Still training

So I haven't fallen off the bandwagon in regards to training -- just with the updates. :)

I have increased the weight each workout by 5 lbs. as planned, and just deadlifted 225 lbs. x 5 on Friday (which felt easy). I've taken the weekend off, and will be deadlifting again tomorrow. There's going to be a deadlifting competition at the gym Doug and I train at this Saturday, so I think I might do it just for the heck of it, and for the experience.

That's pretty much all there is to say right now. Lata!

I think I found my quads...

But I didn't know I'd lost them.

Day 4

DL: 1x5, 190 lbs.
1x5, 170 lbs.

MP: 3x1, 20kg

Pull ups: 3x1


Day 5 (My lifts felt weak today; I took the weekend off after this to recover)

DL: 1x5, 195 lbs.
1x5, 175 lbs.

MP: 2x1, 10kg
Swings: 3x15 32kg

Day 6 (Here is where I made an interesting connection)

DL: 1x5, 200 lbs.
1x5, 185 lbs.

MP: 3x1, 20kg
Swings: 3x15 40kg


So it occurred to me while I was walking up to the bar to dead lift it that, sometimes, one rep will feel significantly easier to me than, say, the one immediately prior to it. I know that my deadlift form is good, but there was obviously something that was changing ever so slightly between reps.

I found the following:
- I learned to deadlift with my gaze down and in front of me, with a neutral spine. If I raise my gaze up a few degrees, so that my neck is in slight extension, my lift is stronger.
- My focus is in my heels so much, that I forget about my toes. They never leave the ground, but I don't root my entire foot with my intentions. When I grip the ground with my entire foot, my lift is stronger. Perhaps an obvious one, but I've found that my intention alone has made a huge difference -- like when I grip the ground with my toes, my quads fire much, much more. Strange as it may sound, I've never really thought about my quads when deadlifting; I've always lifted from my glutes. I'm curious to see what happens now...

Here we go

Life has been amazingly, immensely, endlessly FULL. It has, for the most part, been filled with one incredible thing after another (RKC in Italy, HKC in San Diego, pouring wine at the wine festival in Paso Robles for my aunt and uncle's winery, motorcycle modifications and rides); and of course, things not quite so fun, like finals. I also recently started working part time as a receptionist at a medical office, so that will be filling time, as well.


Something very cool happened last week. For whatever reason, I have had a mental block against pressing anything heavier than the 16kg. I was fairly certain it wasn't a matter of lack of strength, because I can do a Get Up with a 32kg, and I can snatch the 24kg relatively easily; I have even snatched the 32kg once. So, I didn't feel it was a matter of not being strong enough. I certainly didn't trust myself to press it, though.



A couple of days after the La Jolla HKC, where I talked about this issue with Franz and Yoana Snideman, and also with a couple of the participants, Doug and I went to the gym. I did a couple of sets of 5 reps of cleans with the 32kg, and a couple of sets of a couple of reps with the 40kg, and looked over at the 20kg. I decided it was small. Upon deciding that, I cleaned it, and pressed it on both my left and right side. I've gotten it consistently since. :)

So, now that I'm home for awhile, my training will be back on track. I still have every intention of deadlifting 400 lbs., and here's how it's going to happen:

-My current 1 rep max is 305 lbs.
- I am going to follow Pavel's "Power to the People" regimen. For those of you who are familiar with the different cycles, I will be following the Flexible Wave Cycle. This means I started with weight that I can easily do 10 reps with. I will then perform 5 reps with this weight for 1 set, go down to 90% of that weight, and do 5 more reps. And that's it, for deadlifts, for the day. Each day, I will increase by 5 pounds.
- To complement the pulls, I am doing presses, as well. I am also GTG with pull ups.
-I will also be doing heavy swings (meaning swings with a kettlebell that is ≥32kg).

So far:

Day 1
DLs: 1x5, 135lbs.
1x5, 120lbs.
MP: 5x1, 20kg
Pull ups:
3x1

Day 2 (missed a day, so I added 10 lbs)
DLs: 1x5, 145 lbs.
1x5, 130 lbs.
MP: 5x1, 20kg
Pull ups:
3x1

Day 3

DLs: 1x5, 185 lbs. (at this point, I figured this was a better starting point for me)
1x5, 165 lbs.

MP: 5x1, 20kg (I attempted the 24kg with my right side after the 3rd set; it went up halfway. I'll have to try it again fresh...)

Pull ups:
3x1


I am very, very excited to see where this takes me. :)

I've decided

I want to deadlift 400 lbs.

Training shniz

It's been an eon or two since I've posted anything on here. I have no excuse really other than I haven't had much I wanted to say, and I haven't really thought about my lack of blogging. I am remedying this now, though.

My workouts have had no real theme to them. I've just been doing what I feel like doing when it comes time to lift some weight. A couple of weeks ago I worked out with a friend and did a standard, bodybuilding-type of gym workout -- it was his "back" day, so I did the same. I have to admit, it was a lot of fun, and it was nice to throw something different in the routine; I was laughing at myself the whole time though. It just felt bad. My joints just did not like the constrictive movements that a barbell, or any other linear device, forces them to follow.

Wednesday I decided to do some deadlifts, since I hadn't in a little while:
185 x 5
225 x 5 x 2
285 x 1 x 2

285 felt heavy, but my form felt very solid, with very few leaks in tension.

Yesterday, Doug and I took advantage of what an incredibly beautiful day it was and went for a hike (Seven Falls). We explored off trail a bit, ended up wandering around for about 2 1/2 hours, and I found out that my hiking boots, after 5 years, have very little traction anymore -- as a result, I ended up quite wet from mid-thigh, down. :) We had a great time though, and we'll definitely be doing more of that.

Today's kettlebell class consisted of:

Warm up (24kg swings, 12kg halos, 16kg around-the-worlds)
-Single bell overheard walk (16kg) ~200 feet, switch sides and go back
-20kg goblet squats, 5 x 2
-Complex (5 reps of each, 16kg for all):
1) Snatch (both sides)
2) Goblet squat
3) Military press
4) Goblet squat

= 1 set; completed 3 sets.

-Complex (10 reps of each, 16kg for all):
1) Two-handed swings
2) Reverse lunge with kb in the goblet position
3) Up-chucks

= 1 set; completed 3 sets.

-16kg:
50 feet: overhead walk
50 feet: rack walk
50 feet: overhead walk
50 feet: rack walk

= 1 set; completed 2 sets.

-24kg one-bell bear crawls x 2
-Farmer's walks: ~100 feet, 20kg and 24kg, switching sides at ~100 feet and returning.
1) First set (200 feet) standard Farmer's walk
2) Second and third sets goose-neck Farmer's walks

-2 sets of 5 windmills

Done.

New Kettlebell Classes

Hey all,

Starting Monday, March 15th, I will be holding kettlebell classes in Santa Barbara at Arroyo Burro/Hendry's Beach. If you need directions, see the Google Map included in the class schedule to the right.

Classes will be held at Monday and Thursday mornings at 9AM - 10AM, and Monday evenings 6PM - 7PM. We'll see how this schedule works out for everyone, and then we'll go from there.

I'm very excited to be spreading the kettlebell bug that has so changed my life -- and all for the better!

I am so blessed.

I feel overcome and utterly humbled by the insurmountable, immeasurable amounts of love, support and encouragement that I receive on a daily basis from my dearest, beloved Doug, my incredible, incomparable family, and my wonderful extended family (aka, friends). I know there are so many out there that have so little, perhaps more now than ever in so many ways. Yet here I am, with the most extraordinary support system and foundation that I could ever imagine. How did I get to be so fortunate?

THANK you.