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Kettlebell when to do S&S

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I've started using a 'sunrise' type alarm clock which gradually lightens over half an hour. I feel a lot less groggy and much readier to get on with whatever as soon as I wake up.

I'm not great at stretching (just no patience for it - I know it's wrong) so I would tend to do whatever movement swings, get ups etc with a lighter weight for a couple of reps for a warm up.
 
If memory serves, research has show that midday, a time not practical for many people, is ideal.

-S-​

Research results almost are always based on a bell curve of some sort and the tails get chopped off in the final analysis. As one who fits one or the other of the tails for many things, I find it crucial to always keep this in mind.
 
Any tips to help get going in the morning? I am going to give morning training a go again. After work is becoming too much.

The problem I experience with morning is that I fail if I think about it.

Once I think about it, I tell myself it's too late and I reset my alarm for 45 minutes later.

What HAS worked is that when I wake up, the first thing I do is put on the chest strap (HR monitor).

THEN I may get a sip of water or anything else that needs to be done right away, and I get started.

I'm usually doing my squats within 7-8 minutes of the alarm going off.

For me, I have to tell myself the night before that I was going to do my workout immediately upon waking, or I would spend time talking myself out of it.

Bonus: Morning practice finds my HR at its lowest.

Practice sessions 15-20 minutes shorter than afternoon/evening.

Hope that helps.
 
I'm not great at stretching (just no patience for it - I know it's wrong) so I would tend to do whatever movement swings, get ups etc with a lighter weight for a couple of reps for a warm up.

I DO the stretches as prescribed now, but I have always had this exact same thought.

Are you stretching now? or just warming up light a couple of reps?

@Steve Freides
@Anna C
@Harald Motz

Y'all care to 'weigh in' on this?
 
My thoughts - no need to stretch before exercise, unless the muscles are imbalanced and shortened. Find some movement prep that helps you tune into whether the muscles need some restorative or lengthening work before they're good to go, and stretch or mobilize as needed to get there.

As for warm-up exercises, warm up with a light couple of reps, yes, but don't sell yourself short. 1 half-a#@ round of the S&S warmups is quite different than a full 3 rounds. We all know it. If you really do the warm-up, it takes effort, but you'll get a lot more out of your swings when you start on the first set, rather than the first 3 or 4 sets serving as your warm-up.

But back to stretching... AFTER exercise... that's when you get some real benefit. The muscles are warm, relaxed. Breathe, relax, enjoy. Free extra range of motion... all you have to do is seek it out. And it feels great. Why not?
 
There is new book just out "Extreme Ownership: How US Navy SEALs Lead and Win" that has excellent advice for morning practice.

"The moment the alarm goes off is the first test; it sets the tone for the rest of the day. The test is not a complex one: when the alarm goes off, do you get up out of bed, or do you lie there in comfort and fall back to sleep? If you have the discipline to get out of bed, you win — you pass the test. If you are mentally weak for that moment and you let that weakness keep you in bed, you fail. Though it seems small, that weakness translates to more significant decisions. But if you exercise discipline, that too translates to more substantial elements of your life ...

Waking up early was the first example I noticed in the SEAL Teams in which discipline was really the difference between being good and being exceptional."
 
How long did it take for your body to get use to getting up early and or just getting use to morning training?
I plan on getting up around the time I plan on training and just get moving to get use to the time difference before I start incorporating actual training.
 
For the morning s&s trainers that i.f., since s&s isn't a strenuous session or ball busting, do you just keep fasting till noon or supper time depending on which version you follow or do you take some bcaa or what have you?
 
I don't think there is any hard and fast rule on the wake-up to practice time. Personally I don't do anything without a cup or two of black coffee. The best way to decide is to do it. Your body will tell you what is best. Maybe you can start in five minutes or maybe it will take longer.
 
Coffee and water before. Smoothie right after. I make the smoothie in a Nutri Ninja at home, give it a little freezer time before I leave the house, and it's perfect when I'm done with training and on the way to work. My formula: unsweetened almond milk, 2/3 frozen banana, ~5 chunks frozen mango, big handful of spinach leaves, ~2T almond butter, 1 scoop of whey protein. (Hunter I know it won't work for you while traveling, but may give you some ideas.)
 
Hunter - Arrived at same conclusion as you and have been rolling out of bed at 4:10am for quite a few years. This may be controversial in some quarters, but I pop a Vivarin (caffeine in pill form - you can get it anywhere) immediately upon waking up. While it's "percolating" you can shave, download paper on your Ipad etc, etc - the idea being that minutes at this time of day are way too valuable to waste and you ideally want to multi-task while waiting for caffeine to kick in. After a few days your system will respond in an almost Pavolian manner and you will be ready to "dump down to fighting weight", as it were. Apologies for the scatological reference - hope nobody's safe-space has been compromised... At this point it's game on - go get it done.

Couple quick points:
  • Mindset is key here. Optimal? Who knows? Who cares? It's what you have to do to get it done so just be psyched that you have created this time that nobody can mess with (unless they want to get up very early) and enjoy it. Your body can and will adjust and eventually you'll really look forward to these sessions. In some ways it's a very liberating experience as you've essentially said to the evil god of laziness and sloth: "piss-off, there's nothing you can do to stop me".
  • Scale everything down a bit at the start - you'll get fully up to speed quickly but don't feel like you have to jump in at full throttle. On the weekend - when you get to sleep in and go through all the normal pre-routine workout rituals you will feel like superman.
  • You obviously need to adjust your bedtimes or you will feel like you've been hit by a bus by the end of the week. Also helps to have everything 100% laid out the night before - workout gear , work clothes, socks, lucky underwear - the whole deal - saves enormous time.
  • If you can do some light stretching / mobility work at night - nothing crazy - that will help the cause and save time in the am. Also helps get you to sleep.
  • During your commute or upon arriving at work you can gaze upon the masses stumbling along, half asleep and legitimately consider yourself a superior being - your coworkers will look at you with an increased sense of awe - practice your "yeah, up at 5, worked out, no big deal" shrug beforehand.....
Little tricky at the start, but caffeine and motivation will soon have you up and running. My biggest problem is not getting overly pumped up for the next morning to the point where I have trouble sleeping. Best of luck to you.

Rich
 
For the morning s&s trainers that i.f., since s&s isn't a strenuous session or ball busting, do you just keep fasting till noon or supper time depending on which version you follow or do you take some bcaa or what have you?

I roll out of bed, S&S, shower, eat breakfast and roll on to work.

I have an active job so I can't start the day on an empty tank.

I'm working on making dinner the smallest meal of the day.
 
I don't think there is any hard and fast rule on the wake-up to practice time. Personally I don't do anything without a cup or two of black coffee. The best way to decide is to do it. Your body will tell you what is best. Maybe you can start in five minutes or maybe it will take longer.

THERE ARE NO RULES!

Not one thing works empirically for everyone.

"Your body will tell you what is best."

AMEN!!

Start with a guideline/suggestion.

Then turn it into something that works for you.
 
For the morning s&s trainers that i.f., since s&s isn't a strenuous session or ball busting, do you just keep fasting till noon or supper time depending on which version you follow or do you take some bcaa or what have you?
i am a morning s&s, i.f. guy, i use creatine prior to workout, coffee and water after and have my first meal later in the day. most days go like this - wake 5am, creatine, bathroom, jt mobility - this all takes about 20-30 mins, 5:30am s&s, shower, dress, travel to work(1hr 15mins door to door), coffee, water, coffee, water, water, first meal salad 430pm, bigger meal with family 630pm, snack 8pm, sleep 11pm - repeat. on weekends, i sleep in a bit (train at 730am) and i add more exercises beyond s&s, so on sat/sun when i add double kb swings, c&ps and squats - my weekend sessions take an hour and i will eat a meal directly after, typically oatmeal and eggs/cheese, on the weekends i am much looser with i.f. and just kinda go with what the family and or friends are doing, so i may eat lunch, i may have greasier food or sugary food and i may have a few drinks. some days i will add a practice session of dbl c&ps/dbl swings/dbl squats in the evening or add it to the morning s&s if i have time, this is a once a week addition,some days i just dont have it in the morning - and i will sleep until 6:15am before just getting up and getting ready for work - on those days i try to get in a late night session of s&s, this usually happens once every two weeks - some days are scheduled as days off from practicing s&s depending on how i feel - usually one to two days off every two weeks, these are almost always mid-week and i keep the i.f. pattern described above on those days. this routine gets sidetracked on ocassion due to holidays, houseguests, illness, injury, but i get back to it immediately following most interruptions.
 
Whether Im exercising or not I get out of bed at 430.
The alarm always goes off.
I cant lose the habit -its been HARD to get into.

Hunter-what worked for me was to adjust my timing so that I get the sleep I need by 4 am...so there is no compromise.
I try to hit the sack at the same time each night.....
The rhythm makes it easier.
 
The past couple of weeks the boss has been changing our start time. Anywhere from 5am to 7am. It's making morning training sessions difficult.
 
Now my daughter is sleeping through the night I plan to go back to 6am practice. I'm working on getting my strength back after a long spell off and a serious illness. Currently I'm doing 3 x 10 x 24kg double cleans, 3 x 5 x 24kg double military presses, 3 x 3 x 24kg double front squats, 3 x 3 x 32kg single long cycle clean and push press. I throw in a few rounds of snatches if I've enough left in the tank. I currently practice as and when I can fit in the above, currently around 3 times per week. My strength is starting to come back but it's taking a while. I used to practice early and enjoyed the peace and stillness of the early morning. it's nice to hit your stride as the dawn chorus is in full swing...
 
@HUNTER1313
Zero dark 45 (0345)
Glass of water and lime juice
Two sets of tai-chi to get my bones going
S&S, fighter pull-ups


After work 1730ish trail run, or easy ruck, etc.
 
Hunter - I used to do something similar and lately I thought I should get back into something like that routine. I had it all planned out, even tried a very early start at the weekend - it nearly killed me. Then I realised; that was twenty years ago...
 
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