"Reverse Rest" and an answer to a question about progressive workouts :)

Today's workout is something that I've played around with before, but I've never posted a demonstration of it.  It's what I'm calling "Reverse Rest"!  My usual way of designing progressive work sets is that after you do a set amount of work, say 10 reps = 15 sec, you get to rest for the equal time of the work, which is 15 seconds.  20 rep = 30 sec work/rest, 30 reps = 45 seconds work/rest, 40 reps = 1 min work/rest, etc.  It's always worked fine, but it makes going from a set of 10 to a set of 40 challenging in it's own way.  Resting only 15 seconds before having to work or an entire minute is doable, of course, but more fun for some than it is for others :)



In the warm up sets I give you the extra rest before and after the first sets of 20 reps, mostly to give me time to explain this method to you. Then in between the 3rd and 4th round I lead you through the reverse rest progression, or maybe "regression" would be more appropriate.  The warm up does have slightly more rest than work, but I do believe it's still 160 swing reps, all with two hands, and it should take under 9-10 minutes.  Rest up, because when we get to the workout there's no "extra" rest, and by the time we get to part 2, last round, I actually lead you through less rest, by reversing back to my original way of timing work to rest intervals....enough explaining, now doing!  Enjoy :)



I also thought I'd take this chance to share with you a recent email question I received from Lori Storfer, who learned about my training via Heather Robertson's Half Size Me podcasts (look Heather up if you are interested in weight loss success stories!). Lori's question was about workout progressions;

"Hi Tracy, 
I bought and read your book and have been loving my swing workouts. Presently I am watching your YouTube videos and I'm up to workout 6. I want to buy your workout DVDs but I'm not sure which one to buy. Is there an order that the DVDs should be purchased/utilized? Also, how do the DVDs coincide with the YouTube videos? 
By the way, I learned of you via the 2 Half Size Me interviews you did. 
Thank you so much, 
Lori"

this was my answer;

"Hi Lori :)

Thank you so much for taking the time to email me :)  You ask a great question, and yes, there is a sort of progression to my workout dvd's, and I'm loving how you are thinking "progression"!  That's is absolutely the critical key to learning how to train yourself, never get bored by challenging yourself on a regular basis!

The first dvd I would suggest is Give and Take, then Top 40, or Give and Take 2 would come next.  Dirty 30 can be quite difficult as it includes some sets that are "more work, less rest", and the same with Side by Side.  Of course all of them would be more difficult if you did two, of the three, workouts back to back (they all include 3 workouts), but that could be said of The Swing workouts too!  I do have to add that Top 40, D30, include a joint mobility warm up (10 min) that I love, and a 15 min OTM beginners workout, similar to workout #1-4 of The Swing.

My Youtube videos are random :)  If I recorded every original workout I did it would equal over a thousand (and counting)!  When I record a video, mostly, it's my own training, and my own training is of course mapped out in advance progressively, but it would be almost impossible to put a thousand workouts in order.  The more you train with me the more the "groups" of progressions become obvious.  My group swing/kettlebell classes reflect where I am in my own training, which is how I'm able to "program" larger groups. 

For instance, lately I've been talking about a "rep theme". 10, 20 , 30 or 40.  This is all part of a new business I'm launching soon to help people program their own workouts, either using routines designed by me, or making up your own, but educating you about the process.

All the best, and keep swinging!

Tracy"

What a great question, huh?  You can find links to all of my DVD's right here on my blog in the left side bar.  And if some of you have trained to my dvd's and have an opinion based on your experience please share :)  Thank you all for your interest and support through all of these years :) I'm so lucky that I found this training and it never stops being fun for me.  It may not be fore everybody, but everybody can do it,or find something, some way of moving that inspires them to keep showing up!

"Consistency trumps intensity, all of the time"
-Mark Reifkind