10,000 KBS, WORKOUT 11, 19 JULY 2014

10,000 KBS, Workout 11, 19 July

-I completed the workout, using a 32 kg bell, in 45:28. I kept my back squat weight the same at 285#. I got 7 hours of sleep the night prior.

-I shaved 2:05 off my last BS time. This was my fastest BS completion time regardless of BS weight or KB weight.

-The first cluster had me a bit worried. They KBS felt heavy in my hands right from the 1st swing. Not heavy for my posterior chain, heavy for my grip. My first BS felt heavy and slow. I went right into the 15 swings and it only got worse. I knocked out my 2 BS and they felt just as slow as the first one. I took my first 30 seconds of rest and thought that today’s workout was going to be a real grinder. I pushed through my sets of 25 KBS, 3 BS, and 50 KBS to complete my first cluster and reach my first 3 minute rest period.

-During the rest period I got my sh*t together with some nice, deep, controlled recovery breaths. I limited myself to 15 breaths in my 1st minute of recovery and that really helped me settle down.

-Going into the second cluster I was determined to do better. I relied on disassociative breathing to keep my heart rate controlled and my energy expenditure to a minimum. BS felt a better, I actually felt a little explosive coming out of the hole. The swings felt stronger; they were lighter in my hand. I went into the third cluster more confidently.

-The third cluster went by without any issues. My BS were feeling quicker. I definitely became explosive coming out of the hole. My swings and breathing was efficient and I reached the end of the 50 KBS in good condition. I allowed myself, again, only 15 breaths in my first minute of recovery.

-The forth cluster was challenging on my grip and with the squats. I wanted to take more rest after each set of KBS before getting under the bar to squat. I had to force myself not to jerk around. It seemed like there were so many great excuses available: “I had to wipe up sweat off the platform”, “My hands were too sweaty”, The bar wasn’t perfectly centered”. Within milliseconds my head had more excuses for rest than I knew what to do with. As quickly as they came in I forced them out and got on the bar. I finished the forth cluster ready to crush my final 10 swings and 6 BS.

-I entered the fifth cluster in a really good spot, mentally and physically. I looked at the clock and knew that I was going to be able to smoke my previous best. I didn’t know by how much, but I knew I had the potential to improve by a wide margin. After my 3 minutes of rest I hit that gas and never looked back. I shaved a few seconds from my rest periods, pushed hard on the swings, and didn’t mess around with the BS. End result was a big improvement in my completion time, while keeping my swings sharp. My final 50 swings are in the video https://vimeo.com/103089525.

-Now that, while using a 32 kg bell and 285# on the bar, I beat my best time using a 24 kg bell and 275# on the bar, I can add a few pounds to the BS bar. The 40 KG bell needs to get thrown into the mix. I have to devise a plan for when and how.