surrounded.

in one of his lectures idries shah makes a comment about spending time in the presence of achievers. not worshiping them, or even consciously observing them, but simply being around them. to be a child at a dinner party where there are Nobel laureates, composers, authors, generals and poets. to imprint upon that child that adults do things. we all probably know a family where everyone in it plays music, or is a great athlete... this is often attributed to "good genes", and while i think that plays a part, i feel it is more the immersion in an environment with high standards, with a distant view of what is possible. ones expectations are often self-imposed limitations, to be surrounded at a young age (or even a not so young age) with active, talented, and hard working people raises that bar, raises our expectations; and it is amazing how far we can rise to meet those. water seeks its own level.


who is surrounding you?

wod:

warmup:

6 way barbell complex w/ just the bar (6 of each, no stopping: dead lift + Bent over row + Hang Clean + Front Squat + Push Press + Back Squat + push up)



10x squat
8x split jump
6x squat jump
4x tuck jump

3 rounds

workout:

4x10 "headcutter" @ 53#


15x Push-up +
1 minute overhead hold (pinch grip the plate and hold it straight up, one 10# in each hand)
15x Deck Squat @ 53#

2 Rounds

*at this point training partners showed up and we reset and reworked things*


10x squat
8x split jump
6x squat jump
4x tuck jump

3 rounds

10x headcutters @ 53#

15x Push-up +
30 second overhead hold @ 2x 15# DB
15x Deck Squat @ 2x15# DB

2 rounds while everyone else finished out the 4 sets of headcutters

then

tag team:

p1. 10x deck squats (53#)
p2. max pushups (shot for 20, made it more than half the rounds, 3 and 4 fell short, and felt terrible)
p3. slosh pipe overhead hold

6 rounds. deck squats are the time keeper.

cooldown:
knee jumps, ring dips, getting too creative w/ turkish get ups (we now have turkish knee jumps and turkish pistols - kind of)

your pot...

"what you put in the pot is what your ladle draws out"
~turkish(?) proverb

i am constantly grateful to be surrounded with people who relish hard work. people who are willing to fail, willing to use all they have to accomplish a goal. in short, people willing to the pay the price to improve. we all know individuals who take great pride in their innate abilities, while i do not discount the benefits of "born talent" one must examine the psychological advantage of struggling for years to accomplish something. dedication, tenacity, willingness to learn and refusal to give up.... these traits are deepened and fortified, and the "work" will eventually speak for itself.


warmup:

KB play, Light Deadlifts, squats, etc...

workout:
Turkish Get-Ups

3x each side @ 53#
3x each side @ 71#
3x each side @ barbell
2x each side @ 65# barbell
2x each side @ 75# barbell
1x each side @ 85# barbell

2 handed get ups
3x slosh pipe (6 ft pvc 3/4 full of water, ~35#)
4x 2 20lb Dumbbells
4x 2 36# KB
2x 85# barbell. these were done as "turkish knee jumps" thanks to jakes creativity, basically instead of lunging up, just knee jump....
2x@95# barbell

cooldown:
bastard cousins, deck squats, knee jumps @ 95# and a few ring dips.

people say...

People say they want help, when they want attention.
they say they want to listen, when they want to be heard.
we know this by what you say, by how you look, by what we can feel.
everyone else would feel it, too, if they were not similarly self-absorbed and uninterested in you.
you must first of all find out from yourself if you want to learn and why you want to learn.
if you go somewhere to buy something, you must first earn the money, and have some idea of what you need.
if you have idle wants and do not know your needs, you have a long way to go.
if you become diverted from us by our behavior, you would never have been able to keep pace with us, anyway.
if this sounds unpleasant, it does not signify that it is meant to be unpleasant. if you think that we are unpleasant, you are holding up a mirror to yourself, and saying. "look at them!"

-salahudin afranji

found in "caravan of dreams" by idries shah

this quote sums up so much, the guises attention seeking behavior takes, the ways we hide from the truth by calling it something else. to see attention seeking behavior for what it is alters ones perception of the world at large, think of it as sort of "social physics", a discovery of a cosmic force that can explain (and sometimes predict) behavior... it is also can add a level of empathy, but only to a point.... i am rambling, the other reason why i love this quote is the phrase "you must first of all find out from yourself if you want to learn and why you want to learn." wanting to learn is not a given, reasons are important because they give substance to the want, and that ultimately, it is each individual that has to make the decision, and do the work. this is about responsibility. this is about progress. this is about getting shit done.


wod:
warmup:
deadlift
1x10 @ 135#

3x10 @ 205#

workout:

2 minutes work, 1 minute rest

1. one handed KB swing (switch as necessary)
2. KB snatch (switch hands as necessary)
3. Goblet squat

3 rounds, 53# KB (switched to 36 near the end of the snatch/swing rounds 2 & 3)

cooldown:

med ball games...

the religious and the wise.

"the religious man is trying to save his own blanket from the fire, while the wise one is trying to save other people from drowning." ~Saadi, The Bostan



Royal Oak Middle School Track, 8:00 am

warmup: unloading the truck, 1 lap around the track, medium pace

workout:
50 yd bear crawl
50 yd 4x Overhead Lunge + 4x Push Press w/ 2x15# dumbbells
50 yd bear crawl
50 yd Medicine ball "throw and chase" @ 15# (throw ball, sprint to where it landed, throw again, etc.)
50 yd burpee broad jump (pushup to long jump from the squatting position)

(11:56)
5 minutes rest

then

50 yd bear crawl
50 yd overhead carry w/ 2x 15# dumbbells
50 yd bear crawl
50 yd throw and chase, 15# medicine ball

(4:36)

5 minutes rest

then

2x 100 yard rope drag and coil (~66ft of rope @ ~56#, sprint while dragging rope, after 100yds coil rope, repeat.)

2:22

cooldown:
false flag, pacing, 3x5 fat rope pullups, carrying everything roughly 100 yds back to the truck.

20090423:0800

this has been a myspace blog for about a year.... www.myspace.com/fourchamberforge for the history.....

wod:
warmup: partial KB complex, 10 each @ 53# (RTW clockwise & ccw, fig. 8. clockwise & ccw, halo clockwise & ccw, goblet squat, push squat, clean right and left, clean hi-pull right and left, snatch right and left, 2 handed swing)

workout:

p1. 10x (each side) weighted step up + hop, 25# plate @ 18" box
p2. whip smash
p3. peterson step up @ 12"
p4. whip smash

3 rounds

team step-up ladder 1-6, 2x36# KBs (racked) 18" box

2 rounds.

cooldown:
3x 20 seconds work, 10 seconds compromised rest

pushups/FLR
atomic sit-up/v-sit
squat/thighs parallel