Not Just Muscle
Posts tagged Kettlebell Training
Kettlebells are Swinging
Mar 1st
It has been a wonderful week getting back to my routine of training hard. Not only did I finally have the opportunity to move some metal in the form of a kettlebell, I also ordered and received a TRX suspension training system. Wow. So many ways to work out, so little time. Below are two workouts I did this week plus the one I’m doing tomorrow. NOTE: Read the Disclaimer! Please work with a certified kettlebell trainer when starting kettlebell training.
Turkish Get Ups and Swings
A very simple protocol. Set your timer for whatever time you have: 15-20 minutes. Perform 15 swings, one or two-handed. You know what you need to work on. Then perform one Turkish get up. Just one, not one per side. Repeat the sequence alternating sides for the Turkish get ups, until time is up. This is my go-to workout. It is so simple, but it is a complete strength and conditioning workout.
Mixed TRX exercises and Swings
Set your timer for :30 work/:30 rest for 24:00. Complete the following exercises:
- TRX rows, Swings. Repeat twice.
- Goblet Squats, Swings. Repeat twice.
- TRX Chest Presses, Swings. Repeat twice.
- TRX Ab Rollouts, Swings. Repeat twice.
I needed a rest day after that one. When I did the workout, I actually substituted some kettlebell snatches for swings. I ended up with a pretty good case of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness).
For tomorrow’s workout I’m focused on lots of swings. They are starting to get easier and I can tell my conditioning is improving. I want that trend to continue. I am also still a little stiff and don’t feel ready for any more TRX work yet. Here is what I will do:
On the Minute Swings
Set your timer for 1:00 intervals for 10-20 minutes. When the timer goes off, perform 15-20 swings. Put the bell down and rest for the remainder of the minute until the timer goes off again. You decide how many swings to do each minute. Only do as many as you can do with excellent form and listen to your body. I like to record how many I do each minute in a log book and tally them up at the end.
These workouts were probably stolen from someone else at some point. I would give credit if I could say for sure where they came from. I think Sandy Sommer, RKC first gave me the idea for the On the Minute protocol. Feel free to adapt these workouts to suit your fitness level and ability.
If you try them, please leave a comment below. I’d love the feedback. 
This Princess Has a Pea
Feb 18th
Meaning of “SARAH”
“Lady” or “princess” in Hebrew. This was the name of the wife of Abraham in the Old Testament. She became the mother of Isaac at the age of 90. Her name was originally Sarai but God changed it (see Genesis 17:15). In England, Sarah came into use after the Protestant Reformation.
From www.behindthename.com
pea –noun.
1. the round, edible seed of a widely cultivated plant, Pisum sativum, of the legume family.
2. the plant itself.
3. the green, somewhat inflated pod of this plant.
4. any of various related or similar plants or their seed, as the chickpea.
5. something resembling a pea, esp. in being small and round. From www.dictionary.com
Definition number 5, above, is the one that applies here.
This princess has a pea.
It’s a play on words: I have a tumor.
I found out Friday, February 12, 2010 that I have breast cancer. It is small, pea-sized, and although it’s considered “invasive”, it most likely HAS NOT spread to any other areas. I am having an MRI tomorrow to confirm that. I do know that the cancer is the type that is slow growing and also very responsive to drug therapy. There is much good news within this story!
The reality is that for certain I will have to have surgery. The extent of it will be dependent on the MRI results as well as some other testing, and my preference. Less involved surgery would also require radiation. Chemotherapy is a maybe no matter which surgery I decide upon, and the chemo decision will have to be made after the lymph nodes are studied (after surgery).
This stinks, no doubt. I’ve worked hard to get in the shape I am in. (I’d call it near-readiness for RKC, using the 12kg bell for snatches.) I will be out of the kettlebell game for a little bit. But I am ready for this fight and I will be a cancer survivor! God did not bring me through this craziness, allow me to find my passion and build a business around it and begin to make a difference in others’ lives, for me to then prepare to die. This cancer is just another chapter in my far-from-over story. Watch and see. 
Training will continue until surgery (which is at least a month away) and then will resume as soon as possible afterwards. (You KNOW that’s true!) So www.strongsarah.com will still continue to be updated with training news. However, for updates on my health, tests, decisions, thoughts and probably WAY more than you ever wanted to know, I’m starting another blog: www.strongersarah.com. You’ll be able to get as little or as much detailed information as you want. I chose the name because that’s what I’m going to be: STRONGER, for having overcome another physical trial. Please join me at www.strongersarah.com when you can. And don’t worry about me! I am STRONGSARAH!
