Asterisk!!

I had a great idea for a workout. I started to tackle it and was on the down slide when I realized I didn’t have my heart rate monitor on. I felt like tossing in the towel, but pushed through...

Workout:

I wanted to try the 5 minute SSST test. Eventually I want to do the 10 minute – 200 snatches minimum. This time I just wanted to see where things would fall out. I didn’t quite do 100 in 5 minutes. It took 5:30, but I’m happy with it. My technique was not great and I wasn't trying to push for numbers. I just wanted to see how the time felt.

Snatches;
16kg 5 x 10/10
100 reps; 3,520 lbs


I wanted to add some clean and presses. New ladders with the 24 kg but I was running out of steam.

Circuit:
repeated 3 times:

C&P; 24 kg
1/1,2/2

Bike rollers @3.5 minutes

Swings; 24kg
5 x 10/10
* I was into my 3rd set of swings when I realized I hadn’t turned on my HR monitor – Crap!

Bike rollers @ 5 minutes


C&P
18 reps, 950 lbs

Swings
300 reps 15,840 lbs

55:00 - Duration Actual
37:21 - Duration HR monitor
546 - Calories
35% - Fat
169 bpm - Max heart rate
97% - % of max:
146 bpm - Average heart rate
83% - % of max:

15:32 - Hard Zone
21:49 - Medium Zone
00:00 - Light Zone
26 - 60 second recovery **
128 - Heart Zone Training Points

** I was worried about my recovery times. Apparently a 60 second recovery rate of 12 bpm means you should check yourself into a hospital. Since I was averaging 24 bpm over 120 seconds – I was starting to feel ill. So I tried something different. After my last set of swings I took a 60 second reading and came up with a 26 bpm recovery. I realized that I was taking a recovery rate after I was already recovery – coasting practically on the bike. Taking it when my heart was banging made a huge difference.

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Don't be shy

I don't get it. Swami had a great workout Tuesday AM. He documented it in an e-mail so we could trade opinions - and he doesn't post it. I don't get it. Why not give yourself credit for a great workout.

Swami says:

I'll start from the end...
finish with 35 swings. I did 25 with the 16, in 2 groups 15, 10. My
legs were shaking and the room was getting grey.
All my weaknesses were exposed today. Strength, endurance/stamina,
flexibility

I'll try to remember the routine. There wasn't any resting today.
swings/24 - 15 x2
TG/16 - 3/3 x2
press/16 - 5/5 x2
row/24 - 5/5 x2
windmill/16 - 5/5 x2
squats/24 - 5/5 x2
push press/16 5/5 x2
1 arm swings/16 10/10 x2
press/12 5/5 x2
squats/16 5/5 x2
row/16 5/5 x2
Overhead Walk/12 right/left about 30 feet each way
Dragon Walk/12 20 steps
swings/16 - 35 (only did 25 15/10)



Swami - feel free to make modifications to this posting of YOUR workout. I think it looks great. - Scoundrel

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Getting Stronger

Each day upon entering the weight room you demonstrate a desire for excellence that makes you someone special. Special, because few people possess the dedication and strength of heart required to regularly work hard at something this difficult. Upon completion of each workout, you can and should feel proud, for you have just moved one step closer towards reaching your full potential and the ultimate goal of and being the best you can be. — Mike Berry

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Weekend workout.

I was thinking that I may be cheating myself by spreading out the swings. So I tried a slightly different approach. (That’s one of the great things about kettlebells – their versatility.) I alternated Svetlana and Medusa swings. It looked like:

Workout:

Swings:
16kg; 15/15, 30 second rest
24kg; 15/15, 30 second rest
x4 sets

Bike for 10 minutes

Swings:
16kg; 15/15, 30 second rest
24kg; 15/15, 30 second rest
x3 sets

Bike for 5 minutes

420 reps
18,480 lbs

Got the heart beating pretty well.

37:21 - Duration
557 - Calories
30% - Fat
168 bpm - Max heart rate
96% - % of max:
147 bpm - Average heart rate
84% - % of max:

21:54 - Hard Zone
15:23 - Medium Zone
00:04 - Light Zone
N/A - 120 second recovery
134 - Heart Zone Training Points

Weight:233

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Fabulous Friday

Started out with a full set of clean and presses with Svetlana. I was going to follow-up with swings and cycles but decided to switch to a variation on the VO2Max workout with two minutes of snatches using the 15 second work/15 second rest cycle and then hopping on the rollers for 2.5 minutes. Since I’m not very proficient with the kettlebell snatches I wanted to see how I would do when racing against the clock.

The more experienced kettlebell lifters start VO2Max routines with the 16kg bell and go either 15 sec/15 sec or 36 sec/36 sec. When using the 15/15 they try to work up to 50 sets of 8 reps. Nine reps in 15 second would be pretty sloppy technique. I was able to do 7 reps for some of the sets with my right hand, which was showing a cleaner technique. but mostly I was doing 6 reps in the 15 second work period. I counted only 6 reps for all sets to be conservative. My technique was far from perfect, but I was pretty happy with my volume. I still had some gas in the tank at the end, but didn’t want to go past an hour for the workout.

Workout:

Clean and Press
16 kg: 1/1,2/2,3/3,4/4,5/5 x 5 sets
150 reps
5,280 lbs

Circuits @ 30 minutes
Snatches on the fives. 15 second work sets and 15 second rest sets for two minutes.
Bike on the rollers wound up being about 3:30 in between.

Snatches
16 kg: 6/6/6/6 x 6 sets (or 24 sets of 6)
144 reps
5,069 lbs

1:04:13 - Duration
705 - Calories
45% - Fat
160 bpm - Max heart rate
91% - % of max:
125 bpm - Average heart rate
71% - % of max:

14:30 - Hard Zone
19:45 - Medium Zone
27:50 - Light Zone
25 bpm - 120 second recovery
173 - Heart Zone Training Points

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Bionic Man

Here is the my story for how I went out of town skiing for the weekend and came home with titanium in my leg!

We left for Denver, CO on Valentine's Day. We got our luggage, rented our SUV, stopped to buy lift tikets and groceries, and headed out to Brekenridge, CO where we rented a nice three bedroom cabin with an outdoor hotub. Once we got to the cabin, we unpacked a little and headed to town for our dinner reservations at the Blue Lagoon, and great place that was perfect and served a very good steak.

Day 2: Friday
Friday we deceided to ski Breckenridge. The conditions were perfect. It was sunny all day, temps in the upper 20's, great snow conditions. We started right away getting midway up the mountain. Amy and I had not ski'd in 2-3 years, last time being Red Lodge, MO. It did not take us long to catch the hang of it again. In the afternoon, Brian and I split off from the girls for some black diamond and 1 double black diamond run. We got a good workout and the skiing was challenging and fun. We were saving the peak for the afternoon, but were quickly running out of time and were fatiguing fast. When it was time to make the call at 3:30p (lifts start closing at 4:00p) we learned that they shut the peak down at 3:00p daily. Too late. Thta's ok, we have two more day of skiing ahead of us.

Day 3: Saturday
We were feeling nice and refreshed after sitting in the hottub after skiing Friday and getting to bed a little early. We previously decided day 2 would be out at Keystone, followed by Vail Day 3. We were up early, had breakfast and made our way to Keystone at 9:00a. We took some pictures at the top of the mountain from the first gondola ride. It was a great view. We decided on a 3.5 mile green circle run to start the day and get warmed up. More stopping for pictures and a movie on the way down. After the last set of movies, this is where Pete's day goes bad. He sees a nice liitle path on the side of the run through the trees, like many he took Friday. They provide a little more excitement on the easier runs and sometimes offer a jump at the end. Galan probably had too much speed entering the trail, which didn't head back into the main run right away and got narrower and narrower weaving through trees. Galan could shave off much speed through the narrow trees and started to loose his footing. As a tree approached right in Galan's path, he needed to leap at the last minute to his left to avoid hitting the tree head-on. Galan felt his lower right leg glance off the tree pretty hard and he tumbled, his skiis releasing.

Galan figured he either deeply bruised his lower leg or fractured it. He was able to bend and move his knee normally. Galan thought about trying to stand up when he reliazed he would not be able to go on and was encouraged not to try and stand. He made the decision to call to ski patrol and skirted his way out of the trees on his behind.

The doctors were great and the rest of the trip may be written in another post. Long story short. The hit with the tree put enough pressure on my knee to break my tibial plateau in three pieces and tear my miniscus away from the lower joint. I received a plate and 4 screws to hold the break together to heal. It does not appear I did any ligament damage or if I did, non e of great concern that they would let heal naturally anyway.

No weight bearing for 6-8 weeks. I see the orthopedist Monday and will post on my physical therapy routine. I should be healthy enough for waterskiing season, and I might be a litte delayed for motorcycle riding.

I feel bad for Amy because she now has to handle all of Isabel's transitions and driving duties. SHe's been a trooper and I can't thank her enough. I will definately be less adventourous in the future knowing an accident like this can have such a big lasting impact on our daily lives. I would not avert skiing, or even the black diamonds, but there is no need to take trails through the trees, when the wide open runs are really just as fun.

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