Days 2 and 3 of the new program

Things are going well with the long cycle clean and jerk program from Return of the kettlebell.
Every time I train this movement learn a bit more about my body as well as the movement.

Day 2

3 Ladders of 2, 4, 6 reps
Time 15:30

Day 3

4 Ladders of 2, 4, 6 rep scheme.
Time 20:05.

Slow and steady

A little experiment :)

I am all about trying new things. I passed RKC II a couple weeks back and now it's time to get back on the horse.

For the next month I will be training the Long Cycle Clean and Jerk ( LCCJ) progressions from Return of the Kettlebell. I am going to train 3 days a week. Each session will look the same with slightly added volume each session.

Day 1 7/21

Arms bars 3x3

LCCJ 3 ladders of 2, 4, 6

Time of workout 18:11

Today was slow on purpose, I wanted to nail the technique and not rush at all. Once I get back into a groove I will push it a bit.

I added a light jog as a flush after.


Stay tuned, after a month I will post before and after pics :)

Thoracic extension and the overhead position

Here is a video follow up to my T-spine mobility post. This is the order of the exercises on the video

Crocodile breath
- 2-5 minutes to reset breathing


Foam Roller- 15 -20 rolls in each position


- T- spine will elbows together
- Segmental extension over foam roller then onto tennis ball
- Pecs with shoulder corkscrew
- Lats with stretch added

Trigger points to hit with tennis ball- hit all the movements listed below


-traps
-1st rib
-teres major/minor
-rhomboids
-scapula border
-pecs

Movements to perform on each trigger point with tennis ball- do these until ROM improves. Hit both sides too !


- extension/flexion
- cross-body reach
- scapular presses...like wall slides
- D2 pattern ( this was not on the video, reach to opposite pocket with thumbs down, on the way back go overhead with thumbs up
- scapular retraction/protraction

Extension drills

-Extension on the pull-up bar, focus on spine moving into extension and not just squeezing the shoulder blades
-hanging drills in various positions on pull-up bar
-anterior/posterior glides...use fingers to guide the movement, don't move the fingers to the chest.
- PNF stretch on swiss ball- makes sure you breath properly on these and relax into the stretch. Make sure you focus on the spine moving and not just the shoulders.
- Jerk catch position on the pull-up bar- get into the catch position, push into the bar and push your head "through the window." Keep breathing properly as you open up.

Patterning drills

TGU
overhead walks
clean and jerk
overhead dowel press from different squat depths.
Overhead press

T spine mobility and the RKC core lifts...what does this mean?

So recently I have noticed that people throw around the phrase " T-spine mobility" alot. It's getting used almost as much as "functional" and "core"

At RKC II this weekend I noticed that several candidates knew that they needed better " T-spine mobility" but were doing the wrong drills to address specific needs in certain lifts.

Before I vomit on this thread, some general info should be addressed:

Improper breathing will lead to decreased thoracic mobility in general. Learn to breath diaphragmatically. i.e crocodile breath.

Soft tissue plays a large role is T-spine rotation. Working on trigger points and breathing combined will help tremendously.

Thoracic rotation
Normal rotation is roughly 30 to 35 degrees
The largest amount of rotation is in T6-T7 ( middle of chest area, this area tends to adjust easiest by a chiro )

Drills to perform to restore normal rotation

• Side lying rib pulls
• quadruped reach throughs
• bretzel 1 and 2
• many more but hit these 1st along with breath/soft tissue

 These are necessary for:

• TGU- mainly in the high bridge/ windshield wiper portion of the TGU
• windmill
• bent press.

Thoracic extension
20-30 degrees is normal
People with kyphosis will have a tough time achieving full extension. People with desk jobs may have a tougher time achieving full extension as well.

Drills to restore t-spine extension

• Extension drills with foam roller or done segmentally with tennis balls, etc
• prying extension drills with breath in the post position of the TGU ( naked )
• anterior/posterior glides
• several drills from return of the kettlebell
• There are many more but hit these to start

These are necessary for:

• Overhead press
• any of the overhead positions of the TGU
• clean and jerk
• push press
• viking push press

Now, I am not saying that bretzels won't help a clean and jerk or that extension drills done for the windmill are not beneficial. Often times, you need both and many times you need the right tool for the job.

An example is the windmill. Let's say you have full extension available in the T-spine but poor rotation. This means you cannot hinge and rotate properly, rotation may occur in the Lumbar spine and thats generally not good. This is a bad windmill.

Own both rotation and extension of the T-spine, you will lift more and be injured less. That's good right?

Thoughts?

This is dedication!

I just saw this on ESPN.

I sat on my couch with a lump in my throat.

This guy amazes me, plain and simple. This hits home for tons of reasons.


Heroes are people who step up to the plate and do whats right even is no one is watching.

The men and women of our US military all have stories like this. Thank you on this July 4th for serving  our country. You have stepped up to the plate so we don't have to. You are all heroes.


So if you read this, do me a favor:


Stop complaining about traffic, you are blessed to have a car.

Eat all of your food, some people have none.

Hug your husband, wife, kids or dear friends.

 Oh, and yes, this is a training blog...here you go.

Dig a big deeper, train a bit harder, stretch longer, drink more water, go to bed early. Eat your vegetables