Five for Friday: Getting Strong

This has become my morning routine. I have taken my cold shower and then bundle up. With a book or kindle in hand I read for 30-45 minutes. Niki always joins me and it's the only time she's allowed on the couch. On this particular morning she was extra close because she knows she got me up at 3am to go outside. The day before she had dug up a gopher and before I could snatch it out of her mouth (It was still alive and ready to bite my hand) Niki crunched it in her jaw and the swallowed it whole. That's my girl.

This time of year is always loaded with new and improved weight loss/muscle building stuff. If you look at all the things on the market it's no wonder we are still an overweight society. It's overload and there is too much to choose. I'm confident the market is confused. For the last couple years I've been working on simplifying my strength work. Consistency has been my problem but once I'm consistent it's simplification I'm after. Over the last few weeks I've tried to get back to the gym and some normal weight training but it's so much hassle. Waiting for the single squat rack and then feel like I'm being rushed through it is just no fun. It's back to simplification for me and here are my top 5.

1. 3 days a week every hour (roughly 5 times) I get up from my computer and do 5 full tension ab crunches, 5 full tension full motion push ups, 3 full tension to straight arm pull ups and 20 deep body weight squats. Full tension is tight abs and butt. Tight as if I'm preparing to get kicked. 
2. 2 days a week not any of those three, I do the following. 5 X 10 kettle bell swings. 5 turkish get ups with the Kettle bell. 3 x 10 Kettle Bell front squats, 3 x 10 20lb ball slams. 
3. I wake up and have 20-25 grams of protein in my bullet proof coffee. 
4. I have 20-25 grams of protein after the big lift sessions. 
5. I use the book Ready to Run, find the tight spots and work, stretch or voodoo floss them out every night. 

I'm loving this routine. I feel healthier and stronger than when I go to the gym. I'm inspired to stay consistent because I watch my son Marco go into the garage at 8:30pm and listen to him work for 30 minutes. He does this 4 nights a week. He did a PT test Tuesday and executed 70 military push ups. 

If you are interested in the Kettle Bell routine I use or others visit www.strongfirst.com this webite and the book Simple and Sinister totally confirmed what I was feeling. The kettle bell swing done correctly may be the best strength work I've ever done. I have one  l5lb (Turkish get ups are really hard) one 30lb and one 50lb. Those are not the small incremental changes you see in the gyms but that's because that's the protocol. If the weight you are using becomes too easy don't make it incrementally harder make it harder. 50lb swings are really hard right now. 

It's a good life....