Fitness

Feb

2012

CWall Level 1: Test Day (again) 2/6/12

I love test day! Especially when the technology doesn’t betray us!

This time it worked! I have the data that I so desperately desire! Here it is. Don’t forget to cross reference your HR monitor sign out with your data.

This was a scorcher of a test day. Class was full, so the Margarita Challenge was in effect. Hard to achieve on a test day. And it seems that my tequila supply is still safe.

If I had to give some advice for how to to better on the next test day I would say find the round (1-4) that had the lowest heart rates. Those are your crux exercises, especially the heart rate driving ones. Each round had one of these. Round 1 was kick thrus, Round 2 was mountain climbers, Round 3 was flying chickens, and Round 4 was split jumps.

Peaks & Valleys is a bear, no matter who you are. But it is the acme of skill to just barely hit your HR peak of 93% and not go over. Some of our athletes can tell you, to the burpee, how many they have to do to hit 93%. This takes a lot of awareness. Overshooting the mark is not the point here. Accuracy and awareness is. And don’t forget, Peaks & Valleys is not a “pace yourself” kind of thing. Hit the ground running. . . charge right out of the gate. Otherwise you’ll have a hard time hitting that first ALL IMPORTANT peak.

No peak = no rest = THIS SUCKS.

Here is what we are looking for as improvement over time:

1) more time spent in the yellow and red zones

2) more peaks and valleys at the end of class

Pretty simple.

Feb

2012

CWall Level 2: Week #4 2/2/12

Hey all,

A scorcher. It’s the week before test week, and I wanted to set you up for success. Not a gimme in the bunch. No chance to get it back. Hopefully the hardest thing that everyone had to deal with all week. Because next week is test week.

The Bag Drag was fun. 80lb Heavy bag. Take it for a drag why don’t you.

The Burtle Pushup (CWall Laboratories) is a coordination nightmare. Part Turtle Squat, part burpee, part pushup, all spliced together like an calisthenic Frankenstien’s Monster.

Everything else was par for the course. They are not fun. Not meant to be.

The Mystery Event was an old school Lightning Round, just like back in the day. 40 sec. on, 20 sec. off. Repeating all 12 exercises. No HR incentive. Just go. As hard as you can. This is often confused with “as hard as I feel like it.” The former is correct. The latter, well not so much. Let’s not get confused and start thinking that you don’t have a choice how hard you go just because you are a little tired. Mostly people start to fold up not because they are too tired, but because THEY ALLOW THEMSELVES TO SUCCUMB TO THE SELF-PITY THAT COMES WITH THE DISCOMFORT THEY ASSOCIATE WITH FATIGUE. Let’s be clear about that.

See you next time!
Coach CWall

Feb

2012

CWall Strength Promotes Confidence: Feats of Strength Week #1 2/2/12

Hey all,

Today was the start of week #1 for Feats of Strength. We’ve moved away from Foundations and are now getting more serious about our acquisition of strength. The exercises are pretty simple, the reps are fewer, we will be upping our sets every week, and the loads are A LOT bigger.

3-5 reps was the order of the day, trying to finish feeling like you had a rep or 2 to spare. Remember kids, we are strength training. As in trying to get stronger. As in THAT IS THE GOAL. Not to be confused with other types of conditioning, we are not working on your anaerobic threshold, lactate clearance, aerobic capacity, etc. etc. etc. Maximal tension, minimal muscle damage. You know. . . strength training.

As you can see, the exercises are pretty simple. Amazing how easy it is to compensate with such simple motions. We stuck to a 2:5 tempo and focused on what it means to stop at the right time. A lot of unlearning to do from what I could see. Anyone that ground to a halt in mid rep got barked at.

Next week, well, it just gets heavier. And heavier. And heavier.

Let’s keep our eyes on the prize folks. Keep your focus clear. Don’t confuse apples for oranges.

See you next time!
Coach CWall

Feb

2012

X-Cardio For the Mountains: Test Day 2/1/12

I love test day.

A nice way to check in. See where we’re at. Clear the cobwebs. And that we did. Don’t forget, this is a new training cycle, and this was Test Day 1 of 3. This is a nine week training cycle for this program. We are intent on keeping everyone fit for their skiing, but also getting a jump start on the late winter and spring mountaineering.

I hate all non-Apple computers. Not sure why, because there are so many other things that I don’t understand and bear no ill will towards. But PC’s. Grrrrr. My animosity this time is due to the fact that the results from this Test Day are NO WHERE TO BE FOUND! Gone. Zoink. Poof.

Sorry about that. Human error most likely. But I am going to continue to blame Microsoft.

The class was a pretty standard test day. The Peaks and Valleys portion was a combo of 3 exercises instead of just one. I chose this because of the more varied demands of Mountaineering. There was about a minute of rest between each group of 3. We took another minute before the game of Peaks and Valleys. 10 minutes was a long time to contend with, and by and large everyone managed pretty well.

If you are feeling game, you should give it a shot on your own. Or show up next Wednesday. I’m gonna do it again. We need some data to make some comparisons. The only way to get it is to collect it. And it’s not like everyone doesn’t need the practice.

See you next time!

Coach CWall

Jan

2012

CWall Level 2: Week #3

Hey there,

I was really excited about tonights class. I not only got to bring back a couple of classic exercises that we haven’t done in a really long time, but I also got to introduce a couple of new things from the CWall laboratory.

We haven’t Deadlifted in a while, and there were several options: 12kg, 20kg, 24kg, and 40kg. Sumo style all the way!

The Metronome was a great change up for the core training routine. Keep your shoulders down, your legs straight, and stop holding onto the edge of the mat!

The One Arm Kick Thrus while holding a kettlebell definitely were a crowd pleaser. Keep your eye on the bell!

The Sit Thru’s are combo of a Front Plank and a Seated Pike. You shoot your legs between your arms to move from one position to the next, back and forth, back and forth. Long arms help, but a strong set of abdominals, hip flexors, and shoulders are better.

Tonights Mystery Event was a Fight Gone Way Wrong. 60 seconds at each station with a heart rate incentive set at a whopping 97%. That’s right, if you can’t get up to 97% of your max, you don’t get to take a break. A brutal ass kicking.

We are two weeks from Test Day! Don’t no time off yet!

See you in class!
Coach CWall

Jan

2012

Strength Promotes Confidence: Foundations 1/26/12

Hey there,

Today was the last day of SPC Foundations. We added some more hip work to help everyone’s range of motion and stability, whether it be for indoor climbing and bouldering, skiing, or mountaineering. We got in a lot of sets today: 5! Everyone was a shade of crimson darker by set 4, and set 5 was a pressure cooker. Nice war face everyone!

The Hip Extension and the Hip Abduction were the new kids on the block this week. Not too complicated. Remember, everyone should be able to crush a walnut with their butt by the end of the winter. There will be a test. . .

Next week we are changing things up: SPC: Feats of Strength! We are going to reduce our number of exercises, drop the reps, up the weights, and add some other format changes to help get everyone solid and resilient. This will be a 4 week cycle, so don’t miss out.

And by the way, I put the workouts up so that you can do them on your own. No more of this once a week crap. It’s time everyone put in some more personal time in the weight room!

See you soon!

Coach CWall

Jan

2012

CWall Level 2: 1/19/12

Hey all,

I never said I was going to be nice. And sometimes that means a Level 3 when you expect Level 2. I admit it. It was a throw down. And everyone did a great job rolling with the punches. Class consisted of all the exercises having high heart rate potential, and everyone definitely felt it. At one point everyone was over 94%. If class had been full the Margarita Challenge would have been met. But it was good practice for next time;-)

The Mystery Event was not a heart rate incentive game for a change. A time based game of Hard and Fast was our closeout event. We played for 7.5 minutes with 45 seconds on Flying Chickens and 30 seconds off with Front Planks. Ouch.

For all you self motivated folks out there here is what we did just in case you want to re-create this monster on your own:

Watch out with the heavy rope. Face plant potential.

The step swing definitely put the zap on people psyche. Just remember that it’s feet apart when the kettlebell comes down!

The turtle burpee was a new hybrid. If we could get everyone to keep from stopping on that one, as well as the box jump, then we’d be getting somewhere. Don’t stop and take a picture after every rep. You’re not a tourist.

The frogger burpee is definitely a new favorite of mine. And just like the video game, you need to keep moving or you’ll get squished!

All in all it was a great class, and everyone tolerated my ranting about warming up with great patience. But they were a bit of a captive audience. . .

See you next time.
Coach CWall

Jan

2012

Strength Promotes Confidence: Foundations 1/19/12

Hey all,

Today SPC class was an exploration of cadence. This is probably the most overlooked variable when it comes to strength training. And it is kind of a big deal. Most of the time people are only concentrating on the obvious variables, like weight, reps, sets, etc. Some may go the extra mile and think about posture and range of motion. But if you do repetition 1 at twice the speed of rep 6, are they really the same thing? I would say. . . well. . . duh?! Of course not. Enter the metronome. Tic tok tic tok. . . More accurate and consistent than counting in your head. 5 seconds of concentric, and 2 of eccentric. 7 seconds per rep. Nice and measurable, just the way I like it.

Here is todays workout. I added seated military press today. You can expect more additions next week. Each exercise has a pretty predictable way of messing up the posture or cadence or range of motion. Once you know what those are it is a lot easier to prevent them. We managed to get 4 sets of everything in today: 2 warmup sets and 2 heavy sets. Next week I expect the same, but with a little more work and a new exercise or two.

Everyone did a great job today and I think that the transition to our next training phase is going to go pretty smoothly. As long as everyone stays consistent!

See you soon.
Coach CWall

Jan

2012

Ski Conditioning 1/18/12

Hey all,

Today’s ski conditioning was mostly a repeat of last night’s event. Like last night it was full, so the Margarita Challenge was in effect. And like last night, close but no cigar. The box jumps really put the zap on a couple of people today. But with a little encouragement everyone got it in gear eventually. The “heavy” rope almost took out a couple of people. Watch out for that thing. It’s heavy.

The Mystery Event today was a game of Hard & Fast. The idea with this one is to do one exercise to 93% of your max, and then switch to the other until your heart rate drops to 85%. Kind of an “active” recovery game of Peaks & Valleys. Flying Chickens made up the Fast portion, and sitting in Pike Position was the hard portion.

Much like with the overhead squats during the warmup, the pikes seem to require a little lesson in anatomy and the definition of certain words. For those of you who were in class, the “knee” is the joint between your ankle and your hip. And for our purposes “straight” means “not bent.” That should help next time I say “Keep your knees straight!”

Life is full of lessons.

See you next time.

Coach CWall

Jan

2012

Ski Conditioning 1/17/12

Hey all,

I was feeling pretty chipper tonight, and everyone got to experience the full effect of my enthusiasm. We had a full class which means that the Margarita Challenge was in play. Also I unveiled a new exercise and changed a bunch of stuff around from last week. We even had some new recruits testing their fortitude along side the veterans. All in all it was a great class with a Peaks and Valleys Mystery Event. Burpees and Flying Chickens were on the menu and I didn’t give any slack on the 93% peaks. Here was the plan for your collection:

The Double Mountain Pushup was today’s new creation. A combo of the double mountain climber and a pushup. The pushup can be done from the feet or the knees. Whichever you prefer.

The addition of the heavy rope definitely was a crowd pleaser. And folks, one hop per revolution please. This isn’t a playground.

Next week we are going to be throwing in a lot of agility work, so make sure you’ve rested up. There is no prize for “1st One to Fall Down” or “Best Faceplant.”

See you soon!

Coach CWall

Jan

2012

Strength Promotes Confidence: Grip & Upper Body 1/17/12

Hey all,

Today’s SPC class was another full one with a more pointed repeat of last Tuesday. As you know we are in a strength building phase, and this was week #2. Everyone is showing more affinity for the exercises and are really starting to move their “fighting” weight around. But damn, that whole tempo thing is a killer. When I say 5 Mississippi, I mean ALL 4 SYLLABLES please. We’ve been focusing on concentric contractions over 5 seconds and eccentric contractions over 2. That way we can minimize muscle damage and recovery time between workouts. But it’s not like it’s that easy. Everyone needs to get super comfortable leaving their egos outside the weight room and not lifting as much weight as they think they “should.” Everyone is stronger than they think, but it’s the numbers that they’ve got all wrong!

Here is todays workout incase you wanted to do it on your own. Remember, this whole lifting to “failure” thing is kind of a gooey mess. I like to remind people that if they aren’t maintaining the proper posture for the exercise, the prescribed range of motion, or maintaining their cadence IT IS OVER! DONE! FINITO! Some may disagree, and I’m okay with that. The weight room is one of the single most stupid places to get hurt (other than the bathtub).

Next week we are going to add an exercise or two. Show up to class and you’ll find out first. Or you can wait for me to write another blog. But showing up is more fun.

See ya next time.
Coach CWall

Jan

2012

Strength Promotes Confidence: Foundations 1/12/2012

Hey all,

Today was the first day of our three week Foundations training cycle. As you can see we started out with several of the basics, with a lot of rest in between so everyone could concentrate on their form. 4 sets of each trying to fail between 6-8 reps. These weights got pretty heavy, but everyone did a great job. Next week we’ll add another exercise, take out a rest, and make a couple of other changes to spice things up.

Jan

2012

Ski Conditioning: Bombproof! 1/11/12

Hey all,

Today was another good day for the skiers as we made it through our 3rd week of this training cycle. It was high heart rates all the way with the same exercises that we used last night during our Tuesday night CWall Ski Conditioning program.

We had a full class today, and that means that the Margarita Challenge was in full effect. As many of you know The Margarita Challenge is only for full classes that can get everyone on the room to get their heart rate past 93% of their personal max at the same time. If they pull it off, I will make EVERYONE in class the best margarita in the state. Hand crafted by yours truly. Obviously we will meet on a different day for this celebration of exertion, otherwise we’d have a lot of cheap dates on our hands. The Margarita Challenge has only been met twice in the last two years. Today everyone made a great bid for the title, but unfortunately fell a bit short in the heart rate department. Close, but no margarita.

The big difference in today’s class is that we tuned it down a little bit with a more traditional Lightning Round at the end. Instead of 40 seconds on and 5 seconds off between exercises, we bumped it down to 30 seconds on. This didn’t really make a difference for the Margarita challenge however, seeing as the only real chance for success is in the first 3 rounds of class. After that, people generally don’t have the gas left.

Too bad:-(

Sincerely,

Coach CWall

Jan

2012

Ski Conditioning: Bombproof! 1/10/12

Hey all,

Last night’s ski condition was pretty ruthless, and everyone definitely showed up to give it their best. As many of you know we have moved from a strength focus to more of a anaerobic conditioning focus, while still maintaining your strength gains from last month. It was a rough circuit with a closing Mystery Event that is among the most challenging in the arsenal: The Greased Lightning Round. Here’s what everyone went through:

As you can see this is a pretty rough ride, with the Greased Lightning Round taking up the last 10 minutes of class. 40 seconds at each exercise, with a 5 second transition time where everyone is trying to beat the clock to start the next exercise.

Everyone gave it their all, even though many limped to the finish line.

Great work everyone! Just 3 weeks left in this training cycle!

Sincerely,

Coach CWall

Jan

2012

Training Blog – First Edition! Test Day Results!

1/11/12

Results from Monday’s CWall Level 1 Test Day!

So here we are at the first addition of Coach CWall’s Training Blog. We started this week by introducing the new periodized formats for the Group Training Programs here at the BRC. What better way to start than with a CWall Level 1 Class on Monday, January 9th. We had the first of 3 Test Days using only bodyweight exercises. These test days are to determine your starting level and then to measure your progress throughout the 9 week program. If you missed the test day, that’s ok. Anyone can join in when their schedule allows. We’ll do it all again in a few weeks.

I admit, the Test Day may have been a little harder than I originally let on. Well, um. . . that’s too bad. I never said it would be easy. If you want to see what we did, here is the list of exercises and the order in which we did them, as well as the HR list by person so you can check your results:

As you can see everyone worked really hard. Just keep showing up and 4 weeks from now everyone should be doing a lot better.

Remember, if you don’t show up consistently there is not going to be a lasting training benefit. . . just a sound ass kicking.

Hard to believe, but it’s true!

Sincerely,

Coach CWall

Jan

2012

1/9/2012

The first week of our new fitness programming has begun, and here are some of the details. As many of you know we have changed all of the group fitness to a more periodized program, each from 4-9 weeks in length. We will be exploring general fitness and strength topics as well as seasonal topics. Check out the programing calendar for more information.

CWall Level 1: TEST DAY, Monday January 9th 12pm

We are going to be going with a bodyweight exercise theme for the test days this cycle. I know, I know. . . it was a little harder than I let on. Well, tough. Here are the results from Test Day. Here is the list of exercises that we did and the order in which we did them, in case you want to put yourself through the same test.

For those of you that were there, find your name on the signup list and use that to find your test results during the Peaks and Valleys:

Feb

2011

Cry in the Dojo Warmup

Hey all,

Check out the warmup that we do in the Cry in the Dojo series of classes here at the BRC. It is pretty general and works well for the classes as well as a general warmup for climbing. I do about 20-30 repetitions (about a minute) for each exercise.

—-WARNING!—-ATTENTION!—-HEADS UP!!!!!—-

This is exercise. Exercise, much like leaving your bed in the morning is NOT SAFE! Please take responsibility for your well being and think before you act. And if you want to play it safe, consult with a health professional before you start ANY new exercise program.

Jan

2011

Climb Fit: The Rapture with Chris Wall

Nov

2010

Personal Training at the BRC: Success Story

I started training Alan Craik in June 2010. Alan had been contemplating using a trainer for several months. He was very de-conditioned when we started, and his exercise schedule consisted entirely of two evening climbing sessions per week. Alan is a registered Nurse who works in the OR. He understands the importance of diet and exercise. More importantly, Alan has a form of Leukemia (which is currently in remission), so his health is of critical importance.

Our training consists of two weekly hour-long sessions where we focus on circuit-based full body training. The order of the exercises allows Alan to recover just enough between sets. Reps consist of 8-10, typically with a two set grouping, with the second exercise being core-based. Alan typically maintains a heart rate of 90-120 bpm throughout the session. We use primarily multi-plane, functional movements that target multiple muscle groups via Kettlebells, body weight exercises, dumbbells, and select cable-based machines.

The combination of Alan’s discipline and adherence to the program has, and continues to produce impressive results.

· Starting Body Weight: 220 lbs

· Current Body Weight: 208 lbs

· Strength: Alan has made massive strength gains: he has nearly doubled the amount of resistance he can push, pull, swing, and press. For example: he started with 3 pushups max, now he is now up to 30 reps.

· Previous Climbing Level: 10b

· Current Climbing Level: 11b

Alan continues to get stronger, leaner, and fitter on a weekly basis. And, as a bonus, his climbing has jumped a number grade!

Dan Levison

Personal Trainers at the BRC

ACE-CPT

danlevison@gmail.com

www.totalclimbing.com

To find out more about training with Dan check out our website or drop him an email.

Sep

2010

How to use the Free Offerings from the BRC

So you’ve joined up because there is so much to do here, but now that you’re in, it’s hard to figure out how to make the most of the BRC for climbing and all of the free classes that are available to you as a member. I’ve been getting a lot of questions about this, so read on and maybe this will help.

Tip #1: What are your goals? If you know that, skip ahead to #2. If you don’t know your goals, we are going to have to give it some thought before we proceed. Here are some tips to setting a training goal.

Goals should be very clearly defined. If you have a clear goal, then it will be easier to tell when you have made it. Seems simple, but without this step everything else will fall apart.

Your goal should be realistic, measurable, and have a realistic timeline. Many goals fail because they do not consider how daunting the task may be, have no way to measure progress, or have an open ended timeline. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. If you hit your goal sooner than you thought you can also set another one.

Our free classes can help you achieve your goals. To make things simpler, think of the psychological and physical qualities that your goals will require. At the end of this list are some suggestions if your goals involve:

Cross Training for Stamina and Recovery

Cross Training for Strength and Power

Cross Training for Flexibility

Cross Training for Core Strength

Climbing Training for Stamina and Recovery

Tip#2: Prioritize. What additions or subtractions to and from your routine are going to benefit you the most? Core strength? Climbing conditioning? Recovery training? Pick the thing that makes the most sense and just start with that. Don’t just add everything all at once. Read Tip #3 right now.

Tip #3: Learn your limits. If you start to challenge yourself in a new way you should expect your body to take time to adapt. If you are thinking that your goals require you to start adding Cry in the Dojo classes to your routine, start conservatively. Start with one a week and give your body a chance to catch up. Also, remember that there are other stresses in your life. Job? School? Family? All have an affect on your performance and recovery. The hardest workout of the week after the longest day of work may be a bad idea.

Tip #4: Plan. If you don’t make a plan, then you probably won’t have consistency. In the best of circumstances No consistency = No progress. You need to look at your calendar and come up with a plan that allows you to work towards your goal with the time that you have available.

**Important note about rest and recovery. Remember that you only have so many resources in terms of time and energy. You need time to recover. A 10 mile run is not a rest day from climbing. If you do not plan rest into your program, your body will eventually force in on you in the form of illness, burnout, and injury. Voluntary rest is ALWAYS better than forced rest.

Tip#5: Begin. You’ve set your goal. You’ve prioritized your needs. You understand your limits. You have a plan. Now get to it.

Tip #6: Record. You need to track your progress so that you can see if you are moving towards your goal. If your goal is performance based then you need to consider how to measure your training performance in relation to your goal. For example if you want to be able to lead 10 pitches of 5.11 in two hours and your currently can only do 3, your progress could be measured by how many you are able to do week after week.

Climbing Training for Stamina and Recovery

Climb-Fit w/ Chris Wall: Basics

Mondays 7pm-8pm

Climb-Fit with Chris Wall: The Rapture

Thursdays 7am-8:30am

Cross Training for Stamina and Recovery

Cry In The Dojo Series w/ Chris Wall:

Mondays 12pm Level 1: Enter the Dragon

Tuesdays 7:30am Level 3: Spartan 300

Tuesdays 5:30pm Level 2: Cry in the Dojo

Wednesdays 12pm Level 1.5: So You Think You’re A Dragon

Wednesdays 6pm-7pm 1.5: So You Think You’re A Dragon

Thursdays 5:30pm Level 3: Spartan 300

Cross Training for Strength and Power

Strength Promotes Confidence w/ Chris Wall

Tuesdays & Friday 12pm-1pm

Cry In The Dojo Series w/ Chris Wall:

Tuesdays 5:30pm Level 2: Cry in the Dojo

Tuesdays 7:30am Level 3: Spartan 300

Thursdays 5:30pm Level 3: Spartan 300

Cross Training for Flexibility and/or Core Strength and Endurance

Boulder Rock Club Yoga

Mondays 7:00pm with Olivia Hsu

Tuesdays 12:30pm with Jen Herling

Tuesdays 7:00pm with Brian Saeger

Thursdays 12:30pm with Dan Michael

Thursdays 7:00pm with Jen Herling

Fridays 6:00pm with Brian Saeger

Core Blaster with Dan Levison

Monday 5:30pm-6:30pm
Thursday 12:00pm-1pm

So there are the basics of starting your training program with us here at the Boulder Rock Club. It is a lot to consider, and we are here to help. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Chris Wall

BRC’s Fitness Director

303.447.2804

cwall@totalclimbing.com