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30/1

Halo into GSQ 12kg 2-3-5-3-2

5 mins swing. (5 swings, 3 recovery breaths, repeat) s/h 20kg and two hand 20kg+16kg.

Meant to do get-ups but the swings torched my legs and I was wobbling all over the place!

Got a new phone, so my old broken one is replaced, so I've been able to get back on my kindle for first time in a year so beginning to re-read S&S.
noted that Pavel talks about the swing/hinge being a pull. I've been much more focused on the "push" aspect trying to generate pop/float by driving forward with my hips.
This session I focused on using hips to pull the bell, and it flipping flew. Much more power, and oh man. My hamstrings were/are just torched, even from the 5 mins, I can already tell I'll be feeling this tomorrow.
Tried to do press ladders instead of get up but even then I was all over the place. Perhaps the 4 nights of less than 3hrs sleep hasn't helped tho!
 
31/1

16kg
Halo-GSQ 2-3-5-3-2

16kg
Get-ups (10 mins back-to-back)

24kg
Swings (5 mins)

Began swings 1/h 5 swings to 3 breaths, but that soon went out the window went to 2/h 10 swings 5 recovery breaths. That went out the window too haha.
Still did 5 mins hard style swings, got my heart pumping! Felt my hamstrings working nicely similar to yesterday.

I quite like this time based approach, think it might work for me so I'll see how it goes.

Slowly re-reading S&S, not much else jumping out at me at the moment. A little mention of making get-up akin to tai-chi which, although I've only ever done 1 hour of tai-chi in my life I still tried to apply in spirit, if you know what I mean.

I was interested to read that Pavel attributes Maxwell for introducing him to both Halo and Get-ups.
Martin, I recall you mentioning Maxwell on the forums a while back, which at the time prompted me to read some of his online writings.
 
@Steve Rogers
Had a little browse through your training log, and it seems like you're smashing it bud! Great gains and approach keep it up.
Also thanks cos it was your comment in my log which has prompted me to get back, and I'm working now towards more consistency.

I've been having very little sleep recently, and I often struggle to get started with training. It's not always the motivation to start which irks me but when I pick up a weight my body is just so weak (neurological?) I don't feel like a session is even possible. What kind of things have worked for you?
 
1/2/19

10kg
Halo-GSQ 2-3-5-3-2


16kg
Get-up 10 mins

24kg
Swing 5 mins

Did my first get up per arm with the 24kg
Began swings with 2 hand 24. Then did some 1 hand with 16 then finished with 5 on each hand with 24.

Am doing 10 mins get ups quite strong, so very much looking forward to progressing towards doing the whole set with 24kg :)

I feel so much better doing 2/hand swings than 1/h, they're not too bad with 16 but 24 really tries to twist me and throws my rhythm off. I prefer the weight of swinging 24 but not sure if better to build my 1/h with lower weight or get more time swinging 24 with 2/h.
Maybe 1/h kb deadlifts would help?
 
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@Steve Rogers
Had a little browse through your training log, and it seems like you're smashing it bud! Great gains and approach keep it up.
Also thanks cos it was your comment in my log which has prompted me to get back, and I'm working now towards more consistency.

I've been having very little sleep recently, and I often struggle to get started with training. It's not always the motivation to start which irks me but when I pick up a weight my body is just so weak (neurological?) I don't feel like a session is even possible. What kind of things have worked for you?


Hey! Glad to see you back on here! I can be really honest and say that I haven’t been crushing it lately. My wife has had hyperemisis which means she can’t hold down foods or fluids for long and everything nauseates her. That leaves me to work and do everything around the house and take care of our 2-year-old. On top of that my classes started back up so I’m not sleeping until 11 or 12. I’ve been finding it VERY hard to find motivation or even discipline to wake up at 5 and train. Once I’m up I take it easy on myself. So for example I started with 5 sets of 10 two-hand Swings because that’s all I could handle. I would also start off with 16kg for TGUs and focused on technique. And lastly I gave myself plenty of time for shaking off the tension or being able to talk before my next set. It sounds like you might have too heavy of a weight and may not be giving yourself enough time to rest.
 
2/2

10kg for all

Halo-GSQ 2-3-5-3-2
Get-up (10 mins)
Swing (5 mins)

Moderate soreness in hamstrings. Began with 16kg but grabbed the 10 before even finished warm up. Did super slow get ups (completed 2 per side in the time) and did speed swings, still ended up a sweaty mess.

As I was completing my last get up - just about to lower the bell, and I noticed my wrist was significantly bent back - how long has that been going on for!?
 
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@Waryrenn do you video record yourself? I’m using SloMo which allows me to slow down and watch myself frame by frame almost. I can edit my videos by drawing a line to watch my alignment or see where my eyes are looking etc. that might help you a lot. Also, why are you doing speed swings?
 
Once I’m up I take it easy on myself
really glad to hear that, training should give us more than it takes. Easy strength, accumulated volume, I'm starting to appreciate how deceptive but effective this approach will be.

My wife had a difficult pregnancy, and complicated birth. Sounds like you're in a tough spot. Keep in touch if it helps bud. Best wishes for you and the family.

I think anyone can live an easy life, but that wouldn't make us the people we are supposed to be.
For the last year or more, my daughter (who's going to be 5 soon) attacks me every night at bedtime hits, bites, eye gouging. Every night she causes lots of pain and it can last for hours It's had a massive impact on our relationship and on my overall wellbeing. I'm a laid back person, and all the shouting I've done, and wanting to hurt her back has been draining. I've found a new (seemingly counter-intuative) approach which is having a slow but powerful effect. I think this sh*t time is going to teach me a really close bond with her. I think we'll be better for it, despite the journey it's taken me on. I hope you can find a silver lining and that you find some new ways to love and appreciate yourself and those around you. Sometimes it's OK not to be OK
 
why are you doing speed swings?

Do you have the Simple and Sinister book? I'm just rereading it, and in the chapter The Goals and How to Reach Them it talks about, if you are not up to a session with your working weight, then pick an easier bell and do the get-ups slower and the swings faster.
I have just blitzed through a load of SF YouTube videos, and in one of them Pavel talks about people lapsing into "cruise mode" ie doing a comfortable pace, whereas in general faster swings and slower get-ups are better.
I'm still dialing in my technique, and rediscovering my poor fat-covered muscles, so what I need might differ from yourself. (y)
 
5/2
My monthly SFG training session.
Worked hard, learned a lot :D
Did a get-up each side with a 28kg, so might be closer than I realised to my aspiration of doing a 32kg get-up.
My abdominal bracing is pitiful, so I need to dig out that one-plate barbell and fly the Flag...
 
@ Waryrenn,
I remember when my daughter was 4, man what a handful. And of course these days for most of us there's no real spanking or anything so it all has to be managed psychologically.

I recall once I told her if she kept it up I was going to take away one of her favorite toys - "Take it! Take all of em! Throw em in the trash, I don't care!"

Whoa...thought hard about this for a few minutes, had to threaten to take away her favorite dress and shoes - we all have buttons, sometimes have to rummage around a little to find them.

She did push me over the edge finally and in desperation I responded with the only acceptable physical action I could think of - tickled the tar out of her. That became my stock response anytime I'm moved to action, although the twins just turned 11 so those days are fading in the rear view mirror. She's still a handful sometimes but now her mom gets the heat and most of the time she's turning into a daddy's girl.

I still remember when the twins were newborn (premature), didn't sleep through the night for almost 6 months and I was only getting about 3-3.5 hours of sleep per night. Instead of following a routine, I dropped weight so it wouldn't go to flab (normally about 180 or so, dropped down to 155) and my only exercise was a 1.5 mile jog with the dog.

Once they started sleeping through the night I was getting up at 4, cup of coffee and meditating for 20 minutes, followed by 30 minutes of KB. I was so pent up and harried I would have sacrificed almost anything to get back into a routine that included me.

Martin
 
Do you have the Simple and Sinister book? I'm just rereading it, and in the chapter The Goals and How to Reach Them it talks about, if you are not up to a session with your working weight, then pick an easier bell and do the get-ups slower and the swings faster.
I have just blitzed through a load of SF YouTube videos, and in one of them Pavel talks about people lapsing into "cruise mode" ie doing a comfortable pace, whereas in general faster swings and slower get-ups are better.
I'm still dialing in my technique, and rediscovering my poor fat-covered muscles, so what I need might differ from yourself. (y)

Looks like I'll have to re-read the book too then. I was thinking you were doing more hardstyle swings. I also had to think about what you said about lapsing into cruise mode. My background is one where I was brought up to go 100% every time - it didn't matter if it hurt, and it didn't matter if it injured me. I held that mindset until I got rahbdomyalysis a year and a half ago. What I'm getting from the StrongFirst methodology is to train smarter - not harder. My previous workout log I would be doing crazy ruck workouts and found that to be too draining. Now I'm trying to strictly follow S&S applying the SF methodology with it. I also heard and read that every so often you need to flip the crazy switch and go all out just to test yourself and see what you're made of, but not do it all the time.
 
@Steve Rogers
My focus is on hard-style swings. I'll video a session and stick it up some point in the near future.
To my mind the SF focus is to make progress with the skill of strength, ie quality technique, tension and bracing, appropriate breathing and muscle connection. The KB is a good (but not only) tool for this S&S is a good path. Its clear that any loss of grip, or power, or technique means a no count and you stop.
Even the crazy switch has a purpose and feeds into, (rather than overriding) the above.
 
6/2


16 kg halo-GSQ 2-3-5-3-2

16kg get-up (5 mins)

32kg 2/h swings (5 mins)

Sore from yesterday so focusing on the recharge benefits in todays session.
Swings we not max effort, just loading the hips and hamstrings nicely.
Get-ups were slow and exploring and stretching the muscles affected by yesterday's session.
Glad to get back to it right away - last time the SFG session left me feeling like I wanted to recover, more than that I wanted to train :)
 
@Steve Rogers
I wonder if you have ever played around with breathing ratios? It's an interesting way of regulating effort in a training session, and has interesting carry-over effects.
Pick a ratio i.e. 1:1 would be 10 swings 10 recovery breaths 10 swings 10 breaths...
2:1 10 swings 5 breaths. The idea is you can carry on by simply slowing breaths down as one gets tired.

Heres Dave Whitely with a breathing ladder varient


Just an idea.
Will
 
7/2

16kg Halo-GSQ 2-3-5-3-2

Get up four each arm, alternating between 16kg & 24kg.

24kg Swings
Swing every 30 seconds, sets of 5.
L, R, T, L, R, T, L, R, T, T

I'll get there with the 24kg, I just have to keep doing it :)
 
9/2

16kg
Halo-GSQ 2-3-5-3-2

24kg
5 s/h swings every 30 seconds for 5 minutes

24kg
1 get-up per minute for 10 mins

For the last set on each side I dropped down to the 16kg, for both swings and get-ups

First get-up felt rushed, but I settled down.
 
10/2

16kg Halo-GSQ 2-3-5-3-2

OH swing 8*5*16kg
TH swing 2*5*24kg

Get up
1*3*16kg
1*2*24kg

Not a great session today, tried to get too much into too little time.
Just received some more guidance from Steve Rogers which has given me plenty to consider about improving my approach
 
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