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

Yesterday we went for another great CrassFit workout. After a short break of one week without workout (attendees were either sick or had no time – I wouldn’t go for it all alone, did kettlebell complexes instead ) we got into gears just fine.

Unfortunately, Harald and Dominik were absent, for good reasons: Harald is back to Graz and Dominik occupied with heavy manual labor – so it was only Rainer, me and Peter.

We did the following workout:

Pre-Fatigue

5 x 5 Frog Jumps uphill
5 + 5 Turkish Get-Up (with water bottle or 16 kg kettlebell, according to level of expertise)
5 x 2 Lengths rope climbing

For the frog jumps, it is especially important to gain momentum with the right arm work. Look at how Peter is doing the jumps and what impressive horizontal leaps he can take. This is due to long training (he is an active track & field athlete). Lead the arms from down below up and forward and time the movement of the hands with the movement of the feet to achieve maximum leaps.

The Turkish get-up is one of the best exercises to train your abdominal strength but also one of the most dangerous. I highly recommend that you start training it using no weight at all. Start to add resistance only when you have learned the technique! It is important that the shoulder is resting in its socket and the arms are straightened toward the sky – and the look is always facing the hand reaching out of the clouds.

Start slowly and always part the movement into steps. Watch Peter’s form – he is doing great!

Finally, the rope climbing was the first exercise I couldn’t film due to the darkness – I will make sure that I take a good source of light with me in future to enable video capture also amid night hours.

Metabolic Conditioning

5 rounds of:
5 L-pull-ups (easier variation: tucked in knees)
16 Lunge walks
10 L-push-ups
200 meter running

The darkness and other circumstances prevented us from documenting this one. To explain the L-pull-up and the L-push-up, I will provide videos.

The L-pull-up works abdominals as well as the back and arms – it is a lot harder than a regular pull-up. Tucked in knees are the easier version that I used, due to the inability to perform an exercise this hard.

Watch this video at 3:00. Here you see a variation of a push-up with legs up the wall. This is how the starting position of a L-push-up looks like – from there on, it is like a handstand push-up: Descend like you are to ram your head into the ground and push yourself up again. Any wall or elevated platform is fine for doing this – just keep in mind to have a right angle between legs and torso.

We shortened the run a bit due to the circumstances and used it for regeneration issues. In total, this was the easiest workout of the CrassFit series up to date and will be remembered as such. The preparation was suboptimal and will be augmented next time.

I am looking forward to next week’s workout. It will be a major test for metabolic and muscular endurance, I guarantee Hopefully, with good lighting assistance to be able to capture it properly.

Train on and stay strong,
Simon

I got my Jungle Gym II Split as a present from my fellow training partner Dominik Feischl, in return for translating the script for his grip strength DVD. As a first impression, I thought of it as a lesser replacement for my already-in-use pair of Elite Rings II, but they sure stand their chance against this high-quality piece of equipment.

Product Quality

The belt fabric is of tremendous quality, I could not yet discover any weak spots, and it is very durable, which is necessary for working out hard with the tool.

The strap length regulator is also of good quality, it holds the tool firm against every possible tension. The plastic handle is a part of a thick tube which is really sturdy – 3 mm in thickness ensures that it will not break apart when gripped too hard.

Versatility

At first glance, the Jungle Gym is as complicated to mount as the Elite Rings II, but this perspective is quickly alleviated – you simply have to wrap the strap around the mounting pole, put it through the loop near the handle and pull to fasten it – it doesn’t get any easier than that. This enables you to use it in very versatile ways – you may fasten it to any pole-like object and start training.

The thickened strap ends also allow you to fasten it in any door hinge. Just place the thick end outside the door and close it – from my experience, it is very secure. If you want to enhance security, however, you may additionally put a staff or a towel through the loops at the end of the strap – this is an additional measure to hinder the Jungle Gym to come off the door. Now it is practically impossible to unmount it from the door hinge unintentionally.

Portability

Altogether, the Jungle Gym weighs less than a pound and therefore is perfectly portable to any place you intend to work out. There simply is no easier way to install a pull-up- or dips ‘bar’ anywhere you need it!

Personal Experiences

I have experienced the Jungle Gym II Split as an incredibly versatile and trustworthy piece of workout equipment. I take it with me to almost every CrassFit workout and they have proven to be of good use – pull-ups, dips, everything is no problem. The only disadvantage, however, is the uncomfortable positioning of the strap length regulator, which is fixed and is uncomfortable for the forearms when doing dips. Moreover, muscle-ups are not possible with this piece of equipment. To train the classical movements of a gymnast, I would much rather recommend purchasing a pair of Elite Rings II.

Altogether, I can wholeheartedly recommend the Jungle Gym II Split to every fitness enthusiast who is eager to do his workout outside and has to take his equipment with him everywhere he goes. Purchase a pair, it will sure be worthwhile the investment.

Train on and stay strong
Simon

P.S.: Here are some videos by coach Steve Maxwell, doing exercises with the Jungle Gym

On Wednesday, 18:30, the first (unofficial) CrassFit workout meeting took play in the Freinberg Park, next to the Jägermayrhof, Linz, Austria. This is the first of a series of workouts that will take place weekly here in Linz.

Attendees

This first CrassFit meeting was a small one with only four attendees, due to private arrangement: Me (Simon), Dominik (from naturtraining.at), Peter (a mutual comrade from Dominik’s workshops) and his sister. Plans for advertising the training are underway – the attendee numbers will rise for sure.

From left to right: Me, Dominik, Josi (Peter's sister), Peter

Location

In the evening, the Freinberg Park is a quite silent area, even with the mild temperatures we had. For our first workout, we searched the park for suitable places to do exercises we planned on and are elemental to CrassFit (dips, pull-ups, …) and we were a bit disappointed not to find the ideal space. The city of Linz installed a Fit4 circuit in this park but unluckily it is firstly split into fifteen stations and secondly does not offer a long and high hanging pull-up bar – which would have been integral for our upcoming workout. Finally we (Peter and me, at that time) improvised and chose a playground with its swing framework. In addition with a Jungle Gym, we figured we had sufficient pulling options.

Workout

We decided for a metabolic conditioning workout beforehand which perfectly suited the landscape we were training in

• 20 kettlebell swings (16 kg kettlebell)
• 10 Maxwell-Burpees
• 400 meters running (including a hill sprint as finisher)

5 rounds (for time)

Peter and Dominik fighting against Iron Bells

We decided to stop the time although it was not important to us which time we would need to finish – to finish, that was the goal. I had a hard time to keep up proper form with the swings and as the rounds of the circuit progressed, I was feeling increasingly nauseous. I am sure I would have cancelled the workout after three rounds if the others did not push me further – they were formidable!
Peter’s sister did an earlier version of the workout – 10 high jumps, 10 push-ups on a slide (easier than normal) and the running. She did very well for her first try on circuit training
I finished the workout within 19’43”, approximately 2′ slower than both Peter and Dominik, who were equally fast.

… with the last breaths, up the hill

As a finisher, we did a dip ladder on the Jungle Gym, up to 7 repetitions. I personally maxed out at five, Peter’s sister did static  holds in support instead.

Dips Madness – Ladders and Stuff

Done. Strenuous but great fun. Regardless of how nauseous I felt during the workout, the feeling afterwards is priceless and well worth the effort undertaken.

Conclusion

The meeting was a blast! Training with other fanatics (you may even call them ‘lunatics’ ) in the park is so much fun, I’d even pay for attending – even better that it is free now and will always be.

The next workout is scheduled for Monday, 10th of August 2009 – I’m looking forward to it!

Post your thoughts and times in comments

Simon

Impressions