Movement

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Basement Gym

1630

Warm Up

Hip Hammy Flow

Squat

8x45

8x95

8x95

Bench

8x45

8x95

8x95

Deadlift

5x135

5x135

5x135

30 minutes total.  I still have a bit of a productive cough, but wanted to move a little bit without much cardiovascular tax.  This was perfect.  Not stressful, but quality movement.

York and Hoffman Dumbbells

Screaming deal from Nick Newport on Vintage Weightlifting Swap.  I had a chance to grab the 45s, but dragged my feet.  They were listed for $80 plus $22 each for shipping.  $124 to my door.

Updated, priced to move

Post-USA 45s, straight and heads are tight: SOLD

- can ship USPS large flat rate priority: one for $22, or both for $44 (separate boxes)

Hoffman 40s, $70 for the pair

- can ship USPS large flat rate priority: one for $22 or both for $44 (separate boxes)

Hoffman 30s, $50 for the pair

- can ship USPS medium flat rate priority: one for $17 or both for $34 (separate boxes)

2024 Armlifting USA Super Series

Stage 1 - June

Country Crush Two-Hand Revolving Handle (2" Grips) - $125

3"x4" Saxon (Arm Assassin, Sorinex, others) - $210

Hub (IronMind or Grip Genie) - have

Stage 2 - August

Country Crush 1.75" Raptor, 15" loading pin - $99, $59

Blue Fat Gripz Deadlift - have

Grip Genie Hilt or Rogue Grandfather Clock - have

Winners invited to Las Vegas for championships during the Mr. Olympia.

-------

Country Crush order would be $283, but shipping is reasonable $15.

Sorinex is $204 but shipping and taxes are another $86.

Sorinex Desk Caddie

I am a big fan of all things physical culture.  Fortunately I dodged the heavy mug/stein/shot glass train, but I could not avoid the Sorinex Desk Caddie.

The 3x3x14" 11 gauge behemoth, will not sit on my desk, but it will be in my gym to secure remote control for the clocks, dry erase markers, and the sharpie that are currently scattered on a window sill a cup that I have screwed into the wall below my white board.

The $35 price point is very reasonable considering how much work has gone into fabrication, but it is pretty ridiculous for what it is (a glorified cup and phone kick stand).  Sorinex went as far as to offer free shipping.  I am a little curious as to what it will weigh in at.

Finally the desk caddie is made out of recycled materials.  So rather than boring out a giant hunk of steel, the laser cut and put some end caps on scrap 3x3.  Great idea!

Powell Barbell

I am going to try to pick up the Powell plates tomorrow if they are still available.  A couple of mentions on the Facebook pages recently (Jan 19, 2024).  Not particularly collectible, but certainly vintage.

UPDATE 2/24/2025 - I ended up driving out, but bailing on the purchase.  They were in good shape.

Lewis W. Powell Sr.

20 FEBRUARY, 1944 – 4 NOVEMBER, 2010

POWELL, LEWIS WILLIAM SR. Age 66, born February 20th, 1944, died at home November 4th, 2010 following a long illness. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church of East Lake. He graduated from Banks High School, attended Marion Military Institute, graduated in 1966 from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa with a degree in History, and received the ROTC Superior Cadet Award in 1965. He served during 1967-1968 in the Vietnam conflict as a Platoon Leader with Company B, 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Vanguards with the First Infantry Division "The Big Red One" and was awarded the Silver Star, Army Commendation Medal with "V" for valor, and received two Purple Hearts. He founded Powell Barbell, Carpet and Hardware. He retired from Lawler Foundry. He is preceded in death by his loving parents, Eddie and Opal Powell; and his beloved brother, Jimmy. Mr. Powell is survived by his wife, Jane; sons, Lewis, Jr. (Rhonda) and Edward James Powell; three grandchildren, Roman, Justin and Baylee; two step-grandchildren, Christopher and Brandon Bowen. The family would like to offer our thanks to everyone associated with Evercare Hospice and in particular Myrna, Marilyn, and Tara. Graveside service with military honors will be held Monday, November 8, 2010 at 11:30 a.m. in Forest Hill Cemetery. Visitation will be from 10 - 11 a.m. at Roebuck Chapel. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Disabled American Veterans of the American Cancer Society .

ROC-MO Olympic Plates

Hat tip to Brian for tipping me off to these ROC-MO Olympic plates.  He grabbed a couple of pairs of 45's for himself and mentioned that there were another 4-5 pairs remaining.  By the time, I got in touch with John and drove to Frederick it was just the Weiders, some unbranded 10s and by dumb luck a the pair of ROC-MO 35s.  I am pretty excited to add these to the collection.  Yes, 45s would have been more practical, but considering I have 4 pairs of iron 45s and now 2 pairs of iron 35s, things are balancing out.  A nice addition and nice to know what is out there.

 

Back Pain!

My back has been acting up and I wanted to document the incident for future reference

• Thursday - Feb 15 - Tight spot on the upper right side, decided to just bench, no better/no worse, treated with Quill
• Friday - Feb 16 - 5 hour drive to Hays, Back felt worse, treated with Quill and Advil in the evening
• Saturday - Feb 17 - Grip Championship, popped an Advil before lifting, back felt fine
• Sunday - Feb 18 - Back felt bad, popped an Advil and drove 5 hours back from Hays, tried reverse hyper, foam rolling and nothing helped, started Advil every 8 hours (200mg)
• Monday - Feb 19 - Very little improvement, kept on Advil and visited the chiropractor for adjustment, felt slightly better, treated with rest and heat, walked for a mile
• Tuesday - Feb 20 - Back feels much better, still took an Advil in the morning, walked at lunch and using standing desk
• Wednesday - Feb 21 - First day without Advil, walked a mile at lunch; hip hammy, crossover symmetry, reverse hyper in the evening
• Thursday - Feb 22 - Went for a 1.5 mile run and felt OK.  Minor pain at times (2 out 10), but easy to run through

2024 USAWA Grip Championships

I made my way out to Abilene, KS for the USAWA 2024 Grip Championships and had a wonderful time.  I took the platform with 9 other masters athletes.

I was immediately taken in by the Dino Gym.  Walking back towards the entranced, I passed atlas stones, various farmer's handles implements, anvils, and variety of challenge barbells that I did not even consider taking a pull at.

Randy and Laverne were there early so it gave me time for the grand tour.  The inside is filled with photos from well known and lesser known strength athletes.  The shear number of awards is awe inspiring given the relatively short 20 year history of the Dino Gym.  Most of the equipment is homemade including back lift, a couple of squat racks, reverse hyper, back extension and of course the Roman Chair.  The heavy lift platform has a ridiculous amount of weights.  Three different harness lift sizes and two widths for the hand supports.  The harness lift and neck lift harnesses are made from ag belting.  The hip lift belt seems to be a tow rope.  I measured the hip belt at 48" in length.  The straps off of the neck harness were 42" in length.

Inside also features Highland Games implements, Grip implements, shot puts, several discus and some conditioning equipment as well.  There were plenty of barbells including one that had to have a diameter of 6 inches.  I would be terrified to load that thing.

After weigh ins and conversation, we were ready to start.  Laverne made some introductory remarks and Chad went over the rules as de facto head judge.  Al was unfortunately not feeling well and unable to attend.

Dave, Ben, Chris, Laverne, Randy, Chad, Jason, Lance, Stacy and myself took on the Pinch Grip - Strict, Vertical Bar Deadlift, One-Bar, 1", Deadlift - Index Fingers, Deadlift - Fulton - Ciavattone Grip, and finally the Rim Lift.

Pinch Grip Strict.  I went 3 for 3 finishing at 100#, I missed a 110# record attempt.  Very much in line with my plan.  Top competition lift was Jason at 120.  He added a successful fourth attempt for a records a 125 pounds.

Vertical Bar Deadlift, One-Bar 1" - I went 3 for 3 finishing at 160# and adding a 170# record attempt.  Much stronger than training at home.  I had planned to go 100-120#.  Top lift was Ben at 225 pounds.  His 200 pound opener had him lifting all by himself as the next best lifter had a best competition lift of 185 pounds.

Deadlift - Fingers, Index - I again went 3 for 3 finishing at 125#.  Much stronger than my plan at home.  I ad planned to go 95-105#.  I did not even try to beat the 135# record currently held by Al Myers.  Top lift was Chad at 225.  It was Chad's turn to lift by himself as his 205 pound opener was on par with Ben's best lift and eclipsed everybody else's third attempts.

Deadlift - Fulton Bar, Ciavattone Grip - I went 3 for 3 again finishing at 243#.  I tacked on a 253# fourth lift for a record.  This was in line with my plan at home.  Top lift was Chad at 323.  The bar had a really good texture.  This was another one where Ben and Chad were by themselves opening at 263 pounds after the rest of us were done.

Rim Lift - We contested this on a custom bar with 20" spacing between the collars.  We used standard weight plates that did not have much of a lip.  I again went 3 for 3 finishing at 250#.  I did not make a record attempt.  This was inline with my plan at home.  Top lift was Chad at 290.  The competition was a little tighter which allowed Ben and Chad to get a little rest between lifts.  Aside from Stacy who preferred straddle deadlift, everybody else pulled conventionally on the rim lift.  There were no hack lifters today.

Total Weight rankings:

1. Chad - 1123
2. Ben - 1063
3. Laverne - 953
4. Randy - 908
5. Chris - 913
6. Jason - 888
7. Sanjiv - 878
8. Lance - 803
9. David - 793
10. Stacy - 763

Lynch Points

1. Chad - 930
2. Ben - 880
3. Randy - 819
4. Laverne - 816
5. Sanjiv - 784
6. Stacy - 691
7. Chris - 687
8. Jason - 659
9. Lance - 656
10. Dave - 616

Age Adjusted Lynch Points

1. Laverne - 1143 (79 yo, 216#) 1.19 AA Lynch
2. Randy - 1065 (69 yo, 196.5#) 1.17 AA Lynch
3. Chad - 1051 (52 yo, 230#) 0.94 AA Lynch
4. Ben - 960 (48, 230#) 0.90 AA Lynch
5. Sanjiv - 887 (52, 200#) 1.01 AA Lynch
6. Dave - 807 (70, 260.5#) 1.02 AA Lynch
7. Jason - 785 (58, 286#)  0.88 AA Lynch
8. Lance - 781 (58, 236#) 0.97 AA Lynch
9. Chris - 721 (44, 278#) 0.79 AA Lynch
10. Stacy - 705 (1.33 multiplier would put Stacy at 937 and 4th place overall)(41, 195#) 0.92 AA Lynch

I was rally pleased to take 7th in Total Weight, 5th in Age Adjusted Lynch, 1st (and only) 95kg lifter.  I also set (4) records at 50 years old and 95kg.  

100# Pinch Grip - Strict (previously OPEN)

170# V-Bar 1 bar 1 inch, left (previously OPEN)

253# Deadlift - Fulton, Ciavattone (previously OPEN)

250# Rim Lift (previously OPEN, also the all time 95kg Record)

As a bonus, I completed my 3rd practical training session and will be applying to be a USAWA Level 1 Official.

I tweaked my back on Thursday and was relieved that it held up OK on 1 Advil. 

It would have been great to do a records session, but we finished up right at 5 PM and folks were ready to hit the road.

Aside from Randy and myself, everybody else lived in Kansas within a roughly 2 hour drive.

469 miles to Abilene (349 miles to Hayes), 2 nights lodging at Fairfield Inn (~$100/night), meals on the road.  Roughly $100 in gas, $200 in lodging and $20 worth of Wendy's.

Screaming Deal on Calibrated Plates

I absolutely do no need these, James Hooper is not making it easy:

"Set of like new, Eleiko Powerlifting Plates - IPF Certified with original calibration decals. Selling these as an entire set for the competition lifter or powerlifting/barbell gym that needs them. The set is 10 each 25kgs (red), 4 each 20kgs (blue), 2 each 15kgs (yellow), and 4 each 10kg (greens). Photos show one of each, but they are all in identical pristine condition. Please see photos.

These would cost over $4K from Eleiko - get em all for just a grand.

CASH AND LOCAL PICKUP ONLY - THANKS!"

Fun with math, that is 400kg (880 pounds) for $1000.  $1.13/pound is great for pig iron.  This set should be going for at least $2/lb ($1,760).  I would consider a flip, but cannot really justify it.  Especially as most non-competitive lifters in Colorado still prefer pounds.

Run - Accessory

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

CDOT

1230

Run

1.77 mile (11:49/mile pace) along South Platte River Trail.

Accessory

5x1 pull-ups (mixed neutral and overhand grip)

Seated DB Press (12-12-10 with 25/30/30# dumbbells)

Back Squat - Metcon

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Home Gym

1600

Warm Up

Hip Hammy Flow

Back Squat

5x5 build to heavy 5 reps

8x45

8x95

5x135

5x155

5x175

5x180

5x180

This felt really heavy today

Metcon

EMOM 12

Station 1 - 10 WBS (14# to 10')

Station 2 - 12 Abmat Sit-ups

Station 3 - 40 Rope Skips (beaded rope)

Good little mover to finish

Programming adapted from Vintage CrossFit.

Run - Accessory

Monday, February 12, 2024

CDOT Fitness Center

1300

Run

1.77 mile run (11:48/mile) along South Platte Trail

Accessory

3x12 Triceps Push Down

3x10 Back Extension

40 minutes total

Vintage Weights & Physical Culture Giveaway

20 pound York Buns - $80

25 Pound Milled York  Olympic - $80

Unbranded Spinlock - ?

Newcastle Dumbbell

Unmarked Sandow Gripper

5 pound Thor Change Plates

10 pound Waffle Plates

York Spinlock Collars - $80

Zuver 10 Pound Plate from Lat Tower

5 pound globe dumbbells

10 Items to give away in recognition of 3000 members joining the group.  Not great odds, but I had to throw my hat in the ring.  Deciding what to pick up was tough as they are all collectible, but I would not actually train with any of them.  My ranking

1. Zuver 10 Pound Plate - Nice display item
2. Thor Change Plates - Might actually use
3. Milled York - Have a set
4. 20 Pound York Buns - Considered as I do not have any buns
5. Newcastle Dumbbell - Kind of cool, but I do not know anything about Newcastle
6. Chrome Spinlock - Kind of cool, I do not have any spinlocks
7. 5 pound Globes - Would probably clean up nice
8. Waffle Plates - Not really chasing any standard plates
9. Sandow Gripper - Never played with these
10. York Spinlock Collars - King of cool, but a little bit of a project.

Conditioning

Sunday, February 11, 2024

Garage Gym

1500

4 Hand Flask Challenge

Left Hand - 39.05 lb (17.7 kg)

Right Hand - 34.30 lb (15.6 kg)

Both Hands - 78.60 lb (35.7 kg)

First chance playing with the Flask and definitely want to train with it more.  

I set up using my York Squat Stands and Spring Clips to Set the Knock Bar (Hillman 48" marker).  For the cross guard, I used a magnetized stick designed to hang tools attached to the base plate.  It worked well.

Conditioning

8 Rounds for Time:

200 meter run

6 push-ups

12 air squats

Finished in 19:34.  I was looking for some good movement before the Super Bowl and was happy with this programming.

Wall Control

Grip Implements Piled on Shelf

Grip Implements Piled on Desk

New Wall Control Panel

I have been wanting to get wall control for a few years now.  I hemmed and hawed at first due to the expense.  (2) panels are $50 and the assortment of hooks I would need are another $50.  I also was a little worried about being able to mount them into concrete (this turned out to be a very justified concern).  I watched some videos and thought I would be OK.

• Step 1:  Clear out the dumbbells and give myself a proper work area.
• Step 2:  Measure and cut a 2x4 to length.  Messy, but fine.  On the order of 34 inches.
• Step 3:  Drill holes in board and mark points on the concrete.  This is where the trouble started.  I could not get the Tapcon screws to mark on the wall.
• Step 4:  Drill pilot holes for Tapcon screws.  Even with the hammer drill, this was slow going and I had to contend with voids in the concrete and uneven finishes.  
• Step 5:  Mount the 2x4 to the concrete.  Of my planned four Tapcons per board, I ended up with two anchors in the top board and three anchors in the bottom board.  At least I got marginally better.  I would line up the end bolt and my other three would be off by a fraction of an inch which is a lot when dealing with concrete.  Not exactly a ductile material.
• Step 6:  Mount the wall control to the 2x4's.  This was easy, but my finished product is not exactly level.  I am not worried about it.
• Step 7:  Put everything back and vacuum saw dust, concrete dust, etc.

My estimated 1 hour project ended up taking 3.5 hours.  I purchased a hammer drill for $40.  Materials included $30 for the Tapcon screws and $4 for a 2x4.  Fortunately, I already had a circular saw, drill and drive or this would have been more expensive.  I did break a drill bit, but that is not the end of the world.  Everything else was done with hand tools.  Clean up sucked because my shop vacuum is a piece of shit.  I see a Father's Day present in my future ($50-$100 at Harbor Freight, Home Depot and Lowes).  I would buy one on the smaller side so it is easier to store.

Bench - Fulton DB - Conditioning

Friday, February 9, 2024

Home Gym

1230

Bench Press (3x3)

8x45

8x95

5x115

3x135

3x3x150

Fulton Dumbbells (USAWA)

One Hand

56 L/R

76 L/R

96 L/R

116 L/R

50 year old men's 90/95 kg record for the left hand and right hand are open.  All time 90/95kg are 186/180 for the left hand and 170/168 for the right hand

Two DB

192#

50 year old men's 90/95 kg record is open.  All time is 130/320.

I am now up to 86 of 187 USAWA lifts

Conditioning

Every 4 minutes for 12 minutes

20 calorie row

10 sit-ups

Finished in 2:44, 2:37, 2:28 (ghost calories)

Vintage Dry Spell

York Roundheads:

20-20-25 - 1/4/2022 (Erie)

7-7 - 2/4/2022 (Denver)

50 - 2/5/2022 (Parker, Seth Walker)

30-30 - 6/26/2022 (Greeley)

8-8 - 7/23/2022 (Loveland?, C Todd)

15 - 7/24/2022 (Denver)

1050# - 10/17/2022 (Denver)

15-15 - 10/20/2022 (Denver)

I have not seen anything on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace in over a year.

Olympic Plates

45-45 AFA Falcons (10/21/2022)

45-45 Billard (2/1/2023)

10-10 USA (2/1/2023)

10-10-25-25 Universal (10/2/2023)

In the past year, I have only seen a handful of Vintage Olympic Plates

It begs the question, am I not looking as frequently or is the market drying up?  Should I be looking on Ebay or other sources.

On Aging

I read a great article entitled, "HOW TO THRIVE PAST 75: MAINTAINING HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE WITH AGE" by Brittney Saline.

My take away thoughts were:

• Nobody lives forever
• Fitness delays the onset of morbidity and mortality
• Fitness increases the likelihood of thriving post injury or post aggressive medical treatment

My own fitness journey has been an evolution

• Bodybuilding for aesthetics and confidence (High School)
• Running for Track & Cross Country (High School)
• Triathlon Training (High School)
• Bodybuilding for aesthetics and confidence (College)
• Running/Bodybuilding/Basketball/Softball/Rec Sports (late 20's, early 30's; STK)
• Triathlon/Multisport (mid 30's - mid 40's; STK/Sun)
• CrossFit (late 40's; Oracle/Liberty)
• Blended CrossFit/Triathlon/Powerlifting (currently in my early 50's; CDOT)

I have been able to keep best practices and benefits from a variety of disciplines.  I have also practiced Yoga and Strongman but do not blend them into my training.

My diet has been better and worse at times, but I have never effectively balanced eating well or sleeping well with performance.  I have basically accepted a "cruising" weight.  The last diet I was on was in 2020 and avoiding sugar and eliminating snacking between meals helped me go from 195 down to 180 pounds.  15 pounds is a big difference in appearance and confidence.  I was not thin at 180, but I was much healthier.

• High School - 140's
• College - 150's-160's
• Medical School - 200
• STK - 170's
• Sun/Oracle - 180's
• Liberty - 200
• CDOT - Currently my weight is fluctuating, but trending up, staying mostly in the 190's

This tangent stems from a conversation with a colleague on going back to a group fitness class.  She went to kickboxing, but I need to make a return to some time of group fitness on a regular basis for a couple of reasons.  (1) I need to benchmark and get some motivation to push harder.  (2) I need a sense of community.

Between the conversation and this article, I realized that I want to age well and that lifestyle choices are mutable.  I can change and the changes I make today will reap benefits in the short term, medium term and long term.

Metcon

Thursday, February 8, 2024

Garage Gym

1300

Conditioning

“Talk the Talk, Walk the Walk”

Every 10:00 minutes, 4 Sets

40/30 Calorie Echo Bike - SUB - 400 meter run

20 Single Dumbbell Box Step-Overs 24/20” , 50/35lb, (22.5/16kg) - SCALE 20", 35#

400/350m Ski or Row - SCALE 350m

200ft Dual Kettlebell Farmers Carry 70/53lb, (32/24kg) - SUB - 200 ft Farmer's Handles 63#

Round 1 - 8:05

Round 2 - 8:19

Round 3 - 8:29

Round 4 - 8:53

This sounded horrible, but I was pleasantly surprised that I was moving well and scaled this perfectly getting at least 1 minutes rest between rounds.  The runs were between 2:38 and 2:5x.  This is typical for me.  The DB Box step overs were a grind and took another 2.5ish minutes.  The rows were smooth at 2 minutes and afforded some time to rest.  The Farmer's Carry was tough but quick at about 1 minute.  I had 100' marked off and would go the distance, shake it out and walk them back.

It was a nice mental win to do work.

Programming from Vintage CrossFit.

Dead Balls

After doing the Deka.Mile event in November, I started keeping my eyes open for heavy dead balls.  As luck would have it, I found a Simpson's 50 pound ball for $50.  As these are usually $60 to $85, I trekked up to Arvada to pick it up.  The very next day, somebody in Lakewood listed a 55 pound ball for $20 and I went ahead and grabbed.  Obviously, I do not need two, but held on to both anyway for a while.

I finally got around to listing the 50 pound ball for sale a few days ago.  I listed for $40, but took a reasonable offer for $30.  It is no fun losing money on something, but better to have cash in hand than having an item I don't need. 

Treadmill - Inversions

Wednesday, February 7, 2024

CDOT Fitness Center

1200

Treadmill (1% incline)

2 min walk

18 min at 5 mph

2 min walk

Inversions

handstand hold against wall

handstand hold against wall

handstand hold with slight lower

plank shoulder taps

wall walk up (not all the way to wall)

wall walk up (not all the way to wall)

USAWA

Snatch, 2 DBs

60, 70, 80, 100 (press out), 90

50 year old 90/95kg record is 132/OPEN.  All time 95kg is OPEN.  USAWA all time record is 160 pounds.

This takes me to 84 of 187 lifts attempted.

Pull-ups (neutral grip)

2-2-2-2-1-1

40 minutes total workout

Denton Ryan High School

I am frequently on the Power Lift used equipment website and noticed a large lot of Uesaka collegiate bumper plates.

(99) 45 pound plates at $25 each

(25) 25 pound plates at $15 each

This is a screaming deal for these plates.  Even when you figure in the shipping at roughly $1/pound, you are getting high quality plates for around $1.50/pound to your door.

Raider Power threw me for a while until a search engine brought up the original installation of the weight room that Power Lift did back in 2019.  Plenty of life left in these plates.

Christine

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Garage Gym

1130

Warm Up

Reverse Hyper

Calf Raises

Christine

3 Rounds for Time:

500 meter row

12 bodyweight deadlifts (scaled to 135, 67% of 201# bodyweight)

21 box jumps (24", scaled to 20")

Despite the reasonable scaling this was a tough workout and exactly what I needed.

Round 1: 5:45

Round 2: 12:07 (6:22)

Round 3: 18:28 (6:21)

The row was steady between 2:30 and 2:40.  The deadlifts were fast and unbroken.  The box jumps were the pain train and I was happy to steadily chip away at them.

Pitt Panther

VintageWeightsPGH is always coming across interesting stuff.  Most recently he listed some dumbbells from the University of Pittsburgh Weight Room.  They went from 12.5 to 35 pounds in 2.5 pound increments.  Knurled handles welded to steel heads.  Nebula was bought by Rogue Fitness in 2012.

I was interested for a couple of reasons.  First, I like logo'd stuff and "Pitt Panthers" is pretty cool.  Second, I am curious about Nebula, the knurling, etc.  Finally, if I could get the 12.5s and 17.5s they would make nice fillers between my York dumbbell set.

They were originally listed for $700 ($1.50/lb) local pick up and then dropped to $600 local pick up ($1.25/lb).  I would be willing to pay $1.50/lb plus shipping for individual sets.

USAWA - Grip

Monday, February 6, 2024

Home Gym

1700

Warm Up

Reverse Hyper

Crossover Symmetry

Hip Hammy Flow

James Lift

Spent some time playing with pressing from a legal depth squat position.  This was tough and I really need to work on my shoulder and hip mobility.

USAWA - Teeth Lift

40, 50, 60 pounds.  This was definitely more of a neck strain than a strain on my teeth.  50 year old men's 90/95kg records are OPEN.  All time 90kg is OPEN, all time 95kg is 95 pounds.  Overall record is 390 pounds by Stephen Schmidt.  Next closest is Eric Todd at 300 pounds.

This takes me to 83 of 187 USAWA lifts.

Grip - Inch Pinch

20, 25, 30 pounds

Grip - Grandfather Clock

50, 75, 85 pounds

Also played with Titan's Telegraph Key

40 minutest total workout

Treadmill - General

Monday, February 5, 2024

CDOT Fitness Center

1200

Treadmill Run (1% incline)

3 min walk

6 min 5 mph

1 min walk

6 min 5 mph

1 min walk

6 min 5 mph

1 min walk

--

1.5 miles total

Shoulder Prep

3x12 internal and external rotation on cable machine

Dips - Epic Fail

Triceps Extensions

3x12x30# cable stack

Weighted Sit-ups

3x15x15# med ball

USAWA - Press, Dumbbell, One Arm

35, 40, 45, 50

50 year old male 90 kg record is 68 pounds right arm, left arm is open, 95 kg right and left are both open.

Calf Extension

1x20x85

40 minutes total workout

January 2024 - Month In Review

The Numbers

(13) powerlifting sessions

(4) general conditioning

(5) grip

(7) USAWA

(12) runs for 25.1 miles

(3) swims for 3200 yards

(1) indoor bike for 7.03 miles

The Gym

Iron Grip 22.5# DB

Intek Plates

Roman Chair

Plate Storage Pins

Deka RAM

Preacher Bench

Grip

Little Big Horn

Fulton/Inch DB

Rolling Thumber

Flask

1" V-Bar

Overall, it was a good month of training without any injuries and a solid run bias taking advantage of nice weather.  Lagging would be bike sessions and metabolic conditioning, especially with the open right around the corner.  Still setting a good foundation for Grip, Highland Games and USAWA competition.

No competitions in January.  I did a virtual Zercher lift for The Iron Palace Podcast.  My next even is the USAWA 2024 Grip Championships in February.

My weight was stable bouncing between 197 and 201.

Most of the gym purchases were with purpose including the Roman Chair (USAWA) and Deka RAM (Deka.Fit).  The plates, dumbbells and storage pins were a good deal.  The Preacher Bench was vintage.

Grip was purposeful also.  Little Big Horn (King Kong), 1" V-Bar (USAWA). Fulton/Inch (USAWA).  Rolling Thumber was a novel implement from Nemesis Grips that I will submit to online challenge.  Flask has been contested for a long time and I will film some lifts for Joe Hodgson's online challenge.

Reading List

Per Morning Chalk Up

• HWPO: Hard Work Pays Off by Mat Fraser (I started this in 2022, but did not finish it)
• Built to Move, Kelly and Juliet Starett
• Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin (I read this in 2023 and really enjoyed it)
• Breath by James Nestor
• Resilient: The Untold Story of CrossFit's Greatest Comeback by Brooke Wells
• Tough: Building True Mental, Physical & Emotional Toughness for Success & Fulfillment by Greg Everett (on my reading list)
• The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter
• Dottir by Katrin Davidsdottir
• Chasing Excellence by Ben Bergeron (I read this in 2019 and really enjoyed it)
• Learning to Breath Fire by J.C.Herz (I read this in 2019 and really enjoyed it)
• The Heart is the Strongest Muscle by Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr

Conditioning

Sunday, February 4, 2024

Garage Gym

1500

Warm Up

Reverse Hyper

Crossover Symmetry

Conditioning

5 Rounds for Time:

50 Rope Skips

30 Air Squats

10 Push-ups

I was looking for some old school basic conditioning and this certainly fit the bill.  I came out steady with a first round at 2:20, but still slowed considerably.  My finish time was 14:41 and was pleased with the time domain and movements.  Rope skips and pull-ups were unbroken.  Air squats were steady, but was taking pauses.

Pull-up Finisher

10 pull-ups (singles)

Barrel Strength Systems Flask

I wanted a Flask for a little bit.  First, it has been contested at King Kong and has a long history.  Second, It is being contested in Joe Hodgson's first online challenge of 2024.  Finally, it had been out of stock and that made it seem more desirable.

For an aluminum implement, it was well constructed.  I am glad I got the loading pin as my Arm Assassin loading pin would not have worked.

First attempts were 25/25/25 pounds left hand, right hand and both hands.

Barrel Strength Systems was easy to work with and my order shipped out quickly via UPS.

Grip Training

Saturday, February 3, 2024

Basement Gym

1300

Pinch Grip Strict

70

80

85 (weighed out to 94.3#)

Vertical Bar

85

100

110 (weighed out to 117#)

Deadlift - Fingers, Index

45

75

85

95

105#

Deadlift - Fulton

158

198

218 (stubby axle weighs 17.5 pounds, 18.6 pounds w/collars)

Rim Lift

198

198

218#

Little Batch of Grip Implements

This small lot of grip implements popped up for $20 in Longmont and I am pretty excited.  It looks like a Little Big Horn, 4" Crusher, and Titan's Telegraph Key.  Regardless of condition, this is a great value to increase my collection of implements. 

I contacted Aliya McCauley-Hartner 4 hours after she listed, she responded quickly and was willing to accept Venmo payment and do porch pick-up on Monday.  With the clear roads, I decided to go ahead and pick up today.  Niwot is about an hour away, but well worth it for these well seasoned implements.

• It is an IronMind stamped Little Big Horn (well seasoned).
• It is a 4" FBBC Crusher (welding on handle is the give away).  
• It appears to be an IronMind Titan's Telegraph Key, but any branding that may have been there is long gone.

Loading the Key up with 5 pounds was a surprisingly challenging 8 reps.

The crusher weighs 21 pounds.  I added a pin and 40 pounds of plates to manage 64 pounds.  This will be a very good wrist development tool.

Not sure what my plans are for the Little Big Horn as I just purchased one direct from IronMind.

Back Squat - Accessory - USAWA

Friday, February 2, 2024

Home Gym

1130

Warm Up

Jumping Jacks

Hip Hammy Flow

Back Squat

8x45

8x95

8x135

8x155

8x175#

Preacher Curl

8x22

3x6x42#

I really wanted to give this a try and was not disappointed.  It is a comfortable machine and worthy of my second vintage machine purchase.  Now I just need to grow my 14 inch biceps to compete with Larry Scott's 20 inch biceps.

Sissy Squat

3x6

I really just wanted to test this machine out and I am not particularly impressed with the movement.  The machine itself is well constructed and probably retailed for around $100-$120.  I listed it for $40 and should be able to sell it quickly.

French Press

30

40#

I am continuing my USAWA journey.  The current 50 year old 90kg record is 125 pounds (Randy Smith in 2009) and the 95kg record is open.  The all time record at 95kg is 120 pounds.  The al time record for the lift is 207 pounds by Chuck Cookson.  I am now at 81 of 187 USAWA lifts.  The French Press is a really good lat opener.  

3 Gun Shooting

The Ben Lomond Gun Club in Ramah, CO is hosting a 5K Blast & Dash with 16 obstacles and 8 stages.  I would fall into the 2-Gun Men's age 50+.  The pistol round count is 90 and the rifle round count is 60.  Targets are out to 600 yards.

Cost is $100 to enter which is certainly reasonable, but this all seems a little overwhelming.

Looking at the BigBen3Gun.com website, they also have 3 Gun matches the second Saturday of every month which is $32 and hopefully will allow me to get some comfort with range safety and my surroundings.

While I am certainly getting ahead of myself, I think the place to start is trying out the Ruger AR-556 MPR which retails for $900.  This seems to be a reasonable entry level sporting rifle from a well known manufacturer.

I should also sign up for the BluCore rifle class.  It is being held next Thursday, February 8th from 6-9 PM.

In addition getting more comfortable with my pistol is probably a good thing and selecting an entry level holster and tactical belt.

Stoeger M3K is a popular shotgun for 3-gun shooting.

Sorinex Center of Mass Bells

I have been on the lookout for Fatbells (Rogue) or Center Mass Bells (CMB, Sorinex) for quite some time.  The Farr Outpost had some listed for over $2/pound, but I passed as he wanted to sell a full set.

On the Rogue website, I was debating between the 18 pound and 26 pound bells that retail for around $2.50/pound plus another $1.00/pound in shipping.

These popped up in Stockton, KS about 2 months ago and I did not think too much of it.  Then I made plans to go to Abilene, KS and decided to inquire.  The seller, Andrew Gallaway, was very responsive and we made plans to meet up in a couple of weeks.

The listed price is $50.