Hump Day Training!

Ok, so I said yesterday that today was an off day but I found some time and got some training in.

Wednesday

Warmup:
-Roll out
-Dynamic

The Workout:

-Trap Bar DL 2x10 (empty bar, 45's), w/slide board lunge x5 each leg, w/pec&calf stretch
-Trap Bar Jumps 4x4
135x4
135x4
185x4
185x4

-Band Resisted Bench 6x3 w/Blast Strap Chin ups 4x5, 3x4
205x3
225 5x3

-MB Shakes 3x:30 w/Band External Rotation 3x10

It was pretty dang humid out today which is a definite factor to consider when choosing sets and reps.  I like the trap bar because there's a lot you can do with it, with little risk of injury.  I just recently started using it in place of the snatch and/or clean complex to get a little more glute/ham activation and so far so good.  It's also a great way to add some resistance to power exercises (loaded jumps) without loading the spine, thus the reason I subbed in trap bar jumps for olympic lifts today.  We used the black monster mini bands (double looped) for bench today.  It's a great way to change things up with bench along with helping you find your groove (bar path).  Not to mention it speeds up the eccentric part of the bench to keep you from bouncing the bar off of the chest and helps strengthen your press from the bottom of the lift.  All that by adding those little bands?!?!?! Absolutely!!!  Now to the best part of the workout, the blast strap chin ups.  I've felt like I've been missing something the last 2 weeks because I am a big fan of the bench/chin up paired exercise.  So I dipped in to my creativity and attached a pair of blast straps to a sturdy branch from a tree in the backyard.  Mission accomplished.  I've never been more excited to defy gravity and pull my body from the ground, so much so that what started with 4 sets quickly became 7 sets of chin ups.  After all that excitement, fatigue started to set in so I finished with a combo of core and pre-hab.  The MB shakes are interesting, if you've ever tried or seen them they almost look painful but are definitely worth the 30 seconds of ridicule and odd facial expressions.  I was first introduced to them at the Wisconsin state NSCA conference a few months ago.  A gentleman named Matt Gifford from NX Level did a presentation on the core as it pertains to sprinting.  Great info, top notch facility and coaches to which I owe almost all of my training knowledge.  That's all for now, Adios!