First day back in a while because of a septoplasty that I got a few weeks ago. So, I decided to tackle a crossfit workout I've never done: Barbara.
Barbara consists of:
5 rounds for time of -
20 pullups
30 pushups
40 situps
50 squats
I finished in 26:15. My rounds went like this:
1 - 3:04
2 - 3:33
3 - 5:32
4 - 6:44
5 - 7:21
I felt pretty awful while doing this. I have clearly not worked out very hard in too long. However, as I've told my girlfriend countless times, "It's time to get back on my horse." Today's workout has set me back up and I'm now ready to go. Some bad news is that the AF marathon filled up before I got a chance to register. I didn't even consider that possibility which has turned out to be a big mistake. The good news is that there's another marathon that's actually the following day and it's local. Since that's so convenient it's time to start running again.
With my next task ahead of me along with Tough Mudder following it I'm going to needs some words to compel me.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
GORUCK Challenge Review - Class 052
Raleigh, North Carolina on Friday, 12 August 2011 I joined 26 others who enlisted to challenge themselves to become GORUCK TOUGH. This is my review of the challenge:
Preparation
I ensured to work my legs and turn them into steel. That was my main priority because my legs have always been weak. Priority number two was as simple as full body strength and conditioning. I did workouts to improve my endurance, strength, metcon, and agility. For more information on workouts that I did just review all prior blog postings here.
Arrival
My two friends Nick and Matt joined me on this trip to Raleigh. We arrived after the pre-ruckoff which is simply a trip to the bar with everyone the night before the challenge. We didn't mind really because that meant we could go to bed after a 13 hour drive. The day leading up to the challenge was pure anxiety. All of us were prepared (or so we thought) and just wanted the clock to hit 1800 so we could start. Then it did...
The Challenge
As a disclaimer, I honestly don't remember a lot of the challenge so the summary will be short. We dedicated our challenge to the 31 who had fallen in the recent Taliban attack on a NATO helicopter. When we arrived at the start point everyone put a name of one of the fallen on a beer can and placed it in their bag. At the end of the challenge we would dump the cans out in remembrance. We ended up starting at about 1830 after signing our death waivers and loading up our rucks. The three of us were just pumped to finally have these bags that we've waited so long to even see. But, it was no longer about the three of us, it was about the 27 of us. Lou, our "tour guide" joined us and we started off.
We started off doing a whole lot of calisthenics in memory of those who have fallen. We took a few very brief breaks to run over to the closest fountain and jump in it. This ended up being a win/lose situation but that will be reviewed in the "Scars" section. After that we ran a lot, did a lot of tiring movements, and watched the sun go down. I also acquired a 5th brick because someone couldn't fit all 4 of theirs into their smaller ruck. I quickly realized it would be a long night...
Skipping a lot of the monotony I'll jump to the log. She was a good sized log but apparently Lou wasn't that impressed with her because he continually told us that we should have seen a log in a prior challenge. It was big and heavy though. We carried it around a lake. However, it felt like we carried it around the lake 10 times. Eventually, the log actually broke so we had two teams carrying the sections. The only plus to it breaking was that it was easier to maneuver through the woods. We finally got it to our destination which luckily wasn't the starting point that was a hellish 5 miles away. This log brought us together and when we were done boosted the overall morale a little bit but it was at this point quite low.
After we finished with the log we were told we were almost done. Turns out, we still had 4 hours to go. When we finally reached the end we had worked for 14+ hours. Overall, it was seemingly hellish but I also realized that although it was incredibly physically exhausting, it was actually all mental like GORUCK claims.
Scars
As I finished up I felt like I wanted to die. My shoulders felt raw, my feet were raw, my back just hurt so badly, and my legs in entirety were rubberized. However, after inspection I seemed to be okay. My feet had some blisters on them because of the fountain in the very beginning, although it probably saved us all from heat exhaustion. Getting my feet wet right off the bat really set them up for pain. I would like to say though, I changed my socks after we carried the log and it was the happiest moment through the entire event. My shoulders hurt from the ruck and the log. The extra brick did some work on me. Not only the extra weight but the way that it sat in my bag created some problems for my shoulders and back. The worst pain however was in my knees. Also, my calves were so tight they were pulling on my knees and I couldn't straighten my legs. Continuing up my legs, my hips and hip flexors were just shot. Good news is that my quads felt good. I succeeded in making them steel.
Now that it's been a little over 48 hours since I finished I feel really good. I don't have a limp at all and I can actually wear a backpack. I could probably hit the gym if I wanted to but I really would love to not workout for a week.
Closing
In closing, I'd like to say that this challenge is amazing. It gives you a taste of hell which really helps you be more realistic with life. I define pain in a whole new way now. I will most likely do another one but more importantly I'd like to step it up and do some of the events that only GORUCK Challenge alumni can do. I suggest doing it and earning that Tough Patch, it looks good.
Bonus
http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/61651664 - a rough map of where we ran, although I'm quite sure I'm missing quite a bit.
Preparation
I ensured to work my legs and turn them into steel. That was my main priority because my legs have always been weak. Priority number two was as simple as full body strength and conditioning. I did workouts to improve my endurance, strength, metcon, and agility. For more information on workouts that I did just review all prior blog postings here.
Arrival
My two friends Nick and Matt joined me on this trip to Raleigh. We arrived after the pre-ruckoff which is simply a trip to the bar with everyone the night before the challenge. We didn't mind really because that meant we could go to bed after a 13 hour drive. The day leading up to the challenge was pure anxiety. All of us were prepared (or so we thought) and just wanted the clock to hit 1800 so we could start. Then it did...
The Challenge
As a disclaimer, I honestly don't remember a lot of the challenge so the summary will be short. We dedicated our challenge to the 31 who had fallen in the recent Taliban attack on a NATO helicopter. When we arrived at the start point everyone put a name of one of the fallen on a beer can and placed it in their bag. At the end of the challenge we would dump the cans out in remembrance. We ended up starting at about 1830 after signing our death waivers and loading up our rucks. The three of us were just pumped to finally have these bags that we've waited so long to even see. But, it was no longer about the three of us, it was about the 27 of us. Lou, our "tour guide" joined us and we started off.
We started off doing a whole lot of calisthenics in memory of those who have fallen. We took a few very brief breaks to run over to the closest fountain and jump in it. This ended up being a win/lose situation but that will be reviewed in the "Scars" section. After that we ran a lot, did a lot of tiring movements, and watched the sun go down. I also acquired a 5th brick because someone couldn't fit all 4 of theirs into their smaller ruck. I quickly realized it would be a long night...
Skipping a lot of the monotony I'll jump to the log. She was a good sized log but apparently Lou wasn't that impressed with her because he continually told us that we should have seen a log in a prior challenge. It was big and heavy though. We carried it around a lake. However, it felt like we carried it around the lake 10 times. Eventually, the log actually broke so we had two teams carrying the sections. The only plus to it breaking was that it was easier to maneuver through the woods. We finally got it to our destination which luckily wasn't the starting point that was a hellish 5 miles away. This log brought us together and when we were done boosted the overall morale a little bit but it was at this point quite low.
After we finished with the log we were told we were almost done. Turns out, we still had 4 hours to go. When we finally reached the end we had worked for 14+ hours. Overall, it was seemingly hellish but I also realized that although it was incredibly physically exhausting, it was actually all mental like GORUCK claims.
Scars
As I finished up I felt like I wanted to die. My shoulders felt raw, my feet were raw, my back just hurt so badly, and my legs in entirety were rubberized. However, after inspection I seemed to be okay. My feet had some blisters on them because of the fountain in the very beginning, although it probably saved us all from heat exhaustion. Getting my feet wet right off the bat really set them up for pain. I would like to say though, I changed my socks after we carried the log and it was the happiest moment through the entire event. My shoulders hurt from the ruck and the log. The extra brick did some work on me. Not only the extra weight but the way that it sat in my bag created some problems for my shoulders and back. The worst pain however was in my knees. Also, my calves were so tight they were pulling on my knees and I couldn't straighten my legs. Continuing up my legs, my hips and hip flexors were just shot. Good news is that my quads felt good. I succeeded in making them steel.
Now that it's been a little over 48 hours since I finished I feel really good. I don't have a limp at all and I can actually wear a backpack. I could probably hit the gym if I wanted to but I really would love to not workout for a week.
Closing
In closing, I'd like to say that this challenge is amazing. It gives you a taste of hell which really helps you be more realistic with life. I define pain in a whole new way now. I will most likely do another one but more importantly I'd like to step it up and do some of the events that only GORUCK Challenge alumni can do. I suggest doing it and earning that Tough Patch, it looks good.
Bonus
http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/61651664 - a rough map of where we ran, although I'm quite sure I'm missing quite a bit.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Re-Murph
The other day I did the Murph workout again. I didn't do it weighted because I wanted to compare it to my previous non-weighted time. I shaved a solid minute and a half off of my time. What excites me the most is that I kept my form up through all of the calisthenics. When I did it last time my pullups really started to slack, but this time it was much better.
Today, my plan is to do weighted Murph again. Just typing that I dread what the afternoon holds in store for me. But, I also can't wait to get started. This time I'm going to pack my bag with either bricks or the 20 lb dumbbell. I'll likely use the bricks so that I can wrap them up. I just ate a big sandwich so while I digest I'll prepare the bricks for not just this run but next weekend's run which is the GoRuck Challenge.
Well, with that being said, this is going to be one of the last posts until I start briefly training for a possible marathon I have in my future then Tough Mudder. My brother told me I was doing everything backwards. He said I should be running a marathon, doing TM, then GoRuck followed by a second TM. But, I just want to get a GRC under my belt...
Today, my plan is to do weighted Murph again. Just typing that I dread what the afternoon holds in store for me. But, I also can't wait to get started. This time I'm going to pack my bag with either bricks or the 20 lb dumbbell. I'll likely use the bricks so that I can wrap them up. I just ate a big sandwich so while I digest I'll prepare the bricks for not just this run but next weekend's run which is the GoRuck Challenge.
Well, with that being said, this is going to be one of the last posts until I start briefly training for a possible marathon I have in my future then Tough Mudder. My brother told me I was doing everything backwards. He said I should be running a marathon, doing TM, then GoRuck followed by a second TM. But, I just want to get a GRC under my belt...
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Gym Time
I finally got back into the gym today. I haven't squatted or benched since school let out until today. I went with 3 other guys from work and we had varying levels of fitness which was honestly pretty cool. It felt great getting in the gym for a real weighted workout. After the gym I also got into the boxing room with a few guys and we did a little bit of circuit training. However, the workout was cut short in both places due to the fact that we all needed to get to work.
Whenever I go to the weight room I typically follow a Starting Strength program. I've made some variations to it by now but it's pretty much the same deal. First, we started out on squats. Since there was nobody in the gym we split up into teams of two and had our own squat station. I was with a kid that squatted for the first time yesterday, so I was pretty excited. We did this:
115 lbs - 5x
135 lbs - 5x
155 lbs - 5x
175 lbs - 5x
185 lbs - 5x
195 lbs - 5x
We decided instead of doing a predetermined number of sets we would just go until he couldn't anymore. He thought he was maxing out at about 155, but by the end he realized that 195 wasn't even at his max. We stopped there because the other pair was ready to bench so we moved on.
Benching was similar but shorter. We did this:
95 lbs - 10x (He went first and I didn't do this weight)
115 lbs -10x
135 lbs - 8x
155 lbs - 6x
185 lbs - 1x (My max and I failed)
We were going to go dead lift but we realized we were short on time and it was either dead lift or go box and get some cardio in. We chose the cardio. Since we had 4 people, we had a 4 station boxing/cardio circuit. We would be at each station for a minute putting out as much effort as possible (except at the rest station) and it went like this:
Jump Rope
Shadow Box
Rest
Heavy Bag
It was intended to go through these stations 4 times each taking 16 minutes. However, we had to end after 2 rounds because it was time to go to work. In the end it was a solid workout, but I may go after work too just so that I can finish off with some core and more cardio.
Whenever I go to the weight room I typically follow a Starting Strength program. I've made some variations to it by now but it's pretty much the same deal. First, we started out on squats. Since there was nobody in the gym we split up into teams of two and had our own squat station. I was with a kid that squatted for the first time yesterday, so I was pretty excited. We did this:
115 lbs - 5x
135 lbs - 5x
155 lbs - 5x
175 lbs - 5x
185 lbs - 5x
195 lbs - 5x
We decided instead of doing a predetermined number of sets we would just go until he couldn't anymore. He thought he was maxing out at about 155, but by the end he realized that 195 wasn't even at his max. We stopped there because the other pair was ready to bench so we moved on.
Benching was similar but shorter. We did this:
95 lbs - 10x (He went first and I didn't do this weight)
115 lbs -10x
135 lbs - 8x
155 lbs - 6x
185 lbs - 1x (My max and I failed)
We were going to go dead lift but we realized we were short on time and it was either dead lift or go box and get some cardio in. We chose the cardio. Since we had 4 people, we had a 4 station boxing/cardio circuit. We would be at each station for a minute putting out as much effort as possible (except at the rest station) and it went like this:
Jump Rope
Shadow Box
Rest
Heavy Bag
It was intended to go through these stations 4 times each taking 16 minutes. However, we had to end after 2 rounds because it was time to go to work. In the end it was a solid workout, but I may go after work too just so that I can finish off with some core and more cardio.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Matt n Nick
Yesterday I worked out with Matt and Nick. Matt's the same one that took me mountain biking a week ago. The three of us are doing the GoRuck challenge together in 2 weeks and had our first team workout yesterday. This isn't a big deal because the three of us are already very team oriented so team bonding isn't really priority number one.
As for the workout, we ran 4 miles and did 300 pushups, situps/flutter kicks, and squats. We did this with our camelbaks on so I decided right away that we should do flutter kicks instead of situps because we could just move the bag up and do flutter kicks relatively normally. Nick and Matt did some situps anyway and mixed flutter kicks in, I did just straight flutter kicks. It went like this:
1-mile
100 : pushups, flutter kicks, squats (No Partitioning)
1-mile
20 : pushups, flutter kicks, squats 5x
1-mile
20 : pushups, flutter kicks, squats 5x
1-mile
I finished in 1 hour and 3 seconds. When I finished I thought that my watch said 1 hour and 3 100ths of a second which pumped me up because my goal was an hour. However, I then realized the milliseconds changed to seconds when an hour was reached. Oh well, I still feel good about the workout.
Overall, I worked really hard and loved the entire workout but I really had to push myself on the last mile. I had 8 minutes to finish the mile and I didn't think I could do it. Turns out it was 8 minutes and 3 seconds. Matt and Nick worked hard too and I think the three of us had a great workout.
As for the workout, we ran 4 miles and did 300 pushups, situps/flutter kicks, and squats. We did this with our camelbaks on so I decided right away that we should do flutter kicks instead of situps because we could just move the bag up and do flutter kicks relatively normally. Nick and Matt did some situps anyway and mixed flutter kicks in, I did just straight flutter kicks. It went like this:
1-mile
100 : pushups, flutter kicks, squats (No Partitioning)
1-mile
20 : pushups, flutter kicks, squats 5x
1-mile
20 : pushups, flutter kicks, squats 5x
1-mile
I finished in 1 hour and 3 seconds. When I finished I thought that my watch said 1 hour and 3 100ths of a second which pumped me up because my goal was an hour. However, I then realized the milliseconds changed to seconds when an hour was reached. Oh well, I still feel good about the workout.
Overall, I worked really hard and loved the entire workout but I really had to push myself on the last mile. I had 8 minutes to finish the mile and I didn't think I could do it. Turns out it was 8 minutes and 3 seconds. Matt and Nick worked hard too and I think the three of us had a great workout.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Running Tabata Something Else
Tabata Something Else is a workout that you do 4 consecutive rounds of tabata with different workouts. If you don't know what tabata is look here. The workout works like this:
1 round - pullups
1 round - pushups
1 round - situps
1 round - squats
In other words you do a full tabata set then move on to the next without pausing more than your given ten seconds. What I did was the running supplemented version of this workout. It works like this:
Pullups
1 Mile - 7:57
Pushups
1 Mile - 9:02
Situps
1 Mile - 8:31
Squats
1 Mile - 8:34
Clearly those calisthenics are the tabata form of their already exciting selves. You can also see my times for my miles on the above chart. As you can see, I really struggled on mile two then I evened out afterwards. I think a big problem is that I started the workout with minor dehydration. Then it was supplemented by the temperature, which is currently about 86 degrees Fahrenheit with high levels of humidity.
Overall, I felt good. I felt like I was going to die at first but then I got used to the heat and started sucking down the water. In the end, I finished and was ready to continue if I had to. However, I did not.
GoRuck - 23 days... Compel me.
1 round - pullups
1 round - pushups
1 round - situps
1 round - squats
In other words you do a full tabata set then move on to the next without pausing more than your given ten seconds. What I did was the running supplemented version of this workout. It works like this:
Pullups
1 Mile - 7:57
Pushups
1 Mile - 9:02
Situps
1 Mile - 8:31
Squats
1 Mile - 8:34
Clearly those calisthenics are the tabata form of their already exciting selves. You can also see my times for my miles on the above chart. As you can see, I really struggled on mile two then I evened out afterwards. I think a big problem is that I started the workout with minor dehydration. Then it was supplemented by the temperature, which is currently about 86 degrees Fahrenheit with high levels of humidity.
Overall, I felt good. I felt like I was going to die at first but then I got used to the heat and started sucking down the water. In the end, I finished and was ready to continue if I had to. However, I did not.
GoRuck - 23 days... Compel me.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Mountain Biking
I went mountain biking with my good friend Matt this past weekend. I had never been before so I was a little tentative to try it. However, I manned up and went for it. Matt is pretty good and goes a lot so I was happy to be going with someone that has some experience.
First, we went on a little obstacle course to warm up and I did horribly. I fell off of a board really quickly and hurt something that no man ever wants hurt. However, the good news is that was really the only "injury" I sustained during the trip.
Once we got onto the real trails the workout really started. Riding up hill over roots and rocks was difficult. But, I soon started having fun so I forgot I was working out. After riding for a few hours we were both pretty tired and it was time to go home.
However, we got lost on the wrong side of the mountain. After figuring it out we rode a few miles back to the parking lot. I shouldn't speak for him but I know my legs were fried.
Good news, I recovered quickly and the next day I was only a little sore. I really enjoyed the right and look forward to biking again.
First, we went on a little obstacle course to warm up and I did horribly. I fell off of a board really quickly and hurt something that no man ever wants hurt. However, the good news is that was really the only "injury" I sustained during the trip.
Once we got onto the real trails the workout really started. Riding up hill over roots and rocks was difficult. But, I soon started having fun so I forgot I was working out. After riding for a few hours we were both pretty tired and it was time to go home.
However, we got lost on the wrong side of the mountain. After figuring it out we rode a few miles back to the parking lot. I shouldn't speak for him but I know my legs were fried.
Good news, I recovered quickly and the next day I was only a little sore. I really enjoyed the right and look forward to biking again.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Murph Tribute
First, I'd like to show you my face. :-) .
Murph Tribute:
1-mile Run
50 pullups
100 pushups
150 situps
200 squats
1-mile Run
50 pullups
100 pushups
150 situps
200 squats
1-mile Run
No Partitioning
The "No Partitioning" part simply means that I can't break the calisthenics up into 10 sets of 5 pullups, 10 pushups, 15 situps, and 20 squats. However, that doesn't mean you have to do 50 pullups without leaving the pullup bar.
Time breakdown:
(each segment includes transition time from that segment to the next)
Mile #1: 8:06.76
Cal #1: 26:03.88
Mile #2: 10:56.17
Cal #2: 27:39.96
Mile #3: 9:39.37
Total: 1:22:26
The workout almost made me quit. It almost made me puke. It almost hurt me. Luckily none of those things happened and I ended up finishing very satisfied with my workout. I have continued to recover quickly after workouts and at this point I feel as though I could keep going with no other motivation than my own.
This is reassuring for me because I need to be the toughest at GoRuck to survive. It's likely that I will be the smallest one there, thus, I will need to be capable of carrying not just my own load but the load of a man 30 pounds heavier than myself. I'll need motivation to keep up my morale.
Compel me.
P.S. I may get my nose fixed before GoRuck which will allow me to breathe out of my left nostril which has severely deviated septum. HOLLA!
Murph Tribute:
1-mile Run
50 pullups
100 pushups
150 situps
200 squats
1-mile Run
50 pullups
100 pushups
150 situps
200 squats
1-mile Run
No Partitioning
The "No Partitioning" part simply means that I can't break the calisthenics up into 10 sets of 5 pullups, 10 pushups, 15 situps, and 20 squats. However, that doesn't mean you have to do 50 pullups without leaving the pullup bar.
Time breakdown:
(each segment includes transition time from that segment to the next)
Mile #1: 8:06.76
Cal #1: 26:03.88
Mile #2: 10:56.17
Cal #2: 27:39.96
Mile #3: 9:39.37
Total: 1:22:26
The workout almost made me quit. It almost made me puke. It almost hurt me. Luckily none of those things happened and I ended up finishing very satisfied with my workout. I have continued to recover quickly after workouts and at this point I feel as though I could keep going with no other motivation than my own.
This is reassuring for me because I need to be the toughest at GoRuck to survive. It's likely that I will be the smallest one there, thus, I will need to be capable of carrying not just my own load but the load of a man 30 pounds heavier than myself. I'll need motivation to keep up my morale.
Compel me.
P.S. I may get my nose fixed before GoRuck which will allow me to breathe out of my left nostril which has severely deviated septum. HOLLA!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Kong Vault
Last night I didn't fall asleep until 5 am and I didn't just wake up. I don't know why. I just couldn't sleep. So, this post may be a little dimwitted.
I did parkour as my workout yesterday. I didn't do enough but that's mostly because I didn't have a partner to go into the city with and there's not many other places to do it. However, I did improve my kong vault significantly. I learned a new approach style that opened up a lot more power. I'm going to work on a double kong after a really serious nap.
Compel me.
I did parkour as my workout yesterday. I didn't do enough but that's mostly because I didn't have a partner to go into the city with and there's not many other places to do it. However, I did improve my kong vault significantly. I learned a new approach style that opened up a lot more power. I'm going to work on a double kong after a really serious nap.
Compel me.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Hill Repeats
On Saturday a friend asked to work out with me. He said, and I quote, "I'm a big wad of cookie dough." In other words, he hadn't worked out in a while and he wanted to change that.
I told him he was invited to work out with me but I was going to be working hard and he better do the same. The workout consisted of this:
5 hill sprints
100 - pushups, situps, and squats
5 hill sprints
Uphill lunge walk
He didn't know what the workout was going to be when he was coming into it. After the first 5 hill sprints, he said he was done. In his defense, the hill sprints were pretty tough. He finished the calisthenics, skipped out on the last hill sprints, then did the lunge walk. He found himself yelling at his shoes twice during the workout.
As for me, I finished everything. I was really happy when I finished and my legs weren't completely shot. This is a good sign that my legs are getting stronger. I didn't have my watch so I couldn't time myself but it would have been skewed anyways because I had to take various "breaks" to help my family set up the new pool.
In the end the workout was good, but I needed more. GoRuck is coming faster than I realize and I need to be steel. Today, I think I'll do some parkour for my workout. If not I'll probably do 1000 situps and a long lunge walk.
Compel me.
I told him he was invited to work out with me but I was going to be working hard and he better do the same. The workout consisted of this:
5 hill sprints
100 - pushups, situps, and squats
5 hill sprints
Uphill lunge walk
He didn't know what the workout was going to be when he was coming into it. After the first 5 hill sprints, he said he was done. In his defense, the hill sprints were pretty tough. He finished the calisthenics, skipped out on the last hill sprints, then did the lunge walk. He found himself yelling at his shoes twice during the workout.
As for me, I finished everything. I was really happy when I finished and my legs weren't completely shot. This is a good sign that my legs are getting stronger. I didn't have my watch so I couldn't time myself but it would have been skewed anyways because I had to take various "breaks" to help my family set up the new pool.
In the end the workout was good, but I needed more. GoRuck is coming faster than I realize and I need to be steel. Today, I think I'll do some parkour for my workout. If not I'll probably do 1000 situps and a long lunge walk.
Compel me.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Weighted Murph
Yesterday I talked about taking on Murph with a 20-pound bag on my back. I said, and I copy and paste,
15-seconds later I grabbed my bag and was back on the pullup bar. While I was doing my pushups it felt like my pectoral muscles were going to rip off of my chest. Not in the way that I've worked them too hard, but because they were being strained in a way they shouldn't because of the shoulder straps on my bag. The solution there was to change my pushup style and clip the chest strap on the bag so it wasn't so far back on my shoulders.
I finished 100 pullups, 200 pushups, and 300 squats after about the 45th minute. I got right out to hit the last mile. My body was now tired. After wondering whether it was my legs or lungs that were slowing me down on this run, I realized it was both of them and the 20 pound bag. I finished the run in about 10 and a half minutes. This made my final time 55:30.
Today I feel pretty good. Obviously, I'm very sore but I could do another intense workout again. What should it be?
Compel me.
"I know that it's going to make it suck 20 pounds more, but, I'm not convinced that's too absurd. I guess we'll find out..."We sure as hell found out. I went for the first mile run and was tired. I found myself huffing and puffing out a 7:30 mile, just to be faced with what would be one of the hardest 50 minutes of working out I've ever done. I broke the reps into 20 sets again. I pushed out 3 sets relatively quickly. However, I wanted to die after the 4th. I walked into my room, dropped my bag off of my back and said, "I quit."
15-seconds later I grabbed my bag and was back on the pullup bar. While I was doing my pushups it felt like my pectoral muscles were going to rip off of my chest. Not in the way that I've worked them too hard, but because they were being strained in a way they shouldn't because of the shoulder straps on my bag. The solution there was to change my pushup style and clip the chest strap on the bag so it wasn't so far back on my shoulders.
I finished 100 pullups, 200 pushups, and 300 squats after about the 45th minute. I got right out to hit the last mile. My body was now tired. After wondering whether it was my legs or lungs that were slowing me down on this run, I realized it was both of them and the 20 pound bag. I finished the run in about 10 and a half minutes. This made my final time 55:30.
Today I feel pretty good. Obviously, I'm very sore but I could do another intense workout again. What should it be?
Compel me.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Angie
Yesterday I did the "Angie" CrossFit workout...
Angie:
100 - pullups, pushups, squats, and situps
I finished the workout in 14:47 which I felt pretty good about. The pullups were the only difficult part of the workout in my mind. I did ten sets of ten reps each and the first 6 or 7 sets of everything was good. However, the last few sets I struggled with the pullups a little. I found myself only doing 5 at a time then it dwindled down to 1 at a time. Although my arms and chest was burning up during and after the workout, everything on my body feels great today.
As a side note, I was just on the CrossFit site in the middle of writing this and noticed that my time is considered to be "elite." I find that to be very exciting.
Today I get to take on Murph in it's true form. I'm slappin' a 20 pound bag on my back and seeing how my time ends up. I know that it's going to make it suck 20 pounds more, but, I'm not convinced that's too absurd. I guess we'll find out...
Compel me.
Angie:
100 - pullups, pushups, squats, and situps
I finished the workout in 14:47 which I felt pretty good about. The pullups were the only difficult part of the workout in my mind. I did ten sets of ten reps each and the first 6 or 7 sets of everything was good. However, the last few sets I struggled with the pullups a little. I found myself only doing 5 at a time then it dwindled down to 1 at a time. Although my arms and chest was burning up during and after the workout, everything on my body feels great today.
As a side note, I was just on the CrossFit site in the middle of writing this and noticed that my time is considered to be "elite." I find that to be very exciting.
Today I get to take on Murph in it's true form. I'm slappin' a 20 pound bag on my back and seeing how my time ends up. I know that it's going to make it suck 20 pounds more, but, I'm not convinced that's too absurd. I guess we'll find out...
Compel me.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Catch up
So to catch up...
I've been working out lately. Good thing too because GoRuck is coming up fast (Aug. 13) and I'll need some strength for that.
Murph: 1-mile, 100 pullups, 200 pushups, 300 squats, 1-mile
Murph was fun. I felt like I could fight Conan after I finished. However, I'd definitely lose that fight at this point. I finished in 37 minutes and change. My first mile was at about a 6 1/2 minute pace, yet the second mile was at about a 9 1/2 minute pace. In between the mile long sandwich I broke the calisthenics down into 20 sets. I did (5 pullups, 10 pushups, then 15 squats) x 20. I felt really good with that so next time I do it I'll have a 20 lb bag on my back.
500 situps, 1/2 mile lunge walk, 500 situps
This one I kind of made up. I read an article that suggested the Murph workout above and a lot of lunge walks. Thus, I created this workout which complemented the Murph workout by working my core and obviously included a lunge walk. This one took me about 45 minutes to complete. I didn't rest a whole lot with the situps so most of the time came from the lunge walk. As for the situps, I broke them down into sets of 50.
Next on my list:
Angie: 100 pullups, 100 pushups, 100 situps, 100 squats
I think I may break it down to doing 10 sets of 10 reps. Time, recap, and introduction to the next workout will be posted tomorrow hopefully.
Please, if you can. Compel me.
I've been working out lately. Good thing too because GoRuck is coming up fast (Aug. 13) and I'll need some strength for that.
Murph: 1-mile, 100 pullups, 200 pushups, 300 squats, 1-mile
Murph was fun. I felt like I could fight Conan after I finished. However, I'd definitely lose that fight at this point. I finished in 37 minutes and change. My first mile was at about a 6 1/2 minute pace, yet the second mile was at about a 9 1/2 minute pace. In between the mile long sandwich I broke the calisthenics down into 20 sets. I did (5 pullups, 10 pushups, then 15 squats) x 20. I felt really good with that so next time I do it I'll have a 20 lb bag on my back.
500 situps, 1/2 mile lunge walk, 500 situps
This one I kind of made up. I read an article that suggested the Murph workout above and a lot of lunge walks. Thus, I created this workout which complemented the Murph workout by working my core and obviously included a lunge walk. This one took me about 45 minutes to complete. I didn't rest a whole lot with the situps so most of the time came from the lunge walk. As for the situps, I broke them down into sets of 50.
Next on my list:
Angie: 100 pullups, 100 pushups, 100 situps, 100 squats
I think I may break it down to doing 10 sets of 10 reps. Time, recap, and introduction to the next workout will be posted tomorrow hopefully.
Please, if you can. Compel me.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Warrior Dash - Pennsylvania 6/12
So I finished the Warrior Dash. I came in 530th place out of about 6500 warriors on Sunday, June 12th. I finished the 3.5 mile dash and 14 obstacles in 40:26.05. However, I contest that being my actual time, yet I don't contest coming in 530th place.
When we reached the 10th obstacle dubbed the "Warrior Wall," there was a serious wait. The obstacle required competitors to climb up a 15 foot wall using a rope then climb down the other side. This created a bottleneck because of the mass amount of people trying to get over a wall with only 7 ropes on it. Thus, I believe my time was closer to 35 minutes, but since everyone had to wait I think I deserved the 530th place.
As for my age group of males aged 20-24 years, I finished in 113th place out of 533 racers.
I had a great time at the race. It was muddy, tiring, and exciting. The ground was mud, rocks, and tree roots. This makes complete sense because we were running through the woods majority of the race. Going into it I expected the running to be the easy part in comparison to the obstacles. While this was true with some obstacles like the "Barricade Breakdown" it was the opposite with the "Warrior Wall." The "Barricade Breakdown" consisted of jumping over 5 foot walls then immediately rolling under barbed wire. There were probably five sets of this motion. Turns out it was a lot harder than I thought it would be, but now I have motivation to prepare for the GoRuck Challenge in August.
My only problems with the Warrior Dash were the people walking from the wave before me that got in the way and the parking. We parked in a field that turned into a mud pit very quickly. With thousands of people there the mud pit was pretty deep too. However, they did take care of it as best as they could by putting rocks down and other things.
Overall, Warrior Dash was pretty sweet. I got real muddy...
When we reached the 10th obstacle dubbed the "Warrior Wall," there was a serious wait. The obstacle required competitors to climb up a 15 foot wall using a rope then climb down the other side. This created a bottleneck because of the mass amount of people trying to get over a wall with only 7 ropes on it. Thus, I believe my time was closer to 35 minutes, but since everyone had to wait I think I deserved the 530th place.
As for my age group of males aged 20-24 years, I finished in 113th place out of 533 racers.
I had a great time at the race. It was muddy, tiring, and exciting. The ground was mud, rocks, and tree roots. This makes complete sense because we were running through the woods majority of the race. Going into it I expected the running to be the easy part in comparison to the obstacles. While this was true with some obstacles like the "Barricade Breakdown" it was the opposite with the "Warrior Wall." The "Barricade Breakdown" consisted of jumping over 5 foot walls then immediately rolling under barbed wire. There were probably five sets of this motion. Turns out it was a lot harder than I thought it would be, but now I have motivation to prepare for the GoRuck Challenge in August.
My only problems with the Warrior Dash were the people walking from the wave before me that got in the way and the parking. We parked in a field that turned into a mud pit very quickly. With thousands of people there the mud pit was pretty deep too. However, they did take care of it as best as they could by putting rocks down and other things.
Overall, Warrior Dash was pretty sweet. I got real muddy...
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Pain
Well, to all of my avid readers, I did something to a tendon in my foot. I can barely walk let alone run or work out. I've been doing some upper body and core workouts but thats about it.
I need to be compelled.
I need to be compelled.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
This week
It's been another low week. It was my girlfriend's birthday yesterday and we celebrated with her family. Tomorrow were going out to dinner and stuff, then Saturday there's going to be a party. Saturday I also have a ROTC thing to do all day. In other words, I've got a lot going on and running for an hour per day is difficult. School is coming to a close, which is good because then I'll have more spare time. However, right now I'm really running low on morale.
Compel me. Please.
Compel me. Please.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Past week
I've slacked. However, I haven't necessarily been sitting on my couch. I did a lot of yard work, was a drill instructor at a mock boot camp, walked 3 miles for MS, and did a lot of bodyweight workouts.
I need some motivation. Saying "Tough Patch" still works but I need a good motivational movie or something. Any ideas?
I need some motivation. Saying "Tough Patch" still works but I need a good motivational movie or something. Any ideas?
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
New Ideas
So, thus far I've been running a lot. As I run more I have neglected the gym more. I'm going to start going to the gym in junction with running. To succeed at the GoRuck I need to have strong legs. After all, "The legs feed the wolves gentlmen." Who said it?
Compel me.
Compel me.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
20lb Bag
I just got back from my Easter Sunday run. Which by the way, Happy Easter or Passover, whichever you celebrate. I cut down on the length just a bit, I ran 2.5 miles instead of 3, because I had a 20 pound dumbbell in my bag.
The run was difficult. My legs started to hurt pretty quickly and I was running a noticeable amount slower. When I was attacking the few hills along the run my legs felt really bad and I could only think of two things. First, simply, "Tough Patch." Second, "Damn, I gotta squat more."
The good news about the run is that I finished. Another positive note is that my legs recovered pretty quickly. By time I sat down to right this my legs were feeling good. Also, my heart rate has recovered even faster. Thus far I'm satisfied with my performance because of my recovery rate.
If you have any ideas or words to compel me, please be heard.
The run was difficult. My legs started to hurt pretty quickly and I was running a noticeable amount slower. When I was attacking the few hills along the run my legs felt really bad and I could only think of two things. First, simply, "Tough Patch." Second, "Damn, I gotta squat more."
The good news about the run is that I finished. Another positive note is that my legs recovered pretty quickly. By time I sat down to right this my legs were feeling good. Also, my heart rate has recovered even faster. Thus far I'm satisfied with my performance because of my recovery rate.
If you have any ideas or words to compel me, please be heard.
Week Two
This week I switched the the Hal Higdon intermediate program which you can check out here. This week I ran a little more, running about 21 and a half miles. I did my biggest run on Saturday at a little over 9 miles. Overall, the run went really well. It was a big confidence booster because I had more in me after 9 miles and I know that I could successfully do a half marathon right now.
This upcoming week should be a bit easier on the running so I'll be cross training a little harder to make up for it. If anyone wants to come work out with me, let me know and I'll do my best to make it happen.
If you have any ideas or words to compel me, please be heard.
This upcoming week should be a bit easier on the running so I'll be cross training a little harder to make up for it. If anyone wants to come work out with me, let me know and I'll do my best to make it happen.
If you have any ideas or words to compel me, please be heard.
First Week
I'm doing Hal Higdon's marathon training novice program that can be viewed here. So, for the first week of my training I ran a total of 19.76 miles. On top of the marathon program I also had my Air Force PT Test which consists of maximum pushups in a minute, situps in a minute, and finally a timed mile and a half run. I got a 99.3 on the test because I ran the mile and a half in 9:40 which is 28 seconds away from the top score.
Overall, the first week went very well. The running was done with a 10 pound bag on my bag to slowly prepare myself for the GORUCK. You can check out my profile at mapmyrun.com to look at my run times and routes here.
If you have any ideas or words to compel me, please be heard.
Overall, the first week went very well. The running was done with a 10 pound bag on my bag to slowly prepare myself for the GORUCK. You can check out my profile at mapmyrun.com to look at my run times and routes here.
If you have any ideas or words to compel me, please be heard.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Introduction
My name is Brian Sypher. I'm in my third year in school and Air Force ROTC. I, along with a few friends, have set some pretty big goals for the next 7 months. Here's what it looks like:
12 June 2011 : Warrior Dash in Albrightsville, PA
13 August 2011 : GoRuck Challenge in Raleigh, NC
17 September 2011 : AF Marathon at Wright-Patterson AFB, Oh
12 November 2011 : Tough Mudder in Raceway Park, NJ
Please, familiarize yourself with these events by clicking the links above. None of them are for the light hearted or weak minded.
In this blog I'll be tracking my training, how I do at challenges, and the challenges I face while training. If you have anything you'd like to tell me feel free to leave a comment. I appreciate any words to compel me to do better.
In the end, doing all of this will cost me nearly a grand, thus, I'm starting to fund raise. If you feel compelled to flat out donate to my cause it is greatly appreciated. As far as donations go, I will only use what I need, everything else goes to charities like Wounded Warrior or the Green Beret Foundation. Also, a good sum of the registration fee's also go to these foundations flat out. If you'd like more information ask me or look it up on one of the sites.
Thanks for your support.
12 June 2011 : Warrior Dash in Albrightsville, PA
13 August 2011 : GoRuck Challenge in Raleigh, NC
17 September 2011 : AF Marathon at Wright-Patterson AFB, Oh
12 November 2011 : Tough Mudder in Raceway Park, NJ
Please, familiarize yourself with these events by clicking the links above. None of them are for the light hearted or weak minded.
In this blog I'll be tracking my training, how I do at challenges, and the challenges I face while training. If you have anything you'd like to tell me feel free to leave a comment. I appreciate any words to compel me to do better.
In the end, doing all of this will cost me nearly a grand, thus, I'm starting to fund raise. If you feel compelled to flat out donate to my cause it is greatly appreciated. As far as donations go, I will only use what I need, everything else goes to charities like Wounded Warrior or the Green Beret Foundation. Also, a good sum of the registration fee's also go to these foundations flat out. If you'd like more information ask me or look it up on one of the sites.
Thanks for your support.
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