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Simple - Not Easy

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Date: 06/30/2020 (Tue - Day 16) -- 16kg for both lifts

Warmup, Swings 10x5L - 10x5R, Getups 1x5L & 1x5R

Subjective feelings: Difficulty 1-5: 3
Notes
: Basically the same as yesterday, with a bit of soreness in my lats. I think I should rest tomorrow. I might, depending on how I feel.
Swings: The one-handed swings felt more powerful than usual. That's a good thing!
Getups: This is where I experienced some pain in my lats. "Pain" is a poor term; I guess I mean some light soreness.
 
Date: 07/01/2020 (Wed - Day 17)

DAY OFF

Notes: I decided to follow the good advice of several of our forum members and take a rest day today. Overall, I feel great today; very energetic. The slight pain I felt yesterday is gone. I will do some stretching later, though.
 
Date: 07/02/2020 (Thu - Day 18) -- 16kg for both lifts

Warmup, Swings 10x5L - 10x5R, Getups 1x5L & 1x5R

Subjective feelings: Difficulty 1-5: 2
Notes
: Another of those great days where I felt really strong. The rest yesterday was a good idea.
Swings: Good, powerful one-arm swings.
Getups: Felt great.
 
Date: 07/03/2020 (Fri - Day 19) -- 16kg for both lifts

Warmup, Swings 10x10TH, Getups 1x5L & 1x5R

Subjective feelings: Difficulty 1-5: 2
Notes
: Great end to the week. I wish I could just skip next week and go straight to adding in the 24kg sets, but I'll wait like I'm supposed to.
Swings: Everything was clicking.
Getups: Felt great. Not gonna lie--I snuck in a single rep with the 24kg just to see what's up. I'm ready :).
 
Date: 07/04/2020 (Sat - Day 20)

DAY OFF

Notes: This was a great week of training! I'm very happy with my progress, and I look forward to completing my final 16kg-only week next week. Happy 4th!
 
Date: 07/05/2020 (Sun - Day 21)

DAY OFF

Notes: With so much to do this weekend, I decided to take another day and rest. My body probably needs it anyway given the recent soreness I've had. Perhaps I'll adopt a 5-day per week approach? I'm certainly no athlete or competitor; I'm just a regular guy who wants to be fit and healthy. Maybe--we'll see how I do this coming week.
 
Date: 07/06/2020 (Mon - Day 22) -- 16kg for both lifts

Warmup, Swings 10x5L - 10x5R, Getups 1x5L & 1x5R

Subjective feelings: Difficulty 1-5: 2
Notes
: Great workout. I really feel like I'm ready to move past 16kg.
Swings: Very solid; stayed squared with shoulders packed nicely.
Getups: Awesome. 16kg is basically light at this point. My rest intervals are significantly shorter; around 30 seconds per rep, maybe.
 
Date: 07/07/2020 (Tue - Day 23) -- 16kg for both lifts

Warmup, Swings 10x5TH, Getups 1x2L & 1x2R

Subjective feelings: Difficulty 1-5: 2
Notes
: Was very pressed for time today. I figured a short workout was better than no workout.
Swings: As powerful as I could manage given the short number of sets.
Getups: No issues here.
 
Date: 07/08/2020 (Wed - Day 24) -- 16kg for both lifts

Warmup, Swings 10x5L - 10x5R, Getups 1x5L & 1x5R

Subjective feelings: Difficulty 1-5: 2
Notes
: Felt great.
Swings: Ditto
Getups: Nice and easy. I tried really slowing the reps down a lot on these this time; felt good.
 
Date: 07/09/2020 (Thu - Day 25) -- 16kg for both lifts

Warmup, Swings 10x5L - 10x5R, Getups 1x5L & 1x5R

Subjective feelings: Difficulty 1-5: 2
Notes
: Awesome! Swings were a little tougher today; otherwise I would have marked difficulty at a 1.5!
Swings: I was really pushing as hard as I could through my hips and legs. My feet were sliding on the floor! I don't usually push quite that hard, so they were a little more tiring than usual.
Getups: So pleased with my progress here; these things just make me feel really good!
 
Date: 07/10/2020 (Fri - Day 26) -- 16kg for both lifts

Warmup, Swings 10x10TH, Getups 1x5L & 1x5R

Subjective feelings: Difficulty 1-5: 2
Notes
: My final 16kg only workout; it felt great.
Swings: Two hand swings were so easy. I felt like I could release the bell and it would fly 20 feet!
Getups: Another great day.
 
Four Weeks Down - Monthly Report

It is hard to fathom how this exercise program--hell, any exercise program--could have given me everything that it has in only four weeks. I will try and list the highlights here:
  • I have lost weight - 9 pounds since I began.
  • I have much more strength and endurance than when I started. Initially I could not complete a single set of 5 prying goblet squats without taking a break. Now I breeze through my warmup with ease. And I mean genuine ease; the difference is night and day. It also used to be very difficult to get through each rep of the getups with 16kg. Now it feels so light!
  • I have experienced dramatic muscle hypertrophy in my shoulders, back, and especially legs. My arms don't feel or look the same, either, with the triceps area showing the most dramatic changes.
  • Bending over, lifting things in my house, and just about everything else you have to do on a daily basis is just easier. I notice something new every day. "Wow, that was lighter than it used to be!" - "Hey, I'm not out of breath!"
I did a sort of unofficial test of my strength, as well. Before I started S&S, I had purchased a pullup station thinking that I was going to do pullups or something silly like that. Ha, I couldn't even HANG FROM THE BAR! Talk about being mad at myself. Anyway, I've done nothing with that pullup station since I started this workout. This evening, I was able to hang from the bar for over 10 seconds, and I could have hung on longer! I lost some weight, but not enough to account for that. My strength has improved dramatically.

The most satisfying part of this experience, though, has been the experience itself. Feeling myself transform as the workouts went from very difficult to easy; feeling my grip go from timid and just barely enough to get through a set, to solid and far more than enough to dominate the set; firing my hips and feeling my body work as a unit to powerfully swing the bell versus my initial uncoordinated attempts at swinging. I simply feel more coordinated, strong, and capable.

Anyway, Sunday will be my first session with the 24kg bell thrown in for sets 3 & 4 of each exercise. I can't wait!
 
That’s excellent - Congratulations and thanks for sharing your journey - it’s very encouraging.
 
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Date: 07/12/2020 (Sun - Day 28) -- 24kg for sets 3 & 4, 16kg for all others

Warmup, Swings 10x10TH, Getups 1x5L & 1x5R

Subjective feelings: Difficulty 1-5: 3
Notes
: Hello there, 24kg! Yep, replacing two sets is plenty to start with, lol.
Swings: The heavier kettlebell really reinforced my confidence in my swing. It was much easier to feel my legs and hips doing the work; my arms were definitely just along for the ride. This was hard to judge with the 16kg bell. I also want to note that driving my hips as powerfully as I normally do resulted in me feeling the power begin to fade at the end of rep 10 on both sets. I'm interested to see how long it takes to feel "full power" on that final rep.
Getups: Wow! Talk about "listen up!" Big weight increase! I am amazed that I was able to do this lift with both left and right hands. On both sides my initial roll was pretty laughable, but my second attempt was successful both times. After that initial hiccup, the rest of the getup felt exactly the same as usual--just heavier. Really happy!
 
Date: 07/13/2020 (Mon - Day 29) -- 24kg for sets 3 & 4, 16kg for all others

Warmup, Swings 10x5L & 10x5R, Getups 1x5L & 1x5R

Subjective feelings: Difficulty 1-5: 3
Notes
: Almost marked difficulty at 4, but just not quite.
Swings: The 24kg swings really taxed my left-hand grip. I actually thought I might have to set the bell down on rep 7, but I kept going and it was okay. Right-hand was fine. Yet another attribute to keep an eye on for improvement. One-armed swings with the 16kg after finishing the 24kg feel hilarious; it's like you're swinging a toy around.
Getups: Good, solid sets. Much better than yesterday with the 24kg bell.
 
Date: 07/15/2020 (Wed - Day 31) -- 24kg for sets 3 & 4, 16kg for all others

Warmup, Swings 10x5L & 10x5R, Getups 1x5L & 1x5R

Subjective feelings: Difficulty 1-5: 4
Notes
: Okay, I'm going to give this one a 4/5; it was tougher with the 24kg bell today.
Swings: Grip was a challenge toward the end of the sets with 24kg. Also, hip drive was more challenging, as well.
Getups: Nice and challenging, but overall really strong. Very happy with these.
 
Date: 07/16/2020 (Thu - Day 32) -- 24kg for sets 3 & 4, 16kg for all others

Warmup, Swings 10x10TH, Getups 1x5L & 1x5R

Subjective feelings: Difficulty 1-5: 3
Notes
: The 24kg getups were tough today, but overall everything was easier than yesterday.
Swings: Two-hand swings are more tiring to me because I can push harder. Boy, these were tiring!
Getups: 24kg seemed heavier today; maybe tomorrow will be easier!? :).
 
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