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Here’s a quick video I made going through a simple shoulder routine that I try to do as a cool-down after every taxing shoulder workout; like pull-ups, push-ups and dips. I also go through pyramid workouts in the video and why they’re a great thing to throw into your routines.
Adding in this simple and lightweight routine can not only help you save and strengthen your shoulders, but also help you recover from a shoulder injury!
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On New Years Eve, I completed the first ever GORUCK Scavenger in Washington DC. Due to OPSEC, you won’t find a lengthy after action report but I can provide just the most bare bones intel from this classified event.
The first rule of Scavenger: “No talking about Scavenger.”
The only way to find out what you are missing is to do a Scavenger for yourself. Since this is a GORUCK Tough Alumni event only, so you’ll have to complete a GORUCK Challenge first. Trust me, it’s worth the price of admission.
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One of the hardest things about the GORUCK Ascent for us has been figuring out how exactly to describe it. It was so much more than simply getting the opportunity to climb multiple 14,000 foot peaks and even more than a field test for the GORUCK GR2 pack.
Hand the GORUCK GR2 to an avid backpacker or mountaineer and they’ll most likely begin pointing out what makes their pack better. It’s lighter, it has a waist belt, it’s colorful… you get the idea. But we assure you, the GR2 was in no way a simple bag. It’s not only capable of summiting 14′ers, but getting you to and from every campsite and trail head in between.
Throughout this article you’ll be reading both of our (Bryan’s and Mike’s) experiences during the Ascent and our journey along the way.
The GORUCK Ascent wasn’t just an event that forged friendships, took us out of comfort zone and forced us to overcome adversity daily, but introduced us to parts of ourselves that we never knew existed. While the Ascent wasn’t billed as a GORUCK Challenge, what we came away with is truly what a “challenge” is all about. Personal growth. [Read More…]
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We have all been there: dragging our feet to the gym and trying to get in a decent workout for an hour or so, but somehow always falling short.
The most common excuses are a hard day at work or not getting enough sleep. Every now and then those excuses are true and we do need a day off, but there are times when we use the excuse and truthfully it’s just us being lazy. That’s when things start going downhill. We miss a day, then a week and then we rarely workout.
When we get back to it, the uphill battle starts in order to get back to where we were. By spicing up your workouts you can push those excuses away and avoid losing your hard-won progress. [Read More…]
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The air is thin at 14,000 feet. That’s a little over two and a half miles straight up. At that altitude, the oxygen available is only 61% of that which is available at sea level. Breathing and heart rates will be more strained, struggling to find oxygen. That’s why fitness is both paramount and completely irrelevant.
When it comes to altitude sickness (acute mountain sickness), it doesn’t always matter how physically fit you are. Being as in shape as possible is still important and if you don’t do what you can to prepare your muscles for the riggers of non-stop uphill hiking, you’re going to have quite an interesting time.
What Bryan and I have been focusing on are a mixture of physical fitness and gear choice. We plan on arriving to Colorado a few days early for the GORUCK Ascent to try and get a head start on the acclimatization process. In a best case scenario, we would need a good couple of weeks at altitude to truly acclimate but a few days certainly won’t hurt. Also, having quality lightweight gear will make the hiking less strenuous on our bodies. [Read More…]
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The first thing that I typically hear when I tell someone about GORUCK, is “what’s that?” GORUCK is definitely not a common word, but neither is ruck to those outside of the military and the UK.
Short for rucksack, ruck is how our ALICE packs (All-Purpose Lightweight Individual Carrying Equipment) were referred to when I was issued mine in the Navy. While a lot has changed since the initial development of the external frame ALICE Pack, they’re still being issued today to our military.
Whether using an ALICE Pack or another ruck, our troops hump weapons and equipment everywhere and it’s from this that the GORUCK Challenge was born.
go·ruck noun [verb go + verb ruck] ruck is a noun short for rucksack (aka backpack), it’s also a verb: to ruck is to move with a rucksack, and implies action, energy, and purpose.
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On May 7th, I completed the GORUCK Challenge (class 031) in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware and will be forever changed. If you aren’t familiar with the Challenge, it’s billed as a team event that lasts 15-20 miles and around 8-10 hours. Although, the cadre loves to under promise and over deliver.
Straight from their site, here is the Challenge in a nutshell:
You and your fellow Challenge takers all wear GORUCK backpacks throughout the Challenge. Yes, your bags will be weighted down with bricks, but if the Challenge were easy you wouldn’t sign up. In fact, the greatest hurdle is signing up. We are proud that the pass rate is over 98%.
You won’t know the route but it showcases the best of every city. Think of it as a guided tour. The miles don’t disappear on their own, and 8 to 10 hours can feel like a lifetime. Welcome to our version of good livin’.
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In celebration of Osama Bin Laden’s death I couldn’t sleep a wink last night and was up bright and early with a workout to honor all our brave men and women that have put their lives on the line for this day. I wanted to say thank you in my own way this morning and have often followed the lead of the CrossFit crowd in participating or creating “honor” workouts.
I thought I’d share the workout I did today to hopefully inspire those reading this to do something today to honor the tireless efforts by our military, law enforcement, first responders and counterterrorism professionals that all contributed in some way shape or form to this day and America’s celebration! It doesn’t necessarily have to be a workout, but please recognize their sacrifice for our nation! [Read More…]
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So why should you climb rope? First of all, if you’re not including rope climbing in your routine, you’re missing out on one of the best forearm and grip workouts around.
Climbing rope is also at the core of the Functional Strength discussions we’ve had here on ITS. Just as we advocate being able to physically save yourself; rope climbing has a large carry-over to training the same muscles you’d need to pull or lift yourself to safety. [Read More…]
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I recently received a fitness book called Corps Strength from former U.S. Marine Master Gunnery Sergeant Paul Roarke, who had contacted us a few weeks back to see if we’d be interested in reviewing his program.
While initially skeptical, I emailed him back and expressed my interest in reviewing the book and offering my honest perspective of his program based on my experience at BUD/s and with the CrossFit Certification I hold.
Since leaving the Navy, I’ve been involved with CrossFit in some shape or form, but have always struggled to find a program that provides what MGySgt Roarke refers to as “working fitness.” [Read More…]
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