OK. So in the spirit of D.E.I. I use Christmas not in the long standing judeo-christian heritage, but in the broader spirit of Christmas heritage that says now is a time for gratitude and enjoyment of each other rather than any amount of exclusionary tactics depending on how you celebrate whatever you celebrate at this time of year. Bottom line: the 12 days works out (pun) really well as an attendance carrot for when it’s often toughest to prioritize the gym, its a way to give out stickers to my peeps as congratulations, and it should in no way shape or form be seen as an attempt to proselytize, coerce or engender your assimilation into Christmas as a tradition. Big Hugs!

Details! 12 Days, Monday through Thursday, for the next 3 weeks is in fact 12 days. It’s a little bit MORE TIGHT than in years past. Friday is a make-up day (or another workout if you made the other 4 that week already), but the last Friday is Christmas Eve! Which the gym closes for, because some time in holiday is important, I would hope you agree (*1 see below). So you’ll only have two make up days! Friday the 10th and Friday the 17th. Don’t eff it up!!

The Workout:

Number 1:
21 Deadlifts 225/155
Run 400m
15 Deadlifts 225/155
Run 400m
12 Deadlifts 225/155
Run 400m
9 Deadlifts 225/155
Run 400m

SPICY!!!! They’re meant to be unbroken sets of 21-15-12-9, so adjust accordingly and the runs should be in the realm of 90 seconds, which is fast! ALSO remember remember remember that the combination of Run/DL has a nasty habit of getting into the people’s back pretty fiercely. It’s neither movements fault, simply the combination, no time off for the spine and the posterior chain, be smart, and if something isn’t feeling 100% during the workout, let the coaches know and we’ll adjust immediately. Bravo!

*1 – If you enjoy your coaches as people and actually see them as such, you’ll also recognize their need for rest time, and time to be spent with their families. In the same way that you would enjoy your coaches to encourage and celebrate the often weeks of vacation you might take as holiday during this season, your coaches also would enjoy it when you congratulate and encourage them to take time for this holiday. Seemingly harmless quips as “oh bummer, you guys are closed Friday!” “No class on Sunday to make up for Friday?” “Why not the morning of Friday, seems like that would be ok?” are often felt quite poignantly by your training staff as devaluation of their personhood as the subtext is that we shouldn’t be allowed to take time to rest, enjoy our families etc. Thanks and big hugs!