Lean Lifting with RedBlack Gym
As usual, I was traveling the night (and the two weeks) prior to my KMB workout. Waking up early the that morning wasn’t exactly what I had originally planned but, since there was a tight deadline for Austin Fit Magazine, I was up early and heading to Austin to see what was in store for me. Since August 13, I’ve been living in Universal City just north of San Antonio with my new hubby, so it was up and out the door early to avoid traffic to make the 9 a.m. workout with Jen Shaw and her group of Lean Lifting fit ladies.
I arrived easily enough and, yes, was awake! I was intrigued with the workout and looking forward to learning the moves as I have been reading more about Olympic lifting as a way to increase my speed and strength for sprinting. Sprinting is a huge part of me; I’m competing in the Master’s Track and Field division with my first big meet of the year in March 2013. So I’ve been focusing my training and time solely on what will increase my technique and ability for the sprints. With all this in mind, I was quite excited to have a trainer help put me through some lifts and make sure I have the form down so I could continue on my own.
Jen had a great beginning circuit for us that completely warmed up our entire bodies. After the warm-up section, we moved into the lifts, which included descriptions like “clean,” “hang to clean,” and “jerk” (I love the names; they make me giggle). To make sure my form was correct, Jen kept my weight light, increasing it slightly as I became more comfortable. The other ladies in the class were all moving fast and knew exactly what was happening so Jen could take extra time with me and critique each set/rep for me. I believe it’s critical to get these lifts down correctly and learn to use the hips and momentum to lift heavier weights properly.
Jen has an easy but motivating way about her coaching and I thoroughly enjoyed my hour attending her class at RedBlack Gym. I would absolutely love to go back and try the workout again, though this may be harder now since my move from Austin. So I will be working on these movements at home, incorporating them into my routine (hopefully) at least once a week. My only regret was that I wore orange instead of red.
Thanks, Jen, for some new movements that will complement my track endeavors! Ladies, be sure you check out her Lean Lifting classes for some variety in your workouts…I promise you will not regret it!
WORKOUT
RedBlack Gym
5126 Burnet Rd. | Austin, TX 78756
(512) 507-6450 | www.redblackgym.com
Lean Lifting by Jen Shaw
Warm-up:
Dynamic Drills: high knees, butt kicks, lunges, push-ups, squats
Band work: Lateral band walks
Workout: (3 rounds)
2x prowler sprint (50 lbs on sled)
9-7-5 push-ups/squats
2x prowler sprint
9-7-5 sandbag ground to overhead/sandbag lunges
2x prowler sprint
Barbell Complex:
3 cleans
2 hang power cleans
1 push jerk (increase weight each set)
Finisher:
Every minute on the minute for 8 minutes:
3 clean and jerks with heavy weight
5 box jumps
Special thanks to my sponsors: Hair Goddess (hairgoddess.net) for continual great hair design
CryoStudio of Austin www.cryostudioofaustin.com
Orange “I train like a Girl” tank and Naked Capris from http://belezabrazilclothing.com
