Spring Training at Physiology First University: Week One
We’re excited to announce the addition of a daily training session to the Physiology First University platform. These aren’t just “workouts.” They’re part of a seasonal training cycle with a specific goal. Let’s talk about the first training session!
👣 First, train barefoot whenever possible. Training at PFU is focused on learning about our body. The 200,000 nerve endings in each foot serve as a intricate communication network between the body and the brain. Tune into the signals from your environment by removing barriers to sensation and remaining receptive to the power of your own body.
Second, you can find TONS of dynamic warmup options on the platform. Perform a full body dynamic warmup before we JAM on the written workouts.
A.) 15 seconds hard. 45 off. All nasal breathing. 5 rounds. Why? Introduce Co2 to lungs, increase heart rate, develop your ability to maintain nasal breathing at higher intensity levels. Also-neural drive. Get PSYCHED for the training session.
B.) 3x8 Romanian Deadlift. 4 box jumps in between. Why? RDL’s are a great place to practice and develop your hinge pattern. Unlike taking a bar off of the floor-an arbitrary placement-you can learn to control the relationship between your ribs and pelvis while respecting your available degree of hip extension…you should feel glutes and abs, not stretched hamstrings👌🏽 Plyos (jumps) are for power, not fatigue. The 4 between sets should be EXPLOSIVE🔥
C.) Put on a Tabata timer (available for free from apps like Seconds) and perform 20 seconds of jump rope with nasal only breathing. Rest for 10 seconds. Perform a 20 second out-and-back style sprint while slowly exhaling through the nose. You might not get far…but that’s ok. You’re building your tolerance to Co2 which is what allows your body to use Oxygen. Rest as needed and repeat each exercise 4 times for a fully 4 minute warmup.
D.) Pick dumbell’s that challenge you but don’t compromise form. We recommend renaming barefoot but elevating heels on a 10 pound weight plate or 1/4 inch riser to remain “stacked” and upright. If you’re sprinting outside it only takes a second to transition to shoes. If inside, learn to get comfortable with your feet on the pedals of a bike or foot pads of a rower. Begin this cycle with nasal only breathing and only return to mouth breathing by choice, deliberately, if you need to or simply want to push beyond your capacity for nasal breathing near the end of the workout.
E.) Abs and Arms.
Abs. Break out the Tabata timer again and perform 8 20 second rounds of foam roller deadbug.
Arms: 3x8 bicep curls and lateral raises. We’ll add reps and sets as well as additional upper body movements as the training cycle develops so that you see and feel the results of your efforts.
Looking forward to a killer season of learning and training, together!
David and Lex
