Tuesday, August 26, 2014

5,000 swings later...

So I'm halfway through the 10,000 Kb challenge, and at this point I'm bored.  I'm pretty sure that it has a lot to do with my personality.  I get easily distracted by shiny objects.  One thing I will say about the program is that my grip strength has improved vastly and my posterior chain does not fatigue nearly as quickly as when I first started.  I haven't done any running (my plantar fasciitis is killing me right now and I'm giving it a rest) but I feel like my cardio has definitely improved.

The first workout I did went on for nearly thirty minutes.  The last workout I completed was near twenty one and a half minutes.  So, I'm definitely getting stronger and I feel like it's doing the job that T-nation touts.

A few tips for these workouts- Do some PVC twists, good mornings, shoulder pass throughs and some over head squats to warm your body up.  I usually started each workout with four rounds of the above for 10-15 reps each.  Depending on how much of a rush I was in.  (I'm a family man and like a quick workout).  Warming up is key for me these days.  I'm not the twenty something that I used to be and find that loosening up and getting warm has definitely decreased my incidence of injuries since starting Crossfit or "functional training"

The KB challenge recipe calls for a five rep max load to be placed on the bar.  To be safe for the first few workouts, I'd recommend dropping that weight by about 20% and make sure your form is locked in.  You'd be surprised at how quickly your posterior chain will be crushed and you'll be tempted to get sloppy on form.  Sloppy form = injuries.  Count on it.

The workout called for Press, Dips, Chin ups, and Goblet squats to be performed.  I tweaked this a little bit and used the Weighted chins and Front Squat or Back squats (alternating) in lieu of the associated movements.  I think it's a good sub, especially if you're looking to continue to make some sort of strength gains.

Mental toughness- this workout calls for a lot of it.  It's hard to keep swinging a KB for 500 reps per workout.  Almost mind numbing.  However the workout really tests you in this area.  It's testing me... I start to drift mentally in the middle of the workouts and frequently lose count.  My punishment for this is starting back at zero.  It's also tempting to drop the KB in the middle of your set of 50 and just convince yourself to take a breath and rest for a few seconds... don't do it.  Like I mentioned on a previous post, give yourself micro-goals to keep yourself going.

Personal thought of the day- I said "freaking" the other day and my seven year old called me out on it.  She said I said a bad word and that I was an example for her and should stop.  She was right.  I generally do my best to not cuss and be an example of the man I want her to marry when she gets older.  Be an example for your children.  Teach them consequence, teach them patience, teach them respect.  The world is falling short in many of these areas.

Happy lifting and until next time!

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