the reset
Ever had a bad day at the gym? Nothing works out right, you feel off your last round just wasn't clicking? I dont know what the professional term for what I am about to talk about is but I call it the reset.
And it is just like it sounds basically hit the reset button on your mind. Drop all of your worries and preconcieved notions and focus on the task at hand. During your break take a deep breath, close your eyes and visualize yourself doing the technique correctly. Clear everything else out and focus on that. Cement it in your minds eye and during your next round only worry about that. Keep breathing, let the technique flow and you might just find your actions clicking where they weren't before. Do this every round. Empty your mind, visualize, focus, execute.
Good luck team and keep your hands and your spirits up.
JJ
Friday, January 20, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
EVIL RUSSIAN!!!!!
Team,
I wanted to talk to you about one of my recent successes and hope that it can motivate you to be disciplined in your fitness goals. About two and a half weeks ago I was two and half weeks away from a physical fitness test with the Iowa state troopers. Those of you that know me may know that I applied for this same position in 2010 made it to the last round but did not get selected.
Anyway back to the fitness success story. Physical fitness test for the state troopers is thus: sit and reach to test flexibility, max push ups in a minute, max situps in a minute and a mile and a half run. I always get approximately the same score on sit and reach and developing flexibility in a short period of time is tough so I just did regular stretching. My situps have always been pretty good. and my run is pretty solid just about 7 minute miles. I figured the only thing I could quantitatively improve was my pushups. So I went on a search to find a good pushup work out I could do to improve my pushups. I found this site:
http://forums.menshealth.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/855109121/m/612106525
So this brings us to the EVIL RUSSIAN. If you look at the sets none of it is impossible but if you are disciplined in your approach I can personally guarantee that the Evil Russian will increase your pushups. I honestly should have been daily blogging about my feelings while doing the Evil Russian but lets be honest It was the holidays and I didnt feel like getting on and blogging about it every day but I did post workouts on face book incase people wanted to join me. Two people did Diogenes Ayala and Steve Downing. We will get to the success stories at the end. So lets break this down day by day of the Evil Russian
WEEK 1
Mon: 100% test, relative intensity (RI) 30% Set frequency (SF) 60 min
First day. Max test got 52 pushups. Felt good doing 30% of max every hour. Constant pump all day
Tues: RI 50% SF 60 min
Pushups ever hour keep the blood flowing and your mind sharp very good day for pushups
Wed: RI 60% SF 45 min
This day was a little tougher. Towards the end of the day i was getting near failure on my sets but kept going.
Thurs: RI 25% SF 60 min
Another good day of constant pump loving it.
Fri: RI 45% SF 30 min
Up the frequency and felt good all day. Probably did just about 700 pushups this day and loved it.
Sat: RI 40% SF 60 min
A nice recoop day
Sun: RI 20% SF 90 min
Easy day just kept the muscles loose but now we step it up for like 3 straight days.
WEEK 2
Mon: 100% test RI 35% SF 45min
Another test 53 for max boy was I dissappointed but I wanted to see this thing through so I stuck to it.
Tues: RI 55% SF 20 min
BIIIIIIIGG day for pushups I actually kept track all day of how many pushups I did and the grand total was 1215 thats more pushups than minutes I was awake that day.
Wed: RI 30% SF 15 min
Just like tuesday its tough to remember to drop down and prais the pushup gods every 15 to 20 minutes. When you miss a set try and make it up if you can't no big deal.
Thurs: RI 65% SF 60min
I was very sore this day and this was the highest set intesity for the day. Very tough to make it through.
Fri: RI 35% SF 45 min
Easy day light intesity decent frequency.
Sat: RI 45% SF 60 min
another good constant pump day.
Sun: RI 25% SF120 min
A day of rest... almost the evil russian is almost done now just the final test.
WEEK 3
Mon: 100% test
Ok I cant lie. I did not do a max test on monday I took the day off because as I explained earlier I had the State Trooper test today and I wanted to be fully rested. Even though it was kind of nerve racking not knowing my total.
Come to today.
Big physical fitness test. I really wanted to show well because if you can show well physically it shows them discipline because the normal person is not going to come into this a score high without training. So back at the beginning of the evil russian my max was 52 then mid evil russian 53 I was hoping for around 60. A perfect score is 62 pushups in a minute. I assumed the position and knocked out 67 of those bad boys in minute.
In two weeks of the evil russian I increased my pushups by 28%. I can honestly say I was astonished.
Lets move on to Diogenes. I talked to him today and he increased his from 25 max to 40 max which is a 60% increase in two weeks.
Steve increased his from 42 to 52 which is a 23% increase and he said he missed a lot of sets because of work but still showed great improvement.
GREAT JOB TEAM
This two week exercise has show Steve, Diogenes and myself what a focused disciplined mindset can a lead you to great success in your fitness goals. I hope everyone can have some successes like this in the upcoming year. So Comrades lets set the next goal and see how we do. Good luck and best wishes.
Best of luck
JJ
I wanted to talk to you about one of my recent successes and hope that it can motivate you to be disciplined in your fitness goals. About two and a half weeks ago I was two and half weeks away from a physical fitness test with the Iowa state troopers. Those of you that know me may know that I applied for this same position in 2010 made it to the last round but did not get selected.
Anyway back to the fitness success story. Physical fitness test for the state troopers is thus: sit and reach to test flexibility, max push ups in a minute, max situps in a minute and a mile and a half run. I always get approximately the same score on sit and reach and developing flexibility in a short period of time is tough so I just did regular stretching. My situps have always been pretty good. and my run is pretty solid just about 7 minute miles. I figured the only thing I could quantitatively improve was my pushups. So I went on a search to find a good pushup work out I could do to improve my pushups. I found this site:
http://forums.menshealth.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/855109121/m/612106525
So this brings us to the EVIL RUSSIAN. If you look at the sets none of it is impossible but if you are disciplined in your approach I can personally guarantee that the Evil Russian will increase your pushups. I honestly should have been daily blogging about my feelings while doing the Evil Russian but lets be honest It was the holidays and I didnt feel like getting on and blogging about it every day but I did post workouts on face book incase people wanted to join me. Two people did Diogenes Ayala and Steve Downing. We will get to the success stories at the end. So lets break this down day by day of the Evil Russian
WEEK 1
Mon: 100% test, relative intensity (RI) 30% Set frequency (SF) 60 min
First day. Max test got 52 pushups. Felt good doing 30% of max every hour. Constant pump all day
Tues: RI 50% SF 60 min
Pushups ever hour keep the blood flowing and your mind sharp very good day for pushups
Wed: RI 60% SF 45 min
This day was a little tougher. Towards the end of the day i was getting near failure on my sets but kept going.
Thurs: RI 25% SF 60 min
Another good day of constant pump loving it.
Fri: RI 45% SF 30 min
Up the frequency and felt good all day. Probably did just about 700 pushups this day and loved it.
Sat: RI 40% SF 60 min
A nice recoop day
Sun: RI 20% SF 90 min
Easy day just kept the muscles loose but now we step it up for like 3 straight days.
WEEK 2
Mon: 100% test RI 35% SF 45min
Another test 53 for max boy was I dissappointed but I wanted to see this thing through so I stuck to it.
Tues: RI 55% SF 20 min
BIIIIIIIGG day for pushups I actually kept track all day of how many pushups I did and the grand total was 1215 thats more pushups than minutes I was awake that day.
Wed: RI 30% SF 15 min
Just like tuesday its tough to remember to drop down and prais the pushup gods every 15 to 20 minutes. When you miss a set try and make it up if you can't no big deal.
Thurs: RI 65% SF 60min
I was very sore this day and this was the highest set intesity for the day. Very tough to make it through.
Fri: RI 35% SF 45 min
Easy day light intesity decent frequency.
Sat: RI 45% SF 60 min
another good constant pump day.
Sun: RI 25% SF120 min
A day of rest... almost the evil russian is almost done now just the final test.
WEEK 3
Mon: 100% test
Ok I cant lie. I did not do a max test on monday I took the day off because as I explained earlier I had the State Trooper test today and I wanted to be fully rested. Even though it was kind of nerve racking not knowing my total.
Come to today.
Big physical fitness test. I really wanted to show well because if you can show well physically it shows them discipline because the normal person is not going to come into this a score high without training. So back at the beginning of the evil russian my max was 52 then mid evil russian 53 I was hoping for around 60. A perfect score is 62 pushups in a minute. I assumed the position and knocked out 67 of those bad boys in minute.
In two weeks of the evil russian I increased my pushups by 28%. I can honestly say I was astonished.
Lets move on to Diogenes. I talked to him today and he increased his from 25 max to 40 max which is a 60% increase in two weeks.
Steve increased his from 42 to 52 which is a 23% increase and he said he missed a lot of sets because of work but still showed great improvement.
GREAT JOB TEAM
This two week exercise has show Steve, Diogenes and myself what a focused disciplined mindset can a lead you to great success in your fitness goals. I hope everyone can have some successes like this in the upcoming year. So Comrades lets set the next goal and see how we do. Good luck and best wishes.
Best of luck
JJ
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Who wants to "do work" ?
I know my next blog was to be about swing, but this is more important to me right now.
The weekend of Nov. 12th I was in New York City, Long Island to be exact where I attended a World Kettlebell Club Kettlebell Sport Camp. I was not sure what to expect but soon found that I was expected to work out nearly the whole time! So, it was 4 hours a day....2 hours with a 1 hour break then 2 hours each of the 2 days. All while being told what to do, when to do it, and being closely watched and corrected by 2 of the the world's greatest kettlebell lifters....both legends, Ivan Denisov and Valery Fedorenko.
Kettlebell lifting is really like a martial art, where you never stop learning, never stop studying technique and working toward a goal. It's endurance, strength, and meditative and so much more all in one. I love kettlebells, because there really is no limit to the work you can do with them.
I got many tips and help with my technique from both champions. I can name 5 things that Ivan alone corrected me on until I fully understood what I needed to do....priceless information.
Highlight of the weekend during one of the breaks was this set that we witnessed in person.
Ivan treated us to breaking one of his world records. He holds the record in every lift and this set brought real tears to my eyes because he actually seems to suffer in the last minute. He actually seems human !! He nearly broke his 5 minute record in 4 minutes!! These bells are 88lbs each, if anyone thinks they are not heavy, I have one in my RoundKick collection....show me what you can do with it!!
OK, I learned so much and I am so ready to share.....here is what I don't understand.
For being a "fighters gym" or at least a gym where some "fighters" train....How come there are no fighters in my kettlebell class?
You want conditioning? Try me. My class includes not just kettlebells, but some floor work and also Bulgarian bag. One hour of conditioning and better than you will get in any "pretty boy" gym.
Think you are strong? This white haired old guy can kick your ass! OK, not in the ring, but I can show you that you are not very strong, especially in places where it counts. Your endurance, your grip, your athletic ability your mind, and much more. I guarantee I can improve your performance in your sport. I only work with one local fighter, his name I will not mention, but he has not lost in quite some time (years) and he swears that what I have taught him has kept him on top.
Get your butt in my class and I will show you ! Let's "Do Work" as the Russians call it!
Richard Sherrod
World Kettlebell Club - Master Trainer
Monday, November 21, 2011
Team,
How did the challenge go? did the push ups keep the blood flowing? Alright I know this is a big week for dieters but rest assured I have a beacon of hope for all of you dreaming about a turducken or turturkeykey(turkey inside of another turkey). The key to being successful with any diet is discipline to a point. Why bother dieting if you aren't satisfied? I can state from experience that some diets can make a brother miserable and there is no point to that. My rule of thumb for maintaining a disciplined diet is 80% of the time you follow your chosen food regimen to a T. The other 20% cheat like there is no tomorrow. That doesn't mean cheat 20% of everyday cause that's ineffective but come Turkey day I'm gonna eat as much as I want. Just be disciplined the rest of the week.
Another tradition my wife and I have is go on a walk after thanksgiving dinner. Just bundle up and take a nice stroll for an hour after the big meal. This will help your body process some of the food you ate and hopefully burn of at least some of the carbs from your candied yams. I want to wish everyone good luck in their turkey day adventures.
Cheers
JJ
How did the challenge go? did the push ups keep the blood flowing? Alright I know this is a big week for dieters but rest assured I have a beacon of hope for all of you dreaming about a turducken or turturkeykey(turkey inside of another turkey). The key to being successful with any diet is discipline to a point. Why bother dieting if you aren't satisfied? I can state from experience that some diets can make a brother miserable and there is no point to that. My rule of thumb for maintaining a disciplined diet is 80% of the time you follow your chosen food regimen to a T. The other 20% cheat like there is no tomorrow. That doesn't mean cheat 20% of everyday cause that's ineffective but come Turkey day I'm gonna eat as much as I want. Just be disciplined the rest of the week.
Another tradition my wife and I have is go on a walk after thanksgiving dinner. Just bundle up and take a nice stroll for an hour after the big meal. This will help your body process some of the food you ate and hopefully burn of at least some of the carbs from your candied yams. I want to wish everyone good luck in their turkey day adventures.
Cheers
JJ
Friday, November 18, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
Weekly Challenge
Team Just a quick challenge for everyone this week.
Every day Monday through Friday Try and get in 100 pushups outside of your regularly scheduled exercise. I dont care if you do 2 sets of 50, 10 of 10 or 20 of 5. Just do a hundred extra a day and see how your body feels afterward. I try and do a set of 25 every hour or so and it keeps the blood flowing and your brain sharp. Try it and tell me how you feel.
Good luck and Semper Fi
Every day Monday through Friday Try and get in 100 pushups outside of your regularly scheduled exercise. I dont care if you do 2 sets of 50, 10 of 10 or 20 of 5. Just do a hundred extra a day and see how your body feels afterward. I try and do a set of 25 every hour or so and it keeps the blood flowing and your brain sharp. Try it and tell me how you feel.
Good luck and Semper Fi
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Gut Check Time
Alright team I am new to the RKG ramblings but some of you know me from around the gym. What I want to talk about today is conditioning. Something’s are born into people natural talents agility, movement, instinct are all things that a person can be born with and to an extent conditioning can be but for the large majority conditioning is something that needs to be trained. This means putting in extra time. If you
want to fight you need to be training your skills, adding tools to your
toolbox, working technique like a demon....
BUT AFTER ALL THAT YOU NEED TO CONDITION!
This means an hour before or after technique work devoted solely to conditioning. The gym provides an awesome class called H.I.T. Fitness and I think anyone and everyone could benefit from this class. It is a whole body workout with conditioning, functional strength training, and agility. The key with any class like this is you only get out of it what you put in. If you want success in conditioning you need to approach it with an extremely high PMA and zeal. I know it's rough sometimes I've been there. Dog tired and just want to quit. But it’s that time, GUT CHECK TIME. In that moment you need to dig deep and carry on. If you do I guarantee you will be rewarded in the end.
If you can't make it to H.I.T. then get out there and move for 40 minutes to an hour. Go run, bike, hike, snowshoe, cross country ski, moon boot, pogo stick or whatever floats your boat for an hour. My personal preference to the amusement of my neighbors and chagrin of my wife is running throughout my little town of Norwalk wearing a flak jacket and carrying an axe. The point is to MOVE for an hour.
I guess in this post I definitely hit the ramblings part of the blog title. I promise in the future that I will be much more succinct.
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