I've been reading quite a few articles and blog posts about sport psychology, and more specifically, the mentality of a crossfitter. They cover just about every option, I think. I read articles about continually pushing yourself harder and harder, finding new limits and forcing your self to adapt. I also read articles are periodization, and mandatory yoga-ing/meditation, to destress and deload the overworked crossfitter. In case I, I think Pat Barber. Case II, Chris Spealler. So wait...which way is better? Is there any way to say that Barber is a better competitor over Spealler? That Chris is stronger than Pat? Even with a competition setting (read: Games) there are more variables that make it impossible to just look at their ranking and say "Oh, Barber finished 8th overall, while Spealler finished 11th. Therefore, Pat Barber's training methodology/outlook on rest/work must be more effective." However, it is widely agreed that Spealler's passion and drive for this sport supersedes just about everyone else.
My point is this. Its all in the mind. Yes...injuries aren't mental, and you can't fight through a herniated disk through sheer willpower, you'll hurt yourself further (maybe with willpower, advil, and aggressive foam-rolling). But the approach to EVERYTHING we do in life is mental. Whether its apathetic, passionate, begrudging, or determined. Every WOD you approach, approach with purpose. I'm not a big goal person becuase I honestly usually end up forgetting about them. Thats why I do short term goals. Alright...I'm going to do these KB Swings today unbroken. Or, I don't care how heavy this back squat is. I'm going AtG. This mentality got me through this summer's two/three a days. Once school settles in, I'm going back to them. But this mentality is not a I've done this before, I'll just do it again sort of deal. This is a holyshitI'mnervousalreadybecuaseIknowhowmuchthissucks sort of deal. But I'm going to mentally brace myself, start sleeping with my foam roller, and just do the damn thing.
Ok, I have digressed twice already. The overall intent of this post was talk about Saturday's 31(+1) Heroes. I signed up a week and a half before the actual event. From that point on I was rehearsing how everything would go. How I would break up my thrusters (155?!), mentally practicing the spanish wrap for the rope. Thinking box jumps are my specialty, I'll use those as active recovery. Sometimes I'm so naive I want to kick myself. I psyched myself up (and out) so much. The doubt culminated on thursday into a sort of panic. Shit...what if I can't get that 155 up after a couple rounds? What happens if my grip gives out after all the rope climbs? I had been setting goals for myself and for my team of two (I was joined by Zach Greenwald for this amazing experience). I was talking to Zach that day about logistics...getting there on time, what time I was picking him up, etc. I mentioned having a goal of 7 rounds. And the text I got back pretty much consisted of this: I'm not going to set a number as a goal. My goal is to lay on the floor at the end of the workout, knowing that I gave everything that I had. Knowing that if I tried to get back under that bar, it would crush me, or that I would fall from 15 feet in the air because my arms gave out. Instantly, my mind was calmed. Yes, this was going to suck. But I had been overthinking it. Immediately, my one goal became: Leave nothing on the floor. Forget reps, and rounds. Just give everything I have for the honor of the 31 Heroes that were killed defending me, those I love, and my freedom.
Zach is still living, of course. He did not die in a helicopter on August 6th, 2011. However, I wanted to include him in the 31, because without his words, I would have been demolished by this workout. As it were, I was demolished, just not mentally. We both gave this workout everything we had, even when we realized there was no rope and we had to sub something. Even when the hill we were running our 400s on was uphill, both ways. Even when the towel pullups we subbed obliterated every bit of grip that ever existed in our hands. Even when the incredible and accomodating trainers at Crossfit Durham starting adding weight on our thrusters mid round, so we ended up at 275. At least, thats what it felt like we were doing. We got ~7.5 rounds. But as long as we felt the same way after the workout, I would have been fine with 5 rounds, or 10 rounds. Maybe not 2, but who knows.
Wrapping this whole thing back around, it was mental. I would not have been able to keep cleaning that bar up if my mind had not been in the right place. I was focused on one thing. It happened to be that thruster, or the leftrightleftrightleftright going up the hill.
Look, I know this post has been all over the place. I probably should have had a more solid outline to what I wanted to say, but my passion got the best of me. I could do this all day if someone paid me!
My overall point(s) is/are this: Get your head on straight. Keep the drive alive with the short-term goals. Don't let the passion dim. And above all...listen to your body! If you need rest, take it.
These all tie in with each other, and each one supports the other. If one fails, the others suffer.
So, go do. Lift, run, throw. Be successful, mentally and physically. Just don't let it go to your head
Aaron
Monday, September 5, 2011
Saturday, August 20, 2011
One Final Week
...before I rejoin the Training Valley-ers. I have been remiss about posting this week, not through willful negligence but solely because I have had literally no time. However, that doesn't mean I have been giving up on training, never fear.
This week I started my upped-volume squat cycle. Its been a little rough, and I started feeling it in my knees and right hip Friday afternoon, but I think its the right amount of squatting weekly, as long as I keep rested and refuel properly. I've been modeling my system as if I were training as a powerlifter, with a core exercise and then assistance or accessory exercises making up my strength workout, and I'm really starting to enjoy it. I need to force myself to get up earlier, however, because my morning sessions end up a bit rushed or clipped in order to get to work by 8.
(I don't remember the exact formatting for anything except my squats but I can at least put a general idea down)
Monday:
Back Squat: 6x2 @ 215
OHS
Assistance/Accessory: Core
-215 was easy for two, and I resisted the urge to go up in weight because I wasn't looking to slaughter my quads for the next 4 days. Really made sure I focused on keeping a more upright torso with a higher-bar back squat rather than letting my hips crease too much and ended up with a sore back for the next week
Tuesday:
Deadlifts: Heavy 3s? I don't remember
Assistance/Accessory:
Weighted Pullups
RDL
Lat Pulldowns
Good Mornings
Front Squats 5x3 @ 185
-Could tell my back was starting to get fatigued during my front squats, so I took some extra time at lunch and foam-rolled to ease it up some.
Wednesday:
Back Squat: 6x3 @ 215
Back Extensions
-Running late this morning so I just stretched and went to work.
Thursday:
Bench: 6x2
DB Press
Kroc Rows
Dips
Pullups
-My quads and posterior chain were definitely thanking me for taking a press day. My bench weights were pathetic, of course. Bench has always been something that I've never been good at, so I've never trained, so I've never gotten better at...its a chicken or the egg argument. But chest strength is definitely one of my donkeys, and I don't want that to be a serious weak point.
Friday:
BS: 6x2 @ 215
Core work
Fun little wod....3 rounds:
10 pistols, 5 135 PC
-Gahh these sets of two were completely different than Monday's. My hips were tweaking the whole time, my quads weren't firing properly, and I was struggling to get a full breath. I think it was a case of me not: being focused (woohoo its Friday), not warming up properly, and being utterly gassed in my lower half.
Today (Saturday):
Went back in for press work because I want my lower half to have a little more rest time.
Weighted Pullups
Dips
Bench
Press
Kroc Rows
-Nothing too exciting. My pullups are getting stronger, especially at full extension at the very bottom, a place I've always had trouble with because of my shoulders.
And now before anyone gets antsy and starts saying "you're going to turn into a powerlifter, you've got to get some metcon work in there, some endurance stuff." Well, friends, thats what lunch break is for.
Monday: I believe it was a run, but I don't quite remember
Tuesday: One of the worst AMRAPs I've ever designed (ex post facto)...
20 mins:
5 hang power snatch (95/65)
7 55lb DB swings
9 Situps
-As the hips and lower back fatigued from the swings, I had to power shrug harder and harder to be able to snatch the weight overhead. My traps are still whining
Wednesday: We did a little endurance tweak on one of Scott's gems...
30 min AMRAP:
400m row
400m run
-I can definitely tell my cardio abilities have improved. Didn't stop once, ran from rower to track and back again each time. Extended my time a little bit (1.5 mins) to complete a full 4 miles total. Not too bad.
Thursday: Much needed rest!
Friday: Basketball at lunch
-Even with my legs as gassed as they were, I was still able to run the full hour of games we played. Also got 3 fingers on rim, something I've never done before (going for the full dunk next...) We lost :-(
Saturday: Rest
Going to devise something nasty involving running (stadiums?), an 85/125lb barbell (either can be slightly tweaked), and a 165lb body. I'll post what it is tomorrow. Perhaps an awful hybrid of 400 m runs, C&J, hands-release pushups? Maybe I'll be truly masochistic and take both bars...400m runs, power snatch, and thrusters? "Oh, hey, Pukie...haven't seen you in awhile!" If anyone sees this before I do something stupid tomorrow, please send me suggestions, advice, or encouragement. Or yell at me for being mental.
Aaron
I'm already looking forward to squats again Monday morning. Weird? Probably.
This week I started my upped-volume squat cycle. Its been a little rough, and I started feeling it in my knees and right hip Friday afternoon, but I think its the right amount of squatting weekly, as long as I keep rested and refuel properly. I've been modeling my system as if I were training as a powerlifter, with a core exercise and then assistance or accessory exercises making up my strength workout, and I'm really starting to enjoy it. I need to force myself to get up earlier, however, because my morning sessions end up a bit rushed or clipped in order to get to work by 8.
(I don't remember the exact formatting for anything except my squats but I can at least put a general idea down)
Monday:
Back Squat: 6x2 @ 215
OHS
Assistance/Accessory: Core
-215 was easy for two, and I resisted the urge to go up in weight because I wasn't looking to slaughter my quads for the next 4 days. Really made sure I focused on keeping a more upright torso with a higher-bar back squat rather than letting my hips crease too much and ended up with a sore back for the next week
Tuesday:
Deadlifts: Heavy 3s? I don't remember
Assistance/Accessory:
Weighted Pullups
RDL
Lat Pulldowns
Good Mornings
Front Squats 5x3 @ 185
-Could tell my back was starting to get fatigued during my front squats, so I took some extra time at lunch and foam-rolled to ease it up some.
Wednesday:
Back Squat: 6x3 @ 215
Back Extensions
-Running late this morning so I just stretched and went to work.
Thursday:
Bench: 6x2
DB Press
Kroc Rows
Dips
Pullups
-My quads and posterior chain were definitely thanking me for taking a press day. My bench weights were pathetic, of course. Bench has always been something that I've never been good at, so I've never trained, so I've never gotten better at...its a chicken or the egg argument. But chest strength is definitely one of my donkeys, and I don't want that to be a serious weak point.
Friday:
BS: 6x2 @ 215
Core work
Fun little wod....3 rounds:
10 pistols, 5 135 PC
-Gahh these sets of two were completely different than Monday's. My hips were tweaking the whole time, my quads weren't firing properly, and I was struggling to get a full breath. I think it was a case of me not: being focused (woohoo its Friday), not warming up properly, and being utterly gassed in my lower half.
Today (Saturday):
Went back in for press work because I want my lower half to have a little more rest time.
Weighted Pullups
Dips
Bench
Press
Kroc Rows
-Nothing too exciting. My pullups are getting stronger, especially at full extension at the very bottom, a place I've always had trouble with because of my shoulders.
And now before anyone gets antsy and starts saying "you're going to turn into a powerlifter, you've got to get some metcon work in there, some endurance stuff." Well, friends, thats what lunch break is for.
Monday: I believe it was a run, but I don't quite remember
Tuesday: One of the worst AMRAPs I've ever designed (ex post facto)...
20 mins:
5 hang power snatch (95/65)
7 55lb DB swings
9 Situps
-As the hips and lower back fatigued from the swings, I had to power shrug harder and harder to be able to snatch the weight overhead. My traps are still whining
Wednesday: We did a little endurance tweak on one of Scott's gems...
30 min AMRAP:
400m row
400m run
-I can definitely tell my cardio abilities have improved. Didn't stop once, ran from rower to track and back again each time. Extended my time a little bit (1.5 mins) to complete a full 4 miles total. Not too bad.
Thursday: Much needed rest!
Friday: Basketball at lunch
-Even with my legs as gassed as they were, I was still able to run the full hour of games we played. Also got 3 fingers on rim, something I've never done before (going for the full dunk next...) We lost :-(
Saturday: Rest
Going to devise something nasty involving running (stadiums?), an 85/125lb barbell (either can be slightly tweaked), and a 165lb body. I'll post what it is tomorrow. Perhaps an awful hybrid of 400 m runs, C&J, hands-release pushups? Maybe I'll be truly masochistic and take both bars...400m runs, power snatch, and thrusters? "Oh, hey, Pukie...haven't seen you in awhile!" If anyone sees this before I do something stupid tomorrow, please send me suggestions, advice, or encouragement. Or yell at me for being mental.
Aaron
I'm already looking forward to squats again Monday morning. Weird? Probably.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Todd's WOD (Workout of Destruction)
Disclaimer: I just had pizza. Non-paleo pizza. And it was GREAT.
I took the morning off today. Slept in a bit more, as I got to sleep later than expected last night, and I knew that I would already be behind on sleep, but I needed as much as I could get in preparation for today's workout at lunch.
I'm really not sure what I was thinking today when I programmed this garbage. Awhile back I found an awesome spreadsheet with all kinds of great workouts on it. The last couple ones are called (Endurance Workouts) and are vicious. Workouts that I cringe to look at, and I usually get excited about crazy stuff like this. Workouts like "Triple Murph", or "October Breeze," a workout designed to literally take 8 hours. One of these endurance workouts was called "The 1500." As Rx'ed, it is:
10 rounds of:
100 jump ropes (singles)
10 burpees
10 situps
10 pushups
10 squats
10 pullups
Probably one of the more manageable looking of the endurance workouts. I have a friend at work who lifts with a 48 year old guy named Todd (who SHOULD compete in the Masters) who does Ironmans and triathlons. Todd heard about this workout from my friend Hilton, and has since tried it a couple of times, with 35min and 27min as final results. We were talking about it yesterday and he said that he enjoyed it, it was tough, but he was looking for something a little spicier. So I did a little tweaking last night, and came up with "Todd's WOD"
10 rounds of:
100 jump ropes (singles)
10 burpees
10 situps
10 pushups
10 jump squats
10 pullups
10 kb swings (40lb DB)
10 box jumps
1500 jumped up to 1700 and the squats got worse. I debated hands-release, burpee variations, C2B PUs, etc. But this seemed the most harmless of the monsters that I created last night, so we went with it.
The result? His best time, 27, more than DOUBLED. He finished in 45, I finished in 51, and Hilton (poor Hilton) made it through 7 rounds before we had to get back to work. I had Todd through the first 4 rounds but I came out of the gate too fast, and I was unable to keep my pace up. However, I don't feel too bad because he would have "no-repped" into oblivion. Oh well, he's still a monster. The reps were done one way or another, and so were we. I'm not sure I have ever felt so utterly spent. I spent most of the afternoon staring glaze-eyed at my computer, trying to remember what it was that I was doing before I got demolished.
So what does a Crossfitter do after work when they tanked themselves at lunch, you ask? Lift heavy afterwards, of course! I went and got some pressing in because my shoulders still had some juice left.
5x5 @ 95 (press)
3x8 @ 85 (press)
3x8 @ 45 (weighted dips)
Quick, relatively painless in comparison to the day's earlier destructor, and I REALLY need to work on my overhead strength.
When I got home, and my mother asked me why I looked like I had been put through the meat grinder, I explained to her (in layman's terms) that "I had done a really hard workout during lunch and then did a heavy workout after work." She asked why, and I was a bit confused at first. I sometimes forget that most people really don't have the same drive, the same motivations, about fitness, that I and other dedicated Crossfitters have.
We strive for the impossible. We strive for physical perfection in its rawest, most primal form. We push ourselves to our pre-conceived limits, discover that we have a whole lot of juice left, and we make new ones. We sweat (a lot), bleed (fairly often), throw up (probably too often), cry, yell, jump up and down, scream, get frustrated, and get ecstatic about things that the vast majority of people we come into contact with every day would either look at us like we were fools, superheros, or a combination of both. Its something they will never understand until they attempt it themselves. Until they attempt to break whatever it is that has been holding them down by the strength and sweat of their own work, they will always consider us freaks. The koolaid drinkers. Cult followers. Lunatics.
Think about how your life would be without this pursuit of physical excellence. I honestly struggle to do so. Its such a part of my life now that losing it would be like losing as arm. And it goes beyond "wanting to be ___ (big, strong, lean, toned, attractive to the opposite sex)". Sure, it kinda starts there. Some of it is the desire to be healthy, some of it is vain. But I've realized, through the months of soreness and sweat, that other motivations have bubbled up to the surface.
Through the chaos: the gasping, the bleeding, the heavy metal; comes a sense of well-being, a sense of peace and of purpose, and of value. Is it us telling ourselves "damn I look good with the pump going" or is it a subconscious realization that we are forging a commitment to something greater than ourselves?
I am more than the weight I lift, or the times that I run. I am an athlete, but these are all just small parts of who I am. Subtract the squats. Banish the bicep curls (we should do that anyway). Ditch the deadlifts. What you have is raw drive. And being better tomorrow than I am today....
thats everything.
I took the morning off today. Slept in a bit more, as I got to sleep later than expected last night, and I knew that I would already be behind on sleep, but I needed as much as I could get in preparation for today's workout at lunch.
I'm really not sure what I was thinking today when I programmed this garbage. Awhile back I found an awesome spreadsheet with all kinds of great workouts on it. The last couple ones are called (Endurance Workouts) and are vicious. Workouts that I cringe to look at, and I usually get excited about crazy stuff like this. Workouts like "Triple Murph", or "October Breeze," a workout designed to literally take 8 hours. One of these endurance workouts was called "The 1500." As Rx'ed, it is:
10 rounds of:
100 jump ropes (singles)
10 burpees
10 situps
10 pushups
10 squats
10 pullups
Probably one of the more manageable looking of the endurance workouts. I have a friend at work who lifts with a 48 year old guy named Todd (who SHOULD compete in the Masters) who does Ironmans and triathlons. Todd heard about this workout from my friend Hilton, and has since tried it a couple of times, with 35min and 27min as final results. We were talking about it yesterday and he said that he enjoyed it, it was tough, but he was looking for something a little spicier. So I did a little tweaking last night, and came up with "Todd's WOD"
10 rounds of:
100 jump ropes (singles)
10 burpees
10 situps
10 pushups
10 jump squats
10 pullups
10 kb swings (40lb DB)
10 box jumps
1500 jumped up to 1700 and the squats got worse. I debated hands-release, burpee variations, C2B PUs, etc. But this seemed the most harmless of the monsters that I created last night, so we went with it.
The result? His best time, 27, more than DOUBLED. He finished in 45, I finished in 51, and Hilton (poor Hilton) made it through 7 rounds before we had to get back to work. I had Todd through the first 4 rounds but I came out of the gate too fast, and I was unable to keep my pace up. However, I don't feel too bad because he would have "no-repped" into oblivion. Oh well, he's still a monster. The reps were done one way or another, and so were we. I'm not sure I have ever felt so utterly spent. I spent most of the afternoon staring glaze-eyed at my computer, trying to remember what it was that I was doing before I got demolished.
So what does a Crossfitter do after work when they tanked themselves at lunch, you ask? Lift heavy afterwards, of course! I went and got some pressing in because my shoulders still had some juice left.
5x5 @ 95 (press)
3x8 @ 85 (press)
3x8 @ 45 (weighted dips)
Quick, relatively painless in comparison to the day's earlier destructor, and I REALLY need to work on my overhead strength.
When I got home, and my mother asked me why I looked like I had been put through the meat grinder, I explained to her (in layman's terms) that "I had done a really hard workout during lunch and then did a heavy workout after work." She asked why, and I was a bit confused at first. I sometimes forget that most people really don't have the same drive, the same motivations, about fitness, that I and other dedicated Crossfitters have.
We strive for the impossible. We strive for physical perfection in its rawest, most primal form. We push ourselves to our pre-conceived limits, discover that we have a whole lot of juice left, and we make new ones. We sweat (a lot), bleed (fairly often), throw up (probably too often), cry, yell, jump up and down, scream, get frustrated, and get ecstatic about things that the vast majority of people we come into contact with every day would either look at us like we were fools, superheros, or a combination of both. Its something they will never understand until they attempt it themselves. Until they attempt to break whatever it is that has been holding them down by the strength and sweat of their own work, they will always consider us freaks. The koolaid drinkers. Cult followers. Lunatics.
Think about how your life would be without this pursuit of physical excellence. I honestly struggle to do so. Its such a part of my life now that losing it would be like losing as arm. And it goes beyond "wanting to be ___ (big, strong, lean, toned, attractive to the opposite sex)". Sure, it kinda starts there. Some of it is the desire to be healthy, some of it is vain. But I've realized, through the months of soreness and sweat, that other motivations have bubbled up to the surface.
Through the chaos: the gasping, the bleeding, the heavy metal; comes a sense of well-being, a sense of peace and of purpose, and of value. Is it us telling ourselves "damn I look good with the pump going" or is it a subconscious realization that we are forging a commitment to something greater than ourselves?
I am more than the weight I lift, or the times that I run. I am an athlete, but these are all just small parts of who I am. Subtract the squats. Banish the bicep curls (we should do that anyway). Ditch the deadlifts. What you have is raw drive. And being better tomorrow than I am today....
thats everything.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Oops.
I intended on two wods today...a morning deadlift session and evening metcon.
I was not anticipating three!
And to be honest, I'm fit enough that three isn't too much of a problem. However, when all three wods are 90% posterior chain loads, well...thats a whole different beast.
I was a little late getting into the Y this morning, so speed deadlifts and assistance work (planned) turned into speed deadlifts and shower. Worked up to 3 at 315, then 6x5 at 245. Felt great, honestly. Little twinge in the right knee, but just leftover junk from leg presses.
So then I get to work and discover that my friend Hilton was back for a couple of weeks, and he wanted to go to the Y during lunch, and he wanted to do some sort of "cardio" because he "needed to work off the double-fisted beers on the boat from this weekend." So we had a little fun with the Ergs and did today's mainsite WOD. 4 500m rows with 3 minutes rest between each. Kept them all to 1:40-1:45 rather than busting for 1:30, mainly because the deadlifts from a few hours ago were still laughing at me.
Apparently Hilton didn't enjoy that enough though, because at 3:30 he messages me asking if I want to run after work. I really need to learn to say no. That honestly might have been 4 of the worst miles I have ever run. There was absolutely no gas left in my hamstrings or calves, and the glutes were definitely complaining the whole time.
Silly Aaron. You're gonna regret all that tomorrow! I've already made an executive decision that tomorrow will NOT be a back squat day, or front squat day, or any day involving load on the legs. IF I can get out of the bed tomorrow morning it will be a press day.
Nutrition is good though. I've seriously cut down on the carb intake because they are really quite unnecessary. I've been eating higher protein and higher fat percentages, and it took me a bit to get used to it. I was reading an article on making the switch though, and something he said really clicked. You always feel fatigued and weak when you first switch the diet because its like a bunch of Ford employees showing up at the factory and told they are making iPads. Your body is in chaos and confusion because most of our lives we have been raised on high-carb diets, and our enzymes aren't adjusted to breaking down proteins and fats. So it takes a bit to get used to, but once your body does make the keto-adjustment, burning fats is primary source of energy. Fun fact of the day...this is what I've been reading about all afternoon. Good stuff!
-Aaron
I was not anticipating three!
And to be honest, I'm fit enough that three isn't too much of a problem. However, when all three wods are 90% posterior chain loads, well...thats a whole different beast.
I was a little late getting into the Y this morning, so speed deadlifts and assistance work (planned) turned into speed deadlifts and shower. Worked up to 3 at 315, then 6x5 at 245. Felt great, honestly. Little twinge in the right knee, but just leftover junk from leg presses.
So then I get to work and discover that my friend Hilton was back for a couple of weeks, and he wanted to go to the Y during lunch, and he wanted to do some sort of "cardio" because he "needed to work off the double-fisted beers on the boat from this weekend." So we had a little fun with the Ergs and did today's mainsite WOD. 4 500m rows with 3 minutes rest between each. Kept them all to 1:40-1:45 rather than busting for 1:30, mainly because the deadlifts from a few hours ago were still laughing at me.
Apparently Hilton didn't enjoy that enough though, because at 3:30 he messages me asking if I want to run after work. I really need to learn to say no. That honestly might have been 4 of the worst miles I have ever run. There was absolutely no gas left in my hamstrings or calves, and the glutes were definitely complaining the whole time.
Silly Aaron. You're gonna regret all that tomorrow! I've already made an executive decision that tomorrow will NOT be a back squat day, or front squat day, or any day involving load on the legs. IF I can get out of the bed tomorrow morning it will be a press day.
Nutrition is good though. I've seriously cut down on the carb intake because they are really quite unnecessary. I've been eating higher protein and higher fat percentages, and it took me a bit to get used to it. I was reading an article on making the switch though, and something he said really clicked. You always feel fatigued and weak when you first switch the diet because its like a bunch of Ford employees showing up at the factory and told they are making iPads. Your body is in chaos and confusion because most of our lives we have been raised on high-carb diets, and our enzymes aren't adjusted to breaking down proteins and fats. So it takes a bit to get used to, but once your body does make the keto-adjustment, burning fats is primary source of energy. Fun fact of the day...this is what I've been reading about all afternoon. Good stuff!
-Aaron
Saturday, August 6, 2011
What a hiatus!
So...the whole forcing myself to stay accountable and journal everything kind of fell through a bit. I'm back thanks to the encouragement to both E and Ashley, and I want them to know that I am grateful (if grudgingly so). Training has been interesting this summer, as I have only been able to do so much with what I have. However, I caved on monday and bought a month at the YMCA for 40 bucks.
Is it weird to say that it was a relief to get significant weight on my back again? I've done two-a-days all this week. A strength wod in the mornings before work at 6:30, then a metcon when I get home around 5:15. I've also recently been paying more attention to my donkeys (you know...the lifts that make you look like an ass when you try them) and I think that is finally paying off. My endurance is finally increasing from more running, but today I PR'ed shoulder press, power snatch, and power clean and jerk. 140, 145, and 205, respectively. Numbers I am very happy with, considering how tanked my hamstrings and back are from DLs earlier this week.
Today made me EXCITED about lifting again. This whole summer I've enjoyed it, but never been super pumped. Sure, there have been times I've really looked forward to a workout, but there are other times that I just down right don't want to. "It's my birthday and I won't wod if I don't want to."
Its nice to see progress again though, and progress beyond where I was when I came home for the summer. It's been a stagnant couple of months, with travel, work, and friends taking up a lot of my time. I'm going to try my hardest to make August the month that I really start seeing what I am capable of with CF.
Today's Lifts: (don't remember the exact numbers, will keep better track from now on; posted numbers are highest for the day)
Shoulder Press (140 PR)
Push Press (175)
Thruster (175)
Power Snatch (145)
Power Clean and Jerk (205)
Tomorrow!
Cindy
Then;
Snatch Balance; OHS; Snatch
-My O lifting has gone down the drain, except for the PC&J, so I'm going to take tomorrow and really attempt to nail down some form issues, starting with keeping the elbows locked until after the hip extension and power shrug. Also will attempt a PR for the OHS...I've discovered that avoiding dropping the weights for fear of being ejected from the gym is a great incentive to keep it overhead.
Is it weird to say that it was a relief to get significant weight on my back again? I've done two-a-days all this week. A strength wod in the mornings before work at 6:30, then a metcon when I get home around 5:15. I've also recently been paying more attention to my donkeys (you know...the lifts that make you look like an ass when you try them) and I think that is finally paying off. My endurance is finally increasing from more running, but today I PR'ed shoulder press, power snatch, and power clean and jerk. 140, 145, and 205, respectively. Numbers I am very happy with, considering how tanked my hamstrings and back are from DLs earlier this week.
Today made me EXCITED about lifting again. This whole summer I've enjoyed it, but never been super pumped. Sure, there have been times I've really looked forward to a workout, but there are other times that I just down right don't want to. "It's my birthday and I won't wod if I don't want to."
Its nice to see progress again though, and progress beyond where I was when I came home for the summer. It's been a stagnant couple of months, with travel, work, and friends taking up a lot of my time. I'm going to try my hardest to make August the month that I really start seeing what I am capable of with CF.
Today's Lifts: (don't remember the exact numbers, will keep better track from now on; posted numbers are highest for the day)
Shoulder Press (140 PR)
Push Press (175)
Thruster (175)
Power Snatch (145)
Power Clean and Jerk (205)
Tomorrow!
Cindy
Then;
Snatch Balance; OHS; Snatch
-My O lifting has gone down the drain, except for the PC&J, so I'm going to take tomorrow and really attempt to nail down some form issues, starting with keeping the elbows locked until after the hip extension and power shrug. Also will attempt a PR for the OHS...I've discovered that avoiding dropping the weights for fear of being ejected from the gym is a great incentive to keep it overhead.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Crossfit Conversation
I used to take every opportunity I had to talk about Crossfit with people. Any time working out, or lifting, or running came up everyday conversation I would find a nice segue-way to chime in about how combining those three yields the best results, and about how as Crossfitters we employ "constantly-varied, high-intensity, functional movement" in an attempt to tackle the 10 areas of fitness (as defined by Greg Glassman, copyright Crossfit 1995 blah blah). At some point I realized that wasn't getting through to anyone, so I switched to the scientific reasons why. However, talk of the phosphagen, glycolytic, and oxidative pathways associated with anaerobic and aerobic fitness only returned blank stares and made me sound pretentious. "Anaerobic and aerobic fitness...didn't we learn about that in middle school health?" Talk of the psychologic, physical, and physiological connection that Crossfit demands only made people dub me the fitness "shrink" (thats psychiatry, morons) for awhile. Throwing "increased work capacity across broad time and modal domains" means absolutely nothing to my friends who are interested in physical fitness, whether they be male or female.
After a time I got frustrated, because I am so passionate about this and fitness but I could never display this properly to anyone. So i stopped. For a time.
I think I'm finally getting it though. As much as aesthetics are NOT a central part of Crossfit, lets be honest. Crossfitters look good. Its evidence-based fitness. The people who I am trying to convince to try this are about 20, and body image is a large part of our lives. I am comfortable promising someone that they will be stronger, faster, leaner, healthier, and happier (because I wholly believe they will be) to convince that person to try it out. I've had a couple friends join me for a saturday morning "Bring-A-Friend-To-Crossfit" day in which we usually throw around a scaled FGB or other benchmark workout to give them a good taste, and when I ask how it went, the prevailing response has been "well it sucked but I kinda enjoyed it. I also understand why you crazy people look the way you do now." And those who have seen that and understand are the ones who are most likely to come back.
So you know what? Take your shirt off more. Lift stuff with ease that most people look around for someone to help them with. I was helping a friend move in to her apartment last night, had a bag in one hand and picked the trailer up off the hitch with the other so her mom could move the car. It wasn't super heavy, I'm not bragging on myself. But that simple lift (new WOD: 21-15-9 bag carries and trailer lifts) had the other guys I was working with kind of interested in whatever juice I was drinking. If you get the chance, and you can do it without sounding cocky, throw around some numbers. A lot of us are able to lift 2 or 3 times our body weight, and sometimes for multiple reps. Thats shocking to the general public, especially when they realize that its not a huge powerlifter doing so.
Just keep it simple for those ig'nants we have yet to convert. They don't have the passion we do yet. Also realize your audience. Present it as a challenge if you are pitching it to a dude, or athletic woman. Tell them they WILL get results if they put in the work. Remind the girls that they ARE NOT going to turn into a super-muscly woman by doing CF. They will get stronger, and shed fat. That goes for the guys too. Think of yourself pre-Crossfit, and figure out what you would have said to yourself.
Lets take this cult public!
Thursday WOD:
AMRAP in 30min:
400m row
400m run (w/ 20# ball)
-6 rounds + 400m row
-cardiorespiratory destruction...bruised a rib by mentally checking out on the rower and hurling the handle into my sternum repeatedly. I is intelligent. This comes out at 3.25 miles in 30 minutes, though, so thats a heartening time if I ever wanted to try for a timed 5k.
Friday WOD:
For time:
10 Pullups, 30 Situps
20 Box Jumps, 30 Situps
30 KB Swings, 30 Situps
40 Pushups, 30 Situps
50 Squats, 30 Situps
1 mile
-17:45
-came into this one a bit more under-rested than I would have liked, but thats the way it goes. Adapt, Aaron. My mile time was too slow, even for capping the workout. I attribute some of the sluggishness to the heat (1:00pm in the Piedmont region is akin to a balmy day in hell) but I really just didn't have any gas in the legs. Congrats to J.P. and E on STELLAR times on this one (sub-17).
Leaving wednesday for a two week trip to Europe. I had initally considered treating it as two weeks of active recovery (lots of walking, some stretching) but Scott reminded me that Europe has boxes too...so heres a couple boxes in cities I'll be in:
http://www.crossfitmunich.com/
http://www.crossfitwerk.de/
I'm pumped. International bonding over fitness!
Status:
After a time I got frustrated, because I am so passionate about this and fitness but I could never display this properly to anyone. So i stopped. For a time.
I think I'm finally getting it though. As much as aesthetics are NOT a central part of Crossfit, lets be honest. Crossfitters look good. Its evidence-based fitness. The people who I am trying to convince to try this are about 20, and body image is a large part of our lives. I am comfortable promising someone that they will be stronger, faster, leaner, healthier, and happier (because I wholly believe they will be) to convince that person to try it out. I've had a couple friends join me for a saturday morning "Bring-A-Friend-To-Crossfit" day in which we usually throw around a scaled FGB or other benchmark workout to give them a good taste, and when I ask how it went, the prevailing response has been "well it sucked but I kinda enjoyed it. I also understand why you crazy people look the way you do now." And those who have seen that and understand are the ones who are most likely to come back.
So you know what? Take your shirt off more. Lift stuff with ease that most people look around for someone to help them with. I was helping a friend move in to her apartment last night, had a bag in one hand and picked the trailer up off the hitch with the other so her mom could move the car. It wasn't super heavy, I'm not bragging on myself. But that simple lift (new WOD: 21-15-9 bag carries and trailer lifts) had the other guys I was working with kind of interested in whatever juice I was drinking. If you get the chance, and you can do it without sounding cocky, throw around some numbers. A lot of us are able to lift 2 or 3 times our body weight, and sometimes for multiple reps. Thats shocking to the general public, especially when they realize that its not a huge powerlifter doing so.
Just keep it simple for those ig'nants we have yet to convert. They don't have the passion we do yet. Also realize your audience. Present it as a challenge if you are pitching it to a dude, or athletic woman. Tell them they WILL get results if they put in the work. Remind the girls that they ARE NOT going to turn into a super-muscly woman by doing CF. They will get stronger, and shed fat. That goes for the guys too. Think of yourself pre-Crossfit, and figure out what you would have said to yourself.
Lets take this cult public!
Thursday WOD:
AMRAP in 30min:
400m row
400m run (w/ 20# ball)
-6 rounds + 400m row
-cardiorespiratory destruction...bruised a rib by mentally checking out on the rower and hurling the handle into my sternum repeatedly. I is intelligent. This comes out at 3.25 miles in 30 minutes, though, so thats a heartening time if I ever wanted to try for a timed 5k.
Friday WOD:
For time:
10 Pullups, 30 Situps
20 Box Jumps, 30 Situps
30 KB Swings, 30 Situps
40 Pushups, 30 Situps
50 Squats, 30 Situps
1 mile
-17:45
-came into this one a bit more under-rested than I would have liked, but thats the way it goes. Adapt, Aaron. My mile time was too slow, even for capping the workout. I attribute some of the sluggishness to the heat (1:00pm in the Piedmont region is akin to a balmy day in hell) but I really just didn't have any gas in the legs. Congrats to J.P. and E on STELLAR times on this one (sub-17).
Leaving wednesday for a two week trip to Europe. I had initally considered treating it as two weeks of active recovery (lots of walking, some stretching) but Scott reminded me that Europe has boxes too...so heres a couple boxes in cities I'll be in:
http://www.crossfitmunich.com/
http://www.crossfitwerk.de/
I'm pumped. International bonding over fitness!
Status:
- Body- an absolute wreck. Hip flexors are killing me from driving all day, shoulders are joint-sore, rib is tender to touch, smacked my face on a barbell. But honestly...I feel great. :-)
- Nutrition- alright. Minus the corndog I found in our freezer at school and the Bojangles I had on the way there. And the donut at Dunkin Donuts. Ok so maybe nutrition was worse than I thought.
- Sleep- Best I've had in awhile. I sleep better in my apartment at school, oddly enough.
- Notes- I think I finally have the butterfly kip nailed down, at least to where I string together 10 or so (I did this afternoon) and thats really gonna help in some of these workouts. I don't mind doing the regular kip but it can get pretty slow.
Best website I've found in awhile, short of lolcats. Heh.
Aaron
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Good news! Headed back to Elon for a couple of days, so will be able to actually put some weight on the bar and squat something worth getting under! The school weight room down there is fairly anti-Crossfit (they asked us to stop after one particularly rowdy Diane...) but they at least have a squat rack or two. Then I get the true therapy heading to the Valley to work out with some of my favorite people ever. All in all, should be a great day. Except for the rounds of 400m run, 400m row Scott has us doing. Pony up!
Got the shoulder work in this morning but today has been off in every imaginable way. I had a little energy early afternoon right as a thunderstorm hit, so I couldn't run, which I had been planning on (fun little running WOD, 30 minutes easy pace with a full on sprint every 3 minutes) and by the time the storm passed, I was napping. Only the one WOD today. Had to ice for the first time in awhile, the left shoulder is tweaking again. All in all, this is a boring post, but I'm determined to keep up with it.
Status:
Got the shoulder work in this morning but today has been off in every imaginable way. I had a little energy early afternoon right as a thunderstorm hit, so I couldn't run, which I had been planning on (fun little running WOD, 30 minutes easy pace with a full on sprint every 3 minutes) and by the time the storm passed, I was napping. Only the one WOD today. Had to ice for the first time in awhile, the left shoulder is tweaking again. All in all, this is a boring post, but I'm determined to keep up with it.
Status:
- Body- Bad. Hip flexors are so sore and tight that they feel a bit like spring loaded pistons. Left shoulder is sensitive to most movement, and I can't press the fingers into the front of it. The sound my right wrist is making would make Orville Redenbacher proud (gotta rotate that hand forward in my presses), and I'll probably need to go back to wrapping it for a while when doing anything overhead.
- Nutrition- Bad today, too. I eat all the healthy stuff in the house too quickly, and then I just get so stinkin' hungry that I eat whatever I can get my hands...which amounted to two frozen pizzas this afternoon, back to back. 1400 instant calories, most of it useless.
- Sleep- Better tonight, but still leaving much to be desired.
- I'm going to be trying to get my shit back together and heal up leading up to and during the duration of my trip to Germany (15 days, leave on Wednesday). Hopefully I can come back with my joints actually being friendly, well rested, and ready to hit the training hard. Today's goal is to go ahead and start doing weekly programming. I'm going to shoot for twoaday strength/metcons and either a lengthy, easy paced run, or a shorter, more intense run 3 times a week. We'll see if my body can keep up with my head!
Aaron
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
The Why
The past two posts have been the What. But I've been sitting in my room playing Call of Duty and just generally being a waste of space (because I have no job, hence no money for gas, hence I sit in my room playing CoD) and sitting usually ends up resulting in thinking, and thinking generally rolls around to CF or training, or just fitness in general. So between that and a conversation with a dear friend about her being nervous about her first class on Wednesday night, I decided I need to figure out WHY I do this to myself daily. Why I love the CF Koolaid more than coffee (and I REALLY love coffee).
Carly, my friend, was telling me she was nervous, and asking me what to expect. I told her that thats one of the best parts of this cultish lifestyle. You don't know what to expect, and you're always nervous. Admit it, you know that if the T-minus 10 before the (loved, and hated) GO doesn't have your stomach in knots, your tongue stuck to the roof of your mouth, and a sudden urge to just run away, your WOD isn't hard enough. And even though those 10 seconds are some of the 10 longest you've ever experienced, its not time dilation, its just anticipation.
Then 3, 2, 1...Go. And you obey. You go.
The going...well the going absolutely sucks. The initial muscle fatigue hits right as your sweat starts to ramp up, so right around the time you start wearing down the bar starts getting slick. Figures. Then you realize you're on rep 8 of 12 or 10 or 50, first exercise of however many. So you grab some chalk, shake the shoulders or hips out quickly, stop thinking about anything except the reps, and keep pounding them out.
Thennnnn you can't breathe. You're fighting the urge to start begging everyone you see for an inhaler, even though you don't have asthma...the sweat starts running into your eyes and the salinic sting is the only connection you have to the civilized humanity, because now you realize that you are primal. You are absolutely feral, and the bar is standing between you and survival.
Enter adrenaline. This surge is other-worldly, as you realize that gravity is losing its hold on you. The going continues to suck. But you realize you're flying...until you finish the last rep, or the bell goes, and you (gracefully, of course) hit the floor faster than the 500lb DL that you wish you had. Make about as much noise, too.
You feel like you just finished an ultra-marathon...then you look at the clock and realize you've only been going for 8 minutes. You only felt the first 3. The rest, you were a machine.
And its there, on the floor, vision blurred, utterly gassed, devoid of air...thats part of the Why. You know that you are unconquerable, even prostrate on the ground. You are powerful, you are beautifully fit. That its just a barbell, a pullup bar, a jump rope, or a set of rings; and you are something greater than all of those things combined. You are capable of vast amounts of work (a shout out to all you physics nerds like myself: work=force*distance; where force=mass*acceleration; and acceleration=velocity/time (dv/dt). It may look like mumbo-jumbo, but all I'm saying is that you moved a certain mass a certain velocity in a certain time, over a given distance. Maximize mass, velocity, distance, and minimize time... and you've essentially got Fran.) that on paper look implausible for any one human. And you know what? You might have scaled it. You might have done assisted pullups. Maybe you had to substitute 3x singles for double-unders (guilty). But you did it, and hopefully you put as much effort into your trial as the dude next to you who did it with the 40lb weight vest.
Another part of the Why; that same bro who did the WOD Rx'ed with the weight vest? He finished 2 minutes before you, spent 30 seconds on the floor, and the other 1:30 before you finished he was cheering for you harder than he would have cheered for himself. One of the most memorable events at my box at school (www.crossfittrainingvalley.com) was the entire gym erupting in cheers as a middle-aged mother got her first unassisted pullup. I was as happy for her to get that, knowing how hard she worked for it, as I was when I got my first muscle-up.
The community aspect is the reason Crossfit is so successful. I was apprehensive about Reebok taking the interest that they did (I'm an "underground" sort of guy) but I really think CF has invaded Reebok other than vice versa, which I was afraid of.
I apologize for the tangent, but can we petition Reebok to change the name of the Reebok Crossfit One affiliate to "Ree-Box?" I would love that.
Well I'm sure as soon as I publish this I'll think of some other reason I chug the koolaid, but this'll have to do for now, because I think its cool enough for a run.
Peace, Love, and Thrusters...
-Aaron (aka Rn, aka "The Freak")
Carly, my friend, was telling me she was nervous, and asking me what to expect. I told her that thats one of the best parts of this cultish lifestyle. You don't know what to expect, and you're always nervous. Admit it, you know that if the T-minus 10 before the (loved, and hated) GO doesn't have your stomach in knots, your tongue stuck to the roof of your mouth, and a sudden urge to just run away, your WOD isn't hard enough. And even though those 10 seconds are some of the 10 longest you've ever experienced, its not time dilation, its just anticipation.
Then 3, 2, 1...Go. And you obey. You go.
The going...well the going absolutely sucks. The initial muscle fatigue hits right as your sweat starts to ramp up, so right around the time you start wearing down the bar starts getting slick. Figures. Then you realize you're on rep 8 of 12 or 10 or 50, first exercise of however many. So you grab some chalk, shake the shoulders or hips out quickly, stop thinking about anything except the reps, and keep pounding them out.
Thennnnn you can't breathe. You're fighting the urge to start begging everyone you see for an inhaler, even though you don't have asthma...the sweat starts running into your eyes and the salinic sting is the only connection you have to the civilized humanity, because now you realize that you are primal. You are absolutely feral, and the bar is standing between you and survival.
Enter adrenaline. This surge is other-worldly, as you realize that gravity is losing its hold on you. The going continues to suck. But you realize you're flying...until you finish the last rep, or the bell goes, and you (gracefully, of course) hit the floor faster than the 500lb DL that you wish you had. Make about as much noise, too.
You feel like you just finished an ultra-marathon...then you look at the clock and realize you've only been going for 8 minutes. You only felt the first 3. The rest, you were a machine.
And its there, on the floor, vision blurred, utterly gassed, devoid of air...thats part of the Why. You know that you are unconquerable, even prostrate on the ground. You are powerful, you are beautifully fit. That its just a barbell, a pullup bar, a jump rope, or a set of rings; and you are something greater than all of those things combined. You are capable of vast amounts of work (a shout out to all you physics nerds like myself: work=force*distance; where force=mass*acceleration; and acceleration=velocity/time (dv/dt). It may look like mumbo-jumbo, but all I'm saying is that you moved a certain mass a certain velocity in a certain time, over a given distance. Maximize mass, velocity, distance, and minimize time... and you've essentially got Fran.) that on paper look implausible for any one human. And you know what? You might have scaled it. You might have done assisted pullups. Maybe you had to substitute 3x singles for double-unders (guilty). But you did it, and hopefully you put as much effort into your trial as the dude next to you who did it with the 40lb weight vest.
Another part of the Why; that same bro who did the WOD Rx'ed with the weight vest? He finished 2 minutes before you, spent 30 seconds on the floor, and the other 1:30 before you finished he was cheering for you harder than he would have cheered for himself. One of the most memorable events at my box at school (www.crossfittrainingvalley.com) was the entire gym erupting in cheers as a middle-aged mother got her first unassisted pullup. I was as happy for her to get that, knowing how hard she worked for it, as I was when I got my first muscle-up.
The community aspect is the reason Crossfit is so successful. I was apprehensive about Reebok taking the interest that they did (I'm an "underground" sort of guy) but I really think CF has invaded Reebok other than vice versa, which I was afraid of.
I apologize for the tangent, but can we petition Reebok to change the name of the Reebok Crossfit One affiliate to "Ree-Box?" I would love that.
Well I'm sure as soon as I publish this I'll think of some other reason I chug the koolaid, but this'll have to do for now, because I think its cool enough for a run.
Peace, Love, and Thrusters...
-Aaron (aka Rn, aka "The Freak")
June 7th, 2011
I made it back. (Paleo) cookie for Aaron. I just finished WODs 1 & 2 for the day, my standard Tuesday morning WOD and a ring WOD for kicks. I've pretty much decided that everyday (except Sunday) will be at least a two-a-day, and as such I have added some structure to daily stuff. I leave one workout open to whatever I am in the mood for, or capable of. But MWF I do the shoulder workout I posted yesterday (3 @85%, 5 @ 60%, and 7 25# DB- all strict press). TRSa is morning legs, though. So it goes a bit like this:
3rnds:
7 OHS @75#
9 Front @130#
12 Back @130#
2 minute rest
The weight isn't much but I have yet to NOT feel it, so I'll stick with it. Its enough to gas the legs for a couple hours, but not enough to wipe you out for the whole day.
Today's second workout was a little ring routine I found here. Fun stuff, but I absolutely CANNOT do the pseudo-planche pushups. Something to work towards, I guess. If it stays cloudy I'm going on a run later this afternoon. I can tell I'll overheat if I go running shade-less. It'll probably be a 30 minute run, with a fairly short sprint every 3 minutes or so.
Status:
3rnds:
7 OHS @75#
9 Front @130#
12 Back @130#
2 minute rest
The weight isn't much but I have yet to NOT feel it, so I'll stick with it. Its enough to gas the legs for a couple hours, but not enough to wipe you out for the whole day.
Today's second workout was a little ring routine I found here. Fun stuff, but I absolutely CANNOT do the pseudo-planche pushups. Something to work towards, I guess. If it stays cloudy I'm going on a run later this afternoon. I can tell I'll overheat if I go running shade-less. It'll probably be a 30 minute run, with a fairly short sprint every 3 minutes or so.
Status:
- Body - Core is wrecked from yesterday, but not so bad that I couldn't do a few K2E warming up, and they were definitely there enough to support all 84 squats. Lower back is better today, I'm assuming largely due to yesterday's fun. Lots of twinging (not bad, though) in both rotator cuffs, due to the ring's wobble.
- Nutrition - So far, terrible. Water and coffee, and thats it. I cleaned out the apples yesterday morning, so looks like I'm headed for granola and carrots when I'm done with this.
- Sleep - Worst I've had in awhile. 5 hrs, with the last 3 being an uneasy doze. I stared at the ceiling from around 12:30 to 4, and in true CF fashion, started running through various lifts in my head. Therefore I dreamed about missed lifts and double under-induced flayed shin skin when I finally drifted off. I daily run myself into the ground but I still can't sleep, if this keeps up I'm going to have to look to other options
- Notes - LegWOD was unbroken, and I'm glad I added the 2 minutes of rest after each set. It really gives your legs a chance to recoup and then hit it hard again for the next set. Once that gets too easy I'm going to hit the legs with some pistols and jump squats prior to doing the lifts. No workout should ever be easy.
Fear the WOD.
-Aaron
Monday, June 6, 2011
Games Bound: June 6th, 2011
Games Bound: June 6th, 2011: "Never had much desire to blog, but I've been really looking for ways to ramp up my training in (hopeful) preparation for the 2012 Crossfit G..."
June 6th, 2011
Never had much desire to blog, but I've been really looking for ways to ramp up my training in (hopeful) preparation for the 2012 Crossfit Games. This is an effort to find, document, and fix the things that are holding me back. There are multiple issues hindering me, at the moment. Diet (college student), amount of sleep (college student), money for equipment or gym membership (college student). So its looking like me being a college student is what is holding me back :-).
However, dropping out of school to train is one of those life choices most people discourage you from making, and I'm in that crowd. So I'm going to address what I can, in hopes of correcting a few things.
Introduction aside, lets get to the Crossfit meat!
This summer's ultimate goal is to drastically improve my metcon and endurance times without losing (hopefully gaining) strength. My sorry little basement gym has enough for me to be creative with my programming. There is one very unstable pullup bar that I cannot kip on (will be fixing soon...do you have any idea how hard T2B or K2E are on a bar thats moving more than you are?), two barbells with some assorted weights (that I got for 20$ at a yard sale) that amount to one bar set up at around 130 and another about 75, homemade parallettes, rings, a DB set ranging from 5's to 25's, and a couple of JS bands left over from post-shoulder surgery rehab. In other words, I'm kind of limited. Not going to let that hold me back though.
Morning WOD:
3 rounds:
3 Press @130
5 Press @75
7 Swimmer's Press w/ 25 DBs
2 minutes rest
3 rounds:
5 Press @75 behind the neck
5 Lateral Lowers with 15s (think of lat raises, just flipped 180 degrees)
This is a (obviously) shoulder strength workout, with the second half set up to address some of the shoulder instability issues I have always been plagued with.
Afternoon WOD:
100-75-50-25
Situps
Flutter Kicks (2-ct)
Leg Levers
Its beach season and I haven't had a good core burner in awhile, plus lingering lower back pain has me hankering for some midline stability. This took MUCH longer than expected. I bumped the Flutter Kicks down from 4-ct to 2-ct when my hip flexors started tweaking sometime in the 75 set.
Status:
However, dropping out of school to train is one of those life choices most people discourage you from making, and I'm in that crowd. So I'm going to address what I can, in hopes of correcting a few things.
Introduction aside, lets get to the Crossfit meat!
This summer's ultimate goal is to drastically improve my metcon and endurance times without losing (hopefully gaining) strength. My sorry little basement gym has enough for me to be creative with my programming. There is one very unstable pullup bar that I cannot kip on (will be fixing soon...do you have any idea how hard T2B or K2E are on a bar thats moving more than you are?), two barbells with some assorted weights (that I got for 20$ at a yard sale) that amount to one bar set up at around 130 and another about 75, homemade parallettes, rings, a DB set ranging from 5's to 25's, and a couple of JS bands left over from post-shoulder surgery rehab. In other words, I'm kind of limited. Not going to let that hold me back though.
Morning WOD:
3 rounds:
3 Press @130
5 Press @75
7 Swimmer's Press w/ 25 DBs
2 minutes rest
3 rounds:
5 Press @75 behind the neck
5 Lateral Lowers with 15s (think of lat raises, just flipped 180 degrees)
This is a (obviously) shoulder strength workout, with the second half set up to address some of the shoulder instability issues I have always been plagued with.
Afternoon WOD:
100-75-50-25
Situps
Flutter Kicks (2-ct)
Leg Levers
Its beach season and I haven't had a good core burner in awhile, plus lingering lower back pain has me hankering for some midline stability. This took MUCH longer than expected. I bumped the Flutter Kicks down from 4-ct to 2-ct when my hip flexors started tweaking sometime in the 75 set.
Status:
- Body- Left shoulder was tweaky when I woke up but was fine pre-workout, and has felt great since. If my lower back doesn't heal up soon though I'll need to take a couple days off. Ice and ibuprofen has helped but I can't really pull with it yet.
- Nutrition- Apple and OJ with my coffee this morning, but I caved and had a few potato chips when I was craving salt post-workout. Three cheers for dehydration making you think you want sodium instead of water. Chicken casserole and whatever veggies I can get my hands on for dinner. Going on a peanut hunt soon.
- Sleep- around 7 hrs. of very unsatisfying sleep. That shouldn't be an issue tonight. I just need to remember not to eat anything before I go to bed so insulin levels stay stable.
- Notes- The 130 press was easier than ever today, and I went through all 3 rounds unbroken. Feeling the need for a good long run tomorrow if my back will cooperate. The real challenge for tomorrow will be remembering my log-in information and posting again.
Wish me luck.
"Where do you begin? Perfect is a good place to start. We must always focus on improving things that are already perfect."
-Aaron
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