Breaking the Shackles

Over the last few days I have had the feeling of wanting to write a blog post but when I sat down to type nothing was forthcoming.........a frustrating predicament when you feel like being creative but something seems to be blocking it!

Yesterday I had a lovely 9 mile run out on the South Downs and over Beachy Head. It was a very cold and crisp day and when I got home I rewarded myself with a hot Epsom salt bath and cup of Tea Pigs Liquorice and Peppermint Tea (very nice indeed!)

Just recently when I sit in the bath I have taken to listening to a CD with all the lights turned out. There is something incredibly peaceful about sitting in darkness that I love and for me, is the ideal way to switch off and unwind the mind (next to meditation of course!)

Yesterday was no different and after a short while of lying with my eyes shut I found myself completely unconscious of the sound of the cd or anything else external to my body. Instead I kept seeing in my mind a picture of 3 young owls sat on a branch. The owls keep trying to fly off but each time they did a shackle around their ankle stopped them and they returned to the branch becoming increasingly frustrated.

As soon as I realised this image my consciousness kicked back in, I became aware of the music around me and most importantly - I felt inspired to write.

I love the fact that if we allow moments of stillness such as these, our natural creative spark can flow freely and present us with a purpose we may have been struggling to reach by simply trying too hard to reach it.

A few days ago I was talking to a truly incredible person, someone who inspires me greatly and radiates such a bright aura of energy that she can truly be described as a beacon of white light.

As we chatted I told her about some incredible news that I had received and how it was a dream come true.
I remember telling her that "I couldnt believe something like this was happening" and " It seems too good to be true."

She stopped me mid flow and proceeded to make me aware of the personal self sabotage that was taking place.

In years gone by I have wrestled with personal demons of low self esteem, self doubt, even lack of self worth and over came them all. Nowadays I try to be mindful of what I say and how I think. This continuous process of self assessment and working to resolution has been incredibly powerful and has allowed me to live the happy life I now lead.

To me having a positive mental attitude is the key to happiness both in helping myself and in helping others.

Anyway....

As we continued to chat the realisation sank in that tiny shards of self doubt and lack of self worth still remained within my subconscious and presented themselves in the language I used to describe my good news.

What is interesting is these phrases are used widely within our culture and may not be easily seen as negative to our progression and yet that's exactly what they are.

I believe in creation of experience. I believe in creating my own success and yet while creating success we can inhibit the likelihood of it occuring by pushing away the charge of "I will be successful" with phrases and words that we may not even be aware of or perceive as negative to our progression.

I am incredibly thankful to my mentor for helping me become even more mindful and self aware which will ultimately pave the way to greater success in the future.

When we become mindful and self aware it is interesting to note that our mind and body tells us where our personal issues lie if only we allow ourselves to be open and willing to listen.

Since my conversation several days ago I have caught myself self in the process of mental self sabotage and managed to stop it. How do I do this?  I simply give myself persmission to LET GO of the phrases/beliefs that do not serve my higher purpose and replace with " I DO deserve".

So what of the Owls? Well, I still see the owls on the branch with one main difference. Their shackles are gone, they may now fly, fly to freedom, a true freedom that precedes new levels of contenment and happiness.

Become aware of your shackles, make inroads to breaking them and work on being happy; You deserve to be.

Be Well.

Bulgarian Bag Conditioning Session + Running

Todays training session was based on work capacity with a run to cool down at the end.

Warm up was done with a 12kg Bulgarian Bag
200 reps completed of forward bends, side bends, twists, good mornings, squats, spins, groiners, spins, presses, rows and power snatches.

Main workout was done with a 17kg Bag

Spin Test
10 spins each way / 10 push ups on the bag (chest MUST touch, arms MUST lock out)
5 rounds as fast as possible

Time 3min 16

3 min rest

Then:-
Squat * 20
Over Head Press * 20
Kipping Row * 20
Forward Lunge * 20
Squat * 20
Rest 60 sec, repeat for 3 rounds total.

Then:-
Power Snatch Ladder 1-10
Push Up Ladder 1-10

Time taken 3min 33

Then:-
Closed Spins 10 each way every minute on the minute for 5 minutes

Then:-
Over head press, 40 reps straight through.

Total including warm up 900 reps in 40 minutes

"Cool Down"
3 mile run at a fairly steady pace, approx 70% effort
26 min 15

Done. Great session today.

Bulgarian Bag Work Capacity Training Session

Todays 30 minute Metabolic Conditioning / Work Capacity Workout had the goal of 700 reps using a 17kg Bulgarian Bag and body weight within 30 minutes.

Warm Up

12kg Bulgarian Bag mobility drills – 5 minutes

Main Workout

Round 1

Bag Spins 20/20

Push Ups on bag 10

Spin 15/15

Push Ups on bag 20

Straight onto

Round 2

Bag Squats 30

Kipping Row 30

Alternate reverse lunges 20

Bag high pull 20

Straight back onto Round 1 again and then repeat Round 2 again to total 400 reps in 13min 11

Round 3

Power Snatch 15

Over Head Press 15

Forward Alternate Lunge 10

Shoulder Throw 10

Power Snatch 15

Over Head Press 15

Forward Alternate Lunge 10

Shoulder Throw 10

Rest 45 seconds and repeat once more to total 600 reps.

Round 4

Power Snatch 15

Push Press 15

Kipping Row 15

Power Snatch 15

Push Press 15

Kipping Row 15

Power Snatch 10

700 reps in 28min 22

Worked to 30 minutes with:-

10 spins each way

21 push ups

Rest was kept to less than 45 seconds with a constant eye on the clock. The programming of the session is crucial as exercises such as Power snatch take longer to perform hence the inclusion of high velocity spins at the beginning while grip power and endurance is maximised.

A great 30 minutes of work and all that’s needed.

How to move over 10,000kg explosively in 30 minutes - The Bulgarian Way

Today I wanted to have a severe 30 minute Metabolic Conditioning session with my 17kg Bulgarian Bag.
My goal was a minimum of 500 reps in 30 minutes.......


Warm Up - 5 Minutes
12kg Bulgarian Bag performing a series of good mornings, squats, side bends, halos, presses, rows, power snatches and spins.

Main Workout
Bulgarian Bag Spin/Push Ups
 25 Spins Left, 25 Push Ups, 25 Spins Right, 25 Push Ups
Rest 60 seconds
15 Spins Left, 15 Spins Right, 20 Push Ups
Rest 60 seconds
15 Spins Left, 15 Spins Right, 20 Push Ups

(200 reps thus far)

Power Snatch 15 Reps, Squat 20 Reps, Power Snatch 15 Reps
Rest 30 seconds
Squat 25 reps, Power Snatch 25 Reps
Rest 60 seconds

Alternate Shoulder Throw 10/Push Up 10 * 5 rounds non stop
Rest 60 seconds

Power Snatch 10, Alternate Reverse Lunge 10, Shoulder Press 10, Kipping Row 10, Squat 10
Rest 45 seconds
Power Snatch 10, Alternate Reverse Lunge 10, Shoulder Press 10, Kipping Row 10, Squat 10

(500 reps done) on the clock was 25 min 28 at this stage

Bulgarian Bag Spins 10 reps each way, rest minimally * 5 sets for a final 100 reps


Total, 600 reps of Bag Spins and Push Ups.

Stretching to cool down.

A change from the running training

Today I had a short 3 mile easy run in the morning followed by a decent resistance training session this afternoon.

I fancied a spot of bench pressing as I hadnt done this in roughly 3 weeks or so and the only pushing I had done in the horizontal plane was a few sets of push ups. Most of my pressing work of recent, in fact all of it has been using kettlebell strict shoulder press, bent press, windmills and turkish get ups.

The session went as follows:-

Bench
Bar * 30
40kg * 10
60kg * 10
80kg * 5
90kg * 3
100kg * 1
110kg * 1
115kg *1 (failed this weight 3 weeks ago so pleased with an apparent strength gain!)
90kg * 5
90kg * 5

Each set was followed immediately by 6 gym ring chins from dead hang.

Kettlebell Bent Press
16kg * 5 each side
20kg * 5/5
24kg * 3/3
24kg * 3/3
24kg * 3/3

Double Kettlebell Chair Press
16kg * 2 * 20
20kg * 2 * 10
20kg * 2 * 10

Bulgarian Bag Spins
12kg Bag * 100 spins constant
Rest 2 mins
12kg Bag * 100 spins constant

Job done.

Great session today and it just goes to show the value of over head pressing and its carry over to the bench press! Kettlebells strike again!

Kettlebell Conditioning

Training today was a kettlebell session designed to complement my current running training.
The session focussed on high work capacity sets, core and upper body strength along with a metabolic conditioning set to finish.

Heres how it went:--

Kettlebell Clean / Kettlebell Snatch Super Set - 20kg Bell
Perform 10 reps of cleans then snatches with right hand, repeat for left.
Perform 9 reps as above without rest, then 8, 7, 6 etc until 1 of each is done.

Total work time  - 12 minutes

Kettlebell Bent Press
12kg * 5/5
16kg * 5/5
20kg * 5/5
20kg * 5/5

Goblet Squat / Windmill Super Set
24kg Bell 15 squats / 6 windmills each arm
Repeat for 4 sets


Bulgarian Bag Spin / 24" Box Jump
17kg Bag - 10 spins each way / 10 box jumps - repeat for 5 sets without rest.

Great session today, very enjoyable and took just under the hour.

Example Meditation to Develop Visualisation Skills and Relaxation

Further to my previous blog post about the Power of Meditation I wanted to provide an example of a meditation that I have used extensively when I was learning how to master this hugely powerful skill.


The purpose of the meditation outlined below is to practice and develop ones ability to use visualisation while at the same time promoting deep relaxation.

When first learning to meditate it is important to use visualisation within your meditation as this serves to provide a point of focus for the mind outside of the daily fluff that we have to deal with. In addition, as the process of visualisation develops and comes easier to us, it paves the way for the ultimate goal of meditation, to reach a state of no thought.

During the meditation accept that your mind WILL wander. It may happen frequently at first. Try not to become frustrated at this, simply become aware of it and then turn your mind back to the point at which the visualisation was interrupted. Be patient and stay relaxed.

Prior to starting sit in a quiet room without disturbance, turn off phones etc, draw the curtains if you have them or turn off the lights. Sit in a high backed chair, feet on the ground, uncrossed and with hands resting gently in your lap.

Close your eyes and become aware of your breathing. Breathe slowly and deeply in through the nose, out through the mouth. As you inhale become aware of the tension in your chest as it rises and falls. Be aware of the warmth of the breath as it leaves your body and note the feeling of relaxation through the chest cavity as your lungs empty. Focus purely on the detail of breathing until you become to feel more relaxed.

Once you feel relaxed and with eyes closed imagine standing up out of your chair and taking the journey to your front door. Visualise every step and detail that you can remember, all the while breathing gently and freely.

On reaching the front door take a deeper breath, exhale and open the door. As you do so notice your feet are on a forest floor. Visualise here as much detail as possible, twigs under foot, the colour of the earth, is it wet or dry etc. As you look around in your minds eye visualise a beautiful and peaceful forest. The more detail you visualise the better. What can you see, what can you hear, what can you smell? Continue to walk marvelling at the tranquillity, you create this experience, just keep walking.

After a short while imagine arriving at a gate. You may decide to visualise a gatekeeper as present. This could be anyone you wish, fictitious or real. For example, a guard, monk, best friend, relative, ancestor, warrior etc. The purpose of the gate is to signify a gateway to increased feelings of relaxation and the subconscious. If you decide to have an imaginary conversation with the gatekeeper, so be it, just flow with whatever springs to mind.

Once through the gate imagine the colours, sounds and smells intensifying around you. Continue to walk but imagine the pathway creeping upwards and upwards. As you get higher imagine feeling lighter, the higher you walk the lighter you feel.

Continue visualising your journey until you get to the top. Once at the top you may decide to sit there and take in the surroundings. Alternatively may decide (as I often did) to soar into the sky as a bird of prey, feeling light and free, able to go wherever my heart desired.

Spend sometime here. Try not to analyse what may come to you, just acknowledge and let go. If your mind wanders off the visualisation gently go back to it again.

Once you feel like sufficient time has been spent at the top of the mountain path begin your descent. Continue to visualise as much detail as possible and take your time. Pass through the gate, thank the gate keeper (your subconscious) and slowly come back to your house, through the front door and back into your seat.

Take a few moments to slowly move your extremities, become more aware of your physical body and when you are ready, open your eyes and take some water.

You may be surprised at how much time has passed. You should feel more relaxed and with an air of tranquillity within your consciousness.

Remember; accept that your mind will wander. With time and practice your mind will wander less and less and you will find it increasingly easier to visualise with greater detail.

Each time you meditate visualise a different location and path or return to the same one. Other ideas include a beach, mountains, hills, cliffs etc. Above all, enjoy. Be well.