Saturday 1/10 (PM)
A1. Right Hand KB Swing 10x45
A2. Left Hand KB Swing 10x45
Three rounds.
B1. Right Hand KB Swing 10x62
B2. Left Hand KB Swing 10x62
Three rounds.
C1. Right Hand KB Swing 15x45
C2. Left Hand KB Swing 15x45
Three rounds.
KB Swing 20x62
KB Clean-N-Press 3x62 (each hand)
KB Clean-N-Press 10x45 (each hand)
Sunday 1/11 (AM)
Bikram Yoga Class (90 Minutes)
Changed name of log because I think KB stuff supplemented with yoga is going to be the main focus for awhile.
Sunday 1/11 (PM)
300 One-Armed KB Swings (20 Minutes)
A1. Right-Hand KB Swing 15x45
A2. Left-Hand KB Swing 15x45
Ten rounds. Done EMOM - ie minute 1 was right hand swings, minute 2 was left hand, and so forth so every 2 minutes had a set done with each hand. Really good quick session. I can feel my proficiency with the bells increasing, so as I get better at one armed swings, I may start going outside to work on snatches (my ceilin g is JUST a bit low - when I am fully extended on a press I only have a few inches’ clearance). I would eventually like to pass the RKC snatch test (100 snatches in five minutes - men are supposed to use a 24 kg bell, but I will try with my 45 pounder first, then see if I can advance past that). But first I have to increase my work capacity for swings and lean out!
[quote]ActivitiesGuy wrote:
Sunday 1/11 (PM)
300 One-Armed KB Swings (20 Minutes)
A1. Right-Hand KB Swing 15x45
A2. Left-Hand KB Swing 15x45
Ten rounds. Done EMOM - ie minute 1 was right hand swings, minute 2 was left hand, and so forth so every 2 minutes had a set done with each hand. Really good quick session. I can feel my proficiency with the bells increasing, so as I get better at one armed swings, I may start going outside to work on snatches (my ceilin g is JUST a bit low - when I am fully extended on a press I only have a few inches’ clearance). I would eventually like to pass the RKC snatch test (100 snatches in five minutes - men are supposed to use a 24 kg bell, but I will try with my 45 pounder first, then see if I can advance past that). But first I have to increase my work capacity for swings and lean out![/quote]
The Snatch Test was a bigger dragon to slay than I gave it credit for. I barely got the 100 a while back but thought I was going to seriously pass out afterwards using my 55lb KB. I’m convinced a 100 snatches with any given weight in 5 minutes is a great task. The only advice I can give other than practice is make sure you take good care of your hands. Mine would get really chewed up when I would push the pace and try to beat the clock. Also I would recommend when you get ready to start snatching is to do 100 un-timed to get a feel for what it would be like. Whether that is 5x10 or whatever scheme you are comfortable with. My strategy was always to get 25 with each hand to start and go 15 and 10 to finish. You will want to die after 2 sets of 25 but
you should have plenty of time to fill in the blanks once you get past 50. Looking forward to your progress with the bells!
[quote]jblues85 wrote:
The Snatch Test was a bigger dragon to slay than I gave it credit for. I barely got the 100 a while back but thought I was going to seriously pass out afterwards using my 55lb KB. I’m convinced a 100 snatches with any given weight in 5 minutes is a great task. The only advice I can give other than practice is make sure you take good care of your hands. Mine would get really chewed up when I would push the pace and try to beat the clock. Also I would recommend when you get ready to start snatching is to do 100 un-timed to get a feel for what it would be like. Whether that is 5x10 or whatever scheme you are comfortable with. My strategy was always to get 25 with each hand to start and go 15 and 10 to finish. You will want to die after 2 sets of 25 but
you should have plenty of time to fill in the blanks once you get past 50. Looking forward to your progress with the bells![/quote]
Funny you should mention this, I kind of started working on it the way you suggested (you’ll see when I post today’s AM workout) before even reading your post. I’m very excited about working on this now! KB’s have fired my motivation in a way I haven’t had for awhile, for some reason, I know that I aimlessly drifted through “meh” workouts for all of last year…now, with the goal of passing the RKC Snatch Test and a personal challenge with furo (Clean-N-Presses with the 88-LB bell in a time window, more of a top-end strength test than the endurance that the Snatch test is), I am feeling fired up.
Monday 1/12 (AM)
I had this memory from awhile back of smacking the ceiling with a weight when I tried to snatch it, so I had always kind of assumed snatches in my apartment were off limits. But that’s because I was snatching a kettlebell wrong, letting the bell flip all the way over the top instead of the smooth transition that a good KB snatch has (the weight never really goes higher than the top of your hand at full extension). So I have thus discovered, to my delight, that I CAN do kettlebell snatches in my apartment (if I was even an inch or two taller, this would not be the case, as I still do come very close to the ceiling). I will start working them in as well.
Today’s workout was four 5-minute chunks.
A. KB Snatches with 25-LB (a whole bunch)
B. KB Clean And Presses with 45-LB (a whole bunch)
C. Two-Armed KB Swings with 62-LB (5 sets of 15)
D. KB Clean And Presses with 62-LB (11 singles per hand)
The first chunk was a whole bunch of snatches in a row with my 25-LB bell as I try to master the form of the snatch, then moved onto some heavier work on other exercises. That was suuuuuper fun, though. Totally jacked about working towards the RKC standard.
Oh, and: the last 5-minute window is training for my challenge with furo. I did a solid 11 singles (Right-Hand-Clean, Right-Hand-Press, Return To Floor, Left-Hand-Clean, Left-Hand-Press, Return To Floor) with the 62-pounder in 5 minutes. I want to move that number up by decreasing the rest between reps and once I can rip through a bunch with the 62, start working with an 88.
Monday 1/12 (PM)
A1. KB Snatch 10x25 (each hand)
A2. Lat Pulldown 8x110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 150, 150, 150, 150, 150
A3. Chest Press 8x110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200
Ten rounds. Light KB snatches for practice as I try to get the form down, plus the usual machine work.
Tuesday 1/13 (AM)
2-Arm KB Swings 20x45 (Five Rounds)
2-Arm KB Swings 15x62 (Five Rounds)
1-Arm KB Swings 16x45 (Five Rounds)
1-Arm KB Swings 10x62 (Five Rounds)
Clean-N-Press 5-4-3-2-1 x 45 (Five Rounds)
25-minute EMOM workout.
1-Arm swings were done in unbroken sets, switching arms halfway through (i.e. 8 right hand, 8 left hand or 5 right hand, 5 left hand).
Good stuff.
Tuesday 1/13 (PM)
A1. KB Swing 20x62
A2. Chest Press 8x110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200
Ten rounds.
Something I was messing around with last night at home and forgot how effective they are is the Bottoms Up Kettlebell Press. This really helped me a lot with my KB Pressing (and barbell pressing) as far as staying tight and pressing with the lats. I know that is how we are supposed to press anyway but it really reinforces proper and easier pressing patterns. Cleaning the bell to the bottoms up position will also help you with your normal clean as well.
Obviously one wrong move and the bell will just fall to your wrist and you can work to see where your weak point is or if you aren’t staying tight through the entire movement. Since you and Furo (hopefully he will read this) each have lighter bells to work with I figured I would pass this along and would be something you both could do at the end of your sessions to get ready for the pressing challenge you guys will have. It’s a fun movement and looks kind of cool when you nail it down.
Wednesday 1/14 (AM)
A1. Right-Hand KB Swing 15x45
A2. Left-Hand KB Swing 15x45
Ten rounds of each, totaling 300 swings (150 per arm), in 20 minutes. Once I can roll through this in sets of 20-25 reps per arm, I might move up to the 62-pounder for this workout every so often.
Also, in personal news, I just accepted a new job, with a higher salary…which means, I’m purchasing an 88-pound KB to celebrate. Look out furo, now I’m gonna have the right toy to train for our challenge in earnest!
[quote]jblues85 wrote:
Something I was messing around with last night at home and forgot how effective they are is the Bottoms Up Kettlebell Press. This really helped me a lot with my KB Pressing (and barbell pressing) as far as staying tight and pressing with the lats. I know that is how we are supposed to press anyway but it really reinforces proper and easier pressing patterns. Cleaning the bell to the bottoms up position will also help you with your normal clean as well.
[/quote]
Hey jblues, really like this suggestion, either as warmup before the main pressing or as “accessory” work after the main pressing work is done. I do have lighter bells that I keep around for my GF (that I really should start using for things like TGU’s, too) - the 20 and 35 are at her place, but I do have a 25 that we keep at mine for her use when she visits. We might juggle this eventually, but for now she keeps the 20/35 there and I keep the 25/45/62 (and soon 88) at mine. I figure that now that I’ve made some pretty good progress on things like swings and cleans, when I visit her I’ll use the 35 for more difficult stuff like 1-arm swings, snatches, or clean-and-presses with very high reps. Anyways, back to the discussion of the bottoms-up press…
I will say that I have always felt pretty good at “pressing with the lats” - when I did more heavy barbell work, and even now when I press my KB or use the chest-press machine in my apartment’s fitness center, I definitely always START the press by depressing and engaging the lats (in fact, sometimes I wonder if I do that SO much that it barely even works the chest, lol).
But, nevertheless, the bottoms-up press is a worthy addition (and as you said, it just LOOKS cool!). I will have to be a bit careful…because my ceilings are pretty low and, come to think of it, the extra couple of inches with the bell being “above” the top of my hand might not allow me to do it inside. But I might start venturing outside with the bells every so often.
Wednesday 1/14 (PM)
A1. KB Clean-N-Press 1x62 (each hand)
A2. Lat Pulldown 10x110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 150, 150, 150, 150, 150
B. ActivitiesGuy’s 5-Minute KB Clean-N-Press Test:
13 Reps Per Hand x 62-LB Kettlebell
Thursday 1/15 (AM)
A1. Right-Hand KB Swing 15x45
A2. Left-Hand KB Swing 15x45
Ten rounds of each, totaling 300 swings (150 per arm), in 20 minutes, one set EMOM. Plus a little bonus finisher of six clean-and-presses with each arm (just to do one more “minute” of work).
Also, big news, the 88-pound KB (which I bought from a fairly local place, Rogue Fitness in Columbus OH) has already shipped and is out for delivery today. Meaning, I might be able to play with my new toy tonight. SCORE!!!
Thursday 1/15 (PM)
A1. KB Clean-N-Press 3x45 (per hand)
A2. Lat Pulldown 6x150
A3. KB Swing 10x88
Eight rounds of that, then a little extra messing around with the 88. I cleaned it several times with each hand, but could not do a strict press with either. I did eventually decide to try a push press and got it overhead. My challenge in the coming weeks will be to keep improving on that while slowly cutting some body weight.
Attempted video upload of clean and pressing 88 pound KB.
Nice job getting the 88 overhead. I’m pretty sure you could strict press it if you did it first in the workout as opposed to at the end when you’ve already accumulated a lot of volume from your circuit work. If memory serves me correct I believe Pavel (from Enter the Kettlebell) recommends on Pressing Days doing ladders for pressing (optional supersetting pull-ups with ladders as well) with your heavy bell first and then moving on either to snatch work or swings after the slow grinding lifts. You seem to have a handle on what you are doing but thought I would throw a suggestion out there. Nice work!
Edit: After looking at your actual workout you are pretty much doing that progression anyway but start with your heavy presses first or pyramid up to the 88
Friday 1/16 (AM)
Bikram Yoga Class (90 Minutes)
Did this at 6 AM with a friend who was visiting from out of town…and then spent 6 hours in a car driving to Michigan for a weekend with the gf. We are actually doing a Bikram class together here in a few minutes, then we’ll be doing KB workouts together over the weekend (I brought my 62 pounder to use along with the 20 and 35 we keep at her place).
Friday 1/16 (PM)
Bikram Yoga Class (90 Minutes)
Saturday 1/17 (AM)
A1. KB Snatch 15x20
A2. KB Swing 15x35
A3. KB Clean-N-Press 3x62
Working out at my GF’s place, we did a circuit together (she did 1-arm swings with the 20, 2-arm swings or goblet squats with the 35 and deadlifts with the 62). I did ten total rounds of all one-armed movements (five right hand, then five left hand). I also did a finisher of kettlebell snatches for five straight minutes with the 20-pounder (about 100 reps). Feel much more comfortable already with my snatch form. Maybe I’ll use the 35 for some snatches tomorrow or Sunday.