The Ice Cream Maker is a great exercise if you have a set of rings and comes from 5-time US Olympian Jordan Jovrtchev by way of  Tyler Haas of Ringtraining.com. The ICM, in this video, is a combination pull-up and front lever, It is a full-body exercise that can be used to build strength or done rhythmically as a metcon exercise to even substitute for pull-ups . Haas puts it in his top five exercises.

I was not fully recovered from yesterday’s workout and my traps and lats were tender, so I went to front squats which were a bit easier on the upper back.

After doing a quick warm-up of light front squats, I did a 5×5 of FS.95/115/135/155/175.

They went well but did not feel too strong or too motivated. Knocked ‘em out and left the “house”.

So much exercise equipment that ends up at home eventually ends up in the closet with no other use other than what it was  intended for. Kettlebells, however, have all sorts of other useful functions. Portable Dog Anchors is one of the uses for my KB’s. Paperweights, door stops, Whacked Wise Guy Water Weights. (guaranteed to keep a capo down with the bottom feeders). On your best friend’s wedding day, why tie cans to his car? Chain up a bunch of kettlebells instead! You may have some other novel uses for your kettlebells in between snatches and jerks. Leave ‘em in the comments. My training tonight comes from Gym Jones:

On the clock, do 225# deadlifts + Jumping Pull-ups + Ring Push-ups.

10/9/8/7/6/5/4/3/2/1/. I subbed Jumpers for the regular push-ups after the first set because I was gassed from yesterday’s pull-up party. The original idea was to do bodyweight deads and I don’t weigh that much, but decided to go for higher volume, which totaled 12,375 lbs. That was tough. A good workout and I did it in 12:05. 

That means football in Denver. Packers vs. Broncos. That also means I ain’t going to the gym so I brought my toys and did a bodyweight workout at halftime and between plays.

A little play-by-play…13-10 Green Bay with under 2 minutes in the game…Denver has 4th down and 2. All of Denver’s wins have come with last second field goals and Jason Elam is a helluva kicker.They got the first down and more. The Packers “D” is playing scared and it is looking like the Pack is going down. Overtime. Elam is a cool as they come. Denver kicks off in OT to Green Bay. The first play from scrimmage, Favre to Jennings 82 yards. TOUCHDOWN! Packers win it, 19-13!!!!!!!!!!!

Push-ups: 35/35/35/. I was elevated on the KB handles.Sit-ups: 35/35/35/Ring Pull-ups: 1 the first minute, 2 the second minute and go until you run out of gas in a minute.1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/= 45Ring Push-ups with feet elevated on a hammock: 20/20/20.

In the midst of another football and World Series weekend, I managed to get off a quick, but full steam blast at the gym.

With a warm-up that included 3×20 ring push-ups, 3 sets of Burgener warm-ups, and 3×6 ring pull-ups, I was ready to do a couple sets of a dry run of an Oly progressions session.

There were 10 rounds, each round consisting of
3 hang squat cleans + 3 front squats + 3 push jerks with a 95# bar. I did each of the 3 exercises and then repeated it 2 more times and that equalled a round. 10 rounds of those bad boys were done in 12:13, although it sure seemed longer.

I was reminded of an exercise you can do with a bath or beach towel by Anthony DiLuglio of the Art of Strength. We both learned this simple, but punishing tip from Ori Hofmekler, author of “The Warrior Diet” and trainer of the CFT “Controlled Fatigue Training“. We were just putting the finishing touches of a CFT session when Ori, in his thick Israeli accent said he had to get his “bitch towel”. Of course I had no idea what he was talking about and laughed when he told me to grab an end of the bright red and blue beach towel while he grabbed the other. For the next eternal minute, he had me shake that bitch as hard and high as I could, trying to keep up with him. I was laughing no longer. I happened to track my heart rate and it was damn near maximum cardiac output…all from a minute with a towel!

Anthony goes on to post another video describing other methods besides the towel to use when travelling and the hotel gym is a joke. As Anthony admonishes, “give it a shot!” Read the rest of this entry

Seems like everywhere I turn, people are discovering kettlebells and I have heard they can even be found at Target. You know if it gets to a big box retailer, they have “arrived”.

If you want to get the straight scoop on getting started with KB’s, including the exercises, Scott Bird of straighttothebar.com has posted a comprehensive starting point here for the new and seasoned kettlebell user.

Read the rest of this entry

With my elbow showing signs of healing, i wanted to get back into doing some lighter cleans, but this time Hang Squat Cleans.

After warming up with 2 rounds each of the Crossfit warm-up (CFWU) and Burgener warm-ups, I set the bar at 95#x5 reps/set, performing 5 sets. While none were great or even all that good, this was a good practice time for me to simply get in some reps and focus on getting a lift that felt like it worked, even if only for a few times.

I also did Power Snatches, 45×5/65×5/75×5/80×5/85×5/.Nothing to get excited over, but I got in some good reps.

This workout concluded with 3 x 20 Russian Twists with a 35# wheel.

The Santa Ana winds blew into town today and where my timing was good yesterday, today it could have been better. Since I hardly run over 800 meters and then usually as part of a Crossfit WOD, I could have waited for a cooler day. Today, the temperature was 82°F with only 4% humidity and gusty 14 mph + winds. Not that the Santa Anas had anything to do with one of my slowest 5K runs ever. 31:19. I was ok with it, though.

The good news is that I did not stop for any “back ache breaks” or spitting up junk. I also didn’t get hammered by my allergies either. The run was slow, but steady and done.

That slow time oughta get me out of having to do the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot Run with Val. I can go back to my customary role as her cheerleader and photographer. Fingers are crossed.

I just got my copy. Have you gotten yours yet? You could (try to) read "Supertraining" by Mel Siff, and it is a great resource, or you can read Rippetoe and Kilgore"s SS:BBTand use that extra time and newly gained and readily applied knowledge to lift barbells the right way. This book is great if you are coaching lifters or lifting without a coach. MarkFu gives SS:BBT Five FuStars! Get your copy here.

Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training is the new expanded version of the book that has been called "the best and most useful of fitness books." It picks up where Starting Strength: A Simple and Practical Guide for Coaching Beginners
leaves off. With all new graphics and more than 750 illustrations, a
more detailed analysis of the five most important exercises in the
weight room, and a new chapter dealing with the most important
assistance exercises, Basic Barbell Training offers the most complete
examination in print of the most effective way to exercise. Preview
pages and reviews will be posted here as they become available.

The timing was good for the Crossfit Total today. Mark Rippetoe’s brainchild was posted on the Crossfit site as today’s WOD and coming off a rest and some metcon sessions, I was definitely ready for some ME training and was happy with the results, which included some personal bests.

Most of my warm-up lifts were squats and when those were finished, I got busy with the work sets.

Squat: 285/305 pr/315f/ Wore the Chuck Taylors instead of the DoWins.Press: 165/175/180Deadlift: 315/365/405 pr/

Total: 890, which beat my previous CFT by 10. My two lift pr’s increased by 5 lbs each.