Workout of the Day:
Tabata Mash-Up – Deadlifts and Push-Ups
8 alternating rounds of each – 20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest
(Use approximately 60% of your 1-RM. Complete each deadlift with perfect posture and mechanics.);
and then,
Play with gymnastics for 10-15 minutes. Rotate back and forth between handstand holds and ring work (skin the cat or muscle-up transition practice).

Thanks Flash G. for the sexy leg! Flash is a wonderful representative of The Great White North.

Your Calves Will Love Our New Stretching Blocks
Written by Tabitha Stine

Our calves do a tremendous amount of work in the gym.  Just think back to the last time you did a workout that included box jumps, split jerks, double-unders, sled drags, or sprints.  Are you taking the time to repay them with the same amount of care and maintenance that you do your hamstrings and hips?  Kelly Starrett of San Francisco CrossFit wrote a great blog post on how to stretch your calves utilizing the PNF technique of contract/relax.

In addition to highlighting this article, which I believe to be best resource available for instruction, I also want to highlight the new stretching blocks crafted by my wonderful husband and Invictus member Aaron Stine.  These blocks are cut at a 45⁰ angle and can be very helpful if you struggle getting your foot up on the wall.  In order to get the full benefit of the contract/relax you need to get your muscle to its end range before you engage it.  For those of you with super tight calves, winding your foot up on the wall may be a difficult position initially.  You can certainly do your PNF on the stretching blocks and use them as a progression to work up to the wall or pole.  There are some additional exercises you can do with the blocks such as self-mobilization of the ankle joint which we will cover later on.  For now, give them a try on your calves and if you have any further questions on the stretching techniques just ask one of your Invictus coaches.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 at 11:13 pm and is filed under Workout Of The Day. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.