WOD 7/1/2011

Warmup:

20 burpees

Skill/Strength work:

Pistol(1-leg squat)

Frog stand

Workout:

"Friday Night Lights"

(Opener)

1 minute max reps squats

1 minute max reps pushups

30 seconds rest

(Ballad)

1 minute max reps walking lunges

1 minute max reps situps

30 seconds rest

(Closer)

400 meter flat-out run

TUT-Time Under Tension

"Strength is built by tensing the muscles harder, not by exhausting them with endless reps."

-Pavel Tsatsouline, former Russian Spetznaz instructor

"Maximum reps don't build strength, but maximum contraction does."

-Christopher Sommer, coach of U.S. olympic gymnasts

Yesterday in class I introduced the concept of Time Under Tension, or TUT. Essentially, the brain doesn't know how many reps you're doing, but it does know how long the muscle has been under tension, and will stimulate recovery hormones accordingly.

We also talked about "irradiation," or recruiting the muscles all throughout the body to help with our movements. In other words, the pushup is a full-body movement, not just chest and arms. When practicing your pushups(you ARE practicing, right?), tighten the whole body, do a set of 3-5 quality reps, and rest.

What do I mean by quality? Body straight, tight all the way from head to toes. 2 seconds to lower, 1 second hold, 2 seconds up, 1 second hold. Each rep should take 6 seconds, so a 5-rep set will take 30 seconds, for a TUT of 30.

Here's how the body responds to various TUTs:

Up to 20 seconds: Strength gains

Between 20-40 seconds: Strength + Hypertrophy(muscle growth)

Longer than 40 seconds: Hypertrophy, very little Strength

So, our 30 second, 5-rep set of pushups gives us solid strength gains, and a little muscle growth.

Now get practicing! :)

WOD 6/29/2011

Skill work:

Frog Stand

Pushup

Pistol(1-leg squat)

Workout:

Scenario #1(track is lit)

4 rounds, each for time:

400m Run

Rounds will start 90 seconds after the last runner crosses the line. It pays to be fast. :)

Scenario #2(track is dark)

3 rounds, each for time:

1 Lap around the school

Rounds will start 90 seconds after the last runner crosses the line.

Frog stand:

And, just in case there were any girls out there wondering if they can do this stuff:

For those of you who were at the first workout, can you tell why Nicole won? (Aside from the fact that she's a terrific athlete) :)

Update, Nutrition 101ish

First of all, congrats to our first group this morning. We had about 6 students come to the first session, and it was a very good start. Spread the word, and let's get some big classes going!

Ok, so I didn't get much of a chance to talk nutrition this morning. My goal for these sessions is not to make you guys a bunch of nutrition gurus, BUT, a few simple rules(actually just one, really) will keep you slim and strong. Extra weight will come off, and strength gains will happen fast.

Rule #1: EAT REAL FOOD

Eat meats and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar. If this is the ONLY rule you follow, you will eat well the rest of your life.

Notice what isn't on the list. Limit dairy intake(I know, I love milk too!) and avoid grains like the plague. Eat as much protein and fat as you like, get your carbohydrate from vegetables and fruit, and you're good to go.

Here's one person's take(from YouTube):

Post thoughts, questions to comments.

WELCOME!!!

This blog is intended for the participants of the summer strength and conditioning program for the Herndon High School Band. Please post any impressions you have of your experience this summer.

Each post will contain some info regarding the day's workout, perhaps some advice, or a video link that might help with your performance.

WOD 6/27/2011

3 Rounds for time:

Run 400m

10 pushups

15 squats

Post time(and style of pushups) to comments

We will repeat this workout at our last summer session, for comparison.

Pushups(makes you wish you lived in California):