kettlebell mania

And several months later...

2009-05-13T16:27:00.005-04:00

...I'm ready to train again! The rib is all better and I'm finally able to continue my quest to achieve Master of Sport level in Kettlebell Lifting!

What have I been up to in my down time? To be honest, not a whole lot. I kept training to a minimum to give my rib a chance to heal. But lets look back in my training log. Started with the elliptical in January (just to stay active). I had to stop doing it because I was breathing too heavily and my rib would always be sore afterward. Early March I went to the Arnold Fitness Expo in Columbus, Ohio. I had a blast there! Trying out the GNC Grip Gauntlet made me remember how much I miss grip training. Since then I've been training grip about 2-3 days a week. Recently I hit a PR with the grippers. I managed to close the Captain of Crush #2.5 last week:

Mid-April my doctor recommended that I start lifting again, but VERY light, in an attempt to break up some of the scar tissue. I grabbed my lovely pink 8kg kettlebell and did a set of presses, snatches, longcycle and swings (20 reps per arm) once a day. Didn't want to push it!

Fast forward to this week. Yesterday I did 2 10-minute LC sets at 6rpm (first set 16kg, second set 20kg. Not terrible after such a long layoff.

I'm looking forward to competing at the WKC World Kettlebell Lifting Championship in Chicago late August. I plan on competing in the Professional category in the 85kg weight class. I currently weight 192-193lbs, so I think it's doable.

It feels good to be back under the 'bells again :)

Looking back in time

2009-01-08T16:42:00.012-05:00

I like to record my sets. It's a good way to review your form from a different perspective. I always thought that I have pretty good technique, but after looking over my recordings, there's much room for improvement.

Take this particular set for example.

This is a 10 minute longcycle set with the 32kg kettlebells that I did back in October (a couple of weeks prior to my rib injury). I did 47 reps, which is currently my personal record. Here are some general comments I would give myself after reviewing this set:

Hold the lockouts longer (enough so that the judge can count). Lots of these could be considered no-counts.

2 minutes 18 seconds in. Don't do that. That's just silly.

When bringing the bells back into the rack from the lockout, don't absorb the shock with your legs. It wastes precious energy.

Imitating Fedor Fuglev with the whole flicking-of-the-head isn't necessary.
Stop leaning forward in the lockout.

When cleaning, keep your heels in contact with the floor.

Also when cleaning, keep your elbows as close to your hips as possible.

The music isn't loud enough.

I could comment on other things, but I'm sure you get the gist.

Goal Setting

2008-12-24T21:10:00.008-05:00

Setting goals is probably the most effective way to motivate one's self. Everyone has made goals for themselves at some point in their lives. "This year I'm going to hit the gym more often", "I'm going to do my best in the next 3 games", "I want to get Master of Sport". Ok. Can anyone see any problems with these goals? In this post, I will explain the general guidelines on how to set goals and how to follow through with them.

Basic rules of goal setting:

Goals need to be SPECIFIC

Goals need to be CHALLENGING, yet REALISTIC

I'd like to share one of my goals: achieve Master of Sport ranking in the LongCycle (in the 85kg weight class) at the World Kettlebell Lifting Championship at the end of August. I've established a specific time frame and a specific number of reps I'll need to do (minimum 64). Getting MS (Master of Sport) is definitely challenging, but given the time frame and my recent progress, it's realistic.

Now what?

Write them down. This serves as a reminder. Put it on your bathroom mirror. Put it as your desktop backround. My new training log for 2009 is actually a day planner. This will help keep me on track with my short-term goals (see #3).

Tell people your goals. This gives your goals a sense of urgency. Plus, now that you have told people, you know have an obligation to follow through.

Set short-term goals. This helps you to stay on track to accomplish your long-term goal. It helps to set the long-term goal first, then work your way back from there. It helps to keep a training log.

Reward yourself. When you accomplish a short-term goal, go ahead and eat out at your favorite restaurant.

When necessary, readjust goals. Recently I fractured a rib. It's caused me to put my training on hold, and hence, postpone my goal of Master of Sport to August as opposed to March at the Arnolds.

Remember, if you don't set goals, you'll never know if you've accomplished anything.

Short introduction

2008-12-23T22:11:00.007-05:00

My name is Eric. I'm currently in my last year at University in Honors Life Science and working towards a CSCS diploma from the NSCA.

I've played a large number of sports growing up (everything from basketball to archery) but I never stuck with any of them longer than a few months. I guess you could have called me a "sampler". Recently I've been involved with a whole new sport: kettlebell lifting. A combination of Olympic weightlifting and running a marathon, as I like to describe it. For the first time in my life I KNOW that I will stick with this one.

Why have I started a blog? I have learned lots of things that some can find helpful to enhance their own training. What things, you ask? Tips on how to stay motivated, help with goal setting and how to get through a tough 10 minute set are just a couple of examples.

Feel free to comment and pose questions. Let's train.