I 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)
It’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 as you can no doubt tell, I did kind of bail on Round 4 leaving with about 2 weeks left to the 3 month mark. However, the timing was problematic, with Christmas, new weights, new methodologies creeping in I thought it was finally time to move along. I am coming to the realization that this time around, P90X, the reason for starting this blog in the first place, may not actually have a place here. It’s a little sad, and since I am going to commit to having a cardio day during my workout days then a revisit to Kenpo or Plyo may be in the cards. However, the days of following Tony along through mind numbingly boring set after set of curls or pushups are gone. That and his unbearably inane commentary. So what next you ask? Well, as you can probably guess it will involve kettlebells, Olympic Lifts, WODs and a dab of cardio. Here is the plan for the first month, more to follow later as I get into the schedule for the RKC (Russian Kettlebell Challenge). I am also going to try and stay within a calendar time frame rather than a set 90 days, I would like to finish Round 5 around the start of April when my parents and sister come to town to see the baby. Once the weather is nicer, I will have more flexibility in what I can do using the deck outside as a workout platform, so things will change by necessity.
Happy New Year everyone, and I hope now we are 4 days in that your renewed commitment to health and, for some, beauty, is intact!
As you can probably see, the KB swings are alternated with something else, and as noted, you can swap that out for anything you want as long as you do the 12 minutes of work. I opted to do Jumping Jacks, Pull Ups, Dips, push ups and knees up running at which point the time ran out. That is a good thing because my next three sets were vomiting, passing out and coma.