Tag Archives: becoming bulletproof

Hope.

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Isn’t it incredible to be alive?

Take a walk.  Unplug.  Breathe in fresh air.  Walk through a creek.  Hug someone you love.  Hug someone you don’t love.  Call someone you have been meaning to for a while.   Show your children you love them.   Be grateful for such things.  Be happy.  Choose to be happy.  It’s more fun than choosing to be frustrated.  You work all the time, you don’t feel good, you hate your job, you fight with your spouse, your kids can’t stand you, you look like shit, you feel like shit, you aren’t good in front of people,  you hate your boss, your boss hates you.  What are these things.  What are these thoughts that you give power to on a daily basis.  Why do you let them control you.  Your mind is a computer and either you, or your environment is the programmer.  Absent of you choosing to your mind will let whatever stimulus it comes up against program it.  How scary is that?   Just watch the news, or listen to your “friends” complain…and bam….down that endless road called negativity.  But should you choose to be brave and become the master of your own destiny.  Well then….the world is at your freaking fingertips.   Believe in you.  It’s hard, it’s uncomfortable, but guess what we weren’t put here to be comfortable.  We were put here to grow, to challenge ourselves, that’s how we are made up.  We are literally movers and shakers, to deny that is to deny the very make up of our body and souls.  Give me the crabbiest nastiest human being in the world,…i put them in my class and take them through a Robstacle course and you will see them smile.  Why is that…because your body and mind crave challenge, and they crave movement….  Isn’t it incredible to be alive and be human.  We are the most complex movers and thinkers on earth  (we think)  Why deny it…you can’t ….just let go and get on with life.  I am so grateful for the position I find myself in everyday.   Is it easy….  Heavens no.  It’s not even close to easy.     “Don’t pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a hard one”

I have the strength, and I have the muster, and I have the ability to think better, be better ,move better, and I practice it every single day.  And I am thankful every single day that I have been blessed with my parents, my wife and children, my mind, my body and my community…..and I will do my best to elevate those around me for the rest of my life…..

 

IS NOT  THIS LIFE WE LEAD TRULY INCREDIBLE!!!!

 

Go out and Be Amazing….stop being scared of yourselves…..

WOD 3/24/2015

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Tuesday
“COE” 1/2
10 Thrusters 65/95
10 Ring Pushups
5 Rounds For Time

 

HeroKeithACoe_th

 

Army Sgt. Keith Adam Coe, 30, of Auburndale, Fla., assigned to the 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., died April 27th, 2010, in Khalis, Iraq, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an explosive device. He is survived by his wife Katrina Coe, two sons, Killian and Keith Jr., and daughter, Klover.

 

It was an honor to WOD in Sgt. Coe’s name today.  My heart rests with the loved ones he has left behind.   The efforts put forth by the box today were inspiring and truly heart felt.

 

hero

3/21/2015 WOD

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….she’s a good one

 

WOD

4 x 5min EMOM’s

1. 7 Box Jumps  ( Slow Mountain Climbers)

2. 10 Hand Release Pushups  (Slow Crunches)

3. 10 Thrusters 35/45  (Seal Jacks)

4. 7 Burpees  ( Breathe)

 

Every minute on the minute perform the exercise and desired number of repetitions.  For the balance of the remaining 60 seconds perform the exercise in the parentheses.

 

Good Luck….she was a bastard!!!

 

Thanks to the 9am Class for letting me fight along side them.  It was a pretty epic one this morning!!!

3/19/2015

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WOD

18 min of Movement
32 Feet- Foot hand Crawl on 2×4
16 Feet Farmer’s Carry on 2×4
and 10 Reverses with KB racked on 2×4

(5 reverses per side)

Continue through these three exercises until 18 minutes has passed

you can click the youtube link below to see an example of the movements….have fun if you try this one.  Slow purposeful and as always mind your movements!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QM37K6DHtME&feature=youtu.be

3/15 and 3/16

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WOD 3/15/2015

2 Rounds for Time
30 step ups
50 Mountain Climbers
30 Step Back Lunges
50 Mountain Climbers
3 Wall Walks
144ft FHC

 

 

 
3/16/2015

 

Warm up

Rollout 10min/ Skinny PVC 4 min/ Hip Flexor and Glute Activation 3 min/

Running Prep Drills-6 min

Kettlebell Swing Progressions-5min

 

WOD
10 Rounds For Time
10 KB Swings
200m Run

 

Sunday was a wicked WOD, I had the pleasure with wodding with the 9am class and to further proove that I’m not super human found a way to tweak my left psoas during the very first set of Mountain Climbers, and since the vast majority of the WOD (lunging, Crawling, Stepups, Mountain climbers) required the use of it saw a very difficult WOD for me.  Extremely Challenging.

Some awesome breakthroughs happened that Day and Coach Amy did an outstanding Job with Coach Dan there to assist her, their attention to detail, even with me and my suffering foot hand crawls, was spot on. Great Coaching.

 

 

Today Saw the first Running WOD of the season, and everyone did a fantastic Job.  Hip Hinging and with it Posterior chain activation is a life essential skill.  I pushed the point home quite a bit with 530 and 630 class, and I really hope that everyone took away from it how important the ability to contract your glutes and properly extend your hips is.   With that being said….I’m throwing another Benchmark at you on Wednesday, but don’t let that scare you away from tomorrow…it is an outstanding WOD!!!  See you in the box!!!!

WOD 3/13/2015… Friday The 13th!!!!

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639d38d09baaf9f691b54127aa85fe1e0777dced5d2603756b1be7354df241d6

 

Warm Up- 10 min Roll/ 2 min neck rotation, 2 min shoulder rotations/ Bird dogs- 2 min/ up dog down dog-3 min

Shoulder Prep- 2×8 Wall SLiders/ 2×8 Bi lateral External Rotations/

Skinny PVC- Pressing Prep -3 min

KB Swing Prep- 3 min

-hip extensions/ hip flexors/ hip hinges

 

WOD

 

12 Min

20 Kettlebell Swings (Russian)

5 Shoulder to overhead

 

Score is total number of weight moved over head in the some of all Rounds with your 5 Presses/ Push Presses/ or Push Jerks

-you can add or take away weight as needed

 

Best of Luck

Motivation

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This is it.  Right here.  The life you have…the one you have currently been living….it is here….and believe it or not it is right now.  There are things we have done, and there are things we will do….but in truth all you have that is promised to you is right now.  Don’t you owe it to yourself? Don’t you owe it to your family?  Don’t you want to finish this life off and be able to say ” Yes… I did my best”  “I gave all I could give”  I know I want that.  I want to look myself in the mirror at the end of every day and know that I lived it to the fullest.  I want to know that on that day I stepped up,  I came, I saw, and by god I conquered.   I didn’t ask for permission.  I took and did what I wanted and asked for forgiveness later.  That’s how I want to feel at the end of everyday.  I think as powerful and graceful human beings that is how we are meant to feel at the end of everyday.  I have to be honest with you.  I’m sure that a lot of us out there do not feel that.

So if you don’t feel that way, and you want to what do you do?

You workout.  You train smart, you learn from the best you can find, and by god…once you have the mechanics down you train HARD.

If you have never had the pleasure of feeling what it is like to leave your sweat, heart, and at times even your blood on the mat after a grueling, heart pumping, mind electrifying WOD….then no wonder you don’t want to work out.  If I had to go to a 30000 square foot facility where no one knew who I was, and sit down to do resistance training, or do some sort of bastardized cross country skiing that ultimately gets me nowhere (elliptical)  if I had to suffer through 40 minutes on that thing, and then 40 more minutes traipsing around the gym looking for the right machine…I too would be numb to the idea……  I too would rather stay at home that suffer through that mind numbing monotony. ……

….what you need is something that lights a fire under your @$$.   You need to be worried about what is about to happen when you step through the doors.  It needs to cause you anxiety if you think about it.  You have to wake up in the morning and be ready to face it like a dragon that is trying to steal your Princess from you  (or prince).   You need to walk into your Box as if you are going to be forced to eliminate the head of the taliban, save Christmas, punch the devil in the face and run for the President of the United States all at once….and that’s just the Warm Up.   In truth……all Joking aside.   When you walk into your Box, or even your “gym”.   It should matter.  Damnit all. It should be a Big deal….scratch that it should be a HUGE DEAL.   Every WOD, every REP, every rest….is earned…and it is an investment.   It is an investment in you…..  You.     Every time you pick that bar up you are making sure that you are better.  Every time you pull your chin above that bar you are showing the WORLD what you are worth, and you are proving it to yourself.  Each rep builds confidence, each Meter rowed builds ammo for you.  The more you come the more you love it….the more you love it the more you start to live it…..  People notice….People comment…..people see the difference……people FEEL the difference….. YOU FEEL THE DIFFERENCE.   It’s not about the Scale…..   It’s not about the  Time……   It’s not even about the Weight…..and it certainly isn’t about What Place you finish……    What it’s about is YOU!!!  It’s about committing to make YOU  better than the you from yesterday.  It’s about chasing perfection and finding that excellence is a pretty damn sweet place to be.     Sleep well tonight everyone….get up tomorrow morning and crush it!!!!

2015

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gratitude

noun
the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness

Words cannot express my feelings of gratitude in respect to the year 2014. I am thankful for my wife, my children, my parents and friends.  The community at the Box is growing and moving and doing so well that I, in truth, can hardly contain my excitement for what 2015 promises to bring us.  There is no telling how far you all will go, how hard you will push, how amazing you will feel.  The PR’s that will be set, the hours spent sweating and swearing and gearing up for another WOD, or another rep, or simply cheering on that last effort.  It promises to be awe inspiring. I am grateful to have shared those moments in the past and am already feeling enormous gratitude for the year that is to come!!!!   Thank you all for being a part of it.

Perhaps this Post New Years Day Post could end there and it might do a better job conveying how full my heart is, rather than have me prattle on for the next 800 words or so (gross estimation).  And yet I’m still typing. (and perhaps more miraculously you are still reading) When  I look back on the year I am forced to  realize that the good times were amazing, the hugs the happy tears, the congratulations, the praise, the “atta boys,” the hand shakes, the kisses….they were so many, so celebrated, and indeed so amazing, but somehow those aren’t the ones that stick out in my mind, it is in actuality  the uncomfortable situations that are foremost in my memory.  Uncomfortable situations, code for  saying the times that I messed up….acted like  I shouldn’t….reacted like I shouldn’t…said what I shouldn’t..didn’t think things through….offended……hurt….upset….let down…made cry……etc….you put it there I am fairly sure that I was the cause of it, plenty of times throughout this year. And some moments were devastating, and in truth it is of those times, those rough uncomfortable moments I am most thankful.  Truly.  Without them I would not grow as much, I truly believe that.

When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure. -Peter Marshall

I believe it is in addressing these difficult moments, how I handled them, how I could have handled them, and indeed how I should, and plan to handle them in the future….it is only then that I will continue grow in a way that the good moments can’t possible push me to…only then will I be able to reach and touch on what my potential is….only then will I start Becoming Bulletproof.

I am a very goal oriented person, and have been for the better part of the last ten years or so, and I have been known to have lists of resolutions by the ends of previous Decembers….set and ready to go for the next year.  Some I have achieved and yet many others I have not.  Things like physical goals, monetary goals, family oriented goals….all well in good….I think in one such goal last year I even had a set number of people that I planned to help in 2014…..(how in the world does one track that) They were all good intentioned and all of, perhaps, very substantial meaning….yet ultimately….the good most of them…are crumpled up and tossed away a few weeks into every year….I suspect that most of you are no different.  In fact if you are someone that accomplishes all of your resolutions every year than you and I should  meet for some coffee sometime..I need to hear and learn from you.  But if, indeed, you suffer from your resolutions/ goals being far to big for you self to accomplish I am going to suggest something simple this year.  It is what I have committed to, and must say for the last 2 days has gone on rather swimmingly.

Know Thyself

Or put in a perhaps much more now time lingo  (now time?)  How about we just get comfortable with…

Be Completely Honest With Yourself

Let truth be the principle that guides your decisions for the year 2015.  We have become so accustomed to lying to ourselves, or family, our bosses, our loved ones, and most importantly to ourselves.  We can end it this year.  Look at what you “say” you want to accomplish and be honest with yourself.  Push yourself to do what you say you are going to do.  Back up the claims….stick with the programs, the workouts, the eating, the sleeping, the family time.  Stay honest, stay on course !!!!  I believe that it will only be through this truthfulness that you will find your best successes in 2015.

Important to note, nowhere above did I say anything about being perfect….or expecting easy….or thinking that 2015 was going to be all sunshine rainbows and my little pony reruns.  It sure is hell is going to do it’s fair share of striking you out, throwing you curveballs, and maybe even sacking you a few times  (this switching from Baseball to Football is uncomfortable I wish I would have the metaphor police come down on me)  But if you stay true to yourself, stay honest within the situation  I firmly believe that you may make it a truly wonderful and fortunate 2015.  So here is to your 2015, may it impress the hell out of people that write the history books!!!

During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act

-George Orwell

Hope for the future and those around us… simple slight rehash of an older post…..relevant nonetheless

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I am luckier than most. I have completely designed my lifestyle around fitness. I have to be in shape or it is impossible for me to do my job correctly. So that means it is easy for me to exercise consistently right…..??? It’s super easy for me to eat healthy….right??? I suppose to an extent it is true. But I think what’s important is to understand how long it took me to get to this level. I think it’s too often that people see someone who has made it to a certain level of fitness and they may think….oh he has good genetics…or wow she probably doesn’t even like chocolate. Take me for example; When I was freshman in high school, baseball first introduced me to the “weight room” from that moment on I always “wanted” a six pack, and veins in my arms….well fast forward 20 years later …and finally I have them…..but it did not happen overnight….I wish I could stress that, I wish I could have you all standing on my shoulders as I eyed a piece of candy, that I knew would only lead to more and more candy…..and feel how  I struggled to not eat it.  I wish you could visualize the back and forth battle it was…..”I can eat just that….it’s not a big deal”….vs “don’t touch that, look at how far you have come”….constant, relentless fight…..let me just fall of a track a second and say….sugar addiction sucks, but breaking sucks even more in the short term..lol….20 years it has taken me to undo what society, and my family put into me in the first 13 years of my life. Actually I once read a study that suggested that by 7 our eating habits are already firmly in place…that’s how early this starts. No wonder it took me 20 years to undo what was so firmly embedded in my mind… So why bring this up….I suppose because I want you to believe that it’s possible to be in whatever sort of shape you would like to be in, but you have to make the effort. You have to take on the responsibility….if you don’t do it for yourself you likely will never do it. Perhaps the only other “person” you may be able to get away with would be doing it for your children…..wouldn’t you like to be able to lift and play with their children (your own grandkids) one day? Ask yourself how likely is that scenario at the rate you are headed…and let’s pretend you who are reading this are doing fine with your health, as I anticipate plenty of you will be…then what about someone you know who isn’t going to be ok in 5 years, 10 years….what can you do today to help that person. Who can you put them in touch with to help change their life for the better? Do we, who are healthy and fit, owe it to the rest of society to help them get out of the rut they are in…to help show them how to be healthier,,,,and ultimately happier??? What do you think? Either that or live inside our Fit little box, with our fit little friends and watch Americas average waistline continue to grow….that is what is happening…how do we stop it…maybe you ask do we stop it?? Or do we act like a New Yorker…and look straight ahead and pay no attention to those hurting around us. I once posted that letting someone who is obese eat at a fast food restaurant is similar in my mind to allowing an alcoholic to have a shot a whiskey….that post offended some people…though I’m not really sure why. …I believe until we as a country are prepared to have these uncomfortable moments and recognize the nationwide epedemic for what it is…then I believe we will never begin to move in the right direction….at any rate it’s been a while buffalo…talk to you all soon..