A Note...

Dear all,

I've decided I've had enough CrossFit for the time being and so I'll be taking a break till the urge to do another burpee returns...

Ha!

I'm off to Brunei tonight to roam the forests, live off the land, and hone my soldiering skills for the next two-plus weeks. So there won't be any updates till I return (and I hate to say this, but probably few, if any, CrossFit workouts), since I'll be outfield during the bulk of the time. I've already thought about the possibility of making a jump rope out of vines (and you already know how an A-frame can double up as a pull-up structure), but something tells me I'll be happy to sit down and not get up till the next morning, when it's time to harbor each evening.

Well, yeah, anyway so I'll start posting again once I return. Till then, keep your fingers crossed that there aren't crocodiles in the river when it's time for the river crossing and combat swim (or I mightn't ever post again).

Wednesday 07/23/2008

WOD
30-20-10 reps of:
Burpees
Russian KB Swing

***
"Some national parks have long waiting lists for camping reservations. When you have to wait a year to sleep next to a tree, something is wrong."
- George Carlin

Tuesday 07/22/2008

WOD
21-15-9 reps of:
American KB Swing
Jumping Lunges
Pushups
Lateral Hurdle Jumps

WOD
4 rounds of:
5 DB Complexes - deadlift/squat thrust/renegade row/squat clean/thruster (15 kg DBs)
10 Plyo Pushups
15 DB Russian Swings (17.5 kg DB)
20 Double Unders
25 GHD Back Extensions

Swim Workout
W/U: 500 m stroke practice
Workout: 500 m, 40 sec rest; 400 m, 30 s; 300 m, 20 s; 200 m, 10 s; 100 m
W/D: 500 m easy

***
This quote reminds me of the line which goes "I live on raw emotion, baby..." from Maroon 5's "Wake Up Call".

"Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for the truth."
- Benjamin Disraeli

Monday 07/21/2008

WOD
Courtesy of CrossFit Philly

"Estok"
21 KB Swings
21 KB High Pulls
21 KB Snatches
21 KB OH Forward Lunge (I did OH walking lunges instead)
9 Burpees

15 KB Swings
15 KB High Pulls
15 KB Snatches
15 KB OH Forward Lunge
15 Burpees

9 KB Swings
9 KB High Pulls
9 KB Snatches
9 KB OH Forward Lunge
21 Burpees

All reps are per arm (well, I suppose this excludes the burpees).

***
The following quote reminds me of people I've seen, and also never to become like them.

"It takes more courage to reveal insecurities than to hide them, more strength to relate to people than to dominate them, more 'manhood' to abide by thought-out principles rather than blind reflex. Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles and an immature mind."
- Alex Karras

Sunday 07/20/2008

WOD
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of:
1-Arm Kettlebell Complex (R, then L)
Divebomber Pushup
Jumping Squat

***
"When one bases his life on principle, 99 per cent of his decisions are already made."
- Author Unknown

Saturday 07/19/2008

WOD
5 rounds of 10 reps each:
KB American Swing
KB Switching Hand Pushup
KB Figure 8 Upper Cut
KB H2H Double Tap Swing

***
"Venice is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go."
- Truman Capote

Friday 07/18/2008

WOD
"Annie"
50-40-30-20-10 reps of:
Double Unders
Situps

Time: 8:29

Been meaning to try this workout for a while now. Personally, I don't think it's one of the harder CF "girls" (but that's only because I love double unders and almost everyone loves situps). But I did trip over the jump rope twice during the set of 40 which threw me off a little, and doing situps on prickly grass without anything to anchor your feet gets pretty challenging too...

WOD
"Dennis' First CrossFit Workout"
21-15-9 reps of:
Burpees
Crunches

Time: 3:29

Getting my brother to work out is like pulling teeth. So I was surprised when I managed to coax him into sampling a CrossFit-style workout with me (obviously, it involved promises of food afterwards...). But I think he had fun! And he finished it in 3:49 -- his only modification was to leave out the pushups from the burpees.

***
"I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free."
- Michelangelo

Thursday 07/17/2008

WOD
50 American KB Swings
50 Pushups
50 Situps
50 Russian KB Swings
50 Lateral Hurdle Jumps
50 Walking Lunges
50 Mountain Climbers
50 Double Unders

Swim Workout
W/U: 500 m
Drills/Skills: 500 m
Workout: 4 x 300 m @ 75-80%, 30 s rest between sets
C/D: 4 x 100 m with pool buoy, 100 m easy

***
"Common sense is instinct. Enough of it is genius."
- George Bernard Shaw

Tuesday 07/15/2008

WOD
5 rounds of 5 reps each:
Dead Stop KB Snatch (R)
Dead Stop KB Snatch (L)
Handstand Pushup
Dead Stop KB C&J (R)
Dead Stop KB C&J (R)
Divebomber Pushup

Here's a good article about the merits of the dead stop KB snatch (or extended KB snatch, as it's referred to here). Beginning the snatch from a complete halt, instead of hiking the KB back between the legs, does indeed add an element of difficulty to the movement. You ought to be confident with regards to your regular snatching ability (that sounded a little odd) before you attempt the extended KB snatch.

Swim Workout
W/U: 500 m
Drills/Skills: 500 m
Workout: Ladder -- 400 m, 30 s rest; 300 m, 20 s rest; 200 m, 10 s rest; 100 m free
C/D: 5 x 100 m with pool buoy, 100 m free (focusing on kicking turnover)

***
"We judge others by their behavior. We judge ourselves by our intentions."
- Ian Percy

Tuesday 07/15/2008

WOD
21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps of:
Hindu Pushup
Tri-level KB Swing (hip-level/eye-level/overhead = 3 swings)
Lateral Hurdle Jump

Swim Workout
W/U: 500 m
Skills/Drills: 500 m
Workout: 10 x 50 m @ 80-90%, 50 m recovery; 5 x 100 m @ 80-90%, 100 m recovery

***
"There is no strong performance without a little fanaticism in the performer."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Monday 07/14/2008

WOD
30-20-10 reps of:
Burpee
Superman Back Extension
KB H2H Swing
V-Up

***
Sharon L., I think you'll love this quote...

"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."
- Mark Twain

There's nothing like home...

Spending time with the brother and sister
When I left for Ann Arbor, my brother was twelve, and in his first year of secondary school. Now he's just about ready to graduate and enter junior college. My sister -- she'll always be the baby of the family, even though she'll be thirteen at the end of the year. Sometimes I wish I had been around to see them grow up. Despite the distance (and the age divide -- I'm six years older than my brother and nine years older than my sister), I'm thankful we're as close as we are. They're good kids and I'm very proud of them.

***
"Our brothers and sisters are there with us from the dawn of our personal stories to the inevitable dusk."
- Susan Scarf Merrell

Sunday 07/13/2008

WOD
21-15-9 reps of:
American KB Swing
Lateral Hurdle Jump
Pushup
KB Figure 8 Upper Cut
Double Under
Jumping Lunge

***
"The eternal quest of the individual human being is to shatter his loneliness."
- Norman Cousins

Saturday 07/12/2008

WOD
20-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2 reps of:
KB Snatches (1/2R/1/2L)
Lateral Hurdle Jumps
KB Overhead Lunges (1/2R/1/2L)
Supermans

***
"In order to change we must be sick and tired of being sick and tired."
- Author Unknown

Friday 07/11/2008

WOD
5 Rounds of:
5 Burpees
10 KB Figure 8 Upper Cut
15 Double Unders
10 V-Ups
5 Handstand Pushups

WOD
7 Rounds of:
20 Push Presses (15 kg DBs)
20 GHD Back Extensions
20 Double Unders

Some things I've been duly reminded of over the last couple days:
1. Trust your compass.
2. Always wear two pairs of socks during route marches.
3. A pair of tights would be a good idea as well.

***
"Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow."
- Swedish Proverb

Wednesday 07/10/2008

WOD
4 Rounds of:
10 American KB Swings
10 Regular Pushups
10 Russian KB Swings
10 Diamond Pushups
10 H2H KB Swings
10 Spider Pushups

Swim Workout
Warmup: 500 m stroke practice
Workout: Swim 1500 m easy (recovery day)
Cooldown: 500 m drills

***
"We now no longer camp as for a night, but have settled down on earth and forgotten heaven."
- Henry David Thoreau

Wednesday 07/09/2008

WOD
21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps of:
Pushups
Double Unders

***
"It is preoccupation with possession, more than anything else, that prevents men from living freely and nobly."
- Bertrand Russell

Tuesday 07/08/2008

WOD
10-20-30-40-30-20-10 reps of:
Pushups
Jumping Lunges
Double Unders

***
"Never ruin an apology with an excuse."
- Kimberly Johnson

Monday 07/07/2008

WOD
21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps of:
American KB Swing
Double Under

This one's a real quickie but goodie! Anyway, it looks as though I'll be outfield today through Wednesday for a navigation exercise and a route march, which means that I won't be posting till then. My jump rope and Gymboss timer are safely stashed away with me, however, which means that the workouts are most likely still going to happen.

WOD
5 Rounds of:
10 Burpee Pullups
20 GHD Back Extensions
30 Double Unders

***
"The older generation thought nothing of getting up at five every morning - and the younger generation doesn't think much of it either."
- John J. Welsh

Sunday 07/06/2008

WOD
Adapted from CrossFit Philly
10 Burpees
20 American KB Swings
30 Jumping Lunges
40 Double Unders
50 Pushups
40 Double Unders
30 Jumping Lunges
20 American KB Swings
10 Burpees

17-hour day yesterday (Saturday) at the National Day Parade rehearsal which culminated in a two-hour debrief that lasted from 11:00 pm to 1:30 am. The perks of the job...

***
"I'd rather be black than gay because when you're black you don't have to tell your mother."
- Charles Pierce, 1980

Saturday 07/05/2008

WOD
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of:
KB Snatch (R)
KB Switching Hand Pushup
KB Snatch (L)
KB Figure 8 Upper Cut

WOD
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of:
American KB Swing
Plyometric Pushup

***
"A preoccupation with the future not only prevents us from seeing the present as it is but often prompts us to rearrange the past."
- Eric Hoffer

Friday 07/04/2008

WOD
5-10-15-20-25-20-15-10-5 reps of:
American KB Swing
Pushup
Double Under

WOD
With a pair of 15 kg (approx. 33 lbs) DBs, perform 4 rounds of:
10 DB 1-Arm Snatches (R)
10 DB Renegade Rows
10 DB 1-Arm Snatches (L)
10 DB Hang Power Cleans
10 DB Push Presses

Perform 20 double unders between rounds.

***
"This, then, is the state of the union: free and restless, growing and full of hope. So it was in the beginning. So it shall always be, while God is willing, and we are strong enough to keep the faith."
- Lyndon B. Johnson

Thursday 07/03/2008

WOD
21-15-9/15-9/9 reps of:
Burpee
American KB Swing
Double Under

Swim Workout
Warmup: 500 m
Skills/Drills: 500 m
Workout:
5 x 50 m sprint/50 m recovery, 00:10 between rounds
5 x 100 m sprint/100 m recovery, 00:10 between rounds
Cooldown: 500 m

***
"The world of empirical morality consists for the most part of nothing but ill will and envy."
- Goethe

Wednesday 07/02/2008

WOD
5 Rounds of:
5 KB Snatches (R)
5 Pushups
5 KB Snatches (L)
5 KB Switching Hand Pushups
5 KB Overhead Squats (R)
5 Pushups
5 KB Overhead Squats (L)
5 Handstand Pushups

***
"If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door."
- Milton Berle

Tuesday 01/07/2008

WOD
5 rounds of:
10 American KB Swings
5 Burpees
10 Russian KB Swings
5 Burpees
10 KB Hand-to-Hand Swings
5 Burpees

WOD
50-40-30-20-10 reps of:
DB Russian Swing (17.5 kg)
Pushup
Double Under
GHD Back Extension

***
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
- Albert Einstein