Workout of the Week, 12.28.11

I did the 12 Days of Xmas yesterday and got through 10 rounds then I had to go back to the office.  If you haven't done the workout yet, I recommend that you try it and scale appropriately.  It's tough!

This week's workout:

50 burpees for time

Keeping it simple...

Espi's Workout, 12.23.11

Went to a BootCamp class at my gym today.  I modified some of the exercises for my back

1 minute circuits with 15 second transition

Circuit #1
Step up 10# db (the class did box jumps)
Dumbbell deadlift 20#
Plank hold (the class did situps)
Row
Push-up
Snatch 15# (the class used 20#)
Thrusters 15#

Circuit #2
Run (I subbed with rowing)
Plank hold (situps)
Push press 15#
Step up 10# (box jump)
Handstand push-up
Dumbbell clean and jerks 15#
Row

Workout of the Week, 12.21.11

12 Days of Xmas Workout!
(inspired by a workout I saw at my gym)

I haven't tried this yet but I plan on doing it over the weekend.  Below are 12 exercises.  Do 1 rep of exercise 1, then 2 reps of exercise 1 and 2, then 3 reps of exercise 1-3, etc....

For example:
1 squat
2 squats, 2 queixadas (R-L is one rep)
3 squats, 3 queixadas, 3 armadas
etc...

*For unilateral movements, R-L counts as one repetition.

1	squats
2	queixada
3	armada
4	push ups
5	split jump squats
6	negativa advancada
7	jump squats
8	burpees
9	queida de jin
10	au
11	1:00 hand stand hold
12	1:30 plank hold

Enjoy!!!

Espi's Workout, 12.14.11

Short workout at the gym because I have to spend a lot of time doing exercises for myback.

3 rounds of:
10 queida de jin (starting in A frame position with both legs extended)
10 goblet squats with 36 lb kettlebell
10 au stretch to queida de jin
10 pistol squats (with a stool underenath to decrease depth and a weight for counter balance)

*For queida de jin and pistol squats, I did 5 to each side.

Pistol squats are a great way to work the legs without lifting heavy weights.  I'd like to get full range of motion in my pistol squats so I'll be working on these a lot in the next month or so.

Workout of the Week, 12.14.11

Flight Simulator - Double-unders (5-10-15-20-25-20-15-10-5)*
*Scale reps as needed to complete around 5 minutes ie...(2-4-6-8-10-8...) Complete as unbroken sets.

Gata reminded me of this workout today:

Run 1 mile
50 air squats
50 situps
50 pushups
Run 1 mile

Espi's Workout, 12.8.11

7 rounds of-
7 handstand pushups (w/ block underneath to decrease range)
7 goblet squats with 12kg kettlebell
7 toes to bar
7 standing band rows
7 pushups
7 walking OH lunges (R-L counts as 1 rep)
7 pull ups with band

This took about 30 minutes.

If you don't have the equipment, you can substiute other movements.

Espi's Workout, 12.6.11

5 sets of -
10 TRX back rows, with palms facing down and focusing on squeezing the shoulder blades together
10 pushups
Rest about 1 minute between sets

5 sets of -
5 dips
7 pushups (I did 10 the first set but I was already really fatigued from the back rows/pushups so I switched to 7)
Rest about 1:30-2:00 minutes between sets

Workout of the Week, 12.6.11

I did a variation of this workout at a Bootcamp class at my gym.  I didn't want to aggravate my back so I used 15# dumbbells:

Here's a video of the thruster-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNTW7B09VJg

Part I:
20 thrusters (w/ 10-30 pound weights)
20 air squats
20 lunges (w/ 10-30 pound weights)
20 situps
Rest 1 minute

20 thrusters (w/ 10-30 pound weights)
20 body weight lunges
20 lunges (w/ 10-30 pound weights)
1 minute plank hold, on hands
Rest 1 minute

20 thrusters (w/ 10-30 pound weights)
20 air squats with a small jump at the end
20 lunges (w/ 10-30 pound weights)
1 minute plank hold, elbows
Rest 1 minute

Then..

Part II
Tabata rounds-

4 minutes of:
20 sec pushups, 10 sec plank hold, 20 sec push ups, 10 sec plank hold....

4 minutes of:
20 sec air squats, 10 rest, 20 sec air squats, 10 rest....
Try to do at least 15 air squats each round

The end..

Espi's Workout, 11.29.11

I'm also going to start posting some of the workouts I do at lunch to give you some additional ideas.  Keep in mind that I'm still recovering from my back injury so my workouts are somewhat limited.

Turkish get-ups (both sides)
1 x 5 @ 10 lbs
1 x 4 @ 15 lbs
3 x 3 @ 20 lbs

Workout of the Week, 11.29.11

4 Rounds of (for time):
10 au stretch to queida de jin
20 armada transition armada
30 esquiva lateral
40 quebra (side to side)
Rest 1 minute

On the esquiva lateral and the quebra I want you to stay low and focus on shifting your hips.

3 rounds of:
1:30 plank
1:00 side plank (both sides)
Rest 1:30 minutes

Pre/Post Thanksgiving Workout, 11.23.11

Inspired by CrossFit Balance "Pre-Turkey Burn" workout: http://www.crossfitbalance.com/blog/2011/11/16/wednesday-november-23-2011.html

800m Run

60 Squats

30 Push-ups

400m Run

40 Squats

20 Push-ups

800m Run

20 Squats

10 Push-ups

 

Workout of the Week, 11.22.11

Glute activation - I've been reading up on proper glute activation lately.  Here are some exercises to help activate the largest muscle in our body which will help us work more effiicently. 
Here's one article I read:  http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/dispelling_the_glute_myth

The Bird Dog helps activate the glutes, opens up the hips, and makes your abs work to keep you stable.
Here’s how to do it:
-Start in a quadruped (all fours) position.
-Brace your abs, and prepare yourself for instability.
-Working with opposite limbs, raise one leg and one arm.
-While raising your limbs, think of extending and lengthening your body.  Avoid arching your back and lifting your hand and foot towards the ceiling.  Again, think of lengthening your body.
-Squeeze your butt tight at the top of the movement.
-Hold the top of the position for 5 seconds.

Hip thrusts

Lie on your back on the floor or on an exercise mat. Place your arms at your sides, with the palms on the floor next to your hips. Place your feet flat on the floor, directly beneath your knees. Pressing into the floor with your hands and feet, exhale as you tighten the gluteal muscles and press your pelvis upward toward the ceiling, extending the hips fully at the top. Hold for 5 seconds, then exhale as you slowly lower the hips to the floor.

Do 2x10 of each of these as part of your warm up.

Workout of the Week:

25 single leg burpees (on each side)
You can break up the sets however you want.

Workout of the Week, 11.15.11

I'm giving you lots of options this week:

Workout 1
Tabata rounds (20 sec on, 10 off for four minutes)
Burpees

Workout 2
5 rounds of-
30 sec of meia lua de compasso transition meia lua de compasso* (side to side w/ no ginga), as fast as you can
Rest 1 minute
*Another option is to do queixada transition armada transition meia lua de compasso, over and over (no ginga)
Note: make sure you do a good warm up before yo do this

Workout 3
5 rounds of-
20 over head walking lunges (w/ 10-25 pounds)
15 push ups
10 squats
5 hand stand push ups (I place a book or block to mark the depth I want to reach)

Group Workout, 11.13.11

Running workout with Abbi and Wallace from the HU track team.  I learned a lot of good information from this workout.

Warm up- 2 lapsDynamic and static stretching
Drills:
-Walking Marches
- A-Skip
- B-Skip
-C-Skip
-High knees
-Butt Kicks
-Running trail legs
-Karaoke
-1 leg hop rotation
-Bounding (x4)
(Each drill was done twice except bounding)
Work Out:- Fast twitch High knee reaction (this is the one where I had you guys hold on to the gate while I called out "Mark")
-High Knee Break Downs (this is the exercise where we called out a number and everyone did the amount of high knees we called out)
- 20 strides working on running form
Cool Down- 1 lap

Workout of the Week, 11.8.2011

Tabata squats-
20 seconds squat
10 seconds squat hold
20 seconds squat
10 seconds squat hold
.....
For a total of 4 minutes

Tabata push ups-
20 seconds push ups, 10 seconds rest, 20 seconds push ups, 10 seconds rest....  For a total of 4 minutes

5 rounds of (as fast as you can) -
Bear crawl
5 jump squats
Crab walk
5 burpees

Sunday's Group Workout, 11.6.2011

Run 1 mile
50 push ups
50 squats
50 sit ups
Run 1 mile

Workout of the Week, 10.31.11

We have three more classes left!  Try to squeeze in at least one workout during the week.

The workout this will be light so you can save your energy for workshosp with Mestre Curisco

Ginga (with good form) for a total of 10 minutes

Wall squat
Hold for 1:30 minutes, x 3

Side plank
Hold for 1 minute on each side, x3

Sunday's Group Workout, 10.29.11

It was another beautiful Sunday so we took the workout to the park

3 sets of -
5 pull ups (partner assisted for most)
5 pull up negatives (jump or step up to the top of the pull up position, then slowly descend)

21 burpees
21 push ups
21 bench jumps
Run 1 lap around the park
15 burpees
15 push ups
15 bench jumps
Run 1 lap around the park
9 burpees
9 push ups
9 bench jumps
Run 1 lap around the park

Extra Workout!

Because of my back injury I can't do burpees so I did this workout yesterday:

4 rounds of -
1 minute of OH walking lunges (w/ 10-25 lb weight, or regular walking lunges if you don't have weights)
1 minute of push ups
1 minute of squats
1 minute hand stand hold (against wall)
Rest 1 minute

*Keep track of the numbers of reps each round and try to stay consistent

Workout of the Week, 10.24.2011

20 burpees
20 squats
Bear crawl*
15 burpees
15 squats
Bear crawl
10 burpees
10 squats
Bear crawl
5 burpees
5 squats
Bear crawl
*Bear crawl approximately the length of the academy

Additional core work-
5 attempts at max L-sit hold
See this website for variations on the L-sit hold: http://gymnasticbodies.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=634

Group Workout, 10.23.11

Push up/shoulder press ladder
1 push up, 1 partner assisted shoulder press
2 push ups, 2 partner assisted shoulder presses
etc... up to 10 pushups, 10 partner assisted shoulder presses

3 rounds of -
1 minute AMRAP of stair jumps (the big stairs at Banneker), rest 1 minute

Stair runs
1 minute of stair runs, 1 minute rest
2 minutes of stair runs, 2 minute rest
3 minutes of stair runs, 3 minute rest
4 minutes of stair runs... Done!

Workout of the Week, 10.18.2011

10 rounds for time:
-10 pushups
-10 situps
-10 squats

200 meia lua de compassos
Focus on keeping the front leg bent and sitting deep.  You can break the sets up however you want.  You have the option of just focusing on the basic kick or if you're a more seasoned capoerista, you can double up, practice trocas, start the kick from different positions, etc.   

Group Workout, 10.16.2011

It was another beautiful day on Sunday so we took the workout to the track

3 max handstand hold attempts (against the wall)
-Rest 1.5-2 minutes in between each attempt

Repeat this 3 times:
AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) for 4 minutes
-Bear crawl about 20 meters
-5 burpees
-10 lunges
-2 stair sprints
-Rest 1 minute

Workout of the Week, 10.11.2011

I'm posting two workouts this week.  Try to do both of them!


Workout 1
10 rounds of-
30 sec handstand hold against a wall
30 sec hold at bottom of squat

Workout 2
100 push ups, 7 jumping squats for each broken set (if you can do 100 push ups in a row, you don't have to do any jumping squats)
*Make sure you get full range of motion on each push up.  Feel free to modify (i.e. push ups from knees) but stay consistent.

Enjoy!!

Group workout, 10.9.2011

It was a beautiful day on Sunday so we took the workout outside.  Good job to everyone that made it out on Sunday!

4 rounds of -
Run 400 meters (1/4 mile)
20 pushups
20 squats
20 situps

Workout of the Week, 10/3/2011

Make sure you do a good warm up before you start the workout.

Do 20 reps of these 10 exercises for time (in this order):

Burpee
Squat
Push up
Walking lunge
Superman
Esquiva lateral
Sit up
Plank walk
Queixada
Mountain climber

See below for techniuqe-

Burpee - you can modify the burpee depending on your fitness level
Squat - make sure weight is in the heels, chest is lifted, and knees are not caving in.  Go slightly below parallel.
Push up - chest needs to touch the ground
Walking lunge - each lunge counts as 1 rep.  Keep the weight in the heels and make sure your knee is in line with your ankle when you do the lunge
Superman - see here for an example http://www.floota.com/superman_exercise.html
Esquiva lateral - start in esquiva lateral to one side and switch side to side.  Each side counts as 1 rep.
Sit up -  make sure shoulder blades touch the ground at the bottom and you extend all the way up, leading with the chest
Plank walk - see the Sunday's group workout posting for the video.  Down, down, up, up counts as 1 rep.
Queixada - do queixadas back to back; no jinga in between
Mountain climber - see here for an example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTq2cfppWIc&feature=related.  R, L counts as 1 rep.

Sunday's Group Workout, 10/2/2011

4 minute circuit, rest 1 minute.  Repeat 4 times

Burpees - 1 min
Squats - 1 min
Plank walk* - 1 min
Overhead lunges** - 1 min

*Here's a video on the plank walk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLXCa0-BV24
Rotate sides each time (R down, L down, R up, L up.  Then L down, R down, L up, R up, etc)

**If you've never done overhead lunges, just do regular walking lunges

Assignment for the Week

Please spend some time this week to do the three exercises below.  We will do these again at the end of the two months to track progress.

Max number of pushups
-No resting in between
-Chest must touch the ground to count as a rep
-If you can't do them from your feet, do the pushups from your knees.  Make sure your butt is not sticking up in the air.
-If you can't get your chest to the ground from your knees, that's okay.  Mark zero in your notebook and we'll work on it!

Max handstand hold (against a wall)
-Make sure your butt is not resting on the wall

Max plank hold
-no butts in the air or saggy bellies :)

Back from a short hiatus

I apologize for discontinuing the workout postings.  Summer is usually my favorite time to train but I've been dealing with a back injury that has set back my training.  It was difficult for me to come up with workouts and motivate people when I couldn't train myself.  Although I'm still unable to train to my normal capacity, I'm hoping to find some inspiration by doing this Pre-Holiday BootCamp.

I will be using this blog log to keep track of the BootCamp workouts.  Please feel free to comment!

Workout of the Week, 5/25/2011

I apologize for the late posting.  It's been a busy week!

5 rounds for time-
Run 200m, 10 squats, 10 push ups

Workout of the Week, 5/17/2011

This is the Crossfit Balance workout of the day:

AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) for 15 minutes:
5 Clapping Push-ups*
30 mountain climbers (each leg)
3 Turkish Get-ups (each arm)**
30 mountain climbers (each leg)

*Scaling options:
1) If you usually do push-ups from the knees but can do a few regular push-ups, try regular push-ups
2) If you can do regular push-ups but can't do a full clapping pushup, try plyo push-ups. 
The guy in this video isn't getting his chest all the way down so just use this as a reference for the plyo aspect - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjtdydB1v80
Note:  Do not do clapping push-ups from the knees for this workout

**The prescribed weight using kettlebells (or dumbbells) is 54lbs men /35lbs women.
Here are two videos on turkish getups:
This one is very detailed:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqyIuFIdgRk
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmzFAgYCAu0&feature=related

My workout:  I did 4 rounds plus 5 clapping pushups.  I used 25lb and it was quite challenging.

Workout of the Week, 5/10/2011

A few tips on training...

1.  Keep a workout log and track your progress.
2.  At the beginning of each week, write down your goals for the week.  This will keep your training focused.
3.  Make sure you are getting adequate recovery.  Over-training will stunt your progress and lead to injuries. 

Workout #1
“Annie”
50-40-30-20-10
Double-unders (sub tuck jumps or scale to half)
Sit-ups
*This is a Crossfit bencmark workout (usually done with an AbMat).  We did this workout a couple months ago.  Make sure you record your time so you can track your progress. 

Workout #2
60 second Handstand Hold
60 second Hollow Rock
45 second Handstand Hold
45 second Hollow Rock
30 second Handstand Hold
30 second Hollow Rock
15 second Handstand Hold
15 second Hollow Rock

Workout of the Week, May 2, 2011

#1
4 rounds of:
200 m run
15 pushups
15 box jumps
15 burpees

#2
5 rounds of:
40 sec lateral shuffle to burpee, rest 20 sec
-Focus on staying on the balls of your feet and moving quickly.
-Do the lateral shuffle until you reach the end of your training space, then do 1 burpee, continue the lateral shuffle in the other direction.

Workout of the Week, 4/25/2011

#1
5 rounds of:
30 double unders (sub tuck jumps if you can't do a double under)
10 pushups
5 burpee box jumps

#2
3 max handstand hold attempts
-rest 2 minutes in between

#3
20 supermans
20 V-ups
15 supermans
15 V-ups
10 supermans
10 V-ups
5 supermans
5 V-ups

Workout of the Week, 4/19/2011

3 rounds of :
1 minute AMRAP (as many reps as possible) of each exercise, then rest for 1 minute
-pushups
-squats
-burpees
-handstand shrugs

Keep track of your reps and try to maintain that number each round. 

Extra Workouts for the Week!

It's that time of the year when everyone is scrambling to get back in tip top shape (I know I am!) so here are a few extra workouts for the week.

1.  From the CrossFit main site: 

400 m walking lunges (1 lap around the track)
*keep track of time and number of steps

2.  From CrossFit Balance:

Complete 5 rounds for time:
20 burpees
20 overhead walking lunges - each step is one lunge (45lb for men, 25lb for women)
*Scale weight if needed.  We have weight plates in the office at the academy.

Check the CrossFit Balance blog for times posted.  Can anyone finish this in under 11 minutes?
http://www.crossfitbalance.com/blog/2011/4/11/tuesday-april-12-2011.html#comments

3.  Capoeira training:

300 armadas - you can break up the sets however you want and add variations in between.
For example:
Set 1 - armada with one ginga in between
Set 2 - quebra into armada
Set 3 - quebra after armada
Set 4 - quebra into armada quebra after
Set 5 - esquiva lateral then armada
Set 6 - armada esquiva de lado
etc.......

Workout of the Week! 4-11-2011

It's spring!  Grab a buddy and do this workout outside during your lunch break.

From Crossfit Balance:
Complete the following AMRAP (as many reps as possible):
4 Min Stairs
3 Min Double-unders
2 Min Stairs
1 Min Burpee Tuck Jumps
2 Min Stairs
3 Min Double-unders
4 Min Stairs

See the Crossfit Balance blog for stairs in DC -  http://www.crossfitbalance.com/blog/2011/3/10/friday-march-11-2011.html

Workout of the Week, 4-5-2011

Option 1:

21-15-9
Box jumps
Thrusters
Burpees

Do 21 box jumps, 21 thrusters, 21 burpees, then 15...

Video on box jumps:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRpowg_Pxk4&feature=related
If you don't have access to a box, you can use a workout bench or any elevated surface.  Make sure to fully extend the hips before you jump/step down.

Video on thrusters:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNTW7B09VJg
Make sure you do a full squat and extend your arms as you rise from the squat.  DO NOT do a full squat and then a full shoulder press

Option 2:

4 rounds of :
Run 1/2 mile
Rest for 1 minute

Option 3:

5 rounds of:
1 minute of queixada, armada, meia lua de compasso (with transition in between and no ginga)
Rest for 1 minute

Enjoy!!!

Workout of the Week, 3/29/2011

Cigana and I did this workout on the beach in JA!  It's a nice and simple full body workout.

Complete 3 rounds for time:
50 air squats
40 walking lunges (count each lunge as one rep)
30 situps
20 burpees
10 pushups

Here's an additional workout if you have time.

Complete the following:
60 Seconds Handstand Hold
60 Seconds Hollow Rock
45 Seconds Handstand Hold
45 Seconds Hollow Rock
30 Seconds Handstand Hold
30 Seconds Hollow Rock
15 Seconds Handstand Hold
15 Seconds Hollow Rock

Here is a video on how to do the "hollow rock":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxMtbEQFpnw&feature=related

Workout of the Week, 3/14/2011

This is the workout from this week's BootCamp:

50 situps

50 double unders

50 situps

50 walking lunges

50 situps

50 burpees

50 situps

Here's an additional workout for the week:

21-15-9

Handstand pushups

Jumping squats

1/4 mile run

Do 21 handstand pushups, 21 jumping squats, then 1/4 mile run.  Then 15, then 9.

I'm off to Jamaica until March 22nd!  Have a good week! 

Workout of the Week, 3/7/2011

Check out this video on the Paleo Diet and working out - http://www.crossfitbalance.com/blog/2011/3/6/monday-march-8-2011.html
 
Workout of the Week! 
Option 1 (from Crossfit Balance 3/4/11 WOD, minus the 2K row, see link below
http://www.crossfitbalance.com/blog/2011/3/2/thursday-march-3-2011.html#comments)
800m run (1/2 mile)
100 double unders
800m run
75 double unders
800m run
50 double unders

Option 2 (from Danielle Dionne's Intro to Crossfit class):
1 mile run
50 pushups
50 squats
50 situps
1 mile run

Remember - you can always scale the workouts to fit your needs.

Enjoy!