WODs 02/27/2012

So, I took the entire last week off from any form of exercise. It began accidentally, but became purposeful. Exercise only breaks down the body, rest and recovery builds it up. And I just got to the point where I felt broken down all the time. The optimal health we work towards can only be a result of managing stress. This means not only the mental anxiety we commonly call stress, but the bad diet, lack of sleep, illness, and damage to the physical body (through exercise too). I'd be lying if I said that I am now feeling fully recovered and ready to go back at it, but my body is beginning to reverse some improvements I've made. So, on to the new week:

This week is no abs. Enjoy it. We will renew our efforts twice as hard next week.

We need to schedule group workout so I can introduce new movements like double unders, suitcase deadlifts, and box jumps. I even have ropes  and boxes to loan to you. Our current stable of movements is growing stale.

Day 1
Firebreather
Prior to the WOD, do 3 sets of  8 Crossfit pushups
15 min AMRAP
15 Clean and jerk
30 squat with weight (either goblet hold or rack hold)

Smokeeater
Prior to the WOD, do 3 sets of  8 Crossfit pushups
15 min AMRAP
10 Clean and jerk
20 squat with weight (either goblet hold or rack hold)

Rookie
Prior to the WOD, do 3 sets of  8 Crossfit pushups
10 min AMRAP
10 Clean and jerk
20 squat with weight (either goblet hold or rack hold)

Day 2
Firebreather / Smokeeater / Rookie
Set a timer, do no more than 4 minutes of snatch skill work (LOW INTENSITY)
10 rounds for time:
 25 swings (any variation)
16 reverse lunges (step back instead of forward)

Day 3
Firebreather
21, 15, 9, 6 of
Squat with weight
Swing
Burpee
Clean and jerk

Smokeeater
21, 15, 9, 6 of
Squat with weight
Swing
Press

Rookie
18, 12, 8, 4 of
Squat
Swing
Burpee
Press

Day 4
Firebreather / Smokeeater / Rookie
Set a timer, do no more than 4 minutes of snatch skill work (LOW INTENSITY)
10 rounds for time:
 25 swings (any variation)
16 reverse lunges (step back instead of forward)

Day 5
Firebreather / Smokeeater
Prior to the WOD, do 3 sets of  8 Crossfit pushups
Then Death by... thruster
Every minute do thrusters. Start with 2 each hand. Next minute, add two more each hand, and so on until you fill your minute.

Rookie
Prior to the WOD, do 3 sets of  8 Crossfit pushups
Then Death by... thruster
Every minute do thrusters. Start with 4 each hand. Next minute, add four more each hand, and so on until you fill your minute.

WODs 02/20/2012

If kettelbell work feels like jazzercise with ugly gray weights, bell-up. You need to do each movement with the most weight you can safely handle. 

• EVERY DAY, I need you to text me which WOD and what level you have done, your weight(s) used and time (if part of the program).
• You'll notice that there are either three workouts, each differing in intensity, or suggestions for changing the WOD to suit your needs. Pick what works for you, striving for the most difficult.
• Movement quality over speed or quantity. Movements done poorly cause injuries. 
• No weak wrists
• You've been at this long enough now to start watching for inflexible joints and unusual pain with movement. A lot of this can be fixed if addressed early-let me know.

Planks for abs. 3 days this week I want you to perform this for as long as you can, three times, with the goal of being able to complete a 2 minute hold.


WOD # 1 



Firebreather, Smoke Eater, and Rookie
In 12 minutes do as many rounds as possible (AMRAP) of:
5 Jumping squats
10 Swings


WOD #2


Firebreather
300 swings




Smoke Eater
200 1H swings




Rookie
200 2H swings




WOD #3


Firebreather
6 RFT
16 steps walking lunge
Run back to start
5 burpees


Smoke Eater
4 RFT
16 steps walking lunge
Run back to start
3 burpees


Rookie
4 RFT
10 steps walking lunge
Run back to start
2 burpees




WOD #4


Firebreather 
200 1H swings
50 burpees


Smoke Eater 

300 swings



Rookie 
200 2H swings


WOD #5


Firebreather
Do 7 rounds of the following for time (RFT)
7 swings
7 lunges each leg
7 swings
3 burpees




Smoke Eater
Do 7 rounds of the following for time (RFT)
5 swings
5 lunges each leg
5 swings
2 burpees




Rookie
Do 7 rounds of the following for time (RFT)
3 swings
3 lunges each leg
3 swings
2 burpees

WODs 02/12/2012

If kettelbell work feels like jazzercise with ugly gray weights, bell-up. You need to do each movement with the most weight you can safely handle. You'll need to consider purchasing the next bigger kettlebell, they usually increase by 4kg. If blazing through 25 c&j with a 12kg barely causes you to break your concentration on the song you're listening to or the episode of Wendy Williams you're watching, you are doing it wrong. Weight up to the 16kg or even a 20kg. Pick a weight that you probably will not be able to complete all rounds unbroken. You should be so focused on moving the weight properly that all else in life is drowned out for the extent of the WOD. 

• EVERY DAY, I need you to text me which WOD and what level you have done, your weight(s) used and time (if part of the program).
• You'll notice that there are either three workouts, each differing in intensity, or suggestions for changing the WOD to suit your needs. Pick what works for you, striving for the most difficult.
• Movement quality over speed or quantity. Movements done poorly cause injuries. 
• For each new movement in the WOD, I have linked to a video on the movement. Watch them. Any questions, ask. We can always train the movements 1-1.
• No weak wrists
• You've been at this long enough now to start watching for inflexible joints and unusual pain with movement. A lot of this can be fixed if addressed early-let me know.

Straight leg hold for abs. On your back with hands flat under butt or flat on ground next to butt, raise your nearly straight legs roughly 6-12 inches and hold. Focus on neutral spinal alignment and belly button pulled in to spine. 3 days this week I want you to perform this for as long as you can, three times, with the goal of being able to complete a 2 minute hold. Don't worry, we'll revisit plank (iso-abdominal hold)


WOD # 1 (Benchmark WOD. We will see this one again to gauge progress)

Firebreather
Four rounds for time (RFT):
25 1H swings each hand
25 goblet squats


Smoke Eater

Ten rounds for time (RFT):
10 1H swings each hand
10 goblet squats



Rookie

Four rounds for time (RFT):

25 1H swings each hand
25 air squats



WOD #2

Firebreather
300 swings


Smoke Eater
200 1H swings


Rookie
200 2H swings


WOD #3

Firebreather
Fight Gone Bad (Like UFC: 3 rounds of 5 minutes, 2 min rest between rounds)
1 minute 1H swing
1 minute forward lunges
1 minute clean
1 minute press
1 minute air squat


Smoke Eater

Fight Gone Bad (Like UFC: 3 rounds of 5 minutes, 2 min rest between rounds)
1 minute 1H swing
1 minute forward lunges
1 minute clean
1 minute press
1 minute fig 8 to hold



Rookie

Fight Gone Bad (Like UFC: 3 rounds of 5 minutes, 2 min rest between rounds)
30 sec work, 30 sec rest 1H swing
30 sec work, 30 sec rest forward lunges
30 sec work, 30 sec rest clean
30 sec work, 30 sec rest press
30 sec work, 30 sec rest air squat


WOD #4

Firebreather (broken up however you want)
300 swings
50 burpees

Smoke Eater (broken up however you want)
200 1H swings
50 burpees

Rookie (broken up however you want)
200 2H swings
25 burpees

WOD #5

Firebreather
5 RFT:
30 mountain climbers
20 clean and jerk
10 snatch (if you don't know the movement, swings instead)


Smoke Eater
5 RFT:
20 mountain climbers
20 clean and jerks


Rookie
6 RFT:

10 mountain climbers
10 clean and jerks

WODs 02/05/12

New format starting this week. I've begun scaling the WOD for different abilities. You'll notice that there are either three workouts, each differing in intensity, or suggestions for changing the WOD to suit your needs. Pick what works for you, striving for the most difficult. 

• EVERY DAY, I need you to text me which WOD and what level you have done, your weight(s) used and time (if part of the program).
• Movement quality over speed or quantity. Movements done poorly cause injuries. 
• For each new movement in the WOD, I have linked to a video on the movement. Watch them. Any questions, ask. We can always train the movements 1-1.
• No weak wrists
• You've been at this long enough now to start watching for inflexible joints and unusual pain with movement. A lot of this can be fixed if addressed early-let me know.

Planks for ABS We're also going to work on something new. 3 days this week I want you to perform the plank for as long as you can, three times, with the goal of being able to complete a 2 minute hold.



WOD #
Firebreather
For time:
100 clean and press
100 squats


Smoke Eater
For time:
50 clean and press
50 air squat


Rookie
For time: 2 rounds of:
20 clean and press
20 air squat


WOD #2
Firebreather
300 swings


Smoke Eater
200 1H swings


Rookie
200 2H swings


WOD #3
Firebreather
8 RFT:
20 1H swing 
10 forward lunges


Smoke Eater
Same as Firebreather, just lighter KB


Rookie
5 RFT instead of 8 and light weight KB

WOD #4

Firebreather
300 swings


Smoke Eater
200 1H swings


Rookie
200 2H swings


WOD #5
Firebreather
5 RFT:
5 Thrusters each hand
10 Crossfit burpees (With full pushup)
15 swings


Smoke Eater

5 RFT:
5 Thrusters each hand
10 burpees or squat thrust (different name, same movement -no pushup)
15 swings



Rookie

3 RFT:
2 Thrusters each hand
6 burpees or squat thrust (different name, same movement -no pushup)
9 swings

WODs 01/29/2012

• If you're a firebreather, double the squats and/or swings.
• If swings seem easy or boring, go up in weight. To really get the most out of them, the weight should be such that you can only do 12-15 at a time. 
• Non-squatters can leave the squats out of the WOD and reduce the time by 2 minutes. You're not off the hook though; I want you to do 4 solid minutes of squat form work before the WOD each day. This does not mean max reps in 4 minutes, this means a few quality squat movements each minute. The 4 minutes is just a time frame
• Squats are critically important, as they are a foundational movement that other movements will build upon. Also they heal knee joints if done correctly. Of primary importance, however, is that squats are the type of compound muscle exercise that will burn fat and cause the hormonal response that will help you reach your goals.
• EVERY DAY, I need you to text me your WOD times.
• For each new movement in the WOD, I have linked to a video on the movement. Watch them.
• No weak wrists

WOD #1
200 1H swings

WOD #2
Death by...
With a continuously running clock, perform on the minute:
1 forward lunge each leg
3 2H swings
1 round first minute, 2 rounds second minute, 3 rounds third minute... until you fill the minute. Rest 3 minutes, then repeat.

WOD #3
7 RFT (rounds for time)
7 bent over rows each hand
7 clean and press each hand
7 1H swings each hand

WOD #4

60 thrusters (30 each hand)


WOD #5
300 swings

WODs 1/22/2012

A couple of key points:

• If you're a firebreather, double the squats and/or swings
• Non-squatters can leave the squats out of the WOD and reduce the time by 2 minutes. You're not off the hook though; I want you to do 4 solid minutes of squat form work before the WOD each day. This does not mean max reps in 4 minutes, this means a few quality squat movements each minute. The 4 minutes is just a time frame
• Squats are critically important, as they are a foundational movement that other movements will build upon. Also they heal knee joints if done correctly. Of primary importance, however, is that squats are the type of compound muscle exercise that will burn fat and cause the hormonal response that will help you reach your goals.
• EVERY DAY, I need you to text me your WOD times.
• For each movement in the WOD, I have linked to a video on the movement. Watch them.
• No weak wrists

WOD #1
250 swings

WOD #2
15 minutes AMRAP
6 press each hand
6 halo each direction
15 swings

WOD #3
12 minutes, AMRAP (as many rounds as possible):
10 squats
10 figure 8 to hold each hand
12 cleans

WOD #4
For 15 minutes, with a continuously running timer, each minute on the minute:
3 bent-over rows each hand
3 squats
3 halo

WOD #5
250 swings

WODs for Week of Dec 19th

Do the WODs in any order you like, just remember to lightly warmup and stretch

WOD 1:
In 12 minutes do as many rounds as possible (AMRAP) of:
5 Jumping squats
10 Swings

WOD 2:
Do 7 rounds of the following for time (RFT)
7 swings
7 lunges each leg
7 swings
3 burpees

WOD 3:
100 swings (break them into as many sets as necessary)

WOD 4:
4 RFT
16 steps walking lunge
Run back to start
5 burpees

WODs for Week of Dec 12th

Now that your swings are well practiced (I know, over a week longer than I planned too), here are four WODs for this week. I want you to do them with one day off between, except on four-day. Day one is off, day two is WOD, day three is WOD, day four is WOD.

So, for example, my week would  look like this:
Monday:          Work-off, WOD-on
Tuesday:          Work-off, WOD-on
Wednesday:     Work-off, WOD-off
Thursday:         Work-on, WOD-on
Friday:             Work-off, WOD-off
Saturday:         Work-on, WOD-on
Sunday:           Work-off, WOD-off

Do the WODs in any order you like, just remember to lightly warmup and stretch

WOD 1:
In 12 minutes do as many rounds as possible (AMRAP) of:
5 pushups
10 swings
5 squats

WOD 2:
Do 7 rounds of the following for time (RFT)
7 swings
7 lunges each leg
7 swings
3 burpees

WOD 3:
100 swings (break them into as many sets as possible)

WOD 4:
10 rounds of:
5 Jumping squats
10 Swings

Build up phase

Until the month of December, the WOD is 100 swings a day with as heavy a weight as you like (or have) broken up however you like.


100 swings

One week's worth of WODs

Diet is 80% of health, exercise is only 20%. Don't buy into biggest loser-hype of exercising until you slim down or die. You also don't have to spend hours performing cardio. HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is where it's at. And I center my HIIT WODs (Workout Of the Day) around the kettlebell.

The kettlebell, like the Russian Spetznaz, is brutally efficient. It will transform your physique and fix your skeletal inadequacies.

Since this section of the blog is aimed at the people who I have already trained and who I monitor, I advise those who are new to physical activity and / or kettlebells to seek qualified guidance.

WOD 1 
4 RFT (Rounds For Time)
10 swings
5 Tactical lunges each leg
10 swings
7 figure 8's

WOD 2
200 swings for time

WOD 3
5 RFT
12 suitcase deadlifts
20 sec sprint
walk back to start

WOD 4
Ladder (for time) 1,2,3,... 9,10
Kettlebell slam
Squat
Swing

Equipment

So... for you to perform the workouts detailed here, I need you to have certain gear.

Must have:

• Kettlebell of sufficient weight to challenge yourself without hurting yourself.

Beginner women: 8kg

Fit women: 12kg

Studly women: 16kg

Wonderwoman: 24kg

Buttercup men: 12kg

Average man: 16kg

Ripped dude: 24kg

Ubermensch: 32kg

• a place to run

• and a timer capable of alternating between two time periods. Example: Tabata intervals - 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest, repeat 7 more times for a total of 8 rounds.

Great to have:

• Jump rope (especially speed rope)

• Pullup bar

• Jump box