...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.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
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.
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