This week started off with some Tabata style efforts over the course of 24 minutes.
Monday's workout went like this:
4 minutes easy, 2 minutes hard
4 minutes easy, 2 minutes hard, turn-around to return
4 minutes easy, 2 minutes hard
4 minutes easy, 2 minutes hard.
3.2 miles were covered in this 24 minute workout. 2 miles worth were covered in the 'easy' portions, and 1.2 miles were covered in the 8 minutes of hard efforts.
Tuesday was a simpler, easy, steady pace run of 3 miles in 23 minutes.
Wednesday's run was shorter, 2.15 miles, done in about 16 minutes time.
It was 4 minutes easy (.5 mile), then 1 mile hard (done in 6:35 in time) and then finishing off the rest at an easy pace.
This morning's workout was strictly kettlebell, using a 40# one and alternating arms every 20/10 period of work/rest time.
I called this one the 4-5-6:
4 minutes of Swings (100 total)
5 minutes of Cleans (100 total, 10 per side, 2 rounds per minute)
6 minutes of Snatches (60 total, 5 reps per side for every 20/10 period of time)
This was a great 15 minute workout that got a lot of work done.
As far as the morning coffee goes, some OG Black Gourmet always goes well with kettlebells in the morning.
Great coffee starts here: http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee
Looking for a great workout system that won't break your bank, like some other DVD systems will?
Check out Home Workout Revolution for 10-20 minute workouts, done in the 20/10 work/rest format.
HWR is right here: http://tinyurl.com/cbhwrevsale
------
Swing & Sip!
Coach Rick
Kettlebells & Coffee
More than just some at-home workouts - find solid programs and products to help you with your fitness goals!
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Saturday, August 22, 2015
More Runs and More Bicycle "Re-Cycling"
Lately, I've been doing a lot of bicycle work on the older bikes I am trying to rebuild and refurbish. I have mostly done my work on these bikes after work, which means less bike riding time after work. My main workouts have still been the Tabata interval runs for 2-3 workouts a week in that style, then I do 1-2 regular, easy pace runs to balance out the week.
Looking back on my blog, since August 9th, I've only done 4 rides, including today's 12 miler on my Fat Bike. I haven't been on the bike as much as I would like to, but I am enjoying the process of getting the bikes painted and fixed up.
I have done a handful of kettlebell total body workouts, and I can tell I need to add more of those workouts to the mix.
I mainly need more strength work. I'm only getting so fast on my runs and strength is the missing component to boost my speed and power.
The running workouts are sort of going away from the Tabata circuits of 20/10 x 8, and more into 4 minutes easy, 4 minutes hard, x 2 rounds of that. I can usually get 1/2 mile into the first 4 minutes, then .6 miles in the next 4 minutes. My best '4 minutes hard' effort had me getting a half-mile in 3:10 during that portion, with an additional tenth of a mile to finish it out. It gets a bit tougher on the 2nd round. I have done 20 minute workouts of 4 easy, 4 hard, 4 easy, 4 hard, and 4 easy.
Another workout I want to try is a 4-8-4, with 4 easy, 8 hard, 4 easy as a cool down, aiming for a very hard 8 minute effort and see the mileage I can get in that 8 minutes.
Overall, I still want to get on the bikes, but I gotta take advantage of the time I do have to work on my retro bikes this fall.
Until next time, enjoy your workouts and don't forget about the coffee afterwards:
http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee
Looking back on my blog, since August 9th, I've only done 4 rides, including today's 12 miler on my Fat Bike. I haven't been on the bike as much as I would like to, but I am enjoying the process of getting the bikes painted and fixed up.
I have done a handful of kettlebell total body workouts, and I can tell I need to add more of those workouts to the mix.
I mainly need more strength work. I'm only getting so fast on my runs and strength is the missing component to boost my speed and power.
The running workouts are sort of going away from the Tabata circuits of 20/10 x 8, and more into 4 minutes easy, 4 minutes hard, x 2 rounds of that. I can usually get 1/2 mile into the first 4 minutes, then .6 miles in the next 4 minutes. My best '4 minutes hard' effort had me getting a half-mile in 3:10 during that portion, with an additional tenth of a mile to finish it out. It gets a bit tougher on the 2nd round. I have done 20 minute workouts of 4 easy, 4 hard, 4 easy, 4 hard, and 4 easy.
Another workout I want to try is a 4-8-4, with 4 easy, 8 hard, 4 easy as a cool down, aiming for a very hard 8 minute effort and see the mileage I can get in that 8 minutes.
Overall, I still want to get on the bikes, but I gotta take advantage of the time I do have to work on my retro bikes this fall.
Until next time, enjoy your workouts and don't forget about the coffee afterwards:
http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Runs, a Ride, and more Rides to Re-Cycle
This past week, I have mainly been running as my main modes of exercise. Not much time has been spent on my bikes. Rather, I started spending time on fixing a couple of them, ones I found from the shed on a farm.
The first two are a set of 10 speeds. The one on the left is the most fixable. It was able to still ride when I filled up the tires. Only thing missing was the right brake. The other red one I decided to take in case there were parts I could use.
The bottom bike is an old single speed cruiser, and it just had a style I couldn't pass up on trying to fix up. It is a Hawthorne cruiser, only sold by Montgomery Ward stores back at the time. It even has it on the label as being from MW. Time frame I think is from the late 50's, to 60's.
My main project to start with is the light blue 10 speed. At first, I thought it was silver, but it was more of a greyish-blue color. It was pretty rusted up, so I thought I'd try to brush off all the paint I could and give it a fresh coat of my own favorite color: Comet Blue.
Right now, I'm debating on keeping the handlebars. The brake handles are okay, I might get a new pair, or just get new cables for the older ones. I also had to destroy the chain to get it off, and figured it would be best to just get a new chain anyway.
This is my first bicycle 're-cycle' project, learning as I go and since the bikes were free to me, I've got some leeway of investing a little bit here and there into the bike.
The wheels still look decent, I just had to buff off the rust off the rims and they have held air for a week, a good sign that things should hold up well for a classic look on the tires.
As for the cruiser, I got started on a little of that this Saturday. Got it cleaned up and started buffing some paint off, only to discover that this bike was once....Comet Blue!
This was a nice discovery, and upon other inspections throughout, it looks like this bike was once a royal blue and painted over to its current color. This one may take a lot of work to do in brushing off the paint, but it will be worth it once its done.
I was finally able to go for a nice ride this morning on the Big Fat Pony. I went for a 12.5 mile ride around the outskirts of Mayville and Portland, travelling through some rolling hills down by the Goose River on the SE side of Mayville. I love country rides where you discover those kind of things, like finding some beautiful countryside views that are hidden when you are always driving on the highways.
Afterwards I had a nice coffee to finish off the morning.
Until next time, keep running and riding and hitting the weights!
Coach Rick
Great coffee begins here:
http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee
The first two are a set of 10 speeds. The one on the left is the most fixable. It was able to still ride when I filled up the tires. Only thing missing was the right brake. The other red one I decided to take in case there were parts I could use.
The bottom bike is an old single speed cruiser, and it just had a style I couldn't pass up on trying to fix up. It is a Hawthorne cruiser, only sold by Montgomery Ward stores back at the time. It even has it on the label as being from MW. Time frame I think is from the late 50's, to 60's.
My main project to start with is the light blue 10 speed. At first, I thought it was silver, but it was more of a greyish-blue color. It was pretty rusted up, so I thought I'd try to brush off all the paint I could and give it a fresh coat of my own favorite color: Comet Blue.
Right now, I'm debating on keeping the handlebars. The brake handles are okay, I might get a new pair, or just get new cables for the older ones. I also had to destroy the chain to get it off, and figured it would be best to just get a new chain anyway.
This is my first bicycle 're-cycle' project, learning as I go and since the bikes were free to me, I've got some leeway of investing a little bit here and there into the bike.
The wheels still look decent, I just had to buff off the rust off the rims and they have held air for a week, a good sign that things should hold up well for a classic look on the tires.
As for the cruiser, I got started on a little of that this Saturday. Got it cleaned up and started buffing some paint off, only to discover that this bike was once....Comet Blue!
This was a nice discovery, and upon other inspections throughout, it looks like this bike was once a royal blue and painted over to its current color. This one may take a lot of work to do in brushing off the paint, but it will be worth it once its done.
I was finally able to go for a nice ride this morning on the Big Fat Pony. I went for a 12.5 mile ride around the outskirts of Mayville and Portland, travelling through some rolling hills down by the Goose River on the SE side of Mayville. I love country rides where you discover those kind of things, like finding some beautiful countryside views that are hidden when you are always driving on the highways.
Afterwards I had a nice coffee to finish off the morning.
Until next time, keep running and riding and hitting the weights!
Coach Rick
Great coffee begins here:
http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee
Thursday, July 30, 2015
More Sprints, Kettlebells, and A Nice Ride
I had a great ride on Sunday out in the country, it was a 15 mile ride, heading out towards Portland Junction, a railroad connection out in the country. It was a pretty ride to go on after sunrise.
Monday's workout and Wednesday's workout were Tabata Runs.
Monday was a 20 minute run of:
4 minutes easy
4 minutes Tabata
4 minutes easy
4 minutes Tabata
4 minutes easy
I also spooked up some deer along the river on this run, thankfully they ran along the river and not across the road!
Wednesday was a 16 minute run, similar to above.
Tuesday was a kettlebell workout, done Tabata style.
40# kettlebell used
2 minutes Swings
2 minutes Cleans
2 minutes Snatches
2 minutes Cleans
2 minutes Swings
Today's morning workout was kettlebell swings exclusively, done for 10 minutes and getting 250 of them in with the 40# bell.
I'm finding a nice mix of runs and lifting with rides interspersed. My summer school class is done now, so I see some more time in the afternoons for riding more.
------
Coffee Time: Drinking some OG Black Gourmet as usual. Its a good start to the morning and also goes well in the afternoon at work. http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee
-------------
Swing & Sip!
Coach Rick
Monday's workout and Wednesday's workout were Tabata Runs.
Monday was a 20 minute run of:
4 minutes easy
4 minutes Tabata
4 minutes easy
4 minutes Tabata
4 minutes easy
I also spooked up some deer along the river on this run, thankfully they ran along the river and not across the road!
Wednesday was a 16 minute run, similar to above.
Tuesday was a kettlebell workout, done Tabata style.
40# kettlebell used
2 minutes Swings
2 minutes Cleans
2 minutes Snatches
2 minutes Cleans
2 minutes Swings
Today's morning workout was kettlebell swings exclusively, done for 10 minutes and getting 250 of them in with the 40# bell.
I'm finding a nice mix of runs and lifting with rides interspersed. My summer school class is done now, so I see some more time in the afternoons for riding more.
------
Coffee Time: Drinking some OG Black Gourmet as usual. Its a good start to the morning and also goes well in the afternoon at work. http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee
-------------
Swing & Sip!
Coach Rick
Saturday, July 25, 2015
A Strong & Steady Week of Training, Plus My Intro to Tabata's
This week has been pretty good with the workout schedule, feels like I finally found a nice blend of workouts to get in. I'm mostly doing them in the mornings with some rides in the evenings.
The weekly schedule is pretty much:
Monday - Tabata Run - 16 minutes, 4 min easy, 4 min Tabata x 2
Tuesday - Kettlebell Circuit in AM, 8 mile Fat Bike ride in PM
Wednesday - Tabata Run - 16 minutes
Thursday: Kettlebell Circuit in AM, 6 mile ride in PM
Friday: Tabata Run, 16 minutes
Saturday: 3 mile run, easy/moderate pace
After next week, I won't have summer classes going on, so I will probably get more rides on the bike in, after my work days. With a little more free time, I am planning some good rides.
The KB circuits have been Tabata based as well, working in 20/10 work/rest formats and alternating sides. This makes for a very efficient workout, moving from left side to right side and keeping the body moving, while resting parts of it actively. Tuesday was a series of 2 minute rounds with the 40# bell, doing Swings, Cleans, Presses, Swings, and Snatches. Thursday was the same routine, but I also added a 4 minute Tabata circuit of good old cross-body mountain climbers.
I've really liked the Tabata format of workout design for about 15 years now.
If anyone remembers the magazine, Muscle Media, I was introduced to it back around 1999 or 2000 in that magazine. It was a magazine published by Bill Phillips of EAS fame. 2000 seems like the right time in my memory, because I remember trying it as a 12 minute workout to do with 4 minutes easy, 4 minutes Tabata style, and 4 minutes easy as a cool-down. I experimented a lot with this format, mainly with my running workouts. It became a staple workout for me, adding in 16 minute circuits and also 20 minute circuits. When I first worked as a sports performance trainer, I needed short brief workouts for my running ones, and the Tabata format did wonders for me.
Fast-Forward to today, and I was introduced to Craig Ballantyne's 20/10 Home Workout Revolution system. I liked it a lot, because:
1. Its more workouts than a P90X or Insanity or any other system's lineup of workouts.
2. The workouts were much, much shorter and less time-wasting overall. I'm sorry, but workouts like P90X Yoga were painful to do and go through, plus Insanity's 'recovery' workouts were far from it.
3. The videos were all downloadable, and I could CREATE my own series of workouts to put on a DVD myself. I basically have my workout selection, all on one DVD, and no massive amounts of DVD's sitting around.
4. It follows my favorite workout pattern, the Tabata format!
Another bonus: it was far, far less than the cost of a P90X program or other infomercial system!
The other big bonus: I could sell this system and make more commission off of it, versus trying to sell P90X and those other programs.
Slight Rant: Yes, I used to sell the Beachbody lineups of their workout programs, back when P90X was the 'best thing ever' it seemed. I did the programs, tried to sell the systems, and simply got tired of the same old rhetoric from the company that kept telling me to sell a big program plus their supplement packages, mainly Shakeology.
I get it: you want people on supplements because its a recurring thing to buy each month. But not everyone can afford $100 bags of powder to mix with milk or juice and only get a month's worth of servings out of it.
The reality of it: I would maybe make $30/sale on a $120 P90X program. Plus I'd still have to purchase so many 'points' worth of stuff, PLUS pay a monthly fee for my website that sold the stuff.
Now I make more money off one sale of HWR that I'd every bring in on a sale of a $120 program from BB. Needless to say, I've made more money selling HWR than I ever did off BB.
Anyways, back to HWR: it is a solid bargain to obtain this complete system. Check it out further at http://tinyurl.com/cbhwrevsale
If you like it, you can also sell it by signing up as an affiliate. There is no magical 'team' to be a part of, just sell it straight up like me and tell others about it. I've been selling it for a couple of years now through my blogs and websites. Give it a look and see if it is right for you.
Maybe you want to read up on it while enjoying some OG Coffee: check out the many flavors of coffee, tea, and even hot chocolate from Organo Gold. Yes, you can also sell OG like I am doing, too. It is a pretty low-cost start-up and you can get a great discount on OG products on top of that. http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee
----------
Coach Rick
Kettlebells & Coffee
The weekly schedule is pretty much:
Monday - Tabata Run - 16 minutes, 4 min easy, 4 min Tabata x 2
Tuesday - Kettlebell Circuit in AM, 8 mile Fat Bike ride in PM
Wednesday - Tabata Run - 16 minutes
Thursday: Kettlebell Circuit in AM, 6 mile ride in PM
Friday: Tabata Run, 16 minutes
Saturday: 3 mile run, easy/moderate pace
After next week, I won't have summer classes going on, so I will probably get more rides on the bike in, after my work days. With a little more free time, I am planning some good rides.
The KB circuits have been Tabata based as well, working in 20/10 work/rest formats and alternating sides. This makes for a very efficient workout, moving from left side to right side and keeping the body moving, while resting parts of it actively. Tuesday was a series of 2 minute rounds with the 40# bell, doing Swings, Cleans, Presses, Swings, and Snatches. Thursday was the same routine, but I also added a 4 minute Tabata circuit of good old cross-body mountain climbers.
I've really liked the Tabata format of workout design for about 15 years now.
If anyone remembers the magazine, Muscle Media, I was introduced to it back around 1999 or 2000 in that magazine. It was a magazine published by Bill Phillips of EAS fame. 2000 seems like the right time in my memory, because I remember trying it as a 12 minute workout to do with 4 minutes easy, 4 minutes Tabata style, and 4 minutes easy as a cool-down. I experimented a lot with this format, mainly with my running workouts. It became a staple workout for me, adding in 16 minute circuits and also 20 minute circuits. When I first worked as a sports performance trainer, I needed short brief workouts for my running ones, and the Tabata format did wonders for me.
Fast-Forward to today, and I was introduced to Craig Ballantyne's 20/10 Home Workout Revolution system. I liked it a lot, because:
1. Its more workouts than a P90X or Insanity or any other system's lineup of workouts.
2. The workouts were much, much shorter and less time-wasting overall. I'm sorry, but workouts like P90X Yoga were painful to do and go through, plus Insanity's 'recovery' workouts were far from it.
3. The videos were all downloadable, and I could CREATE my own series of workouts to put on a DVD myself. I basically have my workout selection, all on one DVD, and no massive amounts of DVD's sitting around.
4. It follows my favorite workout pattern, the Tabata format!
Another bonus: it was far, far less than the cost of a P90X program or other infomercial system!
The other big bonus: I could sell this system and make more commission off of it, versus trying to sell P90X and those other programs.
Slight Rant: Yes, I used to sell the Beachbody lineups of their workout programs, back when P90X was the 'best thing ever' it seemed. I did the programs, tried to sell the systems, and simply got tired of the same old rhetoric from the company that kept telling me to sell a big program plus their supplement packages, mainly Shakeology.
I get it: you want people on supplements because its a recurring thing to buy each month. But not everyone can afford $100 bags of powder to mix with milk or juice and only get a month's worth of servings out of it.
The reality of it: I would maybe make $30/sale on a $120 P90X program. Plus I'd still have to purchase so many 'points' worth of stuff, PLUS pay a monthly fee for my website that sold the stuff.
Now I make more money off one sale of HWR that I'd every bring in on a sale of a $120 program from BB. Needless to say, I've made more money selling HWR than I ever did off BB.
Anyways, back to HWR: it is a solid bargain to obtain this complete system. Check it out further at http://tinyurl.com/cbhwrevsale
If you like it, you can also sell it by signing up as an affiliate. There is no magical 'team' to be a part of, just sell it straight up like me and tell others about it. I've been selling it for a couple of years now through my blogs and websites. Give it a look and see if it is right for you.
Maybe you want to read up on it while enjoying some OG Coffee: check out the many flavors of coffee, tea, and even hot chocolate from Organo Gold. Yes, you can also sell OG like I am doing, too. It is a pretty low-cost start-up and you can get a great discount on OG products on top of that. http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee
----------
Coach Rick
Kettlebells & Coffee
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Run Less, Lift More, Bike A Bit
Greetings,
It has been a week since my last post, and it ended up being pretty active. I started to add more kettlebell work with a steady approach of Swings, Cleans, Presses and Snatches. I also ran less, but harder with Tabata cycles and intervals, plus some bike rides in there too.
The Tabata Runs I've been doing are essentially 16 minute workouts of alternating every 4 minutes with:
4 minutes easy
4 minutes of 20/10 Tabata hard/easy intervals
4 minutes easy
4 minutes of 20/10 Tabata's
I can get around 2.2 miles in this 16 minute time frame. Mileage isn't my concern, its the sprint/hard efforts that I get in. Some times it feels rough at first, but my body loosens up.
I also hopped on the bike a couple times for some quick rides. I have a nice 6 mile route that I can get done in under 25 minutes on a average day. It works great for an after-work ride and gives you time for more stuff at night to do.
This week, I started with a Tabata run on Monday, then this morning was a 10 minute Tabata pattern workout of 2 minute cycles of Swings, Cleans, Presses, Swings, and Snatches with a 40# kettlebell.
I'm aiming for 3 Tabata runs this week with rides in-between. Tues-Thurs will be KB days and potentially one on Saturday or Sunday as well.
Interested in some kettlebell workouts? Find your best program with the links up above with my Kindle guides, especially my #1 seller, "Just Swing It!". "Kettlebell XL" is also another popular one lately, too.
Buy yours today at http://tinyurl.com/rkofp
---------------
After your workouts, enjoy some awesome coffee from Organo Gold: check out the lineup, from instant pouches to BrewKups for your K-cup coffee maker.
http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee
---------------
Swing & Sip!
Coach Rick
It has been a week since my last post, and it ended up being pretty active. I started to add more kettlebell work with a steady approach of Swings, Cleans, Presses and Snatches. I also ran less, but harder with Tabata cycles and intervals, plus some bike rides in there too.
The Tabata Runs I've been doing are essentially 16 minute workouts of alternating every 4 minutes with:
4 minutes easy
4 minutes of 20/10 Tabata hard/easy intervals
4 minutes easy
4 minutes of 20/10 Tabata's
I can get around 2.2 miles in this 16 minute time frame. Mileage isn't my concern, its the sprint/hard efforts that I get in. Some times it feels rough at first, but my body loosens up.
I also hopped on the bike a couple times for some quick rides. I have a nice 6 mile route that I can get done in under 25 minutes on a average day. It works great for an after-work ride and gives you time for more stuff at night to do.
This week, I started with a Tabata run on Monday, then this morning was a 10 minute Tabata pattern workout of 2 minute cycles of Swings, Cleans, Presses, Swings, and Snatches with a 40# kettlebell.
I'm aiming for 3 Tabata runs this week with rides in-between. Tues-Thurs will be KB days and potentially one on Saturday or Sunday as well.
Interested in some kettlebell workouts? Find your best program with the links up above with my Kindle guides, especially my #1 seller, "Just Swing It!". "Kettlebell XL" is also another popular one lately, too.
Buy yours today at http://tinyurl.com/rkofp
---------------
After your workouts, enjoy some awesome coffee from Organo Gold: check out the lineup, from instant pouches to BrewKups for your K-cup coffee maker.
http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee
---------------
Swing & Sip!
Coach Rick
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Tearing Up The Tabata's
Greetings,
Monday afternoon, I decided to dig into some files of mine and give a look at some programs I purchased a long time ago. One of them was the Kettlebell Metabolic Resistance Training program from Chris Lopez, a Turbulence Trainer who specializes in Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training method. After seeing a 4x/week plan of his for 4 weeks, I decided to give it a try. The first workout lasted 20 minutes and it seems that most of the workouts are around that time frame. That will work great for me and my schedule. I plan do to workout #2 this afternoon.
My workout this morning was a Tabata series of 2 cycles of hard/easy intervals.
It was a 16 minute run total, getting 2.25 miles in. Here's how it went:
4 minutes easy
4 minutes of 20s hard, 10s easy x 8.
I turned around, then continued with:
4 minutes easy
4 minutes: 20s hard, 10s easy x 8.
I haven't done Tabata's with my running in a long time, so I wasn't sure what to expect, other than handling the 4 minute Tabata intervals well since I have been doing speed sessions lately.
-----
Coffee choice today is the generic brand of Arabica coffee out of my K-cup maker. Later on, I'll get some more OG Black Gourmet.
-------------
Swing & Sip!
Coach Rick Karboviak
KB's & Coffee
http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee
Monday afternoon, I decided to dig into some files of mine and give a look at some programs I purchased a long time ago. One of them was the Kettlebell Metabolic Resistance Training program from Chris Lopez, a Turbulence Trainer who specializes in Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training method. After seeing a 4x/week plan of his for 4 weeks, I decided to give it a try. The first workout lasted 20 minutes and it seems that most of the workouts are around that time frame. That will work great for me and my schedule. I plan do to workout #2 this afternoon.
My workout this morning was a Tabata series of 2 cycles of hard/easy intervals.
It was a 16 minute run total, getting 2.25 miles in. Here's how it went:
4 minutes easy
4 minutes of 20s hard, 10s easy x 8.
I turned around, then continued with:
4 minutes easy
4 minutes: 20s hard, 10s easy x 8.
I haven't done Tabata's with my running in a long time, so I wasn't sure what to expect, other than handling the 4 minute Tabata intervals well since I have been doing speed sessions lately.
-----
Coffee choice today is the generic brand of Arabica coffee out of my K-cup maker. Later on, I'll get some more OG Black Gourmet.
-------------
Swing & Sip!
Coach Rick Karboviak
KB's & Coffee
http://tinyurl.com/kbcoffee
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