AoS 1200- sort of

Jonathan and I did the 1200 yesterday. He brought his stop watch. We did it on beginner which is 1 round through for 440 reps. My first time was 45+min. Last time was a *little* better. Yesterday I did it in 36.27. Not bad. A sub 40 time. I'm still not sure who in the hell goes through all 6 rounds 3 times for a total of 1200 reps BUT it was a great workout.

Sunday=Funday

I took sat off. I got out the push mower and soon as I got up and did the front and back yard. IT. FUCKING. SUCKED. For some reasons unknown, the yard gave me hell this time. In turn, my shoulders where on fire by the time I was done. The ditch in the front was EXTRA special.

Unless you've got acreage, buy a pushmower. It's better for the environment, cheaper/easier to fix when it breaks and its one hell of a shoulder, lower back and cardio workout.

When I was done I felt like I had to get my WO for the day in so I did 5 rounds of heavy C&P's 3 reps R/L with the 24KG. I am actually getting better at it considering I havent tried it in a while. My left side usually sucks and it stayed strong throughout. Round 5 on reps 2 & 3 it thought about not cooperating but I focused on my total-body-tension and up it went.

After that I rounded it out with 60 coach-maxwell-approved bicycles and 30 coach-maxwell-approved v-ups.

That felt like enough as I got a 35 min cardio, back/shoulder session with the mower.

Today, either AoS 1200, Aos SIM, or AoS Resolution (since i did heavy pressingf yesterday I'm thinking 1200)

Sweating Blood

I took Wed and Th off. I fucked up this week. Got super bummed. Drank too much Wed. Didnt sleep at all Wed nite so no work out Th. I took my head out of my ass yesterday and did the 15/15 6 rep cadence VO2MAX snatch protocol with the 16KG. This time I remembered to protect my hands and I got through 50 of the 80 reps. Thats 8 more that I got last time (my first attempt).

It was fucking hard. Again I was pouring sweat and sucking wind by the time I was done. My lungs probably had 6-10 sets left in me but my lower back was done. It was fatigued and getting tight so I felt like it was time to throw in the towel. I will do it again next week and see if I can get 56-60 sets. 60 would make me happy b/c honestly I think if I could hit 60, I would push on through to 80 if at all possible.

Afternoon Bodyweight Quickie

Have a dinner meeting tonite. Wanted to get something in.

Went home and did a 1-10 ladder alternating between burpees and deck squats. 55 of each. Took a little under 18 min. Not too bad.

Deck squats are brutal on the lower abs. I am not having a good self-esteem day today. Need to work through that. Feel like what I did wasn't good for anything but I'm pretty sure that's not true and even if it is, at least I didn't just sit on my ass- and to be honest, that second statement sounds like a veiled excuse. I have mental problems.

Resolved- AGAIN

I did AoS Resolution yesterday and I did part II of the workout. I got 5 rounds in 30 min and it was hard as hell. Lots of ladder-ing. C&P ladders, pull up laddres and DL ladders.

The pull ups were the easiest part of the work out (that made me happy as pull ups used to be hard).

I wish I had a bar and plates so I could have done the DL's as prescribed. Instead I had to do double suitcase dl's with my 24KGs. I can DL WAY more than 106lbs so that part felt like I wasn't really pushing myself but you work with what you've got.

The C&P ladders killed me. On the first part of Resolution I got the advanced level the first time I did it. Resolution II, not even close. I got to 5 rounds and that was it and I barely made that. I like a challenge...

Pushing the Earth

4 rounds

R1-
30 swings
10 dive-thru push ups a-la-coach maxwell (w/ knees to ankles before going thru)
15 v-ups

R2-
30 swings
15 regular coach maxwell push ups (elbows tight in, shoulders packed)
30 seconds of planks, front, right, left, front straight through

R3-
30 swings
10 coach maxwell weight-shifting push ups (down, weight to R hand, L hand, back up)
60 coach maxwell approved bicycles (SM's version of these are HARD)

R4-
30 swings
10 twisting aka half-moon push ups
30 leg raises

This was hard. Those are not regular, old-fashioned push ups. Anyone who says you can't fuck yourself up without a gym is WRONG.

Torn

The tears in my hand are bad- they are directly in the creases in my palms and I can't open my hands all the way or they crack back open. NOT TO SELF: Remember to use gloves.

I'm going to do something today, just not sure what given the condition of my manos. I can probably pull off some push up variations, core work, and deck squats. That's what I'm thinking at least.

My plunge into the MaxV02 Snatch Workout

So everyone is talking about this protocol. It showed up about a year or so ago as the brain child of Kenneth Jay, Sr. RCK. It caught on, quick. I *tried* it a few times but I did a bastardized version of it b/c I was too lazy to do the base line test and I didn't have gym boss to keep me my intervals exactly timed.
I wont try and explain what MaxV02 is (http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/VO2max.html)or how the MaxV02 protocol works, b/c I can't. if you've been living under a fitness rock for a year go here - http://www.dragondoor.com/dv049.html - to see KJ's new book on it. Even despite all the usual DD hype-selling, it WILL fuck you up and remake you.

I decided to give it a try again when someone on the DD forum put up this link to MP3 files he made mimicking the cadences for the 15/15 protocol (that's 15 seconds on 15 seconds off). He has diff cadences too, 5 reps in the 15 secs up to 8 reps in the 15 secs.

I DL'd all the files (they are FREE. GET THEM BEFORE THEY DISAPPEAR!) and tried the 15/15 6 rep version yesterday. The whole drill takes 39min and change and goes for 80 rounds. I got through 42 rounds before I tapped out. I *probably* could have done 5-8 more but my left side was getting a little wonky and i have awesome tears in both palms that happened around rounds 20 or 21. I was starting to have a hard time pushing through the tears 20 rounds later.

I was sweating like a whore in church by the time I was done but I felt great. Then 3 hours later I felt like I had run a marathon. I was just zapped. I LOVE it. It's replacing one of my AoS days during the week. I alternate out whatever AoS drill I don't do one week for another I do the next. I cannot wait to tackle this bad boy again, this time with proper hand care to see how far I can get.

Also, the MP3 cadences REALLY do help. Download them. Go here for it.... http://kbforum.dragondoor.com/kettlebells-strength-conditioning-forum/134079-vwc-mvo2-mp3-timers.html

Seriously download them.

Heavy is as Heavy Does

yesterday i was going to take off. then my friend mentioned she had a weight bench witha bunch of weight and i could use it if i helped her move it. i've been wanting to do some heavy Dl's for a while so i jumped on it.

we couldnt find the weights.

when i got back home i was amped about lifting heavy i did a 5x5 with double 24KGs.

alternated between push presses and front squats. push presses were easier than i thought until i got to the end of R4. then they got a little more challenging. the front squats destroyed my lower abs- both of those 24KG bells in the front rack position felt brutally heavy at the bottom. my squat form has gotten much better so i can really bottom out the way you're supposed to- probably the first time i've been able to use good form with that much weight on front. at 151lbs thats 70% of my BW that my core and trunk is holding up. awesome.

then i finished off with core work from SM300 DVD and AoS Newport.
leg raises
hardcore bicycles.

Bright eyed and bushy tailed

Have TONS of stuff today. So had to get the workout in as soon as I woke up. That's always kind of hard on me.

I'm still super sore from the 1200 Friday so Coach doesn't get his shot at me this week. Instead this morning I did all BW HOC.

Ran a little over a mile with a pull up station on one side of the lap and a push up station on the other side.
Ran 3 laps.
I did 5 pull ups each lap and 10 push ups each lap. All push ups from Steve Maxwell's 300 DVD.
L1= regular, elbow tucked in
L2= dive-thrus
L3= Twisting/half-moon push ups

I did this in 9 min. Not bad adding in the time it takes to do the pull ups and push ups. Not gonna lie, my shoulders were furious at me after the push up variations. Still really sore and tight. Everything else was great, legs and lungs were fine.

I felt like that wasnt enough but I'm short on time so I threw in some core drills. 30 bicycles from SM
30 v-ups from SM (forgot what he calls them)
30 seconds plank

Then had to go in and shower and shave. Off to all sorts of stuff today.

Tomorrow I will do a less lame workout.

1200- HA! more like 400...

Seriously who the fuck does AoS 1200 on advanced and gets the 1200 reps done? Cuz it sure as hell isn't me.

Did it again today. FUCK.

I will say this. I felt like I was dying and being a baby. Then I realized I was on a pace to cut almost 10 min off of my previous (first) attempt at the workout. That made me feel better. Also, today was the first day of it being warm (not hot just warm). It was about 85 and I did the wo around 1:30PM, the hottest part of the day, very intelligent on my part. I wound up finishing the wo in 46min. I got off track b/c some high school kids at the park come over to ask me about the bells and i HAD to preach some gospel and show them some basics (swings and cleans). That slowed me down a bit. Without that I'm going to say I think I could have finished today in around 33-35 min. MUCH better than last time.

Although when I went in I thought I might pass out. I jumped in the shower with no hot water and stayed there for about 12 min, shaking from exhaustion. Awesome.

Resolved

I did hte first part of AoS Resolution yesterday.

30 Min

5 double bell pressses using 20KKs
30 swings using hte 24KG

As many sets of that as you can do in the time alotted.

Looks not so bad.

Was HARD.

1-4: Beginner
5-7: Intermediate
8-10: Advanced

I got 8. My forearms were PISSED from the swings. I could press more weight but not much. I cant double press the 2 24KG's for 5 reps so it stays at the 20KG's for now.

The New Regime

So I think I've got my new training schedule shored up in my head. Im going to go between AoS workouts and Steve Maxwell's 300 BW Challendge.

I'm going to be doing Strength in Motion, 1200, and Resolution and then the SM 300.

I'm never one to schedule schedule things as, like Wu-Tang says, life is hectic. What I am aiming for is

Monday - SIM
Wed- Resolution
F- SM 300
and then Saturday or Sunday do 1200 depending on how I'm feeling from the SM 300. On one of the days that I am off I will probably end up running,

Today is Resolution, which I am still trying to figure out how to use exactly- more on that after I'm done today.

Goobye black lung....

That's right motherfuckers... my lungs have officially returned in FULL FORCE.. posibly improved!

Since I quit smnoking, I have been working them back up. Today was V-Day and I have empirical proof!

I was doing (more like trying to do) AoS Strength in Motion before I quit. I was on week 1 and taking a pathetic 60 seconds between each drill AND in between each round and even then I was barely making it through. All of week 1 was taking me almost 45 min (sometimes more). Pathetic.

Today I tried week 1 again. This time I did the bare min break between each drill- 15seconds for the entire workout (excepot where it mandates 60 seconds). I tok 30 seconds or less between the three rounds. I did the entire workout in 29 min. On week 1 protocol, the fastest I think it COULD be done would be in about 27:00-27:30.

Best of all, all my reps went up for the 30 sec cardio drills except on 1 dril- the dreaded alt clean and afterwards I wasn't dying. I could feel it but I wasn't totally destroyed either.

It is going to be ON this summer. When it comes time for me to get up to MA and take the AoS CERT, I am going to destroy it Texas style.

Doubling down...

Went on a 2.25 mile run this morning. Got it done in about 15-16 min. Went home, showered, and go lazy for most of the day. I felt really zapped from that run and just sort of vegged.

About 4pm though, I started getting edgy for some KB action. Sometimes the idea of just doing some swings or some snatches gets in my head and it won't get out until I go out and do them. I decided to get the timer and see how many times I could go through this circuit in 20 min using the 20KG bell-
5 of each without putting down the bell
swings, snatches, MP's, squats
start on L side, switch in air, repeat on R side

Got through this 6 times in 20 min (12 total counting L/R).

My shoulders got a little fatigued from not setting the bell down- the truth be told I felt it more in my shoulders than I did in my lungs or in my chest.

All in all not bad b/c I got in a good run AND a decent bell drill AND got them both on what i thought would be a *lazy* Sunday.

Trimming the fat

Did the steve maxwell 30 workout again yesterday. Got it done this time in 31.32 min! I was on pace to finish it in 28.33 but I just couldn't keep going through the burpees and the mountain climbers. My friend John Hancock, ex-Marine extraordinaire got it done in 28.33. I was close but I lost steam at the end. Either way, still got my time down 2 min AND i did the 15 of the 30 squats as deck squats this time. Nice.

5x5 Push and pull

Yesterday I did 5x5 with 24Kg push presses and double 20KG front squats.

As mentioned earlier- video of round 3 of the 5.