Machete: Just Get Up and Swing RELOADED

[Machete]

.

 

I got my ass whooped on the last challenge. But the good thing is that it's a video game, and we can always start over. It may not be where we left off, but you at least know where the traps are the second time around. What I've learned is that if I come home at night and it doesn't happen, it's probably not going to, especially if I have to cook dinner. So the goal is to get these Swings and Getups in early on during the day.

 

 

WEEK 0

Sun - NO

Mo - NO

Tue - NO

Wed - YES

Thu - YES

Fri - NO

Sat - NO

 

WEEK 1

Sun - NO

Mon - YES

Tue - NO

Wed - NO

Thu - YES

Fri - NO

Sat - NO

 

WEEK 2

Sun - NO

Mon - NO

Tue - YES

Wed - NO

Thu - NO

Fri - NO

Sat - NO

 

WEEK 3

Sun - YES

Mon - NO

Tue - NO

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

 

WEEK 4

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Following along. Keep starting these challenges and the finishes will take care of themselves.

[Terra]

I love me some KB inspiration!  

[DarK_RaideR]

Hope your reloaded challenge is a better sequel than the Matrix Reloaded ever was.

[Machete]

On 2/11/2020 at 7:13 AM, DarK_RaideR said:

Hope your reloaded challenge is a better sequel than the Matrix Reloaded ever was.

 

So far, no... it's just as bad.

 

 

But hopefully we get something good out of it...

[Kishi]

Early in the morning is definitely a fun time to get the job done. Also super helpful.

 

So are you doing this off of S&S 2.0? Or is it something else?

[WhiteGhost]

Following along!

[Machete]

6 hours ago, Kishi said:

Early in the morning is definitely a fun time to get the job done. Also super helpful.

 

So are you doing this off of S&S 2.0? Or is it something else?

 

Still working on that. I got it in the afternoon before work again.

 

Yeah, it's S&S. Still the same until I get to an almost daily casual 32kg with an RPE of around 5-6.

[aramis]

On 2/10/2020 at 6:43 PM, Machete said:

Wed - YES

YES!!!

7 hours ago, Machete said:

RPE of around 5-6

Sorry for noob question - what's RPE?

[KB Girl]

8 hours ago, Machete said:

Yeah, it's S&S. Still the same until I get to an almost daily casual 32kg with an RPE of around 5-6.

That's insane in a good way  

 

You got this! 

[Machete]

5 hours ago, aramis said:

YES!!!

Sorry for noob question - what's RPE?

No noob questions here! RPE = Rate of Perceived Exertion

 

4 hours ago, KB Girl said:

That's insane in a good way  

 

You got this! 

Thanks, coach! I’m on it!

[RedStone]

May the swing live on 🙏

 

[Machete]

I'm appreciating the support, folks! I feel some accountability, and I've actually already hit the same amount of Swings as I did last challenge. Haha. Still not up to it though. I can't bring myself to do anything. I actually had to drag myself to my courage corner at around 2:30 in the morning to get them in, figuring if I sleep half the day, so be it; I will get this done. I'm hoping building a habit out of this will eventually make things easier. I also have my long-overdue meeting with my therapist tomorrow, so I'm hoping that gets me somewhere.

 

Now for the original theme of this 10th Anniversary Special, I pretty much just pulled out what I've been doing in my battle log, because I am an insane person/historian. 7 years, 42 challenges. It's been quite a journey. I sent DMs to some old-timers as well, hoping for a resurrection. Fingers crossed...

 

Spoiler

On 9/13/2017 at 11:06 AM, Machete said:

[Challenge history and commentary]

 

Fist of the North Star (Level 1 Club) [Nov 2013] - My fist NF challenge. I was still stationed at The Wall, and was following 5/3/1 with a few runs and rucks, and BJJ. Had to PCS mid-challenge to Bragg, which messed everything up.

 

My NF Guild Tour

Earth: Climb The Mountain (Rangers) [Jan 2014] Got back to training and jump-starting my cardio and leg strength endurance by following the Afghanistan Pre-Deployment Training Program by Rob Shaul. Wanted durable legs for Airborne ops, and Bragg had an excellent performance facility. I completed the program for the most part, and it was a good experience overall.

Water: Ãguas de Marco (Scouts) [Feb 2014] Got back on 5/3/1 and signed-up for the Tobacco Road Half-Marathon (because we would get Monday off),  and ramped-up the mileage on my weekend long runs. Also participated in the CrossFit Open for the first time, but I didn't complete all the WODs. Pretty successful challenge. Found that Woodway treadmills are awesome.

Fire: Alab ng Puso (Assassins) [Apr 2014] After a 3-week filthy bulk (I was assigned to a night shift for some secret training outside the unit, and I ate donuts, Snickers bars, and freeze-dried camping meals every day) I was the heaviest I'd ever been, and depression happened to be settling in. (Correlation with shitty eating? Maybe.) I quested to cut, train for Memorial Day Murph, learn to backflip, and watch my personal hygiene. I was able to drop 10 lbs., learn to backflip, and logged my best Murph time. Did the Ninja Challenge after, which was pretty fun and very Assassiny.

Wind: Touch of the Storm (Warriors) [Jun 2014] Got back into 5/3/1 and incorporated some Oly lifting drills. Failed an APFT run, and finally gathered up enough nerve to join the local BJJ gym. Totaled 800+. I believe this was when we did a night jump into Florida, which allowed me to rest for a week before pulling this off.

Void: No Mind (Druids) [Jul 2014] Slowed down to decompress and address stuff I'd been neglecting. Went on vacation to California, where I did my CF Level 1 and a Spartan Sprint. It was pretty good. Wasn't that active; depressive streak was still there--that one seemed particularly long.

 

Monking Around

The Legend of the Mad Monk (Prologue) [Sep 2014] Concentrated on BJJ to get my first competition in. Back on 5/3/1 and incorporated CrossFit for conditioning (as I had just recently drank the Kool Aid). Also did a GORUCK Light for the heck of it. Got my first BJJ medals. #JiuJitsuIsLife

The Legend of the Mad Monk: Awakening [Nov 2014] Got back into striking and working on my straddle planche, while maintaining 5/3/1. Pretty straightforward with the challenge; a little less vocal about the fact that I was training for an APFT (using Rob Shaul's plan) to get a great score (I did) to spite the unit I was going to be ETSing out of, and that I was cramming studying for the CSCS Exam while being assigned to the shittiest details by said unit. I was also able to cut around 18 total pounds since March and drop down to a high 8% BF.

 

The Legend of the Mad Monk: Transition [Jan 2015] Passed my CSCS exam 4 days before leaving Bragg, then bought some kettlebells and started Dan John's 10'000 Swing Challenge 6 days after I left. Shopped and put together a power cage in the apartment for 5/3/1, while trying to learn Spanish, because I'm now in Dorne.

 

The Legend of the Mad Monk: Retreat [Feb 2015] Officially a civilian, and it was really messing with my head. This what when I started figuring out that I may just not be a self-starter after all. Being unemployed, however, allowed me to get all my best ever lifts, aside from the Bench Press, when I did the 1 lift a day schedule on 5/3/1 for the first time. Also did a grappling tournament to see if I still had it (I did). Took a break from Challenges after this. Started website, found my current BJJ gym, and bombed a few job interviews (20+) before eventually getting an offer at TITLE Boxing Club.

 

The Legend of the Mad Monk: Return (To The 36 Chambers) [Jul 2015] Started working, and got into Simple & Sinister and eventually StrongFirst. I'd been following Pavel's work since around 2006 and liked how his organization applied the principles of PTTP and TNW (which I was very fond of), so I decided to get back in touch with an old SFG acquaintance and look into it. Evidently, I am still on this train. Also started with Grad School.

 

The Legend of the Mad Monk: Plane Of Enlightenment [Sep 2015] This was when it was really dawning on me that my executive functioning is needing a lot of work. Scheduling conflicts and procrastinating on blog posts, I'd consider this my first real lifestyle challenge, and I did not do well. On the other hand, training was pretty straightforward, just following Rite of Passage, Easy Strength, and the SFG Prep, while showing up to CrossFit and BJJ. Took another break from Challenges, until the following year.

The Mad Monk Machete Rangers The F- Up (Rangers) [Jan 2016] This was one of my more successful challenges. Decided to train for a CrossFit competition, and competitions that I take seriously seem to really give me direction. I was still a bit distracted with SFG training, but overall the CrossFitting went well. Later completed the SFG, participated in the CF Open, and kept going to and competing in BJJ.

Machete Swings (Monks) [May 2016] Decided to do 300 Swings and cut weight to train for SFG 2. Funny, because my whole premise was focus, and I totally was not focusing. Pulled my back. Failed quest. (Still got my Level 2, and got my BF to around 6%.)

Machete Lives The Grunt Life (Monks) [Jun 2016] Some intermittent attempts to get back on 5/3/1. Got into handgun shooting. Started rucking in Florida; gross. Pretty quiet challenge, this one.

Machete Multi-classes (again) (Rangers) [Aug 2016] Trained for a GORUCK Tough, worked on getting my sleep under control, and doing my schoolwork on time. All pretty much failed attempts. Quiet challenge as well.
 

Machete Gets Inverted (Assassins) [Sept 2016] I believe I achieved my shoulder tap goal. I realize now that I had been neglecting to close-out my past few challenges. Running and reading? Hah.
 

A Man For All Seasons (Rangers) [Oct 2016] Another lifestyle and executive function challenge. Follow the program was the order of the day, but I had too many programs to follow. Got into GymnasticBodies, and my enthusiasm for that new thing probably caused my decreased desire to adhere to the CFE program. Realized I have trouble with meal prep days, and that I can't ride two horses with one ass.
 

24 (Rangers) [Nov 2016] This was just me not learning from the previous challenge, continuing to hammer a square peg into a round hole. My CF membership expired, and I had to improvise with the remaining workouts.
 

Getting Laid: Machete Lays The Foundation (Assassins) [Jan 2017] I paid the price for fucking around with my Marathon training, but at least I freed up time to concentrate on GB and still show up to BJJ. Failed on Charisma improvement and cleaning the apartment.
 

Machete Reborn (Monks) [Feb 2017] Had to move apartments, so that threw a rather large wrench in my plans. GB enthusiasm was still high; everything else was a bust. I did, however, get started on an Epic Quest idea.
 

Machete Crawls Towards The Goal (Monks) [Mar 2017] Me trying to ride two horses (GB and kettlebells) with one ass again. I got my 48kg Beast TGU and really moved up on some GB elements, but failed my schoolwork and Mind Tools goals.
 

From Simple to Sinister (Monks) [Apr 2017] Attempting to graduate--a stressful time to choose to increase my Swings (while still stubbornly multi-tasking), probably because I became really enthusiastic about my Beast Getups. Needless to say, I injured myself and failed the challenge altogether.

 

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

 

An ongoing and constantly-evolving challenge for me to get my shit together one step at a time starting with the most important things. It's good to follow a system:

Hierarchy of Needs: Physiology (Monks)
Hierarchy of Needs: Physiology, Part 2 (Monks)
Hierarchy of Needs: Physiology, Part 3 (Monks)

Hierarchy of Needs: Physiology, Part 4 (Monks)

Hierarchy of Needs: Physiology, Part 5 (Assassins)

Hierarchy of Needs: Physiology, Part 6 (Assassins)

Hierarchy of Needs: Physiology, Part 7 (Assassins)

 

Intermission: Machete Goes Down With The Ship (Monks)

Machete Returns: Dispatches from the Wasteland (Monks)

Machete: Part-time Minuteman and BOS Knight (Monks)

 

Machete Civilizes the Wasteland (Hierarchy of Needs: Physiology, part 8) (Monks)

Machete Civilizes the Wasteland 2 (Monks)

 

The Realities of Being an Adult: Thriving in Chaos

 

Machete Refocuses on Targets focuses on shrinking goals and establishing routines.

Machete Reloads From Last Saved Game; 3 things to do a day, as a continuation of the previous challenge.

Machete and the Forced Evolutionary Virus; an attempt to follow SF Total Tension Complex and drink some greens every day.

Machete Getting It Together is the first challenge done in the new house. It attempts to get a checklist of stuff I need to get done in the house.

Machete: Somehow I Manage broke my short-term goals down into 3 categories that I needed to accomplish within the time period.

Machete Holds The Fort is the challenge of no challenge--no real goals, just don't get worse.

Machete: Just Get Up and Swing was one thing, daily. And I did almost the complete opposite.

 

 

 

[KB Girl]

It’s rough when all you really want to do is stay in bed. Finding the courage to go do something even if it was in the middle of the night is probably good positive feedback for your brain!

hope the therapist is useful.

[Kishi]

Man, that late night training life, tho. I know it well. I'd probably be doing the same thing if I didn't have a day job forcing me to a certain schedule. I envy your flexibility in this.

 

Also, yeah, man, you been done a lot. It's hard for me to remember a time you weren't a Monk but yeah, you been at it for a while now. I'm really thankful for you - it felt like I was talking the talk, but you were the one walking the walk, and it really pushed me to develop a lot and figure out what I wanted and what I was trying to accomplish.

 

Thanks for being around for all this.

[Machete]

Missed a bunch, then got over-enthusiastic and went for the 32kg, which turned out ti be too soon. Rookie mistake. I should know better. Haha

 

Anyway, I’m staying disciplined and only hitting 24kg until this challenge is over.

[KB Girl]

You don't have any in-between weights?

[Sloth the Enduring]

Hardstyle likes the big jumps for maximum Russian-style badassery.

[KB Girl]

3 hours ago, Sloth the Enduring said:

Hardstyle likes the big jumps for maximum Russian-style badassery.

its funny because actual Russians do the sport 'style' and non of this sissy 'hardstyle' stuff

 

[DarK_RaideR]

Sounds more like a showoffish "badass wannabe" thing someone thought of and branded it as Russian for the extra badass marketing appeal

[Sloth the Enduring]

StrongFirst & RKC used to espouse the theory that you should really own a weight before moving up. That having a solid basis on the 24 would make it easy to make a big jump to the 32.

https://www.strongfirst.com/a-leap-of-faith-between-kettlebell-sizes/

I think this was turning a bug into a feature. KB used to be very niche and it was likely hard to get a run of bells made so they stuck with a few basic sizes. When I was taking classes ten years ago they had tons of 16s and 24s and maybe a couple 20s. When I took a class a couple of years ago they had a full range at 2 kg increments.

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

1 hour ago, Sloth the Enduring said:

StrongFirst & RKC used to espouse the theory that you should really own a weight before moving up. That having a solid basis on the 24 would make it easy to make a big jump to the 32.

https://www.strongfirst.com/a-leap-of-faith-between-kettlebell-sizes/

I think this was turning a bug into a feature. KB used to be very niche and it was likely hard to get a run of bells made so they stuck with a few basic sizes. When I was taking classes ten years ago they had tons of 16s and 24s and maybe a couple 20s. When I took a class a couple of years ago they had a full range at 2 kg increments.

The weight room in my Substation has KBs in 5 lb increments from 5 lb on up to 60 lb.

[KB Girl]

yea 2kg/5lb increments are quite nice! 

I've got 6 -> 32kg in 2kg steps.. and now I really kind of want 1kg steps for 6 - 20. But they don't make those yet.. 

 

21 hours ago, Sloth the Enduring said:

I think this was turning a bug into a feature.

yes, probably! 

[Sloth the Enduring]

Since all the kettlebell peeps are here, I’m going to hijack this thread for a quick question.

I’m using the KB Snatch for general conditioning. I’m assuming there will be carryover to cycling.

Will there be enough carryover that it makes sense to continue it in season? If so, would I put it in the morning before an intervals day or an endurance day?

My week might look like this:
M: Intervals
T: Recovery or tempo
W: Endurance
Th: Training race or Hill work
F: Recovery
Sa: Endurance
Su: Endurance

I guess I don’t know where I’d put the strength maintenance day either.

[Kishi]

9 hours ago, Sloth the Enduring said:

Since all the kettlebell peeps are here, I’m going to hijack this thread for a quick question.

I’m using the KB Snatch for general conditioning. I’m assuming there will be carryover to cycling.

Will there be enough carryover that it makes sense to continue it in season? If so, would I put it in the morning before an intervals day or an endurance day?

My week might look like this:
M: Intervals
T: Recovery or tempo
W: Endurance
Th: Training race or Hill work
F: Recovery
Sa: Endurance
Su: Endurance

I guess I don’t know where I’d put the strength maintenance day either.

 

Well, it does appear that the experts are out here, so I'd defer to them over me. However, if the programming in Q&D is any indication, I'm inclined to say that it makes sense to continue it in season as kind of a minimalist S&C thing. Given their tendency to tax the body's explosive and strength capacities, I'd probably say to do them on an endurance day, just because on an endurance day you're going to be doing a lot of relatively long, slow movement which could have some restorative effects. (or at the very least wouldn't bugger up the same things).

 

If you choose to do them on endurance days, though, with the outlined schedule, I would only do them twice a week and on spaced out days, so maybe on Wednesday and Saturday or Sunday, but not all 3 because you want to have some rest and recovery too. Also, leaving a day open one way or the other hopefully gives you a little flexibility in case something comes up one day and you have to move a Snatch day back or whatever.

 

Mind, again, if you choose to do it on Endurance days, don't stress about hitting Snatches too much. Say something comes up on Wednesday and you have to push your first Snatch day of the week back to Saturday or something. Totally fine, but don't try to make up for it by doing again on Sunday. No need to be a hero. Save yourself for the goals you want to accomplish. You won't really lose any ground by missing a day here or there.

 

Also, if Snatches are everything they're cracked up to be, they might just be enough to be your strength maintenance as well, provided you get yourself to a point where you're Snatching heavily enough.

 

Ummm, let's see. Strongfirst has some articles related to integrating kettlebells/strength work with cycling/endurance work, although they appear to be pretty general and the specifics that they advocate for would have to be tailored to your situation. I'm sure the folks over on Girya/competition side of kettlebell work have some approaches to this too, but I'm not versed enough on their answers to give anything useful. Sorry!