Metcon

Thursday, May 30, 2024

Garage Gym

1200

Warm Up

Reverse Hyper

Crossover Symmetry

Hip Hammy Flow

Inversions

3 kick-up attempts (failed)

2 kick-up and hold for a few seconds

Metcon

AMRAP 20

400 meter row

200 meter run

2 pull-up

I finished 5 rounds in 22:30.  This sucked today.  I felt sluggish and lethargic, but it felt good to get moving.  Programming was adopted from Vintage CrossFit which called for 450 meter row, 300 meter runs, 15 foot handstand walk and pull-ups 5, 8, 11, etc.

Swim

Friday, May 24, 2024

Carmody Rec Center

1100

Swim

1x600 FR

1x150 BA

1x150 BR

1x100 FR

--

1000 yards total (30 min)

Metcon

Wednesday, May 22, 2024

Garage Gym

1430

Mopped the main floor area prior to starting the workout

Metcon

4 Rounds for Reps of

4 Minutes Work 2 Minutes Rest

400 meter run

Max BBJO (20 inch)

This one looked interesting when I read it on Vintage CrossFit (VCF). The VCF version included ring muscle ups in addition to BBJO.  I scaled the height of the box and eliminated the muscle ups.

Over the 4 rounds, I managed 4, 5, 5, 5 BBJO which I was quite pleased with.  The rest interval was perfect and allowed for a full recovery.  I was finishing the runs in about 2:50 and had 1:10 for BBJO.

Chad Prep

100 Box Step-ups (20 Inch) - 7:55

40 minutes total workout

Short Steel Bending

I finally busted out my short steel beginners bending kit from Short Steel Bending.  I think I actually requested these over a year ago, but then chickened out trying to use them for fear of wrecking my hands.

Upon reacquainting myself with the kit, I found 3 bars marked 120 pounds and 3 bars marked 140 pounds.  Both appeared to be 3/16" cold rolled steel, but the lengths were different.

After a couple of attempts wrapping with the Cordura wraps, they felt reasonably secure.

I tried double overhand, then underhand, and finally could get a kink with a reverse grip bracing with my left hand and moving my right hand.  On the 6 inch stock, I could sweep this way as well and then did a two handed crush.  On the 5 inch stock, I switched to a double overhand for the sweep and then was able to crush it as well.

120 lbs - 3/16" by 6 inch success - Reverse Grip

140 lbs - 3/16" by 5 inch success - Reverse Grip, switch to overhand, switch to underhand

I would like to throw this in on a regular basis and have some stock on hand to play with.  After exhausting my beginners kit, I will probably order 30 pieces of 3/16" cold rolled steel (20x6"; 10x5.5") from FBBC for $21 plus shipping.

Short Steel Bending sells 10-packs of rod stock in various lengths and diameters for a $20 plus $10 flat rate shipping.

Fat Bastard Barbell Company sells 10 packs and price is based on diameter.  Not sure what shipping costs.

Eat Chalk Get Big has limited stock and is pricier at 5/16" 10 pack 7 inch lengths costing $30 plus shipping.

Metcon

Tuesday, May 21, 2024

Garage Gym

1330

Metcon

AMRAP 20

30 knees-to-elbows

1000 meter row

I scaled the core work to hanging knee raises and it was still a grind, but a good grind.  I finished 3 rounds in 22:18 (row time 16:34) well in line with the Crossfit.com guidance of 2+ rounds. My core will certainly be lit up tomorrow and it was a good reminder to work in toes-to-bar and knees-to-elbows some when I am doing EMOM work.

Bike Erg - USAWA

Saturday, May 18, 2024

Home Gym

1400

Bike Erg

20 minutes - 8295 meters

USAWA

Pullover, Bent Arm

44-55-65-75-85#

Hack Lift, One Arm

95

115

135

155 L, R

Hack Lift

225

245

I am not up to 113 of 191 lifts performed.  I have attempted 116 of 191 (failed Leg Presses and Judd C&J).  17 other exceed my current mobility (9), equipment (6) or strength (2).  It is fair to eliminate total poundage as well.  That leaves 57 that I need to try.

Pull-ups

2-1-1-1-1

banded 2-2

Concept2 Bike Erg

Mike Zee listed a bike erg right by the house for $920.  Since Nisha was home and I could check the saddle height, I went ahead and decided to take a look.  The adjustment was sufficient for her and hopefully goes low enough for Ratna as well.

LogBook Summary

Meters:  2,342,437

Time:  96:16:14

Number of Workouts:  468 (going back to 2019)

The desk attachment is actually pretty cool.  It is a product called Wally Board and comes in Black, Natural, Walnut and Raw Wood.  The stained ones are $180 and the raw wood is $160.  

The Venzo K1304 pedals are flip flop and will work with Shimano SPD cleats (mountain bike) if I were interested.

He was willing to take $900 cash which was fair as far as I am concerned.  Aside from the random $800 listing, most are listing around $975 and the last one sold for $940.  This saves a few bucks ($1100 +$60 shipping + $60 tax = $1,220 to the door retail) and was very close to the house.  

The desk is worth another $50 easily and I am not remotely concerned with getting my money back or worst case selling for $800.

My wife did not think the saddle was very comfortable.  A new one can be attached without much issue.  The problem will be finding one that she likes.

Other accessories could include:

T27 6-Lobe Driver - $2.50

Toe Clips - $5.50

Right Pedal - $13.80

Left Pedal - $13.80

Banner - $30.00

UPDATE: 7/5/2024 - We have had a few sessions on the bike and am really happy with the purchase.  I did go ahead and order the pedals, toe clips, (2) drivers and (2) phone holders.  The parts themselves were really inexpensive.  I was just trying to maximize my $10 shipping.

C&J Complex - Metcon

Friday, May 17, 2024

Garage Gym

1200

Warm Up

Reverse Hyper

Crossover Symmetry

Hip Hammy Flow

PVC Pass Through

Weightlifting

Every 2:00 minutes, 6 Sets

2 Low Hang Squat Cleans + 1 Split Jerk

Starting @ 70% and increasing by feel today to around 8 RPE

45-65-75-85-95-105-105#

This actually felt really good.  105# was a good weight for me and at the 8 RPE level.

Conditioning:

“Frantic”

5 Sets

2:00 minute AMRAP

6-7-8-9-10 Thrusters

15/12 Calorie Row

-Max Strict Pull-Ups in the Remaining Time

Load: 135/95lb, 61/43kg

I scaled this aggressively and still had a tough go.  I went with 25lb thrusters, 10 cal row and managed 1 strict pull-up each round.  I had about 20 seconds breathing room round 1 and just finished with a few seconds to spare on the last round.

Programming was from Vintage CrossFit.

Blobs/Block Weights on GripBoard

Hex Head

Half 110 - $120

Half 90 - $100

Half 85 - $90

York

Half 45 - $75 shipped

Half 55 - $80 shipped

Half 60 - $85 shipped

Half 65 - $90 shipped

Half 75 - $110 shipped

Prices seem high, but are fair.  Platinumt85 actually knocked $10 off the listed price after a couple of days and you have to figure $10 shipping.

I have a half 50 that is perfect for me.  Half 55 would be a goal and Half 45 might be suitable for cleans or hand to hand transfers.  A "full" set for my strength and aspirations is probably 40-45-50-55-60 and at $2.50/lb, we are talking about $250 to fill out my set.  I could get the 45-55-60 from Platinumt85 for $210, maybe a little less and probably not use them anymore than my current 50 that I dusted off.

I would still prefer other grip toys over blobs.  I want to get a 19 mm crimp and a Roussin twister from Nemesis Grip.  Even an 100ish pound inch replica for $300 would be preferred to a full blob set.

Ebay Grippers

Another small lot of grippers

122 Tetting Super Master (started at $100, sold $207.50)

137 Tetting Grand Master (starting at $100, sold $204.50)

136 GHP 6 (starting at $30, sold $157.50)

171 GHP 8 (starting at $60, sold $68.00)

183 Tetting Elite (started at $100, sold $204.50)

These would all be too heavy for me, but 122# Tetting would be a nice aspirational gripper.  I am still working on closing a 92# Grip Genie 3

Turns out these are being sold by Steve Mallard (WorksInAPinch) who is a great guy and I am happy he is cashing out on these at great prices.

Jujimufu Home Gym Cross Country Trip

I started watching Jujimufu's home gym tours after James Fuller was featured.  I have connected with James and strongman_archeology in the past as he has competed in USAWA and is a pretty impressive athlete.  Aside from getting me excited about learning to bent press, his gym is really old school without a lot of bells and whistles.  Just everything you need including a lot of obscure items for health & fitness.  The theme of his gym was technical skill and movement in a range of motion that is not appreciated in today's lifestyle.

My next stop was Pat McNamara's home gym and it was quite the contrast.  Certainly it followed the theme of an outdoor, gritty, hard nosed environment.  His theme was working in the transverse plane.  One key difference I noticed was the modern and unique equipment that I had not heard of:

Core Strength 1 Full System Bench - $3,995

Exxentric kBox Pro - $3,510

CinderFit Blocks - 15, 25, 35, 45, 55 lb - $1000

BAMF Hammers - 5-15kg online (all sold out), Pat Mac had some heavier ones

He also had normal stuff like bar/plates, Concept 2 SkiErg, Sorinex off grid rack, bands and center of mass bells.

I considered adding CinderFit blocks to my arsenal until I saw the price point.  $150 for a 15 pound block seems ridiculous, but there is a lot of welding involved in making these.  I do agree that the solution is ideal when combined with bands the bench.  If I were just looking for weight, I could get a cinder block from home depot that weights around 38 pounds and costs $3.

I am even more excited now to watch the sequence with Central Park Joe.

I am still amazed that Juji has 1.44M subscribers.  He is certainly an amazing athlete and has a very friendly, supportive online persona.  I have never met the man, but that is hard to fake.  A quick google search indicates youtube earnings of around $100K per year which is definitely well earning.  Combined with partnerships and what not, I would think he has a sustainable business bringing in better than $250K/year.

Spring GarageGym Competition

Saturday, May 11, 2024

Basement Gym

1100

Sanjiv

Squat

 

225

240

250

Bench

185

190

190

Deadlift

315

325

Nisha

Squat

45

55

65

Bench

35

40

45

Deadlift

65

75

85

While I was disappointed to go 5 for 9, I was happy with a 750# total.  On par with my previous powerlifting benchmarks, but nearly 10 pounds heavier (not muscle).

Total 250+185+315 = 750 (GGC 5/11/2024) 206.9

Total 245+180+335 = 760 (Lakewood 11/11/2023) 197.1

Total 245+185+325 = 755 (GGC 10/28/2023) 197.9

Total 242+165+341 = 748 (AFA 7/29/2023) 193.4

Total 235+170+325 = 730 (GGC 5/19/2023) 196.8

Total 240+195+330 = 765 (GGC 11/12/2022) 193.4

Total 235+190+325 = 750 (GGC 5/15/2022) 190.9

Nisha's first outing was impressive as well going 8 for 9.

Total 65+40+85 = 190 (GGC 5/11/2024) 85.2

USAWA Prep

Thursday, May 9, 2024

Garage Gym

1300

Warm Up

Reverse Hyper

Crossover Symmetry

Hip Hammy Flow

Clean & Press, Fulton Bar

30

80

120

125

130#

Zercher, One Arm (Left & Right)

65

75

85

85#

Clean & Seated Press Behind Neck

75

80

90#

Clean & Seated Press

95

105#

Finish with 5x1 pull-ups

60 minutes total workout

I am now up to 111 of 191 lifts

3" x 4" Saxon Bar

After extensive debate and hem hawing, I finally decided to order the Sorinex Saxon bar with raw finish.  My debate was (a) I do not need this bar (b) it is bulky and hard to store and (c) it is expensive when you figure in shipping.

I had competed on the Saxon bar at Rolling Hills and it will be contested for the Armlifting USA Super Series.  The Elite Grip Society online challenge is what put me over the edge.  Unfortunately the lead time is currently reported as 8-10 weeks, but hopefully it will be faster.

I considered the Arm Assassin and Sorinex models.  I opted for Sorinex for two reasons (1) strong name brand and potentially better resale (2) raw finish which should season well.

List price is $204, but I found a discount code for 5% off.  Shipping was another $65 and tax $20 which put me at $275 to my door.

The bar arrived at my door in perfect shape despite the suspect packaging.  Basically heavy fabric (almost like moving blanket wrapped around the bar with heavy cardboard tube to protect the ends and it was all shrink wrapped.  The bar looks great and I am looking forward to getting it seasoned.

Day 1 (5/14/2024) - Worked up to 95 pounds.

 

Bench Press - Metcon

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

Home Gym

1200

Bench Press

8x45

8x95

6x115

5x135

3x3x155#

Metcon

For Time:

10-20-30-40-50 double unders

10 RAM Alt Rev lunges

This doozy was adapted from Vintage CrossFit which called for 20-40-60-80-100 DU and Rev Lunges with 95/135 in the front rack position.  I scaled this very appropriately and finished in 12:51.  My double unders were all over the place, but my lunges were steady and unbroken.  I felt my right hammy tighten a little, but had no problem working through it.

Run - Arm Blast

Monday, May 6, 2024

CDOT Fitness Center

1100

Run

1.81 mile run on S Platte Trail (11:57/mile)

Arm Blast

Alt DB Curls

20x25

18x25

16x25#

2 DB seated OHP

3x8x30#

Calf Extensions

2x20x95#

Bent Over DB Row

2x8x40#

Candidate Fitness Assessment

Sunday, May 5, 2024

D'Evelyn Track

1100

Warm Up

Arm Circles

Trunk Twists

Hip Hammy Flow

CFA

My Score, AVG, MAX - Girls Average

Basketball Throw - 36, 35, 36 feet (69/102') 42

Pull-Up - 1 (12/18) 2

Shuttle Run - 12.14, 11.65 (8.1, 7.8) 9.4

Sit-up - 35 (81, 95) 78

Push-up - 17 (62/75) 41

Mile - 9:45 (6:29/5:20) 7:30

When I was in high school, I feel like I could have hit most of the averages.  Throwing a basketball over 20 yards seems a little surprising, but who knows.

I think Diya will do fine at around 30 feet, hopefully get to 1 pull-up, 10s shuttle run, 60 sit-up, 15 push-up, 8:30 run.  While below average, certainly not red flag numbers.

Deadlift - Incline DB Press

Saturday, May 4, 2024

Garage Gym

1500

Warm Up

Reverse Hyper

Crossover Symmetry

Hip Hammy Flow

RDL

Deadlift

12x135

10x165

8x195

6x225

4x255

2x285#

Incline DB Press

8x35

8x35 (CMB)

8x45

8x45

Back Squat - Metcon

Friday, May 3, 2024

Home Gym

1200

Warm Up

Jumping Jacks

Hip Hammy Flow

Back Squat

8x45

6x95

4x135

3x165

3x3x185

Metcon

5 Rounds for Time:

2 Pull-up

15 Abmat Sit-up

Sled Down and Back (~140 feet)

I have been needed to get some pull-ups in, been ignoring sit-ups and wanted to play with a new toy.  The workout unfolded perfectly with a quick 2:30 first round before settling into a sustainable 3 min/round pace.  I finished in 14:54 and was pleased with the effort.

The sled is a great training tool, but a bear to work with in a home gym setting.  It is difficult to move around and get situated for workouts and with any type of slope, a chock is required to keep it in place.  Great purchase and I look forward to training with it this summer.

Magnetic Resistance Sled

Stacy Reed in Aurora listed this a couple of days with the following description "I have an almost brand new TANK M4 Sled that is ideal for you fitness junkies. It comes with a Strap\Harness Tow Kit. The price is absolutely negotiable. It sells on the website for the upwards of over $1,400⁰⁰, but I'm not asking for anything like that. I didn't pay a whole lot so I'm not asking for a whole lot. I'm more than willing to accept your offers. Hope to get this baby sold a lot sooner than later."

I decided to take a flyer and said I was interested and how much she wanted.  The response was make an offer.  I replied $150-$250 based on condition.  Apparently it was acquired as part of a storage unit clean out and they had no use for it.  After some logistical back and forth, I ended up driving out to take a look.  It was certainly in better shape than the pictures let on and the magnetic resistance was on point.  I ended up paying top of range at $250.

I completely forgot to ask about the accessories, but still a very good deal.  The piece itself is a beast.  Fortunately Tony (the seller) was able to find the right Allen key to remove the arms and help me load it.  I am looking forward to giving it a whirl, but will have to do some reorganizing to make it work.

USAWA Dumbbell Presses

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

CDOT

1230

Warm Up

DB halos (10#)

Side Press - Dumbbell

35

40

45

50 (left only, missed right)

Brings me to 107 of 191 USAWA lifts attempted

Dumbbell Press

50 left

45 right

Side Press

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Garage Gym

1700

Warm Up

Crossover Symmetry

Side Press

I started with a 15kg bar and it felt fine with both left and right arm.  I added 5 pound plates and it did not work quite as well.  I backed off and built up and was stronger with my left arm vs my right arm

33

45

35

37

40

42

44 (left only, failed right)

46 (left only)

48 (left only)

I am now at 106 of 191 USAWA lifts tested.

After unloading the bar, I tried the Zercher, One Arm with a 20kg bar.  Balance was not too bad, but definitely something to think about.  Will build to heavy on another workout.  Checking the rules I just learned that I can use two hands to bring it to my knees and then execute with one arm.  This is another one where the record is open for 50 year old male 95kg.