12/30 - Chocolate milk for recovery...for real?

According to this article, chocolate milk is a great post-workout recovery drink.  Here is another posting about the same thing.

Thoughts?
 
I found out yesterday that the free workouts at Crossfit Central were supposed to be limited to two per person, so with respect to that I went to the globo-gym I have a membership with (for days like this) to get some work done. I've finally figured out that I can't just go there and come up with something and be effective. I have to have a plan going in! I think there's just too much "crap" (eg curl machines) there...sensory overload maybe? With my plan in one hand and a bottle of water in the other, it was time to see how planning a workout works out.

Strength

Find 1RM front-squat
5-5-3-3-3-1-1-1-1
135, 155, 185, 185, 185, 225, 235, 245, 255(PR)

50 each:

Lunge steps, 45lb plate over head
KB snatch, 45lb bell
KB swing/release, 45lb bell

WOD

5 Rounds
5 dead lift, 225lb
10 pushups
5:41

Post Party
Run 800m
Walk 100m
Run 400m
30 reps med ball crunch - overhead to knees, 14lb


That was quite a lot of work! I didn't think, looking at it, that it would be too bad, but wow...I am wiped! I am, however, glad that I can get in proper work at the globo...all it takes is a plan! It's like going scuba diving: plan the dive, dive the plan!

12/29 - "DT - light"

Last week I did the hero WOD called DT. So today's free WOD was DT, but 95lbs rather than 155. It was a huge mental advantage for me b/c I knew that 95lbs would be much easier, especially with a partner! It's basically one of those days where you are the bat, not the ball. Today my partner, Clay, was the ball...his sore shoulder was not having it so he was slowed by it a good bit.

Crossfit Central Free WOD

"DT"  (scaled to 95men /65women)
5 rounds, with a partner - each partner does 5 rounds, 12min cutoff
12 dead lift
9 hang power clean
6 push press
We finished 4 rounds, me RX and partner did RX dead lift & scaled cleans & push-press. 

12/28 - Team WOD @ CC

Today Crossfit Central had a free WOD, which are usually fun -- today was a good one! Each person does one movement until the person carrying the plate returns at which time you rotate. Reps of KB & burpees are counted.

Crossfit Central Free WOD

Warmup as usual plus they added rope ladder drills & 800m run

12min for total reps, team of 3
KB swings, 24kg
Burpee - touch pullup bar on jump
200m plate carry run 45lb plate

371 reps as RX

12/28 - Catching up

I can't wait to see this view at Sipadan Water Village every day for 10 days ... it's 10 months away, but it'll get here. Until then, I have work to do!

With the holidays almost to an end, and having to work today I am finally back at a computer so I have a LOT of stuff in my notebook to update here! The holidays, so far, have not been too bad at all. I've earned my shower and, save a couple meals, eaten well. I am thinking about changing up my "program" some in 2011, depending on my job situation...we'll see how that pans out. It's time for a change, that's all I can really say for now -- only because that's all I know.

Dec 22

"Randy"

75 pound Power snatch, 75 reps for time.
8:29 Rx... over 2 min PR!

Dec 23

Veloway Time Trial - 3 laps (9.3 miles)

34:18

Dec 24

"DT"

Five rounds for time of:
155 pound Deadlift, 12 reps
155 pound Hang power clean, 9 reps
155 pound Push jerk, 6 reps
12:55 Rx ... pretty damn slow. Not really feeling it.
 

Dec 25 - Rest Day ... lots of driving!

Dec 26
Run 5k - 34:43
50 situps - using big stupid ball and a machine to make a ghetto-fab GHD
50 back extensions, using the above

Run felt shitty, I was pretty dehydrated but picked up the pace at the end. Not enough for sub-30, but close.

Dec 27
Run 2 miles
50 abmat situps
50 medball to knees, 6lb ball

Decided I need to run some more so went for a short run, did some core work, then hit the foam roller and TP therapy kit. Crossfit Central free WOD tomorrow.

12/21 - HIIT me!

Decided, today, that it was a good day to bring back a workout I used to do often (and should keep doing)...the HIIT bike intervals. I forgot how brutal it can be - if you are willing to push hard enough. My goal is to keep at least 82 RPM the whole way...it's easy when resistance is low, and a real bitch when you get to 16 and up!

HIIT Bike

5 min warmup

For  max calories:
4 rounds: Ride 1 min each of the following resistance settings: 10, 12, 14, 16
1 round as above, adding level 18 as a 5th minute
456 cal

5 min ride out/cool down

Extra Helpings

1) Run 800m - 5:32
holy crap my legs = smoked from HIIT, that run was no fun!

2) 50 situps, using big stupid bouncy ball and a leg curl machine to make a GHD...it worked, kinda :))

12/20 - Who showed you how to lift?

Today, since Crossfit Central is closed, I headed down to the local globo to get a workout in. Was pretty cool to have a trainer at said gym ask me where I learned to lift and said very few people dead lift or squat correctly... cool huh?  I saw some pretty poor squatting going on in there, that's for sure!

Globo Workout

Warmup: usual w/400 run & 500 row

Deadlift: 1-1-1-1-1
315, 365, 365, 385, 405

Press 1-1-1-1-1
185, 185, 205, 185, 185

Squat 1-1-1-1-1
315-315-315-335-335

50 reps each:
Lunge Step, 45lb plate over head
KB snatch, 45lb
Box step-up, 45lb plate
Situps

12/16 - Snatch Test

I've seen the KB Snatch Test a few times, but I hadn't done it before today. It's a crusher, but thanks to the KB classes I go to along with my regular class, I was able to do a lot of reps. I think it's 75% technique on the snatch...the smoother you are & the more hip you use the easier the bell moves. I was going for 175, but didn't get very close this time.

Crossfit Central WOD

Warmup + 800m run

Strength:
5-5-3-3-1-1
Sumo Deadlift high pull

135 (5), 185 (3), 205 (1), 225 (1)

WOD:
Kettlebell Snatch Test
Max reps in 10 minutes (24kg)

156 RX

12/15 - The 2 pood pain train

Today's KB class had two different WODs, one strength and one skill. I decided to use the 32kg / 2pood bell for the whole day. That thing is a game-changer, to say the least!

Crossfit Central KB

WOD1
With each arm complete the following

1-1-1-1-1-1 press
3-3-3-3 push press
5-5-5 push jerk
32kg kettlebell used for all the above

WOD2
AMRAP 10 min
7 snatch right, 32kg bell
7 snatch left, 32kg bell
5 pullups
3 wall climb
Finished 2 rounds and though all but one wall climb of round 3.

12/12 - Run variation and globo gym hell

Every time I go to the globo gym I have a membership with, I kinda look around at all the stuff and feel ... lost? I don't know, man, it's weird. I see all those mirrors, machines and curl bars and wonder what to do. Nine times out of ten, there are dudes using the squat racks to do barbell curls or some other crap, so I usually just head upstairs to the "cardio" area and hit the C2 rowers, bikes, or treadmills. Fun fun.

Of course it's nice to have C2 rowers available, however at current time the rowers at this particular gym are in a pretty poor state of repair. It's pretty frustrating.

 All the bikes were taken so I decided to run on the treadmill, but wanted to change it up and so something different than just zone out and run.  What I came up with was fun and pretty tough too.  Running backwards is no joke!

Treadmill WOD @ globo

1600m run @ 7.0 speed
400m run backwards @ 4.0 speed
20 sec @ 8.5 speed, 10 sec jump off tabata intervals, 10 cycles
400m run backwards @ 4.0 speed

12/10 - The Battle

WODs like this sure bring out the competitive side of people...its good fun, until someone gets feelings hurt haha

Crossfit Central KB 

The Battle
15min battle

Two sides with equal amount/weight of bells. Using the methods below to get rid of your weight:
farmer carry
rack carry
oh carry
traveling swings
32's are wild cards
at the end of 15min, the team with the least amount of weight on their side wins

My team lost but there is a question of cheating by the other team that will linger forever!

12/9 - Step it up

Today we had one of those WODs where I look at the board and think "oh shit!" To be honest, I thought it would be hard, sure, but it was worse than I had expected. Partly because I set myself up for failure...I had a cup of coffee and a few swallows of water all morning before class...doh!

Crossfit Central WOD

3 rounds for time
30 box stepup, 45lb plate
200m run, 45lb plate
200m run
17:01 Rx

12/8 - More TGU? Yep

Funny, I just posted that I need to work on TGU more...today we did more. They were easier than yesterday, at the same weight..cool!

Crossfit Central KB WOD

WOD1 - 2 rounds
30 squats
30 kb swing, 16kg
30 kb deadlift (15 each arm), 16kg

WOD2
3 rounds for time, 16kg kb
1 then 2, then 3 reps - kb clean, kb clean & jerk, kb squat clean to thruster (right then left)
5 Turkish getups
13:11

12/7 - TGU

Turkish-Getups. This is such a great movement, and one that I need to improve.

I feel a cold coming on, hopefully it goes away!

Crossfit Central WOD

5 rounds for time:
6 Turkish Getup, 24kg
12 SDHP to sprawl, 24kg
2 side-shuttle runs
Finished 3 rounds + TGU.  Scaled TGU to 16kg after round 1 & half of round 2.

12/3 - Finally back to CC

This week has been a real bitch, so I'm glad I was able to get up to Crossfit Central to put some work in. I arrived early and watched some damn impressive overhead squats being done by the coaches. Good stuff.

Crossfit Central KB WOD

2 rounds, for total reps, with partner:
2 min suitcase deadlift. 32kg each hand
1 min rest
2 min snatch, 24kg
1 min rest
2 min kb flips, 16kg
1 min rest
- 270 reps total w/my partner (I did RX, he scaled).  Good times.

12/2 - Can I buy a break?

• 6am meeting...same bs from all week.
• 7am meeting lasts until 11:55am. 
• 11:58am I leave for Crossfit Central, GPS says ETA 12:26..great, well I will do my 20 burpees for being late, better than not getting to go.
• 12:03 police blocking northbound Mopac at Davis Ln....WTF!
• 12:09 police blocking northbound Mopac at Slaughter Ln.. WTF x 2!!
• 12:17 police blocking northbound Mopac at WM Cannon...& WM Cannon East = parking lot. WTF x3 !!!  No fucking way I will make it to Crossfit Central in time. GPS now says ETA 12:44...grrrrrrr!
• 12:25 arrive at home, warm up,  pull out a workout from the pile of old WODs I have and get something done!

@ Home Workout

For time:
50 situps
50 pushups
50 squats, butt to ball
50 kb swing, 20kg
50 kb snatch, 20kg
50 kb dead lift, 20kg
50 box jump, 20" box
50 lunges, 45lb plate overhead
50 russian twists, medball
50 double-unders
25:23

12/1 - More BS...unreal

I dont even really feel like publishing this, but more bs at work ... enough said. I hope it gets better soon.

Workout:
9.3 mile time trial, veloway, 33:58

11/30 - Cluster F_k

It's crazy how easy it is to screw up thousands of machines with one little click of the mouse while making changes in an enterprise systems management console. Luckily I wasn't the one that messed up. That said, I am the one that gets to spend the next week fixing it.

So today was a nice 11hr day at work and I missed Crossfit Central Benchmark WOD. Maybe it was a blessing? I've had a pretty sore back for nearly a week thanks to someone not paying attention on the dive boat, but I've been trying to just work through it. Maybe heavy squats were not a good idea? Is that the silver lining in all this bs?

Tuesday workout: 

1) 4 mile walk/jog with the dogs after work. Me, two dogs, one iPod, and no stress at all. It was nice. We ran most of the route, walking here and there.

2) 50 squats, 50 situps, 50 pushups, 50 double-unders

3) TP / foam rolling

My Buddy-Lee speed rope is freakin sweet!  I think it's still a little too long, but I don't want to cut it again until I'm sure :))

11/29 - One holiday down, one to go

Thanksgiving was fun, had lunch at Hyde Park Grill with my gf and good friends. I've had Thanksgiving there a few times and I like the fact that it's one meal and you're done. There aren't tables of crap I don't need to be eating all over the house for days on end and no family drama!

I'm really enjoying my Monday's off. It's awesome to have three-day weekends every weekend! It will not be fun to go back to a full work week in January 2011, but for now...it's great!  Woke up this AM and made a good breakfast, took the dogs for a walk, did some laundry, and headed up to Crossfit Central for a KB class.

Crossfit Kettlebell 

Warm Up:
Arm bar stretch, 5 both right and left arm (16kg)

10 Turkish Get up (16kg)
I didn't finish all 10 in time, only 8 (or 7?).

WOD:
5 Rounds, 15min cap
21 KB Swings (24kg)
250m run
12 Ring Dips
I completed 4 rounds + 19 swings RX

11/24 - More squats? For real? Yes.

After yesterday's WOD (185lb squat-cleans), the legs were pretty worn out today! I knew that once we got warmed up and started the WOD, they'd feel better so off I went to the double-C's for some kettlebell fun and another great workout. Well, to say the least I saw the board and knew that the pain train was coming! The 2nd WOD is a killer!

Hope everyone has a happy & healthy holiday. Happy Thanksgiving everyone :)

Crossfit Central KB 

WOD1
5-5-3-3-2-1
KB Overhead Squat
KB I used: 16kg, 16kg, 16kg, 16kg, 24kg, 24kg

WOD2
On the minute do a rep, on 2nd min ad a rep, and each minute after, add another.
Min 1 - 1rep, min 2 - 2 reps, min 3 - 3 reps.... Min 10 - 10 reps

KB Snatch -> front squat -> thruster  - 24kg
Made it through minute 8 & 8 reps, minutes 9 & 10 also 8 reps

11/23 - Challenged!

Today, the WOD challenged even the most fit and strongest men and women that show up ready to take on whatever they throw at us. As of my class, there were two people in the whole gym that finished the WOD as RXd!

Crossfit Central WOD

10 Rounds for time:
2 Squat Clean, 185lbs
4 Handstand Pushups
8 Pullps
17:52 -- Rx squat cleans & pullups; not quite RX HSPU, but getting closer!

11/19 - Challenge yourself vs Scale

Option 1: Use the bigger weight, as long as you can use proper technique, resulting in slower time for WOD

Option 2: Use lighter weight, resulting in faster time for WOD

Generally I am an Option 1 type of person. I like the challenge. "Get stronger!" is something you will hear a lot from Crossfit Central coaches -- mine anyway! 

Today was one of those days. I chose to stick with a bigger kettlebell, and ended up with a DNF in the WOD.

Crossfit Central KB Class

Standard warmup

2 rounds:

30 kb swing, 16kg

30 situps

250m run

Couplet WOD

Key: 

KB Snatch, 24kg = KB

50' Lunge walk w/KB overhead, 24kg = LW

15 KB, LW, 12KB, LW, 9KB, LW, 6KB, LW, 3KB, LW

20 burpees

15 KB, LW, 12KB, LW, 9KB, LW, 6KB, LW, 3KB, LW

40 burpees

Finished through 9 KB snatch of 2nd round & just under half the lunge walk, RX

11/18 - ehh.. yeah.

Not a lot to write about with this one. It's yet another reminder of something I need to really do a lot of work on.

Crossfit Central WOD

3 rounds
3 Overhead squat
9 Back squat
18 Burpees
2 shuttle run
10:40 

Rx is 155lbs... I did 75lb OHS & 155lb back squat.

11/17 - New movements

One of the cool things about Crossfit is the concept of "constantly varied." Every time I show up to class and we do something I have never done before, it's really interesting to find out if the technique, weight, or what will be the biggest hurdle. Today was technique!

Crossfit Central Kettlebell WOD

5x3 KB floor press
32kg for each

3 rounds, 24kg
25 H-2-H
20 uppercut, between the leg, switch
15 box jump
7:02

H-2-H - swing bell up with one hand and at eye level switch to other hand swing again, repeat switch
uppercut to between leg - from rack position down between legs, around the left leg back to rack, then repeat around the right leg etc.

11/16 - Tangible Results

When something you put effort into pays off, the feeling can't be beat. Today's regular Crossfit Central WOD was kettlebell-based, so I figured that the efficiency and extra strength gained in kettlebell classes would pay off. Man, the KB snatch in today's WOD at the RX weight was not easy, but did not kill me. I felt like I could knock them out pretty fast! Pullups, on the other hand, were too slow.  Gotta keep crankin'

Crossfit Central WOD

21-15-9
KB Snatch, right arm - 24kg
KB Snatch, left arm - 24kg
Pullups
8:22 RX

11/12 - Teamwork WODs x 3!

What a good, yet brutal, time today at Crossfit Central. We had a team WOD today, and it was a good one!

Crossfit Central KB Class
WOD1
Team of 3, complete the following twice for time:
150 American KB Swings (16kg), then as team move to:
25m Farmer walk, 2x24kg
25m shuttle run
25m burpee broad jump
  each person does the 25m movements then once all have completed move to:
400m run
Team time: 15:21 RX

WOD2
Team of 2, 4 min AMRAP
One person hang from pullup bar, 12kg bell held between feet while partner does 100' butcher run
6 teams, butchers first come first serve...faster you get there the more rounds you get done.
Team score: 5 rounds, 1/2 of 6th round

WOD3
Team of 2, 4 min AMRAP
One person does 100' butcher run while partner holds 24kg bell in rack position while in full squat.
6 teams, butchers first come first serve...faster you get there the more rounds you get done.
Team score: We did 8 rounds and 1/2 of 9th

LEGS = SMOKED :))

Awesome!!

11/11 - Celebrate Veterans Day

Man, it seems like a long time ago! I guess I am getting old! My time in the Army was amazing, and I wish I had more appreciation when I was still in. I remember the pride of earning my jump wings and beret. The above photo was taken in 1996 by a buddy of mine out at Ft Irwin during NTC. I was putting on my beret when he snapped this candid shot. It helped me meet a lot of chicks on AOL - thanks Smullen!

To the boys still in, good hunting!

To those that have served, a mutual salute. Cheers!

Crossfit Central WOD

Weighted pullups
5-5-3-3-1-1 

I did deadhangs for all, no extra weight  

3 rounds
10 Dead lift, 225lb
25 Pushup, chest to floor
2:55 RX

LOVE this WOD...because both movements I am good at :))  I think I can do faster, and I plan to do this one from time to time.

11/19 - Back to work

I am really enjoying not working Mondays! I have, in theory anyway, every Monday off until 2011!

Today I did not want to go back to work, but luckily I have my 12:15 Crossfit Central class to break up the work day.

Crossfit Central WOD

7 rounds
5 burpees
10 toes to bar
15 KB swing, American, 24kg
17:59 (can't put RX since I used box to reach bar and toes hit it between reps - I did touch or put toes over the bar each time though)

11/5 - Three WODs of fun!

Friday's are always fun, yet rough, at CC KB class. It's pretty easy to tell when it's a Friday, isn't it? Everyone seems to be in a good mood.

Today we had three WODs to do, so we got a quick warmup in and got down to business.

Crossfit Central Kettlebell 

WOD1
1-2-3-2-1 Turkish Getup, alternate arms, 20kg
--Untimed

WOD2, 10min AMRAP
12 box jump,
9 elevated pushups (feet on box)
100' dual KB overhead walk (24kg)
--6 rounds & through pushups of round 7 RX

WOD3 (Team of 4)
9 snatch, 24kg
50' run to 100' butcher run
* After you do 9 reps snatch, move run 50' to get the butcher, run it 100' then run to back of line. Each time you move up, the person behind you moves up to next thing.
- Team did 5 rounds, and we were ahead (Coach Chris H. was on my team, which helped) :))

11/4 - Inverted what?

 Inverted burpees.  For real?  It's rather odd to be in a class where people are laughing at themselves for being so uncoordinated, cussing the next move, then back to the usual for the pullups. It was good to do something new, though maybe next time I may try to use the wall for my inverted burpees so i can get my feet higher w/o the fear of flying over and crashing down :))

Crossfit Central WOD
3 Rounds
15 Inverted Burpees
9 Front squat, 155lb
21 Pullups
14:56 RX

The TEMPUR-Cloud Pillow ... a-freakin-mazing!

I am not really someone to pimp a product, and I am not trying to make any money here :)

That said, I bought a new TEMPUR-Cloud Pillow by Tempur-pedic six days ago. It was, to be honest, a bit hard to swallow a 129.99 plus tax pill for a freakin' pillow, but I figured sleep is something you do eight hours every night of your life so maybe it's worth it.  

I have been sleeping great since buying it!

1) No more waking up with sore neck

2) No tossing, turning, & "re-fluffing" pillows in the middle of the night to try to get comfortable

You can get 20% off at Bed Bath & Beyond with the coupon they send out or sign up with your junk email account on their website and they'll email you one.

I would re-buy this today.

Good sleep is a good thing!

11/3 - Swining & lifting the house

I call the 32kg (~73lb) kettlebell "the house." Today Coach Chris H. challenged me to go to that 32kg bell for the WOD. It's one of those things where it REALLY freakin' sucks during the WOD, but after you're pumped that you pushed yourself and took on the challenge.

Crossfit Central Kettlebell WOD
Strength/Skill
5x3 dual KB clean from floor - used 24kg all 5 sets

WOD
400m run
3 rounds: 15 kb deadlift, 15 squat jump, 15 kb American swings (32kg bell)
400m run
12:05
  

11/2 - Dead Man's Row

Todays' WOD is one that I've always wanted to try, but man I had no idea how hard it would be. There are a lot of options for strategy. You can row your ass off and be dead for the dead lifts, or row slower and then have to do a lot of dead lifts for a good score.

This is the "Dead Man's Row" from the 2010 Sectional Competition. Row 2000m then you have 10 seconds to do as many dead lifts as possible in one set. Each rep is 5sec off 2k row time to find your score.

Crossfit Central WOD
2000 M Row
Max Dead Lifts, 275lbs


Row 7:47, 8 dead lifts (40 sec) = Score: 7:07

Yes, my legs feel like rubber. I made the mistake of not stopping at top of dead lift to breathe! 8 reps is freakin' bullshit. I can do more. I will do this WOD again.

11/1 - Welcome to November

Seriously, it's already November 1... unreal!  This summer flew by so fast.

Crossfit Central Kettlebell

3x3 KB Press
16kg, 24kg, 32kg

AMRAP 9min (16kg bell)
9 Russian twist (each hit on right side = 1)
9 seated press
100' kettlebell run
8rnds + 4 press

10/29 - Reboot

It's awesome how 30min of kettlebells and sprints makes you forget about all the stress you have. It pretty much reboots my whole day!

When did you reboot last? :)

Crossfit Central Kettlebell WOD
1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1 (24kg)
Dual KB clean,
Dual KB Front squat,
Dual KB Push Jerk: 
7:58 RX

1-2-3-2-1 (24kg)
Turkish Get-up, 150m sprint:
Untimed

10/28 - Taking out frustrations

Today's WOD allowed us to take out some frustrations on the medballs. Slamming them is a good workout and fun at the same time, especially when you think about things/people/whatever that is currently a source of frustration :))

The DB floor press, to be honest, was not a challenge at all.


Crossfit Central WOD
1) 5x5 floor press, 55lb DB
2) 2 rounds: Row 500m, 30 wall ball (20lb), 20 ball slams (6lb) - 8:55 RX

10/27 - The Butcher

The Butcher, by Rogue Fitness, is a sled loaded with weights (4x45lb plates today) we pushed back and forth across the parking lot. Push one way from the high position then push it back from the low position. Today was the first time we used them, and I am sure it wont be the last. It's an evil device of pure torture -- awesome stuff! It reminds me of football practice pushing those blocking sleds.

Crossfit Central Kettlebell WOD
Two rounds: 4min KB swing (24kg)
3min butcher* run
2min KB hot potato press (16kg)
1 min toe to rope
Rest 3 min. 

I didn't count reps, just tried to keep moving.

10/26 - Smoke free six years today

Pretty neat eh? Six years ago I smoked my last cigarette.

Exposed. Today at Crossfit Central sucked, mainly because I suck at overhead squats. If you were to ask me if I practice them, I would have to tell you no. So why would I expect to get better at them? Grrrr

Crossfit Central WOD
CC Flyers - 3 rounds: 400m run, 21 box jump, 12 overhead squat 95lb
DNF: finished 2 rounds RX

10/25 - Breakin' out the big bells

Since I've been going to kettlebell classes, we have not used the 2pood (32kg/72lb) bell. Today we broke out the big bell and had a great workout. The 2pood bell is no joke, and any technique defect is magnified greatly. It's awesome when you do it right, too!

Crossfit Central Kettlebell WOD
WOD 1: 5,4,3,2,1...4,3,2,1...3,2,1...2,1...1 down the ladder KB Snatch
- Untimed
WOD 2: AMRAP 7min 3 KB wallball, 5 pullups
- did 5 rounds + the KB wallball
Used 32Kg bell for all (~72lb)


Great read.... do check this out: Are you smoking candy cigarettes? 

10/22 - Here comes Romeo

The last foster doggy was living in my house for two months. It was, to be honest, really quite a bitter-sweet moment when he got adopted!  I figured to give it a break before taking in another one, but there's another dog out there that needs a home so I'll be picking up Romeo tomorrow morning. He's supposedly well socialized so he'll get to come along on errands, go to the dog parks, and so on.

Today was a first. The first time I went to Crossfit Central five days in a row. It also was the end of October programs, so I guess I will go ahead and do November the same way. I can't say for sure that I can make all five days a week every week, but I can say that I will certainly get some great work done in the next four weeks.

Keep crankin'

Crossfit Central Kettlebell WOD
Partner WOD...Two rounds for total reps:
4min KB Swings (American), 3min Push Press, 2 min Burpees, 1 min Snatch - 24Kg bell
2min Rest
We did 552 reps

10/21 - Up in the morning before the break of day....I don't like it, no way!

The title of this post is from an Army cadence we would sing running down the road or firebreaks. It was in my head today as I was running the 400m to complete our warm-up. It's funny how those cadences come back into my mind when I run.  I still don't really like getting up early all that much. It takes me a bit to get going and get in the right mind-set. Once I get my head right, I usually have a pretty good workout and I always feel really good the rest of the day.

 Today's WOD was tough, but at the same time frustrating. The tape on the rings I was using were soaked from the class before, so I had to waste some time with that, and then I was making the rings slick with my own...maybe wristbands aren't such a bad idea. After all, this is not a fashion contest.


Crossfit Central WOD
5x3 thrusters
115, 135, 150, 165, 185

AMRAP 12min
50ft walk lunge 45lb overhead
5 muscleups
Did 4 rounds, jumping muscleups

10/20 - Keep Crankin'

In passing, I asked Jeremy Thiel what his words of that day are..and it's funny how they ring true.

Keep Crankin'

It's simple really, but not easy.  I will.

Crossfit Central Kettlebell WOD
5 rounds: 150m run, 30deadlift (15right, 15left), 30 abmat situps, 30 kb swing
19:58 Rx (24kg bell)

10/19 - Take it as it comes, man.

Seems like just when I think things are going well, some bs happens. Today my 2.5yr old Samsung refrigerator needs service...63 degrees is not the ticket, is it? I have coolers full of food on ice in the kitchen.. awesome. It is what it is, I will either pay for it to be fixed or if the price is too high for parts & labor I will just take my happy ass down to Lowe's and buy a new one since this is the 3rd time I've had a problem with this one!  I've wanted a nice French door 'fridge for a while, so maybe this is the time?

Luckily I was able to make it to Crossfit Central to get my mind off of it... what a killer WOD! It sure didn't look so hard on the board, but man it's no joke!

Crossfit Central WOD
5 rounds, 15min cutoff
200m run
20 box jumps
10 should press, 70% 1RM (135lbs)
4 rounds completed RX

Some plank fun after.

10/18 - Focus

It's weird how momentum works, isn't it? It's like you get going on something, and it's going really well, and then sometimes (at least for me), I lose some of the momentum. My biggest struggle is focus. I tend to lose focus and let myself get off track. I know this and I freely admit it.

Since adding unlimited kettlebell to my regular Crossfit classes, I find that it's a hell of a lot easier to keep focused on eating paleo, drinking water, getting at least 8hrs of sleep, using that triggerpoint kit, and taking my Advocare supplements. I wouldn't call it a break-through, or an epiphany, but I'll take any help I can get along the way.
 
Crossfit Central Kettlebell WOD
AMRAP 9 min:
7 pullups
7 kb snatch to lunge (right), 24kg
7kb snatch to lunge (left), 24kg
3 rounds + pullups...that 24kg snatch to lunge is no joke!

WOD2
ladder
24kg kb swing -release - catch
shuttle run
good fun, in a painful wrapping :)

10/15 - We don't need no stinkin' grip

 Another great time at Crossfit Central today. If you haven't tried a kettlebell class, you should! Short and painful...just about perfect.

Crossfit Central Kettlebell
3 rounds: 90 seconds dual KB clean & jerk (16kg each)
2 min tabata toes-to-bar


No setting KB down during 90 sec work. This WOD was a freakin' grip killa!

10/14 - Something new

 Photo of our class working the 5x5 today by Coach Zachary Thiel

One of the cool things about Crossfit Central is that you really never know what you will do on a given day, and you are 100% certain to face things that you are either uncomfortable with or just plain suck at. One of those for me is having a barbell overhead and squatting at the same time.The more you face these, the better you get at them, which is the silver lining in it all.


Crossfit Central WOD
Hang Snatch
5-5-5-5-5
45, 65, 75, 95, 135x

10 Rounds for Time
5 Snatch Grip Back Squats with Press (45lb)
5 Burpees
9:04Rx

10/13 - More work = more result

Nice lunch "break" at Crossfit Central today! I usually take Wednesdays off, but I couldn't make Monday so I went today. I'll be interested to see how four days in a row works out! I'm thinking about going 5 days a week since I have unlimited KB next month. I can always just scale back weight on KB days if I have to. I can not, however, get time back....

Crossfit Central Kettlebell WOD
4 rounds
10 pullups
10 in&outs
10 kb thruster 16kg each hand
10 box jump
12:27 Rx

10/12 - Who is the new guy?

Something weird happened today, maybe it's not the first time, but I will say it's the first time I really noticed. I had to go to a conference with a vendor we work with today, so I woke up early and hit the 615am class at Crossfit Central with Coach Zachary Thiel. I'm certainly not used to getting up at 520am, but I had gone to bed early to ensure I would get a good night rest so I felt pretty good when I arrived, felt better after the warmup, and I felt awesome during the workout, almost like I had an extra gear! Where did this extra mojo come from? I wonder if it's because I was with another class and had that "new guy" thing as extra motivation to crush them? Seems likely!

So now...keeping the engine in that extra gear every time is the goal!

For sure paleo food as well as adding unlimited kettlebell and getting in at least two days more a week at Crossfit Central is paying dividends.


Crossfit Central WOD
10 kb front squat, 20 kb snatch, 30kb clean, 40 pushup, 50 kb swing, 40pu, 30 clean, 20 sn, 10 sq @ 24kg = 12:19 RX

10/8 - More Fun Friday

Really enjoying getting in more work up at CC. Today was a great time, and everyone got in a great workout in fantastic weather.

Crossfit Central Kettlebell
WOD1 two rounds, 16kg bell

45 sec pushpress, 80m run, 45 sec hot potato squat, 80m run, 30sec rest.
WOD2 Tabata 6 rounds: 

box step-up, 2x16kg in rack position, 

pushups on kb handles
 

10/7 - Are you sleeping enough? Check this out!

Cutting back on sleep reduces the benefits of dieting.

I have made a lot of progress in my sleeping, which is really important. A few years ago, I used to get 4-5hrs a night and would drink lots of coffee. It was, to say the least, a vicious circle. A nightly self-imposed minimum of 8hrs does wonders. I also take Nighttime Recovery.

How much do you sleep?

Crossfit Central WOD
Front Squat 5x3
135, 135, 185, 225, 245(pr)

Max Reps in 10 Minutes, 30sec rest between each
3 Min: Rower (Calories) (44)
3 Min: Ring Rows (37)
3 Min: DB Floor Press, 55lb (45)
Total: 146 RX

10/5 - Birthdays are brutal

This is the best time of the year to workout outside, or at least in a nice open garage like most Crossfit affiliates! It's weird to actually feel cold when driving back from the workout with the windows down! If only these temps were all year :)

updated:
Yesterday (10/5) was my gf's birthday. She wanted to go eat at Max's Wine Dive, so off we went for a fantastic meal, some wine, and of course some birthday cake. Man, that cake almost made me feel sick...more sugar in that one piece of cake than I've had in the last two or three weeks combined I bet.  Ugh.



Crossfit Central WOD
3 rounds, all with 115lbs
9 deadlift
7 SDHP
5 push press
400m run
11:53 Rx

10/4 - Way too nice to be at work all day...

...so I took a nice lunch break, thanks to a void in my calendar, to head up to Crossfit Central for a Kettlebell class. We did a good warm up, practiced rope skipping, and then got down to business.

CC KB WOD

4 rounds of 4min work then 1min rest AMRAP
10 burpees
10 KB swing, 2pood (32kg)
50 rope skips (single)
7 rounds + 10 burpees done in the 8min as RX

That 2pood KB will never get light, will it? Those took way more out of me than the other two exercises.

Can't wait to get done with work so I can go enjoy this weather!

10/1 - Fun Friday

Between yesterday's crazy WOD and today's class, my legs are really sacked. I will be spending a good bit of time with the foam roller this weekend!

Fridays always seem so much better than Mondays, don't they? Now if I could just get someone to magically finish some documentation I have to do for work...

Crossfit Central Kettlebell WOD
2 rounds, 90 sec of work each
Big tire flip
Rope swings
Box jump line (8 boxes in a line, like frogger)
250m run

WOD #2
3 rounds:
15 dual KB russian swing, 24kg
7 burpees
5:01Rx

Really fun class, I'm glad I signed up for it.

9/30 - Take that, stupid legs

I have a love/hate relationship with knowing what the WOD is before I go to Crossfit Central. Some days I get really excited, while others I get nervous. Today was nervous. I knew when I saw the WOD that it was going to be a big challenge.

Crossfit Central WOD
200 meter lunge walk
50 box jumps
30 deadlift 275lbs
14:49 RX

That was one of the hardest WODs in a long time. What a great way to spend a lunch hour :)

9/29 - Positive Reflections

Do you ever reflect on a decision you've made and wonder how much worse life would be had you not made that choice? Too many times I hear people talk about regret, so I want to turn it around today!

About six years ago, I was a smoker. I don't mean a few here or there, or "just when I drink." I mean full on pack-a-day, sometimes more, smoker! One fateful day in late October 2004, I woke up and realized that I was down to one cigarette. I went out to the patio, coffee in one hand and the little white cigarette in the other. As I sat down to smoke, I started wondering if I would have time to run to the store to buy another pack before my daily conference calls started.

Another sip of coffee and a few more drags off that last cigarette in my pack led to thoughts about how exhausting smoking can be. Do I have any left? Do I have time to go smoke real quick? Can I eat fast enough to go smoke before everyone is ready to leave? Where is my lighter? I realized that, aside from the obvious health-related issues smoking causes, it owns way too much of your life and thoughts. Not to mention the "nice" smell your clothes and everything else has!

That was my moment! I knew right then I had enough. I also knew that it would be an uphill battle. I have not smoked a single cigarette since that morning, not even a drag off of one. It was probably one of the hardest battles of my life, but I won!

I started tracking my "quit" online...today I got an email with my status. Pretty amazing!

Your Quit Date is:  10/26/2004 8:03 AM
Time Smoke-Free: 2164 days, 7 hours, 10 minutes and 43 seconds   
Cigarettes NOT smoked: 54107 
Lifetime Saved:  13 months, 23 days, 7 hours 
Money Saved: $17,582.50 

That was set up with the price of a pack in 2004...I am sure they are more expensive. Luckily for me, I have no idea!

Action crushes fear. If you have a goal, don't be afraid to make it happen! I can't imagine life as a smoker now, and I am thankful that I was able to quit.

Active Rest Day

Did the usual warm-up we do at Crossfit Central with some rope ladders instead of a 400m run

3 rounds
800m run
25 situps

Not timed, didn't push hard, just wanted to get in a little work and work out some of the sore from Cindy yesterday!

TP & Foam rolling and some PN stretching to follow... what a great day it is.

9/28 - Cindy Benchmark WOD Day

2010 is flying by! Already time for October 2010 benchmark WODs.

So today's WOD started off really good, then I kinda bonked. I had 10 rounds at 10:40 then too nearly 10min to get in just over 5 more rounds. Ran out of gas!

Crossfit Central WOD
Cindy
(AMRAP 20min: 5pullps, 10 pushup, 15 squat)
15 + 3pullups, RX (PR)

9/27 - Hi, Helen

As I've mentioned in other posts, for October I added Crossfit Central Kettlebell Unlimited, which will allow me to get in a lot more work with the great coaches and athletes at Crossfit Central! Coach Zachary Thiel suggested doing Kettlebell on Mon & Friday since my usual class is on Tu &Th. This leaves Wednesday as an active rest day - go for a run, do some Triggerpoint & foam rolling, Yoga, etc. Sounds like a plan, right?

I showed up to class last night after a pretty rough day at work, and it was just what I needed. Good stuff.

Crossfit Central KB WOD

"Helen"
3 rounds
400m run
21 KB swing, 24Kg
12 pullups
13:45 Rx

9/23 - Tabata Time!

The word "Tabata" must be a synonym for "brutal." Every time that word is used in a WOD, I know 100% for sure it will be harder than usual.  Today's WOD was certainly no exception.

Crossfit Central WOD
8 tabata rounds of 20 seconds each, 10 sec rest, repeat until 8 rounds done
score = lowest reps in any of the rounds
Tabata Lunges

Tabata Wall Ball, 20lb ball
Tabata  Pullups

Lowest reps: 10 lunges, 6 wallball, 4 pullups RX

"Post party"
various planks


Wasn't all that great of an effort, to be honest. The wallball score is some weak sauce.

9/21 - More kettlebell in my future

 I have been thinking about it for a while, and thanks to some good charters, my decision was easy. I signed up for October Unlimited Kettlebell today. I am excited to see how the next four weeks go!

Crossfit Central WOD
Max Reps in 7 Rounds
Dumbbell Squat Cleans - 30 Sec, 55lbs
Ring Pushups 30 Sec
Rest 30 sec
81 pushups, 24 DB Cleans, RXd


The cleans were brutal... I thought I could get 5 per round.. HA! Pretty happy with the pushups, found a good rhythm of 5, rest 3 sec, 5, rest 3 sec, etc.

I will absolutely feel the ring pushups tomorrow!

9/20 - Bloggerlag and a new challenge

I've been off blogging a while! I had a shitty week at work and other areas last week and decided not to blog about it or anything else. I had started a few and started typing and re-thinking all the shit that was pissing me off, so i decided to just drive on through it and not look back. No need to get all pissed about things I can't change, is there?

Had great workouts at Crossfit Central last week, though! People sometimes ask why I drive way up to Crossfit Central, why I pay "that much" for "working out" and so on. It's simple, at least to me: the community and coaches.

Yesterday morning was an early three-lap ride at the Veloway - great way to kick the week off.
34:27 not a PR, having some issues with my bike - shifting issues I just paid to have tuned, but still a good run in the wind.

I'm going to skip the Lean Turkey Challenge Crossfit Central does every year, and do something I haven't done before - Unlimited Kettlebell - Kettlebell Central in addition to my normal class for at least two months. Goal: blow though the plateau I'm on like C4....boom! October classes start next week...I am ready.

9/9 - Push Pull

 The strength then quick hitter metcon was in full effect today. The last set of push-press left me sacked and really light-headed. The WOD didn't go as well as I'd hoped, the pullups were too slow! Guess what we haven't done much of lately...

Crossfit Central WOD
pushpress 5x3
135, 155, 175, 205, 225

5 rounds, 12min cutoff
15 pullups
15 ghd hip extensions
200m run
finished 3 rounds plus the 15 pullups, RX'd

9/7 - Hooray Rain!

Nice to finally get some rain around here, though it will mean more yard work!

I've been taking some Probiotic Restore my gf bought from my Advocare store over the last few days, and it's pretty interesting. I won't get too detailed here, so let me know if you want to hear about it haha.

So today's WOD at CC was pretty weird. I mean it was a hard workout and I tried to just keep moving that KB, but seems like it was harder than it should have been.

Crossfit Central WOD

Turkish Get-up skill work

6 reps with 16kg

then

5 rounds
30 abmat situp
20 American KB swing, 24kg
10 KB clean & press, 24kg
14:32Rx

9/2 - Welcome back to PR-ville!

Man, it's been a long time since I had a PR on the deadlift, and it's a fantastic feeling! Today I pulled 425, previous best ever was 405 and last DFT I only got 385, so hell yeah I'm fking happy about it! Thanks to Blake for helping me get my mind right and fixing a technique issue.

I'm back on track & taking the Advocare supplements that helped me get awesome success early in the year. I will start wearing my EPOC band again, to constantly remind myself what is possible when I keep focused. 21 days to make a habit, right?

Also, I got my bike tuned up so it should shift better and I think I'll go for a nice hard ride after work!

Crossfit Central WOD
Deadlift  5-3-2-1-1-1 to finish CFT
135, 225, 315, 365, 405, 425 PR!

CFT = 995

Weighted pullups
1-1-1-1
7lb, 10lb, 12kg, 16kg (miss)


Need to work on back-squat. I could have done 385 and had my CFT back over 1000, but I went for the 405. Gotta be smarter about stepping up & need to get stronger.

Aug 31 - Lesson Learned

Today was CFT day, and what a crazy day it was. Starting with my performance, I am pretty happy with the shoulder press @ 205lbs (tied my PR), but not too happy with the squat at 365lbs. I went for 405 and it was a little too much...no go.

Now, the lesson. Spotting my buddy Blake H, with 465lbs on his back, he started to have trouble and I didn't get the spot right -- too far away from him -- and the bar fell hitting my knee on the way down. Fortunately nothing bad, just a glancing blow and a small bruise. Sure taught me the hard way how NOT to spot someone!

CrossfitCentral WOD
CFT Day 1
Squat:  335, 365, 405X
Shoulder Press: 185, 205, 210X

Aug 30 - Windjammer

After a good weekend of diving, cleaning more junk out of the garage, and some good times with friends,  I was not ready for Monday to be here already!

Headed to the Veloway for a lunchtime ride, and was curious to see how using clipless pedals and cycling shoes would affect the lap times. Getting ready I notice a pretty strong wind is blowing...oh goodie...once I get going I find that the wind is really going to make a huge difference, so just put my head down and went for it.  I do like using the clipless pedals and shoes, luckily I had them already!

Veloway 3 laps
34:45
tp and foam roll after

Ready for Crossfit Total tomorrow!

Aug 27 - Still feelin' the pistols

Yesterday's WOD is still being felt today, and made my lunch-time ride pretty painful! I've been rocking a good run of PRs on the veloway lately, but today wasn't in the cards. Legs were burning in the first lap. Good stuff.

3 lap time trial, 9.1 miles
35:13

Should be a really good weekend! UTB WOD, diving, etc.

Aug 26 - Pistol Whipped

Today's WOD looked bad on the board, and it was bad in real life.  Pistols really suck, mainly because I suck at them, and boy do I feel them in my legs and ass right now.

Crossfit Central WOD
24-14-4-14-24
box jump
kb clean & press, 24kg
pistols
DNF - 15min cutoff
Finished all but last round, using squat rack for assist/balance on pistols

Aug 24 - Turning up the heat

The intensity at Crossfit Central is as high as the temperature - over 100% lately, and wow...WODs have been brutal! They are definitely turning up the heat.


Ususal warmup, then Coach Zach threw an 800m run in for us.

Crossfit Central WOD
10 rounds for time
7 Kettlebell swing, 2 pood (~72lb)
5 burpees
11:26 Rx

Tabata pushups
8 rounds
crossfit games style -- chest to floor, raise hands off ground, immediately push back up.
lowest round = 5
...wow...

 Triggerpoint & foam roller here I come!

Aug 23 - "Dude, you totally just crushed me!"

I feel fantastic today! I rocked another PR at the Veloway today: 3 laps (9.3mi) in 33:13 (pr by around 30 sec). On the last lap, I blasted by a guy on a road bike on the last hill, which I really love since I'm on a 9spd steel-framed mountain bike. When I can pass a spandex warrior on a carbon-fiber bike, it's a total WIN!

So I get to the parking lot and he rolls up and says "Dude, you totally just crushed me!"  He's a really nice guy, and I talked a bit with him about stuff like Crossfit. Coach Zach - you may get another client!

What a fantastic feeling!

Veloway
3 lap time trial
33:13 (pr)

It feels freaking awesome to be back on track in so many areas! Diet, supplements,  clearing out "stuff" that just sits around and never used, etc.... look out!

Aug 19 - Hooray Strong People!

I think I have a new burpee - an exercise i love to hate - the toes to bar. Seems like it shouldn't be very tough, but man it's no joke! Today's WOD was brutal. A new guy in our class summed it up when he said "man, this sure isn't like on-ramp class!"  He didn't quit, but gathered himself up and drove on. This made me think about the kind of people that show up at Crossfit Central every day: STRONG people! How many of your friends have what it takes to consistantly take on the WODs in the heat, in the cold, in the rain, or any combination of those?

Crossfit Central WOD
45 toes to bar
30 db floor press, 50lb dumbells
50m walking lung, 50lb dumbells
30 renegade row, 50lb dumbells
45 toes to bar
I finished through 19 toes to bar when time ended, as RXd.

This WOD is a love/hate thing: I hate it because there are things I suck at, but I love it because I will get better at them by doing.

Aug 17 - Dang Muscleups

One of my goals for 2010 is to do ONE fking muscle-up! O N E!  Today's WOD was frustrating because I can't do them, which means no writing RX on the board. One will happen, then one will become two and so on.

Crossfit Central WOD
3 rounds
10 front squat, 135lb
5 muscle-ups (did jumping)
10 push-press, 135lb
11:40 NOT Rx

Aug 16 - My Hot Lunch & DK's Great Idea

Luckily, I had time to get away from work today to go hit the veloway for a quick lunch-time ride. It's hot as hell out, but you really don't notice it until you get done riding and start loading up the bike. WOW!

Veloway Lunch Crush Ride
3 laps for time
33:46 (pr)

Not bad, but I am still finding my rhythm on this. Need to remember gloves..simple but sweaty bars are slippery! I may put my clipless pedals on for next time to see if they make a difference.

DK has been posting on Facebook about how "stuff" is really good at taking over our lives. Looking around my house, especially the office and garage, I see a lot of "stuff" that I certainly don't need to hold on to any more. I have a goal to reduce the amount of "stuff" over the next week. eBay, Half Price Books, Goodwill, & Salvation Army - get ready!  Thanks a lot DK, I can't wait to see the difference... and the before & after photos!

Aug 13 - Lunchtime Crush

I have a new lunchtime crush -- the veloway. It's only two miles from home, so it's easy (if i can get away from work) to just head down there for a little fun in the blaring hot sun!


3 Laps for time, 9.3 miles
34:16

Not a bad lunch break. My bike needs some work, missing shifts is annoying.

Aug 12 - Oh man, what a WOD

This week at CrossFit Central, the WODs have been pretty freakin hard. Today was no exception.

Crossfit Central WOD
3 Rounds:
400m row
21 toe to bar
21 KB clean & press, 24kg
19:49 Rx

I've had a few "talks" with myself lately. I need to get my focus on things going on in my life back. I'd kinda lost my way over the summer, and it's nice to get things going in the right direction.

Aug 11 - Time Trial

Rode a time trial at the veloway today, which is 2 laps.  My bike is a 9spd mtn bike, and it's pretty heavy so for sure I could go faster on a road bike. It's all good though, pedaling at lunch is good stuff.

Two Lap Time Trial, 6.2 miles
21:11

Aug 4-10 - crazy times!

What a busy time, lots of time on the road and 14hrs of work to do in a 8hr day!

8/10 - Crossfit Central WOD
Elizabeth
21-15-9
Squat clean 135
Ring Dips
11:16 Rx

8/9 - Easy day
9mi bike, moderate 14mph pace
100 double unders - sucks

8/8 - Diving
Did lots of dives today, humped big steel doubles, stage bottles, etc.
No WOD

8/6 & 8/7 - Wreck diving in the Gulf. Three dives -- two on the Texas Clipper and one on a rig. Camping on the beach was miserable....

8/5 - Crossfit Central WOD
3 rounds for time:
45 lunges, 30 pushups, 15 burpees

8/4 - Rest day

July 29 - Yikes

Today the WOD looked pretty rough, but I didn't think it would bitch slap us like it did! The ring dips..holy fkin shit!  Gonna feel them tomorrow for sure...

Crossfit Central WOD

30-20-10 - KB Cleans, 32kg (72lb)
10-20-30 - Ring dips
11:32 Rx

Post Party

Plank -> pushups -> plank -> pushups -> plank -> rest ( I think?)
Twice.

The post party, after the ring dips, was absolutely crushing. For me, ring dips are killers, and this stuff after....pfff I think I did 7 or 8 pushups total in those two rounds and spent a good bit of time wondering how to stay off my face!

July 26, 27, 28 - Changing it up?

Trying to work on ways to change things up, do different things, and have more fun with workouts. I want to keep doing crossfit WODs, but add something else to it. I'm going to start adding some biking, kayaking, hiking w/a pack, etc - these are functional, no? 

July 26
Avg speed trial, 30min, known 3mile course.
15.5mph average

Not bad for a 9spd mtn bike. Could go much faster on a road bike.

July 27
Crossfit Central WOD
"Sally T"
2 Hang Squat Clean, Shuttle Run
4 HSC, Shuttle Run
6 HSC, Shuttle Run
8 HSC, Shuttle Run
6 HSC, Shuttle Run
4 HSC, Shuttle Run
2 HSC, Shuttle Run
4:58 Rx


4 rounds, 5min cutoff
15 situps, 20 wide arm pushups, 25 lunges
3rd round though pushups when time called.


July 28
60 min endurance ride, avg 14.7mph. Good fun, almost hit by a car turning in front of me.

July 22 - Back to it

The break from class at CrossFit Central is over, and today was back to "Go time." It was good to get back, as working out alone is never the same.

Crossfit Central WOD

handstand walk skill practice

3 rounds
400m run
21 wallball, 20lb
12 push-press, 95lb
14:15Rx

Jul 20 - Globo gym fun

Since I started working out at CrossFit Central a couple years ago, I've found it's harder and harder to workout at a globogym. I go to 24hr fitness sometimes - like when we have a week off at Central . Today I had a pretty good time, and got in some good work despite the hero doing curls in the freakin' squat rack with the bar only!

Warmup
Run 800 @ 7.0 speed on treadmill
50 squats
50 lunges
20 rounds of speed ladder, varied movements that we do at Central.

WOD 1
10,8,6,4,2
Dead Lift 225
Dips
6:23

WOD 2
Row 1k for time
3:39

WOD 3
Muscle-up progression using cable machine, interesting.
30 reps w/70lbs per side

Cooldown
Run 800 @ 5.0 speed

Foam roll, stretch, hit the door :))

July 15 - When coaches are away...

With a break in play, we are on our own. What to do? I haven't really ran much in a while, so today I decided to run...and it wasn't too bad, save the fact that I forgot to change to my new running shoes.

Run 5k
29:55

After
2 rounds
25 ghd hip extensions
25 ghd situps
(untimed)

July 11 - Earn your shower?

What a day! I saw an interesting WOD on the Crossfit main site the other day that looked like it might be fun, and change of pace. 30K bike for time! That's a pretty long ride, about 18.65 miles. After that, was a 45min dog walk then 4hrs of yard work...back to back to back.  I had a couple chicken and veggies meals from My Fit Foods along the way.  Killer, yes...fun, not all of it.

Crossfit.com WOD
Bike 30K
46:47

Shower definitely earned!

July 8 - Don't call it a comeback

Man, today was like the exact opposite of Tuesday at CrossFit Central. It's amazing how much difference good sleep, good food, and plenty of water can make.

CrossFit Central WOD

Ladder Skill/Speed work

"Tom Green"
SDHP 1-10
Thruster 10-1
95lb
9:20 Rx

July 7 - Dumbass Tax?

Going back to yesterday, the scuba charter I worked was supposed to be 9-1, so I ate breakfast and brought plenty of water. The charter ended up going until nearly 5pm and I felt pretty wiped out after not having any food and being out in the sun all day doing 4 dives. I got home, ate some turkey, veggies, and almonds and drank some coconut water. I drank a couple more quarts of water before bed and took some nighttime recovery.

I figured today would be fine, but I was f-ing dizzy and feeling like I was about to fall on my face.  Today was probably one of the worst workout performances I can remember having. I need to get my shit together and get back on track!! Hopefully the way I feel about today will be a reminder of what happens when I lose focus and have to pay the dumbass tax.

Crossfit Central WOD

5x5 floor press
135, 225, 245, 275, 275

3 rounds
45lb overhead lunge (distance of crossfit central gym bays and back)
250m run
DNF, RX...finished 2 rounds and about 1/3 of the next lunge... pathetic.

Yeah, I'm pissed about it.

July 1 - I've got balance and skill...or not

At least they gave us a break on the upper body...and hammered our legs today haha!  Pistols take a lot of skill and balance, not to mention strength.  I for sure have the strength to do them...balance & skill, hmmm not so much! What a fun, yet brutal, WOD. 

Crossfit Central WOD

"Norah"
21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps of:
Pistols
GHD Hip Extension
Box Jump, 24" box
14:24

June 30 - Thoughts on recovery & hydration

With the vacation I took for almost two weeks, I haven't done too many pullups lately. So yesterday doing 100 wrecked my lats and shoulders...I am SO sore...wow!  Anyone else feeling the effects of Angie today?

Because of the above, recovery is on my mind today. I definitely need to order some Nighttime Recovery, Muscle Strength, and Catalyst!  Sleep has been a bit off and on, 7hrs average. I need to go to bed earlier.

At the CrossFit Movement & Mobility Cert, we went over the importance of being properly hydrated. Did you know that being 2% dehydrated can cause up to 5% reduction in your VO2 capacity? I bet it's a safe bet that being dehydrated will prolong being sore too!

June 29 - Angie is mean.

Some days a WOD just really makes you feel like you don't have anything left to give. Today's WOD "Angie" is a CrossFit Central benchmark WOD that we face every three months. Today was brutal, but with a new 20min cutoff vs 25min I knew I had to be faster than last time we did this.  I'm bummed at the DNF, but I didn't finish 25min cutoff previously as RXd so I was faster! I know for sure I could have finished the squats and been done well before 25min, so now to work on more work, less rest for next time.

CrossFit Central WOD

"Angie"  - 20min cutoff
100 Pullups
100 Pushups
100 Situps
100 Squats

DNF - I made it to 42 squats as RXd.

June 24 - Smackdown

Today was not really all that good of a day, but I still have a good attitude. The WOD at Crossfit Central was beyond brutal, but mainly due to my own failure to properly hydrate. Cramps in my hamstrings and lower back = piss poor performace. I MUST keep hydrated...or die?  :))

Crossfit Central WOD

Kettlebell fun
100m x 2 of the following, 24kg
rack carry each arm
overhead carry each arm
farmer walk each arm
20 russian swings
 
3 rounds
800m run
7 reps, bear complex, 135lb
-Did 2 rounds as RXd

June 22 - The Pain Train

After a week and a half of being on vacation in Curacao and then a trip to the gulf for even more diving and generally having the time of my life, reality and pain met me at 12:15pm today. I had done a few light workouts and swam a bit, but you know it was nothing like what goes down at Crossfit Central!


Crossfit Central WOD

5x5 Dual KB clean and press
used 24kg for all five rounds

3 rounds for time (team WOD)
64 lunges (each person does 64)
16 Muscleups (each person does 8)
32 Kettlebell swings, 32kg (each person does 16)
16:31
*did Jumping muscle-ups, KB as RXd

100 double unders for practice, most in a row was 7. Ugh. Got my Buddy-Lee rope, so hope it helps!

June 2 - Like Frogger!

Crossfit Central WOD

5x3 Push Press
135, 145, 155, 185, 225(miss, had to split into 2 then 1 single)


3 rounds for time
30 Dummy Jumps
7 HSPU
10 Hang Powerclean, 135lb
5:01

 Post
50 double unders

Lots and lots of jumping today. I was thinking, for some reason, about that old game Frogger when I was jumping over the parallette. Not too bad of a time, bummed I didn't get sub 5min.

June 1 - Heavy dose of SDHP!

Crossfit Central WOD

5x3 SDHP

95, 115, 135, 185  (we couldnt count to 5 i guess)

AMRAP 12 min
15 Squats
9 Toe to bar
6 SDHP, 135lb
7 + 3 SDHP RX

50 double unders to practice...most in a row was 6 I think.

May 27 - Dumbells and strife!

Whew what a WOD they put together for us today at Crossfit Central!  My shoulders are sore already...and my legs..and my ...  you get where I'm coming from, right?  What a brutal week!

Crossfit Central WOD
Thruster 5x3
95, 115, 135, 155, 185(pr)

Cool a PR for thruster 3 reps... I think I have 205 in me, we'll see next time.

7 rounds, 50lb dumbells (yes two of them)
7 dead lift
7 hang squat clean
7 push press 
14:11 Rx

New challenge - June 2010

Double Unders...for the month, 3PRs a week minimum.

Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend :) 

May 26 - Row!

Went to 24hr fitness today to use their C2 rowers, rather than a rest day since I was feeling like doing some work!

1) Row 500
1:39

Not too happy with that time, it's not a PR. Need to get back on the rower more!


2) Row 2500
9:44

The 500 smoked me a bit, so the 2500 seemed like it would never end :)

May 25 - New Challenges!

Check out Kenny, my new foster! He's such a great looking dog!  I am not 100% sure I can give him up...he may be my first "foster failure."  Challenge 1 - don't allow him to eat the cat. Challenge 2 - actually find him a home :))

The other day the 100 days of 100 squats came to an end, and to be honest I hated it for the last few weeks. I let it become un-fun...and I had stopped doing them all in one session, instead doing just 5-10 here or there through the day.

I need to come up with a new, fun, challenge. Something that isn't so monotonous? I'm thinking about doing 20 Double Under PRs -- my current PR is 7, so the challenge would be set 20 PRs... like 8, then 9, then 11 or whatever!  Something different, and fun!  Thoughts?

Crossfit Central WOD

12 min AMRAP
3 HSPU
6 American Swing, 32kg
12 Clapping pushup
6 + HSPU using a band for HSPU.

Later today:
Swimming some laps at the pool in my hood or maybe a SPIN CLASS (eek!) and 24hr fitness...hmm

May 20 - Back at it

Crossfit Central WOD

5x3 shoulder press
135, 155, 175 (last set split up)

15,3,9,6,12 reps of
Pullups
Box Jump
calories (rower)
8:20 Rx

Day 98...100 squats.

I hate you.

Food
730 am - eggs, turkey sausage, tomato, coffee, water
1030am - whey shake, water
140pm - whey shake, apple, water (pwo)
300pm - Chicken and a little rice and pistachio sauce (Indian food), tea (unsweetened)
600pm - Pot roast & steamed veggies, water


I still feel a bit dizzy here and there, especially doing box jumps or squats. My ear ache doesn't really bother me much at all, just feels very dull and weird feeling that I can't explain too well. I can certainly see how people get addicted to Vicodin. I've got a handful left from my 'script that I will save for a rainy (read: painful) day.

May 14- 19 ...dizzy days.

Quick recap of the last few days..

May 14, swimming and bike riding...endurance stuff, kinda fun, kinda boring too. Not a fan of it too much, but needed.... Did day 97 of squats!

May 15 - Went scuba diving, in three locations, so all day from 6am-8pm! Man was I tired and slept great! Forgot / blew off squats..sue me.

Sunday May 16 - Went scuba diving again, and it didn't go well. Got a reverse block in my ear, pressure wouldn't equalize and caused a lot of pain and equilibrium to be a bit off. Went to ER, got Vicodin. Luckily, ear drum is not ruptured.

Monday - Wednesday - Kinda took it easy. Skipped CrossFit WOD on Tuesday... dizzy plus Vicodin = not good for working out. Oh well.

May 13 - Death by double unders?

I suck at double-unders, so of course we do them often - this is a good thing.  I have a new PR of 7 in a row - at least it's better than 3 :)

Crossfit Central WOD
5x3 back squat
ended w/315

50 double unders
10 muscleups
50 pushups
10 muscleups
50 double unders
11:50  - jumping MU, rings hanging about 6" above my head.

Day 96 - 100 squats
(I am so over this, it's not even close to fun anymore)

I'm getting really close to that damn muscleup!  If I could just get the f-ing transition, i'd have it.

I will do this in 2010.

May 11 - Quick and the (almost) dead

CrossFit Central WOD

Turkish get-up practice, 13lb KB

For Time
Row 1000m
50 American swings, 24kg
30 thrusters, 95lb
11:31 Rx'd

Day 94 - 100 squats

That WOD was quick, but I thought I was gonna die :))  The rower sacked me pretty bad, and it just got worse from there ... loving the new programming model at CC!!

Food
-Eggs, turkey bacon, banana, coffee, water
-Whey shake, water
-Whey shake, banana, water (PWO)
-Salmon, tomato, almonds, water
-Turkey patty, tomatoes, almonds, water

May 6 - Brutality

I do expect that Crossfit Central WODs will be rough, but today may have been one of the hardest this year!

Crossfit Central WOD

Deadlift 5x5

245, 275, 295, 315, 335

10, 9, 8....1
Push jerk, 95lb
Front Squat, 95lb
Start with 10 pushups, and as you work through the WOD, do 10 pushups on the minute, every minute, then continue with the countdown from where you were.

8:52 Rx

Day 89, 100 squats - damn right I counted the above!


Food
750am - eggs, turkey sausage, tomato, water, coffee w/coconut milk
1115 - turkey breast, almonds, water
145pm - turkey breast, banana, water (pwo)

May 4 - Fight gone really bad.

I'm very happy that the week "off" from Crossfit Central is done. It's amazing how much difference just two days a week affects my overall attitude. See, I had a bit of a blah attitude going in today, sucked in the WOD, but now I feel much better. I think I'm gonna go run the dogs then swim some laps after work...I love having the pool so close.

CC WOD: Fight Gone Bad
2 rounds, RXd - 177 ( I think. I also think that fuggin sucks)


Day 87 - 100 squats.
I hate you, squat.

Food
730am - Eggs, turkey bacon, water, coffee
1030am - Whey shake, water
140pm - Whey shake, banana, water (pwo)
450pm - sausage, tomato, almonds, water

May 1 - Warrior Dash and the First Aid station.

Warrior Dash - what a great concept. It was really a lot of fun. We met a lot of cool people from all over, tons of CrossFit shirts from affiliates I haven't even heard of, crazy costumes, serious competitors, and everyone in between. Check out the Macho Man...Ohhhhh YEAH!!! 

We were in the very first heat, so we got underway while it was still cool out and the ground was still soggy (and slick as shit) from the previous night's rain. The obstacles, to be honest, were not near as "extreme" as I had expected, but probably appropriate to a wide range of people.

Coming to the last obstacle, I was all good...not really even tired, heart-rate about 90 (if that), and feeling no pain at all. I see the huge mud-pit and dive head first under the barbed wire. I think I smacked my hand to my eye, or something, because even though I closed my eyes I got an eye full of mud and sand. Not good. I finished the race, and headed to the First Aid station for some help. 

 

 Mud Crawl

I promised my girlfriend that if she did it, I would stay with her. That made it easier since she hates running even more than I do, yet harder because I wanted to go faster.  Check out our post-race nutrition...turkey legs and beer!  My first beers since New Years!

Following day, I had a loose flap of skin from my eye lid that would cover my eye every time I blinked...very weird and not very cool!  Eye doc said it's nothing serious, just uncomfortable...just keep it clean, use drops, and shouldn't have any lasting issues at all.


So time to confess..  I haven't done my squats since last Friday. I didn't plan to take days off, but it is what it is. Back on the wagon tomorrow.

Apr 27 - Crossfit Swimming!! FUN

Warmup
8 laps at easy pace, different stroke each lap


Swimming WOD!
AMRAP, 30 min
50m freestyle
4 side of pool muscle-ups
50m breast stroke
4 side of pool muscle-ups
50m backstroke
4 side of pool muscle-ups
7 rounds, plus 50m free

Eeek...my swimming technique has gone to shit! Very inefficient in the water. I will definitely do a lot more swimming WODs.  My heart-rate averaged 151. Water is still pretty chilly, but you get used to it pretty fast. Once the WOD ends, though, not really too fun to just hang out in the water..got cold fast.  It's nice to have whole pool to myself, though. 

Day 83 - 100 squats

Food

• 730 - eggs, turkey bacon, banana, almonds, water, coffee
• 1030 - whey shake, water
• 130 - sausage, tomato, almonds, water
• 400 - whey shake, water
• 730 - Turkey breast, banana, water (pwo)
• 900 - Turkey breast, tomato, almonds, water

Apr 22 - More Deadlift :)

Take that you stupid legs!  I was pretty sore from the deadlifts two days ago, so I wasn't sure how this morning would go. Legs actually feel better than when I showed up, which is a nice surprise.

I suck at the ring dip.

Crossfit Central WOD

Deadlift
5x2
275-295-305-315-335

AMRAP 15min
10 abmat situps
10 ring dips
10 burpees
10 SDHP, 32kg
7 + situps

Day 78 - 100 squats.

Food

• 730 - Eggs, turkey bacon, dried apple slices, water, coffee (pwo)
• 1015 - smoked turkey, mixed nuts, coconut water, water
• 1230 - Pulled pork, tomato, almonds, water
• 
  

Apr 20 - Wow.

Crossfit Central WOD
Max reps, 5 rounds
Deadlift 275lb, handstand pushups
66/77 Rx DL, HSPU feet on tall squat rack.

That is the number I came up with, but seems like I messed up count somewhere. Not sure, but anyway...still a killer WOD. It's amazing how taxing max rep heavy DL is!

I LOVE the new programming we're doing at Crossfit Central

Day 76 - 100 squats.
I'm starting to hate this! :))

After work, I took the dogs for a 4 mile walk/jog to loosen up my legs, so nice out...too bad the heat is coming soon.

Food

• 730am - Eggs, turkey bacon, tomato, water, coffee
• 1030am - Whey shake, water
• 140pm - Why shake, apple, water (pwo)
• 345pm - sausage, tomato, nuts, water
• 540pm - sausage, orange, nuts, water
• 815pm - pot roast, steamed veggies, water

Apr 17 - Busy bees!

14 April 
Rest day, took dogs for a 2.5mi jog
100 squats - day 70

15 April
Crossfit Central WOD
Backsquat
1-1-1-1-1
305, 315, 335, 350, 365

3 rounds
7 Overhead squat, 75lb
21 pullups
8:27

100 squats - day 71

16 April
5k run with the dogs, right under 35min
100 squats, day 72

17 April
Man, i've been on my feet all day. I'm sacked and my feet are very tired! We did a meet and greet at Petco with the Austin German Shepherd Rescue - our foster Mia made a LOT of new friends.  Then we had to go shopping, clean house etc. I should have worked out early, but didn't. Now I have company coming...oh well, I can double down tomorrow!

100 squats, day 73!
This was way more fun in day 20...lol

Apr 12 & 13 - Double Down!

Ok my legs = smoked like a pack of Kools from the last two days!

12 April
"DT"
5 rounds for time, 155lbs
12 dead lift
9 hang clean
6 push jerk
18:58 Rx

Holy freakin crap... that was a struggle.  Could have done faster at CC with the class and higher energy, but man that is no joke. 

Day 68 - 100 squats - not fun



13 April 

"The Bear" complex:
5 rounds of 7 reps of the following sequence:
Squat Clean to Thruster (or Push Press) to Back Squat to Thruster (or Push Press) = 1 rep.
Bar can NOT rest on ground at all
135, 145, 155, 165(miss), 165(miss)


Day 69 - 100 squats - less fun than yesterday heh

Legs feeling like I did a double down on them from yesterday and today. Gonna be a little sore tomorrow.

Apr 7-12 - It lives!

The thing with using old computers that used to be for work rather than buying a new one is that they often suck! Anyway, I have the machine back up and running. Blogging from my phone is a pain, so forget that!  I'll just post the pertintet things over the last few days...

April 7 
2.5hr hike, 27.3lb pack

100 Days of 100 Squats Challenge
Day 63...100 Squats

April 8

CrossFit Central WOD

Deadlift
3-3-3
315,365,365(miss)

3 rounds for time:
12 Renegade Rows
50 Double Unders
M:45 F:25


100 Days of 100 Squats Challenge
Day 64...100 Squats
Food on point


April 9
30 Reps, deadlift 300
Rough...untimed.

30 ring dips
Easier than above, untimed

 100 Days of 100 Squats Challenge
Day 65...100 Squats

Food on point, except some cheese and crackers which I ate because something was upsetting my stomach and I needed a "clogger."  Enough said.

April 10

6 hours of yard work...thats enough "WOD" for this honky today.

100 Days of 100 Squats Challenge
Day 66...100 Squats

Food on point

April 11
Went scuba diving in the AM, two tank charter on Lake Travis. Good fun, and the water is still freakin COLD!

2.25 mile run with the dogs

10 rounds
10 abmat situps
10 squats

100 Days of 100 Squats Challenge
Day 67...100 Squats (see above!)

Food on point, except I did eat a few (3 exactly) jelly beans and some red wine.

Apr 6 - Exposed weakness

Exposing a weakness in your fitness game is something that CrossFit WODs sure are happy to do for you. I would imagine everyone has one. Some of us more than one (a lot more). One of things I dread seeing on the white-board is overhead squats (OHS).  I know any time I see them that it's going to be a long day. I don't dread them like burpees or rounds of running, but because I have such a hard time with it due to my lack of flexibility, which is frustrating to say the least.  I just have to work on it more....can't ignore things and hope they improve, right?

Crossfit Central WOD
Row 1000m
50 Overhead squats, 75lb
30 Burpees
13:00

100 Days of 100 Squats Challenge
Day 62...100 Squats

Food

• 745am - eggs, turkey bacon, bell pepper, water, coffee
• 1040am - whey shake, water
• 135pm - whey shake, apple (pwo)
• 330pm - brisket, nuts, carrots, water
• 515pm - can of tuna, lara bar, water