Connie Brown's Stimulating Swipe-o-Rama

[Connie Brown]

Goal: work up to high volume Swipes

Plan: CB workouts am & pm 10 min, midday ROM

Day..Session...Exercise........................... ....RPE..RT

10/2..ROM......10 circles each joint each dir...1......7

.....pleasantly heated joints: 3 times head-to-toe took 15 min

10/2..pm CB...swipes 5 / min * 10 min..........5.....7

.....oops too fast - 40 reps in 6 min - rested 1 min, 10 more
.....note to self: when looking at watch, remember the CB
.....in that hand will move too
.....twingy/tense muscle lower right back; no pain, just tense

10/3..am CB...swipes 5/min * 10 min............4.....8

.....pace better; 15 sec rest every 10 reps
.....note to self: approach CB with dry hands; no face cream

[Scott Sonnon]

If you feel that tightness in your lower back again, try tensing your abdomen and glutes more, especially when moving into Loaded Position and when performing the Hip Snap.

Yes, no hand cream for the Clubbells. That is, unless you don't actually like your neighbor's dog. :wink: Actually, what many people like to do (myself included) is where a small cloth tucked in the front of one's pants, to wipe hands before each set. Some people do the same with wrist bands to additionally prevent any moisture from trickling down onto the Clubbells.

Keep up the good work, and keep us updated on your progress!

[Connie Brown]

Goal: work up to high volume Swipes

Plan: Clubbell workouts am & pm 10 min, midday ROM

Day..Session...Exercise........................... ....RPE..RT

10/3..ROM......10 circles each joint each dir...1......7

.....pleasantly heated joints: 3 times head-to-toe took 15 min
.....neck: some crepitation and going too fast is dizzying
.....LOTS of nervous tension - am I always like that at work!

10/3..pm Clubbell...swipes 5 / min x 8 min..........5.....8

.....twinge/tense muscle lower back both sides
.....dizzy & nausea after 8 min; stopped; should I have pushed thru?
.....maybe too soon after dinner and water - dinner 6:30, workout 7:30
.....what does one do with the power from hip snap at
.....slow speed 5 / min - immediately slow down the swing?

10/4..am Clubbell...swipes 5/min x 10 min............2.....8

.....broke down swipe into clean to order, armpit cast to order
.....to pay attention to tensing glutes etc
.....seemed easier but weaker side has trouble stopping on a dime
.....no lower back stuff this way - paused at order position both ways
.....so much fun trying perfect stop that lost count of sets - concentration?
.....started to feel grip changes while holding at order 1-2 seconds - fun

[Connie Brown]

10/4..ROM......10 circles each joint each dir...1......7

10/3..pm Clubbell...swipes 6 / min x 8 min..........5.....8

.....oops too fast, otherwise ok

[Connie Brown]

Day..Session...Exercise........................... ....RPE..RT

10/5..ROM......10 circles each joint each dir...1......7

.....pleasantly heated joints: 3 times head-to-toe took 15 min

10/5..pm Clubbell®...swipes 5 / min x 10 min..........5.....8

.....lower back fine
.....some weirdness & weakness, left shoulder
.....like it was not knitted together, too loose

10/6..am Clubbell®...swipes 5/min x 10 min............2.....9

.....broke down swipe into clean to order, armpit cast to order
.....just for fun
.....technique feeling cleaner

[Scott Sonnon]

Connie, do you feel your left elbow rotating outward instead of keeping close to your ears? Check your form in a mirror. It may be the source of your feeling a lack of safety in your shoulder.

[Connie Brown]

Yes, the left elbow was rotating outward, and fixing the form fixed the unsafe feeling. That is the non-dominant side and there is more weakness and crepitus there.

Day..Session...Exercise........................... ....RPE..RT

10/6..aft ROM..10 circles each joint each dir...1......8

.....who knew: this routine can be done in a ladies room handicap stall
.....the upside of having short arms
.....and, pleasant fan white noise as protocol?

10/6..pm Clubbell®...swipes 5/min x 10 min..........4.....8

.....left shoulder better, but weak and creaky

10/7..am Clubbell®...swipes 5/min x 10 min............5.....7

.....started a little later in the am than usual, felt weak,
.....left side lousy form, wobbly
.....suspect running out of gas (b4 breakfast)

[Connie Brown]

PS. I am feeling guilty about getting such excellent program advice for free. So if you would consider a fee for this, like a certain amount per month, I would gladly pony up.

Honestly, Coach Sonnon could diagnose and suggest a fix for a form problem by remote viewing - from his vast experience - and I did not have to drive anywhere, sign up for anything, sit through spiel, endure horrible gym music etc.

this is the best.

Connie

[Scott Sonnon]

Connie,

CST and Clubbells are my passion. Your health and strength are my reward. No fee required, though thank you for the offer. It's my pleasure to offer free program design, feedback and technical assessment as long as my schedule permits.

CST Forum is actually a deliberately crafted opportunity for the CST Instructor Cadre to refine their assessment and design skills. You get free feedback and suggestions - they get to develop as instructors. The basic premise of CST mentorship is that if you can do it blind (online) then working with a client in real life (offline) becomes much easier. It's a two way street.

You may request a professional consultation with one of the CST Instructors, since any one instructor may not always be available. However, I encourage you only to do this with instructors who have proven themselves in front of your eyes here at CST Forums. That should be motivation for some of the more sluggish participants. Those who sit idly by lurking on the forum or not actively honing their skills in this section waste a precious opportunity, and obviously they don't demonstrate their instructor efficacy to help you achieve your goals.

Online, it's all about Q&A and best guestimation. Sometimes an assessment is spot on with intuition garnered through personal experience. Sometimes an assessment is off target, but with patience and persistence, we always work through it.

[Connie Brown]

Okay, got it and thanks again. It is very exciting to watch the CST cadre grow. And should you in the future pursue another model, the offer still stands. Love those CST trainers and they are worthy etc.

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

Day..Session..........Exercise.................... ...........RPE..RT

10/7..ROM..............10 circles each joint each dir...1......9

10/7..pm Clubbell..swipes 5 / min x 8 min............3.....8

10/8..am Clubbell..swipes 5/min x 10 min............2.....8

Has it been a week yet? feeling good on swipes and thinking about learning more of the basic CB skills.

[Scott Sonnon]

It'll be a week on the 10th. Keep going. On the end of the 10th, write an After Action Report on all of your discovies and progress. Revisit how you feel after reading your initial post and goals. Then it's time to up the program. During the next two days, see if you can time how long it takes you to complete one repetition. We need this number in order to increase your Reps Per Minute.

Good work, Connie!

[Connie Brown]

Ok got it on the After Action Report.

Day..Session..........Exercise.................... ...........RPE..RT

10/8..ROM..............10 circles ea joint ea dir........1......9

10/8..pm Clubbell...swipes 5 / min x 8 min..........3.....7

10/9..am Clubbell...swipes 8/min x 8 min............4.....8

pm session 10/8 a little sloppy - these DO require that one
pay attention. SOOOOO grateful for all the safety messages
and emphasis on slow and form at first. I shudder to think
of swinging these with abandon and THEN to learn what happens when your mind drifts a bit...

[Connie Brown]

Day..Session..........Exercise.................... ...........RPE..RT

10/9..ROM..............10 circles ea joint ea dir........1......9

10/9..pm Clubbell...swipes 5 / min x 8 min..........2.....8

[Doug Szolek]

Great reports Connie,
Keep up the good work!

[Connie Brown]

After Action report

This was my first week on Clubbells with a specific program and goals.
The goal is to work up to high-volume Swipes.

What I learned:

The sessions are perfectly do-able for my life right now. A morning CB session, afternoon ROM, after-work CB. Enjoyable and I look forward to them.

Swipes are grooving almost at the end of the "cognitive" phase and into "autonomous" if I understand it right.

Time for one repetition of a swipe - 4 sec smoothly with good form, or as slow as 6 sec if I really slow down the momentum. If I do a swipe/swing pair then it is more like 6 sec and quite sustainable.

I run out of huff-and-puff way faster than muscle strength. That is, my heart rate and breathing are out of my target (RPE 4) way before I feel tired muscles. For example, after 30 Swipes at 15 rpm, have to rest and let the pounding go back into range. Sigh. Have not had tired muscles yet with a CB session, but definitely cardio tired if that makes sense.

Knees stiff for the bending part of a swipe - the opposite of smooth and fluid.
I suspect part from deconditioning and part from excess weight. Warmup helps but not all the way.

Left shoulder is iffy (non-dominant side). Not injured but not strong.

Last but not least, I hate to report this, but I pulled something in my right hand while bowling (!!) at a team-building outing (!!!). Something happened upon release of the bowling ball and the hand kind of froze into a claw. Saturday it didn't want to fist all the way closed so I took Saturday off the CB routines even though I prolly could have done them one-handed... busy anyway. Much better this am (Sunday).

respectfully submitted
Connie

[Doug Szolek]

Connie, glad to see that you are enjoying the program so much! :D

Some suggestions for the noted problems.

With your knee discomfort:

Would you say that you bend more at the knees or at the hips during the Basic Arm Swing portion of the Swipe? Let me know how you'd asess this aspect of your technique and I'll get back to you reguarding your knee problems.

To simultaneously address your right hand and left shoulder:

By the sounds of things you are right-handed, correct?
If so then perhaps taking one or two sessions off per week with you right hand will help bring your left up to snuff. To train symetrical strength and coordination you should go lighter on the strong side rather than heavier on the weak side if you get my drift. Plus because you're bowling your right side is getting extra work that is suprisingly similar to the Swipe. So I'd recomend doing two of your morning sessions (Mon. and Fri.) per week holding a Clubbell only in your left hand. Continue to go through the motions with your right but with no weight. It'll feel funny at first but it should keep your right hand from getting over worked and bring your left shoulder up to par with the right.

Finally are you working finger and hand circles in you Daily Range of Motion?

If so, great keep it up; if not then I'd add them in to loosen/lube up the joints associated with gripping the Clubbells.

Hope this helps :) . Let us know how it goes,

[Scott Sonnon]

Connie, first of all congratulations! Good work.

You didn't include in your AAR how you FEEL after completing your first step. The first step is always the hardest, but also the most rewarding because although the training gets harder from this point forward, the perceived difficulty greatly diminishes - and your target goals have gotten much closer!

As Doug mentions, your knee issue may be from improper form, or it may be just as you assessed - deconditioning. Regardless, this factors into your next step.

If you remember we intended to get your cardio stamina challenged before your muscular endurance, which is why I selected Swipes over a less full-bodily engaging exercise (though no CST exercise is not full bodily in reality.) Think of this as priming your General Physical Preparedness (GPP.) So, you accomplished your goal there, though we're not done quite yet.

But we are going to give that ROM a break. For the next 12 days (starting tomorrow until OCT27), you're going to concentrate on Mills (http://www.clubbell.tv/images/mills.avi). ===> For the first three days, work on the movement skill unloaded in the morning for 11 minutes 30 repetitions per minute alternating arms (so actually 15 right and 15 left.) Read Brandon Jones' article in the current issue of CST Magazine for Mills... Unloaded (http://www.circularstrengthmag.com/18/brandon1.html). In the evening at which ever choke depth necessary to perform the exercise, work 5 repetitions on the right and 5 repetitions on the left for a total of 10 repetitions per minute for 11 minutes. Keep your afternoon DROM session going every day.

===> For second quarter (days 4-6), increase the morning Unloaded Mills session to a brisk 30 repetitions per arm (alternating arms with each repetition) for 11 minutes. Increase the evening session to 6 repetitions per arm (for a total of 12 reps in one minute) in 11 minutes.

===> For the 3rd quarter (days 7-9), increase the morning session to 45 reps per arm, and the evening session to 7 reps per arm (for a total of 14 reps in one minute) for 11 minutes.

===> For the 4th quarter (days 10-12), get loaded (with your Clubbells that is :wink: ) and do your 7 reps per arm (for a total of 14 reps in one minute) for 11 minutes. In the evening, it's time for a self test: go as safely rapid as possible (meaning keeping perfect form) and record how many reps per minute you can do for 11 minutes. It may help to have a partner record your reps for you if you want (rather than trying to remember a string of 11 numbers on each arm), or you can videotape yourself. If you have a partner, have him/her be quiet and allow you to still count for yourself (otherwise you'll begin to go on their cadence and stop being sensitive to your own inner tempo based upon proper form sensitivity.) Get back to us with the results.
Remember your Performance Breathing on your Mills. Exhale on the rear portion of the Shield Cast as you bring the Clubbell in front of your body for the inward projection to begin the downward swing phase across your body. Exhale again as you swing the Clubbell downward past your center line. Feel the natural exhalation happen from the loading of your frame in this exercise rather than trying to impose an artificial breathing pattern.

As you project the Clubbell inward across your body remember to bring your navel inwards, clench your glutes, tilt your pelvis forward, grip the ground with your toes, lock out your elbow fully extended before the downward phase of the swing as you exhale. You want to resist the urge to turn your torso in the direction you're projecting the Clubbell inward for the Pendulum aspect of the exercise. This contralateral action is absolute superb for Core Activation and you'll have a special sensation in your obliques when you find the groove. It's absolutely great for those hard to get intersegmental muscles that are critical to retraining your core's Inner Unit (http://circularstrengthmag.com/17/sonnon4.html).

As Doug suggests, you want to decrease the intensity on your strong side, rather than increase the intensity on your weak to actively recover from your hand/wrist condition (choke up on your weak side and keep your strong side the same when you switch arms). Do the morning sessions with both arms (being "unloaded"), and ensure you're hitting every joint in your arms during the sandwiched afternoon DROM session of Warrior Wellness

Keep your reports going here in this Training Log keeping us apprised every day of your RPE, RT and any insights or discoveries which occur.

Good luck. We'll be here as a resource and to cheer you on.

[Connie Brown]

Coach Szolek:

The knee issue: Sure enough, with swipes, I was "favoring" the knees on some reps, and bending more from the hip and less from the knees.

On the shoulder issue: yesterday on the pm CB routine I did it with left side loaded and choked-up and right side unloaded. Felt much better on the weaker side. Thanks for the how-to on how to even things out.

Coach Sonnon:

How do I FEEL? Well, really good all over. Like things are firing again. Really an amazing difference after just a week. "wind" with stair climing showing a difference. The image that comes to mind is from the movie "Galaxy Quest" where on this one planet a bunch of boulders knits together into a strong guy - I feel like the disconnected pieces are coming together. Overall energy improving too.

And no, I was not doing finger circles on the DROM - wrist was as far as it went. I will fix that.

Sun Oct 12

Session.............Exercise...................... .........RPE..RT

pm Clubbell......swipes 6 / min x 10 min..........4.....8

aft DROM...........10 circles ea joint ea dir..........1......9

pm Clubbell......swipes 6 / min x 10 min..........4.....8
.........................left side loaded and choked, right unloaded

Only thing keeping me from a 9 on the RT for Swipes was the unsure-feeling on the weaker left shoulder. Otherwise all ok.

[Doug Szolek]

The knee issue: Sure enough, with swipes, I was "favoring" the knees on some reps, and bending more from the hip and less from the knees.

Connie, great self-assessement! About your sore knees... it sounds as though the soreness may be forcing you into proper form with these though it's hard to tell through text :? In anycase, the dip should be primarily from your hips (structually the strongest load bearing joints in the body) and to a lesser extent from your knees. As a general guideline, do your best to keep your shins nearly vertical throughout the dip, as in a healthy squat, don't let your knees come infront of your toes in the motions. but don't let that stop you from really reaching your hips backwards in the deepest portion of it. A good way to do this is to really drive your weight into the ground through your heels during the back swing.

Well, glad to see you're getting so much out of your practice :) . Enjoy your week on the Mills, I'm looking forward to seeing how they work for you.

[Connie Brown]

Mon Oct 13

Session.............Exercise...................... .....................RPE..RT

am Clubbell.......mills unloaded 30 / min x 11 min........2.....4

aft DROM...........10 circles ea joint ea dir x 2...............1......9

pm Clubbell........mills 10 / min x 8 min.......................4.....2

AM Clubbells. Mills, unloaded. Whoa baby. I am new to mills so I wanted to understand the path in the air for the CB. I luckily glanced upon a vacuum cleaner attachment wand, same length as 5# CB. So I used that for unloaded mills. Very awkward in form. Many trips to computer to watch the video.

PM Clubbells. Full choke on 5# CB. I was pleased and surprised I could do this at all after this morning's experience. Right side ok, left side all over the map. I kinda lost count of reps too. Had to park the CB after a surprise wandering of the CB on the weaker left side. Didn't feel tired in the least but there it was, not going where I wanted it to. Also, so involved with where the CB goes that I was not doing the performance breathing - or at least not able to pay attention to that. A little soreness around the middle - hm must be my core. Lower back too and as soon as I noticed that I tightened up and dug in.

[Connie Brown]

Tue Oct 14

Session.............Exercise...................... .....................RPE..RT

am Clubbell.....mills unloaded 30 / min x 11 min........2.....5

aft DROM...........10 circles ea joint ea dir x 2...............1......9

pm Clubbell......mills 10 / min x 11 min.......................5.....4

AM session, unloaded mills. Much better form. This unloaded stuff is cool.

PM session, Full choke on 5# .
5 minutes at 10 mills / min, then rested 30 sec.
Next 6 minutes, went too fast - completed 60 in 4:40. Threw in some more for the remaining time. Form awkward but improving.
Working barefoot on carpet, could feel it in my feet all the gripping.

[Doug Szolek]

could feel it in my feet all the gripping.

Clubbells literally work you from head to toe. :D

[Connie Brown]

Concentrating on Mills, 1st quarter, day 3

Wed Oct 15

Session.............Exercise...................... .....................RPE..RT

am CB.....mills unloaded 30 / min x 11 min........2.....7

aft DROM...........(missed - press of work)....................1......9

pm CB......mills 11 / min x 11 min.......................5.....7

AM session, unloaded mills. This unloaded stuff is cool.
The vacuum cleaner extension wand makes a WHOOSH
on the downswing of the pendulum. Very Jedi.

PM session, Full choke on 5# .
6 minutes at 12 mills / min (not looking at clock, went too fast)
, then checked pulse and took a breather 30 sec.
Next 5 minutes, 10 mills / min.
Am I really feeling some DOMS in inner thigh?

[Connie Brown]

Concentrating on Mills, 2d quarter, day 1

Thu Oct 16

Session.............Exercise...................... .....................RPE..RT

am CB.....mills unloaded 60 / min x 11 min........2.....8

aft DROM...........10 rev ea joint ea dir x 2...................1......9

pm CB......skipped - cold/flu

AM session
Finally figured out how the exhale-oof powers the armpit cast and lower pendulum. need it for this snappy pace

PM session
Cold/flu aches, no workout, rest and liquids

[Connie Brown]

Concentrating on Mills, off day - illness

Fri Oct 16

Session.............Exercise...................... .....................RPE..RT

aft DROM...........10 rev ea joint ea dir x 2...................1......9

Dx eye infections! OW hurts to read. Luckily antibiotics are supposed to work fast.

[Connie Brown]

Concentrating on Mills, 2d quarter, day 2

Sat Oct 18

Session.............Exercise...................... .....................RPE..RT

am CB.....mills unloaded 30 / min x 11 min........2.....8

aft DROM...........10 rev ea joint ea dir x 2...................1......10

pm CB......mills 12 / min x 11 min.......................5.....8

AM session, mills unloaded.
This is fun but form is a challenge at this speed, not tiredness,
more like focus.

PM session, half choke on 5# .
Sprang right back into it after day off - threat of cold went away.
I have to admit - annoyed at switching after every rep. It's like
millus interruptus.

[Scott Sonnon]

Glad you're feeling better.


millus interruptus :lol:

[Connie Brown]

Coach S - glad your family is better too!

Concentrating on Mills, 2d quarter, day 3

Sun Oct 19

Session.............Exercise...................... .....................RPE..RT

am CB.....mills unloaded 30 / min x 11 min........2.....8

aft DROM...........10 rev ea joint ea dir x 2...................1......10

pm CB......mills 12 / min x 11 min.......................5.....8

AM session, mills unloaded.
Still too much variation - not smooth and perfect - in the transition from the armpit cast to the inward pendulum. Is there a writeup on this online, that is, competition mill vs technical armpit cast -> inward pendulum?
Sometimes the movement is smooth and sometimes jerky on the back side going to front.
My CST video is currently twisted up in the VCR (haven't debugged if it's the tape or the machine or both).

aft DROM. Crepitus gone except from neck every day. Is this residual tension, or how do I know, or do I just keep on.

PM session, half choke on 5# .
Movement is easier with the weight of the CB. Hard not to go faster than my program plan.

Still fun!

[Scott Sonnon]

Is there a writeup on this online, that is, competition mill vs technical armpit cast -> inward pendulum?
You're working on the Performance Mill, rather than the Technical ("competitive") Mill. There's no specific write-up on the Performance Mill.

Sometimes the movement is smooth and sometimes jerky on the back side going to front. When is your movement jerky?

aft DROM. Crepitus gone except from neck every day. Is this residual tension, or how do I know, or do I just keep on. Most likely it is. Impossible to determine over the internet. Where does your neck feel tight and crunchy?

PM session, half choke on 5#. Movement is easier with the weight of the Clubbell. Hard not to go faster than my program plan. Go to 'no choke' with your program, if it's too easy. Don't be a slave to the numbers. Advance as quickly as reasonable.

[Connie Brown]

Jerky movement on the mill: first off this is only on the left/weaker/less coordinated side. I think I am "casting" while elbow is pointed wrong way, rather than moving elbow first to get into place for inward pendulum. The result is the CB kind of goes out-away and then I muscle it back into place with wrist or something. I will watch more closely - hard to envision after the fact.

Neck is crunchy more when rolling way back and around then when rolling forward.

thanks again

Connie

[Scott Sonnon]

As you refine your less uncoordinated right side, you'll carryover about 25% off that efficiency to your left side, so no worries. Just give that time and focus upon perfecting your technique.

Think of your elbow being pointed directly to your side (right or left) when the Clubbell is in (or passing through) Back Position. The inside of your grip (your palm area if your hand were open and not holding the Clubbell) should be facing the back of your head. To move the Mill, in the case of your left arm, move your elbow from direct left to point as much as possible to your direct right. As you do, you'll notice your upper arm arcs downward slightly (moving from an upward 45 degree angle to parallel with the ground). Don't rotate your trunk in order to point your elbow directly right. Instead allow your elbow to point as far as possible without rotation. Your lower arm will rotate as you move from Back Position to in front, beginning with the front of your fist (palm side) faces the back of your head in Back Position, tracking so that it is always facing your head, arriving in front of your body facing the front of your head. Let me know if this makes sense in text.

Test it and assign it a number of 1-10: 1 being painful and loud, and 10 being euphoric and smooth as silk. Now, go shallow and light when tilting the head backwards. Go deep and ultra-slow and thorough with tilting the head forward. Then tilt your head forward, exhale go deeper, relax, and then do 2 sets of 5 in each direction circles with just your jaw. Go back and test that range of motion again. Report back with your results.

[Connie Brown]

Yes thanks, the tips on mills were clear in text. I thought anyway.

Concentrating on Mills, 3d quarter, day 7

Mon Oct 20

Session.............Exercise...................... .....................RPE..RT

am CB ....mills unloaded 45 / min x 11 min........2.....7

aft DROM...........10 rev ea joint ea dir x 3...................1......10

pm CB .....mills 14 / min x 11 min.....................6.....8

AM session, mills unloaded.
Small loss of form with this speed - got better by the end of the session even.

aft DROM.
Testing the tilting the head back at first: a 6 on clicks, no pain.
Then the slow thorough forward tilt movement as suggested.
Tilting the head back after that (did I get that right?) 8 on clicks, no pain.

PM session, mills 14 rpm 5# CB no choke.
WOW the hint on elbow pointing really made a difference. I didn't have a jerky mill movement on the left side until the last of 11 minutes (fatigue I bet).

[Scott Sonnon]

Connie,
Keep working on the neck DROM. It may click more before less. Keep me updated here.
No worries on the tweaks. Glad it helped. Yes, it sounds like fatigue at the end.

[Connie Brown]

Concentrating on Mills, 3d quarter, day 8

Tue Oct 21

Session.............Exercise...................... .....................RPE..RT

am CB ....mills unloaded 35 / min x 11 min........2.....8

aft DROM...........10 rev ea joint ea dir x 3...................1......10

pm CB .....mills 14 / min x 11 min.....................6.....8+

AM session, mills unloaded.
Found my missing timer and lo, I was not fast enough. 35 rpm instead of 45. Tomorrow will tell if my sense of timing is off - I was half awake - or if I am just slow.

aft DROM.
The slow thorough forward tilt movement as suggested.
Tilting the head back after that (did I get that right?) 8 on clicks, no pain.
I'm thinking my earlier problems were more from trying to go deep & fast as if the point were to move through the ROM ASAP ... I stand corrected. The note elsewhere about joint nutrition and moving fluids was an aha.

PM session, mills 14 rpm 5# CB no choke.
a ok. Rest-pause at 7 minutes (7 times right and 7 times left for 7 minutes).

[Connie Brown]

Concentrating on Mills, 3d quarter, day 9

Wed Oct 22

Session.............Exercise...................... .....................RPE..RT

am CB ....mills unloaded 45 / min x 11 min........2.....8

aft DROM...........10 rev ea joint ea dir x 2...................1......10

pm CB .....skipped - work overtime mtg

AM session, mills unloaded.
Got to 45 rpm, ha. Figured it out by setting a metronome at the target speed, BIP-bip-Bip-bip for right-front-left-front. Realized it was faster to switch hands at center of body instead of at the pause on the upswing of pendulum before reversing direction. This is too much fun - what other exercise in the world can you use rhythm this way?

aft DROM.
Clicks almost gone (9 where 10 is silence).

[Scott Sonnon]

aft DROM. Clicks almost gone (9 where 10 is silence). Excellent work, Connie!

[Connie Brown]

Concentrating on Mills, 4th quarter, day 10

Wed Oct 22

Session.............Exercise...................... .....................RPE..RT

am Clubbell® ....mills loaded 7 rpm x 11 min ..............5.....8

aft DROM...........10 rev ea joint ea dir x 2 ..................1......10

pm Clubbell® ....mills self test 10 rpm x 11 min ..........7.......7

AM session, mills 5# CB no choke , target 7 rpm
6 minutes at 8 rpm (that's 16 per minute, 8 for each arm)
5 minutes at 9 rpm just for fun

PM session, mills 5# CB no choke, self test
111 in 11 minutes - that's 111 on right and 111 on left.
Goal was to "safely and rapidly" see how many in 11 min.
Today was more "safely" and I bet I can get more "rapid" tomorrow.
Only thing keeping me from a higher RT is, each mill is not machine-consistent,every-time, but nothing too awkward I think. I ran out of time before fatigue but I was sort of tired by the end.

[Connie Brown]

oops the previous entry should be for THU Oct 23

[Doug Szolek]

:arrow: Connie, just for future reference you should be able to go in and edit posts authored by you, so in this case you could just click to edit the post and then change the date and re-submit it leaving us none the wiser you sneak :wink:

[Connie Brown]

Concentrating on Mills, 4th quarter, day 11

Fri Oct 24

Session.............Exercise...................... .....................RPE..RT

am CB ....mills loaded 7 rpm x 11 min ..............5.....7

aft DROM...........10 rev ea joint ea dir x 3 ..................1......10

pm CB ....mills self test 9 rpm x 11 min ............6.......7

AM session, mills 5#, no choke , target 7 rpm
dragging, low energy, less form :(

aft DROM
clicks in both shoulders for the first time in a week. I slowed down and went less deep and it smoothed out. Hey BTW the weaker left shoulder has felt fine for the last few days - not that much different from right. yay.

PM session, mills 5#, no choke, self test
103 in 11 minutes - that's 103 on right and 104 on left.

[Scott Sonnon]

Good job evening out your shoulders and slowing to remove crepitus.
Congrats on your self-test.

[Connie Brown]

Concentrating on Mills, 4th quarter, day 12 of 12

Sat Oct 25

Session.............Exercise...................... .....................RPE..RT

am CB ....mills loaded 7 rpm x 11 min ..............4.....7

aft DROM...........10 rev ea joint ea dir x 3 ..................1......10

pm CB ....mills self test 10 rpm x 11 min ............6.......7

AM session, mills 5#, no choke , target 7 rpm
everything ok

aft DROM
abbreviated - in car waiting for teen DD at mall (!)
planning, planning

PM session, mills 5#, no choke, self test
109 in 11 minutes - that's 109 on right and 109 on left
Looks like I will need mo betta strength or technique to go faster.
After Action Report tomorrow when I have more time.

[Connie Brown]

After Action report for "concentrating on Mills"

Left shoulder and right hand issues are gone now. The DROM on hand and finger joints was much needed. Decreasing the intensity on the strong side to let the weak left side catch up, did the trick.

Overall I am feeling much more primed in the ability to do GPP at all which is what I am working on. Feel like my musculature is coming together and firing again. Energy is up. Posture is improving. Body awareness coming back - I haven't felt like this in literally years.

Surprises: the foot workout for 11 minutes of hard mills. How quickly the unloaded mills help to improve technique. How quickly I could move from full choke to no choke. How the urethane on the CB pulls my hair in its ponytail if the backswing gets too close (ow) .

My capacity for work is improving too. After yesterday's "self-test" I was going pretty hard for me - a 7 or 8 on RPE - and my pulse was only 140. Before I started CBs I had feared I would be in cardiac zone for hard work - like I was one of those for whom CBs are "too strenuous" as it says on one of the web pages - but that did not happen.

I did want, and did not get, amazing numbers on those mills. Did not trust my ability to control the CBs if I went faster. Oh well - maybe in a gym with a trainer I would see how far to push. At home alone I am very leery of injury to myself or the walls and windows and cat.

[Scott Sonnon]

Congratulations Connie! That's an outstanding report!

[crubio]

Excellent progress Connie. I'll have to try those Mills uloaded you spoke about.

[Connie Brown]

Yeah Chris they are in the latest CST mag.

If I'm ever in Florida I would love to come to your 3D gym! sounds neat

[Connie Brown]

Question for coaches?

I have completed the first two small programs designed by Coach Sonnon, one to learn swipes and one for mills.

Now I would like a 3-4 week program that I could put on another thread and retire this baby.

And - should I be asking this on the program design help forum?

Just to recap, I am getting back into shape. Goals are 1) cardio/endurance (my natural weaknesses) 2) fat loss and 3) more strength so I can get into 10 # CB eventually. I think I am one of those who loses fat with an RPE of 6 or less (as opposed to higher intensity)

BTW looks like I am losing fat at 1-2 pounds per week - just what I want.

I liked the sounds of the "longevity" and "endurance" programs as described in CT4CS, and would appreciate some guidelines on what to do in these time periods:

10-15 CB in the morning (swipes practice? other CB skills? )
afternoon DROM
10-15 min CB in the evening (mills practice?)

thanks,
Connie

[Scott Sonnon]

Kill this thread and start a fresh one!
I definitely think you're ready to take it to a new level!

Connie's RAPID FIRE CARDIO

AM/PM DOUBLE-D Split
Morning: Swipes
Afternoon: Warrior Wellness
Evening: Hydras

Performance Breathing Ladder
Do one PB exhale. On Control Pause, do one Swipe.
Do two PB exhales. On 2nd CP, do two Swipes.
Do three PB exhales. On 3rd CP, do three Swipes.
And so on with no longer than a 30 second rest period between sets.
Go as high as you can and when you feel uncomfortable (needing an inhale), stop. Start over.
Continue for your training duration (15 minutes).

Do the same in the evening with the Hydra.

Keep a dairy in the new Personal Training Log and let us know the RPE and RT.