An apple and 10 wall balls a day keep the Doctor away!

Coach Pat said do the movements and put forth 75% effort. You have 5 minutes to get it done. I picked up my 14# wall ball at 4 min 55 sec. I knew I wouldn't finish in the time domain. Just then he shouted "keep moving until your finished, complete all the movements!" I finished at 5:21 That was round one of three. We were to do it again, same movements with added effort each round. I counted each pull as I pressed my feet as hard as I could into the rowing machine. Focused on pulling strong and breathing, anxious to get off the rower and pick up my barbell. Man, how I love the barbell. I surprise myself even now thinking about it. Each rep count I feel butterflies. Butterflies of joy and excitement to get back to the bar. It's getting harder and harder to breathe but I still keep moving. I paced it better the second time and somehow finished in 5:06. Now I still have to do it again. One more time at 100% effort. Standing there,  trying to catch my breath and thinking where can I improve? How can I shave off any time from this? Where did the rest time go? 10 seconds... 3, 2, 1.. Here goes everything. I moved as efficient as possible. Broke up the barbell movements and the kb swings in effort to not get too out of breath. Swung my arms as hard as possible in the box jumps. As I picked up the wall ball for the final of the seven movements, the clock read 4:40. I didn't see what anyone else was doing. I was totally in my zone and finished in 5:04. Whew! 2 seconds faster than the previous round. I felt the buzzing in my head and my body was a bit trembly. I just lay there for a minute overwhelmed with pride and accomplishment.

Afterward, I stood up. A sweat outline imprinted the shape of my back on the floor.  Wow that was fun! It's moments like this one that reinforce my decision to make this a priority in my life. I only wish other people experience this feeling within themselves. The buzz that ignites a desire to be a better person, to take care of myself and encourage others to do so as well.

It's funny that CPJ said today "do 10 wall balls and eat an apple every day for the rest of your life. You'll live better and longer" I believe this to be true.

I stopped at Shop Rite on the way home from the gym. Why is there a bench in the bread aisle? As I thought about the bench and it's odd placement a man sat down on the bench. At first I was curious why he would take the load off in the bread aisle. That's when it occurred to me! He needed to take a rest! Slightly annoyed by this and increasingly saddened as I thought about it more and more. I realize the man on the bench could probably not do any wall balls never mind 10 of them and he most likely would never even try.

Before you become the man on the bench in the bread aisle, start with an apple a day. When that is so easy and you do it without any thought, then try a few wall balls. As the wall balls become easier and easier increase the quantity to a minimum of 10. Then do it every single day.

Beyond the Rower (Concept2)

"Athlete Development Camp"

Creating Positive Forward Motion

I found this to be such an amazing class with tons of valuable info that is easy to understand and experiment with. First because of CPJ's drive to help people become better at whatever their personal goals are. For me I want to be better at breathing while performing specific movements such as wall balls. I tend to hold my breath when doing wall balls which prevents me from doing very many unbroken. I have tried variations of them playing with the depth of squat to catching the ball more on one side than the other. All of these variations feel as if I am jeopardizing the integrity of the movement so I always end up back at square one. After participating in ADC I have learned how to utilize my breath in conjunction with my body and this really helps. I knew how to apply breathing during Olympic Lifts but for me the feeling doesn't cross over. In addition to ADC, I have kept a regimented meditation program which is focused on breathing techniques. Maybe these two combinations are, for me, the missing link.  

Below is the work that I consistently did each week to improve my aerobic base. 6 sets of 750 meters. Each week the rest time between sets is decreased. The goal is to row at a 500 m pace within a set range of strokes per minutep. This exercise has proven to  be useful and I think that rowing each week for a longer distance (even if there's set rest built in) is a valuable tool that translates beyond the rower. 

Thank You Coach; for the Resiliency and Grace!!

Thank you Coach (CPJ) for the lessons on resiliency and grace.

First I want to say thank you for teaching me about resiliency. I never allowed myself to understand this, but now it has become an important place that I have been longing to find. A place where I can place my feet in the sand and not be worried about being washed away by the tide. You have taught me how to find the resiliency within. I really appreciate all the lessons that were so hard for me to absorb.  I have the ability to tune-in, listen to my body and my mind and step forward with a positive approach to anything.

Thanks for teaching me about Grace. Grace is  a representation of so many things to me. First of all Grace was the name of my nanny who liked my brother much better than she liked me. Grace was a work out that terrified me during my first RX competition. And NOW Grace is the way I choose to carry myself and represent myself to the world.  A powerful being who embodies kindness.
As I approach the first day of the rest of my life, the day I have been seeking, the life I have been building every day that I have spend learning and becoming the better version of myself, I choose to take  the first step with gratitude. I am grateful for the lessons in resiliency and grace.

resilience

[ri-zil-yuh ns, -zil-ee-uh ns]

 

• Examples
• Word Origin

noun

1.

the power or ability to return to the original form,position, etc., after being bent, compressed, orstretched; elasticity.

2.

ability to recover readily from illness, depression,adversity, or the like; buoyancy.

grace

[greys]

 

• Examples
• Word Origin

noun

1.

elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, oraction:

We watched her skate with effortless grace acrossthe ice.

Synonyms: attractiveness, charm, gracefulness,comeliness, ease, lissomeness, fluidity.

Antonyms: stiffness, ugliness, awkwardness,clumsiness; klutziness.