037 : 023 Motus In Vis XV
Session 15
‘Dog Work’
Breathing ramp up Then...
In 15 minutes work to heaviest possible 20m front rack lunge *20m front rack walk after each attempt
Then...
20/15/10/5 burpees box vaults between each round perform- -25m suitcase carry
-25m suitcase carry
-25m duck walk carry Immediately into...
Max handstand hold (or FLR)
*attempt to establish a comfortable 4-1-4-1 breathing pattern
Then...
Walking or seated down regulation Until you reach a comfortable nasal: 4-6-8-0 breathing cadence.
The Ramp Up
3 rounds of-
5 x Triangle breathing 7:7:7:0 20 x Power breathing 1:0:1:0 1 x Full inhale
1 x Max hold
1 x Full exhale
1 x Max hold
The final part of this session may depend on lessons you’ve learned from performing this opening salvo over the last few months, so pay close attention to what the breath does, where it does it, and how you can influence it for the better.
Inhale, focus on filling from the bottom up; use your nose and breathe deep into the bottom of your trunk and lower back, before working your way up into your chest and then your upper back. Your rib cage should expand in all directions. For power breathing execute a quick but full and powerful inhale through your nose, then simply open your mouth wide and ‘dump’ the air out on the exhale. Get into a quick rhythm. After 20 reps perform 1 final full inhale through the nose, filling your trunk, and then hold. Pay attention to air hunger cues— little tremors, swallowing, fidgeting. Before they get too strong, perform a long exhale under control through your nose, completely emptying the tank, then hold until you feel strong air hunger. Return to triangle breathing and repeat for 3 rounds.
The Lunges
Mark out a 20m stretch in the fewest increments/ length you can. Take your barbell from the ground into the front rack position. Take a deep breath at the top of each rep, expand your torso in all directions. Wear a belt to create a tactile cue to ‘breathe into’ if you have one. Lunge forward
— control your back knees descent to the ground, but let it touch. Position your weight over your front foot and stand up explosively as you exhale. Take a deep breath at the top and repeat.
One breath per rep, pay attention to it, and how it helps to support your upper body and maintain tension. If it helps- visualise the breath as concrete, and your spine as rebar; pour the concrete all of the way down, feel it solidify and support the rebar as it works it way from bottom to top creating a solid structure.
After 20m of lunges, walk back (or cover another 20m) with the barbell still in the front rack position. Again— pay close attention to the breath and its relationship with your midline stability.
You’ve got 15 minutes: work heavy, work hard, have fun. Not necessarily in that order.
Box Vaults and Carries
If you have two boxes you can lash together, go high, this should almost be a climb. Other options to consider are a barbell set at chest height in a rack to vault over, or a yoke. If you only have one box, make it ‘upper body centric’, really pull yourself over explosively. ‘Running away from the authorities’ type explosive.
Find a good rhythm with your breath and stick with it. If you don’t want to find yourself trying to ‘catch your breath’ later, keep it on a short leash from the start.
Go as heavy as you possibly can on the carries: use the heaviest dumbbells/ kettlebells you have; lash two kettlebells together if you can; or use the gymnastics ring farmers handle ‘hack’ from previous weeks-
‘Run the straps from a set of gym rings through bumper plates, and strap the ring to the top to act as a handle. Repeat with another set of plates. I’ve gone over 100kg per hand using this method. It’s not perfect, but it’s a great way to unlock heavy farmers carries into your training and get away from marching around with 24kg kettlebells.’
Carry left, carry right, then carry between your legs with both hands.
Search for the sweet spot where neither the burpees, nor the carries are the ‘recovery’ portion. Keep the reigns on the breath throughout. This should be a consistent, doggish effort from start to finish. Keep the rest to the bare minimum.
The Handstand Hold/ Down Regulation
Immediately after your final set of vaults, kick up into a handstand hold: your goal here is to find equilibrium. To look for the stillness that’s already there. Focus on your breathing, wrap your attention around, meet it where it is, and gently nudge it into a slower, stiller place. The goal is to reach a long controlled inhale with a little bit of room at the top, followed by the same on the way out. If your shoulders give out before you reach this point, continue on either standing or seated. Aim to work towards a breathing cadence of 4-6-8-0 and spend as long here as you can spare.
