Not Just Muscle
Posts tagged strength 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. 
Transformation Part II — Last Picked Becomes Athlete
May 1st
Growing up I was always the last one picked for teams. I never played sports because of the potential embarrassment I would suffer being relatively slow, weak and uncoordinated. As time went on, I figured out ways to avoid PE classes. I was never overweight, but I was the furthest thing from an athlete.
After the accident and the physical therapy that followed I started doing something I’d never done before – strength training. I had never lifted weights, but a weakish and painful wrist gave me a reason to consider it. I was so intimidated by the weight room at first. Hesitantly, I began as a “medical referral” and worked with a trainer.
To my surprise, I felt a passion for lifting almost immediately. I loved the feeling of moving iron, and even better than that, I loved moving more iron the next week. I became addicted to seeing strength gains. I craved lifting a heavy barbell off the ground and pushing a heavy weight overhead. Whatever I had written off in the past as something I could never do — became my goal. Whatever label (“last picked”) or limitation that had been put on me as a result of my injury became fuel to the fire I now felt for building strength. I was becoming something I never dreamed I could be – an athlete.
