Kettlebell WTH effect: ran a 5k with no prior training

[IonRod]

So today I ran a 5k at our city charity run for the first time in my life. I never did jogging, I hate running (and most LSD training except rucking which I do 2-4 times a month) and I did not prepare for today's event. My background is that I was a couch potato for a long time, then I started doing "random acts of variety" and only last year I finally started a more serious approach by doing S&S. I achieved Simple in December and I did a cycle of RoP with 16kg. That is all I did before today's run.

I somehow managed to catch some bug this week, I had a sore throat on Thursday and a running nose Friday and Saturday. When I woke up today, I actually couldn't breathe through my nose from all the build up.

I was sceptical if I would be able to even finish the race running, I thought I would walk for the most part of the last stretch, but I managed to maintain the run (at a slow pace, but still). And it is absolutely due to kettlebell training and StrongFirst principles. I know that it is not an impressive feat, but I think that's what WTH moments are - they are not awe inspiring, but they do surprise you as you never train for them and they just work. Zero running to 5k with only kettlebell GPP is a testament to the real-life versatility of this training.

 

[Steve Freides]

@IonRod, if you haven't already, please:

• Post in the thread "I Achieved Simple"
• 
  
• Post a review of S&S on amazon.com

Thanks, and congratulations.

-S-

 

[TM123]

So today I ran a 5k at our city charity run for the first time in my life. I never did jogging, I hate running (and most LSD training except rucking which I do 2-4 times a month) and I did not prepare for today's event. My background is that I was a couch potato for a long time, then I started doing "random acts of variety" and only last year I finally started a more serious approach by doing S&S. I achieved Simple in December and I did a cycle of RoP with 16kg. That is all I did before today's run.

I somehow managed to catch some bug this week, I had a sore throat on Thursday and a running nose Friday and Saturday. When I woke up today, I actually couldn't breathe through my nose from all the build up.

I was sceptical if I would be able to even finish the race running, I thought I would walk for the most part of the last stretch, but I managed to maintain the run (at a slow pace, but still). And it is absolutely due to kettlebell training and StrongFirst principles. I know that it is not an impressive feat, but I think that's what WTH moments are - they are not awe inspiring, but they do surprise you as you never train for them and they just work. Zero running to 5k with only kettlebell GPP is a testament to the real-life versatility of this training.

Just out of curiosity, what time did you manage on the run?

 

[IonRod]

@Steve Freides , I have done both of those things. Spreading the word of StrongFirst everywhere I can.

@TM123 I think it was just under 30 minutes. I realized only at the event that there was not an official stopwatch (super amateurish event - there were around 12000 runners), so I had to roughly calcualte it by approximate start time and when I got to my phone at the end.

 

[TM123]

@Steve Freides , I have done both of those things. Spreading the word of StrongFirst everywhere I can.

@TM123 I think it was just under 30 minutes. I realized only at the event that there was not an official stopwatch (super amateurish event - there were around 12000 runners), so I had to roughly calcualte it by approximate start time and when I got to my phone at the end.

Just under 30 minutes is a good time with zero running prep! Well done!

 

[Bret S.]

Not long ago @Kozushi started a thread on S&S and whether or not it was cardio training. In the end it came down to technical definitions of what is and isn't cardio. This is a good example of what S&S and some rucking will do for you in the real world. Awesome stuff..

 

[Kyle Kowalczuk]

Yet another example of how some anti glycolytic training can help a would be "cardio" event. Great work.

 

[IonRod]

Not long ago @Kozushi started a thread on S&S and whether or not it was cardio training. In the end it came down to technical definitions of what is and isn't cardio. This is a good example of what S&S and some rucking will do for you in the real world. Awesome stuff..

I agree, S&S is not a cardio training, because obviously running a 5k is not a huge challenge and I could have done much better with a more specialized cardio protocol. But then I wouldn't gain much strength. Or I could find a protocol that does both, but it would take a lot of time. For a program that took me 30 min a day and never interfered with my life (no exaustions, injuries, overtraining), I got in a decent enough shape to keep a steady pace during a 5k run and some strength to easily move furniture when it was needed (another real-life test I had to do couple times). So yes, not a cardio protocol, but a general physical preparedness for sure.

Yet another example of how some anti glycolytic training can help a would be "cardio" event. Great work.

Anti-glycolitic is right. Big part of me not collapsing half way was that I was focusing on my breath from the very beginning and knew not to be tempted to go faster. Kettlebells have taught how deceptively easy those first sets of swings are and how tiring are the last ones and that if you want to still keep your power, you have to go easy in the beginning.

 

[IonRod]

Some updates - I got DOMS in my calfs today, 2 days after the event. That is interesting, usually I get DOMS from any new activity right the next day, but this one waited around for two. Has anybody experienced anything similar?

 

[Kyle Kowalczuk]

Some updates - I got DOMS in my calfs today, 2 days after the event. That is interesting, usually I get DOMS from any new activity right the next day, but this one waited around for two. Has anybody experienced anything similar?

DOMS can take up to 72 hours before it show up depending on the amount of muscle damage. I gotten it during some crossfit training in a pull up metcon. Anything that has an intense eccentric motion or pounding is most vulnerable for DOMS.

 

[Bret S.]

For muscle spasms I take stuff called 'Bio Plasma', mineral salts. 8-10 small tabs in the cap, dump them under the tongue to dissolve and in 5 mins. no more cramps... Works well for me.

Edit: 5-10 grams vitamin C in separate doses throughout the day helps alleviate soreness for me as well.

 

[Bret S.]

For a program that took me 30 min a day and never interfered with my life (no exaustions, injuries, overtraining), I got in a decent enough shape to keep a steady pace during a 5k run and some strength to easily move furniture when it was needed (another real-life test I had to do couple times).

Bingo.. This is the genius of Pavel in action. The 'Swiss Army Knife' of GPP in all it's glory.

Damn! Wish I had thought of it.. Oh well.. Back to my bells...

 

[vegpedlr]

Most people I've talked to experience peak DOMS at two days, but for me, it's the day after, then gradual improvement.

Unless you're trying to be competitive, it doesn't take a lot of running to get real benefit. It's pretty efficient exercise.

 

[Kozushi]

Some thoughts here:

My thread on S&S as cardio ended up with a few different important points coming out of it. One of them is that the long easy distance training of walking or running for an hour or more does wonderful things for the heart that harder, more intense workouts cannot, and so therefore the long easy training should not be neglected. Get out and walk or run at least a few times a week!

However, some guys who seem to know what they are talking about pointed out that S&S comes somewhere in between long easy distance training and the short hard stuff, and so it likely benefits the heart in both ways - definitely a healthy enough compromise to stay healthy and fit!

I think the overall lesson is that S&S is all you need on a regular basis, but that you should still get out for the odd hike or jog.

Regarding running - as my judo coach tells us, "it's the fastest way to get in shape", and I agree. It's also quite easy to do as it's a natural movement that doesn't take any thought, unlike lifting weights which take some concentration and coordination. In my life, whenever I've felt out of shape and needing to get fit fast, I run.

 

[vegpedlr]

I just finished Tactical Barbell 2 Conditioning, and he gives a good explanation with examples drawn from experience why and how running can be very beneficial. There are physiological gains that can't be made with higher intensity training. But he also explains clearly how much it takes to realize those benefits. It's probably less than you think. Many people equate aerobic exercise with endurance training, like they mistakenly equate complicated bodybuilding routines with strength training. Depending on your goals, you probably don't need to train like a specialist.

 

[Bret S.]

Many people equate aerobic exercise with endurance training, like they mistakenly equate complicated bodybuilding routines with strength training

Funny, I always think of it the other way around. Bodybuilding has always been easier as in 'less complicated' for me. Strength was always a by-product of gaining muscle. I was never a pump artist in the sense of light weight/high rep training. 10 reps was my magic number for hypertrophy so I gradually gained both strength and muscle together. Supersets of opposing muscle groups was my favored strategy and it never seemed complicated.

At the time I often had the feeling of being a poser in a gorilla suit. I knew instinctively there were some serious holes in my strength.

After starting Tang Soo Do training I learned why, my instructor punched right through my blocks rendering my big muscles useless.

Applied tension is where it's at for me. I learned it through 30 years of training focusing on micro-bursts of tension on technique. Now I have more strength and punching power than I did 20 years ago and it's only getting better as my strength skill improves.

To me the skill of strength is much deeper and more complicated than bodybuilding ever was, and alot more fun. I used to feel strong with a full arm pump.. Now I feel like a sitting duck.

No disrespect meant to bodybuilders.. It's just not my thing.

 

[vegpedlr]

I have great respect for bodybuilders. There is a lot of effort, dedication, and discipline there. By complicated I mean the exotic split routines, isolating muscles and parts of muscles, and the myriad intensity techniques. It's not for me either. I just wish I would have figured that out earlier. I wasted a lot of time in the gym, and trying to recover from DOMS, which interfered with other interests.

My frustration with BB is the way that it dominates gym culture and thinking. It's not right for everyone, but too few realize that there are other options. It's the same criticism I have of Crossfit. While I love the way they brought back lots of forgotten exercises, they also focus too much on excess.

 

[MikeTheBear]

My frustration with BB is the way that it dominates gym culture and thinking. It's not right for everyone, but too few realize that there are other options.

From what I have seen this is slowly changing. Using my own family as an example, I had told my mother for years that she should begin a weight training program because, among many other benefits, it improves bone. She thought I was crazy and asked what was I thinking telling an old woman to lift weights? Then her doctor told her the same thing. She is now 82 and lifts fairly regularly with other "old ladies" seeking to prevent osteoporosis.

It's the same criticism I have of Crossfit. While I love the way they brought back lots of forgotten exercises, they also focus too much on excess.

Agree 100%. Crossfit has done more for the growth of Olympic weightlifting than any other organization, and that includes USAW. To be fair, USAW is severely underfunded and Crossfit takes in millions. But when I see 30 reps of the Olympic lifts "for time," I cringe.

 

[vegpedlr]

Good for your mom!

The irony I see is that while many might realize or admit, BB is what they want, i.e. aesthetic goals, but would benefit more from the functional compound moves in CF. The problem I see is that both BB and CF both seem to really push hard high volume AND high intensity. Not many thrive on that. The go for broke, no pain no gain, all or nothing attitude leaves too many people behind. I see too many folks who think if you aren't puking in a bucket, then it's time wasted. Plus, if you have a mascot named after a serious kidney disease, something is amiss.

But I do like how CF has popularized KB, Oly Lifts, body weight, complexes, etc. Foing back to a big commercial gym I hadn't trained at for a few years, I was glad to see racks and mats for DL and O lifts, TRX, and more SPACE. Even a WSJ article has noticed the trend.

Since I've never done CF, my thoughts are worth little, and the biggest irony is that I would still like to try it. Maybe.

 

[MikeTheBear]

The irony I see is that while many might realize or admit, BB is what they want, i.e. aesthetic goals, but would benefit more from the functional compound moves in CF.

Yes, but. . . You certainly have the meatheads who want to be hyoooge, bro! and go for dem gainz! There are more than enough resources out there for bodybuilding so we do not need to focus on them. However, I would say that the majority of people, even teenage and 20-something males, are not interested in being hyooge but just want to look good. Some of them may even want to gain a bit of strength to increase performance in a sport or activity. Unfortunately, this population usually does not know any better and they also head for the same bodybuilding resources as the bros who want dem gainz.

Since I've never done CF, my thoughts are worth little, and the biggest irony is that I would still like to try it. Maybe.

You should try one. They can be fun. If I am in the mood for a metcon I'll go to the CF site and cherry-pick a workout that I think I'll actually be able to complete. I never time myself. While I try to rest as little as possible I never push myself to the point where my form turns to trash or I feel like totally collapsing. That's stupid and has injury all over it. There are smart ways to do the WODs and still get lots of benefit. I don't necessarily object to the high-rep Olympic lifting provided someone has decent form and the weight is light relative to the lifter's 1RM. I've done high-rep barbell snatches with 95 lbs. which resulted in no apparent disturbance in the space-time continuum because my form, while far from perfect, is decent, and 95 lbs. is well below my 1RM for the barbell snatch.