March 21, 2017

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Strength:
1: Clean Complex – 7 rounds, every 3 minutes, perform:
-1x clean pull + 1x hang squat clean + 1x front squat + 1x split jerk (Work up to a max 1+1+1+1 for the day. If the jerk is the limiting factor, eliminate it only after the 5th round)

2: Deadlift: 75%x 5, 85%x 3, 95%x 1+
If you have current and true 1 RM deadlift, then take the percentages from 90% 1 RM.

Work Capacity: Complete 4 rounds for time:
-2x rope climb
-100m sprint
-10m overhead lunge (135#/95#)
-100m sprint

Core: Perform 1 round of:
-25m 1-arm overhead KB carry, left arm + 1-arm front rack KB carry, right arm (2×53#/2×35#)
-25m 1-arm overhead KB carry, right arm + 1-arm front rack KB carry, left arm (2×53#/2×35#)
-Max distance unbroken 2-arm farmers KB carry (2×53#/2×35#)

 

March 13,2017

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Got busy last week and neglected to write the blog.

Eventhough I was not active here, we were definitely active in the garage. This activity culminated on Sunday with an attempt at the 17.3 workout.  Im sure that many found this to be more difficult than Mat Fraser made it look at the announcement, I certainly did.

I can snatch 175 on my best day so I did not expect to be able to snatch 185, but I did expect to get through the 135 snatches and then get 8 pullups.  This is a score of 80 reps.  If you look at the leaderboard, LOTS of people get 80 reps.  Once again, CrossFit found a way to separate A LOT of people on this workout.  If you were able to snatch 185 even a single time, your score would be MUCH better.

I hurried through the warm up and went into the workout too fast and then had difficulty finishing the 135s.  I feel like I can do this again with a more aggressive warm up, even an Olympic lifting workout before attempting this one again with the hope of getting 80 reps.

Today, we went back to our own style of workouts with an overhead squat followed by a 2 man team workout.

Overhead Squat

5-3-1

then

2 man team

300 KB swings

400 m run

One partner swings the KB as many times as possible while the other partner runs a 400.  Keep a running count and move through the swings as fast as possible. 

Last time, Kyle and I completed this one in 15:25.  Today, Card and I finished in 11:25.  Big improvement!

We have a great week planned with more team workouts and the Beep Test on Thursday as we await the Thursday announcement.

Have a great week!

March 4, 2017

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17.2 this morning

© 2017 CrossFit Inc. CrossFit and Forging Elite Fitness are registered trademarks and “3...2...1...Go!”

Fittest on Earth and Sport of Fitness are trademarks of CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

OPEN WEEK 2

17:00 PT THURSDAY, MARCH 2 THROUGH 17:00 PT MONDAY, MARCH 6

Presented by

1

WORKOUT 17.2 Rx’d

(Ages 16-54)

Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in

12 minutes of:

2 rounds of:

50-ft. weighted walking lunge

16 toes-to-bars

8 power cleans

Then, 2 rounds of:

50-ft. weighted walking lunge

16 bar muscle-ups

8 power cleans

Etc., alternating between toes-to-bars and bar muscle-ups

every 2 rounds.

M 50-lb. dumbbells

F 35-lb. dumbbells

 

We did this one Saturday Morning.  It was nowhere as difficult as 17.1, nor did it leave me as sore.  However, I only got 115 reps, so I may not have pushed as hard as I could have.  I am considering redoing it this week.  Maybe on Tuesday.

Let me know how you did

March 3, 2017

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Below, I have copied an email that I wrote to my group this morning:

 

I found this article and thought I would share with you guys. It is about wrestling, but it can easily be applied to virtually any sport that you or your kids are involved in.  Reading this was important to me because I have been a wrestler, a wrestling coach and a wrestling parent.  Without a doubt, it is the toughest of the 3 positions to be a wrestling parent.  Im sure that the same can be said for other sports as well.  

As a parent, you are often in a position of simply watching.  As my children have grown, the days of actually being able to say something that would make a difference during the match or game are over.  Now, our influence on the kids comes at other times.  The kids have coaches who teach them technique, they don’t look to us for that any more.  In fact, they don’t look to us for anything.  So…in order to help them, we try to stay out of their way, insure that they are on the right course, offer bits of wisdom when the opportunity presents itself and lead by example.

This short piece reminded me how important it is as a parent to take a BIG step back and look at the bigger picture.  What really matters?  Is it a State Championship or is it the entire process?  I could not have summed up these thoughts any better than the gentleman who wrote this article.

If you were a wrestler, even for a season, you will understand this article immediately.  If you were not, simply substitute wrestling for virtually anything else and it will still have a profound effect.  This substitution also includes our daily workouts and the challenges that they present.  This is definitely not and article only about being a wrestling parent, but also about the process of developing yourself.  Our workouts are not just about how we will look this summer, rather they are about a development process of your entire being.  Setting goals, working hard, failing miserably and publicly, then getting up and trying again, and again, and again until you accomplish something that once seemed impossible is more the point.  Once that goal is reached, the experience of overcoming an obstacle is carried with you to your family, your business, and your relationships.

I hope you find some value in this.  

Have an excellent day, gentlemen and an even better weekend!

 

The Pursuit

For the longest time – I got it wrong…

I thought the ultimate achievement in wrestling was to win a State Championship…

It is not.

The ultimate achievement in wrestling is to prepare a young man for his life by having him become the best person he can be by acquiring the “Qualities of a Wrestler” while in pursuit of a state championship.

Acquiring these qualities is more important than winning a state championship.

They are what is needed to become happy and successful in life.

These qualities are acquired during the pursuit, and not in the winning.

It is in the pursuit that a kid transcends into a man.

It is in the pursuit that a kid is prepared for what life will bombard him with when he becomes a man.

It is in the pursuit that this sport is at its finest.

Winning a state championship doesn’t teach these things.

The pursuit does.

It is setting a goal that is more than you think you can ever achieve, and then achieving more than you thought you ever could.

It is in overcoming any and all obstacles that may be in your path in pursuit of that goal.

It is in the agony of learning how to “figure it out” on your own.

It is in making the necessary adjustments even after you “figured it out.”

The hard adjustments which will require supreme sacrifice that will only make a small difference. Which will happen to be the difference between winning or losing.

It is in working endlessly and seeing no results and still continuing to work because your will is stronger than everyone else’s doubt.

It is in learning that one man with belief is worth a thousand with only interest.

It is in failing miserably and very publicly in front of your peers and everyone who is important to you. It is in learning to master the concept of “Again” – the ability to muster up a little more when the world would understand if you quit.

It is in not achieving your desired goal after a very long hard season, one in which you bled to do so, and then making a personal decision to work even harder for another season with absolutely no guarantee of success.

It is in the knowing that you did everything that you could to achieve your goal and the understanding that sometimes it will be enough, and sometimes it won’t.

You can’t control that.

All you can control is to be as well prepared as you can.

It is in the understanding that when it magically is enough, you are humble because you know the feeling of being on the other side of the win.

And when it is not enough, you know to dig down and inspect and analyze your performance because there is something within the loss that you need to learn to help you achieve a greater goal in the future.

And you find it.

And you turn a weakness into a strength.

And you keep doing that until you have no more weaknesses.

This is the process of becoming a man.

Some wrestlers who went on to win a state championship are now jerks.

Many wrestlers who took 2nd, 3rd or never even placed have become great people.

So it is not winning the state championship that is the difference.

It is what you take away from this great sport that is the difference.

It is in the pursuit.

If one’s idea of achievement is to win a state championship, then logically there can be only one winner per weight class throughout the state.

There is not.

Because the real winners in this sport are the wrestlers, who acquire the traits which will be necessary for their success and happiness in life.

And those traits all can be found in the pursuit.

 

This article came from https://johnapassaroblog.com/2015/12/04/the-pursuit/

 

Today's workout

40 Wall Balls

30 burpees

20 bar muscle ups

30 burpees

40 wall balls

For time

March 2, 2017

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Finishing my 5 rounds of Wim Hof breathing

Team Day

Why We Train Together As A Team

(From Mark Divine's Unbeatable Mind)

Team training builds Kokoro because:
•    
We hold ourselves to a higher standard when training with others
•    
Our teammates also hold us accountable
•    
We are motivated by the mighty effort of our teammates and want to match it
•    
We are encouraged to push harder and succeed by our teammates
•    
We are empowered when we take our minds off our own petty issues, helping our team succeed instead
•    
We are reminded of our own faults and limitations when we see our teammates struggle and fail. Then when we struggle and fail we do not shy from receiving help
•    
A team’s Kokoro, or Team Spirit, will buoy our own personal spirit. We draw strength and courage from a team firing on all cylinders

 

 

Today's Workout

1. Team Drills

As a team do:

10 Burpees

 
then

10 Situps

This is a drill to enhance teamwork and to realize that slow is smooth and smooth is fast.  Reps have to be completed as a team, in unison, or they don't count.

 
Two Man Teams

2 minutes on, 1 minute off

KB Swings 53 pounds

Dips

Sandbag getups 60 pounds

Row for calories

Sandbag lunge steps 60 pounds

Situps

 
Teams work together to come up with the best way to get alot of work done in 2 minutes.  Teams do not have to distribute the work evenly.  Keep track of reps at each station with chalk on the ground.  then, add together for total score

 

February 28, 2017

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The CrossFit Games Open 17.1 left me much more sore than I thought I would be.  My lower back and the outside of my glutes are still barking from that workout.  I tried some cupping on my spinal erectors which really seemed to help.

I figured that we really needed to move these areas and clear out the lactic acid so how better than with a bunch of back squats and running.

Today

Back Squat 5-5-5-5-5

then

Minnekahda Crippler

20 Back squats @ 185

Run 1 mile

20 Back Squats @ 185

I finished in 9:39.  Trevor at 9:01, Kevin at about 9:15.  My previous best was in the high 8s and I felt like I could have gotten there today but lost it a bit on the last 5 back squats and had to regrip the bar by setting it down.

We finished with 10 minutes of gratitude which cleared out some grungy thoughts and made Jody feel like "warm and fluffy laundry"

Mission accomplished!

February 27, 2017

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Replay of March 4, 2016

I loved this workout on that day and I loved it today. 

2 man teams

100 Row Calories

1 calorie = 1 burpee

Distribute as necessary.  We did 25s today.  Michael Miller would row 25 calories and I would do 25 burpees then switch.  5:51

then

2 man teams (same teams)

15 Minute AMRAP

Leap Frog

10 Pullups

5 Hang Cleans @135

10 row calories

TR/MM 15 rounds + 10 pullups

Feb 25, 26, 2017

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We hit 17.1 on Saturday.  Tough workout but i loved it.

I had no idea how I would do on this one.  I finished, but not by much.  19 minutes flat. 

Today, I woke up to a very sore lower back and several of the other guys did as well.  This kind of surprised me because I have not been sore like this in a LONG time.  However, I dont think I have done 150 dumbbell snatches in a while either.

We got together again today and did a 60 lb 5 mile ruck.  This loosened up my back and was a good time.  It was a beautiful day here.

February 24, 2017

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On Fridays, I like to put in a Team workout or at least try to have a little fun.  This, by no means, brings down the intensity.

One format that I like is to grab some gear and create a workout on the spot.

Today we had 11 people show up so we split into teams of 5 and another team of 6.  Teams can be chosen many ways.  Today we split by height just like they do in BUDs.  We had a Smurf team and a regular team.  I also like to pick new guys or guys who are not the best to be Captains.  It is a great way for everyone to learn names and feel like they are a part of the group.

Today we created 5 stations.

1. Yoke Carry down and back

2. Assault bike for 10 calories (about the time it takes to take the Yoke down and back)

3. 8 Toes to Bar

4. 8 KB Swings with 70 lbs

5. 5 Handstand Pushups

x 5 rounds

After you completed the yoke carry, you would move to the back of the line and start the HSPU.  As the person in front of you completed their reps, you would follow. until everyone on the team had done 5 rounds of each exercise.

This one took about 14 minutes and was a great interval workout.

We ended with a 10 minute plank

We will likely take on 17.1 tomorrow or Sunday.  It looks tough.  Damn...did anyone check out Sam Briggs performance last night?  Holy smokes.  She is a machine.

I might like to try this with a 35 and 20 inch box just to see how badly she would beat me at this workout.  She never stopped moving and never slowed down.  Incredible athlete!

If you dont know what I am talking about, check it out here

February 20-21, 2017

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Yesterday, my wife and son were on a college visit and my daughter was also gone.  I was in the house all by myself.  This doesnt happen very often, so I made sure to pick a workout that would be far too loud for a normal 5:30 am workout. 

I settled on an old favorite:

Work to 1 RM Clean and Jerk

then

Death By Clean and Jerk @ 135 lbs

The "Death by" format is easy and can be applied to any exercise.  Set the clock for a long time.  Do one Clean and Jerk the first minute, 2 the second minute, 3........and continue until you can not keep up with the clock.  We do death by burpees, pullups, pushups, back squats at bodyweight, whatever...

Here is a video of former CrossFit Games Champ Miko Salo doing this.  This video was the first time I had seen this workout.

Today, we borrowed one from another CrossFit Games champ...or I should say from THE Champ, Rich Froning.

15 Pullups

15 Power Clean @ 95 lbs

15 Box Jumps

x 7 rounds for time

I finished this one in 17:23 and Trevor was out in front of me.  He is very fast on the cleans.

It was great to have another day with my friends in the garage.

Yesterday we finished with 7 minutes of Gratitude exercise which always starts the day and week off on the right foot.

February 19, 2017

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Mike had a suggestion for a hero workout this morning.  He liked Small.

"Small"

Three rounds for time of:
Row 1000 meters
50 Burpees
50 Box jumps, 24" box
Run 800 meters

Kristan Clever 39:31, Eric Miller 41:43, Rebecca Voigt 44:19, Pam Eamranond 49:45, Katie Hogan 51:29.
And...remembering and honoring the hero:

U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Marc Small, 29, of Collegeville, Pennsylvania, assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, died on February 12, 2009, from wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and small arms fire in Faramuz, Afghanistan. He is survived by his father and stepmother, Murray and Karen, mother and stepfather, Mary and Peter MacFarland, and fiancee Amanda Charney.

I only have 1 post for this workout, although it seems like I have done it more than once.  On May 10, 2016 I recorded a 43:44.  Today, I did it in 41:12. That is a measurable difference.  I can contribute it to my diet, weighing in today at 168 pounds, some needed rest over the last couple of weeks and being pushed by my friends.

Great way to start the morning!

Feb 17-18, 2017

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It was so great to be back in the garage with my friends yesterday.  Trevor had a few 5 minute workouts for us:

I drove to Nashville yesterday to watch my son, Hayden, wrestle in the State tournament.  He won his match last night which kept him alive and assured him a place in the State!  His transformation this season has been remarkable.  I LOVED watching him overcome a difficult opponent last night, who had beaten him earlier in the year, and win.  Life lessons.

Turner, my oldest, embarks on a new adventure today as he attends his first Saddle Bronc riding clinic in Montana.  I cant wait to hear how he does as well.

Hanna is also on an adventure as she traveled, by herself, on a plane to visit a friend. 

Im so proud of all my kids which is all the more reason that I need to lead by example and stay in tip top shape both mentally and physically.

My diet is as good as it has been in years and I weighed in on a certified weigh in scale yesterday at 169.  Feeling terrific.

Get after it