Dave and Newton battle to see who can perform more reps in one minute.
Grip the ends of a 50 ft. rope looped around a pole. Move your arms up and down violently to produce waves along the entire length of the rope. One rep is earned each time a wave touches the pole.
In order to make each rep efficient, you must keep your entire body under tension as your arms move. This is one of those funky exercises where isometric and isotonic contractions occur simultaneously throughout the body.
The Rowing Challenge was on fire this morning. Is there something in the windy summer air? Patty Harper was determined to seal the deal on her gold medal and shaved 3 seconds off her time. Go Patty! She still holds the record for the IC females, but this time it’s at 3.45.9!
Congratulations to all the participants who are successfully breaking their records this week! You all should feel quite proud of yourselves. We will post all the winners’ names by the end of this week.
What has been the most difficult part of rowing 1000 meters for time? At what point within the race do you feel the most confident?
Lucky for us, Liz Wickham agreed to share some of her Bootcamp experiences with everyone. Enjoy!
When I signed up for the Ice Chamber back in December 2006, I promised my husband, “One month. Two at the outside.” I only needed a kick-start to my fitness program. I knew how to stay in shape! After all, I met Maya in 2003 when we were both training for a marathon. I worked with a personal trainer and ran three times a week. After the marathon, I slowed down on the running but started spinning. Feel those quads, baby – rock-hard! I even wrote an article for the Pacific Sun on outdoor bootcamps and tried out a few, including the one Maya and Steve were running from their home at the time. But then I moved from Marin to the Eastbay, fell out of my exercise routine, got busy, and…well…you know. One day, just like that, I was suddenly fat, flabby, and old.
So, I finally responded to one of the Ice Chamber newsletters. But being the self-disciplined fitness expert I was, I knew I could get back into my routine in one month. Two at the outside.
Which, no surprise, is not what happened. After just a few 6 a.m. bootcamps I was hooked – on the constantly changing routine, the group energy, the rigor (this is no Curves!), and the kind of discipline only a drill sergeant could impose. I had to face the ugly truth: I’m a lousy self-disciplinarian. I can take a trainer’s written routine to the gym and go through the motions – assuming I make it to the gym in the first place. But there’s nothing like Steve and Maya in “gym coach” mode to get me doing 20 burpees or row 1,000 meters.
Seven months later I’m still old, but I’m no longer fat and flabby. I’m steadily losing the “heart attack fat” that was creeping up around my midsection. My upper arms have more definition. And in addition to training for a half-marathon next month, I’m playing soccer every Friday at noon with my much younger colleagues. My teammates have a special cheer for me: “Bend it like Wickham!”
Here is the first installment of Dish It Out Tsan, a series of unique recipes brought to us by a culinary wizard. Tsan will be blessing us with lots of delicious and nutritious ideas, along with real photos, that take full advantage of local fruits and vegetables in season. Enjoy!
Summer just happens to coincide nicely with the desire to shed a few. This recipe combines the bounty of California living with the desire to get the hell out of the kitchen in July. For those of you who want to “travel to the dark side” I have added some decadent variations.
Heirloom Tomato and Roasted Corn Salad
4 servings
Ingredients:
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
3 tbl balsamic vinegar
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp sea salt (prefer Hawaiian)
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
6 heirloom tomatoes, selected for color
14 leaves fresh basil leaves
2 ears fresh corn
Combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and cumin together in small bowl or glass and set aside.
Meanwhile, cut tomatoes into 1/8ths and place in non-reactive bowl. Chiffonade the basil (cut in strips) and toss on top of the tomatoes. Roast corn over open flame on stove or barbeque grill until kernels are cooked and some are toasted brown. When cool enough to touch, slice corn away from cob and place kernels on top of tomatoes and basil. Then add dressing and toss. Serves 4.
Decadent Variations:
1. Add a grilled chicken breast to make a complete meal
2. Add chipotle sour cream (1 cup sour cream, 1 tbl adobo sauce, 1 tsp fresh pepper)
3. Toss entire salad into a saucepan. Saute until just heated through and serve over penne (only if you train hard at the IC the next day!)
4. Place tomatoes and 1 tbl dried basil onto cookie sheet. Roast at 350 for 30 minutes. Transfer mixture to blender and puree. Add corn, dressing, and 1/2 cup cream and reheat on stovetop. Serve soup with crusty french bread (only if you train at the IC twice the next day!)
New records were set this morning at our 1000 meter challenge!
Congrats to 0600’s Patty Harper for the female record of 3.48.2 and 0700’s Paul Davenport for the male record of 3.10.3!
Evening Core Group – where are you?!?!
When it comes to plyometrics, don’t neglect the upper body. Here’s a fun little exercise we do at the IC that emphasizes unilateral throwing and the stretch shortening cycle at the same time.
Hold a medicine ball with one hand at shoulder level (palms up) from the bottom of the squat position. As you jump to explode upwards, extend your arm, hip, knees, and ankles at the same time. The medicine ball should fly vertically. Absorb the impact as it comes down by bending your arms, hip, and knees at the same time (imagine a spring being pressed down). Repeat the sequence as soon as you return to the squat position, maintaining minimum contact with the medicine ball while increasing its time in the air.
The Rowing Challenge officially started this morning…
0600’s Piera Damonte beats Sara by 2 seconds at 3.50.9
0700’s Rick Benson matches Josh Hinds at 3.14.4
You have all this week to work on beating your own records. Friday morning is the official deadline. Bring it!
The kettlebell windmill is a wonderful exercise for the core musculature. Think of it as a twisty good morning. Not only is it a great stretch for the posterior chain (erector spinae, glutes, and hamstrings), it is also a strength builder for the transverse abdominis and internal oblique. When starting, choose a lighter weight and move up only when you’ve developed enough flexibility to get the raised arm perpendicular to the floor.
Sara and Jess on Lateral Height Jumps.
Saturday Core Group on the Low Wire Crawl.
Today we celebrate the birthday of the IC’s Mill Around Champ.
Prior to joining the IC, John Martinez was a corporate executive who insisted on wearing blue suits with red ties. He was often seen with a plastic smirk on his face carrying the Wall Street Journal in his right hand. Poor guy.
After nearly two years at the IC, he’s completely transformed himself into a sleeveless muscle man who never leaves home without a kettlebell in his left hand. No more plastic smiles these days, just facial soreness from writhing in pain.
Have a wonderful day Champ!