Friday, January 30, 2015

Keeping it Simple

A busy couple of days with no training but got one in today

Prep - Foam roller and Ground Force Method

Strength Aerobics session
24 kg x 21 minutes
Clean + press + squat + snatch x right and left

For the first half of the training I alternated in sets of the same exercises but Bottoms Up with both hands - great way to increase the "strength" work without going heavier etc....

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Quick training yesterday...

prep - Foam roller, Ground Force Method

24 kg Get-up x 1+1 x 5

Treadmill
1 min walk + 4 min run (7.0 speed) x 3
2 min cool down walk

More on the Foam roller -
I had a couple of other questions from the foam roller forum post.
If not SMR then what the other benefits
What do you do when you find a tender spot?
If a desk jockey then is there anything additional to do etc...

other benefits -
it is a highly proprioceptive (lots of information to the brain),
it is “self massage” – so good for tissue quality etc…,
tender spots (this ties in with tissue quality) – these “hot spots” may be restrictions influencing movement etc…
When you find a tender spot – 10 or so 1″ rolls over the area or 10-15 seconds of staying on the spot
you don’t have to “get rid of” the tender spot but you may want to revisit the spot after the rest of your rolling to see what has changed
As a desk jockey you may be spending 5-10 minutes on the roller – so just a bit more time and attention to the hot spots before your movement prep

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Sunday training and...


Foam rolling post from my Applied Strength, LLC facebook page:
I'll try to keep this brief and on point...

Foam rolling is a valuable tool
it is not "self myofascial release" but it is highly proprioceptive
(See Myers etc...)
it is not a great "trigger point" tool - it is too "blunt" of a tool but it will find tender spots and areas that need attention (talk to any myofascial therapist or clinician that treats trigger points)
it is not a "pain tolerance" experiment - if you push hard enough or use cement rolls everything will hurt and that is not the point and could be counterproductive - control your pressure so only the tender spots show up.

Foam rolling for me is a 3-5 min opportunity to "check in" with my body - see if there are any tender spots and move along to the rest of my movement prep
So do I use it almost every time I train - yes but 97.5% of the time it is a 3 min or under check in not a "self treatment"

Initially foam rolling will/can be intense on certain areas but this should decrease and go away so that the foam roller becomes a "check in" - as one of my clients told me the other day "hey that foam roller feels great now...."

A well structured training program should improve movement and have you feeling great - not beat up and sore and full of tender spots all the time. IF this is the case then you may want to re-evaluate your program IMO
You also have to factor in your lifestyle here. If you are a "desk jockey" or computer based worker you may have to overcome 8-10 hours of static sitting etc... in order to be ready to train and a foam roller may be more a part of your routine.

Foam rollers and other soft tissue tools can be an integral part of your routine and can be very effective. This is all individual based - some will need more (due to previous injury, peaking for a competition goal, etc.....) and some will need very little. Adjust to your needs but keep it in it's place as a "check in" and part of your movement prep etc....

Training:
Prep - foam roller and Ground Force Method
24 kg Get-up x 1+1 (arm bar + crooked arm bar + bridge at elbow and hand)

Double 32 kg Front squat x 5
superset with
Double 32 kg SLDL x 3+3
x 5 supersets

24 kg Snatch x 5+5 x 6 sets in 5 min

Bike for a few minutes to just flush the legs a bit

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Continuing the training...


Wednesday was another Indoor Cycling class for an hour - fun stuff.

Today

prep - foam roller and Ground Force Movement

24 kg Get-up x 1+1 (plus armbar, crooked arm bar, bridge at elbow and hand)
32 kg Get-up x 1+1

32 kg MP Ladders
1+1 > 2+2 > 3+3 x 6 ladders
in between ladders
2/24 kg Renegade Row x 10 x 6 sets

32 kg one arm swings x 5+5 x 6 sets
in just under 5 min

Bike - 20 min (132-136 heart rate) nice and easy



Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Couple of recent training days...


I was at the FMS speaker school in Chatham VA weekend before last and what an experience!
Over the years I've taught many workshops (150+) but have very rarely or ever been critiqued or taught "how" to present.
Getting a pair of Critical eyes on you to let you know what you are doing well and what you need to improve upon and what you need to STOP doing is essential and Greg Rose does a great job of this.

Upon returning from the speaker school I wanted to get a workout in...
So:
Prep - Foam roller and Ground Force Method
24 kg Get-up x 1+1 + 20 alternating swings
32 kg Get-up x 1+1 + 20 alternating swings
36 kg Get-up x 1+1 + 20 alternating swings

32 kg Strength aerobics x 11 minutes
clean + press + squat + snatch x right arm and then left arm

Now what I had imagined my workout being going into the session was bit more "grand" but my body said No.  And I listened.

Monday (yesterday)
I hit a One hour Indoor Cycling class.
Lots of fun and a challenging workout.

Today
Prep - Foam roller and Ground Force Method
Treadmill x 22 min
4 x (1 min walk + 4 min run at various speeds)
+ 2 min cool down walk

superset of:
36 kg MP x 2+2
24 kg Chins x 3
x 3 supersets


Lots of work and opportunities swirling around - gotta get my head on right and determine my path

Friday, January 09, 2015

Quick training today


Prep - foam roller and Ground Force Method work

Treadmill - x 18 min
1 min walk + 4 min jog/run x 3
3 min walk cool down

36 kg MP x 2+2 x 3 sets
24 kg Chins x 3 x 3 sets

Just enough


Thursday, January 08, 2015

So this is just silly...

It's been since August since I posted last?

Well - here we go in 2015...

Getting familiar with "cardio" again and other training

I am getting "up to speed" as it were with indoor cycling so i can sub classes when needed at the club where I work.  And this has afforded me the opportunity to get back into doing the dreaded
CARDIO.....

Funny thing is I really like "it".  Cycling and jogging a bit (as my joints adapt) is feeling great.
The indoor cycling training is through Cyclingfusion.com and their Heart Zone Training.
This has really good information and has filled in some blanks between conversations with Pavel and reading The Cardio Code by Kenneth Jay.

I have also been hitting the Strength Aerobics type of work with the KBs.
http://www.strongfirst.com/strength-aerobics/

for example - Yesterday
1-7-2015

prep - Foam roller, Ground Force Method work

24 kg Get-up x 1+1 plus 20 alternating swings
28 kg Get-up x 1+1 plus 20 alternating swings
32 kg Get-up x 1+1 plus 20 alternating swings
36 kg Get-up x 1+1 plus 20 alternating swings
brief rest
Strength Aerobics with 32 kg Kb
32 kg Clean + Press + FS + Snatch x right then left x 16 min
rest as needed

Great training session

I am posting research and other information on my Applied Strength, LLC page on FaceBook so please head on over there and LIKE the page to keep up on what is going on...
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So I will be updating this page with Training posts and other information but using the Facebook page for getting research etc.... out there.

Thanks for checking in...

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Personal Trainer and Strength Enthusiast Email: appliedstrength@gmail.com

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