Tag Archives: training

Household Fitness Challenge

When we were kids, we didn’t exercise. We played. We ran around chasing our friends, playing tag, going across the monkey bars. We had contests to see who could jump the highest, run the fastest. We got on our bikes and rode around the neighborhood, not because we were trying to lose weight, but because it was fun.

The reason why climbing and kettlebells have stuck with me is because they’re just plain fun. Yeah, they both present challenges, and they’ve gotten me into the best shape of my life, but I wouldn’t have stuck with them in the first place if they were monotonous or just something I knew was good for me.

Our pullup tally. Lookin’ good!

See the chart on the right? That’s a pullup tally for Seth and me. Every time either of us does a pullup, we make a mark on the tally sheet. Together, as a team, we’re seeing how long it takes us to get to 3000. Fun, right? We started on Dec. 5, and as of the writing of this post, we’re at 935.

Why 3000? I have no idea. It’s just the number we came up with. It’s high enough to keep us interested for a while, but not so high that it doesn’t feel attainable.

Here’s why I’m loving our household fitness challenge:

There’s a lot of motivation in doing the challenge together. We have a common goal, so we cheer each other on and get excited about our progress. It’s a great boost for morale, and not bad for our relationship, either.
Since our pullup abilities are not equal, working as a team has eliminated feelings of inequality. We’re both contributing towards the same goal, so it doesn’t matter that he’s able to put in twice as many pullups as I can. No biggie. What matters is that we’re doing pullups!
There’s something really rewarding about ticking off tally marks and watching them grow each day.
It’s healthier than an ice-cream challenge

Just doing a few pullups as I walk by

You can do a team fitness challenge, too! Just find a partner, or partners, and choose a goal. Make it something specific and measurable such as number of pushups, miles run, burpees, rows, whatever. Make a tally sheet, shake on it, and go! It’s fun. You’ll probably think so, too. And if you decide to do one, let me know in the comments. I’ll cheer you on.

December Hibernation

3000 Pullups

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The tally. Page 1.

3,000 pullups. That is our goal.

Now that I’ve joined the team of people who *can* do pullups, Seth and I have set a little challenge for ourselves. Together, we are working to rack up 3,000 pullups.

The number came about sort of randomly; at the time my max was 2 reps and his was 4, so he was going to do 2000, and I’d aim for 1000. Instead, we decided to squish it all together and work as a team for the full 3000. As you can see, he’s far ahead of me right now, but he did a full workout with pullups and squats yesterday, whereas I went to kettlebells and had only a few left in me when I got home.

We’re going to be pullup champions when this is done.

Pull-Up Progressions by Ron

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Woooo!

Well, it’s happened. I have finally successfully completed my first strict, tactical pull-up! And my second one, and my third!

If you know me, you know that this has been a long time coming. It was well over a year ago when I made this a goal for myself. Why did it take so long? I was impatient. I would work on it for a while, get frustrated, stop. Then I’d get inspired again and work on it some more, get frustrated, etc. etc.

I spoke with Ron, one of my kettlebells instructors, about this goal. He gave me a progression to work with, and it didn’t involve a band (which is good, because I use a hangboard instead of a bar). The progressions worked. The key to getting the progressions to work, however, is patience, which I lacked. But eventually I adopted the attitude that I would just do a little work each day, working from wherever I was, and before I knew it, I was there. As Ron says, there are no shortcuts.

Below you will find the progressions I used. It’s important to give each step its due diligence before moving on to the next. Patience and consistency in practice. Slow and steady, the turtle and all that. Continue reading →

Kettlebells in the Park

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We didn’t make it to our regular Tuesday evening kettlebells class last night. So, Seth and I grabbed the bells we have at the house and walked over to the neighborhood park for our own workout.

I’ve always loved the *idea* of swinging outside, and doing my own workout, but I’ve avoided it because I was self-conscious. Turns out, nobody really cared. We found our own little spot and weren’t bothered by anyone. And we got to enjoy the beautiful fall evening while we were at it. Continue reading →

Finding My Inner Athlete

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One of the main proponents of “Hardstyle” Russian Kettlebells is that strength is a skill. It’s more than just building strong muscles, it’s learning how to coordinate those muscles to do that press, that squat, that pull-up, etc. Strength is a skill. It can be learned.

I am reminded of an article I read recently in Psychology Today titled “The Trouble With Bright Girls.” It was an interesting read. I’m not sure I agree with all of it, but the part that really struck me was this:

… bright girls believe that their abilities are innate and unchangeable, while bright boys believe that they can develop ability through effort and practice.

As a former ‘bright girl,’ I was used to many things being easy for me. I was good at school, especially math and science. I was a good musician. These things came easily for me, so I pursued them. On the other hand, I wasn’t good at history or geography. I wasn’t a great reader. And I definitely believed that I was innately good at some things and not others, and accepted that that’s just the way things were. Continue reading →

Videotape Yourself Climbing

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A few years ago, my friend and awesome climbing partner, Zack, brought his camera to the climbing gym and took some video. He set it up in the corner and filmed us climbing a few routes. I teased him for it.

Then, I watched the videos and realized what a great tool they were! Especially as a beginning climber, I was able to learn a lot from watching myself.

Reasons why watching yourself climb is helpful: Continue reading →

Busting Through Plateaus

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By Henning Schlottmann (User:H-stt) (Own work) [CC-BY-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Plateaus. Anyone who has tried to improve at anything knows them well. I became very familiar with the cycle of improvement and plateaus when I was studying to be a classical musician. Now, in the world of fitness, kettlebells, and climbing, I’m becoming reacquainted with that cycle.

At first, plateaus are frustrating, because they usually follow a period of noticeable improvement. Comparatively, staying at a steady level feels a lot like regressing. After the initial frustration phase, though, I usually settle into it. I know where I am and what to expect.

I get pretty comfortable in my plateaus. Trying to progress doesn’t do much good, so I operate at that level for a while and work on refining my skills,being the best I can be at my current level. Continue reading →

Staying Healthy when Life Gets Weird

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The blog’s been a bit quieter than usual lately. Mostly because I’ve been quieter than usual in general. I’m in the midst of a nine-month stint of overnight shifts, and my usual hermit tendencies have been amplified as a result. Numerous studies have been done on the physical effects of working at night and sleeping during the day. In addition to affecting amount and quality of sleep, it affects hormone production and very basic things about the way the body functions.

In response, I’ve been making a very conscious effort to maintain my health physically and mentally. This is always important, no matter what my situation is, but when there’s an extra item in the negative column working against me, it seems even more so.

So, here’s what I’ve been focusing on:

Continue reading →

Why I Train

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Every day we are bombarded with messages that exercise is about looking good. In magazines, commercials, etc. Get flatter abs, sexier legs, rockstar arms, a killer butt. Just by doing [enter specific exercise here]. It’s not about fitness, it’s about having the perfect body. Whatever that means.

A healthy body lets me see places like this (Upper Yosemite Falls Trail)

The perfect body is an illusion. No matter what you do, someone’s going to think you’re too fat, too skinny, too short, too tall, too muscular, etc. etc. That’s the world we live in. The perfect body doesn’t exist. So why spend energy chasing after it?

I don’t train to look good, or to gain some elusive perfect body. I train for fitness.

I train to be prepared for whatever comes my way, at any time.
I train to keep my body healthy.
I train because it makes me feel good.
I train for good mental health.
I train because I love feeling strong.
I train to be ready for adventure!

I only have one body, and it makes sense to me to keep it in the best working order I can, so that it stays functional for a long time to come. I want to be ready for anything, and not have my fitness level be a limitation.It’s been eight months since I began training with kettlebells. In that short time, I’m in the best cardiovascular shape I’ve ever been in, and my body feels healthy and strong. The way that I feel is the best motivation I can think of for keeping it up.

I’m training for fitness, not looks. A healthy body will look good no matter what shape it is.