Fun of a different kind!

[Catrin]

For this week's 'Sunday Funday' workout, Tony decided to honor the NFL Combine that is currently in session. Our workout this morning focused on agility and explosiveness. We did a wide variety of things that included box jumping, broad jumping, cone drills and sprinting after we warmed up with a basketball shooting game, then a rather lengthy squat and plank/core series. It was quite different from our usual Sunday workouts and it was a lot of fun. Also, for the first time, the box jumps felt pretty darn good

[Crankin]

I skipped yesterday to go x country skiing, necessitating me to go to the evil one's class today. I swear, even with 3 and 5 lb. weights, I could hardly lift my arms in class today. She does so many reps (one minute or more), I can barely stand it! Some of it is because I didn't go for 2.5 weeks when I was sick, but still. I can do her classes when it's interval focused with cardio intervals, but this kills me. There were a couple of new people in class today; one a woman who usually goes at night, who was struggling by the end, and the other, a guy who was barely making it through. I focused on trying to do more than them!

[Catrin]

I skipped yesterday to go x country skiing, necessitating me to go to the evil one's class today. I swear, even with 3 and 5 lb. weights, I could hardly lift my arms in class today. She does so many reps (one minute or more), I can barely stand it! Some of it is because I didn't go for 2.5 weeks when I was sick, but still. I can do her classes when it's interval focused with cardio intervals, but this kills me. There were a couple of new people in class today; one a woman who usually goes at night, who was struggling by the end, and the other, a guy who was barely making it through. I focused on trying to do more than them!

Ugh Crankin, this doesn't sound like fun. As intense and hard as my group trainer is, our group membership is stable so he knows who is coming and plans accordingly. The evil one's approach doesn't sound like it is set up for success Nothing wrong with hard/intense, but the students have to be ready for it and helped to reach that point!

Our trainer is taking a different approach, while our workouts are becoming more intense - he is going back to the basics to make certain we all get a chance to nail them. We are also tracking our strength/power combination portions of the training in a different way to become more intentional about what we are doing.

I had a little plus this morning - and proof that my shoulder/lats are improving. While my front squat still su*ks (I want to bend my knees first rather than hinge at the hips like I should), I am no longer bending backwards to compensate!!!! Yayyyyyy! I was even able to get a 55 pound barbell in a proper front-squat position and THAT has been impossible. In the past I've only been able to get an unweighted 35-pound bar into position and THAT was leaning backwards to compensate for shoulder/t-spine/lat problems. I've NEVER been able to get a heavier barbell into that position so I am very happy. Now I just need to practice with some lower weight and beat that little hinge problem I have - it is a head problem I think. Kettlebell front squats are fine so I know it isn't a physical issue - just too accustomed to compensating.

I am really starting to want to ride my bike now - which is a good sign

[Catrin]

Our trainer calls them a three point pushup, and they aren't easy! We do them pretty often and I keep trying to get faster at them...

[OakLeaf]

You got a video? I googled all three of those names and none of the videos I saw looks remotely like what you're describing!

Is it like T-push-ups, only you have your bottom leg extended off the floor in the side plank position???

[Irulan]

I tried to find a video, too. Usually you can find one of almost any exercise on the planet!

[Catrin]

I see what you mean. Too many exercises have the same name.

Start with one leg, draw one foot up on the inside, then kick the leg to the other side bringing the side of the hip to the ground. Rinse and repeat on the other side, one can get very fast at this and it really helps hip flexibility. If I can find a video this weekend will post it.

Tomorrow I've a lifting event to participate in Just doing it for the fun of it. We already know our targets for the chest presses, leg presses and single deadlifts.

[Irulan]

video yourself doing it! It will be better than many of the videos people post of themselves...

[Catrin]

video yourself doing it! It will be better than many of the videos people post of themselves...

I am not very good at it, but this is a good idea if I can't find something better out there. My new phone takes very good video...

[Catrin]

I broke two personal records at the gym this morning

PR 1 = plank (on elbows) for 5:10 - I've been trying to break 5 minutes for months! It seems that I was stuck at 4:37-42.

PR 2 = single deadlifts - 25 bodyweight reps (125 pounds) That isn't heavy compared to some of the heavy lifting some friends of mine do (both female and male), but they've been doing it for years. This is the heaviest yet for me and I did it 25 times. These were singles which means that the barbell is dropped as soon as we stand all the way up with the weight - much easier on the back this way. This was part of a power-lifting challenge for my group training peeps - I just did it for fun as I know there is no way I can win the competition.

I forgot to ask my trainer if there is another name for that exercise, but I'll try to remember to ask him the next time I see him.

[Irulan]

Clap pushups anyone?
I got excited a while ago when I squeezed one out. I tried it again two weeks ago when we had 4 x10 pushups as part of a larger matrix. In each of those sets of 10, I did 5 clap pushups! That was really exciting for me.

[Catrin]

Sounds like you had fun Irulan! Right now I am not allowed to do either pushups or OH presses but I have done these in the past from an inclined push up position. One of these days I would like to do it from the ground

[Catrin]

I had remembered the name of the exercise incorrectly. This is much better than a video of ME, this is a video at my gym and the one talking is Tony, my group trainer Chip makes this look very easy - it is fun but not easy. I am still trying to get my feet up by my hands but we all need a goal

[OakLeaf]

Oh! Too tired to try those tonight, maybe tomorrow if I can do them without torquing my shoulders too much. But I watched it twice and can't figure how he gets 6 ... looks like 8 every way I count it ...

[indysteel]

That looks fun (and hard), Catrin, but I don't know that it's the move not the move Sky King described. I could be totally wrong, but I thought what she described a plank, knee to nose, side plank with the lower leg (the same leg that you held to your nose) held perpindicular to the body, back to plank. We do them in yoga a lot, but I'm not sure it goes by a given name.