The days are getting shorter and gone for this year are the times when I could get off work and knock off a quick 40-50 mile ride before dark. I must resort to trainer rides, night rides and the ubiquitous PT regimen.
I am fascinated by Rangers, Seals and others that do all this hardcore stuff using only bodyweight or good old-fashioned drills passed down from the 1950's gym classes. What's old is new.
I typically do anywhere from 2-15 sets of push-ups, bodyweight squats (think they are to easy? try doing 500 bodyweight squats. I guarantee your ass will be kicked), pull-ups, burpees and a whole list of odd looking exercises with an evil little device from the former Soviet Union.
The Kettlebell.
This 16kg (35lb) cast-iron beauty will take the place of a whole garage full of weights and whip you into tough guy shape pretty damn quick. I have been using them for about a year now doing cleans, clean and jerks, swings and the mack-daddy of kb excercises - the Snatch.
Imagine hanging this puppy between your legs, back and mid-section tensed (unless you like to screw up your back). Now in one motion, using your hips, not your arms, swing this thing straight up over your head. Here's where it gets interesting. You now have 16kg's of cast iron above your relatively soft head. In about a second, it will flip over your hand and hit the back of your wrist. You have to control it (unless you like broken wrists) using your legs as shocks.
Dropping it is out of the question for obvious reasons. Now do that for 200 reps on each side.
I can only do 100 - so far before I am at my max HR and I feel like I am going to puke and die.
They make those up to 106lbs. The 16kg one are what Russian girls use as birth control. I am a little Duck in a big pond.
Those Russians are hard.
1 comment:
Sometimes you scare me!
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