Congratulations Fawn & Maura!

Although I am not at the locale of the Powerlifting Raw Nationals (yet;) first reports show Fawn placing second! Awesome news! Way to go Fawn!! I wish I could have been there today to see the lifts for the women, as the schedule reflects tomorrow the men's comp finishes up the event. Well, Kentucky just may show up to cheer on the The Press team. Maura did well with a first place. Yahooo!

7/23-7/25

Spent some time straightening up the weight room this week. Decided we need another for plates as well as something to contain agility gear,belts,straps,collars,jump ropes,pins and so forth. The dance studio is always a surprise especially during summer camp.
Tuesday
Hiked for an hour around a local city park, kept to the trails to take advantage of the shade. The Park Champions have rid many areas of invasive species and reintroduced native plants and trees. That evening I taught yoga and we explored a "rejuvenation" sequence by Patricia Walden.
Wednesday I hiked for about 2 1/2 hours and added the bird watching trail to my tour. I need to take my binocs next time. I varied hiking fast up hills and medium to slow on the flat as well as being still when birding.
Thursday This was a 4 hour urban hike that took me off trail for a portion of time as well. I packed a lunch,my spare boots that I love in case my feet tired of my other shoes and Gray Cook's Athletic Body in Balance.
Friday * as my friend Fawn is in St. Louis this weekend at Raw Nats, I figured squats would be a good way to honor her and The Press Gym team. I did not have the special pants though!
Squats
45 5x2
55 5x3
65x2
95x2
100x2
And into the sauna,sweet!

07/22/08

2hsw/1hsw 2min30secs1x16
dead cleans 5/4/3/2/1 2mins30secs 1x16
floor press 2x16 3x5
dead double cleans+ fsq 2x16 3x5
sldl 2x16 3x5
wmill+oh squat 1x12 3x5 spent some time on technique and corrective strategies for both wm and ohsq
we took a break and went over to the weight room to check progress on pull ups. Finding the lats,hollowing the arm pits,hardening the body all in the hang.
to finish it up option was snatch ladder from 10 down or "ab complex"
then we did rows 1x16 1x5 since we are talking lats all the time
throughout planks lifting different limbs

If you missed practice today...

For those of you following along at home...
Warm-ups w/ focus on single leg balance and stability
30 secs: 3x (1Hsw-L,Fsq,1Hsw-R,Fsq,2Hsw)
30 secs: 3x (Snatch L,Goblet sq,Snatch L, Goblet sq)
Hi-pulls 3x3(5/5)
30 secs: 3x (Snatch L/R,scorpion 5/5,hi plank/low plank, dive bombers 5)
No weight single leg balance like Ardha Chandrasana and on to
Single leg DL 3(5/5)
Rows 2 (5/4/3/2/1)
"ab" complex w/ focus on laughing! Find those abs,dig in.
Rest in Sphinx
CK-FMS is coming up and I do look forward to the benefits this should have for my students. With that said, I have some specific goals and questions to "take with." JT has what I perceive as patterning issues which are NOT being addressed in his football S&C sessions. There is little focus on durability, it seems. The good thing is that he is concerned about how to improve his technique,balance and so forth. He's about 6'4" =200lbs. Gots lots to work with.
I'll be the weight room assistant this year at school and this will be a fantastic opportunity to work with athletes and coaches. I'm psyched about this position:)

7/18/08

Ashtanga up to Navasana as jm/prep to kb. Thera band stuff for shoulders and lat act. Dowel rod for single leg deads and shoulder pull a parts.On to kbs:
2(5/5) windmills
1Hsw 4 (15/15)
2Hsw 2 (50),6 (25)
C&P 2 (5/4/3/2/1)* left side slop.
Flexibility stuff.

Visiting the folks

I was able to slip in a quick trip up to PA to visit with family and recharge a bit in the country. City life can be numbafying and not all that stimulating. I spent a considerable amount of time and effort on the breezeway couch observing birds feeding,flying and scolding. The usual jays,cardinals,jenny wrens (and her hatchlings nested on the garage door wreath),chickadees,woodpeckers, and bluebirds. My mom takes great care of the bluebirds and carries them wax worms and other worms for their gourmet treats. There is a small,flat cup attached to a post where they congregate to snack. Along the creek I saw an indigo bunting and was so happy to see its electric blue flight among the tall brush.
Besides birds there were plenty o' rabbits,woodchucks,snakes and frogs,and skunks. Saw all specimens alive and dead. Country roads are hell for cats, apparently. My dad and I took the better part of a day and went canoeing on the "Con." Despite a bit of rain the previous night, we did have to haul it a bit through the shallows but did enjoy the mellow slide downstream with several sweet rapids. A short drive of one of the VW campers took the edge off-a camper van fix-I love how my arms pretty much lay across the steering wheel like driving a tractor and me groovin' along, rowing through the vague gearing. Of course, everyone wanted to pass me as I was hauling 45mph...so I pulled off at my old elementary school and let those with a destination get there.
I walked an hour or two each day either around the farm or out the back roads. Plenty of black and red raspberry patches-yum!! Lots more poison ivy, but I avoided it,for the most part.
As always, I read. Currently,Neil Peart's Ghost Rider, The Healing Road. Bummer premise for a story, but a great read and he references several authors I already read and some I'll check into. I am enjoying the book immensely. Also in the pipe is Gibson's All Tomorrow's Parties. Cold compared to Neil's journey on motorcycle.

Straight up Ashtanga

07/11/08
Full Primary Mysore tyw (tell you what) the warm weather is most awesome for Padagusthasana. My favorite asanas in the series: Kukkatasana and Urdvha Padmasana. I find them very comical,always. If you were to walk into a room and see anyone getting into Kukkutasana, you would or should laugh. One day I walked into Mysore class and someone was getting into Kukk. I had to leave the room and burst out laughing. Urdvha Pad. is like flying upside down, on autopilot. To me, it is restful-always.
Asanas in the series which I don't enjoy: Supta Kurmasana. Here the hamstrings are hating it.
Besides that, Ardha Chandrasana is a posture I enjoy being terrible at:)

and I have this to say about magical thinking...

A decision to attend a professional development opportunity or workshop, to me, indicates you are serious about what you are doing in your own personal practice and/or fitness biz and interested in improving and learning more. You will be assessed on several key lifts and exercises. You know this in advance. You are aware of your current skill,the time you have to prepare and your resources. You don't believe in the Easter Bunny, but expect some minor miracle to get you up over the bar or under the bell, or off the floor. Maybe a contact buzz off the mish-mash of people will give you the extra umph to dial in that skill come test time. If you have to pick a sketchy skill that needs tuned-do NOT pick the pistol or the pull-up. Also have your level 1 skills in very good order.

07/10/08

Slept poorly last night. Woke up well though! I went to the pool, did a few laps,read and took a sauna. New sauna! Clean! Info on this particular heat unit discussed why it is superior to rock( "electric rocks"). Better to detox,etc,etc. Sunburst is the brand. What made the experience even better is all new wood-no more splinters, exposed nails and a new floor with drain so it can be cleaned. On the down side, the old steam room is gone.
Late night surfing last night in blogland hooked me up to Jordan V. preparing Cindy G. for L1. Looked like a good one for today.
1st I did 5,4 pull-ups. Then on to Cindy's YouTube practice:*btw her dive bombers are really smooth and strong.
1minute snatches 12 kg
scorpion alt side 5/5
elbow plank explode to high plank 5
dive bombers 5
L-sit btwn 2 kbs
2 mins. snatches-repeat all the stuff above
3 mins. snatches-repeat
4 mins. snatches-repeat
My L-sits were sucking so I did HLR as 5/4/3/2/1.
The whole deal took about 25 minutes. I took some rest after L-sit. Need to knock a bit more RKC into the snatches and get them sharper. With fatigue in shoulder or grip I tended to snatch otw/the loose way.

7/09/09

2Hsw 12kg 50, 2(25)
Seated (pike) press 1x12kg 2(5/5),wide angle 5/5
Over to the bench press: 45x5,95x3,95x3
Flexibility stuff
Taught class. Did walking lunges with them, fig 8s,planks,push ups, russ. twist.

Dull, not shiny

07/05/08
Clean up weight room-20 +mins. Spent time re-racking plates galore. Unsafe to walk through, let alone lift in this condition.
Class-had some new folks who are personal trainers. Went over safety,picking up/putting down the bell,wall squat,bridge,tough love, swing, cheat curl,walking in rack, single press to OH carry/walk,MP,FSquat, Single leg deadlift and loading bell from supine as if for gu/tgu. Breathing part of practice. Nothing shiny except our sweat. Good work all!
Class #2- Presented Kim with her own 12kg carried in fresh from the cert. Put Morris through drop sets of swings, Kim worked at her own pace as she has been bell-less for several weeks.
7/06/08
12:50pm
2Hsw 12kg 3(20),5(10)
Flip+Squat 12kg 2mins
Windmill 12kg 3(5/5)
VPPress 12kg 3/3,5/5,7/7 this has settled in and I am not having to force heels down. I do see tendency that arm wants to go off vertical in rack,as noted by KJ.
5 minutes snatches 12kg switch every 10 reps.
7/07/08
Ashtanga "Rock&Roll Style" Door btwn rooms open so I enjoyed some hard rock. Up to Maricyasana C+Navasana.
On to kbs: All 16 kg
30secs work FSq.
1/2/3/4/5 belly push up
plank
30 secs 2HSw
30 secs each low plank,high plank, low,hi
farmer's carry
snatch 6 (11/11) *more hip snap,reach back and hike pass it!
Pull-ups 5/4/3
HLR 5
Handstand holds
2HSw 12kg 3(20)

Friends

Taikei and me, after the L2 Core Skills Testing. Don't we look glad?
If you did not know, Taikei and I were both members of Team Rif '07 and have kept in touch since. He is a kindred soul and I think is homesick for his brother Aaron,as well as Fawn and Elsa. It is the time spent with the Fridays and company that made this such a great trip. Fun is where you find it!

Puh-leeze...

So, yesterday evening I am registering two new students at the yoga studio and they see kettlebells mentioned on the schedule. They have seen kbs in stores and on T.V. and say," Yeah, I wonder if they work?" I let it go and let it go... but I have to ask,"What do you mean, do they work?" The lady responds, "You know, for your abs?" Aghhhh. I think of a dozen responses. Mainly I decide not to scare them. I have on The Press Gym tee with Monster Man Ray on the back. I smile and say, "Yes, I think they work but only if you do." Then I turn away and Monster Man Ray glowers...

BBQ pics

Taikei, Aaron, and Jim Ryan.











Gathering around the table.












Taikei and Elsa. Best of friends.

We do not apologize for our strengths!

There is joy and strength in each of these women. They will inspire you to find yours. The benefits of an active life will spill out in to all you do. Pictured to my left are Tracy, Lauren,Fawn and Christine.
Fawn and Aaron Friday hosted a fabulous BBQ for the Bloggers on their deck oasis. It is no illusion-good times were shared as we sailed along,protected by Elsa. Fawn, thank you very much for sharing your kettlebell class, yoga class,amazing culinary skills and the team work you and Aaron display in creating a lovely home. Just being in your presence was restorative to me. Being in the good company of other joyful, strong women and men reinforces what "it's all about."

Testing 1,2

Grazie to Maurizio Maddaloni's companion for snapping the pictures.

Here is a pre-test shot of Kenneth Jay and me as he offers some support on the Push Press. This was the trickiest skill for me. Add that to the time spent on our stomachs listening,observing,trouble shooting and practicing Core Skills, to the Burpees and earned swings, well, there was neuro-muscular confusion.
I tested in this order: Pistol,Pull-up,Windmill,Push Press, Bent Press. All practices for push press with 16kg. Needed to feel the push of the bell and to keep the heels down. I test it with a 20 kg. I'm asked to demonstrate it with the 12kg too, since I had carried it along. Pass- and on to the Bent Press. Lat and tri-ceps squeezing the sponge-pass. More experience with this may reveal why so many folks like this lift. Nothing against it, just not something I practice with regularity.

Comrades, on your stomachs!

The Level II manual weighs .5 pounds. I weigh an additional 3.5 pounds on return indicating that the rice and beans consumed in Costa Rica caught up just in time for weigh in. I had no intention of snatch testing-and I did not. This task,left to do,will build some excitement for August's CK-FMS. Also, I will meet Gabi and Franklin, two individuals known to be rabid kettlebell enthusiasts. This is going to be very fun.

More than once I stated that being in a room of kettlebellers was like being in a room of lone wolves. Not sure what I mean by this exactly. Many train on their own and arrive with a notion that the Level 1 moves are perfectly dialed in-"Not so!"say Pavel, Kenneth, and Brett. Andrea is kinder and meticulously puts us through the paces . Rif is hardcore too,yet super chill and does not make too public a demonstration of our shortcomings. We know. We are not sure who is dragging the hind quarter and about to get chomped. There is blood on the field and we come inside for the protection of the pack after spending most of the first day on level one drills. Pavel maybe disappears to get sick. Who knows. He is not happy. I assume nothing about my skills and regard all incoming interactions with respect and obedience. My tail is not down; I am relaxed and make some lasting fixes.

Day one I do not think we reviewed teaching skills for level II skills,hell,some could not swing a bell. Hm. It was a long day. There were two more after that. Level II core skills: Tgu,windmill,push press, bent press, pistol and pull-up. The breakdown of tgu and windmill were particularly valuable to me in terms of clients and my own shoulder health.
Push press and bent press I never practice,except to prepare for the cert. Now I will add those to my weight moving activities.

The Morning Recharge with John worked well to get my mind and body in the game. Exposure to Z- Health through Fawn and Andrea indicates good stuff.