Gimme sum mo'!

First: The weather is obviously not conducive to outdoor exercising today. ALL SESSIONS HAVE BEEN CANCELED for MONDAY 1/23. Our apologies and thank you for your understanding. Besides, I suspect plenty of bodies are still sore and can benefit from another recovery day.

This is a great opportunity to do a mobility "mob" or 5. Go to www.mobilitywod.com and find something fruitful. I highly suggest the big joints.. Hips, shoulders, ankles.

Also, I highly suggest investing in some therapeutic muscle release and recovery "devices". Everyone is familiar with the foam roller and it's a great tool. Here are a few other devices.

http://www.rumbleroller.com/  -  Hopefully your pain threshold is higher now.
http://www.thestick.com/  -  This one you can buy at many running and cycling shops.
http://www.lacrosseballs.com/  - You can buy these at just about any sports store.
http://www.myorope.com/  - This is basically a few balls on a rope. Never used it though.
http://tptherapy.com/  -  I have the whole kit. It's brutal. It works. But very pricey, very complicated to follow the instructions. Can't stand the guy that made them. Nothing special here. Just nifty.

I'd say my favorite tool of these is the stick. But it takes a good deal of pain tolerance, Patience, time, and tenacity. You can't just skim your surface and expect anything to happen. You have to really go hunting with it. Rolling an inch at a time with increasing pressure until tears come streaming out of your eyes. You'll know when you hit something good. The pain is intense, but you'll know to do it again and again. Things will get tender and the next day you will be sore. I spent 4 hours last Wednesday with my roller stick and was limping through Friday. But in the end, the gains are well worth it. Therapy shouldn't feel good now, it feels good later. So be patient, stay on those knots, and enjoy making those painful faces and comparing with others.

Why you're in pain:
I warned you all a few weeks ago about the workouts. I told you guys how intense they will get. I gave you all plenty of heads-up.

AND YOU GUYS TORE THEM UP!!! I don't think I've ever seen the motivation this high before. Everyone pushed themselves and each other. Everyone worked together as they made new friends. The motivation was contagious. Everyone got after it and did the work. These last few weeks have been a lot of fun to coach. You guys took big bites, chewed it up, swallowed, and asked for more. That is awesome. I suspect that had more to do with the challenge of the workload. Instead of cowering, everyone just attacked the work and did it with a level of vigor rarely seen in the exercise world. You guys looked like a bunch of real athletes training for the big game.

As we (the coaches) make the transition to the next on ramp, I am beyond confident that you all are on top of your stuff. I always look forward to coaching the on going or the expressway (or whatever you guys call yourselves) sessions. Keep up the good work!

In addition to mobility:

Run 1 mile for time. (4 laps)

*If you know you can run a sub 7 minute mile, then you will do a 1.5 mile run (6 laps).

** This is not a jogging pace pleasant run. This is a full blown, as fast as you can, maximal output effort.

Start it out hot and finish hot. It's only four laps so there's nothing to save for. Just go for it!