Month: April 2012

R9D72 – Bootcamp Weights And Flying Scissors

Class was almost back to normal last night, even though my girls are not participating in preparation for competition on the weekend in Orangeville. I had hope there would be only 3 so I could throw in some Olympic lifting training but I had a total of 5 participants so it was back to the schedule. This is what we did:

Huggers
Twists
World’s Slowest Burpees
Inch Worm
Groiners

10 Strict Press
10 Overhead tricep extension
10 Curls
20 Crunch
20 Hanging Leg Raise

10 High Pull
10 1 arm shrugs each side
10 1 arm side bends each side
10 side crunch each side
10 hanging crunches (tuck)

20 in and out
10 roll to boat hold
20 ARX bicycle
10 full sit up
10 hanging leg raise sides

10 Strict Press
10 Overhead tricep extension
10 Curls
20 Crunch
20 Hanging Leg Raise

10 High Pull
10 1 arm shrugs each side
10 1 arm side bends each side
10 side crunch each side
10 hanging crunches (tuck)

20 in and out
10 roll to boat hold
20 ARX bicycle
10 full sit up
10 hanging leg raise sides

X2
10 Front raise
10 Halo
10 Curls
20 weighted In and Out
20 Russian Twists
10 Pullups

X2
10 Laying Press
10 Laying Pullover
10 Laying Fly
10 Weighted Rainbows
10 Flying scissors each side
10 Pullups

Let me just explain the flying scissors since it was a made up thing! Laying on your side with head on the ground so you are flat, not up on your elbow. Raise your top leg as far as you can (above 45 degrees) then hold. With your bottom leg, lift it to meet your top leg and repeat 10 times.

It hurt.

A lot.

BUT… It is a fancy new move!! Actually it’s based on the old aerobics thigh lifts we used to do raising your lower leg to trim your inner thigh, it’s just this is an updated 21st Century version.

R9D71 Bootcamp Bodyweight Personal Training Styleee!

I have been neglectful of this page this week with everything I have going in to being a single parent for the week. In order to catch up, I am posting twice with the bootcamps that I have done. Day 71 was Bodyweight but I only had one participant so basically it was an hour of brutality for her and a walk in the park for me. This is what we did:

10 Regular Pushup
10 Air Squats
10 Military Pushup
10 Pistol knee raise

10 Ultra wide pushup
10 Back lunge front kick
10 Plange Pushup
10 Super skaters

With Partner
10 Squat ball pass
10 Back to back lean twist pass
10 Wall sit side to side pass
10 Full situp ball pass (Throw not pass)
10 Pullups

10 One hand on ball pushup
10 Side to side one hand on ball pushup
20 Single hand ball touch
10 Double hand ball touch
10 Pullups

With Partner
10 Squat ball pass
10 Back to back lean twist pass
10 Horse stance ball throw
10 Full situp ball pass (Throw not pass)
10 Pullups

10 Overhead squat
10 Wall ball
10 Overhead tricep wall throw
10 Between Knees hold, double elbow sit up
10 Leg Lifts

Apparently this was a tough one for her, and I think it’s partly because one on one is always more demanding because you have nowhere to hide your skipped reps and partly because it was mostly new stuff for both of us. It was so tough in fact that come Wednesday she was too sore to do the next class. Now that is a workout!!

 

R9D69-70 – Disappointed (Bootcamp Off)

So nobody turned up for bootcamp last week. My kids weren’t participating because they have competition this week and among the litany of excuses there was zero participation. That said, I have a new, and I think  fun, workout to do so bring on Monday so I can try this puppy out!

So on Friday I was forced to do an RKC workout at work during which a Yoga class broke out. It was a fairly standard workout but the numbers were a little different:

5 C&P Left
5C&P Right
5 C&P Left
5C&P Right
5 C&P Left
5C&P Right
20 Swings

Repeat 4 more times for a total of 5 rounds.

Add 5 Snatch per side 3 times and there you have it.

Saturday I made an attempt at PAP Upper again and I have to say I enjoyed it a little more this time but it’s still just not a tough enough workout for me. I am trying to make it as hard as I can but it doesn’t quite manage to hit the spot for either heavy weight work or good cardio work. I am sure I will get used to it but I can’t see it becoming a favourite. Then again, I have had an on and off love affair with Kenpo so you just never know!

This week with my wife out of town I am hoping to get some extra physical work done. If I can make this a solid 5 or 6 days of working out then I figure I can get rid of this ever so slight feeling of laziness and get my sleeping schedule back on track.

R9D68 – Vegas 2012

For the past few years my wife and I have travelled to Vegas with friends and in the beginning it was always a hedonistic trip through buffets and restaurants and for the other three, an alcohol soaked trip through toleranceville. As the years have passed we have learned how to use the Las Vegas Strip as a cardio event and now thanks to the Paleo diet being rolled out of buffets is a thing of the past. This trip it was nice and warm so we even got to spend time in the pool (we usually go during the colder months) and overall we had an amazing time. I did manage to squeeze in a bootcamp workout while I was there but the amount of walking that we did each day was more than enough to count for the daily burn so to speak. The food was fantastic, we did breakfast at Hash House A GoGo which I would recommend and other meals at P.F.Changs and BLT inside Mirage. We also had an excellent meal at Samba, the Brazilian Steakhouse in Mirage and while the atmosphere isn’t quite as energetic as Copacabana Steakhouse in Niagara Falls still the food was very good and the service was attentive. Despite the bad reviews for the Niagara location I still think it was the best Brazilian we have been to, the wait staff make it hard to love, but the food choices are unparalleled. The one good thing about Samba was that the food was not salty, just well grilled and well presented and with 8 choices you are hardly limited in what to eat.

Now it’s back to the grind, I have bootcamp class this evening and it is going to be tough to get over the lack of sleep even though I seem to remember doing a fair amount of napping during the weekend. It was great to get away, and from a fitness perspective, the break was welcomed with open arms.

R9D67 – Bootcamp 3.4.2 – Weights And Stability

This evenings workout was a pleasant surprise, it was very shoulder intense but it was enjoyed by everybody which is rare. Even I was a big fan of it I just wish we had kettlebells instead to do the workout because it would make the clean and press section and snatches so much easier. So saying that, if you have a kettlebell and want an hour long torture session, go ahead!

D8 3.4.2 Weights

1 Arm x2
10 Press
10 Curls
10 Front Raise
10 Side Raise
10 High Pull

1 Arm 1 Leg x2
10 Press
10 Curls
10 Front Raise
10 Side Raise
10 High Pull

1 Arm x2
10 Clean
10 Swings
10 Clean and Press
10 Swings
10 Snatch
10 Swings

Stability Ball / Block 1 Arm x2
10 SB Press
10 SB Lockout Rollback
10 SB Curls
10 SB Laying Curls

Stability Ball / Plyo
30s SB Plank Hold – Plank Hold
10 Plank Circles Each Way – 10 Shoulder Touch Each
10 SB Pushups – 10 Pushups
10 SB Pushup Boing – 10 Clapping Pushups
30s Decline SB Plank – 30s 1 Foot Plank Hold
10 SB Decline Pushup – 10 Plyo Pushups
10 SB Decline clapping pushups

Bonus Round

10 Turkish Get Ups Each side (skipped)

 

R9D66 – Bootcamp 3.4.1 Cardio With Blocks

D7 3.4.1 Cardio with boxes

2x section
20 block plank run
10 block burpee
20 block plank run
10 block pushup jacks
20 block plank run

4-8-12-16-12-8-4
jacks
mary katherine switch
knees up
heels up

2x section
10 step up and back
10 step up and over run around
10 block jumps
10 block jumps up and over run around
10 clear jumps run around

2x section
10 side to side step up and over tap
10 side jump up and down far side
10 grapevine up and back increasing speed
10 grapevine round the world

1x section
10 lenghtways step up step down run back
10 lenghtways jump up jump down run back
10 4 box jumps, jump up and over run back
10 4 box jumps with 4 jacks jump up and over run back

foot tap around the block each way
20 jacks
10 burpee hands on block
24 foot tap, 24 jacks, 12 burpee
12 foot tap, 12 jacks, 8 burpee
6 foot tap, 6 jacks, 4 burpee
12 foot tap, 12 jacks, 8 burpee
24 foot tap, 24 jacks, 12 burpee

Cool down with some yoga and hamstring/back stretch

R9D64-65 – PAP Lower Review and The Disappointing Finish To P90X2

PAP Lower.

Since I found PAP Upper to be, well, a load of PAP I wasn’t expecting to be blown away by PAP Lower. Having lowered my expectation a little I enjoyed it a little more than PAP Upper but I was not impressed by the workout. I found the warmups to be more entertaining than the workout itself but to give it credit, I actually did struggle a little with a couple of the moves. Here, in brief (because it is brief) is the workout:

Warmup – Interval 1 x4 – Interval 2 x4 – Cool down

Interval 1:

Step up Convict – 1 leg step up to back lunge
Skater Plyo – basic skater side to side jumps
One Leg Line Hop – Hopping forwads, backwards and side to side 45s
Tony Horton’s Triangle – Besides the disgusting image the name evokes, this is just a front and back laying abductor exercise from the 80s

Interval 2:

Squat Cross Reach – Highlight of the workout, weighted squat with a diagonal extension at the bottom
Split Squat Jump (Mary Katherine’s on Crack) – Yawn, more MKs
Monster Slalom – Think of it as wide tire runs
Side Bridge Leg Lift – the toughest move, get into side plank and hold your leg up. Ouch!

So it wasn’t too challenging but it also wasn’t the yawn fest that PAP Upper was. I at least was challenged with this but then again in about 2 weeks when I have mastered the Side Bridge it will be reduced to just another short, not particularly hard workout.

That’s my beef with the whole P90X2 thing, it’s the same issue I have with ending P90X on a rest week. This third phase was supposed to be the Grand Finale of your 90 day crusade, a fitting end to a three month journey of fitness and mental toughness but it just isn’t. Instead it’s a gentle tailing off of the system with 4 workouts, 1 yoga day and 2 rest days, not exactly the fitting climax to what is otherwise a great workout system.

In other news, I filled out the days with some RKC and a day on a spin bike while waiting for my kids to show up for gymnastics.

 

 

 

R9D62/3 – PAP Upper Review and Bootcamp 3.3.2 Cardio

So the bad news is that the knee issues continue, I am not sure why, if it is exercise related, rest related, standing at my desk related or what. I do recall that I have had occasional issues in the past for a few days at a time, I am hoping this will pass. It’s not that I can’t work out, it’s more that I can’t kneel on my right knee because the kneecap is painful. I am trying to baby it a little while keeping it mobile and upping my fish oil a little. I am also thinking about starting with a joint health supplement, a little Glucosamine and Chondroitin maybe. Anyone with any suggestions would be welcome!

So I have finally taken my first steps into Phase 3 with PAP Upper. I have to admit I am a little disappointed. I was expecting some new methodology, some interesting new moves or angles to work the muscles or maybe even something I hadn’t seen before. Sadly it was just my bootcamp class for the public. Maybe I am expecting too much, I mean the workout was OK, I liked the people in the video and the presentation was OK but the workout itself left a little to be desired.

PAP stands for Post Activation Potentiation. It could also easily stand for Pushups And Pullups or Poor Athletic Performance (OK, so maybe that is a little harsh but I was not particularly impressed). It is supposed to be a mix of power, explosiveness, isometrics and flexibility. I found the variety of moves both confusing for the beginner and inadequate for the person supposedly on the third phase of the best at home workout on the planet.

Here is the basic outline, you decide:

Complex 1 (of 2)

10 Renegade Rows (Pushups on dumbbells with rowing between each pushup)
10 Clapping pushups (they are called plyo but to me plyo are airbourne pushups)
60s Plank hold with feet on a medicine ball
60s Weighted bar superman – this was the only challenge during the hour.

Repeat until you have done Complex 1 4 times without resting.

Complex 2

10 Towel Pullups
10 med ball v ups (V-snaps)
10 leg raised shoulder press (other leg resting on an 18″ to 24″ plyo box)
60s Foam Roller Angel

Again repeat 4 times.
I guess it was interesting enough to do a couple of times but it’s not going to be a favourite of mine by a long shot. I hope PAP Lower is a little more challenging.

In contrast, here is my Bootcamp class from last night:

D6 3.3.2 Plates and Weights

Huggers
Twists
World’s Slowest Burpees
Inch Worm
Worlds Greatest Stretch
Groiners
Scorpion

Workout with bench plates or dumbbells (I used a 45lb plate)

X2
10 Strict Press
10 Overhead tricep extension
10 Curls
20 Crunch
20 Hanging Leg Raise

X2
10 High Pull
10 1 arm shrugs each side
10 1 arm side bends each side
10 side crunch each side
10 hanging crunches (tuck)

X2
20 in and out
10 roll to boat hold
20 ARX bicycle
10 full sit up
10 hanging leg raise sides

X2
10 Front raise
10 Halo
10 Curls
20 weighted In and Out
20 Russian Twists
10 Pullups

X2
10 Laying Press
10 Laying Pullover
20 Laying Press
10 Laying Pullover
10 Weighted Rainbows
20 Laying side crunch each side
10 Pullups

R9 Forced Rest Week Plus Ranking The P90X Crew!

Last week for the first time in my life I experienced knee pain. It was not something I want to repeat and scared me a little thinking that maybe my trusty knees that have always been a source of pride for me may finally be showing some wear and tear. It was fortuitous then that I was forced to take several days off to run the scoring system at our Gymnastics meet over the weekend. Although it was very long hours and the stress was savage it was mostly off my feet giving my body a full rest of what is now 5 full days. I can’t remember the last time I took 5 days of complete rest but I think I probably needed it. I have been bugged by niggling injuries and a feeling of general malaise that I am hoping will have passed once I get back into my routine. Most importantly though, it gave my knees a rest from the jumping and squatting that seem to be very prevalent in my current training. I have noticed that all my recent posts are bootcamp posts which basically tells me that I was excluding my P90X2 and RKC workouts because I wasn’t able to make the grade physically. I also had noticed that it was harder and harder to get through the bootcamp workouts which I had suspected may have been a sign of overtraining.

So today I hope to enjoy a triumphant return to working out and I hope that my 5 days off will have cleared up any issues that I had. Time will tell, but I am definitely filled with a desire to get back to working out. As a reward I think I will start the PAP series now and make this phase 3 of round 9.

I read a great page online this morning which came from Tony himself via Facebook. It ranks the P90X workout cast from best to worst. Thanks to the folks at Jezebel.com for the laughs. Here’s the page.