You have aches and pains all over. You feel tired all the time and have no
energy once you get home from work. You
constantly order out to eat because cooking seems like a monumental task. You get winded from going up a flight of
stairs and none of your clothes fit right.
You have unwanted fat and weights in the garage collecting dust or
better yet a membership to a gym you never go to. You say next week on Monday you will start
fresh and make a change for the better.
Then you realize you have a trip coming up in a couple weeks so it makes
no sense to start training now and then take a break. You will just start fresh when you get back
from the trip. You get back from the
trip and then decide you want to wait till next month to start and then push it
back even further to after the holidays and start fresh next year. Yet in the meantime nothing has changed
except you have gotten weaker, fatter, sicker, and still are in a lot of pain and have no energy to get
through the day.
Here is your wakeup
call. Each day you wake up is one day
closer to your death bed! The more you
put something off the more chances are of that never happening. So you can accelerate your life here on earth
or you can prolong it by making a change. It all starts with you and making the
decision that you actually want to make that change. Your friends and family will encourage you or
not. They may be in the same boat as you
and if that is case then you are going to be going at it alone. So it is going to take a lot of will power
and discipline on your part to make that change a reality. Now the good part is if you find a good coach
and group of people to train with they will help support and motivate you on
your journey.
When you actually do decide to make that change on your own,
be prepared for a lot of work because that’s what change is work! Change is not easy it takes weeks, months,
and sometimes years to attain the goal you want to achieve. Although how bad do you want that goal? To get a degree in college it takes four
years, 1 year if you’re Doogie Howser.
Those 4 years can be brutal depending on the degree you are working on,
but you get through it and graduate. Now
the reason you got thru it because you knew starting out it would take that
long and also not every course was pushed into one semester it was spread out
over those 4 years.
People think they need workout 3 hours every day in order to
see results. If you try doing that after
doing nothing for a while you will be so sore and you will not want to workout
again for another month, because in your mind you have created negative
emotions with training. When it comes to
training it is best to build up slowly over time and make little progressions
each time you train. Every time you
finish a training session you should feel reenergized and that you got one step
closer to your goal. The way you feel
about training has a lot to do with the results of your change. So the more positive we can the experience
the better the outcome will be for you.
Not every training session is going to be positive as some days it will
be the last thing you want to do and you may be sick and tired, but still
somehow find the way to fight thru and get it done. I guarantee after that training you will feel
at least 10 times better than when you started.
Change takes consistency on a regular basis to happen. This makes it easier to accomplish this way
because we break it up over the week.
Training 3 times a week will get great results for most people, high
level athletes will need more. So
embrace change and know that it will be a long fought out battle. Throughout your years of training there will
be times that you will have to make little changes here and there to keep
making progress towards your goals which is normal. Our bodies adapt after a while and that is
why we need to mix things up every now and then. Zach Even-Esh says it best and that is “get comfortable
being uncomfortable”! The more
uncomfortable situations you can put yourself in the better and the stronger
you will be as a whole person because of it.
I cannot force you to make this change nor can your friends. I can hype you up and get you so excited that
you feel unstoppable, but nothing will happen until you actually decide for
yourself that you want to make that change and take on the lifelong challenge
that lies before you. That’s what
training is and should be a daily habit for life. If you decide that you actually want to make
a change then I urge you to seek out a highly qualified coach to help you along
with your journey.
In the society we
live in today it is hard not to have tight and stiff joints.Joints thrive on blood flow and range of
motion so when we sit at desks and in cars for years on end it takes a toll on
our bodies.Also staring at a computer
screen as well as cell phones hunched over all day does us no good as
well.You can reverse the damage you
have done to your body and feel better again but it will take a lot of
work.The 3 areas we are all tight in
the most is our shoulders/lats, hips, and ankles.Here are a few kettlebell exercises that can
help open up those joints and help you regain your lost mobility.
For the shoulders and lats overhead holds can do
wonders.To perform simply hold a
kettlebell overhead make sure the arm is completely straight pointing straight
up at 12 o’clock.For some just getting to
the 12 o’clock position will be a challenge.Then make sure your shoulder blade is not shrugged up but rather pulled down.Now you can simply perform this hold for time
or go for a walk either scenario is fine.The goal is to be able to keep increasing the length of time or distance
you hold the kettlebell overhead.So
start light and go for 30 sec to 1 min from keeping gradually adding time in
small increments such as 15 sec.Once
you can hold the kettlebell overhead for 3 minutes then it is time to move on
to a heavier kettlebell.An advanced
version would be holding 2 kettlebells overhead.
For the hips and ankles the goblet squat is a great go to
exercise.To perform hold the kettlebell
out in front of you with arms in elbows down.Take a good squat stance shoulder width then slightly turn your feet
outwards.From there sit back and push
your knees to the outside.The weight of
the kettlebell should help you get into a lower squat position.At your lowest point in the squat hold for a few
seconds and let your hips stretch and get comfortable in that position stand
back up and repeat.Just like in the
overhead holds start light but not too light as a kettlebell that is too light
for you will not help assist in pulling you down.Start off by doing 5 reps holding for 3 secs
at the bottom from there you could increase the reps until 10 or increase the
secs at the bottom to 5 sec.Once you can
get into a full squat or you feel as if it is getting too easy and aren’t
getting any kind of stretch then go up in weight.Another thing you can do to help open the
hips and work on the ankles as well is while you are at the bottom of the squat
keep one foot flat on the ground with the other foot you will roll your ankle
to the outside edge of your foot.So you
are inverting your foot in so that it looks like a stunt car driving on 2
wheels.Hold that for a few seconds and
then do the same to the other foot stand up and then squat down and repeat
again.
The king of all mobility tests is the overhead squat.One has to have excellent mobility in the shoulder,
hips, and ankles in order to successfully complete this exercise.To perform lift one kettlebell overhead and
squat down without the ankles losing contact with the ground and without the
arm bending at the elbow or breaking forward or to the side.Make sure knees go to the knees go to the
outside and do not cave in.This is one
of those exercises where you take it slow no need to go fast as it won’t help
you with your mobility.Hold for a few
seconds in the bottom of this squat as well as your tight lats will thank you
afterwards.Once you can comfortably do
10 reps try going up to a heavier kettlebell.Want to get advanced try performing a double overhead squat and you will
quickly find out what all of your limitations are in your body.
Make mobility a daily habit and in time you will have strong
and healthy joints.My advice is take a
few minutes and do one or two sets of these before your next workout.You should notice an improvement in your
pressing or squatting that session.
1.Mobility
just do it – The key to healthy joints and longevity in life is mobility
work. Mobility is basically moving all
of the joints in your body in full ranges of motion. So for example we would want to make sure that
we did movements that gave the knee full flexion. So things like deep squats and Cossacks would
be good for the knee. Mobility promotes
blood flow to the joints which is what it craves and it also helps increase the
range of motion in the joint. When a
joint becomes stiff it is due to lack of movement and that is why when you sit
around for long periods of time you become stiff in your knees, back, hips, and
ankles is because there is a lack of blood flow going on while you are sitting
doing nothing. Think of your joints like
an engine or a machine. Both the engine
and machine need oil to properly perform and your joints need blood to properly
perform. So do your joints a favor and
take 5 to 10 minutes each day working on your mobility.
2.Mental
training – to become better as a whole physical training alone will not cut
it, you need to have a strong mind as well.
The mind and body will play tricks on you during your competitions and
training. Do you have the mental
capacity to keep calm and keep driving forward when your body is screaming at
you to give up during a training session or competition? Another example is that you are playing in
one of your worst games ever, do you have the ability to regain focus and
correct your performance when everything else is going wrong? There are a ton of books out there on mental
training just go on Amazon buy one and get reading.
3.Quality
vs. Quantity – Become a master of technique every time you train always
seek for good quality reps. It takes 3
good reps to correct 1 bad one. So make
a lot of bad reps in a row and then you will have a lot of self-correcting to
do. If you want to actually make
progressions in your training then make sure each rep is solid. Don’t just go thru the motions and look like
you are having convulsions while training it will do nothing for you except
give you a good sweat.
4.Keep and
open mind when it comes to training - Don’t drink the kool aid and think
there is only one way to train and everyone has to do it this way and if they
are not doing it this way then they are training wrong and suck at life. When it comes to training a lot of it is
trial and error and finding out what works best for you and what will give you the
best results for whatever it is you are training for. Learn from as many different people as you
can. The same goes for training types as
well. Question people to why they train
the way they do or do a movement in a different way than you have seen. Then go and create your own training
philosophy and at the same time always be open to learning something new. If you like it hang on to it if not discard it.
5.What is
the goal? – Dan John says it best keep the goal the goal! This is a simple question you must ask
yourself when programming your training.
Make sure training reflects what you want to achieve. Would you advise an Olympic lifter to do long
distance runs? Then why are trying to
mimic throwing a javelin with a barbell on a bosu ball standing on one foot
while doing bicep curls with your favorite Jillian Michaels dumbbell? It doesn’t make any sense and it won’t make
you any better at throwing the javelin.
Remember this; you train with weights to become stronger and better
conditioned for your sport of choice.
You become better at your sport by practicing that skill as the same you
would in competition.
6.Keep
things simple – Don’t overcomplicate things by doing 30 exercises in one
training session or trying the latest workout you saw in the fitness magazine
or on the internet. Pick a few exercises
for each training session and attack them.
Your time is precious so when it comes to training don’t waste it on
fluff. With the millions of programs out
there it can get quite confusing as well.
Here is a clue if you do not understand the program or can’t remember it
then chances are you will not get the results you want on that program without
a coach guiding you along. Think simple
like the classic 5x5 program.
7.80% rule –
Maxing out every time you train will just fry your central nervous system and
increase your chances of becoming injury prone.
Instead make sure when you are lifting you do not go to failure but stay
fresh. What that means is when you lift
make sure you are able to perform the lift with control and good
technique. If during a set your
technique starts to go south then that is when you need to stop. Same goes if you are lifting a weight where
it looks like your body is performing a weird contortionist act then that is
obvious sign that you are not ready for that weight yet. Always stop one or two reps short of
failure. There is a time to go heavy but
you don’t want to do it all the time. By
lifting at the 80% mark you will actually get stronger because your technique
will be solid on every rep and you will build confidence in yourself by never
missing a lift.
8.Focus on
yourself not what someone else is doing – Trying to lift like Dmitry Klokov
and comparing yourself to him will do nothing but leave you constantly
frustrated every time you train. Instead
focus on yourself and getting better in the lifts you train. Who cares if someone can lift more than you
right now, you have no idea how long they have been working on that lift or who
they had help them with their technique.
As long as your numbers and weight keeps going up then guess what you
are making progress and it all that matters.
9.Focus on
movements not the exercise of the month on social media – Push, pull,
squat, hinge these are your basic movements and what you should be working on
when you train. We can also add
rotation, abdominal movements, run, crawl, jump, and climb, but when it comes
to lifting weight all you need is the basic movements of push, pull, squat, and
hinge. When it comes to pushing think
vertical and horizontal movements the same goes with pulling movements. Squat is obviously squatting and the hinge is
your deadlift motions, cleans would also be qualified as a hinge motion which
is good for building power. Make sure
throughout your week of training all four of these movements are covered and in
return it will make you a much better well rounded athlete.
10.Instead
of reps trying going for time – Time under tension has some tremendous
benefits to your training it will not only make you stronger but it will also increase
your endurance. Try doing push ups
straight for 3 minutes without ever losing form. So no taking breaks and no dropping down to
your knees or pushing your butt up into the air. Don’t worry about how many reps you get just
see if you can last the whole 3 minutes without stopping. You can vary the length of time as well as
the exercise. Keep the weight light to
start out and then as it gets easier and you are able to do more reps then go
ahead and add more weight.
11.Don’t
under estimate the power of bodyweight exercises – Bodyweight exercises
teaches one how to control their own bodyweight which is highly valuable when
it comes to training. If you cannot do a
push up on the floor with complete control throughout the movement then you
really should not be loading your body with weights since you cannot control
your own weight yet. Push ups, pull ups,
dips, single leg squats, bridges, and leg raises are all great movements that
should be included in your training.
Learn some of the advance bodyweight movements as well such free
standing handstand push ups, front levers, and strict muscle ups. Simply adding weights to get strong is the
easy way, but how does one get strong without any equipment? Your answer look at gymnasts they have
incredible physiques along with tremendous strength and power.
12.Ego in
check – This goes along with quality training and that is make sure you
always control the weight throughout the whole movement. If you are bouncing the bar off your chest in
the bench press then guess what? That
weight is too heavy for you and all it will do either two things leave you with
a cracked sternum or just teach you incorrect form, which will probably mess up
your back from constantly humping the sky as you bench press.
13.Consistency
– Ever wonder why you are not getting results in your training? Well answer this question first how long have
you been sticking to your current program?
If the answer is less than 12 weeks then that is the reason why. Training like anything takes time and to get
better at something you have to do it over and over again on a consistent
basis. Don’t just keep jumping from one
program to another unless you really never want to get good at anything. In school you did not study math for a couple
weeks then do reading for another couple, and from there jump into science and
then go back to math. Instead you did
them all in small amounts on a weekly basis for 9 months. Training is the same way want to get better
at something then you have to be consistent in your training on a weekly
basis. Now if you are not seeing results
in your training after you have been consistently training for 12 weeks then go
ahead and make some changes. Just
remember though there will always be ups and downs in your training, but if you
stay consistent with your training the results you seek will come.
14.Breathing
– This is probably one of the most over looked things when it comes to
training. If you want to be able lift
more and perform better on the field then you need to learn how to master your
breathe. Take about 5 to 10 minutes each
day and focus on your breathing find an area in nature is best or an area where
there will no distractions for you. Now
breathe into your belly for a count of 5, hold for a count of 5, then exhale
for a count of 5, hold for a count of 5. Repeat that process for 5 to 10 minutes. This will be a challenge to empty your head
and just sit there in silence and do nothing but focusing on breathing, but it
will help with mental clarity when it comes time to focus and also it will help
you stay focused and relaxed in training.
The more oxygen we can intake the better our performance hence why
breathing is so important. Just like
anything there are a ton of books about breathing out there just do a search on
Amazon and get reading.
15.Have fun! – This goes without saying
but if you are not having fun in your training then you need to take a break
from what you are doing or try something else.
If you are constantly dreading your training sessions then something is
wrong. Maybe you are going to heavy or
maybe you constantly keep missing lifts or maybe just don’t like the lifts you
are working on. Remember not every
training session should be balls to walls take a step back work on your
technique or do lighter weights with pauses in between the reps. Go do some yoga, go for a bike ride or swim,
play a game with friends, or just rest.
Then come back fresh and excited to train. Not every training session will be easy and
you will have sessions that will push your limits, but that is why you train to
get out of your comfort zone and push yourself beyond your limits. Training makes you feel good and able to live
a long healthy life so make it fun!
Tommy Kono says it best when it comes to Quality vs. Quanity
and that is, “Making one incorrect lift requires three correct ones in a row to
erase the memory pattern that was set up. Make 3 incorrect lifts in a row and
you have to perform 27 correct lifts to erase the memory pattern that was set
up.”
The reason it goes to 27 correct lifts needed instead of 9
is because when you have that many incorrect lifts in a row it compounds. So in other words you must multiply each rep
3x3x3=27.So you can see it will quickly
add up and could take years to correct a lift you thought you were doing
correctly for a long time.Always keep
the reps low to 5 or fewer and use a weight that is challenging but at the same
time you can still perform with perfect form.What I mean by this is, let’s say you are doing the classic Reg Park 5x5
workout and the exercise you are doing it with is the one arm kettlebell clean
and press the weight you are using is 24kg. For the first 3 sets you get all 5 reps but on
the last 2 sets you can only get 3 reps.Now you could have easily done a push press on those last 2 sets and got
all 5 reps and sacrificed form but instead you didn’t and stop short of
failure.So obviously the weight is
challenging since you cannot perform all of the 5x5, but the key is form was
not sacrificed and once you can perform 5x5 at 24kg then you would go up to the
next weight.Take little progressions
every time you train and they will add up quick over time.For example let’s say you added just 1lb to
your squat every week (I know what you’re thinking who uses 1lb plates, but
just bear with me) for a whole year, that is 52 weeks of adding just one pound
which would now have you squatting 52lbs more than what you were a year
ago.So you see how quickly these little
progressions can add up.Don’t try and
jump up 25-50lbs instead master the weight you are at and then add on 5 or
10lbs depending on the exercise.This
can be applied to bodyweight exercises as well there is always a way to make a
bodyweight exercise more challenging.
On to my next point always train for strength, when you
becoming stronger everything else becomes easier.Get strong at the weight you are at unless
you are overweight then you will need to address that first. Kettlebells and a
healthy diet can take of that weight problem for you.You are an athlete it does you no good to
bulk up and become slow, in-mobile, and in-flexible.Yes in contact you want some mass on you, but
that will come by training for strength and you will be lean, strong, and
fast.Athletes need to be the strongest
they can be at the current weight they are at.Don’t think you can be strong at 150lb? Think again ever watch Olympic Lifting and
Gymnastics?Watch the Olympic lifts and
you will see people 150lb and less putting 300+lbs over there head, and if you
ever watched gymnasts and the way they can control their bodies and perform
what they do is amazing if you don’t think so try doing a tiger bend out of a
free handstand position and let me know how that goes for you.One of the greats Authur Saxon weighed 200lb
and could bent press with one arm 370lb.That is just one arm not two and he did this with a barbell.If you do not know what a bent press is look
it up because there is no one out there today that is capable of this feat and
this was done back in 1905.So I
rambling on here, but I am trying to stress the importance of training for
strength and how much it will benefit you.
Another great quote from Bradley Steiner is “doing high reps
with low weights will give you the same benefit as lifting a ping pong
ball.”Doing high reps not only does
nothing for you other than make you sweat, but at the same you cannot keep
correct form on all those reps especially when it comes to your Olympic lifts,
powerlifting lifts, and bodyweight exercises.Doing high reps of any of those is a sure case of an injury waiting to
happen.So if you like being injured all
the time and don’t ever want to make progress then by all means keep countless
high reps, I just hope you have some good insurance.Which leads into the next point never train
to failure all you are doing is teaching yourself how to fail.Always stop short of failure which means you
still have about 1 or 2 reps left in the tank.When you always succeed at your lifts your mental aspect towards
training will greatly increase and you will be craving towards your next
training session like a 30 year old single woman looking for Mr. Right.Another thing high reps will bring is
soreness this is not a sign of that you had a great workout but instead a sign
that you went beyond what your body is capable of doing and you have not fully
recovered from the previous workout.You
should never be sore the next day after your workout; soreness will just make
you stiff and slow.This is a common
misconception we have especially when most of us grew up training this
way.When it comes to training remember
this phrase and say it over and over again in your head until it sticks (LESS
IS MORE).It took me a long time to
realize this, but once I started training with a minimalist approach my numbers
started to increase, I was not sore all the time, and I had a lot more energy.Keep your workouts short to an hour or less,
make small progressions, and keep the number of exercises to 5 of fewer.If you cannot get what you need done in one
hour then you will never get it done.All that is a sign that you are doing too much and your body is paying
for it by never being able to fully recover.This is a one way ticket to burnout and being over trained in which you
will constantly be getting sick because your body’s immune system is shut down
all the time.You know when you had a
great workout is when you are done you feel energized and as if you could do it
again.
So always train for Quality and not Quantity.A real world example would be going to the
grocery store to buy fresh organic meats and veggies for a meal vs. going to
McDonalds and buying 10 double cheeseburgers off the dollar menu.Would you rather being putting quality
nutrient dense food into body so you can fully recharge and feel energized or
would you rather put a bunch of chemicals into your body making you feel slow
and sluggish?This is the same thing
that happens to your body when decide between a quality vs. quantity
workout.So one more time in case I did
not make myself clear and for my fellow meatheads out there:
At 6am with a crisp chill in the air and the sky still pitch
black, I pull up to Comiskey Park in the RV (insert your National Lampoon’s one
liners here).I quickly start to set up
so I can start warming up and get ready for an 12 hour ordeal I was about to
put my mind and body through.My helpers
for this location start to show up shortly after I arrived and assist with the
set-up.Then, the next thing I notice I
have only about 20 minutes until my 7:00am start time and I have yet to pick up
any kettlebells.I quickly grab the 28kg
bells and start to warm up. My
preparation and training has led up to this day and I am determined to finish
all 12 hours and not die.As I grab the
kettelbells, I realize my first mistake.Don’t leave your kettlebells in the RV over night when it is only 20
degrees outside.Those were some nice
cold handles on the bells first thing in the morning.The freezing temperatures never fluctuated
much throughout the day.It started at
20 degrees and never got above 32 degrees.I know what you are thinking, “I picked a great day to lift kettlebells
outside for 12 hours huh?”Well, the sun
finally starts to come out and I begin lifting right at the 7:00am witching
hour.I start off with 2 bells (24kg’s) in
the jerk. After I finished my first jerk
set, I flippantly joke that I only have 5000 reps to go.I know I have a long day ahead of me. I have always resorted to levity and jests in
order to get myself through tough challenges.It ensures that that the mood shifts from “this sucks donkey balls” to “piece
of cake”.Part of my plan was to see how long I could go
using 2 kettlebells and then switch to one bell if needed.The lay out for the day was simple; spend 90
minutes lifting at each of the 6 locations.At each location I would spend a 30 minutes on jerk, 30 minutes on
snatch, and then 30 minutes on long cycle.The work to rest ratio would consist of lifting for 1 minute and then
rest for 90 seconds.This is the timing
that I followed the entire day.I wanted
to make sure my rest was longer than my work sets because I had one goal in
mind and that was to complete all 12 hours.During my first jerk sets at Comiskey Park I was feeling good and the
bells left light. I was averaging about
16 rpm.I was glad to start moving
around and lifting weights as it kept me warm.I knew it was cold because I noticed my helpers constantly going in and
out the RV to warm up.Next, I move on
to snatch and it was felt good as well.I start to notice that my hands looked really red and dry from the cold.
I had brought a few pairs of gloves,
although I did not put them as I did not feel like I needed them yet.My water stayed very cold throughout the day
as ice would form in the very bottle I was drinking from.Well, about 15 minutes into long cycle, I
start to feel a bit of exhaustion.It
became evident that I was going too fast and needed to slow down or I would not
make it to the second location. Pacing
myself was going to be the key to successfully navigating this arduous
terrain.As the final minutes at the
first location were approaching, I quickly assigned people an object to grab
and get it into the RV. Getting to the next location as quickly as possible is
essential.During the transitions of
locations I allocated 30 minutes to get from one location to the next.Each location takes about 15 minutes to get
to and then the rest of the time I spend eating food or going to the
bathroom.Also, I think by going to
different locations throughout the day helped a lot in the mental game instead
of constantly being in one spot for 12 hours.Each time I got to a new location my goal was to just make it to the
next location.
As I pulled up to the
Alder Planetarium I felt a bit of exhilaration as I gazed upon the Chicago
skyline.For those of unfamiliar with
Chicago, the Alder Planetarium is a museum about outer space that sits right on
the edge of Lake Michigan and has tremendous views of the city.Anyways, the time has quickly come to start
lifting again. I start off with the
24kg’s in jerk and immediately notice that something is off and the lifts are
not as easy as the first location.I
keep plugging along and one of my helpers played the Imperial March from Star Wars to keep me motivated.(Hey, whatever gets you motivated, use it.) Another set of jerk done and then it’s onto
snatch. My hands start to hurt.I was
expecting this, but not this early in the game.I did a few more sets and the pain lingered, progressively getting
worse. I put on a pair of thin gloves
very similar to ones you would use in a glove snatch set.I was starting to get frustrated as I could
not get my hand inserted properly into the bell and the gloves themselves where
sliding all around.I tried another pair
of gloves put could not get them on my hands. So I just stuck with the other gloves and
eventually the pain in my hands went away and turned to numbness. I was able to properly insert my hand into the
bell.For the rest of the day I would
only use these gloves to snatch in. I
did jerk and long cycle bare handed the whole day.After that ordeal it was on to long cycle
again. I opted to go with the 20kg’s
since I needed a break and a pick me up.What I started to do now was put on a pair of thick gloves during the
rest to keep the hands warm and also try to prevent them from drying up.I did this for the rest of the day for all my
jerk and long cycle sets.I finished my
long cycle sets and quickly got everything packed up and into the RV. Once loaded, I took off to the third
location.I was angry that my numbers
had dropped significantly from the first location to the second.I was still feeling pretty good and
surprisingly I had not sweat through my clothes.Because I was still relatively dry, I felt I
could go another location before changing clothes.This would become my mistake number 2.At each location I did put on a fresh pair of
socks and even my shoes were soaked in sweat it still felt good to put on a dry
pair of socks each time.
Well I am now at the 3rd location which was the
Wrigley Building in front of the Chicago River.Thinking that I can make ground I opted to use the 20kg bells the whole
time.At all of the other locations
there were people passing by and checking me out.However, at this location we saw that most
onlookers were passerbys and tourists as we were located on the Magnificent
Mile.I remember one of the helpers
talking to people from Finland and Russia.Of course, when more people are watching you it makes you push yourself
even more.I quickly get into my jerk
sets and I am doing well for a while. Then, I get frustrated again as I am just
not producing the reps I want with lighter bells.Move on to snatch and that felt good.My hands did not hurt that bad at all and I
was happy with the numbers I was getting.Next up, I moved to long cycle. The first set first rep is good. As soon
as I began the second rep my right bicep all of the sudden starts to cramp up
and tighten.I try to do another rep and
it feels like it wants to tear.I take a
second and try using just one bell still same result.One of my helpers tries massaging it out a
bit and digs her hand to help alleviate whatever it is that is going on in
there.Now I notice the clock and the
time wasted already I decide to just do jerk again and the result is the
same.As you can imagine I am getting
extremely frustrated knowing that I am only about 5 and a half hours in and
still have a long ways to go.On top of
that, one of the local news teams are on their way to this location.There is no way I can quit. I still had 3 more locations to go and a bunch
of people coming to see me at the last location.So I thought just like any normal person would,
“that I am going to have to finish the rest of the day with just one arm.” I grab the bell again pissed off and hoping
some miracle will help get me through this.I go ahead and jerk with my left no problem I then hesitantly switch to
my right and it was tolerable. This is the point where I switched to just one
bell for the rest of the day.My second
mistake of not changing my clothes prior to this location comes back to haunt
me.I feel part of the reason my right bicep
started to cramp up on me was it was cold, wet, and stiff.This whole ordeal took about 5 minutes but it
seemed forever as all I could think about was time I wasting not getting
reps.Well I made it through the rest
of the Wrigley Building location and then packed up and moved on to Daley
Plaza.
First thing I did once I got to Daley Plaza was change out
of my wet clothes and put on dry ones. I
also had brought along a pair of compression arm sleeves, which I put on. I think the sleeves helped me get through the
rest of the day.The Daley Plaza is a symbolic
location in the Chicago Loop.It is also
where the city Christmas tree is located along with the Christkindlmarket each
winter. For all you Blues Brothers fans
the Daley Plaza is where Jake and Elwood drove thru the windows in the end of
the movie.Ok, back to lifting. I feel better with a change of clothes but at
the same time worried about my arm.I
have now changed my focus to finishing the day and completing all 12 hours and
not worrying about the reps.In
hindsight, this is where my head should have been at the previous 2
locations.I start off with jerk using
the 24kg and just one bell now.The arm
feels good.I still feel my right bicep
acting up, but it is fine.At this
location I must mention that one of my volunteer helpers was like a fearless
sales person telling each person that walked by “World Record Attempt here take
a picture and tweet about it”I told him
he needs to be my sales guy for my gym.It was moments like these with my helpers cracking jokes which really
helped me get through the day and make the time go by faster.While training for this world record attempt,
I would just stare at a brick wall for 3 hours a day.So, any conversation during my rest periods
was definitely welcomed.After the jerk,
it was on to the snatch. I was a bit
concerned how the arm would hold up in the snatch motion but it was fine and did
not bother it all.This is also the same
time that WGN came to video tape me.He
took a bunch of different video angles of me.During my breaks, he would ask questions but sometimes I would cut him
off to start my next cycle.At this
stage of the day, l had become a machine. As soon as 90 seconds was up, I was onto the
next cycle.The story ended up playing
later that night on WGN news. Well, back
to long cycle. Using the 24kg bell this
time, I decided to change my grip. I
usually swing thumb up instead of thumb back.So, I switched to thumb back and the arm felt fine.I was able to continue on doing long cycle
with no problems.
After wrapping up and packing up at Daley Plaza, I was now
on my way to location 5 at the Roosevelt Bridge.During this transition from Daley Plaza to
the Roosevelt Bridge I felt awkward in that I was not really feeling great and
at the same time I was not feeling too fatigued.I had been just lightly snacking on food
throughout the day and drinking a ton of coconut water.So needless to say I would not have made Will
Ferrell’s cheer squad as my energy levels were quite low.In the days leading up to this, I knew all I
had to do was make it to the last location and I could just feed off other peoples’
energy to get me through the last hours.I just needed to get through one more location before reaching the final
location and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. As usual, I started off with jerk.For some reason, it felt really good and the
motions were easier than the last location.I thought this was quite odd.I
made that comment to my helpers and they agreed stating that that is not right and
something’s wrong.Well, jerk continued
to keep going up easy and so did snatch after that.It was at the Roosevelt Bridge location where
I produced the most snatch reps for the day; 10 hours into it.It was also at this time that the sun was
starting to disappear over the horizon.The
realization that I had been lifting from sunup to sundown washed over me and
slapped me in the face.This gave me the push I needed to make it
through the final 3 hours. Started to
get into my long cycle sets happy because I knew I only had a half hour ago at
this station, but at the same time it was this half hour that seemed the
longest.My hands were really starting
to swell in excruciating pain and fatigue was becoming more and more present.Finally, I got through my last set of long
cycle, packed up the RV, and headed onto my last location at Rocky’s Bar and
Grill.I was in my final transition and
I completely collapsed into the seat of the RV.It was during this transition where I finally felt like crap.However, at the same time I knew I had made it
to the last location and just had 2 hours to go.I came this far now it’s time to finish it.
We pull up to Rocky’s and I think other people were more
excited to see it than I was. The only thing that kept me focused was my
determination to finish the final two hours.I made one last change of clothes and before I knew it, it was time to
start lifting just as it had been all day.Rocky’s Bar was near where I started in the Bridgeport neighborhood of
Chicago.I was stationed right in front
of Rocky’s.Cars would honk as they go by and bar patrons
would watch from the comforts of inside the heated bar enjoying some
beers.People would come outside for a
bit to watch and then go back inside to warm up and enjoy libations.In the final hours, I only focused on when it
was time to lift.This strategy, oddly
enough, allowed me to put up the most jerk numbers at this location.I was now moving on to snatch knowing that I
was getting closer to the end but still had a ways to go. My hands were continuously throbbing, but I
was able to suck it up and get through it.Racing through my mind is that I have an extra 30 minutes since this is
the final location. I know that I must choose to continue lifting or not and if
so which lift and bell to use.Well
obviously I chose to keep lifting all the way since it was 7am to 7pm not 7am
to 6:30pm.So, I decided the lift I
would do for the last 30 minutes would be jerk.The bell size I was thinking was 20kg.It was also around this time my spot on WGN news came on in the bar and
everyone cheered.I just happened to be
in a rest period at that time and was able to watch it.My rest time had come up but how often do you
get to watch yourself on TV?So, I
continued to watch the rest of the segment and then went back to lifting.That definitely gave me a lift to keep on
going.I was now into my long cycle sets
for last time. This was a good thing because my hands where really starting to
hurt. It was at this point that I
realized my 3rd mistake.When
deciding to do 12 hours of lifting, don’t perform snatch and long cycle back to
back.For those of you that don’t know
me, my hands are completely callused. I
was born like that and when they get dry they crack and are excruciating to
bend. Playing in the dirt is my enemy
although playing in the sand is my friend as it will soften up my hands and I will
be able to move them.I don’t ever tear
my hands. It is not because I use flawless technique (I don’t I have a ways to
go yet, but I think it is has to do with my callused hands).Maybe this is why God gave me callused hands
so I could compete in kettlebell sport.Heading
into the homestretch, we are in the final sets of long cycle and I can’t wait
to be done as my hands are giving me death threats.As I start my jerk sets there are mixed
emotions going through my head. One is
telling me just not to pick up the bell and the other is saying this is it, let’s
finish this thing.10 minutes to go
people are starting come outside to witness the final minutes.I finally decide that the last 5 minutes I
will not set the bell down and just keep going.The 5 minute mark approaches and I am switching arms about every 30
seconds because that is about all I can withstand.2 minutes to go.I am almost there.I want nothing more than to set the bell
down, but I can’t I am so close to finishing and there is no turning back
now.The final minute approaches and I
just start cranking out what I can.It
is now 7pm I drop the bell and put my hands up in victory! I did it!I was able to be lift for 12 hours.There was a cheering applause to my finish
and then congratulations from everyone.I felt relief that it was finally over and I had done it.
Afterwards it took me awhile to change and then go into
Rocky’s where I did not need to buy a single beer as people just keep buying
them for me.The soreness set in pretty
quick as I got up to go to the bathroom. It was a struggle much worse than
after playing a rugby match.People
asked how I felt afterwards.The only way
I can describe it is as after you have been to the deep sea for a day and then
come back to land.It takes some time to
re-acclimate.I really don’t think my
body knew how to react and that is why I felt so out of it that night.Obviously I was sore for a while.Every time I moved new muscles reminded that they
were involved in that 12 hour fight with the kettlebells.The thing that hurt the most the next day was
my hands and I think they are still recovering.They have been peeling like a reptile’s skin for weeks.The total amount of volume I ended up lifting
over my head for the day was 110,720kg equal to 244,095lbs.The total amount of reps I did in all three lifts
for the day was 4108 reps.I came about
900 reps shy of that 5000 rep comment I had made earlier in the day.I think something that made this more exciting
was that I accomplished this feat on my Dad’s Birthday and he was there to
witness it.
I took on this challenge because I wanted to see if I could
actually lift for 12 hours straight and also to see if I could mentally
last.Well, I must say I survived the 12
hour fight against the kettlebells.However, I won’t say I won as the bells took a
toll on my body and nothing happened to them except for maybe a few
scrapes.I have recently started
training again for kettlebell sport and I very much enjoy the shorter training
sessions. I still find myself in a fight
to gain back my endurance as I came so use to just 1-2 min sets.Basically, this challenge can be used as a
metaphor of life’s challenges. Your
challenge could be the fight to get through a busy day at work, to finish
school, to rehab an injury, to get through a long road trip with the kids,
etc.Life is a fight and there will be many
highs and lows like I experienced in my 12 hours fight, but if you persevere
and don’t give up, you will finish and become victorious.
