ETK Week 6 - ROP Day 6

Saturday:

Heavy lift day today.

I got off to a slowish start this morning. I woke up on time I just procrastinated way too much catching up on emails and texts and started about an hour later than I normally do. Life happens.

I powered through the initial ladders with my 24kg and felt really good at the end, my form is solid, and my strength is increasing, although my right side is still stronger than my left side, so I think in the future I will add one extra ladder for the left to see if that helps it catch up any quicker.

I'm looking at buying two x 20kg and a 28kg next month and foregoing the Clubbell stuff for a couple more months as I really want to continue my investment with Kettlebell training. The clubbells aren't going anywhere so I'll give them a shot in a few more months. I'm really looking forward into getting into some doubles training since that's where a lot of people see dramatic mass gain.

Diet wise: I followed what I did yesterday - cut out all grains, but still had my milk. I do feel like I have more energy so I feel like I may be on to something here with this Paleo way of living. I imagine it could only get better once I cut out the milk. A viable option may be to make my own almond milk - I've seen it done pretty cheaply but haven't tried it myself yet. It's said you might need cheesecloth for the pulpe, but I'd think a sieve would work just fine. It also only keeps for 4 to 5 days, but depending on the quantity I could see it being gone less than that. Cost affordable? Hard to say compared to whats available in the grocery store. Link to directions here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM5J1OQmKMA

I'll hopefully have my scale back this weekend so I can get an accurate reading of my weight. It's been about 6 to 7 weeks now since I've taken it so it will be interesting to see how much weight I have put on since I started ETK. I do monitor my body fat percentage on a regular basis and do 3 skin folds. It's fairly simple and is the most accurate way to get your BF %. You will need a couple formulas and bodyfat calipers to do this.

The formulas:

Three Skinfold Sites (Chest, Abdominal, and Thigh sites, SUM3 is the sum of these sites in mm)

Bone Density =	1.1093800 - (0.0008267 * SUM3) + (0.0000016 * SUM3²) - (0.0002574 * Age)
Body Fat Percentage =	[(4.95/Bone Density) - 4.5] 100

 

This is really a fool proof way to do this. If you google online you'll find pictures that show you exactly where to pinch. It may sound time consuming and tedious but this is something you can do in a few minutes and you'll know it's right.

I haven't studied all that much today but will be cross referencing some of the material in my other books today, just for some extra knowledge that I might otherwise be missing. 

Recruited my best friend to try and help me think of a business name - that's probably that hardest thing to do as you don't want to infringe on any copyright/trademarks and get slapped with a lawsuit, so it's a real tedious venture, but I need to get it settled soon so I can order some business cards and start getting my name out there.

Also, Strikeforce got purchased by Zuffa LLC (who own the UFC). Some are happy with it, I am not. It just takes away another place where fighters can go to earn a living, and I'm really concerned with the women's division since Dana White is all about the boys - yeah, he's a pig. All that's left now is Bellator, so we'll see how long that lasts.

Cheers fellas, and enjoy the rest of the weekend.

 

ETK Week 6 - ROP Day 5

Friday:

I think before I get started here I'd like to ask that anyone who comes and reads this just bows there head in a minute of silence for the tragedy that happened in Japan today, for all the lost lives, and the people that are missing. It's a real mess over there right so lets hope it all works out for the best.

Today was a penciled in "rest day" but my Tacfit CMDO High Intensity training day fell on today - not a big deal, the show must go on! I woke up straight away and got it out of the way so I didn't give myself an excuse to procrastinate. I enjoy the workouts, and I enjoy the challenge of pushing myself hard on these days, so it's always something to look forward too. This was also the end of micro cycle 3, which means tomorrow it's a no intensity joint mobility day, which will be welcomed after my heavy kettlebell session.

I got a butt load of studying done today and am just wrapping up the metabolism unit - that was a long one. I also completed my first test and it came back at 88% - not great as I knew the answer to the one question I got wrong. I'll just have to review better next time. I'm also cross referencing the material in this book with my physiology of sport and exercise book which has an indepth chapter on metabolism as well, it's a lot more sciency but it has some great information.

Today, just as an experiment, I followed a paleo-type diet, it wasn't 100% dead on because the only dairy I consumed was my non fat skim milk. Aside from that I did not consume any grains or legumes what so ever, and I did notice that I didn't feel sluggish late-afternoon, I actually had more energy that sustained me till around 6pm when I had a quick nap (after being up for 12 hours) - so this was a promising little trial and I am going to follow a strict paleo diet for a month starting soon to see where that takes me.

I also found a really neat program called F.lux - basically it's better lighting for your computer based on the time of day. The concept behind it is truly brilliant, and while it might not be for everyone you should definitely check it out @ http://stereopsis.com/flux/

I'm off to watch Meet The Fockers now - definitely need a laugh after all that's gone on in the world today and will then hit the sack to rest up for tomorrow!

Have a good evening folks!

 

ETK Week 6 - ROP Day 4

Thursday:

Variety day it is!

Moderate intensity day for Tacfit CMDO, with my high intensity day tomorrow - coming to the end of micro cycle 3 and on to micro cycle 4 starting Saturday. I'm noticing more strength and endurance gains which is translating well over to my Kettlebell work. It's been about 13 days or so, so it does take some time to see some intial results - like anything else it just takes patience and hard work and if you put the time in things will happen.

I'm coming up to week 7 of Rite of Passage and realize there's not that much time left on this crazy journey, so it's time to start planning ahead for what will happen after. I like to dip my toes in to a lot of different training methods, so I'm considering either KB Spetsnaz or even KB Muscle, and then mixing in more Tacfit options after that. It's like being a kid in candy store wanting to try everything that's available.

To further flesh that idea out, sandbag training could be a real good idea to add as well, total cost working out to about 150$ to get an 80lb bag - that can go a long way and would open up the door to another new way to train. To be clear I'm not a big fan of gym workouts, it's often crowded, noisy, and there can be a wait for equipment, so this "boot camp" style of training suits me, and will suit my clients a lot better.

I did get back into the swing of things with the studying today and am working on finishing up the first unit (50 pages or so) so taking notes a long the way has definitely slowed me up, but I will taking my first quiz soon enough. It has been very interesting learning specifically how our metabolism works so far, especially the ATP/CP production and the role that has on our physiology.

Extreme Fitness gave me a call just to inquire about Personal Training for them, but it's not something I am going to pursue till I have the certifications required. I'd rather be fully prepared with the theory (I already have the practical) than try to tackle something half assed, which is a problem I think a lot of gyms have when hiring trainers, and does a lot more harm than good. It's a small sacrifice for gaining the proper knowledge.

I've just started reading about the paleo diet and it just jives with me, giving up grains is an easy thing for me, but I think giving up dairy would be very difficult as I love having non fat skim milk with my whey protein. I know there is an option to buy goats milk, but that runs about 10$ for 4L vs 5$ for 4L of skim. Doesn't sound like much but I go through 4L of milk a week just on my own. Anyone have any ideas how to get around on this or should I just suck it up and go for goats milk / organic, whole milk ?

Anyway that's all for tonight! Have a good one!

ETK Week 6 - ROP Day 3

Wednesday:

Started out snowing then turned into a torrential down pour of rain. Days like this get me feeling very lazy as more often than not I get stuck in the house.

It was my medium day for RoP and I've gotten more comfortable doing my ladders with 24kg. I'm able to do all 4 ladders with a max of 3 rungs, although I know that's going to start increasing within the next couple weeks, so we'll see how I'm able to cope when I'm at 5 ladders, with 5 rungs. 

I also did 200 swings in 7 minutes (I rolled a 7 for today), but decided to split it up 100 L / 100 R one handed swings, as that's not something I've practiced a lot of, and the 16kg was more than heavy enough for that rep count. Considering it was taking 12 minutes before to do 250 swings I'd say this is a definite sign of improvement. I did top out at 80% of my MHR as well, which is what the guideline said to do.

I did not get much studying done on the CFT today as I was studying a nutrition book instead - I find it's good to break up the monotony a bit and let the information sink in, and then go back to it, so I will hit it again tomorrow. And it's not a bad thing to be well versed in nutrition as far as this industry goes. If anyone is the curious the textbook is Understanding Nutrition, 11th Edition.

I might be coming into a little bit of money next month so I think I can finally score myself some clubbells, a couple more kettlebells, and maybe some gymnastic rings! The past 6 weeks have probably been the most rewarding in terms of fitness because I've broken out of my shell and am trying so many different things I would never have thought of before, and am in turn seeing the results that I wanted, and am training less.

I've got my Tacfit low intensity routine in about another 90 minutes to help me wind down for the night, and then tomorrow I ramp it up again with moderate intensity. Scott has said there is a new product getting ready for release, and it's the biggest class RMAX has ever released. Fingers crossed for Tacfit Firefighter!

Well that's all for today, have a good evening folks!

ETK Week 6 - ROP Day 2

Tuesday:

Late entry today and it may or may not end up like that from now - time will tell! I am re-directing all my energy to studying the certification materials and I will be going for my CPR/AED "C" soon as well, so I am getting busier. I am still committed to blogging each day on the journey till I hit 90 days and then we will go from there.

Today was a variety day, and I really did not want to do any AOS: Providence stuff - the book called for rounds 8-12 repeated twice and I watched it through and the moves really didn't jive with me. The last thing I want to do is flipping a kettlebell so it rotates and then have to catch it again. This may be okay for some people but it's not really what I'm into. 

So after asking around, my friend gave me a copy of Steve Maxwells 300 Kettlebell Challenge for something new to try. First, huge props to Steve who was 54 when he made that video and it was one of the hardest things I've done with a kettlebell. Basically you workout for about 26-32 minutes and the catch is that you cannot put the kettledown on the ground. There are rest positions if you get fatigued but you can't put it down. Now obviously if you're so tired that you can't hold you can put it down and pause the dvd, but it's a fun rule to follow and challenge yourself.

I had thought about incorporating some TRX but coming off the two days of Tacfit that were moderate/high intensity, I didn't want to overtrain muscles that were previously worked, specifically my chest, legs and hips, so this provided to be a fun, different variety day, and there were lots of new functional moves to try out. I'll definitely be purchasing a copy because Steve deserves the $ for creating such a cool routine.

I'm just starting my third micro cycle of Tacfit Commando now and am committed to finishing the 84 or so days of it before moving on to something else. The Tacfit fleet is so varied it's hard to decide where to go from here once I complete the Recruit. If I can't decide on anything I'll just move up to the next difficulty level which will give me another 84+ days of workout - so either way, real excited times ahead.

I've also been looking into getting some gym rings since they are very affordable and you can take them anywhere, but I honestly think the TRX pretty much mimics what you can do with them, although the rings may be a lot more sturdy - I'll be looking into what programs are associated with those as well as they build some real incredible, functional strength.

Just settling down to watch the biggest loser, and back at the books tomorrow, learning a lot already about how our metabolisms work. Real interesting stuff.

Have a good night all!

ETK Week 6 - ROP Day 1

Monday:

Today was tough for sure. My Tacfit High Intensity workout fell on the same day as my RoP Light Day so I ended up doubling up. Definitely not my favourite to do, but I still enjoyed it and it'll only happen once and a while, so no big deal.

I did Tacfit first since I knew that would tax me the most because you're going at your max effort for the entire workout. After that I took my Protein/Creatine mix, had some breakfast, waited about 90 minutes and then did my RoP Light Day with the 24KG. Light for me means 50-60% of my MHR so I could still use the heavier bell but go at a slower pace, so this worked out well - I know tonight will definitely be an early one.

One thing I can say for sure is that the tabata protocol + micro cycle schedule has me feeling more energized than I've ever felt doing a 7 day cycle before. That's not to say RoP is bad at all - it's a great strength and endurance builder and I think it could be adapted the same way.

I don't want to say definitively that the creatine has helped, but today with the amount of work I was doing was when I noticed a boost in strength and stamina. This could be purely psychological as I know what I'm putting into my body, but I can't say for sure yet.

My ISSA package just arrived today so I'm excited to get started on that. It's going to be a lot of reading but the way it's broken down is a lot more palatable than most college courses, so I should be able to retain this information a lot better. I did get a deal on it since they had a 100$ discount on the package, which I can use to put toward getting my CPR/AED certification as well. The next couple of months are going to be very busy.

The nice thing about the course is that it does include a lengthy book about Fiscal Fitness that will apply well to starting your own PT business after you finish the course. This is a huge bonus for me as I don't want to be one of those trainers who just stays at a club for his career - not theres anything wrong with that, it's just not for me and I have ambitions of running my own classes and programs independantly. Could I have gone for Can Fit Pro? Yeah, but for the same price I'm getting way more value and recognition from ISSA than I could get from CanFit. And the fact that they are owned by Good Life is a major turn off.

Quite a bit to say today, but I'm off to get crackin on this course now! Have a good one!

 

Mats that arrived today:

 

ETK Week 5 - ROP Day 7

Sunday:

A little late with the post today - just decided to go with the flow this morning. It also does not help that we got hammered with more snow. I swear the groundhog was entirely wrong this year. The weather can't make up its mind, a lot of snow or a lot of rain, and we're supposed to get 35 mm of rain over 2 days this coming week. Groan.

Today was an off day from Kettlebells which I'm happy for because of my heavy day yesterday. Yes it did take a bite out of my ass. It's going to be real interesting using the 24kg and having an extra ladder to go through. Looking ahead I'm realizing it might be more prudent to get another 16kg bell for doubles to see how that goes. It's either that or jump right into double 20kg's after RoP. I have to see where I am physically, mentally, and most importantly, monetarily.

I would say that the joint mobility work yesterday evening definitely helped alleviate any potential soreness, so I would keep recommending everyone to keep up their practice with that. Whether it's through Yoga, Super Joints, Intu-Flow - get it done, it will just help you with your goals.

My Tacfit Moderate Intensity day fell on my rest day today and I'm totally okay with that. I did not over exert myself and pushed my max level of exertion to a 7 out of a possible 10, so enough to get my heart going, but not enough that I'm going to max out and leave myself laying there like a pile of goo. That's for tomorrow, which works out in a good since it's my light day for RoP.

I definitely feel like I have more energy combining the two, and I'm able to last longer into the night as far as staying awake is concerned. I'm getting a consistent 8 to 8.5 hours of sleep every night and I know I would not be sleeping that much if my body didn't need it. I'm thoroughly refreshed when I wake up and have the energy to do my workout right away. 

I do exercise in a fasted state. It's not about fat loss. I just feel that I have more energy waking up in a fasted state instead of eating breakfast, waiting, then exercising. I've never noticied it affect my performance and it's something I've been doing for a long time now. 

So week 6 is coming up and I am going to attempt the SSST next sunday to gauge my progress so I will definitely let you know how I did, how I felt, and what I can improve on. I'm definitely not expecting to hit 200 snatches but we'll see what happens!

Have a good Sunday!

ETK Week 5 - ROP Day 6

Saturday:

I'm feeling jacked up!

Today is exactly what I needed from RoP to show me how tough it really can be. In the schedule today was meant to be a heavy day and I took that to heart finishing all 3 ladders with my 24kg. That's the kind of work that I like to put in. I'm not sure if I will carry this over to light and medium days as those days are pretty much self explanatory.

I bought some plain Creatine Monohydrate yesterday evening to add in to my supplement routine, just to see if anything has changed in the product since the last time I used it about 7 years ago. Odds are it has probably remained unchanged, but it will be an interesting experiement and I am only planning on using the amount that I got (2.5lbs) with 1 70cc scoop post workout. I just want to see how this will effect my RoP workouts, if at all. Normally there is a loading phase, but this is something I've never done before based on my own personal experience. I'd found the last time I used Creatine that I got the same results not loading that I would have gotten loading - so I will be following that same principle this time.

I haven't been able to weigh myself yet but I'm going to do as soon as I find a scale that is good enough. I know a 9$ scale will not give me the most accurate reading, so I'm looking into some glass digital scales but notice some are from weight watchers and some are 'biggest loser' branded. Is there any reputable brand out there that makes a half decent scale? I can tell I've really increased my mass from 5 weeks ago so am really interested to see how much lean mass I've put on since then. I know my bodyfat is at 9% now instead of where it was 5 weeks ago, when it was hovering between 7 to 8. I figure this is not that bad as I do see muscle gains.

I'll be starting my ISSA course on Monday - they say it generally takes about 12 weeks to finish if you put in at 15 hours of study per week. I'm aiming to do it in at least 6 or 7 weeks. I have really big plans, and this is going to put me on the right path. I'm looking forward to absorbing as much as I can from this course. Luckily I still have my textbooks from this past college year so I can reference my Exercise Physiology book, Anatomy book and my Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning Book along the way since they are all great references. I will say this about ISSA so far and that is the customer service has been excellent - they returned emails almost immediately and answered all the questions I had. As far as shipping to Canada it cost 40$ flat through Fed Ex and that takes care of all the customs stuff. It's fast too since I put the order in yesterday and it's already across the border about an hour away from where I live. I'd expect to have it tomorrow if Fed Ex does weekend delieveries, if not then Monday for sure. Fast!

Today is my Tacfit low intensity workout which basically consists of the full set of cool down moves - about 21 minutes in total. They are all focused on joint mobility so this is going to be a nice addition to what I just did with RoP today. This is my second micro cycle on the 4x7 schedule and it there has been some adjustment time when you are so used to making your plans around a 7 day schedule. I've found this to be a lot more efficient but of course it is too soon to say if there have been any gains or not. I think after a couple more micro cycles I'll be able to say for sure.

I'd be off to enjoy the day but we're in for a lot of rain, so get at it people and have a good one!

 

ETK Week 5 - ROP Day 5

Friday:

Well I got over excited this morning about doing my heavy day with my 24kg and then went took at my worksheets and realized it isn't for tomorrow. Today is supposed to be a rest day so I will do precisely that as much as it will drive me bonkers. I wrapped up a 20 minute Yoga session just to stretch out, and I will be doing my No Intensity Tacfit workout sometime later today as I didn't feel like stacking it.

I did do Super Joints last night as it had been a little while since I'd done that. I initially started to ease off of it because it was making my hips feel a little tight, so I started to alternate doing it every couple of days, but this past week I had not done it once and got back to it last night. I'm inching closer and closer to being able to do horizontal splits so I can tell that all the flexibility training I am getting from Pavel and Scott are working, it just takes time.

I have been putting some thought into it and am going to try the SSST next week just to give myself a little benchmark of where my strength and conditioning is at. I figure giving it a shot every 4 weeks is a good way to put the numbers to the test and to really make a good judge of what your training is doing for you.

One big thing I have noticed is that my posture has improved dramatically over the past 5 weeks. I think for anyone who sits in front of computer (and that's a bulk of the population) starts to get a little chair shaped - shoulders pulling you forward instead of sitting back like how they normally should. I had never had any pain from this, but it is an unattractive look when your posture is off and for me it throws your centre off. I attribute the straightening out to the work with the kettlebells, the work I've done with the TRX and now the work I'm doing with Tacfit. There is still definite room to grow and by no means can you correct years of bad posture in a month, but you will notice changes if you give it a shot.

Pretty excited that I can finally order my ISSA package today and it's not something I regret at all. I think any of the available home study certs (ACSM, ACE) including ISSA are going to a huge step up on what Can Fit Pro offers you. Every person I have talked to about that particular cert has said it's nothing but a money grab and essentially you can go from uncertified to certified in 5 weeks - which explains why there is such a horrible quality of trainer in the clubs today. If you already have the practical knowledge then an in depth course on theory is going to make you that much better.

Looking forward to Feijao vs Hendo tomorrow on Showtime - Really warming up to Strikeforce and the fights they put on. I like their cards better overall compared to what the UFC puts on - just personal preference at this point and it's pretty awesome that they give women the opportunity to go in and showcase their skills too. Cris Cyborg might be headed to WWE too since she hasn't had a fight since last summer. Apparently no one wants to fight her, and if you've seen her who can blame them - she is a mutant and no man at 145lbs would even get in the cage with her.

Now off to enjoy the day - have a good one!

ETK Week 5 - ROP Day 4

Thursday:

So instead of doing Relax into Stretch this morning as part of my variety day, I am going to make this a part of my evening routine today so I'm ready for my heavy kettlebell day tomorrow. This benefits me a lot more since if I do my Tacfit high intensity workout in the evening that will just keep me hopped up till I go to bed - so it's a bit backwards today.

Body is feeling very good today so I've made the decision to try and get through my ladders tomorrow with the 24kg to see how that works out - it's meant to be a heavy day so we will see how that goes! That way the ladders are broken up has me very confident that I'll be able to do it, just not easily.

I wrapped up my Tacfit Commando workout about 15 minutes ago and that's probably the one time that I remember that I actually felt nauseous from a workout - this was a high intensity day so it was balls to the wall max effort on everything. For anyone who is not aware Tacfit uses the Tabata protocol so you're doing 20 seconds of work with a 10 second rest, 8 sets per move, 6 moves. Once I hit the end of the Standard Pushups I was just smoked, but sucked it up and finished the rest of the workout strongly - I know I'll be feeling this tomorrow, so good thing it's a no intensity day as far as Tacfit goes.

I haven't used my TRX a whole lot lately as I haven't really found a way to work it in with RoP / Tacfit CMDO and the last thing I want to do is overtrain. There is Tacfit R.O.P.E , which I've tried and liked, but I think I'll have to do a cycle of Commando first and then go into R.O.P.E to make it doable. This really is a special time to be involved in the fitness industry as there is always something new to try.

Trying to find a school around here that teaches Krav Maga or Systema is difficult as most schools seem to be an hour or two away, and I by no means live in a small city. I guess there is just no demand for these specific arts compared to things like Muay Thai or BJJ, which is a shame. Staying optomisitc that I will find something though!

I should be sending off payment for my ISSA materials tomorrow so once I get that I'll do a little unboxing for anyone who wants to get into it but is curious about what the package includes.

Have a good one folks!

 

 

ETK Week 5 - ROP Day 3

Wednesday:

Today was a medium intensity today but I'm finding the ladders to not be that challenging with the 16kg so I think starting friday I will start to use my 24kg and see what happens from there. I'm definitely to the point where I think I need to round out the kettlebells I've got and just go ahead and get the 20kg - it's definitely almost time to move up in size. I do realize that it could potentially get harder when the ladders and rungs increase as the weeks go on, but my strength is going to keep increasing as well, so the 20kg is looking like a better fit for me moving forward, depending how hard I find the 24.

The Rite of Passage to me means that you are challenged physically and mentally and I haven't felt that yet - in fact I felt more challenged during the one month conditioning stint in the work up to RoP. Again this is more or less due to me needing to use a heavier weight to challenge myself, but so far I'm not really happy with how easy this has been.

Once I wrap up RoP I am definitely leaning toward getting into some Clubbell training - there is a pretty nice following there as well and it's always good to pick up new tools that will help with your growth. Scott Sonnon has said you can approach it as a cycle, so do a cycle of RoP and then a cycle of Tacfit, and then go back to what you were doing prior to see if there were any gains. It's not a bad idea, but I think anyone would get bored doing just one type of exercise all the time, and I think that's why so many P90X people hit the wall.

Today is also Day 3 of Tacfit: Commando - which I have really enjoyed thus far. The way the whole program is laid out is really impressive in that you have those two days of joint mobility that really prepare for the moves you're actually going to do on your high intensity days. I've been doing these in the evening before I eat dinner and have liked doing it that way - i always feel so much better when I get my blood pumping and I honestly can't stand being sedentary. The way it's packaged also really wants to make you do it - yeah the whole "mission" thing is gimmicky, but so is the whole 'comrade' thing from Pavel's work - but it's fun and motivating.

Everything went well with my meeting and I will be starting my ISSA Certification probably within the next week or two, it will depend on when the materials get here. I had originally planned on doing the NASM/ACSM but this is just a good starting point to get my foot in the door - we all have to start somewhere and honestly I would rather have a solid theory background than doing some like Canfit which has been called a joke in the fitness industry - I do realize that if I want to work at a Good Life Fitness I would need to have it though (Good Life owns Canfit). I think more than anything I'd like to go after the NASM/ACSM from here as to me it's a more complete and respected certification - and I don't exactly plan to stay in Canada to train for the rest of my life.

That's really all I have today, but big things are happening that I'm very excited about! Stay fit, stay positive, and have a great day!

ETK Week 5 - ROP Day 2

Tuesday:

Great start to the day so far!

I didn't sleep much last night - room mate doesn't know how to sleep and is always up to the wee hours of the morning talking to people via skype. Seriously obnoxious behaviour. There are other people on this planet, like yours truly, that happen to like to sleep at a normal time. I think I managed to doze off around 1245 and was up at 8 so not a total loss, but I'm definitely feeling it today being knocked out of my normal sleep pattern.

I did cave and got Art of Strength Providence to follow along with in the ETK Workbook - today was rounds 2-6 repeated twice. A lot of new moves except for the clean. Each move was 2 minutes in length, so it worked out to a 20 minute base workout, 25 minutes with warmup. This was my first time doing the wind mill and it was quite challenging, however to top it off, it was a windmill + overhead squat in on fluid move. Really interesting stuff and nice to be challenged like that. This was a variety so I had the option of doing this or something else and I just felt like doing more KB work.

It's really funny how you think you may be outgrowing a particular bell and then you introduce some moves that really challenge the heck out of you - a new lease on life for my 16kg. This is exactly what I was looking for when I hit Rite of Passage. Variety is the spice of life.

I did start Tacfit Commando day, basically it was a No Intensity day - this was comprised of about 20 minutes of joint mobility and stretches, all warm up moves, just to keep the body in prime condition and in good working order. Today will be a Low Intensity day and this will be comprised of all the cool down moves, so another 20 minutes there that I'll do later this afternoon after my meeting. Tomorrow will be the real challenge as that's a Moderate Intensity day and I will actually be performing the exercises with a warm up and cool down. Should be fun!

I did get around to trying the Janda Sit Up with the TRX and found it to be quite functional and targeted my core the way I thought it would. There was no emphasis on my hips at all so I was able to just concentrate on that area. This was especially pleasing because the Ab Pavelizer is grossly overpriced for what it is and this just adds another element to the TRX. It really boils down to how you use it to get the most out of it.

Hopefully I'm able to secure the funding I need to take my certification today so that will be a pretty big hurdle to jump through. I don't want to get into it to much, but it does feel that I am being pushed into doing something other than what I want to do just to get rid of my file. They (Employment Counselling Agency) may be over budget, but don't force people to do something that is just going to set them up for failure down the road anyway - it's always about the status quo it seems. Once I find out what's going on I'll share that with everyone else.

Have a good one folks!