1.19.2016

For those of you who attended Candy's yoga class last Sunday (the 10th), you got to experience yoga nidra.  This is a guided meditation, and it is AWESOME for relaxation.  There are a lot of recordings out there, but I really like the one Candy recommended to me, which she used in class.  The album, called Mukti Meditations, is available on iTunes.  The "Inner Silence" track is the one that was used in class, and there's another one called "Yoga Nidra" that is great when you have more time.  It's 43 minutes long, and I love listening to that before bed.  The idea with these meditations is to actually stay awake during the entire thing in order to reap the full benefits, so if you can listen to these at some point during the day, that's even better!  

Another great option is the app called Headspace.  Headspace has a series of 10 minute meditations... anyone can find 10 minutes a day to do this!  

Tuesday

Baseline
Box breathing/ rolling trouble spots/ ROM drills

3 Rounds
200m Run
25 Jumping Jacks
15 Situps
5 HRPU

Work Capacity
20 min AMRAP
400m Run
10 Thrusters (Double KB: 20/12kg)
10 Knees to Elbows

Durability
Yoga hip mobility or active stretch.

Record workout, daily hydration, and box breathing practice in your journal.  
Write down your total hours of sleep last night.  Be sure to get to bed early enough tonight so that you can get at least 7 hours of sleep!

1.18.2016

Image from mic.com

Week 3

Goal of the week- Sleep

Be sure to get in at least 7 hours of sleep every night.  Stop using phones, iPads and computers at least 30 minutes before bed.  

We know that proper recovery is important if you want to stay in the game.  You work hard on your training in the gym, but you have to work just as hard on recovering if you want to be able to stick with it and remain injury free.  The hydration goal from week 2 is something you’re already doing to help with recovery, but another very important one is sleep.  

Sleep affects everything!  You're muscle tissues repair during sleep and long-term memory sets in.  When you are short on sleep, even by just a little bit, you lack focus, your hormones can be imbalanced, your immune system suffers, and physical performance drops.  Unfortunately, when we have a lot on our plates, sleep seems to be the first thing to go in order to create more time to get everything done.  It’s important to realize that when we have had adequate sleep, we perform more efficiently, both mentally and physically, and perhaps wouldn’t require as much time to accomplish what we have on our lists!  Just a thought.  Here’s a great page with lots of FAQs about sleep. http://www.docparsley.com/#!faq/c5cd

Keep in mind that your ability to fall asleep is also dependent on proper hormone functioning.  Blue light lets your brain know that it’s day time, and when you are exposed to it at night, it can inhibit melatonin release, which is necessary for sleep.  Blue light is what is emitted from your electronic devices, so stop checking Facebook or texting before bed!  You should stop using your phone and computer at least 30 mins before bed, and be sure your bedroom is totally dark. 

Melatonin works in opposition of cortisol… when cortisol levels are high, melatonin is low, and vise-versa.  Ideally, your cortisol levels are highest when you wake in the morning, and it slowly diminishes during the day.  By bedtime, cortisol levels should be low and melatonin should be high, so you are ready to fall asleep.  If you have trouble falling asleep at night, work on your box breathing to shut of your stress response, and make sure you aren’t looking at electronic devices close to bedtime.

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Monday

Baseline
Box breathing/ rolling trouble spots/ ROM drill

400m Run
10-8-6-4-2
Air Squats
Jumping Pull Ups

Strength
5 Rounds
5 Suitcase Deadlift

Work Capacity
5RFT
12 KB Swings
6/6 Push Presses (20/12kg)
9 Burpees

Durability
Yoga Short Form A or active stretch.

Record workout, daily hydration, and box breathing practice in your journal. 
Also, record many hours of sleep you got last night.

1.15.2015

I found something really cool that you guys may be interested in, and it goes right along with our water challenge for this week.  It's called the Kishu water filter.  I love this thing.  It's a stick of charcoal that you drop in your water bottle, and it filters your tap water.  It completely removes the chlorine taste from the water!  And it's good for 4 months.  Cool.  I don't own stock in the company, and they aren't paying me to say any of this... I just wanted to pass the info along!  I payed 10 bucks for it at Fiesta, and it's also available on Amazon.  You're welcome!

Friday

Baseline
Box breathing/ rolling trouble spots/ ROM drills

300m Run
15 Pushups
300m Run
15 Push Presses

Strength
5 Rounds
5 Double Push Jerks

Work Capacity
21-15-9, For Time
Frog Thrusters
Push Jerk, per side
Situps

Durability
Yoga short form B or active stretch.

Record workout in your journal.  How did you do?  How did you feel?  Did you focus on deep breathing techniques and how did it affect you?  What could you have done better?  

Don’t forget to record your total daily water intake in your journal, and also write down whether or not you get in some box breathing during the day.

1.14.2015

We're on day 4 of our hydration goal!  You should all be getting in at least 70-100 ounces of water daily.  Even better than just tracking how much water you get in, is to see how hydrated you really are.  I like to geek out on this stuff, so I love being able to measure everything!  If you really want to see if you're getting in enough water, purchase some Rapid Response Urine Dipstick test strips.  You can get 100 strips for about $12 on Amazon (although they're currently sold out!  They are available here or you can search Amazon for any urine test strips that measure Specific Gravity.).  It's the only surefire way to know if you're hydrated well enough.  The marker you're looking for is Specific Gravity.  If you're properly hydrated, your value will lie between 1.005 and 1.015.  When you approach 1.020, you're starting to slip and are about 1% shy from optimal total body water volume.  If you hit 1.025, that's even worse and you need to drink up!

These Rapid Response strips will test more than your hydration levels, and some other values that may be of interest for you guys are the Leukocytes and Protein.  If you train hard one day, and your Leukocytes are elevated the next day (showing purple on the strip), then it would be wise to back off a bit that day and really focus on recovery measures- nutrition, sleep, hydration (which you're already doing!), perhaps some immune- boosting vitamins and minerals.  The same applies to protein; in the hours following a workout, your protein levels may be elevated, and that's normal.  However, if levels are still elevated the following day (showing green on the strip), then it would be smart to back off that day and focus on recovery.  Feel free to come to class and use the time to roll out, and do some easy rowing, practice some skill work, or go through the workout of the day at an easy pace for you.  

Thursday 

Baseline
Box breathing/ rolling trouble spots/ ROM drills

4 Rounds
30 sec DU practice (or singles)
10 Walking Lunges
10 Shoulder Taps

Work Capacity
10 Rounds
20 DU
10 Air Squats
20 Mountain Climbers per leg
10 Pushups

Endurance
Slow run- whatever time permits after finishing Work Capacity.

Durability
Yoga (any form) or active stretch

Record workout in your journal.  How did you do?  How did you feel?  Did you focus on deep breathing techniques and how did it affect you?  What could you have done better?  

Don’t forget to record your total daily water intake in your journal, and also write down whether or not you get in some box breathing during the day.

1.13.2015

Wednesday

Baseline
Box breathing/ rolling trouble spots/ ROM drills
3 Rounds
200m Run
5/5 Strict Press
5 Dips
5 Squat Jumps

Strength
5 Rounds
5 Double Push Press (this should be heavier than Monday’s strict presses!)

Work Capacity
4RFT
400m Run
10 Push Presses
10 Ball Slams

Durability
Yoga short form A or active stretch.

Record workout in your journal.  How did you do?  How did you feel?  Did you focus on deep breathing techniques and how did it affect you?  What could you have done better?  

Don’t forget to record your total daily water intake in your journal, and also write down whether or not you get in some box breathing during the day.

1.12.2015

"It turns out that breathing is free medicine, and the daily practice of breath control will lead to optimal health and longer life." 

-From Mark Devine's book, Unbeatable Mind

Tuesday

Baseline
Box breathing/ rolling trouble spots/ ROM drills
500m Run
3 Rounds
5/5 Walking Lunges
10 Pushups
15 Situps

Work Capacity
20 min AMRAP
25m Walking Lunges
10 Burpees
25m jog back to start

Durability
Yoga hip mobility or active stretch.

Record workout in your journal.  How did you do?  How did you feel?  Did you focus on deep breathing techniques and how did it affect you?  What could you have done better?  

Don’t forget to record your total daily water intake in your journal, and also write down whether or not you get in some box breathing during the day.

1.11.2016

Week 2

Goal: Hydration

Your goal this week is to drink AT LEAST 2 to 3 liters (about 70-100 oz) of water every day.  Spike your water with salt or electrolytes between meals for maximum absorption.  Record your daily water intake in your training journal.  

Not being properly hydrated can cost you as much as 11% of your VO2 max (the indicator of how much oxygen your body can process for sustained power output) and keeps your joints and sliding surfaces within your soft tissues from sliding and gliding properly.  By skipping something as simple as drinking enough water, you’re leaving your maximum performance ability on the table, and your muscles and connective tissues may be left as stiff and brittle as dried out beef jerky.

If your hydration levels are running low, there is less blood available for circulation.  Since blood is your body’s oxygen delivery system, less blood means less oxygen and nutrients are being delivered to your working muscles.  Not only that, but your joints and sliding surfaces will suffer, as well.  Dehydration can glue things together, preventing proper range of motion and causing joints to grind.  

In his book, “Ready to Run”, Dr Kelly Starrett tells us that staying properly hydrated means a little more than drinking water throughout the day, though.  Sometimes, we can drink water all day long, constantly run to the bathroom to empty our bladders, and still feel thirsty.  What’s the deal with that?!  This is evidence that your body isn’t actually absorbing the water.  The fix for this is to add electrolytes to your water!  There are a variety of electrolyte tablets and powders available (steer clear of sugar!) that will add flavor to your water and ensure that your body is actually absorbing it.  An easier option is to simply add a pinch of sea salt… not enough to make your water taste like the ocean; just a pinch.  When you’re drinking water with a meal, this isn’t necessary, since your food probably contains sodium.  When drinking water between meals, though, ensure you’re absorbing it by adding salt or electrolytes. 

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Monday

Baseline
Box breathing/ rolling trouble spots/ ROM drills
30-20-10
Jumping Jacks
Air Squats
Arm Circles (fwd/ bkwd)

Strength
5 Rounds
5 Double Strict Press

Work Capacity
For time
1 mile run
12/12 Strict Presses
20 Ring Rows

Durability
Shoulder Mobility

Record workout in your journal.  How did you do?  How did you feel?  Did you focus on deep breathing techniques and how did it affect you?  What could you have done better?  

Don’t forget to record your total daily water intake in your journal, and also write down whether or not you get in some box breathing during the day.

1.8.2016

Laying around really is part of the workout. 

Friday

Don't forget about our Saturday workout at 8:30am!  We also have yoga on Sunday that will be great for recovery.  Candy will be doing a Yin class to work on joint health, and will follow it up with 15 minutes of Yoga Nidra, which is a guided meditation/ relaxation.  There will be some serious relaxation and recovery going on in there!

Baseline
5 mins box breathing/ rolling trouble spots/ ROM drills

3 Rounds
200m Run
10 Air Squats
10 GSQ

Strength
5 Rounds
5 OH Squats (using double KBS, or modify to double FSQ)

Work Capacity
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
OH Squats (see mods above)
Step Ups, per leg
Sit Ups

Durability
Yoga short form A or active stretch

1.7.2016 The Four Basic Skills

Thursday

“True warriors through the ages have discovered this secret: You must first win the battle -in your mind- to win every other battle in life.  Remember; SEALFIT is more than training the body.  You must embrace the whole person and see yourself as a body-mind-spirit.  You’ll train these simultaneously, leading to optimal performance and greater success in all your endeavors.” -Mark Divine in 8 Weeks to SEALFIT

Box breathing is one of the four basic skills that Mark Divine teaches in his program.  You're already working on this before class, and hopefully, several times throughout the day.  The other three basic skills that you need to practice are: positive internal dialogue, visualization, and goal setting.

1. Positive internal dialogue:  Start paying attention to your thoughts, and override negative thoughts with positive ones.  Change “I can’t” to “I will”.  
2. Visualization: What you see in your mind is just as important to what you say to yourself in your mind!  Rehearse outcomes that you desire in your mind.  Visualize your training session from start to finish before you begin.  This is the dirt dive you have been doing at the beginning of class.
3. Goal setting: Getting your goals down on paper gives you direction and momentum.  Take large goals and dice them up into smaller, more manageable bits that you can tackle one at a time.  If you haven’t written your goals down and hung them on the “goals” board at the gym yet, DO IT!!

These mental exercises are fantastic tools you can use to tackle your workouts, but they will also be invaluable in tackling everything that life throws at you.  Every stressful situation can become a great opportunity to practice these methods, and you will succeed in every aspect of your life.  When you learn to truly believe that you will accomplish something, failure simply stops being an option.

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Baseline
5 mins box breathing/ rolling trouble spots/ ROM drills

4 Rounds
10 Frog Thrusters
20 Shoulder Taps
30 Singles
100m Run

Work Capacity
4 Rounds
40 Jumping Jacks
20 Air Squats
40 Walking Lunges
20 Pushups
20 Butterfly Situps
20 4-count Flutter Kicks

Durability
Rolling and active stretching with bands.

1.6.2016

Wednesday

If you haven't already, start logging your workouts in a journal!  On your phone or in a spiral notebook are both fine- whatever works for you.  Don't leave your journal at the gym, though!  It will be useful as we continue to progress through the SEAL Training and you have other goals to work on outside of class.  For now, just enter the workout and what your "score" was (time to finish, or rounds completed), and the weights and/or modifications you used.

Baseline
Box breathing/ rolling trouble spots/ ROM drills

400m Run
5 Rounds
5 Air Squats
5 GSQ
5 Pushups
5 Situps

Strength
5 Rounds
5 Double Thrusters

Work Capacity
10 min AMRAP
5 Pull-ups
7 Pushups
9 Double FSQ
*Kipping on pullups is fine, but chin must clear the bar!  Modify with band, jumping pullups, or ring rows.

Durability
Yoga short form B.