People Helping People... It's Powerful Stuff

The Mill:   Bare with me on this post.  The trick is waking up and realizing that today could be that day.  The day that you have a profound impact on someone else's life if only for a moment and help change the world.  Well, this past weekend, The Chiller was held at Callahan Park.  A little background for ya on this one, The Chiller was a Crossfit type competition with a twist.  See I don't have traditional equipment.  I own tires.  Period.  That's it.  We borrowed everything else like the kettlebells, fire hoses, kegs, wheelbarrow partner walks (not mine)and pretty much anything else that was involved.  And we didn't even bring our tires down for this one.  Anyways, The Chiller consisted of 3 workouts in the cold rain.  These weren't standing overhead press type workouts either.  The competitors (God bless 'em) did keg facing burpees, sit ups, carried fire hoses (wet and muddy), and a bunch of other unconventional workouts that put them face to face with the mud.  I loved it.  Not so sure they did.

This group of competitors were determined to finish each workout and each rep that thrown their way.  Again the community of Crossfit and all the competitors amazed us.  People showed up in shit weather to raise money for children in need.  When we scheduled this competition we were hoping for a light dusting of snow to "chill" it down a bit and give it that winter touch.  The rain never stopped.  Literally, never stopped.  From the time we started setting up to the time I walked into my house it just flat out poured.  Regardless of the weather, and the conditions, the competitors dominated each event.  To the nuts and bolts of it now.  The competition benefited the ELF Fund of Bradford, PA.  The ELF Fund is an organization that provides children and senior citizens in Bradford a gift during the holidays.  Most of us have something to open, something to hold, someone to thank, and something to be thankful for during the holidays.  Not that a gift is the most important thing by any stretch, but it's the idea behind it.  I have always been fortunate enough around the holidays, yes even the year of the Shadow action figure circa 1994, to have those feelings.  Thanks to all involved in The Chiller children in the Bradford area will be able to share those same sentiments.    

Finalists...Congrats!

The bad ass, kick ass, and awesome competitors in The Chiller woke up on December 2nd and decided that they were going to make a profound impact on people that day.  It was quite remarkable to see everyone show up and battle the elements on Sunday.  FYI, the volunteers were awesome.  

The squad....awesome. Period.

Our competitions are designed to test a little bit of everything using nontraditional "weights".  We want you to experience the blue collar of it all and shake the weight room for a day.  Pack your lunch and go to work.  When I get to that point of feeling spoiled by the weight room I usually go throw some tires around and bang them with a sledgehammer.  Just sayin'.  It's good to get out in the elements and do some different things and that's just what we like to offer.  Everyone at these competitions has deadlifted, but how many of them have a carried a fire hose or put a tire around their neck?  I'll give you the answer for that one, maybe 3.  Everyone gets the chance to compete and put their skills on the line.  Not everyone is a games athlete.  I'm the furthest thing from it which is why I love these types of competitions.   A lot of people stepped out of their comfort zones for this one we loved every minute of it.  Brent, Sarah, Shane, and Whitney are beginners  to this whole competition thing and for some it was a lot different than working on the bench.  A s/o to all of them and a big one to all the volunteers as all EJ, AD, and Montecalvo (I know he wants his name in here).

This is a simple reminder that with the bad daily news that is seen on our tv's, phones, and all over the media,  that people still do kick ass. The good always outweighs the bad any day of the week.  One way that we like to portray the good is by having people compete and train in this kind of environment.  There is a method to our madness.  And just so you know we did these workouts too.  It was snowing and crazy early in the morning, but they were done nonetheless.  From the competitors to the volunteers they all showed the good no matter how small the scale was on Sunday.  Good exists, and it exists right in our backyard.  Do it. Live it. And kick ass everyday.

Just a little something on a side note to college students feeling stressed during finals week.  Hit up the weight room.  It's never crowded during finals week and it helps not only clear your head, but it keeps you physically and mentally strong for those dreaded tests.  Here's a hint though if you're thinking about heading over to the gym; use the squat racks, barbells, and dumbbells.  You'll be all set and feel like dominating those tests....after you dominate your workouts.  That's my opinion on the matter.  Oh, one more thing, no machines during finals week either.  

Hammer Mill Workouts

The importance of intensity and consistency in the weight cannot be stressed enough.  Ran in a little problem last week when I got all crazy with the deadlift and one quick movement later I could barely stand straight up.  Just one of those times when I got too excited and my form went to shit and my back was shot.   

This past week I loaded up on dynamic effort lifts and the butcher.  In my opinion and Elitfts opinion the butcher/prowler is the single greatest tool any athlete can use.  I bear crawled, pushed, pulled, sprinted, loaded it up, used light weight, and just about anything else this week.  It helped heal my back and kept me moving.  

Tuesday

20 Minutes of 

Butcher push, 60ft

Butcher bear crawl, 60 ft.

10 pull ups

Don't know the rounds....I just kept moving

Day 1

Dynamic Effort Bench Press 3x9 @135 

Day 2

Dynamic Effort Box Squat 2x10 @185

Dynamic Effort Front Box Squat 2x10 @155

Dynamic Effort Back Squat 2x10 @155

Day 3

Dynamic Effort Shoulder Press 3x9 @75

Bands with the shoulder press

Oh the butcher....my lone friend in the morning
S/o to CORE this morning

You can expect some more pictures too because my awesome, beautiful wife bought me one of those things to take pictures with in the weight room.  One more thing, embrace differences instead of hiding from them.

S/o to Jake and Nicole on their new addition Levi!  

Stay real and dominate life!