One of my feats of dad strength – a weighted chin-up. This particular one was done with 80 lbs, using 3 kettlebells strapped to my waist.
15 Foot Hands-only Rope Climb with 35 pounds
As part of my ongoing feats of dad-strength benchmarks, I did a fifteen foot hands-only rope climb with a 35lb kettlebell attached to my waist.
Feats of “Dad Strength”
Dad strength is the kind of physical strength that’s useful when stuff goes wrong and people are depending on you — in clutch situations. Every dad ought to meet or exceed his own minimal definition of strong, but I think these strength benchmarks are generally applicable because they scale to any weight.
Simple Randori Check List
Improving your Jiu Jitsu is a bit like software development in that you want to be able to try new things, experiment, and collect data – when the stakes are low. Effective training should be empirical, not emotional. Stop giving a crap if you get tapped out during randori, and become more interested in collecting data.
Zoom WOD 11
Friday, Nov 20, 2020 9:00am EST - the eleventh installment of the Zoom WOD (workout of the day) with my friend Eli. This one began a half hour early, and included some truly epic chit chat. I also logged a personal running best for running around the block in 2:19 – a full 5 seconds faster than my previous fastest time.
Zoom WOD 10
Zoom WOD 9
Friday, October 30, 2020 - the 9th installment of the ZOOM WOD (workout of the day). Today, we did 3 circuits, but did not go outside for the running portion because it was 38º in Detroit, 43º (and rainy) in Brooklyn. We decided to substitute 1 minute of high intensity toe-tap drills, which was a great alternative that allowed us to squeeze more work into a shorter period of time. Also, I got my early voting done yesterday!
Zoom WOD 8
Friday, October 23, 2020 - the 8th installment of the ZOOM WOD (workout of the day). Today, we did only 2 circuits (at my request) because of me being completely wiped out from a heavy squat workout a day earlier. Remembering an episode of Fight Science from 2010, I rigged up my own low-tech version of an oxygen-starved fine motor control test using darts.
Zoom WOD 7
Friday, October 16, 2020 - the 7th installment of the ZOOM WOD (workout of the day). Today’s meetup went a bit long, because of some unplanned chitchat pre and post workout. A recap can be found at the bottom of this page.
Zoom WOD 6
Sixth installment of the semi-regular workout of the day over Zoom with my coworker Eli. Overall, I shaved 8 total seconds off the combined times of all 3 runs. Eli was able to set a PR with his 2nd and 3rd circuits, and says that his running mechanics have noticeably improved since we first started.
Zoom WOD 5
Zoom WOD 3
On Friday, September 19, a coworker and I met up for the third installment of a scheduled Zoom workout – and it was AWESOME!! We did 3 circuits of the following exercises done with no rest in between:
40 jumping jacks
30 crunches
20 pushups (or kettlebell swings)
10 kettlebell swings (or pushups)
5 chinups (or rows)
Run around the block (~ .4 miles)
Corona Virus Dispatch from NYC, Day 148
Corona Virus Dispatch from NYC, Day 145
Corona Virus Dispatch from NYC, Day 139
It’s been 139 days since the official start of New York City's covid-19 lockdown. Unlike a lot of people, I have access to a Crossfit Rig in my back yard. About a week ago, I started making it a point to track some of my foundational strength benchmarks – rope climbing, muscle-ups, and pullups. The last 2 were for the orphans and BLM.
How Not to Prepare for a 5K
A recap of some basic rules of thumb regarding 5K preparation. In April, 2017 I ran the Backbones 5K in Prospect Heights, IL while visiting my mom. At the time, I was still in the early stages of figuring out my running routine; doing a lot of reading and experimentation; not quite comfortable with the idea of thinking of myself as a runner.
Drop Seoi Nage
For 7 years, I’ve tried to hit the drop seoi nage. For me, this is one of the all-time-great throws of Judo. Anyone with a bit of skill can do it on a child or an untrained adult, but I managed to pull it off in randori with a fully resisting brown belt - and it was amazing. Definitely one of the highlights of my progress in standup.