Convict Conditioning:
Handstand Hold - 2 holds, 30 seconds each
Short Bridge - 2 sets of 10
Kettlebells:
5 clean & press ladders up to 3 rungs @ 16kg
Cleans - 2 sets of 10 reps per arm @ 24kg; 4 sets of 6 reps @ 16kg & 24kg (using both, switching each set)
And Then:
3 rounds:
10 med ball chops per side
10 sledge slams per side
10 sledge trunck rotations per side
Fun stuff.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Tuesday, Sept. 6
Today was going to be a bit too easy...so I decided to make it harder =].
Convict Conditioning:
Supported Squat - 2 sets of 10
Jackknife Pullups - 1 set of 10
Gymnastics, etc.:
Skin-the-Cat (on rings) - 2 sets of 3, 1 set of 5
Wrestler's Bridge - 2 sets, 1 minute each
Front Wrestler's Bridge - 1 set, 1 minute
Handstand practice
Convict Conditioning:
Supported Squat - 2 sets of 10
Jackknife Pullups - 1 set of 10
Gymnastics, etc.:
Skin-the-Cat (on rings) - 2 sets of 3, 1 set of 5
Wrestler's Bridge - 2 sets, 1 minute each
Front Wrestler's Bridge - 1 set, 1 minute
Handstand practice
Monday, September 5, 2011
Sunday and Monday, Sept. 4-5
Yesterday was an all-day Parkour jam up in Roseville. It was pretty much awesome! I'll link the video. I'm the one who still needs to learn to keep moving after each trick. Oh well, it's a learning process! I've never been the most graceful.
NCPK Jam Video
Took it fairly easy today because of PK awesomeness yesterday.
Convict Conditioning:
Knee Pushups - 2 sets of 10
Flat Bent Leg Raises - 2 sets of 10
Kettlebell Ladders:
5 Ladders up to 2 rungs @16kg
Soon enough I'll be moving up to the 24kg!
NCPK Jam Video
Took it fairly easy today because of PK awesomeness yesterday.
Convict Conditioning:
Knee Pushups - 2 sets of 10
Flat Bent Leg Raises - 2 sets of 10
Kettlebell Ladders:
5 Ladders up to 2 rungs @16kg
Soon enough I'll be moving up to the 24kg!
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Saturday, September 3
Today is my "A LOT" day. My weekly full rest day is tomorrow, so I tend to do more training on saturdays. This is what I've done SO FAR.
Convict Conditioning:
Angle Bridges - 1 set of 10
Wall Handstand - 30 seconds
THEN
Kettlebells -
5 ladders to 4 rungs each @ 16kg
3 sets of 5 windmills per side @ 24kg
2 sets of 1 turkish getup per side @ 24 kg
Sledge work -
One-handed mace swings - 2 sets of 20, 2 sets of 10
Levers, choked halfway up - 3 sets of 5 reps
Kettlebell Swings -
85 swings in 4 minutes @ 24kg
THEN
"Climber's Core" workout -
Sets - 3; Reps - 10 (5 per side)
Downward dog pose w/ one arm reach to opposite foot
Pushup top position w/ one arm reach forward
Mid-range pushup position (halfway down), touch same side knee to elbow
Side T plank with leg raise
Mid-range pushup position, touch opposite knee to elbow
I may do more later, depending on how I feel.
Convict Conditioning:
Angle Bridges - 1 set of 10
Wall Handstand - 30 seconds
THEN
Kettlebells -
5 ladders to 4 rungs each @ 16kg
3 sets of 5 windmills per side @ 24kg
2 sets of 1 turkish getup per side @ 24 kg
Sledge work -
One-handed mace swings - 2 sets of 20, 2 sets of 10
Levers, choked halfway up - 3 sets of 5 reps
Kettlebell Swings -
85 swings in 4 minutes @ 24kg
THEN
"Climber's Core" workout -
Sets - 3; Reps - 10 (5 per side)
Downward dog pose w/ one arm reach to opposite foot
Pushup top position w/ one arm reach forward
Mid-range pushup position (halfway down), touch same side knee to elbow
Side T plank with leg raise
Mid-range pushup position, touch opposite knee to elbow
I may do more later, depending on how I feel.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Yesterday and Today
Yesterday: Easy Day
Convict Conditioning - Progressed to Step 3
Knee Pushups - 1 set, 10 reps
Bent Leg Raises - 1 set, 10 reps
Had to do a Pilates class last night...my entire core was dead after that!
Today: Not as easy
Convict Conditioning -
Horizontal Pulls (on rings) - 3 sets, 30 reps (met progression standard!)
Supported Squats - 1 set, 10 reps
Convict Conditioning - Progressed to Step 3
Knee Pushups - 1 set, 10 reps
Bent Leg Raises - 1 set, 10 reps
Had to do a Pilates class last night...my entire core was dead after that!
Today: Not as easy
Convict Conditioning -
Horizontal Pulls (on rings) - 3 sets, 30 reps (met progression standard!)
Supported Squats - 1 set, 10 reps
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
WOD 8/31/2011
Today's workout:
Convict Conditioning
Crow Stand - 1 full minute (this was Step 2 progression standard)
Straight Bridge - 3 sets of 40 reps (also progression standard)
Kettlebells
5 ladders, up to 2 reps each @ 16kg
Windmills - 3 sets of 10 per side @ 16kg
Swings -233 in 12 minutes
THEN
CORE BLASTER
This was fun. I had to design a core workout for my group exercise class. It has to last about 15 minutes.
I only did one round of it to test it.
10x per side: Standing side bend w/ overhead dumbbell press @ 5#
30 sec per side: Side plank
10x per side Medicine ball chop @ 10#
30 sec Plank
10x Seated med ball rotation (5 per side, alternating) @ 10#
10x Pushup position plank (down position), w/ side knee touch to same side elbow (5 per side, alternating)
10x Flat knee raise (knees at 90 degree bend, back flat on floor)
30 sec Bridge hold (only going high enough to get full abdominal contraction)
Fun stuff.
Convict Conditioning
Crow Stand - 1 full minute (this was Step 2 progression standard)
Straight Bridge - 3 sets of 40 reps (also progression standard)
Kettlebells
5 ladders, up to 2 reps each @ 16kg
Windmills - 3 sets of 10 per side @ 16kg
Swings -233 in 12 minutes
THEN
CORE BLASTER
This was fun. I had to design a core workout for my group exercise class. It has to last about 15 minutes.
I only did one round of it to test it.
10x per side: Standing side bend w/ overhead dumbbell press @ 5#
30 sec per side: Side plank
10x per side Medicine ball chop @ 10#
30 sec Plank
10x Seated med ball rotation (5 per side, alternating) @ 10#
10x Pushup position plank (down position), w/ side knee touch to same side elbow (5 per side, alternating)
10x Flat knee raise (knees at 90 degree bend, back flat on floor)
30 sec Bridge hold (only going high enough to get full abdominal contraction)
Fun stuff.
Here's A Little Insight On What I'm Doing
My two current focuses are on bodyweight strength training and kettlebells. I'm following bodyweight progressions from a book called Convict Conditioning, by Paul "Coach" Wade. The book has been endorsed by experts that command my utmost respect, so I had to try it. I'm also doing Pavel Tsatsouline's Kettlebell Challenge program, and I'm working on a progression program for sledgehammer work (levering and whatnot). Lastly, whenever I get the chance I try to sneak in a sprint workout once or twice a week.
Here's a rundown on the two programs:
Convict Conditioning covers six bodyweight exercises: the Pushup, the Squat, the Leg Raise, the Pullup, the Bridge, and the Handstand Pushup. These are the most useful bodyweight exercises for strength because they have the most progression potential. There are ten progressions (or Steps) for each exercise, and three standards in each Step. So for Step One it looks like this: Beginner Standard (one set and usually ten reps), Intermediate Standard (two sets on 20-30 reps), and the Progression Standard (3 sets of 30-50 reps). Once one reaches the progression standard they can move on to the next Step.
The author advises everyone, no matter how strong they already are, to start at the first progression and work steadily up. This builds "exercise momentum" and strengthens the tendons at the same rate as the muscles (tendons usually take longer to adapt than muscles). It also shores up imbalances and can help rehab injuries. In fact, the first three steps can be considered prehab or rehab.
I'll give you a brief summary of what I've done so far soon. For now, let's move on to the Kettlebells.
The Kettlebell program I'm following is called the RKC Rite of Passage. It consists of kettlebell ladders, snatches, and swings. I've laid it out like this:
Ladders: Here's an example. Say I'm doing 3 ladders of 3 reps. Each ladder looks like this: Rung 1 - Clean the bell, press once, switch hands, and repeat. Rung 2 - Clean the bell, press once, reset, clean again, press again, and switch. Third rung is the same, but you do three cleans and presses in a row. Repeat the full ladder two more times and you've done a total of 18 reps on each arm. Once you reach 5 rungs on 5 ladders, you'll be doing a total of 75 reps.
Start with a weight that you can press for 8 reps. For me, that's 16kg (~35lbs).
Monday is easy day and snatch day. Ladders are easy and I start 2 rungs lower than my highest ladders on my hard days. So, for example, I started with 3 ladders of 1 rep. Once I reach the highest reps and ladders on my hard day, easy day will look like 5 ladders of 3 reps. Then, for the snatches, I would roll two dice. Whatever number comes up is how many minutes I do snatches. If you get snake eyes, you're lucky...if you get 12, it's going to suck. This is also how I do swings on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Since Monday is easy day, I would go fairly easy (just hard enough to make it metabolically challenging).
Wednesday is moderate day, so the ladders will be one rung lower than Hard day. Starting the program, moderate day would look like this: 3 ladders of 2 reps; once you reach the highest progression you'd be doing 5 ladders of 4 reps. Swings would be harder than Monday's snatches, but not balls-to-the-wall like Saturday will be. The time will also be decided by dice.
Saturday is hard day. Full ladders. Swings are hard. No matter what you roll, you should try to get the absolute highest number of swings possible. This should leave you on the floor in a puddle of sweat.
That's about it. Once I reach 5 ladders of 5 reps, I'll progress (hopefully) to the 20kg bell. I don't have one right now though, and if I can't get my hands on one by then I'll be jumping straight up to the 24kg bell.
Here's a rundown on the two programs:
Convict Conditioning covers six bodyweight exercises: the Pushup, the Squat, the Leg Raise, the Pullup, the Bridge, and the Handstand Pushup. These are the most useful bodyweight exercises for strength because they have the most progression potential. There are ten progressions (or Steps) for each exercise, and three standards in each Step. So for Step One it looks like this: Beginner Standard (one set and usually ten reps), Intermediate Standard (two sets on 20-30 reps), and the Progression Standard (3 sets of 30-50 reps). Once one reaches the progression standard they can move on to the next Step.
The author advises everyone, no matter how strong they already are, to start at the first progression and work steadily up. This builds "exercise momentum" and strengthens the tendons at the same rate as the muscles (tendons usually take longer to adapt than muscles). It also shores up imbalances and can help rehab injuries. In fact, the first three steps can be considered prehab or rehab.
I'll give you a brief summary of what I've done so far soon. For now, let's move on to the Kettlebells.
The Kettlebell program I'm following is called the RKC Rite of Passage. It consists of kettlebell ladders, snatches, and swings. I've laid it out like this:
Ladders: Here's an example. Say I'm doing 3 ladders of 3 reps. Each ladder looks like this: Rung 1 - Clean the bell, press once, switch hands, and repeat. Rung 2 - Clean the bell, press once, reset, clean again, press again, and switch. Third rung is the same, but you do three cleans and presses in a row. Repeat the full ladder two more times and you've done a total of 18 reps on each arm. Once you reach 5 rungs on 5 ladders, you'll be doing a total of 75 reps.
Start with a weight that you can press for 8 reps. For me, that's 16kg (~35lbs).
Monday is easy day and snatch day. Ladders are easy and I start 2 rungs lower than my highest ladders on my hard days. So, for example, I started with 3 ladders of 1 rep. Once I reach the highest reps and ladders on my hard day, easy day will look like 5 ladders of 3 reps. Then, for the snatches, I would roll two dice. Whatever number comes up is how many minutes I do snatches. If you get snake eyes, you're lucky...if you get 12, it's going to suck. This is also how I do swings on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Since Monday is easy day, I would go fairly easy (just hard enough to make it metabolically challenging).
Wednesday is moderate day, so the ladders will be one rung lower than Hard day. Starting the program, moderate day would look like this: 3 ladders of 2 reps; once you reach the highest progression you'd be doing 5 ladders of 4 reps. Swings would be harder than Monday's snatches, but not balls-to-the-wall like Saturday will be. The time will also be decided by dice.
Saturday is hard day. Full ladders. Swings are hard. No matter what you roll, you should try to get the absolute highest number of swings possible. This should leave you on the floor in a puddle of sweat.
That's about it. Once I reach 5 ladders of 5 reps, I'll progress (hopefully) to the 20kg bell. I don't have one right now though, and if I can't get my hands on one by then I'll be jumping straight up to the 24kg bell.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Hi there!
Some of you may know me from my other blog, Hybrid Fitness Solutions. For those of you who don't, a quick introduction!
My name is Josh, and I am soon to be a certified personal trainer with huge aspirations of gaining many certifications and at least a bachelor's degree. I also plan on opening my own facility, writing books, etc.
My ideas of training are more in line with the functional crowd. I believe that form will follow function...why train to just look good when you can look good and function well? Why look strong when you can look strong and BE strong? I am on a personal quest not to look like a superhuman or a strongman, but to BECOME one. After all, form will follow function!
I've had a couple friends (and one wife) ask me to post what I do in my workouts, so that is what this blog will be for. I will be posting my daily workouts in as descriptive detail as I can muster! It will also help me to keep track of my own stuff...it's easier to be consistent when you know others might see it.
My name is Josh, and I am soon to be a certified personal trainer with huge aspirations of gaining many certifications and at least a bachelor's degree. I also plan on opening my own facility, writing books, etc.
My ideas of training are more in line with the functional crowd. I believe that form will follow function...why train to just look good when you can look good and function well? Why look strong when you can look strong and BE strong? I am on a personal quest not to look like a superhuman or a strongman, but to BECOME one. After all, form will follow function!
I've had a couple friends (and one wife) ask me to post what I do in my workouts, so that is what this blog will be for. I will be posting my daily workouts in as descriptive detail as I can muster! It will also help me to keep track of my own stuff...it's easier to be consistent when you know others might see it.
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