Birthday Weekend And Shenanigans At 41

 Been quite a week but the weekend and day of my birthday was just the cherry on top of a bad ass sundae. This past weekend, the spitfire and I went camping for a couple nights out in the woods, she set up the tent and set up for food while I went out and chopped wood for the fire. Some pretty damn hard work but it was worth it and had a lot of fun. Lots of laughs, tunes, swapping stories and play our game of Burning Questions by the fire. Took dips in the creek and couldn't be happier.

On our last day, I decided to be a smart ass and went out about a quarter of a mile from camp to fetch firewood and found this spot with perfect sawed off pieces and gave them a whirl. I brought my massive Ruff Stuff Bag that can fill up on a ton of firewood (bag can hold up to 1000 lbs.) with me. Little did I realize that it's going to be one hell of a trip back carrying all that wood. Took out one log and put the pieces in the bag along with my ax, gloves and rubber mallet. I practically carried back about half my bodyweight in that fucking bag, it was heavy as hell. Girlie got worried since I hadn't been back yet so she went out and tried to look for me. Caught up with her and walked back to camp hauling a beast. 

It was worth the hassle since it gave us plenty of wood for the night with some leftovers for future campers. Came home and did some cleaning up and unloading our camping gear to set up for the following day. Went river rafting/floating on my birthday up near where we got married with family and had a pontoon set up with a few tubes attached to soak in the river. Got pretty burnt but it was a still a blast. Squirt Guns, spotify, swimming and spending quality time with the people in my life. 

Earlier that morning, I got in a couple workouts of Neck Mobility, Joint Loosening & Agility Work and then Isometrics doing several exercises in three positions each for 7-12 seconds. Being over 40 doesn't mean you're over the hill, you keep driving and learning new things along with keeping yourself healthy as best as possible. Some people don't celebrate birthdays which I get, I mean to them it's just another day, who gives a shit right? For me, I enjoy celebrating it cause there were times in my life where things could've gone south and wouldn't be sitting here talking to all you bad asses, so I try to enjoy the moments and have fun with it. Some years wasn't always easy but I'm still standing and doing what's possible. 

I may be a little grayer, a little wiser and don't do things I did in my 20's and 30's, but I have learned to adapt, adjust and get stronger & better conditioned in the long run. Have kept weight off over the last year and a half or so going from nearly 270 to under 235 and building my strength in fun ways. I'm in no pain, don't have arthritis and just enjoying things the way I can. Health is more than just looking good (even though I'm no model or random fitness influencer by any stretch), it's about finding balance and doing what you can for yourself and getting the most out of what's possible so you can enjoy the coming years. Plan on losing a bit more weight but also keep testing myself what I'm capable of. Shit at one point this past week I did a 1000 Rep Animal Workout and did slams with a 20 lb slam ball for 5 minutes as a Finisher that made me feel like I was going to die but once it was over, it was one of the best feelings ever. Who the hell does that at 40? 

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a great Tuesday and I want to wish you all a great week. If you're feeling down, do something that could perk you up, go for a walk, get a workout in, call a friend or loved one and just shoot the shit. Do what's possible to genuinely smile and laugh if you can. Be amazingly awesome.  

Brutalized Conditioning: Animals & Slam Ball Hell

 On Monday, I wanted to test myself to see where my conditioning was at and safe to say, it was one of the hardest workouts I've done in a while. Did other workouts where they were a challenge but nothing like where it tested your sanity along with making the lungs seem like you're going to die LOL.

Thought I'd get into some animal training since it has been a while. Used my deck of cards to do the 4 Animals/Exercises I normally do....

Bear Crawls

Crab Walks

Half/Quarter Squat Walk (Bigfoot Walks)

Duck Walks

Doubled up on the reps and even about 10-15 cards in, I felt like quitting and I was breathing pretty heavily, I kept going anyways. These are no joke and will test you like no other. Finished with a 1000 total reps of these and yet, the workout wasn't even over.

I wanted to really amp it up by doing a finisher with the 20 lb Slam Ball I have and target my explosiveness. Went for 5 minutes doing a 15 on, 15 off protocol. Got in about 4-5 slams per round and slamming that fucker on grass just hits different. This wasn't just a finisher, it was to burn more calories like it was going out of style and build that mental toughness. More than just cardio, it's hell on earth and the battle rages on you against the system you created for yourself. This is the type of training where with other things, you won't tire out as quickly. This is not the typical workout you see many 40 year olds doing so, I wanted to find out what my capabilities were. 

Sometimes you got to go through hell to see what you're made of and what you expect out of yourself. This type of training is more than just exercise and getting in a few quick things, this is the type of hell that makes humans question their mental and physical stability along with testing themselves at peak levels of conditioning. No question pro/world class athletes can probably do this far better than me and it would be hard to try to keep up with that kind of person but at over 40 and not a professional or even calling myself World Class, I believe I did pretty damn well with this and I'd love to test this out with somebody sometime.

Conditioning comes in many forms and the idea for even as you get older is to maintain a level where you don't get tired doing things and can go as long as needed and have that lasting strength and endurance. When you have the ability to go and able to wear out others, it's a great feeling. Karl Gotch said it best "Conditioning is your greatest hold". Fitness is more than just trying to look good, it's about feeling better, being able to do things with less chances of getting injured and being able to have strength that lasts rather than temporarily. The world seems different when you are able to be fit and handle things with grace yet powerful at the same time.

Hellish workouts have their place as a challenge but don't frequent them as it can come back to bite you in the ass. Will I try this again, maybe or switch things up doing the dopa band and sledgehammer work. Strength & Cardio is part of the puzzle but when you throw in the mental aspects, it teaches you how precious and important having those attributes is. Be amazingly awesome and do what's possible. Challenge yourself but don't go so far you can't move or get injured. 

The Spitfire, Her Progress And Athena

 Training is never easy, especially if you have a full time job and you do what you can to make the most of it, sometimes being consistent can be a challenge and there are days where it's not in you. However; when you're able to and get things going, it makes a huge difference in how you feel and what you want to continue to do. That's what it's like for my wife Holly.

She's one of the hardest workers I know and does what she can even though she can be very persistent when she sets her mind to something. It's one of the things I love about her and how proud I am of her. In some time, she has lost around 60 lbs and has kept it off despite obstacles that come her way, she still fights with the heart of a lioness. I have taught her how to utilize a consistent training style that suits her and makes her want to continue her journey. She usually works a 3 day split of Upper Body one day, Core the next & Leg Work.

About half to 60% of her training is cardio, building her endurance using the treadmill, the eliptical and will go on runs for about an hour at times. Her core work consists of planks, twists, V-Ups and Diagonal Chops with a slam ball. Upper Body is mainly flys, curls, lateral raises (she calls them She Hulks), punching & Pull-Downs/Chin-Downs. Legs is usually running but she'll do some squatting, lunges and other things. Her rep range is around 10 reps at 5 sets per exercise and she'll hold a plank for as long as 2 minutes. Getting a blend of strength and cardio work.

She has stayed with that for quite some time and has worked for her. I give her tweaks every now and then on her form so she can feel the muscles more. She busts her ass to the point where she'll wake up sore and ask me to send in her clone to work LOL. 

She has also been taking the Athena Formula for about a month or so and the changes in her energy levels seem like they were shot out of a cannon. She isn't as tired, doesn't drink as much caffeine as she normally does which at times consists of coffee, Spark and sometimes a red bull. Her intake is almost cut in half by taking 3 capsules a day before heading out to the other side of Spokane for the day.

Her training and her jacked up energy lately has been amazing and I'm incredibly proud of the progress she has made. It took her a LONG time to lose the weight and she still has a ways to go but I believe in her and what she is capable of. Strong, fierce, kind, compassionate and can be a bit of a hard ass but that's part of who she is and wouldn't change it. Athena has been her go to supplement and even after a few weeks, it shows some drastic improvements in her mood, her energy, her focus and has kept her strength in tact with great stride.  

You have that power too ladies and you got what it takes to make improvements for your own health. Small aspects of progress always lead to the bigger picture, you may be different in life but there's always room to become a bad ass and do what works best for you. Get a hold of Athena Formula and see where you progress and train with a vengeance, go for the Subscriber Program so you can get them sent to you every month. You got this. Be amazingly awesome.