29 January 2010

WOD @ CrossFit Central
AMRAP in 20 minutes:
4 turkish get-ups @ 24kg KB
8 kettlebell power cleans @ 24 kg KB
12 pull-ups

Starting on the KB power cleans, I completed 5 rounds + the cleans, pullups, and 3 TGUs. TGUs at 1 pood (all on my left arm due to a tweaked right shoulder), rest as rx'd. Felt all right once I got moving, but not thrilled with my performance this morning. Training on 6 hours of sleep will do that to ya. Nonetheless, iiiiit's Friiii-day!

the iron

"Through the years, I have combined meditation, action, and the iron into a single strength. I believe that when the body is strong, the mind thinks strong thoughts. Time spent away from the iron makes my mind degenerate. I wallow in a thick depression. My body shuts down my mind. The iron is the best antidepressant I have ever found. There is no better way to fight weakness than with strength. Once the mind and body have been awakened to their true potential, it's impossible to turn back."
- Henry Rollins

Found this quote on The Strength Shop blog. I really dig the last sentence.

Rest day.

science playing catch-up again...

Public Radio International's program The World, aired this "news" story today about a Harvard University study (sponsored in part by Vibram USA) on barefoot running.

The part that explains the differences between barefoot and shod foot strikes is definitely worth your time.





Now go get in touch with the folks at CrossFit Central Endurance and learn to run the way you were made to!

27 January 2010

WOD @ CrossFit Central

for time:

42 medicine ball cleans @ 20lbs

42 ring rows

400 meter run

30 medicine ball cleans

30 ring rows

600 meter run

18 medicine ball cleans

18 ring rows

800 meter run

My time was 22:14 as rx'd. Is it weird that "row, row, row, your boat" got stuck in my head during the 30 ring rows?

26 January 2010

"The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it."
- Marcus Aurelius, from Meditations

Rest day.

I just listened to Kelly Starrett of San Francisco CrossFit and Chris Spealler of CrossFit Park City on the latest episode of CrossFit Radio. Outstanding.

25 January 2010

WOD @ CrossFit Central
5 rounds for time:
row 12 calories
9 deadlift @ 255lbs
6 muscle-ups

DNF. At the 20 minute cut-off I had completed 3 rounds + the row, the deadlifts and 1 muscle-up of round 4. Despite a staggered start, I had to play musical barbells. I started with 225lbs then grabbed another at 185lbs (I think it was) for rounds two and three, and an unknown weight (155lbs?) that felt light for my 4th round. Frustrated I didn't finish. I was in my own head, worrying about my back and concentrating on my technique on... each... deadlift... rep. First time doing deadlifts since my back injury and all, so I'm chalking today up to a case of nerves, 'o the Mondays, of whatever you call it.

I got some good work in today, and my back feels solid, so I'm trying to resist being overly critical of myself. For today anyhow. Since, as Jim Collins says:

"Good is the enemy of great."

I'm done dwelling on this workout. It's in the past. The opportunities now presents is what matters.

Speaking of things that matter (a hell of a lot more than working out) - I stumbled upon the website/blog of a group of people called TEAM RUBICON who are currently in Haiti doing some great things. Check out their blog to learn more about what they do as a self-financed volunteer outfit on the ground in Haiti.


http://blog.teamrubiconhaiti.org/

24 January 2010

"A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book."

- Irish Proverb

I slept in till 9am today! It. Was. Awesome. As for the laugh....

A man walks into a bar and says "ouch!"

Rest day ;)

23 January 2010

I met Jassin down at the AHS track this afternoon and we knocked out some weight vest work.

5 sets of parallette push-ups to failure w/25lbs vest

5 sets of dead-hang pull-ups to failure w/25lbs vest

*upon completion of each set do 30 squats w/25lbs vest, rest as needed between sets

push-ups: 17, 14, 14, 15, 16

Phew... feeling yesterday's clapping push-ups!!

pull-ups: 10, 6, 6, 4, 7

total squats: 300

22 January 2010

WOD @ CrossFit Central

6 rounds of each movement: 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest

*counting total cumulative reps

row (count calories for points)

box jumps @ 24" box

clapping push-ups

My total reps = 274. The majority of which was box jumps. Fun one today! If you can't have fun with the Bee Gees playing on the stereo during your workout, you're taking it too seriously! It's always great to roll into the gym first thing in the morning, but today was a blast. Props to DJ Ben (except for that new kids on the block nonsense, well done sir!)

Oh yeah, we finished up with tabata sit-ups.

My numbers were 13, 12, 12, 11, 9, 9, 10, 10. Score = 9.

Happy Friday everybody!

21 January 2010

"Reputation is what men and women think of us... character is what God and angels know of us."
- Thomas Paine

This morning I went for a short walk in the Barton Creek greenbelt, grabbed a spot by the creek (the water was up!) and read more of Unleash the Warrior Within. Can't describe how great it felt to be outside on such a beautiful day! Picture something like this... minus the stuffed animal ;)

Rest day.

20 January 2010

WOD @ CrossFit Central
3 rounds for time:
400 meter run
30 American kettlebell swings @ 1.5 pood
30 burpees

18:21 rx'd

This one was suck-tacular. Now, I'm kinda weird because I tend to like burpees. Today, they sucked... in a spectacular sort of way. I'm thinking it was having to string 30 together at a time... the run and KB swings felt great though! My back got tight right after the WOD, first time that's happened in awhile, but otherwise it never bothered me.

Check out Mel's recent post: Think Positive... Or Don't. Good stuff! Here's a good one at Barbells and Bacon that covers similar ground: More of The Same.

Also, check out this post from Free Range International with a perspective you won't find on CNN: Amateur Hour.

Happy hump-day y'all!

19 January 2010

"If you believe in what you are doing, then let nothing hold you up in your work. Much of the best work of the world has been done against seeming impossibilities. The thing is to get the work done."
- Dale Carnegie


The people over at Doctors Without Borders do amazing work every day, all over the world. CrossFit Central has challenged their clients to help raise funds for their efforts in Haiti. 100% of the money raised will go to Doctors Without Borders. Go here for details.

18 January 2009

I'm glad that I picked last night to stop checking the CrossFit Central twitter page the night before class... because today we did more ring dips!

WOD @ CrossFit Central

5 rounds for time:

15 toes-to-bar

15 ring dips

9 SDHP @ 135lbs barbell

My time was 19:27 scaling the SDHP to 115lbs. Being oh so sore from yesterday's dips slowed me down today for sure, but my back felt great with the scaled SDHP.

Check out these posts from "the Mikes." We Are by Mike Winchester, and No Such This As Overtraining big Mike Gregory. Great stuff!

Happy Monday y'all!

It's a new week, full of new opportunities to excel!

17 January 2010

It's another beautiful day in Austin! I went down to the AHS track this afternoon for some weight vest training.

I got started with the CC warm-up and double-under practice.

5 sets of parallel bar dips to failure w/25lbs vest

5 sets of dead-hang pull-ups to failure w/25lbs vest

*rest as needed between sets

dips: 22, 15, 17, 9, 10

pull-ups: 10, 6, 5, 5, 5

My numbers improved again in the first sets, so I was getting fired up and didn't rest enough between sets towards the end. Still though, I'm happy with my progress. Then I got in a short met-con...

WOD

4 rounds for time:

15 parallel bar dips (no vest!)

2 tire flips

My time was 4:59. Tough and fun! Feeling great!

16 January 2010

"If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude."

- Colin Powell

I took a rest day today. No lounging though! I rolled out with TriggerPoint twice today, ate paleo (plus organic whole milk!) and went for a short walk. Having the sun out today made it feel like being here...

15 January 2010

WOD @ CrossFit Central

3 rounds for time:

50 squats

25 pull-ups

10 power-clean @ 135lbs barbell

My time was 15:50 rx'd. Smoker. My legs were shot by the third round. Thanks to the Mikes and Eric for harassing me about my bad form! It is improving....

Since I plugged San Francisco CrossFit's blog yesterday, I thought I'd be nice post a few links from their archives...

Here they are... San Francisco CrossFit's greatest hits of 2008-09:

Stretch Your Psoas Peoples

Your Overhead Break Is On

Your Poor Lats, Instructions for Care and Feeding

Your Tight Hips Betray You

Doode, Where's My Quads?

Snitting

Knees and Hams, Knees and Hams

Happy Friday y'all!

14 January 2010

"The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital."
- Joe Paterno

Prepare for - and recover from - your next WOD with TriggerPoint work. If you've got a CrossFit Journal subscription, go check out this outstanding video of physical therapist/CrossFit coach Kelly Starrett going over myofascial release techniques for the lower body. This stuff has been invaluable in my recovery from a lower-back muscle strain. Starrett also regularly posts to the San Francisco CrossFit blog which has a ton of useful posts on recovery tips, training techniques, and on and on. It's definitely worth your time to peruse their archives.

Rest day.

13 January 2010

WOD @ CrossFit Central

AMRAP in 20 minutes:

9 ring dips

6 pull-ups

3 burpees

I completed 15 rounds rx'd

This was a deceivingly tough one! I felt great early on - completing ten rounds in the first ten minutes - and then promptly ran face first into "the wall." My arms just quit working on the dips! Kipping the ring dips is what saved me...

Freddy C. of CrossFit One World and James "OPT" Fitzgerald doing ring dips. (crossfit.com photo)

Then after class Mark, Arun, Brian and I got in a round of tabata squats (8 rounds of 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest).

My numbers were 19, 18, 16, 15, 13, 13, 13, 15. My score = 13.

A great start to Wednesday! Happy hump day y'all!

12 January 2010

"Along the way I've discovered that people who have created success never tell you you can or can't do it. They only want to know how badly you want it. It's the people who are afraid to take the chance or have inherited someone else's success who tell you about everything you've got to lose. The people who are afraid of risking it all quit the first time the going gets rough. It's not until you risk it all and go for the thing you really want that life becomes unlimited. All the shackles are released."
- Richard Machowicz, from his book Unleash the Warrior Within

Rest day. Chase after what you really want! Take action!

11 January 2010

WOD @ CrossFit Central
thruster
5-5-5-5-5

My weights today were: 95-115-125-125-125F

While I'm not thrilled with my performance today, I was apparently working right where I needed to be. The third and fourth set were a serious struggle, and on the last set I couldn't complete 5 unbroken.

The "bonus WOD" was 5 rounds for time of:
20 meter shuttle run
10 burpees

My time was 4:41

The upside today is that my back didn't bother me at all. Gotta take the victory where I can on ho-hum days...

Helloooo Monday!

I joke that my diet is paleo-plus (as in I eat paleo and drink organic whole milk). So I was very surprised to read this interesting post on PaNu about dairy. Hmmm.

10 January 2010

"The only limits in life are those you place upon yourself."

- Bruce Lee

Move Beyond the Limits that are Holding You Back

WOD: Rest day!

09 January 2010

I went down to the AHS track this afternoon for some jump-rope and weight vest work.

My warm-up was jumping rope, double-unders, and the CC warm-up (subbing burpees for push-ups).

WOD

5 sets of parallel bar dips to failure w/25lbs vest

5 sets of dead-hang pull-ups to failure w/25lbs vest

*rest as needed between sets

dips: 17, 14, 12, 10, 13

pull-ups: 9, 6, 5, 5, 6

These were better numbers than the last time I did this - not huge gains - but still, progress feels good!

if a caveman could do it...

A recent article in the Washington Post:

Paleolithic diet so easy, cavemen actually did it

08 January 2010

The temp, according to my trusty Jeep, was 25 degrees Fahrenheit this morning when I parked at the gym. The good news: the roll-up doors were rolled down! So we had a nice warm gym to play in... tip 'o the hat to the 5:30AM classes for warming things up for us 6:30 folks! And y'all thought sleeping in was all about beauty rest? Sometimes laziness pays off ;)

WOD @ CrossFit Central

10 rounds for time:

10 KB power clean @ 1.5 pood

10 KB American swing @ 1.5 pood

10 jumping squats

10 box jumps @ 24" box

In twenty minutes I completed 7 rounds + 5 KB cleans as rx'd. Still feeling sluggish during WODs. Time to up my fat intake methinks... Upside: my back felt good today, only really noticed it once towards the end, and once I corrected my form, was good to go. TriggerPoint two times a day is paying off (a habit I intend to keep all of 2010)! This workout was fun in that your-heart-rate-only-goes-down-when-its-over kind of way.

Happy Friday y'all!

06 January 2010

WOD @ CrossFit Central

5 rounds for time:

12 dumbbell press @ 50lbs DBs

21 dumbbell deadlifts @ 50 lbs DBs

15 ring dips

My time was 18:39. After one round with the press rx'd, I scaled to 30lbs DBs (still torched my shoulders). The DB deadlifts and ring dips were as rx'd. Fun one this morning! Back felt good throughout, but started to tighten up almost immediately after the WOD. That part is frustrating. I'm staying consistent with twice a day TriggerPoint, but that achieving that last measure of full recovery is staying elusive...

Anyway, check out this website I recently found: Everyday Paleo. She's posted some tasty, and easy to prep paleo recipes.

And, another solid post over at Barbells and Bacon. With a name like that you know it's good stuff...

05 January 2010

"The pain of discipline is far less than the pain of regret."
- Sarah Bombell

My night's sleep was one of those where you close your eyes, and instantly your alarm goes off. Waking up tired sucks, especially when you can't extend your arms. Despite all this I wanted to go work out, because I always feel better after a workout... Well, after a cup of coffee, the realization set in that this was one of those times where I need be smart and listen to my body. So I crawled back into bed and immediately fell asleep in my workout clothes. I don't drink that much caffeine, so when I do, I'm usually perked up for hours. Not this morning. Not gonna lie, the cold outside helped seal the deal... but it was definitely the smart thing to do. Besides, there's plenty of cold to train in tomorrow!

04 January 2010

WOD @ CrossFit Central
"Angie"
for time:
100 pull-ups
100 push-ups
100 sit-ups
100 squats
*complete all of one movement before moving on to the next

My time was 23:02 rx'd. That's about two minutes longer than my PR, the pull-ups took me waaaay longer than they should have... and my left hip and lower back has been tight all day. Ahhh it's good to be back. But, after an irregular training schedule during the holiday, this is a good marker to work from!

Are you hurting? Or training through an injury? Then go read:
9 things to do when you're All Banged Up

03 January 2010

"Absorb what is useful, discard what is not, add what is uniquely your own."

- Bruce Lee

"Angie" is on deck for tomorrow, so I took a rest day. Mental cupcake? Perhaps, but I stayed disciplined with my eating at least. Breakfast this morning was no-oat-meal. EXCELLENT!!!

02 January 2010

"From time immemorial, mankind has struggled for existence against the hazards of the elements, wild animals, pestilence, and a common enemy, fellow man. The determining factor in his ability to cope with the environment has rested largely upon the individual's own physical prowess, mental alertness, and general well being, for history records the story of the fit."

- from Mass Exercise, Chapter 1, The Need for Physical Education, United States Naval Institute, 1943

Stole this quote from CF New Hampshire's awesome page:

The Savage Society

Rest day!

01 January 2010

This afternoon I went down to the AHS track to start the new year off with some weight vest work.

5 sets of parallel dips to failure w/25lbs vest
5 sets of dead-hang pullups to failure w/25lbs vest
* rest as needed between sets

dips: 17, 11, 9, 9, 10
pullups: 5, 4, 4, 3, 3

WOD
4 rounds for time:
10 parallel bar dips (no vest)
2 tractor tire flips

Finished in 3:54. Felt great!