Guarden’s Focused Strength

Just got some jumpstretch in different sizes. What an amazing training device, makes it possible to train for the One-Arm pullup, in my oppinion the most impressive feat for upper body athleticism. Take a look at the video below which contains a max-attempt for dips + extra weight and some assisted one-arm pullups.

Dips

5 x bw+25kg
3 x bw+35kg
2 x bw+45kg
1 x bw+65kg

Then I practiced for the one-arm pullup. The great thing with these elastics is, that they will help you in the hardest part of the exercise, in this case the bottom position where interaction between the myofilaments is mostly compromised.

Performed something like:

One-arm pullups (with red and purple jumpstretch)

2/2 reps x 2 x 4

Tough!!

In the weekend I was out teaching new fitness instructors and included some additional One-arm pullups and One-arm pullups with resistance. A way to increase the difficulty level of the One-arm pushup. I will upload a video of it later during the week.
Besides that it can be used to assist people who are not yet strong enough to perform the one-arm pushup by winding the jumpstretch under the torso mounted to i.e. a pullup bar or the smith-rack. Finaly found something appropriate it could be used for

/Jacob

Thursday, October 25

This morning was the time for some real strength training.
Take a look at this video containing zercher squats, roll-outs, rings and ropeclimbing and some one-arm-pushups.

The roll-out really blasts the abdominals. Gives instant DOMS afterwards

The crew are some of my friends who team up twice pr. week for some serious workout.

Here is the entire workout

Zercher Squats

5 x 60 kg
5 x 60 kg
5 x 80 kg
3 x 100 kg
2 x 110 kg
1 x 120 kg

This exercise is just great for inducing overall strength. Teaches you correct spine posture while lifting, especially the thoracal spine gets loaded and forced into extension. My good friend Kenneth Jay made me aware of this exercise, thanks!
Every time the weights got picked up from the floor.

Roll-outs

2 on the right arm. The ROM could be better, that must be the way to progress. It is incredible tough for the abdominals.

Thereafter we were playing around in the ropes and rings with different moves

Tuesday, October 23

Included 2 x running with 2 hours between.

Time: 16:27
AVG HR: 172
MAX HR: 181
——————-
Time: 23:03
AVG HR: 167
MAX HR: 185

Time for some update. Have been in summerhouse with some good old friends, with lot’s of fun and party, and only minimal training. Great to have some days off ones in a while. Makes me even more eager to come back and do the heavy workouts.

This morning I teamed up with “The Filthy Few” for GPT # 3 - General Physical Toughness
This kind of training really makes you completely wasted in a great way. It not only taxes your physique all out, but to a high degree your mentallity as well. It will toughen you up!!

Monday, October 22, 2007

Strength training with my powerlifter friend, Poul. He showed me a lot of good stuff, and how to squat with bands.

Check out the workout here

The workout were as follows:

BOR made as clusters (10-15 sek. break) between i.e 5 x 80 kg and 3 x 80 kg.
5 x 80 kg
3 x 80 kg
2 x 80 kg

5 x 80 kg
3 x 80 kg
2 x 80 kg

5 x 80 kg
3 x 80 kg
2 x 80 kg

5 x 80 kg
3 x 80 kg
2 x 80 kg

5 x 80 kg
3 x 80 kg
2 x 80 kg

Squat w. bands

5 x 50 kg
5 x 50 kg
5 x 50 kg
5 x 70 kg
5 x 70 kg
5 x 70 kg

Split military press w. bands

6 x 40 kg
6 x 40 kg

Dips w. 2 x bands

5 x BW + 2 bands
5 x BW + 2 bands
10 x BW + 2 bands
10 x BW + 2 bands

Workout in summerhouse

Action speaks louder than words

Have fun, and see ya for some more inspiration

Yesterday workout was a course with high emphasis on strength.
Completed 5 rounds with ~ 5 min recovery between each round.

In the evening I ran 2 x 4 km with average heartrate 165 bpm.

Stay tuned

Teamed up with a good friend of mine, who is very skilled in the technique of powerlifting.
He showed me how to do squats with chain, which I have never tried before. Feels very good just to be able to accelerate through the entire ROM. More of that.
Besides that we trained a lot of technique in my deadlift with light weights.
For the next TSC I am going to pull 240 kg ( 3 x BW), so better up my technique and add it to my Viking Power

We trained in the weightlifting facility in DK, and suddenly I found a barbell prepared with 180 kg.
Couldn’t resist trying it.

Check out this video for a short resumé

Thereafter we did 3 rounds of

Triple Threat of pullups

Right now my max level for wide grip pullups are 17-18, which I am farely satisfied with.
The target is 30 rep BW, and 1 rep one-handed.

Tomorrow it is Gym Training with Ropes, rings and fun

//Guarden.

Yesterday I did 45 min. of submission with my good friend Thomas AKA Il Tempo Gigante.
Just rolling around, great.

Check out this video I found in Kenneth Jays BLOG.
Excellent description of how biomechanics work during to impacts.
…it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog in the fight!

and take a look at the concept in a sport for real men

I can’t imagine how strong these guys ligaments, bones, cartilage etc. must be to prevent servere injuries to happen.
The next trainingsession in the gym will be inspired by rugby-training

October 11

Hello there

Take a look at this video. It contains the training course my friends and I have done today.
It involves strength, plyos, ninjamoves and agility. Made in this combination you will compromise each adaptation, but it was great fun and mean as hell. I will characterice this kind of workout GPT.

GPT = General Physical Toughness

GPT because it just toughen people up to do these kinds of workouts. The heartrate went to the sky, it is just nasty.
A lot of athletes are to “spoiled” and need to feel how it is when it really hurts.

Did 5 rounds, and each round lasts for about 1:10.
The breaks equaled about 3 minutes.

After the rounds I was totally banged. Had the taste of iron and blood in the mouth, and had the feeling as if I was going to black out. Got outside and laid down on the cold pavement to provoke a peripheral vasoconstriction to increase the bloodflow to the inner organs i.e. the heart.

Damn hard, can’t wait to the next time

Already have new ideas I want to include, which will make it even tougher.

I performed the workout in my Nike Free 7.0 to increase the demand of the stabilizers of the foot, while doing the agility moves.
Athletes need to think a little more about what kind of footwear they use for different purposes, and in which part of their planned progression training. Off season they need a lot of workouts with footwear such as the free’s to stimulate adaptations in their ligaments, stabilizers in the feet. By using shoes such as the Nike Free you will also stimulate the hip-stabilizers (Glut. med.) which is good for knee-stability.

Stay tuned, next time I do this kind of workout will be tuesday.

October 10

Nothing but relaxation and active recovery.
20 min. of Z and 30 min Foamrolling

October 9

JMT

15 min

Monkey pullups

3 reps, 52 cm up and down, 4 sets

…Then

Performed a modified version of the Strength Agility course without the plyo jumps and cones
Also did 5 rounds.

Excentric pullups

BW, 3 reps, 5 sets (A friend of mine pulled me down with great force.

Zercher squats, rock bottom

60 kg, 5 rep, 1 set
70 kg, 5 rep, 1 set
90 kg, 5 rep, 2 sets
70 kg, 10 rep, 2 sets

10 hours later…

Triple Threat of Pullups

17,2,1 reps
15,2,1 reps

Guarden over and out!

At the moment I am reading “Athletic Development” by Vern Gambetta

Very detailed and well written book about his ideas concerning training of elite athletes.

Here is his oppinion about what he calls Dynamic 3-D Flexibility:

“Even though flexibility is a key component of training it is misunderstood, misapplied, overemphasized in certain instances, and underused in other circumstances. It falls under the broad umbrella of work capacity because it can be a limiting factor in effective perfomance of other training components. Limits in functional flexibility can significantly impair the ability to move efficiently. Flexibility is a good example of the application of the principle of context. In context, flexiblity is very beneficial; taken out of context, it can be detrimental. Flexibility is closely related to strength and posture. Functional flexibility will create a dynamic three-dimensional active range of motion of body segments for the required motor task. Three-dimensional implies control around the joint in all three planes of motion. Flexibility is not an end in itself, and flexibility and stretching are not synonymous. Traditionally flexibility is defined as range of motion around a joint. A more suitbale definition is range of motion around a joint with control.

…The key is control.”

I think the main points are as follows:

Always keep outstanding posture and form while performing your exercises

Be specific regarding which exercises you choose to increase your flexibility

See the book here

Here is a short remix of my attempts in the TSC 2007.

I hadn’t been training for the deadlift or pullups for long, but beat my DL PR by 16 kg with 196 kg/431 lbs.

The pullups were 20 reps, 5 from my personal best.

The snatch was the only discipline I had been training up to the competition, I did 141 reps.

Well, the technique in the deadlift is not very pretty (what do you say Rif ), but up it went

October 5

Have been out educating personal trainers friday, saturday and sunday, so the training have been a little sporadic:

Triple threat of pullups (Pullups wide grip –> pullups narrow grip –> chinups)

15, 2, 2 = 19 total
14, 2, 2 = 18 total

One Arm Rollouts on dumbbell

3 repetitions on the right arm. Pretty tough, I will see if I can film it next time. Takes a lot of effort to increase the tension in the obliques and the rest of the body to prevent disaster

October 6

Joint Mobility / Z-health

10 min

Zercher squat

60 kg, 6 rep, 2 sets
70 kg, 6 rep, 1 set
80 kg, 6 rep, 3 sets

Alternated

Pullups

BW + 14 kg, 8 rep, 4 sets

The pullups are really just fantastic at the moment. Wonna be able to do the same volume of pullups as I was capable of 2 years ago. Back then I did pullups every day, and could just go on and on.

October 7

Joint Mobility meets Z-health

15 min

Deadlift, konventional

140 kg, 3 rep, 6 sets
Start time = 90 seconds

Pretty hard to keep going. Set my timer (GymBoss) to start every 90 sec. Kenneth Jay sells these wonderfull devices
Ended up doing some light reps:

100 kg, 5 rep, 2 sets

Hanging Reverse Crunch with a twist

BW, 8 rep, 4 sæt

I have been doing a lot of pullups the last week, but felt ready to do some more…

Pullups Wide Grip

Start time = 90 seconds
BW, 10 rep, 3 sets
BW, 9 rep, 1 sets
BW, 6 rep, 4 sets

Full Contact Twist

Barbell + 20 kg, 4 to each side, 2 sets

One-arm horizontal press with barbell

Barbell + 30 kg, 10/10, 3 sets

Be ready for tomorrow…