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Day 36 – 10-19-09

Grind Block - light day

Double Kettlebell Military Press / Squat 16kg & 24kg kettlebells

•    1,2,3 x 4 cycles
•    1 x 1 cycle
•    3 front squats on last set of each cycle

Sumo Squat 16kg & 24kg kettlebells

•    20 x 2

Total workout time (not including warm up) 24 minutes

3 minutes between ladders

Music selection – Alice in Chains

Random Thoughts

• I decreased the time between ladders from 3 1/2 minutes to 3. 
• I decreased the number of squats to 3 for the light day.  This adds a cycle to the squats and mixes things up.

Day 37 - 10-20-09

Variety

Turkish Get Ups  24kg

• 5 minutes alternating hands 

Bent Press  24 kg kettlebell

• 2(reps) x 6 ea arm

Stretching between each set of bent presses.

Phonebook tear

Music selection – Metallica

Total workout time – 35 minutes

Random Thoughts

• Goal was to perform low reps with high sets for the bent press with the objective of adding a lot of volume but remaining fresh with a relatively light weight. 
• Bent Pressing will remain a constant during the variety days of my grind blocks.
• Lots of stretching between bent press sets to keep the shoulders and upper body lose.
• No negative on the bent press.  Once the kettlebell is in the top position and I am fully upright, I drop the weight to my chest in a manner similar to that of a jerk.

Day 38 – 10-21-09

Grind block – medium day

Double Kettlebell Military Press / Squat 20kg & 24kg kettlebells

•    1,2,3,4 x 4 cycles
•    1,2 x 1 cycle
•    4 front squats on last set of each cycle

Sumo Squat 20kg & 24kg kettlebells

•    20 x 2

Total workout time (not including warm up) 29 minutes

3  minutes between ladders

Music selection – Variety

Day 39 – 10-22-09

Variety

Windmills  16kg kettlebell

• 5 x 3

RKC Arm Bar

• 5 minutes randomly switching arms

Pistols

• 2 x 3 ea leg

Miscellaneous grip work

Total workout time – 30 min

Music selection – Black Sabbath

Day 40– 10-23-09 – Rest

Day 41 – 10-24-09

Grind block – heavy day

Double Kettlebell Military Press / Squat 24kg & 24kg kettlebells

•    1,2,3,4 x 4 cycles
•    1,2,3 x 1 cycle
•    5 front squats on last set of each cycle

Sumo Squat 24kg & 24kg kettlebells

•    20 x 2

Time to complete press / squat sequence – 22 minutes

Total workout time (not including warm up) 29 minutes

3  minutes between ladders

Music selection – Metallica

Random Thoughts

• Today I attempted to decrease the time it took me to perform my press / squat sequence.  Although I decreased the time between ladders to 3 minutes, I was not able to reduce the overall time.  My next heavy grind block day will then have an added rung.  (1,2,3,4 x 5)

Day 42  – 10-25-09 Rest

P.S. – Have a question about anything I’m doing, email me and I’ll be more then happy to answer it.  ironkettlebellfitness@gmail.com

Before entering into a fitness routine, especially one that incorporates kettlebells, be sure to consult with your physician or medical professional to be sure you are healthy enough to begin a strength and conditioning regimen.  Be sure to learn the proper way to perform each lift and complete each exercises in strict form employing a spotter when applicable.  In other words, if you hurt yourself, it’s your fault.

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It was recently pointed out to me that I was wearing a pair of running shoes during one of my instructional videos.  The person asked me if those were the shoes that I recommend when lifting.  My answer was no. 

Yes, on occasion I have worn the wrong kind of shoes during one of my videos but it is in no way representative of what I wear when I perform my actual workouts.  To that end, I have stopped the practice and instead shot my videos wearing what I would normally have on during my workouts; no shoes.

I never wear shoes of any kind while I am working out.  I lift in bare feet or shocks and nothing else.  The reason you should do this is because athletic shoes made today are made with shock-absorbing material.  Good for running or playing tennis or basketball but bad for lifting weights.  One reason for this is that these kinds of shoes can create instability when standing to perform lifts like the deadlift or military press or kettlebell snatches.  Another reason is that athletic shoes built to absorb shock tend to have a heel that is slightly elevated.  This shifts your center of gravity forward which in turn can create unnecessary stress on the knee and can alter its range of movement. 

But wait, it gets more complicated that that.  Researchers have found that when you wear shoes during your lifting, the shoes act to diminish the sensitivity of the foot which can act as an off shitch to the strength reflex in your legs.  This reflex is enabled by the pressure placed on the sole of your foot under load. 

Watch a powerlifter perform a deadlift and you will note that he does not wear shoes.  He knows that he will be leaving weight on the ground if he does.  In my own experience, I find that my legs actually contract harder when I am not wearing shoes.  My deadlift poundage went up and I have not experienced any negative affects from not wearing shoes. 

The same holds true for my kettlebell training.  I just feels more natural to me to not have shoes on when I workout.  For exercises like pistols and military presses, I actually try and grip the ground with my toes which helps me tense my legs.  This sends the tension right up my torso and into the kettlebell resulting in more weight being lifted. 

Going barefoot for me is no problem since I workout outside or in my home gym.  If you lift at a commercial gym, the owner might not want you walking around without shoes.  You may also want to consider not doing this for health reasons.  There are a few solutions to this.  One would be to wear shocks or a pair of deadlifting slippers.  Checkout a powerlifting store or go online to get yourself a pair.  The other solution is to get a pair of athletic shoes that are flat.  The best kind in my opinion are Chuck Taylors. 

Now for our hands.  Unless you have some kind of problem with your hands that prevents you from lifting without gloves, don’t.  There is absolutely no benefit to wearing them except I guess if you think you look cool.  If you have a problem holding onto the barbell or the kettlebell, either work on your grip or use chaulk.  And don’t worry about getting a few calluses, it ain’t gonna kill you.

Next, lets talk about belts.  Again, I don’t wear them.  Unless you are a powerlifter, belts do more harm then good. They aid in helping to support your back by artificial means.  The point of working out is to get strong and to learn to handle a heavy load.  Unless you are planning on walking around all day wearing a lifting belt, why would you want to wear one in the gym.  If you have a problem with lower back support, work on strengthening your core and learn how to tighten up the abs and breathe behind the shield during your lifts.  I never wear a belt, even during heavy deadlifts and I have never once injured my lower back.  Sure, I could lift more weight but I’m not a professional powerlifter so the 10 percent or so I lose is worth it in order to build a resilient, injury resistant lower back.

And lastly, I almost never wear any kind of support wrap for the same reasons I don’t wear a lifting belt.  In addition to strong, powerful muscles, I want to build strong powerful joints.  Wraps can go counter to this goal.  With that said, I injured my wrist almost 20 years ago playing softball and on occasion it gets a little sore.  If I perform a very heavy maximum lift or an odd lift like a press holding 2 kettlebells in one hand, I will wear a wrist wrap on my injured wrist and only if the lift is very heavy.  Other then that, I don’t. 

I really comes down to your personnel preferences and whether or not you have injuries that prevent you from lifting natural.  Aside from the shoes which can promote injuries if your wear the wrong ones, using belts or wraps is your choice.  I can tell you that for years I wore a belt and wraps and for years I was prevented from making the type of gains I should have.  I remember using hooks when I deadlifted.  This caused my grip to be very weak.  I couldn’t even hold onto a barbell loaded with 225 pounds because my grip was so weak.  It has taken a long time to make up for that lack of strength in my grip.  Don’t make that mistake.  Use chaulk if your grip slips.  The only personal pieces of workout equipment you need buy is a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.  Save your money for the important stuff like buying a heavier kettlebell.

Yours in Health,

Dennis

P.S. – Have a question about anything I’m doing, email me and I’ll be more then happy to answer it.  ironkettlebellfitness@gmail.com

Before entering into a fitness routine, especially one that incorporates kettlebells, be sure to consult with your physician or medical professional to be sure you are healthy enough to begin a strength and conditioning regimen.  Be sure to learn the proper way to perform each lift and complete each exercises in strict form employing a spotter when applicable.  In other words, if you hurt yourself, it’s your fault.

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I started this blog because I wanted to provide good quality information that others could benefit from in their quest to become stronger and better conditioned.  The information in these pages is derived from my studies and my experiences over the last 25 plus years in the iron game.  

I started lifting weights seriously when I was in my mid teens and have become extremely passionate about trying to reach the limits of my physical potential.  Now I have become passionate about helping others do the same thing.  Sharing what I have learned is my way of paying it forward. 

I have learned a lot over the last quarter century, mostly about what doesn’t work.  I am the classic hard gainer who has to work for every ounce of muscle I have.  I started out by reading an issue of Muscle & Fitness and following the workouts described.  My dream was to become a pro bodybuilder so that’s the kind of workouts I did.  

Although I abandoned that dream in my early twenties, I continued to train like a bodybuilder with my primary goal being to get as big as I could.  Being strong wasn’t my focus at that time.  I figured that by getting big, I would get strong as well. 

In my mid twenties I was a follower of Mike Mentzer and his high intensity principles.  My workouts were short and very intense.  I predominantly performed 1 or 2 lifts per body part with 1 working set after the warm up.  That set was always to all out failure and sometimes beyond.  I never left anything in the tank.  I lifted at one speed and that was all out balls to the wall.  

I continued to study and try new things but wasn’t ever able to see the results that I had hoped for.  I was fit and stronger then the average person but I had hoped to have more success then I had at that point. 

It was about 8 or 9 years ago that I first read an article by Pavel Tsatsouline in Muscle Media.  I don’t remember what it was about, but I remember being intrigued by what Pavel was saying.  What he said was nothing new because it was based on what the Soviet lifters had been doing for many years.  And doing very well I might add.  

Although what he preached was nothing new, it was to me.  I quickly began to read everything Pavel wrote and started buying his books and DVD’s and studying and practicing his methods.  That’s when I began using kettlebells and no longer trained to failure.  I changed my entire approached to working out and that’s when I started to realize my true potential. 

I now focus all my attention on strength and power.  Muscles for show no longer interest me.  A huge portion of my workouts are performed with kettlebells, probably 75 or 80 percent.  The rest of the time I use a barbell or perform odd lifts.  

I avoid training to failure like the plague and cycle my training to always be making progress.  My reps for grind type lifts like military presses, dead lifts or bent presses are kept around 5.  I only go higher for explosive type lifts like snatches or jerks. Back in the old days, a rarely performed less then 8 reps and usually did 10 or 12.  Also gone are the days of hour and a half or two hour workouts.  40 to 45 minutes tops. 

The biggest change is probably my focus on total body lifts.  Barbell curls serve no purpose in real life and do nothing to make you strong and powerful.  I practice moves like the Turkish Get Up, the Bent Press, the Clean and Jerk and deadlifts.  These lifts require you to coordinate all the muscles of the body to work in concert with each other.  You must learn to move under load, a feat that mimics real life.  

I have learned how to use body weight only lifts to supplement my resistance training and lastly, I have added odd, non-conventional lifts and feats of strength.  Pull ups holding onto a rope with one hand, sandbag carries, phonebook and card tears and nail bending.  

This paradigm shift in my thinking brought on by the desire and passion to continue my workout education has brought me much success in the last 6 or 7 years.  I have made more gains in that time then in the almost 20 years prior.    

I have never been stronger and better conditioned then I am now at 41.  Every year I continue to make progress by continuing to educate myself and practice what I learn.  

In this age of massive amounts of information exchange, there has never been more knowledge available to you and me with regard to strength and conditioning.  Yet with all the advancements in the field of physical culture, it is the simple things that have always worked in the past to make men strong that will work in the future. 

Kettlebells have been around for hundreds of years and are as effective now as they were then.  A simple circular piece of iron with a handle helped change who I am physically and mentally.  I only discovered kettlebells because I never stopped trying to learn and improve my approach towards lifting.  

Never stop asking the question, what if?  Never stop asking the question, what about me?  I am who I am and have achieved the things I have because I am always asking those questions and seeking the answers. 

Yours in Health, 

Dennis

P.S. – Have a question about anything I’m doing, email me and I’ll be more then happy to answer it.  ironkettlebellfitness@gmail.com

Before entering into a fitness routine, especially one that incorporates kettlebells, be sure to consult with your physician or medical professional to be sure you are healthy enough to begin a strength and conditioning regimen.  Be sure to learn the proper way to perform each lift and complete each exercises in strict form employing a spotter when applicable.  In other words, if you hurt yourself, it’s your fault.

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Day 29 – 10-12-09

Grind Block - light day

Double Kettlebell Military Press / Squat 16kg & 24kg kettlebells

•    1,2,3 x 4 cycles
•    1 x 1 cycle
•    5 front squats on last set of each cycle

Sumo Squat 16kg & 24kg kettlebells

•    20 x 2

Total workout time (not including warm up) 24 minutes

3 1/2 minutes between ladders

Music selection – Alice in Chains

Random Thoughts

• I decreased the time between ladders from 4 minutes to 3 1/2. 

Day 30 - 10-13-09

Variety

Turkish Get Ups  24kg

• 5 minutes alternating hands 

Lateral Raises  10 lbs

• 10 x 3 

Stretching

Deck Pistols holding 10lb plate

• 3 ea leg x 3 sets 

Music selection – Stone Temple Pilots

Total workout time – 20 minutes

Day 31 – 10-14-09

Grind block – medium day

Double Kettlebell Military Press / Squat 20kg & 24kg kettlebells

•    1,2,3,4 x 4 cycles
•    1,2 x 1 cycle
•    5 front squats on last set of each cycle

Sumo Squat 20kg & 24kg kettlebells

•    20 x 2

Total workout time (not including warm up) 30 minutes

3 1/2 minutes between ladders

Music selection – Stone Temple Pilots

Day 32 – 10-15-09 – This was a scheduled variety day but I was felling a little fatigued and rundown so I decided to take the day off.

Day 33 – 10-16-09 – Rest

Day 34 – 10-17-09

Grind block – heavy day

Double Kettlebell Military Press / Squat 24kg & 24kg kettlebells

•    1,2,3,4 x 4 cycles
•    1,2,3 x 1 cycle
•    5 front squats on last set of each cycle

Sumo Squat 24kg & 24kg kettlebells

•    20 x 2

Time to complete press / squat sequence – 22 minutes

Total workout time (not including warm up) 30 minutes

3 1/2 minutes between ladders

Music selection – Metallica

Random Thoughts

• Felt strong but started to get a little warn down sooner then I should have.  In my experience this is due to not eating enough during the day.  I was guilty of that today.  Heavy days require lots of calories.  Will correct for future workouts.
• The number of ladders and rungs I performed are right at my limit.  Adding more at this time would most likely result in bad form and or injury.  My goal for the next heavy day will be to perform the same number of ladders and rungs for each in less time. 

Day 35 – 10-18-09 – Rest

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The Russian Kettlebell Twist or Russian Hot Potato is a great exercise to target the muscles of your core.  Give this a try after a set of swings or snatches when your breathing is already rapid and I guarantee you will hate me when your done. 

Points to Remember

• Lean back until your heals start ot come off the ground.
• Synchronise your breathing with each passing of the kettlebell from side to side.
• Keep your glutes and you abs tight.
• Allow your hips to rotate as you pass the kettlebell back and forth.
• Perform for high reps or for time.

Yours in Health

Dennis

PLEASE RETWEET

P.S. – Have a question about anything I’m doing, email me and I’ll be more then happy to answer it.  ironkettlebellfitness@gmail.com

Before entering into a fitness routine, especially one that incorporates kettlebells, be sure to consult with your physician or medical professional to be sure you are healthy enough to begin a strength and conditioning regimen.  Be sure to learn the proper way to perform each lift and complete each exercises in strict form employing a spotter when applicable.  In other words, if you hurt yourself, it’s your fault.

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Day 22 – 10-5-09

Explosive block - light day

Viking Push Press 16kg

•    2,4,6 x 4 cycles ea. arm

Front Raise Snatch  16kg

• 10 (reps) x 2

Total workout time (not including warm up) 24 minutes

Random Thoughts

• Start of a new week and with it comes the addition of a ladder.  The rungs will remain the same at 2, 4, 6 but I will add a ladder bringing the total to 4. 
• The Front Raise Snatch remains at 10 reps for 2 sets.  I’m still learning this lift and adding more reps and or sets starts to become grueling.  Too much for the light day.  The Viking Push Press is the focus on light days.

Total workout time – 24 minutes

Day 23 - 10-6-09

Variety

Kettlebell Swings  16kg

• 20 x 3 alternating hands 

Turkish Get-ups  20kg kettlebell

• 5 minutes

Hindu Squats 

• 20 reps x 3

Pinch block static holds  – one hand alternating

• 30 lbs x 20 sec
• 25 lbs x 25 sec
• 20 lbs x 30 sec

Stretching throughout workout

Music selection – Alice in Chains

Total workout time – 31 minutes

Day 24 – 10-7-09

Explosive block - medium day

Long Cycle Clean and Jerk  2 20 kg kettlebells

• 2, 4, 6 x 4 ladder – 3 minutes between each ladder

Random Thoughts

• As with the Viking Push Press, I added a fourth ladder.  Today’s workout felt much better then last weeks medium day.  I was in the groove from the first rep and felt strong the entire workout.

Total workout time – 19 minutes

Music Selection – Metallica

Day 25 – 10-8-09

Variety

Kettlebell Swings  20kg

• 20 x 3

RKC Arm Bar  16kg

• 5 min randomly switching arms

15/15 conditioning protocol  16kg bell

• 7 reps x 20 cycles

Stretching

Total workout time 30 min.

Music selection  – Alice in Chains

Day 26 – 10-09-09 – Rest

Day 27 – 10-10-09

Explosive block - heavy day

Long Cycle Clean and Jerk  2 24 kg kettlebells

• 2, 4, 6 x 4 ladder – 3 minutes between each ladder

Random Thoughts

• This protocol calls for a rest period between ladders that is slightly to short to aid in full recovery.  The theory being that if you begin each ladder in a less then fully recovered state, progress comes faster then if you were fully recovered.  I have elected to rest 3 minutes between each ladder which for me is about 1 or 2 minutes less then optimal recovery.  I kept an eye on the clock after my last ladder and felt like I was fully recovered at about 4 and a half minutes.  3 seems like a good time between ladders.  I am recovered enough to that I have caught my breathe and am able to complete the next ladder in good form but could still use another minute or so to feel really good.
• By the middle of the 3rd ladder, it becomes a mind of matter game as my body desperately wants to quit.
• It is a mental struggle to maintain good form by the middle of the 3rd ladder.  It is critical to stay focused and not zone out here. 

Total workout time - 20 minutes

Music Selection – Black Sabbath

Day 28 – 10-11-09 – Rest

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