Monday, May 31, 2010

Monday May 31, 2010

Fam-Fit
M.O.M (move one mile)

Sunday May 30, 2010

Fam-Fit
Weight Swings
-Count rounds of 10 reps completed in 20 minutes.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Rest Day Read: May 29, 2010

Rest Day Read (SR-28)
The Pied Piper of Hameln versions collected by D.L. Ashliman
"In the year 1284 after the birth of Christ
From Hameln were led away
One hundred thirty children, born at this place
Led away by a piper into a mountain.
"
We all know the fairy tale of the Pied Piper, don't we? I thought I did, that is for sure. But then I ran across this excellent collection of folklore put together by Professor D.L. Ashliman. If you have time this holiday weekend, sit down and look through the collection. From Robert Browning's old English poem to short versions from around the globe. Very entertaining stuff.
But, two things come to mind now, as an adult, when I go back to the Pied Piper tale.
1. You can't trust politicians at their word for as far as you can throw them. Never, never ever.
2. Probably something that never really poked its way into your reality as a young reader of fairy tales, many (okay, most) of these old cautionary fairy tales are seriously sinister and dark. Kids being kidnapped and thrown in an oven by a witch. Sweet Granny disemboweled by a wolf whose sole purpose is to kill a small girl dressed in red. And how about this one; Hate your step daughter because a mirror says she is more beautiful than you? Why not just hire a woodsman to chop out her heart with an axe. Huh? Rumpelstiltskin. Man, I ain't even going there.
Finally, the quoted passage above is reportedly taken from the wall of the Hameln, Germany town hall, according to a Jacob and Wilhem Grimm version of the story. I know it is probably not the easiest thing to chisel a passage like this into a wall, but can it be any less emotionally invested? Talk about concise, journalistic style...just the facts, mam.

Friday, May 28, 2010

Friday May 28, 2010

Fam-Fit
Pressing Issues
1. Standing Military Press
2. Push Press
3. Push Jerk
4. Snatch Drop
Sets of 4,3,2,1 AHAP (as heavy as possible without form)

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Thursday May 27, 2010

Fam-Fit
30 minutes of movement

Wednesday May 26, 2010

Fam-Fit
John Henry
1. Hit the Big Tire with a Sledge Hammer
-10 Right, 10 Left, 10 Overhead
2. Max Rep Pull-ups
3. Heavy Bag 10 (RRL, 10 LLR)
4. Speed Bag 40 right, 40 left, 40 alternate
-4 Rounds

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Tuesday May 25, 2010

Fam-Fit
Shoulder Molder
5 rounds of consecutive repetition of sets using 8, 12 or 16 lb. shot. Work with minimal rest.
  1. 10x Around the World (around waist) Right Direction.
  2. 10x Around the World (around waist) Left Direction.
  3. 10x Figure 8 (around legs) Right Direction.
  4. 10x Figure 8 (around legs) Left Direction.
  5. 10 x Russian Chops (swing weight from hip to high above head to opposite hip back to above head for one rep)

Rest Day Read May 24, 2010

Rest Day Read (SR-27)
Forever Young lyrics by Bob Dylan

May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.

May you grow up to be righteous
May you grow up to be true
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you
May you always be courageous
Stand upright and be strong
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.

May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift
May your heart always be joyful
And may your song always be sung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.

Bob Dylan's 69th birthday. Yes, it's true. Almost 70 and still on tour, currently in Europe. Forever Young is a great song. (Pepsi used it in a commercial, so then it must be great...right?). I have a Bob Dylan story, well kind of a Bob Dylan story. He was actually there when this happened, so that counts in my book. Back in the summer of 1985/1986 (I can't really remember for sure without using Google because I am also getting up there in years), I worked "crowd control", a.k.a security, at Sandstone Amphitheater in KCK.
One of my favorite shows ever was Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers opening up and playing back-up behind the headliner, Bob Dylan. It was as good as you could imagine. At Sandstone there was a section of ~3000 reserved seats right off the stage, which was set at the bottom of a big grassy hill. There was a fence around the reserved area, then the general admission folks, all 10,000+ of them, would sit on the grass hill. It was beautiful. But the GA people on the hill could not, I repeat, could not get past the fence and "crowd control" into the reserved area. Every show had GA people hanging out at the gates of the fence always trying to get past to the shrine of the stage. I had been cursed, spit on, offered bribes and threatened for not allowing GA folks to cross the line. Guess where I "got" to work for the Bob Dylan show...
So, I am working, getting the usual amount of caca from the crowd and the Bob Dylan's set starts. Things quiet down a bit, but I notice this character standing right at the GA side of the gate who had sifted his way through the throng. He was skin and bones, scraggly, long, gray hair, dressed in ragged jeans and sleeveless white T-shirt. He was old, looked maybe sixty, but the obvious roughness to his life could have easily added 20 years to that face. I wondered how he afforded the ticket to get in, but that was and still is a great mystery. I sauntered over to where he was watching the show, the stage lights illuminated the joy on his face, transfixed on the man onstage.
Between songs, I say, "Like Dylan?"
"Oh, yeah, man."
"Seen him before, then?" I asked, figuring he had probably seen Dylan dozens of times.
"Never. Only time. Always wanted to, but...you know, never had."
I sat there a minute. Here we had 3000 reserved seat people, 2990 of them probably really don't give a mouse's behind about Bob Dylan. They got free tickets or just wanted to check it out or needed something to do that night. Then you got this one guy, who probably sold a kidney or something to get this one moment added to his life.
"Hey, mister. When I count three, climb through the fence here and calmly walk to that guy in the blue shirt down at front stage."
"Wha..."
"One, two" I moved right in front of him to cover his escape. He realizes what I told him and smiles. "three!" The little guy shoots through the fence and almost skips on air down to the front stage. I signal to the guy working front stage and he allows the old guy to stand there and watch the show.
He looked happy and content the last time I saw him down by the stage. Well worth all the crap I then received from the other yahoos standing at the gate trying to jump to the promised land. Perfect, Forever Young.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Sunday May 24, 2010

Fam-Fit
Back Squats
5 sets of 5

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Saturday May 22, 2010

Fam-Fit
Various Settings
1. Mow the lawn.
2. Pull weeds in garden from squat walk position.
3. Baseball practice (hit ground balls and pop fly's for two hours).
4. Cook and eat beer can chicken with salad and cantaloupe.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Friday May 21, 2010

Fam-Fit
Burgener Warm-Up
Dynamic Duo
1. Snatch (1 Heavy Rep up to Max)
2. Max Rep Pull-up
-7 rounds

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Thursday May 20, 2010

Fam-Fit
Time Trial
5.0 miles on air-dyne type stationary bike

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Wednesday May 19. 2010

Rest Day Read (SR-26)
Metamaterial Revolution: The New Science of Making Anything Disappear.
by Fred Hapgood, Discover Magazine March 10, 2009
"The goal at hand, changing how objects interact with light, seemed at first blush to be routine; people had been manipulating visible light with mirrors and lenses and prisms nearly forever. But Zhang, a materials scientist then at the University of California at Los Angeles, knew those applications were limited. Based overwhelmingly on a single material, glass, the technologies were restricted by the laws of optics described in standard physics texts. The engineers in the room hoped to smash through those barriers with materials and technologies never conceived of before. The proposals included crafting what amounts to an array of billions of tiny relays; in essence, the relays would capture light and send it back out. Depending on the specific design of the array, the light would be bent, reflected, or skewed in different ways."

Yep people, this means invisibility. Definitely a ways down the road and depending on the ironing out of some technical glitches, but amazing technology, to say the least. As my one-of-a-kind Grandpa Bosley would say when presented with such modern inventions as the cordless phone, heart pacemakers, cruise control, car air conditioning and microwave ovens, "Well, I'll be damned".

Tuesday May 18, 2010

The Lost Day
Have you every had one of those days where everything just gets away from you? Well, Tuesday May 18, 2010 was one of those days for me. Therefore, we will insert a blank in the Fam-Fit record for today. Ridiculous.

I felt guilty, so on Wednesday I did:
100 continuous push-ups (modify to knees if [when] needed; rest in plank position)

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Monday May 17, 2010

Fam-Fit
One Lonely Dumbbell
10 Reps Single Leg Dumbbell Snatch (5R and 5L)
10 Dumbbell Rotation Snatch (5R and 5L)
10 Dumbbell Swing
10 Goblet Squat
-4 Rounds

Note: In November of 2008, when I bought my squat rack, GH machine, cheap-ass row machine, etc. from a Larned State Hospital online auction, it came with a red milk crate of about two dozen 1 lb. hex dumbbells and one, but only one, 20 lbs. hex dumbbell. This seemed odd, but I went with it (the whole shabang only cost $22.50 in the auction, so I didn't complain too much).
Now, I am dedicating a workout to the Lonely Dumbbell. God bless you, my friend and someday may a certain tightwad splurge to buy you a partner.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Sunday May 16, 2010

Fam-Fit
M.O.M (move one mile)

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Saturday May 15, 2010

Fam-Fit
Gym Jones Six Way Barbell Complex
Each set: Deadlift, Bent Row, Hang Clean, Front Squat, Push Press, Back Squat
Finish with Push-up
Perform 5 sets at the following weights and reps:
3 reps each @ 135#
3 reps each @ 135#
3 reps each @135#
3 reps each @135#
3 reps each @135#

Friday May 14, 2010

Fam-Fit
Power Walk

Friday, May 14, 2010

Atlantis, OV-104, We Salute You!

Thank you, Atlantis, for the 25 years of service. Thank you for the 32 missions, the 200 astronauts safely transported and the myriad of valuable scientific equipment delivered, which includes the recent Hubble Telescope upgrades.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

May 13, 2010

Happy 16th Birthday Frick and Frack!
Those sweet little twins are 16 today. They can drive. Life is good.
See the photo collage Mrs. CoachHays put together on her blog page.
I am proud to claim these peeps as mine.

Rest Day Read: May 13, 2010

Rest Day Read (SR-25)

Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel

Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -
by the Divine Power of God -
cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits,
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.

Amen

When you are a stocky, quiet, lineman type of kid in a fairly large Catholic family with wonderful parents who have picture plaques on the wall for each of the namesake saints of their children, and your name-sake saint is St. Michael and you read this prayer as a youngster and see the picture of St. Michael spearing the serpent into hell, it does truly have a profound effect on one's approach and outlook on life. Life is a battle, a constant struggle to do the right thing in God's eyes. There is always good and there is always evil. Each of us must fight the battles with the shining spiritual example of St. Michael to lead us.

Pope Leo XIII wrote the prayer in 1884, after seeing a vision of Satan choosing the 20th century as his century to attempt a corruption of the church. There are influence of St. Michael in many heroic figures of modern film, literature and comic books. Good vs. evil. One chooses to fight or one chooses to give in. Think about it.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Wednesday May 12, 2010

Fam-Fit
M.O.M (Move One Mile)

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Tuesday May 11, 2010

Fam-Fit
Time Trial
30 Reps Hang Cleans @ 135 lbs.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Monday May 10, 2010

Fam-Fit
1. 30 minutes of movement
2. 100 push-ups

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Sunday May 9. 2010

Happy Mother's Day!
Fam-Fit
Wii-athalon
1. Wii Fit Island Run
2. Wii Fit Super Hula Hoop
3. Wii Sports Boxing: 3 bouts

Saturday May 8, 2010

Fam-Fit
Garage Gym Clean Up Day
Note: That was a workout!

Friday, May 7, 2010

Rest Day Read May 7, 2010

Rest Day Read (SR-24)
The Creative Process
Moby: One Song, Two Days, Three Versions
from NPR's Project Song by Bob Boilen
"I kicked off the songwriting process by showing them a series of photographs and words...Moby and Scarr are both drawn to an image of a man in the woods wearing a trenchcoat. There is a brown suitcase on the earthen floor beside him, and his head looks like a glowing storm cloud.
Next, I gave them a series of words to chose from. Moby picks the word "flight". Scarr chooses "Sunday", which Moby calls "the most depressing day of the week".
Not long after, Moby puts the card with the word "Sunday" printed on it, along with the photograph, on a nearby chair. He picks up the bass guitar and immediately starts playing a riff in the key of E. Turns out, this hastily played baseline would become the bedrock for their new song.
Just six hours later, the first of three versions of "Gone to Sleep" was recorded."
The creative process has always intrigued me. Creativity is vital to excellence. Creativity separates, it is the cream which rises to the top. I have always been interested in what makes greatness, in particular, Malcolm Gladwells writings on the subject. The great trainers I follow, Crossfit, Gym Jones, Dan John, Mike Rutherford, Coach Rod Cole, CrossFit Kids, Marty Gallagher, Mark Rippetoe and Dr. Lon Kilgore, just to name a few, are all very creative in their expertise and approach to their craft. The great football coaches I idolized, Hank Stram, Vince Lombardi, Mike Ditka, Bill Belchick, Mary Schottenheimer, Urban Meyer, Bill Snyder all use their creativity to innovate and dominate the sport. The beauty of what they all do is truly an art form.
This article, audio file and video of Moby creating a song from a photo and word on the NPR program Project Song shows the creative process at its best. Moby is completely in the zone, absolutely, completely focused on his purpose, as he and partner Kelli Scarr attack the creation of the piece. It is pretty cool stuff. Listen, watch, learn and enjoy.
Makes one wonder just what exactly it is in the small percentage of differences in the genetic code between Homo sapiens, that allows for such variety and creativity in our species.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Thursday May 6, 2010

Fam-Fit
Timed Trio
1. Gorilla Deadlifts x 8
2. Farmer Walk 50m
3. Straight Leg Deadlift x 8
-Count rounds completed in 20 minutes.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Wednesday May 5, 2010

Fam-Fit
30 minutes of movement

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Tuesday May 4, 2010

Fam-Fit
Turkish Get-Up Twice
1. Turkish Get-Ups for 5:00.
2. Rest 2:30.
3. Turkish Get-Ups for 5:00.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Monday May 3, 2010

Fam-Fit
Circuit Circus
1. Max Rep Pull-Up
2. 10 GH Sit-ups
3. 10 GH Back Extensions
4. 10 Depth Jumps to Cone Jump to Horizontal Jump
5. 25 Rope Jumps
-5 Rounds

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Rest Day Read: May 2, 2010

Rest Day Read (SR-23)
The Egg by Sherwood Anderson
"It was in the spring of his thirty-fifth year that father married my mother, then a country school teacher, and in the following spring I came wriggling and crying into the world. Something happened to the two people. They became ambitious. The American passion for getting up in the world took possession of them."
Another story from the classical library of required high school English class reading lists. Coach Wallace used to preach that the path to success was based on the three P's; Purpose, Pride and Passion. There are fewer words more true. The characters in the story have plenty of passion, but completely neglect the purpose and the pride. While reading the adventures (misadventures, more like it) of the family, you just know things are bound for a bad turn. Ambition?

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Saturday May 1, 2010

Fam-Fit
May Day! May Day!
Weighted Walk
-50 lbs. in backpack
-30 minutes AFAP(As Fast As Possible, without losing form)