NOLS Southwest Back in Action

Returned from my weekend vacation back east with friends and returned to the staff of NOLS Southwest rolling in to begin the Fall Season! Some folks were asking about an evening workout so I am going to do a workout solo in the morning and I have set up and evening circuit training. Great to have folks back!!

Morning workout:
Warm-up:
3 minute continuous Turkish Get-Up
10 PVC Wraparounds
10 PVC Passthroughs
1x mod burgener warm up (Clean and Jerk Focus) (45/35)
Strength:
Box Back Squat, 3 Repetitions Every Minute for 10 minutes, 70% of Back Squat
Metabolic Conditioning for Time:
Grace:
30 Clean & Jerks (use a weight that is appropriate for you)
Cool Down:
3 minute row
Mobility:
PVC Shoulder Girdle Mobility Stretch

Evening circuit workout:
Perform each exercise in order for 1:15 to complete a set. Three sets total with a one minute rest between sets.
Jump Rope or Jumping Jacks
Calf Raises
20" Box Jump or Step-Ups
Wall Sit
AbMat Sit-Ups or Abdominal Crunches
Barbell Weighted Good Mornings
Wall Ball Toss

Have a Great Day!!

Traveling Workouts and Today's Workout of the Day

This weekend I am headed back east to visit friends. I will workout today like I normally do and I will take tomorrow off as I travel. I have listed three travel workouts where there is no equipment required. I will get back at it here on Monday when I will post again.

Warm-Up:
3 minutes continuous KB swing, light
10 H/L PVC Wraparounds
10 H/L PVC Passthroughs
Strength:
Back Squat, 4 sets of 8 repetitions. One set every three minutes.
Workout of the Day:
10 Minutes, AMRAP
21 Wall Ball Tosses
15 Dips
9 24" Box Jumps
Cool-Down:
3 minutes continuous Air Squats
Mobility:
Quadriceps stretches

Travel Workouts:
Friday:
2 rounds for time:
20 Jumping Air Squats
Run to make the block
At each corner 20 Jumping Air Squats

Saturday:
15 minutes AMRAP:
5 Burpees
10 Alternating Lunges per leg
15 Abdominal Crunches

Sunday:
15 minutes AMRAP:
15 Air Squats
15 Hand Release Push-Ups
30 second Plank Hold

Have a Great Weekend!

99 Years of Blessings, Hotshot Heroes and the Workout of the Day!

The USDA Forest Service is 99 years old today. Originally founded to manage the nation's forests as a sustainable crop, their mission has changed dramatically to a multiple use mandate. I have spent an awful lot of time on Forest Service land and I have appreciated their management. There are a lot of other folks out there that don't like "big government" telling them what they can and cannot do on "their" public land. Fair enough. However, when you live out west there are Forest Service heroes that I think deserve the same respect as our military veterans: Wildland Firefighters. These folks put it on the line everyday during fire season to save our forests, protect people's homes and unfortunately sometimes die doing it. It seems that the Hotshots 19 WOD is done on August 30th each year in memory of the Granite Mountain Hotshots that died here in Arizona. I will be gone on vacation on the 30th but I will do it when I return. Get ready, because it is an ass kicker. But then again, so is fighting a forest fire.

Warm-Up:
5 minutes As Many Rounds as Possible (Paced, warmup style):
15 Jumping Jacks
7 Barbell Thrusters
5 Lateral Lunges
7 Barbell Strict Press
20 Seconds Handstand Hold
Strength:
Bench Press, 4 sets of 8 repetitions. One set every 3 minutes.
Metabolic Conditioning for Time:
21-15-9 Repetitions:
Shoulder to Overhead (The bar starts and ends on the floor!)
Hanging Knees to Chest
Burpee to Bar
Cool-Down:
25m Bear Crawl
Mobility:
PVC Shoulder Girdle Stretches

Have a Great Day!!

Heroes Do Something and the Workout of the Day

Passengers on a train traveling from Amsterdam, including three 20-something year old Americans subdued a gunman who seemed intent on committing a massacre. It was very brave of a citizen of France, an expat from Midlothian, Virginia to initially step in and attempt to disarm the gunman. Mark Moogalian got the AK-47 from the shooter, but the gunman pulled out a pistol and shot Moogalian in the neck. It was then that the three Americans and a British citizen jumped on the gunman and subdued him.

I am sure some of my facts are a bit off here, but there is one thing that is true.... a small number of unarmed train passengers subdued a heavily armed assailant. One man was shot in the neck and will recover. One man was injured by the gunman's knife including having his thumb nearly severed. Terrible injuries for sure. But this gunman had eight or nine magazines of ammunition for his AK-47. Hundreds of people may have been killed or injured if these folks hadn't done something. Heroes take action.

Today's quote is from Brad Meltzer:

"We are all ordinary. We are all boring. We are all spectacular. We are all shy. We are all bold. We are all heroes. We are all helpless. It just depends on the day."

Workout:
Warm-Up:
3 minutes AMRAP (Warm-Up Pace):
15 Air Squats
20 PVC Pass Throughs
5 Pull-Ups
Strength:
Deadlift, 4 sets of 8 repetitions (One set every 3 minutes)
Metabolic Conditioning for Time:
100 Calorie Row
100 Wall Ball Tosses
Cool-Down:
400m Walk
Mobility:
Hamstring Stretches

Have a Great Day!!

Bacon and the Rest Day!!

I was sent a great photo taken by a friend who knows how much I love bacon. I think it says everything you need to know.

Often times on my rest day I stay active. Today I woke up and my now 46-year old body said, "For the love of God please rest today." So I am.

Have a Great Day!!

Quick Strength Training Post

Warm-Up:
3 minute Row
15 Ball Slams
Strength Training:
Bench Press, 5 sets of 5 repetitions
Back Squat, 5 sets of 5 repetitions
Strict Weighted Pull-Ups (Bodyweight +50 lbs.), 5 sets of 5 repetitions
Strict Overhead Standing Shoulder Press, 5 sets of 5 repetitions
Cool-Down:
50 AbMat Sit-Ups
400m Walk

Have a Great Day!!

A Man Before His Time and the Workout of the Day

It was very sad for me to hear that former President Jimmy Carter was diagnosed with brain cancer this week. I don't think that the United States was ready for Carter. Jimmy was "Green" before it was cool, installing solar panels on top of the White House (later removed by Reagan?!) and famously told Americans to turn down the heat in their homes and "put on a sweater" during the energy crisis of the late 70s to early 80s.

Carter's greatest impact on the world certainly came after being the 39th President of the United States. Carter has spread democracy around the world more than any other President through the Carter Center. The Carter Center was founded to advance human rights around the globe and has been the primary tool Jimmy has used to observe and certify the legitimacy of elections in other nations, lead peace negotiations, and to help eradicate diseases around the world. Carter is a veteran who served in the Navy and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. The irony is that Carter won the Nobel Prize in 2002 for among other things, protesting President George W. Bush's war in Iraq. I wish somebody would have listened to him.... like I said, a man before his time. Carter is 90 years old and I can only hope for all of the world that he makes it a bit longer. We are a better species with him around no matter what your politics are.

Workout of the Day:
Warm-Up:
5 minutes AMRAP, Warm-Up Paced:
40 Jump Rope Skips (or 20 Double Unders)
10 24" Box Jumps
10 Wall Ball Toss
Workout:
200 Calorie Rowing Machine for Time
Every minute stop and perform 5 burpees
Cool-Down:
100 AbMat Sit-Ups
400m Walk
Mobility:
30 second Pull Up Bar Hang
Hamstring Stretch

Have a Great Day!!

Busy Day So Just a Quick Workout of the Day Post

Warm-Up:
3 minutes AMRAP Warm-Up Pace:
10 Ball Slams
15 AbMat Sit-Ups
Strength:
Bench Press, 4 sets of 10 repetitions. One set every 3 minutes
Metabolic Conditioning for Time:
7 rounds:
7 Power Snatch
7 Overhead Squats
Cool-Down:
50 AbMat Sit-Ups
400m Walk

Nats Win and the Workout of the Day!!

Woo-Hoo!!! The Washington Nationals got out of their slump last night in the thin air of Colorado. They were able to produce 15 runs on a combination of decent hitting, wild pitches and one error by the Rockies. The question is this: Fluke or the beginning of a run?! *Fingers crossed*

Warm-Up:
3 minutes continuous Turkish Get-Up
10 PVC Wraparounds
10 PVC Passthroughs
75 AbMat Sit-Ups
Strength:
Deadlift, 4 sets of 10 repetitions. One set every 3 minutes
Metabolic Conditioning: 5 Rounds for time, Record your time for each distance.
1000m Row
Rest 4 minutes
800m Row
Rest 3 minutes
600m Row
Rest 2 minutes
400m Row
Rest 1 minute
200m Row
Cool-Down:
400m Medicine Ball Run

Have a Great Day!

Women Rangers and the Workout of the Day!!

Apparently two women (and possibly three if one woman passes after retaking the mountain portion of the training...) have just completed Army Ranger school. The selection process for men is simple: 1) Be crazy enough to attempt the 61-day combat leadership course. You have to be the best of the best that the Army has to offer. A small population to begin with for sure. 2) Of the men that attempt, roughly 60% of those elite warriors wash out because of the physical and mental demands of the course. If you are wondering about this course check out "Surviving the Cut". It is an amazing, historic accomplishment for these two women to have passed this course. Now there is a debate as to whether they can serve in combat?! Are they letting the 60% of the men that washed out of Ranger School serve in combat? 

Warm-Up:
10-20-30 interval row, 5 minutes
AbMat Sit-Ups, 50 repetitions
Strength:
Back Squat, 4 sets of 10 repetitions. One set every 3 minutes.
Metabolic Conditioning:
15 minutes AMRAP (AMRAP – Rounds and Reps)
20 Hanging Knees to Elbows
30 Wall Ball Tosses
Cool-Down:
400m walk
Mobility:
Quadriceps Stretches

Have a Great Day!!

Wow. When do the Washington Wizards Start?! Workout of the Day!

Robert Griffin III actually said that he thinks he is "The best quarterback in the league". Now, there is confidence in oneself and then there is delusional. This would not be that painful to me if the Washington Nationals were going to make the playoffs.... but this.... wow.

Warm-up:
400m Slow Jog
5 Alternating Dumbbell Snatch
5 minutes AMRAP (Paced, warmup style):
10 Barbell Power Clean
10 Barbell Push Jerk
10 Barbell Sumo Deadlift High Pull
Strength:
3×2 Power Clean to Push Jerk
3×2 Jerk from Rack
3x2 Hang Clean
3x2 Push Jerk from Rack
Workout of the Day:
Metabolic Conditioning AMRAP for Repetitions:
1 minute Block Jerk
1 minute Sumo Deadlift High Pull
1 minute Block Jerk
1 minute Step-Ups to 20" Box
2 minutes Sumo Deadlift High Pull
3 minutes Step-Ups to 20" Box
3 minutes Sumo Deadlift High Pull
Cool Down:
3 minute Row
Mobility:
Shoulder Stretches
Quadriceps Stretch

Have a Great Day!!

10-20-30 Interval Training and a Rest Day from the Weights

My partner Rebecca sent me a great from the New York Times regarding high intensity interval training. Often times, the problem with any exercise program with high intensity levels is that people do not stick with them. The article is about what they call the 10-20-30 interval training.... though it should clearly be called the 30-20-10 workout?! I am going to give it a go on the Concept2 Rower today and see how it goes. It is simple, but if the results are what this article claims... pretty cool. Check it out.

Workout: 10-20-30 Rowing
2 minute Rowing, Warm-Up Pace
10-20-30 Rowing Intervals, 12 Rounds
2 minute Rowing, Cool-Down Pace
AbMat Sit-Ups, 75 repetitions

Have a Great Day!!

Quick Strength Training Saturday Post!

Just a quick post of the workout today!

Warm-up: AMRAP 3 minutes:

20 Jumping Jacks

10 Hand Release Push-Ups

10 Air Squats

Strength:

Bench w/ Heavy Chains, 5 sets of 5 repetitions

Back Squat w/ Heavy Chains,  5 sets of 5 repetitions

Deadlift, 5 sets of 1-2 repetitions

Strict Overhead Press, 5 sets of 5 repetitions

Super Set:

Skull Crushers, 3 sets of 10 repetitions

Biceps Barbell Curl, 3 sets of 10 repetitions
Captains of Crush Grip Trainers, 3 sets of 15 repetitions

45 seconds Handstand Hold

Cool-Down:

Hanging Knees to Elbows, 3 sets 15 repetitions

400m Walk

Mobility:

Hamstring Stretches

Chest Stretches

Have a Great Day!!

Winning When it Doesn't Matter, Losing When it Does and the Workout of the Day

The Redskins beat the Browns?! The game however came at a very high price as tight end Niles Paul was carted off the field with a blown up ankle.... done. I am pretty sure that every tight end that the 'Skins were counting on this season now has a nagging injury or is out for the season. Jordan Reed is so fragile that he seems to be made of Waterford Crystal. Then there are the Washington Nationals. I will just say that they have scored one run in the last 27 innings. Really. One run.

Warm-Up:
2 minutes Air Squats with Stall at the Bottom
10 PVC Wraparounds
10 PVC Passthroughs
Burgener Warm-Up, clean focused
Strength:
3×1 Clean and Jerk
Metabolic Conditioning For Time: (Scale this to the weight that is appropriate for you. I put down the weights that I used.)
1 Clean and Jerk, 165 lbs.
100 Ft. Sled Push, 225 lbs.
2 Clean and Jerk, 160 lbs.
100 Ft. Sled Push, 225 lbs.
3 Clean and Jerk, 155 lbs.
100 Ft. Sled Push, 225 lbs.
4 Clean and Jerk, 145 lbs.
100 Ft. Sled Push, 225 lbs.
5 Clean and Jerk, 135 lbs.
100 Ft. Sled Push, 225 lbs.
Cool-Down:
50 AbMat Sit-Ups
400m Walk
Mobility:
Quadriceps Stretch
PVC Shoulder Girdle Stretches

Have a Great Day!!

Doubling Down on DC Sports Misery and the Workout of the Day

The Washington Nationals were just shut out for 18 straight innings by the Los Angeles Dodgers. And just when you thought things could not get worse as a DC sports fan... Here comes RGIII and team dysfunction: The Washington Redskins. Ugh.

Warm-up: Perform each exercise for one minute each to complete a set. Three sets total.
Heavy Rope Whip
Wall Sit with Medicine Ball between legs
AbMat Sit-ups
Metabolic Conditioning:
Every minute on the minute for ten minutes:
Row 200m
Rest 3 minutes
8 minutes AMRAP:
8 burpee box jumps to 20" box
30 double unders or 60 rope skips
Cool-Down:
400m Walk
Mobility:
Quadriceps Stretch

Have a Great Day!!

Late Post, A Desert Hurricane and the Workout of the Day

Last night the base got hit by an impressively violent storm. The wind was gusting like crazy, horizontal sheets of rain pounded the buildings and the wash that cuts through the property burst it's banks. My morning was spent doing clean-up of fallen tree parts and moving standing water so it won't make a comfy home to mosquitos.

Warm-Up:
Complete a 6 minute AMRAP of: 
15 Air Squats
5 Hand Release Push-Ups
10 Walking Lunges
20 PVC Passthroughs
Strength:
Bench Press 4 sets of 12 repetitions (one set every three minutes)
Metabolic Conditioning for time:
80-60-40-20
Wall Ball Toss
400m run after each set of Wall Balls
Cool-Down:
3 sets of 15 Elbows to Knees
400m Walk

Have a Great Day!

Morning Monsoon Dump and the Workout of the Day

We got hit by a massive monsoon storm this morning. That will mean that I am going to most likely workout this afternoon in a full on swamp like atmosphere. The much needed rain, wind and lightning were very impressive though.

Warm-Up:
2 minute two line Shuttle Run (5m and 10m)
5 minute AMRAP:
10 Knees to Elbows
10 Barbell Front Squats with Stall at the Bottom
5 Dumbbell Snatch per Side
Strength:
Deadlift 4x12 (One set every three minutes)
Metabolic Conditioning:
12 minute AMRAP:
7 Power Cleans
21 GHDs
Cool-Down:
400m Walk
50 AbMat Sit-Ups
Mobility:
Hamstring Stretches
PVC Shoulder Girdle Stretches

Have a Great Day!!

Surviving the Sports Desert and the Workout of the Day

Last night the Minnesota Vikings beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the annual NFL Hall of Fame Game 14-3. Now, I really do not care about those teams, the game or the score. It does however signify that I have survived the journey through the summer sports desert: NBA finals, golf, baseball... Thank goodness for the Women's World Cup... I may not have made it otherwise. But, football is back!!!

Warm-up:

3 minutes Weighted Sled Push (moderate weight, general warmer)

5 minutes AMRAP (Paced, warm-up style):
10 Barbell Squat Snatch
25m Lateral Side Steps
10 Barbell Strict Press to Behind the Neck Press
30 seconds Elbow Plank

Strength:

Back Squat 4 sets of 12 repetitions (One set every three minutes)

Workout of the Day:

Metabolic Conditioning for Time:
15-10-6 repetitions each of:
Strict Pull-Ups (No kip, band if necessary)
Thrusters

Cool Down:

3 minutes Jump Rope
50 AbMat Sit-Ups

Mobility:

Quadriceps Stretch

Have a Great Day!!

NFL Hall of Fame, Junior Seau, CTE and a Cardio Workout

Last night I watched linebacker Junior Seau's family reveal his bust as he was inducted into NFL's Hall of Fame. Seau was an amazing football player that played with a style that was ferocious and physical and he played that way professionally for 20 years. Many of those years were played long before anyone was concerned openly about repeated head injuries. After his retirement, Seau killed himself by shooting himself in the chest in 2012 after suffering from debilitating cognitive symptoms. Junior shot himself in the chest so that people could study the impact of the game he loved on his brain. Later, after studying his brain it was determined that Seau suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE, a type of chronic brain damage that used to be called "Punch Drunk". It has now been determined that many NFL players have suffered from CTE and the NFL has since taken steps to help limit the head injuries to players. But, these blows are impossible to remove from the game all together based on the way it is now played.

For me, the big story last night was that the NFL was not going to let any of Seau's family speak at the induction ceremony. Seau had told his now 21 year old daughter Sydney that she should speak for him if he ever made it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But, the Hall of Fame had a policy of not letting others give speeches for deceased inductees and would not allow Sydney to give a speech. On top of that policy, I am sure the NFL was worried because the Seau family has filed a wrongful death suit against the league for failing to warn players about the dangers of repeated blows to the head. In the end, the NFL made a compromise and Sydney was interviewed after the induction ceremony with a poise and confidence beyond her years. She bravely worked her way through the interview wrapping up by saying “I hope this induction can exemplify the fact that you are more than Junior Seau, number fifty-five and a buddy. You are a light, and I want nothing more than to see you come on stage, give the speech you were meant to give, give me a hug and tell me you love me one last time. But that isn’t our reality.”

Cardiorespiratory Training:
HIIT Spin Bike, 20 minutes
Foam Roller Work

Have a Great Day!!

Quick Post: Strength Training Saturday

Warm-Up:

400m Jog

3 Rounds:

10 Hand Release Push-Ups

15 Air Squats w/ stall at the bottom

20 GHDs

25 AbMat Sit-ups

Strength:

Back Squat, 5 sets of 5 repetitions

Bench Press, 5 sets of 5 repetitions

Standing Weighted Calf Raise, 3 sets of 15 repetitions

Deadlift, 5 sets of 1-2 repetitions

Captains of Crush Grip Trainers, 3 sets of 15 repetitions

Bent Over Barbell Row, 5 sets of 5 repetitions

Cool-Down:

400m Walk

PVC Shoulder Girdle Stretch

Quadriceps Stretch

Hamstring Stretch

Have a Great Day!!

GOP Debate and the Workout of the Day

In the spirit of NFL coach Dennis Green after a loss to the Chicago Bears, I will say this about the Republican candidates for President: "They were who we thought they were...." The crazy, scary lunatics were as nutty as ever. The reasonable folks that are middle of the road, moderate conservatives were pleasant and Presidential in appearance. Though I am a registered Democrat, I could see John Kasich as President. I was very disappointed that the moderators did not bring up climate change or income disparity in the U.S. Of course, it was run by Fox "News" (I put news in quotes simply because I do not think that they actually report unbiased news...) so I did not expect very much honestly...

Workout of the Day:
Warm-Up:
200m run
30 Air Squats, stall at bottom of each rep
10 PVC Wraparounds
10 PVC Passthroughs
Burgener warm-up Power Clean focus
Strength:
Clean and Jerk
1x5@40% 1-RM, 1x5@50% 1-RM, 1x5@60% 1-RM
3x10 Barbell Thrusters
WOD:
5 rounds for time: (I used a weight slightly less than the Clean and Jerk weight at 40% above)
12 Deadlifts
9 Power Cleans (Weight goes all the way to the ground for each repetition)
6 Clean and Jerks
Cool-Down:
400m Walk
50 AbMat Sit-Ups

Have a Great Day!!

The "Flour Tortilla" and the Workout of the Day

A "sourdough" was a nickname used in the Yukon or Alaska during the gold rush for someone who spent an entire winter north of the Arctic Circle. The name is used because they would protect their sourdough starter from the cold by keeping it close to their bodies. Yeast and baking soda didn't work nearly as well in the cold. Freezing does not kill a sourdough starter, being too hot does. With all of that said, we have decided that surviving an entire Tucson summer deserves a similar title. We have decided that title should be the "flour tortilla". The tortilla is to the Southwest as sourdough is to the North. So, congratulations to all my fellow tortillas out there! Sweat on!

Warm-Up:

5 rounds (Paced, warmup style):
15 air squats
10 Barbell pullovers laying on ground
20 second Pull-up hold w/ chin over bar
20 abmat situps

Skill:

Burgener warm up, snatch focused

Strength:

Power Snatch, 5 sets of 2 repetitions

Metabolic Conditioning For Time:
10 Rounds
10 Strict Pull-Ups (no kip, band as needed)
10 Box Jumps (24'/20")

20 minute cut off regardless of rounds completed

Cool Down:

25m bear crawl

25m spidermans

Mobility:

Standing quadriceps stretch

Latissimus dorsi foam roller

Have a Great Day!!

A Quick Workout of the Day Post: "The Dead Burp"

This one is a bit brutal. I figured that this is as bad as the smell from a "Walking Dead" zombie burp... hence the name: "The Dead Burp".

Warm-up:
3 minute continuous Turkish Get Ups
10 PVC Wrap arounds
10 PVC Passthroughs
50 AbMat Sit-Ups
Metabolic Conditioning:
10 Rounds (Record the time of your last round)
Every Three Minutes:
10 Deadlifts (50% of 1-RM)
10 Burpees
Tabata:
20 seconds "on" Hollow Rock
10 seconds "off" Superman
8 Rounds
Cool-Down:
400m walk

Burning Coal, Green Energy and the Workout of the Day

President Obama has announced a plan to address some of the man-made impact on climate change (if you are one of the people that doesn't believe humans have an impact on climate change... I will save you the time and you can stop reading now... because you are crazy). The Environmental Protection Agency is going to put in place new limits on greenhouse gases from power plants.

I am not sure if this plan can actually happen legally, that is not a topic I will broach here. But, the idea that we are still burning coal for energy to me is just insane. Are we still in the Victorian era?! Technology and "green" energy sources have gotten to the point that there is no reason to be destroying the environment and the health of communities mining coal. Time to stop doing the bidding of special interests and time to do the right thing for the health of the environment, the health of the economy with new "green" energy manufacturing jobs and the health of future generations by starting to reduce carbon emissions in the air they will breathe.

Today's quote is from Jeff Goodell:

"But Big Oil and Big Coal have always been as skilled at propaganda as they are at mining and drilling. Like the tobacco industry before them, their success depends on keeping Americans stupid."

Warm-Up:
5 minutes AMRAP:
10 Barbell Box Squat
30 seconds Wall Sit Medicine Ball squeezed between legs
10 Strict Overhead Barbell Press
30 seconds Handstand Hold
Strength:
Standing Strict Barbell Shoulder Press (1x5@40% 1-RM, 1x5@50% 1-RM, 1x5@60% 1-RM)
3x10 Parallette Pushups feet on 30" box
Metabolic Conditioning:
10 minutes AMRAP (Total Reps):
300m row (= 1 rep)
20 Shoulder to Overhead (= 20 reps)
Cool-Down:
Kettlebell or Dumbbell Windmills 3 per side
Mobility:
PVC Shoulder Girdle Stretch

Have a Great Day!!