Merry Christmas to All!

I hope you all have a wondeful holiday with your family and loved ones.

Past week's workout

Today:

Went over to Ken's house of pain and got smoked.

JM drills
24kg Swings 2 hand 10, 1 hand 10/10
High pulls 5/5
Front Squats 10

Sled Pulls (125 lbs) 70 ft forward/70 feet backwards x 5

60 lb. med ball push press- 10-10 x 3, then 8, 8 x 1, then 6, 6 x 1

Tues:
JM drills
Ran 2 miles
Bench 135 x 10, 225- 5 x 5
16 kg swings 25 x 6

Monday:
JM drills
Dynamic drills:
forward skips, lateral skips, walking lunge, hip series, slow cariocas

Sunday: House of Pain workout at Ken's.
JM drills

Friday:
Biked 30 mins tempos

Wed.
Revolution La Jolla KB workout B

Tues.

swings
16kg 20 x 1
24 kg 20x 5
c & p
1-2-3 x3 breathing ladders

I have come to the realization that I still cannot get a straight routine going. Am I just ADD? The chaos of my workouts still give me the stress release that I need from the hectic work schedule of running two academies. I taught all day yesterday with the senior class recruits with Crowd control, and I have been working with the junior class being the DI. It has been crazy!!!! But, I don't complain really. I love my job, and I realize I am very fortunate to be where I am at. I just got my evalutaions from my students yesterday, and it just brings a tear to my eye reading about their personal accomplishments in PT. I had one person tell me they reduced their marathon running time to below 4 hours, and they had not been able to do that since they have been running marathons. He was amazed because he had not been training the typical way he normally would to run a marathon. He told me he has never been faster and it was due to the academy program. Another told me he benched over 300 for the first time, and he was amazed of the WTH effect since we don't regularly bench at all.

My food intake has been actually very good. I have practically eliminated eating out (except for one day last week) and I am amazed at how much that has impacted my scale numbers. The holiday time will be a little rough due to all the good baked goods that are coming to the office! Ugh.

Well, that's it for now.

Pete

Spent a fun time at Ken's House of Pain (aka, the coolest garage gym in Sacramento) with Ken (of course) Joe Sarti, his strong buddy, Mike, and the Iron Punk, Corey. Excellent fun getting humiliated (;0D) by these uber-strong men. Unfortunately my camera's batteries died too soon, so only the start of the training was covered. We gripped blobs, swung clubs, pulled the Rolling Thunder, cleaned D-balls (sure, picjk up the 10 lb ball!) All in all a great time. Thanks guys!

Something to share

Since I always read about some interesting, cool, or otherwise mind blowing site from all of your blogs, I wanted to share something with y'all. The following is from www.readyforce.net. Rodger Ruge is a retired police officer, POST Master Instructor, and author of the Warrior's Mantra. He also has these great anti-stress visualization tapes that work wonders. The following is one of his articles from his online Ready Force News Journal:


Do you remember Aaron Ralston? Aaron is the guy who was doing some hiking and rock climbing in the Utah desert when a rock he was climbing over came loose pinning his right arm against a cliff wall. Once pinned, Aaron was hopelessly trapped in a standing position without shelter, adequate clothing, food or water. For six days Aaron struggled to free himself by chipping away at the boulder with a cheap utility tool, rigging a series of pulleys and other desperate and futile attempts to find his freedom. No one knew where Aaron was during his ordeal and over the course of the long sleepless days and nights; Aaron came to the realization he was going to die.

Aaron literally hit rock bottom and when he did he found inspiration. Aaron decided to cut off his own arm! First he had to bend his arm in grotesque positions to provide enough torque to snap the bones, not once but twice. Once this chore was accomplished, Aaron rigged a tourniquet and went to work using a dull knife. It took over an hour to slowly cut through the arm, spending the most time on the ligaments because of their flexibility and strength. Imagine trying to cut your own arm off with what amounted to a butter knife and you are starting to get an idea of what he went through. Aaron’s comment on the pain; “I just dealt with it”.

Once free, Aaron then faced repelling down a sheer cliff, one armed, after being trapped for six days and facing extreme dehydration and fatigue. He then hiked until he found some people who got him to a helicopter and rescue. Aaron chose to live and through forced circumstances he found his inner strength.

I want you to imagine yourself in Aaron’s position. His choice was clear; take action or die trying. Could you do it? Does this sound impossible? How many of us would have given up and just died?

I have met Aaron Ralston. He’s a really nice guy. He’s very relaxed and mellow. He is a superb athlete and very fit individual, but he does not exude the personality of someone who would do something so dramatic to save himself. Aaron is a humble person and what is so inspiring is that he is very much a regular person. This is inspiring because if Aaron found this amazing inner strength then so can we!

If you knew without any absence of doubt that you had this capacity, this ability, this ironclad will to manifest your survival mechanism under the most extreme circumstances, imagine how powerful you could become. Imagine what you could accomplish in your life. Imagine!

I will tell you this; you do have this power! Every single man, women and child possess this inner strength. There are countless examples of this power being manifested every single day. We usually chalk it up to extraordinary circumstances like those that Aaron faced. It often falls into the “that’s amazing” category, and we pay it little attention because to acknowledge it means we would have to accept that which we think is impossible. The trick then becomes realizing with our very soul that this power also resides within our own beings. If you can make the transformation to this realization you will move beyond manifesting this power during extreme events to being able to manifest it at will. Imagine!

Let’s face the facts. Life seldom goes according to your grandest vision and plan. There always seems to be some obstacle designed to force us to struggle. It is easy to slip into a funk over such things until we get reminded about the resiliency of the human spirit. With a shining example like Aaron Ralston we are again reminded that within all of us lies an indomitable inner strength.

Make up your mind now to move beyond your limited thinking. Open yourself to the reality that you are a limitless being! Visualize yourself overcoming "impossible" situations. Believe that this power resides within you. Know it is true and practice seeing yourself in this way in all aspects of your life. This will help you to acknowledge and develop your inner strength and it will serve to spur you to your grandest vision of whom and what you wish to become.

Rodger Ruge is a retired Police Officer and author of The Warrior's Mantra, Barricade Books Inc., June 2005. Rodger is a California Peace Officer Master Instructor and owner and founder of his business, Ready Force Inc. Rodger is avaiable for training and seminars. Please visit his website, http://www.readyforce.net, for more informaiton.

Busy week

Tues. workout A Revolution La Jolla (felt the GPP stayed well even though I had the break) 16 kg and 24 kg
Finished up with a PM workout of Tabata Squats (scored a 22!)
Wed. Busy day- pullups 3 x 10

Thursday: swings with 24kg 3 x 20
floor cals with the new recruit class:
Moutain Climbers
Hindu squats
Squat Thrusts
Pushups
Situps
Cross elbow to knees

friday: bench press 205 3 x 10

trying to get back on the Revolution workout, but keep getting interrupted at work in my workout. I am going to focus this coming week on knocking it out first thing in the morning before going to work.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

I hope all of you were with family and/or loved ones this holiday. I apologize for the lack of posts. I have been sneaking in brief workouts or a quick swing session, nothing worth writing about. A new class has started and we are working double academies. Yes, it is very stressful!!! :) Some of the stress culminated in my mid back area and created some very painful spasming over the course of three days last week.

I have not given up on the Revolution Fat Loss program. I have even shared it with a coworker and we plan on hitting it together starting next week.

The new class has 51 recruits, and they are a very fit and motivated bunch of people. I look forward to introducing them to the kettlebell, and other forms of underground strength training. I have two new co-workers who have a great running background. (Not my strong forte).

Be well and safe my brothers and sisters.

OK, Getting back into it.

Week 3 on the Revolution La Jolla Fat Loss System w/kettlebells was sidelined last week. So today marked my first real workout since the accident. I wanted to feel fully recovered before jumping back into things.

Today was a run day with the recruits, but I had to swing my kettlebells! SO i did some HOC instead of a regular run. It felt good to swing the 24kg, and I did 8 sets 440 w/10 swings (16 and 24kg)

It was a rough weekend as my 8 month old had a nasty ear infection. Poor little baby made sure no one got any sleep these past 4 nights!

I have a very BELATED THANK YOU to Ken Black for coming to the academy a couple of weeks ago! As always, Ken helped some of the recruits make fantastic strength discoveries for themselves. I thought I had some good pics, but I did not have as many as I thought. I am very fortunate to have Ken live so close and be willing to come out and train recruits with me. They really love the workouts that Ken puts together. I hope that they continue to train with this performance focus in mind when they leave the academy.

I got my treadmill fixed properly (finally!) Just in time for the winter season! (of course it's nothing like La Jolla in the winter! ;)

happy to train, for training is to live!

Life is Good

Ok, I posted on RIf's blog that I was in a rollover accident. In a nutshell, I was on the cell phone to my coworker discussing the day's training. Came up to fast to a redlight, going downhill. Hit the brakes and locked up. Rear wheel skid, tried to correct, but the combo of the downhill angle and high center of balance with my Bronco made it ripe for a rollover. Skidded upside down into a light pole, knocking it over. I was hanging upside down, fortunately my seatbelts worked! (pre-airbag model)

A CHP motor was also at the intersection and was there in a second. God bless Officer Frost! I smelled gas leaking and thought, I need to get out of here! They told me that there was no concern of it igniting, but there is something about being trapped upside down, and smelling gas that made me want to be absolutely sure. They cut my belts, and I crawled out of the car, to everyone's amazement. One Chippee told me he had seen fatalities in accidents that looked like mine, and I was lucky to be walking away with no scratches. I was definitely high on adrenaline. I said I was going to go to work, but my peers who showed up (my coworker was still on the phone when the crash happened and got my location)told me to go get checked out. Being obstinate, I assured them I was fine, but as the adrenaline started to subside, I realized it would be prudent to get checked out.

So I went home to my family who took me to the ER. Where after being x-rayed said there was nothing wrong structurally with me, but I would have some muscular aches and pains.

Upon reflection, I am slapped in the face with how quickly life can change for the better or worse. When I came home to my family, the hugs and kisses they gave me were priceless. Those are the things worth striving, and in the end, matter the most.

I am fine, a little sore, but moving around. I am taking today off of work as well to rest the body and mind. Friday, I will go to work since we are taking the recruits to Deputy Mitchell's memorial. It's the least I can do to honor a fallen brother.

I am not even stressed that my workout is off track a few days. I am just thankful knowing I am healthy enough to return to it soon enough. The focus on core tension undoubtedly helped me physically survive this along with God's help. I am thinking of the quote of "God helps those who helps themselves." I believe that goes hand in hand with the first of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People; Be Proactive.

Thanks to all of you who showed me concern on Rif's blog. I am thankful to be alive, healthy, and functional.

Week 3 training is strong

10/25/2006
workout A
TACTICAL LUNGE 10 EA. 16/24/24
1 ARM C&P 6 L/R 16/24/16
TURKISH GET UP 2 L/R 16/16/24

ALT. RENEGADE ROW 5 L/R 73 x 3
2 ARM SWING 20 24 x 3
BICEPS 10 16/24/24
JUMPING JACKS 30 SECS. 35/37/35

10-26-06 ran 4 miles HR @ 85-92% max

Workout B (1100-sat.)
Barbell Deadlift 8 x 3 135/135/135
Fisted Pushups 10x 3 10/10/10
Snatch 10 x 3 16/24/24

Single arm squat press 5 L/R 16/16/24
One arm swing 10 L/R 16/24/24
Mountain Climber 30 secs x 3 30/34/35
Shuffles 30 secs x 3 30/34/35
I felt better than I thought I would going thru the circuit
fast ska really helps with the 2nd half of workout B
I feel like I am seeing better GPP already.


Monday: 30 minute run with recruits. Moderate pace, conversational tone.

Tues.: Introduced the recruits to the USSSST. Ok, I only had them try 2 minutes of snatching. I only had 10 mins. left in the class, and I had to run 4 groups through it. (I was being easy) But I planted the seed!

Workout A:workout A
TACTICAL LUNGE 10 EA. 16/24/24
1 ARM C&P 6 L/R 16/24/24
TURKISH GET UP 2 L/R 24/16/16

ALT. RENEGADE ROW 5 L/R 32kg/24/24
2 ARM SWING 20 32 x 3
BICEPS 10 24 x 3
JUMPING JACKS 30 SECS. 37/40/40
warmup/ halos/wall squat

Academy PT video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSJ-jSJ-y4o

Sacramento County Deputy killed in the line of duty

It is with great sadness and anger that I report the death of a fellow officer in a sister agency, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department. Deputy Jeffrey Mitchell leaves behind a wife and a six year old son. The type of person who would actually shoot and kill a law enforcement officer is one who has absolutely no redeeming aspect to society.

This should serve as a reality check to all those in the academy class of what is asked of them when they put a badge on their chest, wear a gun, and are sworn to enforce the laws of the land. As I watch my own child play, my heart goes out to the Mitchell family.

Be safe my brothers and sisters.

Keeping it Going!

Had a great week training so far. Workout B on monday increase in the weight, and ran 3 miles today. Had a good cheat day, but back on track with the nutrition for week 2.

Had a great conversation with Joe Sarti today. I called Ken to confirm him coming to the academy tomorrow (wed.) and he was with Joe. We are very fortunate to be in a position where we influence other people's lives with what we do. There are few things more gratifying than training someone and they exceed their own capabilities. I had the proud moment of a marathon runner (recruit in the current class) tell me he had just hit his 4 mile PR time today, and he attributed it to the type of training that we do in PT. He was really surprised since he runs much less than he did before the academy. They learn from me and I learn from them.

I have learned from my mentor, Dan DeLeon this concept. If you want to know how good a teacher someone is, don't watch the teacher, watch their students. That is what I hope to show with my work in the academy. (although, I definitely want to model my role as their teacher by looking the part, too!)

week 1 on the Revolution LaJolla plan

Week 1 completed and stayed true to the nutrition plan and avoided my major pitfalls. I weaned myself off of coffee in the beginning, suffered major headaches but got through the pain. BUT, I love my coffee, so I went back. However, I have cut back big time on consumption. The great thing is that the great buzz came back with ALOT less coffee consumed. Drinking alot more water, and consuming more protein and vegetables. I feel great and I have lost 5 lbs. in the first week.

The workout is as such. Started off with the 16kg and 24 kg. Trying to keep the cardio factor focused with less rest. Workout A:

TACTICAL LUNGE
1 ARM C&P
TURKISH GET UP
ALT. RENEGADE ROW
2 ARM SWING
BICEPS
JUMPING JACKS

Workout B:

Workout B
Suitcase Deadlift
Fisted Pushups
Snatch
Single arm squat press
One arm swing
Mountain Climber
Shuffles

My runs have been a long run for 30 mins., and also a sprint run (40 yards x 16). Will work on longer tempo runs.

I created a small 6 minute documentary on academy PT. I was in an Instructional Technology for L.E trainers this past week. I learned alot about how to use Windows Movie Maker. I am hoping to figure out how to post the clip on this blog. Any suggestions would be helpful.

Revolution Kettlebell Fat Loss Program

Today marks the first day of starting the 12 week program from Franz and Yoana Snideman's Revolution Kettlebell fat loss program. I started by writing down my bad habits that have gotten me to the level of body composition where I am at right now. The reflection in the mirror does not lie, both physically and mentally.

I am following their workout design from the book to make this as simple to follow. Right now i am so busy at work that even something like following a prewritten program design will help with time management. Nutrition and portion control will be key for me.

When I was feeling a little overwhelmed by everything on my plate, Rif writes a great post (Sunday Oct. 15th's post) that really got me in the gut. Life is good. I can either "karate do" or "karate do not" get squished if stand in the middle. My students are performing better with kettlebells, and that is making me proud and motivated. I will keep you all updated on my progress.

Road trip from Chicago

Was gone this past weekend on an almost non-stop (42 hrs on the road, with 4 hrs at a motel for a quick sleep) truck drive from Chicago to Lake Almanor, Ca. Almost covered the entire country on interstate 80. Food intake reflected the drive.....ate like a trucker! I am in the process of a good detox with vegetable juices and distilled water to flush out the toxins from the road.

This week's workout are as follows:

Mon.
Swings 16kg 20/20 L/R 1min.
20/20 L/R
20/20 L/R

Bike 40 mins.

Tues:
Tempo run 100 x 8

Wed.
Circuit
Swings---Pushups-----Stepups-------SeeSaw Press-----Jump Rope
20 mins.

Thursday:

3.5 mile run

Previous week's workout

Mon:

1.5 mile run (easy run to clear the pipes)

Tues:
Bulgarian Split Squat w/20 lb DB
10/10 L/R x 5

Reverse Barbell Curl
75 5 x 5

Rotator Cuff band pulls to the center line
20/20 x 5

Wed:

Rotator cuff pulls away from the center line

10/10 x 3

High Pulls
16kg 10/10 x 5

Keeping it simple just to stay sane while the academy is cranking up the intensity.

Sorry for the long time between posts. I will keep on posting, and I definitely check out the Norcal/Socal alliance blogs on a regular basis. You guys help keep my sanity, and keep me motivated!

CONGRATULATIONS MARK REIFKIND, SR. RKC!

I am sure everyone already knows if you have been checking the Dragon Door forum, or Rif's blog, but I wanted to give a shout out to Rif for being named as the new Sr. RKC.

Anyone who knows Rif, his past accomplishments and current training intestinal fortitude knows that this is the most logical and right choice. Kudos to Pavel and the other Sr. RKCs for their brilliant selection.

one more year until the big 40

Workouts this week have not been very structured. Busy week at the academy culminating with "family night".
Monday: 3 mile run with recruits
Tues. JM drills and showing drills with the 2 pood kb. (high pulls/snatches)
Thurs. EDT workout with 54lb KB front squat/36 kb. snatches 20 sets total/ 5 reps each exercise.
Fri. 39th birthday.....got all nostalgic and bought the "Wild Child" CD by the Untouchables...great ska band of the 80's. Funny how birthdays have gotten me more reflective as I get older. I count my blessings on what I have that is important to me. Family, health, good friends, and gainful employment.

This past year, I have experienced new things and met incredible people because of a little (and BIG) ball of iron. I am very thankful for all in my life. God bless you all.

Bodyweight exercises

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seHiBvgxwCE

Got to try these out!

Systema

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRmf4BtQYWE

Everyone talks about which martial art is the best. I don't think of terms as ONE being the best, only which is the most effective for that moment in time to save your butt. Alot of talk has been made about Systema, real or phony. LEO's that I know to be good instructors are backing Systema. This clip shows more than just demos, but also a mock riot situation. Note the mass of humanity charging each other at the end. It says this seminar was in Hatfield....it looks like the UK.....I wonder if this is protection from or for football hooligans?

Your thoughts?

SST @ the Academy

Big Dan Bunz, 2 time Super Bowl linebacker for the 49ers and Valentino Garcia, both of Sport Specific Training (Crossfit affiliate) visit the academy to watch our PT and guest train the recruits. They ran a list of dynamic drills, and finished the end of PT with the Tabata Squats. Dan showing the rest period in the down position.

My training protocols had 4 separate stations which included sled pulls, body weight calisthenics, band pulldowns, power rope ball, plyo box step ups, med ball throws, ring rows, and running stairs. A good time had by all!

I openly invite all of the California RKCs to make a guest appearance anytime at the academy. I know my recruits would get a kick out of it. They are a motivated and dedicated bunch of people!

Tuesday's Workout

AM run with the recruits 2 miles (interval run).

Got some ropes from the SWAT team, and they are letting us store them at the academy. Saves me the financial burden from buying them myself. So, of course, I am now implementing them in my training. And of course, the recruits will be introduced to them tomorrow. I am fortunate that the powers that be trust our opinion when buying equipment. I purchased some leather Thai kicking bags (6 ft. long) from Ringside.com. They are excellent bags! I will have to post a pic of them on an upcoming blog. I also have a double end bag that I haven't really played around with much, but I am going to hook it up tomorrow.

Rope Waves:
trying them out
6 x 15 secs

Then superset:
Waves - band pulldowns (high to low with changing footwork/stances)
3x 15 sec + 40-50 pulldowns

Break

BUC + chins
(1,2,3,4) x 2

Felt good, but after I cooled down, felt a nagging twinge in my right shoulder. Will Ice and rub it tonight. It better go away by morning.

Check out Ken's new website!

Ken Black has his web site up and it looks fantastic! He will be having a workshop in Oct. 14, and I will be there assisting the Man! I am looking forward to it, Ken.

Monday's workout:
Didn't have much time so I made it quick and intense.

5 rounds
1 min. Jump rope
1 min. Band extensions
1 min. Heavy bag (jabs, straights, hooks, front kicks, elbows)
90 secs rest.

Run with the recruits tomorrow!

Weekend mental recharge

Took the family to the fair and got to meet Big Louie, who incidentally is also a Reserve L.A. County Sheriff's deputy. How'd you like to have that big man chasing you down? He was very approachable, and got a kick out of my badge like the fellow warrior that he is. I bought his dvd, Stand Tall which is kind of a sequel to Pumping Iron. It is about his return to the Mr. Olympia after a 17 year retirement. For me, it was like a who's who in body building when I was totally fascinated with it as a kid. Good times!

I am looking forward to training this week! I had an after class training session at the end of the academy last thursday. 12 students stayed after on their own time to play with the kettlebells and other toys that I had. They were surprised by the effects of the power ball, and the power wheel. After they played with that, on to the kettlebells. I showed, and they did. They knew the swing, and clean and press. We did around the body pass, figure 8s, BUC, BUP, high pulls, snatches, renegade rows, and pistols.

I am so proud of my students where they are at right now after 6 weeks of PT. A few of them could do pistols, one of them with the 24kg! He only weighed about 150 lbs. One of my other students, after learning the groove of the snatch, worked up to snatching the 32kg for 3 reps! (He was a former Alaskan fisherman/boat captain, so I am not surprised with his level of functional strength.) They had great camraderie as they encouraged each other to newer levels of strength. They are really happy to be doing things that very few academies do in this state, if the nation.

On another note, I am very fascinated with the information that has come out on Z-health. Anyone out there getting the dvd/books on the topic? Is it worth getting? There are some amazing claims being made, and some very interesting people getting involved with it, specifically Josh Henkin. What do y'all think?

Ken Black at the academy

Here are some pics that I should have posted a while back! Ken Black at the police academy impressing the recruits with his teaching style and strength prowess.

Wed: JM drills and Dynamic Drills

21-15-9-6 rep prescription

Mil Press- 2 16kg KBs
Ring Rows
DB Lateral raises (20lb DBs)
Box Jumps

I am varying up the weight range. The recent feelings of illness, rundown, and injuries on the California RKC circuit has me listening to my body even more. Come Novemeber, we are starting another academy class of 59 recruits in addition to the 48 recruits I have now. I will have morning PT and evening PT. Gotta keep healthy!

Sport Specific Training in Rocklin, Ca.

Monday:

AM- Ran 2.5 miles with the class and called cadence. (Certainly adds a difference dimension while on a run!)

PM- I went to Sport Specific Training in Rocklin (about 35 mins east of Sacramento) and had a training session with former San Fracisco 49er Dan Bunz. This was in part because one of my co-workers trains there and wanted to share some of that Crossfit pain! The dynamic drills he put us through were quite a workout in itself. Then a prescription of 21-15-9 of box jumps, ring rows, dumbell thrusters, 200m rows, and pushups. I had to stop halfway due to a strange paiin in my right knee. Too much impact on it, I believe.

The funny thing was training with a bunch of high school athletes in the class. I outweighed many of them by 80- 100 lbs, and they moved their feet very fast. While they were talking some friendly smack ( I think they enjoyed teasing some "ossifers",) I C & P their heaviest KB (32kg) and asked how many of you can do this? No volunteers. All in good fun:)

Tues: tried an EDT upped body workout since my right knee decided to tell me that I put way too much impact on it from monday's workout.

Superset:Dips and pullups 24 sets, total mins. 14:45
dips-total-46 x 205 =9,430 lbs
pullups-total (same)

Band triceps pushdowns 3 x 20
Situp with medball (12lb. heaviest at the academy gym) toss 3 x 20

That's all for now. My newest student on the kettlebell.....so far all she can do it pat the bell!

Workout with Ken

Two RKCs in the park, 2 kettlebells, 20lb medball, liquid chalk, empty playground= Fun and PAIN!

(#1 Pic- Ken doing a reverse dip, #2 pic- the aftermath!)

The workout below was taken from Ken's blog, and is a breakdown of what we did. Ken kept on me, wouldn't let me quit when I was whining about just recovering from being sick! :) A good reminder to myself that one ALWAYS has a little more in the tank. THANKS KEN FOR THE BOOT IN THE BUTT! Mind over matter....the only thing was I could not get the BU presses with the 24kg, so I did Mil. Presses instead. I REALLY liked how I felt doing the pullups after the BU cleans.

BU cleans # 50 1,2,3,4,5Pullups 1,2,3,4,5BU presses #50 1,2,3,4,5Rows (upside down) 1,2,3,4,5CircuitJumps onto & off stepKB slams w/step back #20 (changed to these after 2nd round)Med ball squat throw #20Snatches #50Jog approx 110 metersRepsjumps 3, 6 change to KB slams 18, 24, 6, 12, 18, 6, 12, 6Med ball throw 3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3 = 30 repsSnatches 3,6,9,12,3,6,9,3,6,3 = 60 reps/armJog 110 m x 10

WTH in reverse

I thought I'd post some pics from some of the workouts with Ken and crew at the park. Ken is showing the medball axe handles to Kathy, and Bob is tearing it up with the 40 lb med ball. My batteries died so no pics of the group as a whole :(
I am looking forward to tomorrow's park workout in the park. My body has been doing a reverse WTH effect. I was rundown for almost a week where I could not even think of working out (I still conducted the warmups with my class, though, as well as the dynamic drills) Then I was great for a week, and then I got hit with a three day flu bug. Sigh.

Busy week of training

Monday:
Ken Black came out to the academy and we had some fun with the recruits (big class- 50!). Ken taught the class the swing, and spoke about the body mechanics of the swing. Then we broke into two groups, Ken had them tire flipping, and I had them perform the tactical lunge and the bear crawl. The we finshed them off with a relay race, squad versus squad, with double overhead KBs (no bigger than 16kgs, tho, gotta get them stronger to attack the double 24kgs!)
After class ended, Ken smoked my coworkers with the rope waves! My abs felt great!

After the class ended, I worked on my own workout.
5 x 5 training in Squats, Deadlifts, and Bench Press. The numbers were riduculously low because I was following a template I got from the Univ. of Washington. using a percentage of my 1RM. Honestly, my 1RM in these lifts are so weak, I don't really want to post. Ok.....I will be honest since otherwise, how can i get better right? Lets just say everything is under 300 lbs. (297 DL, 245 Squat, and 245 Bench) I never really pushed heavy weights before since I had followed bodybuilding type of routines in the past. Then when I went to the kettlbell, i forsook all barbells and dumbbells training. Now, I am expanding my training. Time to get ugly.

Tuesday:
2.5 mile road run. Can't avoid training in this area due to training recruits.

After a 10 min. rest, I went to snatches with the 24kg.
5/5, 10/10, 15/15.

PM workout with Ken and his crew.
Windmills 4
C and P ladder with BOB. (1,2,3) (2,3,4) (4,5,6) we accidentally skipped 3,4,5! (5,6,7) and (6,7,8) with the 20kg.
Halos

Wed.
1.5 mile formation run with recruits. Dynamic drills ala S.S.T. (Sports Specific Training in Rocklin, Dan Bunz's and Steve Kenyon's place) student and my coworker who trains there.

On my own:
Sprints
8 x 50 yards with jog or walk for recovery 1:1 1:2 depending on the set.


Thurs.
Crossfit type workout with teammates
(4 rounds of descending ladders. Pullups (5 reps per round), Pushups (30, 25,20,15), TGU's(5 reps per round), curls (30, 25,20, 15 sigh....they wanted them...don't care for them, but I acquiesced) scissors passing weights thru the legs (20 reps per round)...I don't know what you call them, but they were like seated tactical lunges. Timed Power Rope Ball 3 sets of 30 seconds. Then timed planks 3X 30 secs. on both elbows. 3 x 30secs on right elbow, 3 x 30 secs. on left elbow.
Rest about 10 mins.
Snatches with 24kg
5/5, 10,10, 10, 10
with 16 kg
15,15,
triceps cable extension (balance out those darn curls)
70lbs , 6 reps, x 2

Two strong Men with strong minds

Ken Black and Mark Riefkind at the APC Nationals. Two great RKCs!

Academy Training/Master Instructor Development Program

Part of my Master instructor development program project deals with creating an intermediate PT instructor's course for academy instructors. The major issues that I believe are common in training are budgetary, facilities, equipment, and progressive training concepts.

The 20 week program I have put together mimics one that I have seen in Hard Style. I have played with periodization before, but I think I like how this one fits with academy training. I am open to your educated suggestions for making it better of course.


weeks 2-5: ASSESSMENT/ STRENGTH PERIOD
weeks 6-8: MUSCULAR ENDURANCE
weeks 9-11: MUSCLE MASS/ HYPERTROHY BUILDING- EDT
weeks 12-15:FAT LOSS
week 16: ACTIVE RECOVERY
weeks 17-18: STRENGTH /POWER
weeks 19-21: MUSCULAR ENDURANCE
week 22: PEAK/TEST

I have 50 recruits of extreme varying levels of fitness. I have one recruit with over 30% body fat, and one who is very lean at 4.6% BF. One who ran the 1.5 mile at 8:30 and one who ran it in 16 mins. In the beginning, I use duration as the goal, and not performance, ie. how far can you run in 20 minutes, etc. Lots of joint mobility and dynamic drills/stretching to get them to understand their body better.

My Workout:
7-28-06
Just enough time to do a ladder workout with pullups (1,2,3,4) x 4 rest periods mimiced if someone was doing them with me. IGO-UGO method.

7-29-06

Fun in the park with Ken and crew. Met two new students of Ken's, and I trained with Bob and Kathy. Good times. Weather was cool, and very pleasant as opposed to last week.

Joint Mobility
Halo 5 x 2 sets
Slingshot 5 x 2 sets
BW squats 10 x 2 sets
Mil. Press 1,2,3,4 x 3 sets
Row 1,2,3,4, x 3 sets
Racked walking lunges + step ups x 3 times
Windmills

Bob and I finished it off with a couple of sled sprints with 25lbs on it for approx. 4 passes of 50 yards. It was a good way to stretch it out.
Ken as always was motivating me to do better! I was a little late, so I had to do pushups! Ken has a bit of the DI in him, like I knew he did! :)

Critical Reflection

Critical reflection on learning as presented by Jack Mezirow is defined as “the process of reflecting back on prior learning to determine whether what we have learned is justified under present circumstances.” Mezirow further added “this is a crucial learning process egregiously ignored by learning theorists.” How this becomes important to the adult learner is that once you reflect on your past, you determine on what path your future learning must take. For the instructor of adults, this becomes a very important factor in stating your course objective and how you present your instruction.

As I am teaching the new recruits, I am constantly reviewing on whether or not my instruction is received or believed. I am fighting against their past experiences in training whether quality training or not. Usually, I get more resistance from those whose knowledge is culled from the "muscle mags". Sigh, the fight continues. I am sometimes frustrated that those who need this the most are those who use it the least. If I hear how great a Spin class is for fitness again, I am going to scream, especially when I see videos of middle-aged mothers training boot camp/underground strength coach style.

7-24-06
warmups: halos, wall squats, Russian Pump, and squat thrusts 2 supersets of 5 reps each

2 sets of supersets of 3 reps of the following circuit:
Swings-slingshot-swings-Figure 8s-swings-tactical lunges-pushpress 16kg

5:00 non stop of the following circuit:
swings-snatches-jerks-squat thrusts

5:00 nonstop of the following circuit:
Farmer's walk-mountain climbers
(Most of the above was copied from a Ken Black KB class- Thanks Ken!)

7-25-06
Warmups with the academy class
Tabata squats with the class 8 sets/4:00
My score: 25
Cycle (gym gerbil training) 15:00 (bored out of my skull with it, but wanted a brief change of pace)

7-26-06
JM drills/Dymanic Drills for warm up

Rack deadlifts (just below the knee)
135 x 5
135 x 3
225 x 3
295 x 3
315 x 1
325 x 0 (failed)
315 x 1
320 x 1

Renegade Rows
2 x 24kg 5/5 x 3
2 x 32kg 5/5 x 2

Janda Situps
3/5/2 (core fried..need to do more of theses)

Superset powerball slams with dips
30 PBS-10 dips x 2

For a good laugh check out these video clips of Terry Tate-Office Linebacker.

http://board.iexbeta.com/lofiversion/index.php/t47380.html
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, baby! Yes, the Corporal is coming out!

One nation under a groove

7-21-06

warmups of halos/wall squats/windmills/
deadlift w/barbell
135 x 8
135 x 8
205 x 3
225 x 3
275 x 3
225 x 3
225 x 3

clean and press 24kg (1,2,3) ladders x 4

7-22-06
workout in the park with Ken and Bob!

warmups: 20kg
JM drills
swings
snatches

Pullup ladders 8 then (1,2,3) x 3

Jerk Ladders 1,2,4,8,16,18,10,8,5,3

Hot, humid, and loved it!

Taking a moment to post!

OK! I am finally getting my groove back. Hot hot hot in the Sacramento Valley! 104 plus, and I sweat like the porcine that they call me :)

Warmup:
Wall squats, Halos, Pumps, and RKC armbars

Back to basics-
Swings (2hand) w/24kg
7 sets of 10
3 sets of 10 w/32kg

total: 100 swings

Snatch
16kg
10/10 5/5
24kg
5 sets of 5 L/R
32kg
1 set of 5/5

Felt good to be back on a schedule!

First week under way!

The first week of the academy is completed and next week we are off and running with the start of Physical Training.

I met with 20 recruits prior to the start of the academy for a 2 day introduction to the kettlebells. Three hours total for both days. I will post some pics from them soon.

I covered the KB deadlift, swing, clean, C&J, high pull, and the snatch. We also did some sled sprints, and I gave them a quick feel of the overhead walk, rack and farmer's walk. They had all prepared well to start the academy.

This week for me consisted mostly of GTG pullups (got some bands to increase the rep range while I was at the Nationals!) benching supersetting with low pulley rows EDT style, swings supersetted with jump rope EDT. Powerwheel rollouts, and power ropeball slams. The ropeball slams (Thanks for introducing them to me Franz) has been a great stress reliever!Getting my GPP up for the classes that will officially start next week.

New Class Starting up

There was a major change in my workplace with the retirement of my mentor and friend, Dan DeLeon. Dan retired after 30 years of being a cop, the last 20 being a master instructor at the academy. I could go on and on about his list of accomplishments, but that wasn't the whole picture of the man. He trained THOUSANDS of officers throughout Northern California, but you would not meet a more humble and respectful man.

It makes me a little sad knowing that on monday, it will be the first academy without Dan to turn to for guidance, or sometimes a reality check that he would give us when I was going down the wrong path. He truly lived his philosophy which was a mixture of Sun Tzu and Musashi, and the Hagakure. He truly loved his teammates as brothers and sisters in arms. (His retirement gift from the many officers who he trained was a tractor!)

This weekend before the start of the new academy will give me a chance to reflect on the past and focus on the future. The only real way to thank my teacher and sensei (My defensive tactics instructor) is to continue his way of teaching others.

My workouts this week have been a misture of GTG with pullups, and rollouts front and back with the Power Wheel (30 ft. front and then back), slams with the Power Rope ball (30 reps per set), renegade rows 2x24 kg (5x5) front squats 2 x 16kg (3 x 5) snatch 16 kg 5 x 10(L/R) 24kg (3x5 L/R) and RKC armbars.

I ran a basic introduction to the kettlebell to the next class (preacademy cadets) this last week. There was 20 of them. I covered the swing, clean, C & P, front squat, and snatch. I had them pull the power sled, and I also had them walk with double KBs overhead into a rack walk into a farmers walk. (2nd day) They were all very receptive and seemed excited about this type of training. I am going to introduce to the tempo runs and sprint workouts that I have gleaned from Franz's blog.

Well, off to the Nationals to meet up with Rif and watch his friend, Nick his a PR! I have never been to a powerlifting meet so I am pretty excited to go. Then afterwards, I am meeting my old road dog, (patrol partner) to go to the boxing matches at Raley Field. This will be a good de-stressor before the start of next week.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

I had a nice little workout with my friend, Ken Black on Sunday. He posted the workout and pics on his blog, so please visit his blog to enjoy my pain! It is always good to visit Ken and play in his dungeon of pain. :) (I got to jerk the Beast! Thanks to Ken for fine tuning my form while handling the monster! I got to play with the Rolling Thunder....my forearms are still feeling it)

I have not been posting lately since I am in a reorganization process. I only have one week break before the next academy class starts back up. My work in the Master Instructor Development Program needs revamping, and I need to prioritize where I place the majority of my energies.

After consideration, I know that my blog will have to take a lower priority in posting for now. So I must apologize if my posts are less frequent now. I will be posting/reading other blogs, however, it is a nice mental break, and it has been a fantastic way to stay motivated and listen to some very talented minds in the underground strength world! I will still be visiting Ken's, Rif's, Franz's, Tom's, and Joe's blogs for their brilliant insights and postings.

Strength and Honor my friends!

(To be continued)

My Website has gone LIVE!

Please check it out and give me merciless criticism! I have posted links to Rif's, Franz's, Tom, and of course, Pavel's web sites, and a link to Ken's blogs while his site is down.

Update

Hello everyone!

Sorry that I have been away from my post, but I have been away on a little getaway to see my daughter graduate the 5th grade into middle school (how time flies) and visit Revolution La Jolla and the Snidemans. With my recruits ready to graduate in a couple of weeks, the tempo at work has tripled. UGH!

6-15-06 Thursday.
First off, Franz and Yoana Snideman- what a great husband and wife team! I am sharing all that I learned from Franz with my counterpart in the Sheriff's dept. and he was pretty amazed at the simplicity, yet toughness of the exercises. Franz had me try out his ropes, your basic one inch or so thickness variety. Then I had to whip force curves into them. We paired up and sent the ripples to each other, and I gotta tell you, my core felt braced afterwards! Did some 140 lb log presses, 80 lb keg clean and presses, and 100 lb med ball slams. He introduced me to the powerwheel which I will be getting! What a great tool to have fun and fry your abs! I definitely need to work on my cardio and ab work more.

Since I was in San Diego, I decided not to stress about sticking to a structured diet plan while on vacation. Travelling with an infant on the road trip made it a challenge, and I decided to just enjoy myself with the plentiful mexican food in the area.

Now that I am back, I went to strict on the first day back, and only had a handful of almonds all day with plentiful water and several cups of black coffee. Needless to say, that was not smart on my part and I started to bonk out on my workout. so my numbers stink. here it is for monday 6-19-06.

Halos 12kg 10 l/10 r
16 kg 10l/10r
Swings 24kg x 10
C&P (1,2,3) 32KG
(1,2,3)24KG
(1,2,)32KG
(1,2,3,4)24KG
The HEAT/feeling nauseous- started to get a little tunnel vision so I stopped. Very frustrating. Need to refocus.

Last Monday 6-12-06
GTG Pullups 8 sets of 5
135 x 8 warmup
135 x 8
185 x 5
235 x 5 (regrip after every rep)
235 x 1
235 x 1
255 x 1
255x 1
255 x 1
Pushups (slow grinds)
20 reps x 4

The vacation gave me a nice break for post surgery workout, and I felt comfortable starting with the 32 kg for the C and P. I am re-reading PTP for more deadlifting tips. I definitely will hit 300 over the next few weeks, and will set a goal to deadlift over 400 before I hit 40.

Check out Ken Black's article on Rooting

If you didn't catch this on any of the blogs or Dragon Door, please check out this outstanding article by Ken Black.

http://http://www.dragondoor.com/articler/mode3/375/

Sunday workout....had to do something!

The LASIK surgery worked liked gangbusters! I saw 20/15 later that afternoon, then a self check at the Costco today showed I had 20/10. Not too bad considering I was practically blind! Dr. Liang is a master at what he does. I slept most of Saturday, and slept in late this morning. Still staying strong on the Warrior Diet. Today's underfeeding consisted of water, coffee, handful of raw almonds, 6 oz organic blueberry yogurt, and a small handful of raspberries.

I just had my workout which consisted of:

JM drills
C&P rite of passage ladder
(1,2,3) x 6

Treadmill sprints
30 secs sprint/30 secs recovery x 15 variable speeds
(6mph/7mph/8mph/9mph/10mph) x 3
I started off slow since I wasn't sure how I would react after the eye surgery. So far so good! I can't wait to head down to my old stomping grounds....Southern California! I am looking for a good breakfast (not a WD day) at Swami's in Encinitas!

I posted my bio on Dragon Door (finally got the hang of html...somewhat). It is very cool to know you are an official RKC. Keeps me motivated to train!

Still going strong on the WD!

Funny how it is. If you don't think about eating, you focus on other things. If all you think about is your next meal in two-three hours, then you get a little obsessed. I think it has helped me, going through a fasting period in the past. I have read Paul Bragg's book on fasting. If you are unfamiliar with Paul Bragg, he is the nutritionist who inspired Jack LaLanne to follow a lifetime of fitness and healthy eating. Paul practiced what he preached, and he died in his 90's. How did he die? He died while body surfing in Hawaii! Paul and Jack, men in their 90s and still active is how I want to live when I die. We all have to die, but the quality of life in your later years means so much. I have known many bitter people who live in the past. When their past is shorter than the bitter years alive, I can't help but feel sorry for them.

I finally took the plunge and got Lasik surgery. I have been wearing glasses since I was 8 years old. 30 years later, I have 20/20 vision when it was 20/800. Thank you Dr. Liang of Sacramento!

I will take a break from my training for a few days until I feel comfortable going back to training. I will get on the treadmil for some short sprints and/or walking just to keep the body moving, and of course my joint mobility drills.

Earlier workouts:
Wed:
JM drils
C & P long cycle:
Ladders (1,2,3,4,5) X 1
(1,2,3,4) X 3

Thurs:
JM drills
Snatch ladders 24kg
5-10-5-10-5-10

That's all she wrote. I did the workout prior to the "feast" to mimic the feast after the kill! (beat your chest and proclaim your territory! :)

Day 2 on the Warrior Diet

I felt great on the 2nd day, and did not feel hungry. The night time overeating phase definitely satiates the mind as well as the body. Daytime consisted of a glass of fresh carrot/pineapple/cucumber/celery juice, later on in the day, a handful of raw almonds, and 3 celery stalks with organic peanut butter (probably about 5 hours apart.) Lots of water, and black coffee, too. Nighttime consisted of 7 egg whites and 3 egg yolks. 1 whole bell pepper, 1/2 onion, 1 can of salmon, 1/4 cup of crushed almonds, 1 cup of brown rice, and 1 cup of ice cream for dessert. (It was a good hunt-kill :) )

The workout prior to the meal was simple but it felt good.

JM drills
Swings 24kg 1 X 10

C & P (long cycle) 24kg
Rite of Passage ladders
(1,2,3,4,5) x 1
(1,2,3,4) x 2
No rest between reps, left then immed. to the right.

Short and sweet and then it was time to eat!

I started the Warrior Diet today. I hate the word "diet" because it seems so limiting, but I like the philosophy behind it. Thanks to powerhouses like Mark Reifkind, I feel confident I will not lose strength while applying the WD principles of undereating/overeating. Underate all day, and did this workout at 5:30 pm.

Sled pulls warmup (90lbs)
50 yds forward x 2
50 yds rear x 2

Deadlift:
135x 3
225x2
275 x 1
315 x failed
225x 2
135 x 3
295 x 1 (PR, I know not much, but I never really deadlifted before!)
245 x 2
155 x 3

Dips
Bw only
5-10-5-10-5-10-5-10

BW: #201 lbs.
BF: Unk.

Got my Enter the Kettlebell!

Thursday:


Jump rope warmup 30:30sec x 3 (work:rest)
1:00/:30, 1:00/:30 1:30/:30 1:00/30

Sled pulls w/90 lbs
Forward run 50 yds/75 yds/100 yds
Rear w/row 50 yds/50 yds
Rear run 50 yds/50 yds

I really like my sled! I have never done this type of work before and I really feel it! 10 am, and the humidity just about killed me! The really cool thing was the local fire Pipes and Drum corps were practicing in the parking lot next to the strip of field I was working. Next time I will bring my bells and throw them! The pipes really fit the training ambience.

Saturday morning.

I received my ETKB book from the UPS guy last night. I am pretty sure he was happy that it wasn't a big box from Dragon Door! Skimmed through the book last night, and I have to admit, it definitely supercedes the first RKC book. The growth that occurred in the last 5 years really shows. (Nice that you are quoted in the book, Rif!)

I tried the C and P Rite of Passage ladders. It worked great since I have to leave for a long day at the other academy I work (Los Rios community college). That academy is going through their defensive tactics test. (Same 2.5 hr test).

I did the three sets of ladders long cycle (1, 2, 3) with the 24kg. It was too light. Unfortunately all my other bells are at the academy gym. I will try to hit it again tonight. This seemed more of a nice warmup.

I got my RKC instructor certificate yesterday. I am still very proud of that achievement. Unlike many of you, I was not allowed to participate in sports as a kid, I could only lift weights. It wasn't until I became 18 that I started Okinawan hard style martial arts (Isshin-ryu) to make up for lost time. Isshinryu turned to TKD, then BJJ, and Aikido, as well as police defensive tactics. I love the combative arts! Certainly, some KB workouts feel like you've been in a fight!

At any rate, I felt like posting the pic of the teammates who enjoyed the pain with me!

Wednesday's workout

JM drills
Halos w/ 16kg 10L/10R x 2

Swings 24kg 10 x 4
32kg 10 x 2

Double Cleans
2-24kg 5 x 1
2-32kg 3 x 1 then 5 x 3

Pullups 8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1= 36 (60 secs rest)

This workout seemed to be sorely needed as a stress reliever. It is such a great reminder on yet another reason to workout, to release all the negative energy, and return the good energy back to the body!

I can't wait for my copy of Enter the Kettlebell! I think it is a great title for the book, an homage to Bruce Lee, no less.

I finally got to see the bootleg of the Hughes v. Gracie fight. (It got yanked off youtube.com again, though.) My two cents: phenomenal that Royce was beaten by classical Gracie Jiujitsu. That fight reminded me of previous Royce fights, other than the fact he was on the receiving end. I wonder how Royce would have fared if he had worked out with kettlebells? Just a thought...it certainly didn't hurt Frank Shamrock. Another thing came to mind, the basics, the basics, the basics. Clinch, side mount, kimura lock, rear mount with hooks, all things I had learned as a white belt in BJJ. Applying that to my training, swings, snatches, cleans/presses and jerks, front squats, pullups, pushups, ab work.

Off to work on my article for work.

Tues. workout

JM drills
swings-doubles-singles-darc swing
Jerks- Double 16kg 5-10-15 , Double 24kg. 5-10-15 x 2
Janda situps 7-4-4-3
Tire flips 3x3
Sledgehammer 10L/10R x 4
Dips (superset with sledgehammer)
5x5

That's it. Felt very primal afterwards! Still can't seem to shake whatever is wracking my body. But, I don't feel so bad that I can't train.

Monday

It has been a busy weekend! I had the pleasure of watching my recruits survive their 2.5 hour long defensive tactics final! (I am one of their assistant instructors, and their lead PT instructor.)

It was great to see how their cardiovascular endurance, and fluid body movement (lots of joint mobility drills) along with their def-tact training went hand in hand. To give you an idea, the last portion of their test requires them to be in a circle and they are surrounded by approx. 11 or so of their peers who are also taking the test. One by one, their peers attack them with a variety of attacks, and the student must respond to the attack. It is a beautiful thing to see!

This bug is hanging on, but I made myself train a little today. A couple of my coworkers are starting to get the KB bug, and it is good training for me to train someone in an informal manner. Here's what we did today.

JM drills
Sled drags (Ken, the sled is awesome!) Walking back, walking forward, side to side hip torque

Swings
Figure8s
Slingshots

Swings to a throw
Walking swings
Racked KB Lunge
Racked KB lunge press

Overhead KB walk-racked-farmers walk 60 yards x 2
Bottoms up clean
Bottoms up press
snatch

more of a show and do session than a formal workout. Trained outside in the morning sun. Beautiful!

I missed the Hughes vs. Gracie fight, but I got the rundown from people at work and on the Dragon Door forum. I am very impressed that Gracie got into the octagon. He has nothing to prove after all he has done for the sport. The introduction of the original UFC has got to be one of the pivotal points in martial arts training for the last 2 decades. Watching some of the old Bruce Lee footage of his philosphy of where he wanted martial arts to go, it made me wonder if he would have done something like the UFC way before Rorion Gracie. The UFC of today is certainly more of a sport than the original "No Rules, NHB" concept. I mean, in a real fight, they don't pull you apart and make you restart in a standing position if a third party thinks there isn't enough action. Of course, the way it is now sells more future tickets. Who can forget those old matches where they circled each other for 10-15 minutes, and then had 30 secs. of action to a submission. Ok, I digress.

I am going to the Spring 2007 RKC as an assistant instructor! I am excited and honored at the idea of going. I have 10 months or so to hone my technique, and lose some body fat. I really should make that more of a priority.

Feeling Better!

But, I still thought I should ease back into my workout. It is better to proceed slowly until I feel 100% complete. Still,

JM drills- 10 mins.

Snatches 24kg 5, 10, 5, 10, 5 , 10

Side bends 2-24kg 5-10-10

That's all she wrote. I felt like I purged some of the bad ju-ju out of my body.

It makes you realize that sometimes, we take our health for granted. I read on Franz Snideman's blog about having to take his wife to the ER. Now, his wife, Yoana, is an extremely fit and strong person. Just check out their blog and stats! But, she self admittedly talked about creating balance in life. That really hit home with me since I am a workaholic with my two separate job related demands, as well as this quest of continued fitness called KB lifting. Getting rocked with this bug is nothing compared to Yoana's experience (she is well, now, thank God!) but it is a self-reminder to prioritize and create balance.

Update

Sorry for the lack of posting.....I will try to give a brief update.

I taught Ken Black's KB class last Sat. while he was assisting at the last Pavel-Mike Mahler workshop. Two ladies in his class (Patty and Kathy)snatched a heavier kettlebell at the end of class, so I was very excited about that.

Then, unfortunately for me someone in my class or family brought home a flu bug, and it has me rocked! I am detoxing and letting the body heal itself with lots of distilled water and sleep. (Paul Bragg, the person who inspired Jack LaLanne to follow a life of health introduced this method in his book, The Art of Fasting. For ideas from the 20's and 30's, once again old school rules!)

I am looking forward to getting back in the KB saddle for myself.

I am teaching co-workers of my the basics of KB training (Level 1). This is good hands on experience for me, and I will get very honest feedback from them. (They are a brutally honest bunch!)

That's all for now. I led a class with my co=workers today, and that little bit kicked my butt!
Time to go back to sleep.

Wednesday's workout

I thought I'd change gears a little and try some of the core exercises from Steve Maxwell's DVD, Abs, Back and Core. Great Stuff, and I think it is very cool that he has his family involved in the demonstration of the exercises.

JM drill/good morning stretch
Swings 24kg 3 x 10
40kg 3 sets of 5

Janda situps set 1: 2 reps
Set 2: 3
Set 3: 1
Set 4: 2
(These are the first time since the Pavel seminar a couple of years ago at the Learning Exchaneg that I have tried to do these. Tough exercise!)

Russian Situp w/ 12kg
Set 1: 3l/3R
Set 2: 4 L/4R
Set 3: 5l/5r
Russian Twist w 12kg
Set 1: 5/5
Set2: 10/10
Set3: 15/15

See-saw bend: 24kg
SET 1: NO ELBOW BEND 10/10
Set 2: w/bend 10/10
Set 3: w bend 10/10

TGU w/windmill w/16kg
Set 1: 3l/3 r should have done these first!

Good morning stretch w/40 kg
RKC armbars

Bulldog snatch

ok, now that I am awake.......4:13 am, and baby in arm.... i can finish the last workout posting. I snatched the bulldog 1L/1R x 2. I had my friend take a pic for the blog.
As you can see, my left hand took a little more effort.

Updated training

Monday's workout:

I ran a kettlebell class with some of my students (small group of 10) and I worked out with them.
JM drills puls halos (10L/10R)
Basic re-introduction to the swing, corrected the form.
Swing into A KB throw
High Pull
Swing/High pull combo
Swing High pull/Snatch combo
Walking swings
Mil. Press
Front Squat
Squat Flip Clean
Renegade Row
One leg deadlift
Around the body pass
Figure 8
Overhead locked out walk, then walk with KB racked 100 ft each.
and finished it off with a 90 sec. round of swings.


TUES. WORKOUT

JM Drills 10 mins.

I did "A Minimalist Power Routine" from Pavel's blog.
Double snatch/double Mil. Press into a double front squat= 1 rep
1 rep per minute. Goal is 30.
I almost made 25 in 24 mins. I lost pressurization in the bottom of the front squat and I had to ditch the bells at rep 25.

Then I held a mini-seminar with 4 of my co-workers and taught them the following:
JM drills plus hip flexor stretch, and front squat
Swing (2 hand and 1 hand)
Swing/high pull
Clean
Swing/highpull/snatch
Mil press.
front squat
Around the body pass
Figure 8s
And finish off with a pass around the body.

Then, I got a wild hair and snatched the Bulldog 1 time left.
What a rush!

It has been good to practice with my students, and co-workers. It's about selling yourself and what you know. I think I have some new converts to the Party Method!

I am starting to fall asleep at the keyboard. Good night

Saturday's workout

Feeling pretty tired from all that has happened today. (Family medical crisis of wife's grandparent's over the weekend.) Short and sweet.

JM drills (helped clear out the cobwebs).

Swings 32kg 1 x 5, 1 x 10

Snatch 32kg 5 x 5

That's it. Kind of just blow the pipes out. Tomorrow is Mother's day, and I will be manning the stove!

"The healthy man has a thousand wishes, the unhealthy man but one."

Friday was a day off. It allowed me time to take a breather and meditate to rest the brain and soul. There is so much that can pull you and try to control your life, leaving you to try and catch your breath. Or you can step back, reorganize, prioritize, and take control of your life. There is so much negativity that can surround you if you let it.

Everytime I take a step back and count my blessings, I know I have no room to complain.

I hope everyone has a happy Mother's day tomorrow. My mother passed away 3 years ago after cancer came unexpectedly and by the time it was caught and diagnosed, it was too late. My wife is a mother now and will get those accolades as she is absolutely amazing.

I will get a workout later tonight, and I will post it afterwards.

TRAIN WELL!

Thursday's workout

JM drills 10 mins.

Windmills 16kg. 3 x 5

Hindu Squats 1 min.
Burpees 1 min.
Alt. cross knee/elbow situps 1 min.

BJJ 45 mins.
BJJ floor drills 10 mins.
grappling-35 mins.

I am very fortunate that my colleague is an exceptional BJJ purple belt whose combative skills are street tested. Training with KBs has really charged up my conditioning for BJJ!

Wed's workout

First try with HOC:

JM drills

25 mins On the track. 8 kg 10L/10R

Ok, I know.....8kg is tiny. I guess I was just giving it a test drive. I will use a bigger KB on my next HOC. Still felt pretty good, and got a good sweat.

Love My Bulldog

Tuesday's workout:

JM drills 10 mins.

I had problems trying the pistol and today I felt pretty good. I couldn't complete one unweighted, but I felt good tension going to rock bottom. So I tried it with a 16kg and I got my first pistol! I was so stoked! I did 3 sets of 1 rep each leg. Another new breakthrough for me.

Swings 40kg 5 x 5 to warm up

Double Snatch 2-24kg 5 x 5

Double Clean, lunge, up to a Mil. Press 2-24kg 3 x 3

Then, because I felt a surge of energy, I did one set of one rep, Clean and Jerk with the Bulldog.

I will shift gears in the next couple of weeks for more of a HOC workout to mix things up.

Time to Take the Bulldog out for playtime

Sunday's workout:

I thought I would be spent from working in the yard but, a catnap and lots of water later, it was time to take the bulldog out to play.

JM drills
halo 16 kg 10L/10R
Swings 24kg 2 x 10

Swings 40kg 5 x 10

Clean 40kg 3 x 3

Snatch 24kg 3 x 10

Cool down:
Good morning stretch 40 kg
Sun Salute with 16kg

I am constantly amazed at the difference of how I feel training with KBs compared to lifting traditionaly weights. I had purchased those expensive Power Blocks, and I have not used them anywhere near as much as I have used KBs. Plus, even though I was tired, focusing onn technique and just getting an agressive attitude to KB lifting lifts your spirits up. I feel ready to start the week! Less than 8 weeks until the current academy class graduates. It's going to get busier!

Saturday's Workout

Went to Ken Black's class for a fun workout. Everyone was there from the class (to see a pic of the class, click on the link to Ken's web site) and was very nice about congratulating me for passing the RKC.

First, Joint mobility (JM) drills

Warmups consisted of swings, around the body pass, swings, tactical lunge, swings, figure 8s, swings, and presses.

Work set: sets of swings (double hand-10 or singles 5 each)
Burpees
Farmers Walk
Mountain Climbers
(Repeat)

Cool down stretches

Great time! Ken showed me the bottoms up floor press. Tough drill-full body tension for the 20 kg.

Wednesday's workout

I didn't have much time before I had to go to my class (Master Instructor Development Program through Calif. POST). I popped in Maureen Martone's DVD, The Busy Woman's workout that I bought for my wife, and 15 mins. later, I was covered in sweat, cardio was pumping, and I was good to go!

Don't let the title fool you, it is not for the weak.

Since my project for the MIDP involves the use of kettlebells, it is fun spreading the word on KBs. No one in the class except for one person had heard of kettlebells. The party message is spreading!

Tuesday's workout

All Right! I got the new shipment of kettlebells in, including my first Bulldog! Hip snapped it into a clean.....but could not press it. Ok, I got my work cut out. Here's today's workout as a result.

JM drills (10 mins)

Halo 16kg 10L/10R

Double Clean and Jerk (Short cycle 2-24kg) 2 x 9 then 8 x 5

Double Push Press (2- 32kg) 3 x 3

Spring nights in Sacramento are awesome, especially when the delta breeze hits just right.

Monday's workout

20 mins JM instructing the academy class.

I ran them through a Manmaker exercise which included:

Front squats (3 x 5)
Hindu Pushups (3 x 10)
DB Thrusters (3 x 10)

Then finished off with sprint work on the track
(jog the curves, sprint the straightaways) 12 mins.

I did the JM drill and pushups with them, but had to check their form on the rest. Easy day for me.

Day One @ RKC

Day 1: I can’t believe I am actually here in St. Paul, Minnesota to participate in the Russian Kettlebell Challenge Instructor certification course. I must have felt like a star struck fool, and I am not one to be star struck over anyone. I think it was just amazing to see all those extremely talented people under one roof. Pavel, John and Andrea Du Cane, Steve Cotter, Steve Maxwell, Brett Jones- all amazingly talented people. I would come to respect them even more as the training commenced.

First things first, we got into a big circle, and the mike was handed around to everyone for introductions. There were a couple of other cops, and firefighters in the bunch, but overwhelmingly, the number is extremely varied in their experience and professions. There was a chiropractor in the group, as well as an Olympic athlete. Several were gym owners, many college level athletes, and well as powerlifters, and or gymnasts. Many had been using kettlebells on average for 2 years, and some were very new to kettlebell lifting.

After our introductions, we were told to get into our groups (I was in Team Du Cane led by Andrea Du Cane, Sr.RKC) and meet our assistant instructors. (Will Williams, Monica Cuevas, Mykola Machnowski, and one who I am ashamed to say I forget his name).

Then it was off to the dreaded snatch test!

We were told (barked at is more like it!) to do the test in threes. I was so nervous, I stepped up to get it out of the way. I knew if I waited, then I would get more and more nervous. As I started snatching the bell, I realized my breathing was all off, and I heard Mykola saying “pick up the pace”. Right then, I became worried I was not going to pass the test, and I was only around rep number 24 on the left side. I think I went on auto-pilot as my body began to do what I wanted it to do. I settled down my breathing and became focused on not getting any “no-counts” (that’s where you perform the lift, and they don’t count it due to not locking out the arm or wrist). I instinctively remember my body and mind separating as I realized he was counting straight through to 74 instead of how I normally count which is starting from “1” when I switch hands. I then started to try and count how many I had left to do. By the time I figured it out, Mykola was counting 65, 66, 67, and I thought to myself, there is NO WAY I am not going to complete this! I could hear people shouting encouragement behind me, and that really pumped me up to where I did not feel any pain. When I hit 74, I lowered the bell under control and set it down. WOOHOO!

Then we were told to choose a kettlebell that we would be working with most of the time. I did not let ego get in the way. Even though I routinely work with the 24kg, (doubles, even, I knew the three days were going to be very physical. So I swallowed my ego, and grabbed the 16 kg. bell. Ironically, many of those who grabbed the 24 kg later came back to grab the 16 kg. We were told that we were going to “bond” with our kettlebell. We would have to carry it wherever we went. Since the weather was being schizophrenic (sun one moment, icy wind and rain the next, then sun again) we constantly farmer walked our bells inside and out. I think that was part of the plan! I loved the stress of “low-tech, high concept” strength and endurance training.

The workouts were swings, swings, and more swings! If you think you were performing the swing correctly, you were wrong! Drills, drills, high endurance drills, and then more!

This day set the pace for the rest of the weekend. There was no room for comfort. Lunch and dinner had a possibility of being cancelled. As Steve Maxwell humorously put it, “you could all live off your body fat for a few days!”

Sr RKC Instructor Brett Jones addressed the class. He made it very clear that no one would just “get” the cert because we showed up and paid our money. We had to prove that we were worthy to call ourselves RKCs because when we called ourselves RKCs, we represented him, Pavel, John, Andrea, Steve Cotter, Steve Maxwell, and all the other RKCs. It is a small community and they did not want its reputation ruined by those who lacked the qualities to be an RKC.

When the day was over, there was no doubt in anyone else’s minds that we were in for some work that included blood, sweat and tears. I was so happy that day one was under our belt, and I was looking forward to dinner, and day 2 of training. The body was sore, but curiously, I felt a strange sense of strength knowing I completed the first day of the RKC.

1st Workout since the RKC

Sunday April 30, 2006

It's been a week since the RKC. I feel good, and have been eating well to let the body recover. I have been going a little stir crazy not hitting the KBs since I went with the family to visit friends in Michigan right after the cert. We even went into Windsor, Canada since it is right across the bridge from Detroit.

CAUTION: Despite what it says on the internet, definitely bring your birth certificate or your passport. You will face major delays trying to get back in over the border.

Workout:

Joint Mobility Drills (did the whole Steve Maxwell tape:20 mins. He is an awesome person. Quite inspiring.)

BWO dead hang pullups 5 x 5 (body weight 204.5 lbs)

Double Clean and Press (long cycle) 2-24kg 5 x 5

Double Front Squat 2-24kg 5 x 5

Windmills 16 kg 3 x 3

I am paying serious attention to strict form. Pressurize the abs, shoulders sucked in the socket, pulling down with the hip flexors, opening up the chest, push out/hinge the hips, breathe behind the shield.

I feel good in the summer night! I just have to get some mosquito spray!

RKC- What an EXPERIENCE

Back from the April RKC

MY RKC EXPERIENCE: APRIL 2006

Pre RKC: I am in St. Paul, and Cheri and I went to the Meet and Greet in the Hospitality suite. This room was full of testosterone and muscles, but I did not see any of the attitudes normally associated with a room full of A type personalities. Everyone seemed to feel the way I did, excited, but nervous about day 1. The big snatch test was on everyone’s minds. For myself, I thought I would come in weighing 198 in order to snatch the 1.5 pood (53 lbs.) 64 times. But a couple of weeks out, I weighed 202-205. I thought about dieting down, but in the end, thanks to reading several posts on Dragon Door, (Thanks Mark Riefkind) I realized I would be better served by eating well, and coming in strong. I have to admit, not trying to diet down kept my stress levels down, and I was really excited to start my snatch test. I ran into Tom Shook, the other RKC hopeful previously trained by Ken Black. He had taken a seminar with Ken in the past with his dad. I was not at that seminar, so we had only heard of each other from Ken. I also met Kenneth Jay from Denmark who was conducting a study on the effects of kettlebell training on untrained persons vs. traditional training methods. I am looking forward to his study being published. I did not stay long, but I took note that I was on Team Du Cane. As I was leaving, Pavel Tsatsouline, Kettlebell guru, walked into the room. He shook my hand and he asked where I was from. He stopped when I said, Sacramento, got a new look in his face, and said, we’ve met before! He had remembered me from the Learning Exchange Power to the People/Super Joints seminar in 2004. I was very stoked that he remembered me two years after the fact. Pavel is very down to earth, approachable, and extremely knowledgeable beyond compare.

I went to bed very excited to start the RKC and hit my numbers in the snatch test!