Memorial Day Workout Announcement

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Memorial Day Workout 2017

-to honor those who have fought and died for our freedom and to wish Mike the best of luck in his future endeavors

Official start time 7:30 AM.  Warm up before.  
Chattanooga Chase is coming up Minnekahda Place so park cars IN the driveway or well off the road NOT on hairpin turn.  The first runners should come up the hill around 8:10-15 am.

Notes: This is an extreme workout.  Everyone is welcome to do the entire workout or drop in for any portion of it.  It is not necessary to commit to the entire workout.  Make sure any guest has signed the waiver.

-Make sure you have a swim buddy.  Stay with your swim buddy. 

-Carry a phone on the runs. 

-Bring all food and water that you need for the entire workout.  I plan on having 1.5 gallons of water ready at the start of the workout and some electrolyte replacement on hand as well.  You may need a ruck or Camelbak. 

-Take care of your hands and feet. 

-Come prepared and dominate.


1.  Murph
Run 1 mile
100 pullups
200 pushups
300 squats
Run 1 mile
w 20 lb vest or ruck non partitioned  
Approx 50 minutes-Approx time of finish-8:20

2. Normal Park Stairs
Run to Stairs
10 burpees at top
10 clap pushups at bottom
x 3 rounds
28-32 minutes-approx finish time 8:50-then, instead of running back to garage,  run 1 mile to Kent Hartman start-approx 9 minutes

3. Kent Hartman
Run up Kent and down Hartman x5—10-12 minutes—approx finish time—9:12


4. Run 2 miles back to garage—18 minutes—approx time back at the garage, 9:30 AM

5. Murph
Run 1 mile
100 pullups
200 pushups
300 squats
Run 1 mile
w 20 lb vest partitioned—50 minutes—approx finish time—10:20 AM

6. Run to Woodhill—3 minutes—10:23

Woodhill x 8—10 minutes

return to RRL—rest if necessary.

7. DT-approx 10:45 start
12 Deadlifts, 155/105 lbs
9 Hang Power Cleans, 155/105 lbs
6 Push Jerks, 155/105 lbs
—12-18 minutes—approx finish time 11:00

8. 25 burpees
5 water balls over shoulder
1 700 lb tire flip
x 5 rounds

9. Row 2000
Assault 2000
Ski Erg 2000

Approx 22 minutes—11:30 finish time

10. Murph
Run 1 mile
100 pullups
200 pushups
300 squats
Run 1 mile
slick, any way—approx 40 minutes—Hopeful finish time 12:35 PM

Ice Bath, followed by an Ice Bath, followed by another Ice Bath and Beer and Banana Pudding

Totals:
12+ miles of running
2000 m Row
2000m Assault
2000m Ski
300 pullups
600 pushups
900 squats
155 burpees
60 Deadlifts @ 155
45 Hang Power Cleans @ 155
30 Push Jerks @ 155
30 clap pushups

Party at Rusty's at 5:30 PM BYOB.  Loads of RRL Ice, BBQ, Banana Pudding, Desert, Carbs, and all ingredients for an epic cheat day.

 

May 26, 2017

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As we prepare for our big workout on Monday, I tapered the workout a bit today.

Strongman implements are important around here, but honestly, they dont get used enough.  We have Atlas stones, Waterballs, Sandbags, Yokes, Tires, and other stuff, but sometimes I forget to include them or have a difficult time finding a way for 20 people to train with them.

Today, I simply made a workout around these implements:

Push Jerk 5-5-3-3-1-1-1

Then

25 Waterball (Big Girl or Little Sister) Ground to over the shoulder.  Get this done at anytime during the workout

Big Tire Flips- Flip the 800 lb tire as many times as you feel comfortable.  The video above is an old video of us doing a strongman workout.  WOW...the kids are SO SMALL.  Check this out.  If it doesnt display, click here

280 Club- Carry the 280 lb tire the length of the fence and back (if video above doesnt display, click here)

Little Sister over the pullup bar-Attempt to get it over the pullup bar by any means necessary

Then-

Still Water-10 minutes

I will post our Memorial Day workout here later today--stand by

May 24, 2017

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Wednesday has transformed into run day

Today

Slow 2 mile warm up jog (I focused on only breathing through my nose as encouraged in the book I am reading called The Oxygen Advantage)

then

Woodhill x 8

Run up and down a hill as fast as you can 8 times.  The gym record is right at 8 minutes.  Mike Drew ran really well.  Almost lapped me.

I have been reading The Oxygen Advantage and trying some of his exercises.  I think that everyone should read this book as he has some interesting ideas all backed by science that I have never really investigated before.  I have enjoyed learning about the relationship between Co2 and o2 and how you can alter that based on the way you breathe resulting in more or less o2 uptake to your blood stream.  Obviously, if we can get more o2 into the blood, we can perform better.  He has some science that is contrary to conventional wisdom, like deep breaths=more o2. 

While reading this book I am trying to figure out how his program can exist with the Wim Hof method within my training.  I believe there is a place for both, but the question is, how do we use them to increase performance substantially?

Here is an article from his website that compares the two methods:

http://oxygenadvantage.com/wim-hof/

I dont think that I will quit doing either method, because the ancillary benefits to each are so evident within my life.  At the very least, the Wim Hof Method practiced daily has been the most effective meditation tool I have come across.  My mind goes still or wanders to places previously unknown.  Before, I would sit there and start wondering what I was going to have for breakfast or some silly thought like that.  With the breathing method, all thoughts like that vanish and my head is still for a short period of the day.  In Stealing Fire, Kotler gives scientifically backed proof of the incredible benefits of even very brief moments like these found in meditation.  For that reason alone, I would keep doing it regularly, but I know that it has far more benefits.  I can also see how The Oxygen Advantage can also be used to enhance your training both mentally and physically. 

At 48, I am looking for every advantage I can get.  If I can find a technique or training method that helps increase performance 2%, I am interested in learning.  These breathing techniques have definitely helped my physical training and performance, but they have substantial effects on the mental side as well which easily translates to family, work and other relationships. 

I will write more about these two methods as I continue to learn more about them and incorporate them into the training.

Let me know if you have experience with either method, good or bad.

May 19, 2017

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I liked this one this morning.  The format of 4 rounds of a couplet, 3 rounds of another, 2 rounds of a final one followed by an Assault Bike was excellent.

Good group today getting together to take us into the weekend.  Glad to have Wade Priddy back in town!

Here was the Heart Rate graph from today

RIP Chris Cornell.  We have certainly enjoyed your music while doing these working out.  You will be missed

May 17 and 18, 2017

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May 17, 2017

I found the highest points near the garage and strung together a run that is 4.78 miles.  It starts with our mile which is a big hill then a 1.5 mile decent to another really big hill that takes us to the top of Folts Circle.  We then return down and back up Crestwoodand descend to the garage.  It is kind of easy to take a wrong turn, and I did it...again.  So did Kevin.  We managed to find our way back.

Today was a field trip day to the Aquarium.  See this post for specifics.

 It was a race this morning and Michael Miller went out strong and fast.  Patrick and Mike D were not far behind and Keith and I kept going back and forth.  Rusty and Alan were right behind and all the other guys were pushing the pace as well.  

Eventually, Patrick left us all and set a new record by smashing the 30 minute mark and getting a 28;34.  I came in at 31:52 which is slower than my last one by a few seconds.  Interestingly, I wore a heart rate monitor today.  Here is a graph

 So this tells me that I kept my heart rate 160-170 for 22:47.  I like this type of workout because my heart rate gets up that high but also drops off as in interval work. 

One day, I hope to get this workout under 30 minutes.  I think I may need to lose 15 pounds and work on my stair running first.

If you are in Chattanooga, give this one a try and let us know how you do.  It is an instant classic.

May 13 and 15, 2017

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Saturday May 13, 2017

Reggie suggested this one so we gave it a go on Saturday

Run 100

50 Burpees

Run 200

100 Pushups

Run 300

150 Lunges

Run 400

200 Air Squats

Run 300

150 Lunges

Run 200

100 Pushups

Run 100

50 Burpees

This one took almost 30 minutes and left my quads sore on Sunday despite ice baths.

 

Today, we had a surprise visit by my daughter and her friend.  They woke at 5:20 and were in the garage ready to get after it. 

Push Press 5-5-3-3-1-1-1

then

Run 200

1 Rope Climb

x 10 rounds

14:14

Then Still Water or Meditation x 10 minutes

May 11, 2017

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The waterballs made their way back into the workout this morning.  If you have never seen these, they are pretty cool.  I got the idea from Ross Enamait (If you dont know Ross, you should.  Check him out at Rosstraining.com)  I LOVE the water ball for training wrestlers or anyone who wants to build a strong grip while simultaneously building an iron posterior chain. 

I have 2 of these.  They are cheap and simple and you can make them yourself.  It takes patience and time, but you simply take a Swiss Ball that is probably sitting around your moms house and fill it with water to the poundage you want.  The gray one...aka Big Girl, probably weighs close to 100 pounds while the blue one...aka Little Sister, comes in around 50.  We can do all kinds of stuff with these tools.  Simply pick it up and carry it for distance and build grip strength for wrestling or Jiu Jitsu.  You could pick them up and load them to the top of a jerk box or over one of the Yokes or my favorite move, and the one we did today, is clean it to the shoulder and throw it over the shoulder.  These are hard to hold, awkward and unwieldy, however, they will not smash your face like a concrete atlas ball and also wont punch a hole in my driveway.  

Today's workout

Waterball over the shoulder x 10

Warm up Deadlift

2008 CrossFit Games Deadlift Burpee

5 Deadlift 275 lbs

10 burpees

x 5 rounds

If you go back and watch the Every Second Counts movie, you can see the guys do this workout.  Matt Chan won with a 2:33, Khalipa 2:35 and Spealler 2:44.  I finished this one today at 5:14 which I was actually pretty happy about since I have not been deadlifting much at all.  My dead has never been a strength, but I have neglected it and it is time to get it back.  275 felt very heavy for me this morning, but I managed to get through it.

After the deadlift workout we cleaned up and then spent 10 minutes in meditation.

 

May 8, 2017

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After a restful weekend with a few ice baths, some good food and more sleep than I am used to, I started the week with a feeling of being on fire.  The ice has been very helpful in recovery, but I did read a few articles and listen to a podcast or two by Rhonda Patrick (who is completely awesome, by the way.  She has a way of being able to condense incredibly technical and intensely boring medical journals down to something that I can understand and does it while keeping fitness and longevity goals in mind) that made me second guess the ice bath timing.  I have been hitting the ice immediately after the workout which could be undoing alot of the good work I just did.  After watching the video below and compiling much other data, I think that I am going to postpone the ice until later in the day or at least 1 hour after the workout.  Check the video with Rhonda Patrick and Dr Mercola for the reason why: (The whole video is fascinating, but at 21:37 into the video, she talks specifically about what happens immediately after the workout and why your body needs this time to develop inflammation.  This short time is actually quite responsible for gaining strength from training.)

I highly recommend both Mercola and Rhonda Patrick's podcast as well as finding and listening to her on all of the podcasts that she has done with Joe Rogan and Tim Ferris.

This summer, we are going to build a sauna in our shed out back and we can do contrasting hot and cold.  Until then, I can sit in my attic for a few minutes which is probably hotter than any sauna.  Follow this up with a dip in the ice and we have a redneck XPT course right here.

Today's workout was short, but intense.

Warm Up

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

My weights 225-245-265-285-305-325-345 (miss)

then

100 Burpees for time

I was ecstatic to look at the clock after 100 straight and see 4:35.  This is a new and all time PR for me.  It is so exciting because PR's are funny.  There are so many factors that go into a PR.  Temperature, time of day and other such factors can definitely influence a few seconds here or there, but on most things, you could be doing the work slightly different from the last time.  Several things remain consistent though.  100 burpees is 100 burpees.  We do it the same every time; simply flop down on the ground, get back up, jump and clear the ground and clap overhead.  I have tried this simple workout on a clock since 2006 and have logged all attempts.  Last year, I did 100 straight through for the first time ever and attributed it to practicing the Wim Hof method every morning. On that day, I was shocked to look up at the clock and see 4:55 as that was the first time I had ever broken 5 minutes. 

Today, I was nervous about this attempt because I wanted to at least measure up to the last one.  I started slow and relaxed and at about 30 I thought I would need to take a break.  I hit 50 and felt good. 60, 70, 80, 90 and I knew I had it.  I finished 100 today in 4:35 which is an all time PR for me and an all time gym record.  This comes from the whiteboard:

I started keeping my workouts on Beyondthewhiteboard.com in 2009.  This graph shows a steady decline in the time it takes me to complete this workout.  There are a few spikes which are when I have done this either with a 50 lb ruck or a 20 or 30 lb vest. 

With all this training and attempts at recovery, the goal is the same for me.  Continue to get better, stronger, faster despite getting older.  It is definitely working.  I will say, for sure, that as I age, I am spending more and more time on warm up, accessory movements, mobility, recovery, sleep quality, supplements and paying more attention to diet and hydration than ever before.  It is clear to me that if I want to continue to improve, all of this has to be on point and dialed in.  Even 5 years ago, I was able to just go workout and call it good.  Maybe I would stretch my hamstring a little.  Now, by focusing on all of these factors, I am seeing big improvements as I crowd 50 years old. 

Anyone can do this.  Anyone can be in their best shape at 50 years old.  It does take alot of work and time, but it is totally worth it in my opinion.  Today, I feel like I am in the best shape of my entire life and it is an amazing feeling.  I am not restricted by any physical task. 

Thanks for being on this journey with me.  Let me know your story of success as you age.

May 5, 2017

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UPDATE on Kevin:  Jody, Kyle and I had lunch with Kevin yesterday.  I was AMAZED at his progress.  I chose the picture above (eventhough it is a poor quality picture and someone's finger is on the lens) because it shows Kevin's personality.  Yesterday, we saw that Kevin again and it was SO nice to see.  He is doing incredibly well, funny as always and has a bunch of new material from his last few months.  It made me so happy to see him up, moving, laughing, clear and completely focused on living life to the fullest.  At the darkest moments, Kevin had an extremely good attitude focused on gratitude for the things he had.  He was grateful to BE HERE.  He was grateful for his loving wife, Nicole and their children.  He was thankful for his family and his friends.  This attitude never faltered and today he has SO MUCH MORE to be thankful for and continues living with his attitude toward gratitude.  I am thankful and grateful for his recovery and cant wait to watch him progress all the way back to 100%.  We love you Kevin.

Warmup:

Box Breathing 5 minutes

30 overhead squats with PVC

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

Skill: Jump Rope 3 minutes

Core: Every Minute on the minute (EMOM) do max reps for 30 seconds of Pushups/Situps

Odd Minutes: Situps

Even Minutes: Pushups

Continue for 12 minutes (6 rounds of each)

Workout: A.
“Tailpipe” – Sandbag style
Partner 1 runs 200m, while Partner 2 Holds the sandbag overhead. P1 and P2 switch roles when P1 returns for the run. Do a total of three sets for time. If the partner holding the sandbag drops it, both partners do 10 burpees for each drop.

 

Ice Bath- >5 minutes

 

Everybody loves the ice bath...and I miss Bravo

 

 

May 4, 2017

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Laird Hamilton knows whats up.  He uses ice as a regular part of his workout and recovery.  With the new ice machine, we can now do it any time we want, as many times per day as we might like.

FINALLY!  I have a working, functional ICE MACHINE!  Even better...it produces pellet ice like Sonic uses.  I LOVE it and today was the inaugural ice bath day.  To make the ice bath super effective, of course, we needed to stimulate the system.

1. Wim Hof Breathing x 3 + pushups

2. Warm up Front Squat and Deadlift

3. Bell

3 rounds for time of:

21 Deadlifts, 185/135 lbs

15 Pull-ups

9 Front Squats, 185/135 lbs

4. 5 minute Ice Bath followed by 2 minutes up to knees

5. 10 min quiet time (meditation/focus)

 

I'm so excited that I can now hit an ice bath any time I want and so can anyone else.  Recovery NOW!

     

    May 3, 2017

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    Wednesday is generally some sort of run day.  For the last few months, I have been avoiding running due to a calf injury, but I was back at it today with a classic RRL benchmark.

    Normal Park Stairs is a workout that we do that is incredibly simple, uses the environment around us and it doesn't take very long...perfection.

    Several times, a debate starts in the morning as to whether there are 3 or 5 rounds of stairs on this workout.  After looking back through the results, it is final...this one has 3 rounds.

    To complete this workout, simply run to the set of stairs (about a mile) and run to the top.  Do 10 burpees there and run to the bottom where you complete 10 clap pushups.  Repeat that 3 times, then run home.

    Alan holds the record on the Whiteboard at 25:25 for this workout, but Mike claimed that he once got it under 25 minutes.  I asked if he documented it on one of the boards in the gym or online and he said no to which I replied..."Then it never happened".  HOWEVER...  I did run across this note in my results

    My daughter showed me how to use Snapchat to add some stuff to it.  Congratulations, Mike, you officially hold the gym record. 

    Today, however, we both came in a little slower at 27:56.  I feel like I have ALOT of room for improvement.  My running felt slow and there was plenty of walking on the stairs.  I think I could get it under 25 minutes with lots of work, but I see that it is possible.

    Have a great day!

     

    May 2, 2017

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    After a very strong storm yesterday and then 30-40 mph winds yesterday afternoon, the sky is incredibly clear today.  All the dust and pollen has been blown away or knocked down by the rain and the air is so clear that I can see every tree on the mountains.  It is like getting a new pair of glasses.

     

    Incredible.

     

    Today we did this one and it was tough.  Thanks Mike Burgner and CrossFit Weightlifting

    First, 1 rm clean

    then

    May 1, 2017

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    Last night we had a major storm front move through.  I would estimate straight line winds at 40-50 mph which resulted in downed trees and power outages.  Our power went out at 7 pm and was just recently restored.

    We had a dark and rainy workout this morning.  I had a jump box in my car that allowed me to plug in a small lamp and then I pulled my truck into the driveway and hit the lights kind of like Vince Papalli in Invincable...well, probably not really like that in reality but it felt like it.

    We did this one

    Front Squat 3-3-3-3-3

    then

    "15 strainght"

    15 OHS

    15 Pullups

    15 Thruster

    15 Pullups

    15 Front Squat

    15 Pullups

    15 Push Press

    15 Pullups

    This is all done with 95 lbs, however, there was a kicker.  Kicker= If you drop the barbell, OR drop off the bar at any point that = 15 Air Squats

    Then some mobility to round out the day