Well summer is finally here for real now in Canada, altough it did snow here in Calgary two weeks ago! Summer is a great time to take your training outside and get creative. Have some fun and losen up a bit!
Here is the simple outdoor workout I did Thursday. The purpose of this workout was simply to elevate my metabolism and improve athleticism a bit.
Bike Ride easy, 10 mins
Hills Sprints, 20 mins total including rest periods
Pull-ups and Push-ups at the park
Bike Ride hard, sprints, 15 minutes total
Mobility Drills
I should have done the mobility work first but I was so excited to get outside I forgot until I arrived at the hill. For some reason I feel like a dork doing hip circles in a park by myself so I just trained and then loosened up afterwards. Not ideal I know, but real life rarely is!
The workout I did here is not overly important, what is important is that training outside in fresh air and real sunlight is great for you. Your mood will improve and it will make training fun again! Nothing beats dragging your kettlebells or weights outside and blasting away in the sun with your shirt off!
Hey guys, here is Wednesday's speed squat workout. Use speed work if you want to improve explosiveness and/or technique in a specific lift. I am preparing for a powerlifting meet so improving speed in the squat, bench and deadlift is a must!
This session was short and sweet as I train 6 days a week and like to keep each session brief but intense. If you need to increase your core strength, and you probably do, that shovel lift is a great drill to build it.
I often do the shovel lift in a squatting motion and keep the bar parallel, but the video below shows a really effective version as well.
Hey everyone! Thanks goes out to Jay for this post.
As an avid weightlifter and chair sitter my spine is getting squished for lack of a better term all the time. The Thai boxing gym I used to train at had an inversion table that I used to just love, unfortunately my current gym doesn't have one and at the same time I am squatting more than ever. The result is a back that feels tight all the time. I have tried to loosen it up or decompress it without much success, that is until Jay sent me this link called Spinal Decompression Procedure for Increased Spine Health. There is some great info here guys so be sure to check it out!
Here are some similar articles you information seekers:
Tuesday's are Speed Bench training for me so I hit the gym to do just that. For speed bench, use about 55-65% of your 1 rep max. The goal is move the weight extremely fast, focus on velocity, not heavy weight. This will teach you to be fast and explosive, a skill that is proven to improve your 1 rep max!
Here is the workout:
Speed Bench 8 x 3 @ 65% 1 rep max (this is waved up and down throughout the weeks)
Pull Ups 8 x 4-5 (paired with speed bench)
Incline DB Press 3 x 30 second sets (counting time not reps)
Pull Ups 3 x 3 (paired with speed bench)
Cable Triceps Extensions 3 x 30 second sets (counting time not reps)
Rope Curls 3 x 30 second sets (counting time not reps)
Face Pulls 3 x 30 second sets (counting time not reps)
As you can see my accessory work uses time instead of reps to manage work load. For an understanding of why check out my previous post and the link placed in there. Basically I have reason to believe that my hypertrophy work sets have not been long enough to elicit actually hypertrophy. Time under tension is said to be a huge factor in hypertrophy and my sets usually last about 10 seconds when 30-45 seconds is said to be ideal.
I read a great article on T-nation yesterday that I feel bears repeating for you guys. It is called My Greatest Gains Ever: Dave Tate, and written by Nate Green. Make sure you read the article yourself but the gist of it is that for optimum muscular hypertrophy (get swole!) you need to put your muscles under tension for at least 30 seconds on each set! As you become adapted to this you can even increase your sets to 45 seconds long. The key here is not to focus on reps, but to focus on time; increase or decrease your tempo to ensure proper volume during each set. In simple terms, make sure you work hard for each set but focus on time not reps! I decided to try this out at home first so I used my trusty 24 kg kettlebells. Each set lasted 30 seconds with a 1 minute rest period. I used 2 kettlebells for each drill.
Military Press
Bent-Over Row
Stiff Leg Deadlift
Suit Case Deadlift (squat like motion)
Reverse Lunge
Rack Twist
Note that I do not list the reps completed. Just do as much work as you can for each drill in 30 seconds. I will add 5 seconds a week for 3 weeks instead of increasing the weight. Give time under tension training a try for yourself, it is harder that you will expect and a nice change from counting reps!
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