Chunky Breakfast Shake on Columbus Day

Today is the first of what looks like many three-day weekends around this place. Well, most three-day weekends turn into four-day "training holidays" once PT school starts.

This weekend, and today included, is mostly for cleanup around the house. The place is coming together, but it is clear that the gym side of the house was a higher priority than the rest of it. Although the backyard looks like a ninja training ground, the house was looking like a place where small dogs are brought to train to become efficient rat hunters. Boxes and piles were strewn all over, and with Petra gone a good chunk of last week there was zero to negative improvement in the neatness department. I did, however, get the mother of all squat stands, which now resides in the indoor portion of the gym.

Oh, by the way, here is the workout for yesterday:

3x5 Squat, Bench press, bent over barbell row. Warm up with jumping rope and some yoga and stretching. This is what the workout is going to be looking like for a while -squatting every time, alternating vertical pulls/presses with horizontal pulls/presses, and doing deadlifts every other time- as it is now time to put some meat on on the Chicken's bones. We can start talking about weights when they look respectable. I will still do metabolic conditioning, but the focus now is raw strength. That, and my new gas-powered weed wacker, of course, will find me feeling manly.

Solo Cindy

It's lonely at the top, or at least it's lonely at the house right now. Matt, gym builder extraordinaire, left Monday, and Petra went on a business trip to Denver the next day. So I am by myself for the next few days. Watch out for destructive behavior, chewing, anxious barking, gnawing at my own coat and skin, to follow.

The workout, all by my lonesome, to christen the backyard gym (aka, "The Complex," until a better name is suggested):

Cindy
As many rounds as possible (AMRAP) 20 minutes
5 Pull Ups
10 Push ups
15 Squats

10 rounds plus 5 pull ups.

An now I have to go, because this chicken is getting ready to start OBLC -medical officer boot camp- in about an hour. Today will start with just a weigh-in, but I'll let you know if anything interesting happens.

The Chicken is back in bidness!

The prodigal son has returned from a blogless (at least this blog) adventure in the Alps. Summary: Walked a lot, had some beer. I was fun.

Now I am in the Army, and back in the blogosphere to stay.

The wife and I now live in San Antonio, TX, and I will be in the Army's physical therapy program. Before that, however, there are a few things that need to, or have already happened. I got commissioned (or demoted to, as many ex-enlisted say) to 2nd LT in the Army. This happened on September 20th, and since then it has been getting the house in order -more on that below- before OBLC (Officer Basic Leadership Course), also known as boot camp for Army medical types. That starts Wednesday, and I will fill you in as it goes.

More importantly, Petra and I are back on a diet of pain in the form of a steady crossfit routine, and to make up for the fact that we are no longer able to saunter over to D-Town everyday, we have turned our backyard into a crossfit gym to rival many small boxes out there. Matt, of course, was both involved and somewhat abused in the process.

It started with a U-haul. Matt and I met in Denver, loaded my stuff into a slightly-too-small moving truck, and drove to San Antonio without stopping for anything more than some late night fear, bad food and gasoline.

We got into town 20 hours later, rested a little, and started a week-long project. I could go into details, but let's just say that we, without any injuries or death, although there was a jiu jitsu style clinch for a moment on the first evening, got some things done.

At this time there is a four-station pull up rig, two trapezes for hanging rings, a gorgeous 8-strand, 18 foot, self-made rope station, and an Olympic weight lifting platform in our back yard. Add to that 460 pounds of bumpers, two bars, two sets of wooden rings, and a squat rack and bench, and the only thing holding me back is reduced HGH levels, and that is no excuse, really.

I will try and get some pictures up.

Aside from that, stand by for the new 50-part series "The Chicken Goes to Boot Camp."

I will keep y'all posted.

R

Days 57-59: Break and return

Day 57-58: Break

Day 59: 21-15-9 Overhead squats (65#) and pull ups. 12:29

Not much else to say about the workout.

We are starting to seriously tie up our Denver operations, though, but I will certainly post more about this later. I am sad to move, because I love my friends here and also the place, but looking forward to the adventure.

Mixed.

Day 58: Who hit me with a stick?

I woke up this morning feeling as if I had done three hours of Jiu Jitsu, and for good reason. My lower body felt great, but my neck and shoulders were somewhat of a wreck. I got most of one class in today, and it appears that Matt and I have begun our taper off of the main site. It has been a blast, and although it is not yet over, we have let June be a bit more loosey goosey. Don't go away, though, as there is sure to be some excitement coming up in the next couple of weeks, and anyway, I am not yet ready to do a full post op summary.

Day 57: Feels like home

Tonight was my blue belt test for Jiu Jitsu. The test went well, and I spent far less time under the blanket than I thought. I was the skinniest little monkey at the test, and this can be a bit strenuous. We started off by rolling to warm up, and one of us rolled with the professor, while the others rolled with one another. This went on for a full half hour, and half hour of that can get your breath pumping. After that, we each were asked for our go-to escapes and submissions from each position. The professor asked us to explain thoroughly (didn't anybody warn him about me?) as we showed him our moves. I found myself talking a bit more than the others, but that is just because it is me. I used to be really uncomfortable with the fact that I speak almost without pause, but at one point about 6 years ago I learned to deal with it. I would say things like "I will not talk so much starting tomorrow!" It never worked, so I finally gave up and started liking myself. Anyway, I explained thoroughly, and it seemed to go well. I did a little over three hours of BJJ this day, and it felt like I was right where I should be on a regular basis, just rolling for the sheer joy of it. I am looking forward to a blue belt, though.

Days 51-56:

Day 51: or, why must we deal with stupidity?

The prescribed workout: Skip once, do a crossword puzzle, chew a raw root vegetable 71 times, climb a ladder with your teeth, say the Hail Mary twice, throw a Hail Hary pass once, trim your big toenails. Repeat, following the pattern of cutting toenails biggest to smallest, until all toenails have been clipped.

Actually, it was three rounds for time of:
60 seconds L-sit
45 pound barbell Good mornings, 30 reps
60 Abmat sit-ups
25 pound plate Back Extensions, 30 reps

But considering that this seemingly simple workout requires three sets of mobile gear for each person doing the workout, my version would have been easier to pull off.

Instead, we did skill work on the rings (dips and muscle up progression) and parallettes (l-sits to handstands [Ha!]). I was so sore the next day, that I almost wished I had been clipping my toenails and climbing a ladder with my teeth.

Day 52: Rest

Day 53: Deez Nutts

Apparently somebody else died, because we got to do a hero workout today. It is called "Nutts" after a Canadian (what's that all aboot?) Lt. who died in an IED attack. In crossfit, when a dead hero's name pops up, it means it's going to be a bad day.

For time My numbers in parentheses:
10 Handstand push-ups
250 pound Deadlift, 15 reps (I did 185#)
25 Box jumps, 30 inch box (25 @ 24")
50 Pull-ups (35)
100 Wallball shots, 20 pounds, 10' (70 @ 14#)
200 Double-unders (60)
Run 400 meters with a 45lb plate (25#)

This hurt, but most of all, I let my cockiness get the best of me (shocker!) I tried double unders instead of jumping over an obstacle, and it took long enough that I actually felt myself age. I should keep working on them, I suppose.

Day 54: Goin' off the res again.

We, except Scott, all went off the main site today, and back to one of the most basic beginner Crossfit workouts: 7 minute AMRAP (as many rounds as possible), 7 burpees and 7 thrusters (65#) I got 4 rounds and 10 reps. That was pretty painful and humbling, and reminded me that "much to learn, have [I]."

Day 55: Resting up for this week's blue belt test.

Did a little skill development (double unders) while Petra and Scott suffered through a disgusting excuse for exercise, called "The Seven." Look it up on crossfit.com, because it hurts even to write it down.

Day 56: My blue belt test should be either today or tomorrow. The academy was closed for the entire three day weekend, so there is more rust on top of an already impressive accumulation of rust on my Jiu Jitsu skills. The gist of the test is supposed to be as follows: Do and explain (are they searching for teachers, perhaps?) your main go-to moves from each fundamental position. I should be able to attack from the mount, feet, guard (the sexiest of Jiu Jitsu positions, almost, but not quite rivaled by the "gift wrap") and back, and also to defend from the opposite of all these positions. Then we train for an hour, and I am sure that this is where the professor, affectionately known as "The Wet Blanket" will crush us for extended periods of time. I am not sure if I will like that part yet, because, as you might have guessed, it feels like a wet down comforter has come to life, and no matter what you do, there is still an inescapable, oppressive presence everywhere you go. Wish me luck. (fade in main theme from Rocky)