Training can be Balls Of Fun

[Buk]

Training Can Be Balls Of Fun

Ok, time to get back on track. I think it has been 6 times now since last October that I have been in the gym. I have done a tiny bit of running and been moderately active since then - but nothing that you could call Training!

JP's post in the training discussion forum got me looking at Kettelbells again, and I ended up ordering 6 of the little dudes - hoping to get my wife training with them too. Here is what I got from PerformBetter.com:

• 2x 8Kg = 17.6 lbs
• 1x 12Kg = 26.4 lbs
• 2x 16Kg = 35.2 lbs
• 1x 24Kg = 52.8 lbs

All for $254.87 including shipping.
Now I know that there isn't anything magic about Kettlebells, and they aren't going to do anything that I couldn't replicate with dumbbells - but that 250 didn't hurt me too bad, and I chose to drop it into Kettlebells rather than dumbells or a Gazelle or anything else I could think of. Kettlebells are going to make up a majority share of my training, but I am not resistant to going to the gym for some dumbbell/barbell lifting and Olympic lifting, and I will probably get in an occasional track workout. It is also very likely that I will be (skill)training with the Virginia Tech Volleyball Club Team this year, a few days a week, starting next week.

I don't have a set plan for my Kettlebell training yet. For the next few weeks, I am going to take it easy slowly increasing volume, and paying little reguard to intensity. Once I am lifting a respectable amount of volume, I will shift my focus to intensity and think more about implementing a true workout plan.

I haven't mentioned any specific goals because I don't have any at this point - everything is general right now. I have room to loose fat, gain muscle, get stronger, and improve conditioning. I will evaluate what improvements are happening the fastest over the course of my training and pin down some specific goals as the general improvements slow and begin to contend with one another. That being said, I have been tipping the scale right around 210 lbs lately, and I wouldn't mind bringing this down closer to 190-195.

You guys ready to have some fun?

[Buk]

Thursday, Sept 13, 2007

2 ROUNDS - 12 reps each
Single 16Kg KB Swing(each hand)
Single 16Kg KB Push Press(each hand)
Single 16Kg KB Clean(each hand)
Single 16Kg KB Windmill(each hand)
Single 16Kg KB Snatch(each hand)
Two 16Kg KB Front Squat
-------------------------
264 total reps.

I was in no particular hurry - taking a short break in between each set, I am not even sure how long this workout took me. It felt good though and it wasn't exactly an easy workout. My first workout, using the 16Kg Kettlebells, racked up 264 total reps.

Over the next few weeks I am going to build up the volume by increasing reps, rounds, and perhaps exercises - then I will bring a stopwatch into play and start working towards specific improvements.

[BamaDave]

Craig, good to see you posting in here again. I was just thinking about PM'ing you to ask when you were going to start a new training log!

[RacerBill]

Hey, glad to see you're back, Craig!

[gregl515]

Welcome back! I'm looking forward to see what you do with Kettlebells.

[cappuccino]

Hey Craig! Ditto what the others said! Great to see your new log and training adventure

[bigDman]

Good luck with your goals... Ill be watching

[gregl515]

I've been thinking of getting a kettleball. I think the exercises would be good for my strength and balance. I'd probably start with something light first.

[Lost Dog]

Have you done a lot with KBs before, Craig?

[Buk]

Thanks for welcoming me back guys, it is good to be here. I have missed training and missed hanging out here in the logs. Kettlebells are new to me, but I did a walk through of the exercises on Tuesday when they came in. Other than that, Thursday was my first real Kettlebell lifting.

I am still very new to them, but think I am going to enjoy my Kettlebells a lot. More than anything, they are hammering my lower back at this point; but there also seems to be a significant amount of lower leg involvement, both for generating lifting force and balancing front to back as the Kettelbell swings out. The 16Kg isn't really challenging my strength at this point, but it is quite a conditioner.

[Buk]

Saturday, Sept 15, 2007

3 ROUNDS - 10 reps each
Single 16Kg KB Swing(each hand)
Single 16Kg KB Push Press(each hand)
Single 16Kg KB Clean(each hand)
Single 16Kg KB Windmill(each hand)
Single 16Kg KB Snatch(each hand)
Two 16Kg KB Front Squat
-------------------------
330 total reps.

Time - 27:57
1 - 5:09 (2:33 rest)
2 - 5:47 (4:58 rest)
3 - 9:27
-------------------------
T - 20:23 (7:31 rest)

Ok, I upped the volume as planned, dropped to 10 reps per round, but added in a 3rd round - giving me 25% more reps. I also brought out the watch just to get a bit of time info involved. I did both the first and second rounds without putting the Kettlebell down the entire round - I would swing it from one hand to the next between each side/exercise. For the 3rd round I set it down between each exercise, but not between performing the left and right side of an exercise.

The first round was 110 reps in 5:09(309 seconds) that gives me 21 reps a minute. Needing to rest between rounds and during the 3rd round brought this speed way down to 12 reps per minute for the entire workout. I still have some volume to add over the next few weeks; but this gives me a good starting baseline, because I was trashed at the end of this one.

[kuri]

Looking good Craig. KBs are alot of fun as your finding out.

Timed sets are a great way of working on conditioning and strength/endurance - and is basically the heart of Girevoy Sport.

As for hammering your back really focus on popping your hips on the swings/snatches/cleans. Keep the lumbar flat as in an RDL. If your having trouble towel swings are a good teaching tool - wrap a towel around the handle and practice swings. This will force you to use your hips more and back less.

and if you haven't checked it out already Steve Cotter's forum is an excellent resource: http://www.fullkontact.com/forum/

[UpNorth]

I missed this log popping up so I'm a bit late but, welcome back nonetheless. Your timing is a funny coincidence since just last week I was hunting down your old log to look up the plyometric routines you were doing...

[UConnJulie]

Hey, nice to see another KB enthusiast! I am fairly new to them too, but try to incorporate at least once KB workout per week. I LOVE them ... for many reasons!

[Buk]

Yep, loving the Kettlebells. Thanks for that link Kuri, I hadn't seen that site. I think my form is fine for the swings, cleans, and snatches; maybe I get a little lazy switching between sets or at the end of a set, but it is only good hammering that I have felt so far.

I have been learning more about Girevoy Sport, and it seems pretty cool. There are basically 2 different competitions. The most general consists of 2 exercises, the snatch and the jerk, for maximum reps. For the snatch, it is a single Kettlebell and you are allowed to switch hands one time with a 10 minute time limit, rest is allowed in the hang or overhead - some competitions score the minimum, others the average of the 2 hands. For the jerk, 2 Kettlebells are jerked for reps with a 10 minute time limit, and rest is allowed in the rack position or overhead. Total score is the sum of the snatch score and the number of jerk reps. A minimum of a 30 minutes rest break between the snatch and the jerk is typical for most competitions. The other competition is called a Long Cycle Clean and Jerk. It is a 2 Kettlebell clean and jerk for reps with a 10 minute time limit. The reason it is called a long cycle clean and jerk is because technically the jerk exercise is called a short cycle clean and jerk because you have to clean the Kettlebells before you rep out jerks. Most competitions use 32 or 24 Kg Kettlebells, and I think the 24s are for juniors and masters, 32 for everyone else.

So that is Girevoy Sport in a nutshell as I understand it, but it is a sport in itself. I am training with Kettlebells to improve my fitness. I will practice Girevoy Sport, improve at at, and use it as one measure of improvement, but it is not my end goal. My goals include increased strength, power, conditioning, and power endurance; and that is what I would need for Girevoy Sport, so similar training is a good fit for now. But before too long I will incorporate more top end strength and power training than is typical in Girevoy Sport.

[Buk]

Monday, Sept 17, 2007

Snatch Test - 16Kg
50 Right - 2:14
50 Left - 2:35
-------------------------
Score = 50, in 4:49.
20.8 reps per minute

(15-20 minute break)

Jerk Test - 2 x 16Kg
25 - 1:14
20.3 reps per minute

Jerk
3x12 Double 16Kg KB

Decided to test my Girevoy Sport capability today, but using 16Kg Kettlebells. I wasn't sure how the snatch would go, but I figured I could probably get about a 5 minute set. So at 50, knowing I was past 2 minutes, I switched - that was about right. I could have gone for a few more, but they would have been much slower reps, and I am fine with my baseline not including excessively rested(resting is allowed in the hand and overhead position) reps. The high rep snatches really work the forearms, they say Kettlebells are good for grip, I think they might be right.

My jerks in the timed set were more push presses than jerks, and really wore my shoulders down fast. I definitely had a few(5 or 6) more of them in me, but lost the set do to basically a drop more than anything. So after that I did 3 sets of 12 jerks, which were much better jerks than what I did during my timed set.

20 reps per minute is fairly fast, but since I am working with the 16Kg Kettlebells, I am glad I am not slow. Those scores at least tell me that the 16s aren't too heavy. So I can work on increasing reps and time with the 16s, but also start working strength and technique with the 24Kg Kettlebell. I only have one 24, so I can't work the 2 Kettlebell jerk with that, but for overhead pressing there is lots of options: jerk, push press, strict press; 2 hands, one hand - so I think I will be fine with what I have for quite a while.

[kuri]

Nice work Craig and that is a good pace on both jerks and snatches. Most people training for GS comps usually have a lower rep per minute, but I think you are on the right track concerning a 5 minute set.

I'm with you on jerks really hammering the shoulders. I'm still using 16s for timed sets on those but using a 24 for snatches.

And if you think the 16 wrecks your grip just wait until you try timed sets with the 24!

[RobLL]

Buk - good to see your log, kettledrums sound fun.