Giant Squats

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Warm-up -

800 m run
50 situps 
1 min sit squat hip mobility

Workout -

Complete 3 "giant sets" of:

4 back squats AHAP
12 front squats AHAP
25 squat to box jumps
Rest 5 min

Finish workout with 50 stability ball situps and some light piriformis & low back stretches (3 sets of 30-60 seconds).

Post weights used to comments.

We love the thought of you decompressing your spine after a heavy squatting day.  The best way to do this is to hang upside down from your ankles.  If you have access to an inversion table, use it.  We've seen people using THESE too, but I don't know how they got up there.  These are especially recommended by therapists and MDs if you've got spinal disc problems.  After a workout like this, it could work wonders for relieving pressure on your spine.  

If you don't have access to any of these upside down mechanisms, you might try plain old situps.  Especially ones done over a stability ball (as above).  

Light stretching can work too.  Using slow therapeutic stretches of 1-3 sets of 30-60 seconds per stretch can go far to decompress spinal discs and put everything back into place.  Remember "LIGHT."  This is not the time to try and increase your flexibility a ton.  Just stretch to the point where it becomes mildly uncomfortable.  There are big differences between therapeutic stretching and stretching to increase flexibility.  Trying to increase flexibility after a ROUGH workout like this can overwork muscles and connective tissues.  It can lead to injury.  

AA goes heavy & low with amazing form. Always!

AA goes heavy & low with amazing form.  Always!

Oli

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2 rounds for time:

35 deadlift 95/135
35 Aussie pullups
35 uni KB snatch (R) 25/35
35 uni KB snatch (L) 25/35
35 double unders (3:1 sub for no DU)
35 pushups
350m row

Post time to comments

Corporate fitness is evolving.  Years ago, it was thought that corporate fitness/wellness was going to take over the world.  Books were written about how initiation of wellness (fitness/health) programs in the corporate environment would encourage healthier, happier employees.  It was supposed that these healthier, happier employees would then go on to make a corporation more money by being more productive and creative.  It was also supposed that money saved per healthier employee was going to reduce health care costs to a company.       

It was a great concept.  True in every way, but it fell on its face.  

Problem was, most companies are incredible at delivering their widgets and/or services, but not so good at figuring out how to help employees become healthier.  Why would they?  They've spent years creating their products/services.  Learning a new industry (health and fitness) only takes away from what has made them successful.  So, they had to hire this done.  The folks they hired to get this done, it turns out, were better at making presentations about how to improve the health of employees than they were at actually delivering health to anyone.  The best ideas they could come up with were silly.  They looked like THIS and THIS.   If you've ever gained benefit from a GPP workout, you know that kind of thing really doesn't cut it.  

There is a new breed of business owner.  One more savvy. One that realizes toe/heel lifts at a computer will do little to nothing for improving the health of their employees. That spending money on ways of the past (see above) hurts everyone.  

Companies like Xi3 are leading the way on this (see pic below - all but 1 are Xi3 employees). Their visionary managers (thanks Jase & JR) are finding comprehensive ways of using GPP to improve all aspects of employee health, fitness and productivity.  It is real stuff and the team building aspect is amazing.  Many in the pic below ran Red Rock Relay in Moab last weekend.  That's 70 miles as a team!  Congrats to them!  Strong work!  To bring GPP to your biz please write to admin@gppfitness.com.    

Wk 19 (Additional weekly challenges are designed to help you patch holes in your fitness, nutrition & health – if you have them.  The weekly challenges are issued (by email) only to those who request them.  They are subscription based ($45/year).  If you'd like to receive them, please notify us by sending your email HERE. )

Physical - Run an easy mile (7 out of 10 RPE) every day after each workout.  RPE = Rating of Perceived Exertion.  

Nutritional - Green Drinks are supposed to be very good for you.  They are nutritious and packed full of vitamins and minerals.  Lots of fiber too.  But most are terrible tasting.  

Your nutritional challenge this week is to drink 1 green drink per day.  Create, or find a good green drink recipe, make it and share it with the rest of us.  Maybe you have no interest in building your own.  No prob.  Buy one.  If you find a good Green Drink to buy, please post it, and its contents to comments.  

Lifestyle - GPP believes the ONLY good reason to exercise and eat right is to create and live life that is not limited by capacity and/or self-induced disease.  We understand that Optimal Health is the pursuit.  

Optimal Health is created through balancing the 6 aspects of health.  These are:

1. Mental
2. Emotional
3. Social
4. Spiritual
5. Financial
6. Physical

Your assignment this week is create 1 WRITTEN goal for achieving balance in each of the 6 aspects of health.  (Example for PHYSICAL:  I will workout 5 times following GPP protocol weekly). If you are feeling brave, please write them to comments.  It can cement your commitment to them.  If not, simply write them where you'll see them daily.  I did this once and taped mine to the bathroom mirror.  They remained for months.   

Xi3 is an amazing computer company. They are re-inventing the way we think about computers. They are also re-inventing corporate fitness/wellness.

Xi3 is an amazing computer company.  They are re-inventing the way we think about computers.  They are also re-inventing corporate fitness/wellness.  

Kettlebell Pyramids

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For time:

200m run
35 KB swings 25/35
400m run
35 KB swings 25/35
800m run
35 KB swings 25/35
800m run
35 KB swings 25/35
400m run
35 KB swings 25/35
200m run
35 KB swings 25/35

Post time to comments.

Alot of you have asked, "what's with the Barbie on the Wall? Is it supposed to represent some GPP ideal?" Haha. Nope. Just the theme of our Red Rock team. Nice running girls (Wendy, Candice, Nikki, Amanda, Janetha, Amy).

Alot of you have asked, "what's with the Barbie on the Wall?  Is it supposed to represent some GPP ideal?"  Haha.  Nope.  Just the theme of our Red Rock team.  Nice running girls (Wendy, Candice, Nikki, Amanda, Janetha, Amy).

BAT Medley

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OTC - 

Biceps Medley - 4 rounds.

20 alt BB biceps curls 25/45
20 T2T bent rows 25/45
biceps 21's 
Rest 30 sec.

Abs Medley - 4 rounds.  

20 sec. plank hold
10 plank complex R
10 plank complex L
20 back ext.
Rest 30 sec.

Triceps Medley - 4 rounds.

10 (ea.) seated uni OH triceps ext R 10/15
10 (ea.) seated uni OH triceps ext L 10/15
10 (ea.) shoulder crushers R 10/15
10 (ea.) shoulder crushers R 10/15
20 narrow pushups
Rest 30 sec

Post Rx to comments.

The kind of dimples you want in your legs (Joanna).

The kind of dimples you want in your legs (Joanna).

Corrugation

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For time:

50 situps
50 crunch twists L
50 crunch twists R
50 back extensions
1 min 6" leg hold
50 KB juggles 25/35
50 tick tocks L 25/35 
50 tick tocks R 25/35 
1 min ab bridge hold
50 crunches
800m run (600 rope jumps, 800m row, 50 burpees)

Post time to comments.

If you are looking for a little more out of those abs today, consider switching crunches for crunches on a ball.  Don't have a ball?  Cool, just roll up a towel and place it in the small of your back.  Keep the small of your back pressed into the towel at all times as you do your crunches.  

Keep in mind, if you are looking to gauge your fitness with this workout vs. the last time you did it, your times will be slower.  Adding extension to the trunk via a towel, or stability ball increases the amount of work your abs have to do per rep.  Gauging your times will not be an apples to apples comparison.  

GPP Fitness for Kids Summer Classes - Register HERE through Centerville City!

Want the kids to feel great this summer and have fun getting strong and healthy?  This is the class!  We've done this in conjunction with Centerville City for 3 years now.  It is awesome and the kids love it.  

It is an 8 week class held 2x/week at GPP.  For kids ages 11-18.  Workouts begin June 11th, Tuesdays & Thursdays at 10:30 am.  Cost $55.

We've been chuckling about this all day - from GPP NWA.

We've been chuckling about this all day - from GPP NWA.

AMRAP Squats & Run

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AMRAP in 20 min of:

max effort squats (for reps) 
400 m run

Post number of squats per round and number of laps completed to comments.

To do a "max effort squat" set, complete as many perfect air squats as you can in an unbroken string.  Upon your first break set - go run! 

It has been a couple of years since we did this one.  Might want to check out comments from the last time we did it, for how to negotiate its demands.  Also, there are some stellar performances.  Just amazing.  

Remember MORE/HARDER/FASTER is not BETTER.  BETTER is BETTER.  It's not the goal to see how many squats you are ultimately capable of today.  Today is about getting max benefit from a max rep set of squats.  The better your squats, the more benefit you'll gain.  

Rookies - be CAREFUL.  This one is a soremaker.  Sneaky too.  You'll be feeling fine during ..., then won't walk for 5 days.  Not OK.  

These guys are on the ball (T.J. and Cade - who is down 40 lbs.)

These guys are on the ball (T.J. and Cade - who is down 40 lbs.)