Physicist by training, medical physicist by sheer dumb luck. I also dabble in fitness.

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!

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