Lexa's Fitness Corner - Core Training

Three (3) Rounds

Body Folds x 20

 Windshield Wipers x 20 per side

 Side Plank Knee to Elbow x 20 per side

Introduction to Deadlifts

The “dead” in Deadlift stands for dead weight. So every rep must start on the floor, from a dead stop. You don’t Deadlift top-down like on the Squat or Bench Press. You start at the bottom, pull the weight up and then return it to the floor. Here are the five steps to Deadlift with proper form…

1. Walk to the bar. Stand with your mid-foot under the bar. Your shins shouldn’t touch it yet. Put your heels hip-width apart, narrower than on Squats. Point your toes out 15°.
2. Grab the bar. Bend over without bending your legs. Grip the bar narrow, about shoulder-width apart like on the Overhead Press. Your arms must be vertical when looking from the front.
3. Bend your knees. Drop into position by bending your knees until your shins touch the bar. Do NOT let the bar move away from your mid-foot. If it moves, start from scratch with step one.
4. Lift your chest. Straighten your back by raising you chest. Do not change your position – keep the bar over your mid-foot, your shins against the bar, and your hips where they are.
5. Pull. Take a big breath, hold it and stand up with the weight. Keep the bar in contact with your legs while you pull. Don’t shrug or lean back at the top. Lock your hips and knees.

Return the weight to the floor by unlocking your hips and knees first. Then lower the bar by moving your hips back while keeping your legs almost straight. Once the bar is past your knees, bend your legs more. The bar will land over your mid-foot, ready for your next rep.

Rest a second between reps. Stay in the setup position with your hands on the bar. Take a big breath, get tight, and pull again. Every rep must start from a dead stop. Don’t bounce the weight off the floor or you’ll pull with bad form.

Do

Don't

Yoga with Oli - September 26

Three Rounds

Hold each position for 30 seconds to a minute.

Roller and Hand Tool Mobility Work with Jordyn

Yoga Flow - Ground - Kya

Butterfly Sit Up Variations with Cayleigh - September 24

Three Rounds

Arm Assist Butterfly Sit Up x 20

Medicine Ball Resisted Butterfly Sit Up x 20

Spartan Race Review - 2012 & 2017

Spartan Race is a series of obstacle races of varying distance and difficulty ranging from 1 mile to marathon distances: the Spartan Sprint (3+ miles of obstacle racing), the Super Spartan (8+ miles), the Spartan Beast (12+ miles), and the Ultra Beast (26+ miles - one of two marathon obstacle courses along with Mudderthon). Spartan Race also has a time-trial obstacle course race that is one mile in length, and has a military series in which obstacles are designed by the United States military. Spartan Race's parent company, Peak Races, hosts the Spartan Death Race, 48+ hour extreme test of endurance and resilience. In a Spartan Race event, "participants will confront obstacles ranging from extreme to absurd that gain their inspiration from sources as varied as Spartan training, Navy SEAL training and American Gladiators".^[1] ESPN describes the Spartan Race as "a true test of will."^[2]

Obstacles 
While Spartan Races vary in distance from 1 mile to marathon distances, the obstacles themselves also vary and are unpredictable. Participants must complete the obstacles or perform burpee penalty exercises. Many obstacles are present at each Spartan Race. Unlike other companies, Spartan Race does not provide a course map or list of obstacle to their participants until race day. Frequently presented obstacles include:

1.     Fire jump: participants leap over flames. This obstacle is typically at the beginning or end of a race. The fire jump has appeared in nearly every Spartan Race, though certain venues do not allow fire.

2.     Barbed wire crawl: a crawl through mud under barbed wire. Participants must stay low to the ground as to not get injured by the wire. Crawls range from 20-100+ yards in length. The wire crawl has appeared in every Spartan Race to date.

3.     Over-Under-Through: a series of obstacles in which runners must first climb over a wall, then under a wall, then through a tire or square hole placed in a wall. This obstacle is often repeated three or more times in a row and appears in almost every Spartan Race.

4.     Spear throw: from a distance of 10-20 yards, athletes must throw a wooden spear into a target. If the spear does not stick, a penalty of 30 burpees is assigned. The spear throw is present at every Spartan Race with the exception of state parks that do not allow weapons. Typically, the spear throw is near the end of the race.

5.     Wall climb: as the name suggests, runners must climb over a wooden wall. Walls range from 4-8 feet and are often in sequence. This obstacle may be repeated throughout the course.

6.     Object carry: A signature obstacle, the object carry is often the most challenging. In a Spartan Sprint, this obstacle typically appears once. In a Super Spartan, twice; in a Beast, three times or more. The object to be carried may be a tire, rock-filled bucket, or sandbag. Both the bucket and sandbag weight between 30 and 70 pounds. Men must carry heavier objects than women.

7.     Herculean Hoist: athletes must hoist a cement block or heavy bucket off the ground using a pulley system. This obstacle is similar to the "lat-pull" exercise machine, but is more difficult because the rope is often muddy and slippery.

8.     Tyrolean Traverse: Spartans must traverse a single rope that is hung horizontally between two posts or trees. The rope is hung over a body of water, so if competitors cannot traverse the rope, they will fall into the water and swim.

9.     Traversal Wall: the traversal wall is similar to a bouldering wall.

10.  Slippery Wall: a wall built at an incline (roughly 45 degrees) that is covered in soap or grease. Runners may try to sprint up the wall or use a rope for assistance.

11.  Gladiator Arena: before the finish line, athletes must pass through the "gladiators" who try to knock down runners using their pugil sticks.

 (Taken from the Spartan Race Wikipedia Page)
Spartan Race Calgary (August 17, 2013)
 http://www.spartanrace.com/calgary-obstacle-racing-spartan-sprint-2013.html