Yep, I'm still here. Lifting and working out quietly, getting stronger, learning from my mistakes, making adjustments. The journey is the reward.. Continue reading

Today was deadlift day. I always deadlift on Wednesdays and I'm not sure why but I am a creature of habit. Speaking of habits, I am proud to say that I am making a much better habit these days about warming up before my lifting sessions. We all know that a proper warm-up can decrease the chance of injury by stretching the muscles you intend to you use while increasing blood flow to those areas as well as raising your core temperature. All very important. But I think the mental preparation that takes place during your warm-up is just as... Continue reading

F-ing back squats: 165#x5,192#x5,218#x5+1 F-ing back squats again: 142#x5x5 Damn I hate doing squats. Seriously, I hate em'. Hammer curls: 5x9 with 40# dumbbells Ooooh, feel the bicep burn, hey ladies! Continue reading

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My posts are getting pretty random, mostly because of how busy I've been at work. But it's also because I'm trying to spend less time at the computer and more time actually out doing "Stuff" when time permits. Anyway, here are my workouts from Monday and Tuesday of this week: Monday Press: 85#x5/95#x5/107#x5+4 (9 total) Press again: 65#x5x5 50 strict chin-ups Wednesday Deadlift: 195#x5/225#x5/265#x5+6 (11 total, rep record!) Deadlift again: 155#x5x5 Standing dumbbell curls 5 sets of 8 with 40# dumbbells ------------------------------ Football season begins today with a rematch of last year's NFC championship game! I like both of these... Continue reading

My 10 year old son programmed an awesome workout for me last night (see below). It was a lot tougher than I thought it would be and I definitely felt like I was working with a 38 year old body this morning. But now sitting here at my desk I feel like a million bucks! Thanks E-Dawg :-) Continue reading

This is a deload week for me and I've been reflecting on my recent weight training and how far I've come. I realized that it's been well over a year since I struggled with an inflamed biceps tendon in my right shoulder. It got so painful that I actually went to the doctor's office on my own free will. Two people I absolutely hate to go see: my doctor and my dentist! No offense guys. After the doc diagnosed the problem he said "Here's a prescription for some anti-inflammatories. Take these and don't lift anything overhead." Lame. So I walked... Continue reading

Readers of this blog know that I've been following Jim Wendler's 5-3-1 strength training protocol for some time now and I really like it. But as with any routine, it's eventually going to get boring and you'll want to mix things up a bit. So instead of scrapping 5-3-1 altogether, I just changed from the triumvirate to the bodybuilder protocol. Yeah, that just happened. I know, the whole concept of anything 'bodybuilding' related is blasphemy to the average Crossfitter, but I don't really care. It's a change of pace (constantly varied), it's fun (shouldn't fitness be fun??) and I can... Continue reading

The Road Less Traveled: Robert Frost (1915) Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth. Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same. And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day!... Continue reading

I hiked to Mono Pass in Yosemite with the guys on Sunday and wow, what a great day! I have been hiking Yosemite for over a decade and have never even been to that area of the park. I had no idea what I'd been missing. The trail is about 7.5 miles round trip, starting at an elevation of 10,000' and climbing to almost 11,000'. During the hike, you travel from what seems like one world to another as evergreen forest and meadows turn to a barren, yet beautiful wilderness. At the end of the trail, we went for a... Continue reading

It's been five days since I've posted anything here and that's unusual for me. I'm currently smack in the middle of a 30 day diet and fitness challenge and...well...I kind of failed. The challenge was to go 30 days with no refined sugar, no bread and no alcohol. Things were going great, but on the 8th day of the challenge I had a pretty terrible day. I worked at the office for over 12 hours, we had a sick child at home, I ran out of gas (almost)...you get the idea. It was just one of those days. So what... Continue reading

I programmed a new station into my Pandora Radio yesterday based on the band The Gin Blossoms. I listened to it this morning on the way to work and every song brought back a memory and a smile to my face. So I dedicate this rest day to the music that was blasting from my CD player back in the early 90's...ah, the good old days. Continue reading

Warmup: Snatch practice, floor wipers Main Lift: Deadlift 205#x5, 235#x5, 265#x5+5 (10 total) Cool-down: Snatch grip deadlifts (135#) Handstand holds Sent from my iPhone Continue reading

Press: 87#x5, 95#x5, 110#x5+3 (8 total) 50 barbell rows with 85# (tough!) 75 sit-ups Continue reading

Old man Playoff Beard turns 38 in exactly one month, so I'm embarking on a 30 day fitness challenge until then. Anyone who knows me knows that I do love a good challenge! The challenge entails two distinct components: exercise and nutrition. Part 1: Exercise I will continue on my strength training path using Jim Wendlers famous 5-3-1 program. This will be my third full cycle and I've really been enjoying it so far. In addition to the 4 days per week weight-training, I will also do at least one Crossfit style "metcon" workout. I will also incorporate olympic lifting... Continue reading

I haven't posted in quite some time, but I have been busy. In the past week I ran a couple of 5ks in addition to my regular strength training. I had Thursday and Friday off from work, so I decided to take a solid four day break from working out. After a couple of years worth of regular exercise, I'm starting to be able to tell when I need these little breaks. So I'm having some Summer fun with my family, relaxing and trying to determine where I want to be this Fall (in terms of my fitness) and what... Continue reading

Run 400 meters, 50 sit-ups. 4 rounds for time. Get some! Sunset at Naraghi Lake. Continue reading

Training session today at 5:30 pm, see you there. Happy 20th birthday Natalie!!! Continue reading

Today should have been my deload bench press day, but I didn't feel like doing anything...so I didn't. Tomorrow, I may attempt to hit a new 1RM on the deadlift, so I'm kind of excited about that. I also need to do my own named workout "Playoff Beard" as programmed by my friends Pony and Goat at Crossfit Rising. I mean, if you get a workout named after you, you damn well better do it right? Happy Friday! ---------------------------- From 1985, here's today's 80's flashback. I love this movie, I just wish I could find the soundtrack for less than... Continue reading

10 wall ball shots (8# ball) 10 burpees 10 rounds for time. Carrington: 20:57 Natalie: 21:45 Nice work girls, you both did great! Continue reading

For a de-load week, I'm working pretty hard! Not sure if that's necessarily good or bad, but it sure is fun. Bryan came over this morning for his first workout in a while, so I decided we ought to have a run at the Bear Complex. This is one of those workouts that is sneaky hard, especially as the weight goes up. If you aren't familiar with the Bear Complex, here's a description and photos courtesy of Crossfit Flagstaff. Bryan and I both did all 5 rounds unbroken. He got up to 55#, I made it to 95#. Whew! Continue reading

I admit it, I'm obsessed. Continue reading

I'm in the de-load week of my second 5/3/1 cycle. This is of course my favorite week of the cycle because I'm a lazy ass and I don't have to do much. So Monday was press, weights don't matter enough to post here. They're super light and the point is to actively recover and prepare for the next (heavier) cycle. Today I got up and decided to run a 5k on a whim. It's been several months since I've done that and I really didn't know what to expect. I almost didn't even time it, because I just wanted to... Continue reading

Ladies, I am available to train you today at 6:00 pm if you're interested. There will be another session tomorrow, but if you'd like to make up a workout, let's do it. Post here or email me before 5:00 pm to let me know! Also, I ran the 5k that I assigned you for the weekend homework in 28:35, which is about a minute off my normal pace but it felt great. Anybody else get that run in yet? Do I hear crickets chirping...? Let's get back on track and get some! Continue reading