Tuesday, July 27, 2010

AM swings, snatches ,leg work.

Yes, that's right, I wrote leg work. It dawned on me yesterday that it's time to go back and find a way to train my legs again.My left quad is way weak because of the knee and the right quad is weak because I don't train it. I stopped training squats and deads or lunges because I thought the direct work created too much tension in my left hamstring and I already had way more than I needed from just walking around.

But I think it's time to work the quads and use that tension to release the hamstrings. At least make my legs stronger and bigger in the process. It seems that I am always trying to listen to what messages the universe is sending me about what training I am doing and go in the right direction.

The messages, coming in the form of pain or enhanced physical ability are pretty clear, at least in retrospect and sometimes I can get a positive or negative response just from thinking about the changes in the training I am about to implement!

As when I decided this morning to change my training plans to swing and snatch primarily and find some leg work that may be tolerable and my knee started feeling better almost instantly. Crazy but that's where this old body is these days and man, I listen.

Biofeedback indeed.Or as Louie loves to say,'everything works, and nothing works forever.'

I've been thinking I am ready to go back to more bilateral training and this is further sign. I started out today with jointmobility for Tracy's class followed by some remedial kb clean training and that left little time for the real workout as I had a client coming in 45 minutes later and I sweat a lot.

SO I started with one arm swings:

1 arm swings
16 kg x5/5x2
20 kg x5/5

24kg
x5/5
6/6
7/7
8/8
9/9
10/10

not a bad little workout but I was feeling rushed and crowded so decided to snatch a bit instead of going up to the 32 kg as I thought I would.

Snatch
16 kgx5/5
20 kg x5/5
25 kgx5/5
20 kg x5/5 x 3 sets

the 24 felt heavy this morning! I don't think training heavy and 6 am are synonymous for me. yikes. trained barefoot for the first time in forevere and didn't use my homemade orthotic .felt good but different. I think I am going to use this hour for stretching and rack walks and do my heavy work at 12 noon, as I do on Thursdays. I need food now to train and way more time to warm up. So it goes. At least I didn't tweak my tricep, got that rotator issue in check fast this time.

I think I need to revisit this form.

I went on to do 80 sets of 8 with this form and haven't been close to that in long time. Good reminder of how to go fast.

This is when I realized I had to do more 'leg' work and started playing with different moves to find out what hit my legs and my knee and back would allow.

two kb sumo deadlifts: felt solid my more hips than quads. played with double 16 kgs for sets.

two kb suitcase deadlifts: we have a winner. pure quads with the close stance and knee translation but very controllable and oh, so weak. I will make good progress with this.used double 20 kgs for sets done very slowly and controlled.

Wall sits: another winner. I remember doing this holding a 100 lb db in each hand for 60 second sets back in my powerlifting life. all quads and no knee issues. also ,weak as shit. plenty of room for progress. Just bodyweight is hard.

Box squats: well, bench squats. this will work well as well
two hand one KB deadlift: another winner.way different on the legs then two kb sumo deads. 20,24, 28 and 32 kg deads for 5's. nice

TKE( terminal knee extension) with black mini band, great vmo activation, which I sorely need.


So, I am thinking this:

TUES AM
joint mobility, stretching , rack walks

TUES NOON
one kb deadlift
two kb suitcase deadlift
one kb two hand swing
TKE's

Thursday
heavy kb press
24 kg snatches
clubbells

Saturday
Snatch Vo2
2 kb wall sits
clubbells


Wow. deadlifts, heavy presses and squats. Kinda, sorta looks like powerlifting. Kewl.Kettlebell muscle indeed.

datsit.

4 comments:

Diana said...

Mark,
What's a kb wall sit?

Mark Reifkind said...

diana

just an old fashioned wall sit holding a kb in each hand.back flat against the wall,close stance, knees bent to 90 deg. for timed holds.really lights the quads up big time with almost no knee stress. an old PT rehab move.

John Beamon said...

Lookit you! Doing deadlifts and squats and stuff. Welcome back. :-D

Are you able to manage standard goblet squats and single racked front squats? I know you love rack walks. Those off-center squats have done wonders for my legs.

Mark Reifkind said...

we'll see John but I am hopeful. starting out easy as I can with the two hand deads and some other easy stuff. I can do goblets now,have to for hkc's demos but no single rack front squat- yet,lol.

195 x 1 x 11 , 20 kg swings 5 x 8/8, floor pushups 35, 25

  Not great sleep and a bit sore ( no aspirin for last three days) so all in all it was a strong day . Just definitely not 'fresh'  ...