Daily RAW: 2013 in Review & What's Ahead for 2014

Greetings RAW Warriors,

As 2013 winds down, 2014 is something to gear up for.

I look back at 2013 and what programs helped me perform better. Here is how it went:

I started off with doing the KB Swings Challenge I did for "Just Swing It!", plus doing the Home Workout Revolution program from Craig Ballantyne. I then transitioned into my track kids' daily routines and still got after some HWR workouts. As summer racing season came about, it was more HWR and track routines. When school began, it was a combo of running, cycling, and kettlebell challenges with Just Clean It!, a month of KB cleans, plus the Long Cycle Challenge and KBXL's plan. 

Through it all, HWR was quite a staple for me. The workouts are short and sweet and could be picked to meet your needs quite easily. Take a serious look at HWR here.

For KB challenges for every desire from Swings to Cleans and Long Cycle, grab your Kindle copy here. KBXL was just launched and has quite a few phases that work as great workout plans by themselves to help you plan out future, self designed challenges. KBXL is only $2.99 while many other guides are only 99¢ each.

2014 looks like a great year to amp up my racing to a higher level and get back to where I was a few years ago as a runner. Kettle bells have really helped me bounce back to where I want to be as an athlete.

Best of luck to you in 2014!

Lift. Dominate. Repeat.
Rats Alley Barbell Club
Coach Rick Karboviak

Daily RAW: RABC Week 1 Workouts, KBXL Launched!

Greetings RAW Warriors,

Here are some Week 1 Workouts for this week of the RABC Plan, to help get you going on 2014's goals.

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Week 1, Day 1

Deadlifts: 3 x 5
Bench Press: 3 x 5

Pulldowns: 3 x 8
All-Star Sit-Ups: 3 x 5 per side

3 Minute Warning: 20/10 x 2 each exercise
Lunges
Mountain Climbers
Total Body Extensions

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Week 1, Day 2

Deadlifts: 3 x 5
Bench Press: 3 x 5

Bent Over Rows: 3 x 8
Windmills: 3 x 5 per side

3 Minute Warning: 20/10 x 2 each exercise
Lunges, Push-Ups, Total Body Extensions

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Week 1, Day 3

Deadlifts: 3 x 5
Bench Press: 3 x 5

Pulldowns: 3 x 10
All Star Sit Ups: 3 x 5 per side

2 Minute Warning: 20/10 x 2 per exercise
Mountain Climbers
Total Body Extensions
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KBXL is Launched!

To help you gear up for 2014's goals, I have launched Kettlebell XL, An Accelerated 90 Day Swings Challenge, on Kindle!  Instead of just a 30 day, 10K Swings challenge, this is a 90 Day, 30K Swings Challenge, planned out with over 48 workouts to do in the course of 90 days.

Just 4 workouts a week on average per phase is all it takes. 

Inside KBXL, you will also get the Long Cycle Challenge, a 30 day routine I did with the Long Cycle (Clean & Jerk) exercise.  The Long Cycle Challenge was done in conjunction with some running workouts and races, to show you how it could be combined with a basic routine of exercise already.

Read more about KBXL here:

If you aren't up to the 90 Day Challenge, don't worry: KBXL has a unique structure where each 3 week phase could be converted into a 4-week phase for a 30 Day Challenge, all on its own. If 5,000 is more realistic for you, then KBXL gives you a 12 workout plan for that. 7,500? You will get 2 different plans from KBXL. If 10,000 is more to your liking, then you can get a 12 workout plan to do for a 4 week phase with the 10K phase's plan.

Give KBXL a shot in 2014 here:

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Lift. Dominate. Repeat.
Rats Alley Barbell Club
Coach Rick Karboviak

Merry Christmas!

Greetings everyone,

I just wanted to wish you a Very Merry Christmas today. Thank you for the support this past year and I hope when you look back, it was a great one for you. I hoped the guides and posts from this blog helped you make it great!

Merry Christmas!

Coach Rick Karboviak
Rats Alley Barbell Club

Daily RAW: The 'Zero Zone' time of year

Greetings RAW Warriors,

It seems this time of year is filled with holiday parties and other festivities. For me, its concerts and basketball games at the HS level. I have been in between my elementary coaching season and JH season, shuffling kids to and from practices and games for our school. There usually isn't much time for an extended workout (let alone factoring in snow removal in recent days too).  I typically use this time as a maintenance time of workouts due to a hectic schedule that can change in a matter of hours some days.

I call this a Week Zero time, where each week isn't a part of a plan, but mainly a focus on maintaining what you have.

In previous posts I have covered some Week Zero workouts for this purpose. I also use it as a time to read up on nutrition or new programs out there.

Right now, Craig Ballantyne has a $9 special on his Turbulence Training guide, Build Muscle, Lose Fat 2.0. Grab your downloadable copy HERE:

I also got a new book on gluten free dieting for athletes, called the Gluten Free Edge. Its only #2.51 on Amazon Kindle Store, so look into that book if you are curious on the effects of gluten on athletes. It has been very eye opening and I am only a few chapters into it.

As far as workouts go, there are plenty of workouts in my guides and on the blog here. I would suggest checking out the most read blog posts, listed below at the bottom of this blog.

KBXL is still in the draft process, but looking really well in its first stages. There will be a host of options from the main plan provided in KBXL.

That is all for now.  Here is a quick routine for only 8 minutes with a KB and your bodyweight.

20/10 work/rest pattern used - 2 minutes each exercise
KB Swings x 4 rounds of 20/10
Pushups x 4 rounds
BW Lunges x 4 rounds
All Star Sit Ups x 2 rounds, each side gets two rounds in. Alternate sides per round.

It starts with a KB and finish's with one.  Add in one more 2 minute round of Swings if you want an even 10 minute routine.

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Lift. Dominate. Repeat.
Rats Alley Barbell Club
Coach Rick Karboviak

KBXL Update

Greetings RAW Warriors,

No Daily Rats Alley Workouts today, just an update on KBXL:

The framework of my new guide, Kettlebell XL, or KBXL for short, is in place.  There will not only be a 90 Day Kettlebell Swing Challenge program in it, but also a bonus 30 Day Long Cycle Challenge in there as well.

KBXL is one of my first programs to really outline a periodized structure applied to a kettlebell swing challenge, giving you not just a set number to attain at the end any way, shape, or how.... but a carefully plotted out plan to follow, for 4 workouts a week and set volumes to attain in each workout day.

A sneak peek of this plan, at least Phase 1, is in my free report from a while back at http://occupyfirstplace.com/OFP5KS.pdf

In that free report, the 5000 Swings goal is spread out over 3 workouts a week in 4 weeks of time.

This time in KBXL, the first phase of 5000 Swings is 4 workouts a week over 3 weeks, a little more condensed.

If you've made it through the Just Swing It! Challenge of 10K in 30 Days (or 24K in 2 months as I did), then you should love the planned out programs provided in KBXL!

Its not completely finished yet, but its in the process and will most certainly be done by the end of the year, just in time perhaps before New Year's. 

My goal? Launch it after Christmas or even slightly before then, so you have some holiday reading and planning to do.

That's all for now. 

Keep lifting merrily and happily.

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Lift. Dominate. Repeat.
Rats Alley Barbell Club
Coach Rick Karboviak

Daily RAW's for Week 4 of RABC

Greetings RAW Warriors,

It looks like another crazy week ahead, so here are the 3 days' worth of routines for MWF for Week 4 of the RABC Plan.

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RABC Week 4: 5 x 3
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Day 1:
Deadlifts: 5 x 3
Bench Press: 5 x 3

Pulldowns: 4 x 8
Windmills: 4 x 5 each side

3 Minute Warning: 20/10 x 2 each exercise
Squats
Burpees
Total Body Extensions
----------------

Day 2:
Deadlifts: 5 x 3
Bench Press: 5 x 3

Bent Over Rows, 1 Arm: 4 x 8 each side
All Star Sit Ups: 3 x 5 each side

3 Minute Warning: 20/10 x 2 each exercise
Lunges
Push-Ups
Total Body Extensions

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Day 3:
Deadlifts: 5 x 3
Bench Press: 5 x 3

Swings: 2 rounds of 100 Swings, alternating every 10 with each arm

3 Minute Warning: 20/10 x 2 each exercise
Mountain Climbers
Lunges
Burpees

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KBXL Update:  I am going to finish up the KBXL Challenge Guide, aiming before the end of the month, so that its ready to go by January 1st. 

Until then, if you are planning for a 2014 Challenge and want to give the annual 10,000 Swings Challenge a try (its very popular to do amongst us kettlebell addicts), "Just Swing It!" covers last January & February's workouts that I did. 

KBXL will cover 30,000 Swings over 3 months (not just 3, 10K swing months in a row... its periodized to build up in 3 week phases). JSI covers 24,000 Swings done over the course of 2 months. 

JSI has risen to the top of my guide list and has been perched at #1 for quite a few months now, and I believe its due to the rising popularity of the 10K Swings Challenge.  Everyone from home workout fans to Crossfit folks are taking it on. 

If you haven't grabbed your copy yet for your Kindle (exclusive only to Kindle!), grab it here: http://occupyfirstplace.com or at http://tinyurl.com/rkofp

2014 is looking to be another great year for this blog and the guides I create for you, the readers.  Thank you for your support this year, I look forward to producing more stuff in 2014 to assist you with your performance goals!

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Lift. Dominate. Repeat.
Rats Alley Barbell Club
Coach Rick Karboviak

Daily RAW: Injured? Rest! And maybe use KB's.

Greetings RAW Warriors,

In the past, I have been hit with injuries. Some I can work around and rest up, while others can take much longer to fix and recover from.

Some are minor, and these may take anywhere from a day or two of rest to a good week. Others are more serious and need medical attention. I once had two back to back ones, the first being a plantar fascia issue, then a work injury affected my nerve and caused tingling for many months. It was a long process to wait out, but worth it. It turned me towards the direction of using kettlebell ballistic exercises, such as swings, cleans, and snatches. These exercises can be a great replacement mode of exercise when running is forced to be an absent part of your routine.

I know that running and lifting rarely go together like chocolate and peanut butter do, but its worth doing together. Most runners think that more miles are the solution, while lifters mostly scoff at the thought of running a mile.

My answer to blending the two are to bridge the gap with kettlebells. You get the benefits of lifting plus some cardio boost from it. If you are sidelined from running, the kettlebells give you cardio power plus allow you to lift to your hearts desire.

KettleBolics is a guide that I made to help blend the two for running purposes. It is a part of my "Just The Workouts" guide at http://tinyurl.com/rkofp.

When you get injured, look to kettlebells to fix some issues and help you find a solution.

Lift. Dominate. Repeat.
Rats Alley Barbell Club
Coach Rick Karboviak
Occupyfirstplace.com

Daily RAW's: M-W-F Workouts

Greetings RAW Warriors,

It's going to be pretty thin this week for blog posts, so I'm putting up all 3 in one post today. 

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Week 3, Day 1 - 10/8/6/4

Deadlifts: 10/8/6/4
Bench Press: 10/8/6/4

Pulldowns: 4 x 8
Windmills: 4 x 5 per side

3 Minute Warning:
Pushups
Burpees
Total Body Extensions

----------------------

Week 3, Day 2 - 10/8/6/4

Deadlifts: 10/8/6/4
Bench Press: 10/8/6/4

Bent Over Rows: 4 x 8
All Star Sit Ups: 4 x 5 per side65

3 Minute Warning:
Pushups
Mountain Climbers
Jumping Jacks

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Week 3, Day 3 - 10/8/6/4

Deadlifts: 10/8/6/4
Bench Press: 10/8/6/4

KB Swings: 5 sets x 1 minute each (approx. 150 reps, 30 in a minute)

3 Minute Warning: 20/10 each
Pushups
Burpees
Planks
Mountain Climbers
Lunges
Total Body Extensions

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Sorry for a limited week, but its just looking pretty busy and I'm not sure what its going to bring for me to post semi-daily. 

I have been reading and just finished a great book, the "5-3-1" program from Jim Wendler of EFTS, or the "Westside" system as its known as.

I've always been intrigued by the Westside style ever since I lived in Columbus, OH and learned about them.  I never made a visit but have ready plenty on them.  Overall, its a great read if you're into this barbell stuff. :)

I get nothing for posting this link, just wanted to offer it for your interest:
http://amzn.com/B00AJ8CIQM

I read it on my Kindle and its got plenty of program options and some no-nonsense dieting stuff, too.

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Lift. Dominate. Repeat.
Coach Rick Karboviak
Rats Alley Barbell Club
http://tinyurl.com/rkofp

Daily RAW: RABC Week 1, Day 3, Countdown Deal on JTTW

Greetings RAW Warriors,

Today's Rats Alley Workout is for Week 1 of the RABC plan, Day 3.

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Deadlifts: 3 x 5
Bench Press: 3 x 5

Swings: 20/10 x 16 - 8 minutes of Swings using the 20/10 work/rest pattern

3 Minute Warning: 20/10 each
Push-Ups
Burpees
Plank
Mountain Climbers
Lunges
Total Body Extensions

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I have a Kindle Countdown Deal going for my "Just The Track Workouts" guide.  This guide is a combo of all my past track/running workout guides, all in a 'just the workouts' mode of being trimmed down a bit to showcase mainly the workouts of all 5 guides.

Today, you can get this regularly priced $4.99 guide for only 99 cents!

http://amzn.com/B00GG3BZ0Y

It's 81 Days Til Track Season in this neck of the woods, so start planning something out! 5K season will be upon you before you know it, too!

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Lift. Dominate. Repeat.
Rats Alley Barbell Club
Coach Rick Karboviak

Daily RAW: RABC Week 1, Day 2

Greetings RAW Warriors,

Today's Rats Alley Workout is from Week 1, Day 2 of RABC:

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Deadlifts: 3 x 5
Bench Press: 3 x 5

Bent Over Rows: 3 x 8
All Star Sit Ups: 3 x 5 per side

2 Minute Warning:
Alternating Lunges
Push-Ups
BW Squats
Mountain Climbers

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Quick Hurdles Plus! packages are available for ordering.

A 6-Pack of hurdles is $39, a 12-Pack is $69.  All orders are via Paypal and will get shipped out free of charge to you, in the USA only, via USPS Priority Mail. 

With each 6-Pack you get 6 hurdles that convert to 6 cone markers and a Speed Snake device.

 Its like a Lego kit for Speed Training.

See more at http://quickhurdles.com

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"Just Swing It!" is having a nice run lately in the Top 100 of 3 areas on Amazon, for Kindle books and Overall Books in some categories.  People are gearing up for January's New Years Resolutions and JSI is a part of it, especially when it comes to January being a traditional 10,000 Swings Month in the past few years.  Get a head-start on January here: http://tinyurl.com/rkofp

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Lift. Dominate. Repeat.
Rats Alley Barbell Club
Coach Rick Karboviak

Daily RAW: KBXL Phase 3, RABC Week 1, Quick Hurdles +

Greetings RAW Warriors,

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving break, mine went pretty well, I spent some time with my family and also had an early Christmas celebration with my sister, brother in law, niece & nephew.

I took a 3 day break from exercise and got back into it on Saturday afternoon with a kettlebell swing workout (#11 of Phase 3) and also today with finishing out #12 of Phase 3's plan.

I just have a 3 week phase left to go in my KBXL plan, 9 weeks done and 3 weeks to finish.  22,500 swings have been done in 9 weeks time now.  The 40# kettlebell is feeling lighter and I'm able to go for longer sets of 150-200 reps straight.  For this last phase, I may bump it to my 45# k-bell for the remaining weeks. I do have a 53# one but 45# seems like a more gradual jump I should take.

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The blog's daily workouts will finish out 2013 with 4 weeks of the RABC Program in the RABC Manual.

Week 1 is 3 sets of 5.  Let's get going:

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Deadlifts: 3 x 5
Bench Press: 3 x 5

Pulldowns: 3 x 8
Windmills: 3 x 5 each side

2 Minute Warning: 30s each
Pushups
BW Squats
Total Body Extensions
Burpees

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I've been asked recently about my 'crafty' creations of PVC hurdles from the past.  I tried selling them last year and sold a few but I think I had too much clutter with it.  I created my own invention out of them, but over time, it looked too awkward and it needed a better solution.

Realizing this and after being asked again lately to make some more,(they make a great gift!) I cut down the clutter and changed the name to "Quick Hurdles +". 

Simply put, "Quick Hurdles +", or QH+ for short, are PVC hurdles that you can store in a bag, and also convert to a cone-like marker for more training options out of your bag.

The hurdles are about 6" in height, and can be taken apart easily to create either a 6" hurdle, or a Kwick Kone marker & a "Speed Snake" hopping device with all the pieces.

All the items in one bag can make:
6, 6" hurdles, or
6, Kwick Kone markers for speed drills, and
a Speed Snake device out of the remaining parts for more drills!

Take a look at this great package of speed hurdles and cone markers that work great to take to the gym, the field, the track, and anywhere else you train, even great for a backyard workout.

It's also a very affordable option, hand-crafted by me and not by some overseas company. :) All the PVC parts are bought here and made in the USA too.

I do all the cutting & creating, so you don't have to.

http://quickhurdles.com

I have a 6 Hurdle Pack and 12 Hurdle Pack option you can choose from.

Orders can be secured over Paypal and sent out to you with free shipping on me.

Go to http://quickhurdles.com to check out what QH+ can offer you for your championship solution!
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Lift. Dominate. Repeat.
Rats Alley Barbell Club
Coach Rick Karboviak