Sledgehammer and Sled Workout

Monday through Thursday I am in the gym pushing weights around... today was a new experience. Did you ever have a labor-intensive job? I worked construction one summer and worked as a landscaper for two years, long days... but they were fulfilling days. I knew how many trees I moved (approximately) and how much dirt I shoveled and steel I placed. Best of all, I got to see the finished product afterwards.

Steel beems that wouldn't budge. Trees planted perfectly, mulched and all. Sod laid. Fitness is no different. Isn't every one training for a reason.. a goal??? Those people that say, "I don't have a plan, I just like being here... I don't have any goals"

I don't understand them at all. What do you mean you don't have any goals? Do you just not want to vocalize your goals? Do you not want to tell me any of them? Are you lackadaisical with everything else too? And the list of possible questions goes on. My point is, if you work out you should have a reason to be there. You want a finished product, of some sort.

Fridays are going to be a combination of hitting a sledgehammer into a pile of sand, throwing sandbags, throwing cinderblocks, pushing and pulling a weighted sled and whatever else myself and my lifting partner can think of that will push us to the "up-chuck brink" while having a functional purpose. Today we completed four sets of one minute each hitting a pile of sand behind the Johnson Center. I went for a minute, rested for a minute and a half while Chance Cianciola (www.swonkdiesel.blogspot.com) had his turn.... did i mention we were OUTSIDE??? it's cool though, it was only 5 degrees.

The first two sets I was too focused to count my reps and the sledgehammer was a new thing for me so I needed to work on my rhythm. The third set I hit the sand 33 times in a minute, the fourth set I achieved 40 hits.
After that we came in and pushed a 70kg sled down a hallway about 20 yards and back. I wpushed up and back, he pushed up and back and we both went three times

My quads were on FIRE.

It was a good way to end a week, look for a video of this next week. I forgot my camera today. We will complete some combination of these exercises for the next five weeks and then change it up a little bit. Variation is key.

I have fitness goals, but I like to think my strength and body are both a continuous work-in-progress.