Thursday, April 4, 2013

And the beat goes on...

Not much in the last days.  Great workouts and lots of "life stuff" going on.  Looking forward to the warm weather and FINALLY being able to spend some time with my beautiful fiancee Anne, who will be here on a visit while we wait for her visa to come through.  We haven't seen each other since January 3rd, so this reunion is well overdue.

Today will be a rest day from exercise, but not from cleaning and preparing the house for her arrival.  Women, funny as it may seem, often have a different definition of what constitutes a clean home.  Now that I'm closing in on my last moments as a bachelor, my window of chaotic living (my apartment being dirty) is coming to a fast close.  It's been a good run, but now it's time to harden up and CLEAN UP.

Monday, April 1, 2013

Such a busy day I forgot I worked out!

In these days of trying to grow my business and prepare for the future ahead, more times than not I'm trying to find inventive ways to fit in a workout in the midst of running back and forth from wherever to wherever.  Just about every day of this I remember my workout, not always because of how hard it was, but merely for the fact that it's a HUGE priority in my life and I ALWAYS make time for it.  Today though, the workout just sort of fit in.  It wasn't the "event" of the day, but rather just another cog in the machine of movement that went into making today what it was.

I had to get in something quick.  By the time I got into the gym I had about 30 minutes to not only warm up (which I almost never do), but also complete a tough workout, and get changed and ready to meet with my next appointment.  Long story short, after a quick warmup of some push ups, sit ups, and pull ups, I completed the following:

3 rounds of 2 minutes work, 1 minute rest of:
5 Burpees
5 Pull ups
6 Sandbag shouldering (alternating)
3 rounds of 2 minutes work, 1 minute rest of:
Sandbag getups, alternating sides on the "stand"

In comparison to the workout I did Saturday, this looks like nearly nothing (at least to me).  But, and that's a big "BUT", when done to max effort, this little nugget becomes quite the female dog.  It's easy enough to allow you (me) to continue work without interruption, yet tough enough to let you know you really did something by the end.  Also, it's convenient in the way that it takes up little time as well as uses little equipment.  Nothing but a pull up bar is necessary, and if that's unavailable, sandbag bent over rows can be substituted.  Simple, basic, and unconventional-everything that I believe in!

When I first found kettlebells I thought that would be it for me.  I loved them (and still do), but have found a real gem in sandbag training.  There's nothing else that I've ever come across in all my years of being in the fitness industry that challenges you in a similar way.  To me, sandbags are the closest thing to grappling (or wrestling) as you can get-and THAT, my friends, is one of the hardest things you can physically do.  When you actually "fight" another human being, you're bringing yourself to entire new levels of strength and conditioning.  It's no wonder that combat athletes are some of the fittest people in the world.  The human psyche, in most instances, doesn't quit.  Our survival instincts kick in and we're literally fighting for our lives.  Pain and "the burn" kind of become secondary when someone is trying to choke you unconscious.

So, with sandbag training, you're "fighting" that dead weight in a similar manner as you do when grappling.  It's moving an object that's got it's own idea of where it wants to go.  No dumbbell, barbell, or even kettlebell demands the absolute control of a sandbag.  While kettlebells are a close second, they are still second.  Long live king sandbag!