Moving Day!

I feel like I've been out of touch since last week.  These last few weeks have been crazy for our family.  We recently purchased a new condo and have been busy with paperwork, buying things for the place and finally...MOVING!

Even though I haven't been posting, I've definitely been busy and active.  My diet has been victim to eating out during the move, but I've tried to overcompensate by keeping myself busy and active.  During the move, I still managed to make it to the gym four days during the week, but my big workout was this:

A lot of boxes, a few mattresses, a couch, washer and dryer + a third floor condo make for a great workout.  We love our new place.  In the community we've got a pool a gym, and we're surrounded by bike and running paths.  I think this move will definitely be good for my health.  Now, I'm off to play volleyball with my brother.

Ballsy Sports Performance | Daily Workout Motivation

There's probably a better terminology for me to use, but this one just works for me.  Growing up as a child who competed in soccer, swimming, tennis, basketball, volleyball and tennis, I was always moved and psyched when I saw a "ballsy" performance by an athlete.

The ones that I remember the most, are those in which athletes overcame seemingly insurmountable odds to perform.  To me, these odds come in many forms: sickness, injury, personal loss, disability, etc.  I realize that there are so many that can be told.  These are a few that come to mind:

Chris Paul's Grandfather's Death - after his 61-year-old grandfather was beaten and killed in a park, two nights later, Paul scores 61 points in honor of his grandfather.  He purposely missed a free-throw that would have been his 62nd point, walked off the court and embraced his father.  Now, more than 8 years later, Paul is actually an advocate to have those once young and wreck less teenagers released from their prison sentence so that they can live their lives.  What an amazing man.

Jordan Plays through the flu - any basketball fan who lived through the dual three-peat era will remember this Jordan's 38 point performance in the NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz.  The iconic picture of Scottie Pippen basically carrying him off the court will always be seared in my memory.

Kerri Strug nails her vault - I'm not a gymnastics fan (unless my nieces are performing), but man this is an iconic moment in US Sports history.

The Story of J Mac - I think this guy is a royal stud.

A Ballsy Performance at the Crossfit Games
I came across another ballsy performance from this past weekend.  Heather Scaglione, in the CrossFit Games regional competition dislocated her shoulder doing muscle-ups.  She popped her shoulder back in on her own, and through evident pain, continued the competition.  Her standings were such that even with a 1st place finish in coming events, she would not have advanced to the games.  I would have given up.

Not Heather.  She went through additional workouts which included burpees, ground-to-overheads, rowing and hanging toes-to-bars and fought through evident pain.  I wish I could have been at the event to witness this amazing display of heart and grit.  Check out her ballsy performance.

When I see or hear about a performance like this, I can't help but be motivated.  Those extra reps in a workout look a bit easier, the energy to get to the gym comes a little faster, and my motivation to kick my butt back into shape is invigorated.

To all athletes who've ever put out a ballsy performance.  I salute you.

Summer Days with my Son...

...is what makes life wonderful.  Love you son!

Week Wrap Up | I turned 28

My B-Day Present From my Wife

Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there.  I'm especially grateful for my Dad and all he's done for me.  He's been a great example of many things and I hope to be able to be half the man he is.

This is always a fun time of the year for me.  My birthday and Father's day fall within the same week of each other each year.  It typically means a lot of fun and family time.  This week and especially this weekend did not disappoint.  Thank you to my wife for making this weekend so fun.  Thanks also to a few buddies at work for taking me out for sushi and surprising me with a "Hawaiian" pineapple upside-down cake.

Here's a look at what my workouts looked like this past week.

Monday: Legs

2x20 back squats - 185 lbs

3x8 clean and press - 155 lbs

3x6 front squats - 185 lbs

3x10 overhead squats - 135

3x10 box jumps - 24"

Tuesday: Jump Rope WOD - a spin off Workout 11.1 from the Crossfit Open

AMRAP in 15 minutes of:

30 double-unders

15 ground-to-overheads - 25 lbs dumbbells

I completed 6 total rounds + 30 double-unders

I also did:

3 supersets of 30 plate presses (45 lbs) and 10 double-unders

3 supersets of 15 ball crunches and 10 double-unders

I'm becoming more efficient at double-unders, but still have a long way to go.

Wednesday: "Fran" + Legs...again.  This was a pretty brutal day.

"Fran" - 21-15-9 of:

95 lb thrusters and pull-ups

I did a pretty legitimate "Fran" this time.  No jumping pull-ups until the last 3 reps.  I completed the WOD in 5:39

I also did:

2x10 back squats - 225 lbs

3x10 overhead squats - 135 lbs

Thursday: Normal/Traditional Day

3x10 flat bench press - 135, 185, 225 lbs

3x10 incline bench press - 135, 155, 185 lbs

3x10 Tri-shoulder complex at 25 lbs

3 sets of plate presses - 45 lbs

3 supersets of bungee lateral raises and plate presses (45 lbs)

Friday: Hiking

I did a short hike with our church's youth group.  We were in the mountains for about an hour and a half.

Saturday: 28th Birthday Workout

For time, 28 reps each of:

Burpees

Regular Push-ups

Thrusters - 25 lbs dumbbells

Crunches

Ground-to-overheads - 25 lbs dumbbells

Air Squats

Hanging cleans - 25 lbs dumbbells

Lunges

Wide Push-ups

Squat Jumps

High Decline Push-ups (feet resting on a four foot window sill)

Jumping Jacks

Narrow Push-ups

Ground to Ceiling Jumps (9 ft ceiling)

I completed the workout in 21:10.  This was a fun homebound WOD.

What a fun week.  As you can tell, I worked my legs pretty hard this week.  I think that I'm going to take it easy on them this coming week (with the exception of one day probably).  Thanks to friends and family, especially my wife, for making this Birthday/Father's day week so much fun for me.

The Outdoors of Utah

Despite the allergies, sometimes incessant heat and mosquitos, I absolutely love the summer time.

Growing up, it was the best time of the year.  Trips to the beach with the family and friends, waking up late because of no school, hanging out at hotel pools with friends, Jack-in-the-Box Ultimate Double Cheeseburgers as a post-beach meal...life was wonderful.

Now that I'm in Utah and have a job, the summers of beach trips, waking up late and trips to Jack-in-the-Box are gone.  I love Jack-in-the-Box, but for my health it's probably a good thing they don't have any in Utah, except for St. George. Over the last few years, one of my favorite summer time activities has been to escape to the mountains.

A few years ago, I bought a road bike and would go riding two or three days a week up the Provo Canyon River Trail.  After the birth of my son, the mountains became harder to access, so we resorted to walks along river trails and afternoons at the park. Last night I got to escort a youth group from our local church on a short hike up at Squaw Peak.  It wasn't anything strenuous, but man did it feel good to be outside and up on a mountain again.  What a great summer activity to keep you active and healthy.

Some of my other favorite activities in the outdoors of Utah are:

Moab

My Son and Wife Enjoying Moab

This is probably my favorite little town.  Moab hosts an array of events and activities.  My first experience with Moab was when I signed up to do the Moab Half Marathon with my wife and a few friends.  I ended up spraining my knee three months before the race which killed my training, but my wife ran anyways.  We instantly fell in love with the city and have actually participated in a few other running events in Moab since.  We love to visit Moab and just be outdoors.  The people are great and two of my favorite eating establishments are in Moab: Pasta Jays and Zax Pizza.


Slot Canyons near Escalante

Navigating the Slots

Okay, so I've only done this once, but by far, one of my favorite things that I've done in Utah. A few years back, I was a scout leader and we took a small group of our scouts to hike through a few slot canyons.  We ended up doing Peekaboo and Spooky.  This was something that I've never done before, and being in a slot canyon was absolutely amazing.  The boys and leaders had a blast.  The hike itself wasn't very long, but we got to hit two world class slot canyons.  While there we met some hikers from Europe who had planned their trip around opportunities to go through slot canyons like these two.

There are some great camping grounds not too far away from the slot canyons, and a fun little town with amazing people.  We actually had our trip back delayed a little due to a flat tire.  The local tire shop was closed, but the clerk at the convenience store next door knew the owner.  He called him, and he left what he was doing to come and help us out.  I wish I could remember the name of the shop and the owner so that I could give him a shout out!

Snowboarding

Fun day at the Canyons.  Yes that's me.

My wife bought me snowboarding gear for Christmas one year.  We went a couple days later to Powder Mountain.  On my first run down (my second time snowboarding), I was carving face side down the run and ran my fingers in the snow (like you see surfers do in tubes).  I was hooked.

Although I haven't been much in the last two years (mostly due to a snowboarding injury and lack of funds), it remains one of my favorite outdoor activities in Utah.

It's definitely colder than surfing, but it's an awesome sport and activity.


I love the outdoors and I love being active.  I'm glad that I've made the decision to get back in shape and improve my health.  Doing so will allow me to continue to enjoy these activities for years to come!

Week Wrap Up | 6/12/2011

This has been a fun week.  Summer is finally here and I'm definitely excited for summer activities.  Yesterday was the Orem Summer Festival, so we decided that we'd take the little guy and head out for a day of fun.  There was great food, rides and local entertainment.  It was a blast.

I love summer activities with my son.  I realize however that in coming years, the activities will require more and more "activity" from me.  Especially because we're expecting our second.  Like I've said before, my children and family are the greatest motivations for me to get and stay healthy.  I'm sure that in the coming years, I'll be running around soccer fields, swimming in pools, surfing, playing football, wrestling and shooting hoops.  I tell you what...it would also be cool to be able to coach my kids as well  I definitely can't wait.  Time and effort today is an investment in the future.

Here's what my workouts looked like this past week:


Monday: Homebound WOD
With a running clock, each minute do the following:
5 ground to overhead dumbbell snatches - 25 lbs
10 push ups
15 squats
+
15 minutes of jump roping.
I did 14 rounds

Tuesday: Legs
This was a great workout that a friend of mine and I did of:
2x20 Back Squats
3x8 Clean and Press
3x6 Front Squats
Lunges
Lunge Jumps

Wednesday: Upper Body
We broke our workout up into two different sections.
Section 1 - we tried to turn this into a little metcon and do it as fast as we could:
30 burpees
2x20 Incline bench press
50 push ups
3x12 Incline bench press
50 push ups

Section 2:
Supersets of 3x10 T-rows and 3x8 rear deltoid shrug
Supersets of 3x10 lateral bungee raises and 3x30 overhead plate presses

Thursday: Cardio
Elliptical Machine - 4.2 miles in 40 minutes

Friday: Rest Day

Saturday: 100s workout
For time:
100 burpees
100 squats
100 push-ups
100 double-unders
I completed the workout in 27:10 - burpees and consistent double-unders are still a challenge for me, but I'm definitely getting better.

I'm excited for another fun week of working out and staying healthy.  Enjoy yours.

I Can't Wait for Summer BBQs

The weather has been great the last few days, with the exception of yesterday.  My wife, son and I went to my in-laws home for a BBQ for my father-in-law.  I got to cook out on their front porch, luckily covered and protected from the rain.

Despite the weather, it made me excited for summer BBQs.  The thought of grilled veggies, marinated meats and smoke make me excited for a fun and healthy summer.

Last night we did grilled chicken breasts, grilled veggies and potatoes, grilled pineapple, salmon and salads.  It was wonderful.  Here's to a fun filled summer!

Sushi + A Workout = No Bueno

I had every intention to start the week off eating right.  I got to work and was told, "It's Geo's birthday.  We're going to sushi."  They had to twist my arm *sarcastic wink* and got me to go.  The worst part about this in terms of my diet...I went to sushi on Friday as well (it's also bad for my wallet).  I told myself I can't eat out at lunch for the next two weeks (for monetary and dietary reasons).

Since I didn't go to the gym during lunch, I did another homebound WOD.  Here's what I did:

One round each minute until I can't complete the next round of:
5 ground to overhead snatches (25 lb dumbbells) - I did 14 rounds.

About 15 minutes of jumping rope - I warmed up a little for a few minutes, then tried to do a double-under ladder.  5 unbroken then rest - 10 unbroken then rest - 15 unbroken then rest, etc.  I got to 25 and failed about 6 times to get to 30 (I failed at about 19 each time...odd).

I'm a bit gassed and now I'm sucking down a protein shake.

All you can eat sushi + a workout = I don't feel very good at the moment.

Lesson learned.

Week Wrap Up

This has been a pretty good week.  Last week I made a decision to be more conscious and aware about what I ate.  As a result, I loss two lbs and feel great.

Here's what my workouts looked like this week:

Monday - Homebound WOD
Variation on "Cindy":
As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
5 hanging dumbbell cleans (40lbs)
10 push-ups
15 squats
I was able to do 17 full rounds + 7 squats.  It was my first workout after being sick for 5 days, so I'm hoping I have a better result next time.

Tuesday - Self-Programmed WODs
Four rounds for time of:
400 Meter Run + A round of "Cindy"
I did it in 15:12

8 minutes of "Death by Pull-up"

Wednesday - Cardio Day
30 minutes on the elliptical for 3.15 miles

Thursday - Variation on Annie
50-40-30-20-10 of
Double-Unders
Push-ups
Squats
I did it in about 15 minutes which is not nearly as good as the last time I did it.  My rope is at my brothers house, so a buddy of mine and I had to share ropes.

Friday - Rest Day

Saturday - Homebound 100s WOD
For time with 25lb dumbbells:
100 hanging cleans
100 thrusters
100 crunches
100 ground-to-overheads
I finished in 28:08 - this was a fun workout.  I need to work on increasing weight while still decreasing time.

Good week.  I'm still recovering a little from the sickness last week, but overall it feels great to be back in the gym and active again.

While browsing some videos this morning on the Crossfit Games website, I came across this bio.  I love this guy's workout philosophy.  This is good stuff to get you motivated.