Tag Archives: going strong

Last Week’s Workouts and “The Bear” Complex with Baby

11/10/2014 R.C. Liley 5 Comments

This is the week! The week our baby turns 1 year old! On Saturday, the 15th, we’re having a small birthday party at our home and then we’re leaving her with G-Ma as we head to a friend’s wedding. Is that wrong of us? Nahhhh.

Last week’s workouts were a repeat of the previous week, just adding weight to most exercises in classic progressive overload fashion. I would normally continue in this pattern for the week ahead, but might need to improvise as we prepare for the big day.

Here’s what I have for last week….

Note: All workouts are in a fasted state. I have a homemade pre-workout mix of beta-alanine, bcaa’s, creatine, and pure caffeine powder and then I’m ready to go within 20 – 30 minutes!

Monday – 11/03

– Back Squat: 4 x 8 x 220lbs

– Straight Leg Dead Lift: 4 x 8 x 210lbs

– Dumbbell Lunges: 3 x 11/side x 45lb/side

Superset w/ Glute-Ham Raise: 3 x 12

– Double Kettlebell Swings: 3 x 31 x 25lb/arm

– 31 1-leg squats and Push-ups

Tuesday – 11/04

– Bench Press: 4 x 8 x 165lbs

Superset w/ Strict Chin-ups: 4 x 7

– Dumbbell Hang Clean & Press: 4 x 11 x 30lb/arm

– 1-arm Dumbbell Rows: 3 x 13 x 45lb

Superset w/ Bodyweight Dips: 3 x 13

– Man-maker Push-ups w/ 30lb Dumbbells: 3 x 11

– Dumbbell Twisting Bicep Curls: 3 x 12 x 20lb

Superset w/ Standing Triceps Dumbbell Kickback: 3 x 10 x 20lb

– 31 1-leg squats and Push-ups

Wednesday – 11/05

– 4 Tabata Rounds: 1. Bike, 2. Burpees, 3. 15lb Ball Slam, 4. Bike

– 31 1-leg squats and Push-ups + run/walk 2.3 miles

Thursday – 11/06

– Front Squat: 4 x 8 x 175lbs

– Dead Lift: 3 x 8 x 235lbs

– Clean: 5 x 5 x 125lbs

– 31 Bulgarian Split Squats w/ 20lb Dumbbells/arm and 31 Push-ups

– Walk/Run with Avery and Abby (our Golden

Friday – 11/06

– Overhead Press: 4 x 8 x 110lbs

– Barbell Bent Row: 4 x 8 x 135lbs

Superset w/ Dumbbell Incline Press: 4 x 11 x 45lb/arm

– Dumbbell Hang Clean & Press: 5 x 6 x 45lb/arm

– 4 Rounds: Close-grip Bench – 10 x 135lbs, Wide-grip Pull ups x 6, Kettlebell Windmill w/ 25lb/side x 10/side, Bike ~30 seconds

– 31 1-leg squats and Push-ups

Saturday – 11/08

– Walk 3+ miles with Kelley while wearing Avery on my back. She had a good nap….

– Quick conditioning workout of countdown/up:

->31, 25, 20….10, 5: Double 25lb Kettlebell Swings

->5, 10, 15…..25, 31: Push-ups

– 31 1-leg squats, burpees, and bodyweight squats

Sunday – 11/09

– Work on rearranging garage to make room for Avery’s play pen gate setup.

– 30 minute cardio/strength routine of 30s on and 30s off with different exercises

– 31 1-leg squats and Push-ups

I need to get Avery’s gate setup since she’s close to walking and I don’t expect she’ll have patience to sit in her jumper once this milestone is achieved.

Hmm, or maybe she’s already lost her patience. What do you think?

When she starts making these faces, it’s either nap time, a poopy diaper, or just plain bored. For the last one, when not finished working out or never having a chance to star, I have a solution…..combine playtime with your workout!

To me, barbell work is king when it comes to strength training, but as parents and really all time-strapped people know, we don’t always have time for or access to a barbell. And if you did, just what, with maybe 10 minutes of time to yourself, would you do anyway?

The answer is a complex where you complete multiple exercise back to back without stopping to rest. A classic example of this is called “The Bear” Complex where you perform a power clean, front squat, push press, back squat, and push press without setting the bar down to make 1 rep. It’s an awesome workout that, when done for 5 rounds of 7 reps at a challenging weight, is a quick, effective routine.

But when there’s no barbell or time to use one, grab the nearest baby/kid/toddler/teenager (preferably your own), and make them the barbell. Here’s a video I put together to show you how.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yb9EU4eyKlg&w=420&h=315]

Avery enjoys the moves and hopefully your kids will too. You get to bond with your child through “playtime” while fitting in a full body exercise to boot. Not bad! Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Now it’s time to prepare for a fast approaching birthday; Going Mom has off Thursday and Friday to make sure things are setup right since I’m not the best in that area. Have a great week!

Do you have any favorite workouts you’d like to share?

Any tips on how to manage a first birthday party? We have the beer, what else is needed? 🙂

Going Strong

Going Strong: A Babywearing, Reel Mowing Workout during Naptime

07/28/2014 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

One of the best things a parent can do with their baby is wear them as soon as possible after they are born. Dads especially need this to help make up for our non-childbearing bodies. Don’t get me wrong, though, I’m not complaining!!

I can finally wear her on my back in the Onya!! Time to mow!!

Besides the numerous benefits babywearing touts when it comes to bonding, it’s also a great way to engage in weight bearing exercise. Once your baby is old enough and has good neck control, you can take your babywearing experience up a notch. Like, for instance, using a reel mower to mow the lawn and wear your baby.

I’ve posted about using the Fiskars reel mower while babywearing in the past, and wanted to give an update now that I can wear Avery on my back. This is way more comfortable than wearing her in the front, and enables me to move a little faster than before.

I recorded this about a month ago, but forgot to post until now. Since we’re getting over a long weekend with a very cranky, teething baby, I lack the ability to write a lot for Monday. So, in place of a wordy post, I give you a video of how to make the most of your time and get a good workout while mowing the lawn and have your baby napping.

By the way, I have no clue how she actually sleeps as I run back and forth across the lawn, but then sit and scream in a peaceful, dark room with a comfy crib. #BabiesAreThe8thWorldWonder

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EP5Wmum0O7c&w=560&h=315]

If you are lucky enough to have your baby actually napping in their nursery, then you can enjoy mowing the lawn HIIT style!

Being active with kids of all ages is extremely important to their overall health and wellness. When we lead by example, our children want to do as we do (usually), and even when they’re only months old, they are absorbing everything. The same applies to making healthy food choices and avoiding fast food that contributes nothing nutritious.

I know I’ve said it all before and will continue saying it often because the health of our families should always be top priority. Every trip I make to the grocery store, I see so many parents filling their carts with packaged junk that either their kids begged for or that is just a convenient option.

Sorry for the rant, I need to dedicate a full post to my thoughts on this, but it would be long! Maybe a series?

Do you have any creative ways to exercise while accomplishing other tasks?

What are your thoughts on maintaining a healthy lifestyle and leading by example?

Going Strong

Going Strong: Get Fit with this Full Body Babywearing Workout

05/25/2014 R.C. Liley 6 Comments

I’ve been waiting for this day for a while a now; the day I could wear Avery on my back with our Onya! Now that she’s 6 months and over 15 pounds, she’s good to go!

Now that wearing her on my back is an option, this opens up new ways to get in a workout while keeping your baby close (really close). Trying to workout while your baby is sleeping can be difficult, and it’s tough if they wake up crying as you’re in the middle of sweating it out. Do you keep going and hope they fall back asleep or end your hard work and get them right away? Not an easy answer…..like most questions regarding babies!

So, I prefer to have Avery with me when working out as much as possible. She sees her daddy being active, and hopefully will want to do the same when she can move around. Plus, it just makes for good bonding! I’m pretty sure Avery has seen me do enough burpees now that she can’t wait to do them herself. Isn’t that right, Avery?

Well, maybe.

Anyway, having your baby on your back enables to you change the loading parameters on your core and legs, allows you to get on the ground for push-ups. With that, two of the best, most functional moves you can do are squats and push-ups.

Nothing fancy schmancy here, just two simple moves that work your entire body. Like I’ve mentioned before, babywearing workouts offer built in progression. As your baby grows, so will your strength. I put together a video demonstration just to show you the moves and hopefully you find it helpful.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_U2NCaUH7w?rel=0&w=420&h=315]

As mentioned in the video, if you want to make this more challenging than 3 rounds, you can just add rounds or make it into a timed “AMRAP” (as many rounds as possible) session. This, of course, is assuming you have a comfortable and happy baby. Also, I don’t advise doing this right after your baby eats, and I’m sure you know why.

Here’s the AMRAP routine that you can print out if you’d like.

And for an even greater challenge, add another 5 or 10 minutes of continuous work and/or hold dumbbells while doing squats.

Always make sure you are warmed up before starting and above all, have fun getting fit with the help of your growing baby!

Check out my past Going Strong posts for more baby bearing fitness ideas:

This post is part of a new fitness link-up party co-hosted by the great guy behind Disillusioned Dad. Check it out and show some support by linking your post related to diet, health, exercise, and/or well being.