Tuesday, October 12, 2010

2010.10.12

Today's WoD was a fairly quick one, finish times ranged from about 9:30 to 12:30. There are a couple of exercises that we don't do often (one is a variation we've never done before), so you'll want to make sure you understand how to do those. Otherwise, it's just business as usual.

The warm up should be done slowly, since it's meant to be more of an excuse to stretch than anything else. That goes especially for the mountain climbers, just do them real slow so you get a good stretch in your legs.

For the WoD, be good about your form on the overhead squats. We weren't really using heavy weight, but it's an awkward enough motion that you can hurt your lower back if you're not careful.

Warm Up
3 rounds of:
  • 5 push ups
  • 10 sit ups
  • 15 mountain climbers (right/left = 1)

WoD
  • 50 push ups - no hands at top or bottom
  • 50 squat side jumps (25 each side)
  • 50 V-ups
  • 50 single-arm dumbbell swings (25 each side)
  • 50 overhead squats

Exercises
  • Push Ups
    Bring your chest to the ground for every single rep, and when you come up, make sure your arms are fully extended.

    Scale down: Do the push ups on your knees. You lift less weight this way, so it's easier.
  • Sit Ups
    Keep your feet in butterfly position (heels touching each other), since that isolates your abs. Come up all the way so that your torso is perpendicular to the ground.
  • Mountain Climbers
    Get down on all fours, almost as if you were about to start a race. It's also a bit like being in a push up position with a bend at the waist, with only one leg back. From the starting position, simultaneously bring your lead leg back & your rear leg forward. Make sure that your lead leg also slides sideways, so that it is outside of your arm on that side. Do it again to switch the positioning of your legs, again making sure your lead leg ends up outside of your arm.

    You need to move both legs forward once in order to complete a single rep. For simplicity's sake, we describe that as "right/left = 1."
  • Push Ups - No Hands at Top or Bottom
    Start in the "up" position of a push up. Bring your chest to the ground, and then lift your hands off the ground. That will ensure that you go all the way down (if you don't, gravity will take care of the rest). Then, push hard/violently off the ground so that your whole upper body comes off the ground while your toes stay planted on the ground. Your hands should come off the ground at least an inch (note, you don't have to clap). Bring your hands back to the ground so that you catch yourself in the "up" position of a regular push up. That's 1 rep.
  • Squat Side Jumps
    Set up a platform with 1 riser on each side. Stand beside your platform, and do an air squat. Make sure you go all the way down, so your thighs are parallel to the ground (or deeper than that if you can). As you come up from your squat, jump up sideways on to the platform. You're jumping from left to right, so it's a sideways movement instead of front & back.

    Since you're jumping sideways, you're probably not using both legs equally. To compensate for this, do your first 25 reps on one side of the platform, and do the last 25 on the other side. The end result is that you'll work both legs evenly.
  • V-Ups
    Lie on your back, putting our hands parallel to the ground “above” your head (if you were standing, they’d be directly over your head). Lift your legs off the ground and bring your torso up at the same time to touch your toes. In essence, your body makes a “V” shape. Go back to lying on your back to finish the rep. Be careful about slamming your legs into the ground when you finish the rep, that can hurt your lower back. Some people call these "jack knives," if that helps at all.

    Scale down: Bend your knees as your bring your lower body up. You only have to touch your knees this way
  • Single Arm Dumbbell Swings
    Just like a kettle bell throw, but with a dumbbell (guys used 15-25lbs, women used 10-15lbs). Do a squat, keeping a good lumbar curve, and hold the dumbbell between your legs at about knee/thigh level. Stand up from the squat, and as you do that, swing your arm upward until your arm is almost directly over your head. If you do the motion correctly, your legs will drive most of the momentum, and you're essentially just standing & squatting. At no point should you bend over, that can hurt your lower back. If you get tired, it's preferable to stop for a bit than to do these reps with bad form.
  • Overhead Squats
    Grab a weighted bar; most people used one of the body bars (10-12lbs), but the heaviest anyone used was a 30lb bar. Standing, hold the bar over your head with your arms locked. Your arms should make a “Y” shape with the rest of your body. You want the bar directly over your torso, so that your spine & the bar are lined up (the idea is to keep you from leaning forward on the actual rep). This actually feels like you're holding it behind your head, and you should make sure not to lean forward. Do a squat, keeping your arms locked as you go down & come back up. Make sure you keep a good lumbar curve the whole time, or you can tweak your back.

As always, have fun with it.

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