wow, out of shape

Got out the Enter the Kettlebell Workbook today. I've wanted to do it for weeks, but never did. I'd make excuses.

I figured with trying to do Jiu-Jitsu 2 days a week, and Tang Soo Do 2 days a week, I'd be in better shape.

Day 1, 16 kg was enough to make me take breaks. I'll be repeating this week, that's for sure. Going to have to try and do it early in the morning before work. After work is just a little too hard.

3 things

1) TGU with the 16kg, is suffering the same problems with stablity on the left as the 24kg. I used to be able to do these in my sleep. I might have to take a video and post it for the few RKCs I know to critique.

I did 5 rounds of warm up, 7 sets of left right TGU

2) I've been doing some light running lately. Yesterday was the latest bit. Ran from my parking lot to another one after work to see what was going on. Lots of cop cars (resident passed away). Ran from the golf course to my apartment and back last night. I had my telescope out, and ran back to get the moon filter. My buddy Tom was with the scope. Spent about 2 hours out side looking at the night sky, wish it was a little darker.

3) (this item cross posted)
I think I made some people mad last night. We had our community watch meeting at the Apartment last night. What was supposed to be a 45 to 60 minute meeting turned into an hour and a half complaint-fest. There were people there to sign up their kids for the after school program, and I dragged them into the complaints as well. They started to have them.

Also turns out the security service we're paying for, only has ONE "courtesy" officer at night and not all night, or every night. I basically tore into both management and security with problems and concerns. Both the owner of the security company and the operations manager gave me they're business cards last night. I also raised enough complaints that the site manager is supposed to contact me (not going to hold my breath).

I'm also taking over the coordinator position for the community watch. There are going to be some changes made to how it's ran, and availability of access to information. Right now, the only way we know anything is IF we're told anything. I'm going to pester people. I'm going to provide snacks. I'm going to set up a website with the data. Only thing that's going to really cost me anything is the snacks, and the new domain name.

Between now and the meeting next month I want to try to:
- Read Machiavelli's The Prince (half way done), Saul Alinsky Rules for Radicals and Reveille for Radicals, and Bruce Schneier's Beyond fear, and figure out a revised version of Robert's Rules of Order to run the meetings (Not a big fan of the RRO over all, but think it's a good frame work).

- Set up one of my spare computers (saved to use as cheap home servers anyway) to run word press with a domain name for the community watch.

- Figure out security related guests to have come and talk to people about things (instead of "body magic" sales people they tried to push off on us last night). I might just take the first one and do a small topic on Online Safety.

I forgot

I forgot how good it felt. I forgot how much of an arse kicker it could be. I forgot how hard it was to do that.

None of the ITs is the same thing.

I restarted ETK this week (yesterday, so one day off) with 16kg.

I forgot how great it felt to work out and not be injured. I also forgot how much of an arse kicker 16kg could be. The last couple of tires through ETK I was using the 24kg bell. For everything but the halos. Which probably lead to my shoulder problems, it was just too much bell for me. Normally the 24kg left me gasping for air after I was done, and covered in sweat.

The 16kg took it further. Not only was I dripping sweat, my cloths were soaked all the way down to the skivvies.

7 rounds of swings, with 6 minutes of active rest. 5 rounds of warm up. I could have hit 6, but I forgot the Kettlebell in the other room, and ran over to get it during the first round of warm up.

Then I did push ups. 56 broken into 5 sets. I forgot how hard it was to do push-ups after ETK, and why I do them in the morning and ETK at night.

Now I remember.

it's been that long?

Wednesday:
5 sets of 3 rep pull ups.

push ups
10
12
8
8
25

Never made it to the fit deck, probably just as good.

Thursday:
Tang Soo Do, with lots of squats and lunges for good measure. The place is giving us a hard time about the space again. Not having anywhere to put us. Well gee... If you don't have space for us for us to start at 7pm like you said we would have, I don't think I have the $50.00 for 2 months to pay you... I'll give you 40 instead how does that sound?

Then came home and did ETK.
7 rounds

Friday:
5 sets of 3 rep pull ups.

push-ups:
11
15
9
9
30

ETK:
5 sets of warm up, 5 left right TGU. Dropped the 24kg bell on both sides in the last set. Hurt my elbow in the process. Bell was falling towards my face from the lunge position of the getup, used the left to deflect it, but that meant the left wasn't there to hold me up. Came down on the elbow with the weight still in hand. So my weight and the weight of the kettlebell. Today my elbow hurts for anything that puts pressure on it, like push-ups etc.

Saturday:
Tang Soo Do - Three red belts (highest color belt before Dan / Black Belt). 2 3rd gups, 1 2nd gup (me) so we spent the class on cleaning up our basic motions, then did one step fighting, not allowed to repeat any attack (left then right then no more use). I didn't even hit half of what I knew, against 3 people. Then Bassai, and Chilson Il Ru.

Walked around the area for a little bit. Tossed some Disc Golf frisbees around, checked out the pro-shop.

Forgot to use my HRM, Tuesday and today at TSD, it didn't start for ETK Thursday Night, and I didn't take it for the walk. But I'm probably between 5000 and 6000 (if not over the later) for this weeks calorie count. I'll have to do better next week for wearing it.

Walked around for a while. My legs are tight.

After TSD

So after I got home from Tang Soo Do, I still had to do ETK for day 2. 10 min warm up. Got 5 rounds. First round was hard, my body didn't want to let me do anything. I could barely squat, the halos burned and the pumps... They made me want to cry.

The Get up Portion, my left side has lost all stabilization. It sucked. I'd be in the bent over part of the TGU, and my arm would be wobbling every which way. But only the left side. Right side was locked in great the whole time.

I was trying to pull the shoulder blade back and down (toward the opposite hip) but I think the pushing to the ceiling is what undid all that work. I think I'll try some windmills tonight when I get home with the 24kg bell. After the push-ups and pull-ups, but before the fit deck.

Holy Wow

4 workouts today.

As I said, I've restarted all programs at week 1.

day 1 push up challenge. was rushed. I did bad, but passed the required.
10
12
7
7
10
The last 3 sets were in under a minute, instead of a minute rest between each.

ETK: 5 rounds warm up. 7 sets of swings.

Returned to Yoga tonight. Jogged to it, and from it. It was great, we tore though hard, and did some advanced stuff.

Something New:
Band Assisted pull-ups. I was going to do 5 sets of 3 reps, but messed up my count and did 6 sets. with 1 min rest between them.

ETK was hard. I'll say that. Back has been sore since I got up, yoga and the pumps helped to remind me of that fact. I did ETK last tonight, which I think is part of the reason I found it so hard to do.

Over all, I feel accomplished, and good.

Order of workouts:
push ups
pull ups
Yoga
ETK

20 mins between push and pull
30 mins between pull and yoga
2 hours between yoga and ETK.

Tomorrow... Tang Soo Do. and I'm lighter. I could fit into a size 5 uniform, but won't wear it just yet.

It's been long

got home from work last night, did ETK week 2, day 2. (Remember I dropped back 1 week after injury). Still Holding at 5 per side on my Turkish Getups.

Ate bread on PB really quickly, since I only had 10 minutes to get to power core. Yes it was a bad idea.

I was going to take my 80lbs heavy bag in a fireman's carry, and jog. However I couldn't manage the bag, the water bottle and the yoga mat at the same time. I also ended up having to postpone my leaving. So I ended up driving to the class.

Worked hard, but now that my weight is going down, I don't seem to be burning as many calories. I did a HRM test just before I stopped working out because of my shoulder.

Power Core was a good class though. We even had a 4 minute cardio set. Oh so much fun.

Then I got home, im'd a friend to see how her doctor's appointment went. She called me, and basically moaned in pain. Turns out that she went back to the ER yesterday morning and they sent her home, but she was in pain again. Her doctor's office on-call told her to go back to the ER, and she wanted me to take her. Got there at 9pm. At almost 5am the doctor came in (this is after a bunch of tests) said that they can't find anything wrong. However this was the 4th trip to the ER for this problem since Friday Night. They finally agreed to admit her.

ER exam room chairs, and waiting room chairs, are not the best place to try to sleep. My back is really sore today. I only got about an hour's sleep at the hospital, and that was because my body was at the point where it said "you pass out now".

I missed that, but have not missed it.

Did ETK. 22 minutes of pain.

I missed that. Yet I didn't.

5 rounds of warm up in 10 minutes
wall squats
halos
and pumps

12 minutes of work
30 swings
1 min active rest.

completed through 6 times at 24kg.

Took a few minutes to get into the right mind set on the warm ups. When the timer chimed for the end of the warm-up, I grabbed the kettlebell and wondered what the hell I was doing. It was hard. lungs burnt.

max heart rate 178 (94%)
Min Heart rate 80 (42%)
avg heart rate 142 (75%)

290 Calories.

Not of the good

Got home from work at 7pm. Mainly because I did some running around. Stopped at a dive shop, outdoor store (sun & snow in A^2), and then back to work to look for my house keys and pit-stop.

Ran and walked to "Boot Camp". Feeling saucy, kept asking for more at the end. Everyone was hating me, but it was because they were being quite. I'd say more please, they'd say nothing or groan, and the instructor would take that as group consent. Finally he asked if we wanted more, I asked for plyometrics he said that was the game. So I did some side ways leaping push-ups, Right then Left. Then front and back. Then thigh clap push-ups. Then plank to knuckle push-up.

Then jogged back, not much faster than walking but a little, to my apartment from the complex.

Just got done doing ETK. My back and shoulder have been bothering me. Left shoulder hurts in a strip, back about inch wide behind right shoulder blade.

Remember, I'm doing this at 24kgs (53lbs).

ETK practice round: 5 minutes.
5 r/l Clean & Press. Left hurt something bad, along the strip that hurt. Could hear grinding and cracking. (Think rice crispies).
5 r/l snatches. They were not much better.

Warm Up: 10 minutes
10 wall squats (no problems here).
10 r / l halos (shoulder didn't care for it, but it wasn't complaining. Actually started to feel good).
10 pumps (I had to do the last 2 sets from yoga child position).

I only made it 4 rounds, I wanted to cry during the pumps.

Work out: 12 minutes
40 swings
1 min jumping jacks
40 swings
1 minute kick backs
40 swings
1 min lunge to a slave head to floor
40 swings
1 min log
40 swings
1 min jumping jacks.

40 swings is still really nailing my grip. But I made it through. Tonight could have been better, but I haven't had anything to eat since 7pm, and that was 1 pb sandwich (on potato bread) and one extra slice of bread.

I know my tank is on empty right now.

Shower, and then corn flakes with silk. Then bed.

Undecided if I'll repeat week 3 next week. I'd rather not. I'm still making it to the second time through, so I probably won't.

I really am starting to think that my body is at it's limit, and wants more than just 1 to 2 days rest. But the schedule will not allow it. I'm already cutting back on some of what was on the list. not doing 3 a days, and yesterday (my light day) I cut one workout completely.

not much to say

Not much to say. ETK last night, 5 minutes practice (clean and press and snatches). 10 minute warm up, 5 minute turkish getups. 5 per side.

Think I was gripping the bell too tight on when dropping it from either the clean or the snatch. Hand blistered up. No tears. Still some blistering on the right hand.

Best TGUs I've ever done at that weight. everything felt stable, and could put hand flat on the ground on the way back down. Usually on the balls of the fingers / hand when going down from standing.

Power Core was fun. 10lbs weights. Hope I don't have to use those in boot camp. That'd kill me.

Re did my polar heart rate monitor like I said yesterday. Numbers from power core were lower than I'm used too. 450+ for an hour of work. Back hurt, really need to get and take an ab mat with me.

Feel sore in the shoulders today. Blew off push ups this morning. I'll do those when I get home tonight. Think I'll do combat sports deck for the fit deck / second workout of the day.

remains of last night

I ended up skipping Providence. My grip is still noodley feeling today.

Got home, did 10 minutes of jump rope. Best streak I had was 50 in a row. It was ok, I was on the patio, I tried to start in the grass, but it just didn't happen. Kept getting tripped up on every twirl. the "rope" was all coiled too from being wrapped tight around the handles and sitting in my Tang Soo Do bag for so long. It's one of those plastic speed ropes that Everlast sells.

Then I had corn flakes with fresh strawberries in syrup. Quarter the strawberries, and sprinkle with sugar, syrupy the next day. Yummy good. had what was left with my corn flakes for breakfast today too.

About an hour after jumping rope, I started up ETK. While watching Star Trek: TNG. For some reason I like working out more when there is Sci-Fi on.

Week 3 starts with adding 5 more minutes to the workout. At least the version of ETK I'm doing (The AOS:ETK Workbook). The first five minutes are practice. Practice the Clean and Press and the Snatch. I did sets of 5 per side. 2 times through. First time through I did Dead Clean and Press, with long cycle snatches. Second time through I did long cycle C&P with dead snatches.

Then I did the Warm Up round. Made it through 5 times, just barely, I was rising from the last pump when the timer chimed.

Then I went after the 40 swing workout set. 40 swings at 24kg really really works the grip. Last set I had to break it up, never setting the bell down. I did 20 2 hand swings, switched to 5 right hand, 5 left hand, and 10 2 hand swings.

My legs and my forearms are sore today. Tonight it's ETK TGU day, and the core conditioning class.

harder faster better stronger

Finished week 2.

Push-ups:
16
17
14
14
32
2 min rest between sets.

ETK Week 2 day 4 work book.
5 rounds warm up in 10 minutes
5 right / 5 left Turkish GetUps.

27 mins work, 213 calories.

Boot camp was 700+ in 1 hour. Won't tell what the week is yet. Moving one work out from today to tomorrow. FitDeck Body Weight moved. :(

Shoulders hurt. Don't have time before the hockey game.

Cant' wait to see what the cal count is this weekend. Missing the ETK workout from yesterday.

Scale said 335.5 this morning. Not a weight in day, so I hope I can keep it from coming back all weekend.

Ready... Hit it.

Title from Mythbusters last night. I liked how the pilot kept saying that before maneuvers. Used it as my slogan for working out today.

Did ETK (Work Book) week 2, day 3 today. 30 swings, minute active rest. The swings were killer on my grip. 24kg, not fun. But that's why I do it, to become better.

Then like last week, about 30 minutes later, I went to the Apartment Complex's "Boot Camp" class. Got 6lbs balls this week. Heaviest he has (toning balls). He asked if my Core was sore from the Power Core class. I answered truthfully. Back was sore after, but felt nothing yesterday or today. I looked at me like I was insane, and said he didn't want to see what my workouts at home were like. I suggested Turkish Get Ups at one point in class, showed it. Girls in the class whined and said no. Liked what he gave us even less. :-)

Rocked boot camp.

Then invited him over to see what my work outs looked like. Introduced him to the calendar, the 100 push up challenge, my heavier and heavy kettlebells (He's met the 16kg before). Loaned him my copy of Art Of Strength's Kettlebell Clinic volume 1. I'll get it back Tuesday. Showed off my Power Tower. I asked him how much he thought I weighted. He looked me up and down a few times, thought about it, and finally said 205. I laughed. Still floating at 240. He asked if my workouts were causing weight loss or gain. I said holding steady. Showed him a negative pull-ups (controlled lowering), since he asked what they were while looking at the FitDecks. He'll probably pick some of those up. he was really interested in them.

Now, if I could only get him to Joust Fitness to play with the kettlebells there. I think he'd enjoy it.

5x5

Not letting this morning discourage me was over half the battle. Came home, got set up, and said you and me body. Fail again, I'll find a cloning company to replace you.

5 rounds of warm up in 10 minutes.

5 rounds of Right / Left Turkish Getups in 5 minutes.

168 Calories in 15 minutes. Not horrible, but meh.

I'll probbly re program the heart rate monitor this weekend.

Well that was a failure

Normally when I get up in the morning, I'm more about lumbering and staggering than I am about moving fluidly. My body is usually stiff, and a little sore. As the day wears on, I can work the kinks out. Which is part of the reason why I don't like working out in the morning.

The last 2 weeks, I've done ok with push ups in the morning before I shower, but doing more than that is usually off the table.

Since I have a class tonight, called power core, I thought I'd try and get ETK done this morning. When I did ETK followed by "Boot Camp" last Thursday I showed them up, but would have liked more time between the two to rest / relax.

Unfortuantly ETK this morning was a failure to launch. I couldn't get my body to move right. The wall squats were horrid. The halos, with 12kg bell were burning my shoulders and not that fun to do. The pumps, I had to do from child (yoga position) since I couldn't get into Downward facing dog.

After only getting 2.5 rounds finished in 8 minutes, I decided to call the work out. Wasn't really warmed up, and the body was fighting me. I didn't even want to try and lift 24kg over head and go through all the planes of motion. I knew it would be a bad idea.

So I'm going to go to work and grind through the day. Then when I get home I'll try ETK week 2 day 2 again. Maybe I'll be in a better body set.

I quesiton what I was thinking.

push-ups. Done. Did earlier see last post.

ETK. Done...
4 rounds of warm up in 10 minutes

work out...
7 sets of swings with 1+ minute breaks between. Only +min a couple of times. Captain freaked a few times. Once he landed on the fan. The fan going on High, which has a habbit of having the cover come off... Another time, I had to go find him. Kicked a door doing pushup to a squat thrust.

Then I went shopping and tried to rest up some. At 23:15 I started AOS: Providence. Once again it beat me. made it half way through round 9 though. new personal best.

I hear kettlebells get slippery when wet. Mine sticks to my hand like Spider-Man shot his web-fluid on it. Could not pass off on the tactical lunge. Nor was I getting in the right lunge. At one point I did figure 8s... sigh. Oh and the top of my legs were really red.

calorie counts
37
244
410
---
691 cals today, if I got the math right.

ETK in the morning. Power core class tomorrow night.

Ow.

I need to figure out a better way to do this. Doing programs back to back like this is just too hard.

Morning Pre-Breakfast.
Week 1, Day 3 of 100 push-up challenge.
11 (2 minute rest)
15 (2 minute rest)
9 (2 minute rest)
9 (30 seconds rest)
31
---
75 Total

About 10 minutes later or so I did:

Enter the Kettlebell Week 1, Day 4:
Warm-up, 4 rounds in 10 minutes
10 wall squats
10 R/L Halos
10 pumps (really really had problems).

Workout 3 rounds in 5 minutes
1 R/L Turkish Getup.


I wore my heart rate monitor wrist unit for the first round of push-ups. It was causing problems my wrist hurt. So I took it off for the rest of the rounds.

Wore it on flipped around on the wrist (face on the inside of wrist) for ETK. But My shoulders and legs couldn't take the pumps in the warm up. Ended up doing them from the Child position in yoga.

Even after that, my body didn't want to do the Turkish Getups, but at least the left shoulder was more stable, even if I did get 2 less rounds in than last time.

Bring it

Tonight was hell. two workouts with 30 minutes rest between them.

Started ETK just after 6:30pm.
FIVE rounds of warm up in 10 minutes. Each round looked like this:
10 wall squats (but I messed up the first round, did 12).
10 Right Halos.
10 Left Halos
10 pumps.

Work out:
20 Swings
58 Jumping Jacks
20 Swings
kick backs (still can't do the mountain climbers)
20 Swings
Push-up to a squat thrust
20 Swings
Jog

20 Swings
59 Jumping Jacks
20 Swings
kick backs
20 Swings

Might have gotten a little further but I missed time in an active rest looking for Captain. He made a really strange squawk and then got real quiet. I was on the last swing at the time, dropped the bell and went running looking for him. Found him on top of his cage. Don't know what the deal with the strangled squawk was. He never makes that kind of noise.

Then I got dressed (did the ETK in a pair of shorts), ate quickly, and then ran off to the Apartment complex's club house for the Boot Camp class. Was given a 5lbs ankle weight, and 4 pound balls for the hand. I asked for and got 5lbs balls though. The trainer, only other guy in the room (lots of ladies though) was using 4lbs. Everyone was trying to talk me into lighter weights.

Hour work out later, I felt good. Warmed up, not really feeling worked out. Asked if we could do more. The class looked at me funny. The Kettlebell classes at Wate-man and Joust Fitness are harder than the boot camp class. I tore it up with the 5lbs weights.

My hips and shoulders are starting to feel it, but I don't feel like I was murdered, like I expect from a boot camp class. I was warned that he made the class harder when men show up to it, but I took what had to give me and asked for MORE! Yes there were some things I had problems with, and didn't get as many reps in as I would have liked on some sets.

I also learned, ETK in the morning on Tuesdays (power core days) Thursdays (Boot camp Days) and Fridays (Joust Fitness Kettlebell class days).

Lastly, everyone was in shock of my shoes at the Boot Camp Class. They didn't know what to make of them. Went and got pizza after wards, and a guy was blown away by them. Asked all kinds of questions, thoguht they'd cost way more than I paid.

And Paul Coffee is at the hockey game.

ETK Day 2.

I got up this morning sore. I know it was from yesterday's workouts. I could barely lift my arms over my head in the shower. So no morning workout.

Went to work. Did the work thing. Left, and went to my Great Aunt's viewing at the funeral home.

After that I took my mom, brother and uncle out to eat. Ate way too much at Mongolian BBQ.

Ran from there, to the parking garage, maybe 200 meters.

Came home, watched the Red Wings lose. :-(

Was going to call it a night, and do ETK day 2 tomorrow, but I know where that road leads. I'd find a reason to not do it tomorrow, and next week I'd be starting all over again. Maybe. Got every thing set up, and did it.

4 round of warm up in 10 minutes. Same as yesterday.

5 R/L Turkish Getups in 5 minutes. Left side was like a limp noodle while trying to do them. Shoulder wouldn't activate regardless of what I tried to make it do so. Also the bell, 24kg, hurt my wrist and hand. Not banging or anything, just the pressure on the hand to hold the bell in that position.

But like I said yesterday, I can only get better, right?

My friend Sandy said, Sunday, "If you really want to do it, you'll find away to get it done". I think that was what pushed me to doing it tonight. Because I knew if I didn't, it wouldn't happen.


In the morning push-ups. Tomorrow Night, I think I'm going to try Providence see how far I can make it at 16kg now.

3rd exercise

Yes, number 3 today...

ETK, Week 1, Day 1. Based off the AOS ETK workbook.

10 minute warm up.
------------------
10 wall squats (did 11 first round)
10 Halos counter-clockwise
10 Halos clockwise
10 pumps.

Did 3 sets.

12 minute workout:
20 swings
60 jumping jacks
20 swings
mountain climbers (I suck at these)
20 swings
8 push-up to a squat thrust. They were hard after this morning's push-up work out.
20 swings
1 hallway jog

20 swings
53 jumping jacks
20 swings
19 per leg, kick back, from all fours.
20 swings.

The exercises between the swings, were done in 60 seconds each.

-----

Could have been better, but it's a good start.

Now to get ready for yoga, in 20 minutes....

WHAT AM I THINKING TODAY?