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Corey Borolien

@corey_doing_stuff

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Middle aged man exercising and sometimes other stuff
Saskatoon, Canada
Legends Championship '23, '24 🥇
CanWest Games '22 🥇

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On this day 16 years ago, my very first CrossFit competition.

The Prairie CrossFit Challenge at the original Synergy Strength gym. There's still a handful of OG's around from the olden days. by @corey_doing_stuff

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a month ago

Frank Dunn triathlon at Waskesiu, 2026.
This will always be a special race for me. Now the longest running race in Canada, I first did it in high school in 1987. The prestige, the setting, the course, the organization - you can't beat it.
I "retired" from triathlon after my second Ironman in 2008. Did this race for fun in '09 on left over fitness from that and haven't been back to the sport since. Lots of cycling the last two summers, but virtually no swimming or running.
Entering this race was a good reason to spend a few days with the family at the lake and also to test out the theory that a big aerobic base can carry you pretty far, even if it's not specific to a sport or movement.
1.5 km swim- I haven't swam in cold open water with a wetsuit in forever, so maybe that's what triggered a bit of tight chest feeling and mild panic 200m into the swim. I've always been very comfortable in water, so it was an odd and unexpected feeling. I managed my way through it, got things under control and by the second half was cruising, passing people.
62 km bike- Riding my gravel bike with regular wheels and gravel tires was my way of telling myself, "this is just for fun". The right bike for the task is probably a 5 km/hr difference. Normally it would drive me crazy to just "give away" an advantage like that, but I'm old and retired so it's ok (when your brain is wired a certain way, it's hard to just turn it off, lol). Comfortable tempo, averaged 205 watts knowing I had to start the run with plenty still in the tank.
13 km run- Basically one pace the whole way, just plodding along. Heart rate was never very high, but I could tell that trying to go any faster was going to bring on some serious cramps. 5:25/km off the bike for over an hour and the limiter was muscular fatigue from simply no run training is the confirmation I was looking for.
The long term plan is on point. Excited for the next phase.
#frankdunntriathlon taken in Waskesiu Lake, Saskatchewan by @corey_doing_stuff

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2 months ago

I competed in The Range this past weekend . It's a big gravel race in the foothills of southern Alberta- 122km, hot and hilly.

It probably wasn't a smart idea to ride near the front early on but I'm a road racer at heart and I just follow wheels and try to hang on. I'm no longer built like a cyclist and outweigh the fast guys by 30-40 pounds. Up at the pointy end of the field I felt like a clydesdale among stallions. 30 km was enough of that and with some serious climbing about to start, I swung off and rode my own pace.

The longest climb was about 30 minutes grinding in my lowest gear, wishing for the top to appear around the next corner, but it just kept going. In the hot sun, moving at 9 km/hr while being swarmed by horse flies- I was questioning some decisions at this point. I managed to ride 1/3 of the steepest climb before I had to walk. 24% max gradient! I could have ridden it with a lower gear, but I don't think it would have been any faster.

75km/hr bombing the steep descents was fun until random ruts appeared and things started bouncing and skidding. A few years of motocross experience was useful here, I only had one brief "oh shit" moment.

I kept eating and drinking 100 grams/hr of carbs and finished feeling strong and able to push hard. All the sauna time made the 30° heat no problem. Finished just under 5 hours, 44th out of about 270.

A great event in a beautiful setting, highly recommend taken in Claresholm, Alberta by @corey_doing_stuff

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3 months ago

CrossFit semi-finals done and I was close but not close enough. 15 spots for the Games, 5 from live competitions, so I needed top 10 here. One specific weakness, pull ups, got me again. But that's what a well designed test is supposed to do- expose your weaknesses.

The highlight of the weekend for me was clearing the deadlift ladder and pulling 415 pounds, a weight I haven't lifted in at least 7 or 8 years.

After a year with major life changes, including not having a gym to train in for most of it, I am pretty happy with where I'm at. All the systems are in place now to get this across the finish line. by @corey_doing_stuff

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5 months ago

Legends semi-finals final event
50 toes to bar
45 wall balls, 20 lb, 10'
35 box step overs, 24"
30 devil's press, 50 lb
120' walking lunge, 2x50 lb db

No plan, just going to keep moving. I'm not that fast on toes to bar, so I was already well behind when I got to wall balls. For whatever reason it felt light and I went 28-17 to get 45 reps. Step overs felt fast and efficient but I was still almost a full minute behind starting the devil's press.

This was the crux of the workout. 30 reps with 50 pounds in each hand is a meaty set when fresh, let alone starting it fatigued. It was complicated by the event organizers changing the movement standards to allow a pause at the shoulder with the dumbbells. Essentially a burpee + clean & jerk. It's a slower cycle rate, but it's easier. The problem is they informed us of this once we were corralled and about to walk out on the floor. No chance to warmup or practice a completely new movement. Bush league move.

I just went with what I know and was prepared for. My back and grip held up and I just plugged away at a steady rate. Low and behold I made up the entire deficit and was first to start the lunges. Two things I won't let anyone beat me at is biking and walking lunges. As wheelhouse as it gets. Event win to salvage an otherwise disappointing weekend. Happy to finish on a plus note.

Online semi-finals in 11 days. taken in Del Mar, California by @corey_doing_stuff

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6 months ago

Legends semi-final event 3
6 rounds, 9-6-3
Deadlift, power clean, shoulder to overhead, 165 pounds

Wasn't looking forward to this one at all. Definitely not my kind of workout. Was worried how my calf would be on the power cleans, but it felt a little tweaky on one jerk while warming up. So that was in my head. My main mental cue was "drive mostly off one leg". Kept a steady pace, everything held together, got it done.

Just looking to get through the weekend and move on. The competition drive needed for that extra gear isn't there now, and I'm ok with that. 6th place, still last overall by @corey_doing_stuff

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6 months ago

Semi-Finals workout 2
20 pull-ups
25 sandbag cleans, 100 lb
20 chest to bar pull-ups

This was going to be fast, not much pacing. Pull-up are a real weakness for me, I knew I'd give away some time there. 100 pounds is not a heavy bag at this level, you have to touch and go.

First set of pull-ups went ok with one break, but my judge was giving me no reps, saying I wasn't pulling high enough. It can be hard for the judge standing on the floor looking up to see your chin breaking the horizontal line of the bar, but I definitely was.The real problem was that I couldn't hear her to correct it, so I did some extra reps. Oh well, that happens in comps.

Sandbag cleans went ok. Touch and go were tough by the end and I was getting sloppy with my form, but I got through them fine.

Chest to bar pull-ups is where I knew I'd be suffering. Didn't even attempt butterfly, started with singles off a riser, then some kipping, then more singles. Kind of a mess really. The fatigue of gripping the bag played into it, and maybe some tiredness from the morning event, but I just felt flat. Like I couldn't really step on the gas. A disappointing 9th place, but what I deserved. I was outplayed by better competition, straight up. by @corey_doing_stuff

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6 months ago

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6 months ago

Muscle ups, deadlifts, burpees, Oh My!
Quarterfinals this weekend, the second stage of trying to get to the CrossFit Games. Four workouts done and dusted.
No screw ups, no re-do's. Happy with how I executed. On to the next stage in one month.

#oldmanstrength #crossfitmasters #quarterfinals by @corey_doing_stuff

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7 months ago

A day of training trying to get to the CrossFit Games at 55

Three weeks now of being settled into a routine with minimal distractions. Fitness is still coming back and I'm not there yet, but I can feel the momentum building.

The new home gym is killer and getting lots of use!

#crossfitmasters #fitover50 #crossfit #crossfitgames #homegym by @corey_doing_stuff

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8 months ago

Using new tech to train bodyweight movements.
I'm a big fan of the Voltra and here's another way I'm using it.

Bodyweight movements are challenging because unless you are already very good at them, you have to scale or substitute something else to progress or accumulate volume. They're also difficult to progressively overload until you've got a certain level of strength.

For example if you want to develop a strong overhead press you can start from almost zero, like a dowel or an empty bar and do the full range movement with small, incremental weight increases over a long period of time. As your body adapts gradually, you can continue to increase your strength for quite a while.

With bodyweight, the weight is fixed. You can use bands to reduce the weight somewhat, but the amount of assistance changes dramatically throughout the movement and there's only a handful of different bands to choose from. Otherwise you have to use a different movement to simulate what you're trying to do. There are pulley systems that try to address this but they can be cumbersome to use.

The versatility of the Voltra solves some of these problems by letting you train the full movement and apply progressive overload in one pound increments.

This is new technology that's still catching on. It's kind of niche and novel at this point. But it's pretty cool to see how it can open up new possibilities and provide more versatility in program design. @beyondpowerofficial

#voltra #handstandpushups #calisthenics #bodyweight #crossfit by @corey_doing_stuff

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9 months ago

414 days since I last had a sauna. So good to be back! by @corey_doing_stuff

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9 months ago