Kettlebells and Sprints

I tested this workout this morning, made a few tweaks, and I’m proud to say this an awesome workout for a crisp, sunny morning.  Have at it:

2 lap run (1/2 mile)

30 Double-Handed Swings

1 lap sprint (.25 mile)

30 Single-Handed Swings (15 each side)

2 lap run

30 Two-Handed Releases

1 lap sprint

30 Figure 8′s (15 each direction)

2 lap run

100 kettlebell situps

Done.

I used greenie for the whole thing (12KG) and it was a good workout.  I finished in about 30 minutes (not including situps).  got a 2 mile run in, and a bunch of good swings.  (We start with a half-mile run, so that by the time you get to the quarter-mile it will feel short, so you should sprint it.  It’s all psychology!)  My runs were at a 9 min/mile pace, and my sprints we at a 8 min/mile pace.  (Give or take… I’m sucking wind on the hills near my house… so if you use a track, step it up if you can.)

When you get to the situps, put on a nice long song and try to finish all 100 before the song is over.  My new favorite is Guns n’ Roses, November Rain.  It’s 9 minutes long and it has a false ending at about 7 minutes in… so just when I think I’m not going to make it, I’ve got 2 more minutes to pound it out till the end.

Try it out, and let me know what you think!

Peace,

Kate

November Rain + TGU’s = Sweatstorm!

Are you ready to try something new to kick off the weekend?  I’ve got a challenge for you:

Get out several sizes of kettlebells… put on Guns n’ Roses “November Rain”, and knock out 9 minutes of uninterrupted TGU’s (Turkish Get Ups).

Take No Breaks!   Just switch sides when one hand gets tired.  Sure, you can alternate getting up to standing, getting up to one knee, or getting up to side plank… but the point is… keep working for the whole song… and enjoy the bliss!

Good Luck… and Happy Friday!

Peace,
Kate

Happy New Year… Welcome 2013!!!

What are your fitness goals for this year? How many races have you signed up for in 2013? Are you ready for a new challenge?  My Paleo Challenge starts on Monday, Jan 7th… so I’m indulging until then.  In the meantime I am also working on my goals. I’d love to hear yours, and then let’s map out a fitness plan to make them possible and achievable.  I just heard on the radio today that 80% of the people who buy a gym membership because of a New Year’s resolution will stop working out by mid-February.  Hey, if the kettlebells are in your basement, there’s no excuse!

k.

80% of people …

“80% of people who get a new gym membership because of a New Year’s resolution will stop going to the gym by mid-February.”

This Girl is on Fire!

Thanksgiving in Seattle is usually rainy, but wow… we’ve had so much rain (downpours, really) over the last few days, it’s been hard to get motivated to run.  However, the sun came out this morning and made it very easy to get outside and burn some post-Thanksgiving calories.

By the way, today is my last day at 44.  I’m savoring it.  Tomorrow I’ll be officially “half-way to 90″, as they say.  This most likely bumps me into an older age group for many races.  (Hmm… will this be an advantage to getting into top 10 categories for my age group? Maybe. But I have noticed there are more and more fit 40-somethings out there who can give the 20-somethings a run for their money!)  Go get ‘em… 45 is the new 25, right?

Anyway, I am spending my last day at 44 doing all the things I love, starting with some strong coffee to wake me up, and then kale and eggs for breakfast to prep me for a little workout:

I took in some fresh air with a nice 3 1/2 mile hill run.  Nothing too strenuous… but enough to get the blood pumping and the heart rate up for a good kettlebell workout in the yard:

Here’s my morning routine:

Warm-up with about 20 double-handed swings with the 25 lb. MedBell.  Move to single-handed swings, and then right into as many reps as possible of the two-handed release.  I take a short break here when I reach exhaustion, and then do the whole thing over again.

After 2 rounds of that, I went into the swing-flip-catch and squat: (see video if you missed it): http://kettlebellhell.wordpress.com/2012/08/09/the-swing-flip-catch-and-squat-video/

Cool down with some around the worlds and figure 8′s.

I’ll probably knock out some pull-ups, sit ups and push-ups before the day’s out.

Tonight… side cars, karaoke and delicious treats from Tom Douglas’s Dahlia Bakery are in order as part of a very fun birthday celebration!!

Peace,

Kate

Ab Update:

5 weeks before the Tough Mudder I went on a little “ab-quest”… I wanted to see if I could dramatically improve the look of my abs before race day.   I was at it for about 10 days and saw great results… but then I injured my Achilles tendon pretty bad, and I realized I needed to focus on getting back in shape for the Tough Mudder, and my little ab-quest would have to wait.

My results were pretty good for just 10 days though, I started to get definition pretty quickly.  The first thing I noticed was the vertical cut down the middle.  I imagine the horizontal lines would have been next…  I have a picture if I can find it…

Since that time, I have discovered the “Blog of Impossible Things.”  Check it out here:  http://joelrunyon.com/two3/  Joel’s got an interesting story and I love his perspective on life.

He’s got a whole list of “Impossible Things” he wants to achieve… a bucket list of sorts. (click here: http://joelrunyon.com/two3/the-impossible-list) and 6-pack abs is on there!  In fact, he has a whole website dedicated to getting 6-pack abs.  Check it out here: http://impossibleabs.com/

Think 6-pack abs are impossible?  They’re not… and I agree with Joel, with a little dedication, you can achieve it at any age.  I’m willing to try it… who’s with me?  Do we wait until after the holidays, or do we get lean and mean before Christmas?  Anything is possible in 6 weeks, ay?

Peace,
Kate

3 Ways to Maximize your Kettlebell Swings

What’s up with “Top 10″ lists?  If someone gives you ten ways to improve your kettlebell swing, you probably won’t remember them all during your workout.  All you really need to do is remember three basic muscle movements while swinging and you’ll improve your form and get better results.

Add these 3 techniques to your next workout and watch how your swings become more productive.

1. Suck navel to spine.  This is a yoga term, but when you apply it to kettlebells swings you will dramatically increase your ab workout.  From the starting squat position, think about sucking your belly in towards your back.   Navel to spine.  When you bring your front body towards your back body, you are engaging your abdominal muscles.

2. Lift quads to hips.  Stand with your eyes closed and imagine your leg in three parts… knee, quad, hip.  Now, lift your quad muscle up from your knee toward your hip-joint.  This is where your quad needs to sit when you’re at the top of your swing.  Practice this before you swing.

3. Tighten Glutes.  The Gluteus Medius is that outer hip muscle that gives you the sought-after cheek dimple (see volleyball player above!).  Think about tightening your glutes at the top of your swing as you pop your hips forward.  This movement becomes almost like a “hop-snap” at the top.

Add these three together and try some swings.

Other good ways to increase results?  Take fewer breaks to increase cardio strength (but never compromise form), put on good music to keep you pumped, and then mix up a bottle of MRM ReLoad to help with your post-workout muscle recovery.  Remember, you’ve got to tear down to build up!

Peace,

Kate

Pain and Strength

“Pain is a feeling.  Strength is your power to chose how you’re going to live.”
-Kate

Tough Mudder Report!

My Tough Mudder report???  Well… the MOST important thing is… I got my orange Tough Mudder headband at the finish line!!  OooRah!!!

It’s taken me more than a week to sit down at my computer and try to describe this amazing event.  Call it writer’s block, or some sort of inertia to document the incredible.  (…and it only gets more incredible with each passing day!)  True that.  But there is much to tell, and it’s hard to know where to start.

I’ll start about 10 days before race day.  That’s about the time when my blog went “dark”.  I was training hard (some would call it over-training) with not much time to sit and write.  I was running long distances in my new “zero-drop” shoes (they are all the rage, don’t you know?) when all of a sudden I could not run 3 miles.  I blamed it on the heat.  It was, after all, 75 degrees here in Seattle in September, and we are just not used to that kind of heat.

Ah yes, well, as Bill Maher would say, “I kid the Seattle weather.”  It was not the heat.  The next day I could not even run around the block.  That’s right… I had gone from running across town on a whim, to barely being able to get around my neighborhood block.

My Achilles tendons were shot.

Between my new ”barefoot running” routine and probably too many box jumps at the gym, I had strained both my Achilles tendons to the point where I was hobbling around my house like a little old lady.

It was then that I hit a point of self-pity.  I got home from a failed run and cried.  I cried for about 5 or 10 minutes, but then I knew that had to be the end of it.  No more feeling sorry for myself.  I’ve been down this road before… this feeling of defeat is not new, it is just a hurdle.  When I begin to feel that my body is letting me down… the best thing for me to do is get angry, not sad.  (and certainly not go to the ”oh poor me” stage… God forbid!)  Anger was the next phase of my “grief”.  I got angry, and that launched a feeling of stubborn determination.  I was not going to quit.

I absolutely believe with all my heart that once an athlete reaches this level of mental determination (which quite often starts with anger, but needs to channeled positively) their body will respond to that.  Anger bubbles up and becomes the ”trigger” for momentum and action.

I have blogged about this before, it’s something I want to write a book about someday.  I feel so strongly about will power, and what it can do for people.  I know that the body will respond to what the mind is saying.  I’ve lived through this before with two torn ACL’s, so this feeling is not a new one for me.  I had to recognize it, and then deal with it.

Here’s the key: If you tell your body to be strong, your body will respond to that.  We all wake up in the morning and set our intention for the day, whether we’re conscious of it or not.  We are always setting our intention for small tasks, or for the day, or for the week… or even for how we want to live our lives.  Intention is all-encompassing and a very powerful force.

I set my intention to compete, and I did.  (I also got a lot of help from a few sports medicine docs who had positive, “we’re-going-to-tackle-this” attitudes… more on that later).

I’m going to leave it here for the day… I’ll continue this story tonight.  For now, just know how great it is to have a mind and body that work together.

Peace,
Kate

Volunteer Park Workout

 

I can’t make it to the park this Wednesday for kettlebells, but I put together an awesome new circuit to try in my absence!  It’s all Figure 8′s and Figure 8 to a Hold with some fun Cross-Fit stuff added in.  (We’re working on core strength here!)

And speaking of rest… no breaks allowed during the circuit!  You’ve got to earn it baby!  I tested this out tonight, and it was just about 3 tracks off the Fat Boy Slim record.  Here we go:

Warm up: 50 Figure 8′s

20 Figure 8′s to a Hold
20 Kettlebell situps
20 Figure 8′s to a Hold
20 Air Squats
20 Figure 8′s to a Hold
20 Push-Ups
20 Figure 8′s to a Hold
20 Handstand Push-Ups
20 Figure 8′s to a Hold

Cool Down: 50 Figure 8′s

I use a lighter kettlebell for the warm up and cool down, and then switch to heavier ones for the circuit.  It’s 200 total reps for the Figure 8′s, and just remember to tighten/suck in your abs (or bring navel to spine, as they say) during your workout.  This will greatly enhance your core workout.

Enjoy!
Kate

Part 2… How I got motivated to run!

From my last post… here’s how I got motivated:

I spent about 15 minutes to do the following, and then I was ready to run… sore muscles and all!

I took a hot shower to warm up my muscles and immediately afterward rubbed on this crazy stuff pictured below… Zheng Gu Shui… I put it anywhere my I had muscle soreness.  Love this stuff!  My old acupuncturist would use this after he did the needles, and it felt amazing… check out this link:   http://www.amazon.com/Zheng-Shui-External-Analgesic-Lotion/dp/B000MWO3IG

Anyway, then I rubbed on the Arnica Massage Oil, took 2 BCAA’s, Bee Pollen and Energy Herbs… and a glass of water.

Ok, I know what you’re thinking… well, I’m not totally hippy-dippy-homeopathic-naturalistic-remedy-girl… Surprise, I took 2 Advil also!

Got my music, Got my Garmin… and voilà… out the door!

Here’s what happened:

I did a 1/2 mile warm up run, then I did a round of three 1/2-mile sprints (each time trying for a better time).  Then I did a round of four 1/4-mile hill runs (again, trying to get faster each time), then I finished with a slow 1-mile run home.   Totalled only about 4 miles, but it was intense and I was glad I got out there and did it.  Hill work and sprints together challenge your fast-twitch muscles and get your heart-rate up super quick!

Next time, I’ll increase the distance to five 1/2-mile sprints to add in another mile.

Oh, and here was the view from my hill runs.  This is why I live here.  The Space Needle motivates me… I just love it!!!  Peace, K.

Getting Motivated… (when everything aches)

I don’t feel like going for a run today.  Technically, it’s ”run day”… but here I am blogging instead of putting my shoes on.

I must get motivated!

But my calves still hurt every time I walk down the stairs, my delts are screaming at me from too many pull-ups and push ups, I’ve got a crick in my neck from something… but I must run.  The schedule says it is run day, and so it is.

It’s nearly 6pm and the evening light is beautiful outside…it’s that subdued September light… the sun is low in the sky, there’s a bit of a cool breeze and it’s perfect for a run.

OK, here I go… I’ll let you know what I did to get motivated later and if it worked… ha!

k.

Tired Muscles? Don’t forget the Arnica Oil!

Along with my usual kettlebell swinging… I’ve increased my cross training to point where I’m doing something different every day to shake things up for the Tough Mudder.  In the past 48 hours I’ve done a 9-mile run, 400 sit-ups, I ran 1200 stairs, and did an hour of CrossFit, which included Wendler 5-3-1 powerlifts and a pretty sweaty workout of a 1/2 mile sprint, 50 air squats, 1/2 mile sprint, 25 wall balls, 1/2 mile run, and 100 lunges.  Whew!

This is when I need to reach for the Arnica Oil.  I’ve blogged about this before, but it’s a good reminder… this stuff really works!  I am feeling little reminders of my workouts in my shoulders, calves, knees… and Arnica Oil is great relief.  Here’s what I use…

http://usa.weleda.com/our-products/shop/arnica-massage-oil.aspx

Tomorrow is short-run day and more CrossFit…

and don’t forget the kettlebell situps!

Peace,
Kate

First few days of Paleo…

I haven’t started a food journal yet.  Perhaps out of inertia to find an app, or maybe because I’m still using a Windows phone.  I’m looking for an easy way to jot everything down.  But here’s what I’ve got so far:

Slice of turkey and a banana as I run out the door this morning.  (Dropped the kids off for their first day of school!!)  Kale and eggs for a late breakfast.  Sprinkle kale with “Ras el Hanout”. (see below)  Cooked up some garlic-marinated fresh tuna last night… on a bed of salad, fresh tomatoes, cucumber.  Snacking on lots of raw almonds.  MRM Egg White protein shake for lunch.  MRM ReLoad BCAA’s throughout the day.  Tonight, Grilled steak or chicken over a big salad.  No dressing… you don’t need it with the meat juices.  Don’t forget avocados… slice them up at the end.  Maybe a beet and kale salad with grated carrots.

Here’s the “Ras el Hanout”:  (this is from Well Fed, http://www.amazon.com/Well-Fed-Paleo-Recipes-People/dp/061557226X  It’s a great paleo cookbook with lots of photos!)

2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ginger
2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

I add in about a tsp of cardamom too… maybe white pepper if I have it.

Mix this up and keep it by the stove.  add it to everything.

Good Eating!
Kate

Four-Week Training Program for the Tough Mudder

Happy Labor Day!!

I’ve been working today… designing a training program that will help prepare me and my teammates for the Tough Mudder at the end of the month so we don’t end up like this dude. (I think he got the 10,000 volt shock… poor guy).

This schedule started yesterday… but the good news is, we still have time to make up our missed workouts!

Click on this “RED” link below for my four-week training schedule:

TOUGH MUDDER TRAINING SCHEDULE

In addition to this program, I’m cutting out all alcohol and I’m going on the Paleo Diet for the next four weeks.  (with one exception… a weekend in San Francisco to celebrate my anniversary.  A girl’s gotta have some fun!)

Let’s see what happens… I’m not sure I’m organized enough to keep a daily food log, but I will try to give you all an idea of what I’m eating and how much I’m exercising… and then I’ll be taking pictures once a week to track my physical progress.

Here we go… OooRah!

Peace,
Kate

Tough Mudder Training has Begun!

The Seattle Tough Mudder is four weeks away.  I’m fully committed, and training is getting serious at this point.

If you’ve never heard of the race before, check this out and watch the video: http://toughmudder.com/

It’s actually less of a “race” and more of an intense muddy obstacle course that goes on for 10-12 miles with 24 obstacles thrown in designed by British Special Forces.  This is going to be, without a doubt, the toughest thing I’ve ever done.

A few of us Tough-Mudders-in-Training met in Volunteer Park on Wednesday for a great kettlebell workout… here’s what we did:

3 sets of descending reps 30-20-10

First set of 30 reps:

• Double-Handed Swings
• Hand-to Hand Swings
• Around the World
• Around the World to a Hold
• Figure 8′s
• Figure 8′s to a Hold
• Clean and Press (half on each side)

30-second rest, Repeat for a second set of 20 reps

30-second rest, Repeat for a third set of 10 reps

30-second rest, Turkish Get-Ups:
10 TGU’s each side (20 total)  all the way to standing

AMRAP: (as many reps as possible):
Kettlebell tricep extensions
Kettlebell sit-ups

Then finish with:

sprint races, down and back across the field

and finally, running squat shot put throws (for lack of a better name)

Whew!  Am I forgetting anything?

More tomorrow…

Kate

 

 

 

5 favorite songs = 300 to 400 situps!

Got five favorite songs?  Put them on, then knock out the following sit-up blocks:

25 kettlebell situps with at least 8KG bell (knees bent)

25 crossfit situps (legs straight)

25 crunches (knees bent, hands behind head)

Repeat this set 5 or 6 times.

(by the way, a CrossFit situp is going all the way down, arms extended to the floor behind head, then all the way back up, touching toes.)

I’m on my way to proving you can spot-train your abs for six-pack abs in 30 days with visible results!  stay tuned…

Peace,

Kate

Spot Training for Six-Pack ABS!

I’m rebloging an old post on the issue of spot reducing… setting myself up for a new challenge.  Here’s the thing… I want six-pack abs!  And I want them in about 30 days!  Is that possible?

Today is Monday, August 27th.  I have less than 5 weeks until the Tough Mudder challenge on Saturday, September 29th.

Here are my abs today, I took a picture right after my training run when i was good and sweaty:

Kate’s abs on August 27th, 2012

Can I get six-pack abs in 30 days?  That is the challenge, and we’ll soon see.  I really don’t want to show up to the Tough Mudder with flabby abs.  Between diet and exercise, I am going to try, and I want to bust this ever-present myth that you can’t spot train your abs.

Here we go… 100 kettlebell sit-ups, coming right up…

k.

Lake Washington Swim

It was a beautiful morning down on Lake Washington’s Madison Park beach on Wednesday.  I brought my kids down there to watch some very fit swimmers cross Lake Washington from Medina.  It was the 2.5-mile Swim for Life benefiting Puget Sound Blood Center.  I was not one of the swimmers… not this year anyway… but two of my Tough Mudder teammates did it and so I went down to cheer them on and see what I have in store for next year.

It looks like a fun time… count me in!

In honor of the swim, I donated a pint of blood today.   So I think I’ll take it easy and hydrate on the couch tonight!

Peace,

Kate

The Swing, Flip, Catch and Squat… VIDEO!