The power of TB

MxS/SE/HIC/E
User avatar
grouchyjarhead
Posts: 984
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2016 7:45 pm

The power of TB

Post by grouchyjarhead »

Short bio - I first started following the TB philosophy in late 2015. Though serious back issues put me down for much of 2016, I used that time to become familiar with the TB S&C approach and planned out my "comeback" as well as preparing for several GORUCK events. I have pretty much stuck to the TB philosophy the entire time as it is simple, effective, and realistic to fit into your life.

Fast forward a bit - my last GORUCK event (a Tough, a 12 hour team based endurance event) was in late September. Since then I have primarily been hitting the barbell and doing some sprints, but have gotten under the ruck a few times for some low mileage. No intention whatsoever of doing another event until March. I put in a tough SE-style workout with my ruck and 4 miles on Saturday, rested Sunday, and then did some max strength work Monday.

On Tuesday I learned of a custom GORUCK event being hosted a few hours away from me. It was scheduled for Wednesday. I decided what the heck, let's do this.

Wednesday I woke up at 0200 hours and drove out to hit our start time of 0830. It was a beat down for about 7 hours, definitely a very physically tough and mentally challenging endeavor. We were being smoked physically, we were soaking wet in ~40 degree weather, rolling in the mud, and having a "great time" carrying lots of heavy stuff while wearing soaking wet rucksacks. 12 showed up, 4 had to drop out (and no shame at all in that, it was brutal). I did more than survive, I felt I thrived and am pretty happy with my overall performance.

If I had not been on the Tactical Barbell train, I doubt I would have even considered this opportunity. If I had, chances are that 5 wouldn't have made it through. I felt confident though in my programming and previous conditioning that I went after it, did the best I could, and ended up pleased with my performance.

The approach works folks - it's not rocket surgery, but it doesn't need to be. You figure out your intent for your training block, determine what your focus will be for that intent, balance it with your other attributes so you are at least maintaining them, structure it in the most intelligent way you can, and then execute it. Put in the work, and the results will speak for themselves. Grouchy out.

User avatar
ectional
Posts: 295
Joined: Sat Jun 24, 2017 9:59 am

Re: The power of TB

Post by ectional »

That's awesome. Even though I'm still on my first proper training cycle of TB, reading posts like this really create that motivation to stick to it for the long haul. Being ready and above average at all times is a great result of a great training program.

User avatar
K.B.
Site Admin
Posts: 214
Joined: Mon Jan 13, 2014 3:18 am

Re: The power of TB

Post by K.B. »

grouchyjarhead wrote:
Wednesday I woke up at 0200 hours and drove out to hit our start time of 0830.
This sentence hurts my brain.
Great job Grouchy!

DocOctagon
Posts: 309
Joined: Wed Sep 07, 2016 2:46 am

Re: The power of TB

Post by DocOctagon »

Love write-ups like this. Lots of good ones on the sub (reddit) too. Paints a better picture for me than just numbers most of the time.

User avatar
grouchyjarhead
Posts: 984
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2016 7:45 pm

Re: The power of TB

Post by grouchyjarhead »

Thanks all! Definitely a long day KB, I didn't pull into my driveway until almost 2300.

A few photos of some of the fun.

Image

Image

Image

Throwing his customary thumbs up is yours truly.
Image

User avatar
Barkadion
Posts: 4522
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2016 3:09 am
Location: Massachusetts, USA

Re: The power of TB

Post by Barkadion »

grouchyjarhead wrote:Thanks all! Definitely a long day KB, I didn't pull into my driveway until almost 2300.

A few photos of some of the fun.

Image

Image

Image

Throwing his customary thumbs up is yours truly.
Image
Great pictures!
"Man is what he reads." - Joseph Brodsky

Seabassius
Posts: 96
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2017 7:35 pm

Re: The power of TB

Post by Seabassius »

Awesome Grouchy! Now I have something else i want to do.

User avatar
grouchyjarhead
Posts: 984
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2016 7:45 pm

Re: The power of TB

Post by grouchyjarhead »

Here’s all three videos in case you’re interested. I’m the guy with the glasses and the gray T-shirt (or black jacket, depending on which time it was). I get a lot of close ups in the second video.

https://youtu.be/VGGor06XZnY
https://youtu.be/CN4acpomFOo
https://youtu.be/1SpVfMJUaqc

User avatar
Barkadion
Posts: 4522
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2016 3:09 am
Location: Massachusetts, USA

Re: The power of TB

Post by Barkadion »

grouchyjarhead wrote:Here’s all three videos in case you’re interested. I’m the guy with the glasses and the gray T-shirt (or black jacket, depending on which time it was). I get a lot of close ups in the second video.

https://youtu.be/VGGor06XZnY
https://youtu.be/CN4acpomFOo
https://youtu.be/1SpVfMJUaqc
Those are cool! Thanks for sharing. You can feel the comradery of it..

Underwater burpees?!!! I will feel super happy doing BYF in my basement from now on ;)
"Man is what he reads." - Joseph Brodsky

nickgoldma
Posts: 383
Joined: Mon Aug 29, 2016 12:11 am

Re: The power of TB

Post by nickgoldma »

This is awesome. Good for you, Grouchy. This is really cool. Doing a GR Light or a GR Original is on my bucket list.

Did you have the opportunity to meet Jason McCarthy, the CEO? He seems like a solid, squared away guy with no attitude. At least, I hope he is. :D
Get after it!

Post Reply