11 Oct 2013 - The TEST

So i finally did the new FORCE Test yesterday. Was it challenging? only if you really make it so. It actually felt more like an active rest work out or a warm up. I did pass rather easily but not as well i wanted to. I will do a lot better next time. I will change up a few minor things in my regular training and from that i will get the results i want.

The test in done in a random order which makes it easier for the testers for sure. I started with the:

Intermittent Load Carry
Time: 3 min 11 Sec (Max time limit is 5 min 21 sec -i guess if i ran this back wards)

I started this at a decent pace not expecting to get winded as fast as did. Not running for the past month or so started to show early. I have been doing other conditioning work but a lack of speed work and running sprint intervals showed quickly. I also missed the part of the instructions where we were told that we would 5 min between events. I was thinking event to event to event with minimal rest.
At least that is how i would arrange it.
Difficulty (out of 5): 2.5 
But understand this you can make this event as hard or as easy as you like as with most of the events

Next event for me was:
Sandbag Drag (20 meters) holding one of the sandbags and dragging the rest of them
Time: 15 sec (Max time is to merely complete without stopping)

Doing this for 35 m is way harder.

Sandbags weight is determined by floor surface. Doing it on the rubber basketball flooring i think we have like 220+ lbs of weight. Not very much at all really. I was rather concerned with slipping on the floor so i took short choppy steps. I know i can do this A LOT faster
Difficulty:0.5 
This needs a lot more weight and for upwards of 50 m.
The casualty drag we used to do was definitely a lot harder than this was.

Next Event Was:
20 Meter Rushes (stopping and going prone every 10 meters after touching line)
Time: 42 Sec (Max Time is 51 s)

I am at about 230 lbs right now which is heavy for me and I still did this easily. Again the lack of speed work showed. Also this is an event that with a little practice you can find a solid rhythm and really crush this. I got a warning at the first line so i became over cautious about being behind the line every time i went prone. But really this was not strenuous but is an eliminator if you are really over weight for sure.
Difficulty: 2
If you are out of shape this could be very hard.

Sandbag Lift 
(lift a sandbag to 1 m line and drop move 1 m to the right and repeat. Then move back x 30 reps)
Time: 1 min 22 sec (Max time is 3 min 30 s)

This sort of gets tedious near the end. The hardest part of this is not looking down. I tried to keep my head up but the canvass bags are not easily grabbed quickly. It is a fairly accurate assessment in a controlled setting. A shelf with a pile of sandbags would be more accurate but harder to put together logistically. The being forced to use two hands thing was annoying but whatever. Again this is another test that with a little rhythm you could really crush it.
Difficulty: 2

Overall doing an intro session like some people did would have really helped me. I am sure talking to a few strong men about the events i could really figure out how to dominate this test. First time out i am happy i passed but not satisfied.

The Testers did talk that once they have some data some achievement markers will be put in place. For now i race the clock against myself. I also think cutting the time in between down to 2.5 min instead of 5 min will force people to be in better condition. 5 min was way to long. So from my personal difficulty scores you can see it is not that hard but at least you have the opportunity to make it harder by really pushing the times. It is a step in the right direction over the previous test. I really do think we need 2-3 tests depending on your job though. This new test is a good baseline or basic level test. Somewhere along the line a 1 or 1.5 mile test with pull ups and push ups needs to be instituted. As well with the return of the 13 Km ruck march with drag /trench it should get interesting. Just my 3 cents on the whole scenario.
Maybe they should make us go through the NFL Combine?

So less than a year later I am 100% healthy and deploy-able. Not to take stock and figure out where i am going to take things next.
The 13 Km march is coming back.
I will also have my eye on a sub  1.5 mile run time.
Those nasty 20 pull ups are still on my to do list.
 This without even getting started on my lifting goals

Lastly I did this in the Morning. At 3 pm I was back in the gym and I Deadlifted for an hour with no issues.

This pic was Nov last year.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

10 Oct 2013 - Down then Up then Down...

It has been a strange week.
That job out of town which I thought i would get to a gym never happened. 2 x 16 hr days of work followed by a longer than normal trip home.
So I did not see the inside of a gym until Monday and it showed in my mood for sure. I also seem to lose my zest in everything. So with a few things on the go i went with a different mind set this week. Simply get in the gym and get work done. No writing anything down. No define plan just some simple guidelines to get me in the gym.
I re-learned a hard lesson. Training is a drug for me. Without the Endorphin from Training apparently my mind set shifts very quickly.

-Rehab
-Back Work
-Tricep Work
-Test my pressing.

I also did some Sumo Deadlfting this week as well. Front Squats for an easy 185 lbs x 5 early in the week.

 Just before i left for Meaford last week i was told i had to do a PT test tomorrow 11 Oct. It is a straight forward and simple test to say the least. i will post the test and my results tomorrow. But it affected the way i would train this week. I seem to have a lot of demons rise back up in the past few weeks. Work has become insane again and for some reason i am struggling to maintain an even keel. I will find my way in the storm I am adjusting and it is getting easier. Just been a long time since i have been in a work environment like this.

Winter is Coming

Normally i would go hard and heavy expelling them daily. That coping mechanism also leaves me beat up and sore. Not quite a good scenario when you have to pass a PT test. So tomorrow is the test. Then i will really unleash.

The Bears play tonight so i will have my Sprint session for the weekend laid out.

I saw the RMT today. He was very happy with my upper back. Things are moving forward every week with it. We also narrowed down my hip issue. Apparently unlike 90+% of the population my hip /low back pain is actually in my psoas and Iliac. The Shaman dug into my Iliac and it released. Bingo. That was it.

Oh I also had a clunk during 45 degree Side bends this week in my low back which also relieved the pinching sensation in my left hip. So between my body resetting and the Shaman doing his magic i am feeling 100% for my PT Test tomorrow. No Excuses. Bear Down.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

01 Oct 2013 - Strange Animal

A little 80's Canadiana. That Chorus gets stuck in your head pretty easy.

0535 hrs

ITWU 2 x 11 x 10 lbs
Ext Rotation 1 x 10 x 25 lbs
1 x 11 x 10 lbs

ADduction 2 x 17 x 115
ABduction 2 x 21 x 205
Warmed up by trying to get my upper back to engage properly. Did a little hip work just to get blood moving and to make sure i did something today to rehab it and get it feeling better.

Bench
2 x 5 x Bar
1 x 5 x 95
1 x 5 x 115
1 x 5 x 125

Close Grip Bench
5 x 11 x 95

Bench work went 10 lbs heavier. I will take it. I may try sets of 3 next week to see if a few less reps will let me get back to 135. I find now i can get things to stabilize but my left side still feels weaker through my lats for sure. The Close Grip work felt just as solid as last week. I may bump it up to 100 lbs even next week.

CSR
1 x 17 x 25 lbs
1 x 17 x 50 lbs
1 x 15 x 70 lbs
1 x 15 x 80 lbs
1 x 15 x 90 lbs
1 x 13 x 115
1 x 13 x 125

Pronated Grip Pull Downs
3 x 11 x 85 lbs

I wanted a lot of Back volume today and got it down. By the end of the pull downs my right side felt pumped up and my left was fatigued and was shutting off.

OH Tricep Ext
1 x 20 x 40 lbs
1 x 15 x 60 lbs
1 x 11 x 80 lbs

Rear Delt Destroyer
1 x 62 /43 /15 x 50 /25 /10 lbs

Tricep work felt better although I could not quite get my left tricep to contract and engage the way i wanted it did feel more stable and stronger today. So i will take. I need to Rear Delt Destroyers more, A LOT MORE. Why? Because i get anxious before i do them and i don't really want to do them. Which means i have to do them more. Plain and simple.

Odds & Sods
-leaving town for 3 days I will be in a gym in some capacity. But it will be a facility foreign to me. Not sure how things will play out. I may push Deadlifts till Friday when i am home.
-I have been scheduled to do my Physical Fitness Test for the end of next week. I can do it no problem but kind of annoyed because this is my de-load week. I wanted to get back to lifting heavy things next week. I will figure it out for sure.
-seen some crazy, super heavy versions of Facepulls lately.
-also seen some really odd Deadlift technique lately as well

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)