Dry Fighting Weight : Happy Birthday! Now Get To Work.

[MarkSch]

Rationale:
As a birthday present of sorts to myself, I decided to both start, and log online, Dry Fighting Weight.
Let's do this.

Background:
52 years old today. I don't feel a day over 51.
5' 7" , 79 Kg, (175 pounds). Roly-poly.
Desk job in IT.

Training background:
Prior to kettlebells, my main physical activity was martial arts, primarily Aikido for about 19 years. Since 2011, time constraints have steered me towards home training and kettlebells.

Kettlebell programs completed:

Rite Of Passage: Done through 32Kg . A half-weight one armed press continues to elude me.
Simple and Sinister - Completed Simple a few years ago. Can currently do 10 reps with 40 Kg for Turkish Getups with ease, swings lag behind at 32Kg.
Total Tension Complex - Twice, last time done with 2x24
Kettlebell Muscle - twice, with 2x16 and 2x20. The second time, I coughed up a lung twice, which seems physically improbable.
Kettlebell Burn 2.0 (2010) -- This was my most recent program. It delivered pretty well, as I lost 3-4.5 Kg (7-10 pounds) over a timeframe including Christmas, New Year, and a recent short vacation to lovely Austin, Texas and all the food - and drink!- I could manage.

Training Program Begin Pursued:

Dry Fighting Weight , strictly by the book.
For off days, I will stretch and do fast and loose. Possibly some S&S style swings, as I really like those. As the weather gets nicer--at last!-- in the Philadelphia area, I may try the "Zombies, Run!" app in a lighthearted way, because it looks fun and will get me outside.

Goals:
Fat loss
Overall strength, perhaps enough to get 40 Kg press or Kettlebell muscle with 2x24
Hypertrophy is always welcome


This is my first time doing something like this, so any comments, tips, encouragement or criticism will be very much appreciated!

 

[MarkSch]

Day One 4/30/2018

Weight Used : 2x24 Kg

C&P ladders : 1,2,3 : 6
36 reps

FSQ ladders : 1,2,3 : 5
30 reps

Thoughts:
I probably could have forced out more reps , but I am trying to follow the requirement to stay fresh, not grind, and avoid met-con.
Rest for ladders is a little confusing: there's the rest between rungs, then the rest between exercises as well.
C&P felt easier than FSQ did , at least in this first time. I need to stay taller in the FSQ.

 

[Sean M]

Follow your progress with interest! I did DFW in February with good results.

I misinterpret it as supersets (1 C&P to 1 squat, rest, 2 C&P to 2 squat, etc) in the first week. It should be 1 C&P, rest, 1 squat, rest, 2 C&P, rest, 2 squat, rest, etc. Naturally, resting more the higher the ladders go.

How similar is Burn 2.0 to Burn Extreme? Is the latter “just” a double-bell version of the former? I have the latter program standing by for later this year.

 

[MarkSch]

Hi, @Sean M ,

Sorry, I don't have KB Burn Extreme, so I don't know, but KB Burn 2.0 called for a single bell, usually on the heavy end of your capabilities .
I got it as a short-time special a while ago, and only had the opportunity to cycle it in at the end of last year.

 

[MarkSch]

Day Two 5/02/2018

Off day activities:
-Light stretching
-Goblets and halos
*These are indespensible, as far as I am concerned . If I don't do them almost daily, something feels off. Thanks for the addiction, S&S.

Weight Used : 2x24 Kg

C&P Singles:
31 reps

FSQ Singles :
31 reps

Thoughts:
-In some ways, these felt harder than ladders. I am not used to lots of singles, and the time to start and finish strong, reset, rest briefly, and repeat felt both easy and hectic, somehow. You can’t get into a groove of reps this way
-When in doubt, I erred for less reps, done explosively, as advised by @Marc
-FSQ continues to feel more difficult than C&P

 

[Marc]

Pretty solid numbers for the first week!
You will def get stronger on DFW but don't expect miracles. When you can press 32kg now, 40kg probably won't happen in 4 weeks.

 

[MarkSch]

Thanks, @Marc.
Yes, pressing seems to require quite a specific training to progress. We'll see how it goes.

 

[MarkSch]

Day Three 5/05/2018

Off day activities:
-Light stretching
-Goblets and halos

Weight Used : 2x24 Kg

C&P Doubles:
19 sets = 38 reps

FSQ Doubles :
19 sets = 38 reps

Thoughts:

-Had a crisis at work that made me skip a day and lose a lot of sleep.
-Wasn't feeling strong when I did practice, but I'm determined to do this as written as much as possible.
-Done with week one!

 

[ShawnM]

Work stuff sucks man, but the rest can be helpful. Keep going strong!!!

 

[MarkSch]

@ShawnM
That's certainly the plan, but sometimes life gets in the way.
Thanks for the encouragement!

 

[MarkSch]

Day Four, Week 2 5/07/2018

Off day activities:
-Light stretching, yard work
-Goblets and halos

Weight Used : 2x24 Kg

C&P ladders : 1,2,3 : 7
42 reps

FSQ ladders : 1,2,3 : 7
42 reps

Thoughts:
-Still not 100%, but increased my output from the previous week.
-The last set might have been a liiiiitle MetCon, since I wanted a nice round number to finish out. However, I recall being almost exactly 1/2 done at 15 minutes, so at least I kept a steady output.
-FSQ are still not fun, but are somewhat more bearable.

 

[MarkSch]

Day Five , Week 2 5/09/2018

Off day activities:
-Light stretching
-Goblets and halos

Weight Used : 2x24 Kg

C&P Singles:
31 reps

FSQ Singles :
31 reps

Thoughts:
-Same numbers as last week. I was trying to work harder on good form.
-Singles are still hard to pace. The reset each time is a challenge. CP and immediate FSQ would probably give more overall reps, but that's not how it is written.
-Still a challenge to balance rest and reps.

 

[Sean M]

-Same numbers as last week. I was trying to work harder on good form.
-Singles are still hard to pace. The reset each time is a challenge. CP and immediate FSQ would probably give more overall reps, but that's not how it is written.
-Still a challenge to balance rest and reps.

I had the same experience with singles days. I tended to push harder (less rest) those days.

As I did DFW with lighter than 5RM (my next-heaviest pair was 1-2, so too heavy), I did superset the C&P and FSq most days. I plan to repeat the program later this year with my true 5-6RM pair and will rest alternating sets of lifts.

Keep it up!

 

[BrianCF]

Day Five , Week 2 5/09/2018

Off day activities:
-Light stretching
-Goblets and halos

Weight Used : 2x24 Kg

C&P Singles:
31 reps

FSQ Singles :
31 reps

Thoughts:
-Same numbers as last week. I was trying to work harder on good form.
-Singles are still hard to pace. The reset each time is a challenge. CP and immediate FSQ would probably give more overall reps, but that's not how it is written.
-Still a challenge to balance rest and reps.

This is similar to the grind part of Burn Extreme, without besting your reps EDT style. I see this as a precursor to EDT. It's a good workout and it will get you ready for density.

Without trying to turn it into a MetCon, set a goal for the number of sets/reps that you want to do. Break it down into 1800 seconds. It could be doing a set of 3 squats or presses every, 53 seconds for example.

What I do like about it that the Presses and Squats aren't supersetted, that can fry the back of your shoulders quickly

 

[Marino]

I'm doing DFW - about to start second week. I was surprised at how difficult the singles felt. Noticing my abs are harder already.

 

[MarkSch]

@BrianCF
>>Without trying to turn it into a MetCon, set a goal for the number of sets/reps that you want to do.
I do try to do that. It's not quite EMOM, but I have a rough idea of how the time will break down to get more reps every workout, or at least every similar workout. It's a challenge to do and avoid MetCon.

@Marino
I felt much the same. Good luck! I'm going to hold off on any physique notes until I've completed the program.

 

[MarkSch]

Day Six, Week 2 5/11/2018

Off day activities:
-Light stretching
-Goblets and halos

Weight Used : 2x24 Kg

C&P Triples:
16
48 reps

FSQ Triples:
15
45 reps

Thoughts:
-Felt pretty good, though challenging.
- Like many of @Geoff Neupert 's programs. things are going along in a groove and you get a little lulled, then Wham! the volume hits suddenly. I think that will be the case next week.
--Looking further ahead, Week Five says "Day 1: Perform 3×3." I confess I don't know what that means. Could any of my kind readers --thank you, by the way! - help me out?

 

[Sean M]

Day Six, Week 2 5/11/2018

Off day activities:
-Light stretching
-Goblets and halos

Weight Used : 2x24 Kg

C&P Triples:
16
48 reps

FSQ Triples:
15
45 reps

Thoughts:
-Felt pretty good, though challenging.
- Like many of @Geoff Neupert 's programs. things are going along in a groove and you get a little lulled, then Wham! the volume hits suddenly. I think that will be the case next week.
--Looking further ahead, Week Five says "Day 1: Perform 3×3." I confess I don't know what that means. Could any of my kind readers --thank you, by the way! - help me out?

It’s 3 sets of 3: 3 C&P, rest, 3 squat, rest, repeat two more times.

Really low volume session in preparation for test day in the middle of the week.

I just did the 4 weeks and tested in the middle of the next week (in betweeen S&S for a few weeks of maintenance).

 

[Marino]

@MarkSch I interpret 3x3 to be a set of 3 reps of C+P followed by a set of 3 reps of DFSQ repeated two more times. And that's it - a practice before the RM attempt later in the week.

I'm finding that volume can only go up if I don't put the bells down between C+P and DFSQ. I then rest until my heart rate is down to the 120s before I start the next set. Might be my bells are slightly too light.

 

[Sean M]

@MarkSch Geoff Neupert gives the cue either in the article itself or elsewhere - if the bell speed decreases, you're not resting enough. So if the reps are slower and more of a grind compared to your first set or two, you're not resting enough. That's how you know you're not over-doing it.