Mileage Reporting 5th Week of 2013

[RunningPirate]

Was out of town, so catching up:

Friday: 4.3 mi early morning run, 50:15 min (it was dark, "cold" and early, so I was moving a little slower)
Saturday: Snowboarding! 10 runs. On the second run, I fell square on my ass and bruised the muscle around the tailbone. Was afraid I cracked something, but so far it only seems to be muscle and it's improving daily.

 

[Sid]

35min kettlebells

most of the kettlebell stuff looks like old wine in a new bottle

Yeah, you're right. I mean there's only so many ways to work out. I don't know if dumbbells/barbells or kettlebells came first. Though iron came before steel, so it looks like kettlebells.

I'm guessing that Skogg probably does do traditional weights, unless he has a 200lb kettlebell like the old school photo on this website. Actually, that website has some good points about overall fitness. Hand balancing sounds cool, and I never got the hang of rope climbing while in high school. I have on my list of things-to-do learning how to do Olympic lifts, though it comes after learning how to swim. I'm thinking after going through all of the Skogg and Katami kettlebell dvds and developing some proficiency, I might go back to the dumbbells with Body Beast.

I'm finding that it's nice that the Powerblocks are adjustable, but the weights are far bulkier than real kettlebells. Also, the Kettleblock handle is too big, so that doing snatches, even with proper form, results in whacking my forearm. I've got a few new bruises to show for it. If I continue doing kettlebell exercises in the long-term, I might just buy a couple of real kettlebells in different sizes.

 

[Sid]

I always have to remind myself of that. Like in the ladies' aerobic workout vids (I have one that came with my balance balls that i viewed once, for example). The instructor has a six pack and some serious muscle, but the 20 min of half hearted bouncing around on the balance ball probably ain't what did it.

Oh, I don't know. There are many individuals who are uniquely gifted in ways that the rest of us can only dream of. I've mentioned Herschel Walker's atypical training regimen before. Though just because someone else's workout regimen works for them to achieve exceptional results, doesn't mean it will work for the rest of us.

I'd say any of us who run barefoot/minimalist are atypical and exceptional as well. We seem to have above average intelligence, as per the topics of discussion on the forums, and we've convinced ourselves through a self-education process that going against "conventional wisdom" that barefoot/minimalist is the way to go. We're also a bit stubborn as it takes some time to retrain and independent-minded in being able to withstand the odd looks and stares.

 

[BFwillie_g]

CrossFit does interest me, but ... it's 'spensive.

Dude, have you looked into Pete Kemme's systems?

http://kemmefitness.com/

Cheap and effective (so I've read. This is what jason does. Me, I just do a few specific exercises that enhance my running and keep me together in one piece).

Speaking of running, I just got back from one of those things. Wasn't going to run today but I was feeling pretty peppy and bouncy, then the weather turned bad - Howling wind! Driving sleet! Hail! Dark brooding sky! - and I thought, cool, let's go play.

So I got suited up, did some pre-run stetchy-rolly stuff, got the dog all excited about going out, and we went downstairs together. Opened the door and a big blast of rain came at us and I saw Leni's ears and tail sag to the floor. She ran out the door, stayed close to the house, took a quick wiz, looked at me pleadingly and when I said 'yeah awright', she sprinted back up the stairs.

So I went back up, fed her, told her she's wimp and enjoy her time with the cats.

Back downstairs, no dog, weather even worse than it was and now the old neighbor lady was milling around doing something, no idea what, but as I went by, she waved and me where the dog was. I told her Leni didn't want to come out in this weather and she answered, 'smart dog'. Hmm.

I really enjoy this horrible weather stuff, I don't really know why. I tell myself it's just good training because you never know what kind of weather you'll get during an ultra and other really long run, so it's best to become accustomed to the worst stuff possible. But really, I just like it.

So, after about ten minutes of 50km/h cross winds, hailstones bouncing off the side of my head, totally drenched top to bottom, it all suddenly stopped. Wind died, clouds parted, the sun came out and the whole world was glitening like it'd been bubble wrapped. By this time, I was out of the village and up on a ridge overlooking what is probably technically a 'dale', but whatever it is, it's like a postcard, with another little village, Hutschdorf, nestled at the bottom.

That's when I thought about my dog. Poor Leni, she was really missing something special here...

Well the rest of the run was unspectactular. I did the same13k route I did on Sunday, but ten minutes faster. Got home, was greeted at the door by a curious, excited Lenidog, showered, drank a little OJ, shared a yogurt with the dog and the cats ... and now here we are sitting on the couch together, writing about it.

 

[Bare Lee]

I'm guessing that Skogg probably does do traditional weights, unless he has a 200lb kettlebell like the old school photo on this website.

Thanks for the link! That article pretty sums up what I wanted to say. I've bookmarked it will use it the next time a debate comes up about which approach is 'best.'

The kettlebell videos I've seen on YouTube are basically doing high-rep circuit training, or HIIT. That's what I meant by old wine, new bottle. Kettlebells may have been around for centuries, but the recent fad is only about ten years old it seems to me. I've seen a couple of kettlebell videos where they're doing some exercises that really are specific to the kettlebell, that is, one's you couldn't do with dumbbells, barbells, or cables, but then others have tried to generalize the novelty of kettlebells by incorporating more typical movements that probably are best done with dumbbells, barbells, or cables (like most of the exercises in this snippet:

). These begin to fall under what Scedastic has labelled "silly workouts."

Anyway, I think kettlebell workouts can be great for building stamina, and to a lesser extent, mobility (pure mobility exercises would be even better for that). If one wants to focus on pure strength, however, then a workout involving lower reps, heavier weights, and using a stable platform, is unavoidable. These are principles that, like that article noted, have been around for a very long time. No one approach is going to work all components of fitness equally well, no matter what today's fashionable 'functional fitness' gurus tell us. It's the same with running. In the 1940s interval training was all the rage. Now it's coming back via CFE. As in any field, it's always good to know a little history, as your wikipedia reference confirms.

My current routine completely lacks agility and hand-eye coordination components, and is weak in developing stamina. It's good for building strength (squats, deadlifts, bench press, etc.), power (intervals and power cleans), and endurance (longer runs), and some stamina (tempo runs and the quasi-circuit training I do at the end of my st workouts). I think adding a few kettlebell exercises at the end of my strength training could help shore up the stamina component, but for agility and hand-eye coordination, I'd need to take up a sport or martial arts, or maybe even gymnastics, and there's just no time for that right now.

Anyhow, it seems we're basically in agreement. I'll be interested in hearing how your kettlebell routine develops, and which exercises you find most beneficial.

Dude, have you looked into Pete Kemme's systems?
http://kemmefitness.com/

Pete's site is a great resource. Unfortunately, he's one of those guys who thinks you have to choose just one approach, and pooh-poohs others. I don't know how many times I've seen him bring up bicep curls done on an isolation bench as an indictment against traditional weight-lifting. I used to give him sh!t about it, but it's a myth that's pretty widespread, so why bother . . . . The fact is, almost all traditional st exercises are multi-joint, compound movements. Even biceps curls, done standing up with dumbbells, work your shoulders, back, and forearm in addition to the biceps muscles.

Awesome run BTW!

Oh, I don't know. There are many individuals who are uniquely gifted in ways that the rest of us can only dream of.

That may be so, but for most of us, the tried and true fundamentals of health, diet, and fitness seem to still apply.