I needed the AR day yesterday, but was planning on coming back with a vengeance today.
But.
But, fitting end to the year, Life stepped in and forced me to do a push/pull minimum instead of a full-on Wa day:
4x10 chins-pulls/3x10 ring dips. Quick n' dirty.
10 hours /48 hours. PE: 6. 219/16.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Ca - Ham n' Cheese - Dec 29
Ham n' Cheese: 16.51
No buy in, no cash out. Actually, Lengthwise was the cash out.
9!: pull ups, sdhp & thruster with 95#.
Started with 7, then 8, and 9 (my version of a warm up), then 6 down to 1.
7: 1.28
8: 3.21
9: 2.42
6: 2.31
5: 2.03
4: 1.51
3: 1.37
2: .41
1: .33
Late in the game, mostly it's all the transitioning and regripping and wiping sweat off the bar and wiping sweat off your hands and wiping sweat out of your eyes that gets ya. Those things, and the leaning on your knees taking blows.
OML, it's the best 15 minute workout in the world. Loved the looks I was getting from the pogues at Calloway BodyX … yeah, he's cheating on those pull ups … Of course, it took me almost 17 minutes to do it, but hey, don't judge. I'll be back.
8 hours /24 hours. PE: 8. 220/14.
No buy in, no cash out. Actually, Lengthwise was the cash out.
9!: pull ups, sdhp & thruster with 95#.
Started with 7, then 8, and 9 (my version of a warm up), then 6 down to 1.
7: 1.28
8: 3.21
9: 2.42
6: 2.31
5: 2.03
4: 1.51
3: 1.37
2: .41
1: .33
Late in the game, mostly it's all the transitioning and regripping and wiping sweat off the bar and wiping sweat off your hands and wiping sweat out of your eyes that gets ya. Those things, and the leaning on your knees taking blows.
OML, it's the best 15 minute workout in the world. Loved the looks I was getting from the pogues at Calloway BodyX … yeah, he's cheating on those pull ups … Of course, it took me almost 17 minutes to do it, but hey, don't judge. I'll be back.
8 hours /24 hours. PE: 8. 220/14.
2009
It was a year of Hope -- at first in the sense of "I feel hopeful!'' and later in the sense of "I hope this year ends soon!''
It was also a year of Change, especially in Washington, where the tired old hacks of yesteryear finally yielded the reins of power to a group of fresh, young, idealistic, new-idea outsiders such as Nancy Pelosi. As a result Washington, rejecting "business as usual,'' finally stopped trying to solve every problem by throwing billions of taxpayer dollars at it and instead started trying to solve every problem by throwing trillions of taxpayer dollars at it.
To be sure, it was a year that saw plenty of bad news. But in almost every instance, there was offsetting good news:
BAD NEWS: The economy remained critically weak, with rising unemployment, a severely depressed real-estate market, the near-collapse of the domestic automobile industry and the steep decline of the dollar.
GOOD NEWS: Windows 7 sucked less than Vista.
BAD NEWS: The downward spiral of the newspaper industry continued, resulting in the firings of thousands of experienced reporters and an apparently permanent deterioration in the quality of American journalism.
GOOD NEWS: A lot more people were tweeting.
BAD NEWS: Ominous problems loomed abroad as -- among other difficulties -- the Afghanistan war went sour, and Iran threatened to plunge the Middle East and beyond into nuclear war.
GOOD NEWS: They finally got Roman Polanski.
In short, it was a year that we will be happy to put behind us. But before we do, let's swallow our anti-nausea medication and take one last look back, starting with. . . .
JANUARY
. . . during which history is made in Washington, D.C., where a crowd estimated by the Congressional Estimating Office at 217 billion people gathers to watch Barack Obama be inaugurated as the first American president ever to come after George W. Bush. There is a minor glitch in the ceremony when Chief Justice John Roberts, attempting to administer the oath of office, becomes confused and instead reads the side-effect warnings for his decongestant pills, causing the new president to swear that he will consult his physician if he experiences a sudden loss of sensation in his feet. President Obama then delivers an upbeat inaugural address, ushering in a new era of cooperation, civility and bipartisanship in a galaxy far, far away. Here on Earth everything stays much the same.
The No. 1 item on the agenda is fixing the economy, so the new administration immediately sets about the daunting task of trying to nominate somebody -- anybody -- to a high-level government post who actually remembered to pay his or her taxes. Among those who forgot this pesky chore is Obama's nominee for Treasury secretary, Timothy Geithner, who sheepishly admits that he failed to pay $35,000 in federal self-employment taxes. He says that the error was a result of his using TurboTax, which he also blames for his involvement in an eight-state spree of bank robberies. He is confirmed after the Obama administration explains that it inherited the U.S. Tax Code from the Bush administration.
Elsewhere in politics, a team of specially trained wildlife agents equipped with nets and tranquilizer darts manages, after a six-hour struggle, to remove Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich from office. He is transported to an undisclosed swamp, where he is released into the wild and quickly bonds with the native ferret population.
On a more upbeat note, the nation finds a new hero in US Airways Capt. Chesley Sullenberger, who, in an astonishing feat of aviation, manages to land a US Airways flight safely in the Hudson River after it loses power shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia. Incredibly, all 155 people on board survive, although they are immediately taken hostage by Somali pirates.
In entertainment news, an unemployed California mother of six uses in-vitro fertilization to give birth to eight more children, an achievement that immediately catapults her to a celebrity status equivalent to that of a minor Kardashian sister. But even this joyous event is not enough to cheer up a nation worried about the worsening economy, which becomes so badin . . .
FEBRUARY
. . . that Congress passes, without reading it, and without actually finishing writing it, a stimulus package totaling $787 billion. The money is immediately turned over to American taxpayers so they can use it to stimulate the economy.
No! What a crazy idea THAT would be! The money is to be doled out over the next decade or so by members of Congress on projects deemed vital by members of Congress, such as constructing buildings that will be named after members of Congress. This will stimulate the economy by creating millions of jobs, according to estimates provided by the Congressional Estimating Office's Magical Estimating 8-Ball.
Despite this heroic effort, the economy continues to stumble. General Motors, which has sold only one car in the past year -- a Buick LaCrosse mistakenly purchased by an 87-year-old man who thought he was buying a power scooter -- announces a new four-part business plan, consisting of (1) dealership closings; (2) factory shutdowns;(3) worker layoffs; and (4) traveling backward through time to 1955.
The stock market hits its lowest level since 1997; this is hailed as a great investment opportunity by all the financial wizards who failed to let us know last year that the market was going to tank. California goes bankrupt and is forced to raise $800 million by pawning Angelina Jolie.
The Obama administration's confirmation woes continue as Tom Daschle is forced to withdraw as nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services following the disclosure that he, too, failed to pay all of his federal taxes. He blames this oversight on the fact that his tax returns were prepared by Treasury Secretary Geithner.
The Academy Awards are a triumph for Slumdog Millionaire, which wins eight Oscars, only to have them stolen by Somali pirates.
In sports, the Pittsburgh Steelers win the Super Bowl, defeating some team in a game that we have all completely forgotten. Michael Phelps is suspended from competitive swimming following publication of a photograph clearly showing that he has gills. Baseball star Alex Rodriguez admits that from 2001 through 2003 he used steroids, which he claims he got from Treasury Secretary Geithner.
And speaking of shocking disclosures, in . . .
MARCH
. . . an angry nation learns that the giant insurance company AIG, which received $170 billion in taxpayer bailouts and posted a $61 billion loss, is paying executive bonuses totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. This news shocks and outrages President Obama and members of Congress, who happen to be the very people who passed the legislation that authorized both the bailouts and the bonuses, but of course they did that during a crisis and thus had no time to find out what the hell they were voting for.
To correct this situation, some congresspersons propose a 90 percent tax on the bonuses, followed by beheadings, followed by the passage of tough new financial legislation that nobody in Congress will read or understand.
In other economic news, the CEO of GM resigns under pressure from the White House, which notes that it inherited the automobile crisis from the Bush administration. GM is now essentially a subsidiary of the federal government, which promises to use its legendary business and marketing savvy to get the crippled auto giant back on its feet, starting with an exciting new lineup of cars such as the Chevrolet Consensus, a "green'' car featuring a compressed-soybean chassis, the world's first engine powered entirely by dew, and a 14,500-page owner's manual, accompanied by nearly 6,000 pages of amendments.
Businessman Bernard Madoff pleads guilty to bilking investors out of $65 billion in a Ponzi scheme, forcing the Obama administration to withdraw his nomination for secretary of commerce.
The annual observance of Earth Hour is observed with one hour of symbolic energy conservation as hundreds of millions of non-essential lights and appliances are turned off. And that's just in Al Gore's house.
In sports and entertainment news, former NFL great Lawrence Taylor, appearing on Dancing With the Stars, accidentally rips off his partner's arms during the cha-cha competition. The judges award Taylor 453 points out of a possible 30, citing his "energy'' and "proximity.''
Abroad, North Korea, in what many observers view as a deliberate act of provocation, calls Domino's and, posing as the United States, orders 23 million pizzas delivered to Japan.
International problems continue to dominate in . . .
APRIL
. . . as leaders of the world's powers, looking for a way out of the worsening world economic crisis, gather in London for the G-20 summit, which ends abruptly in a violent argument over the bill for the welcoming dinner. A short while later, in what many economists see as a troubling development, the International Monetary Fund moves into a refrigerator carton.
In other international bad news, North Korea launches a test missile that experts say is capable of hitting Hawaii, based on the fact that it actually hits Hawaii. The United States swiftly pledges to issue a strongly worded condemnation containing "even stronger words than last time.''
On the domestic front, the struggling Chrysler Corp. declares bankruptcy, but its CEO confidently predicts that the company will come back "bigger, better and stronger than ever'' thanks to its 2010 product line, spearheaded by the all-new Dodge Despair.
The big health story in April is the rapid spread of swine flu, a dangerous new virus strain developed by the makers of Purell. Public anxiety over the flu increases when Vice President Joe Biden, demonstrating his gift for emitting statements, declares on the Today show that he would not recommend traveling by commercial airplane or subway. A short while later, White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs assures reporters that he is "not aware of any `Vice President Joe Biden.' ''
In another embarrassment for the White House, New York is temporarily thrown into a panic when Air Force One flies low over Manhattan for a publicity photo shoot. Responding to widespread criticism, Gibbs notes that President Obama inherited Air Force One from the Bush administration.
On a more positive note, an American ship captain is dramatically rescued from Somali pirates by a team of Navy SEAL sharpshooters, who are immediately hired by Dancing With the Stars to assist with the judging of Lawrence Taylor.
Speaking of drama, in . . .
MAY
. . . the finale of American Idol produces a shocking outcome that sends shock waves of shock reverberating around the planet when the winner turns out to be -- incredibly -- that guy singer, whatshisname, despite the fact that the overwhelming favorite was that OTHER guy singer. Congress vows to hold hearings after reports surface that, of the nearly 100 million votes, 73 million were phoned in by ACORN.
But the big political drama takes place in Washington, where David Souter announces that he is retiring from the Supreme Court because he is tired of getting noogies from Chief Justice Roberts. To replace Souter, President Obama nominates Sonia Sotomayor, setting off the traditional Washington performance of Konfirmation Kabuki, in which the Democrats portray the nominee as basically a cross between Abraham Lincoln and the Virgin Mary, and the Republicans portray her more as Ursula the Sea Witch with a law degree. Sotomayor will eventually be confirmed, but only after undergoing the traditional Senate Judiciary Committee hazing ritual, during which she must talk for four straight days without expressing an opinion.
In crippled U.S. auto giant news, General Motors announces a new business plan under which it will fire everybody but Howie Long, who will continue to make what GM calls "some of the most popular commercials on the market.'' Meanwhile Chrysler, looking to the future, invests $114 million in an Amway distributorship.
On the international-tension front, a meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss possible sanctions against North Korea is forced to adjourn hastily when the council chamber is penetrated by a missile.
In sports, Helio Castroneves wins the Indianapolis 500, although his victory is somewhat tainted by the fact that all 32 of the other cars were hijacked by Somali pirates. Major League Baseball suspends Dodger slugger Manny Ramirez for 50 games after his urine sample explodes.
But all of these stories suddenly seem unimportant in . . .
JUNE
. . . when pop superstar Michael Jackson dies, setting off an orgy of frowny-face TV-newsperson fake somberness the likes of which has not been seen since the Princess Diana Grief-a-Palooza. At one point experts estimate that the major networks are using the word the word "icon'' a combined total of 850 times per hour. Larry King devotes several weeks to in-depth coverage of this story, during which he conducts what is believed to be the first-ever in-casket interview; this triumph is marred only slightly by the fact that the venerable TV personality apparently believes he is talking to Bette Midler.
On the economic front, California is caught on videotape attempting to shoplift 17,000 taxpayers from Nevada. General Motors files for bankruptcy and announces a new sales strategy under which it will go around at night leaving cars in people's driveways, then sprinting away.
In political news, the Minnesota Supreme Court, clearly exhausted by months of legal wrangling, declares Al Franken the winner of American Idol. Meanwhile the governor of South Carolina, Mark Sanford, goes missing for six days; his spokesperson tells the press that the governor is "hiking the Appalachian trail,'' which turns out to be a slang term meaning "engaging in acts of an explicitly non-gubernatorial nature with a woman in Argentina.'' The state legislature ultimately considers impeaching Sanford, but changes its mind upon discovering that the lieutenant governor, who got into office through some slick legal maneuvering when nobody was paying attention, is Eliot Spitzer.
Political news continues to dominate in . . .
JULY
. . . when Sarah Palin unexpectedly announces that she will not complete her term as elected governor of Alaska, explaining, in a prepared statement, that she has a hair appointment. Asked by reporters if she plans to seek the Republican presidential nomination, she replies, "You leave my personal life out of this.'' Elsewhere in state politics, the FBI arrests pretty much every elected official in New Jersey on suspicion of being New Jersey elected officials.
On Independence Day the nation takes a welcome break from its worries to celebrate in traditional fashion with barbecues, parades and -- as night falls -- spectacular aerial North Korean missile detonations.
In government news, top Washington thinkers, looking for a way to goose the economy along, come up with the "Cash for Clunkers'' program, under which the federal government provides a financial inducement for people to take functional cars, which are mostly American-made, to car dealers, who deliberately destroy these cars and sell the people new replacement cars, which are mostly foreign-made. This program, which was budgeted for $1 billion, ends up costing $3 billion and is halted after a month. The administration declares that it has been a huge success, which everybody understands to mean that it will never, ever be repeated. With this mission accomplished, the top Washington thinkers are free to train all of their brainpower on the nation's health-care system.
President Obama becomes embroiled in controversy when, commenting on the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. by Cambridge Police Sgt. James Crowley, he states that the police "acted stupidly.'' This comment angers many in the law-enforcement community, as the president discovers the next day when his motorcade is cited for more than 3,000 moving violations. To resolve the situation, the president invites both Gates and Crowley to the White House for a "beer summit,'' which is described later by White House spokesperson Gibbs as "very amicable'' except for some "minor tasering.''
Speaking of conflict, in . . .
AUGUST
. . . President Obama, in the first serious test of his presidency, announces that he will send U.S. troops to rescue Democratic members of Congress pinned down in town hall meetings by constituents firing hostile questions concerning the administration's health-care plan, which turns out not to be wildly popular outside of the immediate Capitol Hill area. The president dismisses concerns that his health-care agenda is in trouble, observing that "there's something about August going into September where everybody in Washington gets all wee-weed up.'' White House spokesperson Gibbs explains that the "vast majority'' of the wee-wee was inherited from the Bush administration.
In foreign affairs, former president Bill Clinton goes to North Korea to secure the release of two detained American journalists who purely by coincidence happen to be women. Fidel Castro, after nearly a year out of the public eye, appears on the popular Cuban television show Bailando con Cadáveres ("Dancing With Corpses'').
California, in a move apparently intended to evade creditors, has its name legally changed to "South Oregon.''
In an alarming technological development, hackers shut down Twitter, leaving a desperate and suddenly vulnerable America with no way to find out what the Kardashian sisters are having for lunch. The Federal Emergency Management Agency urges the nation to "remain calm'' and "use Facebook if you can.'' Twitter service is eventually restored, but most of the estimated 875 million thoughts that went untweeted during the outage will never be recovered, making it the nation's worst social-networking disaster ever.
Speaking of disruptions,in . . .
SEPTEMBER
. . . President Obama, speaking on health care before a joint session of Congress, is rudely interrupted by Kanye West, who grabs the microphone and declares that Beyoncé has a better health-care plan. No, wait, sorry: The president is rudely interrupted by Republican congressperson Joe Wilson, who shouts "You lie!'' Wilson later apologizes for his breach of congressional etiquette, saying, "I should have just mooned him.''
With public support for the administration's health-care plan continuing to slip, the president orders U.S. troops into Fox News, then goes on a media blitz, appearing, in a three-day span, on Meet the Press, Face the Nation, Meet the Nation, Face the Press, Press Your Face Against the Nation, Letterman, Leno, Judge Judy, Iron Chef and Dog the Bounty Hunter. The president also delivers a back-to-school speech to the nation's students, telling them to work hard and get a good education. Fortunately, thanks to the vigilance of the talk-radio community, many parents realize that this is some kind of secret socialist code message and are able to prevent their children from being exposed to it.
In international news, Iran shocks the world by revealing the existence of a previously secret uranium enrichment facility. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insists that the uranium will be used only for "parties.'' United Nations nuclear inspectors note, however, that "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad'' can be rearranged to spell "Had Jammed a Humanoid'' and "Hounded a Jihad Mamma.''
On the international-finance front, leaders of the world's economic powers gather for the G-20 summit meeting in Pittsburgh, where, in a rare display of unity, they vote unanimously to fire whoever is responsible for selecting their meeting sites.
Speaking of questionable site selection, in . . .
OCTOBER
. . . the International Olympic Committee meets in Copenhagen to choose whether Chicago, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo or Madrid will host the 2016 summer games. Chicago is considered a strong candidate, but despite personal appeals for the city from President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Mayor Richard Daley, Oprah Winfrey and the late Al Capone, the committee -- in an unexpected decision -- votes to hold the games in Pyongyang, North Korea. The head of the IOC insists that the decision was "made freely and without coercion,'' adding, "for the love of God please abort the launch.''
On a happier note for the White House, President Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize, narrowly edging out Beyoncé.
In the Middle East, hopes for peace soar when Iran announces that it will allow U.N. inspectors to visit its nuclear-enrichment facility. Hopes plunge soon after when the inspectors report that they were taken to what appears to be a hastily abandoned kebab stand with a hand-painted sign that says "NUCLEAR ENRICHMENT,'' as well as what the inspectors describe as "numerous health-code violations.''
In Afghanistan, U.N. investigators raise questions about the recent national election, noting that a third of the votes cast for President Hamid Karzai came from Palm Beach County.
On the celebrity front, a remorseful David Letterman confesses to his stunned audience that he has been hiking the Appalachian Trail with female staff members.
But the big story in October, the story that grips the nation the way a dog grips a rancid squirrel, is the mesmerizing drama of a silver balloon racing through the blue skies above central Colorado, desperately pursued by police, aviation and rescue personnel who have been led to believe that the balloon contains O.J. Simpson.
No, that would have been great, but the authorities in fact have been led to believe that the balloon contains 6-year-old Falcon Heene, the son of exactly the kind of parents you would expect to name a child "Falcon.'' It quickly becomes clear that the boy is not in the balloon, and the whole thing is a hoax perpetrated by attention-seeking reality-show-wannabe idiots. In other words, nothing really happened, so naturally the media go into a weeklong Category 5 frenzy so intensive that Larry King is forced to temporarily interrupt his ongoing postmortem coverage of the Michael Jackson funeral.
Speaking of attention-seeking reality-show-wannabe idiots,in . . .
NOVEMBER
. . . a Washington couple, Tareq and Michaele Salahi, penetrate heavy security and enter the White House, a feat that Joe Biden has yet to manage. As details of the incident emerge, an embarrassed Secret Service is forced to admit that not only did the couple crash a state dinner, but they also met and shook hands with the president, and they "may have served briefly in the cabinet.''
In other White House news, the president, in a much-debated post-Thanksgiving decision, announces that he is sending U.S. troops into the electronics departments of 1,400 Best Buy stores to prevent Black Friday shoppers from killing each other over flat-screen TVs. Hours later the president withdraws the troops, calling the situation "hopeless.'' Press Secretary Gibbs notes that the president inherited Black Friday from the Bush administration.
Attorney General Eric Holder announces that, to maintain the principle of due legal process, alleged Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will be tried in federal court in New York City, but as a precaution, "he will be executed first.''
In sports, the New York Yankees, after an eight-year drought, purchase the World Series. But the month's big sports story involves Tiger Woods, who, plagued by tabloid reports that he has been hiking the Appalachian trail with a nightclub hostess, is injured in a bizarre late-night incident near his Florida home when his SUV is attacked by golf-club-wielding Somali pirates.
In science news:
• The Large Hadron Collider is restarted after a 14-month delay caused by squirrels stealing the particles.
• Elated NASA scientists announce that they have discovered ice on the moon, although their excitement fades when they calculate that getting it back to Earth will cost $185 million per cube.
• Researchers from MIT and Harvard announce that they have sequenced the genome of a horse. They are arrested when police discover that "sequencing the genome'' is the scientific slang equivalent of "hiking the Appalachian trail.''
In a troubling economic development, the U.S. dollar, for the first time in history, falls below the lentil.
Speaking of troubling, in . . .
DECEMBER
. . . President Obama, after weeks of pondering what to do about the pesky war situation he inherited, announces a decision -- widely viewed as a compromise -- in which he will send 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, but will name their mission "Operation Gentle Butterfly.''
On the economic front, the nation's unemployment rate remains stubbornly high as it becomes clear that the $787 billion stimulus package has created a total of only eight jobs, all in the field of highway-construction flagperson. Looking for solutions, the president hosts a White House "jobs summit'' attended by political, business and labor leaders, as well as 23 Portuguese tourists who got lost while trying to visit the Washington Monument and somehow penetrated White House security. Meanwhile, in what is believed to be the largest Craigslist transaction ever, California sells San Diego to Mexico.
On the environmental front, Copenhagen hosts a massive international conference aimed at halting manmade global warming, attended by thousands of delegates who flew to Denmark on magical carbon-free unicorns.
In the Middle East, U.N. nuclear inspectors become suspicious when Iran attempts to ship to Israel, via UPS, a large crate labeled "HARMLESS ITEMS -- DELIVER BEFORE TIMER REACHES 00:00.''
There are other troubling year-end developments:
• In a setback for U.S. interests in Central America, voters in Honduras elect, as their new president, Rod Blagojevich.
• The International Space Station is taken over by Somali pirates.
• In sports, roughly 40 percent of the U.S. bimbo population announces that it has at one time or another hiked the Appalachian Trail with Tiger Woods.
Also, as the year draws to a close, the Centers for Disease Control releases an urgent bulletin warning of a new, fast-spreading epidemic consisting of severe, and in some cases life-threatening, arm infections caused by "people constantly sneezing into their elbow pits.''
But despite all the gloomy news, the holiday season brings at least temporary relief to a troubled nation -- especially the children, millions of whom go to sleep on Christmas Eve with visions of Santa in his reindeer-powered sleigh flying high overhead, spreading joy around the world.
With a North Korean missile flying right behind.
Try not to think about it. And happy New Year.
Dave Barry
It was also a year of Change, especially in Washington, where the tired old hacks of yesteryear finally yielded the reins of power to a group of fresh, young, idealistic, new-idea outsiders such as Nancy Pelosi. As a result Washington, rejecting "business as usual,'' finally stopped trying to solve every problem by throwing billions of taxpayer dollars at it and instead started trying to solve every problem by throwing trillions of taxpayer dollars at it.
To be sure, it was a year that saw plenty of bad news. But in almost every instance, there was offsetting good news:
BAD NEWS: The economy remained critically weak, with rising unemployment, a severely depressed real-estate market, the near-collapse of the domestic automobile industry and the steep decline of the dollar.
GOOD NEWS: Windows 7 sucked less than Vista.
BAD NEWS: The downward spiral of the newspaper industry continued, resulting in the firings of thousands of experienced reporters and an apparently permanent deterioration in the quality of American journalism.
GOOD NEWS: A lot more people were tweeting.
BAD NEWS: Ominous problems loomed abroad as -- among other difficulties -- the Afghanistan war went sour, and Iran threatened to plunge the Middle East and beyond into nuclear war.
GOOD NEWS: They finally got Roman Polanski.
In short, it was a year that we will be happy to put behind us. But before we do, let's swallow our anti-nausea medication and take one last look back, starting with. . . .
JANUARY
. . . during which history is made in Washington, D.C., where a crowd estimated by the Congressional Estimating Office at 217 billion people gathers to watch Barack Obama be inaugurated as the first American president ever to come after George W. Bush. There is a minor glitch in the ceremony when Chief Justice John Roberts, attempting to administer the oath of office, becomes confused and instead reads the side-effect warnings for his decongestant pills, causing the new president to swear that he will consult his physician if he experiences a sudden loss of sensation in his feet. President Obama then delivers an upbeat inaugural address, ushering in a new era of cooperation, civility and bipartisanship in a galaxy far, far away. Here on Earth everything stays much the same.
The No. 1 item on the agenda is fixing the economy, so the new administration immediately sets about the daunting task of trying to nominate somebody -- anybody -- to a high-level government post who actually remembered to pay his or her taxes. Among those who forgot this pesky chore is Obama's nominee for Treasury secretary, Timothy Geithner, who sheepishly admits that he failed to pay $35,000 in federal self-employment taxes. He says that the error was a result of his using TurboTax, which he also blames for his involvement in an eight-state spree of bank robberies. He is confirmed after the Obama administration explains that it inherited the U.S. Tax Code from the Bush administration.
Elsewhere in politics, a team of specially trained wildlife agents equipped with nets and tranquilizer darts manages, after a six-hour struggle, to remove Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich from office. He is transported to an undisclosed swamp, where he is released into the wild and quickly bonds with the native ferret population.
On a more upbeat note, the nation finds a new hero in US Airways Capt. Chesley Sullenberger, who, in an astonishing feat of aviation, manages to land a US Airways flight safely in the Hudson River after it loses power shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia. Incredibly, all 155 people on board survive, although they are immediately taken hostage by Somali pirates.
In entertainment news, an unemployed California mother of six uses in-vitro fertilization to give birth to eight more children, an achievement that immediately catapults her to a celebrity status equivalent to that of a minor Kardashian sister. But even this joyous event is not enough to cheer up a nation worried about the worsening economy, which becomes so badin . . .
FEBRUARY
. . . that Congress passes, without reading it, and without actually finishing writing it, a stimulus package totaling $787 billion. The money is immediately turned over to American taxpayers so they can use it to stimulate the economy.
No! What a crazy idea THAT would be! The money is to be doled out over the next decade or so by members of Congress on projects deemed vital by members of Congress, such as constructing buildings that will be named after members of Congress. This will stimulate the economy by creating millions of jobs, according to estimates provided by the Congressional Estimating Office's Magical Estimating 8-Ball.
Despite this heroic effort, the economy continues to stumble. General Motors, which has sold only one car in the past year -- a Buick LaCrosse mistakenly purchased by an 87-year-old man who thought he was buying a power scooter -- announces a new four-part business plan, consisting of (1) dealership closings; (2) factory shutdowns;(3) worker layoffs; and (4) traveling backward through time to 1955.
The stock market hits its lowest level since 1997; this is hailed as a great investment opportunity by all the financial wizards who failed to let us know last year that the market was going to tank. California goes bankrupt and is forced to raise $800 million by pawning Angelina Jolie.
The Obama administration's confirmation woes continue as Tom Daschle is forced to withdraw as nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services following the disclosure that he, too, failed to pay all of his federal taxes. He blames this oversight on the fact that his tax returns were prepared by Treasury Secretary Geithner.
The Academy Awards are a triumph for Slumdog Millionaire, which wins eight Oscars, only to have them stolen by Somali pirates.
In sports, the Pittsburgh Steelers win the Super Bowl, defeating some team in a game that we have all completely forgotten. Michael Phelps is suspended from competitive swimming following publication of a photograph clearly showing that he has gills. Baseball star Alex Rodriguez admits that from 2001 through 2003 he used steroids, which he claims he got from Treasury Secretary Geithner.
And speaking of shocking disclosures, in . . .
MARCH
. . . an angry nation learns that the giant insurance company AIG, which received $170 billion in taxpayer bailouts and posted a $61 billion loss, is paying executive bonuses totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. This news shocks and outrages President Obama and members of Congress, who happen to be the very people who passed the legislation that authorized both the bailouts and the bonuses, but of course they did that during a crisis and thus had no time to find out what the hell they were voting for.
To correct this situation, some congresspersons propose a 90 percent tax on the bonuses, followed by beheadings, followed by the passage of tough new financial legislation that nobody in Congress will read or understand.
In other economic news, the CEO of GM resigns under pressure from the White House, which notes that it inherited the automobile crisis from the Bush administration. GM is now essentially a subsidiary of the federal government, which promises to use its legendary business and marketing savvy to get the crippled auto giant back on its feet, starting with an exciting new lineup of cars such as the Chevrolet Consensus, a "green'' car featuring a compressed-soybean chassis, the world's first engine powered entirely by dew, and a 14,500-page owner's manual, accompanied by nearly 6,000 pages of amendments.
Businessman Bernard Madoff pleads guilty to bilking investors out of $65 billion in a Ponzi scheme, forcing the Obama administration to withdraw his nomination for secretary of commerce.
The annual observance of Earth Hour is observed with one hour of symbolic energy conservation as hundreds of millions of non-essential lights and appliances are turned off. And that's just in Al Gore's house.
In sports and entertainment news, former NFL great Lawrence Taylor, appearing on Dancing With the Stars, accidentally rips off his partner's arms during the cha-cha competition. The judges award Taylor 453 points out of a possible 30, citing his "energy'' and "proximity.''
Abroad, North Korea, in what many observers view as a deliberate act of provocation, calls Domino's and, posing as the United States, orders 23 million pizzas delivered to Japan.
International problems continue to dominate in . . .
APRIL
. . . as leaders of the world's powers, looking for a way out of the worsening world economic crisis, gather in London for the G-20 summit, which ends abruptly in a violent argument over the bill for the welcoming dinner. A short while later, in what many economists see as a troubling development, the International Monetary Fund moves into a refrigerator carton.
In other international bad news, North Korea launches a test missile that experts say is capable of hitting Hawaii, based on the fact that it actually hits Hawaii. The United States swiftly pledges to issue a strongly worded condemnation containing "even stronger words than last time.''
On the domestic front, the struggling Chrysler Corp. declares bankruptcy, but its CEO confidently predicts that the company will come back "bigger, better and stronger than ever'' thanks to its 2010 product line, spearheaded by the all-new Dodge Despair.
The big health story in April is the rapid spread of swine flu, a dangerous new virus strain developed by the makers of Purell. Public anxiety over the flu increases when Vice President Joe Biden, demonstrating his gift for emitting statements, declares on the Today show that he would not recommend traveling by commercial airplane or subway. A short while later, White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs assures reporters that he is "not aware of any `Vice President Joe Biden.' ''
In another embarrassment for the White House, New York is temporarily thrown into a panic when Air Force One flies low over Manhattan for a publicity photo shoot. Responding to widespread criticism, Gibbs notes that President Obama inherited Air Force One from the Bush administration.
On a more positive note, an American ship captain is dramatically rescued from Somali pirates by a team of Navy SEAL sharpshooters, who are immediately hired by Dancing With the Stars to assist with the judging of Lawrence Taylor.
Speaking of drama, in . . .
MAY
. . . the finale of American Idol produces a shocking outcome that sends shock waves of shock reverberating around the planet when the winner turns out to be -- incredibly -- that guy singer, whatshisname, despite the fact that the overwhelming favorite was that OTHER guy singer. Congress vows to hold hearings after reports surface that, of the nearly 100 million votes, 73 million were phoned in by ACORN.
But the big political drama takes place in Washington, where David Souter announces that he is retiring from the Supreme Court because he is tired of getting noogies from Chief Justice Roberts. To replace Souter, President Obama nominates Sonia Sotomayor, setting off the traditional Washington performance of Konfirmation Kabuki, in which the Democrats portray the nominee as basically a cross between Abraham Lincoln and the Virgin Mary, and the Republicans portray her more as Ursula the Sea Witch with a law degree. Sotomayor will eventually be confirmed, but only after undergoing the traditional Senate Judiciary Committee hazing ritual, during which she must talk for four straight days without expressing an opinion.
In crippled U.S. auto giant news, General Motors announces a new business plan under which it will fire everybody but Howie Long, who will continue to make what GM calls "some of the most popular commercials on the market.'' Meanwhile Chrysler, looking to the future, invests $114 million in an Amway distributorship.
On the international-tension front, a meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss possible sanctions against North Korea is forced to adjourn hastily when the council chamber is penetrated by a missile.
In sports, Helio Castroneves wins the Indianapolis 500, although his victory is somewhat tainted by the fact that all 32 of the other cars were hijacked by Somali pirates. Major League Baseball suspends Dodger slugger Manny Ramirez for 50 games after his urine sample explodes.
But all of these stories suddenly seem unimportant in . . .
JUNE
. . . when pop superstar Michael Jackson dies, setting off an orgy of frowny-face TV-newsperson fake somberness the likes of which has not been seen since the Princess Diana Grief-a-Palooza. At one point experts estimate that the major networks are using the word the word "icon'' a combined total of 850 times per hour. Larry King devotes several weeks to in-depth coverage of this story, during which he conducts what is believed to be the first-ever in-casket interview; this triumph is marred only slightly by the fact that the venerable TV personality apparently believes he is talking to Bette Midler.
On the economic front, California is caught on videotape attempting to shoplift 17,000 taxpayers from Nevada. General Motors files for bankruptcy and announces a new sales strategy under which it will go around at night leaving cars in people's driveways, then sprinting away.
In political news, the Minnesota Supreme Court, clearly exhausted by months of legal wrangling, declares Al Franken the winner of American Idol. Meanwhile the governor of South Carolina, Mark Sanford, goes missing for six days; his spokesperson tells the press that the governor is "hiking the Appalachian trail,'' which turns out to be a slang term meaning "engaging in acts of an explicitly non-gubernatorial nature with a woman in Argentina.'' The state legislature ultimately considers impeaching Sanford, but changes its mind upon discovering that the lieutenant governor, who got into office through some slick legal maneuvering when nobody was paying attention, is Eliot Spitzer.
Political news continues to dominate in . . .
JULY
. . . when Sarah Palin unexpectedly announces that she will not complete her term as elected governor of Alaska, explaining, in a prepared statement, that she has a hair appointment. Asked by reporters if she plans to seek the Republican presidential nomination, she replies, "You leave my personal life out of this.'' Elsewhere in state politics, the FBI arrests pretty much every elected official in New Jersey on suspicion of being New Jersey elected officials.
On Independence Day the nation takes a welcome break from its worries to celebrate in traditional fashion with barbecues, parades and -- as night falls -- spectacular aerial North Korean missile detonations.
In government news, top Washington thinkers, looking for a way to goose the economy along, come up with the "Cash for Clunkers'' program, under which the federal government provides a financial inducement for people to take functional cars, which are mostly American-made, to car dealers, who deliberately destroy these cars and sell the people new replacement cars, which are mostly foreign-made. This program, which was budgeted for $1 billion, ends up costing $3 billion and is halted after a month. The administration declares that it has been a huge success, which everybody understands to mean that it will never, ever be repeated. With this mission accomplished, the top Washington thinkers are free to train all of their brainpower on the nation's health-care system.
President Obama becomes embroiled in controversy when, commenting on the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. by Cambridge Police Sgt. James Crowley, he states that the police "acted stupidly.'' This comment angers many in the law-enforcement community, as the president discovers the next day when his motorcade is cited for more than 3,000 moving violations. To resolve the situation, the president invites both Gates and Crowley to the White House for a "beer summit,'' which is described later by White House spokesperson Gibbs as "very amicable'' except for some "minor tasering.''
Speaking of conflict, in . . .
AUGUST
. . . President Obama, in the first serious test of his presidency, announces that he will send U.S. troops to rescue Democratic members of Congress pinned down in town hall meetings by constituents firing hostile questions concerning the administration's health-care plan, which turns out not to be wildly popular outside of the immediate Capitol Hill area. The president dismisses concerns that his health-care agenda is in trouble, observing that "there's something about August going into September where everybody in Washington gets all wee-weed up.'' White House spokesperson Gibbs explains that the "vast majority'' of the wee-wee was inherited from the Bush administration.
In foreign affairs, former president Bill Clinton goes to North Korea to secure the release of two detained American journalists who purely by coincidence happen to be women. Fidel Castro, after nearly a year out of the public eye, appears on the popular Cuban television show Bailando con Cadáveres ("Dancing With Corpses'').
California, in a move apparently intended to evade creditors, has its name legally changed to "South Oregon.''
In an alarming technological development, hackers shut down Twitter, leaving a desperate and suddenly vulnerable America with no way to find out what the Kardashian sisters are having for lunch. The Federal Emergency Management Agency urges the nation to "remain calm'' and "use Facebook if you can.'' Twitter service is eventually restored, but most of the estimated 875 million thoughts that went untweeted during the outage will never be recovered, making it the nation's worst social-networking disaster ever.
Speaking of disruptions,in . . .
SEPTEMBER
. . . President Obama, speaking on health care before a joint session of Congress, is rudely interrupted by Kanye West, who grabs the microphone and declares that Beyoncé has a better health-care plan. No, wait, sorry: The president is rudely interrupted by Republican congressperson Joe Wilson, who shouts "You lie!'' Wilson later apologizes for his breach of congressional etiquette, saying, "I should have just mooned him.''
With public support for the administration's health-care plan continuing to slip, the president orders U.S. troops into Fox News, then goes on a media blitz, appearing, in a three-day span, on Meet the Press, Face the Nation, Meet the Nation, Face the Press, Press Your Face Against the Nation, Letterman, Leno, Judge Judy, Iron Chef and Dog the Bounty Hunter. The president also delivers a back-to-school speech to the nation's students, telling them to work hard and get a good education. Fortunately, thanks to the vigilance of the talk-radio community, many parents realize that this is some kind of secret socialist code message and are able to prevent their children from being exposed to it.
In international news, Iran shocks the world by revealing the existence of a previously secret uranium enrichment facility. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insists that the uranium will be used only for "parties.'' United Nations nuclear inspectors note, however, that "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad'' can be rearranged to spell "Had Jammed a Humanoid'' and "Hounded a Jihad Mamma.''
On the international-finance front, leaders of the world's economic powers gather for the G-20 summit meeting in Pittsburgh, where, in a rare display of unity, they vote unanimously to fire whoever is responsible for selecting their meeting sites.
Speaking of questionable site selection, in . . .
OCTOBER
. . . the International Olympic Committee meets in Copenhagen to choose whether Chicago, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo or Madrid will host the 2016 summer games. Chicago is considered a strong candidate, but despite personal appeals for the city from President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Mayor Richard Daley, Oprah Winfrey and the late Al Capone, the committee -- in an unexpected decision -- votes to hold the games in Pyongyang, North Korea. The head of the IOC insists that the decision was "made freely and without coercion,'' adding, "for the love of God please abort the launch.''
On a happier note for the White House, President Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize, narrowly edging out Beyoncé.
In the Middle East, hopes for peace soar when Iran announces that it will allow U.N. inspectors to visit its nuclear-enrichment facility. Hopes plunge soon after when the inspectors report that they were taken to what appears to be a hastily abandoned kebab stand with a hand-painted sign that says "NUCLEAR ENRICHMENT,'' as well as what the inspectors describe as "numerous health-code violations.''
In Afghanistan, U.N. investigators raise questions about the recent national election, noting that a third of the votes cast for President Hamid Karzai came from Palm Beach County.
On the celebrity front, a remorseful David Letterman confesses to his stunned audience that he has been hiking the Appalachian Trail with female staff members.
But the big story in October, the story that grips the nation the way a dog grips a rancid squirrel, is the mesmerizing drama of a silver balloon racing through the blue skies above central Colorado, desperately pursued by police, aviation and rescue personnel who have been led to believe that the balloon contains O.J. Simpson.
No, that would have been great, but the authorities in fact have been led to believe that the balloon contains 6-year-old Falcon Heene, the son of exactly the kind of parents you would expect to name a child "Falcon.'' It quickly becomes clear that the boy is not in the balloon, and the whole thing is a hoax perpetrated by attention-seeking reality-show-wannabe idiots. In other words, nothing really happened, so naturally the media go into a weeklong Category 5 frenzy so intensive that Larry King is forced to temporarily interrupt his ongoing postmortem coverage of the Michael Jackson funeral.
Speaking of attention-seeking reality-show-wannabe idiots,in . . .
NOVEMBER
. . . a Washington couple, Tareq and Michaele Salahi, penetrate heavy security and enter the White House, a feat that Joe Biden has yet to manage. As details of the incident emerge, an embarrassed Secret Service is forced to admit that not only did the couple crash a state dinner, but they also met and shook hands with the president, and they "may have served briefly in the cabinet.''
In other White House news, the president, in a much-debated post-Thanksgiving decision, announces that he is sending U.S. troops into the electronics departments of 1,400 Best Buy stores to prevent Black Friday shoppers from killing each other over flat-screen TVs. Hours later the president withdraws the troops, calling the situation "hopeless.'' Press Secretary Gibbs notes that the president inherited Black Friday from the Bush administration.
Attorney General Eric Holder announces that, to maintain the principle of due legal process, alleged Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will be tried in federal court in New York City, but as a precaution, "he will be executed first.''
In sports, the New York Yankees, after an eight-year drought, purchase the World Series. But the month's big sports story involves Tiger Woods, who, plagued by tabloid reports that he has been hiking the Appalachian trail with a nightclub hostess, is injured in a bizarre late-night incident near his Florida home when his SUV is attacked by golf-club-wielding Somali pirates.
In science news:
• The Large Hadron Collider is restarted after a 14-month delay caused by squirrels stealing the particles.
• Elated NASA scientists announce that they have discovered ice on the moon, although their excitement fades when they calculate that getting it back to Earth will cost $185 million per cube.
• Researchers from MIT and Harvard announce that they have sequenced the genome of a horse. They are arrested when police discover that "sequencing the genome'' is the scientific slang equivalent of "hiking the Appalachian trail.''
In a troubling economic development, the U.S. dollar, for the first time in history, falls below the lentil.
Speaking of troubling, in . . .
DECEMBER
. . . President Obama, after weeks of pondering what to do about the pesky war situation he inherited, announces a decision -- widely viewed as a compromise -- in which he will send 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, but will name their mission "Operation Gentle Butterfly.''
On the economic front, the nation's unemployment rate remains stubbornly high as it becomes clear that the $787 billion stimulus package has created a total of only eight jobs, all in the field of highway-construction flagperson. Looking for solutions, the president hosts a White House "jobs summit'' attended by political, business and labor leaders, as well as 23 Portuguese tourists who got lost while trying to visit the Washington Monument and somehow penetrated White House security. Meanwhile, in what is believed to be the largest Craigslist transaction ever, California sells San Diego to Mexico.
On the environmental front, Copenhagen hosts a massive international conference aimed at halting manmade global warming, attended by thousands of delegates who flew to Denmark on magical carbon-free unicorns.
In the Middle East, U.N. nuclear inspectors become suspicious when Iran attempts to ship to Israel, via UPS, a large crate labeled "HARMLESS ITEMS -- DELIVER BEFORE TIMER REACHES 00:00.''
There are other troubling year-end developments:
• In a setback for U.S. interests in Central America, voters in Honduras elect, as their new president, Rod Blagojevich.
• The International Space Station is taken over by Somali pirates.
• In sports, roughly 40 percent of the U.S. bimbo population announces that it has at one time or another hiked the Appalachian Trail with Tiger Woods.
Also, as the year draws to a close, the Centers for Disease Control releases an urgent bulletin warning of a new, fast-spreading epidemic consisting of severe, and in some cases life-threatening, arm infections caused by "people constantly sneezing into their elbow pits.''
But despite all the gloomy news, the holiday season brings at least temporary relief to a troubled nation -- especially the children, millions of whom go to sleep on Christmas Eve with visions of Santa in his reindeer-powered sleigh flying high overhead, spreading joy around the world.
With a North Korean missile flying right behind.
Try not to think about it. And happy New Year.
Dave Barry
Monday, December 28, 2009
Wl - Deads and stuff - Dec 28
Buy in: 4 hyperextensions/feet to bar 20/10 each.
4 extensions/curls 12/7 each.
Main set: 4x8 deads at 225#. These felt heavier than they might have; maybe because I skipped lunch? Maybe because I can't grip 'em.
Cash out: 5 calves at 5 45# per side.
8 hours /22 hours. PE: 7. 220/15.
4 extensions/curls 12/7 each.
Main set: 4x8 deads at 225#. These felt heavier than they might have; maybe because I skipped lunch? Maybe because I can't grip 'em.
Cash out: 5 calves at 5 45# per side.
8 hours /22 hours. PE: 7. 220/15.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Dice Rolls - Dec 27
I love Christmas - these 4 in-between days where you want to exercise, but you don't. Not that you don't want, you just end up don't do-ing. But it's a who-cares blow-off? Not today.
Boogie and I did a bunch of dice rolls, with me alternating in 100# 15-rep push presses.
Buy in: 4 rounds abmats/reverse pushups 15ish each.
Dice looked like KB swings, 2 burpees, 3 pull ups, 1 cleans and 6 sets of push press.
Cash out: 5 mins of jump rope.
7 hours /24 hours. PE: 7. 220/14.
Boogie and I did a bunch of dice rolls, with me alternating in 100# 15-rep push presses.
Buy in: 4 rounds abmats/reverse pushups 15ish each.
Dice looked like KB swings, 2 burpees, 3 pull ups, 1 cleans and 6 sets of push press.
Cash out: 5 mins of jump rope.
7 hours /24 hours. PE: 7. 220/14.
Push n' Pull - Dec 26
Just a quick squeeze-in between Christmas celebrations, staying up too late, naps, and gorging on 7-layer cookies. 4 rounds of chins/pulls and dips for max reps (5/5ish, 3/rest/3ish).
5 + 3 hours /48 hours. PE: 7. 220/17.
5 + 3 hours /48 hours. PE: 7. 220/17.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Ca - Fran and Stuff - Dec 24
Buy in with a couple of max rep abmats.
Then a 7.31 Fran with 100# bar and a 30 foot walk between thrusters and the pull up bar.
Cashed out with 6 rolls of the dice - turned out to be a pair of burpees, 2 sets of cleans, pull ups and kb swings. That was plenty. Legs still feel a little hollow deep down inside from the Wl/Helen and run. Yesterday was off, but not enough off.
10.5 hours /48 hours. PE: 8. 219/13.
Then a 7.31 Fran with 100# bar and a 30 foot walk between thrusters and the pull up bar.
Cashed out with 6 rolls of the dice - turned out to be a pair of burpees, 2 sets of cleans, pull ups and kb swings. That was plenty. Legs still feel a little hollow deep down inside from the Wl/Helen and run. Yesterday was off, but not enough off.
10.5 hours /48 hours. PE: 8. 219/13.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Deads, Met-Cons, & Roulette Training
I'll let Urban speak for herself here.
• Program Initiation: July
The 603's PTP Program
Sunday, 26 July 2009
In keeping with the sentiment of June 22nd’s “We All Want To Be Stronger” post, we’re starting a deadlift and press cycle tomorrow. Yes, I know that CrossFit’s program is constantly varied. But it’s my contention that some physical characteristics have more impact on general physical preparedness (GPP) than others. And I believe that strength is a gateway to improving GPP faster than focusing on, say, balance or coordination. I’m not proposing a comprehensive hierarchy of importance, but for the 603, strength matters.
For the next few weeks, we’ll be performing a 603-modified progressive wave cycle. We start at an arbitrary (easy) weight, then add weight for a few workouts, then drop a little weight for a workout or two, then add again… so the overall trend, of course, is more weight. I originally encountered this program in Pavel Tsatsouline’s Power To The People (PTP), but have seen various iterations of it elsewhere over the years. From here on, I’ll simply refer to it as the 603’s PTP Program.
Here’s how it goes: we are going to deadlift and press 4 times per week. No, that’s not a typo. This is not an intensity-driven program. It is a frequency-driven program. In fact, I do not want you going anywhere near failure. Your body adapts and gets stronger when you stress it and then let it recover. How quickly you make progress on any individual aspect of fitness is limited by how often you can stress that system and still recover between workouts. This is, in some senses, the opposite of CrossFit’s maximal-intensity approach. It’s a maximal-frequency program, but at an intensity and volume low enough that you are always able to recover sufficiently. You with me so far? Good. Let’s look at a hypothetical program.
Since we recently did a 1RM for both the deadlift and press, it’ll be easy to get a rough estimate of where you should start. We’re going to do two (and ONLY two) work sets of 3-5 reps. Do your two deadlifts sets first, then your two press sets. Start with 3-5 reps at 60% of your 1RM, and then do a second set of 3-5 reps at 90% of the weight you used for the first set. You’ll add 2-5 pounds with the same rep/set scheme for most workouts, gradually building strength and familiarity with complex movements.
603’s Sample PTP Program – Deadlifts
Deadlift 1RM: 200 (I like easy math. So should you. Round to the nearest… whatever. Don’t get too carried away with fractional plates or tiny percentages. Remember, this is a quality-over-quantity program.)
Workout 1 - 120# x 5 - 110# x 5
Workout 2 - 125# x 5 - 115# x 5
Workout 3 - 130# x 5 - 120# x 5
Workout 4 - 125# x 5 - 115# x 5
Workout 5 - 130# x 5 - 120# x 5
Workout 6 - 135# x 5 - 125# x 5
Workout 7 - 130# x 5 - 120# x 5
Workout 8 - 135# x 4 - 125# x 5
Workout 9 - 140# x 4 - 130# x 5
Workout 10 - 135# x 5 - 125# x 5
Workout 11 - 140# x 4 - 130# x 5
Workout 12 - 145# x 3 - 130# x 5
This takes us through roughly 3 weeks. Basically, it’s a 2-steps-up, 1-step-down pattern. This pattern is highly flexible based on how you’re feeling, and will require a little more input from you as far as when you go up, and when you go back down. I’ll give general guidelines on up/down, but I’m not going to tell you how much or by what percentages. Start with that 60% of your 1RM, and go from there. If you get to the 4th workout, and the weight was effortless on the 3rd workout, go up instead of down. But… I want all the reps of all the workouts to be gorgeous and easy. In that same vein, if you stayed up late and missed a meal or two the previous day, drop down a few pounds, and don’t beat yourself up for it.
You should not be sore from these workouts. In fact, the first few workouts will be strangely… easy. It does get harder, though. Don’t discount the frequency at which you are performing these movements. Four to five times a week is a LOT. I’ll continue to program buy-ins, cash-outs, Olympic lifts, gymnastics, and some tasty met-cons, but the primary thrust of the next 4+ weeks is: get stronger. A LOT stronger. Don’t overreach, get greedy, or lose patience. This is a slow progression, but very effective in building strength. With a stronger pull and press, you’ll find other previously-challenging activities somewhat… easier. Huh.
Feel free to post questions, but I’d also encourage you to do a little research of your own on linear or progressive wave strength cycles. You might not want to actually do what you find, but it’s good to learn about other (non-CrossFit) training options.
________
• A Sample Workout looked like this (July):
Buy-in
Accumulate 1:00 of the “down dog” stretch
Accumulate 1:00 of Tucker’s shoulder opening wall stretch
The 603 PTP – Workout #3
Deadlift
Set 1: +5# from Tuesday’s WOD, 3-5 reps
Set 2: 90% of Set 1, 3-5 reps
Press
Set 1: +2-5# from Tuesday’s WOD, 3-5 reps
Set 2: 90% of Set 1, 3-5 reps
Cash out
Back squat 5-5-5-3-3-3
You get a day off tomorrow, so go hard on your squats. Remember, though, that your DL and press movements are not to approach failure. ________
• The follow-up: December.
From Whole9: Beware the Lure of the Sexy Met-Con
If you’ve been following our affiliate (CrossFit Whole9, formerly CrossFit 603), you’ll know Dallas builds all of our custom programming around strength and quality of movement. Because of this strength focus, we’ve yet to program a high rep, high volume chipper like the Filthy Fifty. Our met-cons usually come in the form of a short, heavy, simple drill done after a strength or power workout, or a track or “strongman” day where we sprint, jump, throw stuff and carry stuff. We’re in the business of strength-based fitness, and our programming reflects that focus.
A few months ago, Dallas took that strength focus to the next level and created a Power to the People style program. The 603 PTP was a high volume, low intensity series of workouts designed to do one thing – make you stronger. We chose to work the deadlift and press at the same time, hitting both of those movements four days a week, for eight weeks straight. We threw in some gymnastics and Olympic lifting skill work, short, heavy met-cons and a few track days, but for a two solid months, we did a whole lot of deadlifts and presses.
And almost all of our virtual trainees disappeared.
Up until then, we’d had a good amount of people following our programming on line. CrossFitters and exercise enthusiasts from all across the country (and across the pond) were posting after workouts like Overhead Math and the Sissy Test. But come week three of the PTP program, all but a few loyalists had abandoned our workouts. When we asked why, people commented, “the workouts got boring,” or “it seemed too easy,” or “I missed my met-cons.” Fair enough, maybe… but also a crying shame. Because the people who DID stick around put up to 25# on their deadlift and 20# on their press in just two months. And on top of that, they PR’d workouts like “Cindy”, put weight on their clean and jerks and got a lot more comfortable under (or over) a heavy barbell. Boring or not, the PTP program worked, and the people who saw it through reaped the benefits.
People often make misguided assumptions about CrossFit workouts based on what grabs their attention on paper. “Tough workouts”, “elite athletic training” and “high intensity” translates as high repetitions, endless rounds, a grab bag of exercises (often seemingly chosen at random), or some combination of the above. And there’s a trend, especially among those new to CrossFit and inexperienced with programming, to ride that met-con train all the way to Cortisol Crazytown.
I’m here to caution you… beware the lure of the Sexy Met-Con.
For some (especially those new to CrossFit), the lure of something like the Filthy Fifty or the “300” workout is undeniable. Hundreds of reps of various bad-ass exercises all in one workout? That MUST be good fitness. New trainees doing their own programming fall quickly into the Sexy Met-Con trap, piling on the reps, adding more and more exotic movements, needing an excessive amount of time to complete the workout. They get beyond creative, making up workouts so complicated that you need a map and a flashlight just to follow along.
Trainees aren’t the only victims of the Sexy Met-Con pull. New coaches and affiliate owners fall into this trap as well. What looks like you put more effort into your programming – seven rounds of five different exercises with a complicated rep scheme, or “Back Squat 5×5”? What’s an easier group class workout – a 20 minute light-weight met-con, or a structured PMenu-style Olympic lifting session? This isn’t a dig on those coaches or affiliate owners – I get it. The pressure to get creative and put out fresh “unknowable” workouts every day is enormous. There is also a need (real or perceived) to drastically distinguish themselves from their Globo-Gym competition. Add in the pressure from clients to make them SWEAT so they feel like they’re getting what they pay for and the Sexy Met-Con becomes an easy go-to on all counts.
But while it’s an easy trap to fall into – some affiliates never bear-crawl out. I follow several gyms’ custom programming, just to keep an eye on what everyone else is doing. With one, I counted back a few months and found 22 days of met-con out of a month’s worth of programming. Twenty. Two… not including rest days. Another programmed “find your deadlift one rep max” workouts two months apart – without a single day of strength-oriented deadlifting in between. Sure, they did some light deadlifts during met-cons… but how much does your 1RM go up without putting the work in on your 5×5s?
There are a few things wrong with this phenomenon. First, longer length met-cons (even those that go “heavy” for time) will not make you as strong as you could be. Sure, your cardio will improve, and you’ll most likely see some strength gains, but nowhere near the gains you’d see picking up heavy stuff with a tried-and-true 5×5, 3×5 and 3×3 protocol. (Of course, this point is only valid if you believe, as we do, that prioritizing strength is the most effective way to get better at everything.)
In addition, these types of workouts miss the bus by focusing on quantity at the expense of quality of movement. The never-ending pursuit of improved met-con “performance” overlooks the important component of quality-based training. You can learn your nine foundational movements in a group class and “practice” them in a chipper, but none of those movements (performed fast and loose, as these met-cons tend to inspire) prepare you for moving a real load. Sloppy air squats won’t translate to more weight on your back, and a hundred med ball cleans won’t prep you for a heavy clean and jerk. What you are doing, unfortunately, is reinforcing bad movement patterns for literally hundreds of repetitions. And that’s hard to recover from if and when you decide you want to start adding weight to the bar.
Want to be a better CrossFitter? Make sure your workouts are constantly varied, right? On first glance, these met-cons seem to fit the bill. The structure makes you THINK you’re working a good “constantly varied” program, with fresh-out-of-the-hopper movements and convoluted rep schemes. But “constantly varied” means more than just swapping out exercises in your 30 minute met-con. These Sexy Met-Cons work primarily one metabolic pathway, with a very limited range of strength and power. So all those randomized exercises and rep schemes, when contained within the same longer length, light-weight met-con, aren’t really variety at all.
But the biggest danger by far is this – these Sexy Met-Cons can quickly take a dive into “overkill” territory, where your training starts to hurt more than it helps. You can’t tell me that day after day of Filthy Fifties won’t produce a sharp decline in movement integrity, and the overuse of certain muscle groups, joints and tendons. (How many days of kipping, ring dips and push-ups can you do before your elbows starts to hurt?) In addition, the body goes into serious cortisol production around the half-hour mark, so these day in, day out, longer length workouts wreak all kinds of havoc on the body. These kind of met-cons (much like long distance “cardio”) are notorious for pushing people into over-trained territory, and where over-training lives, injury is soon to follow. (Not so awesome for you, but serious job security for Dallas.)
But who wants to work a boring 5×5 when there are plenty of sexier workouts to choose from? I’ll tell you who. People who want to be stronger. Nothing builds muscle and strength like the big lifts – squat, press and deadlift – supplemented with gymnastics skills for core strength and low repetition Olympic lifts to develop explosive power. And I’m not taking a bunch of one rep maxes, either! Sets of 3’s and 5’s are your money-makers – where you train the body and build the strength. Missing your met-con? Work them in, but hit them hard and keep them short. Piling 30 minutes of “cardio” after a serious strength workout is, in a word, counterproductive. And for the love of Pavel, keep them simple. Thrusters and burpees, broad jumps and overhead carries, sprints and swings – all simple, all brutally effective.
• Program Initiation: July
The 603's PTP Program
Sunday, 26 July 2009
In keeping with the sentiment of June 22nd’s “We All Want To Be Stronger” post, we’re starting a deadlift and press cycle tomorrow. Yes, I know that CrossFit’s program is constantly varied. But it’s my contention that some physical characteristics have more impact on general physical preparedness (GPP) than others. And I believe that strength is a gateway to improving GPP faster than focusing on, say, balance or coordination. I’m not proposing a comprehensive hierarchy of importance, but for the 603, strength matters.
For the next few weeks, we’ll be performing a 603-modified progressive wave cycle. We start at an arbitrary (easy) weight, then add weight for a few workouts, then drop a little weight for a workout or two, then add again… so the overall trend, of course, is more weight. I originally encountered this program in Pavel Tsatsouline’s Power To The People (PTP), but have seen various iterations of it elsewhere over the years. From here on, I’ll simply refer to it as the 603’s PTP Program.
Here’s how it goes: we are going to deadlift and press 4 times per week. No, that’s not a typo. This is not an intensity-driven program. It is a frequency-driven program. In fact, I do not want you going anywhere near failure. Your body adapts and gets stronger when you stress it and then let it recover. How quickly you make progress on any individual aspect of fitness is limited by how often you can stress that system and still recover between workouts. This is, in some senses, the opposite of CrossFit’s maximal-intensity approach. It’s a maximal-frequency program, but at an intensity and volume low enough that you are always able to recover sufficiently. You with me so far? Good. Let’s look at a hypothetical program.
Since we recently did a 1RM for both the deadlift and press, it’ll be easy to get a rough estimate of where you should start. We’re going to do two (and ONLY two) work sets of 3-5 reps. Do your two deadlifts sets first, then your two press sets. Start with 3-5 reps at 60% of your 1RM, and then do a second set of 3-5 reps at 90% of the weight you used for the first set. You’ll add 2-5 pounds with the same rep/set scheme for most workouts, gradually building strength and familiarity with complex movements.
603’s Sample PTP Program – Deadlifts
Deadlift 1RM: 200 (I like easy math. So should you. Round to the nearest… whatever. Don’t get too carried away with fractional plates or tiny percentages. Remember, this is a quality-over-quantity program.)
Workout 1 - 120# x 5 - 110# x 5
Workout 2 - 125# x 5 - 115# x 5
Workout 3 - 130# x 5 - 120# x 5
Workout 4 - 125# x 5 - 115# x 5
Workout 5 - 130# x 5 - 120# x 5
Workout 6 - 135# x 5 - 125# x 5
Workout 7 - 130# x 5 - 120# x 5
Workout 8 - 135# x 4 - 125# x 5
Workout 9 - 140# x 4 - 130# x 5
Workout 10 - 135# x 5 - 125# x 5
Workout 11 - 140# x 4 - 130# x 5
Workout 12 - 145# x 3 - 130# x 5
This takes us through roughly 3 weeks. Basically, it’s a 2-steps-up, 1-step-down pattern. This pattern is highly flexible based on how you’re feeling, and will require a little more input from you as far as when you go up, and when you go back down. I’ll give general guidelines on up/down, but I’m not going to tell you how much or by what percentages. Start with that 60% of your 1RM, and go from there. If you get to the 4th workout, and the weight was effortless on the 3rd workout, go up instead of down. But… I want all the reps of all the workouts to be gorgeous and easy. In that same vein, if you stayed up late and missed a meal or two the previous day, drop down a few pounds, and don’t beat yourself up for it.
You should not be sore from these workouts. In fact, the first few workouts will be strangely… easy. It does get harder, though. Don’t discount the frequency at which you are performing these movements. Four to five times a week is a LOT. I’ll continue to program buy-ins, cash-outs, Olympic lifts, gymnastics, and some tasty met-cons, but the primary thrust of the next 4+ weeks is: get stronger. A LOT stronger. Don’t overreach, get greedy, or lose patience. This is a slow progression, but very effective in building strength. With a stronger pull and press, you’ll find other previously-challenging activities somewhat… easier. Huh.
Feel free to post questions, but I’d also encourage you to do a little research of your own on linear or progressive wave strength cycles. You might not want to actually do what you find, but it’s good to learn about other (non-CrossFit) training options.
________
• A Sample Workout looked like this (July):
Buy-in
Accumulate 1:00 of the “down dog” stretch
Accumulate 1:00 of Tucker’s shoulder opening wall stretch
The 603 PTP – Workout #3
Deadlift
Set 1: +5# from Tuesday’s WOD, 3-5 reps
Set 2: 90% of Set 1, 3-5 reps
Press
Set 1: +2-5# from Tuesday’s WOD, 3-5 reps
Set 2: 90% of Set 1, 3-5 reps
Cash out
Back squat 5-5-5-3-3-3
You get a day off tomorrow, so go hard on your squats. Remember, though, that your DL and press movements are not to approach failure. ________
• The follow-up: December.
From Whole9: Beware the Lure of the Sexy Met-Con
If you’ve been following our affiliate (CrossFit Whole9, formerly CrossFit 603), you’ll know Dallas builds all of our custom programming around strength and quality of movement. Because of this strength focus, we’ve yet to program a high rep, high volume chipper like the Filthy Fifty. Our met-cons usually come in the form of a short, heavy, simple drill done after a strength or power workout, or a track or “strongman” day where we sprint, jump, throw stuff and carry stuff. We’re in the business of strength-based fitness, and our programming reflects that focus.
A few months ago, Dallas took that strength focus to the next level and created a Power to the People style program. The 603 PTP was a high volume, low intensity series of workouts designed to do one thing – make you stronger. We chose to work the deadlift and press at the same time, hitting both of those movements four days a week, for eight weeks straight. We threw in some gymnastics and Olympic lifting skill work, short, heavy met-cons and a few track days, but for a two solid months, we did a whole lot of deadlifts and presses.
And almost all of our virtual trainees disappeared.
Up until then, we’d had a good amount of people following our programming on line. CrossFitters and exercise enthusiasts from all across the country (and across the pond) were posting after workouts like Overhead Math and the Sissy Test. But come week three of the PTP program, all but a few loyalists had abandoned our workouts. When we asked why, people commented, “the workouts got boring,” or “it seemed too easy,” or “I missed my met-cons.” Fair enough, maybe… but also a crying shame. Because the people who DID stick around put up to 25# on their deadlift and 20# on their press in just two months. And on top of that, they PR’d workouts like “Cindy”, put weight on their clean and jerks and got a lot more comfortable under (or over) a heavy barbell. Boring or not, the PTP program worked, and the people who saw it through reaped the benefits.
People often make misguided assumptions about CrossFit workouts based on what grabs their attention on paper. “Tough workouts”, “elite athletic training” and “high intensity” translates as high repetitions, endless rounds, a grab bag of exercises (often seemingly chosen at random), or some combination of the above. And there’s a trend, especially among those new to CrossFit and inexperienced with programming, to ride that met-con train all the way to Cortisol Crazytown.
I’m here to caution you… beware the lure of the Sexy Met-Con.
For some (especially those new to CrossFit), the lure of something like the Filthy Fifty or the “300” workout is undeniable. Hundreds of reps of various bad-ass exercises all in one workout? That MUST be good fitness. New trainees doing their own programming fall quickly into the Sexy Met-Con trap, piling on the reps, adding more and more exotic movements, needing an excessive amount of time to complete the workout. They get beyond creative, making up workouts so complicated that you need a map and a flashlight just to follow along.
Trainees aren’t the only victims of the Sexy Met-Con pull. New coaches and affiliate owners fall into this trap as well. What looks like you put more effort into your programming – seven rounds of five different exercises with a complicated rep scheme, or “Back Squat 5×5”? What’s an easier group class workout – a 20 minute light-weight met-con, or a structured PMenu-style Olympic lifting session? This isn’t a dig on those coaches or affiliate owners – I get it. The pressure to get creative and put out fresh “unknowable” workouts every day is enormous. There is also a need (real or perceived) to drastically distinguish themselves from their Globo-Gym competition. Add in the pressure from clients to make them SWEAT so they feel like they’re getting what they pay for and the Sexy Met-Con becomes an easy go-to on all counts.
But while it’s an easy trap to fall into – some affiliates never bear-crawl out. I follow several gyms’ custom programming, just to keep an eye on what everyone else is doing. With one, I counted back a few months and found 22 days of met-con out of a month’s worth of programming. Twenty. Two… not including rest days. Another programmed “find your deadlift one rep max” workouts two months apart – without a single day of strength-oriented deadlifting in between. Sure, they did some light deadlifts during met-cons… but how much does your 1RM go up without putting the work in on your 5×5s?
There are a few things wrong with this phenomenon. First, longer length met-cons (even those that go “heavy” for time) will not make you as strong as you could be. Sure, your cardio will improve, and you’ll most likely see some strength gains, but nowhere near the gains you’d see picking up heavy stuff with a tried-and-true 5×5, 3×5 and 3×3 protocol. (Of course, this point is only valid if you believe, as we do, that prioritizing strength is the most effective way to get better at everything.)
In addition, these types of workouts miss the bus by focusing on quantity at the expense of quality of movement. The never-ending pursuit of improved met-con “performance” overlooks the important component of quality-based training. You can learn your nine foundational movements in a group class and “practice” them in a chipper, but none of those movements (performed fast and loose, as these met-cons tend to inspire) prepare you for moving a real load. Sloppy air squats won’t translate to more weight on your back, and a hundred med ball cleans won’t prep you for a heavy clean and jerk. What you are doing, unfortunately, is reinforcing bad movement patterns for literally hundreds of repetitions. And that’s hard to recover from if and when you decide you want to start adding weight to the bar.
Want to be a better CrossFitter? Make sure your workouts are constantly varied, right? On first glance, these met-cons seem to fit the bill. The structure makes you THINK you’re working a good “constantly varied” program, with fresh-out-of-the-hopper movements and convoluted rep schemes. But “constantly varied” means more than just swapping out exercises in your 30 minute met-con. These Sexy Met-Cons work primarily one metabolic pathway, with a very limited range of strength and power. So all those randomized exercises and rep schemes, when contained within the same longer length, light-weight met-con, aren’t really variety at all.
But the biggest danger by far is this – these Sexy Met-Cons can quickly take a dive into “overkill” territory, where your training starts to hurt more than it helps. You can’t tell me that day after day of Filthy Fifties won’t produce a sharp decline in movement integrity, and the overuse of certain muscle groups, joints and tendons. (How many days of kipping, ring dips and push-ups can you do before your elbows starts to hurt?) In addition, the body goes into serious cortisol production around the half-hour mark, so these day in, day out, longer length workouts wreak all kinds of havoc on the body. These kind of met-cons (much like long distance “cardio”) are notorious for pushing people into over-trained territory, and where over-training lives, injury is soon to follow. (Not so awesome for you, but serious job security for Dallas.)
But who wants to work a boring 5×5 when there are plenty of sexier workouts to choose from? I’ll tell you who. People who want to be stronger. Nothing builds muscle and strength like the big lifts – squat, press and deadlift – supplemented with gymnastics skills for core strength and low repetition Olympic lifts to develop explosive power. And I’m not taking a bunch of one rep maxes, either! Sets of 3’s and 5’s are your money-makers – where you train the body and build the strength. Missing your met-con? Work them in, but hit them hard and keep them short. Piling 30 minutes of “cardio” after a serious strength workout is, in a word, counterproductive. And for the love of Pavel, keep them simple. Thrusters and burpees, broad jumps and overhead carries, sprints and swings – all simple, all brutally effective.
M/S - Zipper Ladder - Dec 22
Clearest skies the valley's seen in months after a night's rain. Crisp and clean, the dirt just wet enough to hold ... this day just screamed bluffs run.
Stole a page from crossfit endurance's one minute ladder, but ran a 5 minute ladder down, then back up. Each half was almost just barely enough to get me to the Zipper (5.27 up) and back.
5 min on, 1 min walk, 4 min on, 50 sec walk, 3 min on, 40 sec walk, 2 min on, 30 sec walk, 1 min on, 20 sec walk, 1 min on, 10 sec off, then zipper, then back up the ladder on the return. Okay, you get it.
Really brutus up the emBankment hill, and hiked the zipper itself. Felt like lead mostly, and was really tasting the Giovanni's Pad Thai going up the zipper. The return run was a negative split in terms of what distance I was able to cover, even though I took 10 seconds rest off of each walk (5 min on, 50 sec walk ... better). First real run in a while.
8.5 hours /36 hours. PE: 8. 219/15 - 220/11.
Stole a page from crossfit endurance's one minute ladder, but ran a 5 minute ladder down, then back up. Each half was almost just barely enough to get me to the Zipper (5.27 up) and back.
5 min on, 1 min walk, 4 min on, 50 sec walk, 3 min on, 40 sec walk, 2 min on, 30 sec walk, 1 min on, 20 sec walk, 1 min on, 10 sec off, then zipper, then back up the ladder on the return. Okay, you get it.
Really brutus up the emBankment hill, and hiked the zipper itself. Felt like lead mostly, and was really tasting the Giovanni's Pad Thai going up the zipper. The return run was a negative split in terms of what distance I was able to cover, even though I took 10 seconds rest off of each walk (5 min on, 50 sec walk ... better). First real run in a while.
8.5 hours /36 hours. PE: 8. 219/15 - 220/11.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Wl & Helen - Dec 21
How many CrossFitters does it take to change a light bulb?
Three. One to do it for time. One to film it. And one to complain about proper form.
Today was an AR day, but the power was out at work, and rather than sit around wondering what and when, Wictor and I just booked it to the Rosedale express BodyX. It was surprisingly crowded midmorning, with a lot of ppl on the treadmills, a lot of guys with baseball caps on the cables, and a couple of crossfitters doing some work.
Buy in: 5x10 feet to bar. Then 4x12 extensions/curls, and 4x17ish calves on the A-frame.
Then Helen. Not gonna pick on Wic (one round and ground down), 'cause I was wondering how I was going to do after a full-on leg workout. Had to use the gravitron (no help) as the pull up stations were being "used" by globos, so the first two rounds were dead hang. Did an inversion too, with the pull ups followed by the DB swings (55#), then the running.
Round 1: 5.04
Round 2: 6.32
Round 3: 5.52
17.29
Life is good.
8.5 hours /48 hours. PE: 8. 219/17.
Three. One to do it for time. One to film it. And one to complain about proper form.
Today was an AR day, but the power was out at work, and rather than sit around wondering what and when, Wictor and I just booked it to the Rosedale express BodyX. It was surprisingly crowded midmorning, with a lot of ppl on the treadmills, a lot of guys with baseball caps on the cables, and a couple of crossfitters doing some work.
Buy in: 5x10 feet to bar. Then 4x12 extensions/curls, and 4x17ish calves on the A-frame.
Then Helen. Not gonna pick on Wic (one round and ground down), 'cause I was wondering how I was going to do after a full-on leg workout. Had to use the gravitron (no help) as the pull up stations were being "used" by globos, so the first two rounds were dead hang. Did an inversion too, with the pull ups followed by the DB swings (55#), then the running.
Round 1: 5.04
Round 2: 6.32
Round 3: 5.52
17.29
Life is good.
8.5 hours /48 hours. PE: 8. 219/17.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Wa - Still a Little Setzer'd - Dec 19
This was yesterday's workout, rolled over. 6x20 reverse pushups to buy in. Antagonists: 5x12 DB down the incline bench with 50's (hotel gym, that's as heavy as they came)/5x10 heavy pull downs on a Life Fitness machine. The main set was 6x8-10 DB thrusters with 50's. They felt good through the 3rd set, by 6 I was pretty sapped. Blame some of it on Karl Strauss' To the 9's & Blue Moons.
7 hours /19 hours. PE: 8. 220 yesterday? I feel like a tank.
7 hours /19 hours. PE: 8. 220 yesterday? I feel like a tank.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Wl - One for the Road - Dec 18
4 ext/curl at 210/115. 5 calves on the Aframe/4 front squat x8 with 155#. Outy. Just bagging the Wa day til tomorrow, since it's hotel gym time again. Will make up the M and S days to come on Sunday/Monday.
7 hours /24 hours. PE: 6. 220/12.
7 hours /24 hours. PE: 6. 220/12.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Love Dare
Here's the full listing:
Day 1: Love is patient
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. — Ephesians 4:2 NIV
Today’s Dare: The first part of this dare is fairly simple. Although love is communicated in a number of ways, our words often reflect the condition of our heart. For the next day, resolve to demonstrate patience and to say nothing negative to your spouse at all. If the temptation arises, choose not to say anything. It’s better to hold your tongue than to say something you’ll regret.
______
Day 2: Love is kind
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. — Ephesians 4:32
Today’s Dare: In addition to saying nothing negative to your spouse again today, do at least one unexpected gesture as an act of kindness.
______
Day 3: Love is not selfish
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor. — Romans 12:10
Today’s Dare: Whatever you put your time, energy, and money into will become more important to you. It’s hard to care for something you are not investing in. Along with restraining from negative comments, buy your spouse something that says, “I was thinking of you today.”
______
Day 4: Love is thoughtful
How precious also are Your thoughts to me. . . .How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. — Psalm 139:17–18
Today’s Dare: Contact your spouse sometime during the business of the day. Have no agenda other than asking how he or she is doing and if there is anything you could do for them.
______
Day 5: Love is not rude
He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him. — Proverbs 27:14
Today’s Dare: Ask your spouse to tell you three things that cause him or her to be uncomfortable or irritated with you. You must do so without attacking them or justifying your behavior. This is from their perspective only.
______
Day 6: Love is not irritable
He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city. — Proverbs 16:32
Today’s Dare: Choose today to react to tough circumstances in your marriage in loving ways instead of with irritation. Begin by making a list below of areas where you need to add margin to your schedule. Then list any wrong motivations that you need to release from your life.
______
Day 7: Love believes the best
[Love] believes all things, hopes all things. — 1 Corinthians 13:7
Today’s Dare: For today’s dare, get two sheets of paper. On the first one, spend a few minutes writing out positive things about your spouse. Then do the same with negative things on the second sheet. Place both sheets in a secret place for another day. There is a different purpose and plan for each. At some point during the remainder of the day, pick a positive attribute from the first list and thank your spouse for having this characteristic.
______
Day 8: Love is not jealous
Love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire. — Song of Solomon 8:6 NIV
Today’s Dare: Determine to become your spouse’s biggest fan and to reject any thoughts of jealousy. To help you set your heart on your spouse and focus on their achievements, take yesterday’s list of negative attributes and discreetly burn it. Then share with your spouse how glad you are about a success he or she recently enjoyed.
______
Day 9: Love makes good impressions
Greet one another with a kiss of love. — 1 Peter 5:14
Today’s Dare: Think of a specific way you’d like to greet your spouse today. Do it with a smile and with enthusiasm. Then determine to change your greeting to reflect your love for them.
______
Day 10: Love is unconditional
God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. — Romans 5:8
Today’s Dare: Do something out of the ordinary today for your spouse—something that proves (to you and to them) that your love is based on your choice and nothing else. Wash her car. Clean the kitchen. Buy his favorite dessert. Fold the laundry. Demonstrate love to them for the sheer joy of being their partner in marriage.
______
Day 11: Love cherishes
Husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. — Ephesians 5:28
Today’s Dare: What need does your spouse have that you could meet today? Can you run an errand? Give a back rub or foot massage? Is there housework you could help with? Choose a gesture that says, “I cherish you” and do it with a smile.
______
Day 12: Love lets the other win
Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. — Philippians 2:4
Today’s Dare: Demonstrate love by willingly choosing to give in to an area of disagreement between you and your spouse. Tell them you are putting their preference first.
______
Day 13: Love fights fair
If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. — Mark 3:25
Today’s Dare: Talk with your spouse about establishing healthy rules of engagement. If your mate is not ready for this, then write out your own personal rules to “fight” by. Resolve to abide by them when the next disagreement occurs. If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.
______
Day 14: Love takes delight
Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your fleeting life. — Ecclesiastes 9:9 HCSB
Today’s Dare: Purposefully neglect an activity you would normally do so you can spend quality time with your spouse. Do something he or she would love to do or a project they’d really like to work on. Just be together.
______
Day 15: Love is honorable
Live with your wives in an understanding way . . . and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life. — 1 Peter 3:7
Today’s Dare: Choose a way to show honor and respect to your spouse that is above your normal routine. It may be holding the door for her. It might be putting his clothes away for him. It may be the way you listen and speak in your communication. Show your mate that he or she is highly esteemed in your eyes.
______
Day 16: Love intercedes
Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. — 3 John 2
Today’s Dare: Begin praying today for your spouse’s heart. Pray for three specific areas where you desire for God to work in your spouse’s life and in your marriage.
______
Day 17: Love promotes intimacy
He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. — Proverbs 17:9 NIV
Today’s Dare: Determine to guard your mate’s secrets (unless they are dangerous to them or to you) and to pray for them. Talk with your spouse, and resolve to demonstrate love in spite of these issues. Really listen to them when they share personal thoughts and struggles with you. Make them feel safe.
______
Day 18: Love seeks to understand
How blessed is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding. —Proverbs 3:13
Today’s Dare: Prepare a special dinner at home, just for the two of you. The dinner can be as nice as you prefer. Focus this time on getting to know your spouse better, perhaps in areas you’ve rarely talked about. Determine to make it an enjoyable evening for you and your mate.
______
Day 19: Love is impossible
Let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. —1 John 4:7
Today’s Dare: Look back over the dares from previous days. Were there some that seemed impossible to you? Have you realized your need for God to change your heart and to give you the ability to love? Ask Him to show you where you stand with Him, and ask for the strength and grace to settle your eternal destination.
______
Day 20: Love is Jesus Christ
While we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. — Romans 5:6
Today’s Dare: Dare to take God at His Word. Dare to trust Jesus Christ for salvation. Dare to pray, “Lord Jesus, I’m a sinner. But You have shown Your love for me by dying to forgive my sins, and You have proven Your power to save me from death by Your resurrection. Lord, change my heart, and save me by Your grace.”
______
Day 21: Love is satisfied in God
The Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire. — Isaiah 58:11
Today’s Dare: Be intentional today about making a time to pray and read your Bible. Try reading a chapter out of Proverbs each day (there are thirty-one—a full month’s supply), or reading a chapter in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). As you do, immerse yourself in the love and promises God has for you. This will add to your growth as you walk with Him.
______
Day 22: Love is faithful
I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the Lord. — Hosea 2:20
Today’s Dare: Love is a choice, not a feeling. It is an initiated action, not a knee-jerk reaction. Choose today to be committed to love even if your spouse has lost most of their interest in receiving it. Say to them today in words similar to these, “I love you. Period. I choose to love you even if you don’t love me in return.”
______
Day 23: Love always protects
[Love] always protects. — 1 Corinthians 13:7 NIV
Today’s Dare: Remove anything that is hindering your relationship, any addiction or influence that’s stealing your affections and turning your heart away from your spouse.
______
Day 24: Love vs. Lust
The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. — 1 John 2:17
Today’s Dare: End it now. Identify every object of lust in your life and remove it. Single out every lie you’ve swallowed in pursuing forbidden pleasure and reject it. Lust cannot be allowed to live in a back bedroom. It must be killed and destroyed—today—and replaced with the sure promises of God and a heart filled with His perfect love.
______
Day 25: Love forgives
What I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ. — 2 Corinthians 2:10
Today’s Dare: Whatever you haven’t forgiven in your mate, forgive it today. Let it go. Just as we ask Jesus to “forgive us our debts” each day, we must ask Him to help us “forgive our debtors” each day as well. Unforgiveness has been keeping you and your spouse in prison too long. Say from your heart, “I choose to forgive.”
______
Day 26: Love is responsible
When you judge another, you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the same things. — Romans 2:1 HCSB
Today’s Dare: Take time to pray through your areas of wrongdoing. Ask for God’s forgiveness, then humble yourself enough to admit them to your spouse. Do it sincerely and truthfully. Ask your spouse for forgiveness as well. No matter how they respond, make sure you cover your responsibility in love. Even if they respond with criticism, accept it by receiving it as counsel.
______
Day 27: Love encourages
Guard my soul and deliver me; do not let me be ashamed, for I take refuge in You. — Psalm 25:20
Today’s Dare: Eliminate the poison of unrealistic expectations in your home. Think of one area where your spouse has told you you’re expecting too much, and tell them you’re sorry for being so hard on them about it. Promise them you’ll seek to understand, and assure them of your unconditional love.
______
Day 28: Love makes sacrifices
He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers. — 1 John 3:16 HCSB
Today’s Dare: What is one of the greatest needs in your spouse’s life right now? Is there a need you could lift from their shoulders today by a daring act of sacrifice on your part? Whether the need is big or small, purpose to do what you can to meet the need.
______
Day 29: Love’s motivation
Render service with a good attitude, as to the Lord and not to men. — Ephesians 6:7 HCSB
Today’s Dare: Before you see your spouse again today, pray for them by name and for their needs. Whether it comes easy for you or not, say “I love you,” then express love to them in some tangible way. Go to God in prayer again, thanking Him for giving you the privilege of loving this one special person—unconditionally, the way He loves both of you.
______
Day 30: Love brings unity
Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. — John 17:11
Today’s Dare: Isolate one area of division in your marriage, and look on today as a fresh opportunity to pray about it. Ask the Lord to reveal anything in your own heart that is threatening oneness with your spouse. Pray that He would do the same for them. And if appropriate, discuss this matter openly, seeking God for unity.
______
Day 31: Love and marriage
A man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. — Genesis 2:24
Today’s Dare: Is there a “leaving” issue you haven’t been brave enough to conquer yet? Confess it to your spouse today, and resolve to make it right. The oneness of your marriage is dependent upon it. Follow this with a commitment to your spouse and to God to make your marriage the top priority over every other human relationship.
______
Day 32: Love meets sexual needs
The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband. — 1 Corinthians 7:3
Today’s Dare: If at all possible, try to initiate sex with your husband or wife today. Do this in a way that honors what your spouse has told you (or implied to you) about what they need from you sexually. Ask God to make this enjoyable for both of you as well as a path to greater intimacy.
______
Day 33: Love completes each other
If two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? — Ecclesiastes 4:11
Today’s Dare: Recognize that your spouse is integral to your future success. Let them know today that you desire to include them in your upcoming decisions, and that you need their perspective and counsel. If you have ignored their input in the past, admit your oversight and ask them to forgive you.
______
Day 34: Love celebrates godliness
[Love] does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. — 1 Corinthians 13:6
Today’s Dare: Find a specific, recent example when your spouse demonstrated Christian character in a noticeable way. Verbally commend them for this at some point today.
____________
Day 35: Love is accountable
Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. — Proverbs 15:22 NIV
Today’s Dare: Find a marriage mentor—someone who is a strong Christian and who will be honest and loving with you. If you feel that counseling is needed, then take the first step to set up an appointment. During this process, ask God to direct your decisions and discernment.
______
Day 36: Love is God’s Word
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. — Psalm 119:105
Today’s Dare: Commit to reading the Bible every day. Find a devotional book or other resource that will give you some guidance. If your spouse is open to it, see if they will commit to daily Bible reading with you. Begin submitting each area of your life to its guidance and start building on the rock.
______
Day 37: Love agrees in prayer
If two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father. — Matthew 18:19
Today’s Dare: Ask your spouse if you can begin praying together. Talk about the best time to do this, whether it’s in the morning, your lunch hour, or before bedtime. Use this time to commit your concerns, disagreements, and needs before the Lord. Don’t forget to thank Him for His provision and blessing. Even if your spouse refuses to do this, resolve to spend this daily time in prayer yourself.
______
Day 38: Love fulfills dreams
Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart. — Psalm 37:4
Today’s Dare: Ask yourself what your mate would want if it was obtainable. Commit this to prayer, and start mapping out a plan for meeting some (if not all) of their desires, to whatever level you possibly can.
______
Day 39: Love endures
Love never fails. — 1 Corinthians 13:8
Today’s Dare: Spend time in personal prayer, then write a letter of commitment and resolve to your spouse. Include why you are committing to this marriage until death, and that you have purposed to love them no matter what. Leave it in a place that your mate will find it.
______
Day 40: Love is a covenant
Where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. — Ruth 1:16
Today’s Dare: Write out a renewal of your vows and place them in your home. Perhaps, if appropriate, you could make arrangements to formally renew your wedding vows before a minister and with family present. Make it a living testament to the value of marriage in God’s eyes and the high honor of being one with your mate.
Day 1: Love is patient
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. — Ephesians 4:2 NIV
Today’s Dare: The first part of this dare is fairly simple. Although love is communicated in a number of ways, our words often reflect the condition of our heart. For the next day, resolve to demonstrate patience and to say nothing negative to your spouse at all. If the temptation arises, choose not to say anything. It’s better to hold your tongue than to say something you’ll regret.
______
Day 2: Love is kind
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. — Ephesians 4:32
Today’s Dare: In addition to saying nothing negative to your spouse again today, do at least one unexpected gesture as an act of kindness.
______
Day 3: Love is not selfish
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor. — Romans 12:10
Today’s Dare: Whatever you put your time, energy, and money into will become more important to you. It’s hard to care for something you are not investing in. Along with restraining from negative comments, buy your spouse something that says, “I was thinking of you today.”
______
Day 4: Love is thoughtful
How precious also are Your thoughts to me. . . .How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. — Psalm 139:17–18
Today’s Dare: Contact your spouse sometime during the business of the day. Have no agenda other than asking how he or she is doing and if there is anything you could do for them.
______
Day 5: Love is not rude
He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him. — Proverbs 27:14
Today’s Dare: Ask your spouse to tell you three things that cause him or her to be uncomfortable or irritated with you. You must do so without attacking them or justifying your behavior. This is from their perspective only.
______
Day 6: Love is not irritable
He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city. — Proverbs 16:32
Today’s Dare: Choose today to react to tough circumstances in your marriage in loving ways instead of with irritation. Begin by making a list below of areas where you need to add margin to your schedule. Then list any wrong motivations that you need to release from your life.
______
Day 7: Love believes the best
[Love] believes all things, hopes all things. — 1 Corinthians 13:7
Today’s Dare: For today’s dare, get two sheets of paper. On the first one, spend a few minutes writing out positive things about your spouse. Then do the same with negative things on the second sheet. Place both sheets in a secret place for another day. There is a different purpose and plan for each. At some point during the remainder of the day, pick a positive attribute from the first list and thank your spouse for having this characteristic.
______
Day 8: Love is not jealous
Love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire. — Song of Solomon 8:6 NIV
Today’s Dare: Determine to become your spouse’s biggest fan and to reject any thoughts of jealousy. To help you set your heart on your spouse and focus on their achievements, take yesterday’s list of negative attributes and discreetly burn it. Then share with your spouse how glad you are about a success he or she recently enjoyed.
______
Day 9: Love makes good impressions
Greet one another with a kiss of love. — 1 Peter 5:14
Today’s Dare: Think of a specific way you’d like to greet your spouse today. Do it with a smile and with enthusiasm. Then determine to change your greeting to reflect your love for them.
______
Day 10: Love is unconditional
God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. — Romans 5:8
Today’s Dare: Do something out of the ordinary today for your spouse—something that proves (to you and to them) that your love is based on your choice and nothing else. Wash her car. Clean the kitchen. Buy his favorite dessert. Fold the laundry. Demonstrate love to them for the sheer joy of being their partner in marriage.
______
Day 11: Love cherishes
Husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. — Ephesians 5:28
Today’s Dare: What need does your spouse have that you could meet today? Can you run an errand? Give a back rub or foot massage? Is there housework you could help with? Choose a gesture that says, “I cherish you” and do it with a smile.
______
Day 12: Love lets the other win
Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. — Philippians 2:4
Today’s Dare: Demonstrate love by willingly choosing to give in to an area of disagreement between you and your spouse. Tell them you are putting their preference first.
______
Day 13: Love fights fair
If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. — Mark 3:25
Today’s Dare: Talk with your spouse about establishing healthy rules of engagement. If your mate is not ready for this, then write out your own personal rules to “fight” by. Resolve to abide by them when the next disagreement occurs. If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.
______
Day 14: Love takes delight
Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your fleeting life. — Ecclesiastes 9:9 HCSB
Today’s Dare: Purposefully neglect an activity you would normally do so you can spend quality time with your spouse. Do something he or she would love to do or a project they’d really like to work on. Just be together.
______
Day 15: Love is honorable
Live with your wives in an understanding way . . . and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life. — 1 Peter 3:7
Today’s Dare: Choose a way to show honor and respect to your spouse that is above your normal routine. It may be holding the door for her. It might be putting his clothes away for him. It may be the way you listen and speak in your communication. Show your mate that he or she is highly esteemed in your eyes.
______
Day 16: Love intercedes
Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. — 3 John 2
Today’s Dare: Begin praying today for your spouse’s heart. Pray for three specific areas where you desire for God to work in your spouse’s life and in your marriage.
______
Day 17: Love promotes intimacy
He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. — Proverbs 17:9 NIV
Today’s Dare: Determine to guard your mate’s secrets (unless they are dangerous to them or to you) and to pray for them. Talk with your spouse, and resolve to demonstrate love in spite of these issues. Really listen to them when they share personal thoughts and struggles with you. Make them feel safe.
______
Day 18: Love seeks to understand
How blessed is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding. —Proverbs 3:13
Today’s Dare: Prepare a special dinner at home, just for the two of you. The dinner can be as nice as you prefer. Focus this time on getting to know your spouse better, perhaps in areas you’ve rarely talked about. Determine to make it an enjoyable evening for you and your mate.
______
Day 19: Love is impossible
Let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. —1 John 4:7
Today’s Dare: Look back over the dares from previous days. Were there some that seemed impossible to you? Have you realized your need for God to change your heart and to give you the ability to love? Ask Him to show you where you stand with Him, and ask for the strength and grace to settle your eternal destination.
______
Day 20: Love is Jesus Christ
While we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. — Romans 5:6
Today’s Dare: Dare to take God at His Word. Dare to trust Jesus Christ for salvation. Dare to pray, “Lord Jesus, I’m a sinner. But You have shown Your love for me by dying to forgive my sins, and You have proven Your power to save me from death by Your resurrection. Lord, change my heart, and save me by Your grace.”
______
Day 21: Love is satisfied in God
The Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire. — Isaiah 58:11
Today’s Dare: Be intentional today about making a time to pray and read your Bible. Try reading a chapter out of Proverbs each day (there are thirty-one—a full month’s supply), or reading a chapter in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). As you do, immerse yourself in the love and promises God has for you. This will add to your growth as you walk with Him.
______
Day 22: Love is faithful
I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the Lord. — Hosea 2:20
Today’s Dare: Love is a choice, not a feeling. It is an initiated action, not a knee-jerk reaction. Choose today to be committed to love even if your spouse has lost most of their interest in receiving it. Say to them today in words similar to these, “I love you. Period. I choose to love you even if you don’t love me in return.”
______
Day 23: Love always protects
[Love] always protects. — 1 Corinthians 13:7 NIV
Today’s Dare: Remove anything that is hindering your relationship, any addiction or influence that’s stealing your affections and turning your heart away from your spouse.
______
Day 24: Love vs. Lust
The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. — 1 John 2:17
Today’s Dare: End it now. Identify every object of lust in your life and remove it. Single out every lie you’ve swallowed in pursuing forbidden pleasure and reject it. Lust cannot be allowed to live in a back bedroom. It must be killed and destroyed—today—and replaced with the sure promises of God and a heart filled with His perfect love.
______
Day 25: Love forgives
What I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ. — 2 Corinthians 2:10
Today’s Dare: Whatever you haven’t forgiven in your mate, forgive it today. Let it go. Just as we ask Jesus to “forgive us our debts” each day, we must ask Him to help us “forgive our debtors” each day as well. Unforgiveness has been keeping you and your spouse in prison too long. Say from your heart, “I choose to forgive.”
______
Day 26: Love is responsible
When you judge another, you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the same things. — Romans 2:1 HCSB
Today’s Dare: Take time to pray through your areas of wrongdoing. Ask for God’s forgiveness, then humble yourself enough to admit them to your spouse. Do it sincerely and truthfully. Ask your spouse for forgiveness as well. No matter how they respond, make sure you cover your responsibility in love. Even if they respond with criticism, accept it by receiving it as counsel.
______
Day 27: Love encourages
Guard my soul and deliver me; do not let me be ashamed, for I take refuge in You. — Psalm 25:20
Today’s Dare: Eliminate the poison of unrealistic expectations in your home. Think of one area where your spouse has told you you’re expecting too much, and tell them you’re sorry for being so hard on them about it. Promise them you’ll seek to understand, and assure them of your unconditional love.
______
Day 28: Love makes sacrifices
He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers. — 1 John 3:16 HCSB
Today’s Dare: What is one of the greatest needs in your spouse’s life right now? Is there a need you could lift from their shoulders today by a daring act of sacrifice on your part? Whether the need is big or small, purpose to do what you can to meet the need.
______
Day 29: Love’s motivation
Render service with a good attitude, as to the Lord and not to men. — Ephesians 6:7 HCSB
Today’s Dare: Before you see your spouse again today, pray for them by name and for their needs. Whether it comes easy for you or not, say “I love you,” then express love to them in some tangible way. Go to God in prayer again, thanking Him for giving you the privilege of loving this one special person—unconditionally, the way He loves both of you.
______
Day 30: Love brings unity
Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. — John 17:11
Today’s Dare: Isolate one area of division in your marriage, and look on today as a fresh opportunity to pray about it. Ask the Lord to reveal anything in your own heart that is threatening oneness with your spouse. Pray that He would do the same for them. And if appropriate, discuss this matter openly, seeking God for unity.
______
Day 31: Love and marriage
A man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. — Genesis 2:24
Today’s Dare: Is there a “leaving” issue you haven’t been brave enough to conquer yet? Confess it to your spouse today, and resolve to make it right. The oneness of your marriage is dependent upon it. Follow this with a commitment to your spouse and to God to make your marriage the top priority over every other human relationship.
______
Day 32: Love meets sexual needs
The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband. — 1 Corinthians 7:3
Today’s Dare: If at all possible, try to initiate sex with your husband or wife today. Do this in a way that honors what your spouse has told you (or implied to you) about what they need from you sexually. Ask God to make this enjoyable for both of you as well as a path to greater intimacy.
______
Day 33: Love completes each other
If two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? — Ecclesiastes 4:11
Today’s Dare: Recognize that your spouse is integral to your future success. Let them know today that you desire to include them in your upcoming decisions, and that you need their perspective and counsel. If you have ignored their input in the past, admit your oversight and ask them to forgive you.
______
Day 34: Love celebrates godliness
[Love] does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. — 1 Corinthians 13:6
Today’s Dare: Find a specific, recent example when your spouse demonstrated Christian character in a noticeable way. Verbally commend them for this at some point today.
____________
Day 35: Love is accountable
Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. — Proverbs 15:22 NIV
Today’s Dare: Find a marriage mentor—someone who is a strong Christian and who will be honest and loving with you. If you feel that counseling is needed, then take the first step to set up an appointment. During this process, ask God to direct your decisions and discernment.
______
Day 36: Love is God’s Word
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. — Psalm 119:105
Today’s Dare: Commit to reading the Bible every day. Find a devotional book or other resource that will give you some guidance. If your spouse is open to it, see if they will commit to daily Bible reading with you. Begin submitting each area of your life to its guidance and start building on the rock.
______
Day 37: Love agrees in prayer
If two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father. — Matthew 18:19
Today’s Dare: Ask your spouse if you can begin praying together. Talk about the best time to do this, whether it’s in the morning, your lunch hour, or before bedtime. Use this time to commit your concerns, disagreements, and needs before the Lord. Don’t forget to thank Him for His provision and blessing. Even if your spouse refuses to do this, resolve to spend this daily time in prayer yourself.
______
Day 38: Love fulfills dreams
Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart. — Psalm 37:4
Today’s Dare: Ask yourself what your mate would want if it was obtainable. Commit this to prayer, and start mapping out a plan for meeting some (if not all) of their desires, to whatever level you possibly can.
______
Day 39: Love endures
Love never fails. — 1 Corinthians 13:8
Today’s Dare: Spend time in personal prayer, then write a letter of commitment and resolve to your spouse. Include why you are committing to this marriage until death, and that you have purposed to love them no matter what. Leave it in a place that your mate will find it.
______
Day 40: Love is a covenant
Where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. — Ruth 1:16
Today’s Dare: Write out a renewal of your vows and place them in your home. Perhaps, if appropriate, you could make arrangements to formally renew your wedding vows before a minister and with family present. Make it a living testament to the value of marriage in God’s eyes and the high honor of being one with your mate.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Ca - Death by Pullups - Dec 16
My rear is sore from deadlifts. My arms are still sore from Monday's push presses. Three weeks of sick with a prelude week of bozo workouts in DC. I'm still paying for that month off. The upside: back in the saddle again; Base for 2 weeks. Then into a revision of the system for '10.
Today, buy in with 4x12 Ov Sqt at 65/75/85/95. Then got going with the Pull ups. I had dreams of 20 rounds or something white puffy clouds and rainbows like that, but the reality was 11 rounds and 8/12s on that slick bar at BodyX. Not really the bar's fault. I just haven't made any real gains since June. This is where an expletive exits my mouth.
Okay, so it's a "Death by" challenge. Shouldn't the PE be friggin' 10? Shouldn't it be an all-out effort? That line couldn't be crossed. The death wasn't a mind-death, it was a matter-death. The hands won't grip. The arms won't pull. I wasn't gassed, or tired or burnt. I simply wasn't able to pull ... up ... anymore.
18 hours / 8.5 hours. PE: 7.
Today, buy in with 4x12 Ov Sqt at 65/75/85/95. Then got going with the Pull ups. I had dreams of 20 rounds or something white puffy clouds and rainbows like that, but the reality was 11 rounds and 8/12s on that slick bar at BodyX. Not really the bar's fault. I just haven't made any real gains since June. This is where an expletive exits my mouth.
Okay, so it's a "Death by" challenge. Shouldn't the PE be friggin' 10? Shouldn't it be an all-out effort? That line couldn't be crossed. The death wasn't a mind-death, it was a matter-death. The hands won't grip. The arms won't pull. I wasn't gassed, or tired or burnt. I simply wasn't able to pull ... up ... anymore.
18 hours / 8.5 hours. PE: 7.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Wl - Staying off schedule - Dec 15
No comment, I'm still not up for regular Base schedule. 4 ext/curl with BW/50% BW. Deads 1x10 @ 135#, 4x10/10/8/10 @ 215#. 3 seated calves and gone.
30 hours / 8 hours. PE: 7. 216/16 - 217/11.
30 hours / 8 hours. PE: 7. 216/16 - 217/11.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Ca/Wa - Still Off Schedule - Dec 14
21-15-9-5 pull ups/push press (135#). That took 20 minutes. Then cashing out with 3x2o reverse pushups/5x12 calves on the a-frame. Sweating pretty hard for a rest-as-you-go day. I'm still not 100%.
4 days. PE: 8. 218/12.
4 days. PE: 8. 218/12.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Wl - Off Schedule - Dec 10
3x 10/20+ feet to bar/hyperextensions. 4x12 curls/extensions. 4x12 calves (360#)/overhead sqts (junior bar only). I still feel like the well's not deep enough. Still coughing.
Immediately after the workout, took a moment to fix the new flat-sole Nikes with a can of flat black. Then I set them on my car hood to dry. Then, it rained. Then I took the wet shoes off the car. When my shoes and lungs finally dry out, I'm gonna hammer those shoes til they beg. Squat cleans, I think.
8.5 hours /18 hours. PE: 6. 213/16.
Immediately after the workout, took a moment to fix the new flat-sole Nikes with a can of flat black. Then I set them on my car hood to dry. Then, it rained. Then I took the wet shoes off the car. When my shoes and lungs finally dry out, I'm gonna hammer those shoes til they beg. Squat cleans, I think.
8.5 hours /18 hours. PE: 6. 213/16.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Wa - Coming out of the driveway onto the long road back - Dec 8
Man, I'm still left weakly like a kitten. The spirit was willing though. Buy in 3x max reps hyperextensions/ceiling stompers. Then 3x 10-12 reps dips/chins on the gravitron, 25# assist. Then 3x by 10 115# hang clean to push press/pull ups. I was pretty much done then.
Changed clothes and was still deep breathing on the way to the car. Gonna take a while to clear the lungs of all this accrued crud.
8 hours /24 hours. PE: 8. 211/17.
Changed clothes and was still deep breathing on the way to the car. Gonna take a while to clear the lungs of all this accrued crud.
8 hours /24 hours. PE: 8. 211/17.
Monday, December 07, 2009
Wl - Easing Back In - Dec 7
Two weeks of sick as a dawg, just off the anti-biotic and time to get back in the saddle. Wl, what else? What else goes faster than the legs?
4 (or was it 5?) ext/curl in the 12 rep range, 3 (or was it 4?) seated calves, and then 2 front squats x 10 with 135#. The new gawdawful ugly Nikes made it happen today.
PE: 4. 212/16. Weren't gonna push it nohow.
4 (or was it 5?) ext/curl in the 12 rep range, 3 (or was it 4?) seated calves, and then 2 front squats x 10 with 135#. The new gawdawful ugly Nikes made it happen today.
PE: 4. 212/16. Weren't gonna push it nohow.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Wa - If you can call it that - Nov 22
Last day in the hotel with 2 beat-down recumbents, 2 ellipticals, 2 treadmills, and a 4 station piece of crappé. Tried to do something special with 3 rounds of 21 reps: chin-downs with the pull-down machine/incline press with the stupid bench machine. You know what? I got owned a little. Everything was right with the world as I cashed out with 3x max reps (15s-20ishs) reverse push ups.
Wl - Use it or Abuse it - Nov 20
So, there's a ext/curl station, kinda, on the old universal machine in the hotel. Got crazy on it doing 5x 12 old-school single-leg extensions, and prone curls - while the "other guy" was working, Wictor and I took turns banging out alternate-leg lunges. Then, took the pull up bar off the pull-down machine and used it as resistance for 4x max reps OV squats. Hey! Just good enough.
Ca - "Cindy on the Run" - Nov 19
Sheraton Four Points in DC didn't make a point of putting in a gym worth skunk in their hotel, and we were just trying to bag something before hitting the town, so I was up for the Cindy I owe. Don't ask me who I owe - myself, maybe. Anyway, Wictor was gonna hit the gym too, so we upped the ante to "... on the Run." We were going to AMRAP 20 minutes, but three rounds each with some pre-work on my part (before Wic jumped onto the treadmill) took 19 and change, and we felt pretty smoked by then anyway. 15 reps with the pull-down bar, 10 push ups, 15 air squats, and .25 on the treadmill at 1.5% 6.6/6.7/7.1 mph.
M - Georgetown Georun - Nov 18
80 minutes, 6.75 miles - 60 mins of running with 20 mins of bouncing at crosswalks and poking around not-finding a couple of caches. 1 find, one dnf, one not-there-to-find on a gorgeous (read: chill enough for tights, but never donned the gloves) day to sprint-and-stop through downtown to Georgetown and back.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
AR - Fatboi Push Press - Nov 14
So, wasn't nothing happening today after shredding my achilles tendon (again) on the Yokuts soccer field - that siren call to run 220's with the morning glow, lights on was the light of Lucifer, not the Lord - and I had done some pull ups, ring dips and ring push ups, but just couldn't get it going.
Uncork the Fatboy from Tobin James with the Walkers over and throw some tenderloin on the barbie, and all changes. Push presses with the 95# bar turned into something like 5 sets, with a couple of thruster sets and a set of clean and press and a set of SDHPs. Dig in bois.
Uncork the Fatboy from Tobin James with the Walkers over and throw some tenderloin on the barbie, and all changes. Push presses with the 95# bar turned into something like 5 sets, with a couple of thruster sets and a set of clean and press and a set of SDHPs. Dig in bois.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
S - Dice Run without the Dice - Nov 11
52 mins total, just an out and back to Yokuts where I wasn't planning on using the soccer field (was just going to do the .1 mi accelerations along the blacktop) but the lights were on, and the old 220's seemed to be waiting for someone. 5 x 220 in 45 or better, on 2.30.
Did the box jumps on the benches, the incline pushups and reclined pulls, and jumping jacks at the bridge. Grabbed a couple of bricks on the return. Oh, and ran Maylow around the block at the end.
8 hours /12 hours. PE: 6. 215/13.
Did the box jumps on the benches, the incline pushups and reclined pulls, and jumping jacks at the bridge. Grabbed a couple of bricks on the return. Oh, and ran Maylow around the block at the end.
8 hours /12 hours. PE: 6. 215/13.
AR - On the Bar - Nov 10
Really wasn't an AR day, but that's how the day played out. So I just played on the bar; pulls and ring dips. Just a few dips, and only repping 4's and 5's. Something like 8 sets on the bar - only getting 8's or so dead hang.
Everything needs work, and look, I'm not even staying on the schedule.
8 hours /30 hours. PE: 5. 215/13.
Everything needs work, and look, I'm not even staying on the schedule.
8 hours /30 hours. PE: 5. 215/13.
Monday, November 09, 2009
Wl - More Sore - Nov 9
Stood up after some hours of work at the desk and realized, "Ah man, am I freaking SORE." Good thing it's leg day. Almost blew off the day, but the workout actually helped.
3 ext/curl/hyperextensions x 11/12 reps, and a 4th ext and 5th curl for good measure. Then 4x10 deads @185#/4x12 calves.
8 hours /48 hours. PE: 6. 217/11.
3 ext/curl/hyperextensions x 11/12 reps, and a 4th ext and 5th curl for good measure. Then 4x10 deads @185#/4x12 calves.
8 hours /48 hours. PE: 6. 217/11.
Saturday, November 07, 2009
M - Police Memorial 10K - Nov 7
Run with CC on the bike from Riverwalk through the wetlands end of the bikepath. 22 minutes of medium effort, and at the first bench past the 5k turnaround, CC called a picnic stop for water and Corn-nuts. 6 mins to the turnaround and back for a total run of 59 mins.
8.5 hours/15 hours. PE: 6. 215/13.
8.5 hours/15 hours. PE: 6. 215/13.
Friday, November 06, 2009
Ca on a Whim - Dead Bang - Nov 6
Crossfit Bako put up a WoD today:
Who made this up???
10 rounds for time:
5 Pull Ups
10 Slam Balls
15 KB Swings
Ouch!
Yeah, sounded good! So I dropped everything and set to it, thinking I'd sub wall balls for the slam balls (I own zero slam balls). Got through one round of wall ball and realized that stucco is tougher than Dynamax skin, and was going to eat my med ball up pretty quickly. Did 95# Thrusters instead, not a fair trade.
30.38.
Rd1: 1.43
Rd2: 2.56
Rd3: 2.35
Rd4: 3.35
Rd5: 2.55
Rd6: 3.48
Rd7: 4.02
Rd8: 4.59
Rd9: 4.00
There was no round 10. Even using the watch, it was getting dark and I managed to miscount. CC was there to count reps, but who wants to cheat on reps when you can cheat out a whole round?
Which was perfectly okay, since at 20 minutes I was thinking, "Shouldn't this be a 20 minute AMRAP?" ... As it was, it was a 30 minute, 9 round AMRAP where I seemed to spend more time standing around breathing hard and talking at myself, and, when it was over, made my left shoulder feel like it dislocated, the arm numb and hovering a few inches away from my body.
Crossfit, the workout that takes you places only drugs used to be able to!
8 hours/48 hours. PE: 8+.
Who made this up???
10 rounds for time:
5 Pull Ups
10 Slam Balls
15 KB Swings
Ouch!
Yeah, sounded good! So I dropped everything and set to it, thinking I'd sub wall balls for the slam balls (I own zero slam balls). Got through one round of wall ball and realized that stucco is tougher than Dynamax skin, and was going to eat my med ball up pretty quickly. Did 95# Thrusters instead, not a fair trade.
30.38.
Rd1: 1.43
Rd2: 2.56
Rd3: 2.35
Rd4: 3.35
Rd5: 2.55
Rd6: 3.48
Rd7: 4.02
Rd8: 4.59
Rd9: 4.00
There was no round 10. Even using the watch, it was getting dark and I managed to miscount. CC was there to count reps, but who wants to cheat on reps when you can cheat out a whole round?
Which was perfectly okay, since at 20 minutes I was thinking, "Shouldn't this be a 20 minute AMRAP?" ... As it was, it was a 30 minute, 9 round AMRAP where I seemed to spend more time standing around breathing hard and talking at myself, and, when it was over, made my left shoulder feel like it dislocated, the arm numb and hovering a few inches away from my body.
Crossfit, the workout that takes you places only drugs used to be able to!
8 hours/48 hours. PE: 8+.
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Ca/Wa - Dirty Cleans - Nov 4
4 rounds of extensions and feet to bar to buy in. Then 21-15-9 of kipping pulls, dips and hang power cleans with #135. Man, the cleans were ugly. 20.09, first round in 7.58, second in 7.35, third in 4.34.
Mostly, I just need to push myself better.
8 hours/26 hours. PE: 7-8.
Mostly, I just need to push myself better.
8 hours/26 hours. PE: 7-8.
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Wl - 'Cause I Needed It - Nov 3
4 ext/curl. 4x8 Deads @ 205#. 4 seated/A-frame calves. 4x11 Ov Squats @65#. Just a thing. Tell you about the deads tomorrow. Today they felt easy, but that doesn't mean anything until we survey the damage.
8.5 hours/3 days. PE: 6. 215/15.
8.5 hours/3 days. PE: 6. 215/15.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Whatever Mix - Oct 31
A warm up round of 10 ring dips/10 pull ups/10 Ov squats/10 1.5 pood Kb swings. Then three rounds of the same, but with thrusters instead of the squats.
Feel like dirt. It's a week-long cortisol overdose.
8 - 3 hours/4 days. PE: 6. 213/12.
Feel like dirt. It's a week-long cortisol overdose.
8 - 3 hours/4 days. PE: 6. 213/12.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Cl - "Jeremy" - Oct 27
Opened with 4 calves on the A-frame, then 4 leg curls and a couple extensions. Then Walker showed up. Let's go!
3, 2, 1 - the 95# Overheads were death. My arms didn't loosen up until the warmdown set. heh. Burpees just suck, even in small doses. 10.59. Sub-eleven first effort.
Gonna work on Overheads now. Those and feet/knees to bar. And some other stuff. Yah.
9.5 hours/25 hours. PE: 7. 214/14.
3, 2, 1 - the 95# Overheads were death. My arms didn't loosen up until the warmdown set. heh. Burpees just suck, even in small doses. 10.59. Sub-eleven first effort.
Gonna work on Overheads now. Those and feet/knees to bar. And some other stuff. Yah.
9.5 hours/25 hours. PE: 7. 214/14.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Wa - All about the Cleans - Oct 26
An approximation of today's workout. Took the weekend off, save for the grieving process for Spook, and still felt like something's not there today.
3 knees to elbows/hyperextensions, 4 chin ups/pushups (13 with 25# on the gravitron/20 reps), then what was supposed to be 21/15/9/5 clean and presses. 95#, squat cleans and presses - I'm only up to 9 before I dump on the first set. 4 x 8 calls it a day.
Hey, at least they weren't hang cleans and thrusters. I at least have that to hang my hat on.
3 knees to elbows/hyperextensions, 4 chin ups/pushups (13 with 25# on the gravitron/20 reps), then what was supposed to be 21/15/9/5 clean and presses. 95#, squat cleans and presses - I'm only up to 9 before I dump on the first set. 4 x 8 calls it a day.
Hey, at least they weren't hang cleans and thrusters. I at least have that to hang my hat on.
Spoke too Soon - Oct 24
This was the Saturday "M" day, right? Took yesterday off to do the Hideous 92 miler today. 7 miles and a broken spoke later, I get to shop at Target, buy bacon at Green Frog, and then do jack shit all day.
Broken spoke at least explains the hard day I had chasing Paul and Walker around Round Mt. last ride. Scrubbing brake for the consolation prize. I'm a stud and didn't even know it.
20 minute world's-shortest-Spooktacular ride for 7 miles before the SAG car picked me up walking it home. FML.
Broken spoke at least explains the hard day I had chasing Paul and Walker around Round Mt. last ride. Scrubbing brake for the consolation prize. I'm a stud and didn't even know it.
20 minute world's-shortest-Spooktacular ride for 7 miles before the SAG car picked me up walking it home. FML.
Catch as Catch Can - Oct 22
Some 5 sets of push press on the new bar and tires (read: 95#) in the backyard before the Marine band at the Civic. Cortisol levels through the ceiling as I just grind my teeth and wish I was dead.
Sometimes life just gets in the way ... of my freaking life.
PE: 5.
Sometimes life just gets in the way ... of my freaking life.
PE: 5.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Wl - Blowing Off the Schedule - Oct 21
Not at all what the schedule called for today, but feeling like I needed it. Bought in with 4 KTE/back extensions. 4 extensions/5 curls. Then deads 4x5 with 235# - losing grip more than anything. 3 A-frame calves/seated calves.
... having trouble sleeping, didn't need another PM metcon. Bears or Badger? I'll plug the Bears in soon.
9 - 4 hours/72 hours. PE: 6.
... having trouble sleeping, didn't need another PM metcon. Bears or Badger? I'll plug the Bears in soon.
9 - 4 hours/72 hours. PE: 6.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
AR - Oct 19
Got a couple of 12" wheels to use as the cheapest 22.8# bumpers possible. Fighting with the lockjaw collar was the WoD. Otherwise, just stretching as CC read to me. I needed a day after 3 pretty stiff ones in a row.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
21/15/9 As We Brew - Honey Brown - Oct 18
Trying to blam out a quick metcon with what's on hand as we let the hops boil in our Honey Brown Ale for the second 30 minutes of an hour-long protein break.
23.23 for me to grind out 21-15-9 ring dips/pull ups/OH squats 50#/KB swings 53#. We're dubbing this one the "Honey Brown."
First push on the new rings (repping in the 8's/9's), first WoD on the new bar and KB. A nice day to break 'em all in with Walker and White. Really felt funky afterward, but hey, I guess that's what a few beers before the WoD can do to ya.
PS, this one rocked Walker for a couple of days, so my honey brown haze for a few hours was no big deal. Still, basic and four-squared workouts can rowk the howse.
9 hours/32 hours. PE: 7. 215/14.
23.23 for me to grind out 21-15-9 ring dips/pull ups/OH squats 50#/KB swings 53#. We're dubbing this one the "Honey Brown."
First push on the new rings (repping in the 8's/9's), first WoD on the new bar and KB. A nice day to break 'em all in with Walker and White. Really felt funky afterward, but hey, I guess that's what a few beers before the WoD can do to ya.
PS, this one rocked Walker for a couple of days, so my honey brown haze for a few hours was no big deal. Still, basic and four-squared workouts can rowk the howse.
9 hours/32 hours. PE: 7. 215/14.
Honey Brown Ale
What would happen if you augmented the slightly dry, caramelly and roasty character of a smooth, mellow English brown ale with the sweet floral flavor of clover honey? What if you added the honey at the very last possible minute to maximize its presence in the finished beer? What if it was delicious? Something with a little backbone, but still smooth.So, the stuff came from Northern Brewer, who calls this "A light, clean fermenting ale modeled after the "cream lagers" of the northeast United States. Low in gravity, long on flavor, this beer is a pale thirst-quencher, great for brewing and enjoying in the summertime. Dingemans Biscuit Malt gives our Cream Ale a warm, toasty flavor that complements the light hopping." Bring it. We've got some Cream Stout that needs some pairing for Black n' Tannage.
Steeping: .5 lb. Simpson's Chocolate, .5 lb. Dingemans Special B, .5 lb. Dingemans Biscuit, .5 lb. Briess Special Roast
Extract: 12 lbs. Gold Malt Syrup
Honey: 2 lbs. Clover
Bitters: 1 oz. Cluster pellets (7.5%) at 30 minutes into boil; .75 oz Cluster at 50 minutes in, then .25 oz pellets and 1 oz Cascade leaf (8.7%)
Yeast: Safbrew S-33's, started on honey water 12 hours prior
Steeped the grains for 30 mins from 80 degrees up to 125, drinking up the last pitcherful of the Cream Ale. Hey look! We've got a corney of the Cream Stout in the fridge hiding behind that Ale. And it's good!
Took 30 minutes to get the 10 gallons up to a rolling boil, the first hops going in then. The biggest long chain bread crumbs floating around in their after the protein break that I'd ever seen.
Added the second Cluster, and let the boil go, thinking we'd get in a quick WoD during the half hour before the next batch of hops to go in, but it all took longer than we thought. Boiled 7 minutes longer than the 30 planned, put in the final Cascade and shut off the heat.
Oh, yeah, that honey stuff.
Fired up the gas again, started stirring, poured it in, then just shut it all back down. No honey boil. This ain't mead. heh.
Chilled and really took a long time to get back under 100 degrees. Two full corneys (not much head space) but a lot of yeast in there workin'. Corneys in the garage, should be at an optimum temperature of 59–75° F. It'll run a little warm, but let's git 'er done.
No real mishaps, everything tasting, looking and smelling good. Thinking that the normal OG would be in the low 1040ies, but we're at 1050. Rock the house.
Day 4: Fermentation stopping at 1011 for both corneys. Into the chiller wid' ye.
Three weeks later, we had a sweetish light brown liquid with an alcoholic sledgehammer hidden within every glass. Dry. 11.5% octane.
Six weeks later. It's smooth, smooth. The hammer's still within, but softened with a layer of brown velvet. It's a win, but don't drink it on an empty stomach.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Metcon in the Park with Crossfit Bako - Oct 17
Started out lacking some zip today. Doing things when you don't want to do them. If it ain't step one, it's one of the first steps in the right direction. Gonna do it anyway and see what's what, I say as I get out the door. Just glad to be spending the morning with my CCgirl too.
Run to Woodys' with Boogie on the bike, 34 mins just cruisin'. Nice little warm up, then
4 rounds:
400 m run
21 push ups
21 lunge walk
21 knees to elbows
1st round: 4.41; 2nd 5.10; 3rd 5.42; 4th 5.16: 20.35. Man, I was gassed most of the time. The runs were slogs, the push ups were like nothing, the lunges were just there to do long term damage, but the knee ups ... I was forced to partition into three 7's just to get through them.
29 minutes home, then a tour of the neighborhood with Kon on the bike for another 7. 100 minutes total work. But that 20 minute metcon. I'll be doing Ghd/Feet to bar each time I enter the gym or back yard for a while, until I get this core weakness settled.
8 - 1 hours/18 hours. PE: 8. 214/13.
Run to Woodys' with Boogie on the bike, 34 mins just cruisin'. Nice little warm up, then
4 rounds:
400 m run
21 push ups
21 lunge walk
21 knees to elbows
1st round: 4.41; 2nd 5.10; 3rd 5.42; 4th 5.16: 20.35. Man, I was gassed most of the time. The runs were slogs, the push ups were like nothing, the lunges were just there to do long term damage, but the knee ups ... I was forced to partition into three 7's just to get through them.
29 minutes home, then a tour of the neighborhood with Kon on the bike for another 7. 100 minutes total work. But that 20 minute metcon. I'll be doing Ghd/Feet to bar each time I enter the gym or back yard for a while, until I get this core weakness settled.
8 - 1 hours/18 hours. PE: 8. 214/13.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Wa - Thrusters FTW - Oct 16
Buy in: 3 reverse push ups - 20 reps each. Then the Thruster fest begins: 115#; 3 supersetted with chinups (8 reps), then 4 more for good measure (6/8/7/8ish). Was feeling the leftovers from the 6 sets of Thrusters on Wednesday. Sometimes it just stacks up. 30 mins total, change to change.
Spent some quality time with the foam roller in the PM. IT band is there, fo' sho.
8 hours/33 hours. PE: 7. 214/12.
Spent some quality time with the foam roller in the PM. IT band is there, fo' sho.
8 hours/33 hours. PE: 7. 214/12.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
S - Run with the Rocks - Oct 15
24 mins out and back with 4 .1 mi accelerations, grabbing the river rocks at the halfway point. 11.18 on the negative-split return (with the rocks, no less).
Right achilles felt good out of the gate today.
8.4 hours/13 hours. PE: 7.
Right achilles felt good out of the gate today.
8.4 hours/13 hours. PE: 7.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
99 and a Bunch of Other Stuff - Oct 14
Mid-week make up day. Just wanted to get into the gym and throw some iron. The weather's clean and nice after a rain, wanted to get out and breathe it on the run too. Instead I did some medium weight couplet metcon.
I owe a Cindy, today called for a long M day, but I'm opting forward for tomorrow's "99".
5 rounds for time of 9 Pull ups/(9 HSPU) 9 Push press with 135#. 14.42. The Presses were all 9 for the first couple of rounds, then 4's, then 3's. It's a nice weight.
Then what was the Buy in - 6 Thrusters at 50% BW, I opted up for 115#, and super setted them with 3 A-frame calves/seated calves and 3 leg curl.
8 hours/96 hours. PE: 7.
I owe a Cindy, today called for a long M day, but I'm opting forward for tomorrow's "99".
5 rounds for time of 9 Pull ups/(9 HSPU) 9 Push press with 135#. 14.42. The Presses were all 9 for the first couple of rounds, then 4's, then 3's. It's a nice weight.
Then what was the Buy in - 6 Thrusters at 50% BW, I opted up for 115#, and super setted them with 3 A-frame calves/seated calves and 3 leg curl.
8 hours/96 hours. PE: 7.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Dave Tate on Powerlifting, Kinda
• Calves: I've torn both of them, leaving a huge indentation in each.
Anyone wanna go heavy, just sign on the dotted line.
• Right Knee: Back in the late 80's I strained my ACL and that left me on crutches for two weeks. I've had three other similar strains since that time.
• Right Hamstring: I tore this hamstring so badly that I nearly needed surgery to fix it.
• Left Knee: I've partially torn my patellar tendon. This wasn't bad, pain-wise, but it did mess up my squatting for four months.
• Quad: I pulled my right quad in the early 90's. It was so bad that it turned my entire leg black.
• Groin: I've injured my groin on both the right and left sides. This was a year of hell where there was nothing I could do to get it fixed. So I just wrapped it up and dealt with it. After a year it got better.
• Lower Abdominal: I tore my lower abdominal muscles seven years ago. I did this while squatting and it was perhaps the most painful injury I've ever had.
• Spine: The following discs are herniated: L4, L5, C4, C5. C4 and C5 left my hand numb for a few months. L4 and L5 occurred over 14 years ago and required me to take two months off training
• Intercostals: I've strained two on each side over the past ten years.
• Left pec: I tore this muscle at the tendon and needed surgery to repair it.
• Right pec: I tore this muscle in half but decided to not have surgery since the tendon was still attached.
• Both pecs: I've torn each at least 20 times and each time caused the entire pec to turn black and blue. All of these happened before the above pec injuries.
• Right shoulder: I've had a torn supraspinatus, bone spurs, and now have arthritis. I had this shoulder cleaned up with the AC shaved down to allow more movement, but am now experiencing almost all the same ailments in the same shoulder. Doctors are talking replacement.
• Left shoulder: This one also has arthritis, but isn't as bad as the other.Anyone wanna go heavy, just sign on the dotted line.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
M - 4x4 & stuff - Oct 10
36 mins total running. 4 mins AT with 4 min recoveries, picked up a couple of honkin' river rocks after the first interval. Cashed out with 3 sets of ring dips (5-6)/pull ups(7s-12s). Throw in a pair of bar-only Ov Squats and we're golden.
7.5 hours/15 hours. PE: 6. 215/12.
7.5 hours/15 hours. PE: 6. 215/12.
Friday, October 09, 2009
Wl - Stay Overtrained, My Friends - Oct 9
AR day yesterday for the save. Missed 4 hours of sleep the night before last with racing metabolism and racing mind - blaming Monster, too many irons in the fire, and PM WoDs. But after a day off, slept like a bambino. If you told me you could get overtrained on 30 minute workouts, I would have laughed a year ago. Now, it's no laughing matter.
Sunday's workout on Friday, shuffling to get it all in this weekend. 4 of all: Feet to bar, A-frame calves. Ext/Curl. 115# Squat cleans, 7 or 8 reps per. Another 30 minute hamburger hill.
I swear I had something to say about this workout, but it's escaping me now that I'm logging it later. In retrospect, it's just another sweatfest. Cleans always suck.
9 hours/48 hours. PE: 8. 214/15.
Sunday's workout on Friday, shuffling to get it all in this weekend. 4 of all: Feet to bar, A-frame calves. Ext/Curl. 115# Squat cleans, 7 or 8 reps per. Another 30 minute hamburger hill.
I swear I had something to say about this workout, but it's escaping me now that I'm logging it later. In retrospect, it's just another sweatfest. Cleans always suck.
9 hours/48 hours. PE: 8. 214/15.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Three Hall of Fame Workouts.
From Crossfit Journal
These three workouts can each be used to quantify your capacity in a manner that reflects the CrossFit model for fitness.
What these three workouts have in common is that each is complete in that they are simple, demanding, and effective. We can't think about them without laughing. (They also each use the rower.)
The first is our famous "Fight Gone Bad" workout.
In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. We've
used this in 3 and 5 round versions.
The stations are:
1. Wall-ball - 20 pound ball, 8 ft target.
2. Sumo deadlift high-pull - 75-pounds
3. Box jump - 20" box
4. Push press - 75 pounds
5. Row for calories
The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. On call of "rotate," all athletes must move to next station immediately.
One point is given for each rep, except on the rower, where each calorie is one point.
With this workout we can give an integer value to metabolic preparedness for mixed-modal high intensity efforts matched to professional fight parameters (UFC).
The second is the "Tabata This" workout where the Tabata Interval of 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest repeated 8 times is applied in turn to
the squat, rower, pull-ups, sit-ups, and push-ups with a one-minute rotation break between exercises. Each exercise is scored by the weakest number of reps
(calories on the rower) in each of the eight intervals. During the one-minute rotation/rest time, the clock is not stopped but kept running. The score is the total of
the scores from the five stations.
This workout stands the Tabata interval concept on its head, but is so potent in impact that it stands remembered as a favorite by our crew.
A third classic CrossFit workout is the elegant "row/thruster/pull-up" workout featuring a 1,000-meter row, 45 pound fifty-rep thruster (deep front squat/push-pres), and 30 pull-ups. This pit bull of a workout is scored by the time to complete all exercises. Play with different orders of the three exercises and compare times.
Methinks this WoD deserves a name.
These three workouts can each be used to quantify your capacity in a manner that reflects the CrossFit model for fitness.
What these three workouts have in common is that each is complete in that they are simple, demanding, and effective. We can't think about them without laughing. (They also each use the rower.)
The first is our famous "Fight Gone Bad" workout.
In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. We've
used this in 3 and 5 round versions.
The stations are:
1. Wall-ball - 20 pound ball, 8 ft target.
2. Sumo deadlift high-pull - 75-pounds
3. Box jump - 20" box
4. Push press - 75 pounds
5. Row for calories
The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. On call of "rotate," all athletes must move to next station immediately.
One point is given for each rep, except on the rower, where each calorie is one point.
With this workout we can give an integer value to metabolic preparedness for mixed-modal high intensity efforts matched to professional fight parameters (UFC).
The second is the "Tabata This" workout where the Tabata Interval of 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest repeated 8 times is applied in turn to
the squat, rower, pull-ups, sit-ups, and push-ups with a one-minute rotation break between exercises. Each exercise is scored by the weakest number of reps
(calories on the rower) in each of the eight intervals. During the one-minute rotation/rest time, the clock is not stopped but kept running. The score is the total of
the scores from the five stations.
This workout stands the Tabata interval concept on its head, but is so potent in impact that it stands remembered as a favorite by our crew.
A third classic CrossFit workout is the elegant "row/thruster/pull-up" workout featuring a 1,000-meter row, 45 pound fifty-rep thruster (deep front squat/push-pres), and 30 pull-ups. This pit bull of a workout is scored by the time to complete all exercises. Play with different orders of the three exercises and compare times.
Methinks this WoD deserves a name.
Happy Birthday to Hedge ... WoD
Every affiliate has a Happy Birthday WoD for Kipping Pull Ups (bodyweight, heh)
Overhead Squats (50% bodyweight)
KB swings (25% bodyweight)
Max reps at each exercise, count up your reps from station to station. Your total reps must equal or surpass 100 minus your age (ie. Hedge is 45 and must bang out 55 reps).
If you fail to meet the rep count, you foul and must penalty-spell "Happy Birthday to Hedge
3 rounds, rest 2 minutes between rounds, or after your burpees.
Don't scale the weight or the reps, just pay the friggin' price.
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Cl - Tabata Bag Work & The Chief - Oct 7
Couldn't decide between Tabata and the Chief, so we did both. 2 rounds of each left/right palm strikes, right/left, left kick, right kick - the fastest 4 minutes in sports. Left kicks feel a lot stronger than rights, go figure.
Last time I did the Chief, was fighting for 4 rounds per round, this time I got 5's the first two rounds and 4's the last three (I'm pretty sure. I could really use a counter/timer). Still, that dawg is a gasser.
9 - 3 hours/36 hours. PE: 8. 218/12.
Last time I did the Chief, was fighting for 4 rounds per round, this time I got 5's the first two rounds and 4's the last three (I'm pretty sure. I could really use a counter/timer). Still, that dawg is a gasser.
9 - 3 hours/36 hours. PE: 8. 218/12.
And I Thought My Math Skills Were Weak.
Just when I was beginning to wonder if my perception of the CF business model was faulty, Byers posts this:
Monday, October 5, 2009
Point is, we're still a CrossFit affiliate, but we don't actually have a gym, don't offer any classes, and don't do much actual hands-on coaching and training. What we DO offer is a service that the CrossFit community needs (clearly, based on the volume of emails I've been getting) - help finding the right balance of diet, training, active recovery, sleep, stress management and a whole host of other factors that all add up to optimal health and fitness.
Weird, right? An affiliate without a gym? We're sort of going out on a limb redefining ourselves here. However, two things make me confident that we can carve this niche out for ourselves. First, it's been done before. Jon Gilson built Again Faster around his CrossFit affiliation without owning his own gym or running his own programming. He pulls from the CrossFit community, and gives back in the form of equipment sales, motivational and educational articles and training tutorial videos. He's redefined the place an affiliate holds within the CrossFit community, and we think we can do the same.
Two... there is room for us here. There's a NEED for us here. CrossFit is growing and expanding and changing on a daily basis, and we'd like to push those boundaries and expand the definition of an "affiliate". We won't run you through "Linda", but we'll help you nail down your nutrition and recovery so you stomp that bar heavier and harder than you've ever thought possible. We won't teach you to overhead squat, but we'll give you some ways to reduce inflammation and get those overworked shoulders to open better. We won't customize your Starting Strength program, but we'll share with you why we don't love the concept of a gallon of milk a day. So my assertion is this - while we don' t have an actual gym, what we're doing IS CrossFit, and there is a place for us within the community.
At least, I hope there is.
Do you see the value in this shift in paradigm for us, or do you think without actual coaching and physical training, an affiliate isn't really an affiliate at all?
My take is that the CF affiliate system, where people are paying more for less equipment, group training sessions, and random WoDs, is doomed.
I understand the Globo Gym concept; a thousand people at $29 a month with a $100 sign up. You start with 100,000 bucks and have cash flow of 29,000/month. You have one-time on your equipment, and monthly on rental space, utilities, some small overhead, and the pittance you pay your out-of-shape know-nothing "trainers." Of course, you don't want or expect 10% of your thousand clients to show up - ever. When they do (January 2nd, anyone?) your model takes a dump. But March 2nd, you're owning.
I don't understand how the numbers work on the CF affiliate concept. If your box can handle 10 at a time, and you're running (let's be generous here) 5 cycles a day, your 50 clients who show up every day can pay what? $100 a month? You're running a box on 5k/month. You can pay rent and overhead, but you have to keep your day job.
Because Globo down the street is only asking $29, how can you get 100 bodies through the door at $290 a month to get yourself to a cash flow of 29k/month? Expand your box and get 290 peeps at $100? What would those 290 be getting for their 3x payment that they couldn't get at Globo? Gymnastic rings? Because rings only cost 75 bucks, delivered.
I'm not seeing how the business model works outside of the (a.) metrocomplex where dingleberry attorneys will be willing to pay $300+ for training, or (b.) the garage gym, where the equipment cost is your only cost.
I have an idea, and it's not to offer nutritional counseling, no box, and no classes. I'll let you think about it first though.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Redefining the CrossFit Affiliate
First, the 603 hasn't had a physical training space since August. The space we were "borrowing" in Tilton, NH didn't work out, and Dallas and I frankly weren't in a hurry to look for new space. We both have full-time jobs, and coaching nights and weekends wasn't going to provide us with enough income to actually rent or lease the kind of space we would want to set up. So we put the idea of a box on hold for a month or two, but we continued to program for those that followed our WODs on line. However, without any actual clients (and not offering any classes), spending tons of time and energy on programming for a gym that didn't exist wasn't very fulfilling, and didn't make a lot of sense long term.
Point is, we're still a CrossFit affiliate, but we don't actually have a gym, don't offer any classes, and don't do much actual hands-on coaching and training. What we DO offer is a service that the CrossFit community needs (clearly, based on the volume of emails I've been getting) - help finding the right balance of diet, training, active recovery, sleep, stress management and a whole host of other factors that all add up to optimal health and fitness.
Weird, right? An affiliate without a gym? We're sort of going out on a limb redefining ourselves here. However, two things make me confident that we can carve this niche out for ourselves. First, it's been done before. Jon Gilson built Again Faster around his CrossFit affiliation without owning his own gym or running his own programming. He pulls from the CrossFit community, and gives back in the form of equipment sales, motivational and educational articles and training tutorial videos. He's redefined the place an affiliate holds within the CrossFit community, and we think we can do the same.
Two... there is room for us here. There's a NEED for us here. CrossFit is growing and expanding and changing on a daily basis, and we'd like to push those boundaries and expand the definition of an "affiliate". We won't run you through "Linda", but we'll help you nail down your nutrition and recovery so you stomp that bar heavier and harder than you've ever thought possible. We won't teach you to overhead squat, but we'll give you some ways to reduce inflammation and get those overworked shoulders to open better. We won't customize your Starting Strength program, but we'll share with you why we don't love the concept of a gallon of milk a day. So my assertion is this - while we don' t have an actual gym, what we're doing IS CrossFit, and there is a place for us within the community.
At least, I hope there is.
Do you see the value in this shift in paradigm for us, or do you think without actual coaching and physical training, an affiliate isn't really an affiliate at all?
My take is that the CF affiliate system, where people are paying more for less equipment, group training sessions, and random WoDs, is doomed.
I understand the Globo Gym concept; a thousand people at $29 a month with a $100 sign up. You start with 100,000 bucks and have cash flow of 29,000/month. You have one-time on your equipment, and monthly on rental space, utilities, some small overhead, and the pittance you pay your out-of-shape know-nothing "trainers." Of course, you don't want or expect 10% of your thousand clients to show up - ever. When they do (January 2nd, anyone?) your model takes a dump. But March 2nd, you're owning.
I don't understand how the numbers work on the CF affiliate concept. If your box can handle 10 at a time, and you're running (let's be generous here) 5 cycles a day, your 50 clients who show up every day can pay what? $100 a month? You're running a box on 5k/month. You can pay rent and overhead, but you have to keep your day job.
Because Globo down the street is only asking $29, how can you get 100 bodies through the door at $290 a month to get yourself to a cash flow of 29k/month? Expand your box and get 290 peeps at $100? What would those 290 be getting for their 3x payment that they couldn't get at Globo? Gymnastic rings? Because rings only cost 75 bucks, delivered.
I'm not seeing how the business model works outside of the (a.) metrocomplex where dingleberry attorneys will be willing to pay $300+ for training, or (b.) the garage gym, where the equipment cost is your only cost.
I have an idea, and it's not to offer nutritional counseling, no box, and no classes. I'll let you think about it first though.
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