80 pound weighted chin up on gymnastics rings
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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)
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.
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.
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.