#trustrength

Friday: 6a circuit class at The Big Top.  He added a couple moves this time so it was 14 movements for 1 min, 15 sec transition for round 1 and then 30 sec, 5 sec transition for round 2.

Saturday: We had to be up and out by 7a to get the Little Man to a basketball tournament so we missed out on our normal Saturday AM class.  We weren’t sure how long we would be there as it was double elimination and the game schedule kept getting changed.  Our daughter also had her last cheering competition of the season on Saturday afternoon, so we weren’t sure if we were going to make it to that or not.  And to top it off, we had tickets to see Brantley Gilbert, Tucker Beathard, Luke Combs, and Brian Davis that night.  

Well, the tournament ended up being a bust due to unforeseen circumstances (another team didn’t show, among other things).  So we were able to make it back home in time to watch the daughter’s comp AND make it to the concert that night!  Everything happens for a reason!

Sunday: Since we didn’t have to go back to the tournament, our Sunday ended up being a good day to get chores done before the Super Bowl and it allowed us to hit up the 8a circuit class at the gym.  Later on we ended up going to a pre-game party with friends and had a good time before the game started.

The game itself...  Well, this was what I was up to in the first half because I was stressed right out!

But by the end of the night...  The Drive for Five was complete!!!!!

Monday: Headed to NJ for work.  Wore my Super Bowl 49 champions shirt.  Got a lot of good looks and a lot of “if looks could kill” looks.  The looks got worse when people realized the shirt was from SB49 two years ago and not from SB51 the night before.  You know, because we have options here in New England.  Hit the sack early after staying up so late the night before and didn’t get a chance to workout.

Tuesday: After a full day of working and all that jazz, I hit up the cardio room here at the hotel.  I made up my own little body weight workout.

2 rounds, 1 min each with 15 sec rest between: -squats -pushups -crunches -cardio of choice (rd 1 treadmill, rd 2 bike)

2 rounds, 1 min each with 15 sec rest between: -run lunge squat -plank up downs -bicycle crunches -cardio of choice (rd 1 treadmill, rd 2 bike)

1 min low plank 1 min high plank

What a crazy few days it’s been!

Forgot to post the last few days about the happenings at The Big Top, so here’s a quick roundup...

Friday: 6a circuit class.  This class stays the same for 8 weeks and then the movements change.  This was week 2.  It’s 12 movements, 1 min on, 15 sec transition to next move all the way through.  When that is done, it’s the same 12 movements, 30 sec on, 6 sec transition to the next move all the way through.  We finish up with a series of ab work and stretching.

Saturday: 7a class.  This class changes up each week.  Since the new year started, the instructor has been doing about half the class tabata style and then the second half strength work.  It’s a good format and always good for a high sweat volume.

Monday: 6a circuit class.  This class is led by the same instructor that does the Friday class.  The movements are different from Fridays, but like the Friday class, they stay the same for 8 weeks.  This was week 3.  12 movements, 1 min on, after every 3 moves you do either a 3 min jog/run or a 20/10 tabata (jumping squats, rev lunge kick, jumping jacks, rev lunge kick, mountain climbers).  He’s thinking of knocking this class down to 6 movements 30 sec on for two rounds because some of the moves are draining for a full minute.

Tuesday: No class today, but the wife and I hit up TBT on our own.  After stretching, I did a 500m row and then worked on front squats before a little amrap I put together.  

Front squats 4 sets x 5 reps: -warmup 135, 155 -sets 175, 185, 195 (PR), 205 (PR)

Yeah, that’s right...another PR!  My front squat PR now matches my back squat.  Again, these aren’t huge numbers for some, but I’m pretty happy with them!

11 min amrap: -10 kb snatch (44#) -10 oh situp (25#) -10 wall ball (20#) 6 rounds completed

Busy day tomorrow...Off to the office for my bi-weekly visit, then to pick up the Little Man at basketball practice and hit up Launch Pad class at TBT before going to watch some high school basketball.

Wednesday night means it’s Launch Pad class at The Big Top.  The new format is really good.  You get a good stretch in and the blood gets flowing too because after warmup stretches is a piece the coach calls “activation” which includes a warmup for the strength movement of the night.

Activation (3 rounds): -5 push press (75, 95, 105) -reverse butt kicks -4 box jumps (24″) -5 slam drops (20# wall ball) (w/ partner, standing at head of partner laying down, drop a slam or wall ball from chest height over their chest, they will receive the ball down to the chest and explode in a push to send the ball back up as high as possible) -10 chest pass (20# wall ball)

Then it was time to get into the strength movement: push press 3x5. -115, 135, 155 (PR)

After that we moved into a 3 round workout of the night. -1 min db thrusters (30# ea hand) -1 min kb single arm high pull (44#) -1 min cardio of choice max calorie burn (assault bike, ski-erg, laddermill) -1 min rest

Another good class and another PR!

Monday night class at The Big Top.  

For the activation warmup, I did 95, 135, 165 for squats.  For the strength part, I did 175, 185, 195 (PR), 205 (PR), 205.  I know it isn’t a lot for some, but again...given my history of back issues, I’m beyond happy with it.  For the russian swings, since they weren’t going overhead we were told to go heavier than normal, so I used a 62# kb the first time and a 70# one the second time.  First time swinging either of those weights and it wasn’t too bad.

Came home and had a nice chocolate peanut butter protein shake and the wife had a great dinner ready to go!  Now time to relax for the evening before it’s back to work tomorrow.

After a fun week in Mexico I made a return to The Big Top tonight.  I was only planning to do stretching at the beginning with the group and then do my own thing so as not to injure myself or make my sciatica worse.  But when I saw the workout, I knew it was movements I could probably do.

It was another good partner workout.  One partner did section A while the other partner did an amrap for section B.  Partner A was in charge of how long partner B had to do the amrap based on how long it took them to complete section A.  For the amrap, the second move in section B changed each time you became partner B and it was always a ladder to increase reps for that move only.  First time as partner B was +2 ring rows/pullups, second time was +2 slam balls, third time was +3 chest to floor pushups.  

My night looked like this:

Partner B amrap 1 -4 bb squat 3 second hold (65#) -+2 ring rows/pullups Completed 3 rounds Partner A 3 rounds -15 wall balls -5m-10m-15m gut buster  Partner B amrap 2 -4 bb squat 3 second hold (65#) -+2 slam balls Completed 3 rounds

Partner A 3 rounds -15 wall balls -5m-10m-15m gut buster  Partner B amrap 3 -4 bb squat 3 second hold (65#) -+3 chest to floor pushups Completed 2 rounds Partner A 3 rounds -15 wall balls -5m-10m-15m gut buster 

After the third amrap, I told the wife I was done...but my OCD got the best of me and I finished off the last partner A section.

Muscles are sore.  This was a bit more aggressive than the couple workouts I attempted on vacation.  Hopefully I don’t re-injure myself.  So far still just sciatica pain and no worse yet...

Back is still out, so I’ve been hitting The Big Top to stretch while the wife does the classes.  Wish I could take part, but I don’t need to  be worse off.

Today after stretching, I did some core and arm work.

-40 supermans -40 crunches on stability ball -40 dips -40 floor press (62# kb) -40 glute raise on stability ball -40 leg raise (20 each leg, on all fours)

I’m not feeling the pressure that comes with the herniation, just the sciatic pain and stiffness in the lower back.  So that’s progress...