here we go again..

Welp, a fourth cohort has completed the 12-week. on ramp. In hindsight it might seem easy, especially compared to some of the other things we've done and the progress that many have made, but it really is no easy task. 12 weeks of mandatory exercise?? Yikes. That's worse than prison. Kidding.

So this week and into the new year we will be welcoming new people and making friends with them. You guys can all compare stories and discuss which on ramp had it harder..

All kidding aside, I want everyone to remember how this works. The on ramp is for learning. Learning to perform skills like squats and push ups properly under higher intensities than normal. The main goal of the on ramp (from a coach's stand point) is proficiency and conditioning. The actual BHIP program (you guys have 58 different names for it and I'm not sure which you all decided on..) puts a much greater emphasis on STRENGTH. Simple as that. Personally, I wish we had more strength-training but that might be a future option. So we get really strong in our training and then you guys get to decided what to do with that strength. The options are limitless. Just ask around and find out what your fellow bhip junkies are doing in their spare time.. From what I've gathered, more people are doing things that reward strength. Even the runners are starting to see the value in strength.

What we don't do is anything that can be labeled as "cardio". All "cardio" means is that your heart-rate is above resting. THAT'S IT! So you're breathing heavier.. big deal. It's sub-maximal anyway so it doesn't really matter anyway. And no one has ever been too impressed with how huffy and puffy one can get. More people are impressed with feats of strength. I swear they show "Worlds Strongest Man on ESPN every other weekend.

The problem is that many people are led to believe that the degree of a good workout depends on how depleted one feels at the end of it. Such nonsense. A good workout is one that stimulates physical/mental/metabolic progression. The fact that you finished a workout in a pool of sweat, blood, and tears means nothing if it keeps you couched and recovering for 8 days with rhabdo and shin splints.. Been there, done that.

Anyway, please keep that in mind when you train. Every couple of weeks ask yourself: "Am I stronger than a few weeks ago?" Answer that question truthfully. If the answer is 'yes', then well done. If it's a 'No', then you need to change something.. Think about that for a while.

Here's something to help the stimulus:

for time-
- Run 400m
- lunge 25m
- broad jump 25m
- lunge 25m
- bear crawl 25m
- lunge 25m
- duck walk 25m
- lunge 25m
- bear crawl 25m
- lunge 25m
- broad jump 25m
-Run 400m

I suggest marking off 25m and lunging out, then doing whatever is next on the way back.





Pull ups are hard for guys too. I can attest to that and I do a lot of them. The first one is hard every time. They never get easy, just more doable. So do hard things. Read this: http://www.70sbig.com/blog/2011/12/developing-a-pull-up/