Training Weapon 2

So it`s no secret I`m a big fan of Al Kavadlo.
 He was my initial inspiration and the blog that I go to most for information on the flag and and a huge range of other exercises and fitness related stuff in general.
He is definately up there as one of my main "training weapons".

If you`re interested in his workout training programs and in his words "never before seen training tips, photographs and personal anecdotes." I would highly recommend his book pictured below.

 We’re Working Out: A Zen Approach to Everyday Fitness

Sorry couldn`t get the link to work to go directly to the book site (hey I`m just learning!)

Check it out on his blog http://www.alkavadlo.com/

..and in case you`re wondering,  no I`m not affiliated with Al and do not receive any payment if you buy his stuff, I just think it rocks and anyone even slightly interested in getting fitter and having a happier healthier life should give it a look. End of story!

Coming up soon I`ll let you in on my last "secret" training weapon....the book that has given me the exact progression steps I have been following to get me to the final goal. (babystep-by-babystep)

Until then...... hang in there!

(ouch, man that was terrible!)       :)

Kickin` it up and refusing to quit

Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.
Napoleon Hill

Ok you got me...........I love a good quote, and although Mr Hill almost definitely wasn`t talking about being able to do the human flag, the reasoning is still there.

Some days I`ll feel like I`m not getting anywhere, but by refusing to quit I`m finding that a couple of days down the track I`m stepping over the plateau. (Baby steps maybe but going in the right direction is good)

Here`s the latest photo. You can see I`m using a parallel grip as the old weights rack I`m using is more stable than the clothesline :)

Basically at this stage I`m trying to kick my legs up high with tucked knees.

As you can see, I`m getting them up there but can only hold them for half a second.

 By studying the photo I think I need to better straighten and lock my lower arm and tuck my legs better. (my next plateau possibly?)

Anyway we`ve got around 6 weeks to go...........stick with me, I`m not quitting yet!

Current training program and progress

Having a shadow of doubt this week so decided to check out my progress so far to prove to myself I`m getting somewhere.
So for myself and those interested in what I`m doing for training I went through pretty much all my training program this morning, so here is from the start of Nov to now.

Push ups- Start: Incline Push ups 1 x 20, Full Push up 1x12
                Now: Full Push Ups 1 x 30 as warm up
                         Narrow (hands together) push ups 1x 15
Supported 1 arm push up feet together  (1 arm out away from body full stretch on basketball) 2x6 both sides

Squats- Start: Shoulder width stance half squats legs parallel to floor 1x12, 1x12
             Now: Feet together full squats 2 x 15
                      Supported 1 leg half squats (1 leg in front on basketball) 1x3 each side -struggling with getting below parallel with 1 legged squats, something to work on!

Pull ups- Start: Horizontal pull ups/ aussie pull ups 1x 11
                       half pull ups 1 x4, 1 x3
              Now: Horizontal pull ups 1 x 15 as warm up
                        Full wide grip pull ups 1 x10
                       Full parallel grip pull ups 1x 10
                       Narrow grip supine and prone grip 1x5 each

Handstands- Start: half handstand push ups 2 x 2
                    Now: full handstand push ups 3 x 3
 (doesn`t sound like much but getting better at balance and getting up into handstand)

Abs-Start: Hanging bent knee leg raise 1 x8, 1 x6
        Now: hanging straight leg raises 2 x10, 1 x6

Grip- Start: Hanging bar hangs 1 x45 sec, 1 x 30 sec
         Now: Hanging bar hangs 1 x60 secs
                   Uneven bar hangs (1 hand on bar 1 gripping towel parallel grip) 2 x 30 secs

Bridge- Start: couldn`t even get into incline bridge with top half on bench
            Now: still struggling but can almost get a floor bridge with straight arms


So that`s my training program (this is usually broken down over 2 days by the way)  I have definately made progress which is good but is it good enough for my timeline?
Incidentally I have also dropped approx 4 % body fat and gone up a shirt size. Not bad for a month without changing my diet.

 Will head to the park this arvo and post flag progress next post.
 Thanks to everyone who has sent me support!

Going Horizontal

Just a quick post this time.

Got horizontal today! Not perfect and I`m still a looong way off getting the real flag happening but I`ll take it.

Much better on one side than the other so some weaknesses to sort out there.

2 months to go!

"If you knew you could never fail, what would you try?"

Training Weapon 1

So here is my first "Training Weapon" I`m using to achieve my ultimate goal.

It`s called Convict Conditioning.

This book promotes body weight exercises with very achievable gradual progressions. It is safe to say this book has totally changed the way I train. I love the progressive nature of each exercise so that there is always a goal to aim for and a plan to get there.

 To give you an example, in push ups alone there are ten progessions to master, to get to what author Paul Wade describes as the ultimate step- the one arm push up.

For anyone wanting to get strong, eliminate painful joints and backaches, lose fat and feel great, I highly recommend you check this book out. Simply the best exercise investment I have made to date. (..and cheaper than two casual visits to the gym, which you`ll never need to go to again once you read Convict Conditioning   :)

Do yourselves a favour..check it out!

progressing......slowly

Good week of training this week.
 Loving taking the kids to the park as every bar or pole has suddenly turned into an opportunity to train.
 Pull ups, grip training, handstands and clutch flags. All getting better but am I progressing fast enough to reach my goal?
Check out my clutch flag so far....clothes line is the only available pole at home! Who needs a gym?!

Will include a link soon if anyone is keen to see where I`m getting my training program from.

Until then here`s a cool quote I saw on a recent trip to New Zealand-

"how old would you be if you didn`t know how old you were?"

personally..around my late 20`s and I don`t plan to get any older any time soon   :)

1st week down

ok no more yapping, first week down.

I've been concentrating on pull ups, hanging leg raises, bridges (which I have found I really suck at) , handstands (getting better, hope to be able to crank out some handstand pushups soon) and grip strength.( hanging from horizontal bar - up to 60 secs for 3 sets)

Have been able to complete the first step towards the clutch flag (similar to full flag but with post up against body)First step is with legs off ground but still down at 45 degrees. I will put up a photo shortly.
So progressing slowly but going forward.
2nd week coming up!

Putting It Out There and Motivation

So why blog and tell heaps of people what my goal is?

Well put it this way, how easy would it be to give up if only my girls knew what I was doing?

 Easy right?

But how much harder is it to give up when you`ve told a ton of other people what your goal is?
Yep... way harder!
Enter  instant motivation.

I think this is what people into Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) call forced focus.

 Try it next time you have a specific goal. Want to lose 5 Kg or be able to run 10km, tell 10 people that`s what you`re doing and when you`ll do it by. You`ll be surprised at how much harder it is to give up.

But what if I fail, won`t I just end up looking like an idiot?

Yeah maybe, but if I`ve given it a red hot shot that`s better than not trying. (and if I`m close but haven`t reached my goal by the 26th Jan the world doesn`t end, I`ll just extend my timeline)

I heard a quote from an elderly woman the other day when asked to give one piece of advice to the younger generation, she said "bite off more than you can chew and then chew like mad!"

So here we go, one big bite coming up.....

ps. a huge thankyou to Al Kavadlo for checking out my blog. You are the man!

Check him out, seriously, he rocks!

http://www.alkavadlo.com/

The Experiment begins...

A few weeks back I was sitting on my couch checking out some exercise posts on You Tube.

 I came across this guy from New York called Al Kavadlo doing extraordinary gymnastics type moves on bars in a park. In particular a move called the human flag where he seemingly defies gravity by hanging horizontally from a pole (in otherwords he looks like a flag, check the pic below)

My two daughters were sitting near me and the conversation went like this-

Girls " watcha looking at Dad?"

Me "a guy doing exercises, check it out"

Girls "woah that`s so cool, can you do that"

Me "no way....... it is cool though"

Girls "if you could do that we could paint you like the Australian flag and you could do it on Australia Day!"

Me "ha that would be kinda cool wouldn`t it"

And the Flab to Flag Experiment was born!

So here`s the question- can a 38 something father of two with a "cuddly" midsection and nicely formed love handles get to a point where he can do the human flag, a highly advanced gymnastic type move in less than 3 months?

That`s what we`ll find out.
I have set up this blog to track my progress, keep me motivated (more about that in the next post) and show my girls that anything is possible, you just have to say "sure I`ll give that a go!"