Further clarification on Tension by Pavel...

"our nervous system is guided by the 'dominanta', the single focus, in our case lifting a weight. Additional excitation (tension) feeds this dominanta and allows one to be stronger. Focusing on the tension and forgetting about lifting changes the dominanta, as it happens with a heavy gripper. So use as much tension as possible—without shifting your focus from lifting. This will take practice. In the beginning you will see a lot of 'coordination tension', beginner's stiffness during skill practice. It makes you weaker. As you get better you will learn to channel the tension into strength as a gymnast or a lifter."

As much tension as possible without shifting focus from the lift.
As skill improves you will learn to "dial in" the right tension to maximize the lift.

Kind of like a hair cut - you can always trim more (tension - if you start with enough) but you can't add it back if you take too much off (once the "relaxation" has removed it).

Training today will be light Hip and Shoulder openers (maybe a few Get-ups) and 1# and 2# Club swinging...

Then I hit the road to Alexandria, VA.

Tension and Relaxation the "balance of" those two things is not a simple as "only use as much tension as you need" and other stuff... We practice tension in our lifts but simply saying that you should only use "as much as you need" is NOT the practice of the balance of these two things... There is a DVD called "Fast & Loose-DVD
Secrets of the Russian Champions: Dynamic Relaxation Techniques for Elite Performance" Fast and Loose or does any RKC remember the "shake and bake" drills? Relaxation is just as much of a skill as Tension so you must practice both. Don't want to experience the negative effects of practicing Tension then learn to "shake" it off and practice relaxation. A pendulum swings to both extremes - trying to stay in the middle doesn't really make sense. And add Indian Clubs - a restorative method of using efficiently integrated movement patterns at varying speeds. Takes your relaxation and adds speed (when appropriate) to the equation.

Training/Learning for today...

Prep - ASLR and Brettzel

CC Knee Tucks x 15, 15, 15

Push-ups x 10, 10, 10

32 kg Goblet Squat x 5

32 kg Arm bar + leg raise x one set on each side

32 kg Get-up x 3 singles each side

{32 kg Push Press x 5+5 + 32 kg 2 arm swing x 10} x 5 sets

1# Club swinging

Heaviest session since surgery - feeling good

Me time = Training time...

Prep work - ASLR, Brettzel
16 kg Hip and Shoulder openers
1# Club swinging
16 kg Get-up x 5+5
16 kg Goblet Squat + Swing ladder
10 GS + 10 Left arm swings
9 GS + 10 Right arm swings
8 GS + 10 Left arm swings
7 GS + 10 Right arm swings
6 GS + 10 Left arm swings
5 GS + 10 Right arm swings
4 GS + 10 Left arm swings
3 GS + 10 Right arm swings
2 GS + 10 Left arm swings
1 GS + 10 Right arm swings
1# Club swinging
24 kg Get-up x 3 singles each arm
24 kg SLDL x 5+5, 5+5
24 kg Windmill x 5+5
24 kg Bent Press x 5+5
1# Club Swinging
Fast and Loose drills and a little stretching

The ASLR isn't really corrective at this point just a prepratory move since my Shoulder and Hip mobility has improved post surgery and with some of the Get-up progressions.
SLDL kicked my butt (literally and figuratively) I am able to get into my right hip much better now.
Clubs are feeling great. Some of the postures and progressions are really assisting in opening my hips and shoulders.

BTW - I am headed to Alexandria, VA this weekend to teach an HKC (largest since the first one in MSP) and then a 4 hour Get-up workshop the following day. Then it is off to San Jose, CA for RKC Level 2!

Not a training session but a Learning session...

What if you didn't go to the gym to "workout" but rather you went to the gym to Learn and the "workout" was incidental. Ballet, dance, Gymnastics, Martial arts etc... you go to these "classes" to learn but get a "workout" in the process. What about your training?

Prep work - ASLR, Brettzel

16 kg Hip and shoulder openers

1# Club Swinging

16 kg Get-up x 5 singles left and right (various styles)

1# Club Swinging

16 kg Windmill x 5+5

16 kg SLDL x 5+5

16 kg Bent Press x 5+5

16 kg Goblet Squat x 10

Hip flexor stretch

16 kg One arm swing x 10+10+10+10

1# Club Swinging

My Schedule for 2010...

Feb 20 - 21 Alexandria, VA - HKC + 4 hour Kalos Sthenos workshop

Feb 26 - Feb 28 - RKC level 2 - San Jose, CA

March 13 - 14 - Seattle, Wa - HKC+

March 27 - 28 - Minneapolis - FMS level 2

April 10 - Kettlebell workshop - California (more details to follow)

April 17 - 18 - Minneapolis - Certified Indian Club Specialist

May 8 - 9 - Philly - FMS level 1

May 20 - 23 - Minneapolis - CK-FMS

June 4 - 5 - Providence, RI - Perform Better Summit

June 11 - 13 - Amsterdam - FMS Level 1 and 2

June 25 - 27 - Minneapolis - RKC level 1

July 17 - 18 - Minneapolis - FMS level 1

July 28 - 29 - Danville, VA - FMS level 2 +

Aug 14 - 15 - Montville, NJ - FMS level 2

Aug 21 - 22 - Tulsa, OK - Kettlebell workshop

Sept.10 - 12 - Calgary, Alberta CA - FMS level 1 and 2

Sept. 17 - 19 - RKC Philly

Oct. 15 - 17 - RKC Orlando, FL

Oct. 23 - 26 - CK-FMS Minneapolis

Nov. 12 - 14 - to be announced

Nov. 19 - 21 - Iowa workshop with Dr. Ed Thomas

Dec. 1 - 6 - Budapest, Hungary - FMS Level 1 and 2

Additional details to come on some of the workshops - if it is an RKC event click the link above for details and if it is an FMS workshop click here for details FMS workshops.

Something other than Shoveling....

Finally got a day in of training something other than shoveling:

Prep work - ASLR, Brettzel
Club swinging (all #1 clubs)
16 kg Get-up ASLR and Shoulder openers
Club swinging
16 kg Get-up x 3+3
Club swinging
16 kg Get-up x 2+2
Club swinging
16 kg Get-up x 1+1 (neck and KB rotations)
Club Swinging

16 kg One Arm Swings 20+20, 15+15, 10+10, 5+5

(continuous)
Little shake and bake and stretch to finish

After a good bit of shoveling it felt good to shake off the kinks and hit some Kalos Sthenos get-ups and Club swinging.

20+ inches of Snow in the Burgh!

4th biggest snowfall ever for Pittsburgh and quite the event - if you like shoveling that is! ;-)

2+ hours of shoveling 20+ inches of snow and some Indian Clubs will be about all I get in today.

Well that and a few more hours of work on the Club Swinging Essentials manual. It's going to be 60+ pages by the time it is done.

Dropping in the pics on my apple with pages and doing a lot of the post production work makes me realize that writing the manual is the easy part!

Better late than not....

A little bit of a late in the day training session

Prep work - ASLR and Brettzel

24 kg ASLR and Shoulder openers

24 kg Get-up x 1+1, 1+1, 1+1

24 kg One arm Jerk x 10+10 x 5 sets (in 12:20)

1# Club Swinging

Jerks felt good - a little tougher than expected with short rest between sets.

Nice training today...

Prep work - ASLR and Brettzel

Club Swinging (1# clubs)

16 kg ASLR and Shoulder openers

Club Swinging

16 kg Get-ups x 3+3, 2+2, 1+1

Club Swinging

16 kg Goblet Squat and Alternating Swing

10 GS + 10 alt swing

9 GS + 10 alt swing

8 GS + 10 alt swing

7 GS + 10 alt swing

6 GS + 10 alt swing

5 GS + 10 alt swing

4 GS + 10 alt swing

3 GS + 10 alt swing

2 GS + 10 alt swing

1 GS + 10 alt swing

non-stop

This is actually the first time I have made it through this workout non-stop and that is the first time I have done anything like this in over 2 months.

Really felt the Goblet squats - very nice.

Caught a question on the forum and wanted to post a quick picture of using a dowel rod to pattern back alignment during the Single Leg Deadlift.

Back from Montreal...

Second trip of the year down as I am back from Montreal and an FMS workshop for 33 great attendees. A nice mix of Athletic Trainers, Coaches, and Trainers made for great questions and interaction.

It was COLD but very nice trip.

Now - the pics are here and I will be burying myself into finishing one of the manuals I am working on.

I'll hit some training later today. (will probably add that later in the day)

Caught a question on the Forum and wanted to post a pic here: