Mitch
Level 2 Valued Member
Hey all, new to Strongfirst and kettlebells generally as of last month. I heard Pavel on the radio, my head exploded, then I bought Simple and Sinister, read it, started last month - May 2nd, 2017.
I won't bore anyone with how last month went, but it started like this:
Swings: 5 x 10 - 2 hands - 24kg
GUs: 8 x 1 (L/R) - 8kg -- 2 x 1 (L/R) - 12kg
and it ended, on May 30th, 2017, like this:
Swings: 10 x 10 (L/R) - 24kg
GUs: 10 x 10 (L/R) - 20kg
Long rests between sets helped with getting all 10 sets of both without faulting.
Needless to say, I love S&S! Never seen such results. Few things happened along the way:
1. I shredded the s*** out of my hands. Blisters became calluses that became blood blisters. I got bandages, and an emery board to file them down, which both helped a lot. But it did interrupt training on a few days.
2. Bell slipping was a big issue. I certainly have a grip imbalance between hands. I'm right handed, and my left hand swings were more slippery than my right hand ones, even though they were equally sweaty.
But I used chalk for the first time today, and it was the first day I had no concern about dropping the bell.
Between May 30th and today, I had a couple of very messy sessions. Dropped the bell a couple times on swings, attempted my first TGUs with a 24kg bell just to test it out -- completed one rep on each side. But went on to gabble with friends at the gym and lose track of sets. Less said about these last few days the better.
So here's today - June 4th, 2017:
Swings: 10 x 10 (L/R) - 24kg. (Chalked left hand only for first time - zero bell slipping).
TGU: 5 x 1 (L) - 20kg. 4 x 1 (R) - 20kg. Faulted on last Right Side TGU. Attempted twice, faulted twice.
I've had a strange experience with TGUs on my right side - which is my dominant side. I find my "lunge to stand" is much more difficult than on my left side. When I'm in the lunge position on my right side, I just feel like I can't get up. I tense forearms, abs and glutes (I heard that's Pavel's recommendation, is that correct?) and it helps a bit, but sometimes elbow buckles. Just sitting in the lunge position with the bell in my left hand, I feel like I can get up, no problem. Anyone else encounter this?
Thanks for any tips!
I won't bore anyone with how last month went, but it started like this:
Swings: 5 x 10 - 2 hands - 24kg
GUs: 8 x 1 (L/R) - 8kg -- 2 x 1 (L/R) - 12kg
and it ended, on May 30th, 2017, like this:
Swings: 10 x 10 (L/R) - 24kg
GUs: 10 x 10 (L/R) - 20kg
Long rests between sets helped with getting all 10 sets of both without faulting.
Needless to say, I love S&S! Never seen such results. Few things happened along the way:
1. I shredded the s*** out of my hands. Blisters became calluses that became blood blisters. I got bandages, and an emery board to file them down, which both helped a lot. But it did interrupt training on a few days.
2. Bell slipping was a big issue. I certainly have a grip imbalance between hands. I'm right handed, and my left hand swings were more slippery than my right hand ones, even though they were equally sweaty.
But I used chalk for the first time today, and it was the first day I had no concern about dropping the bell.
Between May 30th and today, I had a couple of very messy sessions. Dropped the bell a couple times on swings, attempted my first TGUs with a 24kg bell just to test it out -- completed one rep on each side. But went on to gabble with friends at the gym and lose track of sets. Less said about these last few days the better.
So here's today - June 4th, 2017:
Swings: 10 x 10 (L/R) - 24kg. (Chalked left hand only for first time - zero bell slipping).
TGU: 5 x 1 (L) - 20kg. 4 x 1 (R) - 20kg. Faulted on last Right Side TGU. Attempted twice, faulted twice.
I've had a strange experience with TGUs on my right side - which is my dominant side. I find my "lunge to stand" is much more difficult than on my left side. When I'm in the lunge position on my right side, I just feel like I can't get up. I tense forearms, abs and glutes (I heard that's Pavel's recommendation, is that correct?) and it helps a bit, but sometimes elbow buckles. Just sitting in the lunge position with the bell in my left hand, I feel like I can get up, no problem. Anyone else encounter this?
Thanks for any tips!