The New RKC Snatch Test - It's Not Easy! And a weightloss update.

Well, for some it may be easy - Gabi, Peggy, Laura, Amy - just some names that come to mind. Then again, considering the snatch training I've been doing, I thought the test would be much easier than it was. It is no cake-walk!

100 16kg snatches in 4:30. With a rest after 60 reps.

So there you have it. Lots of progress can and should be made here. Is 16kg MVO2 sufficient? Perhaps not - this may require re-testing at least once per week, perhaps on deadlift days (as yesterday was.) (Actually it was also a KBLA day, so I might have just been overworked a little? Maybe.)

Speaking of deadlifting, yesterday was 185# for 1,2,3,1,2,3. I'll cycle back down to maybe 155# for 2 sets of 5, and work up to 190 or 195, then cycle down again...

Weightloss continues, feeling good. Still have more to go, but it's going very nicely. And I'm really never deprived. For example, I still eat pancakes, bacon, danishes (one almost every day)... wine, lots of cottage cheese, bananas, raw cashews and brasil nuts, macadamias, prosciutto, oh - gelato!! My saving grace is the Ultimate Meal. I can have pancakes with butter and syrup, bacon (6 strips is common)... danishes.... and feel satisfied for the rest of the day. Train in the evening, and have a little whey protein and an Ultimate Meal shake, and I'm good. Maybe a glass of wine. It's working. It's awesome.

28kg TGUs felt heavy last night. Again, this was after lots of heavy deadlifts, KBLA class, snatch test... and the pancake breakfast - haha. So, it might have just been an "off" day for those. Training presses has been focused on 16kg BUP lately. I've lost some strength here, but expect to regain it. The weather has been AWESOME lately, and I intend to take greater advantage of that. :)

I will be assisting at the San Diego RKC, and am VERY excited about that!!! And I'll finally get to meet Sr. RKC David Whitley, as well. It should be an awesome time. Three months to go. :)

Another update on 2009 Goals

*Press the 28kg*
still not close. Did push press it the other day, and very nearly push-pressed the 32.... presses have been weak lately - I've been neglecting them.

*BU press the 20kg*
Achieved April 9, but this is not consistent - I miss it a lot (most?) of the time.

*BU TGU the 16kg on the left*
achieved in February

*BU TGU the 20kg on the right*
came incredibly close a while ago. Need to try it again!! Before the week is over.

*Pass my snatch test with the 24kg*
Well, the snatch test rules have changed again... I don't think I'll be doing 100 in 5 minutes this year. ;) What should this goal evolve to... maybe 100 with the 20? Suggestions welcome. :)

*Pistol the 28kg*
Haven't been training this at all. Okay seriously, have to find more time for presses and pistols!

*80 sets of 16kg MVO2, 6 reps*
achieved in March

*80 sets of 16kg MVO2, 7 reps*
Training has been going well - last session was 46 sets. This week hope to get to 56 sets.

*FMS arm-leg raise*
Still haven't tried at all. :/

*Turkish... I know I have the 40 in me. Why not train for that this year? Lots of 28kg TGUs to get there.*
I did a 36kg TGU on Sunday. I was pretty surprised with it, actually, and it felt AWESOME. First time having this heavy of a weight overhead. Pushing from kneeling to standing was pretty difficult, but successful! Strong all the way through, really, until my shoulder blades touched the ground again and I lost the bell. I'll keep working on these, I love heavy getups!

*2xBW Deadlift*
BW currently is around 143? And I've got 10-15 pounds to lose still. The DL training is good, though. This week is 1,2,3,1,2,3 with 170# (re-do from last week - pulls were slow, felt heavy) and 175#.

Kettlebell demonstration on The Biggest Loser

This is what NOT to do, guys.
Please, please do not let any of your friends take kettlebell training tips from Jillian Michaels. (Or any other non-RKC for that matter!)
Please do not use a tiny blue 10lb(?) kettlebell and expect to get any results. Please view this video as a great example of what to avoid!
If you have a trainer who advocates these ridiculous front raises - run away, and quickly!!



If you would like to learn the correct, safe, and effective way to incorporate kettlebells into your fitness routine, send me an
email. Or, simply attend one of our group kettlebell classes, for all levels, at Clover Park in Santa Monica, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7pm.
Follow the link to KBLA on the right for more information and a map, if desired.
And if you bring one of those tiny bells with you... well, we'll help you find a more suitable use for it. ;)

Progress is addicting.

Still making progress on those 2009 goals.

My last 16kg MV02 session went to 40 sets of 7.
(Grip was a bit of a challenge - something wonky with my form, or is that just part of it?)

Last night I bottoms-up pressed the 20kg for the first time.
(and got it every try thereafter, for a total of 4.)

I'm adding a deadlift goal of 2xBW... my training is currently in two sets of 1, 2, 3 reps, and my last session was 150lbs. Curiosity got the best of me a few nights ago, and I achieved a strong single pull of 205lbs. I'll continue adding 5lbs per session until 185, then will start a new cycle, per Pavel's instruction.

I've lost about 5 pounds, (maybe a little more?), it's hard to say. But the muffin top I was sporting in my skinny jeans has vanished! 15 more to go.

Coming up - the 20kg BU TGU, and the 28kg pistol.

An MVO2 session I actually enjoyed

(Because usually, they're HardStyle agony!)

Okay, so I'm still below 40 sets... But, making improvement. Really, the session felt TERRIFIC, and I'm actually looking FORWARD to the next one! *gasp*

16kg MVO2
:15/:15
7 reps
34 sets

Ultimate Meal, from tolerable to YUM!

For those of you who have been waiting, waiting, to start actually *craving* your daily Ultimate Meal shake... well, I finally crave mine. And here's why. Yes, the canister does specify to use whole fruits rather than juice of any kind. However. Adding just a COUPLE ounces of fresh OJ (I prefer Trader Joe's non-pasteurized), along with just a few frozen berries, (and still with the ice, water, and half an organic Fuji)... it makes ALL the difference!! Delicious!! It's actually amazing. You must try it. :)

Update on 2009 Goals

Here's where we are:

Press the 28kg
still not even close. But I WILL get it.

BU press the 20kg
a bit closer, but still needs lots of work.

BU TGU the 16kg on the left
achieved in February

BU TGU the 20kg on the right
came incredibly close. I'll have this by May.

Pass my snatch test with the 24kg
I'll drop a few pounds before trying, which will be by June.

Pistol the 28kg
came VERY close last night! Darn!

80 sets of 16kg MVO2, 6 reps
achieved in March

80 sets of 16kg MVO2, 7 reps
starting Wednesday, hoping for 40 sets

FMS arm-leg raise
haven't tried at all. :/

Turkish... I know I have the 40 in me. Why not train for that this year? Lots of 28kg TGUs to get there.
Have been working on these fairly diligently, and they feel good. Will do 32kg get-ups before/after class on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Short session 3/18/09

24kg MP: 1L/1R
28kg TGU: 1L/1R
16kg pistol: 1L/1R

4 rounds

16kg swing: 50, 50...wish I had done a few more of these sets of 50. Tonight I'll make up for it.

16kg :15/:15 MVO2 6 reps: 80 sets

Part one of my 2009 MVO2 goal has been met!

I hadn't been training MVO2 very much at all lately, but I decided I wanted to get it done, no matter how difficult it was. And it WAS difficult. :)

Thankfully, I had the good sense to recruit a friend to endure the 80 sets with me. (She did 5 12kg swings every set.) I CANNOT overemphasize the difference it makes to have someone there with you to get through a grueling endurance set. I'll be writing a blog post about 'training buddies' in more detail in the coming days - it's completely worthy.

How it went:

The weather was perfect. Zero hand protection, and left with just one moderate un-broken blister, which really started to threaten around set 70. By that time, of course, I didn't care if I lost half my palm - I was going to get to 80!

(Unfortunately, I did rip it open while demonstrating a clean the following evening during class. D'oh!)

Dizziness set in around set 20, and did not abate. I had to not let the palm trees make me dizzier, and I tried to not walk in circles during the all-too-fast 15 seconds rest. Focused on long, deep breaths.

Form felt great all the way through. Lungs/dizziness were by far the biggest challenge.

The end: 5 minutes of jogging/walking, followed by maybe 3 minutes of cobra, followed by about 10 minutes of supine immobility, followed by 2 celebratory pints of stout. (I couldn't help myself.) :)

Once the blister is healed, I'll move on to the 7 rep MVO2 training. Until then... deadlifts, get-ups, swings, pistols and presses.

VIDEO: A VERY Rare Look Inside an RKC Certification!

Featuring: Pavel Tsatsouline, RKC Team Leader Dr. Mark Cheng, Master RKC Mark Reifkind, RKC Andrea U-Shi Chang, Senior RKC Doug Nepodal, and many other members of the respected RKC leadership.



HardStyle!

It's Really NOT About the Kettlebell

We all get into our training routines... and even with something as mentally stimulating/challenging as kettlebell training, we can easily lose focus, and end up thinking about finishing the next set, or our stance, or our grip, or our contraction, or our breathing, or our hands, or our heels....

Which is fine.

But where we go wrong is letting our focus go toward the movement of the bell, rather than the movement of our bodies. I'd venture to say that even the highest-ranking RKCs fall into this pattern every once in a while. The key is to recognize it and re-establish the proper focus.

Kettlebell training has an INTERNAL focus. Its purpose is not just moving weight around, but moving your BODY around, with load added to strengthen those movements, and your body as a whole. If the whole point of training is to benefit our body, why do we keep thinking so much about the kettlebell? When you think about snatching, do you think about the pattern of movement that involves, or do you think about a kettlebell moving from the ground (or backswing) to above your head?

I was enjoying a small mid-day session of heavy snatches today when I realized I was thinking more about the bell than about my body. Move the bell, move the bell, 3 more, 2 more... swing switch, etc. As soon as I FORGOT about moving the bell, and thought only about the movement itself, and exactly what it should look and feel like... I found the bell was shooting up almost effortlessly.

Yet another great moment in the continuing education that is the RKC!

3/3/09

Managed to squeeze in a little bit of work before class tonight:
24kg snatch: 5L/5R for 5 sets
12kg BU TGU: 2L
16kg BU TGU: 2R

The BU getups are strong. I'll hit my 2009 BU TGU goals with time to spare, for sure. :)

Back to Blogging

Finally! My training has almost been as sporadic and inconsistent as my blog updates. ;) Almost. The training plan has been renewed and refocused, and so too has the plan to get back to regular blogging.

I have been sick with a really lovely cold the past several days, but today felt like easing back into training, with something short and non-strenuous. My pseudo-sick-day training consisted of:

20kg MP: 3L/3R
20kg goblet squat: 10

6 rounds.

Just right. Going to bed early, and hope to be close to 100% tomorrow.
Getting to work on those 2009 goals! (Do you have YOURS yet? If not, do it!)