Saturday Nov 22, 2015

/

We had a great RRL party last night.  Good food and great friends! 

It is timely that this party happens right around Thanksgiving.  I am thankful and grateful for so many things in my life.  I have been truly blessed and I am thankful for big and little things every day...every minute of the day.

One of the things that I am constantly grateful for is the group of people that I surround myself with.  The guys of the RRL are some of the finest individuals that I have ever met.  Through our training we develop a kinship, trust and a bond that will not be broken.  Add humor to the mix and you have the ingredients for great relationships.

I have always liked the quote above by Jim Rohn.  I think that it is true, but I also suspect that Jim Rohn didnt have a group like the RRL.  Starting my day with you guys is inspiring and it has developed me into a better person. 

I also like this quote from Henry Rollins about lifting weights.  To me the iron is the iron...but this group is also the iron.  200 pounds is always 200 pounds, but the RRL is the same.  When you show up, you are expected to give your best and you are surrounded by others who are giving theirs.  If you arent feeling good, you will be brought up by the intensity around you, but excuses arent tolerated by anyone.  Either do it or dont.  I love that about this group.


Last night we were able to share so many laughs and memories and get to know those closest to each of us.  Thank you all for being a part of the RRL.

Friday Nov 20, 2015

/

We ended the week with a lung burner

1. WHM breathing4 rounds of 30-40 breaths plus an additional round with max pushups

2. Bravo (Yes, named after my new dog)

100 Burpees

100 Double Unders

Run 800 m

100 Mtn Climbers

100 Pushups

For time

3. Back Squat 5-5-3-3-1-1-1

Update on the WHM Breathing.  We have about 5-6 of us giving this a regular try.  The workout starts a little earlier, about 5:10 and we go through the breathing exercise plus the pushups before the workout. 

My retentions were decent this morning but Matt Greenwell shocked us all when he hit 2 over 3 minutes and then one at 5 minutes.  Incredible.

I was interested to see if I would be able to do 100 burpees straight and unbroken again and I could.  I, once again, finished so quickly that I thought I miscounted so I threw in another 10 for good measure.  I finished in 4:20 and then hit the double unders.  The whole workout took me 13:32.  I was very pleased.

 

Thursday Nov 19, 2015

/

Great day today

We started the morning off with a small group interested in the weird, heavy breathing that we have been doing.  It may look strange to the uninitiated, but there really seems to be something to this breathing method. First, it is the only breathing method that I have tried that I actually enjoy doing.  Second, it seems to be having performance increasing results for me.  I will stick with it for the full 10 weeks and then determine if it is something that I will leave in the daily training or not. 

For those who might be interested in this but my have missed an earlier post, here is a Vice documentary on Wim Hof and the method we are currently trying:   (if video does not display, please click here)

We had some pretty incredible things happen today with the breathing.  Matt Greenwell was able to hold his breath for 3:30.  Yep...thats right...3 minutes and 30 seconds.  Incredible. 

To be clear, he wasn't actually holding his breath as we all did in a swimming pool at some time.  Typically holding your breath would mean that you took a big breath in and tried to see how long you could hold with your lungs full of air.  In this method, we release all air out of the lungs and simply sit or lay in a relaxed state without breathing.  Matt went for 3:30 with no air in the lungs.  Others like Josh and Jody were also able to set personal records with 1:45 and 2:45. 

We will continue to try this and see where it goes.

Post breathing we hit this workout

Roney

Run 200 m

11 Thrusters @135

Run 200 m

11 Push Press @ 135

Run 200 m

11 Bench Press @ 135

x 4 rounds

Outstanding workout. 

I felt a familiar twinge in my back which, after 18 years of doing stuff like this, tells me that any further stress will result in an injury.  Ok, I know...I am hard headed.  It took me 18 years but I finally learned to appreciate this signal and back off immediately.

I dropped to 95 and finished the workout with no injury. 

We had 3 people who went at full Rx today.  Michael Miller, Mike Drew and JR.  Outstanding effort from these individuals!

Post workout, I am thinking about the journey that I have been on for the last 18 years.  I was an athlete in high school who loved to wrestle.  I tried all kinds of sports and settled on the one that I enjoyed the most.  However, I took small bits and pieces from everything I had done previously.  Waterskiing helped wrestling, racquetball offered something, Karate helped tremendously with flexibility.  I noticed some small crossover when I was still wrestling, but later I realized that every sport that I tried contributed to my profession as a professional fisherman in some way.  I borrowed a little from each sport to be able to survive 300+ days on the water year after year.  Who would have thought that I would be a better flycaster because I had learned how to hit a backhand killshot in racquetball? 

The breathing that we are doing is really no different than any of these other things that I have tried over the years.  Various diets, yoga, marathons, Goruck Selection, Kokoro, swimming, biking running, and on and on...  To find your fitness, you have to continually try new things.  Keep what works, discard what doesn't.  The funny thing is that our fitness is a moving target.  As we age, we change and the needs of our bodies change.  Sometimes, I have tried something that I saw no value in as a 25 year old that I return to at 47 and receive great performance value from. 

This breathing is no different.  Maybe it isn't of interest to you now, but possibly could be down the road.  I guess what I am trying to say is that we should all keep an open mind and be willing to try new things and add them to our training.  However, if you do decide to try something new, go at it seriously,  Read as much as you can and give it it's full due.  Trying anything once and discarding is probably not going to give you much benefit.  Implementing it for a set amount of time and dedicating focus to whatever it is will tell you whether it is right for you.  This can be applied to diet, mobility, yoga, nutrition, supplements, breathing, or other treatment.

Hopefully we will all find our own way to take care of our body to get the absolute most we can out of it every day.  Through experimentation, an open mind, a thirst for learning and the ability to take what works and throw away what doesn't we will find what works for us as individuals.  That is the only thing that matters.

Good luck!

Wed Nov 18,2015

/

Another experiment today.  We did the Wim Hof Breathing as a group before the workout.  We combined 3 rounds with the pushups and everyone saw major gains in their pushups over the benchmark set while fresh and breathing.

 

After, we ran 5k.

then Split Jerk 1-1-1-1-1-1-1

My time was, again, fast for me.  I had 29 results for a 5k on the Whiteboard and upon looking about 12 were from this exact course.  I had only run faster than today 2 times since 2011.

The breathing is definitely helping...or something is.  The only thing that has really changed is this breathing program.  I do feel really good when working out and the major results that I have had recently have been somewhat effortless, honestly. 

Who knows...Ill keep doing it and finish the 10 week course and see what happens. 

 

Stand by

Tuesday Nov 16, 2015

/

 

1. Deadlift 3-3-3-3-3

2. 12 Kettlebell swings @ 70 lbs

    40 double unders

     x 5 rounds

3. Wim Hof Method Breathing x 3 rounds

for those who want to try it

 

The breathing was good this morning but it was the first time that I have done it right after a workout.  My breath hold times were FAR lower than when I am rested.  Today, after the workout I was getting 30-50 seconds while I am usually easily able to get 1:50-2:25. 

I have also found that doing it on an empty stomach is also a big difference.

I want to try this with the group again before the workout tomorrow.

Everyone get your max pushups benchmark.

Monday November 16, 2015

/

Great start to today!

Weighted Pullup

5-3-1

30 lb weight vest plus 25 lb dumbell- plus 35-plus 35

 

Then

 

This is the way it seemed today.  Grasshoppers making more grasshoppers.  Tons of grasshoppers!

This is the way it seemed today.  Grasshoppers making more grasshoppers.  Tons of grasshoppers!

200 Runs, 0 m

100 Grasshoppers

100 Double Unders

400 Runs, 0 m

75 Grasshoppers

75 Double Unders

800 Runs, 0 m

50 Grasshoppers

50 Double Unders

1600 Runs, 0 m

25 Grasshoppers

25 Double Unders


Friday 13th November 2015

/

This Friday the 13th is certainly not bad luck for me.  I just ran the fastest Minnekahda 5 miler since I moved back to Chattanooga. 

I once ran the Disney Marathon in 3:13:00 which is a 7 minute 21 second pace for all 26.2 miles.  I worked very hard, for years to get to that speed and basically gave up all strength training and also weighed in at 135 pounds.  I never thought that I would see that kind of speed again as I have gotten much stronger and bigger over the years and just kind of accepted that loss of speed may be a sacrifice for being much stronger and heavier. 

Last year, I was running and rucking a ton in preparation for the Goruck Selection event and felt like I was in pretty good shape but I was struggling to run a 7:30 pace for 5 miles.

Today, I ran a 35:22 for 5 miles which includes a very big hill.  This is a 7:04 pace which really surprised me.  I had to check the clock twice and then make sure that I was reading it correctly.

When I recorded my score, I had set an all time PR on this run by 3:47.  I was also surprised to see that I was within 30-40 seconds of the all time gym record on this run.  I had killed this run today.

What happened?  Not sure...

I weighed 187 earlier this year and prompted by the weight loss competition that we had, I got down to 164 momentarily but went back up to 175.  I contacted Mike Dolce of The Dolce Diet and had him write a plan for me and I love the way I am feeling on it.  My weight has dropped to 169 and holding pretty steady. 

Losing 18 pounds will certainly make you run faster, but there is something else happening as well. 

I am on the 3rd week of the Wim Hof Method for breathing and I really think that it is affecting my performance.  I have had 2 instances of setting lifetime PR's on cardio events that have just come out of nowhere.  First, I did 100 burpees unbroken in the mid 4's.  I was so surprised that I just glanced at the clock and thought that I had miscounted...I did 10 more and finished 110 in 5:02.  I have never come close to this time.  It really surprised me and left me wondering if the breathing had anything to do with the PR.

After today, I am pretty sure that the breathing and cold showers have helped to unlock some potential that I didnt know that I had.  If this is true, then the WHM could be a huge advantage to competitive athletes.

I know that Wim is working personally with Allistar Overeem, MMA fighter, right now.  I will be interested to see what his results are.

The breathing exercises are very enjoyable to me and I do look forward to them every day.  I will continue to do them and hopefully make a connection with performance increases,

Thursday Nov 12, 2015

/

3 position Clean (Hip, Knee, Ground)

1-1-1-1-1-1-1

 

Then

Row 300

20 Wall Balls

10 Pullups

x 3 rounds

 

Then

Last man planking

(Circle up...one guy does one pushup, then clockwise, everyone does one.  When you are waiting for your turn, you hold a plank.  Then everyone does 2, then 3...until only 1 remains.) 

I won this morning at 17.  Great effort from everyone.  Thanks Trevor for pushing!

Tuesday Nov 10,2015

/

Trevor decided to challenge us a little today.

DT

5 rounds of:

12 Deadlifts, 155 lbs

9 Hang Power Cleans, 155 lbs

6 Push Jerks, 155 lbs

 

Then

 

Jeremy

21-15-9 reps of:

Overhead Squat, 95 lbs

Burpee

 

I love the RRL for so many reasons, but one of the main ones is that no one complains...they just do the work, we all do.  Trevor put 2 Hero workouts on the board and everyone did them...both.

DT is my nemesis.  I find it increasingly harder every time.  I started with 155 but dropped to 135 because I felt a slight twinge in my lower back.  I still finished in 11:35 today.  Trevor was much faster with the full 155 lbs, but still not as fast as Ben Smith in this year's CrossFit Games.

The athletes did a Heavy DT which is the same workout as we did, but with 205 lbs rather than 155.  Ben Smith finished in 7:55 beating the entire field.  Matt Fraser, an olympic weightlifter, finished 8:35 and was the closest to Smith.

If you ever want to see, first hand, how impressive the CrossFit Games athletes really are, simply try DT in your driveway.  I think I would have to go to 95 lbs to be able to finish this workout in the 7:55 time that Ben Smith finished with 205 lbs.  This is one of the most incredible performances I have seen in the Games.  Good job Ben Smith, congratulations Champ.

For full event details and descriptions click here: http://games.crossfit.com/workouts/games The CrossFit Games -- (http://games.crossfit.com) The CrossFit Games® - The Sport of Fitness™ The Fittest On Earth™


Matt Lawson Interview after SealFit Kokoro 40

/

Matt Lawson SealFit Kokoro AAR

I graduated SealFit Kokoro 30 in October of 2013.  It was a deeply powerful experience that has transformed my life in many ways.  Very few days go by that I do not think about the camp, the friends I made there or the lessons learned.

It is extremely exciting to me when one of my friends wants to experience this for themselves.  Recently, Matt Lawson decided to give it a go and has just returned from Kokoro 40.  Having successfully passed and graduated, I am excited to learn much more about his experience.  We will start with this interview, but hopefully we will return to discuss more with Matt about how he is using Kokoro in his everyday life.

So, if you are considering taking a real challenge in your life, SealFit Kokoro wont disappoint.  Check out this interview with Matt Lawson:

Name:    Matt Lawson

Age: 41 years old

Profession:

 Co-Owner of Lawson Winchester Wealth Management


TR-What kind of athletic background do you have?

ML-I grew up playing basketball, football, baseball and golf.  I played basketball and golf in high school.  I received a golf scholarship for college.  I worked out regularly from college to age 28.  From age 29 to 38 my workouts were spotty and inconsistent at best.  At age 39 with our second child being born in March of 2013, I decided it was time to step up and make a change.


TR-How did you find SEALFIT:

ML-I was randomly searching the internet in May of 2013 for something different than the typical bodybuilding workout.  I was looking for a philosophy that incorporated more than just lifting weights.


TR-Have you done any other events like this?  Maybe a 20x, Goruck or other events?

ML-Yes.  I completed a SEALFIT 20X Challenge in November 2013.  I ran the Ragnar overnight trail runs in 2014 and 2015.  I ran a Marathon this past March in Knoxville.


TR-Why did you choose to do Kokoro?
 
ML-When I first read about Kokoro on SEALFIT’s website I was very interested.  I wanted to challenge my mental toughness. You really don’t know until you step up.  I wanted to see if I had what it took to make it through 50 plus hours of mental and physical stress.  I also thought this type of event would be a good example to use for our children to show them that anything is possible if they are willing to put in the work and follow thru on their commitment.


TR-I can remember the moment that I made the commitment to do Kokoro.  I put my credit card info into the website and hovered my finger over the submit button.  Finally, I presssed the button and knew there was no turning back.  What was your decision like?  What challenges did you have at home?  Work?
 
ML-I made the commitment to myself the first time I read about it in May 2013.  I just had a lot of work ahead of me.  My wife, Megan was hesitant at first.  She wanted to know what the point was in subjecting myself to something as demanding as Kokoro.  As time went on she became very supportive and encouraging which helped tremendously.  My business partner, Bill Winchester was great through the entire process especially with the amount oftime that was required to properly train for Kokoro.  My home and work environments were very supportive.  I am very grateful.

TR-Kokoro is not something that you can just do without significant physical and mental preparation.  What did your training look like?

ML-My morning workouts were at the RRL.  I did SEALFIT OPWODs in the afternoon and Saturdays about 4 months out from Kokoro .  I also did lots of running and rucking.


TR-Were you prepared?

ML-Yes.  There is always room for improvement but overall I felt pretty good.  I read as much as possible about Kokoro.  I really appreciate the information that you (Tom Rowland) shared with me about your Kokoro class 30 experiences.  That was very helpful.  Also having the support from friends and family goes a long way.  Especially when you are cold, wet and sandy.


TR-What one thing were you the happiest that you had done in training?
 
ML-Run, run and run with BDU pants and wet boots.


TR-What one thing would you add to the training?  

ML-More rucking while carrying heavy objects


TR-My experience was filled with many high points and lots of low points, but I can clearly remember several that stand out as the highest of the high or the lowest of the low.  Did you have a noticeable high point in the camp?  How about a low point?

ML-I felt unstoppable early Sunday morning after about 35 plus hours on the beach carrying my 50lb rock up and down countless stairs.  It was amazing and a testament to what we are all truly capable of accomplishing once we conquer our minds and remove the limitations that we place on ourselves. Of course when Coach Divine said we were secured after 52 hours of work that was very special too.  This was the culmination of 2 years of intense training, focus and sacrifice.  

 

TR-Tell us about your lowest moment

ML-It was Friday night after a 27 mile ruck up and down Palomar Mountain under significant load.  We were all cold, wet and sandy bear crawling 200 yards up and down hills along with other drills that pushed us beyond our perceived limits.  The intensity and pace were relentless.  Then came the countless rocking chairs in the lake coupled with the cold winds.  It was tough but that is when we started to come together as a team. Our communication improved greatly and we started focusing on the person beside us. That was an awesome feeling.  We still had a long way to go but that was a big first step.


TR-What was your diet like in preparation?  

ML-Fat boy special with extra protein and creatine.


TR-Between the lack of sleep, cold water or endless running and rucking, which was the most challenging?  

ML-All of those represented their own unique challenges.  The rucking under load plus carrying additional objects at a fast pace over a long distance was challenging.

 

TR-What one lesson will you take back to your personal life?  

ML-I learned countless lessons through the pain and suffering.  
We are all capable of 20, 30 times more than we think is possible.  We have to remove the self-imposed limitation on ourselves.  Teamwork is the key and lifting each other up with positive reinforcement is everything.  We are so much stronger together than as individuals.
100% effort, 100% of the times.  We will all need assistance at one point or another and we should be quick to reach and lift up each other.  A positive gesture or comment goes a very long way in helping your teammate and yourself.  Always be positive and encourage others.  Kokoro is very special and I can draw upon the lessons learned for the rest of my life.

TR- 50 hours of non stop exercise makes a person hungry.  I can remember eating a TON of food, ordering 3 milkshakes at once, eating 3 hamburgers and then going out for dinner.  What did the next 24 hours look like for you and your diet?

 ML-My first meal after being secured was the buffet spread SEALFIT provided just off the grinder.  It was chicken, beef and barbeque tacos and rice.  Plenty of extra sides, fruitand desserts.  They had beer and just about any other beverage you can think of.
It was really cool because all the coaches and interns stayed and ate with us.  It was fun.  That lasted for a couple of hours.  I went back to my room and slept for about 5 hours then ate a large pizza and went back to bed.  The next morning I killed some waffles and eggs.  I drank tons of water.   I really could not eat enough for about a week after the event, my body was so depleted and broken down.
 
 
TR-What one thing would you take to Kokoro?
ML-Since I had consulted you before leaving for Kokoro, I was very prepared on what to take.  The towel came in very handy.  The funny thing is we traveled and packed like Spartans, meaning coach Cummings had us place a couple of pairs of shorts, BDU’s and tee shirts along with our running shoes in a plastic garbage bag.  We were wearing boots, BDU pants and tee shirt.  We left SEALFIT HQ Friday morning with only our garbage bagsand traveled to some remote mountainfor the first 24 plus hours of evolutions.
 


 
TR-I saw some amazing things in my camp.  Was there one thing that you can remember as the most impressive thing that you saw someone do or endure?


ML-There were several things that impressed me over the 52 hours at Kokoro.  Teammates breaking down only to be picked up by others and come back stronger than before.  The overall support and encouragement from all team members is hard to put into words.  It is truly amazing what we all can accomplish when we remove ourselves and focus on others.  The class was constantly rallying around teammates to lift them up, not to their load but to provide words of encouragement.  All that being said, there was one situation where the coaches wanted to drop an individual.  They put it up to a vote.  We voted to keep him.  That was not good enough, so the coaches said if there was anyone in our class that can complete the “FRAN” in less than 3 minutes then the individual can stay for now.  One of our teammates stepped forward and after roughly 20 to 24 hours of evolutions (while being cold, we and sandy, no sleep) he completed the “FRAN” in 2:48.  To say it was impressive is a gross understatement.  The coaches were speechless, which as you know is rare.
 

ML-Thank you Tom for the interview

TR- Congratulations on completing Kokoro.  I look forward to seeing how you incorporate the lessons you learned into your everyday life.  Hooyah!


Matt Lawson


Back at the RRL Nov 9, 2015

/

I returned early and I am so glad to get back and see all the guys again.  There is no way that I can get as intense of workouts by myself in a hotel fitness center or in a public park.  The group brings energy, strength and competition.  I am so thankful to have such a great group of people around me.

Today it was raining heavily in the morning so I changed the workout to this:

Front Squat

5-5-3-3-1-1-1

115,135,155,175,195,225,245

then

100 burpees for time

I did these unbroken, which is the very first time in my life that I have ever been able to get anywhere near this feat.  The only thing that is different in my program is the Wim Hoff Breathing.  If this gives me this kind of performance increase then I will be doing it for the rest of my life.  I did the burpees somewhere in the 4's.  I was so surprised that I did not get an exact time, but thought that I miscounted and did 10 more.  I finished 110 in 5:04.  I am still completely blown away and feeling like I must have miscounted.  Mike and Rusty were also right there and each set a PR too.  Must have been something in the air.

Then

30 Sandbag Getups AHAP

I used a 120 pound bag and it was tough.

Nov 5 2015

/

At RRL Today

 

image.jpg

On the road I tried to replicate this one that the guys did at the RRL ​

image.jpg

I did not have a sandbag so I used 2 25 lb Dumbbells  

I was sweating my ass off. Great way to start the day

23:14

Wim Hof breathing is going really well. I really like doing it and it is almost addictive.  

I did 94 push-ups today while holding my breath after 4 rounds of breathing. I can't believe that I can do more with this method than with regular breathing! 

 

image.jpg

Oct 29-Nov 1

/

At RRL

On the road,

Travel day on 29, day off 30 and today,

Deck of cards before another airplane day.

I have been doing the Wim Hof method every day, sometimes 2x day.  I really feel different.  Noticeably more energy, lighter mood and more focused concentration.  I start week 2 today so I will keep posting my results.

My breath hold has gone from about 1:45 to the longest to date...in my life, of 2:43.  It is crazy to think that I am able to hold my breath longer with no air in the lungs than I am with air in the lungs.  Very strange to me, but that is the Wim Hof Method.  While this is occurring, lots of unseen changes are supposedly taking place in my body.  I am excited about this method.

If nothing else, the Wim Hof method is an excellent mediation and time spent with an empty head.  The difference between this and other breathing methods I have used is that I actually seem to be craving this experience and actually want to do it.  Many other breathing methods were kind of forced to me and I didnt really feel that much different.  I can say that this one definitely gives you immediate feelings.

Stand by for more results.

Monday Oct 26, 2015

/

At RRL it was a rainy day and Wade's Birthday so they hit a

Rainy Day Deck of Cards--Wade enjoyed the vest

 

On the road, I found enough equipment to do

Erin

15 split cleans with 2 40 lb dumbbells

21 pullups

x 5 rounds

12:28

Then I did 3 rounds of the Wim Hof breathing method.  What a great way to start the day.  Now on the road to N Florida to film my Bass show.