Now is the time to start training and obtaining...
SPECIAL NEW YEAR'S EVE BLUE FALCON WORKOUT TOMORROW AT 10AM! I'm even letting you guys pick the exercises. Come participate in the last PSKC workout for 2010.
So Rob Orlando posted a kettlebell challenge workout on his facebook the other day (see below). I figured to give it a shot and bring it home to PSKC.
Done with a 44lb kettlebell...further proof Rob O. is superhuman.
Never heard of Rob Orlando? He's a strongman competitor, gym owner, Crossfit celebrity, and freakishly strong amongst other things...watch below.
Below are some photos of the action. See you guys tomorrow at 10am!!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Sorry for the trouble guys but Dave's car is broke down in South Point and his 50k time isn't fast enough to make it back in time. Enjoy the surprise rest day today. I promise we will make up for it tomorrow!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Today we broke out a great time based kettlebell conditioning circuit:
4 rounds of 30 seconds work/20 seconds rest non stop at circuit 1, rest for 2 minutes, and then move on to circuit 2 and do the same.
Circuit 1: Do 30/20 x 4 rounds non-stop.
Jumping pullups
Kettlebell snatch(switch arm each round) or swings
Jump rope
Plank Hold
Rest 2 minutes.
Circuit 2: 30/20 x 4 rounds non-stop
Pushups
2 arm KB thruster
Mountain Climbers
Slam ball
Since I'm on the road I was down at my second home at Crossfit Legion and Kirstin served me up some southern justice...see below.
I was defeated yet again..
This was a good one. Not only did I get beat (thanks in part to my extreme inability to do double unders) but I was out of a commission for awhile afterwards while Kirstin who smoked me was laughing and smiling as if she just finished a brisk walk in the park.
The Tennessee Ninja and Crossfit Games competitor
As I was laying on the floor in my post workout haze (seeing the wizard as we call it) I was knee deep in that good ole rib cramping, dry mouth, stomach bubbling feeling I so love. Not to mention I was coughing up creamy lung butter for about 10 minutes afterwards. (Hummmm....note to self: maybe two solid weeks of eating 100% processed sugar infested junk isn't the best thing to increase athletic performance?)
For those members of the PSKC family who haven't been around the last couple of weeks...it's gonna be an uphill climb that first week or two. Don't worry I'll be nice and understanding, caring and compassionate....or not so much (you know I love you).
Speaking of compassion...ever wonder why burpees suck so much (and how much they're gonna suck if you've been eating junk and not training the last couple of weeks)? For a quasi scientific explanation from Trident Crossfit read below.
REMINDER: RUNNING CLINIC AND KETTLEBELL INTRO ARE CANCELLED TOMORROW (WEDNESDAY)
Burpees
You love ‘em or you hate ‘em. Lets face it unless you are really demented they mostly suck – but why. From a physiology stand point it is damn near the most work you can do using your body weight. You full body weight goes all the way to the floor, back up in a plyometric move then a jump to move your entire bodyweight off the ground. Do the math – Work = Force x Distance and Force = Mass x Acceleration (I knew that Physics degree was going to be handy…). Let’s say your center of gravity is 4’6” off the ground and your weight 150lbs. Minimal effort to get to the ground (if you do it right) but it is not zero unless you want to crash at 32.2 feet/sec2 – then 150lbs back up to 4’6” plus the jump, lets call it 5’ for round numbers and easy math. So with the effort to get your weight down safely and the thrust to get your feet under you (we’ll call that conservatively 50 ft/lbs of work) we are roughly now 200 lbs of work – so that is 1000 ft/lbs of work. Lets say you are cranking them out as fast as you can and you are getting one burpees every 3 seconds (fast but not unrealistic, you can get 2 per second pretty easy…) so in 60 seconds you get 20 burpees – 20*1000 ft/lbs = 20,000 ft/lbs of work in 1 minute – that is about 2/3hp and trust me that is HUGE! Just a small example – if you are on a road bike, level ground you would be going easily 25+ mph… If you want to check out power output for various exercise – here is a link
That is why burpees are tough – large load, over a long distance in a short amount of time. So what. The “so what” is that life rewards work done. Life rewards power output. And guess what 150 burpees for time builds besides power out put…mental toughness like you read about! That’s not all – they are useful for in life. Especially for Mil/LEO/Fire types – survival is fire and maneuver and that is what a burpee is – down fast then up fast move, back down before someone can see track and engage. The usefulness in sports is easy to see, you fall down in soccer, fall down in football — enter the burpee and you are back up and on your feet moving. Dive in volleyball, racquetball – same thing. Maybe you are at a bar trying to make an impression on someone and you trip – the burpee can be your salvation and total recovery of your cool points – ok maybe that’s a stretch but you get the idea.
Another great day of training at PSKC. Tonight we took yet another Training Room inspired workout (can't wait to get out to the Dirty Jersey in February and train with the masterminds at: http://www.trainingroomonline.com/)
Today was about picking a heavy kettlebell and completing the following:
15 swings
5/5 Push Presses
5 Pullups
Rinse and repeat for a total of 10 rounds.
Here is a clip of Sara rocking the 88lb kb for her swings. Sara was the first attendees of the very first kettlebell class back when I was teaching out of Fitness Plus 24 almost a year ago to date. So proud of her and how far she has come...give yourself a year of coming to the PSKC on a routine basis and you'll be amazed at what you can accomplish. PS..Sara was also my junior year Prom Date back in the day... http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=490548749089
Considering it's the holidays we're scaling back this week. Plus, unfortunately I've got to be out of town for a few days, but Dave will be holding down the fort and delivering the beat downs. So this upcoming week we are only having class at 6pm throughout the week. No 7pm class on Monday or Thursday and no 5pm intro on Wednesday, also we'll be closed down on Saturday (New Year's Day). If, enough people are interested we can do a Friday morning workout if you're interested...need at least 5 people and we'll do it. Just let me know via facebook
Now since it's a rest day here are some clips that are just flat out cool. Be amazed by this...kettlebell juggling with a 132lb kettlebell. Valery Fedorenko is the godfather of kettlebell sport in America. The guy is amazing...
Add now for your viewing pleasure another mad Russian...
See you guys a 6 on Monday! Come prepared and well hydrated...
I cannot thank you guys enough. This Christmas the PSKC family gave me two awesome gifts. Earlier in the week I got a badass Shop Vac garnished with a 24 oz Miller Lite. I spent 2 hours rocking that thing earlier today and it doesn't disappoint. Then tonight the entire crew gave me a gift card to http://www.roguefitness.com/. Now the hard part will be picking what to get..
This elf has the whitest legs of them all..
In all sincerity I cannot thank you guys enough. It is truly a delight to see you guys each and every evening. In the short 4 months we've been opened the amount you all have progressed is astounding. Just think back to when you first started swinging a kettlebell and now look at yourself.
I cannot wait for what 2011 will bring PSKC....rest assured I will do my best to bring you guys the best...you don't deserve anything less.
Have a very Merry Christmas spending time with the ones you love celebrating the birth of Jesus. Also take time to remember those serving in harm's way.
We will back in ass kicking mode come Monday at 6pm!
Thanks to Uncle Mike from the Training Room http://www.trainingroomonline.com for providing today's smoke session. We hit up our inaugural "Deck of Cards" workout. It soon became a crowd favorite.
Concept is pretty simple get a full deck of cards and each suit represents a different exercise (see above). You pick up a heavier kettlebell and whatever the deck spits out is the number of reps you perform. For the one arm exercises you split in the reps in 1/2....face cards are 10 and Aces are 12 and each joker is 20 burpees. I was quickly was accused of stacking the deck..
Also I finally checked another goal off the block...deadlift twice the bodyweight..tonight I pulled 435 thanks to the training by my boy Meathead. It's by no means anywhere near impressive but it's the most I've pulled to date...now it's onto the quest for 500. Also I'm gonna start working on jerking 275 overhead!
275 Split Jerk is next..
Bumper plates make it look so much cooler than it actually is..
Tonight was a great Tabata inspired workout. First off we worked on heavy double kettlebell press and pullup ladders. Start out with one rep of each and ladder all the way up to 5 reps of each. Plus a few of the fellas hit some muscle ups. Brent officially threw his hat in the ring for the 2012 London Olympics...a West Sider gymnast? Damn straight world...you've been put on notice! Also big congrats to Renee who came in for her first workout....you did great!
After the press and pullup ladders we hit it up with Tabata intervals....after I did a similar workout at Crossfit Legion I knew I had to bring it up north.
So basically you set the clock up for 20 seconds work / 10 seconds rest intervals for 8 rounds of each of the following exercises:
Swings
Situps
Squats
2 Arm KB Press
No breaks in between 32 total intervals....nice and toasty!
See you guys tomorrow at 6 for another Christmas week smoker.
Hope you all had another awesome weekend as we head into a great Christmas week. The class schedule will be the same at PSKC during the week except for there will be no 7pm class on Thursday and of course no class on Christmas (but you can impress your family this year by doing a turkish get up with the kids just make sure you take a picture).
Also we are rocking another Monday intro class tomorrow at 5pm....so if you're new to kettlbell training and you wanna come check us out and Wednesdays don't work for you come on down this Monday. Also don't forget you can never work on the fundamentals enough. Just because you've been once doesn't mean you can't come again...plus it would be a good warmup for the class.
Mobility, do this right now as you read the rest of the post...hint it will help you for tomorrow's workout.
That's right...5 inches of snow won't stop the beasts! We opened up the doors and served up a nice conditioning beat down tonight.
Introducing the twins of awesomeness
Running your body through intense physical training involving swinging, snatching, squatting, pressing, pulling, heavy ass kettlebells can make you stiff and sore especially if you're coming into the gym after a period of inactivity. We are all in some sort of fitness debt (click HERE for explanation) when you come to PSKC, it's just a matter of how much..so we need to make sure we're taking care of ourselves in order to become more bad ass.
Two quick things you can always do:
1) Use picture perfect form...don't get tired and allow yourself to look a sloppy mess trying to complete an exercise
2) Every single day at home and work....spend time working on increasing your mobility. See below...
"A metaphorical c@ck punch for opening your hips"? Some people's usage of the English language is beautiful.
The importance of mobility...you gotta work your junk (take that statement however you want to). A genius on mobility and improving performance is Kelly Starrett and a pretty funny dude too. Please... I implore you right now to go to his blog http://mobilitywod.blogspot.com/ and spend a considerable amount of time watching his clips on improving mobility. Then whatever you suck at (tight shoulders, low back, hips) travel deep within the "pain cave" and work on it! Don't just do it today...do it every day, multiple times a day. Your joints, bones, and gristle are like a cold brick of clay...you must constantly work and roll them out to get them loose. There is a direct relationship between your mobility and your ability to be much better at the squat, press, swing, pull ups, running, jumping....you know all the cool stuff that makes being a human fun.
At some point most people experience some sort of low back pain in their life. Myself included...I went to the chiropractor one time in my late 20s and as he was looking at my x-rays his quote to me was "you have the low back of a 60 year old powerlifter". Not exactly good news...but after some years spent playing ball, being in the military, and lifting weights incorrectly, it's not too surprising either. Thanks Doc...much appreciated for your inspiring words. Here's your $20 co-pay to tell me I suck and that you want to make adjustments on me the rest of my natural life.
So there has to be some sort of mystical ninja voodoo that will cure all of my ailments. I mean I refuse to accept that I need to fork over my money 2-3 times a week to get "adjusted". Well, my friends there is a magical path to pain free enlightment and it involves daily practice working on joint mobility/flexibility, lots of exercise DONE CORRECTLY, and eating correctly and plenty of high quality H2O. Funny how these things typically will cure a lot of things....hmmmm.
So why do we have "low back" problems...it's because we have tight hips. Why do we have tight hips? Because the majority (excluding people who dont' work in an office setting) of people are either sitting down or laying down 2/3 of your life. Essentially for a significant part of your life you are hunched over (hip flexion, shoulders rounded) in a very not cool position/posture. A good amount of time spent in this position will lead to all kinds of imbalances you must take aggressive and daily action to fix. Don't believe me? Do the math nerd..
Text book postural shittiness. Hip flexion, rounded shoulders
8 hours/day sleeping + 8 hours a day in your chair at the office = 16 hours/day; 16/24 = 2/3
Boom you just got served..make fun of my pocket protector now (full disclosure I never had a pocket protector, but I did receive "most outstanding Chemistry" student in 1997).
God only knows what you're doing the other 8 hours of the day but I bet a majority of that involves some sort of sitting too either in your car on the way to/from work or on the recliner/couch at home. Talk about devolving as a species. Your caveman ancestors would so be making fun of your soft slouching ass...those guys actually had to actively hunt for their food. Exercise wasn't a chore to them...you had to run fast and lift heavy things on a daily basis to survive.
From knives and spears to cell phones and computers. Technology is great as long as you're using it to be more awesome not more lazy.
Now if you're reading this blog, odds are you're at least trying to spend 4-6 hours a week exercising...if you're not you just suck and it's your fault your joints hurt. Now...out of that 4-6 hours how much time is spent on improving the range of motion in your joints and working on your flexibility? I bet the answer rhymes with "not very much".'
I hope for some of you that question was very eye opening....no wonder something is tight and/or in pain....if you're not routinely maintainnig your vehicle don't get pissed when something doesn't work properly on it. Even for the hardcores who come to PSKC on average 4 times a week, the warm up we go through is not enough time to work on your mobility/flexibility. You must do it at home or work to maintain healthy ass kicking joints.
So go to http://mobilitywod.blogspot.com/ and start your journey at feeling better. Do it now..venture deep into the pain cave and start being more awesome.
Be prepared I'm going to go on a rant...I'm on the road and I have nothing better to do in the evenings than verbally vomit words onto my screen, so click and leave now if you don't want to hear me bitch and moan.
So today I'm on the road....which is a good and bad thing. It sucks because I'm away from PSKC, but it's good because I get to come train at Crossfit Legion and get some kickass workouts in with great people. Well...not so much today because ole Jack Frost literally farted 2 inches of snow in Knoxville and shut the whole city down my home away from home included....
Instead of sitting in my hotel room flipping channels between (insert shitty reality TV shows) ...I decided I'd make the best of it and go to a "gym" nonetheless. The gym across the street is the typical corporate chain gym you'll find in any city. The only problem is I haven't been to a conventional gym in well over a year...it's like freeing a gorilla from the zoo than letting him go back for a day. Needless to say I wasn't motivated or happy by what I saw and what is passing as "fitness" for the majority of gym goers..
Now granted I'm exagerrating ..but it was like a bad Zombie horror movie in there. All these people with expressionless faces chained to machines going through the motions. Everyone was plugged into some sort of device, it was like they turned their IPOD on and turned everything else off....not making eye contact with any other person...faces locked into the TV screen or magazine..plodding away with amazing monotomy on a cardio machine. Or you had the crew with "muscle T''s" getting their swole on in front of the mirror...ensuring the "pump" was maintained....really only exercising their ego. Pavel (the founder of kettlebell training in America) describes these muscles as "all show and no go".
Not to mention the music...holy s$#t ...the mediocre music was only rivaled by the mediocre effort being displayed. I really wanted to pay attention to what was going to come across the speakers...I kid you not, the first song was by Ashlee Simpson then followed up by a Justin Bieber tune....after a vomitted in my mouth a little I mentally tuned out... angered by what I saw. I wasn't only angry I was also sad...
There were so many people in what appeared to me as just wandering around looking for some sort of answer... a guide to help them through the sea of machines and weights.. In the back of their mind they had to know there's got to be a better way....this can't be it.
Would people at your local gym take this as a badge of honor?
To me the biggest thing that was missing from this place was smile and laughter...yes our workouts are hard and yes you may not like doing them, but you're always happy and feel better when they're done. Everyday at PSKC you guys are smiling and laughing...it may not be until the end of the workout...but it happens. That's what made me the saddest...no friendships...no common bonds...no hard work...no sense of accomplishment. How can you look forward to working out if you don't feel anything from it?
It made me feel extremely blessed for my little place and more importantly the people in it.
It also made me realize that there is no way I can ever go back to training a big corporate conventional gym. Once an animal has been freed from the zoo...ain't no way he's going back. God willing I'll have PSKC to the day I die...if not the kettlebells and barbells and will go in my garage.
So thank you guys...you've brought me much happiness this year and I'm very greatful for it. Sometimes you need to see how the other side lives to truly appreciate what you've got!
PS...you guys worked a lot of the kettlebell snatch today. Below are some vids to help with caring for your hands...so you don't end up like Primetime in the photo above. When done correctly you shouldn't be ripping callouses off your hands..
We are going to do a special Monday 5pm Kettlebell Intro Class....so if you haven't checked out the PSKC madness come on down Monday at 5pm. No better way to combat the Christmas madness during the holidays than getting in some kick ass workouts. Knock out the intro class then stick around for the 6 or 7 strength and conditioning class.
Dave and Mo will be mastering the chaos for the next couple days as I'll be down with good friends at Crossfit Legion getting crushed.
So here's your homework for Monday....refining the kettlebell snatch.
Ohh..and if you think you're tough...in kettlebell sport the standard weight for male competition is 24kg (53 lb)...set the clock for 10 min and see how many you can perform without setting the bell down. Here is what looks like a 100lb girl doing it...138 total snatches with a 24kg
Another great Saturday morning crew came in for good old fashioned conditioning...see below
3 rounds of 50 seconds/ 25 seconds rest
First round we did 25 seconds of rest, 2nd round was cut to 20 seconds and the 3rd round we cut down to 15 seconds, just enough time to get to the next exercise.
It was good to break out the battling ropes. We don't use them far enough..maybe Santa will bring PSKC some extra ropes for Christmas for all to enjoy.
Forgot to post this earlier in the week...but it always makes me happy to see so many people doing turkish get-ups.
Now something to consider over the weekend....what are you really training for? Are you training with a purpose in mind? Are you training to look "in shape" or are you training to actually be in shape? There is a big difference...
Do you have body image issues? Are you trying to look like what society says you should look like? Or do you not give a shit and train hard...all out effort each and every time you step into a gym dedicating yourself totally to become stronger and sharper? It was only when I started training with a purpose to become stronger, better conditioned that I started to progress...
Below you'll find a blog post at Station 515 (click HERE) that explains it very well....
Physical culture and body image
working out... how narcissistic.
i work in a gym, i know. i see the "shirts" these guys wear, watch them wink at themselves in the mirror. the ego grows even faster than their muscles. hypertrophy. get big. get ripped. vascularization. six pack....
or for the ladies, making sure not to sweat too much. dont want makeup to run. trying to loose weight, but from the right places. not big, not strong, just "toned".
sterile.
i have been having an interesting e-mail conversation about challenge, exercise and body image... i think most people these days have body issues, and have developed their way to cope... some shirk challenge, choose to accept their bodies as they are. some fight, seek to exert control. diet, exercise, the right clothes.... it can get pretty messy.
i believe training for a purpose is a way to simplify the issue. to value function over form. to craft your body as you would a tool. to make it efficient. to willingly sacrifice certain traits to excel at others. to ignore what mass media has to say about appearance - what the fuck do they know anyway? to accept that time is finite, and we need to put our efforts where they will do the most good. I had severe body image issues in middle/high school, I believe there is a lot of power in physical culture, in watching the cumulative effect of will. not just physical changes, but mental ones. and as for physical changes, becoming connected with your body. being able to identify with each nerve ending, each muscle because you know how far you can push it and what it will cost in return. I feel you develop a deep enough relationship with your flesh and sinew and bone that no corporation or individual can shake it. I met a woman who was a fighter, her legs had purpose. I met an ultra-marathoner - her legs, hell her frame had an entirely different purpose. I guess when you have a goal like that, beauty images loose most of their power. there is a price to be paid and if you want to be a great climber, a great runner or a great biker it will take tremendous will, work and stress. and like age, these will shape your flesh. we become what we do. does it matter more to be "pretty" or to accomplish your goal? because they may be mutually exclusive. it is a choice, and in honoring that fact, consciously forgoing one to embrace the other it (I believe) dispels most of the fear and doubt. it becomes simple, and even a little easy. i saw a woman at the airport in NYC this weekend, from 50 feet away i knew she was a fighter. she had cauliflower ear, a neck as thick as mine and you could see the definition in her legs through her jeans.she was an embodiment of countless hours of hard work and tough decisions. she was beautiful. she was crafted for a purpose through efforts of her own. function, in and of itself, is beautiful.
not to say athletes lack body issues, they are just easily put in check.
let reality be the judge, everything else is just noise.
Over the past couple of months I've had the distinct honor and pleasure to work with Shawnee State University's Softball Team as their strength and conditioning coach. Tonight was our last official team workout before winter break as practice will begin when the ladies return to school. These women never ceased to amaze with their attitude, toughness, and their willingness to push themselves and one another. It's an understatement to say these are some tough chicks.
You will be missed ladies. I know without a doubt you will have a great season. Remember everything you've learned about yourselves during these couple of months. You came in soft and deconditioned...you now leave strong and confident knowing that no other team you will face has gone through what you have...has suffered as much to become better...
Some people think they are tough....others know they are. Only though continually challenging and testing your physical capabilities will truly learn about yourself....you now know that when you step on the field you are far more physically and mentally superior than your opponent.
Thank you again ladies...you have done far for me than I could have done for you. I'll wear my jacket proud and scream loud at your games. STRENGTH AND HONOR....
There is never a day I do thrusters and think "fun"...a front squat into a push press is a long movement that almost incorporates everything. But loading some weight to find a heavy one rep max can be fun. Never have gone "heavy" on a barbell thruster before I managed to squeak out 225, it felt pretty good so I decided to do it again this time with the camera rolling, sometimes you bite off more than you can chew as witnessed during my epic fail below.....
After some work on heavy thrusters...we did some work on pullups and rope climbs. Then into the main effort..
Snatch2Thruster is where you perform a kettlebell snatch, lower down to the rack drop into a squat then rise up into a thruster overhead...that's one rep. We did 5 each side then 15 sledge hammer strikes or slamball...repeat 5 rounds for time.
The last few days some of the "regulars" haven't been showing up...and I fear I know why. December is pretty much national slack off from the gym month. It's sooo easy to make excuses during this month. It's cold outside, holiday get togethers, Christmas parties, food is everywhere....Think about it, it's way easy to say "you know what I'm just going to take the next couple weeks off and I'll get back at it after the New Year". In response all I have to say is suck it up and stop being weak...harsh right? Well...you either are making an effort to become better or you aren't....what you're looking for is an excuse a way to rationalize it to yourself that it's okay to be lazy. Well you're in the wrong place if you're looking at me to say it's acceptable.
Don't quit on yourself....don't give in...don't be weak. Weakness is a disease...the only cure is strength. Strength of will....strength of mind...strength of effort...strength to be consistent and disciplined....even when it's cold :)
You can continue your hard earned fitness level that you've attained over the past few months...or you can tap out for the month of December only to be one the "New Years" crowd. The people who pack gyms across the country for a solid 5-7 weeks before it gets too tough to stay disciplined and they fall right back into their habits of weakness.
Don't get me wrong if you're seriously looking for a place to better yourself, to gain the physical and mental strength you've been sorely wanting..you are welcomed here in the family. My main point is you don't have to wait until New Years to be in the best shape of your life.....don't make resolutions...make habits...rant over.
For those who are wanting to check us out and learn more about kettlebell training...our kettlebell intro class is at 5pm tomorrow followed by the regular class at 6. Hope to see all your beautiful faces there!
PS...Wednesday's Running Clinic has been moved to Thursday this week..
PPS...If you don't get your shirts by Thursday I'm offering them up for public sale!
Damn....it was cold tonight. Luckily we were able to raise the temperature inside. Also we'll be getting another blower heater in a few weeks thanks to my brother Henry at Crossfit Legion.
As Meathead and I were doing heavy Zercher Squats and I could see my breath I immediately thought of Rocky IV.
"Hearts of Fire" was playing in my head during this PR
I seriously watched that movie every other day growing up. I'm pretty sure Rocky IV was the sole reason we beat the commies in the Cold War. If it was up to be me (and not against pesky laws/fire code) I would have a open wood burning fireplace inside of PSKC just like Rocky. I want to go on official record and say Stallone can do no wrong...he is lord of Badassitude.
You have to be a serious Rocky IV fan to get this reference
Enough kissing Sly's ass....onto Monday's work! Below is what we served up to those who braved the cold..
It's always good to spend some time on the basics...so we went back to the fundamentals and worked the kettlebell swing. What we really stressed was the importance of pushing the hips back, reaching through with a neutral spine to get the maximum activation of the posterior chain. More hamstring activation equals greater power and we're always after the most power we can get.
After some time on technique we went into heavy swings...big props to primetime and Claudia for swinging the 88lb'r! Additonally we got some of the guys to rock double 53s (106 total) on the double swings. We finished with a nice circuit of active movements followed by static holds.
Then the Lady Bears came in and got introduced to the best exercise out there...the Turkish Get Up.
Love this picture...Coach Ruby is awesome
After the TGUs we ended in a nice conditioning finisher using the 15/15 protocol for swings and sledgehammering.
See you guys tomorrow at 6...come in and beat the cold!
So what exactly does Olympic lifting consist of? Two lifts...
1) Clean & Jerk
2) Snatch
Below is a compilation video of some of the strongest freaks out there.
All day Saturday I had the unique opportunity to learn Olympic Lifting from one of the foremost experts in the sport, Charles Staley. My homies at Crossfit Legion put on the seminar and we made the trip down to get our clean/jerk and snatch on.
My only regret is that I couldn't stay both days of the seminar. But the wealth of information provided in 8 hours was fantastic and I'm eager to implement more and more Olympic Lifting into my training programming. If anyone in the Southern Ohio ares is interested in learning these lifts the correct way .....let me know!
Another great week of training at PSKC is lined up. Tomorrow you can either come to the 6 or 7 o'clock class. Let's see if some more folks show up to the 7 class...that way we can balance out the madness a little more. Looking forward to seeing you guys this week! Lots of fun in store!
PS...don't forget your shirts! If you don't pay for them by Wednesday...I'm opening them up for public sales.
"PSKC - In a town devasted by weakness, I CHOOSE STRENGTH"
The shirts are in and they are bad ass....as much as I would like to take credit for my fashion designing skills, my good friend and ass kicking PSKC'r Sara designed the logos. I just told her what I was thinking of and she worked her artist magic...
So for those of you who pre-ordered the shirts are at the gym....$15 a shirt. I will reserve your shirt for the next week, then after that we will let capitalism do its thing. I did order some extras...but not a lot. After those who pre-ordered get their shirts...it will be first come first serve, or who wants to pay the most!
Onto the workout...unfortunately as it's officially winter which means it's dark at like 2:30pm and we had our first snow so we're kind of limited on incorporating running into our workouts....but have no fear high rep step ups will do the trick. Today's effort was inspired by Sherpas. If you don't know what/who Sherpas are...
1) do pushups, no make that burpees. When you're done google Sherpa...seriously stop watching Real Housewives of Atlanta and turn the channel to the Discovery Channel
Basically, they are the hard working mutants who do all the work for the rich white man who wants to climb Everest.
So the workout was
5 rounds of
30 Step Ups each leg (60 total) minimum of 18" box
6 KB Clean & Press (r/l)
*if you felt up to it you're more than welcome to wear a weighted pack or weight vest to heighten your experience.
I broke out the trusty ruck sack with around 40lbs, and did the clean and presses with a 24kg kb and managed to complete it in around 26 minutes.
Here's some interesting math....if one wanted to ascend a vertical mile that's 5280 ft...being in Southern Ohio, Sunrise Hill is our tallest "peak"...so how would we replicate a mile high experience?
Setting the boxes at 18 inches high...
5280(ft) x 12 (in) = 63360 total inches
63360 / 18 (each step on the box) = 3520 total step ups on the box or 1760 step ups each leg...
Hmmmmm....1760 step ups each leg on a 18" box to mimic a straight up mile long vertical ascent. Anyone interested in this experiment? Drop a comment to discuss.....
you do it, I do it, we do it...everyday in some form or another we are some squatting sonsofbitches, so we might as well learn to do it right. At PSKC we focus a lot of time and attention on how to do a proper squat. It's not something you master overnight, every time you squat you will always need to make conscious reminders so that you don't look like a dog dropping a steamy load.
Is this what your squat looks like? Ever wonder why dog's always have that sad look on their face when taking a crap? It's because they know they don't look cool and neither do you if you squat like this...
Whether you realize it or not, every time you sit down to a chair or the crapper and stand back up you are doing a squat. Now ask yourself...do you look like a dog taking a dump?
The real question is are you maintaining spinal integrity over the 1000s of times a year you sit down and stand back up...one day try to keep count of how many times you sit down in a chair and stand up...it will add up quickly. Now times that by 365 over the course of a lifetime and it comes out to somewhere around a gazillion. If you have piss poor posture, rounding at the lowback, not keeping your shoulders pulled back and a proud chest, it's no wonder that you'll be spending some quality time in the Chiropractor's office.
So how do you do a proper squat? Here are some tips from the Primal Blueprint's Squat Technique
How to Do the Basic Squat
Stand with a comfortable stance. Most will prefer their feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart with toes turned out at a slight angle.
Lower yourself by reaching back with your butt while maintaining a strong lower back. Keep your knees aligned with your toes and your toes on the ground.
Chest up, upper back tight, eyes looking forward and slightly down, head in a neutral position. Maintain a nice cohesive line along your spine.
Go just below parallel, so that your butt drops below your knees.
Come back up by pushing through the heel.
Things to Remember
Don’t let your knees bow inward, or risk potential injury. Think of actively shoving your knees outward on the descent so that they track over your toes.
To visualize driving through the heel, try lifting your toes off the ground the first few reps.
Thirty seconds or so of the Grok squat stretch is a great way to prime the pump for your squat workout.
Below you'll find a good demo on the air squat (forgive the awful music)
Now, if you're a super squat nerd and really want to know the mechanical physiology behind the squat..please click HERE. Seriously click the link and do yourself a favor and read in depth and learn why I'm always screaming "HIPS BACK, KNEES OUT, HEELS DOWN!" It's science...and you can't mess with science.
So squat, squat often, squat freely, squat with some heavy weight, squat with barbells, kettlebells, sandbags, your kid...put do it the right way.
We've got in some great workouts...tonight we focused on heavy front squats and ring dips.. and finished with a nice little triple triplet workout.
20 seconds of each movement, repeat for 3 rounds total at each station, rest 1 minute in between the rounds
snatch weakhand, snatch stronghand, mountains
Two hand clean, squat, press
Weighted Situp, Russian twist, V-Up
This is the end result...
Don't forget, bring a friend to the kettlebell intro tomorrow at 5pm...followed up by the regular class at 6pm!
