Hey guys, being the first post, I am just going to give you a little introduction and give you an idea of what you can expect from the blog in the future. As many of my friends know, I am currently training for multiple obstacle races, with the closest one being the Barbarian Challenge. I am currently doing promotional work for the challenge, which I am sure you have seen if you are friends with me on Facebook. I got into these races when I realized I was missing something in my life. I have been competing since I was 4 years old and started playing baseball. I started track in the 7th grade and fell in love. There is something really spiritual about running. I stopped running after high school, and I will be the first to say that I despised practice...I hated it. Racing on the other hand, will always have a place in my heart. I miss it to this day. As time went by, I began to gain respect for running, and realized to appreciate it for what it really is. After I started running again, the craving for racing crept back into my mind. I needed to compete, and there was The Barbarian Challenge. It was nothing I had ever seen before, and I decided to give it a try. It was the most fun, challenging, motivational thing I had ever accomplished! Running through the woods, crawling through the mud, falling in the river...it was all such a great experience that I had to do another. Then the monster of an addiction was born.
There is something so pure about it all. Guys and girls, you may not realize it, but you want to get down and dirty. It is in our DNA! That first race changed my outlook, and I know that might sound crazy, but it's true. You truly get back to your roots when you do this. It changed my life for the better.
This finally brings me to the title of the blog...A barbarian life. I learned so much about my body that day! I was 225 pounds that day. I wasn't fat by any means, but I was big and bulky. Inefficient, in other words. I realized that I could bench press and do curls all day, but my body was not being utilized the proper way. I stopped using weights and started working with nature. Currently I am 195 and hoping to get to 185-190 mark to be the most efficient combination of speed and strength possible.
So, now that you know the back story I can get to the good stuff. I will try and give my daily workout and diet for those who need an idea of how to train for these new races. I will also try and throw in some of the things that motivate me each day.
My whole process is based on being outside! Get outside and enjoy the weather, whatever it may be. If it is hot, embrace the heat from the sun, and if it is cold, experience how crisp the air is. Have you ever noticed how you can feel the air when you breathe during the cold?
Today's workout-
50- 36in "box jumps" (My front porch)
100- Walking push ups (As much as I don't typically like using weights anymore really, I will occasionally use a weight vest for a little extra resistance.)
100- Walking lunges with 70 pound sand bag
50- Squats with sandbag
20- over head keg toss with pieces of tree
Log carry until failure- I found a log that I could manage to lift while using a good bit of effort and jogged until I could no longer hold the log.
15 minute run with 50 pull ups on anything I could manage to find. Today it was a tree in the park. (Doing this helps with grip! You need all the grip training you can get for these muddy runs!)
Stretch!
Diet-
Breakfast- Protein smoothie- 1 scoop protein, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1 cup almond milk, 1 tbsp peanut butter.
Snack- Turkey sandwich on wheat
Lunch- Grilled chicken, sweet potato, vegetables
Snack- Protein shake and 1 tbsp peanut butter
Dinner- 1 can tuna and mixed greens
**Note- I drink a minimum of 1 gallon of water a day.
Sorry this one was so lengthy guys! I promise the future posts will be more precise and to the point. I hope you enjoyed and will continue to read in the future. Thanks for reading guys!
