Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Nothing Special Just Pressing

I had no planned training for Tuesday, but planned to both a "strength" and a "conditioning" session today (Wednesday).

So while at Franklin Wirth Park, promoting our Boot Camps I got my pressing ladder out of the way.

All done with the 16kg
3 sets of 1,2 I took a full minute between each rep, and each ladder. This just keeps it simple.

I didn't have anywhere to do pull up, Brookfield Park and Rec doesn't take to kindly to people hanging on there trees, and I doubt the taxpayers would appreciate it either.

After Camps tonight I'll hit some deadlifts, get my pull ups in and do a quick conditioning workout. Probably the BMF again. It's simple, but not easy, and I can get it done in about 15 minutes.

***EDIT***
Here's what I did:
25 one arm swings R/L (50 reps)
10 Hindu squats
20 one arm swings R/L
20 Hindu squats
15 one arm swings R/L
30 Hindu Squats
10 one arm swings R/L
40 Hundu Squats
5 one arm swings R/L
50 Hindu Squats

Not bad, a little diappointed the swings weren't more difficult. But, until I have no pain in my shoulder I vowed to rarely lift a heavier bell than the 16kg.


Thanks for reading.

BJ

Sunday, May 27, 2007

Everything David said it would be....

One of my favorite conditioning formats is David Whitley's Brutal Minimalist Fitness routine.

It's pretty basic and can be easily changed fo your level of fitness. I decided to it as David wrote it toady, less the TGUs.

I had meant to time it, but after my prep I was so ready to go I forgot to start the clock.

If you only have 15 or so minutes, this is for you.

50 2 Arm Swings w/16kg
10 Hindu Squats
40 2 Arm Swings
20 Hindu Squats
30 2 Arm Swings
30 Hindu Squats
20 2 Arms Swings
40 Hindu Squats
10 2 Arm Swings
50 Hindu Squats

and that's a wrap! Don't let the simplicity fool you.

Thanks for reading, now go train!

BJ

Checking the ego, my road to re-building my pressing power.

I have been battling an injured shoulder for a long while now. Overuse and huge amount of punching we do in Muay Thai can take its toll I you don't do enough compensatory work. So in an effort to rehab it and get back to pressing the Bulldog, I decide to check my ego and start form scratch.

I have told my myself I was going to do this for a while. But, even the thought of pressing the same bell as my wife made my testosterone levels plummet to prepubescent levels.

I haven't been doing a lot of strength work lately, the shoulder being the main reason. I seem the maintain strength very well just by doing basic ballistic Kettlebell exercises like swings, snatches and cleans plus their variations. But, there's something about having the Bulldog, and someday the Beast overhead.

So in sticking with my "even the coach needs a coach" theory" of the summer I decided to knock the weight back down to the 16kg bell and start ladders ETK style and slowly build back and re-groove my pressing. I plan to hit these twice a week, and still do to conditioning workouts per week as well. I will do the heavy day an the light day (this refers to volume, not load) and do pull ups with body weight. Pull ups are my worst lift, by adding them my goal is to even out the strength imbalances around the shoulder joint.

Once I complete this "cycle" I'll repeat it with the 20kg and so on.

So he's what Saturday's training looked like.

********Clarification*********

Since I have stated a specific goal, these sessions are no longer workouts.....THEY ARE TRAINING SESSION.

Quick 'warm up" ( I hate the term)
Intu-Flow beginner joint mobility
foam rolling: quads, rhomboids, IT band, piriformis and calves
low squat practice for a couple of reps

between each set I took 1 minute rest (I change this from the ETK format, I stay 'fresher" and therefore stronger)

Clean & Press (C&P) 1 R,L
Pull Up 1
C&P 2 R,L
Pull Up 2
C&P 3
Pull Ups 3
Repeat the ladder 3 times

2 arm swings with 32kg bell 5 sets of 10 reps

All and all, I felt satisfied. Not a 'knock your socks off, balls to the wall' session, but a starting point.

Thanks for reading, now go train!
BJ

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

17 minutes of Hell

Since we have been working on getting our IMPACT Fitness Bootcamps up and running, I have spent a lot of time in Franklin Wirth Park in Brookfield, WI.

I have little time to train and even less structure in my workouts, which I don't really mind, which is really odd for me. Usually my OCd tedancies have me second guessing my exercise selection, workout proressions form week to week and I constantly ask myself, "Is this what I should be doing?"

I have no problem with program design for others.

Kori's lead up to the RKC...no problem.

Kevin Shockley's progression to a national title in inline speedskating, no problem.

Preparing David Diaz for his final ameuter fight and helping cut weight from 142 to 125, no problem. Not fun for David, that was a huge cut.

So what the hell is wrong with me.

Nothing.

Even the coach needs a coach. So instead of obsessing over the lack of structure, I will embrace it and pick and choose workouts from other coaches for now adapt them to my abilities and move on to the next one.

My workouts are always more of a conditioning type workout. My sport (Muay Thai) does require some limit strength work, but strength/power endurance trumps limit strength when in the ring.

So while at the park today, while Kori timed me, this is what went down. I had taken an
energy drink about 30 minutes prior so I was ready to go.

I can't take credit for the structure of this workout, I admit, I stole the timed ladder concept from Jason C. Brown of Crossfit Philly. I Now know why he uses it. It's pretty brutal.

All KB movements done with a 16kg bell (more on that in a later post), all movements done for 30 secs includingthe rest intervals.

2 arm swings
rest
2 arm swings
push ups
rest
2 arm swing
push ups
2 arm swing to a squat (slide hands to the horns and squat, return to a swing each time)
rest
2 arm swing
push ups
2 arm swing to squat
around the body pass - 15 secs each direction
rest
2 arm swing
push ups
2 arm swing to a squat
around the body pass - 15 secs each way
2 arm swing (we do a ton of swings in our class and with clients)
rest
2 arm swings
push ups
2 arm swing to a squat
around the body pass
2 arm swing
BW squat
rest
2 arm swings
push ups
2 arm swing to a squat
around the body pass
2 arm swing
BW squat
burpees

that's it, total work time was just about 17 minutes.

Mixed and slammed my
Post Workout Recovery Shake and contionued to sweat for about another ten minutes.

In the next couple of days I'll explain the "light" weight.

Thanks for reading.

BJ
IMPACT Fitness