Week 2

by Matthew Palfrey December 07, 2014 0 Comments

What a fantastic start to the course! Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to post their performance times and comments last week. For those that did the workouts, but didn't yet post any comments, this is your chance to get involved in the discussions. There is no such thing as a bad performance or a stupid question here.

You'll find the details for this weeks lessons below. Please use the comments field at the end of the post to include your performance for the workouts or share any feedback, advice or comments you might have.

Lesson 1

The first session of the week adds a little more creativity into the sandbag workout - it's also a serious conditioning session. 

Sandbag Load Carry x 20m (carry your sandbag quickly, over a distance of 20 metres)

Sandbag Get Up x 1/1 (perform a Sandbag Get Up on each side)

As many rounds as possible in 15 minutes.

There is no weight requirement but I'd suggest you aim for something in the region of 30% of your bodyweight.

Pro-Tip: this workout is all about time under load. Both the Load Carry and the Get Up require you to move the sandbag in relatively awkward ways so you don't want to be doing that for too long. My advice is to approach the session with high intensity in mind. Aim to complete both exercises as quickly as you can then take a few seconds between rounds to catch your breath. Remember, the more time under load the more energy you'll drain. 

Lesson 2

10 Sandbag Squat & Presses (hold a sandbag and chest height, squat and press it overhead in one movement)

15 Sandbag High Pulls

20 Sandbag Deadlifts

Complete 5 rounds as quickly as possible.

There is no weight requirement but I'd suggest you aim for something in the region of 30% of your bodyweight.

Pro-Tip: the Deadlifts, despite being a higher repetition set, are always going to be a rest exercise here. Use them as your rest station, keeping a controlled pace and breathing deep throughout the set. The Sandbag Squat & Presses are an exercise that you should definitely aim to complete without a break, principally as a break often means dropping the sandbag and you'll waste time and energy lifting it into position again. 

Lesson 3

Set a stopwatch for 2:30 minutes (minutes:seconds).

Start the clock and run 400m (this can be approximate, as long as you cover the same distance each time)

Complete as many repetitions of Sandbag Shouldering as you can for the remaining time on the clock. 

Take a 30 second rest between each 2:30 minute round and repeat for a total of 6 rounds. Your score is the total number of Sandbag Shoulders you are able to complete. 

There is no weight requirement but I'd suggest you aim for something in the region of 40% of your bodyweight.

Pro-Tip: this session is all about speed and endurance. While 2:30 minutes might not seem like a particularly long time to be exercising for, the motivation to get through the 400m run a quickly as possible will mean that you will go fast and your heart rate will go up rapidly. Like many of the sessions, a plan can do wonders for your overall performance. Set out at a moderate-fast pace and perform the Sandbag Shoulders at a steady pace. Maintain this pace for 2-3 rounds and then make a conscious decision to up the pace, maintain or reduce it. 

See you next week!

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