Posts Tagged ‘Pullups’
Kettlebell Practice and Deload Training
This week I’m deloading so that means a lot of practice and fun training.
I always have fun training but it’s a nice mental break on a deload week when you can just walk in the door and decide what you feel like doing! During the course of a normal training cycle, I plan everything. I have specific goals in mind.
Deloading is a time to rest your joints. It’s also a time to practice those things that you tend to shy away from because you’re not quite sure how to integrate them into your training.
Over the last several months I’ve purchased my first kettlebells. I’ve been practicing the basics and like to think I’ve gotten them down pat for the most part. Unfortunately, I haven’t been exactly sure how to rotate them in to my normal training cycles.
So, to celebrate America’s Independence Day, I decided to do a little kettlebell practice. The first move I hit was a combo of the double kettlebell clean, front squat, and press. I combined that with pullups and hit five reps of each for as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes. The second movement I practiced was the double swing with a band pushups for the same 15 minute block.
Take a look. Feel free to offer an feedback on my form.
Homemade Equipment: How to make your own weight vest.
Bodyweight training is the truth. If you aren’t getting a healthy dose within your training regimen you’re losing out. Think bodyweight exercises can’t get you strong and jacked? Think again!
What happens when you reach a point where you can crank tons of pushups and pullups without a problem. Well, just like any other movement you either do more or add resistance.
The best way to add resistance to these two movements in particular is adding a weight vest or chains. However, these products can be expensive. I got a little creative the other day in the Real World Strength Gym. Take a look at the clip below where I take you through a cheap and simple process where you can make your own weight vest. I also show you a simple way to beef up your pushups by the use of resistance bands. Bands are relatively inexpensive and if used the right way, can really help you add tons of strength and muscle.
Build Strength and Power
Building strength and power has been my overall training goal lately. Of course, I have smaller goals within my training for certain lifts trying to get those numbers up.
One of the lifts I’ve been working on is the power clean. I haven’t focused much on this particular lift for quite a while and I’ve been struggling as a result.
Here’s a quick training update for you from the Real World Strength Gym.
The whole training session went like this:
1 – Power Clean 3×3
2a – Floor Press 3×8
2b – Pullups 3xsubmax
3a – Barbell Row 3×8
3b – Pushups 3xsubmax
Upper Body Training and Deadlift Madness!
I have two quick training updates for you today.
My lifts are getting stronger albeit, little by little. Hey progress is progress right?
I’ve identified two weaknesses as my strength increases. First, I need more drive off the chest on the bench. I tend to get a little stuck at the beginning and it costs me during the course of a set.
Second, as my deadlift increases, I’ve noticed my grip fails before anything else. Now this can be cause by one of two factors. Deadlifts are my last big lift of the weak and I’ve already attacked my grip with tons or pullups and other movements or my grip just sucks!
I tend to think it’s not one over the other but rather a little bit of both. I’m sure as hell not going to go easy on the pullups and such so I’ll be adding in some extra grip work.
Being able to identify your weaknesses during the course of a training cycle is paramount to continued progress. You must constantly assess yourself!
Get Stronger Wk 6 – Day 3
1 – Hang Snatch + Squat + Back Thruster 5×5
2 – Bench Press 5×8,8,6,6,5
3a – Mixed Grip Pullups w/ Towel 5xsubmax
3b – Pushups 5xsubmax
Get Stronger Wk 6 – Day 4
1 – Deadlift 7×10,8,6,6,4,3,3
2 – DB Reverse Lunges 5×20
Five Rds for Time
3a – Burpees x10
3b – SB Shoulder x3(L/R)
3c – Sledge Hammer Swings x10 (L/R)
This was a great finisher to the week!
I’ve started keeping my lower body days short, sweet, and intense since on the other training days I’m getting some kind of squat or hill sprint during a session.
That’s right I’m hitting my lower body roughly 5 days per week. A little unconventional I know but my recovery is theret and my strength continues to go up.
Sometimes you have to forget the conventional rules and take a different path.
To Grain or Not to Grain? My Intro to Primal Eating
In my last post I mentioned cutting out grains.
Am I going low carb? No.
Am I going true paleo or primal. Not exactly.
Over the last few months I’ve been reading a lot about paleo and primal eating. I do not claim to be a nutrition expert by any stretch. Nutrition is such a tough subject because there is so much information and misinformation out there for the matter on the the subject. Like I said, I’ve been reading so much about paleo and primal eating that I figured to better understand it and see if it’s for me, because let’s face nutrition is different everyone, I should give it a trial run.
So over the next 30 days, I’m gradually moving toward primal eating. So far, I must say I like where this is going. I’ve upped the fats and protein and cut almost all grains as a carbohydrate source. Now, most of my carbs come from fruits and veggies. After a particularly tough training session I’ll through in some beans or sweet potato but other than that, that’s it!
I will say in the beginning it was tough. I wasn’t adding in enough good fats. I was a little scared to be honest but overcame that pretty quickly. Training has been a tad sluggish but I suspected as much as my body begins to learn to use the good fats as the main source of fuel instead of grains. Overall, I feel great and eating this way isn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I’ll keep you posted.
Although my training has felt a little sluggish, I’m still going after it to get strong and “jacked!” Take a look at my training sessions from days two and three from this week.
Get Strong(er) Wk 1 – Day 2
1 – Squat 5×5
2a – RDL 3×8,5,5
2b – GHD Situps 3×15
3 – Sled Drag Forward/Backward 5×150′
Short sweet and explosive baby.
Wk 1 – Day 3
1 – BB Hang Snatch 5×5,5,5,5,3
2 – Bench Press 5×5
3a – Pullups 3xsubmax
3b – Dips 3xsubmax
Conditioning 5rds for time:
1 – Sandbag Thruster – 10
2 – Thick Rope Slams – 20
3 – Box Jumps – 10
4 – Sledge Swings – 10 L/R
This was a tough finisher as it was already 90+ by the time I started. Don’t let the heat stop you from reaching your goals. Gladiators didn’t have AC and I’d say the turned out just fine!
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