Tuesday, March 20th AND Wednesday, March 21st, 2012

Hmmm...
So, apparently my post from Tuesday didn't save at all.  Lovely.  Guess I'll have to write two of them.
Tuesday's Workout:
An oldie but a goodie.  I'm a huge fan of Spartan lore, and all things Spartan (except the Michigan State Spartans, when it comes to college teams I'm a Tar Heel fan through and through.  And while we're on the subject, Marshall is gonna be fine, so watch out Ohio).  So I decided to do one of my favorite workouts, created for the Starz original series, Spartacus: Blood and Sand: The Spartacus Workout.  Aw yeah.
Here's all you need: a pair of dumbbells that are moderately heavy, and some space.  You have 10 full-body exercises, each lasting 60 seconds, with 15 seconds to transition between each.  Then after going through the whole sequence, catch your breath, and go through 2 more times.  Yes, you heard me.  Ready?

1. Goblet Squat
2. Mountain Climber
3. Single Arm Dumbbell Swing
4. T-Pushup
5. Split Jump
6. Dumbbell Row
7. Dumbbell Side Lunge and Touch
8. Pushup Row
9. Dumbbell Lunge and Rotation
10. Dumbbell Push Press

I did this workout outside, and boy oh boy was it great to do that.  The sun beating down on my back and chest while I ripped it up; priceless.
Wednesday's Workout:
Well, I'm working on being a superhero.  The next workout in Chad Howse's series is called Pulling to Safety Workout, aptly named because, well, if you need to pull yourself and someone out of, say, a raging river, you can do so.  To do this, Chad says you need a few things:

1. Upper body pulling strength and endurance
2. Grip strength and endurance
3. Core stability

While I agree with these, I'm a little hesitant to say core, only because core is essential in everything we do.  But who am I to say?  But, being me (slightly crazy; ok maybe a lot crazy), I added a few things.  So, while Monday's workout had a power component but Wednesday's didn't, I decided to add one, with very little rest (20 seconds or less) in between each other.  I also added my own abdominal work; 3 sets of hanging leg raises followed by five hanging knee raises, and some pushups thrown in for fun.
What was the same from Monday was the challenge/endurance workout.  The weight was meant to be heavy, so heavy that you had to stop after a few reps to catch your breath.  But what bugged me was that, despite Chad's knowledge, his form in the video was SO BAD!  Good God, my back and shoulders were aching from that; I'm built like a twig and can't take that kind of pounding, and I want to be able to use my body injury free for the next 50 or so years thank you very much.
So I adhered to strict form (I'm so anal about form), did a way with the barbells, and the minute my form started to affect my repetitions in the slightest way (I started to throw my back into my bicep curls, or I felt myself falling even an inch during my static holds), I stopped and rested just enough to gain some endurance back.  So, without further to do, here's my Pulling to Safety Workout:
Power/Endurance:

1. Pull Up Static Hold (chin above the bar): 2x hold: 32 seconds/33 seconds
2. TRX Low Row Hold: 2x hold: 20 seconds/24 seconds
3. Plank: Held for 1:37 

Endurance Challenge: 30 repetitions, keeping to extremely strict form

1. Moving Pull Ups (moving body from left to right hand, then alternating)
2. Bent Over Row: 40 pound dumbbells
3. Farmer's Walk: 45 pound dumbbells: walking for 60 seconds
4. Side to Side Pushups
5. Dumbbell Bicep Curls: 25 pound dumbbells
6. Plank: 2 minutes
7. Hanging Leg Raises (the kind I do): 20

Then I went for a nice, long hour run.  Easy, just working on form and getting the mileage back after a busy winter.
Didja enjoy?  If you have any questions, let me know.  Tune in tomorrow: hopefully my blog will work this time!
Oh, and here's a cool photo of Tony Jaa, because he's such a badass.  Enjoy!

Total B.A.