear PTTP Cycle: (lbs)
Cycle 2: Day 6: 195 x 1 x 5, 175 x 1 x 5
Sumo DL off 6" blocks:
175 x 4 x 1
The 195s were pretty tough and really required focus. The 175s felt so much lighter. My first off the block was too much lower back but the next three were much better. I also remembered Dr. Cobb's suggestion about eye focal points.
24kg 6 x 5/5 LCCJ @ 6:40 (PR)
Total reps: 60
Again I never put the bells down. I felt I had a little more but decided I had already smashed my previous PR of 43 reps in both volume and density. My 1st goal will be 100 reps in 10 minutes with a hand switch every 5 reps. The ultimate goal (several months at least) as described by MMA Coach Scott Sonnon (http://www.rmaxinternational.com/blog/?p=29)is 10RPM for 20 minutes switching hands every 5 minutes. The only variation here is I will do this hard-style until I can't make progress anymore. I am predicting a great increase in my snatching as result of this. My left shoulder is the weak point here and this LCCJ goal will build it up in the safest way without tearing up my hands. Finally, I REALLY enjoy this lift.
My original plan was to do the Max VO2 this evening but instead I spent more time on the Five Animal Frolics.
Qigong: Bear and Tiger Frolic
Day 2
As the movements become more natural, I have begun to lower my stance to increase the energy. In particular for the Bear movements, the quads get a fantastic burn. John DuCane's visualization suggestions are superb and help to wrap the mind around the movements. The Power Breathing as outlined in PTTP and Naked Warrior work real well in the Tiger movements as these require static tensing.
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
Morning Snack:
3 small handfuls of roasted almonds
Lunch (out):
1 large piece of beer-batter fried haddock
1 medium helping of onion rings
1/4 sweet potato, black bean burrito with melted jack chees
Afternoon Snack:
3 Mint Dark Chocolate Truffles
1 Large Dark Chocolate Champaign Truffle
Dinner:
1 small helping of Chinese broccoli
1 small helping of pan-fried salmon
1 small scoop of ice cream
All the fried food for lunch tasted sooo good. Once in a while its okay to splurge.
1 tangerine
Afternoon snack:
4 small handfuls of roasted almonds
Dinner (out):
1 large plate of garlic shrimp, stir fried green veggies and white rice.
1 small bowl of sweetened red bean congee
Sumo DL 10 Day Linear PTTP Cycle: (lbs)
Cycle 2: Day 6: 195 x 1 x 5, 175 x 1 x 5
Sumo DL off 6" blocks:
175 x 4 x 1
The 195s were pretty tough and really required focus. The 175s felt so much lighter. My first off the block was too much lower back but the next three were much better. I also remembered Dr. Cobb's suggestion about eye focal points.
24kg 6 x 5/5 LCCJ @ 6:40 (PR)
Total reps: 60
Again I never put the bells down. I felt I had a little more but decided I had already smashed my previous PR of 43 reps in both volume and density. My 1st goal will be 100 reps in 10 minutes with a hand switch every 5 reps. The ultimate goal (several months at least) as described by MMA Coach Scott Sonnon (http://www.rmaxinternational.com/blog/?p=29)is 10RPM for 20 minutes switching hands every 5 minutes. The only variation here is I will do this hard-style until I can't make progress anymore. I am predicting a great increase in my snatching as result of this. My left shoulder is the weak point here and this LCCJ goal will build it up in the safest way without tearing up my hands. Finally, I REALLY enjoy this lift.
My original plan was to do the Max VO2 this evening but instead I spent more time on the Five Animal Frolics.
Qigong: Bear and Tiger Frolic
Day 2
As the movements become more natural, I have begun to lower my stance to increase the energy. In particular for the Bear movements, the quads get a fantastic burn. John DuCane's visualization suggestions are superb and help to wrap the mind around the movements. The Power Breathing as outlined in PTTP and Naked Warrior work real well in the Tiger movements as these require static tensing.
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
Morning Snack:
3 small handfuls of roasted almonds
Lunch (out):
1 large piece of beer-batter fried haddock
1 medium helping of onion rings
1/4 sweet potato, black bean burrito with melted jack chees
Afternoon Snack:
3 Mint Dark Chocolate Truffles
1 Large Dark Chocolate Champaign Truffle
Dinner:
1 small helping of Chinese broccoli
1 small helping of pan-fried salmon
1 small scoop of ice cream
All the fried food for lunch tasted sooo good. Once in a while its okay to splurge.
1 tangerine
Afternoon snack:
4 small handfuls of roasted almonds
Dinner (out):
1 large plate of garlic shrimp, stir fried green veggies and white rice.
1 small bowl of sweetened red bean congee
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Qigong: Bear and Tiger Frolic
I was up numerous times last night with a sore right elbow but was able to get back to sleep each time. Weight: 176 1/2 lbs. Big jump south .. yesterday was a heavy volume day so no surprise. My elbow was really sore this morning. It turns out I was just too aggresive in cranking both the weight and reps with my extensor rehab work. Today I will do a few light sets and give my elbow some rest. First things first so I immediately did dynamic joint mobility:
Z-Health R-Phase
This gave some relief but I noticed some swelling so I strapped on an ice pack and laid down. Big relief .. much more than usual. Next time I have to remember to lay down after putting on the ice pack .. it does make a big difference.
At the recommendation of Mark Toomey, RKC Team Leader, I ordered the three John DuCane's Five Animal Frolics and started with the Power DVD
Qigong: Bear and Tiger Frolic for Power
This DVD was much different than any other Qigong DVD I have ever seen. It explains how this Chinese system developed by Hua Tuo over 1800 years provides a huge number of heath benefits. I really enjoyed practicing the majority of the movements. I went to youtube to compare John's movements with the examples there and his are totally different ... not surprising as this stuff has a huge number of interpretations. It will be interesting to see how well this complements my Z work.
One thing I noticed was that I had a painful split on my right big toe and right thumb. Normally I get these in the winter but not now. Perhaps its a side effect of the ZMA, I will post on the DD forum and ask.
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
Morning Snack:
4 dates
Lunch:
1 large bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
4 dates
1 tangerine
Afternoon snack:
4 small handfuls of roasted almonds
Dinner (out):
1 large plate of garlic shrimp, stir fried green veggies and white rice.
1 small bowl of sweetened red bean congee
Z-Health R-Phase
This gave some relief but I noticed some swelling so I strapped on an ice pack and laid down. Big relief .. much more than usual. Next time I have to remember to lay down after putting on the ice pack .. it does make a big difference.
At the recommendation of Mark Toomey, RKC Team Leader, I ordered the three John DuCane's Five Animal Frolics and started with the Power DVD
Qigong: Bear and Tiger Frolic for Power
This DVD was much different than any other Qigong DVD I have ever seen. It explains how this Chinese system developed by Hua Tuo over 1800 years provides a huge number of heath benefits. I really enjoyed practicing the majority of the movements. I went to youtube to compare John's movements with the examples there and his are totally different ... not surprising as this stuff has a huge number of interpretations. It will be interesting to see how well this complements my Z work.
One thing I noticed was that I had a painful split on my right big toe and right thumb. Normally I get these in the winter but not now. Perhaps its a side effect of the ZMA, I will post on the DD forum and ask.
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
Morning Snack:
4 dates
Lunch:
1 large bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
4 dates
1 tangerine
Afternoon snack:
4 small handfuls of roasted almonds
Dinner (out):
1 large plate of garlic shrimp, stir fried green veggies and white rice.
1 small bowl of sweetened red bean congee
500 24kg two-hand swings in two sessions
Friday May 9, 2008
A good nights sleep. Weight: 177 1/5 lbs. My elbow felt very good considering the extensor I had put it through on Thu.
Z-Health R-Phase
Today I did three short workouts. It worked out well
Morning session:
24kg 1 x 10/10 snatch
24kg 1 x 3l/10r snatch
32kg 1 x 5r Jerk
24kg 1 x 10r/5l Jerk
24kg 1 x 5/5 LCCJ
16kg 1 x 2l BUP
16kg 1 x 3r BUP
Afternoon:
My co-worker and I went outside where it was drizzling a bit and alternated turns with two-hand swings, he with the 16kg and I with the 24kg. He blew away his previous record of 125 with 200 swings .. and he LOVES it. Can't wait to hear about the WTH effect on his cricket game.
Two-Hand Swings
24kg x 2 x (5,10,15,20,25,20,15,10,5)
24kg x 1 x 30
24kg x 1 x 20
Total reps: 300
These were all accentuated with a very firm hip snap. The pace was moderate .. additional rest time for my co-worker was necessary to catch his breath following the completion of the 1st asc/desc ladder.
Before supper I decided to continue with 24kg swings and felt strong:
Evening session:
24kg: 9 x 20, 1 x 25 Two-hand swings on the minute
Total reps: 205 9:40 (PR)
It looks like Smitty's unconventional tennis elbow rehab is working. Today I was much less sore and had only the slightest awareness of it during some of my swings. I weighed my canisters .. the one at work is 3.5 lbs and the one at home is 3.75 lbs. I can now do 5 reps per set. Today I even a single with the Coc#1 with both hands. As long as my extensors continue to get stronger, the less load on my sore tendon.
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
Morning Snack:
4 dates
Lunch:
1 large bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
4 dates
1 tangerine
Afternoon snack:
4 oz Kefir
1/4 sweet potato
Dinner :
1 bowl of Sichual shrimp with veggies, pan-fried salmon
1 large scoop of ice cream
A good nights sleep. Weight: 177 1/5 lbs. My elbow felt very good considering the extensor I had put it through on Thu.
Z-Health R-Phase
Today I did three short workouts. It worked out well
Morning session:
24kg 1 x 10/10 snatch
24kg 1 x 3l/10r snatch
32kg 1 x 5r Jerk
24kg 1 x 10r/5l Jerk
24kg 1 x 5/5 LCCJ
16kg 1 x 2l BUP
16kg 1 x 3r BUP
Afternoon:
My co-worker and I went outside where it was drizzling a bit and alternated turns with two-hand swings, he with the 16kg and I with the 24kg. He blew away his previous record of 125 with 200 swings .. and he LOVES it. Can't wait to hear about the WTH effect on his cricket game.
Two-Hand Swings
24kg x 2 x (5,10,15,20,25,20,15,10,5)
24kg x 1 x 30
24kg x 1 x 20
Total reps: 300
These were all accentuated with a very firm hip snap. The pace was moderate .. additional rest time for my co-worker was necessary to catch his breath following the completion of the 1st asc/desc ladder.
Before supper I decided to continue with 24kg swings and felt strong:
Evening session:
24kg: 9 x 20, 1 x 25 Two-hand swings on the minute
Total reps: 205 9:40 (PR)
It looks like Smitty's unconventional tennis elbow rehab is working. Today I was much less sore and had only the slightest awareness of it during some of my swings. I weighed my canisters .. the one at work is 3.5 lbs and the one at home is 3.75 lbs. I can now do 5 reps per set. Today I even a single with the Coc#1 with both hands. As long as my extensors continue to get stronger, the less load on my sore tendon.
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
Morning Snack:
4 dates
Lunch:
1 large bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
4 dates
1 tangerine
Afternoon snack:
4 oz Kefir
1/4 sweet potato
Dinner :
1 bowl of Sichual shrimp with veggies, pan-fried salmon
1 large scoop of ice cream
Thursday, May 8, 2008
a nice change of pace
Decent sleep but not enough as I had to get up early to fight the traffic get my Z-Health consult. Weight: 178 lbs. Unfortunatly a horrific accident had me stuck in traffic for 4 hours before abandoning and heading back home. I left a cell phone message for my Z-Trainer, Luis, explaining the situation .. he later got back to me, was very understanding and we rescheduled.
Sumo DL 10 Day Linear PTTP Cycle: (lbs)
Cycle 2: Day 5: 190 x 1 x 5, 170 x 1 x 8
Sumo DL off 6" blocks:
170 x 6 x 1
170 x 1 x 2
The 1st two reps of the 190 were more difficult than the last three. The 170 felt very light so I added a few extra reps. I then did some off the block pulls with the 170. Again feels pretty easy.
I discovered a very effective therapy for pulled upper back muscle. I recently read an article about tennis elbow relief by using a tennis ball to massage the trigger points in the outer forearm by pressing the ball against a wall with the outer forearm and then rolling up and down from 3" under the elbow to about another 6" down towards the wrist. This was pretty effective and then I realized it should also work for my back .. it does!!
At work today I went outside with my co-workers 16kg and practiced some palm snatches .. very ugly scene .. much work to do on these!
16kg 2 x 3/3 palm snatches
16kg 1 x 1l/2r BUP
First inspired by Colin of the UK's experience with the 24kg one arm LCCJ and then by Rifs recent PR of 55 sets of the 16kg 15:15 VO2 Max 7 rep/set protocol, I went outside with the dogs this evening and had a great gasser:
24kg 1 x 32 LCCJ in 4:40 sec, switching arms every 5 reps
5 minutes rest
24kg 1 x 43 LCCJ in 5:20 sec, switching arms every 5 reps
I never put the bell down and did these Hard-style with a loud stomp on every 2nd dip. Again I have Howie to thank for lending me his Brett Jones "KB Basics for Trainers" DVD set. The snatch and jerk sections are simply superb. I started out the first minute of the second set too fast at 10 reps. I then slowed down to around 8 reps and gutted it out until I couldn't get the 44th jerk off my shoulder. In a previous cycle I was doing double 24kg LCCJ but was totally gassed after 5 reps. The one-arms really let you build up a nice work capacity.
Snatch Vo2 Max 15:15, 16 kg, 7 reps/set
27 sets
Total: 189 reps in 13:30
The last 10 sets were really taxing. I noticed that at this weight, my normally weaker left side actually is stronger snatching. This is because my right leg is considerably stronger than my left and I use it to push off from the heal during my left side snatch. With the 24kg, this isn't as big a factor as weaker my left shoulder fatigues first. In lieu of doing the ROP for 24kg MP, I prefer the explosive LCCJ sessions as it is easier on the elbows and will strengthen my shoulders. Also, around the 10th set, I changed my left side grip and was able to prevent any hand tearing .. I did not use any tape, glove or chalk .. I just forgot to.
For the second day in a row, I used the "Smitty" elbow rehab exercise to work the extensors of both arms heavily with 3 to 5 lb weighted canisters. These definitely hurt but I'm sticking it out at least through the weekend. I did tons of Z elbow circles to get relief and used ice a few times as well. I also did some Pony clamp holds and they hurt like hell as well. Interesting, is that previously, I had been a lot sorer and had a much less ROM. Tonight I was even able to do a few reps with my 4kg KB so something is getting stronger.
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
1 banana
Morning Snack:
4 dates
4 oz Kefir
Lunch:
1 large bowl of pan-fried salmon, Sichuan shrimp with veggies, brown rice and sweet potato
1 tangerine
Afternoon snack:
8 dates
1 orange
Dinner:
1 small bowl of pan-fried salmon
1 small bowl of chicken and rice
1 large scoop of Kimbels ice cream
2 small handfuls of almonds
Sumo DL 10 Day Linear PTTP Cycle: (lbs)
Cycle 2: Day 5: 190 x 1 x 5, 170 x 1 x 8
Sumo DL off 6" blocks:
170 x 6 x 1
170 x 1 x 2
The 1st two reps of the 190 were more difficult than the last three. The 170 felt very light so I added a few extra reps. I then did some off the block pulls with the 170. Again feels pretty easy.
I discovered a very effective therapy for pulled upper back muscle. I recently read an article about tennis elbow relief by using a tennis ball to massage the trigger points in the outer forearm by pressing the ball against a wall with the outer forearm and then rolling up and down from 3" under the elbow to about another 6" down towards the wrist. This was pretty effective and then I realized it should also work for my back .. it does!!
At work today I went outside with my co-workers 16kg and practiced some palm snatches .. very ugly scene .. much work to do on these!
16kg 2 x 3/3 palm snatches
16kg 1 x 1l/2r BUP
First inspired by Colin of the UK's experience with the 24kg one arm LCCJ and then by Rifs recent PR of 55 sets of the 16kg 15:15 VO2 Max 7 rep/set protocol, I went outside with the dogs this evening and had a great gasser:
24kg 1 x 32 LCCJ in 4:40 sec, switching arms every 5 reps
5 minutes rest
24kg 1 x 43 LCCJ in 5:20 sec, switching arms every 5 reps
I never put the bell down and did these Hard-style with a loud stomp on every 2nd dip. Again I have Howie to thank for lending me his Brett Jones "KB Basics for Trainers" DVD set. The snatch and jerk sections are simply superb. I started out the first minute of the second set too fast at 10 reps. I then slowed down to around 8 reps and gutted it out until I couldn't get the 44th jerk off my shoulder. In a previous cycle I was doing double 24kg LCCJ but was totally gassed after 5 reps. The one-arms really let you build up a nice work capacity.
Snatch Vo2 Max 15:15, 16 kg, 7 reps/set
27 sets
Total: 189 reps in 13:30
The last 10 sets were really taxing. I noticed that at this weight, my normally weaker left side actually is stronger snatching. This is because my right leg is considerably stronger than my left and I use it to push off from the heal during my left side snatch. With the 24kg, this isn't as big a factor as weaker my left shoulder fatigues first. In lieu of doing the ROP for 24kg MP, I prefer the explosive LCCJ sessions as it is easier on the elbows and will strengthen my shoulders. Also, around the 10th set, I changed my left side grip and was able to prevent any hand tearing .. I did not use any tape, glove or chalk .. I just forgot to.
For the second day in a row, I used the "Smitty" elbow rehab exercise to work the extensors of both arms heavily with 3 to 5 lb weighted canisters. These definitely hurt but I'm sticking it out at least through the weekend. I did tons of Z elbow circles to get relief and used ice a few times as well. I also did some Pony clamp holds and they hurt like hell as well. Interesting, is that previously, I had been a lot sorer and had a much less ROM. Tonight I was even able to do a few reps with my 4kg KB so something is getting stronger.
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
1 banana
Morning Snack:
4 dates
4 oz Kefir
Lunch:
1 large bowl of pan-fried salmon, Sichuan shrimp with veggies, brown rice and sweet potato
1 tangerine
Afternoon snack:
8 dates
1 orange
Dinner:
1 small bowl of pan-fried salmon
1 small bowl of chicken and rice
1 large scoop of Kimbels ice cream
2 small handfuls of almonds
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
sumo dead-lift off the block
A great nights sleep and it showed as I was high energy all day. Weight: 177 7/8 lbs. Nice to be under 178 again.When I injured my elbows last summer, I had to give up practicing classical guitar. I had participated in a June classical guitar workshop in Portland, Oregon and performed in its master class. But a result of the injury, I lost track with all my musician friends as I focused on other things. Well last night I was extremely pleased to get a call from Karla, a good friend and fine classical guitarist I hadn't spoken to since last August. She resides in Portland and to my surprise I found out she had gotten very serious about her health and has since been training with a local personal trainer since October. With a functional lift oriented approach, they focus primarily on Olympic lifts ( deads, squats and many assist lifts). She has since lost about 20 lbs and put on some serious muscle. When I asked her about kettlebells, she said they have them at her Bally's gym and she thought they were just a passing fad. Given her great progress with her current program, I left it at that.
( Of note is when I went I later went to the DD instructor's page for Oregon, I found out that Portland has none, and that she is about three hours from from the nearest RKC. )
We also discussed injuries and she told me she had been recovering from a bad case of tennis elbow in her right arm (lateral epiconditis). I commiserated with her when I confessed I still had it in both arms but that it was no longer debilitating but still rather annoying. She told me about some success she has had with acupuncture. Of greater immediate significance to me is she correlated a suggestion from an email correspondence with James Smith "Smitty" of DieselCrew. Namely, to start working the extensors EVEN if it hurts!
Smitty's particular program (he eventually intends to publish an e-book on this topic) recommends using a 10 lb shotput and using one arm at time, hold the shotput while performing up and down full range wrist extensions while the elbow is locked and arm is extended out in front. I tried this with my 9 lb kettlebell by grabbing it around the non-handle ball portion and it was just too heavy for me. Instead I put a few discarded power supplies into a large tin canister with a 5" diameter. This weighs around 5 lbs and I can handle about 8 to 10 reps with it. Smitty made it very clear in that it would hurt like hell for several days but to stick with it. Well, gosh darn, it does hurt like hell! But I'm going to stick with it. I will still use Z drills to provide relief but I'm now convinced I have to build up my weak extensors to rid myself of this injury.
Sumo DL 10 Day Linear PTTP Cycle: (lbs)
Cycle 2: Day 3: 185 x 1 x 5, 165 x 1 x 5
These weren't too bad although my pulled upper back muscle complained a bit. Following this I put on 190 to set up in advance for my next session on Friday.
I then recalled watching and learning how Rif had been coaching Fawn to train deads on her blog, I decided to try some "off the block". I had recently gone to the local lumber yard and had them saw up a 6" x 6" x 10' into four pieces. Although 6" inches is a bit high for my first time I went ahead anyway given that the 1/2" clearance over my bear feet was probably okay.
Sumo DL off 6" blocks:
190 x 5 x 1
I did five singles before I realized I was using 190 and forgot to set it back to a lower weight! They didn't seem any more difficult than a regular Sumo .. very weird .. huh?
At work today, a co-worker I had introduced to kettlebells brought in his 16kg bell. I was pleasantly surprised to see that his form had immensely improved especially his new found hip snap. After removing our shoes, we took alternate turns swinging .. I forgot what an amazing workout you can get with high rep low weight. He managed a decent 125 swings over 7 sets, here's what I was able to do:
Swings:
16kg x 2 x 50l/50r One-hand swings
16kg x 1 x 30l/30r One-hand swings
16kg x 1 x 40 Two-hand swings
16kg x 4 x 10l/10r/10b/20t Combo of One-hand, Two-hand and one hand transfers
Total reps: 500
16kg x 1 x 2 Sots press on right
16kg x 1 x 3 BUP on right
Following a suggestion of Aaron's, I decided to check out a BW + 10lb pull-up to see how much easier than BW + 12kg I did the other night for one rep:
Neutral Grip Fighter Pull-ups:
(BW + 10lbs) x 1 x 4
(BW + 12kg) x 1 x 2
After doing four solids ones with the 10lb, I tried again with 12kg and knocked off two good ones .. something to be said for being well rested!
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
Morning Snack:
6 dates
6 oz Kefir
Lunch:
1 large bowl of Chana Dal with sweet potato and green gram curry
4 dates
1 tangerine
Afternoon snack:
8 dates
4 oz Kefir
Dinner:
1 small bowl of pan-fried salmon
1 small bowl of Sichuan shrimp with veggies
1 piece of pie
2 scoops of ice cream
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
a 12kg weighed pull-up
Mediocre sleep .. was tired all day. Weight: 178 3/8 lbs. The only way I get under 178 again is by eating less .. this will be tough as I'm hungry all the time now.
The two moderate training days in a row were a bit much and both elbows are sore. Also, my upper back is still sore. Today is definitely a real easy day.
My office mate brought in his new 16kg Muscle-driver bell. I worked with him on presses and his swing form .. much improved over last week. Like myself we are both right side dominant. He could knock off 10 MPs with on his right and only 2 on his left. On a good day I can do 8 MP with the 24kg on my right and maybe a double on my left.
16kg x 2 x 10 MP on left side
16kg x 1 x 1 BUP on left side
16kg x 1 x 1 SOTS Press on right side
I tried a BUP on my right but elbow was still to sore. The two sets of 10 MP with 16kg on my left was a nice surprise. Back in July I could barely do a single with the 16kg on my left.
In the evening I used my thick nylon jump rope to attach my 12kg for weighted a pull-up:
(BW + 12kg) x 1 x 1 pull-up
That was tough but fun. I might consider doing singles with this weight GTG style for a few weeks alternating with my regular BW pull-up work. This $10 jump rope makes a very inexpensive dip belt. I'm glad I tried this as I now I really have respect for crazy strong dudes that can do this with a beast.
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
Morning Snack:
6 dates
8 oz Kefir
Lunch:
1 large bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
4 dates
1 tangerine
Afternoon snack:
10 dates
1 orange
1/4 sweet potato
Dinner:
1 small bowl of pan-fried salmon
1 small bowl of chicken and rice
1 piece of pie
2 scoops of ice cream
4 small handfuls of almonds
The two moderate training days in a row were a bit much and both elbows are sore. Also, my upper back is still sore. Today is definitely a real easy day.
My office mate brought in his new 16kg Muscle-driver bell. I worked with him on presses and his swing form .. much improved over last week. Like myself we are both right side dominant. He could knock off 10 MPs with on his right and only 2 on his left. On a good day I can do 8 MP with the 24kg on my right and maybe a double on my left.
16kg x 2 x 10 MP on left side
16kg x 1 x 1 BUP on left side
16kg x 1 x 1 SOTS Press on right side
I tried a BUP on my right but elbow was still to sore. The two sets of 10 MP with 16kg on my left was a nice surprise. Back in July I could barely do a single with the 16kg on my left.
In the evening I used my thick nylon jump rope to attach my 12kg for weighted a pull-up:
(BW + 12kg) x 1 x 1 pull-up
That was tough but fun. I might consider doing singles with this weight GTG style for a few weeks alternating with my regular BW pull-up work. This $10 jump rope makes a very inexpensive dip belt. I'm glad I tried this as I now I really have respect for crazy strong dudes that can do this with a beast.
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
Morning Snack:
6 dates
8 oz Kefir
Lunch:
1 large bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
4 dates
1 tangerine
Afternoon snack:
10 dates
1 orange
1/4 sweet potato
Dinner:
1 small bowl of pan-fried salmon
1 small bowl of chicken and rice
1 piece of pie
2 scoops of ice cream
4 small handfuls of almonds
Monday, May 5, 2008
a snatch consulation with Mark Toomey, RKC Team Leader
A decent nights rest and woke up real early. Weight: 177 7/8 lbs. This is okay for now as I try to stay under 178 lbs while trying to control a recent upsurge in hunger. Just a few quick Z drills and then out to fight the eastbound traffic to South Boston. It turns out that at the last minute I was able to confirm a consultation with Mark Toomey, RKC Team Leader of Reno Nevada. He just happened to be coming out for business to Boston as I learned from a lengthy email exchange regarding his excellent "Remedial Snatch Drill" video that Mark Reifkind, Sr RKC, posted on his blog.
After having me snatch the 24kg for a few reps on each side, we worked on these snatch remedial drills:
He pointed a number of adjustments I should work on:
Mark demonstrated a number of palm snatches with the 24kg .. at the top of snatch the bell is let go and caught in the open palm with the handle facing down. It is then dropped and caught during the start of the descent. He did these and all other demonstrations effortlessly .. this is no surprise as he is an extremely strong man with perfect technique. He also demonstrated some really neat juggling while explaining that the key to it all is in the hip snap.
During all the drills, we talked about the RKC Cert. He mentioned that I might consider registering for the October Cert as he would be there as a Team Leader. This is a great goal and it gives me five months to prepare, more than enough even with my modest level of progression.
Words can not describe what a class act Mark is. After this experience, its very easy to see that the great success of the RKC is directly attributable to individuals like Mark, who exhibit modesty, integrity and a love for what they do.
Snatch:
16kg x 1 x 7/3
24kg x 5 x 5/5
GTG Neutral Grip Fighter Pull-ups
BW x 3 x 7
BW x 3 x 5
BW x 1 x 4
BW x (1,2,3,2,1)
BW x 3 x (1,2)
Total: 58
GTG-ed through out the day. The 3 x 7 were done at Gold's Gym where it is a little easier as I didn't have to use additional energy to hold my legs off the ground.
LCCJ
24kg 3 x 5 left
24kg 2 x 5 right
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
1 banana
Lunch (out):
1 large plate of assorted Indian buffet entries and appetizers
2 small bowls of Kier
Afternoon snack:
2 small handfuls of roasted almonds
Dinner:
1 small bowl of pan-fried salmon with sweet potato
1 small scoop of ice cream
2 ZMA tablets before bed
After having me snatch the 24kg for a few reps on each side, we worked on these snatch remedial drills:
- Hip Flexor Stretch
- Ball squeeze with knees together with back bridge thrusts
- Exhale on the eccentric to assist in loading the hips
- Partial high pull by only using the hips
- Palm snatching the 16kg
- Swing three times and then snatch
- Extra loading the hips during swinging by him pushing the bell down on the eccentric
He pointed a number of adjustments I should work on:
- Keep my shoulders in line with my hips. I have tendency to lean backwards during snap/pull.
- My hip snap needs to be more powerful as I still am using too much arm which causes elbow and forearm issues.
- Load my hips the same way when I load them when I swing. Exhaling on the eccentric helps to do this.
Mark demonstrated a number of palm snatches with the 24kg .. at the top of snatch the bell is let go and caught in the open palm with the handle facing down. It is then dropped and caught during the start of the descent. He did these and all other demonstrations effortlessly .. this is no surprise as he is an extremely strong man with perfect technique. He also demonstrated some really neat juggling while explaining that the key to it all is in the hip snap.
During all the drills, we talked about the RKC Cert. He mentioned that I might consider registering for the October Cert as he would be there as a Team Leader. This is a great goal and it gives me five months to prepare, more than enough even with my modest level of progression.
Words can not describe what a class act Mark is. After this experience, its very easy to see that the great success of the RKC is directly attributable to individuals like Mark, who exhibit modesty, integrity and a love for what they do.
Snatch:
16kg x 1 x 7/3
24kg x 5 x 5/5
GTG Neutral Grip Fighter Pull-ups
BW x 3 x 7
BW x 3 x 5
BW x 1 x 4
BW x (1,2,3,2,1)
BW x 3 x (1,2)
Total: 58
GTG-ed through out the day. The 3 x 7 were done at Gold's Gym where it is a little easier as I didn't have to use additional energy to hold my legs off the ground.
LCCJ
24kg 3 x 5 left
24kg 2 x 5 right
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
1 banana
Lunch (out):
1 large plate of assorted Indian buffet entries and appetizers
2 small bowls of Kier
Afternoon snack:
2 small handfuls of roasted almonds
Dinner:
1 small bowl of pan-fried salmon with sweet potato
1 small scoop of ice cream
2 ZMA tablets before bed
Sunday, May 4, 2008
completing a moderate training session
The 5th day in row of a good night's sleep. Weight: 178 1/2 lbs. Oops .. way north again! My back and elbows feel decent this morning .. will go for a moderate workout.
Z-Health R-Phase
Following Fawn's advice I did lots of R-Phase lateral glides, tilts, thorax's glides and full circles.
Sumo DL Linear PTTP Cycle: (lbs)
Cycle 2: Day 2: 180 x 1 x 5, 160 x 1 x 5
The first rep is always the toughest and the next four much easier but effort and focus was still required. I did remember to try Dr. Cobb's recommendation for a neutral head position and moving eyes up as I lifted. Seemed very natural.
Snatches
16kg 1 x 30 left
24kg 10 x 10 alternating hands every set approximates every 2 minutes
24kg x 2 x (1,2,3,2,1) ascending/descending ladders
Total reps: 168
Just a little discomfort but after 5 days of no training this really had me gassed. Prior to this I was good for a full 200 reps with the 24kg but I will have to work up to again.
Later in the afternoon my S.O. used her Chinese acupressure massage to really work the adhesions in my upper back. It hurt like hell but later in the evening I was feeling much better.
I did make it to GNC and picked up ZMA. Now I understand Aaron's comment about vivid dreams .. the directions indicate this should be taken before bed to optimize absorption of the minerals.
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
Morning Snack:
4 dates
Lunch:
1 large bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
4 dates
1 tangerine
Afternoon snack:
4 small handfuls of roasted almonds
Dinner (out):
1 large plate of assorted Chinese buffet and sushi
2 small bowls of ice cream
Z-Health R-Phase
Following Fawn's advice I did lots of R-Phase lateral glides, tilts, thorax's glides and full circles.
Sumo DL Linear PTTP Cycle: (lbs)
Cycle 2: Day 2: 180 x 1 x 5, 160 x 1 x 5
The first rep is always the toughest and the next four much easier but effort and focus was still required. I did remember to try Dr. Cobb's recommendation for a neutral head position and moving eyes up as I lifted. Seemed very natural.
Snatches
16kg 1 x 30 left
24kg 10 x 10 alternating hands every set approximates every 2 minutes
24kg x 2 x (1,2,3,2,1) ascending/descending ladders
Total reps: 168
Just a little discomfort but after 5 days of no training this really had me gassed. Prior to this I was good for a full 200 reps with the 24kg but I will have to work up to again.
Later in the afternoon my S.O. used her Chinese acupressure massage to really work the adhesions in my upper back. It hurt like hell but later in the evening I was feeling much better.
I did make it to GNC and picked up ZMA. Now I understand Aaron's comment about vivid dreams .. the directions indicate this should be taken before bed to optimize absorption of the minerals.
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
Morning Snack:
4 dates
Lunch:
1 large bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato and green gram curry
4 dates
1 tangerine
Afternoon snack:
4 small handfuls of roasted almonds
Dinner (out):
1 large plate of assorted Chinese buffet and sushi
2 small bowls of ice cream
attempting a few MPs
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Another good night's sleep. Weight: 177 1/2 lbs. Today I will test the waters to see if my back can handle an easy workout.
Z-Health Neural Warm-up Level 2
16kg 1 x 8 MP left side
24kg 1 x 5 MP right side
Hmm, not great but tolerable .. will try again tomorrow.
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
1 banana
Morning Snack:
4 dates
Lunch:
1 large plate of pan-fried salmon with cilantro, Sichuan shrimp with veggies
2 small bowls of ice cream
1 piece of pie
Afternoon snack:
2 small handfuls of roasted almonds
3 mint chocolate chip cookies
Dinner:
1 large plate of pan-fried salmon with cilantro, Sichuan shrimp with veggies
2 small bowls of ice cream
1 piece of pie
Today I just ate very well and satisfied some large hunger pains. Tomorrows weigh in will not be pretty but TS. We saw "Iron Man" .. a real kick ass movie.
Another good night's sleep. Weight: 177 1/2 lbs. Today I will test the waters to see if my back can handle an easy workout.
Z-Health Neural Warm-up Level 2
16kg 1 x 8 MP left side
24kg 1 x 5 MP right side
Hmm, not great but tolerable .. will try again tomorrow.
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
1 banana
Morning Snack:
4 dates
Lunch:
1 large plate of pan-fried salmon with cilantro, Sichuan shrimp with veggies
2 small bowls of ice cream
1 piece of pie
Afternoon snack:
2 small handfuls of roasted almonds
3 mint chocolate chip cookies
Dinner:
1 large plate of pan-fried salmon with cilantro, Sichuan shrimp with veggies
2 small bowls of ice cream
1 piece of pie
Today I just ate very well and satisfied some large hunger pains. Tomorrows weigh in will not be pretty but TS. We saw "Iron Man" .. a real kick ass movie.
slowly getting back to training with some DLs
Friday May 2, 2008
The 3rd night in a row of a nights sleep .. I'll take it! Weight: 177 7/8 lbs. Crawling back up not surprised after last nights pizza party.
I now believe I actually have a "pulled" upper left back muscle just below the scapula. This morning I tried a left clean with the 24kg and it was painful. I tried a pull-up and again more discomfort .. this taper week is going to be extended!
Z-Health R-Phase and Neural Warm-up Level 2
Sumo DL Linear PTTP Cycle: (lbs)
Cycle 2: Day 1: 175 x 1 x 5, 160 x 1 x 5
A little rusty but got it done. I still have a sore left upper back muscle just below my left scapula that is really annoying. I tried to pick up my double 32kgs but it was just too uncomfortable. Anyone out there with suggestions on treating this type of muscle ache please don't be shy!
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
1 banana
Morning Snack:
4 dates
4 oz of Kefir
Lunch:
1 large bowl of brown rice with sweet potato, roasted veggies
2 dates
1 tangerine
Afternoon snack:
6 dates
1 orange
4 oz of Kefir
Dinner:
1 large plate of pan-fried salmon
2 scoops of ice cream
1 piece of pie
The 3rd night in a row of a nights sleep .. I'll take it! Weight: 177 7/8 lbs. Crawling back up not surprised after last nights pizza party.
I now believe I actually have a "pulled" upper left back muscle just below the scapula. This morning I tried a left clean with the 24kg and it was painful. I tried a pull-up and again more discomfort .. this taper week is going to be extended!
Z-Health R-Phase and Neural Warm-up Level 2
Sumo DL Linear PTTP Cycle: (lbs)
Cycle 2: Day 1: 175 x 1 x 5, 160 x 1 x 5
A little rusty but got it done. I still have a sore left upper back muscle just below my left scapula that is really annoying. I tried to pick up my double 32kgs but it was just too uncomfortable. Anyone out there with suggestions on treating this type of muscle ache please don't be shy!
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
1 banana
Morning Snack:
4 dates
4 oz of Kefir
Lunch:
1 large bowl of brown rice with sweet potato, roasted veggies
2 dates
1 tangerine
Afternoon snack:
6 dates
1 orange
4 oz of Kefir
Dinner:
1 large plate of pan-fried salmon
2 scoops of ice cream
1 piece of pie
Thursday, May 1, 2008
upper left back muscle ache limiting training
Another very good nights sleep. Weight: 177.5 lbs. This is the first downward movement in over a week. Not surprising I had a modest supper and cut out the large afternoon snacks I had been having.
The back muscles between my shoulders and bit lower are still a sore, especially if rotate my torso. When I went downstairs this morning to pick up one of my 2 poods, they really ached.
Z-Health R-Phase and Neural Warm-up Level 2
By around 9pm this evening I was feeling much better. I decided to ease back into things with a new PTTP linear dead-lift cycle with 175 lbs exactly 70% of my 1 RM of 250.
Sumo DL Linear PTTP Cycle: (lbs)
Cycle 2: Day 1: 175 x 1 x 5, 160 x 1 x 5
A little rusty but got it done. I still have a sore left upper back muscle just below my left scapula that is really annoying. I tried to pick up my double 32kgs but it was just too uncomfortable. Anyone out there with suggestions on treating this type of muscle ache please don't be shy!
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
1 banana
Morning Snack:
5 small handfuls of roasted almonds
4 oz of Kefir
Lunch:
1 large bowl of brown rice with sweet potato, roasted veggies and pan-fried salmon
2 dates
2 mint chocolate chip cookies
2 small scoops of ice cream
Dinner:
1 piece of pizza
1 bowl of Kitchari
2 handfuls of roasted almonds
2 handfuls of dried cranberries
2 dates
2 mint chocolate chip cookies
1 small scoops of ice cream
1 small piece of pie
The pizza was a domestic compromise that was unavoidable. Once I ate that the junk food cravings kicked in hard and I wound up piggy out. This is very annoying considering how well I did yesterday. Long down times without training seem to always cause me to revert to a crappy diet or just eating much more than I should to maintain my weight.
The back muscles between my shoulders and bit lower are still a sore, especially if rotate my torso. When I went downstairs this morning to pick up one of my 2 poods, they really ached.
Z-Health R-Phase and Neural Warm-up Level 2
By around 9pm this evening I was feeling much better. I decided to ease back into things with a new PTTP linear dead-lift cycle with 175 lbs exactly 70% of my 1 RM of 250.
Sumo DL Linear PTTP Cycle: (lbs)
Cycle 2: Day 1: 175 x 1 x 5, 160 x 1 x 5
A little rusty but got it done. I still have a sore left upper back muscle just below my left scapula that is really annoying. I tried to pick up my double 32kgs but it was just too uncomfortable. Anyone out there with suggestions on treating this type of muscle ache please don't be shy!
===================================================================
Diet and Nutrition Log
Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates
1 banana
Morning Snack:
5 small handfuls of roasted almonds
4 oz of Kefir
Lunch:
1 large bowl of brown rice with sweet potato, roasted veggies and pan-fried salmon
2 dates
2 mint chocolate chip cookies
2 small scoops of ice cream
Dinner:
1 piece of pizza
1 bowl of Kitchari
2 handfuls of roasted almonds
2 handfuls of dried cranberries
2 dates
2 mint chocolate chip cookies
1 small scoops of ice cream
1 small piece of pie
The pizza was a domestic compromise that was unavoidable. Once I ate that the junk food cravings kicked in hard and I wound up piggy out. This is very annoying considering how well I did yesterday. Long down times without training seem to always cause me to revert to a crappy diet or just eating much more than I should to maintain my weight.
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