How heavy is 20kg?

Quite a lot actually!

I finally gathered enough courage and forced myself to fool around with the 20kg Kettlebell gathering dust for the last one year. (My thoughts were far more eloquent when I was struggling with the k'bell)

F......the d..... thing was heavier than I thought it would be, it was far-2 heavier today than the last time I lifted it.

Ever the over-confident a..I decided to do the Deep 6 routine ie 5xComplex, where each complex is of following alternate hand exercises:-
5,5 swings,
5,5 snatches,
5, 5 squats
5,5 clean & presses,
Turkish get down- up to start a new complex.
(It is called deep 6 because it includes all primary k'bell exercises- swing, snatch, squat, clean, press
& TGU)

S...I should have started with a 8kg k'bell, the d.... thing didn't swing beyond my stomach, oh well I did push it up higher but it wasn't like last year when I could do Crossfit type swings with chutzpah. Snatches were even more f...ed up, f....you my stupid ego, I should have been doing free hand snatches....

I could clean (barely) but presses were a different animal altogether, a black demo. TGU(well TGD) - didn't have the guts to attempt these

Did not have the ....for round 2 leave alone completing the mandatory 5.

Guess what I did next- yes take it easy.  I decided to switch to RKC Bare minimum- a beginners program which consists of a 10 min warm-up with 10 counts each of wall squats, halos and mountain climbers. Followed by actual workout which is 20 swings followed by 1 minute of active rest (jumping jacks, mountain climbers etc) for a total of 12 minutes.

Sounds easy enough - I got the wind knocked out of me in the warm-up itself. Could do only 20 half swings, active rest what a joke - I could barely move.

Had to take a full days rest, God willing I will do the RKC Bare min today.

Good times, Times, Great times

Last year (2012) was pretty good for me as far strength was concerned. I lifted and lifted with a plan so for my 36th B'day in August I was the strongest I have ever been. I could deadlift 160kg, press 70 kg, bench press 105 for 5 reps, Squat 115 for 5 reps. Doesn't seem much when you compare with power lifters but for me it was a big ego booster, and one of these days I did 5 pullups at 102-105 kg. Yes I was obese but I could lift and I had 16.5"arms, I moved around like a bull (handsome one though).

In September 12 I realised that my knees & elbows ached, so I switched over from 5x5/3x5 protocol to Dan John/Pavel's 40 days Easy Strength protocol and generally took it easy. I shifted from Jabalpur to Hisar in February 13 (livelihood reasons).

Now instead of picking up from where I left off, I wasted away and my weight skyrocketed to 111kg. Tying shoelaces became an exercise in itself. Doctor advised bariatric surgery. I didn't really relish the idea of doctors chopping away parts of me, so after years of neglect I finally decided to give dietary changes a chance.

In the past I had tried tried out GM diet, low Cal diet but this time I needed something long term. So the primary change I made was - no simple carbohydrates. So no sugar, no sugar products, no rice, no potatoes, no flour products. I eat vegetables, meats, eggs, milk, curd, coffee and artificial sweeteners (sorry naysayers I am not an ascetic, I don't intend to be an ascetic, all I want to be healthy and fit).

It seemingly works; I am down to 103kg. I actually need to lose about 30kg before I can fit into my size 32(yes I once wore them) Levis jeans. I would be very happy to get into my size 34 pants or infact anything which is below 40. I actually intended to follow the Carb Nite protocol, however social obligations and my weak will did mess that up on certain occasions.

Losing weight after being obese, and wasting money on charlatans like VLCC is a big plus but since I am not training not even working out I am weak, weak as a wimp. Today I tried to lifts Bailey jack; couldn't budge it beyond waist. Yesterday I tried to hang from a bar and realised I am officially a sissy.

Now I have to make up goals and reinvent myself.
These are the fitness goals I have for myself:-
1. Reduce my weight to 73kg
2. Do the following Lifts
    Front Squat, Clean, Push press - 100kg
 .  Squat- 140kg
    Deadlift - 190kg
    Press - 85kg (I actually want to press 100kg but first things first)
    Learn and practice - Snatch, Clean & Jerk
3. Run the following
   Mile and half in 12 minutes
   5k or three mile race in 28 minutes
4. Do with a 20kg kettlebell swings in Tabata protocol without wishing I was dead.
5. Build up muscle mass, I really loved it when arms didn't fit in my shirt sleeves.

When we do that those will be Great times- timeline August 13 is a few months away, I will be halfway there by that time (ideally I would have liked to achieve all my goals but then I would need Gods by my side, considering that I am neither a saint nor a genius fiend chances of that happening are slightly bleak). I would be grateful for moral support though...