Memorial Day Weekend was pretty much a bust from the planned epic camping trip to Lake Charles. My buddy, Pete, and I made it up there in pretty good time and from experience would have made it up to the site by 7 pm (plenty of light left to get settled in). The road up was in bad shape and we both had a bit of a laugh when we rounded a bend and saw a very large tree that had fallen across the road. Out comes my camp pack axe and after about 15 minutes we were able to push the tree down the side of the road.
Onwards and upwards. We made it about another 1/2 mile in the car and encountered some monster snow banks on the road. Time to park the car and put on the packs. The campsite and trailhead / parking lot was at least another 1/2 mile up the road and the going was decent but not ideal. We made it to the trailhead and logged in then started up the trail. 1+ hour later and perhaps a mile at most into the trail (at least 4 1/2 to go at that point) we were both so frustrated by the depth of the snow (at least 4 feet in some areas) that we found a spot up off of the trail and setup camp for the first night. One thing that I did note is that the months of crossfit paid off because I did not collapse. However when you are walking on top of snow and 1 foot goes down about 3 inches and then the next step goes down about 3 feet it is very difficult to stay in a good mood. Completely needed snow shoes.
Decided to bail after 1 note and head home. So, spent all weekend riding the motorcycle and going to neigbors' houses for cookouts.
40 day challenge starts on June 3.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
pre-FGB Check-In
Received my FuelBook that I ordered a week or so ago. I'm getting it ready to plan out my zone / paleo challenge for the month of June. I took advantage of the "no bread challenge" to drastically reduce the amount of bread and grains I've been consuming to help in the transition to a month of pure zone / paleo. At a suggestion from Scott H. at my box I picked up the FuelBook to help me plan my meals.
Feeling pretty excited about FGB tonight. Had a good salad for lunch with chicken and beans for protein and energy. Will post results tonight. I'm shooting to be as close to 200 as I can. I'll do well on wall balls, SDHP and presses. Box jumps and rowing will be recovery movements.
Feeling pretty excited about FGB tonight. Had a good salad for lunch with chicken and beans for protein and energy. Will post results tonight. I'm shooting to be as close to 200 as I can. I'll do well on wall balls, SDHP and presses. Box jumps and rowing will be recovery movements.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Putting it into Perspective
Nice relaxing weekend spending time with the girls. School is almost over so it's time to get things rolling for the summer. Summer officially starts after Memorial Day weekend camping trip to Lake Charles.
Late dance class for the girls so I made it into the fieldhouse for some cardio. 35 minutes on the stationary bike to get the sweat nice and rolling. FGB tomorrow in the box. I will be at the 6:30 pm class so I will have all day to look forward to it. Need to figure out a good score to shoot for. Plan on round 1 is at least 60 so I will se where I go from there.
Late dance class for the girls so I made it into the fieldhouse for some cardio. 35 minutes on the stationary bike to get the sweat nice and rolling. FGB tomorrow in the box. I will be at the 6:30 pm class so I will have all day to look forward to it. Need to figure out a good score to shoot for. Plan on round 1 is at least 60 so I will se where I go from there.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Another Week to Check In
Another 1/2 inch of the waist. It's been 3 weeks since I started tracking and I am trying to only do t he scale / tape every 2 weeks. Couldn't resist this time.
Recovered finally from the day of running and squats. One thing I learned is that I need to get out and do more exercise when that sore. Got some good leg work in today while doing the yardwork. Helped a lot. Afternoon run may be in the works.
Recovered finally from the day of running and squats. One thing I learned is that I need to get out and do more exercise when that sore. Got some good leg work in today while doing the yardwork. Helped a lot. Afternoon run may be in the works.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
LaLanne Crossfit
It was a long day and I opted to meet up with a great friend (Iain Grant) to catch up. On the way back to hus car (he was giving me a ride to hotel) I walked right by LaLanne Crossfit. Johhny D. has said gat things about it so I had to take advantage to check it out. The 6:30 class was already over (around 8 when I went by) but the door was open and I had to check it out. I met Chris LaLanne (owner) to get the details on the palave and like all of my experiences he was very welcoming. I will definitely "man" up and make the class the next time I am in town.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Making it a Rest Day
Quite worn out from yesterday's WOD. Combine that with an early morning flight (6 am) and a full day at the office and I think I'll make today an official rest day.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Running and Squats = Jello Legs
Real interesting WOD today and one that was new to me. Combined 1 thing that I am horrible at (running) and 1 thing that I am real solid at (back squats). Needless to say when put together it made for an interesting day.
5 rounds for time
400 m run
5 squats
When I see lifts come up without a prescribed weight I always spend too much time trying to determine what I'm going to go for. I flipped through my book and found my last squat day where we did 5 x 3 and I ended up my last set at 225. I remember that day as being one where I should have gone a little heavier. So, I essentially took the weight and looked up in the book for a 3 rep max close to that weight and scaled down to 75%. 205 was the magic number so I stuck with that. I've graduated from having a medicine ball underneath me sitting on a 10 lb plate to just the medicine ball. It's great progress but that extra little inch is taxing.
3-2-1
First round total was a around 3:10ish. The rounds after that were all 5 min in length. Our 400 route has a number of hills and as luck has it the first part of that is the most steep. While I ran the entire first 400 the tank was empty of gas and I ended up walking a little less than 50% of each lap after that. I kept the intensity up though so I was pleased with that. Squats were real solid. No breaks in reps. I had the weight and went 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. My form is definitely improving but I need to focus on a few fundamentals. Deep breath filling up entire cavity and keeping weight on heels is key (I need to break in my Inov8's for these types of days).
23:40 was the total time. I'm pleased with it. Especially given that Monday was a boomerang trip to San Fran and I didn't eat that much today (stupid mistake on my part). I'm off to San Fran again tomorrow morning for meetings through Friday and I'll take my gear with me to at least get out and run. If I can motivate myself I'll check out the LaLanne (sp?) crossfit box. John D. recommends it highly.
5 rounds for time
400 m run
5 squats
When I see lifts come up without a prescribed weight I always spend too much time trying to determine what I'm going to go for. I flipped through my book and found my last squat day where we did 5 x 3 and I ended up my last set at 225. I remember that day as being one where I should have gone a little heavier. So, I essentially took the weight and looked up in the book for a 3 rep max close to that weight and scaled down to 75%. 205 was the magic number so I stuck with that. I've graduated from having a medicine ball underneath me sitting on a 10 lb plate to just the medicine ball. It's great progress but that extra little inch is taxing.
3-2-1
First round total was a around 3:10ish. The rounds after that were all 5 min in length. Our 400 route has a number of hills and as luck has it the first part of that is the most steep. While I ran the entire first 400 the tank was empty of gas and I ended up walking a little less than 50% of each lap after that. I kept the intensity up though so I was pleased with that. Squats were real solid. No breaks in reps. I had the weight and went 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. My form is definitely improving but I need to focus on a few fundamentals. Deep breath filling up entire cavity and keeping weight on heels is key (I need to break in my Inov8's for these types of days).
23:40 was the total time. I'm pleased with it. Especially given that Monday was a boomerang trip to San Fran and I didn't eat that much today (stupid mistake on my part). I'm off to San Fran again tomorrow morning for meetings through Friday and I'll take my gear with me to at least get out and run. If I can motivate myself I'll check out the LaLanne (sp?) crossfit box. John D. recommends it highly.
I had to copy / paste this in from my crossfit box's site today. Words to live by...
Definition of a Clock Whore: Person who is so obsessed with beating the clock/others that they will prostitute themselves and sacrifice important and vital components of training such as range of motion, repetitions or other performance metrics for a ''better'' time. These people actually miss the whole point of the training. The point of physical fitness training, from my perspective, is to improve oneself both physically and mentally, not necessarily in that order. The people who have taken the time clock or score beyond the extreme and compromised range of motion, number of repetitions, etcetera are doing so at the expense of the utility of the training. If someone judges their performance solely based on their status relative to others it reflects a distinct lack of self esteem. The idea of the style training is to develop self-esteem to increase capacities in many, many different modalities. A person who compromises training in order to beat others harms their self esteem. People know inherently when they are doing something wrong and there is a price to pay when they go against what they know is right.
Spotting Clock Whores: I imagine it is the same a proctoring an exam – The person who is constantly looking for the instructor is suspect. Another suspect behavior is always partnering with the same person when they score their workout. If some only does a full range of motion when the instructor is looking, then they are suspect. These behaviors are not hard and fast. On more than one occasion I have been called out by my instructors, rightly so, for ROM violation because I was exhausted. (The call outs are done with much joy and aplomb.)We all have issues when we get tired, it is part of the training. I have asked Tamer on more than several occasions what rep he was on because I had no idea where I was. The real difference is the consistent corner cutting. It takes time to become apparent, but when it is, it is like the giant elephant in the room no one acknowledges.
Definition of a Clock Whore: Person who is so obsessed with beating the clock/others that they will prostitute themselves and sacrifice important and vital components of training such as range of motion, repetitions or other performance metrics for a ''better'' time. These people actually miss the whole point of the training. The point of physical fitness training, from my perspective, is to improve oneself both physically and mentally, not necessarily in that order. The people who have taken the time clock or score beyond the extreme and compromised range of motion, number of repetitions, etcetera are doing so at the expense of the utility of the training. If someone judges their performance solely based on their status relative to others it reflects a distinct lack of self esteem. The idea of the style training is to develop self-esteem to increase capacities in many, many different modalities. A person who compromises training in order to beat others harms their self esteem. People know inherently when they are doing something wrong and there is a price to pay when they go against what they know is right.
Spotting Clock Whores: I imagine it is the same a proctoring an exam – The person who is constantly looking for the instructor is suspect. Another suspect behavior is always partnering with the same person when they score their workout. If some only does a full range of motion when the instructor is looking, then they are suspect. These behaviors are not hard and fast. On more than one occasion I have been called out by my instructors, rightly so, for ROM violation because I was exhausted. (The call outs are done with much joy and aplomb.)We all have issues when we get tired, it is part of the training. I have asked Tamer on more than several occasions what rep he was on because I had no idea where I was. The real difference is the consistent corner cutting. It takes time to become apparent, but when it is, it is like the giant elephant in the room no one acknowledges.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Day Trip
Day trip to Sunnyvale, CA for customer presentation. No workout. Exciting work opportunity building though.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
2 Week CheckIn
It's been 1 day shy of my No Bread Challenge. Time for the weigh in / tape measure. Total weight lost = 0 lbs. Total inches lost on waist = 1/2 inch. As I reflect a few things come into mind. I've cheated a little but not as much as I thought I would. It has been much easier during the week to stay on target. Weekends are rough (evidenced by my breakfast of pancakes with my daughter Alexandra). I need to really work on portion sizes and dump the soda completely to lose some weight. Had to buy a handful of new shirts this weekend for casual wear given my others are not fitting well (huge in body but tight in chest). Need to buy some new pants also or at least a different belt that I can cinch down tighter. Need to buy some new clothes in another month. Oh well, money I will h ave no problem spending.
Regardless, I am seeing progress and will keep at it. I am smart enough to know it is not going to happen overnight. Workouts have been better and I am seeing a lot of imiprovement there. Not stopping on the 800m warmup run nor the 800m 45# plate carry are good indicators. True burpees as opposed to burpees on knees and the need to move down from the black band on pullups.
I am finding my blogging about this and my record keeping on workouts helps a lot. I am looking forward to the June Zone / Paleo challenge. The fuelbook I ordered from www.wodbook.com will help also.
Regardless, I am seeing progress and will keep at it. I am smart enough to know it is not going to happen overnight. Workouts have been better and I am seeing a lot of imiprovement there. Not stopping on the 800m warmup run nor the 800m 45# plate carry are good indicators. True burpees as opposed to burpees on knees and the need to move down from the black band on pullups.
I am finding my blogging about this and my record keeping on workouts helps a lot. I am looking forward to the June Zone / Paleo challenge. The fuelbook I ordered from www.wodbook.com will help also.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Saturdays = team WOD
Team WOD at 9:30 on Saturdays. What a great way ro start the day. Although still really sore from yesterdays WOD (forearms are tight and grip is weak)I was really looking forward to it. WODs on the weekend are usually pretty full so workout with ina larger group is definitely a preference. The class times I ussually attend are either solo or up to 4.
2 teams of 5 with 1 woman on each team.
5 min AMRAP Double Unders
Winning team rests 4 min, Losing team rests 4 1/2 min.
Tire flips (winning team gets 5 min, losing team goes for 4 1/2)
Winning team rests 5 min, Losing team rests 4 min.
Burpees (losing team gets 5 min, winning team gets 4 min)
Winning team rests 5 min, Losing team rests 4 min.
Run (as a team) with a 45 lb. Plate
3-2-1 Go
102 DU for me
35 tire flips (difficult since we had 4 tires so had to share and push to get in front)
20 burpees (huge weakness area for me)
Run (team did 800 m + 30 feet) - I carried the plate for a solid 100 but most importantly I ran the whole way. My running is getting better.
Even though you needed a PhD to follow this WOD it was a great time. Our owner / head trainer summed the goal of the day up quite well when he said to push yourself so that it kicks your butt. Needless to say I followed that advice and had a great workout.
I am traveling Monday next week as well as Wed - Fri so I will need to get a run / pull up workout in tomorrow. I will hit my box on Tuesday and plan to hit Lalaine's (sp?) in San Fran on Thursday.
2 teams of 5 with 1 woman on each team.
5 min AMRAP Double Unders
Winning team rests 4 min, Losing team rests 4 1/2 min.
Tire flips (winning team gets 5 min, losing team goes for 4 1/2)
Winning team rests 5 min, Losing team rests 4 min.
Burpees (losing team gets 5 min, winning team gets 4 min)
Winning team rests 5 min, Losing team rests 4 min.
Run (as a team) with a 45 lb. Plate
3-2-1 Go
102 DU for me
35 tire flips (difficult since we had 4 tires so had to share and push to get in front)
20 burpees (huge weakness area for me)
Run (team did 800 m + 30 feet) - I carried the plate for a solid 100 but most importantly I ran the whole way. My running is getting better.
Even though you needed a PhD to follow this WOD it was a great time. Our owner / head trainer summed the goal of the day up quite well when he said to push yourself so that it kicks your butt. Needless to say I followed that advice and had a great workout.
I am traveling Monday next week as well as Wed - Fri so I will need to get a run / pull up workout in tomorrow. I will hit my box on Tuesday and plan to hit Lalaine's (sp?) in San Fran on Thursday.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Grip needs work
Back in the box today for third workout this week. I'm pretty happy when I'm in town and can do at least 4 a week so I'm on track to getting my 4th one in tomorrow morning (it's a team wod).
Friday 5/13 WOD:
4 rounds for time
5 x power cleans 75%
100 yd farmer carry (max weight you can do)
Cleans were solid tonight. I haven't done cleans for weight yet in the box so went the route of choosing a weight I knew I could get through 5 solid reps for 4 rounds. I went with 135# and did a few starter reps to get comfortable with the weight. Need to work on form overall in this lift. I'm working on the hook grip which I am weak at and I've got the tendency to lean forward on my toes and not on my heels.
3-2-1 GO
First set of 5 cleans were solid. I powered through them without any issues whatsoever. Could immediately tell that the weight I chose was a little light. I went for 55# dumbbells (slight > 1.5 pood KBs). So, 110# was my total. I was curious on what a farmer's carry was. Pretty simple overall. Just carry 2 big dumbbells or KBs and walk. Easier said than done.
Round 1 I was in the lead with a time of roughly 1:35 seconds. The wheels fell off as soon as I dropped the dumbbells and went to grasp the bar for cleans. I did not realize how much carrying the dumbbells woudl take out of me. I essentially lifted the first rep and the bar didn't move. Hands went right up. :) Total time was 11:11 which I was overall pretty pleased with.
I'm definitely looking to work on my form. I'm thinking pretty seriously about going to the Burgman (sp?) Olympic Lifting class in Memphis in early November. It would help quite a bit.
Signing off for the night and getting ready for team WOD tomorrow.
Friday 5/13 WOD:
4 rounds for time
5 x power cleans 75%
100 yd farmer carry (max weight you can do)
Cleans were solid tonight. I haven't done cleans for weight yet in the box so went the route of choosing a weight I knew I could get through 5 solid reps for 4 rounds. I went with 135# and did a few starter reps to get comfortable with the weight. Need to work on form overall in this lift. I'm working on the hook grip which I am weak at and I've got the tendency to lean forward on my toes and not on my heels.
3-2-1 GO
First set of 5 cleans were solid. I powered through them without any issues whatsoever. Could immediately tell that the weight I chose was a little light. I went for 55# dumbbells (slight > 1.5 pood KBs). So, 110# was my total. I was curious on what a farmer's carry was. Pretty simple overall. Just carry 2 big dumbbells or KBs and walk. Easier said than done.
Round 1 I was in the lead with a time of roughly 1:35 seconds. The wheels fell off as soon as I dropped the dumbbells and went to grasp the bar for cleans. I did not realize how much carrying the dumbbells woudl take out of me. I essentially lifted the first rep and the bar didn't move. Hands went right up. :) Total time was 11:11 which I was overall pretty pleased with.
I'm definitely looking to work on my form. I'm thinking pretty seriously about going to the Burgman (sp?) Olympic Lifting class in Memphis in early November. It would help quite a bit.
Signing off for the night and getting ready for team WOD tomorrow.
Consistency is King
Rain and snow again in Parker, CO Thursday so the planned running workout was shifted inside to rowing. The WOD was:
Going into this WOD I was pretty excited about putting some good numbers together. My average on 500m has historically been 1:52 - 1:56. I was early to the 6:30 class and came in right when the 5:30 was finishing up their last row and stretching cool down. I took advantage of the extra time to do some snatch drills working on my shrugs and high elbows. On a side not I'm looking to attend an Olympic Lifting class in Memphis in the November timeframe. I'll most likely be visiting my folks in TN and will swing down for that class.
Once the 5:30 broke up I found out that the 2 other people that were supposed to join me bailed so it was just me and the trainer Scott H (6'4") who has helped me a lot on lifting forms. Scott decided he would row with me. Warmup was nice and smooth:
Pullups were solid and I used the black band with full up and down (ie. no hip throwing...). Thanks to the rings and pull up bar mounted in my garage it's time to drop the black band and move to a combination of others to give me less resistance.
Moved to the rower and cleaned it off so that it would slide nice and made a few pulls. At this point Scott took a look at me and had a little laugh on my form. I realized that rowing was something that I've never really focused on my form nor one that we historically haven't spent much time on in the box. After a number of corrections:
I did a nice 100 with the new technique and was a little dissheartened that it took me about 11 - 12 pulls for the 100. I am usually an 8 pull / 100 guy.
After setting up the rower for distance and intervals it was time to start. Times were:
Needless to say I was quite consistent and a little disappointed that I was above my normal averages but am comfortable with that given the form. I did notice that I was using a lot more core (quite sore this morning there) and my legs were fresher.
While running through final stretches we were just chatting and we were talking about diet. I had brought up a bit of my personal frustration that in the 4 months now I've dropped zero weight. Scott was quite surprised because he mentioned that I look completely different from when he was running some of my foundation courses back in early January. Nice to hear that of course but my comment back was that it has all shifted. Shoulders and arms are thicker and waist is smaller but I seriously need to drop 50 - 60 pounds to get where I want to be. I told him about the no bread challenge and how that is helping me eat better but portions sizes need some work. We have the upcoming paleo / zone challenge in June at my box so the no bread challenge will give me a jump start on making that successful. Scott suggested a food book (fuelbook) which I'm going to look into and buy.
- 5 x 500m Row (for time / record fastest)
- 3 min rest between instances
Going into this WOD I was pretty excited about putting some good numbers together. My average on 500m has historically been 1:52 - 1:56. I was early to the 6:30 class and came in right when the 5:30 was finishing up their last row and stretching cool down. I took advantage of the extra time to do some snatch drills working on my shrugs and high elbows. On a side not I'm looking to attend an Olympic Lifting class in Memphis in the November timeframe. I'll most likely be visiting my folks in TN and will swing down for that class.
Once the 5:30 broke up I found out that the 2 other people that were supposed to join me bailed so it was just me and the trainer Scott H (6'4") who has helped me a lot on lifting forms. Scott decided he would row with me. Warmup was nice and smooth:
- 2 rounds
- 5 pullups
- 10 wall balls (15# this time)
- 15 push ups
Pullups were solid and I used the black band with full up and down (ie. no hip throwing...). Thanks to the rings and pull up bar mounted in my garage it's time to drop the black band and move to a combination of others to give me less resistance.
Moved to the rower and cleaned it off so that it would slide nice and made a few pulls. At this point Scott took a look at me and had a little laugh on my form. I realized that rowing was something that I've never really focused on my form nor one that we historically haven't spent much time on in the box. After a number of corrections:
- Adjusted feet so that the strap was essentially on the top of my highest arch. This way when I pulled forward my heel did not come up that much.
- My pull in general was all wrong. I need to keep my knees inside of my arms when I move forward. I have historically pushed my knees out which allow me to reach forward a lot more and get a better pull (the way I am supposed to do this is bend more at the waist allowing me to reach further but those who know me recognize I have zero flexibility and still a bit of a waistline to bend around).
I did a nice 100 with the new technique and was a little dissheartened that it took me about 11 - 12 pulls for the 100. I am usually an 8 pull / 100 guy.
After setting up the rower for distance and intervals it was time to start. Times were:
- 2:00.6
- 2:00.5
- 2:00.3
- 2:00.8
- 1:56.8
Needless to say I was quite consistent and a little disappointed that I was above my normal averages but am comfortable with that given the form. I did notice that I was using a lot more core (quite sore this morning there) and my legs were fresher.
While running through final stretches we were just chatting and we were talking about diet. I had brought up a bit of my personal frustration that in the 4 months now I've dropped zero weight. Scott was quite surprised because he mentioned that I look completely different from when he was running some of my foundation courses back in early January. Nice to hear that of course but my comment back was that it has all shifted. Shoulders and arms are thicker and waist is smaller but I seriously need to drop 50 - 60 pounds to get where I want to be. I told him about the no bread challenge and how that is helping me eat better but portions sizes need some work. We have the upcoming paleo / zone challenge in June at my box so the no bread challenge will give me a jump start on making that successful. Scott suggested a food book (fuelbook) which I'm going to look into and buy.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
May 11 = Snow ??
Quite surprised when I rolled out of bed this morning and saw snow on the ground. I had expected a lot of rain but snow? Really?
I had to cancel my morning WOD due to some last minute meetings. It was a WOD that I need to do which centered around a lot of sprinting with minimal resting between reps. While on our site cancelling the WOD I noticed that our owner / chief guy changed the WOD since the conditions outside were so poor. I'll stick to multiple sets of ring rows and ring pushups on my pull up bar and ring set in the gym.
One thing I did notice (hopefully it's not in my head) is that the week off did me good. I was spent after the WOD yesterday but my recovery was very quick and as I reflect on the WOD I noticed how much stronger my basic movements were (ie. pushups during the wod, ball slams and wall balls in the warmups...). I think it is related to 2 things:
1. My diet all last week was much better while going with the "no bread challenge."
2. I took an entire week off and was rested.
I am going to continue on my diet (great recipe last night from my everyday paleo book of spiced rubbed slow cooked chicken). I've been getting more and better sleep at night but need to really push myself in the gym the next several weeks before I plan to take any extended rest time.
I had to cancel my morning WOD due to some last minute meetings. It was a WOD that I need to do which centered around a lot of sprinting with minimal resting between reps. While on our site cancelling the WOD I noticed that our owner / chief guy changed the WOD since the conditions outside were so poor. I'll stick to multiple sets of ring rows and ring pushups on my pull up bar and ring set in the gym.
One thing I did notice (hopefully it's not in my head) is that the week off did me good. I was spent after the WOD yesterday but my recovery was very quick and as I reflect on the WOD I noticed how much stronger my basic movements were (ie. pushups during the wod, ball slams and wall balls in the warmups...). I think it is related to 2 things:
1. My diet all last week was much better while going with the "no bread challenge."
2. I took an entire week off and was rested.
I am going to continue on my diet (great recipe last night from my everyday paleo book of spiced rubbed slow cooked chicken). I've been getting more and better sleep at night but need to really push myself in the gym the next several weeks before I plan to take any extended rest time.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Single Arm...Sweet Potatoes
A very solid day back in the box. Due to travel and general laziness I haven't been to crossfit in 7 days. I would like to say I got some workouts in while in FL but all I did was visit customers and play a round of golf.
I'm a big fan of single arm movements. Today's workout was an AMRAP workout (10 min):
5 reps single arm snatch (R then L) / 2 pd (I did 1.5 pd)
5 pushups (knee pushups for me to keep up intensity)
I missed my goal of 6 by just a few reps and ended up with 5 rounds and 8 reps no pushups. My right arm is obviously stronger and I was able to power out the reps pretty quickly (did entire first round in < 1 min). My left arm is lacking quite a bit but my form is much better. A key learning point on the workout is that it's time to get off of the knees if I am doing reps < 10. I've built up my strength enough to do it and need to keep building by making them harder.
The warmup was a lot of fun because we did 2 sets of 5 ring rows, 10 ball slams (20 lb ball) and 15 wall balls (15 lb ball). All movements that I'm solid at (ring rows are something I practice at home in the garage with my pull up bar and rings).
I'm on day 9 of the 50 day no bread challenge. I'd be lieing if I said I've been "good." I have cheated a little bit but surprisingly not all that much. I had a sandwhich this weekend on Friday and Saturday. I fell of the wagon hard on Monday due to a Mac and Cheese craving. Otherwise I've been "good." I bought a new book called "Everyday Paleo" which has some interesting recipes in it. Tonight's menu consisted of spiced rubbed slow cooked chicken and a side of sweet potatoes. I've not experimented much with the sweet potatoe but did learn that it is something I need to eat more of. I diced it up in small cubes and cooked in bacon grease, bacon, cayenne pepper and pepper flakes. Extremely solid.
I made a huge mistake by checking to see what the WOD was tomorrow. It includes a lot of short sprinting. I'm not looking forward to it but I can at least confess it's an area I need a lot of work on so I'll be there (unless I have a morning conflict).
I'm a big fan of single arm movements. Today's workout was an AMRAP workout (10 min):
5 reps single arm snatch (R then L) / 2 pd (I did 1.5 pd)
5 pushups (knee pushups for me to keep up intensity)
I missed my goal of 6 by just a few reps and ended up with 5 rounds and 8 reps no pushups. My right arm is obviously stronger and I was able to power out the reps pretty quickly (did entire first round in < 1 min). My left arm is lacking quite a bit but my form is much better. A key learning point on the workout is that it's time to get off of the knees if I am doing reps < 10. I've built up my strength enough to do it and need to keep building by making them harder.
The warmup was a lot of fun because we did 2 sets of 5 ring rows, 10 ball slams (20 lb ball) and 15 wall balls (15 lb ball). All movements that I'm solid at (ring rows are something I practice at home in the garage with my pull up bar and rings).
I'm on day 9 of the 50 day no bread challenge. I'd be lieing if I said I've been "good." I have cheated a little bit but surprisingly not all that much. I had a sandwhich this weekend on Friday and Saturday. I fell of the wagon hard on Monday due to a Mac and Cheese craving. Otherwise I've been "good." I bought a new book called "Everyday Paleo" which has some interesting recipes in it. Tonight's menu consisted of spiced rubbed slow cooked chicken and a side of sweet potatoes. I've not experimented much with the sweet potatoe but did learn that it is something I need to eat more of. I diced it up in small cubes and cooked in bacon grease, bacon, cayenne pepper and pepper flakes. Extremely solid.
I made a huge mistake by checking to see what the WOD was tomorrow. It includes a lot of short sprinting. I'm not looking forward to it but I can at least confess it's an area I need a lot of work on so I'll be there (unless I have a morning conflict).
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Homeward Bound
Flying back to Denver tonight. It will be good to get back home and into my routine. A bit bummed after checking my crossfit box's site this morning. They ran the fire academy's obstacle course yesterday. It helps that the owner of my crosfit box set the o-course up at the fire academy which is a conveninet < 1 mile from our site. I will definitely push to have this on the agenda again soon.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Recovery weekend in FL
Recovery weekend in FL. No need to go to the beach given I am completely baked from golf event yesterday. Did not make it to Orlando crossfit so I will get out and about at the condo late today (heat is brutal).
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Travel = Poor (sometimes NO) Sleep
You would think that after all of the traveling that I've done in the past 12 years that I would be used to it by now but I still cannot sleep well the first (sometimes 2) nights of staying in place different from home. Nothing like rolling around in bed and checking the watch to find that it's past 3:30 am and you are still not asleep.
So, my plans to wake up early and get outside moving around on the stairs by the condo didn't materialize this morning. At least the diet is on track. Dinner last night with the team was solid. Scallops and snapper made the menu with a little mixed vegetables. I kept away from the bread on the table as well as the croutons in my salad.
Off to Orlando tonight for Disney meeting. Staying at the Contemporary which is a nice place with a good gym. I should be able to get a workout in there if not tonight at least tomorrow night.
So, my plans to wake up early and get outside moving around on the stairs by the condo didn't materialize this morning. At least the diet is on track. Dinner last night with the team was solid. Scallops and snapper made the menu with a little mixed vegetables. I kept away from the bread on the table as well as the croutons in my salad.
Off to Orlando tonight for Disney meeting. Staying at the Contemporary which is a nice place with a good gym. I should be able to get a workout in there if not tonight at least tomorrow night.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Starting the journey
I've been on the crossfit train since early January (foundation classes completed in Jan and first workout logged on January 31) and based on my current experiences I do not plan to de-board for quite a long while. I've seen quite a bit of improvement over the past 3 months to include:
Baseline workouts completed are:
- Dropped ~45 seconds from my 1 mile run
- Running 4 800s in a workout and not walking any segment of it
- The olympic and power lifting I did in college has given me a number of bad habits that I need to break (focus on fundamentals and get those down and then the weight will really climb up)
- The PVC pipe is my best friend
- I've never felt more welcome at the crossfit boxes outside of the one I belong to (http://www.crossfitparker.com)
- Crossfit is a great community (met a guy in the airport who is a trainer in LA who overheard me on the phone talking about it and he stopped and we chatted for a while)
- Have gotten some great guidance and encouragement from people I know doing crossfit (John D. and Sean U. are at the top of the list)
- I am my own worst enemy
- Writing down and tracking my workouts is key
- Burpees are as bad as they sound
- Diet is paramount
Baseline workouts completed are:
- 2k row - 8:13.3 - Overall this felt good but I did have gas at the end of it. Pace was solid but I slacked a bit on the 1250 - 1750 range and had to really push on the last 250. Rowing is a strength given that I have such a long pull
- Max Pullups - I have a bar at home and will do this when I get back home on Sunday.
- Craic Fit Test 1 - Not sure when I can squeeze this in. Will most likely have to do this one night after I've done my WOD in the morning.
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