Fight Gone Bad

FIGHT GONE BAD! The one we all love to hate! (Jamey was taking his rest when pictures were snapped. Sorry.) Finisher: Jump in the pool and grill out! The food was yummy and company was excellent! We even had our own little dog park going here! ;)

How's that working for you?

Okay, so as you know, we started doing weigh-in Wednesdays. Tough! There is now accountability! YUP! We all have goals that we want to achieve. We want to get stronger, gain muscle mass, get leaner, look good in a swimsuit, etc. However, the question then becomes what are we doing about it? I am also guilty on this aspect, especially this past month. Yes, I can come up with a million excuses as to why. It's the end of the school year. I'm stressed out. I haven't been able to get all my workouts in because of running the kids to their little league games and dance practices. I had three kids back-to-back-to-back. (I could go on forever here.) But yes, even to me....there needs to be a REALITY CHECK! When I get in my whiny excuse ridden mode, Brett always asks me the same question which seems to puts me in check....... "And how is that working for you?"

He is right. So, let me ask you! How is your current lifestyle and eating habits working for you? Are you happy with your weight, your strength, your endurance, your muscle mass? If the answer is no, then obviously your current lifestyle is not working for you. Something needs to change!!!! If you do not change anything......you will not see any changes or yield results. Things will ALWAYS stay status quo! Therefore, We need to start to peck away at the things that are affecting our progress. Start small. Do one thing a week: eliminate starchy carbs or gluten, get 8+ hours of sleep a night, workout an extra day in addition to your training, eat more like a hunter-gatherer.....DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT!

So, as our discussions continue on creating lifestyle changes that support our goals, we need to get real with ourselves and continue to aim for the large picture here. If we aren't continually PRing or making gains, then something in our food and/or lifestyle has begun to break down. We are the ones in charge of our life here. We need to eliminate our inner demons. So next time you catch yourself making excuses or saying "but I can't eat that" or "it's too hard". Well, ask yourself this one question...... "How's that working for you?"

Reality check!

Warrior Wednesday!

This week our "Warrior Wednesday" workout was a tough one! In teams of 2, the task is to complete 300 kettlebell swings. Sounds do-able, right? Ah-ha....here is the catch. Only one person is allowed to do the swings. In the meantime, the partner must be doing an isometric squat hold. Each time the partners decide to switch roles, they must complete 5 burpees each. Holy leg work, Batman!

This week's team champions are............. (drum roll)................

Mike and Jamey who completed the workout in 25:44

Second place goes to Stacey and Diane with 26:26 and Sue and Irene did an amazing job and completed the task with a time of 33:37.

You all are true athletic warriors in my mind! Way to go all!

SHEER STRENGTH!

Pic 1~ Jamey kicking butt on his last set of push presses.

Pic 2~ This is the set before Jamey killed his push press. This is the moment when Jamey ponders over what his trainer means by a push press rather than a push jerk. Hmmmmmm........ Can you feel the love? :O) Muah, Jamey, love ya!

STRENGTH! Building strength is a definite necessity to improve our overall health and fitness. As we will build strength, we inevitably become better athletes! We are stronger, faster, and can endure for longer periods of time because we have the sheer strength to achieve and succeed. Although days like this may seem slow and yes, it may feel "weird to leave without being all sweaty" (quoting our Diane today). However, it will only help us in our next workout. We will get closer and closer to doing the WODS at the prescribed weight and / or even beating our old times. So, it is important to not forget the strength days and to really give it our all and max out at our potential. Just like everyone did today. Way to go y'all!

WOD:
Shoulder Press 5x1

Push Press 5x3

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Irene~ SP 55/55/60f/55/60f and PP 55x3/55x3/60x3/65x2/65x3

Diane~ SP 55/55/60f/55/55 and PP 55x3/65x3/70x3/75x1/70x3

Stacey~ SP 55/60/65/70f/65 and PP 70x3/75x3/80x3/85x3/90x1

Jamey~ SP 95/105/110/115f/100f and PP 110x3/115x3/120x3 (jerked)/115x3/120x3

Upside down your turning me!

WELCOME TO OUR LITTLE BOX, FRANCISCO!!!!

Today's WOD started with a little strength training:

Warm up deadlifts in order to perform 3x5 deadlifts

Then....

3 Rounds

4 Handstand push ups

8 Chest to bar pull ups

12 Deadlifts (225/185#)

16 box jumps

In the pictures above, you will see a variety of scaling for handstand push ups. Going upside down can be a little nerve racking, although it is a great alternative for strength gains using shear body weight. Also, it creates the benefit that your body will adapt to the inverted pressure on your head and face. A few key points we need to work on as we develop this skill:

1. Avoid hyper extending (arching your back) ...we will get there with practice!

2. Activate your shoulders. Really get a strong shrug going.

3. Suck in your stomach~ make that mid-line stabilization rock solid

4. Squeeze your butt!!!!!!! It may sound silly but it is a critical point of assistance!

We may only be beginning to tackle these challenges, but as with everything else, it is practice that makes perfect!

Tabata work!

A little tabata work was done today.

Tabata SDLHP

Rest 1 min

Tabata Squat

Rest 1 min

Tabata Pull up

Rest 1 min

Tabata Push up

Rest 1 min

Tabata Sit up

Score is the LOWEST number in each set .... pick a number and try to maintain it throughout the workout.

Run Forest Run!

5 Rounds:
100 m sprint *Try to maintain your time from the first sprint.

Then.....
pull up ladder

"Run Forest Run"! I use the title of today's workout loosely and in a loving manner. RUNNING! It seems to be a huge nemesis of ours, including myself. We find ourselves wishing to run faster and for longer distances. Yet, at times, we feel defeated and awkward when we run. Well, time to embrace the suck and work on our difficulties.

In order to increase our running distances and decrease our times on running events, we best practice this by doing interval training. Interval training is defined as "a series of repetitions of work with a recovery period following each repetition."

Why interval training rather than long distance runs? Basically, it is our key to running faster. When we interval train, we are developing explosive energy and creating neuromuscular coordination that is needed to increase our speed. Long distance running does not develop these factors as well, thus creating more of a "plateau" type of state. During the short bursts of running that is performed with interval training, the body is creating lactic acid and depleting oxygen within our systems. We then allow ourselves a recovery period where the heart and lungs are still stimulated, but at the same time, they are replacing oxygen to our body which will help break down the lactic acid. One key for interval training is to pick a time that you want to achieve during your sprint. Then for each of the sprints, try to maintain that time. Push yourself fully to make the most gains!