Easy Run

Thursday, April 15, 2021

Rocky Mountain Greenway Trail

1300

2.87 mile run (33:16 moving time; 11:33 pace) around the Croke Canal Loop.  Overcast and in the low 40's.  I felt kind of sluggish (probably due to weighing in at 196.5# this morning).

SLIPS - Thrusters

Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Home Gym

1200

SLIPS

Stretch - Hip Hammy, wrist mobility

Scales - Front Back on Left/Right Leg - about 25 seconds each position

L-sit - Every 30 seconds, 5 second effort

Inversion - Hold, HSPU to 2 abmats - 2-2-1 reps

Plank - 2 minute hold

Thrusters

Warm up with Comptrain Barbell warm-up and thrusters at 45, 75#

7 sets of 3 reps

95

95

100

105

110

110

110#

Front Squat - Metcon

Monday, April 12, 2021

Garage Gym

1300

Warm Up

Foam Roll

Hip Hammy

Jumping Jacks

Squat Therapy

Comptrain Barbell Warm Up

Front Squat

Build to heavy single @32X1 tempo

then max reps at that weight (no tempo requirement)

I worked up from 95, 135, 155, 165 and finally 175#.  I considered trying 180#, but did not want to drop a squat in my relatively tight home gym.  After a couple of minutes, I managed 2 reps at 175#.

Metcon

Every 4 minutes for 12 minutes (3 sets)

500 m row

10 front squats (95#)

The front squats were supposed to be 70-75% of 1RM clean.  I figured I am in the neighborhood of 135#, but wasn't really feeling that great and opted for the low end at 95#.  My rows were on the order of 2:20 and with a moderately paced transition, I was finishing the rounds at:

3:07

3:13

3:22

Which was slower than I expected and I was not thrilled about getting on the rower with less than 1 minutes rest.

It was a good workout and pretty challenging.

Programming was from CFG for 4/12/2021

Hip Extension / Roman Chair

After beating myself up for not grabbing the free hip extension in time, I came across another listing for a hip extension being offered for $40 in Arvada.  I messaged the seller and picked it up last night.

It is a cheap lightweight hip extension manufactured by Legacy International, Mahwah, NJ and I cannot find any other details.  They appear to have been in business from 1996-2000 and have a few trademarks including "Body Under Construction" and "The First Name in Fitness"

I was looking for a posterior chain development tool and this fits the bill.  It is stable enough for me to do sit-ups on as well.  If I use it regularly enough, I would consider upgrading, but if it sits idle most of the time, I will probably resell it or give it away down the road.

Purchased from Joey (Facebook Marketplace).  This guy had a pretty kick ass powerlifting gym set up.  With Rogue Bumper Plates, Ivanko deep dish plates.  Dedicated bench press area and a nice hack squat machine.

Looking at the picture, it is the exact same one that was offered for free and the Joey just flipped it for a quick $40.

Tempo Run

Sunday, April 11, 2021

Rocky Mountain Greenway Trail

1300

1.46 mile (15:32 moving time; 10:39 pace) quick lap on the Croke Canal Loop.  As it was a quick metcon today, I wanted to get some additional conditioning.

Metcon - Crossfit Quarterfinals Test 5 (s)

Sunday, April 11, 2021

Garage Gym

1200

Warm Up

Hip Hammy

Wrist Mobility

Squat Therapy

Steel Mace 360's

PVC Pass Throughs

Comptrain Barbell Warm Up

Bergener Warm Up

Metcon

For time:

9-6-3 

Snatch

Burpee box jump-over

185 lb., 30 in.

Time cap: 7 min.

I scaled this test to an 85# Snatch and 24" BBJO and that was a good test for me.  I have not been doing much Olympic lifting and a 30" box jump frightens me.  On my best days, I can land it on soft plyo boxes.

I finished the 4 rounds in 6:37 and felt good about the effort.  The camera angle left a bit to be desired, but it still showed me some opportunities to improve my snatch.  I am still hopping back instead of strictly driving up.

I liked the quarterfinal tests a lot and regret not doing tests 1 and 4 over the course of the weekend.  What struck me most was the accumulated fatigue.  My abs were trashed after test 2 and my shoulders were feeling it after test 4.  I nearly took a rest day instead of attempting test 5.  Had I done test 1, they would have been box HSPU, lighter weight dumbbells and DU.  Test 4 would have been at around 80% of my true 4 rep max.

Test 1 - HSPU, DB HPC and S2O, DU

Test 2 - GHD Sit-ups, Rope Climb, Pistols

Test 3 - WBS, Row

Test 4 - Front Squat

Test 5 - Snatch, BBJO

Free Hip Extension

Yesterday afternoon, I came across a free hip extension being offered on Facebook Marketplace in Arvada.  I saw the ad 39 minutes after it had been listed and before I could type a response, it was already sold.  Not a particularly awesome unit, but certainly something I would have paid $20 for.  It also seemed to take up a bit of a footprint.  I would still like to have some equipment for posterior chain development

Glute Ham Developer ($400+)

Reverse Hyperextension ($350+)

Back Extension ($200+)

Rogue Donkey ($1945)

Sorinex Frankenhyper ($3299)

Powerlift Posterior Chain Developer (call for pricing)

Metcon - Crossfit Quarterfinals Test 3 (s)

Saturday, April 10, 2021

Garage Gym

1200

Warm Up

Hip Hammy

Wrist Mobility

Squat Therapy

Easy Row

Steel Mace 360's

PVC Pass Throughs

Metcon

For Time

100 Wall Ball Shots (14# to 10')

100 Calorie Row

This was significantly scaled from the 2021 Crossfit Quarterfinals Test 3 which called for 120 WBS (20 # to 10') and 120 Calorie Row with a 15 minute cap.

I started the wall ball shots with the intention of doing 10 sets of 10 with a short rest.  I felt so good, that I opted for a large set of 20, then 10, then sets of 5, until I finished 100 reps in 8:06.  I took a surprisingly long transition and my first pull on the rower was at 8:31 and I finished the row as 17:08, holding a roughly 700 calories/hour pace.

Metcon - Crossfit Quarterfinals Test 2 (s)

Friday, April 9, 2021

Garage Gym

1200

Warm Up

Hip Hammy

Wrist Mobility

Banded shoulders

Jumping Jacks

Metcon

For Time:

50 Abmat sit-ups

5 rope climbs (10')

50 walking lunges

40 Abmat sit-ups

4 rope climbs (10')

40 walking lunges

30 Abmat sit-ups

3 rope climbs (10')

30 walking lunges

This was significantly scaled from the 2021 Crossfit Quarterfinals Test 2 which called for GHD sit-ups, 15' rope climbs and pistols on a 60-50-40-30 rep scheme.

Scaling the volume and the movements was good for me.  It was a steady effort with some good movements I have not done in a while.  I would like to set up my rope somewhere that would allow for 15' climbs, but have not figured that out yet.

Round 1 ~ 6:30

Round 2 ~ 6:30

Round 3 ~ 5:00

Total time was 18:01 (which proved it was scaled well given the 20 minute time cap).  Ratna worked out with me, substituting crunches, 2x ring rows, and side lunges.

We finished with a walk.  0.45 miles unweighted and 0.45 miles with a 50# sandbag.

2021 Quarterfinal Tests

Although I did not qualify for the quarterfinals, I still wanted to look at the tests announced today with scores due by April 12th.

Test 1

For total time:

3 rounds of:

  10 strict handstand push-ups

  10 dumbbell hang power cleans

  50 double-unders

Rest exactly 1 min., then:

3 rounds of:

  10 kipping handstand push-ups

  10 dumbbell shoulder-to-overheads

  50 double-unders

50-lb. dumbbells

Time cap: 10 min.

Test 2

For time:

60 GHD sit-ups

6 rope climbs, 15 ft.

60 alternating single-leg squats

50 GHD sit-ups

5 rope climbs, 15 ft.

50 alternating single-leg squats

40 GHD sit-ups

4 rope climbs, 15 ft.

40 alternating single-leg squats

30 GHD sit-ups

3 rope climbs, 15 ft.

30 alternating single-leg squats

Time cap: 20 min.

Test 3

For time:

120 wall-ball shots

120-cal. row

20-lb. ball, 10-ft. target

Time cap: 15 min.

Test 4

For max load:

4 rep-max front squat

Time cap: 20 min.

Test 5

For time:

9-6-3 

Snatch

Burpee box jump-over

185 lb., 30 in.

Time cap: 7 min.

These tests were designed to challenge the top 10% of open athletes and let the cream of the crop separate themselves and get invited to one of the live Semifinals events.

As a back of the pack athlete that 88,594 out of 137,351 worldwide men and 47,050 out of 73,589 North America men.  I needed to be 7410 or better to make the cut (top 10%).  I was just a bit outside being at 64%.

I also confirmed that I was 2,404 out of 4,987 Men 50-54 in North America.  I was ecstatic to find myself in the middle of the pack.  My performance in each event was less impressive at 3,333, 3,891, 3,014 and 3,307 for 21.1 through 21.4 respectively, but completing all of the workouts moved me up.

The tests themselves would not go well for me.

• Test 1 - 0 reps (I do not have strict HSPU, at my best I could only do 1 rep)
• Test 2 - 60 GHD sit-ups would wreak havoc on my abs, I might manage 6 rope climbs, but could not do a single pistol
• Test 3 - 120 wall-ball shots and 120-cal row.  I am going to give this one a try and see how far I get before the 15 minute cap
• Test 4 - This looks fun and I will establish a 4 rep max front squat
• Test 5 - 0 reps as I cannot pull a 185# snatch.  I am not even sure if I could manage the women's weight of 135#; I just noticed they raised the stakes with the plyo box height for men at 30 inches and women at 24 inches.  Ouch.

I feel the tests are well programmed and should allow for good separation of athletes.  I have been working on inversions and need to spend more time climbing a rope and working on pistols.  I should probably spend more time Olympic lifting as well.

The age group online qualifiers will be held the week of May 3rd.

Metcon - Bench Press

Thursday, April 8, 2021

Garage Gym

1200

Warm Up

Hip Hammy

Wrist Mobility

Movement prep - up downs, kbs, rope skips, drill, doubles

Metcon

6 min

400 m run followed by

AMRAP of

40 DU

20 KBS (35#)

10 Up Downs

rest 2 min

7 min

400 m run followed by

AMRAP of

40 DU

20 KBS (35#)

10 Up Downs

rest 2 min

8 min

400 m run followed by

AMRAP of

40 DU

20 KBS (35#)

10 Up Downs

This was a tough little workout that showed me that up downs are not any better than burpees.

6 min - 1 round + 19 reps

7 min - 1 round + 5 reps (2 round + 24 reps total)

8 min - 1 round + 16 reps (3 round + 40 reps total)

Programming was from CFG for 4/8/2021

Bench Press

Pyramid

6x95

4x115

2x135

2x145

2x155

4x145

6x135

This was a surprisingly tough effort.  Programming was adapted from Vintage CF for 4/8/2021

SLIPS - Metcon - PU

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

Home Gym

1200

SLIPS - 

Hip Hammy, Wrist Mobility, Down Dog

Scales - Front and Back on left and right legs - 30 seconds each position

L-sit - 4 times max effort - around 5 seconds

Inversions - HS Hold 15 seconds, 3 sets of HSPU 2 reps to 2 abmats

Plank - 2:00 minute hold

Metcon

21-15-9

Row for calories

Back Squat (135/95)

I used the ladies weight and managed to go 15/6 and 9/6 and 9 on the 3 rounds of back squat.  I was pulling around 800 calories per hour on the rower.  My transitions were slow and deliberate.  I finished in 8:33 and felt pretty good about the effort.

Pull-ups

EMOM 10 - 2 reps

I was able to complete this without issue.  I felt surprisingly good, despite weighing in at 193# this morning.

Metcon programming was from CFG.  The rest was self programmed to round out the hour.

Easy Run

Tuesday, April 6, 2021

Rocky Mountain Greenway Trail

1200

2.86 mile run (32:17 moving time; 11:16 pace) around the Croke Canal Loop.  Around 50 degrees but still.

Easy Run

Monday, April 5, 2021

Rocky Mountain Greenway Trail

1200

2.88 mile run (33:05 moving time; 11:29 pace) around the Croke Canal Loop.  I felt heavy and sluggish, bt the weather was certainly pleasant and it was good to get outside. 

Westin, Cape Coral, Florida

Friday, April 2, 2021

Westin (Cape Coral, Florida)

I had a chance to check out the fairly standard hotel gym which included 2 adjustable benches, TRX, med balls, kettlebells, 5-50# dumbbells, "functional fitness" machine and some cardio equipment including ellipticals and treadmills.

I did 4 rounds of Cindy and then did some dumbbell military presses and then dumbbell bench press.

In the afternoon, I swam in the lap pool and had a a great time doing mostly freestyle with a few lengths of back stroke and breast stroke.  Overall, I managed 450 meters in a little over 20 minutes.  I have not swam laps in quite a while and certainly miss it.

Tempo Run

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Rocky Mountain Greenway Trail

1300

2.88 mile (31:28 moving time; 10:54 pace) run on the Croke Canal Loop.  I called this a tempo run, because I was actively trying to keep a good pace and was checking my splits.  Not fast, but faster than my easy runs.  The weather was a clear 50 degrees and I opted to run in a sweatshirt and jersey gloves.

Mike Bartos' Power Center

I was recently watching a Shaw Strength video where Shaw was training with a Mike Bartos Power Keg.  I was beyond surprised to see that these were listed for $877.  I was also very impressed to see the breadth of offerings my Mike Bartos' Power Center.  For the competitive athlete, it is surely worth the $10K+ you could drop on his website.

It also made me appreciate how strongman has gone from lift heavy, cheap things like old bear kegs, big rocks on the ground, loaded up wheelbarrows, cheap welded sleds, continue ad infinitum to the plethora of uniform, loadable implements that folks have at their disposal to train with.

SLIPS - Bodyweight Calisthenics

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Home Gym

1700

SLIPS

Stretch - Hip Hammy, Wrist Mobility

Scales - 4 x 30 seconds each position

L-sit - EMOM 4 max effort - 5-10 seconds

Inversion - hold, HSPU to 2 abmat (2, 2, 1)

Plank - 2 minute hold on elbows

Bodyweight Calisthenics

EMOM 10

station 1 pull-up - 4, 3, 3, 3, 2

station 2 ring dips - 3, 2, 2, 2, 2

EMOM 10

station 1 push-ups - 10 reps

station 2 abmat sit-ups - 10 reps

This was a nice little get moving workout.

Easy Run

Sunday, March 28, 2021

Rocky Mountain Greenway Trail

1500

2.87 mile (33:17 moving time; 11:34 pace) run around the Croke Canal Loop.

Easy Run

Saturday, March 27, 2021

Little Dry Creek Trail

1000

2.96 mile (33:35 moving time; 11:20 pace) run on loop turning south around Little Dry Creek Trail.

Deadlift - Bench Press

Friday, March 26, 2021

Home Gym

1200

Warm Up

Hip Hammy

Wrist Mobility

Comptrain Barbell Warm Up

Deadlift

5x135

5x135

5x185

3x225

2x255

1x275

1x275

1x275#

Bench Press

5x135

5x135

5x145

5x145

3x155

3x155#

Wanted an easy day as 21.3 & 21.4 really lit up my quads.

How Much Overhead Work Do I Actually Do?

The odd name for this post came upon the result of looking at a potential new home with a tight 3 car garage and a basement gym.  One of my goals when setting up a space was to be able to park 2 cars in the garage and have room for a gym.  Read as: for my wife to be able to park her car in the garage and have a 2 car garage gym.

The house also had a roughly 11x14 gym set up in the basement with the jigsaw foam flooring and full length mirrors.  Unfortunately it also, as would be expected had 8 foot ceilings.

It prompted the question, how often do I need high ceilings and much to my surprise, 40% of the time.  I reviewed my last 40 workouts which included 16 instances of overhead barbell, overhead dumbbell, wall ball shots, rope skips and kettlebell swings.  All of these would be impossible in the basement.  Interestingly of the 24 non-overhead workouts, 12 of them were running or cycling workouts which would not require a home gym at all.  So it turns out that the basement gym would only be required/suitable for 30% of my workouts.

While this may be a slight aberration, it was an interesting data point and it would certainly correlate well with how often I use my 50 square feet of basement space now.  I use it nearly exclusively for back squats and bench press.  

On another note, it does have a concrete patio which would be ideal for setting the yoke up and training outside.

2021 Crossfit Open - Retrospective

While I have not made as much progress this year.  I do feel like I have maintained a plateau on fitness and developed some skills.  I have put on 10 pounds compared to last years open.  These are the unfortunate results of eating poorly and selective programming.  I have been doing a lot more Zone 2 training with mono-structural running and bicycling.  I have been doing substantially less intense metabolic conditioning.

I was healthy coming into the Open and I was careful with programming to avoid lingering soreness.

21.1 - Double Unders and Wall Walk-ups - Rx:  I have a good handle on double unders although my conditioning could use some improvement.  I feel comfortable inverted, but the 10" standard for wall walk-ups was very challenging for me.  This was time capped at 15 minutes.  My lats were lit up for the next few days.  I am interested in trying the scaled version of this workout.

21.2 - Dumbbell Snatch (50#) and Burpee Box Jump Overs - Rx:  This was a repeat of 17.1 which I did Rx as well.  My score declined from 129 reps to 117 reps.  I felt like I was moving well.  I was comfortable with the movements.  However, my engine was a limiter.  This was time capped at 20 minutes.

21.3 - Front Squat (95#) - Toes to Bar/Chest to Bar Pull-up/Bar Muscle-up - Thruster (95#) - Rx:  For most folks this was just a prelude to 21.4 which immediately follows.  For me it was an end unto itself.  The 95# Front Squat was light even by my standards.  Toes to Bar were singles and 30 is a lot of volume.  The thrusters were heavy for me, but I was able to complete the rounds in 3 sets.  I was able to do Chest to Bar Pull-ups, but was time capped at 15 minutes before getting to the second round of thrusters.  If I did have time, the Bar Muscle-ups would have been a limiter.  My quads were lit up that night and into the next couple of days.

21.4 - C&J Complex for max load - Rx:  Deadlift, Clean, Hang Clean, Jerk.  This was a complex that I felt comfortable with, but was not ready to go heavy.  I would always be limited by my hang clean that I have not tested for 1RM in a while, but would expect it to be between 145# and 155#.

I got lucky with the absence of lunges.  My other goat to work on is OHS.

Overall, I really liked the programming.  The time domains felt long, until you consider the top athletes were finishing in 13, 10 and 8 minutes respectively.  The fact that I was capped at 15, 20 and 15 minutes may not be as relevant.  

It was weird doing the Open from home.  I do miss the sense of community and my space did not lend itself to the recommended set up every time.

While I will not qualify for the quarter finals, I may try to do them on my own anyway.  I will certainly follow the announcements.

2016 - 6,668th (MBS) 0 Rx / 5 scaled

2017 - 11,172nd (WMCF) 1 Rx / 4 scaled

2018 - (Aspire) did not register, but did workouts 0 Rx / 5 scaled

2019 - 12,031st (CFG) 2 Rx / 3 scaled

2020 - 6,263rd (CFG) 5 Rx / 0 scaled

2021 - 3,267 (unaffiliated) 4 Rx / 0 scaled

I ended up at:

87,122 / 137,220 men (37th percentile)

3,267 / 6,624 men 50-54 (51st percentile)

Crossfit Open 21.3 & 21.4

Thursday, March 25, 2021

Home Gym

1400

Warm Up

Jumping Jacks

Hip Hammy

Wrist Mobility

Squat Therapy

Comptrain Barbell Warm-up

Scap Pull-ups

Kip Swings

Complex at 45, 65, 95#

CrossFit Open 21.3

For total time:

15 front squats

30 toes-to-bars

15 thrusters

Then, rest 1 minute before continuing with:

15 front squats

30 chest-to-bar pull-ups

15 thrusters

Then, rest 1 minute before continuing with:

15 front squats 

30 bar muscle-ups

15 thrusters 

Workout 21.4 begins immediately upon completing or reaching the time cap for 21.3.

95 lb. for the front squats and thrusters

Time cap: 15 min.

CrossFit Open 21.4

Complete the following complex for max load:

1 deadlift

1 clean

1 hang clean

1 jerk

Time begins immediately following the completion of 21.3.

Time cap: 7 min.

I felt great coming out of the gate with 15 unbroken Front Squat and then steady progress on the T2B, until about rep 10 and then the singles got slower.  I cranked through the first round in 7:14.  The one minute rest was just enough to try to push again.  I actually did better on the C2B than I expected, but they were slow.  I finished 28 C2B at the 15 minute mark.  Total score 103 reps.

The complex was about what I expected, but feeling shot, I decided to just get a score and work up slowly.  I successfully made 95, 115, 125 and finally 135#.  I might have had 145# in me, but I ran out of time.  The toughest part for me was the hang clean.  I could have gone a little heavier with just a deadlift, clean and jerk.

I wore my lifters, knee sleeves and a belt.  I had grips with me, but opted not to wear them.

Due to space limitations, I was not able to set up at 8 feet away from my pull-up bar, but I still think it was a fair Rx effort.

Diya did a scaled version of the workout completing 145 reps with a 15# barbell, T2B, jumping chin over bar pull-ups and jumping chest to bar pull-ups.  During the complex, she successfully lifted 15, 25, 27.5 and 30#.  She failed an attempt at 32.5#.  I was really impressed by the way she stuck with it and worked on unfamiliar movements.

UPDATE 3/26/2021:  My quads were absolutely lit up after this workout.

Back Squat - Metcon

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Home Gym

1200

Warm Up

jumping jacks

hip hammy

squat therapy

foam roll

comptrain barbell warm up

Back Squat

5x95

5x135

3x155

2x165

2x175

1x185

1x185

1x185#

Goal was to work up to 95%+ which would have been around 215# for me.  With the Open announcement tomorrow, I stopped at 82%.

Metcon

AMRAP 10

10 burpees

12 wall ball shots (20# to 9')

10 T2B

I wanted a quick intense workout and this delivered.  I finished 2 rounds + 24 reps.  I considered finishing the last round of T2B, but was feeling pretty spent.

Programming was from CFG for 3/24/2021

Inversions - Half Cindy

Monday, March 22, 2021

Home Gym

1400

Warm Up

Hip Hammy

Wrist Mobility

Down Dog

Inversions

HS hold - only a few seconds

HSPU to 2 abmat

1-2-2-1 reps

Half Cindy

AMRAP 10

5 Pull-up

10 Push-up

15 Air Squat

I finished 5 rounds + 4 reps at time and finished the 6th round at 11:23.  This was a nice quick burner and a good amount of volume with 30 pull-ups, 60 push-up and 90 air squats.

Easy Run

Sunday, March 21, 2021

Little Dry Creek Trail

1100

2.61 mile run (29:55 moving time; 11:25 pace) on Little Dry Creek Trail making south loop past Woodrun Park.  This is actually a nice little route that allows for some good pacing.

Baseline - Bench Press

Saturday, March 20, 2021

Home Gym

1400

Warm Up

Hip Hammy

Wrist Mobility

Kip Swings

Scap Pull-ups

2 minute Row

Warm up movements

Baseline

For time:

500 m row

40 air squat

30 sit-up

20 push-up

10 pull-up

I tore through this in 6:09 PR!!!  I was able to move through everything quickly and unbroken except for pull-ups which was 3-2-2-1-1-1.

Bench Press

8x45

8x95

8x115

6x135

4x155

2x165

1x175

1x180

1x185

failed attempt at 195#

Easy Run

Saturday, March 21, 2021

Little Dry Creek Trail

1000

2.63 mile (30:04 moving time; 11:26 pace) run along the Little Dry Creek Trail making a North loop the first time and a South loop the second time.  Had to poop, but wanted to get some more miles.

21.2 = 17.1 - DB Snatch - Burpee Box Jump Overs

Friday, March 19, 2021

Home Gym

1400

Warm Up

Foam roll

Jumping Jacks

Hip Hammy

Wrist Mobility

Box step ups

Calf stretch

DB snatch - 27.5#

Movement tests

Open 21.2

For time:

10 dumbbell snatches

15 burpee box jump-overs

20 dumbbell snatches

15 burpee box jump-overs

30 dumbbell snatches

15 burpee box jump-overs

40 dumbbell snatches

15 burpee box jump-overs

50 dumbbell snatches

15 burpee box jump-overs

Rx – (50/35) (24″/20″)

Scaled – (35/20) (20″ – Step Ups OK)

When I performed 17.1 on February 24, 2017 at West Metro Crossfit (now West Metro Strength and Conditioning) I completed 129 reps.  My tie breaker splits were:

Round 1:   3:26

Round 2:   8:43

Round 3:  16:15

For 21.2 I completed 117 reps in my garage.  My tie breaker splits were:

Round 1:  3:47

Round 2:  9:59

Round 3: 18:09

It was an unpleasant surprise, but that is why we test and retest.  I felt like I was moving slow but smooth through the movements.  I certainly did not feel like I was 2 minutes behind my original pacing, although four years is a long time.  24 DB snatches in the last 3:45, is a pretty good pace.  This year it was 12 DB snatches in the last 1:51.  I would like to think a group environment provides a little more motivation than my surly teenager who was kind enough to judge me.

I was also surprised at how long 20 minutes can feel when you are staring at the 50# dumbbell.  I am really glad that I had a rubber coated dumbbell instead of my adjustable dumbbells.

I wore knee sleeves and elbow sleeves, but did not bother with wrist wraps.

Rogue Westside Scout Hyper

Not a week after putting a Hyperextension on my wish list, this little item pops up for $350 on Craigslist.  This is retail pricing, but I do save shipping.  I have to imagine shipping is at least $100.  It is in Aurora at I-70 and I-225.  It is also out of stock at Rogue Fitness.

This is an item that I did not use often even when I had access to one at Crossfit Golden.  It was however essential when I was rehabbing my back.  Per Mat Frazer's home gym review, he feels that a Hyperextension is essential for him.

The nice thing about this design is that it folds up to a pretty small footprint.  It also requires a large amount of space to use it.

At the fair price point, I think I would still prefer to have a Crossover Symmetry set.

UPDATE:  (3-19-2021)

I talked myself down from the ledge and will not be buying any more gym equipment.

It is actually a bit of a relief and disconcerting at the same time.  I am going to have a lot more free time as everything I used to browse for, I have purchased.  I will still likely continue to check out Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for interesting, unique and vintage items.  I will be bargain hunting and not paying full retail for anything.  In all likelihood, I will not be willing to drive all over the Denver Metro area to acquire the goods in question.

I still want a storage solution and am resigned to wait on Rep Fitness to have their system in stock.  If I find a 43" Rogue 3 Tier System, I will buy that as well.

Back Squat - Metcon

Thursday, March 18, 2021

Home Gym

1200

Warm Up

Hip Hammy

Wrist Mobility

Jumping Jacks

Comptrain Barbell warm-up

Back Squat

5 sets of 2 reps at 90%+

I warmed up with 95, 135, 165 and 185#.

I completed all of the sets at 205# (same as last year when CFG programmed this)

Metcon 

"Little Giza"

For time:

25 Pull-ups

50 Wall Ball Shots (20/14#)

100 Double Unders

50 Wall Ball Shots

25 Pull-ups

Time Cap = 15:00

Last year, I scaled to 10 pull-ups, 14# wall ball and working on double unders for 3 minutes.  I finished this scaled version in 12:26.

This time with the Open 21.2 pending, I opted for 10 ring rows, 25 WBS (14#) and 50 DU.  I finished in a blazing quick 6:56 which was a perfect get the heart rate going effort.

Home Gym Walk Through

Welcome to my home gym.  I started out with very simple intentions of having a supplemental training facility which ballooned into the $5K+ tour we will go through.

In the garage, I have a foundation of stall mats and a Rep Fitness 2x3 folding rack.  The pull up bar is high enough for me to kip on and the spotter arms add a level of safety when benching.  I also have a Rogue P-4 pull-up system which is solid, but I feel shaky kipping on it.  I like keeping the rings here for dips and ring rows.  I used to hang them from the ceiling.  The Concept2 rower is my one piece of cardio equipment.

Over here we have the barbells.  I started with the Rogue beater bar and added the Rep Fitness Technique bar when I was working on Olympic lifting.  The accompanying technique plates are stashed in the basement.  I still use it from time to time in WODs when I am targeting a 45# loaded weight.  Finally, the most recent acquisition is a Rogue Bella bar which I purchased for Olympic lifting and accessory movements like overhead squats.  The beater bar has a 31 mm shaft diameter and I feel a lot more confident with the 25 mm shaft of the Bella bar.  Tucked over here is a 15# Onnit steel mace that I use mostly for shoulder warm-up.

Moving on to plates, I have (2) pair of 45# Rep color bumpers, (1) pair of 25# Rep comp bumpers, all that was in stock, (1) pair of Hi-Temp 15# crumb bumpers, (1) pair of Rogue branded 10# crumb bumpers, and a set of Eleiko pound change plates.  I also have a set of Rogue branded OSO collars.

Moving on to Crossfit goodies, I have a set of plyo boxes (12", 12" and 8") locally made in Colorado.  Next are kettlebells, a CAP 15#, Rep 35# and Simpsons Competition 44#.  I keep a set of Rep 27.5# dumbbells in the garage for WODs, the odd size was a warehouse clearance item at Rep.  I have a Simpson's 14# wall ball that I can toss at a 9' target in the garage or 10' ledge on the side of the house.  Next is the Brute Force sand bag currently loaded to 50#.  Sometimes I do loaded walks and sometimes I do more interesting stuff.  I also have a foam mat to give some cushion to reverse lunges and sit-ups.  The highlight for me is still the Rogue Home Timer.

The last odds and ends are an axel bar (only used for axel bar deadlifts), PVC pipe, rope for legless climbs that I hang from the ceiling when programmed, chalk bowl, round counter that my kids made and some tape.  The chalk bowl is sitting on a bucket of my wife's dumbbells.

For decorations, I have the white board, PR board and a couple of banners.  I painted these walls in 100mph red to give the space some pop.

Before moving inside, come around the side of my house and you will note the 250# tire and 70# and 90# atlas stones.

Stepping into the family room, I have a set of parallettes that I use nearly exclusively for L-sits.  That hunk of steel is a half 50# york dumbbell or blob that I grabbed for grip training.

In our entry room, I have a gymnastics mat, a couple of abmats and a 6# med ball.  This is where I work on handstand push-ups.

Finally, the basement gym is set up primarily for powerlifting with a Raptor Yoke cut down to 84" so it fits down here.  I have a Cybex flat bench.  The plates are a set of Rogue branded 45# and 25# crumb bumpers and Rep rubber change plates.  Over hear is my EliteFTS squat box and a Titan Silencer pad (my daughters must have grabbed its buddy).  I have got the 20# Dynamax med ball down here and a York EZ curl bar.  Tucked over here are some Rep 50# dumbbells and an adjustable dumbbell.  All of this is on two stall mats.  I almost forgot the weight vest with plates to build a 14# or 20# vest (I have yet to use this Facebook marketplace find).  The basement is also home to my stationary bike for Zone 2 training.  On the stairway, I have some assorted bands.  And of course the Rep Colorado flag.

My gym bag holds the rest of my goodies, including Jump-N-Rope jump ropes (beaded and hybrid) and misc support gear (belts, sleeves, etc.)

I would love to have a modular storage system to get a little more organized and consolidate my equipment in the garage.

I am also still in the market for a slam ball and have thought about getting battle rope, Crossover Symmetry system and a Westside Scout Hyper.  If I had more space I would also consider getting an Assault Air Bike as they are a great warm up and are often programmed by Comptrain.

At one point, I had a Power Lift GHD, but I sold it due to lack of use and the large footprint.  It was a beast.  Although often programmed by Crossfit main site, I would not purchase a GHD again, unless I had a dedicated 500 square foot space.

The supplemental training started with garage sale and Craigslist finds in 2015.  Then in 2016, I set out to build a full on Crossfit set-up as my corporate gym access did not lend itself to functional fitness performed at high intensity.  My next interest was Strongman and I grabbed the Atlas stones in 2019.  Finally with Covid shutting down gyms in 2020, I strategically picked up pieces to complement the programming I have been getting from Crossfit main site, Crossfit Golden and Comptrain (via Vintage Crossfit).  

My biggest motivator for setting up the basement was the freezing temperatures in the garage.  I was clinging to the delusion that I would start parking my car in there again, but that never happened.  I still feel like a yoke is much more versatile than a power rack.  At my max efforts, the yoke is more than capable.

Metcon

Wednesday, March 17, 2021

Garage Gym

1600

Warm Up

Hip Hammy

Wrist Mobility

Pass Throughs

Steel Mace 360's

Metcon

3 rounds for time:

200 m run

10 knee to elbow

200 m run

10 DB Thruster (27.5#)

This was a nice little workout to squeeze in after a long day driving and at a work site.  I broke the K2B 4/4/2 in the first round and was limited to 3/3/2/2 by the final round.  The DB thrusters were paced slow, but unbroken.

Round 1 - 4:24

Round 2 - 4:54 (9:18)

Round 3 - 4:49 (14:07)

Programming was scaled from main site which called for 20 K2E each round and 20 Thruster with (40/25# dumbbells).

Last live CFG WOD 3-16-2020

It is hard to believe that it has been a year since my last live workout at Crossfit Golden.  Over that time I have continued to train with a focus on constantly varied functional fitness performed at high intensity.  I have also included a mono-structural staple of bicycling and running.

Most of my programming has come from Crossfit.com, Crossfit Golden and Vintage Crossfit (Comptrain).  Last summer I mixed in long runs, tempo runs and speed work.  Over the winter, my running has been strictly weather dependent.  I often rode my bike on the weekends.  This winter, I have set up a trainer and have been following TrainerRoad.

For variety, I took a stab at kickboxing style workouts and gave Convict Conditioning a try in order to change things up and keep my workouts fresh.

I rarely come across a workout that I do not have the equipment for.  Crossfit.com occasionally requires a GHD and Comptrain often calls for a bike erg.  It is very easy to include an alternative movement.

I have added several luxury items to my gym including more weight, rower, wall art and change plates.

Unfortunately, I have also added a lot of nonsense that I do not use often enough to justify.  These include dumbbells, steel mace, curl barbell, additional bands, silencer pads, weighted vest, squat box, and medicine balls.  I have also somehow amassed a quarter ton of plates at an average of $2 per pound.

I still recommend everybody start a gym with flooring, barbell, plates, rack, and bench.  Roughly in that order.  This can set you back $2K pretty easily.

Then you need to assess your goals and training methodology.

Cardio equipment could be a rower ($1K), bike erg ($1K), ski erg ($1K) or treadmill ($2K-$3K).  Pick 2 and it will set you back $2K-$3K.

Crossfit workouts can be modified ad infinitum and there is an equipment free stimulus for all movements.  However, to be fully outfitted, you are looking at another $1K.

Strongman should be the cheapest unless you get specialized equipment for competition.  If you go full on with yoke, strongman log, circus dumbbells, farmer's walk handles, you could be looking at $2K+.

Bodybuilding requires the most equipment and training for aesthetics often requires machines for safety and efficiency.  This requires a tremendous floor space and $10K+.  One may argue that a functional cable machine could replicate a lot of movements, but I disagree.

Powerlifting and Olympic Weightlifting requires the least amount of equipment, but it is still important to do accessory work.

For my personal needs today, my minimum gym configuration is flooring, gym timer, barbell, plates, rack with pull-up bar, abmat, jump rope, and kettlebell.  

SLIPS - Strict Press

Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Garage Gym

1300

SLIPS

Scales - 30 seconds on 15 seconds rest, once through 4 positions

L-sit - 2 times 15 seconds tuck; 1 time 10 seconds half extended

Inversions - 1 wall walk, 1 HS hold, 1 HSPU to 2 abmat, 1 HSPU to 2 abmat

Plank - 90 seconds on elbows

Strict Press

7x3 reps with pull-ups after each set

95 + 2

105 + 2

105 + 3

105 + 3

105 + 3

105 + 2

105 + 2

This felt pretty good and I am glad I stayed at 105# rather than moving up.  17 extra pull-ups is a nice bit of volume.  I went on roughly 2:30 intervals.

Strict press programming was from main site.

More Facebook Fun

Colorado Crossfit Communictty  - Courtesy of Cody Compton

Details

Used like new, $1100 if purchased all together, all Rogue products

$700 for the rig 

$300 for both pairs of rubber plates or $150 for one pair

$200 for the 45lb bar

Change Plates

Despite trying my best to avoid buying anymore gym equipment.  I went ahead and responded to a Facebook Marketplace ad from Beck Gast offering the following:

4x45# rogue bumpers - $335/pair

2x25# rogue bumpers - $225/pair

4x10# eleiko change plates - $92/pair

2x5# eleiko change plates - $62/pair

2x2.5# eleiko change plates - $48/pair

2x1.25# eleiko change plates - $28/pair

pair of Rogue OSO magnetic collars - $65

The Rogue bumpers could have been had for $845 for all (6) plates

The Eleiko change plates could have been had for $320 for all the plates

They also had a Rogue Ohio Bar for $285

Everything was being offered for $1400 (individually added up to $1515).

The Eleiko plates are priced at retail.  I am only saving shipping.  Plus they have rarely been in stock.

The Rogue Ohio Bar depends on model, but this is around retail.  Again save on shipping.

The Rogue Black Training Plates are $250 per pair for the 45# and $173 per pair for the 25#.  Tax and shipping to Colorado on HG 2.0 plates of the same weight is $180.  So $854 represents roughly delivered cost and again expensive but fair considering the pound training plates are out of stock.

The collars are exactly retail and included on 3 ships free.  Shipping and handling is pretty cheap at about $10.

However, for me spending $295 for a set of change plates and collars seems outrageous.  If I were patient, I could get a Rep Fitness set of change plates for $150 plus 4.75% tax puts me at $157 so I am paying a $73 premium or nearly 50% premium for Eleiko.  The Rogue change plates are a modest $190 for the set.  I could not get a better deal for OSO Collars.  The only question would be to buy new and to possibly get the $50 pair without magnets.

The top of the list is still the Rogue 3-Tier Mass Storage System - 43" with wheels, change plate horns, 2 bumper/med ball shelves and 1  kettlebell tray.  All for the delivered price of $742.27.

The rest of my dwindling wish list includes:

• Upgrading the 20kg barbell - I kind of lost interest in this
• Assault Air Bike - No room for this
• 20# slam ball - Rarely do slam ball workouts
• 35# dumbbell pair - I kind of lost interest in this
• Battle Rope - 1.5" x 50 feet is $90 and also in stock at Rep Fitness
• Crossover Symmetry - Wait until there is a 25% off sale
• Westside Scout Hyper - $350 is not horrible, I wonder what shipping would cost

UPDATE 3/16/2021

Measured weights

• 1.251 (0.08%)
• 1.258 (0.64%)
• 2.544 (1.76%)
• 2.547 (1.88%)
• 5.064 (1.28%)
• 5.066 (1.32%)

I was particularly impressed by the consistency with all of the plates within 3 grams of its partner.  I could not weigh the 10# on my food scale.

Snatch Complex - Metcon

Monday, March 15, 2021

Garage Gym

1200

Warm Up

Hip Hammy

Wrist Mobility

Down Dog

Squat Therapy

Comptrain Barbell Warm Up

Weightlifting

Every 90 seconds for 15 minutes (10 sets)

Hang Snatch + Overhead Squat

Build to heavy

45

55

60

65

65

-

65

70

70

70

75#

These all felt pretty good and I was getting under the bar reasonably well.

Metcon

2000 meter row

immediately followed by

3 rounds of

6 OHS (45#)

30 rope skips (beaded rope)

This was a nice little conditioning workout that I finished in 13:39.

Programming was an amalgamation of main site and CFG programming for today.

Back Squat - Bench Press

Sunday, March 14, 2021

Basement Gym

1500

Warm Up

Hip Hammy

Wrist Mobility

Squat Therapy

Back Squat

6x85

6x125

5x145

3x155

3x165

3x175#

Bench Press

8x85

7x115

5x135

3x145#

Sit-ups

5x15 reps (roughly EMOM)

Shoveled snow for 30 minutes.

TrainerRoad - Andrews

Saturday, March 14, 2021

Basement Gym

1000

TrainerRoad - Andrews

14.58 mile (1:30:00 moving time, 9.7 mph) ride on the Pinarello / TravelTrac.  Long sustained effort.

Crossfit Open 21.1

Friday, March 12, 2021

Garage Gym

1600

Warm Up

Hip Hammy

Wrist Mobility

Arm circles

Jumping Jacks

Rope skips

Drills

Double Unders

Crossfit Open 21.1

For Time:

1 wall walk

10 double-unders

3 wall walks

30 double-unders

6 wall walks

60 double-unders

9 wall walks

90 double-unders

15 wall walks

150 double-unders

21 wall walks

210 double-unders

Time cap: 15 min.

This was absolutely brutal.  The standard for the wall walks nearly broke me and although I counted them all, there were 3 reps that were questionable.

Round 1 started peppy enough and I finished at 34 seconds.

Round 2 was tough, but I was maintaining a reasonable cadence finishing at 3:43.

Round 3 ruined everything.  My wall walk target became 1 per minute.  However, I did OK on the DU finishing at 12:06.

Round 4 was pure guts and I finished 3 reps for a score of 113.

For equipment, I taped my left calf, wore calf sleeves and wrist wraps.  I wore my Saucony joggers.

Physically I felt good and my double unders were as effective as they ever are.  The wall walks require starting with fingers on a tape line measured at shoulder level going to a tap line 10 inches from the wall.  This standard felt reasonable when I tested it, but was a whole new animal fatigued.  It is hard to believe that most of my time was spent resting between the 13 wall walks that I actually completed.

Lessons learned, put the phone in airplane mode.  My mom called at the 12 minute mark which was annoying.  Listening to my breathing in the video is annoying.  I need to have some music going.

Overall, I feel good about the effort and feel like my fitness level was accurately represented.  My calf held up great during the double unders.  I had tweaked it February 26th and it still felt wonky March 6the when I did some box jumps.

The scaled workout would have been better for me.  That was the same volume but the wall walk was from in front of the shoulder line to behind the shoulder line and single unders.  I am still glad that I pushed myself.  In my head I wanted to get past 47 Rx reps.  After the first round, I thought I might get through 209 Rx reps, but it was not to be.

Shout out to Diya for judging me.

Outdoor Bike Ride

Tuesday, March 9, 2021

State Highway 72

1200

I finally got outside on my Gios for a 15.35 mile (1:06:11 moving time, 13.9 mph) bike ride.  It was a balmy 65 degrees and there was a slight headwind after the turnaround.

My last outdoor ride was October 29, 2020.

I canceled my TrainerRoad subscription which is paid through March 30, 2021.

Tempo Run

Monday, March 8, 2021

Rocky Mountain Greenway Trail

1300

2.92 mile (31:30 moving time; 10:46 pace) run along the Croke Canal Loop.  Perfect weather for running.  I was aware of my left calf, but no pain.

Elevations Hotel & Spa

This is hands down the finest hotel gym that I have ever accessed.  That title previously belonged to the Mirage in Las Vegas.

Walking in, I was taken aback to find 3 Power Lift Half Rack stations with Platforms and even platform ramps.  They had Power Lift Pro Series Multi Angle Benches and even Power Lift adjustable Plyo Boxes.  They had an off brand GHD, a bunch of Cybex machines, plenty of cardio equipment and dumbbells that went up to 90#.

Saturday Workout - Snatch technique, power snatch, overhead squat, GHD hip extension, GHD sit-ups, pull-ups, box jumps (21.5", 24.5")

Sunday Workout - Deadlift, GHD hip extension, GHD sit-ups, pull-ups

Power Lift Plyo Boxes.  These things were incredibly comfortable.  Per the website, smalls adjust from 21.5" to 31.5" in what appears to be 2" increments based on where you put the pins (21.5", 23.5", 25.5", 27.5", 29.5" and 31.5").  I was using it on the lowest and second lowest setting, but still tweaked my left calf.  If I have the opportunity, I will definitely buy one of these as they are cheaper, more stable and more adjustable than a full set of soft plyo boxes.  Power Lift also offers them in standard (31" to 45") and X-Large (36" to 60").  Currently there is a standard one for sale in South Bend, IN for $250 on Ebay.

Deadlift - Metcon

Thursday, March 4, 2021

Garage Gym

1230

Warm Up

Hip Hammy

Wrist Mobility

Child's Pose

Comptrain Barbell Warm-up

Deadlift - 135, 185#

Deadlift

5 sets of

3-5 reps at 20X1 tempo

4x225

3x245 with straps

3x245 with straps

3x245 with straps

3x245 with straps

Between sets I did 4 sets of 3 pull-ups.  I did not feel as solid as last week.  Not sure what was going on.

Metcon

AMRAP 10

400 m run

10 deadlift (225/155)

I opted for 155# and was able to get situated and work through the reps in 2 sets of 5.  I finished 2 Rounds + 5 Reps (run + 4 deadlift) in the time cap and finished the 3rd round after time was called.

Programming was from CFG for 3/4/2021.

Shoulder to Overhead - Metcon

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Garage Gym

1200

Warm Up

Hip Hammy

Wrist Mobility

Push-up to down dog

Steel Mace 360s

Strict Press - 45, 75#

Strict Press

Every 2 minutes for 8 minutes

3-4 reps

4x95

4x100

4x105

4x110#

Push Press

Every 2 minutes for 8 minutes

3-4 reps

4x110

4x115

4x120

4x125#

These felt surprisingly good.

Metcon

Every 6 minutes for 18 minutes

500 m row

50 air squat

25 push-ups

This was a lot of volume for me, so instead of adhering to the 6 minutes, I completed each round and then took a 1 minute rest.

R1 - 0:00 to 6:15 (6:15)

R2 - 7:15 to 13:35 (6:20)

R3 - 14:35 to 20:55 (6:20)

The row was pretty good at about 2:20-2:25, the air squats were slow and split at 20-10-10-10.  The push-ups went much better than expected and I was able to maintain 10-5-5-5 for all three sets.

Programming was from CFG for 3/2/2021.

Timebirds Timer

 

I came across a Facebook ad for this gym timer and for $69 I decided that I had to have it.  So I dutifully signed up on Kickstarter at the $69 introductory price on 8/25/2020.  The timer quickly reached its goal and my credit card was charged on 9/26/2020.

Following that, Timebirds made a cover available and requested shipping costs which I paid on 11/6/2020.  $15 for a cover that I really did not need and $9 for shipping.  At this point, I am all in for $93.

Coincidentally, the retail price is $119 for a timer and cover and there is a 10% discount.  I did save $23 compared to retail.

Unfortunately, I still have not received my timer.

Features:

• Pocket sized
• Magnetic
• No remote/phone required
• Rechargeable battery (USB-C)
• Count up/down, interval, count up/down by rounds, clock

This was primarily purchased to throw in my gym bag for when I returned to the gym.  I still think it is a clever design.  The proof will be in the display size and visibility.  Ease of use and battery life is less of an issue as I find that I can get used to anything.

Easy Run

Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Rocky Mountain Greenway Trail

1230

2.90 mile (32:42 moving time; 11:09 pace) around the Croke Canal Loop.  My left calf started to act up a little bit on the first loop and I slowed down to a steady, maintainable pace.  It was really nice outside and I was glad to get out for a run.

SLIPS - Back Squat

Monday, March 1, 2021

Home Gym

1200

SLIPS

Scales - 20 seconds then 30 seconds

L-sit - 10-10-5-5 seconds, tucked

Inversions - 20 second hold, 2-1-1 reps to 2 abmats

Plank - 90 second hold

Stretch - Hip Hammy, wrist mobility

Back Squat

Warm up with 45, 95#

On the 2 min

5x135

5x155

3x170

2x185

2x195

On the 3 min

10x135

10x145#

Goal was to get to 90% of 1RM and then find 10RM at approximately 70-75% of 1RM.  Assuming 225# 1RM, I got to 87%.  My 10RM was at 64#.  I might have had another 5# in me, but not 10#.

SLIPS was programmed by SKG and Back Squat was from CFG.

EMOM

Sunday, February 28, 2021

Garage Gym

1500

Warm Up

Jumping Jacks

Hip Hammy

Wrist Mobility

Metcon

EMOM 30

Station 1 - 3 pull-ups

Station 2 - 10 KB step back lunges (15#)

Station 3 - 12 abmat sit-ups

Station 4 - 10 HRPU

Station 5 - 5 T2B

Station 6 - 10 Sandbag Front Squat (50#)

This was supposed to be a get moving workout to get in some pull-ups and push-ups without being too taxing.  The rest periods were on the long side with pull-ups and push-ups taking 10-20 seconds and other movements taking 25-30 seconds.  Overall it was a good way to get in some quality movement on an active rest day.

TrainerRoad - Kaweah +1

Saturday, February 27, 2021

Basement Gym

1600

16.16 mile (1:30 moving time, 10.8 mph) ride on Pinarello / Travel Trac.  These were long 12 minute efforts.

Deadlift - Metcon

Friday, February 26, 2021

Garag Gym

1200

Warm Up

Foam Roll

Jumping Jacks

Hip Hammy

Comptrain Barbell warm up

Weightlifting

4 sets of

Deadlift 3-5 reps @20X1 tempo

rest 20 seconds

Tall Box Jumps 5 reps

rest 2 minutes

I used

225x5

245x4 with straps

245x4 with straps

245x4 with straps

and did 5 x 24" box jumps

Metcon

AMRAP 8

2 Pull-up

15 KBS (35#)

30 DU

I warmed up with some rope skips, drills, kip swings and scap pull-ups.

On the very first round, my left calf started to lock up after 11 DU and I finished the round with air squats.  I did the subsequent rounds with 30 step ups to an 8" box.  I finished with 3 Rounds + 33 Reps.  Hopefully the calf calms down in the next couple of days.

Programming was from Crossfit Golden for 2-26-2021

TrainerRoad - Matthes +1 - Strict Press

Thursday, February 25, 2021

Home Gym

1200

TrainerRoad - Matthes +1

12.19 mile (1 hour 15 minute; 9.8 mph)) ride on the Stationary Trainer.  This intensity was perfect for me and I feel like I am at a good FTP setting.

Weightlifting

Every 2 minutes for 8 minutes (4 sets)

Strict Press - 3-4 reps

Every 2 minutes for 8 minutes (4 sets)

Push Press - 3-4 reps

I went 95, 100, 105, 105# on the strict press

I went 105, 110, 115, 115# on the push press

Programming was from Crossfit Golden which also called for a metcon.

Wise Men

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Garage Gym

1200 with Ratna

Warm Up

Foam roll

Wall Squat

Glute Bridge

Single Leg Glute Bridge

Glute Bridge Walk Out

Down Dog

Scorpions (down facing and up facing)

Lateral Squat

Air Squat

Comptrain Barbell Warm Up

Metcon

“Wise Men” [On the 0:00]

AMRAP 3:

3 Power Cleans (135/95)

3 Front Squats (135/95)

3 Push Jerks (135/95)

Rest 3 Minutes

AMRAP 3:

3 Power Cleans (155/105)

3 Front Squats (155/105)

3 Push Jerks (155/105)

Rest 3 Minutes

AMRAP 3:

3 Power Cleans (185/135)

3 Front Squats (185/135)

3 Push Jerks (185/135)

KILOS

1st Bar: 61/43

2nd Bar: 70/48

3rd Bar: 84/61

Barbell Complex [On the 20:00]

7 Minutes to Build to a Heavy Complex:

1 Power Clean

3 Front Squats

1 Shoulder to Overhead

This was really tough and a painful reminder that I have been neglecting Olympic Weightlifting.  I scaled to the recommended ladies weight.

95# - 3 Rounds + 3 Reps

115# - 2 Rounds + 4 Reps (not sure why I went to 115# instead of 105#)

135# - 1 Round + 5 Reps

After resting for 5 minutes, I "attacked" the complex.  I was successful at 135, 145 and ultimately 155#.  I had doubts at 155 and had no intention of going higher.

Ratna scaled to 15, 20 and 25# and focused on quality of movements.  She did not build to a heavy complex.

Programming was from Vintage Crossfit.

Rogue Flat Bench - Facebook Marketplace

This was posted by Taylor Hamill 5 weeks ago and $140 represents is $40 off of retail at $180.  Shipping and tax would be another $50, so nearly $90 off of the $230 with new retail, shipping and tax.

I am tempted to take a look at this, even though I do not use a bench very often.

Craigslist - Posted 2/23/3021

1 x Rogue C-70 Bar with OSO Barbell Clamps @ $200 - RETAIL $280 + $50 plus shipping
1 x Pair of 10 lbs Rogue Bumper Plates by Hi-Temp @ $25 - $1.25/lb
1 x Pair of 10 lbs Fitness Gear Plates @ $20 - $1/lb
1 x Pair of 5 lbs Standard Plates @ $10 - $1/lb
1 x Pair of 5 lbs Fitness Gear Plates @ $10 - $1/lb

1 x Ader Premier 62lb Kettlebell @ $75

Must sell Barbell and Plates all together. Willing to sell Kettlebell separately.

The Rogue C-70 Bar is a shorty 35LB version of the Ohio Bar. Designed for competition use in the CrossFit Games, the barbell's shorter overall length (69") allows athletes to be spaced closer together. This can also benefit anyone training in tight quarters, be it a small garage gym, tight basement or busy training facility. This bar has knurl marks for both Olympic and Powerlifting grips and the distance between collars is 43" versus the standard 52".

I have been wanting a shorty bar and could probably suck up the 40# of plates that I do not need and get rid of them later.  Plates and barbell being sold together at $265?

Desire - Pull It Together

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Garage Gym

1300

Warm Up

box step up

active Sampson

alt bird dog

shoulder tap

active Spiderman

inch worm to push-up

2 minutes easy row

Comptrain barbell warm-up

pigeon stretch

saddle stretch

Metcon

"Desire"

AMRAP 5

Burpee Box Jump Overs (24")

rest until substantially recovered then

"Pulling It Together"

AMRAP 13

600 m row

9 deadlift 185#

12 single arm dumbbell burpee box step over (20")

Desire is a CFG standard workout that was a good substitution for the Crossfit Vintage program that I was modifying.  CF Vintage called for 50 burpee box jump overs resting to the 7:00 and going right into Pulling it Together at 275# and 24" for men.  I would not have finished and certainly was not prepared to pull 90% of my 1RM on deadlifts.

Desire 

5/21/2019 - 31 reps

8/26/2019 - 32 reps

12/23/2019 - 32 reps

3/2/2020 - 28 reps

2/23/2021 - 28 reps

I started out and was maintaining a good 6.5 reps per minute, but slowed down the last 2 minutes.

I ended up resting/prepping about 9 minutes before starting Putting It Together.  My rows were on a 2:30 pace and took me around 3:00 minutes.  The deadlifts were OK.  I did 4-3-2 quick singles, with pauses between subsets.  185# was a good challenging weight.  The SA DB box stepovers sucked.  Not sure what weight was recommended, but I should have gone unweighted.  I managed 1 Round + 14 reps (I completed 4 of 12 step overs on Round 2 and had no desire to complete the round).

It was nice to be wodding in the garage again.  My wife had an appointment so I was enjoying having the whole garage at my disposal.

Rep Battle Ropes

1.5" x 30 feet = $65**

1.5" x 50 feet = $90

2.0" x 30 feet = $95

2.0" x 50 feet = $135

1.5" x 30 feet for general fitness

2.0" for more extreme grip workout

50 feet for Cross Training / HIIT style workouts

Mat Fraser's Home Gym

When the fittest man on earth describes his humble home gym, it is always fun to tune in.  Self admittedly, he has a lot of equipment that is competition specific that he would not otherwise have.  He also points out that he got to where he is with a significantly scaled down home gym (175 square feet with 6 foot ceilings).  He now has a two car garage gym at home.

Highlights for me is that he has a lot of conditioning.  Multiple bikes for intervals and steady state efforts, rower, ski erg, treadmill and the "spinny thing."  The spinny thing is supposed to simulate speed bag movements and is a device used by boxers and MMA athletes for shoulder, upper arm, forearm and wrist endurance.  I feel like a set of battle ropes would get you all the way there, are cheaper and more versatile.

He also advocates competition bumpers and change plates yet does not promote high end bars.  The 300# competition bumper set plus 35# change plate set will set you back $1140 + $190 but will certainly last a lifetime and have a good feel and is all you will ever need.  The Ohio Bar by comparison is a budget friendly $295.  While he claims he only advocates a 300# set, there is easily 1200# in his gym.

There is also a lot of strongman stuff including dead balls, sandbags, log, and grip training implements.  Famously in the past, he also bought a pig (although it is not in his Tennessee home gym).

I certainly agree that a timer is clutch.  His other accessories include Crossover Symmetry, bands, jump ropes, Spud Inc. accessories, abmats, ab wheel, furniture sliders, etc.  I have certainly accumulated a ton of accessories as well.  It seems like I just find something interesting and want to have it.

Mat is a strong advocate of a GHD and Reverse Hyper but freely admits the footprint is large.  I bought and sold a GHD and rarely regret it.  However, at some point in the distant future, I would like to come across a Sorinex Frankenhyper ($3300) as I like throwing in GHD sit-ups and have used a Reverse Hyper for rehab and prehab.  For bodybuilding, I would like to get a  Sorinex Lat Pull Down Low Row ($3000) as those movements are much more comfortable with selectorized weights.

He also mentions artwork in passing.  He goes as far as taking stuff off the walls and setting it right in front of the cardio equipment to bring to mind some inspiration and focus.

Additionally, he describes the following at length:

Lifting Platform (8x8) - want

Dumbbells (5-100# + 125#) - have some

Kettlebells (big range) - have some

Plyobox - have

Pegboard - not sure if I want

Rig with pull-up bar - have a good solution

Rings - have

Climbing rope - have

Pulley System - not interested

Curl Bar - have with standard plates

Axle Bar - have

Elephant Bar - have used, but not often

Weighted Vest - have

Med Balls - have

Parallettes - have

Flat Bench - have

Iron Neck - never used

One of the few oversights is flooring which he does not discuss at all, but I believe is vital for a training experience.

Finally, one concession he makes is that he considered that (2) people may train together in his home gym, but that has never happened.

Mat's recommended Gym

Rogue Echo Bike or Concept 2 Bike Erg - $795 or $990

300# competition plates and change plates - $1330

Rogue Ohio Bar - $295

Rogue S-2 Squat Stand 2.0 - $425

Rogue 150# Sandbag - $90

Spud Inc Econo Pulley System - $110

Rogue Utility Bench 2.0 - $180

Rogue Home Timer - $150

--

Total $3375 or $3570 depending on bike.  Shipping would be extra, but you are getting close to $5K ships free.

I have a version of all implements listed except for a pulley system.

Stationary Bike on Travel Trac - $750 for bike + $125 for trainer - $875

490# Mixed Plates - Rep, Rogue, Weider (Crumb, Rubber, Comp, Iron) - $809

Rogue Beater Bar - $80

Rep Folding Rack - $240

Brute Force Sandbag - 50# - $125

Pulley System - NA

Cybex Flat Bench - $25

Rogue Home Timer - $150

--

Total $2304

Rogue sponsored athletes often do these reviews and I have seen Josh Bridges home gym among others.  While they are primarily promotional, they are a lot of fun.  I also enjoy the "What's in the Bag" videos.

While certainly a separate video, I feel like athletes often have a full host of recovery gear and supplements.

Tempo Run

Monday, February 22, 2021

Rocky Mountain Greenway Trail

1230

2.88 mile (30:50 moving time; 10:42 pace) mile run on Croke Canal Loop.  This has become my favorite go to run and I am starting to have more pacing check points.

Gymnastics

Sunday, February 21, 2021

Simms Street Center

1200

As we had reserved the "Big Gym" at the Simms St Center for 1.5 hours (for $180), I decided to have some gymnastics fun.  It is amazing how much safer everything feels on a spring floor.

Candlestick roll to standing practice - success from double fold mat and single fold mat, not from ground.

Handstand hold against wall

Headstand hold free standing

Ring Dips

Parallel Bar Dips

Forward Rolls

Balance Beam

Rope Climbs (not very far)

King Kong Grip Challenge 2021

2021 International King Kong Grip Challenge

Event will be held October 30th, 2021.

Closest venue is Carbondale, Colorado

Implements

2.25" Crusher (FBBC) - 6" Lift - 2" $100, 2.5" $114 from FBBC

Grab Ball (FBBC) - 6" Lift -$40 from FBBC

Finnish Ball (Otevoima) - 13" Lift - $25 for 1.5" ball from Arm Assassin Strength Shop

Little Big Horn (IronMind) - 6" Lift - $89.95 from IronMind

Diesel Crew has a lot of cool grip stuff including Blob training materials.

Other fun grip stuff

IronMind Rolling Thunder - $110

Iron Mind 15" Olympic Plate Loading Pin and Carabiner - $70

Iron Mind Standard Plate Loading Pin - $40

Slightly Faster Run

Saturday, February 20, 2021

Rocky Mountain Greenway Trail

1200

2.91 mile (31:58 moving time, 10:58 pace) run on the Croke Canal  Loop.  Felt much better today.  It was slightly warmer and there was no wind.  I had every intention of doing a H.I.I.T. workout today, but wanted to take advantage of the nice weather.

Easy Run

Friday, February 19, 2021

Rocky Mountain Greenway Trail

1200

2.89 mile (33:57 moving time; 11:44 pace) on Croke Canal Loop.  Although it was clear and in the low 40's the wind certainly made it chilly when running towards Standley Lake.  It was nice to shake the dust off, but my times were a fair reflection of the sluggish pace.

Nutrition Update

After some initial success last summer, my weight has been on a steady upward trend again through the winter and the last several weeks have felt like a roller coaster getting complacent and drifting above 190# and then getting "serious" for a few days and dipping back below 190#

The real frustration is that I know that I can eat healthy.  I know that my body responds positively to a healthy diet.

I would like to blame my activity level and general mood in the winter.  However, that challenge is likely to be present and have a greater impact on my health & fitness as I age.  My activity level will go down.