3 Rounds for time
Run: 200m
Hang Cleans 10 Reps@135
Ring Dips 10 Reps
Time: 00:06:04
Today felt good. The nag cleans got heavy near the end and I actually lost my grip on the 7rep of the last set. I need to work on my grip strength, in before masturbation joke. I will start doing the pull-ups I do on the fatter pull-up bar at Zephyr. As I start to incorporate more of the Olympic style movements into the training my grip strength will go up. I have been reading Rippetoe and about his power clean technique. His advice about aiming the bar such that it is above the knee, on top of the thigh as the jumping point makes sense! Go do some hang cleans, then practice the full movement with the idea that as the bar comes over the knee it touches the thigh and then I jump. It is so simple I could do it. It will really, really, REALLY, help the timing of the explosion of the hips. Such a simple way to explain it and totally obvious. Remember to get his book, you will learn so much.
Cheers!
25 July 2013
24 July 2013
5/3/1
OHP: 5x88lbs, 5x105lbs, 5x115lbs
Fronts Squat: 3x10@135lbs
Pull-ups (alternating grip): 3x10
Felt good today. I did not do any deadlifts because my legs were sore from the day before due to me being a peer pressure pansy.
Cheers!
23 July 2013
23 July 2013
3x5 Deadlift @265lbs
3 Rounds for Time
21 Toes to Bar
21 Wall Balls
Time: 00:07:41
Deadlifts the day before deadlifts. I will have to back off tomorrow for the 5/3/1. I debated simply skipping the deadlifts and working some sort of skill but I was peer pressured into it because I am weak.
I hate toes to bar and they will be the bane of my workout life. I can totally see how they are beneficial because they hit your abdominals ridiculous and also work your grip strength. After deadlifts though it is rough. You will feel your entire body after deadlifts and toes to bar when you start the wall balls. Forearms, shoulders, traps, lumbar spinae, glutes, quads, calves, even feet! I deadlift barefoot though so I can feel my feet a lot more. This was a great workout and really showed some weak spots for me. The weakest point of the day was my back and the left abdominal region. Definitely asymmetry in how I engage my core. I spoke with the yoga lady there and she was working on some static poses with me and was showing me some weak points in how I am doing said poses. I need to keep my hips square and parallel with the ground when in warrior three. I open my hips which makes balancing easier and takes away from the isometric engagement of the hamstring and glute and the lower back. I think by working on that during yoga and then focusing on engaging the abs WHEN I AM TIRED will get that working better.
Off to sleep so I can gro muscles.
Cheers!
3 Rounds for Time
21 Toes to Bar
21 Wall Balls
Time: 00:07:41
Deadlifts the day before deadlifts. I will have to back off tomorrow for the 5/3/1. I debated simply skipping the deadlifts and working some sort of skill but I was peer pressured into it because I am weak.
I hate toes to bar and they will be the bane of my workout life. I can totally see how they are beneficial because they hit your abdominals ridiculous and also work your grip strength. After deadlifts though it is rough. You will feel your entire body after deadlifts and toes to bar when you start the wall balls. Forearms, shoulders, traps, lumbar spinae, glutes, quads, calves, even feet! I deadlift barefoot though so I can feel my feet a lot more. This was a great workout and really showed some weak spots for me. The weakest point of the day was my back and the left abdominal region. Definitely asymmetry in how I engage my core. I spoke with the yoga lady there and she was working on some static poses with me and was showing me some weak points in how I am doing said poses. I need to keep my hips square and parallel with the ground when in warrior three. I open my hips which makes balancing easier and takes away from the isometric engagement of the hamstring and glute and the lower back. I think by working on that during yoga and then focusing on engaging the abs WHEN I AM TIRED will get that working better.
Off to sleep so I can gro muscles.
Cheers!
22 July 2013
22 July 2013
5/3/1
Squat: 5x155lbs, 5x175lbs, 5x200lbs
Bench: 5x115lbs, 5x135lbs, 5x155lbs
Assistance: 3x5 Pistol Squat, 3x10 Ring Dips
Today I modified the Wendler because last week I realised I didn't use 90% like he prescribes. I always think that when someone knows more than you you should shut up and do what they tell you. If there is ever a time when I am comparable to Jim Wendler then maybe I can start fucking with his program. Until that day I need to shut up and do it as is.
Everything went great today and squats feel so good. I have started to really focus on bumping my hips out before I break my knees as I am descending into the squat. Since I have started to focus on doing this I feel much more strong in my core and lower back than I can remember. Granted the weight is low so it may be misleading, there may also be some mental bias in there, but I do feel stronger. I feel more capable of being able to drive the weight from the hole back to the top of the squat. I am trying to look to see if there is some technique I am happening upon that speaks to this but I have yet to find anything making mention of this.I am still reading about the topic I hope to blog about. It is complex and I know I don't fully understand it which is why I want to read more before I make an asss out of myself.
Bench was easy. Weights were light.
I did notice during the pistol squats the lateral-anterior part of my knee start to hurt. Due to how low you go during this movement the force along the interior portion of the knee, the meniscus and other cartilage in there, areplaced under heavy load. Basically from what I read the deeper you squat, the more force your meniscus will feel. This is for a variety of reasons all of which I am still trying to grasp and put together. It has to do with how your hamstring and quadricep work together during the squat and how the load shifts throughout the changing angle of the knee and hip during the movement. Anyway I felt it there and I still feel a hangover of sorts there. This is where I tore my meniscus back int he day but I don't think anything will come of it. Tomorrow will be the ultimate test of it anyway.
One last thing I need to mention is that I weighted myself back on 6/13 and have been every week since. I found I went from 203lbs to 214lbs!!! I am eating pretty decent, or so I thought. I am going to have to seriously look at the calories I am putting into my body and see what the hell it is I am doing that is allowing me to gain so much weight. I did increase my caloric intake but that is because I am working out so much more than I had been previously. I think I am going to need to actually calculate it all out and see. Perhaps even increase the amount of exercise I am doing. That will make me tired.
Cheers!
Squat: 5x155lbs, 5x175lbs, 5x200lbs
Bench: 5x115lbs, 5x135lbs, 5x155lbs
Assistance: 3x5 Pistol Squat, 3x10 Ring Dips
Today I modified the Wendler because last week I realised I didn't use 90% like he prescribes. I always think that when someone knows more than you you should shut up and do what they tell you. If there is ever a time when I am comparable to Jim Wendler then maybe I can start fucking with his program. Until that day I need to shut up and do it as is.
Everything went great today and squats feel so good. I have started to really focus on bumping my hips out before I break my knees as I am descending into the squat. Since I have started to focus on doing this I feel much more strong in my core and lower back than I can remember. Granted the weight is low so it may be misleading, there may also be some mental bias in there, but I do feel stronger. I feel more capable of being able to drive the weight from the hole back to the top of the squat. I am trying to look to see if there is some technique I am happening upon that speaks to this but I have yet to find anything making mention of this.I am still reading about the topic I hope to blog about. It is complex and I know I don't fully understand it which is why I want to read more before I make an asss out of myself.
Bench was easy. Weights were light.
I did notice during the pistol squats the lateral-anterior part of my knee start to hurt. Due to how low you go during this movement the force along the interior portion of the knee, the meniscus and other cartilage in there, areplaced under heavy load. Basically from what I read the deeper you squat, the more force your meniscus will feel. This is for a variety of reasons all of which I am still trying to grasp and put together. It has to do with how your hamstring and quadricep work together during the squat and how the load shifts throughout the changing angle of the knee and hip during the movement. Anyway I felt it there and I still feel a hangover of sorts there. This is where I tore my meniscus back int he day but I don't think anything will come of it. Tomorrow will be the ultimate test of it anyway.
One last thing I need to mention is that I weighted myself back on 6/13 and have been every week since. I found I went from 203lbs to 214lbs!!! I am eating pretty decent, or so I thought. I am going to have to seriously look at the calories I am putting into my body and see what the hell it is I am doing that is allowing me to gain so much weight. I did increase my caloric intake but that is because I am working out so much more than I had been previously. I think I am going to need to actually calculate it all out and see. Perhaps even increase the amount of exercise I am doing. That will make me tired.
Cheers!
18 July 2013
18 July 2013
Morning Vinyasa
Woke up at 5am and got my yoga on. Felt good despite the fact Nicole made the room 113 degrees. It wa sweltering even though no one else seemed to mind.
Cheers!
Woke up at 5am and got my yoga on. Felt good despite the fact Nicole made the room 113 degrees. It wa sweltering even though no one else seemed to mind.
Cheers!
17 July 2013
5/3/1
Overhead Press: 5x85lbs, 3x102lbs, 1,115lbs
Deadlift: 5x185lbs, 5x220lbs, 5x250lbs
Pull-ups: 3x10
Front Squats: 3x8@135lbs
Everything felt great. Got some feedback regarding my deadlift form. I was weak when lowering the weight and found by keeping the bar closer to my thighs and shins it really helps.
Cheers!
Overhead Press: 5x85lbs, 3x102lbs, 1,115lbs
Deadlift: 5x185lbs, 5x220lbs, 5x250lbs
Pull-ups: 3x10
Front Squats: 3x8@135lbs
Everything felt great. Got some feedback regarding my deadlift form. I was weak when lowering the weight and found by keeping the bar closer to my thighs and shins it really helps.
Cheers!
16 July 2013
16 July 2013
50 DUs
10 Power Snatch
40 DUs
8 Power Snatch
30 DUs
6 Power Snatch
20 DUs
4 Power Snatch
10 DUs
2 Power Snatch
Time 10:02
My time was bullshit simply because I couldn't get my double unders right. I couldn't get any significant streak going and my time suffered. But on to the good stuff!
I learned how to snatch today and that was fun. I practiced with the 45lb bar to get the technique right. I found that I was not quite getting the timing of the shrug down. Fortunately I have experience doing the movements from my time power cleaning, dead lifting, and over head squatting. The power snatch slightly modifies these movements but they are essentially the same even when you put them all together as such. Obviously follow the Rippetoe video I linked above. He knows more than I will ever know about lifting, technique, and communicating the technique to others.
I find I learn more when I study and then try and explain what I just studied so if I am wrong or you believe there is a better way to do the movement please let me know.
Aside from the hip drive the most important aspect of the movement would be where you grab the bar. It is important your grip is such that the bar hangs right where your hip creases. This will be different for everyone. Stand with feet wide as though you were going to jump and touch the rim and then set your grip. Once you have this hang position you are set to go. Rippetoe talks about pushing the hips back and bending the knees and in this way the bar will naturally move towards the floor. Once it gets to your mid thigh you will stop moving and hold it for a second. This position you will need to check your arms and whether or not your elbows are straight. I found this to be important when I was doing the movement because it will determine your arm position through the explosive phase and ultimately affect your position at the rack position over your shoulder joint above your head. Rippetoe goes into great detail about the importance of your elbow position in the video linked above. I practiced dropping the bar to my hips and then jumping out of that position with straight arms and then shrugging my shoulders. As I said above, the timing of my shoulder shrug was off and in addition to that I found I was rolling my shoulders back rather than shrugging them. It got better when I thought touch my ears with my shoulders. This position eventually leads to you dropping the bar further to just past your knees and jumping up into the air.Rippetoe had the volunteer add the over head portion but for me I started jumping and just shrugging the shoulders. It let me focus more on the hip drive and the shoulder shrug before I complicated things with lifting the bar over my head. When doing power cleans and now this power snatch, I always thought of driving my hips into the place where the wall meets the ceiling. It makes me feel like I am really shooting my hips out of that bent position and creating a lot of force. Rippetoe talks about thinking about the wrists and the movement at the top position and how that is the last thing that will happen. I didn't give this ANY thought when learning the movement and so will have to revisit it next time I do these. Another point to take away is that the bar path is as close to your body as possible. This is to keep the bar over your midfoot which is the most stable position for it to be. After I practiced just jumping and shrugging the shoulders I added in the overhead snatch part. It is more difficult than you think to keep the bar close to your body and that is something I will have to work on. The consequences of not keeping the bar over your feet will become more and more evident the greater the weight on the bar.
The full power snatch is similar to the power clean and so that wasn't too shocking to me. Rippetoe talks about pushing the knees out which is something I do not do and will have to look into it more. It seems to me that position isn't as explosive as if your were readying yourself to jump high or broad jump. I am not sure why he pushes that part.
Key points:
1) Approximately hip width stance
2) Elbows straight and shrug into your ears
3) Explode using your hip drive and jump into the air.
4) Get under the bar after you shrug your shoulders
If you have anything to add to what I wrote please do!
Cheers!
10 Power Snatch
40 DUs
8 Power Snatch
30 DUs
6 Power Snatch
20 DUs
4 Power Snatch
10 DUs
2 Power Snatch
Time 10:02
My time was bullshit simply because I couldn't get my double unders right. I couldn't get any significant streak going and my time suffered. But on to the good stuff!
I learned how to snatch today and that was fun. I practiced with the 45lb bar to get the technique right. I found that I was not quite getting the timing of the shrug down. Fortunately I have experience doing the movements from my time power cleaning, dead lifting, and over head squatting. The power snatch slightly modifies these movements but they are essentially the same even when you put them all together as such. Obviously follow the Rippetoe video I linked above. He knows more than I will ever know about lifting, technique, and communicating the technique to others.
I find I learn more when I study and then try and explain what I just studied so if I am wrong or you believe there is a better way to do the movement please let me know.
Aside from the hip drive the most important aspect of the movement would be where you grab the bar. It is important your grip is such that the bar hangs right where your hip creases. This will be different for everyone. Stand with feet wide as though you were going to jump and touch the rim and then set your grip. Once you have this hang position you are set to go. Rippetoe talks about pushing the hips back and bending the knees and in this way the bar will naturally move towards the floor. Once it gets to your mid thigh you will stop moving and hold it for a second. This position you will need to check your arms and whether or not your elbows are straight. I found this to be important when I was doing the movement because it will determine your arm position through the explosive phase and ultimately affect your position at the rack position over your shoulder joint above your head. Rippetoe goes into great detail about the importance of your elbow position in the video linked above. I practiced dropping the bar to my hips and then jumping out of that position with straight arms and then shrugging my shoulders. As I said above, the timing of my shoulder shrug was off and in addition to that I found I was rolling my shoulders back rather than shrugging them. It got better when I thought touch my ears with my shoulders. This position eventually leads to you dropping the bar further to just past your knees and jumping up into the air.Rippetoe had the volunteer add the over head portion but for me I started jumping and just shrugging the shoulders. It let me focus more on the hip drive and the shoulder shrug before I complicated things with lifting the bar over my head. When doing power cleans and now this power snatch, I always thought of driving my hips into the place where the wall meets the ceiling. It makes me feel like I am really shooting my hips out of that bent position and creating a lot of force. Rippetoe talks about thinking about the wrists and the movement at the top position and how that is the last thing that will happen. I didn't give this ANY thought when learning the movement and so will have to revisit it next time I do these. Another point to take away is that the bar path is as close to your body as possible. This is to keep the bar over your midfoot which is the most stable position for it to be. After I practiced just jumping and shrugging the shoulders I added in the overhead snatch part. It is more difficult than you think to keep the bar close to your body and that is something I will have to work on. The consequences of not keeping the bar over your feet will become more and more evident the greater the weight on the bar.
The full power snatch is similar to the power clean and so that wasn't too shocking to me. Rippetoe talks about pushing the knees out which is something I do not do and will have to look into it more. It seems to me that position isn't as explosive as if your were readying yourself to jump high or broad jump. I am not sure why he pushes that part.
Key points:
1) Approximately hip width stance
2) Elbows straight and shrug into your ears
3) Explode using your hip drive and jump into the air.
4) Get under the bar after you shrug your shoulders
If you have anything to add to what I wrote please do!
Cheers!
15 July 2013
15 July 2013
Wendler 5/3/1
Squats 5/3/1: 5x170lbs, 3x195lbs, 1x221lbs
Bench 3x5: 5x115lbs, 5x135lbs, 155lbs
Assistance: 3x5 Ring Dips, 3x5 Pistol Squats
Filthy Fifty
50 Box Jumps 24" Box
50 Jumping Pull-ups
50 KBs 35lbs
50 Lunges
50 Push Press 45lbs
50 Back Extensions
50 Wall Balls 20lbs
50 Burpees
50 Double unders
Time: 00:27:42
Lifting felt great. I am getting into Wendler's 5/3/1 program because I need to ease into getting heavy weights. I am hoping to be able to get strong enough to start working olympic lifts into my routine. I think the new movements will really help to develop my explosiveness and overall fitness. If you have never seen olympic lifting check it out on youtube. It is impressive. The bench press was light because I haven't done 1RM for it but am working on starting light so not too bad. Squats felt wonderful and were just what I needed. It feels good to get back under the bar again.
The filthy fifty is stupid hard and also stupid. If you aren't in shape cut the reps in half and then go get some beer and forget about doing it because you will injure yourself. I think the volume of this workout may be a bit too much. The pace of the workout should be considered quick and steady, not a sprint. Constantly moving through the movements and gradually getting them done. If you do not pace yourself you will fly and die and won't finish before the 30min time limit. Yes there is a time limit and it is good for you that there is. How would I change the workout? I would reduce the volume via the reps. It would make it more of a sprint and with the lighter weights involved I think would be a great workout. Maybe something like the Dirty Thirty...has a nice ring to it. Since all the Crossfit style WODs tend to have an intensity unlike normal workouts, folks get after them like gangbusters and aren't fully aware that something with this volume needs to be approached in a different way. If you attempt the workout be sure and pace yourself, push yourself but pace yourself. If you need to scale mess with the reps and then in a few weeks try it again adding some more reps in.
Oh yeah, fuck burpees.
Cheers!
Squats 5/3/1: 5x170lbs, 3x195lbs, 1x221lbs
Bench 3x5: 5x115lbs, 5x135lbs, 155lbs
Assistance: 3x5 Ring Dips, 3x5 Pistol Squats
Filthy Fifty
50 Box Jumps 24" Box
50 Jumping Pull-ups
50 KBs 35lbs
50 Lunges
50 Push Press 45lbs
50 Back Extensions
50 Wall Balls 20lbs
50 Burpees
50 Double unders
Time: 00:27:42
Lifting felt great. I am getting into Wendler's 5/3/1 program because I need to ease into getting heavy weights. I am hoping to be able to get strong enough to start working olympic lifts into my routine. I think the new movements will really help to develop my explosiveness and overall fitness. If you have never seen olympic lifting check it out on youtube. It is impressive. The bench press was light because I haven't done 1RM for it but am working on starting light so not too bad. Squats felt wonderful and were just what I needed. It feels good to get back under the bar again.
The filthy fifty is stupid hard and also stupid. If you aren't in shape cut the reps in half and then go get some beer and forget about doing it because you will injure yourself. I think the volume of this workout may be a bit too much. The pace of the workout should be considered quick and steady, not a sprint. Constantly moving through the movements and gradually getting them done. If you do not pace yourself you will fly and die and won't finish before the 30min time limit. Yes there is a time limit and it is good for you that there is. How would I change the workout? I would reduce the volume via the reps. It would make it more of a sprint and with the lighter weights involved I think would be a great workout. Maybe something like the Dirty Thirty...has a nice ring to it. Since all the Crossfit style WODs tend to have an intensity unlike normal workouts, folks get after them like gangbusters and aren't fully aware that something with this volume needs to be approached in a different way. If you attempt the workout be sure and pace yourself, push yourself but pace yourself. If you need to scale mess with the reps and then in a few weeks try it again adding some more reps in.
Oh yeah, fuck burpees.
Cheers!
13 July 2013
12 July 2013
800m run
21 wall balls (20lb ball)
21 KBs (56lb kettle bell)
600m run
15 wall balls
15KBs
400m run
9 wall balls
9 KBs
Time: 00:12:04
I remembered why I never run and that's because it sucks. I would much rather erg some ridiculousness than run...I probably should run more. The thing is I used to run miles when I was rowing in college and the short distances never bothered me. I also trained once for a marathon. That was no bueno. I think the running feels worse because I am close to 20lbs heavier than I was in college. I was usually around 190 and now I sit around 208. I hope we have more running in the workouts so it will force me to acclimate and get better. The other movements went well. I can breeze through wall balls and the KBs weren't bad but did get heavy during the round of 15 reps.
Good luck with the workouts!
Cheers!
11 July 2013
11 July 2013
Tammy invented this....
20 DUs
20 Sit-ups
20 DUs
20 Parallette Pass Throughs
20 DUs
20 Toes to Bar
20 DUs
20 GHDs
Time: 00:07:41
I destroyed DUs today! I was really impressed with myself. I have never been able to string together more than 5 or so of them and for some reason today I just was able to EASILY get 12. During one round I got 18! That is awesome for me. Felt good and it really sped up the overall time.
If you can't tell the WOD was heavily focused on the abs, which I am feeling right now as I am typing this. Every movement touched upon the abs and when I got to GHDs I really felt them. When I was doing the GHD sit-ups I could really feel my abs getting tired and noticed and EXTREME asymmetry in how they were engaging. So much so that I had Tammy come over and feel them as I did a sit-up, this was after the workout of course. I asked around and got the advice to hold weight on the left side of my body and work the sit-ups. I could really feel a difference in how my abs engaged and worked me up. I am going to be doing at least 30reps like that ever time I hit the gym to really focus my body on getting a better at firing all the muscle I have in a more efficient manner. *NO EVIDENCE WARNING* Who knows, the fact that I engage so wrong may have contributed to all the back problems I have had over the years.
Toes to bar are what really got me during this workout. I am not able to control my body fully on the way down and it really slows me up. I need to work on that.
I have been thinking about returning to the gym in the mornings to lift. I want to really get strong and get back into it like how I was before my injury. After my lady comes I will worry about that and submit the post I have regarding the trigger point therapy.
Cheers!
20 DUs
20 Sit-ups
20 DUs
20 Parallette Pass Throughs
20 DUs
20 Toes to Bar
20 DUs
20 GHDs
Time: 00:07:41
I destroyed DUs today! I was really impressed with myself. I have never been able to string together more than 5 or so of them and for some reason today I just was able to EASILY get 12. During one round I got 18! That is awesome for me. Felt good and it really sped up the overall time.
If you can't tell the WOD was heavily focused on the abs, which I am feeling right now as I am typing this. Every movement touched upon the abs and when I got to GHDs I really felt them. When I was doing the GHD sit-ups I could really feel my abs getting tired and noticed and EXTREME asymmetry in how they were engaging. So much so that I had Tammy come over and feel them as I did a sit-up, this was after the workout of course. I asked around and got the advice to hold weight on the left side of my body and work the sit-ups. I could really feel a difference in how my abs engaged and worked me up. I am going to be doing at least 30reps like that ever time I hit the gym to really focus my body on getting a better at firing all the muscle I have in a more efficient manner. *NO EVIDENCE WARNING* Who knows, the fact that I engage so wrong may have contributed to all the back problems I have had over the years.
Toes to bar are what really got me during this workout. I am not able to control my body fully on the way down and it really slows me up. I need to work on that.
I have been thinking about returning to the gym in the mornings to lift. I want to really get strong and get back into it like how I was before my injury. After my lady comes I will worry about that and submit the post I have regarding the trigger point therapy.
Cheers!
10 July 2013
10 July 2013
15, 12, 9, 6, 3
Hang Cleans 115lbs
Hand Stand Push Ups
Time: 00:09:05
Surprisingly this workout felt great. The HSPUs were not as bad as they had been for whatever reason. I think it was because as I got tired through the rounds I began to really get the hang of the kip that is supposed to accompany the movement. As you come down you GENTLY rest the top of your head on the mat you have ever so thoughtfully placed beneath you before the workout and bend your legs and shoot them toward the ceiling. This will help you get some momentum going to help you get out of the bottom of the hole. It is similar to the overhead press. The most difficult point is the initial drive. Getting the bar off your chest and over your head can be made easier if you use your legs to help drive the bar. The difficulty seems to be letting yourself down gently onto the floor or mat. It can be dangerous if you just drop onto your neck. If you do try HSPU be sure you are strong enough/know enough about your body to be able to tell if you are going to fail or not. Be smart and don't drop your body weight onto your neck. The video below is a great guide to how to prepare yourself for the movement.
HSPU Progression
I found that I still have asymmetry in how I drive. My right arm, the dominant arm, is used and I rely on it much more than the other and I can tell just by how sore my right arm is compared to the left. I think I will need to do invest some time with the barbells and work on technique with the left arm and try to get it comfortable with the movements. I don't really think it is strength more so just muscle memory. Once I start to get tired it is easier to use the right arm. We always fall back to what we know.
Hang cleans were great. My back didn't hurt at all after. I was running into trouble with my forearm grip strength and my shoulder shrug. Hang cleans are supposed to be an explosive movement. The explosion and drive should come from your legs and your hips. To set up for the movement dead lift your weight to the hanging position. This is the position where you are holding the bar and standing straight up. Your hand position should be like that of your dead lift. From the hanging position your are going to bump your butt back and bend over keeping a neutral head position. Think keeping your spine straight through the crown of your head like you had a broomstick stuck through your spinal canal. Lower the weight to just above your knees. Now you start the drive and it is an explosion with your hips. I like to think of trying to hump the articulation of the ceiling and wall. This will cause your shoulders to push back and your chest to stick out.
Hang Cleans
The woman in the video is a beast but she illustrates the point I am trying to make with the hips when she tries the 155lbs. She needs to think of thrusting her hips up and forward throwing her shoulders back. When you see her jump back near the end of the video look at her hips and how the go up and out. It is a powerful movement and allows her to move more weight than me.
From there you shrug your shoulders into your ears and fire your elbows towards the ceiling. When the bar is floating you need to throw your elbows underneath the bar and catch it in the front squat position. I won't go through the movement like she does in the video. I reset at the bottom. My back and its position goes to shit if I don't focus on it.
Well I am looking forward to tomorrow's workout. My fiancee arrives tomorrow late and I am going to be taking her to her first class Friday. I am excited. Then it is a weekend of hiking and searching for some gold in the mountains. Wish me luck.
Cheers!
Hang Cleans 115lbs
Hand Stand Push Ups
Time: 00:09:05
Surprisingly this workout felt great. The HSPUs were not as bad as they had been for whatever reason. I think it was because as I got tired through the rounds I began to really get the hang of the kip that is supposed to accompany the movement. As you come down you GENTLY rest the top of your head on the mat you have ever so thoughtfully placed beneath you before the workout and bend your legs and shoot them toward the ceiling. This will help you get some momentum going to help you get out of the bottom of the hole. It is similar to the overhead press. The most difficult point is the initial drive. Getting the bar off your chest and over your head can be made easier if you use your legs to help drive the bar. The difficulty seems to be letting yourself down gently onto the floor or mat. It can be dangerous if you just drop onto your neck. If you do try HSPU be sure you are strong enough/know enough about your body to be able to tell if you are going to fail or not. Be smart and don't drop your body weight onto your neck. The video below is a great guide to how to prepare yourself for the movement.
HSPU Progression
I found that I still have asymmetry in how I drive. My right arm, the dominant arm, is used and I rely on it much more than the other and I can tell just by how sore my right arm is compared to the left. I think I will need to do invest some time with the barbells and work on technique with the left arm and try to get it comfortable with the movements. I don't really think it is strength more so just muscle memory. Once I start to get tired it is easier to use the right arm. We always fall back to what we know.
Hang cleans were great. My back didn't hurt at all after. I was running into trouble with my forearm grip strength and my shoulder shrug. Hang cleans are supposed to be an explosive movement. The explosion and drive should come from your legs and your hips. To set up for the movement dead lift your weight to the hanging position. This is the position where you are holding the bar and standing straight up. Your hand position should be like that of your dead lift. From the hanging position your are going to bump your butt back and bend over keeping a neutral head position. Think keeping your spine straight through the crown of your head like you had a broomstick stuck through your spinal canal. Lower the weight to just above your knees. Now you start the drive and it is an explosion with your hips. I like to think of trying to hump the articulation of the ceiling and wall. This will cause your shoulders to push back and your chest to stick out.
Hang Cleans
The woman in the video is a beast but she illustrates the point I am trying to make with the hips when she tries the 155lbs. She needs to think of thrusting her hips up and forward throwing her shoulders back. When you see her jump back near the end of the video look at her hips and how the go up and out. It is a powerful movement and allows her to move more weight than me.
From there you shrug your shoulders into your ears and fire your elbows towards the ceiling. When the bar is floating you need to throw your elbows underneath the bar and catch it in the front squat position. I won't go through the movement like she does in the video. I reset at the bottom. My back and its position goes to shit if I don't focus on it.
Well I am looking forward to tomorrow's workout. My fiancee arrives tomorrow late and I am going to be taking her to her first class Friday. I am excited. Then it is a weekend of hiking and searching for some gold in the mountains. Wish me luck.
Cheers!
09 July 2013
Vacation!!
I have been on quit the hiatus. However I am getting back from my birthday vacation and will begin the posts again. I figured I have gained 2-5lbs from the eating and drinking that went on but it was worth it. I have a few posts I have been researching and hope to begin writing them tonight so the next week or so they should pop up.
I hope you've been training harder than me!
Cheers!
04 July 2013
1 July 2013
15min AMRAP
5 HSPU
10 Wall Balls
10 DUs
7 rounds
I got in 7 rounds...I was thinking the HSPUs killed me but then I thought of the DUs and realized it was both. Tammy killed it and nearly got 10 rounds. Girl is a beast. Shout out to Crossfit Zephyr. I really need to work on balance and strength...those aren't really goals aside from the fact those movements really focused my weak spots. Double unders killed me. I can't get more than 5 in a row and the fact they are after wall balls, which are after HSPUs, was so hard! You would never think jumping rope would hurt your arms so bad but it does. Try the workout and you will understand.
Cheers!
P.S. No workouts have happened due to my sister being in town with my 16month old niece. Is that an excuse? Yes. Do I care? No. I love being with her. After my birthday weekend I will get back into it and will have a research article about trigger point therapy with some first hand, anecdotal evidence with massages (hopefully from multiple different places).
5 HSPU
10 Wall Balls
10 DUs
7 rounds
I got in 7 rounds...I was thinking the HSPUs killed me but then I thought of the DUs and realized it was both. Tammy killed it and nearly got 10 rounds. Girl is a beast. Shout out to Crossfit Zephyr. I really need to work on balance and strength...those aren't really goals aside from the fact those movements really focused my weak spots. Double unders killed me. I can't get more than 5 in a row and the fact they are after wall balls, which are after HSPUs, was so hard! You would never think jumping rope would hurt your arms so bad but it does. Try the workout and you will understand.
Cheers!
P.S. No workouts have happened due to my sister being in town with my 16month old niece. Is that an excuse? Yes. Do I care? No. I love being with her. After my birthday weekend I will get back into it and will have a research article about trigger point therapy with some first hand, anecdotal evidence with massages (hopefully from multiple different places).
27 June 2013
26 June 2013
Tabata This!
8rounds 20"on 10"off
Squats (118)
Sit-ups (...)
Push-ups (83)
Pull-ups (43)
Total: 311 or something like that
I forgot the exact total of my score but it was decent. The workout was tough and I believe designed to only get tougher as it goes along. I think I could have done more squats but I was pacing myself a bit too much. Those really gas you then you have to do the rest of the workout. Sit-ups were good. I think I got somewhere in the 80/90 range but can't quite remember. The last 2 exercises really killed me. I was stupid on push-ups and went out and got something like 30 in the first round but was unable to get anything CLOSE to that in the following rounds. I realized this during round three when I told myself if I would have done something like 12/round I could get 86 reps. Despite me telling people to pace themselves and a constant pace will win out, sometimes I forget. It is similar to doing a 2k on the erg. Often people go out like they're trying to save the world. Then gas out with 1000-750m left. They end up with a split time that is either at their goal or worse and if they would have shifted into their goal split after the first 100-200m they could have had something left in the last 500m to negative split the piece and set themselves up to do BETTER than their goal split. This is the strategy I used when rowing in college and I PRd all the way up to my senior year where I pulled something like 6:18. Disappointing for me especially because my sophmore year I was on pace to be 6:15 but I injured my back and it put me out for 6months and I never really recovered from that...what a ramble. Point being is that a better strategy when doing these workouts that are sprint-esque (not a word but I mean something that you sprint but it is for a long while) the most effective strategy, I have found and seen first hand, is to set a goal beforehand. This goal should be challenging yet attainable if you are at the top of your game. Hit that goal and stick with it throughout the piece and then towards the end empty the tanks! You should be able to time it such that you are faster than your average split time and in doing so give yourself a chance to beat your goal. I think the strategy works well and for the next Tabata This! workout I will remember.
Cheers!
8rounds 20"on 10"off
Squats (118)
Sit-ups (...)
Push-ups (83)
Pull-ups (43)
Total: 311 or something like that
I forgot the exact total of my score but it was decent. The workout was tough and I believe designed to only get tougher as it goes along. I think I could have done more squats but I was pacing myself a bit too much. Those really gas you then you have to do the rest of the workout. Sit-ups were good. I think I got somewhere in the 80/90 range but can't quite remember. The last 2 exercises really killed me. I was stupid on push-ups and went out and got something like 30 in the first round but was unable to get anything CLOSE to that in the following rounds. I realized this during round three when I told myself if I would have done something like 12/round I could get 86 reps. Despite me telling people to pace themselves and a constant pace will win out, sometimes I forget. It is similar to doing a 2k on the erg. Often people go out like they're trying to save the world. Then gas out with 1000-750m left. They end up with a split time that is either at their goal or worse and if they would have shifted into their goal split after the first 100-200m they could have had something left in the last 500m to negative split the piece and set themselves up to do BETTER than their goal split. This is the strategy I used when rowing in college and I PRd all the way up to my senior year where I pulled something like 6:18. Disappointing for me especially because my sophmore year I was on pace to be 6:15 but I injured my back and it put me out for 6months and I never really recovered from that...what a ramble. Point being is that a better strategy when doing these workouts that are sprint-esque (not a word but I mean something that you sprint but it is for a long while) the most effective strategy, I have found and seen first hand, is to set a goal beforehand. This goal should be challenging yet attainable if you are at the top of your game. Hit that goal and stick with it throughout the piece and then towards the end empty the tanks! You should be able to time it such that you are faster than your average split time and in doing so give yourself a chance to beat your goal. I think the strategy works well and for the next Tabata This! workout I will remember.
Cheers!
24 June 2013
24 June 2013
Crossfit Total
1RM Squat: 260lbs
1RM OHP: 155lbs
IRM DLs: 335lbs
Total: 750lbs
It really felt good to try something heavy for a change. My back has been feeling great! I was really much too conservative in my goal of working toward a 185lbs back squat in a few months from now. I even pulled 335lbs in deadlift! It feels great to say. So to all the haters out there yoga can work if you push yourself while doing it! I have not done anything heavy on back squat or deadlift since last April. That is over 1 year! Here I am still strong and feeling great! I really think I could have got more on both squat and deadlift but didn't want to get too crazy because I had already blown through what I had initially thought I was capable of...rereading this post it is coming off as really self congratulatory, obnoxiously so, but I don't care. I missed lifting weights and so to come back and have a day like this AND not have my back hurting is fantastic.
I think having the intensity of lifting removed but still having the resistance aspect of training in the regimen was a huge help. Throughout the yoga classes we worked on static poses:
Chair pose and variations
Crescent lunge and variations
Tree pose
Warrior 1,2,3
Not only did these movements strengthen my legs but also increased my core strength and flexibility. The fact that I am able to come into the gym over one year after really injuring my lower back and put up weight comparable to what I did before I was injured is awesome to me. It speaks volumes to the training those that focus on just yoga do and the strength that you can build by simply doing yoga. Can't say enough good things about it.
If you are ever in Albuquerque NM head over to Nicole's Yoga Sculpt class at Blissful Spirits.
Cheers!
1RM Squat: 260lbs
1RM OHP: 155lbs
IRM DLs: 335lbs
Total: 750lbs
It really felt good to try something heavy for a change. My back has been feeling great! I was really much too conservative in my goal of working toward a 185lbs back squat in a few months from now. I even pulled 335lbs in deadlift! It feels great to say. So to all the haters out there yoga can work if you push yourself while doing it! I have not done anything heavy on back squat or deadlift since last April. That is over 1 year! Here I am still strong and feeling great! I really think I could have got more on both squat and deadlift but didn't want to get too crazy because I had already blown through what I had initially thought I was capable of...rereading this post it is coming off as really self congratulatory, obnoxiously so, but I don't care. I missed lifting weights and so to come back and have a day like this AND not have my back hurting is fantastic.
I think having the intensity of lifting removed but still having the resistance aspect of training in the regimen was a huge help. Throughout the yoga classes we worked on static poses:
Chair pose and variations
Crescent lunge and variations
Tree pose
Warrior 1,2,3
Not only did these movements strengthen my legs but also increased my core strength and flexibility. The fact that I am able to come into the gym over one year after really injuring my lower back and put up weight comparable to what I did before I was injured is awesome to me. It speaks volumes to the training those that focus on just yoga do and the strength that you can build by simply doing yoga. Can't say enough good things about it.
If you are ever in Albuquerque NM head over to Nicole's Yoga Sculpt class at Blissful Spirits.
Cheers!
21 June 2013
3 rounds for time
400m run
15 wall balls (20lbs)
Something...
5 Ring dips
Time: 00:09:39
I forgot to post the workout from Friday because my family was in town and I didn't get to it. This was a difficult workout. The thing in between wall balls and ring dips I think was burpees but I can't remember. I am going to have to ask Tammy tomorrow.
The run wasn't too bad and I actually felt pretty good until the last one. Burpees really make your heart start pumping. It is thrown in right there where you're feeling OK just to bring you down before you really have to use your muscles. I felt ring dips are getting better. Tammy helped stabilize the rings on the last one because I was going crazy with it but stabilization is coming along and I think I will be able to reach my goal of doing a muscle up on them soon.
Once I figure out what the entire workout was I will edit this post and maybe go into a bit more discussion about it.
Cheers!
400m run
15 wall balls (20lbs)
Something...
5 Ring dips
Time: 00:09:39
I forgot to post the workout from Friday because my family was in town and I didn't get to it. This was a difficult workout. The thing in between wall balls and ring dips I think was burpees but I can't remember. I am going to have to ask Tammy tomorrow.
The run wasn't too bad and I actually felt pretty good until the last one. Burpees really make your heart start pumping. It is thrown in right there where you're feeling OK just to bring you down before you really have to use your muscles. I felt ring dips are getting better. Tammy helped stabilize the rings on the last one because I was going crazy with it but stabilization is coming along and I think I will be able to reach my goal of doing a muscle up on them soon.
Once I figure out what the entire workout was I will edit this post and maybe go into a bit more discussion about it.
Cheers!
20 June 2013
Workout
10 Turkish Get-Ups 35lbs (TGU)
12 Pistols
15 Glute Ham Developer Sit ups (GHDs)
Time: 00:15:32
This workout was not for time in the same sense the other workouts are for time. The thing that took the longest though were the TGUs. Those things just take so much time! I felt good doing them and was really focused on just doing them properly, ensuring that I kept the core engaged throughout.
I did much better with the pistol squat than I expected. The past months of yoga and the constant lunges and one legged poses really showed.
GHDs are extremely tough. The Crossfit way to do them is interesting and I am not quite sure I agree with it. The reason being is that the movement is taught such that you can perform as many as possible in as little time as possible. It is billed as an ab exercise and I have never been a fan of trying to complete as many as you can of whatever ab exercise in as little time as possible. The core stability is there to stabilize, not move any appreciable amount of weight nor to be powerful by themselves. Core work, in my mind, should be done within another movement such as heavy squats, overhead squats, L-sit, planks etc. I can see the use of the GHD as a tool to strengthen the core, because it does a great job of that. You will be hard pressed to find another exercise for your core with the range of motion the GHD offers (the ab wheel comes close). I just don't like when it is mixed in during a "for time" workout. It makes you hurry through and exercise that I feel would be more effective if an athlete focused on performing the movement as an adjunct or a way to strengthen themselves for movements that matter such as squat. Be wary of this exercise if you perform it. It will DESTROY your abs if you do not have experience with it. If you don't just do ab wheel or V-sits. This is an exercise you have to work up to.
Pistol is a great exercise to help strengthen your legs. Check out the T-Nation link above. It is a great article and it illustrates how useful the movement is.
Turkish get ups take practice to get the sequencing of the movements right.
Cheers!
12 Pistols
15 Glute Ham Developer Sit ups (GHDs)
Time: 00:15:32
This workout was not for time in the same sense the other workouts are for time. The thing that took the longest though were the TGUs. Those things just take so much time! I felt good doing them and was really focused on just doing them properly, ensuring that I kept the core engaged throughout.
I did much better with the pistol squat than I expected. The past months of yoga and the constant lunges and one legged poses really showed.
GHDs are extremely tough. The Crossfit way to do them is interesting and I am not quite sure I agree with it. The reason being is that the movement is taught such that you can perform as many as possible in as little time as possible. It is billed as an ab exercise and I have never been a fan of trying to complete as many as you can of whatever ab exercise in as little time as possible. The core stability is there to stabilize, not move any appreciable amount of weight nor to be powerful by themselves. Core work, in my mind, should be done within another movement such as heavy squats, overhead squats, L-sit, planks etc. I can see the use of the GHD as a tool to strengthen the core, because it does a great job of that. You will be hard pressed to find another exercise for your core with the range of motion the GHD offers (the ab wheel comes close). I just don't like when it is mixed in during a "for time" workout. It makes you hurry through and exercise that I feel would be more effective if an athlete focused on performing the movement as an adjunct or a way to strengthen themselves for movements that matter such as squat. Be wary of this exercise if you perform it. It will DESTROY your abs if you do not have experience with it. If you don't just do ab wheel or V-sits. This is an exercise you have to work up to.
Pistol is a great exercise to help strengthen your legs. Check out the T-Nation link above. It is a great article and it illustrates how useful the movement is.
Turkish get ups take practice to get the sequencing of the movements right.
Cheers!
Morning Vinyasa
1hr Vinyasa flow.
It feels good to get a workout in early. 6am-7am and then off to work. It was a great class because we focused heavily on our core and lower back. Different strength exercises like Superman's. I will come edit the post when I get home to my personal computer to hotlink the movements I am talking about so you won't think I am an idiot with the nomenclature. I love this class with Nicole because she knows so many variations of familiar movements. This little tweaks really make for challenging poses especially if the movements are easy for you. Nicole also instructs the yoga sculpt class I go to. She is a beast and one of the most fit people I have been around. I digress...the entire class had a lower body focus. We hit a lot of lunges and chair poses which I think complimented the lumbar/core poses that I spoke of above. That is most likely not a coincidence.
I will be rehabbing the back today at crossfit post whatever workout they have scheduled. I will post the results after.
Cheers!
18 June 2013
Workout
For Time
10 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls (95lbs)
15 Push Press (95lbs)
20 Box jumps (24")
Result: 00:06:27
This was a good workout for me. The weight was light enough that my technique didn't really get too shitty, I was concerned with the dead lifting aspect of the workout, and I was able to bang out the push press pretty effectively. I noticed post workout asymmetry in the fatigue of my arms. Looking back I was not as clean as I could have been during push press. My right arm is much more tired than the left. This is a problem I have had to face throughout my life being right hand dominant and all. I noticed this too during the rehabbing days of the past year that my abdominal engagement is definitely skewed toward the right side. Meaning I can see a definite difference in how my abs engage when I do crunches. To combat this I have taken to doing simple flexing during the day of the left side of my core to try and get some muscle memory. I am just trying to get the feel of what it feels like to have that side of my core engaged. I think this might be an effect of the injury I sustained and me learning to compensate over the past year. Right now my right side feels a pump and the left side doesn't...something to think about.
After the workout I did feel a sensation that was not necessarily unpleasant but it definitely didn't feel right. This was localized on the lower left part of my back. It seems to be emanating from the L5/L4 disk. I am concerned that I may have a bulged disk because I could feel it throughout the lateral part of my leg. It was as if there was a pressure on a nerve...like I said, it didn't hurt but I would much prefer that I didn't feel like that. If I need to I will visit the doctor. Perhaps they could get me an MRI and if they do, that would be an awesome post. I would get to talk about some imaging physics and how MRIs are as close to real magic as humans can attain.
Overall the workout was good. If you are going to attempt it be sure you know how to properly perform the sumo deadlift and are using a weight that you can also do a high pull. The push press is likely where you will start to fatigue and so it is important that you maintain technique and not get lazy. Having 95lbs, or whatever you choose, over your head is dangerous especially if you're not experienced and doing it tired. Box jumps you just need to power through. Good luck. If you do attempt the workout post your results and any questions, comments, thoughts or feelings you might have.
Cheers!
10 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls (95lbs)
15 Push Press (95lbs)
20 Box jumps (24")
Result: 00:06:27
This was a good workout for me. The weight was light enough that my technique didn't really get too shitty, I was concerned with the dead lifting aspect of the workout, and I was able to bang out the push press pretty effectively. I noticed post workout asymmetry in the fatigue of my arms. Looking back I was not as clean as I could have been during push press. My right arm is much more tired than the left. This is a problem I have had to face throughout my life being right hand dominant and all. I noticed this too during the rehabbing days of the past year that my abdominal engagement is definitely skewed toward the right side. Meaning I can see a definite difference in how my abs engage when I do crunches. To combat this I have taken to doing simple flexing during the day of the left side of my core to try and get some muscle memory. I am just trying to get the feel of what it feels like to have that side of my core engaged. I think this might be an effect of the injury I sustained and me learning to compensate over the past year. Right now my right side feels a pump and the left side doesn't...something to think about.
After the workout I did feel a sensation that was not necessarily unpleasant but it definitely didn't feel right. This was localized on the lower left part of my back. It seems to be emanating from the L5/L4 disk. I am concerned that I may have a bulged disk because I could feel it throughout the lateral part of my leg. It was as if there was a pressure on a nerve...like I said, it didn't hurt but I would much prefer that I didn't feel like that. If I need to I will visit the doctor. Perhaps they could get me an MRI and if they do, that would be an awesome post. I would get to talk about some imaging physics and how MRIs are as close to real magic as humans can attain.
Overall the workout was good. If you are going to attempt it be sure you know how to properly perform the sumo deadlift and are using a weight that you can also do a high pull. The push press is likely where you will start to fatigue and so it is important that you maintain technique and not get lazy. Having 95lbs, or whatever you choose, over your head is dangerous especially if you're not experienced and doing it tired. Box jumps you just need to power through. Good luck. If you do attempt the workout post your results and any questions, comments, thoughts or feelings you might have.
Cheers!
Yoga Sculpt
My introduction to Yoga Sculpt
The yoga sculpt instructor had subbed for the vinyasa class I had been taking and told me that I would "really love" her sculpt class. So I decided to give it a go despite having never heard of this type of yoga before and assumed it was just a named designed to attract more women who desire the "toned" body. I thought it was going to be gimmicky and that I would be out one of the classes I had paid for. Obviously I was wrong because I go to the class 2/week. It fit perfectly with the challenge I was looking for after the simple hot yoga classes I had done, also my back had been feeling great.
I am going to step back a bit because I need to explain why yoga helped my back out. Yoga has you put your body in challenging poses and positions that can, depending upon the level of the challenge you want, put your limbs at a mechanical disadvantage. The greatest thing for me was that it my own body weight that was being used rather than an external weight. This allows you to push yourself to your personal limits without overestimating your abilities. I think that last part really helps with people such as myself who are not used to taking it easy or who often times make the mistake of thinking they are as strong as they used to be. It slowed me down and forced me to focus on breathing, technique, and the muscles I was using in order to make the pose as perfect as I personally could. At the time it was great for me because it got me back to working out and really help strengthen my body. I can still feel my back especially after certain workouts at the gym but it is not the constant, low level throbbing I had been feeling for months.
Now for yoga sculpt which is by no means a beginner exercise class. It is done in the hot-room, about 105°F or 40.6°C, and weights are used to enhance the postures of the vinyasa flow. I could do without the heat because it adds a level of difficulty that I find hinders my own abilities. I think that the heat can not only get in the way of an individual's athletic gains but also enjoying the class itself. That's my own humble opinion because I think the reasons for the heat are not supported by evidence. Sweating toxins out of your body isn't how your body gets rid of toxins and besides, what toxins are are never defined. Our sweat is composed of mostly water with different minerals getting in the mix. This composition does not fit the definition of toxin.
Toxin: a poisonous substance that is a specific product of the metabolic activities of a living organism and is usually very unstable, notably toxic when introduced into the tissues, and typically capable of inducing antibody formation
Getting through the heat often times proves to be the most difficult aspect of the class. Some individuals handle it with ease but I find that it can sometimes get the best of me. I do like the fact I drink a lot more water than I used to because I know that I will be sweating like crazy. I would like to conduct an experiment where I weigh myself before and after the class to get an estimate of how much water I sweat out. Maybe get a few different people to do it with me and see if it is similar for men and women.
Overall I find yoga sculpt to be a great class and challenging. It was perfect for what I needed at the time and the addition of weights to the yoga really helped add more strength to my body that simple yoga was just not able to do. I plan on continuing to do the classes and to work on my balance and core strength. This will only help me get stronger in the other physical goals that I have...maybe it won't but it will be cool to see if it does.
P.S. The women are some of the most fit and attractive I have been around. The vast majority have fitness as a central component in their lives. So if you are attracted to extremely fit, beautiful girls this class would be the place for you to go, I am engaged but it is still great scenery to be around :)
Cheers!
The yoga sculpt instructor had subbed for the vinyasa class I had been taking and told me that I would "really love" her sculpt class. So I decided to give it a go despite having never heard of this type of yoga before and assumed it was just a named designed to attract more women who desire the "toned" body. I thought it was going to be gimmicky and that I would be out one of the classes I had paid for. Obviously I was wrong because I go to the class 2/week. It fit perfectly with the challenge I was looking for after the simple hot yoga classes I had done, also my back had been feeling great.
I am going to step back a bit because I need to explain why yoga helped my back out. Yoga has you put your body in challenging poses and positions that can, depending upon the level of the challenge you want, put your limbs at a mechanical disadvantage. The greatest thing for me was that it my own body weight that was being used rather than an external weight. This allows you to push yourself to your personal limits without overestimating your abilities. I think that last part really helps with people such as myself who are not used to taking it easy or who often times make the mistake of thinking they are as strong as they used to be. It slowed me down and forced me to focus on breathing, technique, and the muscles I was using in order to make the pose as perfect as I personally could. At the time it was great for me because it got me back to working out and really help strengthen my body. I can still feel my back especially after certain workouts at the gym but it is not the constant, low level throbbing I had been feeling for months.
Now for yoga sculpt which is by no means a beginner exercise class. It is done in the hot-room, about 105°F or 40.6°C, and weights are used to enhance the postures of the vinyasa flow. I could do without the heat because it adds a level of difficulty that I find hinders my own abilities. I think that the heat can not only get in the way of an individual's athletic gains but also enjoying the class itself. That's my own humble opinion because I think the reasons for the heat are not supported by evidence. Sweating toxins out of your body isn't how your body gets rid of toxins and besides, what toxins are are never defined. Our sweat is composed of mostly water with different minerals getting in the mix. This composition does not fit the definition of toxin.
Toxin: a poisonous substance that is a specific product of the metabolic activities of a living organism and is usually very unstable, notably toxic when introduced into the tissues, and typically capable of inducing antibody formation
Getting through the heat often times proves to be the most difficult aspect of the class. Some individuals handle it with ease but I find that it can sometimes get the best of me. I do like the fact I drink a lot more water than I used to because I know that I will be sweating like crazy. I would like to conduct an experiment where I weigh myself before and after the class to get an estimate of how much water I sweat out. Maybe get a few different people to do it with me and see if it is similar for men and women.
Overall I find yoga sculpt to be a great class and challenging. It was perfect for what I needed at the time and the addition of weights to the yoga really helped add more strength to my body that simple yoga was just not able to do. I plan on continuing to do the classes and to work on my balance and core strength. This will only help me get stronger in the other physical goals that I have...maybe it won't but it will be cool to see if it does.
P.S. The women are some of the most fit and attractive I have been around. The vast majority have fitness as a central component in their lives. So if you are attracted to extremely fit, beautiful girls this class would be the place for you to go, I am engaged but it is still great scenery to be around :)
Cheers!
13 June 2013
HOORAY FOR BEING BACK!
Finally back in the full swing of getting fit and stuff. After a long hiatus, nearly 9 months of not doing much besides stretching and light work on the erg, I am finally back in the game.
It had dawned on me that I should have kept track of everything I did to make my back get better but people would never be satisfied or want to believe what it was that I did which was nothing. I did nothing for months and it killed me!
I hurt myself in late April 2012 and didn't start doing anything strenuous until an intro yoga class in December 2012.
I will tell you that yoga, and different "classes" at the yoga studio, offered me the perfect environment for rehabbing the back. The instructors didn't push you. It was all at my own pace, they like to say it is "your practice", and it worked great. I gradually moved into doing yoga sculpt. This is yoga with weights and is much more difficult than you're imagining.
I recently, as in 10 days ago, lifted for the first time since I hurt my back and I feel great! Granted I only did 95lbs on back squat but it felt wonderful. In the meanwhile Tammy has opened a Crossfit gym and I am hoping to get back into shape to where I can join in on training folk and helping her gym grow.
In addition I hope to jump back on the blogging about the workouts I am doing and to keep record of how the back is doing.
So my first post I am setting a goal to be able to do 185lbs back squat in 3months and to do a muscle up.
I will be doing a write up on yoga and more specifically yoga sculpt to try and explain why it helped me out so much.
Much love to everyone out there working on getting fit and stuff and best of luck to you all in your efforts. I hope that you can draw from my experiences and accelerate your progress in your own fitness journey.
Cheers!
It had dawned on me that I should have kept track of everything I did to make my back get better but people would never be satisfied or want to believe what it was that I did which was nothing. I did nothing for months and it killed me!
I hurt myself in late April 2012 and didn't start doing anything strenuous until an intro yoga class in December 2012.
I will tell you that yoga, and different "classes" at the yoga studio, offered me the perfect environment for rehabbing the back. The instructors didn't push you. It was all at my own pace, they like to say it is "your practice", and it worked great. I gradually moved into doing yoga sculpt. This is yoga with weights and is much more difficult than you're imagining.
I recently, as in 10 days ago, lifted for the first time since I hurt my back and I feel great! Granted I only did 95lbs on back squat but it felt wonderful. In the meanwhile Tammy has opened a Crossfit gym and I am hoping to get back into shape to where I can join in on training folk and helping her gym grow.
In addition I hope to jump back on the blogging about the workouts I am doing and to keep record of how the back is doing.
So my first post I am setting a goal to be able to do 185lbs back squat in 3months and to do a muscle up.
I will be doing a write up on yoga and more specifically yoga sculpt to try and explain why it helped me out so much.
Much love to everyone out there working on getting fit and stuff and best of luck to you all in your efforts. I hope that you can draw from my experiences and accelerate your progress in your own fitness journey.
Cheers!
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