all posts post new thread

Kettlebell New training tortures

Status
Closed Thread. (Continue Discussion of This Topic by Starting a New Thread.)
Barbarian Workout, from SFG II and founder of Ancestral Supplements Brain Johnson.
1 mile trek over hilly terrain carrying a 32 in each hand, with a 70 lb. pack, pulling a 70 lb. sled, with 20 lb. ankle weights on each leg.
His best time is 58 minutes.
 
Last edited:
All these sort of crazy workouts will certainly develop physical toughness in the sense of your ability to tolerate pain and produce effort when tired. But I actually wonder if these build mental toughness, because in the end you've already got the mental capacity to submit yourself to pain if you go in for one of those.

I recall an SF article in the last year or so that talked about the mental aspect of SOF training, and the importance of not being in control - not knowing if or when the pain would actually end. That uncertainty, I think, is where mental toughness is built. That seems a very hard thing to simulate in a workout.

Anyways, you might also think about going the opposite direction to work on the mental toughness. Sit still in a dark, silent room for 30 minutes, and be "mindless".
 
All these sort of crazy workouts will certainly develop physical toughness in the sense of your ability to tolerate pain and produce effort when tired. But I actually wonder if these build mental toughness, because in the end you've already got the mental capacity to submit yourself to pain if you go in for one of those.

I recall an SF article in the last year or so that talked about the mental aspect of SOF training, and the importance of not being in control - not knowing if or when the pain would actually end. That uncertainty, I think, is where mental toughness is built. That seems a very hard thing to simulate in a workout.

Anyways, you might also think about going the opposite direction to work on the mental toughness. Sit still in a dark, silent room for 30 minutes, and be "mindless".
I’ve thought about that a lot lately. I was recently hit with a bunch of ads for one of those “warrior weekend” type things. Where a guy claims to help you refind your masculinity by subjecting you to a boot camp style weekend.
And it just doesn’t make sense to me. Doing hard things because it furthers your goals, is the right thing, makes your community and family better, etc all make sense. But doing hard things just because they are hard makes me think you are avoiding the actual hard thing that needs doing.
for example people that do a cold plunge every morning to train themselves to be like Tony robbins. But they have had some task on their to do list for weeks that they avoid because it makes them uncomfortable or requires effort.
I dunno, it is a half thought I’ve been pondering for the past couple weeks. There isn’t anything wrong with it, but I have a hunch lots of people do hard things to avoid doing the hard thing they probably should be doing. I know I’ve done an 8 mile ruck when I should’ve been working on something else that I was avoiding.
 
You can probably bet that the lads on Shackleton’s expedition didn’t do much of any formal training (mental or physical) prior to their epic. But they all proved to be double hard sons of b’s at the end of the day… real OJT if there ever was any…
 
I have a hunch lots of people do hard things to avoid doing the hard thing they probably should be doing. I know I’ve done an 8 mile ruck when I should’ve been working on something else that I was avoiding.
Ha! No doubt - our house was never as clean as it was when my wife was in grad school. Any time I came home and found her cleaning, I knew it was because she had some homework assignment she didn't want to do.
 
To me, nothing is harder than an all out 5k race, if torture is what you're really after.

For some reason I've always found it the hardest distance. It takes long enough that it's not over 'quickly', like an 800m or 1500m. But short enough that you have to go very hard from the beginning. If you race at true all out pace, you'll feel like you're "hanging on" from beginning to end.
If you run in a way that will yield a personal best, or at least your best effort on any given day, you won't run "very hard" or "all out" from the beginning. I've run dozens of 5ks. The first couple of miles, particularly if you find someone in the pack who is running your pace to run right behind, feel just like a tempo run: brisk. It just gradually gets harder and by the end, you're spent, but most of it shouldn't feel too hard.

Running negative splits (starting out faster and slowing down) almost never yields a good result compared to running even splits or even running slightly slower at the beginning.

-S-
 
I have to side with @Dayz on this one. I have always found that the 5k to be the ‘hardest’ distance race. (By race I mean trying to finish really well, like in the top 10 - 20 ) One really does have to have the pedal to the metal most of the way.
 
You can probably bet that the lads on Shackleton’s expedition didn’t do much of any formal training (mental or physical) prior to their epic. But they all proved to be double hard sons of b’s at the end of the day… real OJT if there ever was any…
Good example too of the mental aspect of letting go of control. Storm rolls in, you've got no choice but to hole up and wait it out, with no idea how long you might have to do so. Keeping your composure and focus there, that's mental toughness.
 
If you run in a way that will yield a personal best, or at least your best effort on any given day, you won't run "very hard" or "all out" from the beginning. I've run dozens of 5ks. The first couple of miles, particularly if you find someone in the pack who is running your pace to run right behind, feel just like a tempo run: brisk. It just gradually gets harder and by the end, you're spent, but most of it shouldn't feel too hard.
With all respect, this is incorrect. A good 5k with knowledge of your capability will definitely be hard from the beginning. And the faster and better at pacing you become, the truer this becomes. One reason for this is the faster you are the closer you run to V02 max pace. If you're slower, you may run closer to your tempo pace with a long kick at the end and the 5k experience might be closer to what you described.

Also, dozens? I've run hundreds of actual races or 5k attempts (albeit mostly in high school and my early 20s, ~15 years ago). :)

Running negative splits (starting out faster and slowing down) almost never yields a good result compared to running even splits or even running slightly slower at the beginning.
Yes and no. This is something of a misconception due to the way the vast majority of world records are set (which is with positive splits). But it is a super complex topic. I could write an essay on this but here's some brief-ish points:
  1. Generally speaking, positive splits work best for professionals running in a pack against other competitors. IIRC, all of the current world records were set this way in every distance from 1500m to the full marathon. The reason is complicated but comes down to race tactics, like clustering, timing your kick based on your strengths and your competitors weaknesses, etc. All this to say, a different strategy might be better if one is running an individual time trial.
  2. Studies show that for most people, both negative, positive and even splits can work in roughly equal measure, depending on a number of factors. Some of it comes down to individual strengths and weaknesses (e.g. someone whose strength is speed will need a different pacing strategy to someone whose strength is endurance). This variation of strengths/weaknesses exists much more in the general population vs the professional population. This is because almost all 5k professionals are 1) genetically predisposed to excel at that distance; 2) specialise in that distance. Obviously, not every amateur trying to maximise their 5k time falls into this camp, and so different race strategies are needed.
  3. Some of it also comes down to personal preference and psychological factors. Running positive splits is psychologically easier and may yield a better result than someone who starts with negative splits but then "gives up", causing them to run a slower time than they were physically capable of getting. Instead of sticking with positive splits, another strategy could be practicing dealing with the pain of negative splits ;)
  4. Finally, which modality works best for an individual may also reflect the type of training they did to peak, what interval sessions they did and how they progressed them. That's a big topic and I'll only expand on it if you are interested.
 
A few things I've 'enjoyed' over the past couple years (since the start of the pandemic):
*squat bodyweight on the bar x age (I've done this a few times and it doesn't seem to get easier as you get older... funny)
*kettlebell snatch: 16kg x 2 hours (10rpm, switch hands on the minute)
*kettlebell snatch: 24kg x 30mins (switch hands as desired)
*barbell squat 225lb x 10 (on 1min), followed by kettlebell snatch 24kg x 20 (on 1 min), 4 minutes rest, x 3

I enjoyed these a lot.
 

Attachments

  • hellraiser-pinhead-is-daddy.jpg
    hellraiser-pinhead-is-daddy.jpg
    87.1 KB · Views: 3
I would say try alpinism but the OP is in Portugal.

Ever thought about CrossFit?
 
With all respect, this is incorrect. A good 5k with knowledge of your capability will definitely be hard from the beginning.
This has not been my experience. Part of my training was a weekly tempo run, in my case run about :30 slower than 5k race pace, and without any special preparation. Come race day, with a taper in my training, the beginning of a 5k felt very much like my tempo runs. FWIW, I became a runner in my mid-20's and this lasted until my mid-40's.

EDIT - I'll also add that, although I don't know what it means as far as my particular body is concerned, I have always been quick, and whenever starting running again after layoff, would start with wind sprints or, at most, half-mile runs and then gradually lengthen my distance and slow down my pace. Speed comes easily to me, endurance does not.

-S-
 
Last edited:
Only 18hrs by car from Lisbon to Chamonix…
It's a 2.5 hour flight to Geneva. Don't know why I wrote that. I've winter climbed in Chamonix and done long weekends in Scotland where with the driving and North faces I didn't see the sun . And there must be closer multi pitch in Spain.
 
It's a 2.5 hour flight to Geneva. Don't know why I wrote that. I've winter climbed in Chamonix and done long weekends in Scotland where with the driving and North faces I didn't see the sun . And there must be closer multi pitch in Spain.
Aye… but nae ice in Spain….
 
Barbarian Workout, from SFG II and founder of Ancestral Supplements Brain Johnson.
1 mile trek over hilly terrain carrying a 32 in each hand, with a 70 lb. pack, pulling a 70 lb. sled, with 20 lb. ankle weights on each leg.
His best time is 58 minutes.
First of all…what?! Is that a real thing?!
I’ve thought about that a lot lately. I was recently hit with a bunch of ads for one of those “warrior weekend” type things. Where a guy claims to help you refind your masculinity by subjecting you to a boot camp style weekend.
And it just doesn’t make sense to me. Doing hard things because it furthers your goals, is the right thing, makes your community and family better, etc all make sense. But doing hard things just because they are hard makes me think you are avoiding the actual hard thing that needs doing.
for example people that do a cold plunge every morning to train themselves to be like Tony robbins. But they have had some task on their to do list for weeks that they avoid because it makes them uncomfortable or requires effort.
I dunno, it is a half thought I’ve been pondering for the past couple weeks. There isn’t anything wrong with it, but I have a hunch lots of people do hard things to avoid doing the hard thing they probably should be doing. I know I’ve done an 8 mile ruck when I should’ve been working on something else that I was avoiding.
100% agree with this! Putting the ego in check to actually accomplish what one says they want to accomplish is one of the hardest things to do. Some times what you “want” to do interferes with what you need to do to actually do what you actually want to do…if that makes any sense!
 
Status
Closed Thread. (Continue Discussion of This Topic by Starting a New Thread.)
Back
Top Bottom