Programming Improv Need some advice on fitting Kettlebell training into my current routine

[North Coast Miller]

@North Coast Miller I've never done any HIIT before. What would my off-day workout look like if you were to write it out?

If a run is out of the question you can do jumprope HIIT using about a 1:1 work:rest ratio. You can start at 20 seconds, really keeping your knees high and as fast as you are capable. If you have a HR monitor you can dial it in a little better, is good if you hit your estimated 90% max HR within 3 or 4 intervals. Shoot for between 10 and 15 intervals depending on conditioning. If you can do 15, start decreasing rest periods by 2 seconds or so.

Also, I don't have any sandbags at the gym but this exercise looks really cool. The sprawl-to-counter move looks hard to practice without a buddy, and maybe this is a sign I need to find time and money to do some BJJ or something.

If you get into a lot of trouble, you’ll want to work on sprawl and take-down defense on top of whatever else you practice. Sooner or later you’ll run into someone who has that skill and won’t go well one on one to be lacking. Kali and 52 are a real good combo for upright.

 

[jaku]

Thanks for opening up about this..

Apart from keeping your condition in check, what are your other goals? It may actually be a wise idea to work with an instructor even if it's for a few sessions or periodic check-ins

Hey Mark! My goal is to build muscle and some strength naturally along the way. I'm not too concerned about achieving big numbers anymore, I'm already strong enough. I don't play any sports anymore, and I don't compete.

If a run is out of the question you can do jumprope HIIT using about a 1:1 work:rest ratio. You can start at 20 seconds, really keeping your knees high and as fast as you are capable. If you have a HR monitor you can dial it in a little better, is good if you hit your estimated 90% max HR within 3 or 4 intervals. Shoot for between 10 and 15 intervals depending on conditioning. If you can do 15, start decreasing rest periods by 2 seconds or so.

Also, I don't have any sandbags at the gym but this exercise looks really cool. The sprawl-to-counter move looks hard to practice without a buddy, and maybe this is a sign I need to find time and money to do some BJJ or something.

If you get into a lot of trouble, you’ll want to work on sprawl and take-down defense on top of whatever else you practice. Sooner or later you’ll run into someone who has that skill and won’t go well one on one to be lacking. Kali and 52 are a real good combo for upright.

Thanks @North Coast Miller, I'll take a look into the Kali and 52 combo. As for the jump topping, I actually do have an HR monitor that I bought and rarely use. Would you do a jump rope on workout days or rest days? I'm very keen on keeping my CNS fatigue low as possible.

 

[North Coast Miller]

Hey Mark! My goal is to build muscle and some strength naturally along the way. I'm not too concerned about achieving big numbers anymore, I'm already strong enough. I don't play any sports anymore, and I don't compete.



Thanks @North Coast Miller, I'll take a look into the Kali and 52 combo. As for the jump topping, I actually do have an HR monitor that I bought and rarely use. Would you do a jump rope on workout days or rest days? I'm very keen on keeping my CNS fatigue low as possible.

Def on “off days”.
Initially the HIIT is going to feel somewhat intimidating but should not interfere at all with opposite day resistance training. Give it about 3 weeks, 2x per week with 15 minutes being absolute max - 10-12 minutes being better. After a month or so you can add a third session. You will never need to do more than 3x per week.

 

[jaku]

Def on “off days”.
Initially the HIIT is going to feel somewhat intimidating but should not interfere at all with opposite day resistance training. Give it about 3 weeks, 2x per week with 15 minutes being absolute max - 10-12 minutes being better. After a month or so you can add a third session. You will never need to do more than 3x per week.

Exciting. I've never used a jump rope before this is about to be an ugly first few weeks.

 

[North Coast Miller]

Exciting. I've never used a jump rope before this is about to be an ugly first few weeks.

If you have a stationary bike it’ll work just as well. Sprinting in place can work but you’ll have to use longer work and shorter rest periods.

You want to hit close to 90% of your estimated max HR as fast as possible with the least muscular impact - this is aerobic work although it doesn’t feel like it at the time.

As mentioned, by your 3rd or 4th interval you should be hitting that 90% very quickly, HR will only recover by maybe 10 BPM during rest.

Fast movement, all out effort, get it over with rapidly.

If not very conditioned, work into this with fewer intervals to start, maybe 6. Each week add another until 10-12.

 

[jaku]

Today I'll be doing my first jump rope session ever. Yesterday during my workout, I had some questions that popped into my head about other exercises and why I may or may not want to include them.

1. Loaded Carries. I keep hearing these are good for you, they're "functional". As someone who doesn't play sports or anything, is this worth the time training?
2. Dips for Tricep hypertrophy. Is this actually useful to build triceps or will I just end up adding more lower chest?

 

[Xcal]

Exciting. I've never used a jump rope before this is about to be an ugly first few weeks.

I stopped jump rope some time ago. here are some videos for you of the worl'ds best fighters skipping:
1. You can find it on youtube: boxing legends jumping rope (feat. Ali, Tyson, Duran, and so many more. but not Butterbean for some reason)


2. Floyd Mayweather being the legend that he is:


and

on the street or in clubs

What clubs and streets are you frequenting? I'll stay clear

My learnings from a perspective of managing chronic disease (and simply getting older) is that my successful training, diet and mental games revolve around:
- cardio vascular (lungs, heart, and blood vessels)
- Muscle building and maintaining (A+A, HIIT, and other techniques seem great. I prefer the A+A style and staying away from HIIT)
- skeletal maintenance (calcium intake everthing around muscle building + flexibility).
- keeping it interesting
- I totally miss the balance when it comes to food quantity, I eat too much. The quality is great (healthy, tasty, balanced meals, low/no sugar, Intermittent Fasting, etc).

I get my balance from running, TGU's, swings, and snatches and throwing in various KB tricks here n there. It seems that your routine is also well balanced.

But now I'm thinking about skipping rope again, this is a hole that I feel in my routine let's see how my joints do with the planned increase in running and I'll give this a shot if I'm still good in Feb.

 

[Xcal]

1. Loaded Carries. I keep hearing these are good for you, they're "functional". As someone who doesn't play sports or anything, is this worth the time training?

I'm a massive fan of walking with my 12 or 16kg kettlebell nonstop for 20-30 minutes, with a few swings/snatches at every streetpole to switch hands, and a few waiters carry/rack carry/etc from pole-to-pole. It has helped me acheive a few things needed for TGU:
1. I've learnt how to pack my shoulders in very well. wether the KB is above my head in a waiters carry, or at my side in a suitcase carry.
2. I've learning how lock my elbow straight (waiters carry). This was always a 'deadly sin' when training karate and Kungfu many years ago, so this has been a challenge for me from day1 of KB.
3. getting comfortable with holding a cannonball above my head. You know, when the need arises, I can help out with the war effort.

I also don't play other sports.

 

[North Coast Miller]

Today I'll be doing my first jump rope session ever. Yesterday during my workout, I had some questions that popped into my head about other exercises and why I may or may not want to include them.

1. Loaded Carries. I keep hearing these are good for you, they're "functional". As someone who doesn't play sports or anything, is this worth the time training?
2. Dips for Tricep hypertrophy. Is this actually useful to build triceps or will I just end up adding more lower chest?

Dips for triceps will not be anywhere near as effective as something like an overhead tricep extension. The key is to keep it from being a press.

Carries are great medicine and I have used them as a finisher for a few training blocks using 120 and 90lb sandbags either hand. They teach very useful shoulder packing and poise under load. That said, I don’t do them regularly and don’t feel I am missing anything. My programming doesn’t have room for additions and I’m not cutting anything to make space.

 

[Steve Freides]

@jaku, for your situation I'd keep it simple:

You don't weigh enough. Lift. Eat, lots. You'll get stronger, you'll gain weight.

There's a wonderful Pavel quote that I can't find right now, but it goes something like: eat like a king, sleep like boy. Just keep doing what you're doing. Worry about your bodyfat percentage - if you must - later, not now.

-S-

 

[jaku]

Thanks guys. I did some trap bar carries with 225 the other day after my deadlifts. I'll play around with that for now. Also what is the difference between A+A and HIIT? I don't know much about either.

 

[North Coast Miller]

The A&A that pertains to actual lifting is a power based approach to building muscular endurance and strength. If you combine it with some low impact steady state aerobics it is a complete training strategy for GPP strength and endurance. It can be applied to more outcome specific work as well.

HIIT is aerobic, cardiovascular conditioning, NOT resistance work. HIIT should have very little felt effect on resistance training aside from improving recovery time from high intensity or prolonged efforts and improving wind generally. It is a stand in for steady state aerobics that produces largely similar outcome - there are some notable differences.

 

[solarbear]

If you are working out 2x per week you might consider just hitting the same exercises twice perhaps in a 5x5 format.

Squat
Bench
Row/Chin Up

The alternative would be to have a heavy/light day for each exercise, perhaps 2x10 for the light day.
eg D1 Squat 5x5 Bench 2x10 Row 5x5
D2 Squat 2x10 Bench 5x5 Row 2x10

This being said you could then do other things on off days. Things like KB swings, rucking, body weight exercises, heavy carries.

 

[Anna C]

The A&A that pertains to actual lifting is a power based approach to building muscular endurance and strength. If you combine it with some low impact steady state aerobics it is a complete training strategy for GPP strength and endurance. It can be applied to more outcome specific work as well.

HIIT is aerobic, cardiovascular conditioning, NOT resistance work. HIIT should have very little felt effect on resistance training aside from improving recovery time from high intensity or prolonged efforts and improving wind generally. It is a stand in for steady state aerobics that produces largely similar outcome - there are some notable differences.

Well said!

I feel like we could have used this clarity and distinction on a bunch of threads in the past....

 

[jaku]

I was doing DB incline today and I felt that twinge in my spine when I arched a bit under load. I think I'm all set with the incline DB press for a while and it got me thinking of ditching back squats too.

I still want to develop my upper pec still and grow my legs, so I'm trying to find some alternatives, I think I'll either do Double KB Squats or Bulgarian Split Squats. But as for hitting the upper chest, I'm at a loss.

 

[North Coast Miller]

I was doing DB incline today and I felt that twinge in my spine when I arched a bit under load. I think I'm all set with the incline DB press for a while and it got me thinking of ditching back squats too.

I still want to develop my upper pec still and grow my legs, so I'm trying to find some alternatives, I think I'll either do Double KB Squats or Bulgarian Split Squats. But as for hitting the upper chest, I'm at a loss.

Pushups

 

[jaku]

Pushups

Wow that went over my head, those are so easy but if you think about it you can get really creative with these and manipulate leverage.

 

[North Coast Miller]

Wow that went over my head, those are so easy but if you think about it you can get really creative with these and manipulate leverage.

A pushup board is a very useful tool, well worth making one.
Back loading these with even a relatively small sandbag will quickly increase the training load at your hands. Regular pushup is about 70-75% of your bodyweight at the bottom of range of motion. Likewise elevating the feet increases the training load.

 

[3letterslong]

Here's what I would do and which has worked really well for me:

Day 1

deadlift 2x5-7
push exercise #1 - 2x5-7
pull exercise #2 - 2x5-7
swings (as explosive as possible, 5-10 sets of 5-10 reps)

Day 2
squat / leg exercise* for a few warm-up sets and then one higher-rep work set
push exercise #2 - same rep sheme as above
pull exercise #2 - same rep scheme as above
swings x big swing workout

*there are a lot of unilateral exercises out there to be experimented with. Cossack squats, Cossack Hindu squats, split squats, wall sits / one-legged wall sits, step-ups, partial ROM lunges only going as deep as you can in a pain-free fashion, etc. Personally, if I were you, I would see if B-squats were safe on your knees, see if you could find a ROM that would let you do lunges pain-free or see if Original Strength crawling / rocking can be done with your knees. The OS stuff might be the best place to start to strengthen and repair things. They've got some rocking variations that are hugely challenging for your quads.

The bulk of day 1 would be focused on strength and swings would just be another exercise, but the bulk of day 2 would be focused on swings (for 20-40 minutes) and the strength stuff would almost be like accessory work - it's there, you'll get stronger in it, but it's really not the focus. I like to follow along with Tracy Reifkind's swing workouts on youtube, but you could also do S&S swings.

Anyways, I am not an expert by any means, but this system worked really well for me.

 

[Hung]

Jaku, how is your amount of food you can consume now? Is that enough to trigger hypertrophy (calories surplus and enough protein) without affecting your health (Crohn disease, in the last thread you mentioned having a hard time with food choice, and I hope that it would be much better right now)? If I was you, I would make sure that food consumption is enough before increasing volume/adding more lift (if the goal is hypertrophy).