Blog Archive

Before coming to MadLab, Nathalie Maurer was a Canadian national team rower. She made it all the way to the World Championships, and collected a couple of Pan American Games medals during her rowing career, as well.

With a master’s degree from UBC to her name, when she retired from rowing she moved on to pursue a career in engineering. For the first time in a long time, she found herself losing fitness rapidly.

“I was feeling unfit and missed the team and competitive atmosphere in my day-to-day life,” Maurer said. “I had a feeling functional fitness would be a good thing for me, but what I didn’t anticipate is the MadLab community and all of the new friends I would make.”

She has been with us since 2011 and says she’s a different person now than she was back then. And somewhere along the way, she has managed to turn herself into one of the most bad-ass women in the facility.

“I love the variety of experiences I’ve had while at MadLab—from competing in my first MadLab competition to competing at Regionals—my competitive spirit has been easily fulfilled,” she said, adding that she loves being part of a team. “Although we’re not always competing as a team in the strictest sense, there’s an extra push you get when there’s a person next to you working just as hard as you are,” she said.

But even more than fulfilling her needs as a competitor, Maurer has grown as a human being, and she credits this to the MadLab community, who accepts her unconditionally, including the coaches.

“The coaching I’ve gotten at Madlab has been some of the best I’ve ever received, and it’s not just coaching on lifting technique or pull-ups, it’s on lifestyle and health that’s been just as important,” she said. “I will keep walking through that door for years to come.”

I’ve used my broke-back story perhaps one or more times over the years (7 years as of September 18th). Some folk may infer to a sexual experience; however, when it comes to having sex with dudes, I’m a real dick-skipper.

I may have a legitimate patho-excuse (pathological reason of not doing something). Crushed vertebrae are no joke, no matter how you crack up. I may be missing 30% of my L1, but I have enough evidence to support, that does not primarily contribute to my low back pain. I love Mondays; my day off. I spend that day however I choose, sometimes, making up mobility programs and reading related research. I’m no saint, I love a good couch nuzzling; this, and more is the real culprit:

Sitting
Standing
Bending/Twisting
Hyperextension

This should be common knowledge for everyone. And if it isn’t, make it. Repetition is adaptation. We all fall into spirals of “uncontrollable” moments in time: study for or write exams in stiff slave tables; sit in hours of traffic listening to Vancouver’s horrible selection of radio; stand waiting for a passport renewal (“oh, sorry, you’re in the wrong line sir”); or empty the dishwasher after spending all day not doing anything pleasantly suggested by your girlfriend; not to mention, lifting like a dumbass. These overly repeated tasks add up and create pounds upon pounds of compressive force to the spine. The answer to reducing this is simple:

Create Stability – Neutral Dead Bugs. Bird Dogs. Bridges. Plank it out. And all that other fun stuff we teach you.

Decompress – Hang on a bar/band (Hang Traction). Support with your arms (Arm Support Traction). Small 10 second holds repeated 10-15 times for a lil’ release.

Switch It Up – Don’t do anything, anything, for more than 15 minutes without pulling the ol’ switcheroo. A boring sex-life is not recommended for sustainable spinal health .

and above all…

Stay Neutral – This is it. You want to strengthen all those “core” muscles? Let them do the job they were designed for.

Resisting:
Sitting
Standing
Bending/Twisting
Hyperextension

Don’t let them give. Keep them locked in place. If you think you’re tight enough, you’re probably not. 

If you think Russian Twists are a great core exercise; combine sitting, bending, and twisting. Use your brain.

Big Love,

The Chest

Wednesday Lesson Plan

Preparation: 10 minutes

A) Coaches Choice

B) Dowel Hinges 1×30

*Maintain 3 points of contact: Head, Upper Back, and Tailbone. Repeat if any contact is lost. 

Strength: 20 minutes

C) 10 Minutes to find Heavy Deadlift Single

D) Pause Deadlift 4x3x2s @ 50% of established single

*Coaches will set a timer for 10 minutes. Establish your heavy single for the day.
*Pause Deadlifts are performed: 4 sets of 3 reps – pause for 2 seconds a few inches off the floor. Contract the glutes hard, bringing the hip to the bar. Do not wrench the spine.

Conditioning: 15 minutes

“Super Hero With No Powers”

12 minute amrap:

1 rope climb
5 burpees
15 hollow rocks
25 double unders

And after a long wait, we are ready to Pre-Order MadLab HOODIES!

I wrangled Andy into being the hoodie model… here he is in both the Large (grey) and Medium (black) Men’s Alternative Apparel hoodies.

Andy said he’d probably go XL for a little more room… but you can see that the arm length is pretty legit for both L and M.  The colour we are ordering is the charcoal grey one Andy has on.

I’ve got on a Women’s Medium here:

And I’d probably go Large so that I can wear it over a few layers this Winter. (There will be a small amount of shrinkage once you wash these bad boys too…)

The Men’s cut has straight shoulders, while the Women’s has raglan style attachments–much more flattering for us strong-shouldered ladies.

The Logos:

Front:  (White Font, zipper in the middle)

Back:  (White and Blue Rings, White Font)

The Price: $55
Order-by Date: December 15th
Delivery Date: January 15th
Payment: Credit Card*, Cash or PayPal
*For CC, we will have a Square Reader set up on the front entry ipads. Any of the coaches can put through your payment with a quick swipe.
OR…

We will print up Gift Vouchers for anyone who wants to have something to open on December 25th.   (For those of you wanting tanks and Ts… we will do a Spring Swag run in a couple of months.)

~Squad

Tuesday Lesson Plan

Preparation: 10 minutes

A. Coaches Choice

B. Xiaopeng Forward 3×5/5

Strength: 15 minutes

Shoulder Press 6×3

*All sets performed at same weight. Begin this week at around 80% of your 1RM. Do not allow the wrist to sag back.

Conditioning: 20 minutes

6 Rounds for reps:

15s Single Arm DB Push Press 55/45/25
45s Rest
15s DB Leg Raise
45s Rest
15s Goblet Squats
45s Rest

*Alternate arms for push press every round. Use the same dumbbell for the following movements.