Sunday in the Park

Strapped my 24kg and 12kg kettlebells in my bicycle bugger and headed off with my boys for the 4 mile ride to the park to meet Todd Pigram for some kettlebell fun.  I last saw Todd this winter, training in full winter gear in his garage at a whopping 20 degrees Fahrenheit.   What a difference a few months makes....sunny and mid 70's today.  As I pulled up to the park, we both did a double take, as Todd and I have had significant changes in our physiques over the past several months thanks to kettlebells alone.  After catching up on our training, Todd pulled out his two 32kg bells and we headed to the beach volleyball courts to play.

Today was a Grind day for me:

24kg MP 10L/10R

Double 32kg Front Squat x 5 reps

Double 32kg Renagade Rows 5L/5R

Did 3 sets of the above circuit.

Also did a set of 32kg snatches 5L/5R after seeing Todd throw the 32's around like they were 16's.

Did more work on my juggling skills with the 12kg.   Almost perfected the behind the back flip today.

Finished up by playing some touch football with the boys before packing up the kettlebells and heading back to the bike trail for our 4 mile return trip home.

Snatch Day

Continued to work on my 10 minute SSST preparation:

24kg Snatch 10L/10R x 10 sets.  40 seconds rest between sets

Went well.  Left shoulder a little sore today.  Corkscrew descents seem to aggravate my shoulder, so switched to hard style descent.  Grip was beginning to fatigue by the tenth set.  Also focused on pressing the contralateral heel into the ground during the swing forward/hip snap.  I find that this really helps the kettlebell fly up to the overhead position.  More about this later.

Yesterday, I did full R phase Z health and shoulder mobility drills.  I need to do Z more frequently.  I always feel so good after completing the routine.

Baseball, Apple Pie, and Kettlebells

Tonight, had to hussle the kids to swimming lessons followed by baseball practice and fit in some grinds.  Solution.....throw the kettlebells in the trunk.  Pulled them out at baseball practice and did the following (to many odd looks):

24kg Windmills 5L/5R

Double 24kg See-Saw Presses 5L/5R

Double 24kg Front Squats x 5

Double 24kg Renegade Rows

Did the circuit 5 times

24kg Overhead walks 50 yards each arm x 2 sets

Finished with a bit of H2H work with a 12kg.  Trying to perfect the behind the back flip as described on Logan Christopher's new kettlebell juggling blog.

Swings & Double LCCJ

Wasn't able to workout until after dark.  Pulled the car out of the garage and hit it:

32kg 1 Arm Swings 10L/10R on 1 minute x 15 sets

Double 16kg LCCJ 10 reps (about 1 minute) with 30 second rest x 5 sets

Swings felt great today.  300 reps with the 32kg was a PR.  Conditioning and grip strength are clearly improving from the snatches.  The upward gaze is also making a difference.  I might need to start looking into the Bulldog for swings.

LCCJ are tough.  This was my first attempt with doubles.  Very tiring.  Great fullbody exercise.  I really felt it in the triceps today as well as the forearms.

Kettlebells and Grilling

Took the day off from work.  Spent time with the kids.  Fit in some grinds while grilling dinner:

Double 24kg See Saw Presses 5L/5R

Double 24kg Front Squat x 5 reps

Double 24kg Renagade Row 5L/5R

Did the entire circuit 5 times.

Phonebook Tearing

I received new phonebooks today.  What to do with the old phonebooks is always a big question.  I decided to make my first attempt at tearing a phonebook.  Now granted I used a small suburban one, my first attempt was a success!!! 

Snatches and Weight Loss

Snatch day today.

24kg 10L/10R x 10 sets with 50 seconds rest between sets

Felt very good today.  Corkscrew descent with hook grip coming along very well.  No hand pain.  No problems with grip strength.  This is probably a combination of the corkscrew descent and 50 seconds rest between sets.

Workout was short today because of visitors and trying to get yard cleaned up.  Found that weeding in the rock bottom squat position was much more comfortable than bending over!

Weighed in a 199lbs Friday......haven't weighed under 200lbs since 8th grade!   I have continued a slow, steady weight loss over the past year with total of 15lbs dropped.  This is essentially all from kettlebells.  No diets used.  With the upcoming RKC in September, this weight loss could be significant as I am now very close to the 198lb weight class cutoff.  With the drop in weight, my required snatch test numbers will drop from 74 to 64.