Sparring is fun!!

Level Test Survivors!

My last blog post I talked about the Krav Maga level test I had taken, and since then I've found out I passed the test. I was pretty confident that I had passed, but you know how that goes - you don't know for sure until you know.

So this week I went to my first L2 class, equipped with my new shin guards and 16oz gloves wondering how often they would be used. Right damn now was the answer. We warmed up by sparring about 30-40% behind the punches and kicks, did some other calisthenics, stretched, then sparred and practiced lots of defenses that I had never done before. It was great! At the end, we sparred with different people. You quickly realize the speed/quickness difference between a small young guy and a big older guy. I got caught in the nose a couple times, but delivered some good shots of my own, including a couple really nice leg kicks. The adrenaline rush of this last little bit was definitely noticeable! I can't wait for the next class.

It's been a long week, but not in a bad way! Lots going on, so this blog which is really just my workout log hasn't been updated in a long ass time. So, to keep it short and simple and allow me to get back to work, that's it...I'll leave you with this link:

30 things to stop doing to yourself



2011-Dec-20
Lift Heavy Shit & Work Double-Unders

Deadlift 5x5 -
Shoulder Press 5x5 -
Front Squat 5x5 (from ground - no racks) -

Double Unders: 200

2011-Dec-19
Krav L1 and Krav L2 classes
First night in L2, which was really fun. We basically sparred the whole time! FUN!

2011-Dec-18
Run 5k
Forgot my dang GPS/HR/Stop watch! Ugh! :)

2011-Dec-17
Dog walk & went scuba diving

2011-Dec-16
Kickboxing class

2011-Dec-15

5x2 Sumo Deadlift
135, 225, 275, 275, 315x
 For Time:
12-10-8-6-4-2
Games Standard Box Jump
Pullups
10min cutoff, finished through 6


2011-Dec-14
Krav L1 and Kickboxing classes


2011-Dec-13
Crossfit Central WOD

"Annie"
ForTime:
50-40-30-20-10
Double-Unders, AbMat SitUps
13:46 Rx

Totally Wiped Out

This past weekend was one of the most taxing to me physically and mentally since I was in the Army. Saturday morning at 930 we started a level (belt) test in Krav Maga. I had heard it was going to be a long day with a seminar then a short lunch then the test - this is common info, after all. So in my head, I expected one thing and got a lot more than I expected.  The seminar went until just after 230pm, and all was going great. I was tired but focused on the task at hand. About five minutes out from our time to get going again, I was finishing up some light stretching and was headed to the restroom when the first hamstring cramp hit. I had already gone through a gallon of water and a full 64oz Gatorade at this point, and could hardly hold down any more fluids! I knew it was going to be a long day at that point. I won't go through the test too much except to say that both hamstrings were cramping for the first two hours then my abs were cramping at the end along with them. I tried hard to drink as much as I could hold down (full on physical exertion with stomach full of fluid is no joke), but maybe it was too late for that to really matter. To say the cramping was a detriment to the test would be a massive understatement. I was most disappointed in how much trying to prevent cramping took my mind off the tasks at hand. I don't yet know if I passed or not. I do know that regardless of the outcome I did not quit.

Sunday I was pretty damn sore from head to toe. I did a little shopping, a ton of hydrating, and by afternoon I was feeling a good bit better. I figured that a nice easy jog at Town Lake would be good to loosen up my legs and my dog would enjoy it too so we headed to the Hike & Bike trail and did a nice easy 5k jog.

Monday morning...holy shit! I am not sure running Sunday was such a great idea. I felt like I imagine a 80yr old feels. Could barely move around from sore, tight, and generally unhappy everything! I had planned to go to Krav Maga class, but I decided to do 30min of restorative yoga and take the dog for an hour or so long walk.

2011-Dec-12
Restorative Yoga, 30min
Dog walk, 59min

2011-Dec-11
5k easy pace jog at hike & bike

2011-Dec-10
KM Level Seminar & Test
496min, 5232cal

My old dog

Dec 7th my dog celebrated her 11th birthday. It's been a hell of a journey from finding a pup on the side of the road with some lady who couldn't keep her to today, over a decade later. It's pretty hard to see her starting to slow a little bit, you know? We used to go running and she would try to pull me the whole time, and now she is the one dragging behind. She doesn't really like to play much anymore, either. She won't fetch anything that isn't edible. She's more tolerant of foster dogs, but still wont be pushed around. I can only hope she has a few years left to track mud through my house, bark at nothing, and snore next to my bed at night.

If we, as humans, could have one goal maybe it should be something as simple as being as good as your dog thinks you are.

2011-Dec-8
Crossfit Central WOD
5x5 floor press
135, 185, 205, 225, 245 (had help on 5th rep @ 245)

Tabata 8 rounds:
medball clean 20lb
ring rows
Low rounds: 6 & 6

2011-Dec-7
Krav Maga class - last class I can make before level test this coming weekend.

Sun!

As bad as we needed the rain, I have to be honest: It's nice to see the sun out! I wouldn't mind a bit more heat to go with it...the older I get the more I hate the cold :)) I would like the trails to dry out around town so we can get some MTB riding in, too...

All day web conference each day this week. It SUCKS. I am glad I made it to CC before work and got some work done first! It was a nice brisk morning at CC today, and the workout was a good one.


2011-Dec-6
CC WOD
3 rounds
500m row
100m 24/16 kg kb hi/lo carry
5 front squat, 155
14:53 RX

2011-Dec-5
Krav Maga Class
&
KO Kickboxing

2011-Dec-3
Old Dog Jog - ran the circle c park trail with my old dog.

Strategy

I'll tell you what, your choice in strategy can really make or break you in a race! Last night I entered my first mountain bike race, and I screwed myself right off the start. Let me break it down: Because I had never entered a race before, I thought I would start at the back of the pack and then try to chase people in front of me and pick them off one at a time - chase the carrots, if you will. Due to the rain that fell a few days ago, the track was deep and soft, and very much one-lined in a lot of places. That one line wasn't even really that good for the most part. So with my strategy in effect, we were off... a few small obstacles were no problem then the first uphill climb that turns to the left. It was soft and steep...yep, 10-15 people in front of me piled up, unable to make it up. I jump off my bike and wait for them to get straight and going, and realize that I just lost at least 30sec of time there then it happened again on the next climb on that lap. Looking at the data (lap 2 was first real lap of the race) I can see my first lap was over 1min slower than the next (lap 3). Yikes. Next time I will not lay up at the start! I'll just hit it and if people are faster they will pass me anyway, but at least I wont get hosed at the start of the race.

2011-Nov-29 & Dec 1
Crossfit Central WOD
CFT
SQ 335, PR 200, DL 335 (WTF!)

I am not real happy about those numbers. No screw that, they are bullshit.

Dirt Derby - Mountain bike race
Data

2011-Nov-28
Krav Maga class
Getting ready for level test on Dec 10th!

Just like that

The holiday came and went, just like that! It's funny how fast a long weekend goes, compared to four days working, isn't it?

2011-Nov-27
MTB ride @ Mary Moore Searight Park
Ride Data

2011-Nov-26
Active rest: did recovery yoga and took the dog for a nice walk.

No Leftovers. No BS.

Yesterday everyone was talking about the dreaded food coma that so many people succumb to every Thanksgiving. Today it's the leftovers that they're blowing through like a tornado.

Not me. I can't afford that.

I had my "bad meal" yesterday, but didn't bring home any leftovers and I don't have any "holiday" food at all. I would, to be honest, not be upset about a nice pile of leftover smoked turkey breast! I didn't spend the day shopping or laying on my ass watching football, and I feel freaking fantastic. I did go to Costco to get a refund on my Garmin FR410 -- I bought it last week for $279 and they're on sale today for $209 - what a fantastic deal!

2011-Nov-25
MTB Ride at McKinney Falls State Park
Ride Data

Happy Thanksgiving

I started today with a nice jog at the lake, but I foolishly didn't warm up, roll out, drink enough water, or prepare. It was impulsive, but I still had a good time.

While I will miss seeing my family this year, I will celebrate the holiday with friends. It's a beautiful day, which I won't ruin by gorging myself on plate after plate of food. We're eating at Hyde Park Grill, which means we'll get good food but not in unlimited quantity. I think this is a good way to go.

It's been a good week, aside from Crossfit Classes I've done a good bit on my own. Here's the report data from my Garmin Forerunner 410 - 4 bike rides and 1 run:

Count:  5 Activities

Distance:  44.18 mi

Time:  4:43:32 h:m:s

Elevation Gain: 901 ft

Avg Speed: 9.3 mph

Max Speed: 24.9 mph

Avg HR: 149 bpm

Max HR: 177 bpm

Calories: 4,702 C

2011-Nov-24
Town Lake Run, 3 miles
31:23
Run Data

2011-Nov-23
Veloway, 4 laps
43:27
Ride Data

Rain and timing

I was supposed to have a race tonight, but last nights rain made the course muddy. I am, to be honest, more thankful to see some rain than sad about a race. Timing is funny that way, isn't it?

I picked up a Garmin Forerunner 410 and I am digging the data it has. See the two links in this post on the 19th and 20th.

2011-Nov-22
Crossfit Central WOD
Max Effort box jump height: 39"
Jackie
1k row, 50 bb thruster, 30 pullups
9:18RX

2011-Nov-21
Yoga, hatha (stretching/zen)
aka rest day

2011-Nov-20
MTB Ride @ Greenbelt/Hike & Bike trails
Ride Data

2011-Nov-19
MTB ride @ Walnut Creek Park
Ride Data

2011-Nov-18
Veloway ride, 33:50

2011-Nov-17
Crossfit Central WOD

Strength:  7 x 1 Deadlift
WOD:
AMRAP in 6 Min
6 Power Cleans
6 Burpees

Don't call it a comeback....

...I was never gone :)

I keep putting off updating my workouts! I have them written in a notebook, logged daily along with my food in MyFitnessPal, and here too. It's kinda exhausting to be honest!


2011-Nov-16
Krav Maga 1, KO Bag kickboxing
classes after work :)

2011-Nov-15
Crossfit Central WOD

Diane
21 – 15 – 9
Deadlift 225#
HSPU
8:08 - green band hanging from pu bar


2011-Nov-14
Krav Maga Level 1/2 mixed class
Tons of ground work!

2011-Nov-13
63min run on town lake hike & bike trail

2011-Nov-12
Mountain bike ride, 71min, Greenbelt
Demo ride on a Pivot Mach429 XTR build. What a bike!!

2011-Nov-11
Veloway, 45min ride

2011-Nov-10
Crossfit Central WOD

Strength:  7 x 3 Power Snatch
max 135

WOD:
AMRAP for 8 mins:
10 Ring Row
Run 100m
20 Sit Ups
5 rounds RX


2011-Nov-9
Krav Maga & KO Kickboxing
60min krav, 45min ko

New toys

I am excited. I have a new phone coming today and I can sell my old one on eBay for more than I paid for the new one. Sweet! I've gotten back in to mountain bikes a bit lately, and after renting a bike for a nice ride on the 6th, I think I'll pick up my own this week. We had a blast and it's a hell of a workout too. I may enter a couple races at the dirt derby soon, too. Good times ahead....

2011-Nov-8
Crossfit Central WOD
AMRAP 25
21 cal row
12 front squat 165lb (from ground)
5 rounds + 19 cal RX - that shit is no joke.

2011-Nov-7
Krav Maga class & KO Bag kickboxing

2011-Nov-6
Mountain bike ride at Walnut Creek
97min.
My friend's ride data

2011-Nov-5
Rest day
Zen yoga for an hour, took the dog for a nice long walk

2011-Nov-4
Speed ride: 75min (road) for max avg speed (Veloway)
15.2 mph

2011-Nov-3
Crossfit Central WOD
5-4-3-2-1 push press
135, 155, 185, 225, 255(miss, barely)

21-15-9
kb swing, burpee, wall ball (24kg bell, 20lb ball)
10:00 Rx

2011-Nov-2
Krav Maga Class

Back in the swing of things? Kinda

Siamil Island

Sipadan Water Village - where we stayed

In the wild! Pygmy Elephants

Orangutang

White tip shark

White tip shark

Ah vacation...you know how it is when you're gone for a long time? You come home with loads of laundry, no food in the refrigerator, jet-lagged, and generally out of sorts with life! While I had a fantastic three-week trip to Malaysia and a day to play around Singapore, I really think it was a bit too long! That said, I would go again tomorrow :)  I will post a link to the rest of the photos later - or peep my Facebook if we are "friends."

Now the business of getting back on track is in full swing!



2011-Nov-1
Crossfit Central WOD
Usual warmup plus Kettlebell warmup workout with 24kg bell - press, swing, goblet sqats, carry across gym, etc...

Run 800 for time
3:34

Annie - 50,40,30,20,10 - Double Unders & Situps (abmat)
12:34 Rx

Tabata Squats - 8 rounds
Low round: 10 squats


2011-Oct-31
Krav Maga 
Lots of mental catching up! A few weeks away from class leads to a lot of rust!

KO Bag Kickboxing
Only two of us showed up for kickboxing, and we were run through the wringer!

2011-Oct-30
Yoga & hike with dog for 2:02

2011-Oct-29
Veloway ride
41min, 16.1 avg speed

2011-Oct-28
Yoga class - sore as crap from 27th heh

2011-Oct-27
Crossfit Central WOD

Backsquat 5x3 (moderate weight, max depth as possible)
135, 155, 175, 185, 225

5 Rounds
9 plyo-pushup (clapping)
6 broad jump
9 weighted situps 35#
10:00 Rx

Mean Girls

Diane is another mean girl! Doesn't seem like it would be that bad of a workout, but she's a mean date! I need to get HSPU as RX as I can only do a couple right now.

2011-Oct-4
CC WOD
"Diane"
21-15-9
Deadlift 225#
HSPU
6:13 - green band and blue band hanging from pullup bar to assist HSPU

Fall weather?

Sunday morning. 641am, a nice run on the hike and bike trail and a realization that the sweat on my hat and shirt was cold, and felt great. It was a great morning on the trail. Lots of people were out getting in a run, walk, or bike ride. I need to go there more often because it's far more enjoyable than running in my neighborhood.

2011-Oct-2
7 mile run, Town Lake Hike & Bike (aka Lady Bird something or other now)
1:08

2011-Oct-1
Went diving, went hiking, went shopping, went ... what a busy day!

A week away!

The last seven days have been insane! Busy busy busy! I have been able to get a lot of great work done, finish up some projects for a couple clients, prepare my handover materials for my backup people, and attend more training. One week from today, I will be leaving on a jet plane for a much-needed vacation.

I am, however, mildly concerned. I have no idea what food options I'll have in Malaysia, more specifically a tiny island off the coast. There's no fitness facility. There's no laundry.  There is an ocean. A beach. 15 sticky-notes have different WODs on them, and I will just pull one from a hat (or bowl..whatever) and go for it. My "WOD Crew" has agreed that 0600 is the start time. If they show up, cool, if not then cool too. I'll go it alone.

2011-Sep-30
Veloway ride, 3 laps


2011-Sep-29
Crossfit Central WOD

SWOD
5x3 OHS
95, 105, 115, 125, 125

3 Rounds
50 abmat situps
10 OHS 95lb
9:19 RX

2011-Sep-28
Krav Maga 
Worked tons of kicks, headlock defense, 360 defenses

2011-Sep-27
Crossfit Central 
Benchmark WOD - Cindy
15 rounds, through 9 sq of 16th RX


2011-Sep-26
Krav Maga 
Straight punch party, we did them until people were falling out. Then did more.

Business Travel CAN be fun!

I had a week in Dallas/Plano last week, so rather than try to utilize the 10' x 15' exercise room aka closet at the hotel I was in, I found a CrossFit affiliate and dropped in every morning at 630am - Frisco Crossfit. I really had a good week of work there. The rest of each day was what I call "Death by PowerPoint!"

It's nice to be back home, though!


2011-Sep-23
Frisco Crossfit WOD
SWOD:
A) Push Press
3 sets @ 60% to failure
Total reps: 45@145lb

B1) CHIN ups 2x 8-12
B2) Scare crows 2x 8-10
Rest 90 sec

CWOD: Row intervals: 7 x 250 Hard (all out) /250 Easy (25 S/M)
TCal:202


2011-Sep-22
Frisco Crossfit WOD
SWOD:
A) Deadlift 1RM (5,5,3,3,1,1)
Go for new 1RM

B) Bulgarian Split w/DBs 2×10 (40lb dbs)

C) GH Raises 2×8

CWOD: AMRAP 10 min
5 Weighted sit ups
5/5 DB Slashers
15 Thruster (75/55)


2011-Sep-21
Frisco Crossfit WOD
Mobility work, DROM work

WOD
Karen
8:07 RX

2011-Sep-20

Frisco Crossfit WOD

PP 1Rep max: 245 (PR)

Wod:

4 rounds 3min work, 1min rest 

8 games pushup

12 double understand

16 squats

12+pu RX

2011-Sep-19

Frisco Crossfit WOD

Deadlift 225x2 on min for 12min

Wod all 24kg

4/4 kb swing r/l

6/6 kb cl & press r/l

8/8 kb squat front rack r/l

20:00 RX

Double ugh-nders

One of my weakest things in Crossfit is f-king double unders! Today was a struggle, but something weird happened that caught me off guard. Going into round 3, I picked up a different rope and was able to do 8-9 in a row! Way faster, and a good bit easier. I need to get one of those ropes!!

2011-Sep-15
Crossfit Central WOD
Front Squat 3x5
125, 155, 175 (fairly easy)

3 Rounds for time
50 double unders
10 DB muscle snatch right, 55lb
10 DB muscle snatch left, 55lb
DNF - 2 rounds + doubles RX

Keep moving

It's really not often that I get a podium finish at Crossfit Central, but doing so sure does make me feel pretty damn good! The workout yesterday had a pretty heavy kettlebell, which seems to have been a deal-breaker for a majority of the guys. No one in my class besides me went RX - note that a bunch of guys missed class, but you gotta play to win, right?  During the workout I just tried to keep moving, rest little -- not too fast and blow up, but not too slow either. 15:10 is over the time limit of 15:00, but they let me have it anyway.

I have noticed that a solid strategy definitely helps me, maybe mentally the most.

2011-Sep-14
Krav Maga
Practice for L2 test which I will miss...

KO Bag Kickboxing
Weighted Wednesday!

Time is flying

Seems like this month is freakin' flying by! It's crazy!

2011-Sep-13
Crossfit Central WOD
3 rounds for time:20 KB Explosive Lunges (in Goblet Position)
10 R-Arm KB Clean & Press
10 L-Arm KB Clean & Press
200m Run w/ KB any way

15:10 RX


2011-Sep-12
Krav Maga
Worked on skills for upcoming level test, which I will be forced to miss.

KO Bag Kickboxing
Lots and lots of round kicks. Worked everything for power seemed like. Really tiring! Awesome stuff.

2011-Sep-11
Went diving, then swam some, then took dogs for another good walk of 92min.

2011-Sep-10
Active Rest - Walked dogs for just over an hour, did some yard work, etc.

2011-Sep-9
KO Bag Kickboxing
A pretty rough class, tons of burpees and sprawls! It was a hell of a happy-hour.

Aren't you fit enough?

A buddy of mine, who doesn't really work out too much, asked me "Why do you work out so much? Aren't you fit enough already?"  No. That is my answer.

It goes to show what some people consider fit enough. I try not to compare myself to other people, except when its GO time - I want to finish a WOD faster or lift more than everyone else in the class. Sometimes I pull it off, too. A couple of times I have had the top score for the day out of everyone - that is a great feeling!  That being said, I don't feel like I am anywhere near my full potential. I feel like I am starting to scratch through, though. It's taken a lot of focus on my part, and asking for help too. Luckily there are great people around with positive energy and even better advice. Thanks DK & ZT.

I am a bit worried about being on vacation for nearly three weeks. There is no fitness center and I have no idea what the food situation will be every day. I don't want to take steps backwards, but at the same time I want to actually enjoy my trip!

2011-Sep-8
Crossfit Central WOD
Strength: 3x5 Push Press
135-185-135

10,8,6,4,2
HSPU
SDHP, 135#
4:50 (box HSPU, RX SDHP) - box are too easy. will use bands from pullup bar next time.

2011-Sep-7
Krav Maga
Tons of side hammer fist drills then multiple opponents at once, good stuff.

KO Bag Kickboxing
Weighted Wednesdays = pain train :) Tons of squats, sprawls, etc. Worked on some side kicks, heel kicks (aka heel bitch-slaps haha)

2011-Sep-6
Crossfit Central WOD
"Nasty Girls"
Three Rounds:
50 Squat
7 MuscleUp
10 Hang Power Clean, 135
12:47 (Assisted MU)

2011-Sep-4 & 5
Rescue Diver Course
In the water 4.5hrs each day doing tons of scenarios as victim & demonstrating for the class. Was a good refresher for me too, even!

2011-Sep-3
10,9,8....1
Dead Lift, 135#
Abmat Situp
Air Squat
Medball Slam
V-Up w/med ball
Pushups
Single Unders x 10 (100, 90, 80....10)
21:08

Went diving after, so it was a long day!

2011-Sep-2
Active rest day: took the dogs for a walk, yard work, garage clean, fun fun

What is healthy?

At the Krav studio last night, I was listening to a guy talking to his friend about how he's eating a healthy diet, but not losing as much weight as he'd like. He said he ate an average sized bowl of Special K for breakfast, a Lean Cuisine microwave chicken pasta for lunch, snacked on a couple granola bars, and drank "only" three diet cokes (no idea if 12oz or 20oz here) during his work day rather than the usual regular cokes. I didn't catch the end of their conversation b/c some people I know walked over so I couldn't keep listening to them talk, but it made me think about what different people consider healthy eating!

I guess he could have had this for lunch: Mac'n Cheeseburger (Holy shit!)

2011-Sep-1

Crossfit Central WOD
CFT - Day 2: DL 1-1-1
315-365X-365

Yoga for Athletes
Zen week: Definitely need this today.

2011-Aug-31

Krav Maga 
Nice and easy warmup, then 100 pushups, not so easy anymore huh? I knew something painful was coming :) We then worked straight punch, elbows, and front choke defense.

KO Bag - Kickboxing
Good class, using some weights in the warmup is always a fun change (by fun I mean painful).

Commitment

Thank you Holiday Inn Express, for the luggage cart!

What is commitment?  I found a definition that I really like, and it rings true for me.

Sticking with something long after the mood you said it in has left you.

2011-Aug-30

Crossfit Central WOD
Crossfit Total - Day 1
Backsquat 1-1-1
315, 365, 385

Shoulder Press 1-1-1
185, 205, 215X

Krav Maga
Worked hammer fists, groin kicks, combo drills of hammer - groin kick - hammer fist down, drill where someone holds you back while you pull to strike (awesome!), and bear hug defense (rear).

Yoga for Athletes
Zen week! Nice long stretchy poses..just what I needed!

2011-Aug-29

Krav Maga 
Worked straight punches, front kicks, knees, and fall breaks. Fun class!

KO Bag - Kickboxing
Good class, kept us moving and working hard the whole time. Getting stronger and better at this finally!

2011-Aug-28

Two deep technical dives in the Gulf of Mexico - what a fantastic day! The pic in this posting is the tanks we used for just three divers...that's a lot of gas!  It's pretty neat to be on the bottom of the gulf, picking through little shells and such. We did see (and kill) a Lionfish, which is sad b/c they are now all the way to the coast of Texas.

My weekly cheat meal: Two Whataburger Juniors with bacon and jalapeno and a large unsweet tea. It tasted good, but man...I paid the price for it. Didn't like the gut bomb at all.

2011-Aug-27

Took the dogs for a nice long walk, and spent the rest of the day getting ready for diving on the 28th. I guess it was pretty much a rest day, my first in 21 days, so I didn't feel too bad about it.

Faster

The Veloway...

Since starting Krav Maga (and other classes with F&F), along with my classes at Crossfit Central, I have gotten away from doing other kinds of workouts I used to do. I am talking about 5k runs, cycling, lifting heavy on Saturday mornings, and so on. Today I decided to use my lunch break to hit the Veloway for a 3-lap time trial, which is something I haven't done in a long time. I expected to be slower than last time, but I went faster. Much faster - almost 2min faster over 3 laps on the same bike. BOOM!

2011-Aug-26

Veloway Time Trial
3 laps (9.3miles) in 31:43 (PR)


KO Bag Kickboxing
(after work)

The funny thing about Crossfit...

...is, to me anyway, how I can see a workout on the board and think "oh man, I will crush this" and then get humble pie, or think "oh man, this will suck" and come out with a big PR. Tuesday "Griff" was all in my head b/c of how bad it was the previous time, and I hit a PR...today, I thought "I will do the most reps today" and, to be honest, I sucked. I have a couple ideas of why, but they are just BS so whatever. I'm gonna try to get in some more work later today.

On the other hand, I did get a PR on weighted strict pullups - 12kg. Not a huge pull, but it's something.

2011-Aug-25

Crossfit Central WOD
Weighted Pullups 7x1

0, 10lb, 10lb, 15lb, 12kg (pr), 16kg miss, 12kg 

AMRAP 5 min
Squat Clean, 155lb
10 Rx ...ridiculous..missed at least 5-6, and it got in my head bad.

2011-Aug-24

Krav Maga 
Easy warmup started, then "that warmup was too easy...everyone knock out 100 squats."  That changed things! I knocked them out pretty fast. The class was good, lots of punching and kicking, as usual, and then some ground defense stuff, which is always fun (and hard!).

KO Bag Kickboxing
Wicked Wednesday didn't disappoint! We must have done close to 50 more squats, 25-30 burpees, and still made time to rock that back with focus on powerful punches and kicks. Good stuff!

The clock doesn't lie

One thing about Crossfit is that your time is your time. There's no grey area. It is what it is. I love when I can beat my time by even a few seconds, but over a minute and a half? Hell yeah!

When I saw today's workout "Griff," I was immediately thinking something like "Ugh. I f-king hated that WOD last time!" To be honest, I didn't really have much better mojo about it when we started our warmup, which included a heck of a twist. It wasn't until the 2nd 800 that I started to feel it. My 2nd 800 and 400 were faster than the fist two, ending with a PR for the time.

Last time we did that WOD, I was wearing Brooks running shoes, and during the backwards 400 runs I was in serious pain, the arches of my feet revolting with every stride. Today I wore my Nike Frees and I felt fine. I did concentrate on landing flat-footed, rather than on my toes, so that could be part of it. Either way, it was much easier without that pain.

2011-Aug-23

Crossfit Central WOD
Usual fast feet, high knees, squat, pushups & such, but then the warmup included this:
"Warmup" AMRAP - 5min
5 burpees
10 goblet squats, 24kg
15 russian swing, 24kg
3 rounds Rx in "conserve energy" mode :)

"Griff"
800m Run
400m Run Backwards
800m Run
400m Run Backwards

16:32 (PR)

Post WOD fun
25 medball situp toss to partner, 12lb ball
1 min plank
25 medball situp toss to partner, 12lb ball
1 min plank
untimed

Weekends go by too fast

That's a lot of gas huh?

Seems like it was just Thursday of last week and all of a sudden it's Monday...crazy!  Very busy weekend, tons done - most importantly, I stayed on-track!

I went to My Fit Foods and stocked up on meals for a weekend at the lake. What I found was that most of it was pretty good, and filling, but man $9 a meal? For real? I can go to HEB and pick up a bunch of stuff for 1/3 that cost and it'll be just as good. Convenience has a high price, doesn't it?

This weekend I was able to get three dives done, and now have one more to go to finish up a technical diving course. Our plan is to dive an oil rig next weekend in the gulf so we can get the depth since the lake isn't deep enough now (at current levels, its 124' to the bottom).

2011-Aug-22

Krav Maga
Straight punch & low punch, more of the same, getting better, but still need lots of work. Inside defense work is tough, too.

KO Bag Kickboxing
Seemed like a burpee & round-kick party...wow.

2011-Aug-21

Two technical dives at Lake Travis, both over an hour. Sure is cold at the very bottom of the lake...like 55 degrees! Yikes!

2011-Aug-20

Yoga - 45 min

Technical dive at Lake Travis, just over 90min. Those stairs + well over 100lbs of gear is no joke!

2011-Aug-19

KO Bag Kickboxing
Dude...the instructor must have come in a bad mood. He roughed us up :)  Awesome happy hour, if you like pain and sweating a lot.

Results or excuses.

So 12 days ago, I started David King's fitness rehab in order to get myself refocused, mainly on what I was eating and when. At the time, I set a goal for the 21-day program. Well, it's day 13 and I have already met, and by .2lbs, surpassed that goal. Pretty incredible stuff. That said, the number follows...

15

It comes down, really, to choosing to get results vs choosing to make excuses. I can't have both, and neither can you.

2011-Aug-18

Crossfit Central WOD
Push Press 5-5-5-5-5
135-135-135-155-185

“Reagan W”
6 Rounds, 10min cutoff
100 M Run
3 DeadLifts @ 315#
15 Sit ups
5 rounds completed as RX

2011-Aug-17

Krav Maga Class
Straight punches, tons of them. Advancing and getting out of the pocket punches were tough! Have to work on those more. Headlock defense work to end the class was rough, but great to learn/practice.

KO Bag Kickboxing Class
Wednesdays are usually the hardest, and it didn't disappoint! This must be freakin' "burpee week!" :)

Birthday Temptations ... Nice try!

On the 14th, I turned 38. Big deal. I am not one of those people that is all hyped on birthday BS, but it is nice to gather up friends and have dinner or something. I went to dinner, with Fitness Rehab fully in my focus. The restaurant we went to, Gumbo's, is really good. At the same time, it's a minefield of sauces, butter, and everything else that we love. I ordered a NY strip & grilled asparagus with a spinach salad, no dressing thank you, and water. No wine. No bread. No dessert. I didn't feel cheated. I didn't feel like I missed out.

Your friends can sabotage you though, so you have to watch out! One of them actually said "Oh come on man, it's your birthday! Have some cake and a glass of wine...what's the harm in it?"  This is a slippery slope, at least for me. I said "Ok man, let's do it...and then meet me at 615am for a 5-mile run tomorrow morning to pay for it."  I guess I don't need to say, but that got a big F-U :)  I left happy that I could face that challenge. That just say no thing is nice sometimes!

Day 10 of Fitness Rehab is already here. Going by really fast! Having lost 7lbs, I am kinda scared to get on the scale and find that it's not real haha

2011-Aug-16

Crossfit Central WOD
“Stacy M”
AMRAP in 3 mins /Rest 1 Min
Repeat 5 X
9  Box Jumps
6  DB Goblet Squats
9  Pushups
14 rounds total, Rx

Mobility:
Roll out before CC class, TP 6 points after.

2011-Aug-15

Krav Maga Class
A tough class tonight. Lots of kicking drills are no joke!

KO Bag Kickboxing
After 15min break from Krav, I was feeling pretty good. We started off fast and the pace never let up. Lots of burpees, too, which caused a lot of complaining from everyone!

Mobility:
Stretching & TP 6 pts

2011-Aug-14

Went diving, spent 3.5hrs searching for and recovering treasure (aka sunglasses & money). Good time!

Mobility: 
TP 6 points

Recap: Rehab days 1-7, and on to the 2nd week

Its been an interesting seven days. I knew going in that the first few days would suck, or at least be rough. It was, in some ways, quite hard - headaches, for one thing - and past that, just getting into a new routine is usually not an easy process.

My refrigerator sure looks different on the inside today vs. a couple weeks ago. It's amazing how just a few small changes that can really make a massive difference, though. I've dropped seven lbs in the last seven days. Pretty awesome, but I know that pace isn't realistic in the long term and I think a good bit of it is from cleansing. Week two will be interesting and a challenge, which I am looking forward to.

2011-Aug-13

Food: 100%

Krav Maga 1/2
I found the biggest dude in the class and made sure to get him as my partner for training today. He kicked at least as hard as me, so it made me work a heck of a lot harder just holding for him to kick the tombstone pad. Thanks to Crossfit, I have a bit more gas in the tank. We worked on side headlock defense, which I have never done before, so that was cool, and frustrating at the same time.

Temptations are everywhere ... Rehab Day 7

Last night I went to the scuba shop to finish setting up some stuff for some upcoming technical dives. While there, the first thing I noticed was the smell of fresh french fries. It smelled good, no doubt about it. No big deal, really. Then 30-45min later in comes an instructor with two plates of home-made cookies. "Hey boys, they are still warm, come n' get em while you can!"

A couple weeks ago, I am pretty sure I would have partaken in the warm cookie feast, happily sabotaging the path toward my goals with a gluttonous "how bad could it be?" Ridiculous as that sounds, it's pretty much the case. Probably for a lot of people. Having focus back on what I am feeding my fire with has been quite an eye-opener. It's been everything from shocking to amazing, and a little bit embarrassing as well. Embarrassing because I have basically had to own-up to doing what I knew was making a whole lot of very hard work go basically to waste, but not doing anything to fix it. This is one of those situations where reaching out for help has been one of the best things I have done for myself in a long time.

I started logging my food and workouts again. I have been really good about logging my workouts, but as we know that is not the whole picture!

2011-Aug-12

Food: 100% from list

KO Bag Kickboxing
45 min of fun and aggression release :)


Mobility TP, six points

Green Thumb? No.... & Rehab Day 6

I really should have bought a condo. The condo fees would be totally worth it. I hate yard-work, and I am starting to dislike having a yard more and more. This week, I got a nasty-gram from my HOA b/c my grass is not green. Yes, for real. Um, hello...HOA, are you there? Maybe they are unaware that we are in a very bad drought right now. I am not going to violate Austin's water restriction of two days a week like some of my neighbors, but I have to "fix it within a reasonable time."  Great.  Last night, I was a bit angry about it and considered skipping my Krav class so I could spend time working on it, but decided that the extra hour wasn't worth it so I went to Krav and then came back home to start work with a much better attitude. I put down lawn soil and seeds and 30min of water last night and then 30-40min of water today. I am sure it was a waste of time and money.

2011-Aug-11 

Food: 100% list foods only

Crossfit Central WOD
Power Cleans 3 X 5
135, 155, 185

185 was fairly easy....


“Wanda H”
200 M Farmers Walk
45 Wall Ball
200 M Farmer Walk
45 Burpees
DNF - ran out of time: 1pm call I could not miss/be late for.

Mobility: 
Psoas Flossing & Biker Hips
Hurt so good...heh

Minus Six...Fintess Rehab Day 5

Today, I decided to weigh in. I don't want to get into a habit of weighing myself every day, but I felt ... lighter? Hm. Well, it's -6 from just the other day! Holy shit...which is what I think a lot of it is. The changes in my diet plus a cleanse... wow! Enough of that, um, shit :))

Yesterday's workout has me feeling a bit sore, but I was pumped about how I was able to get through it a couple min faster than the previous time. I was thinking last night about ways to change up what I am doing, add a bit more, and making it something I actually enjoy...freakin' DUH: why don't I use the pool!??! No impact, great workout, and I really enjoy it...I gotta start swimming again. Pool access is 6am-10pm, so no reason I can't find time...good idea huh?

2011-Aug-10

Food: (so far so good, update later today/this evening)

Krav Maga Class
Really good skills work, and focus on form, hip rotation. My kicks are getting so much better, and strong! I love kicking and knocking someone back 4-6 feet.

Yoga (Hatha (sp?) stretching) / Mobility
Did a 45min Yoga / stretching DVD after I got home from Krav & 2.5hrs working in the yard.

I shoulda bought a condo....

The fog clears a little...Rehab Day 4

The "fog" of what has ended up being a drastic change to my diet, is starting to clear. I still have a little bit of a headache, though. Much better than yesterday, thankfully.It's almost shocking to feel this way. I thought I was eating pretty well, but it's obvious that isn't the case.

2011-Aug-9

Food: 100% from the list!


Crossfit Central WOD
"DT"
5 rounds, all @ 155#
12 deadlift
9 hang power clean
6 push jerk
9:51 Rx

Yoga For Athletes
Wow, ground poses. Never imagined it could hurt so..good? This was exactly what I needed. My hips & legs felt fantastic after, not so much during :))

Rehab - Days 1 through 3

I needed a little kick in the backside to get things going, reboot, and get a fresh start towards my goals. I started David King's Fitness Rehab program on Saturday Aug. 6, 2011. I will be the first to admit that I knew what to eat, how much water to drink, how much sleep I need a night, and what I need to do in the gym. The problem was simple: I was not 100% focused. I would let things slide, or say "just this little ___ for dinner? No big deal." You know how tons of little things can become a big thing? Yeah, well, if you constantly sabotage yourself with little hits all the time, you definitely will hamper (or kill) your progress.

2011-Aug-8: Fitness Rehab Day 3

Rehab goal: 21 days, 9lbs

Monday, for some people is their least favorite day of the week. For me, it's not that bad! I get to go to a couple great classes and work has the least amount of meetings of any day this week - that is a good thing!

As you can see in the photo, I have my goal written down and posted where I will see it every time I go to open my refrigerator. I have it posted in my office next to my phone as well.

I am seriously having some sugar withdrawal I guess, or something, because I had a killer headache all day. Tylenol can't stop a sugar detox headache, that's for sure. I woke up feeling so fatigued and wishing I could just stay in bed. I didn't feel like doing anything, but there's no giving in. I had to fight through it. A couple hours of punching and kicking took care of that little drama...

Food: 100% from the master list. 

Krav Maga 1
Today was heavy on skills, and not so much on tiring us out. My head was not really into it for the fist 15min or so. Once I got my head right, it was much better.

KO Bag Kickboxing
There's a 15min break between the KM class and this. I stood there waiting, drinking more water, and eating 1/2 OS Trim & a few almonds wishing I was over the first few day blah I knew was coming. Once class started, I was sucking bad for the first 10min. Not really feeling it, didn't want to be there, etc. This bullshit went away once we started hitting the bag. By the time we started punch/kick combos I was fine.

Mobility: Besides the nice stretching in both classes today, I stretched a bit more after I got home and rolled out while watching Hells Kitchen :)

 2011-Aug-7: Fitness Rehab Day 2

Old clothes: ready to go to Goodwill!

Today, I had to run a charter on the lake. I would normally wake up around 645am, load up my gear, and hit Rudy's for two breakfast tacos and coffee on the way. Breakfast tacos are not on my food list, so I woke up 10min early and made breakfast. It ended up being far better and better for me at the same time!  For a snack, I took my shaker with meal replacement shake powder, rather than a power bar and trail mix.  I usually take a huge bottle of vitamin water, that was replaced with water.

I had just done a closet clean a few weeks back, but I still found a bunch of stuff I hadn't worn in a long time, or would probably never wear again.

Food: 100% from the master list.

Workout / Work?
Went on two dives today, one lasting 40min and one lasting 80min. Swam during surface intervals. Went on a nice 40min jog/walk with the dog later in the evening. Not supposed to do vigorous exercise after deep diving, so kept it pretty light, but still got in a good bit of work through the day.

Mobility: foam roller & stretching, lacrosse ball attack on the back (for shoulders).

2011-Aug-6: Fitness Rehab Day 1 

Cleaned out my drawers of tons of old clothes, cleaned the garage and repaired & put up a shelf that had fallen down (along with everything on it). After that, repaired a few sections of fence, pruned a tree back so it wouldn't touch the roof, and took the dog for a walk.

Food: 100% from the master list.

Krav Maga Level 1
Today I had a Level 3 guy as my training partner. It was freakin' awesome to be able to truly hit & kick someone (holding shields, mind you) as hard and aggressive as I could. He had really good feedback too, which was very helpful!

Mobility
TP - all six points

I am going to rehab

click to see the full awesomeness!

Yes, rehab. Fitness rehab. I've been working out real hard, but not getting the results that I should be. I'm pretty sure I know why, and I bet you can easily guess. The fuel I'm using is 87 and I need to be on 93, ya dig?

So starting NOW I am in David King's Fitness Rehab. I will share both my successes and struggles going forward. For now, time to print my list and go grocery shopping!

The time is now.

2011-Aug-5

KO Bag Kickboxing
(after work)

Krav Maga 1/2
(after work & KO Bag)

Mobility
Lunchtime triggerpoint (all six), then more love on the shoulders and hips.

Buck Furpees

It was good to get back to Crossfit Central after their break for the Crossfit Games. I stayed pretty active during the break with Krav and such, but nothing as rough as taking on the daily WOD in the brutal heat.

Today's WOD with the plate burpees ... eh ... I hated it, but it went pretty well. We do a lot of sprawls in Krav, so maybe I'm getting better at up & down since a sprawl is the shitty part of the burpee. So, then you add in a freakin 45lb plate and it makes the burpee a whole different animal! Buck those plate Furpees heh

2011-Aug-4

Crossfit Central WOD
Strength - Back Squat 5x3
135-185-225-225-275

WOD
“Lisa M”
21 – 15 – 9
Plate Burpee to OH, 45lb
Pullups
8:41 Rx

2011-Aug-3

Krav Maga L1
Straight punches and front kicks, which are getting a lot better, then worked inside defenses.After a good bit of that, we did 360 defense slow then all out with pads. It's still a bit freaky having people throw hay-makers at my head, but I am much better at defending & countering.

KO Bag - Kickboxing
Wednesday pain...all the normal warmup, but with 5lb db in each hand. This is massively harder than with nothing. Tons of squats, squat jumps, and squat to jumping round-kick. A side note: It's a little sad to see how pathetic some of the squats in this class are. No depth, chest down, etc. I am thankful for the great coaching I have from Zachary Thiel and Ben Flores at Crossfit Central - legit is the only way that counts.

Closing in on 38

I can't believe it's already August. I guess I am happy because it's closer to vacation time, but I am in no hurry to see my 38th year.

2011-Aug-2

Krav Maga 1/2
Palm-heel strikes, round-kicks, random attacks, inside defenses, round kick defense. It sure feels a lot worse to take a kick to the IT band vs the quad muscle, holy shit!

Mobility: Lacrosse ball attack on the shoulders

2011-Aug-1

Krav Maga 1
Groin kicks, hammer fist up, knees, and from back. Lots of work on choke defense.

KO Bag Kickboxing
A little different today: focused more on power than speed with the bag. Huge kicks and knees. Very fun, but taxing. Good stuff.

Mobility: Ankle/hips

What is your kryptonite?

Well, what is it? Maybe more importantly: Why is it so?

Mine: Overhead Squats.

Root Cause: Flexibility & mobility limitations

I've pretty much been a "stiff" my whole life. I've never had even above-average flexibility or mobility. Mostly, I think, because I didn't ever work on it.  At least I waited until my late 30's to wakeup to this! The impact of the issue, for me at least, is evident in many areas of my life including Crossfit movements, Krav Maga (nearly everything we do), and even recreational stuff like scuba diving ie(reaching back for my valves).

2011-Jul-29

Mobility WOD
T-spine camp-out

Krav Maga 1
Inside defense & round kick until we all died :)

KO Kickboxing
More round kicks...weee...heh

Keep moving

I've had an up and down week.It's amazing how much sleep interruptions can impact the next day. This week, with a sick dog, I've been woken up multiple times a night for a few nights in a row. I find myself fatigued, headaches, and just kinda blah. I have avoided naps b/c they usually make sleeping at night a struggle.

With Crossfit Central taking a normal week off for the Crossfit Games, I will keep moving by doing Krav Maga, Kickboxing, and some much needed Yoga. I've got that and a bunch of scuba diving this weekend, which will make the weekend go by way too fast!

I have GOT to do even more mobility work!  I'm going to go to Mobility WOD every day and do the day's MWOD to help loosen up my "grody grilled cheese glued together muscles."  :))

2011-Jul-28

Krav Maga 1
Today's class was fantastic! Really worked hard today, punches and hammer fists, then side hammers with power. It's crazy how much harder you can hit when you do it correctly. BOOM! BOOM BOOM! Awesome stuff. Finished the class with a 4 on 1 attack drill, which is pretty crazy - getting hit from all directions and fight them off for 1 min doesn't seem like long...yeah, it's a long f-ing minute!

Yoga For Athletes
Still in flow and zen week. Lots of nice long poses.

2011-Jul-27
Krav Maga 1
Class started off pretty rough: 4 rounds 20 jumping jacks, 20 pushups, 20 crunches, 20 squats.  What do you think of that for a warmup? We worked on straight punches, low and high, kicks, and choke defense.

KO Bag Kickboxing
More of the same...Fun. Pain. Sweat..a lot. Rinse & repeat.

Bonk

Today was one of those days. I thought I felt pretty OK then slowly started feeling kinda blah...then I got to my class and just bonked. I had basically jack shit today. It sucked. I sucked. I fell off the box on box jumps twice. I'd never done that before, ever. I just feel sacked. I'm looking forward to yoga later, though. It'll help me get focused and centered again. No time to worry about a bad workout today, for tomorrow I will wake up and hit it.

2011-Jul-26

Crossfit Central Benchmark WOD
CC Flyers
3 rounds
400m run
21 box jump
12 OHS
DNF ... 1 round & 21 box jumps of round 2 done.

Yoga For Athletes
Flow, yo...  

Playing for keeps!

Sometimes Krav Maga is pretty damn intense. We play these "games" where the instructor puts a kick shield or tombstone shield in random places around the room, makes the class lay face down, then yells "GO!!" and you've got to jump up, find a pad to hold else you have to punch / kick / whatever the drill is for one minute. If you're stuck with no pad and no one to punch (aka last man out) you have to do pushups, crunches, burpees, or whatever...basically being last standing sucks!  People will throw shoulder shivers, elbows, knees, hip checks, and anything else it takes to get to a pad. Today I took an elbow to the head...from a girl! Holy shit, she definitely was playing for keeps!


With a trip nearly half way around the world coming up, I've been reading about the TSA and such - you know, making the time I have left to wait longer. I came across this gem today:  Dude takes loaded gun to check in, and it goes off.... What an idiot.

2011-Jul-25
Krav Maga L1
Worked a lot on front kick, which is really fun (and really taxing). Then some straight punch game I mentioned earlier in this post. Finished off class with front choke defense to counter-attack. Stand with eyes closed waiting to be choked is still kinda freaky!

KO Bag Kickboxing
This class was intense. Lots of v-ups, crunches, leg raises, burpees, and pushups. The punch/kick combos were pretty good, but it was kinda sketchy doing jump kicks on a sweaty, slippery floor!

Almost back to normal

I think I am finally getting over the food poisoning or whatever from Saturday. It's made this week really challenging, to say the least. Staying hydrated has been the hardest b/c it's hard to drink or eat when your guts are all twisted up - not to mention you lose a lot of water. Anyway...

2001-Jul-22

KO Bag Kickboxing
More squat kick squat kick death combos ... awesome. Pretty full class for a Friday.

2001-Jul-21

Crossfit Central WOD
Sumo Deadlift 5x2
135, 135, 225, 315, 365X (none at 365)

3 rounds
15 KB clean R (2pood)
15KB clean L (2pood)
35 pullups
DNF (12min cutoff) - 2 rounds + 21 pullups RX


Yoga for Athletes
This is the last week of difficult poses!

2011-Jul-20

Krav Maga class
Straight advancing punches - these are hard to do correctly b/c of the timing and footwork. Roundkicks and roundkicks from the ground.

KO Bag Kickboxing class
Squat, round kick, squat round kick..this gets your HR up real fast!

Down, but not out.

Saturday the 16th I woke up early, the dogs were ready to go out to bark and waste my sleep time. I took them out and while watching them do nothing but walk around I realized I didn't feel right. A few minutes later, it changed from not right to bad. I will spare those of you that may read this the details, leaving just this - it's now Wednesday the 20th and my guts are still all twisted up and things are far from normal. It's hard to just stay hydrated! I didn't workout Saturday, Sunday, or Monday.

The joys of owning my own home were once again realized on Tuesday when the plumber was supposed to show up at 10 for a quick job and didn't arrive until 40min later, thus pushing past my time to leave for class at Crossfit Central - however, he did a great job replacing my spare bath shower/tub fixtures for a lot less than I expected and he didn't have to cut my walls open to do it. I'll take that trade-off.

2011-Jul-19

Krav Maga Class (Level 1)
Worked on advancing punches and elbows and internal defense (straight punches).

Yoga For Athletes
Standing poses, some kinda crazy word I will never remember or spell! A two min headstand to finish up the session

Hay-makers inbound!

This has been a really long week. I've done a lot of work and my fuel has been much better! Also, my laundry work has gone up - that is not a good benefit, is it?  Looking forward to Yoga tomorrow and taking a day to go diving on Sunday.

2011-Jul-15

KO Bag Kickboxing Class 
Man, today's class was hard. The usual combination type stuff then a surprise 1min of max round kicks using both legs if you want from any stance. I got 86. Not the best, far from the worst.

Krav Maga Level 1/2 Class
There was no break between the KO class and this one, so I hurried to hit the restroom and get back. We did a long warmup of shoulder/head/knee touch with partner then added jumping knee to chest 3x on command and three sprawls on command. I was hurting, but trying to keep breath control and not get hit. After some punch work we did the 360 defense. It's pretty damn intense to stand in the room with your eyes closed then wait for someone to tap you from some random direction, then immediately throw a huge hay-maker right at your head, side, or groin! The knife defense class really helped with this. Thankfully they had pads on their arms - I saw someone miss the block and take a pad to the head - no, not me (luckily).

Are you gamed?

I found this link on the Crossfit.com main site - Gamed. Its an interesting read on how companies try hard to get our dollars.

It's been a long week, but a good week! I am looking forward to some rest. Starting to feel like I am burning both ends of the candle.

2011-Jul-14
Crossfit Central WOD
Hang Squat Clean 7x1
135-135-155-185-205x-205  (ran out of time and gas for 7th)

WOD - 12min cutoff
50 Double Unders,
50 Box Jumps
40/40, 30/30, 20/20, 10/10
DNF - was in the 20 round, barely, Rx

Yoga For Athletes
Warrior Pose 2

Hips

It's pretty amazing how much power we can generate with our hips, isn't it? This is true in many things we do. Lift more. Hit harder. Kick like a horse. Fantastic stuff.

2011-Jul-13

Krav Maga class
Hammer fists, hammer side fist, groin kicks, and more choke defense. Good drill with two attackers on us at once.

KO Bag kickboxing class
We did some shadow boxing with dumbbells. Try this with 7lbs per hand for 10 min. Holy shit! Then on to the bag combos and kicks.

Two hrs of great work this evening.

Three -a-days?

Ok I've double dipped a few times lately, meaning more than one workout in a day. I haven't done three yet, and today I've been challenged to go for it. I'm not really nervous or anything, but I don't want to get injured trying to do too much in a day. Mainly I just have to keep hydrated, roll out, and go for it - right?  As one of these is a Yoga class, which can be brutally hard or kinda chill depending on the day, I'm not sure what to expect besides more sweaty clothes. Take that you stupid washer and drier...

I'm very much enjoying Krav Maga, kickboxing, and Yoga along with Crossfit. I think they're the pieces to the puzzle I was missing and will definitely help me reach my goals.

2011-July-12

Crossfit Central WOD
5 rounds
15 push-jerk, 115lb
500m row
18:39 Rx

Ok, for real, this WOD was way harder than I expected. I actually think push-press would have been faster, but I am often wrong. Who knows. I came real close to puking.

Krav Maga Class
We worked palm-heel strikes, groin kicks, & choke defense.

Yoga For Athletes 
Started yoga directly after KM. It was actually maybe a bit easier b/c I was already warm (way past warm, really). We did the superman pose and Warrior 1. For some this was harder than the triangle poses from last week, but for me it wasn't as hard to hold.

>> I filled my 40oz water container 8 times! That's 40 glasses of water <<



Who has two thumbs and will sleep well tonight? THIS GUY!

Double Down

I think that signing up for Krav Maga and all their classes at Fit & Fearless has been a great thing for me. Over the last month I've gained a TON of confidence and I feel like my metcon is definitely improving. Also, it's made me focus a lot more on what I fuel my fire with. Let the benefits roll!

I haven't really ever doubled down on workouts, but lately I have been doing that a bit more. On the 11th doing those classes back to back was pretty freakin' awesome and I felt strong and focused the whole two hours. Good stuff.

Do you double down?

2011-Jul-11

Krav Maga Class
Worked palm-heel strike, front kicks, elbow 1, and choke defense. Great class today.

KO Bag -Kickboxing Class
Another fun, yet crazy challenging class. Lots of kick, jab, squat jump, sprawl, punch combos. It's almost like doing burpees then punching again haha

2011-Jul-10

Went diving. One technical/decompression dive and two fun dives. A fantastic day!

2011-Jul-9

Yoga For Athletes
Triangle poses. The AC was off. By the end, I was doing yoga in a sweat pool the size of Lake Travis

2011-Jul-8

KO Bag - Kickboxing Class
Crazy combo sets, and a killer workout. Fantastic stuff.

A long short week

For a holiday week, this sure has been a long one! Lots and lots to do at work and some great workouts.

My stupid pulled muscle still smarts a bit, but it's getting better.

2011-July-7

Crossfit Central WOD
30 wall ball, 20lb
30 burpees
30 power clean, 95lb
30 toe to bar
150' walking lunge, 45lb overhead
11:49RX

Yoga For Athletes
Standing triangle poses of death (my words). Left sweating like I did another crossfit class! haha

2011-July-6

Krav Maga Class
Straight punches, groin kicks, blind attacks where you have to stand with eyes closed and wait for someone to hit you. Takes a bit to get used to that! Good stuff!

Rest.

Friday I pulled/strained/whatever something in my left side while kickboxing...just another hurdle, right? It pretty much made me take a few days off to rest. When sneezing makes you buckle over in pain, it's time to put away the ego. So, Saturday through Monday I didn't really do jack shit. I didn't even break a sweat. Showers not earned, by any means. I did roll out, do some triggerpoint, and ate clean. Today it hurts still (a little) to sneeze and/or cough, but I figured it's time to get back to work.
 
Griff - In honor of USAF SSgt Travis L. Griffin, 28, who was killed April 3, 2008 in the Rasheed district of Baghdad by an IED strike to his vehicle. Travis is survived by his son Elijah.

2011-Jul-5

Crossfit Central WOD
"Griff"
Run 800
Run 400 backwards
Run 800
Run 400 backwards
17:36

This hurt the arches of my feet more than anything else. I felt like the 400s were agonizing and slow. I hated it, to be honest. My feet still hurt an hour and a half later. W T F.

Finally the weekend, but...

It was a crazy week! New job, training, brutal workouts, etc! It was going so well, until Friday KO Bag class.  Oh well.

 Happy 4th everyone.

2011-July-2

I think today is going to be a rest day. I have that muscle pull still giving me a great deal of trouble. Even sneezing is quite painful. Feels like I broke a rib! WTF!?!

2011-July-1

KO Bag - Kickboxing Class

Tons of crazy combinations of punches and kicks that pretty much no one could follow. Something weird happened. I went to do a kick w/my left leg and I pulled a muscle or something right at the bottom of my rib cage on my left side. It SUCKS!! 

2011-June-30

Crossfit Central WOD
5x3 front squat
135, 135, 165, 185, 225

WOD (95lb bar)
21 SDHP, Run 400
15 SDHP, Run 400
9 SDHP, Run 400
9:36 RX

2011-June-29

Krav Maga Class
Worked straight punches, elbow variations (all 7), groin kicks w/lead leg and trailing leg. Fun game of face down find a pad before someone else.

2011-June-28

Crossfit Central WOD
Cindy
13rounds + 4 squats RX

Already Monday!?

Wow that weekend went by way too fast! I can't even believe it. I guess time really does fly when you're having fun.

2011-June-27

Krav Maga class @ F&F

Worked on hammer fist, groin kicks, elbows, and ground defense. Fun game lay face down, jump up, find a pad to hit...love that!

2011-June-26

Scuba day..aka active rest - I really needed an easy day after the OLY seminar on the 25th. Went to San Marcos for some volunteer dives at Aquarena springs. Nice clear water, until we started cleaning up the Riverbed area.

2011-June-25

Olympic Lifting Seminar @ Fit & Fearless Crossfit
This was my first time to go to any of the Crossfit events at F&F, so I went there with an open mind and determined to get some knowledge and possibly even some skill!  We started out with the Burgener Warmup for the Snatch, then for the Clean & Jerk (full squat cleans w/Split Jerk). After three hours of skill work, we got to the bars to work a 1 rep max for each lift.

Snatch
45, 65, 75, 95, 115, 135x, 135, 155x, 155x = 135 
A bar overhead while in a squat is my kryptonite. This is why I attended. I still have a long way to go, but it was definitely helpful.

Clean & Jerk
135, 155, 175, 185, 205, 225
Man, I have to tell you - it feels good to win. By win I mean complete the biggest C&J of anyone at the seminar. I think I have another 10-20lbs in me, but a) we were out of time and b) after 3:45 of skills and such, I was pretty smoked. I was the only person do do 185 or more and w/the squat - I am not sure why the other guys were just power cleaning it...wtf?

Surprise AMRAP to finish up the seminar...
AMRAP -15min
6 squat clean, 115lb
12 pullups
24 double unders (my other kryptonite)
4 rounds + 1 pullup RX
I found it odd that so many of the other guys that were there, and regularly attend their classes, left! What the hell?

Chris B = Chris Brutal?

The last day of "Client Appreciation" was today at Crossfit Central, and wow we ended it in fine pain-train style in the heat of Texas!

2011-June-24 

Crossfit Central WOD

Sumo Deadlift 5x2 - yeah, again :))
135, 225, 315, 315, 405X

Chris B
4 Rounds
400m Run
10 back squat, 155# (clean -> press over head -> squat it x 10)
14:53 Rx

After work:
KO Bag class - 1hr of punch and kick the heavy bag! I am gonna sleep well tonight...

Finally back home...nice to be back!

Man, I have a lot to do. It's been a busy last 7 days! Just want to get these logged and move along :)

2011-June-23

Crossfit Central WOD
Sumo Deadlift 6x2
135, 225, 315, 365X, 315, 315

Ronnie R
AMRAP 12min
2 wall walk
10 db muscle snatch, 55lb (5R/5L)
20 box jumps
4 + 10 box RX

After work: rest/recover! I was wiped out from a crazy last few days.

2011-June-22

Hyatt Hotel WOD 1
21-15-9
Squat clean & jerk 55lb dumbbells
Pushups
V-ups

WOD2
21-15-9 (55lb db)
deadlift
goblet squats

2011-June-21

Hyatt Hotel WOD
Run 5k
28:28

2011-June-20

Krav Maga class
Tons of hammer fist, kicks, punches. Worked on hook punch techniques, which was really good.

2011-June-19

Went diving...good stuff

2011-June-18

Krav Maga - Blade weapon defense day 2
Two hours of bashing forearms with people learning how to defend against getting stabbed. Awesome stuff!

2011-June-17

Active Rest day

You gotta work on stuff you're not good at.

I suck at overhead squats, which means I also suck at the snatch. I have known this for a long time, but I do not actively work on improving them. I know that just doing CrossFit and everything else I do is not going to magically make these movements improve, but alas I tend to ignore them. There are other things in my life that I actively work on, but these? Not so much. I've been working on mobility a lot more, which will help, but it can't replace actually doing these - even with just my broomstick.

I hereby commit to work on these every week. There's no fucking reason I should struggle to OHS 95lbs being as strong as I am in other lifts (CFT around 1000, for example).

What do you struggle with?

2011 June 16 - Crossfit Central WOD

5x2 hang snatch (coach said not to go heavy, work on form)
45, 45, 65, 65, 75

Cindy B
AMRAP 15min
1 hang snatch
2 overhead squat
1 hang snatch
250m row
4rnds + 2 OHS @ 75lb

After work:
Yoga for Athletes
Focus this month is still on handstands. I'm sure it'll be painfully fun.
Update: Man...when I think of yoga I think of calm, not pain and groaning!!

Time is flying

Dude, where is time going? Am I the only one that feels this way? I can't believe it's already mid-June!

2011-June-15 - Krav Maga Level 1/2 Class

Today's class started off with a good warmup, some shoulder/knee/head touch and then into straight punches, which we haven't done much of. We then moved to choke defense. Next thing I knew our hour was done!

After that, finished up work an headed out to Lake Travis for a dive. Good day!

2011-June-14 - Crossfit Central WOD

Chris R
4 rounds, 15min cutoff
200m run
5 clean, 155
5 muscle-up
5 handstand pushup
2 rounds + 3 MU (jumping) completed.

Clicks

When you get something new and it clicks for the first time, it's one of the best feelings, right? I have found a couple of those moments over the last few days, and it's great! Being new to Krav Maga, each time I go is both a lesson and a killer workout at the same time. Awesome stuff. The various instructors, as you would expect, all have different ways of explaining things - sometimes the way one explains makes it easy to put to action.

2011-Jun-13  Krav Maga Level 1 & 2 class

Felt good to get back at it today after a day off on Sunday. Today a couple things clicked for me with my footwork, which I have been struggling with. Better footwork leads to a better fight position which leads to better hip engagement ending with a much more powerful kick...what's that song? Click click BOOM! 

2011-June-12

Went diving in the morning and shopping for new kicks after.

Champs in Barton Creek (?) mall has Nike Free TR $25.00 off!

2011-June-11 Krav Maga Edge Weapon Defense Seminar

I wasn't sure what to expect -I knew for sure it wouldn't be two hours of sitting and listening to a lecture, though! I had a good night of sleep and was hydrated and ready. The class was fantastic and I really learned a lot. The only bad thing was smashing my forearms against my partner's for two hours straight...both of my forearms (and I bet his too!) are pretty bruised up. Two more hours next weekend!

Busy times

Today starts a hectic next few days. The time will fly by, and it'll be all I can do to get everything done! Workouts, seminars, dive charters, new foster dog, etc...wow! This evening I have a technical dive, which will be a challenge and fun at the same time. I'm a bit sad I'll miss the Yoga for Athletes class tonight, however!

2011-June-9 - Crossfit Central WOD
6x2 Front Squat
135, 185, 185, 205, 225, 255(pr)
“Jess E”       
20 Wall Ball, 20lb
1 Inverted Burpee
18/2, 16/3, 14/4, 12/5, 10/6, 8/7, 6/8, 4/9, 2/10
13:30 Rx

2011-June-8 - Krav Maga class

The 1st week ... looking back, I've learned a lot, but have SO much to learn. Tonight's class was really good. We worked on palm-heel strikes and played a game where the instructor randomly put pads around the room and we had to jump from face-down & hands behind back to our feet, find a pad and hold for someone else who didn't get to one in time. If you are fast enough to get a pad, you're a holder, otherwise you get to spend a minute (which feels like 5) striking the pad over and over. Fun game! I had to hit only once, so that was cool. Then we worked on choke defense, focusing on proper technique and mechanics rather than speed & aggression - better to learn the correct movement, first.

Small changes, big results

OK...confession: Oly lifts are an area that I need big improvements. Today we did power snatch @ 115lb and I found that it was harder than it should have been. I couldn't feel what was going wrong in each lift. Next thing I know I heard Coach Zach "JAMES! Get your ass down!!"  I get into a better position and he says "NOW! GO!"  Result is amazing! The weight flies up much easier! That's small change leading to instant results!

I've found that the same thing works in Krav Maga classes too. Proper rotation of the hips = huge increase in power. Strike with palm not fingers = huge increase in power. Elbow down, not up = ... see what I mean?

I could not see any of these things working out alone. This is why a really good coach is so important.

2011-Jun-7

1) Crossfit Central WOD
"Alexis"
15-12-9-6-3
Power Snatch 115#
Ring rows
10:28 RX

2) Yoga For Athletes
Tonight we focused on shoulder mobility - just what I need, I'm thinking. Next thing I know we are doing wall walks. Over, and over, and over...wow....that was unexpected and pretty hard!! Throw in some wrist mobility and a 2min headstand and before I knew it the 45min class was done and I was, yet again, soaked in sweat.

What a kick-ass day!