Warmup:

Two rounds of:
20 push-ups
20 35 lb. kettlebell swings
60 jumping jacks

5 minutes

Workout:

6,4x5 2x53 lb. kettlebell military press, superset with
4x8, 7 2x53 lb. kettlebell row
rest 1 minute between each set

5x5 2x53 lb. kettlebell lunge (reps/side), superset with
5x8 2x53 lb. kettlebell swing
rest 1 minute between each set

5x5 2x53 lb. kettlebell windmill
rest 1 minute between each double-set

Total time: 54 minutes

Workout completed on an empty stomach (about 13 hours fasted). Press was off for some reason – ended up doing about one push press (instead of strict military) for four of the five sets.

Really didn’t want to workout today but of course I am glad I did. Particularly since I’m off to my two brothers’ (one in-law) 30^th b-day celebration.

Warm-up was one round of C8B300 (Get heart rate up, took about 5 minutes).

Workout:

5x5 Single-arm push press, 70 lb. kettlebell
Rest 2 minutes between each set

5x5 Single-arm row, 70 lb. kettlebell
Rest 2 minutes between each set

5x10 press (on the floor), 2x53 lb. kettlebell
Rest 2 minutes between each set

5x5 single-leg dead-lift, 2x53 lb. kettlebell
Rest 2 minutes between each set

I had no idea how much harder the dead-lifts would be using two 53 lb. kettlebells as compared to last Friday when I used one 70 lb. kettlebell. Major difference in exertion and balancing.

Here’s my made-up Monday “Krazy Kettlebell Cardio Circuit” (The “KKCC” for short):

60 jumping jacks
20 alternating 35 lb. kettlebell swings
20 split squats
20 Figure-8 uppercuts, 35 lb. kettlebell
60 second plank
20 air squats
20 swing and press, 35 lb. kettlebell
20 70 lb. kettlebell swings
Rest 1 minute

Three rounds.

Time: 25:15

For a count of 240 reps/seconds per round, 60 of which are swings and 40 of which are kettlebell drills, this is a majorly tough cardio circuit.

I did it 21 hours fasted, too. Whoo! I am beat and ready for a shower (and some carnitas!).

Warm-up:

30 seconds work / 15 seconds rest
35 lb. kettlebell
Figure-8 Uppercuts
Single-arm swings, alternating w/flip
Figure-8 Hot Potatoes
Swing/flip/catch press/flip/swing
2x

Time: 6 minutes

Workout:

5x5 Double 53 lb. kettlebell military press
5x5 Double 53 lb. kettlebell row
Rest 2 minutes between every set, alternating exercises

8x5 Double 53 lb. kettlebell front squat
8x5 Double 53 lb. kettlebell swing
Rest 2 minutes between every set, alternating exercises

5x4 Double 53 lb. kettlebell windmills
Rest 2 minutes between every set

Time: 1:04:07

Total workout time: 1:10:07

Did a repeat of a workout I did two weeks ago:

Did the C8B300 in 16:48. Rested two minutes. Then did 100 70 lb. (2 pood) kettlebell swings. Total time was 26:29 (So the 100 kb swings took a shade under 8 minutes).

All rest periods the same (i.e. two minutes between the cardio circuit and the kettlebell swings).

This week’s times:

C8B300 in 16:29
KB Swings in 7:53
Total time: 26:22

So 19 seconds faster on the circuit and 12 seconds slower on the swings.

You win some, you lose some. Hey, I was 20 hours fasted this time around.

Warm-up:

With a 35 lb. kettlebell,
Figure-8s/ATB for 1 min
Figure-8/ATB uppercut flips for 1 min
Single-arm KB swings for 1 min
Rest 1 minute
Repeat for 2 rounds

Workout:

6 slow reps 2x53 lb. kettlebell press (i.e. lying on my back on the ground, say 5 seconds up / 5 down)
10 decline push-ups, fast-pace
5 negative push-ups

rest

5 slow reps 2x53 lb. kb bent over row (i.e. sort of a dead-lift position with a bell per arm, bent over keeping back parallel to the ground)
10 reps 35 lb. single-arm kb rows
6 negative reps 35 lb. single-arm kb rows w/ 35 lb. kb

rest

4 reps slow reps 2x53 lb. kb military press
5 reps single-arm 35 lb. kb military press
5 negative reps single-arm 35 lb. kb military press

rest

5 slow reps 70 lb. kb upright row
10 reps 53 lb. kb upright row
5 negative reps 53 lb. kb upright row

rest

2 minute left side plank
rest 30 seconds
2 minute right side plank
rest 30 seconds
2 minute front plank
rest 30 seconds
45 second decline front plank (feet elevated on a chair)

That last plank was intended to be two minutes, but my abs and lower back were on fire, yelling at my brain to stop, so I listened. No reason to risk injuring my core!

Total workout time: (including warm-up) was approximately 47 minutes.

Method: The idea behind the above workout set-up is one “set” to exhaustion by way of employing three different repetition styles — slow-reps/slow-burn at high weight; fast reps, high-intensity, lower weight; negatives.

I had a good afterburn effect on a similar routine last week. We’ll see how this one scores on the sore-spectrum tomorrow.

Psychological note: I was having a hard time motivating myself to workout today. The more I lean out past a certain point, the harder my body seems to fight back, which makes incremental improvement painfully slow. It’s easy to start discouraging and want to just say “I give up!” But I’m not gonna. Not yet, anyway.

Afterthought 1: I wonder if “motivating myself” is just a distraction — a technique of time-wasting procrastination. Most times, I’m better off just starting: the motivation will come soon enough thereafter.

Afterthought 2: On the other hand, simple workout boredom can make me not want to workout. Sure there are a billion workout routines I could pursue using bodyweight, kettlebells, or just making stuff up. But like the kid who only orders the Chicken Finger basket from Applebee’s, sometimes it’s hard to break old habits and think outside the humdrum routines.

Warmup - 8 rounds, 30 second work / 15 second rest with a 35 lb. kettlebell:

ATB, ATB uppercut, Single-arm swing, ATB hot potato, Swing/flip/catch/press/flip, ATB uppercut, Swing/taps, ATB

Kettlebell weight-training - 5 sets of 5 reps being the template (5x5)

5x5 70 lb. kettlebell push press
5x5 70 lb. kettlebell bent-over row
[4/3]x2, [4/4]x2, [4/3] pistols with a 35 lb. kettlebell (Right/left repetitions per leg as [#/#])

When I do pistols, I tend to contract the non-working leg and it hurts! Need to figure out how to relax the leg that is extended/not working. Hmm.

[5/5]x5 Ipsi-lateral single-leg kettlebell dead lifts, 70 lb. kettlebell

Much easier (for me) than the pistols, see Steve Cotter’s tutorial below for a quick “How-to.” I had to look this up to make sure I was doing it right (probably should bone up on how to properly do the pistols, too – next time!).

Finished off with supersets of 5x5 curls and overhead extensions using the 35 lb. kettlebell.

Rest was variable throughout the workout. I usually keep my workouts on the clock, keeping rest between sets regimented, but it’s kinda nice to lay off being so strict on rest every once in awhile. It’s Sunday afternoon right? I guess being lazy while working out is a bit of a contradiction – or maybe it’s not?

My brief warm-up (if you can call it that) was 100 jumping jacks.

After, I did:

- 100 Single-arm Thrusters, 35 lb. kettlebell (50 per arm, broken down into sets of 20 with a minute rest between each set)

- 100 70 lb. Kettlebell Swings (broken down into sets of 10 with a minute of rest in between)

Elapsed time at this point — 25 minutes on the nose (that includes the jumping jacks).

- 100 Burpees. At this point, goal was to be regimented but mainly going for time efficiency (i.e. as quickly as possible, but regimenting rest). This ended up meaning. 10 / 10 / 10 with a minute rest in between, then 14 sets of 5 with 30 seconds of rest between each set.

Completely destroyed at the end of this routine. Total time was 41:42.

I’d long been wanting to try this three-exercise combination because each exercise has a slightly different focus, but all three require complex, full-body coordination.

Thrusters are a great exercise that hits the quads, hip flexors (I think), and shoulders/triceps, while encouraging core stability. Single-arm thrusters seem to hit the core in a different way than double-arm thrusters, but that’s a discussion for another day.

Kettlebell swings are another exercise, even more ballistic than thrusters, and really work your back, forearms, core (stabilizing) and hamstrings.

Capping it all off with burpees, which almost knock the air out of you by design hit your core, chest, shoulders, back (in the scissoring motion), and legs. They are also require the most coordination to do efficiently.

As recorded above, each exercise warmed me up for the next round as each one is progressively harder, requiring more coordination and working more muscle groups in concert. It’s been about 45 minutes since I finished and I still have that sort of out-of-body feeling. The sign of a workout well done!

I was trying to think of a catchy name for this veritable trifecta of full-body exercises. “Thrustwingprees” is a bit too long, hard to say and goofy. So for now, I’m going to call it the TSB300, obviously for the Thrusters, Swings and Burpees at 300 total repetitions.

Try it out and let me know what you think!

First off, some workout comic relief:

Okay as soon as you’re done laughing, read on.

About eighteen hours fasted, I did a glycogen depletion workout:

10 40 lb. dumbbell press
10 40 lb. dumbbell row
10 40 lb. dumbbell front squat
Rest a minute, repeat for five sets

10 15 lb. db lateral raise
10 20 lb. db hammer curl
10 40 lb. db overhead bench tricep extension (so both hands on one db)
Rest a minute, repeat for five sets

This took 25 minutes.

Rest two minutes.

10 35 lb. db press
10 35 lb. db row
8 35 lb. db front squat
Rest a minute, repeat for five sets

In case you didn’t notice, dropped 5 lbs for the second round here, same for below.

10 10 lb. db lateral raise
10 15 lb. db hammer curl
10 40 lb. db overhead bench tricep extension (kept this weight the same!)
Rest a minute, repeat for five sets

My upper body feels destroyed. I definitely could have done some more leg exercises, but I’m so wiped at this point, I’d be a bit afraid to try for fear of passing out! That’s a rough feeling, but it’s also good to feel like you really pushed yourself. I originally wanted to cut the entire workout plan in half – and that was only about halfway through the first half of the press/row/squat first round! So I’m glad I persevered.

Now I just need a toddler to really take my workout to the next level!

Did around 20 push-ups and 20 53 lb. swings to warm-up.

Workout:

10 rounds of:
5 double 53 lb. kettlebell swings
5 burpees
Rest one minute between rounds.

After, I went on a 5 mile road bike ride around some neighborhoods in Decatur. Time on the ride was right at 21 minutes.

I didn’t time the entire workout, but I’d guess it was no more than 50 minutes. A good workout though I think I probably could have squeezed in another rep of swings and burpees in per set. Still was a good routine and a nice outdoorsy workout.