Today's Workout

40 minutes of Moderate intensity cardio, and take it easy tonight!

Today's Workout

Deload this week.

RE BP

Alternating DB incline press x 3 x 10

Suping rows x 3 x 15

KB clean and press x 5,4,3,2,1 (countdown reps)

Chins x 3 x 5-10 (strict!)

Today's Workout

Deload this week!

ME LB

Sumo or conventional Deadlift 10 sets of 2 with 50% 1RM

Barbell Clean and Step-up 3 sets of 5+5

Cable or band pull-thrus 3 x 15

Rest and Recovery Day!

Take a walk, stretch, foam roll....just relax and enjoy your day.

Today's Workout

20 minutes moderate intensity cardio

30 abmat situps
20 MB slams
10 KB snatches right and left
5 Big Box jumps
3 rounds

20 minutes moderate intensity cardio

Lance Armstrong vs Kettlebells!

This is a cool photo and is a great story in the latest issue of Mens Health Magazine.

Lance Armstrong reveals his killer workouts in comeback attempt

BY DAVE GOLDINER
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Thursday, December 4th 2008, 12:05 AM

Here's looking at Lance!

The buff cycling superstar is offering fans a sneak peek at his training regimen in the new issue of Men's Health magazine as he prepares for a dramatic comeback in next year's Tour de France.

Armstrong, 37, who retired from cycling under a cloud three years ago, says working out has gone totally high-tech since he first started pounding the pedals.

“Back in the day, people trained on just their feelings,” Armstrong, who plans to compete in an Australian race next month, told the magazine. “Now you have heart rate, altitude, lactic acid all measured on one unit.”

Armstrong, a cancer survivor, has won the tour a record seven times.

He retired in 2005 after being accused of evading anti-doping rules.

The cycling legend said his workout results made him certain that he would finish on top.

“I knew I was ready to win the tour,” he said. “If I stepped on the scale in the morning and it said a certain weight and the power output was where it was supposed to be when I tested at the end of the day, it was over. Nobody close.”

Armstrong plans to compete on the team of longtime colleague Johan Bruyneel, even though he might not be the clear-cut favorite on his powerful squad.

“I'm so loyal to Johan, there's no way I'd cross him or race against him,” Armstrong said.

He has pledged to be open with the media, a big change for an athlete who went to extraordinary lengths to protect his image, including snooping on journalists.

Armstrong also vowed to submit to a program of rigorous blood testing to try to disprove stubborn but unproven allegations he has used performance-enhancing drugs.

dgoldiner@nydailynews.com

Today's Workout

ME BP Wk# 3

BB Floor press set a max today! Take 80% of that max and rep it out and record.

Supine grip chins 5 x 5 (use a weighted vest or drape a chain, whatever)

A1. Alternating DB floor press 12,10,8
A2. Seated cable row 12,10,8

B1. Alt DB hammer curls x 5 x 3
B2. Close grip pushup on a medicine ball x 20 x 3

Finish with 20 minutes moderate intensity cardio.

Today's Workout

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

RE LB Wk#3

Combo lift, Powerclean to Front Squat 3x4, 3x2 ascending loading

Reverse Band front squats using a light/mini band 3 x 8 reps

RDL's 3 x 10

Enjoy your day!

This is encouraging....

From the Carroll County Times

Schools' fitness challenge draws more students

By Karen Kemp, Times Staff Writer
After a record number of students participated in the school system’s annual physical fitness challenge this fall, health and physical education teachers want to continue to improve their students’ activity levels.

Project ACES, which stands for Active Children Excel in School, challenges elementary school students to do 60 minutes of physical activity each day during a two-week period in October.

A total of 9,590 students from all 23 public elementary schools and three private schools in the county — Carroll Lutheran School, North Carroll Community School and Gerstell Academy — participated this year, up from 8,968 in 2007.

Seventy-nine percent of the elementary students in the county turned in activity logs, and 84 percent of those students met the exercise goal. Last year, 75 percent of elementary-age students participated.

When Project ACES was started in 2000, only 1,036 students from 11 schools took the challenge.

While participation rates decreased at some of the schools this year, many saw significant increases.

Making the challenge mandatory for the first time at Manchester Elementary School may have helped its participation rate jump from 67 percent in 2007 to 88 percent this year, according to health teacher Lisa Kumpar.

“You can’t force a child to do their homework, but we made it an assignment,” she said.

At Sandymount Elementary School, teachers used incentives to boost student participation, according to health teacher Lori Hayman. Students who met the challenge received an extra half hour of physical education class for one week, but they were not required to participate, she said.

This year, 74 percent of the students turned in their forms compared to 56 percent last year, and many students went well beyond the 60 minutes per day minimum, Hayman said.

“Anything from housework to soccer practice is counted as [physical] activity,” she said.

A total of 761 teachers and staff took the challenge as well.

With 93 percent of its staff reaching the exercise goal of 60 minutes or 8,500 steps per day, Linton Springs Elementary won the title for Carroll’s Healthiest School once again. Last year, 91 percent of the staff met the challenge.

carrollcountytimes.com.

Today's Workout

50 Burpees for time

40 minutes medium intensity cardio

Stretch with jumpstretch band

Today's Workout

RE BP Wk# 3

A1. Incline BB press 4 x 4
A2. Single arm pulldown 4 x 4

KB clean and press 3 sets of 5

B1. Supine rows x 50 reps for time
B2. Dips x 50 reps for time

BB curl strip sets, do 10 drop 20, do 10, drop 20 do 10.

Today's Workout

ME LB Wk #3 Squat emphasis

High Box Squat (above parallel) work up to a single RM today.
Take 80% of your new rm and do a set of max reps with that and record.

50 rep set with 95lbs for time. Beat your time from last week.

Conventional rack DL (pin #2) 3 x 10 with 50% or your DL 1RM

Single leg 45degree hyper extension (countdown reps) 15,13,9 right and left with no rest between.

Stepper for 20 minutes at a high intensity

Rest and Recovery Day!

Relax and enjoy a day off.

Hard Training

This is what it is all about. Hard training. Nothing is easy. Plan out what you would like to do. Increase your upper body strength/power? Decrease bodyfat stores? Increase your vertical? Pick one thing to work on and put it to a plan. Then work your ass off everyday towards that short term goal. Do not get distracted by "shiny things" ( I love this analogy.....I believe I read this on a kettlebellers blog and it is right on!) - things that change direction or alter your plan. Example- you set up a 6 week cycle to increase your deadlift and by week 2 you read about some new workout program and start that before you finalize your 6 week DL cycle. This attitude will keep you spinning your wheels. Do not do it. If you want to try a new program, wait till your current cycle is complete. Check your results? Did you get the gains you were looking for? Maybe YOUR program is the right one for you, and not the latest, greatest thing.

Today's Workout

20 minutes moderate intensity cardio

5 minutes static stretching

20 minutes moderate intensity cardio

5 minutes static stretching

"The Wrestler"

This looks like a great movie. Mickey Rourke is perfectly cast in the lead role. It is an indie, so look for it when it comes to a theatre in your area.

Today's Workout

ME BP Wk#2

BP Floor Press max set of 3, then take 80% of your 3RM perform max reps, record.

A1. Alt DB BP x 12,10,8
A2. Seated Cable rows x 12,10,8

B1. Slideboard PU's x max reps
B2. Kipping chins x max reps

C1. Scarecrows x 15
C2. Overhead ext x 15
C3. Barbell curls x 15
x 2 rounds

6 minutes x 3 high intensity cardio, example airdyne, stepper, rowern

Beastly!

Crossfit Beast Josh Everett does "King Kong" Amazing stuff. Coach Everett is an incredible athlete who has placed in the top 3 in the last 2 Crossfit games.

Today's Workout

RE LB Wk #2

A1. DB Step ups (18") x 3 x 8
A2. BB RDL x 3 x 8

Power Clean and Front Squats x 8,6,6,6

3 Way DB lunges x 3 x 9+9

R. Hyper x 2 x 25

Strong Movie is out!

I have already ordered mine, now is the time to order yours. Highly motivating stuff. Go to www.strongmovie.com

Today's Workout

100 Abmat situps for time

Rest

Jump rope x 48
KB swing x 24
High Box jump x 12
Burpee pullups x 6
x 4 rounds

Rest

100 Back extensions for time

Today's Workout

RE BP Week #2 Incline BP emphasis

A1. Incline BP 4 sets of 6 reps, ascending loading pattern

A2. Single arm pulldown with a thick handle x 4 sets of 6+6

100 dips in as few set as possible

100 supine rows in as few sets as possible

EZ bar curl strip set, do ten reps, drop 10 lbs and continue for 4 rounds.

20 minute moderate intensity cardio

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE HD

Closing of local gym doesn't stop lifters from training
Taking it outside
By Joey Jones
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Olympic-style weightlifting, a Summer Olympics mainstay since 1920, can now be found in only one Augusta location: Steve Colohan's back yard.

That is where he and fellow lifter Bill Thaggard have been relegated to train after the sport's last bastion in the Garden City, Python Gym, closed on Saturday.

Python had been the city's only gym which would allow its members to perform the clean and jerk and snatch techniques of Olympic-style weightlifting.

Because of "insurance reasons," powerlifting, which consists of the squat, the bench press and the dead lift, is all that is allowed in local fitness clubs.

"When I go over to talk to gyms and tell them, 'I'm an Olympic lifter,' they tell me, 'You can't lift here,' " Colohan said. "Even when I tell them that I have my own equipment, they say it doesn't matter."

Without a facility, Colohan and Thaggard continue their weekly regimen that helped them win titles at the American Masters Weightlifting Championships in Savannah, Ga., earlier this month.

The 50-year-old Colohan captured the 50- to 54-year-old, 94-kilogram weight class with a snatch lift of 85 kilograms (187 pounds) and a clean and jerk of 108 kilograms (238 pounds).

Thaggard, who is still lifting at the age of 74, took the 70- to 74-year-old, 69-kilogram weight class with a snatch of 29 kilograms (64 pounds) and a clean and jerk of 40 kilograms (88 pounds).

Thaggard first learned the clean and jerk technique at his Savannah home in 1948. He competed in small state tournaments for a short time before putting weightlifting aside to pursue a teaching career.

After retiring, health problems led Thaggard back to the sport. He came back to find that a new division of USA Weightlifting had been established: the Masters, a competition for ages 35 and older.

"It's something that I really love. What other way can a 74-year-old man compete in sports?" said Thaggard, who has since won national titles and has competed and won in all but one Georgia Games.

In 1994, Thaggard met Colohan. A 1985 collegiate national champion at then-Augusta College, Colohan narrowly missed qualifying for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. With his performances so far this year, he has qualified for the 2009 World Masters Weightlifting Championships in Sydney, Australia. A world title would be the next in a long line of accomplishments for Colohan.

"I've won over 100 trophies, so I had to put them in the attic," he said. "I got tired of having them out, so I just put them away."

The two men had been training together four-five days a week at Python Gym for the past 14 years. But the gym's owner, Tee Meyers, signed on to train soldiers in Kuwait, leaving Thaggard and Colohan without a weightlifting home.

"There's not a single gym in Augusta that will allow Olympic weightlifting," Thaggard said. "So we'll have to revert to the back yard."

Thaggard and Colohan do not intend to end their competitive lifting careers any time soon. In fact, they welcome the prospect of training anyone who wishes to learn the sport, free of charge.

"We've always found a home. It may be a couple of years that we have to train in the yard, but we'll always find a home," said Colohan, who purchased equipment from Meyers prior to Python's closing. "If worst comes to worst, I'm planning on building a two-car garage with a weightlifting platform. We'll just have a training facility right here."

From the Thursday, November 20, 2008 edition of the Augusta Chronicle

Today's Workout

ME LB Wk# 2

Squat emphasis
High Box Squat x max set of 3
Follow with 80% of your 3RM for max reps

Timed squats with 95lbs for 50 reps. Record time, hopefully you will beat last weeks time.

Conventional rack DL's (pin #2) for 3 sets of 8 reps with 10% less than last week load for 3 sets of 5

Single leg 45 degree hypers for countdown reps of 12,10,8 right and left with no rest.

20 minutes moderate intensity cardio

Rest and Recovery Day!

Try some resistive Stretching! Check out the new issue of Men's Journal for more information and a 20 minute program. It worked for Dara Torres and it may work for you. Look up the website of www.meridanstretching.com also for more info.

Today's Workout

100 abmat situps

40 minutes of moderate intensity cardio

100 reverse abmat situps

Today's Workout

ME BP Wk#1

BBarbell floor press x max set of 5

A1. Alternating DB flat bench x 10,8,6,4
A2. Kips/chest to bar x 10,8,6,4
*time this effort

B1. BBarbell CS row x 12,10,8 ascending loading
B2. Slideboard pushups x 10, use a vest if possible

Standing bbarbell curls x 2 max sets, add load on second set.

Today's Workout

RE LB Wk#1

Isometric lunge holds x 30 seconds right and left x 3 rounds

Reverse Band Highbar Squats x 4 x 8

3 Way DB lunge x 3 x 9

Zercher lifts from a high rack x 3 x 5

Prowler push or Sled pulls x 4 x 200 feet

Terminator Salvation

Today's Workout

24 minute low intensity cardio

30 seconds of each movement for 5 rounds

Jump rope
Situps
2 hand KB swing
Box jumps

24 minute low intensity cardio

Today's Workout

Wk #1 RE BP

A1. Incline press with 1 chain on each side of bar. 4 sets of 8 reps
A2. Single arm pulldown with a thick bar handle. 4 sets of 8+8 reps

B1. Dips 100 reps for time. Record time.
B2. BB Corner rows 3 sets of 10 reps

Standing alternate DB curls for 2 sets of max reps

20 minutes stepper at a moderate intensity

Today's Workout

Wk #1 ME LB Squat emphasis

High Box Squat (slightly above parallel) Max set of 5 reps
One downs set with 80% of your 5RM for max reps...when form starts to break down..stop! Record reps.

Full Squat with 95lbs for 50 reps for time

Rack DL (pin #2) with 70% of 1RM (full dl) for 3 sets of 5 reps

Single leg hyper ext. x countdown reps of 10,8,6 with no rest

20 minutes stepper at high intensity

Today's Workout

ME BP Wk# 3

GHR situps x 100

A1. DB Floor press x 11,9,7 *hit a max set here today
A2. CS EZ bar rows x 11,9,7

B1. Thick Bar lat pulldowns x 3 x 10 ascending load
B2. Blaster strap or ring pushups with chains x 1,2,3 chains for max reps

EZ bar curls x 10, 8, 6

Today's Workout

RE LB Week #3

Hanging knee raise x 100 reps

A1. DB SLD x 5 + 5
A2. DB Crossover Step-up x 10
A3. BB shrug in rack x 1
A4. KB snatch x 5 + 5

x 3 rounds

Belt Squats x 21,14,7 Perform a final max set with 70% of your top weight for the day.

Today's Workout

Crossfit.com workout today-

"Michael"

800m run
50 situps
50 back extension

repeat for 3 rounds for time. Enjoy!

KB's for Christmas!

This is a great idea for a Christmas present for any fitness enthusiast!

Check out-

GoFit.com

Dragondoor.com

Perform-Better.com

Elitefts.com

Spudinc.com

Great kettlebells at great prices.

Master's Mr. World Winner

From the Timesandstar.co.uk
MARTIN DELIGHTED AT BODYBUILDING TITLE
Last updated 19:28, Thursday, 27 November 2008

WORLD CHAMPION: Martin Yates-Brown competing at the Mr World competition in Slovenia
Martin Yates-Brown, 61, became world champion in the IBFA over-55s class – and said he was in the best shape of his life.

He said: “I am delighted to have won the competition, but especially because I am competing with men who are a lot younger.

“I am the fittest I have ever been and feel great when I go into competitions.”

This year Martin has also won the Mr Europe title in July and was runner-up in the Master Universe title.

He said: “It has been a great year for me. I have achieved everything I set out to.”

Martin owns and runs the Aspatria gym Brownz Total Fitness and said that when he eventually hangs up his trunks he wants to help others compete at the highest level.

He said: “I am still a fairly young person in terms of my fitness. Owning the gym is a great help to me.

“I have been doing a lot of training with Shaun Watson, who has also had a really good year.

“My time in bodybuilding won’t last forever and I want to get into developing local talent.”

Today's Workout

RE BP Wk #3

A1. 2 Board BP with mini bands x 4 sets of 12
A2. Chest supported Rear delt fly and row combo x 4 x 6 + 6

B1. Slideboard push ups x 10 + 10 x 4 sets
B2. Pullups using a Thickbar handle x 8 x 4 sets

Abmat reverse crunch x 100 with a 5lb mb between knees

Today's Workout

ME LB Wk#3 Sumo DL emphasis

Sumo DL Rack pull pin #1 Max single, then take 80% of your max and do max reps.

45 degree hyper 100 reps for time. Hold onto a MB while doing these and record your time.

BBarbell squat Use 50% of your 1RM and do 3 sets of 10 reps

Reverse Hyper for 2 sets of 20 reps