And a partridge in a pear tree, 2011 style

Personal training with Paul.

Today I had my third annual 12 Days of Christmas workout, but made even more challenging than last year. And then some.

1 x pull-up
2 x toe to bar
3 x hang power cleans @ 115lb
4 x jump lunges per leg
5 x kettlebell clean and press @ 20kg per arm
6 x burpees
7 x sit-ups
8 x box jump @ 24"
9 x deadlifts @ 115lb
10 x push-ups
11 x push press @ 105lb
12 x front squats @ 105lb

Time = 49:43

Oh. My. God. That was frigging painful. I really had to dig deep mentally for this one. Several times during this routine I had to tell myself to pick up the weight (usually the kettlebell) or get into position and start moving. I was breathing so hard my head was spinning, plus I thought my right calf was starting to cramp up. Thankfully, it never did. The kettlebell clean and press was by far the toughest part of the workout, mainly because I haven't used them for ages, so the c&j movement felt a bit awkward. This is probably where I took the most breaks, which explains why Paul kept telling me to pick up the weight during the last round. Although I wasn't keeping track of time, Paul was, and he wanted me to finish in under 50 minutes. I only just made it!

Great workout. Merry Christmas! 

December 24, 2011

And a partridge in a pear tree

Personal training with Paul.

Today I had my last personal training session before Christmas, for which Paul had me do the same 12 Days of Christmas routine as last year. (Think of the song, but substitute an exercise for each of the gifts.) However, he made this year's version more challenging with heavier weight for the thrusters and power cleans, plus I used a heavier kettlebell for the swings (last year I used a dumbbell that was a couple of pounds lighter). I think the box jumps were higher this year, too.

1 x push-up
2 x knees to elbows
3 x box jumps to 24"
4 x pull-ups
5 x air squats
6 x kettlebell swings
7 x mountain climbers (per leg)
8 x dumbbell snatches (per arm)
9 x tuck jumps
10 x thrusters @ 95 lb
11 x burpees
12 x power cleans @ 95 lb

I completed the whole "song" in exactly 40 minutes; last year's time was dead on 50 minutes.

Really pleased with the greatly improved time, especially since the whole routine is a bit more challenging. It shows that my fitness has improved in the past 12 months, as has my mental strength.