In 2012 NBC debuted STARS EARN STRIPES. It was from that series that I first “got to know” Tom Stroup. He was gracious enough to follow me back on Twitter. It has been has been fun to follow him and watch his business and life flow these past couple of years.
About 17 years ago I bought a treadmill. I used it somewhat but it really was not my thing, so after a couple of years I sold it. Then I had some other aerobic contraption but after a couple of years ended up giving it away to a friend because I did not enjoy using it that much either.
When I got my first Rebounder I cannot recall, but rebounding is so enjoyable that having worn out two of them (the second one thanks to help from my 80 lb. Labrador using it like her bed), I recently bought my third one. Obviously, Rebounding is something I have been fairly consistent in doing. Rebounding is one of my consistent things.
A second time purchase item that I love is an 8-inch step-box. In fact, when my husband gets home on leave, I am going to have him build me a higher step because I love the step-box as another one of my consistent things.
This brings me to watching Tom’s workout routines. Mesmerizing to watch, he makes the workouts look so simple while showing the versatility of his PWR bag. The ease in transforming the bag for a variety of weight bearing exercises enticed me to put it on my wish list, especially after pricing a few light weight strength training items I thought I might use for light, active recovery at home. (I belong 26.2 CrossFit and do the Endurance program as a consistent thing.)
So I order the bag and it arrived! It was really exciting to see it, touch it, and then go purchase some Publix brand unscented cat litter with which to fill the three sleeves. I used a container and my food scale to carefully weigh out six pounds of litter for each sleeve. Then once everything was loaded properly in the bag I tried a few curls, overheads, and push presses.
I psyched myself out. Eighteen pounds was too heavy. So I stopped. (Yes, I am weak.)
On Monday I took it to the box to give my Coach Shane a go at it. He looks pretty good on this demo, especially for having just finished a workout and two classes:
And then Wednesday, I pulled the bag out of the backseat of my truck to show it to Coach Allie, but he has poison oak from his road trip so he cannot touch it. He has to wait until it is cleared up since he is “unclean.” Haha.
Then came Thursday. I decided to stop being afraid of my PWR Bag. Using it as my back pack, I did some step ups with it a few times throughout the day after sitting at the computer. I did a few overheads, curls, and Sumo deadlifts (love SDL btw). Magically, I got past my mind issues with the mere 18 pounds in the bag. Besides, it is possible to remove one or two sleeves to lighten the load. (Yes, I am wimpy-weak.)
So Friday morning, a Scaled Murph (SMurph) was the WoD scheduled at my CrossFit Endurance class. I was so excited because the last time I did The SMurph I was about 30 pounds heavier. And then I started getting more excited thinking how much better I would be and how my time would improve!
And then, just after the class warm up, I started thinking about the 20 lb. vest… I have never use “the vest.” And then I started thinking about wearing my PWR Bag backpack even though I only have 18 lbs. in it.
Before I knew it, I was looking at Coach Allie saying, “I was wondering if you think I should run with the PWR Bag? Do you think I should try to…..”
Coach Allie’s eyes lit up and his head started bobbing up and down in a “Yes” before I finished my thought to talk myself out of it.
So I dashed off, put my PWR Bag on and then ready, set, go! Here is my SMurph WoD results:
- 400m Run w 18# PWR Bag
- 25 Pull-ups MODIFIED to Ring Rows ~ ….but I did 5 with the PWR Bag!
- 50 Push-ups MODIFIED to Baby-Girl Push-ups.
- 100 Squats MODIFIED ~ I use a bench due to limited range of motion.
- 400m Run w 18# PWR Bag
I was thrilled the extra weight only added 20 seconds to my last sans-the-bag running time. I was even more thrilled to see that I finished the entire WoD in less time than the last attempt.
The PWR Bag is fantastic. I love it! It is exactly what I need to bump up my regimen. The bag is definitely everything Tom claims it to be. It is a tool that I feel I will consistently use to improve my fitness level at a reasonable pace until, like at my last WoD, I do better than I think I am capable of doing.
Now time to break away from the computer and bust a PWR bag move!
Sentinel2Sentinel 