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Keep It Simple & Sinister, Stupid

Welcome James! Be Strong!!!

Do you have any limitations as a result of your wound?

Thank you! I'm working on it!

Weakness in my left hamstring and my right quadricep. Scars on my right leg, upper and lower, that can cause some inflexibility. The scar on my lower right leg causes some issues with ankle mobility.

As far as I can tell, I have imbalances in my lower body on all three planes: front to back, left to right, and top to bottom. I spent a while following the exercises prescribed by physical therapists, but I think that the turkish getup may be the perfect exercise to hit all the weaknesses in my lower body.

Thanks for your service. Keep at it and you'll get there.

Thank you, sir.

Practice

3 sets of 5 goblet squats, 5 hip bridges, & 5/5 halos

5 sets of 10 two-handed swings w/ 16 kg kettlebell

5 sets of 1/1 turkish getups w/ 16 kg kettlebell

3 sets of 90/90 stretch, QL straddle stretch, & pull up bar hangs

Observations

Getups were easier today and I remembered to stretch. I recorded my practice today so that I could watch my form and I noticed that my form on my getups needs some improvement. I will upload videos daily moving forward.
 
@James Faddis, Semper Fi & welcome to the board. One exercise that may assist with your lower body imbalances is the single leg deadlift, or SLDL in this forum's parlance. Here is a link for you to learn and see how this exercise is performed. I incorporate the SLD from time to time, and might just add it to my work in general, as it really addresses your deficiencies, almost immediately.

 
@James Faddis, Semper Fi & welcome to the board. One exercise that may assist with your lower body imbalances is the single leg deadlift, or SLDL in this forum's parlance. Here is a link for you to learn and see how this exercise is performed. I incorporate the SLD from time to time, and might just add it to my work in general, as it really addresses your deficiencies, almost immediately.



Thanks for the advice, I will incorporate the SLDL into my warmup circuit moving forward.
 
Practice

3 rounds of 5 goblet squats w/ 16 kg kettlebell, 5 hip bridges, 5/5 halos w/ 16 kg kettlebell, and 5/5 single-leg deadlifts w/ 16 kg kettlebell

5 sets of 10 two-handed swings w/ 16 kg kettlebell

5 sets of 1/1 turkish getups w/ 16 kg kettlebell

Observations

I have decided to remove single-leg deadlifts from my warmup routine after trying them out this morning. They are extremely effective, but I want to see how far I can go on the as-written Simple & Sinister routine. I may add them back in at a later date, but I'm going to KIS&S, S for now.

I recorded portions of my practice, but I'm having logistics problems regarding filming with a Labrador Retriever running through the gym. These problems may be resolved by selling said retriever to the circus.
 
Hi James,

Well done for all that has gone before. Sounds like you have a solid way forward. I think the Labrador thing is a common problem - I think I saw a filter for that somewhere.

Cheers

Rob
 
Update

Due to an afternoon of playing chef, a brand new filet knife, and poor coordination, I am currently recovering from an injured left palm. This makes it difficult to continue training Simple and Sinister at this point. I am practicing stretches from Relax Into Stretch until I recover and I am greatly enjoying it.

I also discovered that a whole bunch of videos by Pavel Tsatsouline are available on Amazon Prime Video and I am busy watching those to absorb as much training wisdom that I can.
 
Practice

3 sets of 5 goblet squats @ 16 kg
3 sets of 5 hip bridges
3 sets of 5/5 halos @ 16 kg

5 sets of two-handed kettlebell swings @ 16 kg
5 sets of 1/1 turkish getups @ 16 kg

3 sets of 90/90 stretches
3 sets of QL straddle stretches
3 sets of pull up bar hangs

Observations

My left hand healed up enough to start training again, no pain during the workout, so that's good.

Swings felt solid, a little weakness in my right knee, but hopefully the getups will help with that shortly.

Getups felt solid, I've had plenty of rest after all.

I noticed increased flexibility in my 90/90 stretches and QL straddle stretches, probably from Relax Into Stretch practice.
 
Practice

3 Sets of 5 Goblet Squats, 5 Hip Bridges, & 5/5 Halos w/ 16 kg

5 Sets of 10 Two-Handed Swings w/ 16 kg

5 Sets of 1/1 Turkish Getups w/ 16 kg

3 Sets of 90/90 Stretches, QL Straddle Stretches, & Pull Up Bar Hangs

Observations

Increased range of motion in the goblet squat, movement seems more fluid.

Increased range of motion on the hip bridges due to the right quadricep loosening up.

The swings were moderately difficult, but left me feeling energized.

Getups were, as they always are, quite difficult.

Increased flexibility in the stretches as well.
 
Practice

3 Sets of 5 Goblet Squats, 5 Hip Bridges, & 5/5 Halos w/ 16 kg

5 Sets of 10 Two-Handed Swings w/ 16 kg

5 Sets of 1/1 Turkish Getups w/ 16 kg

3 Sets of 90/90 Stretches, QL Straddle Stretches, & Pull Up Bar Hangs

Observations

Increased range of motion on the goblet squats and hip bridges.

Not sure if I'm performing halos in the best way, so I'm re watching this video by Brett Jones right now.

Despite being a little sore from yesterday (not enough food, plenty of sleep), my swings and getups felt much easier today.

I'm running into some flexibility issues on the 90/90 stretches with my right hip. My range of motion on the left side has been improving dramatically, but the right side is not loosening up. My right hip/upper quadricep is where the projectile exited my body and I'm not sure if there is an actual issue with the scar tissue or if I've just been shielding that side from discomfort during my previous stretching.

QL straddle stretches are starting to go from absolutely awful to only slightly painful, so that's good.
 
Practice

3 Sets of 5 Goblet Squats, 5 Hip Bridges, & 5/5 Halos w/ 16 kg

5 Sets of 10 Two-Handed Swings w/ 16 kg

5 Sets of 1/1 Turkish Getups w/ 16 kg

3 Sets of 90/90 Stretches, QL Straddle Stretches, & Pull Up Bar Hangs

Observations

I just realized that according to the book, I should be using a 24 kg kettlebell for the swings and a 16 kg kettlebell for the getups. Maybe I'll go shopping later...

I'm forcing myself to stick to only five sets on the swings for the first week to build the habit and ensure that I don't burn myself out. I figure that it's way better to do a little every day than a lot every few weeks.
 
Thursday, March 7, 2019

After a night of drinking light beer and a contentious game of Scrabble I woke up this morning at 5:30 am with little to no motivation to swing kettlebells. After several hours of sleep, breakfast, and water, I decided to carve out some time in the afternoon to complete my daily workout:

Practice

Warmup

3 sets of 5 prying goblet squats, SF hip bridges, and haloes.

2 sets of 1/1 getups w/ 2.5 lb. weight balanced on my fist

Swings

5 sets of 10 two-arm swings w/ 16 kg. kettlebell

Getups

5
sets of 1/1 getups w/ 16 kg. kettlebell

Stretching

3
sets of 90/90 stretches for 30 sec.

3 sets of straddle stretches for 30 sec.

3 sets of pull up bar hangs for 10 sec.

Observations

Increased range of motion with the prying goblet squats. I was having some pain in my right knee on the outside earlier in the week, which I have resolved by widening my stance and pointing my feet slightly on the prying goblet squats and kettlebell swings.

The getups with a 2.5 lb plate balanced on my fist were extremely helpful for my form. It's easy to muscle your way through the movement with a kettlebell, but the prospect of dropping a plate on your head really helps you focus! I will be making this a permanent addition to my warmup.

The five sets of 10 two-arm swings are starting to become a breeze with the 16 kg. kettlebell, but I've committed to doing the bare minimum for at least one continuous week until I start additional sets. The last thing that I want is to kill myself one day and lose my motivation.

Getups flew by in no time, started to get into the zone with them, focusing on every little movement and orientation.
 
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Friday, March 8, 2019

Practice

Warmup

3 sets of 5 prying goblet squats, SF hip bridges, and haloes.

2 sets of 1/1 getups w/ 2.5 lb weight balanced on my fist

Swings

5 sets of 10 two-arm swings w/ 16 kg kettlebell

Getups

5 sets of 1/1 getups w/ 16 kg kettlebell

Stretching


3 sets of 90/90 stretches for 30 s

3 sets of straddle stretches for 30 s

3 sets of pull up bar hangs for 10 s

Observations

Increased range of motion with the haloes? It looks like my shoulders and upper back are loosening up more than I thought possible after adjusting my technique based on Brett Jones' video.

Again, the 2 sets of getups with a 2.5 lb plate are very instructive for proper technique.
 
Tuesday, March 26, 2018

Practice

Warmup

3 sets of 5 prying goblet squats, SF hip bridges, and haloes.

2 sets of 1/1 getups w/ 2.5 lb weight balanced on my fist

Swings

6 sets of 10 two-arm swings w/ 16 kg kettlebell

Getups

5 sets of 1/1 getups w/ 16 kg kettlebell

Stretching

3 sets of 90/90 stretches for 30 s

3 sets of straddle stretches for 30 s

3 sets of pull up bar hangs for 10 s
 
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Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Warmup

3 sets of 5 prying goblet squats, SF hip bridges, and haloes.

2 sets of 1/1 getups w/ 2.5 lb weight balanced on my fist

Swings

7 sets of 10 two-arm swings w/ 16 kg kettlebell

Getups

5 sets of 1/1 getups w/ 16 kg kettlebell

Stretching

3 sets of 90/90 stretches for 30 s

3 sets of straddle stretches for 30 s

3 sets of pull up bar hangs for 10 s
 
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Monday, April 8, 2019

Warmup

3 sets of 5 prying goblet squats, SF hip bridges, and haloes

2 sets of 1/1 getups w/ 2.5 lb weight balanced on my fist

Swings

5 sets of 10 two-arm swings w/ 16 kg kettlebell

Getups

5 sets of 1/1 getups w/ 16 kg kettlebell

Observations

Getups with a light weight are still a valuable teacher; I got cocky and dropped the weight on my leg when I tried to move too quickly through the getup.

Diet has been improving, trying to limit myself to black coffee and water for drinks. Focusing on "eating like an adult" for meals.
 
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Thursday, April 11, 2019

Warmup

3 sets of 5 prying goblet squats, SF hip bridges, and haloes

2 sets of 1/1 getups w/ 2.5 lb weight balanced on my fist

Swings

5 sets of 10 two-arm swings w/ 16 kg kettlebell

Getups

4 sets of 1/1 getups w/ 16 kg kettlebell

Stretching

3 sets of 90/90 stretches for 30 s

3 sets of straddle stretches for 30 s

3 sets of pull up bar hangs for 10 s
 
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