meeting dave whitley, getup and 32kg

well, yesterday i met with dave whitley on a private one on one meeting. he is an rkc certified trainer, strongman and masseuse. i could not do the turkish get up at all. within minutes we had decided that it was my lack of technique rather than lack of strength that prevented me from doing. within minutes he had me doing the get up (not too pretty but still ok). i am now putting this in my wednesday routine. money well worth the price! he also took a look at my swing and had it corrected in less than 5 minutes.
    also got a 16 kg kettle bell (35lb) this is much heavier than my 3 other kettles. im going to try to add this also.
new routine
turkish getup no weight lft and rt side 1 time no weight
2arm swing 5,10,15 lb, 16kg
1 arm swing
figure 8
front squat
tg very very rotten form. but... at least i did it. next week better form
2arm brutal! what a killer. especially using the 16kg for the first time. legs and waist muscles.try to remember to brathe explosively.
1arm even more brutal. could not do 10 16kg on lft hand. got to consider  this some more. technique tech, technique
figure 8 started 16kg FIRST then did the others. terrible rythymn but practice practice
frnt sqt wow! boy are my thighs going to pay tomorrow! just by doing the 16kg 1st made it so i could complete the set. i find im not getting all the way down but ill work on it
about 20to 30 minutes and absolutely beat! kettlebells are a great addition. friday will be my more traditional routine with weights
fred from nashville

midnight sunday morning and the need to do it

now im going to do my sunday exercises very early. its the last day i do deadlifts at 150. dropping 30 lbs for form and complete movement.
deadlift 8x150
dumbbell curls 8x35
concentration curls 8x35
barbell curls 8x70
barbell rows 8x70
hammer curls 8x25
dumbbell reverse grip deadlift
crunch 95
military press 3x170
ok not too much to say so ill get right to it. i will be reading clarence bass in between moves
dl you should warm up with lighter lifts but i dont. yea! i can drop back in weight now and do better
dbc went well but my body does not feel warmed up but i go ahead anyway
cc felt too easy. next week ill add more weight
bbc just right amount of effort weight and reps. next week 5 more lbs
bbr lifting higher so shoulder starts sqawking
hc very slow controlled full range
dbrbp good movement. felt good.
c only 5 more reps and ill change exercises or drop many reps
mp very well done. very very controlled . last time i started struggling with 10 reps. 3 rreps feel better but next week ill add more weight and cycle thru 3,5 and 10 reps.
fred from nashville

back to more standard routine and ohhh those kbs!

today i do my more standard routine. in fact, i do fewer reps so my body rests a little. next week ill add more weight. wednesday i did my first real kettlebell routine only using 5, 10 and 15 lb kbs. im still hurting!! i have an appointment with a rkc guru,david whitley, tueday to show me basic routine. very expensive but i am hoping worth it in the long run. also ordered a 35 lb kb which i think will really help me advance. sometimes im so naive. but keep on keeping on.
squat 8x130
calfraise 8x130
benchpress 8x160
arnold press 8x35
seated dumbbell extension 8x35
kickbacks 8x35
dips 13
push ups 15
military press 10x70
sqt and cr still not getting very deep. the reason my legs are still burning is because when i did my kb squats i went waaaaaay down
bp a lttle deeper. must be getting a little tougher.when i drop back 30lbs in a few weeks im betting that my form will be darn near perfect yet ill be 30lbs better than i was last year or so.
ap perfect form for 2 reps then worse and worse. still i feel a little stronger
sde no sweat (unfortunately). wish it had further movement.
kb pretty satisfying. pretty controlled. mimics one of the moves the va showed me for my shoulder.
d really feel it in my traps. its like shrugs. my shoulder still does not like it
pu such a great disciplined exercise. good form might be able to go a little deeper but not too bad
mp ist time since ive dropped weight i had to modify the exercise. started off with partials and got longer movements as i went along. also, did partials at the end.
well, dave draper would be proud. even though im still sore i soldiered on (brave lad)
til sunday.
fred from nashville

really, really,really experimenting and what happened at pt

this will be my 1st all kettlebell experiment. i plan on changing and reforming it for the next few weeks.
yesterday, i had my 1st and last physical therapy sessions for the ache in my right shoulder. bottom line. she though i did not have enough counter strength in my rear deltoids and gave me some bands to do exercises with. it was fairly intense and i think i learned a lot. instead of bands i think ill substitute weights or bells well see.
using 5,10, and 15lb kettles this time. dont know if ill do 2 sets or 1. like i say this is an experiment this week.
2arm swing 10 reps per poundage
1arm swing 10 reps per arm and per poundage
1 arm abductor
figure 8
front squat
ok here i go
wow what a killer! definitly only one one set. rest between moves about30 seconds
back hurting, panting and shoulder protesting a little
2as 5lb way too light i plan for now to get a much heavier bell today. 15lb okay
the surprise is how much the squat takes out of me. no doubt not only shoulder not strong enough but legs not so hot. may be because i use weights too heavy during the week to go reall deep. at this point im bottoming out with the kettlebells.
next week more experimenting. i  need to work on get up  oh well
total time only 10 minutes. results achy achy. need to work on form dont give up
fred from nashville

record deadlift and still determined

today i will do my official record for deadlift. by others standards it laughable, but ive never done 150 lbs before. in a week or so ill drop 30lbs so i can do the move more properly. im also determined (at least mostly) work on doing at least 1 turkish get up. i might even have a gym look at my silly attempts.
also, 5 lb increase in this routine
deadlift 12x150
dumbbell curl 12x35
concentration curl 12x35
barbell curl 12x70
barbell row 12x70
hammer curl 12x25
dumbbell reverse grip bench press 12x35
crunch 95
military press 5x70
here i go. i exercised yesterday but im doing this anyway. muscle confusion and my work routine
dl darn thats heavy.also, runs me out of weight plates. i read a forum post inbetween exercises so im encouraged and rested between moves. today, that is ellington dardens posts
dbc felt pretty good actually. good form. a little fast but pretty controlled
cc not too bad. form ok but not quite complete movement. still, not bad
bbc very good effort. panting a little but good form. really feel it in bis. also sent an email to somemone on ellingtons site re kettlebells and the trouble im having trying to do the turkish getup
bbr never a problem so i concentrate on pulling higher.
hc an old friend revisited. very strict form
rgbp. good form. really feel it in chest.
c getting close to my goal of 100. will probably switch to kettlebell somethings then
mp good form and full extension. want to really stay with good form while i can
think ill play with some kettles for a few minutes.
total work out time today about 1hr 10m
fred from nashville

adding 5lbs AND the perils of the turkish getup!

first, im doing fridays workout on saturday which means that tomorrow ill do another routine. back to back again. im adding 5lbs today. this will be a real struggle. but we will see.
    ive started messing around with kettlebells. everything i read and see says you must practice to get the moves down. ive been doing ok EXCEPT for this killer move called the turkish getup. you essentially are lying down and then get up. sounds simple. but i just cant do even one yet.! very discouraging. ill just study it more and keep trying. it really makes me feel like a weakling
well, now for today
squat 12x130
calf raise 12x130
benchpress 12x160
arnold press 12x35
seated dumbbell extension 12x35
kickback 12x35
dips 13
pushups 15
military press 3x65
     here i go
sqt done in combo with calf raise. ok. not very deep though. my goal is eventually 150 lbs . then i will cut back by at least 30 lbs
bp not so hot. only just barely partials. position is very important. ill get better. i only have 10 lbs more to go before the major 30lb drop so i can do fuller moves and with form
ap at least i did one full extension. the rest were partials. still, a little improvement. in between movements im reading dave drapers weekly blog.
se ho hum but relatively easy . hard to get a full extension.
kb felt pretty good. always makes me feel like i have tris
d always lets me know i have a right shoulder(going to the va tuesday for my first ever pt) always get a boost from dave draper, who sneaks in philosophy and workout advice at the same time. keeps on keeping on
pu pretty good. wide stance. felt it in pecs, but good form. i think my goal will be 50. not sure yet
mp extreme full extension. very very strict form. also, controlled movement the full movement
ok, im about done. im going to try a couple of attempts at turkish get up. just to see if i can learn the move correctly. im not real confident right now
total time of workout (including rests) about 1 hour
fred from nashville

another exciting wednesday adventure

ok, well, this will definitely be an adventurous wednesday. ordinarily, this would just be the last routine of the wednesday series. but this time its the last plus the beginning of my new kettlebell adventures . i have to learn the moves much better, but i will. next wednesday will begin my new all kettlebell routine, wherein i try not to bash my head in or destroy my arms with dents in them. oh well, very exciting
one set of these today. just felling my way with the kbs.
dumbbells
benchpress 8x40
flys 8x35
upright rows 8x35
seated press 8x30
alt curls 8x30
kickback 8x45
2 arm swing 5,10,15 x10
1 arm swing 5,10,15x10
figure 8 5,10,15 x10
1 arm snatch 5,10,15 x10
before i start im taking a look at a video to review 1 arm snatch.
well, here i go
the dumbbell portion has gone ok. i really should use warms ups but i just dont like them. because of no rest between the moves, im panting a little.
here goes my kb experiment
ohhhhh panting like hell!
did ok. kept hitting my calfs with the figure 8s. im glad i did the snatch video. still was wobbly. form terrible. it will get better. of course, pounded on my forearms
next week will be all kettlebell for at least 6 weeks
til next week
fred from nashville

keeping inspired and keep on truckin

i have to keep motivated. fortunately(?) exercise is almost like brushing teeth. dont do it and feel very guilty. even so, i like to read dave draper or other lifters from the 70s. he tells all in a comic way but at the end he just keeps going to the gym. im in better shape, i think, now than in my 40s . am i more more powerful, better looking or smarter than in my 20s. no, but im in good shape for 67. im trying to keep getting better.
this is one set of 12. last time it was 20 reps. always changing to some degree but on the way up in either poundage or reps.
deadlift 12x145
dumbbell curl 12x30
concentration curls 12x30
barbell curl 12x65
barbell row 12x65
inverted row 50
dumbbell reverse grip bench press 12x30
crunch 90
military press 10x65
here i go
dl boy do i hate those. 5 more pounds and ill be dropping about 30 lbs so i can do much better form
dbc felt good. did simultaneous curls instead of alternating
cc why is my left bicep better shaped and stronger seeming than my right, since im a righty?
bbc feeling it more but form good if not kind of fast
bbr still good for the back
ir ive reached my goal with that. will be doing a different exercise soon. thinking of hammer curls
dbrbp deep and fairly slow trying to get longer time under tension
c my goal of 100 is getting closer. i think i switch to a kettlebell exercise of all things then
mp 3/4 motion to full motion. not too bad for 10 reps.
thats it til wednesday
total time about 50 minutes.
fred from nashville

dropping from 20 to 12 on a cool friday

ok, always changing but staying the same. that is muscle confusion but still working on the routine. sometimes adding movements or , in this case, dropping reps to try to get better form and not tear up the bod. also, getting ready for next week where poundage goes up. ah, clear as mud.
squat 12x125
calf raise 12x125
bench press 12x155
arnold press 12x30
seated dumbbell extension 12x30
kickbacks 12x30
dips 12
pushups 14
military press 5x65
 ok lets see how it goes
sqt and cr feels ok but still want to go deeper. calf raises are routine. can feel shoulder already. still feeling back from the kettlebells. amazing. im going to really start looking into those in a more serious way
bp partials and 1 or 2 pretty deep ones. getting used to the heaviness of it. cant bounce it off my chest yet
ap pretty good form thru three quarters of the way. still much better than last week
sdbe feels good. i wonder if i could use a small kettllebell instead (or would it bounce off my head)
kb trying to remember form so i can feel my tris more
d like them but i cant go too deep because of my shoulder. btw will start getting physical therapy on the 21st. will see how that goes
pu good form pretty wide arms stance. guess you always feel good about something that is pretty easy. must remind myself to always reach a perceived effort . dont let anything feel too easy
mp very good form and FULL range of motion for the muscles. i think it was a good decision to drop about 30lbs a couple of weeks ago. this way i can do the move properly
    total time about 40minutes. good workout.
fred from nashville

wednesday routine PLUS!

well today im going to a more extreme wedneday workout. remember that wednesday is experiment day. what im going to add is a few kettlebells. this is definitely an experiment!!
2sets mostly with dumbbells
bench press 8x40
flys 8x35
upright rows 8x40
seated press 8x30
alt bicep curls 8x30
1arm row 8x45
stationary lunge 8x25
kettlebell 2arm swing 10 reps 5,10,15lb
               1arm swing "                   "
               figure 8       "                   "
lets see how it goes
wow!!! one set today is more than enough! everything went ok except that those kettlebells are deceivingly easy but.... oh does it add up. my back muscles are screaming. cant wait til  a few hours from now when soreness kicks in. i think the kettles will replace at least one exercise, namely the stationary lunge. i dont know if ill do 1 set or 2 sets. i repeat wow !!!
fred from nashville

really getting my butt kicked and those wascally kettles report

well, today will be my most challenging routine for this series. it is 20 reps with 5 lbs added. next week ill be using 12 reps.
     in addition is the feed back of my new little kettles. i went out and bought jilliian michaels kettlebell set. only 5,10,15 lb of padded weights. i tried a few small exercises. man im still hurting. it really has hit my waist and legs. and that was just a couple of learning exercises. ill be incorporating them in the future. for sure!probably will become my middle of the week routine soon
deadlift 20x145
dumbell curl 20x30
concentration curl 20x30
barbell curl 20x65
barbell row 20x65
inverted row 50
dumbell reverse grip benchpress 20x30
crunch 90
military press 3x65
here i go:
dl not very deep but oh so painful( in a good, exhausting way)
dbc made it. if i had had to do a couple of more i would have had to split the routine
cc made it the bis are burning burning
bbc wow what a struggle! just barely made it. even if i think im going backwards, it is still progress
bbr just a good ole friend. i always feel i can complete this one
ir im at my goal. as soon as my guide recommends more im going to switch exercises (probably hammer curls)
dbrgbp boy that really kicked my tris and chest. surprising how only a 5lb increase matters
c my goal is 100. as soon as i hit that im going to change. at this point i think it might involve kettles but not sure yet.
mp full range and very strict contrlled form (while i can)
im learning all the time. i go up i go down but i  plan to keep on going.  i just feel that this is the one very positive thing i do. it makes a huge difference to my ego and also makes things go better at work where i need to be in shape to keep up with everyone.
fred from nashville

pushing up another notch/ thinking of kettles

im going to add 5 lbs to each exercise today. coupled with 20 reps. it will really get me going. im not worried if i have to use partials. every type exercise helps. just read my friend clarences monthly article emphasizing chaos training. to me that simply means variety is the spice of life. thats why you will see most routines changing over the weeks. confuse them thar muscles!
squat 20x125
calf raises 20x125
bench press 20x155
arnold press (dumbbells) 20x30
seated dumbbell extensions 20x30
kickbacks 20x30
dips 12
pushups 14
military press 10x60
     here i go
sqt and cr still a killer even though i dont go very deep at this point. i also combine with calf raises as always
bp not very impressive and i was in the wrong position. will fix that next time
arnold press yowch. only in name. became partials . very wussie like.things not going well this morning. but...keep on keeping on
sdbe more like waving the weight. well, some days are better than others. at least i can feel it in my tris. thats the thing, even when you are not doing well, its still good for you. next time may be better. ole dave draper keeps on keepin on. good enough for me.
kb  oooooh burning tris. ok ok
d limited by shoulder but thats how mature life is. get over it.
pu almost comforting to have a full range success today
mp another full range movement today. this emphasizes the need to drop weights for better form as needed. better form means full muscle movement and travel. feel better already. these huge weights and reps will change so im not too worried. just dont hurt yourself.
til next time
fred from nashville