Friday 1 March 2013: PULL, CLIMB, TWIST

PULLING, CLIMBING, TWISTING

The idea for this workout came from Jim Biancolo.

Perform ten rounds of the following cycle in twenty minutes.

Advanced:
  • 30 seconds - Body Rows or Pull-ups
  • 30 seconds - Mountain Climbers
  • 30 seconds - Russian Twists
    (Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Extend your arms and clasp your hands in front of you. Crunch up so that your shoulder blades are off the ground. Now twist your midsection to the left and to the right so that your arms are parallel to the floor. Once to each side equals one rep. This exercise can also be performed holding a medicine ball or weight in your hands or with a broomstick behind your shoulders.)
  • 30 seconds - Rest
Even though Advanced trainees are accustomed to doing 30 second sets of Pull-ups, the overall intensity of this workout makes the Body Rows an acceptable substitution. If you think the Body Rows are too easy, try the completely suspended version shown in the Body Row link or do them sprint-style and attempt to get 20-30 reps in each round.
Intermediate:
  • 30 seconds - Body Rows
  • 30 seconds - Squat Thrusts
  • 30 seconds - Russian Twists or Regular Crunches
  • 30 seconds - Rest
Basic:
  • 30 seconds - Body Rows
  • 30 seconds - Half-Squats
  • 30 seconds - Crunches
  • 30 seconds - Rest

Thursday February 28, 2013: SPRINT 8

SPRINT 8

Today's workout is based on a sprint protocol designed by Phil Campbell, author of Ready, Set GO! Synergy Fitness for Time-Crunched Adults.

The sprints are progressive. The first sprint begins at a jog and climaxes at 50% of maximum effort; the second sprint goes from 40% at the beginning to 60% at the climax; the third sprint goes from 50-70%; the fourth sprint from 60-80%; the fifth sprint from 70-90%; the sixth sprint reaches 95% of maximum effort; the seventh and eighth sprints are run at 95-100% effort.

If you are not accustomed to the type of sprint training we do around here, do not max out on the final three sprints - climax between 80-90% of maximum effort.

Advanced:
  • Run 5 minutes
  • Repeat eight times:
    Sprint 15 seconds
    Recover 1 minute
  • Run 5 minutes
Intermediate:
  • Run-walk 5 minutes
  • Repeat six-eight times:
    Sprint 15 seconds
    Recover 60-85 seconds
  • Run-walk 5 minutes
Basic:
  • Powerwalk 5 minutes
  • Repeat four-six times:
    Sprint 15 seconds
    Recover 85-120 seconds
  • Powerwalk 5 minutes

Tuesday 26 February 2013: B-CIRCUITS

Today's workout was developed by Bryce Lane.


B-CIRCUITS

Complete as many circuits as possible in twenty minutes.

If you are not accustomed to plyometric training or are obese, perform the Basic WOD.

Advanced:
  • 12 Short Range Squat Jumps(Half-Squat Jumps: Squat until your elbows touch your knees and thighs are parallel to ground and then jump for height or distance)
  • 12 Full Range Squat Jumps(Deep Squat Jumps: Squat deep until your hands touch the ground and then jump for height or distance)
  • 20 High Tension Bodyweight Squats(Squat while maintaining conscious tension of the leg mucles)
Intermediate:
  • 6 Short Range Squat Jumps
  • 6 Full Range Squat Jumps
  • 10 High Tension Bodyweight Squats
Basic:
  • 5 Half-Squat Jumps
  • 10 Lunges (Each leg)
  • 10 Calf Raise and Flex
Are you tempted to cheat on the jump as your legs become tired? Try Traveling B-Circuits by jumping for distance instead of height. Try to cover the same total distance on each circuit as the workout progresses to ensure that you are pushing yourself adequately.

Monday 25 February 2013: DO IT ALL

DO IT ALL

Complete the following circuit five times:
  • 30/30 Pull-ups
  • 30/30 Sit-ups
  • 30/30 Push-ups
  • 30/30 Squats
30/30 = 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest

Substitutions
  • Pull-ups: Partial, Assisted, or Jumping Pull-ups or Body Rows
  • Sit-ups: Crunches, Flutter Kicks, Leg Levers
  • Push-ups: Dips, Knee Push-ups
  • Squats: Squat Jumps, Half-Squats

Saturday 23 February 2013: RUN FOR DISTANCE

RUN FOR DISTANCE

Advanced:
Run for twenty minutes.

Intermediate:
Run-walk for twenty minutes.

Basic:
Powerwalk for twenty minutes.

Friday 22 February 2013: POWER CIRCUITS

STRENGTH, CONDITIONING & POWER CIRCUITS

Complete as many rounds as possible in twenty minutes. Rest as necessary between rounds.
  • A set of Push-ups
    (Intermediate and Basic substitute Knee Push-ups as necessary.)
  • 30 seconds - Power Skip
    (Skip like a girl but pump your arms and thrust your knees high. Focus on power.)
  • A set of Squats
    (Intermediate and Basic substitute Half-Squats as necessary.)
  • 30 seconds Bear Crawl (or crawl back to start)(Bend forward and crawl on your hands and feet. Keep your knees and body off the ground.)

Thursday 21 February 2013: OH-SQ + SPRINT

OVERHEAD SQUAT + SPRINT

Complete as many rounds as possible in twenty minutes. Keep moving between rounds, i.e. walk or jog while catching your breath.

Advanced:
  • 15 Overhead Squats w/ PVC Pipe, Broomhandle, or Clenched Fists in the Air
  • 30 seconds Sprint
  • Walk or jog back to the start and recover as necessary
Intermediate:
  • 10 Overhead Squats w/ PVC Pipe, Broomhandle, or Clenched Fists in the Air
  • 20 seconds Sprint
  • Walk or jog back to the start and recover as necessary
Basic:
  • 5 Overhead Squats w/ PVC Pipe, Broomhandle, or Clenched Fists in the Air
  • 10 seconds Sprint
  • Walk or jog back to the start and recover as necessary

Wednesday 20 February 2013: DIPS + CHINS

The tried and true bodybuilder...

DIPS + CHIN-UPS SUPERSETS

Perform sets of Dips and Chin-ups back to back for twenty minutes. Rest between supersets as necessary (e.g. set of dips, set of chins, rest, repeat).


Options for performing dips include parallel bars, positioning the hands on the backs of two chairs, or using the corner of a countertop.

Intermediate and Basic trainees should substitute chair dips, push-ups, or knee push-ups as necessary.

Tuesday 19 February 2013: CONDITIONING CIRCUITS

CONDITIONING CIRCUITS

Complete as many circuits as possible in twenty minutes.

Advanced:
  • 30 seconds - Walking Lunges
  • A set of Burpees
  • Bear Crawl back to start
    (Or 30 sec. crawl)
Intermediate - Basic:
  • 20-30 seconds - Walking Lunges
  • A set of Squat Thrusts
  • Bear Crawl back to start
    (Or 20-30 sec. crawl)

Monday 18 February 2013: TIMED SETS #4

TIMED SETS #4
 
60/60 - 60 seconds work, 60seconds rest
30/60 - 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest

Repeat two times (2x):
  • 60/60 Pull-ups
  • 60/60 Sit-ups
  • 60/60 Push-ups
Repeat two times (2x):
  • 30/60 Pull-ups
  • 30/60 Sit-ups
  • 30/60 Push-ups
Substitutions for Intermediate & Basic Levels:
  • For Pull-ups - Partial or Assisted or Jumping Pull-ups, Body Rows
  • For Sit-ups - Crunches, Leg Levers, Flutter Kicks, other abdominal exercise variations
  • For Push-ups - Knee Push-ups, Dips, other push-up variations

Friday 15 February 2013: 3 POWER CALS

Physical Culture Classics
 
THREE POWERFUL CALISTHENICS

Repeat the following circuit for twenty minutes.

Advanced - Intermediate:
  • Dive Bomber or Hindu Push-ups
  • Reverse or Hindu Squats
  • Atlas Push-ups
    Atlas Push-ups: Place your hands in the seats of two chairs. With your body held straight, dip yourself between the chairs. This exercise is similar to a countertop push-up, but it stretches and utilizes more of the chest muscles.
Basic:
  • Yoga Push-upsYoga Push-ups: Transition between Upward Facing Dog and Downward Facing Dog continously while keeping your arms straight (but not locked).
  • Countertop or Atlas Push-ups
Today's exercises can be found in many manuals on physical training. The above arrangement, however, was adapted from Pushing Yourself to Power by John E. Peterson. PYTP is a comprehensive collection of Dynamic Visualized Resistance and Dynamic Self Resistance exercises and includes many Isometric and Power Calisthenic exercises.

Thursday 14 February 2013: SPRINT PYRAMID

SPRINT PYRAMID

Today's workout may look complicated, but it really isn't. Run sprints of 10, 15, 20, 30, 20, 15, and 10 seconds with 1 minutes recovery in between (90 seconds on each side of the 30 second sprint).
  • 5 minutes - Run or Run-walk
  • 10 seconds – Sprint
  • 1 minute – Recovery
  • 15 seconds – Sprint
  • 1 minute – Recovery
  • 20 seconds – Sprint
  • 90 seconds – Recovery
  • 30 seconds – Sprint
  • 90 seconds – Recovery
  • 20 seconds – Sprint
  • 1 minute – Recovery
  • 15 seconds – Sprint
  • 1 minute – Recovery
  • 10 seconds – Sprint
  • 1 minute – Recovery
  • 5 minutes - Run or Run-walk

Wednesday 13 February 2013: PU DROP SETS

PUSH-UP DROP SETS

Today we'll be applying a popular weightlifting technique to a bodyweight exercise. The concept is simple: perform a set of hard push-ups, then immediately perform a set of an easier push-up variation, then immediately perform a third set of an even easier version. This workout is tough; do not underestimate it. Keep the reps low, especially early in the session, to avoid burnout.

Complete as many drop sets as possible in twenty minutes.

Advanced:
  • Feet Elevated PU
  • Regular PU
  • Knee PU
Intermediate:
  • Regular PU
  • Knee PU
  • Countertop PU
Basic:
  • Knee PU
  • Countertop PU
  • Countertop PU (move feet closer to the countertop)

Tuesday 12 February 2013: BOXING CONDITIONING

BOXING CONDITIONING

Advanced - Four rounds of:
  • 4 minutes - Shadowbox (include kicks, knees, and elbow strikes as desired)
  • 1 minute - Rest
    During rest perform:-Round 1 - a set of push-ups
    -Round 2 - a set of crunches
    -Round 3 - a set of squats
    -Round 4 - a set of push-ups
Intermediate - Five rounds of:
  • 3 minutes - Shadowbox  (include kicks, knees, and elbow strikes as desired)
  • 1 minute - Rest
    During rest perform:-Round 1 - 5-15 push-ups
    -Round 2 - 15-30 crunches
    -Round 3 - 10-20 squats
    -Round 4 - 15-30 crunches
    -Round 5 - 5-15 push-ups

Monday 11 February 2013: 5 X 4

5 x 4 MINUTE ROUNDS

Complete five rounds of the following circuit in twenty minutes.

Advanced:
  • 30 seconds - Push-ups
  • 30 seconds - Crunches
  • 1 minute - Squats
  • 2 minutes - Jump Rope/Jumping Jacks/Squat Thrusts
Intermediate-Basic:
  • 15/15 - Push-ups (15 seconds work, 15 seconds rest)
  • 15/15 - Crunches (15 seconds work, 15 seconds rest)
  • 30/30 - Squats (30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest)
  • 2 minutes - Jump Rope/Jumping Jacks/Squat Thrusts

Friday 8 February 2013: MAX SETS - PULL-UPS

MAX SETS: PULL-UPS

Complete five max sets of pull-ups at five minute intervals. Perform sets at 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 minutes.

These are max sets but not to muscle failure. Perform the maximum number of repetitions possible while maintaining good form, but stop short of actual muscle failure (you may go to failure on the last set if you prefer).

Advanced: Pull-ups and/or Chin-ups

Intermediate: Partial or Assisted Pull-ups or Body Rows

Basic: Body Rows

Thursday 7 February 2013: 30/90 SPRINTS

The signature sprint workout...

30/90 SPRINTS

Advanced:
  • Run 5 minutes
  • Repeat five times:
    Sprint 30 seconds
    Recover 90 seconds
  • Run 5 minutes
Intermediate:
  • Run-walk 5 minutes
  • Repeat five times:
    Sprint 20-30 seconds
    Recover 90-100 seconds
  • Run-walk 5 minutes
Basic:
  • Powerwalk 5 minutes
  • Repeat five times:
    Sprint 15-20 seconds
    Recover 100-105 seconds
  • Powerwalk 5 minutes

Wednesday 6 February 2013: POWER CALS


Physical Culture Classics
 
THREE POWERFUL CALISTHENICS

Repeat the following circuit for twenty minutes.

Advanced - Intermediate:
  • Dive Bomber or Hindu Push-ups
  • Reverse or Hindu Squats
  • Atlas Push-ups
    Atlas Push-ups: Place your hands in the seats of two chairs. With your body held straight, dip yourself between the chairs. This exercise is similar to a countertop push-up, but it stretches and utilizes more of the chest muscles.
Basic:
  • Yoga Push-upsYoga Push-ups: Transition between Upward Facing Dog and Downward Facing Dog continously while keeping your arms straight (but not locked).
  • Countertop or Atlas Push-ups

Today's exercises can be found in many manuals on physical training. The above arrangement, however, was adapted from Pushing Yourself to Power by John E. Peterson. PYTP is a comprehensive collection of Dynamic Visualized Resistance and Dynamic Self Resistance exercises and includes many Isometric and Power Calisthenic exercises.

Tuesday 5 February 2013: B-CIRCUITS

Today's workout was developed by Bryce Lane.


B-CIRCUITS

Complete as many circuits as possible in twenty minutes.

If you are not accustomed to plyometric training or are obese, perform the Basic WOD.

Advanced:
  • 12 Short Range Squat Jumps(Half-Squat Jumps: Squat until your elbows touch your knees and thighs are parallel to ground and then jump for height or distance)
  • 12 Full Range Squat Jumps(Deep Squat Jumps: Squat deep until your hands touch the ground and then jump for height or distance)
  • 20 High Tension Bodyweight Squats(Squat while maintaining conscious tension of the leg mucles)
Intermediate:
  • 6 Short Range Squat Jumps
  • 6 Full Range Squat Jumps
  • 10 High Tension Bodyweight Squats
Basic:
  • 5 Half-Squat Jumps
  • 10 Lunges (Each leg)
  • 10 Calf Raise and Flex
Are you tempted to cheat on the jump as your legs become tired? Try Traveling B-Circuits by jumping for distance instead of height. Try to cover the same total distance on each circuit as the workout progresses to ensure that you are pushing yourself adequately.

B-Circuits are covered in Bryce's excellent booklet Fitness Secrets of the Road Ninja. I also highly recommend The Booklet of Bodyweight Power and A Mighty River of Steel.

Monday 4 February 2013: PFT

PHYSICAL FITNESS TEST

Advanced:
  • Max Pull-ups in 1 minute
  • Rest 1 minute
  • Max Sit-ups in 1 minute
  • Rest 1 minute
  • Max Push-ups in 1 minute
  • Rest 3 minutes
  • Run 12 minutes for distance
Intermediate:
  • Max Partial or Assisted Pull-ups or Body Rows
  • Rest 1 minute
  • Max Sit-ups or Crunches in 1 minute
  • Rest 1 minute
  • Max Push-ups in 1 minute
  • Rest 3 minutes
  • Run-walk 12 minutes for distance
Basic:
  • Max Body Rows in 1 minute
  • Rest 1 minute
  • Max Crunches in 1 minute
  • Rest 1 minute
  • Max Knee Push-ups in 1 minute
  • Rest 3 minutes
  • Powerwalk 12 minutes for distance

Sunday 3 February 2013: REST

REST DAY

Saturday 2 February 2013: RUN FOR DISTANCE

RUN FOR DISTANCE

Advanced:
Run for twenty minutes.


Intermediate:
Run-walk for twenty minutes.


Basic:
Powerwalk for twenty minutes.