'The Power of Three' - Team Training Tuesday!

Yes, we know....a bit late on the posting - apologies all round for that.  We've been busy little bees with our Open Day last weekend, so cut us some slack, yeah? ;-)

Anyway, on with the show!

For Week 5 Team Training last Tuesday, we had just the 3 of us rock up in the skills zone (I can just see Matt & Deb rubbing their hands together & thinking 'they're dropping like flies'....sadists! haha). 

We have therefore taken it upon ourselves (okaaay, it was all Jo!) to tag the once-nameless (how sad) workout 'The Power of Three', because not only were there just three of us doing it, but there was also 3 hardcore rounds to get through.

Trust me on this one, it was pretty hardcore.  Don't believe me?  Well now, I guess you're just going to have to try it for yourself! ...You asked for it! ;-)

"The Power of Three"


3 rounds of:

1000m Row

50 x Burpees (with push-up!)

Yes, that's a push-up in there....and throw a jump on
the end of the move for good measure!

50 x Box Jumps

Ensure you stand all the way up at the top of
the movement- no cheating now!

800m Sprint

Results:

Krystal        58mins 26 secs
Kirsten   1hr 2mins
Jo           1hr 4mins

 

Ok girls, tell it how it is:

Jo's Re-cap:

*edits by Kirsten...unbeknownst to Jo. ;-)

"I don't have anything positive to say about this workout but will give it a go...Today's team training challenged me on every level....it was TUFFFFFF.  I was a little disappointed in myself for not being able to run the full 800m on our last run. 

(Kirsten: pfft! For somebody who told me just last week that she was 'not a runner' & couldn't run, I must say I nearly fell off my treadmill when I realised that it was in fact JO beside me...RUNNING. Lies! And, in regards to the final running stint...well, that's to be expected- we had been going for over an HOUR & we all struggled with that one. You're awesome Jo, own it!)  

It took everything I had to finish this one. My big girl pants were nowhere to be seen :( "

(Kirsten: oh, they were there...& they are getting smaller every week too! There, I said it...and no that's not me stealing your undies off the clothes line. Promise.)

Kirsten's Re-Cap:

"For something that looked rather short & simple on the whiteboard (yeah, so I was looking at the '3' rounds & not the '50' reps- my bad)....this turned into one helluva workout.

I'm not much of a rower, although I don't hate it, but to distract myself from the pain that was accruing in my muscles (we ARE talking 1km- it's quite a long way up-stream, ok!!) I started imagining that I was rowing in real water (no, I'm not crazy...much). 

This visualisation process was quite easy to do though, as I was using one of the water rowers so the sound affects were supplied for me. I must say it was a nice day to be out on the water. Seriously. ;-)

The burpees were my nemesis today. It would have been fine, if not for the 'push-up' right there in the middle of the movement. (that's not a burpee, THIS is a burpee...aahhh, since WHEN??). A push-up on the toes does not come easy for this girl, ok (read: they are an endangered species)- let alone 50 in one hit!  Tell 'em they're dreamin'.  I may have started 'cheating' towards the end...of ROUND 1 *cough*....& skipped the push-up part.  Hey, honesty is the best policy right??  Keepin' it real. ;-) 

The box jumps had me worried at first- in previous attempts it has irritated my shins but it worked out ok. I think what gave my shins more trouble was the sprinting on the tready. Mr Treadmill & I go way back, but that has since ended. It may have been a bitter split- we don't talk much now. Whatever. All I'm sayin' is that I do all of my running outdoors & that's how I like it. But it's times like these that I will 'take him back', just to be able to do what the others are doing.  I love my running but would have preferred to do the sprints on solid ground. JUST sayin'. It was still my strongest 'leg' of the workout though...pardon the pun. 

Overall, this was another killer workout that left me feeling utterly exhausted, drenched in sweat (you know it) & feeling like I had just kicked someone's butt.......which is always nice. ;-)" 

  

Krystal's Re-Cap:

"The Power of Three was one tough and challenging workout.!!!  All I have to say is I don’t ever want to be a rower and I now have a great respect for any rower out there.  3 x 1000m on a rower followed by 3 x 50 burpees (and let me just add that these were PROPER burprees with a push ups) is not what I call fun, so when doing this I had to make sure I was mentally strong in order to push myself.  Every workout we have done with Matt and Deb requires mental strength and the ability to push yourself as hard as you can.  This also helps and relates to all the basketball games, it could be the 4^th quarter and my team is down by 2 points with 1 minute on the court, this is where you need to dig in and be mentally tough to make sure you win the game.  So even though the workouts are extremely hard, its great knowing that I’m not only working on my fitness and strength and but other aspects that relate to basketball."

Stay tuned for this week's review...bit of back-log over here, please be patient! ;-)

Reception Girls Team Training - 1000 Club

And for those of you who missed it yesterday:

Team Training Tuesday...Joining the 1000 Club!

Yesterday, in our 'Team Training Tuesday' session, we joined the exclusive '1000 Club'.

And, no- you can't buy tickets to this club- those babies must be EARNED.

To earn them is not an easy task, either.  Walk in the park??  Yeah, good luck!

Try doing 1000 - no, that wasn't a typo- I said...ONE THOUSAND...reps in one workout.

Yeah, we're pretty hardcore- what of it? ;-)

Seriously though, even when you've been informed of what is required of you in the session, it kind of doesn't 'hit home' JUST how many 1000 reps is...until you do the first 20 push-ups & realise 'oh right, only 180 of those suckers to go'....not to mention the 800 reps of the REST of the exercises that need to be done as well.  Feeling our pain yet?

If you still think it sounds easy, let's see ya'll have a go at it yourselves: (don't be scared!)

The 1000 Club

Lateral Swings

200 reps

Dynamic Rows

200 reps

It's difficult to demonstrate a dynamic row on the blog in still piccys, so check out the trainers here for a demo (2nd exercise in).

Snatch

200 reps

Push-up

200 reps

We did our push-ups on a bench or bar...but of course, if you can do 'em on the floor- go your hardest.

The trainers recommend you don't do 'chick' push-ups on your knees, as it changes the

bio-mechanics of the movement & isn't as effective.

Front Squat

200 reps

You can do the exercises in ANY order, in chunks of what EVER number that you want...you just have to get the 200 reps of each done in the end! 

Here's our 'count sheet' that we did our running totals on (AKA- cold hard evidence of our awesomeness):

Kettlebell weights used & Time taken:

Krystal -   10kg        46min 34sec
Kirsten -   10kg   1hr  9min 54sec
Jo -            8kg        50min 44sec
Emilie -      8kg         49min 49sec


Apparently, men are supposed to use a 16kg kettlebell and women, a 12kg....& you should be aiming to get it done in under the hour.  We still think we're pretty hardcore, regardless. ;-)


From the mouths of the girls:

"I thought this work out was our hardest so far. I think we all did an amazing job to be able to finish this one. My upper body is so sore today I can hardly bear to wear my jacket. Warmth won out over pain." - Jo

"This challenge was extremely tough! And I thought last week’s was bad. I cannot begin to explain how sore my muscles are today, and I’m thinking it’s going to be even worse tomorrow! Out of the 5 exercises I most liked the snatch, I felt I actually did that one properly (yes I was pretty sucky at the others.) I really didn’t like the 200 push-ups, I tried to avoid them as much as possible then got left with heaps right at the end! (thought I was going to die!) And as for the others, I REALLY sucked L But I’m okay with it. I’ll just try harder next time.......A little scared about what we are up for next week!!!!"  - Emilie

"WOW...!!! That was one tough workout..  But now I’m officially in the 1000 Club.. Woohoo J  Who dares to join me.?  I was already starting to feel sore after the workout so you can just imagine how sore I was the next day, but it’s a good sore because I know I put in work...Not a huge fan of the “snatches” or maybe I just need to work on my technique, but I definitely struggled with those and the push ups.  1000 reps is impressive, and I’m so proud of myself and the girls for accomplishing it. Bring on the next workout Matt and Deb..'Let’s Go Reception'..." - Krystal

"I always go into these workouts so pumped & excited...then reality tends to hit.  Well, today reality hit in a big way...but dealing with such massive numbers, how could it not??  It's so easy to get preoccupied with how many reps you've got LEFT to do, even after slogging away at it for a good half hour (say WHAT?? Only 792 left to go?? You're kidding me, right??), but you just have to focus on the job at hand & chip away as many reps of each as possible...HOT tip: don't ask how many you've got to go!! - it's like throwing yourself to the wolves- believe me on that one. I entered Struggle Street after the 50 minute mark- how the HELL were the rest of the girls FINISHED?? All I wanted to do was tap out & admit defeat- that white flag nearly went up...but I pushed on & surprised even myself by finishing every last rep. (props to my support team!!) Was that SWEAT?? Nah, that was my fat cells crying! (& anyway, don't you know that ladies don't 'sweat', they GLISTEN! ...ha)" - Kirsten 

Until next time...train hard, eat right & laugh often!! ;-)

ps- check out the vid!   1000 Club - Reception Girls

The Rainbow Challenge...Week 4 Team Training!

Team Training Tuesday (yes, I just made that up) came around once again and, quite surprisingly, most of us showed up in the 'Skills Zone' at 11am sharp.  After last week's torture session, you'd really have to wonder if we would, but apparently The Works makes 'em tough.  ;-)

So there we were, 4 of us lined up, striding out our warm-up on the treadmills & feeling pretty darn invincible(it was the stuff movies are made of, seriously...).  The excitement soon turned into anxious anticipation as we caught sight of our trainers Matt and Deb out in front (yep this week we had 'double trouble'), setting up steps & dumbbells (& not little PINK ones, either!) & putting a long list of painful-sounding exercises on the whiteboard (WHAT?? We're going to climb a mountain?!?). 

If we thought the previous workout was tough, we were about to find out just how far we could REALLY push ourselves...Did someone say 'cop that'??

The Rainbow Challenge

Power Overs

15 reps

(over & back is 1 rep)

*from this position lower your left arm down to the floor beside the step, then return up to the centre position; do the same on the right side, then return to the centre- this is ONE rep.

Squat Thrusters

15 reps

*hands on the end of the step

Mountain Climbers

20 reps

(each leg...so 40 single reps)

*hands on the end of the step

Jump Lunges

15 reps

(each leg...so 30 single reps)
*performed on the step instead

Renegade Rows

10 reps

(each arm...so 20 single reps)

*remember to keep your hips stable- don't twist them up as you lift the weight up
(as you fatigue you will find this to be the case...fight it!)

Shoulder Press

10 reps

2km Bike Ride

Weights Lifted & Time Taken:

Krystal      7kg Dumbbells  (14kg total)    34min 25sec
Jo          3.5kg Dumbbells  (7kg total)     39min 34sec
Kirsten      7kg Dumbbells  (14kg total)   43min 19sec

Emilie        5kg Dumbbells  (10kg total)   39min

And if we still haven't convinced you that this workout is 'all that', check out these stats:

Krystal & Kirsten each lifted a total of 1400kg ...yeah, nearly 1.5 TONNE...just not in the one rep! ;-)

Emilie lifted a total of 1000kg

Jo lifted a total of 700kg

We ALL did a total of 425 reps & biked 10km!!

So, what did the girls have to say about this??  Read on...

"The 'Rainbow Challenge' really pushed me out of my comfort zone, which was a great way to test my mental ability to keep pushing & to stay strong.  But I won't lie, there were times when I wanted to stop & have a breather, but working out as a group helped because I saw the other girls working hard which encouraged me to keep going.  The renegade rows were a tough exercise & I woke up the next morning feeling sore, so that means it worked..!! :-) Overall, it was a tough but great workout, which left me feeling exhausted afterwards. - Krystal

"Firstly, I'd like to thank (from the bottom of my heart!) DEB for choosing the 'tiny' 7kg dumbbells for me...geez woman, you don't like to make it easy for me do you?? ;-)  Secondly, I'd like to say just how damn sore my core is, the day after doing this workout (c'mon abs, I know you're in there somewhere!).  I feel like I've been shot in the stomach (cus I really know what that feels like??)...I rolled out of bed onto the floor this morning as I couldn't physically sit up; and I have to stop myself from sneaking out to the gym today at work to lay backwards over a gym ball to try and stretch out.  This was, quite possibly, the most hard-core workout I've done...EVER...& I can honestly say that without Matt & Deb there pushing us (& the girls!), I wouldn't have made it....I may have nearly started crying in my last set (don't judge me!), but I managed to push on...sweating out about 5kg in the process (SO sexy, I know!)." - Kirsten

"I found this workout very tough.  I doubted that I could finish.  It pushed me past what I thought was my limit. Words of encouragement from my fellow sufferers & our poor PT's Matt & Deb helped me to push on.  Makes you believe in yourself." - Jo

"The Rainbow Challenge was my first group challenge.  It was extremely tough and there were a few points there where I had to stop & take a few moments because I thought I was going to throw up!  By the end of it though, I felt really great & a little proud that I actually did it, ha-ha.  I enjoyed working as a team because it was very motivational but I was VERY sore for a few days after :-(  I can't wait to see what the next challenge is!" - Emilie

FUN FACT: - This workout is so tough, that it often induces vomiting, hence the name 'Rainbow'....yeah, NICE.

"The Crusader"....Team Workout!

Last week we embarked on our first team training session- something that will be making a regular appearance in our week now- every Tuesday....bring on the SWEAT.

Unaware of what exactly we had agreed to, we all gathered in the 'Skills Zone' for our first team training session of our 12 Week Challenge.  We soon realised things were about to get serious when we spotted the suspicious smile on our trainer Matt's face...he was about to turn up the heat BIG time, and he was loving every second.

Here's the workout we did, try it out yourself...making sure you use a barbell weight that REALLY challenges you.

'The Crusader'

Deadlifts:

Powerclean:

Front Squats:

NOTE: correct arm position on the RIGHT. 
Elbows forward, resting the bar on your arms/chest.

Push Press:

 Row:

Deadlift: (yes, AGAIN!)

2min sprint on Spin bike:

6 reps of each exercise + 2min bike; 6 rounds.

NOTES:

- The exercises are in such an order that you should be able to continue from one to the other in a single fluid movement...no dropping the bar/resting if at all possible!

- It is meant to be a 2km sprint on the bike, however since we were using spin bikes, we couldn't register this and so just went with the 2mins instead.

Weights Used & Overall Times Taken:

Krystal - 20kg Olympic Barbell          24mins 36sec
Kirsten - 20kg Olympic Barbell          26mins 43sec
Jo -        15kg Barbell                       25mins 23sec
Lauren - 2 x 6kg Kettlebells (12kg)   26mins 23sec

Here's the feedback from the girls:

“I found the ‘Crusader Challenge’ very, err... challenging! Being my first ‘proper’ workout since before I was pregnant it was definitely a struggle, in particular the 2minute bike sprint at the end of each set. During the challenge I felt as though my legs were going to fall off and that I would not be able to finish but thanks to my fellow reception staff’s encouragement I made it- yay for me! Afterwards I felt really good and even though my legs hurt for a further 2 days (eek!) it was definitely worth it J”  - Lauren

"Holy WOW.  I was REALLY pushed out of my comfort zone with this workout.  That 20kg bar took me to hell & back, but man it felt good to have conquered the entire routine at the end of it all.  The hardest move for me was the Push Press...getting that weight right up there each time was TOUGH.  I loved working out as a team, because when the going got tough all you had to do was look around at your team mates & realise that they were hurting too....then there was no way you were going to give up." - Kirsten

“The workout was tough but not outside my capabilities.  I found the bike reps the hardest due mainly to the discomfort of the bike seat.  While I was indeed 'buggered' afterwards, I did enjoy the challenge!" - Jo

"I really enjoyed 'The Crusader' workout.  It was a great challenge & I really had to push myself.  The bike sprint at the end of each set is a great way to improve fitness."  - Krystal

We finished off with some relaxing partner-stretching...as if we weren't doing enough team bonding as it was, we went that step further- stretching each other out after a hardcore workout when you're both covered in SWEAT.  Yeah, we did.

Let us know how you go with your attempts! 

Go hard or go home!  :-)

Welcome to our 12 Week Lifestyle Challenge!

First post in our new blog!  Look out blog world, the USQ Works reception girls have arrived!

Firstly, thank you for stopping by.  We hope to give you a reason (or three!) to keep coming back regularly!

Basically, we have decided to keep this blog to...

1. Keep you all updated with everything relating to our 12 Week Challenge....that's right- the good, the bad & the ugly.  Read it here first, people. 
2. Stay accountable!  The best way to stay committed to your goals?? Why, tell the whole gym community about them, that's how!  (who's idea was this??)  
3. Interact with our members (so please say 'Hi!') 

 

We will also endeavour to post bits & pieces up around the gym, so keep an eye on those noticeboards!

As you can see, we each have our own pages (see top of page) showcasing our profiles & where you will eventually find links to each of our personal posts.  It is here that you will also be able to check out our stats (*gulp*) and see how we are progressing each week.

If you have any questions, comments or encouragement please send it our way (we might need it when the going gets tough!)- either via a comment below, the USQ Works Facebook page, or of course, in PERSON next time you come in for a workout...let's saaay...tomorrow!   ;-)

In recent news, we finished putting up our challenge signage this afternoon; check it out:

Our profiles in the gym (yes, of course it had to be hot pink!)

Front reception desk...directing members to check out our profiles inside.

And a close-up...

Our stunning new Works signage at front reception.



Stay tuned as we get the ball rolling...it's already Week 2 (yikes!)- time to really kick it up a gear!