States are opening.. States are closing… Like it was a huge surprise, the Virus hasn’t gone away. The reality of the moment is that we will be working through this together for some time so I really want to drop some knowledge on the masks you are wearing to the gym. Ive seen a full gamut of styles and seen what works good and which ones are super uncomfortable.
Here in Colorado we have been opening and operating in the gym for at least 8 weeks now. Thankfully Gov. Polis has seen the value in working with gyms, even though the standards and expectations have varied as much as the interpretations of the rules have been. Other states haven’t been as fortunate given the outbreaks and some states haven’t had any restrictions at all… (the news has been reporting on them a lot lately)
One of the clear stipulations to operating has been masks inside the gym. But which is best for fitness. They are all uncomfortable, they are all hot, and obviously not very appealing. But necessary non the less. If you’ve been working with the mask or Buff that you had around the house when this whole thing started, it may be time to upgrade to one that can help you stay in the fight and keep fitnessing.
Not all Cloth masks are created Equally.
While cloth masks are in mass production and the previous design by many of the companies out there was that there needed to be multiple layers and heavy material. I personally have some of these. Cloth masks do their job of keeping particulate matter out of your mouth and nose and prevent you from spraying your fluids to others. The problem is that they are very hot and can chaff the skin. And for you guys out there with stubble on the face, forget about it.. .stubble makes it impossible to have a conversation or coach without pulling the mask off your face.
Workout Material Needs to Be Specific.
Remember that we are not looking for medical grade masks. We are looking for the best material to keep us abiding by the rules but also allowing us to breath heavy during a workout. You need a couple key components to a proper workout mask material.
1. Lightweight
2. Elastic.
Lightweight = Breathability. I cannot stress enough the need for us to exchange the CO2 and O2 through the mask. Your workout is already going to put you in a hypoxic state so you dont need any more material to make it worse.
Elastic or spandex in the material keeps it in place. One of the most annoying thing I experience with my current mask assortment is that the damn thing won’t stay on my face when Im coaching or working out. A stretch in the material will keep you from massing with it the whole time.
Fit needs to be snug.
If you get a mask with good breathability and elastic stretch then you can keep the fit as snug as possible. There are a couple different types of of elastic keepers on the masks. The ear catch or the straps that go all the way around the head. After trying both, I will say that the ear catch is the best for keeping it in place. Loose masks that dont breath are like trying to be a magnum dude when you really need the extra snug type condoms, shit is going to be useless. SO snug it down and get after your workout.
While I dont have all these types of masks Ive compiled a list of some sources for some good fitness masks.
1. Hanes Cotton Masks.
2. Zensah Performance Mask
3. Buff Filter Mask
I know its been said a million times, but we are truly “in this together” . While it is very clear the the stress of this shit is making people lose their minds and the media is good at showing the crazy fuckers out there who DO NOT REPRESENT the vast majority of the good people we call neighbors and friends. Thank you for supporting your gym owners and the communities they have built . I love you all
Eric
Programming Notes 7/20-7/24 ***THis is week 8 of the Sprint Block. We use the timing clock directly and am to specifically match our repeat times and recovery. Two tough gymnastic workouts are on tap Wednesday and Friday so buckle up. Lots of running as well so make sure you prepare for each test with proper warm ups.
7/20
Baseline:
400m Run
3X
10 Single Leg toe Touch
10 Side Lunge
10 Deadbug Ipsalateral Reach
5 Squat Jumps
Hamstring Primer:
3X8
Romanian Deadlift 135/95
Pendlay Row
Deadlift:
*Building
4X3
(aim to go above 315)
Strength WOD:
800m Run
9 Deadlift 315/225
21 Box Jumps
800m Run
15 Deadlift 275/ 185
15 Box Jumps
800m Run
21 Deadlift 225/135
9 Box Jumps
7/21
Baseline:
Agility Warm Up @ 10m Each
High Knee Pull
Quad Pull
Squat 180 **stepping the leg high over hip, swing opposite leg to 180, squat
High Knees
Butt kickers
Marching High Kicks
Groiners
Straight leg shuffles
A Skip
B Skip
Fig 4 Drill
Lateral Shuffle
Carioca
Lateral Bounding
Sprint W/ Change of Direction
Sprint Workout #8
Every 2 Mins X 6
50m Sprint
Every 5 Min X 5
100m Sprint
2X 400m Sprint -Rest 1:1
Cash Out:
10 Min EMOM
8 Ring Row
8 Medicine Ball Clean
7/22
Baseline;
4X
10 Arm Circles
10 Jump Ing Jacks
10 Push Ups
8 Trunk Circles
8 V Ups
8 Elbow To Instep Lunge
6 Quad Pull
6 Calf March (ea)
6 Jumping Pull Ups
Gymnastic Strength:
3 Rounds
Max Set of Ring Dips
16 Weighted Sit Ups
18 Weighted GLute Bridge
200m Single Arm KB Farmer Carry
Conditioning:
20 Min AMRAP
5 Pull Up
7 Toes TO Bar
9 Kettlebell Swing
12 Cal Bike
7/23
Baseline:
500m Row
3X
8 Barbell Bent Row
8 Barbell Press
8 Barbell Good Morning
8 Barbell Muscle Clean
Shoulder Mobility:
1:00 @ Each
-Lat Banded Stretch
-Bully Stretch
-Scapula Distraction Stretch
Strength :
3 Rounds
15 Dumbbell Floor Press
15 Bent Row
15 banded Pull Aparts
15 Seated See-saw Press
Strength WOD:
5 Rounds
1 Power Clean 155/105
2 Hang Squat Clean
3 Push Jerks
100m Sprint
-Rest 2:00 Between-
7/24
Baseline:
4X :30 @ Each
-Divebombers
-Squat jack
-Marching High Kicks
-Lateral Punches
-Cherry Pickers
-Lunge
Row Conditioning:
Every :90 X 6 Rounds
15 Cal Row
Then Max Rep AMRAP
6 Box Piked Push Ups
6 Pistol Squats
WOD:
400m Walking Lunges W/ Weight Vest
