2/3

Stepmill 15mins light

Activations and lots of tempering.

Light pressing and dips

2/2

Activations, ABs, Reverse hypers 5x12

Get ups with no weight

2/1 Lowerish

Activations with planks , bird dogs etc

Reverse hypers 5x12

Double KB swings 10x12

Swings with mid pull 5x6 per

Goblet  squats  6x12

1/31

Stepmill/Activations(regualr and with large band)/Planks/ Birddogs

Reverse Hypers 4x12

1/30

Nothing

Ok, back in October after we went to the Be Activated Levels 1 and 2, we got a email from Pavel inviting us to recert as instructors.   Pavel has been instrumental in our development as powerlifters, trainers  and furthering our knowledge in general by getting us all into KBs back in 2005. His main goal is strength. We packed on good size and added some strength with them over the years. The KB aided in our mobility and volume levels throughout the years.  Also like anything else they got boring and I personally did very little of them from 2008 on.  I beat everyone else down with them just not myself. Even though Ienjoyed them , my neck always got way jacked and I never could do a high volume of them, same with shrugs. Everytime I did them turing my neck was awful for about a wee.   But, the bottom line is back in October the wife and I looked at each other and said we should go. It was a sign from the training gods above and beside Pavel invited us.  In the back of head, I was not looking forward to the snatch test. The first time I did it in 2005 it was 37 a arm without setting it down.  I failed that first test and had to video it in three weeks later. I was also 283lb and was not prepared at all for that test.   This time I would be ready but the first time in 2005 still hung around in the back of my brain.  Lastly, you now get five minutes and you have to do 50 per arm and to top it off they changed weight classes for your KB  size- 24kg for 220 and under, 28kg for 221 and up.

From the time I got home in October till the week of Jan 23 , I was continuously upping the volume. I would swing on one day, snatch a day or two later , double swing a day or two later.  I approached it with a Boris Sheiko style of loading working a 60to 80% range with both weights and reps-still averaging the 70%. I would test it out alittle higher weight and rep wise to see where I was.  For the five minute time constraint, I added prowler pushes back in light and just worked on doing two laps steady for 1 minute on 1 to 2 minutes off.   As the weeks went on, the goal was to work up to a 5 minute straight push.  I got there towards the end doing a 5 minute straight push and 3.5 minute push after a short rest. During the weeks, I did the stepmill 3 times a week for 15 minutes working on upping the levels and times. For example, after a warm up of a couple minutes I would bump it up a level every minute for 5 minutes then short break for 1 to 2 minutes then 5 more minutes bumping it from each minute.  The last four weeks I tested out each week. I did the 20kg for three weeks then the 24kg the Saturday and Monday prior to the cert. My time was 4:30 ish but I am also a terrible counter so I was not completely sure. Often I added a extra 5 reps each side to even it out. Not as confident as I would have like to have been. Additionally,  with the lack of supra and infraspinatus in my left shoulder and completely repaired right side, I wasn't even sure they would pass them. They have some tight guidelines for these tests and my shoulder stability isn't great especially in the left loosey.

One of the critical aspects from Be Activated is diaphragm breathing from both a training aspect but also bringing me down to a more parasympathetic state and just a healthly life vantage..  I practiced this religiously.  I have always been a chest breather, hence the high nervous/anxiety state all the time.  So working on this has been a battle for all time for me. In essence, you are trying to change your breathing pattern you have had all your life-for me that is decades.  I can't say exactly when I started sucking ass breathing wise but my guess is about 10 years old when my awareness and self  consciousness of myself came about.  Anyhow, not a new story for most.  Working on your breathing requires a tremendous amount of thought and practice for me.   This practice included the proper timing in every exercise but the main goal is for that breathing to be independent of movement.

I will pull back a tad.  I have always understood the value of breath in powerlifting.  When I figured that out, all of my lifts went up along time ago.  When I figured it out doing cardio and pushing the prowler it was along time ago.  I just never put it together for everything in life.  I am know near getting it all down but my life now is much calmer and I spend less and less time getting mad or jacked up.   I got into so much that I got Wim Hoff's ebook and began practicing some of his breathing  and cold therapy/showers. They have helped tremendously with my outlook and disposition in life and performance during training.

Now back to it.  Between activations, breathing and planks/bird dogs, I was able to not get my neck and back jacked up as in the past. I forgot to add in the work from Stu Mcgill's clinic at the Swiss Symposium right before the Be Activated Levels which involved planks of all sorts and bird dogs daily.  So from doing 3 or 4 sets of 10 at the most, in the past,  with my neck and back on fire to pulling off 50 to 60 reps at a time per side  with minimal discomfort, my preparation was much better going into the cert.  The goal of the cert was really just to focus me again.  My training was going well beforehand, just no real goal or focus except to stay out of the rippage zone.

The time comes. I feel pretty prepared for the snatch test. My get up is iffy and unstable.  Cleans and presses are iffy on one arm and definatley out on ole lefty.  What is weird is I can snatch on the left but cleans and presses look like a boulder falling off a mountain side.  I am not too worried either way. I can do what I can do was my thoughts.  Jason Marshall is our Master Instructor and leader for the weekend.  He is a solid citizen and besides my team leader Delaine Ross, the only ones who remember us.   He tells a story on how he got into kettlebells and it goes to show that you never know whose life you will touch or influence. The story involves a article I wrote  about my early experience with kettlebells in the early 2000s  and had a picture of me at 283lb in a  full split.  I barely remember writing this. I remember the splits, which I learned how to do from one of Pavel's first book,  Beyond Stretching, and took me about two weeks to get in the splits(both types by the way)  It is pretty cool that something I did helped to influence someone in becoming a Master Instructor in kettlebells. He later went on to talk about helping older people be able to function on their own later in life.  The line his client used was, "I just want to be able to get off the crapper and wipe my own ass." Basically, the ability to do normal day to day things without assistance.  That story for some reason got  to me as I think about that daily. I have always strived to do things on my own and not burden anyone.   So this  hit me pretty hard for some reason.  I don't regret anything about lifting except not learning more.

Getting back to the cert.  My assistant instructors were great. At first my ego got in the way. I know this. I already been here way before you.  But I stepped back and breathed.  They weren't against me or hating. They just wanted me to do better.  I took a big gulp of pride and swallowed it down. Plus some of the standards had changed from when I first began some 10 plus years ago. They also would be my evaluators come test time. Having put my maddies aside as they were a waste of time , the assistants  helped guide me through and i found out lots of nice things about each one.   I got better and better each day and rep and their guidance was instrumental.

Spending the first two days relearning the fundamentals was not easy.  But as each day  wore on the skills reemerged and sharpened back up.  Each day we would have a end of the day workout which was many straight minutes of work.  I made due with the left arm issues and added more reps on the right. Continuous activations again kept me from hurting too bad. We brought the boomstick with rolled our arms and other parts out each morning and afternoon when done.

Sunday was skill testing on each movement-swing, get up, press, snatch, front squat and clean. Passed all these with minor wrist straightening issues.  Then it was snatch test time.  I didn't go first but I was second.  Wow the irony there!   This snatch test you could set it down as many times as needed. Only goal was 50 per arm in 5 minutes or less.  My assistant kept count and let me know each time I completed 10.  The clock was set and off we went.   Now the boring part.  I just clipped them off. I felt myself zone out  or as the wife said I had the bulldog not gonna stop look in my eye.   The only thing that was clear was the bell itself.  I was aware of the grip as that was a stopper in the past but it never really affected me. A couple of times I felt it act up in the lefty but it went away as quick as I thought about it.  My breathing remained good not out of control , a bit rushed but again within limits.  I wasn't really focused on the number just him telling me each time I completed 10. That is pretty much all I wanted to be aware of.  The next thing I hear is 100.  I look up and say that's it?! He smiles and says yes.  I had no idea what my time was until the wife told me. She told me hers and then said , "Of course you had to beat me."  Having no idea I asked her the time-4:09. I said really?  I will take it!   Nothing like a 1100lb plus squat but satisfaction the task was done and that my preparation had paid off.

Some very pleasant surprises that I thought I would not get on the recert redeux. I had the same camaraderie with all the participants and instructors.  Everyone was there for everyone I felt like.  The work was hard but rewarding. The skill and technique work is how you would want your own training. THe applications apply to any sport. My borisy sheikoish  programmy worked well.  We both had a good time and met alot of good people. Still way worth it.