Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Cindy's training and my new wheel barrow

I picked up my wheel barrow today. I'm supposed to do the barrow runs on Saturday, but I might do some tomorrow. It's pretty sweet.
I ran through a circuit today at the finish of my workout that proved to be much more punishing than I thought it would. Do not try this unless you already have good conditioning and a very strong lower back.

3 Rounds of:

1. 3-5 reps of overhead sit ups. Using a decline bench lock your legs in and raise two dumbells straight overhead. Maintain them overhead as you do full ROM sit ups. You should feel this hitting your lower back a lot. I started with two 35's but scaled back a bit as I can feel how you could easily injure yourself doing this.
2. 3 one arm push ups each side.
3. 5 L-Seat pull ups.

Below is some video of Cindy Glass RKC doing a circuit for general conditioning in preparation for the upcoming TSC.
Her circuit was structured like so:

4 rounds total.

1. Snatches- 12 kilos. 1st round= 1 minute of snatches. 2nd round= 2 minutes, etc.
2. 10 Scorpions.
3. 5 plank pops. Basically you start in the plank and pop up using explosive power into the up position of a push-up.
4. 5 Hindu Push Ups.
5. a 30 second L-Seat on two kettlebells.

Good times.



I would like to note that Cindy is also working with the extremely capable Mark Reifkind, Senior RKC in preparation for the TSC on more specific tasks, to include her new pink lifting belt. :)
Check out Mark's site at http://giryastrength.com

11 comments:

  1. Hey Jordan just so you know those decline situps with the DBs are called "Atomic Situps" and I would recommend repping them out instead of going heavy. You SHOULD NOT feel any of the movement in your lower back, but instead all abs and shoulders(from the DBs). I usually perform 15-20 reps with 15-20# weights give or take.

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  2. Curious why you don't have her fall back into the squat position after "snatching" the KB into the top position? You see to me what she's doing simply appears to be a full range KB swing moreover a KB snatch.

    Even in a short range snatch you ought to absorb the weight of not only the KB, but also the bodyweight coming down after the power of the upward movement with your legs.

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  3. I like the effect I'm achieving with my version of these sit ups, so I'll keep them like that.
    As to the snatch form, that dip and stand is an option, not a requirement, and something I mostly see in Fluid Style.
    Bob, seeing as Cindy is an RKC and trains under a Senior RKC, I'm going to go ahead and say her snatch form is just fine.

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  4. Alright Jordan. I was just curious because I was looking out for the health and conditioning of the knees and that's what I recommend to my clients as well. Above the knee protection I think the dip offers a bit more of the quad and hip strengthening/stability as well.

    I just noticed her snatch was a bit more stiff in the upper arm/elbow region than I'm used to seeing. That's why I made the reference about it appearing to be merely a more explosive swing rather than a snatch.

    Either way- whatever the preference- I'm sure the job gets done.

    Thanks for addressing my questions and concerns. I write in because I am curious and if I am there's a good chance others are too. I like being the voice. :)

    Maybe Cindy and some of your other clients can chime in from time to time. I'd like to hear what they have to say as well since they are under your direct watch so to speak.

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  5. Are you referring to the 'lockout'? If so, the lockout is important to extended performance. Often when we snatch it is for 25 minutes of 15/15 or for 10 minutes straight with no pause. If you're not locking out you're arm will be exhausted before you get anywhere near the end of the set. What you are seeing as potential for 'shock' is actually the manner in which you reap the true joint health benefits of kettlebell snatching. I suggest taking a look at some of the American Kettlebell Club videos on youtube and watching the myriad of snatch forms on there, none of which are wrong, just different. I also feel everyone is capable of speaking for themselves, but thanks for the interest. By the way, I was stationed next to you in Yorktown with the Marines.

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  6. Oh I absolutely believe about and practice the lockout. I was referring to the upward arm motion. I've always been taught to relax the elbow joint and muscles as much as possible and from the initial shrug/pull until the arm is at the position right before lockout.

    I have to figure out my vid cam issues and take some shots for you to see what I mean exactly.

    Also by Yorktown are you meaning where I'm originally from in IL or in AZ cause I'm not sure where Yorktown is around here as I've never heard of it. I live in the southwest suburbs of Phoenix.

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  7. Oh and I'm planning on trying the 15/15 and the 10 min. one. I'm used to my workouts being non-stopped. 95% of them are structured that way. I usually never take any breaks unless I feel as if my body is truly gonna break and then it's only for a brief 5-10s "Recovery Period" then I keep on pushing through.

    I love training myself and my clients that way as you get the best of both worlds- aerobic and anaerobic.

    The 15/15 looks enticing for me because I train Tabata(10s on and 10s off) from time to time and always enjoy that sort of training.

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  8. Yorktown, VA Bob. You know, Virginia. Where you were staitoned in Norfolk. Like your bio says.
    If you do 15/15 make sure you're using a 16 kilo and trying to keep a 6-7 rep per 15 second cadence. 25 minutes.

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  9. VA LOL Gotcha! It's been 10 years since I've been there so I wasn't thinking of Virginia. I was confused because back home in IL there was a Yorktown near where I lived, but no military there. LOL

    I will give the 16kilo a try next week most likely. I turn 30 on the 29th and I'm planning a 30th Birthday Challenge for myself which will extend for a full 30 days after my actual birth day date as well. I plan to cause as much healthy physical pain upon myself as I can during that time and I want to have great workouts too. You should check out my blog that I'm gonna keep during that time.

    Here's the link: http://bobgaronbirthdaychallenge.blogspot.com/

    or you can get to it by the links on the right side of my website as well: www.synergybootcamp.com

    Let me know what you think about my long listed Special Birthday Workout. LOL Normally I don't train that way, but thought it would be interesting.

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  10. One thing to bear in mind is that the Max VO2 15/15 isn't a once in a while tabata type drill. It's 2-3 times a week depending on your goal.

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  11. Oh I understand that, but with my current training program I perform a different workout every time and so this would certainly be a once in a while performance.

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