Grit vs. the Ventilatory Threshold

By Michael Levine and Jason Jaksetic

In response to the recent Wall Street Journal article on exercise, here at Spartan Race, we felt a certain responsibility to weigh in on the subject of what allows one individual to exceed all her perceived athletic limits, while another individual can’t endure a week of exercise.

When you read the WSJ article, you are going to see terms like VO2 Max, CO2 levels, lactic acid, and, particularly, ‘ventilatory threshold’, and these numbers are going to used to help breakdown athletic achievement and failure.  Thus making the case for certain individuals ‘being hardwired to hate exercise’.

What you won’t see is any talk about resiliency, guts, personal value, or grit – and it is these core constituents of human data the unbalance any equation set up in a lab.    Yes, people often move to quickly into exercise and they find themselves waning at the prospect of success, and many biological factors do play into this fact.  However, more often than not, people do not test the basic limitations of their body.  Instead of slowing down, they needed to accelerate.

We each have a tremendous capacity for physical growth.  Need proof? Google ‘Chris Davis Project’.  This mild-mannered computer specialist from Atlanta was nearly 700 pounds before starting to train with Spartan Race CEO Joe De Sena.  Over the next year, Chris learned just what it meant to truly be out of breath, and then keep walking another five miles!  What he would tell you if he were sitting next to me is that he discovered new limits every day.

The problem was that individually,  he was never able to reach such a point to surpass his preconceived notions of physical effort and what he could accomplish.  Fast forward one year and Chris Davis completed the Spartan Race Beast in Killington, Vermont at just over 260 pounds.

We contend that you need to go no further than the starting line of any of our races to see what grit means.  Maybe, in the end, ventilatory threshold might be a pretty good scientific explanation for what most people mean as ‘grit’, but this leads to a false conclusion that, if the ventilatory threshold is a capped number, then a human’s capacity for grit were also capped, or ‘hard wired’.

Be sure to download the free Spartan eBook for first person accounts of grit and determination.

Subscribe for our daily Spartan WOD email.

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IOC makes room for Obstacle Racing in the 2020 Olympics

by Jason Jaksetic

There have been many recent developments in Olympic history, and if you couldn’t keep up, here is a breakdown.

The good news first.

1. Everyone got to learn about modern pentathlon.  One does not often discover an Olympic level sport that somehow integrates shooting, swordplay, horse jumping, running, and swimming. My mental imagery goes somewhere between superheroes and samurais. This is great, and I’m not going to suggest the IOC put the pentathlon back on the chopping block, which was the original plan by some accounts.

2. The I.O.C must have caught wind of our bid to bring obstacle racing to the 2020 Olympics. We understand there has to be the limit to the sports in the olympics.  Otherwise there would be backyard sports in the Olympics  like horseshoes and trampoline…

Wait, incase you haven’t heard, trampoline is an Olympic sport and will remain an olympic sport while…

3. Wrestling is out of the Olympics. At Spartan HQ, we are still grappling with this, as Spartan Race has a close connection with wrestling.

In our first eBook (download it for free), there is an entire chapter written about a future Olympics, with a cast of characters that includes wrestlers and obstacle racers training, and possible competing against each other.

The imagery is no figment of our imaginations.  In 2009, Spartan HQ, located in Pittsfield Vt., was host for one of the United States Wrestling Team’s training camps. Here is an article that details the week of wrestler’s chopping wood and carrying logs in the Vermont Mountains (video here).

Jeff Funicello was put on the round table of Spartan Coaches because of his extreme understanding of fitness through his success in international level wrestling, grappling, Judo, and other competition forms that have lead him to so many world championships.  (Here is a list of all his world championships).

Recently, in 2013 there was wrestling at a winter Death Race.

Wrestlers make an amazing obstacle racers.  They make great people.  We’ve seen many lists lately of presidents, generals, and all around hero types who thrived as wrestlers.

Dismayed at the decision of the IOC, we are hoping you will join Spartan Race in support of bringing wrestling back to the Olympics.

Please help support the effort:

http://themat.com/keep-olympic-wrestling.php

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At the Track with Ella Kociuba, Reebok AZ Spartan Sprint Winner

by Jason Jaksetic

Last Saturday, Ella Anne Kociuba won the 2013 Reebok Arizona Spartan Sprint by 5 seconds (here is the race report).  After an grueling neck and neck battle where the lead women sparred continusously for the top position, only 5 ticks of the race clock stood between Kociuba and April Luu, who took 2nd.

“The pace was intense.”  Kociuba explained.  “For the first 3 miles my heart hurt, we were running so fast.”

With competition this fierce in the elite fields, the details that a racer pays attention to will make all the difference between top honors, and a mid-pack finish.  I was fortunate enough to catch up with Ella and ask her for her insights as to what helped prepare her to take home the win over such a talented women’s field.

Training at the Track

“I only train quality miles.”  Ella explained, “I used to run much more volume in training, but now I’m more worried about making sure each mile I run counts.  The track is a great place for this.”

The following is a favorite workout for Ella.  Suicides, the speed agility drill engineered to make you puke, are a prime example of the intensity she brings to her training.  Immediately evident is the balance she keeps between her strength and speed, knowing full well that a successful Spartan racer is one who can not only run fast, but who can pound out burpees in a hurry.

Track Workout #1

Main Set:

18 min hard run (goal 3miles)

4 min rest 

5 suicide sprints on 30 seconds rest

30 burpees 

5 suicide sprints on 30 seconds rest

20 burpees 

5 suicide sprints on 30 seconds rest

10 burpees 

Training Hills

“Even though I live in Austin, Texas, a place not exactly known for mountains, I train hills every chances I get.”  Ella explained, “The Arizona course had it’s share of hills and I was able to make some moves and get time when things got steeper.”

Ella’s persistence on hills paid off, for it was evident that she was able to make some time on competitors when they slowed, while she surged.

Practice Makes Perfect:  The Spear Throw

Love it or hate it, the spear throw is a Spartan staple, and it can make all the difference between 1st and 2nd.

Ella explains, “I hit the spear throw while the two women I was running with didn’t.  I had been practicing and was ready for it.  This made a huge difference.”

In Conclusion:  Ella’s Take on the Race

I asked Ella to say a few words about this amazing photo taken immediately after her win.

“As many know by now, I have had to deal with countless of serious injuries that could have very easily ruined my athletic pursuits. At the age of twelve, I had managed to break my spine in two places (in a horse riding accident) along with discovering the birth defect of my spine never being connected to my sacrum, and suffering from spondylothesis (a condition where a vertebrate breaks off and falls onto a vertebrate below it). It was a miracle I have come this far and so when the recent struggle with my leg came upon me, I knew that all my patience, belief, and heart was going to be tested and that with the right mindset, this too will pass and things will be okay. I ended 2012 season on a very weak, unhappy version of myself, but I kept working hard for this year.

So this past weekend’s race of coming out on top and fighting for the finish line, brought me such an overwhelming sense of happiness and fulfillment to me that I don’t know how to describe it.. As soon as I saw the finish line, I couldn’t stop screaming. That moment was beyond amazing for me, because despite the struggle i endured, it has given me strength to push forward and I can overcome anything if I put my heart into it.

Never ever give up on your dreams, no matter what. You gotta fight the fight for it.”

Be sure to check out Ella Kociuba’s athlete page on Facebook.

Variations on the Long Run

by Jason Jaksetic

Once a week I plan on performing a long run.  Doing this for awhile now, I’ve come to refer to this weekly activity as the long run.

The long run, once completed, become’s my long run for the week.

What is a/the/my long run?  The long run is the run workout I do once a week that focuses on building my aerobic capacities through prolonged exposure to aerobic conditioning.  Depending on where I am in my fitness, and in my racing season, this could be anything from a 45 minute road run to a 5-hour trail adventure.

The term “long” is in reference to the duration of the workout relative to my other runs of the week, whether measured in distance or time.  For example, if running 25 miles in a week, through workouts of 5, 5, and 15 miles in length, the 15 mile run would be ‘the long run’. If I were running 57 miles in a week, and breaking it down into 5 workouts of 5, 10, 10, 12, and 20 miles, the 20 mile run would be ‘the long run’.

Running long is the theme.  Here are some variations to keep your training fresh from week to week so that you don’t burn out or dread this looming day on your calendar.  Besides, your body will benefit from the different ways you can push your aerobic and anaerobic systems with a long run.

Variations with Time and Space

Think distance, forget about time:  This is a great long run for when you have a particular run course you want to enjoy.  Leave the watch behind.  You will be finished when the miles are run.  There is no rush.  And there’s no reason to slow down either.  Just enjoy the run each step of the way.

Think time, forget about distance:  When traveling this is my ‘go to’ for the long run.  If I am in a new area and know I have the next 90 minutes free, I’ll pick an interesting looking direction and run for 45 minutes, before turning around and running back the way I came.  The goal is to maximize each minute.

Forget about time and distance.  Too often we are slaves to both our watches and our regular routes.  Keep it simple:   Start running.  Run.  Stop running.  Resume normally scheduled life.

 

Variations with Tempo

Start Stong:  After a solid warm up, throw down your first 3-5 miles at race pace.  Then pull in the reigns and ease up into a conversation pace for the rest of your run.

Finish Strong:  After warming up, ease into the first 3 quarters of your run at conversation pace.  Stay loose.  Then, with 3-4 miles to go, drop the hammer.  Negative splits.

Track Intervals at end.  Doing this ensures you will be above a great deal of the competition.  Try and find a long run route that wraps up at a running track.  Running fast on tired legs is different than running fast on fresh legs.  Get some practice running fast at the end of your run by doing some ½ to 1-mile repeats to wrap up your run.  Recover 1–2 minutes between each interval by keeping it to a light jog or even walk.

 

Variations with Strength Building

Carry a sandbag:  Great for building stabilizers.

Wear a weight vest:  Be sure to be gentle on your joints.

Do 10 burpees every mile:  Simulate the race day experience of mixing up lots of strength building burpees into your running.

 

Regardless, of how you want to approach a long run, be flexible and keep an open mind.  Your long run might be determined by how much time you can free up that day.  That’s cool.  Make every second out there count!

 

For more details on training for long distance, check out this blog by Dr. Jeff Godin, of Spartan Coaches.

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FLEYE FAQ

A Resource for your Spartan Race Videos

 

Looking for more information about your race videos?  We’ve answered some frequently asked questions below.  If you can’t find the information you are looking for, contact support@myfleye.com.

FAQ’s

What is Fleye?
How does it work?
How do I view my videos?
How do I share my videos?
Do I have to register for Fleye?
How do I register for Fleye?
Do you have video clips of every participant for every event?
Is my credit card safe to submit online? Is your website secure?
How do you protect your users privacy?
Is the timing of the video configurable?
Can I share my video on Facebook?
How do I obtain permission to use videos for editorial or advertising purposes?

What is Fleye?
Fleye is a revolutionary video system that automatically captures video of you at various locations throughout the race and lets you view and share them online!

How does it work?
Fleye cameras capture video that is synchronized with your timing chip. All you have to do is run your race and then follow the link which is provided to you by Spartan Race.

How do I see my videos?
Your videos are available online about one week after the race by following the link sent by Spartan Race to the email address you provided during registration. If you used the same email address for multiple registrants, you will receive multiple links. The email that we send out will include a hyperlink directly to your video clips.
To play your videos, simply click on the play icon in the middle of the video window or on the control bar below the video window. To pause your video, just click in the video window or use the control bar below the video window.

How do I share my videos?
To share your clips through email, Facebook and Twitter just click on one of the icons next to “share this clip” when you pause your video clip.

Do I have to register for Fleye?
You can watch and share your video clips without registering at Fleye. Registering gives you the ability to create and edit your collection of clips and create “reels” that you can also share through email, Facebook and Twitter. When you share a reel through Facebook, it will playback from within the Facebook timeline.

How do I register for Fleye?
After opening the link to your video clips, you can register for Fleye by clicking on the “Sign In”  sign in button above the video player window.

Then click on “Create Account” which will take you to the account creation screen.

Fill out this form with your desired username, password and personal information. You do not need to include address information.
You can also login with Facebook and link your Fleye account to your Facebook account. This will allow you to share your clips and reels on Facebook easily.

Do you have video clips of every participant for every event?
Probably, not. While we do our best to capture awesome video of every participant, the circumstances of sports events make this impossible. While Fleye has been recognized as the industry leader for its coverage, quality, and customer experience, there are always a few participants who manage to sneak past our cameras.

Is my credit card safe to submit online? Is your website secure?
When our registration/order form asks users to enter sensitive information (such as a credit card number), that information is encrypted and is protected with the best encryption software in the industry – SSL. While on a secure page, such as our order form, the lock icon on the bottom of Web browsers such as Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer becomes locked, as opposed to un-locked, or open, when you are just ‘surfing’. To learn more about SSL, Click Here.

How do you protect your users privacy?
Fleye abides by a very strict privacy policy which has been reviewed and approved by Truste, the leading online authority on the protection of consumer’s privacy rights.

Is the timing of the video configurable?
Yes.

Can I share my video on Facebook?
Yes, you can easily share the video once you make a login account.

Why is bib # to associated reel differ?
To better protect the security of your account.

How do I obtain permission to use videos for editorial or advertising purposes?
All videos are copyright protected by Spartan Race, Inc. You must have written permission to publish any materials created by Spartan Race, Inc. This copyright policy also applies to our website. Please contact us for your specific requirements.

All Content © 2013 Fleye, Inc. All rights reserved.

Flexibility:  A Core Fitness Component in Obstacle Racing

by Jason Jaksetic

 

The bamboo which bends in stronger than the oak which resists.

—Japanese Proverb

 

The 49ers are going to the Super Bowl and their flexibility may be the reason why.

Athletes at Spartan HQ weren’t surprised by the revelations found in a recent Wall Street Journal article (this one), that tells of the off-the-radar stretching program of the San Francisco 49ers, a regiment that possibly has enabled their two year charge into NFL dominance.

The piece joked about 300 lbs linemen being more mum about their stretching routines than their squat and bench press records out of machismo.   But the author also hinted that the truth for this reticence might have to do with keeping a competitive advantage.

It seems the flexible, the limber, and the loose have a competitive advantage in football.

I’m not an expert of football, but I know this makes sense from the obstacle racing perspective.  And it also holds true for other endurance sports like running and cycling as well.

 

Obstacle Racing is not a linear sport, and in this aspect, it has much in common with football.  There are complex movements happening when you scale an 8-foot wall or navigate an endless uphill barbed wire crawl.

Did you see Tiki Barber, former New York Giant great at our NY Times Square event?

 

Obstacle racing is a sport engineered for those who can get from point A to point B fast.  There is irregular terrain, walls, mud pits, agility obstacles, and myriad other ways to send your body flying in every possible direction.  This is not road running or cycling where efficiency dictates one (or a few) optimal motions repeated over and over.  In obstacle racing you are racing on some of the most gnarly trails going – often something that just has the semblance of a trail.

To be successful in obstacle racing you want to have a good range of motion for agility.  You also want to avoid injury.  Both agility gains and injury reductions are related to flexibility, and flexibility is related to stretching.

 

Why You Must Stretch

At Spartan HQ, daily training might incorporate Bikram Yoga at Bikram Yoga Pittsfield.  Liz Cotter, head Bikram Yogi there, recounts how she used to train many of the 49ers when she lived in San Francisco.

“They were just so huge.  Extremely muscular. And this was a problem.”  she said, “Range of motion was an obstacle for them.”

Stretching before a workout is more controversial then stretching after. Many studies (here is one, and another) caution about decreased performance.

An ideal warm-up would include some dynamic stretching first to warm the body up, says Dr. Jeff Godin of Spartan Coaching.

“The majority of stretching should be done after exercise, when the muscles are warm and limber.”  Dr Godin say, “That is when people will see the most improvement. Or to conduct stretching entirely separate from other exercise like in a yoga class.”

Don’t know how to stretch?  Don’t worry.  We recently recorded these two short videos to help you out.

In these two videos Jenny Wilson, a Bikram yogi, demonstrates the stretching routines we use in training for Spartan Races.  If you are new to stretching, start slow!  Incorporate it bit by bit into your training routine and into your life in general.


Warming up – Pre Workout Stretching Routine

Cooling Down – Post Workout Stretching Routine

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Training in the Dark: 5 Spartan Tips to Run Roads and Trails at Night or in the Early Morning

by Jason Jaksetic

Training at night or in the wee hours of the morning might not be your first choice for training time, but if it’s the only time you have available, a Spartan should utilize it.

-  Wearing a headlamp.  This will allow for free hands, which, particularly on a longer run, is a huge benefit.

-  Be seen on the streets.  Don’t worry – it’s dark – you don’t have to look cool.  Revive neon stylings.  Get a full bore reflective vest from a road crew.

-  Temperatures can drop, so be ready.  Here in Vermont it happens FAST.  When leaving after dark dress for the worst case scenario.  Particularly, in the winter, and whenever there is a seasonal change, really, where you might get caught off guard.  If doing trails, run with a backpack with basic survival suplies if you’ll be more than a mile or two from the road.

-  Know your route.  Night is not the time to get lost or discover hard to see potholes.  So stick to the tried and trued day time routines, or scout out your ‘night run’ first during the day.

-  Play defense.  Be honest with yourself and acknowledge you are hard to see, and always run as if you are invisible on the street.  Night is not the time to assert your rights as a pedestrian.

 

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It Started With a Purpose

Have you ever wanted to know what makes someone tick? Have you ever wanted to know what is the reason why one puts their body through so much torture day in and day out? Well, I do. I see people every day that inspire me to push my limits and I see people that do extraordinary things. I often wonder what motivates them and what are their reasons. So, I thought for this week I would reach out to some of the coolest people I know and ask.

When I was looking over Facebook the other day, I came across Hobie Calls Facebook status and started to read over the post about his results for 2012. I was blown away by all the 1st places he achieved for this year and I started to wonder “WHAT’S HIS PURPOSE?” I wondered what pushed a man to  achieve 15 1st places and only 1 2nd place for this year? I wondered what drives him and I really wanted to pick Hobie’s brain on this.. So, I reached out to him and simply asked “Hobie, What’s Your Purpose?” Hobie replied with this:

My driving force is to encourage others to live healthier and never give up. Where that comes from, I don’t know.. LOL.. 

Coming from a man, who just had 15 1st place finishes out of 16 this year, I think his actions speak louder than words.. He truly has the drive to be number 1. Congrats to Hobie for his great 2012 season.

I also looked at one of the crowd favorites and my favorite, Ella Anne Kociuba.  I started following Ella shortly after my journey began with  Sparta. After reading her story I quickly realized that she and I had a lot in common when it came to tragedies in life. If you don’t know Ella’s Story here is the link, it is worth the read (http://blog.spartanrace.com/tales-from-the-chicked-ella-anne-kociuba/)  This girl does not let anything stop her and that made me want to know more about Ella Anne Kociuba. So, I did the exact same thing. I reached out to Ella and asked “What’s Your Purpose?”  Ella replied with this:

I’ll compare my drive as if it were fire. My surroundings give me the strength to grow but I tell you what, if you get in my way of my goals, I will burn you down. I guess you could say that I got tired of suffering, tired of wishing, dreaming, and crying for my dreams. The journey to where I am today, was by no means easy and it still isn’t. I have faced failure countless of times, I have tasted disappointment like it was my only resource for food before, but I never ever given up myself. I knew what I wanted and I knew it would take lots of hard work and time to get there. I proved to myself that you can do anything if you give it your everything. And that is what I believe should be everyone’s goal in life, to define your odds day in and day out and no matter what it is that you’re after, just know that it will happen if you make it happen.

The next person was actually the first person who came to mind when it came to “What’s your Purpose?” It was none other than Rob Baily founder and creator of www.flagnorfail.com . For those of you that don’t know what Flag Nor Fail is, it is a clothing line that  is based on the definition of “FLAG NOR FAIL is a mindset. No surrender and no failure. Flag represents surrender, much like one would wave a white flag to admit defeat. No surrender, no failure.”  I love the Purpose of what Flag Nor Fail stands for and there are countless times when I am out training the words “FLAG NOR FAIL” comes to mind. Never to give up and Never to Surrender. I don’t know of any company that like this.  So, I wondered what Pushes Rob Baily. So, I reached out to Rob as I did with Ella and Hobie and asked “What’s your Purpose? Rob replied with this:

My  purpose is to take steps forward from yesterday. To improve daily. Show the World who I am and what I am capable of …. And hopefully inspire people to be a better version of their self… or at least chase that version.”\

Not only is this man so far ahead of his time, He has so many talents under his belt. He is a photographer, video editing specialist, and has built Flag Nor Fail from the GROUND UP!! This man, is one in a million and This guy “KNOWS HIS PURPOSE!”

Almost everyone knows my story and what happened to me on 05/02/1993. But do you really know my purpose? Several years ago, I was severely overweight and I was on the fast track to death. Now, this was after my car accident and had a second chance at life.. I had let myself go, I had gained well over 120lbs. and was at a weight right at 270lbs and a size 40 jeans. My wheelchair was so big that I had trouble getting through the average doors. I was way out of shape and well on my way to a fast death if I did not change. I was eating fast food morning, noon and night for my meals. I was wasting money and my life away and while doing so, I developed a huge internal infection. The infection landed me in the hospital for over two weeks and the one thing that the Doctor said to me was “ if you don’t change your lifestyle, I will see you in here in about 6 months again but this time it will be wearing a “TOE TAG!” I knew then I had to change, My purpose became my life. My purpose became so important and that I knew I had to change. So, after being released from the hospital I went home, I took the garbage can to the fridge, Started dumping all the junk foods and then went to the pantry and did the same thing. I knew I had to make a lifestyle change if I wanted to live. I started caring for myself again, I started caring about what went into my body because I knew if I didn’t, my life was over. One year later, I had lost over 100lbs and started competing again in wheelchair sports. My Everyday wheelchair now fit inside my old wheelchair. My racing chair could not fit inside my old racing chair. I was in better shape than ever. I had control over my life and IT FELT GREAT. So my purse is simple, I want to be around for many years to come for myself, my wife and kids.  So, I used athletics and sport to reach my goals and to stay healthy and that is what allowed me to be here today. When I found out what a Spartan Race was for the first time, I saw a challenge that could be accomplished if I simply put my mind to it, took what I have learned from my life, from what I have learned from others such as the mentality that “anything is possible as long as you put your mind to it!”

While I train for my Spartan Race I am reminded daily, that Life is about Struggle, Life is about Challenges, Life is about obstacles and Life is about achievement and without a purpose and without a will to fight, Life can be the hardest challenge but if you have the No Retreat, No surrender attitude, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.  With that being said, What is your purpose for getting out of bed every day and doing what you do? What is your Purpose for Achieving Glory? Once you find out what it truly is, then you will be able to achieve all that you have set out to do for yourself.

Lastly, I want to Thank Rob Baily personally for believing in me and giving me the courage to start on my journey as I chase for Spartan Glory.. THANK YOU Rob!!!!!!

 

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Spartan WOD for Tuesday, 12.12.12 brought to you by Gaspari Nutrition

By James Villepigue, CSCS

This WOD goes out to all the Spartans out there that for whatever reason, find themselves forced to train in the gym.

Additionally, for those who are a member at a gym that doesn’t have an indoor or outdoor track. I understand what it means to depend on the treadmill for cardio. This WOD is about turning a typical treadmill and a set of dumbbells into a metabolic extravaganza. Here is what one circuit looks like:

1)  Interval Dumbbell Farmer Walks: 2 Cycles

2)  Dumbbell Burpees x 12

(1 Minute Rest)

3)  Sprint Intervals: 2 Cycles

4)Dumbbell Clean & Presses x12

(1 Minute Rest)

5)  Single Arm Farmer Walk Intervals: 2 Cycles 1Per Arm

6)  Alternating Dumbbell Lunges x 20

(1 Minute Rest)

This is going to be fast paced, and will only require enough room around the treadmill to be able to get down into the burpees and lunges. The intervals will go quickly, and so will the sets of exercises, but physiologically you’ll be asking a truck load from your body and central nervous system.

There will some other time for chit chat, but not when you tackle this. The rest periods will seem to fly by. Control your breathing, pace yourself, and treat this WOD like it’s the last one you’ll do as final prep for a hardcore race.

We’ll be challenging your muscular endurance, cardiovascular stamina, mental strength, and fitness level big time. Shoot for three sets as is, without adding any extra rest. It may take a little time to get used to the controls on your treadmill, but once you’ve got it down the transitions between types of intervals should only take seconds to get going.

Grab your dumbbells and get ready…

Interval Dumbbell Farmer Walks: 2 Cycles

What you need to do is set the downtime interval to 1 minute, and the uptime interval to 3 minutes. Both together are considered one cycle for this exercise, so four minutes total per cycle.

The pace for both should be about 3.0-3.3. Then set the uptime elevation to a pretty high level. Go as high as you’re comfortable, but take this as an opportunity to prep for steep hills.

Grab your dumbbells, and these should be a moderate weight for both men and women, or between 25-40lbs. Hop on, start it up, and get ready for the hill. Once it hits, dig deep, revel in the strain in your shoulders and forearms, and resist the urge to lurch forward. Stand up tall, control your breathing, and focus. Stand up straight and go with it.

 

Dumbbell Burpees x 12 :

As soon as you’ve completed the third minute of uptime and it drops back down, stop the tread mill and get ready to do some dumbbell assisted burpees.

 

These are great full-body exercises that keep your heart rate up, muscles pumping, and endorphins flowing. When you drop down, try to make it more of a deadlift pose into the plank than a bending over.

 

While on the ground, as usual, feel free to add pushups, rows, or whatever you like to increase the difficulty. Also, when you come up from them, keep the deadlift posture in mind to get the hamstrings into the muscular chorus.

 

Sprint Intervals: 2 Cycles

For these intervals you’re going to be forced to draw on reserves. Adapt and overcome! Again, set the down time to 1 minute, and the sprints to 3 minutes.

Now, I don’t want you to be that person who everyone can hear almost breaking the treadmill around the entire gym. Set it at a bit more than a moderate pace that 9 out of ten people would call a full on run.

You can add elevation if you like, but I wouldn’t recommend anything more than slight. The importance is to sustain two bursts of energy that push you beyond your energy threshold.

 

Dumbbell Clean & Presses x12:

These are going to be rough. Suck it up, and do them with good form, you’re almost half way done!

Bring them from hanging in front of your knees, slightly in front of the hips, up to your shoulders as you squat down keeping your back straight, and then thrust up to the sky! Like the man in the picture, add that little extra push by going up onto to the tips of your toes without losing balance.

 

Single Arm Farmer Walk Intervals: 2 Cycles 1Per Arm

What makes these a challenge is walking with weight on only one side of the body, while going up and down in the intervals. It’s something that poses different physiological force manipulation obstacles that we don’t normally face.

Keep the same settings as the first set of farmer’s walks, but slow things down a bit. It’s too easy to strain something if you’re in too big of a hurry. You’re going to do two cycles, so switch the weight accordingly so that both sides of your brain and body have to grapple with it.

Alternating Dumbbell Lunges x 20: Once you’re done with those, I want you to do 20 lunges and try to mix up the plane of motion between frontal, lateral, and transverse.

Additionally, stick with only one dumbbell instead of picking up the other.

The lunges will be a bit more challenging with weight on one side of the body. Switch the weight back and forth, and pose as much of a challenge to your internal balance and stabilization mechanisms as possible. Feel free to do presses as you go into the lunges as well for increased demand.

Keep Going!

James Villepigue CSCS

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Spartan WOD for Monday Dec 3rd, 2012

This week’s WOD is an outdoor interval training and bodyweight powerhouse. We’re going to incorporate a pyramid structure of full-body workouts in sets of two. Here is what the basic breakdown looks like. The numbers, for example 40/40, means forty seconds of both exercises in the set, and then you move onto the next one. They scale down as you go, but it works out to a really effective workout.

Here we go…

1st Interval Cycle: 40/40

Jog to Sprint

Plank to Sits

Crawling to Lunges

Flutter to Scissor Kicks

14 Alternating 1-leg Burpees

 

2nd Interval Cycle 30/30

Jog to Sprint

Plank to Sits

Crawling to Lunges

Flutters to Scissor Kicks

13 Alternating 1-leg Burpees

 

3rd Interval Cycle 20/20

Jog to Sprint

Plank to Sits

Crawling to Lunges

Flutters to Scissor Kicks

12 Alternating 1-leg Burpees

 

4th Interval Cycle 10/10

Jog to Sprint

Plank to Sits

Crawling to Lunges

Flutters to Scissor Kicks

10 Alternating 1-leg Burpees

 

Ideally you should complete all four cycles of interval training without any specific rest periods. As long as you keep moving, it’s fine, but shoot for as little down time as you can manage.

If you’ve done things correctly, by the time you reach the last cycle, you’ll be struggling to make it through even ten second intervals.

1) Jog to Sprints: We’re starting with jogging, and this should serve as your warm up. There is no need to stretch or do anything beforehand, aside from some basic hopping, or slow pace knee-high jogging in place.

At the forty second mark you should take off like a cheetah that’s been juiced with 100 CCs of pure adrenaline. Make sure to prepare your mind and body before it happens though, as this will give your neuromuscular system the preparatory messages. Forty seconds may not sound like a whole lot, but for most people it should be nearly impossible to go at 100% the entire time.

Keep it as hardcore as you can, concentrate on your breathing, and do everything you can to still the hectic convulsions of your mind. The body thinks you’re either running after prey, or you’ve in danger of being something’s dinner.

2) Planks to Sits: You’re going to start in regular plank position. As long as you keep your butt down, I don’t care what you do while you’re suspended against gravity. You could shift to your obliques, shift around on your toes, whatever. Just make sure you are clenching your core and your glutes, and giving it everything you got.

After you’ve reached the interval time, hop up, and get down in a free-form wall sit position and stay there. There will be no placing of the hands on the knees, because the point is to sustain as much tension as possible.

For the most muscular benefit during the longer intervals, it’s wise to gracefully move from one angle to another. Make this an active isometric contraction.

3) Crawling to Lunges: I would like you to get creative with the direction of not only your crawls, but your lunging as well. Don’t get stuck in forward momentum because life, like obstacle course engineers, loves to throw curve balls. What I would rather you concentrate on are angles.

Basically you need to stay in a crawling position and keep moving until time is up. Then, get up and go straight into continuous lunges in both lateral and reverse angles. Don’t be in such a hurry during any of this that you sacrifice form and risk injuring something.

4) Flutter to Scissor Kicks: Get down on your butt, put your hands wherever is most comfortable, and start with some full-body flexing flutter kicks. These should be fast but controlled; extremely tacking on the mid-section.

The scissor kicks should also be at a decent clip. Switch the top and bottom feet every repetition, and have a nice wide gate. To make them more challenging, slightly lift the upper body a few inches off the ground and use it as leverage. This balancing act compounds the pressure on the core.

5) 1-Leg Burpees: These are pretty self-explanatory. It’s a pretty simple adjustment that very few people take advantage of. On the course, you’re body is moving and adapting organically.

Try to simulate this in as many exercises as possible. All too often it only takes a slight change to incorporate more internal balance and stabilization mechanisms.

Make sure that you’re alternating which leg you go down on, and again, once you get down there, you can do anything you want, but try to get in a few fast paced ones as well. It will provide a challenge to your body that it is most likely far from accustomed to.

Keep Going!

James Villepigue CSCS

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