On SealFit

Respawn...

Fri, 28 Feb 2020 16:45:00 GMT

Back again to try again under the context of Guided Coaching and Accountability.

I joined the 20x in 2020 leadership coaching group with Coach Divine and am currently working through all of the onboarding prep. Part of it is identifying your strengths and weaknesses and planning to train for crucible events in those areas. Part of my primary weakness is following through. I have great plans but lack the perseverance to carry the load over the finish line for success. I'm hoping that finding a like minded group to help with accountability and motivation will help shore up some of that while I work through the mental aspects of changing my thinking.

I'm also overweight and not even trying to be healthier, which is absolutely effecting my mental state.

The struggle is real. If you see me, either IRL or online, ask me how its going. Don't take excuses if I try, hold me accountable.

Week 4 - Day 1 - Balance

Mon, 24 Jun 2019 14:15:15 GMT

Warm Up

5 rds of Box Breathing, Range of motion (ROM) drills

3 Rounds:

20x 4-ct Jumping Jacks
10x Toy Soldiers
Perfect Stretch
10 Burpees

Strength

DB Curtis-P:

8-6-4-2 Reps with 90 seconds rest between sets:

Clean
Lunge Right leg
Lunge left Leg
Push Press

Work Capacity

4 MINUTE AMRAP:

5x pull ups
10x push ups
15x sit up

4 MINUTE AMRAP:

5x burpees
10x knees to chest
15x jumping lunges

4 MINUTE AMRAP:

5x DB Push Press
10x 4 count flutter kicks
15x superman back extension

Recovery

2 sun salutations
Child’s Pose
Table Top Pose
Forward Bend
Meditation

Week 3 Recap

Mon, 24 Jun 2019 14:04:14 GMT

Although I didn't post anything, I was still working. Last week I took the kids to the YMCA 4 out of 5 days and used the facility to get in my workouts. They were not exactly the SealFit workouts, but I used the right movements and work periods. Week four starts today with "Balance" and I'll post about that in a different post.

Week 2 - Day 1 - Stamina

Mon, 10 Jun 2019 13:06:23 GMT

Warm Up

5 rds of Box Breathing, Range of motion (ROM) drills

2 Rounds:

10 4 Count Flutter Kicks
10 Superman Back Extension
10 Hand Release Push Ups

Stamina

Rounds not timed:

10x Man Makers
15x Jumping Pull up (control on the way down)
20 One Armed DB OH Lunge

Work Capacity

18-15-12-9-6-3:

Burpee
Situps
Jump rope – double under or X3 singles

Recovery

Butterfly and Twist
Bridge Pose
Tabletop
Bicycle stretch. Roll to standing
1 Sun Salutation

Day 5 - Discipline

Fri, 07 Jun 2019 02:36:28 GMT

Warm Up

5 rds of Box Breathing, Range of motion (ROM) drills

Body Circle warm up (neck, shoulders, knees, hips, etc.)
20 second Plank center, right side, left side
20x 4 Count Mountain Climbers
10 Knees to Chest
15 Jumping Squats

Strength

Dumbbell Push Press: 10-8-6-4-2
Complete reps with 60 seconds between sets for maximum power

Work Capacity

4 ROUNDS FOR TIME:

5x SB Squat Clean
10x Knees to Chest
15x Air Squats

Recovery

5 rounds of 5 count inhale, 5 count exhale, tactical breath
2x Sun Salutation A
Windmill

Day 4 - Commitment

Thu, 06 Jun 2019 12:51:00 GMT

Warm Up

10 High Knee/ 10 Butt Kickers
15 Plank to Down Dog to Up Dog
25 4-ct Jumping Jacks
20 Lunges

Stamina

20x Renegade row
20 Crab hand / foot crisscross touch
20x Tuck Jump

Work Capacity

8 rounds of 20 seconds on then 10 second rest

1st movement

Jumping squats
1 minute rest

2nd movement

pull ups
1 minute rest

3rd movement

Hand release Push up
1 minute rest

Recovery

2x Sun Salutations
Forward Fold
Side Stretch
Arm Across Chest
Knee Circles

So, that was pretty awful. Also, Tabata can suck it. Oh, man. The hardest part of it was on my wrists. By the time I got to the push-ups, I could barely support myself.

I used a #20lb DB on the renegades, but stopped doing pushups at 10, and only did the renegade lifts. Pullups were inclined pulls with the TRX strap and hand release push ups started on the floor, but quicly got modified to inclided against a box.

Day 3 - Kokoro Yoga

Wed, 05 Jun 2019 20:22:00 GMT

It's probably for the best that I didn't remember to start the time-lapse of me doing yoga.

You're welcome.

Also, just the two Sun Salutations (x3) were enough to wear me out. I don't know what I was thinking, planning on getting through all of the Zen Warrior movements.... Ha!

Day 2 - Courage

Tue, 04 Jun 2019 18:09:02 GMT

Warm Up

1 min. Jumping Jacks
20 Walking Lunge
15 Plank Thrusters
15 Hip Bridge

Strength

Dumbbell Deadlift
Front Squat

Work Capacity

5x Burpees
10x 4-Count Mt. Climbers
15 Air Squats

Recovery

Quad Stretch
Standing Knee to Chest
Leg Crossed Forward Bend 5 Breaths per Side
Arms Across Chest

My legs starting REALLY burning during the AMRAP, and at about 5 minutes (only 4 rounds), I had to stop for two minutes and loosen my quads and let the burn subside. Also, my shoulders are really tight and out of shape, burpees and Mt. Climbers were starting to make them twinge instead of burn, so I will need to work more mobilty into them.

Day 1 - Integrity / PST / Test Day

Mon, 03 Jun 2019 05:48:00 GMT

Warm Up

10 Cherry Pickers
10 Air Squats for form, use support if needed
10 Push Ups, from plank, knees, off a bench or wall
10 Lunge Twists (5 each side)
10 Arm Circles forward and back

PST

Max Push up 1 min (17)
2 min rest
Max Situps in 1 min (22)
2 min rest
Max Air squats in 1 min (33)
2 min rest
Max Pull up (8 Jumping)
2 min rest
Max Burpees in 1 min (10)

Durability

1 min run in place
20 second plank
10 sec rest.

Recovery

Seated twist
Seated forward bend
Supine Knee to chest
Side bicycle stretch
Cat/Cow
Puppy pose
Mountain pose

I did Jumping Pull Ups so that I would actually have some ROM work and I could only handle Three (3) rounds of Durability before totally crapping out. I didn't eat a lot this morning (only a PaleoPro protein shake 60 minutes before), and will probably need to add some light carbs in the morning from now on as I am too shakey at the end of the work out rigt now. I got almost exactly 8 hours of sleep last night after a HARD day of working outside.

The Actor's Instrument

Sun, 02 Jun 2019 13:22:00 GMT

All artists have instruments. Muscians their pianos and flugelhorns, Painters their canvases, brushes and paints. We actors are no different, save that our instruments are us. Our Minds, bodies and voices are our instruments, and we have a responsbility to keep those instruments in good working order.

Just like a violinist replaces worn strings and rosins their bow, and a painter washes and cares for their brushes, so too must actors expand and understand our knowledge of our work and text, remain healthy, active and capable of moving and expressing with our bodies, and keep our voices practiced, healthy and expressive.

My State of Neglict and the Hypocrisy of it all

There is a parable that is attributed to Gandhi, but is more likely a retelling of an old story. Regardless, it is fit to purpose for this discussion.

A woman walks with her son many miles and days to come to Gandhi. She is very worried about her son's health because he is eating too much sugar. She comes to Gandhi and says, "please, sir, can you tell my son to stop eating sugar."
Gandhi looks at her and thinks for a bit and finally says, "ok, but not today. Bring him back in two weeks."
She's disappointed and takes her son home. Two weeks later she makes the journey again and goes to Gandhi with her son.
Gandhi says to the boy, "you must stop eating sugar. It's very bad for you."
The boy has such respect for Gandhi that he stops and lives a healthy life.
The woman is confused and asks him, "Gandhi, please tell me: why did you want me to wait two weeks to bring back my son."
Gandhi said, "Because two weeks ago, I was eating sugar and before I could tell your son to stop eating sugar, I had to stop eating sugar first."

I am not at my best, and yet I think it's ok to hold my self up as a teacher and coach, as an example, for others to learn from. I am not setting the example that I would want others to follow, and I need to fix that.

For the next twelve weeks I am focusing on a physical and mental transformation to tune my instrument and to make me a better teacher, coach, father and person.

This is one of my reasons.

Past to Present

Sat, 01 Jun 2019 19:56:00 GMT

This is me (and the MAGNIFICENT Coach B) nearly ten years ago, probably at the most fit of my adult life ( I was 185-190, 18% BF in these photos). I had been doing Crossfit for just about a year and I was gung-ho about Paleo, Olympic Lifting, and whatever the WOD was at CrossFit MN (Now CrossFit Edina).

From there I went on to get my CFLV1 certification, during which I got to work and learn from two of my CrossFit heroes, Chris Spealler and Jon Gilson.

and then, basically LIFE happened. While I was doing this initial fitness training I was on a long term project in the Twin Cities. It gave me the consistency and permanence I needed to find a CrossFit box and a training community that I could commit to and it allowed me to focus time every day on myself, my health and my fitness. Unfortunately, almost immediately after this last photo was taken I rolled off the project I was on and moved on to several years of constant travel with no permanent work location, we had another child, and the stress of having a larger family to support and being an introvert ground against my low desire to work out in the gym of whatever hotel I was styaing at this week.

Ten years later and I have two kids, am still traveling inconsistently and am now 229.5lbs @ 40% BF and I need a change.

I have made half-assed attempts at fixing this in the past, but haven't put in the effort to fix my mental state, which is the root of my problem(s). Enter Coach Mark Divine and SealFit. His programming is CrossFit adjacent, so... familiar, but more importantly, he focuses on the mental fortitude that one needs to succeed, and takes several approaches to helping people (from Special forces Operators to everyday joes like me) get right in the head to set themselves up for success. And look, most of it is things that I've heard before - specifically around goal setting and mind set, but the way he lays it out is and has you approach works for me and gives me motivation to follow it, so here I am. Starting a journal, printing out a training schedule and taking on a new (old) obstacle.

Wish me luck.