16 March 2017

Warm up:
Upper body lift prep
Shoulder prep

REVIEW:  PUSH PRESS

WORK:  PUSH PRESS  incr weight to heavy last two sets
5 x 5

WORK:  50-40-30-20-10
Wallballs 20/14 to 10/9
Sit ups
DU

Rx+  unbroken rounds
Rx2  40-30-20-10
Rx3  Modify rep scheme further, modify movements as necessary

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15 Mar 2017

Warm Up:
10 rounds of 7 sec squat and hold at bottom, 5 sec rest at top
10 each:
Cossack squat
Single leg RDL each leg
Hamstring banded kickbacks

REVIEW:  BACK SQUAT

LIFT:  Back Squat 4 x 4 as heavy as you can for all sets

WORK:
3 rounds for time of:
Row, 400 m
21 Kettlebell Swings, 53/35 lbs (russian)
12 Handstand Push Ups

Rx2:  HSPU off box in as much of a pike that you can manage

Rx3:  scaled push ups or regular push ups

SILVERS:  Same

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14 Mar 2017

Upper body lift prep
shoulder prep

REVIEW:  BTN PRESS - *LAT ENGAGEMENT*

STRENGTH:  4 x 8 BTN PRESS
Try to increase weight each set

WORK:
SHAM
7 rounds for time of:
11 Deadlifts, 1x bodyweight
Run, 100 m (10 lengths yellow to yellow)

You may replace running with a row, increase to 150 m

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13 Mar 2017

Warm Up:
Shoulder Prep with bands
then 3 rnds
5 inchworm
1 length bear crawl
1 length crab walk

PRE:  Accumulate 3 mins of hollow body hold (floor) in as short a time as possible

STRENGTH:
3 sets of 3 weighted strict pull up, 3rd set should be max weight

If you do not have your strict pull up:
3 x 3 negative pull ups 6-8 sec descent

WORK:
60 m walking lunge (yellow to yellow, 6 x)
21 Pull ups
21 V ups
60 m walking lunge
15 pull ups
15 V ups
60 m walking lunge
9 pull ups
9 sit ups

Rx2:  Jumping pull ups
Rx3:  Ring rows and regular sit ups

SILVERS:

Accumulate 3 mins Hollow body hold

Accumulate 2 mins of hang time in ACTIVE position (can be off bars or rings)

WORK:
50 cal row
21 Ring Rows
21 DB Box step ups
35 cal row
15 ring rows
15 DB box step ups
20 cal row
9 ring rows
9 DB box step ups

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8 Mar 2017

Warm Up:
Shoulder prep

REVIEW:  SNATCH with dowels
20 mins

LIFT:  SNATCH 5 x 5
add weight each set, catch the bar in the power receive position and ride it down into a full squat

WORK:
10 MIN AMRAP
21 Unbroken DU
15 Push Ups
5 Wallballs (20/14 to 10' all)

Rx2:  broken du, 14# to 9'
Rx3:  scaled DU (attempts or no rope jumps with double thigh slap)/scaled push ups/lighter wallballs or less height/depth

SILVERS:
Squat prep

REVIEW (with dowels):  Back squat

LIFT:  BACK SQUAT 5 x 5
increase weight each set

Shoulder warm up (prep for push ups):  bear crawl, crabwalk

WORK:  same as above

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7 Mar 2017

Warm Up: (10 mins)
10 rnds 7 sec descent and hold, 5 sec rest Air squat
Use this to mobilize and work your form
Monster walks
Hamstring kickbacks
Hamstring slides (off foam roller)

REVIEW:  FRONT SQUAT (5 MINS)

LIFT:  Front squat 8-5-5-5-3 (20 mins)
Use 8 as a warm up set then increase weight each remaining set, aim for finishing with your 5RM and 3RM weights

REVIEW:  Squat clean (10 mins)

WORK:  ELIZABETH (10-12 MINS CAP)
21-15-9 reps for time:
 Squat Cleans (135#/95#)
 Ring Dips

Rx2:  Bar dips
Rx3:  tricep dips off bench or box

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6 Mar 2017

Warm Up:
Hinshaw

WORK:  Death by 10m
With a continuously running clock perform:
Run 10 m in the first 1 min,
Run 20 m in the second 1 min
Run 30 m in the third 1 min
...
Continuing this for as long as you are able.  You must touch the floor at each end

(10m is yellow to yellow line)

CASH OUT:  Tabata line hopovers

OPTIONAL SKILL WORK:   Pull up strength work or muscle up transitions

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2 Mar 2017

Warm Up:
Tabata Medball cleans

REVIEW:  Clean & Jerk (20 MINS)

WORK:

Alternating 30 MIN EMOM:

ODD: 1 Clean & Jerk (work up to heaviest weight possible by last two rounds)

EVEN:  200 m row

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1 Mar 2017

Warm Up:
Upper body lift prep
Shoulder prep

REVIEW:  PRESS

LIFT:  PRESS 5 x 5 work up to heavy set of five

WORK:
12 MIN AMRAP

15 American KBS 55/35
20 Sit Ups
35 Double unders (Rx: Unbroken)

Rx2:  Unbroken DU

Rx3:  Any other weight/singles x 5 or DU attempts

SILVERS:
Upper body lift prep

REVIEW:  BENCH PRESS

LIFT:  Bench Press 5 x 5 Work up to heavy sets of 5

SKILL WORK:  Double Unders
1) Master the slow single, work on body position, relaxed shoulders, arms at 45 degrees)
2) No rope, same jump speed as singles but double slap thighs
3) Add rope, same speed jump, same speed turnover as slap

WORK:
SAME, modify appropriately

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Spinning

Can we please take a moment to talking about indoor cycling? It's been about 4 days since my last spin class and I'm 87% sure I've broken my vagina. As a woman I find those seats uncomfortable AF... so how on earth do men manage? Firstly, the seat is hard as a rock. Second, when you have to lean forward, the front end of the saddle is digging into your bits like some sort of medieval torture... and this is something people willing do for 45 minutes?

I used to think spin class was boring. I mean really, you're just sitting in the same place staring at the wall for an hour. Then I went to a class that actually had a fantastic instructor. There I am sweating buckets, feeling like I'm at max resistance and he says "that's the end of the warm up". To my great horror, I realise that only 5 minutes has passed. Cycling is a whole other level of cardiovascular fitness.

However, you have to wade through all the crap instructors to finally find a good one. One instructor I know has the musical taste of a 60 year old woman. He played DISCO INFERNO when we were meant to sprint and go our fastest. Do you know how difficult it is trying to ride fast to VH1 classics 70s disco boogie? Very. It's very difficult.

Some spinning studios try to make the experience "cool". I love (I say love, but what I really mean is I sarcastically laugh at) how they turn down the lights and have almost UV blue club type of lighting. What with the blue lighting and the disco jams, I felt like I was at a Mix FM decades party.

Blogger Sheryl Kraft came to a brilliant conclusion about spin class lighting:

3. They keep the room so dark because:
a). you can’t see if your neighbor is dead or alive
b). your neighbor can’t see you grimacing in pain from the fire you feel in your thighs
c). if you want to leave class early, you can’t, because you can’t find your way out.

I must say I agree... but for some bewildering unnatural reason, I'm keen for another spot of torture next week.

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New Year Resolutions

This week was my very last day at Weight Watchers. After you've reached your goal weight, you have to maintain it for 6 weeks to become a lifetime member. By some miracle, I have managed to maintain 54.8kg through a holiday of hotel buffets, very little exercise, and New Year's indulgence.

 

What better way to kick off the new year? Starting the year at a happy, healthy goal weight...
My immediate feeling, however, was not one of elation, but rather of fear. I've spent exactly two years of my life on Weight Watchers. Every Monday afternoon I would attend a weigh-in wearing the lightest clothing I could find and get on the scale with fingers crossed. What do I do now? How do I proceed to live a normal life?

I'm not usually one for new year's resolutions, but this year I'm making an exception. To help maintain my weight (and keep my sanity) I'm setting new goals to work towards. For starters, I want to change my habits at the gym. When I was still trying to lose, I would compulsively get on the scale every single day. I would get on pre-workout, post-workout, post-pee... I tried desperately to change the numbers flashing at me. So this year I'm only stepping on the scale on Fridays.

I'm also endeavouring to put more effort into my appearance. What's the use in losing all this weight but still keep my outdated baggy clothing? I'm trying to make calculated decisions when it comes to clothing purchases - no more baggy dresses, no more lace, no more drab colours. I'm trying to start a whole new wardrobe of mature, well-fitted clothing that will make me feel as different as I look.

My journey to clean eating has been a slow but steady process. Every now and then I'll stuff my face with oily, salty goodness (often referred to as chips), but for the most part I eat pretty well. Clean eating means avoiding refined, processed foods and rather eating real whole foods like lean proteins, whole grains, and plenty fruit and veg. This wonderful woman Shira Bocar is the goddess of delicious clean recipes and I hope to cook more like her this year.

Lastly, I have two main fitness goals:
1. To do a full wide-armed pull up without assistance.
2. To do a free handstand without the wall.
Seems easy enough? Well, it's not. You go try that handstand. It's a bitch.

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