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S&S+, Judo, Kendo, Historical & Modern Fencing, Walking.

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My dilemma is that I'm caught between judo and weights. How to blend them isn't simple as I value both for their own reasons. In any case, due to new information from Kenny Croxdale and my judo coach, I'm going to program two handed heavy swings into my daily routine. These will be specifically to enhance judo performance. I'll see how this affects my ability to do one handed S&S swings and go from there. My coach was quite dismissive of one handed kettlebell swings for sport-specific power generation and my experience would concur with this. This is not to say I'm going to bastardize S&S (too much at any rate), since the 2h swings miss a lot of muscles through the trunk and core. Maybe 60 swings of both types, hmmm... (okay, so slightly bastardized S&S...)
 
I did the S&S swings last night 2h with the 40 and the TGUs with the 40 also.

Given my new advice, what I'll do is to quite frequently do the swings 2h like this, but not most of the time.
 
Did S&S by the book today and took a shower, then logged in here. I'm sticking with the program by the book and pursuing Sinister all the while enjoying very much the strength and endurance advantage S&S is giving me over all my training partners except for the full time pros.
 
If you're planning to do by the book, there's also two-arm swings when you're training 32 kg - or heavier - frequently. Those shadow swing tests every other Friday or so.

But I'm glad you made up your mind.
 
If you're planning to do by the book, there's also two-arm swings when you're training 32 kg - or heavier - frequently. Those shadow swing tests every other Friday or so.

But I'm glad you made up your mind.
I never really understood the two 2h swing programs in S&S. One is the shadow swings with a lighter kettlebell, and one is some kind of trying to get to 100 non-stop swings eventually with the 48kg, which I call "wrestling with the kettlebell" since the book says it takes about as long as a wrestling match. I don't really fully understand the instructions for these. I'll have to comb through the book again I suppose.
 
There's many parts that I don't understand either. Partially that's why I swapped to Program Minimum. Other reason was my health. My back couldn't cope with one-arm swings. Now I'm doing two-arm version as long as I can. And I'm happy about it. Hopefully I can do one-arm swings heavy someday and get back to S&S. But for now only minimum effective dose.
 
There's many parts that I don't understand either. Partially that's why I swapped to Program Minimum. Other reason was my health. My back couldn't cope with one-arm swings. Now I'm doing two-arm version as long as I can. And I'm happy about it. Hopefully I can do one-arm swings heavy someday and get back to S&S. But for now only minimum effective dose.
I don't understand program minimum, actually. Hahaha.

There is something a bit unclear about Pavel's work that bothers me. He seems to put forward a program like S&S but then give lots of examples of people achieving good results doing things other than his program, in the book. All those "swing quests" etc for instance. So, is he giving me the hint to go on "swing quests" myself? I wish he would just come out and say, "Hey, here are some 'add ons' you might want to do for variety or fun or to go heavier with your exercises" and formalize it like this. As things are I'm afraid to tamper with the delicate organization of S&S. I definitely see huge results with it, of course, which is why I'm so loyal to it!

I have always gotten a huge amount from walking, and this is my third major source of exercise after judo and S&S.
 
Maybe organization thinks that we are individuals and treat us that way and let us manage some things at ourselves. One way is to see SFG instructor (if got money for that) and seek answers there. Books are enough for me. It takes time to find way to do things... but I have time to spare.
 
Maybe organization thinks that we are individuals and treat us that way and let us manage some things at ourselves. One way is to see SFG instructor (if got money for that) and seek answers there. Books are enough for me. It takes time to find way to do things... but I have time to spare.
Sort of, but the programs are pretty specific, and of course, they work, hahaha!
 
I think I'm done with the 32 for S&S. I'm using the 40 for everything now. I do the swings in sets of 5s but with only short rest periods between. I enjoy the float at the top of each swing. I also enjoy the continuous elevated heartbeat and the interesting positioning challenge for the TGUs. All is going very well. I do S&S with the 40 about every second or third day because of judo. Pavel Macek was saying that S&S past Simple is fine to do about every second day, so I don't feel guilty about this. I'm just thrilled with my progress! :)
 
Judo is going VERY WELL thanks to judo itself and my amazing coaches but also to S&S at the 40kg level! :)
 
I quite enjoyed reading Reload. It made me go back and reread parts of PTTP. Comparing them, Reload is really about programming in the 4 major SF approved barbell lifts with one heavy and one light day a week per each (basically). Without a rack and spotters, it is possible to do the deadlift and the military press at home - kind of like PTTP. So, I looked back at PTTP and noticed the big difference is in the idea of training 5 days a week in PTTP doing 2 sets of 5 deadlifts (basically) followed by a minimal or however much more than that you want to do of one arm presses or similar moves (again, basically.) PTTP strikes me as more of an overall strength development and maintenance program using only 2 moves, basically just like S&S but using a different tool for more or less the same goal - strengthen the entire body mainly through a "big pull" movement followed by a less important patch-up-the-holes "big push" movement.

I've got to really think deeply about what it is I am trying to accomplish here. No matter what the route is, it takes effort, discipline and time. I've spent the past few days starting to test out deadlifts of various weights, and doing presses with the 32 and 40kg bells. I've been sold on the deadlift and the press as important moves for a long time, ever since I read PTTP and ETK for the first time. Still, hahaha, my judo life (and other sports I've done) can't help but influence me. It's the off-kilter twisty kettlebell stuff like 1h swings and getups that to me clearly mimic real world strength the most, at least in terms of the kind of sports I've played. Also, when it comes to sports, endurance is critical. Limit strength is helpful and important, but strength-endurance is critical.

So, what I think right now is this:
1. Keep doing S&S 2-3 times a week with the 40kg bell.
2. Take deadlifting more seriously - I might have trouble with the 5X5 though, so maybe more of a PTTP template for the near future until I "find myself" with the move.
3. Put in some serious effort at getting to the beast press. I can press the 40 right now.

To have ultimate goals, which are useful and attainable if not as far as I could go perhaps if I were determined to surpass them:
1. S&S 2-3 times a week with the 48kg bell (and eventually a Sinister test if it will still be available in a few years)
2. Be able to deadlift and maintain 5 reps with 420lbs, as this is all the weight I have, and I think it's enough, hahaha!
3. The beast press - I'd be happy to be able to do reps with it someday.

In other words, my goals are to own the weights I already have, which are plenty good for superb levels of strength and athleticism I think, and helpful in judo, actually critical for judo, and if I wish to do other sports or activities, for those too.
 
So, I'll adjust the plan. I'll do the 5X5 deadlifts once a week according to the Reload plan. On at least another 2 days I'll do S&S, and I'll do kettlbell presses too.
 
Did 2 sets of 5 reps deadlifts with the 340lbs barbell. I was planning to do 5 sets but I could tell that there are bits of me that have to fill in before I up the volume. I've done the move for a few years but not seriously. It's different when drilling it more. I think I'll need to stick with more or less the PTTP template of 2X5 daily for a while until my body adjusts to the new movement.

Actually, I don't know what the relative merits are of the PTTP 2X5 daily relative to the Reload template of 5X5 weekly. Maybe if deadlifts and kettlebell presses are all I'm doing I should stick with PTTP at least for a while.
 
Did another 5 reps last night of deadlifts with the 340lbs making 15 reps total, far off Reload's 25 reps. I'll start over again in a few days at 300lbs. I'm pretty sure I can do it at 300lbs.

I was upset I couldn't get past 3X5 with either the 320lbs or the 340lbs this week and got upset. I'll just stubbornly find a way to make Reload work for me for deadilfts.

The presses shouldn't take too long. I'll film my beast press when I can do it and post it here. I can already press the 40lbs bell.
 
The deadlift might turn out to be a better fit for judo than swings for the simple reason that you have to pick up humans all the time. The deadlift is as heavy as a human opponent but swingable kettlebells at 32kg to 48kg are not as heavy. We'll see how this plays out. Training the deadlift movement so much over the past week certainly made it feel like my judo moved up to a new level today.
 
Kind of an anti-post today. I was way too tired to do any exercise at all yesterday. I slept through my judo training time. Oh well.. :( Life can be exhausting at times; fun but exhausting.

I'll be starting Reload for the barbell press. Looking forward to that!
 
So I started the Reload presses today. I tested my 1RM directly and the most I could do was 140lbs. 80% of that is roughly 110lbs. I was only able to do 5 reps of that, so my ramp up starting weight is ~90lbs (60% of 1RM). I did 5X5 with that and felt it in a good way.

So, the chart is by week
  1. 90lbs 5X5
  2. 100lbs 5X5
  3. 100lbs 5X5 (again as the increment is too small)
  4. 110lbs 5X5
  5. 110lbs 5X5 (again as the increment is too small)
  6. 120lbs 3X3
  7. 130lbs 2X2
  8. Test 1RM
 
Tomorrow I'll do week 2 of Reload for the deadlift. I've already set the bar for 240lbs.

The chart is by week:

220 5X5
240 5X5
260 5X5
280 5X5
300 5X5
320 3X3
340 2X2
Test 1RM and restart
 
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