Thursday 15 September 2011

Eastbourne Boot Camp Session

Tonights Eastbourne Boot Camp session focussed on Kettlebell training and cumulative fatigue methods.

Here's how the session broke down:

Warm Up
Jogging
Mobility Drills/Dynamic Stretches
Push Ups
Lunges
Burpees
More jogging, more push ups, more lunges and more burpees.

Round 1 - Cumulative Fatigue
2 Handed Kettlebell Swings * 45 seconds
5 Deep Jump Squats
15 seconds groinal stretch each leg (Push up position, one foot right forwards on outside of one hand, other leg back, look forwards and push chest through to stretch groin/glutes/hammies/adductors)

Repeat 8 times only stopping for the active recovery stretching

60 seconds full rest

Round 2 - Kettlebell Complex
KB Right Hand
5 step through lunges on left leg, 5 high pulls right arm, 5 snatches right arm, 5 rows right arm
KB Left hand
5 step through lunges on right leg, 5 high pulls left arm, 5 snatches left arm, 5 rows left arm
Repeat constant for 5 minutes

Rest 60 seconds

Round 3 - Kettlebell / Plyo / Run
60 seconds kettlebell clean and push press right arm
60 seconds kettlebell clean and push press left arm
20 alternate jump lunges
Then:-
Easy Option:- Rest
Hardcore Option - Run fast for 250metres
Repeat 3 times

Round 4 - Tabata
2 Handed kettlebell squat to press
20 seconds on, 10 seconds off for 8 rounds
After the 8th round rest with the bell over head for 30 seconds aiming for full extension through shoulders
Sprint 50M

Cool Down
Upper Body Focussed Stretching

Great session tonight for all concerned and good turn out.

Well done to all who came, stuck at it, sucked it up and gave their all - as ever, your achievements make me proud.

Wednesday 14 September 2011

Kettlebell Jerks and Bulgarian Bag Conditioning

Training today had the main goal of density sets for kettlebell jerks followed by some metabolic conditioning with the Bulgarian Bag.

The session went down as follows:-

Double Kettlebell Jerks
16kg * 2 * 10 reps
16kg * 2 * 10
16kg * 2 * 10
16kg * 2 * 10
16kg * 2 * 10
20kg * 2 * 10
20kg * 2 * 10
20kg * 2 * 10

Then Density Set:-
24kg * 2 * 6 reps every minute on the minute for 10 mins - total 60 reps.
This worked out as 30 seconds rest each set.

Bulgarian Bag (17kg) Spins
15 reps each way, rest 30 seconds
Repeat 5 times.

Rest 2 mins
Then:-

Bag Power Snatch (17kg) * 45 seconds/15 rest
Bag Squat 45/15
Bag High Pull 45/15
Rest 60 sec, repeat 3 times

Rest 2 mins then

Bag Power Snatch (17kg) 45/15
Bag Kipping Row 30 sec
Rest 60 seconds, repeat 3 times.

Tough session today.

The density set with a pair of 24kg bells was smart, next week will hit 7 reps each time.

Very enjoyable.

Friday 9 September 2011

Super Training for FAST Results!

I trained a female client today who has an incredible work ethic when it comes to training and is someone whom I draw inspiration from every time I train her.

She has had some incredible results losing over 2 stone and getting into some seriously good shape.

This was her training program today for anyone who wants to see what good old fashioned work can achieve:-

Round 1
5 * 7kg Slam ball slams
8 push ups
15 kettlebell swings with a 14kg bell
Repeat for 11 rounds non stop.

Time done:- 12 min 36

Round 2
Double 10kg Kettlebells used for all below:-
15 swings
15 snatches
15 squats
15 clean and press
15 rows

Time done:- 4 min 26

Rest 3 minutes

Repeat once more using a pair of 8's

Time done:- 3min 40

Round 3
7kg Deep Squat to High Throw wall ball - 60 seconds work
60 seconds rest
Repeat 3 times - Penalty of 30 seconds wall squat if ball doesnt hit instructed height.
No penalties received.

Round 4
8kg Bulgarian Bag Spins
10 spins each way
20 Kipping rows
Repeat 3 times non stop.

Stretching to cool down.

Needless to say she was completely spent by the end.

Great work!

Tuesday 6 September 2011

Kettlebell Strength/Power

Todays Workout - all using pro grade bells.

Single Arm Kettlebell Jerk
16kg * 10/10 each arm
20kg * 10/10
24kg * 10/10
28kg * 10/10
32kg * 12/12
32kg * 12/12
32kg * 12/12

Double KB Snatch
16kg * 2 * 10
16kg * 2 * 10
20kg * 5 * 5 sets

Alternate Arm/Double KB Snatch
16kg * 10
16kg * 10 - Just mucking about with these

Double KB Jerks - Technique Work
20kg * 2 * 20 reps
20kg * 2 * 15 reps

Single Arm KB Snatch
24kg * 10/10 - 30 sec rest
Repeat for 5 sets to total 100 reps

Not a bad session today, woke up feeling like I was coming down with something so didnt fancy anything too demanding cardiovascularly.

This session fitted the bill perfectly.

Building up now to getting more work done on the "Beast" AKA my 40kg Pro Grade Kettlebell

Saturday 3 September 2011

Parasitic, Liver and Gall Bladder Flush

A few weeks ago I had an appointment with my physio for lower back tension.
During the treatment he asked me if I had been feeling tired to which I replied I had. While examining my body he pressed an area where my gall bladder was located and I winced with pain.

"Seems like you may have a bit of inflammation there" he said.
He asked me about my diet which is largely paleo based with fairly high healthy fat, protein and relatively low carb content. I said that I had been eating a few more eggs than I usually would along with a bit more steak. In addition the one vice I do have is for a nice cup of coffee or two!

He suggested I read into performing a gall bladder flush combined with parasitic and liver detox. He said he knew lots of people that did this once or twice per year and felt much better for doing so.

On his suggestion I bought a supplement called Paragone from here:- http://www.nutricentre.com/p-28966-paragone-90-caps30ml.aspx

This supplement is designed to improve gut health and try to eliminate parasites.

I ran the supplement at full strength for two weeks ensuring I drank 3 litres of water daily and stayed off all red meat, eggs and fatty foods. Paragone comes in two parts, a capsule and tincture to be taken at the same time away from food. The tincture is an acquired taste and over the two weeks I can safely say I visited the bathroom with greater frequency.

Once two weeks had been completed I spent 2 days following a liver detox using apples and organic apple juice. More information can be found here:- http://www.sensiblehealth.com/Journey-03.xhtml

On the first day from 8am - 8pm I ate nothing but apples (5 in total) and drank 1 litre of apple juice over the 12 hour period along with water. I also took a product from Reflex Nutrition called Anti Oxidant Collection which contains Alpha Lipoic Acid, a powerful detoxifier.

On the second day from 8am - 2pm I drank nothing but 1 litre of organic apple juice, water and ate apples (5 in total).

At 2pm I drank only water there after.
At 8pm I took 2 tsp of Epsom Salts in water followed an hour later by 120ml of cold pressed olive oil with 60ml of freshly squeezed lemon juice (these should be mixed together and drank quickly as its not pleasant.)

Once done I IMMEDIATELY went to be and lay/slept on my right side.

The apple contains high levels of malic acid which is said to help break down stagnant bile in the liver. Please note that people with cancer, candida yeast infection, diabetes, hypoglycemia or stomach ulcer should not use this apple juice fasting procedure because of the high sugar content in the apple juice.



The Epsom salts apparently serve to help dilate the bile duct to help any stones pass.

The olive oil reportedly serves to induce a strong gall bladder contraction which is said to help to expel any small stones.

On waking I drank 1 litre of warm water with half a lemon squeezed in and ate only fruit and vegetables for the rest of the day. Any stones present are supposed to pass during subsequent visits to the bathroom over the next few days.

There is some speculation as to whether this procedure actually does what it reports to, however, having done this myself I can say that I have noticed a significant increase in energy levels and sense of well being.Cravings for caffeine have significantly reduced to me not just "fancying" a coffee and the same is also true of fatty food. Seemingly I am also 1 kg lighter (most likely due to less "debris" in my intestines.)

Placebo effect? Certainly possible, either way, how I am feeling now is good, energised and healthy. So for me, that's a positive outcome.

Did I enjoy the process? Heck no. Eating nothing but apples, juice and water was very boring and was far from ideal in terms of blood sugar levels. The Epsom salts and drinking olive oil with lemon juice is pretty nasty too and did not make for a good nights sleep.

If you follow a Paleo based diet be aware of fat content and protein rich foods, it is easy to become a little lazy and rely on the same kinds of foods day in day out.

As with any "procedure" like this, do your own research and make informed decisions. Note the words above about apple juice and diabetics etc. This blog post is for information purposes only and is not produced for medical guidance or diagnosis/treatment of conditions. Consult with your GP if you have doubts.



Friday 2 September 2011

A Tale of Over Head Squat, Bulgarian Bag, Box Jumping and Burps

Training today:- Strength/Explosive Power

Over Head Squat
Bar * 10 * 2 sets
30kg * 10 * 2
40kg * 5 * 2
45kg * 5 * 2
50kg * 3 * 3

Each set was followed by:-
17kg Bulgarian Bag Spins performed with as much power as possible
24" Box Jumps 10 reps then dropping 1 rep per set of OH squats (10 - 1 reps)
10 Burpees with Jump and Clap

3 Minutes rest after the Burpees from weights 40kg - 50kg on the squats.

This was a tough session today.

Over head squat was limited by a combination of lack of snatch strength/technique and lat fatigue from the bag spins.

Took 45 minutes to complete and was a cracking session!