Fat Burning Workouts – The Place to BLAST the FAT – Get Lean, Fit & Mean

Changing it up a little bit with the workout of the week. All though I love kettlebells, I also love working out with dumbbells and body-weight exercises. So because of this I thought that I would change it up for a couple of weeks and below is what I will hit up on Monday & Wednesday of this week. I will fill it in with a visit to the track at the park on Tuesday for running and Thursday for sandbag walks and sprints. This will be followed up Friday with an MMA workout.

Monday’s Rapid Fire Dumbbell Workout:
Each round is done with no rest in between exercises. When you complete a round take a 1 – 2 minute rest.
Shoot for at least 2 rounds. If you can only do 1 round don’t worry you will get better. If you can put in 3 rounds that is great. If it feels easy cut your rest in between rounds.

You will also notice that I mix the sets up each time through. This just keeps things fresh and throws in a little bit of muscle confusion. You won’t get stale with your Rapid Fire routines if you do this too.

Songs of the day:
Mysterious Ways – U2
Won’t Get Fooled Again – The Who

——————————————————–
Round 1
—————————————-
Dumbbell Squat
20 x 40lb Dbells

Push-ups
25

Dumbbell Lunge
12 each side x 40lb Dbells

Dumbbell Bent Rows
12 x 60lbs each side

Dumbbell Crunch
20 x 30lbs

Box Step-ups
20 – 10 each side

Dumbbell Bench Press
12 x 60lb DBells

Round 2
—————————————-
Push-ups
20

Dumbbell Squat
20 x 40lb Dbells

Dumbbell Bent Rows
12 x 60lbs each side

Dumbbell Lunge
12 each side x 40lb Dbells

Dumbbell Crunch
20 x 30lbs

Dumbbell Bench Press
12 x 60lbs

Box Step-ups
10 each side

Round 3
—————————————-
Dumbbell Bench Press
12 x 60lbs

Dumbbell Step-ups
10 each side

Dumbbell Crunch
20 x 30lbs

Dumbbell Bent Rows
12 60lbs each side

Dumbbell Lunge
10 each side x 40lb DBells

Push-ups
15

Dumbbell Squat
15 x 40lb DBells

A couple of years ago I was doing MMA workouts and some BJJ & Grappling at a dojo in Gainesville. An injury, broken tooth inside of my gum forced me out for a while as some serious work had to be done. I used to leave soaking wet and really dropped some weight when I was mixing the MMA stuff in 2 days a week. Plus I think that it just helped my overall conditioning.

I found a program online by Eric Wong an MMA conditioning coach in Canada.

It is called MMA Ripped – You can check it out here!

It is a great program but I missed workout out with people and the actual sparring part.

Earlier this year I went to go back because I missed the workouts and when I got to the dojo it was gone. That’s right closed down, you talk about a bummer. So I went on the hunt for another one in the Gainesville area that was not to far a drive. I found one in Gville run by F2 Fight Team which is a great group but I couldn’t fit them into my schedule because they roll later at night.

Well yesterday I found one close to home on my schedule, so if you are in the Williston area check out Williston Tae Kwon Do and ask for ty Fogey. They just recently started running an MMA program. I went last Friday and took a roll.
It had been a long while so I was definitely rusty and also realized two things. How great the conditioning is and how much that I missed it. It has been too long and it felt great.

So we are rolling once again.

Tonight is UFC night at the local sports bar and that is always fun.

When I post up workouts and tips here the blog is connected to my Facebook page and I get a lot of questions asking what a kettlebell is. I figured that I would post something up and found this on wikipedia.

What is a kettlebell?
The kettlebell or girya (Russian: ????) is a cast iron weight looking somewhat like a cannonball with a handle. Many companies produce their own brands of kettlebells and kettlebell exercise programs. Some modern kettlebells feature adjustable weights or are rubber coated to improve safety for floors.

While today, there are sizes that range from 5 lbs to 175 lbs, the traditional Russian kettlebell is usually one which weighs 1 Pood (roughly 16kg / 35lbs).

Unlike traditional dumbbells, the kettlebell’s center of mass is extended beyond the hand, similar to a Clubbell’s. This allows for swing movements not possible with traditional dumbbells. Because more muscle groups are utilized in the swinging and movement of a kettlebell than during the lifting of dumbbells, a kettlebell workout is said to be more effective, and yields better results in less time.

Because the center of mass on a kettlebell “swings”, micro-muscles are needed to balance a kettlebell, more so than a dumbbell. The existence of a handle allows for “release moves” which are not available to a dumbbell.

Had a pretty good weekend this past weekend. Saturday Jackie and I went and checked out the WEC – Faber vs. Aldo fights at Beef’s. Yes that it is our hang out. We are always hitting it up for UFC night.
Most of the fights on the card were pretty good but Faber was a let down. He was just out matched by Aldo.

So it’s Monday and that means hit the week swinging. So I get home watch PTI, can miss that and head outside in the Florida sunshine for swing-time.

Song of the day:
It’s Not My Time – 3 Doors Down

Monday’s Workout:
————————————-
Push-ups – 25 (no rest)
Chin-ups – 5 (no rest)
Around the Worlds – 20 each way (no rest)
Halos – 2 0 each way (60 seconds rest)

2 Hand Swings / with 1 snatch added each side.
30 (30 seconds res)
30 (30 seconds res)
30 (30 seconds res)
30 (30 seconds res)
30 (30 seconds res)
30 (60 seconds res)

1 Arm Alternating Swings
20 each (20 seconds rest)
20 each (20 seconds rest)

2 Hand Swings
20 each (20 seconds rest)
20 each (20 seconds rest)

1 Arm Push Press
10 each side (no rest)
8 each side (done)

Check this out. Missy Beaver RKC teaching Regis & Kelly kettlebells HARD STYLE. Notice the difference between her and the horrible form the Jillian Michaels teaches. That is the difference between knowing proper form and thinking that you know.
Missy is using perfect form.

Quick and to the point. Thursday’s workout was all about rebuilding the foundation.

You will see that I hit things quick and hard. Keep it simple with 340 reps, including warm up.

I got a few emails about rebuilding the foundation, asking when do you know that you have a good one in place. Well I am looking at it like this. The next couple of weeks are swing only with a couple of extras tossed in at the end. I am mainly looking to keep advancing from 300 reps to 500 reps, to 750 and then 1000 reps. These will be swings, either 2 hand or 1 hand.

After I reach 1000 a believe that the foundation will be complete. Then I will be looking to build the walls. That will be shooting for a goal consisting of sets of 100 instead or 30 or 50. When I can knock out sets consisting of 5 x 100 & then 10 x 100 it will be time to move on to more advanced things.

Look for more concrete to be laid.

Song of the day:
Bad Girlfriend – Theory of A Deadman

Around the Worlds
20 each direction

Halos
20 each direction

2 Hand Swings (300 Total)
30 – (30 seconds rest)
30 – (30 seconds rest)
30 – (30 seconds rest)
30 – (30 seconds rest)
30 – (30 seconds rest)
30 – (30 seconds rest)
30 – (30 seconds rest)
30 – (30 seconds rest)
30 – (30 seconds rest)
30 – (Done)

You know I felt the best when I was doing kettlebells on a regular basis. I got away from them to put on size and gain more strength. While that worked, I neglected cardio or intervals and actually got heavier and not with muscle. After last weeks trip to the ER I decided to look at things a bit and restructure my workouts.

I decided that I would go back to the iron balls and see where it takes me. That’s right, I am going to spend the next couple of months hitting the kettlebells and working with sandbags. I will also be doing some interval sprints with body weight work.

Do get back with things we have to rebuild the foundation. Yes, it obviously has some cracks in it and needs to be redone. So buy rebuilding the foundation I mean swings and more swings. That’s right, the kettlebell foundation is based on swings. Mainly the 2 hand swing and let me tell you they are effective.

So that is what we are going to do, spend the next two weeks laying the concrete and rebuilding the foundation. Swing, swing, and more swings. I will being a lot of swings with less than 60 seconds rest in between sets.

Tuesdays Workout:

Song of the day:
I Hate My Life – Theory of A Deadman

Aournds
20 each direction

Halos
15 each direction

2 Hand Swings
30 (30 seconds rest)

Alternating 1 Arm Swings
30 – 15 each (30 seconds rest)

2 Hand Swings
30 (30 seconds rest)

Alternating 1 Arm Swings
30 – 15 each (30 seconds rest)

2 Hand Swings
30 (30 seconds rest)
30 (30 seconds rest)

Alternating 1 Arm Swings
20 – 10 each (no rest)

Alternating 1 Arm Swings with Snatch
10 -5 each side (60 seconds rest)

1 Arm Push Press
12 each side (30 seconds rest)
10 each side (Done)

OK, you know that I pretty much share everything here with you. I have posted about my surgeries, fun stuff and not so fun stuff so I will fill you in on last week. Monday I had a good workout and felt great, but on Tuesday the feeling wasn’t really the same. The morning wasn’t so bad but by mid afternoon things started to change up on me. While I was sitting at my desk I noticed a tingle in my face and lower left on the left side. My lips actually felt like they were tingling and my left eye felt like it was going to explode out of the eye socket.

While I was at home I took my blood pressure and it was 163/98 in both arms. That was the first time that my blood pressure was ever that high. I waited a couple of minutes and told my girlfriend Jackie that I think we needed to go to the ER. While Jackie was driving me to the ER I felt like crap. There was a pain in between my left shoulder and heart, the tingling sensations were getting worse but they had changed up a little bit. They would come real strong, then fade out and then come back again. I was starting to worry a little bit.

When we got to the ER I filled out the paper and sat down. Now I was feeling a little dizzy and tired. There were about 13 people in the ER waiting to be seen, so it was crowded and I wondered how long I would be sitting there. About 5 minutes passed (which seemed like 30), and I was called in for triage. The ER tech hooked me up to an EKG machine to do an EKQ and then had me sit down with another tech to take my blood pressure. Before she got the BP cuff on me he came back with the EKG with SEE NOW!!!! written on it. No you can imagine how I was feeling, it was like WHAT THE F***!!!!
.

They moved me back to the ER and got me in the bed and the fun began. IV in my right arm, blood pressure taken, which by now was 179/103, blood taken from my left arm and another EKQ. The only good thing was that my pulse was good. Then they gave me a shot in my stomach ( a blood thinner), a pill to reduce my blood pressure, I was sent for a cat scan and had a tech checking me every 2-5 minutes. Now during all of this my girlfriend Jackie was still out in the waiting room because they did not tell her that they moved me back. After about 40 minutes she came back crying saying how worried that she was.

When it was determined that I wasn’t having a heart attack or major stroke they started to look at the possibility of a mini stroke. I was admitted to the hospital and was not aloud to eat.

Things calmed down pretty much after it was realized that I was in no immediate danger of kicking the bucket and I was moved up to a room for the night. Now up in the room, I CRASHED and fell asleep, but about every two hours someone came and woke up. Take my vitals, take my blood, give me an aspirin, do an EKQ and god knows what else. At about 7:00 I woke up HUNGRY but wasn’t aloud to eat because my regular doctor had come in and ordered a bunch of test and one of them, a stress test had to be on an empty stomach.

I woke up and was greeted with a shot in the stomach. OUCH!! The stress test was scheduled for 10:00AM but guess what? That didn’t happen. Nope, was sent for an MRI and after I came back from that was supposed to take the stress test but that got pushed back to later so that I could have a sonogram of each of my heart. After that was finished I was hungry and still not aloud to eat.

While waiting for the stress test I was given another EKQ and told that I was hypertensive along with high cholesterol levels. So I was going to be placed on medication. I HATE MEDICATION! Guess what? Still no stress test; did I say that I was HUNGRY? OK, I know people in poor countries go days with out eating so I shouldn’t complain. But when are used to stuffing something in your mouth every 2-3 hours you start to feel it. I can only imagine how those people feel.

In between all this my doctor came back and said that they did not think that I had a mini-stroke. They believe that I had what is called a complex migraine that gave me stroke like symptoms. HUH?

Finally at 3:00PM they came and got me for the stress test. The first thing that I asked when I got down there was “Can I eat?” The doctor said that he would order me a meal and I would get it when I got back up to my room.

The whole stress test took about an hour and that was followed by a sonogram of my carotid arteries. I headed back up to my room and clicked on Sports Nation. Hey anything with Michelle Beadle in it will make the blood better.

Guess what? FOOD! That’s right, I got a meal. Baked chicken, spinach with light mac & cheese (what ever that is). Hey I ate it and it was good. After I finished the nurse came in and said that I good go home. That all of the test had came back OK and I could hit the road. Still I left knowing that I had to make some serious changes to my diet. I just have not been good enough with it and that is effecting how I feel, my blood pressure and cholesterol.

So the scare was over and I was home. I was told to take it easy a couple of days and started working on a new workout plan and nutrition plan as well, so stay tuned as we put it all into gear next week and see how things go. Of course I have a follow up visit scheduled for the doctor, so I will keep everyone posted.

I want to get off of the medication.

Pavel talks about Hard Style.

Here is a great video by Fit Melissa on her Kettlebell Right of Passage

Check out her Kettlebell Blog