Oliver and John know that when times get rough at home they can always rely on the IC to de-stress. The first thing these iron dads do is pick up a kettlebell and begin swinging that cortisol right out of their systems. When feeling extra tough, Oliver wears his black crocs to boost his testosterone levels.
Tonight was full of more interesting exercises on the painful wheel of death. In addition to showcasing stylish sneakers, this cute spinning apparatus is awesome for blasting the hamstrings and building incredible core strength. Most members hate the little guy until they get the hang of it so if you’re new to its evil powers, try to push through the workout and give it a shot next time.
On a side note, for someone who’s only been training once a week in recent months, Therese (pictured center) sure looks like a pro. What’s up with that?
Elisha and Brenda are demonstrating a great stretch for the pec and back muscles. While in the prone position, start with your arms behind you and lift your chest from the floor (think cobra pose). Once situated, have your partner gently pull your arms towards the ceiling. This is a great one for shoulder girdle flexibility.
Can you think of another good stretch for the shoulders?
Many IC members, especially beginners, experience tenderness or soreness deep within the lower abdomen and along the lumbar spine and hips as a result of functional training. No fun!
What stretches have helped you mitigate muscle soreness and potential injury while at the IC?
After a hiatus from the IC due to a combination of the work-job-overtime thingy and the flu buggy, Dougie-Doug, Dan Abs, and the Jimster are back in action. Doing plenty of pull-ups to make up for time lost.
Barrett has been experiencing wrist tenderness lately so we had to find a creative way for him to continue working on his plank holds without flexing his wrists. By using mini parallel bars, Barrett is able to keep his wrists fully extended while performing many exercises that include a plank component (i.e. push-ups, mountain climbers, and everyone’s favorite, the burpee). Just when he thought he’d be given a free pass out of jail, no such luck.
Though we don’t use these fun looking toys very often, they do have their place in the fitness world. We lovingly call them puppy weights which serve to prepare most members for the big dogs. Unless you’re injured and doing some rehab work, you were probably just starting out at the IC when you first played with these puppies. What movement(s) were you working on at that time? By comparison, what weight(s) would you pick up when performing those same exercises now?
With 10 days left until the Pan American Championships, we decreased the workout intensity for Dave (BJJ Black Belt), James (BJJ Brown Belt), and Newton (BJJ Blue Belt/ Judo Blackbelt). The intentional modification will help the athletes’ performance peak at competition time and not to mention, avoid the risk of possible injury before the fight.
Dave will defend his gold medal from 2003 while James and Newton will try to capture their first. Good luck guys!
Lately, the elusive Tatiana will only show up on occasion if she can torture a fellow trainee.
Case in point: as Maya P. struggles with flutter kicks, Tati can’t help but push her feet to the floor with every rep.
What does the future have in store for this soon to be Boalt graduate? We are afraid to ask.
Listening to pre-workout instructions can sometimes feel like you’ve just developed an extreme case of adult ADD, but tuning out will cause you to miss valuable information about technique, program design, and safety. Here’s your reminder to call on your inner “teacher’s pet” and focus on your coach once class begins. 