Christian Pedersen

The new training phase is starting today. As I mentioned before we are focussing on participation in the Open. However, even if you are not participating in the Open you will still get plenty out of the training sessions. It is after all still improving fitness. You will also see a focus on basic leg strength and gymnastics for core strength, mobility, coordination and balance. It will be 12 weeks so you can only imagine the improvements you can make over such a decent time.

Make sure you check the time table to be absolutely sure when classes are on. The 6am class stays constant but the lunch and evening classes have been separated over the course of this week so it will pay to check an extra time whats on.

I am excited to get started on this training phase it will be an extremely beneficial gaining phase because it helps new members get their technique right to start with but it still challenges our current members to ne stranger and fitter. No matter if you are doing the open or not this training program if for you.

Christian

Monday 2/1/17

Strength: Back Squats

3 x 4 @ 70-75% of 1RM

3 sec pause at bottom of squat

WOD: 3 Rounds for Time

10 Push Press 50/35kg

15 Burpees

50 Double Unders

Accessory Work: 3 Rounds for Quality

10 High Box Jump

10 Supine Pull ups

Honestly 5 months ago I didn’t even know if I could stay in the country. With Visa issues and issues with the council over our Vogel St gym things looked uncertain to say the least. but we will get back to that

At the start of the year I had a very special visit from my parents. they hadn’t been over since 2007 so it was amazing to be able to show them around again and spend time with them where I call home. We often see each other on Skype but it was great to be able to give them a hug and talk to them face to face.

Kelly and I finally got through  the consent process about getting our house which has been a long time coming due to closures of paper roads where we want to build and many other hurdles but things are looking promissing now. She will be happy too now the gym is going well so I can actually spend some time with her:) Thank you for listening to my rants:)

Things were looking great in my life except on the business side. I had some great ideas but I didn’t have the platform I needed to put them into action so after a very long time of talking to a few close friends, you know who you are, I decided it was time to take the next step and open a gym. Its amazing how quickly you learn things when you are in the middle of it. It was a real rush being able to talk business with people and do deals, and if you get it wrong you have to deal with it straight away and move on. Luckily, I think we have gotten most of it right so far but it was a bumpy start. In August we launches Southern Peak Fitness in Vogel St and people turned up straight away, amazing atmosphere. In october we ran into a few issues and tried to resolve them the best way we could. The biggest issue for me was sorting out my Visa. After a long nervous wait and over 100 letters of support from everyone, I could stay and what a relief it was to get that decision. Over the same time we were told we had to vacate Vogel St. Unfortunately some mis-communication and the rules were against us when it came to running a gym in the warehouse precinct and we had to think fast to find a new spot. The Council were happy to give us enough time to find a new spot. End of November we shifted to Ward St but there was a ton of work to be done before we could train people but with absolutely no hesitation people rallied around us and in a matter of a weekend we could train all our members almost like nothing had happened. I still can’t believe we pulled through like we did. I do however know how we did it. It was fully because of all the people who selflessly gave up their own time to give a hand both at Vogel St and at Ward St. Going from one of the worst periods of my life to one of the most fulfilling and rewarding in a matter of a few months has left a huge impact on me and how I want to live. I owe a lot of people a lot of thanks. Harlem and Amanda our resident builders:) Jack who stayed at the gym much longer than intended to help with classes, Lorelle for listening to the same stories most days about what I was going to do, but it took me most of the year to actually get it started. Sam for having coffees with me when you should probably have been studying, Sorry. Marcus our new coach who goes beyond what is expected of him, Mike for all the custom steel work that was done for the gym which looks absolutely incredible and Tony for agreeing to start this whole venture with me a long time before we actually got started. All the members who believed enough in us to come with us and train at Southern Peak Fitness you have made the gym what it is, an amazing place to hang out and train and be part of something that really matters to us all.

It is an incredible place where business people, students, pensioners and all other walks of life come together and train with each other. No need for separate classes just huge diverse groups training together enjoying each others company and improving their health one session at a time. I can’t think of any gym more unique than ours and this place is ours because you all helped make it what it is.

Thank you and here is to a 2017 I can’t wait to get started on.

Christian

When it comes to skills we all have one or more exercises we would like to get better at but are we really putting in the time to deserve the skills we are lacking? More times than not the answer is, no we don’t. This year should be different, this year should be a year of committing to limiting the amount of weaknesses we have when it comes to fitness. We have been programming all skills since day one so it isn’t because you don’t have the chance to do them but you probably choose not to do them. Let 2016 be the last year you avoid things you are not good at. Newsflash, other members don’t care if you fail on an exercise they are not looking at you when they work out they are focussed on themselves getting through the workout so don’t be afraid of failing in front of others. If anything, everyone else will cheer you on to get the work done because they know themselves how hard some things are and sometimes you just need a bit of help.

There will be plenty of opportunities to work on skills and especially progressions because that is the only way you will get better. Make sure you listen to the coach when we give you a progression to do. It might not be the most exciting progression but you can trust us it will be the most beneficial one for you. Example: if the coach is asking/recommending/telling you to do a hollow rock with high knee tuck instead of a Toe to Bar, I don’t care how many ugly monkey swings where your shins touch the bar every 3rd the you can do. You need to trust and listen to the coach and your workout will be better for it. because doing a progression of one exercise will always help you improve a variety of skills not just that one skill. This isn’t directed at anyone particular just an example but if you can relate to this you should take note. This goes for all skills: Pull ups, Double Unders, Pistols, Handstand push ups etc.. The reason for saying this is we don’t expect everyone the be or- want to be super athletes by any stretch of the imagination but we do want to improve everyones lives and with that comes a huge responsibility to making sure you firstly stay injury free and also that you keep improving the way you move no matter the exercise.

Maske sure you take this onboard and your “2017 of training” is going to be the most eye-opening and goal-crushing year you will have.

Christian

Friday 30/12/16

WOD: For Time:

800 m Run

30 Box Jumps 24/20′

30 Handstand Push ups

30 Squat Cleans 60/40kg

30 Handstand Push ups

30 Box Jumps 24/20′

800 m Run

Caption: It was hard to find a picture of this guy because he just puts his head down and works hard:)

Greg has been part of my boot camp for about two years now and I could probably count the sessions he has missed on one hand. Very committed to being part of the group but also works extremely hard during every session like all the other Boot Campers can contest to. It was easy to see that he was fit before he started with us. His running was good and he could keep up with the fitter people straight away. The main thing for us to work on has been Greg’s mobility which has come a long way from the early days. He is squatting a lot better and he moves a lot better during Kettlebell and Dumbbell exercises.

It is not only at Boot Camp Greg puts in the hard yards. As manager of Gardens New World he is doing some long hours most days. I do a lot of my grocery shopping there and I always see Greg there doing something, stacking shelves, moving trollies and so on he could probably delegate it to someone but he wants to get involved and lead from the front and help the rest of his team out. That is the Greg I know from Boot Camp and that is the way he lives his life.

It has been great to see the intensity you bring to your training sessions and I am sure it motivates the rest of the group to work hard too. Looking forward to see how you tackle all the training at next years Boot Camp and I am sure it will be intense.

Christian

Thursday 29/12/16

Strength: Every 90 sec for 15 min (10 Sets)

5 Deadlift 100/70kg

5 Bar Facing Burpees

WOD: 5 Rounds for Time

2 Rounds of Cindy: 5 Pull ups, 10 Push ups, 15 Air Squats

5 Snatches 50/35kg

We have decided to keep our Opening Deals on for everyone to take advantage of until the end of March.

Full Membership will be $40 per Week

Student Membership $25 Per week

There will be other Lump sum options available just ask for more details and as always T’s&C’s apply.

We are really looking forward to getting stuck into the new program and try to get as many of you as possible to get involved in the Open next year. It is a great way of getting involved in the sport of functional fitness and it gives everyone something to strive for and work hard for.

There are many different scaling options and age group variations of each workout which gives everyone a chance to participate. The reason for telling you all about it now is to give you all a chance to commit to it before it is too late. If you start your training now you will be in a much better position come March when the open starts.

You don’t have to be a “hard-out” to participate in the Open. It will just be a great way of having some accountability in your training and making sure you keep improving throughout the year. It is meant to be fun and inclusive and it always creates an amazing atmosphere around the gym. For the less competitive members it is a way of showing yourself how far you have come over the course of your time at Southern Peak Fitness and it could even help you overcome some mental barriers in your fitness. For the more competitive members it gives you all a chance to really see who are the fittest in the gym but also how do you stack up against the rest of the country or even the world.

We will let you all know more about when and where to register for the Games as we have a couple of details to sort through first. To be Continued

Christian

Wednesday 28/12/16

Strength: Every 2 min for 12min

3 Power Clean

Build in weight

WOD: 3 Rounds for Time

400m Run

15 TTB

25 KB Goblet Squats 24/16kg

50 Double Unders

We hope everyone had an amazing Christmas and are still enjoying a relaxing holiday either away or in Dunedin. There will be classes on for the next 4 days at 6am and 12.10pm, so make sure if you are still around that you get some of the Christmas food burnt off.

If you have anyone who would like to try out our training program feel free to bring them in and have a go. We are in a transition week before we start our Open Prep Program so most of the sessions this week will lend themselves well to beginners without having to scale much. This will also be a week where you get to try a lot of different exercises to see what you will need to work on most during our next training phase.

I am looking forward to meeting some new people during this week so make sure you bring a training buddy to class. Everyone should get the chance to see how great our community is.

Christian

Tuesday 27/12/16

WOD: 9 min AMRAP

400m Run

12 Power Cleans 45/30kg

12 Burpees over Bar

-5 min Rest-

7 min AMRAP

50 Double Unders

10 Thrusters 45/30kg

-4 min Rest-

5 min AMRAP

15 Push Ups

15 Sit ups

15 Air Squats

Thank you to everyone who have been with us for the last 5 months it has been an amazing start to the gym and we can’t wait to get into next year and build it as big as possible. We hope that you all past and present members have an incredible Christmas with your friends and family and enjoy a couple of days off.

We have of course our “12 days of Christmas” WOD this morning so make sure you come down and join in from 7am. It will be a great start to the day and I am really looking forward to sharing this Christmas morning with you all before getting stuck into some food and presents:)

Christian

Sunday 25/12/16

12 Days of Christmas

100 m Run

2 Muscle Ups

3 Shoulder 2 Overhead 40/30kg

4 Power Cleans 40/30kg

5 Burpees

6 Toe 2 Bar

7 Front Squats 40/30kg

8 Deadlift 40/30kg

9 Box Jumps 24/20′

10 KB Swings 24/16kg

11 Pull Ups

12 Man Makers 20/12.5kg

Its Christmas Eve and in Denmark where I’m from that means getting people together for a huge Christmas dinner and getting all your presents:) But in New Zealand you still have to wait until Christmas Morning. The funny thing is, this means that even though we are getting our presents at two different times, we will still unwrap them at the same time because of the time difference. Which also means that most of the world will be celebrating Christmas at the same time regardless of where people live.

With all the changes and challenges this year I think I will be enjoying Christmas just a title bit more. Ill enjoy being with family and friends and make sure I get a couple of days to relax. And as soon as I can Ill be back into it trying to get as many people to the gym as possible simply because I believe in what we are doing here and I think the more people we can help the better for Dunedin. This place has given me more than I could ever imagine and I am ready to give back to this wonderful city. We won’t limit ourselves to just Dunedin I’m sure, but this is the place I call home so this is where it has to start.

Christian

Saturday 24/12/16

WOD: 3 Rounds for Time

800m Run

55 KB Swings 24/16kg

55 Burpees

55 Double Unders

You may think it seems to go against what I should be telling people which is come into the gym. Truth be told, when you do anything for a long period of time like training, there comes a time where you need a few days away and this time of year is a great time to do exactly that. Take a few days with the family and friends and stay away from the gym. You should still stay active but do it with outdoor activities. Take some pressure off yourself. It’s very healthy especially mentally to stay away from the grind of gym sessions sometimes. Recharge those batteries and come back ready to smash it between Christmas and New Years or wait till the new year. it doesn’t matter how long you need really but it will help with motivation and energy levels.

We will still have some classes running as you know but do not feel obligated to turn up to train if you really need some time off.

I’m looking forward to our last big hit-out on the 25^th and then it might be time for a break for most of you.

Christian

Friday 23/12/16

Skill:

10 min to practice Handstand holds

Then, Every min on the min for 10 min

RX:

1st: 10 Handstand Push ups (strict if possible)

2nd: 10 Alt. Pistols (weighted if possible)

Scaled:

1st: 3-5 Handstand Push ups (head to raised mat)

2nd: 10 single leg squats with raised heel or step ups

WOD: 15 min AMRAP

12 TTB

15 Deadlift 80/55kg

18 Box Jumps 24/20’

Just reminding people we have our Christmas Day Wod going down at 7am on the 25th of course:) There will be a version for everyone to do, so make sure you come down and have a bit of fun before going on holiday. If you want to dress up you can but it isn’t mandatory:)

Make sure to look out for our Christmas/New Year specials which will be up and running soon.

Speedy and Jay will be coming back today so I am sure they will be floating around the gym a lot so come in and say hi and we will get some training done.

Stay up to date by following our Facebook page and Instagram where we post all our photos and videos of workouts, tips and other fun things we do. All dedicated to what goes onion and around the gym.

Christian

Thursday 22/12/16

Strength: 5 x 3

Paused Back Squats

1-2 sec pause at the bottom of each rep.

Build in weight

WOD: 3 Rounds for Time

400m Run

7 Muscle Upes

12 Push Jerks 50/35kg

Finisher: 3 Rounds of

30 sec Hanging L-sit

60 sec Prone Hold

90 sec Bottom of Squat

30 sec Rest