all posts post new thread

Stu's training log

Status
Closed Thread. (Continue Discussion of This Topic by Starting a New Thread.)

Stuart Elliott

Level 6 Valued Member
My intro; turned 40 last week, 2 kids, wife, dog and sit for hours doing a desk job. Used to play rugby, soccer etc when younger still play cricket and the odd round of golf. I stumbled upon kettlebells via DD in my mid 30s. I'd beaten myself up with bodybuilding programmes, crossfit, crossfit football. I was playing cricket and even though i should have felt strong, i felt like a 90 year old, immobile and beat up. Obviously something was wrong so in my search for an answer I stumbled upon kbs. Literally after a week of tgus and swings I was moving much better and all the stiffness and pain had subsided. I picked up ETK and spent a year working up to ROP using 24, but the volume proved too much for my elbow and flared up my tennis elbow, so during the following cricket season I switched back to pm which worked great, it proved to be a template ive stuck too. Last winter i bought KB strong and did strong using 24s then last feb I started S&S with a24,before completing simple late this summer. S&S taught me many things, but mostly to be patient, its genius in its simplicity.

My ultimate goal is to be able to do the long cycle hard style with 32s where and whenever i feel like it, but prior to that i want to complete sinister, using my template, strength/endurance in my off season and power/strength in season, but whatever the season ill always include tgus, either has a warm up, variety day or my main practice. I think those goals will allow me to maintain strength, some conditioning, but mostly agility well into old age.

My plan:
Winter 15\16 ROP 24/32 (no pull ups my elbows cant take the volume)
spring/summer '16 S&S 32/40
Winter 16/17 ROP 32/40
Spring/summer 17 S&S 40/48...then reasses and bring in doubles.
 
G'day Stuart

Are you an Aussie or a Pom ?

Just speculating based on the sports you've listed. I had a mate with the same surname who had a younger brother named Stuart who would be approx. your age, surely that's just a coincidence though.

Those goals seem reasonable to me, it seems like you've set a time frame that will allow you to hit your desired goals.

If your elbows can't take the added stress of pullups then drop them and don't look back. Maybe try them every few months and see how it goes, but if it persists, maybe you aren't cut out for them. After you hit your other goals your ligaments and tendons might be able to take the added load of doing pullups - maybe even before.

Good luck with your goals
With persistence and patience you should hit those goals on the marks you've set.
 
Hey Tarzan, I'm a pom are I take it you are an Aussie? Where are you based?
I am the oldest of 4 so must be anothe lucky Stuart Elliott :) ROP proved to much for my elbow once the cricket season started (pain when throwing), but PM, S&S and Strong caused me no problems so put it down to the Pull up volume. I can still crack out some pull ups when required, just not high volume.

S&S was a revelation for my season just gone, it really improved my grip/co-ordination (I was catching flies) and added lots of power in my glutes, I was sprinting and diving around like a teenager! Wish I had knowledge of KB's when I played Rugby.
 
2nd day of ROP with 24kg.
Monday 3 x 123 warm up 3 x 5 goblet squats.
Tuesday Variety, just some goblet squats 3x5, windmill per side and Arm bars.
Today, 3x1 , warm up 3x 5 goblet squats.

struggling for sleep at the moment with kids being ill and just moved house, also my cleans are very rusty having not touched them for a year.
 
Yeah I'm an Aussie mate. I'm not too far from Sydney.

& I think the Kettlebells would have been an excellent training tool for Rugby too. I've watched a few snippets of the Wallabies training for this years world cup and they were doing kettlebell swings with bands looped around them. They were also bench pressing with what looked like a medium weight with bands attached.
 
I lived in Sydney around 2001, initially in Bondi then Manly. I think S&S style swings would sit perfectly for Rugby, I saw James Haskell mention a year or so back he had brought heavy swings into his training. If I could go back jn time id incorporate S&S and a c&p programme like Strong into my rugby training.
 
ROP variety day
Goblet squat 3 x 5
S&S 10 x 10 1h swings
10 tgus
I used a 32kg and took my time roughly 10 mins for swings and 20mins for get ups.
I miss S&S sessions so going to try to fit them in on variety days, I feel recharged after tonights session. But I'm unsure whether the endurance swings of ROP and power swings of S&S will work on consecutive days.
 
I'm reverting back to S&S from tonight, ROP has flared up a niggle in my right shoulder caused by a HITT workout a few years ago. I can press fine but when playing sport, throwing or over head hitting is painful. I played tennis with my son on Saturday and felt the niggle returning, so back to S&S where i am pain free.
TBH I've been regretting stopping S&S, its such a great programme and the shoulder niggle has made my mind up to return to it. As @ Pavel M mentioned in the grapple thread, it works so why change. Back on the path to Sinister.....feels good.
 
Morning: OS without the crawls as my knees cant handle them.

Tonight: S&S
warm up 3x5 goblet squats 32kg
swings
10L 32kg, 10 breaths
10R 32kg, 10 breaths
10L 32kg ,10 breaths
10R 32kg, 10 breaths
10L 40kg, 20 breaths
10R 40kg, 20 breaths
10L 32kg, 15 breaths
10R 32kg, 15 breaths
10L 32kg, 10 breaths
10R 32kg, 10 breaths.

TGU
10 with a 32kg , 10 breaths between each get up.

ive reverted back to S&S and working in the 40kg, but felt like i was forcing the 40kg tonight so stayed with the 32 for all tgus .
 
Morning: OS without the crawls as my knees cant handle them.

1 hour of walking.

Tonight: S&S
warm up 3x5 goblet squats 32kg
swings
10L 32kg, 10 breaths
10R 32kg, 10 breaths
10L 32kg ,12 breaths
10R 32kg, 15 breaths
10L 40kg, 15 breaths
10R 40kg, 15 breaths
10L 32kg, 15 breaths
10R 32kg, 15 breaths
10L 32kg, 12 breaths
10R 32kg, 10 breaths.

TGU
1 - 4 with a 32kg 5 breaths between each on
5-6 40kg 8 breaths
7-10 32kg 5 breaths.
 
Yesterdays log.
morning: OS without the crawls as my knees cant handle them.


evening: S&S
warm up 3x5 goblet squats 32kg
swings
10L 32kg, 10 breaths
10R 32kg, 10 breaths
10L 32kg ,10 breaths
10R 32kg, 10 breaths
10L 40kg, 12 breaths
10R 40kg, 15 breaths
10L 32kg, 12 breaths
10R 32kg, 12 breaths
10L 32kg, 10 breaths
10R 32kg, 10 breaths.

TGU
1 - 4 with a 32kg 5 breaths between each on
5-6 40kg 8 breaths
7-10 32kg 8 breaths.

I wasn't happy with my tgu form for the Right side 40kg tgu, i think due to tiredness my concentration waned which effected the rest of my tgus
I'm taking today off,just did OS this morning..

ive been using the talking method to judge wet to do the next swing or tgu (hence the breath count), but I'm considering using a heart monitor as others are doing.
 
Friday 16th.
morning: OS without the crawls as my knees cant handle them.
evening: S&S
warm up 3x5 goblet squats 32kg
swings
32kg 1-4, 40kg 5-6, 32kg 7-10.

TGU
1 - 4 32kg
5-6 40kg
7-10 32kg

Haven't been getting much sleep this week and not starting S&S unitl 9.30pm so felt really tired, the session took 50 mins, lots of breaths bewteen!


Saturday 17th.
morning: OS without the crawls as my knees cant handle them.
evening: S&S
warm up 3x5 goblet squats 32kg
swings
32kg 10x10

TGU's
10 x 32kg

Felt shattered today, not much sleep again no point bringing in the 40kg it wasn't going to happen. the session took about an hour.

Sunday - Rest day (much needed!)

Monday 19th - Intended to do S&S, but the kids didn't want to co-operate, so knocked it on the head. Going to switch to morning sessions, I've never felt great doing an early morning S&S session but I can allocate an hour, lets see what happens.

Tuesday 20th - (Switched to a 5.30 am session)
Up at 5am Coffee and Banana
Warm up: OS, 3x5 goblet squats 32kg (10 mins)
Swings: 1-6 32kg, 7&8 40kg, 9&10 32kg (20 mins, really took my time)
TGU's: 1-6 32kg, 7&8 40kg, 9&10 32kg (27 mins, again took my time)

Once I got my head around the 5am alarm, the session went better than I expected. I threw in the banana, because previously when traning early am I felt weaker than the evenings so tried eating alongside a coffee, which seemed to work.
I had planned to use only the 32kg for this session but for both the swings and TGU's I felt fresh/strong enough to handle the 40kg. I felt great after the sessions and set up for the day, I'll keep to the am session for the moment and see how they pan out. I'm expecting slower progress, but i'm in no rush.
 
Wednesday 21st:
Worked from home and took the opportunity for a lunchtime S&S session, squats and swings felt vey crisp.

Warm up:
OS and Goblet squats 3 x 5 32kg
Swings:
8X10 32kg, 2x10 40kg.
TGU:
8 x 32kg, 2 x 40kg.

Thursday 22nd:
Back to 5.30 am session, only managed to get 4hours sleep.

Warm up:
OS and Goblet squats 3 x 5 32kg
Swings:
8X10 32kg, 2x10 40kg.
TGU:
10 x 32kg.
Swings took 20 mins and felt crisp. TGUs were a struggle as I've started getting pain in the forearms under the bell about 2 inches below the wrist. I haven't had this for a long while so my form has slipped somewhere, I think I'm bending my wrist when lowering the bell from chest to floor so will try to ensure it stays straight. Any tips anyone?
Because of the forearm pain I didn't touch the 40kg for TGUS.
 
Last edited:
TGUs were a struggle as I've started getting pain in the forearms under the bell about 2 inches below the wrist. I haven't had this for a long while so my form has slipped somewhere, I think I'm bending my wrist when lowering the bell from chest to floor so will try to ensure it stays straight. Any tips anyone?
Because of the forearm pain I didn't touch the 40kg for TGUS.
Video?

Grip the bell tighter?

-S-
 
Saturdays 24th 7am.
Warm up:
OS and Goblet squats 3 x 5 32kg
Swings:
8X10 32kg, 2x10 40kg.
TGU:
8 x 32kg, 2 x 40kg.

I recorded this session and will add it to this log this evening. Still getting pain in my forearm which is making it harder to grip the KB, especially the 40, feels like I'm regressing. Everything has been going smoothly for the past year, I'm a bit frustrated by this. I'm playing around with the grip and think I've started gripping to near the corner of the bell, which is causing it to slip around my arm.

Saturday lucntime took my 7 year old (7 as of last wednesday) to the Olympic park (London olympics) mountain bike track, we spent 2 hours racing around it (and some walking up the steep tracks!), felt fresh afterwards, which considering I haven't rode a bike for about 3 years and off road since I was a child was suprising, another WTH effect nod to S&S!

Took sunday off.

Monday 26th 5.30 am.
Warm up:
OS and Goblet squats 3 x 5 32kg
Swings:
6X10 32kg, 4x10 40kg.
TGU:
10 x 32kg.

I brought the 40kg in for the swings on 7x10 & 8x10 as usual, which felt crisp and strong so finished the set with them. I'll continue with 6x10 with 32 and 4x10 with 40kg swings this week.
TGU's I stayed with the 32kg trying to re find the right arm positions, really concentrated on squeezing the lats and keeping a slight goose neck, especially when lowering to the chest and ground. I noticed gripping the bell more torwards the middle helped, I'm going to lay off the 40kg until I sort this arm pain out.

More of a general note, I'm enjoying the early morning sessions. I was worried how my body would cope with the heavy load so early in the day, but so far it's not a problem.
 
Last edited:
Thursday 29th Oct.
Warm up:
OS and Goblet squats 3 x 5 32kg
Swings:
6X10 32kg, 4x10 40kg.
TGU:
10 x 32kg.

Tuesdays/Wednesday were rest days (OS and 30 min walks), Wednesday was unintentional I missed my 5am alarm. On the plus side it allowed me to rest my arm for 2 days. I intended to post a video of my GU's, but I train an small room and had the camera too close so it was worthless footage, unless you want to see my nose close up. I'll try again this weekend.

Back to todays session the 40kg swings are starting to progress really well, I could have done 6 x 10 with the 40kg, but want to introduce it slowly so will stick with 4x10 40kg and 6x10 32kg swings for a week or so.
I've dropped the 40kg for my TGU's for time being to concentrate on my form. This morning I really focused on squeezing my lats, gripping the bell to keep my elbow straight and holding the bell more centrally rather than nearer the thumb side corner. The pain was a lot less, almost non existent. I think having become comfortable under the 32kg over the last 6 months my form has regressed and my elbow may have been slightly kinking. I'll keep focus with the 32kg and see if the pain completely goes before re introducing the 40kg. I've started to re read S&S again (5th time) and still see nuggets of wisdom that I had forgot.
 
Status
Closed Thread. (Continue Discussion of This Topic by Starting a New Thread.)
Back
Top Bottom