Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Do as you’ve done

So I’m about one month back on the fitness saddle after having some time off that turned out to be longer than expected.  Happens every now and then typically when life gets in the way of regularly-scheduled fitness workouts that are seldom missed.

Well in my time-out, as can be expected, I experienced some fitness erosion.  Happens every now and then because, as this middle-aged man constantly reminds himself, he’s only as good as his last workout.

But when that day came when I was ready to saddle up and jump on my fitness pony, I had to ask myself what would I do.

I knew I was nowhere near the peak conditioning earlier before my time-out began.  I also knew that whatever I did, my fitness training had to match my fitness personality.

So I did what I’ve done in the past when trying to get motivated to resume fitness training.  I reviewed my past training journals noting not only what was my last workout but also what I had done in the past year.  What a treasure chest of fitness training information I’ve accumulated over the years.

After some pondering, I made a “business decision” to pick one of my favorite workouts, one that I would regularly do about every week to 10 days.  It’s one of my anaerobic conditioning measuring stick workouts, a single kettlebell complex called the Power 5 that I perform using a 20-kilogram kettlebell.

Here’s a video of me performing a round of it almost two years ago:  


Except this time, I knew I had to tailor this workout to recognize my current conditioning.  I did this by modifying the number of rounds completed and how much recovery time I allowed myself between rounds.

After this workout, as I was huffing and puffing to regain my composure, I was reminded by my effort that there’s no need to reinvent my fitness training wheel.  It also reminded me that only my fitness conditioning had changed during my time out and not my fitness personality.  Again, my fitness training has got to match my fitness personality if I’m to stick with a good fitness training program.

So, therefore, I was reminded as so should you when jumping back on the fitness saddle, it’s best to do as you’ve done.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I just can't get over the momentum shifts I see when people do kettlebell workouts. However, I have no data for my concerns.

It's very similar when I see people doing kipping pullups. I don't know when or how, but I know they're going to damage their shoulder, elbow, or wrist joints at some point down the line.

With your experience in mind, are my long term safety concerns regarding the kettlebell unjust?

Thank you for your time.

Pierini Fitness said...

Well they are definitely movements that are very technical and need to be performed correctly because, if not, I do agree they present greater risk of injury. Shoulder flexibility must be constantly worked to reduce shoulder injuries. Don't really see any excessive elbow injury risks but that's me. Now you do need to conquer a certain fitness when performing snatch and clean movements and then maybe wear wrist wraps to adequately protect the wrists. But that's about it the way I see it based on my experience.

The greatest risks I've encountered when doing a good KB workout is old-fashioned muscle fatigue and cardiovascular exhaustion from giving it all that I can.

Your mileage may vary.

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