WOD 8/31/2011

I couldn't let you guys out of band camp without doing a tabata workout :)

8 rounds for reps of 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest:

Pushups

Situps

Squats

Your score for each movement is your worst round. So, if your pushups went 18, 17, 15, 15, 13, 10, 9, 8, your score for the pushups is 8.

Post score for each movement to comments.

WOD 8/30/2011

For time:

Sprint 50m

20 Pushups

20 Squats

Sprint 100m

15 Pushups

15 Squats

Sprint 150m

10 Pushups

10 Squats

Sprint 200m

5 Pushups

5 Squats

We'll all be doing this together, as a group. Should be both chaotic and fun :)

Post time to comments.

For your video dose today, Nicole of 'Overhead Squat Contest' fame returns :)

WOD 8/29/2011

Just kidding :)

I won't be there Monday night, but I will be on Tuesday and Wednesday, so we'll do something then. If you'd like, on your own do the following:

Calisthenics Quick Ladder:

1 Pushup

1 Squat

1 Situp

Repeat with 2 of each, then 3, etc., until you can't finish the set without breaking. Post result to comments.

For your Monday Motivation, check out Heather Bergeron's daughter Maia. She's a badass! :)

SUNDAY CHALLENGE

Here's your Sunday Challenge for this week. You have all day to complete the challenge.

100 Pushups

Rules:

1) Do a version that is difficult for you, but make sure you're able to do at least 8-10. Examples would be going from knees to strict, from strict to feet elevated, etc.

2) Do sets of 5 reps at a time.

3) Rest AT LEAST 20 minutes between sets, and only do another set if you're fresh and not fatigued.

4) Do as many sets as you can throughout the day. You're finished if you reach 100 reps.

Remember, this is SKILL WORK, so stay fresh. Fatigue is your enemy when working on a skill. We're 'greasing the groove' for future strength work.

Post reps accomplished to comments.

Nutrition-My one rule

Here it is, folks. If you want to eat well for the rest of your life, maintain reasonable bodyfat levels, and be energetic for about the next 70 years, here's my one rule:

EAT

REAL

FOOD.

That's it. Nothing processed. That's all you have to do. How do I define real food? Here's the breakdown(in order of importance):

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 for the rest of your life. Excess bodyfat will melt away, you'll have excellent energy, and you'll feel great.

Many call this the 'Paleo' diet, or the 'Caveman' diet. The idea is this: Our species has evolved over the span of hundreds of millions of years. Modern humans have been around for between 250-500,000 years. We should eat the foods we evolved with, not the ones we created only 10,000 years ago, the blink of an eye in evolutionary time.

Let's go over the list for a moment.

1) MEATS. Yes, I said meat, and lots of it. It's the protein source most easily digested in the human body(vegetable sources require combination to get complete amino acid structures. It's possible, but a huge pain in the butt). If you are vegetarian, protein will be a major problem for you. I advise against it(this coming from a former veggie dude). If you're vegetarian for ethical reasons, then get your meats from sources that treat animals ethically. Grass fed, cage free, free roaming, non-hormone treated, etc. It's also better for you, and tastes amazing. If you're a vegetarian for health reasons, please re-examine this carefully. Chances are your issues are caused by excess carbohydrate, but check with a qualified nutritionist.

2) VEGETABLES. As many as possible, and as widely colored and flavored as possible. These supply some carbohydrate, and many micronutrients. So don't just have green veggies, but red and orange and every other color you see in the produce section.

3) NUTS and SEEDS. Be careful if you have allergies, but these are great sources of good fats. FAT IS YOUR FRIEND, not your enemy. Eat good amounts of fat, from animal sources(meat, anyone?) and nuts and seeds.

4) SOME FRUIT. Fruit is naturally sweet, and makes for a great dessert. Also, a good source of carbohydrate and many micronutrients. Again, variety is good here.

5) LITTLE STARCH. Starch can be good for energy, but excess starch(VERY easy to do) increases insulin(storage) levels, which leads to weight gain.

6) NO SUGAR. Sends your insulin(storage) levels through the roof and leads to weight gain.

Notice what's not on the list.

NO GRAINS. Period.

NO DAIRY. I could discuss this one, but I'll save it for later. The basic idea is that until the advent of farming, humans only had breast milk, and then only in infancy. Dairy milk contains hormones and compounds that we a) don't need, and b) would be better without. I'll deal with the details later.

Why no grains? Way, way too much carbohydrate. Carbohydrate stimulates production of insulin, a storage hormone. When we get a decent amount of carbs(from veggies and fruit) we get a nice steady energy, and a level production of insulin, resulting in some storage for future energy needs. When we overdose on carbohydrate(compare carb levels in 1 slice of whole wheat bread v. 8oz.(1/2 pound!) of broccoli) our insulin levels shoot up, telling the body to store everything that comes through. Then we get fat. IT DOESN'T MATTER that your meal was 'low fat.' That elevated insulin made your body store everything that came through your bloodstream as fat. So, your 'low fat' meals are making you fat. Sucks, but it's true. Don't believe me? Read this. And check this out.

So, this has been a bit long-winded so far, so I'll call it a day, but you may now be thinking the following:

WHAT ABOUT MY CEREAL FOR BREAKFAST?

Don't eat it. Have this instead:

Ham & Eggs(eat the whole egg, none of this egg-white nonsense) with fruit.

WHAT ABOUT MY SANDWICH FOR LUNCH?

Eat the meat(yum), but put it in a gi-freaking normous salad with lots of veggies and stuff.

WHAT ABOUT MY PASTA FOR DINNER?

Don't eat it. Have a nice big piece of chicken or beef(notice a trend here?) with some vegetables, and maybe some strawberries for dessert. Flavor the meat if you like, with seasonings, some olive oil, whatever.

If your goal is weight loss, cut out grains completely for two weeks. Weigh yourself at the start, and two weeks later. Then tell me I'm wrong.

WHAT ABOUT CALORIES?

Forget them. It's very hard to OD on calories eating like this. Trust me. Try it and you'll see.

Post thoughts to comments.

WOD 2/26/2011

Sorry again for the late post, but I was out tangoing again and just got home. It's the closest thing I have to church. :)

REMINDER: Parents workout part deux, tomorrow, 8am, at the track.

OK folks, here's your chance to see how much you've improved in just two weeks. This workout is a repeat of last Monday's first workout of band camp. Check your time here and try to beat it. Should be no problem.

3 Rounds for time:

400m Run

15 Squats

10 Pushups

Post time to comments.

Attitude

Where's your head? What do you say to yourself when you're presented with a challenge?

Do you impose limits on yourself? (They're never ACTUAL limits, but they sure seem real)

Do you tell yourself 'this is too hard?'

Or do you accept the challenge, face it and defeat it?

How about when nobody's looking?

Where's your head?

We'll do the wod I posted yesterday. 200 reps. No time cap. Get it done.

Yes, this chick's wearing a 20# weighted vest :)

WOD 2/24/2011(?)

Why the "?"

Because we're behind schedule with the rain the other day and the "earthquake" last night. I put "earthquake" in quotes because, perhaps due to my childhood in LA, I didn't actually feel anything. Gotta love DC, a snowflake falls and school closes, a couple drops of rain will bring traffic to a grinding halt, and a vibration no stronger than my electric shaver is called an "earthquake" and everyone freaks. Ah, well, it takes all kinds. :)

All this means that there will be no morning workout on Wednesday. We MAY do one in the evening, if we're caught up, but probably this wod will happen on Thursday. We'll play it by ear. We can do that, right? We are musicians, after all :)

Workout:

For time:

25 Squats

25 Situps

25 Pushups

25 Tire Jumps

25 Walking Lunges

25 Supermans

25 Leg Raises

25 Burpees

There are 200 reps in this workout. Stay focused, and move efficiently. Use the advice of Kelly Starrett and Carl Paoli from this video. "The Position" simply refers to keeping the body tight and rigid during the movement.

WOD 8/23/2011

I was going to post another Mark Rippetoe quote up top tonight, and I ran into this one, which is great, but it doesn't make for a good tag-line. So here it is, some food for thought:

"I look back to 1961 and I see clearly that strength means way more than the ability to generate force against a resistance. It has always meant capability. It has always been the means by which people accomplished things that required them to interact with their environment. Its acquisition has always improved the acquirer in more ways than intended."

It's a bit of a mouthful, but it's also been my experience exactly. Keep those thoughts in mind.

OK, another repeat for the summer folks. Those of you who did the workouts over the summer, go here and compare your time.

3 Rounds for time:

400m Run

30 Squats

20 Pushups

No time cap. Get it done.

WOD 8/22/2011

On to week 2!

Excellent work so far! I see two things that impress me greatly: 1) The strength gains that many of you are already making, and 2) The strength I see in your marching, as well as the POWER I hear in your playing. You may or may not see the difference yet, but holy cow, I sure do.

1) Warm-up stretches + 400m group jog. Group jog means everyone together, nobody ranges out ahead, and nobody gets left behind.

2)Workout

For time:

10 Pushups

10 Situps

10 Squats

9 Pushups

9 Situps

9 Squats

8 Pushups

etc.... until you get to

1 Pushup

1 Situp

1 Squat

There is a 10 minute time cap on the workout. Post time or round achieved to comments.

Here's your Monday Motivation. How do you make the humble Pushup into a raw strength exercise? Here's one way.......

SUNDAY CHALLENGE

Hey all,

First of all, congrats to the small, brave group of adults who came out for the workout on Saturday! We had a good time, and we'll do it again next Saturday as well, so invite your folks!

Each Sunday I will post a challenge. You have all day to complete it. The idea here is SKILL PRACTICE, not exercise. Stop when you get fatigued, and come back to it later. Today's challenge:

Accumulate 5 minutes in the Frog Stand.

Check out the video here about the Frog Stand, and also this video below for tips. Remember, with skill practice fatigue is your enemy. Stop when you're tired, and get back to it later.

Post results to comments.

WOD 8/19/2011

Sorry about the late post, folks. I was tangoing last night, and when I got home the power went out. C'est la vie, non?

REMINDER: Parents' workout on Saturday, 8am, at the track. Invite your folks out for a workout on my dime. PARENTS ONLY during the workout. You may watch, and you may heckle, but you may not participate. You're taking the weekend off after 5 tough days.

"Friday Night Lights"

(Opener)

1 minute Pushups for reps

1 minute Squats for reps

30 seconds rest

(Ballad)

1 minute Tire Jumps for reps

1 minute Walking Lunges for reps

30 seconds rest

(Closer)

400m flat-out run

This workout is designed to mimic the time domain of your show. Keep a running count of your reps for the pushups, squats, tire jumps, and walking lunges. Post number of reps completed, minus your run time(in seconds) to comments.

Someone gave me a hard time on Thursday when I mentioned 'the girls I work out with.' Just so you know, here are some examples of the kinds of girls I work out with :)

WOD 8/18/2011

REMINDER: Parents' workout on Saturday, 8am, at the track. Make your folks share your suffering. :)

Skill work:

Partner Pistols, 5 on each leg

Tire Jumps, 15 total reps

Workout:

50 Burpees

This workout has a 10 minute time cap. Your score is either a) your time, or b) the number of reps completed before time runs out. Post results to comments.

At least I'm not making you do this :)

WOD 8/17/2011

1) NOTE: For those parents interested in seeing what we're doing during these workouts, I will hold a PARENTS ONLY workout on Saturday(August 20) at 8am, location TBD. Parents are welcome to come get a workout on my dime. Students are not welcome at this workout. You will have done 5 days in a row. Take the weekend off.

2) We now have 10 people in the Hall Of Fame! WOOT! :)

Check out the tab up top and see the videos(Dom, we need to get you on video doing the frog stand!)

OK, good news/bad news time.

The good news: No run in the workout.

The bad news: it's still going to suck :)

AMRAP 10

As many rounds as possible in ten minutes of:

5 Pushups

10 Squats

15 Unanchored Situps

Post rounds completed(and partial rounds) to comments.

Here's a vivid illustration of the power of a properly performed squat. Can you tell me why Nicole won this contest?

WOD 8/16/2011

Congratulations go out to several students who made it into the Hall of Fame on the very first day of band camp!! Check the tab above to see the videos :)

Today's skill work:

Pushups(slow, 5 x 5)

Frog Stand

Pistol(partner pistol negatives)

Workout:

400m Run, 4 rounds, each for time.

The second round will begin 60 seconds after the last athlete has crossed the line. It pays to be fast. :)

Post fastest time to comments.

WELCOME TO BAND CAMP!!!!!

I want to extend a huge welcome to the entire entertainment unit, including the extended family of marching members, staff, and parents/volunteers. This is going to be an exciting period, during which you'll learn a lot of music AND movement.

My job is to get you in shape :)

By the time most of you have seen this post, you will have already done the 'Workout Of the Day,' or WOD. You will have learned most of the basic movements I will be using, and you will know what is expected of you during camp. On this blog, I will post the WOD each night before the next day's activites, so you'll know what you're in for the next day. Most nights it'll be up by 8pm.

Each day we will also work skills, including the Frog Stand and the Pistol. Anyone who meets my requirements for either of those two skills goes into the HALL OF FAME(see tab above).

At the bottom of each post I will post your daily dose of video, sometimes for instruction, and sometimes for the "Holy cow, look at that" factor.

All right, folks, let's get cracking :)

Here's your baseline workout. We'll repeat this at the end of next week to check progress. Remember, the buzzword is MORE! More strength, more speed, more power, more balance, more skill, more confidence, more PRIDE!

WOD 8/15/2011

3 Rounds for time:

400m Run

15 Squats

10 Pushups

Post time to comments.

RIBBIT :)

Need help getting that frog stand? Here's a tip...........

WOD 8/11/2011

Hopefully Rookie, Leadership, and Percussion/Guard Camps are going well. I'll see you all on Monday, and you'll be the examples set to your peers. Make sure you earn that. I know you can.

Today's wod:

5 Rounds of Pushups for reps.

Rest as needed(not more than 5 minutes) between rounds.

When finished:
3 Rounds of 30 unbroken squats, each for time.
Rest as needed between sets.

Post pushups completed, and squat times, to comments.

WOD 8/10/2011

Remember your warmups! Do wrist mobility + static holds(plank, reverse plank, superman, hollow body, and frog stand)

Today's workout:
10 Pushups
10 Squats
10 Leg Raises
9 Pushups
9 Squats
9 Leg Raises
8 Pushups
etc.... all the way to
1 Pushup
1 Squat
1 Leg Raise

Post time to comments.

WOD 8/9/2011

"Strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general." -Mark Rippetoe

OK, do your wrist mobility and static holds, and then:

Strength Work:
5 x 5 Slow Pushups
3 x 5 Pistols

Workout:
50 Burpees for time.
Any time you have to break the burpees, do 10 squats.

Post time and number of squats to comments.

WOD 8/8/2011

I've been asked to assign workouts this week while I'm in CA, for you guys to do at home. I'll post a workout each day this week. You can do all 5(yes, it's ok to hit workouts several days in a row), and give you the weekend off before band camp.

Today's workout:

Run 3 miles

Options:

1) Go to the school track and run 12 laps. 4 laps is a mile, so 12 laps = 3 miles.

2) Go to MapMyRun.com and plot out a 3 mile course in your neighborhood.

Occasional long distance efforts are important for overall fitness. Post time to comments.

"Annie Sakamoto, 2011 Spirit of the Games Award Winner" - video [wmv] [mov]

Annie Sakamoto is a 35-year old mother of 2. How many moms do you know who look like this? :)

WOD 8/5/2011

"There is no such thing as “firming and toning.” There is only stronger and weaker."

-Mark Rippetoe

Sorry for the late post, I was out dancing tango ;)

Workout:

3 Rounds for Time

400m Run

15 Squats

10 Pushups

This is now less work than you're used to. Get it done fast. :)

Old School

Kickin' it old school today. Jack LaLanne spent his whole life teaching people how to be fit and take care of themselves. He was the model for what happens when you live an active life, and control what you put in your mouth. He was a hero to many, including myself. He died in January, at age 96, from pneumonia.

He did a workout the day before.

(FWIW, if you think the frog stand is hard, check out the hand balance shown at the beginning)

WOD 7/3/2011

Two more workouts before band camp!!

This will be the hardest we've done, and Friday will be a 'Sprint,' shorter than what you're used to now, and therefore you'll be able to kill it quickly :)

After warmups(no inchworm this time!) and static holds:

Workout:

30 Squats

30 Pushups

30m Walking Lunges

30 Unanchored Situps

30 Pistols(bench, use blocks if you like)

30 Leg Raises

30 Supermans

30m Standing Long Jump

30 Overhead Squat

30 Burpees

This workout includes 300 reps. Pace yourself and grind it out.

Cool Video

Here's an ESPN style look at the two fittest people on Earth, Rich Froning and Annie Thorisdottir. 'Cause, y'know, this stuff is kinda cool :)