I wonder if there is anything we can surprise the guys with? I was sure last Saturday's workout would claim a few victims, yet nobody gave up. I am grateful to train a group that is so dedicated and has no fear to "push the curtain". Good work everyone.
Warm Up Joint mobility
Workout:
3 stations (each consists of 2 exercises)
Station 1 1 min KB clean to press to push up 30 sec plank Repeat 3 times move to station 2
Station 2 1 min bear crawl 30 sec KB alternate row (standing) Repeat 3 times
Station 3 1 min flying burpees 30 sec squat hold (thighs parallel to the floor)
Rest 2 mins
Repeat all of the above. This time repeat each station 2x
Rest 1 min
Repeat all of the above, each station once only
cool down and stretch.
All done!
We have added one more class to our schedule. Mondays at 7.30 pm (Earlsfield Boxing Club) we have a sister class to Full Throttle. This class is designed for all who are less advanced than our Sunday group and would like to bring their fitness levels up to the standards allowing them to join Full Throttle.
CJS Fitness first hooked up with Parkour Generations in 2009, at an event for Lambeth Council in Kennington Park. We met Brian and the crew and hit it off immediately, with our love for training and similar concepts.
A year later, 100 reps is born and who better to involve in spreading the word of the project than the people who challenge you to 'Master Your Movement'? It seemed a naturaly pairing. CJS Fitness has been working Parkour Generations to get the word out to Schools in South London. We're currently in the process of getting Parkour and 100 reps chellenge into Ernest Bevin School, Tooting, London. From there the plan is to spread it through out South London, then the whole of London. Getting people to integrate activity into their daily lives whatever they chose to do.
We met up with Brian of Parkour Generations at his 'Off The Wall' Jam in Archway, London a few weeks back. This happens the last sunday of every month at a designated location. Its open to all levels, from people who have never done Parkour to advanced practioners and its great fun. Everyone works at their own pace and is encouraged by the group support and you get to meet an awesome bunch of people of ALL ages. When we went I think the youngest was early teens, ranging to late thirties to early forties (and everyone got stuck in).
Check out CJS Fitness V Parkour Generations to see what its all about.
Whens the next one?
Off The Wall Jam Sunday 25th July, Vauxhall, London 12:45pm - 4pm, admission is FREE.
CJ was banned from the training session last Saturday. It had nothing to do with the fact that he was working in Sicily for the whole weekend (climbing and "bear-crawling" ancient walls). He did show us some blisters to prove he wasn't just spending time having chocolate massages etc, but I am not sure we should believe him.
The weekend before, everyone had a blast with CJ's workout. This time, I have decided to test human will. Looking at the guys and how cooked they were going through CJ's #23, I was thinking whether we can take on more with less rest (Admittingly - I nicked CJ's plan and just messed it a bit with some extras).
So here we go - this is what we did and.... survived:
Joint mobility warm up
Then
Mixed Circuit Training: Work:"Rest" ratio 30:30 x 2 per station (for circuits 1-2) 5 stations in total.
Complete 5 circuits in total.
Rest 1 minute after circuit 1 Rest 2 minutes after circuit 2 Circuit 3, 4 & 5 (Work:"Rest" ratio: 30:30 x1 per station), no rest inbetween circuits
The Exercise Menu:
1) Work: Stair Sprints "Rest": Kettlebell Swing 2) Work: Burpees "Rest": plank 3) Work: Medicine Ball Slams "Rest": push ups 4) Work: Bear Crawls "Rest": plank 5) Work: Marine Kit Bag shoulder & Slam / or Flip "Rest": side jumps over a bench
Job done :)!
Hard work works, this is not how you look after an hour session on a power plate.
There has been a bit of a storm brewing in the virtual realm, which has carried over with zest to the physical world. Known as the 100 rep challenge, this simple concept has captured the minds of people and is growing at a steady pace. Rannoch Donald's concept is brilliant in its simplicity. Yet some how, people seem to struggle to grasp what its really about.
I asked Rannoch, to break it down so that there could be no misunderstanding about the intention of the 100 reps challenge. As always the man was on point.
100 Reps Challenge: The Blue Print
Welcome to a simple, effective strategy designed to get you healthier, Fitter, happier, more confident and relaxed...1 rep at a time.
"Only those who have the patience to do simple things perfectly will acquire the skill to do difficult things easily." - Johann Schiller
The One Hundred Rep Challenge is……..
• A simple practice designed to establish an re-enforce positive, enduring habits
• Suitable for everyone, young & old, active & sedentary, everyone can benefit by using 100 reps to work on the areas of their mental & physical wellbeing that require attention. We approach everything as scalable” – rather than one size fits all, the 100 Rep Challenge helps participants find the best route for themselves
• The Challenge is a personal one, about accountability and the value of consistent effort. It can work as an individual or group effort but the focus remains a personal one. The Challenge can be used by teachers, coaches, trainers, athletes, families and groups of any kind who require a starting point for a simple daily practice.
• Almost any physical activity can be adapted to the Challenge. 100 is simply a number, a starting point, a catalyst. The drills themselves can be about anything that promotes a sense of ownership regarding our health and wellbeing. Mindfulness breathing, stretching and mobility, strength training, rehabilitation –- all of these modalities have their place.
Some time ago it became obvious to some of us that we were sending people on a journey without a map. They knew where they wanted to go, …they just didn’t have a compass. Anyone can learn the basics of getting fit, eating sensibly, taking better care of themselves but without a regular daily practice to re-enforce these habits it is HARD. Why is it bad habits are so difficult to break when good habits are so easy to give up?!
We all need simple rituals, a practice in our lives, that amidst the chaos allows us a little time to breath, move, take charge, focus and relax. The studies on the benefits of regular physical activity are numerous. Mentally, physically, emotionally, we can all benefit from a little movement and perhaps a little stillness. And once a regular practice takes hold the bigger challenges we face suddenly don’t seem quite so intimidating.
The 100 Rep Challenge is a personal one. There is no finish line, no medals and no one wins except you. By all means we can challenge each other, to get better, to push ourselves a little, to make an effort. But ultimately this challenge is yours and yours alone. It is as much mental as it is physical. You are taking charge, you are taking control.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single rep………...
Why 100 reps?
“”100 is just a number. You can break it down any way you like. And in fact we do. The object is to commit to do 100 reps of any number of drills, moves or exercises – Everyday. If I asked you to do 100 push ups you might be daunted. But what if we do one, then two, then three…all the way up to ten and then back down again. Congratulations, that’s 100 push ups. And we can apply the same methods to any move we want to practice and perfect.
Someone might decide that today’s 100 reps will consist of stretching. You might decide today’s 100 reps is a commitment, to perhaps take the stairs wherever you go, rather than specific moves. I might want to do a round each of bodyweight squats, pull ups, push ups, sit ups and jumping jacks for 20 reps each. Whatever the shape or form then main thing is to commit and do it. The simple daily practice of regular movement, no matter what, that is the challenge.
WHY EVERYDAY?
“”””Begin - to begin is half the work, let half still remain; again begin this, and you will have finished” - Marcus Aurelius
We earn your health and fitness over time. We accumulate well being.
There is a simple solution. A solution that requires daily sub maximal effort but establishes the foundation you need to take on more profound challenges. A solution that will provide you with a base line level of fitness that will support all the other efforts you make.
The confidence you will develop both physically and mentally from the 100 Rep Challenge can provide all the inspiration you need to re-invigorate the simple joy of moving with freedom, ease and energy. As a culture we have lost the simple daily physical tasks that would normally make significant inroads to the calories we consume. This is compounded by easy access to the empty convenience foods we eat. We need to think spontaneously and creatively when it comes to our well being. To improvise and enjoy the effort. Not everything that is fun should be easy!
You replace your great-grandparents daily physical efforts – chopping wood, drawing water, picking fruit, chasing dinner by completing One Hundred repetitions of the activity of your choice, every day. That’s Seven Hundred reps a week. Simple. Those reps can be divided across as few or many drills as you want. For example you might choose to do 100 straight Hindu squats. If that’s too much of a challenge you can break them into four sets of 25. There you go – 100 reps. Alternatively you might perform 20 push ups followed by 5 pull ups and repeat for four rounds. A total of 80 push ups and 20 pull ups. 100 reps. Over the course of a week, with those two exercises alone you could perform 560 push ups and 140 pull ups. Can you imagine how that might impact your well being, your strength, your confidence?
Consider whole body moves for your 100 Reps. Look to engage the “Go!” muscles the big muscles in the back and legs that move you from A to B, the “Show” muscles up front will take care of themselves. Remember, we are looking to engage as many muscles here as possible. Once that base is established and the habit formed, upping the intensity will start to look like fun. As for rest between sets, as little as possible should be rule of thumb in the early stages.
You can keep a record of each workout, an A4 sheet with 5 bar gates is enough to keep you on track. Or get a stop watch and after every 100 reps record the time it took to complete. This is a simple way to increase the intensity by trying to beat your time on the next session.
One of the first things you’ll notice is just how quickly you can do 100 reps. Once you establish that you can do “a little often” it becomes easier to up the intensity. You have three variables. The drill i.e. push-ups can be made more challenging using different progressions, adding weight (though this is only relevant for drills using a load) and training for time.
Time is the simplest way to manipulate your 100 Reps. After your initial workouts, once you are timing your sessions, you can start to decrease the rest periods between sets. This is where one of the simplest yet most effective tools out there comes into play. The Gymboss is your very own training partner. The Gym Boss dual timer allows you to set a work period and rest period and beeps as each round elapses.
If the rest periods are tight you are simply going to look to increase the speed with which you perform the drill.
Finally you can look at adding resistance where that is a variable. And most drills are scalable. A little imagination can make the simplest move more challenging. It’s not difficult to come up with different rep schemes to keep things fresh and if you have a pull up bar you can mix things up quite easily. Consider the following as a start…
We at CJS Fitness beleive you should find what works for you, make it work for you. Enough delay, start today. Here is the kind of stuff CJS Fitness Crew get up to, but you know what? work to your level. They key thing is listen to your body and what YOU need. YOU are the standard. Ok, so we will now dismount our soap box. Just move people!
This session was all Coach Cj Swaby. He got a bit carried away (so much so, Coach Skala has banned him from next weeks class) but everyone had great fun. You'll see what we're talking about in the video below.
Full Throttle Fitness WOW # 23
Warm Up: Joint Mobility & Dynamic Movement
Section 1: Kettlebell timed set
6 minutes Total
1) Double handed Kettlebell Swing x 1 minute 2) Single Arm Kettlebell Clean & Press / Kettlebell Jerk x 1 minute per arm 3) Double Handed Kettlebell Swing x 1 minute 4) Single Arm Kettlebell Snatch x 1 minute per arm
Section 2: Mixed Circuit Training
Pair up and choose and A and a B.
Work:Rest ration 30:30 x 2 per station
5 stations in total.
Complete 3 circuits in total.
Rest 1 minute after circuit 1
Rest 2 minutes after circuit 3
The Exercise Menu
1) Stair Sprints 2) Burpees into tuck jump 3) Medicine Ball Slams 4) Bear Crawls 5) Marine Kit Bag shoulder & Slam / or Flip
IMPORTANT NOTE - This is an extremely brutal piece and should only be attempted by those of advanced fitness levels - no joke!
We cooled down and went our merry way into the sweltering summer heat.
This week Coach Skala was AWOL with Chritian Villa of Brighton Kettlebells. They had journeyed up to Edinburgh to visit Rannoch of Simple Strength. It was left to Cj Swaby to hold fort - but he would join them after for a great Sunday Service outdoor training session and the Scottish Figthing Championships.
The Elite core that represented that Saturday dug deep into the trenches to triumph over this beast.
Full Throttle Fitness WOW# 22
Warm Up: Joint Mobility & Dynamic Movement
Section 1: Strength Emphasis
Double Kettlebell, Single arm Turkish Get Up 1 - 3 reps x 3 sets.
How do you do it? Take a heavier kettlebell and one lighter one (Cj used a 32kg & 16kg Kettlebell). Grab them both by the handle and so that they both balance on your fore amr and perform the turkish get up. Not only is this taxing on your shoulder stability becasue of the off centre weight, but its a nightmare for your grip (or great for grip strength - depending on your point of view!)
Section 2: Strength Power Endurance
Double Kettlebell Cleans 20 reps x 4 sets: 20 seconds rest in between
Heavy Single Kettlebell Jerk 10 reps per arm x 3 sets: 20 Seconds rest between.
The Finihser
Ever up for a challenge and spurred on by the super human Katarina Helcmanovska, we ended with Tabata sprints.
20 seconds work: 10 seconds rest x 8 rounds.
We cooled down and hit the Trigger point therapy kit to allow our tired muscles to regenerate and went our seperate ways, eager for the next instalment.
Gavin and Mariusz having fun
