Christian Pedersen

The Cooke Howlison Crew feeling it after friday morning GPP.

Conrad, Craig and Pete have been going great guns over the past couple of months. Conrad was here from day one but it didn’t take long for him to drag Craig along for a couple of sessions who got hooked straight away. Short time after Craig started, Pete called me up and was interested in doing some exercise again so we got him onboard and he has been hammering it ever since. Its great to see workmates committing to exercising together and giving each other that extra push on a daily basis. If you feel a workmate could benefit from a bit of exercise with some friends and meeting new people bring them along for a session. It creates some great banter at work which would get more of your mates involved. It os good with some healthy competition among work mates but its also great to have a few people to cheer you on when a workout is not going your way.

All three of them are definitely starting to see the benefits of the hours they have been putting in the gym.  much more energy both at- and outside work. 3.30itis is gone which surely the boss will like too. It’ll be great to follow their progress. Keep up the great work fellas.

Christian

Wednesday 16/11/16

WOD Every min on the min for 18 min

1st: 40 Double Unders – 3 Muscle Ups

2nd: 12 KB Goblet Reverse Lunges 24/16kg

3rd: 6 Burpee Box Jumps 24/20′

Then Straight into 2 Rounds for time of:

40 Double Unders

3 Muscle Ups

12 KB Goblet Reverse Lunges 24/16kg

6 Burpee Box Jumps 24/20′

Note: If you haven’t seen it yet the T-Shirts and Hoodies have arrived so make sure you get down here to pay and collect your brand new gym gear:)

Our next training phase will have a lot of holds for gymnastics and paused reps for lifting. Here is a little rundown of the benefits of doing this sort of training. I have put them into three categories.

1. Technique
2. Strength
3. carryover to olympic lifting

1. Technique: When doing pauses during lifting you can put a lot more focus into your technique at different positions of the lift to make sure you are balanced at all times. You find out what part of the lift is your weakness and can correct it before moving onto more weight.

2. Strength: Being strong through the full range of the movement means there is less chance of a breakdown in form. When technique is dialed in and you are in a good position, you will feel a lot stronger and be a lot stronger. Pauses also takes away the rebound at the bottom of a lift which means you can’t use the stretch reflex or “bounce” to get back up, you will need to to utilize all the muscles in your body to lift the weight. This will have a hugely positive effect on your overall strength. pauses will also help decrease weak zones or sticking points as we call them.

3. Carryover to Olympic lifting: The carryover I am talking about here is more a sequence of events over the next weeks of training. Which starts with A) Pauses to dial in technique and strength in all positions and the ability to hold a weight in the bottom position with full control (Balance and Mobility)  C) Being able to drop under a weight and catch it at the bottom with full control. D) Pulling yourself under the bar and catching it at the bottom with full control.

Example: A) Paused Overhead Squat – B) Snatch Drop and Snatch Balance – C) Full Snatch

This sequence will help everyone of you prepare yourselves for the next part of a lift. Get one thing right first then move onto the next, Do not get ahead of yourself. We are giving you time with this first phase to give everyone a chance to improve flexibility, coordination and strength (does that sound familiar?)

Christian

Tuesday 15/11/16

Strength/Skill: 12 min Time Cap

Accumulate 2 min in a Handstand hold

Accumulate 2 min of Hanging of the Bar (active shoulders)

Accumulate 2 min in a Squat

WOD: 4 Rounds for Time

25 Wall Balls 9/6kg

15 Deadlift 100/70kg

It is always great to get positive feedback from members who follow our program. Glen Williamson is a regular in the lunchtime classes, you might remember him as the guy who always forgets his score on AMRAPs:) He came up and told me how much he is enjoying the program, it really pushes him every day and he is getting heaps out of that. He is starting to feel a lot stronger and fitter now. After being very sick last year and start of this year Glen hasn’t been training much but in that last few months he has started to come right. He is now back and training really hard and he is obviously starting to see the benefits again which is awesome to hear. Keep up the good work mate but start counting as that will be another tool to see how fit you are getting ay mate:)

Just and updated message to everyone around the country affected by the earthquakes that are happening Hope you are staying safe, we are thinking about you in this tough time.

Christian

Monday 14/11/16

Strength: Back Squat

3 x 5 paused reps

WOD: 5 x 3 min AMRAP

10 KB Swings 24/16kg

8 Burpees

6 CTB Pull ups

-1 min Rest-

Note: Our new training cycle starts next week and during this week there will be some content that will help you prepare for it. Stay updated on everything that is happening at the gym on our Facebook Page and Instagram

Tom Olorenshaw is known as a bit of a loose canon but he has also been fantastic value at Southern Peak Fitness from the day he started. Joe Kelso brought him in for a couple of sessions during our free week and ever since then he has been part of us. It was clear to see he was quite athletic from day one but we did have to teach him a bit about intensity. He was clearly uncomfortable outside 3 x 12 at the start, so it was all about teaching him about pacing but more about when to push the pace.

He eventually found out if he worked hard he could keep up with some of the more experienced members which gave him a huge boost of confidence and that is what it is all about. It is amazing what a positive mindset can do to performance.

Tom, remember where ever life takes you, it doesn’t matter whether it is on the job or at a training session  “hard work pays the bills”. “It won’t hurt more working that little bit harder”:)

Christian

Friday 11/11/16

WOD #1: 7 min AMRAP

Ascending Ladder

1-2-3-4 etc.

Muscle Ups

DB Squat Clean Thruster

-4 min Rest-

WOD #2: 7 min AMRAP

Ascending Ladder

3-6-9-12 etc.

STOH 60/40kg

TTB

Jack came back for another week to help us out and his selflessness has been instrumental in making sure we could continue classes as normal. Now, with him leaving for the warm north we have an incredibly talented coach waiting to really get into more coaching. Marcus is eager to learn which is always a great trait to have. He has of course been training as part of classes but he has also been doing observations and seen how jack and I coach. I have never seen anyone take so many notes during a session like this which shows how keen Marcus is to be a great coach and hit the ground running. Some of you have already had the pleasure of having Marcus as a coach and the feedback has been really positive. He is engaging, motivating and is not shy of getting people working harder when needed but also has good helpful cues for everyone. His confidence will grow as he gets more classes under his belt and I am really looking forward to seeing him improve over the coming weeks.

It has been a hectic few weeks sorting our coaching staff out but with the top quality help we have had in both Jack and Marcus, I am confident in saying we have some of the best coaching in Dunedin if not New Zealand. There will be no client left to doing their own thing, everyone will be helped during class from the top athletes to the brand new member with proper cues and motivation to make sure you get the most out of every session.

Thank you again for all your help Jack and good luck for the future.

Marcus you are motivating, keen to learn and get better and that is the most important thing i becoming a great coach.

Christian

Thursday 10/11/16

WOD: Partner WOD

12 Rounds for Time (6 each) 1:1/w Partner

200m Run

12 Front Squats 60/40

8 Burpee Box Jump 24/20′

Finisher: For Time

400m Farmers Carry

As some of you might have seen on Facebook yesterday, we have decided to keep our membership specials until the end of the year. So if you have a friend or family member who needs to or have been keen to try out a new training program feel free to bring them in for a session or two and we can help them out getting into our classes.

Unlimited membership $40/week

Student unlimited $25/week

We have a lot of other lump sum and short term deals on too, so make sure you you check out our Pricing page for all the info you need.

Our Boot Camps will also be running through until the end of December at half price $120 so if outdoor training is more you make sure to get hold of us about times and locations.

We have got some new toys for the gym and I’m sure our GPP classes will get very familiar with these:)

Christian

Wednesday 9/11/16

Strength/skill:

5 x 5 Ring Dip (AHAP)

Superset with Max Handstand walk or Handstand hold

WOD: 10 Rounds for Time

7 SDHP 40/30kg

7 Thrusters

7 Burpees

When learning new movements specifically for lifting, starting with a set of dumbbells can be very beneficial. A few points to consider:

Technique:

1. You can use very little weight to get the technique right.
2. When looking at olympic lifting using dumbbells will give you a better idea of what each arm is doing during the lift especially during the shrug (second pull) of the clean and snatch. you can focus on one arm at a time until you get it right then move on to two arms

Stability:

1. Using any form of unilateral exercise will help with shoulder stability and dumbbells are perfect for this use. We focus on exercises like one arm dumbbell overhead walking and lunges and single arm overhead dumbbell press as our main shoulder stability exercises. It is important to take care of the shoulders because of all the work they do every week.

Scaling option:

1. For new members using dumbbells instead of a barbell during wods will be a great substitute. It can be safer as the new members are still getting used to a lot of new technical aspects of using a barbell. We will get new members to use the barbell for the strength/technique part of the session and then get them to use dumbbells for the wod until they and capable and confident in using barbells.
2. If you have an injury to one arm but are still capable of doing some exercise with the rest of your body using a dumbbell will still keep you exercising even if it is at a lower intensity.

Dumbbells have many beneficial uses and it is an important part of our training program. Both from a technical point of view but also from a practical point of view.

Christian

Tuesday 8/11/16

Strength:

4 x 10 Front Rack Lunges (AHAP)

8 Strict TTB between sets

WOD: Mary

20 min AMRAP

5 HSPU

10 Alt Pistols

15 Pull ups

We are in a transition week between programs and you will start to see a lot of drills like various types of hangs and holds. This will be part of the next training phase which will focus a bit more on body awareness in a sense as to which muscles to turn on during different exercises and being able to holding your core tight throughout a movement. This will help both with the gymnastic movements but also your lifting.

From a core strength aspect. being able to holding a tight core will put you in a stronger position for a lift and it will also decrease your risk of injuries especially to your lower back.

From a body awareness aspect having more control over your body will improve efficiency during any gymnastics movement or lift. It is also within this aspect you will find virtuosity. Being able to move efficiently at high intensity.

There will be more written about our next training phase in future posts so you all know what the plan is. This will help you see improvements and help you find where you need to put your focus. As always any questions or clarification is welcomed to make sure you get the most out of our program.

Christian

Monday 7/11/16

Skill: 9 min EMOM

1st: 20-30 sec Chin above bar hold

2nd: 30 sec Handstand hold or 20 Shoulder Taps facing wall

3rd: 30 sec Hollow Hold

WOD: 4 x 4 min AMRAP (2 min rest between rounds)

30 Double Unders

25 Wall Balls 9/6kg

15 Burpees

Max KB Swings 32/24kg

Score = Max KB Swings

Raph has been with us since day one. He is finishing his Physio studies in Christchurch next year.

It has been great coaching Raph, always keen to listen and learn from the coaches and when he finally got that first muscle up there was no stopping him. Good luck with the future mate and there will always be a place for you to train here when you are down in sunny Dunedin.

Here are a few words I received from Raph after his last class yesterday. Thank you very much mate, its great to hear we are doing something right:)

Hey Christian! Just wanted to say a big thanks again bro! You’ve been an awesome coach with top quality banter. Gonna miss Southern Peak and the unreal atmosphere you’ve created with everyone there, it’ll be a struggle to find a place to train just like it. No doubt I’ll be coming by whenever I’m back in Dunedin. Cheers again man, hope everything goes well.

Saturday 5/11/16

WOD: Eva

5 Rounds for Time

800m Run

30 KB swings 32/24kg

30 Pull ups