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