Sheltered And Simple

[Timmer C]

I am experiencing a paradox wherein the strength on my left side is both catching up with my right side and staying far behind. Today for example, all of my left hand get ups were 24kg and all my right get ups were 24kg except for one 28kg get up. In that respect, my left side is catching up. But when it comes to the one-arm clean/squat/press combo I do in small quantities throughout the day, my right side can crank out 5-6 reps with 45 pounds with decent form, but my left side cannot even do one rep at this weight, though it can crank out up to 8 reps with 35 pounds. I am trying to prime the pump: about once a day I will do 45 lb reps on my left side in which my right arm reaches over and gives a bit of assistance.

 

[Timmer C]

My regular clean & press work helped keep me safe today. When I was doing my 62 pound get up, I realized I had reached a point where the bell felt heavy enough that I wouldn’t be able to keep it in the air for the full time needed by the get up. With control, I did the decent portion of the press, and I was in a safe position. After a recovery period, I was then able to complete a full 62 pound get up.
Pressing skill is one of the most underrated parts of the get up. Strangers on the Internet say, “Don’t try to save the bell.” But these strangers will not pay the repair bills if I trash my apartment with a falling heavy kettlebell. I don’t know why strangers on the Internet think it’s better to lose control of the bell than to maintain control of the bell. Do these same strangers try to fling a dumbbell away from then when they can’t get a military press into the top most position? If the bell is starting to feel too heavy, it makes much more sense to safely lower it and keep it within my control than to lose control.
I bear no ill will these strangers on the Internet, as I know how easy it is to misunderstand and be misunderstood on the Internet. What I am doing for myself is practicing safety.

 

[Timmer C]

After sleeping in instead of doing my morning get up and swings, I didn't have high expectations for today's training. But in my kettlebell clean & press, I was finally able to press 45 pounds in my left hand without needing any assistance from my right hand. A challenge for my stabilizer muscles but one I want to face.

 

[Timmer C]

When I started this training log in April, a full 24kg get up was far beyond my capabilities. Now, this is a routine get up weight for me on either side, and I also do one 28kg rep on my right side per session. This rep may be the closest I get to pure meditation as there is no way for my attention to be elsewhere. And when I complete this rep and the rest of my session, I am ready to face another day of the pandemic.

 

[Timmer C]

I had to ease off of the 28kg bell for get ups. I had progressed to where four 28kg get ups on my right side were part of my practice. But my right shoulder was perpetually tender and I needed so much recovery time for my shoulders between 28kg get ups that my training sessions were getting long and unfocused. Long periods of recovery followed by moments of intense strain. The breaking point was when after all of the strain, I had enough of an issue with my vision that I had to go to an eye doctor.

My get up sessions are now this: right arm does full four 24kg get ups and only one 28kg get up. Left arm does four full 24kg get ups and one half get up at 28kg. The tenderness in my shoulder has gone away, my vision has returned to normal, and I can get through my get up sessions in a more focused, more enjoyable amount of time. And I am working at reducing my recovery time while working with a weight that doesn’t slay me.

Meanwhile, about once an hour for about two thirds of my work day, I do a few kettlebell clean/squat/press combos, and I’ve been progressing. Currently, my right arm does its main work with 45lb and 48lb bells, and my left arm does its main work with 40lb and 45lb bells. My shoulder strength is growing, but not undergoing the severe strain of several 62lb get ups. And I am actually learning to enjoy the press.

Back when I started my kettlebell training, I was starting from a place of low strength. The fact that I can do 32kg swings, 22kg one-arm presses, 24kg get ups (and a limited amount of 28kg get ups) means I’ve made quite a bit of progress from a low starting point. While I can continue to build my strength, I need to do so in a way that works for me rather than against me.

 

[Timmer C]

The kettlebell shoulder press has been a central routine for me for many months. I chain together a clean, a squat, and a shoulder press. My right arm can currently handle a 53 pound press and my left arm can handle a 48 pound press. I like the way this routine is highly portable and can be done in many situations where a TGU is not practical for me (such as on grass, or on concrete or super hard floors or in tight spaces or in places with distractions.) When my building's gym no longer has a mask requirement, I may do the TGU more regularly once again, but I'm not worried. The kettlebell shoulder press is a solid exercise.

 

[Timmer C]

The regular regimen of kettlebell clean/squat/press continues. I no longer think of this combo as simply a holding pattern until I can return to my building's gym without a mask requirement and do turkish get ups. When I was doing turkish get ups inside my small apartment, I got slower and slower as the weight increased. I had to be quite careful because failing a lift and then keeping the bell from causing harm to me could cause major property damage. (I couldn't allow the bell to crash onto my hardwood floor or into a wall or onto the kitchen island, etc.) By contrast, even when working with a challenging weight for a one arm press, it is easy to avoid damage to property and to self. I always have one free arm that can assist if needed.

 

[Timmer C]

Each arm can now handle 53 pounds for a kettlebell press. My regular kettlebell clean/squat/press combo has has allowed slow but steady progress. Handling heavy packages or moving heavy furniture is more doable for me now at this point in middle-age than it ever was in my youth. Now that my building's gym no longer requires masks, I am in a position to return to doing the TGU again. If I do so, I will be doing so with a stronger base. I had really struggled to advance from 53lb TGU's to 62lb TGU's when 25lb was the most I could reliably press. I know I can still do 53lb get ups, having done a test set recently. 62lb get ups with reliability and consistency seem like something I could now aim towards.