HIOWAA Fund Raising event
We at AFSCrossFit love pitching in to support a good cause. We have supported the Katie Piper Foundation, Help For Heroes, and the Amazing Alice charity in days gone by. This year in conjunction with ADDVenture Leisure we set out to raise money for the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance service.
ADDVenture have worked closely with the HIOWAA team and have built them the vehicle used today for the Helicopter Flight Simulator. This was a huge hit today with everybody and my son Theo got right into character 🤣. The HIOW Air Ambulance is a charity entirely self funded. I wasn’t aware that the NHS doesn’t provide any funding for such a valuable service. They actually charge them to provide doctors which I was hugely surprised by. As well as running some events in the gym we are also going to start saving our cans. The HIOWAA raised £18000 last year recycling cans and have bins dedicated to this around Hampshire. It costs £10million pounds a year to run the service so every little helps.
The aim of the day was to row the perimeter of Hampshire and IOW. This may come as a surprise but there is actually no stats on this so with a bit of research and some excellent mastery of google earth we estimated this distance to be 315km. We set ourselves the target of 6 hours to achieve the distance and set about our task at 9am Saturday 13th July.
In a previous attempt to row from Lands End to John O Groats we set our sights on completing it in 12hours. we managed 740kms which put us somewhere near manchester. A massive misjudgement even with the rowers going like the clappers for the whole time. We were keen not to repeat that mistake.
Bruce starting his Marathon Row 🚣
Throughout the 6 hours we had 40 participants step up and row. With the incentive of Coffee and Cake for anyone that rows 2000m every participant easily surpassed that mark. With eight rowers primed and ready to accept the 6 hour pounding we set off. On previous rowing events we have had some questionable life choices happen and this event was no different. Ross and Bruce both decided they would row a marathon distance. That’s 42195m for anyone not in the know. It’s also about 4 hours of rowing which is a real test of fitness but also pain threshold. Specifically Butt Numbness. Both completed this epic feet in just over 3 hours, both may need some ice and some sudacream in the morning as well 👊 Great Job Fellas 👊
With 80000m in the bag it was down to the rest of us to step up. We kept a running total throughout the challenge. We hit 100,000in just under 90minutes. We hit 200,000 in about 3 hours and actually reached our target with time to spare.
The day was a huge success and as always we finished things off with a BBQ. Community is at the heart of AFSCrossFit. A group of people prepared to work hard for themselves and for others. We will be stepping up to raise money for the HIOW Air Ambulance again very soon. If you would like to get involved follow our instagram channel here>>>>
If you would like to be a part of our community then why no book here for a No Sweat Intro and find out how we can help you become the best version of yourself!
LAdies strength class roundup
We have just finished our First Ladies Strength Building Course and I have to say it has been a blast. The aim of this course was to coach the fundemental lifts. The Squat, the Deadlift, the Shoulder Press and the Bench Press and then give the Ladies a range of accessory exercises they could use to help strengthen these lifts and build an effective Strength Building Program.
As with many of the people that come through the doors of AFSCrossFit & Nutrition we see many have an idea of what these exercises are but have sadly never been properly coached to master them. I will be honest and admit that we made some excellent progress in mastering these movements but they are a vocation. One daily lives make it very difficult to move efficiently and with tight hips from sitting in most jobs, tight shoulders from using computers and phones all day we have a battle with many to overcome these issues.
That is the beauty of the job though. We are presented with all sorts of shapes and sizes with any number of ranges of movement available as well as current and old injuries to rehabilitate and work around. This course was no different. We, however love a challenge and accepted these challenges with open arms.
Nikki, Kate, Kathy, Rachel, and Fiona were ever presents over the 8 weeks with Sarah, Tracey, Stacey, Haras, and Emma dropping in when they could. We trained Mondays and Fridays Hitting a 3 day rotation. Squats on Day 1/4/7/10/13, Dealifts on Day 2/5/8/11/14 and Presses on Day 3/6/9/12/15 with a test day on day 16.
Our instagram channel has some footage of the improvements all these ladies made throughout the 8 weeks. Sometimes we focus on the weight lifted. Although every participant gained significant strength in every exercise but also improved significantly in technique as well. To build strength we believe that sometimes you have to strip back to the basics. Concentrate on developing sound mechanics so when we start upping the loads we have foundations to realise our true potential.
Throughout the week we run strength building classes. If you are looking to get stronger and learn new skills to help you make progress then why not book a No Sweat Intro and find out how we can help you!
HAPPY Birthday 🎂
Celebrating 14 years of providing CrossFit to the Andover Community.
AFSCrossFit has moved into its 14th year. 2 Gyms, 5 different management systems, hundreds maybe even 1000s of members old and new, 15 coaches and I can’t even think how many different programs we have come up with over the years, these are a handful of stats that don’t really tell the whole story of our journey.
When we threw open the doors 14years ago I didn’t in my wildest dreams see us make it this far. I still vividly remember still setting up the last bits ready for our opening event and Macca, Graham and James Parker rolled in before heading to the beach to sign up. Fast forward 14 years and Macca is my longest serving member 😍. I think Macca averages 4 classes a week still which means he very close to 3000 classes which is phenomenal.
obviously a special shoutout needs to go to my Bro, David who has been with me every step of the way. a wise, and very much more calm mind then mine has come in handy on more then one occasion when dealing with admin matters. Not only that he has been a rock on the coaching side providing a quality that is always of the highest caliber. He also loves a singlet 🏋️♀️ this photo was taken during a weightlifting/CrossFit hybrid competition we held with CrossFIt Reading.
As is par for the course lots of people have come and gone. Some to new gyms, some to new destinations and some moved back home. It’s definitely been one of the tougher parts of the job. We have said goodbye to great people like Jess and Chris Grant, Dave Allen, Jamie and Hayleigh Martin, and countless more. One of the biggest characters to be part of the AFSCrossFit Family is Darren. A fantastic coach very much in the old school AFS mould. He was an integral part of getting us up and running and the work he did to build our community was invaluable. Now living the good life up in Scotland we wish him, Cassidy and Brooke the very best x.
Another huge part of our early foundations was Tara. A fantastic human being with a heart maybe just a little too big. Always a sucker for a lost cause she had an inner determination I have not seen since. She was a cracking CrossFitter with a natural talent but also a will to win that pushed to do things that women with 3 kids rarely do. I have a few favourite memories but the one that is ok to broadcast was one new years eve I was working on the doors in Portsmouth. A rough area that prodded and poked all night to see if I could be manipulated and intimidated. I had no-one available to work with me but Tara stepped straight up and joined me for the night. We talked all night and laughed at the idiots trying to goad me into a fight. I’m not sure she would have done much damage if needed but I new she would try. Always a fighter and always thinking of others. RIP Tara xx
The most recent of you won’t remember Bruno. My trusty partner that was with me from day 1, always by my side and always close to being under a barbell. 10 years he provided a welcome like no other to everyone. Well everyone except Stratos and his bike, a lovely Indian couple and a PT client who I am sure Bruno felt had eaten dog on his numerous trips to China. Our coffee shop now carries his memory forward with us curled up in the coffee cup.
Casino nights, Competitions, and fundraisers have built our community and our reputation as one of the earliest CrossFit Gyms. I believe we were 32nd. Always performing way above expectations Ross, Kathryn, and Brad have flown the flag many times taking 1st place in some tough Competitions. I guess that’s one of the areas i’m most proud of. We have managed to build a program and provide an environment that has led to some very fit people doing extraordinary things but also has inspired 8 year olds to 80 years old to be as fit as they can be also.
When I opened the doors in 2010 I thought I had a plan. I thought I did but I didn’t. I have free wheeled, zigged and zagged, ducked and dived to where we are today. I have made countless mistakes, and am sure I will make a lot more along the way. The one thing that is still the same as it was on April 19th 2010 is my desire to help people. Weather its through CrossFit, Personal training, Online Coaching or Nutrition & Accountability Coaching we now have a plan. And pretty damn effective one even if I do say so myself.
If you would like to check out some of the great things our members have achieved head to our Instagram channel @afscrossfit. If you would like to find out how we can help you with your health and fitness goals book a NO SWEAT INTRO and lets see if we can work together.
what is good enough?
Over the past couple of years I have lost my way on numerous occasions both personally and professionally. The reasons for that might be as simple as motivation but they might delve deeper into trauma issues or psychological make up that needed addressing. I have no idea and to be honest we all have our shit to deal with so I won’t bore you or I with a profound conversation about life right now.
What I do want to talk about is culture, standards, wokeness and self confidence. These past few weeks you may have noticed a shift in message through our social media. We want you to get to know us. We want to show you around our classes, meet our coach’s, get a feel for how we operate. This change has made me start to really dive deep into what our community is all about. But more intrinsically what am I about too? While on this journey of reflection, introspection and maybe a little bit of soul searching it is quite clear that my life and my business needed stronger leadership.
Now when I talk about leadership I’m referring to style. I have never run a team, I have been part of many however all I have ever needed to do is my job. Work hard pick up any slack, cover for my teammates if needed and do what is necessary to get the job done. This style has led to poor management, bad communication and a lack of mission and direction. I guess you could say the style has been great for the day to grind and operations of the gym however the culture, direction and growth of the gym has been neglected.
I think the culture issue is one that sits high on my thought process right now as I feel that maybe through cancel culture, ultra PC opinions and whatever wokeness means our culture has been evolving in a way that hasn’t quite worked for me. When I started AFSCrossFit we were in the early stages of the CrossFit movement. Pukie the clown was our mascot and hard work was not frowned upon, it was embraced and accepted as a right of passage to achieve your goals.
Pukie riding the Chunda Dragon
Through sales training, business mentoring, social media, other gyms the message we have been sending has changed, even diluted to the point I don’t recognise it anymore. Now this sounds bad, I will no doubt re-read this a few times and rethink the wording, fix my bad spelling and grammar, but ultimately this is a good process. You have to understand where you were, to know where you are going and I’m getting my head around what I need to do to move us forward.
So being good enough is not enough. I have been unhappy with myself because mediocrity has dragged me down. Accepting good enough has never really sat very well with me. We are about to embark on a cathartic journey back to basics. Back to our roots and back to doing what we love and not apologising for it. We are a CrossFit gym and our workouts are designed to forge strong bodies and strong minds and being good enough isn’t where we set the bar. We want you to be the best versions of your self and we are going to make sure you get there safely and effectively!
If you would like to find how we can help you achieve your Health and Fitness goals book a NO SWEAT INTRO here>>>
Time Is PRICELESS
It’s true what they say. You can get a do-over on pretty much anything. Make a mistake, learn from it, improve from it and 9 times out of 10 you will get a second chance. Time however gives no second chances and Time waits for no Man! Fact! So why do so many people ignore TIME when considering a gym membership?
💥The Time to Travel💥
💥The Time to Workout💥
💥The Time to Learn💥
💥The Time to Master💥
💥The Time to Grow💥
What would you pay to go back in time? I would pay a shit load. I would do it all again but having the lessons and knowledge I have now I would be way more efficient in reaching my goals.
As I get older I am always thinking about how I use my time better. And so should everyone. I hear people talking about spending 2 hours in the gym to do a basic 45minute program. Standing around waiting for machines to free up. I would say this is madness however I also understand that a lot of this is down to education. Knowing alternatives you can do to achieve the same outcome.
Here are 3 ways to make your gym time more efficient and way more effective:
#1 - Short on time? Superset exercises and even do a couple of Giant Sets
(This is the Shoulda Shocka Finisher. You can giant set large reps or small reps. And use different rep ranges for each exercise.)
#2 - Find a Coach - This could be an online coach, a Personal Trainer or A CrossFit style Gym, but find someone who can guide you on the right path. Fix any technical mistakes and add some accountability.
#3 - Invest in yourself. Don’t be afraid to spend money on improving your health. Massages, Spa Days, self help equipment like a massage gun or Kino Move+. Albeit these won’t necessarily save you time they will help you with recovery, both mentally and physically which means the next training session is more effective which means you will hit your goals quicker 🏋️♀️
We are always here to help so if you would like some help with training BOOK A NO SWEAT INTRO and we will try our best to help!
Protein Gainz
A guide to Protein
We love PROTEIN. It is what grows the muscles. It’s what repairs the muscles after a tough workout. I don’t know about you but I want to be strong, powerful and harder to kill.
Now onto the minefield of what amounts of protein you should have. Truth be told in my experience for many people it’s not even that important to begin with. In the hustle bustle of everyday life we look to quick and easy solutions. take away sandwiches, quick snacks like granola bars and fruit (on a good day). but when you read the labels of most quick fix snacks the protein content is pretty low. Now if you want to really start digging into how much protein you should eat here is a helpful guide:
But wait, “I count all my macros” I hear you say. That’s not a problem. The general rule of thumb is 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. Something like this:
Mike weighs 70kgs = 155lbs So Mike would need to eat 155grams of protein each day.
If you have access to an Inbody Scanner that can workout your Lean Body Mass then this is even more accurate. You can book a scan with us HERE>>>
Protein Sources
We always advocate a whole foods approach to nutrition. Avoiding processed food is not only a lot healthier for your body but whole foods taste much better and fill you up for a lot longer. Remember the food industry makes money when you eat, so the more they can get you to eat the better their profits.
Above you will see a whole host of sources of protein ranging from lean meats to fatty ones. When choosing your protein the fattier meats can have an effect on your cholesterol levels and liver function so try and aim for the leaner sources when possible.
SUMMARY
Here are a few finishing ideas for you . If you can get protein into every meal and snack that is a great start. If you can make it around 30-40grams per meal you are getting close to your daily targets. Try and aim for whole foods as best you can adding a portion of vegetables and some healthy fats and you are going to see improvements in health, sleep, recovery and much more.
If you would like some help with your nutrition book a nutrition consultation and find out how we can get you to your goals.
Open Gym Program 3
Moving along with our Open Gym Program here is the 3rd instalment. We have a Chest workout, Back Workout and a cheeky little leg workout for you all.
CHEST DAY
Exercise 1 - 5Rep Max Bench Press.
Start light and build up each set. I warmed up with 3rounds of 10 Incline Press Ups and 20 Banded Pull Aparts.
Exercise 2 - 3 x 8/Arm Down/Up Dumbbell Press
Work upto a heavy set of 8. Make sure you have a couple of reps in the tank as you are going to do 3 working sets at this weight.
Exercise 3 - 3 x 12 Cable Flyes
Again work upto a good weight for 12 reps and then perform 3 working sets. If you are going to stagger your feet make sure you change half way through the set.
Exercise 4 - Super Set Tricep Dips / Rope PressDowns
If you can perform Bodyweight dips awesome. Hit 10 of those. In my video I am demoing the Assisted Dips Machine. Once finished get straight on the Cable Pressdown and hit 15 reps. Rest 90 seconds and go again.
Workout 2 is Leg Day
Exercise 1 - Leg Press 4 x 20reps
Use this as a warm up. Start light and add weight as you go. If you feel up for it keep going until you get to your 20Rep Max
Exercise 2 - Knee Extensions 4 x 12
We don’t have a leg extension machine so here is an alternative. Keep you Core tight and pivot around the knees. Bodyweight will be a challenge for some. Others might need to add load so grab a disc or a dumbbell and go for it.
Exercise 3 - Spanish Squats 5 sets 12/10/8/6/4
Feel free to mix the order and do these before the Knee Extensions. I didn’t as I wanted to stretch and warm up my knees first. These Spanish squats will work your inner quad (the Medial head of the Quadricep). Choose a medium sized band. I have looked this in half and stepped through each end. Take a step back ensure you lock the knees out at the top of the squat to really get those suckers burning. I descended in reps and added weight each set.
Exercise 4 - Slant Board Lunges 4 x 8/Leg
Find yourself a wedge, if you don’t have a wedge just make a step and perform Split Squats on that. The wedge gives us a little more travel for the knee and therefore a little more work around the thigh. Choose a pair of dumbbells that will challenge your strength but also balance and perform 4 sets of 8 reps on each side.
If you would like to find how we can help you achieve your Health and Fitness goals book a NO SWEAT INTRO here>>>
march newsletter
March updates for what’s coming up in afscrossfit
Spring time is here. Birds are singing, the sun is flooding through my window to wake me up before my alarm and thankfully the heating can get turned off for a few months. (I can hear you all saying what heating 🤣).
Easter opening hours:
Good Friday - Classes at 0700/0930/1100
Easter Saturday - Classes at 0800/0900/1000
Easter Sunday - Closed
Easter Monday - Classes at 0700/0930/1100
AFSCUP 2024
To celebrate our 14 year anniversary we will be running the AFSCup pairs competition on Saturday 20th April. Find yourself a partner, no super teams and get ready for 3 workouts as well as a lot of fun. There will be a BBQ as always and we will definitely be heading out out afterwards if you fancy celebrating with us.
LADIES STRENGTH BUILDING COURSE (LSBC)
Starting on the 8th April our first LSBC begins. This is a beginners course aimed at giving non-members the perfect way to get into training correctly, building insane strength and confidence all under the watchful eye of Myself (Gareth) and British Powerlifting Qualifier Kim Glover. Here is a taste of what happened in our Free taster last week:
If you would like to join us you can register HERE. We have 4 Spots remaining and exactly 2 weeks until we kick off!
COMING SOON
I.D Program - Life throws up all sorts of conundrums and problems. In #GYMLYF that’s usually either injuries or time restrictions. Both of which cause stagnation, loss of motivation and possibly direction. Our new I.D (Individual Design) program can help. 30 minute personal training sessions once a week to work on your particular requirement. May that be rehabilitation or working on a skill or weakness our training team will identify key exercises to assist you in improving and then prescribe you a weekly program to follow in your own time. This can be run alongside gym membership or on its own as a member or non member. If you would like more information on how this can help book a goal setting session today!
BRUNO’S COFFEE SHOP
Bruno’s is our in house coffee shop and provider of (in my opinion) #thebestcoffeeinandover. Every month they do giveaways through their instagram @brunoscoffeeshop and also through their monthly newsletter. SIGN UP here and help us spread the word of Bruno’s 🐶. Non members and Dogs WELCOME!
Ellie millings sports massage
Our resident Sports Massage Therapist Ellie has begun her own instagram channel. If you are looking for hints and tips on stretching and self myofasicial release you should head over there and take a look @elliemillingssportsmassage. She is also giving away hints and tips in her newsletters you can SIGN UP HERE for her monthly updates, competitions and giveaways.
ROUND UP
Over the past few weeks and months we have been trying to create a much more robust and comprehensive service to improve your fitness journey. With 3 monthly goal setting reviews, nutrition and accountability coaching and the launch of our new ID program we feel we are getting pretty close. We can however always benefit from feedback from you. If you have anything you would like to see I would love to hear it.
The Open Round UP!
The CrossFit Open season is over and for most of us the competition journey is over. Here are my thoughts on the workouts, the results, and my favourite moments.
The Open has come to an end. After quite a bit of deliberation a Fran type workout came along. I was a little disappointed in myself for not predicting something like this as every year they do something FRAN based. For those of you unfamiliar with Fran she is the 100m of CrossFit, THE MAIN BENCHMARK workout of:
21 / 15 / 9
Thrusters
Pull Ups
Some can do this in under 2 minutes. I believe the gym record is around 3mins maybe quicker. (I’m sure whoever has that record will correct me 🤓.
Now this year as always we saw trepidation. A lot of members scaling as they didn’t have Chest 2 Bar Pull Ups, some had no pull ups what so ever. But as always the pressure of competition produces some diamonds. First pull ups are always a momentous occasion. Especially when watching people work for so long to get them. A special mention has to go out to Anne Prince. After months of working with Anne in the strength class working towards getting a pull up, she only went and hit 8. As a masters athlete this is an inspiring story and proof that it is never too late to get strong. Awesome job Anne 💪.
24.3 Standings
This years CrossFit Open has been the first one i’ve actually enjoyed for many years. That’s has mainly been to do with injuries but also the programming has been a bit crap. This year I feel that everyone was able to take something away for the workouts. They were challenging for the seasoned CrossFitters and accessible for the the new CrossFitters. And for us Oldies with a few niggles they weren’t crazy heavy so we could drag our broken asses over the finish line. I was a little sad not to see international Brad Breakdown Day but there is always next year 🤪
CONGRATULATIONS!
So this year sees Ross crowned as the winner of our individual gym open comp. With wins in 24.1 and 24.2 and a 3rd place finish in 24.3 he absolutely smashed it. It was also the 266th in the Uk so very respectable. A big congratulations to him.
*Overall leaderboard for those that completed all 3 workouts.
Now onto the team competition. On drawing the teams my money was on the Hornets to come away with the victory and sure enough they stepped up and crushed it. Great job Team Hornets. The Dingos came second, Flapjacks third. My Team, Team Boom finished Fourth and the Cornettos right behind with the Wooden Spoon.
Now that the Open is finished for us mere mortals we can hopefully all walk away feeling proud of our efforts. Everyone of you put a proper shift in and worked as hard as you could. That’s always a great feeling. I’m certainly pretty happy with making it through all the workouts unscathed and looking ahead to get fitter for next year. That’s what this last 3 weeks was about. Testing your fitness. Testing your mental strength. Then giving you purpose and focus on what needs to be worked on over the next 12 months. If you need help with analysing your performance and identifying what’s next come in for a Goal Setting Appointment and I would be happy to talk through the best pathway to reach your targets for next year.
Ultimately I hope that the biggest take away from the pst 3 weeks is the AFSCrossFit Community. Every workout that took place was cheered on. I know I felt the support of everyone around to push me for that extra rep to beat Sutty 💥. There is nothing like overcoming adversity, pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone and having your fellow CrossFitters there to support you throughout.
Great Job TAFS
G-Unit
If you would like to find how we can help you achieve your Health and Fitness goals book a NO SWEAT INTRO here>>>
Rest When You’re Dead
The importance of rest is possibly the most under valued training technique and the easiest to implement!
Throughout history it’s pretty much a given that Hard Work pays off. Therefore it goes without saying that training more will help you achieve your goals in super quick time. Pushing through fatigue, Pushing through Injuries and not letting a single thing get in your way. This is admirable, and shows dedication, motivation and determination to win at all costs. YOU ARE A WEAPON!!
I have heard many times the saying “There is no such thing as Overtraining”. You can’t put too much work in. Some of you will know the saying “What’s Rich doing?”. If you have been following CrossFit at all you will know Rich Froning as the CrossFit Games Champion 4 years running which puts him in the conversation for CrossFits GOAT. On the run up to the 2011 CrossFit Games the media team at CrossFit shot a fantastic behind the scenes video showing Rich Froning and Jason Khalipas road to the games. One scene shows both the families getting together for a meal, I believe it was thanksgiving. Mid way through the meal Jason notes that Rich is no longer sat at the table. He goes to find him. When he reaches the garage he finds Rich crushing sets of Front Squats and so the phrase “Whats Rich Doing” was born. Jason went home, headed to his garage gym and wrote “Whats Rich Doing?” on the wall. A constant reminder that every time he stops for a rest, rich will be working harder and doing more then you.
It was a crazy clip but a perfect example of what is needed to succeed at the highest levels. It is also old school thinking. There is now a new buzz word “UNDER RECOVERY”.
WHAT IS RECOVERY?
The first part of Recovery is Sleep. When we sleep the body repairs. We are able to switch off all the non essential body functions and let the body fully set about fixing itself. When we think about the amount of sleep we get we recommend between 7-9 hours. For some, like me you are lucky to get 6hours but that’s ok. Fire in a few pensioners and you will be fine.
The second part of Recovery is Nutrition. If you are not fuelling the body to do the work then you are definitely not fuelling it to repair itself. This is where protein comes in. Protein is the building blocks of muscle. When we do a workout may it be a long run or a heavy lifting session or CrossFit you are going to break down some muscle. That’s what muscle soreness is the day after aka DOMS (Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness) is. Your muscles have been damaged or broken down and now the body is trying to repair it. A good rule of thumb for protein intake is:
1 Gram of Protein Per 1lb of bodyweight.
If you have a way to accurately assess your body composition then you can be super accurate and base this on Lean Bodyweight. We use the InBody scanner here at AFSCrossFit. You can book a scan here.
The third part of recovery is training sensibly. The methodology of CrossFit very much focuses on compound movements. That means we are using multiple joints and lots of muscles in every workout. That does mean we don’t use the same training protocols as say a bodybuilding who would train different body parts each session therefore allowing the others to rest. Equally a power lifter would likely train their squats one day, deadlifts another then the chest on a third day. giving each movement pattern time to recover and sometimes would train each one once a week so lots of recovery.
CrossFit.com recommend a 3 on 1 off training plan. Meaning we workout 3 consecutive days then rest the forth day. In my opinion that’s doable if you are a seasoned trainer say more than 3years training experience. We recommend for new members to aim for 3 sessions per week with one day recovery inbetween. We also run different classes. If CrossFit is getting a little tough, then you can lower the intensity and try a strength session. If you need to focus on stretching then add in a Yoga session or 2.
Summary
In summary eat plenty of protein. Get plenty of sleep. Switch up your training. Listen to your Body, it will tell you when to rest. Hopefully that will be through fatigue. But be warned, when we are tired and fatigued we start making mistakes and this is when we risk injury. It's definitely more beneficial to take a day off rather then spend 6months on the rehab table.
With our nutrition program we look at balancing nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress, lifestyle and support to put you in the best possible space to succeed in reaching your fitness goals. A No Sweat Intro is the perfect place to come and discuss your needs and see how we can help.
Happy Training
G-Unit
24.2 Review
Week 2 of the Open threw up up a lovely little 20 minute AMRAP (As Many Rounds/Reps As Possible).
Row 300m
10 Deadlifts
50 Double Unders
to complete the row + deadlifts + Double Unders = 1 Round
A slow burner of a workout it provided a lot of new members the opportunity to hone their skills for 20 mins. Greeted with shrieks of “I hate skipping” and ‘“I will be skipping the whole 20 mins” many of our team needed some cajoling into trying this workout RX (as Recommended). With an 83kg deadlift for men and 56kgs for ladies the weight proved not to be a barrier to entry for anyone. The 300m row, again was just a case of just keep pulling the handle for a little over 60 seconds and we move on. No problem there for anyone all we needed was a nice consistent pace. Just what the doctor ordered.
Throughout the week we saw all sorts of approaches. Our better athletes tried to go unbroken in everything and scored well over 8 rounds completed. Personally I found a steady 2min pace on the Row followed by single Deadlifts (Lift and drop each rep) and then 3 sets of Double Unders. As you can see from the graph the 2 Red spikes are the final two sets of Double Unders that I managed 2 sets in Round 5 and unbroken in Rd 6. My heart nearly exploded but it was the perfect route to nearly 7 rounds. I was well happy with that 💥.
Heart Rate for 24.2
Many of our newer members found pacing difficult. Some started the row at world record pace of 1 minute 45s for 500m but soon realised they had f%£cked up and dropped significantly in the rounds that followed. As I mentioned earlier the deadlifts were ok for just about everyone however the double unders were emotional.
I saw shins that looked like they had been whipped in some kind of medieval torcher ritual and even had to duck for cover when skipping ropes broke with the intensity going through the roof. Ultimately many found their first double under. Many of those then managed to hit 3 or 4 rounds and walked away well chuffed with their efforts.
Last but not least we had our scaled athletes. Many of our newer members have not had a skipping rope in their hands at all so they stuck with the singles. All absolutely crushed their attempts and I have no doubt will be thinking to next year and making sure those double unders are dialled in.
Want to get involved for next year come in for a No Sweat Intro and see how we can help!
Wishing you a Happy Workout
G-Unit, Salsa Jedi
24.1 The Open Review
13 years of Open workouts..Here goes 2024s efforts
The Open has kicked off and as always it starts with a muthaf%@ka of a workout:
15 Minute Timecap
21 DB Snatch (1 Arm)
21 Burpee over DB
21 DB Snatch (1Arm)
21 Burpee Over DB
15 DB Snatch (1 Arm)
15 Burpee over DB
15 DB Snatch (1Arm)
15 Burpee Over DB
9 DB Snatch (1 Arm)
9 Burpee over DB
9 DB Snatch (1Arm)
9 Burpee Over DB
As someone who is a little on the heavy side and recovering from a long standing array of shoulder and back ailments it was always going to be a tough day at the office. A score of 176 reps meant I just fell short of completing it. Although I had hoped to finish I was very pleased to walk away. And I mean literally walk away 🤣.
After 14 years of doing the Open I always love the reactions of my members to the newly released workouts. Some embrace the challenge. Some roll up their sleeves, fight back the workout demons and crack on. Some require that extra persuasion, that little bit of coaxing to realise their potential and get stuck in kicking and screaming 🤣.
The overall feeling at the end from all is one of satisfaction. Pride and maybe a little bit of relief. We saw some fantastic times, a huge amount of effort one tweaked hamstring and only a couple of breakdowns. We kicked it off with a bang.
The recovery from such a posterior chain dominant workout is crucial to be ready for the 24.2. Here is a few tips to get that back moving smoothly once more. Good Luck everyone. Enjoy 24.2 💥
do you hiit the mark?
High Intensity Intervals are the best way to improve VO2Max
Many of you will have heard of HIIT training. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is all the rage in running and cycling clubs in the pursuit of the holy grail, Improving VO2max score. VO2 max, or maximal oxygen consumption, refers to the maximum amount of oxygen that an individual can utilise during intense or maximal exercise.
Here are two tables detailing the range of scores and where they sit. The lower your score the bigger the risk of cardiovascular disease. That’s heart attacks, strokes, and other such nasty ailments. Nobody wants that.
TRAINING
The principles of training to improve your VO2Max is pretty simple. Go balls out for time or for distance then recover. Rinse and repeat 6-10 times and you should be fitter right? Not necessarily. Cardiovascular fitness needs to be at near max heart rate around zone 4 and zone 5. Now many of you will have performed interval workouts around a track. Following a protocol similar to run 300m recover 100m performed 10 times.
The issue with this style of interval is the time actually spent in the correct zone. If we work off a max Heart Rate of 200bpm we may see the following pattern:
As you can see of the nine intervals performed only 2 hit both the target working heart rate of Zone 4 and the target recovery Heart Rate of Zone 1. Albeit this would have been a sweaty session if we are specifically aiming to improve the VO2Max score we need to be hitting Zone 4/Zone 1 for all 9 intervals.
TESTING
The first part of addressing this training program is the testing. We use the Uptivo Heart Rate Monitoring system in the gym to be able to track our intervals. This system uses the generic calculations above as does most wearables and many apps such as whoop. However we use the PNOE Metabolic Testing equipment when our clients wish to have a 100% accurate picture of their zones. We have found that even being 1 or 2 beats out can be detrimental to performance. The beauty of this system is it can identify if you have a weakness with your breathing (Breathing rate/tempo and lung capacity/strength), your metabolic conditioning (muscle endurance) or your cardiovascular system (Heart strength). This accuracy allows us to build the program that will most effectively improve your weaknesses. Most see improvements within 6-8 weeks.
Gemma getting into the ZONE
THE FIX
Now you have the results from the test and have your zones locked in, here is how we go about improving our clients VO2Max. We recommend 2 HIIT sessions per week. One Zone 4 Session and one Zone 5 session. The protocols we follow are as follows:
We use the Echo bike, Row Erg, Ski erg and Bike Erg in our sessions to achieve the intended goals but you could also do this with running. I have listed the 3 levels we use. You would have to complete the Target amount of intervals in the 40min time cap to be able to move up the following week. If you don’t manage it then just keep repeating until you do.
CONCLUSION
If you give these sessions a solid 8 weeks of hard graft you will see some fantastic results. Personally I have seen an improvement of 9 points over 8 weeks. Give them a go and let us know how you get on. If you would like to find out anymore information book a NO SWEAT INTRO and i’ll help you anyway I can.
Happy Training
G-Unit
open gym program 2
A Beginners program to follow for a few weeks. A four day split
You’ve just crushed program 1 for the past few weeks. Hopefully you increased the load every session and have started to get the hang of this working out business. This next program adds a bit of variety but the key to any good program is keeping the fundamentals at the forefront of the thinking. We are going to keep the body parts separate so there are 4 workouts you can try. I would stick to training every other day to begin with but if you are feeling hunch feel free to do 2 days on 1 off, then 2 days on and rest the weekend. If you would like more help feel free to book a no sweat intro and let us see what we can do.
BACK WORKOUT
Warm Up
4 Rds
Row 200m
20 Banded Pull Aparts
A) Watson Row Machine 3 x 15 reps
B) Lat Pulldown 3 x 8
C) Straight Arm Pulldown 3 x 10
D) Side Plank Cable Row 3 x 12/side
LEG WORKOUT
Warm Up
4 rounds
Bike 400m
12 air squats
A) Leg Press 3 x 20reps
B) Goblet Squat Work upto a 25rep max. Target is 1/2 Bodyweight
C) Wall Squat Work 30 seconds rest 1min 3 rounds
D) 3 rounds 15 Glute Bridge 12/side Clam Shells
Positve mental attitude
Over the past near decade and a half I have been very clear on how I think CrossFit should be approached. Many of you would have heard me shout many immortal and highly encouraging motivational phrases such as “Drink a Cup of Concrete” and “Don’t be a Pussy”. With no context and no tone those can be considered a little non-pc but you will be happy to know those are the snowflake versions that I can actually publish 😇.
I grew up along with my Brother Dave, in and around the army, first as a Pads Brat (My dad served 36years) and then took the plunge and joined myself at 19 and served 6 years. More than enough time for me. Now during those formative years during the 80’s and early 90’s we had a great life. Go out, be kids, stay out of trouble. Mission accomplished. We also grew up with not many cares in the world, and thank god no social media. I wouldn’t say we were pushed too hard by our parents. We definitely weren’t drilled to within an inch of our lives and didn’t go wanting for much. We had each other, we had a football, and we had some wide open spaces to play in. Perfect!
Now somehow we managed to get to adulthood and have an inner steal. A winning mentality and a no quit kind of attitude. Obviously that comes from parenting, but I think it also comes from the alpha male environment. You don’t see it as kids as it’s all you know, but there was always competition, always people trying to get one over on you and always someone trying to take your place. I kind of thrived on that and enjoyed beating these people immensely. The only problem being that it carries through into every part of your life and is quite a difficult trait for many to deal with and I have had more then a few run ins with people who disagree with my opinions and more then a couple of failed relationships as a result.
Until recently, possibly the past 12 months I didn’t see why people couldn’t just get the work done. Couldn’t commit to achieving their goals even when those goals are extremely important due to health worries. I possibly even viewed it as being lazy. “What a Dick” I hear many of you say. And I now completely agree.
The gym has never been a place that has intimidated me, and I was only saying the other day how my inner meat head comes out in a globo gym. These past 12 months has made me very aware that this is the exception and not the norm. Many of the people who I have started working with here at AFSCrossFit through our Nutrition program and our Bootcamp courses do not feel the same way and very much view the gym as a nessecary evil as opposed to a place of joy and achievement. SOUND FAMILIAR?
I believe that most of this comes from mindset. Some of these obstacles are due to a fear of failure. Not being good enough or my favourite not being fit enough. However I also believe that there is a huge fear of success. Firstly not being able to see what success looks like, a fear that success is a shit tonne of hard work away and will people still like me if I am successful?
Pretty bonkers right but all true. I think also that there is a tendency to look at that 10 stone weight loss number, or that 15% body fat that needs to be shifted and get overwhelmed. Trust me when I say I have been there. Actually I am there. I have had a lot of injuries and work has been crazy and I could do with shifting 10kgs myself. Now at 1lb of weight loss per week that’s 22 weeks of hard graft. Tough workouts and a super clean diet. Sounds tough to me.
How I am approaching it is one day at a time. Let’s make small manageable changes that I can stick to and get started. That’s the biggest obstacle. Making the decision to start and then kicking off. After working with one of our nutrition coaches I made a plan. After diving into my daily meals it was clear I needed more vegetables so I started there. I added vegetables into every meal, Yes, including breakfast. And so it began. 2 weeks later having got that down pat I decided I needed more water throughout the day. so I aimed to go from about 4 pints a day upto 7. The more water you have the better your body works, the more fat you burn, and the more muscle you grow. after 6 weeks I was down 3 kgs and my body fat was down 3%. Bang on that 1lb a week target.
The nutrition was only part of it and I see a lot of people struggle with the mindset of getting fit. I was drifting along and not feeling like I was in control. This is where the story goes a little off my usual approach. No longer was head down and plough on working. Just grinding away putting one foot in front of the other was not working. So I did something radical. I started reading, First I read the 5am Club, then The high performance Athlete and just recently the Miracle Morning. These are all good books and very much have a common theme. You need to take time out to be silent, to think , and to put yourself first. Not in a selfish way but in a mindfulness way.
I could go into the S.A.V.E.R.S philosophy of the morning miracle but i’ll let you explore that for yourself. Ultimately what I started to do was to spend 20 mins just breathing, eyes shut concentrating on nothing but being silent and still. Quite a revelation as Im not sure I have ever just sat still and thought of nothing. I’ve recently started these things called affirmations and an even crazier concept in Gratitude. Again two things I have never even come across let alone started to do. Some proper left field thinking I know. I am still a little awkward with saying thanks for stuff but I will get there.
The take away from this epiphany over the past 12 months is:
You can only control what you do and what you think.
Live for right now. You can’t see the future and can’t affect the past.
Be positive, life is pretty tough, Is full of challenges. If you think positively you might just come out the other side a winner. If you think negatively you will 100% come out the other side a loser.
Goodluck in your journey.
Gareth
If you would like to find how we can help you achieve your Health and Fitness goals book a NO SWEAT INTRO here>>>
To Compete or not compete? that is the question…
Here at AFSCrossFit we are always running in gym competitions like the CrossFIt Open, and our anniversary competitions. There are also a multitude of competitions around the country for all levels. Here ias a breakdown of why I think you should compete.
CrossFit by design generates competition. Both internal and external. The leaderboard generates an element of competition that some love and some hate. Either way every time you come into the gym, load up the bars and wait for the 3..2..1…countdown you are ultimately trying to be better than you were yesterday.
They say to try to be 1% better every day which is admirable. Is that 1% faster? 1% stronger? or 1 % lighter that’s all down to your goals. Booking a goal setting appointment would help to build a plan to work out the plan to achieve those goals.
I’ve been approached by a few people about doing some competitions and a lot of what I hear is am I ready? What I always say to people is go and give it a go. Firstly go and have some fun. Sign up with some Gym friends, take a road trip and go and see some different CrossFit Gyms. Secondly go and enjoy the adrenaline of working out infant of people where it actually matters. You will be surprised how hard you push yourself. Lastly it’s very different to do one workout a day to then go and do 3 or 4 in a comp. Its a whole different level of fitness and something that has to be experienced to give you the reference point to base all your training on to move forward to do the next comp.
If you are interested in a competition here is a calendar of events coming up around the Uk. Find some friends and get involved
UK CrossFIt Competition Calender
Happy Training
Gareth
If you would like to find how we can help you achieve your Health and Fitness goals book a NO SWEAT INTRO here>>>
How to start crossfit
How I would go about getting into crossfit if I wer new to the Game.
CrossFit has been my chosen method of training since 2006. I have followed numerous programs, started my own CrossFit affiliate and now 14 years later have a thriving business. I have just been tagged in a thread on Facebook about getting into CrossFit and how to get started so here is what I did to get this CrossFit relationship kicked off.
1) Check out www.CrossFit.com - I stumbled across an article about CrossFit and decided to try there Filthy Fifty. I have blogged about this already so won’t bore you with the details. Needless to say I loved the workout and was hooked. As soon as I go back to my room I searched for CrossFit.com. I found they program a WOD (workout of the Day) on their website every day that I could follow. Which is what I did for the next 4 years. They also have the Journal. This is a library of everything crossfit. Past articles about workouts, nutrition, exercises, guest blogs on Mobility, Weightlifting and thousands more which I read relentlessly trying to learn as much as I could and you can too. They have a ton of free resources on their site.
2) Find a gym - You can do CrossFit anywhere. Back in 2005 in Iraq there were no CrossFit affiliates and in a lot of places I was lucky to have a barbell and weights. But that is the beauty of CrossFit. You can do it anywhere. With limited kit and crossfit.com gives plenty of alternatives for you to use and scale. Head to your local leisure centre or puregym, grab a KB, DB or Barbell that you need for the WOD and give it a go. If its exercises you have never done, check out a YouTube video, ask your fitness instructor for a demo, stay light and safe and see how you get on. I didn’t get any coaching until I went to my Level 1 course in 2009. I managed to get through unscathed. Doing something is better then doing nothing.
3) Find a training buddy - CrossFit workouts are challenging and will push you out of your comfort zone. That’s life though right. If it isn’t hard it probably isn’t doing any good. It’s definitely not making you adapt and improve. The hard things are always easier with a buddy. You and your friend getting in the trenches together, sweating and toiling through the hard work together will build a bond Ive not seen outside of sport and the Army. It will not only build a great friendship but you will hold each accountable and support each other to getting those results you want. May it be to lose weight or get to the CrossFit games.
4) Find CrossFit Gym - I’ve put this one last because it’s ultimately the last port of call. If you have given CrossFit a go, have found you love it then why go to a CrossFit gym? I used to believe the number 1 reason was community. Working out with like minded people in a safe well equipped gym, being able to do what you love and have the support of great people keeps you coming back for more.
I now believe that the Number 1 reason is “does it solve your problem?” If you are looking to get better at CrossFit then you need the following:
Great Coaches
A program that can get you the skills you need In a safe and timely manor
The facilities and equipment to deliver that program
Now pretty much every affiliate has the kit, most have the programming, and to be an affiliate you must have at least the CrossFit Level2 cert. Now all the certifications in the world doesn’t guarantee that you will like the coach or the gym. I have seen a million different ways that people interpret delivering their style of CrossFit so it’s worth seeing if they do a trial class.
If you are looking to use CrossFit to lose weight then you will need to consider the following:
Do they have a nutrition program
Do they offer body composition analysis
Do they offer accountability coaching
CrossFit is but one part of the solution for weight loss. Nutrition and accountability make up 66% of that equation. Now having a nutrition program delivered by supportive Nutrition and Accountability coaches working on a holistic approach to losing weight will be a huge benefit to helping you achieve this goal.
That’s my take on getting started. Here is a link to help you find an affiliate.
If you would like to find out how we do CrossFit feel free to book a No Sweat Intro and I would be happy to see if we can help you 👊
Happy Training
Gareth
If you would like to find how we can help you achieve your Health and Fitness goals book a NO SWEAT INTRO here>>>
the open is coming!
The CrossFit open kicks off on the 29th February. Old battle lines are drawn and we are getting ready for Combat. Well maybe we are 😆 Sutty is missing some toes since last year and I’m not sure there is any part of me that isn’t hurting. However for 3 weeks I will be sucking it up for Team Boom to try and finally claim the AFSOpen Title.
We have got loads of new faces who have probably never heard of the Open let alone considered (you are taking part) getting involved. so here is a quick breakdown of what it is.
3 CrossFit workouts will be released over 3 weeks. Each workout will have an RX category and a scaled category. We use this very much as a community activity. We put everyone into a team and then score each workout on a sliding scale. First place gets 1 point, Second gets 2 points, Third gets 3 and so on. Anyone who completes the workout as Recommended (RX) will score first, followed by the scaled athletes.
One workout will be released each week on the Thursday. We try to encourage everyone to do this together on the Saturday and repurpose the teamwood for the duration of the OPEN. We do understand that this is difficult so for week 1 and 2 we give you options on Friday and Monday to get it done. On the 3rd week we do it on the Saturday together and fire up BBQ and crack open some beers. It has been known to escalate into a bit of a session so keep Saturday 16th FREE.
All the exercises will be things that we have done. On the whole CrossFit tries to make it as accessible as possible. There has been occasions in the past where I have added an extra scaling option to allow everyone to take part so don’t panic if you don’t feel fit enough.. Each workout will be judged so that it is fair and a real test of your fitness. This should be used as motivation and a gauge of where you are and give you goals and targets to work on for next year👊.
This Saturday, as has been advertised we are going to draw the teams after the teamwod. I have TEAM BOOM, Dave has THE DINGOS, Kat has THE FLAPJACKS, Maris has THE HORNETS and Brad has THE CORNETTOS. There will be team shirts available and we encourage shithousery at every opportunity.
This is meant to be a fun experience where you throw down with your CrossFIt buddies and test yourself against the workout. You will lift things that you never thought possible. Some will get their first pull up. Others will do their first full RX workout and others (like me) will just be happy to take part. We all will take our own positives from the experience but ultimately we will go through the hellish workouts as a team and come out the other side just a little bit stronger, a little bit fitter, and just that little bit harder to KILL💥
open gym program 1
Here at AFSCrossFit we not only offer the best CrossFit experience around, but we also give our members all the tools they need to be able to improve their health and fitness. This program is aimed at helping our CrossFit members get strong.
At AFSCrossFit its not all about CrossFit. Sometimes we like to go a little globo gym. Our Open gym area has enough equipment to be able to work around any fitness goal. We are going to release a series of programs that can be used by our members and anyone with access to the same equipment and this blog to follow along with a quick video (not professional 🤪) to help you get through it. if you need any help then feel free to book a No Sweat Intro to discuss.
This program covers a chest workout, a back workout and a shoulder workout. I have chosen compound movements and rep ranges that suit a beginner. However, it is more then possible to change the rep schemes and sets to achieve different results so as a quick guide here is a table detailing the rep ranges and their desired training effect:
Strength 1-3 Reps @ 90-100% e.g Work upto a 1 rep max
Strength For All 4-6 reps @ 85-75% e.g 5 sets x 5 reps
Hypertrophy 6-12 reps @ 75-50% e.g 3 sets x 10reps
Muscle Endurance 12+reps @ 50% e.g 4 sets x 20 reps
IF you decide to modify the program it would be worth testing your max lifts. Make sure you have a spotter available so you can go wild!
Warm Up
3 Rounds
20 Banded Pull Aparts
10 Incline Press-ups
1) Bench Press 4 x 6 reps
- choose a weight you can complete 8 reps at for all 4 sets.
2) Incline Dumbbell Press 3 x 12 reps
3) Cable Chest Press 3 x 15/side
Warm Up
3 Rounds
Row 300m
Rest 1 min
1) Pull Ups 4 x 6 reps
2) Lat Pulldown 3 x 12 reps
Wide grip targets the last Narrow grip targets the rhomboids and traps
3) Seated Row 4 x 6
4) Ring Rows 3 x 15 reps
Change hand position each set. - overhand - neutral grip
Warm Up
3 Rds
20 Banded Pull Aparts
20 Face Pulls
1) Bottoms Up KB Press 3 x 6-12 each arm
2) Yoga Push Ups 3 x 20
3) Superset (Complete each exercise back 2 back with no rest)
3 x 8-20 Front Raise
3 x 20 Bus Drivers
Happy Training
Gareth
If you would like to find how we can help you achieve your Health and Fitness goals book a NO SWEAT INTRO here>>>
AFSCrossfit Muscle up Guide
The fabled Muscle Up is a dream of many of us. Once described as a really big Pull Up followed by the worlds fastest Sit-Up it sounds easy right. It is anything but. A huge amount of strength combined with a vast amount of agility and speed makes this one of the toughest exercises in CrossFit.
To begin the journey to a Muscle Up you first have to get your Pull Ups to around the 5 rep mark. See my previous Pull Up guide if you need help with that. If you don’t have a Pull Up yet but want to start working on the basics of a Muscle Up then feel free to add banded assistance or low bar alternatives so you can still build up a strong grip and the techniques.
Check out our YouTube Channel for tutorial videos on the exercises below. Now go get after it. Remember the more work you put in the luckier you will get. If you need any further help feel free to book in for a No Sweat Intro and we can get you started properly.
Week 1- session 1
• 3 Sets: False Grip Hang (hang at bottom for 30 seconds)
Pull Ups - 30 Second Dead Hang
• 3 Sets: 6 to 10 Ring Dips
Scaled - 3x6 Banded Dips
• 3 Sets: 5 Ring Pull-ups (palms facing each other)
Pulls Up - 5 x Best Effort (Active Hang or better)
• 5 Sets: 2-3 Slow-motion Negatives
Week 1- session 2
• 3 Set: False Grip Hang –30 seconds
Pull Ups - Dead Hang on Bar
• 4 Sets: 3 Ring Pull-Ups at a slow speed- Count of 3 (palms facing away from you)
Pull Ups - 4x3 Pull Up Attempts (Active Hang or Better)
• 4 Sets: 5 Ring Dips (pause at top between reps)
Scaled - 2x3 Negatives + 2x3 Banded Dips
• 5 Sets: 5 Muscle up progression
Pull Ups - 5x5 Banded Pull Ups
Week 1- session 3
• 3 Sets: 3 False Grip Pull-Ups (hang at bottom 10 – 30 seconds)
Pull Ups - 3x3 Banded Pull Up (aim for the thick red band)
• 8 Sets: 3 Negatives at a slow speed
Pull Ups - 8x2 Negative Pull Ups on Bar
Week 2- session 1
• 3 Sets: False Grip Hangs (hang at bottom for 30 seconds)
Pull Ups - Dead Hang
• 4 Sets: 6 to 10 Ring Dips
Scaled - 2x5 negatives + 2x5 Banded Dips
• 4 Sets: 5 Ring Pull-ups (palms facing each other)
• 5 Sets: 5 muscle up progressions (slow speed)
Week 2- session 2
• 3 Set: False Grip Hangs – 30 seconds
• 4 Sets: 3 Ring Pull-Ups at a slow speed (palms facing away from you)
Pull Ups - 4x3 Pull Up Attempts
• 4 Sets: 5 Ring Dips (3 sec pause at top between reps)
Scaled - 2x5 Negatives + 2x5 Banded Dips
• 5 Sets: 5 negatives at a slow speed
Pull Ups - Jumping Pull Ups
Week 2- session 3
• 3 Sets: 4 False Grip Pull-Ups (hang at bottom 10 – 30 seconds)
Pull Ups - 4x3 Pull Up Attempts
• 8 Sets: 3 progression with feet elevated
Pull Ups - 8x3 Ring Rows shoulders under the rings
Week 3- session 1
• 3 Set: False Grip Hangs (hang for 40 seconds)
• 5 Sets: 5 Ring Dips / Ring Dip Attempt
• 3 Sets: 5 Ring Pull-ups (palms facing each other) / Pull Up Attempts
• 5 Sets: 5 negatives (slow speed)
Week 3- session 2
• 1 Set: False Grip Hang- 40 seconds
• 4 Sets: 3 False Grip Pull Ups (Slow, palms facing away from you)
• 5 Sets: 5 Ring Dips (pause at top between reps)
• 5 Sets: 5 Jumping muscle up / Jmping Pull Ups
Week 3- session 3
• 3 Sets: False Grip Pull-Up (2 sec pause at top, 5 second hang at the bottom)
• 8 Sets: 1 Guided muscle up (SUPER friend required) / Assisted Pull Ups
Week 4- session 1
• 1 Set: False Hangs (30 seconds)
• 8 Sets: 3 Negatives – faster speed.
• 5 Sets: 3 Ring Dips with a Pause (Explosive push after the pause)
• 5 Sets: 3 False Grip Pull Ups (fast, palms facing each other)
• 8 Sets: 1 Guided muscle ups / Assisted Pull Up
Week 4- session 2
• 8 Sets: 1 Muscle up progression – work on keeping in close
• 5 Sets: 3 False Grip Pull Ups (Fast, palms facing away from you)
• 5 Sets: 5 Ring Dips (Explosive push after the pause)
• 8 Sets: 1 Guided muscle up
Week 4- session 3
• 3 Sets: 3 False Grip Hangs (hang at bottom 30 seconds)
• 5 Sets: 2 guided muscle up
1 Full Muscle up! (Dave 1000 burpees)
Or 1 PULL UP!!!!
Happy Pulling
Gareth
If you would like to find how we can help you achieve your Health and Fitness goals book a NO SWEAT INTRO here>>>