Comrade Kyellan: Kettlebell Trains YOU!

[Kyellan]

 

Mostly placeholder for now. Goals are going to be simple (with an eye on sinister >.>) for this month:

 

1. Train the kettlebell swings & get-ups 5-6 days/week. I'm at 8x10 two-hand swings now (15 secs on, 30 secs off), should be at 10x10 for this pace by the end of the week. Then I'll start decreasing the rest time and start working on the one-hand swing.

2. Keep going to Kung Fu & lightsaber class regularly.

3. Maintain close control over intake to restart my downward weight trend. Could maybe see 199 this month, if I'm very disciplined.

 

Current weight is 202.8, confirmed on 4/30.

 

May Events:

Finish my Dao form (should be tonight!!) and crush the demonstration on 5/21.

 

Preparing For:

June 05, 2016 -- Wu Dao Tournament, Cambridge MA

June 18, 2016 -- TOUGH MUDDER

 

[Luciana Valerosa Culming]

Why is there no "prevent injury" goal? O-o

 

(Just kidding. I'm sure you'll keep with asuming direct controle. You did so well last challenge. I'm a little envious.)

 

And *stalking*

[SkiBlue]

Love the title! So much excite!

[Waldgeist]

Kettlebell to the win!

[fiddle-on]

Saw the kettlebell tag, and clicked. That lightsaber class sounds fun too.

[Kyellan]

17 hours ago, Luciana Valerosa Culming said:

Why is there no "prevent injury" goal? O-o

 

(Just kidding. I'm sure you'll keep with asuming direct controle. You did so well last challenge. I'm a little envious.)

 

And *stalking*

 

 

TL;DR -- Got hit in the elbow. I have full range of motion, it's not broken, it just hurts like a bitch.

 

Okay, I'm pretty sure you cursed me. Last night we were practicing demo stuff at Kung Fu, and I got kicked in the elbow by a tornado crescent kick. This... did not feel very good. I actually now understand the expression 'seeing stars' even though I didn't get hit in the head. The foot landed directly on the nerve running along the outside of my arm... you know, the "funny bone" nerve, except about three inches too low. I had to go and sit down because I got all woozy. (Pain does that to me--see the back problem that landed me in the ER a couple weeks ago.)

 

I iced it, took ibuprofen, and then wrapped it in fleece last night (much like I did to my knees on Sarakingdom's suggestion last week) and this morning it is much improved. I still did not want to risk kettlebell work on it though, because although it's fine in the air, under pressure (like a pushup, for example) it still hurts a fair amount. I'll probably be in discomfort for the rest of the day and then okay again tomorrow.

 

So, no kettlebell today. However, I will be doing it tomorrow unless my arm gets worse. It seems to be improving steadily, so I think I'll be pretty much back to normal by tomorrow morning.

 

16 hours ago, High Lord of the Sith said:

Kettlebell to the win!

 

11 hours ago, fiddle-on said:

Saw the kettlebell tag, and clicked. That lightsaber class sounds fun too.

 

(You have to imagine this in a thick Russian accent, which I can occasionally actually pull off...) 

 

Welcome, welcome, fellow kettlebell comrades! Come, join me on this journey of strongmakingk!  We will suffer together, da?

[sarakingdom]

12 minutes ago, Kyellan said:

(You have to imagine this in a thick Russian accent, which I can occasionally actually pull off...) 

 

[SkiBlue]

1 hour ago, Kyellan said:

(You have to imagine this in a thick Russian accent, which I can occasionally actually pull off...) 

 

Welcome, welcome, fellow kettlebell comrades! Come, join me on this journey of strongmakingk!  We will suffer together, da?

 

This makes me incredibly happy. 

 

Now my elbow both hurts and tingles...

[courtneyc]

Looking forward to more kettle bell adventures. That 199 on the scale is yours! I'll have the dance party prepped and waiting.  

[Kyellan]

Well, it's kind of looking like Week 0 is going to accomplish approximately that much. I managed to do lightsaber class, as the elbow isn't a problem except at full extension and full flexion. I had some minor discomfort, but overall stretching it and the medium impact from the sword techniques didn't cause a problem, so I did class without babying my arm too much.

 

Of course, that meant that this morning it hadn't healed nearly as much as I might have liked. So I didn't get up and do my kettlebell workout, because I don't want to make things worse.

 

I'm trying not to be frustrated by this whole thing, but I can't deny that I am concerned about continuing to practice the technique that resulted in my injury in the first place. I've only got four weeks to be in fighting shape for a tournament, and only six before I have to literally be the best I have ever been EVER.

 

I'm probably going to have to have this discussion with Sifu tonight regarding the demo--I just don't know how. Maybe there's some forced perspective or something we can do with this technique that will allow my partner to do it while aiming to miss me entirely, and still make it look good for the audience.

 

It's also possible that I'm getting sick again, because I'm starting to have that feeling creeping on. Bah. This is not a good start to May at all.

[Sylvaa]

Oh no for injury!

 

Maybe just full rest is in order for a few days to see if it feels better? No matter what, following!

[Elastigirl]

Saying hello to a kettlebell comrade. Hope the elbow heals quickly.

[Machete]

On 5/3/2016 at 8:14 AM, Kyellan said:

(You have to imagine this in a thick Russian accent, which I can occasionally actually pull off...) 

 

Welcome, welcome, fellow kettlebell comrades! Come, join me on this journey of strongmakingk!  We will suffer together, da?

 

Enjoy the pain. #Desissified

 

 

[Oramac]

Jumping in here for kettlebells!  Sorry to hear about the elbow.  Take care of yourself man.  

[Shibara]

As a kettlebell beginner, I might lurk around here occassionally

[Luciana Valerosa Culming]

You know my hair is not really red. And although recently was Walpurgisnacht, I didn't want to curse you. *ouch* I meant it in a "Hals und Beinbruch" kind of fassion.

 

So get well soon and hopefully this was the last time this challenge.

[Kyellan]

20 hours ago, Elastigirl said:

Saying hello to a kettlebell comrade. Hope the elbow heals quickly.

 

20 hours ago, Machete said:

 

Enjoy the pain. #Desissified

 

 

15 hours ago, Shibara said:

As a kettlebell beginner, I might lurk around here occassionally

 

Welcome all you awesome kettlebell people! This is gonna be a cool challenge with all these new folks hanging around.  

 

6 hours ago, Luciana Valerosa Culming said:

You know my hair is not really red. And although recently was Walpurgisnacht, I didn't want to curse you. *ouch* I meant it in a "Hals und Beinbruch" kind of fassion.

 

So get well soon and hopefully this was the last time this challenge.

 

I figured you were either a witch or a prophet here, and witch turned out to be funnier, so I went with that. xD But yeah, hopefully this is the last time I get injured, at least before the Mudder. I mean, risk is part of the game in a martial art, and I totally understand and accept that... but I'd really like to be as close to 100% as possible for this mega obstacle course.

 

16 hours ago, Oramac said:

Jumping in here for kettlebells!  Sorry to hear about the elbow.  Take care of yourself man.  

 

Just for kettlebells? No mention of our long and storied shared NF history? Our upcoming event? The remarkable similarity of the path between Light and Dark which we both tread, staring one another down from opposite sides of the line?

 

Nah, I'm just messin' with ya. Glad to see you again!  

 

----------------------------------

 

I FINISHED MY DAO FORM!!!!

 

Sifu gave me the final four movements last night. I've been training this form for over a year now, and it is finally complete!

 

Now I just have to stop fucking it up. >.>

 

Here's a video of my Sigung doing the first 60% of the form or so at full combat speed, in case anybody's curious what it looks like.

 

 

I came away from class without further injury, so success there.

 

I used Sigung's linament (dit da jow) on my elbow last night, and it seems to have helped significantly. My other bruises (to which I also applied it) are also markedly lighter this morning. I should have used it the first day, but it didn't really occur to me until last night. Sometimes I wish I had enough money to bathe in the stuff. It's amazing at soothing bruises and pain, and it smells fantastic. 

 

I'll use the linament again tonight, and with another improvement like this one, I can finally get back to my #kettlebell tomorrow! Let the endurance training begin (again)!

[Kyellan]

Putting this in a follow-up post because it's totally unrelated to anything except random nerdery.

 

For those who don't know, New Hampshire is (in)famous for our "vanity" car license plates and registrations--seems like every third car has something to say. Lots of times this is personal--a name, a date... there are like seven or eight variations I've seen on RDSOX and GOSOX, etc--and sometimes it's a bit more abstract and nerdy. I've seen WAAAAGH, WARLOCK, FERNWEH (for the German speakers among us), and such things. 

 

I saw a veteran license plate this morning on my commute in. It read simply: IDKFA.

 

I have no idea if anyone else here (or anywhere) will get this, but I'm pretty sure that guy is packing some serious heat in the back of his Jeep.  

[Oramac]

2 hours ago, Kyellan said:

Just for kettlebells? No mention of our long and storied shared NF history? Our upcoming event? The remarkable similarity of the path between Light and Dark which we both tread, staring one another down from opposite sides of the line?

 

Nah, I'm just messin' with ya. Glad to see you again!  

 

----------------------------------

 

I FINISHED MY DAO FORM!!!!

 

Here's a video of my Sigung doing the first 60% of the form or so at full combat speed, in case anybody's curious what it looks like.

 

And good to see you!  haha.  Looking forward to using the Dark Side to make you finish the Event!   (I kid, I kid)

 

That video is great.  I see a lot of familiar techniques in it, and some new ones.  

 

2 hours ago, Kyellan said:

I saw a veteran license plate this morning on my commute in. It read simply: IDKFA.

 

I have no idea if anyone else here (or anywhere) will get this, but I'm pretty sure that guy is packing some serious heat in the back of his Jeep.  

 

I know it!  DOOM ftw.  Though sadly the laws in NH probably mean there's very little actual heat in his trunk.   

[NikkiB]

Following -- can't wait until I can do TGUs again!  

[Machete]

9 hours ago, Oramac said:

I know it!  DOOM ftw.  Though sadly the laws in NH probably mean there's very little actual heat in his trunk.   

 

Isn't it an Open Carry state though? Live free or die. Hard.

 

 

 

In other news, I've discovered lately how difficult it is to teach a Turkish Getup, and just learned how much harder it is to teach a Swing, even to reasonably fit individuals. I find it very challenging to explain the concepts to students if they haven't bought into the Hardstyle philosophy; I just sound like I'm spouting technical jargon. Haha

[sarakingdom]

[Kishi]

Comrade, this is a poor start. But it's not about the start. It's about the finish. So you rest and recover now because you know that you can't finish well with bad lifts on account of injury.

 

Do the hard thing and take your rest. Adjust your diet to continue toward your goal weight. You'll be fine.

[Kyellan]

After another night of linament and three full days of rest, my arm felt no pain under full dynamic tension this morning. With that, I gave Jezebell a couple of test swings, and felt no problems at all.

 

So, I went for it. No time like the present. And all is good. =)

 

Also, the foam mats are a frakkin' godsend, y'all. Not only do they warm up very quickly, unlike my hardwood floor, they allow me to actually focus on the form of the TGU instead of being totally distracted by the screaming pain and cold. 

 

Oh yes. I feel very good about that.

 

Kettlebell Day 6

 

Warm-Up

Prying Squats 1x5

Strongfirst Hip Drives 1x10

Gung Gee Fuk Fu Kuen 1x1

Jin Jeung 1x1

 

Workout

Kettlebell Swings 8x10 (18kg, 15 seconds on, 30 off)

TGUs 1x5 right, 1x5 left (weighted with synthetic Dao, approx 1 kg)

 

Just amazing. I love this feeling. I'm feeling pretty good about the 80 swing sets, so tomorrow I'm pushing to 90 assuming no flare-ups in my elbow after today's workout. Nothing so far.

 

Back on that horse, comrade!  

[Oramac]

15 hours ago, Machete said:

Isn't it an Open Carry state though? Live free or die. Hard.

 

Indeed it is!  Good to see.  I had to look up the law there again, as I haven't looked in quite a while and most of the northeast is rather draconian with their firearms law.  My apologies.  

 

3 hours ago, Kyellan said:

Snip

 

Back on that horse, comrade!  

 

All good news!  Keep up the good work, and keep an eye on those knees/elbows/joints.  We're getting close to the event!  Better to be slightly less strong than to be sidelined because of a training mishap.