Donate a TRX to Sgt. Steele

Sgt. Steele is a friend of mine currently on a tour of duty in Iraq with the California National Guard Infantry. This is Sgt. Steele's THIRD FRIGGING TOUR! He went over with the Marines for the invasion, and again with the Marines in 2005 (I'm working off memory so I think that's right) and was in Fallujah as well as other places you don't want to go for vacation. From time to time I'll be putting these up to try and ease his burden over there. As he continues his conditioning with kettlebells I thought this would be something very useful to him as it is ultra transportable and builds the type of functional strength he needs. If anyone is interested in picking up one of these for him shoot me an e-mail at jordan@averagetoelite.com and I'll give you the shipping and website info. I'll also be sending him over stuff like training DVD's, etc. Thanks all.
TRX Force Training Kit

Today's workout

I've been feeling off this whole week due to some stomach thing. Not sure if I got a touch of that flu going around, or if it's something I'm eating. So I'm not completely on 'the zone' but close. I'm going to clean it up as soon as I feel better. regardless I went in the gym today and did some work. Started off with 20 sets of 7x16 kilo snatches to get going. Worked into some Zercher squats and weighted pull ups. Worked on that trick I saw Kenneth Jay doing of bumping it out of the Zercher Squat rest position and up into the overhead press. Not actually as tough as I thought it would be, but still a bit paranoid about hitting my face. Got up to 55lbs. with weighted pull ups and chins before I conked out.

Wait... the house of pain has more than one key?

Back on the foam roller today after watching Mark Reifkind's 'Restoring Lost Physical Function'. Like everyone else I sprinkle it in, but now I know I need to get more body work in and make sure I don't lose any physical function to begin with.
I'm actually sore from my workout yesterday! Wow! It's been a while for that, and I feel like I got hit by a truck. In a good way.
While developing a weight room workout for a friend of mine I've decided to go ahead and do up a template for the website as well. While I wouldn't call my training random, it definitely is never the same, as I am a big believer in forcing the adaptation response. However, I think many people could benefit from a structured program using some of the old lifts like Bent Press, Turkish Get Up, One-Handed Deadlift, etc. as well as modern compound lifts like Squats, Deadlift, etc. Plus some olympic style lifting. I'm still working out the details as I would really like to have a set of video clips to go with it, as these tend to be much more technical than barbell curls or leg presses. Which is one of the things that makes them so effective. My strength is definitely up. I'm up to 5 one arm push ups and can do more, am dropping ever lower in my one legged squats, and am going to make an attempt to break that 155 lb. push press tomorrow.

The mathematics of iron.

It's darker on my end of the gym. If there were fancy cable machines over here, I would probably end up tipping them over for practice, or just to see if I can. Here in the temple reason slips away about fifteen minutes into the workout, about the time I start one hand snatching the barbell and doing handstand push ups off of it with my feet planted on the power rack. A 32 kilo kettlebell, a box of chalk, barbells in various states of use, and my beloved broken barbell for grip training.
Yes I see you over there doing tricep cable push downs with one hand and talking on your phone with the other. You think I'm crazy. I think you're crazy.
Your genetics will only take you so far, eventually you have to pay the piper if you want the strength. Not fake strength to work a smith machine or move a cable. The strength you need to one hand deadlift 135 lbs. or more. The strength you need to claim dominance over an enemy that can never really be beaten, an enemy of unyielding cold iron. That's what makes you stronger, what forges you into someone who succeeds where lesser men or women would fail. You know that in the end you can never win, but you keep showing up for the fight. I know that in the end the kettlebell will take me out. If I can snatch it fifty times, it knows there is a higher number, and the mathematics of iron will always crush me. It will leave me limping out of the gym with trembling hands, but it knows I will be back. I always am.

Good morning Marines!

Well it's morning for me now, as I have become lazy. The Marine Corps was born in a bar in PA waaay back in Nov. 10, 1775. We have distinguished ourselves in every foreign war since, and established that there is no other corps such as ours. These are facts, and they are indisputable. Happy Birthday Marines.
-Sgt. Vezina, USMC 0311 1997-2001

I have received the key to the house of pain.

I picked up a 32 kilo Dragondoor kettlebell a couple days ago that I found on Craig's List. This thing is heavy. However, the 24 kilo wasn't providing enough punishment, so it was time to step it up. I'm not big on the Max V02 or trying to do 100 snatches. Both are great training tools and I'll do it on occasion, but for me I prefer moving heavy weights for lower reps. I like the sensation of feeling like I'm trying to keep my body from being ripped apart as I train. Working through snatches and long cycle with this things reminds me of just how vulnerable I really am, and that I have to keep pushing forward.

"There is no mercy in this dojo, mercy is for the weak."

In the zone

So I have semi-officially started the zone, tweaked for athletic performance. I say 'semi-officially' because I am still sort of guesstimating my amounts, but I'm very close, and after I pick up a food scale today I'll be dead on. After only four days I've already seen an increase in my performance levels, I think as a result of my nutritional intake being regulated. Normally the 24 kilo kettlebell is at least fairly difficult, but yesterday I tossed it around the way I normally would a 16 kilo. Part of that may be psychological, but I have to attribute some of it to the change in diet. Initially I thought it would be harder to stay on this, but I'm actually finding it to be much easier than what I was doing. The foods are different, but the amounts are always the same. I also feel much better. Of course there are no energy drinks in the zone, and I know just stopping that nonsense has me on a much more even keel as far as my energy levels go. I've linked some articles from crossfit on their use of the zone below if you would like to check it out.

Crossfit Zone Plan
Nicole Carroll- Getting off the crack.
You have to buy the above article, but it's pretty good on mistakes and psychological effect.