Training Log

11/19/2013

• Lax Ball SMR

Warm-up:

• Lateral
• Hip Cradle
• Step over to Lateral lunge
• Rotational lateral lunge
• Low lateral walk
• Cross over hand walk
• Side shuffle
• Carioca
• Lateral Skip
• Stick stretches
• Overhead squats with stick

Prep Power Work:

• Box Jumps: 26” x 5
• 5 Jungle gym roll outs
• Box Jumps: 34” x 5
• 5 Jungle gym roll outs

TGU Swing Super sets:

• 1 TGU each + 10 power swings(down swing emphasis)
• 16kg-20kg-24kg-32kg 

Overhead squat ( 1 min rest)

20kg (bar) x 4/ 20kg x5 (w/ heel lift)/20kg x 5 (wider stance toes out no lift/20kg X 5 more speed/

20kg w/ pauses

Straighter leg deadlift (1 min rest)

64kg (bell) x 5/96kg x 5(16kg+32kg*2)/104kg x 5(20kg+32kg*2)/112kgx5(24+32*2)/64kg (32+32*2)

Sleds and Suitcases:

• Lateral drags x 5 x 150lbs
• Suitcase 32kg

Skill and exercise

One of the double edged swords of fitness is the skill component of each exercise.  The technique and form of performing each exercise is a constant evolution.  No matter how advanced you are there is always more you can get from each exercise. The best athletes in the world are constantly refining what they do.  After you reach a certain level, performance comes from the little things.  Tweaking also makes the same old exercise fun and exciting.  There is no perfection just the pursuit.  Enjoy the journey and have fun!

Free range fitness

I like to think of us as a free range fitness. We choose to not be locked into a cage of a singular idea.  We explore all aspects of training. Some say it is undisciplined, but we think it is fun. We are not afraid to try new things or old things and safely apply them to our program. Our silo door is open and we are nebbing into someone else's all of the time. Pam, Marisa, Alison, and I love this exploration of ideas and want to remind you it's about the journey.

Keep moving!

10 Things to do over the holiday weekend

We  will miss you over the Holiday weekend, but here are some ideas so you can enjoy yourself.  Get and play or relax and enjoy!

1.  Go for a hike

      Local Favorite: Boyce Mayview Park

      Road trip McConnells Mill

                       

2. Go Kayaking/Canoeing

      Kayak Pittsburgh

      Raccoon Creek Park

           

3. Go for a bike ride

      Bike Pittsburgh

4. Golf

      It counts, it’s outdoors

5. Swim

      Dormont Pool

6. Watch the sunset

7. Watch the sunrise

8. See if you can stay out side between Sunrise and Sunset

9. Relax and let your body and mind reset

10. Read a book on the porch 

So enjoy your long weekend!  We look forward to seeing you Tuesday relaxed and refreshed.

The 23 to 1 rule

A while back I heard from somewhere or someone that there is the 23 to 1 rule:

Even if you work out 1 hour a every day it doesn't really negate the other 23.

You have to think about your health the entire 24 hours and make decisions that are good for your body.  I am a firm believer in good sleep and there is enough research out there to support the numerous benefits of a quality slumber.  Being a reasonable person I think 8 is a magic number, but 7 works (and is more realistic for most people), and I think 6 is a little low.  So that leaves around 16 hours remaining in your day where you should be moving and using your body.

The work day takes 8-10 hours and there is plenty of opportunity there to get some extra “work” in.  Throughout each day take the opportunity to walk, choose stairs, or stand and work for a while.  Sitting causes more damage than we realize yet probably spend 10+ hours a day doing it.

There are other ways you can get “work” in.  Allison Sobczak likes to do leg swings while she brushes her teeth.  You can do neck mobility exercises while waiting at traffic lights during your commute.  When you carry something think of it as a suitcase carry, engaging the opposite side oblique.  Any low level activity to get the body moving works, it doesn't have to be challenging.   We were built to move through all ranges of motion throughout the day.  Need to pick something up from the floor?  Work on a good deep squat.  We dead lift and hip hinge in the gym so that strength and movement can carry over to life.  Keep that flat back and move through the hips.  You can work on balance, try to walk curbs or stand one leg while waiting for something.  Apply what you learn and practice in the gym in the rest of your day.

"MOVE! Because you can.  If you won't - tomorrow you might not be able to." - Ido Portal

Get Outside! One of my favorite parts about living in our area of Pittsburgh is the opportunity to connect with nature rather quickly.  Outside of a dangerous storm there is no excuse for not getting outside.  Within a few minutes of the gym there are several nice trails to hike on.

  

Exploring Wingfield Pines

Bella’s favorite:

Wingfield Pines: http://goo.gl/maps/Dk1Lp

This is an old mine area that is being reclaimed and it has descriptive markers so you can understand the process.  It is a great place to take your dog too and most people have their dogs off leash.  It is one big loop so it is hard to get lost.

Boyce Mayview Park/Upper St. Clair Rec Center: http://goo.gl/maps/1Ds68

This is a more complex area that has numerous miles of trails to explore.  It really makes you feel as if you are out there, while still being close to home.  This takes a little skill to navigate, but overall a fun place to go.

Fairview Park: http://goo.gl/maps/YiAH3

This place really lives up to its name giving you a great view of the Chartiers Valley.  It is mostly open fields with some challenging climbs.  This is another great place for dogs to run free. 

There are plenty more, but these are all within a five minute drive from the gym.  Hiking is a great way to recover and re-energize, so put on a pair of good shoes grab some water and go.

On the Montour Trail

If you make the most of your day, you will earn your rest!

Writen By Justin Thomas

Owner, Instinct Fitness

The Road to 2000 - A Forced Detour

The road to 2000 pts in the pentathlon has taken a detour.  One was under my control the other was not. While training cleans with the 88lb bell I felt a stabbing pain in my ribs.  Stupidly I kept training and completed a real heavy workout. I was able to push some big weights.  The next day breathing was hard and it felt like someone was turning a knife in my rigs at random moments.  After a few days the pain went away and I went back to training.  That was a bad idea as I again recreated the pain.  The lesson learned was that I need to do more of what I tell everyone else to do: horizontal push and pull and balance out the vertical nature of sport.  I should of also gradually built up to heavy cleans. Oh and I didn't warm up - all poor choices on my part.  A lot of people think I have all of the opportunity in the world to train and actually the opposite is true.  I tend to squeeze workouts in and I cut corners and focus on what my strengths are.  I should do the opposite.  I am learning the coach needs a coach.

In digging around I felt a lump in my armpit that has been there for a while. Yes stoopid.  The wife also observed said lump and ordered me to the doctor.  I showed the lump to the doc and the doc ordered me to his office. In a matter of days I was getting an ultrasound and talking to a surgeon.  Fortunately it was benign and they recommended its removal.  I chose to do it as soon as reasonably possible (2 weeks before the competition) and therefore taking myself out of the pentathlon competition.  This gives me the opportunity to focus on getting balanced for a few months and once the surgery is done there will be a lot of sled pushing in the future.  

Lessons learned are progression, balance, and proactivity with lumps.

Pittsburgh Passion Ticket Giveaway

This season we are a proud sponsor of the Pittsburgh Passion Women's Football team! We have 3 sets of tickets to give away for the games, and so for the next three weeks we will be having a competition!

Here's how it will work: each week there will be an event, and whoever has the highest score at the end of the week wins the tickets, and of course the glory!  You can participate on any day from Monday to Friday after any class time.  If you don't like your score on Monday, you can give it another shot on Tuesday (1 attempt per day allowed, you can only win one set of tickets).  

Events:

Week 1: April 15-19

Event: 5min on Rower.  Max distance wins.

Ticket Date: April 27^th

Week 2: April 22-26

Event: Farmers hold for time.  Women use 2x16kg, men use 2x24kg.  Longest hold time wins.

Ticket Date: May 11^th

Week 3: April 29 – May 3

Event: Plank for time.  We will place a stick on your back, and you must maintain 2 points of contacts (shoulder blades and butt) for the entire time.  Max time wins.

Ticket Date: June 8^th

The Road to 2000 - Part 4

4/5/13

My workout

Cleans

   10ea @ 36kg
   10ea @ 40kg
   10ea @ 44kg

Clean and Press
   5ea @ 32kg x 2sets (no rest between)
   4ea @ 36kg x 1 set

Jerks
   5ea @ 40kg
   5ea @ 44kg
   15ea @ 32kg

Half snatch
   7ea @ 40kg
   9ea @ 36kg
   9ea @ 36kg

Push press
   10ea @ 28kg x 1
   10ea @ 28kg x2 (no rest between)

My goal was to move heavier weights for fewer reps.  I picked the weights based on how I was feeling, and the rep ranges were based on my desired number before a switch for the actual event.  My rest was close to maximal between sets unless otherwise noted.

Problems
My hands were screaming, especially the skin under my pinkie fingers. I really need to work on catching on the back swing.  My lats were also hurting after the cleans.  Power and strength were where they need to be.  Now I need to add some endurance.

My total workout time was 60 minutes plus warm up time.  My warm up wasn't very effective and may explain the tightness in my lats.

Time to eat!

The Road to 2000 - Part 3

3/27/2013

I am in a gym all day, and yes trying to find time to workout by myself is tough. It really boils down to a time energy continuum when the time is there I am tired when its not there is energy. I have started to fuel my body more since the amount of physical activity  I do on a regular basis leaves me hungry.  I need to eat more in relation to an increased level of work. This is where a resting Metabolic rate of 2800 calories is a curse.  So I have discovered that I need to take opportunity where I see it. Wednesdays class workout involved some sled sprinting and in order to keep the flow going I decided to jump in on a few sessions. I would guess I demoed about 15 pull-ups through out the evening as well.   It wasn't perfect but it was better than nothing. 

The only real work I did:

Dead lifts trap bar 

301x3

330x3

375x3

I was pretty pumped up because Wednesday night was a PR filled evening for all of the classes. I love watching people progress and "I love it when a plan comes together." Col. John "Hannibal" Smith. 

So I covered the more important strength work, but I have to hit some of the other stuff as well.  Split squats push ups roll outs and heavy carries. 

I attribute an increase in strength work to improved Kettlebell Sport performance so in these early stages I need to make sure I get some solid work in. 



3/28/2013

In attempt to truly tire out Bella before the wedding I took her on 6 miles of nature bound locomotion in Wingfield Pines and Boyce Mayview Park.  We jogged for about 4 of those miles, and walked the rest.  This also included some breaks while Bella played with the other dogs we met along the way.

The Road to 2000 - Part 2

Cramped for time today, so I had to make the most of the little bit I had.

10 minutes on the rower.

The Road to 2000 - Part 1

In the past year as I have started to train more clients at Instinct Fitness for Kettlebell Sport, my own training has been pushed aside.  Over the next 3 months I am going to dedicate the time to work on my personal sport goals.

Mission: Achieve a score of 2000 points in the World Kettlebell Club (WKC) Pentathlon

Start Date: 3/25/2013

Comp Date: 6/22/2013

Rules:  WKC Pentathlon Rules

The pentathlon consists of 5 exercises, each performed for 6 minutes with 5 minutes rest in between.

My Goals:

·         Cleans: 40kg x 120 reps = 600 points

·         Clean and Press: 24kg x 60 reps = 180 points

·         Jerk: 36kg x 120 reps = 540 points

·         Half Snatch :28kg x 108 reps = 378 points

·         Push Press: 24kg x 120 reps = 360 points

·         Total points: 2058

My Previous Best: 1750

Current overall place: 4^th (based off of results on WKC page)

Ivan Denisov: 2756

Andy Fitting: 2064

Simon Hikaka: 1802

Training session 1:

General Warm up:

Snow shoveling/Walking

Flexibility/ Mobility

·         Lax ball work trigger points on trap

·         Barbell Shoulder stretch

·         Barbell Cleans x 5 (just bar)

·         Barbell Close Grip Snatch x 5 (Just Bar)

·         Barbell Close Grip O.H. Squat x5 (just Bar)

·         Elbow repair with stretch band

Tissue Warmth (Rope)

• 100 reps alternating
• 100 reps circles
• 100 reps hip slams

Work:

Cleans

      Min 1: 20kg x 10L/10R
      Min 2: 24kg  x10L/10R
      Min 3: 28kg x 10L/10R
      Min 4: 30kg x 10L/10R
      Min 5: 32kg x 10L/10R
      Min 6: 36kg x 10L/10R

(Did a build up ladder to cleans due to a lack of heavy training with them since I have focused on biathlon for about a year)

10 minute break

Clean and Press:

      Min 1: 20kg x 5L/5R

      Min 2: 24kg x 5L/5R

      Min 3: 28kg x 5L/5R

      Min 4: 30kg x 5L/5R

      Min 5: 32kg x 5L/5R

      Min 6: 24kg x 5L/5R

2:30 break

Jerk:

      Min 1: 32kg x 10L/10R

      Min 2: 32kg x 10L/10R

      Min 3: 32kg x 10L/10R

      Min 4: 30kg x 10L/10R

      Min 5: 30kg x 10L/10R

      Min 6: 30kg x 8L/12 R

2:30 break

Half snatch:

      Min 1 thru 6: 28kg 9 reps per hand for a while then multiple switching probably totaled 100 reps

2:30 break

Push Press:

      Min 1 thru 6:  24kg 10L/10R 120 reps

Reflection:

My rep and weight schemes were chosen more of a feeler for where I am in relation to being ready. 

My weaknesses were in my quads on the jerk and gassing out during the sets.  I need to work on breathing a bit.  Due to limited time I did not take the full rest between sets.  Full rest may have helped, but conditioning still needs work.  Maybe I will go with metric obsession and buy a heart rate monitor finally.  Pressing strength is on target and could be where I see the biggest improvement. I may jump that weight up a bit.

Cleans were surprisingly tough and snatches seemed very manageable. 

Today reminded me of how unbelievably grueling this is and the mental will power it takes to push through. 

Post workout nutrition:

Immediately: Oatmeal and berry mix

Lunch*:

Half of a chicken

2 cups of mixed Vegetables

3 slices of Pizza (being honest)

           

*Thoughts on nutrition: When training last year I made numerous mistakes with nutrition in that I did not eat enough causing episodes of bonking.  I may do some fitness industry unapproved eating, but overall I plan on keeping it respectable.

I will keep updating as my journey continues.

-Justin Thomas