Coach davies…thanks for taking the trouble to reply…i dont play any sports but my goals are somewhat different from the average t-mag reader in the sense that i dont want to be super lean and ripped. I’m working more towards developing functional strength and power just for the fun od it as my job as a lawyer leaves me sitting behind a desk most of the day (with no other exercise). That is why i have gravitated towards old style training with sandbags, thick bars and awkward objects which which i know you recommend as well. That’s why i’ve found that the advice of people such as yourself, brooks kubik and to a certain extent charles poliquin to be very helpful. However,my problem is that i’m studying at the moment and dont have access to stuff like sandbags and barrels for the next 6 months as i currently live in a studio apartment.That is also why i found your article yesterday to be useful as ut incorporates stuff i can do in the gym. Sorry if this post is a bit long winded but being a Malaysian studying in Australia, it’s a bit difficult to find people who train old school instead of concentrating on getting a pump or burn. This problem is especially acute in malaysia where there are hardly any gyms to be found.I hope this gives you an idea of where my question is coming from.Once again, thanlks for taking the time to answer my queries.
This thread better not be dead. I know I haven’t been vocal, only 'cause I haven’t needed to be. But I’m incorporating these ideas into my workouts and I want these workouts to continue to be posted.
Monday: Sprints 30 yds x 3, 10 x 3, 20 x 5 @ 100%, jog back to start // Start the workout with KBell work in a circuit with 60 seconds between sets and in a circuit fashion, 2 hand kettle bell swings x 25, Snatch x 15-20, one hand swing x 25 (perform 3 sets total)// Rope skip: 6 round rope skip, rounds 1,3,5 - 20 burpees, rounds 2,4,6 - 20 star jumps, IMPORTANT POINT - rope work has changed to a simple pattern, 5 regular skips (feet together), then 5 crossovers - start with this today, this will become standard// Renegade Squat-Pull 3 x 10 reps (45 seconds rest, stay light), Snatch to Full Overhead Squat 4 sets x 1 rep (perform @ 65 - 80% maximum output 60-75 seconds rest)-(perform the following in circuit fashion with 35 seconds rest x 3 sets), Star Jumps x 15, Wide Towel Chins x 10, Reverse Hyper x 25, Vertical Jumps x 20 seconds, Glute Ham Raise x 5-7, Hammer curls x 15 //Wheelbarrow or Farmers walk - 20 minutes, // Bar hang - 4 sets x 30 seconds// Have fun - In faith, Coach Davies
Coach D you wrote “Have Fun”, that is the only thing we dont have. Its been like a month of these wos we have pain, sweat, vomit, cramps, aches, and dizzines, but never fun. However I assume the fun will come when the three of us ruggers leave a trail of bloody fucking courpses on the pitch this year!! Keep the wos coming and we’ll do our best to go undeafeated this season.
I’m having fun.
to explain a little further - for myself, some of the greatest moments of my life, revolve around training. The simple beauty of working hard, for a common goal is an unbelievable glory. I wish I had the chance to train with each and every last one of you. In faith, Coach Davies
Basic workout//Sprints @ 75%, set 1 110,110,110, set 2 110, 110 x 2, 110, set 3 110 x 2, 110, 110 x 2 set 4 same as set 2, set 5 same as set 1 - rest 30 seconds, rest 5 minutes & repeat//Rope routine - 3 minute rounds, rounds 1,3,5: 65 pushups, rounds 2,4,6: 30 seconds cross-over pushups//GPP: jumping jacks, pushups, mtn. climbers,jacknife’s. 4 sets//Strength: Bench Press (50% max, 35 second rest, good bar speed!) 5 sets x 3 reps, Plyo pushups (use 4 plates stacked) 15 seconds on 45 seconds off - 5 sets, Plate raise 3 x 15, Tricep Ext 3 x 5-7, Weighted Dip 3 sets x 5-7//Sled or Truck push 20 minutes // Have fun - In faith, Coach Davies
Woo hoo! I’ve recently purchased a sled from Dave Tate’s site. So in a few weeks, I’ll be doing some sled pulls in my backyard. And I’m still waiting for my kettlebell. Hopefully, it will be here this week. I’ve mixed things up in my training (a mix of Renegade Training and Westside Training). After four weeks of pure Renegade Training, my joints (shoulders, knees, elbows) began hurting very badly (and yes, I am using a gluc/chond mix daily). I started to mix up my training last week, and my joints feel much better. I’m still hitting it Renegade style with a twist! I have also realized my two weak areas: Hamstrings and shoulders. I attempted a glute-ham raise for the first time and could not even do one rep. So I’m going to be working on doing negatives until I can do a full rep as well as plenty of other hamstring exercises to bring them up to par.
Coach, thank you for posting the workouts. This is great! I know many of us truly appreciate your time and workouts. And although some of us remain quiet, I can honestly say that all of us appreciate it more than you may think. I'm looking forward to seeing you in September. We'll catch a Gators football game while you're here!
On the new rope routine, does the crossover
refer to the rope or the feet?
Damn, and I thought statistics and probability
was confusing…
Coach Davies, I think the information regarding child development interests many more of us than you might think. I try to catch up on the entire forum every couple of days, even though I’ve only posted 3 times. Hence, although we’re not heard from a lot, I believe there are a lot of us “older” folks with relatively small children around who are very interested in your advice on that subject. Please keep it coming to the extent your schedule permits. And thanks for everything you do here.
Wedesday - kbell (or dumbell) swings - 2 hands x 15, 1 hand swings x 15, 45 seconds rest between sets x 3 circuits//Rope work, 6 minute rounds x 3 sets, 15 jacknife’s in 1 minute breaks//GPP; jumping jacks, shuffle splits, vertical jumps, side to side jumps, 7 sets. Have fun! In faith, Coach Davies
Coach, how could these workouts be altered to gain muscle mass? The only things I could think of were tempo(slow down the eccentric) and diet(get plenty of calories).
Actually Nathan, there is an article that will appear shortly in T-Mag that will address that perfectly. It is a 3 week cycle of some pretty archaic stuff. Regarding calories - you need to fuel your system accordingly and you are running a pretty hard pace right now. In faith, Coach Davies
How do you suggest warming up for the sprints?
Coach, my kettlebell finally came in yesterday! I couldn’t wait to pull it out of the box. You know, this thing is going to be harder to use than I thought. I can easily do one-arm snatches and cleans with a 45lb dumbbell, but I had a hard time doing it with the 36lb kettlebell. The extra thick grip makes it hard for me to hold on. So I will be taking it easy as I work on my grip! Since I have the kettlebell challenge video, I’m going to check it out tonight and learn how to do the exercises correctly as well as some of Pavel’s other recommendations on exercises. This thing is so cool! Worth every penny! 
Thursday’s session: Start the workout with KBell work in a circuit with 60 seconds between sets and in a circuit fashion, one hand swings x 35, Power Clean x 5, one hand swinga x 35 (perform 3 sets total)// Rope skip: 3 x 5 minute round rope skip, between rounds perform 10 burpees & 10 star jumps // After lets start with sprints of 40 yards x 3, 15 yards x 3 and 25 yards x 3 (each performed at 100%, jog back DONT walk to start). // Iron Cross 3 set x 15 (stay light), Hang Clean (pref keg) to 5 sets x 3,3,1,1,1 reps (perform @ 80% maximum output 75 seconds rest), Star Jumps 2 sets x 15 with 30 seconds rest, Lunges (Heavy) 3 sets x 3 reps (60 seconds rest), Commando Chins 3 x 6-8, Turkish get up 3 sets x 10, Glute Ham Raise 3 x 5 //Wheelbarrow or Farmers walk - 25 minutes// Bar Hang’s (as circuit, with 20 seconds on, 40 seconds off, 6 minutes (vary grip)//Have fun - In faith, Coach Davies
Hey Nate Dogg how did your 1st kettlebell workout go? One thing I noticed from doing the swings the first time was the lower biceps along the insertion point was sore as heck and that area has thickened up considerably the past few weeks. I’ve been using dumbells but hopefully I’ll have the real thing soon.
Kelly, my first kbell workout went well. This is what I did last night: Three sets done in a circuit with no rest between exercises in each circuit. I took one minute’s rest after the completion of each circuit. 1) One-arm military press (each hand) x 5 2) One-arm cleans from floor (each hand) x 5 3) One-arm snatches from floor (each hand) x 5 4) Two-hands overhead press x 5 5) Two-hands overhead triceps extension x 10 6) One-arm swings (each hand) x 10 7) Two-hand swing x 15 8) kbell through legs (ab exercise) for various rotations.
The workout felt good and was tough. By the middle of the second set, I was gasping for air and sweating like crazy (I did these in my backyard in the grass). It took about 20-30 minutes to complete and felt good. And yes, today, I have noticed some soreness in the lower part of the biceps (brachialis). Since biceps are a weak spot for me, maybe the kbell work will help me out! Also, my forearms are sore from the kbell hitting me during a few of the exercises (snatches, cleans). I have some bruises forming from the repeated hits against my arm, but it's all good. Like Pavel said, it will just toughen you up and help your body respond to the shock of being hit! :)
Fridays’s workout: Fartlek runs, perform @ 75%, run 110 yards, slow jog 110 yards, 20 repeats.//Kbell 2 hand swing x 35, Jerk x 5, 1 hand swing x 35, perform 5 sets with 45 second intervals// ROPE WORK: 4, 5 minute rounds all with 60 pushups //Weight room: Keg (or Dumbell) floor press 3 x 3 (fill keg with enough water that it is VERY heavy), Dumbell Swiss ball incline Press 3 x 5-7 reps, 1 hand Med ball pushup 20 seconds on/40 off - 3 minutes, Int/Ext rotation 3 x 15, Plate raise 3 x 15, Tricep ext 4 x 5-7, Dips 3 sets x 5 (heavy weighted)//Sled or truck push 20 minutes// In faith, Coach Davies
I did Snatches for the first time today, and it was the bomb, this is my new favorite exercise. I was staying light with 95lbs for 3 reps, what are some of you guys doing on this?