ETK Week 5 - ROP Day 1

Monday:

You can definitely understand why you go through what you go through for the first month of prep before entering Rite of Passage - you need all the conditioning with the Kettlebell you can get before you move on to this. Like I've said before - it's a totally different beast than what you think it is.

The ladders were the easy part - I really only started to feel that by the third and final set, so I know my conditioning is in pretty good form judging by that. It is a light day though. After that was all said and done I had to roll my dice and landed with an 8 - I don't want to follow that aspect to the book because this is a bit more unpredictable and fun for me. The goal during this was to go at a moderate pace at about 60-65% of my MHR. I made it to the 6 minute mark and was just dog tired. I kept my heart at 65% of my MHR but I knew that I wouldn't be able to finish the last 2 rounds. I'm okay with this since it's the first time I've had to do that many snatches, 60 per side, 120 total. Well on my way though!

I've decided I'm going to run through Tacfit Commando side by side Rite of Passage. The 4x7 protocol is very interesting and is not something I've ever done before so I think it will compliment the work load that I'm getting with ROP. Scott Sonnon is a really interesting guy and you can tell by listening to him that he knows what he is talking about and is very passionate about it. This is the type of training that I could see not just benefitting first response people, but people who train for a martial art as well.

I'm looking in to taking a Russian Systema class and I think I've found one in my town - just working out the time and cost right now. It's really between this and a Krav Maga class. If anyone out there has taken these types of classes give me a shout, I'd really be interested to hear your feedback.

I'm still sticking with Super Joints / Relax Into Stretch and am reincoporating 25-40 minutes of Yoga at least once per week, preferably on the weekends. There is just a benefit that you get from Yoga that you can't get from other Joint Mobility work. It's not for everyone but it does certainly help.

I'm going to spend a little time reading 'The Nine Principles of Japans Greatest Swordman: Musashi Miyamoto' later this afternoon. It's from the Tacfit Warrior package and it's meant to be about facilitating growth and development in any aspect of your life. It's only 42 pages and has some exercises in it as well, so should be a pretty interesting read.

Have a good one!

ETK End of Week 4 - Day 7

Sunday:

So I officially made it to the end of month one - a real good primer that teaches you the essentials of what you'll need for the following 8 weeks. Great month, had a lot of fun, but now I'm really ready to get into the meat and potatoes of what Kettlebell training has to offer.

I'm still figuring out how I can integrate all these different components together without detracting from my Kettlebell training. There is such a smorgasboard of techniques out there and I am anxious to try as much as possible. Tacfit is seriously intriguing so I might run Tacfit Commando/R.O.P.E side by side with Rite of Passage. I know there are people who do 5-6 sessions of Tacfit programs a day and get great results without overtraining, so this is definitely something to think about further.

I'm looking at making a Cellmass clone from TrueProtein since the prices there are just too good to be true and you can actually control what you are putting in your supplement. Why Cellmass? Say what you want about BSN, but they do have some great supplements albeit all of them are overpriced. I don't want to risk over-supplementing so I'll stick with that and a good protein powder and I think that's all you really could want to be successful with your goals of gaining size and strength.

I never did get around to trying the 4 Hour Body Mass Gaining Diet. Honestly, I like to keep it simple. I know that if I eat a lot of healthy fats, complex carbs and lean proteins that I'm going to keep gaining weight and it will be lean muscle. Sure, gaining a fraction of 63lbs in 28 days would be nice, but I don't want to be walking around like some blowfish. I'm content with 10-15 more pounds of muscle and then entering a maintenance cycle. There comes a point when you sacrifice fluid mobility for size and that's not what I'm looking for.

This past weekend has been really re-energizing for my body. I had gone really hard this month in terms of work rate, doing 6-7 days a week, 4 with the kettlebell and 3 with the TRX - this left my body pretty tired by the end of a full month and really needed time for some recuperation. Some people like taking a week off, I'm fine with taking a weekend off. I did Yoga yesterday and some Joint Mobility work today. I've also slept a lot more this weekend (longer than my standard 8 hours a night) and I attribute that to my body taking the time to heal and prepare itself for what it knows is coming. I already feel refreshed, full of energy, and am ready to go!

It's also tax season so I think with my return I'll be getting myself another Kettlebell and one Clubbell to add to my collection so far. I've never been a fan of machines, I always trained myself with free weights because that's what worked for me, for my friends, and for anyone else that I trained. Yes program planning had something to do with it, as well as diet, but I believe the way you lift can produce dramatic results, good or bad. This older school way of training really takes me back and really makes the body and mind feel complete. 

See you guys tomorrow for Day 1, Rite of Passage.

ETK Week 4 - Day 6

Saturday:

I decided to take it a little easier today and just did 40 minutes of Ashtanga Yoga to get my energy and my body ready for Rite of Passage. I've been experimenting with some of the TacFit workouts this week so some days I have had doubles and right now I am just letting my body heal up. I may get back in it tomorrow, but I will see how my body feels - I may do the smart thing here and just let it rest for the weekend so I'm fresh for Monday.

I'm really enjoying the TacFit stuff I've got to try and am going to figure out a way I can incorporate doing the Commando Program with doing Rite of Passage without over training. To be fair, there are people who do a lot more so I think it's something that I can pull off. Tabata training is definitely intense but I can see how training in such a way would definitely benefit your fitness and overall health in every day life.

I know most of it is marketing but I do like the fact that Scott puts out little challenges now and again to get people interested - it's a way to push you to do the best you can. Case in point - The Israeli Special Forces Tacfit Challenge. Sounds daunting, and who knows if the Israeli Special Forces even train this way, but it's a great motivator and little things like this go a long way to helping people feel like they are accomplishing something great.

That's what I think Dragon Door and TacFit do right - they market their products in such a way that you get that fire in your belly of acheiving something great, not just another bootcamp for 90 days. Yeah it might be a gimmick, but if that's what gets people off the couch and inspired to get healthy, then I'm all for it.

I've been catching up on some of the Strikeforce fights I've missed from the past year. Admittedly I don't catch much of it because I mainly watch UFC, but they have some pretty great fights and I like Frank Shamrock on commentary - dude is a legend and I'd much rather listen to someone who has done something in MMA than Joe Rogan - sorry Joe. I was watching one of the shows from 2010 where Cris Cyborg, a mutant in the MMA Womens Division took on Jan Finney and I've never seen someone so aggressive. Cyborg made this fight look like a sparring session and just pick her apart over two rounds - it'll be hard to find someone out there who will want to fight Cyborg - fingers crossed for Gina Carano taking another shot at her though.

I would really be interested to hear what Dragon Door's take is on Yoga. I've never heard Pavel or even John Du Cane talk about it and I think his whole Qi Gong Recharge is a bit of a joke (most of the moves are from Super Joints). Yoga is a great functional exercise and it's not something you need to do every day - even once a week is enough to feel it's benefits. I had put it off for a couple weeks just to give myself a break but after doing it for 40 minutes today it really did wonders for my back which has felt a little tight lately. Definitely a worthwhile lifetime investment. There is a lot of different branches out there but try something that might interest you. I could not recommend Ashtanga or Bikram enough.

Well having got a late start today I'm off to get some breakfast now! Have a good weekend folks!

ETK Week 4 - Day 5

Friday:

A touch of sadness as this was the last TGU I'll have over the next 8 weeks. It's a bit puzzling why you only do it for a month and then stop outright for Rite of Passage as it offers solid shoulder stability work that can only help you and over a short period of time, and with low exertion. Alas I'll follow this by the books and stick to what the workbook and what ETK tells me - it's set out this particular way for a reason.

I love experimenting and that's something that anyone who has read this blog can attest too. From P90X to an all cardio program like Insanity, to Kettlebells, to Tacfit, Yoga, etc. There are no boundaries when it comes to personal fitness. Just because something may seem hokey or taboo doesn't mean you shouldn't try it. Take a guy like Tony Horton - The guy is an uncertified goofball, but he has some decent workouts - emphasis on workouts - I think the entirety of the P90X program is highly flawed, but a favourite workout of mine has been 'Upper Body Blaster' from the One on One series - it's just old school push and pull. I'm now on to experimenting with some of the different Tacfit programs. Why? Because they seem to offer function, intensity, and a low turn around time which is a lot like the kettlebell workouts. I don't have to spend an hour to get the desired result and it's something totally different. Change can only be GOOD for the body.

I'm still looking into getting some clubbells in the near future because the more that I watch Reifkind working them, the more that it impresses and the different way that it works your body. 15lbs seems to be the recommended weight for beginners - so that should give you some indication.

We're in the midst of another snow storm right now so it looks like I'm snowed in for today. Not sure when it's supposed to let up as the weather people didn't really tell us this was coming. I'm sure it should be all good tomorrow but we'll see what the aftermath is.

I'm very excited for Rite of Passage to start on Monday. This will be like climbing Everest for me as it's something totally new to me - so can't wait. I've decided I am going to forego any type of training on Sunday and am just going to let my body sit and rest all day as I have no idea how the first day will go in terms of taxing my body and how sore it may be the next day. Best to be fresh before embarking on something like this.

I'm definitely going to buy a 20kg KB by the end of march so I can progress up to that for C+P and Snatches. I know it'll be a while before I could snatch the 24kg so this will be a good way to bridge the gap and gradually increase my strength. Slow but steady!

That's all today folks, have a great day!

ETK Week 4 - Day 4

Thursday:

Finish line is in sight! 

I was feeling pretty sore today from the TacFit R.O.P.E program yesterday. That was the first time I`d ever done Tabata type training which would explain it. It`s not a bad pain it`s a good pain and I`m glad I actually feel a bit worked - lets me know that what I was doing was working. Scott has some really interesting programs out there and I`m definitely looking at integrating one in with ETK. I can still get my TRX work since R.O.P.E is pretty much TRX movements just with a rope from the hardware store. That`s not to knock it, it was very intense. It`s too bad more people aren`t open to different types of training. You have your Pro-Dragon Door people and your Pro-Tacfit people etcetera, when really there should be no blind loyalties as we try to take the best parts of each program.

I did 175 swings with Henry (24kg) before peetering out and finishing 75 more swings with my 16kg for a total of 250 again. The main thing here that changed from the last time was that my time decreased big time. I clocked in at just over 15 minutes on Monday to do 250 swings and today I clocked in at 12:43 so I managed to cut over 2 minutes off my total time, increasing my swing volume and speed. This is not something I was consciously trying to do, it just happened, and by the time I stopped my timer I had noticed I had finished faster than the previous time with the same amount of swings - so I believe that my strength and endurance is on spot for taking on the Rite of Passage.

I noticed that there are no dedicated days for Swings anymore as well - so I assume that with doing ladders so frequently that will continue to help my strength and endurance grow. The one thing I`m not super crazy about is that in the ETK Workbook they are openly promoting an Art of Strength DVD that is ``essential`` to your growth with a kettlebell. That`s not true at all and is incredibly misleading. You could follow ETK solely and I`m sure you would still get outstanding results without having to purchase something else that isn`t even affiliated with the program. I love the workbook as it`s really great for newbies to kettlebells, but don`t make it sound like you NEED something else to get the most out of the program.

Oil is up to 120$ a barrel. Gas is up to 123.0 cents per litre at most major gas stations across the city and is expected to continue rising. With everything that is happening in the middle east right now, it`s easy enough to say that within the next 8-12 months oil could easily break 150$ a barrel. This is a good time to invest in a bus pass as this is reminiscent of what happened last summer and the gas spike that happened then. It`s times like this that I`m really glad I live in a city that has such an abundant amount of public transit so it`s not even necessary to own a vehicle.

I haven`t gotten around to try in the TRX Janda sit-ups yet but I will definitely make that a priority over the next couple days so I can report back about that. I`ve just been preoccupied with a lot of other things but I promise I will get to that for those of you out there who have a TRX or are looking into getting one. I still would have to say it should be an essential tool in your home fitness gym.

Have my meeting this coming Tuesday so hopefully some good news will come out of that.

Have a good one folks!

ETK Week 4 - Day 3

Wednesday:

 

Started earlier than normal today. I've been sleeping a lot better than normal but still need a new bed - this mattress does wreak a special type of havoc with my back. I really don't like to rant but I thought I'd throw this in there; I also woke up to some drama as well - and I'll just say this - if you have people in your life that are causing stress that is reminiscent of high school, cut them loose. I put my foot down this morning and am better for it. Most of us are in our twenties and onward and it's time to start acting like it.

I got some really solid work with the TRX in for my session this morning and felt really worked out. It wasn't a specific program from the TRX people but a buddy of mine showed me Tacfit R.O.P.E (Rapid Onset Pull-Up Equipment) - basically it's a workout that you can do with a cheap rope from the hardware store and use like a TRX. I Did the Recruit Simulation - basically this is all tabata type style of training where you do 20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest, and repeat for 8 sets. There were only 6 or 7 moves, but for 8 sets you definitely feel blasted at the end. This was a really gratifying workout and nice to try something different.

I've got a lot more faith in the product that Scott offers now and am going to really look into the products he offers and see what else might be complimentary to what I'm doing and go from there. I normally would stay away from download only products but this was a really great change of pace.

I've slowly started to work a few yoga stretches in for the spine to my daily routine as I've noticed that with all the Kettlebell work and Joint Mobility that the spinal rotation was getting a little tighter - Sun Salutations/Down Dog/Up Dog have been great and have really opened me back up. Works great in conjunction with the stretches and joint mobility Pavel offers as well.

Tomorrow is my last 'swing' day of Week 4 and I'm looking forward to moving on and trying all the different things in Rite of Passage. These have been a very challenging 4 weeks and I feel like I'm tougher than I was when I started. I've said it before that it takes a special kind of perseverence and mental toughness to make it through this first month as it's very tough if you are not used to swinging weight around and using your entire body in one movement.

I'm also taking it easy on the split switches so I can give my hips a bit of a break in that regard - I feel they were being overstretched doing that part of Super Joints every day so I've gone and ahead opted to do it every other day. The actual joint mobility moves though I do on a daily basis to keep my joints lubricated.

Over the past week I've been tracking my sleep as well - there is a really neat app for Android called Sleep Bot. Basically before you go to bed, you 'punch in' and it starts to track how many hours you sleep, and over time, the more you track, it will let you know if you are in a sleep 'debt' or not - to make sure you are getting the optimal amount of rest. When you wake up you simply punch out and it tracks your sleep for the previous nights rest. All this is presented in a nice graph so you can see what your sleep patterns are like over time. If you have Android and you're interested > Click Here <

Other than there's not much else going on - I'm looking around for as much info as possible on mass gaining diets. I've read the section in 4 Hour Body but I want to be as well versed on the subject as possible and gaining 60+ lbs in a month is kind of unreal, even if it is documented in the book. Looking into the Warrior Diet and also The Primal Blueprint to see what can be done there. I've never been a calorie counter I've just been mindful of what I'm putting into my body, which is right now I'm on a very high protein diet. If anyone has any suggestions, give me a shout.

Have a good day folks!

 

 

 

ETK Week 4 - Day 2

Tuesday:

 

Great start to the day. 

It's really gratifying when you start to feel the weight get lighter as the days and weeks go on. I remember when I first did Halo's in the warmup back in Week 1 and I thought "holy shit, this sure doesn't feel like 16kg!" and it didn't, it felt twice as heavy - and this was at a point when I felt like I was physically strong. Fast forward 4 weeks later and the 16kg feels partciularly light in that warm up - not that I'll be upping the weight since it is just a warmup, but it was something little like that that really caught my attention.

I only have one more day of Swings and TGU this week and then I'm moving on to Rite of Passage. I am 100% ready for the changes that is going to bring mentally and physically since it is a whole different beast. Doing Snatches for 10 minutes is going to be very interesting after having done ladders.

Just for fun I tried to see if I could clean my 24kg and I could fairly easily - pressing it is another matter! Big change in strength there. I think the work that my forearms are getting doing this is definitely helping a lot.

I'm going to try some TRX Janda sit ups - Chris Frankel said it was possible to do these with the system without buying something like the Ab Pavelizer, so I'm going to give this a shot later tonight and I'll see about posting a video to see how it looks and feels.

In my searches last night I came across a product called Tacfit by Scott Sonnon - there are different variations of it (Spetsnaz Kettlebell, Commando, etc) that focus on different areas of fitness. I'm always curious about what fitness products are out there so it'd be nice to hear from anyone who has tried either and can comment on it. Any reviews I googled for seemed like they were all generic and from the same site - very hard to find anything legitimate which reminds me of Athlean X - a lot of 'placed' fake reviews. Stuff like this makes the product look really shady - not knocking it as I haven't tried it, just commenting on the marketing practice.

Hoping to get some Clubbell's in the next couple months. I've checked out Mark Reifkind's blog and he does a lot of Clubbell work that looks impressive. That dude is in pretty phenomenal shape and his work ethic over there has really inspired me.

Well I'm off to run some errands and get some resumes out ahead of my meeting next Tuesday. Have a good one folks!