The Power of the KB Snatch

Greetings, KB & Coffee Lovers,

Today was a brief KB Snatch workout, only 10 minutes long to do, but a great choice for brief and powerful workouts to get done.

I followed the 20/10 work/rest pattern for each side, 20 seconds got me 7 reps per set, so in all, it was 140 reps total.

I used the 35# kettlebell since it has been a long time since I did a snatch workout alone.

Snatch workouts are a great choice for total body power generation and control at the top.  To take it from the bottom of a swing, all the way above your head in a 'pull & punch' action, you need to generate some force to get the kettlebell up there safely. The stopping you must do to catch the KB just right also helps your body learn how to control forces put on your body.

Cleans and Snatches with KB's are great choices to teach your body to control an outside force. These powerful and violent actions can be tamed and controlled with good practice.  I love these two exercises for both generating power in athletes and also teaching them how to control that power.

Sports can be a series of violent, quick actions to control and its one of the reasons many athletes break down and get injured, in my opinion. The body should be trained and challenged to control and generate such actions. Kettlebells can do this in such a unique way that can easily be taught and administered.

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Coffee this morning is the BPC option, once again.

10 oz OG Royal Brewed

1 tbsp. organic butter

1 tbsp. organic coconut oil

BPC and KB's are becoming a great combo I'm loving each morning.  Get your own OG Royal Brewed or some OG Black Gold premium coffee (tastes much better than the stuff in the stores!) at my KB & Coffee Shop - http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee

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Swing & Sip!
Coach Rick

Kindle Guides on training: http://tinyurl.com/rkofp

Total Body Thursday: 4-4-4 Style

Greetings, KB & Coffee Lovers,

As I start my blogging with WrestleMania IV on WWE Network (first WM that I ever watched on video as a kid), its time to blog about my Total Body Thursday workout.

I stuck with the 20/10 work/rest format for every 4 minutes of the workout.  It was a 12 minute routine, based on the following:

4 minutes of 20/10 work/rest with KB Swings, 100 reps total.

4 minutes of 20/10 work/rest with KB Clean & Presses, 5 each side, 40 total.

4 minutes of 20/10 work/rest with Ab Rollouts, 5 per set, 40 reps total.

Swings get a good hit on the lower body and back/core, Clean & Presses get some pulling and pushing actions in, while Ab rollouts hit the core nicely to finish off a brief workout.

I do have time tonight to get in some more cardio, and I plan to ride the bike again for that.

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The Bulletproof Coffee mixture today was:

10 oz OG Caramel Vanilla
1 tbsp. organic butter
1 tbsp. organic coconut oil

I'll get one more serving of plain Caramel Vanilla before I head off to work today.

Caramel Vanilla is selling like hotcakes, as they say.  BrewKups are becoming a popular option with Organo Gold.  Get yours here: http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee

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Swing & Sip!
Coach Rick

Kindle Guides: http://tinyurl.com/rkofp

Climbing the Ladder of Swings, Kindle Guide Spotlight

Greetings, KB & Coffee Lovers,

Today was a Swings workout, but with a Ladder format to it.

Here's how it went:

35# - 50 Swings in 1:20, rest :40 (basically going every 2 minutes)
40# - 50 Swings
45# - 50 Swings
52# - 50 Swings
52# - 50 Swings
45# - 50 Swings
40# - 100 Swings to finish

Just start out light, move up in weight, come back down again.  This took approximately 15 minutes to do.

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The BPC recipe this morning was:

10 oz OG Royal Brewed

1 tbsp. organic butter

1 tbsp. coconut oil

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Kindle Guide Spotlight:

For something new, now and then I'll give a spotlight to one of my Kindle Guides.

Today, its "No More Crushers!"

NMC is a guide I made for coaches who need something at the end of practices to finish with.  Instead of doing endless sprints, I created the "2 Minute Warning" and "3 Minute Warning" drills to finish practices with for my JH and Elementary teams. 

Much like some warm-ups use drills like high knees, butt kicks and other drills to warm up the body, I felt some kind of speed/agility drills needed to be added to the end of practices to still work on those movements.  My feeling was if the body was slightly tired at the end of a practice, those drills could still offer some benefit, versus doing endless sprints. 

The 2 and 3 minute time limits also give kids a true end-point to the practice. They know its only 4 to 6 drills to do before the final part of practice is done. It also allows them to focus better instead of 'banking' their efforts for the final sprint of practice when their coach says so.

Another benefit, it also created a new mindset amongst my players when I did it: I'd have kids tell me on the bench or on a time-out with 2 to 3 minutes left that "Hey coach, its time to go, its a 2 minute warning. We gotta finish this!"

A lot of it followed my favorite pattern of 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest over the 2 and 3 minute periods. 

Check out No More Crushers here: http://tinyurl.com/rkofp

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Swing & Sip!
Coach Rick

OG Coffee: http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee

Time to Ride

Greetings,

I thought I'd try a new pattern this week and instead of KB workouts every morning, I'd mix in some bike rides between them.  Today was a day to start out with a bike ride.

I have an indoor cycle, a Bladez indoor cycle that resembles the 'spinning' bikes you see in fitness center classes. I have had it for a year now and its been a wonderful bike, with a digital readout and speedometer on it. I can go a lot faster on this bike, compared to my outdoor hybrid and mountain bikes.  Overall I can get more mileage on the indoor bikes, but I like to go with overall time as my main workout gauge.  I feel a 20 minute ride inside feels the same way as a 20 minute ride outside. One reason you can go so much faster inside is, well, due to NO WIND inside. Up here in ND, almost every day is windy here and it plays a big factor in your rides.  You can work hard as heck to maintain 15mph into a wind, and then almost fly 25mph with the wind to your back sometimes.  That makes a big difference.  One time, I went into such a strong wind that it took me almost 20 minutes to ride only 3 miles up and down some hills.  With the wind to my back on the return trip, I covered 3 miles in about 8 minutes.

I can't wait to get out on the bike soon. I know some ride outside when its this cold out, but I like to be safe on the roads when I ride as well.

For now, it was a 7 mile ride this morning, done in under 19 minutes. 

Not a bad little ride to get things started for the day.

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Bulletproof Coffee was on tap again today:

10 oz of OG Royal Brewed
1 tbsp. org. butter
1 tbsp. org. coconut oil

After my BPC, I went with another 10 oz serving of OG Royal Brewed, as I like getting 2 servings out of my BrewKups each morning.

Order some Royal Brewed today at http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee

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Swing & Sip!
Coach Rick

Kindle Guides: http://tinyurl.com/rkofp
OG Coffee: http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee

2nd Place Race, Starting off with Swings

Greetings,

The virtual race I did last weekend on the 14th had a full week until the results were tallied.  It turned out I got 2nd out of all the virtual runners who chose that method.  I was pretty happy to see that. It just gets me more excited to get out and run more in nicer weather soon.

As February finishes up, its still time to focus on doing Swings.  There may be some warmer afternoons this week, so I may get out for some runs if I am lucky.  But for now, it is still time to get in some good KB Swing workouts. 

After two days of rest and relaxation, I got 400 swings done this morning.  Here's how it went:

100 swings, rested until 3:30 was up
100 swings, rested until 7 minutes was up
200 swings, done around 12:30 for total time. 

I went with my usual 40# kettlebell. 

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It's another Bulletproof Coffee Morning -

10 oz brewed OG Caramel Vanilla
1 tbsp. organic butter
1 tbsp. organic coconut oil

The Caramel Vanilla flavor is more of a treat with this mixture.  Its better than the same old, same old every time. I'm mainly switching between Royal Brewed and CV until I run out. Then I have some good tasting Black Gold to use for my BPC.

If you're a K-cup fan of making coffee, OG is the premium way to go. http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee

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Swing & Sip!
Coach Rick

Kindle Guides: http://tinyurl.com/rkofp
Awesome OG Coffee: http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee

Ride into the weekend

Greetings,

Today's workout was minus the kettlebells and inserted into the mix was my indoor spinning bike.

The ride ended up being a 7 mile ride in 19:30 for time.  I usually get it within 19 to 20 minutes, so this was right on my average speed. 

With this crazy week of being sick and getting over a 2 week cold, a ride felt really good to do.  Its been rather cold out for a run outside, although I could have possibly went out this morning. We have had about a 30 to 40 degree swing in temps.  I think it was -25 and now its around 10-15 degrees this morning.

Nonetheless, its best to stay inside for the time being and think about going back out for some runs next week. 

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As for the morning coffee, I'm still keeping up with my Bulletproof Coffee mix.

1 BrewKup of OG Royal Brewed - 10 oz brewed
1 tbsp. organic butter
1 tbsp. organic coconut oil

I'm really loving the BrewKup options from OG.

Check out their options during this cold time of year at http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee

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Swing &Sip!
Coach Rick

Kindle Guides: http://tinyurl.com/rkofp
OG Coffee: http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee

Rest, Then Attack

Greetings,

This week has seem all jumbled up for workouts. I ended up getting the flu on early Tuesday morning, so workouts were ceased for a bit. Wednesday morning I felt better and well enough to at least get in a 12 minute Swings workout with my 40# kettlebell.

Still fighting a cold after the flu bug, I am fine with another 10 minute, total body routine with my 40# kettlebell. After all the resting, it was time to attack things again.

Today was a 4-4-2 workout:

4 minutes of 20/10 work/rest with Swings
4 minutes of 20/10 work/rest with Cleans
2 minutes of 20/10 work/rest with Snatches

All were 1-Arm exercises.  The Swings were 12-13 every 20 second period.
For cleans, it was 10 per arm for each 20 second period.
For snatches, it was 5 per side for each 20 second period.

Overall it was 100 swings, 80 cleans, and 20 snatches total.

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Bulletproof Coffee was once again on tap this morning, with the OG Caramel Vanilla flavor as my choice, and boy, its a tasty one. 
It was combined with 1 tbsp. of organic coconut oil as well as 1 tbsp. of organic butter.

Caramel Vanilla is rapidly becoming one of OG's most popular flavors. Have you checked out the BrewKup options at OG yet? Take a look at http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee

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Swing & Sip!
Coach Rick

Kindle Guides: http://tinyurl.com/rkofp
OG Coffee: http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee

If It Works, Keep Doing What You're Doing

Greetings,

With a day off from work, it was a nice morning to sleep in a bit and get in a good workout with the kettlebell to start the week and day off on a good note.

Since my treadmill 5K race, I looked back in my journals and noticed that Swings were a pretty good staple for my workouts this winter. Paired up with some total body workout routines and some frequent running workouts outside, I'm getting pretty anxious for the spring weather to get here and really get in the outdoor mileage.

Since Swings are just a staple for me over the last 10 years, its no wonder I keep returning to a period of doing Swings as the meat & potatoes of my preparation.

Like I said, if it works, keep doing what you're doing, and for me, its keep doing some KB Swings as a staple.

Today was a 400 rep workout for Swings, using my 40# kettlebell.

I did 100 reps every 3:30 in time, so basically 100 reps in 2:40-45 for time, rest until 3:30 comes up. 

This is 200 in 7 minutes, and 400 in 14 minutes of time.

I know I'll keep doing Swings as a solid staple until the weather becomes pretty pleasant for outdoor running sessions.  Come spring/summer, I usually switch over to running and cycling as my big exercise modes.  The KB's will still be a good addition to my total body routines.

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Today's Bulletproof Coffee mixture was a change:

OG Caramel Vanilla - 10 oz brewed from the BrewKup
1 tbsp. organic butter
1 tbsp. organic coconut oil

I did have another plain cup of OG Caramel Vanilla afterwards to get 2 servings out of that cup.

Yes, the new Caramel Vanilla is an awesome coffee for both BP mixtures and as a stand-alone cup of joe.

Order some now at http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee

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Swing & Sip!
Coach Rick

Kettlebells + Coffee = Great Virtual Race Time!

Greetings,

My plan for today was a race day up in Grand Forks, ND, for the annual "Frozen Feat" 5K/10K event. I did this race in 2011 on a relatively cold, windy day, I think the temps were in the low 20's, but with a 15-20 mph wind to create crazy wind chills.  I remembered it being one of those races I just wanted to finish and wasn't worried about time due to the conditions and how I was feeling that day.

Well, earlier this week, forecasts were calling for some drastically cold temps for outdoor exercise, such as -10 below for just the temp, and wind chills in the -30 to -40 ranges.  The race directors choose to eliminate the 10K option and do just the 5K, but runners must take their own risk at running it.

They also created a Virtual 5K option to do from today through next Saturday, either outdoors or inside on a treadmill.  All you have to do is snap a photo of your GPS, smartphone screen image, or your treadmill readout.

After fighting a cold for well over a week now, and not wanting to risk my health in cold temps, I choose for doing the treadmill option.

I went to the gym at 7am to get this in today and get it out of the way.  I wasn't sure what it would go like, since I haven't ran on a treadmill all winter, and have been getting mostly outdoor runs, 2-3 a week if I can, and keep it relatively easy.

The rest of my training, as you well know, has been including kettlebell swings as a foundation and core base of exercise time.

Once again, I am amazed at how well kettlebells can help you with running when it comes time to run faster for a race.

Not sure what to expect, and taking it relatively easy for the first mile, I felt the need to slowly build up to a 6:30 pace and see how I could handle it.  I was at about a 7:03 pace after mile one, bumping up the speed by .1 mph every tenth of a mile, getting it to about a 6:30-40 pace for the rest of the distance.  I felt really good and almost wanted to crank it out faster, but I felt it was better to just keep feeling good while going at a slightly faster clip than my usual outdoor 5K pace (6:40).

All in all, I got a 21:08 time over a 5K distance. I was expecting about a 22 minute time, so a minute better had me feeling great about how it all went.

Here's my proof:

I know treadmills aren't the exact same as an outdoor race, but it does give you a decent indication on how you can perform under consistent conditions (temp stays the same, no wind, traction is the same, etc).

The kettlebell routines are paying off well in terms of getting me in 'race shape' without the high amounts of speed work that I get in the spring, summer, and fall.

The coffee must be helping out, too. :)

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Speaking of coffee, it was another Bulletproof cup of joe with the Jamaican blend of OG Royal Brewed in the BrewKup style. After a few weeks already of BP Coffee, I may never go back to my usual coffee.  I really like the blend of butter into the coffee as well as some coconut oil.

The Royal Brewed BrewKups have a tremendous, gourmet taste.  A premium cup of coffee is what it truly is.

Check out the BrewKup selections at http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee

Ask me how to become an independent distributor to be able to share these great coffees with your friends, family, and neighbors.  It's the coffee that pays. If you want your coffee to give you an opportunity to earn extra money in your spare 'coffee time', OG has a great opportunity for you!

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Swing & Sip!
Coach Rick

Swinging Away, plus a new flavor for Bulletproof Coffee

Greetings,

After work yesterday, I decided to do a Swings Ladder, using different weights and reps, going up in weight and back down again.

My routine went like this:

35#: 50 reps
40#: 50 reps
45#: 50 reps
52#: 50 reps
Did all of that in a row, slight rests in between weight changes.
I rested 3 minutes and then did the following:
35#: 100 straight reps
40#: 100 straight reps

After 400 reps total, this workout felt like enough.

This morning's routine was a brief one of some more swings, too:

40#: 200 straight with 1-Arm Swings, 10 each side, alternating throughout.
40#: 100 straight after 1:20 rest (basically the 7 minute mark), so I finished this workout under 10 minutes of time.

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The coffee choice today was OG Royal Brewed: a Jamaican blend in the BrewKup option.  I used this with my Bulletproof Coffee mixture.

OG Royal Brewed + 1 tbsp. organic butter + 1 tbsp. coconut oil

I also got some new Caramel Vanilla that I plan to try this weekend. Those also come in a BrewKup option.

Organo Gold's gourmet coffee choices are a great option if you don't have a fancy coffee shop in your area and you still want a gourmet, great tasting coffee.

Yes, its a little more than your basic coffees in the store, but then OG isn't like your basic coffee either.

Give them a look at http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee

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Swing & Sip!
Coach Rick

Total Body Thursday, BP Coffee

Greetings,

After a couple of crazy days on the road, dealing with nasty weather, it was time to get back after it at home with some workouts.

I drove back Wednesday from my work trip and got in a nice bike ride at home on my rider, a good 20 minute ride for 7 miles.

Today's workout was a total body one with one lone kettlebell and the ab wheel.  Everything was done "tabata style" with 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest in successive sets.

40# KB used

1 Arm Swings: 2 minutes of 20/10
1 Arm Cleans: 2 minutes of 20/10
1 Arm Push Presses: 2 minutes of 20/10
1 Arm Snatches: 2 minutes of 20/10
Ab Wheel Rollouts: 2 minutes of 20/10
Finisher: 50 1 Arm Swings, switching every 5 per arm

Later today, I'll get in another bike ride.  The weather is getting brutally cold right now and its not really safe for running after the last storm that went through, leaving the roads pretty nasty.

I am signed up for a race on Saturday and even they are thinking of cancelling the race, or only doing the 5K alone. Wind chills may be -20 to -30 below, so I'm pretty sure things will be cancelled.  We will see what the weather brings.

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The coffee choice this morning was once again the Bulletproof Coffee mix:

10 oz Organo Gold's Black Gold BrewKup
1 tbsp. of organic butter
no coconut oil today in this mix.

I should be getting my new OG BrewKups today.  You can get yours at http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee
OG Coffee is available in both retail prices and at lower distributor prices if you become an Independent Distributor. 

If you're tired of the same old coffee, give OG a try today and ask me for a sample of Gourmet Black!

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Swing & Sip!
Coach Rick

Kindle Guides: http://tinyurl.com/rkofp
OG: http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee

Swings & BP Coffee, plus Energy Bites & WWE Network

esGreetings,

I started off the week with some KB Swings this morning.

Today's choice was 45#, and 400 Swings total, doing 100 every 4 minutes.  As usual, I switched arms every 10 reps for each set of 100.

Afterwards, I brewed up some Bulletproof Coffee, same mixture as usual:
1 OG Black Gold BrewKup - 10 oz
1 tbsp. organic butter
1 tbsp. organic coconut oil

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Energy Bites Recipe:

I found a recipe on Friday that was shared with me, about making some protein energy balls/bites.  I decided to try it and used the following:

2 cups quick oats
1 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
2 scoops of whey protein - one vanilla, one chocolate
chocolate chips added for extra flavor

The recipe I had called for mini M&M's, but I went with the chocolate chips.

Mix all the ingredients above and roll into balls.  I then stored them in containers in the fridge.

I didn't get quite all of the mixture to mix, so maybe add some extra honey to this mix if you need to.

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Another addition? Well, its my usual morning viewing of WWE Network's live feed, so I worked out this morning while enjoying WrestleMania 6. The only time I don't like the WWE Network in the mornings is when they show Total Divas re-runs. Can't stand that show.

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Swing & Sip!
Coach Rick

Kindle guides: http://tinyurl.com/rkofp
OG Coffee: http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee

A 5K, Some Swings, & More BPC, plus FREE KIndle Guides!

Greetings,

It was another moment to take advantage of warmer temps this winter, as I went for a 5K run yesterday after work.  Nothing super fast but a decent 24:15 time to cruise with.

This morning I opted for a brief Swings workout (12 minutes) and got 300 swings in.  I used the 52# KB today, so it was 50 reps every 2 minutes over the course of that 12 minute workout.

I'm thinking of another run after work if the weather is decent, as the forecast says it should relatively be.

For the weekend, I may just keep doing some kettlebell workouts or get on my bike for some time to go easy and long.

I have about a week until my first 5K race of the year in Grand Forks, ND. Looking forward to it as I'll see some running friends there. 

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Coffee choice this morning was another hot cup of bulletproof coffee, as I've been making all week with OG Black Gold in the BrewKup version. 

I'm getting ready to order some more coffee since this stuff is so good. If you want an order placed for you, get in touch with me quickly!

Check out the coffee yourself before you order: http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee
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I do have 2 Kindle Guides for FREE this weekend --- 

"Just Clean It!"
and
"Rats Alley Barbell Club Manual"

Both are free this weekend, get them on my Kindle author page, right here:
http://tinyurl.com/rkofp

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Swing & Sip!
Coach Rick

Total Body Thursday

Greetings, kettlebells & coffee lovers,

Today was a total body workout done in the Tabata work/rest style, 4 exercises over 15 minutes.

Here's the breakdown:

KB Swings: 40# used, 13/13, 12/12, 13/13, 12/12 (100 total in 4 minutes this way)

KB Cleans: 10 each side per 20s/10s period.  80 1 Arm Cleans in all (40# used here too)

Push-Ups on rotating handles: 4 sets of 6, getting 6 per 20/10 period.

Ab Wheel: 5 reps per 20/10 period, 5 minutes total for 50 reps combined.

All in all, this was a 15 minute workout.

I plan to run this afternoon since the temps are looking to be favorable for that.

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As for the coffee, its once again a bulletproof mixture of OG Black Gold, organic butter and organic coconut oil.  This kind of coffee is really starting up the mornings just fine.

OG Black Gold by itself is a great premium coffee drink.  If you're tired of the same old stuff off the shelf, maybe its time to get some new coffee and enjoy your mornings again.

Check out Black Gold and ask about the new Caramel Vanilla in the K-cup "BrewKups" option from Organo Gold by visiting here: http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee

If you want the new Caramel Vanilla (soon to be ordered by me), its only available through OG Distributors such as myself, at the moment.  If you want to order some, just email me at asaptrainer1@gmail.com

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Swing & Sip!
Coach Rick

More Swings, More Bulletproof Coffee

Greetings,

No running yesterday after work, wasn't feeling the best and needed some rest. Had a good night's sleep and got fired up with some KB Swings and more Bulletproof Coffee.

The Swings were completed with a 45# kettlebell, doing sets of 100 every 4 minutes this time.  I did 4 sets total for a 400 rep workout in just over 15 minutes.

Bulletproof Coffee was once again made out of OG Black Gold from the K-cup maker with 1 tbsp. of butter and 1 tbsp. of coconut oil.  This is becoming a very tasty coffee to kick off my mornings with.

Today I went with another cup of coffee, an OG Gourmet Black Coffee, after the BP coffee was done.

Not sure if I can get in a workout tonight, but if I do, it will be a short bike ride on my indoor rider. I will see how I feel through the day, since yesterday I felt like I had a nasty cold starting.  Its been going around and I suppose it was just a matter of time before I get it.

Overall, I can get used to this Swings and BP Coffee combo in the mornings.

Just a short and sweet post today. 

Swing & Sip!
Coach Rick

Kindle Guides: http://tinyurl.com/rkofp
OG Coffee: http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee

300 Swings & More Bulletproof Coffee

Greetings,

It was another morning of Swings and Bulletproof Coffee.  However, I did get a solid running workout yesterday afternoon after work. 

Run: 2.5 miles total
1.25 warm-up - about 7:30-8 minutes/mile pace
.25 mile fast - 90 seconds, then .25 jog back in about 2 minutes. Rest 30 seconds, repeat.
I did this 3 times (3 fast 1/4 mile rounds) to make 2.5 miles total.  Got this workout done in 19:30 for time.

Swings Workout this morning:
45# kettlebell used.
100 Swings every 3:30, doing 300 total in under 10 minutes.
Switched arms every 10 reps in each set of 100.

Cut the workout short today since I plan to workout again this afternoon.

The coffee?  Same as yesterday, since I loved it so much.  The Bulleproof Coffee version again was:

10 oz of Organo Gold "Black Gold" coffee in the K-cup maker
1 tbsp. of organic butter
1 tbsp. of organic coconut oil

Blended all three together and it was nice and frothy.  I'm really loving the taste.  I did notice yesterday that I didn't really have a mid-morning craving for a snack.

Interested in more on BP coffee? There's a whole site right here.

Note: my recipe is different as the one given, but feel free to try your own options.

https://www.bulletproofexec.com/bulletproof-coffee-recipe/

Swing & Sip!
Coach Rick
http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee

500 Swings & Bulletproof Coffee

Greetings,

Today was the start of a new week, with a good Swings workout and a trial of a new type of coffee concoction: Bulletproof Coffee.  I'll explain that one in a while.

For the Swings workout, it was a pretty consecutive workout of Swings doing 200 swings at once with the 40#, and getting that done in about 5:20 for time, resting 1:40 and going at the 7 minute mark for my next round.  I aimed for another 200 but felt I could go for another 100.  This allowed me to get in 300 swings in a set and get my whole workout done in under 15:30 for total time.

The 40# is starting to feel awfully light and I think its time to just do heavier swings and save the 40# for when my body needs a lighter load.

As for the Bulletproof Coffee, I first should tell you about it.

Bulletproof Coffee is a nickname for a type of coffee made with butter and MCT oil, all blended together.  Some keys:

Organic coffee is ideal, and its said that you should grind the beans before you make the coffee. I went the faster route: Going with my Organo Gold's Black Gold coffee from my K-cup maker. 

Next, is getting a hold of some organic butter.  I think the original recipes called for unsalted, grass-fed butter.  Well, I accidentally got the salted kind, but at damn near $7 for a pound of butter, I am not really worried about it.

Another item is MCT oil, in which I used organic coconut oil since its high in MCT's.  Not sure if this is a big deal but I tried just a tablespoon of that.

So, all in all, you blend in your coffee (mine was 10 oz brewed from my K-cup maker) with 1 tbsp. of organic butter and roughly 1 tbsp. of coconut oil.  I put all of it in the blender and it came out really well.

You get a nice, frothy blended coffee that really tastes great!  It certainly is a little different from regular black coffee but its a nice, tasty cup of coffee.

Bulletproof Coffee is supposed to make you more alert and give your brain a boost in the mornings. There are a lot of claims out there but I'm not doing it for the claims, I mainly wanted to try it out for a while and see if it makes a difference. I already got the coffee alone, so I might as well give this new coffee trick a shot.

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Swing & Sip!
Coach Rick

Get your OG Black Gold right here: http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee

Recovery Day Rantings: Super Bowl Rant

Greetings,

Its a Recovery Day and also Super Bowl Sunday.

It's almost a national holiday, but to me, I really don't care who wins or loses.

I almost wish the way the Super Bowl is portrayed and marketed now would diminish a little. They, meaning the NFL and the hype machine that promotes it, has made it out to be more than it is.

Back in my childhood, there might have been a 2-3 hour pre-game show covering pretty much the basics of who the opponents are, their keys to winning, and maybe a special story or two to share. Then you'd watch the game, wait for the cool ads, and watch the post-game shows for the interviews with the winners. It feels like it meant something back then. Today, its a different story.

Lately it seems there is almost an all-day affair to promote the show, and see endless "Greatest Super Bowl Ads" shows.  Almost every player, at least a star player, has some sort of 'special story to share' and its just made up baloney to me.

(It reminds me of a comment I saw about one of the Seahawks proclaiming that "No one believed in us, no one thought we were going to win that game." Which the blog commenter said, "Really? No one? No one expected the DEFENDING CHAMPS to win that game? Or make a comeback? In your HOME STADIUM?"  Yeah... its that kind of stuff that annoys me.)

Then we get to the show, and there is about an hour break at halftime due to a concert.  Like we really need a concert during a football game, but I guess its what to be expected now.  Sponsors throw millions of dollars for a 15 minute concert that takes 20 minutes to prepare for and 20 minutes to disassemble. 

This one, lone game has become bigger than the championship its played for.  I am just about getting tired of watching the NFL in general. 

Another thing that bugs me is all the 'leaked' Super Bowl Ads from companies who are just trying to create a 'viral' effect online. 

I'm sorry, but if your Super Bowl Ad is shown before the Super Bowl, then its not really a Super Bowl Ad.  Its an advertisement that's no different than any other ad you show.  Why? Because it was shown BEFORE the Super Bowl. So its not really a Super Bowl Ad. It is just an advertisement that is Pre-Super Bowl.

Uggh.

Have you also noticed that anytime you see one of those 'leaked' ads on Facebook, it always comes with a news story or blog post with a headline "This company leaked their Super Bowl Ad, but you won't believe what they did". 

I hate any 'clickbait' ads like that.  You know the kind I'm talking about:  They all start with a "This man, woman, boy, girl, etc" performing a verb action of some sort, (This man DID, This woman TRICKED her boyfriend into....) then its all followed by "But... you won't believe what happened next."

I seriously hate those ads.  Just about all those leaked ads are promoted as such. It just really bugs me because as I view stuff on Facebook and other sites, all I see is this type of headline for just about anything.

Enough, please.

Well,  you can maybe guess that I'm a little angry at the NFL in recent years with how they have promoted this game, their players, and the teams.  It's almost like they are WWE'ing the game by promoting player's stories over the story of the teams themselves. Meaning, they seem to be borrowing a few things from the pro wrestling way of promoting things and make each player sound like they are fighting for individual championship belts.  Things like always interviewing QB's or one guy on the defense and making it look like its only an individual war between the two.

I should mention something about "Deflate Gate" but all I can say on that is I think most of these games are rigged for marketing purposes of the event itself. When I first saw the story and that the fine for a regular season game of tampering with footballs is only $25,000, that's pocket change to a team. They don't LOSE the game for cheating, they are only fined for it.

Wow.  To me, it weakens the integrity of the game when teams can cheat and only get fined.  Really makes you wonder how much else really goes on.

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Maybe I need to stop and enjoy my coffee this morning. :) Its an OG Black Gold BrewKup this morning and its one of the best cups of coffee I've tasted. It leaves a better taste in my mouth than most stuff from the NFL and pro sports in general.

Yes, this has sort of been an anti-NFL rant and I will give the NFL one more shot this Super Bowl.  Let's see how they do today.  Will they screw it up or make it a watchable experience?

It will be interesting to watch.  The NFL in general is getting to be tiresome to put up with.  It is why I like keeping up with local sports more than the pro's. I can't tell you the last NBA game I've watched, its been years. Couldn't even tell you who the past champions were.  Why? Because all I hear about are LeBron, Kobe, and other individual players. They are also marketing the players as pro wrestlers who are fighting for 'rings' and not for team championships. When a casual fan like me hears more about what Kobe said about AAU ball, than about what teams are currently doing well, you know they are marketing players as the Hollywood stars of the league. I kind of get sick of that.

There is a reason I like my favorite seats at the Lewy Lee Fieldhouse at the college I work at, or propping up my fold-out seat in the west end zone of Jerome Berg Field.

To me, its the best view of the best kind of sports to watch: because its GENUINE.

I like watching genuine sports being played by genuine people.

I wonder how genuine professional sports really are lately.

Rant over.
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