Category: Kettlebell Workouts (RKC)

R5D30 – Rite Of Passage Begins (I am a man, at least in Russia!)

Day 1 of the Clean and Press with pull ups (45lb KB) – Light Day

C&P left 1
C&P right 1
Pull Up 5
C&P left 2
C&P right 2
Pull Up 5
C&P left 3
C&P right 3
Pull Up 5
Rest 1-2 min repeat another 2x for a total of 3 ladders.

Snatches – The dice roll came up 5 – do 5 minutes of KB snatches.

10 right 25lb
10 left 25lb
10 right 25lb
10 left 25lb
10 right 25lb
10 left 25lb
10 right 45lb
10 left 45lb

70lbkb

I was astonished at how hard the snatches were. Maybe it was due to the fact I did 5 pull ups every time I had to do pull ups and that I had to run downstairs to the basement to do them. Whatever it was, I found that doing snatches with a 45lb KB is just about the most dangerous and (objectively) stupid thing anyone could ever want to do. However, in order to satisfy my own curiosity I also decided that I would take a shot at what Pavel says is the indicator of a Russian boy’s transformation into manhood, the clean and press of a 70lb KB with each arm. I was pretty confident that I could do it, I have always had beefy shoulders but the balance and coordination is not a piece of cake. Also, when you have the 70lb KB above your head you suddenly become aware that you are just a muscle spasm away from a crushed skull.

Today, although Tuesday, was Monday’s workout. Tuesday, a day off, will have to wait until next week and so tomorrow, Wednesday, will be “medium” day which at this point is the same as light day (Monday) but with swings not snatches. So I am in good shape to catch up and get back on track despite missing Monday.

Good news is that my shin splints and back ache from NYC are gone. I don’t think I could have made it another day with that volume of walking regardless of how much delicious BBQ I crammed into my pie hole.

Clarity Of Planning – My Future With Russian Kettlebell Challenge

Old Plan:

Day 1 – Monday – P90X Plyo or Insanity Cardio Plyo
Day 2 – Tuesday – RKC 50 Swings
Day 3 – Wednesday – RKC TGU plus Clean, C&P, Snatch practice
Day 4 – Thursday – P90X Kenpo or Insanity Pure Cardio
Day5 – Friday – RKC 50
Day 6 – Saturday – Same as Wednesday
Day 7 – Sunday – Fountain Of Youth Yoga or Yoga X

New Plan for rest week:

Day 1 – Monday – P90X Plyo or Insanity Cardio Plyo – DONE
Day 2 – Tuesday – RKC 50 Swings – DONE
Day 3 – Wednesday – RKC TGU plus Clean, C&P, Snatch practice
Day 4 – Thursday – P90X Kenpo or Insanity Pure Cardio
Day5 – Friday – RKC Man Maker ROP Practice (Presses and Pullups)
Day 6 – Saturday – Same as Wednesday
Day 7 – Sunday – Fountain Of Youth Yoga or Yoga X

After rest week start the Rite Of Passage:

Monday — Light presses, pull ups
Tuesday — Variety Day – WOD
Wednesday — Medium presses, pull ups
Thursday — Variety Day – Bench Day
Friday — Off
Saturday — Heavy presses, pull ups
Sunday — Off

R5D28 – RKC Minimum Done! Here’s What’s Next In RKC

riteofpassageThis is officially my last day of RKC swings, I am about to step into the “Man Maker” also called the Rite Of Passage. This is a bit of a relief, since I am anxious to start doing more complex and challenging moves. Although I am still, even now, aware of my form when I do the swings and not at the point where they are 100% natural feeling. The next phase seems complicated and it meshes 2 things together. First is the ladder concept of doing increasing reps and the second is the notion of light days, heavy days and medium days. If you read ETK it goes over the process in detail and I would recommend both the ETK itself and also the excellent Art Of Strength workbook. I am at a true crossroads at the moment, I am in a kind of rest week, but the RKC demands I move on. Not only that, I will be working out on the road in the very near future which will be an added challenge. In any case, it’s time, so it’s time.

So I move on, Comrade, still sticking with 4 days a week and adding pull ups as part of the RKC instead of having to work it into the Crossfit days. When the schedule mentions “pulls” I am going to use pull ups as the exercise of choice.  The Heavy Light Medium thing goes like this:

Monday — Heavy presses, pulls
Tuesday — Off
Wednesday — Light presses, pulls
Thursday — Variety
Friday — Medium presses, pulls
Saturday — Variety
Sunday — Off

With 2 days off out of 7 it is a demanding schedule if you are going to add either P90X, Insanity or Crossfit workouts into the “Variety” section where you are able to do whatever you choose. So, what about the ladder? Well, it is pretty simple actually, and it looks like this:

3 Rung Ladder:

1 rep each arm
1 pullup
2 reps each arm
2 pullups
3 reps each arm
3 pullups

Depending on how many ladders you are doing it comes out to a total of 6 reps per arm x number of ladders. 3 ladders = 18 reps per arm.

5 Rung Ladder (the highest ladder)

1 rep each arm
1 pullup
2 reps each arm
2 pullups
3 reps each arm
3 pullups
4 reps each arm
4 pullups
5 reps each arm
5 pullups

Again, it’s a total of 15 reps x number of ladders.

So, quickly, back to the Heavy Medium and Light. Pavel says that the Heavy day you do all 5 rungs, medium days you do 4 and light days 3. So once you are through the first 2 weeks and up to 5 rungs, you should then adhere to the schedule.

But wait, there is more… you didn’t think you were going to get away from swings did you? The final component of the ROP is to complete swings every day. The number is up to a roll of the dice.Literally. You roll a dice to tell you how many minutes of swings to do, anywhere from 2 to 12! Also, the program calls for both two handed and one handed swings, so you may want to start practicing your one arm swing now…

R5D25-6 RKC, Breakfast Of Champions, Partial Rest Week.

eat_more_fishFriday I was still recovering from the swings and so I decided to bust out a lighter KB and do some TGU. I did 5 a side with the 25lb KB and then, since I was feeling adventurous, I did another 3 a side with the 45. I remembered I had weaseled out of the cleans and C&P the day before so again I set my sights on doing something extra. I did 5 Clean, 5 Clean and Press and 5 snatches with each arm with both the 25lb and 45lb KB. The snatch with the 45 was, if I am honest, borderline dangerous but I think with the 25 I am getting the hang of it.

Saturday I ended up doing around 30 minutes on the treadmill in the morning to try and stop my back from aching which worked out fine. I was supposed to do deadlifts and so I set up the 25, 45 and 70lb behemoth and decided I would do 3 tabata sequences (12 minutes total) deadlifting each KB with a high pull (or upright row) after each DL. The 25 was easy, although seemed longer than 8 sets. The 45 was a challenge and since I was still doing a high pull with each one, it was very taxing and my shoulders were on fire. The 70 just sat there like a fat pug smiling at me struggling with the 45 but out of sheer determination I gave it a shot anyway, it was only 70lbs, right? The High pull didn’t last long, I think I made it through one of the 8 sets. By the time the last set came around I was wheezing like an asthmatic goat and begging for someone to kill Tabata, whoever he is.

Sunday we went out to breakfast with an old friend from work with whom we had worked a few years ago to get her weight down. She brought her charming fiancé and while we caught up on old news the conversation inevitably turned to weight loss. Now I am not a preacher by any means but if someone is asking for advice I am happy to help. I tried in vain to explain my Paleo findings from the last 6 months to them but in the end it all started sounding a little too Conspiracy Theory. I often say that I wouldn’t necessarily recommend that people do what I do but I do encourage people to follow a similar path and to do their own research. The conversation was an eye opener for them, and I think a good opportunity for me to sort out in my own head where I am with my diet and exercise. Maintaining this blog has been a way for me to monitor my progress, attempt to safeguard me from being too extreme and to keep up with recent discoveries in the world of fitness and nutrition but also it gives me the opportunity to help other people to start discovering their own potential. By potential, I don’t mean physical potential, I am talking about the potential to take control of their lives by erasing everything they know and starting over from a new place.

Starting over is never easy, in fact, making small adjustments is never easy and with that in mind I am going to shake up my life a little by entering into a 7 day rest week. I am going to maintain my RKC swings and other lifts but I think a sprinkling of P90X and Insanity may do me the world of good as a break. I am already on a fish kick to restart my weight loss, since I discovered the real reason for my plateau this weekend during our breakfast. “I’m happy where I am” I admitted. I am comfortable with my weight and my abilities at this point, but I think I may be even happier further down the road. So I am revamping things a little in order to get the engine started again.

So here goes:

Day 1 – Monday – P90X  Plyo or Insanity Cardio Plyo
Day 2 – Tuesday – RKC 50 Swings
Day 3 – Wednesday – RKC TGU plus Clean, C&P, Snatch practice
Day 4 – Thursday – P90X Kenpo or Insanity Pure Cardio
Day5 – Friday – RKC 50
Day 6 – Saturday – Same as Wednesday
Day 7 – Sunday – Fountain Of Youth Yoga or Yoga X

Plus… More fish! (But not less bacon…shhhh!)

R5D24 – 50 Swings, 25 Cleans, 25 Clean And Press (or not)

RKCEagleThat about covers it. The swings that are supposed to last 12 minutes are overflowing into 15 or more. I keep wanting to keep the number of sets up, I did 3 sets of 40 swings last time and wanted to aim for 3 sets of 50 this time. It’s not the total that is the problem here, it is the fact that my heart is trying to escape from my chest once I am done. Next week (maybe after a P90X/Insanity rest week) it’s the ladder. I know nothing about it, but I have a feeling I am not going to enjoy it!

So I was wiped out by the swings, only remembering after that I was supposed to practice my cleans and so on. I figured I would do thet next workout before the TGU since it warms up my shoulders nicely. The 50 swings were a surprise. I was fine up to 30, by 40 I was getting tired but suddenly after 40 my legs started to get wobbly and I had a burning through my whole quads. It was the same for all 3 sets and my heart rate was really high by the time I finished all 3 sets. It was a great accomplishment getting them done but I am not looking forward to doing that again. I was surprised at the work my legs were doing and how my back did not seem to get any more work than usual. Once you are doing 50 swings it gives you a lot of time to scrutinize your form too so I was constantly reminding myself to snap the hips, pull the shoulder, tame the arc!

It’s not exactly a long workout so I don’t really have much else to say about it other than I have really enjoyed getting to this point and I can’t wait to start the next phase of the RKC!

R5D22 – TGU And Revisiting My Plan

So I had originally outlined Round 5 as the following 8 day rotation:

Day 1 – RKC Minimum Swings (The RKC Minimum is 4 weeks, then transition into Rite Of Passage)
Day 2 – RKC TGU and WOD
Day 3 – Bench and dips (Chest, shoulder, tri)
Day 4 – Cardio or stretch or Yoga

Day 5 – RKC Minimum Swings
Day 6 – RKC TGU and WOD
Day 7 – Deadlifts and Squat (Legs and Back)
Day 8 – Cardio or stretch or Yoga

Somewhere along the line I declined to do the cardio and set about making 2 x 3 day rotations looking like this:

Day 1 – RKC Minimum Swings (The RKC Minimum is 4 weeks, then transition into Rite Of Passage)
Day 2 – RKC TGU and WOD
Day 3 – Bench and dips (Chest, shoulder, tri)

Day 4 – RKC Minimum Swings
Day 5 – RKC TGU and WOD
Day 6 – Deadlifts and Squat (Legs and Back)

I am, however, not convinced that skipping cardio all together is the greatest idea. You see, I am sore much of the time which is not really a problem per se, however, I find that I am skipping days when I am not up to the grind where I could definitely do a cardio workout instead. So since I have been at this Round 5 lark for coming up to a month now I think maybe I will inject a little cardio back into my weeks and see how I feel.

R5D21 – New Bells, New Day, Clean Deck, More Snow

70lbkbOn the way back from Costco today we stopped in at FitnessSource to purchase some new Kettlebells. I needed a slightly lighter one to get my snatch ready, I needed a heavier one to progress to and I wanted to get Nicole one to get her started. We ended up getting a 15lb, a 25lb and a 70lb. The 15 is a cute blue, the 25 the same vinyl dipped black as the 45 I already have and the 70 is pure metal, no frills, just heavy as hell. Apparently 70lbs in the weight that the Russians use as the Rite Of Passage to becoming a man. Once you can snatch a 70lb KB, I guess you can graduate to drinking vodka and growing your own potatoes.

While Nicole went to the gym, I busied myself clearing almost 2 feet of snow off the upper deck. It was just out there, silently bothering me and since the sun was out and we were obviously done with the snow, I decided to clear it off. An hour later, I could BBQ if I wanted to! By the time Nicole got back she told me it was snowing and I should go out and shovel the driveway. WTH?? So as the evening closed in on my decision not to work out, I went out and shoveled the driveway which took about 15 minutes after which I thought since I was already warmed up I may as well do the RKC for the day. So using the 45 I did 3 sets of 40 swings followed by 5 cleans 5 clean and press and 5 snatches per arm. I did the snatches with the 25 since I am not really comfortable with how to get the thing back down once it is overhead. The 70 is still in the hallway where I dropped it once we got back home from the store, silently bothering me…

I want to encourage Nicole to get started with KB work. Her present routine has her doing some KB swings without any formal training or support and zero direction which I find reckless on behalf of her trainers. It’s just as bad as asking someone to go and do deadlifts or squats without training them on proper form first. I am happy it is in the regimen, just disappointed that it has been given no respect. So I will try to encourage her to do part of the RKC, starting with swings and moving up to the other complex moves. I am so taken with the RKC that I think it is the greatest training method I have discovered since I stumbled on P90X for the first time. I know I have knocked it in the past, but for what they are, P90X and Insanity are the greatest tools for anyone, athlete or not, to revitalize your workout, attitude and body! RKC is the same, it opens your eyes to the possibility that there are things out there that can really help to improve your physique and at my age, I am looking for every little bit of help I can get!

Speaking of help, I am inching towards 240 at a rate that is embarrassing. I need to do something about that.

R5 D14-16 RKC End OF Week 3 and Bench Day (White Rabbits!)

White RabbitsI have started to add some cleans, clean and press and (this week) some snatches to my warmup on my TGU days. I am not kidding, it is hard!

The swings are now up to 40 per set, not only that, but I don’t think I am getting any better at TGU than I was. Maybe I should be trying with 35 or 25lb instead of my 45lb KB. Doing the cleans and CAP is interesting, I actually really like it, and I can’t wait until the spring when I can get out on the deck and do them outside. It seems like a perfect outdoor exercise!

Last night was bench day and I managed the following:

15×4 @135 (2 sets of close grip)
12×4@185 (2 sets of close grip)
7×4@225
3×4@275

This is not a comprehensive chest workout and I think I may have to start working in some incline bench into the warmup, not only to make sure I get the whole muscle but also so I don’t have to unload the bar after I do my 275’s!

I am getting a hankering for some cardio. I will probably end up doing an Insanity workout this week just to see where my cardio is in comparison to Rounds 3 and 4. I am also getting nervous about hitting my 240 mark for my birthday since it is now February and I have 19 days left. Since going Paleo I have found that my body has discovered a comfortable place right around 250. It’s weird how your body seems to settle at certain points. I am sure that if I push through this plateau that I will settle again at a lower weight, I just hope I can get through this sticking point without burning too much lean mass or allowing my strength to dip. I have always wanted to settle around 240 ever since I put on the muscle I worked so hard for after I left University, I think at that weight I would be relatively healthy, probably around 12-15% bodyfat and certainly looking acceptable. I guess in about 19 days we will find out!

Today I was 251.

(White Rabbits)

R5D12 – Modified WOD and TGU Plus Why Do HIIT (and not cardio)

gymnastsWhat burns calories best? Should I run 3 hours a day to burn fat? Why are you making us work so hard? All valid questions from my little proteges at gymnastics. Being as it is that I am their Strength and Conditioning coach, they often come to me looking for (simple) answers. Running 3 hours a day vs working out 30 minutes a day? Sounds like the stuff I tell my wife about wasting her time on the treadmill. Once again, the interwebs come to the rescue.alicias

HIIT kicks cardio’s butt.

The study to show HIIT (painful, hard workouts) beats lower intensity longer cardio sessions (A bit, well, dry)

Yet more information about why not to eat grains including rice!

In honour of the benefits of HIIT, I literally drove myself into the ground yesterday.

Using a 90lb barbell and a 18″ box (due to height restrictions in my basement):

10 Box Jumps
1 Sumo Deadlift High Pull
9 Box Jumps
2 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls
8 Box Jumps
3 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls
7 Box Jumps
4 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls
..and so on until…
1  Box Jump
10 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls

I collapsed and I think I set a new HR record of 166 bpm which for me is pretty good. I usually peak at 160 and I really felt those extra 6! I don’t really know why I was so tired after, however, I also did my RKC 5 TGU per side so that may explain it.

I shouldn’t complain, my competitive girls work harder than I do… I make sure of that!

R5D11 – Swingcreasing The Volume

kbloveIt’s the end of week 2 of the Russian Kettlebell Challenge and although I am fighting against the dismissive and mocking tone of the “Minimum” label assigned to the first couple of weeks, I am enjoying the workout. Today I added an extra 10 swings which means that instead of doing 20 swings then active rest, we are now challenged to do 30 swings plus the active rest. This is a short phase, I think I saw that we are up to 40 swings in week 3! Also it should be noted that the next phase of the workout, following “minimum” is not “regular” or “intermediate” but rather “Rite Of Passage”. Sounds ominous! Also to be noted, some have referred to the current phase as “Man Maker” which I completely agree with especially since now we are directed to start warming up, for practice, with cleans and snatches. Yeah, pre-warmup I am going to do snatches with a 45lb kettlebell. You Russians are crazy!

So the program is pretty standard for a total of 4 weeks and then moves into the Rite Of Passage phase. I am end of week 2 now and it seems to be dragging somewhat but given the fact that I am doing other programs in conjunction, I am not going to get down on myself.

I managed 5 rounds of the 30 swings with active rest when compared to 6 rounds of 20 swings gives me a total volume increase of 30 reps. I have been working hard on my form and so was pleasantly surprised to find that my back, while worked, was not sore.

By the way, I don’t want to harp on this but rest shouldn’t be called rest unless you are resting. Active rest isn’t rest, it’s action.

Next is Turkish Get Ups, 5 per side after a warmup and 5 a side of cleans and snatches. I have to admit, I am smitten with the kettlebell.