Congratulations Team USA Members 2015

In case you missed it, today was the final announcement of all the Team USA Kettlebell Sport athlete who will be competing in Dublin, Ireland this November. Congratulations to all. I wish you all the best in training leading up to the event! It will be the first time for me traveling across the Atlantic for competition. I'm excited for the experience!!

Re-cap of USA Nationals 2015

First I'd like to thank Yuri and Alex and the rest of the American Kettlebell Alliance for hosting a great competition. It was a long day for us lifters and longer for the judges and those helping out. Thank you to Cyrus and Vulcan Strength Training Systems for providing the kettlebells and making sure no one had any issues with the bells. Also thank you to all the sponsors who helped make the event possible of happening.
     This competition was going to be different for me as I would not be competing in my normal 73kg weight class. I would drop down to 68kg for this competition to occupy an open weight class. I used to compete at 147-152lbs in college boxing. So I knew I would be able to get down to that weight. It took some time; reducing calories, increasing cardio, and more visits to the sauna, but I was able to make it down. It took me close to 3 weeks to drop down to 67.4kg (148lbs). I got stuck at 155lbs and then again at 150lbs. I had to fast the last day to make the weight. That was one of the longest days leading up to the competition.
     This event was one of the biggest of the year. It was set up so that those lifting in the professional level would go first and then all amateurs would lift second. Similar to world championships there was only 2 minutes between sets to prepare your bell so you needed a team to help make sure you are set up for your set. There were some advantages to this being there weren't many biathlon lifters and we also lifted first and last. Enough time to get the bells and prepare the handles. The bells we all used were the new Vulcan Absolute Competition Kettlebell (check them out here )

They were different from what a lot of us were use to. Some of us had access to the fist version of Vulcan Bells and others had kettlebells with 35mm handles. So it was time for some adjustments to the plan. The goal was 50 reps in Jerk and 50/50 reps in Snatch but being there would be an adjustment needed for the unfamiliarity of the bells I looked at doing 40 reps in Jerk and 40/40 in Snatch. The plan was to go 6rpm in jerk and 15 rpm in snatch. That's the pace at which I feel most comfortable at. The men's professional line up was a good one. Some of the best in country came out and participated in the event to help make a strong Team USA for World Championships in November. Here are my two sets from USA Nationals

32+32kg Kettlebell Jerk

  

And 32kg Kettlebell Snatch



Both weren't my best sets but I felt I put up good numbers for being in the 68kg weight class. Next time I'll be better prepared when dropping down again to that weight class. Other lifters that did well to make Team USA is John Lesko MS, John "Wild" Buckley, Chris Doenlen, Marty Farrell MS, Aaron Guyett and myself who will round off the Professional Biathlon Lifters. The rest of the professional team includes Juan Pellot, Brittany VS, Melissa Swanson, Erin Moraites, Rick Martins, Will Haas, Svitlana K, Ryle Reeves (junior Pro), Bill Esch and Nocona J. This will be a good showing for Team USA as we are growing in the Professional level.
If you missed the event you can check out everyone who lifted or your favorite lifters on the American Kettlebell Alliance YouTube page.
Over the next 3 months I'll be preparing for Worlds as this will be my first time going overseas to compete as well traveling to Dublin as I have never been there.
I will train hard, train smart and hope to do my best lifting in Dublin!!

Recap from NJ Iron Bell Challenge 2015

This past weekend I competed at the NJ Iron Bell Challenge that was hosted by Art of Strength in Warren, NJ. It was a small event but it was a test for me to see where I am with the 32kg bells. I competed in the 73kg weight class. I wanted to lift in the 68kg class but didn't have enough time to make the cut. I will be trying to make the cut for Nationals in August but more on that later.
The meet was a great event as always. I competed in it last year and made CMS. There were lifters from all over in attendance. Sara Nelson and Steve from the Ice Chamber came over. Chris Duffey from Boston came down along with lifters from NY, NJ and PA. The crowd was great and supporting to everyone on the platforms!
My game plan was to come in as light as possible close to 68kg as possible and see what I can do with the goal of lasting the full 10 minutes in Jerk. I was looking to maintain 6rpm. Jerk is not my strong lift so I understand that is where I need the most work but can't forget about Snatch. I'm stronger in that lift.
Here are my lifts from this weekend.

Kettlebell Jerk


Kettlebell Snatch


Results again weren't my best but they are okay for where I am now. I worked to maintain a 6rpm for jerk and a 15rpm for snatch. I will improve from here on. Results: Jerk- 36 reps, Snatch 85 reps.
Next stop US Nationals!! Goals are set and now it's time to put the work in. 47 days to be focused and make the work count.
Results-

Made it through!!

Made it through a tough week of training. A lot of mental and physical training happening this week as I prepare for the Punch Kettlebell Sport Championship in 2 weeks. This competition will show what I can accomplish with training being consistent. The 28kg bell is tough but using it in just about every training session I am getting comfortable with it. Some of the issues I do have come from the smaller details. Still working on straightening the legs in rack especially when going into the longer sets. Sticking to a pace in snatch that I can do for the entire 10 mins, and most important of all sticking to a breathing pattern that I can be consistent with. All of these actions come along with training. I'm excited to get back on the platform again!!
Wednesday's training session (snatch)


Thursday's training session (jerk)


Friday's training session (snatch)


Countdown 14 day until in Sarasota Fl!!

Countdown to Punch Kettlebell Sport Championship (SRQ)

In preparation for the upcoming Punch Kettlebell Sport competition in Sarasota, Fl I have been trying to get my training to be a lot more consistent. With the recent changes to my job to allow for more time to train things have really been turning for the better. Its been a while since I lifted the 28kg bells in competition so I have been preparing to get back to the 28s and 32s. This will be the competition to see where I am at with my training. Consistency is key at making improvements! Leading up to this week in training I have been going steady for the past few weeks. I know I still have things to continue to improve but progress is great when it happens. I still have some work in Jerk but Snatch is starting to feel pretty good. Here is what my 2 training sessions this week look like.
Monday-2x20 Jerks 9,9/ 2 min rest/ 2x24 Jerks 9,9/ 2 min rest/ 2x28 Jerks 7,8,7,8,7,8/ 3 min rest/ 2x26 Jerks 8,8,8

Tuesday -24 kg snatch 30/30 /3 min rest/ 28kg 8 minutes 15rpms

So far the week has gone well but the real check is on the platform in Sarasota. It'll be my 3rd year there so I am excited to compete there and put up some good numbers.

Competition Re-cap

It's been some time since I posted and between now and my last post I had competed in two competitions.
First competition to take a look at is the IKSFA/AKA Holiday Kettlebell Sport Championships in NJ. It was a the last competition of 2014 and it was a local event (tri-state area) so it was a good place to see where I was in my training. It was a great competition with a lot of the kettlebell community (old and new) there. Personally is was one of the better competitions I had with the 24s. I should have been lifting the 28s or 32s but training has been so off. One thing that has hindered my progress in the inconsistency of my training. One things that has helped is that I have been in this sport for so long that I am somewhat of a seasoned athlete. I can put up some decent numbers (in the States) with little training. Back to competition my teammates were there. Will Metcalf hit CMS rank with the 28s. My coach Chris Duffey put up decent numbers with the 24s and Judi Demuro (superstar) hit some good numbers in Snatch with the 16s. All in all it was a great competition and a fun way to end the year lifting. Here are my sets from the competition 24+24kg Jerk - 91 reps, 24kg Snatch 150 reps.






After that event I felt re-energized to get back on the platform and lift even better than before. This is the usual thought after competing but a plan must be set in order to get the results you are looking for and consistency needs to be there as well. So I set a goal to lift at the Annual West Coast Classic hosted by the fine group of lifters of the Ice Chamber in San Francisco. If you ever get a chance to go out west or are in the San Fran/ Berkley/ Richmond area please take some time and visit them. Its a great facility and the team there is very welcoming. They do a lot for Kettlebell Sport in the US and have produced a lot of great lifters and champions.
So I wanted to lift the 28kg bells at this event but as usual training had not gone the way I wanted it to. I came off a great event at the Holiday Championships and wanted to continue that progress but not so much. So I reverted back to the 24s and did what I could with them. Not my best performance with them, but its a lesson learned even being somewhat of a seasoned athlete you can't have a good performances all the time. My jerk set didn't go as planned and I stopped early in the set, snatches were a little better but not my best there either. Here is what my jerk set looked like.


I got to share the platform with Will M. who is a great lifter and one to watch going into the 2015 season. He competed at the World Championships in Hamburg, Germany and had a great event there winning the amateur biathlon Championships. We both didn't compete to our potential but its a learning experience. One thing I can take away from this competition is that every time I step onto the platform its a learning experience. Whether good, great or bad in competition you pick up a new gem that can take you to the next level in lifting and LIFE. So there is a plan and schedule that is coming.
What is needed to get back to where I was and surpass and move up to be competitive in the states and around the globe?  

Training review- Oct 27- Nov 1.

A review of what happened this past week.
I started a training journal to keep track of all my activities I completed during the week. Even tracking weight and body fat percentage. Why? Because you need to know what works and what doesn't. I am starting this week to add some things to my training like I mentioned before. Flexibility is my weak area. It makes things like straightening my legs in my rack tough which weakens my jerk numbers. So this week I start a Prasara yoga program. It will be part of my cool down. Prasara Yoga is created by Scott Sonnon of Tacfit. There are several flows I'll be practicing because of the areas they focus on.
Training has been difficult this week due to my primary job as it was closeout so I wasn't able to get all my sessions in. Monday was Jerk, Tuesday was Snatch, Thursday was Jerk and Friday is Snatch again. It was a tough training week and consistency is what would have helped but not all training sessions were completed. This fact just hurts when trying to get to the next level. It really messes with your mind when you are capable if doing something but your body tells you NO. In a couple weeks I'll be competing in Georgia at the Atlanta IUKL open, lifting the 24kg in biathlon. So i will try to match my best in Jerk and increase in Snatch. Snatch has improved so the next couple weeks I'll look to maintain or improve my results. My training schedule will become normal again as I go into the last couple months of the year looking forward to the West coast classic in San Francisco.

This weekend I got my running legs back which is always a great thing. Saturday Nov 1st, 6.6 miles in the rain.

First long run over 3 miles in a while. The One hour Long Cycle event really brought back the "going for it" thought in my head. It really plays out that Kettlebell sport is all about enduring the suffering that is the sport and being mentally strong not just physically. Being able to sustain a pace and mentally pushing past what you are capable of doing. 

Now to planning out the week and sticking to the program.  

     

Update last couple months(Sept-Oct)

After Nationals in August I declined to compete in Germany at the World Championships. I didn't plan accordingly to fund my travels. So beginning now I plan to save so I have no excuses to travel where ever the championships are held. As far as training has been going, since I decided not to go to World championship training has been off. I am starting back up the road to Master of Sport in Biathlon. So there will be steps to achieve first before getting to the Master of sport level. 1) One step that I have achieved was getting CMS in June in NJ. The goal is to achieve similar results with the 32s. 2) Next goal will be to hit the (100+ Jerk, 200+ Snatch) 200+ points with 24s. That's something I have been working on for some time now. 3) Over 150+ points with 28s- New objective.

This November I will begin my journey. I am setting up my competition schedule for the next few months. Nov 15th I'll be competing in Atlanta, then February 7th San Francisco at the Ice Chamber, April will be in Sarasota, FL, and then I'll set the rest of the year up. From Nov to Feb there will be enough time to train and prepare for California.
Some of my recent training is showing some promise in hitting my target with the 24s. My two weak areas are my rack in jerk and my endurance on the snatch. The rack has always been an issue because of my lack of flexibility in the hips and upper back. Snatch endurance just takes more practice and fine tuning my technique. Here is a quick workout with the 28s and 24s snatch.
    
Competition is coming soon so this will show where I am at in prep for the West Coast Classic in San Fran. I will be journalling and making sure I get every training session in. Consistency will be key at hitting the targets that are set. More to come....I've been looking into some other training methods to add to my training- more along the stretching and mobility areas.

A.K.A. Kettlebell Sport USA Nationals 2014

USA Nationals was held yesterday at the Reebok Sports Club in NYC. It was a great event with a lot of talent from around the USA coming into NYC to compete. This event was a qualifier for World Championships in Hamburg, Germany later this year. Just like last year at Nationals I competed this year in the 73kg weight class Biathlon lifting the 32kg bell. My goal was to better last year's results and move closer to getting Master of Sport in the AKA/IUKL ranking table. To achieve those results would yield a more competitive field. This year there were 3 lifters in the 73kg weight class lifting the 32kg bells. It was the first time there were 3 people lifting the same weight bell. I was excited for that reason. The field was tough! Marty Farrell who has been doing this for a long time, Michael Cluse who lifted in the World Championships in Tyumen, Russia and myself.
So there were 4 lifters in biathlon lifting the 32s. John Lesko had a good showing putting up good numbers in both jerk and snatch. Note: he was the only one to last the full 10 mins snatch. Great job John!!
So my game plan was to do better than last year because I have improved but I didn't know how much better because training was off leading up to it. Whatever the excuse was it didn't matter. I was on the platform lifting the 32s.
First event in biathlon is Kettlebell Jerk


I did okay...better than last year and a new PR by 3 reps. I felt much better here and solid during the set. I ended my set because of the reps I was producing were starting to get worst and worst. I didn't want to push the reps out from the elbows. So I ended the set.
Next up Kettlebell Snatch


In snatch I didn't hit my intended target of 50/50. On my first hand I switched at 44 reps because I felt a tear starting to happen and it cause me to switch earlier than I wanted. On the second hand I felt pretty good and did 48 reps. I was able to get a personal best on both lifts. New Personal Best in result as well.
It was great seeing everyone and all the great performances. Friend from Punch Gym Sarasota made an appearance with 2 new lifters and they did exceptionally well with some adversities. Teri S. was so close in Snatch to win her event but it was a great job with it being her first time doing snatch. Cayla B. competed in Longcycle with the 16kg first time at Nationals(Next time you'll be prepared for anything). Chris S. great job next time not so many wafels and dinges before you lift ;). The ladies from Ice Chamber Kettlebell girls brought an expanded team out for Nationals. The core group of veterans as well as the newbies lifted exceptionally well. Rylee (13 yrs old) lifted great in the 16kg Snatch division and Miranda (14 yrs old) lifted great as well in the 16kg Longcycle division. They looked like they have been doing this for a while. Brittany from IC achieved CMS in Snatch and MS in Longcycle ( great set with her and Melissa S. going head to head).  Sakaya from IC also produced great results her first time out at Nationals! There were a lot of good sets: Amanada W and BJ from Texas, Chris D from DC kicked ass in 32kg LC, Doug S and Juan P went head to head in 28kg LC, Team Pride Conditioning lifted great, there were so many great sets! It was a long day and the event went well. OH yeah can't forget Team Lockout lifter Will M coming back on the platform lifting the 24s. Great seeing you all!! Can't wait for the next event.....maybe I can lol.

Training review and update 7/27/14

So far this week has been pretty good as far as training is going. The beginning of the week is always tough but I was able to get my sets in. I had low energy at the beginning and it definitely affect my training and sets. But as the week progress I was able to pick it back up. I recently dropped my training schedule down to 3 days a week. And the training volume has increased because of that but it also allows me to rest and recover while lifting the heavier (28-34kg) bells more often. I trust Coach C-Duff in what he is doing. Its just tough and for this sport it counts. You have to be prepared for competition. The nationals is where we in the US have a chance to compete against someone in the same weight class lifting the same bell. So this week since I started only training 3 days a week with the be I do both lifts in my workout. Here are the sets from my Friday training session at Reebok with the NYC crew.




Ladder Jerk set 2 mins on/ 2 mins rest 5x. Changing weights from 24- 32kg. Goal here was to maintain competition pace for the 2 mins, Keep a good rack position (something I'm still working on), and get use to 32s towards the end of the set. Everything is still a work in progress but still coming along.
Next up snatch.



With snatch I've had good days and bad days....pretty much similar to everyone else. Recently my elbows have been bothering me. Probably coming from my drop and not adjusting my legs or back. So this set I worked more on deflecting from the bell and absorbing with my legs to save my grip endurance. So I'll be analyzing my technique and seeing where I can get better to last the full 10 minutes with the 28kg and 32kg bell. Another area I continue to work on is my level of flexibility. I recently did a few back bends and found out my upper back was supper tight which could explain why my rack isn't the best.
On to the next week of training...

Training review and update 7/18/14

So far training has been a bit tougher than I though. Work load has gone up a bit since the summer has slowed the business down. So my training has been rough. Anytime you move up kettlebell weight consistency is the biggest factor. It takes longer to adjust to the weight and the volume so what you expect to achieve doesn't come in the time you were planning for.
Recently there has been some drama in the kettlebell sport world. Best thing for everyone that participates in the sport is to keep training and help the sport grow. It doesn't matter if you lift for fun, are really competitive, looking to compete on the international scale, bringing something different to your Personal training business, or just trying to learn something different. The drama does nothing but hold the sport and your personal growth back. There are many great lifters in the US that are getting better...My advice go follow them. They are living it along with everyone else trying to get better in this Russian dominating sport. Go with the people who will help it grow rather than one person trying to stop it. That's all :)
So back to training; I've been training maybe 3 times a week and running has stopped to maybe twice a week. Disgusting!!! I'm trying to progress with the 32s and its tough. 32kg bells can stop you right in your tracks if your not ready for them. So the last few weeks the goal has been to get my numbers up in snatch and jerk obviously. Most of my jerk sets I haven't been able to tape but snatch sets I have. Most of the work is developing time under the bell and building the rep number up. Sometimes sets are good and somedays they suck but gotta keep moving!! Here are a couple of my training sets. The more I train the more I can improve.

   

A little test this week with the 24s since I haven't been able to get the 32s in place. Still feeling good about progressing forward.


This week I don't have much time left till nationals so I have to pick the pace and get things moving. The 32s are no joke so I need to focus and get things in place. No missing training days. I dropped down my training so I can be consistent and continue to progress. If you have question about my training my coach is Chris Duffey. I've been working with him for over 3 years now. And he has helped me progress to where I am today in Kettlebell Sport. If you are looking for a Coach he is a great one!!

Taking the 32kg bells for a ride

The beginning of this week I began training to lift the 32kg (red) bells for competition. I will be competing with them at the IUKL meet in Wilton, CT May 4th. Here are my first 2 sets going after these bells. They are no joke!!
Kettlebell Jerk 2x32kg


Kettlebell Snatch 32kg



So this is where I am at. My goal is to get Master of Sport and hope to lift these at the Nationals in September and the WKC championships in October. Reps needed in IUKL is 175pts and WKC 58 jerks/ 55 snatches per arm.

2nd Kettlebell Sport competition at Punch Gym Sarasota!!

This was a great meet!!! Jay and Karen Trunzo put on one hell of a meet. It ran smooth with no bumps in the road. Times and flights were set, lifters knew when they were lifting and had no question when they were up. No matter what they stayed on task and made the meet GREAT!!
Jay and Karen worked with me and I am very proud what they have been able to do with their gym and  how they positively affected their community for the better. And now that they are into kettlebell sport I can't wait to see what they do.
Back to the competition, it was a small meet but a huge turnout! Some big names and some new comers  showed up and decided to put it all out on the platform. The ladies from the Ice Chamber flew in from San Francisco, Scott Shetler came down from Atlanta and the entire Punch Gym Sarasota Family came out to take part in this 1st Kettlebell Sport Championship at Punch Gym Sarasota! It was a WKC endorsed event so they use WKC rules and ranking. Since a lot were new to the sport they didn't go to heavy but that doesn't take away from what they were able to do and experience. Scott had a small competition with John Beamon in long cycle with 20s, Melissa lifted the 24kg amazingly in biathlon, Surya and Jessica both lifted the 20kg in Biathlon and put up a great performance with Jessica getting her second MS. I lifted the 28kg in Biathlon and had a great meet. I missed CMS rank by 2 reps in Snatch....not that happy but still good. Here are my 2 sets from the meet.
2x28kg Jerk


28kg Snatch


Overall it was a great meet as I said before. Melissa Swanson and I both won the Best Lifter Award in Biathlon and Scott Shetler won Best Male lifter in Long Cycle and Teri Stabler from Punch Gym won Best Female lifter in Longcyle!! Awesome!! The sport is still growing!!
Next Competition will be in Wilton, Conn and it will be an IUKL/AKA meet. Back to training!!

Huge Thanks to Jay and Karen for hosting me this weekend. I can't thank you both enough and very happy I was able to inspire the both of you into this wonderful sport!

1st competition of 2013...on to the next one!

Last Saturday I had my first competition of 2013 at the IKSFA New York Open Kettlebell Sport Championship. I have competed in this competition all 3 years it has occurred and this was my best performance yet. The first year was a bit of a bust doing long cycle and the following year I had a personal best in Biathlon. This year I bested that score and felt great doing it.
My goal for this year is to make Candidate of Master of Sport in WKC and IUKL. But for right now I know I am not ready for the 32kgs bells. So I went into this competition going after the 24s. Last year I did 75 jerks in 10mins and 125reps in 9:45min. I have had some great training sessions and experiences from last year so I wanted to show it here. This competition also served as a warm up to this coming weekend's competition in Sarasota, Fl. So I went after it and had a goal in mind, minimum 80 reps in jerk and 75/75 reps in snatch. I came close to achieving them but still glad with my performance. Here are both sets. It was a good competition glad I was able to see some old and new faces and glad the sport of kettlebell lifting is still growing!!

Kettlebell Jerk 2x24kg


Kettlebell Snatch 24kg

New Personal best in Snatch 28kg

Recently I was able to put up a new best in kettlebell Snatch with 28kg. Here is the video of that training session. I didn't think it was great but Coach Duffey looked at it and it was a new PB. I was amazed that I had did this but when you consistently work at things improvements do happen. Check out the video!

Recent Training week of March 4th

This was a week that started great and ended rough. Coach started me off with a test Kettlebell Jerk set and working on increasing numbers in both lifts. Finishing the week off continuing working around the numbers I need to make rank. I also added in a long run since the wether turned for the better.
Monday's test set was with the 26s. I have worked with them before going for a long set but never have I made it to 10 minutes 70 reps 2x26kg.


This turned out to be a challenge but I was able to make it through. Next time more reps!! There are still  a few more things i have to work on but its getting better.
The next workout was Snatch and that was a tough day. the goal was to get 6 minutes each arm with 24kg. I usually can get 4:30min 67/68 reps was my best. In this set I was able to get 65 on the right in 4mins and 71 on the left in 4:30mins. Much better than I though. I may try to add some black snatch in the workout. On Saturday I did the second kettlebell Jerk workout. which was great. I had 2x2min sets then 1 long set. the long set was with the 28kg try to reach 53 reps or get close. My body was tired haven't trained early in the morning before but I went in and lifted. I got to 4mins needed a break and then finished up with a total of 40 reps. I needed some energy. I took some Honey Zingers energy waffles and I felt much better. So good I ran 10.5 mile in 1:27.05.

I feel long runs really help out in mental strength as well as endurance. A 10 minute set sometimes feels like a long run so it has helped me get through these workouts and competition sets. I also see that some of the elite lifters are doing long runs as well. One of my favorite lifters Anton Anasenko does runs before he lifts and also competes in half marathons as well. If the best lifters do it there is no reason why I shouldn't be trying it out.

Still working....on getting better

So after the worlds I got an urge to really really go back at it and train even harder. The IKFF Nationals were a few weeks after the WKC Worlds and I wanted to see what other competitors were going to do. Kettlebell sport has grown in the USA over the last few years. WKC, IKFF, IKSFA, and now the AKA are hosting competitions all over the year which make it great for the lifters because we have more chance to compete. Last year I competed 3 competitions....this year I will do 3 in less than a month and look at competing in at least 7 competitions and a chance to go to Russia to compete in the World Championships!! This is amazing, a competition to decide who will represent the USA in the Kettlebell World Championships in Russia.
So I have been training hard to get ready for all of these competitions I will be participating in. I recently (1month and few days ago) ran a half marathon in Central park in 1:48.11

After that day I felt mentally strong but also tired. I had no idea that I could do that. This put a whole new perspective on my 10 minute competition sets. Here is a recent 10 minute set that I did in training with the 24kg bells. I set a new PR with this weight. It was great, I had no idea that I could do this.


This was a great feeling from here there is no turning back !!!

Continuing forward....

This past week of training went very well. I'm working my way up to getting further with the 28s en route to CMS. I have plenty of time and a great coach to lead me there. The sessions for this past week looked like this....its amazing what I'm getting out of the workouts even those they are small.
Monday
2x20kg KB Jerk 2min 12rpm
2x24kg KB Jerk 6min 10rpm- New speed
32kg OAJ 20/20
2 mile run 18:30
Hanging Leg raises- 3x12

Tuesday
24kg KB Snatch 8mins 16rpm- 64/57 reps. My right hand grip was tired that last minute.
32kg Swing 3x35/35 reps

Wednesday 4 mile run 33mins

Thursday
2x26kg KB Jerk test- 7mins 8rpm set a PR of 56reps First time ever testing with this weight and rep speed.
Squat/Squat Jumps- 135lbs 5/40, 155lbs 5/40, 185lbs 5/40

Friday- day off way too much work. To many clients not enough breaks
Saturday
26kg KB Snatch interval 2x30sec work/ 30sec rest
R1- R:10,11; L:10,11
R2- R:11,11; L:11,11
R3- R:11,11; L:11,11
R4- R:11,11; L:11,11
R5- R:11,12; L:11,12
Back Extension- 3x25reps

I am not where I want to be just yet but I am working on getting better each day I train. Get to CMS and then MS...that's what I want and I will get there!!! Hard work and Dedication

Making some head way

This week I continued working with the 28s. Again they are my main focus leading up to the WKC world in October. First objective is to get a full 10 minute set in with this weight. It's no small feat, 28kg is heavy and not something to just mess with. So I was pleased with this week of training.

Monday 5/7/12
KB Jerk 2x28kg 7min 6rpm

KB Jerk 2x20kg 3min 12rpm
Jump rope 15min

Tuesday 5/8/12 KB Snatch 20kg 30/30 reps
KB Snatch 28kg 7min 12rpm (was suppose to do 8min)
KB Swing 32kg 25/25-2x
Rowing 15mins 3419m 

Wednesday 5/9/12 Off- much needed that work with the 28s was tough.

Thursday 5/10/12
Interval KB Jerk Training
2x22kg 2min 12rpm
2x24kg 2min 12rpm
2x26kg 2min 10rpm
2x28kg 2min 9rpm
2x30kg 2min 6rpm (I did 8rpm oops!)
2min rest between sets Legs were dead no squats this week 
Friday 5/11/12 skipped the day too busy

Saturday 5/12/12
KB Snatch 26kg 8min 14rpm R-13/15/14/14, L-13/14/14/13
KB swing 28kg 30/30-3x
Back Extension 3x25 (these were tougher than I thought)

Ready for next week!!! Keep it moving!

IUKL USA Open Kettlebell Competition

The week leading up to the IUKL Open was a good taper for the competition. Although I though I had peaked already at the IKSFA Meet hitting a personal best in Kettlebell Jerk and Kettlebell Snatch I still had some momentum for the IUKL meet. So Coach Duffy put me through a good taper to get me ready. I had a few more days off than I was use to but it was good because of work.
 Main Work Sets
4/16 Monday
2x24kg Kettlebell Jerk 10min 8rpm (8min 64reps)
22kg Kettlebell Snatch 6min 16rpm
4/17 Tuesday
2x22kg Kettlebell Jerk 5 min 10rpm
24kg Kettlebell Snatch 10min 15rpm (8:45 68/65 new pr)
4/19 Thursday
2x24kg Kettlebell Jerk 6min 8rpm
24kg Kettlebell Snatch 6min 15rpm (This workout felt ok not great.)
Competition day Sunday April 22nd. I weighed in 72kg on the dot for the 73kg weight class. IUKL has a different ranking system than ISKFA,IKFF and WKC. You can't get CMS with the 24s so my goal number of 148pt was out of the window. They go up to Rank 1 with the 24s and I didn't make Rank 1 my goal but I made sure I would pass those numbers again. I wanted to get a better score than I got at the IKSFA meet, I hit 2 PRs 75 Jerks and 125 Snatches. I saw a few familiar faces but wish there were more competitors there. Since the sport is still growing and getting larger more athletes no matter what affiliation they have to an organization they need to make it to these small competitions.
It was a surprise to see the Ice Chamber ladies there all the way from California, Mike Sanders from NJ, Joe Eagan and his family from NH and the Lockout crew from Massachusetts all made it out. Fedor Fuglyev was there with Valentyn Berbenychuk from the Ukraine and they had taught a 2-day seminar that my coach and Scott got a chance to go to. They mentioned that Fedor was insane and his training was different than everyone elses. But he does what he does. Anyways back to the competition. There were only 11 total flights with Long cycle being the last flight. It was organized so that there was a long enough break for those doing biathlon to get enough rest for snatch. Women were only allowed to do snatch as per IUKL rules. There were some great performances by the women with 2 ladies doing snatch with the 24kg bell. Wil Metcalf had a great performance lifting the 32s hitting pr in Jerk and good numbers in snatch before he ripped his hand. Scott hit 45 reps even though he wasn't feeling up to par. Not bad for only being 3 away from his best. The kettlebell handles were thicker than what I was use to but its competition and you have to be ready for anything. Here are my 2 sets. I hit good numbers in jerk and a new PR in snatch. I had the privilege of having Maya from Ice Chamber count my sets. Im glad she liked them :)
IUKL Kettlebell Jerk Set 2x24kg
IUKL Kettlebell Snatch set 24kg Overall it was a great competition even though it was small. I'm glad I was able to hit a New PR in snatch and stayed somewhat consistent in jerk. From here I can hopefully move on up and focus on reaching new heights within the sport. Next competition is the big one unless some pop up over the summer. WKC World Championships in Chicago. I missed the last 2 but I plan on going to this one! Long road of training ahead but I'm gonna enjoy the ride! Whatever competition you are getting ready for train hard and train smart! Whatever it is you do in Kettlebell sport help build it in the USA!