KettlebellPlanet.com

Tons of information on strength training, weight loss, nutrition, kettlebells, strongman and powerlifting.

Weekend Iron Links

By Nathan Donahue on Friday, September 30, 2011 10:27 PM , 0 Comments

So this might be the craziest idea I have ever heard. A woman is going to eat only McDonald's for a month and run a marathon. This won't end well..

If your lifts haven't moved since the 90210 season premier, then read Chains for Speed, Strength and Power.

Think whole grains are healthy? Think again. Check out Against the Grain: How Wheat Wrecks Your Health and Physique.

Tip 183: Use Complex Training to Increase Neural Drive

Getting adequate vitamins and minerals is incredibly important if you want to be health and awesome. Don't believe me? Then check out Magnificent Magnesium.

Tip 182: Take Omega-3 Fish Oil To Decrease Depression and Prevent Alzheimer’s

Feelong sorry for yourself? Read Choices and then man the #$%^ up.

Charles Poliquin gives his take on kettlebells.

Jim Wendler spouts some wisdome here.

If you want to share a quality health and fitness article please post below. But don't spam, that's not cool.
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When in doubt, do something awesome

By Nathan Donahue 7:22 PM , 0 Comments

If you are heading to the gym and realize you have no idea what you are going to do when you get there, choose something awesome.

What's awesome? Squats for one. Other drills that fall under the awesome category include deadlifts, cleans, over head presses, bench presses, farmers walks and even hill sprints. Pretty much any compound lift that allows you to move big weights will do, and if you can't hit the gym, sprints are great as well.

To keep your training session simple and focused, pick just two or maybe three drills to practice. Then hit them as hard as humanly possible, chug a post workout shake, and go home.

As an example of this, here is the simple but awesome workout I did today to get bigger and stronger.

Mobility Work
Dynamic Warm-up

empty barbell complex

A1 Low Box Squat

95 x 5, 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 225 x 5, 275 x 5, 315 x 3, 365 x 1, 405 x 1, 455 x 1
315 x 3, 3, 6

A2 Barbell Clean and Jerk

95 x 5, 135 x 5, 185 x 3, 225 x 3, 275 x X - need to work on my form
225 x 3 x 3, 185 x 3 x 3

Here is a video demonstrating an Olympic clean and jerk. If you are not trained in the Olympic lifts, doing a power clean and then a push press will do just fine.

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Kettlebell Home Workout

By Nathan Donahue on Thursday, September 29, 2011 8:56 PM , 2 Comments

I love going to the gym because I can lift big weights, joke around with the guys, and despite my best efforts seem to have more intense training sessions than at home. But sometimes life gets in the way and you don't have time to drive to the gym and back. In emergency situations like that I go to my home gym in a closed to fish out some toys to play with. I keep kettlebells, a foam roller, jump stretch flex bands, and some plates at the ready.

With that in mind, here is a quick workout you can do at home with a kettlebell and a flex band.

Mobility Work
A1 Push-ups

4 x max reps using a flex band to increase resistance

A2 1 Arm Kettlebell Rows

you can use any method of resistance the key is just to do rows to balance the push-ups
4 x 8-15

B1 Swings

4 x max reps

B2 Goblet Squats

4 x max reps

try to go really deep and push the knees out with your elbows
push your butt back and keep your chest high

C1 Curls

flex band, kettlebell or whatever you have for resistance
3 x max reps

C2 Reverse Flys

using a band or weights
3 x max reps
this is a great drill to improve a slouching posture and improve shoulder health

Push-ups are a great upper body drill because they work so many muscles, can be done anywhere, and do not cause stress in the shoulder joint. Their only limiting factor is load. So adding chains, bands or a small person are methods you can use to increase the resistance.

http://www.kettlebellplanet.com/

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Everybody wants to be strong, but nobody wants to train when tired

By Nathan Donahue on Wednesday, September 28, 2011 6:41 PM , 0 Comments

This week has been crazy at work and the last thing I have wanted to do is train at the end of a long day. In times like this, when you are tired and stressed out, that separates the "fitness crowd" from those willing to do whatever it takes to become the very best they can.

If you really want to be your best, you have to train when you are tired, sore, feel like crap, or are busy. It doesn't matter, you have to train. One method that I find works is to trick yourself into going to the gym. I like to tell myself that I won't go very heavy or that it will be a really quick workout. Sometimes I blatantly lie and claim, to myself, that I will just push the sled. Whatever it takes to goad myself into at least entering the gym.

We have all been there, you feel like crap and are certain that going to the gym will be a total waste of time. And then, half way throught the training session you have forgotten how tired you were and realize you are having a great workout.

The key is to do whatever it takes to get your ass to the gym. I have never been sorry that I trained, but I have guilt tripped pretty hard for staying home and getting fatter on the couch.

If you want to be the best, you have to be willing to pay a price that others are not.

On that note, here are a couple of workouts I did this week when I thought I would fall asleep during the warm-up.

Tuesday, quick kettlebell workout

Mobility

joint circles, loosening up

24kg Kettlebell Complex, 1 round to warm-up

Swings x 50
Press x 8
Goblet Squat x 10

32kg Kettlebell Complex, 4 rounds

Swings x 25
Clean and Press x 8
Goblet Squat x 10

Wednesday, full body strength training

Mobility Work

joint circles, bar hanging, foam roller

Dynamic Warm-Up

empty barbell complex

A1 Front Squat with Flex Bands

worked up to 275 + 160lbs of bands x 1, then 325 + 160lbs of bands x Fail

A2 Barbell Jerks

185 x 4 x 3

just light and snappy to improve technique

Stone Lifting

270lbs x 6, just getting testing out the pulled hamstring again

The barbell jerk is a pretty cool lift in my opinion. It requires the entire body to work together in order to lift the absolute most weight possible over the head. Here is a video of one of John Broz's athletes jerking an unreal 440lbs!

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Calgary Festival of Strength, this weekend!

By Nathan Donahue on Monday, September 26, 2011 8:51 PM , 0 Comments

The Calgary Festival of Strength is going down on October 1st and for the last two months I have been training for this event. Unfortunately I blew my hamstring a few weeks ago and it is still not ready to be pushed, so I am backing out of the contest.

Instead of competing I will be ref-ing the event, so luckily I still get to be a part of this historic swole-gasm.

If you live in or near Calgary and love awesomeness, then you should check this event out. There will be powerlifting, kettlebell sport, Olympic lifting, and strongman all under the same roof at the same time!

Personnally I am very excited to see the Olympic lifting live for the first time.

In the spirit of strength I hit the gym today with the goal being to test out my hamstring and see if it was ready to do battle yet. As you know, instead it will live to fight another day.

Here is the workout I did to get stronger:

Mobility Work

joint circles, bar hangs and other boring stuff

Dynamic Warm-Up

kettlebell complex

A1 Safety Bar Low Box Squat with Bands

big title for a fun squat variation
worked up to 345lbs + 160lbs of band tension x 1 grinding rep

A2 Rows

5 x 10

Stone Lifting

270lbs x 1 x 6

wanted to test out the hammy in a last ditch effort to give myself clearance to compete
felt pain right away, any heavier would be dangerous right now

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Pain and Strength

By Nathan Donahue on Sunday, September 25, 2011 6:17 PM , 0 Comments

Yesterday I wrote that the athlete who can endure the most pain will become the strongest. This can be a tough pill to swallow for two reasons.

1. You have to look deep inside yourself and find out how tough you really are, and how bad you really want to be the best. Unfortunately you may not like the answer and either "discover" a different training philosophy or start stamp collecting.

2. You will have to endure pain to achieve greatness. There is no secret trick, or short cut. You want to get strong? The get ready to start hurting.

To give you an example, Saturday was a very brutal training session for our crew and I spent the rest of the day sleeping, eating and nursing sore spots. My left hamstring was still pulled, but I kept training, my left wrist hurt, my entire right ached, and my right shoulder was experiencing some shooting pains. Not fun.

Of course all night I talked myself into believing that Sunday should be a rest day, that my body was spent, and I deserved a break for all my hard work.

Unfortunately, come Sunday morning my training partner and former Mongolian National Wrestling Team member had other plans. He was excited to try and back squat a new max, and was going to take poor old Nathan along for the ride. Lucky me.

So here I am, still in pain from yesterday and feeling like the homeless people that pass out on my front lawn (I live in downtown Calgary), and about to start yet another max effort squat workout. Possibly the 60th since the beggining of August as I train 7 days a week and squat each workout.

Once again I was proved that how the body feels is a lie as I broke my raw back squat and my farmers walk personal records in the same training session. Like I said, I was in pain going into this session. I was tired, beat up and wanted to go home, and I broke another personal record. Pain and Strength go hand in hand, the question is are you willing to pay the price?

Here is the workout we did today:

Mobility Work

loosening up stuff

Kettlebell Swings

1 x 50

Empty Barbell Complex

dynamic warm-up

A1 Back Squat, ass to grass, belt only

95 x 5, 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 225 x 3, 275 x 3, 315 x 2, 365 x 1, 405 x 1, 460 x 1 (PR)

A2 Jerks

155 x 5 x 5, real light just practicing my terrible jerk technique

Farmers Walks

250lbs per hand x 3 x 150 feet with two turns per carry
I have carried a lot more weight, but never for such a long distance

Reverse Hyper

3 x 15

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The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan

By Nathan Donahue on Saturday, September 24, 2011 1:54 PM , 0 Comments

I just finished reading The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural Histor of Four Meals by Michael Pollan and have to say it is one of the best books I have ever read.

Micheal Pollan is a great writer and makes this book and easy and enjoyable read. What I loved most about this book was how he really gets inside the insdustrial and organic food industry and clearly explains what is really going on without being judgemental or pushing his own agenda.

Ever wonder why people are getting fatter?
Want to find out what is in your food?
Have you considered going organic?
Do you wonder about the living conditions of livestock?
Why do we care so much for pets and yet treat our livestock so horribly?

These questions, among countless others, are explored in his book and I highly recommend you read it.

http://www.kettlebellplanet.com/

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How your body feels is a lie

By Nathan Donahue 1:43 PM , in front squat , 0 Comments

I have said it before and I will say it again, John Broz couldn't not have been right when he stated that how the body feels is a lie. If you wait to trian until you feel full of energy and nothing hurts, then you will train twice a year.

Even thought I "know" this, I still haven't internalized and am often reminded of this lesson while working throught the daily squat challenge. Case in point, on Friday I was feeling good and on the way to the gym decided to have a killer workout.

My body had a different plan. My squats were ugly, unsafe and exhausting. I could barely hit 90% of my one rep max in the front squat, and the back squat looked more like a good morning. Not cool.

Being the optimist I decided to destroy the loaded carry portion of the session but instead could barely handle the kegs and felt weak as distance runner.

Ultimately, I thought I was good to go but my body had other plans.

Going into Saturday's training session I was a little nervous, despite the positive energy of my Zubaz and fanny pack wearing training partner. (He is from Mongolia so I give him a free pass on gym fashions).

Anyways, I was pretty sure Saturday's session was going to be absolutely pathetic, and that is was time to call it quits with the daily squat challenge. Well, once again I learned that how your body feels is a lie. It took a while to get going and some motivation from my partner, but I hit a PR in the front squat that I had missed at least six times before. That is right, six times I had tried this weight and ended up in the rack, then while feeling like a meth head after a week long binge, I broke that elusive plateau to peices.

Ya I know, yeah me. But this isn't about me, this was just an example. The lesson is, just because you are tired, sore or it's Jerse-day, doesn't give you an excuse to miss a training session. Not if you want to be awesome. Remember, the athlete who can endure the most pain will be the strongest. Not the one who babies himself in constant fear of overtraining.

Here is a break down of the workouts if you are looking for some ideas:

Friday,

Mobility Work

joint circles, etc

Dynamic Warm-Up

kettlebell complex

A1 Front Squat/Back Squat superset

do 3-5 reps in the front squat, then immediately switch to back squats for another 3-5 reps
worked up to a tough and ugly 3 x 6 (2 reps of front squats, 4 reps of back squats)

A2 Dumbbell Press

4 x 10

Loaded Carries

Keg Carries in front and overhead
3 x max distance

Saturday

Mobility Work

joint circles, bar hang, foam roller

Dynamic Warm-Up

empty barbell complex

A1 Front Squat

95 x 5, 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 225 x 3, 275 x 1, 315 x 1, 370 x miss half way up, 315 x 1, 335 x 1, 355 x 1, 370 x 1 (New Personal Record!)

A2 Pull-Ups

7 x 8-10

Log Clean and Press

135 x 3, 185 x 3, 205 x 2, 225 x 1, 255 x 1, 270 x miss, miss, miss, 225 x 3, 3, 2

Daily squatting and working through the pain, discomfort and mental fatigue works. Just look at how much this kid is squatting! He trains 2x a day and squats each session!

http://www.kettlebellplanet.com/

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Box Squats

By Nathan Donahue on Thursday, September 22, 2011 6:47 PM , in box squat , 0 Comments

Squatting every day sucks, but it also works. I don't think anybody actually enjoys squatting, but it is one of those lifts you just have to do if you want to get strong. Unfortunately, one key to getting better at squats is to squat more often.

To prevent a premature death, I like to vary the type of squat of do. When I am feeling sorry for myself, which is about 2x a week, I chose box squats. I like box squats because having the box beneath me seems to remove the some of the mental stress associated with squatting to a max single. Also, it allows you to really push your ass back and engage your hamstrings, promoting better form. Lastly, when you pick your box height before you start squatting, it is kind of hard to bitch out on the depth. Either you sit back onto the box or you cut your depth like a Jonny McHighsquats. Not cool.

With that in mind I, here is the workout I did Wednesday:

Mobility Work

joint circle, loosening up stuff that I hate

Dynamic Warm-Up

empty barbell complex of cleans and stuff

A1 Flex Band Low Box Squats

approximately 100lbs of band tension at the top
worked up to a max single of 405lbs plus band tension x 1 brutal, ugly, rep

A2 Pull-Ups

8 x 8-10 various hand positions

Jerks

I am trying to learn how to do a proper barbell jerk
worked up to 225 x 3, really just trying to get the motion down

http://www.kettlebellplanet.com/

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Kettlebell Home Workout

By Nathan Donahue 6:27 PM , 0 Comments

I can't believe how many workouts I used to miss just because I couldn't, or was too lazy, to go the gym. I used to believe that the only training worth doing was heavy weight lifting. While I still believe that moving big iron is the best way to get lean and strong, there is certainly a place for lighter, higher rep training such as kettlebell lifting, body weight workouts, or running sprints.

The fact is, pretty much any physical activity is better than nothing, especially if your diet isn't spot on.When training at home, or anywhere for that matter, there are five major movements you want to make sure you are hitting. The press, pull, squat, hinge and carry.

Pressing is any upper body pushing movement, from push-ups to bench presses to jerks.

Pulling involves rowing, pull-ups and other similar back drills.

Hinges are any movement where you push your ass back and keep your legs relatively straight. So deadlifts, swings, power cleans, etc.

The squat is, well, various types of squats. Front squats, back squats, and box squats are my favourite gym variations. At home I like to focus on rack squats, and if I am feeling beat up, goblet squats. What I like most about goblet squats is they teach you how to squat properly. With the weight in front of you it is easy to push your ass back and squat deep while staying upright. If you are just learning to squat, or your form sucks, incorporate the goblet squat until your form becomes very fluid.

Carrying is something I talk about alot in this blog because it is often overlooked. Start carrying weights, odd objects, or even people around more often. Your conditioning, ab strength, and muscle mass will improve due to the time under tension.

Here is a home workout I did today, incorporating most of the above movement patters, after finishing work too late to hit the gym:

Mobility Work

joint circles and other boring stuff

Dynamic Warm-Up

push-ups, lunges, etc

Kettlebell Lifting, using a 32kg bell

Swings

8 x 25

Presses

5 x 5

Goblet Squats

3 x 10

Flex Band Rows

3 x 30

Flex Band Curls

3 x 15

http://www.kettlebellplanet.com/

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Squats and Farmers Walks

By Nathan Donahue on Tuesday, September 20, 2011 8:23 PM , in farmers walk , 1 Comment

At the risk of repeating myself ad naseum, I squat every time I train and I train seven days a week. Ok, so sometimes life gets in the way and I only squat/train six days a week, but you get the picture. Training is a priority in my life and squatting is a priority in my training.

If you are trying to improve your lifts and athletic performance, you have to make training a priority and then decide what lifts are going to form the core of your workouts.

The usual suspects will include:

Squat
Deadlift
Clean
Standing Press
Row
Pull-Up
Barbell Curl

These are great drills and I highly recommend them to pretty much anyone who is serious about hitting the iron. There is one other lift that is, in my opinion, equally important yet almost completely overlooked by mainstream strength training. That lift is the loaded carry, specifically the farmers walk.

I was first turned on to the farmers walk when I decided to train for strongman competitions. What surprised me the most is just how much demand is placed on the entire body. A heavy farmers walk will tax your grip, neck, traps, abs, back, glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves, and even your feet! Yes, even the muscles in my feet are sore after a session of farmers walks.

So your entire body is straining to lift the weights off the ground, generally more weight than you can deadlift, and then you carry it for distance. Carrying it will force you to handle the weight, more weight than you are used to even lifting off the ground in the first place, for time. Meaning, you will be handling big weights for a longer time under tension than normal.

This time under massive tension can not only improve conditioning but also stimulate serious hypertrophy. For example, when lifters join our crew their traps blow up withing 2-3 weeks of training.

So think about adding the farmers walk into your training regime if you want to get bigger, stronger and leaner.

Here is the workout I did today, with the farmers walk as a finisher:

Mobility Work

bar hang, joint circles, etc

Dynamic Warm-Up

empty barbell complex

A1 Front Squat, ass to ankles

95 x 5, 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 225 x 3, 275 x 1, 315 x 1, 370 x Fail

It was a big, long fight with 370 but I just couldn't get past the half way mark

A2 Incline Bench Press

bottoms up position
95 x 5, 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 225 x 5, 275 x 3, 225 x 5, 225 x 5

Farmers Walk

145/hand x 120 feet with a turn at 60
235/hand x 120 feet with a turn at 60
305/hand x 2 x 60 feet

Here is a video of me really pushing the limits of how much weight I can carry in the farmers. My goal is to get up to 400lbs per hand before year end. What is your goal?

Here is a great example by yours truly on why you shouldn't rush the farmers walk.

http://www.kettlebellplanet.com/

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Squats, Cleans and Presses = Simple Hard Work

By Nathan Donahue on Monday, September 19, 2011 8:08 PM , 0 Comments

When you are heading into the gym and still don't have a plan of attack the key is to ask yourself what you suck at the most.

I know, you would rather do bench and curls because your bench is sick and chicks dig the pipes. But if you want to be a better athlete and lifter, you have to be honest about your weaknesses and attack them with a vengance.

For most athletes this means they should be doing more squatting, more cleans and more over head pressing. Pull-ups, deadlifts and weighted carries are not a bad choice either.

In my case, I am really trying to bring up my squat and my over head press sucks compared to my other lifts.

So, based on the logic I expressed at the beginning of this post, exercise selection became very simple, squats and over head pressing.

Here is a simple, and yet effective training session I did today to bring up my weaknesses:

A1 Low Box Squats with Safety Squat Bar

work up to a max single in 50lbs increments
after hitting a max single decrease the weight for 3 x 3

A2 Fat Bar Clean and Press

work up to a max single in 20-40lbs increments
after hitting a max single decrease the weight down for 3 x 5

full clean and press from the ground to over head
put the bar on the ground between each rep and take three deep breaths

http://www.kettlebellplanet.com/

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Daily Squatting and Stone Lifting Awesomeness

By Nathan Donahue on Sunday, September 18, 2011 1:27 PM , in atlas stones strongman , 0 Comments

As Dan John always says, if it is important, do it everyday. This goes for eating healthy, getting plenty of sleep, and practicing movements that will make you a better athlete.

One of the tricks I employ to get these movements in is the a dynamic warm-up that consists of Romanian deadlifts, rows, high pulls, press, and over head squats. With this warm-up you get a hinge, an upper body pull, an explosive lift, an upper body push, and a squat.

Another trick I employ is squatting every time I train, which is pretty much seven days a week. If you want to get good at squatting, squat more often! Squatting often will also get you used to straining against heavy weights, making you stronger in all your lifts.

Often the squats are paired with an easier bodybuilding type of movement to sneak in some extra volume.

After the squats session, which takes about 30 minutes, I like to practice one strongman event. Today it happened to be Atlas Stone lifting, an event that really loads the posterior chain, especially the hamstrings, as well as the abs and biceps. If you suck at stones, I recommend a steady diet of deep front squats, cleans, and deadlifts standing on a platform. I am guessing you are already doing your fair share of curls if Jersey Shore is any indicator of today's gym rat.

Stone lifting is just bad ass. If your gym doesn't have stones in it, find a crew of strongman athletes and practice with them. Or, just go out to the woods or a park and find a stone to play with. It will bring out the primal side of you. In fact, Celtic tribes used to have challenge stones. A boy would not be considered a man until he could lift the tribe's challenge stone. Are you a boy or a man?

Here is the workout the Bells of Steel Crew did today, to give you some ideas on how to structure your next training session:
Sunday, Strongman Practice

Mobility Work
Dynamic Warm-Up

empty barbell complex

A1 Back Squat with Medium Bands

worked up to 405lbs plus approximated 100lbs of band tension at the top x 1

A2 Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press

4 x 10, fairly light just to grease the groove

Atlas Stones

loading 270 x 3
attempting to shoulder the stone 270 x 4 x 1
loading 300lbs x 1 (got it but it hurt my pulled hamstring)
loading 270 x 6

Reverse Hypers

3 x 15

This evening I will probably throw around a kettlebell just to get in some extra conditioning, but for now, let's enjoy some stone lifting awesomeness!

http://www.kettlebellplanet.com/

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Bacon Skates and other Awesomeness

By Nathan Donahue on Saturday, September 17, 2011 3:06 PM , 0 Comments

It's the weekend! And that means it's time to catch up on sleep, get in some killer workouts, and spend some time learning how to get leaner, stronger, and more awesome.

Let's start with some wisdom bombs from athlete, coach and writer Dan John with 5 Great Lessons and 40 Years of Insight Part 2.

I love meat, and I hate processed food. Unfortunately the two have morphed into a new food called synthetic meat.

I will eat real meat instead. Hell, even bacon skates are better than synthetic meat.

Here is a quick tip from Charles Poliquin, use a dynamic warm-up for greater power and explosiveness. I do Olympic lifts with a barbell but any safe, light and explosive movements will do.

If you are new to the iron game and want a simple set/rep scheme that works, consider the 8/6/4 Training System.

I notice a lot of athlete's knees cave inwards during heavy squats, I also notice that most athlete's don't squat all the way down. Try one and a quarter squats to cure both these problems, improve knee health, and get more awesome.

As you probably know I am a huge fan of strongman, and even compete myself. Here is a great motivational video of World's Strongest Man Competitor Derek Poundstone.

Lastly, here are a couple of workouts I did this week to get stronger. Hopefully they give you some ideas:

Tuesday, Kettlebell Workout (first session back after taking Monday off due to a pulled hamstring)

Mobility Drills

joint circles and other boring stuff to loosen up

1 Kettlebell Swing x 50 reps
Kettlebell Complex, 4 rounds of max reps with good form, using a 32kg bell

Swing
Press
Double Kettlebell Rack Squat
Bent Over Row
Flex Band Curl

Wednesday, Back Squats and Lower Body Stuff (decided to test out my hamstring for real)

Mobility Drills
Dynamic Warm-Up

empty barbell complex

A1 Back Squat

95 x 5, 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 225 x 5, 275 x 3, 315 x 3, 365 x 1, 405 x 1, 460 x Fail
I try for a max squat of some kind pretty much every workout

A2 Light Military Press, just greasing the groove

8 x 5

Fat Bar Deadlift

2 inch diameter bar to work my grip
worked up to 485lbs x 1 for a pretty tough single

Thursday, Upper Body Focus plus more squats of course!

Mobility
Dynamic Warm-Up
A1 Front Squats

95 x 5, 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 225 x 5, 275 x 2, 315 x 1, 370 x Fail (seem to be stuck here!)

A2 Fat Grip z Pull-Ups

7 x 8

Keg Clean and Press

180 x 2,2, 220 x 1,1,1,1, 180 x 6

Saturday, Strongman Practice

Mobility
Dynamic Warm-Up
A1 Front Squat

95 x 5, 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 225 x 5, 275 x 2, 315 x 1, 370 x Fail (missed it half way up!)

A2 Fat Gripz Weighted Pull-Ups

added 40lbs
6 x 6

Strongman Log Clean and Press

95 x 5, 135 x 3, 185 x 3, 205 x 2, 225 x 1, 250 x Fail, 1, 1, 225 x 2, 205 x 6,6

Do you see any patterns here? I will give you a hint. Squats, or do a squat pattern, every training session. The focus is on full body movements. Go for a heavy max single and don't be afraid to miss, as long as you strained you are getting stronger.

www.kettlebellplanet.com

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A Weekend of Workouts, the Daily Squat Challenge Carries On

By Nathan Donahue on Sunday, September 11, 2011 3:47 PM , 0 Comments

Everybody loves the weekend. For me the weekend is all about eating meat and lifting heavy stuff. Now with the Rugby World Cup in full swing the testosterone levels of my weekends just got higher.

It's hard to beat a day of lifting, meat-ing, and watching international rugby.

Watching these athletes is not just entertaining, it serves as motivation. Watching 230lbs men with abs sprinting and tackling for an hour and twenty minutes is great motivation. Something we all need if we are truly pushing our body's to the limit.

In my case I have taken extreme measures to get bigger and stronger. I am training seven days a week and starting every session with hard and heavy squats. So the daily squat challenge, as I call it, consists of squatting every day, no matter what. Sure it sucks at times, but it works.

Unfortunately my current 3 weeks streak of consecutive squat workouts may be in jeopardy as I pulled my left hamstring lifting stones today. It was weird, I was lifting the stone and felt a pop in my left hammy. Since pulling it a few hours ago it has been aching and pretty tight, but I can still contract it just fine. Hopefully it is nothing but it just goes to show you that line between hard training and stupidity is very fine.

Here are the workouts I did this weekend:

Saturday AM

Truck Pulling

2 sets of max speed for 100 meters

Saturday PM

Mobility Work
Dynamic Warm-Up

empty barbell complex

A1 Front Squat

worked up to 370lbs x Miss

A2 Fat Bar/Axle Clean and Press

worked up to 220lbs x 2, 2, 185 x 3, 3, 5

Sunday AM

Mobility Work
Dynamic Warm-Up

empty barbell complex

A1 Back Squat

worked up to 460lbs x Miss

A2 Strict Military Press

155lbs x 5 x 5
Went light to grease the groove

Atlas Stone Lifting

270lbs x 3, 285lbs x 1, 300lbs x 1, Miss, Miss - pulled hamstring!

Sunday PM

Swings

24kg swings x 200

trying to get blood into the hamstrings after pulling my left one during stone lifting

www.kettlebellplanet.com

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Weekend Iron Links

By Nathan Donahue 3:12 PM , 2 Comments

It's Sunday night. What better way to spend the evening then resting your tired body from a hard weekend of training and learning more about getting stronger, leaner and healthier?

If you are looking to transform your pencil neck into a powerful yoke? Then learn more about Total Trap Training.

I am a huge fan of Omega-3 fish oil. Taking fish oil can decrease pain and inflammation after strength training. But most importantly it will improve your health and body composition.

Have you thought about switching from conventional meat and produce to organic? Check out this interview with organic farmer Joel Salatin.

Can't make it to the gym? Why not use your own body and gravity for resistance?

Speaking of training, I train 7 days a week. Even on days you don't feel like hitting the weights, you should get exercise on non-training days for a leaner and healthier body.

How long have you been training? Well, Dan John has been training for 40 years and has a lot of insight to share.

I love bacon. In fact I are an entire package of it for breakfast this morning. Here is a great story about how someone lost 130lbs and fell in love with bacon.

Finally, despite the urban myths, women and heavy weights do mix!

www.kettlebellplanet.com

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Squat till you drop!

By Nathan Donahue on Friday, September 9, 2011 7:53 PM , 0 Comments

If you haven't been following this swole-gastic blog, then there are two points I need to make before we go any further.

I train seven, yes seven, days a week.
I squat every time I train.

This style of training goes against everything I learned about lifting weights for the first 15 years of my strength training career. It probably goes against everything you have learned and as a result believe.

But guess what? It works.

Squatting every day will make you stronger, fitter, and mentally tougher. I first learned about the concept from John Broz, a successful Olympic lifting athlete and coach.

Here are the workouts I did this work week to give you some ideas.

Tuesday Sept 6

Mobility Work
Dynamic Warm-Up

empty barbell complex

A1 Front Squat

95 x 5, 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 225 x 3, 275 x 2, 315 x 1, 375 x Miss, 315 x 1

A2 Dumbbell Rows

4 x 10

Keg Pressing

180lbs keg x 2/2, 220lbs x 1/1, 1/1, 180lbs x 2/2, 2/2

Wednesday Sept 7

A1 Back Squat with Green Bands

worked up to 405lbs plus approximately 100lbs of band tension x 1

A2 Pull-Ups

5 x 8, various grips

Farmers Walk

250lbs/hand x 120' x 3 sets
holding the weights for 5 seconds at the end of each run

Thursday Sept 8

A1 Cambered Bar Box Squat

worked up to 315 x 3 x 3
I had to go light due to forgetting my belt and training alone

A2 Dumbbell Press

4 x 10

Clean and Strict Press

135 x 5, 155 x 5, 185 x 2, 155 x 5, 135 x 8

Friday Sept 9

Cambered Bar Squat, ass to grass

95 x 5, 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 225 x 5, 275 x 3, 315 x 1, 365 x 1, 405 x 1, 455 x Fail, 365 x 1, 405 x 1
315 x 3, 3, 5

Speed Deadlift

135 x 5, 225 x 5, 315 x 3, 405 x 3, 500 x 1
shut it down to spare my back

Standing Pin Press

95 x 5, 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 225 x 3, 275 x Fail, 225 x 2, 2

long holds at the top of each final rep to build stabilizing muscles and confidence

Here is a great video of Arnie and Ed Corney squatting until they drop. So next time you complain about a lack of progress, ask yourself if you are working as hard as these iron legends.

http://www.kettlebellplanet.com/

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Labor Day Kettlebell Workout

By Nathan Donahue on Monday, September 5, 2011 5:02 PM , 0 Comments

The labor day long weekend is a time to catch up on sleep, spend time with your friends and family, and have a good time. With that in mind here is a quick kettlebell workout that you can whip through and then enjoy the weekend.

Mobility Work

joint circles and other boring stuff

24kg kettlebell swings x 50
32kg kettlebell circuit, 4 rounds, max reps using good form, quick rest between each drill

double kb rack squat
swing
press
row
flex band curl

If you are trying to build muscle and don't know what to do with your time when you aren't getting awesome, why not practice cooking meat?

For example, today I decided to cook a whole turkey for the first time ever. The gravy was a disaster but the turkey itself turned out great. Which is aweseome because now I have about 3 days worth of meat ready to go at any time. And don't forget about the bones! Whether you cook a turkey or grill some ribs, throw those bones into a pot and make some stock out of them. Cooking with bones will provide you with a ton of nutrtition practically for free.

http://www.kettlebellplanet.com/

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The Daily Squat Challenge, Labor Day Weekend Weightlifting

By Nathan Donahue on Sunday, September 4, 2011 1:56 PM , 0 Comments

It's the labor day long weekend and what better way to celebrate the end of summer than to lift heavy stuff and grill meat?

Speaking of lifting heavy stuff, the daily squat challenge continues despite my body's protests. Friday I mixed things up and did the 320lbs squat for max reps so I was a little sore and not expecting much out of myself on Saturday. But, once again daily squatting continues to surprise me and I front squatted a personal record of 365lbs. Go figure.

If your squat hasn't moved since college maybe you should give the daily squat challenge a try?

In my humble opinion the key is to mix up the type of squat, front squat, back squat, box squat, etc. Also, don't be afraid to fail. I end up pinned in the rack once or twice a week. Today in fact the barbell rolled/scraped down my back because I set the safety pins too low. The fact is you won't break through your plateau's unless you risk missing pr's. Sometimes you will surprise yourself and set a new standard, sometimes you will end up pinned in the rack and a little embarrassed. That's life when you are trying to get better.

Here is the workout we, the Bells of Steel Crew, did on Saturday:

Saturday, Front Squats and Fat Bar Presses

Mobility Work

joint circles, bar hangs, etc

Dynamic Warm-Up

empty barbell complex

A1 Front Squat, ass to grass

95 x 5, 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 225 x 3, 275 x 2, 315 x 1, 365 x 1
315 x 3

A2 Military Press

155 x 8 x 3 (just light to work the groove between sets of front squats)

Fat Bar/Axle Clean and Press

135 x 3, 150 x 2, 180 x 1, 200 x 1, 220 x 1, 1, 245 x 1

B1 Dumbbell Rows

105 x 3 x 10

B2 Dumbbell Triceps Extensions

40 x 3 x 10, lying on my back, cross body, 1 dumbbell at a time

Here is the workout we did on Sunday:

Sunday, Back Squats and Stone Lifting

Mobility Work

joint circles and bar hangs

Dynamic Warm-up

empty barbell complex

Back Squat, ass to grass

95 x 5, 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 225 x 5, 275 x 3, 315 x 1, 365 x 1, 405 x 1, 460 x Fail

missed 460lbs coming out of the hole

Atlas Stone

240 x 3 x 1, 285 x 5 x 1

ran out of time and had to leave before doing any accessory work

www.kettlebellplanet.com

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The Daily Squat Challenge, Birthday Death Squats

By Nathan Donahue on Friday, September 2, 2011 8:15 PM , in squat. , 0 Comments

It's been 32 years and I am still alive despite my best efforts. Speaking of killing myself the daily squat challenge continues and today being my birthday I decided to do something a little different.

The idea was to do a birthday squat challenge. I chose a weight of 320lbs, because I turned 32, and decided to squat it as many times as possible.

What are you going to do on your birthday? Get weaker, older and fatter or get stronger and tougher?

Here is a video of my birthday squat challenge. I finished the workout with some prowler pushes until I dropped. Happy Birthday to me!

www.kettlebellplanet.com

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Want to Get Stronger? Try Squats and Farmers Walks

By Nathan Donahue on Thursday, September 1, 2011 7:10 PM , 1 Comment

It's Jersday! So while my wife gets her fix of cheese ball guidos and fat girls who think they are hot, I am sequestered into another room to read and write about getting awesome. Fine by me.

Speaking of getting awesome, the daily squat challenge continues. Today I chose traditional back squats done ass to grass. This is a great drill but I like to use other forms of squats to make sure my lower back doesn't get destroyed. Also, all that squatting can compress the spine so I like to hang from a bar between sets and go for a walk at some point each day.

After squatting, probably one of the most awesome drills is the farmers walk. Picking up a couple of hundred pounds and taking it for a walk will make you bigger, stronger, fitter and tougher. The effect of heavy carries cannot be understated, and I believe is one reason by strongman competitors get so damn muscular.

But don't be Jonny Thinksitsheavy. If you are going to do farmers walks, find the heaviest dumbbells you can or actually purchase farmers walks handles. This is a drill that will reward you with slabs of muscle and an iron grip if you push the weights up.

Here is the training session I did to get bigger and stronger. Hopefully it gives you some ideas to help you achieve your goals.