Conditioning for the week of April 27 - May 3, 2013

Saturday, 27 April 2013 -

• 830-10am Lifting - P90X Shoulders and Arms followed by P90X+ Abs Core Plus.

Sunday, 28 April 2013 -

• 9-10am Lifting - P90X Chest and Back.

Monday, 29 April 2013 -

• 8-830am P90X Cardio.
• 6-630pm Stretching followed by PK Conditioning. Focused on QM movements, utilizing obstacles in a new way and combining movements with exercises.

Tuesday, 30 April 2013 -

• 6-630pm Stretching followed by - Sitting Planks and Skull Crushers. 

Explanation of exercises -

• Skull Crushers: For example see this Ryan Ford video. Beginners can start either with plank holds on the wall or by moving feet in closer to wall to make them easier. Intermediates can work on moving feet further back and by performing 1/2 skull crushers until strength develops.

Wednesday, 1 May 2013 -

• 8-930am Lifting - P90X Chest and Back followed by P90X+ Abs Core Plus.

Thursday, 2 May 2013 - 

• Traveling from Bangkok to Phnom Penh for 16 hours.

Friday, 3 May 2013 -

• 430-545pm Stretching and Yoga followed by - P90X+ Intervals Plus.

Conditioning for the Week of April 20 - 26, 2013

Saturday, 20 April 2013 -

• 8-815am Stretching
• 6-620pm Stretching/Warm-Up followed by, 5 rounds for time: Ladders 9,7,5,3,1 - Squats with weights, Jumping Jack Burpee, Plank Runs, Reach High & Under Push-ups, and Russian Twists. 

Explanation of exercises -

• Jumping Jack Burpee: For example see this Jump Jack Burpee video. Beginners start with normal burpees or plank hold burpees until strength and flexibility develops. Intermediates add variations by performing movement with wide legs the whole time or by doing Plank Jacks instead of planks.
• Russian Twists: For example see this Howto video. Beginners start with light or no weights and if move is still difficult begin by laying on back working ab strength until you are able to sit up fully. Intermediates add weights and focus on touching the floor with hands on each twist to increase difficulty.

Sunday, 21 April 2013 -

• Rest day with some biking around town.

Monday, 22 April 2013 -

• 6-620pm Yoga and stretching.

Tuesday, 23 April 2013 -

• 6-635pm Stretching/Warm-Up followed by, 5 rounds for time: Ladders 9,7,5,3,1 - Squats with weights, Jumping Jack Burpee, Plank Runs, Reach High & Under Push-ups, and Russian Twists. 

Wednesday, 24 April 2013 -

• 8-830am Stretching followed by, P90X+ Abs-Core Plus.
• 7-8pm Stretching, Warm-Up, followed by, 3 rounds with 10 reps each - Squats with 10 lbs. weights, Lunges with 10 lbs. weights, Hip thrusters single leg incline on yoga ball, Single leg balance with 10 lbs. weights, Full squats.

Explanation of exercises -

• All of the exercises performed today were variations of the originals for two reasons: 1. Weights were being used and as always make sure you pick the weight best for you to avoid serious injuries and 2. I added some arm movements into each exercise to break up repetition and make my body work smarter.
• Squats variation with 10 lbs weights and two arm placements: 1. Every odd rep weights were in arms directly in front of me but bent so only a few inches away from body and 2. Every even rep weights were in arms directly in front of me but straight arms the whole time.
• Lunges variation with 10 lbs weights and two arm placements: 1. First two rounds I would raise the weights up to rest on my shoulders when performing the lunge and 2. Third round I would do deep swimmers press with each lunge.
• Hip  thrusters single leg incline on yoga ball were same as normal incline hip thrusters except grounded leg would rest on top of yoga ball and force me to work on balance, coordination, and strength additionally.
• Single leg balance variation with 10 lbs. weights would entail me lifting back leg parallel with floor while upper body leaned forward parallel with floor and arms down with weights in hands. Then I would lift arms directly out to the sides of me at shoulder height and balance.

Thursday, 25 April 2013 -

• 8-815am Stretching.
• 7-730pm Stretching and Yoga.

Friday, 26 April 2013 -

• 8-820am Yoga and Stretching.
• 620-705pm Stretching followed by, 10 reps Squat Push-Ups, 10 Plank jacks, 10 QM Inchworms, 10 Side to side floor hops, 10 QM Crab walks, 10 Oblique Steam engines, 10 QM Ground Kongs Pike legs, 2 minute plank holds alternating between high and low planks, 10 Side plank holds with arm/leg raises.

Conditioning for the week of April 13-19, 2013

Saturday, 13 April 2013 -

• 8-850am Stretching followed by P90X+ Interval Plus.

Sunday, 14 April 2013 -

• 8-810am Stretching.
• 10am-12pm Bike ride Phnom Penh, Cambodia around riverside and downtown.

Monday, 15 April 2013 -

• 9-1120am Bike ride Phnom Penh, Cambodia around riverside.

Tuesday, 16 April 2013 -

• 830-850am Yoga.

Wednesday, 17 April 2013 -

• 9-915am Stretching.

Thursday, 18 April 2013 -

• 8-815am Yoga.
• 6-630pm P90X+ Interval Plus

Friday, 19 April 2013 -

• 8-830am P90X+ Interval Plus

Conditioning for the week of April 7 - 12, 2013

Saturday, 7 April 2013 -

• Note: In Cambodia for travel so exercise schedule will be modified. Additionally, the combined heat and high humidity will factor into variations in workout routine.
• 730-750am Stretching and Yoga.
• 630-645pm Stretching and Yoga.

Sunday, 8 April 2013 -

• 730-750am Stretching and Yoga.
• 630-645pm Stretching and Yoga.

Monday, 9 April 2013 -

• 730-830am Stretching followed by P90X Cardio.

Tuesday, 10 April 2013 -

• 6-620pm Stretching and Yoga.

Wednesday, 11 April 2013 -

• 730-820am Stretching followed by P90X+ Interval X Plus.

Thursday, 12 April 2013 -

• 8-845am P90X+ Kenpo Cardio Plus

Friday, 13 April 2013 -

• 8-815am Stretching.

Parkour Conditioning for the week of March 30 - 5 April, 2013

Saturday, 30 March 2013 -

• 830-930 Lifting - P90X Chest and Shoulders.
• 6-650pm PK Conditioning - 2 rounds of: 4 reps Wall assisted handstand push-ups Pulses,  8 reps QM Basic low to the ground or QM Crocodile, 5 reps QM Inchworm side-to-side, 6 reps Bulgarian Split Squats.

Explanation of exercises -

• Wall assisted handstand push-ups Pulses: Same as Wall assisted handstand push-ups but with variation that when you lower all the way down in push-up, you pulse in place for however many reps you set. Once complete you push-up and repeat. Beginners work on regular wall assisted handstand pus-ups. Intermediates add in pulses and increase reps to higher numbers.
• QM Basic Low or QM Crocodile: Same as QM Basic but with variation that your body remain only a few inches off the ground the entire time thus increasing the difficulty of the movement. Beginners start with QM Basic lowering as far as you can. Intermediates try different movements and step combinations to find a range that works best for you.
• Bulgarian Split Squats: See this Ryan Ford video for example. Beginners start with low wall and lower as far down in squat as is comfortable. Intermediates use higher wall and increase depth in squat.

Sunday, 31 March 2013 -

• 8-9am Lifting - P90X Back and Biceps concluded with a stretch. 

Monday, 1 April 2013 -

• 750-830am Cardio - P90X Cardio concluded with a stretch.
• 540-620pm Stretching followed by: 5 sets of Ladders Workout, sets consisted of 11, 9, 7, 5, and 3 reps - Burpees (no push-up), Plank runs, Plank Push-Ups/Jacks, Spiderman Jumps/Burpees, Plank In & Out's.

Explanation of exercises -

• Burpees (no push-up): same as normal burpees but without the push-up.
• Spiderman Jumps/Burpees: For example see this spiderman jumps video. Beginners start by walking through move and stepping into it. Intermediates reduce steps and make movement fluid.

Tuesday, 2 April 2013 -

• 8-830am Yoga Backbends.

Wednesday, 3 April 2013 -

• 8-9am Conditioning - P90X+ Interval Training
• 530-6pm Stretching followed by 1 round of: 10 QM Inchworms, 10 QM Ground Kongs side-to-side, 10 Push-Up Crawls forward, 10 Push-Up Crawls backward, 10 Toe touches(Leg Swings) into Lunges. Concluded with a stretch.

Explanation of exercises -

• QM Ground Kongs Side-to-Side: Similar to normal ground kongs the difference lies in where your feet land. Start with hands on ground then jump feet to either side of hands for example to the right side. Now, repeat move but feet will land on the left side of hands. It's a zig-zag pattern with you still moving forward as you normally would performing the kong. Beginners work on separating the movement into two pieces, first the placement of your hands then the placement of your feet to work on coordination. Intermediates focus on developing speed and gaining distance in movement.

Thursday, 4 April 2013 -

• 8-840am P90X Cardio.
• 6-625pm Stretching.

Friday, 5 April 2013 -

• 8-845am P90X+ Kempo Cardio Plus.

Parkour Conditioning for the week of March 23-29, 2013

Saturday, 23 March 2013 -

• 815-915am Stretching & Lifiting - P90X Shoulders and Arms.

Sunday, 24 March 2013 -

• 830-910am Stretching & Lifting - P90X Legs and Back.

Monday, 25 March 2013 -

• 8-830am P90X Cardio.
• 7-720 Stretching.

Tuesday, 26 March 2013 -

• 8-830am Yoga and Stretching.

Wednesday, 27 March 2013 -

• 8-830am P90X Cardio.
• 6-650pm Stretching followed by: 5 rounds of 10 reps each - Plank Push-ups/Jacks, Plank Runs (50 total), Plyo Push-ups, Plank walks side-to-side, Step-ups.

Explanation of exercises -

• Plank Push-ups or Plank Jacks: For example see this Workout Guide video. Beginners work on coordination and maintaining a consistent pace. Intermediates work on getting full range of motion in push-up while increasing speed.

Thursday, 28 March 2013 -

• 8-830am Yoga.

Friday, 29 March 2013 -

• 8-850am P90X Cardio.

Parkour Conditioning for the week of March 16-22, 2013

Saturday, 16 March 2013 -

• 750-9am Stretching, Followed by Lifting - P90X Back and Biceps.
• 7-715pm Stretching.

Sunday, 17 March 2013 -

• 850-950am Stretching, Followed by Lifting - P90X Chest and Shoulders.
• 8-815pm Stretching.

Monday, 18 March 2013 -

• 7-715am Stretching.
• 6-650pm Stretching, followed by PK Conditioning - Ladders 3, 5, 7 and 7, 5,3 reps (total 30), Plyo Push-ups, Squats, Flutter Kicks (variation), Lunges (forward). After completion of the Ladders workout I attempted 10 Wall handstands but due to my knee injury was only able to go into half handstands. Completed 6 QM Inchworms and ended with a stretch. 

Explanation of exercises -

• Ladders is just another term used to describe an increase in reps workout and then gradual decrease within the same workout. My example today consisted in 3 reps, 5 reps, 7 reps, 7reps again, 5 reps, 3 reps and done.
• Flutter Kicks (variation) started with me sitting on the edge of a wall, then leaning back and with no major portion of my butt or any of my back resting on the wall, I supported my my legs in the air directly in front of me. Exercise consisted of me moving my legs in a flutter kick movement but two distinctions were, my legs raised much high then average and I moved my legs slower as to increase difficulty in workout.

Tuesday, 19 March 2013 -

• 650-715am Stretching & Yoga - Yoga Today Backbends.
• 6-650pm Stretching, followed by Exercise Experiments. 

Explanation of exercises -

• Today is a rest day so I decided in my Exercise Experiments to try a few basic exercises but add variations in movement. The idea is to be creative and approach them in a different manner by adding or subtracting something from the exercise. The goal is not to do high reps or perfect the movement rather it is to see what happens when something new is tried. Here is what I attempted:
• Single leg calf raises with opposite leg bent at hip height: Focused on balance mainly and being able to go up on ball of foot. This movement will need more tweaking.
• Single leg stability ball pike extensions: First tried using only one leg on stability ball but found it to be extremely difficult and my lack of flexibility hindered any attempts. Second tried two feet on ball and once in pike extension raised one leg up off the ball. This is good as a progression into the single leg movement.
• QM Cat balance Single arm and Single leg: Using only the opposite hand and leg to move in cat balance proved difficult in the beginning but with practice it will be easier to do. 

Wednesday, 20 March 2013 -

• 650-730am Cardio - P90X Cardio.
• 510-545pm Stretching followed by: Ladders 9, 7, 5, 3, 1 reps of - Plyo push-ups, Burpees (no push-up), Wall dips, Single leg step-ups. Cooled down with a stretch.

Thursday, 21 March 2013 -

• 8-820am Stretching and Yoga.
• 530-6pm Yoga.

Friday, 22 March 2013 -

• 8-845am Stretching and P90X Cardio.
• 530-6pm Stretching followed by: 2 rounds of 18 meters each - QM Crab Walk, Plank Walks, and Toe touches into Lunges.

Explanation of exercises - 

• Toe touches into Lunges - for examples see this Backward Lunge + Leg Swing video. Note: the move I describe differs from this video in that, you will swing your leg up and then down into a lunge position. Beginners separate the movement into two pieces with toe touch/leg swing first, then with both feet on ground step into forward lunge. Intermediates focus on form and balance slowly working it into one movement.