It's been awhile since I posted a workout of the day. From this afternoon:

• Tabata jump rope (20 seconds sprint, 10 seconds rest, repeat 8 times).
• Rest one minute.
• 500m sprint on the C2 rower. Finished in 1:34. My record is 1:31, so didn't feel too upset, given I don't usually do Tabatas first. Three seconds is an eternity though. Every second is precious in the 500. You'd think I'd be able to shave off 0:02 and get under 1:30. Not yet.
• Waited for the blood roaring in my ears to subside, and for my legs to stop quivering. Five minutes, maybe?
• Tabata NordicTrack: See above. Only managed six rounds. Hated myself. Pride is fleeting, shame endures.
• Rest. Three minutes?
• 100 sledgehammer swings for time (10 lb. sledge, striking tire). 3:15. Wanted to break 3 minutes. Alas. Weakling.

Could have been worse, but could have been much better. Still, it was hard, so it was good. I'll do some hard running tomorrow, pickup Sunday, then just hone a bit next week and get fresh for Regionals next weekend.

Can't. Wait.

I came up with a workout, heavily inspired by Ross Enamait's Work Capacity 101 (but easier), that takes advantage of all the equipment new equipment I've mentioned recently (my hanging pullup bar, my new jump rope and tire (the latter for sledgehammer training), and my horse stall mat as a nice burpee surface):

• 5 pullups
• 10 burpees
• 20 sledgehammer swings (10/arm)
• 40 high-knees, sprinting rope skips (if you miss, do them over until you get 40 in a row)
• Rest 1 minute
• Repeat 10 times

Well, my plan was 10 circuits, but the kids came home after the fifth. I say that like I blame them for cutting my workout short, but in reality I was grateful for the excuse. My forearms in particular were on fire, and I thought I was going to fling myself from the bar as I kipped at the bottom of the pullups, and my grip on the sledgehammer was so tenuous by the end that I feared for our car's safety (I workout in the garage). I would hate to have to explain a sledgehammer-sized dent in the door.

If that's too easy for you, you could switch up the sledge and the burpees like so:

• 5 pullups
• 10 sledgehammer swings per arm
• 20 burpees
• 40 high-knees, sprinting rope skips (if you miss, do them over until you get 40 in a row)
• Rest 1 minute
• Repeat 10 times

Better you than me. :-)

Got a new jump rope this week. I've tried a variety of jump ropes (leather, beaded, and "speed", but this new one is easily my favorite. It's a Cable Freestyle Rope from buyjumpropes.net. The handles are long, lightweight plastic (with foam sleeves, not pictured on the site) and the rope is basically a flexible coated wire. It's the fastest rope I've tried (although not the fastest they sell) and the long handles are nice for crossovers. Since it's been cold I've only used it wearing like exercise pants, which is good because I bet it hurts like hell when you whip yourself with it. Adjustment is very easy, just a little two-part sleeve inside each handle that you slide apart to adjust. Adjusted out to the max. they are just long enough for my 6'4" self.

The other new piece of equipment I got this week was a used tire, kinda on the largish side (maybe off an SUV?), picked up for free at a local garage (they generally have to pay to dispose of them, so I imagine any garage would be happy to be rid of them). What's it for? Why, beating the tar out of it with a sledgehammer, of course!

So, in honor of my new finds (and workout time being pretty tight lately), today's workout:

• Tabata jump rope, immediately followed by...
• Tabata sledghammer, immediately followed by...
• 50 double-unders on the rope.

Ross Enamait recently ran an article on sledgehammer training, which includes a video demo of sledgehammer Tabatas. From there, he also links to his own article specifically on Tabatas.

Anyway, since I mostly feel the jump rope in my shoulders and the sledgehammer in my forearms, it's amazing I can type this at all.

Ross Enamait just posted a good article and video on sledgehammer training. I'd do that in my garage this winter, but it would just be a matter of time before I knocked the garage door opener off the ceiling.

In this discussion on sledgehammer work, the question came up as to how hard and fast to swing at the old tire, and prompted this fantastic answer:

Beat that sucker like it's a zombie trying to get up and eat you.

Milk would have shot out my nose, had I been drinking any.

Of course, this underscores a valuable point. When you are doing short-duration intense work, it's important to go all out. Like when you do Tabatas, do NOT pace yourself. Go your absolute hardest on your first interval, and then shoot to match that with each subsequent one.