Monday.........Mayday!

Tough workout! As promised, I set up shop in the gym yesterday and ripped off the Mayday! It was perhaps not my best performance but it was very challenging and I was happy to finish it. The official time was 21:00.05 minutes.

I have attached some pictures to help illustrate the workout and offer some technique tips on the clean and jerk.

1). Start with the bar hanging in front of you with your grip slightly wider than


shoulder width.

2). Jump upwards and allow the momentum to accelerate the bar upwards. You are not "rowing" the bar with your arms, you are accelerating the bar upwards with the momentum from your jump.

3). Land in a full squat position with the bar resting at shoulder height

4). Explode upwards while you press the weight overhead. You are landing in a lunge position. It is important to note that the feet do not come closer together as you land in the lunge position (jerk). Your feet are positioned roughly shoulder width apart throughout the jerk.

5). Alternate the forward leg with every repetition.

Someone step up and take this baby down.

M

New workout

Howdy all.....thought I would pull out a nice workout for all my peoples! YO!

Ummmm.....anyway. This workout is going to attempt to challenge full body strength as well as aerobic power and anaerobic capacity. Remember, box jumps are repeated as quickly as possible with both feet landing together on the top of the box. You can use benches or stairs if you don't have a box..

We will aim for the following targets in the Advanced workout:

Mayday Monday

20-Clean and Jerks (45-85 pounds)(alternating legs)

25-Block Push-ups

20- Box jumps (20 inches)

50- Sit ups

Try 3-rounds for time. I will be posting my time tomorrow so I am serving notice right now!

Intermediate Mayday Monday (3-rounds of the following)

20- Box jumps ( 12 inches )

20- Shoulder presses (5-20 pound dumbbells)

15- Push-ups

20- Sit-ups
.
Try 3-rounds for time

Hope all is well, I will be posting my time on the Advanced version tomorrow.

M

What about cardio?

Oh "cardio", the very name itself strikes fear and loathing into many people I know and love. Cardiovascular endurance is the ability of the heart, lungs, and circulatory system to supply oxygen to working muscle tissue. It is by far and away the most critical element of overall fitness and health.

Cardiovascular endurance is the base upon which all other training is built. Basic strength is also very important but in the grand scheme of things cardio trumps strength every time. Cardio is crucial for weight management, fat loss, body composition, and recovery. It is also a critical element in almost all sport / athletic endeavors. High level athletes competing in hockey, soccer, basketball, combat sports, gymnastics, rugby, swimming, and most other sports require high levels of cardiovascular endurance.

The question remains however, why do so many people hate to do cadio? I think many people automatically conjure an image of some emaciated runner wearing a heart rate monitor and shamefully ugly "running" shorts. Many people simply hate running.....they find it painful, awkward, and humiliating.

The non-runners among us should not use this as leverage to abstain from cardio. Just the opposite, non-runners are missing out on the best overall cardiovascular workout available to mankind. A reasonable substitute needs to be located in order to promote optimal fitness and health.

Cardio should be performed a minimum of three times per week for at least 30-minutes to achieve the desired results, ie weight loss, increased energy levels, improved fitness. Cardio exercises should be large and incorporate as much muscle mass as possible. Good options include, swimming, running, eliptical machines, cross-county skiing, and stepper machines.

Bikes and rowers are decent but it is much more difficult to achieve high-intensity heart rate values on these pieces of equipment and they are generally not as effective for building and improving cardiovascular ability. Part of the reason is that these pieces are weight supported and do not require the same level of overall effort as un-supported activities.

Until next time......peace out. M