S3 Endurance

Warm up
Shoulder focus
Sumo Deadlift High Pull
* Working on the technique, focusing on the explosive speed portion of the lift.

Skill
*Handstand push ups variations.

Workout
AMRAP 20 mins:
5 HSPU
15 SDHP(75/55)

Cool Down
Shoulder mobility
Shoulder flexibility

Warm up
Agility and jump rope

Workout
2 rounds:
400 m Sprint
3 min rest
500 m Row Sprint
3 min rest
75 Double Unders
3 min rest

Cool Down
Stretch

WORKOUT
3 rounds
10 power snatch (95/65)
20 wall ball
50m shuttle sprint
Rest 1 minute

Rest 3 minutes

3 rounds
10 Deadhang Pullups
25 Box jumps
Rest 1 min

Rest 3 minutes

30 Turkish Get ups (1.5/1)

Working off your 1 rep max:
2 warmup sets and then 3 working sets of:
Front Squat
Press
5 @ 65%
5 @ 75%
5 @ 85%

*3-4 mins rest in between sets.
*On the last set of 5 for each excercise, do as many reps over 5 that you can. Go to failure.

METRO DASH
This weekend was the Metro Dash in uptown Charlotte. I managed to get a great picture of a bunch of our good friends in the CrossFit community. I wanted to give a big shout out to Ultimate CrossFit and CrossFit Voltage. On top of that, there was CrossFitter’s from all over. It was great to see the mutual respect and support throughout the morning. The race was a blast and I highly recommend it to anyone in the future who has fun pushing themselves.

Crossfit Athlete Profile – Cristina Gillespie from S3 Endurance on Vimeo.

Come join us at 1pm today at the Fit Trail in Ballantyne Corporate Park.

25 box jumps
25 k2E
25 db push press
25 body row
600 m run
25 push ups
25 SDHP
25 jumping pull-ups
25 burpees

WORKOUT
25 Rounds

9 Thrusters (75/55)
9 Push Ups
9 Tuck Jumps

* Teams of 2 or 3
* These rounds can be split up how ever the team wants.
* No rules other than each round needs to be fully completed by one person.
* A strong athlete could complete two rounds in a row if they choose.
* Thrusters can be done with dumbbells too / trainers choice.

Warm Up
Hip mobilty
Squatting Prep Work

Workout
amrap 20 minutes
25 Burpess
15 Back Squats (Body Weight)

Stretch
Hips and Hammy’s

Movement Prep…..
We have been talking a lot lately at S3 Endurance about movement prep. What we mean is actaully prepping the body for the work it is about to do. Not only is it smart, but many will argue that it is more important than the actaul work.

When I received this article a couple weeks back I thought it really backed up our point and wanted to share it with everyone.

It is written by Greg Everett who owns Catalyst Athletics. His company also has a monthly journal “The Performance Menu” on their website.  It is full of great articles and information. Feel free to check them out.

Before I Squat
Greg Everett
Catalyst Athletics
The Performance Menu

It struck me the other day while being miserable squatting that for all the talk and writing about how to squat, where to put the bar, how to program squats, there’s a lack of talk on what to do before you squat. Maybe that’s because I’m the only one who thinks it’s worth talking about, but hopefully that’s not the case.

Step one is to be prepared physically for your squats. This can apply to programming, i.e. don’t be trying to do weights, reps, and sets you shouldn’t be, but in this case I mean being prepared for the actual movement. Often squats are performed at or near the end of a workout, and if those workouts include things like snatching and cleaning, you’re more than likely pretty warm. However, if you’re squatting first or after exercises that don’t include some kind of squatting motion, take the time to prepare.

Heavy squatting, especially for more than a single rep, is hard enough – when you add an element of discomfort or pain in the movement, your capacity will be limited whether you recognize it consciously or not. The ability to sit in completely and comfortably to the bottom of a squat will allow you to focus on positioning and applying effort to the fullest degree. Pain or discomfort will make you hesitant and invariably force you into different positions. When you’re handling big weights, even very subtle shifts in position or your movement in or out of the bottom can cause a failed lift.

The full topic of warming up is beyond the scope of this discussion, but suffice to say you should be consistently doing some kind of thorough preparation work for all of your training. I’ve previously encouraged you to foam roll during this prep time, and this is particularly helpful when it comes to preparing for squats.

I like to start with my upper back and loosen up my T-spine, which, like in most people, is tighter and less mobile than it should be. If I’m really locked up, I may spend some time after several passes just lying back over the roller at different points and trying to let myself relax.

Next I will roll on my glutes, first with my legs straight out, moving across all aspects. Then I’ll cross my leg over my other knee and hit all the hot spots in that lateral area that’s typically troublesome. After this, I roll to each side and hit just the crest of my pelvis and around to the rectus femoris origin.

I’ll then roll on the front of both my quads together. After a series of passes straight on, I’ll rotate so I can hit the VMO of one leg and the lateral distal quad insertion of the other at the same time, and shift back and forth between legs. From here it’s on to each quad alone, focusing in particular on the lateral aspects that tend to get extremely tight and chunky. I’m also sure to make long passes along the length of the quad up to top where I couldn’t reach with both legs together. This is where I spend the most time.

Following the quad work, I will hit the hamstrings very briefly since they never give me much trouble, and then with one leg sitting near the end of the roller, I will spend some time on that adductor origin region, which I imagine looks much like the dangerous tangle of cables under my desk. This is usually the most painful area of the session.

Finally, I will hit the calves. This is an awkward region to roll and I don’t spend as much time on it as I should simply because I get tired of holding myself up. However, rolling out the soleus in the 4-6 inches above the achilles tendon from back to side is immensely beneficial if you’re anything like me and get serious lower leg pain from squatting if my ankles are too tight. This pain is one of the big limiters on sitting in to the proper bottom position of a squat.

Next, I have a stretch I always do no matter what else I do or don’t do. WIth my feel well outside my normal squat stance, I lean down and grab the tops of my shoes at the ankles, wedge my elbows between my thighs, and sit my hips down slowly, pushing out against my thighs. Basically, I’m trying to push my femurs out away from my hips. This is very different from pushing your knees out. In this position, I will shift slowly from side to side and shift my hips up and down. After this I will sit in the squat position and stretch my ankles by keeping my foot flat on the floor and leaning my elbows on one knee, trying to close the ankle as much as possible.

When I’m feeling loose enough, I will grab a mini-band and wrap it around my legs just below the knees and perform a few slow squats, pushing out against the floor with my feet and against the band with my knees (don’t push the knees out without pushing the feet out).

From here I’ll finally get under the bar (an empty one) for a few squats. These tend to be slow and with pauses in the bottom with a bit of gentle bouncing for a bit more stretching. Depending on how I’m feeling, I may do a few sets with the empty bar or 50-70kg before starting my jumps up to my working weight.

Once you’re actually squatting, there are still a few things to consider. While a squat doesn’t have the technical elements of the snatch or clean & jerk, heavy sets definitely demand focus and mental preparation. Visualize your set being successful and powerful and generate the confidence you need. Quit talking with the people around you for at least a few moments before you get up for your set. Don’t watch anyone else lifting.

Get chalk. With the bar on your back or shoulders, this seems odd, but if you’re sweating, dry hands on the bar will make you feel more secure.

Slap your quads, your glutes and your lower back a few times (Use the backs of your fists on your back, or you can lean forward to get a real 2-hand slap on your lower back). I honestly can’t tell you the mechanism behind this, but it works. And if it only works because you think it works, it still works.

Finally, be confident and forceful when you lift the bar out of the rack. This will have a significant effect on your confidence for the squat. If you unrack the bar meekly, it’s going to feel extremely heavy and you’re just going to set yourself up to begin doubting your ability to squat it. Instead, get a big breath, set your trunk solidly, plant yourself squarely and securely under the bar, and drive it up out of the rack without hesitation. Feeling the bar shoot up will remind you of your abilities and inspire the confidence you need.

Warm Up
800m or 1 mile jog
* Judge according to ability

Workout

“Tabata day”
Row
Double Unders
Pull Ups
Mountain Climbers

* 8 rounds of each exercise
* 20 secs on / 10 sec off
* 1 minute rest between each round
* Scoring = total reps
* mountain climbers not included in scoring

CORE

* plank variations

STAMINA / STAMINA / STAMINA

Stamina (Wikipedia)
Stamina, the capability of sustaining prolonged stressful effort.

Stamina (Answers.com)
The quality or power of withstanding hardship or stress.

Stamina(S3 – Our Definition)
The mental and physical capacity to withstand fatigue.

Stamina can be looked at in many different ways.  In the end they all tend to lead towards one common thing, longevity.  Whether it be in your sport or in life, I think we could all agree it is pretty damn important.

To look at “Stamina” in another light, I want everyone to think about longevity and the other side of health.  Things like eating right, sleeping well, having low levels of stress.  The importance of off days, stretching and active recovery.  Many of us train very, very hard while others don’t train enough.  Are we functionally mobile?  Do we feel healthy and well on daily basis.  Are we stiff always?  Do you ache all over …. all the time?  Can I do what ever is asked of me?

I have been working with Joe Tedesco of Elite PT.  He has been helping me with my own imbalances which usually stem from lack of flexibility and mobility.  A side affect of my past career as a hockey player.  It started with a serious back injury that forced me to re-evaluate my overall level of fitness.  The work has been positive and humbling.  I see Joe once a week and plan to keep this a part of my overall fitness.

Although I consider myself to be a fairly fit guy there are things I can always work on too.  When I think of stamina I want to be able to do this for a long time so ……. that is what stamina means to me.

What does stamina mean to you?