Major

Day 11 Phase 1 Week 2 of 2

For 12 minutes, alternate between a slow 500m Row (focus on technique and form), and Complex: 3 OHS/3 Heaving Snatch Balance/3 Snatch Balance w/45# (take time here and really focus on perfection in the movements)

rest 4 min

+

Marching Brigde Work -3 sets of 10 sec seconds, rest 20 seconds b/t sets

rest 2 min

+

A1. Single Leg DB Stiff-Legged Deadlift @ 3020; 7-9/side x 4;

rest 90 sec (video or have someone watching this if possible)

A2. DB Ext Rotation @ 3010; 4-6/side x 4; rest 90 sec

+

Hollow Rock 20 Unbroken Reps x 4; rest 30 min b/t sets (Modified with one leg tucked and hands pointed towards feet, alternate which leg is tucked each set)

Day 9 Phase 1 Week 2 of 2

Today's Inspiration! 

This reminds of why I don't like to clean or snatch with straps!

For 12 minutes, alternated between sets of 3-Position Hang Power Snatches (high hand, knees, floor) @ 85#-115# (build up throughout 12 minutes) and 5 slow and controlled reps with the Leg Lowering Exercise. Again, no heavy breathing

rest 5 minutes

+

A1. Shoulder Press @ 31X1; 4-6 reps x 4; rest 2 min

A2. Strict CTB Pronated Pull-ups; amrap x 4; rest 2 min

rest 5 minutes

+

Side Plank on Knees: 30 sec on/10 sec rest x 12 (alternating sides throughout - 6x/side)

Results

Part I 

I absolutely love olympic lifting! I think I would content if I could just come back to Oly lift everyday! Worked up to 115 with ease today and every single rep felt great! The leg lowering exercises felt great today also, much better and stronger than last week! Pretty happy with both of these today!

Part II

A1: 115,125,130,135(4)

A2: 3,3,2,2

My time off has truly allowed me the time to focus on my coaching and knowledge, thus I have a much greater understanding of my body and all of the movements that I ask it to perform. This understanding has increased my focus on the little things that are the difference between average and great.

One of my most important long-term goals is getting to a 250lb. shoulder press. This is a long term goal with out a doubt, but if I can make it there I know that my recovery will not only be complete, but I will be the strongest and most well rounded that I have ever been! 

I felt pretty good today and all of my shoulder press reps were very solid, I thought about starting heavier but am glad that I went the conservative route. The pull-ups on the other hand were very weak once again. I have a long long way to go on these!

Part III

Being on my knee really helped me to accomplish the task of getting a lot of volume with one of my weakest movements. Was able to complete this with no issues. 

Day 8 Phase 1 Week 2 of 2

The last year has been one of change for Lisa and I. Our life has definitely evolved to the point where we are focused solely on each other, our kids (Maverick, Ace and our newest addition the amazing Rosie! We are so lucky that she was brought into our lives!) and our future. We are both working hard on devoting as much time as we can to each of our long-term goals in life. We both now find ourselves wanting to spend our weekends at home, focused on those things---and I gotta tell you, I LOVE IT! Every weekend we are able to accomplish so much and at the same get enough time in to do NOTHING at all! As seen in the picture above. I love my family! 

On Warped Beauty Standards, and Embracing The Buff

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Monday, Dec 20th

 

For 10 minutes, alternate between sets of 7 moderately difficult ring rows (with solid mechanics) and 12 Hip Extensions at controlled speed. If you start to breath heavily, slow it down

rest 5 minutes

+

Run 400m @ 1:40-1:45 pace (I want effort to be lower than last week, skill work to be higher)

rest 3 minutes x 2

work on landing position during run, try to let your foot drop down underneath you instead of reaching out in front

rest 5 minutes

+

20" Box Jumps: 1 jump + step down every 5 seconds for three minutes

(this time I want you to jump on top of box, rest up there, and practice hopping down and rebounding back on top of the box)

Results

Part I

Not that it felt bad last week, but if felt a lot better today. The ring rows were very solid and I did not fatigue as fast. The Hip exts. felt amazing to be honest. Not only were they stronger,but there was absolutely ZERO pain! I think I did about 6 rotations. 

Part II

Not a whole lot say about this. I did this in the rain today and got pretty wet! The pace was easy and I did not get to winded. I think it is about time to film myself running as I would like a visual of myself. If I can picture what I am doing wrong or right, I have always found that I am able to find success quicker.

I also need a new pair of shoes. My innovates are starting to wear in a few places. They are fine at this point, but I could use another pair to take some of the pressure of these. I am also developing a hole on the left side where my little toe is. I think this is caused by the fact that these shoes were always a little big, about a half size. 

Part III

This was good for me today. Overall box jumps have always been a weakness for me. If its a wod with 10 or less jumps I really never had a problem, but in wods where there was 10+ or something like fight gone bad I would tend to struggle. I definitely think that this is something that I can improve at, as I think its just as much as physical for me.

As for todays workout, the scheme was good for me. I found that the rebound back up began to improve about halfway thru. In fact at the end of the 3 minutes I kind of felt like I wanted to keep going! That said, I know I need to take it easy on these as it is something that could either begin to bother me or hurt me so my progression should be slow on these. Really looking forward to the rest of the week!!!!

 

Day 5 Phase 1 Week 1

For 10 minutes, alternated between 3 TGU/side with 26# and 3 Push Jerks+3 Split Jerks at 65#-95# (build up throughout 10 minutes)

rest 3 min

+

A1. Seated SA DB Press @ 31X1; 8-12/side x 3; rest 90 sec

A2. Kipping Pull-ups; 8 reps x 3; rest 90 sec

rest 2 min

+

Run 800m @ 60% (focus on technique)

rest 2 min

+

Side Bridge - hold as long as possible per side x 1 (rest 1 minute between sides)

 

Results

Part I

This felt great today. I have not spent a lot of time in my life doing turkish get ups and it is something that I really like doing, place a lot of value in, and want to do more of. As expected the jerks were very easy and felt really solid!

Part II

A1: 20,25,25

A2: 8,8,8

I was fairly conservative on A1 as I wanted the tempo to be perfect and I wanted 12 reps for each attempt. I was able to accomplish this and will start with 30 next time. The pull-ups were easy the first & second round but were tough during the 3rd. My grip has definitely weekended and is something that I will need to spend some time focusing on. 

Part III

The 800 was done in the rain with lots of puddles. The time was 4:05 @60%, which seems about right. I felt pretty fatigued during the run and could feel my form suffer a bit during the last 200.

Part IV

The planks were pretty weak as expected. I started with the right side (weaker side, odd enough) and my time was 41 seconds, with left side being done 1 minute later and was held for 46 seconds. My shoulders definitely played a factor in the poor time as they were fatigued at the start. Got a lot of work to do in this department!

Day 4 Phase 1 Week 1

For 12 minutes, alternate between a slow 500m Row (focus on technique and form), and 30 Double Unders (in sets of 5 unbroken)

rest 4 min

+

Marching Bridge Work - 2 minutes, focus on squeezing both cheeks and getting those things activated

rest 2 min

+

A1. Single Leg DB Stiff-Legged Deadlift @ 3020; 7-9/side x 3; rest 90 sec

A2. DB Ext Rotation @ 3010; 7-9/side x 3; rest 90 sec

+

10 sec Hollow Rock/20 sec Rest

x 6

 Results

Part I

Row felt real good. Really focusing on staying tight through the entire movement & having proper mechanics. Rowed 3 500's at a nice easy pace with an average of 2.36, 2.35 & 2.33.

The DU's started off well but faded. This is gonna really take some dedication and focus in order to rebuild these correctly. 

Part II

Everyday these are starting to feel more solid. The endurance is still not where it needs to be though. 

Part III

A1:35,45,55

The stiff leg DB Deads felt great, I really began to feel the last set... In a very good way though! No issues, next time though I will have someone watch me to see if there are any tendencies that I am unaware of. 

A2:15,20,25

Started very conservative on this and ended where I probably should have started. Pretty happy with how the 25lbs felt on the ext. rotation's. I think I could get 30 for 8, which is where I need to be. 

Part IV

I love hollow rocks! Use to hate them but truly value them now days. The first 3 sets were solid and easy, the last 3 were still easy but really started to feel it! 

Overall, I am feeling really good. I have a subtle soreness throughout  my body, but all in a good way! 

Day 2 Phase I Week 1

Healthy Shoulders

---------

For 12 minutes, alternated between sets of 3-Position Hang Power Snatches (high hand, knees, floor) @ 65# - 95# (build up throughout 12 minutes) and 5 slow and controlled reps with the Leg Lowering Exercise. Again, no heavy breathing

rest 5 minutes

+

A1. Shoulder Press @ 31X1; 4-6 reps x 3; rest 2 min

A2. Strict CTB Pronated Pull-ups; amrap x 3; rest 2 min

rest 5 minutes

+

Plank Work: 30 sec Left+30 sec Front+30 sec Right+30 sec Front+20 sec Left+20 sec Front+20 sec Right+20 sec Front

Results

Part I

Always love the Oly lifting! Just worked up to 95lbs. All reps were solid and easy. The leg lowering were an interesting combination and definitely felt good. This will be a good judge of progress for me moving forward. Think I rolled through this 5 times. 

Part II

A1: 115,125,135

A2: 2,2,2

Really tried to focus on perfection hear, especially with the shoulder presses. In defining perfection the goal was to maintain my midline stability through the entirety of each rep. Keeping myself stacked was imperative(especially on the eccentric part), and I was able accomplish this on every rep except for the very last rep. Next time I will start at 135. This was the first time that I have ever done strict ctb pull-ups. It was not pretty, my pull-ups have really fallen off. Good news is that this is something that should come back quick! Losing this extra weight that I have gained over the last 4 months will help too!

Part III

Planks just plane suck for me and always have. I really need to not only turn this into a strength but also something that I don't dread doing. I was able to do it as prescribed but interestingly enough my left side is stronger, which makes no sense! 

Overall, I am really happy with my first two days back. I am sore, but in a very good way. I also looked forward to each of the workouts which is a positive step for me. Tomorrow is a rest day, be back Thursday! 

Day 1 Phase 1-Week 1

Rebuilding from the ground up! 

Change to 2010 Affiliate Cup Rankings

----------

 

For 10 minutes, alternate between sets of 5 moderately difficult ring rows (with solid mechanics) and 12 Hip Extensions at controlled speed. If you start to breath heavily, slow it down

Rest 5 Minutes

+

Run 400m @ 1:30-1:40 pace

rest 3 minutes x 2

work on landing position during run, try to let your foot drop down underneath you instead of reaching out in front

rest 5 minutes

+

24" Box Jumps: 1 jump + step down every 5 seconds for two minutes

Results

Part I

No issues with this. Did 4 rounds of it in the 5 minutes. Focused on keeping active through everything. Was able to go slightly above parallel and activate my glutes during each rep on the hip exts. Both felt good!

Part II

1:31 & 1:33

Made it through this fine, just wasn't much fun. Had to push hard the last 100m of both in order to keep the pace I was shooting for. Really focused on trying to maintain form, but found it difficult as I fatigued. Happy that I was able to do these times though. 

Part III

No issues at all with this. Definitely not nearly the confidence I use to have in these. Keeping this pace kept it safe for me. Was fairly winded afterwards. Took me about 10 minutes to recover from the entire workout. 

Will be seeing my ART therapist today about two hours post workout. Then this afternoon I will focus on some hip mobility and lumbar back rehabilitation work & recovery. 

 

Been Awhile...

It's been awhile and not much has changed physically. I have made an effort on about 4 different occasions to start working out again, but each time my body just reacted in a way that I did not like. That, and with each passing day my motivation and energy dissipates.

This time away from the gym has been good on the business front though. The time I have spent not training and worrying about it has afforded me more time to focus on the growth of my business. The last few months have been very good for me business wise and I am truly proud of where I'm at---that said I really miss training.

My focus on not training and or giving my back a chance to heal has unfortunately given me the excuse to be lazy. The combination of no training, stress and a sub-standard diet has not treated my body well, I feel like crap and have gained some weight. I guess you might say that I took my frustration and anger out in the kitchen and in my business efforts. With what I hope this last steroidal epidural shot performed last Friday will serve the proper purpose and will give me the opportunity to return to training and accomplish my goals.

I will be consulting with CJ and will most likely have him do my programming. My belief as a coach is that there are few situations where one should do their own programming, especially for me in this situation. My motivation for training at this time has nothing to do with competition, my sole purpose to get myself back into great shape, but to do in the right way. My concerns (at least for now) will have nothing to do with 1RM's or top times. I want to start from scratch and build a physique that will last forever and keep me healthy. 

Thank you to everyone for their support over the last few months.

and here we are...

 

Well it has been awhile since I have posted on here and I definitely miss it. The reason of why not is simple, I haven't been working out. The last 6 weeks (well 9 months) has been extremely frustrating, draining and just plain miserable for me. My plan was not to post updates about how crappy I was feeling or how hard it was to get out of bed. This blog is here for me to post/track my workouts, track my progress and feelings and for those of you who read it, I hope you get some joy out of reading it and maybe sometimes you might learn a few things here and there.... :)  In writing this post, the last thing I want is a pitty party or anything like it... Just wanted to update everyone and hopefully help inch this chapter a bit closer to closed. 

Anyways, minus some bike rides and my job as a coach, I have not worked out at all in the last 5 weeks and it has been driving me nuts! I miss it terribly! Last week I received my 3rd epidural in my lower back to help relieve the pain. The doctor said that the state of my back was the worse that it had been thus far. (Not to surprising) Anyway he loaded me up good during the shot in my spine and I almost immediately knew that this shot was going to be different, and not in a good way. While a bit faded, my pain was not gone... I was ready to lose it!  I immediately called my doc, got a powerful mix of pain-pills which are already becoming useless for me. I then insisted that I meet with surgeon and that we get the process started toward surgery. At least now there is a light at the end! 

All I know right now is I should be having surgery in the very near future, hopefully in the next 4-5 weeks. Until then I will begin to work out again on my own in a very limited fashion, 1) for my mental health, and 2) just to somewhat maintain what I have and hopefully lean up and lose a few. My options are slim right now as far as things that I can do. Bottom line though is that I'm done living my life in pain and if surgery is the answer then I am ready to get cut for the 4th time and hopefully last! Then ROCK the recovery and re-engage at CFV with my workouts. 

Thats it folks! Thank you all for your support! 

***Needless to say but I will sadly not be competing at the CrossFit/USAW event in Colorado next month. Good luck to CJ & Britt! 

Living in Pain

Going into this year I was flying high! Not only did I feel as though I was in the best shape of my life but I was also about to start a new job as a coach at CFV. While I could have not asked for a better start to my coaching career, my personal athletic progress has been all but a waste. 

On Christmas day I hurt my back while chasing a goal that I had set for myself 6 months prior. While I have no regrets, I can't help but be filled with rage as this is the 3rd time in my life that a serious injury has worked against me and stalled everything that I had worked so hard to achieve. There has not been a day this year where I have not woke up in pain; while some days are far worse than others, each day has presented itself as a battle. While I feel as though I have been able to stay mentally strong and overcome this injury the best I can; I feel like it has worn on me enough to declare that it has finally gotten the best of me. 

When each day is a war, you eventually start fighting yourself. While coaching has provided me with an incredible outlet and has helped me to stay focused, coming to terms with the fact that I have not made it through one wod this year without feeling some kind of pain or discomfort has now officially gotten to me. The last month the pain has come to ahead and has finally beat me down to the point where I just don't want to feel it anymore, which means that I don't want to work out. While I still hurt when not working out, it is not nearly as bad as when I do. While I have been able to push myself to some good times and weights this year, they have all come at a cost, and none of them have been taken on at 100%. 

This all came to ahead during my last wod. I have done everything that I know and now it is time to try a different approach. While the last thing in the world that I want to do is to not compete this weekend at the clash, I feel like not competing may be right where I need to start. 

If I want to continue as an athlete, my approach will need some serious adjustments, and I will need to make some tough decisions in the near future.