Marshall Ramsey

For the last day, we did the endurance run. What’s the endurance run?  I like to think of it as the final test of PLS.

The drills are spread out all over the football stadium.  And we ran between them, never stopping.

1. Line 4 started with the W drill (sprint to one cone, backpedal to the next, sprint, backpedal, sprint, backpedal for 40 yards in a W-shaped course).
2. Next we ran down the track to the stadium and did the A-frame stairs (10) up and down the length of the stadium.  We then ran under the stadium.
3. We did over and unders using hurdles.
4. We did 25 jumping jacks using hand weights.
5. We then emerged from under the stadium and ran toward the field house. We did 15 push-ups on the sidewalk.
6. We then did wall-runs (20 per leg) while pushing against the field house.
7. We did 30 seconds arm exercises with hand weights by the track.
8. We did one lap of the track.
9. Halfway through the lap, we did 15 burpees.
10. We completed the lap and did three ladder drills (one-foot, two-feet and bunny hop) spread out over 100 yards.
11. We then did high-knees to the 40.
12. From the 40 to the 40, we did bear crawls.
13. From the 40 to the goal line, we did hop scotch.
14. We went back down the field doing lunge and twists to the 40. From the 40 to the 40, we did inch worms.
15. And then we restarted with the W drill.

That’s one lap.

Last year, I got through it twice. This year, I did it THREE times.

I’m pleased. Very pleased.  With today’s performance and the total 12 weeks. This time, I reshaped my body, lost a little weight and worked on my self-discipline. I managed to get out of bed at 4 a.m. when I didn’t feel like it.  And I did what had to do to get better.

But I’m sad the 12-weeks are over. I was in an AMAZING line full of great people who pushed and inspired me.  We managed the right balance of working hard and having fun.  We didn’t just get in shape. We became friends. The coaches all were fantastic, too.  They knew when to push and when to praise.  They not only made us stronger physically, it made us better mentally.  For me, it was worth every penny, minute and drop of sweat I invested in the program.

I’ll continue my Fit2Fat2Fit Blog, btw.  There’s lots of exercise and diet related crud I can talk about. And I’ll be back with PLS this fall.

So, I leave you today with a list of the top 13 ways you know you’ve done PLS:

13. You have the sticker and the T-shirt.

12. You hear Will Norris in your sleep. “Crank it up!”

11. Your clothes are loose.

10. You’ve heard Paul use the F-word as every part of speech. (I mean the word “Fat,” of course)

9. You can inch-worm to the mailbox.

8. You find black rubber dots in awkward places where you shouldn’t find black rubber dots.

7. You’ll never like “Chips and Salsa” again.

6. You eat ibuprofen like Tic-Tacs.

5. Seeing a board laying on the ground makes you flinch.

4. You have “Can Bear Crawl 100 yards” on your resume.

3. You know someone with a bionic stomach, and his name is Clark.

2. You’ve made friends with some of the hardest working, most dedicated people in Mississippi.

1. Paul changed your life for the better. 

See you tonight at the party!

Today was the next-to-the-last day of the Summer PLS training program and Clark & Co. served up a tasty breakfast of pain. There were six courses on the PLS buffet plus Clark’s famous Core-Crunch for dessert.

Items on the menu included:

• Running through (and over) bags, hoops and ladders followed by ten yards of bear crawls to cleanse your palate. Repeat often.
• Clark’s Blue-Ball Breakfast: Using the blue ball, jump ropes and your own body weight  to carve and crush your core.
• The Boards/Chips & Salsa Crap-Yourself Combo. (26.5 yards pushing a board, 53 yards pulling yourself by your hands as your feet sit in the tray and 26.5 yards pushing the board again.)
• Morgan’s Big Tire Surprise: Team high knees around the monster tire, 10 push-ups while your feet are on the tire, 40-yard sprint, ten burpees, 40-yard jog, rinse and repeat two more times.
• The Indian Run! (my line ran a mile).
• W-Drill up a hill.
• Dssert: Clark’s famous Core-Crunch.

It may not have been the hardest workout we’ve done this year, but it was easily in the top-five. I came off the Boards/Chips & Salsa winded and it took me until the Indian run to catch my breath. But I commented to my line-mate Liz that there is no way I could have done this level of workout 12-weeks ago. While I felt tired, I also felt extremely satisfied.  I am very proud of everyone on the field today for making it to the next level.

So what’s next?  Tomorrow is what they call an endurance workout. You go through the stations as fast as you can and non-stop for the whole hour.  It’s really a lot of fun.  (I did the circuit twice the last time I did it; this time I’m shooting for three).  And then tomorrow night, we’ll have our end-of-the-session party. Top athletes will be named.  Good food will be served. We’ll see what everyone looks like showered and dressed.  A good time will be had by all.

The past 12-weeks have been amazing.  I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in. Now I’m going to take some time and plan out what I’m going to do to stay that way during the off time.

I look forward to the fall and my next serving of the breakfast of champions.

At the beginning of the 12-week PLS Training Program, we are tested in several categories to see how fit we are. Then at the end, we are retested to mark our progress. Today was that test. And here’s how I did:

100-yard Short Shuttle: Run to the 5-yard line, 10-yard line, 15-yard line and then 20-yard line and back as quickly as you can:

• Beginning Time: 25 seconds
• Today’s Time: 23 seconds
• Result: -2 seconds

Push-ups:  I had set a goal of 100, although the most I had ever done at once was 69.

• Beginning: 30
• Today: 75! (A new personal best)
• Result: +45!

Sumo squats: Hold a 45-lb. weight next to your chest and do as many squats as you can.

• Beginning: 36
• Today: 100
• Result: +64 (I could have done them all day).

Sit-ups: Hands behind your head and try to keep your feet on the ground. My goal was 100.

• Beginning: 30
• Today: 101! (A new personal best)
• Result: +71!

Step-up overhead: Hold a 25-lb. weight, step up on a bench and thrust weight over your head.

• Beginning: 40
• Today: 50
• Result: + 10

One-mile run

• Beginning: 8 minutes 30 seconds
• Today: 8 minutes 5 seconds
• Result: -25 seconds.

Commentary: 

I couldn’t be more pleased with these results — in fact, if they had been much better, Major League Baseball would have tested me for Performance Enhancing Drugs (hopefully Ibuprofen doesn’t count). And while I wish I had done the mile a little quicker (my legs are shot), I couldn’t be happier with the improvement to my core and upper-body strength.  If you notice in the picture,  you can see a marked difference how I look from last April.  My sit-up improvement is gaudy — it’s the best I’ve ever done (thanks Clark). And while I’m not as strong as I have been in the past, my upper body endurance is much better.  This was a very tough, demanding 12-week program.  But to get great results you have to ask great things of your body.  Now to set new goals and improve on these numbers.

I want to take a moment to thank Paul Lacoste, Clark Bruce, all the coaches and my line mates. I have worked out with some of the finest, most driven people in Jackson. Your dedication and friendship has made me more fit and changed my life for the better. Thank you.