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So much of exercise and fitness is personalized. There are things that will work for one person and not work for the next: nutrition, supplements, stretching, etc. The list could really go on forever and I certainly do not claim to have all or even ANY of the answers. I have started to figure out what works for me. When I find those things I stick with them.
With that build up I will dive into the realm of footwear for exercise. As you may know based on my profile that I really liked the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. Since reading that book I have moved to a minimalist shoe for exercise and in some cases no shoe at all!
The shoe that I have worn for the last year for general fitness and have been very impressed with has been the Brooks PureConnect versions one and two. It is a super lightweight shoe that breathes well with mesh all the way around but still protects my foot quite well even from the sharp Sonoran flora. The split toe platform goes almost all the way to mid-sole, really giving my rather wide "Fred Flintstone"-like foot room. At 7.2 oz. it hardly feels like I am wearing shoes at all. Being in Tucson, Arizona I have found one fault in the shoe: When running in a wash (Read "dry river bed" for the folks not living in the desert) very fine sand seems to sift through the mesh and build up in the shoe. It is a pretty petty concern for a shoe that I have put through running, tire flipping, farmer's carries, etc. You name it, this shoe has done it!
Off my footwear soapbox and onto the workout: Chest and Biceps.
Lifting with Rebecca: Again, each exercise is three sets.
Dumbbell Flat Bench Press
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
Flat Bench Dumbbell Flies
Weighted Push-Ups (I use a 50 lbs. V-Force Weight Vest but my backpack full of bricks from the GoRuck Challenge would work just fine!)
Alternating Dumbbell Curls
Dumbbell Concentration Curls
Weighted Dips
Barbell Flat Bench Press
Supplemental Workout:
Barbell Flat Bench with Heavy Chains (See chains from yesterday's post).
Dumbbell Complex "Man-Maker" Rows
Fat Bar Biceps Curls (This is a DIY Fat Bar made out of 2" galvanized pipe filled with sand and corked at the ends).
Have a great day!
My theory on exercise? Pretty simple really: I want to be able to do my job, challenge myself physically and have fun. I don't do it to compete with people around me, I haven't bought into the Crossfit craze of doing exercises for time. I don't think that I will ever be the strongest or fastest, but I will be fit and healthy for me.
My job at NOLS often times requires me to be in wilderness settings with novices for weeks. My level of fitness allows me to take care of myself and others in remote settings for long periods of time.
My partner Rebecca is a second year medical student and has a very busy schedule. Fitness is also very important to her but was a challenge to work into her busy schedule. As a couple we committed to working out six days a week lifting weights. These workouts are a big part of my daily routine.
There are times that I like to challenge myself whether that was climbing 14,000 foot peaks when I lived in Colorado, running a marathon while living in southwest Virginia or participating recently in the GoRuck Challenge in Tucson. My fitness level allows me to do things that are challenging and to push myself.
Finally, I like to have fun. My weightlifting routine is pretty consistent and if that is all that I did I would probably get pretty bored. I supplement my traditional lifting exercises with functional workouts that can be strenuous, but also very fun at the same time. Here is an example of my workout from today:
Lifting with Rebecca (Each exercise is done for three sets):
Dumbbell Squats
Dumbbell Lunges
Barbell Front Squats
Body Weight Calf Raises
Straight Leg Dead-lifts
Glute-Ham Developer (GHD) (This is a simple DIY device that we made).
Supplemental Workout:
Back Squats with Heavy Chains (3/4" links, 5 foot sections. 22.5 lbs. each. Purchased at McMaster-Carr).
Today's WOD is named "Captain Caveman". The idea was to simulate hoofing out into the dangerous world of the caveman, clubbing your dinner and busting it back to your hole in the rock with your grub!
100m Shuffle (not really a walk, not really a run) with a sledgehammer (in this case it was a Rogue Fitness SISU War Hammer at a lead-filled 28.5 lbs.).
20 Hammer Swings on a large tire (The big, old earth mover tire was free! I just went over with a pickup to a commercial tire place and drove it home. Ten reps right handed, ten left handed).
70m Weighted Sled Drag (35m out and back. This is a DIY sled made out of an old tire, an eye-bolt, some webbing and weighted with 120 lbs. of kettlebells).
400m Shuffle with a Sand Bag on one shoulder and the hammer in the other hand. (The sand bag is also DIY and weighed in at 40 lbs.) This shuffle is a loop that brings me back to the large tire where the routine picks back up at the Hammer Swings.
Three complete rounds with a swig of water between sets.
Hard but fun!
Welcome to the first posting of Blood, Chalk, Sweat and Tears. My name is Brian "Duck" Murphy and I have started this blog for a few reasons. The main reason though is to hopefully start discussions around strength training, fitness and exercise with people who are out there doing amazing stuff.
I live a truly blessed life and have had a variety of jobs that have involved a need to be physically fit. I am an honorably discharged combat veteran of the United States Marines, I have worked for the Department of the Army taking soldiers and their families on outdoor recreation adventures in Colorado and I am currently a senior Field Instructor and Program Supervisor for the National Outdoor Leadership School. Each of these careers has required a level of strength, agility and endurance that can only be acquired through training. I also firmly believe that maintaining this constant level of physical fitness since I was a Marine recruit at Parris Island has helped me remain healthy and relatively injury free into my mid-40s (Knock on wood. Now.)
Topics that I will be posting on will include: daily workouts, food and nutrition, supplementation, body work, gear and equipment reviews, outdoor adventures, my Red Heeler Ocho and who knows what else?!
Thanks for reading and stay tuned.
