Orange Theory Fitness: New Tampa

Staying loyal to your workout isn’t always easy. It will make you sore and exhaust you. Sometimes it may hurt. But the regret from quitting hurts much worse.

The Hurricane is a sprint workout used by UFC star Anthony 'Showtime' Pettis. It will get your heart rate to max capacity before you transition to a bodyweight workout. The idea is to begin with a sprint, then do difficult loaded and body-weight moves after you’ve got your heart rate up.

It mimics a fight in that you can begin with a high-endurance stand-up, then end up grappling on the ground after running around the cage. You have to be ready for close combat even after you’re gassed from a stand-up flurry. As you can see, the Hurricane allows for a lot of substitution and variation, depending on what kind of fight you expect or how badly you need to work on your endurance.

SHOWTIME'S TIPS
A training activity must be at least equal in length to the event you’re training for. “If I’m prepping for a 25-minute fight, this is what we’ll use,” Pettis says.

A fighter’s prep must focus on technique. “You can’t just do cardio and prepare for a fight,” Pettis says. “The only way you can get ready to do grappling, wrestling, and striking is by doing it.”

Attend a fat funeral everyday and dress for the occasion.

Rest that is earned feels so much better than rest that is just lazy.

Exercise burns calories. Not excuses that you couldn’t make it to the gym, or you didn’t have time.

How do you choose a whey protein powder? Do you go on the recommendation of your buddy at the gym and take what he takes? Do you pick the bottle with the shiniest, most cutting-edge label? Do you go by what tastes good or what’s on sale at your local GNC?

The truth is, these are serious questions. You know that taking whey protein at the right times of day can make all the difference in between building an extra half-inch on your arms or adding 20 pounds to your personal best on the bench press. But not just any whey will do. There are great whey protein products and there are not-so-good whey protein products. And being able to tell the difference between them can be critical to your gains.

The first step in determining whether your protein is worthy is to give yourself a pat on the back. You’ve recognized whey’s benefits and have included it in your daily regimen. Just to review, whey is enormously beneficial for several reasons, including amino acid and microfraction content (more on that in a minute) and digestion rate.

Whey is one of the richest sources of BCAAs, which include the three amino acids leucine, isoleucine and valine. These bad boys have been shown to be absolutely critical for muscle growth, and even for energy during workouts. Whey protein also contains biologically active protein microfractions such as alpha-lactalbumin, beta-lactoglobulin, glycomacropeptides, immunoglobulins, lactoferrin, lactoperoxidase and various growth factors. These provide antioxidant benefits, boost immune function and enhance muscle recovery and growth.

But probably the most critical factor that puts whey protein miles ahead of other forms of protein is digestion rate. Whey digests very rapidly. In fewer than 30 minutes it can fast-track a good portion of its aminos to your muscles, and that rapid delivery of amino acids to muscle cells has been shown to be important for pushing muscle growth.

8 – Battle Rope Slams

Battle ropes are really versatile. You can use thick rope, old fire hose, or even chains to do this workout.
In the squatted position you have to move your arms up and down, side to side, or in big circles as explosively as you can.
This exercise will get your shoulders super strong and build up a ton of endurance. And like I said before. You should probably get used to gripping a rope. You never know what kind of situation you’ll find yourself in.

5 – Tire Flip

The tire flip is kind of like a hybrid between the deadlift and the power clean.
It will get your whole body as strong as an ox. Not to mention you’ll be able to save your friends from fallen beams and other compromised building parts that may trap them.

View every workout as a personal challenge. Conquer that challenge like a champion.

THE MASTER CLASS CROSS FIT WORKOUT

In a sport with an average athlete age of 24, two-time Cross Fit Games Masters (40-44) champion Shawn Ramirez has conquered the most grueling fitness tests without ever being sidelined by injury. The Kill Cliff–sponsored athlete trains five days a week: two to three days to improve strength, speed, and flexibility; a day for gymnastics; a weightlifting day with cleans, jerks, snatches or squats; and a conditioning day with sled pushes, rowing, or running. His rest days are anything but. Ramirez swims a mile, does a 10K row, or rides an Assault AirBike.

“Always giving your body something different keeps training fun,” Ramirez says. “A bored body equals no results.” A father to three sons, Ramirez’s main motivation to three-peat at the 2016 CrossFit Games is to set an example. “I need to win for my third son,” Ramirez says. “In 2014, my oldest trained with me, and last year my second one did. Now, my youngest is running by my side.”

For Ramirez, staying game requires listening to his body. He does track work instead of running on hard surfaces, and for box jumps he steps down instead of jumping off. “You can’t listen when the body talks, you have to listen to when it whispers.” Ramirez follows a classic clean diet: six meals daily with carbs, protein, and fat. Breakfast is an oatmeal, berries, almond milk, whey protein, and spirulina smoothie.

Can you handle a day in his shoes? Try his customized WOD below.