Workout - Saturday 13/10/12

Today's session was initially going to be about recovery, but it kind of morphed into something else once I made it to the gym.

During the week I booked a place for Steve Maxwell's seminar being held in Canberra on December 7th, at the Australian National University's famed Monkey Gym.  The Fundamentals of Human Movement certification was sold out, so I had to settle for the Introduction to Kettle Bell Basics, which was just as exciting a prospect.  If you haven't seen any of Steve's work before, I strongly suggest checking out either his website or some of the videos posted on YouTube.  He takes a wonderfully enlightened and irrepressible approach to human movement, and best of all, he makes for an enthusiastic and personable educator.  I really can't wait for this workshop.

Steve Maxwell

With this in mind, I will be adding a kettle bell conditioning component to most of my workouts from now until December, in order to improve my KB fitness, and hopefully ensuring I don't look like a complete goose in front of Mr Maxwell!

Warm-up

15 minute brisk walk to the gym.
Mobilization exercises for wrists, elbows, shoulders, thoracic spine, hips and knees.
2 minutes light kettle bell (8kg) swings and one-arm swings.
Foam roller for 5 minutes.

Powercleans

Superset

4 sets

Powerclean with full squat - 55.5kg x 6 reps.
Push-ups x 6 reps.
Judo push-ups x 6 reps.

Shoulders and back

Superset

4 sets

Standing db shoulder press - 15kg db x 6 reps.
Bent-over bb row - 42.5kg x 6 reps.

Triceps/legs/core

Superset

4 sets

Rolling triceps extension - 17.5kg dbs x 6 reps.
Reverse lunge with static db shoulder extension - 15kg db x 6 reps per side.

Kettle bell complex (based on Steve Maxwell's KB routine)

2 sets with 16kg kettle bell.

Deep pull-back to swing x 10 reps.
Good mornings x 10 reps.
Deep pull-up to swing (fires) x 10 reps.
Swings with towel x 10 reps.

Warm-down

Foam roller for 5 minutes.
20 minute brisk walk home.
Static stretching for 10 minutes.

Workout Tuesday 9/10/12

I have had a little issue with my internet connection the last few days, and so haven't had a chance to put up my workouts.  Needless to say, I have been training well, starting to incorporate more kettle bell exercises into my routine, and have upped my resistance for my core lifts.  All in all, I'm feeling pretty good!

I have been inspired by some videos a friend of mine, Mark Boddington (an excellent exercise trainer, by the way), gave me of Steve Maxwell.  Maxwell is an older gent who is crazy fit and smart as 10 things that are very smart.  He has produced some great vids of himself teaching a group of trainers (Jim Smith included) different exercise techniques, including chin-ups and kettle bells.  Despite the fact that the audio quality is utterly appalling, it makes for intoxicating viewing.

Warm-up

15 minutes brisk walk to gym.
10 minutes of resistance band stretches, high face-pulls and Y-T-W-L with 2kg db, and 20 reps  unloaded bar powercleans with arm curl.

Legs

Superset

Front squats - 5 sets of 5 reps at 65.5kg.  Powerclean to set-up for each set.
Hanging (chin-up start position) scapula mobilisation - 1/4 chin-up - 5 reps.

Chest

Bb bench press - 5 sets of 5 reps at 70.5kg.

Hamstrings/back/core

Kettle bell complex

3 sets of 10 reps

1.  Deep pull-back from front to swing.
2.  Good mornings.
3.  Fires!  Reverse of exercise #1.
4.  Swing with towel.

Warm-down

5 minutes foam roller.
15 minute walk home.
5 minutes static stretching.