Obstacle Course Training WOD 3/23/15

Obstacle Course Training WOD  3/22/15

Thank You Metro North Railroad for the use of the parking facilities and the awkward glares from you riders

3 minutes Jumping Jacks
15 double heels to butt kick
15 Star Jumps
3 minutes foward, reverse and lateral skipping
2 sets max incline pushup +10 rear foot elevated squat each side+10 renegade rows
300' bear crawl
300' Walking Lunge

Obstacle Course Training Workout 3/24/15

Obstacle Course Training WOD:

50' Walking Leg Hug
50' Lunge with floor tap
100' Power Skip
100' Lateral Skip

3 Minutes Jumping Jack
15 Kettle bell Swings
15 Incline Close Grip Push Ups
3 Minutes Walking Lunge
15 Kettle bell Swings
15 Incline Close Grip Push Ups
3 Minutes Bear Crawl
15 Kettle bell Swings
15 Incline Close Grip Push Ups

5 - 40 yard sprints (trot back)

Obstacle Course Training: Unilateral Workout

It's March and I am starting to prepare for the upcoming Obstacle Course Racing season. What I have done the last few years is over the colder winter months stick to a mostly pure strength training approach to my workouts, mixing in a little bit of high intensity conditioning work.

As I get closer to the events I plan to participate in I try to start mix in work that will enable me to transition from running to doing intense work to simulate moving from obstacle to obstacle. I wanted to perform unilateral work with this workout in regard to power, strength, single leg work, pulls and presses.

Set One: 4 Rounds

Single Leg Hop to Pull Up (5 each side)

From an 18” plyo box. set box under a pull up bar and sit on the box. Use one leg to perform a single leg jump up to the bar and do one pull up, sit back down and repeat.

Pull Up - Knee Raise - Pull Up

Did 5 strict pull ups then 10 controlled knee raises then as many strict pulls as i could manage after that.

Single Arm Rope Pull (cable machine) from High Plank Position (5 each side)

Used the rope attachment for the cable machine and set myself up in a high plank (top of push up) position. Fully extended one arm out to reach the rope and pulled into the body.

Rear Foot Suspended Single Leg Lunge (10 each side)

Using a TRX, I put 1 foot in the strap and performed a body weight lunge.

Set Two: 3 Rounds

Dumbbell Alternating Bench Press (10 Each Side)

Tried this two ways. First set was done with the weights done close to my chest and pressed out individually from there then I tried it holding the weight in the up position and lowering one at a time then back up . For me it was more difficult when I held the weights down rather than up while the other arm was working.

Dumbbell Alternating Overhead Press (10 each side)

Again I tried this holding the dumbbells in a different resting position while the other side was working. Unlike the bench press this felt more difficult while I held the weight overhead while the opposite arm was working.

I finished both sets of the presses with 10 reps with both sides working together. At this point the overhead press turned into a push press.

On the course you will find yourself in positions where you will have to rely on just one side of your body to perform work. Pulling up over a wall, hoisting objects, dragging objects (or yourself) and of course humping up hills on step at a time. Doing some unilateral work will help ensure the body can optimally handle these activities.

Goals and Expectations

Goal setting seems to be one of the very best things we can do in order to accomplish the things we are working towards. For example many people have the goal to lose weight or to improve their appearance and overall well being. Those are great goals and for the most part they are goals that all of us should keep working towards in one form or another.

The problem with these types of goals is that they can be very vague and unspecific. Usually the individual sets the goal but has no real plan on how to achieve it .

Don’t be alarmed you have not set yourself up for failure just yet, in fact you have done the most important thing we can do in goal setting which is to identify the main objective. Now all we have to do is set a course on how to get there!

This is where expectations come into play. This is important because so often many people set unrealistic expectations for themselves and it causes them to come up short when it comes to reaching their goals.

If your goal was to lose weight, be realistic on how much you are going to set out to lose and on how committed you are to reaching that goal. Here are a few suggestions you can take to identify you expectations.

1. Talk to others that have done or are doing the same thing you would like to work towards. Learning from their experience may be very helpful to what we can expect to accomplish.
2. Look at your current schedule. If you don’t have one, make one. How much time is there available to work towards you goal? Is there anything that can be eliminated or adjusted to help you make time?
3. Set a priority list. What are you going to do first? If your goal is to lose 20lbs the first thing you do is not going to be make those 20lbs magically disappear, smaller things will have to be done first.
4. Set “mini” goals, such as taking these suggestions and applying them. Then once the ball is rolling keep setting benchmarks along the way.
5. Reevaluate! This can be done on a weekly basis. Look at what you have done well and what you have done poorly. The little failures are just learning experiences as to not what to do. The biggest mistake we can make is not believing that we are capable of making a mistake! Better yet reevaluating gives us the opportunity to let you see what you have accomplished and will keep us motivated.
6. Hold yourself accountable. The best way I can think of doing this is to write it done but there are so many other ways we have available to us today another form may be more convenient. Choose something that will work for you.

Introduction To Strength: A Beginners Workout Program

If you are wondering how you can start adding strength training  to your routine this is a simple six week program to follow that you can start right away. This is a good cycle to start if you have been away from or have never done any committed strength training. 

You can supplement this cycle with some conditioning work and ab/core work should be done on a daily basis.

Warm Up: You can perform 3-5 minutes of light calisthenics, such as jumping jacks, power skipping or jump rope. Before working up to your working load of the day take 2-3 light sets to work up to it, after the first exercise you will not need to do this type of work for the other movements.

Objective: To introduce and utilize the major strength building lifts. Increase overall strength, stability and mobility. Use as a prelude to more advanced complexes, power movements and Olympic lifts.

How to Progress: Start with a light load. If you have done these movements think about 50% of what you would consider heavy for a set of 3. You do not want to struggle with form to begin with. Add 5 lbs to each lift as you perform each workout. Give your body time to figure out what is the most efficient way to move the load and progress from there. Sets of five will allow you to keep perfect form without fatigue.

Week 1

Monday

3x5 Back Squat

3x5 Overhead Press

3x5 Deadlift

Wednesday

3x5 Back Squat

3x5 Overhead Press

3x5 Deadlift

Friday

3x5 Back Squat

3x5 Deadlift

3x5 Bent Over Row

3x5 Overhead Press

Week 2

Monday

5x5 Back Squat

5x5 Overhead Press

5x5 Deadlift

Wednesday

3x5 Front Squat

3x5 Overhead Press

3x5 Bent Over Row

Friday

5x5 Back Squat

5x5 Push Press

5x5 Deadlift

Week 3

Monday

5x5 Back Squat

5x5 Bent Over Row

5x5 Deadlift

Wednesday

5x5 Back Squat

5x5 Front Squat

5x5 Push Press

Friday

5x5 Back Squat

5x5 Bent Over Row

5x5 Deadlift

Week 4

Monday

3X3 Overhead Squat

5x5 Front Squat

5x5 Deadlift

Wednesday

5x5 Back Squat

5x5 Push Press

5x5 Deadlift

Friday

5x5 Back Squat

3x5 Front Squat

5x5 Bent Over Row

Week 5

Monday

5x5 Overhead Squat

5x5 Front Squat

5x5 Push Press

Wednesday

5x5 Back Squat

5x5 Bent Over Row

5x5 Deadlift

Friday

5x5 Overhead Squat

5x5 Front Squat

5x5 Push Press

Week 6

Monday

3x3 Power Clean

3x5 Front Squat

3x5 Overhead Press

Wednesday

5x5 Back Squat

5x5 Power Clean

5x5 Push Press

Friday

5x5 Overhead Squat

5x5 Deadlift

5x3 Power Clean

6 Super Simple Sandbag Workouts

Sandbags of any shape or size can add variation and challenges to you current workout routines. Most of the movements done are probably ones you are already doing. Try them will the added complexity and balance of a sandbag and you will be feel why you can benefit from this tool.

6 Super Simple Sandbag Workouts | Breaking Muscle