Tuesday, February 11, 2025

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.

Monday, February 10, 2025

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.

Sunday, February 9, 2025

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.

Saturday, February 8, 2025

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.

Thursday, February 6, 2025

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.


Wednesday, February 5, 2025

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.



Tuesday, February 4, 2025

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.



Friday, January 31, 2025

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.

Thursday, January 30, 2025

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

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

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.

Monday, January 27, 2025

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.

Back Squat - Metcon

Monday, January 27, 2025

Westbound CrossFit (Coach Loni)

0900 (9 of us)

Pre-Class Routine

5 minute ankle distraction

WARM UP

25/20 cal bike or row

6 BB front squats
6 hang clean pull shrugs
6 bb overhead trunk rotations

MOVEMENT/MOBILITY
*grab heavy band
:30 band assisted squat on rig, band around hips
8 band resisted good mornings, band on rig
:30 half kneeling banded lat stretch
:10 dead hang + 10 scap pull ups
:10 hold, elbows at 90 degrees
10 kip swings
10 front to back rocks, elbows at 90 degrees
5 kipping pull ups w/ band if needed

:15 active bottom squat
8 squat jumps w/ pulse in bottom
6 back squats
6 back squat trunk rotations

STRENGTH

15:00 to Complete
5 Sets
5 Back Squat @ 72-78%
----2:00 Rest B/t----

I went 135-135-135-145-145 (61% of 235 1RM) playing it safe for Hyrox this weekend

METCON

Health

On a 10:00 Clock,
40/30 Cal Row
40 Ring Rows
25 Hang Power Cleans (75/55#)
25 Front Squats
Max Rep Z-Press (35/25#)

I scaled to 30 calories, 20 HPC at 55#, 20 FS at 55# and had about 90 seconds left for Z-Press.  Finished 16 presses with 25# dumbbells.


Sunday, January 26, 2025

Week 2 - Westbound CrossFit "6 Week Challenge"

Week 2

Take a class - 6 points (3 WBCF classes, 1 USAWA sessions, 1 Run, 1 Swim)
Routine - 1 points (only done at WBCF)
Water Consumption - 0 points (avg 792, max was 2000 mL, target is 1900 mL)
Nutrition Plan - 0 points (no movement)
Walking - 0 points (1 walks, need a minimum of 5)
Alcohol - 7 points (easy for me)
Sleep - 0 points (I managed 8 hours 4 nights, need a minimum of 5)
Social Media Accountability - 0 points Not sure what this is
Respond to Check In email - 1 point*planned
--
14 points for week 1 (max is 42)

I am still enjoying a 6 week challenge.  I have continued to be mindful of my water consumption and have also gotten 8 hours in bed 4 times (up from 1 time in week 1).  I have not focused much on the walk, but I am excited to get a nutrition plan going.

My routine is alternating:

(1) 2:30 ankle distraction each side
(2) 2:30 pancake with band; 2:30 forward fold

1000 Yard Pool Swim

Sunday, January 26, 2025

Carmody Rec Center

1200

Pool Swim

1x500 FR
1x150 BR
1x150 BA
1x200 FR
--
1000 yards total (30 minutes)

Felt great to be in the water.  I did an open water swim in Florida, but this was my first time back at Carmody since November 29th.

Saturday, January 25, 2025

Ed Zercher Memorial Strength Classic

Saturday, January 25, 2025

Garage Gym

1000

Warm Up

Reverse Hyper
Hip Hammy Flow
Deadlifts 135, 185, 225

Ed Zercher Memorial Strength Classic

Bodyweight = 209.7 (100 kg class), 53 years old (50+ Masters)

Deadlift, Heels Together - 245 (no official)

Hack Lift - 225 (no official)

Steinborn - 95 (no official)

Zercher - 185, 205 (Jarrod)

Leg Press - 0

Deadlift, One Hand, Left - 135 (Jarrod)

Deadlift, No Thumb, One Hand, Left - 135, 145**record (Jarrod)

Hip Lift - 570 (Jarrod)

Harness Lift - 570, 570, 570 (Jarrod)

Hand & Thigh Lift - 375 (Jarrod)

Neck Lift - 120, 140 (Jarrod)

Bench Press, Feet in Air - 155, 165, 175 (no official)

Everything went according to plan except for the Harness Lift.  I need to remember to attached the chain to the hip belt and then connect the shoulder straps.  I could not move anything when the heavy lift bar was pulling down on the shoulder straps.  The heavy lift bar and hand & thigh bar worked perfectly.  The chain threaded through nicely and it felt solid.  Jarrod loaded it to 720 pound for a Hand & Thigh Lift.

There was a mix up with the events so I finished on Sunday (1/26/2025)

Clean & Press, Heels Together - 105, 115, 125 (no official)

Jefferson Lift - 225, 255 (no official)

Leg Press, Unsupported - 65, 65 (no official)

Friday, January 24, 2025

Arm Assassin Strength Shop



New toys arrived!

Arm Assassin Strength Shop came through again with a Heavy Lift Bar, Hand & Thigh Bar and a 1-5/8" Thumb Blaster.

These appear to be very well built and certainly exceeded my expectations.  Arm Assassin has always been a good value, the finishes have been good and now the craftsmanship has improved as well.

Looking forward to giving these a whirl tomorrow.

UPDATE:  1/27/2025

These worked out great.  Easy to load and configure with my harnesses.  Hip Lift - 570, Harness Lift - 570, Hand & Thigh - 275, Neck Lift - 140 pounds.

Tyr Wodapalooza

Ryley Humrighouse

THURSDAY

Reps Ahead vs Khan Porter

"Moe"
8 Reps Ahead
7 Cal Echo Bike
40 foot Handstand Walk (5ft=1 Rep for 8 total reps)
7 Heavy Bag to Shoulder 100/150 lb

Neck and neck first two rounds, Khan brought it but could not sustain in round three, Ryley finished ahead in round four by decision.  $750 cash prize

FRIDAY

"Cuban Press" (8:47)
11 minute cap

25C2B
Haul 2 Ballistic blocks across sand
25 Burpee OT Blocks
40 DB Bench Press (70# DBs)
25 Burpee OT Blocks
Haul 2 Ballistic blocks across sand
25C2B

Ryley (8:45ish) was second to Nick Scola (8:15ish) 

"Cortadito 2.0" -- Translates to short (CAP + 173)
14 minute cap

For Time
30-20-10
Wallballs (30/20#)
Hang Power Snatch (95/65lb)
right into
15-10-5
Thrusters (130/90#)
RMU

Ryley (14:09) nine reps shy of finishing by the time cap.  He had 4 thrusters and 5 ring muscle ups remaining.  Ramon finished at around 13ish, but not sure about the rest of the field.

SATURDAY

"Ocean Drive Drag Race" (7:37)

21/18 Cal Row
21 T2B
Sled Drag
1min Rest

18/15 Cal Row
18 T2B
Sled Drag
1min Rest

15/12 Cal Row
15 T2B
Sled Drag

Sled Weights
Rd 1 – Light
Rd 2 – Medium
Rd 3 – Heavy

Ryley was moving well and finished well under the cap in 4th of 5th place.  The announcers were confusing and mixing up the athletes.  It seemed like he was struggling to get the sled started which make sense.  It looked like they started with 90, then 135, then 180# being drug through the sand.

"Worth The Weight"

For Max Load

1RM Clean + Hang Clean

295 - good lift
315 - good lift, nice patience in the hole
325 - no - spit out the back on the hang clean
Field lifts - 315, 335, 345, 325, 340, 330, 335, 320, 320

SUNDAY

"Two Rounds Too Many" Reign Sandbox (29:55)

For Time (35 minute cap)

With 20# vest
50 cal echo bike
1000 meter run
150 box step over
Without vest
50 cal echo bike
1000 meter run
150 box step over

Looked like he was 13th off the first back, 8th back from the run, 9th off the box
Maybe 10th back from the second run and finished in 12th (just over 30 minutes)

"High Stakes, Tight Ropes" Tyr Arena (CAP + 146)

For Time (Time cap 16 min)

60 VELITES Heavy Double Unders
90ft Handstand Walk
15 Wall-Facing Handstand Push Ups
Each arm: 9 Single Arm Dumbbell Snatch + 9m Single Arm Overhead Dumbbell Lunge
5/3 Legless Rope Climbs
Each arm: 9 Single Arm Dumbbell Snatch + 9m Single Arm Overhead Dumbbell Lunge
15 Wall-Facing Handstand Push Ups
90ft Handstand Walk
60 VELITES Heavy Double Unders

DB – (100, 70lb)

Moved well until last round of walking lunges.  Lot of no reps, nice job sticking with it.

Not sure how far he got on the handstand walk.  Shoulders have got to be blown up.

Final Results: Ryley took 3rd with an overall balanced performance and 449 total points.  (Ty Jenkins was in 1st with 564 points, Jordan Chenier was in 2nd with 474 points.

Cuban Press - 2nd
Cortadito 2.0 - 4th
Ocean Drive Drag Race - 4th
Worth the Weight - 23rd
Two Rounds Too Many - 13th
High Stakes, Tight Rope - 11th

When discussing the event today he mentioned the difficulty of running in sand and having a strong headwind.  He mentioned his elbow breaking on the walking lunges at at 100# you cannot press that back out.  The max weight clean complex was his worst finish and relative the field where the winner put up 365 pounds, 315 pounds seems well behind the power curve.  Unfortunately that is the nature of monostructural events.

Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Metcon

Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Westbound CrossFit (Coach Jenn) Jennifer Stockdale

1730 (10 of us)

WARM UP

20/15 cal bike
10 BB clean deadlifts
12/9 cal bike
10 BB push press
9/7 cal bike
10 push ups

MOVEMENT/MOBILITY - PVC, BB, bench

*grab PVC
:30 standing quad stretch / side
:30 PVC hinging lat stretch
5 jump and land in power position
5 clean jumps, slow motion to knee
5 power cleans w/ pause in receiving
5 PVC shoulder press
5 PVC dip, jump, punch
5 push jerks

*grab barbell
5 power cleans, pause in receiving
5 push jerks, pause in receiving
5 clean and jerks

*set up bench
:30 hold at top of bench + :30 hold at bottom (no resting on chest)
10 bench press @ first warm up weight

STRENGTH

Health
6 Sets
AMRAP - 1
12/8 Cal Bike
Max Rep Clean and Jerk (95/65#)
----1:30 Rest B/t----
+ 6-8 Min Transition
6 Sets
AMRAP - 1
12/8 Cal Bike
Max Rep Bench Press (95/65#)
----1:30 Rest B/t----

The class scaled this to (3) sets of bench so that class would end on time.

I scaled further to 5 calories each round (took between 18-20 seconds)

Clean & Jerks at 95# 2-3-3-3-2-2 reps
Bench Press at 95# 12-12-12 reps

Week 1 - Westbound CrossFit "6 Week Challenge"

Week 1

Take a class - 6 points (3 WBCF classes, 2 USAWA sessions, 1 Hyrox session)
Routine - 3 points (only done at WBCF)
Water Consumption - 0 points (avg 715, max was 1500 mL, target is 1900 mL)
Nutrition Plan - 0 points (talked with Loni, started tracking food)
Walking - 0 points (2 walks, need a minimum of 5)
Alcohol - 7 points (easy for me)
Sleep - 0 points (I managed 8 hours only 1 night, need a minimum of 5)
Social Media Accountability - 0 points Not sure what this is
Respond to Check In email - 1 point
--
17 points for week 1 (max is 42)

I am enjoying a 6 week challenge.  I am most impressed with my water consumption.  My baseline water is around 200 mL and I managed 600+ mL 4 days last week.  Getting out for a walk when it is cold has been a good challenge.  I have not given enough thought to getting in bed at a reasonable hour.

My routine is alternating:

(1) 2:30 ankle distraction each side
(2) 2:30 pancake with band; 2:30 forward fold

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Power Snatch - Metcon

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Westbound CrossFit (Coach Loni)

1200 (4 of us)

WARM UP

200' shuttle run
8 PVC overhead squats

MOVEMENT/MOBILITY
:30 dead hang
4/4 strict single straight leg raise w/ :02 hold
8 single leg TTB
4 TTB OR kipping knee raises as high as possible

4/4 single arm KB swing
4/4 single arm KB swing + high pull
:20 single KB overhead carry + 4 KB shoulder press / side
4/4 KB snatches

6 PVC snatch deadlift to mid thigh
6 PVC high hang jump and punch overhead
6 PVC power snatch

3 snatch deadlift to mid thigh
3 high hang power snatch
3 power snatch

STRENGTH

E:30 x 16
1 Power Snatch @ 65-72%
+
3 Sets
1 Power Snatch @ 15-25# Heavier than Above
----2:00 Rest B/t----
Snatch
1 x 1

I did 16 x 55# power snatches followed by 75-75-75# power snatches

METCON

Health
3 Sets of 5:00
400' Shuttle Run
+ AMRAP w/ Remaining Time
4/4 Hang KB Snatch (25/15#)
6 Burpees to 6"
8 Hanging Knee Raises
----1:00 Rest b/t Sets----
*Athletes will pick up where they left off each set on AMRAP

I scaled to an 18# KB and was moving well with it.
Round 1 - 2 full rounds
Round 2 - 1 round + 14 reps (finished burpees)
Round 3 - 1 round + 19 reps (got through 3 burpees)

I started doing step up burpees in the second round.  It was still nice to get 33 burpees completed.  Feeling better about Hyrox.

Monday, January 20, 2025

Back Squat - Metcon

Monday, January 20, 2025

Westbound CrossFit (Coach Loni)

1200 (15 of us)

WARM UP

AMRAP 4
7/5 Cal row
10 WB bear hug forward lunges
10 PVC passthroughs
5 ring rows + 5 push ups

MOVEMENT/MOBILITY
*grab mini squat band
10/10 banded side steps
8/8 side plank clamshells
*band around feet
6/6 donkey kicks
6/6 fire hydrants
8 bootstrap squats w/ twist

*grab PVC
8 PVC good morning trunk twists
8 bottom squat PVC front rack sots press
:10 Ring support hold + :10 ring dip hold
3 eccentric low ring muscle up transitions
3 low ring transitions
10 kip swings on rings/bar
5 big kip swings w/ hip pop + pull down/pull back

STRENGTH

Complete in 13:00
5 Sets
4 Back Squat @ 72-78%
----2 min Rest B/t----
Back Squat
1 x 4

I worked out with Chris and did 5x4x155.  Christ worked up to 185 (and he has had his lift hip replaced).

METCON

Health

AMRAP - 6
15 Wall Balls (10/8#) to (10/9')
12/9 Cal Row OR Bike
4 Banded Ring Dips (Black Band) OR 6 Push Ups
----2:00 Rest----
Repeat (Pick Up Where You Left Off)
RX+
AMRAP - 6
15 Wall Balls (20/14#) to (10/9')
15/12 Cal Row OR Bike
4 Ring Muscle Ups
----2:00 Rest----
Repeat (Pick Up Where You Left Off)

I used a 14# wall ball, Assault Bike 9 calories per round, and did 6 push-ups per round

First 6 minutes - 2 Rounds + 13 Wall Ball Shots
Second 6 minutes - 2 Rounds + 2 Wall Ball Shots

This felt good and was a nice primer for Hyrox.

Hyrox Circuit

Sunday, January 19, 2025

Basement Gym

1600

Circuit

4000 m Bike Erg - 10 min
1000 m Ski Erg - 6 min
1000 m Row Erg - 6 min
80 lunges (26#) - 8 min
1000 m Ski Erg - 6 min
1000 m Row Erg - 6 min
40 lunges (17#) - 8 min
4000 m Bike Erg - 10 min

Nice little mover for the friendly confines of my basement.

Saturday, January 18, 2025

Ed Zercher Memorial Strength Classic

Against my better judgement, I plan on entering the Ed Zercher Memorial Strength Classic.  This has a long and storied history and is certainly a brutal line up of compound movements.

Day 1
Deadlift, Heels Together - I plan to open at 245, maybe top out at 275
Hack Lift - I plan to open at 225, maybe top out at 255
Steinborn Lift - I plan to open at 95, maybe hit 115
Zercher Lift - I plan to open at 205, maybe hit 225
Leg Press - This is not a USAWA lift.  It is a Clark's Gym Special.
Deadlift, One Hand - I plan to open at 135, maybe hit 155
Deadlift, One Hand, Thumbless - I plan to open at 135, maybe hit 145

Day 2
Hip Lift - I plan to open at 580 and stop
Harness Lift - I plan to open at 580 and maybe go to 620
Hand & Thigh Lift - I plan to open at 375 and maybe go to 405
Neck Lift - I plan to open at 125 and maybe go to 155
Bench Press, Feet In Air - I  plan to open at 165 and go to maybe 185

I did a little homework after reading Bill's meet summary of the 2022 meet.

Despite being one of the oldest meets (pre-dating the formation of the USAWA), it has not the most widely contested in recent years.  After fizzling out after small turnouts in 2015 and 2016.  It has made a come back in recent years

The events change a little bit from year to year, but always include heavy lifts, Steinborn, Zercher, Hack Lift, and other favorites.
  • 2009 - (3) Abe Smith, Joe Garcia, Lewis Heater (all OK)
  • 2010 - NA
  • 2011 - (1) Joe Garcia (OK)
  • 2012 - (6) Joe Garcia, Eric Todd, Chris Anderson, Mike Murdock, Dean Ross, Lance Foster (all OK)
  • 2013 - NA
  • 2014 - (4) Joe Garcia, David Emslie, Bill Clark, Al Springs (all OK)
  • 2015 - (1) Joe Garcia (injured, could not finish)
  • 2016 - (2) Joe Garcia, Bill Clark (Bill partial)
  • 2017 - NA
  • 2018 - NA
  • 2019 - NA
  • 2020 - NA
  • 2021 - NA
  • 2022 - (4) Travis Luther, Tony Lupo, Nick Frieders, Janet Thompson (Janet injured)
  • 2023 - (6) Dave DeForest, Tony Lupo, Abe Smith, Phillip Marlin, Wyatt Sawyers, Kim VanWagner (all OK)
  • 2024 - (7) RJ Jackson, Phillip Marlin, Joe Garcia, Tony Lupo, Toby Ortega, John Carter, Jeff Wenzel (John injured)
  • 2025?

Bayou Beast Bash

Saturday, January 18, 2025

Basement Gym

1000

Bayou Beast Bash

Bavarian Deadlift

284
309
319

This was a little hokey as we were standing on j boxes and had a loading pin attached to a hand and thigh bar with a chain.  It worked out and Jarrod managed 334, but it was sketchy

Hackenschmidt Floor Press

175
185
195

Deadlift Fulton Dumbbells

205

Deadlift, Fulton Dumbbell, Left

110
115

Deadlift, Fulton Dumbbell, Right

105
115

Results sent to Jeff Bankens.  Jarrod, Elijah and Kim came out to lift.  Jarrod and Elijah did the competition lifts.  Kim worked on grip stuff as she had not registered for the event.

Friday, January 17, 2025

BSAG Leg 1

Friday, January 17, 2025

Garage Gym

1230

Warm Up

Reverse Hyper
Crossover Symmetry
Hip Hammy Flow

BSAG Leg 1

Single Arm Dumbbell PRESS

52 lbs

Reverse CLEEN & PUSH PRESS

44 lbs
55 lbs

Bar & Dumbbell ANYHOW

25 lb bar + 52 lb dumbbell = 77 lbs*

It turns out I did this lift incorrectly.  I repeated it with a 44 lb barbell and 35 lb dumbbell = 79 pounds and matching what I turned into Bill.  The lift is complete when both implements are overhead and any sequence of moves can be used to get both implements overhead.  I cleaned the bar, picked up the dumbbell, brought the dumbbell to my shoulder and then push pressed both implements overhead.

Single Arm Dumbbell PRESS x 4

4x42 = 168 lbs

Single Arm Dumbbell PRESS Rampage

13x35 = 455 lbs



Funny how things look so much cooler in the stylized image


Thursday, January 16, 2025

Metcon

Wednesday, January 16, 2025

Westbound CrossFit (Coach Ryley, Coach Aaron shadowing)

1630 (14 of us)

WARM UP

200m run
:30 rest
200m run
:30 rest
200m run
MOVEMENT/MOBILITY - foam roller, BB
*grab foam roller and barbell
:30 t-spine extension + flexions
:30 t-spine opener w/ arms overhead
:30 book t-spine opener / side
8 supermans
8 prone snow angels
8 push ups
:20 push up iso hold
*grab barbell
6 hang clean pull shrugs
6 high pull turnovers, no legs
6 hang power cleans
:30 front rack hold
3 hang power cleans

STRENGTH

Health

E 2:30 X 6
10/8 Cal Row
6 Bench Press (95/65#)
+ 8:00 Transition
E 2:30 X 6
10/8 Cal Row
6 Hang Power Clean (95/65#)

SCORE = Slowest Round

It seems like this is the first time in a while that I have done the Health workout without additional scaling to make the time caps or meet the workout intention.

My times were fairly consistent until the end:

1:13
1:12
1:14
1:13
1:11
1:10
--
1:09
1:14
1:14
1:20
1:21
1:25

The 95 pound bench felt great and even taking my time on set up led to reasonable times.  The hang power clean kind of sucked.  I tried to cycle the first round and then decided to reset for each lift.  It was slower, but safer for my back.  I proabably should have dropped to 75 pounds if I was going to cycle the bar.  I partnered up with Jake to share a rower and bench.

Finisher - Walking lunges with sand bag.  I took 40 steps (half of the Hyrox volume).

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Power Clean - Metcon

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Westbound CrossFit (Coach Bryn)

1200 (10 of us)

Pre-Class Routine

2:30 v-sit with band (basically fold into a pancake and have assistance from band to fold more)
2:30 forward fold

WARM UP

2x
200m run
100m Farmer carry @ light-moderate

MOVEMENT/MOBILITY - box, pull up bar
:30 spiderman stretch on box / side
:30 straight leg hamstring stretch on box / side

*grab PVC
6 PVC good mornings
6 deadlift to mid thigh
6 clean pull jump shrug
6 front squats
6 power clean
:15 dead hang w/ active shoulders + :15 with passive shoulders
6 short kip swings w/ active shoulders
6 long kip swings w/ relaxed shoulders
6 TTB or leg raises
PRIMER - barbell @ first warm up weight

5x
1 squat jump as high as possible + 1 power clean as snappy as possible

STRENGTH

E:30 X 16
1 Power Clean @ 65-72%
+
3 Sets
1 Power Clean @ 15-25# Heavier than Above
----2 Min Rest B/t----

I worked up from 75, 85, 95
Last 3 reps at 105, 115, 115#

METCON

Health

3 Sets
AMRAP - 5
9-6-3
Hanging Leg Raises (Hip Height)
Box Jump (16/12")
+
300' DB Farmer Carry (35/25s#)
Max Cal Echo Bike
----1:00 Rest B/t----

I opted for a 20" box and used 35# DB.  I had between 30-50 seconds for the echo bike and managed 6-4-4 calories.  Everything felt pretty good.  I was moving well with good kip swings and good pace on the box jumps.

Back Squat - Metcon

Monday, January 14, 2025

Westbound CrossFit (Coach Bryn)

1630 (14 of us)

Pre Class Routine

Ankle distraction

WARM UP

AMRAP 3
7/5 Cal row
10 BB Front Squats
10 PVC passthroughs
MOVEMENT/MOBILITY - PVC, wall
8 bootstrap squats w/ twist
8 PVC trunk twists Slow
8 PVC good morning trunk twists
8 bottom squat PVC front rack sots press
:20 wall sit
:10 single leg wall sit / side
:20 feet elevated glute bridge march on wall
:20 feet elevated straight leg glute bridge march
:45 couch stretch / side
:20 pike hold w/ feet on wall
:10 wall facing handstand hold as close to wall as possible
10 wall facing handstand shoulder taps
6 handstand shoulder taps, facing away from wall

STRENGTH

15:00 to Complete
6 Sets
3 Back Squat @ 72-78%
----2:00 Rest B/t----

As my quads were still tender, I stuck with 135 pounds (57% of 1RM)

METCON

Health

In 15:00,
1k Row
+ AMRAP w/ Remaining Time
2 Wall Walks OR 2 DB Inch Worms w/ Push Up (25/15#)
5-10-15-20... Goblet Squats (35/25#)

I did wall walks but only took a few "steps" towards the wall.  It was still a very tough movement for me and good to get more time inverted.  I used a 35 pound kettlebell and finished 4 rounds + 1 wall walk.

Friday, January 10, 2025

Westbound CrossFit 6 Week Challenge

Against my better judgement, I signed up for the Westbound CrossFit 6 Week Challenge.  It was an extra $72 and maybe it will be the kickstart to get me going.

Starting Body Composition:

Weight 209.7 pounds
Skeletal and Muscle Mass 85.1 pounds
Body Fat Mass 60.9 pounds
29% Body Fat

Starting Photos:



Point System

Take a class: 1 point/day; max 6 points/week
Routine:  1 point/day; max 6 points/week
Water Consumption:  Drink half gallon per day (0, 5, 6, 7 points)
Nutrition Plan: Follow (0, 5, 6, 7 points)
Walking:  30 minutes outside (0, 5, 6, 7 points)
Alcohol: Don't Drink (0, 5, 6, 7 points)
Sleep:  At least 8 hours (0, 5, 6, 7 points)
Social Media Accountability:  1 point per week
Respond to Check In email:  1 point per week

Ryley will be developing a  Routine for me and I will meet with Loni regarding Nutrition next week Thursday.

Random Equipment

Luke Grant has done it again and has some interesting pieces up for sale.  His stuff is always overpriced, but for hard to find items, I don't mind ponying up.  The OSO Mini Barbell is one such example.  My kids have outgrown it, but I could send it to my nephews.  The Dumbbell handles are interesting and not the worst price point at 55 cents on the dollar (not including tax or shipping).  For comparison, he has a Titan Fitness Trap Bar for sale at $125 and I can get a new one from Titan for $128.


OSO Mini Bar Training Barbell - $35 - Current retail is $115, but this one is pretty beat up.  It will certainly function as intended.  I would really like to buy this for my nephews, but am not sure how to ship it out there.  I decided to pass on this.  The collar spun fine, but I really have no use for it.


Gorilla Strength Fat Grip Loadable Olympic DB Handles - $60 - Retail is $70 for the handles plus $40 for the collars plus shipping.  They are certainly well made and worth the $60.  For comparison, I paid $90 for my set from Nemesis Grips.  I decided to go ahead and pick these up.  They look brand new and are beefier than my handles from Nemesis Grips.

Accessory Movements - Metcon

Thursday, January 10, 2025

Westbound CrossFit (Coach Ryley)

1730 (7 of us)

WARM UP

2x
1:30 bike
:30 burpees

MOVEMENT/MOBILITY - DB's, pull up bar, band
*grab DBs
:30 overhead carry / side
25' single DB Front rack carry / side
25' single DB FR carry on line / side
15' single DB suitcase carry, heel to toe / side
10' forward 10' backward single DB FR carry, heel to toe / side

*heavy band around pull up bar
:20 half kneeling banded lat stretch / side
:20 forward fold
5 sprawls
:20 wide stance forward fold
:20 banded chest stretch / side
8/8 half kneeling band pulldown

STRENGTH

25:00 to Complete
4 Sets
12 DB Chest Flies - 15#
12 Barbell Curls @ Light - 33# reverse curls
----1:30 Rest B/t----
+
4 Sets
10 DB Arnold Press @ Light-Moderate Load - 15#
10 DB Lateral Raises - 10-10/7.5/7.5#
----1:30 Rest B/t----
+
3 Sets
1:00 Plank
15/15 DB Oblique Side Crunch @ 70/50+ - 50#
----1:00 Rest B/t----

METCON (Health)

EMOM x 9 (Alternating)
-15/12 Cal Bike
-Max Single Arm Devil Press (25/15#)
-Rest

I was able to manage 12 calories on the bike every round.  I scaled the SA Devil Press to 15# and got 7-7-6 reps.

Thursday, January 9, 2025

Back Squat - Diane (sc)

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Westbound CrossFit (Coach Ryley)

1630 (18 of us)

Warm Up

AMRAP 3
7/5 Cal row
10 BB Front Squats
10 PVC passthroughs

MOVEMENT/MOBILITY - PVC, wall
8 bootstrap squats w/ twist
8 PVC trunk twists Slow
8 PVC good morning trunk twists
8 bottom squat PVC front rack sots press
:20 wall sit
:10 single leg wall sit / side
:20 feet elevated glute bridge march on wall
:20 feet elevated straight leg glute bridge march
:45 couch stretch / side
:20 pike hold w/ feet on wall
:10 wall facing handstand hold as close to wall as possible
10 wall facing handstand shoulder taps
6 handstand shoulder taps, facing away from wall

PRIMER - barbell @ 95/65# +
2 sets of
3 back squats w/ :05 pause in hole + 6 back squats fast + 1 Back squat and bail (practice a failed rep)

STRENGTH

Building to a 1 Rep Max Back Squat
E :90 x 3
6-8 Back Squat @ 50-65%
+
E 2:00 x 6-8
3/3/2/2/1/1/1/1
Back Squat @ 70%+
Back Squat
1 x 1

I worked up from 135, 155, 165, 175, 185 before doing singles at 205, 225, 235 pounds.  I was pleased to get within spitting distance of my recent 245# in the Fall GGC.

METCON

Diane, Scaled
21-15-9
Deadlifts, 165# / 115#
Seated DB Shoulder Press, 35# / 25#

In the past I had done this with 135#, but did a 15-9-6 rep scheme of box HSPU finishing in 6:53 and 7:41 in 2021 and 2022 respectively.

I scaled this even further to 135# and 25# dumbbells finishing in 5:49.  I moved well and it was the right weight for me.  Any heavier would have slowed me down or risked injury.

First Purchases of 2025

After a quiet December 2024, I am back on the spending bandwagon.

General Fitness

Cable attachment for $0.  I acquired this along with some standard weight plates for free.




















USAWA Equipment

I decided to give Arm Assassin Strength Shop (AASS) a try and purchased their Heavy Lift Bar ($140) and Hand & Thigh Bar ($70).  This price point is basically a no brainer and will allow me to give Kim her equipment back.  I think her set up will certainly be stronger, but for my lifting (under 1000 pounds) these should be fine.

Grip Equipment

While ordering from AASS, I purchased the 1-5/8" thumb blaster for King Kong 2025.  It was a reasonable $40.

Vintage Equipment

I found a sweet pair of 25 pound RADHA INDIA weight plates.  I overpaid at $1/pound, but still a very nice addition.



Tuesday, January 7, 2025

Bench Press - 2K Row

Tuesday, January 7, 2025

Westbound CrossFit (Coach Bryn)

1200 (12 of us)

WARM UP

500m row (2:45)
:30 rest
300m row @ faster (2:30)
:30 rest
100m row @ faster (2:20)
:30 rest
200m row @ same (2:20)

MOVEMENT/MOBILITY

*grab foam roller and barbell
:30 t-spine extension + flexions
:30 t-spine opener w/ arms overhead
:30 book t-spine opener / side
8 supermans
8 prone snow angels
8 push ups
:20 push up iso hold

STRENGTH

Building to a 1 Rep Max Bench Press
E :90 x 3
6-8 Bench Press @ 50-65%
+
E 2:00 x 6-8 - 95/105/115
3/3/2/2/1/1/1/1 - 125/135/145/165/180/190/200
Bench Press @ 70%+
Bench press
1 x 1

I was thrilled with my bench today and 190 pounds felt so smooth.  I got greedy with the 10 pound jump, but still think it was the right attempt.

METCON

2k Row
Max Effort 2k Row

I finished this in 9:46 and felt good about the effort.  I came out a little hot, but settled into a 2:30 pace for the last 1000 meters.

The programming this week is all about Benchmarks:
Day 1 - 1RM C&J and Fran (thrusters and PU)
Day 2 - 1RM Bench Press and 2K Row
Day 3 - 1RM Back Squat and Diane (deadlift and HSPU)
Day 4 - The West Special (Echo bike, BMU, BBJO)
Day 5 - 5K Run

Clean & Jerk - Fran

Monday, January 6, 2025

Westbound CrossFit (Coach Bryn)

1630 (14 of us)

Benchmark Week!!

Benchmark week is going to be a repeatable week of workouts that we can use to track our athletic improvement and increase in fitness. We will retest these workouts periodically throughout the year, and they will serve as our measuring stick for your improvement as an individual, and our improvement as a gym!

Please be sure to record your scores on the papers provided at the front of the gym and specify which version you completed. Add any relevant notes as well!

WARM UP

2x
200m run
8-10 light DB thrusters

MOVEMENT/MOBILITY - PVC, pull up bar
:30 wide lunge stretch w/ rotation / side
:30 stagger stance hamstring stretch / side

*grab PVC
6 PVC good mornings
6 deadlift to thigh
6 clean pull jump shrug
6 front squats
6 dip holds
6 push press w/ pause in dip and overhead
6 dip, jump, punch w/ nothing in hands
6 push jerks
6 dip, jump, punch to split
6 split jerks
4 squat C&J's

:15 dead hang, active shoulders + :15, passive
6 short kip swings, active shoulders w/ band if need
6 long kip swings relaxed

PRIMER - barbell @ first warm up weight
5x
1 squat jump as high as possible + 1 clean and jerk as snappy as possible

STRENGTH

Building to a 1 Rep Max Clean and Jerk

EMOM x 3
2 Clean and Jerks @ 50-60% - 75/85/85
E :90 x 3
1 Clean and Jerk @ 70-85% - 95/105/105
E 2:00 x 3-5
1 Clean and Jerk @ 85%+ - 135/145/155/165
Clean and Jerk
1 x 1

165 was an exciting and unrealized at the time PR over my previous best of 160# on 2/25/2020.  I did walk it a bit and the jerk was certainly not textbook.

METCON

Fran
21-15-9
Thrusters, 95# / 65#
Pull-ups

Fran, Scaled Thrusters
21-15-9
Thrusters, 75# / 55#
Pull-ups

Fran, Scaled Pull Ups
21-15-9
Thrusters, 95# / 65#
Banded Kipping Pull-ups (Purple Band)

Fran, Scaled
21-15-9
Thrusters, 75# / 55#
Banded Kipping Pull-ups (Purple Band)

I last did Fran on 12/27/2021 with 45# thrusters and ring rows finishing in 5:31.  5:25 represents a small improvement that I was pretty excited about.  I would like to bump up the weight to 55# on my next attempt.

Sunday, January 5, 2025

Indoor Track

Sunday, January 5, 2025

Carmody Rec Center

1300

Indoor Track

80 laps = 5 mile = 1:04:47

Normally I would just throw the mileage in my google sheet, but this effort was interesting for a couple of reasons.  First, running on flat even ground at room temperature is much easier than running outside.  An indoor track is much more pleasant to run on versus a treadmill.  Counting laps is tedious, but I had a nice system of doing 10 laps (1 kilometer) and getting something to drink.  It is still a mental grind, but good to get a feel for some of the Hyrox volume.

Saturday, January 4, 2025

2024 Year in Review

I did not do goals for 2024.  Instead I had a rough calendar of Highland Games, Deka, USAWA, Running and Grip Sport.  I was more focused on programming modalities and wanted to get in a good mix of stuff.  I feel like I executed on that extremely well.

Top 3 Highlights:
  • USAWA Nationals and IAWA Worlds
  • Started at Westbound CrossFit in November
  • 204 Run Miles (across 109 runs)
Top Opportunities for Improvement
  • More Highland Games training and competition
  • Thoughtful Grip training (18 session in 2024)
  • Increase Bike Miles (251 across 23 rides in 2024)
The only nagging goals that I keep in my mind are my mile run time and 1 rep max bench press.  I only tested my mile once and it was a dismal 9:45 on May 5th.  I tested my bench press at the GGC and put up 185 and 192.5 on October 27th which was the most I have benched in a while.

In terms of goals for 2025, I kicked around the following based on a gripboard thread back in November and I still really like them.
  • CCS:  92 RGC GG3 close (2024 best close was 83 RGC at Dub's Grip Classic)
  • Powerlifting:  Total 800 pounds (2024 best was 762.5 pounds)
  • CrossFit:  6 Pull-ups (currently can do 1-2)
  • Mile Run:  9 minutes (2024 best was 9:45)
  • General Health:  Get down to 195 pounds (started the year at 198, weighed 209 this morning)
In terms of competition, I am going to build a season around these events:
  • 2/1 Hyrox Las Vegas (A)
  • 2/27-3/17 CrossFit Open (C)
  • 5/11 Spring GGC (A)
  • 7/19 USAWA Nationals (B)
  • 8/24 Wellington Swim-Run Challenge
  • 9/6 Littlefoot Triathlon (B)
  • 9/21 Colorado Scottish Festival (A)
  • 10/5 IAWA Worlds (C)
  • 10/25 King Kong (C)
My A events will prioritize training through the season.  The B events will requires specific training, but may take a back seat.  The C events are events I plan to participate in without specific training.  In all likelihood, I will also do some running events, all-round weightlifting, grip and probably a Deka.  I do want to fly out for the OTSM in Turney, MO (near KS) but will decide later.

If I can keep up with BSAG Postal, it is not unreasonable for me to test my 1 mile run monthly.

I should be able to maintain my hobbies and intend to play tennis, get to the archery range, golf range and get a few days of skiing and scuba diving in during 2025.

Finally in terms of new stuff, I want to play around with steel strandpulling.

To facilitate success, I am going to try to set some quarterly goals.

By the Numbers:
  • 200.7 pounds – Year Start Weight
  • 210.9 pounds – Year End Weight
  • 15.0 swim miles – 28 sessions
  • 251 bike miles – 23 rides
  • 204 run miles – 109 runs (treadmill and outdoors)
  • 228 additional training sessions (Strength, CrossFit, Strongman, All-Round, Grip)
Competition:
  • 2 Powerlifting – Spring GGC, Fall GGC
  • CrossFit Open
  • 2 Running – RMRR 5K, RMRR 2 mile
  • USAWA – Grip Championship, Colorado Spring Fling, National Championship, IAWA World Championship, Hybrid (Q1 Postal, Q2 Postal, Q4 Postal, Bench Press Heptathlon, Clark’s RD, Clark’s RD#2, Stars of Tomorrow, Clarks RD#3, Buffville RTCC#5, Clarks RD#4, Two Fisted Challenge, IAWA World Postal, Clarks RD#5, Buffville Cup V, Buffville RTCC#7, Backbreaker)
  • 2 Highland Games – Elizabeth Celtic Festival, Colorado Scottish Festival
  • Littlefoot Triathlon
  • 4 Grip Events – Rolling Hills Grip Challenge 2, Dub’s Grip Classic, Rocky Mountain Grip Sport Summer Challenge, King Kong Grip Challenge
  • Deka Mile
Garage Gym Build:
  • $4987 Net-Net
  • $2024 Modern Net (Bought $2184, Sold $160)
  • $325 Vintage Net (Bought $325, Sold $0)
  • Purchased Bike Erg, Torque Tank, Preacher Bench
  • $2638 Grip Implements, Grippers, Loading Pins
    • $709 Grippers (14)
    • $1203 Contest Items (Ironmind Little Big Horn, BSS Flask, Sorinex Saxon Bar, Apollon’s Axle)
    • $136 Misc (Loading Pins, Cross Guard, Titan’s Telegraph Key)
    • $590 USAWA (Fulton DB, Inch DB, 1” V-bar, 2” V-bar)
  • $195 (42# WFD)
  • $50 Mercier Kilo
  • Tusa Mask
  • No ski gear or golf gear
I had a great training year averaging nearly a workout a day with few missed days.  I trained in London and Durango.  I gave Row House and F45 a try.  I started a membership at Back Country CrossFit West (now Westbound CrossFit) for me and Nisha.
  • Home Gym
  • CDOT
  • Carmody
  • Back Country CrossFit West
  • Other
Other Items:
  • Bike to Work Day
  • 9 Archery Session
  • 19 Tennis Sessions with Nisha
  • 0 Shooting Sessions
  • 3 Buckets of Balls at Foothills
  • 3 Ski Days (Keystone)
  • 3 Scuba Days (Coral Sea)