# Interesting workouts from my personal trainer



## bluekey88 (Oct 2, 2009)

Ok, since I often see threads looking for new and interesting workouts,,,,
and since I need a way to remember some of the stuff I'm doing...
and since my personal trainer puts me through interesting versions of hell on a weekly basis 

I thought I'd start a thread where I try to log the workouts we do. 

Please feel free to comment, question, or add your own workouts to the list. Maybe we can get a good repository of interesting workouts for others to try.

So, my personal trainer, Lester, has really gotten into kettle bells. He's already generally certified and is going for his next level certification through dragon door later this month. In the meantime, I think he's using me as a guinea pig for different things as he comes up with them.

last weeks workout:

Last week, he introduced me to the Turkish Getup (lie on your back within leg straight and one leg bent. Hold kettle bell in one hand, then press it up. Levering off your other hand, sit up. Swing your bent leg under your but so you're in a kneeling position, Stand up with bell over your head, then reverse process by kneeling back down swing leg back out in front of you lying down, putting bell down, dragging it around your head and switching legs...reapeat on other side),

Did this for 5 minutes straight going slow, working on form. 18# bell as a warm up.

Then moved to 48# bell and did 10 minutes alternating between 20 kb swings then walking (4.5 mph) on the treadmill for 90 seconds. got 4 rounds in the 10 minute time limit.

Finished off with 3 rounds of 10 kb dead lifts (48#), 10 kb squats (48#), 10 one arm kb swings (32#)each side, 10 suitcase dead lifts (32#) each side) and 5 kb cleans (42#) each side.

Ouch. It was great!

Peace,
Erik


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## bluekey88 (Oct 2, 2009)

Today's workout (10/2/09)

Warmup was 5 minutes of turkish getups with 18# bell, again focusing on form over speed.

Then we went into a lowerbody wrokout ladder.

rounds of bodyweight squats followed by side lunges
ladder from 5 up to 10 and back down to 5. (Do 5 squats, then 5 lunges, then 6 squats and 6 lunges, and so forth).

After that Lester wanted to work my upper body.  So 3 rounds:
10 incline db presses (40,50, 60 punds respectively)
assisted pullups (12 pronated grip, 10 supinated grip, then 8 close grip pronated)

Finished with 20 hyperextensions and 12 cable overhead presses.

I should note I only pay for 30 minute sessions so the workouts are short and relatively intense.

Peace,
Erik


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## Carol (Oct 2, 2009)

Nice!  I could post up my workouts also.


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## jarrod (Oct 2, 2009)

thanks for reminding me of turkish get ups, i was trying to think of something to cycle into my routine.  

i've been having lots of fun with my workouts lately.  essentially i'm just doing whatever i feel like & playing in my backyard.  today i went for a 1/4 mile farmer's walk with 25lbs each hand.  then i just hung out in my backyard doing pushups, chin ups, & dips.  between sets i did some light work on the heavy bag.  i've also got a bicycle innertube that i hook over the clothsline pole & use as a resistance band.  i basically just did whatever i felt like doing & called it a day.  

jf


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## bluekey88 (Oct 16, 2009)

Due to a schedulign screw up at the office, I didn't get to see LEster last week....so here's a stair step routine I'm doing for extra cardio that's adapted from what our competition team uses to build conditioning prior to nationals.

i do this in a park with two 16 step stair cases side by side.  I run up one and down the other, going in a circuit.

Unless noted otherwise, all rounds are 1 minute with 30 seconds of rest.

Warmup:
dynamic stretching
4 rounds of jump rope (rounds can go 1 to 2 minutes depending on ability)

Stair stepping:
3 rounds 1 foot each step (attack the stairs, run up as fast as possible)
3 rounds 2 feet each step
4 rounds 1 foot hopping eachstep (switch legs each round)
1 round 2 feet hopping
2 rounds 1 foot each step high knees (bring knees at least ot waist with each step)
4x30 second rounds, 15 seconds rest 1 step step ups (step up and down one step as fast as possible, switch starting foot with each round)

Cool down with some stretching or some forms or whatever floats your boat.

Can add tings like rounds of up two steps down one step and the like to work on footwork and such.

Should be done in under 30 minutes,.

Peace,
Erik


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## bluekey88 (Oct 16, 2009)

Lester Kettlebell workout 10-16-2009

Lester just giot done a 3 day Dragon door certification.  All I can say is  "ouch."  I know I'm in for it when he goes out to his car to get the big 45lb kettle bell.

Warmup:
10 minutes on the treadmill
light stretching

Legs:
5 rounds of the following

15 reps KB squats with approx. 36 lb kettlebell (focus on good form, all the way down on those squats)
15 reps High KB swings with 45lb kb (swing bell from between legs all the wya up to chest height.  focus on pushing form feet and exploding through the hips)
I'm dying and my lower back is done in by the last round.  So we did some lower back stretches.  THEN:

we did 2 rounds (wanted to do 3, but ran out of time) of

10 "weird" pushups.  Lie on your stomach, put your hands at your side at about diapghram level.  Point fingers out ot he siode at a 90 degree angre form your body.  do pushup.  Work the hell out of your shoulders.
5 pullups.  Start from a full dead hang, chest to bar, back to a dead hang (I needed assisstance...pullups are my bane)
barbell side press.  Holding a 45lb olympic bar on your shoulder, elbos in tight to your side, leaning slightly.  Press he bar up.  6 reps each side.
15 reps x 45lb kettle bell rows (use two hands, slow, easy pace, squeeze shoulder blades together).
Peace,
Erik


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## bluekey88 (Oct 30, 2009)

Didn't really so anything last week because of my black belt test. 

Today was a "rebuilding" day to get me back on track after a week of little activity (recovering from the BB test  )

So, started out with some stretching with a light kettlbell in hand. 

Halos (Hold bell in two hands and work it in a circle around your head in both directions to loosen shoulders).

Arm bars. Hold bell by hand straight up over our head, shift back slightly to stretch shoulder then return to upright. Do several reps both sides.

Torso twists (no bell)
Shoulder rotations (no bell)
Big arm circles (no bell)
Touch toes
cobra stretch

Skill work:
all done with 32# bell (adjust for your skill/fitness level)
15 single arm swings each side.
15 kettle bell box squats (just barely touch the box, control core)
12 each side of the following (not sure what it's called): Hold the kettle bell at your side in one hand, feet together. Bend forward at the waist, white the leg on the same side of the KB going straight back (counterbalancing) so at the end of the motion your body is parallel to the floor, kettle bell just touching the ground. Balancing on one foot. Return to starting position.

Circuit training:
15 single arms swings, each arm
6 KB cleans each side
from clean position, do 15 KB squats each side.
6 KB snatches each side.
From snatch position, 12 lunges (step back with same foot as the side loaded with the KB, keep elbow locked and bell over your head....don't swing between reps).

Then 3 sets each side of :
1 swing, 1 clean, 1 squat, 1 snatch, 1 lunge. 
Continuous movement between each exercise. Don't put down bell until all sets complete. Focus on control and explosive movement.

That's it for this week!

Peace,
Erik


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## bluekey88 (Nov 18, 2009)

I've missed a couple of sessiosn due to a rather serious gout attack that prevented me doing any sort of training....but I got to see LEster today, and now I'm one big muscle ache 

Here's what we did:

Warmup with a coupel of miles on the recumbant bike...just getting a little sweat going.

then stage 1:
3 circuits of the following excercises:
20 pushups (focusing on clean form, chest to floor)
20 Kettlbell bent over rows (Put towel in horn of bell, grab wioth both hands, back flat, pull bell to navel)  @ 53# kb.
20 incline dumbell pressess @ 35# db's.
30 seconds rest between circuits

Stage 2:
3 circuits of the following:
20 kettle bell swings (two hands) @ 53# kb
20 medicine ball crucnhes (hold medicine ball between knees...do a crunch while bringing knees to chest) @ 10# medicine ball.
30 seconds rest between circuits

Stage 3 (arms shot, praying for death)
KB sqat/press ladders....in this one, clean a bell to the rack position (started with 35#, then moved down to 18 through course of excercise).  Do 3 squats, then do 3 presses, then do 4 squats, then four presses, and so on up to 8 squats/presses.  repeat on other side.  do not put bell down.

Then 3 sets, each side, 5 kettlebell snatches @ 35# KB

rest as needed, trying to keep rest brief as possible.

crawl to car.

Peace,
Erik


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## bluekey88 (Dec 30, 2009)

It's been awhile since I posted some workouts...here are three that I've done at the end of the year.

first, here's one that we did because I "needed to break through a plateau"

Starting with a 53# kettlebell, do 25 swings.
then with 36# Kettlebell do 50 snatches 
30 second plank

repeat next round doing swings, then snatches with other arm, then plank.

repeat roudns alternating arms.

We ended up doing 8 rounds in 30 minutes, the bells got smaller as my strength left me.  200n swings, 50 snatches.  I was sore for days, 

Last week we took a 44 lb bell and did the following.

5 rounds 20 swings followed by 30 sec plank.
then 10 swings 
then 12 cleans (each side)
then clean, then 15 squats (each side)
Then clean, squat, 10 presses (each side)
then clean, squat, press, 8 snatches (each side)
Then 5 times each side (go from one movement to the next smoothly), one arm swing, clean, squat, press, snatch (keep bell overhead), lunge.

Todays workout started with 5 rounds:
20 x two hand swing (44 lb bell)
10 burpees
30 second plank.

Then, 5 times each side.
clean to squat to press to lunge.

Peace,
Erik


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## Dagney Taggert (Jan 18, 2010)

Hey these are great!  Thank you so much.  I do another version of the turkish get-up;  As I press the kettel bell, I also perform an escape (this is specific to BJJ) also know as the shrimping move during a BJJ warm up, then I stand up in base.  

I am totally stealing a few of your routines.


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## bluekey88 (Jan 18, 2010)

Dagney -- They're not mine...but you are welcome to them.   Glad to see you find them useful.  Sounds like you're doing more of a low-sweep TGU as opposed to teh RKC high bridge TGU.  Does that sound right?

Here's last week's smoker--

basically, it alternates 7 ballistic/lifting excercises with jogging/running.

So the seven excercises were
kettlebell swings (44lb) x 20 reps
overhead squat x 15 x 45 lb (slow, focus on form)
Horizontal pullups x 20
Kettlebell deadlift x 20
Plyometric jumps (jump side to side over a box) x 20
Kettlebell snatch (10 each arm)
Plank for 1 minute

between each of those excercises, do a half lap on the tread mill. each set increases the overall speed. So we tarted out at a brisk walk at 4.0 mph, next set was 4.5, then 4.8, then 5.2, then 5.5, then 5.8.

minimal rest bewteen treadmill and the next excercise...No more than 30-45 seconds, less if you can tolerate it.

Peace,
Erik


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## Dagney Taggert (Jan 18, 2010)

Yes, that sounds right.  I love the turkish get-up.  There are so many ways to vary the movement to work different muscle groups.

Do you ever do windmills?  It's similar to triangle pose (yoga), only you rotate your body down, as you press the KB to a straight arm position.  It's kind of hard to describe but your trainer could show you the proper form.


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## bluekey88 (Jan 18, 2010)

I have.  It's not a regular in our routines...but it shows up here and there.  I'm prinmarily working on the clean and press, snathc and swing variations at the moment though.  He's talking about having get into double KB work...we shall see.


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## Dagney Taggert (Jan 24, 2010)

Okay, I have a good one for you, but make sure you do this with your trainer, or another training partner AND while using a lighter KB, (until you are comfortable):

Lay back on a large exercise ball.  Place a towel through the handle of the KB.  Perform an overhead row with the KB, allowing it to go back far enough to give a stretch in your triceps.  As you you bring the KB over your head, bring it over your sternum area and lower it down SLOWLY.   Concentrate on using your core to lift and lower the KB through the entire movement.  Additionally, you must use your core to keep your lower back straight and keep your balance on the exercise ball.  

Yeah! Now, what I'm talking about! This is TOTALLY evil, and extreme attention should be paid to CLEAN, SOLID form.


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