Back on the platform

Eight weeks ago today I saw that Scott Shetler was hosting the AKA/IUKL Georgia State Kettlebell Championships. I started training for the event that night, and the next day I registered and paid my entry fee. Many of you know that I took off from kettlebell sport training for most of 2012 to run for DA in my district. I drastically reduced my workouts and intensity, and essentially was de-conditioned for almost a year. After winning the election, I resumed more rigorous workouts, but I had to take it slowly, and I wasn't training for kettlebell sport. Mostly, I worked on improving my squat and ran in charity 5k road races. All that changed 8 weeks ago when I saw the comp was scheduled. I paid the entry fee just to make myself train for the event. I knew that otherwise the demands of my job and family would keep me from serious sport training and I'd do something easy and "sensible". Merely paying the fee made me train, even when I was tired or it was inconvenient. It became very clear early on that my endurance had suffered greatly since last year. I had difficulty lifting the 24kg bells beyond 5 minutes, and I couldn't hold the same pace as I did before. Still, I lifted as often as possible (even on vacation at the beach) and I ran on the other days. Today was the comp, and I was fortunate enough to win the amateur men's heavyweight division for long cycle with 77 reps of 2x24kg. While that result is 20 reps shy of my personal best, it was good enough to earn a Rank I from the AKA/IUKL, and win the amateur division. It's also 1 rep better than when I won Best Male Lifter in 2009 at the Southeast Championships. I'll take it. So what's next? After successfully returning to competition, my next step is to begin training towards a pro ranking with the AKA/IUKL, and enter some road races to make me improve my overall conditioning. I'm running another 5K on Labor Day, and I hope to order some 32kg bells soon. For now, I'll leave you with photos of me and my friends Scott Shetler, Josh Dunn (who won the pro division and best male lifter), and Mike Sherman (who won best male lifter for biathlon):

Back to the grind(s)

Those of you who know me (either personally or on Facebook) know that this was not a year for athletic goals for me. Professional goals? Yes. Athletic? Not so much. I successfully ran for DA in my community, and running for office made severe demands on my time and my energy. I spent most of the year becoming deconditioned, and most workout involved five minutes of easy long cycle with two 20kg kettlebells. Since the election was over, I've resumed working out with a vengeance. The difference this time is the emphasis. I've heard it said that men in the 40's lose one pound of muscle per year. Many trainers recommend weight training to men in their 30's and 40's to prevent this natural decline. I've also thought that adding a basic weight training routine would help prevent the recurrence of tendinitis in my elbows. So after the campaign ended I started a regimen of cleaning and pressing (not jerking) a Kettlebell, and double Kettlebell front squats. A few days ago I shifted my focus to dead lifting, back squats and presses. I know that I'm best motivated by competition, and there are many powerlifting contests in my area. I've decided to set a goal of hitting the "intermediate" level of dead lifting for my weight class, which is 350 lbs. I may enter a 3 lift meet as well (bench press, squat and dead lift). Until then I'm enjoying working on a new challenge. I'll let you know how it goes. David

Frustration

So since my tendinitis came back earlier this year, I took some time off, then resumed lifting very slowly. I took great care to manage both the frequency, volume, and intensity of the training load so that the tendinitis didn't creep back up. This meant using the 20kg bells more often than the 24's (forget using the 28's, I've almost written them off). Despite all this care my elbows have been increasingly sore, and several days ago I had a sharp pain in the left elbow when I was doing some chores. Fantastic. So now it looks like I'm going back to running, walking and squats while my elbows heal. I suppose that I shouldn't be frustrated. This time last year I was in the same position. And after a summer of running I set several new personal records within weeks of resuming GS training. Nevertheless its quite frustrating that the tendinitis seems to hit me every time I near a competition, regardless of the care I take in managing the training load. I'm beginning to think that, once the elbows are healed, I should continue running and do nothing for my upper body but very low volume moderate intensity workouts. The idea would be to continue that for a year or so, and only then return to GS. In the meantime, I am enjoying running and walking at night. There are worse things than the runner's high. Until next time.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Yesterday was Saint Patrick's Day, a day I always celebrate because of my Irish heritage, and my appreciation for his work as an abolitionist and minister to the Irish People.
Fittingly, this week was my first to return to using the ubiquitous green 24kg kettlebells. Commonly referred to as "the people's bells" (I prefer that to the more derisive "mediocre balls") the 24kgs bells are the most common weight for amateur and senior men's competitions. I have heard that in Russia and Eastern Europe its not uncommon for some contests to be limited to 24kg-only for the men instead of including the 32kg weights for the pro-level athletes. Maybe I just like to remember that since my tendinitis has prevented me from lifting the heavier bells with the intensity I'd like.
In any event, on my first day back I limited myself to 40 repetitions. I was glad I completed that in 3:45, but I know it will be at least a couple months before I threaten the hundred rep barrier again. In the meantime, I'm lifting only 3-4 days a week (instead of my usual 5-6) and running the other days. I'm sure I'll use the 20kg bells occasionally just to keep my elbows rested. I'll let you know how it goes.

What does this mean?

Kettlebell sport is an endurance sport. I've posted about that before, and the data supports that statement. The most reliable predictor of a beginning GS athlete's success seems to be success in another endurance sport. There is a very high degree of correlation between endurance sport success and GS. There is virtually none with absolute strength and GS success.

That being said, I noticed this video recently:



That's Ivan Denisov, the absolute world record holder in GS, achieving a Master of Sport World Class ranking in the Deadlift. The Deadlift is obviously a feat of pure strength, and the physical qualities required for this lift stand on the exact opposite of the spectrum from general endurance.
Denisov is an incredible athlete. In addition to GS, he competes in basketball, and he's run marathons in the past. I can't help but think that he does everything he does with thought and deliberation. There is a purpose.
I realize that Denisov is a world-class athlete, but I know he works a regular job like most GS athletes. He doesn't just train all day. So obviously this was a priority for him.
So why did he set out to achieve this level of pure strength, and what does it mean for the average amateur GS athlete? How should it affect how the average athlete trains?
I'm not offering any answers here. I am very curious what other athletes have to say. I welcome your comments.

-David

Pondering what's next

Since my tendinitis returned about a month ago I stopped lifting kettlebells to let my elbows heal (the tendinitis is in both of them; it's one of the few areas in my life that I can claim to be ambidextrous).
A few weeks before that I had stopped working on Long Cycle to prepare for an online snatch competition with the 24kg bell. My goal was to get WKC Rank I numbers in the comp (75 reps or more in each hand, minimum 150 snatches total with the 24kg bell). I hadn't worked snatches for about two and a half years, and my previous personal record was less than 50 reps per hand. But it only took a couple weeks to get 75/75 in training. I used a Fedorenko-inspired template that I took from this blog. Years after it was written, I still find it to be one of the most practical training guides I have ever read on GS, and, along with Rudnev and Lopatin's article I cited earlier, it has influenced my training more than any other piece I've read.
I had hoped to use this method to try Biathlon training for a while, and then return to Long Cycle. Obviously that's not in the cards for now.
One unfortunate result of my hiatus from kettlebells is the loss of strength. Although they aren't the ideal tool for maximal strength, the practical, walking around strength kettlebells gave my hands, arms and lower back was a useful asset. As my elbows heal, I'm considering a low volume, three-day-a-week barbell routine of clean and jerks and similar lifts to build strength without leading to overuse injuries. Hopefully, I could gain back some of the strength I lost in the last two bouts of tendinitis, without suffering any overuse injuries. On the other days I could run to work on general endurance for my return to kettlebell sport.
For now I may have to limit the strength work to squats (back, front, and jumping). At this point I'm even afraid to try deadlifts. Hopefully it won't be long before I'm lifting weights overhead.
For now, I'd packing my bags for Orlando. Tomorrow I drive our church van full of children (my son included among them) to Sea World. Wish me luck.
Until next time...

Goodbye 2011

2011 was not what I expected.
What I expected was to reach WKC CMS numbers in Long Cycle in the first couple months, then officially achieve that rank at the GA State Championships later in the summer.
Instead I got tendinitis in my elbows, and that sidelined me for most of the year.
I spent that "off" time running, usually three days a week. The other days I walked. The walks (and the runs) were pretty challenging, because my neighborhood and the surrounding areas are extremely hilly. A few of the hills take several minutes to climb.
But it was ok. I enjoyed it, and I worked on my general endurance 6 or 7 days a week.
Also, I confirmed what I had posted earlier in the year:
Kettlebell Sport is an endurance sport.
The proof was in how quickly my numbers rebounded after my doctor cleared me to train with kettlebells again. I am not a naturally strong or muscular person, and my upper body turned skinny and flabby while I limited my workouts to running, walking and squats.
But even with skinny, flabby arms I started setting new personal records just weeks after my return to kettlebell training in August, after months of endurance work. Those records include a 77 rep 7 minute 2x24kg set, and several 40 plus rep sets in 3 minutes. I wrote my last blog post about my 97 rep 2x24kg 10 minute set in October. That was significant to me because I felt awful that day, and I suspect on an average day, or even on a bad day when I paced myself with a timer, I would have smashed the 100 rep barrier easily.
With those results I was hoping to be the first American to crack 100 reps in competition. But the November comp I was planning to attend was cancelled. I can't blame the event planners, as several significant competitions were held within weeks (some just days) of the comp, so I did not expect attendance to be high. This was just the only comp within driving distance for the foreseeable future, and my travel budget didn't allow for farther trips this year.
After the comp was cancelled, two American lifters broke the 100 rep barrier in competition on the same day at another competition. Lee Quattrone (101 reps) and Jeff Martone (104 reps) both achieved CMS rank in Long Cycle with their 2x24kg performances at the IKFF National Championships on November 19. I would have liked to have beaten them to it, but I was happy for them both. I hope to meet them on the platform one day soon.
Later in the year my elbow tendinitis flared up again, and I was forced to turn to running and walking as my primary training exercises.
Once my elbows heal again I plan to lift again, although I may be limited to 24kg kettlebells. I'd like to best the 104 rep record that Jeff set, as the mountain climbers say, just because it is there. We'll see.
For now, I wish you all a happy and blessed 2012.
-David