Rational Fitness Blog

Plantar Fasciitis

2010-02-27T23:36:00Z

As requested I will go into a little bit more detail about my battle with plantar fasciitis. The usual caveat applies here. If you are having a problem it is always best to check with your physician. Although I am a physician and occasionally play one on TV, I do not dispense medical advice via this blog. I am just relaying my personal experience and what worked for me.

My problem started a little less than a year ago. If we want to play the blame game, credit goes to my buddy Barry. I visited him in California and had a session with this ART guy that he recommended. This fellow picked up on my tight IT band really quick and went to town on it. He also said my feet were flat and I tended to pronate. After I told him I was running in Nike Frees he told me I needed more support. I immediately picked up a pair of Brooks and hit the streets. I remember thinking, "man these things really put me on the balls of my feet". My calves were feeling it. A few weeks later, it was a Sunday, I thought I had stepped on a stone. I kept looking for a bruise on my heel. This continued to worsen until I asked my podiatrist friend about it. Within 5 seconds I had my diagnosis. Plantar fasciitis. He gave me a script for some custom orthotics. I never got them. I talked to another buddy who actually makes orthotics and he told me it was a waste of time as far as plantar fasciitis was concerned. He told me all I needed to know that day. For whatever reason it didn't sink in. His advice: "stretch your damn calves". That was all I needed to do but I wasn't doing it right. So for the next several months I took a shotgun approach to my fasciitis. I saw my massage therapist. He got medieval on my feet and it hurt like hell and it pretty much cured it for about a week or two. Then it was back. Classic PF, pain was worse in the morning with the first step or just after sitting for a while. Not good. I spend most of the day on my feet and the kettlebell sport training and attempts at running weren't helping. GS was out and so was running. I spent a lot of time doing more strength training and I got more focused on my concept II rower. One nice thing was I beat my 7 min goal on the 2000m row. That's one goal knocked down for the year. I also picked up a Strassburg sock for night time. This helped quite a bit. You can check that out here. It took a little getting used to but I think it helped.

I also got some inserts for my shoes that I liked. They were $20 per pair, way cheaper than custom orthotics. Here is the link to the inserts. I still keep them in my work shoes because they don't bother me and I am used to them. Did they help? Probably. They certainly didn't make things worse.

What really did the trick for me though was getting serious about the stretching. I was using a weak approach where I would stretch them for 30 seconds or so and think that was enough. WRONG! You have to be serious about this. Make it a religion. First you have to do it for a longer period. 3-5 minutes at a time sounds about right. Plus you have to do it often after gradually working up to the longer stretch. I like three or more times a day. I try to space them out, maybe a morning stretch, and early evening stretch or before I train and then again after I train or before bed. You have to hold the stretch for a long time. I also got serious about stretching the hamstrings as well. Very important. For a while it didn't seem to work but after a couple weeks I was able to get back to running and GS training with no setbacks. If you want to know why this works look at the picture at the top of the page. You can see the connection to the achilles tendon and the calf. This entire myo-fascial system is in continuity and tightness one place will lead to downstream events. The bottleneck happens to be at the plantar fascia where it attaches to the heel. That's where the tension is. If you don't fix this it keeps happening. You rest the foot at night it starts to heal, you put weight on it in the morning, it tears again. The cycle of inflammation and repair never ends. The solution is to "stretch your damn calves". I probably should also have done a month or so of NSAIDs when this started but I don't like taking medication, go figure.

So what finally convinced me to get serious about fixing this problem. I ordered the a video from this website. It was an instant download and was the best $15 I ever spent. All you need to know is right there. In addition to that I went back to my nike frees. A few folks have recommended the vibram five fingers shoes. I can't bring myself to wear them for they are hideous to look upon. I am not saying never but definitely not right now. There has been a lot of talk about barefoot running and recently a book was released entitled Born to Run (not to be confused with the Springsteen song). It is about a tribe of indians who run and run and run and don't have the type of foot problems we have. I haven't read it but I plan to. You can get it here. There is much speculation that our currently favored running shoes and other shoes for that matter basically act as casts preventing the intrinsic muscles of the feet from doing much of anything. This in theory can lead to problems and lets face it, foot problems are terribly common. I have at least 10 friends who are battling PF at present. I hopefully have put them on the right path though. We could go on and on discussing shoes, theory, and the like. Rather than overindulge in such cerebral masturbation keep it simple and "stretch your damn calves".

Half in the Bag

2010-02-23T02:21:00Z

Like most people I like to mix up my training now and then. Perhaps this is a form of fitness ADD, but I feel that a little bit of variety keeps things interesting. This is important particularly for those of us who aren't professional athletes. It can be tempting to fall of the exercise wagon and succumb to the lure of fast food in front of the television. Eighty pounds later you'll be calling your insurance company to see if they cover gastric banding. The challenge is to keep it fresh but still maintain some consistency. I am not a huge fan of the schizoid programming that characterizes programs like Crossfit. (I will put on flame proof garments at this time.) I am in no way demeaning this fitness cult; anything that keeps people moving is probably better than nothing. It is however my opinion that such a system takes variety to the extreme and when combined with maximum intensity as advocated by its acolytes, well it is just a recipe for disaster. Moderation in all things has its advantages, whether we are discussing intensity, variety, or chocolate covered strawberries.

Now that I've stirred things up lets talk about the new toy. Remember a while back when I made one of these from a tire inner tube? Well it leaked. I was browsing the web about a month ago and I found these Bulgarian Bags on sale. They were discontinued because a new model came out with a third central handle. Being the cheapskate that I am I saved a few bucks and bought the cheaper one. Like I said I have owned it for about a month and let me tell you, it is an ass-kicker. I have been setting aside one training day for variety and I have been working exclusively with the bag during those sessions. I do a timed mega circuit which includes rotations, overhead swings, jumping squats, pushups, front raises, presses, lunges and a ton of other stuff. It ends up being about 3 circuits which are nonstop for ten minutes each. This thing crushes your grip and makes your whole body tired. I love it but in the middle of the workout I tend to ask myself "why am I doing this again?". There are a lot of ways to use this. Fortunately the bag came with a DVD showing a lot of different exercises.

Overall I am impressed not only with the versatility but also the overall quality of the bag. It is a nice piece of leather and it is sturdy. It is not going to fall apart and leave sand all over your gym floor. There is no comparing this to a homemade version. Not having to smell like rubber after you are done training is also a big plus. You just can't seem to wash that smell off. Ignore this advice and plan on going to bed early because it isn't going to happen. Trust me pay the extra money. It is worth it.

These bags are available in different sizes. I went with the 35 lb bag and if anything maybe I should have went a size smaller. I'll probably get the smaller one at some point. The 35 lb bag is recommended for bigger guys around 200lbs so it tends to drag me around a little but that's fine. I purchased mine from suples.com.

One thing is for sure. Next family vacation I am taking this instead of a kettlebell. My main reason it that it is nearly as versatile but will travel better. I won't have to strap it down and plus it is lighter than a kettlebell. I have been doing a lot of full squat jumps with this along with my regular kettlebell training and I have developed a lot of respect for this thing. Overall I am quite pleased with my purchase.

Cultivate dissatisfaction

2010-02-15T01:06:00Z

By now you may be dissatisfied with me as I haven't been posting much of anything lately. Lot of stuff going on but I am happy to say that things are straightened out and we are moving forward. The good news is that a local opportunity has come up and RFP headquarters will be staying put. The past 8 months or so have been challenging but that's life. I don't have to look very far to find folks in far worse situations so I like to count my blessings. That said, what's the deal with the title of this entry? It's not original. It is stolen from an article by Charles Staley. If you don't know about Coach Staley he is a big proponent of escalating density training which happens to be a great training paradigm especially if you want to spice up your training and get out of a rut. His site is worth checking out and you can click here to see it.
The article I am referring to is entitled "Why I don't want to power clean 315 pounds". You can read it by pointing your cursor here. I definitely recommend the article. The point of cultivating dissatisfaction is that if you are not in some way unhappy with a situation you aren't likely to change it. A personal example from my own training relates to grip work. I was so disgusted with my lack of progress on grip work, and the fact that I fell short of last years goal of closing the CoC 2.5 (I could barely close the 2), that I made it a priority. Before I was content to be there so I never did anything about it. Fortunately at the end of the year it was report card time and it wasn't pretty. I am happy to report that a month and a half later I can close the #2 for 6-8 reps and I am getting close to the 2.5. At this rate I should close it this summer.

My point is this: find an aspect of your training or your lifestyle that really makes you disgusted with yourself and make it a high priority target. I think we tend to look on negative emotions as a bad thing. Not true. They are effective tools if you recognize them for what they are and know when to apply them. Just something to think about. Remember if you don't put in the effort or you get lazy in the gym you still have to live with yourself. You wouldn't let someone else cheat you so make sure you aren't cheating yourself. Again, food for thought. I never got anywhere without pain and shame but that's just me. There is that old saying that a good horse runs at the mere shadow of a whip. As for me, I guess I needed to take some lashes.

Once more, I am really sorry that this place hasn't been more active but I think that is going to change. Training is going well. I have gotten back to running since the plantar fasciitis is finally all gone. The solution was so simple it is ridiculous. So lots to talk about. I am planning on going to the Arnold in March as the IKFF will be holding a meet. I don't have any major goals for that aside from getting to see everyone and provide whatever help I can to those guys. Should be a lot of fun. I plan on doing a set of long cycle too because it is still my favorite thing. It feels good to get the cobwebs off this blog!

Product Review: Get a Grip DVD

2010-01-11T02:26:00Z

My new obsession with grip training has led me to the video I am about to review. Many of you are familiar with the Ironmind Captains of Crush grippers. If you aren't, man up and get some. If you know anything about the world of grip training then you know about Joe Kinney. He is one of an elite few (and the first) who have ever closed the #4 gripper, a gripper that no one was ever supposed to close. This video explains exactly how he went about doing this.

If you watch the entire video you will understand exactly what it takes to get this degree of hand strength. Joe lets you in on all the secrets. The secrets are good but the essential ingredient is the willingness to put in the hard work. It is clear that this guy is intense. The amount of work he put into this goal will blow your mind. Think Captain Ahab. On top of that Joe was clearly strong from the start. Before he ever started intentionally training his grip he was very close to closing the Ironmind #3. Spend a minute with the #3 and you will understand how strong this guy was. I am not sure what he did for a living but it is true that in some lines of work a few folks get stronger by accident than most people can when deliberately training. And then of course some are just born freaky strong. I'm not sure which category Joe Kinney falls into. It doesn't matter. There are three different videos on this DVD. The first is a low quality video that Kinney made in 1998. It is a great video as far as content and very informative. It is shot in some sort of toolshed where he would train. All of his equipment (except for the CoC grippers) is homemade so you know that got me excited. Then there is the same video except with audio commentary from Kinney and John Wood. Kinney has a dry sense of humor which I like. The last video was shot last year with Wood interviewing Kinney. Here Joe elaborates on his training and shows some additional equipment as well. Overall this interview is very well done. In my opinion this is a must have for any grip training enthusiast. The footage of Joe bursting 6 beers in a row to the tune of Amazing Grace played on bagpipes is by itself worth the price of the DVD. My wife walked in while I was watching this and her exact words were "what the f%^k are you watching now? Ten minutes later she couldn't believe I was watching it again. She is scared because she knows I'll be fabricating grip training tools for the next while. Its always something. Adult ADD can be difficult to live with.

Bottom line: Just get the video. Check out the trailer at the bottom of this entry. You can order it from these guys. Note also that functionalhandstrength.com also sells CoC grippers and they are quick to get them out. I have been very pleased with this outfit.

Another item you may want to check out is the Ironmind book called "Captains of Crush Grippers: What they are and how to close them". You can order it here. There is a chapter by Joe Kinney which outlines his training philosophy. Get ready to hear about making testosterone at home before breakfast and hard work. The advice in this chapter is pure training gold.

An interesting video

2010-01-03T23:56:00Z

I ran across this while checking out the grip board forum. I seems the monster bell virus is catching on with others. This is of course very cool. Adam Glass who is pretty well known on some of the grip forums and over on Dragon Door made a 50 kg bell from an 8kg shell. It is interesting to see how he did this. In the video below. It is a different approach than I have used. I like it though and I am a little surprised the bucket didn't melt. The sand apparently did a great job of insulating the system. His results were similar to mine using just lead. He got it up to 50 kg. Mine would end up at about 52kg. Much of this difference probably has to do with the quality of the lead. You can see all the crud at the top of the bell at the end. It is better to use lead that has been fluxed a few times. That's all I'm going to say. We can't give away all our secrets. I wish I had a torch like these guys.

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T17:25:00Z

Well its officially 2010 so its time for some goals. As I mentioned in the 2009 recap I was very disappointed in my failure to reach my grip strength goals. As a result, I am making it a priority this year. 2010 is a year of hardcore hand strength training at RFP. I have come up with four goals for the year that I think are doable. First and foremost is closing the 2.5 Captains of Crush. Hopefully by the end of the year I will be well on my way to closing the #3. Second goal is a sub 7 min 2000m on the Concept II. Third goal is to get 100 one arm jerks with 48kg with one hand switch. The last goal is to get the heaviest bell I made overhead. The emphasis is going to be on grip however.

I also want to be more consistent with updating this blog and actually bringing some quality training info and product reviews. In any case no matter what your goals are for the coming year, give them some consideration and make them happen.

Happy New Year!

The year in review

2010-01-01T00:24:00Z

I am pretty sure no one is happier than I am to say good-bye to 2009. Well maybe there are a few exceptions like Tiger Woods, Conrad Murray, Bernie Madoff, SC Governor Mark Sanford and the Oakland Raiders. I am sure I missed a few. The year will remain etched in my memory for two things. First it was the year I made a bunch of really heavy kettlebells and second, I spent the remainder of my time sitting through endless contract negotiations. Still though it was fun and in many ways challenging. That said, I am optomistic that 2010 will be a better year. Its always more fun when you don't know how the story ends. I'm not sure where RFP headquarters will end up. I love surprises. This is a blog about training though so let's move on.

I had some goals for the year, lets see how I did. First goal was 60 reps in long cycle with a pair of 32kg bells. FAIL! Best I did was 57. Another was 100 reps long cycle with the 24s. I hit that and it was a smoker. Then there was 100 reps of 1 arm long cycle with 40kg. i got that one too. Next was the press, I wanted to nail the 48kg bell. Best I did was 45kg. I really tried too. 48 wasn't meant to be. The first goal I did hit for the year was one I almost forgot about... 100 bodyweight pistols (50 per side). I was really pleased with that. Finally we come to the grip strength goals. I wanted to close the COC 2.5 and I have to say I am not even close. This was a massive fail. I don't even want to talk about this one. Tomorrow I will frame up some 2010 goals. I can't wait. I finished up with the last workout of the year. I hit 200 on the SSST with 24kg just to see if I could do it without snatching for months. Then I did 7650m in 30 min on the Concept II. A few weeks ago I hit CMS numbers in long cycle with the 28kg bells just to see where I was. It was difficult. I sure am a long way from where I was when I was hitting MS numbers. As it stands now I really don't have a ton of interest, time or energy for any GS competitions at the moment. I may do a rowing comp in January though. I have to keep things interesting.

In other news all the bells I listed for sale are sold. I have no plans to make any more monsters and the only one I still have is the heaviest one. ( It may stay in my basement forever, even if I move!) Thanks to everyone who replied. I look forward to posting some New Years goals. Happy New Year to all. I am sorry I haven't posted in a while.

The RFP Holiday Kettlebell Sale

2009-12-12T13:23:00Z

Cha-cha-cha changes.... Sadly it has come to this. I realize as I prepare to get ready to move that I can't take it all with me. Since there aren't many basements where I am going, the days of the RFP underground training compound are numbered. Nonetheless we will survive and thrive once our eyes adjust to the light. (I hear there is natural sunlight where I m heading). We just have to move some heavy inventory to facilitate things. I was going to make one more heavy bell but since no one has reserved it, the weather is getting getting cold and I don't feel like doing it, that's not going to happen.

Here is what I have:

Dragon door originals (the US made ones, not the newer ones made in the axis of evil)

24kg $90 shipped I have 2 of them so if you want the pair we could work out a package deal most of the paint is off the handles and they are well used

32kg $110 shipped Again I have a pair and would welcome a package deal similar condition to the 24s

40kg $150 shipped Once more a pair and I could do a deal if you want both these are in almost new condition

Competition style bells

I have a pair of 32kg bells 80 each shipped we could do a deal on both. Well used with sanded handles

Now for the good stuff:
54kg monster bell $450 shipped
61kg monster bell $600 shipped
The record holding worlds heaviest prograde bell I don't think I will list for sale but if someone made me an offer I couldn't refuse...That said I'm probably going to keep it.

I am in western PA so if you are close we could meet up and save you some $ in shipping costs.
Drop me a message if you are interested.

Last call

2009-11-25T03:21:00Z

As the relocation of RFP headquarters appears imminent, it is time to put aside certain activities. Specifically all monster bell making is about to be a thing of the past. I do however have the stuff left to make one more and I could be convinced to part with one or two in my personal collection as my gym is going to be hell to move. If you want something now is the time to let me know. Thanks.

Pandemic

2009-11-19T01:38:00Z

Yes indeed. The "yellow cake" pandemic has spread. Gregor convinced me to sell him the official "yellow cake" bell. It is now in Slovenia. The monster bell situation is a true pandemic with cases reported thoughout the US, Canada, and now Europe. I have stuff to make one more. Who wants to roll up?

Check out this footage of Gregor throwing this thing around like its a piece of cake!

This is hardcore

2009-11-17T13:07:00Z

Check out this video clip of Sergey Rachinskiy. This was part of a long cycle team relay race and Sergey clearly gives 100%. This guy is a total badass. He has a world record in the squat of 180 reps nonstop with 100kg. Enjoy!

The Birdball

2009-11-15T15:41:00Z

The Birdball is the nickname given to the 16kg kettlebell because it is the weight used most often in competition by women. Speaking of birds, who could forget the immortal quote by Irish football great George Best? "I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered."

Despite the fact that the 16kg bell is allegedly for girls, you can get a good workout in with it even if you possess a Y chromosome. In keeping with yesterday's theme of non stop 20 min single bell sets, here is what I did yesterday.

16kg 20 min nonstop:
-Snatch 25/25
-One hand juggle swing flip forward 10, one hand juggle swing flip backwards 10 then alternating every rep for 10 in each direction then switch sides. so you do 40 reps in a row with each hand
-Juggle cleans where you catch it with an open palm 10/10
-Juggle clean and press where you catch with open palm and press it 10/10
-Bottoms up clean and press 10/10
-Pistol 5/5
-Hack squat 20
-around body pass 10 in each direction
-Swing-flip squat 20
-fig 8 around body pass in squat position 10 in each direction
-Hand to hand swing 50
This was a great 20 min drill with a focus on grip.

Then I did 2 arm long cycle with the 24s for 5 min at 8 reps per min (9 for the last minute)
I finished up with 2500m on the concept II in 9:15. This was brutal. Heart rate at the end was 183 and using the 220 - age max HR formula I was maxed out. This is the closest I have come to vomiting during training in years.

Bottom Line: You can get a great workout with a lighter bell. One word of caution though, you have to be very careful with the juggling stuff. No matter how light the bell, it will do damage if it hits you or anyone else so don't go to failure on these and make sure nothing you care about is in the way. Sooner or later you are going to drop the bell. Quick feet or broken feet if that happens.

The People's Bell

2009-11-14T18:12:00Z

Sorry it has been quite a while since I updated the blog. I have been getting tons of negative feedback regarding this. It has been a bit hectic and it appears that RFP headquarters will be moving. The only remaining question is "How far south?". Enough about that, this here is about training and doing more with less. I know I have posted incessantly about monster bells and why not? They are fun to play with and cool to make. That said, for most people they are just too heavy for regular training so lets take it down a few notches.

The 24kg bell has traditionally been known as the people's bell. This is because it was easily available and suited for use to most males. It is the sort of weight that is ideal for strength-endurance work which is exactly where the kettlebell fits into the Pantheon of training implements. Advantages include its portability, as it is a lighter weight the likelihood of injury is less and you can do more with it for a longer period of time. Allow me to share examples from my personal experience. My best work with two arm long cycle with a pair of 32kg bells is 57 reps. My best with a pair of 24s is 100 reps. Lets do the math. In a ten minute period I moved 4800 kg with the 24s vs. 3648 kg with the 32s. I did more work with the 24s per unit time, plain and simple. Which seemed harder? Actually the 24 kg set did.

Here is another feature I like, the "single kettlebell, don't put it down" workout. I like to do this for 20 min. Here is what I did yesterday. Military press 10/10, Push press 20/20, Jerk 30/30, Around the body pass 10 in each direction, overhead squat 8/8, Hack squat 15, swings 30/30, Get ups 5/5, Swings 30/30. That is almost 300 reps in 20 min. After that I did 20 min of rowing. It was a nice quick workout and after I was done everyone was happy because it didn't take very long. So next time you are in a time crunch and want a fun challenge consider a lighter bell and some continuous work. There is no shame in using a lighter bell Comrade.

Fall Clean-up

2009-10-17T12:45:00Z

Did some cleaning in the garage yesterday and I realized I have only one more bottom plate left and just enough stuff left to make one more heavy bell. Once this one is made then that is the end of it. I would prefer to get this done relatively soon and it will allow me to clear some more stuff out of the garage. I will probably be moving early next year so I want to get rid of as much as I can. Get ready for the RFP garage sale. Also making these bells is a warmer weather activity. i want to get this last one done before it gets too cold. So if you want the last one let me know. Oddly enough the heaviest one I made is still sitting on the floor in my dining room. It is too heavy to take downstairs. My assistant can't even get it to budge.

Row yo' boat

2009-10-15T14:58:00Z

Since I have been laying off the running I had to find something to fill that void. I have had a concept2 rower in my gym for the past few years and I would use it as an alternative to running when the weather was unfavorable. Other than that I never used it in any focused manner, until now.

This type of training is a bit of a departure for me in many respects. Foremost among these is the fact that it is a stationary piece of equipment. Like a treadmill or a stairmaster, you don't actually cover any ground. In most cases this would be a deal-breaker for me. I like the changing scenery that you get on a nice run. I'd rather not spin my wheels like a hamster. In spite of this, I enjoy the Concept 2...a lot.
Why? First, like kettlebell sport, rowing (or erging as they call it) a strength-endurance activity. In addition it involves the whole body in a balanced fashion. There is a lot of lower body involvement and also a lot of upper body demand. The icing on the cake though is the amount of feedback and motivation that this device can give you.

If you check out the concept2 website you will gain an appreciation for the scope of this tool. Click here to take a look. The online training logs and world ranking tables allow you to see where you stand amongst your peers all over the world. I recently upgraded the monitor on my machine and it was a wise investment. One nice feature is that you can retrofit a new monitor to an older machine. I bought my rower from a friend several years ago so it was an older version. Upgrading was a piece of cake. With the latest monitor you get a card that electronically stores all your data. You can also link this to your computer and save your data there and/or upload it to the online logbook. The spreadsheets you get are great as they give you your split times and your heart rate data. Talk about information that you can put to use, it doesn't get any better. A quick scan of your workouts will tell you in a flash whether you are overtraining, making progress, or just being lazy. Good stuff.

Here is some data from my card as of a few days ago.

Another great feature is that you can have a race with another rower by wirelessly synching your machines but if someone else is not available you can race your previous best performance, it will show the pace boat for your current and your prior performances. For example, today I raced my previous best 5000m effort. I am happy to report that I kicked my own ass. The pace boat from my prior performace wasn't even on the screen anymore when I was done. Good times.

In addition to all of this, these devices are relatively affordable costing less than say a gym-quality treadmill or an elliptical. They run about $1200 after it is all said and done but I'm sure a pre-owned unit would be easy to find for significantly less outlay. They also can be taken apart and stored quite easily. You can find these at most large commercial gyms and usually they are unoccupied unlike the benches or ellipticals. Just another implement to spice up your training.

Bargain basement fitness tools

2009-10-11T00:43:00Z

Nothing makes me happier than do-it yourself fitness projects. Today I scored a double. Two easy ones were completed and they were cheap too. Less than $20 combined. My inspiration for both of these projects came from Steve Maxwell's blog.

If you don't know anything about Steve Maxwell you should check him out. He is over 50 years old and he is far more fit than most 20 year olds. Now that I say that, I realize that really isn't saying much given the fact that many in the USA spend their teen years eating chips and playing video games. Like veal, they are soft given that they never had to move around very much. Permit me to correct my earlier statement. Steve Maxwell is over 50 years old and he is more fit than most athletes half his age. Steve's training is all about intensity, variety and portable training implements. Last I knew he was living in a RV traveling the country and training folks. An enviable existence if you ask me. It might be kind of nice to be off the grid and not being hassled by "the man". Maybe I need a lifestyle change!

In any case, first I made a Bulgarian Bag. I used a $16 tire innertube, some nylon webbing, and some sand I had laying around in the garage. I sealed the ends with a wad of bubble wrap and some plastic cable ties. I may finish it off with some duct tape but I used it today and it was fine. I got it up to about 37 lbs . These run close to $200 with shipping and I made this one for a little over $16. Here is Steve training with the real deal.

The pushup board is a nice addition too. You can purchase them for about $50. This cost less than $3 to make. A section of 2x4 was all I needed. I even let them cut it for me at Lowes. It saves time and fingers. One might think, why would anyone want/need something like this? Click here to find out.

Good times. It seems we really run the gamut here, from expensive yellow cake monster bells to dirt cheap but effective training tools that you can make in ten minutes, its all here. Here are the results of today's endeavors. Although the authentic articles may be ideal these are a great alternative from an economic point of view. Heck, at this price you could make one, test it out and if you really like it you could always get the real thing. This is like going for a test drive.

Training is going well. I went back to a lot of GS work and my fasciitis is back again so I may have to call it quits on that. I have been doing a lot of work on my Concept2 rower and I may be posting a bit on that soon. I am sorry I haven't been posting in a while. Things are quite hectic right now but there is always time for training and fun projects!

More fun and a contest

2009-09-28T00:55:00Z

Well since I did traditional yesterday I figured it would be fun to see how I would fare in long cycle after not doing it for a few months. What the heck, right? Well it wasn't fun and I got somewhere around 80 but I figure at least the last 3 reps should not count as they weren't fixated.

Anyway if you suffer through the videos I offer you a consolation prize. A RFP tshirt goes to the first person to identify (title and artist) at least 8 songs out of the ones playing during todays and yesterdays sets, I have sizes XL, XXL, M and Small. I am all out of larges in the RFP shirts but I still have a large in the 61 kettlebell shirt. So guess away.

A trip to the Woodshed

2009-09-27T00:46:00Z

From time to time everyone needs a good ass-whipping. I got mine today. Wild Bill who is one of the characters on IGX hosted a virtual competition with the 24kg bells. Sounds fun. I thought I would do traditional (jerk/snatch). I hate traditional. I dislike jerks because structurally I am not well suited and snatch kills my hands. Well so what? Sergey Mishin was the reigning champ in Russia for a long time and he was a heavy guy who really couldn't get any rest in the rack. He made up for it by being a total badass. As for the hands, well that is just an opportunity to improve technique.

You recall I backed off the GS training because of a bout of plantar fasciitis. That went away so I started to train hard again but pretty much as soon as I started it came back with a vengeance. Last weekend I didn't help matters when I decided to do a 30 min continuous set with a pair of 24s. Bad idea. My right foot was screaming. Oh well it sucks gettin' old. We'll see what happens but I really like this stuff and I would like to keep doing it if I can. It didn't factor into today's test anyway. I wore my running shoes, that helps a lot. That said I hate giving up ground and today's sets were telling. The videos are attached below. The snatch technique simply needs work. The jerks were interesting. I wasn't really fatigued by the set but my triceps were locking up. They get a lot of strain being stretched in the rack position it seems. I did 100 reps I think. A few months ago I did 100 long cycle with the same weight. It really points out where my limitations are. My conclusion from this is that I have to work faster and possibly get a bit more flexible. Also I still hate traditional.
Going forward I have some goals for the heavy bells with one arm work and I have been making progress with the 48kg. I have also rediscovered my concept 2 rower given that I backed off the running. It is going to work out well as my bro-in-law just started training with the C2 as well. He has been a marathoner for years and he has a lot of knee arthritis now so his doc told him the running is probably not the best idea. Some friendly competiton is always good. Anyway I plan on posting quite a bit more about the rowing soon. Rowing to me is a strength endurance activity very much like kettlebell sport, so it is a natural fit. The plan going forward is focus on heavy one arm work, snatch, and rowing. I have to nail that monster bell I just made sooner or later. In addition I will continue to address the rack position and flexibility issues. As always I'd appreciate your comments as far as technique, sartorial issues, and choice of music. Thanks to John Wild Buckley of the Orange Kettlebell Club for the t-shirt.

Magnum Opus

2009-09-25T13:47:00Z

My guy let me know he had some primo cake so I had to put it to the test. Some records are made to be broken. Here it is. This is the heaviest one I'll ever make, destined to spend its days in the RFP underground training lab. After I am dead and gone people will wonder why the f$%k someone made something this heavy and they will probably curse me. Alternatively someone might dig it up in some post-apocalyptic future and worship it. Who knows? It is here.

Get a pair

2009-09-25T02:49:00Z

I should rename this blog "the monster bell chronicles". I seem to have a preoccupation with these things. It has come a long way from the days when my Wife was threatening to shut down production. Quite a few monsters were created since then. I definitely think the charity bell was my favorite so far and my second favorite was the world's heaviest (this may have changed) that I made for the American Kettlebell Club ®. Pictured below is a pair I just finished making for a gentleman in Cali. This is perhaps my most interesting undertaking so far. I have never met this fellow but the fact that he wanted a pair of 55kg bells means he is a total badass. Not many can do anything with a pair of these. Check em' out! There is nothing out there like this. I was going to do chocolate chip camo but it didn't look right. I moved toward an urban camo theme but then I let it get weird. It is like alien urban camo. These are nuts and I really like the way they turned out.

That is two more bottom plates gone. I got a call today from a well know strongman who also wants one and I made a very very special one for myself (stay tuned for that one, maybe I'll post it tomorrow). This means I have only one plate left and I don't plan on making any more after that last plate is gone. I have taken this as far as I can now so I'm about finished. I have been training a lot with mine and they are a blast. Definitely a fun and challenging change of pace. They make everything else seem easy, that is for sure. If you want the last one let me know.