Strength Training Updates

The 48kg kettlebell, aka the beast, arrived at the end of June when I could
barely do two-arm swings and one goblet squat with it. In two months, I
progressed to 3x3 squats. In six months, swings have become easier (10 reps
take 15 instead of 17 seconds) and squats much less intimidating. I'm able to
single-arm swing the beast but have no plan to switch to that move until I can
do it strongly. At present, I work with the 48kg twice and with the 40kg or the
32kg once a week. Everything has gone well.

The strength gain in the legs and core from swings and squats carries over to
running. On a weekday, a weight-lifting session wakes up the glutes for the
following 8- or 9-mile run. Even in a weekend long trail run, the big muscles
contract tirelessly throughout.

In addition, I do military press and pullups for the upper body.
Pressing a 20kg KB 3x3 three times a week has strengthened the left arm
and (together with bar-hanging) helped to fix my right shoulder pain. I plan to
increase to four or five times a week as Pavel said "To press a lot (poundage),
you must press a lot (reps)."

After eight months of daily stretching, my ankle flexibility has finally reached
the point where the pistol squat seems possible. I will explore it and another
body-weight exercise, the single-arm pushup.

There are a lot to look forward to in 2021.