Memorial Day Jog...

Had a chance to go to a local nature trail and get in some jogging in my VFFs - probably totaled a bit over 2.5 miles of jogging and a mile or more of walking.

Felt great

Memorial Day

First I want to send Thanks to all the veterans and their families.

I am humbled by your service and sacrifice to this country.

Thank you.

Personal Reflection

I think I have blogged on part of this before but this will be expanded and include some updates...

The end of last year was a roller coaster - 9 out of 10 weeks in a row of travel (one of those a family funeral) leading into my Ventral Hernia repair surgery which leads to a Pulmonary Embolism and being on coumadin for 6 months.

Those six months are almost up and I just had what I hope to be my last blood test and a Venous doplar study which I hope will wrap up my blood thinner treatment.

Looking back I realize that I let the coumadin change my diet significantly as there are certain foods that can interfere with or have an additive effect with the blood thinner. So I cut back on a few of my green and leafy choices and increased some carbs to make up for it. Not smart but I figured -hey it's only for a few months...

Unfortunately one of those carbs that got added back in was in the form of cookies at night - nothing like going to bed with a belly full of sugar... insulin spike, growth hormone cycles disrupted etc...

Now it is time to get back to "normal" and beyond with my diet. Reading "In Defense of Food" has been a good starting point.

Training has been hit and a lot of miss of late -

between travel and having some spasm and "adjustment" with my hernia repair and mesh my training has been at time very good and at times non-existent. Another mitigating factor has been the development of some asthma from allergies. So much so that I am using a rescue inhaler and need to decide if Advair needs to be added to the mix. Breathing as I have noted before is one of the critical aspects of health, fitness and training and when it is compromised you can raise that critical factor by several levels.

Add to that the decision I made to open up the fascia in my lower back which has resulted in some give and take with my body (but I am making good progress).

With a history of three abdominal surgeries, a back surgery, knee surgery etc... I am continually learning more and more about my body.

None of those surgeries or injuries are KB related before anyone decides to hop on that aspect of my injury history. I have never injured myself with KBs and have in fact rehabbed myself with them.

Training needs to get simple and consistent.

Get-ups and Swings

One arm Push-Press

Goblet squats

(or something like that)

On the Road training needs to be Convict Conditioning based

Push-up progressions

Squat Progressions

Hanging Leg Raise progressions

I think an eventual goal will be a 5 K run - yes a run ;-)

Training:

Prep - quick foam roller and movement prep

16 kg Get-ups x 5 reps total each side

16 kg 20 alternating swings x 5 sets

16 kg 5 goblet squats between sets of swings = 4 sets

2# Club Swinging x 20 reps for each of the 5 Club Swinging Essentials movements and directions (if applicable)

Stretch

Get-ups included a wide variety of movements - arm bars, crooked arm bars, windmill, 1/2 kneeling press etc....

I love Car analogies...

Found this and thought it was pretty darn good...

If you have to take advil just to train - Why are you training?

Your torn-up knee is the tire………..

So when you blew out the tire, is it because you ran over nails?

–Contact injury

And when you ran over the nails, is it because you were driving stupid, or safely?
–Poor form

If there were no nails, is it because the tire tread was low?
–Non-painful dysfunction

Did you check the tires’ tread?
–Screening

When was the last time you rotated the tires?
–Program design

Maybe the axle alignment was off on the car?
–Neighboring joints

Is it possible that something in the middle of the chassis threw off the axle, which threw off the alignment, which ran off the tread of the tire?
–Regional Interdependence

When the Check Engine light (pain) comes on, you might be able to make it to the shop.

You might be able to make it another 100, 200, 300 miles.

You might not.

And during the 5 seconds before the Check Engine light came on, do you really think the car was perfect?

http://charlieweingroff.com/2010/03/when-the-pain-check-engine-light-comes-on/

Early feedback on Club Swinging Essentials...

Dennis J. Peebles Purchased the Club Swinging Essentials manual and DVD and have been reviewing them over and over. Excellent resource for learning the history of club swinging and adding Dr. Ed Thomas with you was great! I really appreciate how you and Gray Cook broke down the movements in teaching segments and it has helped me greatly in learning the movements 1-3....4 & 5 are another story, lol. As a teacher/trainer I always try to develop methods of introducing movements to new athletes and clients. Great job!

Are you swinging yet?

It is here...

Club Swinging Essentials is here:
http://www.dragondoor.com/dvs020.html

DVD and Manual covering a system of classical Club swinging with Dr. Ed Thomas, Gray Cook and myself.

Yesterday and Today...

Yesterday - very easy day

Bodyweight pull-ups x 8, 8, 8 (neutral grip)

Pistol Practice (8# counterweight) x 3, 3, 3

(down on 2 w/iso hold, down on 2 -up on one, full pistol)

Good amount of stretch etc...

Today

24 kg Windmill x 5 + 5

2# Club swinging

32 kg MP x 5+5 x 5 sets

32 kg FS x 5+5 x 5 sets

24 kg Snatch x 5 min = 90 reps

10+10 9+9 8+8 7+7 6+6 5+5 (didn't realize that another 5+5 would have been 100 - duh)

continued with 4+4 3+3 3+3 (110 total)

I had time to rest between sets - 100 in less than 5 will be easy as I decrease rest etc...

Clubs, MP and FS were performed as a circuit with rest in between sets.

A quick note -

I had let myself get talked out of using the Foam Roller some time ago and I regret that.

I still use the foam roller with light pressure and avoiding the "near death" pain that some people look for but this is an amazingly effective tool. {sorry Rif ;-)

Your local Dick's Sporting Goods has a Fitness Gear brand foam roller (you might recognize the guy on the DVD).

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3968515

You can also order good foam rollers from Perform Better.

Light day of training

Shoulder and Hip openers

16 kg Get-ups x 5 + 5

16 kg Goblet Squat x 5

16 kg Snatches x 10 min

16 kg Windmill x 5 + 5

some stretch and Clubs later.

Getting ready to head to Philly this weekend for a big FMS workshop and a packed day of individual sessions on Friday.

Quick training...

Bodyweight Neutral Grip Pull-ups x 5
Neutral Grip Pull-ups + 25# x 4, 4, 4
Push-ups x 15, 15, 15
Pistol Practice + 10# x 3, 3, 3
(down on two with isometric hold, Down on 2 and up on 1, Full Pistol = 3 reps)

Stretch and some Clubs later - working on getting my pull-ups back (avoiding pronated grip at the moment to open up the left supination), pistols are coming along nicely and push-ups provided a different groove for the upper body.

Sunday training...

Stretching/mobility work (a good bit)

Clubs - from various positions - 1# clubs

24 kg Get-up x 5 singles each side

24 kg One Arm Swing x 20+20 15+15 10+10 5+5 (continuous)

Fast and Loose drills and Pump stretch

The heavy day of pressing and pistols made me sore (in a good general way).