Shaf's Corner

[Shafpocalypse Now]

Brief intro: I was doing a kb conditioning with a client of mine, and I invited another guy to join us..this was circa Sept/Nov. The original guy lost his job, and stopped coming, so the new guy, a former college football player, and I kept going. Turns out we liked the same kind of training and started calling it Heavy Conditioning, with a double meaning, since I was pushing 270 and he was around 320. It started out as hard and fast kettlebell circuits, then we expanded to take over the whole gym, since nobody else was in around that time. Finally, we added some simple strength work because we both missed it. We have a few folks join in with us every now and then, and finally added a woman who was tired of being weak. Obviously she fell in with the wrong crew.

The Fatfit is, of course, poking fun at Crossfit. I am harded up to circuit training and long sets with the kbs, the other guy runs half marathons as well as doing this, so we're not unfit, just bigger than most folks.


FatFit 1
Strength:
DL: Up to a max triple. Don't jack your back like me. I'm a fucking retard.
Conditioning:
KB doubles circuit:
Double swings: 16sx20, 20sx15, 24sx10 - no rest in between if possible
Double C&Ps: 16sx15, 20sx10, 24x5
Renegade Rows: 24sx5, 20sx5, 16x5
Double Front Squats: 16sx10, 20sx10, 24x10

Note: conditioning is done hard, balls to the wall style. If there are more than 2-3 people doing in then weights are often repeated and up to 5 sets per movement are done as quickly as possible.

SHC (Strength and Heavy Conditioning) also known as FATFIT: 2
Strength:
Bench: warm up, then three work sets with same weight. 2 sets of 5 then on set of max reps. Think of it as a non-percentaged 531 type. If you get over 8 reps then you progress next week by adding 5# to the bar, if over 10 reps, then you get to add 10# to the bar.

Conditioning:
Suspension Bulgarian Split squats + Hand to hand swings - 3 sets, 15 reps in the split squat or more if possible, 20 reps with the hth swings.

The Gun Show:
Suspension trainer triceps extensions + bicep curls + row: 3 trisets

Death marches (walking 1 leg RDLs) and walking swings - 2 sets

1/4 get ups: 20 reps

[Shafpocalypse Now]

The training days are M, T, and Th. There are extra session most weeks, just for the fuck of it.

The overall skin is:

Strength Lower - KB based conditioning
Strength Upper - Suspension trainer/KB conditioning
Strength Full - Sleds, Tires, heavier KB circuits.

[Mickey O'neil]

This looks really good. I stealz.

[zak-zombie]

Awesome! Secrets of the elite finally revealed. Seriously, looks really good.

[chi]

i'm ready to join the queue of shaf fan boys!

[chi]

Are your death marches like this vid or does the trailing foot leave the floor?

[Shafpocalypse Now]

I'll have to try them that way. Right now the trailing foot leaves the floor, it's like a walking 1 leg RDL with 2 'bell.

FATFIT (SHC) 3:

Today was just conditioning, really, since everyone was sore.

Warm up. I go through a basic joint rotation routine to warm up. Today, since everyone was still, we did 2H swings, goblet squats and halos, 3x through, ~10 reps each to warm the full body up.

Work into Rest 1A swings: I arbitrarily start with 10 reps. Start at the top of the clock, do 10 reps R arm, rest, when the second hand hits the 6, we do 10 reps L hand. We then add a rep and keep going until we run out of rest. This is the most useful thing that I got out of the Whitley/Rifkin DVD series from the Draper's On Target seminar disk. We worked up to 15 reps each hand. 16-17 is common with 1H swings, but we've hit 19-20 with 2H swings which can be forced faster.

Superset:
Double KB High Pulll/Double KB Front Squat:
K, the woman, used a pair of 8kg, did HPx15, FSx10, repeated 3x.
M, used 16s, 20s, and 24s and ran up and down the 'bells doing 12, 10, 8 reps for both movements several times. He probably did 4-5 series, as my attention was on instructing K.
-once again, hard and fast.

Triset:
Sled drag rows down, forward facing sled drags back...we load this up heavy and walk so no momentum is developed.
Crunches on BOSU ball or pull down abs - myotactic crunches if you read the 4 Hour Body...those burn.
Rope waves. As fast as humanly possible.

Everyone ran through that 2 times. The waves and crunches continue until the sled drag is completely finished.

[Shafpocalypse Now]

At the Factory, I only have access to basic weight equipment. Power rack, bench, dip stand, chin up bars. Some dumbbells, kettlebells galore, battling ropes and suspension trainers, sled, prowler, some strongman stuff like farmers bars, tires, log bar.

If you're following along, and don't have a piece of equipment or dislike the next exercise, sub it out. In the long run, it's not going to matter much. For example, can't do suspension trainer bulgarian split squats? Do 'em on a bench. Don't like split squats? Do step ups, lunges, lighter high rep squats...just perform them in a similar fashion...if it's conditioning, do it hard and make yourself breath hard. If it's strength, keep it progressive and keep it strength work.

[Holland Oates]

Oh snap. I've been itching to add some conditioning back in, especially so after I saw my gut hanging over the elastic band of my underwear last night.

[Shafpocalypse Now]

It's what you put in your mouth that controls that. Most average guys can't outwork their diet, even though Gym Windler says it's possible.

[Shafpocalypse Now]

And, actually, that Carb Back Loading shit is working very well for a friend of mine. So well that I might give it a good run.

[Holland Oates]

It's what you put in your mouth that controls that. Most average guys can't outwork their diet, even though Gym Windler says it's possible.

Yeah I know. The thyroid treatments that Gym is on may be helping his body comp. I've been eating like a madman in the attempt to get where I'm at and it's been good for me. My press and squat have went up so I'm happy. I've started cleaning up my diet over the past couple of weeks. I'm not interested in getting back down below 220 just being a more fit 230. I'd rather do my first strongman at my walking around weight than try to cut since I've never cut weight. Plus when I condition I feel better.

[Shafpocalypse Now]

That's a fact there.

I'm really considering a long run down to 220. It's been 10+ years since I've been ~255+.

[Holland Oates]

That's a fact there.

I'm really considering a long run down to 220. It's been 10+ years since I've been ~255+.

Dammit son. It about killed me to go from 240 to 190 over like 2 years.

The thing that makes it so hard for me to not go back to cattleballs and running is the fact that I felt good all the time. No aches, no pains, no low back pump, but I also had no real muscle mass, no strength, etc.

[Shafpocalypse Now]

Kettlebells should really not contribute to your joint aches. I feel pretty intact for the most part. Plantar fascitis took 4 months to fade. Knees and shoulders are good right now. Back is a little fucked but it's getting better.

[Holland Oates]

Kettlebells should really not contribute to your joint aches. I feel pretty intact for the most part. Plantar fascitis took 4 months to fade. Knees and shoulders are good right now. Back is a little fucked but it's getting better.

They make the aches go away. I've been a lazy fuck for the last few months and I've neglected my warm up, mobility work, and my post training light conditioning. I get back on the EZ plan like it was intended and I'll be fine. I was too busy chasing numbers.

[Shafpocalypse Now]

Oh, I misread. Sorry. Starting the volume appropriately and ramping up is about the only thing that's going to help with the strength stuff....Easy Strength and all that. The long slow road from shit to suck.

[Gin Master]

Y'all just need to kiss and get it over with.

[Holland Oates]

Y'all just need to kiss and get it over with.

We are going to make a Ginny sammich with lots of hot mayonnaise.

[Shafpocalypse Now]

Wednesday:

The crew worked the core. I did chins, dips, rear delt and cuff work, and then some core myself...windmills, hanging knee ups, and suspension fall outs.

Today:

RDL + Shrug: Mike and I used the hex bar. Kelly used progressively heavier kbs.
Bent Row: Same deal.
3-4 work sets each.

Heavy sled dragging. We loaded up the prowler for Kelly to drag, while me and Mike worked up to sled pulls the length of the factory with 330 on the sled.

A bit strenuous.

My top sets were 205 with the RDL+Shrugs and the rows were 155. The back is feeling about 95% but still didn't want to push things. The sled drags were very hard efforts. I clocked a ~180 HR after the last heavy drag. We did 5 trips down and back, facing backwards down and facing forwards back, 2 trips with the big weight.

[Shafpocalypse Now]

Went back to the gym EXTRA WORKOUT

Did OHP: Worked up to a 135x10.
WSB style speed bench: 185x3, x9...3 different grips.
Messed around with a bar on the back...shoulders are getting better but still too tight to back squat comfortably.
Did 100 reps each arm with a 16kg kb snatch...alternated every 20 reps.
Did a 1/2/3/1/2/3 parallel grip pull up ladder.
Did 5 sets of 100 skips on the rope, and 10 curls with 95#. PUMPED UP BICHOS.

[Beer Jew]

Went back to the gym EXTRA WORKOUT

WESTSIDE 4 LYF

[Bobby]

Like the pullups ladder.Did 120 reps ysterday (like in Beyond Bodybuilding:8x1,2,3,4,5).
Wasn`t really tired after either.Can feel it today though.

[Shafpocalypse Now]

HC: No strength work. Wanted to hit some hard, long intervals.
1: 1:00 kb thruster r then l hand: 16kg for me. 1:00 swing r then l: 24kg
2: 30s thruster, 30s swing, change hands repeat...total of 4 minutes of work,
3. Back to 1:00 work: thruster than swing, then change hands.
-16 minutes of work all total.

Walking swings + 1A Farmers Walks + walking presses down and back: 2 repeats

Work up to a heavy get up.

Kind of random, conditioning today only.

Thinking about combining complex training with ladders. Will try tomorrow.

[Gin Master]

Thinking about combining complex training with ladders.

Done it, liked it, and recommended it to a couple others. The variety and time under tension on the complex matched with the accumulation of volume on the big lifts lets you get a hell of a lot done without feeling like crap.