Deadlift WOD and "Winter Chiller" competitors

Picture above: This was one of several attempts to hit 205lbs on Snatch but i never could get it locked overhead to stand up. Still need work on my technique but I'll get there. As you can see in the picture I'm catching the bar too far forward.

WOD:

8Min AMRAP of:

12 Deadlift (275lbs)

12 Burpee box jumps (24in)

CashoutL 40 Ring dips

Good luck to Grant Talbott and the others competing this weekend in the "Winter Chiller" in Fairmont, WV. I hope you all do well! Just relax and have a good time! :)

Bible WOD:

I'm hoping to post a Bible WOD in the next couple days so keep an eye out. :)

Hand stand pushup fun!

WOD:

Snatch 5x3 (Focus on Technique)
Back Squat 5x5

then:

75 HSPU
(20 double unders every minute on the minute)

As the open approaches I'm switching my focus off of heavy lifting and onto higher volume to prepare myself for the "open style" WOD's. My olympic lifts are starting to get a lot better since I've focused on my technique and not how much I can lift.

WOD: & "Equip Yourselves!"

WOD: 1/27/13

Every 2min for 10min...

10 Toes to bar
30 double unders
5 chest to bar pullups
10 burpees

Cashout: 50 chest to floor pushups

WOD 1/28/13

1 x Power Clean EMOM for 10min w/ 245lbs

Then:

4 Rounds of:
15 Thrusters (95lbs)
400m Run
15 Ring pushups

Time: 13:19


BIBLE WOD:

1 Timothy 3:16,17

¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Bible is here to teach us what God wants us to know. I can't get over the amount of people who claim they're saved but the only time their Bible is opened is when they attend church on Sunday. How are you supposed to grow in your faith when you never study or read the word of God outside of church? If you call yourself a Christian and wonder why you feel the same as you did the day you were saved then you need to evaluate how much time you are spending in prayer and in the Bible. You can only get to know God by spending time with him. If you haven't already, then find yourself a Bible reading plan. They sell devotional books in a Christian book store, you can download a bible app on your smart phone (this is what i did), or you can simply open your Bible every morning when you get up and read a chapter. We need to start equipping ourselves as Christians now because I believe tough times are ahead for us. I hope you all become strong in your faith so you can fight off Satan when he tempts you or when you have to defend yourself for being a Christian. We live in a busy world and we tend to put everything before God. This is why Satan always distracts us with our favorite TV show or activity. Let's set aside time every day for God so we can win this battle with Satan!

Birthday WOD: "GRACE"

Photo above: The picture on the left is my senior picture when I was 18, the picture on the right is me now. I hope my 30's are as good to me as my 20's were.

BIRTHDAY WOD:

Today I turned 30 and I'm officially out of my 20's! I've never felt so great in all my life! Thanks to accepting Jesus Christ as my Savior and having a relationship with him; I now have hope. Hope of an eternal relationship and an existence with our Creator!

I'll be doing "Grace" today. If it wasn't for God's GRACE I wouldn't have made it to 30 nor would I have salvation from eternal hell. Thanks to Him I'm alive today and have everything I'll ever need in this lifetime and the life to come.

"Grace"

30 reps (my age) of clean and jerk for time.

BIBLE WOD:

Ephesians 2:8-9

⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast.

We can't save ourselves, only God can. Accept Him as your savior and live a life to serve Him.

I'M BACK!!

Today is a rest day but I'm glad to have my computer back! Yesterday I hit 195 on Snatch again. I haven't hit 195 since the competition. I almost hit 205 (video above) but couldn't quite get it locked out. My shoulder finally felt good again so I'm hoping it stays this way through the open. Hope everyone is doing well!

Box Step Ups are HORRIBLE!

WOD:

Power Snatch 5x2 (135, 155, 155, 165, 175)

then:

3 Rounds of:
10 Push Press (135lbs)
20 Box Step ups with 135lbs on 20in box
50 situps

It's so hard to get motivated to walk down in the basement and do a WOD alone. I have to overcome this quite often and it's not an easy thing to do. When I'm at home it's so easy just to stay on the couch and watch TV or find something else to do BUT workout! I'm sure some of you know this feeling! It's a struggle at times but I always force myself to get off the couch and get to work!

Hope you all had a great Sunday!

Catching up with the WOD's

Late posting my WOD's, so here's yesterday's and today's!

WOD 1/18/13

EMOM for 10min - 2 reps of Power Clean at 225lbs

WOD 1/19/13

5 Rounds of:

75 Double Unders

15 Ring Dips

The Open is like 45 days away! Wow! Time goes by so fast! Who's ready for the open this year? Last year, I was struggling with tendonitis in my elbow so the open wasn't very enjoyable. I ended up throwing in the towel after the 3rd WOD. Hopefully my health will hold up this year, Lord willing. I'm excited to put all my training to use! :)

Do you have SAVING FAITH?

WOD: REST DAY!

Bible WOD:

James 2:14-26 (NIV)

Faith and Deeds

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? ¹⁵ Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶ If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷ In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. ¹⁹ You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
²⁰ You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless^[a]? ²¹ Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. ²³ And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”^[b] and he was called God’s friend. ²⁴ You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
²⁵ In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? ²⁶ As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Faith is certainly an essential element in the Christian life. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. The Christian is saved by faith and is to walk (live) by faith. Whatever we do apart from faith is described as sin. It is important to realize, however, that there are different kinds of faith, but only ONE that is truly "saving faith".

(Beginning with verses 14-17, we notice the first kind of faith.)

Dead Faith
This kind of faith substitutes words for deeds. (consider James' example) People with this kind of faith: know the correct vocabulary for prayer and sound doctrine, can quote the right verses from the Bible, but their "walk" does not measure up to their "talk".

Dead faith is only an intellectual faith. In one's mind, he or she knows the doctrine of salvation but they have never really submitted themselves to God and trusted in Jesus for salvation.

Can this kind of faith save?
Absolutely not! Three times in this passage, James emphasizes that "faith without works is dead." (James 2:17,20,26) Any declaration of faith that does not result in a changed life and good works is a false declaration: A DEAD FAITH! Dead faith is counterfeit faith and lulls the person into a false confidence of eternal life.

Do we have this kind of faith?
We do, if our WALK (life) does not measure up to our TALK, or if our WORKS does not measure up to our WORDS!

We need to be aware of mere intellectual faith. As Warren Wiersbe said, "No man can come to Christ by faith and remain the same, anymore than he came into contact with a 220-volt wire and remain the same." (compare this to 1 John 5:12)

The next kind of faith is discussed in verses 18-19.

Demonic Faith
Perhaps to shock any complacent readers, James reminds us that even "demons" have a kind of faith! They believe in God (no atheist or agnostics here!). They even believe in the deity of Christ. (Mark 3:11-12) They also believe in the existence of a place of condemnation. (Luke 8:31) And they believe that Jesus will be the Judge! (Mathew 8:28-29)

What kind of faith do "demons" have?
We saw that the man with "dead faith" was "touched only in his intellect". The demons are "touched also in their emotions" (note that they: "believe and tremble") This is one step above a "dead faith" as it involves both INTELLECT and EMOTIONS.

Can this kind of faith save?
NO! A person can be enlightened in his mind and even stirred in his heart and still be lost forever! True saving faith involves something more, something that can be seen and recognized: a changed life! (James 2:18) Being a Christian involves trusting Christ and living for Christ! You first receive the life and then you reveal the life!

Do we have this kind of faith?
We do if we just BELIEVE the right things and FEEL the right things. If our service to God does not go beyond intellectually adhering to the right doctrines and/or emotional experiences while attending services.

(Thus, James introduced us to two kinds of faith that can NEVER save: DEAD faith (involving the intellect alone), and DEMONIC faith (involving the the intellect and the emotions, but stopping there).

He closes this section by describing in verses 20-26 the only kind of faith that can save....

Dynamic Faith
What kind of faith is this?
We know from other passages that such faith is based upon the Word of God. (Romans 10:17) Dynamic faith involves the "WHOLE MAN". Dead faith touches only the intellect, Demonic faith involves both the mind and the emotions, and Dynamic faith involves the intellect, emotions, and the WILL!

The MIND understands the truth, the HEART desires and rejoices in the trust, the WILL acts upon the truth. True, saving faith, then, LEADS TO ACTION. It is not intellectual contemplation or emotionalism. It is that which leads to obedience in doing good works.

To illustrate, James refers to two well-known persons in the Bible: Abraham and Rahab.
You could not find two more different persons! Abraham was the father of the Jews; Rahab was a Gentile. Abraham was a godly man; Rahab had been a sinful woman, a harlot. Abraham was the friend of God; Rahab had belonged to the enemies of God.

What did they have in common?
Both exercised saving faith in God,  and demonstrated saving faith by their works. We learn from the passage that Faith without works is a DEAD faith, (20,26) "Faith only" cannot justify one, (24) and that PERFECT faith necessitates works. (22)

CONCLUSION:
It is important that each professing Christian examine his or her own heart and life, make sure that they possess true saving faith, which is a dynamic faith. Satan is a great deceiver; one of his devices is imitation. If he can convince a person that counterfeit faith is true faith then he has that person in his power!

Here are some questions we can ask ourselves as we examine our faith:

Was there a time when I honestly realized I was a sinner and admitted this to myself and to God?

Was there a time when my heart stirred me to flee from the wrath to come? Have I ever been seriously worked up over my sins?

Do I truly understand the gospel, that Christ died for MY sins and then rose again? Do I understand and confess that I cannot save myself?

Did I sincerely repent of my sins, making the decision to turn from them? Do I now hate sin and fear God? Or do I secretly love sin and want to enjoy it?

Have I trusted Christ and Him alone for my salvation by responding to the commands He has given? Have I confessed my faith in Christ and then been baptized for the remission of my sins as He and His apostles commanded?

Has there been a change in my life? Do I maintain good works, or are my good works occasional and weak? Do I seek to grow in the things of the Lord? Can others tell that I have been with Jesus?

Do I have a desire to share Christ with others? Or am I ashamed of Him?

Do I enjoy the fellowship of God's people? Is worship a delight to me?

Am I ready for the Lord's return? Or will I be ashamed when He comes for me?

To be sure, not every Christian has the same degree of faith; those who have had more time to grow should be stronger in faith.

But for the most part, the spiritual inventory can assist a person in determining his or her true standing before God.

Written by: Dr. Tim Dillon of Greenbrier Baptist Church

Upcoming Bible WOD

The photo above was taken during a WOD in my basement. I'm thankful to have my own stuff for the times I need to get in something quick!

WOD:

Push Press 5x2 (155,175, 195, 215, 225 x 1 rep) failed rep 2 on 225

10 Rounds of:
10 Burpees
30 Double Unders

Time: 10:12

Bible WOD:

Tonight, I'll be posting a blog on James 2. It was written by my pastor, Tim Dillon. He's been a blessing in my life and has taught me so much! I hope you all enjoy the next blog as much as I did.

Again, please forgive me for being delayed on my posts. Life gets busy sometimes but I always need to find time for God. He gives us plenty of time during the day to serve Him if we adjust our schedule.

Walk by the Spirit

WOD:

EMOM for 8min

Heavy Deadlift x 2 reps (I used 425lbs)

then:

12min AMRAP
5 Front Squats (185lbs)
10 Pistols (5 each leg)
15 Hand relese pushups

Bible WOD:

Galatians 5:16
¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

Let God guide you instead of trying to guide yourself. God's guidance is never wrong.

"Living the Truth"

WOD:

3 Rounds of:
500m Row
15 handstand pushups
400m Run
20 GHD situps

Cashout: 40 Ring dips

Bible WOD:

1 John 1:5-7
⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

This passage describes the difference in a Christian and an unbeliever. A lot of people claim to be a Christian but keep living their sinful lives day after day. A Christian is someone who desires to walk in the light as God is in the light. We are to repent from that sinful lifestyle and live out the truth of God's word. Obey his commands the best we can, serve Him, and seek His will in everything we do. Unbelievers keep living their lives to please themselves and gratify their life. They have no desire to hear, see or do the things of God. You should look at a person's life and be able to tell that they are a Christian because they desire to do what's right in God's eyes and not their own. So when someone approaches you and professes that they are a Christian but they still live their life in darkness and sinfulness, don't believe them. The Bible clearly says that they are a liar and the truth is not in that person. (1 John 2:4) Don't base what a Christian is just because someone claims to be one. You just have to know what the truth is before you can detect a lie.

"James 2"

WOD:

21, 15, 9

Thrusters (115lbs)
Power Cleans (115lbs)

Time: 7:21

Finally got another bar so I can run two people at a time when I WOD at home on the weekends. If anybody has any questions on what kinds of bar to purchase, I recommend the rogue bar above the againfaster bar. I have both now and the rogue bar has better grip and made much more durable.

Bible WOD:

Please read James 2. I will post a blog on "Faith and Deeds" soon so please be patient with me.

"Filthy Fifty"

WOD:

Yesterday's WOD was the "Filthy Fifty"! I love and hate this WOD at the same time. The previous days had me wore out so this was a challenge to get through.

50 box jumps (24in)
50 jumping pullups
50 KB swings (35lbs)
50 Walking Lunges
50 Knees to elbow
50 push press (45lbs)
50 Back extensions
50 wallball (20lbs)
50 burpees
50 double unders

Time: 19:00

Bible WOD:

Psalm 118:6
The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
    What can mere mortals do to me?

Cleans and Chest to bar pullups

WOD:

So today will be a weightlifting and gymnastics couplet.

Worked my form on cleans and stopped at a weight where my form started to get bad. 245lbs is where i ended up stopping.

then:

5 Rounds of:

5 Clean and Jerk (165lbs)

10 chest to bar pullups

Time: 8:52

Cashout: 40 pistols

It's been a great week! On Tuesday night we had a total of 10 people in our Bible study where we watched "A Case for Christ". It was a great movie that shows how Christianity is true and how Christ is who He says He is. I recommend you all to watch this and the other video's that are part of the series. "A Case for the Creator" is another one. On Wednesday night we are studying end time prophecy. We were on chapter 20 and 21 of Revelation discussing the millennial reign of Christ and the New Jerusalem. I hope you all are reading your Bible and growing in your faith!

"Christian Example"

WOD:
Today I did row intervals and did a short amrap of lunges and ring pushups. My sleep schedule has been terrible so I haven't been feeling the strongest.

500m row x 6 w/ 1min rest between

then:

10min AMRAP
10 front rack lunges (95lbs)
10 ring pushups

Bible WOD:

Titus 2:11-14 NIV

 

¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. ¹² It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, ¹³ while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.


All christians should set an example for others. We should turn away from our worldly living and turn to a life of serving Christ. Serving Christ is a new desire we have when we're saved. If you have no desire to learn more about God and the Bible then you have no relationship with our creator. Knowing God is the definition of eternal life (John 17:3). We hear "eternal life" and our first thought is living forever. Its so much more than that! I find it hard to believe when people call themselves Christians and only attend church on Sunday morning. You can't grow in your faith and can't be a good, faithful servant just being there on Sunday morning. Serving God should be a 24/7 thing as a Christian. We crave to know more and want to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice. As you can see, the world is getting worse every day. It's up to us as Christians to get out into the world, spread the gospel and set examples for other people. The world is being taken over by Satan because Christians choose to set in their pew and do nothing. Let's get on fire for Christ and serve Him the way we are supposed to!

"Conclusion to Prayer"

WOD:

Push Press 5x3

then:

5 Rounds of:
5 Muscle Ups
10 push press (115lbs)
50 double unders

Bible WOD:

Prayer.... What exactly is prayer? The world uses prayer as a last resort to bring the problems that they can't control to God. A true christian uses prayer to talk to God and get to know Him for who He is. Have you ever wondered why we seem to always pray before dinner, before bed, or just at church? The problem is prayer has become so traditionalized that it's become more of a routine to us. We find ourselves holding dinner up so we can give thanks over the food that was prepared or praying when we are about to go to bed. Is there a problem with this? Absolutely not! The question is... Are we praying because it's become traditionalized to these times?  The bible says that we are to pray continually... meaning always! We pray to talk with God because we want to build our relationship with him. If you and your spouse, girlfriend/boyfriend never talk, then what kind of relationship do you have? Well.. You don't have one or not much of one anyway. We need to get out of this routine of traditionalized prayer and start praying for the right reasons! Aren't we always thankful for our food, clothes, and other material things that God has provided to us? Then why do we just pray to give thanks before we eat? Tradition, that's why! I've been guilty of only praying before bed but through Bible study I have come to realize that I'm not praying and talking with God near enough! How can I get to know God if I never talk to him?

Another thing we do is pray when we're in need, want a loved one healed of an illness, or other things that are for our selfish gain. Do we ever stop and pray just to thank God for what he has not given us or the salvation that we have thanks to Him? We need to take time out of our "busy" day and talk with God. My relationship to Him has become much stronger now that I take the time to submit my heart and mind to him more often throughout my day.

What stops us from praying? Well... it could be a lot of things... Not taking the time, putting ourselves before God, or maybe we think God has better things to do than to listen to our small prayer. Another thing that keeps us from praying is, we think we don't know how to pray. We hear these really formal prayer in churches that sound so mythotical. You don't have to talk to God in some fancy way for Him to listen. Pray like you talk to another person. Just speak to Him from your heart, that's what prayer is all about.

If you think that you're lacking the relationship with God that you think you should have then think about spending more time on a personal level with Him, through prayer. Take the time to do this. You can pray driving down the road, before you read a book, anytime! It doesn't always have to be a long 10 minute prayer like some think. It can be a short prayer thanking God for another day to live or asking God to help you be more faithful to Him. I hope you all will take the time to do this. I promise your relationship will be stronger than ever before if you just spend some time with Him. Thank you all for reading.

Back Squat WOD

WOD: Today's WOD was in my basement today since the box was closed. Thankful for the few friends that I have! True friends are hard to come by these days so cherish the ones you do have.

4 Rounds of:
7 Back Squat (225lbs)
14 Lateral burpee over the box jumps (24in)

Time: 8:08

REF BIBLE WOD:

I apologize again for the late blog entries. I'm still trying to get my sleep schedule back on track. Two weeks off from work kind of spoiled me a little so now I'm trying to switch back to working all night and sleep during the day. I'm not going to promise but I'm HOPING to get the conclusion on prayer up tonight sometime depending how well I sleep. It's Sunday, so I hope all of you have plans to attend church this morning and learn the word of God! Remember, Faith cometh by hearing! Hope you all have a blessed day!

12MIN AMRAP "Bible WOD suggestions"

WOD:

Front Squat 5x5

then:

12min AMRAP of:
3 L pullups
5 Handstand Pushups
7 Toes to bar

Cashout: 50 situps

BIBLE WOD:

Ok, just wanting to get you all involved in the Bible WODs. If there is anything you'd like to study next just post it on the facebook page or send me a message if you don't want it out in the open. I want to look into what you all have questions about or have an interest in. Looking deeper into things helps me learn and grow as well so feel free to make a suggestion! I will finish up with the prayer study this weekend. Thank you all again for reading!

WOD: REST DAY and "Praying with Iniquity"

WOD: REST DAY!

I plan on concluding the small study on prayer this weekend. Hope you enjoyed it!

Bible WOD:

Psalm 66:18
¹⁸ If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened

As a believer in Christ, being right with God through confession and forgiveness is essential for effective prayer. If you're hitting a rough patch in your christian lifestyle and find yourself falling into sin more often than usual, then this needs to be taken care of before approaching God with other prayer. We need to confess our sins to God to restore our fellowship. When we confess our sin, we are agreeing with God that we did sin against him. We confess our sin because the holy spirit convicts us and makes us feel guilty for what we did or what we are thinking about doing.(If you're a believer then you know exactly how this feels.) Having sin in our heart can allow Satan to decieve us and have us falling into other sin. We can't allow that to happen so confessing will get the iniquity out of our heart and right with God. If you're a believer and find yourself falling back into worldly things then stop what you're doing right now and ask God for His help. Don't allow yourself to fall short of glorifying God in your life.

Deadlift, Ring Dips, Burpees, KB swings

WOD:

Light Snatch working on form... stayed at 135lbs

4 Rounds of:

12 Deadlift (225lbs)
12 Ring Dips
12 Burpees
12 KB swings (53lb)

Time: 8:22

I had planned to do "Henson" today which is 5 rounds of 30 KB swings (70lb), 30 Burpees, 30 GHD situps but I wasn't feeling the greatest. Those of you who have done GHD situps and burpees in a WOD will know how those two things alone can make you not feel so well! haha! I kept it on the safe side and did the 4 Round WOD above. Sorry for the late blog posts. My phone broke day before yesterday and I've been out of contact. Keep reading and God bless you all! :)

New Year's Day WOD "Faith in Prayer"

WOD:

1RM Hang squat clean (255lbs)

5 rounds of:
5 Push Press (165lbs)
10 Toes to bar

Time 4:08


Bible WOD:

James 1:6-7
⁶ But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

How much faith do you have? Our faith is very important when we talk to God. How real is He to you? He should be so real that you can feel His existence inside of you. The only way we can feel this is if we stay in His word and pray continually. The more we know about God and talk with Him the more real He becomes to us. We cannot have second thoughts or doubts that will hinder us when talking to God. Doubting God is not trusting God. If you find yourself not believing in your own prayer, then why do you ask? Become stronger in your faith through God's word until you acknowledge Him for who He is.