Consistency triumphs over intensity with training. Results matter. See how I stacked up to the challenge five years later at 55.

First, I'll start off with why I did the workout. U.S. Army Spc. Christopher J. Coffland, 43, of Baltimore, Maryland, died Nov. 13, 2009, in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. Coffland, who joined the Army a month before reaching the enlistment age limit of 42, was assigned to the 323rd Military Intelligence Battalion at Fort Meade, Maryland. He was deployed to Afghanistan two weeks prior to his death.

Coffland was a CrossFit athlete who was known to have demolished the U.S. Army Physical Fitness Test, which features push-ups, sit-ups and a 2-mile run. He was particularly fond of long workouts, heavy lifts, distance sprints, push-ups and sit-ups.

The Catch A Lift Foundation held the event as a fundraiser. Catch A Lift Fund has helped thousands of post 9/11 combat injured veterans regain their mental and physical health through gym memberships, in home gym equipment, personalized fitness and nutrition programs and a peer support network. I am a huge believer in what they do. Please take a moment to look them up and support them in any way you can.

The workout consists of:
For Time
6 minute Hang Hold (cumulative)

Each time you drop from the bar, perform:
800 meter Run
30 Push-Ups

When I performed this in 2019 it took me 42 minutes. I had to drop from the hang four times before the finish. That meant I had a total run of two miles and complete 120 pushups.

Yesterday it took me 22 minutes. I only had to drop twice before the finish. My first hold was for three minutes, the next was two, and then I only had to hang on for one final minute. As a result I only had to run a mile and do 60 pushups.

There were a lot of people at the crossfit where it was held who modified the routine due to injuries or other factors. The best I could tell was that I finished first. Not bad for an old beat up meathead.

I think the biggest difference between now and then is my overall improvement in getting pain free and relying on consistency over intensity in my training.

The reason I had to drop from the hang so frequently in 2019 was because of my poor shoulder health. Hanging was crazy painful. It didn't help with the pushups either.

Also, back then I was doing too much volume with my running. I was going around 15 miles a week, but it was punishing my body. I was much more prone to back flare ups and both adductor and calf strains.

What's the biggest difference with my training, I no longer punish myself regularly. If something hurts, I don't do it. I find another avenue to meet my goal.

Instead of running, I ruck. My conditioning has actually improved because I am not beat up anymore. And, the rucking has great carryover to my running. I can bang out a five mile run or more any time I want.

For my shoulders, I have prioritized getting them healthy. For the past couple of years I probably spend as much time on rehab and recovery as I do lifting.

For my entire lifting career I pushed intensity to the limits and beyond. But as I have been getting older injuries would keep getting in the way. I'd rehab them, get better, and go back to pushing the intensity. Sure enough, I'd be back where I started.

Now, I have good hard workouts and wisely choose where I'll sporadically pepper in bouts of higher intensity lifting and coniditioning. Since doing this I have noticed I can push my instensity higher then when I was regularly doing it. Mentally I am excited when I sieze on the opportunities versus almost dreading them when I was constantly overreaching.

The moral of the story. By being more consistent in getting myself well and not beating myself up I'm in better condition at 55 than I was at 50 and that doesn't seem to be the norm.