May 3rd Training

Warm-up
-Joint Mobility
-24kg OAJ 4mins @10rpm x2 sets

-24kg Jerk 3mins @6rpm
-20kg Jerk Sprint 1min @15rpm x3 sets (1min rest between sets)
-32kg OAJ 6mins (switch on the minute)

When Will I Compete?

I am often asked, 'So Andyn, who are you competing against in this upcoming comp?' or 'Are you going to win?'. My answer will always be 'I am competing against myself and I will never win until I have really competed.' And the person will almost certainly start thinking to himself, 'Oh this asshole is trying to be humble or is just trying to keep the pressure down.' When, in actual fact l'm not! I would love to have the confidence of saying that yes, I am going to win. Yes, I am ready to take on so and so. Yes, I am going to smoke these numbers. Wouldn't everyone love to be able to say that?

However the problem is, I can't! Why? Simply because, I have not even started competing! Many people have the idea that once you stepped onto a platform with kettlebells in hand and lift for 10 minutes, you are already a 'professional' kettlebell lifter. The truth is far from that!

To me, as one of my coaches once said, the journey of a kettlebell lifter will only take flight AFTER he achieves his Master of Sport rank. That is hitting the minimum number required with the 32kgs for my weight category. Only then, will I be considered a true professional. Only then, will I start competing against other lifters for titles. Only then, will I start thinking of breaking records. Only then, will I be considered among the many good ones. And that is not even considered the best yet! How long will this take me? I don't know. Some people took as long as 6 years while some achieved it within a year of stepping onto the platform.

Until then, every training session is a chance for me to work on improving my technique. Every competition is a test to gauge whether I have been doing it right during training and then, going back to refining my mistakes and weaknesses when I start training for my next comp.

It is a long, tiring and painful journey. A sport which requires a lot of patience, dedication and discipline. It is not a sport for someone who wants a short cut to glory. It is all about hard work and perserverance. And that is why I do it. I may not be a Master of Sport tomorrow, the years to come or maybe never in this life but the journey itself is enough to teach me a lot about myself than anything else can.

Apr 30th Training

• GS Specific Strength Training

Warm-up
-40kg Front Squats 10reps x2
-60kg Front Squats 10reps
-100kg Front Squats 3reps

Work Set (90sec Rest between sets)
-80kg Front Squats 5reps x5
-40kg Barbell Jumps Squats 50reps x2

24kg Snatch 4mins @12rpm

Apr 29th Training

-10mins Joint Mobility and Warm-up with light bells
-24kg Jerks 3mins @6rpm
-20kg Jerks 2mins @8rpm
-More Joint Mobility and Compensatory Poses.

Apr 27th Training

Had about 30mins to spare before our clients arrive so Nifal and I decided to kick-start our off-season training there and then- two days after returning from Melbourne.

Morning:
20 minutes Joint Mobility

4:30pm:
• 5 sets of Lockout Drills
-32kg OAJ- 5/5 reps with 30 sec hold at the end.
-16kg Jerk- 3reps with 10 sec hold during the rack, under squat and lockout.

-24kg Snatch 4mins @12rpm

That was it. Simple but productive :)

The Australian Kettlebell Club Championship 2012

The first Australian Kettlebell Club Championship sanctioned by The World Kettlebell Club was held on the 21st April 2012 at Iron Edge Fitness in Melbourne, Australia. Initially there were four of us from Singapore that were supposed to compete but Nifal and Becky were out injured due to a wrist injury and concussion respectively in a non-kettlebell related incident. So it was just down to me and Teng to step onto the platform.

We arrived on the friday morning a day before the meet after an eight hour flight. Didn't get to sleep much on the plane and as soon as we touched down, we checked-in to our apartment and went out with my friend George who lives in Melbourne for a day of sightseeing and a little shopping. I didn't get to bed till 1am that night as Melbourne was 2 hours ahead of Singapore's time and my body couldn't adapt that fast :)

Woke up at 7am on the day of the comp to pack as we are checking out of the apartment to head off to Bendigo right away after the comp with the crew from Rock Hard Kettlebells. Arrived at the Iron Edge Fitness at 15 minutes past 10am for a little briefing and weigh-in. When we stepped into the venue, we were awed bu the amount of space and equipments in front of us. That place was simply awesome! It was a huge warehouse that sells most of the unconventional strength training equipments that a gym would need.

So it's 11am and time for me to step onto the platform. Suprisingly, I wasn't as nervous as my first comp in Hong Kong back in July 2011. I just switched back to the biathlon event two weeks before this meet and my first snatch practice after 9 months ended in disaster. I tore my hands pretty badly and did not recover until the last couple of days before flying off. So there wasn't even talk about me hitting the numbers required to make rank with the 20kgs which is 58 reps for jerks and 55/55 for snatches. All that my coach asked for was to lift with good technique and form. Classy lifting she calls it. So there was no pressure on me.

My results were 58 for jerks and 36/38 for snatch. I hit my target for jerks but still a whole lot of work to be done on my snatches. Nevertheless, I was awarded the Best Lifter title for biathlon. It was based on technique and form rather than on how heavy we were lifting which, most people would agree that it is important since this sport is still in its infancy outside of Eastern Europe. This is to ensure that the athletes as well as the competition itself is of a high standard as well as to safeguard the athletes well-being.

A big thank you to my coach, the Australian Kettlebell Club, fellow competitors and sponsors for making the meet a great and organized event. Special thanks to my wife Linda who's been a great pillar of strength and support. Nifal Johannes for always being there to spur me on when the set gets tough. And to all my family, friends and students for their kind words of encouragement. Now, it's time to get on with training for September's comp :)

WIth two exceptional lifers Nick (left) and Ed

With my coach Emily and her husband Rohan

My Jerk set

With Nifal and Teng

The meet at Iron Edge Fitness

Birth of My Blog :)

Lately, people have been asking me to share my thoughts and training routine especially after the recent competition that I took part in which is the Australian Kettlebell Club Championships (WKC), which I will share on my next post. To be honest, I am not a very disciplined blogger and my training routine is no rocket-science material. However, I am willing to give this blog a shot and share my thoughts hoping that whatever is posted here will help me become a better athlete and coach through constructive cricticism from anyone that is reading this humble blog of mine :)