Coach Szolek's OCS Preparation- Phase One

[Doug Szolek]

With the news of Clubbell Sport and my recent relocation my motivation is skyrocketing. So here's what I have come up with to prepare me for the the trials of competitive Clubbell swinging.

Phase One will deal with the task of relearning the skills of the Swipe and the Mill at a neurological level, while working at a volume/intensity high enough to instigate circulo-respiratory distress.

Phase Two will deal with working the Swipe and the Mill in a Strength-Endurance/Density protocol with the goal of making me able to perform the two lifts for 12 total minutes non-stop, each in the same day. I figure if I can add 20% to each of the total times given for performance at the competition then come time for the competition I won't hit any walls on my way to the goal of Master of Sport or dare I say, International Master of Sport.

Phase Three will be an actual competition. Oh what a day. Hope to see you all there.

So for Phase One I have broken the Combination Routines of the Swipe and Mill down into the parts of which they are comprised. And am working through the course of a session to build them back together into the whole.

The Swipe breaks down like this:

1. Clubbell Swing: 5/minute for 10 minutes
emphasize hip snap;
emphasize tight/loose/tight grip protocol with a finger roll at the point of weightlessness;
emphasize Performance Breathing.

2. Clean to Back Position: 5/minute for 10 minutes
emphasize the hip snap;
emphasize tight/loose/tight grip protocol with a finger roll at the point of weightlessness as the Clubbell rolls over the shoulder;
as little arm recruitment as possible;
end motion with a 1/2 parry cast from back position rather than an arm cast.

3. Arm Cast to Flag Position: 5/minute for 10 minutes
elbows in during back position;
elbow pits up and locked during flag position;
more of a muscled movement so the use of a lighter Clubbell is permitted;
shoulders need to remain in closed packed position throughout the motion.

4. Swipe: 5/minute for 10 minutes
deep hip snap needs to drive the motion for it to be sustainable;
elbows and shoulders closed and packed throughout the motion;
Core Activation should be driving force being the Arm Cast portion to make this sustainable;
tight/loose/tight with a subtle finger roll at the point of weightlessness on the up swing must be followed to keep the grip from reaching well done too early.

So that's what I've got so far, and I just finished the first session of Swipe practice this morning. I intend to add RPMs as adaptation allows until Phase One is complete. I'll be back on tonight to report on my break down and practice of the Mill.

In faith,
Coach Szolek
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By Coach Szolek (Szolek) on Wednesday, September 24, 2003 - 04:13 pm:
9-22-03 evening

Mill Practice

1. Inward Pendulum: 5/minute for 5 minutes each arm

2. Shield Cast: 5/minute for 5 minutes each arm

3. Mill: 5/minute for 5 minutes each arm

Notes: Form was sloppy with the 25lbs. Clubbells on the Pendulums and the Mills. Will drop to 20lbs. Clubbells for the next session.


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By Coach Szolek (Szolek) on Wednesday, September 24, 2003 - 04:39 pm:
9-24-03 morning

Swipe Practice

1. Clubbell Swing: 6/minute for 10 minutes

2. Clean to Back Position: 6/minute for 10 minutes

3. Arm Cast to Flag Position: 6/minute for 10 minutes

4. Swipe: 6/minute for 10 minutes

Notes: this was my first session where I was working both arms at the same time. Was finishing up some rehab to an RC impingement in my right shoulder on Monday. All felt well today so I went ahead with working my right arm. Found that performing two 1/2 Parry Casts at the end of the double Clean to Back Position forced me to balance my form and keep my shoulders closed and packed throughout the movement. On Monday I was having trouble keeping my left shoulder closed/packed during the 1/2 Parry.

Also noted that when I did not pause in Back Position before starting the 1/2 Parry Cast I began to groove a smoother transition to the 1/2 Parry at the cost of proper form. So I initiated a rest pause when reaching Back Position to keep my elbows from flaring in, in preparation for the 1/2 Parry.


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By Coach Szolek (Szolek) on Wednesday, September 24, 2003 - 05:11 pm:
9-24-03 mid-day

Warrior Wellness ROM

Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar: Infinities, Diagonals, YinYangs, Clover Leaves, Revolvers, Circles

Shoulders: rolls, Arm Screws, Infinities, Circles, Waves

Elbows: Circles, Infinities, Rolls, Waves

Wrists: Circles, Infinities, Diagonals, Rolls, Waves

Fingers: Circles, Rolls, Waves

Pelvis: Infinities, Diagonals, YinYangs, Clover Leaves, Revolvers, Circles, Alternating Hip Infinities.

Hip, Knee, Ankle: Infinities, Circles, Waves

4 Corner Balance Drill w/ Arm Stretch: 10 seconds each position.

Feet: Waves, Rolls.

Vibrational Drills: Squats, Strikes, Projections, Sweeps.

Notes: Heard/felt some grinding in my wrists today during the 1/2 Parry casts at the end of the Clean to Back Position. Worked the wrists a bit deeper than normal to resolve this and now they're rollin' smooth. Also noted increasing range of motion in the 4CBD. Foot Waves and Rolls leading to much improved running and overall digital dexterity. Keep remembering that Houdini could shuffle cards with his feet.


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By Coach Szolek (Szolek) on Wednesday, September 24, 2003 - 08:19 pm:
9-24-03 evening
Warmed up with a 35 minute walk to the gym toting aprox. 40lbs. of notebooks and cd's.

Mill Practice

1. Inward Pendulum: 6/minute for five minutes with each arm

2. Shield Cast: 6/minute for five minutes with each arm

3. Mill: 6/minute for five minutes with each arm

Notes: As I retraced my 35 minute walk back home after this session, I noticed some undue tension/discomfort between my radius and ulna in both forearms. Will go deeply into some elbow and wrist ROM tonight to work this out. At the end of my practice, I did about 5 minutes of Mills with each arm where I would do one arm until just before it fatigued and then transition to the other arm working to keep as much of the momentum from the previous arm as possible. The technique I discovered for this transition will be discussed in a post on the Circular Strength Training Forum. Also noticed that droping down to 15lbs. Clubbells for the Mill in this session is really helping me to groove the skill of the combination routine. My shoulders were tightly packed throughout the movement making it feel like "going home".


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By Bill Fox (Bfox) on Thursday, September 25, 2003 - 05:24 am:
Coach

When you say 5/minute for 10 minutes I assume you mean 5 reps reps per minute. Are you doing the reps very slowly or at anticipated comp pace and resting between reps?

Bill


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By Coach Szolek (Szolek) on Thursday, September 25, 2003 - 09:51 am:
Bill,

right now because I am working to groove the skill of the movements, I am going Smooth and Slow on each rep. When I get into Phase Two of my planned approach to the competition I'll be working more on setting up tempo and endurance and that's where the reps may increase slightly in speed.

Thanks for your questions,
Coach Szolek

[Doug Szolek]

9-25-03 Active Rest/Recovery

20 minute jog to Coach Sonnon's for a 35 minute trot.

Warrior Wellness

Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar: Infinities, Diagonals, YinYangs, Clover Leaves, Revolvers, Circles
Shoulders: rolls, Arm Screws, Infinities, Circles, Waves
Elbows: Circles, Infinities, Rolls, Waves
Wrists: Circles, Infinities, Diagonals, Rolls, Waves
Fingers: Circles, Rolls, Waves
Pelvis: Infinities, Diagonals, Yin Yangs, Clover Leaves, Revolvers, Circles, Alternating Hip Infinities.
Hip, Knee, Ankle: Infinities, Circles, Waves
4 Corner Balance Drill w/ Arm Stretch: 10 seconds each position.
Feet: Waves, Rolls.
Vibrational Drills: Squats, Strikes, Projections, Sweeps.

Notes: Spent some extra time on my neck and jaw due to so fun stupidity involving my face and a 90lbs. dumbell :? . Still working out the neck tension will have to dig deeply into this again later today to prevent it from affecting my Swipe and Mill practice tomorrow. A full report on the event can be expected in the Strength Training Forum.

[Doug Szolek]

9-26-03 morning

Swipe Practice

1. Clubbell Swing: 7/minute for 10 minutes.

2. Clean to Back Position: 7/minute for 10 minutes.

3. Arm Cast to Flag Position Squat: 7/minute for 10 minutes.

4. Swipe: 7/minute for 10 minutes.

Notes: Worked out most of the neck tension from yesterday's blunder so my form was sailing smoothly. Changed the Arm Cast to Flag Position to include a Flat Footed Squat while holding Flag Position to increase the overall cardio effect of this session. Man did it work, I'm gonna have to invest in sweat bands for my wrists before my next morning session.

Also began to tweak my form in the swipe as per Coach Sonnon's suggestions for loading it in back position to fire it out with no pause. Found this to be of great benefit. As the Clubbells came into Back Position from the clean, I let them carry forward and to my side so that I could see the heads under my armpits on each load/rep in Back Position. From there they seemed to explode out and around my shoulders with much less effort. I'm curious to spend some time with a heavy bag after working with this competetive load in Back Position; it feels like there is huge potential for training the release of Stored Elastic Energy based around this movement.

Still working out some problems with my hip-snap, I imagine these will have to be ironed out as my numbers continue to increase with my rest periods on the decrease.

[Coach Jones]

Great stuff! I wish I would've read this before my last workout...SWEATBANDS, I didn't even think of those.

Brandon Jones, CST

[Doug Szolek]

I appreciate the positive words, Brandon. I was really surprised to find so many kinks in my form for the Swipe and the Mill when I broke them down to there elements. Putting them back together each session is giving me a new love of both movements. It's funny with my Mill Practice session just 2 hours away, I am starting to get images of myself perfoming the Mill. It's a bit weird kind of like visualization training except that I'm not guiding it. Anyway, off to do my Daily Range of Motion.

-Doug

[Doug Szolek]

9-26-03 Mid-day

Warrior Wellness

Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar: Infinities, Diagonals, YinYangs, Clover Leaves, Revolvers, Circles
Shoulders: rolls, Arm Screws, Infinities, Circles, Waves
Elbows: Circles, Infinities, Rolls, Waves
Wrists: Circles, Infinities, Diagonals, Rolls, Waves
Fingers: Circles, Rolls, Waves
Pelvis: Infinities, Diagonals, Yin Yangs, Clover Leaves, Revolvers, Circles, Alternating Hip Infinities.
Hip, Knee, Ankle: Infinities, Circles, Waves
4 Corner Balance Drill w/ Arm Stretch: 10 seconds each position.
Feet: Waves, Rolls.
Vibrational Drills: Squats, Strikes, Projections, Sweeps.

Notes: Felt great! Adding the Neck intensive sessions at morning and evening are healing up this strain faster than I could have imagined. Very psyched for Mill Practice this evening.

[Doug Szolek]

9-26-03 Evening

Mill Practice

1. Inward Pendulums: 7/minute for 5 minutes each arm.

2. Shield Cast to Flag Position: 7/minute for 5 minutes each arm.

3. Mill: 7/minute for 5 minutes each arm.

Notes: What a session! Feel great and quite addicted to this movement. Thinking of adding a light combination routine in here to help me keep from scraping my upper back on the Shield Cast portion of the Mill. Perhaps: 1st 1/2 Parry Cast to Back Position + Shoulder Cast to Muscle Out (and return to Back Position) + 2nd 1/2 Parry Cast. For added fun considering to switch between Standard and Reverse Parry Casts each rep. In anycase I can really feel the groove of Mill starting to shine. And my shoulders have never felt healthier.

[Doug Szolek]

9-27-03 morning

Daily Range of Motion

Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar: Infinities, Diagonals, YinYangs, Clover Leaves, Revolvers, Circles
Shoulders: rolls, Arm Screws, Infinities, Circles, Waves
Elbows: Circles, Infinities, Rolls, Waves
Wrists: Circles, Infinities, Diagonals, Rolls, Waves
Fingers: Circles, Rolls, Waves
Pelvis: Infinities, Diagonals, Yin Yangs, Clover Leaves, Revolvers, Circles, Alternating Hip Infinities.
Hip, Knee, Ankle: Infinities, Circles, Waves
4 Corner Balance Drill w/ Arm Stretch: 10 seconds each position.
Feet: Waves, Rolls.
Vibrational Drills: Squats, Strikes, Projections, Sweeps.

Notes: Continued improvement in the 4CBD. Seeing great spinal flexion in the rear position as I press my laces strongly into my hand. Took some of Coach Sonnon's insights to heart in using my pelvic and lumbar ROM to release my neck. Notable impovements gained from this application. Looking forward to my run. (I can't believe I just wrote that :shock: )

[Doug Szolek]

9-27-03 afternoon

Active Rest/Recovery

16 minute jog to the park (same distance as previous jogs just some unexpected jumps in speed, dropped 4 solid minutes from the distance without trying 8) )

20-30 minutes of uphill HIIT sprints. Oh what sweet torture :twisted:

20+ minute trot back home.

Notes: Overall a sweet run and it's still surprising to hear that coming from me. Found a super sweet, super steep trail that will become a regular for me. Had an interesting battle to draw out personal competitive juices to keep my pace up as this was my first day running without partner(s) on the trail. Definately easier to keep up pace when others are present to keep up with. Perhaps this is just the level of comfort I need to remove in order to take my running deeper.

[Doug Szolek]

9-28-03

More Active Rest/Recovery

Super fun cold water swimming off of Washington beaches. Adjusted to the cold much faster than last week and was able to remain in the water for a significantly longer time. Which is a bit surprising because I took a chance and experimented with normal temperature showers all week. I guess the mind-workings of the enjoyment I get from the cold water swimming was enough to continue the process of adaptation to the cold, even in the presence of opposing stimuli. Interesting... it will be fun to keep this up all winter. Perhaps the warmth and energy are coming from my newly installed solar panel, just call me Chrome-Dome.

Later today, Daily Range of Motion

[Doug Szolek]

9-28-03

Daily Range of Motion

Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar: Infinities, Diagonals, YinYangs, Clover Leaves, Revolvers, Circles
Shoulders: rolls, Arm Screws, Infinities, Circles, Waves
Elbows: Circles, Infinities, Rolls, Waves
Wrists: Circles, Infinities, Diagonals, Rolls, Waves
Fingers: Circles, Rolls, Waves
Pelvis: Infinities, Diagonals, Yin Yangs, Clover Leaves, Revolvers, Circles, Alternating Hip Infinities.
Hip, Knee, Ankle: Infinities, Circles, Waves
4 Corner Balance Drill w/ Arm Stretch: 10 seconds each position.
Feet: Waves, Rolls.
Vibrational Drills: Squats, Strikes, Projections, Sweeps.

Notes: Interesting, my joints didn't have the same cold feel after last weeks swim. Adaptation is a wonderful thing. Chompin' at the bit for Monday's Clubbell work.

[Doug Szolek]

9-29-03 morning

Swipe Practice

1. Clubbell Swing: 8/minute for 10 minutes

2. Clean to Back Position: 8/minute for 10 minutes

3. Arm Cast to Flag Position Squat: 8/minute for 10 minutes

4. Swipe: 8/minute for 10 minutes

Notes: Using a sophisticated version of the Tight/Loose/Tight grip protocol for the swings kept any and all arm-pump at bay. RPE is climbing steadily through exercises 2-4. Found an awsome new groove for the Swipes today at the end of the session; by actively reaching the necks of the Clubbells over my shoulders in a tight fast arc I am able to further bring the head of the Clubbells under and slightly infront of my upper arms/armpits in back position to uber-load the shoulder tendons. From there the Clubbells just fly back over my shoulders and into the swing. Crazy fun. And as long as I don't force the loading, my shoulders stay Closed and Packed throughout the motion. Master of Sport here I come. Hip-Snap showing real improvement from the Clubbell Swings. Higher numbers are forcing me to squat deep in it to allow my legs/hips carry the load of the high volume rather than my arms/shoulders.

[Scott Sonnon]

Rapidly becoming the standard for OCS preparation, Doug. Outstanding... pain you share. :twisted:

[Indrananda]

Darn fine program you got there! I'm jealous. Keep it up, it's inspiring us all.
Indy

[Doug Szolek]

:oops: stop, you make me blush :oops:

In all seriousness I appreciate the support guys. And as the RPE climbs I definately need it.

Again I gotta say how tearing these two Combination Routines apart and then re-building them each session is showing me ways to tweak my form better each set. And it seems like every day I'm deepening my groove for the two moves.

Hoping my sweat and pain is paving the way for more to make it to the first OCS competition,
Coach Szolek

[Doug Szolek]

9-29-03 evening

Mill Practice

1. Inward Pendulum: 8/minute for 5 minutes each arm

2. Shield Cast to Flag Position: 8/minute for 5 minutes each arm

3. 1/2 Standard Parry Cast to Shoulder Cast Muscle-Out to 2nd 1/2 Parry Cast: 8/minute for 3 minutes each arm

4. Mill: 8/minute for 5 minutes each arm

Notes: Added the combo I speculated about in my last Mill Practice (9-26-03) with the goal of grooving the motion slightly away from my upper back. Did 3 sets of it with each arm and found it to be a great combo but a bit more than I needed at the time so I aborted it and went on to the Mills. It may have been all that I needed to polish this groove because after one set with the 15 I was able to jump up the 20's for the Mills and had no trouble controlling them around my upper back. It seems like the this Parry/Shoulder Cast combo would do well to replace the Shield Cast to Flag Position if I felt my form needed the emphasis in that area more but as it is I'm still a bit more concerned with the transition over the shoulder in the Mill so I'll hold onto the Shield Cast. Grooving the Mill ever deeper and I can feel the hulk in me come to life after the first couple sets, really addictive :twisted:

Missed my Daily Range of Motion today and while I know it is the most important part of my training I felt great from how deeply I went into it over the weekend. Should have a fun run tomorrow.

[Doug Szolek]

9-30-03 morning

Active Rest/Recovery

30 minute trot/run/climb/walk

Notes: Had to slow the run to a walk near the end. My bionic ankle showing early signs of overtraining. I will have to hit this extra deep in my Daily Range of Motion. Speaking of which, perhaps the fact that I missed my DROM yesterday is what led to my running problems today. Seems more than likely.

[Doug Szolek]

9-30-03

Daily Range of Motion

Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar: Infinities, Diagonals, YinYangs, Clover Leaves, Revolvers, Circles
Shoulders: rolls, Arm Screws, Infinities, Circles, Waves
Elbows: Circles, Infinities, Rolls, Waves
Wrists: Circles, Infinities, Diagonals, Rolls, Waves
Fingers: Circles, Rolls, Waves
Pelvis: Infinities, Diagonals, Yin Yangs, Clover Leaves, Revolvers, Circles, Alternating Hip Infinities.
Hip, Knee, Ankle: Infinities, Circles, Waves
4 Corner Balance Drill w/ Arm Stretch: 10 seconds each position.
Feet: Waves, Rolls.
Vibrational Drills: Squats, Strikes, Projections, Sweeps.

Notes: Spent extra time on my ankle's, feet and knees but things down there still aren't up to snuff. Luckily my training is going to be significantly changed tomorrow as I'm adding 8+ hours of intense cardio/muscular endurance training to my schedule. Or to put it more plainly, I'm starting a job at a lumber mill. So it just might be a while before I practice running again. Mixed feelings about this all around. It took me so much work to overcome my fear of running and actually learn to enjoy it that I'm more than a little afraid of those old fears gaining a foothold in me again if I stop running. We'll see.

Will also have to evaluate whether or not I can continue doing as intense of density work as I am twice a day in lieu of this recent addition to my training regimen.

My hypothesis is that my routine will change to
30 minutes Body-Flow each morning around 5:30,
breakfast,
4 hour cardio/muscular endurance,
Daily Range of Motion (Warrior Wellness) / lunch,
4 more hour cardio/muscular endurance,
2nd lunch,
Swipe or Mill practice (doing one or the other each day six days a week),
supper.

Addition of Body-Flow to address any symptoms of repetitive stress that the cardio/muscular endurance may induce. And breaking the double density to one a day every day rather than 2 a day every other day. Also, anticipating the need for increased protein and fat in the diet. Will have all this figured out tomorrow night.

Coach,

The program is very interesting and well concieved.. Your insight into the bio mechanics of the complex movements is pretty thoughtful. I going to try that 1/2 parry to shoulder cast as that transition is weak in my weaker arm - not exactly clear on muscle out to 2nd 1/2 parry - would love to see video of these novel combos. I think OCS training, particularly your and Scott's programs deserve a tape of there own.

Bill

[Scott Sonnon]

Bill,
We'll try to get some videos up on the website of the "assist" movements we've created, but any OCS videotape needs to wait until after the first championship. We need more time to explore and experiment before providing commercial resources on our methods.

That makes perfect sense - maybe some highlight footage from the comp etc.... the little assist videos would be great now that i figured out the internet cafe as viewing station.

[Scott Sonnon]

Bill, which clips do you want to see specifically? We're already filming the Side Sumo this morning for Chris Rubio.

We'll be video recording the entire OCS Championship, that's for sure. It'll most certainly be one for the archives.

[Doug Szolek]

Bill, it adds so much to my work to see others gaining from it. Thankyou for helping me grow. :D

As for the Parry/Shoulder Cast combo I'll post a detailed verbal walk through in the OCS forum later today.

-Coach Szolek

[Doug Szolek]

10-01-03 morning

Well it appears I was misinformed as to my start date at the lumber mill so I had all morning open, unexpectedly. However I was already planning to do my Swipe Practice tonight so when I got to the gym I was anything but motivated to do Swipes.

So I tossed in some two-handed bruiser work the details of which will be shared in an upcoming issue of CST mag. And then had fun with a bit of a strength test.

warm-up: 85 quad-hops

1. Bruiser, Whack-a-Moles: 2 sets of 12 left and right grip
-first sets switched sides in Order, second sets switched sides in Back Position

2. Bruiser, Barbarian: 1 set of 12 left and right grip

Strength Test: Incline Dumbbell Press: 1st set, 10 reps; 2nd set, 7 reps; 3rd set, 6 reps; 4th set, 6 reps.

Notes: basically just a fun time in the gym. I didn't over work myself to take away from tonights Swipe Practice and I know I stimulated some solid growth. Felt a little pull between my first and second fingers on the 3rd set of Incline Dumbbell Press, treated it with ice and later ROM practice, should be fine. Ankle still not 100%, I'm thinking of walking to the gym tonight to keep it moble and it's looking like such a nice day that it'll be hard to drive. DROM to come and then some super Swipe Practice.

[Jay76]

Barbarian and whack a mole???????????????

[Doug Szolek]

8) Thanks for your interest Jay, for pics and details tune into the upcoming issue of CSTmag. All will be explained.

For those of you interested in another evil little Combination Routine that was spawned from this training program check out

http://circularstrengthmag.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=515#515

In the OCS forum. You'll find info on the Task Master (one helluvassistance lift for grooving the Mill) and the Samson Cast which will take your overall shoulder strength to mythological levels. And all for the low, low cost of your immortal soul..., ah I mean some blood, sweat and balls to the wall effort :twisted: .

Enjoy, Coach Szolek

[sin_goodfellow]

the Samson Cast which will take your overall shoulder strength to mythological levels. And all for the low, low cost of your immortal soul...:twisted:

Enjoy, Coach Szolek


Hehehehe, I love this board. Hell-Spawn strength would'nt be all bad right?

Jesse Wells

[Doug Szolek]

10-1-03 afternoon

Daily Range of Motion

Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar: Infinities, Diagonals, YinYangs, Clover Leaves, Revolvers, Circles
Shoulders: rolls, Arm Screws, Infinities, Circles, Waves
Elbows: Circles, Infinities, Rolls, Waves
Wrists: Circles, Infinities, Diagonals, Rolls, Waves
Fingers: Circles, Rolls, Waves
Pelvis: Infinities, Diagonals, Yin Yangs, Clover Leaves, Revolvers, Circles, Alternating Hip Infinities.
Hip, Knee, Ankle: Infinities, Circles, Waves
4 Corner Balance Drill w/ Arm Stretch: 10 seconds each position.
Feet: Waves, Rolls.
Vibrational Drills: Squats, Strikes, Projections, Sweeps.

Notes: A well needed session to loosen up the tension from my chest work earlier today. Ankle showing real improvement finally. Oh so psyched for Swipe Practice tonight.

[Doug Szolek]

10-1-03 eveing

Swipe Practice

1. Clubbell Swing: 9/minute for 10 minutes

2. Clean to Back Position: 9/minute for 10 minutes

3. Arm Cast to Flag Position Squat: 9/minute for 10 minutes

4. Swipe: 9/minute for 10 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!

360 TOTAL VOLUME!

Notes: So ah, where to begin. Sorry, it's taking some time for the blood to come out my musculature and flow back to the brain. That's the fun thing about going to such freaking, crazy-high volume, there's not enough blood to flow to the brain and support the muscles so it's easier to ignore the words, "searing" "flesh" that keep flashing through my mind. Gonna have to restructure the rest periods next session because on the Cleans to Back Position I only had about 8 seconds rest between sets. And my RPE in the Cleans, Arm Casts, and Swipes was 8-10 from the second set on. I swear I started to see my short life flash before my eyes during my last few sets of Swipes. In any case, the volume is playing right into my plan to groove the Swipe as deeply as possible. And since the first three exercises are doing their all to pre-fatigue me, my form has to be perfect to get through the sets. Systematic masochism :twisted:

[Doug Szolek]

10-2-03 mid-day

Daily Range of Motion

Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar: Infinities, Diagonals, YinYangs, Clover Leaves, Revolvers, Circles
Shoulders: rolls, Arm Screws, Infinities, Circles, Waves
Elbows: Circles, Infinities, Rolls, Waves
Wrists: Circles, Infinities, Diagonals, Rolls, Waves
Fingers: Circles, Rolls, Waves
Pelvis: Infinities, Diagonals, Yin Yangs, Clover Leaves, Revolvers, Circles, Alternating Hip Infinities.
Hip, Knee, Ankle: Infinities, Circles, Waves
4 Corner Balance Drill w/ Arm Stretch: 10 seconds each position.
Feet: Waves, Rolls.
Vibrational Drills: Squats, Strikes, Projections, Sweeps.

Notes: What a release of tension from last nights Swipe Practice! Much needed. Some minor soreness still present in my chest, and wasn't quite able to workout all of the tension in my shoulders. Overall though feeling quite strong, and almost bulletproof after last night. So that probably means an injury is just around the corner :roll: Will be paying extra close attention to form tonight.

[Doug Szolek]

10-2-03 evening

Mill Practice

1. Inward Pendulum: 9/minute for 5 minutes each arm

2. Sheild Cast to Flag Position: 9/minute for 5 minutes each arm

3. Taskmaster: 9/minute for 5 minutes each arm

4. Mill: 9/minute for 5 minutes each arm

Notes: Holy lord what a session :shock:

First of all, I included the Taskmaster in the mix because I've split my Swipe Practice and Mill Practice to their own days now rather than both in one day, every other day as I had been. Another change is that today I decided to alternate arms each set rather than doing all five sets of a given exercise with one arm and then practicing with the other arm. On top of that, I got the crazy notion to hold the Clubbell in shoulder park when ever I was resting between sets, rather than mercifully parking it on the floor. At the gym Coach Sonnon made an interesting remark after testing his current performance in the mills (which is impressive to say the least). He pointed out that the Mills are the muscular endurance compliment to the cardio endurance of the Swipes. My session that followed served as an obnoxious exclaimation point to his statement.

My grip, wrists, arms, shoulders, and upper back were all pretty well fried by the end of tonights Shield Casts and then I discover that doing 9 reps of the Taskmasters takes about 58 seconds so no rest was on the horizon for this weary but determined knuckledgragger. I would complete a set with one arm and have to pass the Clubbell right to my other hand and start all over again, this madness went on for 10 straight minutes. Let me tell you, tonight the Taskmasters had me whipped :twisted:

The Mills went great and my groove was thoroughly deepened by the movements I had done prior. I am confident that this program is building just the foundation that I need to cultivate solid potential for the OCS competition. I mean I just did 45 Mills with each arm in 10 minutes and that was after my arms/shoulders were already fried. It's taking a lot of sweat and effort but I know I'm on the right path.

[Scott Sonnon]

I may just see what the Taskmaster has in store for me very soon. :twisted:

It's an inspiration to watch your pain, but... Quit trying to show me up Biggie-Me or I'll grease those favorite Clubbells of yours at OCS.

[Doug Szolek]

Just call me Butter-Fingers :D

[Vbrown]

Can we call you "Butters"?

Back to lurking,

Vince

[Doug Szolek]

:lol:

[Doug Szolek]

10-3-03 morning

Daily Range of Motion

Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar: Infinities, Diagonals, YinYangs, Clover Leaves, Revolvers, Circles
Shoulders: rolls, Arm Screws, Infinities, Circles, Waves
Elbows: Circles, Infinities, Rolls, Waves
Wrists: Circles, Infinities, Diagonals, Rolls, Waves
Fingers: Circles, Rolls, Waves
Pelvis: Infinities, Diagonals, Yin Yangs, Clover Leaves, Revolvers, Circles, Alternating Hip Infinities.
Hip, Knee, Ankle: Infinities, Circles, Waves
4 Corner Balance Drill w/ Arm Stretch: 10 seconds each position.
Feet: Waves, Rolls.
Vibrational Drills: Squats, Strikes, Projections, Sweeps.

Notes: These sessions are becoming increasingly mandatory as my total volume in my Swipe and Mill Practice reaches past insanity.

[Doug Szolek]

10-3-03 evening

Swipe Practice

1. Basic Arm Swing: 10/minute for 10 minutes

2. Spouts (Clean to Back Pos.; double 1/2 Parry Cast to park): 10 sets of 10 with 20 seconds rest between sets

3. Cossaks (Armpit Cast to Flag Pos. w/ rock-bottom squat): 10/minute for 10 minutes

4. Swipes: 10 sets of 10 with 15 seconds rest between sets

4OO TOTAL VOLUME

Notes: Well it finally happened, I heard the still small voice of overtraining creeping into select joints near the end of this session. I have one more week in Phase 1 of my Olympic Clubbell Sport preparation at the most, more than that and my efforts to actively recover will not be enough to prevent injury.

In other news, the sets of Spouts and Swipes finaly reached a length that did not allow adequate recovery within the end of their alloted minute. In other words, it was taking me between 55 and 60 seconds to do 10 Spouts and about 50 seconds to do 10 Swipes. So I had to add in some seconds of additional rest to keep from taking out a wall in the gym.

What this also means is that my RPM in the Swipes is currently too slow to reach my goal competition numbers of 175 in 10 minutes. Phase 2 of my OCS prep. should take care of this as it will center completely around technique and build up to the required weight over the course of months. I think I got a bit over zealous in my efforts here in Phase 1, but hey, who am I to complain about the chance to prove who I am every night in the gym, my inner pansy has become completly inaudible and all that remains is Knuckledragger 8)

Now that is all on the bright side of life, the grueling details of tonights adventures in masochism is that my head needed a squeegy after I got 2 minutes into the Cossaks, and my arms were trying every trick in the book to keep from locking out during these. I got to where I had grooved the combo so I had to concentrate all effort of contracting the triceps. I did my first set of Swipes and laughed as I said, "OK, only 90 more." As I tried to note some thoughts post session, I was not able to grip the pen, and my legs would not hold still for me to put on my shoes. Yes, I am indeed nearing the end of this cycle.

[Doug Szolek]

10-3-03 night

2nd Daily Range of Motion

Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar: Infinities, Diagonals, YinYangs, Clover Leaves, Revolvers, Circles
Shoulders: rolls, Arm Screws, Infinities, Circles, Waves
Elbows: Circles, Infinities, Rolls, Waves
Wrists: Circles, Infinities, Diagonals, Rolls, Waves
Fingers: Circles, Rolls, Waves
Pelvis: Infinities, Diagonals, Yin Yangs, Clover Leaves, Revolvers, Circles, Alternating Hip Infinities.
Hip, Knee, Ankle: Infinities, Circles, Waves
4 Corner Balance Drill w/ Arm Stretch: 10 seconds each position.
Feet: Waves, Rolls.
Vibrational Drills: Squats, Strikes, Projections, Sweeps.

Notes: Mandatory active recovery after the signs I received during my Swipe Practice. I had just come off a rotator cuff impingment before Phase 1 of my OCS Preparation and I know it'll be back if I push this cycle past next week. I went slowly and deeply into every motion listed and ended up in as much of a sweat as I had during my Swipe Practice. But now I feel great, not carrying any residual tension from the session. Working on a Body-Flow Kinetic Chain to hit the antagonist muscles of the Swipe and Mill to practice tomorrow morning. This with a twice daily dose of Warrior Wellness will see me safely to the end of this cycle and let me cultivate the mythic level of endurance that will be necessary for the numbers I intend to hit at the OCS competition.

I'll be on tomorrow to report on the Kinetic Chain I'm gonna work. Until then remember, "On a scale of 1 to Awsome; I'm Super Great :P ."

[Doug Szolek]

10-4-03 mid-day

Daily Range of Motion

Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar: Infinities, Diagonals, YinYangs, Clover Leaves, Revolvers, Circles
Shoulders: rolls, Arm Screws, Infinities, Circles, Waves
Elbows: Circles, Infinities, Rolls, Waves
Wrists: Circles, Infinities, Diagonals, Rolls, Waves
Fingers: Circles, Rolls, Waves
Pelvis: Infinities, Diagonals, Yin Yangs, Clover Leaves, Revolvers, Circles, Alternating Hip Infinities.
Hip, Knee, Ankle: Infinities, Circles, Waves
4 Corner Balance Drill w/ Arm Stretch: 10 seconds each position.
Feet: Waves, Rolls.
Vibrational Drills: Squats, Strikes, Projections, Sweeps.

Notes: Took this one smooth and slow and worked into some of the issues that appeared in last nights Swipe Practice. Spent extra time on my shoulders, elbows, and wrists. Noticed a slight twitch in my right deltoid several times through the day. May be due to my crash corse in html that went straight through the night. Pumped for tonight.

[Doug Szolek]

10-4-03 evening

Mill Practice

1. Inward Pendulum: 10/minute for 5 minutes each arm

2. Short Whip (Shield Cast to Flag Position): 10/minute for 5 minutes each arm

3. Taskmaster (1/2 Parry Cast to Back Position, Shield Cast to Muscle-Out, 1/2 Parry Cast): 10/minute for 5 minutes each arm

4. Mill: 10/minute for 5 minutes each arm

Notes: And we have reached the end of a wonderful cycle. Working the Mills tonight I discovered some fun nuances to the exercise and I also uncovered an underlying flaw to my form with my right arm. It showed itself first by the fact the my left arm sets were going much easier than right and I knew this shouldn't be because I've always been right arm dominant. So I compared how I did the Mill with each arm and found that because my right is stronger (slightly but enough to notice) I was able to "wrist" the Clubbell through the Shield Cast portion of the Mill. By "wrist" I mean do a sort of sloppy Wrist Cast to get the head of the bell moving into it's upward arc. What this lead to in my arm is some overtrained forearm muscles that decided to voice their presence when for fun I grabbed a Kettlebell and did a few sets of Windmills (the chest stretch variant). The discomfort I felt at just curling the KB told me right away that I was done with this cycle.

So on to the nuances. I saw Coach Sonnon get into an effortless groove of Mills last night and he repoted that it was due to the knee dip in the lower rear arc of the Mill. So I went right into this tonight and indeed my RPE plumeted. What I also found is that a similar knee dip is possible in lower front arc. The main difference of the two dips is that in the front one if you bend your knees too far you risk brushing them with the Clubbell so you have to split the bend to your hips. And in the rear arc if you put too much of the bend in your hips then your likely to brush your lower back with the Clubbell. So to recap; Dip mostly from the knees in the rear arc and mostly from the hips in the front arc. And don't wrist the weight, even if you can :oops:

[Scott Sonnon]

Great report, amigo.