Give it up for The Mountain on Strongman Workout Day!!

In celebration of Hafthor Bjornsson besting his own keg tossing record (Check it out... the thing is like a toy lol) we are doing a strongman based workout today!! "I am a Viking!!"

Warm-Up:
Ball Slams, 5 sets of 1 minute each. One minute rest between sets.
Hanging Knees to Chest, 3 sets of 20 repetitions

Weight Training:
Sumo Deadlift, 5 sets of 1-5 repetitions

Strongman Circuit: Perform each exercise in order to complete a set. 5 sets total. Two minute rest between sets.
SISU Warhammer Swings, 15 repetitions per side
Tire Flips, 5 repetitions
Atlas Stone Lift to 48" Platform
50m Weighted Keg Carry
50m Cannonball Farmer's Carry

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!!

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

Another Quick Cardio Power Output Post

Today will be another cardiorespiratory power session. Crank it out and get it done. Tomorrow is a day off, so work hard!

Workout: Cardio Power Session
Ball Slam, 8 sets of 30 seconds of maximum effort, 1 minute rest

Have a Great Day!!

Fast Twitch Training Day!!

Today the workout is going to be short but sweet.... and by sweet I mean a hard work phase for ten seconds followed by 50 seconds of rest. The rest period is pretty damn long for the amount of work done, so that ten seconds of work has to be really, REALLY hard. This will focus on the Anaerobic-Alactic energy pathway with the idea of increasing the density of mitochondria in your fast twitch muscle fibers. These are the muscle fibers that are great at creating short bursts of speed or power but fatigue very quickly.... hence the rest between sets.

Today's quote is from Muhammad Ali:

"I'm so fast that last night I turned off the light switch in my hotel room and was in bed before the room was dark."

Workout: Anaerobic-Alactic Training Day
Warm-Up:
Rowing Machine, 10 minutes
Workout:
20lbs. Slam Ball Slam, 20 sets: 10 seconds of work, 50 seconds rest

Have a Great Day!!

Another Rainy Day in the Desert

It was another "cold" rainy "winter" day here in Tucson. I have to add the quotation marks when I use those words or I will hear it from all of the folks out there that are actually suffering through winter with real cold weather. The fact of the matter is that it was a beautiful day where we got much needed rain!

Today's quote is from Robert Frost:

"You can't get too much winter in the winter."

Workout: Shoulders and Triceps
Warm-Up: Perform each exercise in order for one minute to complete a set. Two sets total with a one minute rest between sets.
Heavy Rope Whips
SISU Warhammer Swings
Ball Slams
Abdominal Crunches
Weight Training:
Barbell Push Press, 5 sets of 1-6 repetitions
(Primary muscles worked: Deltoids, vastus lateralis, medialis and intermedius, rectus femoris)
Barbell Shrug, 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions
(Primary muscles worked: Upper trapezius, scapulae levator)
Super Set:
Dumbbell Side Raise, 3 sets of 10 repetitions
(Primary muscles worked: Lateral deltoids, supraspinatus, trapezius)
Alternating Dumbbell Front Raise, 3 sets of 10 repetitions
(Primary muscles worked: Anterior deltoids)
Barbell Skull Crushers, 3 sets of 8-10 repetitions
(Primary muscles worked: Triceps brachii)

Have a Great Day!!

DIY Slam Ball and the Back Workout

Today I made a do-it-yourself 20lbs. Slam Ball to use as part of our warm-up today. Here is a step by step guide of went I went through. It turned out pretty well. We will have to see how it holds up.

1) Buy a used basketball at a thrift store or used sporting goods store. You can usually find one for a couple of dollars. Buy a tire patch kit for an ATV. I got one at ACE hardware for just over $1.50. There are definitely enough patches in there to make a number of Slam Balls.

2) I have the bonus of living in the desert and sand is readily available. I went into the wash (read "dry creek bed" if you are not from the desert...) and pulled out our sifter that we use for our compost. I shoveled sand into the sifter so that I got very small diameter rocks and sand. See photo #1. If you do not have sand nearby, you can purchase a bag of playground sand from the local hardware store.

3) I then looked at the diameter of the sand and stones and chose a funnel that the rocks and sand could pass through. I then used a power drill to drill a hole in the ball so that the funnel could fit snuggly into the hole. See photo #2.


4) Fill the ball with the sand until you get to the desired weight.

5) Grab the tire patch kit and follow the directions. In my case I roughed up the surface of the ball around the hole, cleaned that rough area, applied the patch kit rubber cement and then let it dry. I then cut the patch material so that it was larger than the hole, but a bit smaller in diameter than the applied rubber cement. Then I applied the patch. See photos #4, #5, #6 and #7.


6) Finally I added a bead of rubber cement around the edge of the patch to finish it off. See photo #8.

7) Let it all dry for a couple of hours and then slam the hell out of that thing!

Workout: Back
Warm-Up: Perform each exercise in order to complete a set. Three sets total. No rest between sets.
100m Sprint, 3
Abdominal Crunches, 50 repetitions
Ball Slams, 25 repetitions
24" Box Jumps, 20
Weight Training:
Dumbbell Pullover, 3 sets of 6-8 repetitions
Dumbbell Bent Over Row, 3 sets of 5-6 repetitions
Barbell Upright Row, 3 sets of 6-8 repetitions
Landmine Row, 3 sets of 6-8 repetitions
Pull-Ups, 3 sets of maximum repetitions
Deadlift, 3 sets of 2 repetitions

Have a Great Day!