Lost, and found

April 16, 2020 my mother fell down her stairs in her home and tragically passed. Fitness was her passion, at fifty four years old she still had plenty of time to continue that passion. After the news reached me, my grief wouldn't allow me to even look at my home gym. As weeks passed, and my grief subsided. I found myself back into bad eating habits. Eating too much, and not moving enough.

Last night, while listening to my nightly podcast. Maybe I'll write an article about my sleep routine some other time. I made the decision to get back after my goals. Specifically losing fat and gaining health.

Today I started a 48hr fast, and walked to work this morning. Fasting is a great way to reset the gut, and change directions on diet. I was really motivated to fast after listening to Cole Robinson on Mark Bell's Power Project. Cole founded the snake diet, and has some really excellent ideas on fasting. I'm not going to go into it, you can look it up yourself.

So here we go, losing fat, hopefully I'll post a good transformation in the future.

I'm getting old?

As my bad habits slowly pull my youth away from me I find myself in a world many have warned me of... Unsuccessfully, friends and family have been warning me about joint pain for many years. With youthful ignorance I continued walking into golds gym, crossfit gyms, my home gym and jumped feet first into a heavy lifting session, for many years with no problems. The last few years as my strength faded and my time spent on things other than the gym I've noticed that jumping right into lifting isn't working anymore.

With hockey season just around the corner, I've found myself completing 5km on the Concept2 rower daily, and feeling great doing it. I've also noticed by about 1500m I'm sweating pretty good. My latest extension to my workout routine is to use a 2km row before any workout, just to get warm. This addition feels great, I still find I have to warm up the joints in the movement but with the blood pumping it takes minimal time.

I know that this is preaching to the choir, of course warming up is going to help. Well I know this, I've taught this. But somehow always thought I was above it.

Today I had 10min to wright this article, hope it helps. As I prep for hockey season and powerlifting comp 2019

My return to lifting

With 2018 here it is only fitting that I, with the rest of the world begin another journey of betterment. Only I have another reason to improve, and a commitment made that will help me get where I need to be.

I have committed to a 2019 powerlifting meet to reunite Crossfit Kelowna friends.

So, I'll be preparing for this meet, over a year, starting from essentially scratch. After a difficult pregnancy for my wife. We have a new baby. I probably haven't lifted anything heavy in almost a full year. I will try to document as much of my prep as possible.

Next post will be my timeline and my first phase of my plan.

Cheers to 2018

May 12, 2016 class

Spring Time, Fresh Class, more Kettlebells and Wallballs

First Xfit class of 2016, its been a while since I coached a class. I have a great group for this spring class, everyone is eager to learn and trusted me enough to smash their shins on the box going for a max box jump.

yesterdays WOD was a running baseline that I borrowed from my coach.

Running Baseline
400m run
40 squat
30 situps
20 pushups
10 pullups

Jenny ended up taking the box jump with a 34" leap, and Carrie took the baseline with a 4:58 RX

Pain without gains

 This year marks six years since I found Crossfit. The fitness revolution that changed my life for the better. Right away when I started training huge gains came fast. I quickly became the strongest in the gym at the deadlift. Since then , as with most things in my life, have fallen off track and came back. With all of this on and off training the hardest thing I find is dial back my intensity upon returning to training. Often I jump back in, were I started and injure myself in the process. starting the cycle over. Currently I am recovering from a triceps strain. I am working on slowly returning to my training. Time is the main ingredient in recovering from a muscle strain. My plan, so far has consisted of 3 weeks off, and now I have started at 10% of what I was doing before. Basically, preventing any more muscle wasting that has already occurred. at this point, I plan to progress, by 10% a week. Hopefully in 10 weeks I will be at 100%, and get back after my goals. Unfortunately I have decided not to compete in the BC strongest man competition in June, because of my injury. Currently my plan is to drop some body fat that has incurred during my long winter hibernation.


MOBILITY -->

 This weeks song is an oldie, but one of the best songs for pumping you up for a big lift!

P.O.D - Boom!

 This weeks fitness idol is Dr. Fred Hatfield or Dr.Squat. One of the most influential people in fitness history.I cannot write a better bio on Dr.Squat, than the one already on his website, so click his name and check him out.

Another attempt

I have been thinking of things important to me since I fell off my last attempt at daily blogging. So I am planning to try and get in a weekly blog that will include; a mobility video, a weekly workout song, a weekly fitness Idol and hopefully some other content, yet to be determined.

The Mobility is going to start with MWOD, and I hope to evolve it as I go along. The weekly workout song is for you, my readers that are on the lookout for workout tunes, maybe you haven't heard them before, or maybe you forgot how awesome they where. The fitness Idol, will be just that, someone who has made amazing contributions to fitness.

This weeks mobility video, starts out where Kelly Starret started the famous MWOD. On Video number one!

Weekly Workout song this week, is my 4 year old son's favorite. Juicy J, Wiz Khalifa, Ty Dolla $ign - Shell Shocked ft. Kill The Noise & Madsonik

Pavel Tsatsouline is this weeks fitness Idol. Pavel is credited by some as the person who brought Kettlebells' to North America. Pavel has a few books that can be found at Amazon.
 

Last blog I posted was for the Whole Life Challenge and that was a great kickstart. Of course, after straining my right triceps things really fell apart. First training fell of the rails, then nutrition went out the window too. I really love cheese, and 8 weeks without cheese proved to be too many. So, now I have gained back some of what I lost, but things are back on track. I will be hitting some kettlebell training after I finish this post, and working on my conditioning and mobility for the long run.