It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the 

light.

I experimented a little with my training today let me know if you like it!

Gym:

1000m rowing at highest difficulty

4 mins of burpees (split into 20 secs work with 10 secs rest, repeating till the end of 4 mins.)

1000m rowing at highest difficulty

Now I'm in for a good nights rest and a marathon in the morning! Ill post a full race report when I get back!

K.I.S.S Principle - Keep It Simple Stupid!

Easing into another competitive weekend I've been trying to keep to the KISS Principle.

Gym:

2 sets of

135lb back squats - 15 reps

25lb plate held over head while lunging - 30 reps

Bear Crawl - 20 yards equidistant backward and forward 

This workout gets the legs cooking! Make sure to reduce rest in between sets to get that aerobic benefit out of this workout!

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

Today was a little easier recuperation day with a primary focus on the upper body.

Gym: 

2 sets of 

35lb Dumbbell Clean and press - 15 reps

115lb Stability Ball Bench Press - 20 reps (16 reps on the second set)

Back Extensions - 20 reps

Atomic Push Ups - 20 reps 

(The Atomic Push Up is where you do push ups with your feet in straps suspended off the floor and at the top most position of each push up you tuck your knees in towards you chest and back out.)

This wrecked the arms and chest area with a nice soreness tot he back of the legs as well.

Hope to get some time in Swimming tomorrow keep getting distracted!

Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.

I'm pretty tired so I'm going to get right into today's workout!

Gym: 

2 sets of
Clean & Press 115lbs - 15 reps
Push ups (with every other one explosive enough to make your hands leave the ground) - 30 reps
Deadlift 135lbs - 20 reps

Outdoors: 

Rock climbing
This was an incredible upper body workout! The most fun was the rocks where you fell straight into lake superior if you lost your grip.

Went home and finished the day off with 150 Hindu squats and a nice ice bath for my right foot!

Men talk of killing time, while time quietly kills them.

Today was a conglomerate of exercises. I started with two trips to the gym on bike. Then I did a gym workout which I'll go into more detail later. Dabbled in a little rock climbing and finished off my day with 300 Hindu Squats.

Back workout:

2 Sets of

Bent Over row 95lb bar - 15 reps

Pull ups - 10 reps

Reverse flies - 12 reps 

I've been dealing with some foot injuries the past few weeks, so starting tomorrow I'm going to try alternative cardiovascular exercises. That way I can work my respiratory system without the extra stress on my feet hopefully giving them enough rest for my upcoming marathon!

Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory.

Today's workout was actually a shortened version of a Tough Mudder it was great fun!

I biked 4 miles to the obstacle course arriving about an hour before race start.

The race itself was intense. I made the mistake of not lining up early enough so I was stuck running the with the third wave of ten instead up front with the faster individuals. I finished the 5k course (3.2 mi.) in 5th place. The other 4 ran together with a minute head start on the course so I never saw them. I was only 58 seconds from first place and 13 secs from 4th so next time I'm taking that first wave! My finish time was 24:11.

I finished up with a another 4 miles back to the house.

Now I've got a week to get ready for a marathon!

There is no substitute for hard work.

My workout for the day:

2 sets of

Bear crawls with a dumbbell row 20ft forward and 20ft backward

Broad Jumps every 40 ft do 10 squat jumps total = 80ft and 20 reps

2 sets of

Standing paddle with 45lb bar, Forward 12 rotations and reverse 12 rotations

Biceps curl 45lb bar 12 reps

Shoulder press 45lbs 12 reps

Your Challenge: 

3-4 sets of 

Squats (bodyweight) 20-40 reps

Horziontal jacks ( Push up position with your arms locked out jump your legs apart and back together) 1 minute

Curl & Press dumbbells use a weight that lets you perform 12- 15 reps

Hey guys,  since this weeks training program will be rather easy I decided I should add in some great workouts for those of you interested in getting in shape!

Your workout challenge:

No rest in between exercises, rest after the each set (2-3 sets)

• Lunges 1 - min ( coupling reverse lunges with forward lunges will help switch it up)
• Burpees 1 - min ( for a more difficult variation throw in a push up every time you go down)
• Straight leg high kicks - 1 min (make sure to keep your leg straight at the knee as you kick)
• Shoulder taps 1 - min (look this one up its kind of wordy to explain)
• Plyo jacks (a jumping jack but you land in a squat every time you jump outward) 1 min
• Bear crawl 1 min

If you have any problems finding instructions on some of the exercises listed above let me know.

Today I worked hard on my upper body and core strength. It should pay off on the monkey bars this weekend!

My workout:

2 sets of

Pull ups -15 reps

Suspended strap pushups - 15 reps

Clean and press 95lbs - 15 reps

Bent over roll 95lbs - 15 reps

2 sets of

Medicine ball catches (from a seated position on a stability ball) 15 reps

 

Every day is a good day when you run.

So this weeks program is going to be limited as I prepare for a 5k obstacle race course this coming Saturday!

I was actually out checking the course today, as well as helping build one of the obstacles. 

My workout: 

1 mile warm up

5k at 70% of my race pace.

I'l try and get someone to take photos of the race otherwise wish me luck!  

"No man can tether time or tide"

I'll be doing specific training to prepare for this coming Saturday's 5k obstacle race.

2 sets of:

Thrusters - 10 reps (95lbs)

Walking lunges - approx 50ft (25lb dumbbells)

Reverse bearcrawl - 50ft Approx

Atomic push ups - 20 reps

(Atomic push ups are a push up with a knee tuck to your chest every time you reach the upward position. Your feet are placed in straps hanging slightly above the floor.)

I'll be be finishing up the night with a good 20 mins of stretching and maybe a few miles. I need to loosen up big time, been tight this whole last week! 

I want to know what you think of my blog, so please leave some feedback and check out my Facebook!

www.facebook.com/Rankinmudder

God Bless, 

~ Joey Rankin

There is no such thing as bad weather, just soft people.

A friend of mine masterminded today's workout. It turned out to be a basic style circuit.

2 sets of:

Pull ups - maximum repetitions

Hindu Squats - 50 repetitions

Push ups - maximum repetitions

Sprint 100m with an immediate 100m cool down jog

He wanted to do 3 sets but we settled for 2 sets leaving us with a nice pump.

If it bleeds, we can kill it.

Sorry for the late post been a busy day! 

Circuit 1 (2 sets):

135lbs clean and press - 6 reps the first set, the second set I could barely do one I made a few weak attempts at a second but to no avail.

Pull ups - 15 reps

135lbs bent over row - 8 reps

Alternating uneven push ups - 20 reps

1min rest

Circuit 2 (2 sets)

75lbs seated shoulder press - 8 reps

20lb dumbbell lateral raises - 10 reps

45lb plate behind the head circles - 10 reps each direction

45lbs plate front raise - 10 reps

Finished the day up with a great game of soccer with some buddies. See you guys tomorrow!

You only ever grow as a human being if you’re outside your comfort zone.

Ran 6 miles today along the Lake Superior beach line. Went 3 miles out on the hard packed sand near the water and on my 3 mile return I ran through the deepest loose sand I could find. My hamstrings were burning the entire way back! 

3 miles on packed sand

3 miles on loose deep sand

Damn the torpedoes, Full speed ahead!

My upper body was so tired from yesterday I decided to do legs today. 

2 sets of:

Hindu Squats - (50 reps)

Turkish Get Ups - 25lb dumbbell (10 reps each side)

Hardcore Squat - 65lbs (20 reps)

This workout burned!!!!! I'll be posting exercise videos for some of the more non traditional exercises in my program at http://www.facebook.com/Rankinmudder, starting this weekend

What may be done at any time will be done at no time.

Today's workouts wouldn't have been nearly as intense if I didn't have Josh (Owner of the Xccelerated Fitness Gym) adding to my workout and motivating me. Thanks for the extra push!


Gym:

I completed 5 sets at 85lbs in 10 mins of:
Thrusters - 5 reps
Sumo Deadlift High Pull - 7 reps
Hang Power Clean - 10 reps

Then I did 2 sets of the following with a 45lb plate:
Jack knives - 20 reps
Plate Press - 40 reps

Josh, still not satisfied with the workout decided we should finish with 3 sets of:
Incline Bench press - 15 reps with 40lb dumbbells
Preachers Curl - 20 reps with 35lb bar

About 2 hours after my first workout. I ran up some mountains near my apartment and then looped back on the railroad totaling 2.60 miles in 25:02 mins. The real killer was running on the loose gravel and spars of the railroad. 

Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.

Coming off a relaxing weekend I decided to try something a little different today.

This workout is inspired by the wrestlers of India. Some of India's most prominent wrestlers would complete up to 2000 reps of the Hindu squat everyday! The Dive Bomber push ups are a more intense variation of their push up called the "Dand" but similiar in motion.

For time:

200 Hindu Squats

50 Dive Bomber Push Ups

After 150 Squats I was starting to think my quadriceps were going to tear right off! My goal for the first week of Sept is 1000 Hindu Squats. and 200 Dive Bomber push ups for time. 

Anyone trying this workout should make sure to do the Dive Bombers second as it drains a lot of the excess blood out of your quads from the squats. This will decrease the level of delayed onset muscle soreness.

Guys tomorrow's workout will be running. Its going to be intense, so check in tomorrow!

Also, I have a facebook page now (http://www.facebook.com/Rankinmudder). I will be posting more pictures to the facebook page and some videos in addition to my daily updates here on this training log. 

Endurance is patience concentrated.

Active rest day

Ran 5k at a 90 -100% effort.

The run was not timed despite a noble effort which ended in an accidental stop of the timer. 

Next week I plan to time myself in an effort to beat my Personal best 5k of 20:04 mins (back before my accident).

Stretching out and relaxing for the rest of my day. Ill be back to you guys with something crazy next week!

Relentless effort will either make or break both your mind and body.

Todays workout nearly broke me into small little Joey fragments but I pushed through with a little help from the guy I was working with and I feel great!

Waking up 15 mins before my first client's training session I groaned in a sort of half goof half I could really use another 24 hours of rest. I made it on time to the gym and the session went well. Now I had to face down yet another gym day. Beyond sore from yesterdays workout my training partner and I decided to work  the upper body hard yet again! As you will see this turned out to be a very intense workout. I recommend you guys give it a good try just don't overdo the amount of sets you complete.

3 sets for time of:

Bear Drag - approx 100 lbs sandbag dragged backwards on all fours 50-60ft

Clean and Press - 95lbs 30 reps

Box Jumps - 27 inch box jump 20 reps

Bicep curls - 35lb sand bags each arm 10 reps, One 35 lb bag 20 reps

I felt like passing out by the time 11:00 a.m. appointment came around. Total energy zapper!

I'm starting to get bored with some of my exercises so I would appreciate some good alternative exercises anything new would be great! Thanks for checking out my progress you guys keep me going!

Come home with your shields or upon them!

The 300 workout

 I felt this one Big Time.

If your trying this workout.... GOOD LUCK! This is one of those workouts that matches the intensity of the individual. What you want to do is go through every exercise listed without a break. Now your inevitably going to reach fatigue at least a few times throughout this workout. When you find yourself incapable of doing another rep, set the weight down but only for a moment to take the load of your body, then get right back in there!


25 pull-ups
50 deadlifts at 135 pounds
50 push-ups
50 box jumps with a 24-inch box.
50 "floor wipers" (a core and shoulders exercise at 135 pounds)
50 "clean and press" at 45 lbs (a weight-lifting exercise)
25 more pull-ups -- for a total of 300 reps

I also ran an 80% effort 3.1 miles a couple hours before this workout. I'm lacking in the mileage department, but I plan to amend this next week!

That which does not kill you makes you stronger.

Before we get into today's workout, I'd like to explain how the motto (posted above) has become a life motto for me. It all happened the winter of my sophomore year in high school. 

My wrestling team and I had just arrived at the motel we would stay at before the morning's championship. We got hungry after the weigh ins and decided to cross the busy 4 lane highway (with a median) at night to a gas station. We made it safely across to the station. On the way back everyone made it across except for one of my buddies and I who were behind, so we let a few cars pass as we stood on the median. After a couple of seconds, an SUV stopped and waved us across. I took the chance and jogged out past the SUV in the lane nearest the median when all of a sudden a red car (pictured) comes darting around the stationary SUV and hits me going 45 mph.

I went through the windshield, dented the top of the car with my head and rolled/flew over the top of the car landing on my back cracking my head on the asphalt, I blacked out. Waking up in the ambulance I wasn't in pain but I couldn't breath! The EMT's would periodically take a suction tube and use it to clear my mouth of the blood I was coughing up from my lungs. The list of injuries received are as follows:

Injuries

Skull - minor concussion I believe.. I cant remember haha!

lower right leg - both bones broken out of the skin 

lower left leg - broken fibula

Shoulder blade - Fractured scapula

Core and internal injuries - Fractured ribs, Lacerated lungs, Internal bruising. 

To make this short, I want you to understand I found that my strength by its self meant nothing when it could be taken away so quickly. Learning to walk again was one the most incredibly humbling experiences in my life, yet, the pure joy of those first few steps will stand among the greatest of my physical achievements. It became apparent to me that true strength is not measured by physical ability but rather in your spirit's inability to break. I didn't do it on my own by any means. My wonderful friends and family and the faith I had that God would heal me and make me stronger, left me one direction to take.....forward!

Gym Day!

This may look easy but I challenge you to try it! Post your best numbers so I can see how "tough" you are!

2 sets (no rest) Pull ups- 15 reps, Push Press 65 lbs 30 reps

1-2 min rest

2 sets (no rest) 45 degree backwards lunge with 45lb bar - 40 reps , Split Squat Jumps - 20 reps

1-2 min rest

2 sets (no rest) Bear crawl 50ft approx. forward then backward, Turkish get ups(look it up) 20lb dumbbell - 5 reps each side

1-2 min rest

Hardcore squat 65lbs - 30 reps

Hardcore squat - You hold the bar in the crook of your arms as you squat down and lean forward with your upper body till you nearly touch the floor with the bar then straighten up thrusting your hips forward as you stand tall ready for the next rep. Feet should be in a exaggerated wide stance.

**Guys hope you enjoyed the post let me know what you think of my training. I don't want to run out of ideas for training so leave me a comment with some programs you find to work well!

Romans 2:7 

To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.

Bear crawled 600 yards in 25-30 mins up and down some very rocky mountain side. I took a few breaks but no longer than a minute. By the time I reached the 500 yard mark the pointer finger on my right hand was growing numb with a little tingliness. My wrists were starting to feel a little stiff as well so I lamented after another 100 yards of bullheadedness.

After a brief recovery walk I found a slope > 65 degrees with about 120 feet +/- to the bottom, (measuring distance in a nearly vertical climb is new to me). Did 4 repeats on this slope with no rest walking down and sprinting up. Between the moss covered rocks and loose sediment I found myself crawling almost the entire way up! I Definetly have room to improve in this area and I plan to do a much longer hill repeat next week.

Give me some feedback, any advice will be carefully considered as well! Thank you for your support, leave a comment!

Welcome friends and fellow Mudders!

I've created this blog Primarily for my own accountability, as I train for the World's Toughest Mudder. The more you view this blog the harder I will work I guarantee it! Also, there will be a few health and fitness related posts for those of you pursuing your own fitness goals. 

Make sure to comment on my workouts anytime you feel they need revisement or whenever you have a question. I want your feedback!!!  

The exercises and intensity levels performed in my program can be unsafe and lead to serious harm.

Workouts will begin August 7, 2012