Boxing is Back!

Boxing came back into the training program today.  I haven’t done it for a while after I stopped going to the Contenders Boxing Gym in Vancouver, Canada to take on Crossfit. I found I couldn’t fit the time for both, but after having another hit out I’m definitely going to reintroduce some sessions into my program if I can find a willing partner?! Anyone in Perth fancy it?  It is a fantastic way to work your core, arms, pecs (chest), lats and rhomboids (back muscles).  Let’s not forget all the supporting muscles with each punch too and i'm talking about legs as well! 

For those of you in Vancouver, Canada check out the Contenders Boxing Gym.  It’s a great facility and the trainers there are all very knowledgeable and professional.  They cater for the absolute beginner all the way through to pro fighters.  They are sure to give you a good hard workout.....here is the link...  http://www.contenders.ca/. If you drop in, please say hi from me!  For those of you in Perth, i’m more than happy to show you the ropes and introduce you to boxing.  Just give me a shout.

The workout I took myself and my partner through was a short sharp session alternating being the pad holder.  We warmed up with technique for 10 minutes with air punching and then moved on to light punching against hand pads.  For those of you out there thinking you get a break holding the pads, you are far from correct.  Being a pad holder requires a lot of effort and brain power.  Coordinating punch sequences and yelling them out to your partner in order not to get punched in the head can be difficult.  Being the pad holder is almost as hard work as being the boxer.

We then moved on to hard hitting.  We did a lot of 30 seconds to 2 minutes of 50, 75 and 100% sequences of both jabs, cross, hooks to the body and face, upper cuts, ducking, weaving and not to mention the constant bouncing around on the balls of your feet.  It was a great session and a really great way to blow off steam if you have had a hard day at the office!

Plyometric Training

Today was a day for focusing on a different form of training that I used to do back in my basketball, soccer and AFL days.

Plyometric training is a form of resistance training usually taken on by athletes looking to improve their sporting performance in their chosen sport.  Plyometrics can be referred to by some as being similar to that of an elastic band.  It basically involves storing the energy in the lengthening phase of an exercise to make it contract quickly.  It is often used by athletes and coaches to bridge the gap between strength and power.

Before jumping into Plyometric training one needs to assess a few things first.  Posture, injuries and the strength of an athlete will greatly determine the level of plyometrics undertaken.  As plyometric exercises usually mimic movements in sport like running, jumping, throwing this sort of training can greatly benefit  athletes in their chosen sports. 

Exercises such as:

• Single leg hops or jumps
• Stair or box jumps
• Squat jumps with or without weight
• Side to side jumps or single leg
• Ice skater on ground or Bosu ball
• Clapping pushups
• Uneven pushups
• Weighted pull-ups
• Medicine ball situps
• Russian twists
• Drop and catch pushups
• Mimicking a throwing or kicking motion with a cable machine or bands, etc

All in all Plyometrics are a fantastic way to keep your workouts interesting and fun, but be sure they are kept within your abilities.

Primal Pairs

Sorry all, I have been locked in a cave they call a new course and have also had a week off training to try and give my shoulder a bit of a break.  I seem to have been doing a lot of pushups lately and shoulder work putting a lot of undue stress on my already precious shoulder.  I crushed my AC joint (acromioclavicular) back when I was about 22 and never did rehab.  It has come back to bite me on the butt now!  So if there is a lesson for you it should be, listen to your physio and do your boring mundane exercises, even if you think they are not doing anything.   Something I am presently working on correcting.  Better late than never!!


 Anyway, my week off training was leading up to my very first Crossfit Competition, not ideal timing but what can you do!  This was called the Primal Pairs and was quite obviously a competition in pairs.  I competed with a friend of mine Alecka in the women’s division.  We added a quirky element to the games by dressing up in Triathlon suits.  For the first WOD we added a swim cap and goggles, the second WOD we added a bike helmet and the third WOD we added a sun visor.  Unfortunately there were 4 WODS and we hadn’t come prepared for a 4^th leg so we stayed the way we were.

WOD 1 – Suicide with Weights

One plate beginning at 5 then 10, 15, 20 and 25kgs was placed on every 10m line along 50m of the athletics track.  In pairs, the first athlete had to sprint to the 50m mark and pick up the 25kg plate and sprint with it back to the start line, place it on the ground (not drop it) and the next athlete will then race to the 40m line, pick up the 20kg plate and bring it back to the start line and tag the other athlete.  This would go on until all the plates were compiled at the start line ...THEN....you had to return all the plates in the reverse order they were collected in.  This whole exercise was for time.

WOD 2 – Partner time

This WOD was compiled of 3 difference exercises.  

2.1 The first exercise was to piggyback, yes, piggy back (not fireman carry or any other method) your partner as far as you could in 45 seconds.  If you dropped your partner or fell over you had to stop where you fell off.  You would then swap and your other partner would carry you for 45 seconds.  The total number of cones passed between you both was your score.

2.2 The second exercise was to do a human wheelbarrow race with your partner. Ie. You hold your partner’s legs while they walk on their hands as far as they can in 45 seconds. Once again, if you drop you have to stop where you are, swap positions with your partner and then continue on in the same direction you were travelling before, except now the wheelbarrow is to go backwards.  So effectively you are walking backwards holding your partners legs while they walk on their hands backwards(still facing the ground). Once again, the total number of cones passed between you both was your score.

2.3 The third exercise was throwing and catching a bean bag as far as you could.  Each partner had 3 attempts to throw the beanbag and have their partner catch it.  The more cones you could throw the beanbag passed and have your partner catch, the more points you got.  If you were unsuccessful in catching any beanbags, or the beanbag went out of your allotted lane, you received no points.
The total number of points for this WOD is all three exercises accumulated.





WOD 3 – Rowing & partnered power cleans

This WOD required that the pair row 2km between them (each partner must attempt the row at some point) and then complete as many two man power cleans (both people holding on to the bar at the same time and power cleaning together) as possible in 10 minutes.  It was for total points.  If you completed the 2km row you received 2000 points (1 point/meter) and then 1 point for every power clean successfully completed, hips locked out and elbows in front of the bar.

WOD 4 – Backwards Running, Chest to Overheads, Rope Jump, Burpees and Forward Running

This comprised of both partners running backwards together for 400m around the track.  Then the pair had to complete 200 chest to overhead barbell raises with a 20kg bar. It could be broken up however you liked.  Once the chest to overheads were complete, the pair had to complete 150 jumps over a rope about knee height.  Then, 100 burpees between the pair jumping on to a plate and hips fully opened out.  To finish the WOD it required both people to run 400 forwards around the track to the finish line.
Alecka and I were coming 2^nd after the second WOD but unfortunately dropped to 8^th place overall.  We were very happy with our performance and can’t wait for the next competition.  We have a lot to work on between now and then.

Thanks Alecka for being my partner...you were awesome girl!!!

Equilibrium

I set myself off with an unconventional workout this evening after rowing 5k already this afternoon. It was more about coordination and technically endurance, rather than power and strength. The beauty of having a sore shoulder meant it hurt to cut vegetables, so....my workout was laid out for me. I set myself the goal of doing everything in the kitchen with my left hand (i'm right handed by the way). You know, trying to create a balance, yin and yang and all that! I figured I lift weights with both arms and legs, so why not start cutting the meat and veg with my less dominant hand.

So, for those of you out there wanting a challenge, I recommend giving this a try. Now I don't profess to be a nutritionist or dietician so I'm not going to recommend any outlandish healthy menus but I do recommend you give this a try. Now, I know this seems really lame, but really, truly, have you ever tried just brushing your teeth with the opposite hand, let alone holding a ridiculously sharp object capable of slicing your arm off, in your less the coordinated hand? I think not...so...my first suggestion would be to go back to square 1 and pretend you are on a beginners cooking show.  Don't cheat yourself either by stirring with your dominant hand or removing hot sizzling dishes out of the oven...try it I dare you! Doing everything left handed really requires a lot of concentration and coordination. Probably a bit of bravery too ;)

Given how long it took me to wash and cut all the vegies and try and keep 90% of them on the bench and in the pan I have a feeling i'm not quite as coordinated as I originally thought. I even tried eating milo with the spoon in my left hand, equally a daunting task, and somewhat messy one at that!

Try it for an evening, use your left hand more in everyday life and work on your equilibrium.

Kicking it Country Style

I headed back to Brigadoon today for an outdoor partner workout in the countryside to prepare for what may be thrown at me at the Crossfit Primal Pairs competition in 2 weeks time.  I partnered up with Dan to try and get as many points as possible across 8 different exercises.   Let’s not forget the unusual warmup of throwing some balls filled with beans the size of tennis balls using both the right and left hands.  Working on throwing with your left arm is a fantastic exercise for coordination and breaking down an exercise.  This is especially helpful when trying to explain an exercise to beginners.

        

WOD:

5 minutes on each exercise with a 2 min rest between exercises:

·         Weighted Rope Wind

·         Tyre Roll

·         Sandbag Load Over Vault

·         Rope Climb

·         Yolk Walk

·         Backpack  Move

·         Farmer’s Carry

·         75m Sprint

Death by Pullups

Back at the gym today resulted in lots of blisters on my hands thanks to the workout, Death by Pullups!  For those of you out there who feel they need to toughen up their hands a bit more and give your biceps, lats and forearms a good workout then this is the workout for you. 

I started with warming up the shoulders and arms with single arm kettlebell snatches.  Just working on technique really and range of motion through the shoulders.

WOD:

Death by Pullups:

·         1 pullup in the 1^st minute

·         2 pullups in the 2^nd minute

·         3 pullups in the 3^rd minute

·         Etc....

I managed to work my way up the ladder and complete 16 pullups in the 16^th minute.  I started on round 17 but stopped prematurely after 5 as my hands were ripped in 4 places and threatening to go deeper still (136 pullups in total).  I have a competition coming up in two weeks time so thought I had better stop.    

As a result I have just purchased some gymnastics hand grips so next time Death by Pullups comes at me I will be able to protect the hands a bit more and hopefully get to 20 pullups in the 20^th minute.    

Coaching Crossfit

Lately I have been putting my Crossfit certification into practice by coaching a few sessions of crossfit!   The group is nice and small at the moment which is fantastic for me to get to know everyone and to give them my undivided attention as most are new to Crossfit and therefore the weird and wonderful technical skills associated.

Today I set them off with a short sharp workout of the following:

5 times:

·         30 seconds handstand hold

·         20 kettle bell swings

·         10 knees to elbows (no  kip)

·         5 burpees

The majority of the group finished between 15 – 20 minutes.

Rowing tips from an Australian Representative, Ashleigh Miles

I would like to take the time to shout out to a friend of mine who also happens to be an Australian Women’s Under 23 Coxless Four representative, ASHLEIGH MILES!!!  She managed to take some time out of her busy training life to show us amateurs a thing or two about rowing on the Concept II rowing machine.  Like most of us, our form leads a little or a lot to be desired on the rower.  Here I was thinking my technique was ok...apparently it wasn't.  Like most beginners, I was all upper body and little legs.  Turns out THIS IS ALL WRONG.  Legs legs legs and body & arms to finish.  That is the key to efficient rowing.

Check out the video below for Ash’s setup and training tips to rowing ....

After receiving all the key setup and technique tips from Ash, I set off on a warm up and to practice my new technique.  Let me tell you, after having applied what was taught to me, my glutes were already hurting me a few hundred meters in and the mosquitoes in the shed were having a field day on me.  Certain words from my physio back in Canada then resonated with me....Tash, you need to strengthen your glutes and hammies. Eeek!

Anyway, after my legs were already burning Ashleigh set me off on the following workout to ease me into rowing with my new found form:

Warmup = 200m

WOD:

·         5 x 100 sprint

·         1000 sprint

Cool down = 200 m

Ash decided to finish off the session here as my legs were killing me and I was dripping with sweat.  At least across the course of the 100m sprints my form and technique had improved therefore I was becoming more efficient.  Ie: Less energy over a greater distance!  Boooo yaaaaa

Thanks Ashleigh for all the awesome tips and for really showing me how to row! Loved it! 

Variety is the spice of life

This Saturday morning’s workout consisted of heading up into the beautiful countryside of Brigadoon to do some training outside on a 5 acre property at the “Outdoor Training Facility”.  This is a playground for all who like variety in the training and being out amongst nature.  When we rolled up we were greeted warmly by Dan who runs the session on his parents property.  Let’s not forget the greeting we got from the two beautiful springer spaniels and the pet kangaroo lounging about by the outdoor pool.  Although, I was quickly informed not to go near the kangaroo as she is a bit narky and is likely to bite.  To be honest her snarling and hissing kept me at bay anyway! Who ever thought kangaroos would hiss?!

Anyway, the session was all about 'rocks' today.  We were asked to find a suitable rock somewhere on the property that we could complete 10 difficult deadlifts with.  Then we were asked to find another rock we could lift to our shoulder 10 times with difficulty.  Finally we were asked to find one last rock that we could push press with 10 times with difficulty.

Then the workout was set.  It was to be an AMRAP for 10 mins carrying the rock 20 meters to a marker, then turnaround and come back again for 1 point as follows:

·         10 mins carrying the deadlift rock with arms locked out in front of you (the finish position of a deadlift with hips locked out).  If you dropped the rock or had to rest without arms being locked out, you had to complete 10 deadlifts where you dropped the rock before carrying on.

·         10 mins carrying the 2^nd rock in a front rack position.  Once again, if you dropped the rock or supported it with your body or held it in any other position other than the front rack position you had to complete 10 rock throws over the shoulder (being mindful not to throw the rock on anyone walking behind you).

·         10 mins carrying the 3^rd rock with arms locked out above your head.  If you dropped the rock or had to hold the rock in any position other than directly above your head you had to complete 10 push presses before continuing on. 

I guess I should add that each member had a set of cards they could hand to Dan to allocate more reps to another person or the whole group.  Ie: 10 X reps to the whole group.  That meant everyone had to stop where they were and complete 10 deadlifts/pushpress/over the shoulders before continuing on with their round

The number of rounds I completed were as follows:

·         Deadlift = 5 rounds

·         Front rack position = 5 rounds

·         Over the head = 0 rounds.  I was unable to complete one round as every member of the group handed in their cards for the group to complete 10 reps. Therefore, everyone had to complete 140 push presses before continuing on.

This was such a difficult exercise.   It made doing deadlifts and pushpresses MUCH more difficult as it added variables like, mud, dirt, sharp edges on the rock, awkwardly shaped rocks, thus making a normal simple exercise very difficult!

I will be heading back to the Outdoor Training Facility for further Saturday morning sessions. I should mention the workout consisted of a BBQ cooked bacon and egg breakfast.  Who can complain!

Muscle-up Mahem

This afternoon was a muscle-up test for me.  I haven’t attempted a muscle-up in months let alone consecutive muscle-ups.  In fact thinking back on it, I’m not sure I have attempted them more than twice before anyway.  But hey, why not give it a shot even if it takes me hours to get it done. 

I set off to complete the following workout for time:

12, 9, 6 of the following, ensuring all exercises are completed before moving down the ladder:

·         Muscle-ups

·         Squat cleans @ 40kg weight

Time = 19:30

After completing the workout I realised I struggled to complete more than 2 muscle-ups in a row before my false grip slipped into a regular grip.  Once my grip changed I was unable to perform a muscle-up.  I am now going to go back to the drawing board to work on completing muscle-ups with a neutral grip so that I can complete multiple muscle-ups no matter what my grip is.  This should also help with muscle-ups that I might have to jump up to the rings to begin.  

Jacob's Ladder

Today’s workout consisted partly of Jacob’s ladder.  For those of you not familiar with Jacob’s ladder in Perth it is a series of stairs that you are meant to run down and up for time.  From the top looking down, it doesn’t look all that bad and everyone tends to set off down the stairs with blistering pace (well as fast as you can without falling flat on your face anyway!).  Unfortunately though lactic acid kicks in on the way back up.  You are willing your feeble little legs to step up the stairs and keep climbing, but for some reason your legs have a mind of their own and you can barely lift your leg 30cm onto the next step.   You basically try everything in your power not to fall flat on your face.  It is one thing falling down stairs, but up stairs...really??!!!

So all in all, I finished with a time of 1:58, that would be 1minute 58 seconds (not 1 hour for those smart alecs out there).  A really short sharp workout, sure to burn the legs and chest.  I will definitely be making my way back to Jacob’s ladder again to do multiple sets to see if I can reduce my time even more and to get my chicken legs used to that awful feeling called burn!  Bring it!

Later on in the afternoon I also decided to brave my poor hands to some pull-ups.  I wasn’t really in the mood for tearing them open with too many so I set myself the following workout for time:

3 X the following:

·         15 clean and jerks @ 40kg weight

·         15 pullups

Time: 10:58

Move over Nimo, Tash is in the water

Today was an attempt at loosening the muscles a bit by enjoying a paddle in the water.  I jumped in the local outdoor 50m pool for some lap swimming.  Thankfully I was the only one in the pool at the time so it allowed me to pick and choose whether I wanted to be in the “fast lane” or not.  That mind you, was not what my pool exercise was all about.  

Today’s swimming exercise was more about loosening the muscles and getting them moving, focusing on technique and getting into the pool to do something different.  I might add, it took me at least 5-10 minutes to build up the courage to get into the pool in the first place.  I was like a 5 year old child standing at the school gates for the first day of school not wanting to go in. 

Warmup:         600m slow freestyle focusing on bilateral breathing and gliding

Workout:         10 X 50m freestyle at about 90%.  The 50m and recovery time was included in the 1min 15secs, then take off again.

                        300m slow freestyle with paddles and a buoy to really focus on the ‘pull’ aspect

Total: 1400m

I also worked on some tumble turns for good measure, as I figured I might need to use them during peak times in the pool. 

Cardio City

Today took me to a new Crossfit gym called SF Crossfit in Osborne Park.  Once again this gym is a fantastic facility with plenty of space for working out, hanging off bars and rings and running in the local area.  The 10am class was super friendly and had a great vibe to it.  Tracy (the coach) was very friendly , professional and technique driven but the workout she set upon us for the day was certainly not for the light hearted.

WOD: “Manion”

      7 rounds for time of the following: 

·         400m run

·         29 back squats @ 42.5kgs (recommended weight)

Time = 32:51

Yet again, wanting to ease myself back into this whole exercise with weights regime and thinking about the copious amounts of back squats I was about to embark upon I dropped the weight to 30kgs.

The 400m run started off easy but as soon as I got back to the gym to start the back squats I knew what the painful part of this exercise was going to be...squats!  The first few rounds were, how should I say it, hard but not life stopping. Once I hit about the 4^th round I was only doing the squats in sets of 5, 5, 5, 7 and 7.  My legs were burning like crazy and let’s not forget my attempts of running the 400 meters in between the sets of squats!  I looked more like part of the elderly population who kind of shuffle along rather than gliding freely like a cheetah.  Tracy’s workout also left me in a great deal of pain for at least 3-4 days afterwards with quads tender to touch. 

Sport is a funny thing, I love and hate the pain of it.  One might same I am psychotic for enjoying this pain, but...I know I’m not alone!

Isabel

After a brief stopover in Sydney and a quick trip to Melbourne to give mum and dad a cuddle before jumping on yet another plane, I finally found my way over to Perth to begin a new and exciting chapter in my life.  I have enrolled myself in a Personal Training Course for two months with the Australian Institute of Fitness due to commence on August 22, 2011, and before I get started back into full time study I wanted to try out a few different Crossfit gyms in the area and make use of my time during the day (along with finding a car, house and part time job). 

The first gym was Southern Crossfit in Willeton.  The gym is an enormous facility with a huge area designated for stretching, rolling out and flexibility (something which I need to do more of).  The coaches there are young and upbeat and geared towards success.  So after a warm up of light weights and mobility it came down to the workout.  This workout was called Isabel and she was not very kind to me!

WOD:  “Isabel” 

30 snatches at 42.5kgs for time

Time = 6:04 

After having quite some time away from weightlifting with my travels, I thought I had better ease up on the weights a bit and lighten the weight in order not to compromise my technique and/or cause myself an injury.  I took the weight down to 35kgs and that was certainly enough to get me breathing heavily and taking a number of breaks.

Calf & Quad Killer, Botanical Gardens, Sydney

The sun was shining yet again in Sydney so after my super breakfast of coffee, toast, avocado, tomato and terracotta cheese I was excited to get out and explore.   I set off to escape the concrete slabs and hustle and bustle of the city and ran my way to the Botanical Gardens.  Wild cockatoos, galahs, rosellas and other beautiful birds soared freely in the sky and chatted happily to each other from tree to tree.  The gardens really are quite an oasis, you wouldn’t know you were in the heart of Sydney if it weren’t for the breathtaking view over the water of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.  Quite spectacular really!

After my 10 minute warm up run I came across a set of stairs which must be a focus point here in Sydney as every other runner out there took to the stairs for some gruelling calf and quad burns!  Thus, this is where my workout begun....

WOD

5 sets of sprints up the stairs (102 steps), with a 30 second rest at the top, walk down and do it over again.  This is superb interval training as your heart rate soars for approximately 10 seconds and with just enough rest, it allows for maximum output by the time you hit the bottom to do it all over again.  After the 3^rd sprint my legs were jelly walking back down and my heart rate was out of this world. 

30, 25, 20, 15, 10 of the following, ensuring all exercises are completed before moving down the ladder:

·         Pushups (full range of movement with chest touching the ground every rep)

·         Bicycle crunches (with your fingers clasped together behind your neck, be mindful not to pull on your head (keep it in a neutral position) and use your obliques to rotate!)

·         Superman raises (lie on your stomach and raise both your arms and legs simultaneously as high as you can, then lower and repeat)

·         Walking lunges (front knee is not to pass over your toes and should be at 90 degrees with the ground)

Finished off with 3 more sets of the stair sprints.

I knew I was going to be sore after this workout so I spent about 20 minutes stretching out my quads and calves and walked home to reduce lactic acid build up.  I won’t lie, my legs were sore for a few days anyway. 

Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge inspiration

I survived my 15 hour flight from Vancouver to Sydney....bless the direct flights and even managed to get some sleep on the plane too.  I did however get off the plane stiff and sore so thought I would spend some time as a tourist in Sydney pottering about.  During my morning walk through the botanical gardens (beautiful I might ad!) I thought I would lap up the sunshine and join the herds of runners and walkers in their exercise regime. 

With the Sydney Opera House as my backdrop I set myself the following short sharp workout:

AMRAP in 20 mins (as many rounds as possible)

·         8 meter bear crawl down the hill forwards (on I’m guessing a 30% incline)

·         20 situps

·         Backward run up the hill

·         10 pushups

·         5 burpees

Total number of rounds = 10 complete rounds + a bear crawl, situps and backward run up the hill.

Goodbye and thanks to Crossfit BC

I just want to shout out to all the trainers and especially Troy Straith, for all the love and attention sent my way during the trials and tribulations of learning the never ending technical skills associated with crossfit during my time with Crossfit BC. 

It all started with a month of 6am classes to learn the crossfit fundamentals.  Not only did I despise the thought of getting up before the birds, but I had never touched a barbell in my life, barely ever lifted a dumbbell and my squat, wow my squat, if you can call it that, looked more like an attempt at downward dog or something as my heels were way off the ground and the chances of me sitting into my squat at the bottom and holding it, quite frankly didn’t exist!  I was tilted like the leaning tower of Pisa with my hands touching the ground!  Not a pretty site.  Nevertheless, with some work and encouragement from the trainers I now know what a snatch, clean & jerk, deadlift, clean etc is and not think of them along the Karma Sutra line which was previously thought. So a big thank you to all the trainers at Crossfit BC for helping me along the way and opening my eyes to a whole new world called ‘weights’.  Oh and my squat is looking much more like a squat these days too. Thank you!!

Troy’s final workout for me at the gym was as follows:

·         21 – toes to bar, Russian twists and then situps

·         15 - toes to bar, Russian twists and then situps

·         9 - toes to bar, Russian twists and then situps

Deadlift % of your max weight along the following lines (I started with 150lbs):

·         1 X 5 reps @ 75%

·         1 X 4 reps @ 80%

·         1 X 3 reps @ 85%

·         1 X 2 reps @ 90%

·         1 X 2 reps @ 95%

·         1 X 2 reps @ 90%

WOD:

3 x the following:

·         30 secs total handstand hold

·         20 pushups

·         50 airsquats

Time = 8:33

Thanks again Crossfit BC!  Gladys will be back hehe

2nd last workout with Crossfit BC, Vancouver, Canada

Back in Vancouver, Canada I dropped in on my Crossfit gym, Crossfit BC, to sweat it out for the second last time there.  I also couldn’t pass up the opportunity to do crazy abs with the lunch time crew one last time.  Thanks for the pain guys, I will continue the crazy abs tradition in Australia! 

Warmup = 400 m run

In teams of 2, the first person completes the exercise then rests whilst the second person goes:

 3 X the following:

·         5 ring dips

·         10 power cleans (65 lbs)

·         15 pullups

·         20 burpees

·         25 wall balls (14 lbs)

·         30 box jumps

Time = 34:28

Finish off with Tabata crazy abs (20 secs on: 10 secs rest - 8 x through)

·         Russian twists and hollow rocks

Thanks very much Crossfit BC!!

Y Workout? Nottingham, Pennsylvania

It was sad to say the month long road trip was drawing to a close and I wanted to get another workout in before sitting on a plane and eating that oh so delicious food.  So, I made my way to the local YMCA in Nottingham to take on a workout amongst the local country folk.  I managed to draw a few strange looks from people in the gym with my workout but not to worry, I was hoping I may have inspired a few people to actually ‘work out’ in the gym, rather than download new apps on their I-phones or check out themselves every second in the mirrors.

Here is the workout I set out with...

For time:

·         50 double unders

Using a 65lb bar complete the following movements in a flowing sequence, 10 times through

·         power clean into a

·         thruster into a

·         back squat into a

·         push press, then

·         lower the bar to the ground and repeat

·         Finish off with 50 double unders

Time = 7:10

·         21 X thrusters at 65 lbs

I then headed over to the treadmill to finish off with some interval training:

·         1 min running with the machine on 10 miles

·         1 min rest

·         1 min running with the machine on  10.5 miles

·         1 min rest

·         1 min running with the machine on 11 miles

·         1 min rest

·         1 min running with the machine on 11.5 miles

·         1 min rest

·         30 secs running with the machine on 12 miles

·         30 secs running with the machine on 12.5 miles

I think with my interval training on the treadmill I received a few strange looks from fellow gym goers as they probably thought I was going to pass out mid way through the run and then fly off the back of the treadmill...funny in hindsight but not so great in real life I’m sure.