HD and i tried something different and went to the gym around 5pm. surprisingly, not crowded... at least for the stuff we needed to do... like squats. of course all the benches were taken up and most dumbbells lol. anyway, i'm gonna stop being a snot. we split the evening up into 4 parts: (1) moderate treadmill run, (2) lifts, (3) muay thai pad work, and (4) abs.
warmup - treadmill
30min @ 7.5mph & 1.0% incline
total: 3.75miles, approx. 446 calories burned (at my current weight: 145lbs)
then:
here is my 2nd set of the quad set:
subsequently, we did muay thai pad work:
we warmed up for 10 minutes then we did 5 minutes of the following combination-
superman 2, left knee, right elbow, 3, 2, 3
after the 5 minutes were done, we finished with 25 kicks each leg
last, we did abs
6 continuous rounds
15 weighted situp (20lbs)
30sec side plank (you end up doing a total of 3 planks each side)
that's basically it. we plan on hitting the gym in the morning since i have a playoff basketball game tomorrow night.
oh, one more thing. when i got home from the gym, i also managed to get my wife to do a CrossFit-esque workout for the first time and she did good! she even did regular pushups throughout all of her rounds.
at least she told me she enjoyed herself haha... i'm proud that she decided to check out the party.
i woke up late and met up with HD about 45 minutes later than usual this morning. we still managed to conduct a challenging training day, but not so much cardio. nonetheless, the burpees we did, basically kicked our butts and felt like it made up for the lack of swimming or running. we split up the training day into 2 parts: (1) lifts and (2) abs. the chart below captures what we accomplished:
i felt really strong throughout the workout and my body is itching to do more tomorrow. HD is also making tremendous progress and if we could compare his present lifts to last year's, he's increased his strength nearly twofold.
today's post is boring, but i hope it was still informative. a little over 10 days until The Race For Tomorrow and i have a playoff basketball game on thursday, so i'll be tapering off a little bit for the next two weeks. before i sign off, i'd like to share this video of Knowshon Moreno's discovery of CrossFit over the off-season:
hope that was as motivating for you, if not more, as it was for me.
we split up this training day into 4 parts: (1) basketball set shots, (2) timed workout, (3) lifts, and (4) moderate treadmill work. the following description may be a bit boring & brief because i'm actually catching up on posts. haha, i have to blame fantasy football for the delayed posts as i had two drafts during the week. so i apologize.
warmup
HD and i did the usual 50 basketball set shots in under 5 minutes in order to get the blood flowing. i honestly wish that we eventually have a third member start working out with us so we can get some footage on these drills.
then, for time
11-8-5
pullups
dips
thrusters (85lbs)
here are HD's entire rounds:
results
HD: 3min 44sec DV: 2min 17sec
then,
for the 2nd set of deadlifts, i attempted to do 275lbs and for some reason i couldn't get it up. didn't feel weak, i can't explain it... the weight just didn't want to go up and i remember being pretty upset and embarrassed haha. oh well. also, on the 2nd sent of underhand rows, i can't believe that 20lbs makes such a difference... rowing 155lbs for me is pretty humbling. i was happy i got to rep it out with 135lbs.
last, treadmill
8min @ 8mph and 1.0% incline
total: 1.06 miles and approx. 126 calories burned
this morning, HD and i split up our workout into 3 parts: (1) basketball set shot drills, (2) supersets, and (3) a timed workout. my basketball team's last regular season game is on thursday and we possibly have two more weeks of playoff games afterwards. so there will be about 3 more weeks left for us to use basketball drills as the main warmup and i honestly can't wait to try something else.
warmup
we did the usual 50 shots in under 5 minutes. we both shot fairly well this morning and like i say every time, hopefully the reps will translate into good results come game time.
then,
i felt that we were kind of holding back on the front squat because we were dreading the timed workout.
last, for time
15-10-5
kettlebell swings (50lbs)
box jumps
thrusters (85lbs)
burpees
hang power cleans (85lbs)
here is my first round of 15:
as you can see, i took a lot of breaks haha. if you notice, this timed workout incorporated all of the exercises that will be judged in the pit at The Race For Tomorrow.
results
HD: 15mins 47sec DV: 14mins 56sec
although this is our first training day this week, we're going to take tomorrow off... that's all i got.
because i've been indulging in a few things down here, i decided to run 2.7 miles around beach avenue before my wife and i visited the local winery. aside from that, just preparing my body for the next few training sessions with HD once i drive back home.
here is part of the tour my wife and i took later in the day:
got a chance to work on my form for burpees, kettlebell swings, box jumps, and thrusters yesterday in order to meet the standard for The Race For Tomorrow. i'm pretty confident that every rep i do in the pit will be counted, cause i definitely don't want to waste energy haha.
if any of you are curious to see what the standards are and what judges are looking for in the pit, check these videos out:
so right before noon today, i managed to sneak in a quick workout. i'm glad i brought my kettlebell:
for time
3 rounds
10 kettlebell swings (50lbs)
10 burpees
10 air squats
10 dive bombers
10 bicyles
10 flutter kicks (4-count)
10 hand-release pushups
as you can see, for some reason, i'm a huge fan of the hand-release pushups- i've managed to incorporate them frequently this week... wanted to go out for a run afterward, but there were thunderstorms heading our way, and the wife & i opted to sneak in some beach time.
results
7min 55sec
i wasn't sure if i was holding back or not because HD wasn't around haha... nonetheless, the workout still was very challenging and a good substitute for not doing anything. can't wait to get back to kick off TD 43. for now, i'll have to settle for this:
this morning, HD & i split the training day up into 3 parts: (1) swim, (2) moderate treadmill work, and (3) lifts. before i go into detail, i want to announce that DD2 has officially joined 4TWC, making us 16 members strong! a very intelligent and hard-working individual, he makes a great addition to the team.
here is DD2 attempting a 405lbs deadlift:
although he didn't succeed, it still was a good attempt. i don't know how many normal people that would be willing to even think about deadlifting that much weight haha... anyway-
warmup
400m swim. we didn't time this portion, we just worked on form and focusing on getting the body warm & the blood flowing.
next, moderate treadmill run
for 9mins- 8mph @ 1.0% incline
total: 1.2 miles, approx. 142 calories burned
last:
for the first superset, it seems to me that my upper body is stronger than my legs, which i really hate. by the last set, it felt as if my legs barely had any juice left to exercise. here is my 3rd set:
for the tri-set, i felt really strong on the pullups and it was evident that my lat injury has subsided. however, on the 3rd set, i was surprised that i only managed 4 reps on the bent-over row. here is HD going through his 1st set:
and that's basically it. i'm off to cape may for the next three days, so HD and i won't have a training day together until tuesday. tomorrow morning, i plan on working on some CMC movements because there are only 3 weeks left until The Race For Tomorrow. so the remaining saturdays until then will be spent working on burpees, box jumps, thrusters, kettlebell swings, and a mid-distance run of at least 6 miles.
i hope all of you enjoy the weekend and stay safe.
i had a basketball game tonight, so we took it easy on the jump shots for the warm-up. i think it did help, cause i ended up scoring in double figures and my team ended up winning by more than 20... in the morning, HD and i split up the session into 3 parts: (1) basketball set shot drills, (2) weight-lifting, and (3) a timed workout.
warmup
HD and i still did 10 different spots on the court, but we only shot 5 times at each one- about 50 shots in less than 5 minutes. still did manage to get the blood flowing and i ended up shooting over 70% in the inner ring... beyond the 3-point line was a different story haha. i actually took note of this and did not attempt to shoot a 3 this evening.
next, we moved on to weight-lifting:
and finally, for time
front squat (25lbs dumbbells in each hand) x 11
hand-release pushups x 11
150m shuttle run
front squat (25lbs dumbbells in each hand) x8
hand-release pushups x8
100m shuttle run
front squat (25lbs dumbbells in each hand) x5
hand-release pushups x 5
50m shuttle run
here is my entire run:
we both actually felt pretty good after this one. i did enough to challenge myself in the morning and had enough energy in the evening to compete and do well. side note: my company's basketball team has had 5 to 6 guys show up on game day, and and there's 3 of us that have played the entire time for 3 games running now.
results
HD: 3min 12sec DV: 2min 44sec
... and that was that. now for some bonus footage of TS and AM's TD 39:
6 rounds
standing shoulder thrust w/30lb dumb-bells x 20
35lb shrugs x 20
box jumps x 15
as per TS: "for the last workout we showed those who are attending The Living Dead what the legs of fury workout consisted of. we ended the session with a 1 1/2 mile jog and a 50 yard sprint."
those guys definitely are doing work and i'm glad to call them my brothers & teammates.
more than a week ago, we hit our 50th post and today we've hit our 40th training day! way ahead of schedule.... it's great achieving miniature milestones one small step at a time!... this morning HD and i actually got some pool time in. definitely felt great to be back in the water... we split up the sessions into 3 parts: (1) basketball set shot drills, (2) swim, and (3) timed workout.
warmup
there's not too much creativity going on with our warmups. we both shot fairly well today, putting up 100 shots in less than 5 minutes. i would say that HD and i shot at least 40 percent. i would like to have a third party come with us to workout so that we could start filming these warmups or at least start recording our makes. nonetheless, the set shots did the job and got us ready to attack the next two parts.
then, swim for time
200 meters
every 50 meters- perform 10 dive bomber pushups, 10 flutter kicks (4 count), and 10 hello dolly's (4 count)
results
HD: 9min 57sec DV: 8min 10sec
and lastly, 3 rounds for time
5 deadlifts (185lbs)
10 burpees
5 hang power cleans (95lbs)
5 push press (95lbs)
10 kettlebell swings (25lbs)
here is HD going through his first round. i was a bit shaky with the camera as i was changing the loads since we only used one bar:
results
HD: 8min 6sec DV: 5min 34sec
i definitely can't explain the disparity. HD said that i took my time and didn't burn myself out on one exercise, which i guess is good and bad. it's good because my body knows how to efficiently distribute effort... on the other hand, by not pushing it to the max, i'm not sure if i gained anything, despite the decent time... if you add up the time spent on today's three parts, minus the rest in between, there was about 20 minutes of work performed.
all in all, i was still spent after the training day... anyway, i'm going to head to bed- i'm dead tired because i just got home from my softball game in the city. we didn't win our first playoff game so our season is over... we do still have basketball games left. win or lose, being on the softball team was a great experience.... i'd have more to say, but it's time to hit the rack.
HD and i had problems with the video camera (my blackberry) this morning and weren't able to capture any vids of the training day. nonetheless, we still conducted it if you would believe us without the proof haha. we split up the morning into 4 parts: (1) warmup, (2) timed workout, (3) abs, and (4) light treadmill work. after showing you the training day plan, i'm going to present the trailer for The Living Dead Challenge.
warmup
we did set shot drills- 10 shots at each of the 10 different spots on the basketball court for a total of 100 shots in under 5 minutes. we will continue to conduct these drills to warmup until the end of my company's basketball season (probably the last week of august/first week in september). this warmup is becoming sort of robotic at this point and it seems that HD's shot is getting better. i do pretty well, however, the work isn't really carrying over into my games.
next, for time
15 box jumps
20 steps walking lunge (25lbs plates in each hand)
25 pullups
30 hand-release pushups
35 push throughs
40 air squats
my body felt really good and "reawakened" going through this timed workout. got a good stretch out of it as well.
results
HD: 4min 57sec DV: 3min 40sec
afterward, we did abs
6 rounds
weighted stiups (20lbs)
modified side plank - 30sec (3 rounds each side)
and finally, treadmill
7mph @ 1.0% incline for 12mins
total: 1.4 miles and approx. 167 calories burned
hey all... so HD and i didn't end up making it to the gym on friday... we will definitely have TD 39 up by tomorrow evening. a few of us on 4TWC did, however, have a combat fitness test over the weekend. needless to say, we all did well, but are feeling the after effects... which is weird because the test takes less than 9 minutes if you add up all the times of the events together. we either need more rest, have to increase our work capacity... i dunno why i'm hurting, but i'll figure it out this week. no pics, vids, or any other media from my end this weekend.
luckily, DK & AK shared their workout from saturday for you guys to check out. below is what DK wrote:
saturday 8/13
with our first half marathon only two weeks away, AK and i decided to get in a quick speed training session with the parachute. we started with a nice long stretch and then ran a mile at a fast pace. we each then did 2x3 50yds sprints with the chute. then we did two “overdrive” drills, where we sprinted for 25yds with the chute and then detached it, on the move, and continued to sprint an additional 25yds. we ended the workout with a half mile cool down jog. it was a short routine but our legs were definitely feeling it afterwards.
such an excellent couple. great work guys!
the following 4 vids are from TS: (1) Are You Fit Challenge, (2) football inspired workout, (3) his TD 33, and (4) TD 34. he put a lot of work into these, so i hope you really enjoy them:
after watching all of these videos, i can't wait to get back after it. i have a lot of things to work on... hope you had a great weekend and enjoy the rest of the work week.
i had a basketball game this evening, so we went a bit light this morning. haha, i hope i'm not detracting from HD's progress... my seasons in softball and basketball are almost over, so we should be ramping up the morning workouts again soon. like i've stated before, the CMC is right around the corner and then the other stuff will creep up, so i need to get after it. moving along, we split up our session into three parts: (1) basketball set shot drills, (2) timed workout, and (3) light treadmill work.
warmup
i think i over did it here. we did ten set shots from each spot, totaling 100 shots in under 5-6 minutes. this evening i went 0 for 100... haha something ridiculous like that. my body wasn't sore or anything- i guess i was just thinking too much. despite my horrible shooting performance, my team ended up winning by double figures... phew! i definitely would've felt horrible if we lost.
maybe 50 shots in the morning on game day is best, as i've done better on those days.
then, for time
rounds of 11-8-5
burpees
back extension
front squats (25lbs dumbbells each hand)
it was a really good jog and a great way to wrap up a short session. i'm beat... heading to sleep and trying to catch some rest before TD 39 in a few hours! see you then.
this morning, HD and i figured we needed to knock out the classic "body-building" weight lifts a few days before the weekend, since we have a fitness test coming up on sunday. yesterday was a good recovery workout and today, we figured we could add a little weight. we split our training day into 4 parts: (1) basketball pump fake drills, (2) weight lifting, (3) abs, and (4) speed work on the treadmill.
warmup
because my company's basketball regular season is currently going on, most warmups during the week will consist of basketball drills. by sneaking in a few drills each day, my hope is that i'll be some sort of primed by the playoffs... so we'll see. i just want to perform better as each week passes. anyway, we put up about 60 shots, pump faking from side to side, in under 5 minutes.
next we performed 3 supersets
my shoulder was still bothering me, but i did manage to put up some decent weight for my size (i'm still currently at 140lbs). HD & i would like to increase the weight on our back squat next time. in any case, i was pretty happy with my depth. i feel that HD already has perfect form (it's true, is it not haha?) and i have to get up to his level with regard to that. like i said before, sooner or later, the kid is gonna be outperforming me so long as he keeps working hard.
afterward, we did abs
4 continuous rounds of
15 weight crunches (20lbs)
30 second modified straight plank
finally, we hit the treadmill
8.5mph, 1.0% incline for 8 minutes
total: 1.13 miles, approx. 129 calories burned
nice, challenging workout to start a pretty simple day. what we have coming up: video from the Are You Fit Challenge, combat fitness test on sunday, and The Race for Tomorrow in about 32 days... we're probably going to rest tomorrow, then get after it on thursday.
the morning after the Are You Fit Challenge, you would imagine that HD and i would be pretty sore. surprisingly, we were pretty ready to go. despite feeling good, we played it safe and had a short training day, splitting it up into 3 parts: (1) basketball drills, (2) timed workout, and (3) a tabata.
i was supposed to have a basketball game this evening, but the other team forfeited. however, i didn't know this at the time, so HD and i started off with a quick jump shot drill.
warmup
same routine (<---such a bad word) from TD 33- 5 jump shots at each spot... totaling 50 shots in under 5 minutes. felt really good and i actually had my legs this morning, even though they felt destroyed by the time i went to bed last night.
then, for time
rounds of 11-8-5
pullups
thrusters (75lbs)
superman curls
overhead squats (75lbs)
here are HD's complete rounds:
results
HD: 7min 40sec DV: 3min 45sec
i can't explain it... i felt possessed.
lastly, tabata on the treadmill
6.7mph @ 12.0% incline- 20sec on: 10 sec off x 8
and that was it. felt productive- a very good recovery workout. can't wait to go heavy with some lifts tomorrow.
this afternoon, TS hosted the Are You Fit Challenge, which also acted as 4TWC's team training session 3 & training day 35. from my firsthand experience, i have to say that i haven't been challenged like that in awhile. TS continued to raise the bar and pushed all the participants to our limits.
the event was split into two parts: (1) 2.5 mile run with various exercises along the way and (2) a similar obstacle course to TTS 2, but enhanced. for me, my combined time in finishing these two events was a little under 70 minutes of hard work. everyone put forth their best effort and i am anxious to see the media TS creates to remember this moment. so hopefully, we'll get to see some videos soon!
i had such a great time and it was awesome hanging out with the rest of 4TWC! we celebrated by heading out into town and grabbing a few beers and eating fat sandwiches! the We Are Fit Facebook Fan Page has a few pictures of the event up. click on the link to check it out. all in all, we raised over $125 for the Wounded Warrior Project.
still all smiles after the pain
i'm sure i'll feel sore in the morning... still never a reason to stop getting after it...
i just want to take a moment to reflect on the heavy loss our country has experienced this morning and send out our condolences to the families of the recently fallen. their hard work has kept us safe throughout the years and i believe that we our obligated to acknowledge their efforts, to never forget the sacrifices made, and continue to push forth... this is how we honor our fallen.
HD and i planned to split our session into 4 short parts, considering we needed a light day before running the Are You Fit Challenge this coming sunday: (1) moderate treadmill run, (2) muay thai pad work, (3) plyometric exercises, and (4) swim.
then, muay thai pad work
1 round (5 minutes warm up, then 5 minutes of combinations)
1-2-3-2, left kick, right kick
at the end of the round, 10 kicks each leg
it's definitely a good stress reliever to be able to hit something at the end of the work week... so fitting. after the run and after pad work, the blood was flowing and my body really felt good.
then, we were off to our swim... but we failed to notice the sign as soon as we walked in:
so unfortunately, we didn't get to conduct the fourth part of the training day. all in all, the session was nice and light. just need to rest on saturday and should be ready to go for the challenge!
this morning, HD and i took it easy a bit because i had a basketball game in the evening and plus we had to taper off in order to be some sort of fresh for the Are You Fit Challenge on sunday. we split our workout into 3 parts: (1) basketball drills, (2) quad set, and (3) tabata on the treadmill... a pretty easy, in and out morning.
warmup
it was the same drill as yesterday, but instead of 10 shots at each spot, we only took 5... totaling 50 shots in less than 5 minutes. i didn't want to over do it before the game.
then:
i'm doing my 3rd set here:
i'm seriously thinking about hiring a coach to help me with my deadlifts. when we did them with dumbbells yesterday, it was easy to work on my form. granted the weight was a bit heavy for my size his morning, but i feel that i should still be able to keep my back straight and go all the way down. i'm also considering going to the CrossFit Level I Course around the october time frame so that i could get tips and some formal education on fitness... i am always looking further to improve. we shall see if october is a go, not set in stone yet... however, one of my goals is to attain the CF level I cert.
lastly, a tabata
treadmill @ 6.7mph, 12.0% incline
we felt really good after the tabata and concluded that the speed didn't really kill us because we took it pretty easy compared to our prior workouts.... so later on in the day, my basketball team ended up winning by double figures and i ended up scoring 8 points (2 layups, 2 jump shots) and had a few assists. i'm starting to figure out my role with the team and what my game is about... great feeling.
in a few hours, HD and i are going to take it easy again and do some light treadmill work, probably some muay thai pad work, a couple calisthenics, and a swim to round it out... can't wait.
who would've thought we'd make it to these many posts? when the guys and i talked about it, we were just hoping to stay some sort of consistent in working out... and i think the motivating factor was that people outside of our circle may be watching haha... so if it got to a world stage, might as well put on a performance.
well, this morning went well and we left puddles walking out of the gym. HD and i split our session into 4 parts: (1) basketball drills, (2) tri-set of weights, (3) timed workout, and (4) moderate treadmill work.
warmup
for every spot on the floor, we put up 10 shots, totaling 100 shots in under 8 minutes. haha, my goal was to make at least 10% at each spot and i made at least 30%. what i am learning from these drills is that my mid-range jumper is my best weapon, as i went 7 for 10 to even 9 for 10 on the inner ring. haha, the outside definitely needs work, but it's good that i realize i'm not a deep threat now (as most men dream of hitting the go ahead 3 to take the lead or win the game) and hurt my team later.
then, tri-set (similar movements to the CrossFit "Linda" WOD, but not prescribed pounds or rep patterns)
we both felt strong this morning and doing deadlifts with dumbbells helped me work on my form. i was able to straighten my back more and go lower. i'm also glad i'm working on my depth with the hang squat & clean.
then, for time
100 meter farmer's walk w/45lbs plates in each hand
5 thrusters (75lbs)
20 flutter kicks
into 1-10/10-1
pushups/burpees
20 flutter kicks
5 thrusters (75lbs)
100 meter farmer's walk w/45lbs plates in each hand
here is HD's entire run:
at this point, HD ended up doing push presses instead of thrusters. after this, we both decided that we hate burpees.
good times... AM and TS are supposed to be working out this afternoon and hopefully we'll get to see their workout up soon. fyi, my softball team won and clinched a playoff spot last night. we have a doubleheader tonight, so hopefully i don't get home too late in order to get ready for tomorrow's training day.
this morning i left the gym drenched... if that's any indication of how today went. my body felt good and prepared- actually got more than 4 hours of sleep last night (i know... i know... need more time to recover & i'm working on that as well). HD and i split our session into 4 parts: (1) basketball drills, (2) timed workout (inspired James "OPT" Fitzgerald's website: Optimum Performance Training), (3) abs, and (4) moderate treadmill work.
warmup
we added an extra spot to our pump fake drills, increasing our shots from 60 to 80 (5 shots at each dot) in approximately 5 minutes. at a certain point, technique went out the window, and it was all about getting the body warmed up for the rest of the training day. haha, this drill made basketball not fun anymore and an actual workout! nevertheless, we left the basketball court a little winded, but ready to continue.
next, for time
1-10 reps of front squats (65lbs) - note: OPT used 110lbs
10-1 reps of kipping pullups
here is my entire timed workout:
definitely have to work on my kipping pullups. and it's good to review the footage cause i don't load back at all. have to get out of the "dead-hang" pullup mentality for stuff like this. results
HD: 8min 47sec DV: 6min 30sec
then, abs
4 continuous rounds of
15 weighted situps (20lbs)
15 bicycles
30 second front modified plank
here is HD on his first round:
and we ended off with treadmill work:
21 min @ 7.3mph & 1.0% incline
total: 2.55 miles and approx. 319 calories burned
all in all, good morning. i have a softball game tonight and am ready to get this day going. hope you all are enjoying August thus far.
welcome to august! we are half way to TM tri-state! we split up our workout into three parts this morning: (1) superset, (2) AMRAP, and (3) a 250m swim. challenging, but not too much of a butt-kicker to start the week. we'll probably peak on wednesday or thursday in order to rest up for the Are You Fit Challenge. not gonna lie, haha, i'm pretty scared for sunday's challenge, but i'm sure the hard work & training will pay off.
as you can see, i got pretty delirious toward the end... haha almost face planting on my 6th or 7th round of dips... i have to go lower on do the full range of motion on them... it seems like i'm only doing that toward the 11th or 12th rep. i am actually happy with the depth of my squats in the beginning and will continue to work on it... and i have to stop cheating on the box jumps. the first 2 rounds felts good, but then after the third, i hit a wall. i love AMRAPs because you dictate how hard you work and if your lungs aren't burning at the end, you know that you cheated yourself.
swim
worked on technique and strokes for 250m = 5 x 50m
i have a few softball games lined up for this week: one tomorrow night and a doubleheader on wednesday. i also have a basketball game for thursday night. will try to squeeze in some basketball drills tomorrow morning with HD... i usually do the programming at the beginning of the week, but i'm going to play it by ear for this week...
still looking forward to what tomorrow will bring.
