Packers Fall To Buccaneers 38-28

As usual, the Green Bay Packers started well, made a pile of boneheaded penalties, had a sieve for an O-line that allowed defenders to sack our quarterback 6 times and then handed a win to a team that has been 0-11 since last season. What is a frustrated and exasperated fan to do?

I went out to the garage and did a bunch of barbell drop snatches and snatches and then finished with a couple sets of these:

2 sets with a 150# sandbag for about 170 feet. Listen to what was playing in the background.

"Chipmunk Cheeks" locks out an RDL

Good stuff happened this week and Tuesday was a high volume, CNS-blasting session, masterly programmed by the Brengel. The week finished with a deloading week, starting on Saturday, followed by an unexpected, surprise training session Sunday.

To the log:

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Monday, 6/8/09

Jogged a mile and it sucked.

1 H Kettlebell Swings, 24 kg: 20/20/20/20.

Kettlebell Snatches, 24 kg: 20/20/10/10/20/.

Tuesday, 6/9/09

Sandbag Clean

Trained with Jon Curry

Snatch, x 3: 45/45/65/70/75/80/85/85/. Singles: 90/95/100/.

Sandbag Medley, 3 x 6:

• Bent Over Rows
• Power Cleans
• Zercher Squats
• Push Presses
• Back Squats
• Good Mornings

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Recently, I linked to an article strength coach Steven Morris has over at EliteFTS about his Top 11 exercises for athletes.

Overhead Lifting With Sandbags

One of the tools Coach Morris uses for his football athletes is the sandbag, which is becoming one of my favorite tools in the arsenal.

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According to strength coach Steven Morris in an article over at EliteFTS,  here are the top 11 exercises that build better athletes. I was in full agreement with most of them and do some of them consistently, (in spite of my relative lack of athleticism). The exercises I do regularly are in bold.

1. Deadlift
2. Box Squats
3. Clean and Jerks
4. Box Front Squats
5. Romanian Deadlifts
6. Rows
7. Side Lunges
8. Dumbbell Inclines
9. Sandbags
10. Prowler
11. Snatch Grip Deadlift

I look forward to adding in the others I haven’t been doing, although I am surprised not to see the standard back squat in his top 11.

Take a look at Morris’ article for his descriptions of each.

Monday, 11/20/08

Rest Day

Tuesday, 11/21/08

Snatch Clusters, 2 + 2 w/15 seconds rest between pairs, 2 minutes between sets.
65/75/85/90/90/ (20 reps)

Snatch singles:
100/110/115/120 power/120/

Sandbag (100+ lbs) Clean + 5 Zercher Squats + Push Press + 5 Back Squats x 6 sets.

Wednesday, 11/22/08

Shortened session. Good Mornings, 5×5

95/115/125/135/145.

Thursday, 11/23/08

Another shortened session. Back Squats, 7×2 .

135×5/185×5/225×5/245×5/
265×2/275×2/295×2/285×2/305×2/285×2/275×2.

Friday, 11/21/08

Rest Day

Saturday, 11/22/08

2 Snatch + 5 Overhead Squats

65/75/75/75/90/90/100/100/110/110/  (20 snatch + 50 OHS)

Sunday, 11/23/08

Deadlift, 5×5:

135×8
225/275/315/365 pr/335.

Overhead Press, 5×5:

95/115/135/160 pr/150

Monday, 9/15/08

80# Sandbag Cleans, alternating with
Burpees

10/10/10/10/10/10/10/10/10/10
10/9/8/7/6/5/4/3/2/1

Tuesday, 9/16/08

Front Squats, x 3:

95×5/115×5/135×5
159/179/199/219/204

Wednesday, 9/17/08

Overhead Squats, x 10:
45/45/65/88

Squat Cleans, x 3:
88/88/115/115/135/145

Thursday, 9/18/08

Rest Day

Friday, 9/19/08

Snatch:
65×3/65×3/75×3/85×3/88×3/88×3/98/98/108/108

Cleans:
118/118/135/135/145/155/155/160f/160/165pc/170f/170pc.

Learned Met-Rx will be shutting it’s doors for good at the end of this month.

Saturday, 9/20/08

Ring Push-ups, at various heights and using 18″, 24″ & 36″ plyo boxes.

Incline: 15/20/20, 15/20/20

Decline: 10/10/10, 15/15/15

Overhead Press, x 5:

88/111/135/140×4

KB Swings, 32 kg, H2H:
10/20/20

Sandbag Squat Cleans, 80#
5/10/10

80# Sandbag Step-ups on 18″ plyo box:
10/10/10

Sunday 9/21/08

Rest Day

An era is about to end. Famous Met-Rx Fitness Center due to shut it’s doors September 30, 2008.

Monday, 6/9/08

Warmed up with 3 rounds of Burgeners
Snatch: 65×3/75×3/88×1
Clean & Jerk: 95/115/125
Front Squat: 135×2/185×2

Snatch, 85% 1RM x 1 x4: 98/98/98/98/
Clean and Jerk. 85% x 1 x 4: 139/139/139/139/
Front Squat, 85% x 2 x 3: 205/205/205/

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Tuesday, 6/10/08

Burgeners x 3

Muscle Snatch: 65×3/75×3/85×3/85×3/88×2 x3

Power Snatch + Overhead Squat: 95×1 x5

Cleans: 95/115/140

Power Clean & Jerk, 80%, 139×1 x4 3 Rounds for time: •400 meter run •20 kettlebell swings, 24 kg. •20 sit-ups •20 back extensions

Now for some metcon…

3 rounds for time…

• run 400 meters
• 20 kettlebell swings
• 20 sit-ups
• 20 back extensions

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Wednesday, 6/11/08

Rest Day

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Thursday, 6/12/08

Warm-ups, Burgeners x 3.
Snatch, 65×3/75×3/.

Snatch, 80% (85#) x 1 x 5
Clean & Jerk, 80% (130) x 1 x 5

3 rounds,
•20 x 24 kg Kettlebell Snatch
•400 meter run

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Friday, 6/13/08

70# Sandbag Workout

Stair Climbs

•Zercher Carries: 3 x 3
•Over the Shoulder, L: 3 x 3
•Over the Shoulder, R: 3 x 3
•On the Back: 3 x 3

Back Squats: 3 x 10

Side Throws: 16

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Saturday, 6/14/08

Rest Day

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Sunday, 6/15/08

Trained over at Steve Belanger’s Old School Barbell Club and did some kettlebell deadlifts and swings. Steve is an accomplished kettlebell RKC and today he trained Valerie and provided more useful tips and ideas for me. His new website is Kettlebells and Beyond and his forte is functional barbell, kettlebell and clubbell training as well as all that cool old school stuff.

KB Deadlifts, 48 kg: 6/10

KB Swings, 3×6, 3×10

Hungarian Core Blaster Swings, 120#: 3×10

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Cleaning the Bag

Originally uploaded by MarkFu2U

Earlier in my sales career the company would have monthly and annual sales contests for it’s sales people. There were two dominant strategies to win. The first was that of the front runner. Start strong, fast and never relinquish your lead, which was difficult over a 22 day sales month. The cagey veterans saved all their big stuff from their money customers until the last possible moment and then posted big sales numbers to take the lead away from the front runners. These were the “sandbaggers”. The front runners hated sandbagging because they claimed it was “unfair”. In the end, it was usually “scoreboard” for the sand baggers and it was they who left with the big prize.

I am sandbagging once again, but here the idea is not to hold back and for my first sandbagging workout, I let it go… literally.

I am not going to go on about how sandbagging is superior to other forms of training and go into the details of the tool. Like so many other things out in fitness land, somewhere there is a sand bag guru who has the Enlightened Path to Fitness Nirvana by way of the exalted sandbag. (Please, no sandbag certifications)! It is, however, yet another effective way to train, just not the only way and for me, another way to stay interested in the workout.

Maybe I have ADD, or just like some variety in my workouts which is why I have added sandbag training to kettlebells, Olympic lifting, powerlifting, Crossfit-style, metcon, running, bodyweight, hill climbing, skating, Highland Games and dog tossing to my personal fitness regimen.

My first session of sandbag training looked like this:

70# Sandbag Workout

Stair Climbs
•Zercher Carries: 3 x 3
•Over the Shoulder, L: 3 x 3
•Over the Shoulder, R: 3 x 3
•On the Back: 3 x 3

Back Squats: 3 x 10

Side Throws: 16