STS 8-14-08

"No. I want to be the first Michael Phelps." - The man himself, in response to being asked if he hoped to become the second Mark Spitz.

With the Olympics in full swing I'm having trouble concentrating on anything else except for watching the games, mostly in awe at the sheer athleticism, as usual. And we're not even at the field events yet. Man I can't wait for the decathlon. The true greatness of the games is that it showcases every type of athleticism you could think of (and some you've never even fathomed) all in different platforms, all in 2 weeks. When watching swimming the part that is the most amazing to me is the extension (especially through the hips & legs) that the athletes get with their bodies. They just get crazy l-o-n-g in the water.

I do find it tragically hilarious that coke & mcdonalds are 2 of the biggest corporate sponsors of the olympics though. 2 of the biggest contributors to the obesity epidemic cozying up to the greatest displays of athleticism is such a ridiculous oxymoron. That's like budweiser hanging out at an AA meeting. Just goes to show again how intertwined fast food & soda are in our society, which sucks as it makes an uphill battle even tougher. Good thing there's that whole personal responsibility thing then, I guess.

Coupla noteworthy links:

- Cool article on phelps

- Vern Gambetta has been on roll lately, challenging you to think further & further about the whole system to develop complete & balanced athleticism. As always it's about a complete comprehensive program (use it or lose it), perfecting fundamental movement skills then progressing to sports-specific skills, and continually working on your weaknesses. Athletic development is no different than any other type of development: you get out of it what you put into it. Simple. As. That.

- More on a balanced program

- More on Flow

- The maze. It's been said before by others many times, but I really like the idea of working in blocks (this article states 4 weeks). Makes things much easier to break down. As Magic Johnson said: you must set small goals to reach big goals.

- new ross video. This guy fires me up so much.

- more food for thought.

Workout

Movement Prep

Standard stuff, lots of jump roping today

Med-Ball

3-throw sequence 5x's through with mini-band shuffles mixed in

Cables

First off, by cables I mean the freedom-allowing cable machines with the arms that move vertically and horizontally, (like this)not the old-school square frames with cables that just move vertically and restrict movement. I f'ing hate machines that restrict movement.

I mixed in a bunch of standing cable chops, cable punches (both punching to the side for rotational strength, and punching downwards while exploding into a lunge) and other full-body cable movements with some plyos work.

Some of the plyos I worked in:

- Box march w/mini bands above knee

- sitting box-jumps

- Lateral shuffle w/mini bands above knee

Functional Lifts

- split-squat quick drops- same as video but split-squat instead of standard squat

3 sets alternating legs

Finished with a sick squat complex

1A: quick drops- original style
1B: OH Squat
1C: Thruster

Finished with a set (each arm) of 1-arm kettlebell swings moving as fast as possible with proper form for 30 seconds.

Core/Upperbody Circuit

- GHD's
- jumping pull-ups w/tuck
- 1 leg GH situps
- Dips
- Side Plank

2x's through resting only when necessary

Go USA!!

#40