Archive for the ‘BodyBuilding’ Category

Wow man I want to get myself a 200 pounder. Problem for me is living in New Zealand the shipping is diabolical.

It will easily cost more than the kettlebell. Options are to import one and pay many hundreds if not a grand, make one from steel rebar & gypsum alpha plaster, make one from cast lead & a hollow kettlebell.

Here are a couple of suppliers in the USA:

http://www.jackeeboyz.com/products/IN-STORE-PICKUP/MONSTER-KETTLE-BELL-200LB-MKB200.html

… and Ader kettlebells

http://store.kettlebellinc.com/SearchResults.asp?searching=Y&sort=1&cat=20&show=30&page=3

and here are a few of the things you can do with a 200 lb Kettlebell…

OK here’s an UPDATE:

These Ader 203 lb KB’s are $490 online

http://www.topipad.asia/B0011EMVOC/reviews.html

God only knows about the shipping cost.

But I am in luck – an Australian outfit sells an 80 KG kettlebell for AU $290.00 I will need to organize shipping myself

I’m gunna do it.

There is an article on T-Nation discussing the heavy swing VS the deadlift

Heavy KB Training

I strongly urge you to read the T-Nation article as it give actual torque / Force values – heaps of info on the heavy swing

… from that article – turn a dumbell into a KB swing device

This takes the cake …

Here is what I am doing today:

Super Set

10 one arm snatches – single KB
20 two arm cleans – double KB
70 one arm swings – single KB

Use as heavier weight as you can and still complete it. These three are done one after the other, no or little rest.

I am using 26 KG kettlebells. Do the whole super set “FIVE TIMES”.

Dont do it one after the other – take a break in between super sets – as long as you want. This will minimize fatigue & hand damage and keep your metabolism up all day.

Use heavy weights.

To minimize hand damage, trim callus the day before, use powder, use gloves, duct tape, or boxers wraps after cycle two.

Rather than increasing reps or cycles, or doing the whole five cycles in one go – increase the weight as your priority.

These Barstarzz guys have some good vids up on youtube, check out the DVD http://www.barstarzz.com/portfolio/barstarzz-instructional/

You can also check out dragondoor who have a few body weight books out now & steve cotter also has some videos at shihan.com

Here is a pic of the supplements I currently use…

In the foreground is a packet of tribulus from purebulk.com – this will last me for years (until it expires).

Above that are two packets of pine pollen bought from China off ebay. Next to those is a packet of nettle root from ebay.

Then the containers at the rear from the left are Vitamin C, Two containers of acetyl-L-carnitine from nutrabio.com that will last until 2015, a container of Beta Glucan from purebulk, Two year supply of Creatine from nutrabio, multi vitamin, grape seed extract & finally two bottles of colostrum which is abundant locally.

Here’s why I take this stuff:

Pine Pollen
Nettle Root
Tribulus

These are basically my Pro Testosterone & Anti Estrogenic stack.

Colostrum

Contains Igf Insulin like growth factor & I like to let these melt under my tongue.

Vitamin C
Multi Vitamin
Grape extract

Contains resveratrol and quercetin for mitochondria production, general health

Beta Glucan

I take this exclusively to boost my immune system, the colostrum also has immunological compounds as does the multi vitamin.

Creatine Monohydrate

Well you all know what that’s for. Interestingly the Pine Pollen is a complete protein. Creatine contains three amino acids.

Acetyl-L-Carnitine

This stuff is great for the liver and can actually cure NASH – non alcoholic liver syndrome or fatty liver. My liver blood profile is usually out a bit so I take this stuff. Combined with the green tea and creatine it is also a great brain tonic. Pine Pollen is also good for the liver.

I also drink lots of green tea and oolong tea everyday. I cant take all of the supplements in the world but that is why I take what I take.

Here are a couple of Kettlebell tips for you…

One concerns push-pull training. Basically when performing an exercise such as the over head press you want to counter that with a pulling exercise such as the pullup hanging from a bar.
Neglecting to do so overtime will reduce the gains from the exercise by weakening the joint and muscular balance. This in turn affects the crucial nervous connection that fires the muscles.

Always balance your workouts on the day with push-pull. Another good example is super setting heavy bench press with heavy lat pull downs. This is how I built my muscular back – always pinching the shoulder blades through the entire bench press. I got up to 400 lbs on the bench machine and over 250 lbs on the lat pull down.

Without the counter balance push-pull I would not have achieved such heavy weight. I have taken a break from this super set for some months which is good from a long term perspective. Right now my bench will be much less than 400 for reps but I will return to the training eventually and get it above that level.

My second tip refers to Kettlebells and saving a bit of cash. Here in New Zealand my new kettlebells cost me about $100 each. But as you can see from the photo, simply duct taping a 2 KG plate to the base allows you to increment the weight without buying a new KB.

I would think you can add 1, 2 or 3 2kg plates in this way giving you a maximum 6 additional KG’s which means you can miss out a weight level for your next kettlebell purchase.

Say you have a pair of 24’s like I have. You can add weight making them 26, 28 & 30 KG’s. Then buy a 32 KG pair when you are ready – not needing to buy a 28 KG pair. Hence $200 saved. The 2 KG increment is much more comfortable than 4KG too.

Duct tape is so handy.

Here I am with my 90 lb kettlebell having cleaned it into the rack position…

I love lifting the heavy bell and can clean it OK but am still unable to press the 40 kgs overhead. Some work with 24 kg turkish get ups should enable me to press and snatch the 90 pounder after some months.

Here are a few pics with the 40 lb weight vest and two 50 lb kettlebells…

Here I am completing an overhead press with the two 50 pounders…

This is the tricep move for the shrug – you can also bend over at the waist and do it as a row

Decided to do a quick session today with two 24KG kettlebells.

I do quite a lot of double presses and cleans as I want to get good at long cycle – it will take me 3 years I’m sure.

I also like to throw in some easy shrugs…

When doing these you can hit the triceps by bending the elbows back.

Here I am cleaning the bells …

…and in the rack

I live in Auckland New Zealand. A city of 1.5 million. Probably I will leave soon as the economy is getting worse.
Today I went on my usual weight vest route. I walk down to the water front, past the ports to Tamaki Drive.

From there I will often take a 3-5 or even 6 hour hike along the water front.

Here is the view outside my apartment block. That’s Queen street – main street Auckland.

Here’s me in my 18 kg weight vest setting off on a short 90 minute hike.

A view of downtown Auckland.

It normally takes an hour to walk to this spot and I consider it usually to be the “start” – either of a run to the beach way around the bays or a long grueling weight vest hike. My vest hikes I usually begin at 4 or 5 am when there is nobody around and it is cooler.

As you can see there are thousands of rocks and boulders down here – often I will do a stone lifting session.

A 90 minute hike is fairly painless. Generally the pain & fatigue kick in around the 3 hour mark. Anything over that like 5-6 hours is hell. I dont take breaks longer that 10-15 minutes on my hikes. Always with a minimum 40 lb vest.

This year I am getting into “Iron Wire” as well as the Iron crotch

Iron wire is in reference to the tendons & sinews. It is also called Iron Thread. The Japanese Okinawan’s started doing it also and its known as Sanchin Kata in Karate & the Japanese Pangai Noon Karate is actually Chinese Boxing as the originator learned it in China & returned to Okinawa to teach it further there.

Iron wire & Sanchin are similar – the set is performed under full body isometric tension. There is an emphasis on breathing patterns and withstanding striking in the stances of the set – in this way it is related to Iron Shirt also.

Because it is dynamic moving exercise performed under full muscular tension it develops tendon strength.

I already do Iron palm & iron arm daily. Now I will add the forms for Iron body, Sanchin & Iron Thread along with the Iron Shirt massage & beating. I also intend to begin Iron Crotch this year.

Well I had seven days in the mountains. A truly beautiful land. The pictures are pretty much what it is like there in Queenstown. I climbed Ben Lomond from the lake to the top of the tree line and hid my tent as its against the rules to camp up there. My goal was to escape all humanity except my own for a few days so I had to bend the rules a little.

After the first night I was discovered by two local Kea’s at 5am. They have a reputation for destroying packs & tents and I had to go down for supplies so I was a little concerned. Luckily they left my pack unscathed upon my return. Carrying the 40 lb pack up the mountain was quite strenuous. The next day was very hot and by days end I had found a new & more secure tent site hidden by fir tree’s. I also had mild heat stroke, was exhausted after two days climbing and came down with diarrhea in the evening.

The next day rain was forecast so I rested with a crook belly and more diarrhea. I did recover from my previous two days exertion and went to get some food & med’s the next day in town. I also had a sore throat most nights and the place was swarming with blow flies. Apart from these things it was heaven. The birds sang me a beautiful serenade to awaken and fall asleep to, the sound of the wind in the trees drowned out the distraction of humanity as faint as it was in the town below.

The rest of the days I was fit and well. I climbed near to the summit of Ben Lomond but did not go quite to the top as I was perturbed by the large number of other hikers up there on that day. It was a very easy climb from above the tree line but the climb through the forest was strenuous involving rocky cliffs & steep paths all of the way to a 500m altitude above the lake.

Each night I lay in my tent with scenes of the beautiful mountains replaying through my mind. This triggered my subconscious to open my minds eye and mental screen. It was almost perfection. Perhaps a little further from civilization and human influence next time, my imagination may be freed.

I think I will have Queenstown fever soon – take a look at this video…

Click through here for my best pictures montaged: http://freefitnessguru.com/images/range_montage13.jpeg