I've had complete rest the last couple of days, except for a few stretches, mobility exercises here and there and plenty of walking. Mid back is still a bit sore and I decided to give it a few days before I do my easy snatches tomorrow.
I've been spending a bit of time thinking about my training though - mainly due to reading Train to Win by Martin Rooney. It's a book about developing a philosophy on training rather than programs to follow. There's a lot more to it that what I'm going to talk about here but for the moment at least it has really got me thinking about this year and what my goal is.
I posted about hardly being able to contain myself over the layout of my next cycle or phase I guess is more accurate. Circuits with sandbags, sledge hammers and tires etc etc. The question I have been asking this weekend though is - How will that aid me in getting to my goal? Which is Rite of Passage. In fact it is a little more than that, it is RoP at a bodyweight of 82.5kgs (13 stones / 182lbs)
Well, maybe the conditioning I got from doing random circuits would aid my KB SSST. Maybe they would even help my pressing strength. Though not as well as focusing on swings, snatches and cleans & presses for my conditioning would.
This is the goal I have chosen for myself at this time - and I think it is a pretty good one. The real fun stuff shall have to wait til there is a place for it in attaining a goal I have. I need to focus on doing the training that will work for me to get me to my goal in the most efficient manner.
I am still going to switch to PttP Deadlifts - I need to switch up my routine a little to prevent getting stale, and bored. It will strengthen my posterior chain which will certainly help with handling the heavier 32 KB and should prevent injuries like the one I sustained on friday. Also who reading this blog for any length of time doesn't want to know how ETK has affected my deadlifting? It's the little luxury I'm allowing myself on the new phase.
My shoulder is beginning to feel a little better, but one thing I know from my training through the years is that they do not like high volume with medium- heavy weights. So, I am going to continue to GTG TGUs with them. The word is that TGUs increase pressing strength. So lets see. Incidently I am going to go to GTG 24 KB tomorrow to see how they feel.
The mobility drills and stretches I have been doing can stay the same for a while. They wake me up in the morning and I'm buzzing after doing them. It is important though if I change it up later that I include ankle, knee, shoulder, neck and wrist exercises. These areas in particular I need better mobility and strength. Later they will become the focus for my goals.
Nutrition stays the same as the last week until it stops working. Then it will tweaks in quantities rather change of structure. It is a good plan...as long as I stick to it. I will also start to post briefly what I have eaten each day on here as well. This blog has sustained my training effort so I'd be missing a trick by not using it to hold me accountable for what I eat as well.
Finally then is the use of KBs for my conditioning and SSST improvement. I'll be honest and say that I do not know how I am going to fit it in yet!! VO2Max, L/M/H like RoP, longer duration with a lighter KB? I think that this blog may give me the answers though - http://tracyrif.blogspot.com/
I have previously read about the chance of overworking the posterior chain when DLing and KBing. So it is something that I shall have to look out for. If this is the case then I can easily back off with swings/snatches and begin to introduce sprinting sessions. These have been mentioned in ETK as a way of improving cv for snatches.
I have a few weeks to research it and gather in suggestions, so no worries. Whatever way I decide to go it will be with my goal in mind.
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6 comments:
Happy Easter Colin. You raise some interesting points, and I am going to give a little unsolicited feedback. I do not call this advice, because it is only based on my own "experiment of one" and others may have totally different experiences.
Conditioning is different from strength in that almost all conditioning work has some carryover to almost all other conditioning work. The major exception to this rule is that long distance running has virtually no carryover to shorter harder efforts. In my experience, WTH effects happen far more often in conditioning related events than in strength ones.
The point of all this garbage I'm writing (I can tell that I'm not getting my point out as clearly as I can see it in my mind) is that your conditioning circuits might have more relation to the SSST than you think.
I believe Pavel might back me up on this too. If specific practice is the only way to get results in your KB conditioning, then why on earth would sprints work?
I have not read the book you linked, but I read the advertisement and it looked pretty interesting. I think I would probably agree with most of what the book says about training for your goals, but my point would be that conditioning circuits might be in line with your goals.
I used to test 5 minute snatches with the 16kg and get about 75-80 every time. Then after taking several months off from doing almost any snatches at all I found myself routinely knocking out 100 or more. My training during this time involved almost no kettlebells and focused heavily on strength.
Speaking of strength, for your overhead work I think the TGUs will be extremely helpful. No one gets strong by accident, so keep up the progression of the TGUs and add in DLs and I think you have the makings of a great strength program. If I had to choose only two exercises for a total body strenth routine those would be my picks.
Maybe this will be helpful to you and maybe not, but just wanted to share some disjointed thoughts on the subject.
Happy Easter Martin - I trust none of the eggs eaten today were chocolate!!
I very much welcome your feedback.
Now I didnt say KBs was the only way, or that circuits wouldn't improve my SSST numbers. Only that I felt they would be the most efficient way. I've no doubt put more numbers on my snatches by pressing and swinging than snatching since I started. So I realise that pure specificity is not the only way to improve.
With the sprint intervals I'm not 100% it says this in the book, but I'm sure it helps only in conjunction with strength training the posterior chain. On its own it wouldn't be much good if you struggled to do 1 snatch in the first place.
So I whole heartedly agree that building up a good strength base will help any strength endurance activities. Maybe I was downplaying the role of deadlifting too much in my description of why its in there in my post.
You raise interesting points though that prehaps in this case circuits or KBs may well just work equally well. I am going to go with the KBs though, at least to start with - there are a few more practical reasons as well for this. And besides...this is the Kettlebell Experience after all ;)
http://www.americankettlebellclub.com/blog/?p=133
Check out this link - I'm asking myself how this man is deadlifting more than me!! Important to note though that he had a 470 before he started.
I hope I was clear enough on this. My comment was definitely not a suggestion to change your plan. You have a good plan, and if it is getting results you should stick with it. I was merely pointing out the other side of the coin as it were. I think most people are at risk of being so taken with the "dogma" of a particular program or set of ideas that it is hard to see the merit in other approaches. I know CrossFitters and Pavelites both strike me as being guilty of this.
Hello, it's anonymous again! Thanks for the link.
That Tracey Rif is seriously commited to the bells.Some of her recent stuff is truly scarey. Her fella, Rif, has some good stuff on periodising workouts on his blog, unfortunately it isn't done formally. There are a lot of us lurkers about! Good luck !
Martin, I know what you mean about the different camps and their religion. On DD I read guys even hint at knocking KBs and just getting busted from left and right. All the recent hardstyle/softstyle aggression too!!
At the end of the day they are just tools to use to get you where you want to be.
Hey mouse!! Glad you came back. Tracy Rif goes through an amazing amout of work. There is a lot of quality stuff on her and Rifs blogs.
Thanks for the well wishes. I'd like to hear about your training sometime. Drop me a line on c_mcilhinney@hotmail.com and lurk no more ;)
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