General

Monday, February 27, 2023

CDOT Fitness Center

1130

Treadmill

12 min at 5 mph 

6 min at 5 mph

--

1.5 miles total

Seal Push-ups

5 x 2 reps every 45 seconds

Biceps Blast - Alt DB Curl

16x15

16x20

16x25

8x30

4x35

could not move 40s

Dips

3-3-3-3-3

Cybex Calf Raises

20-20-20

45 minutes total workout

Strongman Training

Sunday, February 26, 2023

Garage Gym

1600

Warm Up

Hip Hammy

Crossover Symmetry

Axle Clean & Press

3x40

3x70

3x90

3x110

3x130

150 fail

1x140#

Farmers Carry Hold

110 x 30 sec

110 x 30 sec

110 x 26 sec

Deadlift - 17 Inch for max reps

135x20

185x13

225x10

Spent about an hour on this and felt really good about the efforts.  

Axle Press Medley is 75, 95, 115# and well within my range.

Farmer's Carry was rough.  Weight is 110 per hand.  I mistakenly trained lighter.

Deadlift target height is 18 inches (silver dollar deadlift), but I was comfortable at 17 inches.  I was surprised by grip challenge and endurance.  60 seconds is a long time.  Checking the rules, it appears we are allowed to use straps, so this might be substantially easier.  I might order Cerberus Figure 8 Straps ($35.99)

Swim

Sunday, February 26, 2023

Carmody Rec Center

1030

Swim

1000 FR

100 BR

100 BA

--

1200 yards total

Pikes Peak Scottish Athletes

It was fun to meet Coach, Joe, Dustin, Dan and Sam at Thorndale Park for some practice.  

We started with Braemar then Open Stone.

Then we went for weight for distance.  They had a 56, 42 and 28# weights.

Then we did hammer throw.  They had a 16# and 22# hammer.

Next weight over bar and they only had a 42# and 35#.  This was really tough for me.

Finally they wrapped up with sheave toss.  I still cannot get the hang of this.

The ground was too hard to play with cabers.  I do not think they brought one.

I would still like to build my own adjustable weight for distance with iron pipe, standard weight plates, chain, shackles and D ring handle.  Although it seems pretty easy to put together, I am looking at As much of a pain as it seems, I may go with I will have an optional ring to use it for weight over bar.  I would also like to buy a hammer (probably from Black Sheaf).

1/4 " Chain $3.02/ft

Highland Games Implements

Back down the rat hole again.  

Highland Games Warehouse is still the place to go to for prefabricated stuff.

28# Weight for Distance - $135

42# Weight for Distance - $155

56# Weight for Distance - $165

D-handle - $30

O-Ring Handle - $20

16# Hammer - $100

Old Celts

28# Weight for Distance - $149

42# Weight for Distance - $179

56# Weight for Distance - $199

D-handle - $28

O-Ring Handle - $25

16# Hammer w/schedule 80 PVC Handle - $110

Black Sheaf

16# hammer - $90

22# hammer - $100

Schedule 40 handle - $10

Conventional 3-tine sheaf fork - starting at $95

Sheaves 16# - $80

28# WFD - $115 - 4.5" cylinder

42# WFD - $155 - 6" sphere or 5.625" cylinder

56# WFD - $175 - 6.625" cylinder

"D" handle - $30

6.5" x 5/8" solid bar ring with anchor shackle - $20

20# sheave - $80

Conventional 3-tine sheaf fork - starting at $95

Outfitted for Master's Men's Competition from Black Sheaf

28# Weight $115 - own

42# Weight $155 - need

(2) Round Rings $40 - have one

16# Hammer $90 - own

22# Hammer $100 - need (low priority)

(2) Handles $20 - have one

20# Sheaf $105 - have 16#

Sheaf Fork $95+ - have

--

$720

Break into 3 orders - hammers and handles = $220; weights + rings = $310; sheaf + fork = $200 OR light weight and hammer = $235; heavy weight and hammer = $285

Welding Classes in Denver through Denver Tool Library or Dabble.co

Build up a throwing weight from 1 inch weight plates

Old-Dude.com has a good page and a technique to use a 5/8" bolt and PVC pipe.  Much cheaper than 1 inch bolt.

Ben Edwards - USAWA member and thrower

DaveDraper.com has a good thread as well

Sorinex offers a "Ballistica" for $149 - Basically a loading pin, chain, ring, clamp, shackle and carabiner

Heart Spark Forge - near the house is an amateur blacksmith - Ring - 7" in Diameter and 5/8" round stock.

6-1/2" long; 6-1/2" diameter solid hot rolled steel from www.speedymetals.com -- 5/16" link chain, quick links and a 3/4" rod to make a handle out of.  Chain and Rod from Tractor supply.

3/4" inch iron pipe nipple and running an eye bolt through the pipe.

xmakrsthescot.com/forum has some threads on implements

Crosby nut attach to bolt, CRS

Schedule 80 PVC and weight plates for a hammer.  Duct tape the shit out of it.

23.2 = Burpee PU - Shuttle Run - 1RM Thruster

Friday, February 24, 2023

Garage Gym

1500

Warm Up 

Hip Hammy

Shuttle Runs

Crossover Symmetry

Burpee Pull-ups

Pass Throughs

Shuttle Runs

Warm Up Thrusters

23.2A:

Complete as many reps as possible in 15 minutes of:

5 burpee pull-ups

10 shuttle runs (1 rep = 25 ft out/25 ft back)

*Add 5 burpee pull-ups after each round.

23.2B:

Immediately following 23.2A, athletes will have 5 minutes to establish:

1-rep-max thruster (from the floor)

Plan

This is a very accessible workout and a good test for me. I expect to finish somewhere between 80 and 90 reps at 5 burpee pull-ups/minute and roughly 90 seconds for the shuttle runs.

The thrusters will be interesting.  I intend to open with 95, 115 and depending on feel go for 120, 125, 130 or 135?  3-4 attempts 

I started off well paced and did not fall off too much on the shuttle runs.  The burpee pull-ups fell off on round 4 which I did not finish, but still managed 78 reps.  I grossly underestimated my shuttle run time.  I wore my Reebok Nano X1 trainers, JAWS grips and AIRWAAV mouth guard.

5 burpee PU - 0:45

10 shuttle runs - 1:45 (2:30)

10 burpee PU - 1:45 (4:15)

10 shuttle runs - 1:59 (6:14)

15 burpee PU - 3:03 (9:17)

10 shuttle runs - 1:51 (11:08)

18 burpee PU - 3:52 (15:00)

It took me over a minute to settle my heart rate for my thruster opener at 95#.  This felt good and I stuck with the plan to go for 115#.  115# went up smoothly so I went for 125# and finally picked up the bar at 19:50 and made 135# as well.  This felt really good and I could have gone heavier today.  Still, I was thrilled to make 135#.  I took off my JAWS grips and put on Wrist Wraps for the thruster attempts.  I also put a belt on for 125 and 135#.

Nice to have week 2 in the books.

On video review, I miscounted a shuttle run and will give myself a 10 second deduction resulting in a score of 76 instead of 78.

Leaderboard (3/1/2023)

8,042 men aged 50-54 posted scores for 23.2A

6,727 Rx Athletes (83%)

1,240 Scaled Athletes (6731-7971)

70 Foundational (7972-8042)

Of the 23.2B Rx Athletes

2,018 got 185#  +

236 got 225# +

max was 285# by Chris Brokman

I was 6263/5915 (93%, staying consistent in the bottom 10% of male 50-54 CrossFit Open 23.2 A/B participants).

23.1 - 5117th

23.2A - 6323rd

23.2B - 5915th

Grip Training Accessories

I have done a pretty nice job of accumulating some grip training implements.  My humble beginnings were the Captains of Crush grip trainers in 2019.  Then I came across a York blob that I was willing to pay $2/pound for.

About a year later, I came across some Ironmind equipment on Craigslist followed by Rogue Cannonball and Grandfather Clock grips.

The past few months have been over the top as I wanted to train for the 2023 King Kong Grip Contest which featured Otevoima Kuula, Ironmind 6" Block, FBBC Crusher and FBBC Jug.  That little escapade set me back $270 and I ended up with a Finnish trainer from Arm Assassins Strength Shop.

There are a lot of suppliers of grip implements including, but certainly not limited to:

• Rogue Fitness
• IronMind
• Arm Assassins
• Otevoima
• Fat Bastard Barbell Company
• Grip Genie
• Gods of Grip
• Surplus Strength

With that said, unless you are training for competition, you do not need any particular implement to develop a strong grip.

As I have started training for King Kong, I am getting tired of swapping out the weights and the pins.  The issue is my relative strength:

• IronMind Block - 12.5 pounds
• Finnish Ball - 17.5 pounds (2022 King Kong winner 104#)
• Crusher - 75 pounds (2022 King Kong winner 253#)
• Jug - 60 pounds

It may seem trivial, but I want to get some more carabiners and loading pins.  Carabiners are $3-$4 each depending on size.  I would want a minimum of 3 inch and a maximum of 4 inch.  One can pay $9-$12 for them as well.  Some of the larger ones will not be compatible with small loading pins.

Loading pins are designed for 1 inch plates (standard) or 2 inch plates (Olympic).  They are fairly inexpensive with prices from $20 to $40 for most.  The length is variable from 12" to 24". My current loading pin is 12 inches and designed for Olympic plates.  The Finnish Ball is usually contested with a rigid connection.

Arm Assassins Strength Shop Wish List:

Loading Pin - Grabhold - $25 - 15" Olympic with ability to do rigid connections

Loading Pin - 12 Inch Olympic $25

Vertical Bar - 1" Olympic - $25

Banner - $25

Carabiner - 3" - $3.50

Carabiner - 3.5" - $4.00

Carabiner - 4" - $5.00

Napalm Handles 2-3/8" single - $18

These guys have the most reasonable prices and fast shipping.

Fat Bastard Barbell Company

I like the innovation of Fat Bastard Barbell Company and think I should just suck it up and pay the higher prices and wait for my stuff to arrive.

Contest Loading Pin - $40

Omni Loading Pin - $45

Specific to King Kong Grip Contest

Otevoima Finnish Ball - 35 Euros

Otevoima Anchor - 20 Euros

ship to European address?

ship to US - 45 Euros

Amazon

LFG loading pin with carabiner - $23.99 (Olympic) or $15.99 (Standard)

Back Squat - Metcon

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Basement Gym

1200

Warm Up

Hip Hammy flow

Back Squat

12x45

10x95

8x115

6x135

4x155

2x175#

Bandbell Press

8x10/10 - light

8x20/20 - good weight

8x20/20 - good weight

Metcon

4 Rounds for time

10 back extension (10#)

8 Abmat sit-up 

6 push-up

4 burpee

2 cannonball pull-ups

This was harder than I expected and I finished in 9:06

45 minutes total workout

Run - Metcon

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Garage Gym

1200

Run

2.01 mile (12:23/mile; 24:53 moving time) run around the neighborhood.  Taking advantage of the nice weather, I went a little further

Metcon

THE WORKOUT:

14 min AMRAP -

60 Sandbag Burpee Deadlift

50 Sandbag Leg Raises

40 Sandbag Thrusters

30 Sandbag Cleans

20 Push-Ups w/ Plank & Pull Through

This workout was from GoRuck and I scaled it with the original intention of doing a 12 minute AMRAP with 18/15/12/9/6 reps, but ended up settling for 1 round, finishing in 7:39.

18 burpee in 3:14

15 leg raises were quick (2 sets)

12 thrusters (fast, but exhausting, finished around 5 min)

9 cleans (never caught my breath from the thrusters)

6 push-ups were not bad

This is a great series that I would like to perform more often

Grip Training

Crusher

3x5 sec 75# hold

Jug

2x10 sec 50, 60# hold

York "A" Plates

I have been scouring the internet and cannot find much information about York A plates.  They seem desirable, they are hard to identify and now I want some.  It appears to be a standard plate with a unique rim and marked as 10A, 5A, 2.5A, etc.

Per Ben Beaulieu

They are Yorks first gen 1 inch plates. Same design that was stolen from Jowetts plates. Jowett plates also have the A stamps.

I believe York A plates from from the early 1930’s - mid 1930’s. Then Yorks switched to the wide letter single side plates from mid to late 1930’s. The started casting the wide letter double sided.

The A plates are a very cool set. I like collecting these mainly for the fact of the age and I like anything pre-war or WW2 era.

York 9 pound Roundheads

I contacted Ray Rocho 57 minutes after listing and the sale was pending.  I actually lost sleep over this one.  He wanted $75 for everything including a straight bar and curl bar and a few plates.  York dumbbells rarely show up on the front range and typically sell quickly.  I would have gladly paid $90 for the 9 pound dumbbells and might be willing to go as high as $135 if the new owner decides to flip them.  I will be keeping an eye on Ebay, Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist.  Michael Lee picked these up and knows exactly what he has.  No chance of seeing the 9 pound York roundheads on a flip.  I saw the listing for the balance on Craigslist ($140 for 130 pounds of weights).  Very nice pick up and flip.  They are still out there.  

6 pound Roundheads have been available for $120 on Vintage Weightlifting Swap ($10/pound)

9 pound Roundheads are listing and selling on Ebay for $400 ($20/pound)

12 pound Roundheads are listing and selling on Ebay for $180 ($15/pound)

Most others are $1.50 to $2.00 per pound

There is still a lot of vintage stuff I am looking for.  I would love a pair or even a single globe dumbbell.  Zuvers, Jackson and York Deep Dish plates have continued to elude me.

York Deep Dish Plates sell for $1000 for a pair of 45s ($11/pound)

I am still fairly pleased with myself to even have seen the listing.  Another half hour and I would have been peacefully oblivious to missing out.

I have been scooped on quite a few listings lately, including a set of milled York plates with barbell at $1/pound.  I think Brian Tetreault grabbed these as he is selling a mismatched set for $500 that seems to be a combination of stuff he already had mixed with the new stuff.

And a Marcy 35 pound Los Angeles plate

Pool Swim then Run

Monday, February 20, 2023

Carmody

0830

Swim

400 FR

150 BR

150 BA

200 FR

200 FR

--

1100 total

Run

1.47 mile (12:00/mile; 17:41 moving time) run around the neighborhood.

23.1 = 14.4

Friday, February 17, 2023

Garage Gym

1215

23.1 = 14.4 - Row-T2B-WBS-Cleans-MU

This workout is a 14 minute AMRAP

60 calorie row

50 toes to bar

40 wall ball shots (20# ball to 10' target)

30 cleans (135#)

20 muscle ups

I do not have muscle ups, but the rest of the workout I can manage (but likely not complete) as prescribed.  As it happens, I actually have all of the equipment I would need, if I did have muscle ups.  The layout will be tricky and I will keep the Timebirds timer running in addition to the Rogue Timer.

60 cal Row ~ 5 min

50 T2B sets of 3-5 ~ 4 min

40 WBS sets of 10 ~ 2 min

30 Cleans singles ~ hopefully get through 10-15 of these

Warm Up

Jumping Jacks

Hip Hammy

Wrist Mobility

Movement set-up and a few reps

23.1

14 minute AMRAP

60 calorie row

50 toes to bar

40 wall ball shots (20# ball to 10' target)

30 cleans (135#)

20 muscle ups

Everything was going fine, until the second set of toes to bar.  I finished the row in 4:39 (only movement I do on a regular basis).  The T2B sucked and were nearly all singles which I finished at 11:12 (6:33).  The wall balls were no better and I had a couple of no reps.  I eventually got my breathing in check, but only managed 20 wall ball shots total.  Final score = 130 reps.

I take some solace in that this was truly my best effort.  I repeat would not get me any more repetitions.  I really thought I would have time to do some cleans, but that was not to be.  Overall a very good test. 

Leaderboard (2/21/2023)

8243 men aged 50-54 posted scores.

5581 Rx Athletes (67.7 %)

2545 Scaled Athletes

117 Foundational Athletes

Of the Rx Athletes

4632 completed a clean (83%)

661 completed a muscle up (12%)

1 athlete completed the muscle ups and got back on the rower - Giulio Silvino (Italy)

I was 5133 (92%, enjoying the bottom 10% of the male 50-54 CrossFit Open participants)

If I were to repeat the workout with specific training for 6 months, I would like to be able to get to the cleans.

BTWB Recap

Metcon

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Garage Gym

1500

Warm Up

Crossover Symmetry

Hip Hammy Flow

Calf Raises

Pull-ups - Push-ups - Air Squats

Calf Raises

PVC pass through

Strict Press

Jump Rope drills

"Wattle"

8:00 AMRAP

10 T2B

15 WBS

35 DU

I modified the WBS to 65# thrusters and managed 1 Round + 22 Reps in 8 minutes.  It took me to 10:19 to finish the second round.  T2B were ugly; singles in round 1 and then 5/3/2 in round 2.  Thrusters were 9/6 and then 8/4/3.  Double Unders were not bad, but did take me 4-5 sets each round.  Overall, it felt good to really feel a high intensity effort.

Rogue Suitcase Challenge Finisher

95# - fail

75# - good attempt

80# - good attempt

I am a little disturbed that I actually have 2 acceptable barbells (45# without center knurling) that could be used for this challenge and another 2 45# barbells with center knurling.  The only thing I do not have is a postal scale and I will probably get one for my birthday.

Rogue Suitcase Challenge

I will have to sign up for this one.  Hold as much weight as you can on two barbells for at least 30 seconds.  I will probably make a few attempts and will have to practice the movement a couple of times over the next couple of days to see what a good starting point might be for me.  

Suitcase challenge was held in 2021 and the top 3 were 590, 560 and 460 pounds.  In 95th place the entry was 95 pounds and 50th place was 252.5 pounds.  I can certainly manage 100 pounds each hand and could not manage over 150 pounds, but I am not sure where the sweet spot is.

UPDATE:  2/14/2022 1800 (about an hour later) - 95# resulted in an epic fail at about 20 seconds.  75# was fine and 80# felt near max effort.  That would be a 160# total placing me at roughly 85 out of 95 in the 2021 leaderboard.

Balancing the bars was harder than I expected and a hook grip without tape really bit into my thumb.

CrossFit Judges Course

The 2023 CrossFit Open kicks off in a couple of days.  I have all of the equipment I need except for kettlebells.  For a workout that requires a 24 or 32 kg kettlebell, I will drop in at CrossFit Golden or another box.  Decima CrossFit is close to the house.  I could also try Thor Strength or one of the rec centers.

For the first time I took the Judges course and it was surprisingly difficult.  I could recognize no reps, but struggled with counting reps and multiple faults in the same movement.  At two points, I just modified my answer up and down until I got the answer that the test was looking for.  I did learn a couple of faults that I was not aware of specifically on the completion of a movement.  For example a wall walk ends with the athletes chest on the ground.  Overall it was $10 well spent.  It took me just over two hours to complete the course and pass the test.  CFID 747312.

Treadmill - Accessory

Monday, February 13, 2023

CDOT Fitness Center

1200

Treadmill

1.25 mile jog - calibrated Garmin Fenix 6

Accessory

EMOM 5

1 pull up + 3 dips

EMOM 5

3-2-2-2-2 Seal Push-ups

Calf Raises

3x20

Swim - Deadlift

Sunday, February 12, 2023

Carmody Rec Center

1030

Swim 

1x500 FR

1x400 FR

1x300 FR

--

1200 total

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Garage Gym

1430

Deadlift

8x135

8x185

5x225

3x255

2x285

2x285

2x285#

Hip Thrust

8x135

8x225

8x225

Set up on 6" Crash Mat to elevate shoulders

Bench Press

Saturday, February 11, 2023

Basement Gym

1730

Bench Press - Multiangle Bar

8x95

6x115

5x125

5x125

5x125#

Strict Press - Row

Thursday, February 9, 2023

Basement Gym

1700

Warm Up

Foam roll

Crossover Symmetry

PVC Pass Through

Strict Press

Every 3 minutes for 15 minutes

3 reps at 80% (95#)

2 reps at 85% (100#)

1 rep at 87-90% (105#)

loads were based on estimated 120# 1RM.  This was a tough strength session.

5K Row

25:55.5

This was a reasonable effort.  The Vintage CrossFit workout I was modeling called for Hang Power Cleans, Thrusters and Shoulder to Overhead.  I need to work on thrusters, but was not feeling it.

Icelandic Lifting Stones

Dritvik - 23, 54, 100, 154 kg

Husafell - 186 kg

Leggstein - 220 kg

Judas - 127 kg

Latra - 96, 107, 144, 177 kg

Brynjolfstak - 281 kg

Arbaer - 81 kg and 304 kg

Petersstein - 175 kg

Back Squat - Metcon

Thursday, February 8, 2023

Home Gym

1700

Warm Up

Foam Roll

Hip Hammy

Back Squat

8x95

6x135

5x155

4x175

2x195

2x195#

Metcon

8 rounds for time:

200 meter run

1 rope climb (12')

17:58

I started at just over 2 minutes per round and obviously slowed.  Most of the slow down was in transitions.  This was a surprisingly fun couplet.

Fat Bastard Barbell Company

Ever since doing the King Kong Grip Challenge in 2019, I have kept a tab on Fat Bastard Barbell Company (FBBC).  It is a small operation run by Andrew Pantke out of Bay City, Michigan.  Apparently he has a day job and makes implements on the side.  He has been in the business a while and has supported past King Kong Grip Challenges and maintains grip leaderboards for various FBBC implements.  

He is innovative as well creating novel solutions to vertical bar challenges, bending stock, Inch training implements, and others.

I was interested in a 2.25" Bushing Crusher and 2.5" Jug to train for 2023 King Kong Grip Challenge which features implements from IronMind, Otevoima and FBBC.

January 15, 2023 - Sent inquiry

January 22, 2023 - Received invoice

February 2, 2023 - Requested status (no reply)

February 8, 2023 - Received USPS shipping notification label generation

February 14, 2023 - Received USPS notification that item received by USPS

I am looking forward to receiving the implements and hope they arrive in good shape and are of high quality.  

I will likely work with FBBC in the future.  

On GripBoard.com he has mixed reviews with the only negative being timeliness of communication and receipt of order.  I can certainly attest to that frustration.

In fact he clearly states on his website that he strives to ship within 5-10 business days of invoice payment and will not update status within the first 5 business days.

After paying the invoice, I reached out after 9 business days with no response and received a notification of USPS label generation after 13 business days.  I received a notice that items received by USPS after 17 business days.  We will see when it arrives, estimated 2/17/2023 (20 business days).

Cool Stuff in Aurora

Patrick Marion is moving out of state and has listed 45# pairs for $100 each.  If I lived closer, I would definitely be grabbing another pair of Yorks.

He also has a Texas Power Bar and Texas Squat Bar for $200 each.  If I did not just get a Texas Power Bar last fall, I would definitely be making the drive.  I am still interested in the Texas Squat Bar ($200 for a bar that retails for $390).

Finally, he had a pair of York Urethane 150# dumbbells for $250.

Everything was sold by noon.

Another fun one on Vintage Weightlifting Swap are Universal change plates

Antonio Rodriguez has 2.5# and 5# pairs that I am interested in, but not sure what to offer.  I was thinking $45 plus shipping.

EMOM

Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Garage Gym

1200

Warm Up

Jumping Jacks

Mountain Climbers

Crossover Symmetry

EMOM 20

Station 1 - 10 WBS 14# to 10'

Station 2 - 8 American KBS (44#)

Station 3 - 3 Burpee Box Jump Overs (24")

Station 4 - 8 Push-ups

Good session with appropriate work to rest ratio

Bench Press

8x95

8x115

5x135

5x145

4x155#

Treadmill

Monday, February 6, 2023

CDOT Fitness Center

1200

Treadmill

1% incline

1.5 min at 2.9 mph

15 min at 5 mph

1.5 min at 2.9 mph

Dips

5 sets of 3 reps

Core Blast

3 sets of

16 alt tuck ups

16 Russian twists (10#)

Bandbell - Oscillating Kinetic Energy

My latest equipment obsession is a Bandbell bar.  I have only trained with one a few times, but I was very impressed with the implement as a prehab/rehab tool.  My original goal was shoulder strength and I used it for bench press, overhead press and front rack walking lunges.

Bandbell has several models from the:

Original Bamboo Bar - slots instead of band wraps

Earthquake bar - wraps (80" long)

E-Maxx (86.5" long, protective sleeve at rack locations)

RhinoFlex Bar

RhinoFlex HD Bar

My debate is down to the Earthquake ($289) or the E-Maxx ($339).  I would actually prefer shorter and am not too worried about the protective wraps.

Bandbell also sells Anchor Loader ($95), Strap-n-Hook ($35), Bands ($20/pair) and BandLocks ($20).

I do not feel like I need the rigid straps and am really focused on band work.  

I would be looking at $309 for the Earthquake Bar and a pair of bands.  I could certainly get bands anywhere, but these are cool.

Alternate products include a homemade PVC alternative ($20ish), Rocko Barbell from Dutch & Co ($190), The Yoak ($300).

Bandbell products have been endorsed by Mark Bell, EliteFTS and a source I trust, Garage-Gyms.com.  They were originally developed by Westside Barbell founding member Jim Seitzer.  While $300 seems ridiculous for some fiberglass, they do maintain good resale value and if resale were a primary concern, I would opt for the E-Maxx.  I should still probably pony up the additional $50.

SLIPS - EMOM

Sunday, February 5, 2023

1000

Garage Gym

Warm Up

I started by re-arranging the gym and mixed in hip hammy flow and crossover symmetry

SLIPS

Scales - front/rear left/right about 30 seconds

L-sit - 4x max effort tucked (~8 seconds)

Inversions - 4 reps to 3 abmat, 2x1 rep to 1 abmat

Plank - 90 second hold on elbows

EMOM 20

Station 1 - 15 double unders

Station 2 - 6 single arm Kettlebell Swing (35# 3/3)

Station 3 - 2 pull-ups

Station 4 - 12 alternating lunges

This was a nice flow and I was able to do the double unders unbroken until the last set.  KBS were mostly to focus on technique and not hitting my wrist.  I should have upped the reps.

Arm Finisher

3x8 standing ez curls (42#; barbell plus 10 pound plates)

The space is certainly more functional and the dead space near the walls is better occupied and there is more open space as well.  I will continue to move dumbbells around and need to organize my powerlifting space in the basement.  It is complete chaos.  I may bring one of the plate trees up to the garage and move the J-boxes downstairs.

Metcon

Friday, February 3, 2023

Garage Gym

1800

Warm Up

Jumping Jacks

Calf Raises

Hip Hammy Flow

Metcon

18-calorie row

12 push-ups

6 dumbbell squat snatches, alternating

♀ 40-lb DB ♂ 60-lb DB

I modified the row to a 400m run (it was nice and I have not ran outside in a while).  I scaled the squat snatches to 20# and still struggled.

I finished the 4th round at 17:12 and took off on a Hail Mary run.  I decided to finish the round (Froning-esque) and completed the 5th round at 21:33.  Volume was good at 1.25 miles of running, 60 push-ups and working on a newish to me movement of squat snatches.

Lettering Hightlights

It may be subtle, but I am really happy with how the highlighting turned out.  I gave the letters two coats with oil based Sharpie paint pens.  I am also still debating stripping the Billards down to bare iron or leaving them as is.  There is already quite a bit of the grey paint flaking off.

Deadlift - EMOM

Thursday, February 2, 2023

Garage Gym

1230

Warm Up

Hip Hammy flow

Wrist Mobility

Cat/Cow

RDL

Deadlift

Every 2:00 for 10:00

8 @ 60%

7 @ 65% x 2 Sets

6 @ 70%,

6 @ 70%+

I worked off of an estimated 315# DL and did set 1 at 185#, set 2-3 at 200# and set 4-5 at 215# (68%)

“Kimiko”

16:00 EMOM

min 1: 15/12 Cal Row

min 2: 10 Dual DB Step-Overs 50/35lb, 22.5/16kg

min 3: 18 GHD Sit-Ups or Medball Weighted Sit-Ups

min 4: 18 Box Jump Overs 24/20”

I modified this to skip the rows and do a 12 min EMOM with 40 seconds work and 20 seconds rest.

Dual DB Step Over - 10 reps - R1 at 20# DB, then body weight

Medball weighted sit-ups - 14 x 6# mini medball

Box Jumps - 10 x 20"

I was able to hold the rep scheme for all 4 rounds.

Ratna joined me for this workout.  Programming from Vintage CrossFit for 2/1/2023.

Treadmill - DB Bench Press

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

CDOT Fitness Center

1530

Treadmill

8 min @ 3 mph (trying to set up Life Fitness Connect)

12 min @ 5 mph

3 min @ 3 mph

DB Bench Press

Flat Bench

10x40

8x50

6x60#

Incline

8x35

8x45

4x55#

30 minutes total workout

Digging for Gold

First come, first serve, no holds, 50 cents/pound.  I reached out to Sean about an hour after posting and got there an hour later and scrounged up a nice pair of Billard deep dish 45s (looks like skinny "O" not Taiwan stamped and a pair of USA deep dish 10s.  They have been painted and there is some rust, but as far as I am concerned, $55 well spent.  There was a pair of Ivanko 25s that I nearly picked up as well, but I am not ready to start that set.  I also passed on some Weider International bumper plates.

Everything except the rack sold within an hour of me stopping in.  If I were a flipper, I might have tried to buy for 50 cents/pound and sell for $0.75 to $1.00 per pound, but I have not been interested in that.

Lots of other good stuff too including a large set of Ivanko pro style dumbbells for $400 and a 5-50 set of Rep straight handle dumbbells for $300 ($0.55/pound).  The Rep dumbbells were pending within hours.

The Rep dumbbells were scooped up by Brian Tetreault and relisted for $800.  $1.50/lb is certainly reasonable and I do like the straight handles.  Even if he ends up letting them go for $600 it is still a nice mini-investment to flip gym equipment.

The Ivankos ended up being a full set from 5-100 missing a 65# db and a bent handle on one of the 70#.  I know this because I saw the flip post from Seth Walker with much nicer pictures and a listed price of $2600.  2100 (full set) - 65 db = 2035# of weight at $0.20/lb and Ivanko are a premium brand.  Even if he ends up dumping them at $0.50/lb that is still a great flip of $600.  He should be able to get somewhere between $1500 and $2000 for the set.