Fri. Dec 31

Sprinters

3 x 6 Stations – 45 seconds on/1:15 minute off

Boxing

Dynamic Squats

Sit Up – Stand Ups

Jump Squats

Bicycle Abs

Double Unders

Thurs. Dec 30

Obstacle Course - 2 Teams

5 Pull Ups
10 Plyo Jumps - sand
50 Dips
30 Burpees
20 Med Ball Stabilizers
20 (each arm) Lawn Mower Rows
20 Air Balls
10 Walk-Over Push Ups
Run to Pier - El Mar Drive - Back to Start
50 Regular Sit ups
5 Pull Ups

Tues. Dec 28

Part 1:

50 Crunches

55 Reverse

60 Twists

25 Back Crunches (on stomach)

65 at 90 degrees

70 Bicycles

100 Flutter Kicks (400)

25 Back Crunches

Part 2: (Repeat 2x)

AMRAP 4 Minutes

Run 100 M soft sand

15 Streamline Jumps

100 M Broad Jumps

Rest 2 minutes

AMRAP 4 Minutes (complete one arm BEFORE moving to next arm)

10 Right Arm KB Swings

10 Right Bicep Curls

10 Right Arm Push Press

10 Left Arm KB Swings

10 Left Bicep Curls

10 Left Arm Push Press

Rest 2 Minutes

AMRAP 4 Minutes

30 sec Air Squats

30 sec Regular Sit Ups

30 sec Split Squats

30 sec Push Ups

Mon. Dec 27

"If You Get Stuck" - Home WO

Part 1:

15-10-5-15-5-10-15

Regular Sit Ups

Streamline Sit Ups

Reverse Crunches

3 Second Bicycles (pause for 3 sec for each leg)

Right Side Crunches (both shoulders and legs off the ground)

Left Side Crunches (both shoulders and legs off the ground)

Part 2:

15-10-5-15-5-10-15

Streamline Jumps

Decline Push Ups – feet higher than arms

Back Crunches– on ground

Split Squats

Dips
One Leg Squats – non-used leg propped up behind you

"If You Get Stuck" - Gym WO

Part 1 = same

Part 2:

15-10-5-15-5-10-15

Streamline Jumps

Lat Pull Downs

Back Extensions

Front Squats w/ weight

Tricep Push Downs
One Leg Squats w/ weight

Happy Holidays!

Fri. Dec 24

Hold DB throughout entire workout (MINIMUM 15lb DB)

24 Minutes of

24 Walking Lunges

24 Squats

24 Push Press

24 Push Ups – hands on DB

24 Tricep Extensions (Above head – DB in each hand)

24 Bent Over Rows

I hope everyone has a great and happy holiday!!! Have a safe flight, and I'll see you in Florida!! 8-)

-Brit

Thurs. Dec 23

2 x 8 x 25 Abs – mix it up, after first set of 25 go straight into second set

Tabata – 20 seconds on/10 off

8 Rounds of each exercise

Lat Pull Downs

1 minute rest

Back Squats

1 minute rest

Pull Ups

1 minute rest

Split Squats

1 minute rest

Lateral Raises

Up and ready to go for January 22nd!!

Up with the matrix board!! One more to go!

Out with the old......in with the new!

Down with the "Glow Cube"

Today the "glow cube" came down, making way for the new matrix display boards!

Tuesday, December 21

2 Rounds Total:

Round 1:
25 Reverse Crunches
12 Back Extensions

25 Reverse crunches
30 Toe touches
12 Back extensions

25 Reverse crunchers
30 Toe touches
35 Scissor kicks
12 Back extensions

Round 2:
25 Dips w/ feet up
12 Regular sit-ups

25 Dips w/ feet up
30 Lunges w/weight
12 Regular sit-ups

25 Dips w/ feet-up
30 Lunges w/ weight
35 Box jumps
12 Regular sit-ups

3 Rounds of:
10 Tricep push downs
10 Pull-ups

Mon. Dec 20

Part 1:

45 sec Front Plank

40 Planks – Knees to Elbow (Jeremy’s)

45 sec Front Plank

40 Planks – Knees to Chest (Jeremy’s)

45 sec Right Side Plank

40 Right Side Crunches

45 sec Left Plank

40 Left Side Crunches

Part 2:

4 Rounds of

12 Thrusters

10 Seated Row

50 Jump Ropes

8 Jump Squats w/ wt

6 Push Ups – hold for count of 5 on the way down

50 Jump Ropes

Fri. Dec 17

Five rounds for time of:

22 KB swings
22 Box jump
Run 200 M
22 Burpees
22 Wall balls

New Scoreboard placement

The new matrix boards will be placed where the American Flag stands.  They will also cover a span of 20' "swimmer" to "diver" on the wall.

Before Pictures of old scoreboard

        Above is a picture of the old "Glow Cube" display board presently in Towers Pool

New Scoreboard Addition

The athletic department has donated two matrix boards worth $25,000 each for Towers Pool. Both boards will be used for timing as well as animation display. Keep following the blog for updated pictures of the progress of the new scoreboards.

Thurs. Dec 16

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

Back Squats
Cleans
Bench
Deadlift
Run 400 M

You are going to complete 10 of everything, then run 400 M. Then 9 of everything and run...

Make sure you are lifting HEAVY by the end!

Wed. Dec 15

For Time

100 Pull Ups
100 Dips
100 Air Squats
100 Sit Ups

Tues. Dec 14

Jump Rope for 2 minutes
Sit-up for 2 minutes
Air Squat for 2 minutes
Burpees for 2 minutes
Rest 1 minute

Jump Rope for 90 seconds
Sit-up for 90 seconds
Air Squat for 90 seconds
Burpees for 90 seconds
Rest 1 minute

Jump Rope for 1-minute
Sit-up for 1-minute
Air Squat for 1 minute
Burpees for 1 minute
Rest 1 minute

Jump Rope for 30 seconds
Sit-up for 30 seconds
Air Squat for 30 seconds
Burpees for 30 seconds

Mon. Dec 13

“12 Days of Christmas”

1, 2-1, 3-2-1, 4-3-2-1….12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

1 Decline pushup (feet higher than arms)
2 Squats
3 Burpees
4 Tricep Extensions
5 Step Ups per leg
6 Crunches
7 KB Swings
8 Mountain Climbers
9 Upright rows
10 Lunges
11 Dips
12 Regular Sit Ups

After workout:
4 x (50 plyo ball abs and 25 back extensions)

Sa. Dec 11

INCREASE weight as you go

Run 4 Laps
3 x 6 of each
Tricep Kickbacks
Fly Pull Downs
Lat Pull Downs
Streamline Jumps

Run 3 Laps
3 x 8 of each
Tricep Kickbacks
Fly Pull Downs
Lat Pull Downs
Streamline Jumps

Run 2 Laps
3 x 10 of each
Tricep Kickbacks
Fly Pull Downs
Lat Pull Downs
Streamline Jumps

Sprint 1 Lap
3 x 12 of each
Tricep Kickbacks
Fly Pull Downs
Lat Pull Downs
Streamline Jumps

Fri. Dec 10

5 Rounds of:

20 Mountain Climbers – fast knees to chest, R+L leg = 1 rep
20 Push Ups
20 Planks – lift right hand off ground, pause, lift left hand off ground, pause, repeat for a total of 20 reps (R+L hand = 1 rep)
20 Jumping Jacks

Thurs. Dec 9

Part 1:
2 x (2 minute Jump Rope + 10 Incline Push Ups)

Part 2: increase weight each round
3 x
10 Back Squats
10 Thrusters
10 KB/DB Swings
10 Lateral Raises
10 Front Raises

Part 3:
3 x 3 x 30 sec on/10 off Medicine Ball Abs
Round 1: Sit up hold ball at chest
Round 2: Sit up-Reach – arms extend upward as you sit up
Round 3: Tap-Tap-No Toss – back at 45 degrees, feet off ground, rotate left to right, touch ball to ground

Wed. Dec 8

Run 2 laps
1 Minute Wall Sit – Hands off knees

Run 1 lap – Fast
1 Minute Wall Sit
2 x 30 Plyo Jumps (use bleachers) – 10 sec btwn

Run 2 Laps
1 Minute Wall Sit
2 x 30 Plyo Jumps
Push Ups – as many as you can without stopping

Run 1 lap – Fast
1 Minute Wall Sit
2 x 30 Plyo Jumps
Push Ups – as many as you can without stopping
20 Burpees

Abs – mix it up

Tues. Dec 7

AMRAP 20 Minutes

2 Perfect Pull ups - Full extension, NO band
4 Dips
6 Overhead Squats
8 Split Squats
10 Plank Abs - Knees to Elbows

Wed. Nov 24/Fri. Nov 26

Distance Swimmers

AMRAP 10 Minutes
5 Push Ups
10 Split Squats
15 Dips
20 Jumping Jacks

Tues. Nov 23

**Dynamic Warm up

**Stretch

2 Rounds

20 Walking Lunges
10 Pull Ups

100 Crunches (Mix it up)

Run 200 M

**EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that you start now and continue to stretch/dynamic warm up, in order to prevent soreness when we stretch at Akron!!

Duquesne v. Colgate

This past weekend we took on a very tough Colgate team.  In my opinion it was the best team we faced this semester and I am certain we will continue to get better because of the experience.  Although not many wins, there were many close races throughout the day.  Amanda McClelland was our lone winner, winning the 100 freestyle in a season best 54.73.  As we look forward the team will have a well deserved Thanksgiving break, followed by a three day prelim/final meet at The University of Akron. 

See you around the pool,

Dave

Thurs. Nov 18

Part 1: AMRAP 15 Min.

30 second Wall Sit
Run 1 Lap
30 sec Step Ups – each leg
30 sec Wall Sit
Run 1 Lap
30 sec Planks – knees to elbows, knees to face
30 sec Step Up – each
30 sec Wall Sit
Run 1 Lap


Part 2: AMRAP 15 Min
Increase by 2 each Round

8 Push Ups
8 Dips
8 Tri Extensions
8 Row – machine
8 Jumping Jacks

Tues. Nov 16

15 - 10 - 5 - 15 - 5 - 10 - 15

Back Extensions
Jump Squats
Upright Rows
One Leg Squats
Bicep Curls
Run 1 Lap

Mon. Nov 15

Sprinters

Dynamic Warm Up

Tabata 4x Each 20 on/10 off
Streamline Jumps
Burpees
Tuck Jumps
Crunches
Sprint

Duquesne v. Akron

Great first home meet against Akron. Despite loosing 116-89 the ladies really showed lots of improvement and a great deal of enthusiasm.

We jumped out to a 27-9 lead after the first two events, winning the 400 medley relay in 3:58.44 and having junior Hannah Kondrotas take first in the 1,000-yard freestyle in a season-best time of 10:44.43.

Akron made a strong recovery on the strength of their sprinters taking 1-2 in the 50 and 100 freestyle events.

Miriam McGeath rallied the team capturing victories in the 200 IM in a personal, season-best time of 2:10.89 and the 100-breaststroke in a time of 1:08.44

Freshman Meghan Smith kept up her fine freshman campaign finishing second in the 200-free in 1:57.33 and the 100 butterfly in 59.37.

The ladies continue to imporve and get faster. We have one more meet until Thanksgiving Break and then it off to The Akron Invite for a three day prelim/final format meet.

See you around the pool,
Dave

Mini Tabata

Jumping Jacks
Streamline Jumps
Planks - knees to elbows, knees to face
Tuck Jumps
Toe Touches

Thurs. Nov 11

Run 200m
10 Pull Ups/Bench Pull Ups
10 Burpees
10 Fly Pull Downs
10 Squat Twists
Run 200m
9 Pull Ups/Bench Pull Ups
9 Burpees
9 Fly Pull Downs
9 Squat Twists
Run 200m
8…
Down to 1 of each

Tues. Nov 9

20 Deadlift
Run 200M
20 KB Swings
Run 200M
20 Overhead Squats
Run 200M
20 Burpees
Run 200M
20 Pull Ups
Run 200M
20 Box Jumps
Run 200M
20 DB Squats
Run 200M

Weekend Wrap-up

We had a pretty solid night against Canisius and Siena. The women picked up their first win of the season, taking down Canisius but dropping a close one to Siena. Leading the way for the Lady Dukes was Freshman Meghan Smith placing first in the 400-yard individual medley with a season-best time of 4:35.35. Meghan also followed that up with a victory in the 200 breaststroke with a DU season-best time of 2:26.46.

Junior Kristi Magee secured two second place showings with a season-best time of 1:59.29 in the 200 freestyle and a time of 55.56 in the 100 free.

Junior Hannah Kondrotas also turned in a pair of top three finishes with a second place showing in the 200 butterfly in 2:12.16 and a third place finish in the 200 breast in 2:31.96.

Also winning races for the Red and Blue were senior Angela Majkut with a time of 10:57.67 in the 1,000 free and sophomore Miriam McGeath with a time of 2:09.65 in the 200 butterfly.

Other second place finishers were senior Brooke Mangis with a season-best time of 2:12.28 in the 200 back and sophomore Christine Rosebaugh with a DU season-best time of 5:15.19 in the 500 free.

On Saturday we headed over to ECC (the home of our conference championships) to take on two tough teams in St. Bonaventure and LaSalle. Despite dropping both decisions, the team swam very well.

Meghan Smith continued her winning ways, securing first place in the 200-yard butterfly, winning by six seconds with a time of 2:07.49. She also grabbed first in the 100 fly with a season-best time of 58.57 and finished second in the 200 freestyle in 1:56.19.

Sophomore Miriam McGeath placed second in the 200 IM in 2:10.89 and turned in team season-best times in the 200 breaststroke in 2:25.30 and the 100 breast in 1:07.97, placing third in both events.

Junior Hannah Kondrotas set the team standard in the 1,650 free, placing third in 18:07.58, while fellow junior Morgan Claycomb turned in a second place showing in the 100 backstroke in 1:00.24.

Overall I was happy with the effort of the team this weekend. The second
half of Saturday we came back strong and raced hard. I really liked that.
Although the score does not show it, we swam well. Swimming is not a
sport of wins and losses but of adaptation and consistency.....the ladies
are being very consistent with our practices (in the pool and in the
weight room). We now have to be patient as they begin to adapt to our
changes in training.

We head home now for our home-opener against The University of Akron, Friday at 5 PM.

See you around the pool,
Dave

Mon. Nov 8

Sprinters

Dynamic Warm Up

Tabata 4x each - 20 on/10 off

Jumping Jacks
Squat Jumps
Switch Feet Jumps
Jump Rope
Sprint

Thurs. Nov 4

18-15-12 Reps of:

Overhead Squat 
Run 2 Laps
Lat Pull Downs
Run 2 Laps
One Arm Swim Pull
Run 2 Laps
Bi-Tri Combo
Run 2 Laps
Row Machine
Run 2 Laps

Tues. Nov 2

Sprinters

Dynamic Warmup

Tabata 4x Each 20 on/10 off
Streamline Jumps
Burpees
Tuck Jumps
Crunches
Sprint

Mon. Nov 1

5 Rounds of:

10 DB Squats
###
10 Lawn Mower Rows
- Rd 1/3 - Left, Rd 2/4 - Right, Rd 5 - Both
###
10 Pull Ups
###


### Round 1 - 10 Push UPs
### Round 2 - 2 Arena Laps
### Round 3 - 10 Dips w/ feet up
### Round 4 - 2 Arena Laps
### Round 5 - 10 Med Ball Sit Ups

Duquesne v. St. Francis v. CCSU

We dropped a pair of decisions at St. Francis Saturday afternoon, falling to the host Red Flash and to Central Connecticut State.

Meghan Smith again led the way for the Lady Dukes, finishing first in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:10.34. Meghan also had a third place showing in the 200 free in 1:55.89, good enough for 9th on the All-Time Top 10 and finished fourth in the 500 free in 5:16.40. Morgan Claycomb captured first in the 100 backstroke in 59.47 and also grabbed a third place finish in the 200 back in 2:10.34.

Miriam McGeath took home second place finishes in the 200 butterfly in 2:09.57 and the 200 breaststroke in 2:27.56.  Kim Schade placed fourth in the 50 free in 25.60, Caitlin Zajko finished fourth in the 100 breaststroke in 1:09.30 and Hannah Kondrotas took fourth in the 200 butterfly in 2:13.41 and the 1,000 free in 10:58.65.

Overall it was a solid meet. Although we did not swim as fast as the other two teams, the effort was there. The fast swimming will come but we just need to stick to our plan and be patient. It's a long season....the ladies are swimming hard now but will swim fast in February!



Fri. Oct 29

Sprinters

3 Minute Jog
Suicides
Full Court Sprints

Abs

Thurs. Oct 28

3 Rounds of each group:
30 seconds on/20 off

Complete 3 rounds of one exercise before you switch

Group 1:
Jump Squats w/ DB
Tricep Kickbacks
Back Extensions
Incline abs w/ plate
Lat Pull Downs
Bench

Group 2:
Right Leg Squat
Left Leg Squat
Right Arm KB Swing
Left Arm KB Swing
Box Jumps
Front Raises

St. Francis and CCSU

This weekend we are off to Loretto, PA to take on defending NEC Champions, St. Francis and NEC runners-up, Central Connecticut State University for another tough challenge and another gauge for our team. St. Francis has made great strides in my 10 years at Duquesne as Coach Pat Gallagher has taken a program from mediocrity to championship status.  St. Francis is swimming very fast and with a lot of confidence. This is also a conference meet for the top two teams in the NEC so I am hoping the ladies will feed off the competitive atmosphere at the Stokes Center.    Hope to see you there.

See you around the pool,

Dave

Tues. Oct 26

Part 1: AMRAP 12 minutes
10 One arm swim pulls (each arm)
10 Lateral raises
7 Push ups
4 Pull ups - NO band
25 Abs choice

Part 2: 3 x 8  Heavy weights
Thrusters
Deadlift
Upright Row

Part 3: AMRAP 12 minutes
Run 2 laps
6 Burpees
8 Tuck jumps
10 Broad jumps

Mon. Oct 25

Sprinters

Dynamic Warm up 7-10 min
5 laps jog

2 half court sprints
2 half court sprints - no breath
1 full court sprint
1 full court sprint - no breath

Reaction Drills

8 x 25 abs
1 x 25 "back" abs

Day 2 recap

As we travel back from JMU I wanted to give everyone an update on today's meet. We swam much better today with the women taking their races out a little stronger and working on finishes. A couple highlights for today were the swims of Meghan Smith and the enthusiasm of the team. Meghan was our lone winner, dominating the 200 IM with a time of 2:08.19; Good enough for 4th on the all-time top 10. From a team standpoint the women continued their enthusiasm from Friday, constantly cheering for their teammates in the water. Each week I can see the team becoming closer and more comfortable with their new situation.

Next week we will travel to St.Francis and take on defending NEC Champions St. Francis and NEC Runner-up Central Conneticut State University. It should be another tough one. Hope to see you there.

See you around the pool,
Dave

Day one recap

Although this was the first competition of the season it begins to lay the groundwork for the rest of the year.  We now have a benchmark to compare the upcoming weeks.  For us, the meet started a little slow and sluggish, however with each passing event the ladies started to swim with a little more confidence.  Freshmen Meghan Smith led the way for the Lady Dukes finishing third in the 200 free and winning the 200 fly with a time of 2:05.54.  Sophomore Miriam McGeath also swam well, finishing second in the 400 IM with a time of 4:37.19.  Overall, I was pleased with the enthusiasm and look forward to swimming faster tomorrow.

See you around the pool,

Dave

Thurs. Oct 21

Recovery Week

2 min Arena Stairs run
Walking Lunges to other end
10 Burpees w/ push up
2 Min Arena Stairs run

Flutter Kicks
30 sec on/30 sec off
40 on/ 20 off
50 on/10 off
1 minute on

Finally, time to race!

It seems like only yesterday we were on the deck at ECC for the conference championships and now a new season is upon us. With the new season comes many changes. Changes in staff, changes in the faces we see on deck everyday and changes in attitude. As this young season has progressed I have witnessed a program going from trying to find an identity to each week becoming closer and closer as a team. The team today is much different then the team I was working with in September and I am certain we will continue to evolve and develop in the months to come.

With the new season comes the first dual meet and it is finally upon us as we travel to Harrisonburg, VA on Friday to take on JMU and Richmond in a two day competition. Everyone is getting very excited and we are all aware of what lies ahead. Both programs are very talented and the competition will give all of our swimmers a great opportunity to get up and race. You will be able to follow the results here on the blog, our facebook page as well as the Duquesne University Athletics page.

See you around the pool,
Dave

Tues. Oct 19

Recovery Week

Part 1:
12-10-8
15#-20#-25# Fly Pulls
40#-45#-50# Lat Pull downs
40#-45#-50# Machine Row

Part 2:
12-10-8
45#-55#-65# Back Squat
BW-2.5#-5# Right leg Squat – hold plates
BW-2.5#-5# Left leg Squat – hold plates

Part 3:
12-10-8
Dips
Push ups
5#-7#-10# Bicep Curls

Part 4: 2.5# plates
12-10-8
Front Raises
Lateral Raises
Butterflys

Mon. Oct 18

Sprinters - Recovery Week

Arena
3 Rounds
Run – Stairs only 2x through
10 Box Jumps
30 Jump Rope

Sat. Oct 16

Stabilizers: 30 seconds on/10 off (~6 min)
- 2 Front
- 2 Right
- 2 Left
- 2 Front: alternate lifting feet off ground (straight legs) - hold 3-5 sec then switch

Supermans: squeeze should blades, tighten back muscles (3 min)
- Round 1: up for 10 second count, down for 5 second count - 4x
- Round 2: up for 20 sec, down for 10 - 4x

16 T Push ups (~2 min)
- 2 sets of 8

Elbows to Knees in Plank - 6 x (3 min)
- 20 sec on/10 sec off
- Start in Plank Position, rotate upper body, touch left elbow to right knee and vice versa
- Tighten core to keep balance

10 pike up (sit ups)
10 alternating pike ups (~2 min)

10 Sit up-get ups (~1 min)
- Execute a regular sit up, but stand up at the end without using your hands

Fri. Oct 15

Sprinters

Warm up:
Jog 2 laps
Jumping jacks
Lunge-twists
Leg swings

3 Rounds of
-8 Streamline jumps
-2 Half sprints w/ breathing
-2 Sprints – whole gym, no breath, on 1 min rest


Abs
-50 Legs 90 degrees
-50 Toe Touch
-60 Right
-60 Left
-70 Regular Crunches
-70 Reverse

Thurs. Oct 14

20 walking lunges, 12 wall ball, 12 push ups
20 walking lunges, 9 wall ball, 9 push ups
20 walking lunges, 6 wall ball, 6 push ups
20 walking lunges, 3 wall ball, 3 push ups

1 min rest

20 row, 3 pull ups, 3 overhead squats
20 row, 6 pull ups, 6 overhead squats
20 row, 9 pull ups, 9 overhead squats
20 row, 12 pull ups, 12 overhead squats

1 min rest

15 back ext, 15 power wheels, 15 streamline sit ups
15 back ext, 15 power wheels, 15 streamline sit ups
15 back ext, 15 power wheels, 15 streamline sit ups
15 back ext, 15 power wheels, 15 streamline sit ups

Weights to Use:
Wall ball: 10 lb med ball or higher
Row: 60 lbs or higher
Overhead squat: 35 lb plate or higher
Back extensions: 25 lb plate or higher

Tues. Oct 12

Run 4 laps
10 Dips
10 Split Squats
10 Mountain Climbers
10 Sit ups

Run 3 laps
20 Dips
20 Split Squats
20 Mountain Climbers
20 Sit ups

Run 2 laps
30 Dips
30 Split Squats
30 Mountain Climbers
30 Sit ups

Sprint 1 lap

Mon. Oct 11

Sprinters

Warm up: 2 x
20 Jumping jacks
10 Lunges


6 stations: 20 sec on/ 10 off x 3
Frog Hops
Jumps – right, left
Power wheels
Jump rope
Jump squats – touch wall w/ both hands

Rxn Drills

Fri. Oct 8

Sprinters

3 min Indian Run
4-8-12 Tuck Jumps
4-8-12 Burpees – no push up

Abs: plyo balls

5K run and pentathlon

front row: L-R: Kirstie Shumaker, Kim Schade, Tara VanNatta, Bri Mangis, DeAnn Pertz

back row: L-R: Heather Cloud, Lori Yeaman, Amanda McClelland, Erin Cawley, Brianna Dombosky

It was a beautiful day in Pittsburgh today as some of the team members and their parents (Mandy Shumaker and Karen Mangis) of Duquesne Swimming participated in the Katie Westbrook Memorial 5K while the remainder of the team (mostly non-runners) completed a two hour practice. The run was in memory of a former law student with all proceeds going directly to a scholarship in her name. It was great to see so many of the ladies on the team step and take part in the run. Congratulations to Junior swimmer DeAnn Pertz who was the overall winner of the race. Following the race, the team met up in Towers for a team brunch prior to the First Annual Pentathlon.
The pentathlon was a great challenge for the women as they competed in all four stroke events (100 fly, 100 back, 100 breast, 100 free) and the 100 IM. Each event was swum on a 10 minute interval which gave minimal time for recovery but maximal time to test mental toughness. Freshmen Meghan Smith was the overall event winner with 93 points. She was followed by Senior Kirstie Shumaker, Sophomore Miriam McGeath and Juniors Hannah Kondrotas, Erin Cawley and Senior Erin Sykes locked in a tie for fourth. Each swimmer participating scored points. Overall I was very pleased with the results. As we wrap up another week of training I consider this past week the best effort so far and continue to look forward to the coming weeks.

See you around the pool,

Dave

Thurs. Oct 7

4 Rounds

10 Burpees – w/ push up
10 KB/DB Bicep Curls
10 KB/DB Triceps
10 KB/DB Squats
10 KB/DB Calf Raises
15 KB/DB Sit ups – hold KB/DB above head
1 Arena Lap

Tues. Oct 5

Part 1:
AMRAP 10 minutes
5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 med ball sit ups

Part 2:
AMRAP 10 minutes
15 KB/DB thrusters
20 KB/DB swings
25 regular sit ups

Part 3:
AMRAP 10 minutes
25 crunches
30 lunges w/ wt (total)
1 arena lap w/ bleachers

Mon. Oct 4

Sprinters

4 Rounds: As fast as you can
-Round 1: each exercise is on 1 minute
-Round 2: on 50 seconds
-Round 3: on 40 seconds
-Round 4: on 30 seconds

Broad jumps
10 Push ups
Sprint
20 Crunches
Sprint
10 Streamline jumps

Fri. Oct 1

Sprinters

4 Rounds of:

1 minute jump rope
1 minute sit ups
10 Jump squats
20 Box jumps
20 Split squats
Sprint to other end of Palumbo
2 minutes rest

Rxn Drills

Thurs. Sept 30

Part 1:
3 x (1st round warm up)
Run arena w/ bleachers
Step ups 2 x 30 sec on (one each leg)

Part 2:
AMRAP 20 minutes

2-4-6-8-10…
Lat pull downs
Tricep push downs
Skull crushers
Hanging knee tucks
Seated row

Part 3:
Shoulder circuit:
-Front – thumbs up
-Front – thumbs down
-Lateral – thumbs up
-Lateral – thumbs down
-Bent over flys
-Chicken wing

Tues. Sept 28

30 second of each – 1 minute – 1:30 – 2 minutes

Jumping Jacks
Plyo Jumps
Dips
Lunges
Decline push ups
Flutter Kicks (6 inches)

Mon. Sept 27

Sprinters

Warmup:
3 laps (1/2 gym)

Part 1:
4 suicides
4 sprints – no breath
8 tuck jumps (take you mark, knees to elbows)

Part 2:
Med Ball Circuit
-Chest pass
-Tricep throw
-Btwn legs
-Overhead throw
-Sit ups throw
-Tap-tap-toss
-Sit and reach
-Toe-to-toe (each side)
-Lie on back, person drops balls – quick rxn, fast arms

Sat. Sept 25

12 Bench 70% of your Max
12 SDHP
12 Streamline jumps
45 seconds Front stabilizers

9 Bench 80% of your Max
9 SDHP
9 Streamline jumps
45 seconds Right stabilizers

6 Bench 90% of your Max
6 SDHP
6 Streamline jumps
45 seconds Left stabilizers

Fri. Sept 24

Sprinters

3 Rounds of

Frog Hops – down the hall
Broad Jumps – back
One leg squats – 10 each leg
12 Mountain climbers
25 crunches

Reaction Drills

Thurs. Sept 23

“Angie” For Time

100 Pull Ups w/ band if needed
100 Push Ups
100 Sit ups
100 Squats

Tues. Sept 21

18-12-6-3 increase weight as you go

Upright row
Cleans
Fly pull downs
Bicep curls – use bar not db
Back extensions
Plyo ball abs

Mon. Sept 20

Sprinters

Warm up:
2x (20 Jumping jacks + 5 Push ups)

Mini Tabata:
(20 on/10 off) x 4 per exercise
1 minute rest after each exercise

Jump rope
Lateral jumps
Seated twists w/ med ball
Streamline jumps
Pullover crunches w/ med ball
Jump Squats w/ db

Dave's Weekend Workouts

Thursday:
15 - 10 - 5 - 15 - 5 - 10 - 15

Squats w/ weight (Air Squats if no access to weight)
Push ups
Lunges
Sit ups
Jump rope/Jumping jacks for 1 min


Friday:
Run 800 M
10 Sit ups
Run 600 M
10 Sit ups
20 Step ups (total)
Run 400 M
10 Sit ups
20 Step ups
30 Mountain Climbers
Run 200 M
10 Sit ups
20 Step ups
30 Mountain Climbers
40 Walking Lunges

Thurs. Sept 16

7 Rounds of

7 Thrusters
7 Burpees
7 Box Jumps
7 Sit ups
7 Bicep/Tricep DB Combo – Hammer curls into Tri extension
7 Lat Pull Downs
7 Row

Tues. Sept 14

Bleacher Run

AMRAP in 6 minutes
6 x Split Squats (each leg)
6 x Streamline Sit Ups

Bleacher Run

AMRAP in 4 minutes
6 x Dips
6 x Squat Twists

Bleacher Run

AMRAP in 2 minutes
6 x Push ups
6 x Regular Sit ups

Bleacher Run



Stabilizers: 45 seconds on/ 10 off

2 Front - 2 Right - 2 Left

Tues. Sept 7/Thurs. Sept 9

CrossFit Introduciton
Tues: Seniors & Juniors
Thurs: Sophomores & Freshman

Max Out Day – Establish baseline for Weight Lifting (WL) exercises

Warm up: do this for each exercise
5 reps – light weight (Bar)
5 reps – medium weight (+10lbs)
3 reps – heavy weight (+20lbs)

Max out: 1 – 1 – 1 for each

Bench press
Deadlift
Back Squat

Fri. Sept 3

Complete as much as you can in 20 minutes
2 – 4 – 6 – 8 – 10 – 12 – 14 – 16 – 18 – 20…

Run 200 M
Dips
Wall balls
Back extensions
Lunges
Sit ups

Tuhrs. Sept 2

5 Upright row – Heavy (at least 45#)
10 DB Jump squats
50 Jump rope
5 Upright row
20 DB Jump squats
50 Jump rope
5 Upright row
30 DB Jump squats
50 Jump rope
5 Upright row
20 DB Jump squats
50 Jump rope
5 Upright row
10 DB Jump squats
50 Jump rope

Tues. Aug 31

AMRAP in 20 minutes

7 Back squats
10 steps, dumbbell overhead walking lunge
7 Thrusters
10 steps, dumbbell overheard walking lunge


DB overhead lunges - make sure to keep the stomach tight... Maintain midline stabilization

A new season begins!

Greetings from “the bluff”! It is hard to believe this is the start of my 10th season here at Duquesne. It appears my career has come full circle, considering I was hired as the women’s coach back in 2001.

Recruiting is going very well with our first official visit weekend Sept. 24-26. All five ladies coming in for the visit have times that will score in the top 8 (three events) at the conference meet. As much as we must concentrate on the future, I think the present looks very good. We had our first team meeting last night and there was a lot of enthusiasm about moving forward and establishing ourselves within the conference. I laid out my expectations for the ladies and they will be coming back to me within the week with their expectations for themselves.

With any kind of change, there will be many unknowns and uncertainties but along with the uncertainties comes a new found excitement and the possibilities of what can be. As disappointed as I was about what transpired through the spring, I am very excited about what lies ahead for the fall and winter months with the women’s swimming program here at Duquesne.

See you around the pool,
Dave

Mon. Aug 30

4 rounds for time

500 M row or 15 cable rows
15 Kipping pull ups
15 Burpees

Medicine Ball abs

Day 5

Hey, it's Meghan. We made it through our first week of classes! They weren't as bad as I thought they would be, but the first week was mainly the basics so it will probably get harder from here. Yesterday we had a nutritionist come in and talk to us about how much food and drink can help or hurt your swimming. It was very informative and I learned that I have some things to work on. The meeting was the first opportunity for the freshman to see the girls team together, so it was nice to see who was on the team. It is finally the weekend and there is so much to do around here. I know I will probably be in my room doing homework today though, but hopefully I don't have too much left. Now that we have a feel of how classes go so hopefully we won't stress out as much next week worrying we won't get there in time etc. Oh, by the way, sleeping in was so nice yesterday! I haven't done that in a while. Now, I am on my way to the pool. I hope this blog helped you get a little insight into Duquesne. It is awesome. Goodbye for now!
-Meghan

Fri. Aug 27

3 Rounds

Broad jump 25 yards
Lunge back
25 Streamline to tuck sit ups
Broad jump 25 yds
25 Push ups
25 streamline to tuck sit ups
Broad jump 25 yds
Pull ups - as many as you can without stopping
25 streamline to tuck sit ups

Hello...My name is Brianna... Today we had an early start, we were had a NCAA complience meeting to attend with the team this morning to inform us about NCAA rules and regulations. After that Meghan and I got our books and headed off to our first class. Today was nice because I only had two classes, but I still had more than enough assignments to keep me busy. This week has been a new experience learning to adjust from highschool and living at home to being on my own. We didnt have practice today, so I went to a class down at the powercenter this evening with some of my floor girls. We tried the abb blast class and it was actually alot of fun. I had never took a structured class like that before.

Day 4

Hey everyone! It's Meghan. We had our NCAA compliance meeting this morning at 6:30 a.m. We got to learn about what we can and cannot do as a D1 swimmer. After that, I had an hour before my first class so I took a nap. I was awesome! Classes are still going well, you just have to plan ahead to make sure you get to class on time! I was in a rush to get to my 1:40 class which is basically on the other side of campus, and the elevator decided it wanted to stop on every floor. Talk about stressed... lucky, I made class on time with a couple minutes to spare. Thats one of the hardest things about having time between classes. You think, "oh I have so much time!" and then you look at the clock and it's later than you thought. You get the hang of it after a while though. Bri and I are currently doing laundry, it's hard to believe that some girls here don't have a clue what they are doing. I am hoping it will be done soon, I hate waiting around. Tomorrow, we get to sleep in! I am so excited! I will be back tomorrow!
-Meghan

day 3- slightly delayed

Hey! It's Meghan. I am a little behind on the blog. oops! We swam again yesterday and I can feel my strokes coming back. I wasn't thinking a whole lot when I decided I wanted to do 4 x 75"s butterfly... other swimmers may have looked at me and thought I was drowning, but I made it! Yesterday, Bri and I did a ton of homework since our last class was over by 12:50. It was so nice! We decided to take a break late afternoon and we went for a run. I got to see a lot of things you can't see from the dorm. We found this paved trail that runs alongside the highway on North Side. We also saw a bunch of bikers and rollerbladers while we were out. It was a beautiful day! I found out how hard those South Side steps can be after a run. I was literally pulling myself up them. Since my night class wasn't meeting this week, I was going to go to Pilates with a few girls on my floor after dinner. I was really excited about it, but the instructor didn't show up! bummer. Maybe another time. That's all for now!
-Meghan

Thurs. Aug 26

Run 16 laps (Equivalent to a mile in the Power Center: 1 lap = 100)
25 tuck jumps
Run 12 laps
20 One leg squats (10 each)
Run 8 laps
15 Air squats – depth below 90 degrees
Run 4 laps
10 Split squats

Day 2

Hello again, this is Meghan. We have officially been on campus for a week! My room mate Bri and I were up again this morning to get a swim in. It was rough getting in at first, but the workout went well ending with speed at the end. Classes today were about the same as yesterday. I think I like the college class schedule more than high school... we have time between classes to catch up on homework etc but it will take some time getting use to. I know Bri and I promised yesterday that we would not lock ourselves out of the room again... guess what?? we did! Luckily our RA was coming around and we got back in quickly. She is awesome! We are still trying to find our way around campus but I have not got lost yet! We have been eating in Towers for most of our meals and they have had some pretty good stuff. They have been having vegetable stir fry the last few lunches, wraps, and even different kinds of ice cream! My personal favorite is the Birthday Cake! Yumm. But don't worry, we will be back in the pool early tomorrow morning! Talk to you tomorrow night!
-Meghan

day 2...

hi everyone! Today was day two of classes here. Everything seemed a little bit easier today,but the assignments are already starting to pile up. There is definately alot more class work that is expected of you than there ever was in highschool. I spent a lot of time reading my course material between classes today...I even made use of the library to work on a project. On a funny note, me and meghan obviously didn't figure out that we need to take are keys with us yet as we locked ourselves out for the second time lol.

Tues. Aug 24

21 – 15 – 9

Push Press
Dips
Row
Hanging Knee Tucks

HKT: hang from pull up bar and bring knees to belly/chest (concentrate on keeping your core tight in order to keep yourself from swinging back and forth)

Day 1 of classes

Hello! My name is Meghan Smith and I am one of the Freshman this year for the Duquesne Swim Team. A little about me, I am from Chapel Hill, North Carolina (love you mom, dad, and morgan!)and I am in the Physical Therapy Program. All the Freshman moved in last Tuesday, August 17th and we were kept very busy through orientation week. Move in was a little hectic with about 1,500 new students but they had a great team of people waiting to help you unload all of your stuff. My room mate Bri and I had a ton of stuff but we got it to all fit in our room! During orientation, we had activities like dances, cookouts, tours, team meetings and a clean up of south side. Orientation was a lot of fun! I got to meet a lot of people and collected Burgh Bucks which won my floor an iLive in the auction! Go floor 12! Today, Monday, was our first official day of school and the day open pool started. The classes weren't bad, just your typical first day of school with all the information of what we will be accomplishing this year. As far as the pool goes, I cannot wait to get back in shape. We didn't do a lot of swimming this morning but we did have to battle one of the lane ropes which was too short, but we got it to fit. What a great team building activity! Bri and I got back from the pool and somehow we managed to get ourselves locked out of our room... in our suits. The guy at the front desk was really nice about it and he let us in. What a great way to start out the first day of school! Hopefully we won't do that tomorrow! Talk to you tomorrow!
-Meghan Smith

First day of Classes...

Hello! Name is Brianna and I am a freshman swimmer her at Duquesne. First day was pretty interesting..i got to meet some of my teamates this morning at open pool swim. And shared an interesting experience putting in the lane lines. First time it ever took five people to put in a lane line...haha..but we got it eventually. After swim, meghan and I learned a little lesson about the importance of taking our room keys with us after we locked ourselves out of our room and had nothing on but our swimsuits. Classes went well, I was worried at first about finding where they were at, but they were easy to find. It was different, the classes were alot bigger than anything I was used to and there was alot more information to take in, but all in all it wasn't too bad.

Mon. Aug 23

2 Rounds For Time

24 Deadlift
24 Box Jumps
24 Wall Balls
24 Bench
24 Box Jumps
24 Wall balls
24 Clean

New Season Begins!

With the start of the new season two freshmen women (Meghan Smith and Brianna Dombrosky)will be blogging about their first week experience as a college student-athletes. Follow their postings daily to get a better feel for what a new freshmen student-athlete experiences in transition from high school to college.

See you around the pool,
Dave

Fri. Aug 20

Last day of Recovery Week.

Run 800 M
25 Back Extensions
25 Plyo Ball Crunches
Sprint 100 M

Thurs. Aug 19

Light to Medium Weight

12 - 9 - 6

Overhead Squat
SDHP

8 x 25 Abs Choice

Tues. Aug 17

Run 200m
20 sit ups
Run 200m
20 sit ups
Run 200m
20 sit ups

Mon. Aug. 16

Recovery Week!

Use Light to Medium Weight

10 Thrusters
10 Push ups
10 Lunges
10 Pull ups
10 Front Squats

Fri. Aug 13

Run 800 M
Do 15 Burpulls
Run 600 M
Do 9 Burpulls
Run 400 M
Do 3 Burpulls

Burpulls – burpees done under a pull up bar
- Do a Burpee, as you jump back up grab the pull up bar and do a pull up

Thurs. Aug 12

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of the triplet:

Deadlift: Body weight
Bench press: ½ BW
Clean: ¼ BW

If these weights are too heavy, you can scale it down. However, remember this is the last rough week before the Recovery week. Get at it!

Tues. Aug 10

3 Rounds:

15 Frog Hops
20 Wall Balls
25 Pushups
30 Squats (with weight)
50 Crunches
2 minute Jump Rope or 15 Burpees


Once completed:
Stabilizers 3 Front, 3 Right, 3 Left: 50 seconds on, 10 sec off

This will be the last week of hard workouts, make sure you're giving it your all. Next week will be a week of recovery. Then we will get back to it as season is fast approaching!

Mon. Aug 9

400 M Run

8 Rounds of:
4 Pull Ups
4 Dips

100 Full Sit Ups

8 Rounds of:
4 Burpees
4 KB Swings

400 M Run

Fri. Aug 6

Run 100 M
10-9
(10 reps of the exercises below, followed by 9 reps, then run)
Run 200 M
8-7
Run 300 M
6-5
Run 400 M
4-3
Run 500 M
2-1

Dips
Seated row
Overhead squats

Thurs. Aug 5

How high can you go in 20 minutes?

1 box jump, 1 push up, 1 kb swing, 1 pull up
2 box jumps, 2 push ups, 2 kb swings, 2 pull ups
3 box jumps, 2 push ups, 3 kb swings, 3 pull ups...

Email me (Brit) with your result.

Tues. Aug 3

4 Rounds

Run 400 M
20 Split Squats
20 Push ups
40 Sit ups

Facebook Page

Hey everyone, thanks for following the blogspot. I just wanted to let all of you know that you will also be able to follow the team on the new Duquesne Womens Swimming Facebook page. We will continue to update both and add as much content as possible. Go Dukes!

Mon. Aug 2

21-18-15-12-9-6-3

Bench
Sumo Deadlift High Pull (SDHP)
Front Squat

Try to increase weight as reps get lower.

Fri. July 30

“Filthy Fifty”

50 Box Jumps
50 Jumping pull ups
50 KB Swings
50 Walking Lunges
50 Knees to Elbows (tuck jumps)
50 Push Press
50 Back Extensions
50 Wall Balls
50 Burpees
50 Jump Rope (double unders if you can)

You must finish one exercise before you begin the next.

Thurs. July 29

"Fran"

21 – 15 – 9

Pull ups
Thrusters

This is one of CrossFit's toughest workouts, if executed with proper technique. It is designed to be a high intensity workout (using 100% of your power), that takes only minutes. For thrusters, use a weight that is going to make you struggle. A pull up should have full extension of the arms for it to count.

Reference: During my (Brit) certification class, I used 45 pounds for thrusters and completed this in 7 minutes.

We will be doing a workout like this, every month or so. Keep in mind, that a great workout does not have to be 45 minutes long in order to get the full effect.

Tues. July 27

Warm up:
2 x (5 tuck jumps, 4 lunges-twists: 2 each leg)

AMRAP in 20 min.
10 Dips
10 Box jumps
1 HSPU

Lunge-twist: step out with right foot and lunge, while in the down position, twist trunk to the right, stand back up, then do left

Mon. July 26

Power day:

2 x 10 of each of the following at light-medium weight
Bench
Back Squats
Cleans

3 rep MAX weight of each of the following
Bench
Back Squats
Cleans

Fri. July 23

With a continuously running clock, do 1 min of each exercise (no rest btwn exercises).

3 Rounds: 1 minute of each exercise

Jump Rope
Thrusters
Push ups
Wall Ball
KB swings
Jump Rope
Rest 1 minute

Thurs. July 22

For time:

Run 2 miles. Every ½ mile stop and do 10 burpees.

Tues. July 20

5 rounds: Concentrate on proper technique

12 Deadlift
9 Power clean
6 Push press

Rest about 1-2 min between rounds

Try using 85 pounds for each exercise. If this is too heavy, try 50% of your body weight (BW), or less. However, this should be tough. If you need lighter weight, start low then increase weight each round.

Finish up with
100 crunches - mix it up

Mon. July 19

Run 800 M
10 Dips
Run 600 M
10 Dips
20 Split Squats
Run 400 M
10 Dips
20 Split Squats
30 Thrusters
Run 200 M
10 Dips
20 Split Squats
30 Thrusters
40 Sit ups

Sprint 100 M

Then reverse it starting with 40 sit ups, 30 thrusters…

Fri. July 16

For time.

100 pull ups
100 push ups
100 air squats
100 sit ups

Partition any way you want.

For example: 4 x 25 of each, 5 x 20 of each, or 10 x 10 of each...etc

Thurs. July 15

21 - 15 - 9

Deadlift
Burpees
Shoulder press (thruster w/o squat)

(21 of each exercise, then 15 of each, and 9 of each: total 3 rounds)

Women's Swimming earns All-America status!

Congratualtions to the Duquesne Women's Swimming Program for being honored by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) for academic achievement with a 3.15 GPA!

Tues. July 13

Part 1:
400 M Run
2 x (25 situps, 25 back extensions)

Part 2:
Tabata
6 x 20 sec on/10 sec off

Jumping jacks
Push press
Lunges with weight
Jump rope
Pushups
Stabilizers – 2 right, 2 front, 2 left

Mon. July 12

15 - 10 - 5 - 15 - 5 - 10 - 15 reps of the following

Box jumps
Dips
Wall balls
Dumb bell bicep cruls
Thrusters
Burpees
Sit ups
200 M Run


First round you do 15 of every exercise, then a 200 M run. Go right into the second round at 10 reps of every exercise, then a 200 M run....etc.

Fri. July 9

4 Rounds

2 Minute Run
5 Back Squats with heavy weight
Max Push/Pull ups (do as many as you can until you physically can't do anymore; no stopping)


Rounds 1 & 3: Push ups (Minimum 10/round)
Rounds 2 & 4: Pull ups (Minimum 5/round)

Thurs. July 8

AMRAP in 20 min.

5 Thrusters
7 Kettle bell swings
10 Sumo deadlift high pull

Increase weight every 5 min.
(Try to have as little break as possible between rounds.)

200 Abs: your choice

Tues. July 6

100 feet walking lunges
18 pull ups
18 push ups
18 sit ups
100 feet walking lunges
15 pull ups
15 push ups
15 sit ups
100 feet walking lunges
12 pull ups
12 push ups
12 sit ups
100 feet walking lunges
9 pull ups
9 push ups
9 sit ups
100 feet walking lunges
6 pull ups
6 push ups
6 sit ups
100 feet walking lunges
3 pull ups
3 push ups
3 sit ups

Thurs. July 1

5 Rounds

20 Split squats
15 Thrusters
10 Burpees
5 Pull ups
1 Handstand push up (HSPU)
300 M Run

- Rounds 1, 3, 5: 20 –> 1, then Run
- Rounds 2, 4: Reverse (1 –> 20), then Run



Since it is July 4th weekend, there will be no post Friday or Monday. I hope you all enjoy your holiday and we will get back at it on Tuesday.

Tues. June 29

50! - 40* - 30# - 20$ - 10%
40! - 30* - 20# - 10$ - 50%
30! - 20* - 10# - 50$ - 40%
20! - 10* - 50# - 40$ - 30%


! Back squats
* Tricep extension
# Box jumps
$ Kettle bell swings
% Sit ups

For this workout start with the first line: 50 back squats, 40 tri...10 sit ups, then move on to line 2: 40 back squats, 30 tri...30 sit ups.

Mon. June 28

Part 1:
4 Rounds of
Run 400 M
25 Air Squats

Part 2:
As FAST as You Can: Run 400 M
75 Push ups
75 Lunges
75 Pull ups
75 Dips
As FAST as You Can: Run 400 M

Split up the sets of 75 as needed.

Part 3:
25 Regular crunches
25 Bicycle crunches
25 Back extensions
25 Right side
25 Right elbow to left knee
25 back extensions
25 Left side
25 Left elbow to right knee
25 Back extensions
25 Reverse
25 Toe touch
25 Back extensions

WOD, Fri. June 25

2 Rounds

20 Lunges (10 each leg)
100 Crunches
20 Push Ups

WOD, Wed. June 23

Run 1 mile
- Sprint last 200m

Stabilizers - 45 seconds on, 15 off
- 2 front
- 2 right
- 2 left

WOD, Mon. June 21

Recovery Week

2 Rounds

5 Push ups
10 Dips
15 Air squats
20 Sit ups

WOD, Fri. June 18

Starting Monday (June 21), will be a week of recovery. Workouts will still be posted Mon, Wed, and Fri, however, they will be shorter and less intense than they have been. After the week of recovery, starting June 28, workouts will be posted 4 days a week on Mon, Tues, Thurs, and Fridays. These workouts will be longer and intense compared to the first session, as we continue to prepare ourselves for the upcoming season. Hope you all are having fun with them so far!! Keep challenging yourselves!

50 Jump squats
5 Bench press – use Plyo ball or Bench
5 Wall ball
40 Jump squats
10 Bench press
10 Wall ball
30 Jump squats
15 Bench press
15 Wall ball
20 Jump squats
20 Bench press
20 Wall ball
10 Jump squats
25 Bench press
25 Wall ball

1 minute rest

25 Sumo dead lift
25 Thrusters
10 Push ups
20 Sumo dead lift
20 Thrusters
20 Push ups
15 Sumo dead lift
15 Thrusters
30 Push ups
10 Sumo dead lift
10 Thrusters
40 Push ups
5 Sumo dead lift
5 Thrusters
50 Push ups

WOD, Wed. June 16

Warm up: 2 rounds

200m Run
15 Air squats

Main Set: 6 rounds For Time

100 Jump rope
20 Sit ups
10 Row – your choice (Bent over, Lawn mower, Seated, Upright)

WOD, Mon. June 14

Run 200m
10 Pull-ups
10 Burpees
10 Dips
10 Squat Twists

Run 200m
9 Pull-ups
9 Burpees
9 Dips
9 Squat Twists

Run 200m
8 Pull-ups
8 Burpees
8 Dips
8 Squat Twists

Continue this pattern all the way to 1 of each exercise.

Squat Twist - Squat as if you are doing a Thruster (arms in the air like you are ready for a Push Press), rising from the squat, bring your right elbow to your left knee, squat, on the way up left elbow to right knee. That counts as 2. Really squeeze those abs.

WOD, Fri. June 11

3 Rounds

12 Tricep push-downs
12 Lat pull-downs
21’s
Shoulder circuit (2 or 5 lb weight)
- 10 Thumbs up - Straight arm in front of you, thumbs pointed up
- 10 Thumbs down
- 10 Lateral
- 10 Bent over fly



21's: Bicep exercise. Start with arms fully extended (at your sides). Do bicep curl motion, but stop when your arm gets to a 90 degree angle. Do 7 like this. Go straight into 7 curls starting at 90 degree angle and curl arm up. Followed by 7 regular bicep curls. Do this for each round (total of 21 each round).

WOD, Wed. June 9

2 Rounds of:

20 Squats with Weight
4 x 25 Ball Crunches
15 Squats with Weight
3 x 25 Box Jumps
10 Squats with Weight
2 x 25 Wall Ball
5 Squats with Weight
25 Push ups


Weight for squats - use either the bar (minimum bar - add plates to challenge yourself) or dumb bells (at least 15lbs)

Wod, Mon. June 7

400 M Run

AMRAP in 6 minutes
6 x Split Squats (each leg)
6 x Pull ups

400 M Run

AMRAP in 6 minutes
6 x Sit ups
6 x Dips

400 M Run

AMRAP in 6 minutes
6 x Push ups
6 x Air squats

400 M Run

WOD, Fri. June 4

15-12-9

Back squats
Wall ball
Seated row
Incline sit ups - holding a weighted plate (15 each time)

Challenge yourself with the amount of weight you use. For the seated rows, make sure you are squeezing your shoulder blades together.

WOD, Wed. June 2

Part 1:

Tabata intervals
At the beginning of each exercise, do a bleacher run (up and down the steps).
Followed by 8 x 20 seconds on/10 seconds off for each exercise.

1) Jump rope
2) Plyo jumps (jump to second step)
3) Push press
4) Bicep curl
5) Tricep extension

(Example: Run bleachers then jump rope for 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds, repeat for a total of 8 times. Run bleachers, plyo jumps...)

Part 2:

4 x 25 back extensions
Use a plyo ball or back extension machine.

WOD, Sun. May 30/Mon. May 31

Since Monday is a holiday, I have posted the workout a day early for your convenience.

For this WOD, you will be doing 7 rounds of the following exercises for a time. Time yourself from start to finish (you may take rest as you need to, but the idea is to finish it as fast as possible - still with proper technique). Once you have completed the workout, please email me your time so I may record them for future reference. Hope everyone enjoys the holiday!!!

7 rounds for a time of:

7 Thrusters
7 Burpees
7 Jump squats
7 Sit ups
7 Pull ups (you can do jump pull ups)
7 Deadlift
7 Bent over row

WOD, Fri. May 28

Part 1:
20 walking lunges, 12 mountain climbers, 12 split squats
20 walking lunges, 9 mountain climbers, 9 split squats
20 walking lunges, 6 mountain climbers, 6 split squats
20 walking lunges, 3 mountain climbers, 3 split squats

1 min rest

20 dips, 3 push ups, 3 kettle bells
20 dips, 6 push ups, 6 kettle bells
20 dips, 9 push ups, 9 kettle bells
20 dips, 12 push ups, 12 kettle bells

Part 2:
50 regular crunches
50 bicycle
50 toe touch
50 right side
50 left side
50 plyo ball

WOD, Wed. May26

AMRAP in 25 minutes

5 Pull ups
10 Push ups
20 Box jumps
40 Single leg squats (20 each leg)

If you do not have access to a plyo box for the jumps, use the stairs and jump to the second step. For the single leg squats, pick a point on the ground/wall and focus on it to aid in balance...concentrate on using your core to keep you stable as well.

WOD, Mon. May 24

18-12-6 reps of

Bench pull-ups
Back squats
Tricep push downs
Push press

Start with a light weight and good form. Increase weight for each round WHILE maintaining good form. Finish with a weight that will make you struggle.

WOD, Fri. May 21

4 Rounds of

400 Meter Run (as fast as you can go)
25 crunches

Each round is on 4 minutes.




Feel free to post any comments, questions, concerns, or suggestions you may have regarding the workouts. Hope everyone is enjoying them so far!!

WOD, Wed. May 19

This workout follows the song, "12 Days of Christmas". The first round you will do 1 decline pushup. The second round you will do 2 squats and 1 decline pushup. For round 3: 3 burpees, 2 squats and 1 decline pushup. Follow the same pattern all the way up to 12.

1, 2-1, 3-2-1, 4-3-2-1 … 12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

1 Decline pushup (feet higher than arms)
2 Squats
3 Burpees
4 Skull crushers
5 Step ups per leg
6 Crunches
7 Kettle bells
8 Mountain Climbers
9 Upright rows
10 Lunges
11 Dips
12 Situps

After workout:
4 x (50 plyo ball abs and 25 back extensions)

WOD, Mon. May 17

You will need a deck of cards - take out the jokers and shuffle. Each suit has an assigned exercise. Flip over first card and do corresponding number and exercise. Go right into second card after first is completed. Flip through entire deck (52 cards).

Cards 2 – 9: Do the #
Cards 10 – King: Double card (J-22, Q-24, K-26)
Ace: Run 300m

Hearts: Jumping jacks
Diamonds: Pushups
Spades: Bicycle crunches
Clubs: Split squats

WOD, Fri. May 14

Part1:
5 rounds of

Bench
Back extensions
Bent over rows (make sure you're squeezing your shoulder blades together)
Lunges with weight

Round 1: 10 reps
Round 2: 5
Round 3: 15
Round 4: 5
Round 5: 10
Increase weight each round

Part 2:
4 x Flutter kicks (legs 6 inches off the ground)on 1 minute (45 sec. on/15 off)

WOD, Wed. May 12

Warm up:

1 minute jump rope
100 crunches

Main workout:

Tabata - Each exercise will be done 6 times on 30 seconds: 20 seconds on/10 seconds rest.

Air squats
Stabilizers (2 front, 2 right side, 2 left side)
Dips
Frog hops
Wall ball or thrusters (if no access to a medicine ball)


Do not forget to breathe during the 20 seconds, especially during the stabilizers. The more you breathe, the more beneficial the workout will be.


I have added the cross fit link under the "Links of Interest" tab for exercise demos if anyone has a question regarding technique. Enjoy!

Workout of the Day (WOD), Mon. May 10

As Many Reps As Possible (AMRAP) in 20 minutes

200 Meter Run
10 Pushups
10 Jump squats
15 Triceps
15 Bicep curls
20 Step ups (10 each leg)


After workout:
8 x 25 abs (mix it up)

Be cautious… as you complete the exercises, do not sacrifice form for speed.

"No student ever attains very eminent success by simply doing what is required of him; it is the amount and excellence of what is over and above the required that determines the greatness of ultimate distinction." - Charles Kendall Adams

Spring Clean-up

(L-R Front Row: Kristi Magee, Lauren Leon, Ben Sheets, Erin Cawley, Megan Hayles, Briana Mangis, Miriam McGeath, Hillary Hocson. Back Row: Morgan Claycomb, Hannah Kondrotas, Kirstie Shumaker, Tara VanNatta, Heather Cloud)

This past Saturday many of the women swimmers as well as my son and I participated in Duquesne University's annual Spring Clean-up. We worked from 9 AM-12 PM in the local community. The team had the task of picking weeds, trimming grass and spreading mulch at a park that was made on a property after an old house was torn down. The park was located on the corner of Forbes Ave. and the Birmingham Bridge. Although the day was not perfect, everyone was in great spirits and made the most of the poor weather. My son had a blast picking weeds, pushing around the wheel barrel and digging up worms with Bri Mangis. Everyone worked very hard and helped to make that little corner of Pittsburgh better for the Uptown District. Great job ladies!

Congratulations Ed, Jim and Tara

ATLANTIC 10 ANNOUNCES SWIMMING & DIVING ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
La Salle’s Shannon Duval and Edward LeBlanc of Duquesne Garner Student-Athlete of the Year Distinction

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - La Salle’s Shannon Duval and Edward LeBlanc of Duquesne have been tabbed the Atlantic 10 Student-Athletes of the Year in women’s and men’s swimming & diving, respectively, in voting conducted among the Conference’s sports information directors.

Duval won both the 100-yard (1:03.85) and 200-yard breaststroke (2:17.35) events and placed third in the 200-yard individual medley (2:04.67) at the 2010 A-10 Championship (Feb. 17-20) in Buffalo, N.Y. A native of Trinidad & Tobago, the senior also swam the second leg of the Explorers’ 400-yard medley relay which established a school record with a time of 3:48.84.

A three-time Academic All-Conference selection, Duval boasts a 3.81 grade point average as an Accounting major. She is the first La Salle female swimmer to garner Student-Athlete of the Year distinction since Melissa MacPherson in 2001.

Joining Duval on the women’s swimming & diving Academic All-Conference team are teammates Nicole LePere and Katie Sieben of Richmond; Martha Cutter-Wilson and Kari Peglar of Xavier; La Salle’s Emily Heath; Anna Larson of Saint Louis; George Washington’s Paola Leor; Massachusetts’ Jessica Starosielec; and Tara VanNatta of Duquesne. Both Cutter-Wilson and Larson have been selected to the team for the third consecutive year.

LeBlanc was named the Most Outstanding Performer at the A-10 Championship after winning gold medals and eclipsing league records in the 100-yard freestyle (44.32) and 200-yard freestyle (1:37.64) events. The resident of Raleigh, N.C., also placed first in the 500-yard freestyle (4:27.25), established four league records and posted six NCAA “B” cut performances.

The first male swimmer in program history to earn A-10 Student-Athlete of the Year honors and two-time Academic All-Conference selection, LeBlanc maintains a 3.39 grade point average while majoring as a Physician Assistant.

Joining LeBlanc on the men’s swimming & diving Academic All-Conference team are Justin and Ryan Coombs of Fordham; La Salle’s Brandon Hargraves and Justin Huckel; Sal Cruz and Michael Dahle of Saint Louis; Massachusetts’ Adam Duffield; Duquesne’s Jim O’Hara; and Nathan Green of Xavier. It marks the third consecutive year that Ryan Coombs has been named to the team, while Dahle, Duffield and Justin Coombs are repeat selections.

Saying Goodbye

The last night of the meet was bitter-sweet as the entire conference said "good-bye" to our men's team. It was very emotional and inspirational for all involved. The outpouring of support from the other teams and their parents made the ending a little more bearable.

I want to send out a special thanks to Sean/Seth (St. Bonaventure), Matt/Jamie (Lasalle), Russ/Bob (UMass), Brent (Xavier), Jim (St. Louis), Steve (Fordham), Dan (GW), Matt (Richmond), Mik (URI). All of your support over the weekend helped Dave and I get through it.

Dave

Out with a bang!!!

What a Saturday!!! The men lit the night up with several great swims and put an exclamation point on their meet, winning the 400 free relay in record setting fashion. Not only did they win, they set a new team and conference record and also made an NCAA "B" cut time.

All-in-all it was a fantastic meet! The women finished fourth; I was very proud of that because there were no champions from individuals or relays.......it was a combined team effort. The men finished third and as far as I am concerned were the most dominant team at the meet, winning three relays, three individual titles and recording 6 NCAA "B" cut times.

One statement I do want to put to rest though regarding our teams....the teams that finished ahead of us did not do so because of diving or our lack of a diving facility, they beat us because of better support (scholarship) from their respective universities.

See you around the pool,
Dave

Great first night!

Well, we wrapped up the first night of the conference championships in a great position. The women are tied for 3rd with 56 points on the strength of a 5th place 200 medley relay (Tara VanNatta, Caitie Zajko, Kirstie Shumaker and Meghann McGoldrick) with a time of 1:45.53, only .11 from third place. The 800 free relay of Kristi McGee, Annie Hayles, Angela Majkut and Amanda McClleland put together a strong showing finishing 4th place with a time of 7:36.03. On the men's side we are also in 3rd place, 13 points behind St. Bonaventure with one diving event down. The third place was on the strength of a school record setting 200 medley relay as Mitch Smith, Ian Walsh, Jim O'Hara, and Brendan Schilling finished second with a time of 1:31.64. The climax of the evening came in the night's last event, the men's 800 free relay, as the team of Jim O'Hara, Chris Kobela, Roman Becicka and Ed LeBlanc recorded a first place time, school record and NCAA Division I "B" standard of 6:40.84. Ed LeBlanc secured the victory in the final leg with a 1:35.96!

Tomorrow morning's prelims kick off at 10:30 AM with the 500 free, 200 IM and 50 free.

See you around the pool, Dave

Here we GO!!

It is now less then 5 hours until the first splash of the 2010 A-10 Championships! This evening's session kicks off at 6:30 PM and will be composed of three events: 200 Medley Relay, men's diving and the 800 free relay. The Duquesne Swimming family is ready to go and prepared to make a statment to the rest of the conference. I will do the best I can to give my take on how the meet is going with reports on both prelims and finals. You can find all of the Live Results at: http://www.atlantic10.com//index-main.html

See you around the pool,
Dave

Ready for A 10s

With less then a week until the first race at A 10s, both teams are starting to look great and are getting ready to race! This is always one of the highlights of the year for me as the volumes start to decrease and the energy levels increase. Although not quite there yet, I am confident that when the beeper sounds on Wednesday for the first event, Duquesne Swimming will let everyone know we are in Buffalo ready to swim fast.

I encourage all former Duquesne Swimming and Diving Alumns to make the drive to Buffalo to support all of these fine ladies and gentlemen. I am certain you will walk out of ECC proud to be a Duquesne Swimming and Diving Alumnus.

See you in the stands,
Dave

Gofor5

In an effort to bring notice to dilemma going on at Duquesne and within collegiate men's swimming across the country, the Duquesne University Alumni and parent group is launching the "Gofor5" campaign. It is with great hopes that we can not only save Duquesne Swimming but also establish a base to work with other programs around the country that may be at risk. What continued at Duquesne on January 25, 2010 could end at any other program across the country.

I urge you to consider "going for 5" and help all of us "save one program at a time."
www.gofor5.org

Jim O'Hara speaks to the Morning Swim Show

Junior Jim O'Hara had an opportunity on Tuesday to speak with Peter Busch of Swimming World Magazine regarding the dropping of the men's team, how the program is preparing for A-10s and some of the plans for trying to save the program.

You can see the interview here:

http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/MorningSwimShow/default.asp

Final dual meet of the season

Today we made our way down to Morgantown to take on two tough squads in WVU and Virginia Tech. We knew that both program outgunned us but we wanted to make a good showing in preparation for A-10's in a few weeks. The men's team did not disappoint as Eddie LeBlanc took individual wins against Virgina Tech and WVU in the 200 Free (1:39.34) and 100 Free (45.49). Roman Becicka paced the field against WVU, winning the 1000 (9:46.30) and 400 IM (4:07.88). Along with Ed and Roman, Jim O'Hara posted some good swims in the 200 free and 100 fly as well. Although not as crisp as I would have liked, the team showed a lot of heart despite everything that lead up to this weekend. I am certain if they show this kind of desire at A-10's we will be a team to be reckoned with.

On the women's side we had some good swims by freshmen Miriam McGeath in the 200 fly (2:06.65) and 400 IM (4:33.68), junior Briana Mangis in the 200 Back (2:09.99)as well as freshmen Meghann McGoldrick in the 50 free (24.64). Although we were outswum, both teams put forth an effort I was very proud of. I am now ordering up two weeks of rest in preparation for a lights out conference meet!!

I also want to add a thanks to WVU and Virginia Tech for the support they showed our men's team. The WVU parent's made red and blue ribbons, passed them out to our parent's and wore them themselves to honor our team. Thanks Vic and Ned, you are both class acts.

See you around the pool,
Dave

Contact Information

Alumi, family and friends of Duquesne Swimming,

I think that bombarding the administration with emails and letters has been great. All of your support for the Duquesne Swimming Family has been astonishing! However, it is now time to focus our efforts at building a proactive, workable relationship with the AD and the President. In order to begin this relationship with the hopes of coming to some kind of workable solution to our problem, I have volunteered to be the voice for everyone involved. My name is Clayton Dean, a former swimmer at Duquesne from 2003-2007.

Please, any of you that are participating in this effort, email me with proposals, ideas etc so we can really begin to formulate a strategy. I know the parents have been hard at work and I want to continue working with you in conjunction with the supporting alumni and friends of Duquesne Swimming. Together, as one, we can work towards our goal of saving Duquesne Men's Swimming

I can be reached at cdean14@gmail.com

I look forward to hearing from all of you,
Clayton

Cleveland State and Xavier

With the Florida training trip long gone, we made our way across the turnpike to face tough Cleveland State and Xavier teams. Because this was our first competition since our return, I was a little anxious to see how we would swim.

Both teams responded fairly well. Nothing great, but nothing extremely poor either. The women's team had a bit of a rough road, with eight swimmers out due to illness or other circumstances. I felt we handled it very well, dropping one to Cleveland State 96.5-134.50 but getting one from Xavier, 120-84. Miriam McGeath had a very solid day recording a fast 2:05.96 in the 200 fly and a 2:24.11 in the 200 breast.

On the men's side, the same results occured. We lost to Cleveland State (88-135), but gave them some very good races and just outswam Xavier (120-85).

We will continue to work hard to prepare ourselves for the conference championships February 17-20. This weekend we are at home taking on Pitt. Meet time is 1 PM. Hope to see you there.

See you around the pool,
Dave

Annual Polar Bear Run

With our return to campus this past week we were all greeted with a nice covering of snow. It was a bit of a shock considering the weather in Florida but none-the-less, the team made the best of it with their annual Polar Bear Run. The run used to be called the "bubble run" until the bubble was removed for the addition of the new turf. So it has been renamed the "Polar Bear Run". The premise of the run is to jump out of the pool, head out the doors and run to the 50 yard line of the football field. Not everyone participates but everyone enjoys it regardless. I have attached the video from the run for you.

See you around the pool,
Dave

Florida Training 2009-2010

With the new year beginning another Florida trip comes to an end. Overall it was a great trip. Although there were a few bumps (the weather stunk) in the road early on, the team performed very well once they got their bearings for long course swimming.

Our Florida trip was really a transition for us from the aerobic training we did the first semester into the second phase of our season that we categorize as anaerobic/explosive. Here we really try to focus on developing race strategies, explosiveness and quality of the practices.

Aside from the rigors of training the team did have an opportunity to enjoy some activities outside of the pool. Coach Bocci and I cooked dinner for the team one evening.....we grilled chicken (teriaki and tequila lime), hot dogs and burgers, while the men made sides and the women desserts. The ladies also got together a few times for team dinners out....boy they look pretty good all dressed up! The team also showed their Pittsburgh spirit taking in a hockey game......about 30 of us drove 30 minutes as The Penguins visited the Sunshine State to play the Florida Panthers (thanks Kim for organizing everything). Despite the loss, we had a great time and my son Ben got to attend his first hockey game.

Aside from all of the other activities, we had our traditional team dinner before we headed back. This year we tried somewhere different, ditching shooters on the inner coastal and heading downtown to Las Olas and Mangos. The food and the company was great and some of the team even took in a little shopping.

We are now back in Pittsburgh preparing ourselves for the home stretch. We open the second semester next week against Cleveland State and Xavier. From there we have our Senior Day against Pitt and then we travel to Morgantown for a double dual against WVU and Virginia Tech. I'm looking forward to some fast swimming as we head into the conference championships!

See you around the pool,
Dave