August 2008
47 posts
2 tags
Kung Fu class
After the standard warmup, we did lots of stance work for the beginners class tonight. Drilled some basic hand techniques after that. After they were gone I worked on Ng Lung Ba Gwa Cheung a bit - trying to get the spear moving quickly and thinking about footwork.
July 2008
47 posts
3 tags
GPP Circuit
Med Ball Woodchoppers x 30 sec
Med Ball Slams x 30 sec
Jumping Jacks x 30 sec
Burpees x 30 sec (10)
Chinnies x 30 sec
Repeat 6x, resting 30 sec between rounds.
I searched the GPP archives for the worst individual exercises and tried to include a bunch of em in today’s circuit. I thought it would be interesting to see which was the worst today but it was no contest - the chinnies...
2 tags
Kung Fu class
Quick circuit-style warmup, forearm and stance training, and into sparring. We kept it slow and light tonight and focused on working a few key techniques and mixed things up.
After class I worked on the opening section to Fu Hok Seung Ying Kuen. Ran through it 5x with 5 rings on each arm and then 5x sans rings.
3 tags
Explosive Strength Training
Explosive strength day.
1 Arm DB Snatch
5 x 3/side x 65lb
Double DB Push Press
5 x 3 x 65lb
Complex Pair - repeat 4x (Rest 60 sec between B & C and D & A) Side-to-side Pullups x 4/side
Explosive Pullups x 8
Double DB Front Squat (65lb) x 5
Squat Jumps x 10
Finisher: DB Swing
3 x 15 x 70lb
5 tags
Pull, Run, Clap, Run
It was a nice night and I’ve been wanting to do some running, so we did:
10 Pullups
Run 200m
10 Plyometric Pushups
Run 200m
Repeat 5x
Total time: 14:23. This was pretty tough.
2 tags
Kung Fu class
Warmed up and helped the beginners with their forms, then went into a forearm training circuit:
300 tiger claw squeezes on sandbag
10 fingertip pushups
10 reps on the wrist roller
10 knuckle pushups
Repeat 2x
After the beginners left I worked on Ng Lung Ba Gwa Cheung a bit.
1 tag
“The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give...”
– Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture
1 tag
6 tags
Getting Sandy
Did a modified version of the good old Sequential Fatigue Challenge at Jones Beach today:
10 Burpees
Sprint ~30m
10 Knee Tucks
Jog backwards to start
Repeat 10x
Total time: 17:10, BUT I’m not sure about the distance or the number of circuits (I may have done 12…I’m a terrible counter). Anyway, it was rough. Burpees and sprinting on the beach are much harder than regular...
3 tags
Core Training
Started with 4 sets of 5 Standing Wheel Rollouts, then onto the main circuit:
Front Plank x 1 min
Side Plank x 1 min (each side)
Abmat Situps x 50
Repeat 3x
I included the set of 50 situps because it’s been a while since I’ve done high volume core work (and it showed).
2 tags
Kung Fu class
After the warmup and stance work, we went into a forearm training circuit:
Wrist Roller x 1 min
Tiger Claw Squeezing Sand Bag x 1 min
Stick Wrist Flicks x 1 min
Squeezies x 1 min
And repeated it twice for a nice Popeye forearm bloat. The onto three star block and some tiger claw drills. We worked the tiger claw from both sides and practiced generating real power on the heavy bag. Good...
1 tag
“It is not productive for athletes to think in terms of body parts or muscle...”
– Rippetoe & Kilgore, Practical Programming for Strength Training
Pioneer Valley CrossFit's Mission Statement →
“CrossFit turns fitness training into a competitive sport. You end up killing yourself to get those extra couple reps in, to shave just a few more seconds off the clock. And then you flop to the ground. Wrecked. Like, you couldn’t stand up even if you wanted to.”
2 tags
Kung Fu class
Small class tonight so we didn’t run it formally. After a quick warmup, I ran through the snake section of Ng Ying Kuen 12x, varying speed and power. I still have a lot to work on there. After that, did some levering with the thick 6’ poles for about 10 minutes.
3 tags
Magic 50
I was digging through the archives and realized I hadn’t done Ross’s Magic 50 in a while. Grabbed a 65lb dumbbell and went to work:
5 DB Snatches/ Arm
5 DB Swings/ Arm
10 Burpees
Repeat 5x
Total time: 11:20. This was the first time it ever took me over 10 minutes, but it was the heaviest I’ve ever gone as well (used a 50 last time and finished in the 9 minute range)....
1 tag
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GPP Circuit
Med Ball Woodchoppers x 30 sec
Med Ball Slams x 30 sec
Jumping Jacks x 30 sec
Mountain Climbers x 30 sec
Repeat 6x, resting 30 sec between rounds.
Those woodchoppers are killers.
2 tags
Core Training
Started with Turkish Get Up technique practice, which felt great on my sunburnt back. I broke down the movement into 5 pieces and repeated each step 5x per side with a 50lb dumbbell. After I got through all movements, I performed 5 full reps on each side. Trying to reinforce the mechanics to keep making process. Then I went onto the main circuit:
Knees-to-Elbows x 10
35lb Plate Twist x 10/side
...
3 tags
Beach Run
Beautiful day at Jones Beach WEB2. I took a nice leisurely run on the sand which totalled just under 2 miles (to the jetty and back) and cooked my back in the process.
3 tags
Max Strength Training
Heavy strength day.
1 Arm DB Snatch
3 x 80lb
3 x 90lb
2 x 100lb
2 x 100lb
1 Arm DB Clean and Press
3 x 90lb
2 x 90lb
2 x 100lb
2 x 90lb
Turkish Get Ups
3 x 50lb
2 x 70lb
1 x 85lb (PR)
Simple pair, repeat 4x:
Weighted Pullups - 5 x 90lb, 2 x 135lb, 1 x 145lb, 3 x 100lb
Weighted Dips - 8 x 45lb, 4 x 90lb, 3 x 100lb, 2 x 100lb
Finisher: DB Swings
3 x 15 x 70lb
I...
2 tags
Kung Fu class
Took the beginners through the standard warmup, followed by lots of mobile stance training. Then we went into some bridge training/three star block before going into the technique of the night. As per Sifu, we drilled the hell out of basic fu jow applications and then partnered up when everyone was ready. After class, I worked on Ng Ying Kuen a bit and then ran through Tiet Sien Kuen.
1 tag
“To exercise at or near capacity is the best way I know of reaching a true...”
– Al Oerter
4 tags
Jump Rope Intervals
Jump rope intervals:
10 x 60 sec (rest 30 sec)
10 x 30 sec (rest 15 sec)
15 minutes of hard work. Tried to stick to high-knee-sprint-in-place and double unders for the duration, but I had to mix in a little basic skipping at the end. I was stringing the double unders together pretty well - got 20+ several times.
2 tags
Kung Fu class
We did a circuit-style warm up to get the blood pumping, then worked on basic kicks with the big pads before going into basic combos with the mitts. We did 1 min rounds of 4 different combos. Did some three star block to catch our breath and some light sensitivity drills before going into sparring.
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“Excessive sitting shortens your hip flexors. This stretches the opposite muscles: your glutes. They become dormant. You can’t fire your glutes properly anymore. The solution is glute activation exercises. Here’s how.”
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52 Card Throwdown
I suggested the Deck of Cards workout for today and Frank upped the ante by asking for the straight pushup/burpee variation. The card’s value determines the number of reps (Ace is 11, face cards are 10):
Reds = Burpees
Blacks = Pushups
Jokers = 25 Med Ball Slams
Total time: 31:47. That’s 192 reps of each exercise. Oh, and each burpee also contains a full pushup, which made this...
2 tags
Kung Fu class
After the warmup and stance drills, we went through some bridge training with the beginners and the obligitory 5 minutes of three star blocking. Gave the newbies work on their forms and worked on some Darn Dao moves myself.
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4 tags
Muddy Buddy Ride & Run 2008
I temporarily lifted my shun on Zach so we could team up for the 2008 Muddy Buddy Ride & Run in Richmond, VA. After lots of driving and very little sleep, we made the check-in at around 6:00am on Sunday. Team Science & Science finished the course in 49:37 - good for 12th place in our division. But hey, they don’t give medals for 12th place.
We both agreed that the distances were...
Consistency & Momentum Are The Keys to Success →
“Persistence Is Key to Success. Whatever it is you want. Nothing can stop you if you put your mind into something and work on it systematically until you get it. Persistence will deal with any setback that comes your way.”
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“I never saw a wild thing
sorry for itself.
A small bird will drop frozen dead...”
– D. H. Lawrence
2 tags
Kung Fu class
Sifu took us through a standard warmup with lots of stance training for the beginners today. Then we drilled a lot of basic techniques (which were really just designed to keep working the stances) for the remainder of class.
Sifu also identified something I was doing wrong with my bow stance and with some tips from Sihing Al, we figured out how to fix it. I was concentrating too much on driving...
2 tags
Kung Fu class
Another sweltering day in the school. Did some rope skipping with double under practice and Ng Ying Kuen work before class. We did 5 rounds of Cindy as a warmup for the class (5 pullups, 10 pushups, 15 squats), but not for speed. Then we went into some combo work with the mitts, some forearm and leg training and finally into light sparring. Did I mention it was hot as crap?
1 tag
“When you hear something, you will forget it.
When you see something, you will...”
– Chinese Proverb
2 tags
Kung Fu class
After the warmup, helped the beginners with some basic stance work and forms. After they left, worked on Gung Ji Fuk Fu Kuen on my own a bit. The Ali and I ran through Tiet Sien Kuen 3 times - the first time I used strong power and then tapered to medium power the second time and light power the third time. Got some good, strong connection in the first run-through and the rest was a nice way to...
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3 tags
Crossfit WOD: Half Cindy
Tracy and I went to the free beginner’s class at the new Black Box Brooklyn. After a warmup and some explanation, the coaches took us through a half tabata squat and a half Cindy. I guess they don’t want to scare off (or kill) any newbies. I scored a 23 on the tabata squats (score is the lowest amount of reps). Then onto the Cindy:
5 Pullups
10 Pushups
15 Squats
AMRAP in 10...
2 tags
Core Training
Started with TGU work:
Turkish Get Ups
3 x 60lb
2 x 75lb
4 x 45lb bar
4 x 45lb bar
Then onto the main circuit:
Flags x 5
Russian Twist (25lb plate) x 20
Bird-dogs x 20
Repeat 4x
Finisher: Overhead Squat (45lb bar) x 4 sets of 15
3 tags
Heavy Bag Intervals
Hitting the heavy bag with combinations - punches, elbows, and kicks. Max intensity.
10 x 60 sec (30 sec active rest)
Total work time: 10 minutes. Good quick workout. After all the soft sparring drills today I wanted to bang hard for a while because hey, life’s short.
2 tags
Kung Fu class
Al ran the sparring class tonight. We did a circuit style warm up, some moving stance drills, and saam sing before going into sparring. We did lots of ring work - trying to push your partner out of the ring and keep your center.
1 tag
“We ought to get to understand the value of intelligent work, the work of...”
– William Morris
2 tags
Kung Fu practice
Ran through Tiet Sien Kuen to cool down after the weight session. Didn’t put too much power into it, but it was there since I was so pumped. Felt pretty good.
3 tags
Explosive Strength Training
Explosive strength day.
1 Arm DB Snatch
5 x 3/side x 65lb
Barbell Punch Press
5 x 3 x 65lb
Complex Pair - repeat 4x (Rest 60 sec between B & C and D & A) One Arm Bench Press - 5/arm x 85lb
Plyometric Pushups x 8
Lumberjack Squat - 5 x 100lb
Knee Jumps x 8
Finisher: Sumo Deadlift High Pulls
3 x 15 x 95lb
Went back to the old one arm DB snatch today because I just...
1 tag
“I don’t want to survive. I want to live.”
– The Captain