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This will be my battle log starting in very late 2014 and spanning 2015. I'm going to use this final month of 2015 to get it set up and kicked off so that in 2015 all I have to do is keep it flowing along 2015 Goal In 2015 my training is focused on a single goal, I want to earn my Candidate Master of Sport (CMS) from the American Kettlebell Alliance (AKA). To achieve this I have to do a required number of reps as determined by my weightclass in either biathlon or long cycle. I intend to get mine in long cycle at 85 kg which means I will need to do 57 reps. For the uninitiated, long cycle is an event in which the lifter does clean and jerks with two kettlebells continuously for ten minutes or until he or she has to set the weights down. I recommend this video for a slowed down view of the movement. Background I'm slowly coming to realize that despite a few extended breaks, I've been training for most of my life. I was raised by my mother but my father, who I saw for about a month a year, was a football and track coach and ran the high school gym. This means that during that month I was in the gym, near athletes and just in an environment where training was normal. I think this shaped me in ways I couldn't possibly perceive. Despite all that, I was a fat kid. My mom had a rule, I had to play one sport each year. Generally I played baseball but in late junior high school I got tired of baseball and had to pick a new sport. To this day I don't know why but I picked wrestling. An overweight, undertrained kid stepping into highschool wrestling makes no sense. Regardless, I did it and I really got into it. For three years I trained hard, I lifted daily, even after practice. I even went out for football just because I was always in the gym and they needed more guys. I was by far the smallest offensive lineman in the district but I held my own. Once away from the structure of highschool I slipped back into my poor eating habits and slowly drifted away from training over time. I would occasionally flirt with lifting, mostly using a bodybuilding approach. In about 2001-2002 I stumbled across powerlifting as a concept. I liked it. I began training (and eating) like a powerlifter, My weight climbed and climbed but I pulled over 500 lbs from the floor with no suit, wraps or anything, raw as they say. I also got involved in Strongman and competed twice while in Maryland. There were several major outcomes from my time as a powerlifter and strongman. My weight ballooned to 275 and I was getting too big for my 44 inch waist clothing. I did, however, cement in my life the idea that fitness training and eating for my sport was important to me, an idea that continues to this day. I was able to forge a bond with my father from whom I was almost entirely estranged before he died of bone cancer. I trained with a kettlebell instructor, at first on a lark but it became foundational for future training. Finally, I suffered a catastrophic back injury. I herniated a disc to an extent that when a specialist looked at the MRI, she said "I can't believe you can even stand". The disc required 18 months of rehab to get back to relative normalcy with issues still cropping up from time to time to this day. After the initial rehab passed I began training again slowly and largely using kettlebells at first. In 2010 I moved to the Twin Cities and for the first time in my life I paid a trainer to help me train, a choice I'm still very happy with today. Kurt built on the kettlebell work I had already done to enhance my mobility and just keep me entertained with workouts. I began losing weight then too. In 2012 I found that I had achieved all my goals with Kurt. I needed a new form of entertainment. I bought my first competition kettlebells and began dabbling in the concept of competitive kettlebell lifting. In 2013 I had a single coaching session with Richard Sherrod and bought several used kettlebells from him. It was then that I decided that this was something I was going to do and do seriously. In 2014 I competed for the first time and had a second coaching session and bought some more used bells. I also began working on my garage gym. Where I sit at the end of 2014 and beginning of 2015 As I prepare for the transition from 2014 to 2015 I have a few things on my mind. First, is the I want to earn my CMS this year. Second, I need to drop 20 lbs and keep it off. If I can succeed at those two, I have a shot at winning my weightclass for the US. I'll have to beat this year's lifter Juan Pellot who appears to be a professional trainer. That means I have the make the most of my training but it is possible. Regardless, I'd like to end the year lifting red bells, which is the definition of Pro for male kettlebell lifters. I have a couple side projects in mind as well. First, I'd like to get to the level I cert course for IUKL so I can clean up my lifts and learn how to snatch without flaying the flesh from my hands. Second, I'd like to do some work the Mobility WOD to get my chest and shoulders freed up to economize my lifts. Finally, I have a second round of improvements in mind for the garage gym to keep me able to lift even longer next fall before having to come to the basement. Plan for the 2015 (as imagined in late 2014) I've said it a couple times already but I'm looking to get to 85 kg and stay there. I'm looking to earn my CMS. Those two things don't fit well into the Challenge structure of Nerd Fitness. My training regimen doesn't either. My intent is to train 4-5 time per week, 3 weeks out of the month. The fourth week is when I test for progress and when I take a couple extra rest days or do things a little differently. All of that will hopefully build to mid-year, I intend to lift June 27th at the Midwest Regionals. I hope to hit my CMS reps then. I then intend to lift at the Nationals August 1. Nationals don't do 28 kg bells so I hope to be allowed to lift the red bells. I'm going to walk into that meet and do what I can do. I hope to earn a seat on Team USA. I don't know if I can or will but I will try. The rest will all be contained in this log

Here we are again, time for a new challenge. I know that narratives are how you get followers but I just can't come up with a compelling story. The only story that compels me is the one that gets me in the gym. let's keep it simple: Bodyweight: it's time to begin the final push to a walking around weight of 83 - 85 kg (183 - 187 lbs). This is where I want to live and compete in the future. It's also my walking around weight from high school. I didn't choose it for that reason, I just find that it's an interesting factoid Workouts: I plan to train 5 - 9 hours per week. I'll be looking to do 2 - 3 kettlebell sport type workouts and 2 - 3 other types of workouts. Other types of workouts will sometimes be metcon, cardio or heavy. Budget: Laura and I are going on a slightly restricted budget while she works to change jobs which may involve a gap where we're on one income. As a result we've both been working to curtail our discretionary spending. For me this is primarily extra food but also sometimes a game, music or a book I want. Gym: I have $5,000 and 2 - 3 months to renovate my garage into a 9 - 12 month gym for the climate on Minnesota. I'm not handy. I don't have tools or experience. Long term, I want to lift net year in the sub 85 kg weight class at 2 AKA/IUKL meets (exact meets are not yet determined) in the long cycle. I'd really like to earn my CMS (57 reps in ten minutes with a pair of 28 kg kettlebells). That's it. That's what I'l be working on. You might be saying "but Mike, how will you score yourself, how will you get a grade"? That doesn't really resonate with me. I'll do the workouts, some will be good, some will be bad. I'll talk more about exact programming and progress and expectations as I go along but I'm not going to make myself do X reps or I get a B or 2 points or whatever. I'm down with folks who do that, it just doesn't do it for me. That's it for now. See you guys soon. A little music to get us in the mood:

I always tell other folks to use the w00t room but don't do so myself so here' s my w00t! This weekend I competed in my first kettlebell meet. I did the ling cycle (continuous clean and jerk) with two 24 kg kettlebells for ten minutes. I wanted to get between 50 and 60 repetitions. I got 68! Link to very long post about what I did this weekend video (I'm on the right)

Main Quest: Challenge all the knights of kettlebell and show them that I am worthy as a member of their order. Challenge is set for April 2015. translation: Kettlebell Long Cycle, I'm going to WKC Worlds in 2015 and I want to get enough reps on the 24K to rank up All heroes must endure trials and these are mine: Battle harden my body: Bodyweight average for a week of post breakfast weigh ins <= 198 (90K) STR +2 Prove that I am ready for battle:Test the number of minutes I can maintain 24K LC at a 6-8 RPM pace CON +2 Ensure that neither heart nor longs will fail me in my quest: Complete 10K training run for time CON +1 Entrench myself in a community of likeminded individuals who will push me when I lapse and soften it when I fall: Post Daily in this thread and keep up with at least 5 other threads daily CHA +1 Du musst Amboss oder Hammer sein: Be the anvil in the form a static L-sit (from kettlebells or ring) Test and Improve CON +1 To not give in to the weak willed way of the world: limit meal purchase to 5 per week (does not count coffee) WIS +1 RPG Challenge: 6 wildcard points This is my first real, full challenge (I've done the Rebel One) so I'm very much in need of feedback from folks on how to do this right better. Note about stat distributions: I set my bodyweight one at 2 points because I'm nearing the end of three years of labor and I felt this commitment deserved some recognition. I set the kettlebell at 2 points because it ties to my main quest, I'll commit more time to it and because it's going to be difficult. EDIT: 4/1014 change 5:00 long cycle to test long cycle. EDIT: 4/11/2014 tinkering with stat distributions (look for one more tinker when I get some tests out of the way.

I'd like to rethink my programming from the ground up. I'm placing this thread hear because I'm interested in feedback and also because I find that I do some of my best thinking when I'm able to write stuff down then come back to it. Goals compete in the World Kettlebell Lifting Long Cycle Championship in April 2015 with 24K bells for 60 reps at a bodyweight of 85KWin my local LifeTime Fitness We Are Alpha competition and compete in Regionals. Local is May-ish, regional is early summerParticipate in Hammer Race (video)Knock 5 goals off my to-do listConstraints Garage Gym is only available April - October (basement gym is available year around)I'm only willing to run when the Garage Gym is open (It's Minnesota and I'm a wimp)I train 5-6 days most weeks - one workout is lost to pilates work for prehabBecause I count myself a kettlebeller first, I do some swings and long cycles pretty much every day that I trainBecause I long cycle every day, a bodybuilding type split is out of the question. I can play with a Westside Barbell style splita previously ruptured disc makes me not very comfortable with doing heavy singles for squat or deadlift.Tools LifeTime Fitness - long term availability TBD No bumperslots of machines, lots of dumbbells, 2 squat racks, octagonal metal and plastic weight platesboxes for jumpingTRX, Gymnastic ringsGarage Gym (April - October) 20 K barbell100K in bumper plates40K in steel platesgymnatics ringsheavy bagjump ropeBasement Gym (Year-round) Kettlebells (pairs from 12K - 28K by 4K, singles 32K and 40K)Floor SpaceConcept II rowerPrevious Since I closed up the garage gym, I have been doing kettlebells every day. If nothing else I open with progressive swings, press, snatches, etc. If it's a sport day I will do a while of Long Cycle, usually 10-15 minute but some days I do 5 minutes up to 30 minutes if I'm working heavy doubles, light endurance or heavy singles. I then usually go to a crosstraining workout. Sometimes it's stolen from Crossfit, sometimes it's AMRAP that I made up, sometimes is minute on, thirty seconds off or whatever. I occasionally do just thirty minutes of rowing. About once a week I do squats that usually culminate in 100K reps or 80K for 20 reps. Initial Thoughts The Garage gym will be open about the time the next challenge starts on NerdFitness. I plan to take advantage of this time to hit barbell work very hard. I'll also start to gear up running but initially it'll be a couple miles at a time. I'll also try to get out for my first orienteering meet of the year, I may drop some of the kettlebell work temporarily. The second NerdFitness cycle will probably represent a little less barbell work in total with more focus. It will hopefully be the final push on weightloss. I may oscillate between those two while I have access to the garage gym. When fall hits I will need to make sure my Long Cycle technique is spot on and start a six month cycle to prepare for April. I have a history of injuries that I think could have been avoided if I ever deloaded, so I hope to use the six load, 2 deload schedule to avoid injuries. I figure six weeks is too long to do just one thing so I may do two cycle types in a given challenge period, each 3 weeks. Planned weekly schedule would go something like this Monday: Off Tuesday: Sport, Heavy (60 minutes) Wednesday: Long (90 minutes) Thursday: Pilates, maybe 30 minutes of endurance Friday: short but intense (30 minutes- most likely day to be missed) Saturday: At least one cross training, often a second heavy workout (at least 60 of 60 X 2 with a break) Sunday: pick 2 of sport, cross training, endurance (60 - 90 minutes) If you made it this far, you've earned the right to give me some feedback. What do you think?

03/14/2014 "Forgive me father for it has been two days since my last workout" "You will be forgiven my son. You must mediate on the cause for this. While you mediate you must do 100 burpees and 75 long cycles" "Thank you father" Today begins my battle log (there are many like it but this one is mine) It is noon, high noon, a time to kill or a time to sustain. I have chosen both, a double cheeseburger for lunch - delicious. This log post is to establish a footing by which yo may know me and know me you shall. Before I begin, I have one request of you, return to me in a few days time and make sure I am doing my duty of updating my log. Do the same again in a week and thereafter. Need your help to do this. My story is long and I'm going to skip most of it. The short version: I'm in my final year of weight loss. I have lost twenty pounds in both 2012 and 2013. I committed to 20 more in 2014 but I think I may go 30. When I hit 185 I plan to lock it in. I used to be a powerlifter and strongman but I destroyed a lumbar disc and have not really wanted to go back. I started kettlebells pretty intensely a couple years ago. Last year I decided to take a crack at the sport of kettlebell, my plan was the WKC championships in Chicago in October. I just learned in the last month that they won't be having them then and there. I now have to wait until April 2015. In the coming months you'll see me work kettlebells but also do a fair amount of circuit work. I don't call myself a crossfitter because I don't do their workouts but I'd like to be in shape enough that I could. You'll also see me prepare for and compete in orienteering, because it's a thing I occasionally do. I'm not good and don't really aspire to be, i just enjoy it. I'll also do pilates and other light work because I have a tendancy to injure myself with over training and I'm trying to learn to avoid that. That's all for now, I plan on posting workouts over the weekend, see you then.

Prepare for Adventure!!! A short, squat stranger stumbles into your favorite watering hole of ill repute. He's obviously seen better days but isn't so broken that you dismiss him immediately.He eyes the tavern with a weary and wary eye. He takes a drink, unbidden, from the barkeep. He's new to you but clearly has walked this road many times. For no reason that you can discern he locks eyes on you and starts your direction. His manner and gait are strange but natural. You can't piece this puzzle together. It looks like you are about to have a chance to learn more. "Hail and well met traveler" he intones in a baritone that is not unpleasant but has seen rough use. "I believe you walk a road not unlike my own. Free advice is always the worst advice but here it comes. Keep at it. You will be challenged, questioned and beaten but you need to keep at it." The stranger quaffs from the mystery drink.His breath smelling of coffee he continues, "I've been in the wilderness a long time. At first is was comforting, rewarding, heartening but time passes and one grows lonely. I've come back to civilization but I still seek adventure. It looks like I've just missed the last crew out so I'll stay here and prepare for the next caravan. Don't worry about me though, I've got plans. I've arranged to sleep on the floor at the blacksmith and do chores during the day to work off room and board. I figure I'll lose a few kilos sleeping and working in that hot house and he's offerred to let me use his tools and implements while I'm there." The stranger stands and walks his mug back to the bar. He turns back to you and gives a warm farewell. He tromps out the door and presumably to the smithy. You're sure that you'll see him around town Main Mission - Prepare for adventure lose 5lbs of bodyweight - currently 206 - 207 so we'll say an AM weigh in of 202.0 or less is validComplete 20K Long Cycle 70 reps in 10 minutes - done by my count, video evidence not required at this time