Exercise & Workout article by Ben on Friday, May 07, 2010 8:37:19 PM EST
So my training partner Jordy and I have started on our CrossFit journey! We completed our introductory session (the first of ten) with Patty, the owner of CrossFit Vancouver yesterday and even though we didn't do a ton of training in the first session, I'm still feeling pretty sore all over this morning!
We spent the first half of the introductory session discussing the history of CrossFit, the ideas that got it started, the fitness principles CF was built around and how it has and continues to evolve over the years. For those of you that aren't familiar with CrossFit yet, here is an excerpt from Foundations written by the founder of CF, Greg Glassman that will help to explain a bit:
CrossFit is a core strength and conditioning program. We have designed our program to elicit as broad an adaptational response as possible. CrossFit is not a specialized fitness program but a deliberate attempt to optimize physical competence in each of ten recognized fitness domains. They are Cardiovascular and Respiratory endurance, Stamina, Strength, Flexibility, Power, Speed, Coordination, Agility, Balance, and Accuracy.
Aside from the breadth or totality of fitness the CrossFit Program seeks, our program is distinctive, if not unique, in its focus on maximizing neuroendocrine response, developing power, cross-training with multiple training modalities, constant training and practice with functional movements, and the development of successful diet strategies.
After we talked for a about a half an hour or so we moved and did a full body warm-up and got ready for the fitness test which included:
a flexibility and ROM test
a 400 M sprint with a 20lb. medicine ball
pull-ups to failure
dips on the olympic rings to failure
push-ups to failure
full sit-ups (total reps after 1 minute)
The sprint at the beginning was pretty tough because it had been awhile since I had run that far that fast and found it even more challenging trying to carry and maneuver a big med ball in your hands at the same time! I managed to finish the sprint in 1:15 though, which is apparently a fairly respectable time. The next component of the test was the pull-ups which I've been working on for the last couple of months and it showed because I managed to do a solid set of 20, which I was very happy about! We then moved on to the olympic ring dips which I found pretty challenging since I've never tried using the rings before. I still managed to squeak out a set of 10. After those two components we took several minutes to rest before moving on to the full sit-ups and push-ups. I've been boxing since I was pretty young and have done the firefighter testings in the past so have done more sit-ups and push-ups in my life than I'd ever like to remember so I found this part of the test to be a little bit easier. I managed 40 push-ups before failure and 35 full sit-ups in a minute.
After we finished the fitness test, there were a few minutes left in the session so Patty thought he'd be a real nice guy and throw a "workout of the day" or W.O.D. at us! And because we only had a few minutes he thought he would introduce us to tabata interval training, which is 20 seconds of intense work followed by 10 seconds of rest done continuously for 8 cycles or a total of 4 minutes. We did body weight squats and after 4 minutes and about 120 squats, my hip flexors were screaming!
I was pretty bagged after the workout but felt pretty awesome too! I really liked everyone that I met down at the gym and I think I'm really going to like training down at CrossFit Vancouver! And I'm a little sore today but nothing that will slow me down because we're going back in a couple days for our second workout and I know it's only going to get harder as we get further into our sessions! I'll keep you posted!
General Fitness article by Ben on Tuesday, May 04, 2010 11:17:22 PM EST
So I've been playing around with my new GymBoss Interval Timer the last couple of weeks and have to say that I really like it! It's pretty small (about the size of an old school pager), it's easy to set up, it clips on to your shorts and it has a very handy vibrate mode so you don't have to stress out about not being able to hear the buzzer go off if it's too loud in the gym!
The GymBoss Interval Timer allows you to set two different interval times (work/rest) and as many intervals as you'd like. I've already used it for my boxing training to keep track of the rounds while shadowboxing, hitting the bag and skipping. I've used it while strength training for timed sets and timed circuits. And I've used it to do cardio intervals for myself and with several of my clients. I'd definitely recommend the GymBoss to any fitness enthusiasts out there looking for an easy to use, very cool interval timer!
General Fitness article by Ben on Thursday, April 22, 2010 12:57:04 AM EST
Have you ever seen a football player or a mixed martial arts fighter soak in a giant ice bath at the end of an intense training session? It might seem a little crazy to most of us but an ice bath actually helps break the pain/ischemia/spasm cycle by increasing circulation and interfering with pain signals. Ice is also an excellent anti-inflammatory agent and will greatly speed up healing so you can get back in the gym and beat your body up all over again!
Now if you're not quite ready to start filling your tub with as much ice as your freezer can hold but would still like to get some of the same benefits that an ice bath can offer then you might want to try out Under Armour's new Recharge Compression clothing line!
Here are a few of the promises that Under Armour makes if you wear their magical new compression suit for only 24 hours.
Significant reduction in muscle damage quantified by levels of blood creatine kinase in the blood
A reduction in subjective fatigue level by 50%
A reduction in muscle soreness by 50%
A reduction in muscle swelling based on ultrasound muscle thickness
An increase in power based on bench press throw
Under Armour also claims that if you put it on within hours after you train the Recharge's compression system prevents water from rushing into the muscles which can lead to post workout swelling and claims that the "dynamic casting" of the compression suit supports the muscles and therefore facilitates healing.
Now don't get me wrong.. I'm a big fan of Under Armour and I love my UA training shorts (I've gone through about four pairs) but I'm a bit skeptical about wearing a monkey suit 24 hours a day in hopes that it will help speed up my recovery time! I mean how are you supposed to wear that suit in the summer? And who could or would want to sleep in that thing? I don't know about you but I think it would almost make more sense to just soak in an ice bath for a few minutes at the end of every training session!
General Fitness article by Ben on Wednesday, April 14, 2010 8:30:43 PM EST
Marlaena and I were lucky enough to travel to Costa Rica a couple of weeks ago and while we were there we filmed some awesome new footage for the website! We were able to film over 20 new body weight exercises and did it first thing in the morning just as the sun was coming up over the horizon with the ocean and beach as our back drop. It was absolutely stunning and the all of the videos look spectacular!
We will be launching the new exercises over the next couple of months and I will be designing and launching several new body weight workouts to go along with them! In the meantime, I've put together a little teaser "full body circuit" video and posted it up on the TWMO YouTube page until the new exercises and full length workout routines are ready!
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