Much has happened, and I find myself starting over in my fitness journey once again.
Thankfully I have a foundation of strength and conditioning that I can build on. Nevertheless, I am standing at another starting line looking to the future of goals and discipline.
My new theme is the mindset of a Warrior. God spoke that to me in college that I was a warrior. It always resonated with me.
So I am taking down the theme of the road to the 2017 games. Instead, I focus on daily discipline and the core of who I am. I am putting before me a road to bettering myself holistically.
I will gather my thoughts, once again, freshly, on here.
Great words in this video. GRIT. Have to suffer for your vision. Winners love to practice.
Everything felt heavy and I didn't feel explosive. I didn't feel snappy. I worked up slowly, just doing a rep or two at a time as I increased weight.
I eventually tried 229lbs. Did 2 reps, missed the 3rd barely.
Even though it wasn't successful, I can tell I'm getting stronger. I'm definitely doing more weight than I did a month ago! I may try it again later and video.
PM Workout..............
well missing that last rep pissed me off all day. So I went back out to the shop and stuck it. Getting stronger.
Also worked on muscle up technique. Especially focusing on the pull.
"Ive visualized it all, and it's all happened" Conor McGregor
I have it already, and it's just a matter of time before reality catches up with me.
Speak out loud with certainty. And ignore the naysayers. And especially ignore negative thoughts. Even if my goal is bold and outrageous. Who cares?!!! Ignore the status quo. Ignore the common status quo of your own negative unproductive previous patterns. Start new. Start with a new mindset as if you've always been this way. This new way.
I pussed out in the AM and didn't get my ass up out of bed. What a wuss!
For the warm up I did the strict ring dips. I did break them up into 6's.
The deadlift is still technique driven. Pause at the bottom and no momentum to the next rep, with the mindset that each rep needs to look exactly the same. But it is fun putting more and more weight on the bar. I'm over the %s that it's asking for. Now I just add 10lbs a week to the final set, and I try to challenge myself more and more throughout the sets. So I'm not sandbagging until the final set.
The metcon was hard for me. Anything short in time is difficult for me and usually wipes me out after. Because I know that a 5 to 6 minute workout there isn't much pacing. It's basically all out. And throw in a squat variation, which is a mental weakness of mine, that makes it that much more of a metcon that I NEED. This is regionals programming and the weight requirement reflects that. Men were assigned 135# and women 95#. I know myself, and I know 135# is too hard. I looked at the times and saw that the great athletes in the Misfit community were hitting around 6 minutes. The top ladies were hitting 5 to 6 minutes. So I opted to do the women's weight and see how things shook out. It's nice to know I'm hanging with the top women! Which in all seriousness isn't a small thing. But knowing that now, I will most likely aim my weight at the women's right now, and then add just a little more and more as time goes on, eventually shaking out to the men's when I'm ready. I did see someone post a time of 22 minutes RX for men. Obviously that dude isn't getting out of the workout what was intended. I know I got it, because it whooped my ass after.
I took about 10 minutes or so to get somewhat recovered for the final gymnastics metcon. My system was shot from the previous metcon and I was having trouble recovering, which I know is kinda the point! Because of that mentally I wasn't that into it. The thought of doing multiple sets of chest to bar kipping pullups didn't interest me, and didn't seem mentally possible! But I started the workout, knowing I was supposed to sprint but more or less did a moderate run. Did my first set of C2B pullups and felt like shit. Did the second round even slower. 3rd round I walked the distance feeling sorry for myself. Did the C2B's. Then all of a sudden out of nowhere I felt great! Told myself to quit being a pussy and I finished strong. Ended up with almost 7 rounds. I should have completed at least 8 rounds. It's nice to know that even with me weighing 200lbs more or less that I can still throw down gymnastics work.
I've really struggled with my eating. I haven't had mental discipline there. And I have less than 4 weeks before being on the beach! I really want to strut on the beach and not feel self conscious. I really want that. And then I will have the body fat conquered for the training season. My biggest issue has been at night. After I was done with dinner. Usually at that point I haven't eaten enough for the day and try to hold off but end up failing. I realized that most athletes eat the same thing all the time during training. And food is all about mental. So I have come up with a basic food model that I believe will work for me. It isn't 100% strict, but I'd say it's 90% strict in terms of what my nutrition coach would have me do. But as I think about the 100% plan I just can't wrap my mind around it right now. But I believe I can with this:
Breakfast:
2 eggs scrambled in bacon grease most likely
1 large piece of fruit
(approximately 3 not so perfect blocks)
Snack 1 at 10am:
1oz of deli meat
3 almonds
7 baby carrots
(1zone block)
Lunch at noon:
3oz meat
1 block green pepper
1-2 blocks fruit
9 almonds
Snack 2 at 2-3pm:
Snack is the same for all 3 times
1oz deli meat
3 almonds
7 baby carrots
Dinner:
Same as lunch or modest dinner if served something socially
Snack 3 at 8-9pm:
same as others.
DONE.
I'm allowing myself to have coffee with cream and sweet and low throughout the day. I'm also allowing myself to have a zero calorie monster drink whenever I see the need. And of course the fruit at breakfast and lunch is also a cheat. I will monitor my results for a week and then go from there. But I strongly believe I can do this without falling off the wagon. I really HAVE to do this.
"You have to be so disciplined just to make it to the Games. You have to give up a lot." Dan Bailey
Here is my workout plan for this afternoon..............
1. Warm-up
50 Box Step Ups w/ 35/20lb Dumbbells Steady pace, keep stepping even when your legs start to light up
I'm not dreading this one. I know it will burn. I just need to keep pushing past the pain. I need to not allow the pain to be a reason to stop. Pain and burn doesn't mean the body is done. The mind may want to be done, but the body can keep going. This kind of thing makes the mind strong.
2. Strength
Split Jerk 5×3 – Perfect reps only
Triples can be successfully done between 60 and 90%. Cleaning up movement
should not exceed 70%. If the movement feels good make your way towards 90%
I'm looking forward to this. Last week I built up pretty far for me, with the primary focus being starting and catching in the front rack shoulder position. I have very tight shoulders, so that front rack exploding up and especially receiving the bar is hard. I'm trying to gain more and more flexibility here. I want to get to the point where my entire palm of my hand is gripping the bar and not just my fingers. Last time I built up to 201# with the push jerk. To me the reps don't matter. I am growing so much right now that whether I did 3 reps or 2 I will surpass that number. I have to keep climbing. Besides 201# felt light last time. IT IS LIGHT!! (faith)
3. Gymnastics Test
80 Kipping HSPU for time
After each break complete 40 Double Unders Both movements can burn out the shoulders, but being efficient with both
movements should help limit how quickly they fatigue. Do not go for broke in the
first couple rounds.
I'm going to be honest, with my extra body fat I'm dreading HSPU. I feel good about the DU's, but HSPU's, even kipping, aren't efficient for me yet. And they may not be until I lose the weight. But the weight loss is going well. I am shedding it off. And with less than 5 weeks till Florida and with really hitting it focused this week, I'm already seeing a difference. I really think with this workout, I'll be doing a shit ton of DU's. Dang it!!! I will practice HSPU's before the workout and see if I can make skill progress.
I have my new concept 2. I freaking love it! I saw where Mikko Salo would do a 5k row and tabata row every day as part of his regimen. I like the thought of doing a 5k row right now, because the extra calories burned at a moderate pace will help me that much more shed unwanted bodyfat. I may eventually stop doing it. And the Tabata Row will help build my engine. I desperately need this! Push the pain threshold back, and push the VO2 Max back!
5. YogaUpper body yoga; Lower body yoga
This goes without saying. My flexibility sucks. My body needs it to even be healthy. Not fit, but healthy at this point. I'm one sneeze away from pulling a muscle in my back.
This also helps my night time routine be more focused on training and not staying up late and binge eating.
He does everything with a purpose, and believes there is a right way to do something. Everything deserves thought. Everything needs to line up with the vision of a singular purpose in order to be successful and meet that goal. If something comes up that doesn't fit the vision, then it's not important. Period.
He also has the same breakfast every morning. Bacon first, then veggies in the pan with the grease, then eggs on top scrambled together.
So my plan was I would get up at 4:45 am and row for a 5k at a moderate pace, and then do tabata row. But my little 2 year old baby girl decided she wanted to crawl in bed with daddy. My wife got up for a 5am class, so I was the only one available to cuddle with this little one. Needless to say, got skipped. Which I'm a little bummed about.
When my buddy Greg came over, this is the workout we decided to do: Also it's the first workout using my new Concept 2.
The intention was to do the first 500 meter row at about 90% intensity. My time was a little slow for the first one. We did rush the warm up and my legs were really lactic acidy. Then my goal was to maintain that pace as best as I could. It ended up being a small battle to stay under 1:50. I found out after all of this that is attainable fairly easily. 1:45 would have been hell. Even 1:47 would have been hard. I think I could have somehow managed 1:47. Needs to be the new focal point for stuff like this. ok...time to claim...
CONFIDENCE: aim for 1:47 500 meter row splits on interval training.
Man 6 rounds of that was an ass kicker. And that's where having a workout partner really helps. Because after a few rounds it would have been tempting to just say DONE. But what 6 rounds teaches is that I can maintain that pace. And I could have done it a 7th round, and an 8th round, and a 9th round etc. I can keep going. It's all mental. That's all it is. Mental workout along with physical.
Listening to this podcast. Talk about two men who are the best of the best in their fields. One of them is one of the most feared Navy Seals, Jocko Willink.
Jocks says this in this article http://www.businessinsider.com/why-this-retired-navy-seal-has-three-alarm-clocks-2015-10 "Discipline starts every day when the first alarm clock goes off in the morning, he writes. "I say 'first alarm clock' because I have three, as I was taught by one of the most feared and respected instructors in SEAL training: one electric, one battery powered, one windup. That way, there is no excuse for not getting out of bed, especially with all that rests on that decisive moment."
also.....
"The moment the alarm goes off is the first test; it sets the tone for the rest of the day. The test is not a complex one: when the alsrm goes off, do you get up out of bed, or do you lie there in comfort and fall back to sleep? If you have the discipline to get out of bed, you win -- you pass the test. If you are mentally weak for that moment and you let that weakness keep you in bed, you fail. Though it seems small, that weakness translates to more significant decisions. But if you exercise discipline, that too translates to more substantial elements of your life......"
"Waking up early was the first example I noticed in the SEAL Teams in which discipline was really the difference between being good and being exceptional."
"....they never broke this habit."
"The temptation to take the easy road is always there. It is as easy as staying in bed in the morning and sleeping in." Willink writes. "But discipline is paramount to ultimate success and victory for any leader and any team."
He has had the singular focus all his life that he was born to do one thing: and that is be a commando for our country. He had that OBSESSION, that I talk about, that drives a person into the extraordinary.
All I can say about this video is, "wow". What an inspiration. What drive and what purpose. What singular focus in spite the odds.
