Since I have attended the Grizzly Training winter camp at Dominik‘s place, there have been lots of thoughts about the mental component of training. As I have noted in the most recent CrassFit coverage, it was Harald who enabled me to sustain performance even when my body screamed at me to stop.

In order to advance, you have to go beyond your limits. If you duck back into your comfort zone every single time, you will never enjoy the experience of stepping out of it – this applies to the world of training as well as to each and every everyday situation. Popular books about personal development write about the fact that you have to do something you have never done before to achieve something you have never achieved before. This continues to proves true to all of us.

In relation to my high repetition training goal (front squatting 2 x 20 kg kettlebells for 20 repetitions), I planned on achieving this goal by means of mental power – to force myself through the barrier of not wanting to do anymore due to fatigue.

Several days ago, I did a set of 15 repetitions, which was far from the maximum performance that could have been achieved. I simply stopped due to fatigue: My mind built up a glass wall which I was not to pass. But since I wanted to achieve the goal, I tried once more – this time with the hint of Harald in mind: Think of the next repetition only. There is nothing but the next repetition. One more perfect repetition, that is all.

This is the result:

I have not been at my limit and probably could have done up to 25 repetitions with the weight. It was all a matter of mental focus – and nothing else. The less factors of disturbance hinder you, the higher the power output you can yield.

Yesterday, I experienced something similar when trying out deadlifts. I have not lifted heavy for months so I feared that I would have lost a lot of power. I experienced before that the deadlift was the one exercise where I lost performance when I changed the exercise regime towards bodyweight exercises and kettlebells – while other exercises increased in performance (front squat and military press for instance).

With a personal best of 142.5 kg for a single rep, I did the following (weight/repetitions):

60/15 90/5 100/3/20 110/3 120/1/3 130/1/3 140/0/1

This sure is a unusual workout layout. I initially planned to go all-out on a 20 repetition set, following the principles of PITT-Force, but 100 kg was too light of a weight to force my power reserves to activate. I prolonged my workout with heavier triples. From 120 kg on, I did one test repetition in sumo stance, while I used a shoulder-width stance for the main sets.

I was amazed how easy it was to climb up the weight ladder, until I reached 130 kg. It was a struggle to lift them in sumo stance, so I used a little mind-trick for the triple: Music! Using the fanfare of VNV Nation’s “Pro Victoria”, I triumphed over the weight – and what an uplifting feeling it was!

Going up to 140 kg, I missed the lift in sumo stance. Reason enough to have a mental blockade doing it in narrow stance. I tried to empty my mind, put tension in every body fiber and lifted. I felt like failing but this time I saw it through – either the barbell would have dragged me to the ground or I lifted it up – letting go of the barbell was just no option. The weight had finally been lifted and I was relieved – SUCCESS!

With all the struggle, the feeling afterward has been great. If you work hard to achieve something, the feeling thereafter is always proportional to the amount of work you invested. This is the reason, why hard-working people often are happier than those who do not have to struggle to achieve or receive things – they often lack a sense of reason. You have to be able to invest something in order to get something back.

In training, the return on investment usually is of great ratio, if you work out intense, brief and infrequent.

Train on and stay strong
Simon

Just before the christmas holidays are nearing their end, we set out for one more CrassFit training session. Harald will have moved back to Graz to continue studying the next day, so we decided to do one last workout together.

Dominik (who had a day off), Peter (returned from Sweden), Harald and I were present to accept Dominik’s challenge for an extremely heavy exercise collection.

Warm-Up

We did bodyweight movements with a focus on hindu squats as a warm-up. As I was a wee bit too late, so I missed out on the 100-repetition set the others did but set out to do at least a 50-repetion set as a small compensation. The warm-up was concluded with a jog from the parking space to the playground, where we usually do our workouts.

Pre-Fatigue

The pre-fatigue exercise today was split into two parts. The first challenged the upper and the second the lower body.

1. Rope pull-up pyramid: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 repetitions (49 total)
2. Kettlebell front squat pyramid: 1-3-5-7-9-7-5-3-1 repetitions (41 total)

First we did a pull-up pyramid on the rope – starting with one repetition, up to seven repetitions (or how much one is able to do – as for me, my maximum are five and a half repetitions). In total we ideally did 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 repetitions – 49 repetitions in total, what a volume! I had to struggle to keep pace – rope pull-ups are an amazing exercise. The main problem with them is the grip, when it is cold. Although it initially hurts, its useful to pick up some snow and to rub it in-between your hands – the grip becomes better instantly.

To target our lower body, we jogged back to the parking space, packed out our gear (in this case: two 20 kg and two 24 kg competition kettlebells) and started a pyramid of double kettlebell clean + front squat. In total we did 1-3-5-7-9-7-5-3-1 (= 41 total) repetitions with the weight we could just handle. I started off with the two 24 kg kettlebells but went for the 20 kg ones from the 5 repetition set onwards.

I feel that a front squat pyramid is mostly a mental thing. The exercise itself is so overwhelmingly hard to accomplish – the clean is sucking out your power, as it requires explosive movement and the squat consumes all there is left – that it soon feels simply unbearable to even continue. During the peak set of the pyramid (9 repetitions), I was feeling as if I had to give up after six repetitions – when Harry kicked in and gave me back my focus. He had me focus on the next repetition only – and it somehow worked. A perfect clean followed by a perfect squat – and nine repetitions were done in no time. Kudos to Harry – I feel he is a great motivator, when it comes to seeing a heavy set through.

Metabolic Conditioning

Not really a metabolic conditioning workout today, as we were so sucked dry from power from the pre-fatigue part already. We actually did two rounds of:

1. Kettlebell complex: 5 Swings L + R, 5 Cleans L + R, 5 Military- or Push-Presses L + R, 5 High Pulls L + R
2. 10 Explosive push-ups

… and proceeded onwards to the finisher.

Post-Fatigue

The workout was concluded by an alternative version of sled dragging. As the normal dragging turned out to be too easy (with another attendee as living weight attached), we did pull-throughs and rows with the sled to make this especially hard on the whole body. After the sled had returned to its starting position, we called the workout a close.

Thereafter, we had a good sip of the bottle of raw milk I brought with me, waved goodbye – most probably to see each other again next week. Harry will be with us by the time of the next holidays, for sure .

Satisfied with the workout, the four of us.

I recommend that you just try out the pre-fatigue part of our workout – especially the Clean + Front Squat pyramid. I feel that this compound exercise is a workout of itself. We had a good talk about how top coaches like Dan John are convinced that you do not need more than two 32 kg kettlebells to have a tremendously challenging workout – even for someone who usually lifts weights a lot heavier (like a powerlifter or Olympic weightlifter). Just take two heavy kettlebells and try the Clean + Front Squat exercise combination. It humbles each and every athlete, I am convinced.

Train on and stay strong!
Simon

After a few days off because of an oral surgery I had to undergo, I started off my training yesterday with a little trial that I aim to extend during the next few days. The target of the training routine I thought of is to build sustained power in various aspects: Strength, endurance, willpower, full body stability and grip strength.

The training routine itself is simple. Grab two Kettlebells (or dumbbells, barbels, sand bags, stones – whatever comes to your mind) that are heavy enough and do these two exercises:

• Proper warm-up
• 20 repetitions front squat
• 5 minutes rest
• 20 repetitions clean & press

Although the workout consists of only two exercises, it is tremendously challenging. If you collapse on your first try before reaching the goal of 20 repetitions, do not worry – I failed as well. The goal is to stick to it and work yourself up towards facing this challenge. It will make you stronger in every area you could think of.

As for my first try, watch this video:

The second part is solely about technique issues concerning the Clean & Press. This exercise – performed with double kettlebells – is truly the prime discipline of kettlebell lifting and lifting in general. It involves the full range of motion of getting the kettlebells from the ground up above your head – in two stages, instead of one, like in the snatch, but with mere pressing power instead of ballistic momentum. One important aspect of this exercise is the way the kettlebell is pressed overhead. If done with a strict military press movement, the overall stability and form is normally easily sustained. A push-press, however, involves a tremendous lot more explosive moment and thereby potential for instability – while the pressing power needed is diminished, the stability factor has to be increased the same way. Doing the exercise unilateral instead of bilateral is another way of attaining good form – but it is without comparison to the bilateral execution.

Just try out what is okay for you. Adjust your working weight and then start – work yourself up to 20 repetitions and reap the benefits of your hard work!

Train on and stay strong,
Simon