Jill Sprague (Jill Andrews), IC’s undercover powerhouse and NCAA champion gymnast, is a two-time Pac-10 Gymnast-of-the-Year and Inductee to UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame. She joined the IC in hopes of revisiting some of those old skills again. She quickly discovered that she can still do all kinds of fancy things like an L-sit while performing full ROM dips. This week she surprised everyone by doing nearly 20 double-unders in a row. If she continues at this pace, she just may qualify for the Olympics again!

Kelley Hinds demos proper technique for the barbell snatch.

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1. Kelley starts from the scoop position (bar above knees).

2. Extend ankles, knees, and hip simultaneously (triple extension). Shrug shoulders while raising elbows high towards the outside.

3. Pull body underneath bar while it travels upward.

4. Land firmly in the overhead squat position.

Miriam has only been training at the Ice Chamber since January 2007. In that short amount of time, she has lost nearly 15 pounds of body fat and gained over 2 pounds of muscle. Sounds easy, huh? The reality is that Miriam trains hard 4-5 times per week! As a result, she has greatly improved both her physique and her running time in preparation for an endurance event this summer.  We suspect this is only the beginning of many great things to come for Miriam!

One month ago, I vowed to share my post-baby weight loss struggles with you. What was I thinking? Not only are basic movements like body rows and leg assisted pull-ups extremely difficult, everyone I know and love continues to shower me with irresistible goodies straight out of grandma’s kitchen. As if having a c-section wasn’t going to be hard enough…

The good news is that running and uphill walking feel totally manageable. The bad news is that Mateo is in the 96th percentile of the heaviest babies in the country so every time I put him in his sling, he feels 10 pounds heavier. I guess this is the karma I deserve after torturing so many of you on this very same hill.

I’m now making secret appearances at the IC in order to train privately. I’m too afraid that you’ll take one look at my midsection and ask that dreaded question every new mom fears, “When is the baby due?” …or worse, you’ll ask Steve behind my back. Perhaps once I’m able to swing Momma Bell again (that’s Baby Bell down there folks), I’ll feel courageous enough to show my face. But until then, here’s a sneak peek at humility in action.

Here’s your chance to set a benchmark on the ‘erg …and beat it! Between now and June 22nd, jump on the rower and test your best time on the 1000 meter sprint. Log your first time trial to the comments section of this post.

During the last week of June, you will have an opportunity to defend your record or break it. Once you have completed the race, come back to this post and log your second time trial to the comments section.

Between now and then, feel free to practice on the ergs before class.

IC T-Shirts will be awarded to the male and female rowers that come closest to (or beat) our record holders Josh and Sara.

0700 is perhaps the best at “attention!” Tell us something you learned the last time you were in this predicament.

3 names = -1 burpee

Go ahead, make my day…

The muscles of your posterior chain — which include the erector spinae, glutes, and hamstrings — play a vital role in good weightlifting mechanics (squats, deadlifts, cleans, etc.).

Keep them strong and flexible so that they’ll be there when you need them.

More fun with the custom built tire sled…

Need we say more?

Our custom built tire sled is a training tool for endless amounts of sport and job specific exercises.

In this scenario, the tire sled provides resistance for James to simulate the mechanics of a double leg take down (wrestling). In order to move the sled across 100 meters, James must generate enough power to drag 50 lbs. of dead weight across concrete with each shot.