Thruster 5-5-5-5-5
1. 145
2. 160
3. 170
4. 175
5. 180 (3 reps, dropped bar on 4th.)
The warm up- Row for 500m, Press Bar 3 sets of 10, Air Squats 3 sets of 10, 1 set of 95# for 5 reps. Not much. Just a little something to get the appropriate muscles loosened up. I'm really enjoying the rower (especially since I have one nearby for once) so I use it a lot to warm up, as opposed to the standard 1/4 mile run. Some light stretching afterwards and then I turned up the shuffle real loud and listened to system of a down.
The WOD- I had a hard time guaging where I would be on this one. That's why there is such a disparity between my first set and my last. I knew that I was handling 135 for 7 reps pretty easily, but sometimes a 10# jump is a lot. I started off conservatively and then graduated up 10# increments until I hit the magic number where it started to feel real difficult- 170#. After that, I did the 5# increments and it all worked out...until the last set. I rested well between sets, but not too long. I had my timer on my watch set for 3 minutes, but I wasn't rushing to the bar as soon as it went off. I wanted to make sure that I was strong for each set.
Total time at the gym: ~35 minutes. This was a good WOD. I'm starting to like the thruster more...we'll see how much I like the next time I do Fran. Ugh.
3-2-1...GO!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
1/29/10; Run, swing, burpee
Three rounds for time:
Run 400m
24kg KB swing- 30
Burpee- 30
Total time- 18:19
Warm up- I hopped on the aerodyne bike for about 3 minutes to get my body loose. I was exceptionally tight after yesterday’s workout. After that, I did some lower back stretching, followed by a few sets of light swings (16kg KB). Once I got outside and set up the course, I ran a ¼ mile to warm up just a little bit more, as it was exceptionally chilly in San Jose this morning.
The WOD- I felt light and fast for the first 400m. I came in just around 85 seconds. Then the KB got me! I forgot how much swings can really get your lungs going. I was probably about 20 swings in before I really started to get drained and then I paused at 25 and cranked out 5 more. I’m sure that I looked totally retarded on the burpees. Between hauling butt on the run and the KB swings, my legs and glutes were juiced. I managed to do about 12 in a row before I had to take a breather and continue. The By the time I got done with the first round I was looking at about 4:30. Each subsequent set was just as hard. It seems like I was able to crank out the KB swings and burpees with a little more rhythm after each set. The run, however, was a different story. The second and third set of runs felt like I had Master Blaster from Bartertown on my shoulders. (Mad Max, Beyond the Thunderdome).
Total time working out – 35 minutes. I had a hard time loosening up after yesterday’s WOD. So, it took me some time to get there. Cool down was stretches and hauling KBs back in. Great work out. I finally figured out a way to describe CF’s intensity to a fellow Soldier- I asked him if he remembered what it was like to be an Ubermotivated Joe. He replied, “Yes.” Then I said, “Remember how during every PT test you took as a young Joe, you went all out intensity for those two minutes of PU and SU, then went as hard as you could on the 2-mile….even to the point of throwing up?”. At this point, I could see the light glowing over the top of his head and he said, “Yeah!”. I replied, “That’s it. That’s how you have to look at every CF WOD.”
3-2-1…GO!
1/28/10; DL and Pull ups
For time:
225# DL- 15
PLU- 50
225# DL- 12
PLU- 40
225# DL- 9
PLU- 30
225# DL- 6
PLU- 20
225# DL- 3
PLU- 10
Total time- 16:41
Warm up- I hopped on the rower for about 3 minutes, just to get the back warm. After that, I did about 3 sets of 135# DLs at 10 reps. Following that, I did some stretching for my back, and hamstrings.
The WOD- 225 pounds isn’t much in the DL…but following the first set of DL and PLU, it got heavy, real quick! I burned straight through on the 15/50 set, but I had to drop the bar a few times during the subsequent set. Pull ups were painful. During sets three to five, I was having to do 5 reps at a time, pause, and restart…heck, towards the end I was doing one at a time. My hands looked like hamburger by the time I got done. The equipment in my buddy’s gym is nice and new…unfortunately, so is the knurling on the Oly bar and Pull up bar on the tower. I was huffing and puffing really hard at the end. Somehow, I found the strength to do 6 straight DLs and 3 straight DLs on my last two sets…what really held me back on this was the fatigue I felt in the pull ups. I’ve got to get better at kipping.
Total time at the gym- 41 minutes. That was with two people running through the WOD, warm up, and placing all the equipment back to where it belonged. Awesome.
3-2-1…GO!
225# DL- 15
PLU- 50
225# DL- 12
PLU- 40
225# DL- 9
PLU- 30
225# DL- 6
PLU- 20
225# DL- 3
PLU- 10
Total time- 16:41
Warm up- I hopped on the rower for about 3 minutes, just to get the back warm. After that, I did about 3 sets of 135# DLs at 10 reps. Following that, I did some stretching for my back, and hamstrings.
The WOD- 225 pounds isn’t much in the DL…but following the first set of DL and PLU, it got heavy, real quick! I burned straight through on the 15/50 set, but I had to drop the bar a few times during the subsequent set. Pull ups were painful. During sets three to five, I was having to do 5 reps at a time, pause, and restart…heck, towards the end I was doing one at a time. My hands looked like hamburger by the time I got done. The equipment in my buddy’s gym is nice and new…unfortunately, so is the knurling on the Oly bar and Pull up bar on the tower. I was huffing and puffing really hard at the end. Somehow, I found the strength to do 6 straight DLs and 3 straight DLs on my last two sets…what really held me back on this was the fatigue I felt in the pull ups. I’ve got to get better at kipping.
Total time at the gym- 41 minutes. That was with two people running through the WOD, warm up, and placing all the equipment back to where it belonged. Awesome.
3-2-1…GO!
1/27/10; Row and Thrust
Five rounds for time-
Row 500 meters
135# Thruster x7
Total time- 13:29
I’m very fortunate enough to have a good friend that is a battalion commander where I am currently TDY. Fortunately, he’s as big a fan of Crossfit, so he’s outfitted his battalion headquarters with a C2 rower, GHD, Tons of weight, Towers, pull up bars and KBs up to 106#....who the heck uses a 106# KB??? Probably Jason Khalipa. Anyhow, it’s really nice to have all this equipment available, so it’s inspired me to be more proactive about getting my company gym started. I think the company can have a decent set up for about $2500. We’ll see. In any case, I’m going to put some energy into this and will hopefully leave a lasting legacy for the Company.
Warm up- I rowed for about 500 meters, did some pull ups, Oly bar thrusters followed by 95# thrusters, and finally, I did some stretching to get loose.
The WOD- As usual, row workouts are vicious. My first round, I averaged about 1:48/ 500m, during the last round, I was right at 2:06. The set up was nice, as the rower was no more than 10 feet from the weights. Thrusters are tough…dang tough. During the first couple of rounds I could crank out the work at a pretty even pace. During the last few rounds, I found myself pausing after 3 or 4 reps. I even dropped the weights for a break during the last round after the fourth rep. This seemingly benign WOD is tough. However, all WODs are tough when you’re giving all out efforts.
3-2-1…GO!
Row 500 meters
135# Thruster x7
Total time- 13:29
I’m very fortunate enough to have a good friend that is a battalion commander where I am currently TDY. Fortunately, he’s as big a fan of Crossfit, so he’s outfitted his battalion headquarters with a C2 rower, GHD, Tons of weight, Towers, pull up bars and KBs up to 106#....who the heck uses a 106# KB??? Probably Jason Khalipa. Anyhow, it’s really nice to have all this equipment available, so it’s inspired me to be more proactive about getting my company gym started. I think the company can have a decent set up for about $2500. We’ll see. In any case, I’m going to put some energy into this and will hopefully leave a lasting legacy for the Company.
Warm up- I rowed for about 500 meters, did some pull ups, Oly bar thrusters followed by 95# thrusters, and finally, I did some stretching to get loose.
The WOD- As usual, row workouts are vicious. My first round, I averaged about 1:48/ 500m, during the last round, I was right at 2:06. The set up was nice, as the rower was no more than 10 feet from the weights. Thrusters are tough…dang tough. During the first couple of rounds I could crank out the work at a pretty even pace. During the last few rounds, I found myself pausing after 3 or 4 reps. I even dropped the weights for a break during the last round after the fourth rep. This seemingly benign WOD is tough. However, all WODs are tough when you’re giving all out efforts.
3-2-1…GO!
Monday, January 25, 2010
1/25/10; Clean and Jerk and GHB SU
Three rounds for time-
135# Clean and jerk
30 GHB SU
Total time- 7:43
As I've noted in previous posts, I don't have a GHD. So, I just place the dumbbells near my feet, "lock in" and get going. To make things a little more difficult for this exercise, I went ahead and placed a 25# plate on my chest. I know for a fact that a GHD sit up is on a completely different level than a normal sit up, so I made this a little harder.
To warm up I did the usual work, 1/4 mile run, push ups, OH squats with a bar, warrior pose, blah, blah, blah. However, the wakeup call came when I decided to do some clean and jerks with just an Oly bar. About my third set of 10, towards the last rep, I heard a loud "CLANG!" followed by a flash of white, and the distinct sound of teeth crashing together. Milliseconds later, I could feel the grittiness of teeth particles floating around in my mouth. Crap.
That's right, I smashed myself in the jaw with the bar. As I write this, my teeth still hurt and I finished the WOD about three and a half hours ago. No big cosmetic issues, just some pain and the back of one of my cuspids are a little chipped.
Back to the WOD- It was tough. I think that Crossfit's faulty programming here is that they want you to go "for time" with a complex lift like the Clean and jerk. If you're ego is huge, you'll definitely begin to sacrifice form for a better time. I learned this listen the hard way with a Hang clean WOD about four months ago. Today, however, I focused on form during the Clean and jerks. Again, I don't have bumper weights, so I have a tendency to return the weights gingerly, as opposed to the usual Olympic style. Sit ups weren't much of a problem, as it's a strong suit for me.
Overall, great WOD. Total time at gym with two people doing this WOD- less than 30 minutes.
3-2-1…GO!
135# Clean and jerk
30 GHB SU
Total time- 7:43
As I've noted in previous posts, I don't have a GHD. So, I just place the dumbbells near my feet, "lock in" and get going. To make things a little more difficult for this exercise, I went ahead and placed a 25# plate on my chest. I know for a fact that a GHD sit up is on a completely different level than a normal sit up, so I made this a little harder.
To warm up I did the usual work, 1/4 mile run, push ups, OH squats with a bar, warrior pose, blah, blah, blah. However, the wakeup call came when I decided to do some clean and jerks with just an Oly bar. About my third set of 10, towards the last rep, I heard a loud "CLANG!" followed by a flash of white, and the distinct sound of teeth crashing together. Milliseconds later, I could feel the grittiness of teeth particles floating around in my mouth. Crap.
That's right, I smashed myself in the jaw with the bar. As I write this, my teeth still hurt and I finished the WOD about three and a half hours ago. No big cosmetic issues, just some pain and the back of one of my cuspids are a little chipped.
Back to the WOD- It was tough. I think that Crossfit's faulty programming here is that they want you to go "for time" with a complex lift like the Clean and jerk. If you're ego is huge, you'll definitely begin to sacrifice form for a better time. I learned this listen the hard way with a Hang clean WOD about four months ago. Today, however, I focused on form during the Clean and jerks. Again, I don't have bumper weights, so I have a tendency to return the weights gingerly, as opposed to the usual Olympic style. Sit ups weren't much of a problem, as it's a strong suit for me.
Overall, great WOD. Total time at gym with two people doing this WOD- less than 30 minutes.
3-2-1…GO!
Delay in posts...
I just got the most awesome news (sarcasm) yesterday... I'll be out of town for the next two weeks and potentially the next 29 days. Incredible. I love this life.
Anyhow, there may be a delay in posting some of my comments. Until I get smart enough to learn how to e-mail posts to the blog, there will be the possibility of delayed posts. Further, I'm not sure what's out in Moffet Field, CA, aside from the NASA center and our headquarters.... so I'm guessing the gym workouts may be a little different. We'll see.
Anyhow, there may be a delay in posting some of my comments. Until I get smart enough to learn how to e-mail posts to the blog, there will be the possibility of delayed posts. Further, I'm not sure what's out in Moffet Field, CA, aside from the NASA center and our headquarters.... so I'm guessing the gym workouts may be a little different. We'll see.
Friday, January 22, 2010
1/22/10; 100 Burpee to pull ups
Yes. You read that right. One hundred. For time. I don't think that there is a more intimidating number than 100 when it comes to repetitions in a single exercise. Go as long and as fast as you can.
My time- 14:35.
I kept a record in my head of where I was at certain points of the WOD-
20 reps- ~2 minutes
50 reps- ~6 minutes
75 reps- ~11 minutes
This whole WOD was a gut check. Towards the end, I was doing about five reps at a time and resting to catch my breath. I really turned it on when I saw that I was at about 12-13 minutes. My goal was to be complete with the WOD in less than 15 minutes. When I got done, I just grabbed my stuff and laid down on a stretching mat for about ten minutes. I was so nauseous and out of breath, that all I wanted to do was lay down. It sucked. Afterward, I got up, grabbed my stuff and headed to the treadmill to walk for a few minutes, just to get right again.
This was a great WOD. However, you have to be able to own a peice of globogym equipment for about as long as you think you'll take to do the WOD. That can be problematic at some gyms. Especially when you consider I was using the pull up bars on the cable cross-over machines.
Total time at the gym- 35 minutes.
3-2-1...GO!
My time- 14:35.
I kept a record in my head of where I was at certain points of the WOD-
20 reps- ~2 minutes
50 reps- ~6 minutes
75 reps- ~11 minutes
This whole WOD was a gut check. Towards the end, I was doing about five reps at a time and resting to catch my breath. I really turned it on when I saw that I was at about 12-13 minutes. My goal was to be complete with the WOD in less than 15 minutes. When I got done, I just grabbed my stuff and laid down on a stretching mat for about ten minutes. I was so nauseous and out of breath, that all I wanted to do was lay down. It sucked. Afterward, I got up, grabbed my stuff and headed to the treadmill to walk for a few minutes, just to get right again.
This was a great WOD. However, you have to be able to own a peice of globogym equipment for about as long as you think you'll take to do the WOD. That can be problematic at some gyms. Especially when you consider I was using the pull up bars on the cable cross-over machines.
Total time at the gym- 35 minutes.
3-2-1...GO!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
1/21/10; Deadlift...Strong like Ox, smart like hammar
Deadlift 3-3-3-3-3
I really don’t think that there is anything more primal than picking up a heavy piece of iron off the floor. That’s all today’s workout was. It’s nice to do these every once in a while, because it’s a good way to measure your strength gains. I’m coming back from hernia surgery in the last few months, so I’m a little hesitant with these and really focus on my form…as you always should when hefting around heavy weights that can crush you. Here’s my results:
295 x 3
305 x 3
315 x 3
325 x 3
325 x 2 (failed on the last pull)
I warmed up with light weights- 2 sets of 95# at 8 reps; 1 set of 135# at 8 reps; 1 set of 225# at 8 reps. I just stretched really good to end the workout. I averaged about 3-4 minutes of rest between sets. I’m a little bit old school in that I don’t use a belt (as the purpose of doing these lifts is to strengthen your core muscles) and I don’t use lifting straps. I challenge you to find any strong person that doesn’t have a ridiculously strong grip to match. So, I’d encourage you to do the same.
The workout lasted about 40 minutes. Easy set up if you've got access to the amount of weight you'll be lifting...any globogym has all this stuff. In the afternoon I did some ring work. I did about 30 ring dips, focusing on form and then did an additional 50 ring push ups. The rings are an awesome piece of equipment. If you've never done ring push ups or dips, I suggest you do it. You'll look like a complete monkey the first time out, but every set you get better and better. Well worth the $65 investment.
3-2-1…GO!
I really don’t think that there is anything more primal than picking up a heavy piece of iron off the floor. That’s all today’s workout was. It’s nice to do these every once in a while, because it’s a good way to measure your strength gains. I’m coming back from hernia surgery in the last few months, so I’m a little hesitant with these and really focus on my form…as you always should when hefting around heavy weights that can crush you. Here’s my results:
295 x 3
305 x 3
315 x 3
325 x 3
325 x 2 (failed on the last pull)
I warmed up with light weights- 2 sets of 95# at 8 reps; 1 set of 135# at 8 reps; 1 set of 225# at 8 reps. I just stretched really good to end the workout. I averaged about 3-4 minutes of rest between sets. I’m a little bit old school in that I don’t use a belt (as the purpose of doing these lifts is to strengthen your core muscles) and I don’t use lifting straps. I challenge you to find any strong person that doesn’t have a ridiculously strong grip to match. So, I’d encourage you to do the same.
The workout lasted about 40 minutes. Easy set up if you've got access to the amount of weight you'll be lifting...any globogym has all this stuff. In the afternoon I did some ring work. I did about 30 ring dips, focusing on form and then did an additional 50 ring push ups. The rings are an awesome piece of equipment. If you've never done ring push ups or dips, I suggest you do it. You'll look like a complete monkey the first time out, but every set you get better and better. Well worth the $65 investment.
3-2-1…GO!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
1/20/10; CFE- Tabata...WHAT!?
The tabata-
20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest. Eight rounds.
For runners, this is done on a treadmill with 12% incline at best 5k pace.
The tabata is only four minutes long. It appears relatively benign. Well, benign is not the word I would use to describe this workout. Suck, crappy, tough, crazy…words like that come to mind right away. Below is a round by round account of how I felt. I set the pace for 8.6 mph.
Round 1- this ain’t so bad
Round 2- this is getting tough
Round 3- wow, I can’t wait for my break
Round 4- SWEET BABY JESUS!
Round 5- Please, please, please don’t let me fall on my face
Round 6- The lactic acid burn is so bad, I feel it in my arms
Round 7- Dear eight pound, three ounce baby Jesus, please let me make this. (reduced speed to 8.1)
Round 8- Oh thank you, thank you, thank you...vomit. (reduced speed to 8.1)
So, as you can see, I fouled out on two rounds. There was no punishment for fouling out, as I suspect that the exercise is probably punishment enough. Great workout, totally fast, and do-able anywhere you have access to a treadmill. I will mention that the lactic acid really does pool up after rounds 4 and 5. It becomes very psychological after that.
3-2-1…GO!
20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest. Eight rounds.
For runners, this is done on a treadmill with 12% incline at best 5k pace.
The tabata is only four minutes long. It appears relatively benign. Well, benign is not the word I would use to describe this workout. Suck, crappy, tough, crazy…words like that come to mind right away. Below is a round by round account of how I felt. I set the pace for 8.6 mph.
Round 1- this ain’t so bad
Round 2- this is getting tough
Round 3- wow, I can’t wait for my break
Round 4- SWEET BABY JESUS!
Round 5- Please, please, please don’t let me fall on my face
Round 6- The lactic acid burn is so bad, I feel it in my arms
Round 7- Dear eight pound, three ounce baby Jesus, please let me make this. (reduced speed to 8.1)
Round 8- Oh thank you, thank you, thank you...vomit. (reduced speed to 8.1)
So, as you can see, I fouled out on two rounds. There was no punishment for fouling out, as I suspect that the exercise is probably punishment enough. Great workout, totally fast, and do-able anywhere you have access to a treadmill. I will mention that the lactic acid really does pool up after rounds 4 and 5. It becomes very psychological after that.
3-2-1…GO!
1/20/10; 12 minutes of fun...sorta
With a continuously running clock, squat for 60 seconds. Subtract the number of squats completed from 60, and do that many pull-ups in minute two. In minute three, squat again, subtracting the number completed from 60. Do that number of push-ups in minute four. Minute five is squatting again, and minute six pull-ups.
The pattern is squats, pull-ups, squats, push-ups, squats, pull-ups, etc. The goal is to stay within the workout's formula for as long as possible. Don't do more than 60 squats in any round. In any case, stay moving for at least 12 minutes.
i.e.
1- 60 - #squats = minute 2 pull ups
2- pull ups
3- 60 - #squats = minute 4 push ups
4- push ups
5- 60 - #squats = minute 6 pull ups…
As I write this, my legs are throbbing and I’m certain that I can’t get out of my chair if I willed it with the power of the force…No luck.Here’s my numbers-59/1; 58/2; 54/6; 50/10; 52/8; 49/11
Total number of squats- 322
Total number of pull ups- 15
Total number of push ups- 23
As it happens, to complete the WOD properly, your repetitions should add up to 360.
This WOD is fun. I like the WODs where you’re continually moving. This one is another easy WOD to do anywhere you can find something to hang off of and do some pull ups. The total workout from start to finish with two people doing this was less than 30 minutes. I was able to start the workout at 0817, and be back in my office, changed and ready to work by 0850. Awesome.
3-2-1…GO!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
1/19/10; BW Bench Press??
Five rounds for max reps:
Bodyweight bench press
Pull ups
1. 7/12
2. 6/9
3. 8/8
4. 8/8
5. 6/7
Total reps- 35/44
I tore my rotator cuff in my right shoulder at a Brazilian jiu jitsu tournament a little over four years ago. Since then, I avoid the bench like the plague. It makes me uncomfortable, and frankly I suck at it, now. Prior to the tournament where I injured myself, I could bench my bodyweight over 30 times. Now, the results are posted… and I bench close to that in my five rounds. The pull ups look pretty bad, too. The pull up station I used at our base gym is positioned in such a way that you can’t really kip like you can on a traditional bar. So, I had to stay really strict with my pull ups. I guess that this was good and bad. Good to focus on form, bad for numbers.
This WOD is boring. However, for the strength component of crossfit, it’s necessary. I rested exactly three minutes between sets. The total time for this workout was just under 30 minutes. I played with comfortable grip positions in the beginning and didn’t really find my groove until the third set. I’ll keep this in mind for the next time I bench. I warmed up with a light job, some lat pull downs, push ups, and some rotator cuff mobility work. (Internal/external rotation, scaption, laterals, etc.)
Overall, I’m not too disappointed with this WOD, but it was boring (did I mention this already?). I like to move in my workouts, but this is a necessary evil for strength development. Just like Oly lifts, we have to do the hard stuff to get better. There’s no way around it.
3-2-1…GO!
Bodyweight bench press
Pull ups
1. 7/12
2. 6/9
3. 8/8
4. 8/8
5. 6/7
Total reps- 35/44
I tore my rotator cuff in my right shoulder at a Brazilian jiu jitsu tournament a little over four years ago. Since then, I avoid the bench like the plague. It makes me uncomfortable, and frankly I suck at it, now. Prior to the tournament where I injured myself, I could bench my bodyweight over 30 times. Now, the results are posted… and I bench close to that in my five rounds. The pull ups look pretty bad, too. The pull up station I used at our base gym is positioned in such a way that you can’t really kip like you can on a traditional bar. So, I had to stay really strict with my pull ups. I guess that this was good and bad. Good to focus on form, bad for numbers.
This WOD is boring. However, for the strength component of crossfit, it’s necessary. I rested exactly three minutes between sets. The total time for this workout was just under 30 minutes. I played with comfortable grip positions in the beginning and didn’t really find my groove until the third set. I’ll keep this in mind for the next time I bench. I warmed up with a light job, some lat pull downs, push ups, and some rotator cuff mobility work. (Internal/external rotation, scaption, laterals, etc.)
Overall, I’m not too disappointed with this WOD, but it was boring (did I mention this already?). I like to move in my workouts, but this is a necessary evil for strength development. Just like Oly lifts, we have to do the hard stuff to get better. There’s no way around it.
3-2-1…GO!
Monday, January 18, 2010
1/18/10; Lunge, Jump, Run
3 rounds for time:
50 m lunge
100 m broad jump
200 m run
Total time: 12:54
Disclaimer- This WOD is painful. Holy mackerel...this stuff was tough. I think that I honestly hit culmination at the end of my first 50 meter lunge. My wife was timing me and my daughter was cheering me on, so I just couldn't quit.
I went to a local football field/ track complex and marked off 50 meters. From there it was game on. I would certainly suggest that anybody who does this WOD do it on a field of some sort. I would never do anything like this in a parking lot or any concrete surface. During some of the jumps, I would completely crumble on the landings. As a result, I was happy I picked a soft surface like grass to do this WOD. I found a good strong arm swing to be key to banging out some good distance on the broad jumps. The lunges and runs were just a matter of embracing the suck.
Kudos for my wife for cranking this one out. She did awesome and it was actually fun to yell "3-2-1...GO!" to somebody else besides myself. After we completed the WOD, my wife, daughter and I went ahead did some handstand practicing. It was fun...just something a little easy and something we could all do together. Six sets of 30 second holds. Lots of fun and towards the end my form started shaping up. More practice and I'll be walking on my hands in no time.
3-2-1...GO!
50 m lunge
100 m broad jump
200 m run
Total time: 12:54
Disclaimer- This WOD is painful. Holy mackerel...this stuff was tough. I think that I honestly hit culmination at the end of my first 50 meter lunge. My wife was timing me and my daughter was cheering me on, so I just couldn't quit.
I went to a local football field/ track complex and marked off 50 meters. From there it was game on. I would certainly suggest that anybody who does this WOD do it on a field of some sort. I would never do anything like this in a parking lot or any concrete surface. During some of the jumps, I would completely crumble on the landings. As a result, I was happy I picked a soft surface like grass to do this WOD. I found a good strong arm swing to be key to banging out some good distance on the broad jumps. The lunges and runs were just a matter of embracing the suck.
Kudos for my wife for cranking this one out. She did awesome and it was actually fun to yell "3-2-1...GO!" to somebody else besides myself. After we completed the WOD, my wife, daughter and I went ahead did some handstand practicing. It was fun...just something a little easy and something we could all do together. Six sets of 30 second holds. Lots of fun and towards the end my form started shaping up. More practice and I'll be walking on my hands in no time.
3-2-1...GO!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
1/17/10; Fran and some other stuff
Fran-
21-15-9
95lb. Thruster and Pull ups for time with appropriate repetitions.
Total time- 7:34
Well, I swapped my day off because I found myself drinking a touch too much with my wife on Friday night and we both stayed up pretty late. The next day I felt like poo, and new I couldn't get a decent workout in if I tried.
So, I watched Coach Glassman's (founder of Crossfit) video on how he came up with Fran. It made total sense for what he was attempting to replicate. The workout sucked and I had to make some modifications, but weights were as prescribed.
At my globogym, there are no bumper weights. Further, they look at you cross if you drag equipment from one end of the gym to the other. So, to make due with the exercise, I used one of those cambered curling bars that had 95 pounds written on the side. I'm certain that the feel was different, and I'm convinced that if I was at a crossfit gym, I'd have had no problem tossing the weights on the floor. Here, however, I felt compelled to lay the bar gently to the floor, then hit my pull ups.
Here's how my breakdown went-
21-15-9
95lb. Thruster and Pull ups for time with appropriate repetitions.
Total time- 7:34
Well, I swapped my day off because I found myself drinking a touch too much with my wife on Friday night and we both stayed up pretty late. The next day I felt like poo, and new I couldn't get a decent workout in if I tried.
So, I watched Coach Glassman's (founder of Crossfit) video on how he came up with Fran. It made total sense for what he was attempting to replicate. The workout sucked and I had to make some modifications, but weights were as prescribed.
At my globogym, there are no bumper weights. Further, they look at you cross if you drag equipment from one end of the gym to the other. So, to make due with the exercise, I used one of those cambered curling bars that had 95 pounds written on the side. I'm certain that the feel was different, and I'm convinced that if I was at a crossfit gym, I'd have had no problem tossing the weights on the floor. Here, however, I felt compelled to lay the bar gently to the floor, then hit my pull ups.
Here's how my breakdown went-
- Thruster- 12/5/3/2; Pull ups- 15/6
- Thruster- 4/4/3/2/1; Pull ups- 8/3/3/1 (threw up in my mouth, swallowed hard and did a jumping pull up)
- Thruster- 3/3/2/1; Pull ups- 3/2/2/1/1 (Jumping pull ups on the last four breaks)
I immediately sat down, dawned a towel on my head and focused on happy thoughts to avoid spewing. I rested for about 10 minutes, then I went to the squat rack and banged out 50 overhead squats. All sets had a 30 second rest period between and I only did the bar, focusing on strict form. This is an exercise that is apparently essential for getting better at the Oly lifts.
OH Squats- 6/7/8/9/10/10
After that, I cooled down and did some stretching. Total time at the gym was 36 minutes. I spend more time commuting there than I did at the gym...I hate that. Makes me want to build a home gym in a bad way.
3-2-1....GO!
Friday, January 15, 2010
1/15/10; Fighting off Mr. Pukie
5 rounds
Run 400 meters
25 GHD Sit ups
25 GHD Back Extensions
Total time- 14:00
GHD= Glute Ham Developer. It’s one of those arcane pieces of equipment that sits in the corner of the gym untouched. You’d have to google it to get an idea of what I’m talking about. Well, I don’t have a GHD where I work out. So, I subbed with sit ups and the superman exercise. The superman (not to be confused with the popular rap song) is an exercise where you lie supine, and flex your lower lumbar muscles, simultaneously raising your hands in front of you and raising your feet off the ground.
I felt really strong today. My goal was to finish under 15:00 and I did. Needless to say, I was pleased. Unfortunately, as I write this (some 30 minutes after working out) I still feel like hurling. I used the treadmill at the usual settings, laid an exercise mat on the floor with two 60lb. dumbbells at the end to support my feet for the sit ups. I’d hop off the machine, get on the mat, bang out the sit ups, roll over do the superman exercises, then hop back on the treadmill. To keep the flow easy, I left the treadmill running and did math on the fly to determine when 400 meters (.25 miles) had passed, then hopped off and did the next round. At the end, I rolled over on the mat and just gasped…then it hit me…Mr. Pukie. I didn’t pop, but I felt terrible for at least another 45 minutes. Awesome.
I wanted to make mention of my diet and the impact it’s been having. As I’ve mentioned, I’ve been doing this “eat clean” and Paleo combination diet. Basically, it's meat (fish, chicken, bison, cow) and plenty of greens and fruits. The Paleo diet asks you to stay away from grains, beans, and potatoes, but I can’t stay away from grains. When I do eat grains, I make sure it’s not the “white stuff.” I tend to follow the Michael Jackson rule of breads and grain products- the whiter it gets, the less wholesome it is. Anyhow, following this diet the last three weeks has been easy. The only time consuming part is cooking oatmeal. Eating clean requires that you stay away from the instant stuff and go with the old 10-20 minute cook time oatmeal. I eat when I feel hungry, and I eat only a handful sized portion of meat and carbs and a half handful of fats (nuts, avocados, etc.) It’s going well and it’s easy to follow. I only end up eating about 4 or 5 times a day.
Total time for the workout from warm up to cool down- 31 minutes.
3-2-1…GO!
Run 400 meters
25 GHD Sit ups
25 GHD Back Extensions
Total time- 14:00
GHD= Glute Ham Developer. It’s one of those arcane pieces of equipment that sits in the corner of the gym untouched. You’d have to google it to get an idea of what I’m talking about. Well, I don’t have a GHD where I work out. So, I subbed with sit ups and the superman exercise. The superman (not to be confused with the popular rap song) is an exercise where you lie supine, and flex your lower lumbar muscles, simultaneously raising your hands in front of you and raising your feet off the ground.
I felt really strong today. My goal was to finish under 15:00 and I did. Needless to say, I was pleased. Unfortunately, as I write this (some 30 minutes after working out) I still feel like hurling. I used the treadmill at the usual settings, laid an exercise mat on the floor with two 60lb. dumbbells at the end to support my feet for the sit ups. I’d hop off the machine, get on the mat, bang out the sit ups, roll over do the superman exercises, then hop back on the treadmill. To keep the flow easy, I left the treadmill running and did math on the fly to determine when 400 meters (.25 miles) had passed, then hopped off and did the next round. At the end, I rolled over on the mat and just gasped…then it hit me…Mr. Pukie. I didn’t pop, but I felt terrible for at least another 45 minutes. Awesome.
I wanted to make mention of my diet and the impact it’s been having. As I’ve mentioned, I’ve been doing this “eat clean” and Paleo combination diet. Basically, it's meat (fish, chicken, bison, cow) and plenty of greens and fruits. The Paleo diet asks you to stay away from grains, beans, and potatoes, but I can’t stay away from grains. When I do eat grains, I make sure it’s not the “white stuff.” I tend to follow the Michael Jackson rule of breads and grain products- the whiter it gets, the less wholesome it is. Anyhow, following this diet the last three weeks has been easy. The only time consuming part is cooking oatmeal. Eating clean requires that you stay away from the instant stuff and go with the old 10-20 minute cook time oatmeal. I eat when I feel hungry, and I eat only a handful sized portion of meat and carbs and a half handful of fats (nuts, avocados, etc.) It’s going well and it’s easy to follow. I only end up eating about 4 or 5 times a day.
Total time for the workout from warm up to cool down- 31 minutes.
3-2-1…GO!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
1/14/10; CFE
Run 7 mins on, 3 mins off. 3 rounds.
Nautilus treadmill, set on 1.5% incline.
After 270 squats from Cindy on Tuesday and 250 squats from Barbara yesterday, my legs were tight and I was dreading this workout. I did, however meet my goal of beating 7:00 per mile average on two of three rounds. I came close on the last, but half way through my legs turned to rubbery jello. The adrenaline kicked in and finished pretty strong in the last 30 seconds of the last round.
You would think that three minutes rest between rounds is plenty of time…well, it hardly felt like it. I had enough time to walk around for a little bit, stretch, and then do some deep breathing to oxygenate my muscles for the next round. However, I hardly felt like I was “fully” recovered from the previous round.
The workout, from warm up to cool down, was complete in about 35 minutes. Again, Crossfit stays true to its name and results in a relatively quick workout that smokes you completely. On another note, I had to avoid the CF WOD today because of timing with family and professional life. Frankly, I enjoyed the rest. I think that if I'd have done today's WOD on top of the CFE WOD, my legs would have mutinied from the rest of my body.
Until tomorrow. 3-2-1… GO!
- 1.07 miles (6:32 per mile)
- 1.03 miles (6:47 per mile)
- .97 miles (7:12 per mile)
Nautilus treadmill, set on 1.5% incline.
After 270 squats from Cindy on Tuesday and 250 squats from Barbara yesterday, my legs were tight and I was dreading this workout. I did, however meet my goal of beating 7:00 per mile average on two of three rounds. I came close on the last, but half way through my legs turned to rubbery jello. The adrenaline kicked in and finished pretty strong in the last 30 seconds of the last round.
You would think that three minutes rest between rounds is plenty of time…well, it hardly felt like it. I had enough time to walk around for a little bit, stretch, and then do some deep breathing to oxygenate my muscles for the next round. However, I hardly felt like I was “fully” recovered from the previous round.
The workout, from warm up to cool down, was complete in about 35 minutes. Again, Crossfit stays true to its name and results in a relatively quick workout that smokes you completely. On another note, I had to avoid the CF WOD today because of timing with family and professional life. Frankly, I enjoyed the rest. I think that if I'd have done today's WOD on top of the CFE WOD, my legs would have mutinied from the rest of my body.
Until tomorrow. 3-2-1… GO!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
1/13/10; Barbara
Barbara-
20 PLU
30 PU
40 SU
50 SQT
Five rounds, for time. Rest three minutes between rounds.
Gassed. Especially the day after doing Cindy. These chics are TOUGH! To be honest with everyone here, this really sucked. Further, I was really dreading this WOD after having done Cindy, yesterday. I was still really tight from the previous workout.
In other news, I made a medicine ball today out of an old basketball. I just cut a slit in the ball, filled it with about 20 pounds of sand, glued the seam with some gorilla glue, and then I taped the ball up with 100 mph tape (duct tape). It's certainly a nice alternative to a $50 plus medicine ball. Thanks to the crossfit site for sharing this easy replacement information.
Tomorrow ought to be fun...CF in the morning and CFE in the afternoon. I can't wait to puke.
3-2-1... GO!
20 PLU
30 PU
40 SU
50 SQT
Five rounds, for time. Rest three minutes between rounds.
- 3:54; Callous ripped off of my left hand and I taped it in between rounds
- 4:46
- 4:45; 3 jumping pull ups
- 4:51; 8 jumping pull ups(saw a vision of the Holy mother while doing squats)
- 4:40; 10 jumping pull ups(started chasing stars while doing situps)
Gassed. Especially the day after doing Cindy. These chics are TOUGH! To be honest with everyone here, this really sucked. Further, I was really dreading this WOD after having done Cindy, yesterday. I was still really tight from the previous workout.
In other news, I made a medicine ball today out of an old basketball. I just cut a slit in the ball, filled it with about 20 pounds of sand, glued the seam with some gorilla glue, and then I taped the ball up with 100 mph tape (duct tape). It's certainly a nice alternative to a $50 plus medicine ball. Thanks to the crossfit site for sharing this easy replacement information.
Tomorrow ought to be fun...CF in the morning and CFE in the afternoon. I can't wait to puke.
3-2-1... GO!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
1/12/10; Cindy
I have no idea who this woman is, but she must be hard as woodpecker lips. I did this workout much later in the day than I usually do. I got in pretty late from my conference last night and wanted to spend some time sleeping in, and cuddling with my little one. She likes to sneak into the room in the middle of the night and cuddle up to her daddy.
Cindy WOD
20 minutesAMRAP:
5 Pull ups
10 Push ups
15 Squats
Total: 18 rounds and 4 pull ups
# of PLU: 94
# of PU: 180
When I started the routine, I had a goal of 20 or better when I started this. I felt confident as I approached the 8 minute mark and had just completed my 10th round. Around 12 minutes I was completely gassed and had to internalize a lot of the annoying muscle pain. I almost hurled at round 15. Once I saw that I had only three minutes left, I felt compelled to kick it into high gear…unfortunately, I couldn’t find the “high gear.” My arms were wobbly, I kipped just about the whole time after round 5 on the pull ups, the only thing that stayed strong were my legs.
This was an awesome workout. Again, it only lasted about 25 minutes from finish to start and it smoked me. Of course, as I always mention with these workouts, it’s what you put into it.
3-2-1….GO!
Cindy WOD
20 minutesAMRAP:
5 Pull ups
10 Push ups
15 Squats
Total: 18 rounds and 4 pull ups
# of PLU: 94
# of PU: 180
# of SQT: 270
When I started the routine, I had a goal of 20 or better when I started this. I felt confident as I approached the 8 minute mark and had just completed my 10th round. Around 12 minutes I was completely gassed and had to internalize a lot of the annoying muscle pain. I almost hurled at round 15. Once I saw that I had only three minutes left, I felt compelled to kick it into high gear…unfortunately, I couldn’t find the “high gear.” My arms were wobbly, I kipped just about the whole time after round 5 on the pull ups, the only thing that stayed strong were my legs.
This was an awesome workout. Again, it only lasted about 25 minutes from finish to start and it smoked me. Of course, as I always mention with these workouts, it’s what you put into it.
3-2-1….GO!
Monday, January 11, 2010
1/11/10; CFE 120:60 x 6
As I warned when I started this blog, I will listen to my body and not allow my 2010 goal to interfere with my family/professional life. That's the whole point of doing it, right? That's the reason I never showed up on Saturday to do another CF workout. The wife had to work a long day, and quite frankly, I was really sore from the previous week of workouts.
Today's workout was another Mr. Pukie special. Before I start, I wanted to throw a shout out to RDU Airport Courtyrad Marriot. The hotel is nice, the staff was friendly, and, more importantly, their fitness room was immaculate. Although it's tiny, their was adequate space, and the equipment was very nice (insert Borat voice). I worked out on a LifeFitness treadmill, the same type found at the globo-gyms.
CFE WOD- I picked this one because I knew that it would be easy to do and relatively quick, given my schedule today. 120 seconds on (all out, as usual) and 60 seconds of rest for 6 rounds.
Total Distance: 2.27 miles
Fastest pace: 6:05 per mile
Average pace (on sprints): 6:17
Recovery pace: 16:37 per mile (a fast walk)
Incline: 1.5%
I was smoked. It sucked, but was awesome. It's nice to measure your progress on the treadmill and compete with yourself after every round. To keep things in perspective, my resting HR is usually in the low 50s to high 40s...on the recovery rounds, I never saw my HR dip below 146.
I think I've discovered in the last week why CF and CFE is so effective. It requires the user to get in the mental state of constantly pushing his/her limits. When you consider this, it's no wonder the workouts ruotinely attract many in the special operations community, public servants in the protection/ security areas and fitness FREAKS!
Ok, it's time for me to head off to the shower and get ready for this conference. I can't wait to sit for eight hours. Ugh.
3-2-1....Go!
Today's workout was another Mr. Pukie special. Before I start, I wanted to throw a shout out to RDU Airport Courtyrad Marriot. The hotel is nice, the staff was friendly, and, more importantly, their fitness room was immaculate. Although it's tiny, their was adequate space, and the equipment was very nice (insert Borat voice). I worked out on a LifeFitness treadmill, the same type found at the globo-gyms.
CFE WOD- I picked this one because I knew that it would be easy to do and relatively quick, given my schedule today. 120 seconds on (all out, as usual) and 60 seconds of rest for 6 rounds.
Total Distance: 2.27 miles
Fastest pace: 6:05 per mile
Average pace (on sprints): 6:17
Recovery pace: 16:37 per mile (a fast walk)
Incline: 1.5%
I was smoked. It sucked, but was awesome. It's nice to measure your progress on the treadmill and compete with yourself after every round. To keep things in perspective, my resting HR is usually in the low 50s to high 40s...on the recovery rounds, I never saw my HR dip below 146.
I think I've discovered in the last week why CF and CFE is so effective. It requires the user to get in the mental state of constantly pushing his/her limits. When you consider this, it's no wonder the workouts ruotinely attract many in the special operations community, public servants in the protection/ security areas and fitness FREAKS!
Ok, it's time for me to head off to the shower and get ready for this conference. I can't wait to sit for eight hours. Ugh.
3-2-1....Go!
Friday, January 8, 2010
1/8/10; Angie....sort of.
Angie, or as I like to call her, hundreds of fun.
100 pull ups
100 push ups
100 sit ups
100 squats
For time: 15:58
This sucked. I’ll tell you why it sucked- the pull up bar at work is outside. Today, in the beautiful city of Austin, it was 24 degrees when I went outside to do this. Not to mention the wind was howling at Camp Mabry. Brrrrrr!
My strategy for time was to mix it up, two exercises at a time. I thought by doing this, I could crank out the time much faster. I thought I’d be able to best 15 minutes for sure, but as the workout progressed, the suck ensued. I started strong with 20 pullups, and 20 pushups, then quickly dropped to 15 and 15, then 10 and 10 , and finally 5 and 5. When I hit the fives, I mixed the squats, and when I ran out of squats, I did the sit ups. Despite the frigid temps, I was huffing pretty good and worked up a decent sweat under my three layers of t-shirt, long sleeve workout shirt, and hoody jacket. My hands were freezing, though….I had to ditch the gloves after the first set of pull ups, the bar was too slippery with gloves.
I found out after the fact that this WOD is supposed to be done one exercise at a time. A big oops! Even following this protocol, I think that as time progresses, I’ll be able to drop this time down to sub 13’s. That allows for roughly 1.5 seconds a repetition on these exercises. As it stands I averaged about 2.4 seconds per rep with the cheat method that I employed.
3-2-1…Go!
100 pull ups
100 push ups
100 sit ups
100 squats
For time: 15:58
This sucked. I’ll tell you why it sucked- the pull up bar at work is outside. Today, in the beautiful city of Austin, it was 24 degrees when I went outside to do this. Not to mention the wind was howling at Camp Mabry. Brrrrrr!
My strategy for time was to mix it up, two exercises at a time. I thought by doing this, I could crank out the time much faster. I thought I’d be able to best 15 minutes for sure, but as the workout progressed, the suck ensued. I started strong with 20 pullups, and 20 pushups, then quickly dropped to 15 and 15, then 10 and 10 , and finally 5 and 5. When I hit the fives, I mixed the squats, and when I ran out of squats, I did the sit ups. Despite the frigid temps, I was huffing pretty good and worked up a decent sweat under my three layers of t-shirt, long sleeve workout shirt, and hoody jacket. My hands were freezing, though….I had to ditch the gloves after the first set of pull ups, the bar was too slippery with gloves.
I found out after the fact that this WOD is supposed to be done one exercise at a time. A big oops! Even following this protocol, I think that as time progresses, I’ll be able to drop this time down to sub 13’s. That allows for roughly 1.5 seconds a repetition on these exercises. As it stands I averaged about 2.4 seconds per rep with the cheat method that I employed.
3-2-1…Go!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Rings are here!!
I just got my first set of gymnast rings. I will attempt a muscle up on the rings tomorrow. I expect failure, but will not be discouraged. I'm headed to beastskills.com to review the tutorial before I try this again. I plan on buying some PVC pipe and equipment to build some paralletes soon. One crossfit skill at a time, first the muscle up, then handstand push ups (HSPU).
Changes to the schedule
I alluded to the fact that I would have to change some of the rules to the crossfit experiment and here they are:
If I stuck to doing the CF main WODs and CFE on Tuesday and Thursday there is a possibility that I could go a LONG time without a break. That’s why I felt these changes were necessary.
They’re not drastic changes and I’ll still follow the WODs a week behind. Another point I’m going to make is that, as I mentioned in the beginning of the blog, I will temper judgment with these WODs. Meaning, that if I’m smoked, then I’m not going to risk injury to prove a point. The point of this experiment is to measure the efficacy of Crossfit combined with my diet plan over the next year.
3-2-1….Go!
- I’m going to do the CF WODs on Monday thru Friday and do CFE on Tuesday and Thursday. CFE is something I’m doing to ensure that my running is up to par for the Army.
- Further, my wife and I are training for a half marathon, so I’m doing a long run on Saturdays. Once this training is complete, I may revert to CFE WODs or continue running with a middle distance run.
- Sunday is a rest day, as it was intended to be.
If I stuck to doing the CF main WODs and CFE on Tuesday and Thursday there is a possibility that I could go a LONG time without a break. That’s why I felt these changes were necessary.
They’re not drastic changes and I’ll still follow the WODs a week behind. Another point I’m going to make is that, as I mentioned in the beginning of the blog, I will temper judgment with these WODs. Meaning, that if I’m smoked, then I’m not going to risk injury to prove a point. The point of this experiment is to measure the efficacy of Crossfit combined with my diet plan over the next year.
3-2-1….Go!
1/7/10 CF endurance
2 x 12 minutes all out runs. 2 minute rest between sets. The goal is to cover as much distance as possible. I had to use a different workout area, as the treadmills across the street from work were disable for some construction.
This is a great training run workout for the Army types! I always shoot for a sub 12:30 on the 2 mile portion of our physical fitness test and this is a great training tool. The workout sucked. Again, I blame my lack of conditioning and seasonal weight variance for not hitting the distances that I would like to have attained.
1x12 mins- 1.70 miles (7:05.3 minutes per mile)
2x12 mins- 1.57 miles (7:38.6 minutes per mile)
I missed my timing on the first run and tried to make it up in the end. I started a little slower than I probably should have and tried to catch up on the back end of the 12 minute split. During the two minute rest I tried taking really deep, cleansing breaths and walked around in a circle near the treadmill. I did this to ensure nobody hopped on the machine while I was off of it, which I’ll address later. The second run, I was just juiced. I tried to push it hard in the end again, but really had nothing left. When I got done, I pretty much felt like puking. In fact, I had to start moving right away to feel better.
If it weren’t for the fact that Austin is freezing and ridiculously windy today, I would have done this outside with my Garmin. I can see that doing this workout at a gym would be problematic, especially if you belong to one of those gyms where people are lined up to hop on a treadmill or you’ve got the “powerwalkers” on the treadmill for like 3 hours.
The machine that I used today was a Cybex “Trotter”. I had to set the incline at 2% because the machine didn’t allow for .5% incremental increases or decreases. This may have made the run a little bit more difficult. Further, this treadmill felt like it moved faster than the ones I usually use. It sounds strange, I know, but I’ve been running for 16 years and I know what my pace feels like… I felt like I got short-changed on the distances. I guess the next time, I’ll just run outside with the Garmin and suck it up with the cold weather.
This is a great training run workout for the Army types! I always shoot for a sub 12:30 on the 2 mile portion of our physical fitness test and this is a great training tool. The workout sucked. Again, I blame my lack of conditioning and seasonal weight variance for not hitting the distances that I would like to have attained.
1x12 mins- 1.70 miles (7:05.3 minutes per mile)
2x12 mins- 1.57 miles (7:38.6 minutes per mile)
I missed my timing on the first run and tried to make it up in the end. I started a little slower than I probably should have and tried to catch up on the back end of the 12 minute split. During the two minute rest I tried taking really deep, cleansing breaths and walked around in a circle near the treadmill. I did this to ensure nobody hopped on the machine while I was off of it, which I’ll address later. The second run, I was just juiced. I tried to push it hard in the end again, but really had nothing left. When I got done, I pretty much felt like puking. In fact, I had to start moving right away to feel better.
If it weren’t for the fact that Austin is freezing and ridiculously windy today, I would have done this outside with my Garmin. I can see that doing this workout at a gym would be problematic, especially if you belong to one of those gyms where people are lined up to hop on a treadmill or you’ve got the “powerwalkers” on the treadmill for like 3 hours.
The machine that I used today was a Cybex “Trotter”. I had to set the incline at 2% because the machine didn’t allow for .5% incremental increases or decreases. This may have made the run a little bit more difficult. Further, this treadmill felt like it moved faster than the ones I usually use. It sounds strange, I know, but I’ve been running for 16 years and I know what my pace feels like… I felt like I got short-changed on the distances. I guess the next time, I’ll just run outside with the Garmin and suck it up with the cold weather.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
1/5/10; Row 5k (AGAIN!)
Not for the weak or fainthearted. That’s how I would describe the C2 rower. It really is amazing how exhausting those things are. I would compare it to either swimming the equivalent distance or going all out on an Army obstacle course (Darby Queen comes to mind).
Total time- 19:36.7, I beat my last time by almost 10 seconds. I tried a different approach this time. I went as smooth and as powerful as I could until I felt juiced, then I started to slow my pace for about 100m, and then went after it for 500m, repeat. It seemed like a good strategy. I did catch myself overextended on the return of the row towards the end of the 5k. This is dangerous because it puts your spine in a precarious position. I corrected immediately upon noticing it. I see a lot of people doing this in the gym and, to be honest, I think I did too until I watched the vids on the CF site.
Rest day tomorrow…thank God! My upper body is pretty smoked. The diet is definitely making a difference. I feel like I have a lot more energy, since I put away sugary foods and “bad” carbs. Now, if I could just stay away from Diet Coke.
I may have to alter the schedule that I proposed...more to follow on that one. It's for personal, time management reasons, not from some deep seeded belief of an error in the CF ways. Bottom line, I'd really like a day where I don't have to worry about thing...I think that it's going to be Sundays.
Total time- 19:36.7, I beat my last time by almost 10 seconds. I tried a different approach this time. I went as smooth and as powerful as I could until I felt juiced, then I started to slow my pace for about 100m, and then went after it for 500m, repeat. It seemed like a good strategy. I did catch myself overextended on the return of the row towards the end of the 5k. This is dangerous because it puts your spine in a precarious position. I corrected immediately upon noticing it. I see a lot of people doing this in the gym and, to be honest, I think I did too until I watched the vids on the CF site.
Rest day tomorrow…thank God! My upper body is pretty smoked. The diet is definitely making a difference. I feel like I have a lot more energy, since I put away sugary foods and “bad” carbs. Now, if I could just stay away from Diet Coke.
I may have to alter the schedule that I proposed...more to follow on that one. It's for personal, time management reasons, not from some deep seeded belief of an error in the CF ways. Bottom line, I'd really like a day where I don't have to worry about thing...I think that it's going to be Sundays.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
1/5/10; CF endurance
Okay, so as I mentioned in the initial post, I'm doing CFE (Crossfit Endurance) twice a week. This is the first WOD from the CFE site.
1 mile all out. Rest 3 minutes. Do 3x 400m (1/4 mile) repeats at 1 mile pace w/30 sec recovery between each set. 2 seconds over on each split is a foul. Fouls are punishable by a 2 minute wall sit between sets.
WU- 3:00 walk to run progression and some stretching.
All work was done on a Nautilus treadmill (no tracks near work) set at 1.5% incline.
6:37 mile (equals a 1:39 split)
1- 1:39
2- 1:32
3- 1:29
Intense. But it seemed really fast and relatively easy. Folks that have known me for a while know that I can run a mile split much faster than this. I suspect this has a lot to do with the fact that I'm about 10 lbs. above my usual weight. I don’t know if I underestimated the mile, but I did feel smoked after running the mile…I guess I’ll push much harder next time.
Total workout time was less than 20 minutes from start to finish, including the warm up. Not bad. I can stick to this... I hope.
1 mile all out. Rest 3 minutes. Do 3x 400m (1/4 mile) repeats at 1 mile pace w/30 sec recovery between each set. 2 seconds over on each split is a foul. Fouls are punishable by a 2 minute wall sit between sets.
WU- 3:00 walk to run progression and some stretching.
All work was done on a Nautilus treadmill (no tracks near work) set at 1.5% incline.
6:37 mile (equals a 1:39 split)
1- 1:39
2- 1:32
3- 1:29
Intense. But it seemed really fast and relatively easy. Folks that have known me for a while know that I can run a mile split much faster than this. I suspect this has a lot to do with the fact that I'm about 10 lbs. above my usual weight. I don’t know if I underestimated the mile, but I did feel smoked after running the mile…I guess I’ll push much harder next time.
Total workout time was less than 20 minutes from start to finish, including the warm up. Not bad. I can stick to this... I hope.
1/5/10; Snatch 1-1-1-1-1-1-1
Olympic lifts. I don’t know if it’s my lack of dance ability or just a bad shoulder/knee combination that makes these lifts so difficult. To compound things, I only have Iron weights at the gym that I go to. Mr. Snatch is the bane of my lifting existence. I watched all the snatch vids that I could find on the CF site. The video I found the most beneficial was a youtube vid of the Snatch by velocity lifting out of California. They track the movement of the lifter and the bar on a profile shot while simultaneously talking you through the exercise. Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nc4DpIzns8
WU- 5:00 walk to run progression on treadmill, a few push ups, internal/external rotation of the shoulders, squats, and snatch drills with the bar off of the CF demo site.
115 – uneven lift at the top
115 – better, but not pretty
125 – fail (twice)
115 – cleaner
120 – had to press to correct the bar at the top
120 – pressed again to maintain control of the bar120 – sloppy…actually hideous
I will master this lift. And, yes, those are lbs, not kilos… I’m sucking at this one. I finished up with more drills. I really do want to get better at these lifts. (that’s my mantra on Oly days)
WU- 5:00 walk to run progression on treadmill, a few push ups, internal/external rotation of the shoulders, squats, and snatch drills with the bar off of the CF demo site.
115 – uneven lift at the top
115 – better, but not pretty
125 – fail (twice)
115 – cleaner
120 – had to press to correct the bar at the top
120 – pressed again to maintain control of the bar120 – sloppy…actually hideous
I will master this lift. And, yes, those are lbs, not kilos… I’m sucking at this one. I finished up with more drills. I really do want to get better at these lifts. (that’s my mantra on Oly days)
Monday, January 4, 2010
1/4/10; Row 5k.
Row 5k for time. It sucked. 19:43.6 was my total time.
This morning I was sluggish. My daughter woke up at 3:00 a.m. to crawl in bed with us and I had to take her back to her room. I’d kill for some uninterrupted sleep. I haven’t gotten any in at least three years…make that five. The alarm went off at 5:10 and I stumbled out of bed. Shaved, brushed, fed the dog, drank two glasses of water, ate some oatmeal with bee pollen, flax oil, 1tbsp peanut butter, wheat germ, and 1 tbsp honey. I was still groggy by the time I took the trash to the curb and hopped in the jeep to go to the gym.
The concept 2 rowers are pretty intense. I would say that these types of workouts are a lot like hill sprints, but sustained. I’ve done this workout before, so I knew it was going to suck. I can honestly say that even with the dampener (the plastic lever thingy on the side of the rower) set at 5, it still sucked. The first time I did this workout, I had the dampener at 10…naturally, because I’m tough and have something to prove. (whatever.) After talking to a friend who CFs in Korea, he told me to watch the vids on the CF site and that the dampener was supposed to be set between 3 and 5. Again, I put it on the highest recommended setting. I can’t really explain why I do stuff like that…perhaps it’s to see how bad it’s going to suck. Anyhow, the vids were REALLY beneficial. I learned some stuff about form, using the rower, and efficiency, and it really paid off- the last time I did this, I did it over a minute slower. I’m hoping I can smoke this time the next time I do it…in two days. Ugh.
New Year’s is definitely here. Capacity at the gym I go to was near double what it usually is. My wife says it will probably last until the end of February. Hopefully, this blog will last longer. I love that people feel motivated for eight weeks of the year to get in shape, then quit.
In other news, I’m dieting. I’m trying a combination of the “eat clean” and paleo diet. I like it so far, but we’ll see how it works out over the course of this year. Basically it’s the fundamental stay away from breads and processed foods diet…that’s totally hard for me because I LOVE cakes and pies. Anybody who knows me, will attest to this. They encourage the standard fruits, greens, veggies, fiber, protein intake equal to kg of bodyweight, and natural fats (avocados, nuts, fish oils, etc.) I’ve discovered that mixing fat free cottage cheese, some fruit, walnuts, and some light and fit yogurt satiates my sweet tooth. There’s very little fat, it packs about 15g of protein and has about 200 calories. It sounds nasty, but I think it’s totally yummy.
See y'all tomorrow.
P.S. I promise I won't post a comment this long the next time.
This morning I was sluggish. My daughter woke up at 3:00 a.m. to crawl in bed with us and I had to take her back to her room. I’d kill for some uninterrupted sleep. I haven’t gotten any in at least three years…make that five. The alarm went off at 5:10 and I stumbled out of bed. Shaved, brushed, fed the dog, drank two glasses of water, ate some oatmeal with bee pollen, flax oil, 1tbsp peanut butter, wheat germ, and 1 tbsp honey. I was still groggy by the time I took the trash to the curb and hopped in the jeep to go to the gym.
The concept 2 rowers are pretty intense. I would say that these types of workouts are a lot like hill sprints, but sustained. I’ve done this workout before, so I knew it was going to suck. I can honestly say that even with the dampener (the plastic lever thingy on the side of the rower) set at 5, it still sucked. The first time I did this workout, I had the dampener at 10…naturally, because I’m tough and have something to prove. (whatever.) After talking to a friend who CFs in Korea, he told me to watch the vids on the CF site and that the dampener was supposed to be set between 3 and 5. Again, I put it on the highest recommended setting. I can’t really explain why I do stuff like that…perhaps it’s to see how bad it’s going to suck. Anyhow, the vids were REALLY beneficial. I learned some stuff about form, using the rower, and efficiency, and it really paid off- the last time I did this, I did it over a minute slower. I’m hoping I can smoke this time the next time I do it…in two days. Ugh.
New Year’s is definitely here. Capacity at the gym I go to was near double what it usually is. My wife says it will probably last until the end of February. Hopefully, this blog will last longer. I love that people feel motivated for eight weeks of the year to get in shape, then quit.
In other news, I’m dieting. I’m trying a combination of the “eat clean” and paleo diet. I like it so far, but we’ll see how it works out over the course of this year. Basically it’s the fundamental stay away from breads and processed foods diet…that’s totally hard for me because I LOVE cakes and pies. Anybody who knows me, will attest to this. They encourage the standard fruits, greens, veggies, fiber, protein intake equal to kg of bodyweight, and natural fats (avocados, nuts, fish oils, etc.) I’ve discovered that mixing fat free cottage cheese, some fruit, walnuts, and some light and fit yogurt satiates my sweet tooth. There’s very little fat, it packs about 15g of protein and has about 200 calories. It sounds nasty, but I think it’s totally yummy.
See y'all tomorrow.
P.S. I promise I won't post a comment this long the next time.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Abbreviations, Acronyms, and isms
Here are some common abbreviations I may use from time to time on the site:
1RM- 1 rep max
AMRAP- as many rounds as possible
BB- barbell
BP- bench press
DB- dumbell
DL- deadlift
DU- Double Under (jumping rope)
FT- for time
GU- Get up (can be done with a DB/KB or sandbag)
KB- Kettlebell
PU- push up
PLU- pull up
SU- sit up
SQT- squat
Tabata- A protocol of 20 seconds of work followed immediately by 10 seconds of rest. Usually done in sets of 8, lasting four minutes. They sound relatively harmless, but I swear you'll see a vision of the Holy Mother if you're pushing yourself.
WOD- workout of the day
This is all that I can really think of that would be confusing to somebody new to the game. I'll add more as I see them and update this post.
1RM- 1 rep max
AMRAP- as many rounds as possible
BB- barbell
BP- bench press
DB- dumbell
DL- deadlift
DU- Double Under (jumping rope)
FT- for time
GU- Get up (can be done with a DB/KB or sandbag)
KB- Kettlebell
PU- push up
PLU- pull up
SU- sit up
SQT- squat
Tabata- A protocol of 20 seconds of work followed immediately by 10 seconds of rest. Usually done in sets of 8, lasting four minutes. They sound relatively harmless, but I swear you'll see a vision of the Holy Mother if you're pushing yourself.
WOD- workout of the day
This is all that I can really think of that would be confusing to somebody new to the game. I'll add more as I see them and update this post.
Favorite sites for workout stuff
Of course I have to name the Crossfit main site:
http://www.crossfit.com/
This is something I stumbled on...this kid is really handy with the tools and cheap! My kind of guy!
http://patrickhdonnelly.blogspot.com/
Here's another site that's got some interesting stuff on it. I like the tutorials that they post on their site.
http://beastskills.com/
The supplementing superstore! Pay the cheapest prices for supplements. I'm only using whey protein and a good casein combo protein, now. I'm trying to "eat clean"
http://bodybuilding.com/
http://www.crossfit.com/
This is something I stumbled on...this kid is really handy with the tools and cheap! My kind of guy!
http://patrickhdonnelly.blogspot.com/
Here's another site that's got some interesting stuff on it. I like the tutorials that they post on their site.
http://beastskills.com/
The supplementing superstore! Pay the cheapest prices for supplements. I'm only using whey protein and a good casein combo protein, now. I'm trying to "eat clean"
http://bodybuilding.com/
My experiment.
The experiment- Replace my mundane workout routine of two days on, one day off of weights and running three to four times a week with purely crossfit and running twice a week.
The workouts of the day (WODs) for both will come from the crossfit.com and crossfitendurance.com websites.
What is crossfit? It's a new...but old...approach to training. All out, purely honest-to-yourself intensity, that can have some amazing effects. I've tinkered with the training site for about a year now, but haven't really committed to it. This year, I'm doing. I'm going to use this blog to let everyone in cyberspace know what personal gains, losses, trials, frustrations, elations, etc. that I gain from the program.
I started on Dec 31 and I'm following the main site a week behind. I'll start logging my progress this week and will keep everyone posted on my progress. I don't have a baseline that I can really use as a measurement device, aside from my honest posts. I've maxed my Army Physical Fitness test for the last 13 years with relative ease. (two mile run under 13:00, and I have always done greater than 82 pushups and 82 situps in the two minute time limit allowed)
I'm a little nervous about this experiment. The exercises are complex, the intensity is high, I'm in my thirties, have a bad knee, bad shoulder, and bad foot....the excuses go on. I will, however, temper judgment on some of these exercises.
Why crossfit?- why not? The Marines swear by it, MMA fighters use it, and everybody on the website looks like a friggin' spartan. Isn't that what we all want? Functional strength, aesthetically pleasing forms, and fast.... what more could you ask for. All these things in a routine that swears you'll be done in less than an hour in the gym. Which, from personal experience has been true so far.
Today is a rest day. Which is a dang good thing. I'm sore from the 1-10-1-20-1-30 front squat; deadlift; and bench press over the last few days. I can't remember the last time that I did a 1 rep max.
Next update- common abbreviations to help alleviate confusion.
FYI- Today, I'm 5'9", 191 lbs, 18.3% bodyfat and sore when I wake up.
3-2-1...ouch, oh, ahh, go!
The workouts of the day (WODs) for both will come from the crossfit.com and crossfitendurance.com websites.
What is crossfit? It's a new...but old...approach to training. All out, purely honest-to-yourself intensity, that can have some amazing effects. I've tinkered with the training site for about a year now, but haven't really committed to it. This year, I'm doing. I'm going to use this blog to let everyone in cyberspace know what personal gains, losses, trials, frustrations, elations, etc. that I gain from the program.
I started on Dec 31 and I'm following the main site a week behind. I'll start logging my progress this week and will keep everyone posted on my progress. I don't have a baseline that I can really use as a measurement device, aside from my honest posts. I've maxed my Army Physical Fitness test for the last 13 years with relative ease. (two mile run under 13:00, and I have always done greater than 82 pushups and 82 situps in the two minute time limit allowed)
I'm a little nervous about this experiment. The exercises are complex, the intensity is high, I'm in my thirties, have a bad knee, bad shoulder, and bad foot....the excuses go on. I will, however, temper judgment on some of these exercises.
Why crossfit?- why not? The Marines swear by it, MMA fighters use it, and everybody on the website looks like a friggin' spartan. Isn't that what we all want? Functional strength, aesthetically pleasing forms, and fast.... what more could you ask for. All these things in a routine that swears you'll be done in less than an hour in the gym. Which, from personal experience has been true so far.
Today is a rest day. Which is a dang good thing. I'm sore from the 1-10-1-20-1-30 front squat; deadlift; and bench press over the last few days. I can't remember the last time that I did a 1 rep max.
Next update- common abbreviations to help alleviate confusion.
FYI- Today, I'm 5'9", 191 lbs, 18.3% bodyfat and sore when I wake up.
3-2-1...ouch, oh, ahh, go!
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