Seaburg's Program

[John Seaburg]

My main goal is to improve/maintain health. I'm just starting an emphasis on VO2 Max. I usually workout every other day.


8/19/08

This was my first serious workout after a week off. It took about 40 minutes.

1000 meter row warm up
Clean and Jerk: 95, 115,135,155lbs x 2
Kettlebell Intervals: 20/10 x 4 with 28kg snatches and swings
Tire flips: not sure on the weight... did one set of 6
Sledge hammer slams on tire: One set of 20 (10 each side)
Rope undulation variations: 2 sets of 30 seconds each
Seated DB shoulder press: 55lb DBs one set of 10
Hanging straight leg raises: One set of 10

My post workout meal (about 40 mins after) was grass fed sirloin steak and organic baby spinach.

[John Nguyen]

Good to have you posting here.
I'm envious that you have a sledge hammer to slam on the tire.
the closest I get to that exercise is with a bat and a television.

[John Seaburg]

The sledge hammer is pretty cool. Great ab workout. The rope undulation moves are the ones I need to work on. 30 seconds of that feels like forever.

[John Seaburg]

Pre workout meals... Lamb salad and whole milk about two and 1/2 hours before. A few walnuts 30 minutes before.

Easy 10 minute row
Dynamic warm up: high knees, heel kicks, skips, a few short sprints
Softball for one hour (shortstop)


For me, a softball game can be anything from standing around and doing next to nothing to running several sprints and diving all over the place. If I'm pitching and/or getting on base several times it can feel like a decent workout. Tonight was closer to standing around and doing next to nothing.

[John Seaburg]

Walk/jog to pedestrian/bike bridge

Hill/Vault/Bridge intervals x 4:
- one of my favorites
- combining hill sprints with agility/parkour
- aprrox 40 seconds up/ 80 seconds down
- last effort got my heart rate up to 95% of max

Walk back to my garage gym

Back squat/ Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift combo:
- 95lbs x 5/ 45lb DBs x 5, 135lbs x 6/ 60lb DBs x 6, 165lbs x 7/ 90lb DBs x 7

Ring Dips: + 40lbs x 10, + 20lbs x 12

Pull ups: + 40lbs x 10

Hanging leg raises: One set of 12




Post workout meal: 3 scrambled eggs and baby spinach

[John Seaburg]

Got in a real easy swim then a few hours later did a light workout...

Pull ups: BW x 0, +20lbs x 20 reps

Flat DB Press: 45s x 10, 60s x 10, 80s x 5, 90s x 8



I just felt like doing something active today without wearing me out. Tomorrow will be a bigger workout

[John Seaburg]

Today's main goal was to boost hormones like testosterone and HGH. I usually do a workout like this once a week where I focus on full body strength and power movements. Sometimes, I'll use heart rate to determine the reps, sets and recovery. I didn't have my HR watch today, so I kept the reps in the 5-8 range, for the most part, and rested 45-60 seconds between sets and 3-4 minutes between exercises. I believe this type of structure gives me the best chance of reaching my goal.



Pre workout meal: 3 scrambled eggs about two hours before and a few walnuts 45 minutes before.



Hang snatch: 4 sets of 5 reps at 95lbs with :45 rest

Power clean/push press/snatch balance/overhead squat:
- 4 sets of 3 PC, 1 PP, 1 SB and 3 OHS at 125lbs with :60 rest

Tire flips: 2 sets of 8 with some jump in/outs mixed in

Romanian deadlift: 4 sets of 6 reps at 185lbs with :60 rest

Military press: One set of 11 reps at 105lbs



Post workout meal: Lamb salad about 40 minutes after the workout

[John Nguyen]

Power clean/push press to over head squat:
- 4 sets of 3 PC, 1 PP, and 3 OHS at 125lbs with :60 rest



Are the overhead squats performed with a clean grip (after the push press)?

[John Seaburg]

I wish I had the flexibility to perform full range of motion overhead squats with a clean grip. I edited my last post to read...

Power clean/push press/snatch balance/overhead squat

So, I used a snatch width grip. By the 3rd ad 4th set the snatch balance was more of a heaving press out.

I've been reading a few interesting debates, lately about the merits of overhead squats. Many people seem to think they aren't very usefull for performance goals. I believe they have a place in a workout aimed at overall health. I also hate doing front and back squats for some reason, so overhead tends to be my squat of choice.

Any thoughts?

[John Nguyen]

Overhead squats are great, but they aren't the single best exercise as many people would tell you. The upper body gets a great workout, but it's too quasi-isometric for there to be optimal athletic development. The trunk gets a great stabilization training effect, though.

John, perhaps you don't like the back and front squat as much as the overhead squat because the weight typically used for the OHS is less? Or you prefer the greater number of muscle involvement in the OHS (even if the magnitude of involvement is not as high)?

[John Seaburg]

[QUOTE=
John, perhaps you don't like the back and front squat as much as the overhead squat because the weight typically used for the OHS is less? Or you prefer the greater number of muscle involvement in the OHS (even if the magnitude of involvement is not as high)?[/QUOTE]

People tend to do what they're good at and avoid what they're not so good at. I'm no execption. Compared to most people, I'm better at overhead squats and Romanian deadlifts than I am with front/back squats and regular deadlifts. I try to force myself to work on my weaknesses (anything quad and glute dominant) but the temptation is always there to give in and do something I'll have more fun with (upper body dominant).

As long as I'm getting in full body exercises that require a decent amount of effort and athletic ability, I feel like I'm doing my job. A typical week will include; power cleans, overhead squats, hill sprints, kettlebell swings and snatches, RDLs, dips, rope climbing, pull ups, military presses rowing, softball or basketball. I'd like to add more gymnastic and boxing/martial art related skills someday.

[John Seaburg]

No softball game tonight...

Warm up: Kettlebell variations, lateral hurdles, short sprints

Main event:
- 50 push ups
- 5 minutes reverse on an elliptical trainer: averaging 130 watts
- 50 push ups
- 5 minutes of rowing: averaging 200 watts
- 50 push ups
- 5 minutes forward on the elliptical: averaging 120 watts

The whole thing took about 18 minutes. The goal was to keep my heart rate at or above anaerobic threshold (approx 167 bpm) for 8 minutes. I ended up doing at least 10 minutes in that zone. I wasn't trying to get my heart rate super high, but it got up to 98% of max during the row, which was a little surprising. Even more surprising was how "easy" the push ups were, since I haven't been doing any push ups in the past 2 months. I have been doing lots of dips, though.


Cool down: 15 hanging straight leg raises


Post workout meal: Mixed greens salad with roasted turkey

[John Seaburg]

Played pick up basketball for the first time in ages tonight. I felt like I was in decent shape but the skills weren't quite there. I ran up and down the court enough to change my workout plans for the weekend. Instead of running nasty hill intevals tomorrow I'm going to take the day off and do them on Sunday.

[John Seaburg]

I squeezed in a short workout at Belgatos Park in Los Gatos today. I love/hate running the steep hill that starts near the parking lot. I've yet to find a better hill for 20-60 second sprints. Anyone know of any nasty hills near FIT?

Today, I ran two short burst interval sets and one longer sprint/run/jog. For the intervals, I started in the parking lot and ran hard for 20 seconds... then walked back down the hill for 10 seconds... then sprinted back up for 20 seconds...


Hill warm up: walked half and down, walked jogged 2/3 and down
Hill Int #1: 20/10 x 3
about 4 minutes to walk down and rest
Hill Int #2: 20/10 x 4
about 3 minutes to walk down, no rest
Hill sprint: about 1:05 from sign to sign


I'll usually finish a Belgatos workout with some pull ups, ring dips or kettlebell skills but I just didn't have enough time today. Since my main fitness goal is to improve V02 Max, I focused on the 20/10 intervals.

[John Seaburg]

I finished up the exercises I didn't have time for yesterday and added a few more things. I've been getting away from my normal every other day workout schedule, lately. I'm going to try to get back on it starting this Wednesday.

2 1/2" thick rope climbing (about 15' up)
- 1st climb: with feet up and down
- 2nd climb: without feet up, with feet down
- 3rd climb: without feet up and down
- 4th climb: without feet up, with feet down
- 5th climb: with feet up and down

Pull ups: +40lbs x 8 reps

Bar Dips: +40lbs x 22 reps

Pulling 32kg kettlbell across grass with rope:
- 1st pull: 25'
- 2nd pull: 50'
- 3rd pull: 25'


Post workout meal: Lamb chops and lightly cooked spinach

[John Seaburg]

Softball game: I pitched, got on base four times and scored two runs so, it was a decent workout. The next time I pitch, I'm going to try to wear my heart rate monitor to get an idea of the effort level.

[John Seaburg]

My softball game was cancelled tonight, so I started to workout. While doing some warm up clean and jerks, I still felt sore from the last softball game, two days ago. I decided to bag the workout and do it tomorrow instead. This will give me two days of rest. Maybe, I'll feel stronger?

[John Seaburg]

After taking two days off, I really felt great during this workout. The clean and jerks felt the best... more snap, more speed than normal.

Clean and Jerk: 4 sets of 3 reps with 135lbs
Row Intervals: 20/10 x 4: 107m, 105m, 103m, 101m
Sledge hammer slams: 15 on right side, 15 on left
Romanian deadlifts: 2 sets of 7 with 205lbs
Military press: 6 reps with 115lbs, 6 reps with 95lbs

I rested 50-60 seconds between sets and 3-5 minutes between exercises. This was the best workout I've had in a while.

Post workout meal: Burrito bowl with carnitas and black beans at Chipolte. I'll have wait until later tonight for the grass fed steak I was planning on.

[John Seaburg]

24kg kettlebell warm up... some deads and swings

Combo of 1000m row and bridge running with vaults:
- goal was to keep heart rate above AT for at least 6 minutes (successful)
- same pedestrian/bike bridge as in the 8/23 workout but without the steepest hill
- About 4 minutes of rowing, 3 minutes of flat jogging to bridge, 4 minutes of hills and vaults
- total time 11:20
- max heart rate 191 (100% of max!)

This was a good effort but definitely not a 100% effort. I think recent caffine intake has temporarily effected my heart rate. My resting rate was about 10 beats higher than normal before the workout.

After a 7 minute walk back to my garage I did the following exercises with 2-3 minutes rest between sets....

Flat DB press: 45lb DBs x 8 reps
Pull ups: bodyweight x 6 reps
Flat DB press: 60s x 6
Pull ups: +40lbs x 6
Flat DB press: 90s x 10 reps (best effort since recent pec injury)
Pull ups: +65lbs x 5 1/2
Hanging straight leg raises: One set of 15 reps


Post workout meal: Two scrambled eggs (just a snack before dinner)

[John Seaburg]

I had a softball game tonight and wore my recordable heart rate monitor to see what kind of graph/stats pitching would give me. My average hr was 74% of my max and my high was 90%. I only got on base once but the next hitter drove me home with a tripple... that was the 90% effort. Overall, the graph looked similar to medium intensity weight lifting workout.


Post workout meal: Weigh Cool protein shake with a banana and a raw egg.

[John Nguyen]

I had a softball game tonight and wore my recordable heart rate monitor to see what kind of graph/stats pitching would give me. My average hr was 74% of my max and my high was 90%. I only got on base once but the next hitter drove me home with a tripple... that was the 90% effort. Overall, the graph looked similar to medium intensity weight lifting workout.


Post workout meal: Weigh Cool protein shake with a banana and a raw egg.

Where do you buy your eggs to eat raw?

Also, I'm really envious that you have access to sledge hammer slams. There is only so much I can do with a baseball bat and television.

[John Seaburg]

Where do you buy your eggs to eat raw?

Also, I'm really envious that you have access to sledge hammer slams. There is only so much I can do with a baseball bat and television.

I buy most of my eggs at Trader Joes. I get the ones with extra Omega-3s. I've heard conflicting reports on eating raw eggs. Do you have an opinion? I only do it once a month or so.

The sledge hammer slams are a lot of fun. The one I've been using is pretty light... maybe 10lbs. I might buy a heavier one soon.

[John Seaburg]

I did an easy 10 minute row right before my softball game. The goal was to spend one minute at or above my AT (165 bpm). Because the game wasn't much of a workout, I did some pull ups and sprints after.

10 minute row: 175 watt average, 2 minutes at/above AT
5 innings of softball: shortstop, on base once, not much running
3 short sprints: about 40 yards each, 30 seconds rest between
20 bodyweight pull ups: used soccer goal post for a grip challenge

[John Seaburg]

A good one today... hill sprints with kettlebell, rope, and ring stuff at Belgatos Park in Los Gatos. The goal was more on the hormone improvement side than VO2 max.


Hill sprint #1: 0:41 up / 2:19 down... about 2 seconds slower than normal going up
Hill sprint #2: 0:54 up / 3:05 down
Hill sprint #3: 1:10 up / 3:15 down

24kg kettlebell swings: One set of 20 reps

32kg kettlebell rope pulls: 5 or 6 efforts of different length, slightly uphill

Ring dips: One set of 28 reps


Post workout meal: 16oz of lemon/lime Gator Aid, pepperoni beef stick, 4 walnuts, half a scoop of whey protein powder with a raw egg. This was far from ideal but it was all I had in the car/house.

[Herm Blancaflor]

I love the stuff you're doing! Crossfit speaks of functional exercise done at high intensity over broad modal domains...you embody that with your workouts.

I'm interested in the hormonal boost workouts. Can you expound on those a bit more? Theory and practical application. I want to understand it more.

Thanks in advance, John. I'll probably see you tomorrow morning :)

[John Seaburg]

I love the stuff you're doing! Crossfit speaks of functional exercise done at high intensity over broad modal domains...you embody that with your workouts.

I'm interested in the hormonal boost workouts. Can you expound on those a bit more? Theory and practical application. I want to understand it more.

Thanks in advance, John. I'll probably see you tomorrow morning :)

I've come to believe, performing powerful/athletic intervals is the best way of improving important exercise related hormones (assuming proper rest and nutrition). I'm talking about endocrine activity in the long run, not just during or right after a workout. Of course, not everyone is going to be exactly the same. Some people need longer intervals while others do better with shorter ones. I believe my intervals should to be in the 20 - 60 second range with just enough recovery time for a heart rate drop of around 20 beats. So, in order to achieve this goal, I might do a workout like...

Intervals of... olympic lifts, kettlebell swings, burpees, tire flips, you name it as long as it requires a good amount of athletic ability and is performed with maximum effort. For example, here's the workout I did on 8/26...

.................................................. ..............................
Hang snatch: 4 sets of 5 reps at 95lbs with :45 rest

Power clean/push press/snatch balance/overhead squat:
- 4 sets of 3 PC, 1 PP, 1 SB and 3 OHS at 125lbs with :60 rest

Tire flips: 2 sets of 8 with some jump in/outs mixed in

Romanian deadlift: 4 sets of 6 reps at 185lbs with :60 rest

Military press: One set of 11 reps at 105lbs

.................................................. ...............................

If I was more powerful, I might have done better with shorter intervals. Instead of 4 reps with 95lbs, 1 rep of 300lbs could have done the trick.... but since I can't put 300lbs over my head, I had to make the set longer. If my recovery was better I might have only needed 30 seconds between RDLs...etc

When the decision was made to really focus on "hormonal boost" and VO2 Max, I had to give up some really fun workouts. I used to love stringing together complex movements... much like a Crossfit WOD where the goal is to get through everything as fast as possible... but I believe those workouts are better suited for other goals.

I could go on and on about why I think my workouts are great (we all could). I like to think my opinions are backed up by the research and practical experience I've racked up over the years. Still, there's a lot of guess work that goes in, especially on the recovery side.

If I don't see you tomorrow, let me know if you have other questions or what your opinions are. It was difficult to put in words what was in my head. I should probably elaborate more on why I think heart rate is an important measurement but that will have to wait for another day.

[John Seaburg]

Due to an odd work and softball schedule this week, I decided focus on skills and qualities today, not hormones or VO2 max.



Barbell warm up: Easy OL and PL stuff

Hang snatch: 3 sets of 3 reps plus 3 OHS on the last set with 95lbs

Rower/elliptical: Medium intensity 9 minute combo with 4 minutes above AT

Tire flip/SHammer slams:
- 4 flips + 4 slams left + 4 slams right
- 6 flips + 6 slams left + 6 slams right
- 8 flips + 8 slams left + 8 slams right

DB Romanian DL: 45s x 6, 60s x 6

Chin ups: 5 reps at bodyweight, 11 reps + 36lbs

Incline DB Press: 6 reps with 60s, 11 reps with 70s



It felt good to do a medium intensity workout. I might do another one on Wednesday and save the bigger effort for Friday.

[John Seaburg]

10pm softball game. I pitched, got on base three times and scored three runs... so it was a decent workout. I also took a round at the batting cage before the game. I wasn't tired or sore from the 9/16 workout.

[John Seaburg]

Softball game....played shortstop... on base twice... scored two runs

[John Seaburg]

My back felt a little stiff after five innings of softball the night before but a good kettlebell/barbell warm got me ready to go.


Clean and jerk plus 3 more cleans: 4 sets at 145lbs with :50 rest

rest 3 minutes

Overhead squat: 115lbs x 8
- rest 1 minute
DB Romanian deadlift: 90s x 8
- rest 1 minute
Overhead squat: 115lbs x 7 1/2
- rest 1 minute
DB Romanian deadlift: 90s x 8

rest 3 minutes

Rower: 30 seconds on / 75 seconds off x 3
- averaged 365, 367, 365 watts

rest 3 minutes

Military press: 115lbs x 7 - rest 1:30 - 95lbs x 8

Hanging leg raises: 1 set of 12


Post workout meal: grass fed rib steak with spinach

[John Seaburg]

Kettlebell warm up

Kettlebell/Burpee Intervals: approx 25 seconds on / 13 seconds off x 4
- 32kg KB snatch x 5L + 5R
- Burpee x 10
- 32kg KB high pull catch and squat x 7
- Burpee x 10

2 1/2" thick rope climbs: about 17' up, using my scoring system:
- 1pt for hands and legs up and down
- 2pts for hands only up, hands and legs down
- 3pts for hands only up and down
I scored 12pts in 10 minutes: (3,2,2,2,2,1) 1pt more than last time

Dips + 40lbs x 20
rest 2 minutes
Pull ups + 40lbs x 8
rest 2 minutes
Dips + 40lbs x 12

Dip position straight leg raises: 1 set of 15


Post workout meal: grass fed swiss steak and cooked spinach

[Gabe Rinaldi]

Heya John...where do you buy your grass-fed meats?

[John Seaburg]

I get my grass-fed beef from Kathy Spencer at Peterson Land and Cattle near Hollister. I think her email is plcc@garlic.com>

I'll buy 40-60lbs at around $5/lb a couple times a year. It takes up the entire freezer. Some of the cuts taste a little gamey but I don't mind. I'll probably get some more in a couple months or so. Let me know if you want to buy a few pounds from me.

There are some online farms that sell grass feed beef, lamb and goat (very underrated) at a decent rate but shipping brings the price up to around $12/pound... and you have to be home when they deliver.

[John Seaburg]

9pm softball game: After a medium warmup... I pitched, got base three times and score two runs. I'm calling it a medium workout.

[John Seaburg]

Pre workout meal: Lamb salad


10 minute row: averaged 180 watts with 5 minutes in AT.

Softball game: Shortstop, on base twice, one run scored

Pull ups: One set of 20

[John Seaburg]

Belgatos Park workout

Hill and KB warm up
Hill sprint: :40 up, 2:50 down
Hill sprint: :54 up, 3:06 down
Hill jog: 1:26 up, 3:30 down

Pushups: 2 sets of 50 reps

Easy 20 minute hike

[John Seaburg]

OL and KB warm up
95lb barbell snatch x 3 + 8 OHS
DB RDL: 1 set of 6 with 60s

10 minute bridge run with hills and vaults: medium effort, 6 minutes above AT

1 ring muscle up + 3 dips
3 handstand push ups
2 ring muscle ups + 5 dips
5 handstand push
3 ring muscle ups + 10 dips
10 handstand push ups
1 ring muscle up + 15 dips
12 ring L pull ups
(1-2 minutes rest between sets)

[John Seaburg]

Pre workout meal: two scrambled eggs with a little grass-fed steak and jack cheese

Softball game:
- 20 batting practice swings in the cage
- a few warm up sprints
- pitched 7 innings
- on base twice
- scored one run

[John Seaburg]

Pre game meal: 3 scrambled eggs with a few oz of grass fed sirloin steak and some monterey jack cheese

Softball game:
- Easy warm up
- Shortstop
- On base three times
- Scored two runs

[John Seaburg]

Hormone workout...

OL and KB warm up

Clean and Jerk: 4 sets of 3 reps at 135lbs with 1 minute rest between sets

Tire flips/ Sledge hammer slams: -20 heart rate recovery between sets
- 8 tire flips
- 15 left side hammer slams
- 8 tire flips
- 15 right side hammer slams

Romanian deadlift/ Military press: 1 minute rest between sets
- 8 RDLs at 185lbs
- 6 MPs at 115lbs
- 8 RDLs at 185lbs
- 9 MPs at 95lbs

Hanging straight leg raise: 1 set of 12

KB/Pull up cool down


Post workout meal: Lamb shish kebab

[John Seaburg]

Medium intensity kettlebell intervals (24kg)
- 10 left arm snatches
- 10 right arm snatches
- 10 left arm snatches
- 10 right arm snatches
- 10 left arm clean and presses
- 10 right arm clean and presses
- 10 left arm clean and presses
- 10 right arm clean and presses
(rested 15-30 seconds between sets)

10 minute walk to park

Horizontal rope combos:
- 2 1/2" thick and about 15' long
- Various combinations of hand over hand climbing/walking and pull ups
- Easier on the hands but harder on the arms than monkey bars

Ring dips: In between H rope efforts I did sets of 3, 20, 12

10 minute walk home

[John Seaburg]

Pre game meal: Grass-fed rib steak and spinach

Softball game:
- Pitched
- On base 3 times
- Scored 2 runs

[John Seaburg]

Rower: 8 minutes with 4 minutes above AT

Softball game:
- Shortstop
- On base once
- Scored one run

Pull ups: 20

[John Seaburg]

Belgatos Park:

Hill Intervals: 20/10 x 3
3 minutes to come down plus 3 minutes rest

Hill Intervals: 20/10 x 4
3 minutes to come down plus 3 minutes rest

KB snatch: left arm x 20 with 24kg
3 minutes rest

KB snatch: right arm x 20 with 24kg
3 minutes rest

KB swing: x 20 with 24kg
3 minutes rest

Pull ups: 27
3 minutes rest

Push ups: 65

[John Seaburg]

Agility/reaction drills:
- Softball infield practice
- Hackysack footbag skills

Pull ups: bw x 6, +40bls x 10

Dips: bw x 6, +40lbs x 21

Overhead squat: 95lbs x 8


Post workout meal: Italian sausage and spinach

[John Seaburg]

Pre game meal: Grass-fed steak, spinach with blueberries

Low back still tight from 10/11's KB workout

Softball:
- pitched 6 innings
- on basee 4 times
- scored 4 runs