Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Long Cycle Clean & Jerk

Quick workout and practice this evening:

Long Cycle Clean and Jerk: 24K 10 min. - 13 sets of 5/5 (130 reps).

It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be; first time doing the 10 min time. Form was going during the last few min. I kept forgetting to lower the kettlebell from the lockout.

Pull up 1 x 5 bw, 3x5 16k, 2x10bw + evil wheel (5)

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Monday and Tuesday's practice

Neglect:
I neglected to post this information. I neglected to follow my actual plan.

The good news, I still did stuff. I practiced the fun stuff.

Monday:
Ride: 20
Pull up: 10x10

Tuesday:
Ride: 20
Pull up: 5x10

The Pre-Turkey Workout

The pre-turkey workout is what I would like to think of as a preemptive strike against the garbage I may or may not consume later today. The goal, simply elevate the metabolism. Stoke the coals.

I did KJ's VO2 max protocol with the 36/36 times as prescribed. This is an entirely different animal than the 15/15. The latter enables you to breeze through reps at a blazing speed. Not a problem until the last couple sets. On the other hand, the 36/36 seems to use the energy system a little differently; after all, each set is 16 seconds longer. I found that at around 11 reps I began to slow. How did I counter the tempo change? READ THIS: Focus on hip snap. Hip snap is the most crucial part of the exercise. When your grip, forearms, shoulders and abs are smoked, using or relying on hip snap is the only way to survive!

Practice:
Swing: 24: 1x100 -- why did I do this? Because I can.
Windmill: 16K: 1/1x5 -- need to do this daily and increase volume. Need core/torso endurance.
Snatch protocol: 16: time: 36/36 15 reps x 10l/10r (300 reps)

I will finish the day with some GTG pull up stuff and other grip work.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Keep it simple

I am keeping it simple. Simple is not the same as easy. Simple has many benefits, I think the most important is the ability do high intensity without risking injury caused by poor form. All of these exercises are form intensive (minus pull ups) and shouldn't be done without proper instruction.

Workout:
Swings: 24K: 1x100
Long Cycle Clean and Jerk 24K(1): 5 min x 2 (100 reps)
Pull Up: 16K - 5x5
Evil Wheel: 5x5 (1 standing)

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

100 Pull Ups

Arnold said he did 100 pull ups every day before he left the gym. He did this regardless which body part he was working on that particular day. I haven't done this in a while but today was the day. 100 Pull ups! I completed the first 50 at PT this morning 5x10. I did the remaining 5 sets of 10 GTG style.

Practice:
Pull up 5x10
Hanging leg raises 5x5

GTG pull up: 5x10

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

A pull up day

Today ended up being a pull up / evil wheel day.


Practice:
Pull up: 36lb 5x5 + evil wheel 5x5


I think I could do 6s on the pull ups but I didn't want to push that on the first day of 5s. Remember it is far better to leave a couple reps in the tank rather than go to failure. Going to failure trains your CNS (central nervous system) what failure is in addition, it leads to over training. Leaving gas in the tank keeps the CNS and your muscles on the fresh side and ready to train again tomorrow!

It really does work.

Kettlebell Workshop Dec 15

I will be available for a kettlebell workshop on December 15, 2007.

Many of you have been inquiring about my schedule for classes etc.
Truth be told, I had to put that on hold as other endeavors (read: school and studying for school) have devoured ALL of my time.

The good news is this will be one week after I spend a weekend training with Pavel Tsatsouline (the Evil Russian) in Los Angeles, CA. What that means to you is that I will have some refresher training and an updated skill set to assist your training.

You will learn:
Kettlebell training: swings, snatches, cleans, presses, windmill, turkish get up, front squat
Body weight training: squat, push up, pistol etc.
Joint mobility: I will take you through a full body JM training session.

The length of the training workshop will be about 4 hours.

Cost: $75 per person if you register by November 25, 2007.
November 26 - December 7, 2007 - $100.
December 7 - 14 December 2007 - $150.

If you are interested in training, please contact me.

Monday, November 12, 2007

Are you fat? America is!

I received Dave Whitley's newsletter this morning. I have to pass on some of the information to you. He writes, "Between Halloween and New Year's Day the average American will gain eight pound of fat. That means that most people have already put on nearly 2 lbs in the past couple of weeks, and the serious stuff doesn't even start until the week of Thanksgiving!"

This is par for the course...at least with me. You have control of your destiny for the next few months. Practice the push away plan. While this is not a push up protocol, I guess you could do them instead of eating. The push away plan is simply pushing away food that you don't need. It is especially important during the next few months.

Do you get the munchies? Is it this bad?

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Tappohannock 200K

The ride began in Ashland, VA on a frigid, wet November morning. The starting temp was 40F and the rain had just stopped leaving the streets and atmosphere wet.

I was terribly miserable during the first 10 miles. I thought that if I didn’t warm up by mile ten, I would turn around and be done with the day and a 20 mile training ride. With my “luck” at mile 9, we encountered the first long hill of significant grade. After a few minutes of peddling, all hints of cold disappeared. Funny, the sun decided to poke out from the clouds for about 10 or 15 minutes at the same time. I considered ditching a layer but I was too busy spinning a small gear up the grade.

We cruised into the first control in good time. When I dismounted by bike and looked around, I didn’t see Ron anywhere. I checked in, used the head and began to freeze. I stuck around waiting for a while then decided to head down the road. Not a clue where he was until I saw his yellow jacket in the ditch repairing a flat. I waited for him (he was after all my ride back to VB). Overall, we lost about 35 min. with this incident. I told him don’t worry, we will catch the riders in front of us by the next control and we did.

At mile 75, in Tappohannock, the control was at Java Joe's, nice little café and coffee shop. For some dumb reason, we decided to sit and have a sandwich. All I really needed was a latte. We spent an hour at this stop, pretty ridiculous. I thought, it is in the spirit of randonneuring. See the countryside and take in the local fair! I thought of Adrian Hands, he says that if the limit is 13.5 hours, you should get your money's worth and take all 13.5 hours.

We headed down the road chugging and churning and reached the next control just as a couple riders in front of us were leaving. (I didn’t see them and figured we were hours behind anyone.) When we left the control, we headed into a state forest. No traffic on these roller coaster rides and the scenery was fantastic. Especially on the hilltops, the fall colors were visible from an overhead view of the countryside.

We arrived at the next control in the dark. I didn’t realize it was even a control. I just wanted to get a little water and some spare batteries. We departed the control and headed down the road. The pace was quick. I forgot to look at the cue sheet and had no idea where we were heading. I guess we were on track. Eventually we could see the orange glow of Ashland but first a small detour.

By this time the temp was back down to 40 degrees and I was freezing. The route called for an information control at a farm along a dirt road. The route took us 2 miles to cross the rail road tracks, another mile to the farm house and a 4th mile to pavement and the crossing over I-95. We got the farmer’s name off the sign. We had to take this entire 4 mile stretch painfully slow. Ron’s recumbent wasn’t having the off road terrain and he nearly crashed numerous times. By the time we hit the pavement, I couldn’t feel my feet or a couple fingers.

On a lighter note, our spirits were up as we only had a few miles to the finish. The pace quickened as we passed by the college in Ashland. When we arrived at the Ashland Coffee and Tea Company, members of the DC Randonneurs were sitting in side waiting with smiles. This was a welcoming sight as I was down. I didn’t want to be on a bicycle any longer, I feel that we were spending way too much time in the cold for a 200k ride.

Lessons Learned:
Take everything to the start and decide what to leave behind there, not at home. My shoe covers would have been a very nice piece of gear.
My new wind proof winter riding gloves suck! I need to try something else.
Need a different winter riding philosophy for clothing. I was freezing for the last 2 – 3 hours.

Ride Stats:
131.2 miles
Overall time: 12:45 hrs.
Ride Time: 9:55:04
Avg. speed 13.1

I feel like I had energy to spare at the end and felt strong…and cold. This is a great feeling.
I would have finished well before the sun went down without unnecessary stops. Do the math, more than an hour total for this distance or even a 300k is too much. The rule is usually 10 min at controls. Eat on the go.

Friday, November 9, 2007

Happy Birthday MARINES

Tomorrow is the Marine Corps' 232 Birthday. It is customary to read General John A Lejeune's Birthday Message. It reads:

On November 10, 1775, a Corps of Marines was created by a resolution of the Continental Congress. Since that date, many thousand men have borne the name Marine. In memory of them, it is fitting that we who are Marines should commemorate the Birthday of our Corps by calling to mind the glories of its long and illustrious history.

The record of our Corps is one which will bear comparison with that of the most famous military organizations in the world's history. During 90 of the 146 years of it's existence the Marine Corps has been in action against the nations foes. From the battle of Trenton to the Argonne. Marines have won foremost honors in war, and in the long eras of tranquility at home. Generation after generation of Marines have grown gray in war in both hemispheres and in every corner of the seven seas that our country and its citizens might enjoy peace and security.

In every battle and skirmish since the birth of our Corps Marines have acquitted themselves with the greatest distinction, winning new honors on each occasion until the term Marine has come to signify all that is highest in military efficiency and soldierly virtue.
This high name of distinction and soldierly repute we who are Marines today have received from those who preceded us in the Corps. With it we also received from them the eternal spirit which has animated our Corps from generation to generation and has been the distinguishing mark of the Marines in every age. So long as that spirit continues to flourish Marines will be found equal to every emergency in the future as they have been in the past, and the men of our nation will regard us as worthy successors to the long line of illustrious men who have served as "Soldiers of the Sea" since the founding of the Corps.




This rendition of the Marines Hymn is chosen because I am actually playing Horn on the video!

Happy Birthday and Semper Fi!


Wednesday, November 7, 2007

As someone once said, "Here is the down-low."

Oh, the guy that said that is a dork! For our purposes, we will call him Francis. "His name is Francis." "His name is Francis." I mean come on, how hard is it to recall the appropriate slang and use it correctly? Perhaps when they teach ebonics, they should educate every white boy that is trying to be cool. Fo' rizzle Malibu!

So the saying should read, "here's the low-down."

I haven't posted in a few days, perhaps I am a slacker, possible. Perhaps, I want to keep all info to myself, naaa. Perhaps, I just had better things to do. Ya might ask what is better than posting a blog? Well, reading blogs is fun. Watching sports and eating wings is super fun!

Actually, I am pretty busy! I do have a real job, kinda! I do have a family which is important to me (more than this blog). I do train a few clients here and there (not as much as I would like). I do watch football and eat wings and nachos! On top of all that, I am attending grad school. How crazy, it is pretty much a full time occupation in itself. Yikes--what a time management exercise this semester is turning out to be. Ok...done with the self pitty and rambling nonsense.

I did take the weekend off, partly on purpose, partly due to weather and partly due to back fatigue. I delayed my ride on Sat due to the nor'easter we experienced here at the beach. I accidenally got into some projects on Sunday then ate wings and nachos and watched football. Go Vikes! Most importantly, I nursed a back injury sustained from running on Friday. I had a feeling and it just kept getting worse. That is ok, I know what to do now days. Rest, swings, stretch hip flexors and Zhealth.

Monday
Ride 15
Z

Tuesday
Pull ups 3x15
Evil wheel 3x5
Z

Wednesday
Pull up 16K 5x3
hang leg raise 5x5
TGu 2x5

Ride: 30


Another note:
My super duper training plan may have to change. I may need to prepare for a strength course with Pavel in December. So I may change some of the emphasis of the program a little to ensure I am ready. Read: add push ups and pistols.

Friday, November 2, 2007

Shuffle, Shuffle, Shuffle

Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, Marine Corps Shuffle...Went on a little run this morning with the detachment. It was nice to get out and do a little jogging. Unfortunately, I will feel this for a few days. I think I could enjoy running if I was able to practice running periodically. I did today's little excursion as a test. I wanted to see how well training has been going and see if I have enough endurance in the lumbar region muscles to begin running practice on a more regular basis. Only time will tell if this is an option.

Run:~3miles (maybe a little more)

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Day 2 Workout B

Today I attempted the second day of workout B. I guess it was slightly easier than the first day. The smart thing to do is to move down to the 24K and work it up with the time in order to focus on form. The other option is to do the workout with the same weight and do it outside. It will take away the fear of dropping the kettlebell in my dining room and crashing down three stories on the first deck.

Workout:
Pull ups: 16K 5x3
LC Clean and Jerk: 32k - 3 min. (20 reps)
Evil Wheel - 5x3

This morning's ride was much better than yesterday's. As with anything else, it is good to be consistent and not take too many days between workouts. Duh.

Ride 15mi.