Swinging

The foundational movement of kettlebell training, is the swing. It often gets bypassed as athletes move towards more advanced movements like the snatch. The problem is you are progressing without your foundation in place. (This is a basic Crossfit concept to master the basics before wasting efforts with the advanced) Learning to swing properly will make your snatches and all your other kettlebell drills better. So here are three easy to implement tips that will accelerate your progress on the swings.

Tip #1 — Connect the arms to the body.

Stand straight and tall like you have just finished the swing and hold your arms out in front of you — now bring the arms down to connect to the body — you will find your arms pinned to your rib cage (tight to the body on the ribs not the chest). Leave your arms there and push the hips back like you are catching the kettlebell at the bottom of the swing. Then extend your hips but leave the arms connected until the hips finish — then allow the hips to bump the kettlebell off the body. Then repeat the sequence.

Tip #2 — You hike the kettlebell at the bottom of the swing.

If you have connected the arms to the body then hiking the kettlebell will come very naturally. On the descent with the kettlebell do not let it pull out away from you — connect the arm(s) to the body and "hike" the kettlebell behind you high and tight in the groin (don't over do it for obvious reasons).

Tip #3 — The hips lead the race.

Once you have connected the arms to the body and hike passed the kettlebell, you begin the swing again by extending the hips. Obvious right? However, you should finish the hip snap long before the kettlebell reaches the top of its swing. Once the kettlebell is descending again and you are reconnecting the arms to the body it is the hips that push back first. The knees do not bend down first. Push the hips back first — the knees will bend as a result of the hips moving. So the hips lead the race to the top of the swing and they lead the race to the catch at the bottom of the swing.

Implement these tips on two-arm and one arm swings and you will gain noticeable power and coordination with the swing. Then after practicing the swing use these same tips on your snatches and you will find the kettlebell floating to the top easier than ever.

Maybe

Telling yourself maybe your going to do a workout is the same as saying your not going to in my mind. having something or someone is the only way you can turn that maybe into a YES.... maybe its a personal trait, but i find i take very little to convince myself if someone else is doing something to do it with them, and try to do it better too.
Homework: find someone with a common training goal, or fit schedule and challenge them to work out with you.... in turn when they feel like working out and you may or may not be having a bad day , you will be forced to train with them..... peer pressure is great isn't it

On ramp to crossfit

Tabata squats in the middle of a WOD...

The "ON RAMP" to getting to doing crossfit wods on a 3 on 1 off fashion , or 5 on 2 off fashion (the most common things that people are doing) is an interesting one..... different athletes have different needs.. the best thing about being a novice athlete is that you recover the fastest from any physical effort you make.... the unfortunate part of that is that the effort you make is much further from your human potential... as we approach our human potential we will require more recovery time from these efforts.
for my standard athlete I will have them do what I call an active rest day: so after a WOD they will go 3 times through the warm-up then do some stretching and call it a day. This for some people will be all they do for a couple weeks... once some form of capacity is built, to doing this, it will assist in doing the wods. I start people by doing 1 wod/wk and then goto 2, 3, and then doubles 2 on 1 off and so on to build to doing the weekly capacities.
For some people it may be required to do the wod but just not consider time as a factor, just completion of exercises as this will also build in capacities. The mental toughness to complete the workout must be there is all athletes, as I WILL push their limits.
The Idea behind an on ramp is that we dont beat down the new athlete to much and that what happens in the workouts needs to be repeatable... if it's not repeatable why waste the persons time!
and is someone slips on the on ramp they start one step before they fell not at the next step.. this is an important step for me, that nothing be missed in training and that the athlete not be allowed to advance without the proven track record... believe me a coach always knows if the athlete has been doing the Rx'd workouts

deadlift highpull

Halim shows good form during the movement... now we just gotta get hook grip and finishing details.... soon to come, good job!

A good solid deadlift will translate to a good deadlift highpull and aswell with some technique work a good power clean... Hips are the main driving force behind all of these movements and learning to accurately "explode" under the stress of the bar at the right time will change the performance of the lifts, being the power output of the athlete.

Thurs Murph

1 Mile run
100 pull ups
200 push ups
300 squats
1 mile run

39:26

I came a bit late and did a very short warm up because everyone was already started..... I was having the toughest time catching my breath.. but I forced on.... I was able to push pretty hard because I knew that I had Friday off work.... so it could be one of my "recovery" days

my lungs are the most sore of anything from murph... I'm always surprised by whats sore from certain workouts... its almost never what I think it going to be.

Day before performance

Day before performance is a large part of on the day performance. Typical things such as carb loading and adequate rest are parts of even the easiest routines....
A proper day "in the Zone" (diet) and rest will pay itself back... adding some salt to your diet to help water retention, and as well drinking your fluids early and often will allow you to start the competition will a full gas tank rather than 3/4 full....
mental readiness with our basic goals will also play on performance
Good luck!

cashews are cheaper when you call them soy nuts

As the week runs down I occasionally have to go to the store to get a few fresh things that I go through faster than others. I go to the cash and the nice girl rings the cashews as Soy nuts I didn't notice while paying, but after because I'm tracking costs of my zoning. (6.99 cashews vs 2.99 soy nuts)
This happens to me every once in a while, girls will gift me things when they work at a cash. Sometimes in the form of discount with a wink, and sometimes in the miss charging of items... Now I could be skeptical and say it was just an error, but the way that we eye F****d and the way she molested my hand as she returned the cash says discount....

Comments? stories.... I would love to do some form of an experiment, but we could never get decisive information.. (it reminds me of the honking during long runs from when me and Chris were training for the death march...)