Ball Breaker Workout

Mark Blackwell feeling the love

x4 rounds
30-25-20-15
Kettlebell Swings
Burpee Tuck Jumps
FOR TIME

Med Ball Squats

Developing further balance with bodyweight squats on a med ball  

Advance Balance and Core Work

Only 6 sessions of balance and core work to get up to using 24 kg kb. BOSU is an outstanding piece of kit which targets postural and stabilising muscles which give functional strength and assists with relative and absolute strength. 

New Kettle-Fit Classes

Kettle-Fit is a basic Kettlebell and boxing interval work designed to introduce people to the advanced format of Kettlecross

To book call John on 07815960760

£4 per session

Tue 5.45 - 6.30 pm

Montreal School, Cleator Moor, Cumbria

Core Conditioning - Abdominals

The number one reason exercisers have an interest in abdominal work is for cosmetic reasons and treat the gaining of a 'Six Pack' as their Holy Grail of fitness and conditioning. There is also a second even more important reason for focussing on developed abdominals and that is CORE STABILITY !!

What is the 'Core' then?
Simply put it is the muscles in the trunk area of the body, front and LOWER BACK.

4 muscles at the front are;
RECTUS ABDOMINIS - Primary abdominal muscle. It's the one you see on people with a flat stomachs (Six Pack) BUT it is not six seperate muscles !! It is all one muscle with hoizontal fibrous bands and vertical connective tissue (Linea Alba) which separates the 'Six Sections' 
EXTERNAL OBLIQUES, INTERNAL OBLIQUES,TRANSVERSUS ABDOMINIS - Which run superficial to deep on the sides of the abdominal area with only the EXTERNAL OBLIQUES visible. All these muscle fibres run horizontally or diagonally and bend your spine side-to-side and rotate it. 

Why do you need a strong , balanced core ?

You use your core all the time and especially when exercising. Your strength, balance, speed and posture will improve dramatically, as well as helping alleviate back / hip problems.  

Lets get back to the 'Six Pack'. The difficulty is that most humans (body type dependent) store fat around the waist. That is why it is easier to see your biceps - as the abs are covered in fat. Women have an even harder time because women have a greater amount of essential fat - part of the trade off for bringing new life into the world !!

Of all the things you hear about abdominals, one thing is true..

ALL PEOPLE WITH FLAT STOMACHS OR A SIX PACK HAVE LOW PERCENTAGE OF BODY FAT 

You can train abs forever but you won't see the muscles until you eliminate the fat covering them !!

So, there are two parts to this;

1. Strengthening and defining the abdominal muscles and;

2. Decreasing body fat levels so YOU CAN SEE the muscles

To achieve this you need the Resistance work,Cardio work and good nutrition

In later posts i will look at abdominal exercises and general nutrition 

Meany Greeny - 06/09/11

This one was in honour of our newest member Peter 'Usain Bolt' Green.

WARM UP

General mobilisation followed by;

 3 mins continuous work : 30 secs of each exercise using Right Hand  (1 min 30) then switch to Left Hand (1min 30) total = 3 mins 

1. SWING  2. SWING SNATCH  3.FRONT SQUAT

TECHNIQUE

Single Leg Squats (Pistols)

With aid of a partner assess level of ability / flexibility then on to re-gressions

1. KB (as a counterweight)  2. SPLIT-LUNGE (KB in hand using a bench to support rear leg)

MAIN SESSION - Work in pairs

Functional Circuit x8 stations (x2 exercises per station) each pair do both exercises on each

45 secs work / 15 secs rest.  Total=16 mins 

STATION 1
a. Slam Ball  b.Lunges (hand touch under lead leg)

STATION 2
a. Ab Wheel  b.Prisoner Squats

STATION 3
a. Push ups (hold for 3 secs at top and 3 secs at bottom phase) b. Prisoner Squats

STATION 4
a. Wall Ball (6 kg/3 kg Med ball) b.Toe Touches (press up plank and touching opposite hand to opposite foot)

STATION 5
a. KB Stair Squat (KB of your choice-lighter is better for reps) b.KB Swing (choose weight) 

STATION 6
a. Clean & Press (Hydro Bag -unstable or lighter sandbag) b.Supine Plank (face up, feet and hands on ground and hips up to 'table top' position-hold for 45 secs)

STATION 7
a. KB Burpee Deadlifts b.Lunges (hand touch under lead leg)

STATION 8
a.Bear Crawls (4 steps forward and 4 steps back)   b. Bear Crawls

TABATA- with a twist

Boxing and Bodyweight Squats -(after 20 secs of squats, hold isometric position for active 10 secs 'rest') You will get a true 10 secs rest on alternate exercises.

 STRAIGHTS - SQUATS - STRAIGHTS - SQUATS - HOOKS - SQUATS - HOOKS - SQUATS-  STRAIGHTS

4 mins - SWAP with Partner and repeat


Well done - stretch and re-fuel

Tabata workout

Moving on from previous post on energy systems, lets look at a good, hard workout to tax those systems and make you fitter,faster and stronger !!  

What is it

A Tabata Workout is an Intense and effective exercise routine.

If you're short on time but you still want a decent workout routine, a Tabata workout might be for you. Short but very hard and extremely intense is what Tabata is all about. The Tabata protocol works so well because it maximizes oxygen consumption with short bursts of focused exercises.

The Tabata Workout was invented by Dr. Izumi Tabata at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan. The basic principle is this:

A Tabata interval is 20 seconds of hardwork followed by 10 seconds of rest.

Eight intervals in total gives you 4 minutes.

 Sound easy? If you do it right then you will feel it.

1) For 20 seconds, do as many repetitions as possible.

2) Rest for 10 seconds

3) Repeat seven more times!

One of the hardest aspects of doing a Tabata workout is staying focused for the whole 4 minutes. It only takes 6 to 8 very hard 20 second intervals with 10 second rest periods to substantially improve both your aerobic and anaerobic capacity - see previous post on 'Energy Systems'.  Dr.Tabata's group did a study to prove this idea. They also found that short-term intense interval training is highly effective in lowering the ratio of lean body mass to fat without compromising your muscle size.

This cardio interval training method is an intense and quick workout routine but very effective as it stokes your body's furnace to burn more calories long after the session..

The entire session lasts only about 4 minutes if you do it correctly. The rest period can be complete rest or a less intense pace. It is a great way to get a very intense workout in a very short period of time. I'm sure you'll feel like 20 seconds has never felt so long, 10 seconds never so short and 4 minutes never so painful!

I find the best and easiest way to time my Tabata workouts is by using a timer called the GYMBOSS Timer (available from Amazon at around £15) and is very easy to set and use. It is about the size of a small pager and has a belt clip and can either be set to beep, vibrate or beep and vibrate. It can be set for any amount of time and can be used as a stopwatch as well. An application for i-phones or i-pads are also available.

 Remember- before embarking on ANY exercise regime, particularly if you are new to or had a break from exercise, consult a GP or other health professional PRIOR to starting. Tabata is intense and is DEFINITELY NOT for beginners or the unconditioned.There is no substitute for qualified, good instruction and this is a benefit of attending our classes.