Military Workout Fri 01 Apr 11

Pack march 10 km


Boots, cams, webbing, pack, rifle.


For time.

Military Workout Thu 31 Mar 11

Pick one exercise:
Thrusters, Clean and Press, Push Press, Shoulder Press
Then:


09 @ 60% 1RM + OH hold until failure
07 @ 70% 1RM + OH hold until failure
05 @ 80% 1RM + OH hold until failure
03 @ 90% 1RM + OH hold until failure
01 @ 50% 1RM + OH hold until failure


Then:


Pick one exercise: - two spotters required for this (one each side of the bar)
Back Squat, Front Squat, Weighted Lunge (hold twice per round once for each leg with weighted lunge)
Then:

09 @ 60% 1RM + Squat hold until failure

07 @ 70% 1RM + Squat hold until failure

05 @ 80% 1RM + Squat hold until failure

03 @ 90% 1RM + Squat hold until failure

01 @ 50% 1RM + Squat hold until failure

Military Workout Tue 29 Mar 11

Row 30 min.


Finish up with some Clean and Presses. Concentrate on technique not the load.

Military Workout Mon 28 Mar 11

Due to an auditing team being present at the unit this week, troop PT has been canned. As a result I will be conducting my own sessions before or after work, anyone within the troop who is keen (or stupid) enough to do them also. All they need to do is ask for a copy of the workout.


3 Rounds of:


20 x Squats
20m Walking Lunges (10 forward, 10 backwards)
20m Walking OHS (3 paces to 1 OHS) @ 20kg
20m OH Walking Lunge (10 forward, 10 backwards)


Then:


3 Rounds of:


20 x Pushups
10 x Military Heaves
10 x BOSU Press @ 20RM of Bench Press
10 x Weighted Military Heave @ 20% BW


Then:


3 Rounds of:


20 x Atomic Situps
10 x GHD Situps
20 x Situp & Medball Throw against a wall
10 x GHD Situps


Optional (as if the prior wasn't enough):


20m of Renegade Man Maker Bear Crawl.


Starting in the Push Up position, Dumbbells (or Kettle Bells) in each hand, do a push up, then a one arm row. Place the DB slightly forward of the starting position,  do a push up, then a one arm row with the other arm. Place the DB down parallel to the other. Feet up to the DB's, clean and press, then place the DB's back at your feet. Back into the Push Up position, repeat with alternate arm doing the initial row (eg. your first rep starts with the right arm doing the row, after you complete the clean and press and have returned to the push up position, the first row you complete is with the left arm) until you have completed 20m. 

The Parasympathetic Secret

This article was first published on EliteFTS.com, 10May10.  Enjoy.


"You wake up after a restful night’s sleep to hit up the gym before the sun comes up. The last few training days have been pretty taxing on you, but surprisingly, you were able to hop out of bed with very little soreness. But that was gone three minutes into your warm up. Today is your deadlift day, and even though your legs, back, and arms feel strong, the weight feel heavy. Way too heavy. Why is this? Why do you feel so weak and unmotivated to lift heavy and strong? Because while your muscular system may have recovered from your previous workouts, your nervous system hasn’t.

If you’ve ever felt this way in the gym, odds are that it can be attributed to your nervous system being in a sympathetic state. To understand how to fix the problem, you must first understand the problem, so a brief physiology lesson is due. The nervous system is broken down into two main components—the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS). The CNS is made up of the brain and spinal cord while the PNS is broken down into subdivisions—the sensory-somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS controls much of what goes on internally in the human body to make sure that it functions normally, such as breathing when we aren’t thinking about it, stimulating the release of bile from the gallbladder, and controlling our heart rate.

The ANS is once again divided into two categories—the parasympathetic nervous system and the sympathetic nervous system. These two systems serve opposite roles in the body, with the parasympathetic nervous system signaling for the body to be in a more relaxed state while the sympathetic nervous system signals the body to be in a more aggressive or alert state. This is important to know because when you spend prolonged periods of time in a sympathetic state (i.e. when you work out), metabolites begin to build up in the bloodstream. As these metabolites continue to collect, your average heart rate will begin to rise with everything you do. And there, my friends, lies one of the best indicators as to whether or not you have truly recovered from your workout.

One of the best ways to go about monitoring the state of your nervous system is to check your resting heart rate (RHR) upon waking every morning. This is a habit that I’ve gotten into and it has paid off tremendously. I know that when I’m fresh, my RHR is around 44 beats per minute (bpm). However, by the end of every week, my RHR starts to creep up around 60 bpm. That’s when I know it’s time to head to the gym for a recovery session, which always brings me back down into the 40s by the next morning. Not only will someone’s RHR increase, but their heart rate during other activities will be higher than normal as well. This is why many professional and collegiate athletes are being required to wear heart rate monitors during their workouts, so coaches can watch their heart rate that day during specific drills and compare that to what it has been on other days. This is also to make sure that their heart rate doesn’t get too high or too low during their training session, so they can get the most out of the athletes both on that day and in future training sessions.

Many people think that it’s best to take a day off from the gym when they start to feel groggy and unmotivated. While not seeing the gym for a day may be good for their mindset, what their body more than likely needs is a light training session, working basic movement patterns, easy cardio, or a brief skill session, depending on whether or not this person is a competitive athlete. Regardless of which activity the subject chooses, the most important thing is that his or her heart rate is kept between 120 and 130 bpm. I can’t stress this enough. When doing recovery work, you must monitor your heart rate and make sure that it stays between 120 and 130 beats per minute. If you own a heart rate monitor that gives you constant feedback, your possibilities for recovery work are endless. If not, you will be confined to using some sort of cardio equipment that has a heart rate monitor on it. These activities should be performed for 20 to 45 minutes on a day when no other training is scheduled. For athletes, I recommend doing something that is low impact on the joints, such as biking, using the elliptical, or wearing a heart rate monitor in the pool.

So what is so special about the 120 to 130 bpm range? The secret is that within this range is where the body makes a switch from the parasympathetic to the sympathetic nervous system. Below 120 bpm, the parasympathetic nervous system still sends signals to the body while above 130 bpm the sympathetic nervous system is completely in charge. Within this heart rate range, the body is best able to flush out the metabolites of previous workouts. Therefore, it allows your body to optimally recover and sends your nervous system from a sympathetic state back to a parasympathetic state.

So the next time your legs are fresh but your head is in a fog, try some nervous system recovery work to get back to “beast mode.” Get big or die trying."

Military Workout Fri 25 Mar 11

Walk, shuffle or run 7.5km.


Boots, cams, webbing (9kg) and rifle (or substitute weighting 4kg)


For time:

Military Workout Wed 23 Mar 11

Pick 1 exercises from both lower body and upper body. Then 1 from the full body list.
Work up to 1RM.
Then drop back to 50% load for 5 reps, increase by 20% after each set for 5 reps until failure.


Lower Body – Minimal rest between sets
Dead Lift
Back Squat
Front Squat
Med Restrict Alternatives:
Machine Back Squat
Leg Press
Leg Extension
Leg Curl

Upper Body – Minimal rest between sets

Bench Press

Hang Cleans 

Push Press

Shoulder Press

Med Restrict Alternatives:

Machine Bench Press

Machine Shoulder Press

Seated Row

Full Body - Minimal rest between sets

Clean and Press

Thruster

Overhead Squat

Sumo Deadlift High Pull and Press

Military Workout Tue 22 Mar 11

Fartlek Training

Military Workout Mon 21 Mar 11

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of each of the following @: 
20-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2RM


Bench Press +
Deadlift +
Hang Clean +
Back Squat +
Pull-up +
Box Jump @ 45" Box 

Military Workout Fri 18 Mar 11

Walk, Shuffle or Run 10km


Boots, Cams, Webbing (9kg)

Military Workout Wed 16 Mar 11

5 Rounds of:


20 x Squat Jump with Medicine Ball
20 x Jumping Lunges with Medicine Ball
20m Lunging Walk with Medicine Ball.


12 min to complete. Every time the ball hits the ground, add 10 seconds to your time.
Deduct your time from 12 minutes, this is your rest.
Then:


5 Rounds of:


20 x Medball Slam
20 x Medball Toss
20m of Leaping Burpees

Military Workout Tue 15 Mar 11

30 min of various water based exercises.
Water Running, Swimming, Lung Capacity Training.
Followed by 20 min of stretching


This is a recovery session to help loosen up the muscles and whilst increasing blood flow to the entire body.


During the stretching session I will be yet again explaining the reasoning behind their training and why they are being made do what they do. It is understandable that some of them have never done training like this before, it's expected that initially they may be apprehensive about having to do sessions that will put them out of their comfort zone or well beyond it. 


The simple fact is though that it works, as a group, the average fitness levels (based on the military requirements) has increased by 25.4 percent in 6 weeks, as opposed to the control group (whom chose and conduct their own PT) which has decreased by 8.9 percent. Strength capacity has gone through the roof, one member has increased his anterior strength capacity (bench press) by 184 percent. That's not a typo, 184 percent. Another member took his deadlift (after being taught how to deadlift) from a 1RM of 70kg to 3RM at 145kg (approx 1RM of 156.45kg) in 3 weeks, that is an increase of 123.49 percent.


Some of them are still not getting it, it's certainly not rocket science but heck, if the cold hard data I have been producing for them from their efforts isn't enough and the fact that they all performed better in their Basic Fitness Assessments isn't enough proof. Perhaps it's time to start drawing pictures for them.

Military Workout Mon 14 Mar 11

Pick 1 exercises from both lower body and upper body. Then 1 from the full body list.
Or Pick 2 exercises from both lower body and upper body.
Work up to 1RM.
Then drop back to 50% load for 5 reps, increase by 20% after each set for 5 reps until failure.


Lower Body – Rest 3 min between sets
Dead Lift
Back Squat
Front Squat
Med Restrict Alternatives:
Machine Back Squat
Leg Press
Leg Extension
Leg Curl

Upper Body – Rest 3 min between sets

Bench Press

Hang Cleans 

Push Press

Shoulder Press

Med Restrict Alternatives:

Machine Bench Press

Machine Shoulder Press

Seated Row

Full Body - Rest 3 min between sets

Clean and Press

Thruster

Overhead Squat

Sumo Deadlift High Pull and Press

Are carbohydrates as addictive as cocaine?

Check out the link below, I'd be very interested to see what other's out there think.  The basic message of the article is still the same:  Stop eating refined and/or dense sources of carbohydrates and your body starts working properly, your mood improves and you don't get the sugar cravings.

Please post thoughts to the comments.

http://www.details.com/style-advice/the-body/201103/carbs-caffeine-food-cocaine-addiction?currentPage=1

Military Workout Fri 11 Mar 11

Taking two groups for this session.


Group 1 need to do a Basic Fitness Assessment. They are all permanently medically restricted and must do the 5km walk instead of the 2.4km run. Completed in normal PT attire.


Group 2 will also do the Basic Fitness Assessment except they will be in cams and boots for the first portion of the assessment. They will also complete the walk instead of the run, however they will carry their webbing also.


Session to be conducted:


Max Push Ups in 2 min.
Group 1 - Complete as many as possible, not required to continue for the full 2 min.
Group 2 - Complete as many as possible, must continue for the full 2 min.


Max Situps in 5 min to a 3 second cadence.
Group 1 - Complete as many as possible, not required to continue for the full 5 min. Feet may be held.
Group 2 - Complete as many as possible, if unable to continue, may reset for a maximum of 2 reps and continue to the cadence. Repeat as necessary until the full 5 min has elapsed. Feet are not to be held.


5km Walk.
Group 1 - Conducted in normal PT attire.
Group 2 - Conducted in cams, boots and webbing weighing no less than 10kg. Must complete 5 km in the time allocated for group 1.


A strange session you may think, however the squadron is conducting a Combat Fitness Assessment in a months time. We are required to provide lead up training prior to the assessment being conducted.

Military Workout Wed 09 Mar 11

3 Rounds, 10 min each.

R1 - Push Ups

R2 - Squats

R3 - Heaves

Military Workout Tue 08 Mar 11

Interval Training in the swimming pool.


50, 100, 150, 200m intervals

Military Workout Mon 07 Mar 11

Barbell Triplet: 

Deadlift @ 60-65% (of Deadlift 1RM) +
Hang Clean @ 60-65% (of Clean 1RM) + 
Push Press @ 50-60% (of Push Press 1RM) 
One triplet every 30 seconds for 10 minutes
Rest 2 Min 

Then:
 
10 Rounds of:
Clean and Press @ 50% & Overhead Hold to failure + 
100m Row sprint 
Rest 3 Min


Then:
 
8 Rounds of:
Clean and Press @ 60% & Overhead Hold to failure + 
100m Row sprint
Rest 3 Min


Then:
 
6 Rounds of: 
Clean and Press @ 70% & Overhead Hold to failure + 
100m Row sprint

Post workout nutrition

So, we’ve worked out what to eat before we train, what about afterwards?

During exercise a couple of things happen to the body.  First, there’s the obvious use of energy.  The energy used comes in the form of glucose and fatty acids and, if you’re going for a day or 2 (think ultra marathons), there’s going to be some protein being used as well.  Secondly, during exercise there’s a hormonal response which  depends on the type of exercise you’re doing.  If you’re on a strength day, you’ll primarily be releasing growth hormone and adrenalin.  The same goes for short intervals or workouts under about 20 mins in length.  After this time, your body starts going into a distressed state and starts releasing cortisol to combat the stress.  Cortisol causes an increase in blood glucose concentration and blood fatty acid concentration like adrenalin.  This is a good thing if we’re exposed to it every so often however if we’re chronically stressed and there’s a slow steady release of cortisol, there’s also a slow steady increase in insulin resistance along with it due to the increased blood glucose that the body needs to deal with.  That’s for another post however.

So, you’ve finished your workout, peel yourself up of the floor... now what?

It depends what you want to achieve.  Once your body stops exercising, it is depleted of energy stores and in a bad hormonal position.  It is crying out for some form of energy and starts pumping out growth hormone in an attempt to once again raise the blood concentrations of either glucose or fatty acids.  GH increases the availability of fatty acids for use straight after exercise, which is a good thing if you’re on the larger side of the bell curve.  Basically, if you’re fat, wait a while before your post workout meal.

If you’re a lean sort of person however (think four or six pack showing), your first thought should be to getting something easily digestible into your system as fast as possible.  After exercise, your body is uniquely sensitive to insulin.  This is a good thing for a body that has just used up its stores of energy, as insulin is a storage hormone that sends glucose from the circulation to where it’s needed most.  Again, more on insulin later but in a post workout state, more insulin is better for a short time. 

But what do you need to eat straight after a workout?  Something that is easily digestible and is going to spike your insulin but not leave it high.  For this meal, some protein and carbohydrate is what your body wants.  A protein shake is going to be a good choice as long as it’s low fat.  No, fat isn’t bad, but it will slow your gastric emptying and we want our post workout meal to be absorbed as fast as possible.  Some chicken and sweet potato will be a good choice as well.  If you’ve just done 25 rounds of Cindy or something similar, it’s not going to matter too much what you eat, as long as it’s fast digesting. 

The meal is the same for everyone, just remember if you’re a bigger person, leave the meal for half an hour or so to make use of the hormonal response to exercise.

Military Workout Fri 04 Mar 11

30/30 Circuit
30 seconds of work, 30 seconds of ''rest' in the nominated rest position.
4 rounds per exercise. Rest 1 min between exercise changes.


Push Press + Overhead Hold position as rest position
Back Squat + Squat Lowered position as rest position
Cleans + Rack position as rest position
Sumo Deadlift High Pull + High Pull up position as rest position
Thrusters + Sots Press Overhead Hold position as rest position
BOSU Press + BOSU Press Bar Up position as rest position

Military Workout Wed 02 Mar 11

40 min run, row, ride or swim @ 80% MHR.


Simple session. Distances will be recorded and approx MHR calculated.