On a beautiful Thursday afternoon, Peter and I met to pull off yet another intense workout. This time I chose a very simplistic yet effective Quick Death-style workout, due to pressing time on Peter’s side.

After a thorough warm-up, we simply did the following:

Metabolic Conditioning

• 10 Kettlebell Swings (unilateral)
• 1 Burpee
• 10 Kettlebell Swings (unilateral)
• 2 Burpees
• 10 Kettlebell Swings (unilateral)
• 3 Burpees
• …
• 10 Kettlebell Swings (unilateral)
• 9 Burpees
• 10 Kettlebell Swings (unilateral)
• 10 Burpees
• 10 Kettlebell Swings (unilateral)
• 9 Burpees
• …
• 10 Kettlebell Swings (unilateral)
• 3 Burpees
• 10 Kettlebell Swings (unilateral)
• 2 Burpees
• 10 Kettlebell Swings (unilateral)
• 1 Burpee

The workout was inspired by a challenge proposed in the Fighter Fitness forums.

This workout has a total workload of 190 Kettlebell Swings and 100 Burpees, which is a tremendous lot. We opted to do this with a 16 kg Kettlebell. Simply adjust the weight to your level of physical ability.

Descending up the pyramid turned out to be the easy part of the workout – the descend back down is a harsh field where you have to battle the overwhelming fatigue that is trying to conquer your body. I have not done any metabolic work for several months and therefore struggled a lot with the high intensity sustained over a longer period of time. I felt like strangled and had a hard time catching my breath. I do not recommend this workout to beginners. Please become comfortable with the 100-Burpee-Challenge (which is simply doing 100 Burpees for time) beforehand.

Peter finished the workout in 16’00”. It took me 18’15” to do likewise – I had to incorporate longer breaks down the pyramid due to the aforementioned fatigue symptoms.

This workout seems to be a great tool to maximize work capacity and suitable to be its benchmark, amongst other workouts. Because of its layout (Swings favour stronger and larger athletes, Burpees lighter ones), this workout allows a fair comparison between athletes – an important factor of competition. The source of inspiration for this workout already holds benchmarks that will take its time to best – like Rosch‘s performance to pull this workout off with a 24 kg Kettlebell (unilateral (!)) in an amazing time of 14’11”.

Plenty reason to get going

Train on and stay strong,
Simon

Back row: Martin, Thomas, Simon, Gregor, Janis, Vinz, Jo, Alex, Lukas
Front row: Karl, Harald, Peter, Dominik, Christian

April 17, 2010. Dominik Feischl once again calls out for all his “Naturtraining-Warriors” to assemble at a seminar, this time taking place in Obermühlau, near Thomasroith at the residence of his mentor and training partner Karl Humer, best known for his rafter pull-up.

The so far largest gathering of this kind was formed by twelve athletes (Dominik and Karl not counted) who travelled long distance (two athletes from Vorarlberg, one Swiss athlete) to show up. On a sunny spring day, the perfect stage was set for an perfectly enjoyable day packed with intense training.

The seminar was split up into four parts, which we tackled after a warm-up run (including hill sprint and quadropod action) through the beautiful Hausruck spring landscape:

1. Dominik’s Tactical Strength Challenge
2. Climbing with Karl Humer
3. Toying around with tyres
4. Pressing Power and Climbing Challenge

1. Dominik’s Tactical Strength Challenge

Prior to the seminar, Dominik sent out various e-mails, containing the set-up of the Tactical Strength Challenge. Pavel Tsatsouline, inventor of the Tactical Strength Challenge advised him to adapt the set-up of his exercises to the circumstances of the event – with opened the door for a set-up completely different from the original deadlift – pull-up – snatch configuration. We matched our strength and strength endurance skills in the following disciplines:

1. Rope climbing (for distance)
2. Clean & Press a ~38 kg stone (for repetitions)
3. Parcours climbing (for time under tension)
4. Farmer’s Walk with a ~80 kg tyre (for time under tension)

Rope climbing had to be done without using the feet, pressing the stone way allowed any way we could do so, the parcours climbing demanded crossing the parcours at least once (touching a log at the far end of the parcours) and the Farmer’s Walk required constant movement.

Every single participant showed tremendous performance throughout the disciplines. The fighter spirits were high and the respective winners of the disciplines performed remarkably. Christian won the overall contest, placing first in both the Farmer’s Walk (66 seconds) and parcours climbing (~2’23” time under tension) even after dropping back with a mere 7 repetitions of the clean & press. Thomas, Harald and Lukas were very strong with the clean and press (38, 38 and 50 repetitions).

Side note: If he had competed, Dominik would have won the overall event. He outclassed all of us in the disciplines he tried (Farmer’s walk and Rope Climbing).

2. Climbing with Karl Humer

After such a ‘warm up’, things started to get hard when Karl pushed us along his newly extended parcours. Climbing horizontal ladders in various ways and reaching along logs was probably the hardest part of the whole seminar. Karl has installed six lanes that offer various challenges – including what they call the Trojan Horse, a construction featuring bars in different thickness and a stiff ascent as a finisher.

3. Toying around with tyres

After a short break our legs had to work as well. With an already sore upper body, dragging and carrying around tractor tyres was a welcome change of setting, as it mainly focuses on lower body work. We supplemented the tyre work with decent hill sprints, combined with a quadropod descent.

4. Pressing Power and Climbing Challenge

Coming back to the parcours, Karl made us do push-ups in all variations – then supplemented with dips. Following this push-up madness, Karl took out his garden hose and watered the Trojan Horse – making it more difficult to cross, which we had to do. Climbing the diagonal support poles was another difficult task. Lastly, we worked our abs with leg raises – followed by blocking, if you can. One of the last highlights of the training seminar was hanging on the Trojan Horse with tucked feet and karl throwing punches at our abs for a straight fifteen seconds. This sure was a torture that everyone felt for some time after the seminar.

For dessert, we faced another challenge: How fast can you go through the longest lane of the parcours (horizontal ladder + woodstick climbing, Trojan Horse (minus ascent) and support hold walk along the parallel bars)? Peter won this one with a breathtaking time of 17 seconds. Do I have to mention that speed is his skill?

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To commence the event, we went to a nearby inn together and did what we had to do after such a exhaustive day: Eat freely of whatever feels good to our bodies.

Every seminar poses to me the question of “What did I learn?” My answers for this time:

• Janis made me aware of a dysbalance in my balance, stance and power that I have noticed but mostly ignored throughout the last years.
• The core is the weakest part of the body for most athletes. This problem is particularly striking while climbing. A weak core leads to a lack of stability which in course leads to an inefficient technique
• Companionship is by far the most important factor in a training group. People have to fit together well in order to achieve more than they would be able to do individually. I am looking forward to work on this one with my CrassFit comrades in future
• Every athlete has a very different profile of strengths and weaknesses so that every one has the chance to shine in a specific discipline as well as the chance to learn a tremendous lot in others
• Attitude is of utmost importance – your attitude not only partially decides whether or not you will succeed in all challenges
• Harald mentioned that one can only teach things that one has learned three steps down the way. There is no way one can teach the things one has learned just yet
• Kettlebell technique seems to be an issue for most people. Working with kettlebells sure is easy to learn and hard to master
• Dominik and Janis both confirmed from their experiences that most Americans do not care too much about the quality of their nutrition – even strength coaches
• Most of the participants have a reasonable attitude towards nutrition that relies heavily on their experience of what is good for them – experience seems to trump science

Furthermore, I have to congratulate all of my comrades. Some I knew from former seminars, some were new to me. Likewise they shared an utmost uplifting spirit. Some of my observations:

• Janis has a good eye for posture problems in other people. He had just returned from a Underground Strength Coach certification prior to the seminar and I am convinced he will make a greatly positive impact on the people he works with in future
• Thomas has made so much progress that it is hard to believe that he was barely able to perform a pull-up last Winter. He handled the climbing challenges with an ease and grace that is stunning. Hats off!
• Harald has impressed me with his ability to focus. To me, he is prototypical for the calm warrior – I have great respect for him
• Gregor has a most uplifting spirit he carries along with him. On most pictures I see him smiling while he performs at his best. He is one of the athletes I would consider indestructible under normal circumstances
• Peter is a tremendously quick athlete – as expected from a former short distance runner. No wonder he managed to win the speed climbing challenge. His ability to push himself farther is remarkable – it’s like he is unable to experience unbearable pain

Once again, this seminar has proven to be extremely enjoyable while being just as exhaustive. What can be better than a day with like-minded people – training hard, chatting about things that matter to you and have a great time? Few things come to my mind.

I am looking forward to see you at the next seminar held by Dominik. Make sure you don’t miss out if you’re around.

Train on and stay strong,
Simon

P.S.: It’s now Wednesday and I’m still feeling a wee soreness in my forearms, shoulders and back. The sheer training density on this day caused deep muscle fatigue, I guess.

Back from hibernation mode. Against all odds, it took us another two months to give CrassFit another shot. I have to say that the winter has been long and harsh here in Austria and – with the exception of the Winter Training Camp in Thomasroith – Trainings have neither been very productive or enjoyable for me throughout the last few months.

With the advent of spring, things slowly begin to change again and it’s perfectly fitting to restart the initiative.

Rainer, Jozy, Peter and I assembled at our Donaulände meeting point – only to find this back then deserted place rather crowded with people of all ages – from kids to grannies. Higher temperatures lead to an increased rate of activity amongst our contemporaries – a good thing to see

Albeit being absent, Dominik Feischl provided us with a tremendous workout to ultimately wake our bones and muscles from hibernation. We did the following:

Pre-Fatigue

3 Rounds of:

• Jungle Gym Pull-Ups (all out)
• 15 Push-Ups with elevated feet
• 10 Double Kettlebell Front Squats (2 x 16 kg)

Struggling with this one relentlessly pointed out the weaknesses that have emerged through extensive absence of hard training.

Metabolic Conditioning

3 Rounds of:

• 10 Kettlebell Swings (16 kg)
• 200 Meter Sprint
• 10 + 10 Kettlebell Cleans (16 kg)
• 200 Meter Sprint

Unfit to match the requirements of such a strenuous workout after the long winter break, our lungs and legs were shattered by the intensity created by this bout. 200 Meters seem like a lot of distance to cover when your legs are tired and yearning for rest.

As if it would not have been enough, we added a Quick Death-style post-fatigue exercise:

Post-Fatigue

The infamous Leg Matrix:

• 24 Full Squats
• 12 + 12 Lunges
• 24 Split Jumps
• 24 Jump Squats

The result: A lactate-infested lower body.

We finished with a bit of toying on the Jungle Gym and a towel and called it a day. With a few days between the workout and the coverage I can report of a deep muscle soreness from Saturday to Monday – the result and price of getting back into gears.

A price I am more than willing to pay

Train on and stay strong!

Simon

P.S.: A great thank you towards my CrassFit training partners. There have been little incidents I have enjoyed as much as this little training session. Physical activity at this level of intensity really ups your spirits