Today's Training: Testing/Deload Week

  This week is a deload week as I was on the Wendler 5-3-1 program for 3 cycles/months and improved across the board on my 3 "core" exercises: incline bench, sumo deadlift and power clean from the floor.
   Over the next 3 months I will be training for two main goals which I don't necessarily view as mutually exclusive.
   First, is a ski trip to Utah where I will be knocking something off my bucket list: helicopter skiing.
     A week to 10 days after that my baseball season will commence.
      Though those two things appear to be polar opposites not so much IMO.
        They both demand power, core and lower body strength, agility, and  dynamic balance. Skiing requires more of a conditioning base as ski runs can last up to several minutes in duration depending on where and with whom your skiing.
   But I will be starting with a testing process/evaluation process which will revolve around testing those aforementioned qualities as well as the FMS to establish baseline movement quality.
  Both the testing and FMS results will largely drive the program design process.
    Back next time with at least some of the testing results.

Train hard and train smart!
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Today's Training: Strength Training

  Today was a strength training day and the final day of the of the Wendler 5-3-1 program which I have been doing now for 3 months/cycles.

Warmup: Quad rocks, lower body rolling, Indian clubs, 1/2 kneeling hip flexor, 1/2 kneeling adductor, Cross Crawl

Warmup:

• Sumo deadlift: 1 x 3 @ 135, 185, 235; 1 x 2 @ 275; 1 x 4 @ 305; 1 x 3 @ 325
• Fat Gripz chins 3 x 12 supersetted with
• RFESS: 3 x 10,12, 15
• Hammer Dumbbell: 2 x 8 @ 30, 35

Comments: Sorry for the long absence but the holidays came and went and had a lot going on. I was training the whole time just not posting about it.

   This was the 3rd and final phase of the Wendler 5-3-1 program and it went well. Hit my numbers and then some and even today exceeded what I thought I'd be able to do going in.

Train and train smart!

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Quick and Easy Ways to Feel and Move Better: Installment 27 | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training

Quick and Easy Ways to Feel and Move Better: Installment 27 | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training Good tips from Cressey and Co.

Older Sprinters' Bones Healthier Than Older Distance Runners' | Runner's World & Running Times

Older Sprinters' Bones Healthier Than Older Distance Runners' | Runner's World & Running Times Is this really that surprising?!?

Today's Training: Total Body Strength

 2nd week of the 3rd phase of the 5-3-1 program.

Warmup: Quad rocks, ankle mobs, neck mobs, Figure 4s, Indian clubs, 1/2 kneeling adductor, open hip t-spine rotation

Workout:

• Box squat: 1 x 3 @ 125, 145, 165, 1 x 5 @ 185
• KB Swing: 5 x 12 @ 32 kg. supersetted w/
• Barbell Press: 5 x 3 @ 65, 75, 85, 95(2)
• Landmine 1 leg RDL: 4 x 5 @ 70 supersetted w/
• Fat Gripz Chins: 4 x 12
• KB Farmers Walk: 3 x 45 meters @ 32 kg. 

Comments: Good session after good weekend of recovery and sleep. Still hitting the target numbers so that is a good thing.

Train hard and train smart!

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Today's Training: Strength work

  This week started back on the 3rd and likely final phase of Wendler's 5-3-1 program. Still hitting my target numbers but we will see how long that lasts!

Warmup: 

• Quad rocks
• RKC Hip flexor
• Lower body rolling
• Indian clubs
• 1/2 kneeling adductor/open hip t-spine rotation
• Ankle mobs/neck mobs
• Figure 4 stretch

Workout:

• Incline Barbell bench press: 1 x 5 @ 115, 125, 145, 165
• Power clean: 1 x 4 @ 105, 125, 135, 155
• Barbell RDLs: 1 x 5 @ 135, 185, 215 supersetted with
• Smith Machine Inverted Rows: 3 x 15
• Pinch grip Farmers walks: 2 x 25 yds. @ 25 lbs. each
• DB Hammer Curls: 3 x 8 @ 30, 35, 40

Comments: Good session; still hitting my target numbers for weight/reps with the 5-3-1 so always nice to be making progress.

Train hard and train smart!

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Baseball Strength Training Programs: Are Dips Safe and Effective? | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training

Baseball Strength Training Programs: Are Dips Safe and Effective? | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training Some insight from Cressey on Dips.

4 Reasons the Game is Always Changing in the Fitness Industry | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training

4 Reasons the Game is Always Changing in the Fitness Industry | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training Ain't this the truth!

Coffee Consumption and Health: The Final Word - Part 1 | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training

Coffee Consumption and Health: The Final Word - Part 1 | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training Some interesting info about coffee consumption.

Today's Training: Hill sprints/squash

  Today was such a nice day I got outside for some hill sprints in the beautiful weather and followed that up with some squash.

Workout:

• 10 x 100 meter hill sprints w/walk back for recovery
• 10 games singles squash

Comments: Good training session as all of this type of training is really preparation for US Masters Squash Champs in early March. Now need to find a good squash coach!

Train hard and train smart!

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13 Ways to Stick to Your Diet During the Holidays

13 Ways to Stick to Your Diet During the Holidays Good tips from Dr. Bowden on healthy eating over the holidays.

Today's Training: Total Body Strength Session

  This week is a deload week before I commence of likely my last go round on Wendler's 5-3-1 program for a while. I have made improvements and hit my target numbers for the first two cycles/months so I will keep going until I hit a plateau.

Warmup: Quad rocks, ankle mobs, neck mobs, lower body rolling, RKC hip flexor, 1/2 kneeling adductor, open hip t-spine rotation, Cross crawls

Workout:

• Box Squat: 4 x 5 @ 135 (worked on depth, form and control)
• KB swings: 4 x 12 @ 32 kg.
• Extreme Gripz chins: 3 x 10 supersetted with
• Landmine 1 leg RDLs: 3 x 5 @ 60 lbs.
• Band resisted pushups: 3 x 12 @ 1"
• Ab wheel rollouts: 3 x10
• KB Farmers carries: 2 x 45 meters @ 32 kg.

Comments: Deload week so nothing too heavy or challenging this week. It will do my body and mind good! :)

Train hard and train smart!

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Today's Training/Movement

  Today was a squash training day with my squash buddies. It is our weekly squash get together where we play in a round robin fashion on 3 courts.
   Today was no different as we had 8 players playing on 3 courts, including a couple of young additions.
   So, bottom line, is I got to play 9 games in about an hour with 5 different players...good workout and great fun!

Train hard and train smart!
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Today's Training: Total Body Strength

  Today was the end of the 2nd cycle of Wendler's 5-3-1 program. As I am still hitting my target numbers I will do at least one more cycle.

Warmup: Quad rocks, Indian clubs, ankle mobs, 1/2 kneeling adductor, open hip t-spine rotation, lower body rolling, Cross Crawling

Workout:

• Sumo deadlift: 1 x 5 @ 135, 235, 1 x 3 @ 265, 295; 1 x 3 @ 310
• L seat chins: 3 x 10 supersetted w/
• Myoforce suspended rotational pushups: 3 x 12
• Myoforce fallouts: 3 x 10
• KB Farmers carries: 3 x 40 meters @ 32 kg.

Comments: Good session and still hitting the target numbers so I have at least one more cycle of the 5-3-1 program which will take me through the end of the year. Then I will re-evaluate and go from there.

Train hard and train smart!

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Today's Training: Sprint, sprint and sprint some more

  As it was miserable outside I was forced indoors which isn't altogether bad as the facility I  train at has an indoor track as well as a good cinder block wall for med ball work.

Warmup: Quad rocks, RKC hip flexor stretch, pidgeon stretch, ankle mobs, Indian clubs, Leg swings, Cross crawls

Workout:

• KB Swings 3 x 6 @ 32 kg. (paired with)*
• Box jumps 3 x 6
• Med ball circuit: wall dribbles-2 x 15 sec. @ 4 lbs; Med ball chest pass (fast)-2 x 12 @ 18 lbs; Med ball alt. hip toss-2 x 12 @ 18 lbs.; Soccer throw-2 x 6 @ 18 lbs.
• Acceleration sprint ladder: 10-20-30-40-50-60 x 2 (2 min. rest between sets); walk back to start between reps for recovery
• Sled push: 8 x 20 meters @ 215 lbs. 

Comments: Though I would have preferred to be outside, which I usually do on Tuesdays, the weather forced me indoors. Turned out to be a good workout. 

  My sprinting is starting to get more consistently good.

Train hard and train smart!

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Today's Training: "SpeedMakers"

  This is a workout designed and used by the great Clyde Hart, the reknown former Baylor track and field coach. I tweaked it a bit to suit my own training goals but the basic template is all Clyde Hart.

Warmup: Ankle mobs, neck mobs, quad rocks, Figure 4 stretch, Legs swings, arm circles, toe/heel walks, March series, Cross crawls

Workout:

• 2 sets(on soccer field turf): sprint 60 meters, walk 40 meters, jog end line, repeat for total of 10 sprints

Comments: On an early, cool Sunday morning in late fall, this was a good training session. There was only one other person on the field/track so it almost had a meditative feel to it. Good session. And it's always good to get training done early esp. on the weekends!

Train hard and train smart!
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Today's Training: Total Body Strength

 Day after Thanksgiving training session...gym crowded with angst/guilt ridden workout junkies including myself!

Warmup: Banded quad rocks, ankle mobs, Figure 4 stretch, Cat-camel, RKC hip flexor, 1/2 kneeling adductor, open hip t-spine rotation

Workout:

• Sumo Deadlift: 1 x 3 @ 135, 225, 250, 280 x 5, 300 x 3
• 1 arm Med ball decline pushup: 3 x 25 supersetted with
• Ab wheel rollouts: 3 x 10
• Extreme Gripz chins-3 x 8 tri-set with
• Landmine 1/2 Moons 3 x 12
• RFESS to deficit: 3 x 12 ea.
• KB Farmers carries: 3 x 45 meters @ 32 kg. each
• KB swings: 6 x 15 @ 32 kg. (on the minute)

Comments: Hit my target numbers on the deadlift as per Wendler's 5-3-1 system. We will see what next week brings.

Train hard and train smart!
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Today's Training: Sprints, sleds, Med balls

  I was originally going to play squash with my crew today but everyone else had Thanksgiving obligations so had to improvise. Came prepared with my sprinting shoes, though, and off we went.

Warmup: Quad rocks, Figure 4 stretch, ankle mobs, neck mobs, Indian clubs, arm circles, march series

Workout:

• Med ball circuit (vertical emphasis): Med ball wall dribble-2 x 15 sec. ea.; Med ball slams-2 x 8 @ 8 lbs.; Med ball scoop toss-2 x 6 @ 18 lbs.
• Box Jumps: 3 x 6
• Acceleration ladder: 10-20-30-40-50-60 x 2 w/2 min. recovery between sets. Walk back for recovery between each sprint
• Sled push: 8 x 20 sec. on/40 sec. recovery @ 215 lbs.
• Foam roll and stretch to cool down

Comments: Good session though not what I originally planned. Sometimes you have to be fluid and flexible as things don't always go as planned.

Train hard and train smart!
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Today's Training: Total Body Strength Training

 I was pressed for time today but I did get in the necessities, my core lifts, with a few accessory exercises as well.

Warmup: Quad rocks, Figure 4 stretch, ankle mobs, neck mobs, Indian clubs, Arm circles, Goblet squat holds

Workout:

• Incline barbell bench: 1 x 3 @ 115, 135, 150, 175
• Power clean: 1 x 3 @ 115, 135, 150, 180
• Double KB swings: 4 x 12 @ 45 lbs.
• Rollouts: 3 x 12
• Ring bdwt. rows-4 x 15

Comments: Good session though time got away from me and I was pressed for time. Got the necessities done and hit my numbers on the 5-3-1 program on the Incline bench and the clean. 

Train hard and train smart!

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Today's Training: Sprint & Power Work!

  I apologize for the "week off" but life throws curve balls sometimes when you're sitting "dead red". I have been training but just not posting about it. Here goes.

Warmup: Banded quad rocks, quad rocks, banded back traction, lower body rolls, ankle mobs, Indian clubs, Cross Crawls, neck mobs, marches

Workout:

• Hill sprints (outside): 8 x 100 meters; walk back for recovery
• Box jumps: 3 x 6 @ 30"
• Med ball drills: Wall dribbles-2 x 15 sec. @ 4 lbs.; Med ball chest pass rebound-2 x 12 @ 18 lbs.; Med ball side toss-2 x 8 @ 18 lbs; Med ball soccer throw-2 x 6 @ 18 lbs.

Comments: Again, I try to get outside for my sprint work as much as possible as it's a boost not only to one's fitness and power but also to one's spirit!

Train hard and train smart!

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Seth's Blog: Effortless

Seth's Blog: Effortless Don't lose yourself in the quest for perfection.

Today's Training: Total Body Strength Work

 Today was back to the 5-3-1 program of Wendler. I've substituted Front box squats for Zercher squats as they are more comfortable, quite frankly.

Warmup: Banded quad rocks, band back traction, 1/2 kneeling Pavel hip flexor, lower body rolling, Cross crawl, ankle mobs, neck mobs, Indian clubs

Workout:

• Front box squat (14" box): 1 x 5 @ 45, 95, 125, 145 supersetted with
• KB swings: 5 x 15 @ 32 kg.
• Wall handstand pushups 3 x 12 supersetted with
• Landmine 1/2 moons 3 x 12 @ 45
• Extreme Gripz pullups 3 x 8 supersetted with
• Anti-rotation press 3 x 10 @ 25

Comments: Good session. Feeling pretty refreshed after a deload week. We will see how it goes as the week goes on.

Train hard and train smart!

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Today's Training: Hill Sprints

  Today was a hill sprint training session in Charlottesville, Va. while visiting my daughter. My training partner was my daughter's dog, Dempsey.

Warmup: Lateral squats, skip series, March series, Jumping jacks

Workout: 8 x 120 meter hill sprints w/walk back for recovery; on the grass in a park. Training partner, Dempsey the dog! :)

Comments: Nice early November day to train outside and this was a rather impromptu session in a park in Charlottesville, VA. Found a hill a little over a 100 meters long,  grass, relatively steady incline (though not shallow), and relatively smooth. 
   Beautiful day to be out in the neighborhood! :)

Train hard and train smart!
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Today's Training: Sprints & Power

  Today's training session emphasized sprints and power work.

Warmup: Banded quad rocks, banded traction, 1/2 kneeling hip flexor, 1/2 kneeling adductor, lower body rolling, Cross crawls, ankle mobs

Workout:

• "Speed Makers": 2 laps of sprint 60/swing down 40 and jog the curves x 2 sets. Total of 8 sprints.
• Box Jumps: 3 x 5 @ 30"
• Med ball work: 2 x 15 sec. @ 4 lb; Scoop toss-2 x 6 @ 15 lbs.; Power slam-2 x 8 @ 15 lbs.
• Sled push: 8 x 20 sec. on/40 sec. off @ 205 lbs. on the track

Comments: Good training session with pretty good volume and variety of exercises. Like the "Speed Makers" which are a Clyde Hart training staple.

Train hard and train smart!

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Increasing number of young athletes have injuries from overuse - More Sports - SI.com

Increasing number of young athletes have injuries from overuse - More Sports - SI.com Every youth sports parent should read this and evaluate if they're doing right by their kid(s).

Today's Training: Total Body strength training

 Today, and this week, are a deload week. I didn't always do these and I suppose I was lucky in that I never suffered any serious overtraining issues. As I've become older, and hopefully wiser, I realize that the real challenge in training is the planning of recovery. Deload weeks are a way to map out your recovery.

Warmup: Quad rocks, Figure 4 stretch, ankle mobs, neck mobs, Indian clubs, 1/2 kneeling adductor, Kneeling t-spine extension w/dowel, 1/2 kneeling hip flexor.

Workout:

• Incline bench press: 1 x 5 @ 115, 125, 135
• Hang clean: 3 x 3 @ 115, 135, 145
• Inverted Row from Smith machine: 3 x 12
• Landmine 1 leg RDL: 3 x 6 @ 55
• Cable chest press: 3 x 12 @ 35
• RFESS to deficit: 3 x 12 @ BWT.

Comments: Value and plan your recovery whether it is a week or planned "light" days during your training weeks. No one can hammer away day after day, week after week, without recovery. You either plan it or you will be forced to take it in the form of overtraining or an injury.

   Repeated injuries during training is the barometer of how smart, or not so smart, you are training. Don't be a moron!

Train hard and train smart!

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Seth's Blog: The whiner's room

Seth's Blog: The whiner's room Great advice.Don't hang with whiners!

Today's Training: Hill sprints & Sled Pushes

  Today's training centered around hill sprints, sled pushes, and med ball work.

Warmup: Quad rocks, 1/2 kneeling hip flexor, Figure 4 stretch, ankle mobs, neck mobs, Indian clubs, March series, Cross crawls

Workout:

• 8 x 100 meter hill sprints (walk back down for recovery-about 60 seconds)
• 8 x 20 meters sled push @ 205 lbs. (40 sec. recovery between sets)
• Med ball circuit: Wall dribbles-2 x 15 sec. @ 4 lbs; Med ball chest pass-2 x 12 @ 18 lbs.; Med ball side toss-2 x 8 ea. @ 18 lbs; Soccer throw-2x 8 @ 18 lbs. Today's emphasis with med ball work was horizontal plane. 

Comments: A little cool outside for the hill sprints (less than 40 degrees) but I like to train outside for as long as possible so had to wear track pants and gloves but so be it. I've found it hard to find hills inside anyway! :) 

Train hard and train smart!

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Quick and Easy Ways to Feel and Move Better: Installment 23 | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training

Quick and Easy Ways to Feel and Move Better: Installment 23 | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training Particularly like #2 and #5.

Today's Training: Hill sprints, Sled Work, Med Balls, etc.

   Got outside to do at least some of my training today and this was the first day I had to wear track pants since early last spring. Oh well, fall is well upon us! :)

Warmup: Quad rocks, 1/2 kneeling hip flexor, Figure 4 stretch, ankle mobs, Indian clubs, lower body rolling, cross crawls, march series

Workout:

• Hill sprints: 8 x 100 meters w/ walk back for recovery
• Med ball work (horizontal plane): Med ball wall dribbles-2 x 15 sec. @ 4 lbs; Med ball chest pass-2 x 12 @ 18 lbs; Med ball side toss-2 x 7 @ 18 lbs; Soccer throw-2 x 6 @ 18 lbs.
• Sled pulls-8 x 20 meters @ 325 lbs. w/30 sec. recovery between sets
• Box jumps-3 x 6 @ 30" box (1 min. rest between sets)

Comments: Good session; want to work up to 500+ lbs. w/sled pulls by time baseball season starts in April 2013. Finally, organized my med ball work into a horizontal plane day and  a vertical plane day to avoid confusion.

Train hard and train smart!

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Today's Training: Total Body Strength Training

  Back in the gym today doing another training session following the Wendler 5-3-1 template. Core lifts today were incline bench and power clean.

Warmup: Indian clubs, quad rocks, 1/2 kneeling hip flexor, ankle mobs, neck mobs, Figure 4 stretch, kneeling t-spine extension w/dowel, 1/2 kneeling adductor

Workout:

• Incline BB bench: 1 x 6 @ 135, 1 x 5 @ 155, 1 x 4 @ 175
• Rip Trainer ISO-hold: 3 x 15 sec. x 2
• Power clean: 1 x 5 @ 115, 1 x 4 @ 135, 1 x 3 @ 160
• Rip Trainer Figure 8's: 2 x 15 sec.
• Landmine 1 leg RDL: 3 x 6 @ 60
• Cable Chest Press: 3 x 12 @ 35
• "Speed" Step-Ups: 3 x 10 @ 10 sec.
• Smith Machine Inverted rows: 3 x 15
• BB rollouts: 3 x 10

Comments: Hit my target numbers in the incline bench despite not feeling very good a couple of weeks ago when I started. I thought my shoulder would be problematic...no issues today.

   Also, hit my target numbers in the clean which was less of surprise as my technique is getting better.

Train hard and train smart!

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Seth's Blog: Getting over ourselves

Seth's Blog: Getting over ourselves Cool spin on recent events.

Lance Armstrong: Not a lost cause

Lance Armstrong: Not a lost cause Interesting perspective on the Armstrong situation.

Cantello celebrates a half century of coaching at Navy - CapitalGazette.com: Navy Sports

Cantello celebrates a half century of coaching at Navy - CapitalGazette.com: Navy Sports: Aaron Lanzell was, admittedly, an average runner at Eisenhower High in Sugar Grove, Pennsylvania. Lanzel’s times as a senior were not the cali…Legendary coach and an elite athlete when he competed.

Today's Training: Total Body Strength Training

  Despite Sandy on it's way, I got to the gym and got a short but effective training session.

Warmup: Quad rocks, ankle mobs, Indian clubs, Figure 4 stretch, neck mobs, leg swings, Squat Iso holds

Workout: 

• Zercher squat: 1 x 5 @ 45, 65,100; 1 x 3 @ 115, 125; 1 x 3 @ 135, 145
• Extreme Gripz chins: 3 x 8
• KB Skiers swings: 3 x 12 @ 40 supersetted with
• Swissball pushups w/feet elevated: 3 x 15
• Hanging Straight leg raises: 3 x 10

Comments: Good session; new "PR" in the Zercher squat. 

Train hard and train smart!

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Wicked smarts for a complex life

Wicked smarts for a complex life Bottom line is you must find a way to move regularly whatever mode you choose. There is no one way to do it.

Seth's Blog: A bias for trust

Seth's Blog: A bias for trust Good approach in a world filled with cynics and skeptics.

Today's Training: Total Body Strength Training

  End of 2nd week of Wendler's 5-3-1 program and hit my numbers and then some which means progress is being made. Seeing as the big "60" is coming up in two months, progress is a good thing! :)

Warmup: Banded quad rocks, banded back traction, goblet squat Iso holds, tall kneeling dowel t-spine rotation, KB pullover, ankle mobs, neck mobs, Indian clubs

Workout: 

• Sumo deadlift: 1 x 3 @ 135, 185, 210, 240, 1 x 6 @ 275
• Face pulls   3 x 12 @ 60 lbs.
• KB swings 6 x 16 @ 32 kg. (on the minute)
• KB suitcase carries 3 x 40 meters @ 32 kg.
• Suspended decline pushups 4 x 25
• Suspended inverted row (feet elevated): 4 x 15
• Hanging leg raises 3 x 10

Comments: Hanging leg raises done well (no swinging, feet touching bar) are no joke and few do them well. Hit my numbers of the deadlift which was good. Wish they had heavier kettlebells at the gym!

Train hard and train smart!

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10 Ways to Sustain a Training Effect in Your Strength and Conditioning Programs | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training

10 Ways to Sustain a Training Effect in Your Strength and Conditioning Programs | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training Solid training advice from Cressey.

Today's Training: Total Body Strength

   Today was another total body strength day using Wendler's 5-3-1 system with the core exercises being the Incline Bench press and the power clean.

Warmup: Quad rocks, banded quad rocks, 1/2 kneeling hip flexor, lower body rolls, banded low back traction, ankle mobs, Y Wall slides, Cross crawls

Workout: 

• Incline bench: 1 x 5 @ 115, 135, 155, 175
• Power cleans: 1 x 3 @ 115, 125, 145, 165
• Landmine RFESS: 3 x 6 @  50 lbs., tri-setted with
• 4" Grenade grip chins: 3 x 7
• Rollouts-3 x10
• Rip Trainer Iso lateral holds- 3 x 10 sec. x 3

Comments: Good session; hit better numbers on the Incline bench from last week so maybe it was just a matter of "greasing the groove." 

    The Landmine RFESS were an experiment and I liked the movement. We continue to use those in the future. The 4" grenade chins were a real grip challenge. Have been doing a lot of grip challenging chin variations lately. 

Train hard and train smart!

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What Makes A Nightmare Sports Parent -- And What Makes A Great One

What Makes A Nightmare Sports Parent -- And What Makes A Great One This should be required reading for all parents of young, or older, athletes.

Today's Training: Sprints, Sled Pulls, etal

  Today was a beautiful but cool fall morning so it was a good day to get outside early and get some sprint work in...not sure how many more of these there will be this year.

Warmup: Quad rocks, Figure 4 stretch, Pidgeon stretch, leg swings, lower body rolling, toe/heel walks, March series, Banded quad rocks, table hamstring & hip rotators, Foam roller shoulder mobs, ankle mobs, neck mobs, Cross crawls, 1/2 kneeling hip flexor, banded adductor and hip flexor traction, band shoulder traction.
   Not necessarily all in this order!

Workout:

• Sprint acceleration ladder: 10-20-30-40-50-50 x 2 w/2 min. recovery between sets. On the turf.
• Sled drags: 8 x 15 meters w/300 lbs. on the track/30 sec. recovery between sets.
• Spider crawls: 2 x 40 meters.

Comments: Good workout esp. the outside aspect of it as I prefer training outside as much as possible but not practical with some things like sled work, at least with my setup/situation.

Train hard and train smart!
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7 Reasons Baseball Pitchers Shouldn't Do Year-Round Throwing Programs - Part 1 | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training

7 Reasons Baseball Pitchers Shouldn't Do Year-Round Throwing Programs - Part 1 | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training Something to think about for you pitchers during the off-season. Oh, yeah, and you Dads/coaches! :)

Today's Training: Total Body Strength Training

  Today was a rainy, actually pouring, day so good day to train indoors.

Warmup: Indian clubs, ankle mobs, neck mobs, quad rocks, lower body rolling, Cross crawls

Workout:

• Sumo deadlift: 1 x 5 @ 145, 195, 225, 255, 1 x 7 @ 265*
• Extreme Gripz chins: 8, 7, 10, 8 (with oversized Extreme Gripz)
• Extreme Gripz DB Hammer curls: 3 x 8 @ 35 supersetted with
• Decline weighted pushups-3 x 12 @ 45, 55, 55
• KB Suitcase carry-3 x 30 meters @ 32 kg.
• Rollouts-3 x 10

*First day of Wendler's 5-3-1 system with the deadlift. We will see where I am in 4 weeks.

Comments: Haven't deadlifted heavy with volume for a while so we will see where the 5-3-1 program takes me. I will try to do 2 cycles (2 months) and see where I am at that point. This program has worked well for me in the past.

Train hard and train smart!
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The Surfer's Guide to Taking Risks

The Surfer's Guide to Taking Risks Sometimes you have to apply these principles to your training and take the leap of faith and just do it.

Today's Training: Total Body Strength Training

   Today was the 2nd day of the Wendler 5-3-1 program with the core lifts being power clean and incline bench.

Warmup: Quad rocks, ankle mobs, hip flexor stretch, neck mobs, Indian clubs, Figure 4 stretch, lower body rolling, Crocodile breathing

Workout: 

• Incline bench press: 1 x 5 @ 120, 135, 155, 175 supersetted with Rip Trainer Iso holds-3 x 15 sec. x 2
• Power cleans from floor: 1 x 4 @ 115, 125, 135, 145 supersetted with Cable chest press-3 x12 @ 35
• DB Kroc rows-3 x 6 @ 75 supersetted with Face pulls-3 x 12@ 60 (Kroc rows were done with new Extreme Gripz---tough grip challenge)
• KB Farmers carries w/Extreme Gripz-3 x 30 meters @ 28 kg.

Comments: Didn't hit my numbers on the incline bench---shoulder was a little balky and didn't want to risk it. Will stick with same weights for next week and see how it goes. 

   Extreme Gripz are a supreme grip challenge...makes any exercise much more difficult....Cool tool!

Train hard and train smart!

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Today's Training: Conditioning & Power

  Today was a combo day of some interval sprint conditioning work and some power work.

Warmup:  Quad rocks, ankle mobs, Indian clubs, leg swings, Cross Crawls, 1/2 kneeling hip flexor, 1/2 kneeling adductor, 1/2 kneeling t-spine rotation

Workout: Box jumps 3 x 6
         Med ball circuit (horizontal emphasis): Med ball wall dribbles 2 x 15 sec; Med ball chest pass-2 x 12 @ 15 lbs.; Med ball alt. hip toss-2 x 8 ea.@ 15 lbs.; Med ball-2x 6 @ 15 lbs.
         Sled pushes: 7 x 20 meters @ 200 lbs.
           Sprint ladder: 10-20-30-40-50-50 x 2 (90 sec. rest between sets)

Comments: Good training session tho' took a while to warm up in the sprint section. Trying to be more consistent w/sled work. 

Train hard and train smart!
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The Superset Survival Guide | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training

The Superset Survival Guide | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training Good read on good programming from Cressey.

Today's Training: Total Body Strength

  After several weeks of admittedly "drifting" as far as any truly organized strength program was concerned, I am back on board.
   I am going to do a 2 month cycle of Wendler's 5-3-1 program which always seems to work well for me and is good for progress for 2-3 months at least.
    The "core" lifts will be the Zercher squat, sumo deadlift, incline bench and power clean. We will re-test in 2 months.

Warmup: Indian clubs, neck mobs, ankle mobs, quad rocks, lower body rolling, Cross crawls, scap retractions, 1/2 kneeling hip flexor stretch, Figure 4 stretch

Workout: Zercher squat-1 x 5 @ 85, 100, 125, 1 x 7 @ 135;
    Skier KB swings- 4 x 12 @ 45 lbs. supersetted w/Face pulls 3 x 12 @ 60 lbs.
   Tri-set: Landmine anti-rotational 1 leg RDLs 3 x 6 @ 55; Decline 1 arm Med ball pushup-3 x 20; Hanging leg raises-3 x 8
   Fat Gripz Chins-3 x 10

Comments: Good start to the new program; core lift today was the Zercher squat. Limiting factor always seems to be comfort for the elbows.

Train hard and train smart!
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Today's Training: Hill Sprints, Sled Pulls, etal

  Today was such a nice fall day I did another session of hill sprints outside to take advantage of the weather. You never know this time of year how many nice days are left!

Warmup: Quad rocks,leg swings, Indian clubs, ankle mobs, neck mobs, lower body rolling, Cross crawling

Workout: Hill sprints-8 x 100 meters w/walk back for recovery
     Sled pulls-8 x 20 meters w/300 lbs., 30 sec. recovery.
     KB Farmers carries-3 x 35 meters @ 32 kg.

Comments: Slow start to the day but once I got going things went well. Great day to be outside doing sprints or anything for that matter!

Train hard and train smart!
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We Know Next to Nothing About Heart Disease

We Know Next to Nothing About Heart Disease Good though not necessarily comforting information.

Today's Training: Total Body Strength

  Today I got in another total body strength day with the emphasis being on pulling: power cleans and sumo deadlifts.

Warmup: Quad rocks, lower body rolling, ankle mobs, Indian clubs, neck mobs, Cross Crawls, leg swings, Spider crawls

Workout: Power cleans-5 x 4 @ 145 (from the floor); Speed sumo deadlifts w/bands-6 x 3 @ 145 +short orange bands (on the minute);
   Quad set: Weighted chins-4 x 5 @ 50 lbs; RFESS-4 x 12 @ 45; Suspended decline pushups-4 x 25; Landmine 1/2 moons-4 x 12;
   Suspended fallouts-4 x 10

Comments: Good session; next week plan to start a new program with a blend of the 5-3-1 approach of Wendler with some metabolic strength training. We will see how that goes.
   That should be a 6-8 week phase.

Train hard and train smart!
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Today's Training: Hill sprints, Sled Pushes, etal

  Today was a beautiful, crisp fall day so had to get outside for at least part of my training session which is what I did for the first part.

Warmup: Quad rocks, ankle mobs, Indian clubs, hip flexor stretch, Figure 4 stretch, neck mobs, 1/2 kneeling adductor, leg swings, open hip t-spine rotation, cross crawls

Workout: Hill sprints-8 x 100 meter hill sprints (walk back for recovery).
      Med ball circuit-Wall dribbles 2 x 15 sec. @ 4 lbs; Med ball power slams-2 x 8 @ 20 lbs; Med ball scoop tosses-2 x 6 @ 20 lbs.
    Sled pushes-8 x 20 sec. on/40 sec. off @ 200 lbs.
    Box Jumps-3 x 6

Comments: Good session with power being the primary objective. Longest effort was 20 seconds with everything else being well less than that. Knees, ankles and hips feel very good. 

Train hard and train smart!
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Minutes of hard exercise can lead to all-day calorie burn

Minutes of hard exercise can lead to all-day calorie burn Quality trumps quantity virtually all of the time and that extends to exercise as well.

Quick and Easy Ways to Feel and Move Better: Installment 21 | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training

Quick and Easy Ways to Feel and Move Better: Installment 21 | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training Good advice from Cressey's staff on a variety of topics.

Today's Training: Total Body Strength

 It's been almost a week since my last post but I was away in Cooperstown, NY playing in a baseball tournament. Played two games on Doubleday field where I got to play alongside my 26 yr. old son in the outfield. That one of the reasons I train as hard and consistently as I do! :)

Warmup: Quad rocks, hip flexor stretch, lower body rolling, Figure 4 stretch, Indian clubs, ankle mobs, neck mobs, Crocodile breathing, Cross Crawls

Workout: KB swings-5 x 15 @ 32 kg. (on the minute); Tri-set: Landmine 1 leg RDL-4 x 6 @ 55; Cable chest press-4 x 12 @ 35; Face pulls-3 x 12 @ 60 lbs.
    2nd Tri-set: Zercher squat-3 x 6 @ 135; Smith machine inverted rows-3 x 15; Rollouts-3 x 10
       KB suitcase carries: 2 x 35 yds. @ 32 kg.

Comments: Good session...Zercher squats felt surprisingly good. Need to get access to a heavier KB to really optimize power demands in the swings.

Train hard and train smart!
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Yesterday's Training: Total Body strength

  Yesterday's session was another total body strength training session at the gym with the 2 chief exercises being power cleans and deadlifts.

Warmup: Quad rocks, Indian clubs, ankle mobs, neck mobs, Figure 4 stretch, lower body rolling, marching cross crawling, Bear crawls.

Workout: Power cleans from floor-5 x 3 @ 155; Sumo deadlift-1 x 5 @ 135, 225, 1 x 4 @ 275, ! x 3 @ 305, 1 x 3 @ 325, 1 x 2 @ 335.
   Tri-set: Inverted rows on Smith machine-4 x 15; Band resisted pushups-4 x 15 @ 1"; Tall kneeling/1/2 kneeling Landmine 1/2 moons.
    Band resisted rollouts-3 x 8

Comments: Good session with some good pulling work esp. Trying to build up slowly in the deadlifts. Going heavy every other week, with speed/variety the emphasis on non-heavy weeks.

Train hard and train smart!
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Today's Training: Total Body Strength

  This string of weather is just unbelievable.....not that I'm complaining. But if this type of crisp, clear, beautiful fall weather doesn't get you going nothing ever will!!:)
 
Warmup: Quad rocks, Indian clubs, Figure 4 stretch, ankle mobs, neck mobs, lower body rolling, Cross crawl walks, leg swings

Workout: KB swings 6 x 12 @32 kg. on the minute; Hex bar RDL- 4 x 6 @ 135(1), 195(3) supersetted with Landmine 1/2 moons-3 x 12;
    Tri-set: Rope pullups 3 x 12; RFESS w/Goblet hold 3 x 8 @ 50 lbs; Decline weighted pushups-3 x 12 @ 45 lbs.
   KB Farmers carries-3 x 30 meters @ 32 kg. each.

Comments: Because of the baseball tournament next weekend I will likely start my "new" program next week when I won't have to deal with training "issues." But this was a very good, energizing program so it worked well for today.

Train hard and train smart!
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Seth's Blog: Instead of outthinking the competition...

Seth's Blog: Instead of outthinking the competition... This would be a different approach.

Today's Training:RSA Training

  Another beautiful day in the neighborhood....bluebird skies, mid-50's, low wind and humidity. Great day for Repeat Sprint Ability(RSA) training don't you think?
 
Warmup: Quad rocks, Indian clubs, ankle mobs, neck mobs, Figure 4 stretch, hamstring stretch,
     lateral squat, leg swings, Cross crawls, high knees

Workout: 4 x 25 meter sprint (x4) with 30 sec. recovery between reps and 90 sec. between sets.
     Bear crawls: 2 x 25 meters

Comments: Good session and added another set of sprints to bring it up to 4 sets---400 meters total sprint volume. The bear crawls are never easy!

Train hard and train smart!
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Today's Training: Total Body Strength Training

   Got my new Shin Skinz in and used them for my deadlifting and cleans today. Seem to work pretty well.

Warmup: Quad rocks, ankle mobs, neck mobs, Indian clubs, Cross Crawls, lower body rolls

Workout: Goblet squats Iso holds: 3 x 45 sec. @ 45; Power cleans-6 x 2 @ 155, 165; Snatch grip deadlift from deficit: 6 x 3 @ 165; Incline Batwing rows: 4 x 10 @ 30 lbs;  Alt.DB hammer curls 3 x 8 @ 35 supersetted with: 1 arm cable chest press- 3 x 10 @ 35; Straight leg hip thrust between benches-3 x 10

Comments: Tried some new exercises today with the Batwing rows and the straight leg hip thrust. This week was a week of experimentation before I commence a new program next week.

Train hard and train smart!
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7 Strategies to Get More Vegetables in Your Diet | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training

7 Strategies to Get More Vegetables in Your Diet | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training Some good suggestions on eating more vegies.

Today's Training: Total Body Strength Training

  So far this has been a good training week as well as last week so hopefully the trend continues along these lines. Today I did a total body strength training session with an emphasis on bodyweight exercises. But I usually tweak the bodyweight movements to make them more challenging as you will see.

Warmup: Quad rocks, lower body rolling, ankle mobs, Indian clubs, Cross crawls, Squat Iso holds, arm circles

Workout: 1st Tri-set: RFESS: 3 x 10 @ 40 lbs; Suspended decline pushups-3 x 20; Lateral band walks-3 x 10 ea.;
   2nd Tri-set: Band Good mornings w/Iron Cross Iso Holds- 3 x 6; Suspended inverted row w/ft. on plyo box: 3 x 15; Weighted rollouts-3 x 8 @ 25 lbs.
   45 Degree back raise hold w/ DB alt. row-3 x 45 sec. w/25 lb.s

Comments: Good session with some experimentation with some new exercises from DeFranco's and Smitty's Hard core DVD i.e. band good mornings, weighted rollouts and 45 degree back raise iso-holds. Good stuff. Always like to try things out on myself before thinking of implementing them with clients/athletes.
  
Train hard and train smart!
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Today's Training: Sprints, Med ball work, plyos

   I almost bagged training today as wasn't feeling it and something funky was going on in my right knee and foot. But the weather was so awesome I decided to give it a go and see how I felt after my warmup. Systems were A-OK so away we went!

Warmup: Indian clubs, quad rocks, ankle mobs, neck mobs, leg swings, lateral squats, Groiners, Inchworms, toe/heel walks, Cross walks, skip series

Workout: "I. Acceleration sprint ladder: 10-20-30-40-50 x 2 w/ 2 min. recovery between sets then 2 x 50 to finish. Walk back for recovery between individual sprints.
    II. Med ball work: med ball slams- 2 x 8 @ 10 lbs. & Med ball scoop toss-2 x 6 @ 10 lbs.
    III.  Plyo step-ups: 3 x 12
    IV. Bear crawls- 2 x 40 yds. w/90 second recovery between.

Comments: Always a good idea to at least give it a try. Do your warmup and see how you feel after that...if you're still hurting then pack it in and call it a day. But if the pain/discomfort disappears then re-evaluate and try your planned training session. If at any time the pain comes back, stop the session and call it a day. Pain, real, deep joint pain is your body's warning signal...ignore it at your own peril!

Train hard and train smart!
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Thinking Concentric With Your Strength Training Programs | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training

Thinking Concentric With Your Strength Training Programs | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training Some good ideas on concentric only training from Cressey.

Today's Training: Total Body Strength

  Despite the extremely nice weather I went inside to the gym and did some strength training today.

Warmup: Quad rocks, lower body rolling, Cross crawls, ankle mobs, Indian clubs, neck mobs, lateral squats, squat Iso holds

Workout: Squat to low box (12")-1 x 6 @ 95, 1 x 6 @ 135, 1 x 5 @ 175, 1 x 4 @ 195 supersetted w/Landmine 1/2 Moons 3 x 12 @ 45 w/narrow handle
    Hex Bar RDLs 4 x 6 @ 195 supersetted w/weighted chins 4 x 6 @ 40 lbs.
      Elevated pushups w/weight suspended from hips: 3 x 10 @ 40 lbs.
        KB swings: 6 x 12 @ 32 kg. (on the minute)
          KB suitcase carries: 2 x 35 meters @ 32 kg.

Comments: Good session. Good ROM on squats...likely will never go truly heavy on these again but "greasing the groove" and using them as much for mobility work is still good. 
The risk reward is just not worth it for me anymore at my age. I am not a competitive powerlifter but use strength training as a means to an end...decrease chance of injury in my sports and improve/maintain performance.  Like the suitcase carries as a complementary exercise to the Farmer's walks. 

Train hard and train smart!
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Today's Training: Sprint Intervals

  Beautiful day to get outside and do some sprints on the turf. And that's exactly what I did on a great, crisp fall morning.

Warmup: Quad rocks, Indian clubs, Figure 4 stretch, March series, toe walks/heel walks, leg swings, lateral squat, Cross crawl, skip series

Workout: 8 x 100 meter sprints w/1 min. recovery between reps.

Comments: Good week of training w/4 days of sprinting, 3 strength training days, mobility work every day,  and 1 squash training session. 
  Used heart rate monitor in sprint session day and heart rate recovered within a minute to less than 100 bpm. Not bad recovery ability.

Train hard and train smart!
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Quick and Easy Ways to Feel and Move Better: Installment 19 | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training

Quick and Easy Ways to Feel and Move Better: Installment 19 | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training Good tips from Cressey's crew.

Today's Training: Sprint Intervals/Plyos

  As part of a warmup for a baseball game later today I went out and did some sprint intervals on the turf at the local college. As I've said before these "new age" turf surfaces are great to do sprints on as they are easier on the joints than synthetic tracks but still give better energy return than grass without the sprain/twist your ankle risk.

Warmup: Lateral squats, arm circles, leg swings, toe walks/heel walks, Cross crawls, quad rocks, Figure 4 stretch, march series

Workout: Sprint intervals-3 x 4 @ 25 meters w/30 seconds between sprints. 2 min. between sets.
    Plyo step-ups: 3 x 12; Bear crawl-35 meters

Comments: Good, relatively quick session. Feeling better sooner in these sprint sessions and trying to figure out why that is. 
    The Bear crawls are just that....a bear. Heart rate was about 85% of heart rate max. They are no joke.

Train hard and train smart!
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Today's Training: Strength Training-Total Body

  Today was a strength training day and I you probably know by now I am a big fan of total body training. I have done all manner of strength training over the last 45+ years and at this point this is the most effective and efficient mode of training for me. It may not be for everyone but it is for me.

Warmup: Quad rocks, lower body rolls, cross crawls, ankle mobs, Indian clubs, neck mobs, leg swings

Workout: Sumo deadlift-1 x 5 @ 135, 1 x 5 @ 185, 1 x 4 @ 225, 1 x 3 @ 275, 1 x 2 @ 300, 1 x 1 @ 320;
   Power clean from floor: 1 x 3 @ 135, 145, 155, 1 x 2 @ 175
   Suspended inverted rows: 3 x 15 supersetted with suspended decline pushups 3 x 20
  Suspended fall-outs: 3 x 8
  1 arm KB carries: 2 x 30 yds. @ 32 kg.

Comments: Good to get back to some heavier deadlifts and cleans. Also, like the variety of the single arm carries.

Train hard and train smart!
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11 Random Thoughts on Baseball Strength and Conditioning | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training

11 Random Thoughts on Baseball Strength and Conditioning | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training Good stuff from Cressey on training for baseball.

Today's Training: Sprint, Power Training

  Because of the rain had to train indoors today so it's good to have access to a nice indoor track!

Warmup: Quad rocks, lower body rolling, cross crawls, lateral crawls, ankle mobs, Indian clubs

Workout: Med ball circuit: Wall dribbles-2 x 15 sec.; Med ball chest pass-2 x 12@ 15 lbs; Med ball alt. hip toss-2 x 12 @ 15 lbs; MB soccer throw-2 x 8 @ 15 lbs;
    Acceleration sprint ladder: 10-20-30-40-50 x 2 (2 min. recovery between sets), walk back between reps.
     Sled Push-7 x 20/40 (work/rest) w/180 lbs.

Comments: Good session with sprints feeling esp. good as right hamstring wasn't "tight" as it has been lately. 

Train hard and train smart!
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Omega-3 Madness: Clarifying Recent "Research" on Fish Oil | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training

Omega-3 Madness: Clarifying Recent "Research" on Fish Oil | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training Good information about Fish Oil and the latest so-called analysis.

How to Balance Pressing in Your Strength Training Program | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training

How to Balance Pressing in Your Strength Training Program | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training Good stuff from Cressey on pressing, shoulder function and health.

Today's Training: Total Body Strength

   Today was another total body strength training day with the core lift being sumo deadlifts. Here goes:

Warmup: Quad rocks, Indian clubs, ankle mobs, neck mobs, cat-camel, Figure 4 stretch, Cobra, Rolling, Cross crawls

Workout: KB 2 arm swing 5 x 10 @ 32 kg., on the minute; Sumo deadlift w/ bands(short orange) 7 x 3 @ 175 + bands, on the minute; Tri-set: Rope chins-3 x 10, RFESS-3 x 10 @ 45, Cable chest press-3 x 12 @ 35 lbs.;
   KB Farmers walks-3 x 75 ft. @ 32 kg.

Comments: Will have to up the distance significantly on the carries as there are no heavier kettlebells. Either that or go to something like bottoms up carries. 

Train hard and train smart!
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Today's Training: POWER!

   True power training takes place in bursts of 8-10 seconds or less so your training should replicate that if it's power you're after. Today was such a day for me.
   And a beautiful day it was: sunshine, blue skies, little wind and low humidity. Perfect day for training outside which is what I did!

Warmup: Indian clubs, quad rocks, ankle mobs, neck mobs, Cross crawls, lateral squats, leg swings, toe walks/heel walks, 1/2 kneeling adductor, Skips series

Workout: Med ball circuit- Med ball chest pass 2 x 12 @ 10 lbs; Alt. Hip Toss-2 x 12 @ 10 lbs; Soccer throw 2 x 8 @ 10 lbs.
    Sprint "accelerations" ladder: 10-20-30-40-50 meters x 2 with 2 minutes recovery between sets; then 2 x 50 meters to finish.
   Explosive step-ups: 3 x 12
   Bear Crawl "finisher": 40 meters

Comments: Those Bear crawls are a great way to finish your training sessions with a total body exercise with lots of trunk emphasis. 

Train hard and train smart!
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Today's Training: Total Body Strength

  Got the week off to a good start with a good strength training session. Consistency will be the key over next month esp. if I would to do that powerlifting meet.

Warmup: Indian clubs, quad rocks, Figure 4 stretch, ankle mobs, neck mobs, lower body rolling, Bear crawls, cross crawls

Workout: 1 arm KB swing: 4 x 10 @ 50 lbs; Hex bar RDL 4 x 6 @ 195 lbs. supersetted with Face pulls 3 x 12 @ 60 lbs;
   Tri-set: Weighted chins 4 x 6 @ 45 lbs; RFESS 4 x 12; Band resisted decline pushups 4 x 10
KB Farmer's Walk: 3 x 75 meters w/32 kg. each.

Comments: Good session as I added some volume in terms of sets and intensity in terms of loading. 2 more weeks of harder work before a deload week.

Train hard and train smart!
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Today's Training: Conditioning Work

   We got rained out of our baseball games today so instead did a running conditioning training session.

Warmup: Indian clubs, quad rocks, lower body rolls, Bear crawls, ankle mobs, Cross crawls

Workout: 5 x 176 yds. w/ 2.5 min. walking recovery. Heart rate recovery down to 100 bpm or less.
   Battling ropes: 7 x 30"/60" (on-off), various patterns.

Comments: Good session; felt pretty good during the long sprints especially. Much harder to raise heart rate with the ropes than with sprinting that's for sure!

Train hard and train smart!
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How to Deadlift When You Can't Pull from the Floor with Good Form | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training

How to Deadlift When You Can't Pull from the Floor with Good Form | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training Good, basic deadlifting tips from Cressey.

Never Forget the Plain Old Vanilla

Never Forget the Plain Old Vanilla The basics are still essential to building a better athlete.

Today's Training: Total Body Strength

  Starting the road back to heavy deadlifting as the thought has entered my mind to do a push/pull powerlifting meet in early November. We will see how the next month's training goes first!

Warmup: Indian clubs, ankle mobs, neck mobs, quad rocks, lower body rolling, cross crawl, 1/2 kneeling adductor

Workout: Double KB swings 5 x 5 @ 45 ea. on the minute; Sumo Deadlift-1 x 5 @ 135, 1 x 5 @ 185, 1 x 4 @ 225, 1 x 3 @ 275, 1 x 2 @ 285, 1 x 2 @ 300, 3 x 1 @ 320; Superset: Suspended decline pushup 4 x 15 w/ Suspended inverted rows (ft. elevated) 4 x 15; KB Farmers walks 3 x 80 yds. @ 32 kg. each.

Comments: First week in quite a while where I did 3 good strength training sessions. Perhaps my body needed some recovery with all of the baseball, sprinting, squash, and cycling. 
   Thinking of doing a Push/Pull powerlifting meet in early November so we will see how the training goes in the next month.

Train hard and train smart!
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Today's Training: Sprints & Med Ball Work

    Today I went out relatively early and did a training session on a local college track/soccer field. I love doing my sprint work on the turf field as it is so much easier on my legs and joints than an all weather track which can be brutal. Modern synthetic tracks are only slightly less hard the paved surfaces IMO!

Warmup: Indian clubs, quad rocks, cross crawls, lateral squats, leg swings, toe/heel walks, march series, skip series

Workout: Med ball circuit-chest pass 2 x 12 @ 8 lbs; Med ball side toss-2 x 8 @ 8 lbs; Soccer throw-2 x 8 @ 8 lbs.
   Sprint acceleration ladder: 10-20-30-40-50 x 2 with walk back for recovery between sprints and 2 min. recovery between sets. Then 2 x 50 meters to finish.

Comments: This was one of those sessions where I struggled...sluggish, felt slow, wasn't moving well or efficiently. Not surprising considering the crappy night's sleep I got but nonetheless got through it though it wasn't pretty by any means.

Train hard and train smart!
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Today's Training: Strength Training-Total Body

   Didn't have much time today due to training clients and taking my Mom to the doctor's office for an eye checkup.
   So put together this circuit with a "finisher".

Warmup: Ankle mobs, wall slides, lower body rolling, quad rocks, cross crawls, Bear crawls

Workout: Circuit: KB swings- x 10 @ 32 kg; Box jumps- x 5; Weighted chins x 6 @ 40 lbs; High step-ups x 8 @ 25 lbs. each; band resisted ft. elevated pushups x 12 @ 1/2" band.
    4 circuits w/60 seconds between circuits for recovery.
"Finisher": KB Farmers carries 3 x 75 yds. 2 32 kg. each.

Comments: Good session as I haven't done one of these type of metabolic strength training circuits in a while. You have to improvise sometimes when pressed for time and this was a good day for that.

Train hard and train smart!
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share

share Good concepts but this process should be kid driven not adult driven IMO.

Strength and Conditioning Programs: Crossfit for Baseball? | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training

Strength and Conditioning Programs: Crossfit for Baseball? | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training Crossfit not a good fit for baseball as it's usually programmed.

Today's Training: Strength-Total Body

  Today was a strength training day at the gym. Had to get it in early as there was lots of stuff on the agenda for the rest of the day.

Warmup: Ankle mobs, foot circles, neck mobs, Indian clubs, Rocking, rolling, cross crawls, forward/backwards spider crawls

Workout: Speed sumo deadlifts w/bands: 7 x 3 @ 185 & short orange bands--on the minute; Superset-KB swings 4 x 10 @ 32 kg. with Box jumps 3 x 5;
  Tri-set: Dog Bone chins 4 x 6 with Cable chest press 4 x 10 @ 35 ea; and Rollouts 3 x 10.
    KB Farmers carries- 3 x 75 yds. @ 32 kg.

Comments: Good session; started using the "Re-set" drills from "Becoming Bulletproof" this week--rolling, rocking, cross crawls and crawls (specifically spider crawls). No equipment necessary, fundamental movement patterns, harder than they look or sound. Will be interested to see how I feel in several weeks.

Train hard and train smart!
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Today's Training: All About Power!

  Today's training was all about power from hill sprints to box jumps.

Warmup: Ankle mobs, wall slides, leg swings, march series, skip series, low box hip flexor, open hip t-spine rotation, 1/2 kneeling adductor

Workout: 5 x 100 meter hill sprint (walk back for recovery); 2 min. rest. 5 x 25 meter hill sprint(steeper)(walk back for recovery).
     Med ball circuit: MB wall dribbles 2 x 15 sec. @ 4 lbs; Med ball chest pass-2 x 12 @ 18 lbs; Med ball side toss-2 x 7 @ 18 lbs; Med ball push press pass- 2 x 5 @ 18 lbs.
    Sled pushes- 8 x 10 sec. w/50 sec. recovery @ 200 lbs.
      Box Jumps- 3 x 5

Comments: Circumstances and facility determined this exercise order so you can't necessarily be adhering to ideals of program structure when reality dictates otherwise.
    Rubber track with high humidity made for a tough day pushing the sled....it didn't seem to want to move. Hate it when the sled is uncooperative!
  Otherwise, a good, solid training session getting a lot of power work done. 
   
Train hard and train smart!
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Improvising When/Where Necessary to Train

  It is easy for life's little inconveniences to give you a ready made excuse to not do your day's training but then that is just a crutch or the easy way out of training with any consistency.
    Sometimes you just have to go with the flow and improvise a training session to "git ir dun"!
     Today was such a day for me as I couldn't get to the gym so I used my outdoor gym which I hadn't done in a while.
  Over the years I have accumulated a few "toys" that allow me to put together a pretty neat outdoor gym setup: kettlebells, heavy clubbells, TRX, rings and the like. You can put together a pretty awesome training session with these tools, believe me.
   Today's session was a circuit with these 5 exercises:

• Clubbell swings x 12 @ 20 lbs. ea.
• Thick rope L-seat chins x 8
• TRX suspended lunge x 12 ea.
• Rip Trainer baseball horizontal chops x 10 ea.
• Ring pushups on 1 leg   x 20

   I did the circuit 4 times with 1 minute recovery between circuits (each circuit took about 2.5 minutes) so it was a negative work/recovery ratio. 

   Total time from start to finish, including recovery, was less than 15 minutes.

     I hit the major movements with a horizontal push, vertical pull, hip hinge/hip dominant, knee dominant, and a rotational core/trunk movement. In addition, the clubbell swings did double duty as they were an explosive exercise as well. 

  I strength trained like this outdoors in quite a while as the summer was mostly inhospitable to this type of training, at least where I live! :)

Train hard and train smart!

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Should Pitchers Distance Run? What the Research Says. | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training

Should Pitchers Distance Run? What the Research Says. | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training This isn't too surprising considering the nature of the sport.

Today's Training: Power & Conditioning

  Today was a combo day whereby I did some power work with med balls and then some conditioning work with some longer sprint work.

Warmup: Leg swings-lateral, leg swings-sagital plane, lateral squats, arm circles, march series, skip series, jumping jacks

Workout: Med ball circuit: Chest pass-2 x 12 @ 8 lbs; MB side toss-2 x 7 @ 8 lbs.; MB hip toss-2 x 8 @ 8lbs.
    7 x 120 yd. striders on the grass-75 second recovery between reps.

Comments: Haven't done these type of longer "conditioning" sprints in a while. It was good to get back to them once again. Going to try to do them once weekly for a while and see how that goes.

Train hard and train smart!
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Today's Training: Recovery Ride

  Today was another recovery ride on my fixed gear bike. As stated before the no impact, rhythmic cadence seems to aid me , anyway, in my recovery and regeneration.
   As yesterday was a high intensity neural day I try to follow those up with days that are more conditioning/metabolically oriented to facilitate recovery.
  Interestingly, I actually felt pretty good as the effort required to get the same or faster speed than normal seemed to be less taxing. That is either the sign of increased fitness or a blip on the radar. Time will tell!

Train hard and train smart!
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Seth's Blog: Tattoo thinking

Seth's Blog: Tattoo thinking Sounds like ready, fire, aim! Take action and learn from it. Applies to your training and fitness as well.

Egg Yolks as Dangerous as Smoking?

Egg Yolks as Dangerous as Smoking? Really?!? More like really bad science with an attention grabbing headline.

Egg Yolks as Dangerous as Smoking?

Egg Yolks as Dangerous as Smoking? Really?!? More like really bad science with an attention grabbing headline.

Yesterday's Training: Strength Training

Yesterday I embarked on another journey on Wendler's  5-3-1 strength training program which I have used with good success in the past and go back to for various cycles quite a bit.
   My core lifts will be the clean from the floor, bench press and sumo deadlift.
      I will make slight variations to the bench press as I can't do prolonged benching without some trauma to my shoulders so I will likely substitute dumbbell work occasionally which my shoulders can tolerate much better than a constant diet of flat bench presses.

Warmup: Tabletop hamstring & hip rotators, ankle mobs, wall slides, arm circles, goblet squat holds, lateral squats, 1/2 kneeling hip flexor, open hip t-spine rotation

Workout: Power cleans from floor 4 x 4 @ 120, 135, 155, 160; Dog Bone chins 4 x 6 supersetted w/RFESS 4 x 10 @ 30 lbs. each; 1 arm KB swings 4 x 8 ea. @ 45 lbs; Double KB carries 3 x 75 yds. @ 32 kg.

Comments: Though the 5-3-1 system calls for the last set to be a max rep set I don't believe in that for technical lifts such as the clean. Too much chance for poor technique and thus injury IMO. So I stuck with sets of 4 to ensure my technique stayed relatively "clean" (no pun intended)!

Train hard and train smart!
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Today's Training: Mixed Bag!

  Today was a day of mixed training which included playing 8 games of singles squash and then followed up with a strength training session.

Warmup: Leg swings, arm circles, lateral squats, rotational squats, Groiners, Inchworms

Squash: 8 games singles. For those that haven't/don't play squash, take it from me. This is great conditioning work...interval style without even thinking about it...just chase that little black ball.

Workout: Speed deadlifts w/bands(short orange)-6 x 3 (on the minute); Spud strap L-seat chins 3 x 8 supersetted with RFESS 3 x 10 ea.
   KB Farmers Carries-2 x 75 yds. @ 32 kg. each

Comments: Good session with the combo of the squash and the lifting. I count squash as interval conditioning work as that is what is it is...short to medium length bursts with very little rest between points.  Squash is one of the few sports where there truly is a negative work/rest ratio i.e. the work periods are longer than the rest periods in most cases.

Train hard and train smart!
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Today's Training: Cycling/Recovery Day

  For me cycling is a recovery day on two fronts: it is non-impact and it is not as neurologically as demanding as sprint work or heavy strength work, for example.
   On an early morning outing, like today, it is also quite refreshing as you get out and about before the morning rush/crush and also beat the heat.
   I use my fixed gear bike almost exclusively now for my cycling as it is both a skill challenge as well as the fact you are constantly working as there is no rest or respite from having to constantly pedal.
   Today I went out for 40 minutes, kept the tempo pretty high and though the course was relatively flat it was still not a walk in the park. So I broke a sweat without pounding the crap out of myself.
   I highly recommend cycling as a recovery mode esp. for those who do a lot of heavy lifting, plyos and sprint work.

Train hard and train smart!
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Today's Training: POWER!

   I post these training sessions as they are real life examples of what a Masters athlete is doing in their training program so I hope they provide some insight into how you might approach your own training.
   Today was another power training day so it is very obvious how much emphasis I put on the necessity of power training and it is no less important as we age.
   So today' session incorporated med ball work, sprinting and some jump training.

Warmup: Ankle mobs, 1/2 kneeling adductor, open hip t-spine rotation, 1/2 kneeling hip flexor wall touch, toe/heel walks, March series, skip series, backpedals, high knees, butt kickers

Workout: Med ball circuit: Med ball wall dribbles- 2 x 15 sec. @ 4 lbs., Med ball reactive chest pass-2 x 12 @ 15 lbs., Med ball side toss- 2 x 7 @ 15 lbs., Med ball scoop toss- 2 x 6 @ 15 lbs. 90 sec. recovery between sets.
    Buildup sprints: 8 x 50 yds. with walk back for recovery. Then 1 x 80 yds.
     Box Jumps: 3 x 6 on 30" box. 90 seconds rest between sets.

Comments: Felt pretty good in the sprints. I frequently do "buildup" type sprints as it allows me to get into the sprint without the burst at the beginning. Esp. in the beginning of the session this is important as it takes me several sprints to feel entirely ready to go.
   Hadn't done box jumps in a while so a little trepidation in the beginning as 30" is a fairly high box esp. for an "old" guy! Once you get a few out of the way things are fine.

Train hard and train smart!
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Today's Training: Strength work

   As I am gearing up for to start a new program next week did some more testing today with the power clean being the lift to test.

Warmup: Ankle mobs, wall slides, goblet squat hold-2 x 45 sec., Band shoulder traction work, 1/2 kneeling adductor, jumping jacks

Workout: Power clean from floor (testing): worked up to 1 rep max of 175; Superset: TRX inverted rows-4 x 15 w/ Wide stance horizontal chop 4 x 8 @ 30 lbs; Superset: TRX "elbow" core moves 3 sets w/1 arm cable chest press  3 x 10 @ 35 lbs.

Comments: Good session; haven't done cleans from the floor in a while so that was challenging but I look forward to working on my technique in this new program. Also, tried out some new, interesting and challenging core movements on the TRX. The good ideas people come up with for that thing are amazing. 

Train hard and train smart!
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Today's Training: Sprinting & Med ball Work-POWER!

   As you've probably ascertained by now I like to train power. Your first clue might be that I do it 3-4 times weekly in various ways and with various modes of training. Today was another one of those days.

Warmup: Ankle mobs, lateral squats, leg swings, arm circles, toe walks/heel walks, Groiners, Pidgeon stretch, Yoga pushups, March series, Skip series, backpedals

Workout: Tornado ball circuit-horizontal wall slams, diagonal wall slams, Figure 8's- 2 X w/ 8 lb. ball.

Acceleration ladder: 10-20-30-40-50 meter buildup sprints, walk back for recovery, 2 x w/2 min. rest between sets, then finish w/2 x 50 meters. Total: 400 meters of sprinting.

Comments: No matter how thorough and intense the warmup is it still takes me until about the 4th or 5th sprint to feel good. Just the way it is as you get older I suppose. Once I'm "lubed" up, though, I'm good to go. 
   I did focus on good drive phase and good arm action today as I sometimes get too "elbow dominant" instead of having the arm drive come from the shoulders. 

Train hard and train smart!
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Yesterday's Training: Strength work and Testing

   Yesterday I did some strength testing as part of my session as I am considering doing a Push-Pull powerlifting meet in early November. Push-Pull events just use the bench (push) and deadlift (pull) as their lifts which will suit me better as I'm not comfortable with the risk/benefit of heavy squatting. Just my own thoughts on the matter.

Warmup: Tabletop hamstring & hip rotators, ankle mobs, scap pushups, foam roller shoulder mob circuit, low box hip flexor, open hip t-spine, 1/2 kneeling adductor

Workout: Bench press (testing): got up to 1 RM @ 235; Superset: Trap Bar RDL-4 x 5 @ 195 & Face pulls-4 x 12 @ 57.5; KB Farmers carries-3 x 70 yds. @ 32 kg. each; Superset: Dog Bone Chins-3 x 7 & Rollouts-3 x 10

Comments: We will see whether my right shoulder can tolerate heavy benching and accessory work for next 3 months. If not then it may end up being a deadlift only meet!

Train hard and train smart!
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Today's Training: Trail Run

  This ended up being an impromptu training session as I was expecting to play baseball today but we got rained out.
   So instead I did a trail run over the local college cross country course.
     It was a beautiful, sunny, relatively mild day as last night's storms seemed to have decreased the humidity, at least somewhat.
    I wore my heart rate monitor as I wanted to make this a relatively easy run by keeping my heart rate below 70% of heart rate max. So whenever it got close to that number I simply backed off the pace somewhat.
   Because the run was in the woods, it provided a little opportunity for some improvisational footwork and agility work by jumping over logs, dodging roots and stones and sidestepping other obstacles.
   It was a fun, different challenge and added some variety to my training week. I will probably try to incorporate a few more of these in my training regimen going forward but never to the extent it compromises my speed, strength and power training.

Train hard and train smart!
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Training Today: Mixed Bag

  Today was kind of a mixed bag of training protocols with a little of this and a little of that.

Warmup: my early AM mobility work plus some dynamic warmup drills like leg swings, jumping jacks and marches

Squash: 10 games of singles squash with my squash gang. I use squash as a metabolic training session because you are getting a great conditioning effect while chasing a ball and having fun. I know it's conditioning work as I have frequently worn a heart rate monitor while playing and  consistently get my heart rate in excess of 80% of maximum and it seldom goes below65-70%. Beats jogging by a mile (pun intended!).

Extra Work: Kettlebell Farmers Carries-3 x 70 yds. @ 32 kg. each.
                       Sled pushes-8 x 10 yds. @ 200 lbs. with 30 seconds rest. A functional leg press along with a little conditioning work.

Comments: All in all, a good session, lots of fun and got the job done.

Train hard and train smart!
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Today's Training: Strength Training

  Today was a total body strength training day with the "core" lift being the sumo deadlift.

Warmup: Ankle mobs, wall slides, 1/2 kneeling hip flexor and adductor, Indian clubs #1 & #2, open hip t-spine rotation, lateral squats

Workout: Super-set: Sumo deadlift- 4 x 5 @ 135, 225, 255, 275; Rip Trainer punch-3 x 8;
   Tri-set: Double KB swing 4 x 8 @ 55lb. ea., Smith machine inverted rows-4 x 15; Rip Trainer lateral walkouts-3 x 3
    Super set: Incline weighted pushups-4 x 10 @ 45 lbs, 45 degree back raise-4 x 10 @ 45 lbs.

Comments: Good training session. Haven't done any heavy deadlifts in a while and it was time to get started though I started conservatively. Want to add more swings to the program as well.

Train hard and train smart!
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Injury Nutrition and Supplementation: How to Get Back in the Game Sooner | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training

Injury Nutrition and Supplementation: How to Get Back in the Game Sooner | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training Some interesting thoughts on how eating/supplementation may enhance injury recovery with some real life examples.

Today's Training: Hill Sprints & Med ball Work

   Today's training involved hill sprinting and med ball power work.

Warmup: Leg swings, arm circles, 1/2 kneeling hip flexor-wall touch, 1/2 kneeling adductor, open hip t-spine rotation, ankle mobs-wall touches, wall slides

Workout: 5 x 100 yds hill sprints (walk back for recovery); 2.5 minute recovery, 5 x 25 yds hill sprints (walk back for recovery)
   Then, med ball circuit-Med ball wall dribbles 2 x 15 sec. @ 4 lbs; Med ball chest pass-2 x 12 @ 15 lbs; Med ball side toss-2 x 6 @ 15 lbs; Med ball scoop toss-2 x 6 @ 15 lbs.

Comments: Good session with both the sprints and med ball work. Little warm out there but persisted nonetheless. Git 'er dun!

Train hard and train smart!
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Today's Training: Two a Days

   As I've gotten older I have tended towards doing more single session training days where in the past I frequently did 2 training sessions in one day. I found that recovery became more and more important as I got older but upon occasion I will do a 2 training session day if my energy, recovery and schedule permits.
   Today was such a day.

1st Session: Dynamic warmup including leg swings, groiners, Yoga pushups, toe walks/heel walks, March series, skip series.

• Med ball circuit: MB chest pass 2 x 12 @ 3 kg., Alt. hip toss-2 x 12 2 3 kg.; Soccer throw-2 x 8 @ 3 kg.  Emphasis was on speed of movement.
• Acceleration sprint ladder: 10-20-30-40-50 meter sprints x 2 (with 2 min. recovery between sets), then 20-30-40 meter sprints to finish. Walk back for recovery between sprints.

2nd Session: Warmup-tabletop hamstring and hip rotator, foam roller thoracic spine series, 1/2 kneeling adductor, 1/2 kneeling hip flexor

Workout: Box squats to 14" box-4 x 5 @ 135, 155, 175, 195 supersetted w/"Dog Bone" chins* 4 x 6; Tri-set: Landmine 1 leg RDL 4 x 5 @ 60, Cable chest press-4 x 12 @ 40 lbs, rollouts 4 x 8

*The Dog Bone is one of Rogue Fitness' devious chinning/grip devices that has two large diameter globes connected by a cylinder which is a challenge to your grip esp. when chinning. 

Comments: Two good sessions with a good sprint/power session in the morning followed by a good, effective strength session in the PM. Should sleep well tonight!

Train hard and train smart!

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Reasons Why You Train

   Yesterday was another example of why one trains, at least it was for me!
      I played 2 games of baseball in nearly 100 degree heat index, a total of 17 innings chasing balls in the outfield and running the basepaths.
   I not only am the oldest outfielder on our team, I consistently play the most amount of innings and am the least tired and the one that seems never to get hurt. Hmmm.....interesting1 :)
   I say this not to brag but to illustrate a point.
    It is not be accident that this is the case but rather a by-product of my comprehensive approach to training: mobility and dynamic warmup work, sprint and power work, strength training and conditioning work.
  Too many people get fixated on one component of training or another ,usually one that they do well at which compromises their overall readiness to move well, move for long periods of time and move explosively without getting hurt.
  The point is there is no one way but only a comprehensive way to train well. No one component of training is the solution nor is one way of training the answer. So neither Yoga, Pilates, strength training, power stretching, running, you name it is the be all and end all of training. And anyone who advocates that either is ignorant or trying to sell you something.

Train hard and train smart!
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Quick and Easy Ways to Feel and Move Better: Installment 13 | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training

Quick and Easy Ways to Feel and Move Better: Installment 13 | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training Good points to consider in your own training.

Today's Training: Squash and Strength Training

•   Started off the day with some mobility work as I am trying to make that a more consistent, if not daily, practice and also do more of it in terms of volume.
• Then 9 games singles squash with the gang. Not much down time between games so good session.
• Strength training: power hang cleans 4 x 3 @ 155; Banded speed deadlifts (sumo style)-6 x 3 @155 + bands(on the minute); superset-Weighted pushups 3 x 12 @ 60 lbs. with Eccentric chins  3 x 3 @ 10 sec. eccentric.  KB Farmers carries- 3 x 70 yds. @ 32 kg. each

Comments: Good session as I still had some gas in the tank for the strength training after all of the squash. 

Train hard and train smart!

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Today's Training: Sprint & Power Training

  Haven't sprinted in over a week so time to do some sprint and Med ball power work.

Warmup: Tabletop hamstring and hip rotators, ankle mobs, Wall pushups, 1/2 kneeling adductor, low box hip flexor, open hip t-spine rotation

Workout: Med ball circuit-wall dribbles 2 x 10 sec. @ 4 lbs; Med ball chest pass-2 x 12 @ 12 lbs; Med ball side toss 2 x 8 @ 12 lbs.; Med ball scoop toss-2 x 5 @ 12 lbs.

   Sprint ladder: 10-20-30-40-50 x 2 w/2 min. recovery between sets. Then 30-40-50 sprints.
       These were more like buildup sprints in that I tried to reach top speed by end of sprint with a gradual buildup in speed.
 
Train hard and train smart!
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Today's Training: Mobility and Sprint work

  I have been on vacation in Nantucket, Ma. for the last 8 days and I have gotten into the good habit of starting my day off with 25-30 minutes of "mobility" work.
   This work includes some stretching, some Indian club drills, some Z-health mobility drills as well as some band traction work and more common mobility drills.
    Here is a sample:

• Indian clubs: single club movement #1 and movement #2
• Indian clubs: double clubs-arm circles, horizontal swings, double casts, alternating single casts, Figure 8's
• Z-Health ankle mobs: inversion, eversion
• Z-Health toe drills
• Ankle circles
• Knee circles
• Neck drills: protraction/retraction, lateral flexion, neck rotations
• Ankle mobs
• Squat to stand
• Hip pendulums
• 1/2 kneeling adductor,
• Sidelying t-spine rotation
• 1/2 kneeling hip flexor

   That is just a sample of what I've been doing and it has been helping a great deal. I hope when I get back I can maintain just a fraction of this on a regular basis as I think it will help a great deal. I do some mobility work almost daily but seldom this amt. on a regular basis. 

   After this mobility work, I went down to the beach and did some sand hill sprints:

• Sand hill sprints: 12 x 30 yds. with walk back for recovery. 

    Talk about going nowhere fast! But great workout nonetheless and easy on the joints. 

Well that' s it for today. Send me your comments and I will do my best to respond.

Train hard and train smart!

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Early Specialization: Seven Reasons Why It Is a Bad Idea | MomsTeam

Early Specialization: Seven Reasons Why It Is a Bad Idea | MomsTeam This message needs to become more widespread.

Today's Training Session: Strength Training

  Today, up in Nantucket with my lovely wife, we had a chance to train at the Great Harbor Yacht Club which is a surprisingly good training facility.
  Unlike a lot of these resort and hotel facilities who have tons of cardio equipment and strength training is an after thought this facility had some nice gear including a squat rack, Landmine trainer, functional cable unit as well as some med balls, plyo boxes and the like.
  In other words, more than sufficient for a good training session.
    Don't know why but today I had the urge to do barbell squats which I usually approach with caution due to the risk/reward re: potential low back injury. I haven't done barbell back squats in months but I warmed up thoroughly and proceeded with caution. Here's what the entire training session looked like:

Back squat: 1 x 5 @ 45, 1 x 5 @ 95, 1 x 5 @ 135, 1 x 4@ 185, 1 x 4 @ 205, 1 x 3 @ 225, 1 x 3 @ 255;
   The squats were supersetted with weighted chins: 5 x 5 @ 45 lbs.

TRX suspended pushups(ft. in stirrups): 4 x 25 supersetted with Landmine 1/2 moons 4 x 12

Landmine 1 leg RDLs 4 x 5 @ 60 lbs. supersetted with Box jumps: 4 x 5
45 degree back raises: 4 x 8 @ 45 lbs.
Ab Dolly rollouts: 4 x 10

   So following my basic training program template I got in a squatting pattern, a deadlift (hip hinge) pattern, an upper body push and upper body pull as well as 2 trunk/core exercises and a power movement.
   Good session esp. considering I am on "vacation."

Train hard and train smart!
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Risk Homeostasis and Your Strength and Conditioning Programs | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training

Risk Homeostasis and Your Strength and Conditioning Programs | Eric Cressey | High Performance Training, Personal Training Some food for thought from Cressey which is likely applicable to your own training.

Haven't Forgotten You!

It has been two weeks since I last posted and that is a long time for me but life got in the way as they say so now that I am on vacation I thought I would post a little more frequently over the next week or so and hopefully get back in the swing of things.
   In addition, my training has been a little less organized than usual as I was really busy with my business and other projects, family occasions, and the like.
   I plan on getting back into a more organized and formalized training program the week after next when I am back home and can focus on training a little more.
  I also have a new training goal as I plan on entering another Tough Mudder in October which means the race date is about 3 months away.
  I will be detailing my training for that in the next couple of months.
    So stay tuned and I will be reaching out with more details of this training as these obstacle course type events are becoming hugely popular. In addition, IMHO, the training information/programs out there aren't the best approach to training for these events esp. for the more "mature" athlete.

Train hard and train smart!
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Today's Training: Fixed Gear Cycling for Recovery

  Now that I have my single speed, fixed gear bike in operating order I am taking advantage and trying to ride 3-4 times weekly to supplement my sprint running training sessions.
   For those of you unfamiliar with a fixed gear, single speed bike it is exactly that: it has one gear and you can't "free wheel"...you have to be constantly pedaling.
  Initially, this can be a bit of an adjustment and I had some near misses when I started out but eventually you figure it out and it is a lot of fun as well as a challenge esp. on hills where there is no easier gear to shift to so you must grind it out or get off and walk.
   The advantage of fixed gear bikes are many:
a. The essence of biking simplicity.
b. Smooths out your pedaling stroke
c. You are constantly working so you get more "work" done in the same amount of time as there is no coasting.
d. No impact aerobic training so great for recovery days if that is your choice.

    Today I went for a 40 minute ride on relatively flat terrain and had a blast. Again, in keeping with the simplicity them I had no cycle computer and no heart rate monitor...I just rode for a certain time. Works for me.


Train hard and train smart!
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Word to the Wise: Listen to Your Body in this Heat

  In this almost nation wide heat wave, it is imperative that we pay attention to our body's signals as ignoring them can have catastrophic consequences. This is especially true for the Masters athlete as there are likely to be medical history issues at play as well.
   I was reminded of this yesterday while playing baseball with my team. Yesterday the temperature was nearly 100 degrees and the heat index was in excess of 100.
    A team-mate of mine, who happens to be a big guy as well as a recent heart attack survivor, was having a great game. He had two doubles and a single at the plate and was doing a good job pitching in relief.
  But on his 2nd double as he ran hard for 2nd base he got there and clearly something was not right. Whether it was that single effort or the cumulative physical toll of the game to that point no one will know.
   But he clearly was in discomfort to say the least.
      We got him to the dugout, gave him some fluids and some ice to cool down and insisted that was the end of his day. Luckily, wisdom prevailed and he stopped playing and didn't play in the 2nd game. A very wise choice given the circumstances.
   But the point in all of this is that you must listen to your esp. if you have a medical history and at the Masters athlete level many do have such a history. And weather like we have been having lately only compounds one's medical issues.
  With Masters sports, in my opinion, the joy is in the journey of training and playing not necessarily in the outcomes, scores and victories. You want to be able to do this for as long as you can so be wise. There is always another day to compete and/or train. That is the "train smart" part!

Train hard and train smart!
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Seth's Blog: The false choice of mediocrity

Seth's Blog: The false choice of mediocrity Apply this principle to your own training.

From gold and silver to drugs and jail David Jenkins never ran from fate - Athletics - Scotsman.com

From gold and silver to drugs and jail David Jenkins never ran from fate - Athletics - Scotsman.com A very telling story about steroids use and their cost.

From gold and silver to drugs and jail David Jenkins never ran from fate - Athletics - Scotsman.com

From gold and silver to drugs and jail David Jenkins never ran from fate - Athletics - Scotsman.com A very telling story about steroids use and their cost.

Yesterday's Training: "Brick" Workout

  "Brick" workouts are a term used in the triathlon community to describe training sessions wherein you do, say, a hard bike session followed immediately by a running session. The purpose is to simulate the transition between the two and familiarize yourself with it physiologically and psychologically.
   Yesterday I did my version of a "brick" as I played 9 games of singles squash followed closely by a sprint training session on the track.
   The sprint session was an acceleration ladder of: 10-20-30-40-50 yd. sprints w/walk back for recovery. 2.5 minute rest. Then, repeat for a total of 10 sprints.
  It was a good session and fun and something different for variety which is almost always a good thing esp. when you've been training for as many years of I have been training.
 
Train hard and train smart!
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