I'm still trudging through my PTTP work, but I'm missing the KBs. The cure for this itch has been some swings and snatches after my Deads, Side Presses, Curls, and Russian Powerlifting Triceps Blaster. Through gritted teeth I've added the bi and tri work, but it is done according to the PTTP protocol. I feel like a hypocrite adding "isolation" exercises to my program, but I'm just testing the waters to see if it will make my pepperoni pipes grow. Anyway, the KB work has just been used to keep sharp as opposed to being the focus of the session.
I originally wanted to do a couple of Bear Cycles after hitting a 315 DL (a few days away), but the changes in the RKC II requirements have me rethinking my plans. If I decide to attend the Level II, I have to get my ass ready to press a Bulldog. If I'm going to do that, I'll have to start training for it yesterday. Nothing like a challenge.
However, these changes may also force me to take the CK-FMS before the Level II. Most likely I'll only be able to attend one Cert. next year, and I believe the CK-FMS knowledge will better serve my victims and myself. Plus, how much info could one digest after attending both Certs. in the same year? I'm such an underachiever.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
You can't bullshit a bullshitter...
was one of my Dad's famous sayings. Most of his sayings were ridiculous. Some of them were regularly used in the wrong context, but that's not important either. At one point in my life, everything that my dad said made no sense. He was stupid.
Boy, was I wrong. I was the stupid little smart ass. He was the smart one, and most of what he said was 100% correct. It just took me about 25 years to figure that out.
My dad died two years ago when I was 32, so that gave me 7 years to truly appreciate the man my dad was. It also gave me the standard that I have to attempt to achieve over the remaining years of my life.
He was also one hell of a strong man. Every attempt that I make to improve my physical strength is a direct result of trying to be as strong as he was. I know that will damn near be impossible, but I can always try. The week before he died, I reminded him of the time he picked up and skillfully set a limestone tread on top of a set of steps he had built--he was a mason by profession. The thing was taller than he was and it weighed a lot. He did it perfectly. He had to, because he only had one shot at it. I remember being in traffic one day and watching two guys fumbling with a similar limestone tread when that memory came back to me. I was probably 7 when he did it. Anyway, when I reminded him of this, he minimized it. He thought of ways he could have done it using guides and supports because in his head it was impossible. He was such a humble man. However, I remember what I saw, and he used nothing but his strength.
My dad really would have gotten a huge kick out of my love of kettlebells. While he never quite understood why I wanted to run 70+ miles a week in college, he would have understood the usefulness of kettlebells. Humble, honest, and humbling, they would have made perfect sense to him. I actually had a dream of him pressing a KB one night. It was a bulldog and he pressed several times with no problem.
I can't tell you what I would give to actually see that.
Boy, was I wrong. I was the stupid little smart ass. He was the smart one, and most of what he said was 100% correct. It just took me about 25 years to figure that out.
My dad died two years ago when I was 32, so that gave me 7 years to truly appreciate the man my dad was. It also gave me the standard that I have to attempt to achieve over the remaining years of my life.
He was also one hell of a strong man. Every attempt that I make to improve my physical strength is a direct result of trying to be as strong as he was. I know that will damn near be impossible, but I can always try. The week before he died, I reminded him of the time he picked up and skillfully set a limestone tread on top of a set of steps he had built--he was a mason by profession. The thing was taller than he was and it weighed a lot. He did it perfectly. He had to, because he only had one shot at it. I remember being in traffic one day and watching two guys fumbling with a similar limestone tread when that memory came back to me. I was probably 7 when he did it. Anyway, when I reminded him of this, he minimized it. He thought of ways he could have done it using guides and supports because in his head it was impossible. He was such a humble man. However, I remember what I saw, and he used nothing but his strength.
My dad really would have gotten a huge kick out of my love of kettlebells. While he never quite understood why I wanted to run 70+ miles a week in college, he would have understood the usefulness of kettlebells. Humble, honest, and humbling, they would have made perfect sense to him. I actually had a dream of him pressing a KB one night. It was a bulldog and he pressed several times with no problem.
I can't tell you what I would give to actually see that.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Like the Swallows of Capistrano, Only More Painful.
Around this time last year, my family and I returned from vacation. It had been two weeks since I cut the lawn, so I went to work. When I was weedwacking the rock wall in front of my house, I was treated to 13 stings from yellowjackets that decided to take up residence in a chipmunk burrow. Under the cover of darkness, I attempted a retaliatory mission by unloading a can of hornet killer into the hole, but they returned a few days later. Professional killers were hired, and the problem was eliminated.
So yesterday I cut the lawn for the first time in about two weeks. When I got to the rock wall, I was greeted by the yellowjackets. They had returned! Only this time, I was treated to just two stings. When I felt the first one sting my palm, I figured out what was going on and ran away from the wall, minimizing the damage to just one more sting to the leg.
I finished the lawn and proceeded to do the only reasonable thing left to do--I terrorized the bastards with the backpack blower. It's great fun! Just go to full throttle, point the nozzle at the hole, and let the fun begin! They can't get to you with 200mph of air blowing in their miserable little faces. Fun and games aside, I'll attempt to kill them tonight.
As far as workouts are concerned, the deadlifting and side presses have been coming along just fine. I can definitely feel a sweet DL groove developing, and I've been able to develop much more tension than in the first cycle. I got an idea of how to build tension for the DL from a video of Brett Jones pulling 550+ pounds. In the video, he takes in a deep breath and you can see him seriously compress the air in his abdomen. It's different from the quick zipping up used during a clean before a hardstyle press, so figuring that out has helped tremendously. This stuff is so new to me that I feel great whenever I figure out a new trick here and there, and the strength gains are carrying over to the handful of presses I've been doing with the 32kg KB.
I have to say, though, that I need to incorporate some short, technique focused KB work into my program in addition to PTTP. The deeper I get into this program, the rustier I feel with the bells.
So yesterday I cut the lawn for the first time in about two weeks. When I got to the rock wall, I was greeted by the yellowjackets. They had returned! Only this time, I was treated to just two stings. When I felt the first one sting my palm, I figured out what was going on and ran away from the wall, minimizing the damage to just one more sting to the leg.
I finished the lawn and proceeded to do the only reasonable thing left to do--I terrorized the bastards with the backpack blower. It's great fun! Just go to full throttle, point the nozzle at the hole, and let the fun begin! They can't get to you with 200mph of air blowing in their miserable little faces. Fun and games aside, I'll attempt to kill them tonight.
As far as workouts are concerned, the deadlifting and side presses have been coming along just fine. I can definitely feel a sweet DL groove developing, and I've been able to develop much more tension than in the first cycle. I got an idea of how to build tension for the DL from a video of Brett Jones pulling 550+ pounds. In the video, he takes in a deep breath and you can see him seriously compress the air in his abdomen. It's different from the quick zipping up used during a clean before a hardstyle press, so figuring that out has helped tremendously. This stuff is so new to me that I feel great whenever I figure out a new trick here and there, and the strength gains are carrying over to the handful of presses I've been doing with the 32kg KB.
I have to say, though, that I need to incorporate some short, technique focused KB work into my program in addition to PTTP. The deeper I get into this program, the rustier I feel with the bells.
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