Lots of Long Sets: A Summary of Late 2015 Training

As 2015 draws to a close, I have reviewed my training logs to check my progress.  I had a few setbacks this year, including a nasty bout of elbow tendonitis and some knee pain.  These were self-inflicted.  Nico Rithner told me years ago that doing only ballistic lifts with no grinds would lead to joint problems. In the spring I pushed for more volume with heavier weights in long cycle, and was sidelined for over a month from lifting because of elbow tendonitis.  When I correct this, I got the bright idea to do sets of 60 burpees after 10 minutes of long cycle with the 20k's.  Why does my knee hurt?  Oh, that's right, a bunch of burpees and long cycle. Should have known better, and now I do.

In August I took a step back to the 12k's, and worked up to 120 reps in a 10 minute set.  I taped on weights and made 14k's, and lifted over 100 reps with these as well.  On October 27, I set a PR of 102 reps with the 16k's.  Had I done it on the platform, I would have set a North American record for my weight class.  As it stands, my meet was canceled and someone else set a new record of 107. 

I've been focusing on long sets.  By long, I mean that since August, I've done 19 10-minute sets, 3 20-minute sets, 3 30-minute sets, and even a set that lasted 37:30, as well as numerous 6-8 minute sets.  Long cycle with one and two kettlebells, and clean and presses have formed the basis of my training.  I've had the joy of performing 300 straight clean and presses, and 300 straight clean and jerks with a 16k kettlebell.

I've also bought a power tower, and been doing dips and chins for the past few weeks.  These are done mostly in the evenings before bed. 

What are the results of lots of long, light sets?  A few new PR's, and a great outlook for 2016.  I can say that I "own" 80+ reps in long cycle with the 16k's, which is 20+ more reps than my rank pace. I can stand, lift, and breathe for long sets- ten minutes does not seem quite so long anymore. My conditioning has never been better- even when I was half my age.  Mentally, I'm tougher as well. Also, my technique is improving dramatically.

I'm also a little weaker. The 24k's feel about as heavy as ever.  When I was powerlifting, I could deadlift 405.  I have not attempted a heavy deadlift in a while, but a couple of times I've pulled 300, and it was harder than it should have been. 

The loss of specific strength is worth the tradeoff.  I don't hurt anywhere.  I can do all the work I want to do on my farm without pain and without losing steam.  I'm strong enough to do anything I want to do, but not as strong yet as I want to be.  When I was stronger, I lived with a constant ache in my shoulders and knees.  This is much better.

My plan for the new year is to use incremental kettlebells to slowly increase my strength and conditioning, while sticking with high rep, long sets. I've ordered a pair of 18k kettlebells (free shipping for Christmas!), and I'll work with them until I "own" 80 reps, then start over with the 20k's.  If I can get as comfortable doing 80 reps with 20k's as I am now with the 16k's, I'll be ready to tackle the 24k's again.

To all my kettlebell lifting friends: I hope 2016 is a great year for you in training and in life!  I hope to see you on the platform, and that we all earn some new ranks.  Above all, I hope you find the joy and peace that God can bring to your life. 

 

December 2015 Training Log

December 31- Early morning training. Practiced kata: Taegeuk 1-8. Then bodyweight training: 10 easy sets of 2 chins and dips = 20 chins, 20 dips.

December 30 - Long cycle clean and jerk, 2x20k.  Warm up: 1m @ 6rpm. Work set: 7m @ 6rpm = 42 reps. Rested 3m, then single clean and jerk, 20k: 10m @ 10rpm, switching hands every 5 reps (every :30) = 100 reps. 17 minutes under the bells in 20 minute time.  Rested 3m, then two sets of 10 presses per arm, 20k. 10m in the sauna.

December 29- 183 lb.

December 28- 182.5 lb.  Long cycle clean and jerk, 2x16k.  Warm up: 1m @ 8rpm. Work set: 10m @ 8rpm, like a boss. Heart rate 180 at end of set.  Everything felt great, could have kept going.  Technique is also getting more crisp.  Rested 3m, then started practicing my forms.  Did Taegeuk 1-8, with just a few breaths between kata. Finished in about 9m.  Wrapped up with 25 prisoner squats and a set of 10 see-saw presses, 2x16k.

December 27- 184.5 lb. after Christmas eating.  I'll work back down in the next couple of weeks.

December 25- some easy early morning calisthenics: 5m of alternating dips and chins (15 reps each), then 5m of pistol squats (10/10 reps), done at a medium pace.  Later, a few pushups. After supper, did a 20m upper body workout on the power tower before bed. 5m each of chin-ups (23), vertical leg raise (40), dips (30), and atlas pushups (30). Again, just a medium workload, probably 70% of an all-out session. No soreness the next morning.

December 23, 24- off

December 22- Long cycle clean and jerk. Felt a little stiff from yesterday's half marathon session, so I did some speed work with lighter bells. Warm up: 2x16k: 2 sets of 1m @ 8rpm. Work set: 2x12k: 6:10 @ 12 rpm = 74 reps. Stopped while it was still easy.  I'll probably take a few days off from Kettlebell lifting over Christmas. Ordered a pair of 18k's last week- perhaps they will be here by the end of the week.  I plan to work in sets of up to 80 reps with the 18k's, while continuing to do 80+ with the 16k's.  Over time, I'll transition to the 18k's exclusively, then test my max with the 16k's again.  I've owned 100 reps with the 12k's and 14k's, and hit it once with the 16k's.  I'd like to work up to 100 in 10m with each weight before progressing, but we will see.  At my age, there is a point of diminishing returns.  I'll have to watch for it.

December 21- 182.5 lb. Started the day with a few hours of manual labor, building a goat shed out of pallets and plywood.  About three hours of actual lifting, carrying, and building.  Did five minutes of alternating chins and dips before coming home: 18 reps of each in 5m, one easy single at a time.  Kettlebell training: one arm long cycle half marathon, 16k. 30m @ 10rpm, switching hands every :30 = 300 clean and jerks 30m. Heart rate at end: 176 bpm. About 500 calories burned.

December 18- Long cycle clean and jerk, 2x16k. Warm up: 1m @ 8rpm. Work set: 10m @ 8rpm = 81 reps.  With this weight, 80 reps seems to be the magic number right now. I've hit 102, but that was too fast for daily training.  Any slower, and I'm resting too long.

December 17- 182.5 lb. Started some training, but legs were sore from yesterday's pistol squats.  Long cycle clean and jerk, 2x16k: 2 sets of 1m @ 8rpm. Jerk, 2x12k: 2m @ 12rpm.  Decided to rest today and hit some serious training tomorrow.

December 16- 180.5 lb. Worked on the land carrying, dragging, and hauling for several hours.  Took a break and did some bodyweight training: 5 minutes each of chin ups (27 reps), pistol squats (17/17 reps), and dips (35 reps). Did not check pulse, but breathing hard and sweating. A little more work, then called it a day.

December 15- 180.5 lb. Worked on the land a few hours hauling trash and wood, then a quick Kettlebell session.  Clean and press, 16k. 20m @ 8rpm, alternating hands each rep. 80/80 cleans, presses, and swings.  Heart rate 150. Calories burned: about 180.

December 14- Long cycle training with the 16k's again. Warm up: 1m @ 8rpm with 2x16k. Work set: 3m @ 8rpm with 2x16k. Did not feel especially strong today, so switched to single clean and jerk, 16k: 20m @ 9rpm with 1 hand switch = 90/90 reps. HR at end of set: 180 bpm. Over 400 calories burned this session. 

December 13- a little upper body bodyweight training before bed. 5 minutes of chins (25 reps) and 5 minutes of dips (33 reps).

December 12- long cycle clean and jerk, 2x16k. Warm up: 1m @ 8rpm. Work set: 10m @ 8rpm. Feel really good with this weight and pace, though my HR was about 180.  Considering picking up a set of 18k bells so I don't have to tape weights on the 16k's and can alternate between 16k and 18k.  Rested 8m, then see-saw press, 2x16k: 2x10/10 = 20 reps per arm. Crush curls in goblet squat position, 16k: 2x10.  Later in the evening, practiced kata: Taegeuk 1-8.

December 11- got my 24k bells out of storage. Did some easy swings, clean and presses.  Did long cycle: 9 sets of 1m @ 6rpm = 54 reps total.  Spread out over about two hours while working on other projects, just to give a little stimulus with heavier bells. In the afternoon, hardstyle swings with 24k: 10 on the minute for 20 minutes = 100L/100R.

December 10- did some bodyweight training before 8 am with my new power tower. Did 5m each of chins (20 reps), pistol squats (10/10), and dips (32).  Just did singles, doubles, and triples at will for 5m, then moved to the next exercise. Worked at about 70%.

December 9- Long cycle clean and jerk, 2x16k. Warm up: 1m @ 8rpm. Work set: 10m @ 8rpm = 80 reps.  This has become my standard workout, it seems. I planned to do more with the 20k's but they are at the gym where I am a member. I only have 16k and 12k bells at home.  10m sets with 16k's has become a new baseline that I can reach just about every time I try. I'm sure this will carry over to the 20k's.

December 8- Legs sore from yesterday's pistol squats, so some easy swings to work it out: 8m of continuous sport-style swings with a 12k, changing hands every minute. About 250 swings.

December 7- Hunted early.  Sat in a stand for about two hours, then shot a deer.  Tracked her for two hours through hilly terrain, so I got my cardio (but no deer). Bodyweight training on my new power tower: 5,4,3,2,1 reps of chins, dips, pistols per leg.  Dips and chins were easy, pistols were ugly and difficult.  Finished with 10 easy clean and presses per arm with a 16k kettlebell.

December 6- Some afternoon training at home. Long cycle clean and jerk, 2x16k. Warm up: 1m @ 8rpm. Work set: 10m @ 8rpm = 80 reps.  Rested 6m, then dips and chins: 20 of each in 10m, keeping moving.

December 5- Trained in the afternoon. Weighed 180.25 at 4pm, so probably woke up about 178-179. Did a few easy, sporadic sets of 5 dips and chins. Greased the groove pistol squats on a decline. Probably 10 reps per leg over 3 hours.  Did not feel like long cycle today, so I did some easy swing cardio.  Because of the move, my heaviest kettlebells at home right now are 16k. I did 10 hardstyle swings on the minute for 30 minutes, switching hands each set.  Worked out to a :20/:40 work/rest ratio. 150/150 swings. Average heart rate 135. About 387 calories burned.  This was really easy- just some cardio and movement.

December 4- no real training, but went to a parade and walked quite a bit after dinner.

December 3- Long cycle clean and jerk, 2x20k. Warm up: 1m @ 8rpm. Work set: 5:30 @ 8rpm = 44 reps. 52 total. Some easy prehab: 15 reps each of: curl and press with 15 lb. dumbbells, flies with 15 lb. dumbbells, leg extensions and leg curls with 50 lb. Concept II Rower: rowed 20 minutes (3300k). 7 minutes of sauna.  In the afternoon, 2x5 dips and chins. Long cycle clean and jerk to warm up, 2x16k: 1m @ 8rpm. Clean and press, 16k: 20m @ 8rpm, alternating hands = 80 swings, cleans, and presses per arm. Total working time today: 47:30 of lifting/rowing cardio.

December 2- day off

December 1- Clean and press, 16k. Warm up: 2m @ 8rpm, 1 hand switch. Work set: 12:30 @ 8rpm, alternating hands = 100 clean and presses, 100 swings. Rested a while, then snatch, 12k: 6m @ 12rpm, 1 hand switch = 36/36 reps.