Thursday, July 24, 2008

Back to Work

I started up my PTTP routine again. Because my left trap was so damn tight, I took a few days off. It's about 80% right now, so I figured I could start deads again with a ridiculously light weight. This light weight, too embarrassing to put into print, allowed me to focus on building appropriate tension and groove the right technique. This kind of stuff really gets into my head. When I get a lift right, it's like lightning in a bottle for me. When I get it wrong, I have to be really careful that I don't let it sink me. The thought that it takes 100 good reps to undo 1 bad one keeps me up at night. Well, maybe I don't actually lose sleep over it, but it does drive me a little nuts.

So how do I feel about some of the other trainers in my area right now? They suck!

Seriously, folks lets take some of the emphasis off of yourselves and what you have done, and start focusing some of that energy on what you can do for your clients. And if you enjoy looking at yourself with your shirt off, don't waste your money on costly bare-chested newspaper ads when you can just look in the mirror.

Furthermore, if you are an RKC perpetuating the myth that kettlebells are just for "strongmen", you are an idiot. I'm not saying we all need to hold hands while we jump on the Goodship Michelle Khai, but you are doing the general population a huge disservice by scaring them away from kettlebells. Take a tip from Mike Stehle, Jim Milkowski, Dave Whitley, Jason C. Brown, Pam MacElree, and Brad Nelson--these really strong people train really strong people and help those who aren't strong get really strong.

I believe the most important thing I learned from the RKC and Pavel's work is that this knowledge can help both those that are super-strong and my 66 year old mother at the same time. That is a beautifully empowering notion, so let's not waste it.

3 comments:

Franklin said...

Nice blog, Joe, and you've got a good sense of humor there! As for being embarrassed about using a low weight .. ditch it. I would be VERY interested in how much weight you used coming back from a tweak. Small setbacks are part of the training regiment and learning how to deal with them is very important.

And you are certainly preaching to the choir about the how the benefits of KBs extend way beyond strongman training.

Joe Walker said...

Mr. Herman, it's an honor to know that you read my blog! I've enjoyed your comments on the DD Forum and hearing about your KB experience.

I'm new to deads, so I was pulling a measly 270 when I tweaked my neck while sleeping. That's where I finished my first PTTP cycle. I could have pulled more, but my form was shaky. I started back with 200lbs. It's so important to get that technique down and spending more time under the lighter weight won't hurt me. Like I said on a post on my other blog, I have the rest of my life to deadlift. I hope to be pulling 300 by the end of August.

Thanks for reading!

Franklin said...

Joe, thanks so much for replying to my
comment .. this is an extraordinary vehicle for sharing and exchanging ideas so its my pleasure! I also enjoy your contributions on the DD forum and have just borrowed your posting signature method of linking one's blog to their name.

We both have very similar dead-lift goals. I started back in March with a PR of 135lb (this was actually very tough for me) so I know what you mean about being new to deads. I hit 275 two weeks ago and just like yourself, 300 (a nice round number!) sounds reasonable by the end of August .. the RKC methods continue to awe and inspire me.

Deads are very demanding and you are very smart to drop back down to test the waters .. your tweak is only a minor blip in the road towards greater progress. Also a few days of "lost" training is actually a few days of allowing the muscles to rebuild and get stronger.