Friday June 17, 2016

5 AM

Breakthrough today--

After doing the Wim Hof Breathing method daily since October, I have suspected some performance increases but havent been able to really point my finger to one thing directly benefited from the breathing...until today.

100 Burpees is a very simple workout that takes you into a very dark place.  It is the fastest way to judge your fitness.  You need no equipment, just a watch and 6 feet.

I have done 100 burpees many, many times as a stand alone workout or as a part of a larger workout.  I have done them where I jump onto some sort of platform like a tire or bumper plates, simply clapping overhead or with a weight vest or even a ruck on.  The standard burpee calls for a clap overhead and for a jump that gets both feet off the ground.  You should fully extend your hips as you stand.

With these standards, I have raced the clock and my past performances for 15-20 years.  Never, NEVER have I been able to do 100 consecutive burpees until I started the breathing.  This goes for all the time that I was running a ton and my bodyweight was down close to 140 pounds...Burpees were slow then because I was weak.  Fast forward to the times that I consider myself to be in the best shape of my life; training for SealFit Kokoro and Goruck Selection.  I was strong and much heavier and quite used to a 60 pound ruck sack at all times.  Still, I could not complete 100 burpees consecutively with zero breaks.  All through my 20 year history with the burpee, despite my training, despite my weight, despite my diet, I was not able to do 100 consecutive burpees and maintained about a 5:30 PR on the 100 burpee workout.

After doing the Wim Hof Breathing for about 5 months, I did 100 burpees without a need for a break.  My time was 5:15.  This was an all time PR despite getting older and...conventional wisdom would say, slower. 

Today, I did 6 rounds of the breathing exercise + pushups of a full lung and got 91 pushups.  I did some recovery breathing and then we did the following:

Clean 2-2-1-1-1

100 Burpees for time

2:00 work/2:00 rest on Assault Bike

1:30 Work/1:30 rest Assault Bike

1:00 work/1:00 rest Assault Bike

:30 work/  done

I started the 100 burpee workout with full intention of doing them unbroken.  I never felt like I needed to take a break.  I simply kept doing burpees at a steady pace.  I got to 50 and then 60, 70, 80 and I knew i could finish.  90, and finally 100 in 4:55. 

I am 46 (almost 47 years old) and have been doing this workout for 20 years.  I have seen some 5-10 second PRs, but once i got under 6 minutes, the progress has been virtually stopped.  Today, I cut 40 seconds off my time and never felt like I needed to take a break.  The only thing that has changed is the addition of the breathing.

It is such a great feeling to find something that takes any portion of your training to the next level.  It gives me motivation to continue experimenting and working to find ways to improve in other areas.

If you havent tried this, I believe it is worth a shot.  I dont think that 1-2 days will make a big change, but maybe it would.  Let me know if you try it.

7-30-15

Nothing like squatting in red skinny jeans...Trey is one of a kind

Looking forward to being back in the Garage tomorrow.

In my absence, the guys did this:

6 RFT:

6 rounds for time of:

Run, 400 m

25 Burpees

Bench Press

5-5-5-5-5

Hang clean/burpee/sled push

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RRL Warm up

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3 rounds of:

15 Hang Power Cleans, 135 lbs

15 Burpees

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4 rounds of:

Sled Push, 315 lbs, 50 m

5 Burpees

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1 mile run

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