Rowing and AOS Essentials Kettlebell Test

This afternoon:
Concept II
with the flue at 50%
1,000 warmup
250 1:30 pace
1,000 cooldown/warmup
250 1:30 pace (I did slip to 1:31 and 1:32)
1,000 cooldown/warmup
500 250 1:40 (I had 500 written down but couldn’t do it)
Stop 1:10 (not on the plan but it was needed)
250 cooldown/warmup (the other half of the 500)
1,000 cooldown/warmup
250 1:30 1:40 (at this point maintaining 1:30 was no longer possible)
1,000 cooldown/warmup
250 1:30 1:40
500 cooldown

Total: 8,000 meters
Time: 32:41
Max HR: 182
AVG HR: 155

Art of Strength released their Kettlebell Essentials Test today:
with a 24K kettlebell
Left=====
Turkish getup X 1
highpull ->snatch X 6
press X 6
squat X10
clean ->long cycle X 12
Figure Eight (to switch hands)
Right====
highpull ->snatch X 6
press X 6
squat X10
clean ->long cycle X 12
Turkish get down X 1
Time 6:00
Max HR 177
AVG HR 165

It’s a pretty good little 6 minute workout. They didn’t say what kind of numbers they were going for, I probably ran a little low since I had already done the rowing workout. They built in plenty of rest. They say all the exercises are 30seconds a piece, that leave you two minutes to rest and to do you Turkish and figure eight. Bear in mind, this is not supposed to be some killer, man maker workout. It is an Essentials test, meaning can you do the basic stuff. I recommend giving it a try.

Crossfit inspired

Back to 4 am, this one is inspired by some of the great crossfit workouts:
20 X pushups
20X butterfly kicks
20X kettlbell crunches (Scilian crunch) 12K
30X bodyweight squats

Do that 3 times.
I had a minute to burn so I did jumping jacks, yes jumping jacks, for that minute.
Time : 10:01
Avg HR: 132
Max HR: 157

I was surprised by how quicky my push ups died off. Of all four exercises, I felt that first. I used to do quite a few of these and after that, my bench was always, proportionally, ahead of my other lifts. That is until about a year and half or two years ago, when I all but stopped pressing in all its forms.
This was my first experiment with a bodyweight type workout, I figure I’ll do more as time goes by.

This evening it was time for a walk, so we walked the big hill and the some. I also did 5 neutral grip pullups on some playgrund equipment at that park.

Monday Morning Weigh in: 241.0

Hey, it’s better than a sharp stick in the eye :-). In light of my all too easy week last week, I’m pretty happy with this. In fact, I’m really happy with it. Now, as I recall, last time I had a significant drop after a long Sunday row, there was a sharp rebound so I’ll try to brace myself. However, this isn’t a huge drop from where I have been regularly running over the last week so maybe there is hope. In fact, I hit this weight and lower during the course of last week, so I’m hanging onto that hope.

Anyway, this week, I’m back on diet better. I gotta say, I feel better when I eat my diet. I feel much better. To the degree that when I’m off diet, I don’t feel guilty but feel like I am depriving myself of something I really like. I also hit the morning workout again today. I’ll post it later, it was a bit different that the last few I have done. I can’t say I really have the same feelings about missing my morning workout that I have abut being off diet. This weekend I felt exhausted all weekend, I don’t know if I dodged getting sick or what but I slept and wanted to sleep a lot. So, we’ll just see how this week goes in regard to that.

Begin again

So, last week was about as off as they come. I ate too much, slept too much and trained to the minimum. This week, back on the horse. I started off pretty easy.

Concept 2
Closed the damper 50%
1,000 meters 2:30 warmup
10,000 meters
target: sub 45:00
actual:
43:35
Averge HR 161
Max HR 182
1,000 meters 2:30 cooldown

It was actually a fairly easy row. Not something I could do without thinking, but not uncomfortable in any way. I’mnot sure I can prove it but I feel like I am doing some good things for my cardiovascular fitness here. I seem to be able to do more with less of a reaction from the heart and when the heart does react, I seem to have less of a reaction from the body. That seems like a good thing to me.

Anatomy of an hour

I think people get the wrong impression when I say I do Olympic lifts for an hour. First, remember I weigh 108 kilos at this point. When I show up, I start out with the broomstick and so some basic snatches and overhead squat. I also do some stretching and twists. I move on to an empty bar. Some more overhead snatches, twists and a few hang cleans. That is the warm up and come before the hour begins.

Usually the hour begins with 40k. Depending on the day I will work a few cleans and move on to snatches. If I’m feeling really good, I maydo a few sets of overheaf squats. I usually do between 3 and 10 hang cleans and the same number of snatches. I usually move on to 60k. Again, it depends on the day in a major way. Usually I do five to twenty of these. This is also when I periodically take a break and do some a pull up or two between sets.

If I’m feeling froggy I  might push on to 80K with a similar arrangement to the previous. Then I may even go on to 100k. That, as you know, is a mixed bag.The 100k is almost always limited to five reps (often failures). I do usually do jerks with the 100K if I manage to clean it.

Then I begin to work down. I go back down the ladder they way I went up. Depending on my level of motivation, I gt between 50 and 75 reps total. I try to shoot for 60, an average of one per minute. Although, I tend to do about 5 a set then take a short break to change weights or a pull up.

Yesterday’s workout, I obviously didn’t get all the way up to 100k.I was trying to focus on getting the squat clean done rather than a powerclean. I did 15 minutes with 60k which was about 20 reps, I’ guessing. I didn’t work the snatch at all, I was just getting my body ready. I  moved up to 60k. I worked singles for a half an hour with the ocassional pull up thrown in. I did about 25 or so. The good news is that I was getting some good squats cleans in there. After that I went back to the 40K and kept working the technique.

So these are really technique workouts. They aren’t really heavy. When I’m done, my muscles feel warm and good but not tired. My nerves feel pretty exhausted though.  I figure that is a good sign that I worked the technique hard.

So I hope no one gets the impression I am doing some kind of iron man workout or something.

Waaaay off

Friday Afternoon:
Cleans for an hour 15 minutes with 60k, 30 minutes with 80k, 15 minutes with 60k
Next week I will have the pleasure of a dreadful creation of a workout that Dan nightmared up.

This week I haven’t eaten a single meal during the day that I should have. The excuses are legion. Let’s just say that next week I will be back on. Oddly, midweek I hit a low 240.  By Friday I was at 242. we’ll see where this lands me for Monday.

Today, I have been a lump and enjoyed it. Tomorrow I’ll go row though.

I did find my dream house in my dream location, about 4 years too dang early.  That 40′ x 40′ workshop would read 40′ X 40′, well equipped home gym.

Sleeping in

Last evening I ran halfway up the hill. It took me 1 minute and 24 seconds, my heart rate got up to 172 in that short of time.

This morning, I called in late to work. I actually emailed in last evening. I woke up at 6ish to walk the dog and went right back to bed. I slept all the way until 10. That’s 5 hours later than usual. I guess I have been a little short on sleep.
I weighed myself as I prepared to go to work. Keep in mind I didn’t have any breakfast, but I hit 240.0. That’s awesome.

This afternoon:
5,000 meters 19:35
That means a sub 2:00 pace on average. I didn’t let the pace get over 2:00 untill 3,800 when it started to creep a second or two over at times.
2:30 heavy bag
1:00 rest
2:30 heavy bag

No heart rate info for this workout

No mornings so far

I’ve missed, well not missed, but haven’t made my morning workouts. Maybe I can get something going this later this week.

Last evening, I got a few sprints in. Four sprints of about 30 yards apiece. I could really use some more work on my aerobic recovery.

This evening I rowed.
1,000 – warmup
5 times the following:
1,000 meters sub 2:00 pace
1,000 meters sub 2:20 pace
10,000 meters in 42:00
AVG HR 167
MAX HR 185

Schedule change

Well, the summer semester is over. That means my schdule will change. Starting this week, I walk the dog on Monday and Wednesday. Tuesday, Thursday and most Sundays will be rowing. Friday is Dumbarton. I’ll continue with Dan’s HIT workouts as long as he keeps coming. After that, I’ll keep doing my 2 hour Friday nights but it’ll go back to an hour of olympic followed by an hour of “fitness”. I’m going to try and squeeze in a trip to The Hill every week and maybe a short snatch test or something.

Actually, this week will be a good test, with overtime and all. In a month or so, I have classes again. There will be three of them, all online. It’ll be really time consuming and demanding.

Monday Morning Weigh in: 243.6

Actually I was 242.2 before breakfast but there is a lot of water in my breakfasts.

Anyway, I said I’d run high and I did. No big surprise there. I haven’t trained since Friday. Due to my having to come into the city for work yesterday, I totally wimped out on the meal and just ate pizza for dinner. We’ll see where I weigh in after I burn the pizza off in a couple days.  It’s gonna be a rough week though, one of those overtime weeks, plus I have to take two interviewees to lunch. “have to,” maybe that’s the wrong way to say it. I get to and it’ll be good. I’ll just have to be responsible.

I’m so close to a regular weight of 240, it’s awesome.