Yet again, I haven’t been blogging as regularly as I could (and maybe should). I’ve been busy teaching (and dealing with some quite problematic students this semester) and taking care of the house and kiddos. Today my BBF helped install shade sail on deck and helped transport horse stall mats for gym.

I’m always sad the last week in September. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about and terribly miss Xander.

I’ll record workouts to the best of my recollection. I might as well start with today and then work in reverse chronological order.

Wednesday, September 26

Press
Work on form

And that’s what I did, focusing on locking my knees, squeezing my buttocks, and assertively pressing the barbell. Not aggressively, assertively.

5-min AMRAP
8-count burpee + strict press @ 95# (counts 5 & 6 alternating leg mountain climbers) 

What a doozy! The press got more challenging as the clock counted down. I completed 22 reps.

5-min AMRAP
6-count plate burpee  @ 55# + jump over plates (7″) + med ball clean @ 30# with 90 degree twist + twisting jump @ 20″

What a doozy! I placed med ball on stack of plates to achieve 20.” I placed med ball on floor and repositioned plate on floor to begin next rep. I completed 14 reps.

5-min AMRAP
8-count burpee + “bear complex” @ 75# (counts 5 & 6 alternating grasshoppers) 

Another doozy! I completed 13 reps. I was spent.

Tuesday, September 25

My new 35# dumbbells arrived so, well, I had to use them.

7-min AMRAP
1 6-count DB burpee deadlift
1 manmaker

The burpee deadlift included a jump at count six, and the manmakers included two pushups, i.e., hands on DBs, jump feet to plank, chest to floor and pushup, row with left or right arm (I alternated each round), chest to floor and pushup, row with right or left arm, jump feet to hands, and finish with thruster.

That. Was. Tough. I completed 16 rounds (+ burpee deadlift and rows but sadly not enough time for thruster).

10 RFT
7 cal row
5/arm DB HPCs

The fifth rep of each round got tough. I completed in 12:17. Fun? Perhaps.

Monday, September 24

11 RFT
5 air squats
4 jumping air squats
3 strict pushups
2 clapping pushups
2 mixed grip pull-ups, alternating hands between reps
1 strict T2B
1 Strict K2E

Time = 8:48

11 RFT
TNG with no change in hand position
4 HPCs & 3 HPS @ 65#
10 barbell hops, alternating forward and backward

Time = 6:26

I completed hops in unbroken reps with no pauses.

21 RFT
6-count burpee + DL @ 175#
5 LBH
3-count burpee (horizontal to bar)
5 LBH

Uhm, during round 18 or so my neighbor called out to me and asked if I had seen Cinna, as she had escaped from the fenced in yard. (I had, and Cinna had visited Luke and me in the garage. I attempted to take her home, but she bolted.) I walked down the street where I had last seen her and called her name. And she came running! I returned to the workout and began where I left off. Uhm, but I hadn’t paused clock.

Time = 11:06 (including time spent looking for Cinna).

~~~~~

I was freaking out this past Sunday, as I felt pain in my left trap that was quite similar to what I felt prior to diagnosis of disc fiasco. So I rested. I was relieved that pain subsided and I was able to work out the next day.

~~~~~

Saturday, September 22

EMOM (with additional 30 seconds added to round when weight changed)
5 rounds @ 95, 100, 105, & 110, and then rounds @ 115, 120, 125, 130, & 135#
DL + Clean + HPC + FS + PP + BS

I focused on both hands and feet remaining in same position throughout, i.e., no repositioning hands and no jumping. Because form is important.

Friday, September 21

I think I might have a thing for burpees.

5 RFT
10 6-count burpee + strict K2E
50 unbroken double unders

~Rest~

And 7 6-count KB burpee + Russian KBS (60#)
35 unbroken double unders

~Play with Luke~

5 6-count burpee + strict ring dip
35 unbroken duble unders

I completed in 12:23, 9:14, & 7:39, respectively.

~~~~~

How much hypocrisy is one individual, one political party, one fucking faux network capable of? I fear we haven’t seen the worst. It’d be a laughable offense if the consequences weren’t so dire.

My name is Paul. I’m a 54 year-old white male. I have never forced myself upon anyone, female or male. It’s unconscionable that any individual would think this is acceptable and/or excusable behavior, regardless of degree of drunkenness.

Aaaaand, it’s quite possible to be a self-proclaimed virgin and nonetheless sexually assault an individual.

 

Friday, September 14

Just three months until my birthday.

AFAP
Run 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, & 800m in 50m shuttle sprints
Complete 5 TNG rounds after each run of deadlift + power clean + hang power clean @ 100#

That’s 3,600m or 2.25 miles of sprinting, along with 40 deadlifts and 80 PCs.

Not only were rounds of DL+PC+HPC TNG and unbroken, there was also no jumping when extending. So there’s that.

Time = 21:20

That was fun!

Saturday, September 15

Knowing that the remnants of Flo would likely be with us for a couple of days, I took Luke & Cinna for a long walk this morning before heading to the gym, AKA the garage.

EMOM 30
6-count burpee + (strict) ring dip
6-count plate burpee, 45#
3-count burpee box jump, 27″ (45# plate placed on top of box)
3″ negative (strict) HSPU (place plate on mat)

Any workout that includes 90 burpees is going to be enjoyable, and this was no exception.

Obviously I moved the plate to the box, then to the gym mat, and then back to the mat on the floor. ‘Twas much carrying and correct placement of plate.

I had two slow rounds: when I was thinking about storm preparation and had forgotten to move plate from mat to starting position for plate burpee and when Jeff interrupted me to ask a question. Times ranged from 29 (last round!) to 43 (dammit!) seconds, with a total accumulated time of 17:10. Winning.

Sunday, September 16

It’s a rainy day, as the remnants of Flo finally reach Western NC. I took Luke and Cinna for a walk, and we were all drenched by the time we returned home.

32 1-min rounds for accumulated time
5 calorie row
3 WBS (20# & 10′) odd-numbered rounds
3 T2B even-numbered rounds

This was a gasser. The slowest and fastest rounds took 36 and 24 seconds, respectively, and I averaged about 31 seconds a round. Accumulated time was 16:26.

Monday, September 17

The 8 and 9 am sessions were canceled at AB Tech. I did teach at 10, and the first round of demonstrative speeches were very good, so I’m pleased.

I worked out at 4, and it was moist.

Reverse CF Total
Max load
Deadlift
Back squat
Press

This was quite different than the CF Total, and doing the press last was quite an experience.

I set modest goals, as I plan on using this as baseline for next 3-month (yes, 3-month) strength cycle. My goals were 360, 225, and 145, respectively, and I lifted 365, 235, and 140. Yay, yay, and nay.

7-min AMRAP
Burpee K2E

I set goal to complete 50 reps. I worked continuously and didn’t pause to even chalk my hands. How many reps? Fifty-seven!

I had four ripe bananas so I made banana cupcakes with honey-cinnamon filling and they are as moist as it’s been in NC these last couple of days.

~~~~

Receiving an unwanted text is an invasion or privacy. Forcing communication upon citizens is a sign of a fascist government. This shit has got to stop.

 

 

Sunday, September 9

I took Luke and Cinna for a walk. The temperature was a mild 67, but the humidity was 1000%. Yes, 1000%.

Every 20 seconds for 10 rounds
Strict
L or R T2B
R or L T2B
T2B

Then

Every 20 seconds for 10 rounds
Strict
L or R K2E
R or L K2E
K2E

As originality is merely unconscious plagiarism, I can’t unequivocally state that this is an original idea. I do know, however, that I haven’t see anyone do this are read about it on any blogs or CF sites, so there’s that.

This worked the obliques, yo.

10 RFT
5 burpee + box jump (24″) + 5 air squats (on top of box)
5 rebounding box jumps 

That’s a total of 50 burpees, 100 box jumps, and 250 air squats. It’s no wonder that I could hardly walk up the stairs to enjoy a glass of chocolate milk. Oh, who am I kidding—I drink the chocolate milk out of the container.

Time = 17:28

Monday, September 10

I taught all morning and spent most of the rest of the day grading speeches. I worked out after 5, as I knew Jeff would be in a TC and that he wanted to take Luke for another (his 4th of the day) walk.

10 RFT
—Sprint row 100m
—10/leg grasshoppers (knee to elbow)
—1 wall crawl (nose to wall)
—1 deadlift, 275#
Rest exactly 1 minute between rounds

This was one of the toughest workouts I’ve completed in the recent past. First, the minute rest allowed barely enough time to catch my breath. Why? Because I ensured that I treated each round like a sprint. This began with a very fast 100m row, most round rowing at at 1:33/500m pace and often more than an average of 40 strokes/minute. Thus, I was winded when I quickly got off of the rower.

Admittedly, for the first 4 or 5 rounds, I didn’t transition as quickly to grasshoppers as I did for the remaining rounds. The grasshoppers were the most challenging part of the workout, and it took mental fortitude to complete all rounds in unbroken reps. I realized that I needed to get through all 10 reps as quickly as possible if I had any chance of doing latter reps in unbroken reps.

I ensured that my nose touched the wall for every rep of wall crawl. I also ensured that I lowered and didn’t merely drop the barbell when deadlift was completed. Oh, and 275# was a heavy weight.

My goal was 19 minutes, not including 1-minute rest after 10th round, and my time was 18:53. That was a true interval workout, as the minute rest was barely enough time. Whew!

I completed the rounds in: 1:08, 1:02, :58, 1:03, 1:08, 1:00, :55, :58, :57, & :46.

I also like when I’m able to finish strong.

Tuesday, September 11

I watched the final episode of The Looming Tower entitled “9/11.” It was gut wrenching.

I baked funfetti cupcakes and bread, and made homemade raviolis with my new contraption. Yay! And this is also why I only eat two meals a day. I’m counting my calories to ensure that I don’t, you know, swell.

My day was full with many other activities, and I didn’t work out until 7 pm, the latest I’ve worked out in a couldn’t tell you when.

Every other minute
Press, Push Press, Power Jerk
Increase weight 10# each round

This didn’t go as well as it should have, likely because it’s the fourth day in a row that I’ve worked out and I did grasshoppers and wall crawls yesterday. I completed all 3 lifts @ 65, 75, 85, 95, 105, 115, & 125, but after completing press @ 135 I didn’t have enough left in the tank for push press and power jerk. I did push press @ 145 & 155, but failed at 165. I came very close to completing rep but just could get it up. #viagramayhavehelped

As it was a relatively cool evening, I completed conditioning on 5th Ave. I set up towel at starting line, measure 10, and set up clock and notepad.

AMRAP 20
Max rep strict and unbroken pushups
Run 10m forwards and 10m backward, increasing by 1 sprint (forwards & backwards = 1 rep) after each round of unbroken pushup

For strict pushups I ensured that hands were in same position for all rounds, that feet were together, and that nipples and alternating face cheek touched the ground. I only allowed myself to rest in plank position, i.e., no resting with chest on the ground and arms stretched to the side.

I completed 22, 9, 9, 10, 11, 14, 14, 16, 16, 17, 17, & 24 for a total of 180 pushups and ran 11 rounds, i.e., I didn’t run after 12th and final round of pushups. That’s 1,320m total—and half of that running backwards. I was pleased that I was able to finish strongly. Of course the “rest” whilst running helped!

Wednesday, September 12

I rested. Sadly, I forgot to drink a beer. Dammit.

Thursday, September 13

Hurricane Flo approaches, so I’ve been battening down the hatches, so to speak.

I made banana-nut muffins for breakfast, and they are delicious. I’ve discovered that the most convoluted recipes often result in the best delicacies, and this recipe was indeed convoluted.

AFAP
Row 25 calories
5 rounds
– burpee + strict L-sit pull-up
– burpee + strict C2B pull-up
– burpee + strict T2B
– burpee + strict K2E
– burpee + SDHP, 100#
Row 25 calories
5 rounds
– burpee + strict L-sit pull-up
– burpee + strict C2B pull-up
– burpee + strict T2B
– burpee + strict K2E
– burpee + SDHP, 100#
Row 25 calories
5 rounds
– burpee + 3 strict L-sit pull-ups
– burpee + 3 strict C2B pull-ups
– burpee + 3 strict T2B
– burpee + 3 strict K2E
– burpee + 3 SDHPs, 100#

Time = 21:20

I set a goal to complete a calorie per stroke, and completed rounds of rowing in 25, 24, and 24 strokes. Yay! I kept strokes at about 16/minute.

I programmed pull-ups because I did so much pushing this past Tuesday. Burpees were more about active recovery and were thus not 6-count.

This was a gasser, and I’m pleased with performance.

Oh, so I haven’t been blogging as faithfully as I should or could. This doesn’t mean that I haven’t been working out! Most days I scribble notes on a pad and think, “If I blog soon I’ll remember the details.”

Uhm, and then I don’t blog and, well, I forget the details. So there’s that.

The following are a number of workouts, often not in chronological order, of just some of the workouts I’ve completed since I last blogged, you know, a month ago.

Today

AFAP
1-2-3…8-9-10
Strict ring dips
75# power snatches|
Strict HSPUs

I completed rounds of RD and PS in unbroken reps, but was doing single HSPUs by the end of the workout.

Time = 22:07

Parallette passthrough every 45 seconds for 55 rounds.

You know, because 55 reps for first workout. Whilst not overly challenging, I nonetheless was glad when I completed the last rep. A rep took about 5 or 6 seconds.

~~~~~~

Every other minute, and with a minute to complete work (and a minute to rest, obviously)
Sprint 100m (50m out and back)
3 burpees
Cluster @ 135#
Then
Increase weight of cluster until failure (w/ 3 attempts at any weight)

My goal was 155#, as my PR was 161#. Yup, was. I warmed up by completed 3 burpees & cluster with no sprint @ 95, 105, 115, 125, & 135#.

I completed clusters @ 140, 145, & 150. I failed @ 155 1st attempt (couldn’t lock out elbows) and 2nd attempt (focused on push press and let elbows fall) but completed 3rd attempt. Yay! I then put 162# on bar, failed 1st attempt, but thankfully completed 2nd attempt. Yay and yay!

I completed all rounds with between 3 and 7 seconds to spare.

~~~~~

Bench press

I have no idea what I did or how much weight I pressed.

10-9-8…3-2-1
Mountain climbers (1 rep = l & r leg)
Pull-ups

Fast, furious, and in unbroken reps.

Time – 4:34

~~~~~

10-20-30-40-50-40-30-20-10 unbroken double unders
Begin each round with 10c row

I set goal to complete row in 11 strokes, and am pleased to report that I did just that. I missed 27th rep of 40 reps of dus going down the ladder and, thus, had to start that round over. Dammit.

Time = 15:26.

~~~~~

32-round Tabata
G2O, 75#
American KBS, 53#
G2S2O
WBS, 20# & 10′
G2S
Medicine ball cleans
FS
Pistols

Holy shit that was tough. I completed 5 rounds + 18 reps. And nearly died.

~~~~~

Uhm, a workout that included power snatch, hang power clean, and hang power snatch, all with same hand position (i.e., neither wide nor narrow). It appears that I did 20 rounds (with burpees, maybe?) @ 65, 16 rounds @ 75, 11 rounds @ 95, and 3 rounds @ 105#. I can’t recall how I came up with rep scheme.

~~~~~

I might have tried the Other Total. I think I did. Maybe. I recorded power clean @ 165, bench press @ 185, and overhead squat @ 125#. All weights low for whatever reason(s).

~~~~~

1 neg HSPU, 3″
3 C2B pull-ups
5 clapping pushups
7 jumping air squats
9 sit-ups
1 cluster (I don’t know the weight)

I also don’t know the rounds or time. Ha!

~~~~~~

25 reps 10-count burpee + strict ring dips
25 reps 1-count burpee + Russian KBS, 70#
50 reps 8-count burpee + medicine ball clean

I can’t read my own writing, so I don’t know that time it took.

~~~~~

I do remember this workout, and it was tough. For example, rounds 11-15 consisted of 100m run, 10 sit-ups, air squats, & pushups, and 5 pull-ups. ‘Twas quite an accumulation of reps.

Time = 39:20.

~~~~~

I recorded other workouts that I can’t decipher. So there’s that.

~~~~~~

Other things of utmost importance to note:

I now like IPAs, but only hazy IPAs. Hazy means unfiltered. I’m also unfiltered.

I’ve been baking up a storm, and have even begun to create my own recipes. My favorite original recipe is lemon cupcakes with raspberry frosting. My favorite non-original recipe is orange creamsicle cupcakes. OMFG. I’ve also been making puff pastry, including Jeff’s favorite, cream horns.

Whilst I don’t like Autumn and I generally develop a slight malaise, I very much enjoy the sunflowers at The Biltmore.

Treating people fairly and treating people equally are not the same thing. I say this as a teacher and as an athlete. I am appalled at folks who are disappointed that CFHQ is going to allow trans athletes to compete in the gender category in which they identify. The comments are most often directed at biologically born males who identify as females. “It’s an unfair advantages, as males are stronger than females!” “Trans females take male hormones, and those are PEDs!” Folks, most trans individuals have spent much of their lives at a disadvantage, often being made to attempt to act like the biological gender that they were born with. Is athletic prowess purely physical and not psychological? I would say not. Now imagine being born a biological woman who identifies as a man. And now imagine having to play on the “girls” team. Now imagine being born a biological man who identifies as a woman. Yup, and now imagine having to play on the “boys” team. The psychological disadvantages that many trans athletes have experienced, IMHO, far outweigh any perceived physical advantages you think or feel they may have. One last thing and then I’ll be quiet for a while… There is no aspect of the CFG that is “fair” to every athlete competing. Lifting heavy weights? I’m 5’6″ and weight 145#, so I’m at a disadvantage from the start. Should I yell that the competition is unfair? That I’m not being treated fairly? What about a workout like “Murph,” that includes running, pull-ups, pushups, and air squats (albeit whilst wearing a 20# weight vest). I can fucking crush that workout. Should heavier, taller, slower athletes yell that it’s unfair to them? Ok, one very very last thing: life isn’t always fair, so get over it.

I fear for our democracy. I hope (as I don’t pray) for a blue wave come November. I also hope that the election is fair. It likely won’t be. (See above.)