smolov | Bacon & Fitness

Picking up the intensity

Posted on May 25, 2015 by therangersteve

Finished the switching phase with a little Thigh Day Friday action with my new LiveSore shirt.

Well a lot has happened in the last couple of weeks, the crazy life of pushing towards the end of the semester can sometimes get in the way of other pursuits. I did my best to stay on track and keep myself going in the right direction. There is two full weeks left of school, I have the seniors finishing their last couple days, my first graduation ceremony as a teacher, and a PT test that I need to do well on to come in the days ahead. The three day weekend was a welcome break and it has been spent on coffee, motorcycle dates, time with friends, and the feeling of freedom the only comes from the wind beating your body as you move at speed down a two lane road. There’s something refreshing about the drone of a motorcycle engine, the feeling of the environment around you and the knowledge that you are truly experiencing the movement of your body through the place. Riding allows for an experience that driving the same road in a car will never allow, and requires a bit more focus on just what you’re doing and to removal of the distractions of everyday life. The rides of the past two days have created a break in time, and a backdrop to officially set an end to the spring, and put a line in the sand of transition into the summer. And making myself ready to move from Teacher Steve to Student Steve.

My bike hanging out with new friends at the Springfield Mile races.

Moving forward in the gym, this morning was day 1 of the “intense phase” and it already lives up to it’s name. And it’s only going to get harder as the weeks go forward. Squat days dropped to three for this cycle, and I’m happy that I don’t have to try to be ready to move this much volume that extra day every week. I can’t wait to see the results at the end, but here’s my photos for the start of the cycle.

Tomorrow is Murph, and I’m shooting for not a time PR, but my first attempt in a vest. Let’s see how this goes.

5k one day, squat PR the next, yup CrossFit

Posted on May 5, 2015 by therangersteve

Last warmup set, ready to go.

Today I followed up running my first race by testing my Back Squat max for this week’s Smolov. I wasn’t sure that it was a good idea to test the day after the race, but I ended up deciding just to do it anyway and see what happened. I was pretty sore from the race but as I’ve said the mental game is key to Smolov so I squatted anyway. I’ve been pushing myself more and more the hard work pays off, not always in the ways you expect but sometimes it does. I started out with warmups to 175, then jumped up to 315 and started pushing on up. I made moves up and finally finished at 375, a 35 pound increase my previous best and 60 up from the training max that I was using. After finishing up the programming was a super-set of Tempo Front Squats and Romanian Deadlifts. and the WOD was 20 Burpees, 40 Wall Balls, 60 Double Unders. 12 Minute AMRAP, aka wish for death but it will never come. It was a good day to be back in the gym, and doing the race and hitting this PR only fans the flame that makes me want to push even harder. I’m going to break 400 when I test after the final phase, I know it, and it’s going to put my ever so close to that double bodyweight back squat.

All the squats….quad game on point.

I’ve also found a June race to run, and it’s flat. So I’ll see what I can do. But first I’ll focus on Brother weekend, lots of Roller-coasters, and Memorial Day Murph. Going to push hard on this one and see where I land. Spring is here, the WODs are hot, and it’s time to see what you’re made of folks, cause the weight is not going to pick itself up off the floor.

First race weekend….

Posted on May 2, 2015 by therangersteve

Well here it is, all finish up, my tribute to growing up in Chicago. I couldn’t be happier with it. And when it’s done healing it will be even better looking than it is here. The picture is from about 3 hours after we finished. We finished it up yesterday and after a day of healing I was back in the gym. Today was the last day of the first mesocycle for Smolov 10×3 at 300 was heavy but good. I’ve been trying to do it with as little stuff as possible. So I did my first sets without sleeves or belt, at the fourth set I put on the sleeves and didn’t add the belt till the very last set. Afterwards conditioning today was a combination of Toes to Bar, Overhead Lunges, and Double Unders. Great way to close out a heavy week and a fun one too. Next week is testing, and I love testing week, you get to see some data for all the hard work that you put in. Here’s the tattoo in school mode, just showing out the bottom of my sleeve. The kids all know that I have it, and about the dino on the other arm too so it’s no surprise to them when they get a good look at it. But there’s other things going on that I need to talk about. I won’t write again till Sunday night because I’ll be down in St. Louis, I’m running my first race. I don’t really enjoy running, although the Army says that I have to do it. And in order to keep myself motivated and to see where I land I signed up for a 5k, it’s at Six Flags down there and really I only decided on that one because after you’re done you get to spend the rest of the day riding rollercoasters. So I’ll run a few miles, see how I do and ride some fun rides. My partner for this thing got stuck working so I’m camping down there and running solo. There’s going to be a couple people sharing the campsite and it should be a good time with them, though I don’t know how much of the day we will spend together. Once I’ve ridden enough I’ll head back up here, prep for testing week and get ready to go to Cedar Point. It’s going to be a good week, lifting heavy stuff, rollercoasters, and hopefully my letter from the state that says I’m legal to ride this motorcycle that I purchased, licensed, and insured this week.

Week 3 update

Posted on April 30, 2015 by therangersteve

2015-04-29 20.50.23

I figured that it has been a few weeks now that I’m into this and I really haven’t shown any update photos of how my body has been changing to cope with doing volume numbers that this week will break 50k pounds. I don’t use a scale so I can’t tell you what I weigh in at currently but I can tell you that I’m looking better, clothes are fitting better, and besides my usual issue of having the extra skin from losing all the weight I’m happy with how I look.

Pretty happy with this look here. Not bad for a guy that doesn’t actually do any bodybuilding type work.

Back game felt on point today.

Overall I think that I’m showing some good improvement across the board. In terms of my ability under the bar I’m doing great, the weight is heavy, but I do the sets and I’m becoming a much more efficient lifter. My body is responding to the demands and I’m seeing growth in various areas. I think back to the way that my body changed to deal with the challenges of Fort Sill and training, and now my body is taking on a completely different challenge and doing well in that as well. Tomorrow I finish the Chicago sleeve, and it will be good to get to a stopping point tattoo wise for a while. have more ideas but I’m waiting for summer to pass. This is the first year that I really feel good about how I look and am anticipating doing things that will let me show off all my hard work. Now if only I learned how to pose like a pro and put in some work on bodybuilding type exercises to really get some definition.

New Summer ride

Posted on April 29, 2015 by therangersteve

Time to get back on two wheels. Today I brought myself back to the world of motorcycle riding. I purchased a GS1100. It’s fast, and loud…….and purple? Well it won’t be that color forever, everyone knows that there’s really only one color that I love. But for now I have it, and it’s a fun ride. All summer I’ll play around with it, and then this winter I will likely get more involved into doing some work to change it’s look more. Here it is running after I brought it home. 2015-04-28 20.14.26

Oh, and I did today’s Smolov 5×7 at 265. No knee sleeves, good reps, just knocking them out fueled by Dunkin Donuts iced coffee…

Finishing this cycle, come hell or high water

Posted on April 28, 2015 by therangersteve

Day 1 of the heavy week for the cycle, and a great day to be back in the gym. I have not felt the best all day, something about spending hours in the rain and cold to ride motorcycles has my immune system fighting off something. I almost took the day off work so that I could get some rest, but I toughed it out. I’ve said already that the mental game in Smolov is as demanding as the physical one, and pushing myself forward was a big mental struggle to not just phone it in at work so I had energy for the work at thy gym. 4×9 at 250 today, followed by EMOM power cleans and push jerks, and a metcon of 800M Run, 3 rds 10 DL @275 20 pushups then 400M run. Running and deadlift such a horrible combination.

After the gym today I ran to go take a look at a motorcycle. Over the weekend I took the safety course, nothing like a discount on your insurance, and a chance to brush up on your skills after not riding for a while. At the end of the course I was asked if I’d like to work helping out with the course, which is the first step to being an instructor. Nothing like getting paid to play around on the motorcycle range over the weekends. While I didn’t end up buying this one it will be good to get back on the bike and do more riding. So if you’re near me, and know someone looking to sell you should let me know. Time to push on through the week and get more work done. Tattoo on Thursday, race and Rollercoasters on Sunday. Drive forward, shoulder to the wind, I’m not giving up and I’ll finish this cycle, even if it kills me.

Putting fitness to use

Posted on April 27, 2015 by therangersteve

I have to say that I look pretty good in a helmet. Over the weekend I spent my days on the back of the motorcycle you see pictured. It was a good break from the time in the gym and I got to put my work to use in a way that I haven’t in a long time. I grew up riding, learning to ride a little dirt bike at 7, and rode all through my childhood. I’ve ridden off and on since then but this year I finally took the Motorcycle Riders Course so that I could get the discount on my insurance and buy a new bike this year. It was good to practice my skills, and even managed to get a perfect score on the evaluation. At the end of the weekend they asked if anyone would like to work for the course and so I put my name in to start out helping at the range and by the end of the year I could be an instructor myself. Now to get back on the grind, 4 squat days this week for Smolov, weights are 250, 265, 2980, 300. And on Thursday I’m finally finishing the tattoo sleeve. I can’t wait. Bring on another week, and I guess bring on the 5k that happens Sunday. Turns out you can squat all the time and then run races.

Closing two weeks work and ready for recovery

Posted on April 23, 2015 by therangersteve

Today’s set up, for easy warmup and minimal loading and unloading 290 reached with 45/35/25/15 pound bumpers and a set of 2.5’s.

Today was day 8 out of 9 that I have put a barbel on my back and done squats. It was a solid two weeks of work, with only one day off and as I finished the last of the work that I will do for the next few days I was filled with a great feeling of accomplishment. I’m finding a groove again, and it is odd to say it but I function best in my current situation. Before starting this I had been dating someone since getting back from Fort Sill, and in the package that goes along with including someone in your life my time at the gym had kind of wandered off. I still went in and did the WOD, but my inner drive to put my time there first was challenged to make a place for someone else. There were days that I had to make choices about going in or making time for the lady. Workouts were cut short, some were missed, meals were included that were outside of my normal habits because it didn’t rock the boat. I don’t know if she is reading this, and I don’t intend to say that the relationship was a distraction. There was a period of it that I was the happiest that I had been in a very long time, and because of that I was willing to make those choices. But as with most things it ran a course and eventually came to a close. Since the relationship has ended I found things falling into place again. Routines that had gotten out sync started to fall back into place again. Diet is back on track, I’m getting leaner and my work in the gym has been improving. It’s odd to admit to yourself that in order to be the best version of you that is possible you need a little discontent and unhappiness. When I was happy and comfortable there was not the push that I currently have. So I’m back in the gym, hitting it hard day in and day out, and making the choices that I know will end in results. And I’m starting to see those results more and more, today I went to put on my compression shorts and they were tight. Not uncomfortable tight but still tighter than it has been in the past.

Very white legs, but stretched out compression shorts showing that this squatting thing might be paying off.

The next few days are slated for rest and recovery, with tattoo time, motorcycle riding, and hanging out with friends. I can’t wait to have a few days to let the muscles rest and get ready to take on the third week of this cycle. Third week means adding another 10 pounds to the reps from this week and get ready to test the week after the 5k to see what improvements I can make. I’m supposed to shoot for around 30-40 pounds on my old max. Time to see how all the work that I have put in has paid off. This week was a total volume of 45925, amazing numbers when added with last week and the realization that all this squatting was done in under 10 days. I guess sometimes you just need to squat every day.

Squats on Squats on Squats

Posted on April 22, 2015 by therangersteve

It’s beginning to feel as though all I do is squat at times. Tuesday is rugby practice so I went into the gym only to get the Smolov done today. I waked into the gym and got myself to work. Now that I’m in the second week of squatting 4 days I’ve got a routine down. I come in, find a place to work, put my stuff down, and grab a bar. I move plates over to the area that will allow me to get my warm ups and working weight without walking back and forth later on. I stretch out. Some yoga poses, pigeon stretch, general stretching and work on my ankles. I sit in the bottom of a squat holding onto a rig, or against the wall, and I do some air squats. Some days I roll out, others I don’t, depends on how I’m feeling. After that I grab knee sleeves, and lifting shoes. and I put on my first warmup weight, always 135. Do a set of 5, and then do two more warm up sets usually 165-185, and 205-225. Then I put my working weight on and get to work. It’s a simple warmup but effective for me. I feel lose and ready to go but not as though I’ve done any real work yet. Today was 7×5 at 270, so the jump from 225 to 270 wasn’t bad at all. This was the second day that I was focused on getting better drive through the hips coming out of the hole and again the reps felt good. As the weight has increased I’ve noticed that I’m taking a more deliberate pace. A good breath at the top, hold as I drop, drive up, and exhale on the second half of my ascent. Smolov is making me better not only by increasing my strength but forcing me to be more mindful of technique and making sure that every rep is solid. At this weight a compromised position with this many reps will end poorly for me. So far this week I have completed over 100 reps of squats, ranging from 240-270 pounds and I have another 30 to do tomorrow. Tomorrow closes out the second week of this cycle, and will kick off a period of rest days that will be amazing. Seeing a motorcycle for possible purchase, sitting for a final tattoo session on the sleeve, motorcycle rider class. It will be a great few days of recharging before going into the heavy week of this cycle where that I will be doing another round of the progression, with reps at 30 pounds more than the first week. Finishing with 10×3 at 95% I’m going to do those reps, then play a rugby game the next day, and run a 5k and ride rollercoasters on that Sunday. You could say that will be a crazy weekend for sure. All the carbs will be consumed on a pretty great cheat day, since it will be the night before the race and there will be a campfire as we break in my custom-made tent created from a parachute. The squats are heavy and deep, there’s just over a month left till summer break, I’m doing fun things, and life is good. You know this school year is wrapping up nicely.

Do the clothes make the man, or the man make the clothes?

Posted on April 20, 2015 by therangersteve

I’m a man of many roles and many sets of clothes, when we are growing up we are told not to judge a book by its cover, but often that is exactly what we do when we see the way that someone looks. When I picked out the clothes to wear into the gym this morning I was struck by many thoughts of the past few years. The shorts and shirt that I picked up were not just any shorts and shirt, but a gift from some amazing people at CrossFit Iron City. Putting on the shirt I was brought back to Sunday open gym in Pittsburgh, a chance to throw weight around with others when most of my week was filled working out alone. Memories of a set of friends that gave me a sense of belonging during a period of massive change, and a group that offered a chance to connect my life in Illinois to a new life in Pennsylvania. During my week I fill a variety of roles, and each of those comes with its own set of clothes, from the professional look in the front of the classroom, the workout clothes of a guy trying to build a better version of himself, and a camouflage pattern that I put on when I report for duty as a soldier. Each carries a set of roles and responsibilities that do make me into the person wearing those pieces of fabric. But I also impart something into the fabric that covers my skin. I am not just a teacher when I’m in front of the classroom, I’m a guy that worked hard to change his life, and also someone who made a choice to offer himself to defend his country and fellow Americans. I’m a soldier, but I am also a teacher that invests in children day in and day out inside of a classroom and hopes that they take just a little something from the time they spend with me, and a guy that knows the hard work that is a part of transforming your life and that if you desire it you can do what others thing is impossible. So which is it, am I made by the clothes I wear, or do I make the clothes into something more, or maybe it is both I am the clothes that I wear, and the clothes that I wear are me. Sometimes the shirt, shorts, pants, or shoes you put on will be just that, and sometimes they are something more, and can remind you of the journey that you embarked on and the amazing people who are a part of that story.

Today’s work was 4×9 at 240, week 2 is simply take your reps from last week and add more weight. I’m realizing that as I get tired I use too much quad and not enough hips so going forward I am going to focus on betting better technically as I lift and hopefully I will be able to make some better reps. Going in the morning after a rugby game was rough and my body felt exceptionally beat up and sore. But as I have said before Smolov is as much a mental game as a physical one and I refused to let myself be defeated by the weight or the reps. I went in and got the work done, week 2 is underway and it’s going to be a good one. Heavy weights, CrossFit WODs, finishing Tattoos, and riding motorcycles. I can’t wait to see what the next few days have in store.