I don't know about the swings I have only had a 55lb. kettlebell to work with. I bought the 70lb. one to have a heavier option for conditioning since I don't have a sled anymore. From what I have read heavy swings are a relatively safe way to do heavy conditioning work, like pushing a sled or farmer's walks. I will likely keep them in the 10-15 range though and mix them in with some core work as a finisher like you.
I'm not a big fan of bodyweight stuff because I feel like running and bike riding hit the same thing. They seem redundant and not very effective, just my opinion though. Its like doing handstand pushups, I don't see the purpose if you have a barbell and can do full a range press. In my experience the stronger I get at the bench press the more pushups I can do, but training pushups doesn't really make me stronger at the bench and only marginally makes my pushup better.
I have been doing more power cleans as well to get the bar up to press. I've been liking them so much I just bought 4 bumper plates so I can do them more. A 215 would be good, I think the most I have ever tried was 205.
OK, next time I do my Bottom-Pull workout (deadlifts & friends), I'll try the swings in the 10-to-15-rep range.
I disagree with you about bodyweight stuff though. Squat jumps, for example, don't train strength like barbell squats, but they do attack explosiveness, as well as range of motion, better. I've become convinced that plyometrics/mobility exercises are an important bridge between intense anaerobic exercise like free weights, and repetitive aerobic exercise like running. That's what I was trying to say in my last comment, that there's really four basic fitness components I want to work on: st, cardio, plyo, flexibility. It's just a question of proportions at this point, and scheduling. I like the am running, pm lifting schedule, but I'm still trying to figure out where to fit in the other two.
Another benefit from some body weight exercises, like handstand pushups, is that they attack your stabilizers more, which can improve balance and coordination. I agree though, that for pure strength purposes, body weight exercise will always impose a limit on how far you can go, as is the case with pushups. However, dive-bomber pushups do hit a range of motion that bench presses don't. Likewise, dips work the pecs, tri's and upper back in a manner quite unlike the bench press. So if bodyweight exercises can produce benefits that aren't possible with free weights, they're worth keeping in one's repertoire I think, unless time is limited or you're making a push for increased strength.
My power cleans are limited now by this gimpy left shoulder I have. I'm going to have to work up the weight increments very gradually. It's a little frustrating, because I can tell the rest of my body could do more, but I'm still hopeful that with the right approach and mix of exercises, I can get back on top of this shoulder issue and make it disappear for the most part. So I'm not going to let any one exercise interfere with that goal. If power cleans aggravate it, I'm throwing them out, but it sure would be nice to be able to do them with decent weight again. I love that explosive feeling. 20 years ago in karate I had a routine where I would do deadlifts, then power cleans, then clean to press, reducing weight along the way. It really helped make my kicks more explosive and powerful.
For ExRx's intermediate level calculations, I'm using 220lbs as my bodyweight, even though I weigh 240 right now, because at least 20 pounds is useless fat. If I could get down to 200--a distant possibility--my intermediate level standard would lower further. I'd only need to do 335 lbs instead of 350 lbs, for example, on the deadlifts.
It's definitely a good topic for discussion and is quite similar to the barefoot-shod argument. It's also interesting because in both cases my opinion has evolved over the years and has even gone back and forth.
Right now, and specifically talking about farmer's walks, my thoughts are its an excercise that trains two different components. Its a very strong grip training excercise which typically fails first, and it is also good for posture/core work which has a higher failure tolerance. So by limiting the set to the point where grip fails you may be preventing the other benefits. On the other hand as you have alluded to, maybe that is a good thing and you aren't overdoing the excercise and the slower build up of grip work overall better for you?
I don't know the answer as I have never actually trained them with straps but I am going to give it a try for a while. I suspect what will happen is they will become much more fatiguing like the deadlift and it will probably go from an assitance lift to a main lift. It will be interesting to see what fails second. I will probably only use straps when carrying 225+ lbs too. And hopefully I get some huge traps out of it.
Yah, on a practical level, I can see using straps, gloves, or belts. Just like some people may opt for shoes on challenging terrain so that they can run faster or farther. For me, for no practical reason, I like to keep things as bare as much as possible. I like the purity of it. But I would never tell anyone else which way is the right way for them. Just depends on preferences and goals. I really like having callused hands, for example, so I'm not going to put on gloves, even though gloves would make deadlifts a little easier. And if I lived by a gravel road, I think my tendency would be to master running on it bare, rather than donning minimalist shoes. The whole race/pace/max numbers approach can undermine a more zen focus on experiencing each form of exercise for what it is. This winter I tried to run on compacted snow bare as well, but I just don't have the tolerance for doing that for more than a mile or two at best, usually a lot less. Matter over mind I guess.
