Slowly getting back

This week....making a comeback.

Monday
Squats
Bench pullups

Wednesday
Front squats
Overhead press
Deadlifts

Thursday
HIIT running 2.5 miles in 20 minutes


Need to work my way back to speed all over.

Eating was a bit better, but not even close to perfect.

Catching up

On Friday, 11/28, I did a strength workout with Bench, overhead presses, squats, pullups and dips. Saturday 11/29 I did a 24 minute HIIT run. Yes...I ran, and the foot was fine!!!!

Need to get back firing on all cylinders on all fronts!

Strength day

Week A

Day 3
Squat 3x5 Working sets
Bench press 3x5 Working sets
Chin-ups: 3 sets to failure, unweighted, 9-6-5

Strength workout

Week A

Day 2
Front squats 3x5 working sets
Press 3x5 working sets
Deadlift 1x5 working sets

Damned legs hurt like hell from Monday....guess that's what I get for being off for two weeks!

Back to work

Still nursing bad finger, but two weeks off is too much.

Week A

Day 1
Squat 3x5 Working sets
Bench press 3x5 Working sets
Chin-ups: 3 sets to failure, unweighted, 7-5-5

Row 5k Metcon

PR at 19:55

Strength Day

Week A

Day 3
Squat 3x5 Working sets
Bench press 3x5 Working sets
Pull-ups: 3 sets to failure, unweighted 8-7-5
Dips: 3 sets, last set weighted with 25lb DB


Did a set of chins at the end of the workout.

Cardio work

I ran today on the treadmill, BFL style HIIT.

1.0 incline
2 min 6.0

then four rounds of:

1 min 7.0
1 min 7.5
1 min 8.0
1 min 8.5

then

1 min 10.0
1 min 6.0

walking cooldown.

Foot is a bit tender. I needed to try. Probably should see a foot guy, I guess.

Strength Day

Week A

Day 2
Front squats 3x5 working sets
Press 3x5 working sets
Deadlift 1x5 working sets

Rowing day-metcon

I rowed a 5k in 20:15 vs. PR of 20:08. Damnit.

Strength Day

Week A

Day 1
Squat 3x5 Working sets
Bench press 3x5 Working sets
Chin-ups: 3 sets to failure, unweighted, 10-8-7
Dips: 3 sets, last set weighted with 25lb DB


Tough today. Maybe crummy weekend eating, too little nutrition today.

Turbulence training metcon

Three rounds of:

Jumping Jacks - 60 reps

Spiderman Push-ups - 10 each side

Walking Lunges - 15 each side

Spiderman Climb - 10 each side

Wall Squat Hold - 45 seconds

Plank Hold - 60 seconds

Burpees - 5 reps

Running High Knees - 25 each side

I should have timed myself, but didn't.

Strength Day

Week B

Day 3
Squat 3x5 Working sets
Press 3x5 working sets
Pull-ups: 3 sets to failure, unweighted, dead hang, 9-7-6

Presses went pretty well after having a tough time on Monday.

I need a challenging metcon tomorrow.

Cardio work

Didn't want to do any heavy work, as I've been pretty tough on myself so far this week, so I did lame ass cardio on the bike. 24 minutes at level 20.

5 mintues walking on the treadmill at a 15 degree incline.

I wish I could run.

Strength Day

Week B

Day 2
Front squats 3x5, working sets
Bench press 3x5 working sets
Power clean 5x3 working sets
No dips today.

Moderately sore from Tabatas yesterday.

Metcon day-Tabata This

Today I did a modified version of the CF workout Tabata This. Eight consecutive rounds of 20 seconds work/ten seconds rest for each exercise.

Workout and results were:

Jumping pullups 9-8-6-11-10-11-11-10 Total 76 (First three sets were standard pullups)

Situps 12-11-10-10-9-10-10-10 Total 82

Pushups 22-13-6-3-5-3-5-4 Total 61

Squats 13-12-13-10-11-10-10-10 Total 89

Total reps 308

I really wasn't gasping for air until I hit halfway through the squats. There was more muscular failure going on than cardio failure...but I did feel a bit of nausea later. I'm spent, so I'm happy with the workout. Thursday will have to be a bit more hardcore metcon. I wish I could run.

Strength Day

Week B

Day 1
Squat 3x5 Working sets
Press 3x5 working sets
Chin-ups: 3 sets to failure, unweighted, dead hang, 10-8-6

25 Pushups

No metcon over the weekend. I need to stop skipping metcon workouts.

Strength Workout

Week A

Day 3
Squat 3x5 Working sets
Bench press 3x5 Working sets
Chin-ups: 3 sets to failure, unweighted
Dips: 3 sets


21 Burpees tacked on at end

First metcon in nine days

I decided to row a 5K today. My time was 20:25, a bit off my PR of 20:08.

I'm fine with that, considering I haven't been doing any metcon work.

I use a 2:00 minute 500m as a target. I row 250m at around a 2:10/500m pace, and then try to row 250m at a 1:50 pace. I alternate throughout the workout. With a 20:25 time, I clearly slip a bit at times (target would be 20:00), but not horribly. In order to get my time down, I'll try to see if I can do a bit better on the sprint 250, trying to get to a 1:45 or 1:40 pace, and I'll try to keep my recovery splits to about 2:00. That would shave 2 minutes off my time. Perhaps I should work on one of the two speeds at a time. It may be unrealistic to try to shave time off of both sprint and recovery splits, at least at first.

Strength day

Week A

Day 2
Front squats 3x5 working sets
Press 3x5 working sets
Deadlift 1x5 working sets

Missed metcon again yesterday. That's three in a row. I'll not miss tomorrow.

Strength Workout

Week A

Day 1
Squat 3x5 Working sets
Bench press 3x5 Working sets
Chin-ups: 3 sets to failure, unweighted
Dips: 3 sets


Felt good after workout.

Strength Workout

Week B

Day 3
Squat 3x5 Working sets
Press 3x5 working sets
Pull-ups: 3 sets to failure, unweighted, dead hang, 7-5-5

Strength Day

Week B

Day 2
Front squats 3x5, working sets
Bench press 3x5 working sets
Power clean 5x3 working sets
Dips: 3 sets, unweighted


I think I did better form wise on the power cleans than last time. I'd really like to video myself for analysis.

CF metcon day

As rxed by CF:

For time:
Overhead walking lunges, 45 lb bar, 50 feet
21 Burpees

Five rounds

I scaled it to:
Overhead walking lunges, 18 lb bar, 50 feet
21 Burpees
Overhead walking lunges, 18 lb bar, 50 feet
15 Burpees
Overhead walking lunges, 18 lb bar, 50 feet
9 Burpees
Overhead walking lunges, 18 lb bar, 50 feet
9 Burpees
Overhead walking lunges, 18 lb bar, 50 feet
9 Burpees

Time was 11:34

This is a PR. The last time I did this one on September 18th, my time was 13:16. Maybe next time I'll scale it a little less and try to maintain this time.

Strength day

Week B

Day 1
Squat 3x5 Working sets
Press 3x5 working sets
Chin-ups: 3 sets to failure, unweighted, dead hang, 9-6-5

I'm at least temporarily terminating my experiment with intermittent fasting. I've fasted through the morning and then my mid day workout today, and have now eaten. Since I'm on a strength plan right now, I'm finding it hard to believe I shouldn't be eating after a workout. I'm trying to improve my performance, not eliminate every ounce of unwanted fat. Once I go through the initial strength phase, I may come back to IF once or twice per week. For right now, I think regular nutrition is more important to my goals.

Strength Workout

Week A

Day 3
Squat 3x5 Working sets
Bench press 3x5 Working sets
Pull-ups: 3 sets to failure, unweighted
Dips: 3 sets

Felt strong

Cardio-Treadmill

I alternated speeds and inclines for 22 minutes and 2.5 miles.

Foot pain again.

Fasted today.

Stength day

Week A

Day 2
Front squats 3x5 working sets
Press 3x5 working sets
Deadlift 1x5 working sets

Fast and intense.

Food a bit better than it has been.

Row 5K

Time today was 20:08, PR vs. last time of 20:17.

50 situps, 50 bicycles.

Rowed using fast/slow intervals of 250m-500m each.

Pushed hard, feel good.

Starting Strength, Starting Over

After a week away being ill, I came back and decided to go back to week one of the program. I'd only completed two weeks and then missed one, so it makes little sense to try to pick up in week three. So...I'm back.

Week A

Day 1
Squat 3x5 Working sets
Bench press 3x5 Working sets
Chin-ups: 3 sets to failure, unweighted
Dips: 3 sets

I fasted for half the day...up until 1:30 today. I wanted to push it further, but decided I need to get my nutrition a bit more in line.

Sick week

I'll start back up next week. Hopefully I won't lose too much momentum.

Outside 5k Neighborhood

I ran a 5k for the first time in a while. I tried running the entire thing using the POSE method. My time was 24:07, which wasn't bad for running in a way I'm not used to. My foot is killing me, and my calves are sore as hell from the POSE running.

Lessons. 1. Don't run when your foot is bothering you. Heal. 2. Work on POSE in shorter intervals at first. Running a 5k in what is essentially the first time I'm doing it is not wise.

Strength Day

Week B

Day 3
Squat 3x5 Working sets
Press 3x5 working sets
Pull-ups: 3 sets to failure, unweighted, dead hang, 6-5-5

Added four sets of negatives, started in up position, held there as long as possible, slowly dropped to dead hang. Hand position 1. Pull position 2&3. Opposite grip with each hand 4. Chin position.

I need to start cooking again. Eating has been okay, but not as clean and nutritious as it could be.

Metcon day

Saw this one on the CF site and did it today. It was scaled to something a bit more realistic:

For time:
Overhead walking lunges, 45 lb bar, 50 feet
21 Burpees

Five rounds

I scaled it to:
Overhead walking lunges, 18 lb bar, 50 feet
21 Burpees
Overhead walking lunges, 18 lb bar, 50 feet
15 Burpees
Overhead walking lunges, 18 lb bar, 50 feet
9 Burpees
Overhead walking lunges, 18 lb bar, 50 feet
9 Burpees
Overhead walking lunges, 18 lb bar, 50 feet
9 Burpees

Time was 13:16

When I finished, I walked for ten minutes on the treadmill on a 15% incline. I moved around within the 3.5-4mph range.

Lessons:
1. Overhead squats/lunges are a weak point for me. It's probably a core strength issue. I need to work on them on a regular basis to build up that lower back/core strength.
2. Crossfit style metcon requires a greater degree of cardiovascular fitness than jogging. It is the equivalent of running sprints, but with a strength element added in. The good thing about not being able to run is that I've been forced to learn this lesson. I need to make sure i worl this style of metcon at least three times a week.

Today was supposed to have been a fasting day. I made it until 2pm, so instead of the normal 21-22 hour fast, I shut it down at 17 hours. Too little sleep, too hard a workout. Needed food.

Moving along

Week B

Day 2
Front squats 3x5, working sets
Bench press 3x5 working sets
Power clean 5x3 working sets
Dips: 3 sets, unweighted

I also did three sets of dumbbell curls. I find it helps to stretch the biceps after a lot of back work.

Power cleans were tough, mainly because I'm trying to perfect my form. I need to work on driving the weight from the hips/legs and getting under the bar. I was bending my arms too much, trying to pull the weight up. I need coaching in this area. Front squats were easy, bench was fairly easy. I need to have patience. I'll hit a wall soon enough.

I can really feel that I'm gaining strength in my lower back and posterior chain. What I'm doing is working!

Tuesday cardio

Row 5k. PR at 20:17....but it was my first 5k at rowing!

150 situps

Start of second week

Week B

Day 1
Squat 3x5 Working sets
Press 3x5 working sets
Chin-ups: 3 sets to failure, unweighted, dead hang, 7-5-5

I barely feel like I even had a workout today, even though I did everything as prescribed and added five pounds to last weeks weights.

This just seems like I'm starting too light, and I'm worried I'm going to go backwards. I need to have faith, especially since I'll be trying to do more CF style metcon on non-strength days. That will be a lot more taxing than just running three times a week, though I will do some running. Soon enough, I'll be pushing my limits. Right now, I'm trying to work about 60 seconds between sets. As I reach limits, I'll add to rest time so I can still hit the target number of reps.

If this doesn't work as intended, I can always roll out a different program.

I'm fasting today. I'm hungry. Pennance for the weekend, I guess.

No weekend workouts

I thought about a metcon workout, but decided to rest. I didn't want to run, and the foot is still screwed up...though getting a bit better. Last week was a hard workout week, so I gave myself a bit of rest.

Eating was all over the map. Too long in between meals, too much shit. Bad. I need to self correct these weekends.

Very good strength workout today

Today I had squats, Bench press, Pullups, and dips. Whatever issues I had on Monday with the squats were gone. I felt good, my form was in good shape, hip drive was excellent. The rest of the workout went very well. My legs feel really good today too. I wish I could say the same thing about my foot.

I need to start cooking a bit more regularly. I feel like my food choices have been the lesser of evils, rather than good choices. The damned tortilla chips I ate last night didn't help either.

Getting back to basics

It seems I've gone out on a strange tangent here on the blog. When I originally created it, it was so I could track and tag my workouts in a way that would allow me to more easily track my progress. I keep a paper workout log too, but that doesn't lend itself to, for instance, finding your last or best Michael time. It is more for tracking progress from workout to workout.

I've had blogs before, and have developed friendships along the way. Blogs can sew people all around the world together into communities of common interests and encouragement. It was one of the things that attracted me to the tracker site. Of course, for a variety of reasons that I've already written about, I'm not really interested in that one anymore.

Being part of a community requires time and effort. In all honesty, I spend time writing a bunch of stuff that is viewed regularly by about maybe five people. The way you get more readers and build a community is to branch out, read and touch other people. I don't really have the time or interest in doing all that, so I stick to a small handful of people that I read on a regular basis. So I find myself writing to the same few people every day. Out of those people, several belong to a CF affiliate, so they already HAVE that community.

Okay...so what's my point?

I'm getting back to basics here. I'll be using the blog to write about my performance, diet, and mental state as it relates to my health and fitness goals. I'm thinking about taking the blog private as well, but I'm a bit concerned about doing that. While we are all accountable to ourselves, it does help to have some other eyeballs on you as well. As stupid as it sounds, I don't like having to write the words

I missed my workout

or

I ate like crap

for others to see. I don't know. I'll have to think about it.

Strength day today. I'm psyched.

Stupid machine photo Number 5

Okay. One more for today. I know I rode the bike today. I've done it on occasion, and it's fine here and there. But just look at these people. They look like zombies! There is NO WAY you push yourself to the limit like that. NO WAY. If I'm dragging my sorry ass to the gym, I'm going to make it count.

Stupid machine photo Number 4

I wasn't going to do this today...but what the hell.

Look at this one. Love it. Just like Rip suggests, huh?

I have only found one thing a smith machine to be good for other than hanging a towel....a lying pull up row. It looks like the second picture. Of course, you can do that without the Smith machine...so...there you go.

Working rest day

I really wanted to perform one of the Hero WODs today, and had settled in my mind that I would go with Michael. Despite legs that are as stiff and sore as they have been in ages, I got onto the treadmill for a brisk walk to try to loosen up. The walk turned into a jog, and after five minutes I knew I should stop. If it was the legs, I would have...perhaps foolishly...pushed on. What stopped me was this damned foot pain. I've had this before, and there is only one thing that makes it go away. I need to stop running for a bit. I've tried working through it, and it only gets worse.

The rowers were both being used, so I jumped onto a lifecycle for 25 minutes of interval training. It's not as demanding as running or many of the WODS, so it was kind of a working rest day. Yeah, yeah. Once in a while, I like doing the bike. I'll have to figure out a non-running metcon workout for Saturday.

Fasting day today...though I'm thinking maybe I should eat something. I've hit it pretty hard this week. I'll see.

Today...take a moment to remember...

The Rising
Bruce Springsteen

Can't see nothin' in front of me
Can't see nothin' coming up behind
I make my way through this darkness
I can't feel nothing but this chain that binds me
Lost track of how far I've gone
How far I've gone, how high I've climbed
On my back's a sixty pound stone
On my shoulder a half mile line

Come on up for the rising
Com on up, lay your hands in mine
Come on up for the rising
Come on up for the rising tonight

Left the house this morning
Bells ringing filled the air
Wearin' the cross of my calling
On wheels of fire I come rollin' down here

Come on up for the rising
Come on up, lay your hands in mine
Come on up for the rising
Come on up for the rising tonight

Li,li, li,li,li,li, li,li,li

Spirits above and behind me
Faces gone, black eyes burnin' bright
May their precious blood forever bind me
Lord as I stand before your fiery light

Li,li, li,li,li,li, li,li,li

I see you Mary in the garden
In the garden of a thousand sighs
There's holy pictures of our children
Dancin' in a sky filled with light
May I feel your arms around me
May I feel your blood mix with mine
A dream of life comes to me
Like a catfish dancin' on the end of the line

Sky of blackness and sorrow ( a dream of life)
Sky of love, sky of tears (a dream of life)
Sky of glory and sadness ( a dream of life)
Sky of mercy, sky of fear ( a dream of life)
Sky of memory and shadow ( a dream of life)
Your burnin' wind fills my arms tonight
Sky of longing and emptiness (a dream of life)
Sky of fullness, sky of blessed life ( a dream of life)

Come on up for the rising
Come on up, lay your hands in mine
Come on up for the rising
Come on up for the rising tonight

Li,li, li,li,li,li, li,li,li

I'm loving my sore legs

and don't forget that whole posterior chain too. Holy crap. It feels good! I actually took aspirin before bed last night, which I virtually never do.

Today's workout was a strength routine consisting of front squats, overhead presses, and deadlifts.

My legs were sore as hell from the last two days, but I dutifully showed up and pounded out this workout. I probably could have gone heavier than I did, but I'm not going to worry about it. I'll be adding weight every week, so I'll never get too comfortable that I'm going light.

I don't know what i'm going to do tomorrow. Maybe a run. We'll see.

Stupid machine photo Number 3

Need I say more? If you're going to bother working biceps as an assistance exercise, use a heavy barbell or heavy dumbbells and stand the hell up. I've seen even worse machines than this. I just can't find pictures of them. Maybe I should bring a camera into the gym!

I was debating with myself

as to what my workout should be today. I was thinking about running the 3k posted yesterday, but the foot is still bugging me. Besides, I think I've been doing too much running and not enough of the metcon stuff. Then I remembered reading about someone doing their version of the Filthy Fifties recently....and I thought...yeah. That's the one. I'd last completed this one back in January of this year with a time of 48:50. The only other time I'd done it, I shut it down during the burpees.

I have to admit...a big part of me was trying to talk myself out of this one. You know what? That is EXACTLY why I NEEDED to do it. I'm not dreading my workouts any near enough. As strange as that sounds, I think anyone familiar with Crossfit workouts gets it. So...I walked to the gym, got changed, took a few deep breaths, and away I went.


For time:
50 Box jump, 24 inch box
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 Kettlebell swings, 1 pood
Walking Lunge, 50 steps
50 Knees to elbows
50 Push press, 45 pounds
50 Back extensions
50 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
50 Burpees
50 Double unders

I dragged my 6'3", 209 pound body to a total time, (PR) of 43:17, which is 5:33 better than my last time in January. I substituted a 14 pound medicine ball for the wall ball, and did tuck jumps for the double unders. (I did the same back in January, so it's apples to apples). I was sure I was going to obliterate my previous time, but I literally ran into a wall during the burpees. Normally, I'd run through sets of twenty five before gasping for breath. I did some tens and a fifteen, but I was really struggling. My body wanted to quit, but my mind wouldn't allow it. I plowed through, and as I lay there recovering, I chuckled as I heard Enrique Iglesias singing "you can take my breath away" on the gym's sound system, thinking I'd stumbled into the new Crossfit jingle!

Stupid machine photo Number 2

Here's another favorite of mine. The leg extension machine. Why not put unnatural stress on your knee joint performing an exercise that has no real world usefulness?

Feel the quads burn, baby. Put down your magazine long enough to shake your head and laugh at those psychos doing squats and deadlifts. That crap is so hard. It's much nicer sitting on your ass swinging your legs back and forth! What a workout!

Stupid machine photo Number 1

Just for fun, I'm going to occasionaly post a picture of a ridiculous piece of equipment that resides on the floor of the gym I go to. This is a really good one.

Why would anyone want to perform a rowing exercise on something like this? For one, if you use really heavy weight, your chest is getting crushed by your own weight plus the weight you have loaded up on the machine. Your lower back does nothing at all....which means it isn't getting any stronger. Why would you want to do that? This is perfect example of silly isolation machines at most gyms. Most gym goers have no need for isolation movements.

I'll write that again.

Most gym goers have no need for isolation movements.

I'd even say that beginning bodybuilders should focus on compound movements first....for quite some time. Until you have put on a significant amount of muscle mass, you will be wasting your time with isolation movements.

Day one of program

I may have to make a few small adjustments to the routine I posted this morning. While I understand the importance of warmup, the reps/sets/weights of the warmup seem almost useless to me. I'll need to adjust accordingly.

That being said, I need to have faith that this program is going to allow me to gain strength in a somewhat linear fashion. I did fewer heavy sets and reps than I have been doing. Hopefully, that is what will allow me to raise the weight week after week. If I burn myself up getting to working sets, I may not be able to do that. We'll see. how it goes.

I need to watch my squat form. I feel like my knees are coming a bit too far forward. I need to focus on hip drive. I'm a bit concerned that my posterior chain is too tight to maintain proper form while I increase the weight. I'll need to watch this closely.

I'm a bit spent today. It is a fasting day. This is the first one in weeks that has me feeling like this. Of course, my eating was garbage yesterday, and featured a bit too much sugar. I'll have to make note of how I feel the next time I do that. Not that I'm planning it or anything!

Workout plan starting today

I have finally put together a plan for my strength training. Although Ripptoe suggests raising the weight every workout, I'll do it every week. I think that makes more sense for me. When I hit a wall, I'll back off the weight and bring it up again a week at a time. I'm confident I will have quite a bit of progress following this routine.

The workouts will go like this:

Week A

Day 1
Squat 3x5
Bench press 3x5
Chin-ups: 3 sets to failure, unweighted
Dips: 3 sets

Day 2
Front squats 3x5
Press 3x5
Deadlift 1x5

Day 3
Squat 3x5
Bench press 3x5
Pull-ups: 3 sets to failure, unweighted
Dips: 3 sets

Week B

Day 1
Squat 3x5
Press 3x5
Chin-ups: 3 sets to failure, unweighted

Day 2
Front squats 3x5
Bench press 3x5
Power clean 5x3
Dips: 3 sets

Day 3
Squat 3x5
Press 3x5
Pull-ups: 3 sets to failure, unweighted

Warmup for each exercise:
Bar only 2x5
40% workout weight 1x5
60% working weight 1x3
80% working weight 1x2
Working sets as above

Chins/Pullups are all unweighted until 15 reps per set are exceeded.

Alternate weeks A and B

I'm still trying to decide what I'll do on the non-lifting days. I'd like to do some of the CF workouts, but I need to make sure I give myself enough rest. For now, I'll probably do a combination of running, sprinting, rowing, and some of the CF metcon workouts on non lifting days. I will take at least one, and possibly two days a week off. By carefully watching my progress, I'll adjust my behavoir as needed.

Anybody want to pay me?

I popped over to the BFL tracker site this morning for a look see. I used to frequent the site, but no longer. Within 20 seconds, I realized exactly why I left it.

If only I had a dollar for every woman that complained they were going to get muscle bound by lifting a few weights, I'd be stinking rich. Really. Then there are the men that have worked out for eight weeks and decided that there's something wrong that they don't look like Arnold in his prime, so they start loading up on every hokie supplement they can find.

Ladies...you don't look like this by lifting a few pounds. You get like that by injecting yourself with steroids, eating an insane amount of food, and lifting a lot of weights...and only if you're lucky.

Men...you don't all look like this, which is seemingly how you all see yourselves. The odds are, you will NEVER look like this, and really...do you want to? That doesn't mean you aren't making progress. Building muscle is hard work, and it takes time. Period.


C'mon. Somebody. Just one dollar every time somebody writes this stuff. I'll be set for life! Okay. Glad I got that off my not massive and steroid laden but not too scrawny chest.

Strength workout today, similar to Monday. Bench press, overhead press, pullups and chins, dips. I feel good.

What the hill was I doing?

That was a fun workout. I spend a lot of effort trying to run faster, but I seldom try to run steeper. I think doing some hill training will help run longer and faster. Today, I did this:

2 min 6 mph 4% grade
1 min 7 mph 4% grade
1 min 7 mph 1% grade
1 min 7 mph 5% grade
1 min 7 mph 1% grade
1 min 7 mph 6% grade
1 min 7 mph 1% grade
1 min 7 mph 7.5% grade
1 min 7 mph 1% grade
1 min 7 mph 7.5% grade
1 min 7 mph 1% grade
1 min 7 mph 7.5% grade
1 min 7 mph 1% grade
1 min 7 mph 7.5% grade
1 min 7 mph 1% grade
1 min 7 mph 7.5% grade
1 min 7 mph 1% grade
1 min 7 mph 7.5% grade
1 min 7 mph 1% grade
1 min 11 mph 1% grade
2 min 6 mph 1% grade
1 min 4 mph 15% grade
1 min 6 mph 15% grade
cooldown 2 min 4 mph 1% grade

Then I did some hanging leg raises and situps.

Good workout.

I need to go steeper next time, and maybe a bit faster next time.

My feet hurt

They've been hurting for days. Hurt like someone took a ball peen hammer to the bottom of them. What's up with that?

So...I'll be running at lunchtime today. Going to do some hills on the treadmill. Time to turn it up a notch.

Fasting again today.

I came damned close

to skipping my workout today. My head just wasn't in it. I forced myself to go. Squats, deadlifts, step up lunges. Once the blood started pumping, I was glad I went. Not a lot more to say today, nor the time to say it.

These are the ones that count...showing up when you'd rather not. Chalk one up for the good guys.

A grumble and a smile

I started today's workout intending to run a 5k at about a 7:15 pace. After starting, I decided to settle on a 7:30 pace, which had me right there at the edge of too fast/just fast enough. I ended up stopping at the 1.5 mile mark, because the arch of my left foot was hurting. It's been hurting since I ran one day last week, and I aggravated it a bit again on Sunday. I need to make sure I only run in the proper shoes. When I use the wrong ones, my feet end up hurting.

Anyway, I switched to a 2k row, and finished it in 8:03. Once again, I had trouble with the straps. I stopped twice to reattach them, and the third time I just let it go. I think I could have ended up with at least a 7:30 if they didn't screw me up again. Next time I row, I want to make sure the straps are connected in a way that won't allow them to slip. Or I'll bring duct tape. Or something.

I'm fasting again today. I'll not discuss the eating that went on this weekend, other than to say it would NOT qualify as low carb. At all.

Now...that feels better

I got a strength training workout in this morning featuring bench press, overhead press, pullups, dips, cleans and deadlifts. After having a headache and sluggishness for three days, I feel better already. I guess my body was trying to tell me something.

Short on time. Have a good holiday all...if you live somewhere that it is a holiday!

I got a run in today

I've had way too little sleep, no exercise, and have been eating pretty lousy the last couple of days. I've got a headache that won't quit to go along with that. Fun.

I willed myself to go for a run today. I started slowly, and my legs were still tight from running around like a kid the other day. They loosened up after about five or six minutes. I ran a BFL style HIIT run, and ended up doing pretty well. I felt better once I got going. I'm off to do TGUs for some fun.

My goal is to hit the gym in the morning for some weight training.

Two useless days

Well...maybe not useless. Let's call them two rest days.

Events unfolded in a workout unfriendly way. That means no formal workouts for three days including the picnic day. That doesn't make me happy. The next two days may not be all that workout friendly either. That being said...I'm getting something done. No matter what.

I sure got some running in today

Today was my annual company picnic. I decided not to work out today, because I knew that I'd be sprinting, moving, jumping, stretching and throwing all day. We started out with a two hour football game, had a bite to eat, and progressed onto softball. Doing something like this, you see exactly how training has a positive effect on performance. It's a lot more fun playing when you're in shape than not. And yeah. I'm a bit sore....and I earned it!

If I can only convince my boss to do this every week!

Am I a phony?

I was thinking about this today. Am I a Crossfit phony? I mean, I do some of the workouts, and I try to eat Zone/Paleo friendly. But do I DO Crossfit? I mean, I go to other blogs and people are hitting the WOD every day, posting times and making progress.

Me? I do a workout here, some lifting there, some running there. Sometimes I make up my own workouts that seem like a CF workout.

Okay...mentally...I'm there with Crossfit. Starting this September, I move onto a blend of Ripptoe Starting Strength workouts and CF workouts. Now, I could jump entirely into CF, but I want to build strength first, and I want to work on some of the CF elements before I go over entirely.

I was working squats and deadlifts today. My weight is just entirely too low in these exercises. I know that I've intentionally held myself back on these as I've developed my form. Now, it's time to work that weight up.

Handstand pushups? Need to work on them.

Overhead squats. Damned things torture me.

Muscleups? I don't know. I haven't tried them. I've been reluctant to try with the bad shoulder.


The SS programs I'll be using will have me doing less lifting than I do right now, but will force progression in terms of weight used. This will give me the opportunity to add some elements work that is sorely needed. I need to balance out the what and when of the CF workouts too. I don't want to be doing heavy leg work two or three consecutive days, or I'll defeat the purpose of what I'm doing.

So...I may not be there yet..but I'm coming. Look over your shoulder, 'cause I'm on the way!

Changed it up a bit today

I was toying with a 5k run, but decided to do a two part workout instead.

First, I rowed 2k in 8:24. The damned strap came off one of my feet at around the 1400m mark, so I had to struggle with that the rest of the way through. Long legs and long arms = rowing hell. Anyway, it was a good change. I'll have to do that more often.

Next, I did some intervals on the treadmill at a 1.0 incline. They went like this:

Walk 4 mph 1 minute
Run 6 mph 1 minute
Run 8 mph 1 minute
Run 6 mph 1 minute
Run 9 mph 1 minute
Run 6 mph 1 minute
Run 10 mph 1 minute
Run 6 mph 1 minute
Run 11 mph 1 minute
Run 6 mph 2 minutes
Walk 4 mph 1 minute

I was going to do the 12 mph interval, but wanted to keep teh total time to about twenty minutes. Next time.

I need to do some reading

In my attempt to combine IF with a more Paleo friendly diet, I need to do some research. I don't intend to go to a 100% Paleo diet at all. For one thing, I'm not sure I want to eliminate all dairy products from my diet. Cottage cheese and Greek yogurt are staples of my diet, and I'd be hard pressed to replace them with something else. Although I will take most of my carbs from fruit and veggies, I will still eat some complex carbs. I'm not going to shy away from some pasta or brown rice or a baked potatoe or a bowl of oatmeal. What I will do is eat much less of these than I've eaten in the past. I really think people underestimate just how how much of this stuff they're really eating at a sitting.

I need to do a bit of homework in terms of fruits and veggies. If I try to maintain Zone like balances in terms of protein/carb/fat intake, I need to have a better understanding of how much of each I need to eat. I'd also like to try a bunch of different veggies too. I find that I limit myself to always eating the same 3 or 4 things, which gets pretty boring.

I've got some work to do.

I got what I deserved

Today was an upper body strength day. I duplicated last Monday's workout, but added weight to every set. I'm working my way back up to where I was...slowly. I don't want to jinx myself, but the shoulder has been great. I have avoided kips and knees to elbows to limit the strain on my shoulders. I miss K2Es. I'll start them up slowly soon.

At the end of my workout, I decided to do a 4 minute set of Tabata Squats. I finished with 105, which is more than the 93 I did on June 18th, but two fewer than the 107 I did on July 9th. I got what I deserved. Since the squats were a spur of the moment decision, I didn't have a record of my last performance with me. I was certain I hit a record, so I slowed down. Why? Why would I? Why would I leave anything on the table, PR or not? Lesson learned the hard way.

Today is a fasting day again. I feel completely fine, and had no adverse effects during my workout. This thing may actually work!

Sprinting day

Today I decided to do some running. I alternated a moderate jog with a fast one, one minute intervals each for 16 minutes. Then I finished up with a set of Tabata Sprints. I did some TGU sets yesterday on rest day. I know it was rest day, but I really like how the TGUs work the entire body. I needed to get my blood moving.

I indulged in a few extra carbs yesterday, which is probably what I will always do on a Saturday. That's part of my plan; a bit of a BFL holdover and an understanding that I do have to get along in the real world.

I should note that I really don't think I'm carb starving myself. I'm just getting the majority of them from fruits and vegetables, and eating the amount I SHOULD eat, rather than the excessive amounts I was eating. It makes you realize how crazy the diet of the average person really is, and how it is pushed on us at every turn.

One interesting observation is that I am really feeling lean and...I don't know...primal? Feral? I won't say that I'm constantly hungry, because I'm not. But I do feel much more alive for lack of a better way of explaining things. Interesting.

Every once in a while

you have one of those days that you're about 75% through your workout and your mind starts to object.

Mind: "WTF are you doing, Justa?".
Me: "Getting a good workout in. What do you think I'm doing".
Mind: "Trying to kill us. Dude...the Olympic trials are over. Hell...The Olympics are almost over. You aren't getting on the team. The Yankees aren't looking for a new center fielder. There are no enemy troops landing on the soil of the good old USA as of the last time I looked. Would it KILL you to take it just a little bit easy here?"
Me: "You know, it just might at that. Now shut up and focus. I'm trying to set a PR here."

My workout today:

For time:
400m run

50 squats

400m run

25 burpees

400m run

50 squats

400m run

25 burpees


The last time I did today's workout was on July 8th. This came before my vacation and a month and a half of scaled back workouts and less than optimal eating. I had a time of 19:13. Today I posted a 19:04, which is just a hair better. All in all, I'm fairly pleased, but I really would like to be a lot more Crossfitter just the same!

Some observations from today:
1. Pacing is critical. I thought that I could increase the speed of the run by 1 or 2 mph over the last time I did this. I did, but it cost me on the squats and burpees. There is a science to this. I'm sure the best CF performers understand pacing better than I do. If you burn up on the run, you can't do the squats or burpees as well. If you go too slow, you take too long. I need to work on the balance...and on getting more work done in a shorter period.
2. A really challenging metcon workout will leave you with the sting and taste of lactic acid buildup in your mouth and throat. After gathering my breath and wits, somebody was talking to me. My voice was all hoarse from it. I've got a love hate relationship with that feeling and taste.
3. If I wasn't fasting today, I'm reasonably sure the patrons of my gym would have been treated to a colorful display of whatever I'd eaten so far today. I've never been this close to shaking hands with Pukie.
4. I'm fortunate that there is a fairly large area in the gym that has mats for people to work abs or stretch or whatever. It is where I go after this kind of workout to lie down and catch my breath and recover. If I tried it anywhere else in the gym, it's likely I'd have someone running over to me with a portable defibrillator. Obviously, this isn't a CF gym.
5. As tough as the workout was, I don't feel as if my fasting has had any adverse affect on me at all. That being said, I am looking forward to eating later, even though I'm not feeling famished at all.

Tomorrow is a rest day for sure.

What's it good for? Absolutely nuthin'!

Back in my BFL days, I was weighing myself on a somewhat regular basis and attempting to measure my bodyfat percentage using both a caliper and one of those scales that claim to measure such a thing. The calipers always showed a BF level that was about 30-40% lower than the scale. I put much more faith in the calipers not just because I wanted to believe them, but because I could see and feel that the scale percentage was just plain wrong.

Anyway, the lowest weight I recorded in my log was in March of 2007 at 192.8 pounds. I seem to recall that at some point thereafter, I weighed in at 186 pounds on a visit to the doctor, but I'll go with the 193 since it is my written record.

I weighed myself this morning, and I came in at 209 pounds, which at least is down from 215 from a couple of weeks ago. At 6'3", that's not horrible. I knew I was gaining weight and wasn't overly concerned because I was on a mission to add some muscle mass and strength. I have undoubtedly accomplished that goal. But still. Depending upon which weight you take as my low point, I've gained between 17 and 23 pounds in seventeen months. There's just no way that's all muscle. In fact, I'd be thrilled if half the weight gain was muscle.

What is this extra weight good for? Nothing. In fact, all it does is hurt my performance. I'm not a big scale whore at all. Visually, I already knew all of this. I don't need a scale to tell me what I need to do.

I really believe the combination of IF and more of a Paleo style of eating will make a huge difference in my body composition. I can see and feel it already. I'll try to keep zone like in terms of caloric intake, but where those carbs come from will be mostly from paleo foods.

It will be interesting to see how all of this affects my performance as well and my body composition.

Strong workout

I'm working my way back slowly, so I was able to work both upper and lower body today. My workout featured five sets each of bench press, pullups and overhead presses, four sets of squats, three sets of deadlifts, three sets of step ups onto a bench, three sets of dips...and yeah...three light sets of dumbbell curls. I know....but they seem to help that soreness I have in my forearms, so I do them once in a while.

I'm finalizing my plan for the beginning of September. I'll be combining a strength program with Crossfit, with the objective to be 100% Crossfit within six months.


I had a thought today while I was thinking about nutrition. Our thinking is completely backwards from how it should be. When making nutrition choices, we think in terms of how much of the foods we love to eat we're willing to sacrifice in order to maintain or improve our health and fitness. Shouldn't we really think in terms of how much of our health, fitness, and longevity we're willing to sacrifice by eating the foods we love to eat? It sounds like the same thing, but it really isn't at all.

I feel lean and mean

I've been limiting carbs for two days now, and I feel lean. Okay, I know it's a bit silly to think I'm going to have immediate results, but it is how I feel. At least initially, I won't be eliminating all grains/carbs enitrely. I do need to live in teh real world, you know. I'm not going to say I'll never have a bowl of macaroni or oatmeal or rice or a baked potato or an ice cream cone. That just isn't realistic. What I will do is limit these things dramatically. I will rely on most of my carbs coming from fruits and vegetables. I'm sure it will take a bit of adjusting too but I'll get there.

I've been weight training on and off for over twenty some years. I've come close to having the physique I'd like, but have never really gotten over that last five or ten percent of stubborn belly or love handle fat. Some would say that I'm bordering on exceptional fitness for a man of fifty, and that I'm nuts. As I've written before, I will not accept that kind of excuse from myself. Age is NOT a limiting factor as far as I'm concerned. Many people blame age for destroying their bodies, when age has nothing to do with it. Anyway, having gotten serious again about three years ago with the BFL program and now morphing into a modified CF routine, I still seem to be unable to get over the top with this. I know part of it is that I have the occasional food breakdown on weekends or on vacations. But I think the real culprit is excessive carb intake...and carb intake of the wrong kinds.

Don't get me wrong. The biggest reason for what I do is health based, not image based. I have made significant improvements in my health, and I plan to continue to do so. I also want to be able to maintain a high level of perfomance. Of course, there is a strong correlation between these things...and improving in one area often helps improvement in another.

Here's one more bit of reading about the Paleo diet. I encourage you to read it. You'll actually think twice before sticking another hunk of bread in your mouth.

I'll be strength training today...and I'm looking forward to it. Tomorrow will be fast day again.

Interesting article

Interview with Art Devany

I'll be doubling up tomorrow

I missed my workout today due to something much more important that I was tending to....and I'm not sorry.

The more I read about IF and The Primal Blueprint, the more it makes sense to me, and the more interesting it gets. I'm going to remove all but a very small portion of grains/starches from my diet. I'll get my carbs mostly from fruits and vegetables. I know I'm doing something a bit dumb here. I should IF or eliminate these nasty carbs one at a time, so I can figure out what effect each of them has. By doing them both at the same time, I won't know whether it's one or the other, or the combination only that works. Oh well. I'm doing it anyway. I've been known to do a stupid thing or two on occasion.

Runnishment

I had the fun of taking my kids and myself to the dentist this morning. I was scolded for the length of time since my last visit, and for not flossing often enough or well enough. Now she wants me to come back every three months.

I decided to give myself a consequence for a less than stellar appointment. I call it runnishment. Yes. I'm kinda copying funnishment. What can i say. Sue me. Anyway, I need to train myself to run at a faster pace for a longer distance. I used this workout a couple of weeks ago, and liked it. Well...you know what I mean by like it. Not like-like it. Well anyway...I did it again today, and I was smoked...and happy...at the end of the workout.

Warmup jog 6mph 2 minutes

Run 800m @ 8.5 mph
walk 2 minutes @ 4mph
Run 400m @ 10.5 mph
walk 2 minutes @ 4mph
Run 800m @ 9.0 mph
walk 2 minutes @ 4mph
Run 400m @ 11.5 mph
walk 2 minutes @ 4mph
Run 800m @ 9.5 mph
walk 2 minutes @ 4mph
Run 400m @ 12.0 mph
walk 2 minutes @ 4mph
Run 2 minutes 7mph
walk 1 minute 4mph


All runs were done at a 1.0 incline

I was tired and felt a little drained and irritable last evening before dinner. I think the fasting may take a little bit of adjusting to. If 24 hours ends up being too much, I can cut it back 4-6 hours and probably still get teh same benefits anyway.

Workout is finished

I had a good workout, adding weight and sets from what I've done over the past few weeks. I'll spend a number of weeks working myself back up to my previous weights again. I've got a plan that has worked in the past for setting new PRs, and I'm going to implement it again.

I'm still a bit hungry, but it is better than this morning. I can now see dinner coming up over the rise, and I'll easily make it until then. Piece of cake. Oops. I didn't need to write that, did I?

Fasting day

As I've written before, I'll be fasting on Monday's and Thursdays. More technically, from dinner the night before until dinner the night of fasting day. I'm hungry as hell today. The same thing happened last Monday. Perhaps it is the effect of eating a bit more than I should over the weekend. When I fasted on Friday, I was pretty much fine all day.

Anyway, I'll be doing a strength workout today at lunchtime. I'll go a bit heavier than I have the past couple of weeks, and add a bit more. I will bring myself back up sowly so i don't sidetrack myself with an injury.

More later.

HIIT running today

2.85 miles in 23:00, outside, some small hills.

Grrrr...

I need to run better. I need to run faster.

I need to eat some breakfast.

Workout is finished

I felt good during the workout. I started crashing a little bit at the end of the burpees, but I really haven't pushed myself for a few weeks, other than that little 800m/400m running experiment. I'll run some tomorrow.

I've had a couple of stomach growls, but nothing too bad yet today. Not eating hasn't seem to affect my workout either today.

Okay...into the pool with the kids now.

Today's plan

After having not worked out today, I'm planning on doing ring pushups and dips, some overhead cleans and presses with a KB, some ring pullups and some Turkish getups. I'll wrap it up with a set of Tabata burpees. I haven't done them in a while.

I'm fasting again today. I'll see how that goes again.

This weekend, I want to develop the program I'll be starting next week. I'll be following a combination strength/metcon schedule that was laid out in one of the CF journals.

I'm thinking of contacting a local CF affiliate near my weekend house to see if they can work with me on some of the Olympic lifts. It's hard to self assess in front of a mirror.

That's all for now. I'll probably poke back in a bit later.

I was tired as hell

by the time I got halfway into my workout. Could it be the residual effects of yesterdays fast? Could it be that I hadn't eaten enough yet today? I've had that happen to me in the past. I had Western egg beaters and whole wheat toast for breakfast, and cottage cheese mixed with yogurt for a snack. I'm long since past keeping a food journal, but maybe I'll do a mini version for a couple of weeks to see if I can change things up and identify trends. I'm thinking of going IF on Monday and Thursdays.

Oh...I hear you Wigan. I also enjoy eating, and I do it six times a day. Still...you never know how something will work if you don't try. If it does work out, it will be nice to not drive myself crazy about missing meals on days that are really hectic. Anyway, I'd think IF would be easy for you Brits! You're not known for your food, now are you!! ;-p

Speaking of food, I came across this blog recently. The writer is some nurse that writes about a bunch of different topics. Sometimes she has a point. Others, like today's post, she seems to have either no point or she seems to imply something ridiculous, or she doesn't connect the dots to what may be a logical conclusion, potentially leading the reader to the wrong one. Why do I bring it up? No good reason, other than she pisses me off. Biggest reason? She allows no comments. Sure...if you dig you can find a way to contact her, but I view blogs as a place of interaction. I think people stumbling into her blog should have the opportunity to see another viewpoint. I'm guessing that she may have had comments active at one point, but was probably made to look foolish on so many occasions, she turned them off. By the way, check out her credentials....A nurse and certified childcare professional. Now...there's nothing wrong with these...they are worthy professions...but it hardly makes her an expert on nutrition and health.

One last thing....There's some new "club" near my office that keeps on handing out crap promoting their business. They keep on repeating the mantra...lose your gym. join a club. Little do they know they are speaking a curse word to me...even though I do use a globo gym. I know. I know. It's okay though. I can get in 95% of the CF workouts there, so it works for me. (They only thing they don't have is rings and the proper weight wallball.) I also have the flexibility of using different locations, which is impoprtant to me. But really. Join a club. Sheesh. Do people want to hang out and bullshit, or train? Don't answer. I already know.

Munch munch chew chew

That was an interesting experiment. I had a reasonable dinner last night, and a good breakfast this morning. For the most part, I had a fairly easy time of going an entire day without eating. I actually feel more alert than usual today. Maybe it's just my imagination.

In response to Wigan, this kind of fasting is quite different that what those anorexic girls might do. If you read about the primal blueprint, you get an idea of what it's all about. Theoretically, throughout history, our bodies have gone through periods of fasting due to lack of food. By fasting on occasion, we are behaving as our bodies evolved. We teach our bodies to better draw upon fat reserves for energy. It's an interesting concept. I think I'm going to try it for a while and see what happens. I certainly won't starve to death if I don't eat for one or two days each week. If I find my performance begins to falter badly, I'll know it doesn't work for me. If I get more lean and muscular and maintain or increase my performance, I'll know I'm onto something.

Anyway, I'll be working my legs today. Another light day.

I'm getting a bit frustrated over the past couple of days. My shoulder is feeling great. I'll have to be careful to bring it back slowly. However, that forearm tenderness/tendinitis is still there. I'm staying away from pullups entirely for now...and that is irritating the hell out of me. How long do I have to rest, dammit? On one hand, i tell myself to push through. On the other hand, going through the rest of my life with pain in my forearms every time I do a curling movement is a bit unacceptable, no? Grrrrrrr.

Yet another Tuesday post

Right now, this IF thing is a piece of cake. After getting over a brief rough spot this morning, I'm finding this relatively easy. I've done this a few times before in the past...just because....but it was never a planned thing and I didn't really even think about the concept of what I was doing or why.

There's a Seinfeld episode where Kramer is driving Jerry's car, and he wants to see how far he can go without putting gas in the car. I'm feeling like that right now. Can I push it another 24 hours? Okay...I'm not talking hunger strike or anything, and I don't want to have my body start eating into hard won muscle tissue, but I am curious. It will be interesting to see what I feel like this evening. I'm reasonably sure I will eat tonight, but maybe sometime in the future, I'll push the limits a bit more.

I lied

I didn't double up today. I did my strength training and some situps and bicycles. I figured I shouldn't push it on the first day I'm trying fasting. I feel a lot better after working out. Maybe I'll walk home from work later if the weather holds.

Other "IF" thoughts:

In addition to standing for intermittent fasting, it may also stand for intermittent flatulence. That isn't a problem if you're alone, but when it occurs lying on an ab mat between two other people, it can be a bit embarrassing. Pretty much all you can do is laugh...which if you do it hard enough, is a great ab workout. I had a great ab workout today, thank you.

When I do the fasting, I'll go in eighteen-twenty four hour intervals, mostly dinner to dinner. That will be easier to manage than breakfast to breakfast, and it will be easier to not disrupt the rest of the family's eating.

It struck me that IF will actually save me money too. My grocery bills are a bit ridiculous.

I'm hungry

What seemed easy at eight this morning is seeming a lot tougher now.

I may end up eating my desk by the end of the day.

Interesting article.

I'll be doubling up my workout today

I'll combine some light weight training with some running. I'm still pissed that I missed yesterday's workout. I feel like I'm rapidly shrinking with these light workouts. I know I need to let my body recover, but it is frustrating as all hell.

This is part of a paragraph listed on this blog:

Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat.

Simple, really. I eat too much. Most of the time, I eat the right foods. But I eat too much. It's time to focus.

I'm going to start experimenting with intermittent fasting. I think once or twice per week, I'll go a twenty four hour period without eating. Yes, I'll drink water, but nothing else. I've been reading a lot about it as part of the primal blueprint. I think I'd like to give it a try. Today is the first day I'm doing it. Forgive me if I'm a grouchy bastard later on.

No workout today

I planned it, ran behind schedule, put it off, had a solution...then that went to shit.

So I ate pizza instead.

Heluva plan, huh?

I knew it was going to be a difficult week, but I'm pissed anyway.

Tomorrow and Wednesday should be better.

Rest day

So...I'm doing some Turkish getups. I've never done them before. They should be some fun.

Eating has been horrid. Ridiculous.

Get with the program already!!!

Next week's schedule will be challenging. I'll fit in what I can when I can. Following week....back to the drawing board.

5K day, outside on street

Total time, 25:20

Blech

I was 2.2 miles into the run at a fast pace. I was running BFL HIIT style. Instead of trying to go one more four minute set of intervals, I decided to hit my ten, and finish with the the extra interval. Big mistake. I tried, but actually had to stop and walk a couple of times until I got my wind back. It was kinda irritating. Poor planning cost me a good 5k time. Live an learn, I guess. Next time.

I decided not to try to kill myself today

I basically repeated Monday's workout. I got a good pump going, higher reps with light weights. Nothing too much at all. I feel like my body is healing little by little. I'll have to bring it back up at a reasonable pace to make sure I don't screw up the shoulder right away.

That's all for now.

Justa out.

I know I'm supposed to be taking it easy

but it's only a little running, right?

I thought I'd do a moderate BFL style HIIT run today, but I knew within thirty seconds that wasn't going to do it. Instead, I decided to run some splits on the treadmill. They looked like this:

Warmup jog 6mph 2 minutes

Run 800m @ 8.5 mph
walk 2 minutes @ 4mph
Run 400m @ 10.5 mph
walk 2 minutes @ 4mph
Run 800m @ 9.0 mph
walk 2 minutes @ 4mph
Run 400m @ 11.5 mph
walk 2 minutes @ 4mph
Run 800m @ 9.5 mph
walk 2 minutes @ 4mph
Run 400m @ 12.0 mph
walk 2 minutes @ 4mph

All runs were done at a 1.0 incline

This was a tough workout. The first 800m and 400m were okay. I probably could have gone faster on those. The very last 400m was a killer. I started it, got 40% of the way in and stopped. I rested a minute, started over, and got 80% of the way done when I felt I had to stop. Maybe I could have kept going, but I was having trouble keeping my pace. When your legs slow down on a track, you just slow down. When they slow down on a treadmill, you are fodder for America's Funniest Home Videos, with a potential prize being a trip to the ER. I decided I'd rather skip all that.

I finished up with some V-situps for good measure. I actually thought I'd do a little rowing too after the run. I'm a funny guy sometimes. Anyway, it was one of those days I really needed to fry myself. Mission accomplished.

Pop quiz

As I was doing a light leg workout today, I started wondering. Is it better to do a light workout for a couple of weeks, or is it better to do nothing at all? Okay....still be active, but nothing with weights or intense running? What do you think?

I did four sets of squats, three sets of deadlifts, and three sets of step ups onto a bench followed by walking lunges.

I need to plan my nutrition better. I'm not talking about vacation damage. I'm talking about everyday nutrition. I think I'm eating too much, and carrying unnecessary weight. I need to tinker a bit and get it right. Hmmm. Seems I've written these words before.

This seems to be a week for action. Action is past due. With interest. There are many action words, but only one that really matters.

Today I discovered

that running with an extra 5-10 pounds on your body is hard...especially when your sinuses are a bit stuffy. I weighed myself for the first time in a while. 215 lbs. That's the first time in a long, long time I've weighed that much. I'm not going to panic. I know exactly why I've gained that much in a ten day period. I don't eat and drink like that all the time, so it will come off quickly.

Anyway, I ran a moderately paced 2.6 miles and did a little bit of ab work. Yes...I did sweat today. Quite a bit, in fact. This week and next wek will be fairly light weeks, and then I'll start turning up the heat.

I've been working on shoulder flexibility. It seems to be helping, as has the rest.

Holiday time is over

I kept my promise to myself and didn't do any weightlifting at all for the ten days I was away. In fact, I didn't do any formal workouts at all. I did bike, swim, kayak, row, run, play a little softball and a round of golf, do some isometric martial arts kinda stuff, and chase a bunch of kids around all week. My shoulder feels better and my forearms feel better, though they are still a bit touchy. I actually thought about taking another two weeks off from lifting any weight at all. I would love to start with a clean slate and fully recovered. However, the fact that I ate and drank my way to a 2578653977 pound weight gain in ten days is weighing heavily on my mind...pun intended. I swear that the bar bill was more than a lot of people spend on an entire vacation!

One word on the running...I hit a little nubber during the softball game (actually, I hit a few....and it couldn't have been more frustrating! I just couldn't hold back long enough to keep from swinging early until my last AB), and found that I flew (for me, anyway) up the first base line. Those Tabata sprints do a body good, don't they?

I decided to do a very light workout today. I did bench press, barbell rows and presses, using about 60-65% of my normal five rep workout weight. Five sets of ten reps each. It was enough to say hello to my body, but not so much that I put any strain on myself at all. In fact, I didn't break a drop of sweat. Really. I actually didn't even shower before I went back to work. I'll go very easy over the next two weeks then gradually start challenging myself again.

Rest time

I worked some heavy bench press and weighted dips today as a last workout before my vacation. I'm sure I'll eat too much and drink too much, but I do plan to be active kayaking, biking, swimming, golfing and chasing kids around. I'll try to get a little rest in while I'm at it.

I won't be on the computer at all, so everyone will have to find other ways to entertain thhemselves without my wit and wisdom around. Yeah, right. Anyway, have fun all.

Fran and I got it on today!

I had planned on running four 800m splits sandwiched between 2 minute rest intervals today, but then I saw Fran come up as the WOD. Fool that I am, I actually thought that I'd do Fran first, then do my running anyway....all this the day after I had a good leg workout.

Fran is:

Three rounds, 21-15- and 9 reps, for time of:
95 pound Thruster
Pull-ups

So...I took a deep breath and started with Fran. My only previous time was 9:22 on March 31st. I maintained a decent pace, breaking a few sets up a bit to catch my breath. When I finished, I saw that I came in at 8:20, more than a minute better than my last Fran. Of course I'm pleased with that, but of course I'd like to do much better. I'd like to do Fran with no stopping at all.

I've often wondered whether it's better to use the RXed weight and break sets up, or try to use a weight that allows me to continue without stopping and post a better time. I found this on Crossfit BrandX:

Pack:
Fran done well is a 3-5 minute workout. This time try choosing a weight that will let you do the workout with good form in that time. Be warned, the difference between sub 5 and sub 3 in metabolic cost is enormous.
(usually intermediate weights are 65-75# for men, and 35-45# for women)

And also this:
Fran is intended as a high power output workout. I have heard Coach Glassman say that the workout is intended to be done as a flat out burst of power. Sure, everyone should aim for the RX’d weight but if you can’t go at a sprint, whether that means you take 6-7 minutes or 3-5 minutes, then try bringing the weight down and getting your time down before tackling the big weights.

I am pretty sure this is a faster way to a fast RX’d weight than the other way around. Because it seems to be more efficient (in my experience) to develop metabolic capacity and move up weight gradually than to start with RX’d weight first and increase your metabolic capacity in a short time.

So...is that the answer? I don't know. I'm trying to build strength AND metcon capacity. Maybe I'll alternate between the two, back and forth, so I can get some benefit of both.

Anyway, I got onto the treadmill after resting for a few minutes. I started to laugh at myself. I actually thought I was going to run with Fran and then run four 3:10 800m splits. I was halfway into the first one and realized I was being foolish. I shut it down. Okay, I did some situps, K2E and bicycles because it was time for some solid ab work, but I did have the sense to listen to my body. It wasn't laziness. I knew I didn't have it in me. No sense breaking down and getting sick right before a vacation, right?

Thoughts about food

I've adopted a CF lifestyle partly because I wanted that last push that would allow me to stop taking the small dosage of blood pressure medication that has been precsribed for me. A big part of this is diet in addition to the exercise. I came across this yesterday:

The 10 Best Foods You're Not Eating

Pomegranate juice

A popular drink for decades in the Middle East, pomegranate juice has become widely available only recently in the United States.

Why it's healthy: Israeli scientists discovered that men who downed just 2 ounces of pomegranate juice daily for a year decreased their systolic (top number) blood pressure by 21 percent and significantly improved bloodflow to their hearts. What's more, 4 ounces provides 50 percent of your daily vitamin C needs.

How to drink it: Try 100 percent pomegranate juice from Pom Wonderful. It contains no added sugars, and because it's so powerful, a small glassful is all you need.

Even though it's obvious, it really struck me that eating things you SHOULD eat is just as important as avoiding those things you shouldn't. That's a good thing to remember.

More later.

Legs are spent

Warmup, Six sets of squats, five sets of deadlifts, five sets of weighted walking lunges (I'm really growing to HATE them). Good leg workout. I was looking forward to this one all week. I finished off the workout with a set of Tabata Burpees, just to make sure I emptied the tank properly. I really have a love/hate relationship with burpees.

Over the past week or so, I've observed several different people working deads with terrible form. The old rounded back thing has been prevalent around these parts. I've been getting more and more tempted to interrupt and help them out, but I've resisted the urge. If I start there, where do I stop? Half squats? Presses coming only half way down? Extraneous nose hair?

Maybe better to keep my mouth shut and do my thing.

I think I'm really going to rest next week. Really. If I can't take a week off, then I've got a problem. Right? Yeah. I know. But I don't have to like it.

Running day

I've been in a sweltering office for the past two days, so I'm not too displeased with my 5k time of 24:16 today. The only chance I've had to ccol down has been the time I spent standing under a cool shower. I opted not to tack on yesterdays row in addition to the run.

Not a lot more to say, other than I'm looking foward to squats and deadlifts tomorrow.

What's your opinion?

Just as I finished my upper body strength training today, I began wondering whether I should take a week off from the weights entirely. I go away next week, but I do have access to some kind of gym. Maybe it makes sense to rest a bit though. The last time I had any downtime was two months ago. The shoulder is bothering me a fair amount. Maybe a week of no weight training, and then a very light week to flush everything with blood. I'm going to try to take that PVC pipe with me so I can at least work on flexibility. I'll also swim, bike, maybe get out on a kayak or do some yoga. I won't be a sloth, but a change of pace wouldn't kill me, would it?

Damn...seems like every time I start seeing some really physical changes, my body tells me it's time for a rest.

Anyway...what do you think? Rest? Go light? Forge ahead? What's your opinion?

Tabata Sprints and other goodies

I woke up to a hot, fairly humid day and decided it was a perfect time to sandwich a set of Tabata sprints between two one mile runs. So that's just what I did. Damn. I actually feel like I'm making some progress with the sprinting. I'd like to get to a track so I can measure my progress in terms of speed at various points in time.

I also did fifty knees to elbows at the end of the workout. I haven't done them in a while in an effort to baby the shoulder. I learned two things:

1. They work the abs like crazy. My abs are sore as hell.

2. My shoulder hurts.

I'm buying some pvc pipe and plan on trying to loosen/stretch the shoulder twice a day. I need to get over this thing.

Today was one of those days

that my schedule was nuts and I easily could have blown off my workout. Well, it's never really easy, because I spend a few days being irritated about it. Anyway, I juggled things up and got the strength workout in. I did some kips for my pullups today. Man, they are a lot easier than dead hang, non-kipping pulls for sure. At the end of my workout, I did a Tabata set of cleans into a push press with a 95lb load alternated with mountain climbers. That was fun.

My eating has been very clean this week, and was pretty good last week. I can already see the positive effects of the cleaner eating on my body. I need to remember that. It also may be adding those Tabatas too. They fire up my metabolism for sure.

I caught a glance of myself in the mirror while drying off today. I nearly did a double take. (And no...I'm not posting pictures!) It is amazing to me the way my lower body has changed. From my calves, through my thighs, hips, glutes and into the abdominal area...I look powerful. Well, at least compared to how I used to look. It's the ass to the grass squats, the deadlifts, the lunges and stepups and the olympic lifts. Leg presses will never have the same effect. I've got a long way to go, but it is clear that this is working, and working well. And I know how you look is not the same as how you perform, but it is an indicator that you may be moving in the right direction.

Okay...I had a bunch of other stuff I wanted to blabber about, but I have no time. Next week.

Why do I always do these after leg days?

With my legs a bit sore from yesterdays workout, I decided to do the CF WOD from a few days ago. The workout was:

Monday 080714

Four rounds for time of:
Run 400 meters
50 Squats

I came it at 16:38. I was okay with my time, until I started looking at the times posted on the CF site. Damn, I have some work to do. I wonder if I really push myself as hard as I should when doing these. I think I do, but...could I shave 30 seconds off? Probably. 60 seconds? Hmmm. I don't know. More? I guess that raises the question of whether it's better to work out at an affiliate than on your own. For me, it might depend upon the day and who I'm competing against. Anyway, I'm going to focus more on making sure I am leaving nothing on the table when I'm finished. I've come a long way, but the road stretches out far before me still.

BTW...I did some some 30 second hill sprints after this workout. I want to do those at least once a week.

Legs are wiped out

I started todays workout with some overhead squats. I really struggle with these. I've really worked on my form with back squats and deadlifts. Next I need to work overhead squats and front squats. I just seem to be off balance the entire time I do them, and even though I keep my back properly extended, they put a lot of strain on my back. I must be doing something wrong with my form. I do have a lot of my height from my waist up, so maybe that's part of it.

Anyway, after those I did back squats, deadlifts, and weighted walking lunges. My legs are shot, and I'm happy.

The need for speed

I read Katies post yesterday about not doing the sprinting thing, and it got me to thinking. Later, I was walking up the subway steps, and I realized something. I don't move fast enough anymore. There was a time in my life that I would always run up a set of stairs, two at a time, until I reached the top. I don't do that anymore. Okay, I do walk more quickly than most people, but compared to myself in the past, I move slower. In fact, I rarely run full speed at all anymore. When I try, I realize just how slow I've gotten.

Some people would chalk it up to age and let it go at that. You know what? I don't buy it. You know why I'm slow? Because I don't move fast anymore. Period. You are what you do, just as you are what you eat. If I want to be fast, I need to be fast. I need to gallop up those stairs. I need to do some sprinting on a regular basis. I need to pick it up a notch or two or three. You don't get faster by jogging. You get faster by running.

I've got some deads and squats to do today. I think I'm going to do some overhead squats for fun too....and I'm going to run those stairs later on. Anybody game?

Miscellany

I came across this link today about a recent study. So...kids get less active as they get older, huh?

It always amazes me when people do studies about things they already know the answers to. I mean really...anyone that either has kids or was a kid could have projected this one. Who funds these things? I often wonder whether I could actually make a living out of doing unnecessary studies like this. Why not put the money spent towards something more useful?

Okay...another rant. I'd mentioned that I had done the BFL program for some time. There is a website out there that a lot of Body for lifers frequent to discuss the program and obtain information and encouragement. For a variety of reasons, I withdrew from the site. I do occasionally go out there to read a few posts.

One of my pet peeves out there has always been how many of these people willingly buy and use a truckload of supplements. I understand that BFL is more of a bodybuilding program than a performance based fitness program. In order to enter the contest, you must use some of the EAS supps. When I did the challenge, I used the whey protein, and I still do. I use it in recipes and as a meal replacement. The rest of it? Why does anybody waste their money on it? So many people start BFL in order to lose fat and get back into shape. The diet is similar to The Zone in many ways. I really believe a lot of people fail on BFL because of unrealistic expectations. The supplements are looked at as a way to gain an edge and to make progress much more quickly than could otherwise be expected. It is exactly the type of thinking that has always made people fail at fitness and diet programs. It takes time. Your expectations should be realistic. Very few people are going to build a bodybuilders body, and yet they load up on all sorts of crap and expect to do just that. They cite research that everything they are taking and doing is safe, and really will enhance their performance. Eventually, they realize they don't look like Ahnold, and never will. They get discouraged and quit. Honestly, I just got tired of reading that crap time and time again. I was always very vocal against using supps, in the hopes that newbies would see an opposing point of view about them. After a while, you realize that people aren't going to listen to reason. They want the magic pill that will transform them overnight, followed by disappointment. Oh well. At least I can say that I tried.

It's just another thing I love about Crossfit. It's about performance and proper nutrition. There may be some people taking supps, but I would venture to say not a ton of them. It just isn't necessary. I'm where I belong now!

What exactly WAS that?

I did an upper body strength workout today, and decided to follow it up with a 4 minute set of Tabata intervals. I chose to do burpees and something I found to be power cleans when I got to the office. I had to look them up to figure out what i did! I guess I really do need to work more on teh basic lifts, huh? I only used 95 lbs on them. I should have gone to 135, which I realized after I had started. No matter, though. I was gasping for air by the time I finished anyway. I really like finishing up a workout with a good Tabata jolt.

I didn't feel very strong today, and I struggled. Yesterday, I didn't eat very well, and ate too infrequently. No surprise that my performance suffered today, is it? Does that answer your question, Wigan? Yup. You are what you eat!

Today's WOD

Half Hour of Power

1 minute mountain climbers max
1 minute walking/jogging in place
1 minute air squat
1 minute walking/jogging in place
1 minute jumping jacks max
1 minute walking/jogging in place
1 minute of bicycles
1 minute walking/jogging in place
1 minute push ups max
1 minute walking/jogging in place
1 minute 16" step max
1 minute walking/jogging in place
1 minute jumping pull ups max
1 minute walking/jogging in place
1 minute plank
1 minute walking/jogging in place
1 minute bear crawl
1 minute walking/jogging in place
1 minute side shuffle w/ knuckle touches
1 minute walking/jogging in place
1 minute wall sits
2 minute walking/jogging in place
6 minute run

My calve turned into a knot about 4 minutes into the run at the end. I hobbled home, sweating and somewhat pleased with my workout. Next time I need to count reps. It's too easy to pace myself too slowly when I don't. I like the total body aspect of this workout, but I'm much more wiped if I just run. It shouldn't be that way.

Why do I Crossfit?

Crossfit blogger Katie asked this question yesterday.

The short answer? I wanted something different and better than what I was doing.

The longer answer? I've meandered a bit in finding myself enamored with Crossfit. I've always been fairly athletic. About twenty years ago, I picked up a copy of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding. The book was a treasure chest of information, and I spent quite a number of years pumping iron and getting myself into the best shape I had ever been in. I was consumed by it. I frequently worked out twice per day, 5-6 days per week. (Yes...I was over training like anything!) Life eventually got in the way, and working out started seeming more like a prison sentence than anything else. Over the ensuing years, I'd drift into and out of fitness programs, making progress and then losing my motivation.

Several years ago, I felt as if I was at a crossroads. I had hypertension and my cholesterol was borderline high. I felt like crap. I knew if I didn't make changes, I might well end up being another early death statistic. Like Wigan, I stumbled upon the BFL program. (Note the url of this blog.) The program made a ton of sense to me. It was a very scaled down version of what I used to do, but included intense cardio. The cardio was new to me, and I knew I would need it to improve my overall health. The eating plan was also agreeable to me. I'll say that it is a little bit Zone like. No, not exactly, but similar enough. I loved that the BFL workouts took about an hour on lifting days and 20-30 minutes on cardio days. This was a far cry from the insanity that I used to put myself through.

Anyway, I stuck with BFL for a year and a half, as I kept on stumbling into links to Crossfit sites. I was intrigued. I really like the metabolic conditioning you get with CF, and I realize that even with the progress I've made, I could do a lot better in that area. That wasn't going to happen on BFL alone. I decided to assemble a plan that blended BFL style workouts with Crossfit workouts. I would work compound movements only. I would take advantage of the superior metabolic conditioning in the CF workouts. No more isolation movements for me.

I have not yet given myself entirely over to Crossfit...yet. In the next month or so, I'll build a plan that replaces a couple CF workouts with strength workouts each week. I have strength goals I'd like to acheive, in addition to continuing to improve my metcon. There is an issue of a CF journal that talks about programming and how to accomplish this. When I've hit my strength goals, I'll go 100% WOD and see if I can maintain my strength. I like CF...a lot!

Oh...BTW...I am MUCH stronger now than I ever was when I worked out one and a half hours twice a day....and I'm quite a bit older now. If you ever need proof that over training hurts your performance, I am it!

so....that's MY story, Katie.

I got my workout in early today

I did an upper body strength workout today. My work was quick and efficient. Even though I've been moaning about pullups, I did them anyway. Actually, I did five rounds of ten rep sets. I start with a wide grip, do one pullup, move my hands in one hand width, do another, move my hands in again, do another, and keep going until my hands are together. Then I reverse grip and do a chin starting with my hands together, and move out one hand width each rep until failure. I like the way these sets hit my back and biceps from all different angles. I did some wide and close grip pulldowns for some extra work. I feel good.

I really thought about it

I thought about running the 10k that's the CF WOD today. Even though I've never run a 10k, I thought about it until I was about 8 minutes into my HIIT run today. I was just going to keep on running the inetrvals until I hit the 10k. I realized that doing this after a leg day wasn't the smartest thing in the world. Actually, I've been pretty tough on my legs all week, so I just ran the normal HIIT. When I finished, I walked a bit, then set the treadmill onto max incline and ran 4-30 second intervals on the max incline, resting 30 seconds between intervals. I increased the speed each interval. I'd like to do hill training more often. I could use it.

So...even though I didn't run the 10...I'm happy with my workout.

Rubber legs

I worked my legs today. Hard. I did BB squats, BB deadlifts, weighted walking lunges. When I was all finished, I decided to do a set of Tabata squats for four minutes. I ended up doing 107 reps, as opposed to the 93 I did on June 18th. I don't know that I really gained all that much. As I mentioned yesterday, when you have a target number, you perform better trying to beat it than just doing it with no target in mind. Next time, I'll see how much progress I've made.

I toyed with doing the CF Total that was the WOD today. I decided against it. I'm still trying to perfect my form on squats and deads, and don't want to risk hurting myself by lapsing into bad form. Next time I'll give it a go.

With me form getting close, I'm going to start raising the weight every 1-2 weeks on these exercises. If I raise the weight five pounds every other week, that gives me a 130 pound bump in a year. I'll take that.

Thanks for the WOD

Today's workout is courtesy of one of my handful of readers, The Wigan Crossfitter.

He did this workout yesterday, and I thought it would fit in well for my cardio work today. Having run a 5k over the weekend, I wanted to do something different today; something that involved more than only running. This fit the bill perfectly:

WOD:

400m run

50 squats

400m run

25 burpees

400m run

50 squats

400m run

25 burpees

Having never done this one before, I wasn't sure how to pace myself. I figured I'd run the 400m splits in 2:00 and see how that went. I ran the first split and it was pretty easy. I ripped off the first 25 squats, and it started getting a bit harder. I gathered my breath, finished the next 25 squats, and started running again. It was at this point that I realized this wasn't going to be as easy as I thought. My quads were burning as I ran the next 400m split. As usual, the burpees left me gasping for breath, but at least my quads had loosened up for the next run. Anyway, I was dripping with sweat, panting and breathless at the end of the workout. I finished with a time of 19:13, rested a bit, and did some Tabata style ab work.

I have to admit that I was eyeing Wigan's time as I was pacing myself. It's nice to have something to shoot for when you've never done a WOD before. It helps keep you focused and doesn't let you take it slow.

Although Crossfit is scalable and you really compete with yourself, there is an element of competing with others that is inherent in CF. People post their times on the main CF site and affiliate sites. While this may serve as a benchmark for a new workout as it did for me today, it also gives us something to shoot for, and lets us measure our progress against others. I don't like the "for my age" analogy, because I refuse to use it as an excuse for slacking or not giving my all. Age is just a number. That being said, I do get a sense of satisfaction out of being in the top of my age group or smoking some people that are the age of my oldest son. The reality is that it does take us old farts more time to recover, and our testosterone levels do decrease with age....so I do take some satisfaction from my work, without making excuses for a poor showing. Anyway, a special thanks to Wigan for posting the WOD and for giving me a target to shoot for.


One other thought...I'll be satisfied when I can do a WOD like this without taking brief pauses to catch my breath in the middle of sets. Of course, I'll likely try to go faster then...but If I can do this without stopping, I'll be very happy with my metabolic conditioning.

Ouch

I've been having a fair amount pain in the tops of my forearms and biceps lately. I'm thinking much more about adjusting my upper body work to spread workouts a bit farther apart. As much as I hate to admit it, it does take me longer to recover than it would if I was twenty. As i recently wrote, it may be time to work upper body on a M-F-W schedule each two week period. That gives me a bit more time to recuperate.

I had a good upper body workout today otherwise. I need to eat more frequently. That hurts me as much as eating the wrong things!

Staying on course

I got my workouts in on Friday and Saturday as I'd planned. Friday I worked chest, shoulders and triceps.

On Saturday, I ran a 5k outside in 23:39. That wasn't a great time, but I did run a course that was a bit hilly and it was humid, so I'm rather pleased. I finished up with some ab work too.

My food was reasonable. I ate too few meals, and indulged a bit a time or two. Still, I was better than I've been.

It's all about power

After doing some of the Olympic lifts yesterday, I have a better understanding of just how important these power moves are to total body strength and conditioning. I'm not a bodybuilder, and I never will be. I want to be lean and strong and able to produce power. That means moving weight and moving it fast. While there are times I will go with slower movements, I can see the difference between the two, and I can feel it too. Performing Olympic lifts also shows you just how silly so many of the isolation moves really are. Based upon the soreness in my traps today, I can say just how ridiculous shrugs are. You don't need to isolate the traps. You can work them while working the rest of your body. Core strength? Yeah. You can see the difference between people that train for power and people that train for the beach. You see it in their physiques, and you see it in their performance.

Just something to keep in mind.

Pre weekend workout

I decided to do a BFL style HIIT cardio run today. I worked up a really good sweat, rested a bit, and then moved on to todays CF WOD:

With a continuously running clock do one pull-up the first minute, two pull-ups the second minute, three pull-ups the third minute... continuing as long as you are able.

Use as many sets each minute as needed.

I did nine rounds plus 4 in the tenth round. I did these on the cross bar of a power rack. The last time I did this was on rings on December 2nd. I did ten rounds plus 6 in the eleventh. It must be the extra weight.....hopefully.

Long weekend...still going to get my workouts in. I need to watch my food. I really need to.

I was a bit scared

of today's workout. It was leg day, and I chose to do the Crossfit WOD instead of my originally planned squats, deadlifts and walking lunges. I'd never done this one, and really didn't know what to expect. The WOD is:

Five rounds for time of:
135 pound Deadlift, 15 reps
135 pound Hang power clean, 12 reps
135 pound Front Squat, 9 reps
135 pound Push Jerk, 6 reps

Which I scaled down to:

Five rounds for time of:
135 pound Deadlift, 15 reps
95 pound Hang power clean, 12 reps
95 pound Front Squat, 9 reps
95 pound Push Jerk, 6 reps

I haven't spent a lot of time doing the latter three exercises, so I figured I'd better use a lighter weight and try to maintain form. I did that pretty well.

I started a stopwatch and let it run, noting the time at the end of each round.

The ending and elapsed times were:

Round 1 4:00
Round 2 9:59, 5:59
Round 3 16:05, 6:06
Round 4 22:18, 6:12
Round 5 29:01, 6:43

I don't expect my legs to be as sore tomorrow as they usually are after a leg day, but it was an intense workout. I was gasping for breath about 3 minutes in, and that pretty much is how it went the rest of the way. One thing that really amazed me is how my grip was giving in. I've never used straps and don't believe in them. My opinion is that you need to build grip strength so you can handle the weight you'd like to lift. By the end of round three, my grip was going. I had to break my hang power cleans into two sets because the bar was trying to slip from my grasp. I couldn't believe it. I've got a pretty good grip, and I was shocked that I was losing it. I can only imagine how much it will improve if I start doing these olympic lifts more often.

Starting the day right

I was very tempted to roll over and go back to sleep when the alarm went off today. My schedule has been a bit wonky lately, and I've been using it as an excuse to shortchange myself on my workouts here and there.
"I'll figure out when I'll do it later." That has been my thought process each time I stay in bed instead of getting up. Guess what? Later hasn't been happening. That leads to me screwing up my eating, even though it shouldn't.

I refused to allow myself to fall into that trap today. I got up, went to the gym, did a moderate speed HIIT on the treadmill, and did some good ab work. I'd rather run later in the day if I can. It's tough pushing myself really hard when my body is still sleeping. Too bad. I need to get my workouts in when I can. If that's early, that's the way it is.

That was a good start today, on top of a clean eating day yesterday. Back to basics for me.

Long, slow cardio

I read a post today written by someone that is sick of HIIT cardio, and has decided to do longer, slower cardio. He says that he HATES HIIT.

Ummm....yeah. I hate it too. In fact, about 75-80% of the time, I'm not all that big a fan of exercising in general. By that I mean exercising for the sake of exercising. If I was riding a bike or rowing a boat or playing a sport for enjoyment, I wouldn't consider it exercising. HIIT is particularly heinous. It is designed to bring you right to the edge of your body's capability. Our minds and our bodies don't like that. But when we force ourselves, our bodies adapt to protect themselves. That's how we get better.

Why do I do it? Why do I look forward to doing some of the more challenging Crossfit workouts? Because it works. Period. You can run for ten miles every day, and if you try one these CF workouts will fry your ass....and make you better in the process.

I guess it really depends upon your goals. If you want to really build some muscle mass, you aren't going to get it done doing a ton of long slow cardio. If you love it, then go ahead. Just don't have expectations that you're going to add a ton of lean muscle AND run ten miles a day, cause it ain't gonna happen. Sorry to burst your bubble on that.

Anyway, if you have any questions, you can find me on the beach playing with my kids. I've got time to do that, because I only did two four minute Tabata interval sprints. I was finished in ten minutes. I'll see you in a couple of hours after you're finished wearing out your sneakers!