Hey everyone!
I am finally back home and honestly a little depressed to be away from all the Girls Gone Strong. We had an amazing time and we have loads of really exciting things to share with you all in the near future – including our first product, which I know will be one of a kind!
When our training video is available to me, I will then post an complete summary of my time in Baltimore with photos and of course the video!
Even though I am literally just in the door from my long journey I actually feel like a workout.
After travelling for almost 20 hours (mostly sitting) I feel that a short workout will help loosen up my muscles and help me feel more revived as it has been a few days since I trained at all and, there had been a lot of eating out – as you can imagine 😉
The Workout
Some of the exercises today are more technically demanding so I have increased the rest interval and decreased the effort interval. BTW apologies if my writing isn’t as coherent today; I can honestly blame the jet-lag for that!
Set your Gymboss Interval Timer for 18 cycles of 20 seconds recovery and 40 seconds effort and perform 3 rounds of the following 6 Kettlebell exercises. My reps per exercise and weights used are in brackets. Note: I am not going heavy today as I want to work on skill while taking care not to risk injuring my tired body; I just want to feel good from this workout, not exhausted. If YOU want more intensity then feel free to adapt times, weights and exercises for your own goals.
Working with Neghar Fonooni (RKC 2, GGS, and much more), Karen McDowell Smith (RKC 2, RKC Team Leader) and Jen Sinkler, I learned a few pointers to help me improve my KB form, which I am so grateful for. Hopefully the changes will show 🙂
- Kettlebell Goblet Squat (20kg) (16, 15, 13)
- Two-Handed Kettlebell Swing (20kg) (29, 28, 29 )
- Kettlebell Renegade Rows (2x14kg) (16, 16, 15)
- Alternating Kettlebell Clean and Jerk (16kg, 20kg) (6, 6, 5)
- Kettlebell Snatch (left) (12kg, 14kg) (10, 11, 7)
- Kettlebell Snatch (right) (12kg, 14kg) (10, 12, 9)
After this workout I felt great! So glad I did it. Particularly I found it challenging to pack my neck during the KB swing, but Neghar gave me a great cue to remember: “your head follows the trajectory of the Bell”. I had gotten into a bad habit of hyper-extending my neck at the bottom of the swing, so this will help prevent injury in the future.
That’s really all for today everyone. I know I will be back soon with the full update, so please don’t forget to subscribe to Girls Gone Strong’s YouTube Channel and “Like” GGS’s Facebook Page. And, while you’re at it please “Like” myomytv’s NEW Facebook Page 🙂
There’s plenty to keep you occupied 😉
Talk to you all soon! *eek I am so excited to show you our video!*
Marianne
I wanted another dose of Marianne’s workouts, so I did this this morning…
1. Goblet squats 14 Kg 13, 11, 11 (getting lower range consistently — I DID warmup with Cossack squats so that might have improved my range of motion.)
2. Swings 16Kg 25, 25, 25 — following the neck rule… so I was doing it wrong too! Kept wt down for now.
3. Renegade rows 12 kg 16, 17, 16 (I need a heavier pair!)
4. alt clean & jerk 14 Kg 7, 7, 7
5. snatch L 12 Kg 14, 15, 14
6. snatch R 12 Kg 14, 15, 15
Pulse +1/2 sweat 0 ? This got my HR up but not as much as Intensity rules or even magic blonde moments. (Those are the only other workouts I have scored in this manner.) I saw this as a bit more on the strength side than metcon, though snatches always get my pulse up. Nice workout!
And I learned something.
Thanks M
~ Gillian
Gillian, I like (think I like) your rating system LOL, but ZERO for sweat 🙁 I’ll have to consider your awesome fitness level when I design my next one. It can bee a wee Christmas present for you, since you’ve returned 🙂 It’s great seeing your comments again !! x
Marianne,
I just finished this workout – it was perfect for today. Yesterday involved a very long hike and lots of playing/jumping/climbing in the woods, followed by far too much red wine and dinner….followed by a full day’s work today. I needed a little pick me up to stretch out and this was just right. I even figured out how to set up my iPhone like your Gym Boss trainer 🙂
Ann
Nice one Ann! Ha, I laughed at the “too much red wine and dinner” – I am familiar with that feeling 😉
Your hike sounds amazing, I bet the scenery was beautiful!
Congrats on your new venture! Hope everything goes well. I know you promote “Girl Power”, but you have ALOT to offer for the guys as well. I would hope that more guys stumble across what you ladies have to share and put aside any hesitation to learn because of chauvinist tendencies.
I’ve personally have been using your workouts along with other training to prepare myself for a Tough Mudder race in April. Excited!!!
Stay Strong!
Thoroughly enjoyed watching this video, you come across as a really lovely , genuine person and I’m sure this will inspire many women. I have never used Kettle Bells, I’m embarrassed to admit, and when I do, it’ll be a lot less than 20k – jeez how do you do it!?
Thanks Isobel. Don’t be embarressed, it’s all about progression and I wasn’t always lifting 20kg KBs. Plus when you’re new to it, I would recomment starting at 8kg until you have mastered the basics.
Hey marianne,
I’m a newbie by the way and I gotta tell you…I’m a huge fan of your workouts. I’ve been training for over a year now, but my workouts are mostly free weights and plyo moves for cardio (sprinting as well) Never really used KB’s which I notice you are a fan lol. I want to start applying your workouts to my regimen however I dont want to over-train. How many times a week do you work out and how often do you lift weights. I realy want to add some muscle. Thanx again for your videos & advice. I love to see women working hard……very inspiring. Keep it coming lol
Cita
P.S Can you let me know if I registerd corectly ‘chilli’ Thank You
Hey, I answered the training question on you “Heavenly Hell Batman” comment 🙂
If you want to add some muscle I would recommend adding some barbell training and progress the weight you use. Have you access to a Barbell and plates?
I’ll activate your account asap 🙂
I am so glad you are back. I am also happy to see you performing the snatch and the long cycle, makes me happy. I can’t wait to see what you have in store for us.
Cheers
eek!! 😀
I meant to type hear not here.
Minnie
Hi Marianne,
Welcome back. Loved the video. It’s my workout in a little bit.
Can’t wait to see and here more from you and the “Girls Gone Strong”
group . I’d like to share with some of the other bloggers what helped
me with my snatches. I am not sure if I’m doing the snatch perfectly as I’ve
never been formally trained. But, the bell no longer bangs my wrist, nor does
my wrist have any red marks. So, what helped me was going on you tube and typing
in kettlebell snatch in slow motion . I watched several videos over and over.
I learned that bend in the arm after the swing on the way up. Perfect. I hope this information
helps someone. Did I ever tell you I LOVE kettlebells !
Cheers,
Minnie
Ps- I must add that being trained by a professional is always the way to go but,
for me this helped.
Thanks Minnie, I am writing it up as we speak!
Your pointers on the snatch are great.
I love this video:
Nice work, and a very fetching headband! It appears you had a life enriching experience in Baltimore? Likewise, my New York KB workshop was one of the best things I have done in years, where will it all lead, I wonder..?
Good to have you back in one piece. Looking forward to more tips and great workouts along the way.
Adam
I sure did Adam!!!
Sounds like you did too 😀 It’s exciting, isn’t it!!
ok, now after watching this video all the way through, i must ask. After seeing a post on the girls gone strong FB page about snatches, and proper form, i know something isn’t right about my way, The bell seems to flip hard on my forearm, not in a painful way, but it’s definately “hitting” on there…… is it maybe just because the bell is heavy. I still can’t snatch my 25lbs very well with the left arm. I can probably do about 8 on the right and maybe four on the left, which is very frustrating.
Just be sure your arm isn’t too straight after the hip snap. It shouldn’t look like a single arm swing, but more like a high pull (except you want the drive for that “pull” to come from your hips). Then you punch the hand through at the top to lock it out. It could be that the KB you use is too light. Maybe you should use a weight in between.
It’s hard to know what to tell you since I can’t see what you’re doing wrong 🙁
My KB does that too – ‘hitting’ the forearm. I only have a 15# and 20# kb. Maybe I should invest in heavier ones?
Minnie has made a great suggestion. The weight CAN help, but it is more to do with the timing of the bending of your elbow and the “punch” at the top!
tempest I suggest you go back to the 8kg and really focus on your form.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mXLLADc680&feature=relmfu
I actually found that an intermediate weight was the best. Too light and it flew through the air to quickly, too heavy and I had to really jerk to get it up. For me, 10 KG was good to start.
Also, I ended up buying kettleguards, which are padded wrist guards, from the Ice Palace girls. That pretty much solved the bruised wrists.
~ Gillian
Welcome back Marianne. Good to hear you had an amazing time (again) with the GGS girls. That is so awe-inspiring to me. I would love to be a part of it all and would really like to form a group of amazing strong women in my area, just not sure how to go about it. Anxious to see the training video tho!
This will be a challenging workout for me as I don’t do the clean & Jerk and Snatch very much (mostly because the ceiling in the basement isn’t high enough forcing me to try and swing/press between the joists, which bites.) Maybe this one i’ll take into the kitchen. That’ll give me a good reason to wash the floor (due to all the sweat that i’ll leave behind!)
GGS will have to hit the Green Bay, WI area some time! I can only hope!
Have a great week! Take Care ~
Hey Penny, I am hoping that GGS will tour the US and further one day soon, so that many women can come and learn and feel the buzz from training with like-minded females 😀
Hope you don’t put a hole in your ceiling 😛
I’m just thinking one of these days you might stay here permanently. 🙂
Tell me about it Kellie, it sure would make life a lot easier if I just stayed a while 🙂 Who knows ….
Girl, you’re crazy, you should fall asleep because of the jetlag, but instead you kick our butts 😉
Haha, I know – I was really tired once I got home, but then I was so busy and buzzing from all the excitement that I just had to make use of the energy. Plus I was itching to wear my new headband 😉 LOL
packing your neck, please explain that.
Check out Bret’s Video on NECK PACKING.
This should help 🙂
This video was very helpful to me as well. it makes total natural sense, especially when doing the KB swing.I actually watched it a few weeks ago.
Really excited for all of you – glad it’s all coming together! 🙂
Thanks Marty 🙂 Hope you are well!
Hi Marianne,
I am a beginner for kettle bell training (2 months) and I found your website and the training videos are very intersting and helpful.
My questions:
1) Where do you buy your kettle bell and what is your recommendations?
2) How many times do you practice the kettle bell? Besides kettle bell workouts, do you do antoher forms of workout?
Thanks.
Jiannfeng Hong
Chicago, USA
Hey there! Thank you for your questions. And welcome to my blog 🙂
1) HERE is a post I did to try and answer this frequently asked question – hope it helps you!
2) I used Kettlebells for training 2 times per week usually (more for conditioning)
3) I strength train with barbell 2 (sometimes 3) times per week as well as the KBs. (this is my heavy training)
Hope this helps 🙂