Transcendence Fitness

Raiz Tutorial

2009-12-06T21:14:00.001-08:00

Cartwheel Side Flip

2009-12-06T20:29:00.000-08:00

One-Arm Hops Tutorial

2009-12-06T19:51:00.000-08:00

Au Helicoptero Tutorial

2009-12-06T19:36:00.000-08:00

B-Boy Handstands

2009-12-01T11:42:00.000-08:00

I don't know who this is. But I though it was cool.

Workout of the Day

2009-03-31T19:19:00.000-07:00

3 Sets on Rings:

Muscle-up-Bulgarian Dip-Back Roll to Back lever-Pull out to Front lever-Muscle-up-Bulgarian Dip-Back Roll to Back lever-Pull out to Front lever.

3 x 5 Body Levers

Pre-hab and Flexibility
Dislocates 1 x 10
Pole Shoulder Extensions 2 x 10
Floor Shoulder Extensions 2 x 10
Wall Shoulder Extensions 2 x 10

Workout of the Day

2009-03-30T19:10:00.000-07:00

4 rounds:

1:00 Handstand
15 Swing Dips
20' L-Sit Walks

Pre-hab and Flexibility
Wrist Push-ups 2 x 10 (knees)
Splits, 3-way 1 x 1:00
Dislocates 1 x 10
Wall Shoulder Opener 5 x 2:00
Plow 5 x 2:00
Floor Dowel Extensions 3 x 10
Wall Shoulder Extensions 2 x 10
Gyrokinesis 5:00

Rest Day

2009-03-29T18:37:00.000-07:00

Took it easy. Did lots of stretching, foam rolling, etc.

A new approach to this blog

2009-03-29T18:21:00.001-07:00

As many of you know, I recently when into business with my girlfriend Laney. Together we have started Rip City Fitness (visit our blog at ripcityfitness.blogspot.com). Due to this new enterprise, I have decided to shift Transcendence Fitness in a more personal direction. Rather than using it mostly as a promotional site for my personal training business, I have elected to reserve it for my own personal study of movement. The information presented in future posts will begin to reflect this angle. Also, the workouts posted will be my own rather than ones I have prescribed for others.

I hope you all will continue to visit this page regularly as I am happy to share my discoveries with you. May the glimmering light of our intuitions lead us to our highest destiny.

Ramman

Workout of the Day

2009-03-28T18:39:00.000-07:00

*Negative single leg squats (taking 10-20 seconds to descend) 3 x 5
*Glute ham raise (slight piking of hips was necessary) 4 x5/3/5/3
*Back tucks (Mini tramp on to soft mat) 5x
*Front tucks (Spring board on to soft mat) 6x
*Handstand straddle down on pommel horse (hold final position for 10 seconds)
*Mushroom circles 53x
*Wall extensions 2 x10

Check out my new blog

2009-03-23T19:53:00.000-07:00

Visit the new blog at:

ripcityfitness.blogspot.com

New Training Studio Opening March!

2009-02-04T06:31:00.000-08:00

I am pleased to announce the opening of the long awaited Transcendence Fitness garage gym on March 1st, 2009! We are very excited to be moving into a new space where we can more conveniently practice what we love to do: train. We are going to be offering personal training, small group classes, and outdoor boot camps. We would love to give you a free consultation as soon as we are open for business, so please email or call us today to set up a good time!

Looking forward to seeing you all and helping you accomplish your fitness goals,

Ramman

Workout of the Day

2009-02-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

Rest Day

Workout of the Day

2009-02-03T00:01:00.000-08:00

After warm-up, practice breakfalls and rolls for 15 minutes.

Proceed to Handstands, Cartwheels, Round-offs, and Handsprings (if capable).

Finish with a 1 minute Ring Support Hold.

Workout of the Day

2009-02-02T00:16:00.000-08:00

20 Burpees
Run 800m
20 Burpees
Run 400m
20 Burpees
Run 200m
20 Burpees
Run 100m

Workout of the Day

2009-02-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

After a brief warm-up perform 3 rounds of:

10 Hollow Rocks
10 Right Side Rocks
10 Side Rocks
10 Arch-Rocks

Then:

Work on your progression of back bending skills (Bridge, bridge kick-over, back/front walkover, etc.)

Finish with:

100 Dips (Bar or Ring)

Workout of the Day

2009-01-31T00:01:00.000-08:00

Rest Day

Workout of the Day

2009-01-30T00:01:00.000-08:00

30 "Burp-ups"
60 second Ring Support
20 "Burp-ups"
40 second Ring Support
10 "Burp-ups"
20 second Ring Support

Burpee: Squat down, place hands on the ground, jump feet back to push-up position, do a push-up, jump feet back to squat position then jump as high as you can. All that is considered one rep.

Burp-up: A burpee with the jump being to a bar and performing a pull-up with the rest of the burpee cycle.

Workout of the Day

2009-01-29T00:01:00.000-08:00

Spend part of your warm-ups phase working on a few moves from one of your favorite disciplines (Parkour/Free-running, Capoeira, Breakdancing, Gymnastics, Kung Fu---personally, I kind of rotate between all of them from time to time). Then hit the conditioning with 3 Rounds of:

2:00 Handstand
2:00 Frogstand
2:00 Hollow Hold

Workout of the Day

2009-01-28T10:40:00.000-08:00

4 Rounds of:

10 Ring Push-ups or Dips
10 Ring Rows or False grip pull-ups
60 second Ring Support Hold

Workout of the Day

2009-01-26T12:03:00.000-08:00

Rest Day

Workout of the Day

2009-01-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

3 Rounds of:

Max Pike Press Handstands (Wall)
Max Handstand Push-ups
Max Pike Leg Lifts (straight legs)

Workout of the Day

2009-01-24T00:03:00.000-08:00

Practice gymnastics for 1-2 hours. Start with a brief warm-up and stretching (don't hold your warm-up stretches for more than 20 seconds each. Move on the basics like rolls, handstands and cartwheels. Then begin working one or two focus moves. It's important to always be working towards a couple new skills. Finish with 10-15 minutes of cool down stretches holding each for 30-60 minutes.

2009-01-23T09:50:00.000-08:00

Workout of the Day

2009-01-23T00:30:00.000-08:00

3 rounds of:

Max ring support hold (If you can hold it for over a minute use a more challenging progression)

3 Muscle-ups

10 "Skin the Cats"

Workout of the Day

2009-01-22T00:10:00.000-08:00

Rest Day

Workout of the Day

2009-01-21T10:28:00.000-08:00

3 rounds for time of:

520m Run
21 Kettlebell Swings
12 Pull-ups

Workout of the Day

2009-01-20T00:05:00.000-08:00

7 rounds of:

200m Run
15 Knees to Elbows
10 Burpees
5 Handstand Push-ups

Stretch the worked muscles for a cool down.

For wellness sake, check this out

2009-01-18T22:02:00.000-08:00

Workout of the Day

2009-01-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

Rest day

Workout of the Day

2009-01-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

3 sets of each couplet:

1 Back Lever + Ring Row (3-5)
1 Planche + Push-ups (3-5)
1 Front Lever + Pike Leg Lift (3-5)

Rest 1-2 minutes between sets

Finish workout with 10 back bends alternated with standing pike stretch.

Workout of the Day

2008-12-31T00:11:00.000-08:00

After brief a warm-up of dynamic stretches, perform 5-10 attempts/reps of your focus skill (I strongly encourage you all to always be working on developing a new skill set or trick. Practice it until you have it dialed and keep it close in your mind). Then do the following:

5 Rounds for speed of:

5 Squats
5 Box jumps (as high as possible. Also jump down for speed and added plyometric deceleration).
5 Rapid calf raises (5 Right foot, 5 Left foot, 5 both feet.)

Work through the full range of motion on each exercise. Use additional weight (ie. weight vest) of up to 30% of your body weight if desired. Make your movements explosive.

But before all of this, check out the video of Master Hai Yang demonstrating the Chinese martial art known as Xingyiquan. We can pull motivation and inspiration from masters such as he during our personal journey toward movement mastery. Practitioners of internal gung fu such as xingyiquan tend to develop their power from a type of plyometric loading of the tendons throughout their body. By building and directing tension through their musculoskeletal system, practioners integrate their entire bodies behind a strike like a whip with potentially devastating results.

Workout of the Day

2008-12-30T00:42:00.000-08:00

On Rings:

10 Muscle-ups
10 Skin the Cat Pulls

60 seconds Supports

3x10 Pull-ups or Rows alternated with
3x10 Dips or Push-ups

Finish with 10 wall extensions/active shoulder stretch.

Workout of the Day

2008-12-29T00:20:00.000-08:00

Rest Day

Workout of the Day

2008-12-28T00:13:00.000-08:00

5 rounds of:

30 Squats
20 Box Jumps (As high as possible)
10 Standing calf raises (right foot, left foot, both feet--30 reps total)

Box Jumps should be set as high as possible. Standing calf raises should be performed with heels hanging off of an elevated surface such as a step or other similar platform.

Workout of the Day

2008-12-27T00:09:00.000-08:00

4 Rounds of:

20 Bucket Circles
20 Plyometric Push-ups

Rest 2-3 minutes between rounds.

Workout of the Day

2008-12-26T00:31:00.000-08:00

Rest day

Workout of the Day

2008-12-25T01:10:00.000-08:00

5 rounds of:

1 Back Lever on rings immediately followed by 3-5 inverted chin-ups.

Rest as needed between rounds.

Workout of the Day

2008-12-24T01:05:00.000-08:00

Tabata Intervals

Perform 8 cycles of 20 seconds work followed by 10 seconds rest for each of the following exercises. After the 8th interval go immediately to the next exercise. Perform your 8 cycles of each exercise in the order shown. Used a partner to track time and reps per interval or use an interval setting on a watch with alarm.

V-ups
Push-ups
Squats
Arch-ups

Workout of the Day

2008-12-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

On parallettes:

5X5 L-Sit to 1/2 press
5X10 Pistols (alternating legs)
5X1 Handstand push-ups (full range with spot if needed)
5X1 Pike Press Negatives

This guy is demonstrating some TRUE strength!

Skill Highlight: Jumping on Hands!

2008-12-20T16:53:00.000-08:00

Jump On Hands - Acrobatic - The most amazing bloopers are here

Thanks Dominic!

Check out this video performed by B-boy group "Last for One"

2008-12-14T10:31:00.000-08:00

Workout of the Day

2008-10-10T09:43:00.001-07:00

Rest Day

Workout of the Day

2008-10-08T09:07:00.000-07:00

Gymnastic Strength:

10 Bridge kick-overs, alternating legs
2 Handstand holds, 30 seconds each
8 Front Lever Pulls, three sets
8 Presses to Handstand, three sets
1 Ring support, 60 seconds
10 Hanging leg lifts, 3 sets

Do each of the handstands and ring supports in as few attempts as possible striving to hold continuous for the allotted time. For the other exercises scale each to your capability.

Workout of the Day

2008-10-07T00:27:00.000-07:00

3 Rounds for time:

Row 500m
50 Double Unders
20 Burpees

Workout of the Day

2008-10-06T10:22:00.000-07:00

Muscle-up and Planche practice

Dedicate 30 to 60 minutes to working on the various progressions in developing/enhancing the muscle-up and the planche.

Workout of the Day

2008-10-05T00:42:00.000-07:00

"Elizabeth"

21-15-9 rounds for time:

Squat Clean (135#/95#)
Ring Dips

Workout of the Day

2008-10-04T00:25:00.000-07:00

Rest Day

Workout of the Day

2008-10-03T09:18:00.001-07:00

Gymnastic Practice:

Spend 1-3 hours working on different progressions of gymnastic skills like handstands, presses, handsprings, cartwheels, round-offs and flips. Reserve a portion of the time at the end of the session for flexibility training (splits, bridges, etc.).

Workout of the Day

2008-10-02T09:09:00.000-07:00

4 Rounds for time:

400m
25 Med Ball Cleans (10% BW)
25 Burpees

Workout of the Day

2008-10-01T00:21:00.000-07:00

Workout of the Day

2008-09-30T00:16:00.000-07:00

Rest Day

Workout of the Day

2008-09-29T10:10:00.001-07:00

"Hellen"

3 Rounds for time:

400m run
21 Kettlebell swings (M 24#, W 16#)
12 Pull-ups

Workout of the Day

2008-09-28T09:12:00.000-07:00

Spend 1-3 hours climbing and practicing balancing skills. Feel free to experiment with a variety of environments. Indoor climbing walls, rocks/boulders, trees, walls, buildings, play structures, chimneys, caves, mine shafts and tunnels, are just a few ideas. As always recognize your limits and don't get hurt. I don't accept responsibility if you do something stupid or injure yourself. Have fun.

Workout of the Day

2008-09-27T17:08:00.000-07:00

"Fight Gone Bad"

Sumo Deadlift High Pull (M 75#/w 55#)
Push Press (M 75#/W 55#)
Box Jumps (20in)
C2 Rower (count calories burned)
Wall Ball Shots - 10' (M 20#/W 14#)

Max reps at each station for one minute, followed by a one minute rest. Repeat for three rounds.

Wall Burpees

Workout of the Day

2008-09-26T00:28:00.000-07:00

Rest Day

Workout of the Day

2008-09-25T11:21:00.000-07:00

7 Rounds for time of:

200m run
15 Knees to Elbows
10 Burpees
5 Handstand Push-ups

Laney practicing the "Macaco", monkey flip from the Brazilian martial art of Capoeira.

Workout of the Day

2008-09-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

Workout of the Day

2008-09-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

"Fran"

21-15-9 reps for time of:

95# Thrusters
Pull-ups

Vince doing a acrobatic move from Capoeira called Au Batido.

Workout of the Day

2008-09-22T05:31:00.001-07:00

Rest Day

Workout of the Day

2008-09-21T00:32:00.000-07:00

"Elizabeth"
21-15-9 rounds for time:

135lb Clean
Ring Dips

Workout of the Day

2008-09-20T00:44:00.000-07:00

Workout of the Day

2008-09-19T00:32:00.000-07:00

Push-press 5x5

Zendryn

Workout of the Day

2008-09-18T00:08:00.000-07:00

Rest Day

Workout of the Day

2008-09-17T00:38:00.000-07:00

Workout of the Day

2008-09-16T00:58:00.000-07:00

3 Rounds for time
21-15-9 reps of:

Front squat (M 95#/W 65#)
Handstand Push-ups

Dan-o and Ramman
Red Rocks, Nevada

Workout of the Day

2008-09-15T11:24:00.000-07:00

3 rounds for time of:

30 Box Jumps
30 Knees to Elbows
30 Pull-ups

Laney returns to the surface world after a 2 hour exploration of Ape Cave.

Workout of the Day

2008-09-14T22:56:00.000-07:00

Out of Office on a rock-climbing trip.

Workout of the Day

2008-09-14T00:56:00.000-07:00

Out of Office on a rock-climbing trip.

Workout of the Day

2008-09-13T00:54:00.000-07:00

Out of Office on a rock-climbing trip.

Workout of the Day

2008-09-12T00:50:00.000-07:00

Rest Day

Workout of the Day

2008-09-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

Olympic Lift Practice:

Spend some time today practicing the major lifts and refining your technique. Choose the loads and reps that challenge you.

Workout of the Day

2008-09-10T00:40:00.000-07:00

Workout of the Day

2008-09-09T11:15:00.000-07:00

Three sets of max reps of the following:

False grip pull-ups, on rings
Dips, on rings
Pull-ups, on bars

Workout of the Day

2008-09-08T00:04:00.000-07:00

"Chelsea"

5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Squats

Each minute on the minute for 30 minutes.

Workout of the Day

2008-09-07T00:41:00.000-07:00

Rest Day

Spent some time relaxing, stretching, taking proper recovery measures and/or participating in some leisurely activity.

Workout of the Day

2008-09-06T23:37:00.000-07:00

Warm up with Trampoline work.
Perform 3 sets of 10 full range bar dips.
21 burpees.

Workout of the Day

2008-09-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

Warm-up should include 10 TGUs on each arm.

3 rounds of:

30 Kettlebell Swings
30 Double-unders

For skill development perform:

10 back bends
5 of any two gymnastic skills

Finish with 15-20 minutes of stretching

Workout of the Day

2008-09-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

Complete for time:

15 Strict Pull-ups
3 rounds of:

10 Rings Dips
10 Kipping Pull-ups

10 Box Jumps (as high as possible)

2 rounds of:

10 GHD Sit-ups
10 GHD Back Extensions

5 rounds of:

20 Squats
10 Push-ups

As a cool down:

60 seconds total of Tuck Planche holds on parallettes. Hold for as long as possible. Clock stops each time you have to rest or break horizontal form. With each rest, perform one Pike Press negative from handstand position against wall. Continue to alternate between exercises until 60 seconds is complete. The clock only runs for the tuck planche.

60 seconds total of Tuck Lever on rings. Hold for as long as possible. Clock stops each time you have to rest or break horizontal form. Rest/finish in Skin the Cat hangs.

Choose two gymnastics/acrobatic related skills that you would like to work on. Practice 5-10 reps of each.

Finish with 15-20 minutes of deep stretching.

Workout of the Day

2008-08-23T12:35:00.000-07:00

"Cindy"

20 minutes for rounds of:

5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Squats

post rounds to comments.

Skill Highlight: Aerial Cartwheel

2008-08-20T21:28:00.000-07:00

Emily performs an aerial, an advanced cartwheel done without the hands.

Special Class this Wednesday!

2008-08-17T13:25:00.000-07:00

This week I have decided to offer a special preparation class for those of you who are interested in advanced tumbling (handsprings, flips, etc.). It will be offered during the regular clinic time on Wednesday night (8/20) at 5:30pm-7:00pm. The cost is $30 dollars/person and is designed to prepare you for the Flipping clinic I plan to offer soon. The prep class is for all levels of ability and experience so don't hesitate to drop me an email (dustdancer@gmail.com) and let me know you're coming. Take your movement skills to the next level.

Parkour video

2008-08-14T22:54:00.000-07:00

I found this video on youtube.com. I think it gives a great overview of what Parkour is all about. Enjoy!

Skill Hightlight: Back Handspring

2008-08-13T07:18:00.000-07:00

Tory demonstrates a standing back handspring. This skill, often considered a difficult for non-gymnasts, provides an excellent basis for more advanced tumbling.

This weeks focus is Parkour!

2008-08-11T15:46:00.000-07:00

Come to my clinics at CrossFit H.E.L. this week to learn some Parkour! Clinics are this Wednesday from 5:30-6:00pm and Saturday 2:00-3:30pm. Clinics cost $30 per person. Email me dustdancer@gmail.com to let me know you're coming.

Skill Highlight: Side Cartwheel

2008-08-11T07:34:00.000-07:00

Tory demonstrates a cartwheel from side position with excellent form. The maintenance of proper form is important when learn and practicing all basic gymnastic movements. The attention to detail early on is crucial to learning more advanced skills and pays off big time in the long run.

Skill Hightlight: Stalder Press Handstand

2008-08-10T14:12:00.000-07:00

Tory demonstrates a Stalder press to handstand. This is an advanced handstand press which demands a significant strength, flexibility, coordination and balance to perform. Notice the attention given to maintaining straight arms and legs throughout the movement.

August 9th Ring Strength Clinic

2008-08-07T16:25:00.000-07:00

Come discover some of the wonderful uses of one of the world's most effective training tools. Laney almost got her muscle-up!

2008-08-01T09:24:00.000-07:00

This weeks clinics are canceled. We will resume classes on Wednesday 8/6. The focus will be ring strength training.

2008-07-25T21:27:00.000-07:00

This week's focus is Ring Strength! Drop in to CrossFit H.E.L. on Wednesday 7/30 at 5:30pm or Saturday 8/2 at 2:00pm to learn the progressions of strength building exercises from beginning supports and muscle-ups on rings to levers and iron crosses.

Gymnastic clinics run between 1.5 to 2 hours depending on class size and cost $36 per participant. All levels of experience are welcome to participate. Email me at: dustdancer@gmail.com if you are interested in this clinic or future clinics.

2008-07-11T22:59:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for your interest in gymnastics training at CrossFit Human Evolution Labs! As some of you know, I was planning to offer a 3-week boot camp covering all of the basic material. After corresponding with many of you, I have decided instead to offer a series of single-day, 2-hour clinics each focusing on one of six core disciplines. I've arrived at this decision due to the widely varying schedules of those of you interested, and would like to allow everyone a chance to participate. Each week will be the focus of a particular discipline. I will offer the first 2-hour clinic on Wednesday (7/16) from 5:30pm-7:30pm and another clinic on Saturday (7/19) from 2:00pm-4:00pm. Both sessions will cover the same material so you have a choice to attend either one (or both if you'd like) and still be on track.

Once you've attended all six clinics covering each discipline, you will be eligible to attend the ongoing Advanced Gymnastics drop-in class. If you miss a full week we will be moving on to the next discipline. However, you will still have two options to become eligible to be invited to the drop-in class: 1) you can schedule a 1-hour private with me where I will instruct you in the discipline that you missed, 2) you can wait until the whole cycle of clinics repeat themselves and attend the missing discipline when it comes back around. Of these, I recommend the first option simply because the clinics follow a loose logical progression, but skipping a discipline until it is offered again is fine if it must happen. Of course if you are only interested in some but not all of the disciplines I have to offer, you are welcome to pick and choose. However I repeat, invitation to the Advanced Gymnastics drop-in class is reserved for those of you who have covered all six disciplines and are ready to refine the basic skills learned therein.

Below I have listed the clinics/focus in the order that I will offer them. Keep a lookout on the CrossFit H.E.L. website for actual dates these clinics will be offered. Class capacity is 8 people per clinic so space is limited. Aside from the focus, all classes include elements of basic gymnastics (beginning drills, handstands, flexibility training, etc.). The clinics I am offering 7/16 and 7/19 will be "Falling Safely and Rolling":

Falling Safely and Rolling: learn how to fall correctly and learn the fundamentals of gymnastics tumbling in the process, reduce the chance of injuries from accidental wipe outs, it could save your life.

Linear Tumbling: The next step in gymnastics progression, introduction to cartwheels, round-offs, and handsprings.

Ring Strength: Learn the training progression for developing extraordinary strength: from basic supports to the iron cross.

Vaults: Discover and practice the best ways to overcome obstacles like rails, walls or fences in this Parkour-inspired clinic.

Parallettes: Learn the training progression for developing strength with the use of parallettes: from L-sits and full-range handstand push-ups to presses and planches.

Flips: Training for front flips, back flips and side flips. (Pre-requisites: Falling Safely and Linear Tumbling clinics attendance or 2 hours of private instruction are required before registering for this course please).

Please contact me via email (dustdancer@gmail.com) or phone (503-880-6586) to let me know you are coming. Then bring cash or check with you the day of the scheduled session. Checks can be made out to "Transcendence Fitness"

Prices:
2-hour clinic: $36

2-hour clinic (both Wed & Sat): $60

*Privates lesson,per hour: $60
Invitation-only drop in class: $12

*A note on private lessons: Aside from a excellent way to make up missed clinics, I am available for anyone who would prefer one on one instruction for anything gymnastics, martial arts, climbing or CrossFit related.

New Gymnastics Boot Camp Starting July 14th

2008-07-08T20:30:00.000-07:00

The gymnastics boot camp scheduled to have started this Monday has been postponed a week due to low sign-ups. I'm hoping to get more people registered so we can make this happen. You are all going to love this course so don't be shy! Make-up sessions can be arranged if some classes are missed due to schedule conflicts.

New Gymnastics Boot Camp Starting July 7th

2008-07-01T09:52:00.000-07:00

At last another opportunity for more acrobatic training. I'm starting a new series of 3-week Gymnastics Boot Camps at the CrossFit Human Evolution Labs (H.E.L.). Located at:

4830 NE M L King
Portland, OR. 97211

Use Google Maps, click here to get directions from your location.

Classes will be two hours long, run 5-7 pm Monday, Wednesday, Friday and focus on:

Tumbling
Break Falls
Flexibility training
Advanced Body Weight Conditioning
Handstands and Presses
Ring Strength
Planche and Lever Training
Slackline Balancing
Climbing
Parkour/Free-Running-related skills.

This course has it all.

Although this camp is intended as an introduction to the materials listed above, I have put this project together so that it will challenge participants of all levels beginning to advanced. For those of you who have trained with me before, this is the next level.

After the boot camp is complete all participants will be considered for invitation to an advanced drop-in class in which we will build upon the skills that were introduced in the boot camp.

The cost of a 3-week session is only $249! That's 18 hours of high quality, mind blowing instruction for about $14/hour!

Hurry, the first session begins July 7. I am only allowing 6 participants to register per 3-week session, so space is limited!

The CrossFit H.E.L. is an awesome facility for this kind of course, a situation I've been looking for for a long time.

Check out http://crossfithel.com/ for more info on the facility and what it has to offer.

The end of the first session

2008-05-22T19:52:00.000-07:00

Great job everyone for making it through the six-week session of acrobatic conditioning. I hope, everyone feels a little stronger and that you all learned something. What I taught in this course is just the beginning though, I hope to share more with you all soon. Right now, I need 6 people to commit to another session before I schedule more classes. So if you are interested, and you haven't already told me so, let me know asap.

Here are the scores for the workout we did last class. It was the same workout we did in the first class. Comparing the two times, I see that everyone improved. Some increased the rounds they completed, but everyone performed the exercises with better form! The workout was rounds in 15 minutes of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 squats.

Amy: 3 complete rounds + 15 squats, 10 push-ups
Chiara: 4 complete rounds + 11 squats
Jodi: 4 complete rounds + 4 pull-ups
Christina: 3 complete rounds + 15 squats

Good work ladies!!!

Cool moves on Monday

2008-05-12T22:18:00.000-07:00

Everyone was looking good last class. Welcome back Jodi and welcome Tiffany! I congratulate everyone for their hard work. For this week's homework, I would like everyone to work on hollow and arch positions on the floor. Spend as much time as possible working the following progressions:

While on back:

1. leg lifts (lower half of the hollow) 8x
2. upper half of the hollow lifts 8x
3. full hollow lifts (upper and lower body) 8x
4. hollow holds 10-30 seconds
5. hollow rocks 8x

*remember, a rounding of the lower back is crucial. Your head and shoulders should be off the floor in all positions except the first. If back still arches, lift legs higher until lower back touches.

While face down:

1. lift legs (lower half of arch) 8x
2. upper half of arch 8x
3. full arch lifts (upper and lower body) 8x
4. arch hold 10-30 seconds
5. arch rocks 8x

* keep legs together in those arches and arms squeezed against ears.

Good luck, on your practice this week and I'll see you all next Monday!

Homework for Week 4

2008-05-07T22:21:00.000-07:00

Hello y'all,

I'm a little late getting the homework up online so I hope everyone can get to it.

Perform 10 rounds of:

10 second hollow holds (face up, turn hips under and round your back to the floor)
10 second arch holds (face down, legs together and straight, arms by ears)
10 second frog stand
10 push-ups

By the end you will have done 100 reps or seconds of each exercise. DO THIS and you'll be thanking me later on in life (after the soreness goes away that is :-)

Week 3 Homework

2008-04-30T18:42:00.000-07:00

1) 3 sets of 10 straight jumps. Perform the jumps in rapid succession as explosively and high as possible. Focus on keeping a tight midsection throughout the exercise and springing off the ground as soon as you make contact. Down let your heels touch down, stay on the balls of your feet. If this hurts your ankles then supplement with 3 sets of 10 calf raises, pushing up to your tip toes slowly and with control. The calf raises are excellent for preparing your ankles for explosive jumps. You can even do them as a warm-up before your jumps.

2) 3 sets of 10-30 second hollow holds. Make absolutely sure that your butt is tucked under and your lower back is rounded and pushed against the floor. There should be no gap between the floor and your lower back. Keep your shoulders and head rounded up, your feet off the ground and you eyes on your (straight) legs. Keep legs pressed firmly together.

3) 3 sets of 10-30 second arch holds (lying on your stomach). With legs held firmly together and your arms straight and pressed against your ears, arch up and balance on your hips and lower abdomen. Keep those legs together!!!

As always, if you have any questions, email me (dustdancer@gmail.com) or give me a call (503-880-6586). See you all on Monday!

Week 2 homework

2008-04-22T20:13:00.001-07:00

The homework for this week is 100 Burpees. Please complete by next Monday. If you don't know what burpees is, they are a 5-step exercise which is performed as rapidly as possible:

1) squat down put hands on the ground

2) jump legs back to push-up position

3) do a push-up

4) jump legs back into squat position

5) jump up as high into the air as possible

Then repeat until exhausted. The 5 steps count as one burpee. Let me know next class how long it took to do them.

Also, please continue working the handstand in any of the progressions I have taught so far. My goal for you all is to be comfortable holding a freestanding handstand for at least a few seconds by the end of the course. For that to happen, we need to practice as much as possible. Have a great week!

A great first class!

2008-04-15T14:27:00.000-07:00

Congratulation to those of you that made it to the first class on Monday. To recap, after a brief warm-up we started covering the basic progressions of gymnastics's most fundamental skill: the handstand. These progressions included: 1) tripod with feet on ground, 2) tripod, 3) tucked headstand, 4) straight-leg headstand, 5) frogstand, and 6) handstand against the wall.

For the second half of class we broke into some conditioning. The exercise prescription for Monday was a circuit of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups and 15 squats. I challenged everyone to see how many rounds each participant could do in 20 minutes (actually, the energy was fading so we only went to 15 minutes. After all, I wanted you guys to be able to get out of bed in the morning=). The rounds per 15 minutes for each participant are listed below. We'll be able to compare them down the road as everyone's fitness improves (don't worry, it's not a contest).

Amy: 5 complete rounds

Chiara: 6 complete rounds

Christina 1 complete round, 3 incomplete rounds

Jodi 6 complete rounds

Good job everybody. For this week, I would like you to find some time to practice all of the progressions that you feel you can safely do by yourself or with a partner (don't hurt yourself please!). Strive to do these skills for the given periods of time:

Tripod w/ feet: 1 min

Tripod : 1 min

Headstand, tucked or straight 1 min

Frogstand 1 min

Handstand against the wall 1 min

These times should be cumulative. They can be broken up into sets if you you are currently unable to hold them for the allotted duration. Again, do only the ones that you feel comfortable trying on your own. Increase the practice time of the skills you can do to make up for those you can't (i.e. if can only do up to the tripod do 2-3 minutes total practice time for the both the tripod with feet and regular tripod). For all of these skills, focus on stacking your body. Think about getting you hips balanced above your shoulders and your shoulders balanced over the hands. Keep you the muscles of your torso/core very tight and rigid throughout.

More homework for the week includes drinking lots of water, get as much rest as possible, stretching and of course more conditioning!!! Here is what I'd like you to do before I see you next time:

Do a total of:

30 pull-ups/rows (If you can find something to do them on. Be creative!)

60 push-ups

90 squats

Again, these do not need to be done all at one time. They do not even have to be done all on the same day. Just fit them into your life as you choose and find a way to keep track of your numbers (I like to keep a workout journal). Just make sure you DO THEM and do them with attention to good form. Hundreds of sloppy push-ups will not compare to the 60 I know you will strive to do before I see you again. As aspiring acrobats we need to identify our weaknesses so that they won't keep us from what we want to do with our bodies. Fell free to call me or email me if you have any questions. Take care everyone and have a good week.

Ramman

dustdancer@gmail.com

503-880-6586

Are you too old for Acrobatics/Gymnastics

2008-03-29T18:32:00.000-07:00

When people ask me what I've been doing lately, one of the things I tell them is that I am starting a new class teaching adults how to do gymnastics. A common response to this is "Wow, really? Sounds fun but I think I'm too old for that kind of stuff."

They could not be further from the truth. For one, I believe that age is relative to how you live your life. Also, I think that if you have not yet had the opportunity to get a good gymnastics education, now is the time. I have personally worked with and taught gymnastics to 4 year-olds all the way to people who are well into their 30's, 40's and 50's. In fact, I work with them all the time. One young woman I'm thinking of practices gymnastics every day. She's 82 years old! Further, she didn't even start gymnastic training until she was in her 60's. Her workouts include basic gymnastics like push-ups, pull-ups, swings on bars, and handstands. Up until recently, she did a lot more like cartwheels and leaps, and she's always working on her splits.

The very word gym, is often misused in the fitness industry and relates to a place where the activity of gymnastics is practiced. True gymnastics involves calisthenics utilizing body-weight strengthening exercises, stretching and movement skills. When was the last time you saw any real gymnastics down at Bally's or 24hr fitness? Can't recall? Well that's because if you do much more gymnastics than pull-ups or push-ups at one of these establishment, you will get a lot of weird stares in your direction. If you start doing jumps, handstands, or flips you may even get asked to stop. Sorry folks, the current big names in the fitness industry have got you fooled. Fancy machines that isolate muscle groups don't work as well as total body exercises. As I will show you in my Acrobatic Conditioning class, many of the very best exercises you can do to strengthen and tone your body require very little specialized equipment. That is what the major fitness clubs and fitness equipment manufacturers DON'T want you to know! Of course it's nice to have someone to show you the proper way to do these fantastic exercises. That's where I come in. I'll show you the way to get maximal results from very basic conditioning and flexibility exercises. Sign up now for a 6-week session. After you master the basics, take them home with you! When you feel your self-discipline waning (it happens to the best of us) or you would like to learn more, come back. I know enough stuff to keep you busy for years.

Scroll down to learn more about how you can participate in this fun and challenging class. Sign up and take your boring old exercise routine to a new level.