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.


Daily Extras - 

Double the tic-tocks. Partition them if you like. 


Workout Notes: 

  • 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.


Musings ... (repost from Oct. 2015)

Sure, Take Those Supps ... or Whatever.

I take supplements. It's no secret. I've written about it extensively. 

Do I think supplements work? 

Sure, or whatever ...

 I just took some vit C this morn. Somewhere along the line, I became convinced that vit C bolsters my immune system. Despite this, I still get 2-3 colds per year. Would I get more if I didn't take the C? Maybe.

Look, I don't care. I FEEL like vit C does me some good. I FEEL like, when I do get sick, it helps me recover from my illness faster.  I also FEEL like, when I get sick, my illness is less severe when I take vitamin C. And YES I am aware of the studies that have debunked the myth that vit C prevents colds. I take it anyway.

I take it for other reasons too. I FEEL like it helps my muscles recover from ROUGH workouts. I FEEL like it helps with inflammation. I FEEL like it helps my skin. I FEEL like it supports my cardiovascular system. I FEEL like it helps the connective tissue in my joints (although this effect seems to be dwindling since I hit the big FOUR-OH). I have many reasons for FEELING these things. Many of these reasons include:

  • Studies I've read (I absolutely do my homework on these things)

  • People I've observed (EVERYONE can't be a liar)

  • My own experiences with it.

Although I take supplements, I've learned something very interesting about them. In general this thing I've learned is as troubling as it is inspiring. Here it is: 

I have yet to find, after several decades as a full-time trainer, someone who will attribute their long-term health and fitness success to any single supplement, or nutrient. Never ONCE have I EVER had someone who lost 100-150 lbs say to me, "It was the moringa oleifera powder, Neil."

Oh sure, I've had folks attribute parts of their success to a supplement/nutrient. But more often than not, these are short-term endorsements. We ALL known that guy who lost 35 lbs over a 2 month period who swears he couldn't have done it without his ________________ (pyruvate, garcinia, colon detox, Hydroxycut, Orlistat, raspberry ketones ... etc.). But, just wait 5 years. Wait until that person has has had to fight through what it takes to lose 75-100 lbs. Somehow, of ALL those guys we knew who endorsed these products, who couldn't have done it without them ... somehow in 5 years time they are, most often, no longer using them. 

How can this be?

Can you think of a single exception to this?  

Due to this observation I tend to be quite skeptical of most products/nutrients that come down the pike. At the same time I also tend to be quite inspired by the thought of certain supps. After all, can there be a more ringing endorsement of the capacity of the human will?  

So, YES, I take supplements. And YES, I believe they work. Do I buy into the claims that they help people lose weight, discover their youth, cure cancer? 

Sure, or whatever ... 


I wasn't sure if it was OK to take pics of all the kids playing (ie. working out) at the Wayland facility, but ... man, it was a LOT!  

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