After my Deka.Mile event last year, I was anxious to train with more intent and give it another go.
Chelsie was my judge and did a great job.
I thought I paced it really well, but my time was significantly slower.
Zone 1 - 30 Ram Alt Reverse Lunge (55#) - Unbroken, nice steady pace
Zone 2 - 500m Row - Averaged 2:35 pace
Zone 3 - 20 Box Jump/Step Over (24") - Nice quick step overs without much pause
Zone 4 - 25 med ball sit-up (20#) - Flew through these and really surprised myself
Zone 5 - 500m ski erg - Averaged 2:40ish pace
Zone 6 - 100m Farmer's Carry (2x60#) - This was tougher than I remember. I went 50 meters, 30 meters then 20 meters with quick shake outs.
Zone 7 - 25 cal air bike - This was fine. It is kind of impossible to set up the bike with shared lanes. There were a couple of ghost calories on the bike, but not a big deal.
Zone 8 - 20 dead ball shoulder over (60#) - This lit me up again. I kept moving smooth but started taking longer pauses. Had to walk the run after this effort.
Zone 9 - 100m Tank Push/Pull - I felt like I did well on this, but maybe I was not going as fast as I thought
Zone 10 - 20 Ram Burpees (44#) - This was brutal again. I did 8 pretty quick with jump back and step up, then it became step back, take a knee on the way up and then stand it overhead.
My time of 36:08 was slower than my 33:42 effort in November of 2023 despite feeling like I was moving better, pacing better, not having any calf or other issues.
Maybe it was just being 6 pounds heavier or not fueling well prior to the event. My stomach was a bit upset and I popped two Imodium instead of my typical one prior to races.
Either way, I enjoyed myself and have another good benchmark.
I really like the Deka movements for conditioning. I still feel like I would like to get a tank, but I know it would not get as much use as I would like. They are on sale right now for $799.
A seller on Facebook Marketplace posted a beginner gripper for $5. At first glance it appeared to be a Captains of Crush (COC) with a unique "P" stamp on the bottom. I poked around on several forums, but could not find any information. I went ahead and picked it up, but it felt off in a way I could not describe.
I engaged the grip board and was quickly ridiculed for purchasing a fake gripper. This was not even a good fake as several others are stamped with actual models produced by IronMind.
Upon closer inspection this fake has the "P" stamp that was never part of the IronMind line up, it is taller than genuine COC, the spring is shiny and the knurling is very different.
It turns out there was a host of knockoffs that were being distributed on eBay and even Amazon. Now I know what to look for if I purchase any grippers from anybody except IronMind. There were threads that I discovered on Gripboard, IronMind forum, Reddit and even Facebook.
On a final note, the stiffness is just a little heavier than my Sport gripper and would make a decent tool to keep in the car or at my desk at work.
I finished this in 22:15. On paper this was 2 rounds and after completing the first round pretty quickly, it turned into a 20 min AMRAP. Finishing the sit-ups with 15 seconds left on the clock, I decided to finish the rounds. It was a good mover and exactly what I needed. Vintage CrossFit and main site did not have much to offer as they were outdoors or required overhead movements. I would be training in the the basement today.
Round 1 - 6:45
Round 2 - 7:00
Round 3 - 8:30
Press From Rack (Behind Neck)
Knocked out a couple of more all-round lifts. Built up from 45, 55, 65, 85. I made 95 from front rack, but missed behind neck.
With the nice weather, I decided to try a new throwing spot. Part of my motivation was finding a place where I could literally park my car and start throwing. I had thrown at the high school in a field and had considered throwing in the shot put pit, but a parking lot and field felt like a better location.
I started with Braemar and Open stone. It was a good way to get going, but I should have watched more of Matt Vincent's drills before getting underway.
Future Notes:
Braemar - easy throws, knee bend throws, full throws, full throws letting right food swing around
Open Stone - shuffle up and then use Braemar technique
Light weight for Distance - think about footwork, weight does not pull you around as much as heavy
Heavy weight for Distance - start with Braemar and then introduce a one turn
Light Hammer - have to bring sticky, the hammer felt like it was going to slip right out of my hands
Weigh for Height - this actually felt pretty good, would like to work on this more. easy to work on nearly anywhere
Sheaf Toss - did this at home, start with throws from ground, before doing a check mark shaped swing
Chatted with Anthony Kim (Mark Kim's Dad) while he was working with Mark on pole vault. I guess they were out there yesterday as well. He talked a lot about hand position on the pole, orientation of the pole and getting the hips up. He demonstrated candle stick to handstand and mentioned that working with a rope was very helpful as well. He vaulted in high school and college (D3) and was clearing around 13 feet. Knowledgeable and very fit.
25 med ball sit-up (20#) - 2:40 (about 30 second transition)
500m ski erg - 2:58 (minimal transition)
100m farmer's carry (2x50#) - 2:27 (about 30 second transition)
20 dead ball over shoulder (55#) - 2:56 (minimal transition)
20 RAM Burpee - 5:28 (about 30 second transition)
Total Time with about 2:10 in transitions was 24:51.
With the Deka.Mile right around the corner, I wanted to go ahead and test the movements that I could. I do not own an air bike or tank and have no plans to purchase these items.
RAM Lunges went quick
Row was fine
BJO was slow, but steady
Med Ball sit-ups went surprisingly well. Started to slow at about 15 reps and pushed through
Ski Erg was fine
Farmer's Carry was slower than I expected. I set them down at 50 meters and again at 75 meters
Dead Ball over shoulder was better than I remembered
RAM Burpees were brutal with the pain setting in after 5 reps. Even excluding the transition time, 4 reps/per minute is really slow. I would like to improve these to 5 reps/minute.
The 25 minute time frame was a perfect conditioning workout that I would like to use as a fall back when at a loss for things to do. For shorter efforts, I could opt for basement (lunges, sit-up, ski, burpee) or garage (row, BJO, farmer's carry, dead ball).
Overall it was a rough month of training. I tweaked my back on February 15th and grinded through for about a week including a Chiropractic session on February 19th. Following that I caught a chest cold that sidelined me for another 5 days.
I competed in the USAWA 2024 Grip Challenge in Abilene, KS. I also did a virtual 4 Hand Flask Challenge. Next month will be the CrossFit Open.
My weight was up bouncing between 200 and 203 pounds.
Most of the gym purchases were happenstance finding free, cheap or vintage deals that I don't need, but certainly wanted. The only needed item were the 3# Crossover Symmetry shoulder bands for the kids to warm up with.
Grip was happenstance as well. I got the listed implements for $20 which is a screaming deal.
Another games season in the books, this marks my 9th season competing from 2016-2024.
24.1 - DB Snatches & Burpees over DB - 134,660th
24.2 - Row, Deadlift & DU - 112,981st
24.3 (s) - Thrusters & Jumping C2B - 140,420th
Overall 135,601/165,736
Among Men 50-54
24.1 - 6633
24.2 - 4894
24.3 - 7828
Overall 6629/9535
Apart from general conditioning, the only thing I would want to work on is pulling movements. I do not expect to be able to get muscle ups. I am not sure about C2B. I certainly want to build towards getting 5 strict pull-ups and have the shoulder health to knock out kipping singles for volume.
The programming was reasonable to create separation in workouts for everybody. I would like to try quarterfinal workouts or variations. I expect to see some 1RM efforts and more technical movements.
I finally had a chance to host a USAWA sanctioned All-Round Weightlifting event at the house. I picked the clean & press and the deadlift, 12" base as these would both be from the floor, not require any special equipment and would go fast. I opted to offer a record session afterwards.
The original cast included Dave, Tony, Jarod, Kim, Nisha and myself. Kim dropped, but Nic came out. I invited Aziz, but he was not available. I could not really think of other folks to reach out to.
I set up the garage, by moving a car out and setting up a seating area.
The meet lifts went very smoothly and we finished within 90 minutes.
The records session was tougher. We started with Turkish Get-up on a loadable dumbbell and then did some Jefferson Lift, Fingers; Pullover & Press; Cleans; Dumbbell Deadlift, Fulton Dumbbell Deadlift. Then we retreated to the basement for Bench Press Reverse Grip and Bench Press Alternate Grip. These took just under 2 hours.
Finally, we wrapped up by completing the Q1 Postal in a little over a half hour.
This was a lot of lifting and recording of scores. I definitely need to be more organized in the future.
Dave, Tony, Nisha and myself did the competition lifts (4)
Dave, Tony, Jarod, Nic and myself did the records session (5)
Jarod and myself did the Q1 postal (2)
Clint, Ashley, Patrick and Randy submitted record session lifts remotely (4)
RJ, Crystal, and Phoenix submitted competition lifts and record session lifts remotely (3)
Randy submitted competition lifts remotely (1)
It was nice to be able to offer a low key event. Folks did not have to pre-announce their record attempts. We started on time and only had one late comer. I think the maximum, I can manage in the garage is six athletes and spectators. For a larger event, I would probably ask my wife to keep score. In a perfect world, I would add a monitor so athletes can see live scoring.
It would have also been nice to make more space by moving more of my strongman equipment out of the way. It got a little tenuous when folks were attempting the Turkish Get-up. I am glad that I did not invest in any heavy lift equipment. If things take off, I will leverage Kim's stuff before investing in my own.
We wrapped up in four hours. The primary goal of getting Jarod a couple of practical training sessions was met. The secondary goal of getting USAWA going in Colorado was a reasonable first attempt.
Dave - 2 competition records + 5 records session = 7 records
Nisha - 2 competition records
Tony - 1 competition record + 5 records session = 6 records
Sanjiv - 2 competition records + 5 records session + 2 Q1 Postal = 9 records
Jarod - 4 records session
Nic - 1 records session
Clint, Randy, Patrick, Ashley - 19 records session remote
RJ, Crystal, Phoenix, Randy - no official present, not eligible for records
In the future:
Weigh-in starts 1 hour before meet and cuts off 30 minutes before meet
Have membership applications and waivers on hand
Have scoresheets for each competition lift and each lifter for records session
Consider second session if there are over 6 entries
Request openers and make sure everybody has time to warm up
Estimate 45 minutes per Competition Lift and 45 minutes per Records Session athlete
Set up a table for folks to put there stuff and have snacks and drinks set up
I really want to give this a go Rx, but the chest to bar pull-ups were not in the cards today. Even the jumping chest to bar were challenging. 95# thrusters would have been singles and I probably could have managed 10, but not sure what would have happened after that. The scaled workout was a good test for me.
I ended up with 95 scaled reps. I was surprised that I had several no reps on the jumping chest to bar pull-ups. My head was 7 inches below the bar.
As grip is still a relatively new sport, lifts are not contested frequently in sanctioned events that can set world records. With my participation at Rolling Hills Grip Challenge 2, I ended up showing up on the leaderboards on Gripsport.org
Saxon Bar 3 x 4 - outside top 100, my 52.62 kg lift did not beat 64.53 kg in 100th place
Napalm Nightmare 2.375" - outside top 100, my 104.73kg lift did not beat 126.33 kg in 100th place
Inch Pinch - 66th worldwide at 21.95 kg
Grandfather Clock - 15th worldwide at 77.38 kg
Saxon Bar 3 x 4 - 20th among 93 kg men (last place)
Napalm Nightmare 2.375" - 23rd among 93 kg men (out of 25)
I made the drive up to Cheyenne, WY to participate in the second Rolling Hills Grip Challenge hosted by Travis Bogard at ATR Training.
It was a good field with (5) in the women's field and (15) in the men's field. Two platform were set up and the meet ran very smoothly. Format was rising bar with unlimited attempts.
Samantha
Kim
Rebecca
Kelsie
Sarah Chappelow
Jonathan (74-)
Owen (Jr, 74-)
Gavin (83-)
Sanjiv (93-)
Joshua (93-)
Brandon (105-)
Arlin (120-)
Trevor (120-)
Landon
Colton Storm
Brad
Jeremy
Jaland Worley
Brandl
Steve
Saxon Bar Deadlift to Lockout - I opened conservatively at 66. I followed that with 86, 96, 106, 116, before failing 126 pounds.
2-3/8" Napalm Nightmare - I opened better at 156. I followed that with 171, 181, 201, 211, 221, 231, before failing at 241 pounds.
Inch Pinch - I opened at 23. I followed that with 28, 33, 38, 43, 48, before failing at 53 pounds.
Grandfather Clock - I opened way too light at 80 pounds. I followed that with 90, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160 and 170, before failing 180 pounds.
Wrist Extension Drag Sled - 93kg class pulled (6) 45 pound plates on a sled for about 15 feet. I was barely hanging on and finished in 51.94, just under the 60 second time cap. Lighter athletes started with (4) plates and the heavies tackled (9) plates. Times ranged from 25 seconds to distance covered under the cap. This was a fun event.
I was crushing my training numbers. I had not tested the Saxon Bar, but really surprised myself. Napalm Nightmare was 231 vs 200 in training. Inch was 48 vs 33 in training. Grandfather Clock was 170 vs 80 in training. Seasoned implements, friendly crowd and Spider Chalk probably made some difference. We also used Zolex to clean our hands.
Overall, the drive was fine. I just made weight at 204 pounds. I packed the right amount of snacks and drinks with (2) clif bars, (2) granola bars and (2) gatorade zeros. I would have liked a sandwich. I competed well, but should have skipped some weights. Relative to the field, I did well on platform 2 staying ahead of the juniors and the ladies, but behind Jon and Josh. Platform 1 was going nuts and often doubling our weights.
Jaylan brought his blobs, hubs, steel stock and decks of cards to tear. I did not get very far. I could not lift the 35# Marcy plates. I could not bend any of the steel stock. I did not even bother grabbing a deck of cards. I could pick up half 50#, but not the half 55#. With two hands, I could pick up a half 80#, but not the half 90#. I could not even brake the Jeremy's Inch dumbbell off the ground.
Relative to the field, I was ahead of the juniors and ladies (except Sarah) and was at the back of the pack against the men. I occasionally matched Josh or Jon, but never beat them on a lift. Lifters over 93 kg crushed me.
As many rounds and reps as possible in 20 minutes of:
300-meter row
10 deadlifts
50 double-unders
♀ 125 lb (56 kg)
♂ 185 lb (83 kg)
This workout felt like it was in my wheelhouse and I moved well through the entire thing. The row was the only chance to rest. The deadlifts were not heavy for me, but I did feel better breaking them up. I went 8/2 and then 4/3/3 for rounds 2-4. My double unders were on point. I tried to open with a big set and then go in chunks of 10-15 and that worked really well until the last round I started when I rushed the reset.
I finished 344 reps (3 Rounds + 300m row + 10 DL + 34 DU). I was really pleased with the effort and am glad that I got after it today, rather than waiting until Sunday. Being a 20 minute AMRAP, I felt like I paced really well.
I wore calf sleeves and Nike Metcons. I should have taped my thumbs. Otherwise, I set up and prepared well.
Details -
Row 1 - 1:38
DL 1 - 0:59
DU 1 - 2:14 (6 sets) - Round 1 - 4:55
Row 2 - 1:47
DL 2 - 1:30
DU 2 - 1:56 (5 sets) - Round 2 - 5:13
Row 3 - 1:47
DL 3 - 1:24
DU 3 - 2:03 (5 sets) - Round 3 - 5:14
Row 4 - 1:53
DL 4 - 1:21
DU 4 - 1:24 (34 reps in 2 sets)
---------------------------
24.3? - Considering that we have already seen burpees, DB snatch, row, deadlift and DU in time domains of 10-15 minutes and 20 minutes, I am expecting a fast 24.3 with a sub 10 minute time domain. I expect thrusters and pull-ups. T2B is another popular movement, but I am not expecting a triplet. I could see a 24.3a/b with three attempts for a max clean. That being said, CrossFit has been mixing things up with new movements the past few years. An interesting twist would be thrusters and sumo deadlift high pulls (21-15-9) with 95 pounds for the men and 65 pounds for the women. Follow that up with a 1 rep max weighted pull-up.
Like New - Elite FTS Power Squat - $3,000 (Englewood)
Elite FTS Power Squat
$3750 Total (Originally paid $5013) https://www.elitefts.com/eliteftstm-power-squat.html
Also includes the following Rogue plates (lbs x #): Paid $1475 originally; included with the package https://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-black-training-lb-color-stripe-plates
· 45 x 8
· 25 x 4
You will need to make arrangements to pick up the item. You will also need to make arrangements to have help with you to load the equipment. There are local fitness companies that you can hire to disassemble, move, and reassemble.
I am not sure if that is a good price, but it is certainly a premium offering not often found in a home gym.
Still getting over a cold, I did not have high hopes for this one. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I went out at what should have been a really good pace, but it quickly gassed me. I slowed down and finished 42 reps at roughly 7:30. I got through the next round of snatches and then 16 burpees for a score of 79. I was well shy of finishing the workout, but probably only left 20 reps on the table due to the cold. It was a nice way to start off the Open season.
My chest actually felt really good afterwards, so some heavy breathing went a long way towards clearing out my chest.
Gear: Nike Metcons, elbow sleeves, wrist wraps
For training, the 35 or even 25 pound dumbbell would have been a better fit. For testing the 50 pound dumbbell was manageable. I expect most folks should be able to finish this one within the time cap.
I came across a couple of new barbell clamp designs that I wanted to note for posterity.
First up is the Mackey Innovations. The intent is that the plates absolutely do not move. It is certainly engineered with that in mind and has an exact weight of 1.0 pound. They seem like a bit of a production to use and are pricey at $149 a pair, but you cannot argue with the design intent being met. I first heard Joe Mackey talk about the product on an interview with EliteFTS. I was reminded of the product when I was on the Weight It Out website. They are a distributor. They also sell a Mack Lite and have a Mack Kilo in development.
Second up is the Husker Power Lock. The intent here is a durable design that is easy to use. Apparently you slide them on and twist and their durability has been validated in high school weight rooms. I came across these on the Sorinex website and then tracked down the actual company in Nebraska. The $49 price point is pretty reasonable if I want to give them a try. They have been around since the 1980s and have nothing but positive reviews.
I have to give a mention to steel spring clamps (Harbor Freight, $2-$3). We used these at the 2024 Grip Championships for the Pinch Grip - Strict and the Rim Lift and they worked perfectly. These are single rep, low velocity lifts. They are also contested on a PVC pipe and 1.9 inch bar respectively.
Interestingly, all of these collars are suitable for 1.9" and 2" sleeves.
UPDATE 4/26/2024:
Titan just came out with some twist collars that seem really well done. They are $70 and weigh 0.75 pounds each. I do not quite understand how it works and would like to see some reviews.
