Time is of the Essence!

A workout with no clear end in sight

Team!
There's nothing like a little time pressure to keep us honest in a workout. When we have a clock to answer to, it challenges the body to adapt efficiently to the workout stimulus, which is the essence of physical fitness! But we don't stop there - this workout also challenges mental adaptation! 
Enjoy! 
-Carla

The time domain of a workout is one of the most critical elements that can make all the difference in taking your fitness to the next level. The intensity that can be achieved in a given movement sequence is a function of how much work is done in a given timeframe. Similarly, when lifting weights, the amount of weight that can be moved in a given timeframe is termed “muscle power”. Intensity and power are what move us into our next level of fitness, and it just so happens that “time” is at the center of it.

Achieving power and intensity in your training is ESSENTIAL for midlife women as the hormonal changes of this stage lead to declines in muscle mass, power, and bone density. Training this way with a thorough warm-up, cool-down, and sound nutrition can help mitigate this decline and keep you vital for decades to come!

Today’s workout utilizes 1-minute intervals as the framework to target muscle power and overall intensity. It not only challenges your ability to recover within the 1-minute intervals, but it also challenges your mental grit because there is no clear endpoint! Your goal is to last for as many minutes as you can doing the prescribed movements and repetitions in the confines of the 1-minute interval. Just when you think you have done your last round, you manage to finish with 1 second left and the next minute starts - along with another round of movements! - and this could go on for who knows how much longer!

Warm Up

TABATA -20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest for a total of 6 minutes (12 rounds). Set a timer or SmartWOD app for Tabata 20/10 for 12 rounds (1 round = 20sec work/10sec rest). Perform each movement sequentially for 20 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds before moving to the next movement. Each set of 3 movements is performed 4 times.

• Air Squats

• Push-Ups (easy option)

• Up-Downs

Movement Practice

THIS IS IMPORTANT! Take 5-10 minutes to test out your weights (moderately heavy) and burpee options. Practice 1 round of all 3 movements for the prescribed repetitions and time how long it takes. If it takes less than 40 seconds to perform the three movements, you can use a heavier weight and/or increase the number of burpees to 5. Once you find a combination of movement weights and repetitions that you can do in 40-45 seconds, you are ready to start!

Workout

EMOM (every minute on the minute) for as many minutes as possible

• 5 dumbbell or barbell thrusters

• 4 dumbbell or barbell front squats

• 3 burpee over dumbbell (jump or step over the dumbbell or barbell)

Score: total number of reps completed.

Cool-Down

Let’s dial down our adrenaline surge with this 15-minute full-body stretch and deep relaxation!

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Housekeeping…..

I am so excited to announce my latest collaboration with Feisty with the debut of a 4-part series for the Feisty Women’s Performance Podcast called “Hormonal”. The awesome and amazing Selene Yeager and I team up to bring you the ESSENTIALS of what women of all ages should know about how hormones impact athletic performance, how to identify when something goes wrong, and how to work WITH your physiology rather than against it to achieve your performance potential.

Subscribe now to the Feisty Women’s Performance Podcast and gear up for Episode 1 which drops on April 15th!