Some squats and speed bench

Myself and the boys from www.elitegear.com.au on a DE bench session working up to 80kg + 2 blue bands either side and a ME squat session worked up to 215 with a green band each side.

Military Workouts on hold until the end of RTP

Due to the Easter and ANZAC day long weekend and the unit being on a reduced tempo period, organised physical training has ceased. It will resume at the beginning of next week once everyone is back from doing nothing and generally being pretty lazy.


As for me, I will be continuing on with my restoration until we are all back and I'm taking them again for organised PT. The last week has consisted of stretching, low impact eccentric exercises (I have nearly fully recovered from tendinitis in both the IT and hamstring tendons at the knees) and some massage therapy.


Next week marks the beginning of a new cycle in their training (and mine). During the previous cycle of three phases the troop have improved their fitness by 43.4 percent. Nearly all of them can lift twice the amount compared to their initial efforts, VO2Max has increased by over 30 percent and both posterior and anterior (combined average) strength has increased as an average by 74.3 percent, with core strength improving by 77.9 percent.


This next cycle will be some exciting times for us all here. I'm losing three of my fittest guys as they head of to do promotional courses for two months, this will definitely close the void, creating a more competitive arena for the rest. We have a new boss (a new LT straight out of the training command) who's only directive is that he wants the troop 'fit as fuck', but want's to have one session a week dedicated as a 'Battle PT' session. Wednesday's PT sessions are now to be conducted by a senior NCO in accordance with the programmed type of session it is to be (let's see how long that lasts) and I am to take over as the unit's go to man for all things PT related. The guys running PT for the other troops have started to take notice of the vast improvement in the fitness levels of the people I am training and have began to run some similar PT sessions, the jury is still out on whether they fully understand the science behind it, or the concept of continual adaption and recovery, multiple pathway training or the idea that some sessions are hard, others less hard and some easy.


Back on next week, I want to start getting some photo's of these sessions, security is an issue though.

Some squats

Here's a couple of vids of our good friend Mitch from elitegear.com and myself squatting last week.  We both worked up to 180 box squat, here's the 170's.

Military Workout Wed 20 Apr 11

20 km recovery cycle.


Made into a bit of a treasure hunt as such. Teams of two.

Military Workout Tue 19 Apr 11

Metcon incorporating a breathing ladder.


Run 300m
1-10-1 Breathing Ladder


Round 1
Kettlebell Swing


Round 2
Medball Slam


Round 3
Burpees with a SAS bar (10,15 or 20kg metal bar)


Round 4
Thrusters


Round 5
10 reps of each exercise in rounds 1-4


Each round is concluded with the same exercise being conducted with a rope. As soon as the last person is on the rope doing the exercise for 30 seconds then the next round begins. Round 5 was concluded with mountain climbers whilst holding the rope.


Unfortunately a couple of people thought that they could cheat by not doing the required reps. This was addressed at the end of the session with a little remedial training to encourage greater compliance, adhesion and a friendly reminder that they are all responsible for their choices. This consisted of about 5 minutes of push ups and prone holds. It's the army, not a boot camp on a beach or in a park. You do not get to chose whether or not your going to do something without some form of ramification (within reason). Society has well and truly swung towards an attitude of rights, rather than responsibilities. Why should the armed forces lower their standards just because the rest of society has?

A bit of an abscence...

Been a crazy time for SSC the last few weeks so the posts haven't been forth-coming as they should.  This will be rectified next week with a couple of new posts, sorry for the delay.

In the mean time, here's some videos of guys squatting big weights, enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SqSzENSPN4&feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOvi22d1dbw&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZLegqUaKcA&feature=related

Military Workout Mon 18 Apr 11

Sprint session.


No longer than 100m, rest at 4:1

Military Workout Fri 15 Apr 11

100 Reps of each of the following in 60 minutes:


Medball Slam
BOSU DB Press
KB Swing
Squat
Push Up
Push Press
Burpee
Sit Up
Medball Throw
Sumo Deadlift High Pull


Can be completed in any order, split into any amount of reps to reach 100. If completed under 60 minutes, then finish of the time doing multi-stage fitness test (beep test) until failure, then restarting at 1.1.

Military Workout Wed 13 Apr 11

3 Rounds of:


20 x Squat 
20m Squat Jump
20 x Lunge
20m Backwards Lunge Walk

Then: 


3 Rounds of:

20sec Push Up 
20sec Push Up / Squat transitions 
20sec Burpee

30 Sec rest between rounds


Then: 

Teaching/Practicing Turkish Get Ups 

Military Workout Tue 12 Apr 11

Interval Training

Military Workout Mon 11 Apr 11

Fitness Assessment


Max cadence push ups
Max unassisted cadence sit ups (maximum of 300)
Max strict heaves
Multi-stage Fitness Test (beep test)


This assessment is conducted every month, the data is collated and entered into a database to track any increases (or decreases if that is the case) in fitness amongst the troop. It tracks both individual and group fitness levels.


In addition to the fitness assessments, I have incorporated the results from training sessions into the database. This addition to estimated Max VO2, maximum anterior, posterior and core strength has allowed the ability to progressively track 1RM capacity and approximate Max VO2 capacity over various distances and modes (running, swimming, cycling and rowing).

Military Workout Mon 04-08 Apr 11

All will be quiet on the western front as we take off for a week to go and train out field.


Will be back posting the military workouts once we're back to normal work on 11 Apr 11.

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