The magazine is packed with tons of great articles and in this months issue I outline seven workouts that will trun you into a fat burning fitness machine.

The workouts mentioned in the article are all various metcons that will give your training some much needed variety and a huge boost to your contitioning and fat loss.

In this tie in piece I will give you a video example of each metcon listed so you have a better idea on how to best structure these workouts for maximum effect.

So 3,2,1 lets go tigers!!

NOTE – for a detialed explaination of the workouts please buy a copy of the darn magazine and then watch the videos so you know where you’re at.

There are no breaks unless otherwise mentioned.

Greater fitness/conditioning = your ability to get more work done in less time. Each workout offers you the opportunity to test and retest your fitness/work capacity/conditioning or what ever you want to call it.

1. On the minute – set amount of work done on the minute every min. Duration is up to you

2. The chipper – selection of movements done back to back with each exercise typically done once. The lucky bag metcon

Example here and second here

3. The crossfit classic – any classic girls name Crossfit wod

E.g. Crossfit Cindy – 20mins as many rounds as possible of 5 pull ups, 10 push ups, 15 squats (start with 10mins if it’s your first time doing it)

4. The 10 – 10 reps of two movements done with no break and for 10 rounds.

Video below shows 15reps of deadlifts and push ups for 15reps but just make that 10reps

5. Tabata – 20secs on for as many reps possible 10secs off with 2-4 movements. Perfect home workout

6. The decent – 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1reps of 2-3 movements done for time. 21,18,15,12,9,6,3reps is another rep sequence I use quite a bit also. Two quit different workouts shown below.

10,9,8,etc below -

21,8,15etc below -

7. Death by – old school bleep test with a modern twist. An increasing number of reps done on the minute for as long as possible.

This workout features a crossfit legend – Mikko Salo.

So there you have it – seven workouts that will help you make the most of your training time in the gym and give your training the fitness and fat loss boost it needs.

I recommend that you pick 2-3 of these metcons (rotate between the 7 workouts) to be performed on your non-weight training days i.e. if you are doing strength work 2-3 days a week then do 2-3 metcons on the other days and perform some skill work and/or pre/rehab work before the metcon for 20-30mins. Skill work could take the form of olympic lifting, gymnastic exercies, work on rings, kettlebell movements,  just make sure that it’s not done to total failure. If you don’t have more time in your week to do metcons on seperate days then do strength work first and use the metcons as finishers.

Questions you have? Post below or mail me now on dominic@dominicmunnelly.ie

So without delay here you go, oh just before I get going I would like to thank all of you that regularly train with me or even support and share the work I do as it allows me to do what I like and like what I do, cheers!!

Note – these workouts are mainly metabolic conditioning (metcons) focused so if you have not done any workouts like this before please do not be surprised if they kick your ass and make you realise that you are not as ‘fit’ as you think you are. If you haven’t a clue what to do then ask questions and it might actually stop you from doing stupid sh1t in the gym like the girl below – don’t be that girl/guy!

Workout 1 -

5 rds of – 15 pull-ups, 200m run, 20wall balls.

1:1 work/rest.So if it takes 3mins to complete then rest 3mins

My slowest was 2.07mins,  quickest was2.03min finish = 18.40mins

Workout 2 –

3rounds of – 3 clusters at 60kg/135lbs (squat clean, thruster), 6 chest to bar pull ups, 9 ghr sit-ups x 3

Rest 1min between efforts.

Scores = 3.11min, 3.26min, 3.31min

Go get it if you dare and for the record it’s a really stupid idea to do high rep (15+ for rounds) glute ham raise (GHR) sit ups with pretty much anyone. Crossfit boxes should know better!

Workout 3 -

This one is perfect for you home exercisers as equipment needed =

1. a kettlebell

2. Not to suck as press ups

3mins AMRAP x 3 with 1min break  between rds of – 3 KB swings, 6 press ups, 9 squats

Got 6rds+ 3 swings on every effort.

Workout 4 –

More on the minute work. If in doubt go back to these type of workouts as you can get a ton of work completed in just 20mins

On the min 10mins 3 touch and go squat snatch 50kg & 25double unders (what do you mean you can’t do them yet!!)

5mins break -
Then – emotm 10mins 3 touch and go power clean 90kg & 3 hspu.

Wokrout 5 -

A kind of Crossfit Helen workout -

3rds of 400m run, 21 Chest to bar pull-ups, 275/120kg deadlift 12 reps = 11.54mins for me.

That’s all for now so give them a go and if you don’t have the required equipment or ability on any of the workouts just post a comment below and I can tell you how to adjust the workout accordingly.

Fainlly, your life path is determined by your attitude so continue to be awesome and never let the sheep pull you down.

Here are a few I have done over the past 1-2 weeks and a couple I put some clients through.

Keep in mind that almost all these workouts could act as a great way for you to test and re-test your ‘fitness’ or conditioning. You really should be getting tested regularly e.g. body fat, mobility, strength, conditioning etc. If you are not assessing then you’re guessing.

Workout 1 –

After some snatch practice (typically for me that’s on the min snatches, snatch complexes or straight sets of 2-3reps) I did the following -

On the min every min for 8mins – 3 power cleans and 3 bar muscle ups.

Bar muscle ups are a great movement to work on and another example of the importance of working on body weight movements.

Getting real tall on that full extension on her clean

Workout 2

5 rounds for time of 400m run and 7 squat snatches with 50kg = 12.31mins. The goal here was to keep the snatches touch and go (not letting go of the bar and setting it down) which was achieved but need to push harder on those runs!

10mins after this was -

16mins of – odd mins 90kg touch and go power cleans 3reps, even mins weighted dips with 20kg added weight.

I am always amazed at how many people work their ass off on trying to get a muscle up yet haven’t nailed down some nice and heavy weighted dips first. Might want to read this so – Muscle it up!!

Workout 3 –

Rowing workout today (try to put in a running, cycling or rowing only workout at least once a week)

This one is reallllllllllly simple and possibly why so many people aviod workouts like this, they hurt!

500m row x 6 rounds. Quickest was 1.39.0mins, slowest 1.41.2mins.

Working on getting all of these under 1.40mins.

Workout 4 –

Double chipper – two workouts done back to back with a 4mins break between them. Both are perfect for those of you training from home and do your best to keep up with Anna here in the videos. She lives in London but pops over to see me when she is back in Dublin.

Chipper 1 – 50 sit ups, 40 squats, 30 push press, 20 renegade rows, 10 burpees

Chipper 2 – 50 russian twists, 40 jumping lunges, 30 kettlebell swings, 20 press ups, 10 burpee lateral jumps.

Workout 5 –

Longer wod today which went as follows -

200m run between 21,18,15,12,9,6,3reps of wall balls to 12ft height, pull ups, ring dips and double the reps for the double unders.

Settle in and get it done type workout

workout 6

Last one for this post is today’s workout with was more snatching first. Yes it’s important to do them first when you are fresh. Right after I wanted to work on thrusters as have not been able to do them in over six weeks due to my elbow dislocation injury. Happy enough with end result of finishing the last 5 rounds with 80kg thrusters for two reps.

Can you hear the bar hitting my thighs on the squat clean part of the thruster? Well that’s kind of important so if this isn’t happening for you (same on snatches also) then it’s likely you are over pulling with your arms or not fully extending. Not ALWAYS the case but something I see all the time in people working on the olympic lifts.

That’s all for now folks so hope I have given you some ideas and direction for your training. Remember to post comments or questions below

Here are a few wods (workout of the day) or metcons for you to try if you want to ramp up your conditioning in fun and varied ways.

WOD 1 –

While we were away on holidays last week I was lucky enough to find an outdoor gym area which had plenty of bars for pull ups, dips, press ups etc.

As you can see in the picture above it was quite busy when I ran there (2km run there and back every day) and I typically ended up doing something along the lines of a Crossfit Cindy type workout -

5 pull ups, 10 press ups, 15 squats, 20 double unders x 10 rounds.

On other days I move with no real urgency between toes to bar, dips and strict pull ups or parallel grip pull ups again for about 10 sets.

Keep in mind that going on holidays will always involve some kind of treats so get out and move every day to maintain your progress rather than coming back feeling like you need another holiday! On average we also walked about an hour every day visiting places and going out for meals.

WOD 2 –

I was back to Crossfit Ireland where I was able to get my olympic lifting on and as I am still recovering from a elbow dislocation on my left elbow I was happy to hit the following -

On the odd mins do 3 touch and go squat snatches, on the even minutes do 10 ring dips for 20mins.

The above is an excellent way to work on getting in some volume on movements you need some work on e.g. I often see women really stuggle with full length press ups and pull ups so you could pick a rep range you think you can hit every minute and pair off with another movement that will ramp heart rate up e.g. kettlebell swings, battling rope, lateral box jumps etc. Just keep in mind that it’s volume work so if you are really struggling to hit your reps after the fist 5mins then you have picked the wrong weight or rep range.

5mins after the above wokout I did the following one -

120kg deadlift 5reps, 10 over the bar burpees, 50 double unders (rest same time it takes to do each round) x 4 = slowest 1.22mins, quickest 1.13mins.

On the above workout the goal is to really put you into theat high lactate zone where you are fending off the rising lactate levels right throughout the double unders. If you can’t string double unders together well then I would suggest doing 20 lateral box jumps on to and over a 12-16inch box or simply jump over a kettlebell. The reason for this is that if you spend 1-3mins trying to get all 50 double or even if it was just 20 double unders then you are not getting the training effect we are looking for because your heart rate is going to drop as you keep failing the double unders.

WOD 3 –

Recovery wod with a friend today and delighted he wanted to do something light so we ended up doing the following -

400m run, 5 pull ups, 10 press ups, 15 squats, 5 KB swings 32kg, 10 dips, 15 walking lunges x 7 rounds = 27mins.

I wanted the session to be in that 30mins range so was happy enough to potter along at a comfortable pace for the 27mins. My friend on the other hand died a little when I told him at 19mins we were just over half way!! For me the above session is going to put me in that 60-65% effort zone and I wouldn’t feel sore the next day from it. If that’s not the case for you then scale the reps down so you can keep moving for about 30mins.

Lesson for my friend = learn to go long. He is so used to going heavier and for shorter time in his workouts but needs to build his ability to be comfortable at a medium heart rate. You should have this ability also.

WOD 4 –

Happy to be back doing cleans today and did some light ones after some light power snatches at 75kg. Injured elbow still not quite there but was happy the cleans were not hurting my arm at all. However, I caught the bar a little off when doing some push presses and jerks as you can see the redness on the right collar bone. Need to keep the chest up more when lowering the bar!

The wod after this was -

400m run, 21 wall balls, 12 handstand press ups x 3 rd = 10.39mins for me.

This should be a sub 10mins workout for me but my handstands let me down so need to get more tips from my handstand walking wife on these! Swap the above for Crossfit Helen - 400m run, 21 KB swings, 12 pull ups x 3rds, if wall balls and handstand work are not an option for you. Keep in mind that the goal time range for this is about 8-12mins so if you think it will take longer than that for you scale down the reps on the KB swings and pull ups. The time range is important otherwise all your workouts can end up in the same time range rather than pushing you to work different energy systems work e.g. the deadlift, burpee, double under workout should FEEL a heck of alot more painful than the above wod.

Hope this throws up a few options for you and if I already program for you and you want to drop the wod I have planned for you and put in one of the wods from above then feel free to do so.

Keep on keeping on.

“There is time for competition and there is time for training, don’t try to do both at the same time”. This was something said in passing by our Olympic lifting coach some weeks ago. Competition is pushing for maxes, going really heavy etc and training is the accumulation of those 10,000hrs you need for any movement to become automatic and optimal performance when IN competition.

Pure power shown from Chad Vaughn (2 time olympian – video attached)!

It really made me sit up and think about structuring my training more tightly so I could derive the most out of my olympic lifting sessions as I see this as the cornerstone of my training due to the massive carry over that it has to almost every other movement we have to do in crossfit e.g. is that 50kg overhead squat you have to do for 10reps going to feel more comfortable when you are snatching 100kg? Are you going to be more powerful when you have a 140kg squat clean? There are lots of other examples as to how the snatch and clean and jerk benefit so many other aspects of fitness. This is why over the past 3-4 months I have worked hard (at times too hard and way too eager to increase the weights!) on these two lifts and not just doing junk workouts that are not addressing my needs.

Today brought more practice on my drop snatches which are helping me get in a more balanced position when I catch the snatch. I was pushing this up too much over the past month so went light today doing the following – 1 full squat snatch, 1 overhead squat, 3 drop snatches (snatch balance), doing 5-6 sets at 50-60kg.

Here is a good video by Coach Burgener on this very topic -

Plenty of impressive training snatching going on in this Cal Strength vid -

Knowing that I have a snatch max test on monday I was tempted to do a heavy deadlift and muscle up workout but know that the deadlifts would make complete sh1t of my snatch come monday. I opted for the following -

25 GHR sit ups

1 muscle up

20 GHR sit ups

2 muscle ups

15 GHR sit ups

3 muscle ups

10 GHR sit ups

4 muscle ups

5 GHR sit ups

5 muscle ups

This was a www.crossfit.com workout posted up on the mainsite some days ago. Here’s a video from two of the top crossfit guys in the world performing the workout.

I finished in a time of 4.48mins for this wod. Keep in mind there is a big difference between doing muscle ups fresh and doing them tired. In workouts I never use a false grip on muscle ups as find it quicker with a true grip.

About 15mins after this I went into the following -

3 rounds of 5 pull ups, 10 press ups, 15 squats, 20 double unders – break 2mins, repeat twice more aiming to keep the time it takes you to do 3 rounds within 5-10secs. Finish times for me were 2.58mins, 2.54mins, 2.35mins. Double unders are like muscle ups – your’s might look great when you are fresh but when you start to tire we’re going to really see how locked in you have those movements and how relaxed you can stay under pressure. I find workouts like the one above a great way to keep your hand in on basic gymnastic movements and most people with these basics down could attempt this workout.

Get your gymnastic and olympic lifting movements down and you are going to be way ahead of the game when it comes to crossfit workouts. Keep ignoring holes in your game e.g. tight hips/shoulders, lack of basic strength etc and you will end up A) injured or B) frustrated with lack of progress. I still keep most of my workouts leaning towards crossfit football programming with a +30mins runs thrown in almost every week and light 20mins runs I have to do with clients almost every single day (at times twice a day).

Hope your own training is going well and let me know if you try any of the above workouts. Remember to post and share the articles. All the best.

Kind of felt like Banana man with my massive box of bananas!!

What do you mean you don’t know who Banana man (80′s essential cartoon viewing) was!! Here you go so.

I enjoy doing this every year and always end up giving some bananas to the kids of parents that were thinking ‘dam, that’s a good idea’, as you can see how the children just love giving them out and cheering everyone on. So if you did the marathon or know of someone that ran the marathon and are feeling the effects today I highly recommend that they have a quick look over the following articles to help them A) run more efficiently (maybe someone you know didn’t make it to the starting line due to injury?) and B) recover quicker so they can stop walking like a cowboy!

5 ways to fater workout recovery

Running – making it light free and easy

Congratulations to all those that finished and as I have mentioned before on this site I hope that running forms just one component of a balanced training program.

Remember to link and share to all those you know in need of some rapid recovery!

Not so sure this was on offer yesterday?

Larry McMahon is the photographer and you can have a look around his site and blog which is just packed with cool and beautiful work.

Here are a few taken from the shoot and hope you like them.

Note - they are not super high quality as don’t have the originals just yet.

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At times when I am working with a new client on certain movements they might say something along the lines of “you make it look so easy.” Well folks is hard Goddam work making it look so easy.

Dominic making it look easy with his six shooter!

Yes a single leg deadlift with a 12kg kettlebell might look easy when I demonstrate it for a beginner but of course it’s easy when you have spent the tough days, weeks and months working on the movement to the point where you are doing it for reps using 80kg+

The importance of consistency when it comes to achieving any goal cannot be overstated as it is during the times of hard work that the seeds of success start to grow. I remember once I was listening to a personal development audio track on success where a professional concert pianist was chatting to an admirer who said ”I would do anything to play as well as you”. The pro pianist simply answerer the admirer by saying – “No, I am sorry but you would not because if you knew how much effort and practice went in to playing this well you would not ask that question”.  This is no different to the goal many people have of getting in good shape i.e. it’s going to take much more than talking about it and requires consistent application of training right, working your mobility, paleo/primal nutrition and controling cortisol levels through adequate sleep and managing stress.

Today I did a workout that was five rounds of sled pushes (100kg) for 20m, 2 power cleans (90kg), 3 muscle ups, 15 glute ham raise sit ups, 30 double unders, completed in 16.25mins. This is a workout I would sreiously struggle to get through a year ago but it went pretty ok today with unbroken muscle ups, power cleans and GHR sit ups. Did I mention that those cleans are easier now that I use an olympic lifting coach twice a week and have worked hard at getting consistent muscle ups not using a false grip (the false or turned grip makes the movement easier).

30 no false grip muscle ups

Last week I had five clients over from London for one to one sessions. Some of them I had worked with before and some were new. These clients valued good coaching and just needed the kick up the butt and the process of working on a new program to help them stay on track or become more vigilant in getting in their sessions. I work with lots of clients all over the country like this that come to see me every 5-6 weeks for new programs and it is the act of coming back that spurs them on to further success with the change in their training, outlining new targets for them to hit and new movements for them to master. I see myself as a personal trainer that aims to get the best out of my clients by becoming and acting out the change they want to see in themselves. So next time you might watch one of my videos or see me post up my workout on facebook (Like my facebook business page here)  please keep in mind that it’s hard work making it look so easy but you too will make it look easy to others when you remain consistent and enjoy every step you take from week to week towards looking and feeling your best.

To close I give you the words of the great basketbell legend that is Michael Jordan.

On maybe your just making excuses

Oh and when you are sleeping just remember I am out there working to stay one step ahead.

Post your comments or suggestions on how to stay consistent below.

If you are looking to improve on any aspect of your health or fitness then it will always come back to consistently doing the simple things over and over again or as Malcom Gladwell puts it in his book The Outliers – get your 10,000 hours in early.

Dominic getting in some of his 10,000hrs of training

From the 3rd to the 5th of June next month I will compete in the European regionals of the Crossfit games in the Reebok stadium in Bolton which is just outside of Manchester in the UK. The purpose of the competition is to provide a proving grounds to find the fittest guy, girl and team on the planet. If you are unaware of the Crossfit games then this video will get you up to speed right away.

Over the past six weeks myself and my fellow competitors have completed one workout every week which has given me an overall ranking of 27th in Europe right now. As one of the top 60 guys in Europe right now I have constantly focused on simplicity.

Every week I make sure that I foam roll, stretch, maintain good mobility, strive to get a little bit stronger or more efficient at certain movements, get enough sleep and improve my work capacity i.e. can I get more work done in less time. However, go to ANY gym or open ANY magazine that discusses fitness or weight loss and the focus is NEVER on simplicity. It quite often focuses on ‘diets’ or overly complicated training programs that most people have not earned the right to do. When I deal with new clients I want to see that they can do the simple things well. Simple is doing a press up, swinging a kettlebell, putting stuff over their head, squatting, lunging, holding a plank position, jogging/running, skipping etc. Simple is also having good enough mobility that you can get into these positions safely and doing what you are told so you do NOT need someone like me standing over you in every single session holding your hand to do basic movement patterns.

An excellent trainer is one that can explain things simply and does not need to resort to the complex to help you understand where and what you need to work on. As the great trainer Mike Boyle said “there are too many intelligent asshole trainers (guys/girls who have great knowledge but can’t get the message across to clients) out there failing as trainer because they have no communication skills and make things too complicated.

The fitness industry just loves to make things comlex. Wheter its certain foods or nutrition approaches, training systems or weight loss products and want to make things scientific sounding so you the customer feel that you are missing out and THIS must be the answer to your weight loss problem. The harsh reality is that getting in good shape or heck qualifying for the Crossfit regionals comes down to doing the basics over and over again until they become part of what and who you are.

From a nutrition perspective I ask you – are you overweight and need to drop some or a lot of weight? Then the answer is staring you right in the face – your food quality is way off and you are eating too much. Everything I wrote in my Fat loss 101 article is there for you to read and help you finally nail down your nutrition. These rules are no different for me as they are for you and am I in the top 60 in Europe right now because my nutrition is better than others? I would say absolutely, yes. I’m going to optimize my recovery, my body fat levels will stay low and ideal nutrition allows me to fuel correctly for my multiple workouts.

Here is one of the top female competitors discussing her Crossfit experience. Note her comments on pushing herself because there are going to be lots of times you don’t wish to eat right or go train but you must remember that you only grow and develop in the hard times NOT the easy times.

I have about four weeks to the European regionals where I will do battle with guys that may or may not have focused on doing the simple things consistently and all I can do is focus on working on my weaknesses (of which there are many), staying injury free and enjoying training. To close I would like to share with you another inspiring Bruce Lee quote -
“Ever since I was a child I have this distinctive urge for expansion and growth. To me, the function and duty of a quality human being is the sincere and honest development of one’s potential”.

Are you working on developing your potential and keeping things simple or are you looking for the answer in the complex and taking one step forwards and two steps back?

Tom Peters is one of the greatest business and inovative thinkers I have ever gone to see live and have learned so much from him over the years that has helped me grow and develop a very successful business. Please note that reading business related content without application means you are still running a hobby NOT a business.

So I hope you enjoyed the vid and back to the old training stuff that I did this week.

Monday – 20mins run in the morning and then worked up to a 200kg deadlift for 3 reps and was doing some band standing one arm rows and weighted chin ups (35kg for 3-5reps) between sets to help with a slight shoudler issue I have (focus of this week was to get that back to it’s best). I finished that session with a tabata deadlift at 100kg and and chest to bar pull ups (20secs as many reps on one movement, 10sec rest then 20sec on the other movement x 8 rounds) in which I got 133reps without too much effort as i was worried the chest to bar pull ups would hurt the shoulder.

Tuesday - 30min running in the morning with clients and then I did Crossfit Annie (50,40,30,20,10reps of double unders and sit ups) 6.17mins with ease and was goofing about with the two others I train with while doing this as a warm up. We went on to do some sandbag step ups, battling ropes, barbell chops, toes to bar and one arm overhead pressing. Not metcon pace and more strength focused.

Wednesday – more running with client at 7am for 20mins then at 12pm I did a rowing wod

Rowing – 5min x 2 with 2mins recovery – 1386m average
then (2mins after you finish the 5min row) -
1min x 5 with 30secs recovery – 301m average

I then went out to East Coast Barbell for some coaching (will be doing quite a bit of this) on my olympic lifts as I have lots to work on here. Picked up many faults and delighted with the help from them.

Thursday – Did more band rows while working up to a 127.5kg front squat and 8 rounds of 24kg sandbag shuttle sprints.

Friday – 20mins run with client in the morning and then a mixed session of KB snatches, walking lunges (24kg kettlebells), strict chin ups, double unders (30-50 unbroken reps) with eyes closed just so I can feel the movement a little better and not try to blast through it. Light day really.

My body is built by Crossfit!

Saturday - hit a 120kg power clean but it still needs so much more work! Stripped the plates down right after and went straight into a metcon -

5 rounds for time of 5 reps 90kg power cleans, 10 press ups, 20 double unders – 5.32mins

Taking Sunday off now so have been doing plenty of stretching and foam rolling as you might guess!