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.