Week 4: Preparing for SFG Level 1 Certification

Sunday, March 26th.  Week 4 complete, one month to go.  360 Swing Volume.

If you haven’t read the first entry, Week 0, read that first.  SFG is the Strong First Girevik Level 1 Certification.  That would be a Kettlebell Certification from the greatest Kettlebell organization in the world.

Here’s what the week looked like from a kettlebell perspective.  I only did 2 sessions each (press & swings) due to the pelvic issue I’ve been experiencing, that’s why my swing volume dropped from 480 to 360. Friday was a good press session.  I love doing the single reps @90% 1RM.  My schedule got a bit messed up so had to do swings and presses on the same day, Thursday.  Presses were medium difficulty and swings were low volume, so not much of a problem there.

Monday – Presses – 18 x 4 / 20 x 3,2

Thursday – Swings – 16 min 32KG(T) – 160 swings; Presses – 18×4 / 20×3,2 / 18×3,3

Friday – Presses – 18 x 5,4,3 / 22 x 1 / 20 x 3,2,2

Saturday – Swings – 20 min 32KG(T) – 200 Swings; Pullups – 1,2,3 1,2, Negative 1; COC T 1,2,3,4,5 1,2,3,4,5 15 Second Hold

On Friday I went to see a new chiropractor, Bruce Coulombe, D.C..  Unbelievable!  It was a neural issue carried forward from a past injury, nothing to do with soft tissue or nerves.  He diagnosed it and fixed it in minutes.  He also did a quick adjustment for my right rib – past broomball injury, which I had forgotten about.  Finally, Dr. Bruce performed a minor adjustment to my sacrum due to the neural issue which had caused the pelvis to get out of whack.  I immediately felt better.  I walked with better posture and less effort.  I could even see better (WTF)!  No pain the rest of the day.  I’m confident this has addressed the issue and I can move forward, full steam ahead.  So relieved…

When I did my swings Saturday, which is the most I’ve ever done, 200 swings – no issues.  In fact, it was easy.  My heart rate recovered very quickly, each set of 10 I finished in about 18 seconds, leaving 40 seconds for recovery. I was also more sensitive to my movements and correct technique.  I noticed around the 10th set that I was letting some slack remain in the arms.  I reset and removed the slack at the start of each set – the sets became smoother and easier.  I don’t fully understand what Dr. Couloumbe did, but the guy is the best chiropractor I’ve every worked with. I’m going to add a testimonial to his site.

Plan for next week is to alternate 32KG(T) Two Handed swings with 24KG(1) one handed  swings.  I’ll alternate, 2 two handed and 1 each left hand and right hand for all 3 sessions.  If all is well I’ll switch to all one handed swings the following week.  I’ll also be doing 3 press sessions and then a 1 Rep Max (RM) test on Friday, as part of the 3rd session.  I’m gunning for a 28KG lift. I’ll continue with pullups after swings and add some Turkish Getups (TGU) after the presses.  Need to schedule a session with a SFG certified instructor to review my technique and teach me the KB snatch.  Only one month to go and  I haven’t even tried a snatch yet. Better get that  remedied asap.

I also added some Captains of Crush (COC) workouts.  They’re the best grip strength tool on the market.  Just 2 russian ladders (1,2,3,4,5) and then hold the gripper fully closed for 15 seconds a side.  Start with a trainer and should move up quickly to a #1.  My grip is a bit of weak point for me.

I subscribe to Gymnastic Bodies with Christopher Sommer.  They have a foundation course which is a primer for the rest of  their courses.  I’ve been doing this daily and as part of my warmup.  It really helps with mobility and developing good movement, not stressful at all.  Check it out if you get a chance.  I do crabs and gorillas, then some body position work – plank, reverse plank, prone and supine.

Going skiing on Sunday, probably the last time this year.  Then I can start biking!  The last 2 years I’ve done a lot of hill climbing on the bike – Whiteface Mountain, Greylock, Equinox, Wachusett.  It’s a ton of fun and challenging.  This year I’m focusing on my strength training/kettlebells.  I’ll bike a lot but more lower intensity, longer rides to build aerobic endurance and skip the hill climbs.  Probably do a few centuries later in the year.  I’m also attending a SF Bodyweight user course in July with Kathy Smith as instructor.  Should be great – work on pistols and one armed pushups.

Reference: Everest ChiropracticBruce Coulombe, D.C.

Have a great week! Stay Healthy.