Drove up to Long Lake near Alpena and will be here all week with the family. In need of a rest day but put in 10 minutes on the Air Dyne, going 3.78 miles for 298 calories. Really solid pace and I can feel my body getting better. Hopefully by the end of the week I’ll be back to 100%.
Open Gym Friday
Headed in at 5:15pm today for a long spaced out session. Feeling pretty good after the last few days.
Warm-up
- 450m Run
- PVC pass-thrus
- DU
I got streaks of 40+, 70+, and 60+. Ordered the thinner cable from Rx, so I’m excited to see if it fatigues my shoulders less.
Conditioning
Easy 20:00 row. My pace was between 2:15 and 2:20/500m pretty much the whole way and about 20spm. Made it 4,420 meters and felt good.
Olympic Lifting
Warmed up with some C&J at 135#.
5:00 EMOM
- Squat C&J (185#)
Rest 3:00
5:00 EMOM
- Squat C&J (205#)
I was planning to do another round with 225#, but at the end of the 205# reps I could tell I was starting to hit a wall. Just not anywhere close to being back to myself yet, so I shut it down there and did a couple sets of back squats.
Strength
Back Squats
2 Sets of 5 with 205#
Strongman / Road Work
Laura, Brent, Kevin, Ellen, Casey, and I did a big circuit. Just kept moving, nothing too intense.
2 Rounds
- 150m Sled Drag (135#)
- Plank (while partner does sled drag)
- 150m Wheelbarrow Push (200# first round, 230# second round)
- 10/10 DB Curls
- 150m Prowler Walk (210#)
- Grip Twist with a 5# plate hanging on it
We paired up the push/pull with a stationary movement and paired up in teams. Each team did both movements in the pairing and then rotated to the next spot. Took us about 30 minutes to finish
The Road Back
I made it through 2 naps today without any sweats, so figured I could get back in the gym. Went it at 8pm for open gym.
Warm-up
- 450m Run
- PVC pass-thrus
- Banded Good Mornings (green)
Strength
Warmed up with 5 deadlifts at 135#, 5 Pendlay rows at 115#, 5 deadlifts at 225#, 5 Pendlay rows at 135#, and 3 deadlifts at 315#.
10:00 EMOM
- Odds: 3 Deadlifts
- Evens: 5 Pendlay Rows
The plan was to use 85% of 1RM for the deadlifts, so I threw 385# on the bar and used 145# for the Pendlay Rows. Got through the first round and the first deadlift of round 2, but had to drop weight. Went down to 345# the rest of the way, which was plenty hard enough. I need to get back into deadlifting more. Being sick has some to do with being weak, but my body just isn’t used to the weight either.
5×3 OHS
- 3 @ 95#
- 3 @ 125#
- 3 @ 145#
- 2 @ 165#
- 2 @ 165#
Ugh, so frustrating! Nowhere near my 3 rep max and I failed on it in two attempts.
Core
5 Rounds NFT
- ME Ring L-hold (knees up)
- 10 V-ups
Felt pretty good on these but could tell I was getting a little tired. It’s hard, but I have to realize it’s probably going to take a week or two to get myself back to pre-MudCrud fitness.
Take It Easy
Doctor thinks I have bronchitis, maybe with a touch of pneumonia. The chest x-ray at the ER last week was clear for pneumonia, but he said I could still have it or have developed it since then. I got a shot of penicillin in my ass, an antibiotic (which will help bronchitis and pneumonia), cough syrup, and a cream for the rash on my leg. Hopefully this all clears up before I go on vacation Saturday.
Decided I better take it easy until the night sweats go away, because they are a sign by body is trying to fight something off. Also don’t want to spread my germs all around the box at SF.
Jumped on the Air Dyne in the garage tonight though and went for 20 minutes at a steady pace. 467 calories and 10.81km, averaging just under a pace of 70 rpm. Felt good!
Know When to Fold ’em
Still not getting a full night of sleep and night sweats seem to be getting worse. Going to see my Doctor this afternoon and hopefully figure out what is wrong with me. Went it at 10am to workout with Kevin and Ellen.
Warm-up
- 500m Row
- 2/2 World’s Greatest Stretch
- Various other stretching
Strength
Hadn’t done Super Squats in nearly two weeks, but today was the day to get back on it. With a week off I decided it made sense to still go up 10#. Warmed up with 10 @ 45#, 5 @ 135#, 3 @ 185#, and 3 @ 225#. Took a nice rest and then went for it with 255#. Right out of the gate, I could tell the reps were way too hard. I started leading with my ass, sort of doing some type of good morning squat. I got through 8 reps, and then coming out of the hole on the 9th, I decided to bail before I got hurt. Dropped to 225# and did a set of 5 for some extra work.
Disappointing, but not surprising with the week I’ve had. I should have been smarter and maybe went for 235#.
Did 3 sets of 20 pullovers after with 45# dumbbells. I’ve been using a 60#, but didn’t think that would be a good idea.
Core
3 Rounds (NFT)
- 10 Evil Wheels
- 45s/45s Side Plank
It’s been so long since I’ve done side planks I don’t even remember.
Conditioning
1/2 Mile Sled Drag/Pull (135#)
I did half walking forward dragging the sled behind, and half walking backwards pulling it along. At the gym it’s 6 laps, so I alternated each lap.
Heading to the Doctor this afternoon to hopefully figure out what’s wrong with me. Just want to get back to normal.
Monday Blues
These damn night sweats are killing me. Can’t get a decent night of sleep. Canceled golfing early this morning because of the lack of sleep, but went in at 10am to train. Kevin had to bail for work after the shoulder presses, but Ellen stuck around and did everything with me.
Warm-up
- 450m Run
- PVC Pass-thrus
Strength
Shoulder Press
- 5 x 45% Training Max (1:00 Rest)
- 5 x 55% (1:00)
- 5 x 65% (1:00)
- 5 x 75% (2:00)
- 3 x 85% (3:00)
- ME x 95%
* Training Max is 90% of 1RM.
I based my numbers off my 165# shoulder press. The percentages were a bit goofy, but I ended up using 75#, 85#, 95#, 110#, 125#, and then 140#. I managed to get 5 reps on that last set. Tried to get a 6th, but just didn’t have it.
HSPU
10:00 EMOM
- 5 Hard HSPU
I went with 25# plates for a deficit. Had to switch to kipping in the 5th round and then ran out of gas, only able to get 4-3-3 in the last 3 rounds. Shows how weak I am now because a few weeks ago I did all 10 rounds.
WOD
5 Rounds
- 20 DU
- 10 Pull-ups
- 10 KBS (62# KB)
Don’t have the gas I’m used to having. Way too much resting. Was only able to get the first round of pull-ups unbroken. Finished in 8:12.
Finisher
5 Bent Over Prowler Drags Between Legs, about 25m down and 25m back. I used 225#, 240#, 255#, 270#, and 300#.
Solid session. I can feel myself coming back each day, so hopefully I’m back to normal by the weekend when I’m heading on vacation, because I plan on doing 2-3 workouts a day and becoming a metcon monster for that week.
Dive Back In
I started to feel so much better last night after going to hang out for the fireworks in Bay City. Feeling pretty decent today too, so went in to workout with Kevin and Ellen at 3pm.
Warm-up
- 3:00 Air Dyne
- 20/20 Band Walks (purple)
- 10 Band Presses (purple)
- 10/10 Flamingos
- Squat Hold
Strength
I wanted to get in some light squats to easy my legs back into things and hopefully get back on track for Super Squats this week.
2-3-X-1 Tempo, 90 seconds between sets
- 5 @ 45# to warm-up
- 5 @ 105#
- 5 @ 120#
- 5 @ 135#
- 5 @ 165#
- 5 @ 180#
Wow, was it humid in the box today. I was sweating buckets after only a few sets. These weren’t particularly easy or hard, so solid work for me coming back. Three seconds in the hole is deceiving and I recommend everyone try some. You can’t use the bounce to come back up at all, so it’s all drive.
WOD
10:00 EMOM
- Odds: 20 Wall Balls (20# MB, 10′ target)
- Evens: 10 Over the Box Jumps (28″)
Did all of the wall balls unbroken without any trouble. Was a bit wiped out for the box jumps though, which is my specialty, so you know I’m still fatigued.
Conditioning
1/2 Mile Sled Drag (135#)
Stopped for water every 2 laps (1/3 of the way). Should have maybe mixed in some backwards pulling, but just wanted to keep going.
Finisher
10:00 Row
Nice and slow. I think I was at 16-17 spm most of the way. Not trying to kill myself, just sweat and get the heart beating.
Was there about 2 hours and felt so much better than the “Hope” WOD yesterday. I bet I lot at least a few pounds through sweating, so tried to keep drinking water.
“Hope”-ing for a Speedy Recovery
Whatever this MudCrud virus is I got from Tough Mudder has ruined an entire week. I did a little work on Monday morning, but none the rest of the week. Headed over to the new Survival Fitness Bay City at 10am today.
Warm-up
- 500m Row
We were on our own for warm-up and I didn’t want to wear myself out because I know I’d be pacing the WOD really slow anyway.
WOD
“Hope”
3 rounds
- Burpees
- Power snatch (75#)
- Box jump (24″) *Rebounding off the top is allowed
- Thruster (75#)
- Chest to bar Pull-ups
“Hope” has the same format as Fight Gone Bad. In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. On call of “rotate,” the athlete/s must move to next station immediately for good score. One point is given for each rep.
Last year I was left with tunnel vision for over an hour after this WOD. I had managed a total of 235 reps with rounds of 82, 74, and 78. No way I was coming close to that with my body beat down. I really paced things and probably rested more than I repped. Did 54-54-53 reps for a 161 total. Was great to sweat it out, but damn I felt like a rookie.

Mud Crud
I’ve been sick since Sunday. Damn Tough Mudder! At least 5 or 6 people from our group were puking sick and many others felt bad. I guess there was an outbreak of norovirus going around from something there. I’ve had mostly sinus issues and fatigue, with night sweats that have kept me from getting much sleep. Haven’t worked all week and have been craving a workout. Went to the ER early this morning to get checked out after reading about some scary things that can cause night sweats.
Decided to hop on the Air Dyne today to sweat on my terms and get moving.
- 5:00 Warm-up (60-65 rpm)
- 10 Rounds
- 30 seconds fast
- 30 seconds rest
- 5:00 Cool-down (60-65 rpm)
Knocked out 436 calories and traveled 8.52km. Definitely got my sweat on!
2013 Tough Mudder Michigan
Yesterday I did the Tough Mudder with a group of nearly 30 from Survival Fitness. We had a blast! Over 12 miles of mud, rain, 20+ obstacles, friends, laughs, and teamwork.
Paying for it all today though. My entire body is sore, bruised, scraped, and beat.
