Join Us For the Santa Monica Pier Concert Tonight!

All late night classes cancelled tonight.  Head out to the Santa Monica pier anytime around 7pm for the twilight concert series.  We will be setup near the volleyball courts!

Thursday September 4, 2014

Prehab

1 Minute in Bottom of squat
Foam Roll Thoracic Spine + Thoracic Rotation
Active Hang for 1 minute

Warm Up

50′ Low Bear Crawl
50′ Duck Walk
2 Wall Climbs
10 pull ups or ring rows
50′ Low Bear Crawl
50′ Duck Walk

Cool Down

Accumulate 2 minutes hanging in hollow

Fitness

Strength

Alternate between movements every 90 seconds for 12 minutes (4 sets of each):

Tempo Back Squat x 6-8 reps
Tempo Pull-Ups x 4-6 reps

 Notes:  The tempo for each of these movements is 3 seconds down, 1 second up.  Build up in weight for the back squats each round.  Ideally use a spotter instead of band on the pullups.

Conditioning

Row 1000 Meters or Run 1 mile ?followed immediately by . . .

Three rounds of:

30 Double Unders
20 Kettlebell Swings
5 Wall Climbs or 10 Handstand Pushups

-20 min cap-

Notes:  If you cannot perform double unders, perform as many reps as possible in 60 seconds or 100 singles.  Recommended weight for the KB is 55/35, newer athletes and anyone with poor overhead mobility should perform russian swings.  For anyone performing HSPU, you must perform full range of motion, kipping is allowed.

(watch this on mute) 1 minute tempo muscle up, anyone got it?

Advanced – Active Recovery Day!

Eight sets for times of:

Swim 100 meters

Rest 60 seconds

Mobility and Maintenance:

Choose 1-2 Thoracic Mobility Drills and spend 5-10 minutes with them
Choose 2-3 Lower Body Mobility Drills and spend 10-12 minutes with them
Choose 1-2 Upper Extremity Mobility Drills and spend 5-10 minutes with them.

– AND/OR –

Body work from a licensed body worker (ART, Graston, acupuncture, etc…)

I have been seeing a Rolfer weekly and have seen measurable improvement in the mobility of my structure and quality of movements (like running, airdyne, walking). I highly recommend finding a body worker with knowledge of both myofascia and human movement.

Inflammation Maintenance:

This could be a lot of things, but think in terms of compression, contrast baths, salt baths, castor oil packs, etc….

Don’t forget the role diet plays in inflammation! Drink your fish oil and eat your veggies. I have also found EMS (electro muscular stimulation) to be quite effective as well.

Nutrition Preparation:

Ensure that you have quality foods prepared in the appropriate quantities to fuel your efforts for the remainder of the week.

A slow cooker is key to making sure you have plenty of good foods (especially meat) convenient with little effort. You can get 7 quart hamilton beach models on amazon for about $35. If you struggle with your nutrition or planning for the week, set up an appointment with me for help.

Mental Restoration:

Different for everyone – could be meditation or could be gathering with friends; the key is to engage in activities that make your life full and help you recharge your batteries.  

Speaking of mental restoration, I just got back from Burning Man and have been receiving a lot of questions about the experience. I frequently hear “what is Burning Man exactly?” To avoid sounding like a hippie I will give you an objective answer. It is a giant city in the middle of the desert (3rd largest population in Nevada for a whole week) that is constructed by its participants who burn/blow up things and live by these 10 principles:

1)Radical Inclusion
Anyone may be a part of Burning Man. We welcome and respect the stranger. No prerequisites exist for participation in our community.

2)Gifting
Burning Man is devoted to acts of gift giving. The value of a gift is unconditional. Gifting does not contemplate a return or an exchange for something of equal value.

3)Decommodification
In order to preserve the spirit of gifting, our community seeks to create social environments that are unmediated by commercial sponsorships, transactions, or advertising. We stand ready to protect our culture from such exploitation. We resist the substitution of consumption for participatory experience.

4)Radical Self-reliance
Burning Man encourages the individual to discover, exercise and rely on his or her inner resources.

5)Radical Self-expression
Radical self-expression arises from the unique gifts of the individual. No one other than the individual or a collaborating group can determine its content. It is offered as a gift to others. In this spirit, the giver should respect the rights and liberties of the recipient.

6)Communal Effort
Our community values creative cooperation and collaboration. We strive to produce, promote and protect social networks, public spaces, works of art, and methods of communication that support such interaction.

7)Civic Responsibility
We value civil society. Community members who organize events should assume responsibility for public welfare and endeavor to communicate civic responsibilities to participants. They must also assume responsibility for conducting events in accordance with local, state and federal laws.

8)Leaving No Trace
Our community respects the environment. We are committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities wherever we gather. We clean up after ourselves and endeavor, whenever possible, to leave such places in a better state than when we found them.

9)Participation
Our community is committed to a radically participatory ethic. We believe that transformative change, whether in the individual or in society, can occur only through the medium of deeply personal participation. We achieve being through doing. Everyone is invited to work. Everyone is invited to play. We make the world real through actions that open the heart.

10)Immediacy
Immediate experience is, in many ways, the most important touchstone of value in our culture. We seek to overcome barriers that stand between us and a recognition of our inner selves, the reality of those around us, participation in society, and contact with a natural world exceeding human powers. No idea can substitute for this experience.

Next year, I plan to organize a camp that is fitness-focused. My favorite camp the past two years has been “swing city” which is like Santa Monica’s muscle beach minus the ocean. The camp organizers participate and provide instruction on acrobatics to visitors. I learned some awesome new gymnastics skills and want to give back in a similar way. If you have any interest in being part of (or supporting) a camp that provides a unique “gym” experience in the desert let me know! Planning and organizing a new camp requires a full year’s time and early commitments!