So many things to do, see and be, sometimes it is hard to sit down and actually write anything. I just need to work a little more on time and project management. The people that know me well have heard about my Amazon bill. I read anything and everything, from Autobiographies to Zombies. (there are some really good zombie stories out there!)
I am currently reading Easy Strength by Dan John and Pavel. This is probably the greatest book on developing strength ever produced. If I had this book and information when I was buying crap like “Beef It” back in the day, I would have trained better at an earlier age. The book shows you how to train to be strong safely and effectively. While the title says Easy Strength, you still have to put in the work, but the gains are almost miraculous. Just playing with some of the principles in the last week, I put up double 88’s with no problems. It has been about two years since I went that heavy and I actually can see the Beast in my future.
My plan over the next 40 days, starting 11-7, is to follow Dan John’s 40 Day Program. I am headed to RKCII in the spring and I feel that this will be a great start. I have been working Program Minimum for the most part for the last year and needed a change. Due to injury I had to bail from World’sToughest Mudder and had lost some focus. I will be working on Pistols, Deadlifts, Presses, Snatch, and Pull Ups, some of my skills that need some help. I think that this plan, coupled with corrections and ankle mobility work will get me to a really good place for my next training phase for RKC2.
I will update as I go on what happens. I am going to make a base assessment in the morning so that I have a starting point to improve on.
I am currently looking at basing part two around Return of The Kettlebell, but will include Grease the Groove pistols, and windmills. I am also hoping to train with Dustin Rippetoe RKCTL and MRKC Jeff O’Connor, so have the ability to drop what I am planning and following their thoughts. It is always good to have someone else eyeball your program and skills.
We are going to hold an HKC here in March. I am talking to Sr. RKC Jon Engum about that now. We are also going to participate in Pushups For Charity again this year. Lot of stuff, thank goodness I am able to focus on this side of things now.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Tip of the Year!
This clip is probably the best one that I have seen this year. Posture is important. We are what we do and how we live.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
New Stuff
The Blog has fallen by the wayside and it is time for the undead to rise…(Yes, The Walking Dead is back on AMC!)
I have been working on a lot of stuff to make the sessions better for everyone. That has entailed more training for me on Functional Movement and corrections. I have also started training for RKCII in April. It is amazing how many things that I need to work on to be ready for it. I have found that the more research I do to fix those issues, the more everyone in the program benefits.
I have been working on my ankle mobility on a daily basis after finding that I had none… It has made a massive change in my swing and ability to access the hip power needed for proper swings and snatches. I had a light bulb moment when working with one of our new clients. She could not “feel” her hips or hinge correctly for the swing or deadlift. We used several ankle drills i.e., stick pumps, manual pump and some toe pulls. She then worked on the RKC Hip Flexor stretch and she immediately let out a squeal and told me that she could feel her hips move the right way. Since then her swings have been awesome, and spot on.
We have continued to grow! It is always a great thing to introduce people to kettlebells and our program. So far we have had some great weight loss numbers. We have some down 2 pounds in the first week to some that have dropped 30 in a couple of months. Everyone is stronger, moving better and pretty happy with their results.
Please visit the website if you would like to receive our newsletter. We try not to inundate you with junk and send it twice a month. We also have a monthly hardcopy that we send out. If you would like to receive it, please go through the website.
This is probably the only major sales pitch for the blog, but want to let people Know what we offer:
Kid’s Fitness: Tuesday/Thursday: 4:30
Adult classes M/W/F at 5:45am
Adult Classes Tue/Thur/ 6pm and Friday 5:30pm
Saturday Morning at 8am
Saturday, July 16, 2011
World's Toughest Mudder
I received an invitation to the World's Toughest Mudder this week! I want to do this. It is 6 months out and I think it will be fun! I am looking at what I need to do to get it going.
I have already started playing with my training program. I will have my training programming set up after the Summit of Strength next weekend. I cannot wait to talk to Laurel Blackburn about this! She trained two people for the Spartan Death Race. She should be able to give me a few pointers.
Once I have signed up and started training, the program will be posted here as I work through it.
I have already started playing with my training program. I will have my training programming set up after the Summit of Strength next weekend. I cannot wait to talk to Laurel Blackburn about this! She trained two people for the Spartan Death Race. She should be able to give me a few pointers.
Once I have signed up and started training, the program will be posted here as I work through it.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
What they say...
If you want to make some great changes, there is still some room. we will take 5 more people up till Friday Morning! www.befitrockwall.com
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Fun stuff and more
We have a lot going on down at our little house of strength. We are kicking off another 21 Day Sprint to Fitness on July 6th. The first one was a great success and everyone that participated has signed up again! Everyone in the program made positive changes in their health and fitness.
This one will be a little different in that their will be some prizes for given out for making changes, losing weight as well as some special surprise events... As long as we hit 15 people the big prize is a year of Group Class, almost $2000.00 in training.
We are going to expand our class times soon. We are hoping to add a lunch time class for those that need a quick workout, but little time to get it done.
Our Kid's class is growing and is a lot of fun. We have a bunch of kids learning proper movement as well as developing strength. They are all trained after their Functional Movement Screens show us what they really need to work on.
The Summit of Strength is coming up on July 22-24! I cannot wait to train with the best in the field. (the 22nd is a special session for those that signed up early!)
Jeff O’Connor
This one will be a little different in that their will be some prizes for given out for making changes, losing weight as well as some special surprise events... As long as we hit 15 people the big prize is a year of Group Class, almost $2000.00 in training.
We are going to expand our class times soon. We are hoping to add a lunch time class for those that need a quick workout, but little time to get it done.
Our Kid's class is growing and is a lot of fun. We have a bunch of kids learning proper movement as well as developing strength. They are all trained after their Functional Movement Screens show us what they really need to work on.
The Summit of Strength is coming up on July 22-24! I cannot wait to train with the best in the field. (the 22nd is a special session for those that signed up early!)
Summit of Strength 2011
JULY 23 AND 24
Oklahoma City (Edmond), Oklahoma
Friday, July 1, 2011
Day 7
I am on Day 7 of the Advocare 24 day Challenge. I have never used a weight loss style product before. I figured since signing on for Advocare that I would start with this as a base and see where we end up over the next few months. I did have some initial reservations to begin with, but have gotten over those pretty quickly. The people in the organization are great and I can tell that the products are working.
I have a really crappy BF tester and it is not reliable at all. It is not even good enough to monitor trends. It shows that I have gone up in body fat, but the visual results say something else. I have seen a difference in the way that my clothes are fitting. They are looser then they were a week ago. I am also seeing more muscle definition. I have seen more of my abs popping out in the last week then I have in the last year. I also feel really good. I think that if I was not waking up early and going to bed late it would be even better!
I have a few more days on the first part of the program, a 10 day Cleanse, before hitting part two. I am excited. I do reccomend that you pick up extra meal replacements and catalyst. I did not do that at first and was unable to get them in before the holiday weekend.
I can see that the 24 Day Challenge mixed in with our meal program, Meal Movement, is going to make some dramatic changes in our clients lives.
I have a really crappy BF tester and it is not reliable at all. It is not even good enough to monitor trends. It shows that I have gone up in body fat, but the visual results say something else. I have seen a difference in the way that my clothes are fitting. They are looser then they were a week ago. I am also seeing more muscle definition. I have seen more of my abs popping out in the last week then I have in the last year. I also feel really good. I think that if I was not waking up early and going to bed late it would be even better!
I have a few more days on the first part of the program, a 10 day Cleanse, before hitting part two. I am excited. I do reccomend that you pick up extra meal replacements and catalyst. I did not do that at first and was unable to get them in before the holiday weekend.
I can see that the 24 Day Challenge mixed in with our meal program, Meal Movement, is going to make some dramatic changes in our clients lives.
Friday, June 17, 2011
No Apologies
There has been a lot of awesome things going on at our little house of strength, so I cannot apologize for the lack of postings. That should change now as I have more time in the day to work and write. We have exploded in our classes as more people find us. They find us, because we actually have results. If you are up for a challenge, please contact us.
I recently had the incredible opportunity to spend a lot of time with Dan John at a conference. In my opinion he is one of the best minds out there in the world of training. Having listened to him and talked with him in the past, I know what to expect this time. However, there were about 65 people in the room that had never been exposed to him. You could see the light bulbs coming on. He has the ability to make the "confusing" simple to understand. If you are training with us, you already follow a lot of what he teaches. I just don't tell everyone the reasons behind it all of the time.
However, everyone knows where the "Bulgarian Goat Bag Swing" came from. Another incredible tool in the arsenal to show people how to be better. I have been using it on myself as an experiment, as well as the classes, and cannot believe how much it cleans up your swing. I will not go into detail on it, but go to Dan John's site for more info.
We will be announcing some things pretty quickly. We have added a couple of product lines, including done for you meals that are delivered to your door. That will be put out there in the next few days.
I recently had the incredible opportunity to spend a lot of time with Dan John at a conference. In my opinion he is one of the best minds out there in the world of training. Having listened to him and talked with him in the past, I know what to expect this time. However, there were about 65 people in the room that had never been exposed to him. You could see the light bulbs coming on. He has the ability to make the "confusing" simple to understand. If you are training with us, you already follow a lot of what he teaches. I just don't tell everyone the reasons behind it all of the time.
However, everyone knows where the "Bulgarian Goat Bag Swing" came from. Another incredible tool in the arsenal to show people how to be better. I have been using it on myself as an experiment, as well as the classes, and cannot believe how much it cleans up your swing. I will not go into detail on it, but go to Dan John's site for more info.
We will be announcing some things pretty quickly. We have added a couple of product lines, including done for you meals that are delivered to your door. That will be put out there in the next few days.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Wow
In the last few weeks I have been unable to post anything of interest. You would figure that in an entire week, something would be written. It is actually scheduled in my day tomorrow. I will also be moving this to another address.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Goings On at BTS
It has been a busy week. I had hoped to follow up last weeks post about the Minimus, with great stuff but... I gave a 30 minute self defense talk to about twenty-five women this week. It appeared to have gone really well as they all were pretty interactive. I have found that the best tool to give people when you are short on time is...permission to actually defend themselves against a threat. It can be an emotional, mental or physical assault, it makes no difference. There still needs to be a defense strategy. I taught them how to find their trigger for survival, what would give them the power/reason to survive.
Amazing Athletes Corporate was in town training a new Franchise owner. They were able to come out and watch several of our classes taught by some of our coaches. They were pleased! I was also a mentor on an Amazing Athletes conference all about sales to schools.
Rockwall is hosting a Holistic Health Fair at the Center on May 7th from 10-2pm. We will be there with our FMS kit to run as many screens as we can. If you would like to reserve a slot, email me at paul at Brittstrainingsystems.com.
Kids class is coming up! www.fitkidsrockwall.com
Mother's Day Special at www.befitrockwall.com
Summit of Strength is July 23-24th. 4 Master RKC in one place for a full weekend of awesomeness! If you are wanting to be the best you can be, it is a must attend! There is no better training opportunity outside of Dragon Door Events. Dustin and Kenzie know how to put on incredible events.
I am signed up for Indian Clubs certification in November. Which will betaught by my good friend Dustin Rippetoe, RKCTL. Oh yeah, Brett Jones MRKC will be there also!
That is probably enough for tonight. Want to leave u with what not to do with a KB.
Amazing Athletes Corporate was in town training a new Franchise owner. They were able to come out and watch several of our classes taught by some of our coaches. They were pleased! I was also a mentor on an Amazing Athletes conference all about sales to schools.
Rockwall is hosting a Holistic Health Fair at the Center on May 7th from 10-2pm. We will be there with our FMS kit to run as many screens as we can. If you would like to reserve a slot, email me at paul at Brittstrainingsystems.com.
Kids class is coming up! www.fitkidsrockwall.com
Mother's Day Special at www.befitrockwall.com
Summit of Strength is July 23-24th. 4 Master RKC in one place for a full weekend of awesomeness! If you are wanting to be the best you can be, it is a must attend! There is no better training opportunity outside of Dragon Door Events. Dustin and Kenzie know how to put on incredible events.
I am signed up for Indian Clubs certification in November. Which will betaught by my good friend Dustin Rippetoe, RKCTL. Oh yeah, Brett Jones MRKC will be there also!
That is probably enough for tonight. Want to leave u with what not to do with a KB.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
New Balance Minimus
I love the premise behind Five Fingers, but I really do not like the look of them. Maybe I am too conservative, but I could not get past how they look. I bought a pair and just could not wear them out in public. I also did not really like how they they felt on my feet. I think it was the toes being split apart. But for whatever reason, I just could not, would not buy into them for my personal use.
I believe that barefoot or as minimal a shoe as possible is the way to go. I have been training barefoot or in Chucks at our studio and also for the last 5 years, but have run my Amazing Athletes classes in Nike Free. I really feel that I am stronger, move better and more stable in less shoe, but have had to have some protection for my feet. due to the impact that they receive on a daily basis. In teaching my Amazing Athletes classes I am bouncing and running with kids for hours on a variety of surfaces. I could be on carpet, tile, concrete, wood and rubber flooring at anytime for up to 6 hours a day. Because of this I need something that allows me to have some protection for my feet, but still allow me to have more natural movement. I was waking up every morning with severe foot pain from what I thought was all of the impact.
Prior to joining the minimilist mob, I wore New Balance's trail running shoes. I found that they were a great shoe for the variety of things that I was doing. At the time i felt that they were good shoes for gym, hanging out at home and anything else I was doing. I was not into shoe collecting at that time. I wanted one pair that would do it all. New Balance seemed to be the best choice at the time.
Fast Forward a couple of years and untold Chucks and Frees later, and I am in need of something different. Nike has a habit of ending shoe styles every 18 months and the shoes that I wanted would no longer be available. It also seemed that shoes that started out as minimalist would gradually ended up being over padded and over engineered...
I heard that New Balance was coming out with a new shoe designed to be palatable to the barefoot running mob. I will say this now, I hate running, but like to be barefoot. I figured that I would give the new shoe a try. There is a New Balance Store in Rockwall and I stopped by one day to look at the Minimus. I liked how they felt from the get go decided to go ahead and buy a pair. They retail for about $100.00 which was cheaper then the Nike Free that I ordered online.
They are light and comfortable. I really like the fact that they are about the lightest shoe that I have ever worn. I was surprised at how heavy the other shoes that I wear are in comparison to them. I was initially wooried that they might be to light, but that was not found to be the case.
They are durable. I have worn them now for two months. there are days where I will have them on for up to 16 hours. I have worn them for up to 36 classes a week of my kids classes. Those classes call for hopping, skipping, jumping, running, starts and stops and lateral movements. They have held up beautifully. The only wear is on the sole, which being Vibram is pretty tough.
The shoes have also been awesome while doing all of those activities. I have had no pain in my feet while training kids classes in the shoes. I feel that they have had great stability, including lateral stability. It could be because they allow my feet to move natyrally and not be incased in a "protective piece of over enginneered padding." I really cannot say how happy I have been with the shoes. It is one thing to train in a shoe for a couple of hours, it is another to put them through the pace that I have. I had a fairly new pair of Nike that would wear occassionally to see if there was a difference and found that there was one for me. My feet would start to kill me after about 30 minutes. I would then develop pain up the chain from there. The next day after wearing the Nike, my feet would kill me after waking up. That is not a problem that I had with the Minimus.
I also trained at the studio in the Minimus. I have found that the Minimus is a small amount of lift that intially through me off on kettlebell swings and snatches.Itis not much of a lift, just enough that I noticed it, but still found that I was rooted and able to perform correct techniques in all lifts. I still prefer to train at the studio barefoot, but that is just habit.
I would definitely recommend New balance Minimus as a great shoe to try out for training. If you are into a minimalist shoes, I feel that it is the way to go. I plan on wearing them for my Tough Mudder training and the actual event in October. I actually plan on running as part of my training for this one, especially since I have a shoe that I love.
I believe that barefoot or as minimal a shoe as possible is the way to go. I have been training barefoot or in Chucks at our studio and also for the last 5 years, but have run my Amazing Athletes classes in Nike Free. I really feel that I am stronger, move better and more stable in less shoe, but have had to have some protection for my feet. due to the impact that they receive on a daily basis. In teaching my Amazing Athletes classes I am bouncing and running with kids for hours on a variety of surfaces. I could be on carpet, tile, concrete, wood and rubber flooring at anytime for up to 6 hours a day. Because of this I need something that allows me to have some protection for my feet, but still allow me to have more natural movement. I was waking up every morning with severe foot pain from what I thought was all of the impact.
Prior to joining the minimilist mob, I wore New Balance's trail running shoes. I found that they were a great shoe for the variety of things that I was doing. At the time i felt that they were good shoes for gym, hanging out at home and anything else I was doing. I was not into shoe collecting at that time. I wanted one pair that would do it all. New Balance seemed to be the best choice at the time.
Fast Forward a couple of years and untold Chucks and Frees later, and I am in need of something different. Nike has a habit of ending shoe styles every 18 months and the shoes that I wanted would no longer be available. It also seemed that shoes that started out as minimalist would gradually ended up being over padded and over engineered...
I heard that New Balance was coming out with a new shoe designed to be palatable to the barefoot running mob. I will say this now, I hate running, but like to be barefoot. I figured that I would give the new shoe a try. There is a New Balance Store in Rockwall and I stopped by one day to look at the Minimus. I liked how they felt from the get go decided to go ahead and buy a pair. They retail for about $100.00 which was cheaper then the Nike Free that I ordered online.
They are light and comfortable. I really like the fact that they are about the lightest shoe that I have ever worn. I was surprised at how heavy the other shoes that I wear are in comparison to them. I was initially wooried that they might be to light, but that was not found to be the case.
They are durable. I have worn them now for two months. there are days where I will have them on for up to 16 hours. I have worn them for up to 36 classes a week of my kids classes. Those classes call for hopping, skipping, jumping, running, starts and stops and lateral movements. They have held up beautifully. The only wear is on the sole, which being Vibram is pretty tough.
The shoes have also been awesome while doing all of those activities. I have had no pain in my feet while training kids classes in the shoes. I feel that they have had great stability, including lateral stability. It could be because they allow my feet to move natyrally and not be incased in a "protective piece of over enginneered padding." I really cannot say how happy I have been with the shoes. It is one thing to train in a shoe for a couple of hours, it is another to put them through the pace that I have. I had a fairly new pair of Nike that would wear occassionally to see if there was a difference and found that there was one for me. My feet would start to kill me after about 30 minutes. I would then develop pain up the chain from there. The next day after wearing the Nike, my feet would kill me after waking up. That is not a problem that I had with the Minimus.
I also trained at the studio in the Minimus. I have found that the Minimus is a small amount of lift that intially through me off on kettlebell swings and snatches.Itis not much of a lift, just enough that I noticed it, but still found that I was rooted and able to perform correct techniques in all lifts. I still prefer to train at the studio barefoot, but that is just habit.
I would definitely recommend New balance Minimus as a great shoe to try out for training. If you are into a minimalist shoes, I feel that it is the way to go. I plan on wearing them for my Tough Mudder training and the actual event in October. I actually plan on running as part of my training for this one, especially since I have a shoe that I love.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Running 10 Miles without any training runs
Running 10 Miles Without Any Training Runs?
I recently had the great idea of signing up for the Tough Mudder. It looked like lots of fun, lots of obstacles to climb on, crawl under and swing from. I had completed a Warrior Dash without any running to prepare for it. I felt that that the Tough Mudder was the next test to take, if only testing my lack of sense if nothing else. One problem I faced was that the TOUGH Mudder was 10 miles long, whereas the Warrior Dash was 3.5 miles. I completed the Warrior Dash within a reasonable time, so figured what the heck; I can do bigger with just a little more effort. I want to point out that I have never run 10 miles in my life, and I really hate running. I would rather go shopping for furniture with my wife and kids, then run around the block. So here was a quandary that I had to solve… How can I do this without actually running beforehand?
I decided that the solution would be kettlebells. Why kettlebells? I have been using them since 2005 and have been an RKC since 2005, so it was the hammer for my nail. It really did not take a lot to drive me to this point. After seeing the results of VO2 Max, the RKC Snatch Test and the transformation that the swing has made in people, I felt that it was a no brainer. I fully believed that I would be able to train for the run without actually running.
There are so many different training thoughts and programs with the kettlebell and within the RKC. The funny thing is that they all boil down to two exercises…swings and Get Ups. I decided that it would be a great testament to Pavel, Hard Style and the RKC if I could actually pull off a 10 mile run without any running beforehand.
I signed up for the Tough Mudder on November 27th giving me 62 days to prepare for the run. I looked at several different ways to make it work. I had looked at VO2 Max, Secret Service Snatch Test and some swing programs and it came down to a variation of the program minimum. The Program Minimum is awesome in its simplicity and ease of use. I also liked the facts that while it is not injury proof, swings are pretty safe to do for lots of reps and sets. I also felt that the general template of time under load was exactly what I would need. While great for most people, I did not feel that the PM’s time of 12 minutes of swings and 5 minutes of GU were going to be sufficient for 10 miles of running. The organizers advised that the course would take at least 2:30 minutes to complete so I needed a lot more swing time. I decided that I would also need to use heavier kettlebells and maybe even double kettlebells to be able to develop the strength and stamina to last the distance.
I began the program swinging double 32’s for 30sec on/30 Sec off for 15 minutes. The next day was 15 Minutes of Get Ups, but not straight from prone to standing. Instead, I worked each piece of the Get Up for at least two reps. I was able to make it to the Windmill position in the 15 minute time frame. It was my goal to add 5 minutes a week to Swings and Get Ups. The plan was to hit 45 minutes of each exercise. I trained 4 days a week on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
I reevaluated the program after the first 4 weeks, three actually as I had a 7 day break due to the flu, and looked at where I was and where I still needed to be. I was up to 35 minutes of double swings with the 32’s and 30 minutes of Get Ups with a single 32kg. I felt really good, but decided that I needed to really push even harder. I still had not run at all and I was at 4 weeks out, so I was a little worried. I felt that I was pretty close, but not quite sure where I stood. I was not going to do any training runs, since the goal was not to run before the race. In looking at the obstacles, distance and what people were saying about the race, I decided to increase my swing weights to the 40kgs. . I felt that it would add some needed strength and power that would be needed on some of the obstacles. It was a big jump and at the time was actually heavier than my body weight at the time. After making the weight jump, I realized that it would also help with mental toughness; because swinging two heavy kettlebells is hard! The first day of the double 40’s lasted about 20 minutes. I only lasted that long because I refused to quit.
At the same time I made the decision to increase the weight, RKCTL Dustin Rippetoe came up with the 10,000 Swings in 21 Days Challenge. I talked to him about it and decided that it fit within my training program/thought process. I still had not run at all to prepare for the race and wanted to make sure that I had good strength and endurance. We decided that more swings would fit the bill. In looking at the numbers, it would take 500 swings a day to reach the 10,000 in 21 days. I knew that I wanted to keep the heavy double swings in the mix and wanted to get as many swings in the 21 Days as possible. I knew from the outset that doubles at the weight I wanted to hit would probably keep me from 10,000 in 21 days, but I had 25 days of training left in my programming. I decided to try and get all of the swings in, but would not sweat it if I didn’t.
The modifications had me swinging almost every day for up to 45 minutes a session. I knew I could not keep up the heavy doubles for 21 days so I decided to have a medium, light and play weight during the week. The play weight was whatever I felt like messing with on that day for lots of reps. My training week was typically: heavy double swings on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and either two hand swings with the Beast or double 32 swings on the other days. The “play” day was exactly that, no real plan of action. Some days it was running the bells, other days it was swings with the 24kgs’s. One thing I did find from practicing every day was that my swings got better, a lot better. Like Dan John says, “If it is worth doing, do it every day.” I ended up with 8200 swings on the 21st day and 10,000 by the 24th.
How did it work out for me? I completed the run in 2:45. It was a hard race, but the running was actually the easy part. I did not realize how much swimming we would have to do and the massive amounts of swings dropped my body fat to under 8% and I added 10lbs to my bodyweight. It made it hard to float and the cold water really sucked the heat out of me. It was interesting in that I read the 4 Hour Body by Tim Ferris RKCII the week of the race and found it interesting that his section on running a marathon advocated interval training. It made me realize that I was on the right path with this training program.
What would I do differently? I would continue with the swings, but keep the Get Ups in there to improve core and rotational strength. I had no issues with the posterior chain after the race. My frontal core however, was pretty sore for a few days afterward. I think that if I had kept the Get Ups in the mix, I would not have hurt so badly. It stemmed from climbing, monkey bars and helping boost others over obstacles. The grind power derived from the Get Ups would have helped in all of those activities.
The training program:
Month 1
Monday/Thursday
FMS Correctives
Double Swings started out 15 min a session and increased to 35 min a session over the month
Relax Into Stretch
Tuesday/Friday
FMS Correctives
Get Ups 15 min a session increased to 30 min a session over the month
Relax into Stretch
Month 2
Monday/Wednesday/Friday
FMS Correctives
2 Handed or double swings 300-500
Indian Clubs as active recovery between each set
Relax Into Stretch
Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday
FMS Correctives
Heavy Double swings 200-500
Indian Clubs as active recovery between each set
Pull ups and Pistols for 3-4 sets of 3-5.
Relax Into Stretch
I recently had the great idea of signing up for the Tough Mudder. It looked like lots of fun, lots of obstacles to climb on, crawl under and swing from. I had completed a Warrior Dash without any running to prepare for it. I felt that that the Tough Mudder was the next test to take, if only testing my lack of sense if nothing else. One problem I faced was that the TOUGH Mudder was 10 miles long, whereas the Warrior Dash was 3.5 miles. I completed the Warrior Dash within a reasonable time, so figured what the heck; I can do bigger with just a little more effort. I want to point out that I have never run 10 miles in my life, and I really hate running. I would rather go shopping for furniture with my wife and kids, then run around the block. So here was a quandary that I had to solve… How can I do this without actually running beforehand?
I decided that the solution would be kettlebells. Why kettlebells? I have been using them since 2005 and have been an RKC since 2005, so it was the hammer for my nail. It really did not take a lot to drive me to this point. After seeing the results of VO2 Max, the RKC Snatch Test and the transformation that the swing has made in people, I felt that it was a no brainer. I fully believed that I would be able to train for the run without actually running.
There are so many different training thoughts and programs with the kettlebell and within the RKC. The funny thing is that they all boil down to two exercises…swings and Get Ups. I decided that it would be a great testament to Pavel, Hard Style and the RKC if I could actually pull off a 10 mile run without any running beforehand.
I signed up for the Tough Mudder on November 27th giving me 62 days to prepare for the run. I looked at several different ways to make it work. I had looked at VO2 Max, Secret Service Snatch Test and some swing programs and it came down to a variation of the program minimum. The Program Minimum is awesome in its simplicity and ease of use. I also liked the facts that while it is not injury proof, swings are pretty safe to do for lots of reps and sets. I also felt that the general template of time under load was exactly what I would need. While great for most people, I did not feel that the PM’s time of 12 minutes of swings and 5 minutes of GU were going to be sufficient for 10 miles of running. The organizers advised that the course would take at least 2:30 minutes to complete so I needed a lot more swing time. I decided that I would also need to use heavier kettlebells and maybe even double kettlebells to be able to develop the strength and stamina to last the distance.
I began the program swinging double 32’s for 30sec on/30 Sec off for 15 minutes. The next day was 15 Minutes of Get Ups, but not straight from prone to standing. Instead, I worked each piece of the Get Up for at least two reps. I was able to make it to the Windmill position in the 15 minute time frame. It was my goal to add 5 minutes a week to Swings and Get Ups. The plan was to hit 45 minutes of each exercise. I trained 4 days a week on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
I reevaluated the program after the first 4 weeks, three actually as I had a 7 day break due to the flu, and looked at where I was and where I still needed to be. I was up to 35 minutes of double swings with the 32’s and 30 minutes of Get Ups with a single 32kg. I felt really good, but decided that I needed to really push even harder. I still had not run at all and I was at 4 weeks out, so I was a little worried. I felt that I was pretty close, but not quite sure where I stood. I was not going to do any training runs, since the goal was not to run before the race. In looking at the obstacles, distance and what people were saying about the race, I decided to increase my swing weights to the 40kgs. . I felt that it would add some needed strength and power that would be needed on some of the obstacles. It was a big jump and at the time was actually heavier than my body weight at the time. After making the weight jump, I realized that it would also help with mental toughness; because swinging two heavy kettlebells is hard! The first day of the double 40’s lasted about 20 minutes. I only lasted that long because I refused to quit.
At the same time I made the decision to increase the weight, RKCTL Dustin Rippetoe came up with the 10,000 Swings in 21 Days Challenge. I talked to him about it and decided that it fit within my training program/thought process. I still had not run at all to prepare for the race and wanted to make sure that I had good strength and endurance. We decided that more swings would fit the bill. In looking at the numbers, it would take 500 swings a day to reach the 10,000 in 21 days. I knew that I wanted to keep the heavy double swings in the mix and wanted to get as many swings in the 21 Days as possible. I knew from the outset that doubles at the weight I wanted to hit would probably keep me from 10,000 in 21 days, but I had 25 days of training left in my programming. I decided to try and get all of the swings in, but would not sweat it if I didn’t.
The modifications had me swinging almost every day for up to 45 minutes a session. I knew I could not keep up the heavy doubles for 21 days so I decided to have a medium, light and play weight during the week. The play weight was whatever I felt like messing with on that day for lots of reps. My training week was typically: heavy double swings on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and either two hand swings with the Beast or double 32 swings on the other days. The “play” day was exactly that, no real plan of action. Some days it was running the bells, other days it was swings with the 24kgs’s. One thing I did find from practicing every day was that my swings got better, a lot better. Like Dan John says, “If it is worth doing, do it every day.” I ended up with 8200 swings on the 21st day and 10,000 by the 24th.
How did it work out for me? I completed the run in 2:45. It was a hard race, but the running was actually the easy part. I did not realize how much swimming we would have to do and the massive amounts of swings dropped my body fat to under 8% and I added 10lbs to my bodyweight. It made it hard to float and the cold water really sucked the heat out of me. It was interesting in that I read the 4 Hour Body by Tim Ferris RKCII the week of the race and found it interesting that his section on running a marathon advocated interval training. It made me realize that I was on the right path with this training program.
What would I do differently? I would continue with the swings, but keep the Get Ups in there to improve core and rotational strength. I had no issues with the posterior chain after the race. My frontal core however, was pretty sore for a few days afterward. I think that if I had kept the Get Ups in the mix, I would not have hurt so badly. It stemmed from climbing, monkey bars and helping boost others over obstacles. The grind power derived from the Get Ups would have helped in all of those activities.
The training program:
Month 1
Monday/Thursday
FMS Correctives
Double Swings started out 15 min a session and increased to 35 min a session over the month
Relax Into Stretch
Tuesday/Friday
FMS Correctives
Get Ups 15 min a session increased to 30 min a session over the month
Relax into Stretch
Month 2
Monday/Wednesday/Friday
FMS Correctives
2 Handed or double swings 300-500
Indian Clubs as active recovery between each set
Relax Into Stretch
Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday
FMS Correctives
Heavy Double swings 200-500
Indian Clubs as active recovery between each set
Pull ups and Pistols for 3-4 sets of 3-5.
Relax Into Stretch
Thursday, March 31, 2011
President George H.W. Bush and Pushups for Charity
Pushups for Charity
10:00 am on April 16th, 2011
City of Heath Department of Public Safety
Please come out and support our Wounded Warriors. 100% of every dollar received goes to the Wounded Warrior Project!
We have invited numerous Special Guests. We will have several of our sponsors on hand as well as the USMC!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Pushups For Charity Rockwall
We are moving right along with Pushups For Charity Rockwall. So far we have quite a few participants registered, but we have room for lots more!!!
We want to thank all of the sponsors that have jumped on board: Amazing Athletes, Dr. Holly Fisher Britt, O.D., Joe Willy's, Community Bank, City of Heath... we also have room for more Sponsors!!!
100% of all donations goes to the Wounded Warrior Project. Please participate in this great way to give back.
www.pushupsforcharityrockwall.com
We want to thank all of the sponsors that have jumped on board: Amazing Athletes, Dr. Holly Fisher Britt, O.D., Joe Willy's, Community Bank, City of Heath... we also have room for more Sponsors!!!
100% of all donations goes to the Wounded Warrior Project. Please participate in this great way to give back.
www.pushupsforcharityrockwall.com
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Pushups For Charity Rockwall
April 16th, 2011
10:00am
City of Heath Department of Public Safety
Rockwall County Residents CRAZY For Pushups!
Rockwall, Tx – What’s old…is new again. The people of Rockwall County are going crazy for pushups as a way to get in shape…and give something back to our wounded warriors. It’s called Pushups for Charity, and it’s causing quite a stir.
Organized by Paul Britt of Britt’s Training Systems and Amazing Athletes, an adult and children’s fitness company here in Rockwall, Pushups for Charity is a fun way to get fit and make a difference by supporting the Wounded Warrior Project, an organization whose mission is to honor and empower severely injured service men and women.
There will be Pushups for Charity Challenge on April 16th with three teams competing:
1. Regular Joe’s and Jane’s – open to all Rockwall area residents
2. Rockwall County Police Departments
3. Rockwall County Fire Departments
Complete information is available at www.pushupsforcharityrockwall.com for those who want to participate, donate or just come out and watch these three teams compete to see who can do the most pushups in 90 seconds.
“Our goal is two-fold,” explains Paul, owner of Britt’s Training Systems and Amazing Athletes, the fitness company running the Pushups for Charity event here in Rockwall County, “we want to show our support for the Wounded Warriors who have sacrificed so much for our freedom and security, and we want to engage our local community in a fun way to get fit.”
“The community is really rising to the challenge – there is a lot of interest in Pushups for Charity. I think that says a lot about our community’s interest in supporting Wounded Warriors, and is a reflection of how much people appreciate the importance of being healthy,” says Britt.
Pushups are one of the foundational exercises for overall body strength and lean muscle development. Lean muscle increases metabolic activity so the body burns more calories. Additionally, pushups are a simple exercise anyone can do almost anywhere. “Pushups are a gateway exercise,” says Britt, “people feel results quickly, sometimes within days, and that inspires them to do more exercise.”
1
Monday, February 28, 2011
Indian Club Workshop
We have had to postpone the Indian Clkub Workshop that was scheduled for March 5th. I have had a lot going on over the last month with both Amazing Athletes and Briit's Training Systems. It has been so busy that I was not really doing justice to the seminar prep. I did not want to attach my name or that of my friend and Instructor RKCTL Dustin Rippetoe. I did not want to have a seminar that was not up to either of our standards. Things happen for a reason, and I hope that people were not to put out.
We are also scheduling a major charity event in April that will hopefully encompass a lot of people. I feel that this is what I am being called to do for my business and for the Wounded Warrior Project. I will have something out about it tomorrow!
We are also scheduling a major charity event in April that will hopefully encompass a lot of people. I feel that this is what I am being called to do for my business and for the Wounded Warrior Project. I will have something out about it tomorrow!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Busy!
Lots of things going on at our place! We have the Indian Clubs/Get Up workshop on March 5th. It is going to be a day of improving your movement and building real strength. More info here! Each attendee will receive a set of Indian Clubs and Dr. Thomas' DVD! What are you waiting for...sign up here 10 8 spots left!
It has been two weeks since the Tough Mudder. I have not posted anything about it for a couple of reasons. 1. I was writing an article 2. Snowmegeddon hit us and included rolling blackouts...3. Amazing Athletes has been time consuming.
I have finished the article and have submitted it to Dragon Door. It details how I trained to run a 10 mile race with ZERO running beforehand. I ended up completing the run in about 2:45. I have already pre-registered for the October 8th/9th Tough Mudder in the Dallas area. The goal is to hit 2 hours. It was hard! I had a great time and cannot wait to try again.
Besides the Workshop, we are training some people for the RKC Certs in April and September. Give me a shout if you would like to attend some of those sessions. I am also my training my own happy little hiney for RKC2 in July! Currently my work consists of correctives, Indian Clubs, press patterning. I am not going to really ramp it up until April. right now it is practice of skills that need to be improved. I am doing lots of body weight and TRX assisted work on pistols. It seems to be working. I am able to pistol, but need to continue to work at cleaning it up.
Just quick info as we try to fill the workshop.
It has been two weeks since the Tough Mudder. I have not posted anything about it for a couple of reasons. 1. I was writing an article 2. Snowmegeddon hit us and included rolling blackouts...3. Amazing Athletes has been time consuming.
I have finished the article and have submitted it to Dragon Door. It details how I trained to run a 10 mile race with ZERO running beforehand. I ended up completing the run in about 2:45. I have already pre-registered for the October 8th/9th Tough Mudder in the Dallas area. The goal is to hit 2 hours. It was hard! I had a great time and cannot wait to try again.
Besides the Workshop, we are training some people for the RKC Certs in April and September. Give me a shout if you would like to attend some of those sessions. I am also my training my own happy little hiney for RKC2 in July! Currently my work consists of correctives, Indian Clubs, press patterning. I am not going to really ramp it up until April. right now it is practice of skills that need to be improved. I am doing lots of body weight and TRX assisted work on pistols. It seems to be working. I am able to pistol, but need to continue to work at cleaning it up.
Just quick info as we try to fill the workshop.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
Early Bird Price Extended Until February 8th due to weather!
Indian Clubs and Get Up Workshop March 5th
Announcing our first major workshop of 2011. We are hosting RKC Team Leader Dustin Rippetoe on March 5th for Sharpening Movement, an Indian Clubs and Get Up Workshop at our facility in Rockwall Texas.
Do you want to move better and feel better? Would you like to be stronger? Here is the chance to learn how from one of the best instructors around!
We will be spending 3 hours learning about Indian Clubs and how to use them. Learn the movements and how to program them into your current training.
The following is from From Dragon Door!
"The Indian Club: Ancient Martial Arts Tool for Fluid Movement, Strength and Joint Health Becomes Favored Secret Weapon Amongst the Elite for Refining Athletic Performance and Restoring Lost Function…
Use Indian Clubs to enhance your sport—be it mixed martial arts, golf, tennis, wrestling, swimming, bowling, basketball, gymnastics, hockey, lacrosse, football, volleyball, archery, karate, boxing—or any other activity where physical efficiency is at a premium
Like the Kettlebell, the ancient Indian Clubwas a once-prized exercise tool that fell on hard times. Once a favored training device of royalty, military, elite athletes and enthusiastic amateurs alike, the club became relegated, by the 1930s, to dusty attics, damp basements and the moldy memories of old-school fitness diehards.
In its final, most refined incarnation, the Indian Club had been developed, in turn, by British, German and American military and civilian experts into a highly sophisticated system of restorative healthdrills. The unique circular weight lifting movements of the Indian Club were considered to promote not only greater overall strength and flexibility but to act as a magnificent "neural tune-up" for the whole body. Sadly, as the exercise community changed its focus, the Indian Club—and its myriad of health benefits—all but disappeared. Just like the kettlebell.
Yet Indian Club Swinging Exercises—in just minutes a days—WILL:
Strengthen your back, shoulders, pecs, biceps, triceps, forearms, grip—and most importantly—your connective tissue, ligaments and tendons
Enhance your shoulder efficiency, mobility, elbow and wrist flexibility—and range of motion
Develop your grace, coordination, balance and agility
Counteract the negative impact of too many hours sitting hunched at a computer keyboard (Reprinted from Dragon Door)
We will also be have 3 hrs of training on sharpening your Get Up skills. Learn how the Get Up is an assessment and a correction and how to use it to improve your movement and increase your strength!
The Get Up has been said to "fix what ails you." This is the chance to learn the skill in depth.
We will work on all pieces of the Get Up and work on improving your skills in each part. We will focus on the Get Up as detailed in Kalos Sthenos, the incredible work by Brett Jones MRKC, Gray Cook PT and Dr. Mark Cheng SrRKC.
Then the fun begins as you are shown how the two fit together like peanut butter and jelly. Learn how to use these two skills to make your body move and feel better.
The best part is that you will receive a 1lb set of Indian Clubs to take home with you!
We are limiting the number of attendees to only 20 attendees. We want to insure that everyone has lots of time to perfect their skills and have more one to one interaction.
The Early Brid Price for the workshop is $250.00 until February 3rd, 2011. After that the price goes up to 299.00. Don't Forget, you get a pair of Indian Clubs as part of the workshop!!!!!
Announcing our first major workshop of 2011. We are hosting RKC Team Leader Dustin Rippetoe on March 5th for Sharpening Movement, an Indian Clubs and Get Up Workshop at our facility in Rockwall Texas.
Do you want to move better and feel better? Would you like to be stronger? Here is the chance to learn how from one of the best instructors around!
We will be spending 3 hours learning about Indian Clubs and how to use them. Learn the movements and how to program them into your current training.
The following is from From Dragon Door!
"The Indian Club: Ancient Martial Arts Tool for Fluid Movement, Strength and Joint Health Becomes Favored Secret Weapon Amongst the Elite for Refining Athletic Performance and Restoring Lost Function…
Use Indian Clubs to enhance your sport—be it mixed martial arts, golf, tennis, wrestling, swimming, bowling, basketball, gymnastics, hockey, lacrosse, football, volleyball, archery, karate, boxing—or any other activity where physical efficiency is at a premium
Like the Kettlebell, the ancient Indian Clubwas a once-prized exercise tool that fell on hard times. Once a favored training device of royalty, military, elite athletes and enthusiastic amateurs alike, the club became relegated, by the 1930s, to dusty attics, damp basements and the moldy memories of old-school fitness diehards.
In its final, most refined incarnation, the Indian Club had been developed, in turn, by British, German and American military and civilian experts into a highly sophisticated system of restorative healthdrills. The unique circular weight lifting movements of the Indian Club were considered to promote not only greater overall strength and flexibility but to act as a magnificent "neural tune-up" for the whole body. Sadly, as the exercise community changed its focus, the Indian Club—and its myriad of health benefits—all but disappeared. Just like the kettlebell.
Yet Indian Club Swinging Exercises—in just minutes a days—WILL:
Strengthen your back, shoulders, pecs, biceps, triceps, forearms, grip—and most importantly—your connective tissue, ligaments and tendons
Enhance your shoulder efficiency, mobility, elbow and wrist flexibility—and range of motion
Develop your grace, coordination, balance and agility
Counteract the negative impact of too many hours sitting hunched at a computer keyboard (Reprinted from Dragon Door)
We will also be have 3 hrs of training on sharpening your Get Up skills. Learn how the Get Up is an assessment and a correction and how to use it to improve your movement and increase your strength!
The Get Up has been said to "fix what ails you." This is the chance to learn the skill in depth.
We will work on all pieces of the Get Up and work on improving your skills in each part. We will focus on the Get Up as detailed in Kalos Sthenos, the incredible work by Brett Jones MRKC, Gray Cook PT and Dr. Mark Cheng SrRKC.
Then the fun begins as you are shown how the two fit together like peanut butter and jelly. Learn how to use these two skills to make your body move and feel better.
The best part is that you will receive a 1lb set of Indian Clubs to take home with you!
We are limiting the number of attendees to only 20 attendees. We want to insure that everyone has lots of time to perfect their skills and have more one to one interaction.
The Early Brid Price for the workshop is $250.00 until February 3rd, 2011. After that the price goes up to 299.00. Don't Forget, you get a pair of Indian Clubs as part of the workshop!!!!!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Indian Clubs and Get Up Workshop March 5th
Announcing our first major workshop of 2011. We are hosting RKC Team Leader Dustin Rippetoe on March 5th for Sharpening Movement, an Indian Clubs and Get Up Workshop at our facility in Rockwall Texas.
Do you want to move better and feel better? Would you like to be stronger? Here is the chance to learn how from one of the best instructors around!
We will be spending 3 hours learning about Indian Clubs and how to use them. Learn the movements and how to program them into your current training.
The following is from From Dragon Door!
"The Indian Club: Ancient Martial Arts Tool for Fluid Movement, Strength and Joint Health Becomes Favored Secret Weapon Amongst the Elite for Refining Athletic Performance and Restoring Lost Function…
Use Indian Clubs to enhance your sport—be it mixed martial arts, golf, tennis, wrestling, swimming, bowling, basketball, gymnastics, hockey, lacrosse, football, volleyball, archery, karate, boxing—or any other activity where physical efficiency is at a premium
Like the Kettlebell, the ancient Indian Clubwas a once-prized exercise tool that fell on hard times. Once a favored training device of royalty, military, elite athletes and enthusiastic amateurs alike, the club became relegated, by the 1930s, to dusty attics, damp basements and the moldy memories of old-school fitness diehards.
In its final, most refined incarnation, the Indian Club had been developed, in turn, by British, German and American military and civilian experts into a highly sophisticated system of restorative healthdrills. The unique circular weight lifting movements of the Indian Club were considered to promote not only greater overall strength and flexibility but to act as a magnificent "neural tune-up" for the whole body. Sadly, as the exercise community changed its focus, the Indian Club—and its myriad of health benefits—all but disappeared. Just like the kettlebell.
Yet Indian Club Swinging Exercises—in just minutes a days—WILL:
Strengthen your back, shoulders, pecs, biceps, triceps, forearms, grip—and most importantly—your connective tissue, ligaments and tendons
Enhance your shoulder efficiency, mobility, elbow and wrist flexibility—and range of motion
Develop your grace, coordination, balance and agility
Counteract the negative impact of too many hours sitting hunched at a computer keyboard (Reprinted from Dragon Door)
We will also be have 3 hrs of training on sharpening your Get Up skills. Learn how the Get Up is an assessment and a correction and how to use it to improve your movement and increase your strength!
The Get Up has been said to "fix what ails you." This is the chance to learn the skill in depth.
We will work on all pieces of the Get Up and work on improving your skills in each part. We will focus on the Get Up as detailed in Kalos Sthenos, the incredible work by Brett Jones MRKC, Gray Cook PT and Dr. Mark Cheng SrRKC.
Then the fun begins as you are shown how the two fit together like peanut butter and jelly. Learn how to use these two skills to make your body move and feel better.
The best part is that you will receive a 1lb set of Indian Clubs to take home with you!
We are limiting the number of attendees to only 20 attendees. We want to insure that everyone has lots of time to perfect their skills and have more one to one interaction.
The Early Brid Price for the workshop is $250.00 until February 3rd, 2011. After that the price goes up to 299.00. Don't Forget, you get a pair of Indian Clubs as part of the workshop!!!!!
Do you want to move better and feel better? Would you like to be stronger? Here is the chance to learn how from one of the best instructors around!
We will be spending 3 hours learning about Indian Clubs and how to use them. Learn the movements and how to program them into your current training.
The following is from From Dragon Door!
"The Indian Club: Ancient Martial Arts Tool for Fluid Movement, Strength and Joint Health Becomes Favored Secret Weapon Amongst the Elite for Refining Athletic Performance and Restoring Lost Function…
Use Indian Clubs to enhance your sport—be it mixed martial arts, golf, tennis, wrestling, swimming, bowling, basketball, gymnastics, hockey, lacrosse, football, volleyball, archery, karate, boxing—or any other activity where physical efficiency is at a premium
Like the Kettlebell, the ancient Indian Clubwas a once-prized exercise tool that fell on hard times. Once a favored training device of royalty, military, elite athletes and enthusiastic amateurs alike, the club became relegated, by the 1930s, to dusty attics, damp basements and the moldy memories of old-school fitness diehards.
In its final, most refined incarnation, the Indian Club had been developed, in turn, by British, German and American military and civilian experts into a highly sophisticated system of restorative healthdrills. The unique circular weight lifting movements of the Indian Club were considered to promote not only greater overall strength and flexibility but to act as a magnificent "neural tune-up" for the whole body. Sadly, as the exercise community changed its focus, the Indian Club—and its myriad of health benefits—all but disappeared. Just like the kettlebell.
Yet Indian Club Swinging Exercises—in just minutes a days—WILL:
Strengthen your back, shoulders, pecs, biceps, triceps, forearms, grip—and most importantly—your connective tissue, ligaments and tendons
Enhance your shoulder efficiency, mobility, elbow and wrist flexibility—and range of motion
Develop your grace, coordination, balance and agility
Counteract the negative impact of too many hours sitting hunched at a computer keyboard (Reprinted from Dragon Door)
We will also be have 3 hrs of training on sharpening your Get Up skills. Learn how the Get Up is an assessment and a correction and how to use it to improve your movement and increase your strength!
The Get Up has been said to "fix what ails you." This is the chance to learn the skill in depth.
We will work on all pieces of the Get Up and work on improving your skills in each part. We will focus on the Get Up as detailed in Kalos Sthenos, the incredible work by Brett Jones MRKC, Gray Cook PT and Dr. Mark Cheng SrRKC.
Then the fun begins as you are shown how the two fit together like peanut butter and jelly. Learn how to use these two skills to make your body move and feel better.
The best part is that you will receive a 1lb set of Indian Clubs to take home with you!
We are limiting the number of attendees to only 20 attendees. We want to insure that everyone has lots of time to perfect their skills and have more one to one interaction.
The Early Brid Price for the workshop is $250.00 until February 3rd, 2011. After that the price goes up to 299.00. Don't Forget, you get a pair of Indian Clubs as part of the workshop!!!!!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Tough Mudder Countdown
Training for the Tough Mudder is nearing the final week. It has been my plan from day one to do this fun adventure without doing any running as training. As of now, I have yet to run. I have been using kettlebells as my training tool. I had an initial plan set up that included swings one day and Turkish get Ups the next day on a 4-6 day a week training cycle. It went really well as I increased my time under loads every session. swing workouts were focused on heavy double swings. I made it to about 35 minutes of double swings with an active recovery. In the GU I was up to about 30 minutes of working each piece at least twice on my way to standing. I was using a fairly heavy weight in these also. If it looks familiar, it is because it is a modified program minimum. As all the Master RKC's will tell you, when it comes to results, swings and get ups are the way to go.
Enter my good friend, Dustin Rippetoe RKCTL. He proposed a 21 day swings challenge. The challenge is to hit 10,000 Swings in the 21 day period. Well, it fit my goal to a tee, so I have been off and running with it.It has been an eye opening journey. I am 18 days in and I am at about 7000 swings. I might not hit 10,000 in 21 days, but that is okay. I have more then got my money out of this challenge.
I could have easily hit 10,000 swings with a different plan of action. one that was set up to just accomplish the swings. I did not want to modify my path/training plan to much so all I did was add days to my swinging. i have been pretty much swinging kettlebells 6 days a week for the last 3 weeks. I chose to keep the heavier double swings in the mix as my main training. I have gone heavier so that I have the power, stamina and mental toughness to slog through a 10 mile race over obstacles, through water and electrical wires. There is a certain mental component earned when you are forced to continue swinging those heavy bells when your hands, arms, hips, legs and lungs want you to quit. Will there be some carryover? We will know in about 12 days.
The other days of swings are usually 2 handed days with the heaviest KB that I can easily do for 300-500 reps. I have recently learned that the Beast fits in that category... Hitting double 88's for reps goes a long way to making that happen.
I have seen some great changes in my technique as this has progressed. Dan John was dead on the money when he said, "If it is important, do it every day." My swings are pretty solid these days. I feel that I am generating a lot of power and I am able to transfer that power to the KB. On my 2hand days, the kb's literally float at the top. I have also observed that my heart rate elevates to a lower level then it used to and drops down much quicker now. I started out at a weight of about 170. I am currently at 180 and my body fat is lower. The weight is fairly well distributed, but a lot is in my glutes, hamstrings and hip. My wife likes it so it must be good!
While I have been tired, bodyweight swings will do that to you, I feel really good afterwards. I admit the first day of double 88's made me feel like a truck had hit me, but I was on 4 hours of sleep that day. But it was part of my plan and had to be accomplished. No PR everyday for me. I have to follow my program, cause that is how it rolls!
I have also learned how incredible Indian Clubs are as a training tool. I started to use them as my active rest and recovery from swings. I start out in tall kneeling with movement prep, work through Movements 1 and 2 and then move off to open half kneeling. I recently, last couple of days, started working on Movement 3. I attribute a lot of my recovery ability to the clubs. I am able to lower breathing rate and heart rate as I work the clubs between swings. My shoulders feel better now then at any point in the last few years. The Clubs seem to really help lock in all of the correctives work for my shoulders. If I can swing it, I am going to actually try to attend the next Indian Club workshop in March. The Clubs are going to become part of our group classes also. If you train with me you will need them anyway so get them here, Indian Clubs.
3000 more swings to go! Will try and get there within the 21 days.
Enter my good friend, Dustin Rippetoe RKCTL. He proposed a 21 day swings challenge. The challenge is to hit 10,000 Swings in the 21 day period. Well, it fit my goal to a tee, so I have been off and running with it.It has been an eye opening journey. I am 18 days in and I am at about 7000 swings. I might not hit 10,000 in 21 days, but that is okay. I have more then got my money out of this challenge.
I could have easily hit 10,000 swings with a different plan of action. one that was set up to just accomplish the swings. I did not want to modify my path/training plan to much so all I did was add days to my swinging. i have been pretty much swinging kettlebells 6 days a week for the last 3 weeks. I chose to keep the heavier double swings in the mix as my main training. I have gone heavier so that I have the power, stamina and mental toughness to slog through a 10 mile race over obstacles, through water and electrical wires. There is a certain mental component earned when you are forced to continue swinging those heavy bells when your hands, arms, hips, legs and lungs want you to quit. Will there be some carryover? We will know in about 12 days.
The other days of swings are usually 2 handed days with the heaviest KB that I can easily do for 300-500 reps. I have recently learned that the Beast fits in that category... Hitting double 88's for reps goes a long way to making that happen.
I have seen some great changes in my technique as this has progressed. Dan John was dead on the money when he said, "If it is important, do it every day." My swings are pretty solid these days. I feel that I am generating a lot of power and I am able to transfer that power to the KB. On my 2hand days, the kb's literally float at the top. I have also observed that my heart rate elevates to a lower level then it used to and drops down much quicker now. I started out at a weight of about 170. I am currently at 180 and my body fat is lower. The weight is fairly well distributed, but a lot is in my glutes, hamstrings and hip. My wife likes it so it must be good!
While I have been tired, bodyweight swings will do that to you, I feel really good afterwards. I admit the first day of double 88's made me feel like a truck had hit me, but I was on 4 hours of sleep that day. But it was part of my plan and had to be accomplished. No PR everyday for me. I have to follow my program, cause that is how it rolls!
I have also learned how incredible Indian Clubs are as a training tool. I started to use them as my active rest and recovery from swings. I start out in tall kneeling with movement prep, work through Movements 1 and 2 and then move off to open half kneeling. I recently, last couple of days, started working on Movement 3. I attribute a lot of my recovery ability to the clubs. I am able to lower breathing rate and heart rate as I work the clubs between swings. My shoulders feel better now then at any point in the last few years. The Clubs seem to really help lock in all of the correctives work for my shoulders. If I can swing it, I am going to actually try to attend the next Indian Club workshop in March. The Clubs are going to become part of our group classes also. If you train with me you will need them anyway so get them here, Indian Clubs.
3000 more swings to go! Will try and get there within the 21 days.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
My instructor Joe R. Lansdale
Few clips of my Instructor... If you don't think it works or is effective, ask him to show you! We are still running a small class. If you want to train with us, contact me via email.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Nice Article About Us!
I obviously slacked off about posting during the Holidays. Time to get ramped up for the New Year. We are up and running with lots of classes at the facility. we focus on groups as the peer support goes a long way to helping people reach their goals. we also have some openings for individual training. That requires you email or call for an appointment.
I am still waiting to hear about my CK-FMS case study, but I passed the FMS test. Every new client receives a screen as part of our consultation. It is a great tool to help people reach their goals safely and effectively. Here is a link to a great article about what we do!
If you are interested in being the best you can be, come hang out with us!
Tough Mudder countdown is at 22 days. Lots of swings occurring. I am up to about 40 minutes of swings as my main training focus. It helps that I have joined in the 10,000 Swings in 21 days Group. I have to hit at least 500 swings a day to reach that number by the 21st. Little sore after the first 2500.
I am still waiting to hear about my CK-FMS case study, but I passed the FMS test. Every new client receives a screen as part of our consultation. It is a great tool to help people reach their goals safely and effectively. Here is a link to a great article about what we do!
If you are interested in being the best you can be, come hang out with us!
Tough Mudder countdown is at 22 days. Lots of swings occurring. I am up to about 40 minutes of swings as my main training focus. It helps that I have joined in the 10,000 Swings in 21 days Group. I have to hit at least 500 swings a day to reach that number by the 21st. Little sore after the first 2500.
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