Saturday 11/29/2008

WOD: Charge
"Fran + Elizabeth"
21-15-9 reps of:
Full Squat Clean (95#)
Ring Dips
Thruster (95#)
Pullups

***
"Success without honor is an unseasoned dish; it will satisfy your hunger, but it won't taste good."
- Joe Paterno

Black Friday 11/28/2008

WOD
Ladders with a Partner
1-10
Box Jumps (24")
KB Double Push Jerks (30#)
Box Dips
KB Double Cleans (16 kg)
Weighted Situps (30#)
KB Snatch - R (16 kg)
KB Snatch - L (16 kg)

***
"Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy."
- Author Unknown

Turkey Day 11/27/2008

Turkey Day happened to be Patty's birthday as well, so we did a Painstorm-ish workout of sorts which did double duty -- celebrating her 47th year of life, as well as earning us the right to stuff our faces at dinner that evening!

WOD
"Happy Birthday, Patty!"
Perform 47 reps of each exercise before moving on to the next:
Hurdle Jumps
American KB Swings
Pullups
Push Presses (Barbell)
Yay, Burpees!

Box Jumps
I-Don't-Knows (Flutter Kicks)
Ring Rows
T-Pushups
Hands-to-Toes
Double Unders
Air Squats
Yay, Burpees!

Pistols
Arm Haulers
Thrusters (Barbell)
Twists (Russian)
Yay, Burpees!

Time: 51:09

***
"Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men; but be careful that you do not take the day, and leave out the gratitude."
- E.P. Powell

Wednesday 11/26/2008

WOD
From CrossFit Main Site:

SO1 Joshua Thomas Harris, 36, drowned during combat operations, August 30th 2008 in Afghanistan. He is survived by his parents Dr. Sam and Evelyn Harris, his brother Ranchor and twin sister Kiki.
"Mr. Joshua"
5 Rounds of:
400 m Run
30 GHD Situps
15 250# Deadlifts (I used 185#)

Time: 31:09

WOD: Revolution
25-minute Spin, followed by -
AMRAP in 20 minutes:
20 Box Jumps (24")
15 Box Dips
12 Elevated Pushups (20")

***
"Respect your fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal and help one another achieve it."
- Bill Bradley

Tuesday 11/25/2008

To Dennis: Happy 16th Birthday, brother!!!!!

WOD
Tabata 00:20 on, 00:10 off
Row
Ball Slam (20#)
Thrusters (65#)
GHD Back Extension
Box Jumps (24")
Elevated Pushups

WOD: Charge
21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps of:
SDLHP (65#)
Burpees

Time: 10:42

***
"A brother shares childhood memories and grown-up dreams."
- Author Unknown

Monday 11/24/2008

WOD
3 Rounds of 1:00 each
Pushups
Air Squats
Jumping Squats
Burpees
1 minute rest between each round

Bonus Round
1:00 each
Lunge Steps
Mountain Climbers
V-ups
Stepups

WOD
5 Rounds of:
10 Power Clean & Jerk (95#)
25 Flutter Kicks (3-count)

***
"Gratitude is the best attitude."
- Author Unknown

Sunday 11/23/2008

Okay, so I pretty much did today's CF main site WOD twice, nearly back-to-back (about 5 minutes between workouts). We don't have ropes yet (coming next week, though), so the substitution was 21 pullups. Patty taught class so I did the workout the first time round with Sharon L. and Kathy. I forgot to include back extensions in the workout but added them back in when I did the workout the second time around with Patty.

WOD
Modified from CrossFit Main Site --
Three rounds for time of:
21 Knees to Elbows
21 KB Swings (20 kg)
21 Pushups
21 Pullups
21 Box Jumps (20")
21 GHD Back Extensions
Walking lunge, 150 ft

Time the first time around: 21:04 (w/o back extensions)
Time the second time around: 22:46 (as expected -- I always need a workout to warm up -- which kind of gives added meaning to the oft-repeated line in the CrossFit community "Your workout is our warmup". It really is, for me).

Kind of troubled because my car's transmission is acting up and I'm afraid I might have to get it replaced, which really sucks because I practically live out of my car now. Not to mention that it'll probably cost something like two or three grand, which is way more than I'm willing to fork out for something that I'm only going to be using for a couple months more. Pfffffffffffft. Oh, well. Then again, I suppose life could be a whole lot worse. At least I have many things to be grateful for. Time to put things back into perspective again.

***
"When you pray, rather let your heart be without words than your words without heart."
- John Bunyan

Saturday 11/22/2008

Keep the Sharons and I accountable on our quest for Healthy Eating here!

WOD
Tabata 00:45 on, 00:15 off
4 rounds of:
Ring Pushups
Power Wheel Rollouts
KB Russian Swing
KB Goblet Squat
KB Snatch (R)
KB Snatch (L)

WOD: Charge
In honor of John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States of America, who was assassinated this day in 1963.

Using a 95# barbell, perform 35 reps of each exercise:
Deadlift
Power Clean
Push Press
Overhead Squat
Back Squat

Finish each exercise before moving on to the next.

Time: 22:16

***
Day 5 of the 100 Pushups for 50 Days Challenge!

"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished."
- Lao Tzu

Friday 11/21/2008

WOD
AMRAP in 20 minutes:
5 DB Deadlifts (50#)
10 Weighted Situps (25#)
15 Pushups
20 Double Unders

WOD: Charge
Every minute, on the minute, for 20 minutes:
5 DB Burpees (30#)
5 DB Front Squats (30#)

I was pretty consistent on this workout, finishing each round in 32-33 seconds. Kicked it up to 6 reps each from the 16th minute on and did 10 reps of both exercises in the last minute (which took me 55 seconds).

WOD
21-15-9 reps of:
Overhead Squats (65#)
Ring Rows

Time: 3:40

***
"Prosperity is not without many fears and distastes, and adversity is not without comforts and hopes."
- Francis Bacon

Thursday 11/20/2008

WOD
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of:
Standing Russian Barbell Twist
American KB Swing (24 kg)
1-Arm Ring Row (R)
1-Arm Ring Row (L)

WOD: Charge
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of:
Double KB Front Squat (30#)
Double KB Push Press
Perform 15 Double KB Walking Lunge Steps between rounds.

Patty and I were so geeked about our new Rogue Hi-Temp bumpers and Pendlay weightlifting bars (which just arrived today) that we put them to task immediately with the following workout:

WOD
"Diane"
21-15-9 reps of:
Deadlift (185#)
Handstand Pushup

Time: 8:42

I mistook the women's Rx'd weight for this workout as being 185# -- it should have been 155#! Oh well. It's a good thing, right?

Finished the day off coaching the kids' sports performance training class. I count myself lucky to have the opportunity to work with these kids, because I learn so much from them, and how to be a better trainer. Patty and I have been marveling at the rapid progress that they've made since they first stepped into Joust. Today I had the privilege of working closely with two of the most motivated kids -- we taught them deadlifts, a much-maligned strength move in school-level athletics due to the perceived risks (hogwash, of course), and capped the session with a kettlebell workout and some good ol' ball toss situps. These kids are go-getters, and not afraid to knuckle down and gut it out for a spot on the starting lineup. Seeing the fire in their eyes caused old memories to resurface -- having stood in their place myself in the not-so-distant-past, I'm committed to doing what I can to see these kids' dreams through to fruition.

***
"My spelling is Wobbly. It's good spelling but it Wobbles, and the letters get in the wrong places."
- A.A. Milne

Wednesday 11/19/2008

I'm entering into my second week of the no refined sugars/no processed carbs challenge. Energy levels have definitely shot up, though they've probably been tempered a little by the late nights over the last few days. That said, going to bed early is probably another resolution I ought to make (though at the rate that work is piling up, it might be a difficult one to stick to).

I've also started another blog for the purposes of tracking my diet/nutrition, recounting the challenges I face when it comes to making (and sticking to) proper dietary choices, and discussing issues related to the realm of food and nutrition. It's aptly titled "Getting off the Crack", which is definitely something that I hope to achieve.

WOD
Tabata: 00:20 on, 00:10 off
DB Full Squat Clean
DB Push Press
DB Front Squat
DB Burpee
DB Renegade Row

Finish 8 rounds of each exercise before moving on to the next.

WOD
30 Muscle-Ups (start in kneeling position)

Still struggling with the transition on the muscle-up. It frustrates me as I definitely have more than adequate strength to perform more than the recommended number of full ROM ring dips and ring pullups, but somehow the combination of the false grip and the dive-through during the transition muddles me up terribly. I learnt an awesome MU progression at the gymnastics cert with Coach Tucker last month, and am working it as hard as I can.

WOD
From CrossFit.com:
"Nicole"
400 m Run*
Max reps Pullups
AMRAP in 20 minutes

*Substituted the run with a 500 m row or 400 jump rope turns.

***
Day 2 of the 100 Pushups for 50 Days Challenge!

"The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one to lean on, rely on, or blame. The gift is yours - it is an amazing journey - and you alone are responsible for the quality of it. This is the day your life really begins."
- Bob Moawad

Tuesday 11/18/2008

What a ballsy day indeed!

WOD
10 Knees to Elbows
20 Med Ball Cleans
30 GHD Back Extensions
40 KB Russian Swings (20 kg)
50 Ring Pushups
40 Mountain Climbers (2-count)
30 Power Wheel Rollouts
20 Wall Ball Shots (14#)
10 Pullups

WOD: Charge
5 rounds of 20 reps each:
Medicine Ball Clean to Wall Ball (14#)
Medicine Ball Situp (14#)

WOD
5 rounds of:
5 Back Squats (155#)
30 Wall Ball Shots (14#)

***
"The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want."
- Ben Stein

Monday 11/17/2008

In an attempt to prevent this blog from stagnating further, here goes...

WOD
10 Rounds for Time:
3 DB Man-makers (30#)
6 Overhead Squats (95#)

Time: 21:36

WOD
"The Chief"

Max rounds in 3 minutes of:
3 Power Cleans (95#)
6 Push-ups
9 Squats

Rest 1 minute. Repeat for a total of 5 cycles.

Post rounds completed for each of the 5 cycles.

Full rounds completed: 5,4,4,4,5

I was in Cincinnati, OH this past weekend for the American Kettlebell Club Coach certification. I returned last night with a set of 7 kettlebells to add to my collection, as well as plenty of newfound knowledge regarding kettlebell lifting as a sport. My experience at the cert is worthy of a review, and I'll post that up soon.

So far, it's Day 5 of the No Sugar/No Grains challenge for me, and it's going amazingly well. I've managed to stay away from the crack so far and I'm really proud of myself.

Oh, and it's been a year since the day...

I've forgiven, but it's difficult to forget. I don't think I ever will.

***
"As soon as forever is through, I'll be over you."
- Toto

Monday 11/10/2008

Oh no, oh no, I BADLY need to get caught up with this blog. I'll post last week's WODs after I unearth them from the dark, dank depths of my memory. In the meantime, here's today's:

WOD: Charge
5 rounds for time:
25 Russian KB Swings (20 kg)
10R/10L KB Cleans (20 kg)
25 KB Goblet Squats (20 kg)
10R/10L KB Windmills (12 kg)

Time: 23:59

WOD
From CrossFit Main Site -
Five rounds for time of:
25 Inverted Burpees
25 Pull-ups
25 Burpees

Time: 37:42

***
"Self-respect is the fruit of discipline."
- Abraham J. Heschel

Pastry Politics?

I know the election is over, but I found this comic strip on cakespy.com and was pretty tickled by it. I found it particularly apt since someone I was talking to today (for the life of me, I can't remember who) had just mentioned Sarah Palin's lack of foreign policy experience, with no lack of distaste. Well, this definitely puts a tasty spin on things!



(Come to think of it, Sarah Palin DOES bear more than a passing resemblance to a meringue, doesn't she? It must be the hair.)

Comic strip courtesy of Cuppie Capers at Cakespy.

Busy!

It's been a busy few days. Satisfying, nonetheless -- y'know, I'd rather have my hands tied up all day with things that need to get done, as opposed to sitting around and slacking my butt off. Tuesdays and Thursdays are typically my busiest days because I have classes during the day, and do a spot of coaching in the late evening, which means that I leave my place at 5:30 a.m. and only get back around 10:00 at night. But it's all good. I'm doing things that I enjoy, and that's definitely what keeps me going. I'll update with regards to my workouts (going swimmingly), and nutrition (on track, which is cool) more tomorrow. Right now I have to go to bed before the Sharons hand my ass to me on a platter tomorrow morning.

Food as Fuel

I developed an interest in diet and nutrition after becoming enamored with CrossFit and strength and conditioning. Time and again, I've heard people say that proper nutrition makes up 90% of the equation when it comes to maximizing performance. What exactly is proper nutrition, though?

Many CrossFitters swear by a modified version of Dr. Barry Sears' Zone Diet (to find out more about CrossFit and the Zone Diet, download CrossFit Journal Issue #21 here). It advocates consuming calories from carbohydrates, protein and fat in a ratio of 40:30:30, respectively. Success on the Zone Diet is reliant to a large extent on weighing and measuring meal portions, which are counted in terms of "blocks". The number of "blocks" to be consumed in a day is dependent on age, gender, as well as activity level of the individual.

Another buzzword in the CrossFit nutrition sphere is the Paleolithic (or Paleo) Diet, popularized by Dr. Loren Cordain, who published three books detailing the benefits of such a diet. The Paleo Diet is a way of eating in the modern age that replicates the diet of hunter-gatherers in ancient times, who primarily relied on lean meat, seafood, vegetables, fruits, and nuts for sustenance. To someone who adheres strictly to the principles of the Paleo Diet, all processed foods are taboo, including grains and dairy products.

There has been plenty of discussion on the CrossFit message boards regarding the best nutrition practices. As expected, there hasn't been (and probably never will be) a consensus. After all, different people react in varying ways to different nutritional protocols. A lot of the time, it's a function of genetic predisposition. For example, individual A might lose a ton of weight by adhering to a high-protein diet with low levels of carbohydrates and moderate amounts of fat, while individual B might see considerable success by following the Anabolic Diet (a diet that advocates a high fat intake, where approximately 50% of calories come from fat).

Whatever it is, I'm convinced that proper nutrition plays a large role in supplementing and boosting performance levels, and I've decided to get serious about my diet. Managing my diet has been something that I've wrestled with for quite a while now, and it's time to get that back under control. Even though this borders on quite personal aspects of my life, I'll lay this all out here -- after all, nothing works quite like publicly acknowledging weaknesses, since it provides the impetus necessary to make lasting changes.

It's definitely going to be challenging -- I spent close to three hours on Sunday preparing all my food for the week ahead, and precisely weighing and measuring portions using my nifty little kitchen scale, a $4.99 acquisition from Target. A small price to pay for the assurance that comes from knowing the nutritional composition of everything I ingest over the next few days. I'm pretty much going to be living off chicken breasts, green beans, eggs, and broccoli over the next couple days (it's hard to have much diversity when you're cooking for one). The lack of choice can be interpreted as a good thing, I suppose, since it prevents any ambiguity when it comes to knowing what I'm feeding myself. I don't want it to be unnecessarily complicated, especially during the outset.

I'll post more about the motivation behind the nutrition plan and how I plan to tweak things after the initial period. Oh, and in case you were wondering, I'm not following either the Zone Diet or strict Paleo (though my diet can pretty much be categorized as Paleo-ish, since it eschews processed foods and is comprised primarily of the types of food that the Paleo diet champions). It's based off Lyle McDonald's (a respected exercise physiologist and a noted figure in the area of performance nutrition) Rapid Fat Loss Handbook plan, and looks to be an effective, relatively short (10-14 days) protein-sparing modified fast (PSMF) program that will help set me on the path towards a sustainable, healthy nutrition program.

Monday 11/03/2008

WOD: Charge
21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps of:
DB Lunging Thruster (25#)
Burpee Box Jump (20")
Ring Pushup

Time: 22:30

WOD: Revolution
20-minute Spin, followed by -
21-15-9 reps of:
Clean and Jerk (105#)
Medicine Ball Situp (14#)

WOD
10-8-6-4-2 reps of DB Manmakers
100 m Overhead DB Waiter's Walk between rounds

Time: 21:09

***
"What flatterers say, try to make true."
- German Proverb

Sunday 11/02/2008

WOD
Run 3 Miles
100 Wall Ball Shots (14#)
75 Barbell Push Presses
50 Ring Pushups
25 KB Situps

WOD: Revolution
20-minute spin, followed by -
As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes:
5 Thrusters (95#)
7 Hang Power Cleans (95#)
9 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls (these SUCK with 95#)

***
"If Heaven made him - earth can find some use for him."
- Chinese Proverb

Saturday 11/01/2008

This is what I look like if I don't get my CrossFit fix:


This picture cracks me up so bad every time I look at it. I pulled it off a random funny-picture website a while back -- I'm afraid I can't remember where. Love it!

WOD
10 rounds of 5 reps each:
Thrusters (65#)
American KB Swings (20 kg)
Ring Dips

WOD: Charge
"Barbara"
Five rounds, each for time of:
20 Pull-ups
30 Push-ups
40 Sit-ups
50 Squats

Rest precisely three minutes between each round.

Scores from "Barbara"
***
"I couldn't wait for success, so I went ahead without it."
- Jonathan Winters

Friday 10/31/2008

WOD
From the Hopper Deck:
400 m Walking Lunge

This workout takes longer than it looks!

WOD
Happy Hallowheel!
With your feet strapped into the Power Wheel, perform 3 rounds of the following sequence:
10 Pushups
Walk on your hands across the length of the gym
10 Pikes/Jackknives
Explosively push yourself backward across the length of the gym
10 Knees to Elbows
Bear crawl on your forearms across the length of the gym
10 Hamstring Curls

***
"A hair in the head is worth two in the brush."
- Oliver Herford