Blog Archive

You love them…  With all your heart. 

So during Friday’s conditioning piece Chesty would like you to do his “Graceful” burpee.  Emphasis on form first then speed.

Check out this video on how to do “Graceful” burpees.

Shep Shep

Friday Lesson Plan:

Warm Up: Coach Choice

4×6/6 Side Plank Twists

Strength/Skill:

A) 12 Minutes Heavy Deadlift Single

B) 8 Minute OTM:

2 Speed Deadlift (40% of Established Single)

Conditioning:

1000m Row
50 Graceful Burpees

Saturday Lesson Plan:

Warm Up: Coach Choice

1×15/15 Stiff Legged Windmill

Strength/Skill:

A) 4×8 Empty Barbell Overhead Squats

B) Warm Power Clean

Conditioning:

8 Rounds: Partners Trading Off Movements:

6 Power Cleans 155/115
200m Ball Run 20/12
12 Ground Rows

Thursday Lesson Plan:

Warm Up: Coach Choice

A) 1×30 Full Bridges

Scaling Options:

1 Table Rocks
2 Table Inside Out
3 Elbow Bridge
4 Assisted Bridge
5 Full Bridge

B) 1×20 Floor Press Drill

Strength/Skill:

5RM Bench Press

Regress with Floor Press for those unable to maintain shoulder position.

Conditioning:

16 Minute OTM:

Elite:
1st. 3 Muscle Ups
2nd. 5 Handstand Push Ups
3rd. 10 Alternating Pistols
4th. 10 Straddle Ups

Intermediate:
1st. 3 Strict Pull Ups
2nd. 5 Handstand Negatives
3rd. 10 Skater Squats
4th. 10 V Ups

Novice:
1st. 3 Elevated Ring Rows
2nd. 5 Push Ups
3rd. 10 Bulgarian Split Squats
4th. 10 Tuck Ups

If you google one of these, you’ll find a fountain at the Tivoli Villa D’Este near Rome.

If you look a little closer to home, I suggest it might look a little more like this:

Did you know that we have 11 Babies due between now and early January? ELEVEN.

Put the Due Date with the expectant MadLabbers:

Sheppy & Shelley
Squad & Patty
Daryll & Danae
BK & Jess
Hallie & Charlie
Stacey & Rob
Bradleah & Mike (Lumber)
Jeff Almon & Eve
Lina & Andrew
Dexter & Bess
D-Cline & Colleen

June 23
June 28
July 30
Sept 25
Oct 1
Nov 10
Dec 2
Dec 6
Dec 27
Jan 2
Jan 5

For those of you wondering, “Should I drink that water?” or even, “What the heck is with all of the fertility around here?”, I have some research for you. There’s all kinds of info on fitness and fertility, detailing how being fit and staying fit throughout your pregnancy can help with the physical and emotional strain of growing a human. (Askbaby.com post HERE)

But what is different about what we do at MadLab? Well, I give you the CF Journal article, ‘Foundations’ (full article downloadable HERE) in which Greg Glassman states, “Among the hormonal responses vital to athletic development are substantial increases in testosterone, insulin- like growth factor, and human growth hormone.”

Ok…

If you look a little deeper into fertility treatments, you’ll find that human growth hormone (HGH) is used regularly–and yet we manage to produce more of it naturally with our athletic training protocols. The Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism states that, “Growth hormone (GH) is involved in the regulation of male and female infertility and has been used in the management of both male and female infertility.” (Full article HERE)

Interesting right?!

If you’re more interested in the athletic side of HGH, Breaking Muscle has several articles, one of which is HERE.

Whatever your family goals right now, it is pretty amazing to have so many MadLab babies on the way. I’d also like to congratulate our recent births: Darren & Sarah with Forrest, Amielle & Damien with Odette, and Lars & Anna with Lex.

SUPER BABIES!
~Squad

Wednesday Lesson Plan

Warm Up: Coach Choice

Include Barbell Flow:

1×20 Alternating Elbow Reaches
1×10 Slow Tall Cleans
1×10 Slow Hang Cleans
1×10 Tall Cleans
1×10 Hang Cleans

Strength/Skill:

A) 4×3 Power Clean from Blocks

Pair up with individuals of similar ability. Use stations that align “above knee” position.
Emphasis is on speed as acceleration is key.

B) 4×30-60 second Ring Flexed Arm Hang

Elevated Row (Feet on box)
Ground Row (As horizontal as possible)

Conditioning: CrossFit

150 Wallballs

Every time you drop medicine ball, or rest for longer than 5 seconds:

25 Double Unders

The 6th annual Nutts Cup is just around the corner. Well, sort of. The date is Saturday, August 29th.

Check out our Facebook Page HERE.

Registration Happens HERE.

So far, 15 teams have signed up, and only 15 spots remain!

As always, teams of three will battle for the prestigious CUP and PRIZE money. Each team must have at least one female. If you want to compete but don’t have a team, talk to Emily (eunice@madlab.ca) and I’ll help you find a team. You don’t need to be a top-level athlete to throwdown at Nutts Cup.

Once you’re paid and registered, send your team members’ names and your TEAM’s Name to Caitlin at caitlin@madlab.ca

If you’re new to the community, check out this video that exemplifies what Nutts Cup is all about. As we say every year, it’s one of the best days of the year in our community. You definitely don’t want to miss it.

Emily

Tuesday Lesson Plan

Warm Up: Coach Choice

Include Jumping Squats

Strength/Skill:

A1) 4×12 Barbell Hip Thrust

Use blocks at 11-13″. A regular bench is too high.
Increase weight on barbell as long as the gluteal contraction is maintained.
Posteriorly tilt the pelvis at the top of the movement. Ribcage down, crotch to face.

A2) 4×2 Wt. Power Box Jump

Land well above parallel on the box. Land soft like a ninja.
No swinging the dumbbells. Straight arm, be explosive.

Conditioning:

“2 Bits Gone Bad”

4 Rounds for reps:

50 seconds Push Ups
10 seconds rest
50 seconds Goblet Reverse Lunges 55/35
10 seconds rest
60 seconds MVC Bent Hollow Hold (Maximum Voluntary Contraction)
60 seconds rest

*MVC Bent Hollow Hold is worth 20 points. All or nothing here; you must hold the entire 60 seconds to receive the 20 points. Coach can remove points if position or effort is less than exemplarily.

Chestmas comes early this year. Take note of all the posted dates to take full advantage of the 6 week cycle. Look to get at least 2 exposures of a specific strength/skill to see improvement. Sunday is a great utility for those of you looking to get that 2nd or even 3rd exposure to a lift. Keep a look out for accompanied videos and coach guidance to optimize your experience. There will be plenty of guided options for those of you with mobility restrictions, injuries, or abandonment issues. Game on.

Main Lift Focus

Overhead Squat (First 3 Weeks: 22, 27, 30, 4, 6, 8)

The lift will take feature over the next 6 weeks. This is a demanding lift for all skill levels, and has the propensity to highlight mobility deficits. We’ll have 6 heavy exposures every week; this will include a lighter exposure coupled with Turkish Get Ups to supplement the lifts development.

Power Clean (First 3 Weeks: 24, 26, 29, 3, 4, 10)

The power variation of the clean will take a close second. We’ll have an opportunity to develop position and precision while we take our newly crafted blocks for a test drive; the blocks will highlight an above knee position to encourage healthy improvement in your second and third pull. Deadlift ramp ups and speed pulls will take care of the strength off the floor.

Supplementary Lift Focus

Bench Press (First 3 Weeks: 25, 2, 9)

The infamous open chain exercise is a testament of strength. I’ve always considered this the upper body squat; a full body compound lift of great technical skill. Often criticized for its damaging effects, the bench gets a poor representation in some communities. Highly effective for building shoulder balance and strength; the lift will be drilled as one of my personal favourites.

Hip Thrust (First 3 Weeks: 23, 1, 7)

It wouldn’t be a month with Chesty if we didn’t give those glutes some loving. I’m a strong supporter of the anteroposterior loading of them glutes; the position provides the greatest activation for the gluteal muscles while exposing the hips to variant loading. This will promote balance to the hips and less of a compressional demand on the spine compared to that of axial loaded movements like the squat and deadlift. Explosive powerful predators, thrust.

Mobility Focus

Overhead Stability & Full Bridge

Aligned with the strength focuses, we’ll have some integrated and optional additions to improving your mobility. With the likes of Handstands and Stiff Legged Windmills, the overhead will get the attention it deserves; often frowned upon, these pieces are essential in learning balance and awareness. The development of the Full Bridge will encourage some complimenting Thoracic mobility while improving the front line range of the body.

Abs are made in the kitchen, an ass is made in the gym; however, expect to hear the lamentation of your obliques. Crush your enemies this summer; stay fit and have fun.

Regards,

The Chestevez

Monday Lesson Plan

Warm Up: Coach Choice

Include Wrist Mobility Drills

Strength/Skill:

A) 10 Minute OTM: Alternating Partner Spot (Partner guides and corrects position for graceful perfection.)

30-60s Fingertips to Wall Handstand Hold *hands must be shoulder width or narrower

B) 3RM Overhead Squat

Conditioning: CrossFit

Isabel

30 Snatch 135/95

Time Cap: 10 Minutes.

Finish: 1 set Max Effort Pull Ups
*No bands. Scale to most difficult level of ring row (ie. feet under rings, 1′ beyond rings, 2′ beyond rings, 3′ beyond rings, horizontal, elevated feet, hinge row…)

Check this out:

I think its cool for a couple of reasons:

1. This, from way out of left field –

It takes about 190 milliseconds for us to see, to process, and to react to a visual stimulus.

Our auditory processing is a little faster, and reflex reactions (no conscious thought involved) are faster still, but even these pathways take time.

So you could say: everything that you are aware of, or are experiencing right now, at this instant…isn’t happening at this instant. It has already happened.

You can make the argument that the present doesn’t exist.

Past and future is all there is.

Which is an Anti-Zen philosophy of sorts.

2. This one is a little more practical  –

Providing there’s enough of a training stress to provoke an adaption, managing an athlete’s Central Nervous System (CNS) fatigue is one of the most important factors determining their progress.

Among other things, the CNS is responsible for coordinating muscle activity, recruiting motor units, and controlling the firing rate of muscles.

It often takes longer for your brain (CNS) to recover from an intense workout than it does for your musculature.  Some say up to 5-6 times longer.  For an elite lifter (lifting close to their absolute potential) it can take whole month for their CNS to recover from that maximal squat day, while their legs might feel ready to go after only 3-4 days.

CNS fatigue can be subtle in its early stages.  It doesn’t feel like muscular or cardio respiratory fatigue, but it definitely effects skill development, speed, coordination and power.

Decades ago, Soviets sport-scientists discovered measuring an athlete’s reaction-time partway through a training block (against a fully rested baseline) is a practical way to check in on the state of their CNS.

The ruler drill in the above video could used as a similar assessment tool:

• Take a few baseline tests when you are fully rested (like after a vacation).
• Retest occasionally. A 10% drop off the established base line should be considered significant.
• Adjust training load/volume and recovery strategies as needed. 

Food for thought.

Andy

Friday’s Workout:

Warm Up:

20 Glute march
10/10 Table tops
10 Squat and reach x 2
10 Cuban press

(:15) Like Sunday Class

Snatch 2-2-2-2-2-2 (90-95% of 1 rm)

-Do 1 rm Snatch if not done yet
-Do 5rm front squat if haven’t done yet

9 min AMRAP for quality

20s strict toe bar
10s rest
20s ring dip
10s rest
30s burpee
30s rest
20s ring dip
10s rest
20s strict toes to bar
10s rest

Saturday Workout:

Warm Up: Coach’s Choice

(:10) Reverse Tabata Lsit

(:15) Practice walking on hands

(:30) Tabata This with 2 minutes rest b/w

Tabata Squats
2 minutes rest
Tabata Pull Ups
2 minutes rest
Tabata Sit Ups
2 minutes rest
Tabata Push Ups
2 minutes rest
Tabata Row (cal)

Score is total of Tabatas

Optional Finisher: Miler then 10/10 Tea Party then 2 minutes each leg deep quad stretch

That’s it for me folks! Hope you are feeling stronger, more knowledgeable and fitter than 6 weeks ago. Chesty has the next 6 weeks. We’ll get a look on Monday.

Cheers!

The Shepherd

We are working diligently on our prescription for a “Great Life” or what we should call a “High and Meaningful Quality of Life”

So – I know we are on the right track. Exercise is like medicine. The Rx to increase your quality of life and your lifespan is looking on average like – 30 minutes a day (5 days a week) of moderate intensity exercise interspersed with about 30 minutes of intense activity mixed in throughout the week.

Here’s the recent New York Times article…..

The Right Dose of Exercise for a Longer Life

It’s worth a read.

In addition, it’s not just about a “longer life” but the quality of that life.

The vast majority of physically fit people are:

• less likely to require medical treatment to live
• much more likely to do fun and various activities till later in life (especially with family and friends).
• Learn skills and play more sports
• Have more in control over their quality of life by doing physical activity and proper maintenance.
• More conscious of their diet and lifestyle choices
• much ahead of a person who is inactive.

To summarize the studies guidelines/benchmarks….. They found people doing 150 minutes of moderate exercise enjoyed greater longevity benefits and 31 percent less risk of dying during the 14-year study period compared with those who never exercised.

Cool Thing though – Those who tripled the recommended physical “dose” – meaning a little more than an hour per day had a 39 percent less likely chance to die prematurely than people who never exercised.

Then the study pointed out that things plateaued past that level but they never significantly declined up until 10x the recommended dose. So 25 hours of exercise/week didn’t have any significant health benefit or people pre-maturely dying.

The new studies then went on to talk about the intensity of exercise not contributing to early mortality but the opposite, much like we’ve been toting for years.   Those who spent more than 30 percent of their exercise time in strenuous activities gained an extra 13 percent reduction in early mortality, compared with people who never broke much of a sweat.

So get moving,

have fun,

balance and vary your movements,

vary your intensities,

and play in all your energy pathways

TBear

Thursday’s Workout:

Warm Up: Coach’s Choice

(:15) 4 Rounds not for time

3 kipping hspu
3 strict hspu
3 kipping hspu

Scaling
-3 DB Push Press/3 DB Shoulder Press/3 DB Push Press

(:35) Warm up Power Clean

(:45) 14 Minute AMRAP of:

3-6-9-12-15…as high as possible of:

Power Clean (135/95 lbs)
Box Jump Overs (24/20″)

Optional Finisher: 200 Hollow rocks for time

HOS

The 6th Annual Nutts Cup will be held on Saturday August 29th, 2015.

I’ve often described it as the best day our community has every year. We bring hundreds of people together to pay homage to our dear friend Andrew Nutts for the example of his life and the sacrifice he made. We give thanks. We work out. We revel in the camaraderie of the day and our culture.

My Mom’s always told me that “It is in giving that we receive”. We had a picture of St Francis of Assisi’s Prayer on our wall. It takes a special effort from many different people to make this day happen. In fact, this giving is a big part of the magic that the Nutts Cup is.

We would love if many of you would graciously offer up your time and effort for this special day. There are many ways in which you can help. Below is a list of who is in charge of what. Please get in touch with whomever you feel you could help best.

Registration – dash@madlab.ca
Judges – sheppy@madlab,ca
Equipment – andy@madlab.ca
General (odds and ends, decorating, bartending, 50/50, decorating) – squad@madlab.ca

Want to know more? Need to register your team? Check out The Nutts Cup Facebook Page.

See you out there.

Sheppy

Wednesday’s Workout:

Warm Up: Coach’s Choice

(:15) 15 minute OTM

Odd: 15-20 second hollow hold then 15-20 hollow rocks
Even: 6-10 pistols per side

:35) Partner Workout: 10 rounds for time trading off rounds:

25 DBall slams (20/12 lbs)
40 Double Unders

DU Progressions
-Max 1 minute attempts if you can do 15 in a row
-Otherwise 60 high knee singles

Optional Finisher: Miler

Get after those reps!

Shep Shep

We often come to crossroads in our physical development. This usually rears its head after a drop off from recent success or somewhere in adaptive purgatory; more often than it should, it shows up through injury. Chances are you have tapped out the branch of your adaptation.

Each branch represents an access of Mobility (usable range of motion). You can imagine each branch can expand almost infinitely into a continuing cascade of accessible movement. These branches can be referred to as ‘degrees of freedom’ or ‘movement variability’. There is no one “squat pattern” that your body understands, rather a selection of ways to move about a similar squatting matter. You are not a computer; you are living breathing organic tissue.

Many will direct their efforts into hammering away at one directional strength, or compartmentalizing movements. The problem is, while they lift heavier or break down those various pieces of the movement, they’re still on the same branch. That branch may resemble a little something more like this:

With only one place to go, you’ll run into the same stubborn nub. You’re only as deep seeded as your roots, and only as expansive as your branches. When we reestablish access to ranges once lost, we can explore more options in how we approach movement. The more access to have to variability, the more likely you are to avoid disaster; when you enter a range of motion you to not have access to, you will hurt yourself. Provide more exit strategies and attain more entrances to successful movement.

You’re front squatting today. Quite often you are not held back by the strength of your legs; your torso begins to drop, trunk begins to break, and your shoulders crumble under less than ideal circumstances. Check out some of these thoracic mobility drills to regain position so those thunderous legs can seize the day:

Lesson of the day: Yes, it is your mobility (flexibility + strength).

Big love,

Chesty

Tuesday’s Lesson Plan:

Coach’s Choice

(:15) 5 minute dead bug

(:20) Strength: Front Squat – 5 rm

10,8,5,5,5…

So here is your chance to re test your 5 rm Front Squat after these last 6 weeks of hard work. Get solid and drive!!

(:45) Met Con:

5 minutes amrap calorie row
3 minute rest
5 minutes amrap 20m shuttle run

-1 20m run is one rep
-Coaches flip flop the class if you need to
-Run can be done inside and out

Optional Finisher: 3 attempts at max supinated horizontal hold on gh machine

Remember the days when you started noticing the opposite sex. You became both conscious and self-conscious of your body.

To stereotype for a moment: You started becoming interested in going to the gym, in gaining mass and strength training if you were a boy, and looking lean if you were a girl. But you didn’t really know what you were doing at the gym. You’d watch others, and started to pick things up, and before you knew it you had a established a routine involving bench press, bicep curls, lat pull-downs if you were a boy, and elliptical training and crunches if you were a girl.


The problem was you never learned the proper fundamentals, and you didn’t get that fit in the process.

Imagine you had learned properly. Learned how to squat. Learned how to do pull-ups. You would have been the envy of all your friends. And if you were a competitive athlete, you would have launched yourself to new levels on the court or the field.

This summer, MadLab School of Fitness is giving pre-teens and teens the opportunity to be that guy, or girl. We’re hosting a one-week Intro to Strength Training (aka Learn to Lift) to teach pre-teens and teens the basic principles of the most foundational lifts: Squats, Deadlifts, Presses. We’ll also cover some foundational gymnastics movements.

This program is ideal for any young person. Whether you they are looking to get stronger and bigger or they are looking to improve in a specific sport.

Date: July 13th-17th (Monday to Friday)

Time: 9 am until 11 am

Cost: $250

Ages: 12-16 (we’ll break into two groups – older and younger – if need be)

Coached by: Tom (Assistant: Emily)

Sign-up now as we’re limiting it to 12 teens. And email Emily (eunice@madlab.ca) and/or Tom (tom@madlab.ca) with you name and age and what you want to get out of the program.

12-year-old Joel – aka Emily’s cousin – will be there in full force, not just squatting and deadlifting. He’ll be there wowing the girls with his rubix cube madness, like he wowed us last nice. Imagine a Grade 9er with squatting and pull-up ability, who can destroy a rubix cube in under a minute!

Monday’s Workout:

Warm Up:

10/10 Table tops
10 Squat and reach x 2
15 Cuban Press
20 Power box Jumps

(:12) Group barbell drill of:

3 Rounds

5 snatch jump to hip
5 snatch jump to high pull
5 high hang snatch
5 heaving snatch balance to power position

(:20) Skill/Tech: Power Snatch – 1 rm

3,3,2,2,1,1,1…

We’ve worked hard and often on the Power Snatch these last 6 weeks. I’ve seen great improvement in many snatches out there. Peeps are definitely keeping the bar closer to them. Put all that effort and focus to work today.

(:48) Met Con: 12 Minute AMRAP

Burpee Pull Ups

Optional Finisher: Eazy 1000 m row – 10/10 Tea Party

HOS