The Girevik is getting strong

Happy New Years to y'all out there.  Just a couple of quick notes before I get out there to see what's going on in Woodland Hills tonight.

1. I'm holding pretty steady at 183-184 pounds.  I was one of the few people in America who weighed in 2 pounds lower on December 26.  I was 185.4 on Dec 23 and 183 on Dec 26.  I took no Sauna during that time.  Further, I took my Kettlebells with me to Fresno, and I used them plenty in my Dad's living room.  This all bodes extremely well for the New Year's Bod Pod.
2. There will be a New Year's Bod Pod event on Jan 6th.  It's been quite awhile since the last Bod Pod, and it is time for me to see where I stand.  I think it is going to be quite positive.
3. The Kettlebell training is going extremely well, and I am improving greatly.  I just had to purchase a 60 pound Kettlebell today because the 24 KG (53 pound) bell at my gym (Woodland Hills Athletic Club) is just too easy.  After swinging that bitch 25 time and Sumo-Chinning it another 21, I realized I was going to need a heavier bell.
4. I was able to do the Halo with the 60 pound ball 5 times in one direction and 5 times in the reverse.  That is pretty good for day 1.  Not a lot of Gireviks are willing to Halo a 60 pound kettlebell.  This is hot.  It's manly.
5. I was able to swing that 60 pounder for 3 sets of 15 reps.
6. I also did Sumo Chins with the 60 pounder, nailing sets of 15, 12 and 10 reps.
7. I am sure I can Swing and Sumo Chin a 70 pounder already.  I did it over at Busy Body's home fitness.  Next week, I will buy the 70 pounder.  Not many Gireviks are willing to work with the 70 pound cannon ball.  I'm hot.  I'm manly.
8. I discovered the glories of the Hexagonal Deadlift bar this week.  I read a piece in Fitness-RX [that quoted results from a UCLA Medical research study on the subject of the Hexagonal Deadlift bar] which turned me on to this subject.  The study reported that the Hexagonal Bar immediately improves form, reduces unhealthy stress on the spin, increases lift leverage of the athlete, increases training weights, and generates both more rapid and consistent gains in strength and mass.
9. Using the Hex bar, I deadlifted 270 pounds for 5 reps last Thursday.  I will do more Monday.
10. I now routinely work with 6 x 45 pound plates on the decline press.
11. I am now doing the clean and press exercise with the 40 pound Kettlebell.  I go all the way from the floor to the sky in two steps: Clean then press.  

And now for the dark side of the force.  I don't think my Carpal Tunnel is getting better.  It is getting worse.  Numbness is waking me up early in the morning, but it feels more like pain than numbness.  I wake up with pain in my hands despite the fact that I am wearing the cock-splints.  The inflammation is so bad it is visible.  I am forced to dunk my hands in a mixing bowl full of ice water to bring the inflammation under control.

I'm not to worried about the surgery, because I always believed a surgery was going to be necessary anyhow.  This kind of thing doesn't get better without surgery.  Once the doc fixes me, I'll shut it down for a bit.  Right now, I am concentrating on increasing my raw brute strength just as much as possible.

This is the price we pay.  Being this sexy is hard work.

The Girevik shall train according to Wendler's 5/3/1 system

The term Girevik is Russian for "Kettlebell-man" or a guy who trains with Kettlebells.  As I have so often mentioned in recent days, I am totally in love with Kettlebell training right now.  My hand is so numb I can hardly feel it, but I am getting used to it.

When we say strength, we mean Kettlebell.  When we say Kettlebell, we mean strength... comrade.

Nothing will get you heart rate higher than a good CrossFit kettlebell race for the most reps in a timed interval.  Unfortunately, there is a problem with this scheme.  It doesn't seem to me that this scheme will do much to drastically improve your raw strength.  As usual, this is not a one-stop solution.  It is a big part of the solution, but not the whole solution.

Enter Jim Wendler and the 5/3/1 training system.  Wendler's 5/3/1 system is the greatest system yet devised for increasing raw strength.  I know.  I've not yet finished two weeks of it, and my raw strength is returning by leaps and bounds.  Nothing else I've tried has had this effect.

What is the Wendler 5/3/1 training system?  What is this system all about?  In the simplest form, the system consists of the following edicts:

1. Do only the large compound body movements: Bench, Deadlift, Squat, Clean & Jerk, Snatch.
2. Do an exploratory operation to discover you maximum one-rep weight in each lift.  Prepare to be embarrassed.
3. You perform 5 reps with 70% of your max weight
4. You then perform 3 reps with 80% of your max weight
5. You then perform 1 rep with 90% of your max weight

There is much more too it than that.  I won't spoil his book by representing his 4 week scaling system.  This is the easiest and simplest teaser I can give you.  Buy the book.

How well is the teaser working for me?  Well, let me tell you about it.

Despite my recent shoulder injury, I cleaned and jerked a 100 pound barbell this evening for a single rep.  That was after doing one jerk and 5 presses with 80, and another jerk and 3 presses with 90.  This effort wasn't particularly hard either.  Next time, 110 is the single-rep target.

I was surprised.  Two weeks ago, I couldn't raise my right hand above my shoulder...  at all... with an empty hand.  One week ago, I couldn't put 40 over my head.

This isn't just recovery from injury either.  The same effect is being documented in my dead-lift.  Two weeks ago, 135 pounds put a little too much strain on my lower back and midsection for a single rep.  Today, I pulled 185 for a single rep.  I should have pulled it three times.  It was too easy.  Next time, 215 is my single-rep target.  I can tell that the bar is going to get real heavy real quick.

My strength is returning.  Right now I am pretty excited.  This is far and away the most exciting development since my weight loss terminated some 6 or 7 weeks ago.

Incidentally, my weight seems to be holding steady at 185.6 right now.  Ergo, a heavy-cream Mac-N-Cheese isn't hurting me much.  If anything I look a little too tallow and frail right now.  None of my new acquaintances can believe I was ever a fat guy.  They just don't see me that way.  They think I am kinda skinny.

I need to transition completely to a strength/muscle building program, complete with higher caloric intake.  You must eat, or you will become skinny and have no respect.