Snow Day

We're getting the first significant snowfall of the season here in North Jersey. When I was a kid there was nothing better than hearing the phone ring or the blare of the fire siren signaling that the day was yours. The excitement of flying down a hill on a sled or starting a wicked snowball fight with the older kids in your neighborhood (usually a guaranteed loss) was pretty hard to contain.

That fresh excitement of the snow day pretty much captured my feelings after becoming and RKC last April. I honestly felt like the world of physical endeavors was my oyster. I had some personal bests after the RKC, but some nagging injuries eventually crept up on me. I did what I thought I needed to do to work through them, but I never took the time to fully correct what was needed. The injuries returned, I put my training on hold, and I watched the RKC world pass me by. I was upset that I wasn't able to put up the numbers I thought I should be putting up compared to my contemporaries.

What a stupid fucking move.

The other thing about winter is that it's a period of dormancy. Without going through the cold of winter, seeds won't sprout and bulbs won't flower. Under that blanket of frozen snow, much needed and great things are happening. I guess that's how I feel about my current regimen of the Program Minimum. I started with the 16, and I'm currently using the 24. It's not as exciting as press ladders, monster swing sets, or Max VO2 snatch work, but it's what I need to do to get where I want to be. Now my goals are measured in months instead of weeks, and I really don't care about comparing my performance to the numbers of others. This period of "dormancy" will surely make me stronger.

Goals for 2009
Pullup with 24kg (very doable)
Press the 32kg for reps on L/R (doable)
Break the 200 snatch mark with the 24kg in 10 minutes (painfully doable?)

Happy Holidays to everyone reading! All the best to you and your families! I hope 2009 finds you healthy, strong, and happy.

In some sick way, I love the VO2max protocol!

I love it! That's all I'll say. I love the burn in my lungs and the pain in my forearms. I love the metallic taste in the back of my throat that I get when I'm finished. I especially love the great workout I get in minimal time. I love the looks I get from people walking by the studio.

Still fighting a bit of a chest cold, but here's what I did:
16kg VO2Max Snatches
36:36, 17 Reps X 20 Sets
340 Total Snatches
No blisters, No gloves
I will only improve on this in the next few weeks.

Quality Time

This weekend, I was able to spend some quality time with my family hiking over some of the great trails that are in my town. One of the best things about Ringwood is that there are lots of outdoor activities to choose from to occupy your time. I hope my kids grow up to enjoy where they live as much as my wife and I do.

Run of Rotten Luck

Training has been pretty messed up for me the past few weeks. I went from a great week to getting some kind of stomach bug that made me feel nauseated 24/7 for about 2 weeks. I got over that and was about to celebrate with a session of V02Max Snatches, but I had to end the workout at 10 sets because of a blister. I felt it happen during the 10th set, but I was lucky it didn't tear. So I guess my luck wasn't too rotten. It's my own damn fault, though, I should have shaved my callouses down last week, but I didn't. Hopefully the blister fluid will be absorbed by Thursday, so I can resume my V02Max work. I really like the protocol in a sick way.

Vo2Max Snatches
36/36
17 Rep Cadence
10 Sets
A Measly 170 reps.

Time to Rebuild

My left side has gotten dumber since I last did the ROP. I'm having trouble pressing the 24 for more than 3 rungs on my left side. My right side is solid, but I keep lifting my shoulder and opening my ribcage when I try to move to a fourth rung on my left side. This really sucks, considering that when I last touched the KBs I was making great progress. I'm going to drop down to the 16(!) for my press ladders in an attempt to re-pattern my pressing groove, as I think that the side-presses from my PTTP experiment funked up my nervous system. I'm sure I could get all soft and cheat the 24 up, but I've chosen to live the life of hardstyle. Nothing good ever came from cheating, you pansy. Plus, I'm scheduled to complete an FMS this Sunday, so it should be interesting to see what it turns out.

My conditioning has also taken a dive, so I decided to figure out my VO2 cadence. It turned out to be 28, so 15/15=7 reps and 36/36=17 reps. I can't wait to explore this protocol! Well, sort of.

That's all for now...I've just been really busy.

Exciting Times

A few months ago, I sent out a story proposal to a major local newspaper with the hope that they would feature us in their "Better Living" section. A little less than a month ago, I received a call from one of their reporters asking when we could meet to go over some KB stuff and discuss these "kettleballs" further. After a few weeks of worrying whether or not the interview/session went well, the article was in yesterday's paper.

http://www.northjersey.com/betterliving/recreation/27729849.html

I was quite happy with the article and honored to do my part in spreading the gospel of Hardstyle. KBs continue to change my life and help me change the lives of others. From a career standpoint, I can't think of anything that could make me happier. Boy, I can't wait to go to the next CK-FMS!

The article also elicited responses from three RKCs that I admire tremendously. Steve Freides, Doctor Cheng, and Mike Stehle had positive things to say. Basically, Steve is one of the main reasons why I picked up a KB, so his comments hold as much weight as a "Beast". When I sink into the lonely depths of the introspective journey that is Hardstyle, I'm reminded by Doc's blog that I'm not alone, so his kind words were greatly appreciated. I basically owe my decision to open my own studio to Mike and Jim at Jersey Shore Kettlebell. Mike's willingness to share his time and knowledge is something to experience. Those guys are a huge inspiration to my wife and me as we find our way as studio owners. Another great reason to be an RKC is to share the distinction of being associated with these fine people. It's just another reason to continually work to be the best RKC I can be.

Pavel even congratulated me. Talk about feeling great. By the way, did I ever tell you that I shook his hand one time?

Anyway, I got back to work with the KBs today. It looked something like this:

24kg C&P Supersetted with BW Pull-Ups

1-2-3 X 5

24kg Snatches

5(l-r) on the minute X 5

I rolled a 9, but I was cut short by a gentleman that came into the studio after seeing the article. While doing these, I felt like a newborn fawn taking its first steps, so it was pretty embarrassing to have a fellow KB enthusiast walk into the studio during these. Just give me a week, buster, and you'll see how we kick it Hardstyle!

Itching For The Bells

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.

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.

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.

Willie Randolph

I saw Willie Randolph at the bank today. I was getting cash from the ATM and I saw him as I was leaving. Everything about his body language screamed gentleman, and he was bigger in person than I expected. I have to say that he deserved better treatment than what he received from the Mets. I didn't always care for some of his decisions as a manager, but he never deserved to get axed like that. The team has really turned it around since the firing, though. I just hope that this trend continues into September.

Randy Pausch

I was sad to hear that Randy Pausch passed away today. He died of pancreatic cancer, the same type of cancer that took my dad's life nearly two years ago. Pancreatic cancer is a beast. It took less than 9 months from the first sign of symptoms for my father to lose over 100 pounds and become an empty shell of the man he was. I still get numb when I think of the devastatingly quick and vicious way it consumed my dad.

I read Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture on my way to the April 2008 RKC. It was given to me by my mother for my birthday, as my birthday fell on the Sunday the Cert. ended. It's a great little book that can be burned through in a matter of hours, and there is a lot of useful wisdom which is amplified by the fact that it is being told to you by a man that has months to live. It kind of gives you no excuses to bitch about stupid stuff and the direction to focus on the positive aspects of your life.

Thank you Dr. Pausch for reminding me that, "Brick walls are there for a reason. They let us prove how badly we want things." My prayers are with your family and all families suffering from the loss of a loved one.

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.