Day 24 & Day 25

I know...I'm a slacker. Sorry! At least it's the weekend, and you should've been able to figure out the squat and bench set. I am beat from my kayaking and camping weekend. I did my squats and bench today, and it felt pretty good! Today (yesterday) is the last day for the bench cycle. I repped out 230# 6 times on my last set. Hoping to hit 275 next week as a new 1RM! Anyway, here is what was supposed to be put up yesterday.

Warm-up:

3 Rounds

5 Barbell Rollouts

5 Dislocates

5 Inchworm/Push-ups

Mobility:

Lax Ball to Front of Shoulder - 1min/side

Shoulder Mash - 1min/side

Roll Hams/Glutes - 1min/side

Butterfly Stretch - 1min

Squat Cycle:

85% + 20lbs from last weeks set - 10x3

Bench Cycle:

85% + 15lbs from first weeks set - 10x3

Last week for bench! Try to shoot for Thursday or Friday to test your new 1RM Bench Press. Good luck!

Day 23

Greetings, all. Happy Friday! Big day for lifting today. Gotta love it! The weight is getting heavier, and we are getting stronger. I expect my bench to be around 1000lbs after this cycle, so I'm gonna keep pushing hard. Here are today's activities!

Warm-up:
2 Rounds
10 Lunges w/Twist
8 Barbell Rollouts
6 Dislocates
4 Spiderman Push-ups
2 Barbell Rows (95/65)

Mobility:
Lax Ball to Front of Shoulder - 1min/side
Shoulder Mash - 1min/side
Super Quad Stretch - 1min/leg
Roll Hams/Glutes - 1min/leg

Squat Cycle:
80% + 20lbs from last week's set - 7x5

Bench Cycle:
80% + 15lbs from first week's set - 8x4

WOD:
3 Rounds for Reps
1min Toes to Bar
1min Burpees
1min DU's
1min Rest

Enjoy!

Day 22

Yay mobility day! Today will focus mostly on mobility as always. Gotta get loosened up for the next two days. Hopefully everyone is doing well with their squats/bench/wod. Whatever one you decided to do. Remember, rest is just as important as work, so don't overdo it if you don't feel like it. I feel like my legs have reached a dull-pain state where they just do what I tell them and prepare to do it again the next day. Gotta love it!

Warm-up:
3 Rounds
5 Dislocates
5 Barbell Rollouts
5 Lunges w/Twist (5 each leg)
5 Barbell Rows (95/65#)

Mobility:
Lax Ball Roll Front/Back of Shoulder - 1min/section
Banded Front Rack Stretch - 1min/side
Roll Lats - 1min/side
Shoulder Mash - 1min/side
Roll Quads - 1min/leg
Roll Hams - 1min/leg
Butterfly Stretch - 1min

Strength:
Weighted Pull-ups 5-5-5-5-5

WOD:
5k Run

Nothing too crazy today. Enjoy!

Day 21

Another day of lifting is upon us. May the weight be ever in your favor. As I sit here soaked in sweat, I can't help but wonder...is this all worth it? Killing myself almost everyday under the bar...sweating from morning until night...is it worth it? You bet it is! I wouldn't trade my fitness regimen for the world. I come out a little bit more sore, but also a little bit more strong everyday. Progress is not an easy road. With dedication comes sacrifice. It's 100% worth it.

Warm-up:
2 Rounds
10 Rollover to V-Sit
5 Inchworm/Push-ups
10 Dislocates
5 Barbell Rollouts

Mobility:
Roll Hamstrings - 1min/leg
Roll Lats - 1min/side
Shoulder Mash - 1min/side

Squat Cycle:
75% + 20lbs from last set - 5x7

Bench Cycle:
75% + 15lbs from first set - 7x5

WOD:
21-15-9
Knees to Elbows
Barbell Rows (135/95)

Enjoy!

Day 20

If I said I was sore, that would be an understatement... Those KB Swings along with the squats were rough! We'll take a little easier today and get in some good mobility and loosen up. Another big day tomorrow.

Warm-up:

2 Rounds

10 Barbell Rollouts

10 Good Mornings (45lb bar)

10 Lunges w/Twist

10 Spiderman Push-ups

Mobility:

Roll Quads - 1min/leg

Roll Hams - 1min/leg

Butterfly Stretch - 1min

Roll Lats - 1min/side

Shoulder Band Stretch - 1min/side

Shoulder Mash - 1min/side

WOD:

EMOM for 10min

Odds - 185lb Power Clean, 3 reps

Evens - 6 C2B Pull-ups

Have fun!

Day 19

Back to the grind! Time to earn your next rest day today! Today will be fun...so to speak. If you have a partner to do today's WOD, it's a good way to mix it up. Bench and squats are only getting heavier, so rest and proper nutrition is essential. We are starting week 2 of the base mesocycle for our squats, so one more week and a retest of our 1RM will happen. This will be the last week of the bench cycle as well, and we will be starting a new strength cycle after a week off of bench. Train hard today!

Warm-up:
2 Rounds
10 Ring Rows
5 Barbell Rollouts
10 Rollover to V-Sit
5 Dislocates

Mobility:
Lax Ball to Back of Shoulder - 1min/side
Shoulder Mash - 1min/side
Roll Quads - 1min/leg
Butterfly Stretch - 1min

Squat Cycle:
Add 20lbs to last weeks corresponding set of 70% - 4x9

Bench Cycle:
70% + 15lbs from first weeks set - 6x6

WOD:
100 KB Swings @ 2 pood (70lbs)
1000m Row
Every minute switch from one to the other. Keep chipping away at them until you finish both. If you finish one before the other, just use the rest of the time to work on KB swings or rowing and don't worry about switching on the minutes. If you're with a partner, it's 200 KB Swings and 2000m Row. Have fun!

Day 18

Another week come and gone. Today was a rest day as every Sunday will be. Good chance to recover for the coming week. Stretch out and relax, go swimming, work on that summer tan. Back to work tomorrow!

Day 17

Sorry for the late post today! It's been a busy day. Today is pretty tough but simple. Here goes!

Warm-up:

Your choice - 10min

Mobility:

Lax Ball to Shoulder - 2min/side

Shoulder Mash - 1min/side

Roll Quads - 1min

Roll Hamstrings - 1min

Squat Cycle:

85% - 10x3

Bench Cycle:

85% + 10lbs from last cycle - 10x3

That's all for today. Nice and simple, but heavy. Don't underestimate how long this will take ya. Took me close to an hour for both! Have fun!

Day 16

Gotta give a shoutout to my friend, Ryan. He held my hand last night as we line-danced our hearts out. It was my first time. He was such a gentleman. Just kidding...but seriously...it was my first time. Anyway, on to business. Today is a lifting cycle day again. Tomorrow will be too, so it's perfectly ok to take it easy on the WOD. Rest up for tomorrow. Here it goes!

Warm-up:
2 Rounds
10 Rollover to V-Sit
5 Inchworms/Push-ups
10 Dislocates
5 Barbell Rollouts

Mobility:
Roll Quads - 1min/leg
Butterfly Stretch - 1min
LAX Ball to Front Shoulder - 1min/side

Bench Cycle:
80% + 10lbs from last weeks set - 8x4

Squat Cycle:
80% - 7x5

WOD:
21-15-9
Pull-ups
KB Swings (55/35)

Tomorrow will probably just be hitting the lifting cycles. Don't wanna kill ourselves too much!

Day 15

Alright...my body is starting to feel it from lifting heavy twice a day with WOD's thrown in between. Today will be a nice easy mobility and a little endurance day. Nothing too crazy. Friday and Saturday we'll be hitting it really hard, so be ready for that. Just take today at your own pace. No rushing or killing yourself. Recover day!

Warm-up:
2 Rounds
10 Ring Rows
10 Dislocates
10 Barbell Rollouts
10 Lunges w/Twist

Mobility:
LAX Ball to Back/Front Shoulder - 2min/side
Shoulder Band Stretch (your choice) - 2min/shoulder
Shoulder Mash - 1min/side
Roll Quads - 1min/leg
Roll Hams - 1min/leg
Super Quad Stretch - 1min/leg
Lunge Holds - 1min
Butterfly Stretch - 1min

WOD:
Run 2 Miles
-or-
Row 2500m
-or-
Bike 4 Miles

See, nothing too crazy today. Good and easy recovery day. Get ready for tomorrow!

Day 14

Another big day of lifting. Been looking forward to it! It's definitely an advantage being able to get sleep this summer as was not the case this school year. Haven't been too sore yet, but I'm always wanting more! No small talk to day...let's get down to business.

Warm-up:
3 Rounds
5 Barbell Rollouts
5 Air Squats (hold for 2 seconds in bottom)
5 Inchworm/Push-ups (do push-up between each inchworm)
5 Rollover to V-sit

Mobility:
Roll Lats - 1min/side
Butterfly Stretch - 1min
Shoulder/Elbow Band Stretch - 1min/side

Squat Cycle:
75% - 5x7

Bench Cycle:
75% + 10lbs from last weeks set - 7x5

WOD:
AMRAP in 8min of
15 DU's (45 singles)
30 Sit-ups

Have a good workout day!

Day 13

My legs...I can't feel my legs!!! Jk. Yesterday wasn't too bad. It's Friday and Saturday I'm worried about. Two days in a row of squatting. Yikes! Today will be a simple day. Some stretching and mobility stuff to help us recover. Might as well throw some pull-ups in there too. At least do some stuff while I feel like it.

Warm-up:
2 Rounds
10 Push-ups
5 Inch Worms
10 Dislocates
5 Barbell Rollouts

Mobility:
Roll Quads - 1min/leg
Roll Hamstrings - 1min/leg
LAX Ball to Front/Back of Shoulders - 2min/side
Lunge Holds (stretch out in the lunge position) - 2min
Shoulder Smash - 1min/shoulder

WOD:
For time
100 L-sit Chin-ups

That's all for today. Our off days will vary on activity levels from how everyone is feeling. They'll mostly focus on pull-ups, T2B, stuff like that. Have fun!

I use the word hungry to describe what I mean when I talk about desire. Being hungry provides you with the physical and mental energies necessary for success. The sacrifices that are necessary become easier when one places a goal or objective at a high level. - Ara Parseghian

Day 12

Today is the big day! Lots of reps of heavy squats! This week will be tough with both the bench and squat cycles going on, so feel free to take it easy on the WOD's if you feel the need to. Also, splitting up the bench and squat cycles is ideal if you can. It's really however your body feels. Keep protein and caloric intakes high as your body will need it for repair. Stretch a lot too! You'll get the hang of it. Well, here it goes...

Warm-up:
2 Rounds
10 Lunges w/Twist
10 Dislocates
10 Air Squats (Hold in bottom for 5 seconds)
10 Barbell Rollouts

Mobility:
Butterfly Stretch - 1min
Roll Quads - 1min/leg
Shoulder Smash - 1min/shoulder

Squat Cycle:
70% - 4x9

Bench Cycle:
60% + 10lbs from last weeks set - 6x6

WOD:
Tabata (20 seconds of work then 10 seconds of rest for 8 rounds)
Pull-ups
KB Swings

Enjoy! Remember, the order of importance is (Squat cycle > Bench cycle > WOD). Unless you don't care about either cycle and just do the WOD's. Then the WOD is more important. You get the idea.

Happy Father's Day!

If you couldn't tell, today is an off day. Spend the day with loved ones (especially dads). I know I'm celebrating today...found out yesterday that my wife and I are having a baby boy! Happy Father's Day to all those heroes out there that helped make us into the people we are today. Be ready to get back to work tomorrow!

Day 10

I'm writing this in the car as my wife drives, so hopefully this goes ok. Gonna do some endurance stuff today. Take it easy on our musculature and get ready for Monday. Plus, it's really nice out, so I'll get you outside and get you done with your workout to spend the rest of the day chillin. Enjoy!

Warm-up:

2 Rounds

10 Lunges w/Twist

10 Sit-ups

10 Air Squats

Mobility:

6min of your choice!

Bench Cycle:

85% - 10x3

WOD:

Run 1 Mile

Rest the time it took you to run 1 mile

Run 400m

Rest the time it took you to run 400m

Run 400m

Get some endurance conditioning in today. Get ready for next week!

Day 9

Happy Friday to all of you! I'm pretty excited for the weekend to be here, but I'm even more excited to squat 4 days a week starting Monday! Yay for constant leg pain! Today we finish our introductory cycle. I don't know if two weeks was entirely necessary for it, but lift and learn. Anyway, here are today's activities. Enjoy! Don't forget...Father's Day is this Sunday. Get your Dad a nice squat rack or set of bumper plates. He'll love it!

Warm-up:
2 Rounds
5 Rollover to V-sit
5 Barbell Rollouts
5 Inch Worms
5 Dislocates

Mobility:
Roll Calves - 1min/leg
Roll Hamstrings - 1min/leg
Squat Test (Sit in bottom of air squat) - 2min

Squat Cycle:
85% - 5x
Box Squats - 3-3-3-3-3 (3,1) (I'll describe these with second increments after the rep scheme. So, a "3,1" means lower your butt onto the box in 3 seconds, and pause for 1 second on the box before shooting back up as fast as you can. These squats are all about the power of getting out of the bottom of the squat. Always shoot up from the bottom as fast as you can. If there is no pause at the bottom, it would say "3,n". Get it?

Bench Cycle:
80% - 8x4

WOD:
EMOM for 20min
Odds - 6 Single-arm Snatches @ 70lbs
Evens - 6 Burpees

WOD's will slow down a little once we start squatting hard as said before. Don't expect long ones like this next week...I know I won't wanna do it!

To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift. - Steve Prefontaine

Day 8

Welcome back to another edition of Aman's Way. Today we find ourselves without a bench or back squat, but we will throw some other strength components in to make up for it. Bear Complexes killed me yesterday. It was a good time! Here is what we have going on for today.

Warm-up:
2 Rounds
200m Run/200m Row
4 Barbell Rollouts
6 Dislocates
8 Push-ups
10 Lunges w/twist

Mobility:
Roll Back of Shoulder with LAX ball - 2 min
Roll Quads - 1min/leg
Roll Lats - 1min/side

Strength:
Weighted Pull-ups 3-3-3-3-3
Barbell Rows 5-5-5-5

WOD:
Death by T2B
How this works...minute 1 - do 1 T2B, minute 2 - do 2 T2B, minute 3 - do 3 T2B, etc...until you can't complete the number of T2B in a minute

Have fun today!

Day 7

We find ourselves on another beautiful day of lifting something heavy. I always look forward to these days. Makes me feel more like a man...so does my patchy beard. Today will be a squat and bench press day with a small WOD thrown in for fun. Remember, if strength is your primary goal, it's ok to lay low on the WOD's every now and then. This will be especially true when next week comes around and we are squatting four days a week. Something's gotta give sometimes. Anyway, enough rambling...here's the workout for today!

Warm-up:
2 Rounds
10 Rollover to V-sit (roll backwards while sitting down and try to touch feet behind your head, then roll forward with your legs spread apart and touch your toes)
8 Barbell Rollouts
6 Dislocates
4 Glute Bridges
2 Inch Worms

Mobility:
Roll Quads 1min/leg
Roll Hamstrings 1min/leg
Lacrosse Ball in back of Shoulder 1min/shoulder

Squat Cycle:
85% - 3x

Bench Cycle:
75% - 7x5

WOD:
15 Minute AMRAP of Bear Complex
Bear Complex...
Without ever dropping the bar do
1. Power Clean
2. Front Squat
3. Push Press
4. Back Squat
5. Push Press from behind the head
6. Repeat 7x for one "rep"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Laa7BJHJWrw This is a pretty good example of how it's done.

Have fun!

Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. - John F. Kennedy

Day 6

No squats or bench press today! Yay! We'll work on some other stuff instead. Tomorrow will be another heavy squat day for a few reps, so we can keep incorporating some leg stuff in with our workouts this week.

Warm-up:
10 Barbell Rollouts
10 Inch Worms
10 Air Squats
10 Dislocates

Mobility:
Roll Quads, 1min/leg
Butterfly Stretch, Hold 1min
Calf Stretch, 1min/leg

Skill:
Handstands 10min, flip up against the wall and practice coming away from the wall and holding your balance

WOD:
21-15-9 Reps for time
Box Jump 24/20"
KB Swing 55/35lbs

Happy WODing!

Back on Track

Hello, my fellow fitness people. Sorry for the recent absence. Today, we get back on track! I had an awesome time at the CrossFit Regionals, but I was super busy. About 12-13 hour days each day. I'm excited to get back in the routine of our workouts though, so let's make today count!

Warm-up:
2 Rounds
10 Lunges w/Twist
8 Push-ups
6 Barbell Rollouts
4 Dislocates
2 Inch Worms

Mobility:
Quad Stretch 1min/leg
Roll Hamstrings 1min/leg
Shoulder Mash (Put heavy weight on front of shoulder while lying on back)

Squat Cycle:
85% - 2x2

Bench Cycle:
70% - 6x6

WOD:
EMOM for 10min
Odds - Squat Cleans @ 135lbs
Evens - 10 T2B

We'll make today interesting and get back in the rhythm of things. Enjoy!

Day 4

Good morning everyone! Being up this early kinda makes me miss early mornings...kinda. Today we will be stretching and resting to get ready for next week, which will be painful. This introductory week has been good, but I'm ready to get going with the real work. I am also heading down to Ohio today to go volunteer at the CrossFit Regionals!!! Pretty stoked about that. Anyway, here is today's workout. There will only be one posted because we don't have squats or bench press today.

Warm-up:
2 rounds
6 Push-ups
8 Dislocates
10 Squats
12 Sit-ups

Mobility:
Spiderman Lunge - 4 min (go into lunge position and drive the same side elbow as the front leg into the floor)
Butterfly Stretch - 1 min
Wall Quad Stretch - 1 min/leg
Roll Hamstrings - 1 min/leg

Skill:
Kipping HSPU (Here's a link to help you out a little bit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COcfdJ9N7sA)

WOD:
5 RFT
10 Lunges (5/leg)
20 DU's
30 Sit-ups

Nothing too crazy today. Rest up and use the WOD to help stretch and heal. We will be benching tomorrow, but no squats until Saturday. I'll keep updates coming from regionals! Stay strong.

Suffer the pain of discipline or suffer the pain of regret. - unknown

Day 3

It's that time again! Things are getting switched up a little today, so be ready. Starting to increase the load, and then a couple days to stretch out and get ready for the next squat day. Everything has been going pretty smoothly so far. I don't know how everyone else is feeling, but I'm feeling pretty good. My legs aren't too sore yet. I'm sure this first week or two is just to prepare us for what's to come. Also, for any of those brave enough to try...I am going to throw in "Smolov Jr.". It's a 3-week bench training program to help up your bench max. Your caloric intake needs to be high (around 4000 calories) and you need to be getting at least 8 hours of sleep per night if you plan on doing both of these strength programs together. Fitness is all about experimentation and trying new things. I highly recommend splitting up your workouts by either am/pm or have several hours in between them for recovery. This will make things much more fun! As always, percentages posted are based off of your 1-rep max. The bench workouts may not seem like much, but split it apart from the squat cycle anyway.

Warm-up:
2 Rounds
15 Air squats
10 Sit-ups
5 Dislocates

Mobility:
Roll Quads 1 min/leg
Roll Back - 1 min (Either use two Lacrosse balls taped together or roller, bear hug yourself while rolling)

Squat Cycle:
70% - 4x5
75% - 3x
80% - 2x2
85% - 1x

Bench Cycle:
70% - 6x6

Regular WOD

Strength:
Front Squat - 4x5 @ 85%

WOD:
15 min AMRAP
5 Squat Cleans (155/110)
5 C2B Pull-ups
5 Ring Dips

There it is for today ladies and gents. Have fun!

Day 2

Day two is here! Sunday is usually a lazy day for me, so that's the reason for the late post. Better late than never though! Today is gonna be very similar to yesterday. Ok, it's the exact same rep and weight scheme as yesterday. Tomorrow gets heavier though! Looking forward to it.

Warm-up:
Row 500m/Run 400m
5 Pull-ups
10 Dislocates
15 Barbell Rollouts

Mobility:
Roll Quads - 1 min/leg
Roll Hamstrings - 1 min/leg
Butterfly Stretch - 1 min

Strength:
Back Squat
65% - 3x8
70% - 5x
75% - 2x2
80% - 1x

Regular WOD

Strength:
Deadlift 3-3-3-3-3

WOD:
Death by Pull-ups
Minute 1 - 1 Pull-up
Minute 2 - 2 Pull-ups
Minute 3 - 3 Pull-ups
...continue until you can no longer complete the amount of pull-ups in the time limit.

If you're following the squat cycle, you can throw this WOD in after your strength workout if you feel up to it. I'll specify which WOD's you should and shouldn't do with the cycle. Especially early on, WOD's are gonna be easier to do. Happy lifting!

I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends may come and go. But two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds. - Henry Rollins

The Day is Upon Us

I didn't clarify we are going by the Russian calendar? My bad. It's dawn there now. I think... Anyway, today is the big day! Time to start the vicious cycle of squatting. For those of you that bought the book for class, please turn to page 1 on your excel sheet.
*As a side note...any percentages posted on here will be of your 1-rep max.

Basic breakdown of today's activities

Warm-up: (Any of these can be found on YouTube if you're unsure of the movement)
Ring Row - 3x8
Barbell Rollout - 10-15 Reps
Glute Bridge - 3x8
Hip Airplane - 3x8

Mobility:
Roll Quads - 1 min/leg
Roll Hamstrings - 1 min/leg

Strength/WOD:
Back Squat
65% - 3x8
70% - 5x
75% - 2x2
80% - 1x

If not following strength programming...

Skill:
OHS - 10 min

WOD:
18 min AMRAP
400m run
30 Box Jumps 24/20"
30 Wall Balls 20/14#

Enjoy!

These first few days/weeks will be a preparatory cycle for the rest of the program. It'll get our legs in shape and ready for what's to come! Optional WOD's are posted after the strength portion of the page.