Category Archives: Uncategorized

Curtis’ September Training Log

Training, Uncategorized

Getting to this point in my training has been an interesting, journey. I am currently 6 weeks out from my first full powerlifting meet since the first annual Iron City Open in June of 2018. Since then, I have battled with a few injuries that have been just enough of a burden to keep me from being able to train consistently. For a quick recap: this past January I strained my glute at the beginning of a meet prep. In March, 3 weeks out from that same meet, I partially tore my hamstring and was unable to fully compete. After going through 8 weeks of recovery afterward, I got back into training consistently with the goal of getting back on the platform this November. Then, 2 months ago, I strained my IT band while squatting immediately after a long car ride back home to Maryland. I was frustrated, confused, and didn’t really know what direction to take. After getting some help and guidance from a few close friends, including my mentor Casey Williams, I have been able to fix and correct many of the underlying issues that were the cause of these injuries. I am currently feeling and moving better than I have in a very long time. This past week was a good week for me, both physically and mentally. It was my first week getting back into the competition lifts, and adding some decent weight to the bar. Here’s a breakdown of this past week of training.

 

Saturday: 

Competition squats: Worked up to 625×2.

Paused belt squat: 6 plates per side: 3×8

45 degree back extensions: 3×12 with red band

Alternating fatbell reverse lunges: 3×10 each leg with 30s

Weighted planks: 3×30 seconds with 45lbs. 

 

Monday:

Fat bar bench press: 3×3 @ 335lbs + 80lb chain

Flat bench dumbbell press: 2×20 with 115s

Tricep skull crushers: 4×12 @ 95lbs

Chest supported row: 4×10 @ 100lbs

Cable tricep extensions: 4×20 @ 80lbs

Band pull aparts: 4×25

 

Wednesday:

Competition deadlift: 2×3 @ 635 & 655

Barbell RDLs: 3×8 @ 315

Bent over barbell rows: 3×8 @ 275

GHR: 3×10

Weighted planks: 3×30 seconds with 45lbs.

 

Thursday:

Dynamic effort bench: 8×3 @ 175 + doubled red minis & 1 chain

Incline Dumbbell press: 4×10 with 100s

Standing single arm overhead fatbell press: 3×10 each arm @ 60lbs

Fatbell tricep extension: 4×20,15,12,10

Cable face pulls: 4×25 @ 70lbs

Seated fatbell shrugs: 3×15 paused with 50s

 

Sundays, Tuesdays, and Fridays consist of light stretching, mobility, and a few Physical Therapy exercises courtesy of my good friend Jared Caroff.

 

Although it’s been frustrating at times, I’ve enjoyed the ups and downs of getting to this point. I’ve learned a lot (both about my body, and myself as a person) and am looking forward to the road ahead. With every challenge comes a new opportunity to learn and to grow.

Curtis’ Health Maintenance Tips

Lifestyle, Training, Uncategorized

When it comes to taking care of our bodies, most of us put a good amount of time and effort into making sure that we are checking off all of the boxes. We do our best to make sure that we exercise regularly, eat balanced meals, stay hydrated, and get adequate sleep, just to name a few. These are without a doubt necessary for living a healthy life. But what if I told you that there are other areas that you may be missing out on? Areas that most people will overlook until it’s too late, and then they become necessary in order to get back to their previous level of health. Let’s take a look at a few areas that can improve upon your health and keep you strong and active for years to come.

 

I will begin by mentioning that I have personally used all of the services which I am about to discuss, and I have found each of them to be beneficial in their own way. I am in no way stating that it is necessary to use these services in order to live a healthy life. I’m simply giving my personal opinion and insight on a few things that I have found to be beneficial towards my overall health and performance. 

Below are 5 professional services that I think every individual, regardless of age, level of fitness, or personal goals, could benefit from.

 

1) Massage Therapy: This is the most popular and well known out of the group. Massage Therapy is a type of treatment in which a professional manipulates the soft tissues of your body including muscle, connective tissue, tendons, ligaments and skin, using varying degrees of pressure and movement. The benefits of massage therapy include: 

  • reduced muscle tension and pain
  • improved flexibility and range of motion
  • injury prevention
  • reduced recovery time from physical activity
  • improved connective tissue healing
  • increased sleep & relaxation. 

The most popular forms of massage therapy are:

  • Swedish massage: This is a gentle form of massage that uses long strokes, kneading, deep circular movements, vibration and tapping to help relax and energize you.
  • Deep tissue massage: This massage technique uses slower, more forceful strokes to target the deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue, commonly to help with muscle damage from injuries.
  • Sports massage: This is similar to Swedish massage, but it’s geared toward people involved in sport activities to help prevent or treat injuries.
  • Trigger point massage: This massage focuses on areas of tight muscle fibers that can form in your muscles after injuries or overuse.

Here at UnionFitness, we are fortunate enough to have a great group of Massage Therapy professionals on hand who each specialize in their own unique approach while doing a great job of accommodating to each individual’s specific needs. Contact us today to set up your appointment and see the benefits for yourself.

 

2) Physical Therapy: Physical therapy is a branch of rehabilitative health that uses specially designed exercises and equipment to help patients regain or improve their physical abilities. Although this is often thought of as a method used primarily for those who are injured and/or elderly, there are many benefits for individuals who are young, healthy, and active. Those benefits include:

  • Assess & address movement deficits and musculoskeletal pathology
  • Prevent and/or address muscular imbalances
  • Decrease pain without use of medication
  • Improve balance and coordination
  • Help to identify other underlying health-related issues

I am very fortunate to have a good friend named Jared Caroff who is a great Physical therapist, as well as an employee here at Union Fitness. He has recently helped me to diagnose some issues I was having in my right hip and ankle for over 2 years and has helped me get back on the Powerlifting platform. You can find him covering the front desk in the mornings from 5am-7am. 

 

3) Chiropractics: This is a system of diagnosis and treatment based on the concept that the nervous system coordinates all of the body’s functions. Chiropractic includes manipulation and adjustment of body structures, such as the spinal column, so that pressure on nerves coming from the spinal cord may be relieved. The benefits of chiropractics may include:

  • reduced back and neck pain
  • improved mental clarity
  • reduced joint pain
  • improved organ function
  • surgery prevention

4) Acupuncture: Acupuncture is a complementary medical practice rooted in traditional Chinese medicine that entails stimulating certain points on the body by using a needle lightly penetrating the skin in order to alleviate pain or to help treat various health conditions. These needles are inserted into points along meridian lines. These lines represent the body’s organs, and they are based on ancient Chinese medicine that includes balance and restoring proper flow of energy throughout the body. The main benefits of acupuncture include:

  • Reduced Stress
  • Reduced Back Pain, Neck Tension and Relieve Joint Pain in the Hands and Arms.
  • Relief from Headaches.
  • Improved Immune System
  • Enhanced Mental Clarity and Increased Energy.
  • Relief from Digestive Conditions.
  • Allergy Relief.

5) Dry needling: Dry needling is a skilled intervention that uses a thin filiform needle to penetrate the skin and stimulate underlying myofascial trigger points, muscular, and connective tissues for the management of neuromusculoskeletal pain and movement impairments. This differs from acupuncture in the sense that the needles are inserted into trigger points or tender bands of muscle located within larger muscles. When the needles are inserted into the trigger points, they elicit a response that releases the trigger point, therefore restoring normal function. The benefits of dry needling include:

  • Relief from muscular pain and stiffness. 
  • Improve flexibility and increase range of motion.

Although this practice is not legalized for use by Physical Therapists in the state of Pennsylvania, I was fortunate enough to have access to it while living in Maryland. This was one of the most beneficial procedures that I have found for recovering from muscular injuries, along with increased mobility and range of motion. 

 

In short, be sure to take the time and do your research to see which of these services are right for you. We only get one shot at taking care of our bodies. Invest in it, and it will be good to you for years to come.

Cayt’s Training Log

Training, Uncategorized

It’s that time of year again for a handful of us at Union Fitness, including myself.  That time being meet prep season and, specifically, the end of prep as we are (already!) 7 weeks out tomorrow.  During the training phases of my first few powerlifting meets, I didn’t have a whole lot going on aside from school, giving me the ability to truly devote my time to training and recovery.  That has not been the case this meet prep and it has truthfully been a challenge for me. However, I am confident that everyone reading this can relate to my current situation and not the few fortunate times I had in the past.

 

Training, in whatever way that means at the moment, has and always will be my way to stay sane and calm.  Finding what I enjoy, allowing that to change as life continues to change, and remembering why I do it are a few things that have helped me.

 

With that said, I have been training conjugate style for about a year now.  I have enjoyed it and felt the best training this way so I decided to continue training this style throughout the course of meet prep.  Louie Simmons, the founder and owner of Westside Barbell, developed the conjugate system.  Conjugate training incorporates three methods including the maximal effort method: “lifting a maximal load against a maximal resistance”, the dynamic effort method: “lifting a non-maximal load with the highest attainable speed”, and the repetition method: “lifting a non-maximal load repetitively”.   My most recent training split has been as follows:

 

Day 1: Max effort lower (heavy squat/deadlift variation and assistance work)

Day 2: Max effort upper (heavy bench variation and assistance work)

Day 3: Dynamic effort lower (speed squats and pulls using lower percentages of bar weight progressively increasing in the 50-70% range).

Day 4: Dynamic effort upper (speed bench also with lower percentages also progressively increasing in the 50-70% range).

 

Dynamic effort work has been extremely challenging for me – I move sloooow. Because of it being the hardest, it is also my favorite.  Feeling faster and more athletic is an exciting feeling and will continue to be a goal of mine moving forward.

 

My training split will remain the same leading into the meet with a few alterations to bars used, volume accumulated, and the use of accommodating resistance on dynamic days.

Meal of the Week – Lindsey’s Last Minute Lunch

Nutrition, Uncategorized

Keeping this one short and sweet. I didn’t leave a lot of time for meal prepping this weekend, but I always have a back-up plan. This is where I rely on foods that are quick to cook or just need to be microwaved for a quick meal. Surprisingly, I always get told this particular meal smells good, so maybe you’ll like it too.

I was so behind this week that I grabbed my ingredients from Giant Eagle on my way to work!

 

What I Use:

  • Cooked Jasmine Rice (either in the rice cooker, or buy a bag of microwaveable rice)
  • Birds Eye Broccoli Stir Fry, half the bag
  • Cooked chicken (I try to cook up a pound of chicken thighs before running to work most days, but if I can’t I grab the $5 grilled chicken breasts from the prepared food section of Giant Eagle)
  • Soy Sauce to taste
  • Cashew pieces to taste, for a crunchy topping

What I Do:

  • If using microwaveable rice, start with that and follow the directions. If you’re lucky to have a rice cooker like me, get that going early so it’s hot and ready when you’re hungry.
  • Throw half the bag of veggies in a bowl and top with some salt, microwave until cooked most of the way through.
  • Cut up chicken and add to the bowl of veggies. Add soy sauce to taste. Microwave until it’s all hot.
  • Throw on top of your prepared rice.
  • Top with cashews.
  • Eat and enjoy (even though you’re in a rush).

 

When I think ahead, I like to keep other sauces around to mix this meal up (Thai curry is REALLY good, but even having some sriracha and PB2 around to make a quick peanut sauce is a tasty change). It’s healthy, easy, and keeps me full through work, training, and teaching. And as a side note, it took every ounce of my self-control to take a picture of this bowl and not just scarf the whole thing down in 3 minutes. You’re welcome.

 

Lindsey’s September Training Log

Training, Uncategorized

I had a rough start this month. Case in point:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August ended with a really solid 14 miler. Felt great at the end, went into Sunday feeling great. By Monday, I started feeling pretty off. It was Labor Day and I was really looking forward to getting my bench workout and a quick run in on Sunday night, but when I woke up that morning, I was dragging. All motivation to train, or really to do ANYTHING, was gone. Normally this is a feeling I can push through, we all feel burnt out sometimes, but it was happening that day. I had a Labor Day party to attend with a bunch of people I really happen to enjoy, but even that took every ounce of my energy just to show up. Not a good sign.

 

This may be TMI for the guys, but it’s important for roughly half of the population – I was PMSing pretty hard Monday and Tuesday. My period started on Tuesday, then Wednesday the pain was so bad that I started puking and had to go home early (something I never allow myself to do). It took all of Thursday and Friday to feel like a functioning human being again. Did a bunch of prehab work and a 7-mile fun run Saturday just to get used to moving again.

 

I’ve had pretty serious issues around my menstrual cycle for the past 20 years, and only now am I finally on the path to getting some help. I had an ultrasound done on Thursday, where we learned that the extreme pain on Wednesday was due to a ruptured cyst. Thanks body!

 

I’m getting back to normal now and also coming to terms with the reality of my situation. I will likely need to program WITH my cycle, especially as I get closer to the meet/marathon. I’m reading Dr. Stacy Sims book, which is all about working with your body and your cycle, and all the ways in which women “aren’t just small men.” That means changes to how I train, when I train, and how, when, and what I eat. I’m still diving into this info, so expect to hear more from me the more I learn!

 

Training this week is a repeat of that last good week of August, but I did progress my runs since I’m feeling up to it. On the docket for Saturday: 15 miles, then heading right to my favorite recovery modality – the float tank. Wish me luck.

Lindsey’s Quick Ramen Bowl

Uncategorized

During our “fake fall,” my cravings for warm, comforting things came back full swing – weighted blankets, sleeping in, pumpkin spice everything, and naturally, soup.

 

It’s 90 degrees out right now, so that’s a bummer, but I’m still on the soup train. I’m working fairly late, so by the time I get home and take care of BB, I have to get food in pretty quickly in order to get to bed on time. For a long time, that meant eating a prepared salad and calling it a night, but I’ve been making a little more effort as of late. Here’s a soup option that won’t take more than 15-30 minutes (with a little prep). It does include a few special ingredients, but I’ll include some substitutions that you’re more likely to have on hand.

 

What You’ll Need:

  • 1 pack Brown Rice and Millet Ramen (from Costco, but use any ramen pack, no seasoning)
  • Avocado oil (or your choice cooking oil)
  • Veggies of your choosing, sliced thinly (and lots of them)
    • I used Napa cabbage, carrot, red bell pepper, snow peas, and a ton of shiitake mushrooms
  • 4-8oz of prepped proteins of your choosing
    • I normally use chicken thighs that I’ve pre-prepped. Today I did 2oz of those, 3 oz. shrimp, and 3oz pre-cubed tofu (it was a hard training day, needed the calories and protein)
  • Lime Juice
  • Fish Sauce (or soy if you don’t have it on. you, just go light)
  • Sesame oil
  • 8oz chicken bone broth (I love this one with turmeric)
  • Water to taste
  • Herbs and toppings of your choice (I did a huge handful of Thai basil I was gifted and half an avocado)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To Make:

  1. Slice and dice your veggies, set aside in a bowl (I like to group my slower cooking veggies in one bowl and my faster cooking veggies in another).
  2. Prepare your protein(s). I shelled my shrimp and set aside, then sliced up my cooked chicken and set it aside with the cubed tofu.
  3. Bowl the ramen according to the packaging in a small pot. When it’s finished, drain and set aside.
  4. While the ramen is cooking, start cooking your protein and veggies. In a medium-large pot set to medium heat, warm the avocado oil. When it’s hot, add your protein if cooking from raw. If you’re using cooked protein, go right in with the slow cooking veggies. Season with salt, throw a lid on it, let them cook.
  5. Once they’ve started to brown, add your slower cooking veggies and your proteins. Season with salt again. I cover and make sure to shake them around a bit.
  6. By this point, your ramen is ready to go. When the veggies are cooked to your desired done-ness (I like them pretty crunchy, so it’s quick in my kitchen), throw in your noodles.
  7. Immediately top with your chicken bone broth and enough water to reach your desired soup consistency.
  8. Season with fish oil (a few splashes is plenty), lime juice, and a bit of sesame oil.
  9. Let everything simmer together for 3-5 minutes.
  10. Top with your herbs/toppings of choice, throw it in a bowl and go to town.

This particular bowl came out to 750cals, 62g protein, 69g carbs, and 23g fat. Right on target for me, and totally customizable for you!

Importance of Bedtime Rituals

Lifestyle, Uncategorized

By Alexa Ferri

 

Sleep… How much sleep did you get last night? Was it less than the recommended 8 hours? If you were asked to name three bedtime rituals that you practice every night, could you? Before we dive into a few things to set ourselves up for success, let’s talk about the importance of it all.

 

When we were young, our parents did something for us. We probably didn’t realize what it was at the time, but they created a bedtime routine for us. “Did you finish all of your homework?” “It’s 7 o’clock, get your jammies on.” “No more sugar, it’s getting close to bed.” “How about you go brush your teeth and floss.” “Can you read to me before bed?” All things we heard or said as a child at some point. As we grow into adulthood the structure our parents put into play, no longer exists. Now, we let life get in the way, school, work, gatherings, thoughts, cell phone screens, iPads, nightcaps, late night caffeine, etc.

 

We neglect ourselves from the importance of a system that is conducive to getting quality sleep. And why is quality sleep so important? Well most of us reading this are probably interested or into some form of exercise. Sleep is when most of your recovery takes place so that you can continue to train and train efficiently. Sleep is when our brain encodes new information, stores memories and allows us to make logical decisions so that we can score well on tomorrow’s test or remember our grandma’s birthday or function in any aspect of life, really.

 

Sleep is also crucial for glucose regulation. The pancreatic cells called beta islet, secrete insulin, and when sleep is low our beta islet cells are less responsive to glucose. This leads to other hunger hormone malfunction i.e. leptin and ghrelin thus, creating a spiraling effect and potentially leading to weight gain. Sleep is needed for a proper functioning metabolic state.

 

Last interesting fact, the brain’s emotional center called the amygdala becomes 60 percent more reactive when sleep levels are scarce. Something to think about when we are acting emotionally irrational with fear and rage, it could be the 2 hours of sleep we got the night before.

 

So, after hearing some of the importance’s of getting a good night’s sleep, let’s talk about some of the rituals we can adopt and things to be mindful of the closer we are to bedtime.

 

 

Bedtime rituals to have in check/things to be mindful of:

 

  • Caffeine

Did you have caffeine 5 hours ago? Maybe less? Caffeine has a half-life of around 5 hours. If you consume 100 mg of caffeine, you will have 50 mg remaining in your system 5 hours later. Be mindful of the time you take the last gulp of the liquid gold.

  • Alcohol

Large amounts of alcohol consumption close to bedtime can have an impact on sleep quality. Particularly, REM sleep. REM is the stage of sleep where we can dream, muscles become paralyzed, eyes move back and forth. REM is also important for our cognitive function. REM is when our brain’s process information and store for long-term memory. So, if you have some important events in life that require some increased cognition, try to make REM a priority.

 

  • Water

I feel this is a no brainer, but often easy to look past. Heavy water consumption 1-2 hours before bed is no good. Getting up multiple times per night is going to impact the quality of your sleep. Try to create a water cut off time 1-2 hours prior to bedtime.

  • Sleep Schedule

We all have 33 alarms set to wake us up in the morning. But, do we have an alarm set to get into bed at night? Setting a routine to wake up and go to bed around the same time every day, if not most days, will help create a healthy circadian rhythm for our body.

  • Exercise Before Bed

Exercising before sleep is not a great idea if you can help it. Our body’s core temperature needs to decrease to sleep optimally. Obviously, training cause our temperature to rise. So, try to limit training 2-3 hours before bed.

  • Bedroom Temperature

Your bedroom should be the coolest room in your house. This is to ensure your body’s core temperature to drop. Set it for around 65-67 degrees Fahrenheit.

  • Light

Since it is 2019 and cell phones are a hot commodity, I think we have all heard about limiting screen time before bed. The omission of blue light from all the toys causes a decrease in melatonin production. You can have your phone set to shut off all apps 1 hour before bed to eliminate any temptations. Try this, as well as keeping your phone at a distance when sleeping.

Also, it is important to let your body know when it is day and when it is night. What I mean by that is, make sure you get some light exposure during the day and keep your house darker at night. Daylight is great for regulating our body’s circadian rhythm.

 

There it is! I hope this helps put into perspective the importance of sleep and how we function as human beings when we don’t get enough. Create a routine that works best for you. Happy sleeping everyone!

Alexa’s August Training Log

Training, Uncategorized

What is in my training program like as of late? Full body. Hypertrophy. Strength. Movement. I will be the first to tell you that full-body was a difficult transition for me. Just realizing that I am not going to fall apart from not isolating certain groups was a hurdle. And by “fall apart” I mean both physically and mentally. The flowing thoughts? Am I going to provide enough stimulus per session to grow? Is it going to be effective? Will I see results? I am not going to train a muscle group to pure exhaustion…what?

 

I would never advocate for a client to train to fatigue. Sure, in certain scenarios we want to push until we have very little left. We can’t sandbag EVERY lift. If we didn’t have those moments of training to a very close failure (difficult to actually do because mental fatigue sets in quicker than physical), but how do we know what it feels like to dig in those deep, jaw clenching, throw up moments? But those moments must be planned out strategically. We don’t want it to interfere with recovery, and most importantly training to our optimal potential, the following days to come. My training lately has been just enough to where I can come back the next day and give it my all. I feel great after each session because I hit every part of my body. Every muscle has moved in some capacity, blood moved through, stimulus was placed, and most importantly I feel strong mentally.

 

Here is one of my full body days:

A1. High Incline Press 3×6

A2. Ring Row Tricep Ext. 3×15

B1. Landmine Towel Rows 3×8

B2. Landmine Angled Reverse Lunge 3×12(per)

C1. Cable Lat Pulldowns 3×8

C2. Cable Triceps Pushdowns 3×10

D1. Belt Squats [w/o holding] 3×15

D2. Cossack Squats 3×10

Meal of the Week – Curtis’ Meat & Potatoes

Uncategorized

Since moving to Pittsburgh, I’ve been putting a good amount of effort towards establishing my new routine. This includes my work schedule, training schedule, time with my fiancé and friends, sleep, and of course, FOOD! For myself, as well as with many of the people whom I’ve worked with, I have found that one of the best ways to stay on track is through establishing a structured routine and sticking to it. One of the easiest ways is by developing a nutrition and food plan. Now, I understand that we all enjoy going out to eat occasionally, and eating the same things throughout the week can become mundane, but if you want to get the most out of your hard work in and out of the gym, routine and discipline are absolutely necessary. With that being said, my meal of the week is New York strip on the grill with potatoes and asparagus. This is something that I incorporate into my diet 2-3 times per week. It’s simple, easy to make, nutrient-dense, and delicious. Part of finding what foods are best for you is finding out what foods best agree with you. If you’re one of the lucky ones, you can eat a bucket of nails and come out unscathed. I, however, am not that lucky. So for me, this meal is very easy on the digestive system, and since it is very nutrient-dense, it is a great source of fuel for the body. 

 

Here’s a list of ingredients that you’ll need:

Koser salt

Ground pepper

Garlic powder

Garlic salt

Olive oil

Steak seasoning of your choice (I use McCormick Brown sugar & Bourbon)

 

  1. First, you’ll want to let the steak sit out and come to room temperature before grilling. This will ensure that it cooks evenly all the way through. During this time, coat the steak in olive oil, add salt, pepper, a bit of garlic powder, and steak seasoning (if you choose). 
  2. Next, with your potatoes and asparagus in a bowl, add olive oil, salt, pepper, and a bit of garlic salt, then mix by hand. Transfer them onto a sheet of aluminum foil and wrap up.
  3. Once the food is prepared, fire up the grill and set to medium heat. Once the temperature is around 450, throw the steaks on the bottom rack and the potatoes and asparagus on the top rack (still in the aluminum foil).
  4. Check periodically, especially if it’s your first time. All grills are different, so it may take some time to figure out the best duration. For me, around 15 minutes usually does the trick for a “medium” finish.
  5. Grab a Landshark and enjoy (Optional).  

 

Lindsey’s August Training Log

Training, Uncategorized

I’m finishing this month STRONG in my training.

 

My long runs have been getting progressively longer, and taking up a ton more time. I’ve been so grateful to some of our newer Cardio Lab instructors – Rachael, Steph, and Cayt – for stepping into our popular Saturday morning slot. Having that time means I get out a little earlier and don’t deal with as much of the August heat.

 

My long run focus recently has been SLOWING DOWN. I’ve consistently been doing them a little too fast, closer to my hopeful marathon race pace than they should be. This past Saturday, I did my first half-marathon distance of the year, and the goal was the have it be my slowest half-marathon ever. I managed it and combined with some of the physical therapy movements I’ve been implementing before runs, I came back with no joint pain! I spent the rest of the weekend recovering and started this week feeling excellent.

 

My strength training has been going smoothly too (I count my blessings daily). I’m running a Triphasic program right now for my squat and bench. Triphasic as I’m talking about it basically breaks down to a three-stage program (see?): a period of time working on the eccentric portion of a lift (like the descent of a squat), then a period of time working on the isometric portion (in the hole of a squat), and finally a period working on the concentric portion (the part where you go up as powerfully as you can).

 

Eccentrics beat you up pretty good, so I knew my running might take a hit during that phase, which was most of August. My upper body felt strong, but my legs did feel fatigued on my interval days. Again, this was planned for and expected, so no worries there.

 

This week I’m entering into the isometric phase, which is my FAVORITE. I love paused variations. It’s Tuesday, I just finished a looooot of paused squatting, and know that my legs are going to feel fresher for intervals tonight than they have in the past several weeks. I’m pumped.

 

Here’s a peek at that workout, and some footage for good measure!

 

1a. Paused Comp Style Squat, work up to 5×5 @ 205 (around 75% of my training max)

1b. Medball slam, 5×5

2a. Paused Front Squat, work up to a tough set of 5 (155)

2b. Seated Jumps, 3 reps after every set of front squats

3a. Fatbell Reverse Lunges, 3×8 per with 35s, front racked

3b. Banded Fatbell RDLs, 3×12 with 35s, orange band

4a. Stability Ball Hamstring Complex, 2×10 per variation

4b. Banded Monster Walk and Side Steps, 2 rounds each

5a. Slow Eccentric Step Downs, 2×8 per leg

5b. Ab Wheel Rollout, 2×10