Friday June 17, 2016

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5 AM

Breakthrough today--

After doing the Wim Hof Breathing method daily since October, I have suspected some performance increases but havent been able to really point my finger to one thing directly benefited from the breathing...until today.

100 Burpees is a very simple workout that takes you into a very dark place.  It is the fastest way to judge your fitness.  You need no equipment, just a watch and 6 feet.

I have done 100 burpees many, many times as a stand alone workout or as a part of a larger workout.  I have done them where I jump onto some sort of platform like a tire or bumper plates, simply clapping overhead or with a weight vest or even a ruck on.  The standard burpee calls for a clap overhead and for a jump that gets both feet off the ground.  You should fully extend your hips as you stand.

With these standards, I have raced the clock and my past performances for 15-20 years.  Never, NEVER have I been able to do 100 consecutive burpees until I started the breathing.  This goes for all the time that I was running a ton and my bodyweight was down close to 140 pounds...Burpees were slow then because I was weak.  Fast forward to the times that I consider myself to be in the best shape of my life; training for SealFit Kokoro and Goruck Selection.  I was strong and much heavier and quite used to a 60 pound ruck sack at all times.  Still, I could not complete 100 burpees consecutively with zero breaks.  All through my 20 year history with the burpee, despite my training, despite my weight, despite my diet, I was not able to do 100 consecutive burpees and maintained about a 5:30 PR on the 100 burpee workout.

After doing the Wim Hof Breathing for about 5 months, I did 100 burpees without a need for a break.  My time was 5:15.  This was an all time PR despite getting older and...conventional wisdom would say, slower. 

Today, I did 6 rounds of the breathing exercise + pushups of a full lung and got 91 pushups.  I did some recovery breathing and then we did the following:

Clean 2-2-1-1-1

100 Burpees for time

2:00 work/2:00 rest on Assault Bike

1:30 Work/1:30 rest Assault Bike

1:00 work/1:00 rest Assault Bike

:30 work/  done

 

I started the 100 burpee workout with full intention of doing them unbroken.  I never felt like I needed to take a break.  I simply kept doing burpees at a steady pace.  I got to 50 and then 60, 70, 80 and I knew i could finish.  90, and finally 100 in 4:55. 

I am 46 (almost 47 years old) and have been doing this workout for 20 years.  I have seen some 5-10 second PRs, but once i got under 6 minutes, the progress has been virtually stopped.  Today, I cut 40 seconds off my time and never felt like I needed to take a break.  The only thing that has changed is the addition of the breathing.

It is such a great feeling to find something that takes any portion of your training to the next level.  It gives me motivation to continue experimenting and working to find ways to improve in other areas.

If you havent tried this, I believe it is worth a shot.  I dont think that 1-2 days will make a big change, but maybe it would.  Let me know if you try it.

Baseline, Bodyweight tests

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IMG_5777.JPG

RRL Warm up

100 Double Unders for time

:50 for me today

Baseline

Row, 500 m

40 Air Squats

30 Sit-up (abmat)s

20 Push-ups

10 Pull-ups

For time

3:57 me, 3:53 Trevor

Death by Burpees

Complete:

1 burpee 1st minute

2 burpees 2nd minute

3 burpees 3rd minute...

Continue until you can not complete the required number by the end of the minute

19 rounds + 16 burpees

Back at it

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Back at it

In my opinion, 100 burpees for time is one of the best workouts to gauge fitness and to quickly assess your own fitness level.  We do this workout, or variations,  3 different ways and each will have a different result.  First is simply to do 100 burpees, jump off the ground and clap, second is to have a uniform platform to jump onto for each rep.  We choose 2 45 lb plates.  The third way to keep the workouts uniform so you can compare results, is to have a uniform distance to jump up to like in the Crossfit games.  This distance is 6 inches above your standing reach.  It is less important which of these you choose as your workout as it is to make sure that you put in your notes which result goes with which standard.

Read More

Burpee Madness

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Becca Voigt, 7 time CrossFit Games competitor and Kokoro 30 teammate after her Burpee Madness workout on Instagram

Becca Voigt, 7 time CrossFit Games competitor and Kokoro 30 teammate after her Burpee Madness workout on Instagram

The burpee has long been the foundational movement in our fitness here at the RRL.  Outside of the squat (various types) it is definitely one of the most used and certainly one of the most effective.

I came across this workout by Becca Voigt, my occasional swim buddy at Kokoro 30.  Becca is the real deal...7 time CrossFit Games Competitor, Kokoro Graduate and just a fantastic human being.  I pay attention to her programming and occasionally put it into ours.  This one fit the bill for today.  I am traveling, and will do this one on the road while the garage will be full of guys getting this one done.

The workout is called Burpee Madness and it has a really weird rep scheme.  Not sure why so instead of arguing, we will just do it as written.  From my math it equals 199 burpees. 

The workout is this:

Minute one: 20 Burpees
Minute two: 20 Burpees
Minute three: 5 Burpees
Minute four: 11 Burpees
Minute five: 2 Burpees
Minute six: 18 Burpees
Minute seven: 6 Burpees

Minute eight: 15 Burpees

Minute nine: 4 Burpees
Minute ten: 8 Burpees
Minute eleven: 17 Burpees
Minute twelve: 3 Burpees
Minute thirteen: 13 Burpees
Minute fourteen: 9 Burpees
Minute fifteen: 12 Burpees
Minute sixteen: 14 Burpees
Minute seventeen: 16 Burpees
Minute eighteen: 7 Burpees
Minute nineteen: 19 Burpees
Minute twenty: 1 Burpee

If you can not hit the number on the minute, save them until the next minute.  Do not go to the next minute reps until you have completed the one you are on.  Only go for 20 minutes.  The goal here is to complete this workout as written.

Give this one a try while on the road or back at the gym.

Easy day

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Yesterday was pretty tough with the Overhead squats and Nancy in the morning then lifting with Hayden and Brice in the afternoon.  The session was pretty good with work on cleans off the blocks, jump back squat to full squats, clean pulls and snatches off blocks.

I felt it this morning a little, not with soreness, but just being tired. 

It was raining this morning so I rescheduled the sandbag workout I had for today and put in a simple but effective deck of cards.

Original Deck of cards:

Spades=Burpees

Clubs=Pushups

Hearts= Situps

Diamonds=Squats

Joker 1= 1 minute Plank

Joker 2= 30 Vups

 

We followed this with a nice Yoga session concentrating on our hips. 

 

6-26-14

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Hayden hits me with a hose during the 1000 burpee/5 mile Run-Burpee-Run workout

Hayden hits me with a hose during the 1000 burpee/5 mile Run-Burpee-Run workout

Warmup:

Box Breathing 5 minutes

30 overhead squats with PVC

10x each: Pushups, Situps, Dips, Pullups, Burpees

Skill: Jump Rope 3 minutes

Core:

5 minutes in front leaning rest (plank)

then, immediately 200 flutter kicks


Workout: A.
5 mile run

or

Row 500 m

10 burpees

AMRAP 40 minutes

Workout B.

Bench Press 5-5-5-5-5

Post times, reps and/or loads to comments

I cant let my calf injury hold back the group.  We need to be running and the one thing I know with running is that you either use it or lose it. 

So, while the guys did a 5 miler, I stayed back and did a 500 m row/10 burpees amrap for 40 minutes. 

I am frustrated with the calf injury.  Got acupuncture yesterday, but I am just going to have to stay off it.  No running or rucking for about 2 weeks.  Then, I will move into it very slowly. 

Our Selection training has started a while back, but we will be doing an intensive 10 week program that starts at the end of July.  I HAVE to be sure that I am 100% healed and ready for the training to begin because there are alot of double days and alot of running and rucking ahead of us.

SealFit from 12/22/09

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"There are no great people in this world, only great challenges which ordinary people rise to meet."

-William Frederick Halsey, Jr.

From this morning...30 lb ruck makes this extra tough

From this morning...30 lb ruck makes this extra tough

Warmup:

Box Breathing 5 minutes

30 overhead squats with PVC

10x each: Pushups, Situps, Dips, Pullups, Burpees

Skill: Jump Rope 3 minutes

Core: 10 minute sandbag get-ups with 60 lb bag for max reps

Workout: A.

SealFit Work Capacity from 12/22/09

2000 m Row

Rest 2 mins

30 Hang Power Cleans 95 lbs

30 Pull-ups

30 Kettlebell Swings 53 lbs

30 Burpees

20 Hang Power Cleans

20 Pull-ups

20 Kettlebell Swings 53 lbs

20 Burpees

10 Hang Power Cleans 95 lbs

10 Pull-ups

10 Kettlebell Swings

10 Burpees

For time.  Selection Candidates wear 30 lb ruck throughout entire workout

Workout B.

Still Water Runs Deep

Post times, reps and/or loads to comments

SealFit has been archiving workouts for many years and there is some real gold to be found in their archives.  I ran across this one in my notes and included it today.  It fit with what I was trying to accomplish.  Pile a 30 lb ruck on top and it was perfect.

We had a visitor today who was brought in by a member who has been a little absent.  Good to have both of them today.

 


Ruck PT

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Warmup:

Box Breathing 5 minutes

30 overhead squats with PVC

10x each: Pushups, Situps, Dips, Pullups, Burpees

Skill: Jump Rope 3 minutes

Core:  Situp progression 30% of 2 min max +5 reps x 3 rounds.  4th round work full minute for max reps

Workout: A.

Bear Crawl down and back ( approx 50 m)

20 burpees

Crab Walk down and back

20 situps

Partner Wheelbarrow down/switch and come back

20 x pick 120 lb sandbag up put it on top of jerk box and push it to the other side.  Partner repeats.

Ruck 400 m with 50 lb ruck and 120 lb sandbag.  Switch as needed

Amrap 25 minutes

Selection candidates wear 50 lb ruck throughout workout.  Never let it touch the ground.  On feet during situps, in front during crab walk.

OR (for those who might not like crawling around on the ground as much as the rest of us)

Cindy

5 pullups

10 pushups

15 squats

AMRAP 20 minutes

Workout B.

Bench 5-5-5-5

Finisher: Blog or "Big Girl" over the shoulder throws.  The Blob which has been renamed "Big Girl" is a big exercise ball that I filled with water.  I think it probably weighs about 150 pounds.  It is a good finisher to take the ball from the ground and go up and over the shoulder.  This ball is also far easier on the driveway than the concrete Atlas stones.

Post times, reps and/or loads to comments

Always move forward

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"You may be on the right track, but if you just sit there you'll get run over."

-Paul H Dunn

Me and my Dad, 76 years old, after he came in and did 100 consecutive pushups on his 76th birthday.  He also completed the 10,000 pushup challenge this year!  Real Old Man Strong!  Always moving forward.  Good job Dad!

Me and my Dad, 76 years old, after he came in and did 100 consecutive pushups on his 76th birthday.  He also completed the 10,000 pushup challenge this year!  Real Old Man Strong!  Always moving forward.  Good job Dad!

Warmup:

Box Breathing 5 minutes

30 overhead squats with PVC

10x each: Pushups, Situps, Dips, Pullups, Burpees

Skill: Jump Rope 3 minutes

Core:
Situp progression x 5 rounds (30% of 2 min max every min on the minute for 5 minutes, then max reps on 6th)

Pushup Progression x 5 rounds (30% of 2 min max every min on the minute for 5 minutes, then max reps on 6th)


Workout: A.

20 Toes to Bars
20 Kettlebell Swings @53 lbs
x 3 rounds for time

Selection Candidates wear 45 lb ruck


Workout B.

100 burpees for time
Jump onto a 45 lb plate, clap overhead

Selection Candidates wear 45lb ruck

Workout C.

Warrior Yoga

If you are not growing you are dying.  Even if you are doing the right things, you must continually challenge yourself and grow.  Find your weakness and test it, build on it, make it your strength.  For these reasons, we have decided to do Selection.  For these same reasons, I decided to do Kokoro, Alan decided to run an Ironman, Ted decided to move to England for a year, someone else went to night school to learn Chinese.  Life is enjoyed the most when you are not comfortable, when you are pushing to the edge of anything you have done before. 

We can not always be traveling the world, or doing a crucible event like Selection or Kokoro, but our daily mental and physical training can take us to places within our selves that we have never been before.  We dont have to stay there long and it doesnt interfere with our everyday tasks or responsibilities, but the benefit is sometimes just as great as if we had traveled across the ocean to a strange and foreign land.

100 burpees for time can take you there.  You can see places that on first glance you do not want to go, but once there, you become more comfortable and travel through with no worries.  When it is over, celebrate the small victory of entering the pain cave and slaying the dragon that lived there.  For the rest of your day, have the confidence to know you can do anything, no matter how uncomfortable...just get in there, get started and it will become comfortable.

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

-Martin Luther King, Jr.