Train your weaknesses first

Ok, so I can be a bit edgy at times

Let's face it, no one likes to think about their weaknesses. Think about the last time you were at a job interview and someone asked, " So what are your weaknesses?" Response, "Ummmmmmm".


Too often in training we focus on the things that we are good at. Personally I avoided workouts that included pullups like the plague. What good does that do us? Wouldn't we be better in the long run if we turned that weakness into a strength? Wouldn't we be mentally and physically stronger if we addressed our weaknesses? Let's be clear here, I'm not talking about "problem areas". Fat loss strategies will be another blog post (most likely a rant so be warned). I'm talking about something that limits you.

For RKC 2 I need to perform pistol squats. Does this mean I avoid becoming an RKC 2? No it means that 4 days a week I work on them. Right after my mobility warm up (which is another blog post) I do 2 sets of 5 tactical pullups and 2 sets of 3 pistol progressions. I'm doing enough so I become better at the movement, but not over doing it so I'm tired and produce junk reps (guess what I sense another blog post). Generally it takes about 5-10 minutes and then I proceed to my training. If you're a boxer and your jab is a weakness, do you avoid throwing it? Good luck with that strategy. If you're a basketball player and you can't hit free throws (damn there's a ton of those guys), do you avoid contact so you stay off the foul line? No. If you're a runner and hills absolutely crush you, do you avoid races that have hills? If you're a person that takes my Sports Conditioning class and you hate the stairs, do you stop coming to class? If you take my kettlebell class and snatches are you're downfall do you avoid them when I put them in a workout? C'mon Son! Get outta here with that bull.

Set a timer for 10 minutes 2-3 times a week and work on the things you're not good at. Do them at the beginning of your workout when you're fresh. Focus on the technique and don't wear yourself out. If you make a mistake or you can't do something, shake it off count to 10 and try it again. If you need to video yourself and study it. When the timer goes off, finish your workout. Don't go past the 10 minute mark. MORE DOESN'T MEAN BETTER, BETTER MEANS BETTER!

Pharaoh out

The GOAL is to keep the GOAL the GOAL

The title is a quote from Senior RKC Dan John . What is your GOAL? Don't lose sight of it. If your GOAL is running a marathon, then go run with no worries and have an experience. If your GOAL is to run the Empire State Building, then go climb the stairs and have an experience.

On the right side of my blog I have a list of Training GOALS. A few are just for show (100 double unders just sounds cool to me). Others have a purpose and meaning. When I started this blog my top GOAL was to become an RKC. With that came things that I had to focus on to attain the GOAL. Having a faster time on my snatch test was something I wanted and listed as a goal, but it wasn't the GOAL. The GOAL was to become an RKC. The snatch test was a part of getting to the GOAL. Looking better Nekkid (yes I said nekkid) was never the goal, although it's a great result from training and reaching my GOAL. 10,000 swings in a month was a goal, but again it was something I chose to do in order to get to the real GOAL.

So my new GOAL is to become an RKC 2. Yes, I'm doing it again, April 27-29, 2012, St. Paul Minnesota. What does it entail? Here's a link to the list of the requirements . Again on the right side of the blog, you'll see my training goals. Become an RKC 2, clean and press a 44kg bell, pistol squats and 5 tactical pullups with the 24kg. The last 3 are requirements needed to become an RKC 2, except for the 5 tactical pullups. Only 1 is needed, 5 just sounds cool. So my training for the next 8 months will be all about the GOAL.

The video was from my kettlebell class last night. We focused on some new things and had some "aha" moments. Very soon, some of the participants will have their own GOAL to shoot for!!!!! Pick a GOAL and strive to achieve it.

Pharaoh out!