Workout: "Tabata" 

Warm-up: Joint mobility and TGU 

"Tabata" 20 sec on, 10 sec off 

A1) Double KB Swings @ 16kg

A2) Double KB Vicking Press @ 16kg

A3) Double Front Sq @ 16kg

A4) Jump rope

A5) Burpee Dead Snatch @ 16kg

A6) Doulbe Racked KB Rev Lunge @ 16kg

A7) TRX Atomic Push-ups

A8) Renegade rows @ 16kg

*8 Rounds

Once again a brutal workout. I did this workout about 6-8 weeks ago, it proves to be just brutal every time; I wanted to go up in weight but I was smart to stick to 16kg. 

*(A Tabata workout is an interval training cycle, ex. 20 seconds of maximum intensity exercise, followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated without pause 8 times for total of four minutes for one cycle or round. Credit for this simple and powerful training method belongs to its namesake, Dr. Izumi Tabata from Tokyo, Japan. Just how intense can 4 minutes of exercise be?.....very! Once the clock starts, you are to complete the workout with a strict 10 sec of rest - including just 10 seconds to transition to the next exercise. 8 exerxises, 4 minutes per round equals a strict training time of 32 minutes. Remember, you'r only working for 20 seconds, so choose challenging weight.)

Workout: VO2 Max

Snatch VO2

15:15

24kg

50 sets of 8

400 snatches

21,200

* Tough VO2 workout, I was hoping to get at least 60 sets but I have been training with the 20kg at home; and I could feel the different and it didn't help the fact that my hands were starting to get torn. My goal is that by my birthday August 24th that I would get to 80 sets; so I can move on to the next VO2 protocol 36:36.

Workout: Circuit

Row 2000 m / 6:59

Then:

Pull-ups x 10

Push-ups x 20

Squats x 30

with 25# weighed vest

complete as many rounds as possible in 20 min.

*completed 6 rounds. I wanted to just do 10 rounds but time was limited. I have to say the workout was challenging and probably would have taken me at least 40 min to do 10 rounds. Getting ready for some VO2 tomorrow.

Workout: Strength

Warm-up row 1000 m / 3:28

Then:

TGU 16kg x 5

Swings 24kg x 20

Front Sq 24kg x 10

A1) Bulgarian Sq w/double raked kb 16kg x 5 /4/

A2) Double kb press (2) 16kg x 5/ 20kg-16kg x 4/ (2) 20kg x 3 /2/

B1) Reverse BW rows x 10 /4/

B2) Double KB Swings 24kg x 10 /4/

C1) Windmill 24kg x 5 /3/

C2) KTE  x 10 /3/

FINISHER

Snatches 32kg x 20 R, L

* Today I wanted to do a mix training but it ended up being more of a strength workout. My next goal is to sit down and come up with new goals and new workouts to stay focus on my training as well as my clients. The book to read is "Return to the Kettlebell" I really want to focus on new things but still sharpen my skills. I want to also start doing a bit more Olift, perhaps one day a week. Here we go August.

Workout: Circuit

Run 300 m

Snatches 15 x 20kg R,L

Burpees 10x

Pull-ups 10x

Swings 15 x 20kg

3 rounds for time: 16:40

Then:

TRX tricep extensions 10 x 2

TRX bicep curls 10 x 2

Windmill 5 x 20kg /2/

*Went to park today, it was a perfect day and since I had trained inside all day, I decided that I needed to go out and have some fun. I loaded up my kettlebell pack grabbed my bike. 

One-Day Functional Training Summit

Lee Burton/ Lee Taft/ Chuck Wolf

I had the honor to listen to 3 top speaker in the Functional Training. 

-Lee Burton: I was really familiar with Mr. Burton FMS system, which I believe has great value in screening  a client and helping a client to move better and perform better. It is a very basic screening no tricks no fancy equipment but very effective. 

-Lee Taft: The speed specialist, it was a very interesting using Taft technique, his low box drills are very useful and effective for learning speed drills and plyometric drills.

-Chuck Wolf: He blew my mind, over 30 years of experience in functional movement and study hand in hand with the pioneer of functional movement Gary Gray. 

Overall the functional training summit was about helping people move, not just training their biceps, quads or lats; but helping restore movement without causing injury.

Workout: Mix kettlebell training/  Yoga

Warm-up: Dynamic ROM, swings, TGU

Then:

A1) Bottoms-up clean & press 24kg x 5 /4/

A2) Double KB Front Sq 32kg x 5 /4/

B1) Double SLD 32kg x 5 /4/

B2) Renegade Rows 32kg x 5 /4/

C1) Snatches 32kg x 10 /4/

C2) Hardstyle Pull-ups BW x 5 /4/

FINISHER

TGU 16kg x 5  * 5 second hold for every transition in the get-up

Then:

Vinasya Yoga 90 min

* Today training was to focus more on technique, not trying to go too heavy or too light. I like the bottoms up clean & press, it really helps to focus on breathing (tension), grip, and engaging the lat/shelf; prescribe in "the secret of the shoulder" by Brett Jones and Gray Cook. I really tried to focus more in the execution of each exercise as a result I ended up having a very satisfactory workout. After my training session I courageously tried doing Yoga for the second time in my life and I actually didn't do so bad. And reinforce what I had already known, which is that my thoracic spine and my hips, specifically external rotators are very tight. The thoracic spine mobility it's so important on your shoulder health, which is one of my new goals to work on in my future training sessions. The Yoga class was very good, learned some good stretches and some value to their fluid motions; still trying to research a more hard style yoga as well. 

Workout: VO2 Max
Warm-up: 1/2 mile walk with 44# backpack
Snatch VO2
15:15
20kg
50 sets of 8
400 Snatches
17,600 lbs
*Very long day today, I wanted to get a VO2 workout, so I went home and grabbed my kettlepack, which I purchased from MBody Strength. I have to say it's pretty good tool to have, specially if you carry bells around to train clients. I had a 20kg available, I wanted to use a 24kg to continue my VO2 training; but I figure the 20kg was suffice I went for it. Sure enough even after a long day the Snatches felt great, the 20kg felt like a 16kg; very happy with my snatches and the VO2 training, but I need to finish this protocol so I can move to the next one.

July 21, 2009

Workout: Accumulation

50 Jumps @ 24"

50 Kipping Pull-ups

50 KB Swings @ 24kg

50 Walking Lunges

50 Knees to Elbow

50 Push Press @ 45#

50Hyper Extensions

50 Wall Ball Shot @ 20#

50 Burpees

50 Double Unders

time: 29:40

*Besides the ridiculous slow time, I didn't felt ready for this workout, more the reason to do it to see where I was really at. Overall it was a fun workout.

Workout: Max Strength

Warm-up: Dynamic Joint Mobility, Arm Bar, KB Swings 

Then:

A1) BB Deadlift 315# x 5/ 365# x 4/ 385# x 3/ 405# x 1/ 405# x 1

A2) Stacked KB Press (2) 16kg x 5/ 20kg/16kg x 5/ (2) 20kg x 4/ 

24kg/20kg x 2 /48kg x1

B1) Pistol Sq 12kg x 5/ 12kg x 4/ 16kg x 3/ 16kg x 3

B2) Weighed (foot anchor) Pull-ups 12kg x 5/ 16kg x 5/ 16kg x 4/ 16kg x 4

FINISHER:

KB Snatches 24kg x 20 R, L

Then:

Rollouts 3 x 8

Knees to elbow 3 x 10

*Today I finally got back into the deadlift. Although I haven't done it in a while I was still pretty close to my PR 430# double my body weight. I also tried a new pressing technique, stacking 2 kettlebells on top of each other, I also haven't done heavy pressing since RKC II; and at the end of my pressing I was able to press the beast only on with my right arm though.  Pistol felt great, didn't use any elevation which I'm very happy about that. I try not to train to failure today; I'm trying to follow what Pavel said about leaving just a bit more in the gas tank. I'm very happy with the workout, I'm back on track.

Workout: Strenth Circuit

Warm-up: Joint Mobility drill, foam rolling

Overhead Sq 45# x 8/ Push-up x 8/ Pull-ups x 8/ Deadlift 45# x 8

KB Swings 3 x 15 /32kg/

TGU 3 x 5 /16kg/

Then:

Double KB work

Seasaw Press 28kg x 5/ 32kg x 5/ 32kg x 5/ 36kg x 3

Front Squat 28kg x 5/ 32kg x 5/ 32kg x 5/ 36kg x 3

Renegade Row 28kg x 5/ 32kg x 5/ 32kg x 5/ 36kg x 3

SLD 28kg x 5/ 32kg x 5/ 32kg x 5/ 36kg x 3

Snatch 28kg x 5/ 32kg x 5/ 32kg x 5/ 36kg x 

Double Swings 28kg x 5/ 32kg x 5/ 32kg x 5/ 36kg x 5

*Back  to NYC, and back to training with Kelltelbells. I was inspired to the double kb work after starting reading Pavel's "Return to the Kettlebell".

Workout: Task
Double DB Clean Squat 50#
Pull-up 5
Push-ups 10
BW Squats 15
5 rounds, for every round add 1 rep on the cleans.
Then
Pull-ups 5
Burpees 10
Ball Slams 15 w/10# ball
JJax 20
5 rounds
*tough workout today, I'm at the end of my vacation and I really didn't want to workout out today, so I split 2 workouts, tried to get something in today. Going back to NYC; have a lot to get ready in the next month.

Day at the Globo Gym

I was desperately looking for a good facility to train while I was visiting in Texas, so I had no choice but to go to the gym my family goes to. I have to say for just the shier size it is very impressive, outdoor pool, indoor basketball court really cool; but it was until I went to the weight room area that I began to shake my head at the hundreds of machine, now I'm not exaggerating here. The funny thing is they have a small little area for "Functional Training" great I said, where is the squat rack? Nothing just a bunch of med balls and bosu balls, go figure; I guess functional training gets thrown around a lot. 

As the fitness industry evolves, we observe great claims of the next best technological equipment; but if our goal is to attain real “fitness”, training should be done in a simpler manner; thus we start developing a more natural and more constructive movement patterns free to move in our environment. This is why it is important that we train our bodies in a natural environment; and not constricted to fancy machinery, that violates every essence of natural movement. Real fitness therefore has to be enjoyable as well as real work. As far as research that backs up this technological equipment, we see what they produce this muscle bound physique, but it deprives them of real strength and real fitness; this industry have enslave us to believe that aesthetics is necessary and has to be substituted with natural movements, in which the human body was design to do. The essence of natural movements is to help us improve our everyday life, as well as in the sport performance arena; only then we could appreciate, enjoy and understand the effects of Functional Training as well as the aesthetics. 

Workout: Power/ Strength

Dynamic Warm-up/ DB Swings 3 x 15 w/70#/ DB TGU 40# x 5/ 50# x 5

Then:

Double DB Split Cleans 55# x 5 R, L/ 60# x 5 R, L/ 65# x 5 R, L

Then:

A1) Front BB SQ 165# x 8 /3/

A2) Pull -ups BW x 8

B1) RLD 225# x 8 /3/

B2) DB Press 50# x 8 /3/

FINISHER

DB Snatches 50# x 20 R, L

Workout: Circuit

Dynamic Warm-up

Renegade Man-Maker 5 reps (pull-up/burpee/push-up/renegade row/clean sq thrust

Run 400 m 

5 rounds as fast as possible.

Then

Kneeling Rollouts BW x 10 /3/

V-ups BW x 15 /3/

Cable Rotations 25# x 15 /3/

Remembering Gustavo J. Cordova

In July 10 2007, my brother Gustavo lost his fight against cancer.

Today I'm celebrating his life and legacy; he was a big workout fanatic so I will be doing a WOD in his memory.

Workout: Power, Strength

Warm-up: DB Swings w/65# 3x15

DB Snatch 75# x 5/ 80# x 5/ 85# x 5/ 90# x 5

Then

A1) Pistol Sq BW x 5 /4/

A2) One Arm DB Chest Press 80# x 5/ 85# x 5/ 90# x 5/ 90# x 5

B1) Weighed Pull-ups BW + 30# x 5 /4/

B2) BB SLD  135# x 5 /4/

C1) Knees to Elbow 3 x 10

C2) Hip Toss 3 x 30

FINISHER

DB Swings 50# x 30

*today I trained with DB, since I'm in Texas and most globo gyms don't have KB, I had to improvised a little. The pistol felt good since I was not using any platforms at all; it was really interesting gym, there must have been about hundreds and hundreds of machinery for every isolated muscle and very little free weight. I was looked upon like a maniac as I warmed up with the DB swings, and again with the pistol and the one arm dumbbell press, the guy on the fly machine looked perplexed at the complexity of the movement like I was doing a circus act. 

Workout: VO2 Max

Snatch VO2

15:15

24 kg

50 Sets of 8

400 Snatches

21,200 lbs

Workout: Power Endurance
Row 5 min @ easy pace
Dynamic ROM
"Big 55" (Variant):
Bench Press @ 165#
Goblet Squat @ 32kg
KB Swings @ 48kg
Burpee +
Deadlift @ 225#
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of each for time
*completed in 21:25

Workout: Strength

Dynamic warm-up: 

TGU (3x 16kg/ 3x 20kg)

Swings (20x 32kg /2/)

Goblet Squats (5x 32kg /2/)

Then:

A1) Clean & Press (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) @ 36kg

A2) Pull-ups (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) @ BW + 16kg

Then:

VO2 MAX

15:15

24kg

30 sets of 8

240 Snatches

12,720 lbs

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY.....

Ever since I moved to this country impossible things have become possible in my life as well for my family. In 1998 I joined the United States Armed Forces, I proudly served for 4 years and 3 months.  I was the lucky one who got to go home to his family and to continue my American dream which is well and alive. God bless all the men and women of the Armed Forces and God bless this great nation that I get to call home.

Workout: Open Circuit

5 min warm-up rowing

-25 Pull-up 

-25 V-ups

-50 Snatches 25 L, 25 R

-25 Push-ups

-50 Swings

-50 Burpees

-50 Mountain Climbers

Then: 

rest 5 min

2000 m row

Rest Week....

I decided to rest this week after a grueling 3 day course in Minnesota for RKC level II; but also because I have been training very hard and haven't really taken any time off. I was very active up until my certification, I was doing a lot of cross training but most of my work was around the Kettlebell. I think I'm going to change somethings in the way I train for the future which is why also I needed this week to do some reading and some research and try to come up with new goals for the future. Today I signed up to do a one day course up in California with Pavel Tsatsouline concentrating in body weight exercise as a way to train for strength not just conditioning; I think it's going to be great fun, very small class and I feel like I didn't have enough of him at the RKC course, I want to learn a lot more from this legend.