9/26
Nursing something with my elbow, hence the split in the later rounds.
Getups 12, 16, 18, 24, 28, 32 right/24 left, 32 right/24 left - PR for 2 reps with 32kg right side :)
2-hand swings - 10 rounds using 24, 28, 32 kg bells for 21 rep sets, 7 reps each bell
9/30
Heavy Military Press Day
12kg x 3/3 - bell only, 12kg+ Chain X 3+3/3+3 (this means 3 with chain, strip chain and do another 3 with chain)
16kg x 3/3 - bell only, 16kg+ Chain X 3+3/3+3
18kg x 3/3 - bell only, 18kg+ Chain X 3+3/3+3
24 kg x 3/3 - bell only
28 kg x 1 right side/24 kg x 3 left side - bell only
28 kg x 2 right side/24 kg x 3 left - bell only
28 kg x 1, 24 kg x 2 right side, 24 kg x 3 left side
28 kg x 1, 24 kg x 2 right side, 24 kg x 3 left side
28 kg x 1, 24 kg x 2 right side, 24 kg x 3 left side
18kg+ Chain X 3+3/3+3
16kg+ Chain X 3+3/3+3
12kg+ Chain X 3+3/3+3
2-hand swings
10 sets using 24, 28 and 32 kg bells in ascending order, 7 reps each bell
I teach Yoga, Hardstyle Kettlebells and barbells.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Thursday, September 26, 2013
A simple fat-loss diet.
There are no calorie restrictions (except for the starches) on this plan. Eat as much as you want of each food. Please PM me any questions about substitutions.
Meal #1 3-6 eggs, cooked or raw. Add as many vegetables as you can handle, the more the better!
Meal #2- Big Salad - mix any 5-6 raw vegetables + raw nuts/seeds. The nuts/seeds are important as there is not much in the way of macronutrients in the vegetables. Use a high-fat low carb dressing. Olive oil + balsamic vinaigrette is my preferred dressing.
Meal #3 Fullfat plain yogurt up to 32 ounces in a sitting. No fruit or sweetner. If you are detoxed off of sugar full fat yogurt should taste sweet to you.
Meal #4 Grass-fed beef + large serving of any vegetables you prefer, raw or lightly cooked. If the veges are not crunchy you over-cooked them!
If you are in training you need to add starches to your diet, either potatoes or rice in any form. You can eat your starches with your last meal of the day (when insulin sensitivity is lowest = better absorbed by muscles for tmrws training ) or chose to eat your starches immediately after training. There is some research that shows that carbs are more readily absorbed in the muscles (as opposed to be poured into the blood stream) immediately after training.
If you are in-training and trying to lose bodyfat most people will do well on about 200 calories a day of starch. If you are lean and not trying to lose bodyfat you can eat up to 400 calories a day of starch.
Remember that we are trying to get at least 200 calories a day from above-ground vegetables. 400 calories of starch + 200 calories of vegetables is close to the limit for almost any person. We are trying to get 25% or less of our calories from carbohydrates. Most people fit in the 1800-2400 daily total calorie required range. 25% of 1800 = 450 calories, 25% of 2400 = 600 calories.
You can easily see how fruit can sabotage your fat-loss efforts as they relate to the amount of carbohydrate I recommend. If you are at the maximum 600 calories of carbohydrates (assuming 2400 total daily calories) and add 2-3 pieces of fruit you are all of a sudden at 900/2400 calories from carbs and that is 37.5% of total calories from carbohydrates, way too much for fat-loss. In addition it is my opinion that eating fruit leads to cravings to eat more fruit! There is absolutely no need for fruit on a fat-loss diet. I'm waiting for somebody to prove to me that fruit is an essential food group but I am not holding my breath. Save your sugars for cheat meals.
You can have bacon or raw nuts at any time during the day so long as you don't think it will hurt your appetite for the next scheduled meal. . I don't typically put limits on portions but try not to go too crazy with the nuts because they do have some carbohydrate in them. 2-3 ounces a day of raw nuts/seeds is plenty.
Meal #1 3-6 eggs, cooked or raw. Add as many vegetables as you can handle, the more the better!
Meal #2- Big Salad - mix any 5-6 raw vegetables + raw nuts/seeds. The nuts/seeds are important as there is not much in the way of macronutrients in the vegetables. Use a high-fat low carb dressing. Olive oil + balsamic vinaigrette is my preferred dressing.
Meal #3 Fullfat plain yogurt up to 32 ounces in a sitting. No fruit or sweetner. If you are detoxed off of sugar full fat yogurt should taste sweet to you.
Meal #4 Grass-fed beef + large serving of any vegetables you prefer, raw or lightly cooked. If the veges are not crunchy you over-cooked them!
If you are in training you need to add starches to your diet, either potatoes or rice in any form. You can eat your starches with your last meal of the day (when insulin sensitivity is lowest = better absorbed by muscles for tmrws training ) or chose to eat your starches immediately after training. There is some research that shows that carbs are more readily absorbed in the muscles (as opposed to be poured into the blood stream) immediately after training.
If you are in-training and trying to lose bodyfat most people will do well on about 200 calories a day of starch. If you are lean and not trying to lose bodyfat you can eat up to 400 calories a day of starch.
Remember that we are trying to get at least 200 calories a day from above-ground vegetables. 400 calories of starch + 200 calories of vegetables is close to the limit for almost any person. We are trying to get 25% or less of our calories from carbohydrates. Most people fit in the 1800-2400 daily total calorie required range. 25% of 1800 = 450 calories, 25% of 2400 = 600 calories.
You can easily see how fruit can sabotage your fat-loss efforts as they relate to the amount of carbohydrate I recommend. If you are at the maximum 600 calories of carbohydrates (assuming 2400 total daily calories) and add 2-3 pieces of fruit you are all of a sudden at 900/2400 calories from carbs and that is 37.5% of total calories from carbohydrates, way too much for fat-loss. In addition it is my opinion that eating fruit leads to cravings to eat more fruit! There is absolutely no need for fruit on a fat-loss diet. I'm waiting for somebody to prove to me that fruit is an essential food group but I am not holding my breath. Save your sugars for cheat meals.
You can have bacon or raw nuts at any time during the day so long as you don't think it will hurt your appetite for the next scheduled meal. . I don't typically put limits on portions but try not to go too crazy with the nuts because they do have some carbohydrate in them. 2-3 ounces a day of raw nuts/seeds is plenty.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Crossfits Dirty Little Secret
Here's an article replying to the recent article going around bashing Crossfit because they overtrain their students. "Crossfits Dirty Little Secret"
http://www.sweetlifeericka.com/2013/09/crossfit-doesnt-have-dirty-little.html
I think the reply pretty much sums up the attitude at a Crossfit school which is, "keep your hands up and protect yourself at all times chump!"
"Rhabdomyolysis -- an extreme condition thwarted upon oneself -- is not the fault of CrossFit. It's not the sport, the organization or even the coaches. It's your own fault."
No, it is your coaches job to protect you, that is what a coach does. You have a coach to teach you stuff that you dont know and one thing you definitely do not know is how hard you can push yourself safely. This is why even the strongest and most successful athletes in the world listen to their coaches. Fucking ridiculous.
"But use your common sense! Don't do something that will hurt yourself. Listen to your body. Go slowly when you start. Learn correct form. Don't lift too heavy. Scale down if you need to. Take it seriously -- weightlifting isn't a joke."
How does a beginner know what too heavy is? How do I learn correct form on an exercise like, lets say, the barbell clean and snatch in the 5-10 minutes you show it to me before class? Do you know how long Olympic weightlifters spend becoming proficient at this exercise? Years, they spend years before they do what you see them doing on the platform.
"Another part of this article that irritated me, he talks about women peeing during double unders and says, "No, peeing during a workout is not alright. Ever." First of all, marathoners and triathletes do this regularly"
Marathoners and triathletes may pee their pants DURING AN EVENT, but I do not think they would pee their pants while training for this event! Crossfit treats every class as if it is a competition EVERY TIME. And for most students it is a competition that is never coming.
If you are doing well at CF congrats, you are in a very small percentage of the population, you have the right motivation, genetics and lifestyle for this training. For the rest of us there are many other modalities that will give you the same or better results in a safer manner, in a fraction of the time you will spend at a CF school.
http://www.sweetlifeericka.com/2013/09/crossfit-doesnt-have-dirty-little.html
I think the reply pretty much sums up the attitude at a Crossfit school which is, "keep your hands up and protect yourself at all times chump!"
"Rhabdomyolysis -- an extreme condition thwarted upon oneself -- is not the fault of CrossFit. It's not the sport, the organization or even the coaches. It's your own fault."
No, it is your coaches job to protect you, that is what a coach does. You have a coach to teach you stuff that you dont know and one thing you definitely do not know is how hard you can push yourself safely. This is why even the strongest and most successful athletes in the world listen to their coaches. Fucking ridiculous.
"But use your common sense! Don't do something that will hurt yourself. Listen to your body. Go slowly when you start. Learn correct form. Don't lift too heavy. Scale down if you need to. Take it seriously -- weightlifting isn't a joke."
How does a beginner know what too heavy is? How do I learn correct form on an exercise like, lets say, the barbell clean and snatch in the 5-10 minutes you show it to me before class? Do you know how long Olympic weightlifters spend becoming proficient at this exercise? Years, they spend years before they do what you see them doing on the platform.
"Another part of this article that irritated me, he talks about women peeing during double unders and says, "No, peeing during a workout is not alright. Ever." First of all, marathoners and triathletes do this regularly"
Marathoners and triathletes may pee their pants DURING AN EVENT, but I do not think they would pee their pants while training for this event! Crossfit treats every class as if it is a competition EVERY TIME. And for most students it is a competition that is never coming.
If you are doing well at CF congrats, you are in a very small percentage of the population, you have the right motivation, genetics and lifestyle for this training. For the rest of us there are many other modalities that will give you the same or better results in a safer manner, in a fraction of the time you will spend at a CF school.
Monday, September 23, 2013
First day new cycle, pressing the chains and bands/heavy swings.
Making a few changes to my training routine for the next month at least. I feel like I should be doing some pressing and not just relying on Getups to increase my pressing strength. I still want to work Getups but I'm going to cycle the intensity and amount I do so I can do some Military Pressing and not become overtrained. I picked up some heavy chains and resistance bands and want to use them!
New routine
Monday - Military Press with the chains and 2-hand Swings 7 reps/set for about 30 sets with as much rest as I want. If I want to make these swings a little more on the conditioning side I throw in a few sets of 3x7 reps. That's about all the conditioning work I am interested in atm as my main goal is increasing my strength base.
Tuesday - Wide-grip palms out pullups + Getups @70-80% max for 7-10 sets
Thursdays Military Press with the resistance bands and 2 hand swings, same programming as above.
Friday - Palms facing in, narrow-grip pullups and Getups - heavy day, going for 5 80-90% max effort sets and maybe a PR when I feel ready for it.
Today
Military Press w/chains - I did sets of 3/3 - 3 reps with the chain, 3 reps without. This would be much easier to do with a partner but since I refuse to train with anybody I rigged a system that I can easily clip on and off the chains. I used the following weights: 8kg x 2 sets, 12 kg x 2 sets, 16 kg x 2 sets, 18 kg x 2 sets, 24 kg x 2 sets (last set I skipped the left side since it was pretty much maxed out) I also threw in a set of 5 each side with the 24 kg after all this work and was happy I could do it.
2-hand Swings - I did 30 sets of 7 reps, the last 9 sets I did in sets of 3 which was tough.
16kg x 3, 18 kg x 3, 24 kg x 3, 28 kg x 3, 32 kg x 3, 36 kg x 3, 40 kg x 3, (40,36,32kg) x 7 reps each for 3 sets
New routine
Monday - Military Press with the chains and 2-hand Swings 7 reps/set for about 30 sets with as much rest as I want. If I want to make these swings a little more on the conditioning side I throw in a few sets of 3x7 reps. That's about all the conditioning work I am interested in atm as my main goal is increasing my strength base.
Tuesday - Wide-grip palms out pullups + Getups @70-80% max for 7-10 sets
Thursdays Military Press with the resistance bands and 2 hand swings, same programming as above.
Friday - Palms facing in, narrow-grip pullups and Getups - heavy day, going for 5 80-90% max effort sets and maybe a PR when I feel ready for it.
Today
Military Press w/chains - I did sets of 3/3 - 3 reps with the chain, 3 reps without. This would be much easier to do with a partner but since I refuse to train with anybody I rigged a system that I can easily clip on and off the chains. I used the following weights: 8kg x 2 sets, 12 kg x 2 sets, 16 kg x 2 sets, 18 kg x 2 sets, 24 kg x 2 sets (last set I skipped the left side since it was pretty much maxed out) I also threw in a set of 5 each side with the 24 kg after all this work and was happy I could do it.
2-hand Swings - I did 30 sets of 7 reps, the last 9 sets I did in sets of 3 which was tough.
16kg x 3, 18 kg x 3, 24 kg x 3, 28 kg x 3, 32 kg x 3, 36 kg x 3, 40 kg x 3, (40,36,32kg) x 7 reps each for 3 sets
Monday, September 16, 2013
Bigger bells, higher swings, long rest periods
First variety week workout!
2-hand kettlebell swing
30 sets of 7 reps with unlimited rest periods, usually no more than 2 minutes
10 lb x 2 sets
8 kg x 2
12 kg x 2
16 kg x 2
18 kg x 2
24 kg x 4
28 kg x 4
32 kg x 4
36 kg x 4
40 kg x 4
First time swinging the 32kg and bigger bells. Felt pretty good.
Experimenting with a higher swing level than usual. I generally practice waist-level swings. Ultimately I do not think it matters what height you swing the bell. So long as the bell is following the appropriate arc and the bell is floating/being pulled at the appropriate time I figure it is a good swing. It is important to keep a neutral spine at the lockout and be ready for the extra load that is going to hit your body in the backswing. Now that I've swung my bigger bells I understand why people who swing very big bells tend to swing waist height and no higher. The higher one of these 40 kg bells the heavier they were in the backswing. The 40's were heavy enough to give me that feeling that I was going to lose my grip a bit.
2-hand kettlebell swing
30 sets of 7 reps with unlimited rest periods, usually no more than 2 minutes
10 lb x 2 sets
8 kg x 2
12 kg x 2
16 kg x 2
18 kg x 2
24 kg x 4
28 kg x 4
32 kg x 4
36 kg x 4
40 kg x 4
First time swinging the 32kg and bigger bells. Felt pretty good.
Experimenting with a higher swing level than usual. I generally practice waist-level swings. Ultimately I do not think it matters what height you swing the bell. So long as the bell is following the appropriate arc and the bell is floating/being pulled at the appropriate time I figure it is a good swing. It is important to keep a neutral spine at the lockout and be ready for the extra load that is going to hit your body in the backswing. Now that I've swung my bigger bells I understand why people who swing very big bells tend to swing waist height and no higher. The higher one of these 40 kg bells the heavier they were in the backswing. The 40's were heavy enough to give me that feeling that I was going to lose my grip a bit.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Swing day
I've been so busy that I decided to do my swings on one day and my getups/farmer walks on another. Today was swing day. I did 11 sets of 20 reps. 5 reps each using the 12, 16, 24 and 28 kg bells.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
How much fruit/starch should I eat to lose bodyfat?
I have simple protocols for people to follow when it comes to fruit and starches. I use the phrase "unlimited vegetables" interchangeable with "200 calories from vegetables" because I believe 200 calories is about the most people will eat in a day when consuming raw above-ground vegetables. You need to eat a couple of big bowls of green vegetables to get 200 calories and I rarely see a person eating this way.
If you are sedentary and trying to lose bodyfat, no fruit and no starch! If you get all of your carbohydrates from above-ground vegetables you will lose bodyfat quickly. This is how a person who does not exercise can still lose bodyfat. It is definitely a skill getting all of your carbohydrates from vegetables alone but it can be done!
A person trying to lose bodyfat who strength trains regularly will do well on 200 calories a day of starch. If you add the carbs you are eating from vegetables this will put you at about 400 calories a day of carbohydrate, about the maximum a person could eat and still expect to lose bodyfat. You are trying to lose bodyfat so no fruit yet again!
A person who strength trains and is not trying to lose bodyfat (or fix insulin related health issues) , can eat up to 400 calories of starch/fruit. 400 calories from starch/fruit + 200 calories from above-ground vegetables is plenty of carbohydrate intake for anybody who is not an endurance athlete.
An endurance athlete can get away with eating a little more carbs but most of them get carried away with their starches and sugars. An endurance athlete who is trying to lose bodyfat can eat up to 400 calories of starch + 200 calories above-ground vegetables. Still no fruit if you are trying to lose bodyfat but you get a little more starchy carbs that your body will use to replace the glycogen you burned while training. You will notice there is no difference between either type of athletes (strength vs. endurance) fruit intake if they are trying to lose bodyfat, still no fruit!
An endurance athlete who is not trying to lose bodyfat can eat up to 600 calories a day in starch/fruit +200 calories a day from above-ground vegetables and not gain bodyfat or cause insulin related health issues. You can chose the source of carbs (fruit or starch) but be aware that fruit causes more sugar cravings than starch so chose wisely or you may find yourself needing to lose bodyfat one day.
Eat your starches/sugars in the evening when insulin sensitivity is lowest. Low insulin sensitivity means the body will more readily store the sugars in the muscles instead of pouring into the bloodstream. Excess sugar in the blood = bad = diabetic health issues = headaches, poor sleep, low energy. The food you eat today is fuel for tomorrows training.
All of this is predicated on controlling your fruit intake based on the total number of carb-calories allowed! If you are eating just a few hundred calories of starch in the proper form and add 2-3-4 pieces of fruit all of a sudden you could be eating 800-1000 calories a day in carbohydrate a day. Just a small amount of extra carbohydrate eaten each day can easily cause a person to gain bodyfat, even if they are very active.
Fruit is all sugar with some fiber and a small amount of vitamins and minerals. If we are eating the proper amount of fresh vegetables we will have all of our micronutrients covered, there is nothing in fruit that can not be found in vegetables.
Summary
Sedentary person trying to lose bodyfat = no fruit, , no starch, all carbs from unlimited amounts of above-ground vegetables.
Sedentary person not trying to lose bodyfat (or fix insulin related health issues) up to 600 calories a day in fruit/starch, whatever combination they prefer.
A person who strength trains trying to lose bodyfat = no fruit, 200 calories a day in starch, unlimited above-ground vegetables.
A person who strength trains but is not trying to lose bodyfat (or fix insulin related health issues) up to 600 calories a day in fruit/starch, whatever combination they prefer.
An endurance athlete trying to lose bodyfat (or fix health issues) can eat up to 400 calories of starch a day + 200 from above-ground vegetables.
An endurance athlete not trying to lose bodyfat (or fix insulin related health issues) can eat up to 800 calories a day in carbohydrate from either form, fruit or starch.
No bread! There is simply no bread (or any other refined/processed food) on these nutritional programs. There are some people who eat bread (and pasta/crackers/bagels etc) and do well on them but if you are trying to lose bodyfat or fix health issues you are not one of these people.
If you are sedentary and trying to lose bodyfat, no fruit and no starch! If you get all of your carbohydrates from above-ground vegetables you will lose bodyfat quickly. This is how a person who does not exercise can still lose bodyfat. It is definitely a skill getting all of your carbohydrates from vegetables alone but it can be done!
A person trying to lose bodyfat who strength trains regularly will do well on 200 calories a day of starch. If you add the carbs you are eating from vegetables this will put you at about 400 calories a day of carbohydrate, about the maximum a person could eat and still expect to lose bodyfat. You are trying to lose bodyfat so no fruit yet again!
A person who strength trains and is not trying to lose bodyfat (or fix insulin related health issues) , can eat up to 400 calories of starch/fruit. 400 calories from starch/fruit + 200 calories from above-ground vegetables is plenty of carbohydrate intake for anybody who is not an endurance athlete.
An endurance athlete can get away with eating a little more carbs but most of them get carried away with their starches and sugars. An endurance athlete who is trying to lose bodyfat can eat up to 400 calories of starch + 200 calories above-ground vegetables. Still no fruit if you are trying to lose bodyfat but you get a little more starchy carbs that your body will use to replace the glycogen you burned while training. You will notice there is no difference between either type of athletes (strength vs. endurance) fruit intake if they are trying to lose bodyfat, still no fruit!
An endurance athlete who is not trying to lose bodyfat can eat up to 600 calories a day in starch/fruit +200 calories a day from above-ground vegetables and not gain bodyfat or cause insulin related health issues. You can chose the source of carbs (fruit or starch) but be aware that fruit causes more sugar cravings than starch so chose wisely or you may find yourself needing to lose bodyfat one day.
Eat your starches/sugars in the evening when insulin sensitivity is lowest. Low insulin sensitivity means the body will more readily store the sugars in the muscles instead of pouring into the bloodstream. Excess sugar in the blood = bad = diabetic health issues = headaches, poor sleep, low energy. The food you eat today is fuel for tomorrows training.
All of this is predicated on controlling your fruit intake based on the total number of carb-calories allowed! If you are eating just a few hundred calories of starch in the proper form and add 2-3-4 pieces of fruit all of a sudden you could be eating 800-1000 calories a day in carbohydrate a day. Just a small amount of extra carbohydrate eaten each day can easily cause a person to gain bodyfat, even if they are very active.
Fruit is all sugar with some fiber and a small amount of vitamins and minerals. If we are eating the proper amount of fresh vegetables we will have all of our micronutrients covered, there is nothing in fruit that can not be found in vegetables.
Summary
Sedentary person trying to lose bodyfat = no fruit, , no starch, all carbs from unlimited amounts of above-ground vegetables.
Sedentary person not trying to lose bodyfat (or fix insulin related health issues) up to 600 calories a day in fruit/starch, whatever combination they prefer.
A person who strength trains trying to lose bodyfat = no fruit, 200 calories a day in starch, unlimited above-ground vegetables.
A person who strength trains but is not trying to lose bodyfat (or fix insulin related health issues) up to 600 calories a day in fruit/starch, whatever combination they prefer.
An endurance athlete trying to lose bodyfat (or fix health issues) can eat up to 400 calories of starch a day + 200 from above-ground vegetables.
An endurance athlete not trying to lose bodyfat (or fix insulin related health issues) can eat up to 800 calories a day in carbohydrate from either form, fruit or starch.
No bread! There is simply no bread (or any other refined/processed food) on these nutritional programs. There are some people who eat bread (and pasta/crackers/bagels etc) and do well on them but if you are trying to lose bodyfat or fix health issues you are not one of these people.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Getups and Farmers Walk
Kettlebell Getups - warmup with 8, 12 and 16kg bells. 24 x 1, 28kg x 4
Farmer Walks - 24 kg hand, 28 kg right, 300 paces, stopping at pace #225
Farmer Walks - 24 kg hand, 28 kg right, 300 paces, stopping at pace #225
Thursday, September 5, 2013
more training
Getups - 24 kg x 4, 28 kg x 1
Farmer Walks - 24 kg left hand, 28 kg right for 300 paces with 1 stop
5 rounds of Swings - wave loading 12, 16, 24 and 28 kg bells - 100 total swings.
Farmer Walks - 24 kg left hand, 28 kg right for 300 paces with 1 stop
5 rounds of Swings - wave loading 12, 16, 24 and 28 kg bells - 100 total swings.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Getup PR and some wave-loading swings
Kettlebell Getups - warmups - 8 kg x 1, 12 kg x 2, 16 kg x 1
working sets - 24kg x 2, 28 kg x 1, 32 kg right + 28 kg left, 28 kg, 24 kg
Swings - 7 sets of 12, 16, 24, 12, 16, 24 kg for 5 reps each - 210 total swings. Unlimited rest in between sets, usually about 60-90 seconds
Farmers Walk 24 kg left hand, 28 kg right hand - 300 paces, stopped at 200th pace
working sets - 24kg x 2, 28 kg x 1, 32 kg right + 28 kg left, 28 kg, 24 kg
Swings - 7 sets of 12, 16, 24, 12, 16, 24 kg for 5 reps each - 210 total swings. Unlimited rest in between sets, usually about 60-90 seconds
Farmers Walk 24 kg left hand, 28 kg right hand - 300 paces, stopped at 200th pace
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