Weekly Roundup * July 10th – 16th, 2022

Table of Contents

Here’s what’s going on this week at the gym!

Week of July 10th – 16th, 2022


Birthdays

No Birthdays this week 🙂

Announcements

Our monthly “Gains & Games” night will be this Friday, the 15th at 6:30pm.  The theme is ‘Red, White, & Blue’.  Please sign up here if you plan on coming and bring a snack to share.  We had a lot of fun last month and would love to keep this going!  If you have a friend, co-worker, spouse, or family member that is interested, bring them down and show them how amazing Vernal Fitness is!


InBody Scans

All Vernal Fitness members are eligible for a complimentary InBody scan each month. Aside from tracking our performance in Wodify, body composition scans are the best way to track progress and measure results.


PROGRAMMING OVERVIEW
July 10th – 16th

Lots of new strength cycles are starting up this week as we utilize last week’s 1RM Push Press to work through 2×10 and 2×8 at 60-70%. We will also be jumping into our “Pump Complex,” which will be a superset combining Pendlay Rows, Strict Pull-Ups, and Hammer Curls.

Like last week, we will find a hopefully new 1RM Snatch and carry on with our pause front squat cycle keeping the 3-second pause but dropping the sets to 3 reps.

Familiar workout test pieces will be “Kinda, Sorta 19.4”, “Lungs,” and “Helen.” With an overall focus on building grip strength under fatigue.

Monday

Lifting heavier weights can have enormous benefits for everyone! Weightlifting makes us stronger, increases bone density, stimulates hormone production, and improves dynamic range of motion and core strength.

Snatches should be done at a moderate weight that you can move with some speed.

Focused breathing during the three minute rest should be sufficient to allow a similar power output in the second couplet.

C2B Pull-ups can be scaled as needed to allow you to complete the reps in 1-2 quick sets each round.

Tuesday

Not only does moderate, sustained effort help to build a strong aerobic engine for longer WODs, it also helps them burn fat and boost calorie burn in a workout. 

If your goal is to get stronger, approach these sessions with moderate intensity. 

Rest periods are ok but they should be brief. The goal is to keep the aerobic stimulus for as much of the workout as possible.

Wednesday

Building strength through Powerlifting and Olympic lifting can help to boost our metabolic engine! Bodies with more muscle than fat will burn more calories throughout the day, even when we aren’t working out.

Done right, this should be a short but sweaty one!

Pick a weight that allows you perform the Clean and Jerks relatively unbroken through the majority of the workout.

Box jumps should end with open hips on top. They can be scaled to step ups as needed.

Thursday

Many General Fitness workouts fall squarely between the glycolytic and oxidative energy systems. The glycolytic system can only crank out the intensity for approximately three minutes, and the oxidative system isn’t ready to match the intensity. 

The result is muscular and respiratory discomfort. If your goal is to improve fitness you should approach this workout with the goal of achieving a 7-8/10 level of effort through the entire WOD.

Runs should be quick with the goal of getting to work on the in-gym movements as quickly as possible.

KBS should be done with a challenging weight that allows you to complete the first round unbroken, or close to it.

Friday

We can all benefit from the higher intensity demands of these workouts. That demand will help you learn to push you intensity limits resulting in the ability to do more work in future workouts that require less intensity.

The goal on this chipper style workout is to keep churning out reps!

Double unders and HSPU can be modified if needed to keep you moving.

Keep rest breaks to a minimum until the work is done, pacing early will help to achieve this goal.

Saturday

Pick your partner wisely! Find someone you are well matched with, OR someone who will push you!

Divide up reps into small numbers to allow both partners to keep moving well.

Weight selection should be dictated by what the athlete can manage well overhead.

Full workout descriptions and notes are available to all members of Vernal Fitness & Nutrition. For more info, email us here.


Is your goal to simply have a lower number on the scale or is your goal to be healthier AND a lower body fat percentage?

You can lose weight with processed foods, it’s true. However, you just aren’t going to be able to eat very much of it because they can pack an enormous amount of calories into a small sesame seed bun. Not the mention the crankiness that ensures because of the constant hunger.

Sounds like a winning formula!? This idea of caloric and nutrient density is one of the reasons we emphasize real food so much.

JUST EAT REAL FOOD

You can eat MORE real food and lose weight because real foods have fewer calories per pound. Plus, not only will it keep you full and naturally help you eat appropriate amounts, but your health will improve because of the micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals) real food contains. You get calories from processed foods and you get calories from whole foods.

Because processed foods have way more calories per unit of space (density) you don’t get as much actual food if you want to equal the calories of whole foods. Not to mention, you miss out on the nutrient density that whole foods provide.

Keep it simple: Just Eat Real Food! 



Nutrition Tip

Salads make an excellent weekday lunch. With the right combination of grains, protein, and leafy greens, they’ll fill you up without weighing you down, and give you the energy you need to power through the afternoon.

THE PROBLEM

Packing the salad, however, is where it can get tricky. Dress the salad too early, and it becomes soggy by lunchtime – and storing the dressing in an extra container makes for clunky transportation (and the possibility of leakage).

THE SOLUTION

Instead, try packing your salad vertically in a wide- mouth mason jar – we guarantee it will revolutionize your routine. The dressing goes at the bottom of the
jar and the greens sit at the top, ensuring they don’t touch until you’re ready to dig in (eliminating the possibility of soggy greens).

Crunchy veggies, such as carrots, cucumbers, and bell pepper, are added to the jar on top of the vinaigrette. This then allows them to marinate and soak in extra flavor. Next, you’ll pile on beans, grains, and protein, followed by the greens and toppings of your choosing.

When you’re ready to enjoy, pour the salad into a bowl, then mix it up until the components are well distributed. You’ll find that the salad tastes fresh and full of flavor and that all the ingredients have retained their crispness and texture.

Check out this recipe below, for a Strawberry Spinach Salad, from damndelicious.net