Blog Archive

We’re still looking for you ‘The Community’ to come and join the coaches and apprentices of MadLab in a good ole fashion game of Curling Canadian Style.  Get out of your comfort zone and come play!  It’s much like going out for a little bowling, badminton or a game of darts with friends.  A little more about strategy, balance, accuracy and clothing style than work capacity.

My family has curled since I was a young child and still play today.  They have $100 brooms, $300 shoes, sweaters and jackets specifically made for the sport and hundreds of bonspiels between them all.  And yes I played a jr. co-ed season when I was 15. Came 2nd.  Since then, I’ve been all over the last 2 olympics where Canada won some serious medals and us, as friends watched the finals in bars like we would watch a Canucks game.

So we are going to play a friendly game this Saturday afternoon at 4pm. We have curling coaches to help us learn the sport, most of us have never curled!  So it will be a hoot!   The Skip – should be the engineer or strategist like Patty, Marylyn, Reto, or The Pup and maybe someone like you.  Then, we need good balance people that can sweep and lean their body weight into a broom while shuffling and sliding to get a rock into the house to score.  

My coles notes – Basically you’re throwing a 40lb granite stone, 140 feet or so into what they call “the house” where this bullseye (4 foot circle) is, surrounded by a 8 foot and 12 foot  scoring circle.  Anything outside is worth no points.  The thick Red Line is the hog line.  You must release your throw before the first one and get the rock past the 2nd for it to be in play.

8 stones are thrown from each team of four each end.  

We alternate back and forth taking out “guards” or curling around a stone and hide inside the circles for a chance to score.

Closer the better- and at the end – the closest stone (or matching stones) to the button scores point(s).  Skip gets to throw the “Hammer” (last stone), which can turn the score of the end.
The left yellow just came in HARD above is going to take out that red or two score a win the end.

We play 8-10 rounds (“ends”) and then declare a winner.

The sweepers can help the stone go further (10 to 15 feet for the pro’s) and reduce the amount of curve, but you can never slow the stone so, go easy tough guys – no dropping sweater yarn in front.

You start in the hack to basically push yourself and the stone out at the right speed you want. If you push it or spin it at the end of your delivery everything becomes less accurate overall. Your Skip/Coach/Instructor will give you a direction to start and either a in-curve or out curve grip on the handle which you’ll have to gently let spin out of your hand.  Again – bring proper curling attire (ie cool pants and ugly sweater). And we will head out after for a little post game fun

Tbear

Classic Warm Up:

Three rounds with a partner
20 Medball Sit-ups
20 Sprawl Ball 

Skills:
Learn a little about the perfect Thruster (keep your team to an avg 70%max Thruster)
Find the right band (if needed) to get 3-5 CTB Pullups in a row, minimum.  Range of Motion is the focus here.
Same with Dips (Biceps to Ring is the standard today)

Workout:
In teams of three, alternating complete rounds, complete as many rounds and reps as possible
15 Minutes:
9 Burpee Box Jump-Overs (24″/20″)
9 Thrusters* (135/85 lbs)
9 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups
Rest 5 minutes and then…
Continuing in teams of three, alternating complete rounds, complete as many rounds and reps as possible
15 minutes of:
3 Burpee Box Jump-Overs (24″/20″)
3 Push Press/Jerk* (135/85 lbs)
3 Ring Dips

*Big Boy Teams can add 20lbs to the bar (200+ Thrusters & Push Press)

You asked for more FUN and more LEARNING here at MadLab…. and so you shall HAVE IT!

This Sunday, the Christine Girard Olympic Lifting Seminar will be running from 8:30am-3:30pm in the small room. There is still room if you would like to get better at your Clean & Jerk, & your Snatch.  *Classes on Sunday will run as regular in the main room.

Next Saturday, the 28th, we are hosting our first Curling Bonspiel! This is a cheap ($15), fun, physical, and family event for everyone. Bring a friend who isn’t in MadLab… bring a ringer who can curl.  4pm-6pm.

There will be an hour of curling instruction, and then a bonspiel in which teams of 4 will try to best each other in this classic sport. You can come as a team, or you will be divvied up once we all arrive.  (Flasks should be considered mandatory.)

The theme of the day is Old School Curling. So dress accordingly… I want to see plaid and puffy pants galore!

Lastly, we are hosting our first ever Surf Trip May 21-24th in Tofino. You’ve probably seen the posters around the school, but stay tuned next week for details. This will be the first event to kick off our 10-year Anniversary. This is gonna be EPIC!

Why else do we join a community like MadLab for other than to learn, have fun, stay fit, and be active throughout every stage of our lives. We’ve been listening, and now it’s your turn to participate.

Learn. Play. Have Fun. Repeat.

Other events:
T-Bear, Cj, Tom Client Meeting, Friday February 20th, 7pm
Whole Life Challenge Wrap-Up Party, March 14th

~Squad

Friday:

WarmUp: Andys Choice

Tech:
5×1+1 Hang power clean + Power clean
(5 Rounds of 1 hang power clean followed by a touch and go power clean – think 60-80% of 1RM)

Workout:
Compare to Jan 1st 2015

“Get as Far as You Can”

3 min on 1 min off, 5 rounds, pick up where you left off each round

50 Wallballs, 20/14
50 Double-Unders
40 Box Jumps, 24/20
40 Toes-to-Bar
30 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups
30 Barbell Facing Burpees
20 cleans 135/95
20 shoulder to overhead 135/95
10 muscle ups

Saturday:

Warm Up:
10 min of:
Slow Banded Good Mornings(10)
X-Band Side Steps(20/20)
10 Ring Rows
15 Jumping Squats

Tech:
Dowel Hinges for those who are challenged
Deadlift
3×5
followed by a heavier
2×2

Workout:
“Diane”
21,15,9
-DeadLift (225/155)
– HSPU’s*

*Use pike HSPU for progressions – no double Foam Pads – work the full range of motion.
TBear

Canadian Sport for Life wants to improve the quality of sport and physical activity in Canada.

I love their model for addressing Long Term Athletic Development (LTAD).

Here is a quick overview:

Goal – Physical Literacy

Its important to develop physical literacy before puberty so children have the basic skills to be active for life.
Physical literacy also provides the foundation for those who choose to pursue elite training in one sport or activity after age 12.

Stage 1: Active Start (0-6 years). Starting early improves brain function, physical coordination, gross motor skills, and posture and balance. Physical activity should always be fun and part of the child’s daily life.
Stage 2: FUNdamental (girls 6-8, boys 6-9). Children should participate in a fun multi-sport environment to improve their fundamental movement skills through well-structured programs and informal play.
Stage 3: Learn to Train (girls 8-11, boys 9-12). More time should be spent training and practicing skills than competing. Inappropriate or premature specialization may be detrimental to later stages.

Goal – Excellence

Elite training is needed for those who want to specialize in one sport and compete at the highest level, maximizing the physical, mental and emotional development of each athlete.

Stage 4: Train to Train (girls 11-15, boys 12-16). Athletes are ready to consolidate their basic sport-specific skills and tactics. To maximize their long-term potential, winning should remain a secondary emphasis.
Stage 5: Train to Compete (girls 15-21, boys 16-23). Athletes enter this stage if they have chosen to specialize in one sport and excel. Formal competition becomes more prominent in annual periodized training
Stage 6: Train to Win (girls 18+, boys 19+). Medals and podium performances are the primary focus. They must now train to maximize and maintain their competitive performance at the highest level.

Goal – Health

Lifelong participation in competitive or recreational sport or physical activity.

Stage 7: Active for Life (any age participant). Athletes pursue sport and physical activity for personal satisfaction, fitness and health.

The LTAD an inclusive model with a long term (lifelong) approach to athletic development.
For more info about the LTAD, its stages and their training guidelines, check out Canadian Sport for Life.

Andy

4th Day into New Cycle (2nd Back Squat Appearance) – Warm Up (8 min):
(2 Rounds)
8/8 single leg RDL
15/15 banded X walks
2 min glute bridge hold

Skills and Strength Work (25min):
A1 – 6 Rounds of 3 Reps – Back Squat (Increasing weight each round but a lighter sub maximal day – 50,60,70,70,80,80% of 5RM)
A2 – 6×2 Power Snatch*
* Single Arm Dumbbell Snatch for those with challenging range of motion overhead (consider a split snatch here as well)

Workout: EMOM for 16 minutes
“Snatch your Pistols”
Even Minute – 3 Power Snatch*
Odd Minute – 3/3 Pistols*

*progressions – db hang for snatch, roll to pistol from candlestick off our new mats(It’ll give you 6″ booster to the floor as well.)

Optional Finisher:
“So Fun” – 30-25-20 unbroken wall balls
- then roll and mobilize

I just read this short article from Axon Potential, and wanted to share. Its about a quick psychology hack athlete’s use to influence performance.

You should check it out, but here is the gist:

“During a tough workout or a physical game, we get plenty of signals from our body that muscles are sore and the endurance wall is fast approaching…. our brain is wired to be overprotective and tells us the tank is almost empty when in fact we still have a reserve supply of energy remaining. By overriding this internal thermostat, we can surprise ourselves with an extended performance level.”

Research suggests, the nature of an athlete’s ‘Self-Talk’ plays a huge role in determining that athlete’s experience.  That goes with out saying, but Professor Marcora found that this internal dialog influences output as well.

Personal experience bares this out.

I’ve been rowing 4-6 days a week for the last 3 months. These sessions are very structured (work time, rest time, rounds, and output are all prescribed), and are often repeated, so I have a lot of comparative data.

In many of these workouts (especially the ones targeting lactate tolerance), there’s often a moment of panic, when I’m about to be overwhelmed (It feels like I’m wrestling an octopus… while juggling vomiting babies).

I’ve found, when things turn ugly:

Rate of Perceived Exertion is lower, Heart Rate is lower, and Wattage is higher during sessions when I tell myself “I can do this”, or “I’m strong” VS. identical sessions when I let my head wander off into all sorts of dark places.

Just like buttering toast, this new-age stuff can work for you.

So, when you’re hip-deep into today’s workout, pay attention to the conversations you have with yourself.

Andy

Warm UP:
90-90 with Press (DB external abduction at 90 degrees then external rotation followed by a press (light weight to start)

Tech:
4×5 Shoulder Press
In between sets 4×5/5 Banded Shoulder Press

Workout:
“Burpee Toes”
20 Burpee TTB
400 m Run
20 D-Ball Slams
200 Double-Unders (or 6 mins of attempts)
20 D-Ball Slams
400m Run
20 Burpee TTB