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 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. 

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.