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....