Burden

Today was a Burden. Actually is was a Burden Run.

In 2013 the CrossFit games did an event they called the "Burden Run". For whatever reason we have been doing our own burdens runs on Wednesdays. Actually it's been a lot of fun.

Today's workout:

- 5 across and back bear crawl
- 3 100m burden carries (a big rope, two 10 lb weights and a 50 lb bag)
- 3 400m burden carries (100 lb punching bag, two 20 lb med balls and 2 10 lb weights)
- 25 tire flips with a jump through. 

It actually wasn't as hot today but it was still a warm day at 11pm.

Honestly I felt awesome today. The workout really wasn't that hard. I didn't look at my watch but I don't think it took me more that 20 minutes. The hardest thing was carries the "pig" a quarter mile. It was my second time doing that and it felt SO MUCH better this time.

I really like the timed workouts and pushing till the end and gunning for a certain number. Sometimes though its fun just to work hard and sweat. Check out friend Pete flipping the tire! 

Yesterday I was pretty worried about my elbow. Today I didn't feel it one bit. Yesterday I aggravated my elbow flipping tires. Today I flipped the tire 25 times and didn't feel it.

So weird. 

I continue to be excited about my progress. I feel like a million bucks. I also know and undertake that I am always on the edge of illness and injury. 

I have no fear. None. 

If you are curious what the "10 best ab exercises" are then jump on over to my fitness blog and check it out. It's going to give you a really good education! 

30 Day Clean Eating Challenge is open for a LIMITED TIME. Details and registration:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/30-day-clean-eating-challenge-august-tickets-12434448771

Please share this post if you think someone out there might be inspired! ROCK ON. 

Forward

The main concept for our training is to go FORWARD. Setbacks will happen. Frustration is around every corner. To win though means that you always go forward. Even when you think you are going backwards you need to figure out a way to keep moving forward.

The ironic thing is that last 9 days I have done (including today SO FAR) 18 separate workouts. Some have been short and some have been long but there have been a lot of them.

My back is fine. I feel tremendous physically. My knees are perfect.

It's my freakin' elbows that hurt. The good news is that I can work around that problem. The bad news is that they still hurt and pain is rarely a fun thing.

I keep moving forward.

Today we did a workout called "Annie". It's a timed workout and I did get a serving of humble pie as Teresa legitimately beat me by 50 seconds.

Honestly I was excited to be that close to her.

Double unders (dubs) are really giving me a hard time and this workout had a 150 of them coupled with my absolute worst move: sit-ups.

I did the workout is 12:25. The good people do it in half the time. The problem for me (I mean besides the fact that I am a sit-ups turtle) is that I can't string together dubs yet.

I can do 3 or 4 but my rhythm just gets messed up after that. The last round I tied together a bunch but Teresa was done by then so it was not of any help.

50-40-30-20-10 dubs and sit-ups.

When she finished the first 50 dubs before I did I knew I was in trouble.

I am moving forward though. I practiced rushed dubs and I think I am getting better.

Also I used the "ab mat" for the first time today and have a legit piece of skin missing from my butt crack. Word.

My elbow was bothered today what I did a time flip with no warm up. The lesson, of course, is to warm up!

Going FORWARD I am going to be patient with my elbow. For the last few years I have worked hard but done very few pull-ups and no rope climbs. My bar work has been pretty restricted as well. I need to develop my grip strength and my elbows will get stronger.

At least that is the plan.

Speaking of plans. My wife and I have put together a 30 Day Clean Eating Challenge. People that are doing the July edition are LOVING it!

This program is only open for a limited time. Jump on board now while you can!

For details: http://yourbestfitnesscoach.blogspot.com/2014/06/30-day-clean-eating-challenge.html

To register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/30-day-clean-eating-challenge-august-tickets-12434448771

Questions: rick@youbestfitnesscoach.com | teresa@yourbestfitnesscoach.com 

I hope that you enjoyed today's post and have enjoyed the others. Tonight I am doing a "Hero Workout" called Whitten. Gonna get me a little BURPEE LOVE. Rock on. 

Please share if you think your friends would find value from this blog. THANK YOU! 

The void is filled.

Often times it is better to give something up then to hang onto something that isn't there. The twist is this: there needs to be something to fill the void.

The void is filled.

My decision to quit something that I love is probably temporary. It's not something that can leave me.

I have decided to quite the endurance sports or running, biking and triathlete and focus my efforts 100% on CrossFit competition. I don't know how to say this but... it is such an empowering feeling to know that it is OK to quit for now.

Again, the void is filled.

I love competing in endurance sports but, to be honest, my heart just isn't there. I can't stomach the time away from Teresa and I just can't seem to get in shape or be consistent. Why put that kind of pressure on myself?

Training for the CrossFit Games is something that Teresa and I can do together and that makes me happy.

I'm not saying that I will never do another triathlon again. I'll be back. For now I am focused and absolutely FIRED UP about this new challenge in my life. I am ALL IN.

I leave behind so many top finished and accolades. It's really hard to say which are my favorite. I have to say that finished 7th place in WORLD in the sport of XTerra is pretty high up there. For now the focus is on what my current love is: FITNESS.

I didn't blog ob Saturday and on Sunday. I spend those days watching the CrossFit Games, going to a memorial service for my wife's aunt and cleaning the kids bedroom.

Of course I worked out... a lot. 14 workouts last week. It's what I need to do. If I can stay injury free and healthy the SKY IS THE LIMIT.

Saturday -

• WOD #1: 2 mile row then 125 burpee pull-ups
• WOD #2: 25 tire flips, 50 wall ball, 25 box jumps, 50 ground to overhead (GTO) w/ 35 lb DB's, 25 push-ups, 50 ball over bar (20 lbs, 9ft) 
• WOD #3: 21-15-9 w/ a 200m run over 2 dirt piles in between 21/15, 15/9 and after 9 - Weight used CINDER BLOCK: over shoulder cleans, goblet squats, GTO.

Sunday -

• WOD: 5k trail run in 21:54.

Monday -

• WOD #1: Heavy back squats (Max 235 lbs, 4 rope climbs)
• WOD #2: Heavy dead lifts (Max 255 lbs)
• WOD #3: 10 minute AMRAP - 5 push-press (115 lbs), 10 dead lifts (115 lbs), 15 box jumps. fell 3 box jumps short of 7 rounds. 

I've been busy. Do you think I felt like getting up at 6am to do the extra lifting workout? Nope. I did it anyway because I am committed and need a lot of work. 

Here are some pictures random pictures from the workouts: 

Gotta love the 3rd workout of the day out in the dirt lot next door. When they build the house there I am going to show my new neighbor how I threw a cinder block over my should a bunch of times....in his living room. 

I feel great today. I had a little trouble sleeping last nigh so I napped after I did other blog this morning. 

It's good to have the freedom to day that.

Awesome. I caught you up on my workouts. Now for something REALLY cool.

My wife and I are launching the August edition of the 30 Day Clean Eating Challenge. If you are interested in learning what that is you can check out this blog post: http://yourbestfitnesscoach.blogspot.com/2014/06/30-day-clean-eating-challenge.html

Here is the link to register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/30-day-clean-eating-challenge-august-tickets-12434448771

This is really an amazing program that Teresa put together. It really is awesome. Let me know if you have any questions: 352-989-6795 / rick@yourbestfitnesscoach.com 

The power of the second workout

We did 2 of the 2014 CrossFit Games Master's workouts today.

With the 105 degree heat index it was brutal.

Workout #1: 400m run / 2 legless rope climbs ~ 5 rounds. Our rope isn't as high as the one at the games so I did mine starting from a seated position. I have to be brutally honest. I did the first 3 rounds fine. Climb number 2 on round 4 I had to start from a standing position. The last 2 climbs in round 5 same thing.

I am going to claim Rx because I didn't have chalk and those dudes at the games did. My time was 14:55. (1:05 under the time cap) The times from the games for the 40-44 masters were..

1st - 9:52
5th - 10:08
10th - 10:21
15th - 11:23
20th - Over 16 minute time cap.

I would have been 20th. Not a great showing. I gave it my best effort and I feel good about doing more legless rope climbs in one workout then I have ever done....ever.

So here is where things get interesting. While I was doing the "Run rope" workout Teresa was doing the "Out and back" workout; also a masters workout from this years games. 

For second workout we both did the "out and back". She improved her time from 27:43 to 24:14. Three minutes with less than 2 hours rest? Crazy. 

My time would have placed me 15th at the CrossFit games masters 40-44 division. This is a good results for me. Boom! 16:40 was my time. Here are the actual results for various places...

1st - 12:36

10th - 15:19

15th - 16:45

I really do feel pretty good about this especially considering the heat and the fact that it was my second workout of the day. It was mostly functional body weight stuff so it was right in my wheelhouse. I tried to stay as close to the CrossFit standards as I could. Here is the workout:

50 box jumps

25 toe to bar

50 wall ball

25 ring dips

50 wall ball

25 toe to bar

50 wall ball

50 box jumps 

It was a tough 16 minute for sure.

Both Teresa and I performed a lot better and felt a lot better on our second workout of the day. Why is that?

honestly your guess is as good as mine. The point here is that if you want to get strength and you want to get better then get to work. You don't need all that rest. Just do work and you will get better. 

This also goes to show that warming up with some HARD exercise is important. 

It's been a hard week and I really did need a good workout to boost my confidence. Done. 

I feel really good about the way my conditioning is coming. I need a lot of time to get ready so I am happy that I have it.

I can't wait to watch the Individuals when they release the videos. How about the "triple 3" workout? 3000m row, 300 double unders, 3 mile run. Sounds like my kind of party. I'm sure I will be doing that one soon....

I am looking for some individual and business sponsors. Please email me if you or someone you know is interested in joining our team as we train for the 2015 CrossFit Games.... 

Leasons

I am always learning lessons. Going into this big new challenge I NEED to be able to learn as I go and learn quick. It is vital.

So I learned 2 lesson last night during the workout.

After the Burden Run yesterday I figured I'd do the 6pm workout at the gym. Usually the workout is something that I can hammer through and not have to think to much.

It ended up being a TOUGH 25 minute AMRAP.

- 200 yard sprint
- 5 bar facing burpees
- 15 over head press (I used 85 lbs)
- 20 box jumps (24 inches)

On paper this doesn't seem hard but a combination of the weight for the overheads (nobody else was using more that 25 lbs) and the heat (it has been 90+ all day and this was my second workout) made it a killer.

Two lessons.

Lesson number one for me was learning to "lose" gracefully. I know, it's not a race. The challenge for me is to see someone doing more reps in an AMRAP workout. I don't do humble very well. The lesson for me is that I need to use this as a positive. The person ahead of me was using 25 lbs when I was using 85 lbs. I was also doing bar facing burpees which are a lot harder then regulars.

It's not an excuse. I need to use times like that to push myself in my mind.

"That dude is in from of me. I need to suck it up and catch him."

That is a good lesson for all of us.

Lesson number two was about the real reason I am doing this.

I was doing one of my 200m sprints. It's an out and back down the road. From the loading dock at the gym you can see the whole route. I turned around at the sign and walked a few meters. I looked up and saw Teresa watching me walk.

Not acceptable. I am doing this to inspire others. The number one person that I am doing it for is Teresa. She caught me walking. I felt for a moment like I was letter her down. Not cool.

Everybody is watching and supporting me. I can't let anyone down. I must fight for every rep and every minute. Others are fighting harder right now. I need to up my game.

Today's workouts were challenging but fun. We started with a CrossFit standard called Fight Gone Bad.

5 exercsies done for one minute each. You rest one minute then do again. You do a total of three rounds.

- Rowing (calories)
- SDHP (75 lb barbell)
- Wall ball
- Box jump
- Shoulder to overhead (75 lb barbell)

My scores for each round were: 110 - 100- 96. TOTAL of 304. I guess they did this in 2009 at the CrossFit Games and dudes scored up near 475. Crap that's a lot of work.

I'm happy with 304. Got my Muscle Fuel in so that helped BIG TIME.

After our workout we did a quick little burn workout that looked like this: 10 squats | 10 knee to elbow | 20 sit-ups | 10 wall ball | 30 squats | 10 slam ball | 40 sit-ups | 10 box jumps | 50 squats.

There was supposed to be 1000m row as well but I skipped it because we only have 2 rowers and there were 10 people in class so I didn't want to take up space.

Now I rest... until tomorrow.

I've done all the workouts that I wanted to do and I still have 3 days left in the week. Not sure what I will do. I'm sure I will figure something out.....

I wrote a really powerful blog today at www.yourbestfitnesscoach.com . It's called "YOUR dream life". Will you jump over and check it out?

More and more people are ready this blog everyday. Can you help out and give it a quick share? THANK YOU!

Rock on my friends!

Rick Copley

352-989-6795

rick@yourbestfitnesscoach.com

Instagram: @rickcopley

Facebook: rickcopley 

Burden Run

CrossFit Games 2014 started to day for the individuals. The beach looked tough this year.

250 yard swim
50 kettlebell thrusters / 30 burpees
500 yard swim 
50 kettlebell thrusters / 30 burpees
250 yard swim.

Good luck with that one guys. Hope you have been in the pool.



I am not at the games this year so I have to do my own workouts. Today was the Burden Run.

The run was a burden for sure. Did this at 11am here is Central Florida.... yeah.... AKA the surface of the sun....

I am tough and I consider the heat just me be an element that makes my workout harder and thus makes me better.

Started with a 1.2 mile run. I did this in about 8 minutes. Then I carried "the pig" 400 meters. This bad boy is a 100 lb punching bag. It was a tough haul down the street for sure.

I haven't had a lot of success finding a sled yet so I pulled a picnic table with 50 lbs on it across the parking lot 3 times. Don't underestimate how hard it is to drag things in the Florida sun. This was more awkward than anything. Worked out to about 120 yards. 

The picnic table deal was followed by 12 tire flips. This isn't all that hard for me. It's a little awkward but I pushed though them. The tire is almost as big as I am....

This was followed by 24 lunge walk steps with a 75 lb barbell. To be honest I didn't know how this would feel for me so I used 75. Next time I will use more. We have bee doing a lot of lunge walks with weight lately so I am starting to get strong. This s a good sign. 

I didn't realize till I saw this picture that my elbow was a little bent. Need to work on that for sure. Strait arms darn it! 

Finished the workout with two legless rope climbs. To my surprise my elbow feel fine after doing this. It was hard but I did it. Not a real flattering picture but here I am climbing the rope....

Workout took me 22:47. It would have been nice to be racing someone. I could have probably gone a minute or more faster. It was a solid workout for me and I am happy with the results. 

As the results for the masters competition come out it is very obviously that I am going need to be able to increase my max lifts safely. The 20th place guy at the games (in the 40-44 division) dead-lifted 385 lbs.

That right these is a problem I need to solve. 

Lucky for me my Mass Impact came in today. Stuff works to gain muscle and strength. Love me some Mass Impact...

If you do CrossFit or are just looking to put on muscle then you seriously need to consider. Advocare's Mass Impact. Learn more here: https://www.advocare.com/09073310/Store/ItemDetail.aspx?itemCode=P2800&id=B

As I go through this journey to the games I am in need of some sponsorship. We are accepting both individuals and businesses as sponsors. Please send my an email if you are interested to helping a guy out. You read my excuses. I need all the help I can get.

Thanks for reading and a quick share is always appreciated! Rock on. 

Rick Copley

352-989-6795

rick@yourbestfitnesscoach.com

Instagram: @rickcopley

Facebook: rickcopley 

The task at hand

On a daily basis I am working on the task at hand.


I need to get stronger. I need to get more fit. I need to learn how to do certain movements. I need to avoid injury. I need to recovery. I need to get up again tomorrow and do it all over again.

I am going to succeed at the CrossFit Games in 2015 for 3 reasons.

1. I have the talent.
2. I will out work everyone else.
3. I have the right fuel in my body with the Advocare supplements. If they work for Rich Froning they will work for me.

Rich Froning is the 3X CrossFit Games CHAMPION and Advocare endorser. 

CLICK HERE to see what products Rich uses.

Check out what Rich says about Advocare. Makes me feed pretty good about what I put into my body.

I got one and three in the bag. Number two is tough because I also need to recovery. Recovery is challenging when you are working out all the time.

Today I ran a little under 3 miles SLOW at about 7am. Not a problem.

At 9am I worked on some cleans. We established a max yesterday and this is something I am NOT used to doing so so I felt a little flat doing my cleans today. I was practicing form at 135 lbs.

At 9:15am I did Open Workout 12.5. This was a 7 minute AMRAP 3-6-9-12 etc. thrusters (100lbs) and chest to bar pull-ups. My score was 85.

This score would have put me 934/1895 in the Southeast Region in 2012. This is overall because there was no 40-45 age group that year like there is now. I would have been 25/93 in the 45-49.

I'm not 45 yet so that last stat doesn't matter. I like to compare my score now so that as I get stronger I can see the numbers come down or go up. It drives me. I do not accept being "top half". I am a warrior and a champion. I don't do well as top half. Fight on I must....

I think I could have had about 10 more reps today if we had chalk at the gym. The lest set of pull-ups (15) I got timed out at 10. I was doing singles because my grip strength was gone from sweating so bad.

I'm not even going to talk about how I do these workouts in a garage like gym with not one bit of AC. It was over 90 today.

The other workout that I did was 5 rounds of TABATA. Each TABATA had 2 exercises. (Exercise#1 20 seconds work/10 seconds rest then exercise#2 20 seconds work/10 seconds rest for 4 minutes) Here are the exercise pairs:

1. Pull-ups / push-ups
2. Golblet squats (50 lbs - This is the heaviest kettlebell we have) / wall ball
3. Sit-ups / low plank
4. Overhead press (35 lb DB's) / swings
5. Row / double unders

My body is a little achy. My shoulders and back are sore. My nap today helped but I am still tired.

The feeling makes it all worth it becasue in one year I will see the fruits of my labor bear at the CrossFit Games. I got this.

Thanks for joining me on my journey. Tomorrow is a burden run. Still trying to figure out how I am going to get a 100 lbs punching bag on my back.

My fitness blog today is about "Action". It's really powerful. Please jump on over and check it out if you get a chance.  http://yourbestfitnesscoach.blogspot.com/2014/07/action.html

As I right this I'm thinking I need to do some squats or something at the gym tonight.... hmmmm.

If you want to be part of what we do then you could join our team Just shoot me a quick email and ask me how: rick@yourbestfitnesscoach.com 

Sucking it up

Probably the main reason that I haven't really wanted to do a whole lot of CrossFit in the past is the weights. I am not a huge fan of lifting heavier weights. To be honest it's pretty much because I am competitive and don't know when to say when.

Guess I need to suck it up and learn how to do heavy weights without hurting myself.

I got this.

Last week we worked on some front squats. Today we did cleans.

The more I blog and the more I think about this I am pretty sure this entire journey is going to revolve around me staying as injury free as possible.

The last serious bought with back pain started with some heavy cleans. Not this time.

Today I set a personal best at 175 lbs. That's a landmark weight because it is my body weight. Check me out:

We also did some overhead squats and I PR'ed there as well with 115 lbs.

It's not much but it is a start. Also worked on some handstand walks. Yeah...need lots of practice there.

Today's main WOD was open workout 12.4. The workout was a 12 minute AMRAP. 150 wall ball shots, 90 double unders and 30 muscle ups.

I actually did this workout as part of the open back in 2012. I only got through 40 dubs then. Today I got through 81 nut was totally gassed. Not sure if I could have done any muscle ups if I got to them.

The heat is a factor but there is nothing that I can do about that. The good news is that I PR'ed my "Karne" by over 90 second. 150 wall ball in 8:16.

Not back.

So the Masters workouts at the games has been announced. Man I wish I was there this year....
http://games.crossfit.com/workouts/games#masters

Day 1: 4 Workouts.
1. Deadlift ladder.
2. Handstand walk.
3. Sled sprint. (100 yds)
4. Run rope. (400m run, 2 legless rope climbs - 5 rounds)

Day 2: 2 Workouts.
1. 2007. (1000m row then 5 rounds 25 pull-ups, 7 push-jerk (135))
2. Med ball burpee. (21-15-9 medball cleans / burpees)

Day 3: 1 Workout.
50 box jumps, 25 toe to bar, 50 wall ball, 25 ring dips, 50 wall ball, 25 ring dips, 50 box jumps.

Sound like a fun weekend to me. Tomorrow I am doing 12.5 which is 21-15-9 thrusters and burpees. Wednesday is the burden run. Need something like this...anyone want to donate something like this to me?

So on I fight. Day after day I feel better about what I am doing. I feel 100% confident that not only will I make it to Carson, California BUT I know I will win the CrossFit Games. 

How is that for bold?

I can. I will. Watch me. 

CrossFit is a pain in the neck....

Let me give you a little history behind my neck and back issues.

If you read my first post in this new blog (CLICK HERE TO READ) then you know that I have a back issue. Back issue's almost always lead to neck issue and vice versa.

For me the issues started about 10 years ago.



One day I was running and my lower back started hurting.

It's hurt everyday since.

I have been to the chiropractor a million times. I've even had a MRI and x-rays. Turns out I have a hind of scoliosis. I've kept working out and not let it affect me.

It's just an excuse after all.

By and large my neck was never an issue and the back pain was never that back. It was always more of an annoyance.

But now I am getting older....

4 years ago I crashed by bike. It wasn't that bad. It was at mile 50 of a 110 mile long summer suffer fest. I was sore from road rash but nothing else really.

Except a little bit of a sore neck .

I actually did the Ironman with my neck sore but not a lot of pain. Then a week after the Ironman I did a triathlon in some cold water. I was real stiff swimming and my neck felt wrong. I few days later I couldn't turn my head. I suffered for a couple of weeks with this until it started feeling a little better.

I hurt my back a couple fo years ago swinging a 85 pound kettlebell in the sand. I was limping around few a for a week after that.

A few months back I hurt my neck simply by self adjusting (you know, "cracking" my neck). So stupid. I was in agony for days. Not long after that got better I hurt my back and didn't workout for 10 days. Just as I was getting better I did it again and missed another week.

My back / neck problem is serious and I need to treat it as such.

Right now my neck hurt a lot. I will rest the rest of today and tomorrow 100%. No worries. It's minor.

Thank God.

Today's workout was devastating. I am going to try and do a longer workout once or two days a week to stretch my endurance. Today was just such a workout.

"100 minute Burpee Challenge"

Each ten minute segment you do as many burpees as you can... AFTER you do 100 repetitions of an exercise of your choice. There were 12 to choose from. There was not rest so you had to program your own. I ended up with 321 burpees. Teresa had 283 and our friend Gidget did it also and had 183. I didn't have any zeros. Gidget had 3 and Teresa had 1. It was a tough workout.

Here is how I did the workout:

Minutes 0-10: Bar push-press (75 lbs) then 15 burpees. (Took the last minute to strategically rest.)

Minutes 10-20: Double unders then 55 burpees.

Minutes 20-30: Box jumps (24 inches) then 10 burpees. 

Minutes 30-40: Dips (20 regular then the rest on a bench. There was just no way...) then 25 burpees.

Minutes 40-50: 1000 meters rowing then 35 burpees. 

Minutes 50-60: Lunge walk then 45 burpees.

Minutes 60-70: Tabletops then 60 burpees.

Minutes 70-80: Goblet squats (50 lbs) then 20 burpees.

Minutes 80-90: Sit-ups then 24 burpees.

Minutes 90-100: SDHP then 34 burpees. 

By the way, the two exercises that I chose not to do were dead lifts and swings. Turns out that was smart. Teresa tried dead lifts and didn't get through them....

Just typing it out makes me tired. We were WIPED after we finished. Didn't help that it was outside in the typical Florida summer day.

We survived and it was truly EPIC. 

Tomorrow I rest. Next week we are wokring on cleans and overhead squats. We also get to self teach doing some handstand push-ups. If it were up to me we would next do those. Blah.

Hope you have a great weekend. Rock on my friends! 

Elbow

My elbows hurt. Well, not now, but earlier.

They hurt a lot.

Here is the sad elbow story.


So a few weeks ago when we started doing more pull-ups, rope climbs and bar exercises my elbows started hurting. One day they would hurt then the next they wouldn't hurt. It was kind of strange. When they hurt I made an effort to go easy on them and the pain was gone in a day or two.

I now pretty much know the issue. When I climb the rope or do muscle-ups without proper warm up then they hurt.

Last night I climbed the rope legless to see if I could do it. I did but I felt a twinge in both elbows. This morning they were on fire so bad that I literally couldn't find a position to get comfortable in.

Then all of a sudden the pain went away and now I feel nothing.

Weird.

So today I purposefully am doing some "active rest". It's not a rest day but it's not a normal workout day. Normally during the week I do 2-3 workouts per day. Today I did one workout and I did it at 6am. This way I was done at 6:20am and have 24 full hours to prepare for a long (100 minute) workout tomorrow.

Strategic rest, if you will.

This mornings workout:

400m run
20 burpees
2 rope climbs (or 20 bar thrusters)
20 goblet squats (50 lbs)
4 rounds.

On paper this looked pretty easy. Apparently it wasn't because it took the people in my class well over 30 minutes. (Yes, I subjected them to this crazy workout) Took me just about 23 minutes.

I did the first 2 rounds with the rope climb them the thrusters the last 2 rounds. My elbows had me cringing the entire time.

Not gonna lie. I went hope after the class and went back to bed.

Usually I do my other blog by 9 or 10am and this one early afternoon. Because of an appointment, a trip to the pool and a 3 way call this blog isn't being published till after dinner.

Ah, the life of a blogger.

Overall my body feels good. I am tired and a bit sore. My elbows are sore but not painful. My mind is the strongest thing right now. I feel like I can really do this. I feel like the open workouts are going to go great and the additional workouts to qualify for the games are going to suit me.

I am going to go to the games and rock the house.

Why not me?

We just placed an Advocare order this morning. I am super exciting because I go myself some Muscle Fuel. This stuff is AMAZING. Here is a quick video about the development of this pre-workout products. Dr. Kraemer is the real deal. 

CLICK HERE to order some of the best pre-workout supplement on the planet.

Tomorrow we are doing a workout call the "100 minute challenge". If you are local to Eustis you may want to check it out. It is going to be a tough one!

Hope you enjoyed today's post. If you have a desire to get fit we would love to be your coach. You can call me on my cell: 352-989-6795 or email me rick@yourbestfitnesscoach.com .

Rock on my friends.

Weakness

When it comes to CrossFit I have several weaknesses. In order for my strengths to mean ANYTHING I need to improve my main weakness.

My main weakness is that I am weak.

Specifically my max lifts are low. This means that when I am doing a metcon with any kind of weight whatsoever I REALLY get gassed in a hurry.

Today's workout is a perfect example.


10 minute AMRAP: 60 bar facing burpees, 30 overhead squats, 10 muscle ups.

On paper this is my kind of workout. The major problem is when you see the weight for the overhead squats. 120 lbs!

Yeah...that is more than my max.

I can hang with anybody through 60 bar facing burpees. I did that in just over 4 minutes. By the time I picked up the bar and did 10 OHS I was gassed. Truth be told I was only using 75 lbs. I fought though the OHS and had plenty of time for the muscle ups. I was so tired that I only got 3 and quit with a minute remaining.

That is totally unacceptable.

I'm trying to make it to the CrossFit Games not survive a workout. Today I can do neither.

My first challenge is going to be to build strength. I will never C&J 300 lbs. I will never deadlift 400 lbs. That is OK! I will build as much strength as I can while being same and enhancing my metbolic conditioning.

Everyday I feel better and better about what I am doing. Everyday I feel more confident that in July of 2015 I will be in California competing at the CrossFit Games.

Today I did 3 workouts before 10am. I usually don't like to lump them like that but that is just the way it worked out.

I started with a 2 mile trail run at 7am. It was a look that I usually do. Took me 14:30ish which is about 15 seconds slower than my best.

My second workout was a max push-press where I set a PR or 165. This is a good milestone for me because that is my body weight. I also found out another challenge that I have. To do my max front squat I used every weight in the gym. Crap.

Next time I am going to need to hang kettlebells off the bar. Are you kidding me?

I did 215 lbs comfortably which is not a lot but its something.

I will improve each and every week. I will be ready for the open. Try and stop me....

Rick Copley, Your Best Fitness Coach 

"Empowering YOU to be a champion" 

rick@yourbestfitnesscoach.com

Rick's No Excuses Blog

Instagram: @rickcopley 

352-989-6795

Your Best Fitness Coach Facebook Page 

Nancy and new goals

We did two workouts today. One was a traditional "girls" workout that is meant to be a benchmark. The other workout was a benchmark that I made up.

First the "Nancy".

Truth be told I have never really done overhead squats so doing a workout with overhead squats I knew would be a challenge. We watched a couple of videos and practices the a few reps. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the movement suits me... for like 3 reps.

Nancy: 5 rounds for time of 15 overhead squats (95 lbs) and a 400 meter run.

When we got to the gym it was absolutely pouring with a distance rumble of thunder.

No excuses.

We did the workout anyway. Teresa's knee is bothering her a little so she did the row instead of the run. She also used a lighter weight and didn't go at low. The workout took her 19:44.

I was determined to do the Rx weight for the overhead squats and do them unbroken.

No and well... no.

I did the first round with 95. It was a little bit of struggle so I did rounds 2 and 3 with 85. The last 2 rounds I did unbroken with 75 lbs. I would rather keep good form and modify the weight then hurt myself trying to be a hero.

My modified Nancy took me 17:44. It's a start. Lot's of improving to do. I will do the Rx weight next time. Mark my words.

Our second workout was 100 double-unders for time. Considering that neither one of us could do double-unders before this week...this is quite a workout.

Rick - 3:22
Teresa - 5:26

Work. In Progress.

I have made a pretty big decision regarding my goals.

My new goal is to compete in the actual CrossFit Games in California. I have decided that since I am 41 (42) in 2015 when the open happens I might as well focus on my division. The good part about this is not only do I have a real shot at making it to the next level but I KNOW i can place high at the actual CrossFit Games.

I am stoked about this. Big goals take a lot of effort.

The workouts are going to be tough but but as tough at the regrets of not trying.

Tomorrow: Bar facing burpees, more overhead squats and muscle-ups. AWESOME!

Till then it't time to recovery!

Rick Copley, Your Best Fitness Coach 

"Empowering YOU to be a champion" 

rick@yourbestfitnesscoach.com

Rick's No Excuses Blog

Instagram: @rickcopley 

352-989-6795

Your Best Fitness Coach Facebook Page 

11.2

I am not going to lie. Last nights workout was a rough one for me. I guess I could use the excuse that it was my 3rd workout of the day... but I will not.

Surely the heat was the issue.

Whatever.



I wasn't even going to workout again. In the morning we did some heavy lifting then the Fran. The pull-ups in the Farn really gassed me. I also did some overhead squat practice. I taught the 5:30pm class and Teresa worked out.

My overhead squat form is pretty good! 

I figured if she worked out then I should do. The workout looked easy enough.

For some reason I really suffered.

Here is the workout:

1000m row 
THEN 
2 rounds of 25 kettlebell overhead press (50 lbs), 25 push-ups and 25 kettlebell swings (50 lbs)
THEN
100 sit-ups
THEN
25 goblet squats (50 lbs), 25 box jumps and 25 wall ball shots. 

It took everything I had to finish right around 30 minutes.

This morning I did my 5k easy run in 25:11. It was 7am so the heat wasn't bad but the humidity was gruesome. Here is me about halfway though at a really pretty but not well know park called Carver Park:

The main workout today was the 2nd open workout from 2011. We both did 11.2.

Here is the workout.

15 minute AMRAP (as many reps as possible)

9 deadlifts (155 lbs, 100 for Teresa)
12 push-ups (hand release)
15 box jumps (24 inch for me and 18 inch for Teresa)

I did 7 rounds plus the dead lifts, push-ups and 1 box jump. My score was 272 and Teresa was 229.

Dead lifts are a REAL weakness for me so I was happy that I was able to do them with little back pain.

After the workout we worked on double-unders and I am proud to say that I tied together 5 in a row a couple of times. Boy do I have the scars to prove that I am not very good at double unders!

One of the things that I am going to need to over come is my weight. I am about 170. Well... at least I was yesterday. Today I am 165. Either one is a little light. My goal is to consistently get over 180. This will make some of the lifting stuff a little easier while keeping my strength in the met cons high. Most of the top CrossFit guys a 190-200. I don't want to be that heavy but I do want to gain a little weight. 

To facilitate weight gain this was my 9pm snack last night: 

Now that I am two days into this I can say that I am more optimistic then I was before I started. I am learning new skills and getting stronger. I have a goal and I am focused.

Let's do this.

To your success!

Rick Copley, Personal Trainer, Blogger....Champion! 

www.yourbestfitnesscoach.com
rick@yourbestfitnesscoach.com
Advocare Independant Distributor
352-989-6795
Instragram: @rickcopley

No excuses

Welcome to my new blog.

The first thing that I want to do is explain to you what this blog is all about, why is it happening and what I am doing it for.

This blog is about a journey. Not an old journey. Not a journey in the future. It is a journey that begins today and goes till it goes.

It's about the journey and I want you to join with me.

This blog is about my quest to qualify for, and compete, in the 2015 CrossFit Regionals.  This may not seem like a big deal until you hear my excuses for why I can't do this.

The excuses that I could use are crazy big!

Let's get them out there first so that I know what they are before I say F U to each and everyone of them on the way to the regionals. Sound like a plan? Here they are...

1. I am too old. How many of the competitors at the games are in their 40's? Not many if any at all. Who really cares if I am competing against guys half my age. Challenges are meant to help you become more. This is a challenge that I will face. I will use it to my advantage.

2. I don't have good heavy lifts. So what if my dead lift is a third what the top guys can do? I can and will get stronger.

3. I have asthma. Whatever. I've had it for a long time and I know how to control it. Not a factor.

4. I have a bad back. Who cares if I have scoliosis? I don't use it as a crutch and I don't see it as a factor. I can and will get stronger but I just need to be cognoscente of my bad back at all times.... and go to see the chirpractor every week.

5. I am to light. Whatever. I will be 185 by January 1st so that will not be an issue.

6. I don't do CrossFit. This one is a hard one. The gym that we workout at is NOT a CrossFit gym. I will be one of the very few NON CrossFit athletes competing. Again, it's just an excuse.

So why do I want to do this?

Great question.

Ironically is started a few weeks ago. A friend of mine shared an article from some doctor somewhere that said how bad CrossFit is. She really tore CrossFit a new one. I followed up that article with a blog post that wasn't as harsh on CrossFit but it also wasn't super supportive. CLICK HERE to read "My opinion of CrossFit." 

This created a fascination in me to watch the CrossFit games. I watched hours of YouTube videos all the while saying, "I can do that."

I am an athlete. I have tremendous ability. I have lots of talent in many areas as a generic athlete. I have the type of body that bodes well for CrossFit.

Why sit on the sidelines what I could be the one out there doing it.

Why not blog about the experience and give people some real incite into that it's like to train to compete at the highest level with as many excuses as I could have?

I have a fitness blog. You can find it at www.YourBestFitnessCoach.com . That blog (which I post each and every day) is for those on the fitness journey. It is filled with a ton of value and helpful tips. I encourage you to follow that blog. The goal of that blog is to empower and inform.

This blog is a little more narcissistic. I'm sure I will help people but It's going to be more about me and my journey. Hopefully you will find value here as well. Hopefully my determination and drive to succeeed will help others do the same.

I will fight for myself and my family. I will fight for my gym, ASM Fitness. I will fight for my followers and my supporters. I will fight to succeed no matter what the cost.

Please come with me on my journey.

Along the journey with me is my super hot wife Teresa. She is getting ready for the Open with me. Her goals aren't as high as mine but she wants to do her best and secretly she wants to qualify for Regionals as well.

She is a stud. I think she can do it.

We started over the weekend watching some videos and planning out workouts for the week. My real weakness is that I need to get better at some of the skill moves and Olympic lifts. Come hell or high water I need to learn how to do double unders and snatches. We also need to learn how to do some heavy lifting.

Today we set benchmarks on front squats (225) and push-press (155). I am honestly pretty happy with that. I need to be able to squat over 300 lbs and clean at least 275 by the open. Being able to snatch over 200 lbs is going to be necessary as well. Dead lifts.....

The list goes on.

I need to gain some weight.

One workout and one week at at time.

Today we did Fran. My time was 4:59 and Teresa was 8:46. Forward we go.

We got this.

Thank God for Muscle Strength and Post Workout Recovery today.

www.advocare.com/09073310 

Overhead squat work tonight. The beat goes on.

Can you do me a favor? I think lots of people are going to get good value out of this blog. I just need to reach them. Can you share this with anyone that you know that has some obstacles in their path. We want to make this journey with others that have to fight. We want company. 

I hope you enjoy the blog. Check back tomorrow. I am doing Open workout 11.2 It should be a lot of fun.

Rock on.

Rick Copley, Personal Trainer, Blogger....Champion! 

www.yourbestfitnesscoach.com
rick@yourbestfitnesscoach.com
Advocare Independant Distributor
352-989-6795
Instragram: @rickcopley