baseline... part duex

We finished up the CF Total this morning - keeping my weaknesses in the spotlight!

STRENGTH
press
1-1-1
115-125F-120F

deadlift
1-1-1
285-295-305PR

Sorta disappointed with my press numbers, but happy with the deadlift (only 5 pounds shy of double-bodyweight). Still though, I'm seeing improvement. So as long as I'm moving in that direction, I'll take it.

CrossFit Total = 625

Keepin' it moving! Peace.

baseline begins

Today is the start of baseline "testing." We are testing to see where we stand with the major lifts, metcon benchmarks, and gymnastics movements. Once these are recorded we are going to tweak programming to work on weak spots.

We started with one of my weak spots, the back squat...

STRENGTH

back squat

1-1-1

195PR-205PR-215F

Pretty happy with today. I went into these lifts knowing my strength has improved, but only guessing where I was at. Now I know precisely! I see more strength work in my future...

Feeling good! Go make it a great Monday!

resilience

"Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck with their job."
- Malcolm Stevenson Forbes

Jeremy Thiel on resilience:

Visit sicfit.com for more Videos

REST DAY!!

swimming with wolves

The Wolfpack WOD @ Barton Springs:
"for time"
100 meter swim
3 rounds:
20 American kettlebell swings
20 front squats
20 pushups (one hand on kettlebell)
20 kettlebell clean and press
20 mountain climbers
100 meter swim

33:23 @ 45# dumbbell (clean&jerk from ground)

Another fun Saturday morning at the pool!

putting in the work

It's Friday! This morning at SICFIT Austin Mike Winchester stepped in and coached for the travelling Jeremy Thiel.

WOD

"putting in the work"

Fun stuff!

Here's the crew of badass athletes I'm privileged to train with. L2R: Ingrid, Mark, me, Chardonnay, and Firas.

HEADS UP!!

Robb Wolf's book is available for pre-order at Amazon.com!

Happy Friday y'all! Enjoy your weekend. Peace.

26 August 2010

"Sew a though and you reap an action. Sew an action and you reap a habit. Sew a habit and you reap a character. Sew a character and you reap a destiny."
- Charles Reade

REST DAY!

The extra sleep felt great. So did today's MobilityWOD work. Ahh the beautiful pain!

the mobility blog

Go check out Kelly Starrett's new blog:

http://mobilitywod.blogspot.com/

It's out-freaking-standing. Seriously peoples, go now.

Why? For baddassery like this:

25 August 2010

Woke up tired. Not really sore, just feeling like there wasn't much "gas in the tank" as it were... so I made some coffee and hit the road for the gym. Why? Because I love starting my day with the great people in the 6:30AM class at SICFIT Austin. They all are dedicated to excellence the way The Wolfpack guys are. It's fun and motivating to surround yourself with quality people like that. Anyway, it was good I "ignored" my body's complaints this morning 'cause we got in some great training.

STRENGTH
deadlift
3x 10 unbroken reps

225-225-245
I lost my grip on the 1st set, refocused and did the other two sets unbroken. Felt good.

WOD
"JT" for time:
21-15-9
handstand pushup
ring dip
pushup

My time was 13:48. Did the 21 round with kipping HSPUs and unbroken ring dips. On the 15 round I scaled the HSPU with feet up on the squat rack, but got unbroken ring dips again. The 9 round was just a slog to the finish. Overall pretty happy with my time - that was the most HSPU I've done in a workout without scaling.

Despite dragging a$$ into the gym this morning, I felt good throughout today's training. Have a great "hump day" y'all.

the beautiful pain

"The pain, the pain, the beautiful pain!"
- Scotty Helvenston

Woke up with no soreness! What a treat! Jeremy had some serious work set out for us though, I doubt I'm gonna experience another no-soreness morning tomorrow...

WOD
4x 400 meter sprint, 2 minute rest interval
"half time" tabata pushups: 8 rounds, 20 seconds work/10 seconds rest
4x 400 meter sprint, 2 minute rest interval

sprints: 1:14 PR!, 1:22, 1:28, 1:36
tabata pushups: 15-9-8-8-7-7-7-8 = score of 7
sprints: 1:34, 1:40, 1:32, 1:28

The first sprint felt great! Set a new PR! The second sprint - and every succeeding one - became a mental challenge as my legs felt like they were filled with lead. Maui wowee that was the toughest workout I've done at SICFIT Austin in awhile.

Working hard and having fun! Life is good! Peace.

box squat Monday

It was another fun morning at SICFIT Austin...

GYMNASTICS
25 pullups
50 pushups
25 ring dips

WOD
box squat
3-3-3-3-3

155-165-175-185-205PR

Technique and weights felt good, 205 was the first hard set. Feeling great!

The Wolfpack following Saturday's swim workout at Barton Springs. Photo by Michael Winchester.

swim sandwich!

Met up with the Wolfpack (details soon) at Barton Springs pool this morning for a swim workout!

WOD
200 meter swim
hill run up
2 rounds:
25 kettlebell swings
25 KB front squat
25 KB snatch right, 25 KB snatch left
25 KB push-ups (one hand on bell)
hill run down
200 meter swim

24:17 at 16kg KB

I really enjoyed the swimming, had a blast this morning. Feeling great!

commit

COMMIT. TAKE OWNERSHIP.

Visit sicfit.com for more Videos

Waking up sore seems to be the norm lately... This morning my legs, butt, and lower back were crazy sore in spite of some solid sleep and rolling out/trigger point three times yesterday.

My usual combo of sipping hot coffee on the pre-dawn drive to the gym followed by pre-warmup foam roller work was just the magic I needed. Then we did an extended warm-up with overhead squats and strict pullups.

WOD
AMRAP in 12 minutes:
10 sumo-deadlift high-pull @ 105lbs barbell
10 ring dips
10 thruster @ 105lbs barbell
100 meter sprint

3 rounds + 3 SDHP rx'd. Too slow. Not bueno. The SDHP felt good and the ring dips were cake, but the thrusters did me in (especially round 3). Leg strength is still my weakness, and today it showed. Still, the mental challenge was fun.

Happy Friday y'all! Peace.

19 August 2010

"No day is so bad it can't be fixed with a nap."
~ Carrie Snow


REST DAY!

18 August 2010

“Never let the odds keep you from doing what you know in your heart you were meant to do.”
- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

This morning at SICFIT Austin - after warming up and some handstand walks - we did strength work...

STRENGTH
4 rounds, go unbroken:
10 deadlifts @ 60% max
12 dumbbell lunges
10 GHD situps

I did deadlifts at 185lbs, lunges at 40lbs DBs, all unbroken!

I haven't done a max day in several months, so my deadlift weight was a guesstimate. Turns out I could have gone heavier, feeling great!

A MUST READ by AnyWhereFit

Happy hump-day y'all!

taking ownership!

"I will take ownership. I will take ownership of my thoughts, words and actions. I will take ownership of my diet. I will take ownership of my lack of flexibility. I will take ownership for not training strength. I will take ownership for the decline in my METCON. I will take ownership for my commitments and responsibilities. I will take ownership for myself and my wolf pack. I will take ownership of my integrity. I will take ownership of my financial situation. I will take ownership of my goals and dreams. I will take ownership of my relationships with my family, friends and loved ones. I will take ownership of my ownership.

I will commit. I commit to pushing my potential. I commit to achieving that potential. I commit to being my best every single day and giving my all in each and every situation. I commit to taking opportunities presented and converting them into successes. I commit to creating something from nothing. I commit to turning dreams and goals into realities. I commit to this life, this world and the rest of eternity."
- by Mike Winchester

Words to live by! Love it!

GYMNASTICS/CONDITIONING
3 rounds:
10 ring pushups
10 ring dips
20 KB swings @ 1.5 pood

The ring work felt easy! All unbroken save the swings.

SKILL
hang clean progression, 3 sets:
shrug/drop x3
dip/mid-thigh x3
dip/knees x3

45-65-65 felt solid

WOD
3 rounds for time:
5 deck power cleans @ 155lbs barbell
10 burpees

3:19 rx'd. The power cleans (my bodyweight!) were all single reps. So, gotta get stronger there, otherwise good stuff! Felt recovered pretty quickly, so I got in a bit extra before leaving the gym...

BONUS
5 sets of 10 GHD situps

Feeling great! Peace.

16 August 2010

STRENGTH
4 rounds:
handstand wall-walk
10 dumbbell press @ 40lbs DBs

Did round 1 rx'd, then rounds 2-4 @ 30lbs DBs

Then, with instructions from Jeremy to work at maintaining consistent pullup reps throughout, we did 5 rounds of CrossFit's "Nicole" workout. I shot for 20 each round...

WOD
5 rounds:
400 meter run
max pullups

my pullups numbers were: 20-20-12-13-14 = 79 pullups

rant, continued

I've got a short follow-up to my previous rant on Julian Assange, the founder of wikileaks. Now I know this may seem harsh, but I've got friends who've recently risked their lives in Afghanistan, and all this fool has done is make things worse.

So, after being called out by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and members of the media for endangering the lives of Afghan civilians, Julian Assange fired back. If you feel like raising your blood pressure a few dozen notches, watch the following...



Once you've wiped the puke off your chin, check this out. Several human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have called on wikileaks to censor the documents to protect the lives of civilians who've worked with the Afghan government and international military forces.

My personal favorite is the open letter to Assange from the head of reporters without borders.

"Reporters Without Borders, an international press freedom organisation, regrets the incredible irresponsibility you showed when posting your article “Afghan War Diary 2004 - 2010” on the Wikileaks website on 25 July together with 92,000 leaked documents disclosing the names of Afghans who have provided information to the international military coalition that has been in Afghanistan since 2001.

...It is true that you said that “a further 15,000 potentially sensitive reports” were excluded from the 25 July mass posting, that they were being “reviewed further” and that some of them would be released “once it was deemed safe to do so.”
Nonetheless indiscriminately publishing 92,000 classified reports reflects a real problem of methodology and, therefore, of credibility. Journalistic work involves the selection of information. The argument with which you defend yourself, namely that Wikileaks is not made up of journalists, is not convincing. Wikileaks is an information outlet and, as such, is subject to the same rules of publishing responsibility as any other media.

...you cannot claim to enjoy the protection of sources while at the same time, when it suits you, denying that you are a news media."

It's a little refreshing to see the left calling this assclown out. Though I'm sure the Afghan people he's endangered are pleased to know he's received some mean emails and letters saying what naughty boy he's been. Which is why I still think we should fit this fool for an orange jump-suit and dump his ass in Guantanamo bay. That might actually help send the message to Afghan civilians that if they keep standing up for themselves, we'll keep standing with them. Until July 2011 that is.... but that's another rant for another time.

Enjoy your weekend. Peace.

rest day reading

“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”
~ Abraham Lincoln

mischief in Manhattan
Quite an op-ed on the "Ground Zero mosque" controversy. Worth your time.

10 reasons why the Obama presidency is in meltdown

Spot on in my opinion.

REST DAY! Peace.

PR party!

I'm back after slacking off the blog for a few days. Got in some great training during the hiatus though. Woke up to full-body soreness this morning. So, after a solid warm-up that included handstand walks across the gym floor (getting better at these, can make it a few "steps" at a time now) we got after some strength training.

STRENGTH
overhead squat
3-3-3-3-3

105-115PR-125PR-130PR-135PR Feeling great! Wanted to keep going up...

In two years of crossfit I've never done more than 105lbs overhead squats. They were always part of a WOD, and I never really focused on 'em. I actually wanted to keep going heavier.... ran outta sets though. So watch out - body weight overhead squats (155lbs) aren't far off!

Chris Spealler's overhead squat: from the clinic he put on while charging to a 3rd place finish at the 2010 CrossFit Games.

back to back Saturday

Woke up after some solid sleep, feeling good (not even sore) and went to train at the AHS track about 8AM this morning.

WOD 1
3 rounds for time:
10 dumbbell clean to thruster @ 45lbs DBs
400 meter run

Completed in 13:38 rx'd. Smoker. Too slow. Leg strength still my big weakness... getting better though! I got about 15-20 minutes to recover before jumping into "the tribe's" team workout.

WOD 2
team of 4 for time (2 can work simultaneously):
20 tire flips
400 meter run
200 sit ups
20 tire flips
400 meter run
200 KB swings (25lb/35lb)
20 tire flips
400 meter run
200 tire jumps
20 tire flips

"The Youngsters" (Annie, Lory, Stephen, and myself) finished in 20:47 rx'd. Not as bad as I though it'd be when I first saw the workout. Way to work y'all!

A Texas summer Saturday with back-to-back workouts? Loving it! Feeling great!

If you're free this afternoon, come down to the SICFIT Austin grand opening at 2PM.

BYOB

06 August 2010

WOD

team of two, 3 rounds for time:

10 deadlifts @ 225lbs barbell

40 tire jumps

200 meter buddy carry

Brian and I finished in 7:20 rx'd, splitting the work in half. Fun stuff!

STRENGTH

deadlift

1-1-1-1-1

225-235-245-255-275

Decided to play it safe with my back and gradually stepped up the weight. After the 5th repetition I wanted to keep going up! Feeling great!

A must read by Web Smith: 3,2,1... Dream!

rest day rant

“There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action.”
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

In case you haven't heard, the website wikileaks recently published over 90,000 classified and secret US government documents relating to the war in Afghanistan. Julian Assange (the founder of wikileaks) claims to have published the documents to "shine light on the everyday brutality and squalor of war."

Is this guy narcissistic or what? I find it hard to believe that anyone in this day and age doesn't understand the "brutality of war." In the interview I linked above the aforementioned ignoramus also said: "I enjoy helping people who are vulnerable. And I enjoy crushing bastards."

Really Julian? Since CBS is reporting that this leak has endangered the lives of hundreds of Afghan civilians and the Taliban has announced it is reviewing the documents and "hunting down informants" all you've really done is bring more suffering to people of Afghanistan. Nicely done jackass.

But wait there's more! WE ARE STILL AT WAR PEOPLES!

Julian Assange may not be an American citizen, but he's thrown in with our enemies by knowingly publishing these documents. At the very least he should be arrested by the FBI and tried for aiding the enemy.

US Code § 904. Art. 104. Aiding the enemy
Any person who—
(1) aids, or attempts to aid, the enemy with arms, ammunition, supplies, money, or other things; or
(2) without proper authority, knowingly harbors or protects or gives intelligence to, or communicates or corresponds with or holds any intercourse with the enemy, either directly or indirectly;
shall suffer death or such other punishment as a court-martial or military commission may direct. This section does not apply to a military commission established under chapter 47A of this title.

Will this assclown actually get his due? It's doubtful. We are a nation at war yet we still do not act like it. That's the truly pathetic part...

two years of CrossFit

"The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind."
- William James

I was talking with Jacob and Mark after our workout today when I remembered that it was August 4th. Today marks two years since I started training at CrossFit Central.

Yeah I'm stronger and I've learned and gotten better at many of the myriad of physical skills that crossfit demands, but the most significant change I've made has been mental. Whether it's looking forward to all the challenges that life brings or that I'm searching out, or just enjoying the effort that "Helen" demands, it is thanks to all the outstanding people that crossfit has introduced me to (both coaches and athletes) and the examples that they've provided in how they live and train. Thanks y'all.

Today at SICFIT Austin we worked the hang clean and finished with "Helen."

SKILL
hang clean complex
3 sets of:
5 shrug only
5 dip to pockets
5 dip to top of the knees

Good stuff, getting better at losing my exaggerated hip extension and faster elbows...

WOD
"Helen"
3 rounds for time:
400 meter run
21 kettlebell swings @ 1.5 pood
12 pullups

9:30 @ 50lbs dumbbell. PR by 9 seconds!

James OPT Fitzgerald's sub-7 minute "Helen!"

it's ba-aack...

FIGHT GONE BAD 5 is just around the corner...

Mark your calendar: Saturday, September 25th.

03 August 2010

CONDITIONING
3 rounds:
12 ring dips
10 ring pushups
20 situps

All unbroken save last set of ring pushups. Felt good here...

WOD
3 roudns for time:
10 dumbbell press @ 40lbs DBs
10 dumbbell clean @ 40lbs DBs
20 dumbbell swing @ 40lbs DB
10 burpee

DNF. I completed 2 rounds, 10 press and 2 cleans in 12 minutes. This one totally thrashed me...

Check out this piece on Afghanistan over at Winds of Change, it's worth your time.