Apollon's Axle Deadlift

Sunday, March 31, 2025

Garage Gym

1300

Warm Up

Reverse Hyper

Hip Hammy Flow

Apollon's Axle Deadlift

10x123

8x153

6x183

2x213

2x213

Pull-ups

EMOM 5

30 minutes total workout

Rolling Hills Grip Challenge 3

https://ironpodium.com/events/live/rolling-hills-grip-challenge-3

Scoreboard for Rolling Hills Grip Challenge 3

Silver Bullet

Kim = 0+0:06.8

Elijah = 0

Jarrod = 1.5+0:09.0

2x5 Saxon Bar

Kim - 126.2

Elijah - 145.6

Jarrod - 195.5

2-3/8" Napalm Nightmare

Kim - 160.3

Elijah - 160.3

Jarrod - 250.6

Hub Lift

Kim - 46.2

Elijah - 38.8

Jarrod - 61.6

Wrist Roller Sled Drag

Kim - 12+0:37.9

Elijah - 11.25+0:60:0

Jarrod - 12+0:54.59

BSAG Leg 3

Friday, March 28, 2025

Home Gym

1700

Warm Up

5 minute bike erg

Hip Hammy Flow

Back Squat

8x45

5x95

3x135

155

185

205

Clean & Press Behind Neck

75

85

95

DB Swing

35

50

62 (right arm)

DB Snatch x 4

4x50 = 200 pounds (right arm)

DB Snatch Rampage

8x50 = 400 pounds (right arm)

1 hour total workout

950 Yard Pool Swim

Friday, March 28, 2025

Carmody Rec Center

1030

Pool Swim

1x300 FR

1x150 FR

1x150 BR

1x150 BA

1x100 BR

1x100 FR

---

950 yards total (30 minutes)

Good to be back in the water.

Clean & Jerk - Metcon

Monday, March 17, 2025

Westbound CrossFit (Coach Aaron)

1630 (8 of us)

WARM UP

300m run

Lateral hops over bar

Scap push-ups

Barbell technique

Hang in active hollow

Scap pull-ups

Pull-ups

STRENGTH

E:20 X 21

1 Power Clean and Jerk @ 50-60%

+

7:00 to Build to Heavy Clean and Jerk

Clean and Jerk

1 x 1

I used 65 pounds and did 19 of 21 reps.

Building to heavy, I did 115 and 135 pounds

METCON

CrossFit Performance/RX+

5 Sets

AMRAP - 2

300m Run

Max Rep Strict Pull Ups

----:60 Rest B/t----

I played with the run to make sure I would have time to do pull-ups

R1 - 200m - 3 pull-ups

R2 - 240m - 2 pull-ups

R3 - 300m - 1 pull-ups

R4 - 240m - 2 pull-ups

R5 - 240m - 2 pull-ups

I enjoyed this workout quite a bit.  The strength seemed rushed, but running and pull-ups is bread and butter CrossFit.

Strandpulling

Saturday, March 15, 2025

Garage Gym

1630

Strand Pulling

Press Behind Neck - 40kg

Dislocation Attention - 10kg

Overhead Downwards Knuckles In - 30kg

Overhead Downwards Knuckles Out - 30kg

CrossFit Open 25.3 (s) - Wall Walk-Row-DL-CL-SN

Saturday, March 15, 2025

Westbound CrossFit 

0940

Warm Up

Shoulder Circles

Hip Hammy Flow

Front Rack Warm Up

Pass Throughs

Wrist Mobility

Scaled Wall Walk

CrossFit Open 25.3 (s)

For time:

5 wall walks

50-calorie row

5 wall walks

25 deadlifts

5 wall walks

25 cleans

5 wall walks

25 snatches

5 wall walks

50-calorie row

Time cap: 20 minutes

♀ Scaled wall walks | 85, 65, 45 lb (38, 29, 20 kg)

♂ Scaled wall walks | 135, 95, 65 lb (61, 43, 29 kg)

Rx would have required full wall walks and heavier barbells at 225, 135, 95 and would not have gone well for me assuming I could even complete the first wall walk to the standard.

First 5 wall walks went well enough finishing in 1:11

The row was a nice cruiser at about 600 cal/hour

Wall walks (6-10) were smooth as well

Deadlifts (135#) felt really good and I was able to maintain 5x5

Wall walks (11-15) began the struggle with longer breaks, but no missed reps (12:40)

Cleans (95#) felt heavy and I opted for singles

Wall walks (16-20) were rough, but I was racing to get another tie break time (19:23)

Snatches (65#) felt light and I did a set of 3 + 1 more rep

Overall, I am pleased with the Open workouts.  Aside from being a little lighter, not much would help.  CrossFit age groups are determined by the athletes age on July 14 of the competition year.  That puts me at 54 which means next year, I would be in the 55+ Masters and in all likelihood never do the workouts Rx again, but you never know. 

The Answer

John Marck had The Answer listed for a while at $20 and dropped it to $15.  Not in the best shape and needs some clean up, but I want to give it a whirl.

Given that the current retail is $399, this will certainly be fun to train with a little bit and worst case, may make the perfect base for a Roman Chair.

After clean-up this little device is not the gem I hoped it would be.  The cushion is incredibly soft and would not be good for much more than instability work.  However, the base frame is sturdy.  I will make some measurements to design the Roman Chair.

Front Squat - Metcon

Monday, March 10, 2025

Westbound CrossFit (Coach Loni)

1200 (8 of us)

WARM UP - DB, box, wall

3x

10 step ups/10 plyo step ups/5 box jumps

10 single DB deadlifts/10 single DB shoulder press/10 DB snatch

:15 wall facing HS hold

MOVEMENT/MOBILITY - band, bb, wall

*grab moderate band

:30 banded overhead tricep extension / side

:30 half kneeling banded lat stretch / side

:30 band assisted deep squat, band around hips

:30 band assisted deep squat, band around t-spine

10 spanish squats

*grab barbell

:20 back rack elbow punches

5 SLOW front squats + 5 front squats + 5 fast front squats

:20 bb calf smash / side

:20 calf stretch on wall

2 wall walks, pause every step

2 wall walks @ workout pace

STRENGTH

E :30 X 5

2 Front Squats + :03 Descent + :03 Pause in Hole

@ 40-60%

+

12:00 to Build to A Heavy Front Squat

Front Squat

1 x 1

I did 3x2@75 pounds (3 second lower, 3 second pause)

Build - 95, 115, 135, 155, 185 pounds

METCON

Health

For Time (15:00 CAP)

400m Run OR 500m Row

20 DB Snatch (50/35#)

20 Box Jumps (20/16")

10 Scaled Wall Walks

20 Box Jumps

20 DB Snatch

400m Run OR 500m Row

I ran both legs, 15# DB snatch, 6 scaled wall walks and 20" box step-ups.  Finished the Hail Mary run at the time cap.

USAWA - Jeff's 50th Birthday Bash

Saturday, March 8, 2025

Garage Gym

1230

Jarrod, Elijah and Kim came over for Jeff's 50th Birthday Bash hosted by Clark's Gym.  I planned on officiating, but ended up getting sucked into competing.  It was an interesting format with 5 lifts drawn out of hat of 10 potential lifts.

Potential Lifts (****selected)

• Bench Dip****5th
• Anderson Squat
• Jackson Press****3rd
• Lateral Raise, Lying****2nd
• One-Hand Pinch Grip Deadlift
• Strict Curl
• Press From Rack****1st
• Reg Parke Bench Press
• Roman Chair Sit-up****4th
• Seated Press From Rack

We also completed them in the order drawn.

I did OK, but was certainly not feeling like a beast.

• Press, From Rack - 105, 115
• Lateral Raise, Lying - 40, 45, 50
• Jackson Press - 0 (mobility)
• Roman Chair Sit-up - 53, 78
• Bench Dip - 0 (mobility, I could not get my shoulder to drop below my elbow)

The Lateral Raise, Lying and Roman Chair Sit-up populated some vacant records, but nothing that is going to stand for any length of time.

CrossFit Open 25.2 = 22.3

Saturday, March 8, 2025

Westbound CrossFit

0915

Warm Up

Jumping Jacks

Hip Hammy Flow

Kip Swings

Thrusters

Double Under Technique

CrossFit 25.2

For time:

21 pull-ups

42 double-unders

21 thrusters (weight 1)

18 chest-to-bar pull-ups

36 double-unders

18 thrusters (weight 2)

15 bar muscle-ups

30 double-unders

15 thrusters (weight 3)

Time cap: 12 minutes

♀ 65, 75, 85 lb (29, 34, 38 kg)

♂ 95, 115, 135 lb (43, 52, 61 kg)

This was a repeat of 22.3 when I completed 146 Rx reps on March 11, 2022. 

This was tougher than I remembered. Being 13 pounds heavier certainly did not do me any favors.  

I kept a similar strategy of doing singles on the pull-ups.  

The double unders started with a big set of 18 and then was going 2-3 reps before failing.  I had one other big set to finish.

The thrusters felt very heavy and I ended up doing 7 sets of 3, with a tie break time of 8:49.

The last 3 minutes were a chipper at the pull-up bar, but I did complete 15 chest to bar pull-ups.  I was not able to make it back to the jump rope or the heavier thrusters.

Doing the workout Saturday was super fun and I was able to help by judging during the next three heats.  I also enjoyed watching the coaches throw down at the end.  I was amazed at watching Ryley execute the whole thing in 6 minutes.

Erg Triathlon

Friday, March 7, 2025

Home Gym

1600

Conditioning

Erg Triathlon

1000 m row

4000 m bike

1000 m ski

20:50

Georgia Tech Plates

Although I have no ties to Georgia Tech, I am a sucker for custom plates and was thrilled to grab a pair of these Georgia Tech 45's.  He had 35's as well and was taking offers.  I really wanted a pair and decided, but put out a fair $180 plus shipping price which the seller accepted.  They should arrive March 11th and I am happy to add these to my collection.  Maybe they will live here forever, or maybe they will be traded for something different.

Eleiko Calibrated Pound Plates

I had a chance to look at the following plates, but could not make a deal.  The original asking price for 510 pounds was $6,000 but the best offers he was getting was on the order of $6/pound.  I decided to show up with cash anyway and had a price target of $2.50 to $3.00 per pound.  Unfortunately, we were not able to make a deal.  They are extremely nice and almost seem too fancy to be daily drivers.  More like, "we have company coming over, let's get the nice plates."

He is certainly not in a hurry to sell.  One buyer wanted a pair of 10's and 5's and was willing to pay $250 or $8/pound.  I am not sure if that includes shipping.

I chatted with the buyer for a while and if he does not sell everything as a set, there may be the opportunity to grab some odds and ends.

Philosophy Gym Trap Bar

I am such an equipment snob that the thought of purchasing a trap bar from Walmart makes me throw up in my mouth a little.  However, I had a chance to try out the Philosophy Gym Trap Bar and really liked it.

The handle width (reported at 22.5") is perfect for me.  The knurling is aggressive.  The finish looks great.  It is small (9.5" loadable sleeve) which would be a problem for some, but I would be able to load more than enough weight for me.

The Rogue Trap Bar has 25" handle spacing and larger diameter handles at 1.34 inches.  I was shocked at how much better the Philosophy trap bar felt.  The Rogue bar does have 16 inch loadable sleeves.

Finally the $145 price tag from Walmart is laughably cheap.  I cannot even buy trap bars on Facebook Marketplace for that price.

Sumo Deadlift - Strict Press

Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Garage Gym

1600

Warm Up

Reverse Hyper

Crossover Symmetry

Hip Hammy Flow

Sumo Deadlift - 135

STRENGTH

25:00 to Complete

5 Sets

3 Dead-stop Sumo Deadlifts @ 70-87%

----2:00 Rest B/t----

+

4 Sets

5 Strict Press @ 60% and Building Heavy

15 Straight Arm Banded Pull-aparts

----1:30 Rest B/t----

Sumo Deadlift - 165-195-225-255-255

Strict Press - 65-75-75-80-80

I really liked doing this on my own in the garage.  Warm up and strength took me nearly 50 minutes, but I was really able to get after each set and bring my best.  It may be time to start training at home again.

METCON (skipped)

Health

AMRAP - 8

20 Wall Balls (14/10#) to (10/9')

400m Run

20 Wall Balls

500m Row

Max Rep Wall Balls

Conditioning - EMOM

Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Home Gym

1400

Conditioning

Erg Triathlon

1000 m row - 5:17

4000 m bike - 9:22

1000 m ski - 5:42

EMOM 18

1 - 2 pull-ups

2 - 10 med ball over shoulder (55#)

3 - 10 sit-ups

This was kind not programmed real well.  I would do 1 pull-up at 0 and another at 10 seconds and then a long rest.  The med ball over shoulder took 50 seconds.  The sit-ups took 40 seconds.  At the end of the day it worked out fine and met the intent of getting in some pulling and core work.

Front Squat - Metcon

Monday, March 3, 2025

Garage Gym

1800

Warm Up

Bike Erg - 1000 meters

Ski Erg - 1000 meters

Front Squat - 45, 75

Front Squat

5 Sets

5 Front Squats @ 70-80%

----2:00 Rest B/t----

105-115-120-125-125 pounds

Felt Good, wore knee sleeves, wrist wraps and a belt

Metcon

Health

For Time (12:00 CAP)

4x

200m Run

10 Deadlifts (135/95#)

20 Box Jumps (20/16")

Modified to 250 m ski erg, and 18" box jumps.  Finished 3 rounds in 15:02.  Programming from Westbound CrossFit

USAWA Colorado Single Arm Challenge

Saturday, March 1, 2025

Garage Gym

1000

USAWA Lifting

Colorado Single Arm Challenge

Snatch, One Arm, Right - 55, 60, 65

Clean & Jerk, One Arm, Right - 55, 65, 75*

Deadlift, One Arm, Right - 135, 150, 185

I was really pleased with the one arm deadlift.  While it is not record setting, my grip strength has definitely improved.

Q1 Postal Meet

Continental Snatch - 95, 105, 115

Press From Rack, Behind Neck - 105, 115*

Trap Bar Deadlift - 294, 314, 364*

The trap bar deadlift was a huge win for me.  I have conventionally pulled 341 pounds and I have tested my sumo to 255 (triple), but have never really tested my trap bar deadlift.  Jarrod's bar has the ideal handle width for me with excellent knurling.  I was very confident at 314 and decided to see what was left.  I think it was exactly 364 pounds.

Record Day Lifts

Continental to Chest, Fulton - 123, 143, 143*

This was a big lift for me.  I opted to bring the bar to the hang and then heave it to my chest, rolling it from my nipples to the upright position.

In addition to setting the (4) records, the Trap Bar Deadlift; Continental to Chest, Fulton; and Continental Snatch were new lifts to me and I am now at 140 of 195 lifts attempted.

Jarrod and Kim joined me for some lifting and we were able to complete everything is around 3 hours.  Everybody had a chance to do the Challenge and Postal Meet.  Jarrod set (3) records, Kim set (3) records and I set (1) record.  Total of 25 lifts in 3 hours or about 7 minute per lift when you figure in set up, loading the barbells, etc.

25.1 - Burpee - DB C&J - Lunges

Friday, February 28, 2025

Westbound CrossFit (Open Gym)

1000

Warm Up

Jumping Jacks

Hip Hammy Flow

Crossover Symmetry

Movement Prep

25.1 Rx

As many rounds and reps as possible in 15 minutes of:

3 lateral burpees over the dumbbell

3 dumbbell hang clean-to-overheads

30-foot walking lunge (2 x 15 feet)

*After completing each round, add 3 reps to the burpees and hang clean-to-overheads.

♀ 35-lb (15-kg) dumbbell

♂ 50-lb (22.5-kg) dumbbell

In my head I had a good plan, of steady, step-up burpees, switching arms every 3 reps and hang clean to overhead and recovery during lunges.  I set a target of 100 reps and wanted to come out a little slow and then hopefully speed up.

round of 3 (8 reps) - 1 min

round of 6 (22 reps) - 3 min

round of 9 (42 reps) - 8 min

round of 12 (68 reps) - 14 min

round of 15 (100 reps) - ??

I was moving well, but my C&J plan fell apart.  My left arm did not want to move the weight and I played with alternating each rep and then 3 with the right 1 with the left.  I was able to keep moving and only set the dumbbell down a couple of times.  I finished the round of 12 at just over 11 minutes.  Finishing the round of 15 was possible.  I cranked through the burpees in 2:30ish and had 90 seconds for the C&J and lunges.  I ended up getting 15 feet of the lunges, but not the turn around.  Super excited with 99 reps.

I really liked having Aaron Haran judge me.  We went over movement standards, I told him my plan.  His cues were very effective.  Bracing the core and driving with the legs for the C&J.  His count reminders were spot on.

Conditioning

Thursday, February 27, 2025

Westbound CrossFit (Open Gym)

1530

Conditioning

4 Rounds for Time:

1000 meter run

2 pull-ups

10 push-ups

33:55  

Good mover.  I enjoyed getting outside running and wanted to stay sharp for the open workout.

Sumo Deadlift - Strict Press - Metcon

Wednesday, February 26, 2025

Westbound CrossFit (Coach Ryley)

1630 (8 of us)

WARM UP

15/12 cal bike

10 PVC sumo deadlifts

10 PVC strict press

15/12 cal bike

MOVEMENT/MOBILITY - mini band, bb, PVC

*mini squat band around knees

8/8 banded side steps

8 PVC good mornings

8/8 figure 4 squats / side

:30 wall v-sit

:30 90/90 internal rotation biased hip opener / side

*grab barbell

4 sumo deadlifts, pause at mid shin + knee

*band around wrists

8 banded garbage trucks

8 banded unweighted neutral grip shoulder press

8 bb strict press

4 high pull to turnover

4 "TNG" bb muscle cleans

4 tall power cleans

4 TNG power cleans @ warm up weight

PRIMER - bike, bb

12/9 cal bike fast

6 TNG power cleans @ workout weight

STRENGTH

25:00 to Complete

5 Sets

3 Dead-Stop Sumo Deadlifts @ 70-83%

----2:00 Rest B/t----

+

5 Sets

5 Strict Press @ 68-78%

15 Banded Bicep Curls

----1:30 Rest B/t----

Sumo Deadlift

1 x 3

Strict Press

1 x 5

Deadlift - 135, 165, 195, 225, 255

Strict Press - 65-75-75-75-75

METCON

Health

For Time (8:00 CAP)

32/26 Cal Bike

40 Hang Power Cleans (75/55#)

Scaled to 30 calorie bike and 45# hang power clean (15-10-10-5) - 4:27

Front Squat - Metcon

Monday, February 24, 2025

Westbound CrossFit (Coach Loni)

1200 (7 of us)

WARM UP

20/16 cal Row

15 air squats

10 push ups

15 BB Deadlifts

MOVEMENT/MOBILITY - PVC, BB, wall

*grab PVC

8 PVC passthroughs

:20 PVC shoulder external rotation / side

8 PVC shoulder press

8 PVC front squats

8 PVC front rack sots press

*grab bb

10 zombie squats

:30 elbow punches

:20 front squat hold

10 front squats

16 pike shoulder taps

:20 Handstand hold

8 pike push ups

4 eccentric handstand push ups

8/8 single leg foot elevated glute bridge on wall

16 straight leg feet elevated glute bridge march on wall

16 superman

8 deadlifts @ 135/95#

STRENGTH

20:00 to Complete

5 Sets

5 Front Squats @ 70-77.5%

----2-3min Rest B/t----

Front Squat

1 x 5

This still feels rough, but I moved 105-105-105-115-115 pounds.

METCON

Health

17.4 (s)

AMRAP - 13

55 Deadlifts (155/105#)

55 Wall Ball Shots (14/10#) to(10/9')

55 Cal Row

55 DB Push Press (35/25#)

This was as bad as I remembered it being when I did it on 3/17/2017.  However, when reviewing the scores, I was not as bad off as I would have guessed.  Deadlifts were slower.  Wall balls were the same.  My rowing calories were only 70% of what I was pulling in 2017.  There is definitely room for improvement.

17.4 (s) Deadlifts Wall Balls Row (time) Row (cals)

2017 3:58         4:56                 4:06                 52

2025 5:30         5:00                 2:30                 22

Pool Swim - Long Course

Sunday, February 23, 2025

Carmody Rec Center

0800

Pool Swim - Long Course

1x200 FR

1x200 FR

2x100 FR

2x100 BR

1x100 BA

2x100 FR

--

1100 meters total (40 minutes)

BSAG Leg 2

Saturday, February 22, 2025

Garage Gym

1800

Warm Up

Reverse Hyper

Hip Hammy Flow

BSAG Leg 2

DumbbelZ Supine PRESS = 124 pounds (worked up from 55, 70, 90 pounds and only 1 official attempt)

Single Arm (Barbell) SNATCH = 65 pounds (right arm) (only 1 attempt)

Static CLEEN = 125 pounds (made 95, 115, 125 and failed 135)

Single Arm SNATCH x 4 = 55 pounds x 4 = 210 pounds (right arm) (only 1 attempt)

Single Arm SNATCH RAMPAGE = 44 pounds x 9 = 396 pounds (right arm) (only 1 attempt)

50 minutes total workout

Weightlifting

Saturday, February 22, 2025

Westbound CrossFit (Coach Kyle)

0700 (4 of us)

Warm Up

Echo Bike

Banded scap retraction

Band pull aparts

Band traction - Green band at base of rig with cross over ankle and calf on foam roller

Banded activation

Activation

High Pull

Press from Behind Neck

Overhead Squat - Place bar at base of neck, push while descending (i.e. the bar is the ceiling)

Strength

Muscle Snatch - Built up to 85 pounds

Clean Pull + Hang Clean Pull - Built up to 145 pounds

Nice little mover.  Glad I got my butt out of bed.

Jackson Weight Plates on ebay

Jackson weight plates are highly collectible and usually trade hands privately.  Recently some plates have come up on ebay without a reserve and I am very anxious to see what the open market value is.  These plates are from the 1940's (2nd Gen) or 1950's (3rd Gen).

With 2 days to go:

Jackson 10 pound - $130 (16 bids) - hammered $132.50

Jackson 5 pounds - $155 (13 bids) - hammered $200.00

Jackson 5 pounds - $107.50 (18 bids) - hammered $182.50

Fortunately the seller is offering free shipping, but the prices are still an exorbitant $15-$30/pound.

I was hard pressed to bid up a pair of 1980's Eleiko plates to $210 plus $90 shipping which puts them at $300/88 pounds = $3.40/pound.  Part of me is hoping that I do not win them.

Update - My max bid $225, hammered for $270 + $90 shipping or roughly $4/pound.  Not horrible.

To date the craziest money I have spent on weights is the 9 pound pair of York Roundheads at $300/18 pounds = $17/pound.

Clean Complex - Metcon

Thursday, February 20, 2025

Westbound CrossFit (Coach Aaron)

1630 (8 of us)

Warm Up

STRENGTH

15:00 to Complete

4 Sets

5 Hang Power Cleans + 3 Thrusters

@ 50% of 1RM CJ and Building Heavy

----3:00min Rest B/t----

I built up from 55-65-75-85 pounds and was moving well.  Maybe could have gone 95 or 100 for a top set.

METCON

Health

For Time (15:00 CAP)

20 Wall Balls (14/10#) to (10/9')

30 Hanging Leg Raises to Hip Height

20 Wall Balls

15 Low Strict RMU Transitions

20 Wall Balls

30 Hanging Leg Raises to Hip Height

20 Wall Balls

This was as difficult as it looked, but I scaled it well and paced it well going 10/5/5ish on the wall balls, sets of 6 for the hanging leg raises (some were below hip height) and singles on the ring muscle up transitions (they were anything but strict).  I finished in 13:23 and felt good about the effort.

Ring Muscle Up Technique - Metcon

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Westbound CrossFit (Coach Bryn)

1200 (10 of us)

WARM UP

AMRAP 5

9/7 cal row

8 walking lunges

8 ring rows

2/2 unweighted windmills

MOVEMENT/MOBILITY - rings, pull up bar, DBs

8 kip swings on rings/bar

8 cat/cows

8 scap push ups

:10 ring support hold

:10 ring dip hold

:20 false grip hang

3 low ring strict muscle up transitions, assist w/ feet

5 bulgarian rows

5 explosive bulgarian rows

3 low ring muscle up transitions

8 hanging shoulder circles forward

4 mini butterfly pull ups

4 kipping chest to bar

STRENGTH

12:00 to Practice @ Easy Pace

1-3 Ring Muscle Ups

2/2 DB Windmills @ Moderate Load

Worked on false grip, ring muscle up transitions from the ground.  Windmills were tough.  I started with 10 pound dumbbell and then went unloaded again.

OPTIONS

1. Ring MU

2. Big Ring Kip Swings + Hip Pop + Pull to Hips

3. Low Ring MU

4. Low Ring Strict Ring MU

METCON

Health

E6M X 3 (5:00 Cap/set)

30/22 Cal Row

+

3x

12 DB Walking Lunges (35/25#) - Hold However

6 Jumping Chest to Bar Pull Ups

I scaled to 22 calorie row, 25# dumbbell and kipping pull-ups.

Round 1 - row + 34 reps

Round 2 - row + 30 reps

Round 3 - row + 28 reps

This was harder than I thought and I did scale it appropriately.  3x(12+6) = 54 reps.

Front Squat - Metcon

Monday, February 17, 2025

Westbound CrossFit (Coach Bryn)

1630 (12 of us)

WARM UP

:20 single under, high jump

:20 single under, low jump

10 air squats

:20 single under oscillating b/t high and low

:20 double under

5 burpees

MOVEMENT/MOBILITY - PVC, BB

*grab PVC

8 PVC passthroughs

4 PVC overhead squats w/ pause

4 PVC Sots press

8 PVC snatch grip deadlift

8 PVC front squats

10 scorpions

*grab barbell

:20 BB trap smash / side

:20 front rack hold

:20 front squat hold

:20 BB quad smash / side

:20 BB calf smash / side

5 power snatch w/ pause overhead

*first warm up weight on bar

10 front squats

STRENGTH

15:00 to Complete

5 Sets

5 Front Squats @ 68-75%

----2 min Rest B/t----

Front Squat

1 x 5

I trained with 95-105-105-105-105 (~50% of 1RM, but a good weight for today)

METCON

CF Open 14.1

AMRAP -10

30 Double Under

15 Power Snatches (75/55#)

We were encouraged to go Rx in preparation for the open and I chose to see how it went.  My double unders were not good, but I was able to complete 60 double unders.  Both sets took a little over 2 minutes.  The power snatches at 75# were not much better.  I was able to manage sets of 3 with pretty long rest periods.  I ended up at 1 Round + 30 DU + 10 PS.

Erg Fest - Bench Press

Saturday, February 15, 2025

Basement Gym

1200

Erg Fest

2000 m Row

2000 m Ski

4000 m Bike

Bench Press

3x12x105 pounds

Hang Clean & Jerk - Metcon

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Westbound CrossFit (Coach Bryn)

1200 (7 of us)

Warm Up

30/24 cal bike

12 DB good morning

12 DB snatches

MOVEMENT/MOBILITY - PVC, BB, wall

*grab PVC

5 PVC RDL to knee

5 PVC front squat to parallel

5 PVC push press

5 dip, jump, punch and land

5 dip, jump, punch and land w/ PVC

5 tall split jerk foot work

5 PVC split jerks

*grab barbell

5 hang power clean, hold in receiving

5 push jerks, hold in receiving

5 split jerks, hold in receiving

:10 pike hold w/ feet on wall + :10 wall facing hs hold

2 wall walks in as few steps as possible

PRIMER - wall, DB

3x

1 wall walk

4 DB snatches @ workout weight

STRENGTH

EMOM x 10

2 Low Hang Power Clean

2 Jerks

@ 60-70% of 1RM CJ

Clean and Jerk

1 x 4

55-55-65-65-75

75-75-75-75-75

Coaching cue - Have back knee pointed down

METCON

Health

AMRAP - 10

3 Scaled Wall Walks

12 DB Snatch (35/25#)

+

@ 13:00

30/20 Cal Bike

I was moving well, but this got rough quick.  I scaled the wall walks to move from in front of a line to behind then line in two steps.  I scaled to a 25 pound dumbbell.  I managed 4 Rounds + 3 Reps.

I scaled to 20 calorie bike and finished in 1:17

IronMind Thick Handles

I like all unique items, especially when they come from premium brands like IronMind.  These 2.5" knurled dumbbell handles certainly fit the bill.  They take 1" plates.

I cannot use them for USAWA lifts, I don't have many standard plates, but I am still interested.

Zstan on the grip board originally listed them for $150 in November 2024 along with several other items.  The price has since dropped to $125 (12/2/2024), $115 (12/11/2024) and $110 (2/11/2024).

While the price is certainly fair, it is expensive for something I don't need.  I think I would be a buyer at $100 including shipping.

Colorado Iron Grips

While I do not need any more weight plates, especially the Iron Grip shape, it sucked to miss out on (4) of these for $200.  First off anything under $2/pound is a steel for Iron Grip and the fact that they are logo'd would have had me offering $150 to $200/pair.

Offered by Ashton Renshaw in Arvada.  I contacted him 5 hours after listing and he already had a buyer and I was second if his original buyer backed out.

Front Squat - Metcon

Monday, February 10, 2025

Westbound CrossFit (Coach Loni)

0900 (8 of us)

Warm Up

10 burpees

10 squat jumps

3/3 lateral box step ups, outside leg

MOVEMENT/MOBILITY

8 air squats, :05 pause

:30 armless prayer stretch on box

3/3 single leg touchdown squats

3/3 plyo step ups

5 top half superman, arms in T

5 top half superman, arms in Y

*grab barbell

5 zombie squats, :05 pause

:30 back rack elbow punches

5 front squats, :05 pause

5 box jumps

:30 wide stance forward fold

8 hollow hold to v-up

4 hanging leg raises

4 kip swings, big hollow

4 kip swings w/ knee tuck, big hollow

4 kip swing w/ knee tuck + kick

4 TTB

STRENGTH

12:00 to Complete

3 Sets

10 Front Squat @ 50-65% of 1RM

----3:00 Rest B/t----

Front Squat

1 x 10

I used 65-75-75 pounds.  I was planning on working up to 95 pounds, but really was not feeling this movement today. 

METCON

Health

5 Sets

AMRAP - 3

12/9 Cal Row

9 Burpee Box Jump (20/16")

Max Rep Strict Hanging Leg Raises

----1:00 Rest B/t----

I scaled this to 9 calorie row and 7 burpee box jumps to a 20" box.  That left me 30-45 seconds for hanging leg raises and I got 8-6-5-5-4 reps.

Cool Custom Grip Items

Adam Juncker had some pretty cool homemade grip items including a adjustable width pinch apparatus ($85) and a plate loaded sledge hammer ($65) shipped within the continental United States.  He posted these on the gripboard along with some mainstream grip items like a BSS Flask for $75 and a BSS Dub Hub for $25.  Both sold quite quickly.

I really like that he posted videos of the development and fabrication of these devices and the price point cannot be beat.  

The adjustable pinch apparatus is a beast at 19 pounds with 3/8" thick steel sides and 1/4" thick steel base.  (2 of 2 available).  Price drop to $70 disassembled and shipped in a flat rate box.

The plate loaded sledge hammer is significantly lighter being fabricated from aluminum.  I do not need either item, but at that price point I might just take a gamble to have something new to play with or even a prize for the upcoming grip contest or something else.  (2 of 3 sold quickly, 1 remaining)

1250 Yard Pool Swim

Sunday, February 9, 2025

Carmody Rec Center

1100

Pool Swim

1x500 FR

1x200 FR

1x150 BA

1x150 BR

2x100 FR

1x50 FR

--

1250 yards total (40 minutes)

Really wanted to get more volume in to prepare for the swim run event this year.

Bench Press & Fun Stuff

Saturday, February 8, 2025

Basement Gym

1600

Bench Press

8x45

8x95

6x115

6x135 with slingshot

5x155 with slingshot

3x175 with slingshot

Bandbell

8x70

6x70

6x70

Grippers

Worked up to a 71 pound close

Chest Expander 

International Steel Strandpulling Association

Pulls 1&2 Left & Right Arm Chest Pull Attention

2 strands

3 strands

4 strands

1-5/8" Thumb Blaster

First time giving it a whirl

30

40

45

50

51.5

53 (right and left hand

60 minutes of fun and games. 

I have been wanting to play with the Mark Bell Slingshot I got and I do really like how it feels to have assistance off the chest and then press.  I think it could build confidence having a certain load on board.  The Bandbell was brutal today.

I have been buying grippers but not using them.  Nice to get a solid close on a 71.

Chest Expander.  I bought one and started learning the lifts.  I think I am going to switch to testing my max and training a couple of pulls once/week and posting to the Facebook Group.

Finally King Kong prep.  Starting with the 1-5/8" thumb blaster.  My first attempts were pretty solid working up to 53 pounds.

Olympic Lifting

Saturday, February 8, 2025

Westbound CrossFit (Coach Kyle)

0700 (6 of us)

Olympic Lifting

Echo Bike

Shoulder Activation (small band and pull aparts)

Behind the Neck Snatch Grip Press

Snatch Balance

Build to heavy 3 rep overhead squat - 38 pounds

--cue rotate knuckles back, especially at the bottom

Back Squat Walk Out

• Staggered/Lunge Stance
• Clean Grip
• Load and step front foot back

Deadlift - Metcon

Friday, February 7, 2025

Westbound CrossFit (Coach Loni)

1200 (6 of us)

WARM UP

AMRAP 4

5 lateral burpees over bar

10 PVC thrusters

5 SLOW BB RDLs

MOVEMENT/MOBILITY - PVC, barbell

:20 wide grip PVC lat activation (bend PVC around hips)

5/5 PVC single leg RDLs

5/5 stagger stance BB RDL

5 hollow to arch rolls

5 glute bridge walkouts

5/5 quadruped hip CARs

*bb @ first warm up weight

3/3 stagger stance RDLs

3 deadlifts, :05 down

:20 book t-spine opener / side

12 hollow rocks

*bb @ second warm up weight

3/3 stagger stance RDLs

3 deadlifts, :05 down

PRIMER - bb @ 95/65#

5 thrusters

5 lateral burpees over bar

4 thrusters

STRENGTH

15:00 to Complete

6 Sets

2/2/2/1/1/1 Deadlifts @ 70% and Building to Heavy Single

----2:00 Rest B/t----

Deadlift

1 x 2

1 x 1

I wasn't feeling too great, but warm ups at 135 and 185 felt better than I expected.  I ended up going:

225

255

285

305

325

340 (nearly matching my previous best of 341 pounds at the AFA Powerlifting Meet)

It went up really well and I might have another 10 pounds in me.  I was pretty excited and thought I had a 5 pound personal best.

METCON

Health

For Time (15:00 CAP)

5-4-3-2-1

Thruster (45/35#)

Lateral Burpee Over Bar

+

5-4-3-2-1

Thruster (65/45#)

Lateral Burpee Over Bar

+

5-4-3-2-1

Thruster (75/55#)

Lateral Burpee Over Bar

This sucked.  I did plank jacks and reduced the loading to 45-55-65 pounds.  I grinded through in  14:19, but may have messed up the rep count in round 2.

Westbound CrossFit - Review

I started at Westbound CrossFit November 12, 2024 with Chad 1000.  Nisha was looking for an offseason training program and I needed a refresher as I had been putting on weight.  Nisha lasted about a month before deciding it was not for her.  I have continued to train there and have really enjoyed it.

Owner: Ryley - Great athlete, committed gym owner, good coach

Coaching Staff - Kyle (Oly), Bryn, Loni, Jenn, Rachel; all have strengths and are dedicated to their craft

I like the programming.  There are major cycles every 6 weeks to focus on squat, bench, deadlift, clean, snatch, etc.  There are skill days and long metabolic conditioning days. The programming includes a lot of echo bike that I do not really care for.  I think it adds an inordinate amount of time to transition.  They always post Performance, Health and Rx+ loading.

The gym itself is well laid out, but not big enough to accommodate the 25 athlete cap.  With 18 athletes it is chaos.  With 6 athletes it is perfect.  There are plenty of barbells and weights.  It is limited by row ergs, bike ergs and rig space.

It is really nice that they offer Olympic Weightlifting.  Kyle is an interesting personality and definitely a knowledgeable coach.

There are a few niceties like a cold plunge and InBody scan.  They offer challenges and promote the CrossFit Open.

Open Gym time is somewhat limited, but meets my needs.

2025 CrossFit Open

1. 2016 CrossFit Open - MBS CrossFit, Old Pueblo CrossFit - all scaled
2. 2017 CrossFit Open - West Metro CrossFit - Rx/s
3. 2018 CrossFit Open - Aspire Fitness (did not register) - all scaled
4. 2019 CrossFit Open - CrossFit Golden - Rx/s
5. 2020 CrossFit Open - CrossFit Golden - Rx
6. 2021 CrossFit Open - Garage Gym - Rx
7. 2022 CrossFit Open - CrossFit Golden - Rx
8. 2023 CrossFit Open - Garage Gym - Rx
9. 2024 CrossFit Open - Garage Gym  - Rx/s
10. 2025 CrossFit Open - Westbound CrossFit - TBD

CrossFit has seen a lot of changes since 2015 when I started training at CrossFit Undeniable.  The brand was strong and full of hope.  There were no controversy with racism or misogyny.  It was a community without a corporate face, just the affable Greg Glassman and David Castro.  With the sale to private equity, the brand has lost its luster, but at the affiliate level community endures.

The CrossFit Games have had their share of controversy as well.  The most recent being the lack of transparency surround Lazar Dukic's death during the 2024 CrossFit Games.

My why has not changed.  I believe in constantly varied functional fitness performed at high intensity.  That model has been a part of achieving physical, mental and spiritual resilience.  On a more mundane note, I like measuring up against the world.  Good or bad, it is still a measure.  I want to maintain my work capacity as I age.  I do not want to be a burden to society, my wife or my children due to poor decisions.

Metcon

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Westbound CrossFit (Coach Ryley)

1640 (6 of us)

Warm Up

1:30 row, no straps

slow rope skips

1:00 row, no straps

fast rope skips

:30 row

double under practice

barbell hold top

barbell hold bottom

barbell bench press

5 slow arm circles forward

5 slow arm circles backward

METCON

Health

4 Sets

AMRAP - 1:30

15/12 Cal Row

Max Rep Bench Press (75/55#)

----2:00 Rest B/t----

+ 6-8min Transition

4 Sets

AMRAP - 1:30

15/12 Cal Row

Max Rep Single Under

----2:00 Rest B/t----

SCORE - **Every 5 Single Under = 1 Rep

Total Bench Press + Total SU

I scaled the rows down to 12 calories and bumped the bench press weight up to 95 pounds.  I managed 10+9+11+11 = 41 bench press and 9+7+7+8 = 31 single under points (5 rope skips = 1 point).

As we finished early I did a pull-up finisher with 6 reps EMOM style.

Pump Session at The Dragon's Lair

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

The Dragon's Lair

0900

Warm Up

Hip Hammy Flow

Kettelbell Halos

Pump Session

Flat Bench

Incline Bench

Seated Biangular Row

Pendulum Pull Down*

Donkey Calf Raise*

Single Leg Kneeling Hamstring Curls*

Pullovers

Seated Cable Row

DB Biceps Curls

Triceps Push Downs

*indicates machines I have never seen or used in the past

The Dragon's Lair is absolutely as cool as advertised and well worth the trip if you find yourself in the area.  The gym is primarily fitted with custom Arsenal Strength equipment that feels good and functions perfectly.  There is every machine I could think of and several new ones that I had not worked with.  The majority are plate loaded, but there are selectorized machines as well.  The free weights are no laughing matter.  This is the first time I have seen a gym with dumbbells going up to 200 pounds (American Barbell branded).  The custom stitching, graphics, decals are all a nice touch.

The clients are no-nonsense.  They are there to train.  It is friendly, but not really social.  The front desk is very friendly and got me set up with a day pass and even helped me look for sizes when I wanted to grab a t-shirt.

Uber to and from the gym $35

Day pass $30

T-shirt and towel $45

Training at The Dragon's Lair Priceless

900 Yard Pool Swim

Monday, February 3, 2025

Nomad Pool (Las Vegas)

1000

900 Yard Pool Swim

1x500 FR

1x50 BA

1x150 BR

1x200 FR

--

900 yards total (30 minutes)

Refreshing and nice to have the pool to myself.  Kind of weird swimming without lane lines or flags.

2025 Hyrox Las Vegas

2025 Hyrox Las Vegas is done and dusted.  I signed up for this destination race in September 2024 and have been steadily chipping away at training for the past 5 months with a focus on more running, burpee broad jumps, walking lunges and wall ball shots.  My friend Dave and I signed up.  He finished in 1:41 and I was a mere 35 minutes behind.

Prep went well.  I showed up on race day reasonably well rested.  I had a cup of tea at 7 AM when we walked over and a Larabar at 8 AM prior to a 8:40 start.  I did my hip hammy flow, pushed/pulled the sleds, took a couple of steps with the sandbag and finally a couple hundred meters on the ski erg and row erg.  

Out of the gate, I waited for the field to take off and then settled into an easy run.  My plan was 7:30 splits and I ended up averaging 8:20

7:46

7:02

7:13

7:30

9:15 (stopped to pee ~2 min)

7:58

8:28

11:16 (post sandbag lunges, walked)

Ski Erg plan - plan 6, finished in 5:47

Sled Push - plan 8, finished in 3:39 (this felt great)

Sled Pull - plan 8, finished in 6:11 (not bad)

Burpee Broad Jumps - planned 15, finished in 10:44

Row - plan 6, finished in 6:30

Farmers Carry - planned 4, finished in 3:09

Lunges - planned 12, finished in 11:14

Wall Balls - planned 10, finished in 10:11

Rox Zone - Plan 8:00 (actual 11:33)

It was actually an amazingly well executed race plan.  Aside from some early spikes in the 150s-160's, my heart rate stayed safely in the 140's or lower.  The stations went incredibly smoothly until the sandbag lunges.  My right hamstring started to lock up and the left hamstring was not far behind.  I would take a step, take a few breaths and repeat.  I walked the last run and was fortunate to get through the wall balls as planned as a 10 minute EMOM.

Final data, I was 94th out of 102 50-54 year old open men.  1100th out of 1153 open men.

Post race, my legs were absolutely shot.  I tried walking, stretching, holding them in the air against a wall and nothing was helping.  I did some serious damage to my hamstrings.  Swimming on Monday helped a little and by the time I flew home Tuesday, they were just normal sore.  I did have mild nipple chafe (from all of the running and stations) and a decent bruise on my right arm that I assume is from the sled.

I am not sure what I would do different in a future event.  To be successful, I would have to up my mileage to 10-15 miles per week with speed work, tempo run and long run approaching 8 miles.  I would also overload train with a 70 pound sandbag and 20 pound med ball.  Finally, I would train with electrolyte replacement and make sure I had some training sessions in the 90 minute time domain.

Hyrox

Friday, January 31, 2025

Garage Gym

1200

Hyrox

1000 meter run

40 sandbag lunges (50#)

1000 meter run

50 wall ball shots (14# to 10')

This was designed to be a little primer and last workout before competition on Sunday.  It was tough running up and down hills, but a good mover.  The sandbag lunges felt great.  I finished the workout in 26:51.

Hyrox Preview

The Hyrox is this weekend!  

This event has been on the calendar since September 2024.  For the past 5 months I have been doing general training along with some specific training.  I have gotten in some long runs and overall feel comfortable with the movements.  I have practiced transitions and I understand the movement standards.  I am most comfortable with ski, row and farmer carry.  Burpee, lunges and wall ball with be slow but doable.  Sled Push/Pull will be a bit of a wild card.

• 8x1K runs - Slow, but steady, target 7:30 pace - 60
• Ski Erg - 1000 m (raise hand for judge) 6
• Sled Push - 50 m (336 pounds, 4X, 3 min penalty each missed lane) 8
• Sled Pull - 50 m (225 pounds, 4X, stay between the lines, do not step on solid line, 3 min penalty for each missed lane) 8
• Burpee Broad Jumps - 80 m - hands cannot be more than 1 foot from feet, 5 meter penalties 15
• Row - 1000 m (raise hand for judge) 6
• Farmer Carry - 200 m (2x24kg should be fine, allowed to set them down) 4
• Sandbag Lunge - 100 m (20kg no setting the sandbag down,  sandbag across both shoulders) 12
• Wall Ball Shots - 100 with 14# to 10' Target 10
• RoxZone, Hydrate, etc 8

Out 1 (ski) - 14:30 (7:30 + 1 + 6 = 14:30)

Out 2 (push) - 31:00 (7:30 + 1 + 8 = 16:30)

Out 3 (pull) - 47:30 (7:30 + 1 + 8 = 16:30)

Out 4 (bbj) - 1:11:00 (7:30 + 1 + 15 = 23:30)

Out 5 (row) - 1:25:30 (7:30 + 1 + 6 = 14:30)

Out 6 (farmer) - 1:38:00 (7:30 + 1 + 4 = 12:30)

Out 7 (lunge) - 1:58:30 (7:30 + 1 + 12 = 20:30)

Finish line (wbs) - 2:17:00 (7:30 + 1 + 10 = 18:30)

I will be flying out to Las Vegas on Saturday afternoon (depart 2:40; land 3:40 PM; hotel 5:30 PM) and will hopefully make my way to the Home2Suites without incident.  I should arrive with plenty of time to grab a light dinner at the hotel and sleep fitfully, but hopefully still rested.

0545 alarm

0630 meet Dave to walk to venue

0700 arrive at venue, check in, bag drop, warm up, Larabar, hydrate

0840 race start

1100 race finish, hang out, take pictures spectate, buy swag, get food

1600 head to next hotel, shower, clean up

Hang out with Mom for a couple of days, play some poker, grab lunch, watch television and fly back on Tuesday (depart 4:55 PM, land 7:50 PM, home 9:30 PM?)

Metcon

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

Westbound CrossFit (Coach Ryley)

1730 (12 of us)

WARM UP

1:30 row, no straps

200' Farmers carry

1:00 row, no straps

5 DB inch worm walkouts w/ push up

:30 row

10 DB floor press

MOVEMENT/MOBILITY - DBs, BB, bench

:20 DB bench support hold, straight arms

:20 DB support hold, bottom position

5 DB bench press

3/3 scorpions, lower back focus

3/3 scorpions, pec focus

*grab BB @ first warm up weight

:10 support at top + :10 support at bottom + 10 bench press

METCON

SCORE - Total Bench Press + Total Farmer Carry (Every 25' = 1 Rep)

Health

4 Sets

AMRAP - 1:30

15/12 Cal Row

Max Rep Bench Press (95/65#)

----2:00 Rest B/t----

+ 6:00 Transition

4 Sets

AMRAP - 1:30

15/12 Cal Row

Max Distance Farmer Carry (50/35s#) - 25' Increments

----2:00 Rest B/t----

I scaled this to 12 calories on the rower, 115 pound bench press and 2x40# dumbbells.

Bench - 10, 10, 10, 8

Farmer's Carry - 5, 4, 4, 4

Power Clean - Metcon

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Westbound CrossFit (Coach Bryn)

0900 (7 of us)

WARM UP

3x

:45 jump rope

10 sit ups

10 PVC clean pull jumps

MOVEMENT/MOBILITY - light band, pull up bar, PVC, BB

8 PVC RDL

4/4 PVC single leg RDL

*grab light band

6 hollow hold band pullovers, PVC in band

6 supine band resisted single leg v-ups, PVC in band attached to rig

6 supine band resisted v-ups

6 hanging lat activations

6 single leg TTB

6 TTB

*grab barbell

4/4 stagger stand RDLs

:15 front rack hold + :15 power clean receiving position hold

4 tall power cleans

4 clean pull shrugs w/ pause at knee

4 power cleans

4 consecutive vertical jumps

PRIMER - jump rope, pull up bar, bb

6 deadlifts @ 135/95

4-6 TTB

12 crossover singles

STRENGTH

E:30 x 12

1 Power Clean @ 70-78%

+

3 Sets

1 Power Clean @ building heavy

----2:00 min Rest b/t----

Clean

1 x 1

Reps 1-4 at 75#

Reps 5-8 at 85#

Reps 9-12 at 95#

105#

115#

125#

METCON

Health

3 Sets (Pick Up Where You Left Off Each Set)

AMRAP - 5

6 Deadlifts @ loading below

6 Hanging Leg Raises to Hip Height

30 Single Under

----1:00 Rest b/t AMRAPs----

DEADLIFT LOADING

Set 1 - (155/105#)

Set 2 - (135/95#)

Set 3 - (115/85#)

I used 155, 135 and 135 for the loading and managed 9 rounds + 10 reps.  This was a better workout than I thought.

Spud Inc

I have respected Spud Inc's innovation for years, but always thought they were a little pricey.

I finally broke down and placed an order and could not be happier.

Donnie Thompson Casual Bow Tie ($59.99) - 185-225 pounds size L.  Fits perfectly.  I have been using it mostly when I am at the computer and watching television and it definitely reinforces good posture.

Utility Strap ($44.99) - Have not played with this yet.  Will be throwing it in the gym bag to use at the CDOT gym

Hooker Straps ($12.00) - Have not played with this yet.  Imagine just a little bit of support rather than a full strap to make sure you have a secure hook grip.

Mark Bell Sling Shot

After years of debate, I finally ordered a Sling Shot.  My shoulder health has not deteriorated, but I have been wanting to give one of these a try for a long time.  A 20% off sale finally sealed the deal.  $52 marked down to $41+tax and shipping.

Sizing - 181 to 220 pounds should order an XL

Elasticity - Bench up to 275 should order a Reactive

Looking forward to receiving this and seeing how it feels.  I have been kicking myself for not ordering a Donnie Thompson Bow Tie sooner.