Today’s Bonus Round
After a short, higher intensity run early this morning, and taking care of one of my best personal training clients (read more about her later), I was psyched to hammer through my own strength/conditioning workout for today. The “basic” workout was the following circuit of exercises/movements:
1. Overhead Walking Lunges with Sandbags: If you’ve read my workout blogs before, you know how much I LOVE lunges and how much I really love the walking lunge. This is a variation that further develops balance and core strength.
2. Web Leg Curls: Using my ghetto TRX-like webbing, lying on my back and pulling one leg under my butt (while in a plank-like position–hips off ground) at a time.
3. Atomic Push-ups
4. Pull-ups
5. Bear Crawl Log Pulls: Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
6. One Arm Sandbag Rows
7. Tire Whack: you have to grunt during this exercise!
8. Webbing Mountain Climbers
9. Log Cleans with Chest Throw: I use a log about 2 feet long and about 8 inches in diameter. I clean it to my chest and throw it horizontally. The throw should be explosive. I try and travel in a straight line and will pick up the log however it lands and while cleaning move my body to throw the log in that line of travel.
10. Sandbag Overhead Presses Balanced On A Log: My friend Aaron found a great log for us to use for balance exercises. With the log lying on the ground, stand on it with soft knees and press the sandbags over your head. Stay focused and you’ll stay on the log.
I went through this circuit three times and then had the masochist idea to add a “bonus round” of just three exercises–Atomic Push-ups, Pull-ups, and Bear Crawl Log Pulls–executed for three extra sets. Of course, I upped the intensity in two ways–first, by deciding not to rest until I was done; and, second, by doing a set of Bear Crawl Log Pulls after each set of Atomic Push-ups and Pull-ups. So, while I ended up doing three more sets of Atomic Push-ups and Pull-ups, I ended up doing six extra sets of Bear Crawl Log Pulls!
It was enough to put me on the floor in the garage–soaking up the cool air from the fan. A great way to finish off an already tough workout and to prove that I could do that little bit extra when I put my mind to it.
Kip Koelsch Author 