Blog Archive

Today is the BIG DAY!

The Talent Extravaganza starts at 8:30pm, with doors opening to schmooze and enjoy some Holiday Cheer at 7pm.   Silent Auction lots will be up all day… so get your bids in!

Some of the acts…
Caitlin, Ingrid, & Squad (yours truly) ~ A Classical Trio with Piano
Caroline, Kermit, Darren, & Cam ~ Ukrainian Dancing
Sarah K ~ Vocal Dancing
Venessa ~ Burlesque!
Featuring Tabata Scott & Patty ~ Comedy and Charisma all night long

Now, for your commenting pleasure (and maybe a little technique for the weekend workouts):

Friday Lesson Plan

Coaches Choice Prep and then…

“12 Days of Christmas”

1 Burpee
2 Turkish getups (20lbs/35lbs)
3 Cleans (85 lbs/135 lbs)
4 Box Jumps (20”)
5 Push-ups
6 Air squats
7 Sit-ups
8 Wallballs (12lbs/20lbs)
9 Double unders
10 KB swings (red/black)
11 Pull-ups
12 Mountain climbers

*This is performed just like the song:
On the first day of christmas my true love gave to me…1 burpee
On the second day of christmas my true love gave to me…2 turkish get ups and 1 burpee
On the third day of christmas my true love gave to me…3 cleans, 2 turkish get ups, and 1 burpee

Saturday Lesson Plan

Preparation: 15 minutes

Coaches Choice Snatch Prep

Strength/Skill: 15 minutes

Power Snatch 3×1.1.1

Conditioning: 15 minutes

“Dumbbell Double Trouble”

4 Rounds

15 Alternating DB Snatch 55/35
25 Double Unders

So you’re jammed with Christmas parties.  Every day and night till 2015, you are booked solid.

I feel ya.

What’s different about this one?  Why should you bother to brave the rain and the roads to come back to MadLab on Friday night?  I’ll tell you…  Talent.

Ask anyone who was at the EVGT party last year, it was amazing!  Singing, dancing, comedy, and clothing removal all in one place.

(dancing kitties doing a scene from ‘Mixed Nuts’)

(Bess Albrecht & her brother singing some SOUL)

(sorry, media blackout clause on Bronto…) 

This year…  well, I’ll give you a few hints:

Ethnic Dancing – A few of our Comp Team members will be flaunting their moves on the floor.  This time without the grunting and sweating and barbells.  I think you’ll be surprised.
Classical Music – Again, a few faces you may have heard can perform classically will pull together for a truly festive piece. (Morning crew… you’ll finally see what it is I do in my ‘other’ job.)
Comedy – I’ll leave this one on the DL….
Burlesque – Oh yeah, I said it! We may not get to see the Bronto do the Full Monty… but we will get an entirely different and beautiful dance from one of Sheppy’s talented clients.

No naming names now…

(last year’s winners were definitely a ‘dark horse’)

Post to comments who and what you’d like to see as a ‘Talent’ for next year’s EVGT event…

~Squad

Thursday Lesson Plan

Preparation: 10 minutes

A) Coaches Choice

Strength/Conditioning: 20 minutes

C) Shoulder Press 6×3

*Add weight (5 or so pounds) from last week.

D) “Russian Death-Match”

5 Minute OTM:

30 Heavy Russian Swings

Elite: 2p (72lbs)
Intermediate: 1.5p (54lbs)
Novice: 1p (36lbs)

*Good luck. 150 Swings is a pass. Anything less is a fail.

Skill: 20 minutes

18 minute otm. Trading off exercises:

6×1 Muscle Ups/Weighted Pull Up
6x15s Ring Support Top/Elevated Reverse Hand Plank
6x15s Ring Support Bottom/Push Up Bottom Hold

Last year, one of the hottest auction items went down to the wire in a bidding war: Golf, Dinner, & Drinks with Patty and Pup at the legendary Marine Drive Golf Club.  Formed in 1922, it is one of the most prestigious private golf courses in all of Canada.

Dan & Sheppy were literally wrestling each other to be the last to bid.  Turns out, Dan won, and insisted on taking Sheppy along for the experience.  Now that is the Holiday Spirit!  

Patty and The Pup have agreed to donate this unique experience again for this year’s auction.   They are each offering a round of golf, dinner, and drinks to a lucky bidder.  Your call on going together, or separately… but who’d want to miss seeing this:

Some of the Auction lots are posted on the bulletin board–casual polaroids with the donors and their wares.  There are some HUGE ones to come… (Stellar Canucks tickets from Dain Currie, and another set from Dave Eaton.)

Post to comments if you’d rather golf with both of these two, or separately… and why.  (Remember, Wendy is judging you on these…)  

~Squad

Wednesday Lesson Plan

Preparation: 10 minutes

Coaches Choice

Strength/Skill:

A) Weighted Power Box Jumps 5×2

B) Backsquat 5×2

*Add weight (5 or so pounds) to both Jumps and Squats.
*Maintain parallel landing height with Jumps.
*Maintain bar speed from last weeks squats.

Conditioning:

“Crawblets”

15 Right Arm KB Rack Front Squats
40m Bear Crawl
15 Left Arm KB Rack Front Squats
40m Bear Crawl
15 Goblet Squats
40m Bear Crawl

*Move swiftly.
*Begin all athletes in cluster at southeast corner of the gym. Bear Crawl in a loop around until returning to kettlebell station.

It’s a Clyde Christmas Special!

As the MadLab Community’s resident blogtress / self appointed Ombudsman / VP of the Nickname Committee & co-founder of the Free Radicals, I have happily contributed to this blog for almost six years.

It saddens me personally when there is a dip in the volume of comments. And there has been a noticeable dip of late. So here’s the deal:

For every thoughtful* comment written on this page, between now and Friday’s Silent Auction I, Right-Turn Clyde, will donate $1.00 to the LANYAR Foundation.

BRING IT

*as judged by yours truly.

Tuesday Lesson Plan

Preparation: 10 minutes

A) Coaches Choice

B) Wall Facing Handstand – gather 2min

Strength/Skill: 15 minutes

Power Jerk 4×3

Conditioning: 20 minutes

“Team Aaah Slam”

Teams of 2. Trading off rounds…
18 minute amrap:

250m Row
7 Shoulder to Overhead 95/65
7 Ball Slams 20/12

Don’t you love when people surprise you? When their energy and generosity leave you juiced to do MORE?

I met James Adkins this weekend, a renowned Canadian artist originally from Prince Rupert, and this guy left me JUICED! James grew up with one of our own MadLabbers, Geoffrey Last, who thought that James might connect with our Youth Warrior program.

And did he ever.

James sat and told me about his incredible journey through life–every kind of abuse, running away from home, living on the streets at Hastings and Abbot as a teenager, having his shoes stolen from him and still thinking, “There is someone out there in a wheelchair who would give anything just to feel cold feet on pavement right now. You are so lucky.”  

A marathon runner, hockey player, and lifetime gym rat, James felt an instant connection to our program, and a solid belief in our power to change lives.  “The high you get from accomplishing something intensely physical is something you can’t buy–it’s a better rush than anything out there.”, he said.

James currently lives in Key West, Florida.  He jet-sets around Canada, the US, and the world selling his art to galleries, jewellers, and collectors.  Take a look at his infectious smile below, and you’ll see how his motto, “The only person who can save you in this life, is you.” has served him well.

James donated one of his hand-made pieces of art, a sterling silver pendant that retails for over $700 at Hills Native Art Gallery, to our Silent Auction this coming Friday. In his words, “This is just the beginning.”

This is a gold version of the Wolf pendant, with diamonds in the eyes on sale at Hills.  Entirely hand carved, it takes James over 80 hours to complete.

Thank you to EVERYONE who has donated to the Silent Auction so far. I will be cruising around with a Polaroid camera to snap a shot of you with (or without) your prize this week. (Like the one above, of James, Geoffrey, and the pendant.)

Eunice and I will have the auction lots posted on the bulletin board by Thursday so that you can all take a look, and place a few early bids. On Friday, the auction lots will be on display and up for bidding from 7pm-11pm.

Come share some Holiday Wine and Cheese Cheer!
Be entertained by the East Van’s Got Talent showcases. 
And… get a bit of your Christmas shopping out of the way at the same time.

~Squad

Monday, Monday

Preparation: 10 minutes

A) Coaches Choice

B) Dowel Hinges 1×30

Strength/Skill: 25 minutes

C) 10 minutes to find Heavy Deadlift Double

D1) Pause Deadlift 4x3x2s @ 55% of established Double

D2) Pull Up Negative Iso 4x1x3p

Conditioning:

“Booty Blast Protocol”

20 Glute Bridges
45s Rest
20 Glute Bridges
45s Rest

Make sure everyone is caught up and then as a group…

10 Glute Bridges w/ 5sec Pause
20s Rest
10 Glute Bridges w/ 30sec Pause

Elite – 65lbs
Intermediate – 35lbs
Novice – Unweighted

*No gender separation.
*For every drop during the 30 sec pauses, you will receive a 20m walking lunge penalty; performed at the end of class.