Running 50 Miles

Kettlebell Training - Swings and Snatches

In 2010, I ran my first 50 miles.  It was uncharted territory for me.  In 2011 I tackle it with more knowledge and hopefully better planning than I did in 2010.

Tire Sled Training

Some guidelines for running your first 50 miles:

• don't get injured from overtraining
• get comfortable being uncomfortable
• strength is the base that speed is built on, get stronger
• speed training (high intensity speed training) builds endurance AND speed.
  • (see tabata protocol)
• kettlebell swings help running
• running makes you a better runner, train your nervous system to run the pace you want to run at.
• sleep
• eat good food
• listen to the horns of fatigue, back off when you feel like crap, then back off some more
• don't be an a-hole about training, family first

Finishing the American River 50

 

Sticking with a Program

Sticking with a Program

Welcome to week TWO of the Program Minimum.  Dan John had it right when he was referring to people hitting that weak spot around day 14 of a program.  All of a sudden I find myself wanting to tweak the plan, make compromises, put off the planned workout.  It was really hard not to do something that had more glitz, seemed like more 'fun', than do what the coach had prescribed.

Generally I train haphazard on a daily basis.    This year, up until October when I did the CrossFit mainsite wods and rested on the 3-on 1-off pattern, I was doing all training by the seat of my pants.  No plan, just do something and rest when you felt like it.

Well the obvious happened when I went to test myself on a half-ironman triathlon.  Over confident and convinced I was better conditioned than my 2004 self, I was hell-bent on beating my old time.  Instead what happened, I added 30 minutes to my race time.  Still, I was able to get under 6 hours, but that was a PAINFUL race.  It was also eye opening.  While I am significantly stronger (there's no way I could clean and jerk 100 pounds in 2004, let alone the 185 that I did this August), and I can run far (ran 50 miles in April this year qualifying for Western States 100), I did not have the specialized fitness I used to have in order to get a sub 5 1/2 hour half-ironman.

So what am I doing different now?  First, I'm hitting the big training reset button for November.  Program Minimum, from Pavel's "Enter the Kettlebell" program.  Strength and mobility work with Turkish Get-ups, and strength and cardiovascular conditioning with swings.  In the evenings and off-days I'll do the occasional track workout and focus on running form with speed emphasis.  The bike will be put on the trainer and rides will start happening again.

Next, the plan for 2011 is laid out.

Depending on what happens Dec 4th (Western States Lottery), I may be shifting gears to run 100 miles in June.  If not, the plan is either to do another month of full CrossFit for December (swings and getups will still be part of the program) and then January through February will be the Right of Passage (ROP) program for the 24kg bell.  Running, paddling and mountain biking will become more important as the the Gold Rush 4-Day Expedition Adventure Race will be on the calendar. 

So I am sticking with these programs!  Last night I almost caved to not doing the swing workout.  It was a 5 minute AMRAP of single arm swings for the 24kg kettlebell.  In short, I set a PR for single-arm swings, and I was glad I did it.

I drafted out the training plan in October, knowing that there might be a period in the program where I felt like couldn't do a workout.  There's really no excuse.  It was FIVE MINUTES of focused effort.  How hard is it to get 5 minutes in?  I even went through DROM and my standard warm-up.  It took 20 minutes total.

If you have doubts, tell yourself you'll quit tomorrow.  Which is what I did.  I told myself let's do this one workout and we can quit tomorrow if we feel like it.    It worked, I got a new PR and today I have no intention of quitting.

Stick with the Program!

Five Minutes of Turkish Get-ups

It's not about the bell.

It's about moving well.  Listening to the creaks,becoming aware of where your body has the 'brakes' on, the turkish get-up shines a light on your movement, good and bad.

Use the 5 minutes as an opportunity to learn from a whole-body perspective.  As you press the weight up overhead, take your time to feel that weight transfer to elbow, heel... and pay attention as you lunge up.  Feel the weight and listen.

Pick an appropriate weight and get up!

Today it happened to be a 24kg bell for 5 minutes.

If you don't have this skill, find someone (i.e. an RKC instructor) and learn it. 

As an added challenge, do this with an cup of water balanced on your fist instead of using weight.  The worst thing that happens to you is you get wet.  The coolest thing that could happen:  you develop a heightened body awareness and a mastery of the movement.  The cup never lies :)

100 Swings for Time

Today's WOD:

100 swings for time. 

One way to get a feel for your conditioning is to see how long it takes you to get 100 swings in.

If you're around 5 minutes you might have a bell that's either too heavy and you should think about working with a lighter one for a while.

With the RKC swing, bio-mechanically speaking, the fastest the technique will allow you to swing is right around 40 swings per minute (give or take a few swings).  Which places a 100 KB swings for time right around 2:30.  If you're consistently swinging at this rate with the bell you have and you're also doing it 'hardstyle' you might want to consider moving up to a heavier bell.

I did today's WOD with a 72 pound bell and I can honestly say my hardstyle technique faded around rep 40 and the tension at the top of the swing was pretty light near the end.  Even though I got 2:32 for the 100 swings, I know there's more work to do with that bell weight.  More work with overspeed eccentrics!

Have a great rest of your weekend!

-Brandon

Swings and Double-unders - 12 minute AMRAP

Today's swing workout, loosely modeled after the 12 minute "Program Minimum" version was a good one.

If you choose the right bell weight, this can be a very intense workout. Choose wisely:

After mobility drills and a warm-up, set your countdown timer, grab your rope, and get ready to go.

With a 32kg bell, I was able to get 12 rounds plus 5 swings into a 13th round. I was breathing hard, and while form could have been a problem, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to get.

The biggest thing that happened was that at around round 8 my double unders just started failing. Those things take some skill to do anyway and fatigue just started setting in with my hands - couldn't get the quick turn-around required to get the rope to pass twice in the jump.

After finishing round 8 the problem went away.

The workout details:

• As many rounds in 12 minutes of:
• 10 Kettlebell swings
• 10 Double-unders

November is Program Minimum Month!

Program Minimum 
Nugent Style
 

Join along for a month of in-depth strength and mobility work!

Do you track your workouts? Create a Beyond the Whiteboard account and start measuring!  How do you know if you've been successful if you don't know where you've been?  TRACK IT!

November we're going to focus on two key movements: the kettlebell swing and the Turkish get-up.

Starting November 1st we start swings with "20 on the 90".  This is going to be a staple for the swing portion and you will see this workout pop-up a few times.  Rounds are adjustable, the bell weight is what you can comfortably swing.  Remember, form is key!

Equipment

• Two kettlebells, heavy and light.  You decide what that means.
• Jump rope
• Low profile shoes - Vibram 5 fingers, Chuck Taylors, Wrestling Shoes  

Testing - optional, but encouraged
One more thing.  

To make this measurable, I will be adding a pre-test this weekend, and then repeating it at the end of the month.   Two tests, each performed within an hour of each other:

• Find 1 rep max for deadlift
• 1 mile run for time

These tests may not be important to you, so use something that will help you make a baseline.  Maybe it's a max rep test for pull-ups, or maybe it's something specific to your sport (i.e. a 10 mile cycling time trial).  The important thing is that you give yourself something to gauge your fitness, before and after the program.


When you're done, email or comment with your progress.

Watch this:





Good luck!
-Brandon

Sticking With A Program

Want something to work?

Want to see change in your performance, your appearance, how you feel?

Find a program and stick with it.  For a month.  It almost doesn't matter what it is, just stick to it.  Granted there are going to be a few times where you just can't fathom doing X, Y, and Z one more time, but it's short lived.  Do it anyway and suck it up, because you know you're only doing it for a month.

What happens at the end of the month?  You evaluate it.  You make a decision whether that program helped you in anyway.  If it got you closer to your goals, or you met them, congratulate yourself, then think about your next set of goals

It's important to measure, to test if what you are doing is making a positive impact.

One more thing.

It's critical that you do this.

Make your commitment PUBLIC.  Facebook it.  Tweet it.  Blog it.  Tell your cat.  Make sure people know that you are on a mission and you need their support.  It will be very hard for you to back out of your goal once that ball has been thrown.
 

An Example
November is going to be the month where I return to the kettlebell for my strength and conditioning training.

I'll be using Program Minimum From "Enter The Kettlebell".

I have two goals:

• run a mile under 6 minutes.
• deadlift 405lbs

This Halloween weekend I will be testing my deadlift and my mile time.  Times will be posted here.  If I make either goal, I will move onto my next set of goals:  Pressing the 2 pood (32kg kettlebell) and preparing for the 2011 racing season (i.e. Western States 100 depending on the December 4th Lottery).  Most likely, the first two goals will provide plenty to focus on.

A Thank-you
Special thanks to Dan John for writing his book "Never Let Go".  It's a book I will not be lending out anytime soon.  You really need to get a copy of it.  Read it.  Re-read.  This post is directly influenced by that book.

20 on the 90

This week's kettlebell workout involved a set of 20 kettlebell swings followed by one of 5 'recovery' exercises:

• Plank Hold
• Grapevine
• POSE hops
• Forward Pulls
• Shuttle Run

So, for 10 rounds, at the top of every 90 seconds, swing a kettlebell of your choice for 20 reps.  Aim for completion in 30 seconds.  Then fill the rest of the minute with a recovery exercise, moving onto the next one each round.

Have fun!

Almost an RKC Grad Workout?

Today I tried to conjure up what my grad workout would have been had it not been raining and we had the field to play in.

This is what I would have guessed it to be based on what others have said about their outside grad workout:

100 yard farmer carry to start

100 yards:

• 5 - Double kettlebell swings
• 3 - Double kettlebell cleans
• 1 - Double kettlebell military press
• 5 steps with bells locked out overhead
• Repeat above until distance is covered.

Grady: 9:35 with (2) 12kg
Cel: 13:09 with (2) 16kg
Brandon: 14:18 with (2) 20kg

Good times...

New Kettlebell Bent Press PR! - 32 Kilogram Kettlebell

Today felt like a good day to try the bent press. I've been working on the strict press for some time now and the bent press is a good way to do "same but different".

Since watching David Whitley's "Deepening Your Getup Skills DVD", I've spent the last week really practicing the movement and getting comfortable with it. It really helped and I am confident that the strict kettlebell press of the 32 kg is coming soon.

Thanks David!

Dan John's "Cardio Clean" WOD - Sep 13, 2010

Today we focused on the Cardio Clean WOD as outlined by Dan John.  There's a lot more to Dan John's training philosophy and you can learn more here.

After a light jog, a set of air squats, and some light calisthenics and Russian joint mobility drills, we prepared for the "Cardio Clean" WOD.

We went as heavy as we could, finishing the WOD in a relatively short amount of time, recovered, then moved on to grip training and mobility work.






For grip we pulled out the Captains of Crush and worked in the Trainer zone: 

• 10 Reps Guide (each side)
• 10 Reps Sport (each side)
• 5 Reps Trainer (each side)
• Max reps on the #1

Mobility work included the Hip Pry and goblet squat for time to open up the hips.

Finally, we wrapped up the workout with a short, 100 swings for time.

Nice work!

Monday 8/30 - Improve It and Use It!

How often have you pulled out of a driveway or parking lot with your emergency brake on?

More than once?

Training with tight muscles and joints that don't get moved in the full range often enough, is like driving with the emergency brake on.  Mobility work is a great way to take that brake off the system and give yourself a chance to really train/move effectively under load.

This week we focused on a few areas before we hit the main workout:

• Thoracic / Shoulders
• Hips / Psoas

 Once enough time was accrued in these stretches we moved to the main set, a twelve minute AMWRAP kettlebell chain:

• 1 KB Swing (single arm)
• 1 KB Clean to Press
• 1 KB Front Squat
• 1 KB Sotts Press to Stand with bell overhead
• stand and switch arms

The Sotts Press is NOT easy. You may have to go with a lighter bell than you normally use.

Have Fun!

Mobility Resources:

•  CK-FMS
• Kelly Starret

8/16 Monday - ETK!

Today's workout involved a page taken from the ETK book.  In addition to working swings, we started with 3 ladders of 3 rungs of cleans and presses.

Once the presses were complete, we played around with taming the arc and practicing the clean with more focus.



Finally we jumped into the main set and did a twelve minute AMWRAP of the following:

   
• 50 kettlebell swings
   
• Jog run ~150 yards

Nice work!

8/9 Monday's KB Workout

This week's kettlebell workout we wrapped Turkish Get Ups(TGU's) with 100 kettlebell swings.  The first set of 100 was done with alternating single arm swings and was timed.  The second set, (the last one) was 100 two-handed swings.

One marker of your improved fitness is testing with 100 swings and going for time.   Do this AFTER you've had some time to devote to developing a solid swing.  If you aren't sure you have a good swing, contact an RKC, myself or another trainer, and get a good critique of your form.  Once you have the swing down, and are conditioned with your bell of choice, you are ready to test.

General recommendation for determining when to move up in a bell size is when you can easily swing 100 reps under 2:30.

In this week's workout we had two people get under 2:30, each swinging hardstyle.

This means these two people should be moving up in bell size for swings.  Where should they get their bells?  Well...  good news!  DragonDoor kettlebells are now available LOCALLY (for San Jose kettlebellers).  Stop by Park Road Fitness for more information!

Nice work people!

Monday 8/2 - Noon Kettlebell Series - Condensed Goodness

Today's Monday Kettlebell WOD is brought to you by the letter C.

• Condensed
• Compressed
• Complex

15 minute AMRAP, switching arms after each set:

• 5 lunges with bell in rack position
• 10 kettlebell military presses
• 15 kettlebell one-arm swings

Don't forget your GYMBOSS!!

Monday 7/12 - 15:15 mVO2 Protocol

Monday's workout was mostly a skill session.  If you didn't have your swing and get-up down, you focused on those skills, if you didn't have the snatch, you focused on that.

The biggest piece here was the introduction of the 15:15 mVO2 protocol as described by Master RKC Kenneth Jay in his book "Viking Warrior Conditioning".

While the effort wasn't geared to attain the full 80 sets (yet), it was good practice for the snatch.  By the end, everyone was snatching cleanly and with much better form.

Remember:  practice!

Is it too light?

If you've been swinging with the same kettlebell for a while, it may be time to get a heavier one.  How do you know if you are ready to change bells?  Or, how do you know if you're ready to train the single hand swing on the bell you have?

One way to tell is by doing 100 swings for time.  If you're able to get 100 swings in two and a half minutes, it's reasonable to assume you've mastered the swing on that bell, or it's so light that you are able to flail like a crazed monkey with it.  In the first case, it's time for something heavier, in the second, you need to come out for a noon workout and get that FIXED.

Today's WOD:

• 100 Kettlebell Swings for Time
• 5 minutes of Turkish Get-ups (2:30 on each side)
• 100 Kettlebell Swings for Time

Mobility drills (hamstring, and MCL stretches)

Learn About Adventure Racing!

Kettlebell training applies to a wide variety of sports.  Adventure Racing is no exception.  Ever heard of the Eco-Challenge?  Want to test your limits? Or..  would you rather learn about it from the other side?  Help out out a local race director and get RACE CREDIT!

From the Big Blue Adventure folks (friends of ours):

Big Blue Adventure is hosting a variety of fun racing events and is in need of volunteers.

 

Volunteering will earn you $10/hr of race credit to put towards any of the future Big Blue Adventure Races (Race Calendar here: http://www.bigblueadventure.com/pub/main.asp?daPageID=561) as well as a t-shirt, and BBQ +Beer.

 

Below are some of the events we need volunteers for.  If you would like to volunteer or know someone who would, email Angel at angel@bigblueadventure.com

 

Burton Creek Trail Race- Sunday. June 20th from 630am- 2pm, Tahoe City, CA

XTERRA Tahoe City, Saturday June 26th from 530 am- 1pm, Tahoe City, CA

Donner Lake Triathlon 630am- 2pm, Truckee, CA

 

Adventure on
Angel Garbarino

Event Manager

541-908-1626

www.bigblueadventure.com

Monday Noon Kettlebell Series - Single Arm Swings

Single Arm Swings
Today's WOD involved focusing on keeping the shoulder tight, body square and tightening the glutes (among other things).

The swing, while a very simple movement to watch, has a surprising amount of depth to it when it comes to doing it yourself.  Tension, breath, foot placement, timing, hands...  a lot of things you want to think about and get right.

Today we followed a basic 15:15 protocol and reached 30 sets.  80 sets is the stretch goal.  Once we're comfortably swinging to that level, it's time to increase the weight.

Monday Noon Kettlebell Series - Doubles

Today's workout focused on double kettlebell work.  Double swings, double clean and press, double front squats.  After the warm-up we all reviewed the techniques and worked on trouble-spots.  Once we reached a medium of happy technique we jumped into the main WOD.

You can get the hard-to-find (i.e. 10#, 14#, 22#, and 31#) kettlebells here: http://www.dragondoor.com/kettlebellkettlebells

It's Not About the Bell

It's not about the kettlebell.  Sure they're cool to use, and they are tremendously effective for burning fat.  They also are extremely simple to use, and could theoretically replace all other home and gym training devices.  That's not what this post is about though.

This is about movement.  For many of us the time when we were on the playground running, jumping, climbing and throwing is mostly a dim memory.  Training with kettlebells is one way reconnect with the ability to play with confidence and competency.  Being able to move better opens your training options.

The last 30 years of popular fitness training have focused on isolated, body-building movements that completely disregard / ignore that the body is one system.  Training needs to be comprehensive, yet simple.  Tough, but scalable.   Kettlebell training meets this criteria.

Two primary examples of the kind of movement training I am referring to is the basic swing, and the Turkish get-up.

One is a fast, dynamic movement, the other a slower, strength move.  One way to look at this is that you can build whole-body strength with the get-up, and conditioning with the swing.

Do you have questions on how to do these movements?  Send me an email at "brandon dot  nugent at gmail dot com".  Or come out to the Monday Noon Kettlebell Workouts!


Get your Swing on!

-Brandon

Memorial Day Workout

Memorial Day WOD

Warm-up:

• DROM
• Swing Technique

Main:

1. 100 Swings for time
2. Recover 2 to 4 minutes
3. 300 Swings  at 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off (30:30)
4. Recover 2 to 4 minutes
5. 100 Swings for time

Cool down

Monday Noon Kettlebell Series - Kick-off

Today was the start of the noon kettlebell series in Campbell!

Topics covered:

• Swing
• Goblet Squat
• Clean
• Plank (with emphasis on tension)

Main workout:
15 minutes as many rounds as possible: (AMRAP)

• 10 Swings
• 5 Goblet squats
• 30 seconds of plank hold

Come out and join us!

Results:

Keep It Simple: Eat Natural, Swing Iron

There's very little complexity to living a lifestyle that gives you strength, power, endurance, and makes you look good!

You only need to remember 2 things:

• Eat natural foods
• Swing your kettlebell

How hard is that?

Of course, there IS more to that, but it's mostly around the different ways to implement your swings and build in recovery.  The truth is that physical fitness starts with your mental approach.  Start today!

With this simple recommendation, you can:

• LOSE WEIGHT!
• GAIN MUSCLE!
• LOOK GREAT!

Paleo Brands Delivers Food We Were Designed to Eat

This week we've affiliated with Paleo Brands, a company dedicated to providing quality, natural food that will get you on track with how nature intended you to eat. We're proud to be supporter of this company and the product they sell. Buy a snack pack today and eat some grass fed jerky!

Choosing the Right Kettlebell

What kind of kettlebell should you purchase or own?

As a kettlebell instructor and coach, I only have two pieces of criteria for you when it comes to selecting a kettlebell.

First, the kettlebell (or bell for short), should be safe to use. Welded, or modular construction bells (the ones with removable plates) may be cheaper or more convenient, but they don't compare to solid cast bells when it comes to confidence in overhead lift, swing or snatch movements.

Secondly, it should be something that you WANT to use and look forward to using. If the handle is too uneven or rough and causes you to tear your hands, chances are you will not want to use the bell. It should be FUN to use.

So my criteria for selecting a kettlebell is this:

1. Safe
2. Fun

Once the bell meets passes the first level of inspection, the next is to look at the weight.  Choosing the right weight of bell becomes the primary concern once you've selected the manufacturer.

Here's a recommended guide for those starting out:
For men:

• 26 to 35lbs for swings
• 18 to 26lbs for get-ups

For women:

• 18 to 26lbs for swings
• 9 to 18lbs for get-ups

Once you've settled into a groove with the technique and you've applied the work consistently for a couple of weeks, you can move into a heavier bell.  The important thing here is that your technique is solid.  This will make a heavy bell feel light.  If your technique is not where it needs to be, get it there.

I will stay fairly agnostic about what bell you should use, I do however have a favorite.  Once I began training with a local Russian Kettlebell Instructor(Jordan Vezina) who used Dragon Door bells exclusively, I realized there was a significant difference in quality in the bells which I used at home (Apollo bells) and the Dragon Door(DD) variety.  I own both now and I can say with confidence, I look forward to swinging my DD bells.

Kettlebell Lunch Workouts Are Coming!

Look for the announcement on time and location.

Do you live and or work in the Silicon valley? Want to get in shape quickly and release some of that workday stress?

Bring your kettlebell (or borrow one) and learn the Russian art of turning yourself into a bad ass!