Hey everyone,
After the weekend I have given myself 2 full days of rest and I am giving myself today to allow my grip, forearms and my poor hand extra recovery so I can resume my heavy lifting asap. I thought I would start by introducing a workout that includes some Body Weight principles and the KB Swing, but I couldn’t even do the KB Swing for any more than 30 seconds LOL, so I had to swap it out for some other exercise. It may not seem like much has changed, but I feel a shift towards some new designs and combos coming our way 😉
As you know I prefer short bursts of intense activity during my workouts and this is a great method for training in general as it is highly effective for improving your strength, conditioning and body composition in a more efficient way. However, one aspect of training I always neglect (along with flexibility) is endurance. With that in mind I feel I can use the KB skills from the weekend to include some longer duration exercises, like the Snatch … YES I said Snatch!
From the IKFF Workshop, I learned that the KB Swing is more of a gateway exercise to the clean and snatch. Although an effective exercise on its own, I want to begin to introduce the Single Arm Swing in preparation to the other KB lifts that I often ignore. In fact, I have been getting it the wrong way round in that I have used the Clean mainly as a way to get the KB into the rack position and that’s all! I will be using it more in combinations and drills to get the true benefits of full body KB exercises and fine-tuning our skills. What I mean is using the KB Clean to lead on to Presses/Push Presses/Jerks. With these types of Combos, it is best to work towards endurance.
I will still use the separate elements in my workouts, but I will also include more challenging lifts, especially for the benefit of those who enjoy Long Cycles!
For today’s workout I decided to include some challenging lower body combinations. These include longer intervals, higher reps, faster reps and plyometrics. Unfortunately I cannot replicate the exercises that Steve Cotter taught us at the weekend, as I need to consider beginners, but I am wanting to introduce some basic principles of his training methods. Plus for some of the tumbles and things I need a large padded room … and not because I’m crazy 😉
The Workout
For me, I set my Gymboss Interval Timer for one interval of 1 min, to count down for all the timed exercises. I have suggested a range of times and reps to draw attention to that fact that not everyone will have the same fitness level, so work to your own ability. But don’t forget to challenge yourself too.
The workout has 4 sections. Each section has 3 or 4 exercises, mixing Body Weight (mainly) and Kettlebells. The aim is to complete 2 rounds of each section before moving on.
- Body Weight Squat (increase the pace every 10 reps) x 20 – 50 reps (50, 50)
- KB High Deficit Reverse Lunge (left) x 30 – 60 seconds (16kg – 18, 17)
- KB High Deficit Reverse Lunge (right) x 30 – 60 secs (16kg – 18, 17)
- *Single-Leg Hip Thrust (left) x 12 – 20 reps (20,20)
- *Single-Leg Hip Thrust (right) x 12 – 20 reps (20, 20)
- Squat Jump Tucks / Dynamic Squats / Crazy Bench Jumps x 30 – 60 secs (didn’t count)
- **Single-Leg Squat (left) x 6 – 12 reps or 3 – 5 full pistols (12, 12)
- **Single-Leg Squat (right) x 6 – 12 reps (12, 12)
- Side to Side Step Ups x 30 – 60 secs (63, 58)
- Single-leg Stability Ball Curl (left) x 8 – 15 reps (15, 15)
- Single-leg Stability Ball Curl (right) x 8 – 15 reps (15, 15)
- Stand-Kneel-Stand (left) x 30 – 60 secs (BW or KB, advance by holding KB overhead haha!) (12kg, 14kg – 22, 19)
- Stand-Kneel-Stand (right) x 30 – 60 secs (12kg, 14kg – 23, 18.5)
Now cool down, STRETCH and rehydrate 🙂
* Please ensure you perform the appropriate variation of this exercise for your ability. See my Glute Bridge to Hip Thrust Progression Tutorial for more guidance, if you are unsure.
** Use your rear leg for support and balance and only lower to a level where you can stand back up. Whether this is a quarter or half of the way down, that is fine. This is a very challenging squat because you require a lot of stability through the ankles, knees and hips in addition to adequate strength, mobility and flexibility. So there are many elements coming together here – so take this one slow! NOTE: The higher the bench the greater the range of movement.
I found this workout to be very challenging. The single-leg squats are a great exercise, but I find when I do full pistols, they flare up my SI Joint pain. So I know I need to work on my flexibility and avoid full range of movement in the meantime. All in all, I really enjoyed the change of pace today – especially the jumps 😀
Cheers
Marianne
