Becoming an Athlete

Crossfit is an amazing marketing engine. I love and hate it.  When I saw a barbell advertised as a "WOD bar", I had enough.  I can't justify spending $175 per month to work hard when most gyms either: have poor programming that won't lead to consistent improvement outsource their programming to places you could go directly (Invictus, MisFit, Mayhem, etc.) Have highly enthusiastic coaches with no understanding of long-term planning at all. So here I am training with my buddy making consistent, injury free progress, looking better at 41 than I did at 31. What we're doing now could arguably called CrossBuilding.  Like that?  Yet another CrossFit mashup to differentiate for no real reason. I REALLY like the Cross Lifting stuff coming out of Russia. Dimitri Klokov and Mikhail Koklyaev are just mind boggling.  They know more than I'll ever know about strength training, programming, and fitness.  Its astounding. So what I'm doing is nothing as sop...

I'm as lean as I've ever been, and on track to get to a new peak leanness.  I'm running so freaking much, and my calves and shins are responding wonderfully.  Normally I get shin splints and knee pains, but my gradual mileage buildup has paid off. I'm 204lbs and at a lean 32" waist.  My abs are awesome, by my mediocre standards.  The only problem is I've had to cut back the lifting volume and my shoulders are looking a little small. Here's what is working: Monday AM: Chest & Back Monday PM: Distance run Tuesday AM: High Intensity Intervals Tuesday PM: Speed work (AKA Sprint buildups) Wednesday AM: Legs Wednesday PM: Recovery run Thursday AM: High Intensity Intervals Thursday PM: Speed work Friday AM: Shoulders & Arms Friday PM: Recovery run Saturday: Challenge day Sunday: Off

Now that I'm ramping up my run mileage for race season, I have to lift about half as often as I was lifting in previous blocks. All previous training blocks have been: Mon: Chest & Back (power/strength) Tues: Shoulders & Arms (strength) Wed: Legs: (power/strength) Thu: Chest & back (hypertrophy) Fri: Shoulders & Arms For Phase 2, which is Race prep, I've moved to a lower frequency lifting schedule so I can keep up the increased running / conditioning in the evenings. Phase 2 Morning Lifting Schedule: Monday: Chest & Back (strength/hypertrophy) Tuesday: Cardio Wednesday: Legs (strength/hypertrophy) Thursday: Cardio Friday: Arms (strength/hypertrophy) Saturday: Race Day or Challenge Day Phase 2 Evening Conditioning Schedule: Monday: Speed warmup, distance running Tuesday: Speed warmup, sprints, boxing Wednesday: Speed warmup, sprints, boxing Thursday: Speed warmup, distance running Friday: Speed warmup, recovery run Challeng...

I've hit a plateau in my cleans.  Stuck at 205.  Switching to snatch grip high pull for this 3 week block.  All other lifts are making steady progress according to plan.  I'm turning up the intensity and ratcheting down the volume just a bit as I ramp up my running to prepare for a pretty aggressive race schedule: Warrior Dash: 3miler on 3/4/17 Bone Frog: 8miler on 4/29/17 Tough Mudder half: 5 miler 5/6/17 Spartan Super: 10-12 miler on 5/20/17   

I've been working on the ability to hold a front lever. I'm still not there yet.  This picture is a still frame from a video of me getting there. I can pull to a nice parallel position, but the hold is just a millisecond. How I got here: Planks, especially side planks I've noticed side planks really get deep into the abdonimal connection (insertion?) at my pelvic bone. Holding a side plank for a minute is becoming routine, if not completely easy. Parallel bar pikes These are much harder than leg raises, as they require total body tension. I've learned a great deal of body control. Toes to Bar I remember when I could OCCASIONALLY get 1 rep. These have become routine also, and I can bang out 10 or more now. The pikes really built my weak links and now I'm able to engage my abs much more. Dragon flys / Dragon flags I do a normal leg raise off the bench and then thrust my torso into the air so I'm supported on just my shoulders.  I accentuate the lowering...

Monday 13 FEB 2017 I have to say, all the focus on stability and mobility is paying HUGE dividends. I can almost perform a front lever, but I'm a few months away from holding it solidly. side planks: 1 minute per side Toes to bar, a few sets of 5 easy reps, then a few sets of front lever attempts a. chinup: bw x 3,3,3,2,1 b. pushup x 5,5,5,5,5 Clean: 125x5; 145x3; 165x2; 185x1,1,1 Bench press: warmup up to 245 for an easy single, then 205x4,4,4,5; 155x20 (rest pause set) 1-arm dumbbell row: 70 x 10,10,10,10 per hand Tonight: 2 mile run for time. Gonna be some serious suckiness.  

Man, it's barely Wednesday and I feel great.  Soreness everywhere, but feeling strong, mobile, and motivated.  Here's a snapshot of the training week Monday AM: side planks, wood choppers chinups / pushups Cleans: 5,3,2,1,1,1,1,1 bench press / 1-arm row: 4x6 / 4x12 bench press: 1 rest pause set face pulls: 3-50 method incline dumbbell press: 3-50 method Monday PM : 2 mile jog Tuesday AM: side planks, hollow body rock chinups / wall ball Overhead press / pullup: 4x6 / 4 x max Overhead press: 1 rest pause set Dips / barbell curl: 5x5 / 5x5 Dumbbell skull crusher / hammer curl: 5x10 / 5x10 Tuesday PM: 1 mile for time Wednesday AM: side planks, pike trap bar deadlift: 4x6 squat: 4x15 Leg extension / leg curl: 4x12 / 4x12 Leg press calves: 4x20 Wednesday PM: 4x100, 1 mile walk Thursday AM: side planks, wood choppers chinups / pushups Cleans: 5,3,2,1,1,1,1,1 Chest triset:     Incline db press- flat db press- db fly: 4 x 12-12-12 Back tri-set:     Snat...