Complete 4 to 6 rounds of:
10 Bulgarian split squats (reps each leg)
20 Dumbbell Swings
10 Hand-release push ups
20 Reverse crunches
Today’s workout will require a timer set for 24 rounds of 20 seconds work and 10 seconds rest.
Eight rounds for max reps each exercise:
20 seconds Air Squats
10 seconds Rest
20 seconds Alternating Reverse Lunges
10 seconds Rest
20 seconds Burpees
10 seconds Rest
20 seconds Flutter Kicks
10 seconds Rest
Anyone who knows me knows that running is not my idea of a good time. BUT as a measure of keeping a well-rounded training program, I always include a weekly dose of low intensity sustained effort (LISE) into my training regimen. This workout is an easy way to impart some endurance quality training into your program.
Scale this workout up by substituting sprint efforts for the run efforts. Scale this workout down by substituting brisk walks for the run efforts. Download a “HIIT timer" app to your portable electronic device and set it to alert you every 30 seconds for 30 minutes.
In 30 minutes complete:
30 seconds Run
30 seconds Walk
Prior to opening my gym in 2008, I purchased gym equipment to train at home because the one or two power racks found at my local commercial gyms were usually occupied. Initially after getting my home gym set-up I was quite motivated to train, but over time motivation waned and distractions became more enticing. This is a consistent theme in my life, because when I was in college I could never seem to effectively study in my apartment due to all the distractions. The phone would ring, my neighbor’s dog would bark, or there would be loud music blaring out of a car in the parking lot. My test scores got much higher once I took to my university library to study. I developed a studying ritual in college: I would stop by the convenience store on the way to the library to pick up an energy drink and a snack to stuff into my back pack. Once at the library, I would take the elevator to the fourth floor, post up in a cubicle in a quiet corner, and commit to staying until I sufficiently understood all the material.
I’ve always liked the casual comfort of being at home, but I recognize that I need to remove myself from distractions to be productive. This set the stage for my gym operation. When I describe Amarillo S&C to potential clients I say, “We’re a garage gym that doesn’t take up any of your personal garage space and has far fewer distractions.” Our current gym set-up boasts nine lifting stations and fewer than 50 keyed members, so having to wait for a rack is never an issue. I also make it clear to potential members that our gym isn’t for everyone, in that, one must follow a program and be self-motivated to effectively put the facility to use.
The secret to staying self-motivated is not only in having a program to follow, but making training a habit complete with training rituals. I carve out personal time at least three days a week to train. I train at roughly the same time each day. Before heading the gym I fill a insulated cup with coffee and a shaker cup with a couple of scoops of protein powder. I keep my gym bag in the car and spend the drive getting mentally prepared to train upon arrival. When I get to the gym I get my lifting shoes on, select the appropriate barbell for the lifts I’ll be training, and devise a plan for warm-up. I don’t get into much chit chat with other members until my training is underway.
Training has become a habit for me, and is rarely something I dread. Additionally, training rituals provide creature comforts that make me to look forward to training. I would recommend to anyone reading this struggling with training motivation to first find a program that you think you would enjoy doing, secondly carve out time during your week to commit to following the program, and finally find a place that you can complete your planned workouts with minimal distractions. And DON’T FEEL GUILTY! Training is a measure of self-care that benefits you AND your family, allowing you to be the best version of “you” for them.
Now that you’re sufficiently movtivated, here’s a home workout for today:
As many rounds as possible in 15-20min of:
4 Prone Weight Drags (R/L = 1 rep)
8 Prone 3-point flys (reps ea arm)
12 Weighted Thrusters
16 Jumping Jacks
Today’s workout is called the “T. Rice Conditioning Test.” I first tried this workout several years ago after seeing it on the old CF Football page. It’s in true style of the old CFFB workouts; much harder than it appears. I couldn’t find the origin of this “test,” but it surely has roots in football.
Pace off 50 steps placing a marker at either end. Start a stopwatch and run down and back three times, rest 5 minutes, then repeat for a total of three attempts. To pass the test you should get each effort done in around a minute.
T. Rice Conditioning Test
Complete:
Three (3) 300 yard Shuttle Runs*
* Six (6) 50 yard shuttles.
*Rest 5 minutes between efforts.
To Pass Conditioning Test:
*less than 200 lbs - 60 seconds and below
*200 lbs-250 lbs - 65 seconds and below
*greater than 250 lbs - 70 seconds and below
(Courtesy of CF Football - RIP)
No equipment needed for today’s workout; all you’ll need is a wall.
Five-Eight Rounds of 30 seconds each exercise:
Inchworm Push-ups
Single Leg RDL - left
Single Leg RDL - right
Butterfly Sit-ups
Wall Sit
*Allow 10 seconds transition time between exercises.
Complete 20-18-16-14-12-10 rep rounds of :
Alternating Step-ups (R/L = 1 rep)
Slap Planks (R/L = 1 rep)
*100yd Farmer’s Carry after each rep round.
There is no equipment required for today’s workout except for markers (e.g. cone, shoe, can) placed roughly 50 meters apart or 50 paces apart. Set a timer for one minute and 20 seconds; during the first 40 seconds of the interval perform mountain climbers, during the second 40 second of the interval go right into burpees. At the end of 1:20 power skip 50m down and 50m back. Rest 60 seconds before repeating for a total of 6-10 rounds.
I’ll warn you, during the first round the 40 second efforts feel like an eternity. Pace yourself and keep moving through both 40 second intervals performing steady work. The 40 second intervals aren’t nearly as bad as you go. Dig deep and put in good work!
Complete Six-Ten rounds of:
40 sec Mountain Climbers
40 sec Burpees
~100m Power Skip
*Limit rest to 60 seconds b/n efforts.
All you’ll need for today’s workout is a ball (any ball will do, basketball, volleyball, soccer ball, etc.) and a wall. I used a piece of sidewalk chalk to make a line about seven feet above the ground. (The CF wall ball standard for adult males is a mark set at ten feet.) The idea here is to squat with the ball and transfer force generated from the explosive extension out of the squat into the ball to launch above target; catch the ball and repeat. A proper squat set-up involves placing feet about shoulder width apart with about a 30 degree toe angle out. To initiate the squat for the wall ball effort, have the trainee flex knees out and send butt down at the same rate. The whole foot should remain in contact through the eccentric phase (on the way down), and may only come off the ground after legs and hips extend and to finish the launch of the ball above the target.
“Karen”
150 reps of Wall Balls for time.
*Break reps up any way; for example, 10 sets of 15, 15 sets of 10, etc.
This workout requires a pull-up bar, but another abdominal or pulling exercise can be substituted for the the hanging knee raises. Supine toe reaches would be a suitable substitute.
Four-Six Rounds for Max Reps each exercise:
45 sec Speed Skaters
15 sec Rest
45 sec Toes-to-bar, Hanging Knee Raises, or Hanging Leg Curls
15 sec Rest
45 sec Air Squats
15 sec Rest
45 sec Bicycle Crunches
15 sec Rest
Another family-friendly home workout you can complete with no equipment. Place a marker at the start and every five paces for 5yd, 10yd, and 15yd distances respectively. You can use anything to mark the distances, i.e. shoes, cans, toys; race one another touching the ground at each mark and running through the start to finish. Limit rest to 60 seconds between efforts.
Five-Ten rounds for fastest effort:
10 Jumping Jacks
5-10 Push-ups
5-10-15yd Shuttle Sprint
*Limit rest to 60 seconds between efforts.
CDC recommends we stay home in efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19. This is a strange and unsettling time for everyone. The invisible threat that is the coronavirus leaves us constantly wondering if we’re under-reacting or over-reacting. Of course, hindsight will be 20/20. As to encourage folks to maintain a dose of physicality in their new, and hopefully very temporary, daily routine we will be providing simple, family-friendly workout routines to perform with limited or no equipment. Please remember that the added stress of change and uncertainty also takes a physical toll on the body, so pace yourself as needed. Substitute movements as needed; for example, if the split squats are painful, substitute another lower body exercise such as lateral step-ups or air squats.
As Many Rounds as Possible in 15-20 minutes:
5 Weight Overhead Split Squat (reps ea side)
10 Weight Standing Side Crunches (reps ea side)
10 Alternating Toe Touches (R/L = 1rep)
10 Weight Ground-to-Overhead
This is Mady, one of the student athletes I train. Mady is a competitive swimmer and quite the skilled lifter. She’s a very smart and very determined young lady that doesn’t miss a workout. I’ve seen her push through a training session without complaint, only to find out at the end she was unusually quiet that day because she was suffering from a migraine. Her dedication to becoming stronger is inspirational.
I train Mady for 75 minutes, twice a week. The first hour of the session is spent performing compound (multi-joint) barbell exercises that leave no muscle group unrecruited. Each training session, the load on the bar for each lift is increased. This provides us with direct measurable evidence of the program’s efficacy through the increase of Mady’s ability to produce force against an external resistance. The ability to produce force against an external resistance is the definition of strength. Her ability to produce force translates to the pool where the external resistance is water. However, to be an effective swimmer, Mady needs to not only produce force, she needs to produce force quickly. Producing force quickly is referred to as power. To directly train Mady’s power, I incorporate dynamic exercises in her sessions and then load those exercises to make them more difficult over time.
Making training efforts more difficult over time is required to drive progress. Every time Mady walks into the gym, her training program requires her to perform better than she did in her previous training sessions. If we simply kept the level of training difficulty the same,neither Mady’s strength nor power would progress. However, the goal of my programing for Mady is not to crush her with every training session. Improving performance is a process requiring regular dosing of training stress over time. The training stress must be difficult enough to drive progress, but not so difficult she isn’t able to walk or comb her hair the next day.
The last 15 minutes of Mady’s training sessions are spent working on short, reactive conditioning efforts specific to her performance at swim meets. The goal here is to make her confident in her ability to be reactive and to produce force quickly off the starting blocks and off the wall for the turn-around in the pool. And I don’t waste our time in the gym with redundant conditioning work she is already getting at swim practice; so, her conditioning work is short, fast, and designed to provide her with a cardio stimulus different than what she gets at practice.
Mady started training with me when she was in junior high in our summer strength and conditioning program for students. Summer 2019 will make our 11th year of summer strength and conditioning classes. We pride ourselves on teaching students safe and effective training practices they will carry for the rest of their lives. Summer classes are offered Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:30am-noon starting June 11th and running through August 1st – More info and registration here.