Warm up, stretch routines All moves except TGUs done with 24 kg KB 80 Kettlebell Swings 30 seconds rest 10 Turkish Getups (2L-2R-2L-2R-1L-1R) (24 + 16 kg strapped by belt) 10 Diamond Pushups 10 Goblet Squats 10 Diamond Pushups 10 Goblet Squats 30 seconds rest 60 Kettlebell Swings 30 second rest 50 One Armed Rows (9L-9R-30s rest-8L-8R-30s rest-8L-8R) 30 seconds rest 20 Windmills (5L-5R-5L-5R) 30 second rest 40 Kettlebell Swings Stretch and cool down
Got this workout from http://trainersteve.tumblr.com/
Did it with one 16kg Kettlebell, was wrong about what a figure 8 to stop and a hot potato drill was but nonetheless, I had fun 🙂
How do I know? Well, I rested during the weekend, read this article about over-training and thought “Wait a minute…”
So today I was able to do a full set of 75 reps of two handed swings before my grip gave way after warming up with jumping jacks and squats.
And I was able to go for 10 inclined push-ups, 10 pistol squats and 10 TGUs (with 24 kg dumbbells but still) after that intense swing session.
Brought in the 16 kg KB to work more on my technique of several moves.
Definitely going to take tomorrow off, over-training is so painful and annoying, makes you feel weaker then you actually are 🙂
Pull-ups chin-ups… Still working on proper full range but decided to take a stepped approach. At the office I pull myself up quickly do slow declines from the top chin-up position. No hurry, feeling all the pain slow. At home I use the edge of the dinner table, body firm and aligned, only the heels touching the ground but without giving any support to the movement.
I try to do at least one of these or, if I can manage my time, both the noon and the evening exercises.
The routine is still pretty much the same: 10 TGUs (5L-5R) 10 Pistol Squats (5L-5R) 10 Chin-ups 10 One legged push-ups (5L-5R)
I have suck at pull-ups for as long as I know myself. So what good are 32 kg Turkish Get-ups when you can hardly manage one full range proper pull-up or chin-up?
Therefore I decided to add 10 pull-ups to my daily Grease the Groove fun. A progressive approach makes sense, as it will help reducing or even preventing shoulder strain and tendinitis, injuries often experienced in the process of mastering pull-ups.
Todays GtG:
10 24 kg TGUs (did 32 kg yesterday so I lessened the load)
10 one leg assisted pull-ups
10 one legged slow push-ups
10 one legged squats (pistol squats)
Well after three weeks of GtG TGUs with 24 kg today was the day where I was finally able to do 10 repetitions of 32 kg TGUs back to back (3L-3R-2L-2R) 🙂
I am a bit sore as this a whole new dimension for my body but I am happy I made the step up there. I’ll keep working on this.
Today’s noon time workout:
10 32 kg TGUs
10 One legged squats (pistols) (5L-5R)
15 Slow pushups
5 Half pullups (I am miserable at these and need to focus more)
2 Laps of Farmer Walk with 18 kilo weights (one lap on each side around a basketball field)
Then I did barbell snatches and cleans just for the fun of it. 2x 40 kg sntaches where relatively easy (even after all the stuff done above), and 2x 60 kg cleans where also quite solid. I know thats not much but its not something I am for anyway.
After a short holiday down south for 5 days I am back with another Turkish Get Up workout in form of a combo set:
Starting out with 5 Snatches (preferably on your weaker side) then switch to 1 TGU while the kettlebell is over your head, get down then up, rack it on your chest and do 5 squats then 5 presses then 5 cleans and finally 5 1 handed swings where after you switch hands (or if you need to rest, do rest) and do the same super set with your other hand. Repeat this cycle 5 times with appropriate rests in between. I took 1-2 minute rests in 2-1-2 fashion.
This workout was taken from the fine site http://trainersteve.tumblr.com/post/9584433175
So on Monday i managed to form some nasty calluses on both of my hands doing the 15-15 50 Set Kettlebell Snatches workout. Still I liked this cardio-strength-endurance combo style and wondered if I could be doing Turkish Getups this way and to take it easier combine them with Windmills.
The 15-15 would be to short (so I thought) as the full TGU takes more time then a Snatch. I decided to do the following:
36 seconds doing 2 TGU’s and 2 Windmills with a 16 kg Kettlebell
36 seconds of rest
20 sets like this.
Turned out I was actually able to do 4 TGU’s and 2 Windmills in each set. So after the first 5-6 sets that’s what I did. I did my share of sweating, I was not fatigue at the end so this was a nice workout, given the fact that the TGU is pretty much a whole body workout.
In the end I did 71 TGUs and 40 Windmills in 26 minutes 🙂
This week I started yet again another serious session of Intermittent Fasting as described in the Warrior Diet.
I discovered and started doing it Mid-January last year and was able to drop from 89kg (196lb) to about 76kg (168lb) in about 4 months prior to really getting into gear with Kettlebells.
I continued with the way of the Warrior feeding 🙂 after I started doing Kettlebell workouts on a regular 3 times a week basis. I gained weight as I was building muscles. After a while I loosened up on the way of the Warrior and along with muscles came back some bodyfat.
On an important side note, I have the Auto-immune disorder Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. I read one article and a couple of comments in forums that Intermittent Fasting actually has a positive effect on Auto-immune disorders. On my annual full body check-up it looked good. All values within the healthy range. And the ever so annoying tiredness in the afternoons gone.
Anyway, this year went less effective regarding my Warrior Diet style eating and although I didn’t put back on much of a belly but I was on the fattening road. Hashimoto’s has one interesting side-effect (at least in my case), changes occur slowly, no matter whether good or bad.
And this year I also decided to completely cut off supplements as well and did go that way. But now that I will do a low carb calorie deficit diet and shed some stubborn fat, I went out to get myself some liquid L-Carnitine for before the workouts, some Whey protein for right after the workouts and some vitamins for those days where I can not eat sufficiently.
With the decreased calorie intake the 16kg Kettlebell wasn’t that easy anymore but I still intend to move up to 24kg and 32kg soon. Less reps with more benefits.
Here is this weeks workouts I did on Monday, Wednesday and Friday:
Monday: 50 Snatches (25L 25R) 50 Plank to Pushup 75 2 Handed Kettlebell Swings 25 Burpees 5-10-5-10-5-10-5 (TGU & Windmills alternating hands, see former workouts) 50 Mountain Climbers
Wednesday: 50 Snatches (25L 25R) 25 Pushups 100 Two Handed Kettlebell Swings 25 Burpees 5-10-5-10-5-10-5 (TGU & Windmills) 50 Mountain Climbers
Friday: 50 Squats 50 Jumping Jacks 50 Snatches 25 Pushups 100 Kettlebell Swings (25L 25R 50 Two Handed) 6 TGUs with 24Kg dumbbell (3L 3R) <— sufficient to kill me off
Well I finally realized that despite my intention to stay with it and increase the difficulty of the moves that I have reached a plato in my progress.
Ballistic moves, most notably the swing, are not effective anymore and what is even more important, since I am not challenged by the weight, my technique has suffered severely. I have lost my form.
After doing 150 2H swings, 150 mountain climbers and 20 clean presses (10 on each side), I decided to tried the Turkish Get Up with 24 kg dumbbells and 2H swings with both 24 kg and 32 kg. Tough job, especially the TGU.
Hence I decided to get myself both the 24 kg and the 32 kg, for strength moves and ballistic moves in that order 🙂