on friday, i got to kick back in nyc with a great group of friends and on saturday, i did the same and got to experience one of the proudest moments of my life: DK's commissioning. this weekend was very eventful and the celebration we kicked off for DK was hearty... he's such an awesome person and a hard, earnest worker, it's a pleasure to salute that man anytime. it's weekends like these that remind me how fortunate i am to have met such upstanding people and call them my friends. it was nice to take two days off from training, however, my liver sort of hates me now. the rest of my body is ready to kick off TD 30 tomorrow morning.
taking the oath of office
DK's father and wife, AK, pin him
the new lieutenant with some old colleagues
CP, DA, GG, DK, DV, RL, & AM... someone forgot to bring an extra set of clothes
last night, my team won by over 50 points... it was something ridiculous, like 77 to 24. the game ended two minutes early because our league has a mercy rule... my body felt good, but my shot wasn't falling. i ended up with 7 points, a few turnovers, and a few assists. just gotta keep at it to get better.
so this morning, we split our session into 3 parts: (1) weights, (2) muay thai pad work, and (3) abs. i figured since we were tapering off yesterday, we might as well keep doing it today... rest is in order and that's when we get better... however, this weekend is shaping up to be action packed: nyc tonight and wherever God takes us on Saturday (DK is leaving the enlisted ranks and receiving his commission tomorrow- so a wet down might be in order... if not for him, then for the rest of us as we're losing a great colleague, but ultimately, gaining a great leader). so on the exterior, my body may thank me, yet my liver may do the opposite.
here is what we did this morning:
i felt that i may have lost a little bit during our two weeks off from the gym. the good thing is, the strength loss wasn't too significant and i expect HD and i to be back on track either next week or the week after.
here is HD completing his first set of the triset:
muay thai pad work
1 round of 10min- 1st 5min worked on technique, 2nd 5min- 10 rounds of
5 right kicks
1-2-3-4 punching combo
5 left kicks
i haven't gone to Advanced Martial Arts in awhile and my gear was collecting dust, so i said why not? whenever i do start going back regularly, i don't want to be too rusty. it was a good refresher in holding pads and i enjoyed teaching HD the little that i know.
and finally we ended off with abs:
4 rounds, non-stop
15 hello-dolly's
modified side planks
this morning definitely was worth it and i'm glad we're learning how to walk that fine line between overkill and taking it too easy. after five consecutive & productive training days, i really feel that i earned my weekend. time to eat and drink whatever i want until sunday. hopefully your weekend is as enjoyable or more enjoyable than mine. stay safe.
on a side note: next week i have to start getting a bit more scientific for the Race for Tomorrow, because it's in 43 days (1.5 months)... the Men's Health Urbanathlon is in 92 days (3.25 months) and TM: tri-state is in 106 days (3.75 months). seems like awhile, but they'll sneak up on you when you're least prepared... adventure race season is upon us. i'm just gonna get fit or die trying. in the meantime...
because i have a game this evening, HD and i tapered off our session... which came out to be around 30min of light work per person. we split it off into three parts: (1) basketball drills, (2) timed workout, and (3) stretches. i'm posting now because my game is late and will spend the extra time post-normal work hours catching up on further reports... so i'd rather knock this out this morning.
warmup
HD and i just did set-shot drills- totaling 50 shots in under 5 minutes. hopefully my shot will be reliable for my team when needed.
we also have a fitness test coming up, so i believe the following timed workout primarily uses the same muscles and movements. for time:
row 500m
25 thrusters (20lbs dumbbells in each hand)
20 hand-release pushups
15 kettlebell swings (50lbs)
10 burpees
5 pullups
row 500m
here is my round in its entirety:
when HD went, it seemed like he was definitely flying through it. my first 500m rowing, i felt like i started a bit too fast, finishing around the 1min 55sec mark... my second split took about 2min 20sec- so the disparity between splits could suggest i did exert too much energy on the first 500m. with that said, HD and i hit the same time. he did a great job this morning... sooner than later, he's going to start to crush my times... which is great and will keep me on my toes.
results
HD & DV: 8min 11sec
then we finished off with static and dynamic stretches for approximately 15-20 minutes. my body felt challenged, but not overworked- so it should perform well this evening. will be sure to let you guys know....
due to a lot of things going on this upcoming weekend, the Are You Fit Challenge has been moved to sunday, august 7, from 2:30pm to 6:30pm. entry is only $6 and the male and female winners of the challenge will receive a $50 gift certificate to Dick's Sporting Goods. half of the proceeds will be donated to the Wounded Warrior Project. the event will be controlled by TS w/the aide of 4TWC and will definitely be a body breaker. check out the facebook fan page for more info.
so this morning, HD and i split our session up into 3 parts: (1) basketball drills, (2) a timed workout, and (3) light treadmill work.
warmup
basically we set aside 15 minutes to work on defensive drills (lateral movement, cutting, back pedaling, and defending the ball handler), as well as dribbling drills. it was a good change of pace from merely shooting the ball. my legs were really sore at the beginning of the drills, but by the end, they were ready to work the rest of the day.
then, for time
100m farmer's walk w/45lbs plate in each hand
then rounds of 12-15-21-15-12 (75 rep total) of
box jumps
burpees
hang power cleans (55lbs)
then conclude w/100m farmer's walk w/45lbs plate in each hand
here is HD on his first round:
results
HD: 13min 32sec DV: 11min 15sec
lastly, we hit the treadmill
21min @ 1.0% incline
0-2min @ 7mph
2min-10:30 @ 6.5mph
10:30-16min @ 6.8min
16-21min @ 7mph
total: 2.36 miles and approx. 274 calories burned
so far, HD and i have left the gym drenched the last 3 days haha... looking forward for tomorrow (should be a light day). on my way to a softball game in central park, which is why i'm blogging now. hope everyone out there is enjoying their summer...
last week, 4TWC grew to 15 members strong... i finally got around to making a graphic for our two new members- athletic brothers who have picked up the itch for obstacle courses. veterans of a couple mud runs, DD & MD have decided to test their mettle against TM: tri-state, the longest and toughest challenge in the region. they are a great addition to the team and i look forward to training with them further.
this morning, HD and i decided to test our work capacity and split up our session into 4 parts: (1) basketball drills, (2) swim, (3) timed workout, and (4) moderate speed work on the treadmill.
warmup
we conducted the same jump shot drill from TD 23, putting up a total of 50 shots each in under 5 minutes. i'm actually being selfish with our warmups, by conducting basketball drills, because of the corporate league i'm in. haha, i did pretty well in my first game a couple of weeks ago, and since i missed two weeks, i don't want to perform poorly upon my return this week.
swim
200m sidestroke, alternating sides every 25m
then 25 dive bombers
200m freestyle
i showed up to the gym feeling really sore from yesterday's workout, but the basketball drills and swim did the trick in warming up my body for the final two parts. the warming up process did leave me a bit fatigued though.
for time
25 flutter kicks (4 count)
25 back squat (95lbs)
25 bench press (95lbs)
25 deadlift (135lbs)
25 flutter kicks (4 count)
here is me entire run:
what i notice in the video is that i'm not really flexible (or actually have to stop being lazy). i need to straighten out my legs for my flutter kicks. at the time of performing squats, it felt that my depth was pretty good. after review, i need to go lower and really work on my form. i also have to work on my deadlifts- drop my butt lower and stop rounding out my back. hopefully sooner than later i'll finally get it- thank God for youtube...
results
HD: 6min 55sec DV: 5min 53sec
treadmill
1 minute ladder @ 1.0% incline and 8.5mph
1 min on, 1 min off, 1 min on, 50 sec off, 1 min on, 40 sec off, 1 min on, 30 sec off, 1 min on, 20 sec off, 1 min on, 10 sec off, 1 min on, 20 sec off, 1 min on, 30 sec off, 1 min on, 40 sec off, 1 min on, 50 sec off, 1 min on total: 11min of actual running, approx. 1.56 miles covered
afterward, HD and i were drenched, but felt ready to tackle the day... sort of. unfortunately my attention to detail was poor today, as i got on the wrong train, ruined my trousers by spilling cream cheese all over them, lost my work ID while walking to lunch, and made a few errors while conducting research for some reports... all in all, tomorrow is another day and if those are the extent of my troubles, then i really have nothing to worry about. the men and women who give up their own simple liberties to protect mine each day are always in my thoughts and it's because of their hard work, i can earnestly state, "life is good..." no matter how many wrong trains i get on, the amount of trousers i ruin, or IDs i lose... God bless our young men and women in uniform.
we arrived home from our camping trip to upstate new york on friday evening. the weekend was spent eating a lot of junk food, drinking a lot of adult beverages, and relaxing. HD and i were eager to hit the gym this morning and gauge how much of our gains we've lost being in the middle of nowhere for the last two weeks... i definitely left the gym in pain... of course a "good pain."
this morning's training session was split into three parts: (1) basketball drills- pump fakes, (2) a 12min AMRAP, and (3) abs.
warmup
we took 5 shots at each spot, pump faking from side to side. we put up 60 shots in under 5 minutes. as i've stated before, this is a good way to get the blood flowing.
then we rolled into the 12min AMRAP:
8 thrusters (75lbs)
5 multi-level jumps
10 bicycles
10 kettlebell swings (25lbs)
5 plyo-diamond into regular pushups
8 pullups (odd rounds)/chinups (even rounds)
just a reminder, this will (well should) be the last post until july 23... we'll start posting again on the 24th or 25th due to most members of 4TWC's commitments. anyway, this morning HD and i split our session up into 3 parts: (1) timed swim, (2) timed workout (a scaled down & modified version of a crossfit wod named, "D.T."), and (3) moderate treadmill run. we wanted to squeeze in some shooting drills, but there were people playing on the court by 5:45am... so i guess friday's for individual basketball drills is a no go. in general, this morning's session was awesome and both of us left the gym feeling really good:
for time
swim 300 meters
every 50m perform 10 pushups and 15 bicycles
here is my first 150m:
results
HD: 12min 47sec DV: 10min 50sec
i think i swam better than i usually do, especially during my first 50 meters... haha, i did resort to keeping my ahead above water a little after the 100 meter mark. will be sure to keep working on that. my pushups did get a sloppy and i have to ensure i go lower. it seems at the time i'm performing a good pushup, but after watching the film, i have to make a conscious effort to go lower or allow HD to haze me haha.
next, for time
3 rounds @ 85lbs
12 romanian deadlifts, 9 hang power cleans, 6 push jerks
here are HD's entire rounds:
results
HD: 5min 17sec DV: 2min 38sec
lastly, we ended off with treadmill work
21mins @ 7.5mph, .5% incline
total: 2.62 miles and approx. 296 calories burned
afterward, HD and i agreed that we felt great after that run. 7.5mph, after all that work in the morning, still felt like a brisk jog. hopefully we can get 9mph to feel like a brisk jog eventually.
that's all i got for now. i am pretty concerned about losing the gains we've made in a couple of months, but the time off should help with recovery. i plan on sneaking in short workouts here and there, and if i manage to document it or write about it, i'll be sure to share when i get back. keep training hard out there and stay tuned in two weeks.
TS just finished creating our team training session 2 video. with the help of NS, they both did a great job in documenting the event:
there were about 10 participants during that day and the average time to complete this tough course was about 16 minutes. i would have to say it was the best mini-prep training simulation of tough mudder that i have partook in. TS did a great job with the programming:
for time
as you run a loop which is probably just short of a mile to a mile and a quarter, you encounter the following stations: (1) 20 burpees into thrusters, (2) barrel crawls, (3) large hill run, (4) 50 jumping jacks, (5) 135lbs/95lbs hang cleans, (6) 40 bicep curls-4 sprints-40 box jumps w/40lbs/20lbs vest, (7) 20 kettlebell swings (50lbs), and (8) 20 split jumps with 20lbs dumbbells.
to finish off the workout, we did a team run while each of us, individually, carried some form of weight.
if you check out the We Are Fit facebook page, you will also find content posted by DK as he conducts station #1. moreover, TS is also hosting an event- the Are You Fit Challenge, on july 31 that challenges your fitness for approximately 4.5 miles of obstacles/exercises, while, most importantly, raising money for the Wounded Warrior Project. if this interests you, hit up the facebook page or event page and message TS. i already know it's going to be great, yet a tough preparatory training session for all three events i'm participating in this fall: (1) The Race for Tomorrow (w/AM), (2) Men's Health Urbanathlon: NYC (w/DK), and (3) Tough Mudder: Tri-State 2011 (which is 89% sold out for saturday as of now... just an fyi-heads up).
lastly, my company won our opening day basketball game this evening, so the shooting drills this morning definitely helped haha... winning feels good, not gonna lie. definitely going to get some rest for tomorrow's training day- trying to go out with a bang before we have a 2 week layoff. hope you all are enjoying the blog.
this morning's session was split up into four parts: (1) warmup - basketball shooting drills, (2) bench press, (3) timed workout, and (4) moderate run on the treadmill. parts 2-4 are scaled down and modified from july 6's SOFWOD.
warmup
we took 5 shots at each spot- continuously moving from the inner cordon, then sprinting to the outer cordon as seen below:
at the end of this part, that's about 50 total shots up in less than 5 minutes. we didn't take down the number of makes haha... we shot pitiful anyway, but it was a good warmup to get the blood flowing and good for me to get some mechanics down before my game tonight.
then we did an AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) for 10 minutes:
100m farmer's walk w/45lbs plates in each hand
20 kettlebell swings (25lbs)
15 elevated pushups
8 side-to-side pullups
here is HD going through his first couple of rounds:
this AMRAP sneaks up on you and doesn't appear to be a forearm workout, which it really turned out to be... if you try this, definitely do not sleep on the farmer's walk...
HD and i missed a morning workout, however, we did make it up in the evening. although it took us approximately ten minutes to complete, the session kicked our butts. we split it up into two timed workouts:
for time
3 rounds
12 overhead squats (65lbs), 12 burpee pullup/knee raise
here is HD's first round:
results
HD: 7min 36sec DV: 6min 42sec
next, for time
rounds of 15-10-5 reps
20lbs wall ball shots, box jumps, kettlebell swings (25lbs)
here are my entire rounds:
results
HD: 3min 47sec DV: 3min 3sec
nice short workout, yet still painful. we plan on getting after it in a few hours tomorrow morning. going to incorporate basketball... haha, because i have my first corporate league game tomorrow evening and need to get some reps in beforehand. also, want you to all know that 4TWC will be offline from July 9 to 23 because most of the team will be on a camping trip with rarely any access to any sort of communication vehicle. should we manage training days during these two weeks, i will be sure to document and fill you all in... time to get to bed.
i was fortunate enough to spend the holiday weekend in our nation's capital and celebrate our 235th independence day. it was an excellent experience being around all types of Americans from various parts of the country. below are some videos and pictures i took of the weekend:
donovan house sunday pool party
The White House amidst protests
National Gallery of Art - Mass. 54th Regiment Memorial
hanging with the bartender during the fireworks
watching the fireworks form the key bridge marriott
on thursday morning, HD and i were back at the gym after taking two much needed days off. we split up our session into 4 parts: (1) a quad set for strength, (2) a timed workout, (3) a timed swim, and (4) light work on the treadmill. definitely felt really good and energized after this training day:
here i am on my 1st/warm-up set:
then, for time
3 rounds
10 alternating incline dumbbell bench presses (25lbs)
10 pushup rows (25lbs - 5 rows each arm)
25 kettlebell swings (25lbs)
here are HD's rounds in their entirety:
results
HD: 8min 40sec DV: 6min 46sec
then, swim for time
200m total
every 50m perform 10 dive bombers
here is my swim:
after reviewing this footage, i have to change my form to a regular freestyle. i'd conserve way more energy. i like keeping my head above water most of the time so i can see what's going on and i hate wearing goggles. i have to stop being stubborn and swim the right way. also, my dive bombers were bad. have to work on that.
results
HD: 10min 50sec DV: 7min 38sec
lastly, treadmill run
18 min @ 7mph, .5% incline
total: 2.1 miles, approx. 238 calories burned
great variety, great training session, & definitely gave me a lift for the rest of the day!
team training session 2
this evening, we conducted TTS 2 (really 3, but i was unable to attend the GTS a few weeks ago and briefly blogged about it), hosted by TS. he found a great training area that will be a valuable resource in future team training sessions. this evening was probably the best tough mudder simulated workout i've participated in ever, no lie, despite its short duration. i will post results and blog about it at a later date. you can also find updates at the We Are Fit facebook page, hosted by TS. i had a great time this evening, met some great people, and look forward to training with them some more. here is some media from this evening:
get fit or die trying
heading down to DC to celebrate our independence, so won't have any training days with HD until wednesday. will be sure to post some pics/vids of our nation's capital. until then, i want to express my gratitude and pride in our country's military, government workers, fire fighters, and police officers. these men & women put everything on the line everyday, have been seriously injured, or have given up their lives so that the 99% of us can go about our daily lives freely and pursue our dreams. God bless all of them.
