Reality Check !!

The question is...What do you see? I wanted to Dead Lift, but I didn't want to screw myself up. Keep in mind I still have a 9% Perm' Partial Disability due to an old L5-S1 herniation in my back from 1991.I shot this vid and sent it to a DL expert. Someone with 40years in the game as a competitor and as a coach. Here's his response: Michael, First thing I noticed is how long your toros is and how short your arms( relatively) are. This doesn't make for great deadlifters. Your spine is very long and the way you set up ( sternum over bar, shoulders in front, low squat) makes the spine a pretty long lever as well and creates a LOT of shear on the lumbars, Have you tried Sumo style? you look more suited to it. Also, I noticed, from the front view, that you shift a bit to your right leg as you set up.I would also consider using a double overgrip grip as the mixed grip creates a lot of torque in the spine, Mark Mark Reifkind, Master SFG Instructor GiryaStrength.com So, I wrote back. Thanked him. Told him I will look at some stuff and see if the sumo DL is more my pace. Then he wrote again: Michael to be honest, after a real back injury like the both of us have had, deads are really over rated. Way more risk than reward. You are already strong enough ( base line strength) and pushing for more carries a big ass risk. the kbs really are the thing for keeping the strength we already have "ready" if you will jmo Rif This is where the beauty comes out. As much of a power hound as he is...he's telling me to back off something that I am just not well suited to perform. My body does not like the leverage angle of a DL. I did notice some immediate postural benefits so I am going to keep the weight at 250 lbs and do reps for mobility. To that..his comment was "smart." I benefitted from this so much. Form checks are a must. The swing/squat vid should be something you do on occasion. Check your self....before you wreck yourself.

Guess this would be.....

...Counter-Point. For your review, Kenneth Jay's Stuff.

HERE IT COMES.........

If you haven't been hit by it yet, I'm guessing this is your last week to enjoy controlled training sessions. When I have spoke of our training for the weeks ahead, trainers laugh. "Really? The entire class is on 'Rite of Passage' ? " Sure. Why not? The studio and training is built on hard-style, RKC and FMS standards...why not do the ROP? It is a standard as well.

Here's what's happening across the field...

Week B was completed. Now you went up a bell and can't get 5/2 on one of your sides. Should you go down a bell size on that side? Nope. That's going backwards in your training and feeding the dragon. You need to move forward. Graduating from week A to week B is less of an insult. You know you can do the 5/3 and 5/4 portion. You did it last week. Your focus is on the 5/5. In other words, adding reps. It may take a couple weeks. You may stall. No big deal. You'll get it. It's just adding a few reps...25 per side. GOING UP A BELL SIZE IS DIFFERENT. Every rep is heavy. Every single one. If your not getting it on one side. You have a project that cannot be ignored. What is the hold up? Figure it out. Are your arm bars even? If not, why not? Is it a little uncomfortable? Please don't answer yes to that question...just don't. That's the equivalent of telling me you can't lose weight while you have a donut in your mouth. I am not designed to keep a straight face. I can't do it. No poker face. Fixing your arm bars will increase your mobility and fix your presses. AND FOR YOU FRONT PRESSERS....for ged'da bout it ! You will never hold that bigger bell out in front of you. You need to press up and back. Get your arm along side your head AND LOCK IT OUT. LOCK IT OUT. LOCK IT OUT. Your not going anywhere with a poor press form. It is a major road block. Fix it. Fix each one. Each press. Each rung. Focus on one press at a time. My arm bar on the left hurt (left arm down). Neck and shoulder impingement. I grabbed a foam roller and sat by Brit'. We talked while I roller'ed. I started to roller my lat and slid it up to my scapular area and under my arm pit. Nothing too deep. After about 7-8 minutes of going over the area my scapula shifted and slid up my back. Freaky. What was that? I slid over the same area again and it crunched a few times. I continued until it didn't crunch......then I checked my arm bar without a weight. There it is. I was like Gumby on that side. The foam roller knocked loose an adhesion that was restricting my movement. It felt great to have the range back. My neck didn't feel pinched anymore, either. If your walking in and going straight into a heavy press, you need to reconsider your approach. I am sure by now most people are figuring out that 'light day' is not a picnic. It is still a heavy bell. The weight isn't changing. You have to dial in.

8 WEEKS ? Why ?!?

Because it allows for 2 things. It allows time to move ahead quickly and find your real bell. The bell that will be in your hand for the next 4-6 weeks. In a 4-6 week cycle, you will be lucky to graduate and complete a full jump in bell size. That is a massive strength increase. The first 2-3 weeks don't really count. We are still finding our way. That's the way it is with all programs. You have to find your way thru it in order to start. Then the work begins and that is when most people drop off programs. The life expectancy of a program is 4-5 weeks. They drop off when the work starts and they can't get a lift. "This program wasn't right for me. I stopped making gains 4 weeks into it." So true ! This program is only for people that want to increase their strength . Truth is, they never made any gains in the first 4 weeks. Their body just adapted to the training. That's it. They quit and the dragon won. They will quit the next program, too. They will call it 'instinctive training' and say they like to 'mix it up' in the gym. It keeps the body guessing. This is true. We do need to mix it up. But if you not improving your lifts, your mixing it up too frequently . A program change is due after a major stall and maybe 6-8 months down the road. Usually those people look like they change frequently. Bad food, training choices and they talk to plants. After all, your not going to find a real person to listen to their crap.
nuf' said.

Antioxidant number !!

Get yours ? What did you think. Again, it is a measure. Do some reading. Do a Goole search. I started the packs today. It was a no-brainer for me. I have had MANY different supplements in my life. Talk about them all you want. You will never convince somebody that takes supplements that it is a waste or that the nutrients above the RDA are harmful. The Gov' can't get anything right. They certainly haven't gotten this right. I will let you know how things are going but IF you got your number and card last night, the clock is ticking. You have 7 days to buy/order supplements (there are a number of products, I will get the info from Tom) to receive the money back guarantee. Meaning, if your number doesn't increase you get your money back. simple as that. My number went from 41 K to 45 K in 3 weeks WITHOUT the supplements. I began juicing again and eating bright and pretty stuff.....FROM THE PRODUCE DEPARTMENT. Now I will take the sup.'s and see what happens. I am taking a basic day pack that is along the same category of stuff I have taken in the past. I am not currently on anything regularly. That's right folks, I have been working without a net. Now it changes. More on this, later.......

There's a 500 lb Gorilla in the room.....

Below is an email I received. It is brilliant. One of the most thought out emails I have had in a long time. Read the email and look for my thoughts below it.....

The Email:

Into our second week of strength training, I am beginning to feel and appreciate the affects of this ladder/rung training approach, and do have a sense of satisfaction that I am pressing a 5 with hopes of reaching the 5x5 level with both arms in the weeks to come. However, I am a little concerned that my limited time for working out, which up until now had been three (sometimes four) days a week at class, is too focused.

Before strength training started, I always got the feeling my whole body was being fired and my ass was kicked hard at least once a week at classes (usually more than once a week!) Since I just don't have a lot of time beyond class for additional training, this scheme was perfect for me, and think I have been feeling and showing the results.

My concern is that if my only training is focused on strength training through presses for two months, I am not getting the full body work that I would like and missing the natural benefit of working with kettle bells, in that it works so much of your body. And right! I know that I shouldn't be concerned with being 'entertained' either, but only looking forward to presses for the next 6 weeks is a little uninspiring.

Maybe I'm the only one who feels this way - if so, I am happy to shut up and go with it. I do respect your approach, and have really enjoyed the variety and effectiveness of your classes. I don't pretend to know more than you about training to be sure. Wouldn't it be beneficial though to break up the regimen at least once a week, or every other week with a 'change up' to fire parts that may be dormant during strength training? At least giving us people with limited time and struggling to make ground in strength training a reprieve?

At this point in the email it ended with the usual "Mike your so cool...I wish I could be just like you....Could I wash your car this summer..." endings that everyone puts on their emails to me. :)

NOW...tap into this. According to Issurin and Lustig (2004) Motor Ability; Residual Duration (measured in 'days') This is how long you can STOP training with NO EFFECT ON PERFORMANCE. Yes...this means you can walk away and not train.

Aerobic Endurance 30 +/- 5 days
Maximum strength 30 +/- 5 days
Anaerobic Glycolytic Endurance 18 +/- 4 days
Strength Endurance 15 +/- 5 days
Maximun Speed 5 +/- 3 days

There's the numbers. This study assumes you stopped training. Stop. Nothing. Zero training. Your body will keep it's capacity for that length of time before it starts adapting to your new lifestyle. Pretty impressive stuff. Your body will keep it's form even though the function has stopped. HIGH-FIVE !!!! That rocks ! I don't feel guilty anymore. I am going to train smarter, not harder. That's the baseline.

Let's talk about the email...

Training serves many purposes. A good personal trainer will make you set goals. Something attainable. Measurable. These mile markers serve a dual purpose. The client will see value in the training due to the results AND the client will see value in the trainer due to the same results. Everybody wins. The problem is...some of the goals are so lame. Lose 10 pounds before my wedding. Really? Lose 10 pounds? Weak. Sew their mouth shut and have them suck their food thru a straw for 2 weeks. Done. Next? It's not hard. You only have to 'stop' something. Stopping a behavior is not hard. Let's see....I am going to change my diet not to include fast food. OMG !!! How will you do that? Your so strong willed. Can you say 'your my hero'? Lame, lame,....el Lamo'. McDonalds doesn't deliver. Stop going to Mickey 'D's and you got it covered. Just...don't ...go. How tough was that? STRENGTH TRAINING IS DIFFERENT.

You gotta dial in. Plain and simple. You have to wrestle with the inner demons. Those dragons will tell you things. Make you promises. Give you praises and then place doubts in where you least expect it. Ultimately they only fuel the doubts. Dragons suck. They suck straight across the board. They suck your mind. They suck your energy. They suck your will. MOST importantly...they suck your confidence. There lies the trappings of 'the work-out.' I like to refer to a 'work-out' as a length of time devoted to challenging my mind or body. How I attain that....I don't care. Bell's, biking, bowling, blading or things that don't start with B. It doesn't matter. It can be mental. Sometimes just being (oops,...another B) with someone is a work out. You walk away feeling good. Why? Because it got rid of stress. Stress is a huge dragon. Get that bad boy back in the cage for a day and you will live forever !! Well, not really but you may kick the dog less. Bottom line is you got rid of stress during your work out. Strength training is the opposite. Wait...let's revisit that...STRENGTH TRAINING IS THE OPPOSITE !! There...better. It is stressful. You get very few pats on the back along the way...IF ANY. I am watching. I am watching. I know who is going to really struggle in the next 2 weeks. It's easy to see. They are still working with bells sizes that are within reach. They are moving right along (dug-a-dumm, dug-a-dumm) foot loose and fancy free. When they hit the next bell it will all fall apart. They will look at everything in the environment as the excuse why things are not improving. The next bell is too heavy...they can't do it. RIGHT ! You have to earn it ! No more rewards for just showing up and sucking your neighbors air. You have to work...and work HARD. Many, many days of not getting it will finally be rewarded when you do get it AND THEN nobody will care. Well that's not true. I will care because I love you :) For the most part it's true...nobody will care. When I gained 'X' pounds on a lift...nobody cared. I had to enjoy it myself...and you will, too. You will have a great feeling and walk a little taller. Then you will grab the next size bell and be crushed. So goes the nature of strength training. The email CLEARLY points to a desire to have a satisfying and rewarding day in the studio. Even though the writer states that they feel good about the training and the goals...they wonder about other things. THAT'S THE DAMN DRAGON TALKING !! Beat that beast down. That beast wants you to stray from your path and is putting all kinds of unfounded doubts into for head. First, You are still training your entire body. Cleans, presses, swings, snatches...all prime the pump. The focus has shifted to strength. Do you have it? Can you condition something you don't have? Deconditioned muscles and joints is the runner's pitfall without the strength portion to their training. THE CHRONIC RUNNER IS GOING FOR THE 'RUNNERS HIGH.' THEY ARE ADDICTED TO A 'HIGH.' The other component to this equation is a little word with a big finger pointed straight at you. 'Optimization.' Are you optimized? In other words...are you at your end game? Are you at the peak of your performance grid? Will dialing back and focusing on your strength training get you the silver instead of the gold? Nope. Nobody in my class fits this description. Factually , everyone can focus on strength and IT WILL IMPROVE THE OTHER AREAS BECAUSE THEIR PERFORMANCE IN THE OTHER AREAS IS BEING HELD BACK DUE, IN PART, TO GLOBAL WEAKNESS (and our overall mobility sucks but that is a separate rant). EXAMPLE: I repeated the last week, this week. My left wasn't onboard. I spooked myself into poor performance. I was afraid to clean the bell properly because I didn't think I could get it out of the hole and fire it up. So every press was out of my groove. Not this week. I have nailed it (I know...you don't care...I KNOW). If...WHEN..I nail it tomorrow I will gladly move up a rung and be crushed for the next 3-4 weeks. I hope to get all rungs thru 5 x 5 within the next month with my current bell. I have a bell that is challenging to me. Gotta dial in.
The short answer to the email is...stick with the program. Trust me. Have some faith. Don't get distracted by shiny things. We are still doing a full body work-out...your not going to lose anything. We are optimizing. Keep your dragon on a leash.

See you tomorrow.

(BTW~The guy in the picture above...doesn't eat meat. Just leaves and branches)

There is ALWAYS somebody bigger than you....

....either physically or in the weight they are using. Physically we can't help or change much. But we can change the weight. Last night people started to scramble. Some of the ladders were off so we got that squared away. Some of the weights were off, so we tweaked the weight. Some of the weights were golden !! Perfect for the day and the rungs. Here's the trouble. Last Friday you got your 5/5 and went up a bell size for this week. You went up a bell size but came down one rung across the board. So, yesterday was your 5/2 (ladder/rung) day with the new bell. You didn't get them. One side was shot...both sides didn't go...whatever. Either way you were not feeling the love. You need to go down a bell, right? Get your groove back and then try again? NO ! WRONG ! The warm fuzzies are history. You graduated. You got your 5/5 last Friday. Kiss it good-bye and move up a bell. Now...I know we all want to be reassured but fractional weights are not the answer. You don't need a " .5 " increase. You need to work a lot harder. That is the name of the game. Squeeze out an extra rep once a week and be happy with that performance. Eventually it will link up and movement starts heading north. Remember, strength training is not rewarding day to day like 'working out.' It's measurable. It's performance driven. If you don't see progress.....it's all you.

So...What happened ?

The bulk of us are at the 5 ladder and 4 rungs for the heavy day...which was today and for the rest of us...tomorrow. Today I got all the rungs with the 7.5 (36kg) bell. Now, I had gone thru this in my head a number of times and I didn't finish the rungs...in my head. My head is pretty reliable. I think going into today I spooked myself on the left. It wasn't happening. I never found my groove on the left. I moved from the bell. I just wasn't getting it. Having said that...I got it. My choices now are should I repeat the week knowing that my performance on the left wasn't the best and work on a stronger showing or do I dial in and step up a rung next week. I don't know. I am going to think about it over the weekend. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I have been biking to work over the past week/end. Nothing fantastic. An easy 5.5 miles each way. I have baggage (boy, do I have baggage) that accounts for maybe 15 extra pounds hung on the bike. Mostly my clothes for work. I didn't change a thing with my eating habits. As a matter of fact, my eating has been sucky during my work cycle with the exception of some natural peanut butter and Flackers (thanks Sarah). Everyone at work enjoyed the 2 hour "pick the flax seed from your teeth" party after eating them. I stopped drinking beer, again. Not that I drank that much of it. It wasn't a tough thing for me to stop. I did start drinking a wine blend called 'Menage a Trois'...something about the label caught my eye. Not sure what....either way, it's good. MY POINT! I am now sitting at a body weight of 180.5 lbs and I still hit my numbers.Keep in mind, last year at this time I was trying to keep under 200lbs so I had a 3 lb buffer for the RKC II weight in. My weight is significant to me at this point. Small food changes and a small boost in activity over the course of a week dropped me over 3 lbs.I got on the web sites...I tried to figure it out. I burn maybe 300-400 calories biking. Not a lot. Then again...does it need to be? It's cumulative . Right? It goes on that way...and it comes off that way. What's your plan? Do you have one? Happy with your status quo...or are you done pretending?

Keepin' it Real......

Strength training is hard on a number of levels. For the "Type A's" they need to learn to settle their ass down and dial in to the fact that less IS more. Learn to walk away. Train smarter, not harder. For the "B's" thru "Z's" they need to learn to push themselves if they have never pushed before. Again, dancing up a sweat with or without weights isn't strength training. "But Mike, I felt stronger !" Really? Awesome ! I'm glad you reached a good feeling for yourself. Did you also reach for heavier weights? I don't mean your first 3-4 weeks of your gym membership. I'm talking' after 3-4 years of training at the same weight on your belly and on the bench. Did your weight/strength improve? "Well Mike, that wasn't really my goal." Well, mission accomplished. Rite of Passage takes all the guess work out of your training. It's a program. Settle down and dial in. Monday and Wednesday are just 'pre work' for the hell that will be called Friday/Saturday.
Let's talk about today...
Medium or Moderate day...I got my numbers (5x3 rungs). I was surprised. I ran on 3 hours of sleep Sunday and 2 hours on Monday. I thought I would be weak and lethargic. Thankfully I only felt that way at work. I'm using/rep'ing a bell that is 10 lbs less that 50% body weight. I am in a good zone right now. The one extra rung added 100% more work/volume. If you got the Cl&Pr's today...Awesome! That doesn't mean you go up a bell size. Adding ONE RUNG to the ladder on Friday/Saturday is going to add 40 presses (20 per arm). Add 40 presses. Add 40 presses. Add 40 presses. Are you with me? Add 40 presses. Stocks are going up and fast. Adding one more rung...a fifth rung...adds 50 more presses. So sit back and enjoy your stable training. Survive this week and everything goes up one rung. That means the only difference between this week and next will be a total press load requirement of 190 presses this week -vs- 310 presses next week. That is the reward for hitting your numbers....lucky you !!! Shine on......

Rite of Passage !!! (so far....)

Here's the recap...First we found out the five ladders with five rungs (5x5) weight. Then we went up one bell and dropped one rung across all ladders. We are still doing five ladders total. So,...for the sake of discussion...let's talk about me. I completed 5x5 with the #7 (32kg). The standard applied. No leg assist. Heels on the ground. Knees locked. Full press to the lockout over head. Re-cleaned before each press. Monday I went up a bell size to the 7.5 (36kg). Monday is a light day so the ladder is 5 with 2 rungs (2 rungs less that the heavy day which will have 4 rungs). I got the 5x2. It was hard but it is suppose to be hard. That's the point. Today I will do 5x3 with the same weight. Let's say I can't get all the rungs. Let's say on the forth ladder I can only get 2 presses...well then I have some choices. Keep it to 2 reps or drop the clean before each press. This is why you may want to keep a log book. The best lifters keep a log book and follow how their body responded to their training. This is pretty simple so far but if your into the 5th or 6th week and things aren't moving...you need to go back and figure out the "why" in the equation. IF I decide to keep it to two presses it will look like this on the 4th ladder 1 + 2 + 2. The 5th ladder will look the same. So what happens on Friday? I couldn't get all the rungs on Wednesday so what's the point of adding rungs up to 4 on the first ladders ? Because you may be able to get the first couple ladders and the the 3rd ladder is where things drop off. This is where the training comes in....not the work-out. Anyone can sweat. Sweating is not the sign of a good or productive work out. It's just sweat. Sweat is easy. Plenty misshapen bodies sweat. Improve your ladder presses. Now your doing something. I barely sweated from fall thru spring when I was strength training.....weights always improved. It's not about the sweat.....not anymore. Time to get your press on !

The Punisher

Eat well. Sleep well. Tomorrow nights class will be a hell storm. Good ol' fashion "what the hell just happened" , "I feel like ground meat", "I won't be able to walk for a week", "anything goes" and "everything is on the table." I am seriously worried. One thing for sure....it will not be repeated on Saturday. One night only. This will be "The Punisher."

THIS IS HOW IT'S DONE...........

If yours doesn't look and sound like this....change it !

NEKB CLASS 2012

The lighting was weird on the picture this year. Makes us look gritty. Much more than we are already. I kinda' like it. That's it....COPY !!!!

Stray Dogs.....

Here are some links to articles and blogs that I have saved from the past. They have very good content. Some of you have seen them before because I have posted them before (or discussed them in class). Always worth a re-post.

SWING INFO'
DAN JOHN Interview
OLD SCHOOL KB THREAD

RECAP FROM LAST NIGHT (Incase you missed the training

The CK-FMS was phenomenal . The approach is to treat the body as a movement. The lift as a movement. The FMS , like the RKC, is a system. A process. I am as excited about this as I was coming out of the RKC for the first time. It is a beautiful marriage. The crazy thing is.....it works. Every time ! This is going to have a lasting impact on the way we train. Strength will go up due to alignment and stability of the structure (out bodies) before we worry about the lift (or movement) portion. Everyone will be screened. The screen will identify asymmetries. We all have them. We all have them. We all have them. I cannot say this enough. CORRECTING AN ASYMMETRY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE AMOUNT OF WEIGHT YOU LIFT DURING A TRAINING SESSION ! We Good ? Clear ? We will need to dial back a little for a few weeks to fix the road before we drive on it again. It only makes sense. If your concerned that you didn't get your 'sweat on' that day....I can't help you. I only sweated twice over 4 days at the workshop and my strength and mobility increased. We need to get the repair work in. Some of you may be thinking that you feel pretty good....not much work will be needed. Brett Jones says he has never seen a perfect 21 (score). Doesn't exist. Let's get the screens done and see where we sit. I promise you, we are full of compensations for our weak stability. Don't think it's you? Here's a quick question. Would you rather I say "Press the bell over-head and hold it for 2 minutes" or " At your own pace, press the bell for 2 minutes" ? The first one requires no effort IF you have your stabilizers intact. The second one using your prime movers to blow past your stabilizers. DEEP STABILIZERS NEED TO FIRE BEFORE PRIME MOVERS FIRE. If they don't you will have bad movement with bad motor control. Then your body to compensate the movement and the problems begin. Foundation first. On to the next topic.

Chalk. We are WAY too dependent on it. Big lifts, big singles, going for Personal Records will require some chalk. I get it. I've done it. I do it. Chalk up to your elbows, all over the floor, the bell, in the air AND it's the bell you can 'hang with'.....Nope. Not needed. Un-necessary. Re-examine your relationship with the chalk. It is there to remove the oils from your hands. That's it. That requires a very, very light application and rubbing it into your skin. IF you can't hold on to it, that represents a weakness. It doesn't matter the origin of the weakness. It still represents a weakness (yes, it does.....yes, it does....stop arguing! ). Use a lighter bell OR, MORE IMPORTANTLY, USE A BETTER TECHNIQUE. It does come down to that. Soften your technique. Build the strength without the use of props.

Lastly....This past weekend was a bad experience for some of the attendees. We had some big names and heavy hitters in the attendence. They didn't get what they wanted from the experience. What they needed was there...it was. What they wanted was for the FMS to validate how they already train and validate their current belief system. That's what they wanted. What they needed was the FMS, but they didn't see it. They needed to do two things: shut their mouths and be receptive. Had they done that little maneuver, doors would have opened. I will tell you from personal experience, as a recovering chronic painer it is very, very hard to take the suggestions of somebody outside the body I know. It's the body I know. Not them. Trust is a HUGE factor because I will kick my own ass a lot harder for listening to the morons poor advice when I knew I shouldn't have in the first place. I (we) joke at work that I care for people...not about them. The joke ends there with a little chuckle. More to the heart of it is why. It has more to do with me and my frustrations and disappointments from living life. I have found there is a bucket full of frustration and disappointment if you care for someone more than they care about themselves. Or, if you want something (an accomplishment) for another (maybe your kids) more than they want for themselves. Even though I know it will work, my passions or goals gets smashed because the other person just isn't interested. After all, they can make their own choices. That is really the root of the cute joke from work. When dealing with someone who has drank their liver dead and they need a transplant, well, it comes with its dynamic. So, how does this apply to N.E.K.B. ? After this weekend....especially after this weekend, I see huge potential gains for everyone in class. Mobility, strength, agility, pain relief. I know your abilities. I know your strengths and weaknesses. I know your bodies and it's movements. I reflected back on the class every moment of the workshop and thought of examples in my life to each of the examples they played out. We are not a special or unique group. We are very predictable and correctable. The FMS is powerful and simple....that's its beauty. IF this is something your not interested in doing...I get it. My assumption is everyone wants to know if their patterns are symmetrical. This is the only time (over the next couple months) when I will offer screening for free. It's a learning time for me and Mark so I want to get my hands on as much material (new screens..a.k.a. people) as possible. I respect the FMS too much to let some one walk away with a score 'just because they were curious.' Seeing an asymmetry in some one, knowing they can correct it (not me..it's up to them) and then watching them not correct it is going to piss me off. Not hatred toward the other person. Just...piss me off because I want more for them than they want for themselves. I will dial this back but for now, the force is strong in this new Jedi.

The picture is from an old German gym circa. 1900

EITHER WAY => whether you want to follow thru with the corrections your given or not.......dial back on the chalk.

FAT LOSS -VS- WEIGHT LOSS

I cannot explain it better than this posting by The Tamer.

LOADS OF FUN

I was a little annoyed by not finishing my ladder last Saturday morning. I knew what was going to happen and I felt pretty good considering I had not eaten well or slept. I worked the night before so the typical 2 hours of sleep in the past 24 was in play. All that aside, I felt pretty good. The ladder was a challenge . For those missing the action, It went like this:

Press L x5
Goblet Squat x 5
Press R x5
Swing x10
Snatch L x5
Goblet squat x5
Snatch R x5
Swing x10

The rules: Complete the above with one bell (keep the same bell) for all movements. Do everything in 2 minutes and do it 8 times. that's 16 minutes of straight work. Wait 5 minutes (rest) and do it again.

I used a 24 kg bell. I got thru the first set of 8....rested and only made it to 11 minutes the second half. My form was beginning to suffer and we all know the rule. When the form goes, your done ! So I put it down. Afterwards we talked. I heard a common theme. "Think I could have finished if I started with a ___ . I found myself falling into this thought pattern. I know I could have finished if I would have used the 20 kg bell instead of the 24 kg bell. Then I thought......maybe not. Maybe I hit peak capacity in that short time frame. Curious, I did the math. It's the same total weight lifted. Finishing with the 20 kg is the same total weight as quitting early with the 24 kg. Maybe I did hit my peak work load before my form went to hell. I won't know for sure until I do it again. Actually, I need to do it 2 more times. Once with the 20 kg and one more time with the 24 kg but, this time, well rested and fed. Only then will I know for sure. This will be revisited.

So, here's what we got....... " The Food Choice Challenge ! "

Oh, quit your whining.There is a very good reason behind the madness. First, let's look at our training (try and keep up with the long narrative, Dan (Seawell) ). IT'S HARD. Real hard. One might even call it a 'hard-style.' We are getting stronger. Breaking down and building up muscle is the pattern. The waste products need to be eliminated and are eliminated...for the most part. But, elbows and knees feel tight. Joints, shoulders, backs take a hit and don't feel 100% at times. Take a Motrin. Drink a beer. Drink some wine. Shot of bourbon. Whatever. Body feels a little better and we are back at it. I have had more conversations about tennis elbow, shoulder pain and knee pain in the last 8 weeks than in the entire 6 years I have been doing this KB stuff. These are all symptoms of the same problem. I am not going to get into all the research and studies...it isn't needed. But here is the bottom line...the stuff we eat is the stuff we become. Not only that, the cells actually modify themselves when they replicate to accept and process more crap that we eat which leaves less room for the cell to have receptor sites for the normal items of proper metabolism/nutrition. It is a sick cycle. And I do mean sick...like 'ill.' Cells that are so out of balance they just keep replicating but they have lost function. They become cancers. This isn't rocket science. Rocket science is simple compared to the complexities of this process. This is more important.
So, What's the fix. We are all walking around as toxic waste holding ponds. We have inflammation in our joints, under our eyes and in the lymphs. We continue to eat the foods that cause it so it doesn't go away. Well, my challenge to you is to stop...for 60 days. You have been grazing to your hearts delight your entire adult life. In the 3 weeks you have know about this challenge I have had multiple people want to get 'their food' on the list. Look, you don't have to do this. I really don't care. I know it's needed and you will experience what I experienced June-Sept 1982.
If you ever had your food rationed, you quickly learn things about yourself AND your neighbor. My food was rationed for almost 4 months. I went to boot camp. A real boot camp. There is only one. Not the weekends off, go out in town and call mommy to send you an extra pillow. I'm talkin' The Marine Corps. Any other boot camp doesn't count. Why? Because in the Marines, the time was restricted. Food was rationed and regulated AND freedom was taken away. What other bootcamp does this? None. You go thru the chow line with your sectional tray and hold it out. You get a spoon of scrabbled eggs and you move on. You get the same spoon the guy in front of you and behind you got on their trays. NO REGARD FOR YOUR HEIGHT OR WEIGHT. NO SECOND HELPINGS AND NO TIME TO EAT IT. We all ended up the same shape after 3-4 months. Skinny got lean. Lean stayed lean. Fat got lean. Muscular got lean. We all looked the same. Same with P.O.W.'s...They all look the same. Nobodys 'fat gene' kept them fat. What keeps you fat is shoving crap in your mouth.Every new crop of young nurses that graduates and starts working nights starts getting fat because night nurses eat to stay awake...and they eat crap. You can argue cortisol levels if you want....but your retarded. Sorry.Everyone that uses that argument has a mouthful of crap they are constantly digesting. Whatever. Live your life. But don't feed me your justifications for feeling sick or being fat. There seems to be a trend as we age that we deserve to enjoy ourselves and enjoy the fruits or our labors....by eating rich foods. Oh sure...you never tasted ice cream until you had a good job and a house that is mortgage free. Give me a break. You have been enjoying yourselves the whole way. Well Here's the challenge....( For you spiritual folk, think of it as a nutritional sojourn. Fellow Catholics....think of it as a lent from hell.) Stop eating your stuff and eat this stuff.
Paleo list of approved foods I had a real nice piece I was typing but Linnea gave me a hand out at the studio and it directed me to this fabulous list. I am not one for recreating the wheel. The idea is to eat what cavemen would have been exposed to back in the day. It is how our bodies are genetically wired to best respond. You may not buy that. You may think it's crap. You may be right. A lot of evolution has happened since Paleo' period. Who cares. I can tell you right now that we were never designed to ingest High Fructose Corn Syrup. So relax. It's only 60 days. The list is only half the story. The list is what you can eat. Here's what you can't eat. Gluten. That little word is going to piss off a lot of people. No breads. No pastas. No dairy. No alcohol. NO FAST FOOD. NO POPS. No exceptions. " But Mike, what if it is gluten free bread?" No. It's still bread and it only 60 days. "What about gluten free cookies?" No. It's still bakery goods and it's only 60 days. (see a pattern?) NOW, if your totally lost and completely bummed and extremely agitated that I am expecting you to "go without " for 60 days and you think this is unreasonable. I think you need to reconsider. Consider this.......how weak are you? As a 18 year old punk I went without candy and my favorite stuff for 4 months. Nobody died but, everyone did get diarrhea when we drank our first Coke after abstaining for 4 months. Stomach aches and Diarrhea. That crap is nasty.
Here's what will happen. You will feel better. Much better. Skin will be healthier. Nails will grow longer. You'll sleep better. You'll move better and have more energy.
For those doing the Mud Run. You will have a major event kick starting your metabolism to a very high caloric need for about 3 days. Eat properly and your body will be different your first week.
One last item of note....and it's a big one. Guys.....you get no more than 2000 Kcal a day. Ladies.....you get no more than 1650 Kcal. How you get those calories is your business. Just remember the meats. All meats are very lean meat cuts. I am surprised that pork is on the list. Personally I only eat bacon so it will be easy to get rid of pork altogether.
The caloric intake is based on BMI for average body frames. Welcome to boot camp !!!

Not in this case.....

Ben Franklin said "Well done is better than well said." Up until this minute I would agree. Andrew Read RKC II, CK-FMS wrote a piece I read this morning that sums it all up. Remove Pavel from Andrew's story and insert Mark Reifkind Master RKC and you will have MY story. Which, speaks to the consistency of the RKC because my conversation with Mark happened over dinner 3 years ago. I was forty-four years old, he and I had an 'old persons' talk about training smarter and not just pounding out reps for rep's sake. Andrew's post is perfect. Read it here. The question is....will you benefit from the advice of experience of others or will you pound yourself into the ground. Remember, there is strength in mobility and symmetry. Even up your bells and iron out your movement compensations that have developed over the years. Last night Shannon was working with me shortly before class on my T-spine rotations. My T-spine is locked up. I stopped rotating my spine in 1991. This was the year I herniated my L5-S1 disc. 'Twisting' killed me so I stopped all rotational sports (if you call softball or baseball a sport...personally I think of them more as 'activity') . Flash forward to 2011 and after 6 years of KB training, I have great back support but the "Bretzel" triggers a dragon deep within the system that seizes my diaphragm, kills my breathing and spasms the peri-spinal muscles. So....I'm working on it. What's your dragon? Can you identify it? Are you working on it or working around it? (BTW-in the picture, Andrew is the first from the left, then it's Andrea, Geoff and Shaun (the original Beast Tamer).

250 LBS -vs- 120 LBS

Yes, it really does change you. Look at the ankle/knee/hip/shoulder joint distortions. Now at 50 pounds over weight the beginnings of the distortions are there to some degree. This depends on HOW you carry the extra weight. This is frightening because the first step for the aggressive 'loser' is to start........running. This is the beauty of KB training. We can place the force....tense the muscle....build the strength....that creates the muscle.....that burns the fat.....that lightens the load and corrects the distortions. All this in a way that is safe and joint friendly. Need we say more. ("Black" on an x-ray or MRI is air or gas. Notice the lungs are full of are and the 250lb person has a lot of gas trapped in their bowels)

OH.....My Butt !!

Actually, it's the posterior chain (PC). What is it? Easily stated, it's the muscles used for jumping. Burpees activate the PC very nicely (Get your 50 !!). The muscles actually run from your lower back to the back of your legs. And, they run deep. You may notice them more in the next couple days. Tomorrow we will be very kind to this area and rest them with some passive lengthening movements.

Sooo....what's happening?

Does anyone feel it? The 500 snatches with a light weight. I did it Friday with a #3 and Saturday with a #2. I am noticing some serious metabolic demands. Maybe coupling them with the burpees it triggered something but my bodyweight is down and I have woken to my alarm for the past two days and that never happens. So, I think were on to something here. I am going to continue it for as long as it seems reasonable. I have been wanting to drop some body fat before my re-certification in July. I did the 500 snatches again today with the #3. I think I will alternate the 2 and 3 while snatching 500 daily. That is 13,200 lbs of work one day and 17,600 lbs the next. Today it took me 20:45 min to get the 500 snatches. That is an awesome work return on a very small time investment. Now I am off to get my burpees. Get yours. 34!!

BTW....The SSST is on the Calendar !! Time to bust up your number