1 Bodybuilderinfo: November 2011

Wednesday 30 November 2011

Thursday 1 December 2011: CRAWL...SPRINT #2

CRAWL...SPRINT #2

Same workout for everybody today, but adjust the intensity according to your ability.

Complete as many rounds as possible in twenty minutes.

  • 30 seconds Bear Crawl
  • 15 seconds Sprint
  • 30 seconds Crab Crawl
  • 15 seconds Sprint

Advanced trainees should rest as necessary between rounds.

Intermediate and Basic trainees should rest as necessary during each round.

30/30 = 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest, repeat for specified repetitions
15/45 = 15 seconds work, 45 seconds rest, repeat for specified repetitions

Tuesday 29 November 2011

Wednesday 30 November 2011: PULL OTM

PULL-UPS ON THE MINUTE

Perform a set of pull-ups at the top of every minute for twenty minutes.

Intermediate and basic trainees should substitute partial, assisted, or jumping pull-ups or body rows as necessary.

Monday 28 November 2011

Tuesday 29 November 2011: ANIMAL CONDITIONING

ANIMAL CONDITIONING

Today's workout mimics various animal movements to facilitate cardio-strength conditioning.

30/30's - 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest, repeat
15/45's - 15 seconds work, 45 seconds rest, repeat

Advanced:

  • 5 x 30/30 Tiger Prowl (3x forward, 2x backward)
    (Bend forward to walk on your hands and feet as in a Bear Crawl. Bend your arms to ninety degrees and lower your body so that it hovers 3-6 inches above the ground. Walk in this position keeping your body low.)
  • 5 x 30/30 Crab Crawl (3x forward, 2x backward)
    (Sit on the ground with your feet on the ground, knees bent, and your palms on the ground resting slightly behind your hips. Lift your pelvis so that your bodyweight is supported on your hands and feet. Walk on your hands and feet with your stomach pointed toward the sky.)
  • 5 x 30/30 Kangaroo Jumps
    (Perform a Half-Squat. From the crounched position, swing your arms and leap forward with both feet. Continue for reps.)
  • 5 x 15/45 Sprints
    (Okay, so this isn't exactly an animal movement. Pretend like you're sprinting for your life away from the Tigers, Bears, Crabs, and Kangaroos you have been imitating.)

Intermediate and Basic:

  • 5 x 30/30 Bear Crawl (3x forward, 2x backward)
    (Bend forward and walk on your hands and feet.)
  • 5 x 30/30 Crab Crawl (3x forward, 2x backward)
    (Sit on the ground with your feet on the ground, knees bent, and your palms on the ground resting slightly behind your hips. Lift your pelvis so that your bodyweight is supported on your hands and feet. Walk on your hands and feet with your stomach pointed toward the sky.)
  • 5 x 30/30 Kangaroo Jumps
    (Perform a Half-Squat. From the crounched position, swing your arms and leap forward with both feet. Continue for reps.)
  • 5 x 15/45 Sprints
    (Okay, so this isn't exactly an animal movement. Pretend like you're sprinting for your life away from the Tigers, Bears, Crabs, and Kangaroos you have been imitating.)

Sunday 27 November 2011

Monday 28 November 2011: 5 X 4

5 x 4 MINUTE ROUNDS

Complete five rounds of the following circuit in twenty minutes.

Advanced:

  • 30 seconds - Push-ups
  • 30 seconds - Crunches
  • 1 minute - Squats
  • 2 minutes - Jump Rope/Jumping Jacks/Squat Thrusts

Intermediate-Basic:

  • 15/15 - Push-ups (15 seconds work, 15 seconds rest)
  • 15/15 - Crunches (15 seconds work, 15 seconds rest)
  • 30/30 - Squats (30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest)
  • 2 minutes - Jump Rope/Jumping Jacks/Squat Thrusts

Tuesday 22 November 2011

Wednesday 23 November 2011: PULL/PU O2M

PULL-UPS / PUSH-UPS EVERY SECOND MINUTE
 
Alternate sets of pull-ups and push-ups, performing one set at the beginning of every second minute. These sets should be close to muscle failure, stopping one or two reps short.

You will perform five sets of each exercise. Do a set of pull-ups on the 20th, 16th, 12th, 8th, and 4th minutes. Perform a set of push-ups on the 18th, 14th, 10th, 6th, and 2nd minutes.

Options

  • Advanced Trainees:
    Pull-ups, Chin-ups, Rope Pull-ups, etc.Push-ups, Feet Elevated Push-ups, Dips, etc.
  • Intermediate and Basic Trainees:
    Partial, Assisted, or Jumping Pull-ups or BodyRowsPush-ups, Knee Push-ups, Countertop Push-ups

Monday 21 November 2011

Tuesday 22 November 2011: CONDITIONING

CONDITIONING CIRCUITS

Complete as many circuits as possible in twenty minutes.

Advanced:

  • 30 seconds - Walking Lunges
  • A set of Burpees
  • Bear Crawl back to start(Or 30 sec. crawl)

Intermediate - Basic:

  • 20-30 seconds - Walking Lunges
  • A set of Squat Thrusts
  • Bear Crawl back to start(Or 20-30 sec. crawl)

Sunday 20 November 2011

Monday 21 November 2011: SPARTAN RUN #3

Get ready. This one is tough.

SPARTAN RUN #3

Complete the following circuit in twenty minutes.

  • Max Pull-ups in 1 minute
  • Run 2 minutes
  • Max Sit-ups in 1 minute
  • Run 2 minutes
  • Max Push-ups in 1 minute
  • Run 2 minutes
  • Max Pull-ups in 30 seconds
  • Run 2 minutes
  • Max Sit-ups in 30 seconds
  • Run 2 minutes
  • Max Push-ups in 30 seconds
  • Run 2 minutes
  • Max Pull-ups in 30 seconds
  • Max Sit-ups in 30 seconds
  • Max Push-ups in 30 seconds
  • Run 2 minutes

Intermediate and Basic trainees should substitute as necessary:

  • Partial/Assisted Pull-ups or Body Rows for Pull-ups
  • Crunches for Sit-ups
  • Knee Push-ups for Push-ups
  • Powerwalking for Running
  • 30/30 or 15/15 Calisthenic Intervals for 1 minute or 30 second assigned Intervals
    (E.g. 30/30 Bodyrows instead of 1 minute Pull-ups; 15/15 Knee PU instead of 30 seconds Push-ups)

There are no assigned rest intervals in this WOD except as modified above. Your body will learn to recover "on the run" (literally). Pace yourself as necessary.

Friday 18 November 2011

Saturday 19 November 2011: RUN FOR DISTANCE

RUN FOR DISTANCE

Advanced:
Run for twenty minutes.

Intermediate:
Run-walk for twenty minutes.

Basic:
Powerwalk for twenty minutes.

Thursday 17 November 2011

Friday 18 November 2011: BP + PU CHALLENGE

BURPEE + PULL-UP CHALLENGE

Today's workout involves back-to-back ten minute challenges.

Advanced:
  • Perform as many burpees as possible in ten minutes
  • Perform as many pull-ups as possible in ten minutes

Intermediate:

  • Perform as many squat thrusts as possible in ten minutes
  • Perform as many partial, assisted, or jumping pull-ups as possible in ten minutes

Basic:

  • Perform as many jumping jacks as possible in ten minutes
  • Perform as many body rows as possible in ten minutes

Wednesday 16 November 2011

Thursday 17 November 2011: CRAWL...SPRINT #2

CRAWL...SPRINT #2

Same workout for everybody today, but adjust the intensity according to your ability.

Complete as many rounds as possible in twenty minutes.

  • 30 seconds Bear Crawl
  • 15 seconds Sprint
  • 30 seconds Crab Crawl
  • 15 seconds Sprint

Advanced trainees should rest as necessary between rounds.

Intermediate and Basic trainees should rest as necessary during each round.

30/30 = 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest, repeat for specified repetitions
15/45 = 15 seconds work, 45 seconds rest, repeat for specified repetitions

Tuesday 15 November 2011

Wednesday 16 November 2011: PULL OTM

PULL-UPS ON THE MINUTE

Perform a set of pull-ups at the top of every minute for twenty minutes.

Intermediate and basic trainees should substitute partial, assisted, or jumping pull-ups or body rows as necessary.

Monday 14 November 2011

Tuesday 15 November 2011: J-SQ + BW-SQ #2

JUMP SQUATS + BODYWEIGHT SQUATS #2

Complete as many rounds as possible in twenty minutes.

Advanced - Intermediate:

  • A set of Squat Jumps
    (e.g. Box Jumps, Hurdle Jumps, Star Jumps, Half-Squat Jumps, etc.)
  • A set of Bodyweight Squats
    (e.g. Deep Knee Bends, Half Squats, Hindu Squats, Sumo Squats, Pistols, etc.)

If you are unaccustomed to plyometric training, perform the Basic WOD.

Basic:

  • A set of Half Squats
  • A set of Lunges
  • A set of Calf Raises
  • A set of Jumping Jacks

Thursday 10 November 2011

Friday-Monday 11-14 November 2011: Weekend WODs

Friday 11 November 2011: PULL, PU, CRAWL

Saturday 12 November 2011: RUN FOR DISTANCE

Sunday 13 November 2011: REST

Monday 14 November 2011: FIVE BASIC EXERCISES

DIY Food Adventure: Dinner



DIY Food Adventure


The challenge has officially ended, but many of us are continuing to eat home-cooked meals.  It has created a positive feedback loop where making your own food:

  • feels gratifying, giving you a sense of accomplishment for your precious time and effort,
  • makes you feel good on the inside with normalized digestion,
  • has a positive emotional response: you feel good and don't have the blood sugar highs and lows that make you cranky and short-tempered,
  • improves your performance at the gym and in your daily life because you are fueling yourself with quality nutrition and feel energized.

I look forward to continuing this challenge and feel so appreciative for the boost to get my nutrition on a healthy track, especially for my pregnancy--the most important time in my life to be eating healthy!


Week 32 of 40

So now my belly is so huge people keep asking if I am due at any moment.  However, I still have over a month and a half to go!  I have gained quite a bit of weight, over 35#s already, but my midwife doesn't mind and it seems to be almost all in the belly--I have quite a basketball of baby!

The interesting thing about the weight gain is that I am not eating any differently and if anything I have been pretty good with fewer weekend treats.  When I do have them, I splurge on an ice cream dessert, steamers with whip cream and light flavor at the coffee shop, corn chips, french fries when I eat out, and Chipotle burrito bowls with a bit of rice.  Not too awful and much fewer and farther between than in the past.  I'm still staying strong with my gluten-free diet and it isn't all that hard--eating food that makes you feel good is a really great motivator.

My meals are home-cooked still, usually starting with bone broth and fruit, then eggs and fruit, cheese and pepperoni or chicken (maybe with grain-free biscuits) and fruit, and meat and veg at night often with a dessert of fruit.  Yeah, it's a lot of fruit, but I vary it up with bananas, grapefruit, grapes, figs, pears, and apples.  And hey, I'll take fruit over sugar and processed crap any day.  I usually have 4 meals if I am up early and with the time change I have been up early lately.  My body is just part ready to be up and part sick of trying to find a comfortable sleeping position where my legs don't go numb or have shooting pain when I move--doesn't happen all the time, but it isn't fun when it does.  Leg cramps when sleeping and numbness when standing for a long time is about the only uncomfortable pregnancy "symptom" I've had to deal with regularly--not too bad!

But my pregnancy is going fabulously for me.  I feel great and absolutely LOVE the experience of having my little one moving around inside my belly.  He is adorable already and sometimes I just stay up in the middle of the night feeling him hiccup or squirm back and forth, contorting my belly in such funny shapes.  I love to just sit with my belly out on the couch after dinner and watch him kick and bring knees/hands/elbows/buns across my belly.  Last night I had both cats curled up on my legs and squeezed in close against my warm belly.  It was so cute to have all my little ones sharing my lap :)

Home-cooked Dinners

Dinner is the one weekday meal my husband and I share, so it means a lot to me to have something nourishing and satisfying late in the day.  Our go-tos for protein have been:

  • Meaty veggie-laden tomato sauce using jarred tomatoes (no more cans for me due to BPA concerns) and slow cooking a big batch with grassfed beef, zucchini, and mushrooms for at least 4hrs on Low


For carb, I make dinner my veggie meal.  Usually I'll have cut veggies like yellow peppers, baby carrots, and cucumbers.  They are terrific scoops for tomato sauce and little boats for carnitas.  Meats are also great wrapped in steamed collards (just trim out the woody part of the stem, keeping the leaf intact as much as possible, and steam for less than a minute until pliable).  They are durable, tasty wraps that trump lettuce for wrap-ability.  I sometimes switch out the veggies with corn chips when I am feeling naughty but that saltiness usually makes me guzzle water all night, so I am up even more often.  No es bueno.


For another change, I'll roast/broil up some delicata squash into chips--just thinly slice, toss in oil, and eat seeds and all (thanks to my friends Sonny and Jill for starting the delicata squash craze!).  My husband enjoys salsa, roasted cauliflower, and acorn squash more than I do, so he subs those for the cut veggies that aren't his favorite.  We also have steamed artichokes on occasion, which we both love: just trim, season with salt, pepper, and olive oil and steam above an inch of water, lemon juice and garlic cloves for 45min or until the outer leaves fall off with the lightest touch.  Serve with or without melted grassed butter.  Yum!


And I often have a dessert of cut figs--such a delicious new favorite!  I cannot believe I just had my first raw figs this year--wish I had found this delight earlier :)  And another new dessert treat: celery with almond butter.  I have been craving fat a bit more lately, so this is a satisfying splurge.


I know I could be all crazy and change up the meal plan more often, but really I love what I am eating and haven't tired of it yet.  It is nourishing and homemade and just makes me feel SO much better than any meal I have out at a restaurant that I instantly regret that night with crappy sleep and the next day with a carb hangover.  Real food makes a noticeable difference and will help me thrive instead of just survive the last weeks of my pregnancy :)

Wednesday 9 November 2011

Thursday 10 November 2011: SPRINT 8

SPRINT 8

Today's workout is based on a sprint protocol designed by Phil Campbell, author of Ready, Set GO! Synergy Fitness for Time-Crunched Adults.

The sprints are progressive. The first sprint begins at a jog and climaxes at 50% of maximum effort; the second sprint goes from 40% at the beginning to 60% at the climax; the third sprint goes from 50-70%; the fourth sprint from 60-80%; the fifth sprint from 70-90%; the sixth sprint reaches 95% of maximum effort; the seventh and eighth sprints are run at 95-100% effort.

If you are not accustomed to the type of sprint training we do around here, do not max out on the final three sprints - climax between 80-90% of maximum effort.

Advanced:

  • Run 5 minutes
  • Repeat eight times:
    Sprint 15 seconds
    Recover 1 minute
  • Run 5 minutes

Intermediate:

  • Run-walk 5 minutes
  • Repeat six-eight times:
    Sprint 15 seconds
    Recover 60-85 seconds
  • Run-walk 5 minutes

Basic:

  • Powerwalk 5 minutes
  • Repeat four-six times:
    Sprint 15 seconds
    Recover 85-120 seconds
  • Powerwalk 5 minutes

Tuesday 8 November 2011

Wednesday 9 November 2011: TRIPLE-UPs

TRIPLE UPs: PULL-UP, SIT-UP, PUSH-UP

Perform as many supersets of pull-ups, sit-ups, and push-ups as possible in twenty minutes.

A superset is done by performing one set of each exercise back to back to back with little or no rest in between. Choose a number of reps that is well below your max to prevent early burnout during the training session. The training effect today will come from the overall volume of exercise combined with short rest periods, not max effort sets. Rest between supersets as necessary.

Intermediate and Basic trainees should substitute assisted, partial, or jumping pull-ups, body rows, crunches, and knee push-ups as necessary.

Monday 7 November 2011

Tuesday 8 November 2011: J-SQ + BW-SQ #2

JUMP SQUATS + BODYWEIGHT SQUATS #2

Complete as many rounds as possible in twenty minutes.

Advanced - Intermediate:

  • A set of Squat Jumps
    (e.g. Box Jumps, Hurdle Jumps, Star Jumps, Half-Squat Jumps, etc.)
  • A set of Bodyweight Squats
    (e.g. Deep Knee Bends, Half Squats, Hindu Squats, Sumo Squats, Pistols, etc.)

If you are unaccustomed to plyometric training, perform the Basic WOD.

Basic:

  • A set of Half Squats
  • A set of Lunges
  • A set of Calf Raises
  • A set of Jumping Jacks

Sunday 6 November 2011

Monday 7 November 2011: PFT

PHYSICAL FITNESS TEST

Advanced:
  • Max Pull-ups in 1 minute
  • Rest 1 minute
  • Max Sit-ups in 1 minute
  • Rest 1 minute
  • Max Push-ups in 1 minute
  • Rest 3 minutes
  • Run 12 minutes for distance

Intermediate:

  • Max Partial or Assisted Pull-ups or Body Rows
  • Rest 1 minute
  • Max Sit-ups or Crunches in 1 minute
  • Rest 1 minute
  • Max Push-ups in 1 minute
  • Rest 3 minutes
  • Run-walk 12 minutes for distance

Basic:

  • Max Body Rows in 1 minute
  • Rest 1 minute
  • Max Crunches in 1 minute
  • Rest 1 minute
  • Max Knee Push-ups in 1 minute
  • Rest 3 minutes
  • Powerwalk 12 minutes for distance

Friday 4 November 2011

Saturday 5 November 2011: RUN FOR DISTANCE

RUN FOR DISTANCE

Advanced:
Run for twenty minutes.

Intermediate:
Run-walk for twenty minutes.

Basic:
Powerwalk for twenty minutes.

Thursday 3 November 2011

Friday 4 November 2011: MAX SETS - PULL-UPS

MAX SETS: PULL-UPS

Complete five max sets of pull-ups at five minute intervals. Perform sets at 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 minutes.

These are max sets but not to muscle failure. Perform the maximum number of repetitions possible while maintaining good form, but stop short of actual muscle failure (you may go to failure on the last set if you prefer).

Advanced: Pull-ups and/or Chin-ups

Intermediate: Partial or Assisted Pull-ups or Body Rows

Basic: Body Rows

Wednesday 2 November 2011

Thursday 3 November 2011: SPRINT PYRAMID

SPRINT PYRAMID

Today's workout may look complicated, but it really isn't. Run sprints of 10, 15, 20, 30, 20, 15, and 10 seconds with 1 minutes recovery in between (90 seconds on each side of the 30 second sprint).

  • 5 minutes - Run or Run-walk
  • 10 seconds – Sprint
  • 1 minute – Recovery
  • 15 seconds – Sprint
  • 1 minute – Recovery
  • 20 seconds – Sprint
  • 90 seconds – Recovery
  • 30 seconds – Sprint
  • 90 seconds – Recovery
  • 20 seconds – Sprint
  • 1 minute – Recovery
  • 15 seconds – Sprint
  • 1 minute – Recovery
  • 10 seconds – Sprint
  • 1 minute – Recovery
  • 5 minutes - Run or Run-walk

Tuesday 1 November 2011

Wednesday 2 November 2011: PU DROP SETS

PUSH-UP DROP SETS

Today we'll be applying a popular weightlifting technique to a bodyweight exercise. The concept is simple: perform a set of hard push-ups, then immediately perform a set of an easier push-up variation, then immediately perform a third set of an even easier version. This workout is tough; do not underestimate it. Keep the reps low, especially early in the session, to avoid burnout.

Complete as many drop sets as possible in twenty minutes.

Advanced:
  • Feet Elevated PU
  • Regular PU
  • Knee PU

Intermediate:

  • Regular PU
  • Knee PU
  • Countertop PU
Basic:
  • Knee PU
  • Countertop PU
  • Countertop PU (move feet closer to the countertop)