Bitten by the Lazy Bug

The seemingly inevitable end-of-the-year laziness has settled in, so I probably won't be posting any new workouts until next year. I may throw the bells around in my free time just to avoid total turd'om, but I don't see any structured WODs in the near future.

I didn't meet my goal of the 10 min long cycle this year, but I didn't put much effort into it until the end. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep after it either, but I have been enjoying the workouts. And, assuming things go as I think they are planned, I might be joining the Instinct Fitness Gym in early 2011. If that's the case, then I'll have some cool equipment and knowledgable trainers at my disposal.

Anyway, it's been a great year...see yunz in 2011!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

WOD: Jerk Day...Cut Short

Warmup

stretching, joint mobility, deadlifts, swings, 2x10 long cycle (16s)

Workout

-Jerk ladder (20kg) - 5, 7, 9, 11, 9, 7, 5

-Jerk ladder (16kg) - 5, 7, 6

-Shrugs tabata (20kg)

Results

Had some pain in my left knee during the jerks which got progressively worse until I decided to call it. I need to get back on the glucosamine right quick.

Those shrugs felt great...started with 19 reps and ended up around 14. My forearms are swollen and on fire!

WOD: Heavy Day

Warmup

stretching, joint mobility, deadlifts, 2x10 long cycle (16s)

Workout

With the 20s

-6 x 1min on/1min off, long cycle

-jerk ladder - 5, 7, 9, 11, 9, 7, 5

-5x 30s on/30s off, rack holds

-5x 30s on/30s off, overhead lockout holds

Results

The long cycle intervals weren't bad, tough toward the end but that was expected. That cramp came back again though. I think it has something to do with my technique, because it had been about 3 hours since I ate last. Oh well, I'll figure it out.

I was surprised I made it up to 11 reps on the jerk ladder, so that was good. I think I need to keep working on them, because I need to work on the technique and build up some more strength.

Both the rack and overhead holds were tough the last few rounds....my arms were definitely nice and tired by then....again, expected.

Here the 2nd round of the long cycle (ignore that little stumble at the end)

WOD: Long Cycle

Warmup

stretching, joint mobility, 2 rounds: 10 jp's, 10 su's, 10 pu's, 10 ds's

Workout

With the 16s

-1x35 long cycle

-5x10, long cycle

-5 rounds

-30s rack hold

-30s rest

-30s overhead lockout hold

-30s rest

Results

Well it's terribly obvious how difficult it's going to be for me to get to 10 minutes. Those 35 reps were tough...and may have mis-counted because I finished them in about 4:40. I guess I'll shoot for 40 next week, but at this rate, there's no way I'll hit my goal by the end of the year. No worries, these are still GREAT workouts.

I tried to take as little rest as possible between the 5 sets of 10 reps. That worked out pretty well. And the rack/overhead holds felt good. My arms were definitely tired, so they were getting tough, but not tough enough to fail.

WOD: Better Than Nothing

Warmup

stretching, joint mobility, swings, 2x10 long cycle

Workout

With double 16s:

-5 rounds

-cleans, 1 min

-rest 1 min

-jerks, 1 min

-rest 1 min

-3 rounds

-long cycle on the minute, 5 reps

Results

The 20 minutes of cleans/jerks felt good. I averaged 13 reps on the cleans and 10-12 on the jerks.

I wanted to do 10 rounds of the "long cycle on the minute", but just didn't have the motivation. I've also been getting an annoying cramp lately while working out....need to get some more potassium in my system I guess.

WOD: Quick One

Warmup

stretching, joint mobility, swing/catch/squat/press's

Workout

With the 16s

-3 rounds

-long cycle, 15 reps

-rest

-rack holds 1min

-30s rest

-overhead lockout holds, 1min

-rest

-Finished with 20 reps of the long cycle and some farmer holds

Results

Kinda mis-managed time today so I was rushing to get this on in before the game tonight. I think I was still a little sore today, so this quick one probably did the body well.

The 15 reps wasn't bad...and they shouldn't be. The rack holds were tough in the 2nd round and tougher in the 3rd but didn't fail. I did fail on the overhead holds in the 2nd (about 3 seconds) and the 3rd round (about 10 seconds). Honestly, I was surprised by that...but good to know.

The last 20 reps were getting tough toward the end, but I had a cramp too which hurt more than my muscles.

WOD: One Arm LC and More

Warmup
stretching, joint mobility, swing/catch/squat/press's (35lb)

Workout

-10 min one arm long cylce, switch hands once

-5 rounds (with a single 16)

-30s clean right

-30s jerk right

-30s clean left

-30s jerk left

-5 rounds (with double 16s)

-30s rack hold

-30s rest

-30s overhead hold

-30s rest

-2 rounds (with double 16s)

-30s swings

-30s rest

-30s shrugs

-30s rest

Results

Another decent workout. For the OALC, I got 36 reps on the right and 35 on the left (switched arms at the 5 min mark) My rack was definitely getting tired on both sides, but overall it wasn't too bad. It's also nice doing any long cylce for 10 minutes, because I need to condition my feet....them foot cramps hurt.

The clean/jerk intervals weren't bad. I should actually increase those to a minute or bump up the weight up to 20kg. For the rack/overhead hold intervals, I originally planned on 1min on / 30s off, but that just wasn't happening. So I dropped it down to 30/30 after the first round.

And I really wanted to do 5 rounds of the swings/shrugs intervals, but I was just spent. I definitely shoulda hung in there for one more round, but that's a lot easier to say now that I'm sitting down and rested :)

Time for a rest day!

WOD: Heavy Day

Warmup

stretching, joint mobility, tgu's, deadlifts, swings

Workout

With double 20's

-3x10 long cycle

-3 rounds

-30s cleans

-30s rest

-30s jerks

-30s rest

-4 rounds

-30s rack holds

-30s rest

-30s overhead lockout

-30s rest

-Finished up with some kettlebell bumps

Results

Great workout! Not sure how much these heavy days will help, but this one had my heart rate soaring the entire time.

The cleans during the long cylce weren't bad at all. The jerks got tough up around the 8 or 9 rep mark. And the whole thing had me breathing heavy! Overall, I'm happy with the heavy long cycle.

I intended on doing 5 rounds of the cleans/jerk intervals, but those jerks were killing me. The last round I only got 4 reps and they weren't easy.

I also intended to do 5 rounds of the rack/overhead holds but those rack holds were killing me...didn't have another round in me. The overhead lockout holds weren't bad.

Since I was struggling with these heavy jerks, I thought I'd finish up with some kettlebell bumps to try working on that initial explosion....I still suck at them.

WOD: Gotta Step it Up

Warmup

stretching, joint mobility, 2 rounds: 10 jp's, 10 su's, 10 pu's, 10 ds's

Workout

With double 16's

-30 reps long cycle

- 3 rounds

-1 min cleans

-1 min rest

-1 min jerks

-1 min rest

-Finished with rack/overhead holds

Results

The 30 reps of long cycle took about 4 1/2 minutes which I'm happy with. That kind of pace would put me at about 67 reps for 10 minutes...if I can keep that pace. I'm glad I lasted for the 30 reps, but not happy with how tough it was. But I do know I had a few more in me.

The clean/jerk interval was nice...definitely need to keep that one in the mix and try to increase the rounds.

In fact, I liked the whole structure of this workout. It's a good template. If I can increase the reps on the long cycle (and maybe add a couple more rounds) and bump of the intervals up, I'll be on my way to the 10 minute lccj.

In general, I just need to step it up and dedicate more time to this goal. Instead of quitting after a good quick workout, rest for a few minutes and get back after it. Otherwise, I will never get there.

WOD: More Long Cycle Fun

Warmup

stretching, joint mobility, deadlifts, swings

Workout

-3 min long cycle

-3 min long cylce

-3 min long cycle

-3 rounds of rack holds

-10 reps of long cycle

Results

Too tough...was really hoping this one would be a breeze. Regardless of my form, I definitely need a lot more endurance, which means I just need to keep at it.

The first round had reps of 6, 7, 8 per minute and the last 2 rounds were all 7 rep minutes. 7 reps is my goal right now, which would get me 70 reps when I finally work my way up to 10 minutes. I took ample rest between those sets, because I definitely needed it.

The rack holds are going to be key. The rack is where my muscle endurance breaks down.

WOD: Long Cycle Ladder

Warmup

stretching, joint mobility, 2 rounds: 10 jumping pullups, 10 situps, 10 pushups, 10 drop squats

Workout

-Long Cycle Ladder - 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 13, 11, 9, 7, 5

Results

I did ok on the way up, but was struggling on the way down. Definitely a good workout, but that 10 min long cycle is still far away.

My form was pretty inconsistent all the way through - sometimes good, sometimes bad. But practice makes perfect, so I'm sure those edeges will smooth over time!

Here is my second set of 9, on the way back down:

WOD: More With the Cleans

Warmup

stretching, joint mobility, deadlifts, lazy swings, 2 rounds: 10 jumping pullups, 10 situps, 10 pushups, 10 drop squats

Workout

With double 16's

- cleans: 1 min work, 1 min rest for 10 minutes

-5x10 swings (chest level)

-20 cleans

Results

Cleans got pretty tough. I think I did reps of 14, 12, 11, 10,10. I like this drill!

Swings were decent and the last 20 cleans felt good - tough toward the end but still good.

Here's another video (gotta wait for me to wait for the timer):

WOD: Cold Gone, Workouts Back

Warmup

stretching, joint mobility, 2 rounds: 10 jumping pullups, 10 situps, 10 pushups, 10 drop squats

Workout

With double 16's

-Jerk ladder - 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 13, 11, 9, 7, 5

-Finished with some rack/overhead holds to exhaustion

Results

Tough!! Actually, it was just the peak that was tough, reps 13-15-13. But I think my form was pretty solid all the way through. As always, plenty of room for improvement, but I'm happy with where I am.

My left arm was still a little "sore". It wasn't in pain, but I could feel that kinda weakness that borders on pain. That's an improvement over last week, so I'm not worried about it. I think I'll be moving on to the full long cycle this week.

Here is my second set of 9 heading back down the ladder.

WOD: Up the Ladder, Down the Ladder

Warmup

stretching, joint mobility, deadlifts, 2 rounds: 10 jumping pullups, 10 situps, 10 pushups, 10 drop squats

Workout

With double 16's

-Clean ladder - 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 15, 13, 11, 9, 7, 5

-Shrug ladder - 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 15, 13, 11, 9, 7, 5 (10s rest between rungs)

Results

Overall, the cleans felt good. I did struggle a bit going back down the ladder because my forearms and biceps were pretty swollen by then. But my form was decent and relatively consistent throughout the entire ladder, so I'm happy with that.

I decided to throw the shrugs in there at the last minute, for the heck of it. They don't take long, so why not. Maybe I'll try to do something similiar, with shrugs or something else, at the end of all of these workouts...helps to keep things a little fresh too. I hate stale, repetitive workouts.

WOD: Just Some Quick Jerks

Warmup

stretching, joint mobility, 10 jumping pullups, 10 situps, 10 pushups, 10 drop squats

Workout

With double 16's

-Jerk ladder: 5, 7, 9, 11, 9, 7, 5

-3 x 10 bumps

Results

The good news is that the jerk ladder was pretty easy. I wanted to go up to 15 but kinda tweaked my left shoulder during the set of 11...so I just came back down from there instead.

The bumps felt good. Again today, I didn't give myself much time to workout, so I only did 3 sets and no rack or overhead holds.

WOD: Hotel Room Workout (11/13)

Warmup

stretching, joint mobility

Workout

30s work / 30s rest, for 15 minutes

-drop squats

-pushups

-situps

Results

would have liked to have done a few more rounds, but I was short on time. It sure is nice, though, to just pack the gymboss timer and bust out a bodyweight workout in the room

WOD: And Back to the Cleans

Warmup

stretching, joint mobility, deadlifts, 3 rounds: 10 jumping pullups, 10 situps, 10 pushups, 10 drop squats

Workout

With the double 16's

-3 x 15 swings

-clean ladder - 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 13, 11, 9, 7, 5

Results

Swings really had me winded for some reason today and the form was kind of shaky too. Might start with lazy swings next time.

The cleans were decent. The form started breaking down in the higher reps, but I think that's too be expected right now. I might be coming up on my toes a little early though and will try to work on that next time. I also concentrated on my grip to try to avoid getting more blisters, which seemed to work well. I should probably chalk up though too.

This is the first time in a long time that I worked out in complete silence. For my other crossfit-like workouts, music is key. For these, silence was kinda nice. I was able to pay close attention to my breathing and my form in general and didn't really need any music for motivation.

WOD: Jerking It

Warmup

stretching, joint mobility, 2 rounds: 5 pullups, 10 situps, 5 dips, 5 drop squats

Workout

with the double 16's

-5 x 1 min rack hold (1 min rest between)

-5 x 7 overhead rack hold + lean forward

-5 x 10 kettlebell bumps

-5 x 5 jerks

Results

Rack holds were tough but I didn't fail on any of them...last set was close. I overhead lockouts felt pretty good...I could definitely feel my lower back stretching which is good. The bumps are getting better, but still not great.

I decided to go ahead and try some full jerks today...meh. They felt ok, but not very consistent. But the only way to get better is to practice, so I might throw some jerk ladders in there next time.

WOD: Just a Quick One

Workout

Clean ladder with double 16s - 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 11, 9, 7

Results

Didn't have much time at all today, so a quick ladder seemed appropriate.

Cleans felt pretty good, but I definitely have plenty of room for improvement. Would have gone all the way back down to 5, but the callus under my left pinky seems to be turning into a blood blister, so I decided to stop.

WOD: Jerk Day

Warmup

stretching, joint mobility

Workout

With double 16's

-5x45s rack holds (1 min rest between rounds)

-3x10 slow bumps

-5x10 bumps

-5x20 overhead lockout 1/4 squats

Results

I think I might try to bump the rack holds up to a minute. I might fail on the last couple of rounds, but I'm ok with that.

I think the slow bumps are helping with my timing. The bumps are coming along but still need some work with the timing.

I slowed the squats down a bit and tried to take less of break in between rounds, so my arms were struggling a little harder than before, and that's a good thing.

I still find this workout to be pretty boring, so I'm gonna need to start doing some full jerks to keep me motivated.

WOD: Concentrating on Cleans

Warmup

stretching, joint mobility

Workout

With double 16's

-2x10 deadlifts

-3x15 lazy swings

-4x15 swings

-5x5 cleans

Results

Well I was bit with the lazy bug last week, but I'm back now....hopefully for a while. I think it will help breaking up the cleans and jerks until I start doing the full lift. I think the previous workouts were just a little too long and boring to keep me motivated.

Deadlifts and lazy swings were decent. The swings could have been better. I really tried to focus on staying up on my toes until the bells pulled me back down and at times that left me off balance and out of synch. I'll keep working on them.

I wanted to give some cleans a shot to see if these drills are helping. The first 2 sets were pretty bad, but then I relaxed a bit and slowed things down. The last 3 sets were much smoother and felt good. I think I'll finish with a ladder of cleans next time.

WOD: Still Going

Warmup

stretching, joint mobility, deadlifts, 2 rounds: 5 pullups, 10 situps, 5 dips, 10 drop squats

Workout

With double 16's

-5x15 swings (chest level)

-5x45s rack holds (1 min rest between rounds)

-5x10 slow bumps

-5x20 overhead lockout 1/4 squats

Results

Decided to skip the deadlifts tonight and go straight into the swings. They definitely need some work, but I'm getting there. I also tried to concentrate on letting the bells pull me back down onto my heels.

Rack holds are still kinda tough during the last couple of rounds, so I'll stick with the 45 second intervals for a little longer. The slow bumps were a good idea. I think my timing is starting to come together....might stick with them for a little longer.

The overhead lockout holds/squats felt good. I think I'll progress to walking around with them next. And over all, I'm trying to work on breathing during all of these drills. If I can start breathing correctly now while working on the components, hopefully it will come naturally when I start doing the whole lift

WOD: More of the Same

Warmup

stretching, joint mobility, 3 rounds: 5 pullups, 10 situps, 5 dips, 10 drop squats

Workout

With double 16s

-2x10 deadlifts

-3x15 lazy swings

-4x10 swings (chest level)

-5x45s rack holds (1 min rest between rounds)

-5x10 bumps

-5x15 overhead lockout + 1/4 squat

Results

The deadlifts/swings are feeling good. I know I still have a ton of room for improvement, but they're coming along nicely. I thought the longer rack holds were going to be tougher than they were. I'll probably still stick at 45 seconds for the next week.

Unhappy with the bumps. I need a lot of work there. I'm going to start from scratch again with SLOW bumps to really try to find that timing. Happy with the lockouts. I think I'll move them up 20 reps as they were pretty easy even with minimal rest.

I have to admit, I don't like how long these workouts are. They're not very intense...they just take about an hour. That's a long time for someone who's used to warming up, working out, showering and sitting down to eat in that amount of time. Oh well, I'm sure I can stand to watch a little less tv at night

WOD: More Long Cycle Stuff

Warmup

stretching, joint mobility, squats, pushups

Workout

-4x10 double deadlifts (16kg)

-5x15 double lazy swings (16kg)

-rack holds, 30 seconds work, 1 min rest (16kg)

-5x10 kettlebell bumps (16kg)

-4x5 overhead lockout leans (16kg)

Results

I cut back on the deadlifts a little bit and focused more on the lazy swings. I think I can work on the timing better with swings

I'll probably increase the time on the rack holds next workout...maybe 45s. I think I'm starting to get the hang of the kettlebell bumps and might bump up the reps on those too.

I also wanted to get an idea of how flexible my lower back is right now, so I decided to add the leaning to the overhead lockouts....yeah, not real flexible. I think I'll just do quarter squats for now.

WOD: Long Cycle Training

Warmup

joint mobility, stretching, 2 rounds: 5 pullups, 10 situps, 5 dips, 10 drop squats

Workout

-5x10, double kb deadlifts (16kg). Focus: come up on toes, pull with shoulders

-5x10 double lazy swings (16kg). Focus: come up on toes, pull with shoulders

-5 rounds: rack holds (16kg) - 30 seconds work, 1 min rest. Focus: knees locked, relax arms

-5x10 kettlebell bumps (16kg). Focus: bend & lock knees quickly, then come up on toes

-5 rounds: overhead lockout - 30 seconds work, 1 min rest. Focus: knees locked, proper grip

Results

My body definitley needs some practice, but I think if I concentrate on these drills for the next few weeks, my timing will improve and I'll be able to move onto more advanced drills.

Long Cycle Training

I was planning to try the long cycle until exhaustion sometime this past week, because I wanted to get an idea of how far I am from surviving the 10 minutes. But I've decided instead to take a step back.

The long cycle is really more about being efficient than it is about being strong. It's about using your whole body to move the bells. It's about learning how to move your body around the bells. Simply put, there's a science behind it. So if I'm going to take the long cycle seriously, I need to learn and apply that science.

So I bought a 3-DVD series called The Science of Kettlebell Sport. Denis Kanygin takes you through each of the GS (Girevoy Sport) lifts and breaks them down into their core components. He teaches you each component, how the components come together and some training exercises to help learn/master them. He also teaches how to breathe properly throughout the lifts, which is a key aspect of being efficient.

Using this series, I am going to try to learn the long cylce from the ground up. It will probably take some time, but I might as well do it right if I'm going to do it at all. I'm not sure if my workouts will be dedicated exclusively to GS training, but if they are, I'll still be working my entire body along with my cardio...that's the nature of GS

WOD: Recovery Day

Warmup

stretching, joint mobility, deadlifts, swings

Workout

AMRAP in 20 minutes

-10 double swings (16kg)

-10 drop squats

-15 shrugs (16kg)

-15 mountain climbers

Results

I was 12 mountain climbers shy of 10 rounds (I finished them out). I didn't push myselft too hard (considering these are all pretty easy), so I think that was a pretty decent result

Arms and legs were still sore from yesterday's workout, so I wanted something that wasn't too intense but got the heart rate up...and this worked just fine. Oh, I also wanted to get some drop squats in there, since I failed so miserably on them in tabata this.

I almost like this one. I think I need to tweak with the weight or reps or something to get this one on the favorite list.