31 March 2013

Monday


"With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding. With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding."
Job 12:12-13

Work Capacity
5 Rounds:
20x heavy KB swings
10x KB snatches ea arm
Rest 30 secs 

28 March 2013

Friday

"But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God."

1 Corinthians 1:24

Strength
5-5-5-5-5 Trap bar deadlift

then

15-12-9-6-3 Reps of
30 degree incline bench press
Rest one minute

27 March 2013

Thursday

"For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent."

1 Corinthians 1:19

Work Capacity
Complete as many reps as possible in 10 minutes of:
KB clean and press 2 pood/1 pood

26 March 2013

Wednesday

"But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy."
James 3:17

Work Capacity

3 Rounds:
Alternate battling ropes 30secs
Double-unders 30secs
Grappler's throw battling ropes 30secs
Jump rope high knee sprints 30 secs
Rope slam battling ropes 30secs
Rest 30secs

then


Farmer carry 200m unbroken (go as heavy as possible) 

25 March 2013

Tuesday

"If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him."
James 1:5

Stamina
"Kristin"
Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
10x Ring dips
10x Pistols (alternate legs each rep)
10x Bodyweight rows

24 March 2013

Monday

"For the Lord gives skillful and godly Wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding." 
Proverbs 2:6

Strength
Work up to 1RM shoulder to overhead

then

Sprint pyramid on versaclimber, rower, or airdyne*
30 secs
45 secs
1 min
1:15
1:30
1:15
1 min
45 secs
30 secs

*Rest is 1 min after every interval

21 March 2013

Friday

"Behold, You desire truth in the inner being; make me therefore to know wisdom in my inmost heart."
Psalm 51:6

Stamina
12 Rounds
5x C+J 50% bodyweight
7x Burpee pull-ups

20 March 2013

Thursday

"Give me understanding, that I may keep Your law; yes, I will observe it with my whole heart.
Psalm 119:34 

Strength
3-3-3-3-3 Front squat

then

3 Rounds
30x KTE
20x Pistols
10x HSPU's

then

Overhead barbell carry with bodyweight 5x 25yds

Striking/Grappling/Parkour
Practice some form of defensive skill for 1-2 hours, whether that be fight or flight...

19 March 2013

Wednesday

"Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I believe in your commands.
Psalm 119:66

Sprinting
Tabata 
Push-ups
Sit-ups
Squats

then

Stadium or hill sprint every minute on the minute for 12 minutes, rest is determined by the remainder of time after the sprint until the start of the next interval.

Tuesday

"This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."
Psalm 118:24

Strength

Rounds
10x Good mornings
10x Weighted sit-ups

then

3 Rounds
10x Ring fly's 
20x Push-ups on parallettes 

then

For time:
100x KB snatches 53/24lbs 

17 March 2013

Monday


"And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."
Exodus 33:19

Leaping Power
(1) 4-6 passes through agility ladder

(2) Work up to max height box jump

(3) 8 Rounds 
3x The exercise* (add weight each round until 3x reps are hard but doable)

(4) 5x Hill sprints

*The exercise - 1x hang squat snatch/1x OHS

Why Sleep Is More Important Than Training Part III

My last two posts I’ve espoused the importance of sleep and how it is crucial to your success in training and for optimal quality of life in general. After all of that harping, I thought I would round out my first series of posts with some practical ways to actually help you get a good nights Z’s. So here goes…

I know there will be people who may balk at some of these suggestions upon this initial read (like my wife did at first, she is now a converted “Light-Nazi” I’m happy to say!) However, keep in mind the reason for reducing exposure to light is because any light after the sun goes down basically tricks your brain into thinking that it’s still day time, so it doesn’t produce the hormones that are involved in going to sleep (like melatonin). It’s really a matter of priotization, do you want to increase your performance,  live longer, be less stressed, burn more fat, and feel better in general?...Then PRIOTIZE your sleep, it’s FREE!   

Sleep Strategies
  • An hour before bed time try and ramp down your light usage
  • Use the minimum amount of light necessary to accomplish your task
  • Use candles, dimmer switches, or turn off all over head lights and throw a towel or something over a lamp in the room for your main light source
  • No “Screen time” an hour before bed (TV, computer, games…etc) the fast moving images on the screen help to keep our CNS (Central Nervous System) stimulated, inhibiting good sleep (not to mention the bright light you’re staring into!)
  • Extinguish or cover all sources of light in your bedroom
  • Get black out curtains for your room, it needs to be as dark as possible when you sleep
  • Although this would help them too, if your partner is unwilling to do these things buy a sleep mask! (Yes, I have one, use it every night and I love it!)
  • Breath deeply for 5 mins (helps activate your parasympathetic nervous system and reduce stress/balances hormone levels)
Supplements

There are other supplements out there that may or may not be beneficial for sleep; I stuck to as close to natural, and side-effect free as possible. I can practically guarantee that if you do most of what’s on this list (I mean really try it, not half way but fully committed) that you will get better sleep and notice gain in more ways than one.
  • Natural calm (it’s just powdered magnesium) an hour before bed two heaping teaspoons in about 8 oz of water or so. Can be found in health food stores or ordered from www.swansonvitamins.com
  • Magnesium is a very soothing, stress fighting mineral that we often don’t have adequate levels of in our bodies and can help to increase the quality of your rest
  • Chammomile Tea an hour before bed
How Much?

How much is enough? Every person is different and there are various factors that go into how much you need. If you’re training hard, or really stressed out more is probably better. A good way to test this is (while being a light Nazi from what you learned above of course) take five days to a week and go to bed early, I mean be in bed, lights out around 9:00 p.m.. If possible try and wake up on your own with no alarm and just see what time your body naturally awakens. If you wake up and feel refreshed and ready to go, then that is sufficient sleep. If upon waking you feel sluggish and can’t get started without a giant cup of joe then you need more sleep!

Sleep Cycles

A word about sleep cycles: A good night’s sleep isn’t just about how much you get per se, but about how many complete, consecutive sleep cycles you get. A complete sleep cycle is about 90 mins. Ideally you want to time your nightly rest to getting as many as those full cycles as possible, while waking up in the first 30 mins of your last cycle, this will be beneficial. Beneficial because after 30 mins you start slipping down into the deeper cycles of sleep, if you’ve ever woken up from a nap and felt completely wonky and out of it …then you’ve woken up from a deeper cycle of sleep, which brings us to…

A word about naps! The reason they call them “power naps” is because the 20-30 min range won’t put you in the deeper cycles of sleep and can help you feel rejuvenated and refreshed. So if you’re going to nap it’s best to do it before 4-5:00 p.m. and keep them in the 20-30 min range. The next best thing is a full 90 min nap earlier in the day. The closer you get to your normal bed time, the more likely your nap will affect your ability to get to sleep that night, especially if your nap is a full (90 min) cycle.

Hopefully I’ve impressed upon you the importance of sleep and how critical it is to not only our training but optimal health and wellbeing. Remember that getting fitter is more about the recovery and what you do 98% of the time when you’re not training…not the training it’s self. So eat clean, prioritize your sleep, and listen to your body, it will not steer you wrong. 
-Tyler Holt   

14 March 2013

Friday


Now arise, LORD God, and come to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. May your priests, LORD God, be clothed with salvation, may your faithful people rejoice in your goodness."
2 Chronicles 6:41

Sprinting
100m Sprints 6-10x 
Rest 1 minute after each interval

13 March 2013

Thursday


"Now arise, LORD God, and come to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. May your priests, LORD God, be clothed with salvation, may your faithful people rejoice in your goodness."
2 Chronicles 6:41

Strength
35x Muscle-ups

then 

Practice front levers on the rings and skin-the-cat's

Striking/Grappling/Parkour
Practice some form of defensive skill for 1-2 hours, whether that be fight or flight...

12 March 2013

Wednesday


"They captured fortified cities and fertile land; they took possession of houses filled with all kinds of good things, wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees in abundance. They ate to the full and were well-nourished; they reveled in your great goodness."
Nehemiah 9:25 

Strength
50x Sandbag get-ups for time 80lbs

then

2x 200m farmer carry 150lbs

11 March 2013

Tuesday


"Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."
Psalm 23:6

Strength
5-5-5 Trap bar deadlift
3-3-3-3-3 Back squat

then

5 Rounds
10x Single arm DB rows each arm
6x Snatch grip high pulls

then

5 Rounds
Max reps incline press at bodyweight
Max reps heavy KB swings

10 March 2013

Monday


"I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living."
Psalm 27:13

Leaping Power
(1) 4-6 passes through agility ladder

(2) 3 Rounds
10x Linear bounds
10x Lateral bounds
20x Box jumps 20 inch box

(3) 5-5-5 Hang clean

(4) 6-10 Rounds 
Prowler push 40 yards at 50% bodyweight load
Rest 1 minute

(5) Work on balancing drills  

07 March 2013

Friday


"I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living."
Psalm 27:13

Strength
5-5-5 Trap bar deadlift

then 

600m Farmer carry 150 lbs


06 March 2013

Thursday


"Answer me, LORD, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me."
Psalm 69:16

Swimming
Swim 1 mile
Water confidence drills: 5 mins bobbing 10-12 feet deep, 3 mins drown proofing, 100m dolphin swim w/hands behind back
Work on 50m underwater swims

05 March 2013

Wednesday


"Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me."
Psalm 86:17

Work Capacity
Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 15 minutes of the following:
10x Ring dips
10x Heavy KB swings
10x Sandbag shouldering (5x each side)

04 March 2013

Tuesday


"But you, Sovereign LORD, help me for your name’s sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me."
Psalm 109:21

Flexibility/Skills
10 mins active stretching

5 Rounds
3 mins of jumping rope - mix in double-unders, cross-overs, shuffle step, slaloms, and running in place...
1 min rest


then

Practice rope climbs and hand balancing...

03 March 2013

Monday


"But you, Sovereign LORD, help me for your name’s sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me."
Psalm 109:21

Strength
Back squat 5-3-3-2-1-1-1

then 

10 Rounds
150m row
10x burpees

01 March 2013

Friday


"What shall I return to the LORD for all his goodness to me?"
Psalm 116:12

Stamina
6 Rounds
15x air squats
15x dive bomber push-ups
10x jump squats
10x grasshoppers
5x tuck jumps
5x clapping push-ups
Rest 1 min.