Week 7

Strength Training:

		Beginner	Intermediate	Advanced
Superset 1	Elevated Pushups	15	25	35
	Standing Squats (B)	15	15	15
Superset 2	Lat Pulldowns (B)	15	15	15
	Oblique Abductor Raises	15	20	Wow, really?
Superset 3	Seated Rows (B)	15	15	15
	Toe-Touch Crunches	20	30	40
Superset 4	Curls (B)	15	15	15
	Flutter Kick	60 sec	80 sec	100 sec

Cardio Training:

Warm Up: 3-5 min jog
The following should be done on a 7 (or 8) min cycle
4x	1 min jog
	6x	40m sprint
		20 sec rest
	5 pushups
	10 situps
	10 jumping jacks
	Rest remainder of time
Warm Down: 3-5 min jog

Endurance Day

Warm Up: 3-5 min jog
3x	400m Run
	30 seconds rest
	800m Run
	30 seconds rest
	400m Run
	2 min rest
Warm Down: 3-5 min jog

I think I can...

I’ve never liked running distance. I’ve always been a sprinter, better at getting things done quickly than going for the long haul, so I consider staying on this program for 2 months to be a personal triumph.

Last Saturday we were doing our weekly Endurance day where the goal is to run for distance; going longer periods to really push our level of endurance.

During the last lap I was feeling really exhausted, my feet and legs were aching, and I felt myself trying to quit. I started mumbling something like “I hate running”. I said it twice and noticed that it wasn’t helping me any to start whining about it. I remembered that I had read about self affirmations and that what we say and write affects the way we think, and the way our body works, so I turned my gripe around and started saying “I love running” under my breath. Now, I don’t believe that for a second. For me, saying “I love running” just feels like sarcasm, but it helped. I stopped noticing the pain in my legs, the cloud of exhaustion lifted and I was able to finish.

I will be trying to get more positive about this stuff from now on. Maybe saying “I love pullups” is silly, but I’m going to try to keep the griping to a minimum and maybe this will actually become…..fun.

Week 6

Strength Training:

		Beginner	Intermediate	Advanced
Superset 1	Elevated Pushups	15	25	35
	Standing Squats (B)	15	15	15
Superset 2	Lat Pulldowns (B)	15	15	15
	Oblique Abductor Raises	15	20	Wow, really?
Superset 3	Seated Rows (B)	15	15	15
	Toe-Touch Crunches	20	30	40
Superset 4	Curls (B)	15	15	15
	Flutter Kick	60 sec	80 sec	100 sec

Cardio Training:

Warm Up: 3-5 min jog
The following should be done on a 7 (or 8) min cycle
4x	1 min jog
	6x	40m sprint
		20 sec rest
	5 pushups
	10 situps
	10 jumping jacks
	Rest remainder of time
Warm Down: 3-5 min jog

Endurance Day

Warm Up: 3-5 min jog
3x	400m Run
	30 seconds rest
	800m Run
	30 seconds rest
	400m Run
	2 min rest
Warm Down: 3-5 min jog

Metrics

Week 1 Week 5 Week 9 Week 13 Week 17 Pushups (max):           Wall sit (seconds):           Pull-ups (max):           Leg Raises (seconds):           Calf Raises (in 60 sec):           40 Meter Sprint:           Mile (done on endurance day):           Weight:

Pushups:

Standard pushup motion. Lie on your stomach. Place your hands palm down on the ground such that they are perpendicular to your body. Your hands should be wide enough so that your elbows are at 90 degrees at the bottom of your pushup. Start with your arms fully extended and your body off the floor. Lower your body until your elbows reach 90 degrees then press back up to the starting position. Keep your back as straight as possible. For normal pushups your feet should be the fulcrum, for assisted pushups the fulcrum should be your knees. Do as many as possible in one set without rest.

Wall Sit:

Place your back against a wall and your feet away from the wall such that getting into a sitting position puts your knees at 90 degree angles. Sit, as if sitting in a chair (but without one obviously), for as long as possible without rest recording the time in seconds.

Pull-ups:

For traditional pullups: Grab a bar above your head. Suspend your body as straight as possible, knees bent if necessary, and pull until your chin crests the bar. For assisted pull-ups: Loop a towel over a bar or other support. Grab the towel at about chin level with an even grip such that your feet are on the ground. Lower your body until you are hanging from your hands with your feet behind you. Pull up using your legs to assist you until your chin reaches the level of your hands. Do as many as possible without rest.

Leg Raises:

Lie on your back with your hands at your sides. With your legs fully extended raise your legs until your feet are ~6 inches off the floor. Hold for as long as possible without allowing your back to arch or your feet to drop. Record time in seconds.

Calf Raises:

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Press using your calves until you are standing on the balls of your feet. Lower your self back to the standing position. Do these as controlled as possible. Record the number done in 60 seconds.

40 Meter Sprint:

From a standing or 3 point start, sprint 40 meters and record the time in seconds

Mile:

Run a measured mile attempting to get the fastest time possible. Record the time, preferably in minutes and seconds. This portion of the metrics should be done on the weeks endurance day.

Weight:

Find a trusty scale and weigh yourself. Record your weight. Please try and use the same scale for all weight measurements. Also weight isn't a reliable metric as the average person's weight will fluctuate upwards of 5 lbs in a day. It's also important to remember that muscle is significantly more dense than fat so significant improvements can be made in body composition without a change in weight.

Week 5

Strength Training:

		Beginner	Intermediate	Advanced
Superset 1	T-Pushups	10	15	20
	Lat Pull-downs (B)	15	15	15
Superset 2	Stationary Lunges	15	20	25
	Shoulder Shrugs (B)	15	20	30
Superset 3	Vertical Leg Raises	15	20	30
	Standing Curls (B)	15	15	15
Superset 4	Lateral Raises (B)	15	15	15
	1 Legged V-Ups	15	20	30

Notes:

The Monday workout for this week should be replaced by your week 5 metrics. Obviously the goal on the metrics is to max each exercise so working out before or after is kinda silly.

Cardio Training:

Warm Up: 3-5 min jog
3x	6x	30m (33yd) Sprint
		30 seconds rest
	5 min rest (Switch Groups)
Warm Down: 3-5 min jog

Endurance Day:

1 mile run for time to complete the week 5 metrics.

What I learned from a Bugatti Veyron

I've recently been really into the excellent British show Top Gear (check your BBC listings). They have a relatively famous clip where they take a Bugatti Veyron up to it's top speed of 253 mph. It's really an amazing bit of tv, and an amazing bit of motivation when I work out.

In the video they point out that the faster you the more resistance you encounter. That's why the Veyron only needs 250 horse power to get to 150 mph, but another 750 horse power for the next 100 mph. I can't stop thinking about this when I run. My reasoning is two fold.

First that bit of knowledge reminds me that little gains represent big changes. For every second I shave off any distance that represents a significant gain in my personal horse power. If it takes the car 3 times more horse power to do an additional 100 mph I can only imagine what it takes me to do just one more mph. After all I'm significantly less powerful in the first place and a lot less streamlined.

Secondly the Veyron reminds me that for every little bit harder that I push I'm met by significantly more resistance. That means that even the slightest bit more effort increases the difficulty of my workout, and it's pay off, by a exponentially more. Somehow that makes it a bit easier to push just a little bit more, even when I've got almost nothing left.

So while most people will be chasing a Veyron for it's $1.6 million dollar price tag I'll be using it as motivation of a different kind.

Week 4

This week we add exercise bands. There's a few qualities you should look for when choosing bands so please check out the fitness band guide (coming soon).

Strength

• Pec Flys w/bands - 15
• Pullups - 15, 15, 20
• Wallsits - 45 sec, 60 sec, 90 sec
• Side Plank - 30 sec, 45 sec, 60 sec
• Shoulder Press w/bands - 15
• Leg Raises - 20, 30, 40
• Triceps Extension 20, 20, 20

Endurance: Up-ladder

Should be a little harder than previous weeks as this one is back loaded. Run hard for the first 3-4 active sections then you may want to pace yourself.

• Rest 2:00
• Active 0:20
• Rest 2:00
• Active 0:40
• Rest 2:00
• Active 1:00
• Rest 2:00
• Active 1:20
• Rest 2:00
• Active 1:40
• Rest 2:00
• Active 2:00
• Rest 2:00
• Active 2:00
• Rest 2:00

Endurance Day

2 miles for time or 20 minutes.