Honest Effort

[masa]

Maybe explore this dynamic with lifts other than the basic kettlebell? Double knee bend or less extension or maintain the load closer. Zercher Deadlift cradling the kettlebell might even be a good choice. If you don't have one, maybe a very small "back pain" notebook could help. Russian Twist, Deck Squat - I've had to write off a bunch of beloved exercises over the years.

Yes, I want to try different kind of deadlifts and squats. Conventional deadlifts with the barbell is in my TOP list. I can't do Russian twists or sit ups, so that kind of movements are out. But I want to stick my plan and do kb cleans and push presses and so on. Other lifts later.

 

[North Coast Miller]

Yes, I want to try different kind of deadlifts and squats. Conventional deadlifts with the barbell is in my TOP list. I can't do Russian twists or sit ups, so that kind of movements are out. But I want to stick my plan and do kb cleans and push presses and so on. Other lifts later.

Sounds good! I will say this - be as critical of your KB lifts as you would be with anything else...

 

[Bret S.]

I'm going to feel this out with intention to bail at the first sign of trouble.

Using it with a weighted pole, I got great overall response but it was very tough on the stabilizers and maybe a little less effective for the big movers. Grip and bicep/tricep really can take a beating since they are operating from an "open" angle and have to isometrically resist to transfer force from the bigger muscles. Plus side, the grip and core get very strong without any separate attention.

This might be how we mostly use them in real life, but I'm still not 100% on whether it makes sense to train them this way as a steady diet. Will be monitoring closely for signs of overuse in bicep, and maybe more importantly if the limitations of the peripheral muscles result in too much of a force reduction in the prime movers.

Could be something to your thoughts on this. Last year I had a commercial roofing job in North Hollywood, the roof was full of pipes and equipment so we had to pretty much carry everything. The buckets weigh 70+ lbs and I carried every day for 2 weeks, everything seemed ok at the time. After the job I was training and had a partial long bicep tear.. I won't do that again :/

 

[North Coast Miller]

Could be something to your thoughts on this. Last year I had a commercial roofing job in North Hollywood, the roof was full of pipes and equipment so we had to pretty much carry everything. The buckets weigh 70+ lbs and I carried every day for 2 weeks, everything seemed ok at the time. After the job I was training and had a partial long bicep tear.. I won't do that again :/

The biggest reason I stopped doing them (Hobo bundle/offset weighted pole) was inability to clear up a bad case of golfer's elbow, and inability to continue increasing load - my bis, tris, and grip had maxxed out. Stumbled out of that training block and that's when I started using isometrics - this back in 2018. Prior to flare up of golfer's elbow my overall bluecollar strength was off the charts.

My current slant is not a true emulation of that approach, but is similar in that push is braced by bicep, pull is braced by tricep. A lot of how this is tolerated is going to come down to how active that bracing is - some of it will be lessened by the line of force not directly challenging the bicep due to the move using internal rotation for the high-low push, and the tricep is only somewhat extended for both pulling.

As mentioned - this is a variation on a theme to take advantage of the mode -at the first sign of trouble I'll pull the plug.

 

[masa]

Sounds good! I will say this - be as critical of your KB lifts as you would be with anything else...

Thanks, I will.

 

[Bret S.]

My current slant is not a true emulation of that approach, but is similar in that push is braced by bicep, pull is braced by tricep. A lot of how this is tolerated is going to come down to how active that bracing is - some of it will be lessened by the line of force not directly challenging the bicep due to the move using internal rotation for the high-low push, and the tricep is only somewhat extended for both pulling.

You could come up with something to go with a more neutral grip, I remember seeing bars with rotatable handles, that might be good, especially if you can lock them into position.. or not.

 

[North Coast Miller]

You could come up with something to go with a more neutral grip, I remember seeing bars with rotatable handles, that might be good, especially if you can lock them into position.. or not.

As far as my current set-up, I have the strap handles and a set of dowels I can put in the handle to facilitate a linear grip. I just have to be honest with myself if I have to hold back the prime movers too much because the peripheral muscles can't handle the strain.

The issue really just comes down to how best to brace the effort. Like the difference between a fly and a bench press - you'll always be able to bench more simply due to mechanical advantage.

Right now I'm just sort of taking stock of the method and means and seeing what I can do to capitalize. My early instinct to emulate barbell lifts as closely as possible for upper body is maybe the best common sense method, but maybe it ignores the fact this isn't really a barbell...

 

[North Coast Miller]

Jumprope HIIT, 15 sec on, 30 off, 15 intervals.

 

[Bret S.]

As far as my current set-up, I have the strap handles and a set of dowels I can put in the handle to facilitate a linear grip. I just have to be honest with myself if I have to hold back the prime movers too much because the peripheral muscles can't handle the strain.

The issue really just comes down to how best to brace the effort. Like the difference between a fly and a bench press - you'll always be able to bench more simply due to mechanical advantage.

Right now I'm just sort of taking stock of the method and means and seeing what I can do to capitalize. My early instinct to emulate barbell lifts as closely as possible for upper body is maybe the best common sense method, but maybe it ignores the fact this isn't really a barbell...

In the end it comes down to trial and error my friend, all good stuff!

 

[North Coast Miller]

3 minutes jumprope
- DL
- Crossover Low to High Pull
- Quad Extension
- High to Low Push
- Hammer curl

All holds done 8 seconds full on, 20 "reps" rapid relax/ 30 - 50% on, 20 seconds rest for 5 repeats.

Loaded Crunches 2x AMRAP

 

[North Coast Miller]

Jumprope HIIT, 15 sec on, 30 off, 15 intervals.

 

[Bret S.]

Hey Martin, that 80lb ruck for 12 miles was epic, no way I could do that unless I trained for it for quite awhile, even then..?.. massive respect to you sir.

 

[North Coast Miller]

Hey Martin, that 80lb ruck for 12 miles was epic, no way I could do that unless I trained for it for quite awhile, even then..?.. massive respect to you sir.

It was rough man, no lie. The last 45 minutes or so was out of water, pack was about 20lbs too heavy for its spec and worse of all not loaded very carefully. Was only supposed to be about 4 miles. End of that hike I really looked and felt my age - immediately bought a new pack when I got home.

I've hiked out with similar loads before but not that far in a whack and not with that much elevation change. Halfway through was getting hot spots on my instep of all places, subbed out my trail grinders and did the second half in my Teva sandals.

My endurance was ok but my frame felt like I'd fallen down the mountain - like when you need a run to end not because you're bonking but because your feet hurt so bad.

 

[Bret S.]

It was rough man, no lie. The last 45 minutes or so was out of water, pack was about 20lbs too heavy for its spec and worse of all not loaded very carefully. Was only supposed to be about 4 miles. End of that hike I really looked and felt my age - immediately bought a new pack when I got home.

I've hiked out with similar loads before but not that far in a whack and not with that much elevation change. Halfway through was getting hot spots on my instep of all places, subbed out my trail grinders and did the second half in my Teva sandals.

My endurance was ok but my frame felt like I'd fallen down the mountain - like when you need a run to end not because you're bonking but because your feet hurt so bad.

Ya, I couldn't believe it when I read that.. you casually brought it up haha. How long did recovery take? That would beat the hell out of my knees. Ice bath would be in order I think.

I don't know what it is, for some reason I have a ruck mental block these days. I feel free and alive when running, rucking makes me feel trapped and enslaved. Sounds dramatic I know.. can't seem to shake it. Got a nice sand pack vest recently and have used it once. Can't splain why.

 

[North Coast Miller]

Ya, I couldn't believe it when I read that.. you casually brought it up haha. How long did recovery take? That would beat the hell out of my knees. Ice bath would be in order I think.

I don't know what it is, for some reason I have a ruck mental block these days. I feel free and alive when running, rucking makes me feel trapped and enslaved. Sounds dramatic I know.. can't seem to shake it. Got a nice sand pack vest recently and have used it once. Can't splain why.

I enjoy rucking, and even look forward to the disomfort somewhat, cathartic. My usual load is about 60lbs, but can get a lot heavier when hiking with the family or carrying a lot of beer. Late 2019 did 4.5 miles one way with a 90lb pack (carefully loaded) and felt great. In this case was a 3 day hike and I like to share, so tossed a 15pack of pints in the bottom compartment as an afterthought, 17lbs loaded low - big mistake.

As usual with this crew, "hijinks and misadventure ensued" and a planned 4 mile hike turned into a gruelling climb and descent. Took a few days after I got home to recover, but realized a few things individually and collectively:
- Its time to retire my old pack and get one with proper load lifters etc.

- I need to hike with more water. Stopping to filter on the side of a mountain in a drizzle is a miserable experience.

- We might all be on the wrong side of 50, but we can hike a hell of a lot further than we give ourselves credit for. One of the guys is 58 and has had cystic fibrosis his whole life, wasn't expected to make it to 30. He was absolutely fine. We can easily revisit some of the 6-7 mile destination hikes or 20+ mile loops we used to do back in our 20s - 30s.

 

[Bret S.]

I enjoy rucking, and even look forward to the disomfort somewhat, cathartic. My usual load is about 60lbs, but can get a lot heavier when hiking with the family or carrying a lot of beer. Late 2019 did 4.5 miles one way with a 90lb pack (carefully loaded) and felt great. In this case was a 3 day hike and I like to share, so tossed a 15pack of pints in the bottom compartment as an afterthought, 17lbs loaded low - big mistake.

As usual with this crew, "hijinks and misadventure ensued" and a planned 4 mile hike turned into a gruelling climb and descent. Took a few days after I got home to recover, but realized a few things individually and collectively:
- Its time to retire my old pack and get one with proper load lifters etc.

- I need to hike with more water. Stopping to filter on the side of a mountain in a drizzle is a miserable experience.

- We might all be on the wrong side of 50, but we can hike a hell of a lot further than we give ourselves credit for. One of the guys is 58 and has had cystic fibrosis his whole life, wasn't expected to make it to 30. He was absolutely fine. We can easily revisit some of the 6-7 mile destination hikes or 20+ mile loops we used to do back in our 20s - 30s.

It could be I'm further from the place I like to go ruck, actually 2 places. Mission Trails is awesome with miles upon miles of trails, varied terrain, mountains, river beds.. the whole thing. There's another, Lake Hodges is a great place near me. Used to load the rucksack on the motorcycle and ride over there. Now with the dog I have to ride in a cage or leave him home in his crate..

It's amazing what we can do when we put our minds right, age aside.

This day I took the 82 Goldwing to the lake for a rain ruck, froze my a** off but it was exhilarating as hell.

 

[North Coast Miller]

It could be I'm further from the place I like to go ruck, actually 2 places. Mission Trails is awesome with miles upon miles of trails, varied terrain, mountains, river beds.. the whole thing. There's another, Lake Hodges is a great place near me. Used to load the rucksack on the motorcycle and ride over there. Now with the dog I have to ride in a cage or leave him home in his crate..

It's amazing what we can do when we put our minds right, age aside.

This day I took the 82 Goldwing to the lake for a rain ruck, froze my a** off but it was exhilarating as hell.
View attachment 15717View attachment 15718

This is the view from one of the vlys on approach to Peaked Mtn. We never did make it to the top...

 

[Bret S.]

This is the view from one of the vlys on approach to Peaked Mtn. We never did make it to the top...

Beautiful!
One of the best things about starting in with Al Ciampa is it got me out into nature much more often. It's chicken soup for the soul.

 

[North Coast Miller]

Beautiful!
One of the best things about starting in with Al Ciampa is it got me out into nature much more often. It's chicken soup for the soul.

I feel very fortunate to have the Adirondacks so close, an incredible resource. Been up there many dozens of hikes and camped in the same place only a handful of times. It is truly immense. I grew up rural, so getting out is in my blood. Was doing overnight campouts with buddies from age 11 -12 on (imagine that nowadays!), no tents or even tarps.

 

[Bret S.]

I feel very fortunate to have the Adirondacks so close, an incredible resource. Been up there many dozens of hikes and camped in the same place only a handful of times. It is truly immense. I grew up rural, so getting out is in my blood. Was doing overnight campouts with buddies from age 11 -12 on (imagine that nowadays!), no tents or even tarps.

I hear you man, growing up in Chicago I had very little in the way of true nature to enjoy. That's why I joined the Boy Scouts, just for camping. I was fortunate enough to go canoeing up and Boundary Waters on the Canadian border two different times. Where you went out on three or four day canoe trips complete with freeze-dried foods, Maps and everything else you would need.

Living in San Diego has its drawbacks because of the stupid government crap, on the flip side I have mountains and beaches very close by along with a myriad of trails and nature areas. It's amazing how the wilderness here is not far from the freeways. One of my favorite places to go is Mount Palomar, there's a biker bar and a lake over there. I can get on the bike and ride from here to wherever I want to go and not get onto a freeway. Next summer I'm thinking about taking Route 66 towards Sedona to visit family over there.