gibor hayil

Deadlifting with the brothers

2010-11-18T15:01:00.000-08:00

So this will be a quick post. Last night got to do a sweet workout with my brothers.

We knocked it out in my garage and the parking lot. Had a lot of fun and enjoyed having my brothers there with me.

So we did the following and were totally crushed at the end...

9 rounds:

Wall walk 20 ft.
Deadlift 3 reps, ascending weight
farmer carry/keg carry 100-150 m

We enjoyed the workout and started alternating handstand holds (30 sec.) for the wall walk by the fifth round.

Today, I hope to do either a met con with body weight or a short but sweet/sick kettlebell workout. More to come later...

Grade School Groove

2010-11-15T23:47:00.000-08:00

So I absolutely had to get a workout in tonight. I mean, I was thinking about handstands and pullups all day. I would be walking down the hallway to the bathroom at work, and I'd be thinking about how cool it would be to do a handstand right there, BAM!

No, I didn't do it in case you were wondering. But that was the extent of my need to get my workout groove on.

So on the way home, pressed for time due to studies and family, I stopped at the neighborhood grade school to knock out a fast body weight workout. There is a pull up bar and hand ball courts so I had the perfect setting for pullups and handstands.

I did roughly 5 sets of about 10 pullups (alternating grips) and 3-5 handstand attempts. I threw in some pushups and toes to bar along the way for the fun of it. Not a set workout as much as a free flowing good time with the body weight.

I am getting better with the handstands and had a couple of free standing ones tonight (next to the wall).

Hoping tomorrow to hit some heavy deadlifts, so feel free to stop by if you are in the neighborhood.

Handstands and Benchpress

2010-11-11T22:12:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I have a hard time thinking of clever titles, and today was one of those days.

I headed out to the garage tonight for some fun with the bench press. I warmed up with jumpropes, lunges, goblet squats, pushups, and handstand work. I held a handstand unsupported by the wall for about 5 seconds tonight. That is a new progression mark for me and I was really stoked.

Got pumped up listening to some kickin tunes and did 9x3 on the bench (9 sets of 3 reps). Each set alternated grip between close (shoulder width), medium, and wide grip. The numbers are as follows:

135, 135, 155, 165, 165, 175, 185, 195x2, 185.

Really enjoyed the workout tonight and am psyched about progressing in handstands. I hope within the next year to be handstand walking. Until next time...

Cleaning up Tuesday

2010-11-11T11:25:00.000-08:00

So Tuesday saw me in the garage, embracing the chill of the So Cal fall night, throwing down on my redneck Oly' lifting platform.

I warmed up with jumprope, squats, lunges, handstands, and pushups. I also threw in some overhead squats with the bar only. Love getting under the iron!

For my workout proper I did

5x5 Hang Power Cleans (95, 95, 135, 135, 155)
5x3 Power Cleans (155, 155, 165)
5x1 Squat Cleans (165 all)

Not the greatest amount of weight, but it has been a long while since I have done cleans and it felt good getting back into it.

Sunday Park Fun

2010-11-09T11:12:00.000-08:00

So Sunday saw myself and my two brothers at a local park hitting up some body weight exercises. I warmed up including more handstand skill work. I found a good spot at the park for this where the grass abuts a cinder-block wall, the perfect place to kick up for some handstands.

I was able to kick into a handstand against the wall and hold it for 10 seconds. This is a big step for me because previously I was only able to walk myself back up to the wall but now I can kick up and hold the position. I will keep practicing and my goal is to progress to handstand pushups, and eventually free handstanding and handstand walking.

So after warming up, we did the following workout and had a good time together in the process.

3 rounds for time of:

20 Pullups (kipping)
30 Pushups
40 Sit ups
50 Squats

My time was not impressive, but I'm not intending to impress anyone: 21:13. Both of my brothers beat me and it was fun to see them cranking out the exercises.

I plan today to do some sort of work under the iron, maybe some heavy cleans...we will see.

Until then...

Garage Gym: Beginnings

2010-11-07T15:01:00.000-08:00

So I wanted to post a video of the beginnings of my garage gym. It is still a work in progress as evident in the video. However, it is more than adequate for me to get some awesome workouts in.

So yesterday didn't work out to go to the park as I had some family plans change. I'm going to try again for today and we'll see what happens.

So without further ado, my garage gym.

Movember

2010-11-07T01:00:00.001-07:00

So no frolicking in the park after all, but I wanted to document my participation in "Movember," (Mustache for November), also known as No Shave November.

So here is a shot of me after about 5 days. Sad to say I don't have the greatest ability to produce a world class stache' but I thought I would make a go of it and see where I end up.

So I will be posting a shot of my mug at the end of the month and will decide then (with my wife's input as well) whether or not to keep going or not.

So if you need a charity to donate to, check out the official US site,

http://us.movember.com/

Frolicking in the park...

2010-11-06T13:51:00.000-07:00

frol•ic frɒl ɪk Spelled [frol-ik] noun, verb, -icked, -ick•ing, adjective
–noun
1. merry play; merriment; gaiety; fun.
2. a merrymaking or party.
3. playful behavior or action; prank.

–verb (used without object)
4. to gambol merrily; to play in a frisky, light-spirited manner; romp: The children were frolicking in the snow.
5. to have fun; engage in merrymaking; play merry pranks.

–adjective
6. merry; fill of fun.
________________________________________
Origin:
1530–40; <>

Cited from Dictionary.com

Banksy Graffiti - Police Frolicking in Field

So today my plan is to do a body weight workout in the park. I may take some kettlebells and may get one of my brothers to come along. I plan to incorporate pullups, sit ups, knees to elbows, pushups, and squats.

I will probably try to do some handstand and parkour skill work for warm up also.

I plan to post some pictures and videos in the near future (hint: Movember mustache, and garage gym). Stay tuned.

Bear Crawls

2010-11-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

So today had to be quick, but I got to take the little princess (my 20 month old daughter) out into the garage with me while I worked out. She had water time while I did my workout.

I always enjoy getting to take the kids out with me to work out.

So today I did three rounds of bear crawls, wall walks, and weighted push ups.

This workout mainly targeting the upper body/shoulders and core.

So today looked like this:

I bear crawled about 30 feet, then
wall walked about 15 feet (walking on hands with feet on wall), then bear crawled back 30 feet,
and did 10 pushups with 25# plate on the back.

Great workout and enjoyed the shoulders burning. Also enjoyed my daughter laughing at how silly her dad looked while bear crawling.

New Direction

2010-11-04T09:25:00.000-07:00

So I am taking a new direction in my blog. Don't really have time to do in depth, thought provoking, posts every day. Not with my lovely wife, two little ones, a job, and full time seminary.

But I do want to keep posting, so I have decided to post my daily workouts consistently. I may also throw in some thoughts, impressions, or other random stuff along the way.

The theme for my blog remains the same, being an excellent man or a man of valor. And as I contemplate and research A Biblical Theology of Masculinity, I may post some things in that line also.

So after being ill with a flu a couple of weeks ago and not getting enough sleep to recover (average 5 hrs a night during the week), until Tuesday it had been almost two weeks since I had done any significant workout. Granted I had taken some breaks behind the library and done some stone throwing and handstand skill work with pushups thrown in, but I hadn't really been able to go all out like I wanted.

I had really been wanting to do deadlifts...

So on Tuesday I did the following and had a blast:

3 rounds

Deadlift for max reps

Farmer Carry 2 x 1.5 pood kettlebell around garage (approx 100m)

I warmed up with some jump rope, pushups, air squats, and handstand skill work.

My goal was to hit 2o reps at 225 straight and I got it barely. My sets turned out

a1)DL 225 x 20

b1) FC 2 x 53# KB

a2) DL 185 x 15

b2) FC 2 x 53# KB

a3) DL 185 x 15

b3) FC 2 x 53# KB

I really enjoyed it and it felt good pounding the iron on the deadlifts. Probably made alot of noise in my little garage since I am throwing down with old school Olympic plates straight onto concrete, but it just felt right. Kept my form strict and by the end of the workout, with the deadlifts and the farmer carrys I could barely close my hand, my grip was so shot.

I am working on getting the garage gym up and fully functional. Over this Christmas break I intend to get a pull up bar hung in the garage along with a punching bag. Then I should be set for inflicting all sorts of pain on myself.

Not a bad thing...

2009-10-27T19:06:00.000-07:00

This serves as more proof that strength training for children, when done in a carefully regimented and safe manner is a good thing. If you notice in the video, most of the training done by this 6 year old is with body weight and gymnastic in nature. This is the type of stuff I plan on doing with my children. If only more parents in America today would help their kids in this way, we would not have the epidemic of childhood obesity that currently plagues our society.

2009-07-16T21:45:00.001-07:00

Take the time to watch this video and be reminded of the importance of practicing and guarding your second amendment rights. The right to be free and safe.

Roiders Running from Regulators

2009-05-18T21:47:00.000-07:00

Did you ever think you would see a bodybuilder ripped, yoked, and whatever other adjective you might choose, running from someone? Well apparently in Belgium the entire lineup of competitors fled when drug testers showed up.

You can read about the incident here and here. This just goes to show that eventually your actions catch up with you both ethically and physically. Do you want to look like this 20 years down the line?

The moral of this story? Don't roid it. Just be natural, be fit, and live your live for God's glory not your own, cause when you live for yourself, ultimately you will fall.

Thinking Tactical: Cover your options

2009-05-07T10:08:00.000-07:00

I received this great article today from The Tactical Wire. It is a free e-zine that is only sent to you if you request it. It is a great resource for anyone in the law enforcement community or just for the average Joe who wants to know how to better protect himself and his own. In the most recent publication, Tiger McKee discusses being prepared for the unexpected in an armed confrontation or any type of conflict. His points are good to consider. Have you thought through the different possible responses if someone were to forcefully and maliciously enter your home? How would you react?

A few days ago, this young man reacted and was able to save the lives of ten friends. Read more about it here and here.

With this story of a few days ago in mind, read Tiger McKee's article from the May 7 edition and post your thoughts to comments.

The Real Problem With GMO Farming

2009-04-06T00:58:00.001-07:00

Check out the following link to see yet another reason why we should be fighting the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 (H.R. 875).

Yet another problem of this bill is that it will give further control to the already onerous Monsanto Corp. For those who don't know, Monsanto is basically a near monopoly company in the world of agriculture which uses bully tactics to keep farmers across our country and around the world from being able to store and plant their own seeds.

I personally know someone that has worked for this company and he himself attested to their bullying tactics. As Natural News explains, the real problem with this is that these genetically modified crops are experiencing failure.

Is that the type of agricultural practice we should rely on? Again, see my previous blog post on H.R. 875 to learn how you can contact your elected officials to voice your protest to the bill.

Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009

2009-03-31T22:46:00.000-07:00

Well, we are facing some of the most intrusive government action in our country's history. It now appears that our federal government believes we are incompetent to raise our own produce or livestock and that they need to restrict our freedom to do so. No, I'm not joking. What I am talking about is very real. I am speaking about House Bill 875 (H.R. 875), and Senate Bill 510 (S.510).

These are effectively bills in the House and Senate of our national congress that would render private farms, organic farms, small family run dairies, and possibly even your own garden at home illegal. Think I am joking?

No joke, the federal government in another knee jerk reaction, is trying to take away more of our freedoms. You can also read about it here and if you want to read the actual bill summaries yourself they can be found here and here.

So what can you do? Contact your House representative and our two illustrious Senators, Feinstein and Boxer, and voice your dissent regarding this bill. Know that if enough people voice their opinions regarding this bill, they will listen. While you are at it, also tell them to stay away from our gun rights as well. But hey, I will save that for another time...

Anybody wanna do this?

2009-03-30T23:39:00.000-07:00

So I periodically like to post sick workouts that intrigue me due to their fiendish nature. These are the workouts you think about doing when you are just a little too high on yourself after a great workout. Things like the "Burpee Mile," or Farmer carrying 1.5 pood Kettlebells for a 1.5 miles uphill. Yeah that kind of stuff.

Well, I think maybe this summer I will actually get crazy and do something like that. Good times.

Abort73

2009-03-27T22:02:00.001-07:00

I am usually not that emotional of a person. I rarely cry. But tonight, for the first time in a long time, I wept. What caused such instant emotional upheaval to bring me to tears? What caused tears to run down the face of this 21o pound man? One word...

Abortion.

I was seeing for the first time in my life, the unspeakable horror of what a baby looks like after an abortion. Pictures that will forever be burned into my mind, pictures of babies at 8 and 11 weeks after conception, with tiny fingers and toes formed, cut into pieces. Can you handle it? I couldn't. I had to stop.

This horror has been made infinitely more personal, as I have now begun to know the joys and inexpressible delight of being a father. Seven weeks ago, God gave my wife and I one of the most beautiful expressions of love in the form of my little baby girl. I would die in a second for her. I would kill without a second thought to protect her. So tonight, when I saw pictures of little babies-not fetuses- little people, killed for the convenience of their parents and society, I saw my baby. I can't imagine or begin to comprehend the grief and wrath I would feel if my baby was taken from me and brutalized in such a fashion.

And yet, only 36 years after the legalization of abortion, we sit by, we forget, we get caught up in all the other things in life. And in doing so, we fail to realize that over 4,000 children, babies, American lives, are taken every day across our country. How can we as Christians ever become immune to the shock, grief, and horror of such atrocities? We can not and we must not.

As believers, we know that God has created man in his own image. "Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness." (Genesis 1:26) Human beings are made in the image of God and were created to imitate God by creating and sustaining new life; children are a gift from God, the way that we are able to imitate our creator and bring glory to Him. Life is a gift from God and He does not take it lightly. I will not. I can not.

But what can I do? I can do my best, in the most loving way possible, to make others aware of the truth behind abortion. What it really is. What they are really doing when abortions are performed. One of the best tools is at Abort73.com. I have added it as a permanent link to my blog and have ordered one of their t-shirts to try to get others thinking about this. You can also read some great resources by John Piper here and here. He provides the biblical explanation for why people choose to abort and key tools to use in speaking against it.

If you are someone who believes in a mother's "right to choose," no I am not going to rail at you, but please, at least take the time to consider the facts in the case against abortion. Go to Abort73.com and see why you should be having second thoughts about the abortion of human life.

If you are a Christian, love your Savior by becoming informed and speaking the truth in love to those who are misinformed or blinded by the lies that have been thrown at them for the last 36 years. Do something.

Celebrate Justice

2009-01-19T20:34:00.000-08:00

Tonight is a night to celebrate the commutation by President G.W. Bush of sentences for Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean; the two border patrol agents who have been in solitary confinement for the past two years, for doing their job to protect the border of our country against those who would harm us. You can read about the commutation of their sentence here.

While it was wrong for the agents to cover up the incident that led to their trial, the convictions, sentencing, and light handling of the criminal they pursued were all severe injustices. It is refreshing in our day and age, when corruption and injustice reach to the highest echelons of our government, to see an act of justice and compassion on behalf of two men who had dedicated their lives in service to our country. Now these men will be able to go home to their families; their wives and children, families that have wrongly been without their fathers for two years.

I will putting up a post soon about tactical considerations for handgun combat training and practice. For any gun enthusiasts, I have been listening to some great podcasts lately that you may find interesting. Check back for more details.

Choose your words carefully

2008-12-31T00:43:00.001-08:00

I am reminded tonight of the need to choose words carefully, to form judgments accurately and slowly, and to guard my vocabulary. Recently, I was rightly rebuked by an older man for my lack of caution in lumping a certain group of people under one negative category. At the time I was taken by surprise and my immediate response was to think of how he might be wrong in his evaluation of my mistake. But on further reflection, I had to concede that he was correct. I decided to really try to know who this group of people was that I had deemed unworthy of respect, and in doing so was surprised to learn that in many ways they were like myself. I had judged them wrongly, based on second hand information and lack of real insight into their beliefs and practices.

I was reminded again of the need to be cautious in passing judgments quickly when I read Karl Rove's opinion article in the Wall Street Journal. He speaks as someone who has known the President personally. He notes that contrary to popular caricture of the liberal media, the president is not a simple minded hick from Texas. Rather, he is a well read and conscientious student of history and present events. These two events speak to the broader principle of caution in words and judgments.

By caution in judgment I do not mean to say that it is wrong to judge or to discern truth from error. I believe that words such as discrimination, judgment, and discernment are all taken as negative terms today. But it is correct to discriminate, discern, and judge between what it good and bad, what is ugly and beautiful, what is healthy and not, etc. By caution in judgment, I speak of the need to practice caution in making quick, uninformed, or errant judgments. So many times it would be better to remain silent, gather more informatioin, whether by observation or reliable source, and then to make the necessary, and yet gracious judgments.

By guarding my vocabulary (a phrase from my pastor Rick Holland) I mean the importance of thinking about what I say when I say it. When I tell my wife that I love her, are those simply glib words? Do I really mean what I say? Do I offer help or make commitments lightly without considering the consequences? Do I, by my speech, make light of what is sacred or minimize what is important or great? These are considerations that must be given to how we use our minds and our tongues as we seek to grow in wisdom, as we seek to glorify God by being like a gibor hayil.

Parkour-one of my goals

2008-12-23T21:34:00.000-08:00

This guy does more exercise than I do in a week of Crossfit. Wow. I would like to start incorporating more parkour/free-running into my exercise. Parkour is perhaps one of the best tools and outlets for functional fitness. Parkour seems like a great form of exercise for children also, under careful supervision. Check it out at Crossfit.com under the crossfit journal. There are some good instructional articles and videos on the essentials to beginning Parkour. The first step is to master the shoulder roll on both left and right. Then, progess can be made toward mastering several of the basic jumps. Handstands are also essential to being able to perform parkour. It seems that most of those practicing parkour are also trained in gymnastics. Anyway, hope it piques your interest. It certainly has for this uninitiated onlooker.

A new addition to the team? Old men can still rock.

2008-12-22T18:39:00.000-08:00

I was thinking that maybe we should ask this guy to join the Fitquest team. Watch how he works here. With spunk like he has, who knows what his Fran time might be. I'm thinking potential CF Games 09'? Let me know what your thoughts are on that.

Randon funny video

2008-12-07T23:30:00.000-08:00

This is why we CrossFit. You never know when you may have to fight off a 600lb. grizzly bear who just happens to be hogging all the salmon...

Gets me pumped up for tommorrow's WOD. GI Jane at Fitquest!

Worship

2008-12-06T16:13:00.001-08:00

Hey guys I wanted to post a link to a free worship CD download that I found on Justin Taylor's blog, Between Two Worlds. It is important for us to remember as we "pursue elite fitness" that we are doing it ultimately to glorify God. That may look different for each of us. For those in law enforcement, fitness enables you to better glorify God in the excellent discharge of your daily duties. For men in general, pursuing fitness excellence helps us to be better protectors, better thinkers, and better workers, in whatever capacity or situation God has put us. We have to guard our hearts against the tendency to let fitness, and "elite fitness" especially to become the center around which our lives revolve. At least that is what I at times tend toward. Instead, like all other areas of life, we can use our bodies and Fitquest specifically to glorify God. And that is worship, using every capacity and faculty we possess from God to increase the glory given to Him. For his sake.

Free CD download: http://www.songsofgrace.org/

Cool Kettlebell Options

2008-12-02T22:43:00.000-08:00

Hey for all you kettlebell lovers out there, I found a great website. Follow the link and go to the exercise section to see some cool KB exercise options. For the rainy day or when the gym is closed, here are some good choices to choose from.

http://www.kettlebellunion.com/

Oh yeah, sorry about the link to the article I mentioned last night. It is not working. I am still figuring out the link thing. Maybe my friend Mr. Secor can help me out with some tips. If you are still interested in the article, the citation for it is as follows and it can be located at ATLAreligion on the TMC library database page.

Mauldin, Frank L. Fall 1984. Misplaced concreteness in the problem of evil. Perspectives in Religious Studies. 11 (3):243-255.

Caution for doing theology...

2008-12-01T23:45:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to put this great article out there that I came across tonight. It is important for all of us to heed Mauldin's caution of not applying the abstract to God as opposed to the concrete revelation of Himself in Scripture. That is, when we are making theological formulations concerning God, we must analyze, critique, and question our formulations from all of the multifaceted perfections of God as self-revealed. Hope you are encouraged as I was.

New Blog

2008-12-01T06:45:00.000-08:00

Well, I signed up for a blog account so I wouldn't have to keep on signing as anonymous on my favorite blogs, a.k.a, fitquest. The name of my blog is Hebrew for "man of valor." I chose this because it is what I aspire to physically; but also spiritually, and as a leader in my home and community. My blog is pretty bare right now, but should shape up more once school is over in a couple of weeks.