The Word of the Day is "Heavy"

We wrapped up our project with the Watershed Management Group today. It was fun to see all of the progress that a handful of people can make in two days. Now we will just have to see how it all holds up with the coming monsoon rains. I am just glad that NOLS Southwest is committed to improving the facility and making it more sustainable and environmentally friendly to the desert around us.

The morning lifting session was good with a change of pace being the bench press with the resistance bands. I would like to develop a good, explosive push up on my bench press and these bands may do the trick. Only time will really tell. The evening session was very hard with three folks showing up for a heavy lifting session.

Today's quote is from Frederick Douglass:

"If there is no struggle, there is no progress."

Morning Weight Training: Chest and Biceps
Flat Bench Dumbbell Press
Incline Dumbbell Press
Dumbbell Flies
Weighted Push-Ups
Captains of Crush Grip Trainers
Alternating Standing Dumbbell Curls
Concentration Dumbbell Curls
Bench Press with Resistance Bands
Body Weight Dips

Evening Weight Training:
Heavy Bench Press (4 sets)
Fat Bar Reverse Grip Barbell Curls (3 sets)
TRX Push-Ups (3 sets)
Weighted Dips (3 sets)

Have a Great Day!

Legs, Stones and The Watershed Management Group

Today was a very different day for us here at NOLS Southwest. It started out with a good morning routine lifting for the legs and then we had a project to do with the Watershed Management Group (WMG) on the base. During the monsoon rains here in Tucson, water would flow down our slopes and they were threatening to take out a retaining wall near our equipment room and climbing wall. Trevor from WMG came and put us to work. We dug out basins, channels and a French drain which we then lined with rock to divert the rain from the buildings and into an area where we will plant some native trees. What this all meant for us: Lots of digging and lots of moving of very large rocks.

After work we had a bit of a rest out of the heat of the sun and then we had three people show up for the evening circuit WOD: "Band of Brothers and Sisters".

Today's quote is from Saint Bernard of Clairvaux:

"You will find more in woods than in books. Trees and stones will teach you that which you can never learn from masters."

Morning Weight Training: Legs
Dumbbell Box Squats
Dumbbell Lunges
Barbell Front Squats (New personal record!)
Straight Leg Deadlifts
GHD
Body Weight Calf Raises

Evening WOD: "Band of Brothers and Sisters" (Each exercise done in order to make one set. Three sets total.)

10 meter Suicide Sprints (10 repetitions)
60 meter Weighted Sled Pull, 105 lbs.
Barbell Squats with 30 lbs. Resistance Band (20 repetitions)
30" Box Step-Ups (25 repetitions)
Abdominal Crunches (60 repetitions)
20 meter Crabwalk with Resistance Band

Evening Weight Training:
Barbell Back Squats with Heavy Chains

Have a Great Day!