John Grahill
Level 8 Valued Member
Welcome aboard the Giant bus!Hi all. I’m a noob here but have been cross training with kb since 2013 as a trail runner. I am working my shoulders back up from an injury and still a bit light. When I got Geoff’s latest promo for this I signed up. Looking for advice.
1. I’m doing giant x 1.0, 2x12kb since it says 10RM. My 2x16kb is about 9RM for press and I’m not ready yet. So, I just finished week 2. I don’t really know what to log. How do you track your results? I’ve been logging like this:
Sat 3 (week 2 light day)
345 1 min rest 2x12 1 minute extra each rep
6 full sets
2. Am I resting too long? Too short? I have no idea.
3. Can I do other programs while doing giant or is the idea to only do this and only this for 8 weeks? How do you all work other areas while doing this too?
As you can tell I’m not a bodybuilder and don’t know anything so I won’t take any criticism personally — thanks much in advance.
There's multiple ways of double the program. Looks like you're doing fine. I guess one question is this, you say 2 16's are "about" a 9RM? Does that mean you've actually attempted a rep test with them? I see you're rehabbing a bum shoulder so I wouldn't go crazy. I assume 2 12's are beyond a 10 RM??
I'm not Geoff or any other instructor so take this just as an observation of someone who's done the program more than once. I kind of think I'd run the 1.0 with the 12's as a 'break in' then retest with the 16's and see if they are now a 10 RM. I have found that in my case the practicing/training of the movement with lighter weight sometimes adds a rep or so with heavier bells. Not always but it's happened.
The program is designed to be run as is without extras as a full body Minimalistic program so no, I wouldn't add any extras to it. Again, it's just my experience. Focusing on the clean and press will yield some nice overall benefits!
The way you're logging your progress seems fine to me. Don't go crazy adding sets/reps each week as even 1 extra repetition per workout is progress and if you're not feeling it on a particular day, don't worry, just do what you can.
Resting between sets is something I've personally changed my view on recently. I'm older now, just turned 58. If I need more rest, I take it. When I started training with kettlebells I fell into the idea that I had to train with minimal rest between sets and keep the heart rate jacked. I often started subsequent sets not recovered enough to maintain good enough form and suffered some injuries. I'm talking grinds here in particular. In other words, go when you can safely go again. Your heart rate will spike and you'll still get a bit winded even if you wait an extra minute. Again this is just my experience.
Hope you find this helpful.