Sometimes, less is more

Image from Flickr, by sierrafit

I said I needed to kick my training into high gear, and as I woke up this morning, I hit on exactly how to do just that.

You see, it's like the old saying goes, "less is more" sometimes.

Let me explain.

I had been doing all my exercises for one minute at a time, then transitioning to the next exercise.  I was becoming flustered because it seemed like I was getting less reps in during that minute.  What I realized was that I was pushing for to long at a time.  My muscles were giving up, and I was probably depleting glycogen stores rather quickly, so I was getting less done.

So, I decided to change things up.

Today's workout and an initial review of Tai Chi

Image from Flickr, by Chefzwerg

First, my workout.  No pain, except for the good kind. 

I asked for a lot of advice on Google+, and got some great advice.  I decided to try kettlebell swings again today, focusing primarily on form.  I have a tendency to get sloppy and not realize it, so I spent extra time focused on my form.  No pain at all.

So, either form was the problem, or it was something else completely separate from the exercise.  I can live with that.

Today's workout and how I screwed up

So, yesterday I outlined my workout.  Unfortunately, the version that actually got published wasn't what I meant to be published.  No, that version was really to much.  Um...oops?

Yeah, I'm sorry about that one guys.

You see, that was a first draft, but after a bit more research, I found that I had too many exercises.  This is a potential problem when you're creating on your own.  Luckily, I continued to research and realized that I might be overdoing it with that.

Here's what was published yesterday:

Monday's workout

Image from Flickr, by kl.fitness

So, last week I killed my old workout routine.  It's dead.  Gone.  Adios.  Do svidan’ya.  Au revoir. 

Now, it's on to something more.  So, I spent some of my time today - the time I wasn't writing to you good folks - researching what my new workout routine would be.

This is a three times a week workout, and total body at that.  So far, that seems to be sufficient, with a day of rest between workouts also being sufficient.  This might change all of that, but if that's the case, I'll learn to adapt.

Here's the new routine:

Exercise Breakdown: Kettlebell Goblet Squat

Kettlebells are great for upper body workouts, but what about legs?  Can you really get a good lower body workout with kettlebells? 

Well folks, my legs are telling me today that you can.

Let me introduce you to the Kettlebell Goblet Squat:

It's a simple exercise that's very similar to the front squat.  Just like regular squats, this is a compound exercise.  However, in my opinion, the kettlebell goblet squat offers some advantages.

Exercise Breakdown: Kettlebell Swing

The Kettlebell swing is one of the first kettlebell exercises someone should learn if they're going to actually use a kettlebell.  The kettlebell swing serves as the basis for several other exercises and, frankly, it makes a hell of a warm up if nothing else.

First, let's take a look at the swing and how it's done, then we can get into some of what I've learned about this exercise from doing it.

Yes, this is a woman.  Guys, get over it.  The exercise is no different, and frankly this is a pretty good video.  Now, for some things I've experienced.

My Kettlebell Workout

Image from Flickr, by andrewmalone

I've spent most of my time talking about diet, because that's what I know better.  I lost that 35 lbs that I keep prattling on about purely through diet.  This was during the time of having a newborn baby in the house, running a business, and taking care of not just my home by helping my mother out as well.

However, being thin isn't being fit.  To be fit, you must perform some kind of exercise.

Why I opted for kettlebells

For years, I banged away with regular free weights.  Back in high school, I was a whopping 135 lbs and hit the free weights in an effort to bulk up.  Well, it turns out that bacon cheeseburgers accomplished that much easier.  However, now that my goals have shifted, I've turned to kettlebells as the tool for the job.