No! I don't have one - it's the name of the workout we did last night!?!? Great combination of Kettlebell and Body Weight Skills that challenged everyone.
Bleeding Ulcer
NOTES
We will be having classes all weekend so that you can work off all of the food you will be consuming at the Fourth of July festivities and pool parties this weekend!
Workout Times
"The greatest mistake you can make in life is to continually be afraid you will make one."
- Elbert Hubbard
I find this quote to be very inspirational to me and has served me well throughout my lifetime. I have always tried to be the very best at any endeavor that I put before myself - be it magic, martial arts, Russian Kettlebells, or even CrossFit. A lot of my success is due to the amazing mentors and coaches that I have selected to guide me down the various paths that I have taken. But I think my success in these areas can be attributed to one other thing - not being afraid to make mistakes and take risks. I have always put myself in situations where I could fail massively (and publicly) - knowing that the only way to really get good at what you want is to risk everything, fail, and then keep trying until you reach your goal.
Failure is temporary - never reaching for your goals is permanent.
I had a great time this weekend at the International Powerlifting Associations Strength Spectacular. This is a yearly event that consists of Powerlifting and Strongman competitions spread out across both days.
I was asked by Ellen Chaillet to attend this years event to introduce this community of athletes to Russian Kettlebells and assist them in raising money for Kettlebells For Warriors and the Wounded Warrior Project.
I had my own tent (pretty cool if you ask me!) where I spent both days showing people how Russian Kettlebell training will not only augment their existing training protocols but help them become better at their sport. I also put some athletes through some micro-workouts and introduced them to some new Kettlebell and Bodyweight skills.
I alson did a lot of technique demonstrations (lots of requests for the Turkish Getup), some tweaking of Kettlebell technique, answered a lot of questions about Kettlebell training frequency and loads, as well as showing off by juggling the 44 kg Kettlebell. I know for a fact that I left some serious divots in the grass at York Barbell from dropping the 44 kg Kettlebell!
Thanks again to Mark and Ellen Chaillet for inviting me to participate in this great event and I look forward to returning next year!
I also want to thank the folks at York Barbell once again for being so supportive of the Kettlebells For Warriors and the Wounded Warrior Project.
Congratulations to Damien and Jeff on their new Deadlifting PR's! Damien pulled 315 lbs (he only weighs about 140 lbs) and Jeff pulled 385 lbs (and this is coming off of a recent shoulder injury) - Outstanding effort guys!
I'm getting closer to my double-bodyweight Deadlift goal as well. I pulled 415 lbs for a double this week and will be looking to pull 425 lbs in the next couple weeks. It's good to have goals to make you work harder - even when you don't want to!
Nicky is an amazing athlete and has some of the best kettlebell technique around... and she is also STRONG! She proved it on June 9th by Deadlifting 255 lbs!?!?!
Congratulations Nicky!!!
To those of you who were not able to make it out to the Rebel Race this Sunday (it was Father's Day afterall) missed a great time! Many thanks to Nicky, Chris, Steve (Chris' brother) and Dave for making the event so much fun. Will be looking forward to doing this race again next year - as well as doing other races of this sort (Tough Mudder, Sparta, etc.) in the future. BTW - Geri (aka Wonder Woman) ran earlier in the day and we'll post pictures from her as soon as she forwards them.
Pre-race: dry, clean and ready to go!
Post-race: wet, nasty and ready for rehydration (aka Beer)!
As many times as I say it while I'm coaching the various Olympic Lifts I'm not really sure if people are comprehending the point I'm trying to make. This video gives you graphic proof regarding this point. Watch it a couple times so that you can the various transitions and execution elements you MUST hit to be successful at this lift. Remember - anyone can move a sub-maximal weight around using a secondary or tertiary power source (arms, shoulders, etc.) but you have to have your technique really dialed-in to start moving bodyweight or more towards the overhead position.
The following video, while made for atheltes playing Rugby, hits all of the high points of a good Power Clean. In particular watch the fast transition from the pull to getting under the bar - that's fast elbows NOT fast hands.
Moving from the ground to overhead is ultimately the goal in Olympic Lifting. With the Deadlift as the base the next technique that needs to be developed is the Clean. The following video shows the proper execution and sequencing for the Power Clean. NOTE: for those of you who need clarification on terminology - we use the term "power" to denote the fact that we are NOT going into a full squat to recieve the bar in the racked position.
If you are looking for a performance guage for your Power Clean numbers - a descent athlete should be able to Power Clean half bodyweight (for reps), an excellent athlete should be able to Power Clean bodyweight (for reps), and a "Fire Breather" should be able to Power Clean one and a half times bodyweight (for reps).
Follow the excellent pointers give by Coach Burgener and you'll be hitting your marks in no time!