power endurance

on my way to 170.

today marks a day to give thanks....

a big thanks to michael blevins (http://slowtwitchsmash.blogspot.com/)

i want to make it a point to focus on michael's incessant ability to work hard, and his will to suffer; without michael i would not be where i am today. he provided me a training partner like non other i have met. while my fitness goals may not have had direction (still may not), michael always seemed to drive me to, or at least pressure me to do something challenging: be it triathlons, time trials, running, weight lifting, or just general fitness and getting yoked.

he has been a great friend, as well as an inspiration to me in many ways. he and i have had a long journey with fitness: finding our passion, finding our limits, discovering what works, what makes us happy, where we want to go, where we strive, and where we fail. he has recently decided to reconfigure his desires, and abilities to something much more specific than i. although i do not share his same passion at this point in time i will continue to learn from his struggles, gains, and mistakes.

today michael is on a journey with a group of individuals he has followed for many years. these individuals have played a huge role with my fitness goals, but most importantly my mental gains within the fitness realm. i want to thank mark twight, lisa twight, rob macdonald, and josh brockbank (www.gymjones.com). while i did not specifically train with each individual, they provided the vessel for me to find my weakness: my brain. i cannot explain the amount of gratitude i have for these people and their daily efforts. while i enjoy working hard, they truly exemplify hard work and follow through. a big thanks to you four for your inspiration, abilities, and while discouraging, your words expressing my ability (or lack there of). you make me strive for more.

big shouts out to (in no specific order) nick lott, ryan scouthern, dani holmes, dustin, layton, steve chapman, brad greeno, john evans, gary mclaren, tj botton, cody derrick, jen alden, dale evans, josh fisher, and danya allen. to all of you: you have allowed me to understand fitness better, allowed me to train you, and myself, allowed me into your lives, and i am thankful you work as hard as i ask. we have been on a journey, and will continue to grow together. thanks to everyone who has stepped through the front door of VITALITY to stay, to leave, to work, to fail. whatever your reason i think you for being a part of my love for fitness, and my personal growth.

even after digging a hole, still find the energy to drive out of it.

:10 away from a goal is more than discouraging.

dustin @ 1:50 average...

dustin, john

row 10:00 easy pace.

rest 2:00

row 5:00 @, or <>

rest 2:00

test 2k time:

dustin: 7:10

john: 7:15

ride :30 @, or > 424 watts

x20 frog hops

15 yards broad jumps

rest 2:00

5 rounds

pullup ladder 1-7 as cooldown

extra credit for dustin:

step up ladder in rack position on 20" box w/2 20# kbs

pushup ladder

1-10

x10 36" box jumps

melissa/pcme

ride 5:00-7:00

x10 squat

x5 jump squat/knee jumps

x5 shoulder dislocates

3 rounds

work to 155# (body weight) push press for pcme

melissa @ 2 15# dumbells.

workout:

x5 push press

1:00 sprint on airdyne for calories

rest 2:00

5 rounds

melissa: 15, 17, 16, 18, 18

pcme: 30, 30, 30, 28, 31

work to 225# dead lift (1.5x body weight)

melissa @ 2 30# kbs.

workout:

x5 dead lift

1:00 row for meters

rest 2:00

5 rounds

melissa: 211, 208, 215, 21, 223

pcme: 303, 302, 290, 283, 300

power endurance

gary:

row 10:00

barbell complex:

x6...

dead lift

row

clean

front squat

push press

back squat

push up

3 rounds @ 65

2 rounds @ 85

6 step ups

6 frog hops

:30 second wall sit

6 rounds

pcme:

10 mile run @ 10:30 am

later:

10:00 row

barbell complex:

x 6...

dead lift

row

clean

front squat

back squat

push press

75#

85#

95#

105#

rest 3:00 between sets

10x3 back squat @ 185#

1 round every minute for 10 minutes.

10:00 max pullups

135 pullups

5:00 cooldown row.

recovery/endurance

sam @ 30+"

the beginning three weeks of dieting has yielded a different vessel for the future. not often do i have the honor of meeting people as dedicated and high spirited as josh. josh has been in the gym for a few months working hard, running and cycling on his own. today marks the day that josh is picked up as another project. josh seems to have a solid understanding of what we want as well as require to achieve goals, and set a new standard. in the beginning our goals were to work hard and stay functional. now my goal for josh is to crush everything, be more functional, recover better, and be a more efficient being.

not many people journal as strictly as josh, but a lot can be learned from his habits. we journal our days in the gym, some log diets, some remember better than others, but few take the time to really try to understand why we log our workouts and our diets. we keep track of our general fitness to understand what to do next, what to work on now, and what did not work in the past. i appreciate josh's concern for his present, past, and for his future in and out of the gym: strength, power, conditioning, aesthetics as a byproduct, diet, and mental aptitude.

still: the beginning.

josh recovering.

josh:

row 20:00 easy pace

just enough time to loosen up his hamstrings

x25 tgu (each side)

35:00 to finish

30 step ups (each side) 20" box

stretch/roll

dustin:

20:00 warm up

2:00 rtw left

:30 rest

2:00 rtw right

row workout:

15 rounds:

:30/:90

round 1 @ 150 meter pace

round 2 @ 151 meter pace

....

....

....

round 12 @ 161 meter pace

round 12 yielded the last round to grow by one meter.

round 13 @ 160 meter pace

round 14 @ 160 meter pace

round 15 @ 154 meter pace

IWT

keep an upright stack.

jesse.

gary, brad, matt, jesse

warm up: 15:00

x10 push press

2:00 ride for calories

2:00 rest

3 rounds

jesse: 54, 43, 43

matt: 68, 53, 51

brad: 51, 48, 50

gary: 52, 46, 47

x10 goblet squat

2:00 row for meters

2:00 rest

3 rounds

jesse: 508, 477, 496

matt: 552, 501, 517

brad: 563, 546, 522

gary: 569, 539, 517

strength/heavy breathing

ellen.

melissa.

cody, josh

warm up cody style.

cody/josh

3x10 dead lift @ 135/115

3x8 @ 155/135

3x6 @ 185/165

4x3 @ 205/185

+4 broad jumps

pullup ladder 1-6

2 rounds

gary/brad

warm up 10:00

x20 squat

x5 wall squat

2 rounds

3x10 back squat @ 115/45

3x8 @ 135/65

3x5 @ 140/75

3x2 @ 145/95

+2 broad jumps

matt:

row 10:00

x10 squat

x10 lunges

x5 shoulder dislocates

3 rounds

3x10 dead lift @ 95

3x8 @ 135

3x5 @ 165

3x2 @ 185

+2 broad jumps

matt, brad, gary

1-6 pullup ladder

3 rounds

melissa, ellen

row/ride 10:00

1 lap lunges

x10 squat

x5 jump squat

x5 wall squat

3 rounds

:30/:30 mtn climbers

6 rounds

melissa: 48, 51, 53, 54, 53, 64

ellen: 50, 52, 54, 54, 53, 56

row :60

ball hold (rack position) :40

rest:60

5 rounds

melissa: 227, 239, 234, 229, 226

ellen: 255, 253, 242, 246, 236

nick, pcme

row 10:00

x20 squat

x10 jump squat

bench press @ 115/135

pullups

kb swings @ 53/73

goblet squats @ 53/73

box jumps @ 30''/36''

17:20/19:28

strength day

7 weeks out.

sometimes no lights and converge just seems appropriate.

pcme

row 10:00

3x10 dead lift @ 135

9 @ 144

8 @ 155

7 @ 175

6 @ 185

5 @ 205

4 @ 215

3 @ 225

2 @ 255

1 @ 275

1 @ 315

1 @ 335

then:

ladder from 10-1

-rtw (both ways) @ 73#

-decline ring pushups

-dead hang pullups

then:

:10/:50 on airdyne

+550 watts/+200 watts recovery

15 rounds

average wattage: 267

power endurance

chest to the floor.

get your hands and feet up like some sort of dance move.

dani hitting it hard.

"my upper body is not very strong."-melissa

dani/melissa:

ride 10-15:00

5:00 airdyne sprint

melissa: 63 calories

dani: 73 calories

p1 10 yard rope pull/unwind rope

4 rounds

p2 body weight/goblet squats w/25#

rest :90

4 rounds

:90 row for meters

:90 push press w/10#, 15#

:90 rest

3 rounds

melissa: 292/20, 300/23, 304/23

dani: 352/27, 353/27, 354/29

cooldown: row 10:00

gary:

row 10:00

every :30 pull under 1:40 5 times for 5:00

x20 hard pulls @ 30 s/m

x10 pullups

:90 rest

5 rounds

3:00 rest

:30 airdyne sprint

x10 frog hops

:90 rest

5 rounds

15:00 rest (the first round gary dug a hole with what seemed like a backhoe)

x10 dead lift @ 115#

x5 burpee

1:00 rest

5 rounds

row: 215, 216, 272 (5 extra pulls?), 199, 200

ride: (calories/average watt) 24/704, 18/566, 15/442, 10/323, 12/363

dale:

row 10:00

4k row for time:

18:08

strength endurance

a look of encouragement...

"i can do anything for a minute."-stu

party time.

dead bear hat bear crawls

ryan dancing during rack holds.

who does that?

mcbaggins:

ride to the gym fixed.

kb complex:

x10...

sh swing

clean

push press

snatch

rtw

figure 8

2 rounds

kb clean @ 35#

ring dips

40/20

30/15

20/10

5:56

cooldown:

90 yards bear crawls @ 55#

later:

warm up row 10:00

as many rounds as possible of:

>1:36 pace for :20

recover 1:00

11 rounds total

cooldown:

10:00 airdyne

1:00 @ +200/1:00 @ +300

244 watt average.

ryan, jake, stu, cody

warm up:

10:00-20:00 row, ride, stretch

x10 of each:

single hand swing

clean

push press

snatch

rtw

figure 8

2 rounds

p1: rack hold @ 35#

p2: 60 yards bear crawls @ 15#

4:00 rest

p1: 30 calories on airdyne

p2: rest

each player burn 90 calories

(ryan went an extra round for good measure)

progress

medium steve

slightlier more medium steve

Strength endurance

5th round (can you slide more than a nickel under your feet?

paleo plus cheesecake?

chase: ride 10:00

x10 of each @ 25

snatch

clean

push press

kb swing

rtw

figure 8

goblet squat

15 burpees

20 calories

1:00 rest

5 rounds

:40, :38, :45, :59, :50

12:29 total

2:00 work/1:00 rest @ 35

clean: 68

jerk: 81

snatch: 54

swing: 54

nick: ride 10:00

10 squat

5 jump squat

3 rounds

3x10 back squat @ 45

9 @ 65

8 @ 75

7 @ 85

6 @ 95

5 @ 105

4 @ 115

3 @ 125

2 @ 135

1 @ 155

then work through the same progression with push press.

pullup/pushup ladder 1-6

2 rounds

steve/john: ride 10:00

3:00 ride

:30 rest

3:00 bear crawls

:30 rest

3:00 ride

3:30 rest

3:00 row

:30 rest

3:00 lunges

:30 rest

3:00 row

5:00 rest

steve: 103/6 laps/86, 826/73 lunges/825

john: 87/6.5 laps/66, 741/65 lunges/779

:30 dead hang

:30 push press @ 15

:30 overhead hold

:30 rest

5 rounds

steve: 28, 24, 23, 22, 23

john: 19, 18, 17, 17, 17

Strength endurance

strength/punishment

sometimes gary just needs to dance it out...

happy days in the black...

a goal set for the middle of the winter (when his back would probably be healed).

grinding...

happy?

shut it out.

ryan/cody

warm up: 10:00

x10 squat

x10 lunges

x5 wall squat

3 rounds

3x10 @ 45/45

9 @ 50/65

8 @ 55/85

7 @ 65/95

6 @ 70/115

5 @ 75/135

4 @ 85/155

3 @ 90/185

2 @ 95/205

1 @ 100/225

(ryan climbed back up the ladder)

pullup ladder 1-6

4 rounds

RYAN: 2,000 METER ROW FOR TIME!!!

6:58 YAHOO! KILLING GOALS!

RYAN EARNED HIS BLACK T-SHIRT TODAY (THE FIRST CLIENT TO EARN IT).

jake:

"just because you partied harder on saturday outside of the gym"

10:00 max calories on airdyne:

219 calories/310 watts

30# ball slams 2-20-2 (increments of 2)

burpees 1-10-1

34:50

gary/brad

warm up: 10:00

10 squats

10 shoulder dislocates

3 rounds

3x10 @ 85/65

9 @ 95/70

8 @ 115/85

7 @ 135/95

6 @ 155/115

5 @ 185/135

4 @ 205/155

3 @ 225/165

2 @ 235/185

1 @ 245/205

1 @ 275/235

1 @ 305/255

1 @ 325/285

pullup ladder 1-6

2 rounds

recovery/endurance/strength

focus on form. pretend a wall is still in front of you.

god damn it marathon.

recovery.

josh not very happy.

"is this because i am going to colorado and not going to see the row machine for a week?"-josh

"yeah, welcome to the party."-mcbaggins

josh/steve

row 10:00

1,000 row

rest 3:00

2,000 row

rest 7:00

1,000 row

rest 3:00

750 row

3:00 rest

500 row

2:00 rest

250 row

3:29/3:19

7:17/7:21

3:34/3:38

2:44/2:38

1:52/1:44

:52/:47

cooldown: 10:00 ride

tj: jumprope warmup

3x10 dead lift @ 135

x9 @ 145

x8 @ 155

x7 @ 165

x6 @ 185

x5 @ 195

x4 @ 205

x3 @ 225

x2 @ 245

x1 @ 255

(easy considering his max is in the 400's)

pullup ladder/atomic situp ladder 1-10-1

cooldown 10:00 jumprope

recovery: randon/john/dustin

x5 turkish getups

x10 pushups

10 rounds

(50 minutes to finish)

dani: row 10:00

x10 squats

x7 jump tucks

x5 wall squats

3 rounds

3x10 back squats @ 45

1x7 @ 85

1x4 @ 115

1x1 @ 145

5x5 @ 95

+ 2 single leg jumps off of 12'' box

rest 1:00 between efforts

30/30 airdyne 4:00

200 watt average/57 calories

endurance

jake on the 1:00 effort.

warm up 10:00 row/ride

5:00 discussion

5:00 ride

5:00 rest

4:00 ride

4:00 rest

3:00 ride

3:00 rest

2:00 ride

2:00 rest

1:00 ride

cooldown: walk around and curse the airdyne.

ryan: 377, 426, 438, 464, 560

stu: 415, 436, 395, 447, 539

cody: 247, 282, 314, 366, 469

jake: 339, 304, 296, 316, 484

during the brief discussion i explained that each round should yield a higher average wattage simply due to a lesser time on the bike. depending on how the athlete decides to nail the first round my idea could go well, or horribly wrong. today was more of a mental struggle than anything. we can see the physical output displayed in wattage, the mental struggle is also displayed during the 2nd, and 3rd round (digging a hole too large in the 1st or 2nd round). this workout will become a staple in the gym not due to the physical demands, but to create a situation short enough that the athlete wants to give up physically and mentally.

endurance

chase:

warm up 10:00 run @ 6.5 mph

workout:

5 x 3:30 efforts @ 180+ bpm

3:00 recovery

10:00 cooldown at tempo.

john:

1:00:00 row

2:07.2 pace

14,162 meters

strength endurance

rack position

back squats

570 watts-haha sweet ass bro!

recovery

warm up 10:00

90 yards lunges

30/30 squats: work/compromised rest

4:00 total

tj: 27, 21, 20, 20

josh: 21, 20, 20 ,19

cody: 15, 10, 11, 11

ryan: 26, 22, 23, 21

josh/ cody: back squats

3x10 @ 65/95

3x7 @ 95/115

3x3 @ 115/135

ladder 10-1

back squats @ 95/115

30" box jumps

10:45/15:50

ryan/tj: dead lifts

3x10 @ 65/135

3x7 @ 85/225

3x3 @ 225/125

ladder 10-1

dead lifts @ 95/165

push press @ 2-15# dumbells

4:45/4:29

ryan: 10:00 airdyne @ +600 watts :15, +200 watts :45

tj: 10:00 row @ 500 watts :15, 170 watts :45

endurance

at the top.

a familiar face of distraught.

dustin/john/steve"

warm up 10:00

x10 squats

x10 lunges

x10 jump squats

x30 pullups

x30 pushups

step-up ladder (rack position)/one squat after each round (rack position)

1-10-1

20" box 25#/20#

dani:

warm up 10:00

60 yards lunges

x20 pushups

step-up ladder 1-7

20'' box @ 2 15# kbs (rack position)

row 4:00

2:14.9 pace

rest 3:00

step-up ladder 1-5

row 2:00

2:09 pace

rest 2:00

step up ladder 1-3

row 1:00

2:01 pace

atomic situp ladder 1-8

p1 atomic situp

p2 reverse plank

p1 20 buddha situps

p2 plank

cluster of days

steve after rowing.

this week has yielded some of my happiest times in the gym as a trainer. we at vitality are constantly evolving (me, and the athletes). lately dieting has become an integral part of our evolution due to many athletes witnessing a plateau in some form or fashion. most of the issues are considered to be vain, but i believe that having a body consisting of little body fat, and enough muscle allowing you to move quickly and efficiently is paramount to functional fitness. steve started 5-6 months ago at 308#. my goal for him was to weigh in at 260#. after 3 months steve weighed in at 270#, but maintained said weight for about 8 weeks, which was frustrating for both of us. after a simple "i want this for you, but do you want this for yourself" conversation i made steve pay very close attention to his diet. he now after 2 weeks of higher concentration was lost 14 pounds surpassing my goal set for him. i cried with emotion after seeing the scale hit 256#. i have not been so proud of anyone in my life. i am not sure the emotions steve has felt, but i am sure that they match mine. steve is conquering my goals, and setting new ones for himself. we are on a progressive path together, and i am proud he is a part of my life as client, but most importantly as a friend i can support and challenge. next time you see a cupcake, or a beer, or whatever vice you may have consider steve's struggle over the passed 10 years, and question your desires. keep it real steve.

tj during the rope pull/sprint

august 7

josh during the 300 meter sprints

august 6

randon just before puking after the 7th round.

shout out to anyone working hard enough to physically, and mentally fail; next time fuel properly, mentally prepare, and work just as hard. the outcome should stay the same, but hopefully the volume will seem less than overwhelming.

august 7

ryan during the 2:00 airdyne sprint. while this iwt was not heavy, it was still challenging. ryan is a trooper in all aspects. he challenges me mentally and inspires me, as well as everyone in the gym. i have never seen anyone work this hard while in constant recovery: complete reconstruction of his knee, and currently recovering from a broken back. i have been focusing on challenging the mental aspect of fitness simply because he cannot lift heavy weights until the middle of september. we have set goals, and will accomplish them. thank you ryan for the constant effort regardless of your condition.

august 4

john/steve

3x10 manmakers @ 15#

rest 1:00 between efforts.

eve

3x10 lady makers (running burpees for men)

*lady makers are the substitute for manmakers these days:

jump, squat down, plant hands, kick out feet, pushup, two mtn. climbers, pushup, drive feet to chest, stand up and jump.*

20:00 as many rounds as possible:

row 500 meters

20 wall ball tosses @ 20#, 14#, 6#

eve steve john

2:12 1:34 1:38

2:23 1:52 1:53

2:24 1:54 1:51

2:23 1:55 2:03

2:22 1:55 1:58

1:55

august 5

warm up row/ride

x10 squat

x10 lunges

x5 wall squats

ryan

5x10 oh squat

3x8 oh squat @ 10# dumbell

3x6 oh squat @ 15# dumbell

x10 overhead squat @ 45#

2:00 airdyne

2:00 rest

3 rounds

65 calories

66 calories

60 calories

august 6

p1 ball toss

p2 burpee

6:00 total

p1 wall sit

p2 broad jumps 30 yards

each player sits on the wall 5 times

30/30 push press

4 rounds

p1 row 300 meters

p2 plank hold

7 rounds

steve: 53, 55, 57, 58, 58, 58, 54

brad: 57, 1:04, 1:08, 1:07, 1:05, 1:07, 1:01

josh: 58, 1:00, 1:01, 1:02, 1:02, 1:04, 1:03

randon: 1:00, 1:04, 1:07, 1:07, 1:04, 1:08 1:00

puke.

august 7

steve:

1:00:00 row: 13, 604 meters w/ 1 "my fucking back hurts" break.

15/15 mtn climbers 1:00

:30 rest

4 rounds

p1 50 calories

p2 rack hold

p3 25' rope pull @ 60#

after each player rotates through the progression 2:00

steve: 1:16, 1:18, 1:24

teejers: 1:20, 1:35, 1:40

brad: 1:46, 2:10, 2:00

august 8

gary/jesse

row 10:00

x10 squat

x10 pushup

x5 shoulder dislocates

3 rounds

3x10 push press technique @ 45#

2x7 @ 75/75

2x5 @ 95/85

2x3 @ 115/95

5x10 @ 75/675

+ 10 burpees following the push press

rest 1:00

kte ladder 1-10

strength day

thank mark twight from gym jones for this...

randon

row 10:00

3x10 manmakers @ 25#

x7 dead lifts @ 175#

x7 pullups

7 rounds

:10 ride over 800 watts

:50 recovery 200 watts

6 rounds