After several weeks of sub-par training, I put together a good mix of workouts that were taxing, but not draining. The most important aspect of a workout regimen in my opinion, is consistency. Even if you are having off-weeks or even months, and you will, stay with it even if you have to back off. It is far easier to go into “maintenance mode” and lose a little than have to start all over again. I know this. I have done it enough times and each time it is considerably harder than the last.

Read the rest of this entry

Walk right past the elliptical machines, the treadmills, (run outside if you must), and laugh at the Lifecycles. You really don’t need them.

There are manly ways to work your “cardio” whether you are male or female. Here are my Top 10 in no particular order. What are yours? Read the rest of this entry

New Lifting Platform at American Gym

Monday, 12/29/08

Snatch, x 2- 1st rep from the first pull, the 2nd from the hang: 65/75/80/88/93/98/103/108

Power Snatch: 115×2/115/115/115/115/120/120/120

Kettlebell Swings, 44 kg: 2 x 10

HCB Swings, 105#: 3 x 5 Read the rest of this entry

Levitating an 80 lb Stone.

Monday, 12/15/08

Deadlifts:
135×10/225×5/295×5/
325×2/365×2/375×2/395/405/425/425/425.

Kettlebell Swings, 44 kg: 5×10

Tuesday, 12/16/08

Snatch, first from the floor, second from the hang.

65 (2+2), 75 (2+2)
75/75/88/88/95/95/100/100/105/105/110/110/115/115/120/120/120/120

Wednesday, 12/17/08

Sandbag Crazy Eights: 3 rounds each of,

• Bent Rows, 15
• Side Tiwsts, 10 each side
• Back Squats, 10
• Step-ups, 10
• Clean & Squat, 10
• Push Press, 10
• Lunges, 15
• Stair Climbs, 36

Thursday, 12/18/08

Power Cleans:

88×3/88×3/98×3/98×3/115×3/115×3

125×2/135×2/140×2/145×2/150×2/155×2/160×2/165×3.

Back Squat, 5×5:

135/185/225/265/275 pr.

Friday, 11/19/08

Rest Day

Saturday, 11/20/08

Back Squat, 2×5:

135×5/185×5/225×5/265×5

Deadlift, 2×5:

135×10/225×5/315×5/360×5. (Messed up and had more weight on one side. Asymmetrical training?)

Military Press, 3×2-3-5-10:

95/115/105

Band-Assisted Pull-ups (purple):

10/8

2 Man Decline Med Ball Sit-ups:

20/20/15

Sunday, 12/21/08

Rest Day

Monday. 12/1/08

Rest Day

Tuesday, 12/2/08

Today was the first day I trained in the new gym, American Gym, formerly Tommy’s Boxing Gym. It was great to plug an iPod playlist into the stereo and pump the volume and not bother anyone. This will be great!

Snatch doubles: 45/45/65/65/ to warm-up.

90/90/95/95/95/100.

Power Clean doubles:

115/111/116/121/155/155

Form on both lifts sucked as did the weight. I finished off some 2-man decline medicine ball sit-ups with Jon Curry. 3×12-15. I also did a set on the floor with an Ab Mat and another set on an Ab Mat but no med ball.

Wednesday, 12/3/08

No training. My allergies kicked my butt.

Thursday, 12/4/08

DE Squats, x 2:

60% @ 205#, 4 sets
65% @ 225#, 4 sets
70% @ 240#, 4 sets

DE Deadlift singles:

60% @ 275#, 4 sets
65% @ 300#, 4 sets
70% @ 325#, 4 sets

Hungarian Core Blaster Swings, x 10:

80/80/80/90/90/90

Friday, 12/5/08:

Overhead Squats:

45×10/88×6/111×3/131×2/133×2/133×2/143×2/143×2

Sandbag, 80#

Shoulder Squat: 5 each shoulder x 2
Zercher Squat: 10/10
Back Squat: 10/10
Overhead Squat: 5/5
Single Leg Squats: 5 each leg

Kettlebell Snatch, 24 kg:

7×10

Saturday, 12/6/08

45# Thrusters, 3×20

Sandbag Clean & Squat, 2×10
Sandbag Step-up & Squat, 2×10
Sandbag Clean & Step up, 2×10

Sunday, 12/7/08

Rest Day

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, 11/03/08
Day off

Tuesday,11/4/08
Snatch, x2:

45×2/45×2/65×2/65×2/70×2/75×2/80×2/90×2/90×2/95×2/95×2/95×2
Not a very good session with form deterioration coming early.

Wednesday, 11/5/08

Snatch Grip Deadlift, x 4:

135×4/135×4/155×4/155×4/175×4/175×4/199×4/199×4/209×4/209×4/214×4/214×4/.

Clean Grip Deadlift, x 4:

214×4/214×4/214×4/219×4/229×4/.

Hungarian Core Blaster Swings, x 10:

80/90/95/100/100/.

Thursday, 11/6/08

Rest Day

Friday, 11/7/08

Visiting my parents in Wisconsin. I brought my empty sandbag with liners and went down the street to a local quarry to get some “local” sand.

5 rounds, 55#, :15 each exercise and 1:30 between rounds

• Cleans
• Push Presses
• Zercher Squat
• Bent Rows
• Reverse Lunges
• Thrusters

Saturday, 11/8/08

Air Squats: 50

Overhead Squats: 50/50

Sandbag, 55#

• Push Press: 10
• Squat Cleans: 10
• Shoulder Toss to Squat: 10
• Overhead Squat: 5/5

Sandbag, 75#

• Push Press: 10/10/
• Squat Cleans: 10/10/
• Shoulder Toss to Squat: 10/10/
• Overhead Squat: 4/6/5/5/

Sunday, 11/9/08

Day Off

I came across a great audio interview with the sandbag guy, Josh Henkin interviewing Olympic lifting coach, Greg Everett, who also publishes Performance Menu and runs Catalyst Athletics. They cover a lot of great topics including some pros and cons of the Crossfit protocol, training clients, the advantages and limitations of kettlebell training and a lot of great information on Olympic lift training. If you find any of these topics interesting, then you will want to listen to this interview.

By the way, I have both this book and the video and they are absolutely first rate!

Olympic Lifting, kettlebells, sandbags, Josh Henkin, Greg Everett, Performance Menu, Crossfit,

Monday, 9/22/08

Warmed up with overhead squats:
45/45/65/65, 10 reps each.

Back Squats, x 3:
135×5/135×10/185×5/
205/245/265/275/280

Front Squats, x 5:
111/131/155/175/185

Tuesday, 9/24/08

Power Snatch, x 3:
65/65/88/88/88/93/98/103/103/108/108×1 + 3 OHS/108×1 + 3/108×1 + 5.

Overhead Squats, 115, 5×5:

Thursday, 9/25/08

4 rounds,

400 meter Sandbag Carry, 80#, (back, left shoulder, right shoulder, bear hug).

25 Kettlebell Swings, 24 kg, H2H.

Sandbag Back Squats, 80#  6 x 20. The last two sets were done with 2 crossed over mini bands for greater resistance.

Friday, 9/26/08

Rest Day. I learned that my gym, Met-Rx will stay open after all under new ownership. That is great news!

Saturday, 9/27/08

Burgener Warm-ups x 3

Hang Snatch, 2 x 3:
45/65/88/100/105/110/115, 1 x 3 + 1 single.

One Hand Barbell Snatch, x 3 left and right.
45/65/75/80. A little wobbly with 80# on the left .

Sunday, 9/28/08

Kettlebell Swings, 24 kg.
25/25/25/25 (5,300 lbs)
Kettlebell Swings, 32 kg.
10 x 10 + 1 (7,070 lbs)

With specialty social networking sites springing up all over the place, it shouldn’t come as a surprise there is another dedicated to fitness. (I am loathing that word more and more)!

I just found one called iSweat and while it has the usual bosu ball, swiss ball, six-pack ab and toning crowd, there is a group from Zach Even-Esh called Underground Strength Fans that looks promising. His “underground” style of powerlifting, kettlebells, sandbags, strongman and iron is the focus so I’ll hang around here for a while. Zach’s stuff never sucks!

Speaking of Zach, he addresses grip strength with a good video. I don’t even want to see your wrist straps!

Underground Strength, Zach Even-Esh, iSweat,