this morning was pretty simple- conduct the "Filthy 50" then go home. it was filthy indeed & HD and i were pretty rocked afterward. we had to replace the wall balls with thrusters because we didn't have a 20lbs medicine/slam ball on hand. looked everywhere this morning, but couldn't find it... wonder where it could be?
for time
"Filthy 50"
50 box jumps
50 jumping pullups
50 kettlebell swings (25lbs, rx is 36lbs)
50 walking lunges
50 knees to elbows
50 push presses (45lbs)
50 back extensions
50 thrusters (15lbs dumbbells in each hand, rx is 20lbs wall ball)
50 burpees
50 double unders
the burpees were the most miserable for me and were sort of mind numbing since they were at the end... they definitely took me the longest to finished. obviously with 10 movements and 50 repetitions each, we completed 500 total repetitions... ugh. we both wanted to go home and just sleep, but obviously we had to go to work.
results
HD: 26mins 18sec DV: 24min 29sec
before i sign off, i want to say good luck to one of my buds that just headed out on his 4th deployment... Adam, you and your family are always in my thoughts and prayers. i will always be here if you guys need me. talk to you soon man.
North Carolina '08
my wedding '09
hug your friends, kiss your loved ones, and be thankful you get to sleep safely in your own bed...
this was a pretty heavy percentage for us to do 5 reps for each set across the board. HD and i, for sanity's sake, decided we were going to work with 3 reps. it was definitely challenging, however, we performed 8 reps less than intended. did we cheat ourselves? perhaps. but we did prevent injury and listened to our bodies.
this week the pullups were a lot easier to perform and i felt a lot stronger.
last, for time
"Randy" - a Hero WOD in honor of Randy Simmons, a 27 year LAPD veteran and SWAT team member who was killed in February 2008 in the line of duty.
75 power snatches (55lbs, rx is 75lbs)
i'm confident that HD and i would be able to do this WOD pretty well at the prescribed weight if we didn't do any heavy strength work beforehand. we still put up reasonable times.
here is HD's first two minutes:
results
HD: 7mins 50sec DV: 5mins 35sec
and that's that. tomorrow we're going to conduct the "filthy 50" and i am really looking forward to it. there's a lot in store for the month of december... i'm glad to see that HD and i are going to finish 2011 pretty strong and continue our gains into 2012.
so last night i stayed up pretty late trying to find a challenge in the near future for me and at least one more team member from 4TWC to participate in... after deliberating with AM, we decided that we'll put our hats in for a GoRuck Challenge in the march/april time frame (St. Patty's Day Weekend). once it's official, i'll be sure to let you guys know which one we do. here is a video that'll give you an idea of what this type of challenge consists of:
what attracts me to these sort of events is (1) a portion of the money goes toward a military charity and (2) the focus is on teamwork. most of the things i'm involved in in my life are centered on the whole, as opposed to the individual. i believe participating in these events is good practice and a great dose of a different perspective that is needed once in awhile to ground an individual and make he/she realize that greater things are possible if people work together...
with that said, haha, i got 3 hours of sleep before the training day started... this morning, HD and i split the session up into (1) squats, (2) a superset, and (3) a timed workout.
i'm pretty pleased that our legs are catching up with our upper bodies and sooner than later, will finally be stronger... like they're supposed to be haha! switching to a minimalist shoe, i'm able to drive the weight with my heels better.
next, superset power clean- 5reps/125lbs, 5reps/125lbs, 5reps/125lbs toe to bar- 10reps, 10reps, 10reps
HD's power cleans are getting to be effortless and his racking up to par. i have to keep working on my rack position. as for t2b, haha, we still haven't gotten the kip down. however, we do enjoy the practice. all in all, this superset is my least favorite one and for whatever reason, is really draining for me. haha i'm happy to be moving on from it in a couple of weeks.
last, for time
"JT" - a Hero WOD in honor of Petty Officer 1st Class Jeff Taylor who was killed in Afghanistan in June 2005.
21-15-9 reps
handstand pushups
dips (ring dips are rx'd, but we don't have a place to use the rings at our globo gym)
pushups
HD and i already knew this was going to be a killer on the upper body... which it was.
results
HD: 18mins 42sec DV: 8min 14sec
the disparity was in the handstand pushups. both of us have to work on our shoulder strength and just bodyweight movements in general. i definitely felt that my upper body was inflated afterward.
barring any setbacks, we should be ready to roll tomorrow morning. i may go for a run later this afternoon/evening with the puppy... will let you know if i do.
last night was a pretty rough night of drinking haha... it was good to see friends we don't frequently hang out with due to location. with that being said, it definitely affected our performance in the gym and made it somewhat painful haha. this morning HD and i split our session up into (1) overhead presses, (2) a superset, and (3) a moderate row.
i felt pretty weak doing the incline bench presses. i was aiming to do a 12-10-8, but couldn't get it done today. that's what i get. however, HD was killing it.
last, moderate row
2.5 km
i finished in a little over 12 minutes and HD finished about 45sec to a minute before me. although we weren't doing this for time, HD is really a better rower than me. if we didn't go out last night, we planned to do 5km for time, but at this point, we were pretty drained.
i'm currently in philadelphia for a wedding, so i am dreading tomorrow's session haha. this year's thanksgiving weekend has taken a toll on my body... not in a good way. i have no one to blame but myself... the choices one makes in life...
sorry, no media today. will probably film something tomorrow or share some pics from the wedding.
this evening, HD and i split up our session into (1) deadlifts, (2) a superset, and (3) a timed workout. haha it felt like we never left the gym today...
HD's deadlifts are monstrous. he's repping 295lbs super easy. i, on the other hand, am content with 240lbs. i'm not gonna lie, i am envious of his deadlift though.
next, superset
front squats- 12reps/85lbs, 10reps/85lbs, 8reps/85lbs
modified front plank- 45sec, 45sec, 45sec
this is really good practice with our racking. our front squats are getting stronger and having weight on the bar is helping us stretch out our upper body. this is really going to help us with our thrusters.
last, for time
3 rounds
swim 100 meters
15 thrusters
we were fortunate that no one was using the pool and we were able to get in and out quickly. my first 100 meters felt really strong, but i think i went out too fast. i'm looking forward to getting solely long swims here and there in the next couple of months.
results
HD: 10min 17sec DV: 9min 35sec
i promise to get more media up here instead of me just babbling away haha. now, HD and i are going to meet up with a few people to enjoy the holiday weekend at the bars. we don't plan on getting too crazy because we intend to sneak in another training day tomorrow morning.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of our troops returning home, currently forward, and those training to go... i am grateful for your service and for all the sacrifices you've made, are making, and will continue to make on behalf of our nation. because of them, i hope the rest of you are enjoying the Thanksgiving weekend like i am, as i am fortunate enough to spend time with my friends & family and catchup on work & school.
______
HD and i are going to have to conduct a two-a-day today. the gym wasn't open early enough yesterday, so we couldn't go. this morning, we split our session up into (1) bench presses, (2) a superset, and (3) a moderate bicycle ride.
HD was really strong throughout all of his sets. i had trouble with the 4th and 5th set and to tell you the truth, was unsure if i was going to be able to put this weight up that many times. needless to say, mission accomplished.
last, moderate bicycle ride
level 8 for 25mins
total: 6.59 miles, approx. 191 calories burned
resting up for now, watching some movies, doing some homework, and taking care of work emails... will be sure to post this evening. a few of us are planning to go out for black friday, so we'll see where the day takes us.
first and foremost, i wanted to show support to the family of Carol Smalley, TS' mother. we attended her funeral last night. one of her gifts to the world was producing TS, a man coming into his own and with the potential to do many great things for this world. he has been a really great friend and brother to all of us for the past few years we've known him... so thank you Carol, may God bless you and may you rest in peace
________
we took sunday and monday off. it appears it's going to be an easy-going week due to Thanksgiving. regardless, we will find a way to sneak in at least 4 training days. on tuesday morning, HD split our session up into (1) squats, (2) a superset, and (3) a timed workout. this week, we're pushing up the weight to 75% of our 1RM on our main lifts.
these definitely woke us up haha. on the third set, we were talking about how next week may or may not be horrible- we're still on the fence. by the 4th and 5th set, we were back to business and the weight seemed to go up a little easier.
next, superset power clean- 5reps/115lbs, 5reps/115lbs, 5reps/115lbs toe to bar- 10reps, 10reps, 10reps
HD and i are still working on our kipping for the t2b. this is really good practice.
last, for time
"grace"
30 clean & jerk (95lbs, prescribed is 135lbs... we'll get there)
was out of breath after this and wanted to roll over and go to sleep... needless to say, i couldn't, cause i had to go to work haha.
results
HD: 4mins 12sec DV: 3mins 36sec
and that was it. we're debating on whether or not to go back tonight or just go tomorrow morning- on Thanksgiving. so we'll see.
over the weekend we attended the 236th Marine Corps Birthday Ball. always a great time. one of my junior Marines ended up getting awarded, "Marine of the Year," for our company. it was a really good feeling and self-gratifying for me to watch one of my Marines receive acknowledgement for his hard work. he's a great man outside of the Marine Corps and a really great Marine.
i also received some acknowledgement as well. all of my efforts are dedicated to the Marines who've shown me the ropes throughout my career and to my junior Marines who continue to motivate me to work hard for them.
here's a picture of some of us later in the evening:
haha yea, we actually did bicep curls- the 25lbs felt really light. also, it was nice to do decline bench and it seems like forever since the last time we did it.
last, for time
bike 6 miles @ level 5
this was something new and using different muscles is always a plus.
results
HD: 17min 50 sec DV: 16min 36sec
tomorrow, a few of the guys and me are attending the Marine Corps Ball. although the birthday was last week, some of our units scheduled it for this weekend. as some of you may know, Justin Timberlake attended the ball in Richmond, VA. click here to read about his experience. this weekend, Mila Kunis is supposed to be attending one... haha, i'm sure it'll be different from Justin's, but hopefully her experience goes just as well.
media continues to roll in... here are some more pics from TM: Tri-State 2011 from NS' camera:
TS registering
AK prepping
HD & TS wondering if they made a good decision
after
tough mudder has made its pics available for purchase from last weekend, so i'll be on the lookout. obviously taking a rest day tomorrow and trying to get after it on sunday... we'll see. until then...
i was unable to meet HD yesterday morning because i overslept (ugh), so we did a double today. this morning was split into: (1) deadlifts, (2) a superset, and (3) a timed workout. HD did the timed workout on thursday morning, so we don't have official results on him. he did, however, end up timing me.
next, superset front squat- 12reps/75lbs, 10reps/75lbs, 8reps/75lbs modified front plank- 30sec, 30sec, 30sec
HD and i are getting better at front squats and are pretty excited to increase the weight for the weeks to come. we know that practicing them will help us with our thrusters and enable us to start doing the rx'd weight.
last, for time
5 rounds
8 hang power snatches (75lbs)
10 box jumps
100m shuffle
here are my entire rounds:
the run snuck up on me and i know i have to get better with exploding on my box jumps and i have to let it loose a little bit on the run. nevertheless, i was pretty beat for a few minutes haha as you can see me drop to the floor at the end.
results
DV: 7min 17sec
that's it for now. i'm on to post what we did this evening.
this morning HD and i split the session up into (1) bench presses, (2) a superset, and (3) a treadmill tabata. it was a fairly quick workout, but the tabata at the end defnitely woke us up.
and last, treadmill tabata
8 rounds
20secs on: 10secs off
6.7mph, 12.0% incline
the mistake i made last year after tough mudder was to take 3-4 weeks off. this year, i'm able to get right back into the gym with barely feeling any after effects of the weekend. my body feels good and it's ready to start pushing again.
other than that, the next step is to come up with suggested events for the team and i to participate in outside of tough mudder. and of course, we welcome any new members who want to represent 4TWC or train with any of its current members.
here are some TM pics i snagged from Doc TD:
the beginning
still dry
after walking the plank- one of the reason you do TM: Tri-State
right out of the water
HD and i are taking the day off tomorrow. see you in a couple of days.
before i go on & write about TM: Tri-State 2011, i would like to address two topics. 4TWC wishes Cpl. Greg Caron of 1st Battalion 25th Marines a speedy recovery and is undoubtedly grateful that men like him willingly go forward to defend this great nation. he is an example of the 1% we dedicate our efforts to as our intention is to continue to shed light on the sacrifices of our brave men and women and to increasingly raise awareness about the the Wounded Warrior Project.
furthermore, 4TWC's TM: Tri-State 2011 is also dedicated to the memory of Carol Smalley, TS' mother. she unexpectedly passed away this sunday, nov. 13th, the morning after. our thoughts, prayers, and love are with TS and his family. i write this with a heavy heart, however, the realization is that we must continue to do good and do right by others in order to glorify the memories of the ones that came before us and enabled the lives we live today. TS & the rest of 4TWC- i love you all & from the bottom of my heart, i hope you know that regardless of the challenges ahead of us, i will find some way to help out...
without further ado
TM: Tri-State 2011
for completion
12miles, 30-32 obstacles (depending on when your heat was and the choices you made)... we started w/16 members (had last minute fill-ins and no-shows) and started at 10am.
1. monster chase- a sprint to start off the challenge. as a big group, we kept a moderate pace.
2. turd's nest- tough mudder lists this as the 2nd obstacle, but i'm pretty sure this marked the halfway point... there were so many obstacles that it's really hard to recall.
RH makes his way up!
3. chernobyl jacuzzi- haha this is the part of the race when it kind of gets quiet because this obstacle is just a big slap in the face and kick in the pants. all it is, is a long tub/trailer filled with ice up to your stomach that you dunk yourself into and walk across... extremely cold! for some reason, it seemed like people were taking their time to get out of the tub haha.
4. just a tip- a one rope version of the "ball shrinker..." challenging, but not extremely difficult. right after this, we lost LC. he had to receive medical attention and could not complete the rest of the course.
5. rope-a-dope- this obstacle was deemed unsafe by the time we got there. we were re-routed and sent to the next obstacle.
6. walk the plank- this is a 15-20ft. jump into a body of water, then a 50-75m swim to land... one of our members held us up because he was pretty scared lol. nonetheless, because of faith, he successfully negotiated the obstacle and we didn't have to take his team t-shirt from him.... see note below.
7. berlin walls- scale 12ft walls. so far 4TWC was pushing strong
8. king of the mountain- traverse hay bales
9. spider's web- climb a cargo net
10. mud mile- my favorite part of the course where you get to goof around and start diving into the mud. definitely the part where i got the dirtiest.
11. kiss of mud- low crawl under barbed wire
12. mystery obstacle- we believe we bypassed this obstacle when we were asked to choose our path... we went right, others went left. and those who went left, it seemed like they got an extra obstacle
13. cliff hanger- run over really challenging and muddy hills... they seemed easier this year and then again, i'm in 10x better shape than last year
14. mudslide- self-explanatory
15. berlin walls pt.2- these were definitely higher than the initial set and team work was a must
in good spirits
i love these people
16. bale bonds- more bales of hay to negotiate
17. everest- a slippery quarter pipe you had to scale. all of our remaining members completed this obstacle on the first try. it seemed like a lot of people were getting denied a lot. at this point, our team chemistry was evident and our group definitely worked well together
18. high stepping - hurdles
19. tired yet- skipping through tires
20. rubbernecking- carrying a tire around a track
21. firewalker- running through fire. since i was experienced, i covered up my face pretty good and looked down. piece of cake compared to last year... haha, when i almost ran into a bale of hay on fire because the smoke got the best of me
22. the trenches- maze of muddy trenches
RL, me, and RH
23. log jammin'- negotiate over and under logs
24. devil's beard- low crawl underneath a cargo net
25. log bog job- hurdle trees
26. creek crusade- more mud running
27. funky monkey- monkey bars. RH & DK did extremely well and were able to complete the entire obstacle without taking a dip into the water. i'm not sure if anyone else on the team was able to stay dry
28. twinkle toes- balance beam
29. underwater tunnels- this basically was a kick in the pants because you thought you were going to stay dry after the funky monkey. haha, needless to say, TM: Tri-State 2011 made sure everyone was soaked throughout the whole 12 miles.
30. boa constrictor- crawl through pipes that are half filled with water... last year they were dry :(
31. turd's next- revisiting... i ran into a high school buddy of mine (whom i haven't seen since 2003!) & he finished w/4TWC!
32. electroshock therapy- for the second year in a row, yes i got shocked, and yes it was in front of the TM HQ media people... so perhaps i may be one of the poster boys for bloopers... haha embarrassing, but what are you going to do?
CC beats shock therapy
4TWC finishes TM: Tri-State 2011!!!
family time afterward
two weeks after urbanathlon!
results
15 members finished in approx. 3hours & 45mins
12 miles, 30 obstacles
another pair of sneakers that's served its purpose
sure there was bottle-necking and i'm sure we could've finished faster... but that's not what we set out to do. the point of the day was to experience everything together... and we did! when we crossed the finish line, we were interviewed by the TM staff so we'll see if that makes it to the final cut. official TM media will be pouring in here and there and when it does, i will be sure to share as time goes on.
the car ride home
all in all, this year was an excellent, excellent, excellent experience! we were blessed with warmer weather and i was fortunate to run this event with a bigger group who stuck with each other through thick and thin. we started with 16 and we finished with a legitimate 15. i'm sure if LC didn't get injured, he would've been there at the end with the rest of us. i am so lucky to be surrounded by such a great support system and i look forward to future challenges... most of us already pre-registered for TM: New Jersey 2012 for next october!
post mudder dinner at Mike's
again, 4TWC, i love you all and am so proud of your accomplishments. outstanding job, excellent efforts... now on to the next!
TM: Tri-State 2011 4TWC is
AK- Ashley Koehler- our queen!
AM- Armando Mendoza- LIPS!
AM2- Antonio Mesa- flew all the way from cali!!!!
BV- Brock Vazquez- joined us the day of
CC- Chris Colgan- brother of BV & also joined us the day of
DD- Daniel Dominguez- one of the towers that helped us scale the tall obstacles
DK- Daniel Koehler- silent assassin
DV- Don Valdez- yours truly
HD- Hero Dengah- the reason why i am in shape
JS- Joe Sanchez- conquered his fear of heights and drowning haha!
MD- Mat Dominguez- instrumental in helping the team conquer each obstacle
RH- Ryan Herrlich- old salt dog and mr. sleepy head lol
RL- Ryan Lind- another silent assassin
TS- Terence Smalley- future CrossFit Games contender & event organizer
TD- Tim Donovan- our crazy doc
to the future... i can't wait for what's in store.
post adult beverage consumption at hansel n'griddle
note: we have a little joke within the team that if you quit & don't finish the race, we're going to have to take your team item from you in the middle of the course. last year we had shorts, this year we had t-shirts haha...
4TWC successfully accomplished what we sought out 6 months ago on saturday. i want to get most of the media together before i write about it, so i'm going to go ahead and let you know what HD and i did for this morning's session. we split it up into: (1) squats, (2) a superset, and (3) a timed workout.
we are going to mix it up for the next 4 weeks away from 5/3/1 and conduct our strength lift as follows:
after tm: tri-state, haha, the legs felt shaky for the first two sets. but the last three felt really strong and i'm glad the effects from this weekend's challenge didn't hinder this lift.
i figure the superset for the next 4 weeks will help us practice some skills. HD is anxious to bump the weight up on the power cleans. we both need to work on our kipping for the t2b, but i know it'll come w/time.
last, for time
8 rounds
swim 50 meters
5 burpees
it was great to get back into the water (haha despite being in the water for most of the day on saturday) and get some reps in.
results
HD: 16min 35sec DV: 13min 50sec
HD's strokes are getting a lot better. we both could push faster and swimming is something we're going to have to incorporate more into the sessions, especially once 2012 officially starts.
and that's that. here's a view of the t-shirts we wore over the weekend:
front logo on upper left chest
back
so as soon as i get the majority of media about this weekend situated, probably around this evening, then that's when you'll see that entry up.
i wanted to consolidate the last two days into one post. TD 92 took place on the morning of the 236th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. we split the morning up into (1) deadlifts and (2) treadmill sprints.
for the 1st and 4th set, i was supposed to do 125lbs and for the 3rd and 6th set i was supposed to do 190lbs. for whatever reason, my mind saw 135lbs and 205lbs. ultimately, i definitely didn't over exert myself and felt really strong for this last deload.
next, treadmill sprints
8 rounds @ 10mph
run 0.13 miles, rest 2 mins
i wouldn't necessarily label these sprints, but they were at a decent speed to give HD and i a slight challenge. the key for this last training day was not to go crazy, but to get some reps in before the big day.
it was fitting that the last training day was on the Marine Corps Birthday. joining the Marines was the best decision i've ever made in my life and it is responsible for molding me into the person i am today. without this organization, i would not have the things i have or know the great people in my life, and i feel that i owe it everything- eternally in debt.
as i write this post, i've just returned from a great wedding. it is also the conclusion of Veterans Day. i'm glad i have this opportunity to share my thoughts approximately 9 hours prior to conducting Tough Mudder: Tri-State 2011. as i've tried to stress throughout these last 6 months of posts, one of the most motivating forces in my life is knowing that there are people who are willing to sacrifice their livelihoods in order for the rest of the people of this great nation to carry on. their virtue and their selflessness give me perspective and a constant reminder- "is what i'm going through in my life really that bad" when situations get challenging. i want to say thank you to all the men and woman who have worn, are wearing, and will wear the uniform of our armed forces.
for our warriors. for the fallen. for the friends i've lost. for the wounded. for those who can't... conducting this challenge is dedicated to you.
the weight felt really light... and again, wanted to load it up like crazy... but HD and i have to remember that we have a challenge this weekend to overcome and our bodies need the recovery.
next, "helen" at 70%
3 rounds
run 400meters
21 kettlebell swings (50lbs)
12 pullups
obviously we didn't do this for time because we were going "70%" ... but honestly, haha, how do you conduct helen at 70%. i approached the 400m run by going faster than a jog but slightly slower than a sprint. other than that, i couldn't really do the kb swings and pullups at 70% because i didn't want to lose momentum. needless to say, "helen" at 70% still enjoyably sucked... if that makes sense?
tomorrow marks our last training day before tm: tri-state 2011! the six months went by fast and were really fun. i'm glad my friends and i can always look at this blog and remember this period in our life, should we choose to discontinue posting....
tomorrow is also the 236th birthday of the United States Marine Corps!
nothing fancy to post tonight. could be a delay in posting TD 92 due to excessive celebrating... may have to post on 11/11/11 - Veterans Day.
i really feel that my squat is getting stronger and stronger. i wanted to bump up the weight a lot, but i have to stick to the deload week and maintain the discipline to taper. the strength felt is truly reassuring that HD and i are doing something right.
it's great that 7.5 is starting to feel like a light jog... and that was that. HD was telling me that he & TS are having jitters about tm: tri-state this weekend. they have nothing to worry about- they've stuck to the training for 6 months and their bodies are more than primed. this weekend is going to be fun and enjoyable. so far, this is what the weather is looking like:
doesn't look as miserable as last year... haha (knock on wood). also, over the weekend, one of my friends mentioned something about participating in the Ironman 70.3 at Syracuse, taking place in june... this really intrigues me and perhaps i'm going to start programming for it right after tough mudder. i did the math & february 20th is 18 weeks away from the event. at that point on, everything has to go on lock down... so we'll see. it'll really force me to work on my swim. like i said, i'm intrigued and am leaning towards doing it, so long as i don't have any military obligations then.
below is the latest Whiteboard Wednesday with regard to programming...
they read my mind... my focus until june would have to be CrossFit Endurance- a seminar i'm also looking to attend in april. lots in store for 2012 already!
since this is the week of tough mudder, HD and i are pretty much going at 70%. we are also in week 4 of our 2nd cycle of 5/3/1 and are de-loading.... haha however, i still did manage to sneak in one last tough WOD. we split the morning up into: (1) bench presses and (2) a timed workout.
although my body wanted to push the weight up a lot more, it is definitely a much needed mental break in the cycle. as i've said earlier, it's hard not to go 100%, but you have to stay disciplined and understand the importance of recovery... it was also reassuring that we got the reps we needed in and had a lot of energy to attack the next part of the training day... 'cause we knew it was going to be pretty challenging.
next, for time
5 rounds
15 hang squat cleans (75lbs... prescribed is 135/95, but we wanted to scale down to around 70% between the male & female prescribed... so [135+95]/2 *.7 = 80.5)
30 pushups
all in all, the squat clean is my least favorite movement and the i'm not going to enjoy it no matter how light or heavy i make the load haha. the key is to embrace stuff you don't like and your weaknesses... and maybe eventually you'll end up liking those movements and perhaps turn them into your strengths.
results
HD: 12min 53sec DV: 9min 31sec
afterward, TD and HD came over to watch some football! TD is a pats fan and i'm a giants fan... needless to say, if you follow the NFL, you know which one of us was happy by the end of the night. without gloating, that's all i have to say about that... we also tried something different and ordered "fat crackheads" from R.U. Grill... that in itself was a workout haha.
last cheat day... kinda... before saturday
three more training days left and the journey to tough mudder: tri-state 2011 will be over! i'm glad we got to document this experience and hope to continue to set bigger goals for years to come... only time will tell. aside from the remaining training days to look forward to, a few of us are also hanging out on thursday evening to celebrate the 236th Birthday of the United States Marine Corps & Veterans Day... great week ahead of us!
yesterday morning, HD and i split the session up into: (1) deadlifts and (2) a moderate treadmill run. this training day would conclude our 3rd week (heaviest) of our 2nd cycle of 5/3/1.
my suggested 6th set was 335lbs, but since i wasn't able to get 315 off the ground last week, i would be happy with that... so i PR'd! HD was a monster as usual and hit 345lbs again... he couldn't go heavier cause his grip couldn't sustain the load. since HD and i go to a globo gym, we're pretty sure they're not into people chalking up because there are no remnants of chalk to be found anywhere... we believe that if we had a better grip of the bar, it'd help with our deadlifts- so i've recently purchased gloves from reebok and grips from Again Faster Equipment to test out. i also believe if we incorporated more grip strength isolated exercises into our workouts, we'd get better results. so we'll look forward to more of that stuff in future programming.
running after doing heavy deads is always interesting. got a good sweat out of it and i still enjoy LSD (long, slow, distance) here and there haha... for the CrossFit community, i know... i know...
anyways, i wasn't able to post the workout yesterday because AM, HD, TS, and i went straight from work to philadelphia (ritz at the bourse) to catch Hell and Back Again, a documentary about Sgt. Nathan Harris & Echo 2/8's deployment to afghanistan in 2009:
it shows how truly great Marine wives are and the resilience of our nation's warriors. good film, no hollywood baloney, simple, and honest. God bless our active duty young men and women who wear the uniform everyday of their lives, especially the ones forward in harms way, in order to protect our liberties. without their sacrifices, my life wouldn't be what it is today...
HD and i are taking a rest day today and will conclude our final week of preparation for Tough Mudder: Tri-State 2011... the last 6 months have flew by so quickly! i can't believe we're almost there.
we ended up running into TT at the gym and he joined us for the second part of our session. we split the evening into (1) overhead presses and (2) a timed workout. HD and i managed to achieve PRs again!
the first 5 sets felt really strong and i thought i was going to really destroy the 6th... haha needless to say, i put up 160lbs twice, but broken. i honestly can't believe how much of a difference 10lbs makes!
next, for time
5 rounds
20 steps of walking lunges w/25lbs plates in each hand
15 bicycle crunches
15 weight situps (25lbs)
15 flutter kicks (4-count)
this metcon took a toll on my core and surprisingly my hammies. i can't explain the disparity in times, just felt really strong this evening.
haha i have jury duty this morning... oh well, that didn't stop HD and i from conducting this morning's session, which was split up into (1) squats and (2) a timed workout. we took yesterday off, so we'll have to get after it again this afternoon/evening for TD 87... so this is post 1 of 2 for today.
slowly, but surely! HD and i PR'd again today, as he hit 5 reps on the last set. i can't wait until my legs are stronger than my arms and i'm eager to continue to get better. performing like this makes waking up in the early morning worth it.
next, for time
4 rounds
15 sumo-deadlift high pulls w/kettlebell (50lbs)
swim 100 meters
here is HD's second round (you're welcome AM):
results
HD: 16min 37sec DV: 13min 55sec
we haven't swam in awhile and that was the kick in the pants we needed to kick start the morning... after that, i can truly say i am awake! after tm: tri-state, i think we're going to include more swimming into our programming, amongst other things. i was looking at some of the other boxes training days and most seem to include 10 minutes towards practicing a skill... HD and i have a lot of oly/powerlifting mechanics and gymnastic skills we have to continually train... anyways, off to jury duty. see you in the evening.
HD and i took an additional rest day yesterday, so i was supercharged to workout this morning. i didn't feel any soreness from saturday's race and my body was good to go. we split the session up into (1) bench presses and (2) a timed workout. this marks the beginning of our third week of our second cycle of 5/3/1 - meaning that this week is going to be our heaviest.
as you can see i PR'd again! this is the first time i've benched anything heavier than 300lbs... now only if my deadlift could surpass this like a normal person then i'd be even happier! HD also PR'd today as well as he hit 225lbs two times! sooner than later, he's going to be lifting the same weight as me and eventually surpassing me...
next, for time
5 rounds
15 front squats (55lbs)
200 meter shuffle
10 hip extensions
here is my 3rd round:
as you can see, i didn't go all the way down on my hip extensions... don't let this sequence fool you and the hip extensions sneak up on you if you do attempt this WOD! by my 3rd round, it felt like i did a ton of really heavy deadlifts. HD said the same thing and you can also see that i am running funny!
results
HD: 11min 7sec DV: 9min 52sec
obviously the goal for next time when doing hip extensions during a WOD like this is the full range of motion. i think when our lower backs get stronger, we'll be able to run normally and even faster, cutting down our times.
it just so happens that it'll be our 4th week of 5/3/1- our de-load week, which is perfect for tapering. i'm confident that HD and i will be able to provide the rest of our team with either strong leadership or support, which ever of the two is needed.
