PFT

I ran a PFT at Northlake College today. The results?

500m swim: 9:34
Push-ups: 60
Sit-ups: 88
Pull-ups: 11
1.5 mile run: 10:46

Horrible.

The good news is I finally got to meet K. Graves in person.... Totally rad.

Back In the Saddle...

Wahoo! Made it back from Colorado with little more than some bumps and bruises... time to get back to business. Unfortunately, that also means getting back to the j-o-b where I am scheduled to work 72 hours this week. The vacation is over. It's been a struggle to get to the CFDC but I've made it to 2 wod's thus far...

Tuesday (03/24/09) brought 1 rep max deadlift... normally I'd be pumped, but I showed up for this after tired and dehydrated after a 16+ hour shift in a ridiculously busy emergency room. The results were not remarkable, though I did pull a new pr... 310# on my second attempt. That's 15# over my last attempt on 12/22/08. I hope I can nab 2 x bodyweight by summer.

Wednesday was "Tabata Fight Gone Bad." I DID NOT WANT TO WORK OUT TODAY. I literally could have fallen asleep during the warm-up, but I sucked it up and pushed though.

We completed 8 Tabata intervals (20:10) for each of the following:

Wall-Ball, 20 pound ball
Sumo-Deadlift-High-Pull, 75 pounds
Box Jump, 20 inch box
Push-Press, 75 pounds
Row (calories)

My total count was 341... an average result. My last true FGB tally was 275 on 01/16/09.

My weight on 03/23/09 after vacation was 170.2.. dunno what the f*ck to think about that

Begining of the End of the Begining...

1 Rep Max:

Weighted Pull-Ups
1-1-1-1-1-1-1

Then Annie:

50-40-30-20-10 Reps for Time:

Double-Unders
Abmat Sit-Ups


60# pull-up... ALMOST had the 70#. I used 2 x 20# weight vest and a 20# dumbell.

9:51 with 4 x singles... I need to buy some rhythm. Or is it coordination? Either way I can't do continuous du's to save my life.

This is my last workout before I go snowboarding in Aspen for 7 days... let's hope for an injury free snowland adventure as well as a quick return to training at the CFDC.

JT

21-15-9 Reps for Time:

Handstand Push-Ups
Ring Dips
Push-Ups

13:41...

-mostly 2 x jumping dips, started with a few b.w.
-did 21 HSPU with 2 mats, got wrecked, then finished the 2nd and 3rd rounds with
the infamous prison showers
-reg push-ups were a breeze... riiiiight

This was the first time I've done jumping ring-dips... usually I would use a red band. I thought that the jumps would help me keep a more natural body position and provide for a greater ROM, but my legs did much more of the work than I would have liked and in the future I'll use the band to keep the emphasis on my weak lil deltoids.

This was the best I've done on the hspu thus far... still plenty to work on though

Japanese Son-of-a-Beotch

Gwen:

15-12-9 reps of Clean and Jerk

Touch and go at the floor only. Even a re-grip off the floor is a foul.


I pulled 95/105/115 with no fouls, although I did have to rest with the bar in a back squat position. This WOD was more a test of grip strength and cardio-respiratory endurance than anything... good stuff though.

I also did tabata treadmill for the first time. This drill is intended to improve P.O.S.E. running techinique, but I think a sadist with a sense of humor designed it. We put the treadmill at a 12% incline and a speed of 8.0 then used a 20:10 ratio. These might have been the longest 20 sec of my life, but I pushed through and actually finished fairly strong. I will definitely increase the speed in future rounds.

Meltdown

There's just nothing worse in life than disappointment, ESPECIALLY when you have let yourself down. During today's WOD I did just that. Behold:



"The Filthy Fifty"



50 Box Jumps

50 Jumping Pull-Ups

50 Kettlebell Swings, 1 Pood

Walking Lunge, 50 steps

50 Knees-to-Elbows

50 Push-Press, 45#

50 Back Extensions

50 Wall-Ball, 20# Ball

50 Burpees

50 Double Unders



My time was a shameful 29:50 and I have been absolutely disgusted with myself all day. My major time challenges were 1.) knees-to-elbows where I kept losing my grip 2.) wall-balls where I plain gassed out/lost mechanics and 3.) burpees where I started feeling sorry for myself. All this was exacerbated by the fact that it was 80 degrees and 80% humidity. I actually lost 2lbs of water weight during this WOD. That's nearly 1L in less than 30min.



I'm not sure why I feel so frustrated about my performace today, normally I'd just chalk it up to being a new CrossFitter and the fact that it was my first time to do the Filthy Fifty. I suppose I feel that I was well rested, well fed, and ready for the challenge but didn't get near the result I feel I should have. I could blame it on the weather or on the first attempt... but I to blame myself and carry it until the next time the Fifty and I meet.



Weight:172.0... 174.0 after rehydrating

Friends Like These...

Alrighty, so I missed a post last friday. Here it is.

10 rounds of:

20m walking lunge

10 knees-to-elbows

This was tougher than I had anticipated. The result? 10:55, two black knees, and a ripped callus... goodtimes.

That brought in a weekend of rest and spectatorship at the Fittest Games. The games really helped me appreciate my CFDC family, and made me proud to call the quality individuals in this group friends. I can only hope they consider me the same.

Today's WOD was done with a partner. Mine was Millie who totally rocked this workout. We did this WOD much like a relay where only one partner was allowed to run at a time and the only rest you get is while your partner is running. We completed the following workload:

800m run, 2 trips per partner

400m run, 4 trips per partner

200m run, 6 trips per partner

Our total time was 34:04. My personal run time was 13:57, but this doesn't include 2 of the 200m sprints so you can add a minimum of 56sec to that. Actually, when you add 60sec my average mile pace was 5:26 which HAS TO BE incorrect. I think we need to remeasure the CFDC run course.

Today's weight: 174.0

Dragging Ass

Power Clean, 2-2-2-2-2

Then 3 Rounds, for time of:

5 Power Cleans, 85% of your heaviest set
2 minutes of Wall-Ball shots, 20 pound ball
Rest 2 minutes

My final "heavy" set was at 160#... I only nailed it once so I went back down to 155#. There were a few instances when I got the weight up, but then pushed my hips too far forward to get under the bar. I guess this was because I wasn't bringing my arms up and around quickly/completely and had to compensate. Whatever it was I strained my back trying to muscle the bar up. Definitely want to avoid this in the future. At the lighter loads I can feel that "sweet" spot and look forward to the day when I can pop-up a rock solid 200#. Practice, practice, practice...

After all that I used 135# for the WOD which felt light even though it was more than 85% of that 155#. Wall-balls were 46, 47, and 43. On these I knocked out 25 by the 1 minute marker every time. My goal for next time should be 30/minute.

I felt drained after today's workout. I slept well, had a great breakfast, and it wasn't an especially difficult WOD so I'm not sure why I had the slump... I even had a protein shake and a cup of coffee after the workout. Hopefully it's an isolated incident.

Weight: 172.5

Skilled Labor

Today brought an interesting mix of exercise.

First was the Tabata Mash (20:10) with virtual shoveling using a 24" barrier and regular 'ol push-ups.

With a barbell holding only one plate (men 45 pound plate, women 25 pound plate), we touched the plate on one side of the barrier to the other for one rep. My lowest rep counts for a single interval were 10 shovels and 12 push-ups. Actually, I stayed at 10 shovels for the entire duration which tells me that I need to do more weight next go 'round. We did a total of 8 rounds each.

After getting off "the job site" we took off our hard hats and did Tabata L-sit Hangs (10:20). I was able to hold my legs out straight for half of the eight rounds. After that I could only manage holding my knees to my chest.

6 x 400m run with ~40 sec rest between intervals... total run time was 8:57. I did this at a nice lil clip and kinda surprised myself with my times. I hope I can keep up this intensity when I run a legit 1.5 mile.

Weight today was 172.3... WTF?!

I Put A Spell On You

Simple and succinct, here is an article on ideal macronutrient ratios for CrossFit exercise written by Lon Kilgore.

I think the key points to pull from this piece are:

1.) changing body composition is not voodoo. its science, and basic science at that.
2.) energy in, energy out. there's no way around the 2nd law of thermodynamics.
3.) diet without exercise works, if you have 20 years to lose a few pounds.
4.) 40 carb/30 prot/30 fat is close to an ideal macronutrient ratio for CrossFitters
5.) high-quality, non-processed food is ideal and always has been.

The Air is Getting Slippery

Had my pic posted on the CFDC website today... sooper kewl. Today's workout?

4 rounds for time:

750m row
20 53# kettlebell swings

10 pull-ups

Rest 90 sec

After subtracting rest time my total was 19:49... think that's a 4:57 average round. I was able to keep all 4 row sessions below 3:00 but they were all in the 2:50's. Goal for next time will be sub-2:50. Kettlebells swings still feel awkward, maybe that's just part of it. I feel like while trying not to lean too far forward I lose power translation through my hips and, therefore, don't achieve full ROM at the top of the movement. Pull-ups were a breeze today. My grip on rounds 3 and 4 was the only real challenge there. Maybe next time I'll go for the weight vest?

Oh! Speaking of grip, I think I officially have a sweaty hand problem during workouts. I need to look into a training aid so this stops affecting my times. I'm put-off by gloves though.

Weight today was down to 173.0... dehydrated?

A Good Start

Alright, so I've posted all the benchmark WOD's that I have completed (and could find) over the past two-and-a-half months along with relevant times and comments. This was a bit tedious, but will be well worth the effort when I need to compare results and mark progress in the future.

Searching through the workouts I have completed at the CFDC was fairly gratifying. The benchmarks represent only a small fraction of all the WOD's I have experienced, and it gave me warm-fuzzies to see how much work I have done over such a brief period of time.

So from here on out I will give my best effort to post ALL my daily workouts and nutritional intake. I will also be recording personal benchmark achievements in a sidebar list to provide a kind of snapshot of my current fitness ability.

Todays weight is 175.3 lbs. I hope to get some body measurements recorded very soon, just for shits and giggles. I am beginning to realize that I need to develop some specific goals to focus on. Up until this point I've been thinking in broad strokes which has been sufficient in developing a baseline, but if I plan to have any long term success I better put together a battle-plan.

Fail to plan, plan to fail right?

Welcome Home

“Michael”

3 Rounds, for time of:

800m Run
50 Glute-Ham Developer Hip Extensions
50 Glute-Ham Developer Sit-Ups

25:56

I sub'd 750m row for run due to a cranky knee that I injured the previous weekend in the grand canyon. I broke parallel on all GHSU’s but didn’t touch the floor. I had to grab a bucket cuz I thought I was about to blow chunks… God Bless the CFDC, but goddamn the CFDC.

From 02/24/09

Heartbreaker

“Helen”

3 Rounds, for time of:

400m Run
53 pound Kettlebell Swings, 21 reps
12 Pull-Ups

10:40 with 53# and no band… prolly should’ve been a sub 10 but I gassed out on the final round. This is still approximately two-minutes faster than my first Helen which, I didn't know it at the time, I was put through during my initial assessment/fundamentals course. I'm pretty sure I used a lighter kettlebell at that time as well.

From 02/10/09

Voluntary Manslaughter

“Barbara”

5 rounds for time of:

20 Pull-Ups
30 Push-Ups
40 Sit-Ups
50 Squats

Rest precisely three minutes between rounds.

As rx’d with red band on pull-ups 3:11/ 3:13/ 3:37/ 4:52/ 4:52

I lost ROM integrity with push-ups and sit-ups as the rounds went by… maybe a wee bit on the squats as well (hips opening at the top).

I did Barb on 01/28/09 and she is my least favorite WOD to date. Infact, if Barbara were a real person I'd currently be serving ten to twenty without parole.

Need a Shot of Penicillin

"Nasty Girls"

3 Rounds, for time:

50 Squats
7 Muscle-Ups*
10 135# Hang Power Cleans


*1 Muscle-Up = 2 Ring Dips + 2 Pull-Ups substitute

13:30… 115#, kipping pull-ups, assisted ring dips (red band)
My forearms were TOAST after this one.

From 01/21/09

Fight Gone Bad

For those that don't know the FGB WOD consists of 3 rounds of the following:

Wall-ball, 20 pound ball, 10 ft target (Reps)
Sumo deadlift high-pull, 75 pounds (Reps)
Box Jump, 20″ box (Reps)
Push-press, 75 pounds (Reps)
Row (Calories)

In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute.The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. On call of “rotate”, the athletes must move to next station immediately for best score. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point.

I participated in my first FGB on January 16, 2009. Immediately after I began to question the logic in my commitment to the CFDC.

Total: 275

Reattachment

"Christine"

3 rounds for time:

500m Row
12 Bodyweight Deadlifts
21 Box Jumps

10:55 @ 155# (90%)

Also, I switched to box steps on round two because I was dizzy/pussin’ out… but went back to full box jumps on the final round.

I did a fourth round of full box jumps to get my ballz back.

From 01/09/2009

Initializing

My very first CrossFit Total... December 22, 2008

Back Squat: 205
Shoulder Press: 105
Deadlift: 295

Grand Total? Drumroll please.... 605.

I am an embarassment to man.

Hmm...

Ok, I didn't find much... apparently most of my online rants have been deleted. What I did find, however, is my first OFFICIAL CrossFit workout that occured on Wednesday, December 10, 2008 at the CFDC. I didn't make a post with my personal results, but that's probably because I was dead f*cking last.

The WOD was:

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

95# OHS

knees-to-elbows

I only used the 45# barbell and I STRUGGLED with the OHS's... knees-to-elbows I knocked out quickish. Total time? Probably the same amount of time it takes coal to morph into diamond... Ridiculous, but a starting point nonetheless.

Consolidation

THREE! TWO! ONE! GOOOO!...

It's time to giddy-up. This blog is a personal attempt to collect and organize my thoughts. It will primarily function as a fitness and nutrition blog, but I  fully expect to post some random ravings on subjects far removed from the pursuit of a perfect clean and jerk. 

That said, the first few posts here will be a consolidation of past posts and memoirs from various sites. I've spread my mental jelly across the world wide web, albeit on a considerably modest level. I'll collect what I can find here if for no other reason than to add some flavor to the pot. 

Lastly, I want to throw big thanks at the brothers Nix and the CFDC family as a whole for the inspiration and motivation to mentally and physically better myself. I have never been a part of anything more rewarding. You are all rock-stars.