Free Stylin'

Warm Up
Mobility, Pumps

Barbell Power Cleans
20 x 5 x 2, 40 x 2, 45 x 2, 50 x 2 x 2, 55kgs x 2 x 2

Comment: I'd been planning to do these for a few days. Which gave me the excuse I needed to watch my favourite dvd - Jimmy Schmitz Olympic Style Weightlifting. It is a home production set up but worth its weight in gold.

These were fairly comfortable and it was all about practicing. Two coaching points for me to note though:

• Need better flexibility in the wrists and arms so I can rack the weight
• Need to go into a quarter squat and hold it a second or two before standing up
  

'Unscripted' Circuits
Pull Ups
Press Ups
Burpees
24kgs KB snatches L/R
35kgs Sandbag Clean and Throw
Sledge Hammer Strikes

5:30 - 1 min rest. 4:30 - 1 min. 3:30 - collapse in heap!

This will take a little explaining. Inspired by a dvd I recieved this morning from my friend Paul (you're a real gentleman, thank you.) - Full Throttle by Ross Enamait. I picked the six exercises above and worked through them randomly. A random number of reps and sets and in a random order.

The idea was to only do an exercise while I was performing it powerfully and with good form. For example I performed 7 pull ups straight out of the traps. When I performed them again I managed 4 good powerful reps and then swapped to say burpees or whatever. Continuing in this fashion with each exercise.

I placed the sledge and tire at the top of the garden. Anytime I went to do those I'd shoulder the sandbag carry it up there and bring it back down when I was finished. Started with the Clean and Throws from chest height, but after a while they were lifted to hip height and thrown across the yard in a kind of twisting motion.

The plan was to do 3 x 5 mins with 1 min between. Incredibly - as I was fading after a few minutes - I did over 5 mins first round. The other two rounds were about all the time I could handle.

Full Contact Twists
17.5kgs x 4 (each side) x 3

Comment: First time doing these - I like.

Stretches

Good session today. I like the randomness, really kept it interesting. It was so different from paying a lot of attention to detail with the Power Cleans. But I really enjoyed both for different reasons.

Unscripted or Freestyle training isn't something you need to do everytime, but it is good to keep things fresh.

I subscribed to Art De Vany's site some days ago and have been inspired by what I've seen and read there. For me there are a lot of commonalities with Crossfit in both nutrition and training principles. This idea of life's terrain never being the same and that one should be prepared for anything at any time is one I strongly agree with. While there may be brief periods where I train specifically for something in the future. This style of training is the type that best captures my imagination and that I intend sticking with. At some stage I shall be setting up a new blog - it's no longer just a Kettlebell Experience.

Here are some of the simple but fantastic meals I have been eating lately, also somewhat influenced from the De Vany site.

Last night's dinner: Pork Loin coated in spices, Romaine Lettuce with peppers, celery,olive oil and a Carlsberg

Breakfast: Melon, Grapes, Bacon, Boiled Eggs, Green Tea, Fish Oil Caps and Vitamin tablet

So far this meal is all I have had all day. It saw me through the training session OK and I still don't feel especially hungry. These types of meals are simple to put together and aren't as bland as I thought they would be. For the time being they are doing the job - weight is continuing in the right direction, and I'm able to function. However I shalln't be scared to enjoy a pizza or something if the mood really takes me.