After a busy week of design deadlines and concept development, this was what I decided to do at 1:20am on a Friday night. A crazy one hour long cycle test set, ya know, just to see if I can do it. And as it turns out…
I DID IT!!! 60 minutes of long cycle with the 12kg kettlebell x 618 reps, switching arms every 5 minutes. No chalk, no shoes, no wristbands, just me and the kettlebell. I really didn’t expect to switch hands only 11 times but after the first couple of switches, I figured why not try to stick with it? I started off at a pace of about 12rpm and in the end got an average of 10rpm. I felt strong for the most part and towards the last 15-20mins my arms were beginning to get tired but I still managed to power through. Being my first time, I was amazed to have finished and most importantly, I had happy hands! They were in perfect condition and I have my grip to thank for that! The only battle scar I had was a round 3/4″ bruise on my left forearm. That felt so good that I just wanted to shower and go to bed afterwards.
The main reason for this was to practice for an upcoming event that I have not trained for, which is coming up in exactly a week. My friend and GS coach Jason Dolby is hosting a One Hour Long Cycle charity event in Los Angeles on October 23 to raise money for the Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles where everyone must lift a kettlebell or two for an hour. Break a record and save a life! Jason had invited me to lift alongside him and the Russian lifters there, so I agreed to participate without fully knowing if I could even do it, but now that i’ve done it, I know I can survive 🙂
In the words of my coach after I told him:
“I love it!!! You are a sick animal and I respect it!!!”
This is coming from a guy who has been training hard for this and can do 45 minutes with 2x20kg for 235 reps. I almost feel as if I should practice this 60min LC at least twice before attending the event. I look forward to attending and enjoying some time in LA.