Things I like about having a garage gym (in no particular order):
- I can work out whenever I’d like.
- I can spend as little or as much time as I’d like on any given skill.
- As I warm up on my own the warmup addresses the skills I’ll be working on, e.g., stretching glutes and hamstrings for deadlifts.
- The only person I’m competing with is myself. Faithful readers know that one of the things that pisses me off the most is being watched by others as I work out. Of course the thing that pisses me off the most is being cheered for as I work out.
- The equipment is clean — and cleaned.
- Luke is always by my side. That’s the one thing that hasn’t much changed.
- I can take off my shirt if I’d like. I don’t usually care to do so.
- My coach is dreamy. And he actually coaches me (although seldom out loud).
- I can play show tunes as I work out!
Sunday, May 7 | Thwarted
Jeff and I went for a bike ride at the Biltmore. It was Jeff’s first time on the bike and, well, he’ll need to get his “sea legs.” Thus, I didn’t get much exercise, as the ride was leisurely. I decided to take Luke for a run at the NC Arboretum. For whatever reason, Luke just wasn’t interested in running, and after running less than 2 miles we began to walk. How did I know he wasn’t interested? Because he lallygagged too far behind me. I kept having to stop and wait for him, and instead of becoming frustrated I let him walk at a pace that was comfortable for him. However, I really wanted to at least feel like I had exercised, so I finally began to set up garage gym. There were cobwebs on the barbell. Ha!
Not For Time; rest 2 minutes between activities
– 50 push presses (75#)
– 50 power cleans (85#)
– 50 deadlifts (135#)
– 50 med ball cleans (30#)
Given my recent experiences, I just wanted to go light and fast, as that’s what I did. Uhm, I did have a timer but I can’t recall finishing time. Surprisingly, the med ball cleans were the most challenging of the activities, perhaps because I completed them last.
Monday, May 8 | Horse Stall Mats
Luke and I went for a 5.5-mile walk (and sometimes run) at the Biltmore. What a beautiful morning! I checked out the inventory for horse stall mats at the very local (1.7 miles from our home) Southern States and discovered they had just the mats I was looking for, so Luke and I purchased two 6X4 mats. What’s so great about them? Flat surface with grippers on the bottom. (That sounds like the title of a gay porn film.) I programmed a fast and furious metcon.
10, 9, 8…3, 2, 1
SDHPs (85#)
HR pushups
As to be expected, I completed all rounds in unbroken reps in a time of 7:05.
Tuesday, May 9 | MTS
I was concerned that Luke would miss being at CFS, but it appears that he’s truly enjoying our very long hikes/walks/runs together. I parked the Renegade on the Blue Ridge Parkway and we went for a 4.5-mile hike/walk/run on the Mountains to Sea trail. Whilst somewhat overcast, ’twas nonetheless a glorious morning! There are few things I enjoy more than seeing Luke run all out, and he had the opportunity to do so on many occasions. He never lets me out of this sight.
I was itching for a metcon that lasted longer than 20 minutes.
30-min AMRAP
– 10 UNBROKEN power clean & jerks (75#)
– 10 UNBROKEN box jumps (24″)
– 10 UNBROKEN 8-count burpees
– 10 UNBROKEN Abmat sit-ups
First, 75# is more than half of my bodyweight, and as my intent was to complete reps very quickly I wanted to ensure that I lifted a manageable weight. Rest assured that by the 9th and 10th reps of each rounds, well, shit started to feel heavy. I also ensured that reps were cleaned & immediately jerked, i.e., receiving the bar for cleans was initial dip for jerks. I’ve been experiencing a little pain in right achilles, so I did not rebound off box for jump, but I did nonetheless immediately begin next jump when feet touched the ground. Eight-count burpees just take a shitload of time to complete, and were perhaps the most demanding of the activities. Sit-ups were a welcome relief.
I had completed 4 rounds with about 16 minutes remaining, so I set a goal to complete 8 rounds. Whilst completing 8th round of C&Js I thought, “Thank god this is the last time I”ll have to do these.” I was wrong, for with about a minute remaining I had completed the 8th round. I quickly transitioned to barbell and completed 10 unbroken reps. There was still time remaining on the clock! I finished with 5 box jumps.
Score = 8 rounds + 15 reps; 90 power C&J, 85 box jumps, & 80 burpees and sit-ups
I listened to “Dear Evan Hansen.” Yup, show tunes, bitches!
Luke slept on his bed just outside the garage door.
I’ve been wearing my TomTom Spark 3 watch 24/7, and it’s been interesting to see sleep patterns (still wake up after 6 hours of sleep) and resting hear rate (about 48 ppm). I also enjoy reviewing heart rate during WOD. For example, I averaged 128 bpm during 30-min AMRAP with a maximum of 163 — that I hit during very last minute of workout.
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